Protect (Taekook) ✅

Guilt

“What? How? When?...huh?” Jimin gave me a dumb look and I sighed.

“I found him...today.” I mumbled.

“He looks like a woman!”

“Some bastard made him his woman.”

“That top!?”

“Oh would you fucking let it go!” I growled. Jimin sighed and sat on the bed beside the passed out man.

“He looks smaller. Like...younger than you. And shorter than he was as well.”

“I need Jin to look at him. I know it’s been five years, but the changes present couldn’t have been healthy. They probably still aren’t. He’s so thin. He looks tired. There are…” I felt my eyes widen. I shot up from my chair and gripped Tae’s shirt, ripping it open.

Jimin gasped in horror as we both looked at his chest. Bruises, cuts, burns, hickies littered his skin. No space was left untouched. I clenched my jaw and heard a low growl that escaped my throat. How dare someone do this to Tae? My Tae?

“D-Don’t look…” I Let go of my grip on Tae as he moved, wincing as he did so, and grabbed the covers of my bed, pulling the over himself. He didn’t meet my eyes.

“Taehyung…” I whispered quietly.

“Just...give me some time alone...please.” He quietly replied.

“I’m going to send Jin in. He’s a doctor and I want him to examine you.”

“‘M fine.”

“You are not fine.” He didn’t say anything, so I took it as consent. As much as it hurt me, I forced myself to walk away and leave the room, Jimin following behind me. I entered the living room where everyone else was.

Namjoon looked over to me and looked away quickly. “Jin.” I called. He stood and walked over to me.

“What do you need?”

“There’s someone in my room who I want you to look at. He has cuts and bruises all over his body. And I’m not sure what other things happened, I just want you to look st him, treat him if you can.”

“Of course.” He nodded and turned, walking out of the room. I sighed and headed towards the kitchen, in desperate need of a strong drink.

“Give me one, too.” Jimin said as he slid into the seat beside me. I grabbed him a glass and we drank, sitting in silence. “You know…” Jimin finally said, “I wasn’t that close to Taehyung, I was your friend before his, but...I saw how much you loved each other. And I know how guilty you must feel...blaming him all these years. But it isn’t your fault, Kook. You couldn’t have known.”

“But if I hadn’t been so caught up in blaming him, maybe I would’ve—"

“Nothings going to change, Kook. Focus on the now. Taehyung’s here, resting in your room, safe and sound.”

“Safe? He’s safe? What do you think that bitch did to him? In the past five years, he’s been sold in an auction and forced to become a woman for some sick fuck with delusional thoughts. He's probably been raped multiple times, abused, broken, and the worst part is...he was alone, the whole entire time.”

“Kook—“

“You don’t understand!” I shouted, slamming the glass onto the counter. I sniffed and rubbed my eyes, willing the tears not to fall, but dammit they were stubborn. Jimin watched me silently, waiting. “He was always there for me.” I managed. “He supported me in everything and comforted me when I needed it. He protected me from everything and made sure no one would touch me when I couldn’t defend myself. He made sure I was never lonely and that I always had someone to talk to if I needed it. And the one time he needed it, I wasn’t there. No, not the one time, every time he needed it, every night, every day. I. Wasn’t. There. Where was I? Being too ambitious and building an empire built around death and lies and hating him. I cursed his very existence and wished I’d never met him. I thought horrible things about him. I…”

I stopped talking. I couldn’t continue. Jimin wrapped an arm around me and pulled me into a loose hug.

“You couldn’t have known...Kookie. It’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself. It’s whoever put him in that position. They are at fault. Not you. Don’t ever think it’s you.”

“Hyung…” I buried my head into his shoulder, his shirt absorbing my tears. “What if he hates me? He’d have every right to. What if—"

“He wouldn’t, Kook. Why would he blame you? You did nothing, and you saved him, too.”

“But...I wasn’t there for him.”

“You couldn’t have been. Yo had no knowledge of where he was, what his situation was like. Yes, maybe you jumped to conclusions too fast, but you never did anything to intentionally hurt Tae. You were just hurt, and you had to express your feeling in some way.”

I nodded and he patted my back gently. “But…” I said once again, another thought coming into my mind.

“No buts. There’s no buts to discuss.” (‘Cept yours Mr. Park...anyways…)

“What if he was raped, Hyung? What if it was multiple times? I wasn’t there to comfort him. No one was. What if he’s broken? He...he was there for me. But I wasn’t there for him. You don’t know what it’s like, Jimin. And to have it done multiple times...every day maybe…” a fresh set of tears started to fall down my face.

Jimin froze. “Jungkookie.” He whispered. “H...have you been raped before?”