remember me

*Ten*

Jimin gasped. "K-kook..?"

"My aunt, I called her. Told her what happened. When she arrived she wasn't alone. There were other men with her, I had never seen them before. What happened afterwards is a mess in my head. I can't remember much, it's all fuzzy but I remember her shaking me. Forcing me to focus on her and not on the body that the men were wrapping up. She told me to keep quiet. That I wasn't here, I had canceled the session. That I was with her and that it never happened."

The younger's eyes closed, he couldn't take it anymore.

Now they knew.

He was a killer.

A murderer.

"A week went by and I couldn't forget it, it haunted me. He haunted me. The news of his disappearance was everywhere. So I went to the police station, I tried giving my statement. My aunt she must have found out, she barged in halfway through before I could confess. Telling them I was lying, that I'm a compulsive liar and I wanted attention. That I was with her. The chief, he knew her, so he told the officers I was talking to, to disregard what they had recorded, to throw it away."

By the end he was nothing but a mess of cries and hiccups. Breaths uneven and short leaving him feeling overwhelmed. It wasn't until the warmth that was invading him pushed further in, hands caressing him, voices whispering to him. It calmed his heart that he wasn't pushed away, they pulled him in closer instead.

"Bambi, look at me"

He couldn't, not now. Not after everything he had just said.

"Bambi, love, it's ok. Look at me"

He did.

There was no disgust, no hatred or repulsion in his eyes.

Acceptance, that's what he saw.

It made him cry more.

"Stop crying Bambi," Taehyung's thumbs wiped below his eyes. "What you did, what you had to do to survive, to protect yourself, we could never judge you for that."

"Tae's right Kookie. If you hadn't done that, if you hadn't fought back, he would've hurt you more, would've done something that can't be undone. He deserved it, don't feel guilty."

"I c-can't help it. I'm a murd-.."

"Don't say it." Taehyung warned. "You are not. It was self defense and you know it. You are strong, so strong baby."

"You are." Jimin agreed. His fingers massaging Jungkook's sides, tracing up and down to calm his shaking. It was doing the trick, the younger's nerves evening out.

"Is this the reason for your nightmares?" Taehyung asked.

"I can't shake him, he follows me everywhere" Jungkook cried out brokenly. "But with you, with both of you, he stays away"

"Well it's a good thing that we don't plan on going anywhere." Jimin kissed his clothed shoulder, then rested his cheek against him.

"Your aunt, she helped you?"

"Mhmm... She had never liked me, always treated me poorly. That night was no different, it was for her own selfish reasons. What would people think of her if her nephew was a killer?"

"Oh Kookie" Jimin tightened his hold.

"That's why I ran away. I was scared and I couldn't take it anymore. So I ran."

"That's why you changed your name?"

"Hmm"

Taehyung leaned down further, their noses brushing. "No more running, ok?" Watching the younger's head nod was endearing in a way. How his big wide eyes showed nothing but truth, his own storm disappeared inside. Truly thankful that Jungkook didn't have his guard up around them anymore, that he was able to see his emotions. "You have us now Bambi, we'll always be with you"