Knowing - jikook au

Identity.

Identity. Jimin had lost his identity when he left his old life for the darkness. He didn't figure that it would follow him, haunt him, for the rest of his days.

Jimin had not left his apartment for two days. He had left his bed as little as possible. He'd ignored the phone calls he got from his boss, and listened with complete apathy to the voicemail telling him he was fired from Jolly Shoppers for not showing up to three shifts without any explanation or contact. He didn't get up to go to the door when he heard people knocking. He simply curled himself up in bed, taking up the least space he could, and cried until he could cry no more, then thought until his brain was numb.

Yoongi had called him Jimin. On the bridge, out in the rain, Yoongi had called him Jimin. To Yoongi and Hoseok, he was Jin, but Yoongi had called him Jimin. He hadn't realised it back then, drenched in rain, drowning in the darkness that had overcome his life... he hadn't realised it when he got home, had a shower, and curled up into bed. He only realised it when his eyes trailed to the window, the sound of rain splattering against it sending him into his thoughts.
Yoongi knew who he was. Yoongi knew who he was and two days later, Jimin was panicking, because they weren't supposed to know who he was, but they did, and that meant that there were people who didn't only know who Jimin was, but knew where he was. They could out him if they wanted to. All they had to do was prove it, and that wouldn't be difficult - all they needed was a picture, and they could already have one for all Jimin knew.

What would he do? What would he say to the world when a spotlight was shined upon him? How would he stop the judgement, the disgrace, the shame... how would he save himself from the monsters, the monsters of the daylight which he was hiding from in the darkness?

Yoongi and Hoseok wouldn't out him, would they? He'd heard them calling to him through his door, asking him if he was okay, to open up so they could check on him, if he needed anything, if he was eating well enough. They seemed to care, even if he had ignored them every time.
How could he face them now? He'd been lying to them for two years, and somewhere along the way they had figured it out. Why didn't the world already know where he was? Were they keeping it to themselves, laughing about Jimin behind his back, talking about how stupid he was for thinking he was smart enough to escape his past?

"Jimin?" A faint voice was heard from the front door, followed by a series of knocks. It was Hoseok. "Jimin, I know you're in there. You've been ignoring us and- well, are you okay? Please, talk to us. Why don't you tell me what's wrong? I can make you a hot chocolate, and we can sit down under some blankets and you can explain everything to me."

"Go away," Jimin said. Or tried to say - his voice came out raspy and with no power, meaning he was only able to whisper the words, having not spoken in two days, since he was sobbing and shouting on the bridge.

Hoseok didn't hear him. "Look Jimin... Yoongi- he's sorry. He realised his mistake and he's sorry for letting it slip, we didn't want you to find out this way and- and I'm sorry too. We didn't mean to hurt your feelings Jimin just- please just- come out? We can talk about it, okay? We're here for you."

Hoseok waited outside the door for five minutes. There was no sound from inside the apartment. He waited longer. Nothing again. He waited a bit more. Still nothing.
With a sigh, he turned around to go back to his own apartment when the door behind him finally opened. He whipped around to see Park Jimin standing there, looking tired and pale, big black bags under his eyes, skin grimy and hair greasy. He looked like a wreck. "Jimin, I-"

"You won't tell anybody." Jimin said, his voice croaking with strain. "You won't tell anybody where I am."

"Of course not! We've known who you are all this time, we never told anybody - never! I promise you, I-" Hoseok cut himself off as his eyes took in Jimin's shaking frame. "Jimin, are you okay?"