The two went into work shortly after their little talk with Seokjin. Neither said a word to the other, not because of anything either said to each other, but simply out of that silent, shared feeling of vagueness that had settled in their chests thanks to this newfound information.

Seokjin's father.

He, or at least the people who worked for him, had been the ones responsible for nearly killing Taehyung years ago. They had been the cause, the thing that had essentially spurred on this whole hectic mess Taehyung had himself wrapped up in now.

The people who had indirectly urged Jimin to believe that by simply knowing him, both Taehyung and Yoongi were at such a great risk of danger - as had evidently already been proven by Tae's near-death experience (of which he had no memory).

It was a mess. All of this was such a mess and though he honestly felt on the verge of another breakdown, Taehyung shoved it beneath his outer layer where it could hide away in his heart until he saw it a more fitting time.

He and Jungkook performed as usual for the guests at the Fermata Pavilion. Their voices and music praised by guests and co-workers alike - and also, as usual, by Hoseok most of all. And maybe if Taehyung were in a better state of mind at the time, he could have appreciated his bubbly co-worker's kind words. But now all he could think of was getting home and talking to Jimin.

He knew he wouldn't have it in him to wake Jimin if the boy were resting, so he hoped with all his being that he would find Jimin conscious and talking to Yoongi or something. And for once fortune smiled on him.

Upon arriving with Jungkook back to the apartment, Taehyung walked in on Jimin mindlessly watching television as Yoongi stood in the kitchen washing dishes - which, also, if he were in his right state of mind, Taehyung surely would have scolded his friend for doing. Instead, he approached the couch on which Jimin lay, guiltily ignoring Yoongi's 'welcome home' in the process.

"Jimin, were you friends with Namjoon?"

Direct and to the point. He stared accusingly at the blond, who looked into Taehyung's face with concern, followed by some sort of bitter regret. Taehyung tensed before the other even spoke.

"I was," Jimin confessed. "After moving to Busan I met him and we became quick friends...even though I was really tentative to make friends after everything that had happened."

"Then what's the deal with him?" Taehyung demanded. "Why doesn't he remember you? Why did you take his memories, too?"

"Because I found out he was dating Kim Yojun's son."

He didn't have to ask to know who Jimin was referring to. With a deep, trembling breath, Taehyung threw a worried glance over his shoulder at Jungkook. "Seokjin goes to my college," he said after facing Jimin once again. "I've known him for a while, he's always been kind of a weirdo, but just today, he asked to speak with me, and he showed me pictures of you running from the people who were after you. He insists he's not working with his father...but I just..."

"I can't tell you who to and who not to trust, Taetae," Jimin said solemnly. There was a strong presence of sadness in his voice though his efforts to hide it were just as clear. "I just didn't want to take any chances. I shouldn't have taken any chances back then, either, but I did, and look what happened..."

"We can't remember you, that's what happened!" Taehyung's outburst, an uncontrollable one from the heart, rattled his brain and he felt it, the first sign of a headache, or a dizzy spell, or perhaps both. But still he continued. "How did you even do it, anyway? What are you that you're even able to take our memories? To give me your blood?? What are you, Park Jimin?!"

"A freak, I guess."

Yoongi had started to make his way over to the living room the moment Taehyung raised his voice - he had dealt with his friend and the boy's mood swings many a time before, so by now he knew what to do, but his feet stopped in their tracks at Jimin's disheartening reply. The whole room stopped, in fact. And everyone turned their eyes towards the blond lying pitifully on the couch. No one said a word for what felt like a solid ten minutes. In reality, the time exaggerated itself in the minds of the boys', but in Taehyung's most of all.

"Jimin, I-...I'm sorry..."

Jimin gave a soft smile. "It's okay."

"No," Taehyung snapped back almost immediately. "No, no, it's not okay, Jimin, I-"

"You're stressed, Taetae, I understand. If I were you, I'd call me a freak, too."

That choice of words. It dug beneath Taehyung's skin, burrowing like a wild animal down to the very depths of his being just to spit venom on his most vulnerable organ. It hurt. To the highest degree of the word, hearing these words rather than speaking them inflicted more pain than Taehyung knew how to bear. Guilt traveled through his veins. These veins which didn't carry just his blood.

"If I could tell you exactly what I was, I would," Jimin continued after a moment. "You wouldn't remember, but I wasn't born into the family I had in Daegu. I was adopted. Adopted by a young couple with a disgraceful reputation in our neighborhood, which is why your parents never approved of you and Yoongi hanging out with me. But my parents loved me, they accepted me, even after finding out about my blood. They never called me a freak. They told me I was beautiful, and I believed them for the longest time until I started to be hunted down."

Taehyung wanted to speak. He wanted to argue with Jimin, to say to him the same encouraging words Jungkook had once said to him, but his mouth had been sealed shut by some indescribable force.

"I'm the freak, Taetae, not you...you've just become a product of my mistakes. But you've always been beautiful regardless."

He couldn't move. No part of him, his legs, his mouth, not even the tears he sensed hiding like cowards behind his eyelids. Everything to Taehyung was frozen, as if the river of his blood had frozen up inside him, keeping him rooted in place just to stare at Jimin and suffer the feeling of doing so.

Eventually he felt Jungkook take his hand again, and the boy's soothing voice urged him to go to his room to lie down. At this point Taehyung was helpless to argue. To do anything. So he allowed Jungkook's arm to wrap around his waist and guide him to the bedroom.

And there, the cowardly tears showed themselves.

All at once, a dam bursting, though he struggled to muffle his own sobs by covering his mouth with his shaky hands.

Jungkook reached his own hands out to pull them away. And he held them as if they were made of fragile glass, caressing them with his fingers for a minute before doing the same to Taehyung's cheek. There were too many tears appearing at a fast rate to wipe away. He tried anyway.

"I'm such a screw-up, Kookie..." Taehyung was visibly hesitant even to accept Jungkook's soft touches. "Why am I this way? Why do I have to be afraid of everything?? Why can't I be more like you or, or like Yoongi?" He sniffled, which only seemed to trigger him to cry harder. "You guys have been through some crap, too, but you've got yourselves together-"

"Because of you," Jungkook said quickly.

"No, that can't be it, because look at you now." A harsh, almost angered expression took form on Taehyung's face. "You guys are being rational, you're sensible and calm about what's going on, but I'm just breaking at everything, I'm scared to even breathe at this point-"

"And who says we're not scared?"

"Not like me, you're not like me."

"Tae, I'm just as scared as you." With a firm but kind touch, Jungkook took Taehyung's face in his hands and stared deeply into his eyes - the fear was there. The uncertainty, the pain, and just about every negative emotion swirled into one storm centered over Tae's heart. "I'm just...as scared as you..." he said again. "I'm scared of something happening to you, I've always been, but you know what? I'm not gonna let that happen. I'm not gonna let anything bad happen. At least nothing I can't fix."

"But what if something happened to you?" That heartbroken tone that twisted Jungkook's stomach was back. "Kookie, if something happens to you, I don't know what I'd do-"

"I survived the first time, didn't I?"

Offering a warm smile, he took one of Taehyung's hands to touch his bruised lip. Then on his own, Tae touched the other bruises delicately. His lips quivered. He moved his hand towards the nape of Jungkook's neck only to bring him closer until there was no space between them. He kissed Jungkook, and the other reciprocated, tasting the salty tears that had gathered around the boy's mouth - a sad taste, but he loved it because it was Tae.

Being able to be here for Taehyung was everything to him.

He combed his fingers through Tae's hair, humming softly in a way that was relaxing to him as he nipped at the boy's bottom lip. He picked up Taehyung's hand and rested it on his thigh. At this, the boy pulled back his head, shy, his cheeks dusted in lavender. Jungkook smiled.

"We're gonna be okay, baby." He pecked his boyfriend's lips again. "I believe Seokjin. But if it turns out he was lying, you can bet I'll be the first one he'll answer to. So just relax, okay? You, and even Jimin and Yoongi, too...I'll take care of all of you if I have to. To put a smile on your face."

"Kookie?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

*
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end of chapter thirty.