Pandora Unleashed

The Invisible Red Thread: Vulnus Voice

Trigger warnings: mentions of abuse, blood, cheating, mental health, trauma, violence, and gun violence.

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With each punch came a grunt. The harder he struck, the harder it became to mask the anger. Jungkook felt a lot of things but the one emotion he never shied away from was wrath.
To him, absolute and brewing rage acted like a time bomb. In its purest form, it could cause devastation and destruction and it most certainly wasn't something he saw as good; though history proved otherwise. Great anger, for the right reasons, could bring change. However, to Jungkook, it was something that needed to be handled. His disorder, particularly the mania, often led him down a path of impulsiveness and recklessness. Though he once admitted he'd much rather prefer that to the crushing and crippling lows, adding to the confession, revealing it was far more fun to not think and just do or to just be.

At first, you had no clue where he instructed you to drive but when you recognized the building, you wondered why he wanted you to accompany him. Looking at him now, the anxiousness that arose from entering the gym wasn't nearly as prominent as before. With each fierce strike on the boxing bag, he gained a little control of his emotions. The anxiousness wore off and was replaced with concern as the bloodstain, on his already bruised knuckles, became larger.
       "Doesn't it hurt?" You asked, worried out of your mind, "You're not even wearing gloves or anything."
He ignored the plea in your voice, quickening his blows on the bag a few times when you decided there was no point in stopping him. With a defeated sigh, you stared out at the empty gym, still as surprised as earlier when you first came in.

Upon exiting the car, Jungkook stormed to the building and allowed himself in, which was unexpected. He had his own key to the place and the password to disarm the alarm. Though you knew he frequented the gym and had done so for many years, you didn't realize he was this close to the owner. When you asked, he shrugged and wrote the friendship off as a mutual beneficiary exchange but you had a hard time believing it. What the owner sought was justice for Mr. Styles' vile and unforgiving actions against owners of smaller businesses, but what Jungkook received in return seemed almost personal, as though it was a brotherly gesture. No one in their right mind would give away the key to their shop unless they either truly cared about the other and trusted them, or perhaps even saw the person as a friend. It struck you as odd when Jungkook couldn't recognize the kind act as something more profound.

       "It's nice of Shownu to let you use the gym after hours." You spoke but he remained unfazed during his quick one-two, "It's nice here."

The large floor-to-ceiling windows caught your eye first as you gazed up to the white ceiling with bright lights that artificially lit the space. The compacted area of the gym was located in an alley off the bustling city. You walked over to a window, arms folded, as an attempt to entertain yourself. However, you couldn't see anything past your reflection.  Despite the frightfulness of entering the gym, mostly in fear of the stench of men's sweat glands, you were surprised by the little to no body odor. After hours, nobody was around. Not even the epic roars of the busy nightlife on a Friday evening pierced through, only Jungkook's harsh beatings on the heavy bag roamed the space with the occasional grunts.

In a rush and as instructed, you drove and drove until he cooled down long enough to direct you where to go. Though the thought didn't surface during the unbearably quiet car ride, you couldn't help but reminisce about the countless times you were in a car together. The earlier memories put a smile on your face as you remembered the times you claimed each other inside and outside of a vehicle. However, the process of even getting you behind the wheel was far less enjoyable.
Since Namjoon held you at gunpoint and forced you to drive to that dreadful apartment, you had a hard time driving yourself anywhere. Crippled to death by anxiety, Jungkook functioned as an anchor; the calm voice that brought the hope back and made you see the light at the end of the tunnel.