Bound to You

Chapter 25

"You're leaving already?"

Taehyung looked back.

There was an unhappy wrinkle between Jimin's brows, the corners of his lips turned downward, a pout forming.

"What do you want me here for?" Taehyung said. "I'm sure your 'Joonie-hyung' would tell you that spreading your legs for your former captor isn't conducive to getting cured."

A rosy blush appeared on Jimin's cheekbones. "What about the threats I've been getting? I really need your help." He said chewing his lip.

Taehyung knew the sort of people Park Young-soon had dealings with. They would shred Jimin to pieces. He wished he could say he didn't care.

But he did. Too much.

There was no rational reason for that, no logical motive. He just did. No matter what he told himself, he couldn't see this ridiculous, soft-spoken, head-in-the-clouds, sentimental man as anything but his. It was frustrating, because Taehyung didn't want to want any claim of that sort.

"I'll deal with it," he said curtly.

Jimin looked at him, his eyes bright, smile in full force.

For fuck's sake.

"Now?" Jimin said hopefully, eagerness and longing written all over his face. "I have everything on my laptop here." Don't go, Jimin's eyes said. Don't go, his body said.

Taehyung thinks it's cringe-inducing that he feels the same irresistible pull towards Jimin. Only, unlike Jimin, he couldn't conveniently claim being affected by any sort of syndrome.

"Get the laptop," he bit off and sat down on the bed.

When Jimin brought his laptop to the bed and snuggled up against him, Taehyung didn't push him away.

He should have.

Park Jimin is a menace.

-

The therapist's unfaltering gaze on him was pretty unnerving.

Jimin had waltz into the room with a slam again, without prior notice. This time Namjoon dropped his favourite glass paperweight on the floor.

Jimin squirmed and regretted it immediately. He was still feeling last night's activities.

"Why are you here, Jimin?" Namjoon said at last. "What do you hope to achieve by seeing me?"

"I.....Namjoon-ah are you telling me that I can't come to visit my favourite hyung?" Jimin fake whined.

Namjoon made a face.

"What do you hope to achieve by seeing me?" he repeated.

"I..." Jimin licked his lips. "I told you already. I want you to help me get cured of this—of my Stockholm syndrome. I want to get him out of my head."

Regarding Jimin over the rim of his glasses, "And yet you're continuing sexual relations with the man who gave you your 'Stockholm syndrome'."

Jimin bit his knuckle, avoiding his eyes. "You'll fix me eventually, so what difference does it make?"

"Jimin-ah," Namjoon said calmly but with an undertone of reproach. "I'm not a magician. I can't help you if you don't make an effort yourself. Your attitude isn't that different of a woman who chooses to have unprotected sex only because she can take a 'morning-after' pill. It is, in fact, worse, because there's no such pill for you."

Jimin dropped his face into his hands, his shoulders slumping.

"I know," he said. "It's just...it's hard." Sighing, he lifted his head and looked at his therapist miserably. "I feel so good with him, hyung. So, so good."

Namjoon didn't look particularly surprised. "What do you mean by 'good'? Could you elaborate?"

Jimin thought of the way he felt this morning when he woke up tucked in Taehyung's arms.

"Giddy," he said. "Safe—protected" he said quieter, feeling like a freak. Taehyung was the last person he should be feeling safe with. "I need help," he said, desperation sneaking into his voice.