INHUMANE | TAEKOOK

The Seventeenth Chapter

Taehyung pov

It had been days since the fight, Jin hadn't left Namjoon's side, not even to eat. He was just sitting there, holding Namjoons's hand and taking care of him. We tried to get him out, to get him to eat something, anything really, but he refused. He said he wanted to be there every step of the way, take care of his best friend, and nurse him back to health as best as he could. He didn't let anyone else into that room for days, it was just those two. We could hear him talking to Namjoon sometimes, about their childhood, when they found their powers, high school memories. Other times, it'd be almost silent, the only thing breaking it was quiet crying. At night, we could hear soft singing, like Jin was singing a lullaby, something to relax, make sure everything was going to be okay. Whether it was for him or Namjoon, we still don't know.

Then one day, he screamed. We all scrambled into the room, honestly fearing the worst. We didn't know what to expect, blood, vomit, a dead body. But it wasn't any of that, it was Namjoon, standing. He was shaky, unstable, Jin holding onto his good side with tears streaming down his face. We didn't know what to do, we were in shock, all of us thinking it was a dream or an illusion. There Namjoon was, after days of being bedridden, standing, a smile on his face and stars in his eyes. He looked to the door, seeming to just notice the group of us standing at the door and smiled, breathing out something that was almost a laugh.

"Hey, guys.", his voice was hoarse, but it was him. We all broke out into smiles and laughter, surging forward towards him. None of us could believe it, that he was here. We all thought he was going to die in that bed, destroying Jin and our little group, the first rip that would tear us apart. Sure, we were happy, but no one was happier than those two. Despite what happened, they were closer than before, sharing laughs and smiles, hugs, it was amazing to watch. But our happiness wasn't long term.

We all knew what was coming. We all knew that some big battle royal between us and Jackson was on the horizon, getting closer and closer every day, and we knew we had to keep up our training. We knew that all of us probably wouldn't make it out of that fight, but none of us said it. So, we all silently intensified our individual training. Made the skills we knew were strong even stronger. Discovered new ones, drilled those into ourselves, and repeat. Yoongi started to not only summon fire but control it. Make it bend to his will and do what he wanted, he could calm a blaze that had overtaken a house, or summon one that was bigger. Jungkook was also learning to control his abilities, things no longer flew around a room when he was upset and was able to throw a small truck. Hoseok was learning how to get inside the minds of animals, this not being too strong, he stuck more to people, but being in a different body didn't drain him like it did before. Namjoon could transport all or most of us at one time, while still being in proper shape to fight after, and was working with Rose to strengthen their combined talents. Despite what she did to him, he accepted it was a mistake, and held no grudge against her. Jimin could bring back animals up to the size of a deer, while also working on his hand to hand combat skills. Jin was improving the most. Before this, he could find small groups of people, but only for a short amount of time. Now, he could keep a sharp and focused image on multiple people at once, for a greatly extended period of time.

We were all proud of each other, but we each had doubts, or regrets, in some cases. Just because we were all improving didn't mean that we were able to work as a team. There was animosity between me and Yoongi again, fights and arguments broke out between us during training or in practice drills. It was like we took one step forward and two back, the thumb-shaped scar on Jungkook's arm doing nothing to help either of us. For him, it was a reminder of his temper, and what he's capable of when he's upset. For me, it was a reminder of no matter how hard I tried, no matter what I did, I couldn't always be there to protect Jungkook, that there was always going to be a time when he gets hurt and I'm not there to help, even in the smallest possible way.

  I tried to, though. If I saw he was pushing himself too hard, I would urge him to take a break, let himself breathe. He'd always reply the same way. A smile, laugh, and mutter "Whatever you say, hyung."

  I was afraid of my feelings for him, in all honesty. I hadn't loved anyone before him, the emotion was foreign to me. It scared me, a feeling this strong for one person, a feeling I'd never felt before this. I would do anything for him, hell, I'd already done some shit I wasn't proud of for him. I just wanted him to be safe, protected and knew I was the only one who could provide that. I didn't understand why someone so innocent, so soft, could be thrown into a life like his. He'd been through hell and back, we both had, and being together made us stronger. Made us forget about everything that happened before we found our powers, before coming to the little house in the country, before meeting Bang and everyone else. We both knew we wouldn't be here if we hadn't met each other, but neither of us said it. I loved him, I'd d anything for him, and I'd do anything to save him, from himself or others. So when he walked into my room with a frown on his face and tears in his eyes, I knew something was wrong. I stood up and took a step towards him. He looked up at me, his eyes saying everything he didn't want to, but what said anyway

"Tae, sit, please. I need to talk to you about something and I don't really know how." I nodded and sat back down on my bed. Jungkook took a deep breath, opened his mouth, and closed it again. I knew he was uncomfortable. I could tell with the way he was worrying his bottom thumbnail between his teeth, chewing on it for a few seconds before letting go, then bringing it back up. 

I took his hand. "If it's too hard, you don't have to talk," I said. I patted the spot beside me and he sat down. I wrapped my hand around the one he was bitting, making him look at me. "You can just think,"

He sighed and looked away. I pulled him closer, seeing his bottom lip shake. He let out a sob as I ran a hand through his hair.

"It's okay, Kook. I'm here," I whispered, kissing his head.

"It's not okay, Tae," He cried. His voice was almost inaudible. I could feel his tears soak my shirt. "It's not okay at all. It's never gonna be okay,"

"What's going on? You're scaring me," I asked, lifting his head with my finger. I hated seeing him like this. His eyes met mine.

'He raped me'

Rage filled my body. "Who did?" I said, trying to stay calm. Now wasn't the time to be angry, but I couldn't help it. Someone had hurt my baby.

"My dad," Jungkook whispered. "Please, don't be mad,"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "You know I can't control it. Why haven't you told me earlier?"

"I couldn't," Jungkooks said, sighing. "I didn't think you'd be with me if you knew,"

He looked so insecure and vulnerable as he sat there on my bed. He was beautiful. I wanted to hold him and never let go. I took another deep breath, feeling all my anger disappear. I sat down beside him again and dried his tears.

"Of course I'd be with you. Don't be silly," I said. 

"Do you mean that?" Jungkook looked me in the eyes. 

"I would never let anyone hurt you. You're my first priority no matter what," I said and kissed him quickly. "I love you," I said, not realizing what I had said before Jungkook smashed his lips onto mine.

He pulled away with a wide smile on his lips. "I love you too," He said, kissing me again. 

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A/N: Sorry for this super short filler chapter. We haven't had that much motivation to write, but we really wanted to post something for you guys. 

Anyway, three more chapters to go!