BLOOD MONEY || bts mafia au

thirty six.

The box had shown up at Yoongi's doorstep early in the morning.

His hands had trembled when he'd picked it up, recognizing the mark carved into the top - a crown, a dagger piercing through the middle. The symbol of the Kingmakers.

Jin and Namjoon had lurked anxiously over his shoulders, having been stirred from their sleep the second the watchman had caught sight of the box. Namjoon frowned at the box, trying to discern something useful, while Jin kept his gaze on the taller boy, hovering beside him.

The bullet had narrowly avoided Namjoon's vitals and he'd been cleared by the medic to leave his bed rest, but Jin had been loath to let him out of his sight still, searching for any signs that he was tiring himself out.

"What do you think is in it?" Namjoon asked, leaning in closer to get a better look.

Yoongi continued to stare at it. "Nothing good."

Jin tore his attention from Namjoon, scoffing. "Just open it already. Standing there looking at it isn't going to do anything."

Namjoon tried to flash his boyfriend a sharp look, but his gaze was diverted back to the box as Yoongi placed a shaky hand on the lid.

Taking a deep breath, Yoongi carefully opened it. There was a scrap of paper at the bottom, edges torn. In big, slashing letters, a single word was written out: NEVERMIND.

Yoongi felt his blood run cold as realization washed over him.

"'Nevermind'?" Namjoon questioned, brow furrowing in confusion. "What does that mean?"

But Jin had seen the look of horror cross Yoongi's face. "Yoongi? What is it? Do you know what this means?"

"Yes." Yoongi crumpled the paper in his hands, suddenly furious.

Of all people, of all the things he could've done... the Hatter had chosen this.

Yoongi remembered that word. Remembered the jagged font, the way it rippled over muscle, the taste of it-

They'd gone after Jimin. They'd somehow found out something about them and decided to use him to get to Yoongi. How had they found out? As far as Yoongi knew, no one had seen Jimin come or go that night, or been aware of what they'd done. But this...

It was the fact that the Hatter knew about Jimin's tattoo that pissed Yoongi off the most. It wasn't in a very visible place, located just along the right side of Jimin's chest, running over his ribcage. It spawned questions that made Yoongi's blood boil. If the Hatter had so much as laid a hand on Jimin-

He was just about to reach for the gun he'd set down on the table, intending to storm the Kingmakers' den immediately, when a new set of footsteps entered the room, followed by the voices of the soldiers he stationed on watch. "Sir, there's someone-"

"What do you want?" Yoongi snapped, whirling around furiously.

He stopped short at the sight of the familiar boy standing between his soldiers.

Taehyung blinked unseeingly back at him. "Hello, Yoongi."

Namjoon exchanged a glance with Jin behind Yoongi's back.

Yoongi's voice was cold. "What are you doing here?"

Taehyung's impassive expression flickered for just a second, exposing the fear that lay beneath it. He looked worse than when Yoongi had last seen him. His face more drawn, the bruises beneath his eyes darker. When he spoke, his voice was soft as ever, but Yoongi could hear the way it broke. "I need your help."

"What for?"

"I... I haven't heard from Jimin in days. And I... I didn't have anyone else to turn to."