LOVE YOU TO DEATH | TAEKOOK

1. The First

*Continued from Book 1: Dying to Know. Contains adult language and mature content*

"Jungkookie, I know you're mad at me but I just got the weirdest fucking phone call from some police officer. Something about the house on 39th Street?" Jimin launched into his revelation, speaking before he was even through the door, still looking down at his phone.

"Why aren't you downstairs? Whatever. I guess they need me to help them with something, I don't know. Honestly I can't think of why they would possibly be concerned with that shithole," he continued, babbling excitedly as he strode through the foyer.

Jimin finally raised his head, scanning the space for any sign of the younger.

"Jungkook? Oh my god, Jungkook," he dropped his phone and jogged over to the couch where the younger was sitting with his head between his knees, sobbing and hugging himself.

Jimin dropped to his knees in front of Jungkook, putting his hands on his head, kissing his dark hair.

"Honey, what happened? What's wrong?" he asked, over and over, receiving no answer. Jimin rubbed the younger's shoulders and back, trying to get him to calm down, to no avail.

"Did something happen with Tae? Lil? I don't understand," he murmured, begging Jungkook to just say something.

He let the younger cry for a number of agonizing minutes, before putting his hands on Jungkook's cheeks, "Talk to me, Kookie Koo," he whispered, forehead all scrunched with worry.

"I can't," Jungkook rasped, his shaking body wracked with terror.

Jimin shook his head, "What are you talking about? Of course you can," he brushed the suggestion off with disbelief. There wasn't all that much that the younger didn't tell him. Right?

"I know you're mad at me, but you can talk to me. I promise," he pleaded, eyes big with the hope that he could get the younger to trust him again and just tell him what was wrong.

Jungkook buried his face in his hands. Every cell in his body seemed to be shaking, Jimin observed, a chorus of alarm bells ringing loudly in his head.

"No I can't, Chim," he said as he shook his head, voice cracking, "This is the one thing I can't tell you," he closed his mouth, pressing his lips together between his teeth.

The older put his hands on either side of Jungkook's head, leaning forward to kiss his forehead.

He heard footsteps on the stairs, and glanced over his shoulder to find Taehyung halfway down the flight of stairs looking shocked. Jimin shook his head and pointed for him to go back upstairs.

Taehyung complied, sort of. He stood at the top of the stairs just out of sight, watching over the balcony in case he needed to step in. He didn't exactly trust Jimin right now.

Jimin leaned towards Jungkook one more time, prying the younger's hands off his face and pressing their foreheads together.

"It's just me, Kookie Koo. As upset as you might be with me, you can tell me anything. You know that," he murmured, face so close he could feel Jungkook's eyelids quivering.

The younger let out a harsh, anguished sob.

"I'm so fucking scared, Chim," he said, through whitish lips that just wouldn't stop wobbling.

Jimin gripped the younger's hands, squeezing them hard to try and get Jungkook back down to earth. He was tempted to call Namjoon, but thought that might actually make things worse.

"Jungkookie, what could be so bad you can't even tell me? I know everything about you," he whispered, trying to persuade the younger to just tell him, no matter what it was.