Archive of Our Own

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Jungkook was scared. He was not only scared, he was downright terrified. It had been a few hours, or maybe days, he wasn't sure anymore, since he had last seen any form of light. He had been confined to a small, dark space, and though his eyes had adjusted to the darkness a long time ago, he was unable to see anything other than the walls of the space he was in. 

Though it was a small space, it wasn't much smaller than the room Jungkook had been kept in for most of his life. Even so, the darkness, and lack of anything other than walls made him feel sick. It was as if the walls were slowly closing in on him, to press him together until he inevitably suffocated. 

It certainly didn't help that he had not been given any food since he was put into the space. The huge, rough hands of the human who had put him in here with a painful grip earlier had not bothered to give him anything to help stay alive and sane. He had tried sleeping to pass the time, but his terrified mind refused to calm down. He had simply been staring into the darkness, praying that this torture would come to an end soon. 

The one thing that told him he hadn't been completely forgotten was the constant movement of his small space, along with the thunderous voices that rumbled around him, shaking him to his very core. 

And the worst part of all of this, was that Jungkook had no idea why any of it was happening. He had simply been forced into this space, with no explanation given. Had he known a bit more, he could have maybe drawn a conclusion on his own as to what was happening, but Jungkook was just a child. A small child, far from ready to face the world on his own, but who had never known anyone other than the monstrous humans that had cared for him so far.

He had barely ever met anyone his own size. He used to be able to see them all the time. Other people like him, trapped in small spaces, with one see-through wall that humans used to look at them. Every day, a human in a long, white coat came by and looked at each of them in turn, scribbled something down on a paper, then moved on to the next one. After looking at all of them the human would pick one of them, and pluck them out of their small space into the much bigger room for some tests. 

Jungkook had been chosen for these tests many times, and he hated all of it. He would be forced to sit completely still, while the human poked and prodded at him with various tools. Some of the tools hurt so bad Jungkook wanted to cry, but he had quickly learned that he was not allowed to. If he made even a single sound, or squirmed just a little bit, there would be punishments. 

At the moment, in his new dark space, Jungkook could still feel the stinging off his back from yesterday's punishment. He had accidentally let out a whimper and instinctively shuffled backwards as the human approached him with one of those big needles that Jungkook just knew would hurt so bad. The moment Jungkook moved, the human had moved to grab another one of it's tools, And Jungkook knew what was coming the moment he saw it. He was given three hard hits, but as the third one hit he couldn't keep it in anymore, and he had screamed out in pain. That had earned him twice the amount of hits, all over again. Jungkook's back was still aching, and he was sure that if he was able to look there would be big red marks all over his back. 

When the human had approached his space again later that same night, Jungkook had been sure that the punishment was not over. He had been pleasantly surprised however, when he was simply picked up, and moved out of the room. The grip was hard, not helping the pain in his back, but at least there were no more hits. Then, he was placed into a small box. The walls were so close together, that if he stood in the middle of the box and stuck his arms out , he would be able to touch both sides of the box without moving his feet. Once the top of the box was put on, the "ceiling" harshly hit Jungkook on the head, and he had to duck down to avoid it. The box was so small, that Jungkook was barely able to stand up in it. 

The size of the box was not the problem. It didn't bother Jungkook nearly as much as the darkness. The darkness, along with the constant noise from outside. The box had been moved around a lot. At times it was flipped to the side, so Jungkook was forced to sit on one of the walls instead. In those moments, he was grateful for the size of the box, as no matter which way it was turned it wasn't that big of a fall for him. 

But the worst thing, out of everything going on, was not knowing what was happening. Jungkook had been shoved into the box without explanation, and had not been given any food, water or light since. He was forced to sit there and try to make out his surroundings just from the many voices he heard. There was the voice of the human who had put him in the box, and then too many unfamiliar voices had followed. It was impossible for Jungkook to keep up with what was happening, but he was fairly sure that he was far from where he had been the previous day. None of the voices sounded familiar.

Eventually, there were two consistent voices. They sounded like the voices of a man and a woman, but the volume of the voices, along with the walls of the box muffling the sound made it impossible for Jungkook to make out the words. He listened to them for a long time, and then the box was put down somewhere, as the movement suddenly stopped, and Jungkook could feel something solid through the bottom of the box. Then, the two voices that had been conversing above him moved away, then there was the distinct sound of a door closing, and then there was silence. 

Jungkook stayed in that silent darkness for hours.

And then, there was a door opening. The box moved again, as one of the two voices from earlier was back. And then there was a new voice. A much lighter voice than any of the others Jungkook had heard lately, and even without being able to make out any of the words being said Jungkook could tell that the voice was excited. 

And then, there was finally light. 

The light blinded Jungkook for a moment, but as soon as his eyes got used to being able to properly see again, Jungkook looked up, as that was where the light was coming from.

Far above him, high up beyond the walls of Jungkook's box, were two big brown eyes staring back down at him with wonder.

-----

Jimin was excited. He was so excited, he had barely been able to sleep the previous night. Like all kids his age, Jimin had been looking forward to his birthday for the past 364 days, and today was finally the day. 

Jimin had woken up and had breakfast with his family like usual. Then he stayed in his room while waiting for the rest of his relatives to arrive. At one point, Jimin looked out the window, and he could see his dad rush out to greet someone who Jimin didn't recognize. The stranger handed over a small box to Jimin's dad, who shook it a bit, then nodded as if satisfied. He bowed slightly to the stranger, and the stranger returned the gesture. Then Jimin's dad turned around and walked back into the house, and the stranger was on his way.

Jimin didn't think much of what happened. His parents got things delivered all the time. Although, it was weird that his dad had gone out to get it. Usually, the package was just put into the mailbox. But Jimin quickly forgot about it, as his mom walked into his room to help him get ready. 

Not too long after that, their relatives arrived, and the birthday party had started. Jimin got to eat lots of yummy cake, and then he played games with his brother and cousins. Then came the part that Jimin had been looking forward to the most, opening presents. 

Most of the presents contained a new toy of some kind, or something else exciting. A few of them had candy in them, which Jimin appreciated just as much. He put on his best fake smile upon seeing the socks he received from his grandmother, he'd had a lot of practice after getting the same thing for years. 

Eventually, it was time for the guests to leave. It took a while for everyone to say goodbye, but the moment the door closed after the last group, Jimin rushed back inside to decide which of his presents he was going to play with first.

Before he got to decide however, he was stopped by his parents. He was told to sit down, so he plopped down on the couch. His dad left the room, then came back inside a moment later, carrying a small present. 

Jimin's dad explained how the last present was better to give in a calmer environment, without so many people around. Jimin looked at the present curiously, asking what was in it. The only response he got was the present being put into his hands, and his mom telling him to open it and have a look. 

So Jimin did just that. He unwrapped the present, then opened the small box and looked inside. His eyes widened, unable to look away from the pretty tiny face staring back up at him.

Then, a huge grin spread on Jimin's face, as he quickly put the box aside and jumped up to hug his parents, expressing his excitement through thanking them repeatedly. 

Highest up on Jimin's list of things he wished for had originally been a dog. But once his parents had refused to buy him a dog, he had said that something smaller would work as well. When Jimin said something smaller, he had expected something like a bunny, or a hamster. But what he had not expected, was a tiny. 

Jimin didn't know a whole lot about tinies, but he had a friend in school who had one, and judging by the way she talked about her tiny, he guessed it was kind of like a hamster, but better. 

Jimin was satisfied with his last present. He was also given a lot of other things to help him take care of the tiny, which his parents helped him set up. In Jimin's room, they set up a small cage on top of his dresser. They put in all of the things the tiny would need, and put some of the other things next to the cage, where it would be out of the tiny's reach. 

Once the cage was all done, Jimin ran back into the living room to get the box that had been left on the couch earlier. He picked up the box, then rushed back to his room. He noticed the tiny grabbing at the walls of the box, trying not to be thrown around too bad. Jimin slowed down once he saw that, and carefully walked the rest of the way. He put the box down next to the dresser, and then reached down to pick up the tiny. 

The tiny struggled a bit, but Jimin was easily able to wrap his fingers around him and lift him out of the box. He opened the top of the cage, and lowered his hand into it before releasing the tiny. He closed it back up, then stepped back to have a better look. His parents joined him, looking intently at the confused tiny trying to figure out his new surroundings.

-----

Jungkook was happy to be out of the box. The time in there had been torture, and he was relieved that it had finally ended. It had been terrifying, to see those big eyes stare at him, only to be put aside a second later, as the light voice he had heard earlier started thanking someone for something. 

Then, all three of the voices moved out of the room, and Jungkook was left on his own again. It was not nearly as bad this time, as there was at least some light now. There wasn't a lot to look at though, only the bland walls and the ceiling, now high above him. Anything else in the room was hidden by the walls.

The silence didn't last very long, as the light voice soon returned. This time, when the face from before appeared over the box Jungkook took time to properly look at him. It was a boy, who didn't look much older than Jungkook. Jungkook thought that the other boy was pretty, but considering the only people he had come into contact with before were the people that always ended up hurting him, he didn't have very high standards. 

As the box was picked up and the boy started moving again, Jungkook was helplessly being thrown around inside. He tried to grab onto the walls to stop, but it was no use. The harsh movement stopped abruptly, as the boy was suddenly walking at a much calmer pace. Not long after that, the box was put down again. 

Then there was a hand reaching into the box. Jungkook tried escaping it, but the hand was bigger than Jungkook, and it quickly wrapped around him, trapping him. Then the hand lifted, and Jungkook was deposited into a new box. He looked around in confusion, trying to understand where he was. Once he saw the three humans looking at him, he realized what it was. He was back in a cage. He was trapped again, not that he was ever free to begin with. 

He looked around the cage, seeing small pieces of furniture placed around. Eventually, the two bigger humans watching him left the room, leaving Jungkook alone with the boy.

The boy moved closer again, then put his hand up in an awkward wave, before stuttering out a greeting, "H-Hello, um... I'm Jimin. What's your name?" Jungkook shifted slightly, he was a bit afraid of the unfamiliar human, but he knew better than to not answer, so he replied, "I'm Jungkook." The boy, now known as Jimin, smiled at that, "Hi Jungkook! Nice to meet you." Jungkook carefully returned the smile, but didn't say anything else. He had been taught to only ever speak when he was asked a question. 

Jimin kept smiling at him for a bit, then turned away and walked out of the room. He walked back in a while later, carrying one of his new toys he had received earlier. Jungkook waited, not sure if the human was going to approach him again or not. He let out a relieved  sigh as Jimin plopped down on the floor across the room, clearly having lost interest in Jungkook for the moment. 

Jungkook turned away from the rest of the room, and walked over to the bed that had been put inside his cage. Sitting down on it, he was surprised to find that it was a lot softer than the bed he had been sleeping on for most of his life. It was still not very comfortable, but it was the most comfortable thing Jungkook had ever known, so he contently laid down on it and closed his eyes, deciding to try and sleep now that he was once again aware of his surroundings. It didn't look like Jimin was planning on giving him food or water yet, and Jungkook knew better than to ask for it, so sleeping was the best option. 

Jungkook soon drifted of to sleep, as Jimin kept playing with his new toy, oblivious to anything going on in the cage. 

-----

About two hours passed before Jimin heard his mom calling for him.

He left his room, and found his mom along with his dad and brother sitting down at the dinner table. Jimin happily skipped over to an empty chair and sat down. They ate together like they did every day, as Jimin was excitedly blabbering about whatever was on his mind.

Once they had all finished their food, Jimin's mom walked into the kitchen for a moment, before returning with something small in her hands. She handed it over to Jimin, and that was when he saw that it was a small plate filled with food. He immediately understood what it was for, and he quickly excused himself before rushing back to his room.

He walked over to the cage on his dresser and carefully put the plate down next to it. Looking inside, he saw Jungkook asleep on the bed. Jimin didn't want to wake him up, but he also didn't want the food to get cold. 

Deciding that it was better to let Jungkook decide himself, Jimin opted for waking him up just to ask him, and let him go back to sleep immediately if he'd rather eat later.

He opened up the top of the cage, and brought his hand down through the opening and over to Jungkook.  Jimin poked at him with a finger, and he started to stir. Jungkook's eyes slowly opened, and he rolled over to look at Jimin with a questioning look. Something at the back of Jungkook's mind told him that he was being disrespectful, but his sleepy brain failed to see why. 

When Jimin noticed Jungkook's eyes on him, he carefully whispered his question, "I just wanted to know, would you like to eat? I have food for you here, but you can sleep more if you want to, I just didn't want the food to get cold." He smiled slightly as he waited for Jungkook's answer. Jungkook slowly processed the words, and once he understood what Jimin was saying, he was wide awake.

Jungkook sat upright so fast it made Jimin jump back slightly in shock. He quickly recovered from the shock however, and laughed, "I'm gonna take that as a yes then." He moved his hand over to Jungkook again, who didn't fight it this time. Instead, he lifted his arms up, showing his preferred way of being carried. He always tried to get humans to pick him up by holding him just under his arms, just because he thought it was the most comfortable position. Sometimes it worked, other times it was considered bad for him to try to influence a human's actions. 

Either way, Jungkook always tried, and Jimin seemed to understand his sign, and didn't look very upset about it. He slowly wrapped his fingers around Jungkook, just under his arms. When Jungkook put his arms down again over Jimin's hand, and looked expectantly at him. Jimin tightened his grip slightly to make sure Jungkook wouldn't fall, then lifted his hand out of the cage. 

Jimin looked around the room, trying to decide where they should sit. He picked up the small plate again with his free hand, then walked over to the desk where he put Jungkook down, then handed him the plate. Jungkook accepted the plate, and sat sat down on the desk as Jimin pulled out the chair and sat down in front of him.

Jimin watched as Jungkook took his first bite, and waited to see his reaction. As expected, the moment Jungkook swallowed his first bite his eyes lit up, and he started quickly shoving the rest of the meal into his mouth. Jimin smirked, he knew that his mom's cooking was the best, no one could resist it. As Jungkook almost choked on the food, Jimin remembered that he would need to drink something as well. 

He went back over to the cage, and grabbed a small glass and a dropper out of the pile of things next to the cage. He put them down on the desk, then left his room for a moment to go get some water. Jungkook stayed put, still gobbling down the last pieces of the food. It was a lot of food, as a lot of humans were bad at judging how much would be enough for a tiny. But Jungkook was starving, so he didn't mind. 

Jimin returned a moment later, carrying a glass of water his own size. He put it down on the desk at the same time as he slid back into the chair. Then he used the dropper he had picked up before to move some of the water into the smaller glass. He was afraid that he would spill the water if he picked up the glass again, so he carefully pushed it over to Jungkook instead. 

Jungkook put down his now empty plate, and grabbed the glass next to him. He emptied the glass immediately, then held it up towards Jimin, silently asking if he would be given more. Jimin tilted his head in thought, then understood what Jungkook was doing, "Do you want more?" Jungkook nodded immediately, then regretted it as he remembered that some humans didn't like non-verbal answers. But before he had time to change his answer, Jimin grabbed the dropper again and filled the glass back up with a smile, then said, "There you go."

Jungkook emptied the glass again, though much slower this time. He then put it down next to himself on the desk, showing that he was done. Jimin got the hint, and gathered up the dishes before going back to the kitchen to leave the them there. 

Jungkook stayed behind quietly, knowing that it was best to stay put while the human was away. It might turn out bad for him if Jimin finds him somewhere else. 

Jimin returned soon, and picked Jungkook back up in the same way as he had earlier. He walked over to the cage and put Jungkook back down by the bed where he had been earlier. He also picked up some more comfortable clothes out of the pile of things next to the cage, and handed them to Jungkook so he could change into them.

Jungkook accepted the clothes, and once Jimin had closed the cage again and turned away he started to change. When he was done, he laid back down on the bed, and pulled the covers up all the way to his chin.

While he did that, Jimin got changed as well, then laid down in his own bed. As he pulled up the covers the door opened and Jimin's mom carefully peeked inside. Seeing Jimin still awake, she walked over to the bed and leaned down to tuck him in, then wished him goodnight. 

She stood up after a moment, and walked back to the door. She barely spared Jungkook a glance, walking past the cage and turning off the light in the room before closing the door. Silence filled the dark room, as both of the boys drifted off to sleep.

-----

A little more than a year later, Jimin and Jungkook had become more used to each other. Though they weren't exactly close yet, the initial awkwardness from their first meeting was more or less gone. 

Jungkook was now a lot more comfortable with Jimin around, and he had realized that Jimin would not punish him for the things he had always been punished for before. Jungkook had become more and more daring with the way he spoke around Jimin, and was pleasantly surprised that the older boy didn't mind Jungkook talking back to him, or talking without being asked a question first. Jungkook was allowed to say whatever he wanted, and Jimin didn't mind. 

The only time Jungkook was ever "punished", was by Jimin's parents.  Jimin enjoyed Jungkook's company, and would keep him with him at most times. His parents didn't care most of the time. But sometimes Jimin would keep Jungkook with him a little bit too much. Like when he was doing homework, he would let Jungkook walk around on the papers as he worked, and would sometimes explain the questions to him if he asked. Whenever one of Jimin's parents walked in on this, they would claim that Jungkook was a distraction, and put him back in his cage. 

Jimin was still far from an expert when it came to tinies, and didn't know much about them. He had been told that though they looked human, they were far from it. Supposedly, their minds were not as advanced as humans' were, and their bodies were apparently not able to feel things in the same way either. That was why "experts" always said that you didn't have to be that careful picking them up, and that whenever they were punished, you had to hit really hard to make sure they would feel it. 

Jimin had always known that he would never try to find out for himself. It felt so wrong, to hit someone who looked so much like himself, just smaller. Though it was not to the same extent, Jimin was also quite short. He was shorter than a lot of boys in his school, so he knew what it was like to be picked on because of your height. 

He also didn't know how true the other statements were, but who was Jimin to question the words of "experts", who had studied tinies for years. 

But he couldn't help but wonder, if they were wrong. He had seen Jungkook figure out the questions on Jimin's homework, and even though Jungkook was no genius, Jimin wasn't much brighter himself. The only reason he was able to solve more questions was because he actually went to school, and learned about the things the questions were about. 

As for tinies not feeling pain, Jimin once again had his doubts. He was always careful about how he handled Jungkook, trying to imagine what it would feel like if their roles were reversed. Jimin had accidentally grabbed Jungkook too tightly once, making it hard for him to breathe. The discomfort had shown on Jungkook's face almost immediately, and Jimin quickly apologized and loosened the grip. Jungkook had coughed a few times, trying to get his breathing under control again, and then waved off Jimin's apology, telling him that it was fine. 

Except for that time, Jimin had also noticed Jungkook's pain whenever one of Jimin's parents held him. Luckily, that never lasted for long. They only ever grabbed Jungkook if they thought he was in the way, and they would only ever bring him over to his cage, so it never lasted for too long. But Jimin noticed the look on Jungkook's face, his parents obviously weren't being careful.

Jimin brought this up with his parents one time, asking them why they weren't being more careful. They had only laughed at him, and explained that a lot of tinies liked to act hurt, when they were actually fine. It was their way of trying to get humans to let their guard down, and then they would use that opportunity to try and escape. Jimin was skeptical of that explanation, but again, who was he to question it?

-----

Jimin and Jungkook had fallen into a routine fairly easy. Jungkook would wake up, and wait for Jimin to come by and give him some breakfast before leaving for school. Then he would spend the day in his cage, desperately trying to figure out something to do. There was not a lot he could do, so most days were spent just sitting around. Hours later, Jimin would finally return home. 

He would come into his room just to drop of his bag, then quickly say hi to Jungkook before leaving again to go eat dinner. He would return soon again, carrying a small plate for Jungkook. Most days, Jimin put the food on his desk, then brought Jungkook over there as well. Jungkook would eat quietly, while listening to Jimin talking about his day as he got started on his homework. 

Once Jungkook was done eating he would help Jimin with the last of his homework, then wait for him as Jimin went to drop off the empty dishes in the kitchen. After that it didn't take long before it was time to go to bed, and Jimin would put Jungkook back in the cage, and Jungkook would settle down without arguing. He had never known a life outside of the cage, so it didn't bother him.

Then there was one day when that changed.

The day started like normal. Jimin left for school, and came back sometime in the afternoon. He barely had any homework that day, so after eating dinner he returned to his room with food for Jungkook, who ate it quietly while listening to Jimin talking. Since Jimin didn't have any homework to do, he focused on their conversation instead. He made an effort to get Jungkook to talk more, as the boy was usually really quiet. 

Though he was quiet, Jungkook was at least speaking a lot more now than he had been doing back when they first met. It made Jimin happy, that Jungkook was starting conversations on his own. Jimin knew that he was supposed to stop Jungkook, apparently it was bad to let tinies speak so freely. There was one time when Jungkook interrupted Jimin while he was speaking. Jimin could see the immediate regret in Jungkook's eyes, so he reassured him that he didn't mind. 

He really didn't, it was a lot fun talking to Jungkook. Others might think that it was wrong to let him have that much free will, but Jimin failed to see what the problem was, and he didn't feel like finding out. 

They kept talking, Jimin was resting his head on his hand, with his elbow propped up on the desk, while Jungkook sat cross-legged in front of him. Once Jimin realized Jungkook's plate was empty he held out his hand so Jungkook could give it to him, then got up and left the room.

Jungkook stayed behind again, and after a moment he stood up to move around a bit. He started looking around the room, then walked around the desk for a bit, but soon decided that there was nothing of interest there. He walked over to the edge of the desk instead, and carefully leaned over to look down at the floor. It was a long way down, much too long for Jungkook to be able to survive the fall. 

Instead, he walked over to the other side of the desk, where there was a lamp. The lamp cord reached all the way down to the floor, and it was thick enough that it would be able to support Jungkook's small body. 

Jungkook wrapped his arms around the cord, then his legs, and held on tightly before he started slowly moving downwards. He would hold on with his arms while sliding his legs down, then switch so he was holding on with his legs while he slid his arms down. It worked well in the beginning, but then Jungkook lost his grip. His foot slipped while he was bringing his arms down, and he started quickly sliding down the cord.

He grabbed onto the cord with his entire body, hugging it as hard as he could to stay in place. He stayed still after that, no longer sliding down but not moving to safety either. There was not much he could do. He was too far from the top of the desk now, it would be dangerous to try to climb back up. It was even longer to go down, and the fall was still far enough that if Jungkook fell he would break several bones. 

So instead he held onto the cord as hard as he could, and waited for Jimin to come back and save him. Jungkook felt tears start to trail down his face. He was so scared, he was actually crying. He was so wrapped up in his fear that he didn't hear Jimin come back into the room.

Jimin looked over to the desk the moment he entered the room, and was confused to find it empty. He walked over, and looked around the top of the desk slowly, trying to figure out where Jungkook was. That was when he heard the tiny whimpers coming from the side of the desk. Stepping to the side and then looking down, Jimin found Jungkook, and immediately understood the problem. 

He didn't understand why Jungkook was hanging onto the lamp cord, as if he had been trying to escape, but he did understand that Jungkook was in danger. And he was crying. Jimin knelt down, and cupped his hand around Jungkook, before gently pulling him away from the cord. He brought up his other hand and cupped it around Jungkook's other side, surrounding him on all sides.

Jimin carefully wiped away Jungkook's tears with his thumb, and spoke softly, "Hey, you're okay, Jungkook. I've got you, you're safe here." Jungkook looked up and met Jimin's eyes, then nodded. Jimin smiled at him, then moved his thumb up from Jungkook's cheek to the top of his head, where he carefully stroked his hair in what he hoped was a comforting motion. 

Jimin slowly stood up, making sure that Jungkook was comfortable, then moved over to his bed. He put Jungkook down on the pillow, then laid down with his head next to him, pulling the covers up. He gently picked up Jungkook again, and moved him closer to himself. Jungkook got the hint at that point, and crawled over to burrow into the crook of Jimin's neck. He wasn't sure why Jimin wasn't putting him back in the cage, but he couldn't bring himself to care either. This new position was a thousand times more comfortable than Jungkook's own bed could ever be.

Jungkook let out a content sigh, as Jimin's hand settled over him, and both of their bodies relaxed.

As his mind started drifting off to sleep, Jungkook was slightly aware of someone else entering the room and walking over to them, most likely to wish Jimin goodnight like always. Jungkook understood that the person wanted him to be put in his cage like every other night, but whatever Jimin said was apparently enough to convince the person to let Jungkook stay.

Jungkook didn't bother trying to listen any more after that, and he closed his eyes fully and let his mind drift away. What followed was the best sleep Jungkook had ever experienced. 

-----

About three years later, a lot had changed.

After the incident with Jungkook nearly falling off the desk, Jimin had insisted on finding another way for him to get around on his own. Jungkook had been embarrassed about the whole thing, and said that he would probably never try something like that again anyways.

But then, Jimin had come home one day with the solution. He had bought a bunch of small ladders to set up around the room. Ladders were not that uncommon, a lot of humans liked setting up places where their tinies could move around on their own. That usually meant just a small space, like a big cage. But what Jimin did, was he put up the ladders all over his room. 

He went a bit overboard, in Jungkook's opinion. He put the ladders on everything, even if they both knew that the chances that Jungkook would ever use them were slim. Jungkook wasn't sure why Jimin thought it was a good idea to put a ladder inside his closet, since even if Jungkook wanted to climb up there, the door would still be way too heavy for him to even get inside.

Some ladders, however, were very useful. Like the one on the nightstand, where Jungkook had only recently moved to. 

Sometime after Jungkook slept next to Jimin for the first time, he had moved to sleep closer to him every night. Most nights now, Jungkook slept on the nightstand, where his bed, along with the rest of the furniture that had been in his cage was now placed. The cage itself had been shoved into Jimin's closet, not needed anymore. 

The only time now that Jungkook didn't sleep on the nightstand was when he slept in Jimin's bed. For example, when there was a storm outside. To Jungkook's ears, a storm could be deafening. That was why, whenever there was one, he would ask to sleep with Jimin instead. 

And Jimin always agreed easily, he didn't want Jungkook to be scared. Jungkook would sleep either on Jimin's chest, or curled up somewhere by his neck. The first option meant that the comforting sound of Jimin's heartbeat would help Jungkook relax, and lull him to sleep, while the latter option meant that Jimin could wrap his entire hand around Jungkook, keeping him warm while also shutting out the sound of the storm. 

Jungkook thoroughly enjoyed both positions, and eventually he started making up excuses for why he wanted to sleep with Jimin. Not that he needed an excuse, Jungkook had become very comfortable with speaking his mind to Jimin. No, Jungkook was simply too embarrassed to admit how much he enjoyed sleeping next to Jimin. 

Little did he know, Jimin was going through a similar struggle. 

Jimin found it comforting to have Jungkook next to him. He liked being able to hold onto him, it reassured him that Jungkook was safe. 

He may not have showed it, but Jimin had been just as scared as Jungkook when he had almost fallen. 

He couldn't stand the though of Jungkook getting hurt, and he was doing everything he could to make sure Jungkook was always safe. That was why it was so nice to be able to feel Jungkook next to him during the night.

Jimin's usual excuse was that he had checked the weather forecast, and that apparently there was a chance that there was going to be a storm during the night. Really, Jungkook should have been able to see though the terrible lie a long time ago, but he was always eager to accept any opportunity to sleep next to Jimin, so he never thought that much about it.

Of course, they both realized that there had to be a reason why they enjoyed being close to each other so much. They had long ago established that they had gone from a pet and it's owner to friends, but it wasn't normal for friends to be so close either. Jungkook wasn't sure, since he didn't have any friends other than Jimin, but Jimin was a very social person. He had lots of friends in school, but none that he was as close to as Jungkook.

Even his best friend, Taehyung, wasn't the same. Though Jimin and Taehyung were extremely close, and constantly shared hugs and whatnot, Jimin did not experience the same longing for it as he did with Jungkook. He enjoyed hugging Taehyung very much, but it just was not the same.

Jimin had an idea what that could mean. He knew what it usually meant when you liked someone so much, more than anyone else. Jimin was starting to think that he had fallen in love with Jungkook.

Really, how could he not?

Jungkook was just so perfect. First off all he was nice. He was nice, and funny, and Jimin loved talking to him. He was also the prettiest boy Jimin had ever seen. With his big beautiful eyes, and his adorable smile that made him look like a little bunny. 

And also, even though it may sound ridiculous, Jimin couldn't help but notice, that along with having a great personality and being beautiful, Jungkook also had a very nice body. Though he was way too embarrassed to ask, Jimin had a sneaking suspicion that while he was in school, Jungkook was walking around the room, and moving around various objects. Really, it can't be hard for Jungkook to find something heavy, and if he didn't spend his free time lifting a bunch of those heavy things, then how had his arms gotten so big?

But don't get him wrong, Jimin didn't like Jungkook because of his pretty face or his impressive arms, he liked him because they got along so well. And if liking Jungkook because he was a good friend had slowly turned into Jimin loving Jungkook, then he was ready to accept that. 

Little did Jimin know, that Jungkook had just recently accepted his own feelings towards Jimin. 

At first Jungkook had been confused, as he had always been told that he was never meant to love. He had always lived with the idea that the closest he would ever get to "love", would be if the humans put him together with a tiny woman he didn't know.

But now, there was this nice, and pretty, and just amazing human who made Jungkook feel a special kind of way that he had never felt before. 

It was a special feeling that he could only describe as love. 

-----

After knowing Jimin for nearly five years, and being very close friends to him, Jungkook thought that he knew nearly everything about him. They spent every day together, and they had told each other just about everything about themselves. 

Jungkook knew that Jimin was very nice for a human. He treated Jungkook with a lot of respect, something that was extremely rare for a tiny to experience. Jimin was super nice, and he was always considerate of Jungkook's feelings. While other humans treated tinies like pets, Jimin showed that he thought of Jungkook as a friend, and as an equal.

That was why, Jungkook was so shocked. 

When he woke up comfortably nestled into Jimin's very fluffy hair, he thought it was going to be a good day. Sitting up, then looking around, Jungkook could see that Jimin was already awake, and doing something on his phone. Most likely passing the time while waiting for Jungkook to wake up. 

A mischievous grin spread on Jungkook's face, as he slowly stood up and sneaked over to where Jimin's face was. He walked carefully, not wanting Jimin to realize that he was awake just yet. Hopefully he would mistake the movement for Jungkook rolling around in his sleep, and not think too much about it. 

As Jungkook stood right above Jimin's face, he carefully peeked down, to see Jimin still very focused on his phone. 

Still grinning, Jungkook turned around, then took a step back. That step sent him rapidly sliding down, and Jungkook was ready. He let his hands trail after him as he slid down, then held on tightly once he was sitting with his legs on either side of Jimin's nose, staring into one of his eyes, which were now right in front of him.

The moment he landed there, Jimin let out a startled yelp, and dropped his phone as his hand shot up to hold Jungkook in place, "What the f-", before he could finish, Jungkook cut him off, and with a huge smile on his face, he happily said "Good morning!"

Jimin quietly stared at him, then let out a small laugh, and softly said "Morning, Kookie". Jimin tightened his hold slightly, before pulling his hand, along with Jungkook, away from his face.

Jimin picked up his phone from where it had been abandoned on his chest, then put it aside before sitting up.

After that, their normal morning routine had started. Jimin dropped Jungkook off at the nightstand, then went to get ready. Then they had breakfast, like always. Jimin sometimes brought his own food to his room so that he could eat with Jungkook. Then Jimin quickly went to drop off the dishes. So far, it had been a fairly normal morning.

But then, Jimin did something weird. Jungkook stayed sitting on the desk, where they had just eaten their breakfast, while Jimin got up, and walked over to his closet.

Jungkook watched curiously as Jimin opened the closet and started rummaging through it, obviously looking for something. 

Then, Jungkoook felt something cold drop to the pit of his stomach, as he was filled with dread upon seeing the object Jimin had been looking for. 

"Umm... J-Jimin? 

Jimin looked back at him apologetically, before putting the object down on top of his dresser. 

"Sorry Jungkook, I promise it's just for today."

As Jimin started walking back over to the desk, and his hand reached out for Jungkook, Jungkook panicked. He pathetically cried out "No!" as he jumped to his feet and started running away from Jimin's approaching hand. 

Just as Jungkook was deciding whether to hide or to try to escape, Jimin's hand caught up to him and easily wrapped around him, completely immobilizing him.

As Jimin lifted his hand up and brought it closer to his chest, he used his other hand to lightly pet Jungkook's head in an attempt to calm him down.

"I'm sorry, Kookie. I don't wanna do this, but I promise it's just for today."

Jungkook felt tears start to run down his face, and he furiously wiped them away. He was surprised when he realized that Jimin had left his arms free. He smiled slightly, momentarily distracted as he realized that even though Jimin had just grabbed him against his will, he was still being more considerate that other humans, holding Jungkook gently and letting him move his arms. 

But that smile quickly disappeared, as Jimin put him down, and Jungkook reluctantly took in his new surroundings. 

Jimin had just put him back in the cage. 

As soon as he was released, Jungkook stood up, and stared furiously up at Jimin, who was looking down at him with pity.

"Jimin, why the fuck am I back here? I thought you got rid of the cage?!"

"I'm sorry! It's just,  well... You remember my friend Taehyung, right? I've told you about him."

At Jungkook's reluctant nod, Jimin continued, "Well, he's coming over today. And I've told him about you of course, but I haven't told him about how... how close we are. You know, most humans don't let tinies walk around so freely, and I just don't want Taehyung to judge me for it..."

Jimin trailed off, and looked down in shame as Jungkook processed his words. Then, Jungkook spoke up, the hurt obvious in his voice, "You told him I'm your pet, didn't you?"

Jimin winced, confirming Jungkook's assumption.

Jungkook sighed, then spoke again, "Didn't you say that anyone who has a problem with me isn't actually your friend?"

And that's true, not so long ago, Jimin had confidently declared that anyone who judged him for being close to Jungkook was no longer his friend, and that he didn't need them anyway. But Taehyung was different, he was Jimin's best friend. Jimin couldn't imagine himself without Taehyung. He had a feeling that Taehyung would be fine with everything. Really, if anyone would be able to accept it it would be Taehyung. But Jimin just wasn't ready to risk it, not yet. 

So he had brought out the old cage. It hadn't been used in years, so Jungkook was understandably upset.

Remembering that he needed to make it look like Jungkook had always been living in the cage, and also wanting to make it a bit more comfortable for the tiny, Jimin rushed over to get the furniture from his nightstand, and move it into the cage. As he put his hand down into the cage, Jungkook ran over and started angrily hitting the hand. Jimin froze for a moment, then carefully put the furniture down around Jungkook. He ignored the hits, as they only felt like light taps to him. 

As Jimin finished putting the furniture into the cage, Jungkook took a step back, crossed his arms across his chest, and looked angrily at Jimin, while speaking with a very clearly upset tone, "Let me out of here, now."

His intention was to sound intimidating, so that Jimin wouldn't have any other choice than to release him. But he knew it wouldn't work, of course it wouldn't. Jimin had an obvious advantage even in normal situations, more so now that Jungkook was stuck in a cage. There was nothing he could do to make Jimin let him out. 

Jimin gave him one more apologetic look, before closing up the top of the cage, and walking away.

...

Later that same day, Taehyung arrived.

When he first got there he had happily skipped over to Jungkook's cage to greet him, with Jimin following behind him. 

Jungkook was sitting on his bed, hugging his knees to his chest. He was still visibly angry about being back in the cage. And when Taehyung, the reason he was there in the first place, tried to talk to him, he felt like he was about to explode.

He wanted to lash out at Taehyung, yell at him and tell him that this was all his fault, but he didn't know how far Jimin was willing to go to keep up the act. Most tinies were barely allowed to speak to humans, so yelling at one would usually lead to punishment. Jungkook didn't think Jimin would ever hit him, but then again, a little more than an hour ago he had been sure that he would never be in a cage again, but now here he was.

Jungkook didn't know what Jimin was thinking, so instead of yelling at Taehyung like he wanted, he frowned at him and turned around, facing the wall instead.

Jimin watched the short interaction nervously, and when Jungkook turned around he tried to come up with a reasonable excuse for Jungkook's behavior. He knew that any other human would have taken the tiny out of the cage and given him a good beating, but he would never be willing to go that far. Just the thought of hurting Jungkook made Jimin feel like throwing up.

It turned out he didn't need an excuse, as Taehyung simply blinked at Jungkook in surprise, then turned back around, shrugged at Jimin, and said, "Everyone has bad days."

Jimin stared at him dumbfounded, then nodded in agreement. 

They didn't mention Jungkook more after that, and Jimin tried his best to stop glancing at the cage every five minutes. He did notice Taehyung throwing a few concerned glances as well, as the tiny had barely moved during the day. At one point he had laid down on the bed instead of sitting on it, but he was laying on his side, still facing the wall. 

Despite Jungkook's behavior, Jimin and Taehyung were able to enjoy themselves. 

They didn't have any big plans on what to do, but they didn't need any. For a while, they just sat around on Jimin's bed, chatting about whatever came to mind. Then they played video games for a while, until Jimin got tired of losing almost every match and decided that they had played enough. Taehyung smiled innocently at him, well aware that he was easily the better player out of them. 

As the day was coming to an end, they decided to finish their day off with watching a movie. They picked a new popular movie, and flopped down onto Jimin's bed again. They were sitting close to each other, sharing a blanket and with a bowl of popcorn placed between them as they watched the movie. 

If someone who didn't know the two saw them in that position, they might have mistaken their relationship for a romantic one. However, that was completely wrong. They were just really close friends, nothing more. They had both agreed on that a long time ago. 

Unfortunately, there was someone there who didn't know them that well.

Jungkook had known Jimin for the majority of his life, but he rarely saw him together with someone other than his family. 

Even though Jungkook had never had a family of his own, he understood that it was normal to be affectionate with your family. He never really reacted when Jimin hugged his parents or his brother, because it was completely normal. Maybe it made him long for a hug of his own, because Jimin's hugs were simply the best, but he never felt any animosity towards Jimin's family. 

But now, there was this other human, who Jimin had only described as a friend. But Jungkook knew  that didn't really mean anything. He used to think of Jimin as just a friend, but then he had realized that he wanted more. 

He used to think that he might actually have a chance with Jimin. He didn't seem to care that Jungkook was a tiny, so why wouldn't they be able to be together?

Well, now he had his answer. 

They wouldn't be able to be together, because Jimin already had someone else. 

Really, there was no way Jimin and Taehyung would be that close if they weren't dating. Either they were dating or they were about to. Maybe Jungkook was about to be the witness of a grand romantic confession.

He had been secretly watching the pair during the day, sneaking glances at them while they weren't looking. With the lights off as the two focused on their movie, it was easy for Jungkook to spy on them undetected. 

He was unconsciously glaring at Taehyung, looking at his and Jimin's sides pressed together, Taehyung's arms draped over Jimin's shoulders as Jimin rested his head on Taehyung's shoulder. The way their hands kept meeting as they reached for the popcorn at the same time, and they both brushed the contact off as nothing, showing that they were already used to being close to each other.

Jungkook had never hated his own size more. If only he had been human. Then it would have been easy for him to storm over there and pull the two of them apart, pushing Taehyung away and hugging Jimin close. 

Jungkook knew that if he had been human in that moment, he would have easily taken Taehyung down. Jungkook took good care of his body, and living in a world where everything was so much bigger than himself, it was not hard to stay in shape. Maybe he spent some time every day while Jimin was in school walking around and lifting a few heavy things. He wanted to do everything he could to impress Jimin, and that included having a good body. 

If only Jungkook was human, Jimin could have already been his. But Jungkook was no human. He was a small, weak and pathetic tiny. He hadn't been able to do anything to prevent Jimin from putting him in a cage, and if Jimin wanted to he could keep him in there forever. 

Maybe he would want to, now that he had Taehyung instead of Jungkook. 

With those thoughts circling around in his mind, Jungkook turned back around to face the wall, and silently cried until he fell asleep.

...

Taehyung left after the movie finished.

Jimin waved goodbye to him at the door, then rushed back to his room to check on Jungkook. He felt terrible. He felt so incredibly guilty, and the feeling had only gotten worse with every passing moment. How could Jimin have been so stupid? Why did he think it was okay to put Jungkook back in the cage? Jungkook had told him about his childhood, Jimin knew that he had spent almost his entire life living in a cage. Jungkook had mentioned how relieved he was that he had ended up with someone like Jimin, who allowed him to walk around freely.

Jimin had been proud of that. He was proud that Jungkook considered him a friend rather than an owner. But then his own insecurities had gotten in the way. Jimin had decided during the day, that the next time Taehyung came to visit he would tell him about his real relationship with Jungkook. He didn't care if Taehyung judged him, he needed to make this up to Jungkook. 

As he walked back into his room, Jimin immediately went over to the cage on his dresser. Looking inside, he could see Jungkook still laying on the bed. Upon closer inspection, he could see that he had fallen asleep. 

As silently as possible, Jimin opened up the cage, and reached inside. He was able to pick up the bed with one hand, and he slowly lifted it up and out of the cage. He was making sure that Jungkook wouldn't fall off. He wasn't worried about waking him, Jungkook had always been a deep sleeper. 

Jimin walked over to his own bed, and put Jungkook's bed down on the nightstand, where it belonged. He spent the next couple of minutes moving all the furniture, and re-arranging it the way it had been before. Once there was nothing left but and empty cage, Jimin made a decision. 

A decision that he should have made a long time ago. 

Instead off shoving the cage back into his closet, he threw it out, never to be seen again. 

-----

When Jungkook woke up the next morning, he wasn't surprised to be out of the cage. 

Jimin had said that it was just for one day, after all.

That did not mean that the human was forgiven, but it was a start. Jungkook just assumed that the cage was back in the closet, ready to come back out the next time Jimin had a visitor. 

Looking around the room, Jungkook realized that he was alone, Jimin nowhere to be found. He was probably just somewhere else in the house. He didn't have school today, and there was no other reason for him to leave the house so early.

Jungkook sat up in the bed, then swung his legs over the edge of it and walked over to his dresser, that had also been placed back on the nightstand. 

Picking out the first clothes he saw, Jungkook quickly got changed. As he was deciding whether to climb down from the nightstand or to just stay put, Jimin made the decision for him as he entered the room.

Peeking through the door, then opening it fully when he saw Jungkook awake, Jimin looked a bit apprehensive. Jungkook didn't know if he dared to think that Jimin might be feeling guilty. 

Jimin walked across the room, and then sat down on his knees in front of the nightstand, "Hey, I, um, I brought some breakfast for you." Jimin smiled slightly, and held out a small plate to Jungkook.

Jimin was really hoping that Jungkook would accept the food. Even if that wouldn't mean he was forgiven. He was worried that Jungkook might completely refuse to interact with him, and if that were the case Jimin would understand why. Offering him food was something of a test, Jimin was trying to figure out just how angry Jungkook was.

He felt his whole body relax, as he was flooded with relief when Jungkook stepped forward and grabbed the plate, then walked over to sit on his bed. 

Jungkook hadn't wanted to give in to Jimin that easily, but he was hungry, as he hadn't eaten much the previous day. Jimin had left food for him in the cage of course, but Jungkook had been too angry at the time to eat it. Now he was absolutely starving, and there was no other way for him to get food than from Jimin. 

To try and make a point, Jungkook grabbed the plate without looking at Jimin, then walked over and sat on his bed, still avoiding Jimin's gaze. He stayed turned towards him, he just didn't look at him. 

As Jungkook started eating the meal, Jimin awkwardly tried to make some conversation with him,

"So, um... I... I'm sorry, about what happened yesterday."

Jungkook kept eating, not showing any sign of having heard him, but Jimin continued,

"I know what I did was wrong, and if I could go back and change it I would. I was just..."

Jimin sighed, trying to put the thoughts that had plagued him all night into words.

"I was scared. I was scared, that Taehyung was going to leave me after finding out about our friendship. And I understand now how stupid that was, and next time I see him I'm going to tell him the truth, I promise."

Jungkook still didn't show any sign of hearing him, but Jimin knew he was listening, so he continued,

"I regretted everything yesterday. I knew I had messed up. I should have never brought out the cage, I should have listened to you when you told me to let you go. And I'm so, so sorry that I didn't."

At some point, tears started streaming down Jimin's face, and it didn't take long before he was fully crying,

"P-Please Jungkook, please forgive m-me. I-I was- I was so stupid, and I regret all of it. I-I threw the cage out, last night. I p-promise you'll never see it again, so please, c-can you ever forgive me?"

Jimin looked at Jungkook desperately, not bothering to dry the tears now pouring from his eyes. Jungkook was not moving. He had stilled completely, and was staring off into the distance, seemingly lost in thought.

Whatever he was thinking about, Jimin saw the lack of reaction as rejection. He let out a broken sob, as he put his head down, and it collided with the nightstand with a painful thud. 

Now Jimin was crying loudly, any hope of controlling his tears long gone. 

He knew it, he should have expected this. He was such an idiot. 

Jimin knew what Jungkook had been through in the past, he knew what it had meant to Jungkook to finally be free. 

And he could only imagine what it was like to have that freedom ripped away, just like that at a moment's notice.

Jimin would be angry too. 

He would never forgive him, he was going to hate him forever.

Fuck, this was the guy Jimin had fallen in love with, who he had wanted to spend his entire life with, but now they were not even going to be friends anymore. Jungkook was never going to talk to him again, he was going to hate him forever, he already hated him, he probably wanted to run away right now and get as far away from Jimin as possible, rather starving outside that stay with Jimin just a moment longer-

Jimin's rapid thoughts were abruptly cut off, as he registered a small touch. 

The lightest touch, of a tiny, tiny hand, on the top of his head, softly stroking his hair. 

He didn't need to look to know what the touch was.

Jimin let out one last surprised sob, before he bit his lip harshly to stay quiet, as a soft voice reached his ears,

"Please don't cry, Jimin"

As the touch stopped, Jimin slowly lifted  his head, and his eyes immediately met Jungkook's, which were now looking right back at him. Jungkook was smiling, weirdly enough. A comforting kind of smile, that made Jimin's heart warm up with hope. 

"I hate to say this, because I'm still furious at you, but I... I understand, why you did what you did. I understand that you regret it now, and that's what matters, I guess."

As Jimin's eyes filled with hope, Jungkook rushed to explain further,

"Don't get me wrong! This doesn't mean you're forgiven, far from it. Like I said, I'm still furious at you. But I'll forgive you one day, so don't cry. I don't like seeing you cry."

Despite what Jungkook just said, Jimin couldn't help but cry again. Only this time, it was from happiness. He was so relieved. 

He didn't expect to be forgiven at all, so just being told that he might be forgiven in the future was enough.

Jimin then took a bit of a risk, as he for the second time in less than 24 hours grabbed Jungkook without a warning, but he was too caught up in his emotions to realize it. This time he didn't grab Jungkook for any bad reasons, he just quickly but gently wrapped his fingers around him, and lifted him up, then pressed him to his cheek, in and attempt at hugging him.

Now, for this to be the perfect, almost romantic moment Jimin was hoping for Jungkook would just have to stretch his arms out and hug Jimin back, and tell him again that everything was going to be okay.

It didn't really work out that way.

"Oh my god, ew, Jimin, do you know how gross your face is from crying so much? God, you're still crying? I'm getting soaked here. This really isn't helping you to be forgiven, you know."

The last sentence was threatening enough for Jimin to pull Jungkook away again, and look at him apologetically, though he didn't put him down. He was carefully stroking his fingers through Jungkook's now damp hair, and then softly down his back. He was so happy to have Jungkook in his hands again.

"Sorry, I'm just so happy. I was worried you would never forgive me."

"I still haven't forgiven you"

"But you will, and that's what matters. I'll do anything to make it up to you."

Jungkook looked down, away from Jimin for a moment, and the uncertainty must have showed on his face, because Jimin immediately grew worried. 

He gently put his thumb under Jungkook's chin, and carefully lifted it up to make their eyes meet again.

"What's wrong? What's with that look? Is there something else wrong that I don't know about?"

Jungkook hesitated. He didn't know what he wanted to tell Jimin. He eventually decided that in this moment, honesty was probably the best option, so he explained,

"Do you really care that much about me? I'm not that important, am I?"

Jimin immediately argued back,

"What?! Of course you are, Jungkook. I care so much about you. I can't imagine my life without you."

"But what about yesterday then?"

"I've already apologized for that!"

"I don't mean the thing with the cage!"

"Then what? What else happened?"

"Why would you care so much about me when you already have someone else? I saw everything last night, you two were so close all the time, you're so obviously dating. Why do you say that you care about me when you care about Taehyung so much more?"

Jungkook furiously wiped away the few tears that had escaped during his rant, then looked away from Jimin's shocked face.

Jimin took a few moments to process what Jungkook had just said.

It made so much sense. Jimin and Taehyung were mistaken for a couple all the time. Hell, they had even pretended to date sometimes, just for shits and giggles. When they were outside and noticed some angry stare from an old lady that they just knew was homophobic, it was fun to get extra close just to piss her off even more. 

When girls from their school got all up in their face trying to seduce them, they liked to pretend that they were dating to get the girls to back off. Granted, that one rarely worked, as many girls thought that being gay just meant they hadn't met the right girl yet, but that made it even more enjoyable to mess with them. 

Even when they weren't pretending to be dating, Jimin and Taehyung were close.

Jimin understood why Jungkook had misunderstood. And now he needed to fix it. 

"Jungkook... Me and Taehyung aren't dating. I get why you think that, honestly I probably would have thought the same in your situation, but we're really not dating. We're just really, really good friends. Me and him have talked about this before actually, after we both figured out that we liked guys, we agreed that we would just stay friends. There's nothing else between us, so please don't think that that makes you less important. I care about you so, so much, Jungkook."

Jimin went quiet for a moment, took a deep breath, and then said it, that one phrase he had wanted to say for so long.

"I-I... I love you, Jungkook."

Jimin went quiet again, and looked down as he waited for Jungkook's response.

When too much time passed without a sound, he looked back up.

Jungkook was staring right at him, his eyes wide with shock. He looked... happy. Jimin didn't know if he dared to trust his eyes in that moment. 

Then, Jungkook finally answered, with a silent whisper that Jimin was just barely able to pick up.

"I love you too, Jimin."

For the third time in less than an hour, Jimin was crying, and this time Jungkook was too caught up in his own tears to bother trying to comfort him. 

It didn't matter, they knew that they were both crying from joy.

What this meant for their future, they didn't know. 

But what they did know, was that everything was going to be okay from now on. 

They loved each other, and after years of hidden feelings they had both just confessed, out of nowhere. And they couldn't be happier about it.

Jimin brought Jungkook back to press him to his cheek in another hug, and despite Jungkook's verbal complaints about being once again soaked in tears, this time he returned the hug. 

Yeah, they were going to be okay now.

-----

Things had been awkward for a while after that. 

After their confession, Jimin and Jungkook had agreed to start dating. They were just testing  it out, to see if they really worked together.

The thing was, that neither of them had any prior dating experience. Jungkook's reason was obvious, while Jimin just hadn't been interested in anyone before. He'd had a crush on Jungkook for so long, he had never had a chance to date anyone else.

As if it wasn't hard enough just because they were both dating for the first time, their size difference made it even more complicated. Just tinies dating anyone at all was unheard of, and the thought of a tiny dating a human was just absurd to most people. 

Now don't misunderstand, because Jimin had long ago accepted the fact that the guy he had fallen for happened to be a tiny, and it didn't bother him. He liked everything about Jungkook, his size included. 

Jimin liked having a tiny boyfriend. First of all, it made it easy to keep Jungkook close and protect him. There were so many things in the world that could hurt Jungkook, and it was so easy for Jimin to pick him up, hold him close and shield him from everything. And Jimin loved that. 

Jimin had also realized, that though Jungkook in any size would be adorable, his tiny size made him so much cuter. Jungkook really was just a little bunny. And Jimin loved him for it.

As for Jungkook's feelings, he felt the exact same way about Jimin. He loved having a big boyfriend, for the same reasons as Jimin liked having a tiny boyfriend. Jungkook loved when Jimin picked him up out of nowhere just to hug him close and comfort him. Jungkook had taken advantage of this many times, by pretending to be scared of something just to get cuddles from Jimin.

Not that he needed an excuse, they both loved cuddling, but it was also fun to mess with Jimin. And Jungkook knew that Jimin enjoyed being the big strong boyfriend who could protect him from everything, so he didn't feel bad about it. 

All in all, their lives had mostly changed for the better.

It was nice to able to do all the things they had wanted to do for so long. Those things could vary from the smallest gestures, to much bigger changes. 

For example, they had started sharing kisses with each other. It came pretty naturally to them, really. Their first kiss had been surprisingly simple, and much less awkward than expected. 

It had been a normal night, as they were going to sleep. Jimin was laying on his side in the bed, looking at Jungkook next to him on the pillow, using Jimin's hand to keep warm. 

They had been talking for a bit as they were settling down, and then Jimin reached over and turned the light off. The room turned dark, only alighted slightly by the slivers of moonlight that slipped in between the curtains covering the windows. 

As Jimin pulled his hand back, he leaned down slightly, and quietly pressed a kiss to Jungkook's head. He stayed put for a couple of seconds, enjoying the new warm feeling in his chest. Then he pulled back, and Jungkook was not satisfied yet, so as Jimin pulled back he sat up and quickly returned the kiss before Jimin go too far away. Jimin paused immediately as he felt the small touch on his bottom lip. He closed his eyes and leaned into it, then slipped his hand behind Jungkook's back to support him.

The kiss ended too soon, as Jungkook pulled back. He looked up at Jimin, who met his gaze. They were both looking at each other while grinning like idiots.  They couldn't help it, they were so happy.

Jimin put his head back down on the pillow, and used the hand behind Jungkook to pull him closer. Jungkook crawled over to Jimin's neck, where he curled up. Jimin cupped his hand around him, and he softly petted Jungkook's hair with his thumb, while also gently stroking his back with the rest of his fingers. 

Jungkook let out a satisfied sigh, as he quickly felt his eyelids grow heavy. 

Just before he closed his eyes, he let out one last whisper, "...I love you, Jimin."

Jungkook's eyes closed, and as his mind was slipping away to sleep, he heard a quiet response, "I love you too, Jungkook."

-----

One day, when Jimin and Jungkook had been dating for a couple months, something big happened. It wasn't actually that big of a deal, Jimin was just being overdramatic. 

At least that's what Jungkook kept telling him, but Jimin wasn't listening. 

Today, was gonna be the day.

Today, was the day Jimin might be ruining his year long friendship. 

Taehyung was coming over today, and as promised, Jimin was going to tell him everything.

Jimin had spent the entire morning pacing back and forth in his room. Jungkook was sitting on the nightstand, swinging his legs back and forth over the edge of it as he watched Jimin with an amused smile. 

Jimin had been rambling the whole morning, about everything that could go wrong today. It was very clear to anyone that Jimin was nervous. And yet, he showed no sign of wanting to go back on his promise.

Had this been someone Jungkook didn't really know, he would have expected them to back out completely. But Jimin knew how important this was, for both of them. He was going to go through with it.

After what felt like seconds to Jimin, and like hours to Jungkook, there was a knock on the front door. Jimin froze, and he listened as his mother went to answer the door. He knew he should go meet Taehyung at the door. It would be really nice if his legs would start working now.

"Jimin."

Jimin instinctively turned to the small voice when he heard it, and he saw Jungkook looking right at him with a comforting smile.

"It's gonna be fine, relax."

Jimin looked at him for a bit, then nodded, took a deep breath, and turned around and walked out of the room.

Jungkook stayed in the room, idly swinging his legs back and forth in the air as he waited. He wasn't nearly as nervous as Jimin. He didn't even know Taehyung, he couldn't care less what he thought of this whole thing. The only thing he cared about was Jimin's feelings. And if Taehyung hurt him in any way, Jungkook would not rest before he found a way to hurt him back. 

Soon enough, the door opened again, and Jimin entered with Taehyung right behind him. As Jimin paused awkwardly in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do next, Taehyung strolled past him and took a seat on Jimin's bed. 

When Jimin stayed standing, awkwardly looking around, Taehyung noticed, and asked, "Is something wrong?"

Jimin met Taehyung's gaze, and quickly shook his head. 

Taehyung frowned in thought, "But something's bothering you, what is it?"

Jimin looked down, then closed his eyes and sighed deeply as he gathered his thoughts.

"I have something to tell you"

Taehyung looked at him quietly, signing for him to continue. 

"So, uh, maybe you noticed, there's been a bit of a...  a change since the last time you were here."

As Taehyung tilted his head in question, clearly not getting it, Jimin gestured over to his dresser, where there had previously been a cage, and then over to the nightstand where Jungkook was still sitting, watching the two of them.

Taehyung looked where Jimin pointed, then nodded as he realized what he meant.

"You got rid of the cage."

"Yeah, I did. Actually, we haven't been using it for years, I just brought it out when you were coming over, because I... I don't know, honestly."

Jimin went quiet, obviously struggling with his words. Taehyung stayed silent however, willing Jimin to continue.

"Okay, I got rid of the cage, because it feels wrong. Because Jungkook deserves better, because he's not just my pet, he's my friend. And he means just as much to me as any human friend, and I really want you to understand that. Jungkook is my friend, not my pet."

As Jimin finished, he nodded in satisfaction, having said what he wanted to. 

Taehyung looked at him with an unreadable expression, and then smiled, that stupid boxy smile of his that Jimin loved seeing, and he said, "I know."

Jimin didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure what Taehyung was even saying.

"What do you mean you know?!"

Jungkook was also looking over at the other human curiously now. He had not seen that coming. 

Taehyung looked back and forth between Jimin and Jungkook, still smiling, as he explained.

"I mean, first of all, I know you, Jimin. You're too nice for your own good. If anyone would be able to make friends with a tiny it would be you. Second, the more obvious sign, you left the ladders up. I know you're short, but you don't need a ladder to reach your own bed."

He paused for a moment, and then looked over to Jungkook and addressed him directly.

"And third, I saw the way you kept glaring at me last time I was here. I would have called you out on it, but I wanted to let Jimin say this himself."

As Taehyung finished, he was once again smiling innocently at Jimin.

As Jimin processed Taehyung's words, he brought his hands up and covered his now red face.

"I'm so stupid. Of course you knew. You fucking genius, it's not fair."

Taehyung laughed at that, then,

"It wasn't that hard to figure out, you were just being too obvious. Not my fault."

"Okay, well, there's something else! I haven't told you everything yet. Or maybe you would like to tell me yourself?"

As he finished, Jimin glared pointedly at Taehyung, silently challenging him. This time however, Taehyung shook his head, and said,

"No, I actually don't know anything else."

Jimin nodded, and smiled. He had at least managed to keep his feelings hidden. With a friend as perceptive as Taehyung, that was quite the feat. 

Before he continued, Jimin walked over and took a seat next to Taehyung on the bed, then he reached over and picked up Jungkook from the nightstand. He rested both of his hands in his lap, with Jungkook sitting in them. 

Jimin took yet another deep breath, as he tried to calm down. This had all gone well so far, now it was just the worst part left. 

"So, as you now know, me and Jungkook are friends, we're really close actually. But that changed a while ago. For the past few months, we've... we've been dating."

Jimin looked down as he waited for Taehyung's reply, and unconsciously curled his fingers around Jungkook protectively.

But as always, Taehyung kept surprising Jimin. He let out a short laugh, then said,

"Huh, no, I didn't see that coming. That's cool, good for you, Chim."

Jimin whipped his head back up and stared at Taehyung, Jungkook unknowingly mirroring him.

At their surprised looks, Taehyung continued, 

"What? Did you really think I wouldn't be okay with that? Come on Jimin, you know me better than that."

Taehyung crossed his arms and frowned, feigning being upset. 

Knowing that Taehyung was only pretending, Jimin was so relieved. Now everything really was okay. Of course Taehyung didn't mind, he was the most open-minded person in the world. Jimin started tearing up, and he quickly put Jungkook away to the side on the bed before he sobbed and jumped at Taehyung with a hug. 

Taehyung immediately put his arms around Jimin, and laughed at his antics as he stroked his back comfortingly. Then, Taehyung glanced behind Jimin and saw Jungkook sitting on the bed, where Jimin had left him so he wouldn't get crushed by the hug.

Taehyung lowered one of his hands down and laid it out flat in front of Jungkook, and smiled slightly at him, silently asking if he trusted him enough. Jungkook may not have known Taehyung very well, but he knew that Jimin trusted him, and that was enough. He sat down on Taehyung's hand, and was lifted up to be eye level with him. 

Then Taehyung put his arm back around Jimin, and let Jungkook step off on his shoulder. Had Jimin and Jungkook been alone now, the angle at which Jimin was leaning would have made it impossible for Jungkook to stay put, but now he was able to lean against Taehyung as he stretched his arms out in an attempt to wrap them around Jimin's neck. 

He wasn't able to reach all the way around, obviously, but Jimin felt he gesture, and he appreciated it. 

As Jimin pulled back, he brought his hand up to hold Jungkook, so he wouldn't fall.

Still smiling, Taehyung used his shirtsleeve to dry the rest of Jimin's tears. Jungkook pouted slightly, jealous of how easy it was for Taehyung to take care of a crying Jimin without getting soaked. He then shook his head to get rid of those thoughts.

Once Taehyung put his hand back down, Jimin spoke again,

"I'm so relieved. I really didn't think you would have a problem with it, but it's nice to know for sure."

Taehyung nodded in understanding before he answered,

"Yeah, I get it, it's probably not the easiest thing to tell people. But don't worry, I'm completely fine with it. I don't care who you date, as long as you're happy."

Then he turned to look at Jungkook, who was still sitting on Jimin's shoulder. Taehyung's expression turned serious for a moment, as he spoke to him,

"I'm telling you right now, you better make Jimin happy, or I'm coming for you."

A few years ago, being addressed like that by a human would have been scary to Jungkook. But he wasn't scared now, he knew that Taehyung wouldn't do anything to him.

So instead of being scared, Jungkook glared right back at Taehyung and answered,

"I was about to say the same to you. If you dare to hurt him, I'll find a way to end you."

Taehyung and Jungkook engaged in somewhat of a staring contest, for no other reason than neither of them wanting to look away first.

The one to break up their little contest was Jimin, as he whined in embarrassment.

"You guys don't have to protect me, I can take care of myself."

Taehyung and Jungkook just giggled to themselves, earning an eye-roll from Jimin. 

...

After their first meeting, Taehyung and Jungkook had become good friends. And since Taehyung spent so much time with Jimin, that meant spending a lot of time with Jungkook as well. Really, the three of them fit perfectly together. They spent a lot of time together, not doing anything in particular, but they still managed to have fun. 

For example, Jungkook would now join the two whenever they played video games. Controllers his size weren't exactly common, but they weren't too hard to find either. So after Jimin got one for Jungkook's 15th birthday, he had started playing along with them. 

And it turned out, that he was a natural. 

Before, Taehyung had been able to win in almost all the games, playing against Jimin. 
Now, Jungkook was easily beating both of them. Sometimes, Taehyung and Jimin would even go against the rules and team-up. And they still didn't always win. 

Another example of what they would do, was their movie nights. Jungkook still clearly remembered his frustration with Taehyung during their last movie night, and he was a bit embarrassed about it now that he knew Taehyung had seen his glares somehow. 

He felt a bit awkward joining them, as he wasn't sure where his place was as the two humans sat close together. It turned out he didn't have anything to worry about though.

Just like last time, Taehyung wrapped one arm around Jimin, then he reached down with his other hand and gently picked up Jungkook. He then lifted his hand and put Jungkook down on his shoulder. As Jungkook sat down and tried to get comfortable, Jimin put his head down next to him on Taehyung's shoulder. Jungkook smiled, as he scooted over to Jimin's head and leaned against him, burrowing into his fluffy hair before letting out a happy sigh.

They stayed mostly quiet after that, munching on popcorn and enjoying the movie. Jimin and Taehyung took turns giving small pieces of popcorn to Jungkook, who eagerly accepted all of it.

After the movie ended, they leaned away from each other. Jimin plucked Jungkook from Taehyung's shoulder, before standing. Taehyung stretched his arms out now that he could move them freely, before getting up as well. 

A while later Taehyung left, and Jimin and Jungkook were left alone once again. 

They immediately started getting ready for bed. Jimin put Jungkook down on the nightstand, before walking away to change. Jungkook quickly changed his clothes, them jumped over to the bed. Jimin had at some point pushed the nightstand close to the bed so that Jungkook would be able to go back and forth between them without climbing.

Once on the bed, Jungkook climbed up the pillow and waited. Just a moment later Jimin walked back over and laid down on the bed, putting his head down next to Jungkook. 

Jimin turned over to lay on his side, before reaching out and cupping his hand behind Jungkook's back and pulling him in for a kiss, which Jungkook happily leaned into. 

When they pulled back after a while, Jungkook looked up into Jimin's eyes, and said with a huge smile on his face, "I love you".

Jimin smiled shyly back at him, and answered, "I love you too".

Jimin curled his fingers further around Jungkook to hug him, and Jungkook responded by clinging to and hugging Jimin's thumb. 

Jimin moved his hand closer, holding Jungkook against his chest in a loose grip that let him move freely. 

They both sighed as their bodies relaxed. 

Jimin was comforted by feeling Jungkook's small body against himself, knowing that he was keeping Jungkook safe.

Jungkook was relaxed by the nice warmth of Jimin's hand, and the soothing sound of his heartbeat. 

Soon, they both felt their eyelids growing heavy, as they drifted off to sleep.

-----