It wasn't a time of rejoicing or celebration.

It wasn't "three cheers for Seokjin, he's not the villain after all."

It was just...a lot. For everyone to take in, to process. What with the police sirens and their flashing lights seeming to have come from nowhere, and the guns no longer with any of the boys as their target.

There had been some hesitation at first from the men working for Yojun. However, despite their reluctance in turning themselves in to the authorities, they weren't stupid enough to think they could make an escape at this point, so eventually they listened to both Seokjin and the police's orders for them to exit the building peacefully.

Not long after this, Seokjin gave the officers the 'OK' to enter the building and not a second later several of them did just that.

And everything became a blur to Taehyung. Yojun was wheeled away on a stretcher, Jimin, who had apparently begun to struggle with his breathing again, was escorted out by Yoongi and a paramedic, and Taehyung and Jungkook were released from the ropes that bound their limbs and were also escorted out of the building. Separately, and by different people.

Taehyung was in no state of mind to argue with the authorities. Not physically, either, for that matter. His ankles and wrists felt sore and threadbare, on the verge of breaking apart from his body after the rope had been removed. Having struggled against it certainly hadn't helped. The officer who had freed him had to assist Taehyung in walking out of the building, the boy quickly learning he had acquired a limp. To what degree any of the pain he was experiencing was in his head, he didn't know at the time.

Taehyung merely allowed the officer to guide him outside, out into the biting cold of the night illuminated solely by the bright lights of the police cars and ambulances. The sirens had turned off at last. There was little noise. And thank goodness for that, Taehyung had enough noise going in his head.

It took some time to get him settled. Soon after the officer had taken Taehyung outside and brought him to someone to check for injuries, the boy received several questions from other people concerning whether he needed medication, or perhaps even a therapist of some kind to help cope with his shock, but Taehyung just shook his head. He didn't want any of that. Didn't care if he needed it - rather, didn't care if anyone thought he needed it.

It was just as Yoongi always told him.

He just needed to breathe.

And so at some point into the night, after the officers and paramedics saw it safe to leave him alone, Taehyung found himself sitting on the ground, a blanket draped over his shoulders courtesy of the policeman who had untied him. From where he sat Taehyung could see Jimin, sitting in the back of an ambulance, with his legs draped over the side, a paramedic sitting beside him while speaking to him. Yoongi stood not far off, speaking with another officer who had questions for him. And then finally there was Jungkook, in the process of having his wrists carefully treated as a result of the rope having torn through his skin.

But he was okay. He was alive and okay.

Taehyung wanted to see him - and Yoongi and Jimin, too, but he understood they all needed attention from people who knew what they were doing, whereas Taehyung didn't even know what to do with himself right now.

He just sat alone, there on the ground, loosely holding his shock blanket around his body.

Awareness of his surroundings had been dulled to a minimum.

At some time during his vague connection to reality, Taehyung felt a second blanket draped over his shoulders. And someone sat down on the ground beside him.

"Any of the officers are willing to give you a ride home whenever you're ready. I came here with my dad so I don't have my car, otherwise I'd give you a ride back myself. Although, I'd understand if you didn't want me to."

Seokjin's voice somehow managed to bleed through to Taehyung's brain. There was no exterior reaction, but Jin could still tell his words had been heard.

For a while, silence wrapped around them. Seokjin took this moment to gaze out at the circle of vehicles around them, at the unfamiliar and familiar faces alike. One of the ambulances had already taken Yojun away for emergency treatment. Seokjin had confessed to being the one responsible for firing the gun; however, given the situation, he wasn't in any trouble with the authorities. Even if he were it wouldn't have made a difference to him.

"I'll be honest with you, Tae, I didn't know how any of that was gonna go down." A forced, painful chuckle fell from his mouth and seemed to freeze in the air. "I'm flattered you thought I was a good actor, but between you and me, I was absolutely terrified the entire time. I didn't plan on holding a gun to Jungkook's head. But I had to, you know? I knew my dad was a little skeptical of me agreeing to help him after turning him down so many times, and I was afraid if I didn't do everything he told me, he'd throw me out. But things turned out fine, right?"

Another cold breath of silence. Seokjin watched Taehyung's face with a sad smile.

"I'm sorry it had to happen like this, Tae."

Those genuine, regretful words triggered Taehyung's bottled up emotions to be set free again, starting with a quivering lip and moving upward until his entire composure snapped and reduced him to tears.

Seokjin wrapped his arm around the boy and pulled him closer for a hug.

"I hope you'll forgive me some day."

In his heart, deep beneath the bitter layers of anger and hatred that had built up inside him, Taehyung already had forgiven him. But it hurt to speak through his tears so he held his thoughts in his chest and leaned closer, securely into the embrace.

This was Seokjin. Not a traitor, not a slave to his father.

He was Taehyung's friend.

"Are you ready to go home, Tae?"

He had enough strength to nod.

"Good...I think Jungkook's ready, too."

The sound of this name urged Taehyung to raise his head suddenly, and within seconds his desperate eyes found the boy in question walking towards him, a smile on his face. But it shattered the moment he saw Tae scrambling to his feet to meet him. His limp hadn't fully gone away. However the pain in his ankles was nothing to him.

Outstretched, empty arms, the two captured one another with all the might they had in their weary bodies, and more still.

They cried into each other's shoulders until the moment Taehyung managed to lift his head once again.

He claimed the other's lips in a tender kiss - salty, just as a sad many of their kisses had been, but it didn't matter to Taehyung. What mattered to him was that he had been wrong.

"I love you."

He was able to say it again.

Tears still streaming down his cheeks, he kissed Jungkook a second time.

"I love you, I love you, I-"

"I love you, too."

Taehyung's lips cracked a crooked smile. He caressed the other's cheek, staring deeply into Jungkook's eyes as he strained himself to stop crying.

"C'mon, baby, you don't need to do that now." Putting on a smile of his own, Jungkook reached out his hand to wipe some of the moisture from Tae's face. "We're okay. You're safe now, you and Jimin don't have to worry about Yojun and those people anymore."

"Kookie?"

"Yeah, baby?"

"I wanna go home."

At the soft-spoken comment, Jungkook gently pulled the boy into his chest, running his fingers through his hair as he sighed.

"We'll go home, then."

"And you'll be there?"

"And I'll be there, to hold you until you fall asleep."

"And?"

"And I'll be there when you wake up the next morning, too."

"And forever?"

"And forever, Tae..."

Eventually Jungkook was able to coax Taehyung over to one of the police cars, where he greeted the officer standing nearby and informed them that they needed a ride back to their apartment. The officer gladly agreed, and before he climbed into the driver's seat, Jungkook asked him for a moment. He wanted to speak with someone first.

He had seen Seokjin still sitting on the ground beside where Taehyung had formerly been. But the boy stood up upon noticing Jungkook walking in his direction.

Without warning Jungkook hugged him - not an ounce of hatred or bitterness in his heart, only relief as well as the sadness and regret of all of them having been caught up in earlier's misery and madness.

Seokjin hugged Jungkook back just as firmly. Patting his friend's back, he inhaled deeply, fighting back to urge to cry and coming close to failing.

"We'll have to go out for churros for real some time. Okay, Jin?"

"Of course." Seokjin chuckled, even though his chest ached a bit doing so. "I'll pay, too. No golf game needed."

"That's not necessary. We can pay for our own."

"I insist."

Pulling away from the hug after some time, Jungkook took in Seokjin's face fully before taking a step back the way he came. "I should get back to Tae," he said. The other nodded in understanding.

"Of course. You take care, okay?"

"The same to you."

With that, he waved farewell to Seokjin and made his way over to the officer's car and climbed in next to Taehyung, who immediately latched onto Jungkook's arm and nuzzled against his shoulder.

"Can Yoongi and Jimin fit in here, too?"

"I don't think so, baby," Jungkook replied, finding it in himself to laugh quietly at his boyfriend. "Yoongi drove here anyway. But even if he's not up for driving, he and Jimin will have a ride home, too. Don't worry."

"Good. I don't wanna leave any of you behind anymore."

"That's not a problem. We won't be leaving you, either."

He pressed his lips against Taehyung's temple.

Beautiful lavender boy.

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