Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/10213115.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      M/M, Multi
  Fandom:
      방탄소년단_|_Bangtan_Boys_|_BTS
  Relationship:
      Jeon_Jungkook/Kim_Taehyung_|_V, Kim_Taehyung_|_V/Park_Jimin, Jeon
      Jungkook/Park_Jimin, Jung_Hoseok_|_J-Hope/Min_Yoongi_|_Suga, Kim_Namjoon
      |_Rap_Monster/Kim_Seokjin_|_Jin, Jeon_Jungkook/Kim_Taehyung_|_V/Park
      Jimin, Kim_Taehyung_|_V/Min_Yoongi_|_Suga
  Character:
      Kim_Taehyung_|_V, Jeon_Jungkook, Park_Jimin_(BTS), Jung_Hoseok_|_J-Hope,
      Min_Yoongi_|_Suga, Kim_Seokjin_|_Jin, Kim_Namjoon_|_Rap_Monster
  Additional Tags:
      Child_Abuse, Post-Traumatic_Stress_Disorder_-_PTSD, Alternate_Universe_-
      Soulmates, Smut, Childhood_Friends, Gangs, Orphans, Angst, Soulmate-
      Identifying_Marks, Subdrop, Violence
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-04-15 Updated: 2018-01-30 Chapters: 14/? Words: 56669
****** The Ink That Binds Us ******
by Victorywings
Summary
     It was inked names on skin that tethered the three to each other in
     the first place, and it was fate that brought them back together
     after all these years. But some wounds can't be healed with time
     alone.
     Jungkook is too busy running from his past to be concerned about
     things like destiny.
     Taehyung can't even love himself, let alone anyone else.
     And Jimin just wants to protect his soulmates, but he might not be
     strong enough.
     But ink binds the trio together, whether they like it or not.
     *AKA the childhood friends/orphans/gang-related/past abuse/soulmate
     AU that nobody asked for but everybody wants. XD
***** Taehyung *****
Chapter Notes
     Note- this is all set in the past.
     Warnings: implied rape, domestic abuse, child abuse
Taehyung was six when his mother dropped him off.
From the outside the house was run down and gloomy, and Taehyung would later
find the inside to be just the same. He clutched at his mother's hand as she
led him towards the front door of the house, his little feet dragging as he dug
in his heels with every step.
Taehyung could sense that something was not right. Every part of him was urging
him to run away as fast as he could, and if not for the grip his mother had on
him he certainly would have. From the way that his mother's nails stabbed into
his palm with just a little bit more aggression than normal, to the way her
expression was drawn tight and unforgiving, Taehyung could just feel that
something was definitely not right.
His mother knocked at the door with a heavy hand, her foot tapping impatiently
as she waited for someone to answer. Taehyung tugged at her hand imploringly,
but she didn't look down at him and instead started to knock more insistently.
Taehyung felt tears start to gather in his eyes, but he wouldn't cry (because
he was a big boy and big boys weren't supposed to cry).
The door swung open to reveal the man that would haunt Taehyung's dreams for
years to come. His eyes were a void of darkness, and seemed to pierce through
whatever they touched with every terrible emotion that a person was capable of
feeling. He scowled at Taehyung's mother, expression monstrous and filled with
contempt.
"What now, bitch?"
His mother gripped at Taehyung's arm and roughly jerked him forward. Taehyung
whimpered at the sudden pain that lit in his shoulder, tears now
traitorously spilling over his cheeks. "You said you'd take him."
The man finally took notice of Taehyung, looking over the boy with the
calculated eyes of a predator. "Change your mind about keeping it?"
His mother scoffed, releasing Taehyung's hand and shoving him forward. He
instinctively tried to catch his balance on the strange man's leg, but the man
scowled down at him and kicked him off. Taehyung stayed on the floor, sniffling
and shaking.
"Shut the fuck up, just hold up your end of the deal." She snapped. "Where's my
money?"
The man rolled his eyes, but turned to walk further into the house. Taehyung
looked back at his mother, pleading with wide, confused eyes. He didn't
understand what was happening. There was no way she would actually leave him
with this stranger, right? This man was big and mean, and as scary as his
mother could be sometimes this person was infinitely worse. His mother finally
looked down at him, but at the cold look in her eyes Taehyung suddenly felt a
hopeless sob build in his chest.
Images of Taehyung and his mother flashed through Taehyung's head; laughing
over ice cream and taking walks in the park and being so wonderfully happy.
Taehyung finally let loose his tears as he looked at the woman still standing
in the doorway. Who was she? Where was his mother? Why didn't she love him
anymore? Taehyung found himself babbling these thoughts aloud, crying and
whimpering as he crawled over to wrap his tiny hands around his mother's ankle,
begging for her to stay.
"Please don't leave me! I'll be a good boy, I promise! Mommy I love you, please
don't leave-"
"Taehyung." Her voice was sharp and emotionless as ice- sounding like
everything his mother once was not, back when she still tucked him in at night
and still sang him lullabies when he woke up from bad dreams. "Behave. Mr. Choi
will take care of you from now on. Don't be rude."
That shut Taehyung up immediately, because his mother had taught him manners
from a very young age and he has never once in his life been called rude. The
unnies in his neighborhood used to praise him for being such a well-behaved
child, and his mother would glow and fawn over her son because he was such a
good boy. Taehyung obediently got to his feet, biting his tongue to hold back
more begging as he wiped at his tears with the end of his sleeve, trying his
best to behave.
Mr. Choi returned carrying an envelope, the heavy treading of his footsteps
sending shivers of fear down Taehyung's spine as he approached. He handed
Taehyung's mother the envelope, before grabbing Taehyung around his arm and
roughly pulling him to his side.
"There. Deal's a deal. Now scram."  His grip tightened, fingernails biting into
the tender flesh of Taehyung's arm.
His mother opened the envelope and appraised whatever was inside. After a
moment, she nodded and turned to leave. Taehyung watched with wide eyes, mouth
open but no words being formed, as his mother started to walk away. He wanted
to call out to her, to beg her to take him back, but the words were caught in
his throat and soon enough Mr. Choi was slamming the door shut and his mother's
back was no longer in view.
His grip on Taehyung's arm was still bruisingly tight as he turned from the
door and walked towards the stairs. "Brat!" He called up the staircase, the
booming of his voice causing Taehyung to flinch. "Get your ass down here!" 
A moment later a boy just as few years older than Taehyung with brown hair and
wide eyes came hurrying down the steps, stopping a respectable distance from
Mr. Choi with his eyes trailed on the ground.  He didn't speak as Mr. Choi went
on. "Meet your new brother." His voice was scathing and sarcastic. He shoved
Taehyung forward, and the small boy went barreling into the older boy's chest.
Despite the pain and fear he felt, Taehyung was just glad that the man was no
longer touching him. 
"He's staying in your room. Take him there." And then Mr. Choi was turning away
and heading down the hall adjacent to the stairs, clearly losing interest. 
Taehyung relaxed slightly as the man walked out of sight. The older boy was
still holding him, and when Taehyung pulled away to look up at him the boy
smiled gently. "Nice to meet you. I'm Minho."
Minho held his hand as he led Taehyung up the staircase. He looked over his
shoulder as they walked and asked the younger for his name. "I'm Taehyung."
Minho smiled brightly and reached down to ruffle at Taehyung's hair. "That's a
nice name. But such a cute boy needs a cute name, so I'm going to call you
Taetae!" And for first time since he had arrived, Taehyung smiled.
When the pair arrived at a room at the back of the upstairs hallway, Minho
pushed open the door and ushered him inside. The room was rather dark and
small, with only two double beds and a small dresser to fill the space, and
only a small window as a source of light. A small coloring book was left open
on the floor, a few crayons scattered around it.
"Kookie?" Minho called softly. "Kookie, it's me. You can come on out."
Taehyung startled as the closet door suddenly creaked open, and a tuft of
fluffy dark hair peeked out. A younger boy stepped out, one with pudgy cheeks
and dark brown eyes. He was wearing a sweater that was clearly too big for him,
likely an old one that Minho had dressed him in, that draper over his small
form and made him look cuddly and huggable. He looked over at Taehyung with shy
but curious doe eyes, fingers nervously fiddling with his sleeves.
Minho reached out his arms and Kookie obediently stepped into them, gaze still
locked on Taehyung. "Taetae, this is Kookie. I told him to hide in the closet
whenever he hears someone walk down the hall." Taehyung was just about to ask
why, but Minho was already moving on. "Kookie, this is Taetae. He's going to be
living with us from now on."
The youngest boy peered out from the safety of Minho's arms at the newcomer.
Taehyung stepped closer and crouched down a little to meet the boy's eyes. "Hi
there! How old are you?"
The boy looked up nervously at Minho, who nodded encouragingly in return.
Kookie shyly held up 4 fingers.
"Four years old? I'm six years old, so that makes me your hyung!" Taehyung
smiled down at Kookie, giggling with delight when the younger boy gave an
adorably shy smile in return. Warmth shot through his chest. "Kookie, do you
like bunnies?"
Kookie stared up at him with nervous but curious eyes. The small boy blinked,
but shyly nodded his head.
Taehyung beamed back, warmth and affection lighting his smile."Me too, which is
why I know that we're going to be best friends! Because you look like a cute
little bunny!"
Kookie giggled into his hands, eyes twinkling as he pulled away from Minho to
cuddle into Taehyung's shirt. "Okay, Taetae-hyung." The boy whispered shyly,
smiling around the name and hiding the blushing of his cheeks in Taehyung's
chest. Minho watched with eyes wide in amazement, because Kookie was usually
pretty shy around strangers and he hardly ever spoke.
Seeing the youngest being so taken with Taehyung only made Minho's heart swell.
As tragic as it was to be left here, he had a feeling that Taehyung would
become an indispensable part of their lives. 
Taehyung looked back up from where he was coddling Kookie, smile bright and
boxy and filled with sunshine.
 
***
 
From then on the three of them lived together in that cramped little room,
Kookie sharing a bed with either Minho or Taehyung interchangeably. (Mostly
Taehyung. He was cuddlier.) The three boys remained mostly undisturbed for the
first week, not leaving the room- aside from Minho, who sneaked out at night to
bring food from the kitchen.
Taehyung found that in the company of the other boys he was slowly recovering
from the heartbreak of losing his mother. Bittersweet memories of love and
affection were replaced with Minho stroking his hair when he was checking up on
the youngest pair every night, and the precious sound of Kookie's giggling
muffled into the skin of Taehyung's neck and shoulder.
"Hyung, how long have you been here for?" Taehyung found himself asking one
night.
The three of them were sitting and talking on Minho's bed; Kookie huddled in
Minho's lap as the eldest stroked at his head like he would a cat, and Taehyung
curled in at Minho's side with fingers wrapped around his wrist.
The hand stroking through Kookie's hair paused. Minho smiled ruefully,
expression uncharacteristically and disarmingly bitter, and Taehyung got the
sudden feeling that he shouldn't have asked.
"I've always lived here, Taetae."
Taehyung's eyes widened in disbelief. And before he could bite the words back
he was asking, "What about your parents?"
Kookie was silent, watching the conversation between his two hyungs with
inquisitive eyes. He didn't usually speak himself, but the youngest was so
clever that Taehyung suspected Kookie was keeping up with their conversations
just fine, and just preferred to observe rather than partake.
"Mr. Choi is my father, Tae."
Minho's voice was soft, fragile in a way that made Taehyung scared that his
hyung could shatter from words alone. "Oh." Taehyung didn't know what else to
say.
He noted that Minho had not once called the man 'Dad'. He got the terrible
impression that Mr. Choi had never been kind to Minho, unlike Taehyung's own
mother who had gradually grown to despise her son over a period of years.
Taehyung still had happy memories with his mother, ones that could still
overshadow the darkness he saw when looking into her eyes, and this was what
prevented Taehyung from ever truly hating the woman who had given him life.
Taehyung's heart suddenly hurt knowing the Minho could not say the same.
Minho smiled again, this time he was softer but still visibly stiff and
plastic, like he was correcting his behavior for the sake of his dongsaengs.
Taehyung wished he wouldn't.
"It's okay. I'm used to it." He said in what was supposed to be a reassuring
voice. Taehyung only grew more concerned. "Plus, I have you guys here now to
keep me company."
He ruffled playfully at Kookie's hair and the younger squealed in delight.
Taehyung's worries slipped away at the sound, warmth bubbling in his chest as
he gazed at the younger squirmy and bubbly in Minho's lap. He found himself
giggling alongside the other boy.
Minho shot him a mischievous glance, before lunging out his arms towards
Taehyung's own hair, using his hand to enthusiastically mess it up as well.
Taehyung felt affection bubble in his throat as he laughed and batted his hyung
away. Kookie was now reaching over to try and put his grubby fingers in
Taehyung's hair as well, smiling and giggling.
But it was inevitable that such happiness would not last. They must have been
too loud, because then they heard the telltale sound of footsteps creaking from
the stairs. Minho suddenly sprang up, grabbing the younger pair by the arms and
dragging them towards the closet.
"Hyung? Hyung what's going on?" Taehyung tried to ask, the sudden urgency in
his hyung's actions making panic rise in his throat. 
"Hurry!" He urged, glancing nervously at the door. He shoved Taehyung and
Kookie inside, pushing them towards the back corner and throwing a blanket over
them before he closed the door. "Don't move!"
Kookie was clutching onto Taehyung with a grip like a vice, sniffling but
trying his best to keep quiet as he shook in Taehyung's arms. "Taetae-hyung,
I'm scared." Kookie whispered, and Taehyung wasn't sure what was happening but
he squeezed Kookie as tightly as he could, suddenly feeling overwhelmingly
protective over the younger and terrified for the older.
The sound of the door slamming open made Taehyung jolt, and he squeezed his
eyes shut as yelling followed. Yelling, followed by the unmistakable sound of
flesh striking flesh. 
Taehyung squeezed his eyes shut, using every ounce of willpower not to make any
distressed noises as he listened to his hyung cry out in pain. But not once did
Minho beg for Mr. Choi to stop, and not once did he reveal the younger two's
location. Taehyung felt a sorrowful sense of pride for his hyung, who was so
brave and so, so strong.
Kookie flinched at every sound that came from from smacking and kicking and
shoving. At one point, the wall closest to them thudded as Minho was presumable
thrown against it. Kookie buried his face in Taehyung's neck, and the older
could feel the wetness of tears dampen his skin.  Kookie was soft and warm, and
Taehyung could feel the quickened beating of his heart pulsing beneath his
skin. In that moment, the solid warmth of the boy in his arms was likely the
only thing keeping him anchored to reality.
Taehyung burrowed his nose into Kookie's hair, inhaling the innocent scent of
the younger in an attempt to soothe himself. His grip tightened, shifting the
boy to settle in closer, until he was caged within Taehyung's arms and legs.
Taehyung wasn't sure if he was trying to comfort Kookie or comfort himself. 
It was a little while later when the noises from outside stopped. Taehyung
waited with baited breath, until he heard the sound of the stairs creaking.
Despite his fear, his concern for his hyung won over and his body sprung into
action. He sat Kookie aside in the dark safety of the closet, flung open the
door, and hurriedly crawled to where Minho was laying, deathly still.
"Hyung?" Taehyung's voice was soft as he looked over his hyung.
There were angry red welts and the telltale formation of bruises blooming
across his skin, and Minho was curled in the fetal position in an attempt to
protect what little was left undamaged. Minho groaned, eyelids fluttering and
blood dripping from the corner of his lips. There was a cut just missing his
eye that was dripping more crimson across his cheek and into his brown hair.
He could hear the shuffling as Kookie peered out of his hiding spot, and
Taehyung was faintly reminded of when the pair had first met.
"Stay inside, Kookie." He didn't glance over his shoulder but his voice was
firm. The youngest hesitated, looking at his hyung worriedly, but obediently
returned to his safe place. 
"Taetae." Minho managed to mutter out, teetering between consciousness and
unconsciousness. Taehyung hushed the older, softly petting at his hair as his
mind raced to remember what he should do. 
"I'll be right back." He told the older gently, before standing up to rush to
the small bathroom adjoined to the bedroom.
When he had first arrived, Minho had shown him where everything was, including
the first aid kit. He hurried back with it, kneeling beside his hyung and
quickly starting to patch him up as best he could. When he still lived with his
mother, a kind unnie from next door had dressed wounds for him, so any
experience he had came from simply observing her weathered hands work. It was a
little sloppily done, but Taehyung managed to clean the cut on his face and
bandage it. There weren't too many bandages in the kit to begin with- Minho had
explained that he had to hide away money to buy such things- so he had to use
three small bandages to cover the cut completely. He wasn't sure what to do
about the bruises, but he carefully wiped at Minho's skin with a small wet
towel.
"Taetae?" Minho finally seemed to be regaining his senses. He lifted his head
in an attempt to sit up, but cut off in a whimper of pain at the movement.
Taehyung gently pushed him back to a laying down position. 
"Yeah hyung, I'm here." Taehyung assured the older quietly. "Are you alright?
How are you feeling?"
Minho managed to smile, a sight which nearly made Taehyung burst into tears.
How can he be so brave? How can he just act like everything's fine? "Yeah, I'm
ok."
"Liar."
Minho frowned at him, and it took Taehyung a moment to realize that he had said
his thoughts out loud. He just couldn't see how life could be so unfair to
someone as wonderful as his hyung, and Minho could just accept it so readily.
"Hyung," Taehyung continued, distresses still present in his voice. "this isn't
right, Minho-hyung. There must be someone we can-"
But his hyung cut him off, and the edge to his tone took Taehyung by surprise.
"Someone we can what, Taehyung? Tell? Who would listen to us, huh? We're a
bunch of orphans that not even our own parents want!" Tears had gathered in
Taehyung's eyes, but Minho was too worked up and upset andin pain to stop now.
"And even if someone did try to help us and got us out of here, do you think
we'd just live happily ever after? That we'd still be able to stay together?
Are you really that stupid, Taehyung?"
Taehyung found that the words were caught in his throat.
After a moment Minho looked regretful for snapping at the younger boy, knowing
that he was only trying to help. "I'm sorry for yelling at you."
Taehyung quickly shook his head. It was not his hyung's fault. He was being
naive. Minho was the oldest, the one who had endured and struggled for all this
time and longer, not Taehyung. Who was he to speak on things he only knew the
surface of?
"No, I'm sorry, hyung! I'm really sorry! Please don't be mad at me!" He
sniffled pathetically. "It's just so unfair that you're the only one that has
to hurt!"
Minho reached up and hand weakly patted at Taehyung's arm. "It's only right,
Taehyung. I'm the oldest. The oldest hyung has to protect his dongsaengs."
Minho smiled at Taehyung again, so reassuringly that Taehyung couldn't help but
believe him wholeheartedly. "You would protect Kookie, right?"
Taehyung didn't even have to think about it.
 
***
 
Taehyung had already been expecting what came next.
Minho couldn't possibly take the brunt of Mr. Choi's rage all the time. The boy
was already beaten and exhausted, and hadn't managed to leave his bed since the
incident a few days before. But Taehyung could tell that Kookie was hungry-
although he never complained- and his hyung was still recovering, so Taehyung
had been the one to venture out to the kitchen for food. The past few times
he'd been lucky. 
But this time there was no one to protect him when Mr. Choi stormed into the
kitchen with hell in his eyes and a scowl on his face. 
"Stealing food, are we now?" He sneered, as if he hadn't already known that the
boys had to eat sometime and where else would they get food from?
Taehyung's breath caught in his throat as Mr. Choi stepped closer. His fingers
lost their grip on the box of crackers he had been holding. That only seemed to
both amuse and enrage Mr. Choi further.
He reached out to grip at Taehyung's hair, tugging the boy's head to his side
and making his neck jolt with pain. Taehyung cried out as Mr. Choi flung him to
the ground at his feet, tears already gathering in his eyes.
Mr. Choi loomed over his terrified form. "I'll show you what happens to
ungrateful little boys."
The first hit knocked the breath out of Taehyung's lungs. It was a punch to his
gut, and the contact made pain shoot through his body and caused the tears in
his eyes to fall. Taehyung wondered how anything in the world could hurt more
than that first punch, but each hit and kick that followed was worse and worse.
Taehyung did his best to protect his fragile body, instinctively curling up and
bracing his arms over his face, but that only seemed to enrage Mr. Choi even
more.
The man looked over him with a distaste that made Taehyung feel absolutely
worthless, before grabbing him by the shirt and slamming him into the
refrigerator. Taehyung cried out when the handle to the fridge dug into his
back, and he heard a distinct crack as his shoulder popped out of place at the
jarring impact.
As the beating continued, Taehyung silently wondered how Minho had survived
such an assault. Taehyung's mind and body radiated pain, and despite the fact
that he was a big boy and he knew that he wasn't supposed to cry, he weeped so
pathetically that he was surprised he could still process what was going on
around him. He remembered Minho's broken form lying on their bedroom floor,
deathly still, and Taehyung momentarily wondered if he was actually going to
die.
But then he remembered what Minho had said to him. The oldest hyung has to
protect his dongsaengs. He thought about his hyung, still weak and unconscious
upstairs, and how much pain he must be in from protecting Taehyung. He thought
about Kookie, and his innocent expression that had become tainted by fear, and
how he hadn't said a word since the incident.
You would protect Kookie, right? And he would. They might not have been living
together for very long, but the small boy had already left a permanent
impression on Taehyung's heart. Kookie was too small and good for everything
that the boys had to go through. Kookie deserved a family, one that loved him
and took care of him. He deserved to go to school; Taehyung could already tell
that the boy was smart. Kookie was kind and clever and so incredibly precious
to Taehyung. Someone so precious didn't deserve the life they had been given,
and it was so incredibly unfair that for a moment Taehyung felt a completely
different kind of pain pierce at his heart. Taehyung knew in that instant, that
he would rather die than see his dongsaeng experience such suffering.
So the boy grit his teeth as the man above him yanked at his hair again,
pulling him to his feet only to throw him back onto the floor with a force that
rattled his brain against his skull. But Taehyung didn't cry out. No matter how
much more frustrated Mr. Choi became, Taehyung merely thought about his
brothers still waiting for him upstairs and endured. 1oo times over, Taehyung
would much rather take the pain himself, instead of his hyung and his Kookie.
When Mr. Choi finally grew tired of him, he had settled one last kick against
his back before storming away back down the dark hallway towards his room.
Taehyung heard the door slam shut, and he finally relaxed against the floor,
allowing the coolness of the paneling to soothe his burning skin as best it
could. 
Every inch of his body ached. He could feel the beginnings of bruises
splattered across his skin, leaving no patch uncolored. There was blood
dripping from his lip, from when he had accidentally bitten himself during the
attack.
He didn't know how long he rested there on the floor, whether it was a few
minutes or most of the night. Every second of it was spent fearing that Mr.
Choi would return, or worse, go back upstairs, but Taehyung simply couldn't
find the strength to move. 
By the time he finally crawled to his knees, his muscles trembling with strain,
the tears along his face had long since dried. He grabbed the stupid box of
crackers that had started this whole thing, and slowly started to crawl towards
the stairs. He only stumbled enough for his elbows to give out a couple of
times, before he managed to make it to the top of the staircase. When he had
finally dragged himself to the door of the bedroom, he gripped at the wall and
pulled himself to his feet. 
When he opened the door, the room inside was deafeningly quiet. Taehyung's eyes
immediately went to the bed on the left, and he relaxed when he was Minho's
form still quietly breathing as he slept. The other bed was empty though.
"Kookie?" Taehyung whispered as best he could, his voice hoarse. The closet
door slid open, and once again Kookie peered out nervously. When he saw
Taehyung standing in the doorway, he shot out and looked over his hyung.
Kookie's eyes widened as he took note of Taehyung's condition, and to
Taehyung's horror, Kookie silently began to cry.
"Nooo, Kookie don't cry!" He begged, reaching out a hand to wipe at the boy's
cheeks. "I'm okay, bunny! See?"
Kookie grabbed at Taehyung's shirt with chubby fingers, gently pulling Taehyung
further into the room and carefully shutting the door behind him. The room was
washed in darkness, the only source of light coming from where it leaked in
under the door from the hallway. The younger boy took the box still clutched in
Taehyung's hands and placed it on the floor, before dragging the older towards
the empty bed and climbing in.
Taehyung gratefully collapsed on the bed, suddenly realizing how tired he was
now that he was laying down again, with a soft Kookie cuddling into his side.
He didn't protest as his ribs twinged in protest when the younger snuggled
closer. The closeness was well worth the physical discomfort, and despite the
emptiness of their stomachs, the boys were quick to succumb to exhaustion.
 
*** 
 
Nearly a year had passed since Taehyung had arrived at the house.
The remainder of the time had passed without incident, Minho volunteering to
handle Mr. Choi's wrath on his own, much to Taehyung's disagreement. Minho
always seemed to appear as soon as the man was about to lose his temper,
stepping in and sending the younger pair away, and with Kookie there as well
Taehyung really had no right to protest. As Minho had pointed out one night
after a particular harsh beating, someone had to stay with the youngest and
keep him safe. 
Taehyung only found himself under Mr. Choi's hand whenever Minho was
incapacitated, usually immediately following a gruesome encounter with the man
that Minho inevitably took the blame for. Taehyung did his best to hide his
injuries from the oldest, but when the older woke up the next morning he
immediately seemed to just know that something had happened. Perhaps he was
simply too familiar with the signs and patterns of abuse.
What mattered most to Taehyung though, was that so far the older pair had kept
the youngest safe.
The younger had been trained by Minho pretty early on to hide at the first sign
of trouble, and so far Mr. Choi didn't seem to care about the youngest boy's
absence. Minho told Taehyung that Kookie had been picked up off the street six
about months before Taehyung had arrived. Kookie was an orphan child, and Mr.
Choi had mentioned wryly that no one would even miss him. (That made something
hot and angry rush through Taehyung's blood.) Yet despite Mr. Choi being the
one to actually take Kookie home, Taehyung wondered if by now he even
remembered that Kookie lived here, seeing how they never actually saw each
other.
But Taehyung certainly wasn't complaining.
Even despite the dreary circumstances in which they had to live, Kookie was
still so warm and bright; he was the last remaining child untainted by violence
and terror, and the two older boys would probably die to make sure he stayed
that way. Taehyung lived for the rare glimpses of Kookie's bunny-toothed smile,
for the tiny little hands that gripped at his shirt as they cuddled, and
for the sight of his fluffy dark hair peeking out from behind the closet door.
Kookie spent every day locked away inside their little room, oftentimes
coloring with whatever material Minho had snagged from the drug store down the
street or playing with his favorite stuffed rabbit that Minho had brought home
for him one day (his name was Lettuce). Their sad excuse of a window was too
high up for him to actually look outside, and Taehyung wondered if Kookie had
any actual memories of the outside world. Kookie was still so young and
impressionable, and the knowledge that he was being raised in such an
environment was so incredibly tragic. While the older two longed for the
youngest to have a better childhood- one where he could experience real
freedom- Taehyung took some small comfort in knowing where he was at all hours
of the day and that he was safe and sound. 
But even their pitiful excuse of a routine was soon disturbed once more. It was
a rainy night when the sounds of yelling from downstairs woke Taehyung up.
His eyes instantly shot to the other bed, and he relaxed a little when he saw
that Minho was there sitting up, a little started but at least he was safe.
Minho brought a finger to his lips, glancing down to where the youngest was
laying. Kookie shifted a little at Taehyung's side, but was still hugging onto
Lettuce like an angel, fast asleep.
Minho quietly got out of bed, and Taehyung watched with wide eyes as he made
for the door. He opened his mouth to protest, but quickly shut it at the risk
of waking up Kookie. Before he could decide what to do, Minho was opening the
door and carefully stepping out into the hallway.
Taehyung could do nothing but wait in tense silence, tightening his grip on the
small boy still curled up at his side as he watched the door. He always felt so
totally helpless when Minho faced Mr. Choi alone, trying to convince himself
that he wasn't being a coward because Minho wanted him to stay and protect
Kookie while he was gone.
He held his breath as he waited to hear more shouting from downstairs. The
silence that followed was even louder than the shouting had been. A million
terrible scenarios ran through his head, and he was about to work himself into
a frenzy before the bedroom door finally reopened. He couldn't help but jolt
when the door creaked open, and Kookie quietly whined in protest.
Minho stepped inside, looking a little worse for wear but otherwise seeming to
be okay. As Taehyung looked over the eldest worriedly Minho offered him a
reassuring smile, shaking his head to let the younger know that he was
alright. Taehyung expected him to head back to his bed so the trio could go
back to sleep, but to his surprise he stepped to the side to reveal a small
figure behind him.
He was older than Kookie but younger than Minho- probably closer to Taehyung in
age. He had soft features; round cheeks, slanted eyes, long lashes, and chubby
little hands. The newcomer was quiet as he met Taehyung's confused gaze, before
he quickly broke eye contact and looked down nervously at his feet. Cute.
Minho placed an encouraging hand on his back and led the boy further into the
room.
"This is Minnie." Minho introduced him to Taehyung, and at the sound Kookie
stirred from his slumber. "Minnie, this is Taetae, and the little one's
Kookie."
At the lost expression on Minnie's face, Taehyung felt a pang of sympathy. He
remembered how sad and confused he had been when he had first arrived. He
offered Minnie a kind smile. "Nice to meet you, Minnie." He turned to Kookie
expectantly. "Bunny, come say hi to Minnie."
Kookie was sitting up by then, shyly hiding behind Taehyung's shoulder and
peeking out at the new boy. Taehyung stifled a giggle when he noticed that
Lettuce was also peeking his head out, floppy ears soft and adorable in
Kookie's tiny hands. He didn't speak, like he had when Taehyung had first
arrived, but at least he didn't appear to be afraid.
Minnie didn't speak either, nor did he look any of the other boys in the eyes
for more than an instant. But when Minho picked up a still drowsy Kookie from
Taehyung's bed and plopped him down on his own, Taehyung outstretched his arms
towards Minnie invitingly and caught a first glimpse of Minnie's smile. Minnie
quietly shuffled into the bed beside him, clearly tired and emotionally
exhausted, and Taehyung made sure that the both of them were properly covered
and tucked in before settling down to go back to sleep.
Taehyung found himself gazing curiously at Minnie, who was turned to face him,
eyes blinking back nervously but clearly weighted by sleepiness. Although the
circumstances were horrid, Taehyung was glad to have another friend in their
little home. Minnie was cute and shy, but more importantly there was a kindness
to his eyes that made Taehyung certain that he was also a very gentle person.
He needs to be protected too.
Taehyung gazed over what he could see of Minnie's face, oblivious to the fact
the the other boy was still awake and watching him back with equal fascination,
hidden by the darkness of the room. 
 
***
 
Months more passed by and their routine continued pretty normally. 
Mr. Choi had only made an appearance a couple of times, and of those times
Taehyung fell to his hand only once. He had been backslapped so hard he saw
stars, but otherwise he had gotten away pretty lucky. 
In fact, Minho seemed to be getting off easy as well- comparatively speaking.
Over a few months he had only accumulated a few new bruises and a broken
finger, all of which Taehyung could patch up with relative ease.
Minnie had taken to watching Taehyung as he treated their hyung, quietly
observing as his practiced hands moved swiftly but carefully; applying balms
and bandages. Taehyung had very much grown used to seeing Minnie sitting on the
bathroom counter during these sessions, his presence solid and calming as he
silently watched over them. Kookie was still visible, fast asleep in their bed
because the bathroom light leaked out. Everything about Minnie seemed to soothe
Taehyung's anxiety. This, along with Kookie's cuddly form in the corner of
Taehyung's eyes, made every night more and more bearable.
Taehyung was currently sitting up in his bed, waiting for Minho to return as
usual on nights when Mr. Choi lost his temper. Minnie and Kookie had already
fallen asleep and were currently snuggling in the other bed, limbs so entangled
that Taehyung could hardly tell what was what and who was who and where the
heck is Lettuce in all that mess? He was supposed to wake up Minnie when Minho
returned, because the last time he hadn't Minnie had clearly been upset; though
he would never say so. Taehyung could just tell from the slight frown down
turning his lips and the faint creases that appeared around his eyes when he
was upset or worried. 
But tonight something felt off. The yelling from downstairs had long since
ceased, so Minho should have returned a while ago. One most nights Minho
returned as soon as he could, worse for wear but returning nonetheless. Where
is he? It was getting late,too late, and Taehyung's worries only seemed to
heighten each minute that passed by without the older boy appearing in the
doorway.
Finally, when he just couldn't stand waiting any longer, he quietly crept from
his bed. When he reached the doorway he glanced back at the pair still sleeping
in Minho's bed. Now that Minnie was around, Minho really couldn't scold
Taehyung for leaving Kookie by himself. Taehyung knew that Minnie cared deeply
for the youngest as well, and Taehyung trusted Minnie to protect him.
Neither stirred as Taehyung creaked open the door and crept into the hallway.
The house was deadly quiet, especially considering that there should be yelling
and crashing sounds like there was every other time. Taehyung practically held
his breath as he tiptoed down the stairs, half expecting Mr. Choi to jump out
at any moment and punish him for existing.
He found Minho as soon as he reached the bottom of the steps. His form was
barely visible in the darkness, a silent lump lying on the living room floor.
Taehyung hurried forward, crouching down beside his hyung as he looked over him
for injuries.
But something was especially not right. Minho's clothes were ripped off of his
body, lying in useless piles around his trembling form. There was a trail of
ugly bruises littering his body, down his sides across his hips and circling
his arms and legs. But even though there were no visible open wounds or broken
bones, Minho was shaking and whimpering and clearlyin so much pain. He was just
barely awake, eyes blurry with tears and dazed with pain. 
When Taehyung reached out a hand to brush his fingers across Minho's cheek,
Minho violently flinched back like Taehyung had lashed at him, crying out in
fear. Taehyung immediately retracted his hand, looking on in shock as his hyung
seemed unable to recognize him.
"Minho-hyung? Hyung, it's me, I've got you." He tried to reassure him, and at
the sound of his voice Minho seemed to relax a little.
"Taetae?" His voice was hoarse, like he had been screaming. The thought made
Taehyung frown, because he hadn't heard any screaming.
Taehyung hummed softly in affirmation to his hyung's questioning, taking the
time to look over his hyung again to try and find what was causing him so much
pain. His eyes stopped their trailing at the sight of crimson blood dripping
around Minho's thighs. Panic flared in his stomach at the sight of so much
blood. "Hyung, wait here. I have to go get Minnie."
Minho grabbed the smaller's hand before he could leave, tugging him back to his
side. "No. Don't." His voice was quiet.
"Hyung." Taehyung tried pleadingly, confused at his sudden refusal but more
concerned about his injuries. He had never dealt with so muchblood. "I can't
carry you up the stairs by myself. I'll just be a second, I swear!"
Minho's eyes hardened. "No, Taehyung. You can't tell anyone about this, okay?"
"What?" Taehyung was thoroughly confused and worried now. Minho almost never
called Taehyung by his given name. All he knew was that Minho was hurt and in
pain, and that their current location wasn't safe for them to remain there much
longer. "Why not?"
"You just can't." His voice was cold and unrelenting, and Taehyung couldn't
protest against his hyung when he was using such a voice even if he wanted to.
It reminded Taehyung of the way he had sounded the first time Minho had been
beaten. Since that incident, he had never been stern or cruel to the younger
boys. The sudden ice in his tone made Taehyung shiver. "You're too young to
understand."
"Understand what, hyung?"
He didn't want to fight with his hyung, but Taehyung hated feeling so totally
helpless. He just didn't understand.
But Minho only shook his head. He used his arms to help himself into a sitting
position, gasping in pain at the movement. He held out an arm to Taehyung
expectantly. "Help me up." It wasn't a request.
Taehyung complied, watching with distress as his hyung forced himself to his
feet, gritting his teeth and holding back tears. Minho took a step forward and
his knees nearly buckled. Taehyung was about to open his mouth to protest, when
Minho seemed to sense it and shot him a warning glare. Taehyung kept his mouth
shut as the pair struggled back up the stairs.
But Minho was bigger and heavier than Taehyung, and he was so weak that his
legs threatened to give out with every step, and Taehyung was afraid that he
would just collapse. He half dragged his hyung up the stairs, and half way
through Minho had fallen to his knees and was gasping in pain. After a moment
of Minho catching his breath while Taehyung worriedly hovered over him, Minho
grit his teeth and got back up.
Taehyung was once again in awe of how strong his hyung was. He wondered if put
in the same position, Taehyung could endure the same. He silently vowed to step
up and try harder to be strong, for his hyung, and for Minnie and Kookie.
After a long while, they managed to make it back to the bedroom. Taehyung and
Minho were as quiet as possible as they made for the bathroom, listening for
the sounds of the other boys breathing as they slept. Taehyung glanced
regretfully at Minnie, but followed Minho's wishes and left him to sleep.
Taehyung closed the bathroom door before turning on the light. He carefully set
Minho on the toilet, which turned out to be a mistake as the older immediately
flinched and hissed in pain. 
Swallowing down more apologies, Taehyung quickly ran a bath, waiting for the
water to warm up before helping his hyung to sit down in the bathtub. Minho
slumped back as soon as he was seated, allowing the warm water to soothe his
aching muscles. Taehyung carefully helped him bathe, even going as far as to
wash his hair. He tried to ignore how the water turned a murky pink color from
Minho's blood.
While Taehyung crouched down outside the tub and ran his fingers over Minho's
scalp, Minho finally spoke again in a hushed tone. "Taehyung."
"Yes?" Taehyung was quiet as well, all to aware of the others sleeping in the
next room. 
"Promise me you won't leave the others alone with Mr. Choi."
Taehyung paused his ministrations. "Of course, hyung." He was slightly
affronted. Weren't the pair of them already keeping them safe? He would never
allow Mr. Choi to lay a finger on his loved ones. 
Except Minho-hyung, a dark voice in the back of his mind pointed out. 
"No," Minho sighed tiredly, closing his eyes and tipping his head back into
Taehyung's gentle hands. "You don't understand. There are more types of hurt
than the kind you can see, Taehyung. There are things that hurt far worse than
cuts and bruises." He reached up a hand to weakly rest over Taehyung's heart.
Taehyung didn't understand, but something about the way Minho had been laying
on the floor when he had found him, not visibly injured too terribly but still
trembling and terrified and hollow, kept Taehyung from voicing the hundred
questions on his tongue.
"Promise me, Taehyung. Promise you won't let that man steal away their
happiness."
Taehyung gulped down a wave of sadness, but tears didn't appear in his eyes. He
mostly just felt numb. "Okay. I promise. I'll keep them safe."
Minho seemed satisfied with his response. He relaxed again as Taehyung
continued to bathe him, oblivious to the determination building in Taehyung's
heart. 
He had promised to keep Minnie and Kookie safe, but not himself. If his hyung
could bear this much suffering on his own, Taehyung would do anything he could
to take on as much of it as he could.
Taehyung would be brave and strong, too.
***** Jungkook *****
Above all else, Jungkook hated being small.
Because he was the smallest kid in the group home, all the other kids stole his
food at meal time and didn't share their toys with him. Even when Jungkook was
just sitting by himself, the bigger kids still went out of their way to search
him out and tease him. Jungkook hated it when they teased him, especially when
all he really wanted to do was color and just be alone.
The older lady that took care of them noticed that he was being picked on.
Jungkook could always just tell that she felt a little bad for him whenever she
brought him home extra crayons with a guilty smile. But disciplining the other
kids- other kids meaning every other kid in the household- was likely far more
trouble than Jungkook was worth.
At this point he had grown used to it. But when he woke up one morning to find
his all of his prized crayons lying in pieces on the floor of the bedroom,
Jungkook just knew that enough was enough.
At the tender age of three Jungkook might have been small and weak, but he
was observant enough to know that every night at 12:30 am the caretaker would
sneak out of the house and visit the next door neighbor. Why she was visiting
the married couple next door every night Jungkook had no idea, but he suspected
it had something to do with the wife working a late shift and not returning
home until sunrise. He overheard the nice lady from next door talking about it
with the caretaker on the front porch last month.
So it was at 12:45 am that Jungkook found himself sneaking out of his bed and
tiptoeing down the stairs, a second-hand backpack containing his only
possessions slung over his back. For good measure, he was sure to take with him
all of the other kids' crayons- it took him about 10 minutes to hunt down them
all through the darkness, but it was well worth it. 
The house was silent as all the other kids were fast asleep. He walked straight
out the front door, not even hesitating before starting down the street. He
didn't really have a plan after the leaving phase, but even so he didn't look
back once. 
He wasn't sure how long he walked for. There was hardly anyone around; a few
passing cars and a couple of people he presumed were on their way home. He got
a few weird looks, but no one stopped him.
No one, until he ran into Mr. Choi.
The man had been driving, but at the sight of Jungkook walking by himself he
had pulled over and jogged out to meet him. The man was very large compared to
Jungkook, and he couldn't help but start to panic as he approached. Jungkook
took a cautious step backwards, and the man held up his hands in a sign of
surrender. "Hey, hey! It's okay kiddo, I'm not gonna hurt you!" He smiled,
sickeningly sweet. "I was just gonna ask you if you were lost. Where are your
parents at?"
Jungkook didn't answer, but the frown on his face must have been enough for Mr.
Choi. "In that case, do you need a place to stay? It's dangerous for a kid like
you to wander the street at night."
Jungkook hesitated. He had accepted that he didn't really have any sort of
plan, but he hadn't taken into account that he actually did need somewhere to
sleep. Despite being an orphan he had never slept on the streets before; at the
very least he had a pile of blankets sprawled out on the floor and a roof over
his head. The man before him was large and intimidating, but at the time he
didn't seem outright threatening. Still, there was something about him that was
making the hairs on the back of Jungkook's neck stand up.
But Mr. Choi didn't really need his consent. A large hand was wrapped firmly
around his upper arm, and despite his immediate struggling he was soon dragged
back towards the car he had arrived in.
As he was thrown in the back seat and the door was slammed behind him, he felt
panic rise in his throat and tears gather in his eyes. When Mr. Choi climbed
into the front seat and started the car, he turned and gave Jungkook a wicked
smile, laughing cruelly and reminding Jungkook, "You run away from home, kid?
Finally had enough of being an unwanted orphan? So isn't this what you wanted,
brat?"
It later occurred to Jungkook that the man shouldn't have known that he was an
orphan.
"Little brats like you should just do as you're told. Otherwise, you get what's
coming to you!"
 
 ***
 
Another reason that he hated being small, was that he was so completely
useless.
There was no feigning ignorance when the sound of Minho crying was so loud.
Even when he buried his face into the warm crook of his Taetae-hyung's neck,
nothing could drown out the sounds of what was going on down stairs.
This night was far worse than usual. Normally, Minho got away after being
smacked around a few times. But tonight Mr. Choi was merciless. What seemed
like ages had passed and the fight was still going on- though honestly it
wasn't really much of a fight since Minho never really stood a chance in the
first place. 
Taetae hushed him gently, stroking at his hair and letting his fingers trail
down the back of his neck. Even as he was attempting to comfort the younger,
Jungkook sensed that Taetae was also terrified and was just hiding it for
Jungkook's sake. An intense shot of affection ached in his chest, and Jungkook
allowed his fingers to grip tighter at Taetae's shirt. He felt a faint tinge of
relief that at least his lovely Taetae-hyung was safe, for the moment.
It was during moments like these that Jungkook felt weakest. When his hyungs
were getting hurt in order to protect him, who was very much not worth their
suffering. Jungkook longed to be the one strong enough to protect his Minho-
hyung and his precious TaeTae-hyung. Jungkook cried himself to sleep on nights
when he woke up to the sight of his hyungs in the bathroom, trying their best
to patch each other up quietly as not to wake up the youngest. Even though they
tried to keep Jungkook from the matter all together, the bruises that would mar
their skin for days afterwards were a constant, ugly reminder that they could
neither hide nor forget about, no matter how much they wanted to. There were
reminders in every quiet gasp of pain Minho would let out whenever he moved too
much, and in every nightmare Taetae had that had him thrashing and crying until
one of the others could manage to wake him up.
If only Jungkook weren't so small. If Jungkook were bigger, he would use all of
his strength to defend his hyungs and defeat Mr. Choi. Even if his hyungs were
older and bigger than him, they were still much too young and small to fight
off Mr. Choi, who was large and imposing and malicious. His Taetae-hyung was
only two years older than Jungkook himself, and was delicate and beautiful and
soft by design. If anything, Jungkook should be the one getting hurt in
TaeTae's stead.
If Jungkook were older he would be the one taking care of everyone. He would
know what to do, and he wouldn't freeze up in panic, and he certainly wouldn't
cry. He would get a job and earn enough money to buy them all food and nice
toys and a safe place to live. The three of them would be able to go to school,
and Minho would be able to make friends his own age and play soccer outside,
and Taetae would be able to sing without the fear of being punished, and
Jungkook would just color whenever he wanted to.
He would make it so his Minho-hyung would always be safe and happy, and no one
would ever lay a finger on his Taetae-hyung ever again.
But Jungkook was not big, and he was still so,so young.
 
 ***
 
Another downside to being small, was that no one ever took him seriously.
Here he was gazing at Minnie and Taetae and all he could feel was frustration. 
The three of them were sat on Minho's bed, and up until then Jungkook had been
laying flat on his stomach with Lettuce tucked into his side, peacefully
coloring and half-listening to the older pair bicker good-naturally. He rolled
his eyes at whatever Taetae had just said about horses that flew and breathed
fire, (he could only imagine where he came up with this stuff), and was
rewarded with Minnie's laughter and a gentle hand petting at his hair. Taetae
whined childishly, and Jungkook didn't have to look up to know that he was
pouting.
After Minnie had first arrived, while it had taken a short while for Jungkook
to warm up to him, the older pair had instantly clicked. They were about the
same age, but even so Minnie's aura gave away his kind and thoughtful nature.
In comparison Taetae was so unabashedly happy- and although Jungkook knew that
there had been too many instances when Taetae had been dragged down to darker
depths, the purity of his heart always managed to glow through his suffering.
They were a perfectly balanced pair; Minnie being prudent enough to look out
for Taetae when he was too reckless, and Taetae being cheerful enough to make
Minnie smile when he was too anxious.
Jungkook on the other hand, had at first tried his best not to interfere with
their synergistic relationship. But Minnie and Taetae had noticed immediately,
and then proceeded to drag him along with whatever crazy thing they were
getting into. Jungkook was quiet, but the duo recognized his craving for
affection and happily complied; contently sitting with him while he colored,
telling him funny stories with Lettuce before bed time, and even holding him
when he was upset. They had done so much for Jungkook, more than he deserved,
and over time Jungkook's feelings had grown deeper as his attachment continued
to grow.
So when he looked up and laid eyes on them, Minnie giggling shyly into his
hands and Taetae practically collapsing in his own laughter over Minnie's lap,
and suddenly the words had sprung from his mouth before he could even think
about it.
"I love you."
He wasn't sure where the sudden urge to express his feelings had come from,
exactly. All he knew at that moment was that he wanted to stay by their sides
and listen to their laughter forever and ever.
The adorable pile of giggling had immediately ceased at his words, and Taetae's
cheeks flushed a wonderful pink color. The pair sneaked a glance of amusement
at each other before turning back to Kookie and cooing at him like he was a
newborn. Indignation flushed Jungkook's own cheeks at the playful spectacle
they put on, which in any other circumstance he would have basked in.
"Aww Kookie, we love you too!" Minnie finally replied, but his voice was
teasing and playful and all wrong.
When Taetae made grabby hands at his cheeks, he couldn't stop himself from
irritably batting him away. Taetae frowned and Jungkook instantly regretted
causing the smile to slip from his face, but he was already five years old and
he wasn't a baby anymore.
"Don't laugh. I'm being serious."
Minnie was still smiling, but it was that unsure, polite smile that he only
wore as a defense mechanism to avoid conflict. Jungkook hated how he
automatically made that face to try and make him feel better, even more. "We
know, bunny. Of course we love you too."
Jungkook shook his head, letting out an annoyed huff as he moved to sit up,
fists clenched. It was unusual for him to get so worked up about something, but
when it came to being small, and worse, being treated like he was small,
Jungkook hated it more than anything in the whole world. "No, I love you. Like,
love love you."
Taetae blinked. "Like, Cinderella and Prince Charming love love?"
Jungkook nodded resolutely, but when Taetae burst into a fit of giggles
Jungkook couldn't resist shoving him off the bed.
"Kookie!" Andof course that's when Minho would walk in. The eldest gave him a
disapproving frown, hands on his hips in a way that immediately made Jungkook
get the sense that he was in trouble. "That wasn't very nice."
"He deserved it." Jungkook shot back, and Minho's eyes rose to his hairline at
the fact that Jungkook had actually just back sassed him. To say that it was
uncharacteristic of him would be the understatement of the century. Jungkook
never talked back. Hell, getting him to speak at all was an uphill battle.
The eldest's eyes immediately shot to Minnie accusingly. "Okay, what did you do
my baby Kookie?"
Taetae let out an offended gasp and got up from the floor. "Nothing, hyung! Why
do you always take his side?"
Minho's eyes narrowed accusingly. "Because he is my sweet baby angel Kookie who
has never done anything bad in his whole entire life."
Taetae looked to Minnie for help, but the other boy just shrugged, as if to say
well he's got a point. Minnie then turned back to Minho, ignoring Taetae's
betrayed glare. "To answer your question, Kookie told us that he loves us."
"Like, love loves us. Like, true love love." Taetae interjected, and Jungkook
didn't appreciate his exasperated tone.
"So what?" Jungkook mumbled back, crossing his arms over his chest to hide his
annoyance. Here he was, professing his feelings, and the older two just laugh
it off because he's the youngest.
"So what?" Taetae echoed back, incredulous. "You're our baby Kookie! You're too
young for that kind of stuff!" As if they were that much older than him.
Jungkook mustered up his fiercest glare, and Taetae actually flinched away.
None of them were used to seeing Jungkook this upset about anything. "No I'm
not, stupid."
"Kookie." Minho said warningly, and Jungkook bit his tongue to avoid snapping
back. Minho sighed, taking a seat on the bed beside Minnie and looking around
at their little circle. "Okay, it's about time we had this talk anyways."
"What talk?" Minnie asked nervously.
Instead of responding, Minho rolled up his sleeve and stuck out his arm. "The
soulmate talk."
"What's a soulmate?" Taetae asked, all traces of the previous conflict replaced
with the curiosity lighting his eyes. Taetae was like that; easy going and
playful, but with a worrisomely short attention span. He peered at Minho's
extended arm with interest, reaching out a finger to poke at the scrawl marking
his inner wrist. "What's that?"
Minnie rolled his eyes. "We all have that on our arms, dummy."
"What?" Taetae was quick to look down at his own arm, checking both wrists and
finally noticing the writing marking his own skin. "Wow! That's so cool!" He
beamed up at Minho with a smile that made warmth pool in Jungkook's chest.
Outwardly, he scoffed at Taetae's obliviousness. "So what is it?"
Minho smiled back, running his own fingers over his wrist as he started his
explanation. "We all have the name of soulmate written on our wrists."
"And what's a soulmate?" Taetae prodded, scooting closer with an awed
expression.
"I was getting to that." Minho scolded him, but his voice was fond. "Our
soulmate is the person we are meant to love and be with forever. Everyone has a
soulmate somewhere in the world. You soulmates is kinda like your other half,
the person who completes you and loves you unconditionally. We all have one."
"Woah." Taetae breathed, once again looking at his arm. "But why does mine look
so different from yours, hyung?"
Minho leaned in closer to Taetae's wrist, eyes narrowed in concentration. "I'm
not sure. Maybe you have two names written down? I heard that some people have
more than one soulmate." Something sad flashed over his face. "I wish I could
read better."
The subject of school was a touchy one for the boys. They all longed to attend,
but Mr. Choi would never allow it. The only one who could read even a little
bit was Minho.
"Hyung, how do you know all of this?" Minnie asked with his soft voice,
crescent eyes wide and amazed like Taetae's.
Jungkook also suspected that Minnie had sensed Minho's discomfort and was
attempting to change the subject. In contrast to Taetae's childlike nature,
Minnie was sensitive, thoughtful, and kind. But Jungkook worried that he was a
littletoo kind, because often times he wasn't nearly as concerned with his own
health and happiness as he was with the other boys'.
A hint of a smile appeared on Minho's face as he answered Minnie. "My mother
taught me about soulmates when I was little." None of them asked about Minho's
mother. Ever. "Anyways, the point to this lesson is that we should only love
our soulmates, Kookie."
The wonder he had felt from listening to his hyung speak quickly vanished as
Minho made his point clear, and a strong sense of defensiveness made fire burn
in his chest.
"I don't care. I'll love Minnie-hyung and Taetae-hyung forever." He pulled
Lettuce into his lap, squeezing the soft furry toy until Minnie reached over
and laid a comforting hand over his own.
His oldest hyung was looking at him with something akin to pity, and Kookie
just didn't understand what was wrong with loving his hyungs. Jungkook might
have been small, but that didn't make him clueless. What he felt was so strong
that if this wasn't love, love wouldn't even come close. His hyungs were lovely
and warm and beautiful, and even though they were older, more than anything in
the world Jungkook wanted to protect them. He simply couldn't imagine a life
without Taetae and Minnie's hugs and giggles and cuddles.
Taetae was still looking at his wrist, now with a thoughtful and possibly even
worrisome frown. Jungkook missed it when he stole a glance at Jungkook and
Minnie. Jungkook was too busy locked in Minnie's gentle expression, as the
older reached over to intertwine their fingers and give him a smile that was
quite possibly the prettiest thing Jungkook had ever seen. He had the sudden
urge to draw it, but he knew that no amount of paper would do it justice. 
Minho just observed the three boys with suspicion. He didn't mention how all
three of the boys had more than one soulmate inked on their wrist.
 
 ***
 
Jungkook may have been the smallest, but he certainly wasn't stupid.
It was late, and Jungkook and Minnie had waited for the better half of the
night for Taetae to return. The pair were huddled on the bed together, trying
to keep quiet even though Jungkook could tell that they were both panicking
because Minho had just fallen asleep and he needed all the rest he could get
right now. Jungkook's hand was clammy, grasped in both of Minnie's palms as he
brought their fingers to his lips and laid soft, comforting kisses on his
knuckles. Jungkook found himself staring at the older's hands, which engulfed
his own, though in comparison they were smaller and chubbier than Taetae's. By
now they had all been living together for a few years, and now at the age of
seven Jungkook found himself being rapidly left behind in the size department
as his hyungs continued to grow bigger. 
Jungkook's attention was averted from his hyung as the door quietly creaked
open. Jungkook could tell with a single glance that something terrible had
happened as soon as Taetae stepped into the room.
His face was downcast, eyes trained on the floor as he put all his effort into
putting one foot in front of the other. His entire body was shaking with the
threat of collapsing, and in that moment Taetae looked more frail than he had
looked ever before. The once healthy softness of his skin was now marred by
atrocious bruising; coloring what skin was visible on his arms and legs, and
including a particularly nasty looking discoloration forming on his left
cheek. Jungkook had the horrible suspicion that there were many more hidden
beneath his clothing.
But the most frightening part, was the look on Taetae's face when he looked up
at them.
His eyes were completely blank, without a hint of acknowledgment or even
recognition. There were no remnants of sadness, or even pain present in his
expression, which was terrifyingly uncharacteristic of Taetae because usually
he was just overflowing with feelings and Jungkook could read him like an open
book.
But what was once transparent and brimming with emotion was now a soulless
void, and for the first time in his life Jungkook felt true despair; the kind
that was infinitely worse than any physical pain. Jungkook's ears were ringing
and his chest suddenly felt unbearably tight.
After a moment of deafening silence, Minnie finally cautiously got to his feet
and made his way over to where Taetae was still standing and staring blankly
ahead. When Taetae showed no reaction Minnie glanced back at Jungkook with
uncertainty, before carefully reaching out a hand towards his same age
companion. Taetae flinched back violently, and Jungkook's heart jumped to his
throat because Minnie was the absolute last person on this earth that Taetae
would be afraid of. He stumbled back a few steps in a sudden and intense panic,
and his body simply couldn't keep up. Jungkook saw the moment his knees buckled
beneath him, and he held his breath as his beloved hyung started to fall
towards the floor as if in slow motion.
Jungkook thanked every star in the sky that Minnie was close enough to catch
him before he hit the ground completely. Minnie cradled Taetae in his arms like
he would a baby, whispering soft comfort in his ears as he helped him to
support his own weight.
Jungkook was already scrambling towards the older pair, but he was suddenly
stopped when Minnie shot him a warning look with an unusual sharpness. "Stay."
He commanded firmly, voice hard and unwavering.
The youngest instantly froze at the command, so unused to Minnie being so
assertive and just knowing that whatever had happened must be immeasurably
awful.
He could only watch as Minnie gently guided Taetae to the bathroom, the latter
once again limp and unresponsive in a way that made Jungkook almost prefer his
previous panicked state. He glanced over to see that Minho was still fast
asleep, but in all honesty Jungkook couldn't find it in himself to blame his
hyung after the terrible day he had trying to occupy Mr. Choi's anger.
Jungkook could only watch as the bathroom door was closed behind the most
precious people he held in his heart, and more than ever, Jungkook hated being
so small.
***** Jimin *****
Jimin learned early on that fighting back just wasn't worth it.
He knew he shouldn't have said anything as soon as the words escaped his mouth
and that look appeared on his uncle's face. His aunt hadn't meant any
intentional harm when she offhandedly introduced him as her son. The three of
them had only just moved to this neighborhood, so when the neighbors dropped by
to say hello and hand off customary plates of cookies, Jimin knew that it was
just more convenient to pretend to be one big happy family. They could avoid
dampening the mood with Jimin's "sob story", and they could keep his aunt from
having another break down. And all it would take was a little white lie.
Everything was going just fine until Jimin opened his big mouth.
"She's not my mom."
And he had meant it. He was young, and at the age of 5 he simply couldn't
believe that he would never see his mother again- no matter what his uncle kept
telling him. He would lie awake at night, staring out of his bedroom window and
expecting to see his parents' car pull up in the driveway, back from their very
long trip to the grocery store. His aunt, as well-meaning as she was, was not
his mother, and giving her that title was wrong in every way conceivable. His
mother waskind, and she was smart, and more than anyone in the world Jimin
loved her with all of his heart. Hearing his aunt introduce herself as his
mother just made something hot and spiteful churn inside him.
The neighbors could only watch with wide, embarrassed eyes, clearly unsure of
how to respond. His aunt spluttered for words, arms flailing like they were
also looking for a way to save this conversation, and suddenly there was a
large hand gripping at Jimin's shoulder just a little bit too hard. When Jimin
looked up, the look in his uncle's eyes quenched the fire burning in his chest
immediately.
After his uncle had managed to salvage the neighborly introduction, and the
group had left quickly after some very awkward small talk, Jimin was being
pulled inside the house so harshly that he winced at the sudden pain in his
shoulder. Jimin could tell that his uncle had some scathing words for him, but
the sudden gasping from his aunt drew away his attention from the small boy.
His aunt was curled in on herself, clutching at her knees and squeezing her
eyes shut tightly as she muttered to herself. His uncle gripped at her hand,
expression full of worry as he crouched down beside her and whispered comforts
in her ear.
Jimin suddenly felt guilty. He hadn't even considered how his words would
affect his aunt. Ever since he had been adopted, his aunt would often become
distraught at the very thought of Jimin's mother. The first time it had
happened was at the funeral, and Jimin could still remember the haunting sound
of his aunt wailing inconsolably. His grandmother had held his hand in the
front row, and had quietly explained to him that his aunt and his mother had
been twin sisters, so his aunt was simply devastated at her loss. Jimin had
kept silent, emotionally drained as he followed his grandmother around like a
zombie for the rest of the procession.
There were times when his aunt would burst into tears at the very sight of
Jimin, screaming and throwing whatever she could get her hands on at him,
blaming him for looking so much like his mother, blaming him for being the
reason she was gone. But as afraid as he was, he couldn't find it in himself to
resent his aunt, because he couldn't possibly hate anyone who loved his mother
that much.
His uncle on the other hand-
The tight grip returned to his arm, yanking him forward until he was nose to
nose with his uncle who was crouched down to match Jimin's height. The man was
glaring viciously, determining that Jimin was the reason for his wife's
distress. His lips were pulled back in what could only be described as a snarl,
like a territorial dog whose food was being threatened.
"You little brat!" His uncle yelled. "How in the world could a such wonderful
woman like your mother, ever give birth to something like you? Do you even
realize how hard all of this is for your aunt?"
Jimin stayed silent, eyes trailed on the ground. His aunt had looked up to
witness the scene with teary eyes, but did nothing to intervene as Jimin was
suddenly yanked down the hall. 
Jimin was practically thrown into his room, landing pathetically on the floor
and staying there as his uncle raged on. His knees hurt.
"Look at you." His uncle scowled, eyes surveying over Jimin as if he were
looking over a filthy animal who had invaded his home. "Why aren't you crying
for upsetting your aunt? Do you not know how to feel? Even at the funeral, you
didn't even cry for your own goddamn parents!"
But Jimin knew that these questions were better left unanswered. He resolutely
kept his silence. The man shook his head, like Jimin was a nuisance that he
shouldn't even bother trying to deal with. "Whatever, be that way,freak." He
stormed back to the door, before pausing as he seemed to remember something.
"And you can forget about dinner tonight." He threw the words carelessly over
his shoulder before he stormed out.
"Brats like you don't deserve to eat!"
 
***
 
Jimin was hungry.
Dare he admit it, Jimin was starving.
He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten a full meal. Perhaps it had
been days ago, when he had last scarfed down a bowl of warm soup that his aunt
had sneaked into his room. 
At the time he had been so grateful, because he had been so terribly exhausted,
and yet he couldn't fall asleep because his stomach was practically eating
itself. His body was weak and his bones felt hollow, numb with an aching pain
that he could do nothing but surrender to. He later realized that it was only
when his aunt thought he seemed especially pitiful, that she actually though
twice about him and his well being. 
Most of the time Jimin spent locked up in his room. The room wasn't actually
locked, but it might as well have been because the fear of his uncle kept the
boy well aware of where he should remain.
But too much time had passed by and his aunt and uncle were perfectly content
living in their own lives; their lives before his mother had died and before
they had been stuck with him.
This time, the hunger was too much. The hunger was unbearable. 
Jimin lay on the floor, breathing shallow and eyes glazed. His limbs had lost
what little strength they had left, laying limp and useless on the floor
because at this point even his body had given up hope.
Jimin was crying. He was crying because everything hurt, and because he was so
sad and so alone, and because he knew deep in his heart that his mother wasn't
going to save him.
Brats like you don't deserve to eat.
For the first time the boy wondered if he was really going to die. He wondered
if being dead would take away his pain. He wondered if he would finally get to
be with his mother again.
Brats like you don't deserve to eat.
Suddenly the door creaked open, and the sound was enough to draw Jimin's eyes
back open. He realized that he hadn't noticed they had been closing.
His aunt quietly stepped into the room, a bowl of steaming soup in her hands.
She didn't look alarmed at the state the young boy was in, only sad, and maybe
a little regretful.
Now that he knew it wasn't his uncle, Jimin allowed himself to relax as his
aunt set the bowl down beside him and gently sat him up. Ignoring the protests
of his body, Jimin observed as his aunt help him get into a sitting position.
With her dark hair swinging into her eyes just so, she really did look like his
mother; who he was reminded was also her twin sister. But while her hands were
soft and careful, her fingers were too cold against Jimin's feverish skin to be
his mother's.
When Jimin was in an acceptable sitting position, his aunt silently fed him
spoonfuls of the soup. Jimin's eyes began to water at how wonderful it felt to
have something other than water sliding down his throat and settling in his
stomach. His lips trembled at each mouthful he received.
"You really do look like her." 
His aunt's voice was wistful as she continued to feed her nephew. Her eyes were
far away, somewhere distant where Jimin couldn't follow. Jimin couldn't
respond, only watching cautiously as he ate.
"You must hate me by now." She chuckled humorlessly. "I don't blame you,
though. I bet even she hates me for what I've done. For how I've been treating
her baby."
Jimin shook his head in response, mouth opening to argue only to be stopped by
another spoonful of soup. He knew his aunt loved his mother, and that when she
had been alive, his mother had loved her back just the same. He couldn't
possibly hate his aunt for all of this.
"You're too nice, Jimin-ah." His aunt smiled, but it was a sad, defeated smile.
"Even though I've been so selfish."
Despite the fact that he was starving, Jimin's appetite seemed to dwindle under
the sadness in her voice. "Forgetting you- forgetting her- is just easier for
me."
Brats like you don't deserve to eat.
He hadn't noticed that he had finished the bowl until his aunt quietly set it
down beside them. Her hand tentatively reached up to brush back Jimin's bangs
from his forehead. Her eyes were warm but her hands were still cold.
"I know it's selfish of me to ask for more, but please don't hate your uncle
too. It's my fault, Jimin-ah." She swallowed heavily, her palms cupping his
cheeks as she leaned in closer, eyes watering. "I'm so sorry, Jimin-ah."
Her eyes closed, as if she couldn't bare to look at him any longer. Suddenly,
Jimin knew what was coming next.
The food in his stomach felt like lead. Brats like you don't deserve to eat.
"I'm sorry, Jimin-ah, but I can't do this anymore."
 
 ***
 
As it turned out, Mr. Choi was way scarier than his uncle had ever been.
As soon as his uncle knocked on the door and the terrifying man opened it up,
Jimin just knew that the two couldn't even be compared. His uncle seemed to
shrink away from the imposing man, and his aunt's grip on Jimin's hand squeezed
so tightly that he feared he would lose it.
"What?"
Jimin's uncle visibly gulped, before steeling himself and reaching out to pull
Jimin from his aunt's grasp and bring him to the man's attention. "I was told
you would take him."
Jimin felt small under then stranger's gaze, so much smaller than he had ever
felt before. A horrific smile spread across his face as he appraised the young
boy like a piece of meat. "Well if you don't want 'em, I'll take the kid. Add
to my collection."
Jimin stared at his sneakers, the pair his parents had gotten for him on his
5th birthday back when everything was still good. He silently prayed that his
aunt would speak up. That she would change her mind and rush to his defense.
That she wouldn't leave him with this man.
His aunt was silent.
"How much you want?" The man asked, almost mockingly.
"5k." His uncle answered shortly.
"Jeonghyun!" That was his aunt, her voice shrill and distressed.
"Soonhee, we might as well get something out of this."
"He's a child! He's my sister's child! We can't exchange him for money!"
"So giving him away for free is better?"
"But-"
"Soonhee, shut up."
They were interrupted by the stranger's dark chuckling. "I can do 5k. Gimmie a
sec." And he turned to leave, leaving the door ajar. He took Jimin's aunt's
protests with him.
Another boy suddenly appeared in the doorway, eyes going wide as he spotted
Jimin standing in front of his relatives. The boy was older than Jimin himself,
and the pity in his eyes made it apparent that he knew what was going on.
"Hello." He said softly, approaching Jimin like he would an injured animal. He
tentatively reached out a hand, and Jimin only watched in surprise as he
clasped the younger boy's palm and smiled. "I'm Minho."
Minho didn't acknowledge the adults behind Jimin, and his uncle cleared his
throat the get the boy's attention. "Hello there, do you live here too?"
The boy only met Jimin's uncle's introduction with an icy expression, eyes
accusing and unforgiving and Jimin was suddenly so amazed that someone was
actually on his side. Minho stared down his uncle until the man shifted
uncomfortably, guilt finally making him lower his gaze. Minho's hand was warm
in Jimin's.
The man reappeared in the doorway with a heavy envelope in his hand. He handed
it over to his uncle, gaze amused as he watched Minho stare down his uncle. He
looked back at the other man.
"Weak. Some people just aren't meant to, uh- raise children." His voice was
scathing, and Jimin practically felt his uncle flinch. There was something
about the way he said the word 'raise', that made the hairs on the back of
Jimin's neck stand up.
The imposing man tilted his head in Minho's direction that address the boy,
eyes never leaving the couple in front if him. "Minho, take the kid to the
room." There was something predatory in his smile. "It's time for the adults to
talk."
Minho didn't resist, gently pulling Jimin past the man and into the house.
Jimin didn't look back, but he could feel the pressing gaze of his aunt on his
back. But once again, she didn't speak up. There was not going to be a goodbye.
Minho led the way towards the staircase, leaning in to speak softly in Jimin's
ear. 
"What's your name?"
There was something so disarming about how kind Minho seemed to be that made
Jimin's walls drop. "Jimin."
Minho smiled. "Around here, we go by nicknames. My mom used to always say that
cute children deserved cute names."
They had reached the top of the stairs before they knew it, Minho's hand still
warm and trusting in his own. "Minnie." Minho decided. "Your name is Minnie."
Minnie. Jimin decided that he liked how it sounded.
Minho pulled Jimin further down the hall towards the far room on the left,
where light was leaking out from behind the door. 
"C'mon, Minnie. There's some people I'd like you to meet."
 
 ***
 
"Minnieeeee!"
"No, Taetae."
"But Minnieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-"
Jimin sighed. "No."
"But it's just one kiss!"
Kookie was watching silently from his perch on the bed, blinking drowsily and
huddled between all the pillows they owned that had been thrown together in a
pile of cushiony warmth. It seemed that the pair's latest argument had woken
the youngest up from his afternoon nap. His hair was a ruffled, fluffy mess
atop his head, and from where Jimin was sitting on the floor below, he could
see that Lettuce was still dutiful clutched to the boy's chest.
Jimin turned back to frown disapprovingly at his same-age friend. "Taetae, you
woke up Kookie!"
Taetae only grinned widely, immediately leaping towards the bed to tackle the
youngest in a flurry of hugs and kisses. "Bunny, you're finally awake!!!"
The youngest looked mildly disgruntled, but looked too sleepy to really do
anything but grumble as the other boy laid sloppy kisses across his chubby
cheeks. Jimin's heart did a little flutter at the sight.
When Taetae was done attacking the youngest with his affection, leaving the
poor kid sleepily confused and blushing, he turned back to Jimin with a pointed
look. "Well Kookie lets me give him kisses!"
Jimin rolled his eyes at his childishness. "Well Kookie is just a baby, so of
course you can kiss him, dummy!"
Kookie frowned, obviously not pleased with Jimin calling him a baby. But
whatever complaint he had was lost as Taetae pouted and smooshed the younger's
head to his chest in a way that must have been quite uncomfortable for his
neck. "Well I love you just as much as I love Kookie, so why won't you let me
kiss you?"
Jimin found himself blushing against his will. "Because kissing is for a
different kind of love, Taetae! Like, between married people!"
Taetae's head tilted to the side questioningly, his expression genuinely
confused. "Well, why can't I just marry you and Kookie, then?"
Jimin's blush had spread up to his ears by now, and he found himself
spluttering at the other boy's straightforwardness. "Y-you can't marry two
people! Besides, like Minho-hyung said, we're only supposed to love and marry
our soulmates!"
"No." 
From Kookie's voice it was clear that he was upset, and Jimin silently cursed
himself for bringing up the soulmate subject again. It was always a sensitive
topic for Kookie especially, who ever since Minho had first explained soulmates
to the three younger boys, would become upset at the prospect of not being able
to love his hyungs as he wanted to. It made Jimin himself worry, because
sometimes he feared that Kookie's heart was too stubborn for his own good.
"When I grow up, I'm gonna marry Taetae-hyung and Minnie-hyung. You're not
allowed to marry anyone else." Kookie said it firmly, leaving no room for
argument. Jimin knew that if he pushed it too much, the younger would only get
angry again.
Taetae, the little stinker, only used this to his own advantage. "You see! Even
Kookie agrees! We all love each other, and one day we're gonna get married, so
why can't I kiss you?"
It was times like these when Jimin longed for his hyung to appear and save him
from being ganged up on by the younger pair. It rarely happened, because of
course Kookie was much more rational than Taetae was. But when it came to
matters of the heart Kookie made it perfectly clear what he felt and where he
stood. Minho had run to the store a little while ago to pick up some things,
even promising Kookie a new set of colored pencils if he behaved and listened
to his other hyungs while he was out. Jimin glanced uselessly at the door, but
of course, no one appeared to bail him out. 
He sighed in defeat, blushing furiously as he got to his feet and made his way
to the bed, because oh my god he can't believe he's actually doing this. But
when it came to his beloveds, there really was no fighting them when they were
so adamant.
"Fine." Jimin sat on the bed on Kookie's other side, and the youngest instantly
was pulling him down to cuddle with them. "But if Minho-hyung finds out, I'm
telling him it's all your fault!"
"Yay!" Taetae cheered, and suddenly his lips were swooping in to lay excited,
warm kisses across Jimin's. Jimin could only watch with wide, embarrassed eyes
as the younger splattered kisses across his face as he had done to Kookie
moments ago.
"You really have no shame, Taetae!" Jimin whined, and Taetae giggled happily
into his cheek. 
"What's there to feel shame about?"
Jimin looked down to where Kookie was watching them, his sudden words reminding
Jimin of how close the youngest was as well. Jimin found that he had no answer
to the maknae's question, and he once again wondered how the boy could be so
smart even though he was two years younger. 
And suddenly the youngest was also leaning in shyly towards Jimin, and a soft
kiss was placed against his lips and if his pulse had already been racing from
Taetae's flurry of happy pecks, it was positivelyskyrocketing now. It was
short, but sweet and warm and had everything Jimin could ever imagine a kiss
could have. Taetae's giggling had picked up and now he had returned his
attention back to the younger, cooing about how precious he was and kissing the
giggles from the youngest's mouth.
Jimin found that every doubt he had once held about the three of them growing
up and being separated when they find their respecitve soulmates had melted
away.
The only thing on his mind was to lean back in and help Taetae shower Kookie
with endless affection. And the look on the other boys' faces was well worth
it.
 
 ***
 
Jimin wasn't lying when he told them he had no appetite.
The four of them usually had enough food to eat at least twice a day, since
Minho had proven himself resourceful enough to have trips to the store and
sneaks into the kitchen planned out almost to an art. It was a little unusual
to go a full day with nothing to eat, and since the younger pair were
practically ravenously hungryall the time, it wasn't a surprised that after a
day of no food everyone was greedily chowing down on their convenience store
meal sets. 
Everyone but Jimin.
Jimin was too busy looking at Taetae, who was laughing as best he could around
a mouthful of food at something Kookie had mumbled. Taetae, who was sporting a
fresh black eye that was just starting to color and swell. 
Minho had seen it as soon as he had gotten back, frowning as he looked over
Jimin's sloppy first aid. Jimin had seen it done by Taetae on multiple
occasions, but had only had to do it himself a handful of times. Minho didn't
ask about what happened; it was already obvious. Jiminhated that it was.
Jimin had sat in the closet with Kookie (and Lettuce), holding the youngest
tightly like a lifeline as he listened to Taetae take on Minho's self-
designated role. There were many nights when the same-age pair would argue
about Taetae designating himself as Minho's replacement, the younger insisting
that Jimin just look out for Kookie because at this point he was already used
to it and besides, Minnie you're already so small and fragile!
But Jimin was older than Taetae. Not by much, granted, but even so he didn't
want the boy protecting him like he did Kookie. He wanted to take some of the
pain for Taetae. Because from what Jimin could see, it was Taetae who was more
innocent and precious, and Jimin who was the worthless one with nothing to
lose.
Brats like you don't deserve to eat.
His uncle's voice was ringing in his ears on repeat as he stared vacantly down
at his meal. What kind of hyung can't even protect his precious dongsaeng? His
uncle was right.
"Minnie?" Minho said quietly, not wanting to grab the younger pair's attention
as they continued to tease each other while they ate. "Are you alright?" His
eyes were full of worry, and Jimin felt more guilt weigh down his stomach.
His mouth felt dry, his throat clogged up. The last thing he wanted to do in
that moment was eat food that could go to his precious dongsaengs. 
Jimin nodded, unable to meet his hyung's gaze and just looking down at the
floor instead. "Yeah. Just not very hungry."
Minho frowned. "But we didn't even eat yesterday."
Jimin could only shrug.
Minho looked unsatisfied with his response. "Minnie, you have toeat. Even if
you're not hungry, just take a few bites. You're a growing boy, you know." His
smile was gentle, but all Jimin could see was the ugly faded yellowing of a
bruise on his cheek, that was only just starting to heal. 
Jimin nodded, picking up his fork.
Minho smiled approvingly, before going back to shovel food into his mouth.
Jimin could only force down two bites, before he was sneaking his scraps onto
Taetae and Kookie's plates while they were distracted.
Brats like you don't deserve to eat.
Jimin didn't deserve to eat.
 
*** 
 
Jimin's worst nightmare had come true.
He and Taetae had only left for a few minutes. They had only wanted some fresh
air. They were restless seven-year-olds now, and hardly spent any time outside
at all. So when the pair decided to take a quick walk around the block, they
didn't realize the consequences that would follow.
Kookie hadn't wanted to go with them. He was in the middle of coloring his
latest masterpiece, already submerged into his over-concentrated state of mind
that he only got in when he was drawing. His tongue was sticking out as he
contemplated which color to go for next, stubbornly waving the older pair off
when they whined at him to join them on their adventure. 
Lately, Minho had been spending more and more time away from home, doing lord
knows what, and all the younger three knew was that the abundance of snacks and
the extra toys and art supplies he brought home had to be coming from
somewhere. He never divulged on where he was obtaining this extra spending
cash, but now that the younger three were old enough to take care of themselves
and each other, for the most part, he felt they were responsible enough to be
left at home on their own. And really, after seeing the younger pair light up
with delight at whatever Minho brought home, Jimin couldn't find it in himself
to complain or voice his concerns.
The point was, normally leaving Kookie home alone for a little while was okay,
because Kookie was quiet and knew what to do in case of emergencies, and for
the most part Mr.Choi wasn't even home during the daylight hours. 
Except normally, didn't meanalways.
Taetae and Minnie had just returned home after their little walk,
bantering quietly on their way up the stairs and opening the door to their
room, expecting to see Kookie still sprawled out on the floor, colored pencils
in hand and Lettuce at his side, and so focused that he wouldn't even look up
at their return.
But Kookie wasn't where they had left him. His colored pencils were scattered
around his sketch book, and the older pair exchanged a confused look as they
looked around. Finally, Jimin noticed a small, almost completely unnoticeable
lump in their bed, almost entirely hidden by a fortress of pillows.
Jimin frowned as he approached. "Kookie?"
The curled up form flinched slightly at the sound of his voice, before
continuing to remain still. Taetae's hand sought his out worriedly. "Kooks,
what's wrong? Are you not feeling good?"
"Just sleepy." Came a reply muffled by blankets and bed sheets and pillows.
Jimin didn't believe him for a second. He gently released Taetae's hand to grab
at the blankets and tried to lift them to see Kookie, but the younger had
pulled down the blankets in a death grip. "I'm fine."
Jimin stubbornly reached in to pry away Kookie's fingers, pulling the
protective layer away to try and get a look at Kookie's form hidden beneath.
"Bunny, show me."
"Minnie?" Taetae looked alarmed at the sudden desperation in Jimin's voice.
"What's going on?"
Jimin finally managed to tug the blankets away from Kookie, and his heart
pounded in his ears at the sight of what lied beneath.
"It's not a big deal, hyung."
Jimin could feel tears already making their way down his cheeks as he reached
out to gently brush his fingers over the angry bruise on Kookie's jaw. His
fingers trailed down helplessly to a bruise that poked out from beneath
Kookie's shirt, along his shoulder.
There was also a small cut along the boy's cheek- likely left behind from being
swiped by someone wearing a ring- though by now the cut had stopped
bleeding and left an angry red scab. Jimin forced down a helpless sob of
misery, because one look at the small but deep cut and he knew that it was
going to scar Kookie's beautiful face.
Taetae stepped closer to see what the commotion was about, and gasped when he
saw Kookie. Taetae was unnaturally silent for a while, and it wasn't until he
was storming out the door that Jimin realized what was happening.
"Taetae-hyung, no!" Kookie cried out.
Jimin immediately rushed after the brunette, catching him right outside the
door with a tight grip around his middle. "Taetae, stop! What are you doing?!"
Taetae was struggling in his grip, trying to pry off Jimin's arms so he could
storm down the stairs. "He touched my Kookie! I'm not gonna let him get away
with it!"
"Just stop!" Jimin cried out desperately, refusing to let go as Taetae
struggled harder. "You can't!"
Taetae glared at him, a look so angry and betrayed that Jimin felt his heart
shatter in his chest. "Why are you stopping me? It's like you don't even care!"
Jimin couldn't stop the sob that escaped from his throat at the harsh words,
because he couldn't recall Taetae ever speaking to him in such a way. He
suddenly remembered what his uncle had said to him when they had first taken
him in, and the sharpness of Taetae's words only dug deeper into his chest. 
Do you not know how to feel?
He was losing himself in his own head, he could feel it happening but he could
do nothing to stop it.
How in the world could a such wonderful woman like your mother, ever give birth
to something like you?
His arms were shaking around Taetae now, and he could feel his strength
weakening as he faded away. He fought against it with all his will, because if
he let go of Taetae the boy would no doubt seek out and start a fight with
Mr.Choi and it would all be Jimin's fault if Taetae got hurt. But the words in
his head were circling him like vultures; his vision blurring until all he
could see was his uncle's disgusted face.
"Look at you." His uncle scowled, eyes surveying over Jimin as if he were
looking over a filthy animal who had invaded his home. "Why aren't you crying
for upsetting your aunt? Do you not know how to feel? Even at the funeral, you
didn't even cry for your own goddamn parents!"
No! Jimin tried to protest but the words were lodged in his throat. I do care!
I do feel!
"Whatever, be that way, freak!"
"Don't you care about Kookie at all?!" Taetae's angry words were leaking
through his memories. "Why aren't you angry?"
No no no no no no no Kookie please, I love you, please believe me, I do care, I
do care, I-
"I thought you loved us!"
And suddenly a sharp sound was snapping Jimin out of his torrent of thoughts.
Taetae froze in his arms, his struggling coming to a complete halt. Jimin
blinked tearily, eyes finally clearing enough to see Kookie standing in front
of them, eyes raging and hand outstretched.
Kookie had slapped Taetae.
Taetae was gaping at the younger, a palm pressed to his red cheek
disbelievingly. Jimin slowly released the younger, standing up straight and
trying to stop his own shaking.
"Kookie?" Taetae's voice was shaky, hurt and confusion laced into his voice.
"Don't you dare say that Minnie-hyung doesn't care!" Kookie's said angrily,
fire lighting his eyes and lashing across his tongue. "How could you even say
such a thing?!"
Taetae seemed to realize his own actions, and finally turned to look at Jimin
beside him. Guilt and sadness washed over his features when he saw Jimin's
face, splotchy and miserable and hurt, because even though he knew Taetae
wasn't wrong it still hurt more than anything to hear the words come directly
from the mouth of one of the people he loved most in the entire world.
"Minnie." Taetae said brokenly, regretfully, as he carefully took the older
into his arms and held him close. All Jimin could do was stand there and sob,
unable to even hug him back because he was convinced that Taetae and Kookie
deserved so much better. "Minnie, I'm so sorry."
Minnie felt Kookie gently grab the hugging pair by their shirts, before
silently leading them back into the safety of their bedroom, their feet
cooperating half-heartedly. He closed the door behind them before joining their
little huddle. Taetae immediately made room for the youngest, allowing him to
burrow in closer to Minnie's neck as Taetae started to lay soft kisses along
his wet cheeks in an attempt to kiss his tears away.
"I-I'm sorry!" Jimin couldn't stop himself from sobbing out. "I'm sorry! I love
you both so much! I'm sorry!"
Taetae shook his head vehemently, his own tears now sliding down his cheeks.
"No, Minnie, don't apologize! We know you love us, of course you do! There was
never a doubt in our minds about how much you care! It's my fault for getting
so angry! I didn't mean it, I swear! Minnie, I love you so much!"
Jimin whimpered pathetically, finally allowing himself to lift his own arms and
embrace the two boys with an unrivaled fierceness. The trio had sunk to the
ground into a tightly woven pile of limbs, emotional exhaustion making their
knees give out and the urge to stay close to one another acting as the glue.
Kookie lifted his head from Jimin's neck to join Taetae in kissing away the
tears from Jimin's cheeks, and Jimin felt his heart swell with love and warmth,
and he was simply too selfish to stop them.
When the crying had tapered off into occasional sniffling, Taetae finally
pulled away to give Kookie a tight squeeze and a loving kiss. "Kookie, thank
you for stopping me."
Kookie looked down at his hands, growing still. "I'm sorry I hit you."
Taetae fiercely shook his head. "You didn't do it to hurt me, Kookie, I know
that. You did the right thing. You were protecting me and you were protecting
Minnie. Thank you."
Kookie nodded, pretty doe eyes still trained on Taetae's red cheek as he
reached up to place a soft kiss across the colored skin. Taetae's smile was as
bright as the sun. He gently stood them all up and started to tug the pair
towards the bathroom.
"Let's get Kookie all patched up."
The three of them spent the remainder of the day cuddled in bed. Exchanging
innocent kisses as they talked and giggled quietly into each others' clothes
and hair and skin. Jimin felt his heart swell unbearably full as he watched
Taetae lay careful kisses across Kookie's fresh bruises.
But the words were still haunting him, somewhere deep in the back of his mind.
How in the world could a such wonderful woman like your mother, ever give birth
to something like you? Jimin could only selfishly let the glow of Taetae and
Kookie's warmth ward off the bad thoughts, the bad memories. 
Brats like you don't deserve to eat.
He wished all of their problems could be fixed with kisses.
 
***
 
It was quiet the whole car ride to the shelter.
Jimin sat in the back seat, looking at the surrounding world outside passing
them by and wondering if Minho was happier wherever he was now.
"Jimin?" The social worker beside him said softly, reaching out to lay a hand
on his shoulder, only to retract it quickly when the boy flinched like he had
been struck. She cleared her throat and said louder, "Jimin? Are you with me?"
Jimin dragged his gaze from the window, turning back towards the woman and
nodding reluctantly. The woman smiled. It kind of reminded Jimin of his mother.
"How are you doing there?"
Jimin shrugged. "I'm fine." More importantly, "When can I see Taetae and
Kookie?"
Something pained flashed over the woman's face. "I've actually been meaning to
talk to you about that, kiddo."
Jimin finally perked up, looking excited for the first time that the woman
could recall. "Are we going to meet them at the shelter?"
The woman shook her head sadly, reaching out to grasp at Jimin's hand, making
sure the movement was in his sight so that he didn't panic at the touch again.
"No Jimin. What I mean is that unfortunately, you three aren't going to be put
in the same shelters."
Jimin froze at the woman's words. This can't be real.
"But it's over now. Mr.Choi is gone. We should be together again." Jimin didn't
understand what this woman was implying. Being permanently separated from his
dongsaengs had never even occurred to him as a possibility. 
The woman offered a smile, but it did nothing to reassure the aching of Jimin's
heart. "It's all in the past now, Jimin. That man can never hurt you again. Now
you can live in a nice house, and eat lots of good food, and make new friends."
She tried to reassure him.
But she didn't understand. He didn't want any of those things. He would give it
all up in a heartbeat to still be back in that cramped little room with Taetae
and Kookie and Minho. Why didn't she understand?
"No. I want Taetae and Kookie." Jimin tried to explain to her again.
But the woman only shook her head more firmly. "It doesn't work that way. After
what the three of you have been through, it was decided that giving you each a
fresh start was the best way to proceed. After what you three had to
witness..."
Flashes of Minho's limp body sprawled out across the floor made Jimin visibly
shiver. He shook his head to clear the thoughts away. "But-"
"Jimin-ah." Her voice was sharper, and Jimin was instantly reminded of the way
his aunt used to call him that in such a sharp voice.
Jimin didn't speak up again. He didn't speak when the woman dropped him off at
the foster home. He didn't speak when the nice older lady there tried to get
him to introduce himself to the other kids. He didn't speak when two of his new
roommates asked him if he wanted to play with them. He didn't even speak on his
very first day of school.
And alongside his silence- at least according to Jimin's assigned social
worker- getting Jimin to eat was the hardest part.
***** Save Me *****
Chapter Notes
     The 1st 3 chapters were set in the past, and this is set in the
     present.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
                                 -Present Day-
Part of Taehyung knew that being here was a terrible, terrible mistake.
People like him didn’t belong in places like this. He felt like an impostor;
crawling in his own skin under the speculation of the faceless crowd, as he
huddled in the far corner of the club trying his best not to be noticed. Not to
be there. The young adults around him were so vibrant; dancing and laughing and
sweating and living like they actually belonged in this world and they knew it.
Bodies swayed and hands roamed, lights pulsed and mouths meshed, and once again
Taehyung wondered to himself just how his friend had managed to convince him to
come here. 
His eyes wandered through the crowd of people again, trying to pick out the
short, black-haired figure of his best and only friend. The more he became
aware of how many bodies were around him, the tighter his fists clenched at his
sides. He felt the distant stinging of pain as his nails dug into the flesh of
his palms. 
He suddenly felt eyes on him, eyes that were looking at him in a way that made
shivers crawl up his spine. He carefully glanced to his left, to see that there
was indeed a man looking at him. The man's obviously perverse intentions made
fear accelerate Taehyung's heart rate, distant memories of hands that were too
rough edging at the back of his mind, and it took every ounce of willpower
Taehyung possessed to push them back. He began to shake as the man's eyes
leisurely roamed his form, hovering over the exposed skin of his collar bones
and shoulders, before traveling further down. The man never asked for
permission, but then again he didn't need to. He simply let his eyes take what
they wanted and all the boy could do was stand there and do his best to appear
not to be affected. Taehyung felt like there was slime sliding
disgustingly over his skin wherever the strangers eyes touched, and his longing
to disappear completely only heightened. 
It wasn't the first time tonight that someone had looked at him with such lust,
but the experience still made his palms clammy and his stomach churn with
discomfort and anxiety. He hated that his sudden need to be comforted made him
long for his friend. He didn't like how great a burden he placed on his loyal
hyung, but at the moment all he could think about was searching for him in the
crowd. More importantly, he needed to find his friend, so that they could
leave. 
He was jolted of his thoughts as a firm hand landed on his shoulder. His eyes
snapped to the owner of the hand, and he immediately calmed down at the sight
of Yoongi looking at him with concern. He must have sneaked out of his booth at
the start of the song.
“You alright?” He asked as best he could over the pulsingly loud music.
Taehyung nodded, shifting slightly so that he was curled in towards his
slighter companion. Yoongi noticed the subconscious act for comfort but didn’t
mention it, merely running his hand indulgently through Taehyung's hair until
the younger began to relax. The physical intimacy calmed Taehyung's racing
thoughts enough for him to speak. “Can we leave?”
 Yoongi let out a small sigh. “Sorry Tae, just a little while longer. My
shift’s over as soon as my replacement shows up.”
Taehyung remained stiff as a board, and sensing his discomfort Yoongi reached
out to interlock their fingers. Yoongi frowned, worried. “Do you wanna wait
outside until I’m done? It shouldn’t be too much longer.”
The younger nodded in agreement. Although he was reluctant to leave Yoongi
inside, he was starting to have trouble breathing in such a packed space.
Yoongi looked uncertain, but nodded in agreement anyways. It's not like there
was a better solution available. “Okay. Just wait outside by the curb, yeah?
Don’t go too far where no one can see you. As soon as Rapmon shows up, I’ll
come and get you and we can go home.”
Yoongi squeezed his hand, and leaned up to give Taehyung a small, gentle kiss.
When he pulled away, Taehyung smiled back gratefully, squeezing his hand back
before letting him go. “Thanks, hyung.” 
Yoongi grumbled in adorable embarrassment, but Taehyung could see that he was
smiling ever so slightly.
After Yoongi had headed back for his booth, Taehyung made for the exit, wincing
when he knocked into a few people as he stumbled through the mass of dancers.
He jolted when a deliberate hand squeezed at his ass through his jeans, but
when he whipped around he was only met with the masses of people still
surrounding him.
When he finally made it outside, his ears were still ringing and everything
still kinda smelt like vodka, but finally he could breathe. He made his way to
the side of the building, away from the judging eyes of the people still
waiting to get inside. The alleyway where the side entrance let out was well
lit, and Taehyung knew that there were cameras, so Yoongi really couldn’t
complain too much about it being too dangerous to wait by himself.
He plopped down against the wall, limbs weary and eyes heavy now that the
adrenaline of panic had begun to wear off. He rolled up the sleeves of his
over-sized sweater, and found himself carefully tracing the exposed skin of his
inner wrist. 
The two names that were inked on his skin were written quite differently. The
one closest to his hand was written in a delicate scrawl, the ink swooping and
diving in a rather dramatic fashion. The letters were elegantly traced, but to
Taehyung they felt rather fleeting and uncertain. Park Jimin.
The name underneath was written more purposefully, each line and curve written
harshly and precisely. This person’s handwriting wasn’t as neat and gentle as
the previous person’s was, but each stroke held conviction. Jeon Jungkook.
Taehyung lightly followed his finger over the lines, tracing each name in
succession before starting over again. Most people had only a single name inked
on their wrist, but Taehyung had two; two names that were weaved into his very
biology. These names were the names of his soulmates. 
Taehyung had no semblances of these people other than their names and their
handwriting; a tiny needle lost in a stack of tiny needles. He could only
imagine what they would be like, should they ever be lucky enough to meet face
to face. Would Jimin be gentle and kind, like his handwriting? Would Jungkook
be strong-willed and steadfast? And more pressingly, would they even like
Taehyung? Having a trio of soulmates always brought about the insecurity that
they would like each other more than they liked him. And the last thing
Taehyung wanted to do was get in the way of an already ideal relationship, just
because of some sense of obligation.
Regardless of these worries, there were still many nights when Taehyung would
find himself longing to meet his fated matches, feeling lonely beyond
comprehension for a pair of individuals he had yet to meet. It wasn’t uncommon
to not meet your soulmate. Even with the advancements of technology and
transportation, the World was still a big place. Some people went their whole
lives without ever meeting their fated partner and still lived perfectly happy
existences; some even married outside of the bond.
But despite all of these assurances, Taehyung just wanted to find his
soulmates. Despite the burdens he knew his existence would put on them, he
wanted to be selfish. He wanted to be loved.
A clattering made Taehyung jump, his arms instinctively pulling in to cradle
his wrist to his chest. He watched with wide eyes as a figure stumbled into the
alleyway. The boy (man?) cursed aloud, not yet noticing Taehyung as he limped
forward. Taehyung’s brows furrowed in concern, taking notice that the guy was
most definitely injured and from the sound of his cursing, in pain.
“A-are you okay?” 
The boy’s head whipped up to look at him, and Taehyung couldn’t help but flinch
at the intensity of his gaze. He was young- probably around Taehyung’s own age-
his face youthful but sharp, his gaze doe-eyed but hardened. His appearance was
simply riddled with contradictions. The boy blinked, assessing Taehyung for a
minute before apparently deeming that he wasn’t a threat. He hobbled forward,
making it almost halfway to where Taehyung was sitting before he lost his
footing and collapsed to the ground. 
Taehyung lurched to his feet, scrambling towards the boy. He hovered over
nervously as the boy groaned in pain. His skin was littered in cuts and
bruises, and just from looking Taehyung could tell that his shoulder was
dislocated. A cut above his brow was still bleeding, dripping down his
cheekbone to the sharp curve of his jaw.
Without thinking Taehyung reached out a hand to brush the boy’s soft black hair
from his forehead, trying to get a better look at the wound. The boy eyed him
warily, but really looked too exhausted to fight back even if he wanted to.
Taehyung was still frowning at the boy’s wounds when the side door opened.
“Tae! There you are! Jeez, I thought I told you to wait out front. Are you
ready to-” Yoongi paused, taking in the scene. “What the fuck is going on
here?”
Taehyung looked over his shoulder at Yoongi, eyes worried. “Hyung, he’s hurt!”
Yoongi hurried forward, crouching down next to Taehyung as he looked over the
boy for himself. He grimaced and cursed under his breath. “Fuck. Hey kid, you
awake?” His hands brushed over the boy’s cheeks, gently patting. “Kid, don’t
fall asleep yet, okay? 
Yoongi turned to Taehyung. “I’m going to run and get the car. You just stay
here with him until I get back.” He rushed towards the entrance of the
alleyway, turning over his shoulder to call, “And make sure he stays awake!” 
Taehyung nodded, but Yoongi was already rushing around the corner. He turned
back to the boy, gently tapping at the boy’s cheeks as Yoongi had done. “Hey,
you with me still?” The boy’s eyelids were heavy, fighting off falling asleep.
“C’mon now, Yoongi-hyung will be back soon and we’ll get you fixed up, yeah?
Just stay with me till then.”
The boy groaned in response, but somehow his hand found its way into
Taehyung’s, squeezing weakly in a poor attempt at reassurance. Taehyung smiled
down at him, but his gaze was still swimming with worry.
The boy's eyes fluttered weakly, and Taehyung caught a glimpse of the warm
brown pools hidden beneath long lashes. The boy's breath caught in his throat.
 
***
 
Jungkook.
Chapter End Notes
     I rearranged the chapters a bit, to make it less confusing.
***** Just One Day *****
Really, Jungkook should have known better.
He wasn't some kid who ran away from home last week because his parents
threatened to take away his allowance. He was a street runner, one with years
of experience under his belt. But after a long period of time free of
confrontation, Jungkook had grown careless, something a guy like him really
couldn't afford to be. He knew that he shouldn't sleep in such an unsafe
neighborhood, it was riddled with gang-bangers and addicts.
But had been tired- exhausted. He had spent the day hiking up, down, and across
the city, running small errands for a local gang as a way to acquire some quick
cash. The deliveries were a trivial enough task that he wouldn't become
strictly bound to the gang, but serious enough that the risk of being arrested
made the pay worth his while. When he was finally done, his feet had been
dragging like they were made of lead, and really Jungkook only needed a few
short hours of rest before he was functional again. Again, careless.
Jungkook shouldn't have been surprised when he was awoken by a small group of
gangster wannabes, kicking at his sides until he stumbled unceremoniously to
his feet. They had laughed as they beat him, and Jungkook could smell the rank
scent of cigarettes on their breath as they tossed him back and forth like a
basketball.
He felt disgusted at the group of men; they were the cowardly type who only
took on fights they knew they couldn't lose. But Jungkook knew better than to
try and fight back; he was hopelessly out-manned, and even if he could get in a
few good punches it wasn't worth his life.
Finally, the group had shoved him to the ground, grabbed his small travel
backpack for good measure, and left in a bumble of drunken laughter and
testosterone. Damn, the cash Jungkook had earned that day was in his bag, along
with some small rations of food and supplies.
Every cell in his body ached. Despite his body's protests, he knew that he
couldn't stay there and risk being found by another opportunist, or even the
same crew coming back for round two. He managed to drag himself to his feet,
and he was barely conscious enough to start towards the direction of his safe
house. He had been beaten, had his money stolen, and had lost precious supplies
in this encounter. But really, it was Jungkook's own fault.
He was lucky to be alive.
 
****
 
"Yoongi-" a voice said pleadingly, exasperated.
"No, Jin. The kid said no hospitals, so no hospitals is how it's gonna be."
"I know you did not just call me 'Jin', Yoongi! And what this boy needs is
actual treatment, from an actual doctor!"
"Well, that's why you're here, Jin-hyung."
"I'm not a doctor!"
"Close enough! Just," a grumble, "leave it, okay? If you really wanna take him
in, just wait till he wakes up and then try talking to him about it."
Jungkook groaned, the pounding in his head finally waking him up with
persistence. The voices nearby went quiet, and Jungkook could hear the rustling
of clothes and the padding of feet as they approached him.
"Hey kid, you awake yet?" The gruffer voice asked hesitantly, poking at his
cheek until Jungkook blindly reached up a hand to bat him away.
"No manners, I swear to god Yoongi." The softer voice scolded. He leaned in
closer. "Can you try opening your eyes?"
Jungkook struggled to oblige, feeling as though his eyelids were weighted down
by sandbags as he tried to pry them open. When he finally blinked into
awareness, the first thing he was a person leaning in closely to his face. Too
closely.
Jungkook flinched backwards on instinct, and the man held up his hands in a
sign of surrender and backed away. After a moment of silence, he smiled. "I
apologize if I surprised you. How are you feeling?"
"Like shit." Jungkook's voice was gravely from misuse, and his mouth felt as
dry as a desert.
The man chuckled lightly, and Jungkook finally took in just how handsome the
man looked. Shiny brown hair, gently curved facial features, and a slim build
with broad shoulders. This man, while not Jungkook's type, was astoundingly
handsome. 
"Not surprising, seeing as how you seem to have gotten your ass handed to you."
Jungkook turned to look at the owner of the second voice. This man was shorter
than the previous, with dark hair, fair skin, and delicate features that made
him look a bit like a doll. But the guarded look in his eyes told Jungkook that
he was anything but soft.
"I'm Seokjin, but you can call me Jin-hyung." The first man reached out a hand
politely, and Jungkook stared at it for a minute before reluctantly shaking it.
Jin smiled wider. 
"He's my co-worker's soulmate." Yoongi explained. "Good thing I remembered
Namjoon mentioning that he was in medical school, right?"
"For the last time, I'm not a doctor!" Jin scoffed, but playfully batted at
Yoongi's chest. "And what did I just say about bedside manners? Introduce
yourself, brat!"
The man grumbled to himself, rolling his eyes but finally meeting Jungkook's
eyes to give him a shallow nod. "I'm Yoongi, by the way. My roommate and I were
the ones that found you." Yoongi's eyes lowered pointedly to Jungkook's lap,
and for the first time Jungkook became startlingly aware of a warm, solid
presence resting on his thigh.
He slowly lowered his gaze, breath catching in his throat when he finally saw
the figure sleeping with his head snuggled in his lap- because how the hell
didn't he noticed such a beautiful creature?
Light brown hair, so fluffy and soft looking that Jungkook suddenly ached to
run his fingers through it. Eyes lashes that were so long that they left
shadows on his perfectly sculpted cheekbones, framing almond-shaped eyes that
Jungkook could tell were beautiful even while they were closed. Lightly tanned
skin, soft and smooth and perfectly stretched over a delicate bone structure.
Slender build, sharp edges along his collar bones and neck, but still soft in
all the right places that made Jungkook simply want to reach out and grab a
handful of thigh or hip orass. 
"Holy mother of god."
He didn't realize that he had voiced his thoughts out loud until Yoongi let out
a growl. "Don't get too comfortable, punk. If Taehyung wasn't such a softie, I
would've kicked your ass to the curb by now."
Taehyung.
Jungkook's eyes immediately shot down to the boy's right arm, which was jammed
underneath his head as he slept. Not visible. Jungkook nervously chewed on his
lower lip.
Yoongi's sharp eyes had caught the whole interaction. "... No fucking way." His
eyes shot down to Jungkook's own arm, which thankfully, was covered by the
sleeves of his hoodie. Jungkook blushed furiously, tugging at the sleeve.
Jin looked between Yoongi and Jungkook with wide eyes filled with confusion,
obviously having missed the punchline. After a few moments of silence, he
finally interrupted the staring match between the two other males, (a very one-
sided staring match; it was really just Yoongi staring and Jungkook looking
uncomfortable.)
"So, you have three broken ribs, a nasty concussion, a dislocated shoulder-
which I have already taken the liberty of setting back in place, you're
welcome- four broken fingers, and a colorful assortment of cuts and bruises.
Now, as a medical student, I suggest that you go see an actual doctor-"
"No hospitals."
Jin looked incredulous at Jungkook's immediate response, and Yoongi gave the
older a pointed look that was a little too smug. "Told ya."
Jin glared at Yoongi, before turning back to Jungkook with weary eyes. "Look,
kiddo, this is an actual life or death situation here. You're in pretty bad
shape. If we hadn't found you, you could have died last night."
"Thank you for saving me." Jungkook said, as genuinely as possible.
"You're welcome." Jin replied without missing a beat. "But the point is, you're
malnourished and dehydrated, so if your wounds get infected you're pretty much
out of luck. You should just suck it up and go to the hospital. Well, if you
like living, that is."
"That's debatable." Jungkook muttered to himself. He sighed tiredly and looked
up at Jin. "I'm really grateful for everything you've done, but I just can't.
I'm sort of in hiding, and the hospital isn't the sort of place I can wind up
in, alright?"
Jin ran a hand through his hair, a frown marring his pretty face and Jungkook
felt guilt tug at his stomach. "Whatever. Yoongi, he's your problem then, I
guess." Jin stood up to leave, and he was pulling off the whole angry charade
until he paused at the door and looked over his shoulder with a worried
expression. "... Call me if anything happens?"
Yoongi stifled a snort behind his hand, but nodded anyways. After a few
reprimanding looks Jungkook imagined a caring mother figure would give, Jin
left.
"That idiot." Yoongi turned back to Jungkook expectantly, and the younger's
stomach lurched uncomfortably. "Your name?"
Jungkook nervously focused on the sleeping figure still situated on his lap.
"Jungkook." Taehyung sniffled softly and burrowed further into the fabric of
Jungkook's pants, like a small, sleeping kitten.
Yoongi huffed. "Of course it is."
Jungkook hesitated, biting his tongue because god what an embarrassing thing to
ask-
"Spit it out already, Jungkook."
"Is he my soulmate?"
Yoongi paused, and Jungkook swore that he was doing this on purpose because his
heart was racing and his thoughts were a jumbled mess.
"Probably." Yoongi paused thoughtfully, before adding, "Depends."
"On what?"
The elder glanced towards his arm again. "You got two names written on there,
kid?"
Jungkook froze. He gulped heavily, suddenly unable to make use of his tongue.
"Maybe?"
Yoongi gave him a calculated look. "Then maybe." He got to his feet, stretching
out his arms before turned towards what Jungkook assumed must be the kitchen.
"You must be hungry. I hope ramen's okay for you, because right now it's all
we've got."
Jungkook nodded, mouth already watering at the thought because he couldn't even
remember the last time he's had a warm meal. Yoongi went into the kitchen, and
the next few minutes were filled with the sound of pots and pans clattering and
water running, and it was so domestic that Jungkook just about burst into
tears.
But before he could get to swept away in nostalgia, the figure in his lap
suddenly stirred, and Jungkook held his breath in the hope that if he was still
enough the other boy would just go back to sleep. Taehyung nestled his face
into the warmth of Jungkook's lap, before sleepily blinking open his eyes and
letting out a yawn that the Jungkook could only describe as precious. Taehyung
glanced up at him, and when their eyes met he jolted up immediately, face
flushing and mouth sputtering up nonsense.
"Oh my go- why am- what did- how- Yoongi-hyung!!"
Yoongi poked his head in from the kitchen, eyebrow raised. "Finally awake then,
sleeping beauty?" He didn't wait for a response, only rolled his eyes and went
back to whatever he was doing in the kitchen. But not before giving Jungkook a
knowing and also a warning look.
Taehyung stared at Jungkook with wide eyes, wide, warm, pure, brown eyes that
the younger immediately fell in love with. "Oh my god, this is so embarrassing!
I'm so sorry if I made you uncomfortable-"
"It's fine." Jungkook gulped. Taehyung's voice was as soft as silk.
"I didn't hurt you, did I?" Taehyung still looked concerned, quickly doing a
sweep over Jungkook's injuries with his eyes. "Are you feeling alright?"
Jungkook nodded, unable to take his own eyes away from Taehyung's face. "Y-
yeah." He nearly winced when his voice cracked a little. "Yeah. I feel much
better."
He gave a small smile, almost shy. "Well, considering how roughed up you were
before, I'm glad to hear it. I'm Taehyung, by the way."
Jungkook nodded, but didn't give his own name in return. It felt like it was
happening way too soon and god he wasn't nearly prepared enough for this.
Taehyung frowned slightly at the lack of response, but didn't push the matter. 
"You look kind of familiar..." Taehyung leaned in closer, a little too close if
you ask Jungkook. "Have we met somewhere before?"
Jungkook met Taehyung's eyes, before immediately blushing at their intensity
becausewow he had nice eyes, and suddenly becoming interested with the state of
his torn up boots. "I don't think so."
"Hmm... You have one of those faces that I just can't seem to place.. "
Taehyung eyed him suspiciously, before a smile reappeared on his face and he
moved back out of Jungkook's personal space. "Or maybe our meeting was just
destiny!"
"Destiny?" He echoed.
Taehyung nodded with enthusiasm, eyes sparkling in wonder. "Yeah! You know,
like when you see someone and you just know they're important. Like when I met
Yoongi-hyung! It's like fate, right?"
Something sharp and unpleasant throbbed in Jungkook's chest at his words. "You
believe in fate, then?"
Taehyung looked thoughtful for a second, but there was no real hesitation when
he responded. "I guess I do. It's a nice thought to have, isn't it? Believing
that there are some people bound together by the red strings of fate. I mean,
isn't that why soulmates exist?"
Jungkook's heart was pounding. Fate. "I never really liked the idea of fate
determining something... like that."
Taehyung had the audacity to giggle at Jungkook's gruff response, and the boy
instinctively crossed his hands over his chest defensively. "It's not funny." 
"Maybe your perspective is just off." The brunette lightly patted at Jungkook's
head, his expression warm and open. "Fate doesn't control us. Or at least,
that's what I'd like to believe. The way I see it, fate just helps us along.
But humans can determine their own fate, and can make their own choices,
right?"
Jungkook couldn't seem to look away, too caught up in the way Taehyung's eyes
glowed like amber and that way Taehyung's soft voice swept him through the
stars. Taehyung, Taehyung, Taehyung.
"It might seem childish, but I find the idea of destiny reassuring." Jungkook
thought that Taehyung's smile was too pure for this world. "It's otherworldly
really; knowing that some things happen for a reason. Believing that the ones
we love will come back to us someday."
That struck a chord deep within Jungkook, resonating painfully like a sudden
strike to his heart. Taehyung was too pure, too good. Jungkook himself had
given up believing a long time ago. His heart had been broken a few too many
times, and after a while picking up the pieces of his innocence became more
trouble that it was worth. Jungkook didn't need hope, though a small part of
him still longed for such a fickle thing.
Taehyung's words shot a little too close to home for Jungkook's liking.
"So you were the one that found me?" If Taehyung noticed the sudden change of
topic, he didn't mention it. 
Instead he nodded shyly. "Well, it's more accurate to say that you were the one
who found me." Taehyung pointed out. "You were so injured that you could barely
walk. Are you sure you're alright?"
"I've had worse." Jungkook shrugged, wincing when the movement made pain flare
in his shoulder.
Taehyung frowned. "That doesn't invalidate the pain you're feeling now."
Taehyung moved back a little to get a better look at Jungkook, once again
eyeing over his injuries.
Jungkook didn't really know what to say to that, so he gave up on salvaging the
conversation all together. The remainder of their time alone together was
filled with Jungkook fidgeting nervously in his seat as Taehyung looked him
over. Thoroughly. The younger couldn't bring himself to bring up his own
discomfort, because Taehyung didn't even seem aware of his actions himself. He
was simply looking over him to assess his wounds and possibly also to check him
out. Which was fine. Probably.
When Yoongi finally came out into the living room holding a large steaming pot
of what he presumed to be ramen, Jungkook couldn't help but exhale in relief
for the distraction.
He raised an eyebrow at the questionable atmosphere, but otherwise didn't
comment, which Jungkook was grateful for. Yoongi silently served them their
meals, scowling whenever Jungkook reached out to try and help. The three of
them ate in near silence, ("What, only the injured people get to eat? Fuck
that, I'm hungry.") and Jungkook happily devoured his meal with his slightly
less broken hand. Taehyung beamed in approval at his healthy appetite.
When they were finished, Taehyung chirpily gathered up the dishes and delivered
them to the kitchen. He popped his head back in to give the seated pair a
radiant smile. "This should only take a minute! Yoongi-hyung, keep our guest
company, and try not to be such a grouchy-pants!"
Taehyung retreated back into the kitchen with a small giggle. Seconds later,
the sink was turned on and he started to hum as he did the dishes.
"Is he always so..." Jungkook wasn't really sure how to finish his description,
but Yoongi seemed to get it anyways.
Yoongi grinned, wry but fond as he glanced towards where Taehyung was pattering
about in the other room. "Pretty much. Cute, right?"
Jungkook's face felt unreasonably hot at that.
"So," Yoongi turned back towards him on the couch. "Real talk. How's this gonna
pan out, kid?"
"I-" Jungkook's hands clenched into fists in his lap. "I appreciate everything
you guys have done for me, really, but-"
"You can't stay." Yoongi finished for him. He slumped back into the cushions.
"Why? Is it cause you're on the run, or what not?" His voice was only slightly
sarcastic, and Jungkook understood because his excuse was so vague.
Jungkook could only nod. His eyes glanced over to the kitchen, where Taehyung
could still be heard humming what sounded distinctly like a girl group song.
Jungkook wouldn't be surprised if he was dancing along as well. 
Every ounce of his mind, body, and soul wanted to keep Taehyung close. But the
looming reminder of what he was on the run from, made him sure that he couldn't
stay. Taehyung was better off without him, safer. The mere thought of Taehyung
being in danger because of him made him want to cry. He couldn't afford to be
so selfish. At least for now.
"Well, do you at least have a plan?" Yoongi pressed, leaning in with eyes that
were way too sharp. "You're living on the streets, aren't you? No job? No
college? What's the plan?"
"I'm working on it."
Yoongi huffed, running a hand through his hair and suddenly looking both tired
and exasperated. "Well that's reassuring." His tone was laced with prickly
sarcasm.
Jungkook stared down at his hands, not really having anything he could add to
make it seem any better than it was. Because honestly, it did suck. Jungkook
didn't even know if would eat dinner tonight, let only have a way to fix his
life planed out.
"And Taehyung?" Yoongi asked.
Jungkook didn't say anything, because once again he didn't have an answer to
give the older man. Taehyung. The last thing he needed right now was another
person to put in danger. And anyways, Jungkook had been surviving just fine
without knowing his soulmate. And Taehyung had a nice home, and he had Yoongi.
He would be better off without a thug like Jungkook, safer even.
"You're not gonna tell him, are you?"
Yoongi's words were blunt, but not harsh. Mostly just defeated. Jungkook looked
back at the man. Yoongi's eyes were dark and knowing, like he had already been
expecting this outcome.
"No, I'm not." Jungkook licked at his lips, trying to find the right words. The
less they know, the safer they are. "Maybe one day, when things.... aren't like
they are now."
Yoongi nodded, his chin dropping to rest on his chest, arms crossed and posture
lethargic. "Alright, kid. You just go do what you gotta do, yeah?"
Jungkook swallowed down the surge of affection he suddenly felt for the older
man. There was something so comforting about Yoongi, even though they had only
just met he felt a lot like Jungkook's older brother. He stood up and turned
towards Yoongi, bowing at the waist respectfully, ignoring the twinging ache of
his muscles. 
"Thank you, Yoongi-sshi."
Yoongi waved him off. "God no. Just call me hyung."
"Alright, Yoongi-hyung."
Jungkook made his way to the front door, his hands trembling as he reached for
the doorknob. Every bone in his body protested, not because of his injuries,
but because leaving Taehyung's side felt like the biggest mistake he could ever
make in his life. Taehyung, who was still completely unaware of what was going
on, still humming and probably playing with the bubbles while washing the
dishes. 
"Jungkook-ah," he looked over his shoulder as Yoongi called after him. Yoongi
got to his feet, making his way towards the younger as he scribbled something
down on a slip of paper hurriedly. "Stay safe out there. If you need anything,
just call. Don't be a stubborn dumbass. Stubborn dumbasses end up dead."
Jungkook nodded, cracking a slight smile as Yoongi shoved the piece of paper
into his back pocket like he was embarrassed. 
"And Jungkook-ah, you damn well better come back. He needs you."
 
****
 
"Where's the boy?" Taehyung asked as he stepped out of the kitchen, drying his
hands on his pants and looking around expectantly, like he expected the boy to
return from a trip to the bathroom. 
"Left." Yoongi said simply, slumped over the couch like a sack of something
heavy and immovable. 
Taehyung froze in his tracks, ears suddenly ringing. "What do you mean?"
"He had to go, Tae."
Taehyung swallowed something heavy in his throat. "Oh." He winced when his
voice cracked. 
Yoongi of course, caught onto his emotions immediately. He finally looked up at
him, opening his arms in a sign of welcome. Taehyung wasted no time in rushing
inside his grip, cuddling into his hyung's neck and calming himself in the
physical comfort. 
"I don't understand why I'm so upset, hyung." Taehyung snuffled into Yoongi's
shirt.
"Yeah, I know."
"I just thought he would stay."
"Yeah, I know."
"He seemed like he really needed help."
"Yeah, I know."
"And I thought that...."
"Yeah, I know."
"Is that all you can say now?"
"Yeah, I know." Yoongi smiled down affectionately at Taehyung, ruffling at his
hair so the younger giggled quietly. 
"Don't worry Tae, we'll see him again."
"Thanks, hyung."
"I mean, probably."
"You suck, hyung."
***** I Need U *****
Chapter Notes
     Jimin
Jimin wasn't quite sure what to think when Jin arrived at the apartment,
covered in blood.
Hoseok, of course, was the first to imagine the worst case scenario. He
immediately jumped to his feet and rushed to where Jin was stepping out of his
shoes, eyes wide and panicky. "Hyung! Is that blood? Are you okay? What
happened? How-"
"Hobi, I'm fine." Jin smiled reassuringly and gently ruffled the younger's
hair. Hoseok relaxed instantly, leaning slightly into the elder's hand, always
one for physical contact. "It's only staining my sleeves, and it's not even my
blood."
"Then whose blood is it?" Jimin's eyes furrowed in confusion. "Was there some
kind of emergency?" He asked from his spot on the couch. When Seokjin had
received a phone call he had practically ran out the door, but that was over 3
hours ago. Was there actually some sort of emergency?
Jin's smile faltered a little, and Jimin could tell that underneath his cool
facade he was concerned. "Yeah. Just some kid Namjoon's coworker found in an
alley. Poor thing was pretty roughed up."
Jimin stiffened. He hated hearing about kids being hurt or bullied or abused,
it just didn't sit right with him. Really, he just didn't like violence at all.
Memories of screaming and crying rang in Jimin's ears, but he resolutely shook
his head to fight them back. It wasn't your fault, he silently tried  and
failed to convince himself.
Hoseok frowned. "Oh my god that's terrible! Is he okay? Or is it a she? Did you
take them to a hospital? Are they-"
"Hoseokie, he's going to be fine." Jin interrupted his panicky ranting and
patted at his head calmingly. "And he didn't want to go to the hospital. But
I'll drop by tomorrow to check up on him."
Jimin's eyes furrowed in confusion. "He didn't want to go the hospital? I mean,
no onewants to go the hospital, but if he's injured-"
The eldest shook his head, shoulders drooping slightly in resignation. "It's
not just that. He's a street kid. It sounded like he was trying to stay hidden
from someone." 
"That's so sketchy." Hoseok commented. Jimin bit back whatever snappy words
about Hoseok being too judgmental climbed up his throat. He knew that Hoseok
didn't mean any harm.
Jin's smile returned to his face as he led Hoseok back towards the couch where
Jimin was still sitting. "So, how were your guys' day?" 
Hoseok instantly brightened, talking animatedly about what he had learned in
class that day with an enthusiasm that rivaled the sun. Hoseok oftentimes
worried too much, so the distraction technique was always a useful way to keep
the sensitive guy happy and bright. Jimin didn't mention the sudden topic
change, but shot Jin a meaningful look to get across that he knew.
While Hoseok went on a tangent story about how some kid in his dance class
ripped his pants doing a split, (which even Jimin had to crack a smile at
hearing), Jimin quietly pulled out his phone to text Namjoon. Something about
the whole situation was bothering him, a sinking feeling in his gut and a
restlessness in his limbs. He wanted to know if the kid was alright. 
The newest addition to their little group lived in an apartment across town,
and since Jin had met him at an underground concert of some sort (which he
would absolutely not divulge to the younger pair, talk about suspicious), six
months ago, Jin practically lived there with him. The pair were almost always
together, aside from when Namjoon had work and Jin had class. Lately, Jin only
spent the night with his actual roommates a couple times a week.
This closeness wasn't exactly a surprise to Jimin and Hoseok, it was how
soulmates were supposed to be. The younger roommates often had to reassure Jin
that he was not abandoning them by spending more time with his soulmate. The
oldest was too over protective sometimes, in Jimin's opinion. He wished he
would be just a bit more selfish.
Jimin would give anything to meet his own soulmates. The names inked on his arm
tingled at his sudden awareness of them.
 
To: Namjoonie-hyung
hyung, could I have your coworker's phone number?
 
Namjoon replied almost immediately. Jimin wasn't surprised, he was pretty sure
Namjoon only worked at night and that his classes were all online. 
 
To: Jiminie
y wats up
wat co-worker?
 
To: Namjoonie-hyung
Yoongi-ssi
hyung told us what happened with that kid they found. I was hoping to ask him
about it.
 
To: Jiminie
thats a little out of the blue, isnt it
 
To: Namjoonie-hyung
tbh yeah it is.
I just have a weird feeling about it.
 
To: Jiminie
idk jimin, suga-hyungs kinda prickly to strangers. and non-strangers.
 
To: Namjoonie-hyung
it's fine hyung, I've been meaning to get around to meeting him anyways. u talk
about how amazing he is all the time
i also wanted his advice on a piece I'm stuck on. you said he's some sort of
musical genius, right?
 
It wasn't a total lie. Jimin had been stuck on one of his latest ballads, but
the idea to ask Suga for help had only just occurred to him. Namjoon took a
minute to reply. No doubt, he was over analyzing everything, as he often did.
 
To: Jiminie
i thought u were a dance major
 
To: Namjoonie-hyung
I'm a dual dance and voice major, hyung
I thought you knew me
 
To: Jiminie
o LOL
sorry jimin
i forgot
 
To: Namjoonie-hyung
*cough cough
so?
 
To: Jiminie
fine. i'll send it to you later
just don't annoy him too much
he'll actually kill me and my body will never be recovered
 
Jimin smiled, giggling softly into his hand. He waved off Jin when he looked
over at him questionably. Hoseok was still talking about his day like the
adorable hyung he was.
 
To: Namjoonie-hyung
thanks hyung!
 
***** Lost *****
Chapter Notes
     Tbh idk why my organization was so terrible.
     Warning: smut, sub drop, angst
Taehyung hasn't felt quite the same since the mysterious boy left.
It was stupid, really. Really stupid. The two didn't even know each other.
Hell, Taehyung didn't even know the boy's name. The pair were practically
strangers, with the only thing binding them together being a single
chance encounter in an alley way outside of a nightclub.
And anyways, it was Taehyung who had saved him, so if anything the other boy
should be the one who feels some sort of emotional connection or sense of
gratitude towards Taehyung. So really, Taehyung shouldn't care that he left. He
shouldn't feel attached. There was no reasonable explanation for missing the
other boy.
And yet...
"Tae, get the hell off of me or I'll actually attack you."
Taehyung only burrowed in closer to Yoongi's warmth, well aware that the
older's bark was way worse than his bite. For Taehyung, anyways.
"Kim Taehyung, I swear to god." Taehyung felt the older shifting beneath him on
the bed, trying to shove Taehyung off so that he could sit up.
Taehyung had sneaked into his hyung's room sometime during the night, seeking
comfort after about an hour of tossing and turning. He had felt the
helplessness slowly creeping up on him, stalking him like a lion that was just
waiting for the opportunity to rip into Taehyung's flesh. But Yoongi could
always keep away the bad feelings; the panic, the fear, the self-hatred. Yoongi
was Taehyung's safe place, so it was not uncommon for the younger to take
refuge in Yoongi's bed. The dark haired man had grumbled unhappily at being
woken up, but at the time had been too tired to take any action and just
allowed the younger to stay. But now Taehyung was lying across Yoongi's body
like an overfed koala, and Yoongi seriously needed topee.
"But hyung, you're so comfy." There was something about the softness to
Taehyung's usual teasing voice that made Yoongi pause, and Taehyung felt a hand
reach up to brush back his bangs from his forehead. 
"Tae, I need to get up." His voice was softer, and Taehyung felt warmth and
affection crawl through his skin wherever Yoongi was touching him. But today it
wasn't enough. Today he felt extra empty, he needed extra love. Today Taehyung
didn't feel like enough.
Why does everyone leave?
Taehyung curled up tighter, fingers clenching into the fabric of Yoongi's t-
shirt, knowing that he was being selfish but being too weak to hold it
together. This familiar emptiness in his chest hadn't plagued Taehyung
inmonths, and the drops had been coming less and less frequently because Yoongi
really was trying his best to piece him back together.
Taehyung stayed silent, but internally he was trying his very best to compose
himself, to keep himself from dropping. To keep himself from wanting to drop.
The mysterious boy's beautiful face appeared in his head, accompanied by the
distant sound of children giggling. Taehyung could feel his resistance grow
weaker with every passing second.
Yoongi was quiet as he no doubt measured Taehyung's mood. His fingers carded
back through Taehyung's hair, resting on the nape of his neck and petting until
Taehyung started to shiver. "Is it a bad day today?"
Taehyung felt shame flush his cheeks, and he lowered his head and refused to
meet the older's searching gaze. Not for the first time, he hated himself. He
hated how much he relied on his hyung, how much burden he placed on his
shoulders even though Taehyung was positive that he definitely wasn't worth it.
Most notably, he hated himself for always being so weak.
Yoongi seemed to sense his thoughts, brushing his fingers soothingly over
Taehyung's knuckles, which Taehyung then noticed were clenched a little too
tightly around Yoongi's shirt. "It's okay, kitten, hyung will take care of
you."
The pet name instantly killed what little hold he had left and had Taehyung sub
dropping, his eyes glazing over and his body becoming pliant. He felt his
control slip away, giving in to his needs and allowing his consciousness to
recede back. He let out a small whimper as Yoongi started to shift Taehyung off
of his body.
"Don't worry, I just need to go to the bathroom. After that, do you wanna have
breakfast with me, kitten?" Yoongi asked affectionately, sitting up with
Taehyung pulled to his side.
Taehyung nodded, and then the pair were getting up from the bed, Yoongi being
extra careful with Taehyung in his most vulnerable state; physically and
mentally. Yoongi left Taehyung sitting on the edge of the bed as he continued
to the bathroom, smiling reassuringly when the younger frowned at Yoongi's
departure, a silent promise to return shortly. And he would. This rarely ever
happened, but when Taehyung was in his head space Yoongi didn't like
leaving him alone. Any damage done to his fragile, impressionable mind could be
catastrophic. Yoongi was glad that he didn't have to work until tomorrow night.
By the time Yoongi had finished his business, Taehyung had already hopped off
the bed and stumbled around Yoongi's bedroom to search through his drawers.
When Yoongi exited the bathroom, he saw that Taehyung had already changed into
his preferred outfit; one of Yoongi's softest over-sized sweaters that hung
past Taehyung's hands and just barely covered the bottom of Yoongi's underwear,
which were fitted to the boy's thighs and hips in a manner that never failed to
make Yoongi gulp at the sight of it. Taehyung just liked feeling close to his
hyung, and this need was only magnified when he sub dropped. He needed to
belong to someone. 
Plus, from the way Yoongi's eyes predictably dropped to his exposed legs, he
got the feeling that the older approved.
Yoongi huffed, but Taehyung could tell that he wasn't actually annoyed. Yoongi
grabbed him by the hand and led him to the kitchen, Taehyung trailing after
obediently with wide, frighteningly trusting eyes. 
The older boosted him onto the kitchen counter before setting to work bringing
out what he would need. Taehyung watched from his perch on the counter top as
Yoongi bustled around the kitchen, his legs swinging back and forth childishly.
"What do you wanna eat?" Yoongi asked, pulling open the fridge and analyzing
its contents. 
Taehyung blinked, mind blurry as he processed the words. "Whatever you wanna
eat, hyung." He just wanted to be good for his hyung.
Yoongi nodded, probably having expected such a response. "How about pancakes
then? With chocolate chips?" Chocolate chip pancakes were Taehyung's favorite.
Taehyung smiled, nodding shyly. He was especially sensitive and compliant at
the moment, much different from his normally bright and bouncy personality.
When he was like this, Taehyung became extremely dependent on Yoongi's
affection, and would likely willingly do anything to feel like he's earned such
love.
Yoongi started on the batter, humming softly to himself as he worked. Normally
it was Taehyung who made breakfast, since Yoongi usually didn't want anything
to do with mornings. But when Taehyung needed him he was all too willing to
step up and take care of his dongsaeng. If Taehyung's thoughts weren't so
fuzzy, he would have felt guilty. But right now he was just content, sitting
quietly and feeling like he was being a good boy for Yoongi. Any deeper
insecurities were likely too complex for Taehyung's addled mind to comprehend.
When their breakfast was set on the table, Yoongi began to carefully lift
Taehyung up under his arms to set him on the floor. Instead, Taehyung pulled
him in closer and locked his legs around Yoongi's waist, eyes filled with the
shy innocence of a child as he asked in a small voice, "Carry me?"
A second later Taehyung felt ashamed. He was bigger than his hyung; taller and
although he was skinny he was still a little heavier. He was too large and too
old for his hyung to carry around, and he felt bad for asking. Shame felt
weirdly intense while he was in a drop; like it would consume him whole.
But just as the younger opened his mouth to take it back, Yoongi's arms snaked
around Taehyung's waist and he was lifting him up off the counter like he
weighed nothing. Taehyung yelped, instinctively clinging tighter around
Yoongi's neck as the older rested Taehyung's weight on his hip.
Yoongi carried him to the kitchen table, showing no signs of being bothered.
Taehyung shuffled his face into the crook of his hyung's neck, smiling
dreamily. 
When the pair were plopped into their seats, Taehyung's chair pulled in close
to Yoongi's, Taehyung was happy to dig into the chocolaty pancakes in front of
him. Yoongi took his time, sipping on his coffee and watching affectionately as
Taehyung scarfed down his breakfast.
"Is it good?" Yoongi asked, slightly amused.
Taehyung nodded enthusiastically, and Yoongi almost forgot that he wasn't in
his right state of mind until he saw the glazed openness of his eyes. The
unwavering trust- the purity. He gulped, reminding himself that one bad comment
could seriously wreck Taehyung's head up, and that Yoongi couldn't afford to
forget it. Taehyung was terrifyingly fragile, and would take anything that was
said or done to him while he was in this state directly and unwaveringly to
heart.
"They're so yummy, hyung!"
Yoongi smiled. "I'm glad." He wasn't really big on large breakfasts, normally
sated by the coffee and toast the Taehyung made him most mornings, but he took
a few bites of the fluffy pancakes himself. 
"What do you wanna do today, kitten?" Yoongi asked between bites, amused with
how Taehyung was dousing his plate with more syrup. 
Taehyung blinked, eyes still bleary as he looked at his hyung. He bit at his
lips nervously, and Yoongi reached out to wipe at some syrup from the corner of
his mouth with a napkin. Taehyung blushed. "Kitten doesn't care, just wanna
stay with hyung."
Taehyung was rewarded with another gummy smile, the kind that Yoongi didn't
show to anyone but him. Taehyung beamed back, before happily going back to
devouring his breakfast. 
After the pair finished their meal, Taehyung washing it down with a glass of
milk and Yoongi with his coffee, Taehyung was quick to help Yoongi clean up the
dishes and dump them in the sink. Yoongi turned on the water and picked up the
sponge, beginning the dishes with the younger huddled at his side. Taehyung
picked up the drying towel, doing his best to help out as his hyung carefully
handed him the washed dishes.
Taehyung's movements were lethargic and uncoordinated due to his state of mind
and he was probably doing more to hinder than to help, but Yoongi only gave him
an approving kiss on the cheek. Taehyung beamed, carefully drying the plates
and placing them in the drying rack. He didn't drop a single plate.
When the kitchen was clean, Taehyung was quick to cuddle up under a soft
blanket on the couch, nuzzling his cheeks happily into the soft fabric. Yoongi
stifled a laugh at the sight, making his way towards the television.
"Movie?" He asked the younger.
Taehyung nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yes please!"
Yoongi swiped the first movie he saw on Taehyung's 'special shelf', which
turned out to be Finding Nemo. He popped the DVD in and returned to the sofa,
about to sit down normally until sweater-cloaked hands grabbed at his wrist and
pulled him closer to Taehyung. Taehyung's giggle was cute enough for Yoongi to
follow along without complaint, and suddenly he found himself with a lap-full
of squirming kitten and a face-full of fluffy brown hair. 
As the opening credits appeared on the screen, Taehyung was making himself
comfortable over Yoongi, his cheek rested on the older's chest and his eyes
focused on the screen.
Yoongi smiled again, hand reaching up to wrap around the boy's waist, locking
him in place. Taehyung didn't mind.
 
***
 
Yoongi woke up to a warm pair of lips kissing at his cheek.
He groaned, blinking his eyes open to see that the last movie had ended and he
must have fallen asleep. Yoongi and Taehyung had spent the day cuddled up on
the couch, watching kids movies and munching on the kind of snacks that Yoongi
would normally scold Taehyung for eating. Yoongi noted that the room was now
much darker, the evening sunlight and the flickering of the television being
the room's only source of light.
Finally coming to his senses, Yoongi finally noticed that it was Taehyung
himself who was the source of the kisses. The younger was still curled up at
his side, craning his neck to place delicate kisses on the side of Yoongi's
face. Yoongi couldn't help but smile at the rather adorable display of
affection.
"What are you doing, kitten?"
Taehyung jolted in surprise, eyes wide and blushing at the realization that the
elder was now awake. He licked at his lips nervously, looking unsure of what to
say.
"Well?" Yoongi prompted teasingly, reveling in dropped Taehyung's shyness. "Use
your words."
"I-" Taehyung stuttered out. He visibly gulped, once again wetting his lips
before continuing shakily. "Hyung, I w-want you."
Yoongi's eyes widened, because oh. 
"Oh." He voiced in surprise, though thinking about it now he probably shouldn't
have been. When Taehyung was in this state it was not uncommon for him to seek
physical intimacy as an outlet. "Are you sure?"
Taehyung nodded, cheeks rosy as he leaned in to place another kiss on Yoongi's
cheek, this time much closer to his lips.
Yoongi grabbed the younger by the shoulders and gently pushed him away, making
sure to look Taehyung squarely in the eyes as he asked, "Safe word?"
Taehyung's eyes were still glassy, but he was aware enough to understand;
ducking his head shyly and responding with a soft voice. "Giraffe."
Yoongi nodded his head in approval, satisfied. He finally reached out to take
the younger into his arms, making him yelp as Yoongi lifted him up bridal style
and carried him to his bedroom. Taehyung's arms wrapped tightly around Yoongi's
neck, his face burrowed in the crook of his shoulder. Yoongi shivered slightly
as he felt feather soft kisses start to brush across his skin.
When they reached their destination, Yoongi was quick to lay Taehyung down on
the bed. 
"Hyung, please." Taehyung whimpered, squirming underneath him and staring up
with big, watery eyes.
Yoongi felt something like guilt tug at his stomach at his body's reaction.
Sure, they had done this kind of thing before, and he really felt no shame in
it because they were both consenting adults and Yoongi loved Taehyung to bits,
and especially because a part of Yoongi knew that Taehyung needed their moments
together. Taehyung was broken in ways that Yoongi couldn't even fathom, and the
elder would sure as hell do everything in his power to keep Taehyung together.
But this time felt different, because he knew. Taehyung has a soulmate. A
soulmate who isn't just a faceless possibility somewhere across the planet, but
an actual human being that lives in the same city as them that Yoongi has
confirmed with his own two eyes. Jungkook seemed like a good kid; strong and
reliable in ways that Taehyung would need him to be. 
Yoongi found himself hesitating, his lips just centimeters away from Taehyung's
pouty mouth, their breaths mingling as he stared into the other's eyes. Yoongi
couldn't quite put his finger on what he was feeling, but he knew that
something just felt wrong.
Yoongi's hesitance made Taehyung start to panic, his addled mind desperate for
affection and assurance suddenly worried that his hyung didn't want him
anymore. "Please! K-kitten will be so- so good for hyung-!"
Yoongi shushed the younger gently. He couldn't find the strength to deny
Taehyung when he was looking up at his hyung with such vulnerable eyes.
Yoongi leaned in to brush their lips together, petting at his sides
indulgently. 
"Alright, kitten. Hyung's got you."
 
***
 
"Hyung-!" Taehyung gasped out, eyes clenched shut. Yoongi smirked at the sight
of him; naked with his legs spread and trembling, held up by his hands that
were clenching into the skin behind his knees. He whimpered as Yoongi shoved in
his fingers with a little extra force, curling up right into his prostate with
practiced precision. His cheeks were still flushed from when Yoongi had taken
him apart with just his tongue, licking and nibbling in all of the places that
made Taehyung's skin dance with fire.
Taehyung looked positively delectable.
Yoongi gulped. He leaned over to give Taehyung a slow, filthy kiss. When he
pulled away, the other boy whined in protest.
"Turn around," Yoongi commanded, pulling out his fingers.
Taehyung eagerly released his legs and turned away from Yoongi on the bed,
dropping his chest to lay flat with his hips propped up. Yoongi took a moment
to appreciate the delicate curve of his spine. Taehyung grew impatient,
shimmying his hips to try and entice the elder.
Yoongi growled, fingers gripping into the younger's plush hips as he shoved
down his own pants just enough and yanked backwards. Taehyung gasped in
surprise, choking on a moan at the feeling of Yoongi impatiently pressing his
bulge up against the swell of his ass. He was so close.
Yoongi was quick to slick on an adequate amount of lube. As impatient as they
both were, the last thing he wanted to do was make it too painful for Taehyung.
In his current state of mind, he probably wouldn't even mind the pain until
tomorrow, and Yoongi was always careful to make sure he never took advantage of
that.
"Please, hyung! Need you inside! Please!"
With a groan Yoongi lined up and pushed inside, fingers tightening their grip
on Taehyung's flesh at howtight he was.
"Hold still." He grunted, shifting upwards so that he could use his weight to
press in. Taehyung's thighs trembled as he struggled to follow the command.
He slid his way inside, shoving past the resisting muscle until the sharp bones
of his hips hit flat against Taehyung's ass. Yoongi let out a sigh as he
bottomed out, before giving an experimental grind that had Taehyung crying out.
Yoongi's eyelashes fluttered. It was almost too good. "Relax," he said to the
younger, massaging at his tensed thighs.
A high whine pitched in Taehyung's throat as he spread his knees a little more.
Yoongi roughly rutted his hips in a few times to test it out, groaning in
approval when Taehyung let out a few frantic noises.
"Such a good kitten." Yoongi cooed after he finally felt Taehyung relax again,
giving a sharp thrust that made a cry and a shudder wrack Taehyung's body. It
had been weeks since the pair had last had sex, and Yoongi could feel it from
the way Taehyung squeezed around him so perfectly. "So tight for hyung."
Taehyung whimpered, body limp and compliant, melting like butter under and
around Yoongi. Yoongi was plenty endowed, and even with Taehyung doing his best
to relax his insides, it was still a very snug fit. 
"Kitten takes cock so well." Yoongi praised, reaching out a hand to stroke
approvingly at Taehyung's back. Taehyung shuddered in response, his words
sending endorphins of blissful happiness through his system. He focused on
making his muscles relax around the intrusion, nearly passing out from pleasure
when Yoongi slid home against his prostrate.
With a satisfied grunt at Taehyung's sensitivity, Yoongi began his thrusting.
Yoongi's pants were still bunched up at his knees, and his shirt was still on,
but being clothed brought about a certain sense of dominance that he knew made
Taehyung high with submission. Taehyung moaned and cried out at every harsh
thrust, eyes filling up with tears of pleasure as the other leaned over him and
fucked him into the bed. The pleasure was almost too much, each snap of
Yoongi's hips almost too precise.
And yet, it wasn't enough.
"H-hyung," Taehyung panted softly, Yoongi's fucking literally knocking the
breath out of him. "Please... Deeper. Hyung, p-please, kitten needs it!"
Yoongi smirked. "You want more, kitten?" Taehyung nodded his head almost
hysterically. Yoongi suddenly stopped his movement, buried to the hilt inside
the younger.
"Wha- hyung?" Taehyung whined, swaying his hips to try and continue the
movement, squirming and writhing desperately as he effectively tried to fuck
himself back on Yoongi's cock. Having Yoongi inside of him was making him feel
so deliriously full and wonderful, but the loss of the delicious friction
against his inner walls was enough to have Taehyung begging for more.
Yoongi's hands slid off Taehyung's trembling waist to encircle his midsection;
one hand on the small of his back and one pressing at his lower abdomen beneath
his belly button. Without a word, he gripped Taehyung and pulled firmly
backward, grinding his hips at the same moment so that he was as deep as he
could possibly be.
Taehyung sobbed at the harsh stimulation to his prostate, feeling so thoroughly
fucked with his hyung's cock buried so deeply inside of him, reaching every
part of him that needed to be reached and more. It was so intensely intimate,
and Yoongi had to shush him as he cried and pleaded, stroking lovingly at the
sensitive skin of Taehyung's hips.
Taehyung was in bliss. He felt so completely at the mercy of Yoongi; so loved
and desired and good for his hyung. Taehyung felt submissive and vulnerable and
wonderful and it was everything he ever wanted.
Yoongi's dick twitched, and Taehyung gasped as he felt the movement so deep
inside of him.
"You want it here?" Yoongi whispered lowly in his ear, making the younger
shiver with desire as he pointedly grinded in slowly. Yes. The word was lodged
in his throat.
Yoongi gave a sharp buck, and Taehyung's mouth dropped open in a soundless
moan.
"Well, you're going to have to wait a little bit longer, kitten."
And the thrusting picked back up, merciless and sharp, each movement carefully
aimed and brutally followed through. Taehyung was trapped in his silent
moaning, his mind clouded pink with pleasure as he was fucked within an inch of
his life. 
Yoongi was hitting all the right spots. He knew all of Taehyung's most
sensitive places; the patch of skin behind his ear, the line of his spine where
Yoongi was tracing a finger down, the soft skin of his shoulder where Yoongi
was placing open-mouthed kisses as he quickened his pace. The noises coming
from Taehyung's lips, accompanied by the sharp slapping of skin on skin, were
positively lewd.
The pleasure was steadily building in Yoongi's gut, and he moaned loudly at the
sight of Taehyung squirming and twitching desperately beneath him. "Kitten, you
close?"
Taehyung processed the words through his haze of lust and submission, nodding
frantically as wordless pleas spilled from his pink lips. Yoongi purred. "Such
a pretty kitten. Gonna come just from hyung's cock fucking you?"
Taehyung choked on another moan, lashes fluttering against his cheeks, still
pressed into the mattress. Yoongi felt sharp, dominating arousal tinge his
senses.
"Don't worry, hyung will fuck you so good. Gonna make you come all over
yourself."
Taehyung was growing increasingly desperate to orgasm with every word that fell
from his hyung's mouth, his head twisting around to try and look at the person
fucking him from behind. Yoongi's arousal spiked at the sight of him; eyes
dilated and dreamy, mouth swollen and open around his pants, cheeks flushed.
Taehyung looked utterlyfucked.
"Kitten's gonna come on hyung's cock, right? Squeeze the milk right out of
hyung?" Yoongi prompted, and the response was immediate. Taehyung
squirmed underneath him, the soft litheness of his body writhing in pleasure.
"Kitten always feels the best around hyung when he's coming. Like he was made
for warming cocks."
Taehyung begged and pleaded and squirmed, his hole clenching desperately around
the elder's dick at each thrust. Yoongi moaned at the delicious drag of his
cock against Taehyung's hot inner walls.
"Such a good hole." Yoongi praised, leaning up and back so that he could get a
better angle to pick up his thrusting. "Take's cock so well."
"Hyung- hyung please!" Taehying cried out. "Kitten- s-so close!" 
Yoongi leaned his mouth up against Taehyung's ear, and whispered the command.
"Come now."
Taehyung came with a cry, his eyes rolling back in his head and his body
convulsing with his release. Yoongi groaned as the younger's hole fluttered and
tightened around him, picking up his thrusting to milk Taehyung's orgasm. 
"Hyung." Taehyung whimpered pleadingly when the stimulation was becoming too
much. Every thrust sent tingles of aching pleasure straight to his dick, and
Yoongi showed no signs of letting up.
"Just," Yoongi grunted at a particularly rough thrust, eyes closed and grip
tight. "Just a little more."
Taehyung sobbed, wriggling his hips at the intense sensation. Yoongi growled
and pulled his hips back tighter in response, slamming his dick even deeper
inside. "Be good, kitten. Wait till hyung's done."
Taehyung whimpered in response, burrowing his face in the bed sheets as he did
his best to keep his hips propped up and take it for his hyung. Yoongi moaned,
fucking the younger well past the point of oversensitivity. "Good boy."
Yoongi suddenly picked up his pace, thrusting mercilessly until Taehyung was a
sobbing mess. He chased his own orgasm, head tipping back as he focused on the
warm tightness of Taehyung's ass massaging his dick.
"Inside, hyung." Taehyung cried out. "Come inside! W-want it!"
Yoongi leaned over his body to growl in his ear. "You want me to breed you,
kitten?"
"Yes!" He begged tearily. "Please! I-inside-!"
Yoongi pinned down his back, using his weight to plunge down into Taehyung.
With one final snap of his hips he buried himself inside as deep as he could,
angling Taehyung's hips just so to allow his seed to soak in deep. He stilled
as he reached his release inside the younger, pinning Taehyung down as he
squirmed and cried at the sensation on his hyung filling him up.
"Ah-!"
Taehyung convulsed as he came for the second time, shuddering and twitching in
a pleasure that was almost unbearable. Yoongi groaned, savoring the feeling of
being inside Taehyung until the younger's whimpering reminded him that he was
still being pinned to the bed. Yoongi made a move to slide out, but Taehyung
was quick to reach back to grip at Yoongi's bare thighs, pulling him back
closer. Yoongi shivered as his dick fully slid back inside.
"No!" Taehyung said softly. "K-kitten doesn't wanna lose it. I-inside."
Yoongi smiled, reaching out to stroke at Taehyung's hair reassuringly.
"Alright. Do you want me to grab your plug?"
Taehyung nodded shyly, digging his burning face back into the bed. Yoongi felt
another surge of affection overtake him at the sight. "Okay, kitten. I'm gonna
pull out then. Think you can hold it in until I get back?"
"Yes, hyung! Kitten can do it!" 
With one final pat on Taehyung's ass, Yoongi pulled out. He watched
appreciatively as Taehyung clenched around nothing, satisfied with the
knowledge that his release was still flooding his insides.
Yoongi quickly moved to Taehyung's room to grab the plug he kept in his bedside
drawer, despite his own legs feeling like jelly. When he stepped back into the
room, Taehyung was still lying where he had left him, his knees propping up his
ass in a fashion that made Yoongi almost ask for a second round. Any other
night, he might have done just that. But the image of Jungkook's loving gaze
trailing over Taehyung's sleeping form made him restrain himself.
Yoongi slid the plug inside without warning, making Taehyung startle in
surprise at the sudden intrusion. When the plug was settled comfortably,
Taehyung quickly dropped his knees and lay flat on the bed, groaning tiredly.
Yoongi stifled an amused chuckle.
Taehyung turned his head to Yoongi, reaching out an arm towards the elder.
"Cuddles?"
Yoongi of course, had no complaints. 
"Was kitten good?"
"Yes, darling. You were so very good for hyung. Made hyung feel so amazing."
Taehyung smiled to himself, shuffling even closer to Yoongi, their bodies
intertwined and their arms locked around each other. The room was dark and
still, the aftereffects of sex lingering in the air turning the atmosphere
sleepy and comfortable. His face burrowed into Yoongi's shoulder, lips pressing
into Yoongi's skin as he spoke softly.
"Kitten loves hyung so much."
Yoongi smiled sleepily, petting Taehyung's hair affectionately.
"I love you too, kitten."
 
***
 
The first thing Taehyung noticed when he woke up, was that his ass hurt.
He blinked open his eyes, only to see his hyung's sleeping face resting
directly beside him. Yoongi's arms were wrapped tightly around Taehyung's
waist, Taehyung's bare waist, and the intimacy of their position made the
memories of the previous night flood through Taehyung's mind. 
The brunette groaned in mortification. Although this certainly wasn't the first
time, having such kinky sex with his hyung never seemed to get any less
embarrassing the next day.
He shifted to get up, only to feel the anal plug still lodged in his ass. He
flushed bright red despite himself, shimmying out of Yoongi's grip and doing
his best to get up without waking him. When he was finally standing at the foot
of the bed, he couldn't help but bury his face in his hands at his own
embarrassment. 
"I take it you're feeling much better, Taehyung?"
Yoongi's gruff morning voice startled Taehyung out of his thoughts, and when
their eyes met Taehyung only felt more embarrassed. "Hyung, I-m so sorry for-"
"There's nothing to be sorry about." Yoongi said simply, sitting up and
stretching his hands over his head. He was still wearing his T-shirt, but he
had taken off his jeans before they went to bed. 
"But Yoongi-hyung-!" Taehyung tried to protest, but he could barely get a few
words out before Yoongi was interrupting him with a firm stare.
"There's nothing wrong with using your head space."
Taehyung sighed, eyes trained on his feet. "I just feel so weak."
"Tae, nothing about you is weak." There was shuffling on the bed, and suddenly
Yoongi was sitting right in front of Taehyung. "You've been through way more
shit than you deserved. You're the strongest person I know, and you... your
brain's just trying to protect you. You sink into yourself because you need a
safe place."
"But hyung, it's just not normal! And I-"
"You think I give a fuck about what's normal?" Yoongi snapped, his voice sharp
and his eyes sharper as they pinned Taehyung down. "I wouldn't give a shit if
you needed to go on periodic killing sprees if it meant you stayed with me.
Fuck normal."
Taehyung suddenly couldn't speak, startled by the fierceness in his hyung's
expression. Yoongi, while certainly strong-willed, was hardly ever so
passionate about anything. Anything but Taehyung, apparently.
"So stop apologizing for it, Tae. Just let yourself heal."
Taehyung only nodded, unable to meet his hyung's prying eyes. He didn't
entirely agree with Yoongi on the subject, but he didn't want to further upset
his hyung.
"Besides," Yoongi went on. "It's not like I minded."
At that, Taehyung couldn't help but smile. He looked up and rolled his eyes at
the smug grin on Yoongi's face. "Oh shut up!" He was blushing, despite himself.
He turned away and started walking to the door.
"Where are you going?" Yoongi asked.
"I need a shower. Come in my ass doesn't feel quite as nice the morning after."
Yoongi smirked at the thought.
Taehyung felt relief as soon he stepped under the warm spray, the water
soothing his aching muscles and washing away everything that was plastered on
his skin. He let out a sigh, closing his eyes and tipping his head back and
letting the shower soak through his hair.
He yelped when he felt a pair of lips lightly peck at his shoulder, opening his
eyes to see that Yoongi had joined him.
"I feel pretty gross too. Mind if I join?" Yoongi asked casually, already
nudging the younger over to share let the water reach both of their tired
bodies.
Taehyung felt happiness warm his insides. Yoongi was hardly a happy-go-lucky
kind of guy, but the gummy smile on his face was always enough to lift
Taehyung's spirits. He giggled softly, nodding and making more room for his
hyung.
The shower likely wasn't made to hold two people, but neither one of them
seemed to mind the tight space as Yoongi reached around for the shampoo,
globbing it into Taehyung's hair and causing him to squeak in surprise at the
cold.
Taehyung obediently tipped his head and let Yoongi lather it through his hair,
eyes fluttering as Yoongi's fingers massaged his scalp. Yoongi looked all too
amused but didn't comment.
But moments later the tables were turned, Taehyung struggling not to laugh as
he poured the shampoo onto Yoongi's head and the elder scowled indignantly.
Yoongi stayed quiet as Taehyung moved to return the favor, both just focusing
on the other, Taehyung still holding back his amusement for Yoongi's sake. He
couldn't help it, Yoongi looked so soft and cute like this- his hair all wet
and sudsy, pale skin flushed in embarrassment.
Yoongi let it slide. With Taehyung's silky strands in his fingers and warm skin
against his own, his thoughts of Jungkook from the night before seemed to fade
away. Taehyung had that kind of effect on him sometimes.
***** First Love *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Yoongi didn't care much for strangers.
Hell, Yoongi didn't care much for people he knew. The only exception to this
rule was Taehyung. 
Even when the pair had first met, Yoongi couldn't help but favor the quite
young squirt over the other annoying brats in the group home. Quiet. Now, it
was hard to believe that Yoongi ever thought the kid was quiet. But at the
time, he was. 
When Taehyung was first dropped off at their raggedy-ass excuse for a house,
other than a quiet mumble of his name he didn't say a peep to the other nosey
kids. Even the batty old man in charge of them couldn't get the younger to
cooperate. It didn't take long for the whole lot to deem Taehyung an outcast;
mostly just ignoring him, but often times taking advantage of his silence. It's
not like Taehyung would rat anyone out, after all.
The other kids picked on him a lot. They did petty things; stealing his food at
mealtimes, ganging up to tease him, hiding his belongings. Yoongi even
suspected that there had been a couple of violent altercations as well. And
still, Taehyung never said a word about it to anyone.
At first, Yoongi stayed out of it. He was a bit of an outcast himself, the only
difference being that none of the other kidsdared mess with him because he
might have be small but he was about as vicious as they came. 
But there was something about Taehyung. The boy was quite odd. When he thought
no one else was looking he liked to sing to himself, and when he tipped his
head back and looked towards the clouds, Yoongi could have sworn he wasn't
singing to himself at all but was instead singing to the sky. Yoongi would
spend entire afternoons watching the peculiar thing sit in the backyard under a
tree, coloring page after page in his coloring book. Week after week this went
on, and Yoongi became curious. Doesn't he get bored of it? Yoongi wondered if
he wanted to be an artist.
One day he found himself taking a seat next to the younger outside. Taehyung
looked at him in surprise, but Yoongi wasn't one of his bullies, so after a
moment of silence he merely continued to scribble in his notebook, paying the
older no mind.
This routine of theirs went on for a little while; Yoongi silently keeping the
younger company in the backyard as he colored. Yoongi's presence alone seemed
to repel the other kids from Taehyung, and Yoongi could practically feel
Taehyung's silent gratitude.
As it turned out, Taehyung wasn't a very good artist. The kid could hardly
color inside the lines, and any freehand drawing that he made looked like a
scribbled mess in Yoongi's eyes.
"Do you like art?"
The words had escaped Yoongi's mouth before he could think about them. His very
first words to Taehyung. Taehyung looked about as surprised as Yoongi felt,
blinking owlishly at the elder with a crayon still hovering over his paper.
After a moment, Taehyung shook his head. Yoongi's eyebrows furrowed in
confusion. "What? If you don't like art, why are you always drawing?"
Taehyung quietly put down his crayon in the grass, folding his legs in closer
to himself and staring at his paper. "It reminds me of someone I love." He said
softly, his voice scratchy from disuse.
Yoongi tilted his head to one side curiously. "Did you have a friend who liked
to color?" He asked.
Taehyung nodded, chubby fingers fiddling with the strands of grass by his feet.
"A dongsaeng."
Yoongi didn't ask where his friend was now. He knew it didn't matter, not when
they were both stuck in this group home with no contact to the outside world,
and no family to call their own.
Taehyung finally looked up from the grass, eyeing Yoongi with hesitance. He
licked his lips nervously, before saying, "You kind of remind me of him."
"I remind you of your dongsaeng? I'm older than you, brat!" Yoongi practically
bristled, but there was no hostility behind his words when he complained. He
knew he was rather small for his age, and if anyone else had brought it up he
certainly would have been throwing punches by now. But there was no insult in
Taehyung's voice, only something wistful that resembled affection. 
Taehyung giggled softly behind his hands. Yoongi huffed, finding it hard to
stay irritated when he knew that this was the first time the younger had
laughed since arriving at this hell hole.
"I just meant the way you are." Taehyung clarified. "Quiet, but really smart
and strong. Just like my dongsaeng." Taehyung looked thoughtful for a moment.
"You also kind of remind me of my same-aged friend. Because you're kind and
cute and small, just like him."
"Yah!" Yoongi growled playfully, scowling when the younger only stuffed more
giggles into his palm. "I'm still bigger than you, squirt!" His words didn't
seem to intimidate the giggly brunette.
"Let's get this straight, kid. I'm not your dongsaeng, or your same-aged
friend. I'm your hyung." Yoongi grumbled, chewing at the inside of his mouth
when he realized how that sounded. But Taehyung only smiled wider, pleased
beyond words.
"Go back to coloring, Taehyung."
"Okay, hyung!" The younger chirped happily. 
And from then on the pair were a package deal. Yoongi was always around to
scare off the bullies in the house and the monsters under the bed, and Taehyung
was always around to make Yoongi's world a little less dim. Taehyung eventually
told his hyung about his past; things he didn't open up about even to the
adults who saved him and brought him here. Yoongi was the only person that
Taehyung allowed to touch him, because if anyone else got too close there would
be shaking and crying and panicking.
Yoongi held his hand when Taehyung grew anxious and needed affection, and held
his heart when the younger woke up in the middle of the night sobbing
inconsolably.
Yoongi was Taehyung's safe place, and Taehyung was Yoongi's family.
Of course, Yoongi has never actually had a family before, but if what he and
Taehyung had wasn't family than screw family, because nothing could compare.
Yoongi studied his ass off to graduate early, before picking up 3 jobs and
working from dusk till dawn; all while spending every spare moment he had with
his precious dongsaeng. By the time he turned 18 and was unceremoniously kicked
out of the group home, Yoongi had saved up enough money to rent a tiny, shitty
apartment across town.
He tried to see Taehyung whenever he wasn't working, but he found that his
visits were farther and fewer between. It only took a month after Yoongi had
moved out to see bruises start to appear on Taehyung's arms.
Yoongi didn't exactly ask for permission when he packed up Taehyung's things in
the middle of the night and whisked him away, but then again it's not like any
of those stuck-up pencil-pushers really cared. If they actually cared
about where Taehyung went, it certainly wouldn't have been difficult to track
Yoongi down. Yoongi wasn't surprised when no one showed up at their door. That
was fine with him, he loved Taehyung more than all of their social workers
combined anyways. 
Yoongi home-schooled Taehyung. The kid hadn't had the opportunity to attend
school until he arrived at the group home, and after a single day at public
school it was clear that at this point he was practically a lost cause. Their
caretaker had tossed a few books in Taehyung's direction and called it an
education. Yoongi remembers nearly attacking the old coon, because you dumb
shit he can't even read! 
It had been Yoongi who had taught the younger how to read and write, so really
it made no difference to him that he was to teach Taehyung about science,
history, and arithmetic. Despite his disadvantages, Taehyung was not only
bright but enthusiastic about learning. Yoongi felt sorry for the teachers who
had written him off so quickly. 
The pair got by. Taehyung didn't deal well with strangers, but he managed to
find a job that he could handle in a quiet little bookstore on their block.
Yoongi eventually hit it big, (for him anyways), landing a steady, well-paying
job at the club he works at now; as an assistant manager, regular DJ, and
occasional bartender. (Their boss was a pretty chill dude, so Yoongi normally
took all the hours they would give him.) 
Yoongi and Taehyung saved up enough to move into a slightly nicer place across
town and buy a slightly used car to get the boys to and from work. Everything
was better. Everything was good. Yoongi was now in his early 20's, and he was
still living happily with Taehyung. Taehyung's episodes were getting less
severe, easier to manage, and were occurring far less often than before.
Everything was good, almost too good. Maybe that was what lured Yoongi into a
false sense of security.
Really, it was Yoongi's own fault for forgetting about the possibility of their
soulmates showing up and complicating things.
 
***
 
"Goddammit, Namjoon." Yoongi cursed under his breath, weaving through the crowd
of people waiting to get in the coffee shop to try and make his way inside. How
the clumsy giant had managed to convince him to come here, Yoongi had no idea.
Well, that was partially a lie. He also agreed just so the kid would stop
blowing up his phone with overly-polite text messages with overly-pleasant
emojis.
He shoved his way to the front of the line, growling as he noticed that it
was a group of teenagers fucking around at the front who were holding the whole
goddamn line up. Idiots. The group was so engrossed in their bantering that
they didn't even notice Yoongi slide up to the counter.
The poor girl at the counter looked apologetic, and Yoongi felt some sympathy
at the tired look on her face. "What can I get you?"
After ordering and receiving his coffee, Yoongi looked back and noticed that
the group of teenagers was still not stepping forward to the counter. There was
a woman holding a baby right behind them, rocking the infant quiet as she
glanced anxiously between the teenagers and the counter where her day's energy
no doubt waited for her.
Yoongi grumpily shuffled over the the group, muttering more curses under his
breath because it was early in the fucking morning and he had just gotten off
from working a double shift and right now he should be at home in his bed
possibly with Taehyung cuddled up at his side, and he was sodone with these
brats.  He tapped on one of their shoulders. The guy turned, eyebrows furrowed
as he glared at Yoongi for interrupting his oh-so-important story.
"What do you want?" He asked rather rudely.
Yoongi's eyes narrowed into slits, and he scowled so fiercely that the guy
instinctively shied back in surprise. "What do I want? What I want, is for you
to either hurry the fuck up and order your goddamn vanilla lattes with extra
whipped cream, or get thefuck out of the way before I kick your sorry asses
into next week. That's what I want."
The teenagers gaped at him like fish, really stupid fish, if you asked Yoongi.
It only took another deathly silent threat from Yoongi for the group to hurry
up to the counter.
Yoongi huffed, suddenly feeling like he was getting to old for such bullshit.
It was only 8 in the morning, for god's sake. He caught a glimpse of the woman
holding her child smiling gratefully at him. He nodded shortly in her
direction, hiding his blush by sipping at his coffee as he turned to find a
seat.
When he finally found an acceptably isolated table near the back, he pulled out
his phone and played one of the dumb games that Taehyung had made him download
as he waited, nursing his caffeine source in his free hand.
"Suga-hyung?"
Yoongi looked up at the newcomer, scowling in a very unfriendly manner. "I'm
not your hyung, pipsqueak." He wasn't very good with strangers.
The kid's eyes widened, and he started to bow his head profusely. "I-I'm very
sorry, Suga-ssi! I g-guess I just got used to Namjoon-hyung calling you that,
and I just- I really didn't mean to- I mean-"
Yoongi rolled his eyes, feeling a little regretful for snapping at the timid
little thing just because he was in a bad mood. "It's fine already, just sit
down."
The guy nodded, cheeks burning as he pulled out the chair across from Yoongi
and took a seat. The newcomer wasn't very threatening, to say the least. He was
about Yoongi's height, if not a tad bit shorter, (and okay Yoongi was not
short, he was an acceptable height for men his age, thank you very much.) His
hair was  a cotton candy pinkish color, and although it was obviously dyed,
Yoongi had to admit that the boy pulled it off quite well. His face and jaw
were well defined and certainly handsome, but his cheeks were rounded and soft,
and the gentle crescent-shape of his eyes made Yoongi wonder how such a
defenseless thing had survived in such a harsh reality. (He suspected it had
something to do with doting parents- whatever those were like.)
Yoongi almost rolled his eyes when he noticed that his drink of choice
was green tea. Harmless.
"So?" He prompted, getting right to the point. "I'm here. What did you want to
meet me for?"
The boy fidgeted. "It's nice to officially meet you, Suga-ssi. I'm Jung Jimin."
Yoongi nodded his head. The name seemed oddly familiar, and he took a moment to
stare at the younger until Jimin started to fidget uncomfortably. 
"Is something the matter?" Jimin asked politely, looking nervous.
"Jung Jimin... Have we met?" Yoongi asked, looking over Jimin's face again with
scrutiny. Nothing seemed to register about the new boy, but there was somthing
about him that made Yoongi certain that he was important somehow.
Jimin shook his head slowly. "I don't believe so..."
Yoongi blinked again, but any further thinking certainly wasn't worth the
effort. "Hmm.... Never mind then. So, what did you want?"
Jimin placed his hands on the table in front of them, fidgeting with one of the
many rings on his fingers. "I heard about that boy you saved the other day, and
I was hoping I could help."
Yoongi raised an eyebrow. "Help?"
Jimin nodded, eyes fixed on his fingers. "Yeah. I just... it sounded like the
boy was going through a hard time, and I know what that's like, so I was hoping
I could talk to him?" It came out sounding more like a question.
Yoongi frowned, looking confused. "That's why Namjoon gave you my number? To
counsel some street kid?"
He smiled shyly, and Yoongi couldn't help but grudgingly note that it was
adorable. "If that's alright with you, of course! Please don't be mad at
Namjoon-hyung! I insisted, hyung didn't even want to, but I told him that I
wanted to ask you about a project, and-"
Yoongi waved a hand to stop the boy's rambling. "Its fine, Jimin. But the kid's
gone, left soon after he woke up. I thought Jin would've told you. I shot him a
text about it."
"Oh." Jimin's face dropped. "No, he didn't mention it... But I guess I never
asked." He cradled his tea in his hands, frowning down at his beverage. Is he
really that worried? Yoongi found it hard to believe; he hadn't even met
Jungkook.
"Well," Jimin said after a moment. "I'm sorry for wasting your time then.
Though I guess I have been meaning to meet you anyways. My hyungs talk about
you all the time, so it's nice to finally put a face to a name!"
Yoongi exhaled, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. Jimin's pureness was making his
head hurt. "Well, if that's all, I really should be heading home now. It's far
past my bedtime, and if I don't have a nap soon I'll explode."
The other boy's lips twitched up in a small smile. "The day's just begun,
Yoongi-ssi." 
Yoongi rolled his eyes. "Not for me it hasn't." He muttered, getting to his
feet. When he turned back from throwing away his coffee cup in a nearby trash
can, he found himself reexamining the younger. "What did you say your surname
was?"
Jimin looked confused. "Jung?"
"You're a student, right? You visit the club where Namjoon and I work often?"
Jimin shook his head.
The elder hummed thoughtfully, his eyes not leaving Jimin as he tried to dig
out of his brain why Jung Jimin seemed so familiar. "You got any siblings?"
Jimin nodded. "Yeah, an adopted brother. He's a year older than me."
"What's his name?" Maybe Yoongi knew him and Jimin just resembled him. 
"Jung Hoseok."
The name alone struck a cord in Yoongi's chest. He gripped at his shirt above
his heart in surprise, thoroughly confused. That was a name he definitely had
heard before. Where did he know it from? It was on the tip of Yoongi's tongue,
just out of reach.
Jung Hoseok. 
The realization hit Yoongi hard. Oh.Oh.
It had been so long since Yoongi had last taken a good, long look at the name
etched onto the pale skin of his wrist. It wasn't something he liked to linger
on; he always had more pressing matters to tend to, plus he was pretty content
with the state of his life as it was. He hadn't even considered the possibility
of him appearing so out of the blue.
His soulmate.
Yoongi's mouth went dry.
"So Jung is legally my given surname," Jimin went on, oblivious to Yoongi's
internal crisis. "But technically my full name is Park Jimin."
Park Jimin.
Now that was a name he had definitely found himself staring at, gracefully
sweeping across the soft skin of Taehyung's inner wrist. Gazing with wonder and
a trace of guilt as the younger slept naked in his bed, tangled up in ivory
sheets and porcelain limbs. Yoongi would unabashedly find himself tracing the
ink with his fingertips; half-hoping that Taehyung's destined ones would appear
to drag him from the darkness in his own heart, half-terrified that they would.
Impossible. What are the odds? Brothers? Friends of Namjoon's soulmate?
Taehyung and Yoongi took care of each other; that's way it's always been, and
it's what got Yoongi out of bed every morning. It was happy, it wassafe. It was
a guarantee that there would always be someone for Yoongi to love- who would
love him just as fiercely in return. A naive part of Yoongi thought that it
would be how things would always be.
It was absolutely, without a doubt, most certainly impossible. 
His instincts told him that he needed to get out of there, so he did just that.
Yoongi turned and bolted without another word, ignoring Jimin calling after him
in confusion as he pushed his way out of the crowded cafe and bolted down the
street.
Impossible.
There was simply no fucking way this could be happening. Yoongi wondered if
this was some sort of prank, a mistake, a misunderstanding,anything but what it
seemed to be.
There was simply no fucking way he had just found both of Taehyung's soulmates
as well as his own goddamn soulmate within a matter of days. 
Yoongi stopped in his tracks, not even caring that he had took off in a random
direction and had no idea where he was. Ignoring the people who were watching
him with curious eyes, he ripped at his hair and yelled at the sky angrily.
"You have got to be fuckingkidding me!"
Chapter End Notes
     Hi kittens!
     I just wanted to thank everyone for the support! You guys are so
     great, and I'm so glad we can share our love for our fandom and for
     our boys together! Thanks for being so patient! The reason I've been
     a little slow lately, is because I'm also working on another series
     right now. (Check it out if you're interested!)
     Any-who, thanks again! Hwaiting!~
***** Awake *****
Chapter Notes
     Warnings: non-graphic rape, underage, abuse, angst
Namjoon and Seokjin were having a perfectly pleasant evening until Yoongi
called.
In fact, Namjoon himself had mapped out their date to be as perfect as
possible, and for once in his life everything was actually going according to
plan.
They had started with a wonderful picnic breakfast in the park, (food courtesy
of Jin; Namjoon wasn’t about to push his luck by attempting to cook), which was
followed up by a romantic stroll through the streets on their way home. Namjoon
got to hold Jin’s hand the whole way there, and the older had laughed at
almostall of Namjoon’s jokes. The had even made a quick stop at a local desert
shop, so that they had an ice cream cone to share. ("And why shouldn't I be
able to have ice cream before lunch, Kim Namjoon?")
When they arrived at Namjoon’s apartment, the pair popped in a movie and
cuddled up on the couch. Seokjin was resting his head on Namjoon’s shoulder,
and Namjoon’s heart was just about ready to leap out of his chest.
Everything was going perfectly. So of course Yoongi would call and inevitably
interrupt their picturesque date.
When Namjoon’s phone vibrated in his pocket he pulled it out and frowned when
he saw Yoongi’s name on the screen. Jin had smiled at him reassuringly and told
him to answer it. It wasn’t often that Yoongi made pleasure calls, and
particularly since Namjoon knew that the guy just got off working a ridiculous
amount of hours, Namjoon expected him to be unconscious until at least
dinnertime.
“Hello?” Namjoon answered the phone. “Hyung?”
And what else would he be met with but a string of indecipherable, absolutely
filthy curse words.
“Hyung?” Namjoon practically choked. He was hearing curses he didn’t even
realized existed until they spewed out of his hyung’s mouth. “What-?” But he
couldn’t find any more words when Yoongi’s rather imaginative cuss words
circled in his head.
Beside him Jin frowned in concern. After a moment of Namjoon looking
speechless, Jin finally grabbed the phone and brought it to his ear.
“Hyung, don’t-” Namjoon tired to warn him, but it was too late.
“-you fucking mother-licking ass-wiping bumbling-fuck moronic soulmate-
worshiping insufferable fucking little-”
Seokjin’s eyebrows shot to his forehead. “Yoongi-ah?”
But Yoongi was on a roll. He immediately switched targets. “And you! Fuck you!
Don’t think for one second that you’re off the hook either, you doctor-ass
narcissistic mysterious-roommate-having devil of a rainbow-vomiting-ass-”
Seokjin couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Does he even need to breathe? “Adding
‘ass’ after a word doesn’t make it a curse word.”
Yoongi wasn’t listening. “-I can’t believe I trusted you and your dopey-faced
looking sorry-ass continental shoulders- I should’ve known that something like
this would happen- you and that squeaky baby-looking pipsqueak you've been
hiding away in your gay-cave, you flat-assed dim-witted spineless little-”
Seokjin frowned now. “Excuse me, my ass is not flat!” And with that he hung up
the phone.
Namjoon was still flabbergasted beside him. “Well what was that all about?”
The other man scoffed and shrugged, still a little offended. “It’s Yoongi. For
all we know he accidentally rolled out of his bed and woke up in a pissy mood.”
“I mean, you’re not wrong.” Namjoon couldn’t help but grimace at the thought.
He would not be a happy camper the next time they had a shift together.
“Jesus though.” Seokjin settled back into Namjoon’s side, the movie long
forgotten. “That boy deserves nothing short of a Pulitzer prize.”
“I feel like I need to wash out my ears with bleach after that descriptive
display of language.” Namjoon grumbled as he pulled his soulmate closer,
oblivious to the way Seokjin's eyes were lazily trailing over his biceps.
“Or,” Suddenly Seokjin’s lips were at Namjoon's ear, fanning breathy warmth
across his skin. “I could wash out your ears for you?”
“If I didn’t have context for that, I would say that sounds disgusting and
unsanitary.”
Jin rolled his eyes, his fingers starting to crawl under Namjoon’s shirt. “God
Namjoon, so romantic.”
Namjoon shrugged, but his eyes found interest in the exposed span of Jin’s
neck. “Just saying. Anyways, didn’t Yoongi-hyung’s explicit ranting ruin the
mood?”
The older huffed. “Like I would let that brat ruin my perfect date. Or my
chances of getting laid.”
Namjoon couldn’t help but chuckle, finally resting his hand on Seokjin’s hips
and shifting him over his lap. “You know, you might be the only person alive to
call Yoongi-hyung a brat and live to tell the tale.”
“Please. As sharp-tongued as he is, the guy’s harmless.”
Namjoon was pretty sure that 'harmless' didn't make it on to the long list of
things that Yoongi was. “Hostile, aggressive, unpleasant, stand-offish, rude,
gloomy, prickly, and just generally unlikable? All him. But harmless? That one
I’m not so sure about, hyung.”
Seokjin snorted. Namjoon went on with his listing. “Introverted, stubborn,
heartless, uncooperative, self-motivated, territorial, fucking-insane-”
“Yes, yes, I get it, Yoongi needs to work on his people skills." Jin gave an
exaggerated wave of his hand. "Now can you stop talking about him while I’m
trying to seduce you?”
“Seduce me?” Namjoon smirked, placing a quick kiss on the tip of the elder’s
nose. “Okay, no more Yoongi-hyung. Who were we just talking about? Please
continue with the seduction.”
“Kim Namjoon you’re such a dork." Seokjin lightly flicked his soulmate's
forehead.  "You’re lucky I love you.”
 
~
 
There were some days that were worse than others.
Some days Mr. Choi would completely ignore the boys, too caught up in his own
business to give the upstairs inhabitants a second thought. Those were by far
the best days.
Other days he would only lash out when one of the boys was unlucky enough to be
in the wrong place at the wrong time. But at this point the four of them knew
better than to move about the house so recklessly, so the altercations that
followed were few and far between.
But once in a while, there were bad days too. Horrible days.
Mr. Choi would have that look on his face- predatory and bloodthirsty and
wrathful, the need to inflict pain and torment swirling in the dark depths of
his eyes. The boys could tell right away just by looking at the man, that he
was out for blood. Or whatever else he could get his hands on.
These were the days when he would come looking for them- for a target to
unleash his rage on.
Minho was out- as he usually was most nights- when he thought the younger boys
were asleep. Jimin and Taetae had tried to question the eldest on his
whereabouts once, but the most they had gotten was a stony expression and the
words ‘You’re better off not knowing.’
Jimin and Kookie had been sleeping, completely unprepared for the man’s sudden
appearance. It was unusual that Mr. Choi sought them out at night. It was
unusual that Mr. Choi was even home at night.
Which was what reassured Taetae that it would be alright to hastily run to the
kitchen for a midnight snack.
As soon as Jimin heard the telltale sound of heavy feet storming up the stairs-
far too heavy to be his hyung or Taetae- the older boy was quick to shove
Kookie under the covers of their bed, fluffing up the sheets and throwing about
pillows to make his small form less noticeable. Kookie squeaked quietly in
protest, both from the confusion of the situation and from being woken up so
suddenly.
Jimin was on his feet at the foot of the bed when the door swung open.
“Oh?” Mr. Choi mused, looking around the room and noting the empty beds. “All
alone, little one?”
He stepped closer, and Jimin shuddered as he fought the urge to shrink away.
Kookie. He couldn’t afford to lose Mr. Choi’s attention.
Jimin nodded. “Yes sir, it’s just me.” His voice trembled. He prayed to every
deity under the sun that the man couldn’t detect his lie.
“Hmmmm?” The man’s voice was teasingly sardonic, almost smug, and Jimin knew
that the smirk that appeared on his face hid teeth and claws and hatred. “Is
that so? Well, I usually prefer the other pretty one, but I’m not complaining.”
He took another step closer. Then another. And another, until he was crouching
so close to Jimin that the man’s breath on the skin of his neck made shivers of
revulsion travel down his spine. A large hand reached out to trail over Jimin’s
shoulder, tortuously traveling up until it roughly traced over is jawline.
“To think I’ve never noticed a cute little thing like you.” Mr. Choi laughed,
scathing and menacing. His eyes were alight with interest- the kind similar to
a predator spotting a new kill. “Where has Minho been hiding you?”
“Minnie!”
Kookie’s voice shattered the sickening silence, as the youngest abandoned his
hiding place to rush for his hyung.
Minnie’s eyes widened in panic. No Kookie!To his horror, Mr. Choi’s sharp gaze
zeroed in on the youngest. “Oh?”
Kookie was quick to push his hyung behind his smaller form, eyes fierce as he
glared at the man in front of them. “Leave my hyung alone!”
“What are you doing!?” Jimin hissed at the youngest, struggling to push him out
of the way and failing. How the youngest got so strong, he’ll never know.
Mr. Choi ignored the youngest’s words, merely looking maliciously amused as he
met Jimin’s eyes. “You lied to me, little one?” He smiled. It was the kind of
smile that could only exist in nightmares. “Looks like there are some little
boys here who need to learn their lesson.”
“Mr. Choi!” Jimin’s heart stopped.
Taetae quickly stepped into the room, expression wrought with panic and fear as
he took in the scene before him.
Mr. Choi laughed mirthlessly. “Another one? Well, the more the merrier.”
Taetae stepped around the man to stand by the other boys, wordlessly grabbing
Kookie by the arm and pulling him back behind him while Kookie was too caught
off guard to resist.
“Please, sir.” Taetae begged, licking his lips nervously as he gripped tightly
at Jimin’s hand. “Just punish me, sir.”
Mr. Choi laughed wickedly, and the boys flinched back at the sound. “And have
the other boys miss out on the fun? I don’t think so, flower.” Taetae visibly
recoiled at the pet name.
He swallowed heavily, looking like he was forcing the words out as he
continued. “I’ll behave.”
That had Mr. Choi looking thoughtful. “You? Behave?”
Taetae nodded hastily, and Jimin tried and failed to tug at his hand to grab
his attention and meet his eyes.
Mr. Choi considered the deal. Finally, he chuckled lowly and nodded. “Fine.
Can’t miss out on an opportunity to put you in your place." He paused to licked
his lips like an wild animal salivating over a juicy steak. "But this one's
coming too.” His gaze turned towards Jimin, pinning him under and forcing the
breath from his lungs.
Taetae’s eyes widened in disbelief. “No! I-I’ll do it! There’s no need-”
“But cutie here lied to me.” He interrupted without a care. “And little boys
who lie need to be punished.” The predatory smirk was back on his face. “Unless
you’d rather me just take the both of them?”
Taetae opened his mouth, but no words came out.
“Good.” Mr. Choi looked satisfied. He reached out, grabbing Jimin’s arm with
one hand and Taetae’s shoulder with the other. “Then let’s go.”
As he tried to lead the older pair out, Kookie surged forward, anger and
desperation in his eyes. “Stop!”
Mr. Choi scoffed, harshly shoving the youngest to the ground, where he landed
with a whimper and a loud thud.
Just as Kookie was trying to scramble back onto his knees, Jimin shot him the
look. The unwavering look he hated to use on the youngest. “Stay down.”
Kookie froze in place at the command. Jimin turned away, unable to meet his
gaze as the same-aged pair were forcefully dragged out of the room.
Jimin’s feet felt as heavy as lead as he followed Mr. Choi down the stairs. He
startled when he felt a small hand grip at the back of his shirt, and looked
over to see Taetae sending him a desperate look.
His warm brown eyes spoke volumes, like an expressive novel that was written in
a language that Jimin couldn’t speak. Taetae looked like he was struggling to
tell Jimin something- something important- and whether it was to prepare him
for what was to come or to beg him to run away, Jimin couldn’t be sure.
Mr. Choi stopped at the entrance to his room, looking down at the Taetae’s
crushed expression with an ugly grin. “Oh flower, don’t give me that look. I’ll
take extra special care of cutie here.” His grin turned to Jimin, and the boy
felt his body instinctively lock up in fear. “Isn’t that right, little one?”
"Jimin, you there?"
Jimin couldn’t remember exactly what followed.
But he remembered that there were hands touching him, aggressively wandering
unmapped territory, taking and touching whatever they wanted without a care.
Grabbing and scratching and pulling and possessing.
“Jimin?”
And then there was pain.
Unspeakable pain. Pain that would escalate and multiply until Jimin thought his
body couldn't take any more and his being would simply just explode into
chaotic obscurity. Pain that could only be described as unbearable and
excruciating and all wrong- in every sense of the word.
He could distantly hear the sound of Taetae calling for him, choking back
tears, and he felt some miniscule sliver of warmth as a smaller hand interlaced
with his own fingers and squeezed.
Jimin closed his own eyes, unable to bear seeing the look in Taetae's eyes as
he was tortured- as he was defiled. Because Taetae was looking at him like his
whole world was falling apart. Like his heart was breaking into a million
irrevocably shattered pieces.
“Jiminie? What’s wrong?”
And just when he thought the pain was over, when he was given a chance to
breathe out shakily through blood-painted lips, he was forced to witness the
suffering of his Taetae.
He would watch as watery tears leaked down his face- his once happy face that
should only ever shine with sunshine and joy and love. How his pouty lips that
had once only spilled giggles trembled as he sobbed out at how much it hurt.
How his body jolted in protest at the sheer magnitude of the pain. 
His eyes begged Jimin for to help him. Begged for Jimin to save him.
In a way, watching was worse.
“Can you hear me? Jimin?”
There was crying too.
Crying and begging and pleading that escaped his own lips, and worse yet, that
escaped the lips of his beloved dongsaeng.
The young pair cried for mercy- twin voices pitched and harmonized, but also
shrill and dissonant and tainted with despair. They cried until there was
nothing left inside of them to cry out; shedding tears for their own suffering-
for their sadness and abandonment, for their helplessness. For their hyung who
was doing everything he could to protect them, and failing. For their precious
dongsaeng that was probably doomed to be next. More than all of that though,
they cried for each other.
“Are you alright?”
After a while, Jimin couldn’t think- all he could do was feel and cry and pray
for death to take him away. The empty look in Taetae’s eyes across from him was
enough to know that the other boy was having similar thoughts. That the light
of Jimin's life was also begging for the sweet release of nothingness.
“Jimin wake up!”
 
Jimin jolted awake to the sound of screaming.
He panicked at the sound, rapidly glancing around the room until he realized
that Hoseok was standing over him looking concerned, and that the screaming was
his own.
"Woah, woah! Jimin it's just me!" Hoseok tried to calm to younger, lifting his
hands in surrender to show he meant no harm. 
Jimin hunched over himself while he panted. His body was shaking and clammy
with sweat. He closed his eyes and tried to calm the racing of his heart as he
gathered his bearings.
"Are you alright?" Hoseok asked softly, and when Jimin opened his eyes his
adopted brother was still hovering nearby. He was smiling gently, but the
worried crease in his brow gave away his distress. 
Jimin just nodded.
There was a short silence while Jimin tried to collect himself, Hoseok rubbing
comforting circles over his back.
"Nightmare?" Hoseok finally asked.
Jimin didn't know how to respond to that. Do bad memories count as bad dreams?
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Hoseok said, frowning.
"I'm not trying to pressure you."
"I know, hyung. It's alright." Jimin reassured him. He shifted his legs to sit
on the edge of his bed, running a hand through his damp bangs. "Just...
remembering."
Hoseok nodded in understanding. Hoseok didn't know everything about Jimin's
past, but he had heard enough from their parents to know that it was an
extremely touchy subject for the younger. When they were younger, Jimin used to
have nightmares almost every night. It had taken years of being loved and taken
care of, for the boy's trust in people to be restored.
For over a year after Jimin had first been adopted, the boy would hardly speak.
He was always polite, but it was almost like he was scared of the consequences
of misbehaving. Not to mention his eating problems.
Whatever had happened to Jimin before they adopted him, Hoseok knew it must
have been unimaginably awful.
"He's gone, Jimin. He won't hurt you ever again."
"I know that, hyung." Jimin replied simply. He had resigned himself of that a
long time ago.
"Then were you dreaming about your two friends?" Hoseok asked. "Your
dongsaengs, right?"
Friends. The word wasn't nearly enough to describe how much he loved the
adorable younger pair.
But seeing no point in correcting his hyung, Jimin just nodded, and he couldn't
help how his eyes started to tear up at the thought of them. The thought that
it wasn't all some horrific dream. That his two precious dongsaengs were still
out there somewhere. Images of Taetae's sobbing face from his dream flashed
back into Jimin's mind, and he couldn't hold back a small whimper.
"I miss them." Jimin admitted, sniffling. Hoseok's nodded in quiet
encouragement, grabbing Jimin's hand. Jimin squeezed his hyung's hand in
gratitude. 
"I know it's been so long since I've seen them, and they might not even
remember me, but I'm scared." To Jimin's horror he started to cry, wiping
furiously at his tears with his free hand. "I don't know what happened to them.
I don't know where they are, who they're with, if they're alright, if they-
" Jimin broke off in a sob, his pent up emotions of distress and frustration
finally bursting open the floodgates.
"It's okay, Jiminie." Hoseok shushed him like a mother would to a crying child.
Jimin gratefully accepted his comforting. "I'm sure they're alright, wherever
they are."
"You don't know that!" Jimin protested weakly. He swallowed another round of
tears so he could continue talking. "I just want to see them again!"
"Then let's just find them."
Jimin's eyes widened when his hyung spoke up. "Find them?" He echoed
incredulously, swiping more tears from his cheek.
"Yeah. Why not?" Hoseok shrugged carelessly.
"Why-" Jimin spluttered. "Because it's been over a decade! How are we supposed
to track down the whereabouts of two orphans in the biggest city in South
Korea, from 10 years ago?"
Hoseok looked thoughtful for a moment, arms crossed and lips pursed. His idea-
face finally appeared, and Jimin fought the urge to roll his eyes because of
the seriousness of their conversation. "What about Taemin?"
"Taemin-hyung?" Jimin frowned, confused. "Your ex? What about him?"
"Jiminieeee, he's not my ex!" Hoseok whined.
This time, Jimin actually did roll his eyes. "That's just because he never got
up the guts to just ask you out in high school."
"It wasn't like that!" Hoseok protested.
"Hyung, sometimes your obliviousness frightens me." Jimin said flatly. "Now
what about him?"
"Right!" Hoseok exclaimed, suddenly remembering their original discussion.
"Well, he just recently got promoted to detective! Maybe he can help us out!"
"Hyung's a detective now?" Jimin wondered how Hoseok knew that information.
Last he heard, the pair had drifted apart sometime while they were in
university.
"Uh-huh!" Hoseok smiled wide, goofy and overly optimistic. "He can just look up
where they are in that police data-base-thingy!"
"Hyung, that-" Jimin paused, thinking it through. "That's actually not a bad
idea."
"See!" Hoseok said proudly.
"Except that I don't even know their real names."
Hoseok's expression immediately dropped. "Oh. Well that makes things harder."
"No kidding."
Hoseok sighed dramatically, plopping down on the bed next to his younger
brother. "Well what about the police report? Maybe from there we can look up
the orphanage records. What did you say you called them?"
"Taetae and Kookie." Jimin answered absentmindedly, thinking over the elder's
plan of action. It wasn't a bad plan. Surely there would be a sizable police
report for the 'incident'. There had to be some record of his lost dongsaengs.
"Taetae and Kookie?" Hoseok sounded surprised, and Jimin turned back to his
hyung to find him staring at Jimin like he was expecting some sort of
punchline. "You're being serious?"
Jimin scowled. "We were kids! We only ever used those cutesy names, okay!"
"No, not that!" Hoseok shook his head, eyes still wide and dumbfounded. "Jimin,
I actually can't believe how obtuse you are sometimes."
"Excuse me?!" Jimin huffed, not sure what he was talking about but offended
nonetheless. "You are the absolute last person who can call me obt-"
"Jimin, yourarm!" Hoseok interrupted urgently.
Jimin frowned. "What? My arm-?"
Hoseok rolled his eyes, grabbing at Jimin's arm and turning his wrist upwards.
Jimin wasn't sure what he was supposed to be looking for, until his eyes locked
on the ink coloring his skin.
"What-" Jimin cut himself off as it hit him. Oh. Oh. "Oh my god."
Hoseok released him, sighing to himself. "Honestly Jimin. You 're not allowed
to call me dumb ever again."
Jimin was too busy staring at his wrist to defend himself. How could he not
have realized it sooner? He's never even dreamed that it could be connected to
his lost dongsaengs. Was it all a coincidence?
Or were his past and his future actually colliding?
"Well, at least we have some names to work with now." Hoseok chuckled good-
naturedly, as if Jimin's world wasn't imploding.
Kim Taehyung. Jeon Jungkook.
Taetae and Kookie.
***** Run *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Jungkook had other problems to worry about.
Real problems.
Problems that if they got out of hand, could get him killed.
So really, there was no reason for him to be worrying about Kim Taehyung at a
time like this.
Or so he tried to convince himself, as he quickly dived to take cover behind a
nearby lamp post. 
He peeked out to watch as Taehyung exited the bookstore, before he turned to
lock the front door. He was wearing jeans and an over-sized hoodie that pooled
around his knuckles. His hair was a fluffy mess of soft tresses, ruffled from a
long shift of brushing back his bangs out of nervousness. Taehyung turned back
towards the street and looked around him timidly, like a mouse preparing to
leave the safety of his mouse hole.
Cute, Jungkook couldn't help but think.
Jungkook watched with baited breath as Taehyung started to walk in the
direction of his home, as he did every Thursday and Friday after his closing
shift. Jungkook would carefully follow him from a reasonable and not-at-all-
stalkerish distance, just to make sure the boy got home safely. 
Yeah right.
The excuse sounded lame even to Jungkook himself. He was simply just enraptured
by his soulmate and he knew it, but admitting this fact would go
against everything Jungkook had sworn to himself. Not to get anyone else
involved in his shit, not to form an attachment to someone which could lead his
family back to Jungkook.
And most importantly, not to fall in love with anyone who wasn't his lost (but
not forgotten) hyungs.
He had spent most of his life rejecting the idea of his soulmates; of destiny
binding him to someone else- 2 someone elses- against his will and without any
of his personal wants and desires being taken into account.
Jungkook didn't believe in fate, and he certainly wasn't about to let the
universe plan out his whole life for him.
Jungkook wasn't by any means a romantic guy. Since leaving the orphanage the
extent of his relationships had been purely and strictly physical. Jungkook
didn't have the kind of time needed to upkeep a functional relationship; he
didn't do movie dates and brunch. (He's never had brunch in his life, thank you
very much.) 
Jungkook has spent years on his own; he didn't need a soulmate- he didn't want
a soulmate.
Which was why he was so confused as to why he was so attached to his.
Soulmates are for people who can afford to give their heart away.
Taehyung turned around a corner, snapping Jungkook out of his torrent of
thoughts as he rushed to catch sight of the young man again. He felt most at
ease when he had eyes on the defenseless thing. Taehyung had the kind of smile
that was too bright for his own good, and Jungkook had no doubt that people had
taken advantage of such warmth before.
The pair continued in the direction of Taehyung's apartment. The sun had
already gone down, and Jungkook compensated for the lack of lighting by
gradually following behind a little closer as they walked. (He was actually
starting to grow concerned that Taehyung didn't notice him. Just how
unobservant was he?)
Taehyung was just about to turn onto the street where he lived, when a hand
reached out of the darkness and grabbed him by the shoulder.
Jungkook felt his pulse race as his soulmate was pulled out of sight. He
immediately sprinted in the direction they had disapeared, completely
forgetting that he was supposed to be in stealth mode.
"L-let me go!"
That was Taehyung's voice.
Jungkook spotted them right away. Another man was holding Taehyung by the
throat, pinning him to the wall as the boy choked and cried out. The man
sneered, ugly and smug, like he had any right atall to touch Taehyung. The man
only laughed in the boy's face, reaching up a hand to mockingly brush aside the
brunette's bangs from his face.
"My, my. Aren't you a cutie?" The man purred, slimy and arrogant.
Taehyung's eyes went wide; and watery and immeasurably terrified. It was an
expression that Jungkook was all too familiar with. The face of someone who
knows they were about to be hurt.
Not again!
Jungkook's vision went red as he was consumed by both his rage and his
horror. Taehyung was young and gorgeous and kind and certainly not his. He felt
disgusted that such an unworthy person had the audacity to even breathe on his
soulmate, let alone touch him, and he was seconds away from charging forward
and ripping the man's arm from his body- if not for the stiffness of his
muscles and the rigidness of his spine. 
But before he could being himself to move, something was zooming past him
towards the man and Taehyung. 
Jungkook was momentarily stunned as Yoongi's fist flew towards a man who was
almost a foot taller than him's face. The connection landed, making a
satisfying sound as the man stumbled backwards, releasing Taehyung as he
cradled his cheek. Taehyung's legs collapsed under him, and he slid down the
wall and curled into a protective ball.
"The fuck?" The man said incredulously, blinking down at Yoongi's fuming form.
He was so surprised by the sudden attack that he seemed to forget all about
Taehyung for the moment. "Who are you?"
Yoongi sneered right back, scathing and laced with deadly intent. "Just the guy
who'll put you in the ground, if you don't stay the fuck away from Taehyung."
The man glared as his confusion wore off, turning his gaze back to where
Taehyung was shaking against the wall. "Ohhhh, so this is your bitch? I
wondered who let him out of the house-"
Yoongi didn't give him the time to finish, decking the guy so hard that
Jungkook flinched as he heard the unmistakable sound of bones breaking. 
The guy yelped, clutching his nose as blood began to drip down his face. He
growled threateningly. "Now you've asked for-"
Yoongi cut him off again, this time with a knee to the gut that had the guy
keeling over and croaking like a dying frog. Still, he managed to crane his
neck up and cough out more words. "You little-" Yoongi finished him off with a
harsh kick to the side of his head, sending the guy sprawling across the
pavement. He didn't get back up.
"Maybe you would actually landed a hit on me if you hadn't stopped to chat,
imbecile." Yoongi growled under his breath, before turning his attention back
to Taehyung. He hurried to crouch in front of the boy, cupping the boy's face
and whispering soft comforts.
Jungkook was still frozen, just a couple of meters away; not close enough to
hear what Yoongi was saying, but not far enough to miss the gentle kisses that
Yoongi started to place across Taehyung's terrified face. Jungkook selfishly
wondered just how close the two were. He hadn't even considered the possibility
that Yoongi and Taehyung were involved, and when he had met them before he
certainly hadn't sensed such a vibe between them. At the time, Yoongi had
seemed genuine in his request for Jungkook to return to his soulmate's side.
It seemed that the shorter man hadn't even noticed Jungkook standing there like
an idiot in his rush to save Taehyung, because he made no indication that he
recognized the other's presence. The pair completely ignored him, eyes locked
on each other, and at that moment it truly was like Jungkook wasn't even there.
Taehyung was looking at Yoongi with his large, trusting eyes, and Yoongi was
looking back with an uncharacteristically warm and protective expression. 
Which was only right, because it had been Yoongi who had saved Taehyung- not
Jungkook. Instead, he had stood by and watched from a distance like a coward,
unable to act fast enough, and if Yoongi hadn't shown up, he silently
wondered how the outcome could have changed.
Taehyung was looking at Yoongi like the older boy was his whole world,
oblivious to the fact that the person who the universe had tied him too was
just within arm's reach. Jungkook suddenly realized that he was right not to
get involved. Jungkook should know by now that he wasn't capable of protecting
the people he held dear; he wasn't back then and it seems that nothing had
changed over the years. He couldn't even protect his own soulmate, for god's
sake. 
As Taehyung leaned in to kiss Yoongi tenderly- a kiss meant only for a hero-
Jungkook found himself forcing his body to wrench away from the scene. Without
another backwards glance he ran from his soulmate, thoughts whirling and
emotions overflowing.
Taehyung deserved a guy like Yoongi. Yoongi was strong and smart and took good
care of Taehyung, and Jungkook would bet money that Yoongi carried
significantly less baggage than Jungkook. Yoongi could give Taehyung the love
that he deserved, the life that he deserved. Jungkook's track record spoke for
itself. Yoongi could actually be there to make Taehyung laugh and to wipe his
eyes dry, unlike Jungkook.
The universes must have been mistaken; pairing someone like Taehyung with
someone like Jungkook.
Don't be selfish.
Jungkook hadn't been looking where he was going, and probably would have
continued to storm through the streets until he had covered the rest of the
city, if a hand hadn't grabbed him by the shoulder and stopped him in his
tracks.
Jungkook instinctively whipped around, fists clenching defensively and body
preparing for a fight.
"Kook? Is that you? I've been looking everywhere for you, bro!"
Jungkook's gut filled with dread as Jiyong pulled him into a tight hug,
laughing and patting his back like an old friend. "Where have you been? We've
all been worried sick!"
Jiyong looked good- and dare he say it- healthy. He was wearing a pitch black
suit and tie, and his hair was died a lime greenish color (his one small act of
rebellion was his hair), bangs sideswipe and neatly styled into perfection.
Jiyong was always handsome, but somehow he looked different from when Jungkook
had last seen him. There was something colder in the man's eyes, despite the
warm smile that was on his face. 
Jiyong squeezed him tighter, and Jungkook stiffened. Jungkook had no doubt that
he was packing beneath his jacket. Though really, by now he shouldn't have been
surprised.
"Something tells me it wasn't worry that Dad was feeling when I left." The
words slipped out bitterly before he could bite them back.
Jiyong pulled away, holding Jungkook by the shoulder as he appraised him with
concern. His eyebrows furrowed. "Well..."
The younger suddenly wondered his older brother was alone. Jungkook quickly
shrugged out of the older man's hands, looking around as he took a cautious
step back. Jiyong frowned. "Kook, don't be like that. I'm not gonna turn you
in, if that's what you're thinking."
The younger eyed the man warily. "You're not?" Somehow, he found it hard to
believe that Jiyong would disobey their father. He was much too smart for that.
Jiyong rolled his eyes. "Yah. Just how bad of a big brother do you think I am?"
Jungkook sighed, shoulders dropping slightly as he relaxed and gave the man a
small, reluctant smile. The man was really too cheerful for his own good.
"First of all, you're myhalf brother. Second of all, one who loses his eight
year old brother in a theme park?"
"Okay, that hurts." He pouted, holding a hand up dramatically to his heart and
trying to look wounded. "And it wasone time! I was still just a kid!"
"Well, I guess some things never change."
Jiyong huffed in amusement. "You brat." He ruffled his younger brother's hair
affectionately, and Jungkook couldn't help but laugh as he pushed his arm away.
When his brief happiness died down, Jungkook somehow found the courage to ask
the question that has been on his mind for years. "Is he mad?"
Jiyong's eyes turned serious. It was the look he sported when he was about to
pull the trigger. "Very."
Jungkook felt a shiver run down his spine.
"Be careful, Jungkook." Jiyong said in a low voice, his tone warning and
severe. "Dad won't be as forgiving this time around. Don't let him find you."
Jungkook's throat went dry, and all he could do was nod.
Jiyong's face softened, and he reached up to pat at the younger's cheek. When
Jungkook stayed still and silent, the elder merely sighed and stepped back. He
reached into his pocket and fished out a cellphone, before placing it forcibly
in Jungkook's hand.
"It's a burner. Untraceable, wiped clean. Just pick up the phone when I call
you?" It came out more as a question, and Jungkook found himself nodding in
reluctant agreement. "Good. I'll do what I can to keep him off your tail,
alright?"
The elder's phone buzzed in his pocked, and when he pulled it out to glance at
the screen his expression turned grim. He looked back up at Jungkook
regretfully. "I've gotta go."
Duty calls. Jungkook just nodded, not trusting his voice to speak. His brother
didn't deserve his contempt. It's not like it was his fault that he was born to
inherit the throne of Seoul's underworld.
"Take care, little brother." Jiyong said rather wistfully, taking a step back
and sending Jungkook an achingly familiar smile. A smile that reminded him of
nights hiding out in the attic while voices yelled downstairs, and of the
smell of gunpowder and the sight of blood. 
He turned away and hurried down the street, whipping his phone to his ear.
After a few moments he started to yell at the person on the other end, voice
sharp and intimidating, his demeanor changing from happy to 'gangster boss' in
an instant. Jungkook could only stand there and watch him until he disappeared.
An image of Yoongi and Taehyung holding each other close suddenly taunted him
in his mind. A magnified image of them kissing, loving.
Jungkook's resolve steeled.
It's better this way. He couldn't afford to get distracted.
Jungkook had bigger problems, after all.
 
~
 
While the rest of Seoul was fast asleep, a lone young woman was rushing through
the empty streets.
Her slight form under the streetlamps casted monstrous shadows across the
pavement; shadows that flickered and changed so drastically that the woman was
certain that claws would extend outwards from the ground and capture her in her
tracks.
She didn't dare slow her speed as she glanced over her shoulder. Her heavy
panting was only just drowned out by the heavy pitter-pattering of the rain,
which was so dense that she could barely see five meters in front of her. 
"Mistress!", the woman called out desperately, hurriedly searching through the
alleys she passed by as she ran. "Mistress, please come back! It's not safe!"
She pleaded to the empty streets around her, her eyes watery and her lips blue
and trembling. Desperation built up in her throat, and after another few
moments of silence, she finally threw away formalities and yelled out,
"Nayoung!!"
She froze when she was movement in the corner of her eye, and quickly turned
just in time to catch a small form hurrying into a nearby alleyway. "Wait!"
She bolted across the street, and was quick to follow the figure into the
alleyway. "Mistress?" She called out, softer. 
The figure slowly turned around to face the young woman. "Soongi, I thought I
told you to stay behind."
It was another woman; one whose beauty and grace were unmatched, and never
failed to make Soongi's breath catch in her throat. Her once bright cheeks were
pale as winter- far too pale to be mistaken for her usual fair complexion- and
her silky dark hair was so drenched that it clung to the skin of her neck. 
Nayoung was clammy and hunched over, wrapped up in heavy cloth in the hopes
that it would keep her reasonably dry. Although her voice was calm, Soongi was
not fooled- she could immediately tell that the other woman was minutes away
from freezing to death.
"Mistress Jeon!" Soongi rushed forward to hover over the other young woman, who
looked to be about to collapse. Soongi raised a hand to gently cup the delicate
skin of Nayoung's cheek. "You're positively drenched! Have you gone mad?"
Nayoung smiled softly, unable to stay stern when Soongi was always so sweet to
her. Even when she doubted if she deserved such kindness. "What are you doing?
Why did you follow me?"
Soongi shook her head sadly. "As if I could let you go by yourself."
"Soongi!" Nayoung scolded the other girl in exasperation. Really, Nayoung
shouldn't have been too surprised. Soongi was always too selfless for her own
good. "My husband could have you killed!"
Soongi slid her hand down from Nayoung's face to cradle her mistress' neck. "I
care not what happens to me, if it means keeping you safe."
Nayoung let out a resigned sigh. "This isn't worth your life, Soongi-ah. It's
not your problem-"
"The hell it isn't!" Soongi cut off sharply. "And don't you even dare call your
child a problem, ever again!"
Nayoung felt both drowning despair and a powerful surge of love swell up in her
chest, and she couldn't help but cradle her precious bundle closer to her
chest. 
Soongi's eyes dropped down at the movement, and her lips tightened in concern.
"How is he?"
After a moment of hesitance, the woman moved aside her robes and allowed Soongi
to see the infant tucked into her body. Soongi let out a small sigh of relief
at the sight of him, shivering and a tad pale but otherwise seeming to be
alright. She rolled her eyes affectionately. "Of course he sleeps through even
a night as dramatic as this one."
Nayoung laughed quietly, gazing down at the boy with the type of unconditional
love that only a mother could understand.He's got her eyes. The boy's almond-
shaped eyes bore a striking resemblance, and even the soft, dark tufts of his
hair reminded Soongi of his mother. Soongi felt a pang of bittersweet sadness
ache in her heart. She found herself hesitant to spill the words on the tip of
her tongue, desperate to keep such a soft moment alive- even for just a moment
longer.
But as much as she wished it weren't so, they had more pressing matters to
attend to. "Are you sure this is best, Mistress?"
Nayoung didn't look back up as she carefully pulled her robes back over her
son, hiding him away from sight once more. The tips of her fingers were tinged
blue, but her hands were still steady as she held her child closely. 
"Mistress?" Soongi prompted again, questioning and anxious.
"There's no need for that when we're alone, Soongi-ah." Nayoung said instead.
"Please."
Soongi's expression softened. "Nayoungie, are you sure about this? Surely it
wouldn't be so bad for him-"
She halted when Nayoung shook her head sadly, down-casted eyes finally raising
to meet Soongi's, dark and glassy and gorgeous. Soongi's heart broke just a
little bit more at the breathtakingly ephemeral vision. 
"I won't let him have my child." Her voice was almost a whisper, but her words
held an unshakable conviction. "My son is still innocent. He will not grow up
to be a pawn in that man's empire."
This time Soongi didn't bother to argue, only nodding silently in
understanding. She gulped down her sorrow, willing her eyes to remain dry,
refusing to be weak when Nayoung needed her. 
Soongi opened her mouth to respond, only for the words to be lost at the sound
of tires screeching.
"Quickly!" Nayoung urged. She reached out a hand to grab at Soongi's and pulled
her down beside her, their drenched forms melting into the darkness of the
alley.
After a moment, the distant sounds of voices shattered the silence, yelling and
calling for their mistress. Nayoung squeezed her companion's intertwined hand
tightly, trembling and terrified. The women exchanged pained looks, knowing
what was going to happen.
"Take him."
Soongi's eyes widened in horror at the command. "What? No, you can't! Do you
have any idea what they' do to you if they-"
"I can and I will. Nowtake him." Nayoung's face was hard and resolute. Seeing
Soongi's protests on her expression, she was quick to add, "Please, Soongi-ah."
Soongi's finally tears escaped her eyes as she carefully leaned over to take
the boy into her arms without waking him. Nayoung's eyes lingered on her
sleeping son's face as she sat up straight, adjusting the hood to hide her
face.
"Why are you doing this?" Soongi's voice was fragile, trembling and wavering
with emotion.
Squeezing her companion's hand one last time, Nayoung steadily got to her feet.
"It's too late for me, but not for my baby." She brushed her fingers over the
baby-soft skin of her child's cheek, her eyes eons away. When she looked back
up to meet Soongi's gaze, her expression spoke of sorrows that no human should
have been forced to carry. "He deserves better than the life he was given. You
both do." 
"Please, Nayoungie-"
"Goodbye, my love."
Soongi watched helplessly as the other woman pulled away and left her behind;
so small and beautiful in her fragility, but also more strong-willed and
courageous than anyone she had ever had the honor of knowing. 
The sound of yelling quickly followed, which escalated until the commotion was
clearly moving further away as Nayoung presumably ran for it.
Soongi looked down at the small child in her arms, unknowing and innocent and
so entirely undeserving of the circumstances of his birth. He was just like
Nayoung herself, and the very thought led Soongi to shakily get to her feet. He
deserves better. A better life, far away from the clutches of his father. This
child would live a life with no blood on his hands- Soongi would make sure of
it.
Peering out into the street and finding that the guards had followed after
Nayoung, Soongi quickly rushed in the opposite direction.
She ran and ran, far away from where Nayoung was struggling by herself, even
though every fiber of her being begged her to turn back. She forced her legs to
keep moving, reminding herself over and over again that this was for the baby,
and that she had to get him to safety. She was sure to reach a safe distance
before she found a suitable place to stop. 
An orphanage. 
It was closed, of course, the lights off and the front sign rusty and just
barely readable, but it was definitely an orphanage.
Soongi stepped up to the front porch, carefully pulling off her own jacket and
wrapping it securely around the small form of Nayoung's son. She frowned when
she noticed a small slip of paper sticking out from the fold of the child's
blanket. She carefully extracted it, opening up the paper only to find the same
delicate cursive that was inked across her inner wrist. 
Allowing the tears to streak freely down her face, Soongi placed the child on
the doormat, refolding the note and gently slipping it back into the boy's
blanket. Before she could change her mind and sweep the precious child of her
soulmate back into her arms, Soongi lightly kissed his forehead, knocked loudly
at the door, and hurried back down the way she had come.
Even across the city, Soongi could hear the deafening sound of a single
gunshot.
 
This is Jungkook.
Please take good care of him.
-N
 
Chapter End Notes
     Are all the time jumps too confusing?
     Also, theres a glitch with the update stamp, so the previous chapters
     might not have appeared as new.
***** Stigma *****
Chapter Notes
     Warnings: sub drop, ptsd, angst
Taehyung could still feel the man's fingers around his throat.
Yoongi could tell just by looking; how the boy's fingers trembled as they
brushed over the bruised skin under his jaw, how his eyes watered and his
pupils toggled in and out of focus; aware for one moment only to be pulled away
in the next.
Taehyung once described it as being similar to a state between dreaming and
awake- thoughts jumbled and lucid, uncertain as to what was reality and what
was just a nightmare brought back to life by his imagination. On the outside it
looked like he was having a mild panic attack, but Yoongi knew better. Taehyung
was reliving a dozen unpleasant memories all at once; feeling invisible hands
gripping at his throat hard enough to choke the breath from his lungs, hearing
taunting whispers of cruelty lash at his ears and torment his heart.
Yoongi recognized the signs. Taehyung was heartbeats away from having an
episode.
But Yoongi could feel that this time was different. Taehyung wasn't just ebbing
away- this wasn't something that Yoongi could ease him through safely. Taehyung
was panicking. He was terrified, trapped in a loop of his own horrific
memories, and Yoongi had no idea how to help him. The physical pain he was
feeling may have been but a phantom, but the damage to his heart was immediate
and as real as the air he was breathing.
When Taehyung normally sub dropped, it was a bit like the forefront of his
brain edged away to take a rest. Every part of him that was messy faded away
for a time; the worst of his fears and worries and memories. It could usually
be managed pretty easily. Yoongi knew when to let Taehyung's heart take a rest,
and he knew when to pull him back to reality. Yoongi could handle sub dropping.
Except now Taehyung's mind was sinking too fast, collapsing in on itself and
imploding all at once in a chaotic jumble that was surely far too dangerous. 
This was no drop. Taehyung was free falling.
Yoongi cursed to himself, jabbing at the elevator door buttons harder as his
impatience grew. Taehyung was tucked into his side, trembling and terrified and
unnervingly silent. 
As soon as the elevator doors began to creak open on their floor, the older man
was guiding his companion down the hall as quickly as Taehyung's body could
keep up with. Taehyung's form was unsteady and lost, only his blind trust in
Yoongi allowing him to keep his legs moving in the direction he was being led. 
Even though Taehyung's mental instability was of no surprise to Yoongi at this
point, this time there was something off about it. Taehyung wasn't just
regressing; there was nothing soft and childlike about the Taehyung here in
front of him. Taehyung was frightened near the point of hysteria- grasping onto
Yoongi like at any second he was about to be snatched away forever.
An encounter with someone so reminiscent of that man, had sent the younger's
brain into a spiral of insurmountable desperation. The desperation of a kid who
knew he was about to die.
When they finally made it to the front door, Yoongi's hands shook slightly as
he pulled out the keys and struggled to unlock the door. "C'mon dammit," Yoongi
cursed under his breath impatiently. He stilled for a second, taking in a deep
breath, before continuing, slightly more steady than before.
When he finally managed to shove open the door, he was quick to hurry the
younger inside. With Taehyung safely seated on the couch, Yoongi turned away to
reach for his phone, only to have a grabby pair of hands clenching around his
arm like a vice. Yoongi looked back at Taehyung, moving back into the younger's
space immediately at the distraught look on the boy's face. 
"Hey," Yoongi murmured softly into his ear, arms looping around his waist and
cradling his trembling body to his chest. "You're safe, Tae. I just need to
grab my phone, okay?"
Taehyung shook his head vehemently, not looking up from where his face was
tucked between Yoongi's shoulder and neck. His fingers tightened their grip on
Yoongi's shirt. 
"I won't leave, I just need to get my phone from the kitchen." Yoongi reassured
the boy gently, stroking over the boy's fingers soothingly in an attempt to get
him to let go. "I'll be right back. Promise."
When Taehyung finally looked up, his eyes were wide and unfocused, but the
expression on his face was enough for Yoongi to understand.Promise? 
Yoongi nodded. "5 seconds, Tae. I'll be back before you can blink."
Taehyung didn't speak- Yoongi wasn't sure he could at this point- but he
managed to relax his grip enough for Yoongi to quickly slip away. "Sit tight,
Tae." He called over his shoulder as he rushed towards the kitchen faster than
he's ever move in his life.
Yoongi looked around frantically, wracking his brain as he tried to remember
where he left the damn thing. When he finally spotted it lying on the counter
next to the sink, he didn't hesitate to lunge for it, cursing aloud when his
hip made contact with a marble counter top on the way.
Yoongi was furiously scrolling through his contacts as he hurried back to the
living room. When he finally found who he was looking for he lifted the phone
to his ear as it rang, carefully settling in next to where Taehyung was curled
in on himself, whimpering. Taehyung made no sign that he noticed Yoongi's
return, even as the older tried to pet at the back of his neck and cradle his
cheeks. The younger's eyes were vacant, a million years away, trapped back in
the place that Yoongi had thought he had already rescued him from.
"Pick up, pick up, pick up-" Yoongi's chanting cut off as the number went to
voicemail, cursing loudly. Taehyung didn't flinch. Thoughts whirling, Yoongi
scrolled back down through his contacts, eyes roving through the names because
there had to besomeone he could call, until he landed on one name in
particular. One he had been sure he'd never call.
"Fuck it." Yoongi pressed the dial button, pressing the phone back to his ear
as he continued to try and to coax Taehyung out of his own head.
Taehyung was unresponsive; like his heart still had pumping blood to keep him
anatomically alive, but no stimuli to keep the boy in front of him sentient.
The Taehyung in front of him was just a shell of his former lovely self.
Yoongi practically held his breath as the phone rang, nearly sobbing in relief
when the line clicked as someone answered.
"Suga-hyung?" Jimin's voice sounded like a gift from god to Yoongi's ears.
"Brat, is Jin-hyung there?" Yoongi asked hurriedly. 
"Jin-hyung? Yeah he's here, but he's watching a movie with Namjoon-hyung, and
he explicitly said that no one was allowed to disturb-"
"Go get him on the phone." Yoongi cut him off with a command, barely processing
the words as he watched Taehyung falling apart right before his eyes.
"But he said-" Jimin started to protest, only to be cut off by a voice as sharp
as knives.
"It's an emergency! So you go get him on the phone right fucking now, before I
march over there and-!"
Apparently he didn't even need to finish his threat, because soon he heard the
sound of scrambling and shuffling as the younger presumably scrambled for Jin.
"Hyung!" He distantly heard the boy shout, followed by more yelling and
arguing. "But hyung, Suga-hyung-!"
Finally, Jin's voice appeared on the line, sounding annoyed. "I swear to god,
someone better be dying-" 
"Hyung!" Yoongi practically sobbed at the sound of his hyung's voice. "I need
your help! It's Taehyung!"
Seokjin's voice immediately grew serious. He knew a little bit about Taehyung's
condition already; bits and pieces that he strung together from late nights of
drinking with Yoongi- when only tequila could loosen the younger's tongue. But
he also knew that sober Yoongi would always shoulder Taehyung himself, so un-
trusting to the outside world that even Jin wouldn't be let in when it
concerned Yoongi's fragile companion.
So if Yoongi was asking for help, something must be gravely wrong. "I'm on my
way now. Tell me what's wrong." There was more scrambling as he stood up,
ignoring the questioning voices around him. "Jimin, go grab my kit!"
Yoongi could do nothing but blubber out a rough summary of what had happened,
feeling tears of distress and frustration start to prick at his eyes as he
watched Taehyung next to him. Yoongi's eyes widened as the boy suddenly cried
out like he was in pain, jolting to his feet like he was recoiling from
something- or someone- only to collapse heavily onto the floor. His eyes were
wild as he stared at a figure who only existed in Taehyung's memories.
"Tae!" Yoongi rushed for him, shaking him as the boy curled up on himself and
started to cry.
"Keep talking to me, Yoongi-ah." Jin commanded over the phone, and Yoongi
vaguely heard the sound of a car engine starting. "Tell me what's happening."
"H-he-" Yoongi struggled to gulp down his panic. "He's not responding to me, I
don't think he even realizes I'm here! He's shaking, and crying, and he l-looks
so scared, and there's nothing I can do to help him-!"
"Yoongi, listen to me." Seokjin's voice was eerily calm. "Taehyung is having a
panic attack induced by an experience that caused him emotional distress,
that's triggering his previous traumatic memories."
And Yoongi could see it too- the demons that Taehyung were currently facing.
The younger's neck snapped upwards and his eyes shot open, but his gaze was
void and unseeing. He was clutching and clawing at his neck, fingers pale as he
tightened his grip and started to gasp for air.
"Hyung, he's choking himself!" Yoongi cried out, reaching out to hover
uncertainly over the boy, hesitant to try and pry Taehyung's fingers form his
own neck in fear that he'd only make it worse. "What do I do?"
"Yoongi, you need to restrain him."
Yoongi felt a tear finally make an escape down his cheek. He reached down
towards his companion, only to have the younger flinch back like he had been
struck, crying out with what little breath he could muster.
Yoongi immediately pulled away, his hands trembling as he hovered over
Taehyung, too terrified to move. "H-he doesn't recognize me hyung! I can't-!"
"Yoongi." Seokjin said sharply, voice unwavering and steely. "If you don't
restrain him, he could hurt himself. You have to hold him down until I get
there."
Yoongi gulped down his distress, reaching for the younger once more. When the
younger boy felt his hands grab his arms, Taehyung writhed and struggled with
all of his might, kicking and screaming and- was that begging?
Yoongi pushed aside the ache in his chest at the sight of Taehyung being in so
much pain, forcing himself to grab onto the younger more firmly. He slowly
pried Taehyung's fingers from his neck, before shifting to grip both of his
hands with one of his. As gently as he could be while Taehyung was fighting
him, Yoongi forced the younger to lie against his chest, holding his head and
shoulders firmly with his arms and wrapping his legs around the boy's waist.
Their limbs were a tangled mess, Yoongi's muscles beginning to protest at the
strain of holding the taller boy down, wrists twinging in pain at the awkward
angle he was holding Taehyung's hands at.
Yoongi's eyes shut tight as Taehyung sobbed wordless pleas, wriggling and
jerking in his desperation to escape whatever was chasing him. Taehyung's arms
were struggling against him, still trapped between their bodies, and his wrists
still bound in Yoongi's tight grip. His head knocked painfully against Yoongi's
collarbones, but the older boy forced him to keep still.
Taehyung hasn't reached this level of regression since they were both in high
school; back when the trauma he had went through as a kid had truly set in as
he grew old enough to understand. And even then it had only happened twice.
After years of healing, Yoongi thought they were in the clear- Yoongi thought
he had fixed Taehyung's heart, if only enough to keep them both alive.
It hurts. More than the blows he was receiving from Taehyung's flailing limbs,
seeing the younger in such pain, hurt. Worst of all, there was nothing Yoongi
could do to help him; there was no one for Yoongi to beat up, no monsters to
face- for the evil that plagued Taehyung couldn't be seen with Yoongi's eyes.
All Yoongi could do for the moment was hold on tighter, reminding himself while
Taehyung fought and begged him to be freed, that it needed to be done and that
he was doing it for Taehyung's safety.
It hurts.
It seemed like ages had passed by the time Seokjin was knocking furiously at
the front door.
Yoongi blinked his eyes open, seemingly awakening from a daze. He vaguely
registered the presence of something warm pressed against his body. His vision
swayed as he moved his eyes to look down, only to see that Taehyung had grown
deathly still sometime in the past few minutes. The boy's honey skin was pale,
like all the life had been sucked out of him, and only the shallow movement of
his chest against Yoongi's let the elder know that his heart was still beating.
There was more knocking. Yoongi blinked again.
And then carefully, still dazed and out of grips, Yoongi carefully released
Taehyung and moved to open the door. His limbs felt like jelly, and every step
was like he was wading through water.
"Yoongi! How is he?" Jin 's voice also echoed in his ears like he was
underwater, sounding relieved until he hurried inside and his eyes instantly
landed on where Taehyung was laying lifelessly on the floor. 
Yoongi couldn't find the voice to speak as Seokjin immediately rushed to crouch
by the younger, pulling out his med kit and setting to work checking on the
unconscious boy. His expression was masked in professionalism as he
meticulously worked on observing Taehyung's breathing, on timing his pulse, on
checking his pupils' reaction to light.
"He looks like he's going to be okay. I'm glad you called when you did." Jin
finally exhaled with relief, but didn't dare avert his attention away from his
patient. "You did good, Yoongs."
Yoongi didn't even notice as his legs collapsed from under him.
Seokjin's head snapped back at the sound, just in time to see the black haired
boy faint by the front door. 
"Yoongi!" He called out, hesitant to leave the youngest's side but growing more
concerned when the dark haired boy didn't respond or make a move to get up.
"Fucking hell!"
Seokjin pulled out his phone.
 
 ***
 
Jimin was pacing.
"Jimin, stop pacing."
Jimin ignored his brother, continuing to burn tracks in the floor as he paced,
worrying at his bottom lip.
"Yah! Jimin, just sit down!"
"I can't hyung!" Jimin finally responded, turning to glare at his hyung.
Hoseok's eyebrows were furrowed and his leg was bouncing. He was just as
nervous as Jimin, though he was trying his best to contain himself. "Why isn't
Jin-hyung answering his phone? It's already been half and hour, what if Suga-
hyung's hurt? There must be something we can-"
"Okay." Hoseok cut him off, tugging him by the arms to forcibly stop his
pacing. Jimin complied, standing in front of where his older brother was
sitting on the couch. "You're pacing is making me anxious. Well, anxious-er."
Jimin sighed loudly, plopping down limply on Hoseok's lap. Hoseok yelped in
surprise, frowning slightly as he shoved the younger off of him so he landed on
the couch at his side. 
"You've met Namjoon's co-worker like, once." Hoseok pointed out, absentmindedly
messing with Jimin's pink hair.
Jimin lightly shoved at Hoseok's shoulder, ducking his head away from the
other's hands. "Hyung, you know I don't like it when you mess up my hair!"
Jimin whined, patting down his hair until it looked perfectly styled again.
Hoseok paid him no mind, still looking at Jimin expectantly. "And for your
information, Suga-hyung seems like a very nice guy!"
Hoseok's eyebrows raised to his hairline. "Namjoon's Suga-hyung? Are you sure
we're talking about the same person?" He sneaked a hand around to twirl some of
the hair at the back of Jimin's head with a finger.
Jimin scowled, slapping his hand away. "You haven't even met him! Anyways, you
can't judge him only with what hyung's told you! Sure, he's a little rough
around the edges, but-"
Hoseok smiled widely, seemingly enjoying teasing the younger. Jimin was always
so adorable when riled up. "Sounds like someone's got a crush!"
Jimin's mouth dropped open before he could catch himself, his cheeks instantly
burning red.Too easy, Hoseok tried to fight off his smile. He made another
attempt to fondle Jimin's hair, only to have his hand immediately shoved away
again.
"Hyung!" Jimin whined, cheeks still flushed with embarrassment. "It's not like
that! Sure, he's cute, and I can tell that deep down he has a really good
heart-"
"Jimin and Suga, sitting in a tree-!" Hoseok singsonged gleefully, hopping to
his feet and dancing around the couch. Jimin immediately chased after him in a
scrambled mess of embarrassment, stuttering out whines for him to stop.
Watching Jimin run after him like a little kid- embarrassment in his cheeks but
mirth in his eyes- Hoseok was grateful for the distraction. Jimin worried way
more than was probably healthy, and when he did the boy never seemed to be
worrying about himself. Hoseok wished the boy would worry about his own
happiness, once in a while.
But the moment was short lived, as Hoseok's phone suddenly started to ring in
his pocket. 
Hoseok came to a halt as he pulled it out to answer it, and Jimin
consequentially stumbled into his back with an 'oomph!'. "This is Hoseok
speaking!"
"Seokie it's me." 
Hoseok's eyes widened in surprise, remnants of joy fading away as reality hit.
"Jin-hyung?"
Jimin was immediately at his side, looking at him with imploring eyes, worry
back full force. Sadness that their moment of happiness was over, Hoseok
averted his eyes from Jimin. His face was far too open, and it pained Hoseok to
see how genuinely concerned Jimin was for other people, when he knew that the
boy didn't value his own well being nearly as much.
"Has Namjoon left for his shift already?" The eldest's voice asked abruptly.
Hoseok frowned. "Yeah, he left a couple of minutes ago. Why?"
"Goddammit it." Jin said to himself, and Hoseok couldn't hide his own surprise
that the elder had cursed. "Listen, I need you to come here and help me out."
"What?" Hoseok voiced in confusion.Was there actually something serious going
on? "Why? Is everything okay?"
"To be completely honest, not really." Jin's voice sounded wry, but Hoseok
could tell he was concerned. "I've got two unconscious idiots, and I just need
an extra set of hands."
Unconscious? Hoseok frowned to himself. "Do you want me to call an ambulance?" 
"No, no, that's probably not a good idea. Idiot number one will incinerate me
with his hate-fire if I do that. Listen, there's a box of medical supplies
under my sink that I keep in case of emergencies. Can you bring me an arm sling
while you're at it? I'll text you the address, just come over and help me lug
some bodies around."
"Alright hyung, I'll be right over." Hoseok agreed, already leaving Jimin
behind and moving for Jin's bathroom.  
He hung up the phone, crouching to search the cabinet under the sink. He rolled
his eyes when he indeed saw a box labeled 'The Namjoon Box' in black sharpie,
filled to the brim with medical supplies. He shifted through the contents until
he found an arm sling.
When he made it back to the living room to grab his keys, Jimin was already
holding them to his chest, eyes imploring. "Take me with you."
Hoseok frowned. "No. You should stay here in case Jin-hyung forgot anything
else." It was a lame excuse, but it was all Hoseok could come up with at such
short notice.
Jimin looked unconvinced, gripping tighter that Hoseok's keys. Hoseok sighed
loudly, approaching the younger until he was close enough to ruffle his hair.
"Just wait here." Hoseok said, a little more firmly. He put on his best
reassuring smile. "Leave it to your hyungs."
Except Jimin didn't want to leave it up to someone else. Never again. Jimin
hated how helpless he was; how everyone bent over backwards to try and take
care of Jimin, but the boy could never seem to do the same in return. He wasn't
worth all of this care- he should be there, he should help. He wanted to
shoulder the burden himself.
Jimin could do nothing but watch as Hoseok left, oblivious to the storm forming
on the horizon.
***** Tomorrow *****
One thing about Hoseok, is that he's never really quiet.
Even as a kid he would always be laughing and jumping around, playing with his
friends and tiring out his poor mother. His mother used to scold him fondly for
his liveliness, repeatedly telling him to settle down a bit- though in truth
she adored him and his abundance of energy. Hoseok was her sun and her stars,
and Hoseok loved his family just as fiercely in return.
So when his father came home from work holding a quiet little child in his
arms, Hoseok didn't hesitate to welcome Jimin into his heart as well. 
Jimin was not like Hoseok; he was quiet and thoughtful, shyness masked by
polite smiles. For months Jimin remained impassive and guarded, walking around
like a guest in someone else's house. He kept to himself. He didn't play with
Hoseok's toys (though he had been told he was free to do so by Hoseok himself),
and he only even ventured out of his room when he was called for. He only ate
when he was given permission, and though Hoseok could hear his stomach growling
in protest he never dared ask for more.
Jimin's new family spent months trying to coax him out of his shell, trying to
get him to at least open up a little. Hoseok even tried to offer Jimin half of
his dessert. But Jimin didn't budge; surrounded by his iron wall of stiff
politeness, keeping his distance.
Hoseok's parents were at a loss. They knew that Jimin's childhood had been
horrific, thought Hoseok had only ever caught snippets of it from their
conversations. His parents stayed up late talking about Jimin when they thought
the boys were fast asleep.
"What should we do?"
"Nothing seems to be working..."
"Isn't there anything we can do to help him?"
"Was this a mistake?"
But Hoseok didn't believe in mistakes. 
So as soon as he heard the whispered words leave his mother's mouth, he was
marching determinedly to Jimin's room.
Hoseok didn't knock, instead barging in and startling Jimin where he was
sitting up in his bed. Jimin had been holding open one of Hoseok's old books,
but as soon as he saw Hoseok he was scrambling to his feet to return it to the
older boy, stuttering out terrified apologies and looking suspiciously like he
was holding back tears.
"I-I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have- I'm really sorry! I'll return it right away-
!"
Hoseok frowned as Jimin tried to give him back his book. When it was back in
Hoseok's hands, Jimin bowed deeply, shaking slightly as more apologies spilled
from his mouth.
"Stop that." Hoseok commanded rather childishly, tossing the book back onto the
bed.
Jimin looked up at him in surprise, eyes wide. Hoseok reached out to make him
stand up straight, before diving into his stern lecture. "Stop apologizing
already. You're free to borrow whatever you want from me. We're family now."
Jimin blinked up at him, looking confused. Hoseok pointed a finger in his face.
"Family."
"... Family?" Jimin echoed, like he was hearing it for the first time.
Hoseok nodded his approval, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yupp! Which
means we all love and take care of each other. Including you! So stop acting so
distant!"
"But I'm not-" Jimin tried to protest, only to be cut off by Hoseok.
"No ifs ands or buts!" He said the words that his mother always told him when
he tried to argue. "So from now on, we're brothers, alright? We'll play
together, and eat snacks together, and get in trouble together. Then Mom will
send us to our room without dessert, but Dad will sneak us cookies if we
promise not to tell. Because that's how family works!"
Hoseok finally noticed that Jimin's eyes were watering, and he sniffled softly
as he nodded his head in agreement. "Okay."
"And stop being so polite! You're making everyone worried!" Hoseok scolded.
When Jimin continued to hold back his tears, lips quivering and cheeks pink,
Hoseok reached out a hand to ruffle through the boy's hair. "Good boy."
Hoseok didn't believe in mistakes. Jimin was not a mistake.
Hoseok will never forget the sight of Jimin bursting into tears for the first
time since they had adopted him. Hoseok cradled the younger to his chest,
smiling when the younger shyly peeked up at him to sniffle and ask Hoseok, "Can
you... pet my hair again?"
Hoseok beamed, resuming running his fingers through the soft threads. "Of
course, Jiminie! I'll play with your hair forever and ever!"
Jimin hid his giggled in Hoseok's pajama shirt, cheeks flushing with happiness.
"Well, maybe not forever."
"Nope!" Hoseok responded brightly, petting at the hair near the back of Jimin's
head. "Too late! No take-backsies!"
Jimin grumbled good-naturedly, but didn't refuse. He just stood there in
Hoseok's arms, letting the older boy abuse his hair. His brother.
 
~~~
 
Hoseok silently thanked the heavens that the front door was unlocked when he
arrived, bursting in and calling out, "Jin-hyung!" 
His hyung was crouching on the floor with his back to him, and Hoseok's eyes
widened in horror when he realized that he was crouching in front of a body.
"Oh my god! Is he dead?!" Hoseok started to rush forward, only to stumble when
his foot collided with something solid. He glanced down and saw that it was
another person, lying on the floor right near the entrance. "Oh my god! Is he
dead too?! Hyung-!"
"Hoseok." Jin sighed loudly, finally turning his head to frown at where the
younger was panicking. "No one's dead. Please stop yelling."
Hoseok snapped his mouth shut, nodding obediently. Jin rolled his eyes, turning
back to the guy he was checking over. "Now that everyone's calm again, can you
please help me move them to the bedroom?"
"Okay, yeah, let me just-"
Hoseok had leaned down to try and take a closer look at the boy at his feet
when his breath suddenly caught in his throat.
Beautiful.
He was an exquisite contrast of dark and light; dark hair, fair skin, sloping
eyes framed by dark lashes, lips a soft rosy pink color. This boy, whoever he
may be, was ethereally gorgeous. Otherworldly. Hoseok's heart began to pound in
his chest, fluttering and frantic and about to leap out of his throat, fingers
aching to reach out and brush against his porcelain skin.
"Hoseok?"
Jin had turned back around to look when Hoseok remained silent for too long.
Hoseok reluctantly tore his gaze from the boy to look at his hyung. Jin frowned
at whatever look was on his face. "You alright there?"
Hoseok gulped, licking his lips as his mouth struggled to form coherent words.
"W-who is this?"
Jin's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Yoongi? Well, 'Suga', I guess. Namjoon
and I have talked about him before-"
"Suga's first name is Yoongi?" Hoseok interrupted sharply, immediately jumping
to the most obvious conclusion.
Jin still looked confused. "I mean, yeah. Why-"
Hoseok didn't wait for him to finish. He shot out for Yoongi's wrist, yanking
up the sleeve of his hoodie to reveal pale skin and dark ink. 
Jung Hoseok.
~
Yoongi's head hurt.
This shouldn't have been too much of a surprise, seeing as how Yoongi had a
headache more often than not. (Sleep deprivation, most likely.) Regardless,
Yoongi was not in a peachy mood when he woke up with Jin's ear in his face.
Yoongi lightly shoved the older away, sitting up and grumbling under his breath
when Jin startled back in surprise. "You're awake!"
"No kidding, dipshit." His head was throbbing with pain and exhaustion. He
tiredly rubbed at his eyes. "What happened?"
He didn't need to look to know that Jin was scowling at him. "Is that really
how you should be treating the guy who came to your rescue?" He scolded.
"Thank you, oh lord and savior Jin, the greatest almost-doctor to ever live."
Yoongi supposed he deserved the cuff on the back of the head that followed, but
he still whined in pain. 
"How are you feeling?" Jin asked.
Blinking away the blurriness, Yoongi finally took in surroundings. He was in
his bedroom, sitting up in his own bed. A sling was cradling his arm to his
chest, and Yoongi felt a twinge of pain flare in his shoulder as he shifted. It
took him all of a second to recognize that Taehyung was laying beside him on
the bed, chest rising and falling with every breath. The memory of Taehyung
being attacked flashed back into his head, and his spine grew rigid as he tried
to recall what had happened after.
Taehyung had been having an episode. Yoongi could recall the crying and the
struggling, heart suddenly aching as he remembered how sightless brown eyes had
looked right through him like he wasn't even there. Then Jin showed up...
Exactly how long had he been out? 
"You fainted." Jin supplied helpfully, picking up on Yoongi's trail of thought.
Yoongi felt his cheeks begin to color against his will. "I-.... I did?"
God, how embarrassing.
"Yeah, talk about bad timing. I had to call in the cavalry to come help me."
Jin nodded. "Also, for a smaller guy you sure are heavy-"
"Jin-hyung?"
Yoongi froze at the sound, eyes suddenly refusing to turn and look at whoever
just entered the room.
"Ah!" Jin smiled brightly, looking between the two with a glint in his eyes
that Yoongi was instantly suspicious of. "Which reminds me... You haven't
officially met yet, have you?"
Yoongi felt it in his gut. He just knew.
"This is my roommate, Hoseok. I'm sure you two will get along just
splendidly." Jin sounded so smug that Yoongi probably would have smacked the
stupid grin right off of his face, if his body wasn't frozen.
"Hello..."
Bracing himself, Yoongi turned to meet look at the boy coming to stand beside
Jin.
Dark hair, medium complexion, puppy eyes, and really goddamn cute.
Fuck. He was sunshine-y and cute, like a defenseless little animal. Exactly
Yoongi's weakness.
Jung Hoseok smiled at him, blushing slightly and looking bashful.
Yoongi gulped. "Hi." His voice sounded flat, even to his own ears.
Hoseok's lips pinched at the edges, betraying his disappointment. He forced his
face into a smile. "Nice to finally meet you, Min Yoongi."
Yoongi nodded, suddenly not trusting his voice. He ripped his gaze from the
lovely brown eyes of his soulmate, turning back look at where Taehyung was
still unconscious.
"Is he alright?" He pointedly turned to ask Jin.
Jin frowned, glancing quickly at Hoseok. "Yeah, he should be just fine. He's
got no physical injuries; in fact, you're probably worse off. A dislocated
shoulder from when you collapsed, and a number of bruises along your chest and
abdomen. Probably from when you were, uhhh, restraining him."
Yoongi sighed in relief, reaching out his uninjured hand to brush back the
younger's bangs. Taehyung's eyelashes fluttered as he dreamed, feather soft
against his cheekbones. "Thank god."
Yoongi could practically feel the other two staring at him, so he kept his gaze
trained on Taehyung's sleeping face. 
"So what about the guy who attacked Tae?" Jin asked worriedly. "Did you call
the police?"
Yoongi shook his head, muttering darkly. "Don't worry about him. He won't be
bothering anyone anytime soon."
"I don't even wanna know what you did to him." Jin rolled his eyes, pausing
slightly before adding, "... But good riddance."
Jin carefully poked at Taehyung's cheek, expression briefly marred by sadness.
"Who does that jerk think he is? What gives him the right to do such a thing?
Tae is..."
Yoongi didn't need Jin to finish his sentence to understand what he meant.
Taehyung was too kind, too pure. Time and time again people betrayed his trust,
took advantage of his big heart. And yet he was never bitter or spiteful, and
he never complained about how much it hurt him even though Yoongi was sure that
it did. Taehyung didn't deserve the cards he had been dealt; the life he had
been given. 
Yoongi smiled, wry and bitter and not meeting his eyes at all. Hoseok's eyes
felt heavy on his face, and Yoongi forced himself not to squirm uncomfortably
under the scrutiny.
Jin noticed the tense atmosphere as he stepped back from Taehyung. He cleared
his throat, eyes unsure as he glanced between his two silent friends. "Well,
I'll just... Go make you guys something to eat. I'm sure Taehyung will be
hungry when he wakes up. I'll just leave you two to..." He paused, pointedly
looking between the two before finishing, "talk."
"Don't burn down my kitchen." Yoongi called after him.
Jin snorted. "Do I look like Namjoon to you?" And he was gone from the room.
And suddenly, Yoongi was alone with Hoseok- and an unconscious Taehyung.
Yoongi carefully moved over to sit up closer to Taehyung, petting a hand over
the boy's head. Taehyung nuzzled into the contact in his sleep, and Yoongi
couldn't help but feel warm with affection.
"His name is Taehyung?" 
Yoongi finally looked up, cautiously meeting Hoseok's wary gaze. He nodded.
"I don't suppose his full name is Kim Taehyung?" Hoseok asked.
Yoongi's silence was response enough.
Hoseok's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You knew about him and Jimin, then? And
you didn't say anything?"
Like flipping a switch Yoongi's expression abruptly morphed from soft and
passive to sharp and aggressive; the contrast as shocking as day and night. He
glared at Hoseok, dark eyes flashing with open hostility. "Don't pretend you
know jack shit about us."
Hoseok's looked surprised by his sudden change, blinking at him with large and
bewildered eyes as if he was encountering an entirely new species for the first
time. But after a moment's hesitation, he was glaring back at Yoongi with equal
ferocity. "Do you have any idea how hard Jimin's been working to search for his
soulmates?"
Yoongi could feel hot frustration burning in his throat. "Taehyung's in no
position to be meeting his soulmate right now!"
"That's not your decision to make!" Hoseok argued back. "What are you, his
guardian?"
Yoongi had to bite back his retort, because goddammit Yoongi had practically
raised Taehyung on his back, and had been his guardian by everything except
law. "It's none of your business what I am!" He shot back defensively.
"None of my-" Hoseok spluttered, looking absolutely bewildered. "Jimin's my
brother! And you're mysoulmate!"
Yoongi felt heat crawl up his spine as the elephant in the room was announced
so blatantly. My soulmate. The words rang loudly in his ears. "You don't know
anything, so back off!"
"No!" Hoseok refused stubbornly, stepping closer, cheeks heating. "I'm not
going to let this go! Jimin is my little brother, and finding his soulmates
means the absolute world to him! He's been-"
Yoongi scowled. "Let's get one thing straight, I will always prioritize
Taehyung's happiness over anyone else. Jimin. Myself. Anyone."
Including you.
Right away, Yoongi could see how his words affected Hoseok, as his eyes grew
watery and his lips began to tremble like he was seconds away from bursting
into tears. Yoongi felt guilt stab at him, sharp and unforgiving. This was
probably not even close to how Hoseok imagined finally meeting his soulmate
would go. 
But before Yoongi could take back his words, Taehyung rolled over slightly in
his sleep, pillowing his head near Yoongi's thigh and curling into the elder's
form. Yoongi felt his resolve steel. 
He stayed silent, hand brushing over Taehyung's neck protectively.
"Sorry." Yoongi said softer, anger gone.
Hoseok knew immediately what Yoongi was referring to, and Yoongi heard the boy
sniffle quietly.
"Are you two...?" Hoseok asked quietly.
Yoongi stayed silent. His heart was urging him to come clean and clear up the
misunderstanding, but in his head he knew that it was probably easiest to let
him just assume.
So he said nothing. 
"Alright."
Yoongi looked up to see Hoseok taking a hesitant step backwards, heart
crumbling with sadness and longing as tears to spilled over the younger's
cheeks. 
"I get it. I'll just... go."
"Hoseok."
Hoseok turned back as Yoongi called out his name, voice wavering with the words
left unspoken between the two. His eyes were pleading with Yoongi; begging for
this to be some kind of elaborate joke, some kind of mistake.
"Please... Don't tell Jimin."
Yoongi felt his throat clog up as the boy ran out the door. 
"Hoseokie? What's wrong?" He heard Jin call after him from the kitchen, before
the front door slammed shut.
Yoongi felt like his heart was just ripped from his chest. It was absurd. It
was profoundly absurd. This wasn't how meeting his soulmate was supposed to go,
nothing was going right. His soulmate probably hated him.
Hoseok or Taehyung? He had never anticipated having to make a choice, and
Yoongi silently wondered why there wasn't a way for him to have both. He
squeezed his eyes closed, refusing to allow tears to leak out because it was
for the best, he had to do it. 
He leaned over Taehyung, burying his face in his shirt and breathing in his
comforting scent.
"Hyung?" Taehyung's voice cracked weakly, the boy shifting slightly as he woke
up. "Are... are you sad?"
Yoongi shook his head, trying to hold everything he was feeling in, tears
dampening Taehyung's clothes.
Taehyung didn't push the subject, only stroking through his hair like Yoongi
often did to him, gentle fingers carding softly through the dark strands.
"Whatever it is, hyung, it'll be okay."
Yoongi peeked up to look Taehyung in the eyes. "Tae, you know I love you,
right?" He croaked out.
Taehyung smiled warmly, loving and affectionate even though he was probably
exhausted. "Yeah hyung, of course. I love you too." He said it with no
uncertainty, no trace of hesitation, like it was something as obvious as the
sun rising in the morning or gravity keeping their feet on the ground.
Yoongi nodded, trying to fill the gaping hole in his heart with Taehyung.
And it almost worked.
Taehyung was more than just his best friend, his life long companion that he
would treasure for as long as he was allowed. Taehyung was warm, Taehyung was
gentle; undeserving of all the evils of this world, though they had all managed
to grasp hold of him anyways because the universe was just so unfair.
Taehyung was a warm cup of tea on a snowy day. Taehyung was waking up before
his alarm and realizing that he could go back to sleep. Taehyung was the notes
that sounded from his piano. Taehyung was Yoongi's light. Up until this point,
he was Yoongi's raison d'etre- the reason he got out of bed in the morning, the
only person on the planet who could truly love a person as flawed as Yoongi.
Yoongi had vowed to protect Taehyung, who was too innocent and good to protect
himself. Yoongi was the tougher one, he could do it.
Yoongi loved Taehyung insurmountably, but he wasn't Yoongi's soulmate. The
soulmate who he had quite possibly just driven away forever.
Almost, but not quite.
***** Coffee *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
It happened completely by chance.
Jungkook had been on a job at the time, delivering a package across town to
some sketchy pawn shop which likely wasn't really a pawn shop. It was
suspicious as hell and Jungkook didn't even want to think about what he could
be carrying in his backpack, but the money was good and he couldn't let the
opportunity pass. Everything had started off okay; there was no hassle when he
had picked up the delivery from the warehouse and he had started his trek
across the city with no problems.
Except that when he got to his destination, it was obvious that someone had
tipped off the police.
Fuck.
Jungkook had bolted as soon as he spotted the flashing lights, not daring to
look back as someone called after him and a few cops started to pursue.
Luckily Jungkook was fast. He weaved in and out of streets and alleyways,
making sure to toss the package into a passing dumpster. Likehell he was going
down for someone one else's fucking crime. He was just a mule, but the cops
would be sure to wring him out for all he had if they caught him.
When Jungkook finally came to a stop, sure that he had run far enough, he found
that he had wounded up in the shopping district near the university. Jungkook
hunched over his knees, panting as he tried to catch his breath for a minute.
"Ummm... Are you alright?"
The voice was soft and lilted, like songbirds chirping on an early spring day.
When Jungkook did manage to lift his head and lay eyes on the person in front
of him, he found that it was another boy who looked to be around Jungkook's own
age, with eyes curved into gentle crescents and pink lips frowned with concern.
His hair contrasted candyfloss pink against his creamy skin, lips supple and
temptingly plush, and for a split second Jungkook considered the possibility
that faeries were real.
The boy's expression furrowed thoughtfully when he took in Jungkook's face, and
suddenly there were hands gripping at his cheeks and pulling him closer. 
Jungkook froze in his surprise as the boy stared him down; part curious, part
terrified, and altogether spellbound of the otherworldly creature in front of
him.
Jungkook could feel his breath warm and soft against his own lips, and they
were so close that for a moment Jungkook was sure the boy would lean in and
kiss him. But he just blinked, inspecting Jungkook's face so closely that
Jungkook felt unreasonably vulnerable under such a heavy gaze. Jungkook could
feel his heart pounding in his throat as the boy's eyes caught onto his cheek,
his thumb following to caress the supple skin there.
"Kookie?"
Jungkook visibly flinched and the boy quickly released his face, though he
still hovered close by as if he was afraid Jungkook would bolt.
Which he was seconds from doing, considering the racing of his heart in his
chest.
Kookie.
Now that was a nickname he hasn't been called in a while.
"H-how do you know-" Jungkook choked on his own voice, blinding flashes of
smiling and giggling buzzing at the edges of his memory as he studied the other
boy's face with more intent.
Those crescent eyes.
Jungkook's eyes widened in disbelief at the possibility that popped into his
head. Impossible. He just knew it was a pipe dream to even consider after all
these years. Wishful thinking and the kind of yearning he only felt in the
middle of the night when he was all alone.
People like Jungkook didn't get so lucky twice, there was simply no way the
universe would be so kind. 
Impossible, so why...?
He suddenly felt like he had to be sure.
"Minnie?" He tried, voice quiet and uncertain as he gazed over the face in
front of him.
Minnie's eyes widened, revealing the warm, dark eyes that had once lulled him
into dreamland on nights when he couldn't fall asleep. They were familiar, they
were unforgettable; there were millions of people with the exact same eye color
and yet Jungkook could recognize them anywhere.
"It is you!" Minnie squealed happily, suddenly throwing himself into Jungkook's
arms and hugging him tightly.
Jungkook could only gape in disbelief, unable to even move until his lost
hyung's fingers dug into the back of Jungkook's hoodie and refused to leave any
space between them.
He looked different. He was older now; more mature and less innocent, the
traces of baby fat now carved away to reveal a handsome face and a lean body.
(His hair was pink.) There was also something older in his expression, like a
tragic loss of naivety from the harsh reality of the wears and tears of life.
But his smile was still so soothing and his eyes still felt so warm, and
everything was now rushing back to Jungkook with so much intensity that he
thought it might sweep him off his feet.
Minnie. 
Jungkook felt something inside him break and suddenly he was sobbing like a
baby, clenching his hyung in as close as he could, terrified that he would
disappear onto thin air again. Jungkook cried because his hyung was warm and
solid and finally back in his arms, oblivious to the strange looks he received
from people on the street because at this point no one else mattered.
In the middle of the street, for the first time in well over a decade, Jungkook
was wailing, burrowing his sniveling face into Minnie's shoulder and trying to
convince himself that it wasn't some cruel dream he would wake up from in
tears. 
My Minnie!
~
 
Somewhere across town from the fated reunion, Taehyung found himself picking up
the pieces of a shattered heart.
It wasn't something Taehyung did often. Usually- far too often- he was on the
other end, letting Yoongi sew him back together when he was ripping at the
seams. Because Yoongi was tough, unreasonably so, guarded by a thick shell
of harsh words and forced apathy that protected him from the outside world like
a suit of armor. An impenetrable fortress.
The only one Yoongi dared let in was Taehyung, who was the sole person to gain
access to the soft inner parts beneath the spikes and barbed wire- since the
day they had met in that dingy, sad excuse for a loving home for children.
Taehyung only knew a little about Yoongi's origins before they had met,
snippets he's managed to sew together over years of prodding and sleepy pillow
talk when inhibitions were weak and resolve even more so. He knew that Yoongi
was abandoned when he was very young. He knew that Yoongi had no family, he
knew that Yoongi had no friends. There was only Taehyung, which Taehyung found
that he was fine with because for him there was only Yoongi.
Yoongi was his safe place. His hyung who chased off the monsters under his bed,
and who spent hours pouring his heart into creating songs for Taehyung to
breathe life into. Taehyung knew that Yoongi was talented.
Ridiculously, outrageously talented. He had the kind of gift for music that
most people would sell their souls for, and yet he was stuck working in that
dingy night club to make ends meet. Taehyung had no doubt that Yoongi could
easily make a name for himself, if he wasn't so caught up in caring for his
volatile roommate.
Which was why Taehyung was eternally grateful for his hyung, and had taken his
own silent vow as well; a promise of loyalty, to love and to protect.
Because Yoongi was tough but he wasn't invincible. Sometimes there were chinks
in his armor where bad memories and broken glass hit home, piercing into tender
flesh and relishing in the destruction left behind. Sometimes Yoongi hurt;
creeping and silent but nonetheless valid to Taehyung. 
Today was one of those days; Taehyung could sense it the moment his raven-
haired hyung woke up beside him. He could tell from the way Yoongi blinked open
his eyes and stared lifelessly at Taehyung, gaze heavy with sleep but also with
a deep-set despair, the kind that latched on and didn't let go until you were
empty. Today Yoongi was off, just a little bit too quiet, skin just a tad bit
too pale and too clammy.
Yoongi didn't protest as Taehyung spent the morning holding him together,
literally and metaphorically.
Taehyung lost count of how many times they made love, getting lost in hazy
pleasures that were much simpler to understand, the pair isolated in time and
space. Gasps swallowed by greedy lips, moans devoured by grabby hands. Warm
skin brushing over icy skin, leaving trails of goosebumps that the younger
kissed away with his mouth.
Yoongi let Taehyung comfort him, let Taehyung love the pain away with delicate
whimpers and gentle rolls of his hips; allowing himself to get lost in the heat
between the younger's thighs.
And now as Yoongi laid on his front, shoulders stretched as he rested his head
beneath his arms like a makeshift, bony pillow, Taehyung sat upright, straddled
across his lower back. Yoongi's skin was cold against him, and Taehyung
instinctively tried to cover as much of him as he could with the warmth his own
body offered. 
Taehyung carefully pressed the pads of his fingertips into the grooves of
Yoongi's spine, feeling the lean flexing of muscles in Yoongi's back tremor
beneath his bare thighs.
Whatever was plaguing him, Yoongi didn't mention it and Taehyung didn't ask.
The younger merely did what he could to soothe the tension from Yoongi's stiff
body, as if curing him of physical ailments could cure him of the internal
kind as well.
"Do you ever wonder if this is a mistake?" Yoongi asked quietly. "Us?"
Taehyung didn't need an explanation, he knew exactly what 'this' was referring
too. Over time he had come to fully understand to gravity of their situation-
the nature of their relationship.
He knew that it wasn't normal, hell, it probably wasn't healthy. It made
them unstable, it made them vulnerable. For them it was more than just a
physical outlet for intimacy; it was emotional dependency.
"Do you ever think that I'm a mistake?" He asked, voice soft as he mapped
thoughtfully over Yoongi's body, fingertips following the sloping
decline towards his rear, dipping carefully into the small of Yoongi's back.
"Of course not." Yoongi huffed, sounded slightly affronted that Taehyung would
even suggest such a thing. Taehyung muffled a chuckle by biting his inner
cheek. "That's not what I meant."
"I know what you meant." Taehyung hummed. His eyes traveled dreamily over the
light trail of freckles littering the elder's back. They were pale, just like
Yoongi, only really noticeable to those who already knew they were there.
Taehyung thought they looked like the Milky Way. "But I'm not a mistake, and
you're not a mistake, therefore us can't be a mistake."
Taehyung could practically feel the amused smile that teased Yoongi's lips,
though all he could see from his position was the side profile of his face. 
"You're brain must be a mistake, because that barely made any sense." Yoongi
grumbled with poorly hidden affection, no doubt having grown accustomed to
Taehyung's strange way of thinking and speaking.
Taehyung rolled his eyes, palms grounding a little harder into the sore muscles
of Yoongi's upper shoulders. Yoongi's eyelashes fluttered.
"My point, is that no, I don't think that this is a 'mistake'." Taehyung
asserted firmly, allowing himself to linger a little longer on the delicate
curve where Yoongi's neck met his shoulder. It was one of his favorite places.
"While it certainly isn't the most- uh.. functional of arrangements, our
feelings are real and our intentions are good. I don't see how any product of
that could possibly be wrong."
Yoongi was quiet for a minute, taking that in.
"When did you get to be so smart?" He asked, gruff and short but fond
nonetheless.
"First you insult my magnificent brain, then you compliment my intelligence?"
Taehyung laughed, feeling as the sound practically radiated through the room,
layering onto the preexisting auras of need and desire like a cozy blanket.
Taehyung could feel the movement of Yoongi's body as he quietly chuckled,
feeling the low vibrations beneath his thighs. All the while Yoongi's onyx
eyes stayed focused on the wall.
"But what about our..." Yoongi's voice was uncharacteristically fragile for a
moment, hesitant, afraid to speak too loudly and shatter the tranquility of
their private little safe haven. Afraid that saying the words out loud would
make them real.
Taehyung 's hands paused in their exploration of the nebula. He knew. He knew
all too well.
"I could never regret you." He said, choosing instead to keep protecting their
fragile reality. His heart ached in his chest. "I love you."
Yoongi shivered beneath him, alive and thrumming with a warmth that Taehyung
selfishly coveted. Because he knew that he was being selfish, and he knew that
Yoongi was sacrificing an irreplaceable part of himself for Taehyung- but as
usual he was too weak to pull away, too weak to refuse. So instead he accepted
Yoongi's love wholeheartedly, and gave Yoongi a piece of himself in return.
To chase away the darkness. To fill the void. To cherish the parts that they
themselves could not. To stave off the loneliness. To keep one another not only
alive, but sentient as well.
They were both broken, but being broken and together was far better than being
whole and all alone.
Taehyung's palms inscribed words into Yoongi's porcelain skin, allowing the
fragments of his own heart to sink in and fill in the cracks of Yoongi's-
hoping they were sincere enough to overwrite the actual words inked permanently
onto their skin and onto their souls.
I love you, he wrote into Yoongi's shoulder blades. Together, he promised along
his rib cage, soft and sweet and earnest.
And at the base of Yoongi's spine, Mine, Mine, Mine.
Their skin was still damp with the lingering traces of their passion and
Taehyung could feel his lower back begin to throb, but he hadn't the motivation
to brake from their moment of peace for a shower, and knew that Yoongi likely
shared his sentiments.
The hand written ink on Yoongi's forearm seemed darker now, so glaring and
unforgiving that Taehyung couldn't help but avert his gaze out of sheer unease,
suddenly feeling like he hadn't the right to look. Taehyung's own arm started
to burn in awareness.
His knuckles grazed over where Yoongi's heart was beating beneath layers of
flesh and bone and Yoongi.
I'll protect you too. 
~
"So...." Jimin started, unsure of where to even begin.
Across from him, Jungkook was shifting nervously in his seat, peeking up over
his coffee cup every once in a while to shoot glances at Jimin. His eyes were
still puffy and red from when he had been crying, and Jimin could tell that he
was now thoroughly embarrassed.
They were sitting in the cafe by the university; the one where Jimin had spent
the last couple of days camped out in as he worked on his 'soulmate research'.
Evidently his dedication had payed off, seeing as one of his soulmates was now
sitting in front of him, pretending to be extremely interested in his beverage.
"How have you been?" Jimin asked, figuring it was a good place to start. 
"Good. Especially right now.... Really good." Jungkook smiled shyly at him, and
Jimin was suddenly reminded of the old Kookie who used to smile just like that
when Jimin pet his hair.
Jimin couldn't help but smile. As different as Jungkook may be from when they
were kids, he was still just a baby. "Good." He responded easily.
"Are you-" Jungkook cleared his throat and tried again. "Are you a student
here? At the university?"
Jimin nodded. "Yeah. I'm a dance major."
"Dance?" Jungkook echoed, eyebrows raised. "I never knew you liked to dance."
"Yes, well..." Jimin wasn't really sure what to say to that, though he found
some amusement in the wonder in Jungkook's eyes. "I only started it after I was
adopted. My brother also loves it, so I was sort of sucked in."
"You were adopted, then?" Jungkook asked.
"Yupp!" Jimin's heart warmed at the thought of his adopted family. "They live
in Gwangju. They're so great. I was one of the lucky ones, it seems."
Jungkook smiled, relieved and happy for Jimin but also a little bit bitter.
Jimin's heart dropped, because don't tell me... "And you?" He asked hurriedly,
begging for Jungkook to give him a response that wouldn't break his heart.
"Were you...?"
"Yeah. I was adopted, sort of." Jungkook nodded, but something about the way he
said it didn't make Jimin feel any better.
"Oh." Jimin forced out a smile, wanting to be relieved but hesitant because of
the strange look on Jungkook's face. "I'm glad. I mean-" Jimin licked at his
lips nervously, unaware to how Jungkook's eyes followed the movement before he
looked away quickly. "I was always worried where you ended up after... If you
were happy."
Jungkook's expression softened with his fondness.
"So are you a student too?" Jimin asked curiously. If Jungkook was adopted, it
was safe to assume that he had been given a proper education, and Jungkook had
always been smart and talented anyways, so surely he must be in college? 
"Ah, no." Jungkook cleared his throat, shifting in his seat again and fingering
at his coffee cup. The words, 'it's complicated' suddenly appeared in Jimin's
mind. "I've been... A little busy dealing with family stuff. Maybe one day,
though."
"Well, what would you want to study?"
Jungkook thought for a moment. Jimin briefly wondered if he had ever really
considered college as an option for himself in the first place. 
"Art... Maybe."
Jimin smiled, wide and nostalgic as he suddenly saw little Kookie slaving over
his coloring book. "You always did have a knack for the arts." He hummed,
sipping at his tea. "And don't think I never heard you singing in the shower."
Jungkook returned the smile, still hesitant and unsure but at least it was
genuine.
"It's been so long. I remember when you would still wake me up in the middle of
the night to walk you to the bathroom. And then you would make me promise to
stand outside and scare off the monsters!" Jimin smiled affectionately, eyes
distant and growing increasingly watery with every word. "Where did my little
baby Kookie go? You're all grown up now."
"I'm not a baby anymore." Jungkook muttered, his own cheeks burning in
embarrassment.
"I-I can see that." Jimin blushed in spite of himself, trying and failing not
to notice how much handsomer Jungkook had become with age. "I just missed you a
lot. I'm so glad we ran into each other again."
"I'm... I'm so glad to see you too, Minnie." Jungkook admitted softly, putting
down his cup and folding his fidgeting hands on the table.
"Jimin." He corrected with a smile of his own. "My name is Park Jimin."
"Jimin." Jungkook repeated, looking thoughtful as he tasted the name on his
tongue. "That's... a really nice name. I like it, it suits you."
Jimin's gut dropped as he realized what the lack of reaction to his full name
must mean.
How to casually bring this up?
Jimin frowned slightly, reaching out to carefully place his hand over
Jungkook's on the table. "Yes, well... I should hope so, seeing as how it's
tattooed on your arm and all."
Jungkook blinked, doe eyes confused and questioning. "My arm-?"
The younger glanced down at his arm with a frown, but all he saw was the sleeve
of his jacket so he turned back to Jimin. He was just about to question
further, when realization lit in his eyes.
Jungkook jolted into action, hastily pulling his hands away and yanking up his
sleeve. Jimin's heart thumped in his chest when he saw the names written on his
forearm, just where he remembered them. A near perfect mirror  to his own arm.
Except this time around they were old enough to understand, this time they
wereliterate. This time, they could read his name inked onto Jungkook's
alabaster skin.
"Oh." It seemed Jungkook was speechless, and Jimin couldn't really blame him.
Jimin chuckled. "It seems the universe works in mysterious ways, huh?"
"Oh." Jungkook repeated again, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of
water. "Oh my god."
"That was sort of my reaction too, to be completely honest." Jimin admitted,
amused but also worried. "It's hard to believe that we never put the pieces
together sooner."
"So we're..." Jungkook looked like he was still processing, casting alternating
stares between his arm and Jimin's face. "All this time..."
"Pretty much." Jimin smiled. He couldn't help but think that the Jungkook in
front of him was just as cute as the Kookie from his childhood.
Jungkook nodded his head in acceptance, blinking as his mind finally caught up
with him. "Well then, seems like years of rejecting my soulmates for my hyungs
was all a waste of effort."
Jimin laughed, remembering how adamant Jungkook had been on the subject as a
kid, and only imagining how he had continued on that mindset as an adult.
"Pretty much." He repeated, amused.
Jungkook moved to trace over the ink lettering on his skin with newfound
wonder, hovering over a magnificently scrawled capital 'T'.
"And you think Taetae is...?" The younger asked hesitantly, wide eyes hopeful
as he gazed back up at Jimin.
"It's too big of a coincidence for him not to be." Jimin answered, just as
hopeful.
Jungkook hummed in agreement, eyes suddenly growing distant as he turned back
to stare at the second name on his arm. "Have you..." His lips pinched at the
edges as he hesitated to finish his sentence. "Have you found him too?"
Jimin shook his head, heart suddenly feeling heavy as he thought about the
final piece to their puzzle. "No. Not yet."
Jungkook didn't say anything, just staring at his arm as he traced over the
haphazard, catastrophic handwriting. Jimin waited for him to settle his
thoughts, watching carefully as the younger got lost in his own head.
When Jungkook finally looked up, there was a certain level of grim
determination on his face. "I have."
Jimin felt his eyes widen in his surprise, mouth dropping open and heart
beginning to race in his chest because no way was it possible that he could
find both in one day.
"You've found him? Taetae? You know where he is?" Jimin pressed, leaning
forward excitedly and clutching tightly at Jungkook's hand.
Jungkook nodded, his expression was far too troubled for Jimin's liking. But
Jimin couldn't stop the torrent of questions that appeared in his head, excited
and anticipatory as they tumbled from him before he could hold them back.
"Well where is he? Is he doing okay? What's he like? Did he know who you were?"
Jungkook pulled his hand away from Jimin's, instantly silencing the questions
spilling from the elder's mouth. His stomach dropped, filling with dread. 
"He... He seems okay." Jungkook answered slowly, almost reluctantly. "I don't
think he knew it was me, I didn't stay for very long because... But maybe I
would have if I had known who he was."
The older boy stayed quiet, allowing Jungkook to continue at his own pace,
sensing that something was off. Jungkook's gaze was trained downwards, clearly
avoiding eye contact out of his discomfort. While a part of Jimin was hurt, he
didn't pressure Jungkook, instead staring at the small scar on Jungkook's
cheek, right where he remembered it being. Right where that man had hit him all
those years ago. It was how Jimin had recognized him, how he had been sure.
Jungkook was back to fidgeting in his seat, eyes downcast at his hands in his
lap. "But he..."
Jungkook looked up, eyes hurt and conflicted and sad, and Jimin's heart started
to crack around the edges.
"I think he's with someone else."
Chapter End Notes
     So a really tragic thing happened his week.
     My thoughts and condolences go out to everyone who suffered, and I
     sincerely hopes that Jonghyun finds peace wherever he may be. Even if
     we're not all shawols, this hits close to home for everyone, and it's
     so important that we be there for one another.
     Happy holidays to everyone, see you next year.
***** Look Here *****
Chapter Notes
     Sorry I'm a little late! I've been a little busy... Anyways, thanks
     for your patience! Hope everyone had a nice new year!
Jin was so done with whatever was going down between Hoseok and Yoongi.
Scratch that. He was beyond done.
Hoseok had been a walking rain cloud ever since 'the soulmate incident', as
Namjoon had jokingly named it. (Seokjin had not appreciated the timing of his
sarcastic comment.) For days Hoseok had been a mopey, gloomy, soul-sucking mass
of sadness, and quite frankly, Jin was running out of favorite foods to cook
for the younger boy.
Hoseok tried to hide it, but even the ever oblivious Namjoon had been able to
tell that something has been off ever since he had stormed out of Yoongi's
apartment. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what had happened.
In times like these Jin usually relied on Jimin to cheer up his brother, but
Jimin had been MIA for most of that week. And whenever he wasn't sneaking out
of the house like he was going through a really late teenage rebellious stage,
Jimin just wandered around with a dreamy expression on his face,
completely zoned out from everything around him.
And yeah, Hoseok should probably just be honest and tell Jimin that something
was wrong. But then again, it wasn't like Jimin at all to be so unaware of
someone else's feelings.
And now, walking into the living room and seeing Hoseok curled up on the couch,
swaddled in blankets even though it was a perfectly comfortable temperature in
the apartment, (the heater got fixed just last week, for heaven's sake!), Jin
could feel his frustration meet a breaking point. Frustration at Yoongi for
being so stubborn, at Jimin for being so distant, and even at Hoseok for being
so easily brought down. 
That's it!
Without another word to Hoseok, still sniffling pathetically on the couch as he
watched some dreadful romance movie and drowned his sorrows in overly buttered
popcorn, Jin snatched his keys and stormed out of the apartment.
The whole drive to Yoongi's place, Jin was working himself into a frenzy of all
his frustrations, cursing everyone he knew in his head for making everything so
goddamn difficult up until the point where Jin had to step in and clean up
their messes. 
And especially Yoongi, who tended to just make everything unnecessarily
difficult for himself and everyone around him (bar Taehyung). Yoongi was so- so
prickly and stubborn! He didn't want anyone else's help (even though he so
desperately needed it), but he was practically incapable of resolving conflict
with other people in a civilized manner on his own.
Even though they haven't known each other very long, Jin justknew how
impossible Yoongi was. Jin knew this, even though he had only met Yoongi after
he had met Namjoon, just under a year ago.
Yoongi and Jin first met when the latter had shown up to surprise Namjoon at
work during his shift. Jin had been sitting at the bar, sipping on a club soda
as he waited for the DJs to switch so that he could finally see Namjoon in his
element. Yoongi had been the DJ that Namjoon was relieving, and after Namjoon
had clamored on stage like the human natural disaster he was, Yoongi had made
an immediate beeline for the bar where Jin was sitting.
Of course, Jin had been entirely too entranced by his soulmate working behind
the mixers to notice him at first, (finally, after ages of Namjoon cursing and
clumsily dropping his equipment while he was trying to set up). The brunette
had just stared at Namjoon from across the club, completely intoxicated though
he hadn't had even a sip of alcohol, because despite being such an adorable oaf
Namjoon was unreasonably sexy when he was concentrating so seriously.
"He's so totally cute, right?"
Jin was startled out of his dreamy gazing by the grating, high-pitched, new
voice from beside him that was obviously mocking him. He immediately moved to
glare at the newcomer, and in the sketchy strobe lighting, it took him a second
to recognize the pale face as one of Namjoon's coworkers.
The guy only rolled his eyes at Jin's annoyed expression, turning back to the
bartender and waving his hand lazily. "Yo Youngjae, can I get a drink? Anything
strong would be just dandy."
The young guy tending the bar frowned at the man disapprovingly but moved to
grab an empty glass anyways, as if he knew that arguing would get him nowhere.
"You really shouldn't be drinking on shift, Yoongi-hyung." The bartender,
Youngjae, said as he reluctantly slid over the finished drink.
Yoongi snapped it back, face pinching at the burn but nodding his head in
approval. "I know, I know. But I'm about to go serve drinks in the VIP section,
and if I don't have at least one drink I might actually punch a 'Very Important
Prick' in the face. Again."
"I suppose that would be bad." Youngjae relented, but there was a hint of a
fond smile on his face as he rolled his eyes and turned back to greet another
customer on the other end of the bar.
"You're a bartender too?" Jin found himself asking. "I thought you were a DJ?"
Yoongi shrugged. "DJ, bartender, dishwasher. Hell, I would probably suck your
dick if you paid me for it."
Jin's expression must have been a sight to behold, because as soon as Yoongi
caught it he was chuckling in amusement. "Relax, princess, that last one was a
joke. I just take as many jobs as they'll pay me for."
Jin felt mildly irritated that this strange guy was teasing him, but let it go
as to not stir up conflict at Namjoon's place of employment. With an annoyed
huff, Jin turned back towards Namjoon, intent on ignoring the man sitting
beside him and just continue admiring his boyfriend in peace.
"You another one of Joon's fanboys?" Yoongi apparently wasn't done bothering
him, leaning in to block Jin's view of Namjoon with a smug smile. "I wouldn't
get your hopes up if I were you. He just recently found his soulmate."
"No kidding?" Jin's voice was deadpan and scathing, even to his own ears. 
Yoongi looked at him for a long moment, before settling back in his seat with a
loud sigh. "Seokjin, I take it?"
"In the flesh," Jin said flatly, entirely over trying to get along with the
man. Then he processed what Yoongi had said. "Wait, what do you mean by
'another one of Namjoon's fanboys'? Does he have a lot of them?"
Yoongi made a show of lifting an arm to glance at his wrist as he got up from
his seat. "Well, would you look at the time. My next shift is starting now, but
it was a pleasure meeting you, Seokjin-sshi." 
"You're not even wearing a watch!"
Yoongi didn't respond, only waving over his shoulder as he disappeared into the
crowd of people.
"Yoongi you bastard, tell me what you meant! Come back, goddammit-! Hey, I can
see you running away!"
And that basically sums up how Yoongi and Jin's relationship progressed from
there. 
Thinking back on it Jin can't help but grimace at how impossible the younger
could be. And while he admired Yoongi's fierce independence and how he was
never apologetic about sticking to his guns, the eldest wished he would at
least acknowledge the line between following his own path and just being
inflexible. Because trust Yoongi to be the only person alive to offend his
destined partner immediately after meeting them.
So yeah, Jin could only guess what had gone down between Yoongi and Hoseok. And
if Hoseok was too dispirited and Yoongi was too stubborn the make the first
move, then Jin supposed it was up to him to salvage their newborn relationship.
They're soulmates, for crying out loud!
When Seokjin finally reached Yoongi and Tae's apartment, he wasted no time in
sloppily parking and storming inside. His annoyance only amplified as he
marched up the stairs, and with the excess exercise added to his
alreadyperfectly scheduleddaily routine, he found himself increasingly
frustrated with every flight.
He pulled out his best angry-knock when he came to their door, biting his
tongue to avoid starting his ranting through the door. He held himself back
only out of politeness for Yoongi's neighbors, as yelling and causing a scene
out in the hallway seemed a little unnecessary even to Jin. Though he certainly
couldn't make any guarantees for the volume of his scolding when he finally was
inside.
Yoongi was the one to grumpily open the door, looking disgruntled and mildly
irritated at Jin's insistent knocking. 
"Whatdaya want."
Jin raised an eyebrow, shooting him a scowl at his (even more rude than usual)
demeanor. "Watch how you speak to your elders, punk!"
Yoongi rolled his eyes, and Jin didn't wait for any more response before
shouldering his way past the younger and barging his way inside.
"Sure, hyung, please do come in and make yourself comfortable." Yoongi drawled
sarcastically, watching with a frown as Jin immediately sat down on the sofa.
"Well?" Jin said expectantly, pointing to the seat next to him. "Sit."
Yoongi blinked. "What am I, your dog?"
"No, but right now you are my bitch. So sit."
Yoongi practically dragged his feet to the spot next to Jin, cursing and
grumbling under his breath, and Jin was vaguely reminded of a toddler throwing
a tantrum. 
When Yoongi finally sat down, (on the far opposite corner of the couch and
leaving a wide berth between them, the dramatic little brat), Jin wasted no
time in going straight for the jugular. Metaphorically, for now- but Jin made
no promises that he wouldn't have to resort to violence as the conversation
dragged on.
"So? What the hell did you say to him?" Jin asked crossly, folding his arms
over his chest and giving Yoongi his sternest glare.
Yoongi seemed to know what he was talking about if the way he stiffened and set
his mouth into a thin line was any indicator.
"Who?" Yoongi tried, feigning innocence.
Jin grit his teeth to keep back his spiking annoyance. "My Hoseokie. You know,
that guy you met the other day? Your soulmate? Now tell me what you told him!"
"I barely said anything to him." Yoongi protested weakly, and while it was
likely true, Jin could tell that not even Yoongi himself was fooled.
Jin scowled. There was no way a sweet kid like Hoseok could look so dejected
over nothing. "So tell me what you did say!"
Yoongi averted his gaze, but Jin could see the heavy guilt lingering in his
eyes. Jin was just about to snap back a sharper command and make Yoongi spill
the details when Taehyung walked in.
"Hyung?" The youngest voiced curiously when he spotted Jin sitting in the
living room, looking surprised. "What are you doing here?"
Jin was in the process of opening his mouth to reassure the boy that nothing
was wrong on instinct, when his breath caught in his throat at the sight of
Taehyung.
Taehyung was only wearing boxers and a T-shirt, both of which draped over his
thin frame in a way that made it obvious that they belonged to someone else.
Jin recognized the shirt; plain, black, and comfortable. Those are Yoongi's
clothes.
Normally Jin wouldn't find just that odd on its own, since the two have always
been close, but then there were the dark splotches that littered Taehyung's
neck.
"Are those fucking hickeys?"
Yoongi flinched at the sudden ice in Jin's voice. He said nothing.
Taehyung looked mildly alarmed by Jin's unusual tone. "Hickeys?" He echoed,
blinking for a moment before realization lit up his expression. "Oh my god!" He
squeaked, hands blindly slapping to his neck.
"Tae," Yoongi said softly but firmly. "Can you give me and Jin-hyung a moment?"
Taehyung looked uncertainly between the older pair, but nodded his head
obediently and started to make his way back to his room. "Alright, hyung.
Sorry."
Jin suspected that Taehyung didn't even know what he was apologizing for, but
the boy disappeared back down the hall with no further complaints.
The moments after Taehyung left Yoongi and Jin in the living room were tense
and uncomfortable.
"You and Tae are...?" Jin trailed off, sounding uncertain as he tried to piece
together this new information.
Yoongi stared down at his hands, saying nothing.
Jin felt something akin to dread wash over his previous anger, chilling and
heavy in his chest. "Oh. Oh." 
Yoongi still said nothing, but Jin could see emotion flicking in his
expression. Sadness. Guilt.
Jin had no idea what he was supposed to do, how he was supposed to fix this.
What was he supposed to tell Hoseok?
The brunette finally slumped back against the couch, dragging a tired hand
through his hair and tipping his head back to stare at the cracks in the
ceiling. "Well, if that's how it is, I guess there's nothing I can do."
Jin waited for a response. When he was only met with silence, he continued on.
"I never knew you two were together, though. I mean, I knew you were close and
all, but..."
"We're not together."
Jin's moved to look over at Yoongi again. The younger was still staring at his
hands, fidgeting in his lap, as if he were afraid to look up and look at Jin
directly. 
"What?" Jin asked. Yoongi didn't respond, didn't move, and Jin leaned in closer
more insistently. "What do you mean by that? Yoongi?"
Yoongi finally peered up, looking scared and tired, voice impossibly small as
he finally said, "Me and Taehyung. We're just... We're not together, together."
Jin blinked, processing the words even though he really didn't want to. "Are
you trying to tell me that you and Taehyung are sex friends?"
Suddenly he knew too much, and he had no idea what to do with this information
he had stumbled upon. He was stuck right dead in the middle of this mess, loyal
to all of his friends and unsure of who to support and who to blame. 
"You rejected Hoseok because of your fuck buddy?!" And then Jin was yelling
again, angry and upset because Hoseok was his friend. Hoseok was so kind and
good, and he didn't deserve the heartbreak that Yoongi had given him. The
knowledge that all of it was because of such a relationship stung.
"Don't call him that!" Yoongi said sharply, and Jin recoiled at the sudden edge
to his tone, momentarily forgetting his growing anger. 
"Why not?" Jin snapped back. "That's what he is, right?"
If anyone else had said such cruel words about sweet Taehyung, Jin would have
certainly knocked them on their ass. But right now he was so frustrated at the
younger pair, because soulmates were supposed to win over everything else-
 Hoseok and Yoongi belonged together. If Yoongi and Taehyung were in already in
love there was nothing he could do about it, but knowing that this whole
disaster was over sex?
"I thought you two were smarter than this! Hoseok is your goddamn soulmate, and
you broke his heart for what- sex? You two are such idiots!"
"It's not Tae's fault!" 
Jin narrowed his eyes accusingly. "As naive as he may be, Taehyung is a grown
man who is capable of making his own decisions!"
"He's not-" Yoongi was stumbling over his own words, flustered and fidgeting
like nothing Jin has ever seen from him. "Taehyung's not right."
"What are you talking about? He-"
"No, hyung!" Yoongi protested desperately, getting to his feet and moving
closer to look at Jin, to try and convey whatever was caught on the tip of his
tongue through his eyes. "He needs me! You don't understand!"
"Then explain it to me." Jin challenged back, crossing his arms over his chest.
"He-" Yoongi visibly swallowed, his fire extinguishing and suddenly he looked
entirely put out and miserable. "Taehyung's not in a good place right now. You
know... mentally."
Jin's head was reeling, trying to catch on to what Yoongi was implying.
"Mentally? Yoongi, just tell me what this is about! Does Tae need some kind of
professional help?"
"We've tried that, therapy never helped. Sometimes he just isn't all there, and
he needs me." Yoongi tried to explain, face pinched and clearly upset. "Not
always... s-sexually, but sometimes he just needs the intimacy."
Jin was trying to grasp it, but he didn't know the first thing about psychology
and suddenly he felt like he was in way over his head. 
"I don't understand," Jin admitted carefully. "I'm trying to, I swear. Just,
explain it to me again."
Yoongi shifted back from Jin a little, eyes carefully glancing at where
Taehyung had disappeared. He was probably sitting in his room now, headphones
in to give Jin and Yoongi privacy because he was such an angel.
"Taehyung didn't have a very nice childhood." Yoongi started softly. "And he
never really recovered. And sometimes he just isn't all there, and he needs
someone he trusts to take care of him."
Warning bells were going off in Jin's head. Whatever was going on with Taehyung
and Yoongi, it certainly didn't sound healthy. "That's-" He stopped short,
realizing that he didn't really know what to say. 
Yoongi seemed to get it though, suddenly looking tired beyond his years. "Yeah,
I know. But right now I just can't leave him. Not even for Hoseok."
"But Yoongi, he's your soulmate."
"You don't think I know that?" Yoongi sounded bitter. "But I can't just abandon
Taehyung to run off into the sunset with him."
"You wouldn't be abandoning him." Jin protested, but there was no real
conviction behind his words. "Taehyung would understand!"
"Yeah, he would." Yoongi agreed quietly, dark eyes looking sadly back at Jin.
"He would give up everything he has to make me happy. But I can't let him do
that. He can't know about Hoseok, you can't tell him."
"Yoongi-!"
"You can't tell him, Jin-hyung!" Yoongi pressed more insistently.
"I won't, but you can't just leave things the way they are. Hoseok deserves to
know the truth-"
"You can't tell him either! No one else can know about Tae, they'll treat him
like he's a nut case! Tae deserves to live as normal a life as possible- you
can't even tell him that you know! I can handle this, I can take care of him!"
Jin suddenly felt the weight of this secret on his shoulders, the severity
behind what he knew. Yoongi was asking him to keep this from Hoseok, to keep
this from even Namjoon. He told his own soulmate everything.
"But surely you can see this isn't going to work forever-"
"I know that, but this is the only fucking plan I've got right now."
Jin hesitated, uncertainty and guilt heavy in his gut. "I don't know about
this, Yoongi."
"Hyung, everything's just happening so fast and what other choice do I have!
First there was the street kid, then the fairy boy, and then that guy attacked
Tae, and then Hoseok showed up out of fucking nowhere-!"
"Yoongi, calm down!" Jin tried to settle the younger down, holding up his hands
and reaching out cautiously. He didn't know entirely what Yoongi was talking
about, his words panicked and rushed like the air was too thin. Jin wasn't sure
what to do, how to fix what he had unknowingly set off in Yoongi.
He didn't know what to do, because this was supposed to be easy.
Soulmates meet, fall in love, then live happily ever after; a fool-proof 3-step
plan that dictated the ways of the world. Seokjin and Namjoon were a prime
example of this; they met, fell in love, and are currently in the 'happily ever
after' stage- as were the billions of other people on the planet who have
successfully ended up with their forever partner.
Seokjin had come here with the intention of fixing things between Yoongi and
Hoseok, fully expecting to have to chew Yoongi out (and possibly beat him over
the head until he saw reason, if the need arose). Like soulmates, it was
supposed to be simple.
It wasn't supposed to be so complicated, and at this point, Seokjin didn't know
whether to yell at Yoongi or comfort him, becausehow much of this was actually
his fault?
"What am I supposed to do?" Yoongi's eyes were wide and distraught, such a
contrast to his usual hard glare, pooling with his uncertainty and fear as he
looked to Jin for reassurances that the elder couldn't give.
Yoongi liked facts, he liked reason. Yoongi relied on the information that was
in front of him, concrete and solid enough so that he could see it with his own
eyes. He didn't do guesswork, he wasn't wired for 'shots in the dark' or 'leaps
of faith'. He liked variables to be organized into clear-cut boxes, he didn't
see things on a spectrum; there was good and bad, black and white, right and
wrong. This aspect of his personality was probably the biggest reason why Jin
was so surprised to learn about Yoongi's mysterious roommate.
Where Yoongi was harsh, Taehyung was gentle. He was empathetic and sensitive
and forgiving, a stark contrast to Yoongi. Where Yoongi felt too little
Taehyung felt too much, and Jin came to understand that this was part of the
reason that Taehyung was sofragile. Which was why he was relieved to also come
to realize that Yoongi and Taehyung were good for each other; they completed
one another. Yoongi strong enough to hold Taehyung together, Taehyung weak
enough to pull Yoongi apart. 
And now Yoongi was caught somewhere in the middle of it all. Trapped between
wanting to protect Taehyung, and wanting to be with his fated person. 
Jin could see it in his eyes now, how blindsided he was, how lost. Desperate to
be told what to do from here, because he wasn't sure which choice would hurt
the least.
"How can I fix this?" Yoongi was practically livid with emotion, cheeks red
and his fists pulling harshly at his hair. "How long can I defy the order of
the universe before it comes back to bite me in the ass? Do I have to choose
between the two?"
Jin could only watch sadly as Yoongi rendered himself breathless, his eyes
drawn to the inked name glaringly dark against Yoongi's pale wrist.
"Tell me what I should do, because I don't have any fucking idea!"
Seokjin found that when he opened his mouth, no words came out- he didn't have
the answers that Yoongi was looking for. He wasn't even sure if there was a
real solution at all.
 
***
 
Jungkook and Jimin made a vow to learn something new about each other every
time they met up again.
Jungkook now knew that Jimin hated scary movies. He knew that Jimin was a dance
major in University, that his favorite food was tonkatsu, and that his adopted
brother Hoseok was a year older than him. Jungkook knew that Jimin was a
morning person, and he tried to go on a run every day before class, and that
despite being so familiar with the Jimin of the past, there was so much more
that Jungkook didn't know about his soulmate.
When Jimin showed up at their meeting place, panting and out of breath (and
beautiful) in a way that made Jungkook sure he had run the whole way there,
Jungkook just knew that he wanted to know more- he wanted to know everything.
Jungkook didn't know what they were (boyfriends?), and he didn't know what he
wanted them to be (boyfriends?), but he sure as hell knew he just wanted Jimin.
"Hey!" Jimin greeted him as he rushed to their spot by the window, smiling
brightly when he saw that Jungkook had already bought them drinks. Jungkook
also knew that Jimin was a bit of a health-nut, and that green tea was his
favorite.
"Sorry I'm late!" Jimin apologized as he sat down across from him, smiling and
bright. "As I was walking out the door, my hyung tackled me and refused to let
go until I promised to pick up more mint chocolate chip ice cream on the way
home." He shook his head, smiling fondly as he thought about his brother.
"That's alright. I just got here too." That was a lie, he had gotten there a
little earlier than the meeting time and had been waiting for a good 20
minutes.
Jimin grinned, looking genuinely pleased to see him, and Jungkook couldn't help
but wonder how much longer they had until everything went to shit.
"I want you to meet him."
Jungkook blinked owlishly, having been caught off guard as he tried to memorize
the image of Jimin's smiling face. "Meet who?"
Jimin looked amused, leaning across the table to boop Jungkook's nose. "My
brother, silly! I want you to meet him."
"Y-your brother?" Jungkook echoed, surprise and a sudden rush of nervousness
making his cheeks start to flush. "Why?"
The pink-haired boy rolled his eyes. "Because you're my childhood friend?
Because you're my soulmate? Ring any bells?"
Jungkook gulped, loudly and obviously by the enthralled look on Jimin's face. 
"Oh right. That."
"Don't sound too excited now." Jimin's voice was light and teasing, but still,
Jungkook couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed.
Meeting the family was somethingsoulmates did. Which, okay, Jimin and Jungkook
were soulmates, but they had only just met and were still getting to know each
other. Soulmates who were serious about settling down were brought home to meet
parents and siblings and grandparents; to be introduced into their new extended
family because one day the pair were certain to end up together.
And it wasn't that Jungkook didn't want to spend the rest of his life with
Jimin; he just didn't want to get his hopes up quite yet.
And anyway, Jungkook was hardly 'bring him to the family' material. He was
young, (legally) unemployed, only having barely passed high school, with no
college degree, no money, and no plan. He had nothing that made him a good
match for Jimin, someone who could properly take care of him. Because he knew
by now that love wasn't always enough.
"Kookie?"
Jungkook blinked out of his panicked state to find that Jimin was waving a hand
in front of his face, frowning in concern as he tried to decipher the blank
look on Jungkook's face.
"Sorry." Jungkook's tongue felt like sand, and for a moment he was frozen,
trying to decide on the right words to decline the invitation without hurting
Jimin's feelings.
But looking at Jimin's hopeful expression, in place of a polite refusal
Jungkook found himself saying, "When?"
Goddamnit. Jungkook really was too weak for the elder.
"How about today?" Jimin proposed excitedly, eyes curling into pretty crescents
as he smiled. "Come over for dinner?"
Jungkook should say no. Jungkook shouldreally say no.
He had promised himself to stay away from his soulmates; it was the promise
circling his head when he left Taehyung behind. His life was too dangerous for
them to get involved, and the last thing on Earth that Jungkook wanted was
another thing that could put his loved ones in harm's way. 
But then he had found out that they weren't just his soulmates, but also his
precious hyungs- the very ones he had been longing for. Now they were more than
just ink on skin, and Jungkook just couldn't bear to turn Jimin away when his
smile lit up the world and his laughter hung the stars.
Even though he knew it would come back to haunt him, Jungkook couldn't stay
away. He wanted to be selfish.
"Okay. Dinner it is."
Weak.
Jimin clapped his hands together definitively. "Great!"
Jimin smiled gently at whatever expression of doubt lingered on Jungkook's
face. "And don't worry, Hoseokie-hyung will just adore you!" He reassured the
younger.
Jungkook nodded, still kind of thrown off balance, and Jimin took the
hesitation as anxiety about dinner. "I know! We still have a few hours left
before dinner, why don't we go do something fun?"
"Define fun."
Jimin smacked playfully at his arm. "C'mon, spoilsport, let's get going! I just
had the perfect idea."
And then Jimin was standing up, circling the table to grab at Jungkook's arm
and yank him up as well. Spluttering in confusion, Jungkook allowed the younger
to begin dragging him from the coffee shop, drink left forgotten on the table.
"We have to look nice for tonight," Jimin added cryptically, looking much too
mischevious for Jungkook's comfort. "What are your thoughts on blondes?"
Yupp, Jungkook was definitely going to regret this.
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