Chapter Text
-☾-
Everything seems to happen in slow motion after that. The air around Yoongi thinning, leaving only shallow breaths in its wake as he clings to Jimin, trying desperately to hold on to him, in hopes that he wouldn’t disappear as well. He couldn’t lose him.
Six days pass since the last time they see either Hyuna or Edawn. It’s a week of anxiety that settles on Yoongi like a brick of lead, everything around him feeling heavy. Every emotion he feels is mixed with a sense of dread that he didn’t know how to combat. Jimin tries to keep up a positive front, for his sake, and while the sentiment was appreciated, it doesn’t change the fact that his only resemblance of a family has slipped from his fingertips, while he watches helplessly from the sidelines.
In a way, he blames himself. He had seen every text-book sign of danger emanating from the couple and he turned a blind eye to it, instead focusing on the breathtaking brunette with the half moons for eyes. It makes him feel sick to his stomach, to the point he hardly leaves his apartment.
He finds himself constantly sitting on his tattered black couch, looking for anything he could use to find either of them or at least a lead. Crumpled pieces of paper on the floor around him, words underlined and scribbled out as he gathers anything he could.
He can’t look at their apartment door, sitting there unchanged while it feels like everything Yoongi had spent so long building up, had come crumbling down in front of him. His family was gone and he just let them be taken from him, he didn’t put up the fight Hyuna instilled in him.
While Yoongi scoured the internet for even a hint at what exactly the missing couple had been up to, he didn’t even really know where to begin, Jimin stays present in his apartment. A calming, heady presence in the small space that kept him from completely going over the edge. He was there to feed him when he deemed it had been far too long without proper nutrition and drag him into bed when Yoongi’s eyes grew too heavy to stare blankly at the computer screen.
Any lead Yoongi thought he had, usually led to a dead end and the entire situation had become increasingly frustrating.
“There isn’t anyone you can think to reach out to?” Jimin asks, running his hand through his own hair. Yoongi glances up from the computer briefly, making eye contact with the younger who was wearing his black sweater, if it was any other day he would take a moment to appreciate how domestic their entire situation had become. Jimin had all but moved in, which wasn’t necessarily a new thing but now he had taken to becoming completely immersed in Yoongi’s wardrobe as well. He wasn’t bashful about it anymore either, walking into his closet like he owned it and picking whatever sweater he found the most comforting.
Yoongi sighs, rubbing his hands against his tired eyes. “No, they weren’t exactly the most honest people. They tried not to keep too many contacts and if they had any, they wouldn’t tell me.” Which was ultimately their downfall Yoongi muses. He had already tried to implement everything he was taught but you can’t really outwit the teacher, Edawn was practically invisible, trail nonexistent when he wanted it to be and it seemed their double life was one of those things they seemed keen on keeping untraceable.
Jimin hums from the couch, obviously unsure of what else to say. Yoongi turns his attention back to the computer, ready to stifle through the emails sitting on Edawns laptop. The laptop had been shoved off the table when Yoongi had went into the apartment, it was the only thing that was out of place. If you were an ordinary person that walked in to the couples apartment, it would have just looked like it fell off their brown dining table, as if the person had been in a rush to leave and simply didn't know it fell because the rest of the apartment was in pristine shape.
The books that lined Edawns bookshelf untouched. The small kitchen tidied, not a piece of food out of place or dirty dish in the silver sink. Their queen sized bed perfectly made, the purple comforted that Hyuna demanded they have spread out evenly, as if she had all the time in the world to make it.
Yoongi wasn’t an ordinary person, at least not anymore. He knew better. It seemed like a blaring clue because Edawn wasn’t just a genius but also one of the neatest people Yoongi has ever met. His computer being one of his most prized possession, Yoongi guesses it was one of the first things Edawn had bought for himself, after they started making their own money and he kept anything he deemed important on it.
Even though it had seemed like a clue, Yoongi was continuously coming up empty handed. The blonde turns to look at Jimin who is scrolling lazily through his phone. He could practically hear Edawn telling him to look closer , there was something he was missing, he needed to open his eyes to more than just the obvious.
Unless.
Obvious .
Yoongi shoots up from his desk, grabbing the spare key from his bottom drawer. He vaguely registers Jimin calling after him in confusion, scrambling to get off the couch and catch up to him. Yoongi doesn’t pause, making his way into the still vacant apartment and quickly moving to the couple’s bedroom.
He turns to his right, kneeling down in front of their dark oak dresser that was lined up right next to their small closet. He begins ripping their drawers open, grabbing the left behind clothes and tossing them on the bed behind him. He runs his hands across the hardwood looking for any discrepancies in it, something that would indicate it had been previously tampered with.
“What are you doing?” Jimin asks breathlessly. Yoongi spares a quick glance at him before he turned his attention back to the task at hand.
“There was a lesson Edawn taught me,” Yoongi grunts, closing the first drawer and moving on to the one directly below it. Jimin leans over his shoulder, getting a better look at what Yoongi is doing, eyebrow still pinched as Yoongi’s fingers run across the wood. He probably looks like a crazy person but Jimin, bless his heart doesn’t say anything about it. “That sometimes you had to hide things in plain sight because they would be easier to overlook.”
“And that translates to you feeling up their furniture because…?”
Yoongi rolls his eyes at the younger boy. “When we were back in the orphanage him and Hyuna had a tendency to rig their furniture to hide things they stole from the kitchen or the caregivers. We used to get our rooms checked every so often but it increased heavily when people started to notice that things were suddenly going missing. Hyuna and Edawn’s rooms were the most searched because the caretakers were almost certain they were thieves but had no solid proof.”
Jimin laughs loudly at that and Yoongi finds himself joining him easily. If only they fucking knew just how conniving both of them were. It made Yoongi ache, he would do anything to have them both back. Besides Jimin, they were the only two people Yoongi had allowed himself to rely on. “So they would hide stuff in their drawers?”
“Yeah. Drawers, closets or any place they could repurpose” Yoongi responds. Jimin comes over to him, crouching down to help him begin feeling the wood for anything out of the ordinary. Yoongi flashes him a grateful smile, Jimin always seemed to be on the same wavelength as him, without any verbal cues. “Edawn had said that their caretakers weren’t the brightest and they also assumed neither him or Hyuna were capable of anything other than petty theft so they would never suspect them to hide things so plainly.”
Except it wasn’t plain at all. Yoongi had seen their rigs and was astounded by how easily things could be hidden in plain sight. If you weren't closely inspecting and if you didn’t know what you were looking for, it was nearly impossible to find. Which is why their caretakers never did. Yoongi is almost positive there are still things hidden in their old home that the staff would never find.
“Here I’ll search the drawers, you go to the closet okay?” Jimin urges gently. He pushes Yoongi towards the door, giving him a small smile as he does so. Jimin’s smile was truly one of his favorite things, it always seemed to elevate his mood even when the task seemed impossible. “You know what to look for, it will be easier for you to see.”
Yoongi nods, giving Jimin instructions on what to keep an eye out for, before he moves over to the couple’s shared closet. He immediately gets on his knees, letting his eyes trace across the seams of the carpet lining the small space. He begins feeling around the edges of the wall trying to feel if any part was frayed or easily pulled up.
The two work in silence, Jimin pulling the drawers completely out of their compartments in order to get a clearer look and Yoongi practically laying on the ground as he studies anything slightly out of ordinary. After nearly an hour of staring intently at greying carpet, Yoongi is ready to give up, his heart sinking with every tick of the clock.
Yoongi sighs heavily, slumping against the wall. He tries to recall every lesson Edawn had with him, going over every situation in his head. He stares at the empty wall in front of him, the beginnings of a headache forming at the base of his skull. There was something he was missing.
“Yoongi?” Jimin calls from the room. “I think… I think I found something.”
Yoongi shoots up from the floor, running out of the small closet and eyes immediately zeroing in on a piece of paper that Jimin holds in his hand. “What does it say?”
Jimin comes up from behind him as he unfolds the tattered piece of paper, resting his chin on his shoulder as they read the single word scrawled across it.
Family.
It was Edawn’s handwriting, albeit a messier version of it. As if he had written it in a hurry. As if he had written as a message specifically for Yoongi to find.
“I don’t get it?” Jimin says, tone pinched in confusion. He was peering over his shoulder to reread the single word. Yoongi didn’t really get it either. Family?
Suddenly it all comes back, the words nearly slapping him as he remembers what Hyuna had said one night as they had a family dinner. It was before Jimin, only a few days after Yoongi was officially moved into his apartment. Edawn made beef for them, saying Yoongi deserved to be treated since he was now a “free” man.
After they finished eating Hyuna had presented a gift to him. It was wrapped terribly, which he voiced out loud and in repsonse he got a smack to the back of his neck from Hyuna and a poorly hidden chuckle from Edawn. Yoongi opened the present, choking up immediately when he saw the picture in the black frame. “Our family.” She had said as Yoongi stared, memories flooding his mind.
The picture was the three of them, standing outside of their orphanage the day that Hyuna and Edawn were leaving for good. It had been not even a minute after Edawn promised Yoongi they were going to come back for him. Yoongi had nearly cried when he saw it, Edawn coming around to his side of the table to place a comforting hand on his shoulder, “Family, always.”
Family.
Yoongi crumples the paper, shoving it into his pocket before running back to his apartment. Jimin follows him silently, still confused as to what was going on, but not questioning Yoongi’s actions regardless. The younger keeps a warm hand on the small of his back, a reassuring touch. Yoongi isn’t sure what he did to deserve him but he sure as fuck was grateful he did.
Once in his apartment he makes a beeline for framed photo that sits proudly on his coffee table in the middle of the living room. It’s a white table and worn but Hyuna has picked it when he first moved in. She practically decorated his whole apartment in excitement, saying that she wanted to give him stuff of his own, that would always be his.
Yoongi grabs it, turning it around to open the backing. Once the clasps holding the picture in place are removed, he carefully pulls the picture out of place, the action causing a piece of folded up paper that had been sandwiched between the backing and picture to fall out onto the table. Yoongi picks it up, unfolding it. There was a number sprawled on the paper, with the word ‘BURNER’ written under it. No name. No hint. The instructions were clear though.
Jimin grabs the paper from him as Yoongi runs to his room, pulling a bag out from under his bed. He pulls out the burner phone Edawn instructed to him always keep on him, prepaid with an hour worth of minutes. Once it was properly activated using his own phone, he calls Jimin into the room, asking him to bring the number with him.
The younger shuffles into the room, plopping down on his bed - practically their bed now if Yoongi is being honest. The brunette hands the piece of paper over, watching silently as Yoongi punches the numbers into the burner phone. Yoongi bites his lip nervously, willing himself to press call. He has no clue who he is calling or what exactly Hyuna and Edawn had gotten themselves into. Jimin, seeming to sense his inner turmoil, reaches out and sweeps his hair from his face. He keeps his smaller hand on his cheek, giving him a reassuring pinch to the cheek. It was his way of saying he was here and he would be regardless of who was on the other end of the phone.
Yoongi reaches his free hand up, interlacing his finders with Jimin’s, pulling them from his face and placing them instead in Jimin’s lap. The younger scoots closer, using his other hand to play with their interlaced fingers. Yoongi takes a steadying breath, pressing call. After a few rings, a somewhat deep voice answers the phone.
“You’ve reached Hobi. Go.”
“Hobi?” Yoongi asks. He’s positive he’s never heard that name before.
“I don’t repeat myself, also who the fuck is this?” The man quips back, his voice a lot more menacing that it had first been.
“Yoongi… this is Yoongi?” Jimin tilts his head, still playing with their intertwined fingers. Yoongi shrugs because he’s just as confused as the younger.
“Yoongi? You don’t sound so sure there,” The man replies cooly. “If you are unsure then you can take your business elsewhere, I don’t have time for this.”
Yoongi nearly panics. If this unknown man hangs up, he’s almost positive he’ll never find Hyuna or Edawn. “I’m the little brother of Hyuna and Edawn! Please don’t hang up. They left me with your number.”
There is a pause. With every second that passes in eerie silence, Yoongi starts growing uneasy, his grip on Jimin’s hand getting tighter. Yoongi doesn’t even realize it until Jimin yelps, pulling his hand back to flick him on the forehead before grabbing Yoongi’s hand once again to interlace their fingers. He gives the younger a grateful smile.
“Hyuna and Edawn?” The man asks. His voice is a tad bit softer but there is still an obvious hard edge to it. One that heeds a warning.
“Yes,” Yoongi answers quickly. Jimin leans in closer, trying to hear whatever is going on the other side of the phone. “Have you heard from them?”
Another brief pause, before a deep sigh drifts in from the other side of the phone. “No, I haven’t. I was hoping they got out of whatever the fuck it was they were doing but that obviously isn’t the case.”
“Did you know what they were involved in?” Yoongi presses. Jimin’s face now pressed his own and Yoongi turns the phone, putting it on speaker.
“No. Those two are stubborn sons of bitches when they want to be,” Hobi sighs in response. He sounds torn up about their absence and Yoongi can wholeheartedly relate to the feeling. It also calms the nerves Yoongi has been feeling because this unknown person obviously cares about them in some way. “Are you at your apartment?”
Yoongi hesitates. He doesn’t know this person and while he normally wouldn’t mind risking his life… he lets his gaze drift to Jimin. Beautiful Jimin who has pulled back to look at him with warmth in his eyes as he traces random patterns on the back of his hand.
“I am, you know how to get here?” Yoongi asks into the phone, forcing himself to tear his gaze from the beautiful man sitting in his bed.
Hobi snorts. “You have no idea who I am do you?”
“Uh… no?”
“Good. Means I’m doing my job right,” Hobi says, a smile apparent in his voice. Yoongi furrows a brow, wanting to ask what exactly that means but the dial tone of an obviously hung up phone is all he gets as answer.
Yoongi tosses the phone onto the floor, not hesitating to crawl onto the bed and plop himself into Jimin’s lap. The younger lets out a soft ‘oof’ as Yoongi’s body sends them falling back into the pillows of his bed. Yoongi, for the first time in a while is the one to curl into Jimin. He tucks his face into the younger boy’s neck, inhaling deeply. Sometimes being around Jimin is the only thing that keeps him center. When their cuddling being one of the easiest ways to keep him from spiralling into panic.
Jimin doesn’t say anything about the sudden cuddle session. Instead he snakes one arm around Yoongi’s back, pulling him closer to his own body. He starts running his free hand through his hair, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. He tries to focus on the small mole on Jimin’s forehead, wanting to get lost in the younger.
The room feels cold around them. There are books thrown all over the floor from when he was trying to find anything to help him get closer to finding his family. The black comforter on his bed threatens to swallow them whole as Jimin turns into his side slightly. He knows the younger doesn’t like the blanket around them, he says it’s too dark. In this moment, it mirrors the darkness laying heavy on their hearts.
“Who was it?” Jimin asks, breaking the silence between them. Yoongi refuses to move from his spot to speak, so he settles for mumbling a quick “Dunno” into his neck.
“Yet he's coming here?” Jimin presses, apprehension clear. Yoongi understands it. He doesn’t really know how he feels about a stranger showing up at the one place Hyuna and Edawn promised he would be safe. Even if the two obviously trusted this Hobi.
“Yeah.” Yoongi sighs, pulling back to look at Jimin. The younger raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say antyhing. “Guess I’ll find out who he is soon enough.”
“We will,” Jimin corrects him without missing a beat. His fingers tightening around Yoongi’s.
“It’s not safe-” Yoongi begins, Jimin scoffs.
“Yeah I know, which is why I am staying.”
Yoongi wants to argue more and from the look on Jimin’s face — his lips are pursed, a stern look coloring his face. Jimin is a stubborn brat when he wants to be, especially when it comes to Yoongi. He knows him too well and it’s obvious the younger boy knows he wants to make him leave, to keep his safe. Jimin pulls his hand from Yoongi’s, flipping them around, pushing the elder until he’s laying on his back in the middle of the bed. He climbs onto him, straddling his hips and placing his arms on either side of his tattooed neck.
“It’s you and me now, you hear me?” Jimin reminds him, looking Yoongi directly in the eyes as he says it. Yoongi nods because he does know, Jimin is all he has left.
“I can’t lose you too,” Yoongi whispers. His grip on the younger boy’s hips tighten, Jimin presses a kiss to his forehead.
“You won’t,” Jimin promises. There is something about the fire burning behind the blonde’s eyes that has Yoongi believing him, clinging to the hollow promise. He knows Jimin doesn’t know that, he can be ripped away from him at any moment because that’s just how life works but that doesn’t stop a small piece of hope from blooming in his chest.
Jimin pulls back, leaning his forehead against his. “Besides, if this guy is bad news… I’m going to need to kick his ass, since we both know you won’t be able to.”
Yoongi scoffs, the tense air around them breaking as he flips them over, pressing Jimin into the soft bed under them. “Yeah? You gonna take care of me?”
“Always,” Jimin replies without an ounce of hesitation. Yoongi doesn’t say anything, he knows there is a promise in his silence. He wouldn’t let anything happen to Jimin, not if he could help. Jimin can take care of himself, that much he’s proven but Yoongi will be there, behind him if he ever needs help.
The moment is broken by a loud knock ringing through their tiny apartment. Jimin whines as Yoongi pulls away from him, standing up to meet this Hobi person. Yoongi laughs, leaning down to press a quick kiss to his nose in order to placate him, it works.
Jimin follows him from the room, body slightly tense, ready to fight if he needs to. It’s a tactic Hyuna taught him, always be ready for a fight even if there is no indication of one.
Yoongi opens the door and is met with the exact opposite of what he expected. The guy on the other side of the door looks younger than him, he’s wearing an obnoxiously loud orange sweater with ripped jeans, a black bag hanging off his shoulder. His eyes are obstructed by sunglasses and a bucket hat. There is a way that he holds himself though that makes you wary of his presence, aside from the clothes he’s wearing.
“You Yoongi?” He asks. He pulls his glasses down to the bridge of his nose, giving him a one over before his eyes drift to Jimin. Hobi surveys the younger man and winks.
Yoongi steps forward, blocking Jimin from his view. Hobi rolls his eyes and steps into the small apartment without waiting for an invitation.
“Who are you?” Jimin asks as Yoongi closes the front door. The younger moves to stand next to Yoongi, not quite touching him but close enough that he can feel his presence. He calms Jimin down, takes away some of the edge he feels every time he’s around people he doesn’t really know.
Hobi hums, sitting down on the couch and pulling his black leather bag over his head to pull out two different computers. He sets them up on the coffee table before he turns to the couple.
“Hacker,” He says matter of factly.
Jimin raises an eyebrow. “Why did Hyuna and Edawn know a hacker?”
“I met them at our first foster home,” Hobi responds as he begins typing something on one of the computers. Yoongi sits next to him, Jimin not far behind him. “We clicked, we were all problem children as they loved to dub us. I got out two years later, adopted by some piece of shit family that only wanted me for a check.”
Even though this is his first time meeting Hobi, he feels for him. When Yoongi was younger, he naively wished desperately for a family but as he got older he was grateful he found Hyuna and Edawn instead.
“I’m sorry,” Yoongi says. There is no pity in his tone, just understanding. Hobi flashes him a quick smile, pink lips resembling a small heart.
“Nah, it’s no biggy. They left me alone a lot and were pretty fucking loaded towards the end of it so I began teaching myself about computers. It came naturally and then it just started getting darker, hacking street cams and shit.”
“How did you get in contact with Hyuna and Edawn again?” Jimin asks. The younger sits on the other side of Hobi, leaning over the man’s shoulder to peer at the computer. The hacker looks at him and it’s clear he doesn’t particularly like people looking at him while he works but he doesn’t say anything when Jimin gives him a sweet smile. Yoongi can see the second Hobi decides to give Jimin a free pass, it’s a look he knows too well.
“We ran into each other at a coffee shop of all places, got to talking and well we figured out that were both running in less than legal circles.”
Yoongi sighs. He knew they were doing things outside the law but to have it confirmed makes something unpleasant unfurl in him. If they were dealing with dangerous people, who knows what happened to them.
“So what are we going to do?”
Hobi leans forward, opening different programs on his second computer and types various codes into it. It only takes a few seconds for several different surveillance cameras to pop up onto the screen. Yoongi leans forward with him, recognizing the street in front of his apartment and their own hallway. Huh. He didn’t even know they had cameras in the hallways.
“They don’t have cameras in the hallway,” Hobi says as if he was reading Yoongi’s mind. He flashes him a smile before he’s cracking his neck and turning back to the computers. “I told them to install them themselves just in case shit like this happened. They knew I would be able to find who saw them last, which—“
“Is why they wanted Yoongi to find you,” Jimin finishes for him. Yoongi looks up at him just as Hobi agrees.
“I’m going to sift through the footage, When was the last time you saw them?”
“Exactly a week ago at around nine AM,” Yoongi tells him, the memory still burned in his mind. Jimin leans over Hobi to squeeze his shoulder.
Hobi nods in acknowledgment, typing something into the first computer to change the time frames. It takes a lot less time than Yoongi was anticipating but if he’s honest the only thing he really knows about hacking is what he’s seen on those cheesy action films. Hobi obviously knows what he’s doing, his face pinched slightly in concentration as he types more code into the computer. Yoongi looks up to Jimin, who was already looking at him with an eyebrow raised. Yoongi agrees, they have just entered another world entirely.
It takes another thirty minutes of silence, the only sounds heard in the apartment are Hobi’s fingers flying across the keyboard. Jimin leaves at one point to grab them all a glass of water, coming back to lean against the armrest of the couch on Yoongi’s side, his fingers immediately finding purchase in his black hair. Yoongi leans into the touch, eyes closing briefly, only opening when Hobi makes a small triumphant noise and turns the second computer to them.
“These are the last people that went to see them,” Hobi points to a tall man, obviously covered in tattoos. The picture isn’t very clear but he can also make out another man next to him, slightly shorter with only one tattoo on his neck. The two are holding hands as Hyuna and Edawn follow them out of the apartment.
Yoongi doesn’t understand though, neither Hyuna or Edawn look like they are scared or like they are being forced to go with these men. Their movements around the male couple seem comfortable, Hyuna isn’t even on the defense around them. He knows her. She never lets her guard completely down unless she trusts someone, wholeheartedly. Edawn is also a notoriously good judge of character and he’s laughing at something the slightly shorter man had said, patting him on the back.
“I don’t understand,” Yoongi says after a small while. Neither Hobi or Jimin have offered anything else to the conversation, which also throws him slightly.
“You don’t know who that is, do you?” Hobi asks slowly, as if he can’t quite believe it. Yoongi shakes his head, confused. He turns to Jimin but the younger is staring at the computer in mute horror.
Hobi rewinds, capturing a freeze frame of the taller man covered in tattoos, he zooms in and turns the computer towards Yoongi again.
“He’s the leader of Bangtan, his name is—“
“Namjoon,” Jimin whispers. Eyes snapping away from the computer as if pulling himself from whatever daze he was in. He quickly gets off the couch, running a hand through his hair, pulling slightly at his hair.
Hobi looks up at him in surprise, eyes growing wide as he tilts his head to the side. “We only know him on the streets as RM, how do you know his real name?”
Yoongi looks up at the younger, confused as to what’s going on but Jimin doesn’t look back at him. His entire body is rigid, face completely pale. Yoongi stands up, reaching out to him but the younger jumps back, flinching away from him.
Yoongi drops his hand in shock. Never has Jimin pulled away from him. “Jimin-ah? What’s—“
Jimin doesn’t let him finish, instead he shakes his head, running out of the apartment without looking back at either of them. Yoongi doesn’t understand, his mouth hanging slightly open as he gapes at the now open apartment door.
“Who’s Bangtan?” Yoongi asks Hobi, just wanting answers to what the fuck is going on.
Hobi runs a tired hand over his face, removing his bucket hat from his head and throwing it onto the coffee table. “They are one of the most notorious gangs in this area and if your boyfriend knows him on a first name basis, I doubt that can mean anything good.”
- ☼ -
Meeting Yoongi was simultaneously the best and worst thing to ever happen to Jimin.
Jimin didn’t have the time to become distracted. To love someone because every time you loved someone, they would leave you, — or you would have to leave them. The only way to protect yourself would be to be alone. It was easier that way. You just had yourself to worry about, your feelings and that was it.
He had thought he mastered being alone. He didn’t want to need anyone, or rely on anyone again but Yoongi… Yoongi didn’t give him that choice. The minute he met the elder, he knew, deep down in his heart that he wouldn’t want to be alone again.
It was one thing to leave Taehyung. While it killed him, — he’s sure the younger broke off a piece of his heart and kept it with him… it was a decision he knew he had to make. He wouldn’t be able to protect him, not like... they would be able to. Yoongi though, he didn’t need someone to protect him.
Yoongi was self sufficient and his heart was warm. Even through the cold exterior, it was fairly easy to see how much love he had to give. He also didn’t look at Jimin like he was something broken.
He looked at him like he understood that there would always be hurt he wouldn’t be able to chase away with something as simple as his love. Yet, Yoongi still stayed. He chose to see past the broken bits of him and become the only resemblance of love that Jimin has ever known. It didn’t make it easy.
Not only did Yoongi give him the love that he never thought he would have but he also gave him a family. A real one, even if it wasn’t by blood. Hyuna and Edawn had accepted him like he was their own, without any hesitation. They fed him, ruffled his hair when he succeeded in training and they loved him like any older siblings would love their younger brother.
Really, Jimin isn’t surprised he fell in love with Yoongi.
It was somewhere in between the late night talks, wrapped up in each other as they laid in Yoongi’s bed, moonlight shining down on them from his window.
( “I think you are one of the strongest people I’ve ever met,” Yoongi said, reaching out to tuck a piece of hair behind Jimin’s ear.
“I wouldn’t say that,” Jimin whispered back, eyes closing as Yoongi’s fingers ran through his hair. “There is a lot you don’t know about me.”
Things he couldn’t tell him. He was ashamed of who he was before meeting Yoongi. Even though it wasn’t his fault, he felt as if he should have fought harder.
Yoongi hummed lowly. “I know… you keep a lot to yourself but that doesn’t mean what I said is any less true. You have a fight in you, even though you’ve been hurt before. There is a fire in your eyes that I admire.”)
Or it could have been the first time Yoongi saw Jimin truly break.
( Jimin placed the phone down, heart clenching painfully in his chest as he ended the call. It was his dad. His very alive and supremely pissed off dad.
He found out about the sting at the prostitution ring he had been sold to and how Jimin wasn’t accounted for when the body count came out. He demanded he come back home, words slurring together in a hard to understand sentence.
Jimin shouldn’t be afraid of him anymore, he should be stronger than this but… he isn’t. He doesn’t think about his next move, his legs connecting with his heart to lead him to Yoongi’s apartment. Yoongi answered after the second knock, rubbing sleep from his eyes with a tattooed hand.
Yoongi blinked. “Jimin-ah?”
Jimin didn’t hesitate, forcing his way into tattooed arms. Yoongi let him, pulling him inside his small apartment and closing the door behind them. He brought the younger to his bed, pressing him down into the soft mattress that Jimin had come to love.
Yoongi didn’t say anything as he slipped into the bed next to him, pulling Jimin into his chest and just petting his hair until he felt like talking. Yoongi never pushed him, he simply just let him be. Let him make his own calls and he would wait patiently to follow his lead.
“Please don’t let me go,” Jimin whispered into his chest. He didn’t want to talk about. He couldn’t, at least not yet. Yoongi understood though, he always did.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Yoongi promised. Running a hand through his hair before placing a gentle kiss in the same place. “I’m here whenever you’re ready.”
They didn’t talk about it. Yoongi didn’t bring it up again but he made it a point to show Jimin that he wasn’t alone. He wouldn’t ever be again.)
Or it could have been Yoongi sharing his only family, with him. Without even an ounce of hesitation.
( “I swear Hyuna loves you more than she loves me,” Yoongi pouted as he watched Hyuna pepper Jimin in kisses after he complimented her cooking. Jimin giggled, loving the affection.
Hyuna rolled her eyes, pressing a final kiss to Jimin’s forehead before turning to Yoongi. The tattooed man’s eyes widened slightly and then Hyuna was on him, kissing all over him as well. Jimin watched fondly, heart swelling with love for the both of them. His own little family.
Edawn was next to him, rolling his eyes at his girlfriend. Jimin didn’t know that this is what a family was supposed to feel like. It was just warm. Like no matter what happened, they would at least have each other.
Sometimes Jimin feared that he was intruding on something that wasn’t his. That he was forcing his way into an already formed family but as Yoongi got away from Hyuna, planting himself in Jimin’s lap to stop the onslaught of kisses did he feel like he belonged with them.
They were his family and Yoongi… well Yoongi was much more than that.)
That was all going to change though. Fuck. They were taken by Namjoon of all people. Of course, it couldn’t have been anyone else.
He would have to tell Yoongi the truth. The entire truth. His past would be on full display and Yoongi would leave him. How could he expect someone to love him when he came from such an ugly past. It wasn’t something Yoongi would just be able to look past.
He sold himself for money. He conned people. He left his only friend with a group of gang leaders and didn’t even look back. He was such a terrible person and Yoongi was finally going to understand that.
Dirty.
“Jimin-ah?
Fuck. Maybe running to his apartment was the best plan especially when he gave Yoongi a key.
Jimin doesn’t turn towards the voice he loves the most in the world, instead he makes his way into his room. It’s not far from his living room, tucked into the back of the small apartment. His heart hammers against his chest as he opens the door to his bedroom. He should have known his past would catch up to him. God he doesn’t even know what the fuck he’s going to say. Yoongi bursts through his door a few seconds later, still giving Jimin space but obviously not wanting to leave him alone.
“Jimin-ah, please tell me what’s going on? Hobi… he says Bangtan is a gang? How-- How do you know them?”
Jimin closes his eyes. He wants to run again but Yoongi deserves the truth. He knows that but it doesn’t make it any easier. “You’ll hate me if I tell you.”
Yoongi doesn’t say anything at first and Jimin spares him a glance. He hates the silence. Yoongi looks like he wants to reach out to him but is afraid to do so. Jimin wants to fall into his arms, just wants to pretend a little while longer.
“I could never hate you,” He finally says. There is sincerity in his eyes and Jimin knows he believes that. If there is one thing he’s never doubted, its how much the elder cares for him but love can only ignore so many things.
“You say that now,” Jimin whispers back and he knows he sounds broken. He feels broken. “It’s easy to say that when you don’t know the truth.”
Yoongi throws whatever caution to the wind the minute he sees Jimin about to break down. He walks up to the younger, pulling him into his chest and pressing a kiss to his hair. He waits until Jimin calms down before pulling back but still keeping him close enough that Jimin can hear his heartbeat.
“I don’t care what you’ve done in the past because that’s exactly what it is, the past . I promise you that, no matter what I’ll love you.”
Jimin doesn’t mean to cry but he still does anyways. It’s the first time Yoongi has openly admitted to loving him. He knew. Of course he did, he wasn’t blind but to have it said. But to hear it outloud is something completely different. Yoongi hushes him with a soft kiss, tugging him towards the youngers neatly made bed. Jimin immediately melts into the kiss, heart soaring at the feeling of slightly chapped lips against his and lets himself be dragged until he’s laying on his cold bed that’s nearly not as comfortable as Yoongi’s.
“I love you too, you know? Also I can’t believe our first kiss came after our love declarations.” Jimin says quietly into his chest. He feels Yoongi laugh against him, his long fingers finding their way into his hair, massaging lightly. “I know but it’s nice to finally hear also yeah… we are terrible. If Hyuna was here she would be throwing us a party for finally taking our heads out of our asses.”
Jimin laughs with him, his heart slightly aching at the mention of Hyuna.
Hyuna who was last seen with Namjoon. The same Namjoon that offered him a place in his gang.
He takes a shaky breath. It’s now or never. “I know Namjoon because he broke me and Taehyung out of the prostitution ring we were in.”
He feels Yoongi’s sharp inhale at the word ‘prostitution’ but he keeps going. He needs to finally get the truth out, doesn’t want any lies between them. “My dad sold me when I was 18 and I met Taehyung who was only a few months younger than me. He was from Daegu… you would love him. It’s kind of hard not to. We were stuck in there so... I did what I had to, to survive. I conned the older men there into more money in exchange for whatever they wanted because I wanted to get out… with Taehyung.”
“You did what you had to,” Yoongi interjects when he feels Jimin tense. “You’re so strong baby.” The younger relaxes slightly at the words. Yoongi isn’t running and it’s already more than he could have asked for.
“We almost had enough money to try and run when Namjoon’s gang raided whatever gang was running our house. They were… dangerous but you can tell Bangtan is a well organized machine. Namjoon is smart and holds himself in a way that makes everyone around him feel small. His boyfriend was equally as terrifying but in a way that caught you off guard. Together… they seemed almost invisible.”
“Fuck,” Yoongi breathes roughly. Jimin agrees. If Hyuna and Edawn got involved with Bangtan and did something that Namjoon deemed traitorous he doesn’t want to imagine what he would have done to them.
“Namjoon came to me after he saved us and… offered me a place in the gang if I wanted it,” Jimin continues, sitting up slightly. The memories are still almost too painful to go through a second time. Thinking of Taehyung makes his heart clench but as much as his misses his only friend, he’s glad he didn’t accept the offer because if he would have…. -- his eyes drift over to Yoongi and he shakes his head. No. He doesn’t want to imagine a life without him.
“I told him no and he let me go but he gave me his number and told me to call him if I ever needed anything…” Jimin trails off, eyes finding their way to his dresser where he knows the crumpled up piece of paper with his number sits.
“Well good then it saves me a lot of time,” Hobi says from the doorway causing both boys in the bed to nearly jump out of their skin. Yoongi huffs, annoyed.
“You ever heard of knocking? Also how the fuck did you know where I was--”
Hobi rolls his eyes, plopping down onto the small bed with a wide smile, ignoring the glares being sent to him. Jimin can’t believe there was ever a time, he or Yoongi were scared of him. “Hallway cameras remember?”
Jimin sighs but it turns into a breathy laugh when Yoongi shoves the hacker off the bed with his foot. Hobi squawks and in retaliation pulls Yoongi down on the floor with him, ignoring the elders outraged protests. The two end up rolling around on the ground and Jimin knows they are going to get a long just a bit too well.
Jimin walks over to his dresser, pulling open the first compartment and finds the number without any hassle. The wrestling behind him stops and Yoongi comes up behind him, wrapping an arm around his waist. Hobi sits on the edge of the bed, not saying anything as Jimin pulls out his phone.
Yoongi places a kiss to the side of the head, a quiet encouragement. Jimin takes a deep breath, typing the number into his phone and pressing call before he can talk himself out if it.
“Who’s this?” Comes a deep voice after two rings. Jimin exhales roughly, he forgot how intimidating the gang leader sounded when he talked.
“Namjoon? It’s--”
“Ah, Jimin-ah, long time no talk. I take it you need something?”