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Jimin knew it was going to be a bad week when Jungkook woke up one morning wracked with tremors from the force of his coughing. But fortunately for the maknae and the rest of members, they were given a week off from schedules to spend time with their families after so long being on tour and promoting their comeback album.
When Sejin hyung sat them down in the living room to inform them of the mini vacation period, the boys had let out a sigh of relief, thoughts already drifting to their families and pets waiting back home. “You’re free to go whenever you wish. Schedules have already been cleared.”
With those words ringing in their heads, the members separated to pack as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, Jungkook was still clearing his throat every few seconds and whining between bouts of coughing.
“Yah, Kookie,” Jimin called out, eyes now focused on the flushed boy breathing heavily, “Take some medicine before you start packing! You can’t enjoy your time off if you’re sick.”
Jungkook pouted stubbornly, opening his mouth to no doubt reply with some witty comeback when another round of coughs plagued his sore body.
Seokjin appeared in a flash, motherly instincts leading straight to the scene. His hand automatically flew up to check Jungkook’s temperature as he had done so many times in the past. “Hmm, Kook-ah, you need to take some cough medicine or you’ll be miserable the entire week off. Come with me, baby, I’ll give you some.”
The maknae attempted to resist for the sake of his pride, but the insufferable coughs built up in his chest suggested otherwise. Jungkook whined and allowed the elder to lead him to the kitchen.
“I don’t want the cherry flavor,” Kookie mumbled, face smushed into Jin’s neck.
The eldest laughed and opened the grape flavor medicine, ladling it onto a tablespoon before feeding the grumpy maknae. After another spoonful, the two made their way back to packing, this time Jin staying close to the youngest in case his condition got worse.
Namjoon strolled past their doorway and asked, “Jiminie, you and Jungkookie are going together, right? You guys can take the van with Yoongi hyung and Taehyungie.”
The pair easily agreed to the plan and Jungkook draped himself over Jimin’s back, hoping the distraction would stave away the horrible coughs. “Hyungie, when we take the train, can you let me lay on you?” Kookie stuttered out in a small voice, fingers playing with the hem of the dancer’s shirt.
“Aigoo,” Jimin cooed at the doe-eyed maknae, cupping squishy, red cheeks and ruffling his hair. “Of course baby, anything for our precious Jungkookie.”
Kookie scoffed at the babying but secretly enjoyed the attention, especially since he wasn’t feeling so hot despite the medicine. With packing done, meals eaten and plans cemented into action, the members trickled out of the dorm, leaving the Daegu and Busan boys behind to take the manager’s van. The 4 climbed into Sejin hyung’s van and enjoyed the last moments together before their week-long break, Yoongi and Taehyung making sure the maknae was feeling alright enough to travel.
When they arrived at the train station, both pairs split up and went their own ways, Jimin taking hold of Kookie’s jacket so they wouldn’t be separated by the crowd of people. Once they got onto the train, they settled into their seats and the maknae immediately curled up against his hyung, coughing into his sleeve.
“Kookie,” Jimin murmured, glancing down at the scrunched up face on his shoulder. The younger’s puffy cheeks were squished tightly, doe eyes leaden with sleep, and a heavy flush painted his golden skin. “Just go to sleep, baby. You’ll feel better once your body gets rest.”
Jungkook whined. “Feels bad, hyungie. I feel like I’m going to cough up my lungs!”
The hyung dancer brushed the maknae’s hair back, smiling at how he leaned into the touch, and kissed his forehead. “That’s what happens when you overwork yourself… now, sleep. I’ll wake you up when we reach Busan.”
Though initially resisting, the sick maknae dozed off within seconds, cough and sore throat ignored for the time being. Jimin spent the rest of the time listening to music and ensuring Jungkook’s head didn’t fall off his shoulder. When they reached the Busan station, Jimin gently shook the younger awake and chuckled at the disgruntled expression directed at him.
“Wha?” Jungkook questioned, eyelids still partly shut with sleep.
“We’re here, Kookie. You need to wake up so we can get a taxi.” Jimin grabbed their luggage and stood up, relieved to see the maknae do the same even in his sleepy state.
The younger frowned. “You lied, hyungie. I feel worse now than I did before! I don’t wanna walk all the way there….”
Jimin laughed and kept going, taking hold of the whining boy’s wrist just in case he decided to run off. “My sick little Kookie is milking it for all it’s worth. I can’t carry you with all of this luggage, y’know. Don’t you want to go home?”
Jungkook sighed and pouted for the umpteenth time, stomping along after the hyung. “Not if I have to walk there!”
The elder rolled his eyes. “You dance for hours on end, but you can’t walk for 5 minutes because you’re sick? In what world does that make sense?”
“Hey! I’m sick! You have to be nice to me, Jiminie.”
The dancer sent a death glare over his shoulder at the lack of honorifics and eventually sighed. “I’ll let that one slide because you’re sick. That’s all the nice you’ll get out of me now, Kookie.”
They walked in silence until they reached the exit, one searching for a cab, the other too busy coughing. Fortunately for them, a line of taxis was parked nearby. Jimin quickly gave the driver some instructions and nudged the boy in the direction of the car while shoving the luggage into the trunk.
Within half an hour, the car pulled up to the maknae’s house and Jimin suffered through the whole ordeal of waking him up because once again, Jungkook had fallen asleep burrowed into Jimin’s side. Jimin politely greeted Jungkook’s family and made sure all his luggage was taken before getting back in the car and giving directions to his own home.
In a few minutes, Jimin had arrived home, hand raised to knock on the door with his luggage piled on the porch when the door swung open and a figure flew at him, squeezing the air out of his lungs. “Jiminie, my baby, I missed you so much,” Jimin’s mother gushed, stroking her son’s hair fondly as she ushered him into the house. “Jihyunie is at cram school but he’ll be back soon; he’ll be so excited to see you after so long. Appa won’t be home until evening because of work.”
Jimin pouted for a second before launching into the many stories he had in mind. “I have so much to tell you Eomma!” The two spent the rest of time eating and sharing stories, Jimin more so to catch his mother up on recent events. A few hours later, Jihyun and his father returned home and the family set up for dinner, stomachs rumbling from the delicious smell wafting through the house.
Everything seemed to be going perfectly in the Park household and too quickly, it was time for bed. Jimin wished them a good night and tucked his brother into bed against his protests. “Night, hyungie,” Jihyun mumbled as the elder turned off the light and left the room quietly.
A small frown appeared on Jimin’s face as he remembered Jungkook’s state in the taxi. He blew out a breath. “I hope he’s getting better with the medicine…” With thoughts of the maknae running through his mind, Jimin climbed into bed and dozed off, praying for a peaceful night of sleep for once.
While the boy slept, an incessant buzzing noise started up. Jimin grumbled and turned over in his bed, hoping the sound from his dream would go away, throwing the sheets over his head and curling up tightly. But the vibrating continued for another minute or so before the dancer groaned and sat up in bed, cursing to all hell that the first night of vacation was ruined. “What is that?” He moaned in frustration, rubbing his eyes hastily as he tried to wake up.
It was pitch black in his room and his sleep ridden eyes were no help finding the source of the noise. Jimin patted around his nightstand and crawled halfway off the bed to search the floor, hand finally landing on his buzzing phone laying on the ground.
With another rapid succession of blinking, the dancer glanced at the screen, noting that it was 4 in the morning.
Jimin couldn’t help but think the caller ID was familiar, though he couldn’t remember who exactly it was; suddenly, as though something clicked in place, he realized it was Jungkook’s brother, Junghyun. He’d just gotten the boy’s number a few months ago when he visited the maknae’s family, in case something were to happen while his parents weren’t available.
Jimin quickly answered the phone, “Hello, Junghyun-ssi?”
“Jimin-ssi, ah you finally picked up!” a panicked voice responded on the other end.
“Sorry, I was sleeping… It’s 4 am,” Jimin said groggily, running a hand through his hair as he wondered why in the hell Jungkook’s brother was calling him at such an ungodly hour.
“Look, I understand it’s a bad time, but something’s going on with Gguk,” he explained hurriedly, sounding out of breath.
Jimin straightened up in alarm, immediately snapping back, “What? What do you mean?”
Junghyun sighed heavily. “He went to sleep early because the medicine we gave him wasn’t helping, but I heard crying from his room in the middle of the night so I went to check it out. He won’t stop crying, and he’s having trouble breathing.... Eomma and Appa are really worried.”
“That sounds like a panic attack,” Jimin mumbled to himself, groaning.
“Gguk has panic attacks? Why didn’t we know about this?”
The dancer sighed softly before answering the shocked brother. “Whenever he gets sick, he has nightmares and wakes up really scared, or crying. We don’t know why because he never tells us what’s wrong, but usually we just end up cuddling with him until he calms down.”
“O-okay. Maybe I’ll try that and see if he calms down,” Junghyun replied, “But is there any way you can come? He’s been saying your name for a while… I was hoping you’d be able to help.”
Jimin chewed his lip thoughtfully. Honestly, Jungkook’s house was only 30 minutes away and it was such an unexpected time that nobody would even be outside to recognize him. There was very little risk involved. “Okay, I’ll come over, but it’ll be another 30 minutes or so. Try to calm him down, he likes physical touch when he gets like this.”
Junghyun thanked him profusely, the hysterical edge to his voice toned down, before hanging up the phone. Jimin rushed to get clothed, grabbing the first thing in his closet and throwing it on before he knocked on his parents door and informed the grumbling adults that he was going to Jungkook’s place.
Within a few minutes, Jimin was dressed and in a car, constantly checking his phone in case Junghyun called again. The ride to the maknae’s house seemed like the longest 30 minutes the dancer had ever endured. When the familiar house came into view, Jimin paid the driver and jumped out of the car, rushing to the front porch; before he could even ring the doorbell, Junghyun had flung the door aside and pulled Jimin inside.
“How is he?” the dancer asked hesitantly, unsure if he was overstepping his place with Jungkook’s older brother.
The Jeon glanced at Jimin nervously and murmured, “Not that great. We’ve tried everything to calm him down - his favorite plush, blankets, cuddling, mom even sang to him.”
Jimin gaped at the other boy. “Really? He’s still like that?”
“Well, he’s breathing properly, but the crying hasn’t stopped so it’s creating more issues. He keeps asking for you.”
Jimin exhaled sharply and gestured for the older to take him to Jungkook’s room. Oh, how he wished the maknae had opened up to them about why he had these panic attacks. When they got to the room, Jimin could immediately hear the desperate sobbing from within, heart aching at the sounds of Jungkook’s cries. “Jungkookie,” Jimin called softly, sliding the door open.
All he got in response was more agonized crying. “Kookie, baby, hyungie is here. It’s going to be okay, we’ll take care of you…” Jungkook was curled in the corner of his bedroom, clutching a blanket to death as he struggled to draw in a breath between his bouts of sobs. Tears were gushing down his red cheeks and dripping off his jaw, doe eyes scrunched together tightly.
“H-hyungie… M-minie?” the maknae whispered, coughing harshly.
Jimin immediately rushed forward to Jungkook and settled him in his arms. “Hmm, it’s me. I heard you calling for me, Kookie. You have to calm down for me, okay? You have to calm down, baby. Hyung will take care of you.”
Jungkook only sobbed harder, crushing himself to Jimin’s chest and digging his fingers into the boy’s back. “Hyungie… h-hyungie, I’m s-sorry. I-I’m sorry you had to c-come-” His words were interrupted by bone rattling coughs, a wet gagging noise lingering near Jimin’s ear.
“Baby, you’re going to make yourself throw up. Your hyung and parents are so worried for you…” the dancer whispered gently, planting kisses against the maknae’s neck just like he knew Jungkook liked.
The younger began to wail in reply, burying his face in the older boy’s lap out of embarrassment. “Hold me… I can’t breathe Minie hyung,” he choked out, doe eyes puffy and filled with crystalline tears.
Jimin pressed another kiss onto Jungkook’s cheek, continuing until he reached the corner of his lips and stayed there, gathering the shivering boy into his lap and rubbing his back. “You’re okay, Kookie, breathe with me. Hyung’s gonna put your hand on his chest okay? You can feel me breathing with you.”
The dancer placed Jungkook’s trembling hand in the middle of his chest, slowly inhaling and exhaling. He counted seconds for each slowly, focused on Jungkook. The maknae sucked in rattling breaths, tears still dripping down his cheeks as he fought for air, slowly stabilizing before his anxiety spiked again and he started to hyperventilate once more.
“Baby, you have to breathe, nice and slow. Hyung’s here now, you’re going to be okay,” Jimin gently urged, petting his hair and going back to counting. Ever so gradually, Jungkook stopped sobbing, simply concentrating on breathing well as he felt his hyung’s breathing synchronize with his own. “What’s going on with you, Kookie? My poor baby is suffering so much. Why won’t you tell us?”
Jungkook coughed wetly, unsure how to respond. Even with the anxiety building up in his mind, the maknae slowly calmed down in Jimin’s arms. He pressed his nose against the elder’s neck and inhaled softly, taking comfort in his hyung’s rich, citric scent and felt his muscles untense and fall limp, allowing himself to be rocked back and forth like a baby. “Don’t leave me, hyungie.”
“I would never leave, Kookie,” the dancer cooed, once again kissing every inch of golden skin he could reach, “Is that why you’re crying?”
The maknae shrugged, embarrassment flooding in. Nonetheless, he clutched Jimin closer. “Bad dream… nobody was there, I was all a-alone-- I missed you…”
“Were you scared by yourself, baby?” Jimin murmured, carding his fingers through Jungkook’s messy hair and adjusting their position.
“You all left me!” Jungkook whispered, hot tears once more welling in his red-rimmed eyes.
Jimin sighed and simply leaned back against the wall, taking the maknae with him. As he silently comforted the younger, the dancer realized Junghyun was still there and flushed at his behavior. He’d definitely overstepped his boundaries this time, completely ignoring Jungkook’s actual brother and taking his place instead.
“So, what’s this about?” Junghyun questioned quietly, watching the interaction between his baby brother and Jimin.
The dancer exhaled slowly, gathering his thoughts. “I think he had a nightmare about being separated and that might’ve triggered an anxiety attack…” Jungkook squirmed, wiggling on Jimin’s lap to get comfortable.
Junghyun observed the moment carefully, the way Jungkook curled closer to the elder and how Jimin easily responded by holding him tighter to his chest without much thought. “Is this a common occurrence?”
The maknae twisted some more, trying to crawl upwards so he could lay on Jimin’s chest, and the dancer chuckled before gripping the younger’s thighs and pulling him closer. “Usually he gets these nightmares after we’ve had concerts. The sudden emptiness after performing for a huge crowd is haunting for all of us, y’know?”
Jungkook whined loudly, grabbing his blanket and yanking it towards him, before grumbling, “Hyungie, stop moving! It’s not comfy.”
Jimin tutted at the youngest and made to get up. “The bed is right next to us, and your hyung wants to be here too. Now c’mon, you big baby, let’s get on the bed.”
The maknae whined at the loss of body heat, wrapping himself in the blanket before following his hyung onto the mattress and laying down uncooperatively. Jimin once again sighed and positioned the sniffly baby next to himself, knowing he’d grumbled some more if he just left him like that. “Don’t move…. I’m cold.”
“Okay, baby,” Jimin sighed, shaking his head fondly, “I won’t go anywhere. Junghyun-ssi, you should come sit with us, I’m sure Jungkookie would love it.”
As Jungkook’s brother situated himself at the foot of the bed, the maknae quietly shuffled around and intertwined his legs with Jimin’s, arms wrapping around the dancer’s torso until he had effectively covered him. “I missed you, Minie.”
The older boy replied with a smile, “I was with you just a few hours ago. Was your nightmare that bad?”
“It was worse because I wasn’t expecting it,” he spoke, nuzzling his face into the other’s neck, “Usually this happens after concerts and lives, but this time there was no warning… I’m just stupid, I guess.”
Jimin rubbed his back soothingly, thinking for a second. “You are not stupid for having nightmares. Everyone gets them at some point in their lives, Kookie.”
Jungkook pouted and let out a sudden bout of coughs, tearing up slightly. “What 20-year-old has nightmares about being abandoned and wakes up to a panic attack? I’m so- so- pathetic, hyungie, what’s wrong with me?”
“Stop that. There is nothing wrong with you, Jungkookie,” his brother spoke, “You left home at a very young age. They’ve practically raised you.”
“That doesn’t explain why I’m such a crybaby!”
Junghyun sighed exasperatedly. “Jungkookie, what do you think happens when someone you rely so much on disappears from your life? You’re used to their presence, and now they’re not here. Of course your natural reaction is to panic, because you don’t know anything beyond them. They are your entire world…”
The younger tightened his hold on Jimin, focusing on his comforting scent to avoid crying again. “I’m so much older now, I shouldn’t have a meltdown every time we’re separated!”
Jimin cupped Jungkook’s flushed cheeks and rested his chin on the boy’s head, automatically petting his hair to calm him down. “Maknae, you know we won’t think any less of you for feeling this way.”
“I don’t want to be a burden to the group, hyungie,” Jungkook whispered, glancing up with his tear-filled doe eyes.
Jimin cooed at the sight and pulled the boy to straddle him, swiping his thumb across plump cheeks to collect his tears. “There you go again with the assumptions... You’re our baby, of course we understand that you can’t handle being away from us.”
“It’s such a hindrance though...you couldn’t even stay with your family because of me!” the maknae cried with his face covered. The dancer blew out a long breath, shaking his head.
Junghyun shook his head as he watched his little brother once more dissolve into tears. “Gguk-ah, listen to me. It’s perfectly okay to feel how you do, and as your hyungs, they would never feel bad about something like this! Does Jimin-ssi look like he’s angry?”
The youngest shook his head, sniffling.
His brother straightened up, gesturing with a shrug. “Well, there you go! Nobody’s upset over this. You’re just being too hard on yourself, Gguk.”
Jimin nodded quickly. “Yes, you are. On that note, you also need to rest or your cold is going to stay forever, and you’ll feel even worse. All that crying has to have made your congestion worse.”
Jungkook pouted and swatted at the elder’s chest, curling up to rest his cheek on Jimin’s collarbone. “You’re being mean to me! Stop~” He dragged out the word, his cute whining paired with flushed cheeks causing both the hyungs to grin.
“Guess he’s back to normal then,” Junghyun sighed in relief, ruffling his baby brother’s hair, “Brat! Go to sleep.”
Jungkook stuck his tongue out childishly as his hyung walked over to inform their parents of everything.
Jimin sucked in a breath, eyes wide. “Oh my god, I didn’t even notice your parents! They probably think I was so rude! Should I apologize? W-what if they’re mad?”
The maknae clicked his tongue, nuzzling his face against Jimin. “You weren’t rude, and they’re not mad. You came to help me, remember? Now help me and stop thinking about them, hyungie!”
Jimin laughed out loud at his response. Of course the maknae was jealous of not having his attention, what else is new? “Aigoo, Kookie, such a jealous baby. You’re lucky you’re cute, hyung will take care of you now.” The two snuggled up together, the elder petting the younger’s hair as he slowly slipped into a doze.
As Jungkook slept on, his brother walked back in, biting back a coo at the sight of his brother’s peaceful face after the previous episode. “Hey, do you mind if we talk?”
The dancer gently shifted Jungkook’s arms away and slid out of bed, replacing his spot with a pillow so the maknae wouldn’t notice anything missing. “Of course, I think it’s best we have the conversation now while he’s sleeping,” Jimin murmured, glancing at his phone. “Oh, wow it’s almost 6am… they’ll probably hate me for this, but let’s hope!”
Junghyun hummed. “Maybe we can do a group call? You all seem to know more at this point, I’d like to find out what’s been going on.”
Jimin easily agreed and seated himself in one of the dining chairs, waiting for the other to get settled. “That’s fair, of course. I’m calling now, let’s see who picks up...”
One by one the BTS members, aside from Yoongi, answered his call, each with their own set of irritated questions as to why in all hell Jimin was calling at such an ungodly hour. That too while they were on vacation. “Jimin-ah, I love you and all, but this is ridiculous! I will beat your ass when we get home if you don’t explain right now!” Taehyung rasped, curled up in his blankets.
Junghyun raised his eyebrows in concern, sitting out of view of Jimin’s phone, and the dancer shook his head with a smile.
“Guys, just wait! Or better yet, get Yoongi hyung to answer first… I’m not explaining anything until he’s on too,” Jimin pouted, staring at the bleary eyed BTS members.
Everyone immediately chimed in, “Namjoon-ah/hyung, it’s all you now!”
The leader groaned dramatically. “Why me?!”
“You’re the only one that can get away with it,” Seokjin answered, rubbing his eyes sleepily, “He won’t kill you, at least.”
With another loud protest, Namjoon spammed Yoongi until the grumpy rapper made an appearance in their conference call. “What the hell does everyone want? I will skin you alive if there isn’t a good reason.”
“Same here…” They echoed, zeroing in on Jimin with suspicious eyes.
Jimin giggled nervously, scratching his neck before ushering Jungkook’s brother into frame. “I’m at Jungkook’s place right now, his brother’s here obviously,” he mumbled, motioning, “Maknae had a panic attack last night… or this morning? Either way, I calmed him down enough to sleep, but we both thought it best to address the situation now.”
Seokjin immediately replied with concern, “Is he okay? Has his cold gotten worse? Do you know what triggered him? Usually, he only gets like this after shows and concerts.”
Junghyun ran a hand through his hair and sat back in the chair. “Gguk said that he had a nightmare where he was abandoned and alone, and none of you were there - that’s the reason behind his panic attack,” he answered in a subdued voice.
Namjoon sighed, scratching the back of his head while he thought. “I’m surprised a nightmare was enough to trigger it, y’know? I would’ve expected that the feeling of being empty, right after we leave the concert arena and such, was what brought on his attacks, because the emotion itself is reality,” the leader trailed off, frowning, “If what you’re saying is true, there’s a chance Kookie might have… This is so much worse.”
“Worse how?” Hoseok questioned, fully leaning forward.
Yoongi blinked blearily at the screen and sighed. “What he means is, if a nightmare is capable of causing an episode like this, Jungkook may be dealing with something much bigger that we haven’t even considered.”
Taehyung tapped his fingers grumpily and groaned into his phone. “Hyung, can you stop being so cryptic please? It’s six in the morning and my brain is not functioning enough to read between the lines!”
Namjoon crossed his arms and explained to the two confused members. “We always thought it was just the transition from the emotional high that made Jungkook so anxious, right? Right now he’s showing signs that it’s actually a subconscious fear that’s been building in his mind…”
The eldest hyung and Junghyun breathed out simultaneously, “Oh, no-”
“Is this going where I think?” Jimin asked, eyes wide and voice shaking. “There’s no way-”
Yoongi made a grim expression. “Apparently there is, according to what you’ve just told us.”
Junghyun moaned worriedly and covered his face with both hands, shoulders slightly quivering from the shock of what had just clicked in his mind. Jimin glanced back and forth between the maknae’s brother and his phone, biting his lip. “Umm, what now?”
Hoseok stared hard at the phone. “I still don’t get it? What is going on?”
Seokjin was fully awake now, sitting in his bed cross-legged. “Jungkookie might have separation anxiety. From us.”
“Hold up,” Taehyung stopped, “Isn’t that usually in children though? Kookie’s our baby, but he’s not an actual baby. How does that work?”
Namjoon nodded. “That is very true. Separation anxiety occurs in children starting from 8 months or so and develops throughout childhood. But what I’m referring to is adult separation anxiety disorder. It has similar symptoms - the person affected has a deep emotional attachment to someone or something, like their spouse or their home, etc. Typically, they feel ill or start panicking when their ‘someone’ isn’t around, have recurring nightmares about being separated or anxiety about losing them. They avoid situations where they have to be alone, have a difficult time sleeping or just in general functioning without said person.”
Hoseok chimed in hesitantly, “So I just looked this up and it says symptoms typically show around the teens or early 20s. Which is exactly when Jungkook was training and debuted with our group.”
Seokjin mumbled into his hands, “Basically, what I’m thinking is that since Jungkookie moved away from his family at such a young age, he was already anxious and lonely. Then he met us. And he’s unconsciously latched onto us as his ‘persons’ because we’re all he knows here. That sound about right?”
Yoongi agreed quietly. “Yeah, pretty much exactly what I concluded. Jungkookie needed a stable figure in his life after such a huge change, and we happened to be there. He’s afraid that we’ll leave him behind...”
“Kookie thinks we’ll abandon him?” Taehyung whispered, looking like a kicked puppy.
Junghyun shook his head. “No, he fears that he’ll be alone. There’s a difference. He knows you won’t leave, but it’s called fear because it’s irrational. His subconscious is convinced that he’ll be alone, which is what’s driving this separation anxiety in the first place.”
Hoseok interjected quickly. “But why isn’t it a frequent occurrence then? The panic attacks, I mean. If he’s always had this fear, why isn’t he always freaking out?”
“Well, for one, we’re always together as a group,” Namjoon grinned, “Even if it’s not all of us together, one of us is always with him, right? And the nights when he has his panic attacks, Jungkookie always always ends up in one of our beds.”
“So even small things like that might be his anxiety playing up?” the older dancer questioned.
“Seems like it,” Taehyung mumbled, cuddled into his blanket.
Jimin cupped his chin as he contemplated his words. “Well, what do we do now? Does he need medication, therapy? Shouldn’t we inform his parents too?”
Yoongi blew out a breath. “He probably needs to visit a therapist for a proper diagnosis. We could all be wrong, you know. We’re not professionals. If it’s confirmed that he does indeed have ASAD, then of course we have to let his parents know and figure out how to help him in our daily lives. Having panic attacks randomly is not at all a good feeling, I would know.”
The members and Junghyun agreed with the decision and said their goodbyes, Jimin and Junghyun once again back in the maknae’s room. A maknae who was now awake again. Jimin gasped, startled. “Kookie, why aren’t you asleep?”
“Were you talking about me, hyung?” Jungkook whispered thickly, suppressing coughs while doe eyes full of suspicion focused on their figures in the doorway.
Junghyun rubbed his face vigorously. “Yeah, Ggukie, we were. But I promise it’s nothing bad, we were just considering maybe you seeing a therapist.”
Jungkook teared up. “So you do think there’s something wrong with me! Why did you lie?” His fingers were curled tightly into the hem of his shirt, cheeks puffed in annoyance as he pouted.
The dancer strode forward and wrapped him in a hug. “It’s not a lie, baby. We love you, and we want you to be healthy emotionally. The hyungs all completely understand, so we were just thinking that maybe you won’t feel as bad if you could talk to a professional about everything you feel during your panic attacks.”
The maknae cried quietly, smushing his face against his hyung’s stomach. “Hyungs won’t leave me? What if I’m broken?”
Junghyun kissed his head and smoothed his bed hair. “You’re not broken, Ggukie, but you’re hurting inside and that’s not what hyungs want for you. We want you to be happy, all the time.”
Jungkook wiped his tears and snot on Jimin’s shirt, leaning back into his pillows. “What is this? Do you guys know? Is it a real thing or am I imagining it?”
“We think that you may have adult separation anxiety disorder… from having such a big change in your life when you were basically still a baby,” Jimin explained, “You’re afraid of something separating us from you.”
The maknae whimpered and curled into himself. “Is that why I keep having nightmares of being abandoned? Why I always feel sick when you guys aren’t around? This is a real thing! I’m not crazy, hyungie?”
Junghyun chuckled. “No, you were never crazy, baby. This is definitely a real disorder and it’s common, but adults don’t usually get diagnosed for it, so everyone just lives like you are right now. But your hyungs want to help you to not be so anxious - that’s horrible for your health.”
Jimin cuddled up to the youngest and planted soft, butterfly kisses up his neck and jaw. “That’s the only reason why we suggested a therapist. They’re experienced with this, and they’ll be able to help you.”
“Will hyungs come with me? I don’t wanna go alone,” he whined, coughing loudly. Jimin rubbed a hand down his back soothingly, kneeling next to him while Junghyun sat at the edge of the bed.
“If you want us to, of course. And this is just a suggestion, baby, if at any time you change your mind, we’ll support your decision, okay?” the dancer murmured, planting a wet kiss on his maknae’s cheek.
Jungkook sighed and pouted, but eventually agreed, pulling both the older boys onto his bed and forcing them to cuddle so he could go to sleep peacefully. “G’night, hyungie, love you~” he mumbled drowsily, burying his face in the crook of Jimin’s neck. “G’night, Junghyunie~”
“Yah!” His brother smacked his ass playfully, “Brat, dropping the honorifics like that!”
Jimin giggled at the common occurrence and sighed, hugging Jungkook tighter against him as they all fell asleep.
Come mid-afternoon, the boys finally woke up, Jungkook clinging to Jimin the whole time while suffering through bouts of coughing and refusing to even let either of them get changed. The boys had another group call with the other BTS members, this time with Jungkook sitting bright-eyed and bushy-tailed right in the center, and discussed what would happen when they got back from vacation. Jungkook still felt insecure about his situation but blushed happily when the members showered him with love and agreed to seeing the therapist as long as they’d come along with him.
After that rather eventful day, Jimin and Jungkook took turns staying at each other’s place since the maknae didn’t want to leave the hyung anytime soon. Needless to say, despite the rough start, the boys still managed to salvage their vacation and enjoy some time away.