
Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/11606232.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Major_Character_Death, Rape/Non-Con,
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      방탄소년단_|_Bangtan_Boys_|_BTS
  Relationship:
      Jung_Hoseok_|_J-Hope/Kim_Namjoon_|_Rap_Monster, Kim_Seokjin_|_Jin/Park
      Jimin, Jeon_Jungkook/Kim_Taehyung_|_V, Jeon_Jungkook/Min_Yoongi_|_Suga
  Character:
      Kim_Seokjin_|_Jin, Min_Yoongi_|_Suga, Jung_Hoseok_|_J-Hope, Kim_Namjoon_|
      Rap_Monster, Park_Jimin_(BTS), Kim_Taehyung_|_V, Jeon_Jungkook
  Additional Tags:
      Strippers_&_Strip_Clubs, Club_AU, Mafia_AU, Kinda, past_2seok, past
      taejin, Stripper_Park_Jimin, Bartender_Min_Yoongi_|_Suga, club_owner_jin,
      Stripper_Jung_Hoseok_|_J-Hope, kinda_not_really, Waiter_Kim_Taehyung_|_V,
      Waiter_Jeon_Jungkook, college_drop_out_namjoon, Smut, lots_of_smut, I
      almost_forgot, From_Sex_to_Love, Top_Kim_Seokjin_|_Jin, Bottom_Park
      Jimin, Top_Jung_Hoseok_|_J-Hope, Bottom_Kim_Namjoon_|_Rap_Monster, Bottom
      Jeon_Jungkook, Switch_Kim_Taehyung_|_V, uhhhh_that's_all_for_now?
  Series:
      Part 1 of wings
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-07-25 Completed: 2017-10-29 Chapters: 15/15 Words: 37044
****** wings ******
by ivythebug, triggerhxppy
Summary
     Working at a strip club isn't all dollar bills and glitter.
     Not when everyone's lives are at stake in a dangerous game of money
     and power.
Notes
     Alright so this is an au that my cohort and I came up with back in
     march and it's finally become an actual thing
     thank you for joining me, please sit back and try to relax.
***** intro: boy meets evil *****
Chapter Summary
     "I never thought that the greed would become the trumpet heralding
     hell."
Chapter Notes
     protip: the links on their names are what I think they'd look like,
     so there's that
See the end of the chapter for more notes
In the shadows of Seoul stood a club called Wings, all pink neon lights and
cigarette smoke.  The facade was dim, almost hidden, and the neighborhood
didn’t boast the best reputation.  But the inside -- oh, the inside -- was a
dark wonderland of sex, sweat, and broken dreams.  At every turn of the head
were toned bodies, glistening skin, and pouty lips.  The club had been there
forever, a booming success for so many years… but it hadn’t always been Wings.
 
You see, back in its prime, this club was the House of Cards.   It was the
number one hotspot for all things shameful.  The King of Diamonds -- the “King”
for short -- was the club’s main dancer, known for the most beautiful face in
all of Seoul and a body carved from sin.  People came from all around to see
him perform, men and women alike.  No one could resist him.  But once he
reached the height of his underground fame, he vanished and the House of Cards
was shut down.  
 
Rumor has it that the King had enough of the spotlight, the greazy people
shoving their dirty money at him, and wanted to move on to bigger and better
things… well, his boss didn’t like that.  The King was making him more money
than he believed possible, and he was not about to let him go.  Some say the
King’s boss assaulted him, rapedhim. Other’s say the King just wanted the money
and the power all to himself. Either way, the King killed his boss and
seemingly disappeared from Seoul.
 
The House of Cards remained closed after that.  Or at least until someone else
bought it, far after The King of Diamonds and his legacy were forgotten.  The
new owner was a guy named Kim_Seokjin, better known as Jin.  Jin was notorious
for being someone you didn’t mess with.  He was cold hearted, unafraid to take
someone’s life in the blink of an eye, and he always got his way.  Jin set
about to reopen the old club under a new name, fix it up just the way he liked
it.  For a time, the club was cold on the outside, and colder still on the
inside.  All the old neons were busted, and the windows were boarded up.
 That’s where I come in.
 
My name is Min_Yoongi.  I came to Jin as a victim of circumstance, and what led
me there… well, we won’t talk about that.  Let’s just say I did some very bad
things that upset all the wrong people.  I was on the run, just trying to find
somewhereto hide, but every place I came across was too obvious… until I found
Jin’s place, the old club.  After I jimmied the door open and let myself
inside, I was finally able to catch my breath.  But then I heard footsteps, and
saw a shadow coming from a lit up office.  The first words Jin said to me were,
“What the hell are you doing here?”  He was calm, but he said it with an
obvious air of authority.  The hand resting on the gun sticking out of his
waistband added to the effect, not gonna lie.  
 
“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t kill you right here.”
 
“I-I just need some help…”
 
“Help?” Jin scoffed and gripped his gun tighter. “And why should I help you?”
 
“Listen,” I had nothing to lose. “I’ll do whatever you want, just please…help
me.”
 
Apparently I wasn’t the only one who needed help because he immediately took up
my offer.  He said I was set to work as the bartender when the club reopened
under the name of Wings, which sounded easy enough to me.  In return, he
basically removed all trace of Min Yoongi, taking me off the grid.  And the new
apartment wasn’t too bad either.  
 
Little did I know that I was in for way more than just tending a bar, but
that’s a story for later.
 
After Jin and I became “business partners” -- though I got none of the perks of
being a partner and all of the grunt work -- it became my job to recruit the
talent.  It’s not easy to find a dancer for a club that already has a bad
reputation (you know, murder and all) and will undoubtedly be very illegal in
the future.  It’s not like I could hold an audition or hand out flyers on the
street.  I had to do it surreptitiously, but it’s kinda hard when you don’t
have any connections.
 
Luckily enough, a guy named Jung_Hoseok lived in the same building as me.  Just
down the hall actually.  He looked like he could be a dancer -- had a nice
build, pretty face -- but I couldn’t just walk up to him and ask him if he
would maybe wanna be a stripper in a highly illegal club.  No, this had to take
planning if I was going to do it at all.  And I was beginning to think I
wouldn’t even bother, until I was in the lobby getting my mail one day and
accidentally on purpose heard Hoseok talking on the phone.
 
“Yes, I know,” he sighed, heading toward the elevator.  “I’m gonna have to find
a job doing something.”
 
A few seconds later…
 
“You never know, dancing could make me money one day.”
 
He had already pressed the call button for the elevator, so I bolted in his
direction.  The doors were just sliding closed when I squeezed inside, just
barely catching him.  He gave me a strange look and told the person on the
phone that he had to go.  Then I made my move.
 
“Sorry to eavesdrop, but I hear you need a job,” god, I was out of breath.
 
“Yeah?”  his brows furrowed together.
 
“And you’re a dancer?”
 
“I might be,” he scowled then.  “Why do you wanna know?”
 
“Because I might have a job for you… if you can keep a secret.”
 
He looked increasingly unsure the more I explained, biting his lip and shifting
awkwardly.  And when I was done, he eyed me without saying a word. I was sure
he wasn’t on board until he finally spoke.
 
“What do I have to lose?” he sighed.
 
So I took Hoseok to the club to meet Jin, and while Hoseok seemed nervous at
first, he warmed up to the situation rather quickly.  Jin and I sat in cushy
chairs by the edge of the stage and watched him dance.  You could tell he was
new to the pole aspect, but he could definitely catch on fast.  And so, Hoseok
became known as Jay, the new club’s first dancer.  Although, he didn’t stay a
dancer for long.  He wasn’t fired, no… Jin just thought his talents would be
better suited for privateshows instead.  
 
But while Hoseok was still a dancer, two new recruits were made.  The first of
the bunch was Kim_Taehyung, a cute little farm boy far away from home.
 Taehyung grew up on a small farm in Daegu, and he didn’t know much at all
about the outside world.  But he had always wanted to live in Seoul.  When he
made the decision to move, he was broke and clueless.  He found himself a
little, run-down apartment -- it was pretty shitty, quite honestly -- but he
had no way to pay for the rent, or even food.  So our innocent boy learned how
to make money on the streets by picking pockets.  Honing his craft took time,
but he became incredibly stealthy and increasingly brave.  But sometimes brave
can also mean reckless.
 
One day, Taehyung spotted a man who seemed to be very well off.  He was wearing
a hand-tailored suit and a Rolex on his wrist, and Taehyung would be damned if
he didn’t think it was his lucky day.  Little did he know that he was preying
upon a man with a loaded gun and a broken conscience.  Taehyung was no more
than a foot away from the man when his wrist was forced behind his back, his
face pushed against a brick wall, and the gun’s barrel pressed to his temple.
 He wasn’t scared, having evolved to thicker skin and a harder heart.  The man,
none other than Kim Seokjin himself, thought Taehyung was absolutely beautiful.
 He wanted to collect Taehyung, and collect him he did.  After accepting Jin’s
terms and conditions (“Either you work for me, or I kill you.”), Taehyung found
himself serving drinks in suggestive outfits.  
 
With a bartender, dancer, and eye-candy server, Jin was ready to open Wings,new
and improved.  But on the day of the grand opening, a fluffy-haired boy stepped
inside.  He looked around in complete awe of the place, like he had never seen
the inside of a strip club before.  
 
“Um, can I help you?” Hoseok asked the boy.
 
“Do you need another dancer?” he asked.  “I’m really good, I swear.”
 
“What’s your name, kid?” Jin stepped out from his office to see what was going
on.  He eyed the boy like he could see right through him.
 
“J-Jimin,” you could tell the boy -- Jimin -- was affected by Jin.  In what
way, no one knew yet.
 
“Show me what you’ve got, Jimin,” and it wasn’t a request.
 
And so Jimin got on stage and gave Jin a routine he would not soon forget.
 Jimin had looked as if he belonged on a stage, belonged on a pole.  Jin gave
him the job and a few bored looks before retreating to his office.  It was
Hoseok’s job to teach him a routine, or at least make sure he was prepared to
perform that night.  Jimin was beaming the whole night, maybe especially when
he looked at Jin.
 
In the year that followed, everyone at Wingshad become somewhat of a family -
- albeit, a dysfunctional one.  Hoseok had been told to take his work to the
private rooms, Jimin had become the star performer, and Taehyung had been
requested in Jin’s office for “meetings” more than twice.  Everything had
fallen into a routine, a strange sense of normalcy.  Until hecame along.
 
One day, when we were all preparing for just another night at the club,Taehyung
came in with a small, pitiful boy under his arm.
 
“He’s been living on the streets for a while,” Taehyung told us. “No place to
stay, no food.  I mean, look at how skinny he is!”
 
“What are we supposed to do, Tae?” Jimin asked rather rudely, whether he meant
to or not.
 
“Well, I don’t know about you,but I’m going to help him the best way I know
how,” and Taehyung led him back to Jin’s office.  I guess everything went okay
because there was no yelling or gunshots, and the kid was back the next night
in a server outfit similar to Taehyung’s own.
 
“I never got your name,” I said when the kid sat down at the bar.
 
“I’m Jungkook,” he reached his hand out to shake, and I took it. “You’re
Yoongi.”
 
“Bingo.  How did you end up here?”
 
Jungkook looked down at his lap before he replied.  
 
“I- well, my parents kicked me out,” he paused, stiffened, “because I came
out.”
 
“They threw you on the streets because you’re gay?”  Jungkook looked up at
that, and his huge doe eyes looked about ready to burst.
 
“I mean,” he took a deep breath, “Yeah.  I’ve been kinda half-dead ever since.
 But Taehyung found me and took me in.”
 
“But why are you working here?  There’s no way you’re even legal.”
 
“I’m sixteen,” Jungkook blushed bright red. “Taehyung said he could probably
find me a job, even though this might not be the best place for someone like
me.”
 
“And you still went with it?”
 
“I would do anything to survive at this point.”
 
Since then, Jungkook had always seemed like more than just an innocent, lost
boy.  Even so, this boy had been added to our little family.  And like every
family, we were close.  We relied on each other.  We fought with each other.
 We always came together at the end of the night no matter the circumstance.
 
But like every family, we had our secrets.
Chapter End Notes
     aaaaaAAAAhhh please tell me what you thought, I love you for bearing
     with me
***** blood, sweat, and tears *****
Chapter by ivythebug
Chapter Summary
     "Even though I knew, I drank from the poisonous Holy Grail."
Chapter Notes
     enter Namjoon
     and storyline
     ...and smut
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Knock, knock, knock.
 
“Yoongi, come on!” Hoseok’s voice came through the door.  “We’re gonna be
late!”
 
“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” I rolled off the couch and threw on a leather jacket,
trying to look like I was totally not just asleep.  Hoseok looked up from his
watch when I opened the door, giving me that disappointed mom look.
 
“Jin’s gonna kill us if we’re late one more time, Yoongi.”
 
“You know he won’t,” and we started our daily walk to the club together.  “And
wipe that look off your face.”
 
Hoseok shot me one last scowl before he added, “I know he won’t.  I just don’t
feel like dealing with him today.”
 
I tried not to notice the fist balled at Hoseok’s side, the way he visibly
stiffened.
 
“You never feel like dealing with him, Jay,” I teased.
 
He aimed a punch -- not a light one -- to my shoulder.  I hissed and massaged
my arm, and I caught a glimpse of Hoseok’s smile.  He was never good at staying
mad at me.  
 
Of all the walks to Wingsthat we’ve shared, all the nights we spent eating
pizza and drinking beer in each other’s apartments, Hoseok hadn’t told me why
he hated Jin so much.  I didn’t push him to tell me.  It wasn’t my place, and
honestly, I didn’t care enough about their beef to ask.  Though maybe I should
have.  I had just always thought it was because Jin took Hoseok’s spotlight and
replaced it with darkness.  
 
===============================================================================
 
Hoseok and Jimin were on the stage, going over their routines before the club
opened that night, and Taehyung was sitting at the bar chatting me up while I
dried off some glasses.  The sound of Jin’s office door opening made me stop,
setting down the glass I was working on.
 
“Look alive,” I mumbled to the boy at the counter.  He sat up straight,
slightly confused only until he saw Jin step into the light.  We watched with
bated breath as Jin crossed the room to the stage.  
 
“What’s he gonna do?” Taehyung asked out of the corner of his mouth.  It wasn’t
typical of Jin to come out and hangwith us before we opened for the night.  He
usually stuck to his office in the back.
 
“Oh,” Jimin smirked as he bent down to touch his toes, ass in the air. “Hey,
boss.”
 
Jin looked in Jimin’s direction, face still as cold and expressionless as ever,
then turned to Hoseok.  Taehyung scoffed and turned back around to face me
instead.  
 
“Hoseok-ssi,” Jin said as he approached the edge of the stage.  Hoseok stopped
stretching and walked over to him with his brows furrowed.
 
“Hoseok-ssi?” he half-laughed, but still spoke with caution.  “That’s a little
formal, don’t you think?”
 
Jin said nothing, just stared back and shoved his hands into the pockets of his
dress pants.
 
“What do you need, sir?” Hoseok asked when he realized the game Jin was
playing.
 
“You won’t be dancing tonight,” Jin’s expression never wavered, not even when
Hoseok jumped from the stage and approached him.  
 
“What?” Hoseok stared up at Jin with a scowl, arms crossed.
 
“Actually, Hoseok-ssi,” Jin crossed his arms too, staring down at Hoseok, “you
won’t be dancing anymore, period.”
 
“Wha- are you firingme?” Hoseok began to flush, breathing heavy.
 
“No, I’m not firing you,” Jin smirked. “You could call it a promotion,
perhaps.”
 
Hoseok still had not unfurrowed his brows.  If anything, they just kept drawing
closer together as the conversation went on.
 
“What are you saying, Jin?” Hoseok asked slowly.
 
“I decided you’d be better off doing… private shows from now on.”
 
“And by ‘private’, you really mean…?” Hoseok had worked with Jin long enough to
know that nothing was simple.
 
Jin just laughed in Hoseok’s face.  A cold, mirthless laugh.
 
“It won’t be completely legal, of course,” Jin turned to walk away, looking as
if he won, “but the best things never are.”
 
“Oh my g- you-!”  Hoseok’s eyes went wide, and you could almost see the steam
coming from his ears.  “You want me to fuck random people for money?!”
 
Jin kept walking back to his office, and Hoseok followed close behind.  Hoseok
only stopped when the door to Jin’s office was slammed in his face.  He huffed
and began pounding his fists into the door, screaming at Jin to come out.
 Hoseok’s temper didn’t flare easily -- merely frowning at a cheap tip or
whisper-ranting about a rude customer on our way home -- but when Hoseok really
got angry, he lost all restraint, no matter who he was angry with.
 
“Jin, you motherfucker!” As soon as the words left his mouth, I ran out from
behind the bar, desperate to stop him from making the situation worse.  “Open
this do-”
 
“Shhh,” I clasped my hand over his mouth and dragged him away from the door.
 “Hoseok, shhh!”  
 
Hoseok kept trying to yell despite my hand muffling him.  And no matter how
much he thrashed or tried to bite my hand, I held on for dear life.  I pulled
him back into the main room and wrestled him to the ground, sitting with him
between my legs and his back pressed against my chest.  He stopped trying to
fight it, stopped trying to bite my hand, and let his breath even out.
 
Taehyung left his seat at the bar to cover Jin’s office door, making sure he
didn’t hear the telltale sounds of a gun being loaded.  Jimin, although he
stopped stretching to watch the scene a while ago, remained standing on the
stage.  We were all scared.
 
But we still had a club to operate.  So that night, Jimin danced alone for the
first time, Taehyung flirted with the customers a lot less, and Hoseok spent
the whole night sitting in the dressing room and crying in front of the mirror
(though he’d deny it if you had asked).  The night was slow, almost torturously
so, but it ended eventually.  
 
After the doors were closed and the lights were turned back on, Taehyung was
sitting on his favorite barstool and Jimin was sitting on the bar itself as I
tried to clean around him.  The boys were arguing with each other about god-
knows-what when Hoseok finally emerged from the dressing room.  
 
“Hey, Hoseok-hyung,” Jimin called to him.  If Hoseok heard, he didn’t show it.
 He was walking straight toward Jin’s office with his jaw set.  I knew what
that look meant.
 
“Alright, you two,” I gestured to shoo them away, “you helped out enough, you
know, sitting at my bar and doing nothing.  Time to go home, I got this.”  
 
“You’re right, hyung,” Jimin yawned and slid off the bar.  “Goodnight.”
 
“Goodnight, hyung,” Taehyung waved and grabbed his coat.
 
After the two boys left, I noticed Hoseok was just standing outside Jin’s
office door.  
 
“Good luck, Hoseok,” I whispered to myself, but I know Hoseok could hear it in
the quiet club.  He finally knocked.
 
“Come in,” came from the other side.  Hoseok thought I left after that, thought
he and Jin were the only two people left in the club that night.  I never had
any intention of leaving though, and never any intention of letting Hoseok find
out I stayed.
 
“What can I help you with, Hoseok?”
 
“What the hell, Jin? Why are you making me do this?”
 
“It’s business, Hoseok,” chair squeaking, footsteps. “And it’s an area I know
you’re very skilled in.”
 
Silence.
 
“I know what I’m doing here.  Do you trust me?”
 
A pause.
 
“I trust you, Jin.”
 
Idiot.
 
“Good,” more footsteps, chair squeaking again.  “I won’t let anyone in that
room if I feel they are of any harm to you.”
 
“I just…” deep breath, “This is what I get, huh?”
 
“You should have known better, Hoseok.”
 
“You’re right,” footsteps, doorknob turning… Doorknob turning? I slipped into
the shadows behind the bar. “I’ll never make that mistake again.”
 
Hoseok walked out of the office, past the bar, and straight out the front door.
 I quietly slipped out after him, careful to not let Jin know I had stayed
behind.  Neither Jin nor Hoseok ever found out I stayed that night, though I
didn’t get much information from it.  Just what I thought were nonsensical
words.
 
===============================================================================
 
“I’m just saying,” Hoseok shrugged as he opened the front door to the club,
“you need to get laid.”
 
“Shut up, Hoseok,” I shook my head with a grin and followed him inside.
 
Inside, Jimin was showing off his new outfit for the night, Jungkook was
watching in awe, and Taehyung was rolling his eyes at the both of them.  
 
“Is Jin in?” Hoseok asked the boys on his way to the dressing room.  
 
“No,” Taehyung replied.  “He won’t be here tonight, something about a business
thing?”
 
“Ah yes, a business thing,” Jimin mocked Taehyung from the stage. “Because
that’s so specific.”
 
“Choke on a dick, Jimin,” Taehyung spat.
 
“I don’t choke, honey,” Jimin smirked, upside down on the pole.  
 
“Stop showing off, you little shit,” I called to him through a laugh as I
settled behind the bar.  Jimin slowly lowered himself and pouted at me.
 Taehyung still looked cross.  
 
“Aw, hyung,” Jungkook beamed at Taehyung, “don’t look so grumpy.”
 
“So Jin isn’t going to be here?” Hoseok asked when he reappeared from the
dressing room.  “Like, at all?”  
 
“Correct,” Jungkook clarified.
 
“Thank god,” Hoseok clutched his chest and laughed.
 
“I don’t get it, hyung,” Jimin announced.
 
“Don’t get what?” Hoseok questioned as he sat on a barstool.  
 
“Why you hate Jin so much,” Jimin pouted.  “I mean, I know he’s a giant dick,
but come on.  No one else here hates him thatmuch.”
 
“I just do, Jimin,” Hoseok turned cold. “Okay?”
 
“Okay…” and the pout reappeared.
 
“Why are you defending him?” Taehyung asked.  
 
“I just don’t think Jin is really all thatbad,” Jimin shrugged and started
walking circles around the pole.
 
“Yeah, right,” Taehyung laughed, “You just want his aforementioned giantdick.”
 
“Excuse me?” Jimin stopped in his tracks and locked eyes with Taehyung.
 
“You heard me.”  
 
“You’re just jealous,” Jimin walked to the edge of the stage.
 
“Jealous?” Taehyung stood from his cushy chair.
 
“I’m obviously the hottest one here,” Jimin said matter-of-factly.
 
“Oh?” Taehyung giggled.  “And what makes you say that, Jiminie?”
 
“Because I’m the one on stage,” Jimin’s face was set. “I’m the one being lusted
after, the one the people come to see.  I’m the moneymaker, Taehyungie.”
 
“Right,” Taehyung shot Jimin a smug smile.  “Break a leg tonight, hope it’s not
because you fall off the stage.”
 
Taehyung stalked away to the dressing room, Jungkook following close behind.
 
“These kids are gonna run me to an early grave,” Hoseok sighed, smiled like a
proud mother.
 
In the middle of Jimin’s most anticipated routine that night, a lanky, out-of-
place somebody walked through the door.  He looked around, taking everything in
like he didn’t quite understand where he was.  After a few moments, focusing
shortly on Jimin, he walked over to the bar and took a seat.
 
“You look a little lost,” I laughed when he jumped at my voice.
 
“Sorry,” he turned back to look at Jimin again. “I’ve never been in a strip
club before.”
 
“Really? I had no idea.”  He looked down at his hands, so I asked, “What’s your
name?”
 
“Namjoon.”
 
“So, Namjoon,” I was curious about him, “What the hell are you doing here?”
 
“Huh?” he looked spooked. “My, uh- my friends said I needed to relax.”
 
“And get laid?” I wasn’t surprised when he nodded.
 
“Yeah,” he was so shy. “They said to come here, talk to a guy named Jin?”
 
“Well, you’re in luck,” I smirked. “Jin’s not here.”
 
“And that’s lucky?” Namjoon’s brows furrowed.
 
“For you, it is,” I patted his shoulder. “No offense, but he would eat you
alive.”
 
“Excuse me?” Despite my advice, he looked offended.
 
“If you knew him, you’d understand,” I propped my elbows on the bar.  “So
areyou here to get laid?”
 
“I can actually do that here?” He went from offended to scared real quick.
 Funny how that works.  “I thought they were just kidding.”
 
He paused.
 
“Wait, isn’t that very illegal?”
 
“Well, yes,” I smiled. He still looked scared, but almost as if he was
considering it.
 
“I just,” he sighed, “I-I’m…”
 
“You’re..?”
 
“I’m a virgin,” he said so fast, so quietly, I almost didn’t catch it.
 
“Do you wanna do this?” I asked with a stern edge.
 
“I-,” he started. “Yes.”
 
“God, you’re so lucky,” I muttered as I stepped out from behind the bar.
 
“Lucky?”  He stumbled as I grabbed his wrist and pulled him forward.
 
“Lucky that Jin isn’t here,” I opened the door to the private room, “And lucky
that you’ll have a guy like Jay.  Now sit here, I’ll send him in.”
 
“Okay…” he said as I closed the door behind me.  Hoseok was sitting in the
dressing room, commenting on Jimin’s current outfit change.
 
“Hey, Hoseok,” he looked up.  “I have a client for you.”
 
“What?” he stood up and looked utterly confused, “Jin’s not here, I can’t have
any clients tonight.”
 
“Well,” I leaned in and whispered, “he’s a special case.”
 
“Special how?” I don’t know how Hoseok’s eyebrows didn’t get frozen all
furrowed like that.
 
“He’s a virgin,” his face softened at that.
 
“Fine,” Hoseok checked himself in the mirror before stalking toward the private
room. “He better be cute, at least.”
 
And Hoseok wasn’t disappointed.  He opened the door slowly, throwing on his
most subtle bedroom eyes and sultry smile.  Namjoon was sitting on the couch,
rubbing his palms on his jeans and blushing hard, but Hoseok thought it was so
damn cute.
 
“Hello, handsome,” Hoseok smiled gently and sat down next to Namjoon. “What’s
your name, baby?”
 
“I-I’m Namjoon,” he tried to keep Hoseok’s gaze, soft as it was.
 
“Namjoon,” Hoseok cooed, testing the name on his tongue. “I’m Jay.”
 
Hoseok put a light hand on Namjoon’s knee, and he gulped.  His heart beat
faster as Hoseok moved his hand higher, albeit slowly.
 
“And I’m here to make you feel good,” Hoseok said with a gentle squeeze.
 
“I’m not so sure this was a good idea,” Namjoon stammered out.
 
“Aw, why not, baby?” Hoseok pouted but didn’t remove his hand.
 
“I-,” Namjoon looked at his lap, at Hoseok’s hand on his thigh, “I don’t
exactly have the money… you know, for you. This.”
 
“Oh, Namjoon,” Hoseok cooed, “You don’t need to worry about that right now.”
 
“B-but you-” Hoseok cut him off with a kiss.  He leaned into Namjoon just the
slightest bit, and Namjoon placed his shaky hands on Hoseok’s sides.  Hoseok
broke the kiss, pecked Namjoon’s lips once, and pulled away.
 
“I don’t care about the money, Namjoon,” he said as sincerely as he could,
because he really did mean it.
 
“You don’t?” Namjoon looked sinful with innocent eyes and slick lips.  Hoseok
put a hand on Namjoon’s chest.
 
“No, baby,” he smiled softly. “Just let me take care of you.”
 
“O-okay,” Namjoon’s eyes widened when Hoseok moved from beside him on the couch
to between his legs on the floor.  Hoseok smoothed his hands up Namjoon’s
thighs, and the latter took a deep breath, balling his hands into fists.
 Hoseok made quick work of undoing Namjoon’s jeans, and he slipped his fingers
under the waistband to slide Namjoon’s jeans and boxers off.  Hoseok could feel
Namjoon breathing hard, heavy.
 
“Calm down, baby,” Hoseok kissed the inside of Namjoon’s thigh, and he didn’t
miss Namjoon’s hand twitch at the action. “You can touch me if you want, I like
that.”
 
Namjoon’s eyes widened, and he slowly raised his hand to Hoseok’s head,
threading his fingers in the soft, orange hair.  Hoseok hummed, slowly started
stroking Namjoon’s cock, and placed a gentle kiss to the tip.  Hoseok kitten
licked here and there and waited until Namjoon’s eyes were on him to take his
whole length in his mouth.  
 
“Holy fuck-,” Namjoon tugged a little on Hoseok’s hair. “I’m so sorry..!”
 
Hoseok let up with a pop, “It’s okay, baby.  I don’t mind it a little rough.”
 
Namjoon moaned loudly when Hoseok sank back down, feeling himself hit the back
of Hoseok’s throat.  He ran his hand through Hoseok’s hair, trying to distract
himself from grabbing Hoseok with both hands and holding him down on his cock.
 Instead, Hoseok bobbed up and down at a steady pace, one hand covering what
his mouth didn’t.  Hoseok loved the sounds Namjoon made for him, and he loved
that each one was so innocent, so pure.  Hoseok moved faster just to hear those
beautiful moans, and he felt Namjoon’s hips trying to buck into his mouth.
 
“Jay, I- fuck,” Namjoon moaned. “I think I’m-”
 
Hoseok pulled off and started pumping Namjoon faster, “Cum for me, baby.”
 
Namjoon’s brows furrowed and his chest heaved and he came in ribbons across
Hoseok’s face.  
 
“Holy shit,” Namjoon panted.  Hoseok grabbed some tissues from the table and
wiped his face.
 
“Feel better, baby?” Hoseok smiled up at Namjoon.
 
“God, yes,” Namjoon beamed and pulled up his jeans. “Thank you…”
 
“You really don’t have to worry about paying me,” Hoseok said seriously, though
with his signature smile. “I wanted to do this for you regardless.”
 
“Can I-” Namjoon looked at his now clothed lap. “Can I kiss you?”
 
It took Hoseok by surprise, but he still said yes.  But what surprised him even
more was how much he liked kissing Namjoon.
 
“I mean, wow,” Hoseok sighed. “Yoongi, I could have kissed that boy forever.”
 
“You’re drooling,” I said as I held open the door to the apartment building.
“Also, thank you so much for all the details on your time with him.  I
appreciate the sheer explicitness.”
 
“Oops. Sorry, Yoongi,” Hoseok’s smirk didn’t look sorry.
 
“Goodnight, Hoseok,” I said when I got to my door.  “Try not to dream about
him.”
 
“Oh, no promises,” Hoseok called from his own door just ten feet away.  That
night, he stepped into his apartment wearing one of the biggest, brightest
smiles I had ever seen on his face.  And when it comes to Hoseok, that’s saying
something.
Chapter End Notes
     Hope you all like it!
     The next chapter will probably be a while simply because I'll be away
     but it's still coming, promise <3
***** begin *****
Chapter by ivythebug
Chapter Summary
     "Now I can't even imagine it, the wholly empty me who had no scent of
     his own."
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
“Yoongi-hyung~,” Jungkook called in a sing-song voice as he sat down at the
bar.  His smile was breathtaking, but his eyes were alive with mischief.
 
“What’s up, Jungkookie?” I smiled back, wiping down the glass in my hand.
 
“Well, you know my birthday’s coming up,” he began. “And I was thinking I could
get a celebratory drink on the sly, if you know what I mean.”
 
I couldn’t help but laugh at the wink he aimed at me, “You’re turning
seventeen, Jungkook.  The only drink I’ll be giving you is an apple juice.”
 
“Aw, hyung..,” Jungkook whined. “No one has to know.”
 
“Try again next year, kid,” I placed the glass back on its shelf.  “Don’t you
have crusty old men to wait on?”
 
It was silent.  I turned back to see Jungkook staring down at the counter,
perhaps at his own reflection.
 
“Something wrong?” I asked.
 
“It’s nothing, hyung,” he shook his head and looked up at me. “I just hate the
way they look at me.”
 
“You’ll get used to it eventually,” I noticed Jungkook frown at that. “I mean,
you’re still relatively new to this.”
 
“I know,” Jungkook sighed.
 
“You better get back out there before Jin sees you.”
 
“You’re right,” Jungkook slid off the barstool. “See you, hyung.”
 
I watched his small form disappear into the crowd again, into the darkness.  My
chest hurt every time I thought of him in those skimpy outfits, leering men
trying to touch him.  But every time I saw Taehyung, I felt as if a little bit
of the balance was restored.  Most would say Taehyung was doing people dirty,
but if you ask me, he was doing god’s work.  Taehyung was absolutely beautiful,
so much so that if you looked into his eyes, he could steal the coat right off
your back without your realizing it.  He often used this to his advantage;
flirt with the customers, capture their attention, and steal their wallets.  
 
“Hyung, I need a scotch on the rocks with a twist,” Taehyung said as he
approached the bar.  
 
“Coming right up,” I pulled out a glass. “You’re really working the crowd
tonight, huh?”
 
“Yeah,” Taehyung scoffed, then sighed.
 
“Rent due?” I asked, pouring the scotch.
 
“It’s not rent this time,” Taehyung smiled. “I wanna get Jungkook something
nice for his birthday.  He deserves it.”
 
“I won’t argue with you there,” I placed the orange peel right on the rim,
handing the drink to Taehyung. “Does he still not know you’re a pickpocket?”
 
“Nope, still pure,” he laughed as he picked up the drink. “Let’s hope he
doesn’t find out.  He’d freak.”
 
“Does he ever wonder where all that money comes from?”  I asked.
 
“He just thinks I make  really  good tips,” Taehyung shrugged, smiled, and
disappeared to deliver the drink.  
 
If you asked Jungkook, he would have said he didn’t want a thing for his
birthday.  He would have told you, as seriously as he could while blushing,
that he was just happy with a roof over his head.  Happy that Taehyung had
found him and taken him in.  He didn’t care about a birthday present, he was
just happy he was alive.
 
But no one asked Jungkook.  
 
No one asked Jungkook if he was scared, stuck in the dirtiest part of Seoul.
 No one asked if he missed his family, the people who threw him to the wolves,
made him feel like he could never be loved.  No one asked if he felt dirty,
knowing what the men who came into the club thought when they looked at him,
knowing what goes on behind closed doors here at  Wings .  
 
But if you asked, Jungkook would have said yes to all the above.
 
I wish I had asked.
 
===============================================================================
 
 
“Hey, it’s me,” of course I got Jin’s voicemail. “Just wanted to let you know
that I’m on my way to the club to sign for the shipment.”
 
I paused to unlock the back entrance to the club ,  letting myself inside.
 
“I swear to god, Jin, if there is anything other than spirits in this delivery-
”
 
“Do you think I’m afraid of you?”
 
I hung up without finishing my sentence and slowly closed the door behind me.
 No one else should have been there at 2pm on a Wednesday.  
 
“You tell me, Taehyung,” came Jin’s voice from his office, the door was wide
open. “Are you scared?”
 
“Not even a little bit,” Taehyung spat back.  From my hiding spot, I had a
clear view into the room.  I shouldn’t have watched, but I couldn’t pull myself
away.
 
“As brave as you are beautiful,” Jin smoothed the back of his hand down
Taehyung’s jaw, tilting him into a kiss.  It was soft, softer than I ever
thought possible from Jin.  If I didn’t know him, I would’ve thought it was a
loving kiss.  Jin broke the kiss and looked deep into Taehyung’s eyes.  
 
Taehyung’s face was stone cold, expressionless.  If it wasn’t for his slick
lips, you would never know he had just been kissed.  He challenged Jin’s stare,
not about to let Jin win over him.  Then Jin kissed Taehyung’s jaw, his neck,
and Taehyung’s eyes rolled back, his mouth fell into a sinful “o”.  
 
Jin’s hands roamed down Taehyung’s sides, stopping at his hips.  He pushed
Taehyung against his desk, tapped Taehyung’s thigh to tell him to sit down, and
positioned himself between his legs.  One of Jin’s hands snaked around
Taehyung’s back, and the other carded through his bright red hair and pulled
hard.  
 
Jin licked a stripe up Taehyung’s exposed throat, worked a dark hickey into the
side of his neck, and ripped out a moan from Taehyung that rang through the
whole empty club.
 
“Jin-” Taehyung was breathless, “Jin, we can’t…”
 
“Remind me,” Jin rolled his hips against Taehyung’s own. “Why are you leaving
me?”
 
“I-,” Jin slid a hand into the front of Taehyung’s jeans, “It’s getting too-
fuck!- risky.”
 
“Mm,” Jin hummed, kissed Taehyung hard. “I don’t know if I can give you up,
Taehyung.”
 
Taehyung actually growled at that.  The hands that had been gripping the edge
of the desk were tearing at Jin’s clothes.  Suit jacket forgotten on the floor,
Taehyung ripped Jin’s shirt open, sending buttons flying in all directions.
 
I stopped watching once I heard the belt buckle jingling, quickly making a
stealthy exit out the back.  Waiting for the delivery outside was a way better
option than watching what was going on in there.  Thankfully, I didn’t have to
wait long before the truck showed up.  
 
“Got a delivery for Kim Seokjin,” the man announced, looking at the clipboard
in his hands.
 
“Yeah, that’ll be me,” I said, signing the form  Kim Seokjin  and handing the
clipboard back to the man.  He frowned when he looked at the form.
 
“ You’re  Mr. Kim?” he asked.  
 
“Yeah,” I folded my arms across my chest, held my chin a little higher.  “Got a
problem?”
 
“No, sir,” he said after a moment. “Where do you want it?”
 
“Follow me,” I opened the back door and the moans instantly hit my ears.  I
closed the door as fast as I could and said, “Actually, just let me take it
in.”
 
“Okay...” he seemed unsure, but let me wheel the boxes in anyway.  
 
“Fuck, Jin..!” Taehyung whined.  Someone growled, then the moans got even
louder.
 
“Oh, god,” I muttered to myself, trying to unload the packages as fast as I
could.  Fuck taking the bottles out of the boxes, I would do that Friday before
we opened.  I had to get out  fast.
 
“Here you go,” I gestured to the empty dolly as I shut the door behind my back.
 
“Thanks,” the man took the dolly and wheeled it back to the truck. “Have a nice
day.”
 
“Yup, you too!” I called back, still leaning back against the closed door.
 
The following Friday, I was finally unpacking the bottles from their boxes. I
had just taken out a fresh bottle of vodka when Jin walked up to the bar.
 
“I need to see you in my office,” he tapped the surface of the bar twice, then
walked away before I could say anything.  I set the bottle on the shelf where
it belonged and slipped out from behind the bar.  
 
The door to Jin’s office was open, but I knocked on the doorway anyway.
 
“Come in,” so I stepped inside, “and close the door behind you.”
 
I closed the door and took a seat in one of the leather chairs in front of
Jin’s desk.
 
“I’m relieved there weren’t any coke stashes hidden in my booze this time,” I
joked.  
 
“Listen, I got your voicemail-”
 
“So you know what I’m talking about?” I laughed, “That’s good.”
 
“Min,” Jin just looked tired.
 
“What about the voicemail?”  I put on a straight face.
 
“Did you get here right after you called me?” Jin asked.
 
“Yes,” he flinched like that was definitely not the answer he wanted.
 
“Did you-”
 
“Yes, Jin,” he sighed, and I continued, “Look, it’s not a big deal.”
 
He looked up at me but said nothing.
 
“You know me, I’m not gonna say anything.”
 
“Thank you,” Jin found his professional voice again.  I stood from my seat and
started toward the door.  Right before I opened it to leave, I looked back at
Jin.
 
“Just know that Taehyung was right,” his brows furrowed at that. “It is risky.”
 
I let myself out before Jin could try to reply.  While I was half joking just
to rile Jin up a bit, I knew he was more than smart enough to realize the truth
behind it.  Jin had always believed that business comes before pleasure.  And
while that remained true, he had also always had a knack for finding the
pleasure in business.  
 
But Jin knows first hand that combining the two could lead to disaster.  He
never told me -- or anyone, for that matter -- what happened to make him the
way he is: seemingly incapable of love, a stone cold hardass.  I liked to
believe Jin used to be a real person with a soul and dreams.  
 
But then again, so was I.
 
“Need a hand?” Taehyung appeared at the bar just as I was getting back to
arranging the new bottles.  
 
“Sure,” he joined me behind the bar and pulled a bottle from a box.
 
“I know it was stupid,” Taehyung whispered.
 
“What do you mean?” I furrowed my brows at him.
 
“I saw you, hyung,” he sighed.
 
“Oh,” I busied myself with another bottle.
 
“I don’t want you to think badly of me, hyung,” Taehyung said more to the
bottle in his hands.
 
“I could never,” I whispered back. “He’s a charmer, it’s his superpower.”
 
Taehyung laughed, “Yeah, I guess.”
 
“Have you gotten Jungkook’s present yet?” I asked as I put the last bottle on
the shelf.
 
“Not yet,” Taehyung sighed. “I should be able to get enough by the end of the
night if I work really hard.”
 
And work, he did.  Taehyung marked every warm body that walked through the
doors as his prey for the night.  As I watched him work, I could not believe
how Jungkook hadn’t noticed.  Taehyung would walk up to a customer and ask
about a drink, place his hands ever-so-gently on the victim’s chest, press his
own body against theirs, and slide a smooth hand into their pockets.  
 
“How do you make so much money, hyung?” Jungkook asked in awe as they
reconvened at the bar.
 
“It just takes skill,” Taehyung laughed. “You’ll get the hang of it
eventually.”
 
Taehyung took his tray of drinks from the bar and wandered back into the crowd.
 Jungkook watched him go for a few seconds before he grabbed his own tray and
joined the crowd as well.  What I didn’t see was Jungkook freeze in his tracks,
staring at Taehyung in absolute disbelief.  Apparently Taehyung wasn’t as sly
as he originally thought.  Once Jungkook could move again, he bee-lined
straight to Taehyung, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him to the dressing
room.  
 
The events that occurred from then on are as follows according to Hoseok, who
claims to have seen everything from the door of the private room:
 
Jungkook pulled him into the room and rounded on him, the most genuinely hurt
Hoseok had ever seen him  (“I mean, Yoongi, I could  feel  my heart shatter.”)
.
 
“What did you just do?” Jungkook growled  (“But like, when baby Simba tries to
roar in the Lion King.”)
 
“What are you talking about?” Taehyung looked almost scared, but mostly just
confused.
 
“You stole from that guy, Taehyung!” Jungkook had reached the point of whisper-
yelling.
 
“You saw that?” Taehyung deflated.
 
“Yes, I saw that!” Jungkook pushed against Taehyung’s chest. “Why’d you do it?”
 
“Jungkook, listen-”
 
“Why did you do it?” It sounded more like a command than a question that time.
 
“To make a little extra money,” Taehyung sighed.
 
“This is how you’ve been doing it?!” Jungkook pushed him again.
 
“Do you really feel sorry for those people?” Taehyung countered.
 
“They’re still people-”
 
“Jungkook, they treat you like a plaything,” he grabbed Jungkook by the
shoulders.  “You really think they don’t deserve it?”
 
Jungkook said nothing else for a while, just stared up at Taehyung with
quivering lips and doe eyes about to burst with angry tears.
 
“Jungkook-”
 
“Stop,” Jungkook finally spoke, albeit with the smallest voice possible. “I
can’t look at you right now.”  
 
At that, Taehyung let go of Jungkook and walked back into the main room without
a word.  
 
“And that’s why he’s sitting here in my apartment,” Hoseok concludes.
 
“He’s at your apartment?” I didn’t get why he would be there.
 
“I went to talk to him after Taehyung walked out,” Hoseok’s voice turned sad.
“He said he couldn’t go home with him.”
 
“I’m coming over,” I hung up, walked down the hall to Hoseok’s apartment and
knocked on the door. Hoseok opened it without saying anything, and my eyes
instantly saw  him .
 
Jungkook smiled when he saw me.  It was a small smile, a broken smile that
didn’t remotely reach his eyes.  All I wanted to do was fix it.  
 
“Hi, hyung.”
Chapter End Notes
     Sorry for the wait! I hope it's worth it :)
***** lie *****
Chapter by ivythebug
Chapter Summary
     "Please find the me who was innocent."
Chapter Notes
     a little warning about some things mentioned in this chapter
     -struggles with drugs/alcohol
     -abusive relationships
     -bullshit bullying
     but otherwise sunshine and rainbows so to speak
“We should go get Jimin-hyung!” Jungkook suggested with bright eyes.  
 
“Jimin?” Hoseok questioned.
 
“His apartment is on our way, right?” Jungkook turned to me with a smile.  “He
can walk to the club with us.”
 
“Yeah, alright,” I smiled back at him.  “Might as well add him to our caravan.”
 
So instead of following Hoseok and I’s usual route, we stopped at an apartment
building not far from the club.  The building was honestly hard to look at, and
it was even harder trying to picture Jimin living there.  It looked like it
should be condemned with a handful of windows busted and graffiti littering
every surface.  Several people who I assumed were residents sat out front
smoking, drinking, doing other things that probably weren’t legal.  
 
“There he is,” Jungkook pointed toward the building, and I could just make out
a shock of pink hair hiding under a black hood.  Jimin kept his head low,
watching his feet as he stepped onto the sidewalk.  He barely glanced at us and
started walking in our direction, but he didn’t see the tall, lanky blonde
right in front of him.
 
“Oh, sorry,” said the blonde.  He gave Jimin a small onceover and continued to
walk toward the apartment building that neighbored Jimin’s own.  It was in
slightly better condition than Jimin’s, but not by much.  Jimin didn’t so much
as look at the blonde he bumped into; he didn’t even look up after he caught up
with us, eyes glued to the sidewalk.
 
“Something up, Jimin?” I asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.
 
“I’m fine,” he shrugged my hand off.
 
“Are you sure, hyung?” Jungkook stopped and physically turned Jimin to face
him.  Jungkook gasped, eyes huge, when he saw Jimin’s face.
 
“What is it?” I turned Jimin to face me now, and while his eyes didn’t meet
mine, I could finally see his face.  And the black eye adorning it.
 
“What happened, Jimin?” Hoseok asked as he moved in beside me.  
 
“Just my stupid roommates,” Jimin shrugged, tried to pull away and keep
walking. “Don’t worry about it.”
 
“Your roommates did this to you?” I asked, walking just a pace behind Jimin.  
 
“They do a lot of things to me, hyung,” Jimin mumbled. “It’s nothing I can’t
handle.”
 
“What’s Jin gonna do when he sees your eye?” Jungkook asked, worry evident in
his voice. “What if he doesn’t let you perform tonight?”
 
“I can cover that up for you, Jimin,” Hoseok said.  “That’s the least of your
problems.  Now tell us what happened.”
 
“You guys aren’t going to leave me alone until I do, are you?” Jimin stopped
walking for a moment.
 
“Exactly,” I said. “So spill it.”
 
“Fine,” Jimin started walking again.  “So I live with these guys-”
 
“How many?” Jungkook asked.
 
“Two,” Jimin answered. “And our apartment is really small.  Like studio-for-
one-person small… but rent’s dirt cheap.”
 
“Stop dodging the question,” I said. Jimin huffed at me.
 
“They’re not great guys,” Jimin sighed. “To be honest, I knew nothing about
them when I moved in. I was just desperate for a place to live, you know?”
 
“In a place like that?” Hoseok’s eyes were wide. “You’re lucky you weren’t
killed or something.”
 
“Sometimes I wish I had been,” Jimin muttered under his breath.  I don’t think
anyone other than me heard.
 
“Either way,” Jimin continued. “They… bullyme.  That sounds childish, but
there’s no other word for it.”
 
“They bully you?” I asked, Jimin nodded. “How exactly?”
 
“It’s stupid-”
 
“Jimin,” I was getting impatient.
 
“Fine, ” Jimin huffed. “I’m kind of an outcast in the apartment.  They bring
home all kinds of drugs and- ugh- I stay away from that stuff.”
 
“That doesn’t seem like a good reason for them to hit you,” Hoseok said
suspiciously.
 
“They also know about my job,” Jimin sighed.  “And they like to believe they’re
the most heterosexual men this side of Seoul.”
 
No one said a word, no one had to.  We all knew that this life wasn’t for
everyone, and we certainly didn’t have the safest job in the world.  We knew
the risks, the reputation that could come with Wings.  Even so, it always put a
sour taste in our mouths when we saw the results outright.  Jimin had known the
sting of the words his roommates threw at him, the words that no one deserves
to hear.  Jimin had taken the punishment for trying to live his own life, a
life that was never kind to him to begin with.
 
That night, Jimin performed his first routine with something a little less than
enthusiasm.  The pure lust that usually radiated from his body was gone.  He
danced as an empty shell, his mind seemingly elsewhere.  But to the crowd, the
lowlifes who stuck bills in Jimin’s waistband, he looked as sinful as ever.
 People like them don’t bother to look for the things that we could plainly
see.
 
“Get me a glass of something strong,” Jimin said as he came up to the bar.  
 
“Since when do you drink?” I asked, taking a glass from its shelf.
 
“Since forever,” then Jimin murmured under his breath, “It’s just been over a
year since my last drink.”
 
“You don’t have a problem with alcohol, do you?” I asked as I set the glass
back on the shelf.
 
“No,” Jimin sighed. “I just know that it leads to nothing good.”
 
“Come on,” I walked around the bar and led Jimin by the shoulders toward the
dressing room. “You’re sweating off your concealer.”
 
Jimin sat sideways in front of his vanity, Hoseok sitting in front of him.
 With gentle hands, Hoseok applied more concealer to Jimin’s eye.  When he was
done, Hoseok packed up his supplies and Jimin studied his face in the mirror.
 The room was silent as he did so, until someone else came in.
 
“Min, what are you doing in here?” Jin asked, genuinely confused.
 
“Uh,” I stood from the chair I was sitting in. “Just leaving-”
 
“Hey there, boss,” Jimin smirked at Jin through the mirror.  He slowly stood
from his place in front of the vanity and walked -- no, strutted -- over to
Jin.  He got close, placed a hand on Jin’s chest, and said, “Come to watch the
show?”
 
Jin looked down at him, just as Jimin tapped the underside of Jin’s chin and
walked past him into the main room.  Hoseok and I were frozen, staring blankly
at what had just happened.  Jin looked just as shocked.  While Jin was a very
handsome man -- anyone could see that -- no one evermade an open pass at him.
 Most people knew better than to risk it with Jin.
 
But then, Jimin had never been like mostpeople.
 
After a few moments, the silence was finally broken by Jin: “Hoseok, a word.”
 
Hoseok was still speechless, but he made his way over to him.
 
“I have a client for you,” Jin told him.
 
“What’s he like?” Hoseok stepped into his business persona.
 
“That’s the thing,” Jin said, and Hoseok’s face dropped. “Your client is a
woman.”
 
“A woman?” Hoseok’s professional air was lost. “I’ve never been with a woman,
Jin.”
 
“It’s not hard, Hoseok,” Jin scoffed. “I would normally never have done this-”
 
“So why did you?” Hoseok snarled.
 
“Because she’s one of the richest, most powerful women in Seoul,” Jin defended.
“We’re lucky she’s even coming to us.”
 
“You’re unbelievable,” Hoseok muttered.
 
“Business is business, Hoseok,” Jin turned to leave. “Don’t fuck this up.”
 
Hoseok was just left standing there shaking his head at the floor.
 
“What am I gonna do, Yoongi?” Hoseok looked at me with wide eyes.
 
“You’ll be fine,” I put a hand on his shoulder. “Women aren’t that bad.”
 
“You’re just saying that because you like women,” Hoseok scoffed.
 
“Eh, sometimes,” I laughed.  “If it helps, you could think about that Namjoon
guy.”
 
“Don’t you have a bar to tend?” Hoseok laughed and hit me in the shoulder.
 
===============================================================================
 
Even though both Taehyung and Jungkook were sitting at the bar, I cleaned in
complete silence.  You see, Taehyung was sitting on a barstool at one end of
the bar, and Jungkook was sitting on his own barstool at the oppositeend of the
bar, both pointedly ignoring one another.  Just when I thought the tension in
the room was going to crush me, Hoseok walked out of the dressing room.
 
“Oh, thank god,” I whispered to myself before I called out, “Hey, Hoseok!”
 
“What’s up?” he asked as he sat down at the bar, right smack in the middle of
the other two.
 
“I couldn’t stand the silence anymore,” I whispered, nodding my head toward the
boys.
 
“Jungkook’s still mad at him?” Hoseok whispered back.
 
“Sure seems that way,” I frowned. “Does that mean Jungkook’s not going home
with him again?”
 
“I dunno,” then Hoseok walked over to Jungkook, whispered back and forth, then
came back to me.
 
“He said he’s gonna go back to their apartment,” Hoseok was the one who frowned
then. “Though he’s not happy about it.”
 
“Hey,” Jungkook finally spoke up. “Where’s Jimin-hyung?”
 
“Yeah, his ass is usually in my way when I clean up,” I frowned. “Did he leave
early?”
 
“He’s in Jin’s office,” Taehyung supplied.
 
“What’s he doing in there?” Jungkook asked.
 
“You don’t wanna know,” Taehyung dismissed.  Jungkook went back to ignoring him
and pouting.
 
“You don’t think he’s-” I began.
 
“What else would he be doing?” Hoseok snarled.
 
“Gotta say,” I shrugged. “The kid’s bold.”
 
If anyone else noticed Taehyung scoff, they didn’t show it.  Everyone knew what
that locked door implied -- some more than others -- but no one ever discussed
it at length.  In a way, we all assumed it was just something that came with
the job, nothing to write home about.  Instead of waiting to be summoned like
the others would, Jimin went willingly, on his own accord.  He sought Jin out
himself, slinking through the doorway and locking the door behind his back.
 
“Jimin?” Jin looked up from some papers in his hands.  “Can I help you?”
 
“Actually,” Jimin approached Jin’s desk, placing his hands on the edge and
leaning in close. “Maybe I can help you.”
 
“Oh?” Jin set the papers down, leaned back in his chair, and raised an eyebrow.
 Jimin slowly walked around Jin’s desk and sat on its surface, right in front
of Jin.
 
“You work so hard,” Jimin said with a pout. “You must be stressed, boss.”
 
Jin’s face remained set in a smirk.  Jin always loved a challenge, and he was
alwaysdetermined to break Jimin.  He didn’t move, didn’t dare initiate.  He
much prefered to watch Jimin battle inside his own head.  He could almost hear
Jimin telling himself that coming into the office was a bad idea.
 
But Jimin was not about to back down.  He was stubborn, just as much -- if not,
more so -- than Jin himself.  Jimin loved to fight back, even if he knew there
was nothing to gain from it.  So Jimin narrowed his eyes, got up from Jin’s
desk, and suddenly grabbed both armrests on Jin’s chair, caging him in.  Jin
scowled, taking Jimin’s wrists in a tight grip and pulling him into his chest.
 
“You think you’re brave, huh?” Jin growled into Jimin’s ear. “Get up.”
 
Despite Jin pushing him up, the burning hands around his wrists, Jimin smirked.
 
 
“Oh,” Jimin giggled. “I like it when daddy’s rough with me.”
 
“Excuse me?” Jin loosened his grip just enough for Jimin to slip his hands
free, turning around and pushing back against Jin’s body.
 
“You heard me,” Jimin sneered, rolling his hips against Jin’s.
 
“Can’t say I’m surprised,” Jin snarled. “Something like that coming from a
little slut like you.”
 
Jimin hummed and rolled his hips again, this time feeling the growing bulge in
Jin’s slacks.  After a few more swings of his hips, Jimin turned around to face
Jin, his hands roaming all over his body.  Jin’s stare was cold, unwavering,
but Jimin kept smirking up at him.  His hand traveled down, finding Jin’s rock
hard length.
 
“Oh,” Jimin whistled as he dipped his hand under Jin’s waistband. “Someone’s a
big boy.”
 
Jin wordlessly placed his hand atop Jimin’s head and pushed him down onto his
knees.  Jimin fumbled with Jin’s belt, and Jin tugged harshly on his pink hair.
 Jimin stroked Jin’s cock slowly before taking its whole length into his mouth.
 Jin didn’t moan, hardly even let out a breath.  Jimin swallowed around Jin’s
cock, earning himself a sharp pull on his hair.  Jimin bobbed his head on Jin’s
cock a few times, then came up for air with a pop.
 
“Use me,” Jimin’s voice was rough already.
 
“Gladly,” Jin placed both his hands in Jimin’s hair.  Jimin sank down on Jin’s
cock once again, and Jin pulled him forward.  He started thrusting fast into
Jimin’s mouth, selfishly chasing his own high.  The only indication that he was
affected was the way his chest rose and fell shallowly, the way his hips
stuttered.  Without saying a word, Jin pulled hard on Jimin’s hair, dragging
him off his cock.  Jimin’s head was tilted back, neck exposed, and mouth wide
open and waiting.  
 
“You’re just a cum slut, aren’t you?” Jin growled as he painted Jimin’s lips a
pearly white.  Jimin’s tongue poked out from his mouth to clean Jin’s cum from
his lips.  He smiled at the taste, the satisfaction of having wormed his way
into Jin’s mind.
 
“Mm,” Jimin hummed. “You could say that.”
 
Jimin stood and let himself out of Jin’s office, leaving him to clean himself
up.  The main room was empty and almost pitch black.  The rest of us had
already left long before Jimin finished up with Jin.  Jimin walked into the
dressing room to pull on his hoodie before he left for the night.  On his way
out, he caught his reflection in a vanity mirror.  He examined himself, the
messiness of his cotton-candy hair, the pout of his lips, and the hidden bruise
around his eye.  He suddenly didn’t feel like hiding it, didn’t feel like he
should cower behind concealer or anything else.  Jimin smirked at himself,
proud of what he accomplished that night.  He walked out of the club into the
dark with a smile on his lips and his head held high.
 
===============================================================================
 
“I mean, I acted like I knew what I was doing,” Hoseok was explaining. “I think
I did okay, though I don’t really have anything to compare-”
 
“You think you’re soperfect, don’t you?” Jimin’s voice cut through once I
opened the front door to the club.
 
“That’s rich, coming from you,” Taehyung shot back.
 
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jimin must have been in the middle of changing
because he was only wearing a pair of jeans.  Meanwhile Taehyung was fully
dressed with his uniform draped across his arm.  Jungkook was sitting at the
bar, looking as if he wasn’t about to stop the yelling match anytime soon.
 
“Oh, come on!” Taehyung threw his arms in the air, almost sending his uniform
flying. “You walk around here like you own the damn place!”
 
“At least I don’t have to steal to make good tips,” Jimin spat. “I would never
stoop that low.”
 
“Don’t you dare think you’re better than me,” Taehyung growled. “I’m not some
slut on a pole.”
 
Jimin stopped dead at that.  He slowly approached Taehyung, pushing a finger
against his chest.  Taehyung didn’t move, just looked down at Jimin with a
scowl.
 
“You don’t know shit about me, Taehyung,” Jimin said in a low voice.  “You
don’t know what I went through before I came here.”
 
Taehyung still didn’t move, didn’t say a word, but the guilt was etched into
his face.  
 
“I thought I was invincible, that being young meant that nothing I did could
hurt me,” Jimin continued. “So when someone offered me pot for the first time
at a party, I tried it.  And the cocaine, and the ecstasy, and whatever else I
could get my hands on.”
 
Everyone in the room was silent, watching on the sidelines as Jimin set the
skeletons free from his closet.
 
“Then I met Jihoon,” Jimin grimaced at the name as if it tasted bad in his
mouth.  “He promised me the world, promised that it would be me and him until
the end.  But he hurt me, in more ways than one.”
 
Jimin laughed bitterly.
 
“You think this is bad?” He gestured to his black eye. “You should have
seenwhat he did to me.  But I was in too deep to leave him.  I mean, we were
always high off our asses, I couldn’t realize that what he was doing was
wrong.”
 
“How did you leave?” Jungkook asked from the bar.

“I had just gone on a drug run for him,” Jimin explained. “When I came back, I
found him buried balls deep in some bitch from down the hall.  I took that as
my wake up call and packed my things.  Though he didn’t let me go without a few
lashes, but...”
 
“Jimin, I-” Taehyung began.
 
“Save it,” and Jimin walked back into the dressing room without another word.
 
“Holy shit,” Hoseok said under his breath.
 
“I never knew Jimin-hyung went through all that,” Jungkook frowned and looked
down at his lap.
 
“Yeah, well,” Taehyung gathered his uniform in his arms again and looked sadly
at Jungkook. “I guess you never reallyknow a person.”
 
That night, everyone had gone home early.  They didn’t sit at the bar and make
useless chit chat like usual.  They simply gathered their belongings and rushed
out the door.  I was left to wipe down the bar alone in the empty club… well,
almostempty club.
 
“I’m heading out,” Hoseok called from the door. “You coming, Yoongi?”
 
“Nah,” I continued wiping the bar. “You go on ahead, I’ll be a while.”
 
“Alright, catch you later.”
 
After Hoseok left, I walked into the dressing room to find Jimin sitting at his
vanity, just staring into the mirror.  He didn’t look particularly lost in
thought, but his face was devoid of emotion.  He looked as if he couldn’t go
on, like all the energy to care had been drained from his body.
 
I roused him from the state he was in, told him I would walk him home.  He
probably would’ve argued on a normal day, told me he was a big boy who could
find his way home just fine.  But he didn’t put up a fight that night, just
grabbed his things and followed me out the door.  We walked in silence for most
of the way, until we passed a group of people smoking outside some building.
 
“God, I could go for a cigarette,” Jimin sighed.  I felt all my pockets and
found an old pack.
 
“Here,” I offered him the pack, and he took one.
 
“You smoke?” Jimin asked as I fished around for a lighter.
 
“I used to,” I said, and he lit the cigarette, taking a long drag. “But you
know, the eminent death wasn’t all that appealing.”
 
“Don’t worry,” Jimin laughed. “I don’t do this a lot.”
 
“Must be in a really bad spot then,” I said looking straight ahead. I almost
missed the way Jimin looked at me.
 
“Yeah,” he sighed. “It all just came rushing back.”
 
“I get that,” and before I knew it, we were standing in front of Jimin’s
building. He craned his neck to look at it, really take in the state of it.
 Then he stomped out the cigarette with his shoe and sighed.
 
“I don’t want to have to go in there and deal with them after today,” Jimin
cringed a little as he thought about it.
 
“Jimin,” he didn’t turn to me, and I didn’t turn to him. “You’re so strong.”
 
“Strong?” Jimin laughed coldly.
 
“You are,” I defended.  “Not everyone can endure that, especially not the way
you did.”

I caught Jimin smile out of the corner of my eye.  He bowed his head -
- probably to hide the smile -- and whispered a “Goodnight, hyung” before
heading inside.  
***** stigma *****
Chapter by ivythebug
Chapter Summary
     "You were so fragile, and you received punishment for my crime."
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
“Hey, Jimin-” I called as I stepped into the dressing room.  The only people in
the room were Taehyung and Jungkook, no one else.  They were both putting on
their uniforms, facing opposite directions and not speaking to each other.
 
“He might be in the bathroom,” Taehyung supplied as he fastened a little collar
around his neck.  
“Thanks-” I turned to leave, but Jungkook rushed past me before I could take a
step.
 
“I’ll check, hyung,” he said as he walked out.
 
“What was thatabout?” I asked, stepping farther into the room.
 
“He’s been like that all week,” Taehyung sighed, slipping a black vest over his
bare torso. “He can’t stand to be in the same room as me for more than five
minutes.”
 
“You just have to give him time,” I picked up Taehyung’s jacket from a chair so
I could sit down. “He’ll come to realize that picking pockets isn’t the worst
thing people are capable of.”
 
“I just hope he’s not the victim of anything worse,” Taehyung leaned into a
vanity, taking in his appearance.  I shifted in the chair to set his jacket
aside, but as I did so, a small box fell from one of its pockets.  I picked up
the box from the floor, looked over the outside, then turned to Taehyung.
 
“Is this what you got Jungkook for his birthday?” I asked him.
 
“Yeah,” he glanced at it through the mirror and sighed.
 
“His birthday was last week,” I muttered to myself.  “You didn’t give it to
him?”
 
“How could I?” Taehyung turned around to face me. “He hasn’t spoken more than
two words to me since that night.”
 
Taehyung sighed, turned back toward the mirror and hung his head.
 
“And he wouldn’t want something bought with stolen money,” he murmured to
himself.
 
Unsure if I was supposed to hear that, I didn’t respond.  I opened the box and
saw a silver bracelet sitting inside.  The chain was delicate, but the single
angel wing looked strong.  The underside of the wing was engraved with 6/13.
 
“6/13?” I looked closer at the engraving. “What does that mean?”
 
“June thirteenth,” Taehyung answered, smiling sadly. “That was the day I found
him and took him in, the day he became part of our fucked little family.”
 
“The day he found his wings,” I whispered.
 
“Exactly,” Taehyung walked over and gestured for the box.  I handed it to him
and he frowned at the little bracelet. “Too bad he’s disowned me.”
 
“Jungkook said you were looking for me?” came Jimin’s voice from the entrance
of the dressing room.  Taehyung closed the box and placed it back in his jacket
pocket.
 
“Uh, yeah,” I made my way toward Jimin. “Jin’s actually looking for you, wants
to see you in his office.”
 
“Oh,” Jimin smirked a little and turned to leave. “Thank you, hyung.”
 
“What’s got him so smug?” Hoseok asked after he walked past Jimin into the
dressing room.  “And why are you always in here? You’re a bartender.”
 
“What crawled up your ass?” I bit back, watching as Hoseok crossed the room to
his vanity.
 
“Sorry,” he sighed, slumping down into his chair.  “I got absolutely nosleep
last night.”
 
“Take a nap or something,” I laughed, nudging his shoulder. “Your clients
aren’t gonna like it if you’re acting like a bitch.”
 
“Actually, some of them might,” Hoseok giggled.
 
“So why were you up all night,” I asked, looking at his reflection in the
mirror.
 
“I kept thinking about that Namjoon guy,” Hoseok’s brow furrowed.
 
“Him?” I looked down at him. “It’s been like two weeks since he came in.”
 
“I know.” Hoseok sounded exhausted. “Why wouldn’t he have come back?”
 
“Maybe he was too freaked the last time,” I half-joked, the guy was kinda
skittish after all.
 
“Don’t say that,” Hoseok shoved at my hip. “He seemed fine with it after a
while.”
 
“I’m sure it’s nothing, Hoseok,” I put a hand on his shoulder, but his face
still dropped.  
 
Hoseok learned the meaning of the phrase “speak of the devil, and he shall
appear” first hand that night.  I had just handed Jungkook a drink when I
turned and spotted a familiar lanky blonde sitting at the bar.  I shook my head
in disbelief because damn,the universe is funny sometimes.
 
“You again?” I teased as I approached him. “Namjoon, right?”
 
“Yeah,” he smiled shyly, then frowned. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember your name.”
 
“That’s because I never told you,” I smiled at him. “I’m Yoongi.”
 
“Yoongi,” he tested it out. “I’m here to see Jay again.”
 
“Thank god,” I muttered.
 
“What?” he looked confused.
 
“Nothing, I’ll take you back-”
 
“Min, who is this?” Jin appeared behind Namjoon just as I was walking around
the bar.
 
“I-I’m Namjoon,” he stammered.
 
“He’s here to see Jay,” I got out before Namjoon could say anything else.
 
“Is he?” Jin looked Namjoon up and down with scrutinizing eyes.  I booked it to
the other side of the bar and stopped by Jin’s side.  
 
“He’s fine, Jin,” I whispered in his ear. “Trust me.”
 
Jin hummed, looked Namjoon over one more time, then said, “Fine, send him
back.”
 
I let out the breath I was holding as Jin walked away.  I took Namjoon by the
arm and once again led him to the private room.  He sat on the same couch as
the last time, in the same exact spot, and waited patiently for Jayto come in.
 
 
“Hoseok!” I whisper-yelled into the dressing room.
 
“What?” Hoseok whisper-yelled back.
 
“You have a client,” I told him with a grin.
 
“Why are you telling me?” his brow furrowed. “Where’s Jin?”
 
“Who did I lead back here last time?” I hinted.
 
“Namjoon, but he-” Hoseok’s eyes went wide. “No.”
 
“Yes,” I smiled at his reaction.
 
“He really came back?” Hoseok was back to whisper-yelling.
 
“Yes, now go get him,” I said as I shoved Hoseok toward the private room.
 
Hoseok stood outside the door to the private room for several long moments just
trying to keep his heart from beating straight out of his chest.  His hands
shook a little as he ran them through his hair.  And just when he thought he
was calm enough, he opened the door and was proven very wrong once he saw
Namjoon smile at him.
 
“Long time, no see,” Hoseok said as he closed the door behind him.
 
“I wanted to come back sooner,” Namjoon stood and reached out for Hoseok. “I
wanted to see you, Jay.”
 
“Hoseok,” he giggled at Namjoon’s blatant confusion. “That’s my real name.”
 
“You’re real name?” Namjoon smiled when he tested it on his own tongue,
“Hoseok.”
 
Without another word between the two, Namjoon pulled Hoseok in and kissed him
slowly.  He let his hands roam down Hoseok’s sides, his fingers grazing the
warm skin under the hem of Hoseok’s shirt.  After the initial shock of the kiss
wore off, Hoseok wrapped his arms around Namjoon’s neck and took the lead.  His
tongue flooded Namjoon’s mouth, and he swallowed Namjoon’s first moan of the
night.
 
Namjoon backed up until the back of his knees hit the couch, and he dropped,
pulling Hoseok with him.  Hoseok climbed into Namjoon’s lap, straddling him,
and began rolling his hips.  Namjoon broke the kiss to just look at Hoseok, to
take him in for all he was.
 
“Namjoon,” Hoseok broke the trance Namjoon was in. “Do you want to do this? For
real?”
 
“I do,” Namjoon said confidently. “I know you’ll take care of me, better than
anyone else could.”
 
Hoseok smiled and pecked Namjoon’s lips once before asking, “Do you want to top
or bottom?”
 
“Wh-what does that mean?” Namjoon lost all his newfound confidence.
 
“You’re gay, and you don’t know what a top or bottom is?” Hoseok asked
incredulously.
 
“I didn’t… I didn’t know I was gay-”
 
“Until you met me?” Hoseok finished for him.
 
“Until I met you,” Namjoon continued, “and couldn’t stop thinking about you.”
 
“You-” Hoseok blushed a vibrant red, smiling hard when Namjoon kissed his
cheek.
 
“Hoseok,” he pulled Hoseok in close, kissed him deep, then whispered in his
ear, “take care of me.”
 
Something in Hoseok stirred, and the verynoticeable bulge in Namjoon’s jeans
made him spring into action.  He placed his hands on Namjoon’s chest and gently
pushed until he was lying on his back.  Hoseok kissed down his jawline, his
neck, as he undid Namjoon’s jeans and began sliding them down his thighs.
 Namjoon sat up and put his hands on Hoseok’s waist, tugging at his shirt until
Hoseok pulled it off over his head.  Namjoon ran his hands down Hoseok’s chest,
to his carved stomach, to the waistband of his jeans.  Hoseok leaned down to
kiss Namjoon as his fingers fumbled with Hoseok’s zipper.
 
“Wait-” Hoseok placed a gentle hand over Namjoon’s.
 
“What is it?” Namjoon asked with worried eyes.
 
“I’ll be right back,” Hoseok pecked him on the lips and walked across the room.
“Get rid of that shirt while I’m at it.”
 
Namjoon hurriedly stripped off his shirt, just in time to see Hoseok returning
with a condom, bottle of lube, and no pants.
 
“You’re so beautiful, baby,” Hoseok cooed, and Namjoon turned bright red at the
compliment.  
 
“I can’t be as beautiful as you,” Namjoon said under his breath, not daring to
look Hoseok in the eye. Hoseok beamed at Namjoon, leaning down to kiss him
again.
 
“Namjoon,” he broke away. “I’m going to be as gentle as I possibly can-”
 
“Is it going to hurt?” Namjoon asked shyly.
 
“Yeah, it’ll hurt at first,” Hoseok ran a calming hand through Namjoon’s hair.
 Namjoon leaned into the touch.  
 
“That’s okay,” Namjoon looked up at Hoseok. “I just- I want you so bad.”
 
Hoseok kissed Namjoon gently, slowly, as he warmed the lube on his fingers.
 Namjoon’s hands explored every inch of Hoseok’s skin that they could reach,
and Hoseok massaged Namjoon’s thigh with his clean hand.
 
“Kiss me, Namjoon,” Hoseok whispered against his lips. “Just focus on kissing
me.”
 
So Namjoon kissed him, letting his tongue invade Hoseok’s mouth.  Meanwhile,
Hoseok’s fingers were circling Namjoon’s entrance.  He slowly pushed in the
first finger, and Namjoon gasped.
 
“Relax, baby,” Hoseok whispered, pecking Namjoon’s lips. He worked Namjoon’s
entrance slowly, backtracking at the slightest whince. Hoseok didn’t stop until
Namjoon was moaning instead of gritting his teeth, when he finally stretched
him enough.
 
“Are you ready?” Hoseok leaned his forehead against Namjoon’s.
 
“Yes,” Namjoon panted. “Please, Hoseok-”
 
Hoseok kissed him hard, sliding the condom on and nudging his head against
Namjoon’s entrance.  He slowly pushed in, minding the way Namjoon bit down on
his lip at the stretch.  But he let Namjoon bite him, gladly taking any ounce
of the pain away that he possibly could.  Namjoon’s nails dug shallowly into
Hoseok’s back, and he let out a small whine.
 
“Are you okay, baby?” Hoseok whispered against Namjoon’s ear.
 
“Please, just keep going,” Namjoon begged, breathless.
 
So Hoseok kept going, kept pushing until he was buried to the hilt, and
Namjoon’s breath had evened out.  Namjoon wiggled his hips after a while, and
Hoseok began to pull out slowly, shallowly, before pushing back in just as
slowly. Namjoon’s head was tilted back against the armrest, his chest heaving.
 Hoseok kept his pace slow, so afraid that he was going to hurt Namjoon, make
him never want to come back.  But Namjoon had never felt something like this in
his life, and he was not about to give it up.
 
“God, Hoseok,” Namjoon growled as he pulled Hoseok close to him. “I’m not going
to break.”
 
“You want me to go faster?” Hoseok asked, unsure.
 
“Yes.”
 
Hoseok had Namjoon moaning so loud, he was beginning to doubt the abilities of
the soundproof walls.  Namjoon’s hands were everywhere, clawing down Hoseok’s
back, gripping the armrest under his head, tugging at Hoseok’s soft orange
hair.  
 
At the same time, Hoseok’s hands were planted firmly on Namjoon’s hips, keeping
him stable as Hoseok pounded into him.  Hoseok swore he got the better end of
the deal because his view was pure sin.  Namjoon’s sweat-slicked skin glowing,
his exposed throat waiting to be ruined, his face twisted in absolute pleasure.
 Hoseok had to hold himself back from cumming just at the sight of Namjoon
alone.
 
“H-Hoseok,” Namjoon panted. “I’m so c-close…”
 
“Let go, baby,” Hoseok angled Namjoon’s hips so he hit him deeper, and Namjoon
almost screamed out as his orgasm struck him like a damn tidal wave.  He
tightened around Hoseok so much, it almost hurt.  But Hoseok soon followed
Namjoon, spilling into the condom and slowly pulling out.  
 
Hoseok stood, legs feeling like jelly from the work they had done, and threw
away the condom.  He came back with a cloth to clean Namjoon’s chest only to
find him half asleep. Hoseok smiled down at him, wishing they were somewhere
else so Hoseok could lie with him and sleep.
 
“Hey there,” Hoseok knelt down and shook Namjoon’s shoulder.  “I know you’re
tired, baby, but you gotta get up.”
 
Hoseok cleaned up Namjoon’s chest, watching it rise and fall slowly, and
Namjoon opened his eyes.
 
“Can’t we just… cuddle?” Namjoon asked with a shy smile.
 
“I wish we could,” Hoseok laughed, smiling back at him.  “The club’s probably
closing soon.”
 
“Oh yeah,” Namjoon frowned.  He sat up, reached for his discarded jeans and
handed Hoseok his own.  They both slipped them on, Hoseok next reaching for his
shirt while Namjoon reached into his pocket.  

“What are you doing?” Hoseok asked once he pulled his shirt on.
 
“I finally have the money to pay you,” Namjoon opened up his wallet. “I had to
take a few extra shifts at work-”
 
“Namjoon,” Hoseok said under his breath.
 
“Okay, a lotof extra shifts-”
 
“Namjoon,” Hoseok said a little more confidently. “I don’t want your money.”
 
“What do you mean?” Namjoon asked, genuinely confused.
 
“Being with you is enough,” Hoseok smiled at Namjoon, wallet forgotten in his
lap.  Namjoon kissed Hoseok one last time before he left, before Hoseok
insisted he didn’t pay him. The kiss was slow, slower than all the others, and
filled with something neither Namjoon nor Hoseok knew how to describe just yet.
 
 
“Yoongi, he’s just… different,” Hoseok told me as he sat at the bar, shortly
after watching Namjoon leave. “He makes me feel something, and I can’t explain
it.”
 
“You know,” I said as I poured a drink for Taehyung. “You get this look on your
face when you talk about him.”
 
“What kind of look-”
 
“Min, my office,” came Jin’s voice from behind Hoseok. “Now.”
 
I handed the drink to Taehyung, stepped out from behind the bar, and followed
Jin into his office.  Jin was rounding his desk, and I had just shut the door
behind me when I heard it.
 
“Get off me!” Jungkook yelled. I swung the door open again, watching it happen
from the sidelines.  No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn’t move a muscle,
I couldn’t run out there and save him.  And I never forgave myself for it.
 
Jungkook was trying to pull away, trying to pry the man’s arms off his body.
 He was scared -- so scared -- with eyes so wide they looked like they could
burst, tears slowly falling down his cheeks, lips trembling from the pure panic
coursing in his veins.
 
And there was nothing I could do.
 
“What the hell?!” Taehyung ran onto the scene, wrapping his arm around the
man’s neck from behind and pulling him away.  The man reached up to grab
Taehyung’s arm, trying to pull him off.  Jungkook fell to the floor, trying to
catch his breath.
 
Taehyung let go of the man’s neck only to aim a punch to his jaw.  The man
stumbled back, clutching his face in his hand, and Taehyung pulled him forward.
 He led him to the front entrance and shoved him to the ground.
 
“Don’t show your fucking face around here again,” Taehyung spat, slamming the
door shut.  Jungkook had gotten up from the floor and ran into the dressing
room.  Taehyung turned around in time to just see him disappear through the
door, and he followed after him.
 
“Min, what the hell-”
 
But I didn’t hear him finish that question.  I ran to the dressing room as fast
as my legs could carry me, ignoring Hoseok’s call from the bar, ignoring
everything around me.  I tore through the room, stopping only when I got to
dressing room entrance.  
 
The only people in the room were Taehyung and Jungkook, no one else. Taehyung
gripped Jungkook by the shoulders, but Jungkook only looked down at the floor,
tears still streaming down his cheeks.  Taehyung dropped one hand, went to pull
away, but Jungkook looked up suddenly. He looked into Taehyung’s eyes, ran his
tongue across his lips, then leaned up and kissed Taehyung.  A soft kiss, a
needy kiss.
 
And all I could do was watch.
Chapter End Notes
     Thanks for sticking around <3
***** first love *****
Chapter by ivythebug
Chapter Summary
     "I remember that time, what I darkly forgot."
Chapter Notes
     no smut today boys
     but there IS backstory so wassup
     also kinda Yoongi centric
     OH YEAH AND GORE: if things going into eyeballs makes your skin
     crawl, maybe read cautiously
See the end of the chapter for more notes
“Yoongi!” Hoseok yelled as his fists pounded on the door.  I was perfectly
awake, I think -- at least enough to hear Hoseok calling for me -- but I
couldn’t move.  I didn’t want to move.  
 
“You better not be dead or something,” Hoseok growled, giving up on the
pounding.  The door creaked open, and he stepped inside, cautiously making his
way into the bedroom.  
 
“ God , Yoongi,” he sighed upon finding me curled up on the bed. “You look like
you’re on death’s doorstep.”
 
“Be a doll and ring the bell for me,” I mumbled into a pillow.
 
“Get up, Yoongi,” Hoseok tugged on my arm, tone sharp. “I’m not babysitting
your sorry ass.”
 
I shot a glare at him but got up nonetheless.  He threw me a clean shirt from
the closet, watching me closely to make sure I didn’t collapse onto the bed
again.  His pursed lips and furrowed brows said “angry”, but his eyes were a
different story.  Hoseok looked at me with intense pity, something that burned
right through me.
 
I finally collected myself -- shed last night’s clothes and washed the self-
loathing off my face -- and Hoseok led the way through my apartment.  He
stopped in the living room and turned to me, hands on his hips.
 
“What the hell happened, Yoongi?” he gestured to the few empty bottles of cheap
beer littering the floor.
 
“Day drinking got the better of me,” I shrugged and pouted, maybe still a
little drunk.
 
“And you didn’t bother to lock the door,” Hoseok sighed, hand meeting his
forehead and massaging the stress out. “What if someone came in and slashed
your throat or something?”
 
“It probably would’ve hurt less than this, for one,” I muttered under my
breath, not fully wanting Hoseok to hear.  No matter how much I slept that
morning, how much I drank that afternoon, the pain from the night before still
ripped through me.
 
Hoseok and I walked to the club in complete silence, going our separate ways
without a word once inside.  Glasses from the night before were still waiting
to be cleaned, bottles of alcohol not yet sitting on their correct shelves.  In
that moment, I kicked myself for deciding to leave early the night before.
 
I had just straightened the last bottle when Jin approached the bar.  His face
was as emotionless as ever, but his usually cold eyes were tired, and his
typically styled blonde hair was disheveled.


“Min, I still need to see you,” even his voice sounded drained.  Confused, I
followed Jin into his office, slowly closing the door behind me yet again.  The
scene was all too familiar as Jin rounded his desk, taking a seat in his office
chair.  But I couldn’t sit, the anxiety coursing through my body wouldn’t let
me, paranoid that I’d hear Jungkook’s screams again.
 
“You look like hell,” Jin’s voice brought me back to earth.
 
“Yeah, didn’t sleep well,” I ran a hand through my hair just to feel something.
 
“Look, I need you to do something for me,” Jin tried to switch into business
mode, but he couldn’t seem to find the energy.
 
“What do you need?” I stepped farther into the room, closer to Jin’s desk.
 
“I need you to meet a colleague of mine-”
 
“ Jin ,” my tone was warning, suddenly sober.  
 
“Is there a problem, Min?” his eyes narrowed.  
 
“I said I wouldn’t do that for you anymore,” I stepped even closer, fists
clenching at my sides. “Not after the last time.”
 
===============================================================================
 
“I’m at the warehouse now,” I spoke into the phone. “How many guys are gonna be
in here?”
 
“Just the one,” Jin’s voice crackled through the speaker. “But he’ll be armed-”
 
“And you think I’m  not ?” I joked, smirk plastered on my face. “Don’t doubt
me, Jin.”
 
“I wasn’t about to,” Jin replied.  “Just make sure it’s all there before you
leave with it.”
 
“Got it,” I checked the gun in my waistband one more time, titled the rim of my
hat just a notch lower. “I’m going in.”
 
I hung up without waiting for a reply, sliding the phone back into my pocket.
 I lifted my black mask back over my nose, tilted my hat just a  tad  more.
 The door to the warehouse was heavy, but I pulled it open and slipped inside,
letting it fall closed behind me. The space seemed empty, dark except for a
small overhead light in the very center of the large room.  I stuck close to
the shadows as I moved, wanting to see him before he saw me.
 
The sound of the front door opening must have alerted him because he soon
stepped cautiously into the large room.  He stood in the small patch of light,
making himself completely vulnerable.   Stupid.
 
“Where’s the shipment?” my low voice seemed to boom throughout the large room.
The man flinched, looked around to find the source of my voice.  He opened his
mouth, perhaps to call out, but I stepped out of the shadows before he made a
sound.  
 
“It’s in the back,” he looked me up and down as if he just couldn’t figure me
out.  Which was the idea, I suppose. “Do you have the money?”
 
“It’s all here, count it yourself,” I pulled out a thick wad of cash, tossing
it to the man.  He scrambled to catch it, clutching it to his chest. “Now take
me to the shipment.”
 
“You’re not Kim,” the man muttered, hand reaching for his gun.
 
“Excuse me?” I stepped closer to the man, fingers surreptitiously wrapping
around my own gun. “There isn’t a problem, is there?”
 
The man watched as I stepped closer to him, not daring to make a move to scare
me off.  He studied me, my stature, the way I walked.  He was right, I wasn’t
Kim  -- not even close.  I circled behind him, his eyes following me as I did
so.  I pressed the barrel of my gun into his back, other hand on his shoulder.
 
 
“Don’t make me say it again,” I whispered in his ear, digging my gun just
slightly deeper.
 
He stayed silent for a few moments, looked at me out of the corner of his eye.
 For a fraction of a second, I saw the recognition in his eyes, but it
disappeared as quickly as it had come.  He stepped forward,  right… left…
right…
 
Then he grabbed the wrist by his shoulder, twisted my arm around my body, and
held me against him.  I tried to squirm free, but he was much stronger than me.
 
 
“I’ll be damned,” he laughed into my ear, his fingers ripping the mask from my
face. “If it isn’t  Min  Yoongi .  We all thought you were dead.”
 
Shit.
 
“Believe in ghosts?” I growled. I still had my gun in my hand, but I couldn’t
get it in an ideal position.  The shot had to be one and done, quick as
possible to save my identity.  
 
“I don’t really think you’re in the position to be cracking jokes, Min,” he
snarled, digging his gun into my side.  I squirmed more, if only to throw him
off a bit as I thought of an out. I glanced down, noticed that the angle I had
provided a clean shot to the man’s leg.  So I pulled the trigger…
 
“God, fuck!” the man screamed, letting go of me and falling to the floor in a
heap.  One of his swinging arms knocked the gun from my hand, sending it
sliding across the floor.
 
…and  bolted .
 
I ran into the first room I saw, hiding myself in the shadows once again.  I
shot Jin a short text  (“Get here,  now .”)  and held my breath. Looking around
the room, I noticed it was smaller than the one we were just in.  The boxes
stacked up along the walls looked suspiciously like the shipment I was sent to
pick up.  But first thing’s first… the man had to die.
 
“Where are you?!” he bellowed.  His voice sounded close, but he was moving
extremely slow.  Still, I kept my breath even, didn’t move from my hiding spot.
 I saw an old screwdriver lying close by, and while it wasn’t an ideal weapon,
it was a weapon nonetheless.
 
Still covered by shadow, I tread lightly around the room, trying to find the
right moment to strike.  He man hobbled into the room’s center, blood trail
leading from the main room.  He squinted his eyes as if he was looking for me
but couldn’t find me.  He was staring right at me, but I blended too well, and
he turned to the other side of the room.  
 
When his back was turned, I emerged into the light.  With careful steps, I came
within two feet of him.  
 
“Looking for me?” I snickered in his ear as I wrapped my left arm around his
neck, pulling his body against my chest.
 
Now or never .
 
Blood gushed from his eye as the screwdriver went in, and his scream of pure
agony could tear at anyone’s skin.  I threw him to the ground, still wailing in
pain, and stomped on the handle of the screwdriver.  
 
The sickening crunch as the metal broke his skull, the dark red blood that
threatened to stain my shoes, the way his screeches just…  stopped .
 
I stepped over his body to look over the shipment, intent on checking
everything just as Jin instructed.  Just then, gravel rumbled under tires and
headlights shone dimly through the dusty windows. I pulled my phone out of my
pocket and sighed at the message from Jin  (“On the way.”)  shining brightly in
the dark room.
 
“Why was your gun lying on the floor?”  Jin stepped into the room, balancing
the gun in his hand. His eyes followed the blood trail on the floor to the
man’s body, still warm, with the screwdriver sticking straight from his eye
socket. Jin smirked, “The better question is, how did this happen?”
 
Jin gestured to the body carelessly as he stepped over him.  He joined me in
looking over the boxes.
 
“He recognized me,” I said, voice cold. “Couldn’t risk him running his mouth.”
 
“You’re not wrong,” Jin shrugged. “Start moving the boxes outside, I have a
truck waiting.”
 
It was tedious work, moving all the boxes outside, trying to avoid the body
still on the floor.  Jin mostly watched as I traveled back and forth, carrying
box after box of god knows what.  
 
“I’ll get the rest of the boxes, Min,” Jin said, and I sighed in relief. “You
did well.”
 
Jin loaded the last box into the truck, told the driver where to take the
shipment, and climbed into the driver’s seat of his own car where I was waiting
in the passenger side.  Without a word, he handed my gun back to me.  Without a
word, he drove back into the city, dropping me off in a neutral location.
 
The walk to my apartment seemed longer that night.  Every shadow was someone
who recognized my face, every passerby threatened to cry wolf to the higher-ups
who wanted my head.  I was only able to relax once I was locked inside my
apartment, sweat- and blood-soaked clothes free from my body.  There was never
any hope of sleeping easy that night.
 
But it’s funny how  little  taking someone’s life seemed to affect me.
 
Funny.
 
===============================================================================
 
“Do it yourself, Jin,” and I left his office without another word, without so
much as a glance in his direction.
 
I ran yet another hand through my hair, down my face, dragging my body to the
bar.  Pulling up a barstool, I looked on toward the rest of the room.  Jimin
was stretching, getting ready to go over that night’s routine.  Hoseok had
plopped himself down in one of the cushy chairs by the stage, more half-asleep
than focusing on Jimin’s practice.  Taehyung stepped out from the dressing
room, scowling at Jimin on stage and taking a seat on a stool next to me.
 Jungkook was watching him from the entrance to the dressing room, looking like
a lost puppy.
 
“Weird seeing you on this side of the bar,” Taehyung looked on at the rest of
the room.
 
“Weird  sitting  on this side of the bar,” I muttered under my breath.
 
“Is something wrong, hyung?” Taehyung finally turned to me.
 
“It’s nothing,” I lied, then nodded in Jungkook’s direction. “What’s up with
him?”
 
Taehyung followed my eyes and sighed, bowing his head.
 
“He tried to make a move on me last night,” he still looked down.
 
“The kiss,” I whispered to myself, but Taehyung looked directly at me.
 
“Wha- you know about that?” his eyes were wide.
 
“Uh, Hoseok told me,” I lied again. Thinking had suddenly started to hurt.
 
“Oh,” Taehyung turned to face the room again. “No, he made a move at the
apartment.”
 
“The apartment?” I didn’t want to talk anymore.
 
“Yeah, he-” Taehyung took a breath. “He kissed me, but rougher than the first
time.  Pushed me down onto the bed-”
 
“Did he?” I questioned. Breathing had suddenly started to hurt.
 
“I told him that it was a bad idea, that he was just hurt,” he continued. “He
told me to stop treating him like a baby all the time.”
 
I stayed silent.
 
“I mean, I’m all here for comforting him,” he shrugged. “You know, like holding
him when he thinks about his family-”
 
“You do that?” I looked back at the dressing room entrance, but Jungkook had
already left.
 
“A lot, actually,” Taehyung paused, sighed. “But I’m not going to take
advantage of him like that.”
 
I nodded.
 
“I mean,” he continued. “If I’m going to sleep with him, I want it to feel
right.”
 
Living had suddenly started to hurt.
 
                                     *****
“I’m fine,” I insisted. Hoseok didn’t buy it.
 
“Yoongi, I saw you downing drinks behind the bar,” Hoseok wrapped an arm around
my shoulder. “I’m walking you home.”
 
“I told you I wanted to walk alone,” I weakly tried to push his arm off.
 
“You’ll end up in a ditch somewhere if you do that,” Hoseok opened the front
door, and began half-dragging me to the apartment. I decided it was probably
better to go with him instead of fight it, but I kept my mouth shut.  Anything
that was running through my head would hurt so much more if I put it into
words.
 
If I made it real.
 
“Keys,” Hoseok held out his hand when we stopped outside my apartment door.  I
fished around my pockets for my keys, dropping them into Hoseok’s hand once I
found them.  He led me inside, dropped me on the bed, and looked around for
more comfortable clothes.  
 
“Change,” he demanded, throwing the clothes into my lap. “What the hell is
wrong with you?”
 
“In general?” I asked through the shirt I was pulling over my head. “Or
recently?”
 
“Recently,” Hoseok sighed. “I’ve never seen you like this before.”
 
“Just going through some stuff,” I said to the drawstring on my sweatpants.
“Fighting my inner demons or some shit.”
 
“ Yoongi ,” Hoseok’s voice was like a warning.
 
“I’ll make it out alive,” I shrugged, finally changed. “Promise.”
 
“Yeah, you better,” Hoseok ruffled my hair and started to walk out. “I’m gonna
lock the door on my way out, okay?”
 
“Okay, mom,” I called to his retreating back, laughing into the pillow when he
flipped me off.
 
Hoseok switched off the lights, turned the lock on the apartment door, and
stepped over the threshold, heading for his own apartment down the hall.
 Hoseok was too good to me, and he always had been.  I never asked for his
help, for his friendship -- I had always seemed too proud.
 
But Hoseok was so good to me.
Chapter End Notes
     This might be my favorite chapter
     not even sorry about it <3
***** reflection *****
Chapter by ivythebug
Chapter Summary
     "Only I am walking without purpose. Even so, blending in here is
     comfortable."
“Hey, Namjoon,” I smiled as he took a seat at the bar. “Should I get used to
seeing you here?”
 
“Probably,” he laughed, smiling down at his hands.
 
“You know, you should just ask him out if you like him so much,” I teased.
 
“I- actually,” he looked up, shy. “That’s why I’m here.”
 
“Wow,” I nudged his shoulder. “And here I thought you were just horny.”
 
He shot a glare at me, but only for a second before he laughed.  His smile
faded after a minute, hand running through his hair and bottom lip getting
caught between his teeth.  
 
“I’m just-” he sighed. “I’ve never done this before.”
 
“Don’t worry,” I smiled, tousled his hair a bit.  Namjoon wrinkled his nose and
straightened out his bangs, cleaning up his appearance just in time for Hoseok
to approach the bar.
 
“Coming out of your cave?” I called as he got closer.
 
“And I’ve been doing just fine,” he smiled, obviously proud of himself.
 
“I said ‘cave’, Hoseok,” I smirked.
 
“Oh,” his smiled dropped. “Now I don’t wanna talk to you.”
 
“Fine,” I turned my back on him, reaching for a bottle of rum. “You have a
guest anyway.”
 
He looked around, brows furrowed, until he spotted Namjoon sitting a few stools
away.  At the sight of Namjoon, Hoseok’s entire face brightened up.  
 
“Yoongi,” he whispered.
 
“What is it?” I whispered back.
 
“Do I look okay?” he stood away from the bar so I could get a look.  Not that
it mattered; Hoseok always looked good, especially to Namjoon.
 
“You look great,” I smiled. He gave me two excited thumbs-up and left his
place, appearing again beside Namjoon.
 
“Hey, stranger,” he laughed at how Namjoon nearly fell off the stool.
 
“God, you scared me,” Namjoon clutched at his chest. “What’s up?”
 
“Slow night,” Hoseok sat on the stool next to Namjoon. “Are you here to see
me?”
 
“Of course I am,” Namjoon smiled at Hoseok, making him blush slightly.
 
“Should we take this somewhere…  private ?” Hoseok whispered the last word,
placing a gentle hand on Namjoon’s thigh.
 
“Uh- actually,” Namjoon was suddenly nervous again. “ That  isn’t what I’m here
for.”
 
Hoseok looked confused, but didn’t say anything.  He was about to remove his
hand, but Namjoon laid his own hand over Hoseok’s.  He rubbed his thumb slowly
over the back of Hoseok’s hand, eyes trained on Hoseok’s own, now wide.
 
“I was wondering,” he began, taking a deep breath and laughing nervously.
“Would you maybe… wanna go out with me? Sometime?”
 
“I would love to,” Hoseok beamed, pecking Namjoon on the cheek.  Namjoon
blushed, smiled down at the floor. Leave it to Hoseok to fall for the sweetest
man alive -- though if you asked Namjoon, he would’ve said it was the other way
around.
 
As I watched the two make their plans, I felt the air around the bar shift.
 Then, as if on cue, Jin appeared out of nowhere like a stormcloud ready to
rain on the others’ parade.
 
“When do you get off tonight?” Namjoon asked.
 
“I’ll be done around 2-”
 
“You better cut that shit out, Hoseok,” Jin whispered in Hoseok’s ear, and
Hoseok went instantly cold. “Wouldn’t want any potential clients getting the
wrong idea,  would we ?”
 
Jin walked away with his face stone cold, heading to the dressing room.  
 
“You should probably go,” Hoseok looked down at their intertwined fingers with
a frown. “I’ll come get you when I leave. Where do you live?”
 
“Uh, you don’t have to,” Namjoon visibly panicked. “I’ll just meet you
somewhere.”
 
So they agreed to meet up at some dodgy restaurant, one of the only ones open
at 2am.  Hoseok watched as Namjoon left the club, turning back and waving to
Hoseok before he stepped onto the street. Hoseok had this lovestruck smile on
his face, one that didn’t leave until later that night.
 
“I think I have feelings for him,” Jimin said more to the bar than to anyone in
particular.
 
“The human robot?” I teased. Jimin scowled up at me, then his face softened.
 
“Wait,” Hoseok stopped on his way to the door, on his way to meet Namjoon.
 “You’re falling for Jin?”
 
“I think I might be,” Jimin sighed, spinning on the stool to look at Hoseok.
 
“How can you even  stand  him?” Hoseok scowled.
 
“What do you mean?” Jimin stood.
 
“He’s terrible, Jimin,” Hoseok shrugged, walking closer to him. “Almost pure
evil.”
 
“He is  not ,” Jimin defended. “He’s different.”
 
“Oh yeah, because pulling your hair and calling you a slut is another way of
saying he loves you,” Hoseok was almost yelling.
 
“What’s wrong with that?” Jimin almost-yelled back.
 
“It’s  demeaning ,” Hoseok scowled. “If someone said that shit to me, I’d throw
them out.”
 
Jimin didn’t have anything more to say -- he didn’t understand Hoseok, and
Hoseok didn’t understand him.  He looked down at the floor, unable to meet
Hoseok’s dagger stare, and walked back into the dressing room. Hoseok sighed
and walked up to the bar, placing his palms on the surface and leaning in.
 
“There’s something else, isn’t there?” I asked, but Hoseok just looked
confused. “He did something more than pimp you out.”
 
“I-” Hoseok sighed, looked back to the dressing room, to Jin’s office, making
sure no one else was around. He leaned in closer, gesturing for me to do the
same. “I never told you this, never thought I would be able to, but Jin and I-”
 
“Did you-”
 
“ Yes, ” Hoseok hissed, looked around again, then hung his head. “It was a
while after I started dancing here, after Jimin came along. Jin and I -- and
don’t ask me how it happened -- but we got drunk after you guys went home.”
 
“You and Jin were drinking together?” I asked incredulously. “Like crack open a
cold one with the boys kind of drinking?”
 
“I told you not to ask,” Hoseok sighed. “ Anyway , he kissed me out of the
blue. Like grabbed me and kissed me like he’d been wanting to do it the whole
time. And, being drunk, I kissed him back. One thing led to another, and he
took me back to his place-”
 
“He took you back to his place?” I whisper-yelled. “What’s it like?”
 
“Expensive, but that’s not the point,” he whisper-yelled back.
 
“You’re right. Continue.”
 
“Obviously, we had sex,” Hoseok rolled his eyes, then dropped his voice even
lower. “But like,  really  good sex. I bailed before he woke up, hoping to
avoid the whole situation, but the next day at the club-”
 
“He gave you the new job,” I whispered, more to myself.
 
“Would you  stop  interrupting?” he hit me in the shoulder, but continued.
“Yeah, that was what I got for sleeping with him, for making the worst mistake
possible.  A new job. ”
 
Hoseok spit the last words like they tasted bad on his tongue.  He stepped away
from the bar, checked his watch, and straightened out his clothes.
 
“That’s my deal with Jin,” Hoseok concluded. “Now, I have a date to get to.”
 
He smiled at the thought of Namjoon and went on his way, shoving Jin to the
back of his mind.  I put away the last of the glasses after he left, then made
my way to check that the lights in the dressing room were off, but voices made
me stop in my tracks.
 
“We’re alone,” came Jimin’s voice.
 
“Are you sure?” came Jin’s next.
 
“Hoseok just left,” Jimin’s footsteps got louder and louder, and I scrambled to
hide around the corner. “And Yoongi isn’t out here, he must have gone with
him.”
 
His footsteps disappeared back into the dressing room, assumingly closer to
Jin. I got closer to the entrance to the room, purely out of curiosity. Peeking
in, I saw Jimin sitting in Jin’s lap, running fingers through Jin’s hair and
smirking down at him. Jin’s hands were roaming Jimin’s body, smoothing down his
sides, gripping his thighs.
 
“You’re such a good pet,” Jin cooed, if such a tone could come from Jin.
 
Jimin frowned a little at the name, as if he was expecting more, but he leaned
into Jin nonetheless.  Jimin kissed him softer than I would’ve anticipated,
almost like he was trying to tell Jin what he was feeling without words.
 
“You know,” Jimin broke the kiss, smirking down at Jin and trailing a finger
across his chest. “I don’t know much about you.”
 
Jin’s face hardened, almost imperceptibly, and his voice dropped low.
 
“Good. It should stay that way.”
 
He pulled Jimin closer to his chest, kissing him rougher than before.  Even
though he didn’t get the answer he was looking for, Jimin gave into him easily.
 Hips rolled against hips, Jin’s teeth grazed Jimin’s neck, and small whimpers
started filling the room.  
 
I took that as my cue to leave, the situation seemingly all  too  familiar.
 
I may have left the club before becoming a voyeur, but that doesn’t mean I
don’t know what went on -- I have my sources.  
 
Jin had Jimin bent over the makeup counter, forcing Jimin to watch himself in
the vanity’s mirror as he fell apart.  One of Jin’s hands wove into Jimin’s
hair, pulling just enough to keep his head up, while the other colored Jimin’s
ass a vibrant red. Jin watched himself disappear into Jimin, watched the way
Jimin backed into each of his thrusts.  Jimin smirked at the effect he had on
Jin, who was too proud to admit anything.
 
“ Harder , Jin,” Jimin snapped when Jin’s hand came down on his ass again. “You
can do better than that.”
 
Jin pulled hard on Jimin’s hair, bringing his back against his own chest. Jimin
was breathing heavy, moaning  so  loud, as Jin kept his pace at the new angle.
 Jin kissed Jimin hard, biting into plush lips and swallowing the best sounds.
He nibbled against the shell of Jimin’s ear, then dropped his voice to the
rawest growl Jimin ever heard.
 
“What was that?”
 
“Harder, daddy,” Jimin was breathless. “ Please,  fuck me harder-”
 
The hand not in Jimin’s hair closed around his throat, slowly applying more
pressure.  The fuzziness drove Jimin crazy, bringing him that much closer to a
sweet release.
 
“Are you done being a  brat ?” Jin growled into his ear again. Jimin nodded.
 
Jin let go of Jimin, pushing him onto the counter.  His hands were on Jimin’s
back, holding him down as Jin pounded into him at an even faster pace.  Jimin
was past the point of moaning, instead letting out clipped whines as he came.  
 
Jin looked at his own reflection, admired the way he towered over Jimin, the
way he had complete control of him.  He smirked.
 
“On your knees,” he commanded, pulling out and letting up on Jimin’s back.
 Jimin, cum covering his thighs and lower stomach, dropped to his knees in
front of Jin, obediently waiting for his release.  Jimin gripped onto Jin’s
thighs as he came into Jimin’s mouth, tongue poking out to collect every last
drop.  Jimin got up, sat on top of the makeup counter, and wrapped his legs
around Jin’s hips, pulling him close.
 
“Kiss me,” Jimin looked up at Jin with pleading eyes, and something flashed in
Jin’s own for a split second.  He ran a hand along Jimin’s jaw, cupping his
face before leaning in.  The kiss was soft, polar opposite to what had just
taken place. Jin pulled away, Jimin’s bottom lip caught between his teeth.  He
pressed his forehead to Jimin’s, breath almost leaving his lungs when Jimin
looked into his eyes.
 
Jin felt something, something he didn’t recognize.  The words “come home with
me tonight” almost spilled from his lips, almost fell upon Jimin’s ears.
 Instead, he pulled away without saying anything. He slipped his clothes back
over his body, ran a hand through his hair, and left the room. All without
saying a word, without so much as glancing in Jimin’s direction.
 
Jimin still sat on the makeup counter, but his thoughts felt so much heavier
than they did before. It had always been Jimin’s plan to find a way into Jin’s
head, find a home for himself in Jin’s thoughts. But he never thought he would
be the one to crumble, never thought he would be the one searching for
something more.
 
How long had Jimin been trying to learn more about Jin?  How long had he
wanted  to know more?  He was falling in the most human way possible, drawn to
the mystery.  Yet he was scared, scared of what he would find out.  Scared that
he would get hurt again.
 
Jin noticed how Jimin had changed, how his touches became lighter. But being as
cold as he was, he failed to notice  why  Jimin was acting that way.  The
possibility that someone could love him was completely lost on Jin.  Not that
he even knew how to love someone back.
 
The two kept to the physical aspect of things, that being what each of them
knew best.  Jimin pushed Jin, and Jin pulled Jimin.  Some would say it was
unhealthy, but  they  would say it was fun.  Jimin lived to push boundaries and
test limits, while Jin breathed control and manipulation.  Match made in
heaven, I suppose.
 
===============================================================================
 
The clock read 11:17am when I rolled out of bed.  I stumbled into the kitchen,
rubbing the sleep from my eyes, and started a pot of coffee.  Club nights
really kicked my ass come morning.  After downing my first cup of coffee that
day, I hopped into the shower.  Watching Jin and Jimin last night -- the little
that I did -- made me feel dirty.  
 
I shot Hoseok a text saying that I’d bring him breakfast -- well, lunch by that
time -- and finished off  one more  cup of coffee before gathering my keys and
wallet and heading out the door.  As I locked my apartment door, Hoseok’s
opened down the hall.  
 
“Hey, Hoseok,” I said more to the keys I was putting back in my pocket. “I was
just gonna get-”
 
At that moment, I looked up, fully expecting Hoseok and not the tall blonde in
front of me.  The tall blonde who was wearing clothes from the night before.
Namjoon’s eyes widened and immediately dropped to the floor as he blushed.  He
scratched the back of his neck, and ever so slowly looked up at me.
 
“Well  hello , Namjoon,” I smirked. “Fancy seeing you here.”
***** mama *****
Chapter by ivythebug
Chapter Summary
     "I know a grace like heaven now, mama."
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
“Have you ever been in love?” Jimin asked, laying in one of the cushy chairs
and staring at the ceiling.
 
“Love doesn’t exist,” Taehyung murmured as he walked past Jimin.  Jimin had
suddenly sat up, glaring at Taehyung.
 
“Yes, it does,” Hoseok piped up from the bar. “Love is one of the most
beautiful things someone can experience, I think.”
 
“And the most painful,” I said more to the glass in my hand than anyone in the
room.
 
“I have to tell him,” Jimin sighed, back to scowling at the ceiling.
 
“Jimin, you’re just going to get hurt,” Hoseok tried reasoning with him, but
talking to Jimin about Jin -- or anything, really -- was like talking to a
brick wall.
 
“Says you,” Jimin spat. “You don’t know him like I do.”
 
“You’re  so  right,” Hoseok rolled his eyes and stood from his barstool. “How
could I  ever  doubt you?”
 
Hoseok got out of the main room as fast as he could, taking shelter in the
dressing room.  Jimin sat upright, watching with furrowed brows as he walked
away.  Hoseok was never able to stand the way Jimin talked about Jin.  And
unfortunately, Jimin could never know the reason why.  
 
“What about you, hyung?” Jungkook asked as he approached the bar, breaking his
own personal silence.
 
“What  about  me?” I forgot the original topic already, but Jungkook just
smiled his typical Jungkook smile. The one that made you feel like you’d be
young forever.
 
“How do  you  feel about love?” he asked innocently, still smiling.
 
“I dunno,” I shrugged. “I don’t have much experience in that department.”
 
“I don’t either,” Jungkook sighed, smile fading just a little. “Sometimes I
think I know what it feels like, but…”
 
He trailed off, turning his head slightly over his shoulder.  Confused, I
followed his gaze across the room.   Taehyung .  Maybe Jungkook really thought
he loved Taehyung, but maybe -- bear with me here -- he was just seventeen and
didn’t understand what love even was yet.
 
“That’s it,” Jimin stood from his cushy chair and straightened out his clothes.
“I’m gonna tell him.”
 
So Jimin marched to Jin’s office, resolve etched into his face.  He took a deep
breath, letting it out in a huff as he raised his hand to knock on Jin’s office
door.  Before he could get the first knock in, however, Jin opened the door.
 He almost plowed over Jimin, seemingly in a hurry, but sidestepped him last
second.
 
“Jin, I-” Jimin began, but Jin had already walked past him. He huffed again,
deciding to follow. “Jin, can I talk-”
 
“Not now, Jimin,” Jin kept walking toward the club’s entrance.
 
“But, Jin-” Jimin tried, his voice small. Jin had already opened the door,
about to take his first step out when…
 
“Jin!” Jimin finally found his voice. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”
 
Jin stopped in the doorway, looking straight ahead at the street.  Jimin
waited, holding his breath and wringing his hands.  But Jin just stood, facing
away from Jimin, not saying a word.
 
“Jin-” Jimin’s voice was small again, so small. But at the sound of his name,
Jin walked out and shut the door behind him. He never looked back.
 
Jin knew that if he did, he might have stayed.  He might have missed his
“business meeting” if he had just seen how small Jimin looked. But Jin couldn’t
afford to think that way, couldn’t afford to feel the way he felt about Jimin -
- whatever it was. Because in Jin’s line of work, if could have gotten him
killed.
 
“Well, what did you expect?” Taehyung shrugged. Jimin was still standing in the
same spot, not even sparing Taehyung a glare at his question.
 
Maybe it wasn’t what Jimin expected -- wasn’t what he wanted -- but it didn’t
appear to have hurt him or his pride.  Aside for the few minutes he stood by
the door in shock, Jimin acted as if he wasn’t affected at all.  Like the event
just rolled off his skin like water.  
 
Jimin owned the stage as usual, captivating his audience with as much ease as
ever.  He didn’t spare so much as a single glance at the door, waiting for Jin
to walk through it.  He didn’t hold off on the enthusiasm, the power he put
into his performance.  He didn’t let his smirk fade into a frown at Jin’s
expense.
 
Jimin had always seemed so strong, even when he was falling apart at the seams.
 
===============================================================================
 
“Say hello to Namjoon for me!” I called to Hoseok as he approached the front
door.
 
“Stop tormenting him!” he called back, waving before stepping into the night,
on his way to meet Namjoon at work.
 
“Hoseok-hyung seems really happy,” Jungkook smiled at the closed door.  He had
been the only one sitting at the bar as I cleaned. Taehyung was still in the
dressing room, and Jimin had long since gone home.
 
“Yeah, he does,” I couldn’t help but smile too.  Seeing Hoseok with those
bright smiles he only got when he thought about Namjoon, it always took my
breath away.
 
“I wonder what it’s like,” Jungkook sighed.
 
“What do you mean?” I stopped wiping down the bar to look at him.
 
“I dunno, I just-” he looked down at his lap. “I just want to feel wanted.”
 
“Jungkook,” my voice softened. “Come here.”
 
Jungkook looked at me with huge eyes before he slid off his stool.  He slowly
walked around the bar, stopping once he stood in front of me, eyes trained on
the floor the whole time.
 
“Look at me,” I tilted his chin so his eyes met mine. Seeing him so vulnerable,
so small and desperate, struck me somewhere deep.
 
He should never have felt unwanted.
 
“Jungkook,” I kept my voice calm and low, but serious enough for him to know I
meant every word. “You are  beautiful -”
 
“Hyung-”
 
“No, listen to me,” I cut off his whine before he could really protest, placing
my hand along his jaw, thumb smoothing across his cheek. “You  are . You’re
brave,  strong,  for looking the cruelness of life in the face and not backing
down. Jungkook, you… you have no  idea  how important you are.”
 
He leaned into my touch, closing his eyes slowly as if to take it all in.
 
“Hyung?” his voice was almost breathless.
 
“What is it, Jungkookie?”
 
“Can I kiss you?”
 
My eyes went wide, mouth opening as if to say no.  But I didn’t stop caressing
his cheek, didn’t stop myself when I said…
 
“Yes.”
 
He moved in, lips soft and light, almost as if he was about to back out.  I
kissed him slow, gentle so as not to break him. He whimpered, and I kissed him
harder, weaving my fingers through his raven black hair.
 
“Hyung,” he pulled away, the warmth of his hands burning my chest. “I wanna do
something for you.”
 
“For me?” I furrowed my brows, but he smiled, before leaning back in.
 
“Shh,” and he kissed along my jaw, down my neck.  I was caught by surprise, not
expecting that from Jungkook in the slightest.  I was sure it wasn’t right,
that I should have stopped him before he did something he would regret.  But I
was also sure that I didn’t  want  to stop him.
 
I ran both hands through his hair, trying so hard to keep my breathing calm.
 His fingers played with the hem of my shirt, his warm hands felt like fire
against my skin.  He slowly pushed my shirt higher, inch by inch, until he
dropped to his knees and planted kisses on my stomach.
 
“Jungkook-” I was starting to panic, but it was  so  perfect. “What are you
doing?”
 
“Giving my hyung what he deserves,” Jungkook looked up with huge eyes, the
embodiment of pure innocence.  I couldn’t breathe.
 
“I don’t think-” he started palming me through my jeans.  No matter how much I
wanted to stop it, how wrong it felt, I couldn’t get the words out.
 
He looked up one more time before he unzipped my jeans, and I gripped just a
little tighter on his hair.  He pulled my jeans and boxers down together, just
far enough for my length to spring free.  There was obviously no denying the
effect Jungkook had on me then.
 
“Fuck-” Jungkook sank down as far as he could, his mouth so incredibly  warm ,
gagging a little when he reached his limit. “Easy, Jungkook.”
 
His pace was slow, excruciatingly intimate, his hand working in time with his
mouth to cover what he couldn’t fit.  Jungkook looked up at me with every
kitten lick to the tip, every time he flattened out his tongue against me.  I
had to keep myself from moaning out at the sight of him alone.
 
“Have you seen Jungkook?” Taehyung’s voice rang from just outside the dressing
room.
 
“Jungkook?” I twisted around to look at Taehyung as he walked through the room
to the front door. “Uh- he’s um- getting something from the back room for me.”
 
“Oh,” Taehyung cocked his head a bit. “Everything alright, hyung?”
 
“Everything’s fine,” I lied. Jungkook had not let up the whole time. “I’ll walk
Jungkook- ah- home. You go ahead.”
 
Jungkook pulled off with a little smirk before he sank down again, even farther
than before.
 
“Okay... goodnight, hyung,” and Taehyung stepped outside, closing the door
behind him.
 
“Holy shit, Jungkook-” I was so breathless. “Are you insane-?”
 
Jungkook giggled a little, the vibrations sending a jolt through my body.  I
tugged on his hair, maybe a little sharper than I meant to, and he quickened
his pace.  Jungkook gripped onto my hips, making himself drool from sinking
down so deep, and he moaned around me.
 
“God-” I cupped the side of his face again, feeling that elastic band about to
snap. “Jungkook, I’m gonna cum-”
 
Jungkook pulled off with a  pop , trying not to giggle at the sound, and
started stroking me hard and fast.  My hips started bucking and he opened his
mouth, cute little tongue waiting for me.  He made a face once my cum hit his
tongue, but he swallowed and smiled shyly up at me.
 
I noticed some drool and cum that he didn’t quite get, and I swiped my thumb
under his lip to clear it off.
 
“You’ve got some-” but Jungkook took my thumb into his mouth before I could
pull away and sucked it clean.
 
We gathered ourselves and locked up the club, finally heading home for the
night.  The walk to Jungkook and Taehyung’s apartment was quiet, the events of
the night weighing down on the both of us.  Though Jungkook didn’t seem to feel
as dirty, as  wrong  as I felt.  Then again, it was his idea in the first
place.
 
He shot shy glances and barely-there smiles in my direction every few minutes.
 I had to pretend that I didn’t notice them or else I would smile back.  The
want to pull Jungkook close -- to kiss him and hold him -- was too strong. It
almost made me forget about what we did, what  he  did.  It was wrong, but it
felt so  damn  right.
 
===============================================================================
 
“He works at that one gas station,” Hoseok was sitting at the bar instead of
the dressing room, which was such a nice change. A nice distraction. “You know,
the one open 24/7.”
 
“Does he work the graveyard shift?” I asked, making a drink for a customer down
the bar.
 
“Only sometimes,” Hoseok frowned a little. “Which kinda sucks because his sleep
schedule is fucked.”
 
“Hold that thought,” I finished the drink, dropping it off at the man who
ordered it.  I walked around to the other side of the bar, passing Hoseok and
telling him, “You’re in charge, hold down the fort.”
 
I passed through the crowd to the restrooms, needing desperately to just splash
some cold water on my face.  I could not stop thinking about Jungkook the night
before, and it was eating me alive.  The fluorescent lights burned, and I
rubbed at my eyes as I stepped into the room.
 
When I finally opened my eyes, I wished I hadn’t.  At the far end of the room,
Taehyung had Jungkook pinned against the mirror on the wall, his legs wrapped
around Taehyung’s hips.  Taehyung was kissing him fiercely, moving from his
lips to his jaw and down his neck.  Jungkook opened his eyes, noticing me
standing at the entrance when he looked over Taehyung’s shoulder.
 
His eyes were almost pleading, but the way he was trying hard not to moan had
my stomach turning in knots. I turned on my heel and walked out, unable to
stand looking at him one second longer, not like that.
 
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Hoseok told me once I got back to the bar.
 I didn’t reply, couldn’t reply.  I had nothing to say.
 
To answer Jimin’s question, I have  never  been in love.
Chapter End Notes
     Over halfway through! I hope you guys are liking it so far <3
***** awake *****
Chapter by ivythebug
Chapter Summary
     "The happy times ask me if I'm alright."
Chapter Notes
     COMEBACK TOMORROW COMEBACK TOMORROW COMBA-
     I was looking for a line from the song for this chapter and holy fuck
     is awake sad/
     someone help him
See the end of the chapter for more notes
“I don’t get it, hyung,” Jimin’s ass was back to taking up space on my bar.
“How can he just…  avoid  me after that?”
 
“That’s just how he is,” I shrugged, straightening bottles on the shelves just
for something to do.
 
“I know that, but wouldn’t you think he’d have  something  to say?” Jimin
huffed, shoving his face into his hands.
 
“I dunno, Jimin,” I turned to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Jin isn’t
wired like the rest of us, takes him longer to process human emotion.”
 
Jimin laughed a little bit, gave me a sad smile.  He opened his mouth, about to
say something back to me, but Jin walked into the club at that moment.  Jimin
turned to him, shutting his mouth tight, and immediately averting his eyes. Jin
started toward the bar, tapping the surface when he got close.
 
“Min,” he called. “I’ve arranged a client for Hoseok tonight, make sure he
knows.”
 
“Can do,” I nodded.
 
“Oh, and Jimin,” Jin had already turned toward his office, away from Jimin. “I
suggest you start warming up. You’re not doing any good sitting around like
that.”
 
And he walked off, leaving Jimin to scowl at his retreating back.  Jimin hopped
off the bar, straightened his clothes, then headed toward the stage.
 
“I really don’t get it,” he muttered, shaking his head at the thought.
 
Jin’s suggestion must have done  something  because -- whether it was his extra
practice or his burning spite -- Jimin performed with a certain fire that
night.  His outfit was more revealing, his routine more provocative, his
expressions more suggestive.  He engaged the crowd in ways he never had before.
 
 
And on top of that, Jimin decided to start giving lap dances.  Without Jin’s
knowledge.  He allowed the customers to touch him, relishing in the way they
sought after his body.  It had never occurred to Jimin that there was a reason
Jin never suggested lap dances before, that it  maybe  wasn’t a good idea.
 
Because it  was not  a good idea.
 
And while I was trying to keep an eye on Jimin, trying to make sure he didn’t
do anything  too  stupid, a lanky blonde stole all my attention.
 
“Hey, Yoongi,” Namjoon smiled as he approached the bar, not taking a seat like
usual.
 
“Here to see Hoseok?” I asked even though the answer was obvious.
 
“Yup,” he laughed, started walking again. “I was just on my way back to see
him.”
 
“Wait-” it hit me that Hoseok had a client that night. “Namjoon, you shouldn’t-
”
 
“It’s fine, Yoongi,” Namjoon smiled, kept walking toward the dressing rooms.
 
“No, Namjoon-” the music was drowning out my voice, and Namjoon was getting
farther away.  I followed after him to the back, fighting the crowd just to
stop him from walking in on Hoseok with someone else.
 
Namjoon stepped into the dressing room, looking around but not seeing anyone.
 He was standing outside the private room’s door when I got there, already
knocking delicately.
 
“Hoseok? It’s me,” he called as he turned the doorknob.  His beautifully bright
smile faded as soon as he opened the door, eyes going wide and jaw dropping.
 
“Namjoon?” Hoseok called, probably scrambling to put as much distance as
possible between him and his client.
 
“I’m sorry, I-” Namjoon backed away, covering his eyes with his hand.  He ran
into the dressing room, leaning up against the makeup counter and breathing
rapidly.
 
“Namjoon, what are you-” Hoseok came out, wrapping a silky robe hastily around
his body. “Baby, you’re hyperventilating.”
 
“Hoseok, I-” Namjoon’s eyes were everywhere, his breathing not slowing down for
anyone.
 
“ Breathe , Joon,” Hoseok took Namjoon’s face between his hands, eyes wide with
concern.
 
“I- you were-” Namjoon was still at a loss for words, not seeming to find them
again any time soon.
 
“You know this is my job, Namjoon,” Hoseok said seriously. “You know this is
what I  do .”
 
“I-I know,” Namjoon said shakily, nodding slowly. “But I never wanted-”
 
“You know I would never hurt you,” Hoseok stroked Namjoon’s cheek. “I love you,
Joon.”
 
“You-” Namjoon looked into Hoseok’s eyes, his own so wide they could burst.
“You what?”
 
Hoseok looked just as surprised, until he smiled. It was shy, but warm.  He
looked Namjoon in the eyes, laughed a small laugh, and bit his lip before
repeating:
 
“I love you.”
 
Namjoon was still, too shocked to move. Then he slowly smiled back, wrapping
his arms around Hoseok’s waist, and burying his face in Hoseok’s neck.  He
laughed, more of a relieved kind of laugh, his whole body shaking from it.
 
“I love  you , Hoseok,” he whispered into Hoseok’s skin, the words muffled but
still there. They held each other for what seemed like hours, just laughing,
shedding a tear or two.  Namjoon was the first to pull away, the first to kiss
Hoseok with a soft passion, one that burned low but strong.
 
I slipped past them, heading to the forgotten private room.  I swung the door
open and stepped inside, not regarding the man’s nakedness in the least. He
stared at me incredulously, opened his mouth like he was about to tell me to
get out.
 
“You should probably leave,” I suggested, tone low and warning.
 
“Excuse me?” he stood, covering himself and aiming a finger at me. “Who do you
think you are?”
 
“I won’t say it again,” I raised an eyebrow.
 
“Don’t think I’m not telling Mr. Kim about this,” he gathered his things,
watching me from the corner of his eye.
 
“Bite me,” I spat, following him into the main room after he made himself
decent.
 
Jin was standing in the shadows by the bar, eyes trained on Jimin.  If you
hadn’t been looking for him, you never would have seen him.  But the man was on
the lookout, waiting to snitch, because he noticed Jin after a few minutes of
searching the room.
 
“Mr. Kim!” he called, waving in Jin’s direction. Jin looked around, hearing the
man’s voice, but not quite able to discern where it came from. “Mr-”
 
“I suggest you keep your mouth  shut ,” I clapped a hand over the man’s mouth
from behind, leading him by the shoulder to a cushy chair in front of the
stage. “And enjoy the show.”
 
The man glared at me before I walked away, ultimately giving up and settling in
to watch Jimin.  I made my way back to the bar, but not before I stopped next
to Jin.  He didn’t glance at me as I moved in beside him, crossing my arms over
my chest and following his gaze.
 
“Hoseok’s client was giving him a hard time,” I lied.
 
“Where is he now?” Jin asked, not tearing his eyes from Jimin.
 
“Over there,” I nodded toward the man, now sitting in a cushy chair. “Don’t
rough him up too much.”
 
“We’ll see,” Jin finally glanced at me. His face was lifeless, even more so
than usual.
 
The rest of the night, I couldn’t help but feel like something wasn’t right
with Jin.  He didn’t move from his spot by the bar until the club was close to
closing.  Jimin climbed off the stage after his last dance, and Jin retreated
into his office like a ghost. He only came out once everyone else was long
gone, hating himself for not being able to understand what he was feeling. Why
was he drawn to Jimin? Why did seeing Jimin offer himself to the audience make
Jin’s blood boil?  He still couldn’t figure out the answer.
 
Meanwhile, Jimin didn’t care. Or at least that’s what he told himself.  He told
himself he was just having fun, but his subconscious had another idea.  He was
acting out, desperately trying to catch Jin’s attention, to get him to notice.
 Nothing’s wrong, he’d tell you.  I couldn’t care less, he’d say.  But he would
be lying to himself.
 
*****
“I’m trying to convince him to go back to school,” Hoseok sighed, sitting at
the bar.  It was becoming his new usual, not that I was complaining.
 
“Why did he drop out in the first place?” I asked, almost yelling over the
music. Jimin insisted it had to be louder. Part of his new wild side, I guess.
 
“He said that all the assignments and studying got to be too much,” he was
waving his hands around, almost taking out the guy sitting next to him. “That
plus his job.”
 
“He’s always worked at the gas station?” I slid a drink to a customer down the
bar.
 
Hoseok opened his mouth to reply, but Jungkook approached the bar before he
could.  His eyes didn’t meet mine, he barely even looked in my direction.
 
“I need a gin and tonic,” he said more to bar than to me.
 
“Coming up,” I prepared the drink while Hoseok eyed Jungkook. Jungkook turned
to him, noticed his stare, and immediately turned around again, staring at his
shoes. “Here, Jungkook.”
 
He took the drink and bowed his head, not saying a word or looking up before he
disappeared into the crowd again.  Hoseok stared after him, brows furrowed,
until he couldn’t see him anymore.  
 
“What’s up with  him ?” he asked, turning back to me.
 
“Dunno,” I lied, shrugging my shoulders.  Jungkook had been avoiding me,
embarrassed from the incident in the restroom.  I had already decided that I
didn’t care, Jungkook was free to do whatever he pleased. I had also decided
that  was a damn lie.
 
“Weird,” Hoseok whispered. “Maybe Taehyung did something.”
 
“Maybe,” I whispered under my breath. Hoseok turned around on his barstool,
seemingly deciding that Jimin’s performance was more entertaining than the
answers I wasn’t giving him.  I couldn’t blame him.
 
Jimin had a crazed look in his eyes, like he was a wild animal hunting down his
prey.  He ran a hand through his pink hair and hopped down from the stage.  He
approached several customers, trailing fingers along their chests, or running a
hand through their hair.  He had them all drooling, all anticipating who he’d
come to next.
 
“What the hell is he doing?” Hoseok whisper-yelled when Jimin finally picked
his victim, climbing into his lap and swinging his hips.
 
“He’s going through this kind of  rebellious  phase,” I whispered back, leaning
against the bar and watching with Hoseok.
 
“What’s he gonna do if Jin catches him?” Hoseok asked.
 
“I don’t wanna know.” But we were all about to find out.
 
Jimin bit his lip, pulling the man’s head back by his hair and exposing his
throat.  Jimin got close, his breath teasing the man’s skin, teeth threatening
to bite.  He pushed himself off, turning around and pushing back onto the man’s
lap.  
 
What no one noticed was the sound of Jin’s office door opening, his presence
slipping into the main room.  He was originally headed out into the street, but
stopped in his tracks when he noticed Jimin.  He stood watching him from the
sidelines, in the shadows.
 
Jin watched as the man put his hands on Jimin’s body, Jin’s own fists clenching
at his sides.  He watched as Jimin rolled his hips against the man, seeming to
enjoy the attention way too much.  Jin watched the man grip Jimin’s hips,
smooth his hands down Jimin’s back, practically fucking him in the chair.
 
Jin watched until he couldn’t watch anymore.
 
“Get up,” he barked at Jimin, marching over to the two of them. Jimin smirked,
started to laugh when Jin cut him off, “I said get up!”
 
Jimin’s eyes went wide as he scrambled off the man’s lap.  Jin rounded the
chair, facing the man. He bent down low, an inch away from the man’s face and a
hand clutching the front of his shirt.
 
“You think you can put your hands on my dancer?” Jin snarled. He pulled the man
up by the grip he had on his shirt.  He reared back, aiming a powerful punch to
the man’s jaw.  There was a loud crack, one that could be heard clearly if the
music wasn’t blaring, and blood dripped from the man’s mouth.
 
“I-” the man tried to reason with Jin, but Jin just gripped him harder,
dragging him to the club’s entrance. He pulled the door open, so hard that it
put a slight dent in the wall when it swung back, and he threw the man to the
ground outside.
 
“The next time I see you, I won’t be so hesitant to kill you,” Jin spat,
slamming the door closed and leaning against it for a few seconds.  He turned,
gestured for Jimin to follow him to his office. Jimin smirked and trailed after
him, but he didn’t wait until they were behind closed doors to start his fun.
 
“Oh, you’re  so  strong,” Jimin said, clutching onto Jin’s arm. Jin shot a
glare down at him, but Jimin just looked up with puppy eyes. Jin pulled his arm
out of Jimin’s grip, but Jimin moved in front of him, trailing a finger across
Jin’s chest.
 
“I love it when daddy defends me,” Jimin smirked again, biting his lip. Jin had
enough, grabbing Jimin by the shoulders and slamming him against the closest
wall.
 
“This isn’t funny, Jimin,” he growled, grip tight.
 
“I guess not,” Jimin shrugged, hiding a laugh behind his smirk. Jin pushed him
back one last time before he huffed and walked away without another word.  He
didn’t go to his office, instead walking straight out the front door.
 
The crowd cleared out earlier than usual that night, afraid of what would
happen if they stayed longer. Jimin was staring at his reflection in the
mirror, not quite satisfied with what he saw.  Taehyung was storming into the
dressing room, and I was trailing behind him, trying to keep him from making
tensions any higher.
 
“Taehyung-”
 
“What the hell  was  that?” he yelled at Jimin, effectively cutting me off.
 
“Just forget it” Jimin didn’t so much as glance at Taehyung.
 
“Forget it?” Taehyung asked incredulously. “Do you know what kind of scene-”
 
“It’s  my  problem, Taehyung!” Jimin yelled, standing from his seat at the
vanity. “Can’t you just let me deal with it?”
 
Taehyung’s jaw clenched, hands curling into fists at his sides, but he turned
to leave the room.  Jungkook, who had just walked in, looked confused to see
Taehyung heated like that.  He looked even more confused when Taehyung wrapped
an arm around his shoulders, telling him that they were going home,  now .
 
Jimin was still standing, staring after Taehyung as he left.  When just he and
I were left in the room, Jimin physically deflated, all his energy slipping
from his body.  He sank down into his chair again, looking at me through the
mirror.
 
“I don’t get it,” he muttered. “Why would he react that way?”
 
“Maybe Taehyung-”
 
“Not Taehyung,” Jimin sighed. “ Jin. ”
 
“Why do you think?” I asked, like the answer was obvious. And it kind of was.
 
“I don’t know!” Jimin yelled into his hands. No matter how hard Jimin tried, he
could never understand how Jin’s mind worked. He could never understand what
Jin was going through, maybe even struggling more than Jimin was.  
 
“No one knows, Jimin,” I sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder.
 
“I just don’t get it,” Jimin whispered, so light you almost couldn’t hear him.





Chapter End Notes
     -CK TOMORROW COMEBACK TOMORROW COMEBACK TOMORROW! AH!
     also thank you guys, I love you <3
***** lost *****
Chapter by ivythebug
Chapter Summary
     "Lost my way within a complicated world without an exit."
Chapter Notes
     and so the plot thickens
     have some drama
See the end of the chapter for more notes
“You alright?” Hoseok asked, frowning at me when I finally opened the apartment
door.
 
“Am I cursed?” I asked back, locking the door and falling into step beside
Hoseok.
 
“What do you mean?” he was still thoroughly confused, not letting up his
questioning stare.
 
“I keep walking in on everyone having sex,” I sighed, shivering at the thought.
 
 
“You saw someone having sex?” Hoseok asked, ready to gossip. “Wait, more than
once?”
 
“It’s been happening a lot lately,” I murmured, refusing to look at Hoseok.
 
“Well, who was it?” he nudged me in the side, mischievous smile spreading on
his face.
 
“Hoseok-”
 
“Come on,” he stepped in front of me, keeping me from taking another step
forward, and pulled out his best puppy dog pout. “Just tell me what happened.”
 
===============================================================================
 
“Hey, Yoongi,” Namjoon stepped through the club’s entrance and made his way
over to me. “Is Hoseok almost ready?”
 
“I’ll get him,” I left Namjoon and set off for the dressing room.  Taehyung and
Jungkook were changing out of their uniforms, and Jimin had already gone home
for the night.  “Where’s Hoseok?”
 
Just then, the door to the private room opened, and Hoseok’s face appeared on
the other side.  He shoved his wallet and phone into his pockets, walking into
the room and smiling when he finally noticed me standing there.
 
“Is Namjoon here?” he asked, smile never fading. I nodded, walking back into
the main room with him.  He gave Namjoon a quick peck on the lips and entwined
their fingers together.
 
“You ready to go?” Namjoon asked us both, as we were all headed back to the
apartments that night. I nodded, following after the other two as they walked
through the club’s entrance. We had gotten about a block away from the club
before I noticed that my pockets felt suspiciously light.
 
“Shit,” I whispered, stopping to feel each of my pockets.
 
“What is it?” Hoseok had stopped walking too, obviously concerned.
 
“I think I left my phone back at the club,” I sighed.
 
“We can go back and get it,” Hoseok suggested.
 
“I’ll get it,” I waved Hoseok off. “You two go on ahead.”
 
So they went on their way, albeit Hoseok was a little reluctant.  It seemed
like he was always having to help me out, it had become second nature to him.
 But I backtracked our path from the club alone, thanking every god that I
hadn’t gotten all the way home before I noticed my phone was missing. Though
maybe I should have just left it there.
 
The door to the club was still unlocked when I got back, which meant Taehyung
and Jungkook hadn’t left yet.  I pushed the door open, flipped on the switch
for the main room’s lights, and scanned the area for my phone.  It was laying
on the bar, right where I had left it.  When I approached the bar to take it,
it started vibrating. I jumped out of my skin, but immediately relaxed when I
noticed Hoseok’s face lighting up the screen.
 
“Yes?” I answered the call, smiling to myself.
 
“Just thought a call might help you find it,” he sounded proud of himself.
 
“What would I do without you?” I rolled my eyes, though he couldn’t see.
 
“Probably die, to be honest,” he answered.
 
“Bye, Hoseok,” I laughed, hanging up before he could get another word in.  I
pocketed the phone and turned to leave the club once again, but a small moan
followed by a shh made me stop dead.
 
Though every single cell in my body told me to get out of there while I could,
I couldn’t help but want to investigate. At that point, it really seemed like a
disease.  So I kept my footsteps light as I approached the dressing room,
because there was no wayit was a bad idea.  The closer I got, the easier it
became to pick up the sound of small whimpers.
 
My stomach turned.  I knew exactly who was in that room, but I still couldn’t
stop myself from looking. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and peeked
around the corner.  Taehyung was sitting in one of the room’s chairs, leaning
fully against the back of the chair.  But Jungkook -- ohJungkook -- was in
Taehyung’s lap, face buried in Taehyung’s neck and rolling his hips ever so
slowly.
 
I pulled away, refusing to watch any more.  My stomach felt hollow, and all I
could do was run from that room, from the club. All I could do was lock my
apartment door and not come out until Hoseok’s voice rang through it the next
day.
 
But I didn’t know the whole story.  Not that knowing it would make it any
better, but oh well.  You win some, you lose some.
 
Taehyung was pulling his t-shirt over his head when he heard the door to the
club open and close, our three voices disappearing with it.  He didn’t pay too
much mind, just made a mental note to lock up when he and Jungkook left for the
night.  
 
But Jungkook was paying attention, waiting for the moment when they were alone.
 He wrapped his arms around Taehyung from behind, pulling himself close against
Taehyung’s body.  
 
“Jungkook, wha-”
 
“Mm, hyung feels so nice,” he murmured, breath warm against Taehyung’s skin.
 Taehyung unlinked Jungkook’s hands so he was able to turn around and face him.
Jungkook just smiled, relocated his hands to smooth over the skin under
Taehyung’s t-shirt.
 
“What are you doing?” Taehyung looked into Jungkook’s pleading doe-eyes, not
too keen on fighting the warmth of Jungkook’s touch.
 
“I wanna feel you, hyung,” Jungkook whispered, reaching up to plant a small
kiss on Taehyung’s lips. “Allof you.”
 
“Jungkook-”
 
“Is that so bad?” Jungkook pouted, bottom lip looking perfect enough to bite.
 
“No, baby,” Taehyung ran a hand through Jungkook’s raven hair. “It’s not bad.”
 
Jungkook leaned in to kiss Taehyung again, and he obliged, taking control.  He
kissed Jungkook with a kind of soft heat, the want evident but not animal.
Jungkook slipped his hand farther up Taehyung’s torso, smoothing over his chest
and slipping his t-shirt back over his head.  The skin to skin contact made
Jungkook weak, for he hadn’t bothered to throw on a shirt beforehand.
 
Jungkook pushed his body against Taehyung’s, nudging him in the direction of
the closest chair.  Taehyung got the hint and took a seat, breaking the kiss.
 Jungkook dropped to his knees, beginning to undo Taehyung’s zipper before he
even began to speak.
 
“Jungkook, we don’t have anything,” Taehyung told him, stroking through
Jungkook’s hair again.
 
“Hoseok-hyung, does,” Jungkook smiled up at Taehyung as he stripped him of his
jeans.  He stood, shedding his own and strutting into the private room.  He
returned with a bottle of lube and a smirk.
 
“Come here,” Taehyung cooed, shaking his head slightly in disbelief.  Jungkook
climbed into his lap, straddling him, and wiggled his hips.  Jungkook started
planting kisses down Taehyung’s neck as Taehyung got some lube on his fingers,
warming it before easing the first finger into Jungkook.  
 
But even as Jungkook whimpered at the feeling, Taehyung couldn’t help but think
the slide was toosmooth.
 
“Jungkook,” Jungkook looked at Taehyung with mischievous eyes. “Did you stretch
yourself already?”
 
“I couldn’t help it,” Jungkook pouted, brushing his nose against Taehyung’s.
“Please hurry.”
 
“I will, baby,” and Taehyung slipped in another finger, swallowing Jungkook’s
small whimpers as he worked Jungkook open. Way sooner than he anticipated,
Taehyung deemed Jungkook ready, smoothing more lube on his cock before letting
Jungkook sink down.
 
“Hyung,” Jungkook moaned, brows furrowed and bottom lip caught between his
teeth.
 
“How do you feel, baby?” Taehyung whispered in his ear.  Jungkook leaned in
close, his breath warm against the shell of Taehyung’s ear.
 
“Full,” he whispered back. Taehyung let out a low growl, placing his hands on
Jungkook’s hips and moving him slowly.  Jungkook buried his face in Taehyung’s
neck again, muffling his soft moans.
 
Jungkook was breathing heavy, hands hot against Taehyung’s bare chest. Taehyung
tilted his hips slightly, and Jungkook let out a loud moan.
 
“Shh,” Taehyung kissed Jungkook’s temple, hands still guiding Jungkook’s hips
slowly. They kept that slow pace for a while, but Jungkook grew impatient,
wiggling his hips and nipping at Taehyung’s skin.
 
“Faster, hyung,” he whined, and Taehyung sank lower into the chair, gripping
Jungkook’s hips harder. He lifted Jungkook just a little, pulling him back down
as he thrusted up.  Jungkook almost screamed at the power, the jolt it sent
through his body.  Taehyung continued, going faster and faster until Jungkook’s
loud moans were reverberating against the walls, filling the whole club.
 
“You like that, baby?” Taehyung growled.
 
“Y-yes, hyung,” Jungkook nodded slowly, trying desperately to catch his breath.
 His arms were outstretched, knuckles turning white from his grip on the arms
of the chair.  He threw his head back, throat exposed, back arching.  Taehyung
thought he was the most beautiful thing alive.
 
Jungkook’s small body started shaking, his moans becoming more and more whiny,
and his chest heaving in short, shallow breaths.
 
“You’re close,” Taehyung murmured. “Cum, baby.”
 
So he did, painting Taehyung’s chest and stomach a pearly white.  Taehyung
followed shortly after, savoring the few whines of overstimulation from
Jungkook while they lasted.  He pulled Jungkook close to his chest, not
thinking about the sticky feeling, and slipped out from him.  His cum dripped
to the floor, but he just held Jungkook close, kissing his sweaty forehead.  
 
===============================================================================
 
“Where’s Jimin?” Hoseok asked, emerging into the main room from the dressing
room.  
 
“He already left,” Taehyung answered, sitting in one of the cushy chairs by the
stage.
 
“Why has he been leaving early?” Hoseok thought out loud, turning to me. “You
don’t think he’s gotten into that stuff again, do you?”
 
“What, drugs?” I furrowed my brows. “No way, not after what already happened to
him.”
 
“I’m just worried,” Hoseok sighed, sitting on the arm of a cushy chair.
 
“You’reworried about Jimin?” Taehyung asked incredulously.
 
“And you’re not?” Hoseok shot back.
 
“I couldn’t care less what happens to him,” Taehyung muttered.
 
Hoseok and Taehyung continued their mindless arguing, but Jungkook took a seat
on the barstool next to mine. He looked at his hands in his lap for a minute
before sparing a glance at me.
 
“Can we talk, hyung?” he asked, voice small.
 
“Sure,” I shrugged, and he took my hand in his, sliding off his barstool.  He
pulled me into the dressing room, away from the other two’s bickering. “What is
it?”
 
“I just-” he looked at me shyly, his voice wavering. “Are you mad at me?”
 
“Of course not,” I softened my voice.
 
“Really?” he asked with wide eyes, unsure. “Even after you saw me with Taehyung
in the bathroom?”
 
“Jungkook, I could never be mad at you,” I tousled his hair, smiling at his
sigh of relief. It wasn’t a lie, I really couldn’t be mad at him. Not with
those big innocent eyes, that pitiful pout or bunny smile.  One look at him
dissolved any ounce of anger I could’ve had.
 
“I felt so bad,” he murmured, wrapping his arms around my middle and pulling
himself against me.
 
“I know, Kookie-”
 
“Excuse me, we’re closed,” Hoseok’s voice rang through the club from the main
room.  I stepped into the main room to see what was going on, Jungkook
reappearing at my side.
 
“I know,” an unfamiliar man told Hoseok. “I’m here to see Jimin.”
 
“Who are you?” Hoseok asked, voice rising.
 
“I’m Jihoon,” the man stepped closer to Hoseok, smirk curling on his lips.
 
Why did that name sound familiar?
 
“Jimin’s boyfriend,” he continued.
 
“I don’t think so,” Taehyung piped up.
 
“Oh?” Jihoon raised an eyebrow.
 
“I think it’s time to go,” Hoseok said, stepping forward to lead Jihoon out.
 
“You can’t keep me from him,” Jihoon grabbed Hoseok’s wrist, pulling him close.
Jungkook instinctively ran toward Hoseok, but Hoseok put a hand up to stop him.
 
“Don’t, Jungkook,” he called.  He was breathing heavy, not daring to break free
from Jihoon’s grip, not daring to move at all. I cautiously moved in by
Jungkook’s side, if only to keep him from making things worse. But that’s when
I saw the glint of the knife, the tip pressing into Hoseok’s chest.
 
“Jimin isn’t here,” Hoseok said calmly, slowly. He grimaced when Jihoon dug the
tip of the knife deeper into Hoseok’s skin, a drop of red saturating his shirt.
 
“I don’t think you’re in the position to lie to me,” Jihoon smiled.  Jungkook
tried to lunge forward, but I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him back
against my chest.
 
“Jungkook, don’t ,” I whispered. But Jungkook’s eyes weren’t looking at Hoseok
or Jihoon, he was staring almost throughthem.  I followed his gaze to find
Taehyung slowly slipping behind the man, silently grabbing a stool from the
bar.
 
“Hurt me all you want,” Hoseok taunted, trying to keep Jihoon distracted. “But
you’ll never find him.”
 
Before Jihoon could cut any deeper into Hoseok’s skin, Taehyung swung the stool
into Jihoon’s side, knocking him to the ground. The knife had fallen a few feet
away, but Jihoon was too stunned to get to it before Taehyung.
 
“If you leave right now, we’ll pretend this never happened,” Taehyung tried to
reason, but Jihoon stood and approached Taehyung, clutching his side.
 
“But I don’t want to leave,” Jihoon scowled, reaching out to grab at Taehyung’s
throat. “Not unless Jimin leaves with me.”
 
Jungkook was struggling against my hold, trying to get to Taehyung before
Jihoon choked him to death. Taehyung tried to pull his hands away, tried to be
as calm as he could about this whole thing, but his vision was going fuzzy.  He
convinced himself that he had no other choice as he drove the knife into
Jihoon’s side.
 
Taehyung dropped to the floor in a heap, grasping at his throat and breathing
like he had never tasted air before. Jihoon stumbled back, pulling the knife
out of his skin and dropping to his knees. The knife clattered to the floor and
blood poured from Jihoon’s wound.
 
“Oh my god,” Jungkook muttered into my chest, having turned away the second the
knife pierced Jonghyun's skin.  He was shaking, gripping my shirt so hard he
could have ripped the fabric. I could feel his tears soaking through to my
skin.
 
Jihoon opened his mouth to say something, but blood dripped from his lips
instead of words. He coughed several times, spraying blood everywhere, before
he collapsed on the floor.
 
“Is he-”
 
“Yeah,” Taehyung cut off Hoseok’s question, crawling over to feel Jihoon’s
pulse. “He’s dead.”
 
Jungkook shuddered, a fresh flood of tears seeping through my shirt.
 
“God,” Hoseok clapped a hand over his mouth, huddled on the floor by the bar,
his chest still dripping blood. “What the hell are we going to do now?”
 
“Call Jin,” Taehyung called out.
 
“I got it,” I said, pulling out my phone and dialing Jin’s number, one arm
still holding Jungkook tight.
 
“This better be important, Min,” Jin’s voice sounded tired.
 
“It is,” I sighed. “Someone attacked us at the club-”

“Is there a mess?” he asked.
 
“Yes,” I really hoped Jungkook couldn’t hear.
 
“I’ll have it taken care of,” and Jin hung up without another word.
 
“Jin said he’d deal with it,” I called to Taehyung. “You take Jungkook home,
I’ll wait for him here.”
 
“No,” Jungkook whimpered, gripping tighter into my shirt.
 
“Why not?” I whispered down at him.  He looked at me with red, puffy eyes.
 
“I can’t- go-,” he whispered in my ear. “H-he killed-”
 
“It’s alright, Jungkook,” I ran a hand through his hair. “You don’t have to.”
 
“Can I stay with you?” he muttered, face buried in my chest again. “Please?”
 
“I-” he caught me off guard. “Yeah, okay.”
 
===============================================================================
 
“Hoseok, he just… clungto me,” I explained, completely taken aback.  Hoseok was
standing in his kitchen with no shirt and a fresh bandage over the cut on his
chest.
 
“You werethere,” Hoseok shrugged like the answer was obvious. Maybe it was.
 
“I know, but-” I huffed, leaning against Hoseok’s apartment door. “He had just
spent the past week avoiding me.”
 
“That doesn’t matter now,” Hoseok looked deadly serious. “Now you just need to
be here for him, Yoongi.”
 
“Yeah,” I sighed, opening the door and stepping into the hallway. “Goodnight,
Hoseok.”
Chapter End Notes
     not many chapters left..
     thank you for sticking with me <3
***** bts cypher 4 *****
Chapter by ivythebug
Chapter Summary
     "But I can never be satisfied here."
Chapter Notes
     whoops this one's up a little later than usual
     nonetheless, have fun!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
“God, why does everyone seem so dead?” Jimin asked the room, sighing and
resting his chin in his hands -- though he winced and slowly pulled away.
Hoseok looked up, turning to Taehyung, who then turned to Jungkook.  Jungkook
caught Taehyung’s eye and immediately looked down at his lap.  
 
“Long night, I guess,” I shrugged, not exactly lying.  Jimin opened his mouth
to speak again, but the front door creaking open cut him off before he could
begin.  Jin walked through the entrance, messing with the cuff on his dress
shirt. He decided to forgo the suit jacket that day.
 
“Min, a word,” he looked up, raised an eyebrow in my direction, and continued
on to his office.  I didn’t miss the way he glanced at Jimin, making eye-
contact but cutting it off immediately.
 
“What is it?” I asked, shutting the door behind me as Jin took a seat on the
desktop.  I knew exactly what this conversation would be about. Jin had no
problems with necessary roughness, with secrets kept for the right reasons. But
he would still try to collect as much information as he could.
 
“I didn’t ask Taehyung last night, thought it would be better to save the
questions for later,” Jin folded his arms across his chest. “So what the hell
happened, Min?”
 
“Just someone who picked a fight with the wrong people,” was all I said.
 
“Who was he?” Jin sighed, accepting the vague description. “Anyone I should be
worried about?”
 
“Jihoon,” I figured that would explain enough for Jin, but he just furrowed his
brows.
 
“Jihoon?” Jimin never told Jin about Jihoon, not wanting the old to interfere
with the new.
 
“Uh- that’s what he said his name was,” I shrugged. “I dunno, just some whacko
with a knife.”
 
“Good, can’t have you guys killing any more friends of friends,” he raised his
eyebrow at me, obviously hinting at the screwdriver incident. “You can go,
Min.”
 
I slipped from Jin’s office, joining the emotionless group in the main room.
 Hoseok was sitting in a cushy chair, Jungkook sitting on the floor below him
as Hoseok played with his hair.  Hoseok was taking a night to himself, claiming
he wouldn’t make good money with an open wound in the middle of his chest.
 Meanwhile Jungkook just wanted a distraction from it all, something to keep
his mind off the blood and the tears.  Jimin was practicing for his routine
that night, getting more frustrated than usual when he messed up a step.
 
“How do you feel?” I asked Taehyung as he approached the bar, rubbing his
temples.
 
“I did what I had to,” he breathed. “But I feel like shit.”
 
“You look it, too,” I filled a glass with cold water and handed it to him.  He
put his hands around it, but didn’t pick it up.
 
“I was numb at first, like all the adrenaline cancelled it out,” he said to the
glass. “But now all I can think about is... I took someone’s life.”
 
“At least you have a conscience,” I lowered my voice. “Did you tell Jimin?”
 
“No,” Taehyung sighed. “I don’t want him to think about it.”
 
“What happened to ‘I couldn’t care less about Jimin’, huh?” I watched as
Taehyung gripped the glass a little tighter before letting go, slowly looking
up to meet my eye.
 
“I may not like Jimin,” he said, voice almost a growl. “But he’s family, and no
onehurts my family.”
 
With that, Taehyung stood and left the main room to begin preparing for the
coming night.  As he retreated, Hoseok patted Jungkook’s head and rose from his
cushy chair. He sat down on the barstool Taehyung had occupied just moments
before.
 
“How’s your battle scar?” I teased.
 
“Not too deep, but it’ll be a bitch trying to get that stain out of my shirt,”
his smile didn’t meet his eyes.  He was obviously not his normal self despite
the efforts at a facade.
 
“You okay?” I asked, seriously this time.
 
“Yeah, it’ll pass,” he sighed. “Just need to get my mind off it.”
 
“I’ll bring over some take-out tonight,” I suggested. “Throw back a couple
beers.”
 
“That’s a great idea,” he almost sounded relieved, smiling dimly.
 
But Namjoon must have come up with an even better idea because I ended up
taking both meals back to my own apartment -- and definitely noteating both
myself.
 
===============================================================================
 
“Fuck, that’s hot,” I hissed, setting the steaming take-out on the counter to
grab a six pack from my fridge.  With the beer in one hand and food in the
other, I pulled my apartment door closed with my foot and headed for Hoseok’s
apartment.  I stood there for a few seconds trying to figure out the best way
to knock with my hands full.  But that’s when I heard it.
 
Someone on the other side of the door was moaning, and not being subtle about
it.  I stopped strategizing, blowing up on my bangs in defeat and trudging back
to my own apartment.  What I couldn’t see -- didn’t wantto see -- was Namjoon
doing his best to take Hoseok’s mind off things.
 
“You’re so stressed, Hobi,” Namjoon cooed, running his fingers through Hoseok’s
orange hair. Hoseok just hummed, his eyes staying closed as he laid back
against Namjoon’s chest. “Let me help you.”
 
Namjoon leaned down to place a kiss on Hoseok’s forehead, on his nose, on his
lips.  He kissed Hoseok slow and sweet, not wanting to rush anything.  It
seemed to pull Hoseok out of his daze, for he sat up straighter and kissed
Namjoon back.  He trailed light fingers along Namjoon’s arms and sides, skin
warm against skin as he slowly slid Namjoon’s shirt over his head.
 
Namjoon hummed against Hoseok’s lips before reluctantly pulling away.  Hoseok
pouted at him as he stood from the couch, but Namjoon scooped Hoseok into his
arms and carried him into his bedroom. He gently lowered Hoseok onto the bed
and crawled over him, locking their lips together again. Namjoon stripped
Hoseok of his shirt, kissing all over his chest and stomach.
 
“You’re so beautiful, Hobi,” Namjoon whispered against Hoseok’s skin.
 
“Namjoon-”
 
“Shh,” Namjoon cut him off, bringing his lips back to Hoseok’s own. “You are.”
 
Hoseok gave in to Namjoon’s praise, closing his eyes and melting under his
kiss.  He let the heat from Namjoon’s hands sink into his skin, burning in the
best way.  He was too lost in the attention, the softness that he so
desperately needed, to notice Namjoon reaching for a bottle of lube.  Hoseok
felt the cold bottle being nudged into his hand and Namjoon’s fingers working
his jeans off his hips.
 
Namjoon whimpered into Hoseok’s mouth, rolling his hips down onto Hoseok’s as
he was being worked open.  Hoseok moved his fingers slowly, his other hand
trailing down the curve of Namjoon’s spine. When he thought Namjoon was finally
ready, Hoseok pecked his lips, his nose, and placed both hands on Namjoon’s
hips.
 
“Ready, Joonie?” he asked, thumbs rubbing circles into Namjoon’s skin.
 
“Of course, baby,” Namjoon smiled down at Hoseok before he sank down onto his
length slowly.  His eyebrows furrowed and a little gasp escaped his lips.
 Hoseok swore that Namjoon had to have been the most beautiful thing to grace
the earth.
 
Hoseok ran his hands up and down Namjoon’s thighs while Namjoon own hands
gripped firmly on Hoseok’s shoulders.  He rolled his hips slowly, moans growing
steadily louder and head tilting back in pleasure.  When Namjoon’s legs
starting shaking from the exertion, Hoseok gripped his hips harder and thrusted
up into him. Hoseok tried his best to hold back his moans, just wanting to hear
Namjoon’s as they filled the room.
 
“H-Hobi…” Namjoon whined. “I’m gonna-”
 
And Namjoon came in ribbons on Hoseok’s stomach, his chest rising and falling
rapidly.  Hoseok noticed as Namjoon scrunched his nose at the sensitivity,
trying to find his own high soon.  Namjoon’s moans grew more whiny, his body
collapsing onto Hoseok’s own. Hoseok wrapped his arms around Namjoon, holding
him close and kissing his temple as felt the band in his stomach about to snap.
 
“Almost there, baby,” Hoseok whispered into Namjoon’s ear, breath becoming
labored. “You’re okay.”
 
He quickly lifted Namjoon’s hips as he felt his high approaching.  Hoseok’s
released coated the back of Namjoon’s thighs and dripped onto his own pelvis.
 Namjoon kissed him once, twice, three times before he climbed off the bed.  He
returned with a warm washcloth, wiping Hoseok’s skin clean of the stickiness.
 
“I love you so much, Joonie,” Hoseok smiled up at Namjoon, grabbing him by the
wrist before he retreated to the bathroom again.
 
“Hobi,” Namjoon leaned down to kiss Hoseok’s forehead. “I love you, too.”
 
Namjoon watched Hoseok fall asleep on his chest.  He carded his fingers through
his orange hair, noticing how his nose twitched every now and then.  He smiled,
thanking every god that Hoseok could be his.  But then he thought about how
much Hoseok has to deal with, how his smile seems to never fade despite all the
bullshit he goes through.
 
Namjoon had always known Hoseok was stronger than him.  He admired him every
single day for it.  But in that moment, Namjoon could almost feel his heart
breaking at the thought.  Hoseok
shouldn’t have to be that strong.  He shouldn’t have to put on a brave face
when his life is threatened. He shouldn’t have that damn bandage on his chest,
the wound below slowly healing everyday.
 
Looking sadly at the strands of orange hair splayed across his skin, the way
Hoseok’s cheek squished slightly against his chest, Namjoon placed a soft kiss
to Hoseok’s forehead before drifting off to sleep himself.
 
===============================================================================
 
“I think that’s the last of them,” Jungkook said as he placed a few empty
glasses on the bar.
 
“Thanks, Kookie,” I grabbed a glass and started scrubbing it clean. Jungkook
sat on the closest barstool and sighed at the floor. “Everything okay?”
 
“Well, no,” he looked up, his brows furrowed a little. “But I think I’m just
gonna have to get used to it.”
 
“Used to what?” I asked, setting a now clean glass back on its shelf.
 
“Everything that goes on around here,” he sighed, ran a hand through his raven
black hair. “I knew working here wouldn’t be easy, but…”
 
“You didn’t expect this,” I finished for him, and he nodded. Jungkook was only
seventeen, way too young to have seen the things he had.  He may not have
looked it, but Jungkook was so strong. He coped in his own way, distancing
himself just long enough to shove everything he felt to the back of his mind.
 Even though he felt incredible pain, he refused to let it control him.
 
“Ready to go?” Taehyung had come to stand beside Jungkook, resting a hand on
his shoulder as he spoke.
 
“Yeah, whenever you are,” Jungkook replied plainly, seemingly already over last
night’s events. Or so he made himself believe.
 
“Let me grab my jacket, and we can leave,” Taehyung left Jungkook’s side to
walk back into the dressing room.  He passed Jimin on the way, glancing at him
briefly before stopping in his tracks.
 
“What happened to you?” Taehyung asked him, hand closed around Jimin’s wrist.
 
“Why do you care?” Jimin snarled, pulling himself free from Taehyung’s grip.
 He looked at Taehyung like he was mud on his shoe and turned away.  Hoseok
perked up from his seat in a cushy chair at the sound of Jimin’s harsh voice.
Taehyung stood frozen, just watching as Jimin walked over to the bar.  
 
“Jimin-” Hoseok rose from his chair, running to cut off Jimin’s path. Jimin
sighed and rolled his eyes.
 
“Hyung, it’s nothing,” Jimin walked around his roadblock, coming closer to bar
and into my view.  That’s when I noticed several bruises colored Jimin’s jaw
and cheekbone.
 
“Where’d those come from?” I asked.
 
“Where do you think?” he snapped back.
 
“Did you have them covered up earlier?” Hoseok asked, brow still furrowed.
 
“I’m getting pretty good at that, huh?” Jimin’s tone and smirk were nothing but
sarcastic. “Couldn’t have Jin seeing it, could I?”
 
“Couldn’t have me seeing what?” Jin’s voice cut through the room, no one having
noticed when his office door opened and he stepped into the room. No one
answered him.  He scanned the room, watching everyone as they looked pointedly
away from him.  His footsteps were light, eery, as he approached Jimin.
 
“Jimin?”
 
Jimin, who had been staring at the floor, slowly looked up at Jin. His eyes
weren’t filled with fear, no. It was more like spite, pure hatred.  Jimin
watched as Jin reached out to run a hand along his jaw.  He shivered when skin
touched skin.
 
“What’s this?” Jin asked, not sounding the least bit concerned.  But in
reality, his heart lurched and blood boiled.  His fingers itched to avenge
Jimin, to utterly destroy whoever did that to him.
 
“Am I damaged goods now?” Jimin spat, eyes drilling holes into Jin’s own. “Is
my face not pretty enough for you?”
 
If you watched closely, you could see Jin’s eyes widen by a fraction, his body
stiffen ever so slightly in surprise.  But he snapped out of it just as quickly
as it had come.
 
“Who did this to you?” Jin was growing impatient, his voice hardly more than a
growl. He had to stop himself from putting pressure on Jimin’s bruises out of
frustration.  He didn’t want to cause Jimin any more pain.
 
“It’s not like you care,” Jimin muttered, words barely audible.  But Jin caught
them, pulling his hand away from Jimin as if he had been burned. Jin could feel
his fury rising through him, threatening to bubble up and out from his throat.
“It’s not like you love me.”
 
But Jin couldn’t keep it in anymore.  He couldn’t fight it.
 
“God, Jimin!” Jin’s voice tore through the room, the whole building. “You
honestly think I don’t love you?”
 
“You-?” Jimin couldn’t find any words, just stared back into Jin’s furious
face. “You what…?”
 
Jimin’s eyes lost their fire, his resolve melting away as he took in Jin’s
words.  Jin was staring at Jimin incredulously, as if he couldn’t understand
how Jimin didn’t see it earlier. Jin shook his head and turned away from him,
ignoring the way Jimin reached out for him.  Jin opened the door to the club
but stopped in the threshold.  He took a deep breath, and though no one saw it,
he blinked away tears and steeled himself.  Jin looked over his shoulder, eyes
meeting Jimin’s misty ones for a few painful seconds. He swallowed hard as he
watched the first tear fall down Jimin’s face before he turned back to the
street outside and disappeared into the night.
 
Jimin had to ask himself if he was still alive.
Chapter End Notes
     only four more chapters left :(
     love you guys <3
***** am i wrong *****
Chapter by ivythebug
Chapter Summary
     "I think this whole world is crazy. It feels like the end."
Chapter Notes
     WOW I uploaded this so late today
     anyway some stuff goes down in this chapter so read carefully
     warnings:
     -implied rape
     -death
See the end of the chapter for more notes
“What is he  doing ?” I whispered to myself, locking the apartment behind me
and turning down the hall.  Hoseok would normally have been knocking on my door
by then -- maybe even yelling that we were late -- but there was no sign of
him.  
 
“Hoseok?” I knocked on his door, listening to faint shuffling on the other
side. “You okay?”
 
“Yeah, one sec!” Hoseok called back.  Footsteps quickened and keys jingled
before Hoseok opened the door, shooting me a smile as he pulled it closed.
“Sorry, lost track of time.”
 
“Yeah, right,” I smirked, nudging Hoseok in the side. “How’s Namjoon?”
 
“Shut up,” he blushed and shoved me back. The walk to the club that day was
easy, carefree.  It was almost as if everything from last week never happened,
like everything was normal again.  Inside, Jungkook was searching for the
necktie he swears he left here  somewhere , Taehyung was straightening the
cushy chairs, and Jimin was circling his pole, telling Taehyung his chairs were
crooked.
 
Everything was normal.
 
Except for the bloodstain that refused to come out of the carpet, the same
stain that Taehyung had just covered up with a chair.  The stain that Jimin
cocked his head sideways at but didn’t ask about.  
 
Except for the light scar Hoseok’s wound left on his chest, one you wouldn’t
notice unless you knew what to look for.  Except for the faint smell of
Jungkook that still lingered in my bed, his shaky voice asking me to lay with
him flooding my memory every time I close my eyes.
 
Nothing was normal, but we sure did a good job of pretending.
 
“You missed one,” Jimin called from the stage.
 
“No, I didn’t,” Taehyung replied, putting an end table back in place.
 
“Yeah, you did,” Jimin pointed to a random chair. “That one.”
 
“Bite me, Jimin,” Taehyung walked right past the chair Jimin pointed at, on his
way to change into his uniform.
 
“I’d rather not,” Jimin scoffed, grabbing the pole and swinging a leg around.
“There are better things my mouth could be doing.”
 
“Hyung!” Jungkook shouted, shocked that Jimin would say such a crude thing.
Taehyung just rolled his eyes and continued on his way. Hoseok followed
Taehyung’s path to the dressing room, pausing only to pat Jungkook’s head.
 
“Hyung, have you seen my tie?” he asked Hoseok, teeth worrying his bottom lip.
 
“It might be in the back,” Hoseok supplied, but Jungkook just raised a hand to
his forehead.
 
“I already looked there,” he sighed.
 
“I dunno then,” Hoseok patted his fluffy head again. “Just go without it
tonight.”
 
Jungkook looked as if he wasn’t sure that was a good idea, but he accepted it
anyway.  He gave up looking for his tie and took a seat at the bar as usual.
 
“What’s up, Kookie?” I asked him, resting my elbows on the bar.
 
“Oh, you know,” was all he said, head tilting to the side just a little.
 
“Uh, care to elaborate?” I tilted my head to match his.
 
“I’m alright,” he shrugged. “Just a little nervous.”
 
“Nervous for what?”
 
“Well, nothing,” he turned his head and scanned the main room. “Just-  being
here makes me nervous.”
 
“Do you think something’s gonna happen?” I stood up straight, pulling out a
glass and filling it with water.
 
“Kinda,” he bit his lip. “It’s like the air is different.”
 
“I know what you mean,” I handed the glass to him, and he took a sip. “I feel
it, too.”
 
The entire atmosphere surrounding the club had changed, I was sure of that.
 Walking through the entrance made the hair on the back of my neck stand up,
made my fingers twitch with anxiety.  I had seen death before, but this feeling
was new.  It wasn’t guilt, or trauma.  It wasn’t even fear that it would happen
again. It was more like a sense of impending doom.
 
Jimin would have said I was crazy, and Hoseok would have said I needed to get
my head on straight.  But Jungkook knew the feeling, and it scared him just as
much as it scared me.
 
Even so, everyone went about their night as if everything was okay.  Taehyung
was back to working the crowd and their pockets, and Jungkook was back to
silently disapproving of him. Hoseok was wasting away most of the night making
small talk at the bar -- whispering bits of gossip and comments on Jimin’s
performance -- and Jimin was back to captivating the crowd with just a swing of
his hips.
 
“Is it just me,” Hoseok whispered, “or does Jimin look  happy ?”
 
“No, it’s not just you,” I whispered back. Jimin’s smile, although sultry,
never left his face.  That is, until after the show was over.
 
“I dunno,” Jimin said, beaming -- and sweating  a lot . “I just feel good-”
 
“Jimin?” Jin’s voice rang out through the room. “Could you stay a little later
tonight? I need to have a word with you.”
 
“Uh- sure,” and Jimin’s face instantly fell as self-doubt crept in. Did he not
perform well that night?  Was he losing his touch? Oh  god , did Jin want to
fire him?
 
After each of us filed out the door and silence filled the club, Jimin took to
the pole.  He ran through his routine again and again, but he couldn’t figure
out what the  hell  he was doing wrong.  Jimin’s fists clenched tighter and his
hair stood in more directions the more frustrated he got with himself.
 
When Jin finally stepped into the room, he found Jimin sitting with his back
against the pole and arms folded over his eyes. Was Jimin crying? Jin didn’t
want him to cry.
 
“Hey,” Jin called, hands in his pockets as he approached the stage.
 
“Oh- sorry,” Jimin stood all of a sudden, running a hand through his hair one
more time to smooth it down. “What’s this about?”
 
“Um, I just-” Jin cleared his throat, not sure why this was so hard for him to
do. “I just wanted to see you.”
 
Jimin didn’t move, didn’t even breath for what felt like a whole hour.  Jin
felt like he made a mistake, that he should just take back what he said and go
home.  But finally Jimin said:
 
“You- what?” with scrunched eyebrows.
 
“I wanted to see you,” Jin said more confidently that time, stepping closer to
the edge of the stage.
 
“Well, here I am,” Jimin crouched down in front of Jin, shrugging his shoulders
a little.
 
“Here you are,” Jin whispered to himself. The silence that followed threatened
to swallow them whole.
 
“Did you mean it?” Jimin spoke suddenly, the question burning in the forefront
of his head for the past week.
 
“I don’t say things I don’t mean, Jimin,” Jin replied, trying to keep his voice
from sounding too  business .
 
“Then say it again,” Jimin told the stage, not able to meet Jin’s eyes. Jin
placed his hands on the stage, on either side of Jimin.
 
“I love you, Jimin,” Jin’s voice was low but strong. When Jimin looked up in
disbelief, he found Jin’s eyes already on him, already searching for his own.
 Jimin felt the tears stinging, but he refused to let them fall.  Crawling over
to Jin, Jimin let him smooth a hand down his jaw, let him pull him into a the
softest kiss to ever grace his lips.
 
Jimin sat on the edge of the stage, letting his eyes fall shut at Jin’s touch.
 His thumbs ran across Jimin’s cheekbones, catching the tears that just barely
escaped.  Jin’s lips trailed down Jimin’s neck, and his hands traveled down to
push Jimin’s shirt up just enough to feel his warm skin. One hand found its way
to Jimin’s lower back, pulling him closer to Jin’s chest as the other hand
skirted up Jimin’s thigh.
 
Jimin wrapped his legs around Jin’s hips and his arms around his neck. Jin
rolled his hips up into Jimin, making him gasp. Jin took that opportunity to
flood Jimin’s mouth with his tongue, swallowing every whimper. Jimin started
fumbling to undo their pants, and after a short raid of Hoseok’s private room,
Jin had Jimin losing his mind.
 
“Right there,” Jimin mumbled against Jin’s neck. “ Please -”
 
“I’ve got you,” Jin whispered into Jimin’s ear, getting a better grip on his
thighs. Jimin tightened his legs around Jin’s hips more, arms going limp and
moans turning into whines. Jin’s pace was slower than usual, less animalistic.
He didn’t want to just fuck Jimin, he wanted to love him just like he said.
 
Jimin slowly lifted his head and brought his forehead against Jin’s.  For a
moment, everything felt lighter somehow when they looked at each other. Jimin
leaned in to kiss him, and Jin pulled him even closer.
 
“Jin, I’m-” he whined. “I’m gonna-”
 
“Cum, baby,” Jin pecked Jimin’s lips, carded a hand through his cotton candy
hair.  With an almost pitiful whimper into Jin’s neck, Jimin came in ribbons on
their stomachs. Jin followed soon after, not wanting Jimin to suffer from too
much sensitivity.
 
They stayed in each other’s arms for a long time, not daring to break the magic
of the moment they were in.  Jimin ran his fingers through Jin’s sweaty blonde
hair, not quite believing in real life.  Jin kept finding himself looking into
Jimin’s eyes, never knowing before how beautiful they really were.
 
That night, Jin walked Jimin home.  The walk was mostly silent as Jin wasn’t
quite a master of small talk, but Jimin loved it all the same. Once Jin saw the
place Jimin had to call home, he didn’t want to let him go.  But he was already
gone, disappearing through the front door.  Jin could already feel his newfound
heart breaking.
 
===============================================================================
 
If any one of us thought the past week was hard, we had no fucking clue what
was about to come next.  The night that marked the beginning of the end had
seemed like every other before it. The lights were dim, the music was blaring,
and Hoseok had a client to take care of.  
 
“It’s weird not seeing Hoseok-hyung at the bar,” Taehyung laughed, shaking his
head.
 
“I know,” I handed him the drink he needed. “I was getting used-”
 
“Hey!” came Jungkook’s voice from the crowd.
 
“What’s that about?” I leaned into the bar to try to see into the crowd.
Jungkook emerged with a scowl and a soaked vest.
 
“What happened?” Taehyung asked as he approached the bar.
 
“Some jerk spilled his drink all over me,” Jungkook spat, pulling at the wet
fabric.
 
“There should be an extra in the dressing room,” Taehyung put a hand on his
shoulder. “Go change into that one.”
 
Jungkook sighed and headed for the dressing room, cursing the guy who dumped
his drink all over him.  He rummaged through some drawers until he found the
extra vest Taehyung was talking about. He peeled the wet one from his body -
- the intense smell of alcohol making his eyes burn -- and went to throw on the
extra one. But then he heard it.
 
“No!” Hoseok’s screams tore through the private room, soundproof walls be
damned. “Please, no!”
 
“Hyung!” Jungkook pounded his fists against the door. He knew Hoseok was in
serious trouble, and it was up to him to get him out. “Hyung!!”
 
“Please-” and the door slammed open, making a hole in the wall that they would
discover later. Hoseok was pinned against the wall, tears streaming down his
face, and the man was not about to let up at Jungkook’s expense.
 
“Get off him!” Jungkook grabbed the man from behind, curving an arm around his
neck. He squeezed the man’s neck as hard as he could, throwing him to the floor
with all the force the adrenaline could muster. Jungkook dragged the man from
the room, and all eyes turned to him.
 
“Get Jin!” Jungkook yelled at no one in particular, and Taehyung sprinted into
Jin’s office.
 
“What the hell is going on?” Jin demanded, hovering over the man Jungkook had
pinned to the floor.  Jungkook explained the situation as best as he could
through the blind rage he felt. Jin’s fists clenched at his sides, knuckles
turning white.
 
“What-”
 
“Get everyone out of here,” Jin barked at Taehyung, cutting him off. Taehyung
was frozen in fear at what Jin was about to do. “I said  get them out !”
 
Taehyung cut the music as fast as he could, ushering everyone out of the
building. He threw glances back at the scene, terror washing over him.
 
“Yoongi!” Jin yelled. “Get my gun.”
 
Taehyung’s eyes grew even wider, if possible, and Jimin jumped from the stage.
 
“Jin, what’s-”
 
“Go check on Hoseok,” Jin told Jimin, whose jaw dropped at Hoseok’s name. “Just
stay with him.”
 
Jimin tore through the back to get to Hoseok, and Jin relieved Jungkook of his
hold on the man.  He landed a few punches to his jaw -- blood and bits of
enamel flying -- and started dragging him toward the back door of the club. I
stopped at the door by Jin’s side once I got his gun, the metal ice cold in my
hands.
 
“What are you waiting for?” Jin asked me, never taking his eyes off the man on
the ground. “Kill him.”
 
“I-” I looked at the gun in my hand, then back to Jungkook, who was watching
Jin and I closely. Jin tore his eyes away from the man and followed my gaze
toward Jungkook.
 
“I get it,” he muttered. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d have thought you
still had a soul.”
 
If I didn’t know any better, so would I.
 
Jin snatched the gun from my hand, cocked it, and pulled the trigger all in the
blink of an eye. He tilted his head a little to the side, placed the gun back
in my hand, and walked back inside.  I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the man,
the blood seeping from his skull. Not until Jungkook came to stand by my side.
 
“He deserved it,” he muttered, voice low. I didn’t see fear, no tears welling
in his eyes. I only saw a set jaw and the rawest form of anger.
 
“What the hell happened back there?” I asked, still confused about what had
just happened.
 
“He-” Jungkook’s voice broke, fists clenching at his sides. “He raped him,
hyung. He fucking- he deserved to die.”
 
“ What? ” my heart had dropped to my stomach.
 
After minutes that felt like days, Taehyung had coaxed a still-fuming Jungkook
to call it a night and head home. Although grateful that Jimin had stayed, Jin
thought it best to send him home, too. Jin was speaking to Hoseok in the
dressing room, leaving me to wait anxiously just outside the door.
 
“Hoseok,” Jin’s voice was unusually gentle. “I am…  so  sorry.”
 
He was met with a sniffle, but no words.
 
“I never meant for this to happen to you,” he knelt down in front of Hoseok,
taking his hands in his own. “I know how you feel-”
 
“You don’t,” Hoseok barked. “How could you-”
 
“Hoseok,” Jin spoke with authority, but not anger. “I  know .”
 
Hoseok didn’t respond, just stared down at Jin instead.
 
“No one should ever have to go through this,” Jin continued, softer still. “But
you’re strong.”
 
“Jin-”
 
“You  are , Hoseok,” Jin stood, about to take his leave. “You can overcome
this.”
 
And with that, Jin left the room.  He nodded at me when he passed, soon
disappearing into his own office.  His muffled voice started speaking behind
the door, probably to whoever he called to clean up the mess outside.
 
“Hey,” I knocked on the doorway leading into the dressing room, peeking my head
in. “Can I come in?”
 
“Yeah,” Hoseok mumbled. He sat in front of his vanity, just staring at his own
reflection. I came to stand next to him, taking in his disheveled orange hair,
puffy eyes.
 
“Do you wanna stay for a bit?” I asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
 
“No,” he almost growled. “I need to get out of here.”
 
“Let’s go home.”
 
Chapter End Notes
     yikes on bikes
     thank you for sticking around for this roller coaster
     it means a lot
     love you <3
***** 21st century girl *****
Chapter by ivythebug
Chapter Summary
     "Tell me that you're strong. Tell me that you're enough."
Chapter Notes
     bear with me here, this one might get confusing
     otherwise, s'all good
See the end of the chapter for more notes
“It’s not the same without Hoseok-hyung,” Taehyung sighed, shoulders slumping
as he took a seat at the bar.
 
“I know,” I sighed too.  Hoseok didn’t want to leave the apartment, and he
definitely  didn’t want to come back to  Wings . Not this soon.  
 
The walk to the club that day was the longest, without him next to me cracking
jokes or making sly comments. I even missed the days we walked in comfortable
silence. It killed me to leave him behind when all I wanted to do was stay with
him. Maybe pay him back for all the times he looked out for me.
 
“Is Namjoon-hyung with him?” Taehyung asked, keeping an eye trained on a
fidgety Jungkook.
 
“Yeah,” I looked down at the bar’s surface. “Namjoon couldn’t take the thought
of leaving him alone right now.”
 
===============================================================================
 
Namjoon was poking around in the kitchen when Hoseok and I got to the apartment
the night before. He didn’t even look up when the door opened.
 
“Hey, Hobi,” he called, head in the refrigerator.  Hoseok tried to call back,
but nothing came out.  His shaking hands gripped my shirt harder.
 
“Namjoon,” my voice came out lower, rougher than I expected.
 
“Yoongi?” Namjoon stepped out of the kitchen with scrunched eyebrows. His eyes
raked over me first -- not understanding why I was there -- then Hoseok.
“What’s going on?”
 
“Let’s sit down,” I led Hoseok over to the couch, and Namjoon sat down next to
him, immediately grabbing Hoseok’s hand in his own.
 
“Did something happen?” Namjoon’s eyes were wide with worry, and you could
almost see his heartbeat quicken.
 
“Joonie-” Hoseok started, squeezing Namjoon’s hand harder. “Joonie, I’m
sorry...”
 
“Sorry for what?” he ran his thumb over the back of Hoseok’s hand.
 
“Yoongi, I can’t-” Hoseok suddenly turned to me, his eyes welling with tears.
 
“It’s okay,” I smoothed a hand down his back. “I’ll take care of it.”
 
“Okay,” Hoseok swallowed hard, then stood on wobbly legs. “I’m gonna- I need a
shower.”
 
Namjoon’s wide eyes followed Hoseok’s retreating back until the closed bathroom
door got in the way.  
 
“What’s going on, Yoongi?” he asked, slowly tearing his gaze from the door.
 
“Namjoon,” I swallowed really hard, but the lump in my throat wouldn’t go away.
“Hoseok was- his client, um-”
 
“Yoongi?” his bottom lip quivered as he put together the words I couldn’t get
out. He shook his head at me, at the door Hoseok had disappeared behind. “No-”
 
“Namjoon, look at me,” he looked. “You have to be here for him, you have to be
strong for him.”
 
“I just-” his gaze dropped to his lap. “I can’t believe-”
 
The sound of the water shutting off, the bathroom door opening, stole his
attention.  When Hoseok slowly emerged from the bathroom, Namjoon almost
sprinted to him.  He stopped in front of Hoseok, letting him get a good look at
him before pulling him into a hug. Namjoon buried his face in Hoseok’s neck,
and Hoseok tentatively circled his arms around Namjoon’s middle.
 
“I love you, Hobi,” Namjoon mumbled against Hoseok’s skin, sniffling a little.
Hoseok visibly relaxed as the words sunk in, and he hugged Namjoon tighter.
 
“I love you too, Joonie.”
 
===============================================================================
 
“What’s up with Jungkook?” I asked Taehyung. He turned to see Jungkook sitting
in a cushy chair, staring into space with a permanent scowl and fingers tapping
on the armrests.
 
“I dunno, hyung,” Taehyung sighed. “He’s been a little on edge, I guess.”
 
Taehyung shrugged and stood from his barstool.  He mentioned something about
needing to get ready before he disappeared into the dressing room.
 
“What are you doing?” I called to Jungkook. He turned to me, face hard, before
looking straight ahead again.
 
“I’m not doing anything,” he answered lowly before taking a deep breath.
“Sorry, hyung. I’m just-”
 
“On edge?” I raised an eyebrow, though he couldn’t see.  He slumped in his
chair, leaning his head back and sighing.
 
“You could say that-”
 
“Where’s Jimin?” Jin’s voice rang through the main room. Jungkook sat straight
up, no longer brooding in front of Jin.
 
“He hasn’t come in yet,” I answered. “Which is weird, he’d usually be here by
now.”
 
Jin suddenly looked panicked, if it was even possible for him. He approached
the bar, another question sitting ready on his lips, when the entrance to the
club opened.  As if on cue, Jimin walked into the room with his hood up and
head low.
 
“Jimin?” Jin almost whispered. Jimin looked up slightly, acknowledging Jin’s
presence before looking back at his shoes. Jin slowly stepped closer to Jimin,
reaching out to pull his hood back.  Jimin looked at him, if only for a second,
before turning away.
 
The blood that had stemmed from Jimin’s nose had already started to dry, but it
still glistened in the light a little bit.  Fresh bruises covered his jaw bone,
and one of his eyes was almost swollen shut.
 
Jin gripped the fabric of Jimin’s hoodie tight, white hot anger coursing
through his veins.
 
“What happened?” Jin asked, trying to keep his voice calm.
 
“It’s not a big deal,” Jimin shrugged, trying to brush off the subject like he
had done to us weeks ago.
 
“Yes, it is,” Jin insisted. He took Jimin’s hands in his own, getting his
attention.
 
“It’s just my roommates,” Jimin sighed, but he squeezed Jin’s hands a little at
the thought.
 
“ They  do this to you?” Jin asked, to which Jimin nodded at the floor.
 
That night, after the curtains closed and the lights came on, Jin insisted
Jimin came home with him instead of going back to  that place .  Jimin was
flustered, never expecting Jin to propose such a thing, but he went with him
anyway.  
 
The car ride was silent.  Jimin stared at the bright lights flashing past his
window, curling in on himself in the passenger seat. Jin’s hand slowly moved
from the gear shift, to the edge of Jimin’s seat, to his fingertips. Jimin was
startled at first, but entwined his hand with Jin’s before looking out the
window again.
 
Once they arrived at Jin’s home, Jimin couldn’t seem to catch his breath. He
was amazed by the sheer size of the place, how one man could stand to live here
all by himself.  What Jimin didn’t know was that Jin felt empty in such a big
house, no one to share it with him.  He hated waking up in the morning to
silence, nothing but his bare footsteps echoing off the high walls.
 
But Jimin’s presence in his home suddenly made him happier.  Or at least
whatever broken version of happy Jin could feel.
 
Jimin had never seen so many beautiful and expensive things all in one place
before. He felt the urge to explore, to touch everything. But he also felt that
his even being there took value off the place. He didn’t feel worthy of walking
on these floors, of breathing this air. And when Jin handed him some clean
clothes to change into before bed, Jimin felt tears coming on.
 
“Jimin?” Jin was suddenly nervous. “Is something wrong?”
 
“No, I-” Jimin sniffled, fingers running over the surely-expensive fabric in
his hands. “Thank you.”
 
Jimin stepped into Jin’s bedroom shyly, the Jin-sized clothes hanging from his
body.  Jin took in his whole appearance, smiling at the fact that someone so
beautiful could be here right now. In his clothes, in his bedroom.  It was
almost as if he was living a normal life.
 
Jimin fell asleep in Jin’s arms, in a bed three times as big as his own.  He
felt small against Jin, but he felt safe. Safe and warm.
 
Jin fell asleep watching Jimin’s chest rise and fall, counting each beat of his
heart. He nuzzled into Jimin’s neck, silently vowing to protect him forever.
 
===============================================================================
 
Before the night could come to a close, however, business had to continue as
usual.  Jimin covered his wounds, icing his eye every once in a while to keep
the swelling down, and performed his routine. Drink orders were called in my
direction, but the process was boring without Hoseok’s commentary. Taehyung was
holding back from rifling through the wallets of strangers, and Jungkook was
just Jungkook.  Right?
 
Jungkook was weaving his way through the outstretched legs and uneven cushy
chairs, just trying to do his job. Then some greazy guy by the stage decided to
have his cake and eat it too, reaching out and grabbing at Jungkook. Jungkook
froze, clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white, and rounded on the
man.
 
“Did you just grab my ass?” he spat the question, jaw set. Jungkook was shaking
in anger, growling insult after insult at the man until every adjacent eye was
on him.
 
“Whoa, whoa,” Taehyung pushed his way to Jungkook, wrapping an arm around his
shoulders and pulling him away from the man. Jungkook didn’t stop yelling until
they were away from the crowd.
 
“I should’ve hit him,” Jungkook snarled at floor once they were inside the
dressing room. “Sick fuck-”
 
“Jungkook,” Taehyung shook Jungkook’s shoulders a little, trying to get his
attention somewhere else. “What is going on with you?”
 
“I’m just-” Jungkook started, running his hands through his hair. “I can’t-”
 
“Jungkook-”
 
“I can’t  fucking  take it anymore!” Jungkook yelled, tears threatening to
fall. “I can’t- do all this.  It’s too much- I-”
 
“Shhh,” Taehyung pulled Jungkook toward his chest, one hand rubbing his back
and the other carding through his hair. Jungkook was shaking, everything he had
bottled inside finally finding its way out. Even though repressing his feelings
seemed easier at the time, it had hit him full force that night.
 
“I thought it would be okay,” he breathed. “I didn’t think any of this would
happen.”
 
“I know,” Taehyung cooed, planting a small kiss on the crown of Jungkook’s
head.
 
“It just keeps getting worse,” Jungkook mumbled.
 
“Don’t say that,” Taehyung whispered into Jungkook’s hair. “It’ll get better.”
 
“It can’t,” Jungkook growled, pulling away from Taehyung and wiping his eyes.
“It’s not possible.”
 
And with that, Jungkook left the dressing room.  Taehyung stood frozen in
place, just watching as Jungkook walked away. Jungkook went back to work,
continued as if nothing had even happened. And that was just going to have to
be good enough, he decided.
 
That night, Jin convinced a wary Jimin to stay with him, Jungkook left silently
by Taehyung’s side, and I left  alone .
 
===============================================================================
 
Knock, knock, knock.
 
“Someone’s at the door,” Namjoon’s muffled voice said.
 
“‘S probably juss Yoongi,” Hoseok slurred, yawned.
 
“I still need to get up, Hobi,” Namjoon said, then a groan, footsteps drawing
closer, and the door opening.
 
“Hey, Namjoon,” I smiled, keeping my voice low so as not to disturb the
sleeping Hoseok on the couch.
 
“Hey,” he stepped away so I could come in. “You brought pizza?”
 
“Yeah,” I sighed, setting the box on the coffee table. “Shitty pizza from that
place that’s open 24 hours.”
 
“Still pizza,” Namjoon shrugged, then started nudging Hoseok awake. “Yoongi
brought food.”
 
We all sat around the pizza, eating slice after slice, and laughing. Almost as
if everything was back to normal.  But we all knew “normal” was way out of
reach.
 
“So how was work?” Hoseok asked, stiffening slightly at the thought.
 
“It was okay,” I shrugged. “Jimin’s roommates got a hold of him again.”
 
“ Again ?” Hoseok’s jaw almost dropped.
 
“The worst I’ve ever seen him,” I sighed. “His nose was still bleeding when he
came in.”
 
“God…” Hoseok muttered. “What about Jungkook?”
 
“I dunno what the fuck is going on with him,” I mumbled, taking a bite. “He’s
been all…  tense . It’s not the same without you.”
 
“It’s never going to be the same, Yoongi.”
Chapter End Notes
     only two more chapters to go
     can you handle it? I can't
     thank you <3
***** two! three! (hoping for more good days) *****
Chapter by ivythebug
Chapter Summary
     "That only good things will happen, that you won't get hurt anymore -
     - I can't say something like that. I can't lie like that."
Chapter Notes
     *sweats nervously*
See the end of the chapter for more notes
“It’s been a pleasure doing business,” came a voice from just outside Jin’s
office. The music was blaring, the crowd roaring. The small exchange went
smoothly, unnoticed.  Nearly.
 
“Keep in touch,” Jin replied in a tone far from friendly. He stood firmly in
the doorway, raising an eyebrow at the man’s outstretched hand. He took it,
almost breaking the man’s bones with his grip. The man shook his hand back to
life once his back was turned, making his way to the entrance to the club.
 
That’s when I noticed him.
 
He stopped and looked over at the bar almost as if contemplating a quick drink
before he left.  But then his eyes met mine, locked on for a paralyzing second,
before he continued on his way.
 
“Did you see that?” Jungkook asked, looking in the direction of where the man
had been standing.
 
“Yeah,” I hadn’t been the only one to notice. “I’ll be back.”
 
The adrenaline was almost instantaneous.  It was hard to breathe, heart pumping
in double time and hands shaking. Whether in fear or fury, I never knew.
Probably both.
 
Jin knew better than to bring his outside work to the club, especially during
hours. He knew the risks attached, the dangers it posed. He  knew , but he
still took the chance.
 
“Jin,” I called, swinging his office door open without so much as knocking.
“Who was that?”
 
“What are you doing in here, Min?” he growled, suddenly standing and slamming
his hands on his desk.
 
“Who  was  that?” I asked again, voice rising.
 
“It doesn’t concern you-”
 
“It could!” I yelled, pointing out the office door. “You know  damn  well what
could happen!”
 
“And  you  know that you’re perfectly safe here!” Jin yelled back, leaning
forward on his desk, the vein in his neck popping.
 
“I hope so,” I muttered, looking into Jin’s eyes before walking straight from
the room.
 
But even as he stared after my retreating back, he didn’t quite believe
himself.  Nothing was ever certain in his life, especially safety. His hands
shook as they raked through his hair, a ragged breath falling from his lips. He
knew what he did, what risk he took, even if he realized it too late.
 
He  knew .
 
And he never forgave himself for it.
 
“Hyung?” Jungkook’s eyes were wide when I came back to the bar. “What
happened?”
 
“Nothing,” I dismissed, not meeting his eyes. Jungkook scrunched his eyebrows,
not buying my answer.
 
“Hyung, come with me,” he said.
 
“Jungkook, I’m working,” I sighed. “And you should be, too.”
 
“Just for a minute,” he pleaded.
 
“Okay,” I gave in, stepping out from behind the bar and allowing Jungkook to
pull me into the empty dressing room. “What is it?”
 
“Something’s not right,” Jungkook whispered, still gripping my arm.
 
“What do you mean?” I raised an eyebrow at him and he sighed.
 
“You know what I mean,” he tugged on my sleeve a little. “It feels like
something bad is gonna happen.”
 
“Jungkook-”  
 
“No, don’t tell me I’m making it up,” Jungkook’s voice was firm. “I know you
feel it, too, hyung.”
 
“I believe you,” I sighed. “But there’s nothing we can do.”
 
“I was afraid you’d say that,” Jungkook dropped his eyes to the floor, and his
bottom lip poked out a bit.
 
“Come on,” I nudged him toward the main room. “Let’s get back to work.”
 
Jungkook would never know how nervous he made me, how much he scared me when he
talked like that. Maybe I was supposed to be the brave one, the one he could
turn to when everything went dark. How could one person make you feel stronger
and weaker at the same time? How was it possible that the warmth from his hand
still burned my skin after he let go?
 
Jungkook looked at me with his big doe-eyes, the same ones that smiled when he
laughed.  The same ones that were still painfully beautiful when he cried. Then
he disappeared into the crowd before I realized it, before I could even think
about reaching for him, begging him not to go.
 
But soon enough, Jimin emerged to distract me, pull me back into reality.  He
took a seat at the bar, wiping the sweat on his forehead with the back of his
hand and panting slightly. His skin glistened, the sweat and glitter combining
to make a shimmering galaxy of sin.
 
“Can I get a water, hyung?” he asked, voice breathless and chest heaving. I
slid him a glass of ice water, and he chugged it steadily. He sipped the second
glass casually, taking time to actually catch his breath.
 
Like most things with Jimin, the conversation came easily and comfortably.
 Though I think sometimes he just liked the sound of his own voice.  He smiled,
rambling on about all the things he felt I should be up to date with.
 
“So he took you in?” I asked, the topic having drifted to the other night.
Before Jimin could reply however, Taehyung approached the bar.
 
“I need a dry martini,” he called, coming to rest his elbows on the bar’s
surface.
 
“Um- yeah,” Jimin answered, eyes trained on the drink being mixed in front of
him. “His place really surprised me. Though I don’t know what else I was
expecting from Jin-”
 
“You went home with Jin?” Taehyung interrupted, body tensing ever so slightly.
 
“Is that a problem?” Jimin spat. Taehyung’s fists clenched.
 
“No,” he growled, taking the drink and turning away. “You’re allowed to make
mistakes.”
 
Taehyung faded into the crowd, Jimin staring after him with every step. His
brows were furrowed so hard, I thought they were going to freeze like that.
 
“What the  hell  was that about?” Jimin asked incredulously, turning to face me
again.
We all spent the rest of the night wondering what was going on in Taehyung’s
head.  He was short with his drink orders, forgoing small talk to glare at
Jimin on stage. He was even short with Jungkook, keeping his distance and
pointedly ignoring him.
 
No one did anything, no one asked. Jungkook just sighed at the ground at every
dismissal, continuing on his way with his head hung a little lower. It hurt to
watch -- to  see  Jungkook’s morale shatter -- but the most I could do was
stare daggers in Taehyung’s general direction.
 
I was never brave when it came to Jungkook.
 
Maybe I was never brave at all.
 
===============================================================================
 
“I’m here, it’s okay,” came a voice from the entrance, a voice that sounded
suspiciously like Namjoon.
 
“I know, I just-” came Hoseok’s next. He stopped speaking as soon as he stepped
into the building. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and squeezed
Namjoon’s hand a little.
 
“Hoseok?” I stepped out from behind the bar, not quite believing my eyes. “What
are you doing here?”
 
“I came to, um-” he cleared his throat. “I came to get my things.”
 
“Why now?” I asked. “I mean, why so late?”
 
The club had just closed for the night. The lights were switched on and
everyone was winding down.  Hoseok looked around, at Jungkook throwing all the
discarded trash into a bag, at Jimin massaging all the tired muscles in his
body.
 
“I wanted to wait until Namjoon got off work,” he replied, looking up at
Namjoon with soft eyes. “I couldn’t do it alone.”
 
But once inside the private room, Hoseok couldn’t move.  He stood in the
doorway, scowling at every inch of the room. He was tempted to turn around and
leave without his things. They couldn’t be  that  important, could they?
 
“Hobi?” Namjoon looked up at Hoseok, stopping in the middle of the room once he
realized Hoseok hadn’t followed.
 
“I’m fine,” Hoseok’s voice was rough, almost a growl.
 
Namjoon held out a hand for Hoseok to take, but Hoseok just stared at it.
Namjon expected it, his eyes softening as he watched the gears turn in Hoseok’s
head.  After what felt like hours to Hoseok, he reached out and allowed himself
to be pulled farther into the room.
 
Back in the main room, Jungkook tied the final trash bag closed and heaved them
all to the entrance. Jimin rushed to open the door for him, seeing as his hands
were full, and Jungkook slipped out into the night.  Cinders and broken glass
crunched under his feet as he made his way to the dumpster.  He tossed the bags
in with a grunt, grimacing at the feeling of something wet getting on his hand.
 
Before he took his first step toward the club’s entrance -- before he even
turned his head -- he heard it. Freezing in his place, he listened closely for
the sound again.
 
Footsteps . Crunching on the rough ground and agonizingly slow.
 
Goosebumps erupted on his skin, and he suddenly found it very hard to breathe.
He couldn’t run, not if somebody was watching him. He had to walk back as if he
didn’t hear a thing. So he put one tentative foot in front of the other and
tried to act cool. The cold metal of the door’s handle shocked his skin, but he
slipped inside like everything was okay.
 
On the opposite end of the room, Taehyung had just emerged from the dressing
room in his normal clothes.
 
“There’s someone outside,” Jungkook’s voice was shaking, much like the rest of
his body. He sought me out, standing by my side as if I could protect him.
 
“It’s probably nothing,” I told him, though I’m not sure I believed myself.
 
“What if it’s not-”

 “Stop it with the  paranoia , Jungkook,” Taehyung barked, crossing the room
slowly. Jungkook stared at him with wide eyes, like he couldn’t believe
Taehyung would say something so harsh.
 
“But-”
 
“No,” Taehyung cut him off again. “It’s ridiculous.”
 
“ Taehyung ,” my tone was warning, but he ignored it.
 
“You act like everyday is your last, Jungkook,” Taehyung kept digging, stepping
closer with each word.
 
“You,” step.
 
“Are,” step.
 
“ Fine, ” step.
 
Jungkook just stood blinking at Taehyung, eyes wide and bottom lip quivering
ever so slightly.  He gulped hard, working up the power to say something under
Taehyung’s gaze.
 
“I just don’t want anyone else to get hurt,” he whispered, eyes falling to his
feet.
 
“Maybe you should back off, Taehyung,” Jimin growled, hopping down from his
spot on the bar’s surface.
 
“Maybe you should mind your own fucking business,  Jimin ,” Taehyung spat back.
Jimin’s hands curled into fists by his sides, his mouth opening to retort.
 
“What’s going on?” Hoseok’s voice filled the room, making both boys stop and
look at him. Hoseok looked to me for answers, but I just shrugged. I really
couldn’t explain what was happening to everyone.
 
“Hoseok?” Jin stepped into the room with his brow furrowed. He looked genuinely
shocked to see Hoseok and Namjoon in the club. “You came back?”
 
“Not for good,” Hoseok replied, face hard.
 
“I know that,” Jin’s voice was about as soft as it could be. Hoseok didn’t say
anything else to him, simply unable to find the strength to do so.  Jin seemed
to accept the quick end to the conversation, crossing the room to stand next to
Jimin.
 
Taehyung’s eyes narrowed when Jin put his hands on Jimin’s shoulders.  His
fists clenched when Jimin leaned into Jin’s touch. Just when Taehyung looked
like he had enough -- tears welling and mouth opening as if to say something -
- the door to the club slammed open.
 
All heads turned in unison. I could feel my heart stop for  just a second, and
Jungkook grabbed onto my arm like it was his only lifeline. Jin’s eyes widened
almost imperceptibly -- perhaps in fear -- before they narrowed dangerously.
 
“We’re clo-”
 
But the gunshot cut Jin off before he could finish.
 
No one even noticed the gun in the man’s hand, not until it was too late.
 
Taehyung hadn’t moved, hadn’t so much as let his tears fall.  He stood
paralyzed on the edge of the scene, not even able to breathe.
 
Jimin had watched the whole thing play out, silent tears leaving tracks down
his cheeks. But he couldn’t move to wipe them away. He couldn’t even  try  to
stop Jin and he cocked his gun, taking after the man who had disappeared into
the street.
 
Somewhere in the deafening silence, Hoseok was screaming. He was choking on his
tears, trying to break free of Namjoon’s hold. Namjoon was surprised at his own
strength when all he felt was incredibly weak.
 
Jungkook -- oh, Jungkook -- was muttering “no, no, no” under his breath. He was
sobbing, so hard that each breath shook his whole body. I could almost feel him
trembling, unable to let go of his death grip on my arm.
 
But I was already lying on the floor with a bullet hole between my eyes.
Chapter End Notes
     this is not the end, it's not over yet.
     yikes
***** interlude: wings *****
Chapter by ivythebug
Chapter Summary
     "This is the path you've chosen, kid. Don't chicken out.
     This is only the first flight, after all."
Chapter Notes
     this is it homies
See the end of the chapter for more notes
There was never any hope for me.
 
That much was obvious.  But at least the others were stronger than me.
 
They always had been.
 
Maybe Hoseok especially. It took him some time to feel somewhat okay, to stop
jumping at small noises or suspicious shadows. To not worry himself sick when
it took Namjoon a little longer to make it home after work. He started to hate
feeling useless, trapped inside the apartment that seemed to be closing in on
him more everyday.
 
So he started going back to his old dance studio, just to have something to do.
To distract him. One day, someone approached him after a session, saying he was
incredible, asking him if he wanted to be an instructor. Permanently.
 
Hoseok agreed wholeheartedly.
 
Namjoon saw Hoseok change before his eyes, saw his determination to best his
trauma. He smiled ear to ear when Hoseok came home from work dripping in sweat
and so, so tired. He slept easier when Hoseok wrapped his arms around him
instead of curling into a ball. He even believed Hoseok when he told Namjoon
going back to school would be a good idea.
 
Life seemed somewhat normal, a sense of balance having been restored. But it
still hurt every time Hoseok thought about that place. It hurt every  single
day when Hoseok walked past my apartment door, just knowing that I wasn’t going
to be inside.
 
                                   * * * * *
                                        
“What are you in the mood for?” Hoseok asked, his stomach rumbling as he locked
the apartment door.
 
“Somewhere quiet so can study,” Namjoon replied, heaving his backpack onto his
shoulders. Hoseok didn’t mind the request, finding it so peaceful to watch
Namjoon study.
 
“There’s this little place down-” but Hoseok’s voice trailed off.  Namjoon
stopped walking once he realized Hoseok wasn’t by his side. He turned to find
him staring at some boxes stacked up along the wall.
 
“Hobi?” he asked with furrowed brows. But Hoseok couldn’t hear him over the
blood rushing in his ears. He watched as a man and woman moved some of the
boxes into the apartment. My apartment.
 
“Excuse me,” he asked the man, his voice coming out weird. His throat was
suddenly dry. “What are you doing?”
 
The man gave Hoseok a strange look, not sure if this was a joke or not. After a
moment he said, “Moving in…?”
 
“Here?” Hoseok’s voice was definitely weaker, and his hand shook as he gestured
to my apartment.
 
“Yes…?” the man really couldn’t understand what was happening. But Namjoon did,
and he pulled Hoseok away as gently as he could, muttering an apology to the
man.
 
“What was that?” he whispered once Hoseok had fallen into step with him again.
 
“I just got… so  angry ,” Hoseok scrunched his eyebrows and shook his head a
little bit.
 
Though Hoseok was good at distracting himself, he would never get used to that
couple living in my apartment. He would never get used to the nightmares, even
though they seemed to be fading just a little. He would never get used to my
absence, and it tore him up.
 
===============================================================================
 
Jimin didn’t do so well in the days that followed my death. The shock had
almost completely consumed him, paralyzed him.
 
He couldn’t get it out of his head, everything playing on repeat. Hoseok’s
screams of pure agony, Jungkook trembling out of his skin, my lifeless body
slowly going cold.
 
Jimin had spent a whole day lying in Jin’s bed, falling in and out of sleep.
Jimin couldn’t understand why his nightmares and his real life were equally
painful.
 
But during that day, Jin had slipped out of the house without telling Jimin
where he was going. He had gone to Jimin’s shared apartment, stripped it of the
few things Jimin owned, and brought them back to his own home. He figured it
would be easier to take care of Jimin if he just lived with him, right?
 
“Jimin?” Jin whispered, lightly nudging Jimin’s stiff body. “Do you want to try
to eat something?”
 
Jimin mumbled something that Jin was sure wasn’t even words and shook his head
a little bit. But Jin wasn’t going to settle for that. Jimin hadn’t eaten in
days -- had only kept himself hydrated with Jin’s help -- and Jin was not about
to let him starve.
 
Jin frowned at the inside of his refrigerator. As a recent bachelor who was
barely ever home, he didn’t have much to choose from. He gathered what little
he had, figuring he’d just wing it and hope for something to come from it.
 
Jin never cooked for himself -- never had any reason to -- so his skills
outside of ramen were very questionable. He worried his bottom lip as he mixed
things together, swore under his breath when he almost burned himself, and
sighed in relief when the food turned out… not so bad.
 
Jin carried a plate up to the bedroom, fanning it with his hand so it would
cool faster, and prayed Jimin would eat it for him. He sat on the edge of the
bed, reaching out a hand to Jimin’s back.
 
“Jimin,” he rubbed Jimin’s back a little, trying to motivate him. “Can you sit
up for me?”
 
Jimin grunted something, shifted slightly, and stopped. Jin slumped his
shoulders and sighed, thinking maybe this was hopeless. But Jimin started
moving again, slowly. He sat up, rubbed his swollen eyes with his fists, and
looked over at Jin.
 
“You have to eat something,” Jin gestured to the plate in his hand.
 
“I’m not hungry,” Jimin muttered, fixing his vision to a random corner of the
room.
 
“Jimin, please,” Jin tried to not let his frustration show, but Jimin could
sense it. He inched himself closer to Jin, not quite ready but at least testing
the waters. Jin prepared a bite, blew on it a little so it didn’t burn, and
slowly raised it to Jimin’s mouth.
 
Jimin eyed the food in front of him for a moment, sure he didn’t want it. But
he was also sure that he didn’t want to disappoint Jin. He came closer,
nibbling a little before he took the whole bite. It felt awkward in his mouth,
like it shouldn’t be there, and it wouldn’t go down his throat. He swallowed
hard, cringing at the effort, and opened his mouth for more.
 
Jimin finished about half of the plate Jin prepared, and Jin decided that was
good enough for now. Jimin settled back into the tangle of blankets, curling
himself into the fetal position. Jin felt something tighten inside him at the
sight. Without even changing his clothes, Jin slipped under the covers and
wrapped his arms around Jimin’s small body. He fell asleep to the sound of
Jimin’s occasional sniffles, to the little twitches of his fingers and nose.
 
===============================================================================
 
Taehyung and Jungkook were fighting so many battles. All the arguing and
distancing had been chipping away at their relationship, but feeling my life
slip right through Jungkook’s fingers had put the final nail in the coffin.
 
If Jungkook had anywhere else to go, he would have been gone a long time ago.
But he had to stay, had to see Taehyung everyday, had to pretend that he wasn’t
completely broken inside. He spent as much time as he could away from the
apartment, eventually scoring himself a job at a fast food joint down the
block.  
 
Jungkook would come home smelling like grease and sweat, pride burning from a
shift at a  real  job, and turn his nose up at Taehyung. Much to Jungkook’s
dismay -- not that he cared -- Taehyung had gone back to the streets, doing
what he did best. He came home with dirty money, stolen money, that Jungkook
wanted nothing to do with.
 
Jungkook didn’t speak to Taehyung, didn’t even look at him. In such a confined
space, the distance seemed unreal. It dug at Taehyung’s brain, at his very
soul. It hurt to think about the relationship they once had, they way they had
almost loved each other once upon a time.
 
Taehyung didn’t think the pain could get any worse. That is until he uncovered
something he thought was better left forgotten.
 
                                   * * * * *
                                        
The door creaked open and Jungkook lightly stepped inside. The sound didn’t
wake Taehyung, for he couldn’t sleep anyway. Jungkook had come home three hours
later than usual, and Taehyung was almost certain the restaurant wasn’t open
that late.
 
Jungkook tried to sneak through the apartment, thinking Taehyung had gone to
bed long ago.
 
“Where have you been?” Taehyung’s voice rumbled through the dark.
 
“Why do you care?” Jungkook snarled back, flipping the nearest light switch.
 
“I thought something happened to you,” Taehyung’s tone resembled that of a
disappointed parent.
 
“Why don’t you stop being so  paranoid ?” Jungkook couldn’t help the way his
voice was rising, the way his blood grew hotter.
 
“Jungkook, I just care about you-”
 
“You stopped caring a long time ago!” Jungkook yelled, not thinking about the
neighbors at this time of night. “About me, at least.”
 
“What are you talking about?” Taehyung stepped closer.
 
“I saw the way you looked at him,” Jungkook growled. “Don’t think you’re
slick.”
 
“Jungkook-”
 
“No!” Jungkook started to back away as Taehyung got closer. “You were too busy
thinking about a guy who didn’t give two  shits  about you to realize how much
I needed you!”
 
Taehyung felt weaker suddenly, had to reach out for something to keep him
balanced. But he knocked over a stack of books, and a little box that sat next
to them. Taehyung felt numb. He knew exactly what was in that box, and he knew
that it had just gone to waste.
 
He didn’t have the strength to stop Jungkook from picking it up.
 
“What is this?” he asked, staring at the silver bracelet inside. He looked up
at Taehyung when he didn’t answer, noticing how shiny his eyes had become. He
picked up the bracelet and saw the inscription.
 
“What  is  this?” his voice was louder this time. The metal almost cut into his
skin from clutching it so hard. He knew it was meant for him, a gift that never
found its way.
 
“I got it for your birthday,” Taehyung’s voice was rough, barely there.
 
“Let me guess,” Jungkook spat. “You bought it with money you didn’t earn.”
 
Taehyung nodded, unable to speak a confession. Jungkook threw the bracelet to
the ground, strode past Taehyung without a word, and crawled into bed.
 
Taehyung spent the rest of the night sitting in that same spot. He couldn’t
move, let alone sleep with a conscience this heavy. With a heart that hurt so
damn much.
 
===============================================================================
 
As for me?
 
Well, nothing can be said for me.
Chapter End Notes
     first of all, thank you so much for taking the time to read this
     mess. It means a lot
     second, I'm gonna come back with some new stories (maybe even a
     little supplementary something for wings *wink*) soon, but I'm gonna
     take a little hiatus for now
     love you guys! hope you enjoyed :)
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