"I think that's it!" You call into the box-filled apartment as you pick up the last one sitting outside of the door and carry it in, before dropping it off by the door and sighing softly. Jimin grins as he walks over to you and gives you a high five, before slumping against the wall and running a hand through his damp hair. "Is that all you needed?" You ask softly as you put a hand on your hip and flick some hair off your shoulder.
"Hmm... Does Taehyung have any beer or anything?" Jimin asks curiously with a small grin as he pushes himself off the wall and grabs his keys. You frown softly and hum, before shrugging to Jimin. "Well, let's go find out." He smiles to himself, grabbing your arm as he heads towards the door and locking it behind the two of you.
"He won't mind you having one, right? I mean-"
"Pff, I've been taking his stuff since I met him." Jimin butts in, waving his hand dismissively as he presses the button to call the elevator. You laugh softly in return, while pulling out your phone to check for any messages from Taehyung. Once the elevator dings to announce it had arrived, you slip your phone back into your pocket and climb in with Jimin., who hums to himself a little. "So, random question, but how long have you known Tae?" Jimin suddenly asks, turning his body towards you casually.
"Um, not that long, I suppose. I first met him in the coffee shop that I like, and he just so happens to work at, which was maybe like a few weeks back? Honestly, time has moved so quickly for me recently, so we probably moved too fast, but it feels right, so it can't be wrong that we only got together the day after you arrived." You mumble as you look down at your feet and turn them inwards to each other, while Jimin nods slowly and thoughtfully.
"That's actually surprising. I thought the two of you had been together a while, not only a couple of days. He must really feel something for you, and I seriously thought that was going to be impossible for him." Jimin admits slowly, causing you to look up to him with a small frown and tilt your head.
"Impossible? Why's that? He seems like the most caring person in the world." You ask curiously as you scan Jimin's face, watching as he frowns softly and bites his lip. The elevator comes to a stop during the silence and the two of you stand there for a moment, before Jimin exits first and pauses in the hall.
"I know it's a tender subject, but your previous boyfriend abused you, didn't he?" Jimin asks softly, looking down on you with an unreadable expression, while you slowly nod with a frown. "That would explain his attachment to you then. Huh, can't believe I didn't realize sooner." He continues with a shrug, before walking towards Taehyung's apartment and stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"Explains what? I don't understand what you're talking about, Jimin." You grumble as you follow him quickly, the frown now etched deeply into your features and anxiety gripping at your insides. Jimin sighs as he pushes open the door and makes his way to the kitchen, processing your words carefully as he leans on the counter.
"Well, he probably won't like you knowing this, but Taehyung recently got out of his own abusive relationship, not long before he met you, by the sounds of it. The woman he was with was using him for sex and money and when he refused her, she began to abuse and threaten him until she finally got up and left. It destroyed him, Y/N. He loved her so deeply that it just crushed him entirely and he started drinking and almost got fired from every one of his jobs." Jimin explains slowly, a pained expression painting his features.
"I had no idea. He seems so strong." You mumble in reply, looking down to the floor with a frown and thinking on how he protected you when Juhyun was around. Jimin nods slowly as he looks over at you, his heart hurting for you and for his friend at the thought of what the two of you suffered.
"It would make sense why he did so much to protect you, though. He probably didn't want to see anyone end up like he did." Jimin sighs softly, before frowning to himself and moving over to one of the lower cabinets with a serious expression. He pulls open the cupboard to reveal a large variety of alcohol, some empty bottles and others half-empty, causing him to close his eyes and sigh again. "Maybe he never stopped drinking because of her." Jimin whispers as he reaches in, grabbing a couple of the bottles and putting them on the counter.
"Y-You mean Taehyung is an alcoholic?" You blurt out as you watch Jimin pull out all of the bottles and put them on the counter, your heart stopping in your chest as you immediately think about how he was an alcoholic too. Jimin nods slowly as he unscrews one of the vodka bottles, before tipping it over the sink and allowing the clear liquid to pour down the drain.
"I didn't realize that it was still an ongoing issue." Jimin mumbles as he places the empty bottle by the side of the sink, before grabbing a bottle of whiskey and unscrewing that one, while you stand and watch with a panic attack creeping up on you. A creak rings through the dead silence, announcing that Taehyung was home and you instantly look towards it, before looking at Jimin who had no intent on stopping what he was doing.
"Hey, Y/N. What are you standing there for?" Taehyung smiles as he slings off his jacket by the door, kicking off his shoes as he did so, while you stand frozen and unable to speak as he quickly approached you. "Are you- Jimin! What are you doing?" Taehyung cuts himself off as he spots Jimin pouring away his drinks and instantly leaps for the older man, panic setting into his features as he watches the alcohol being wasted.
"Taehyung, I told you to stop this already!" Jimin exclaims as he finishes tipping away a bottle of rum, before he accidentally drops the bottle when Taehyung grabs hold of him, the glass shattering all over the ground. You scream and cover your face as Taehyung grabs the remaining bottles, while Jimin tugs on his arms in an attempt to get him to release them. "You'll only kill yourself drinking like this! I know she hurt you, but this won't take away the-"
"You don't know anything, Jimin! Let go of me!" Taehyung screams at Jimin as he becomes hysterical, his breathing quickening as he clung onto the drinks like his life depended on it. Jimin refuses to give up and continues tugging on his arms, attempting to grab at the bottles and remove them from his arms. You try to catch your breath as you attempt to block out the sounds, before storming towards the two of them and standing between them.
"Both of you stop! Jimin, back off for a second." You yell as you look towards Jimin, shocking him with your sudden confidence, before he nods and steps back from you and Taehyung. You take a deep breath, before turning to Taehyung and staring into his eyes. "Taehyung, I know what that girl did to you, and you don't have to suffer alone anymore. I'm here for you now, so you don't need this anymore, okay? You don't have to drink to take the pain away." You speak softly as you reach for the bottles, maintaining eye contact as you gently took one of the bottles from his arms.
"I-I'm sorry." Taehyung whispers, barely getting the words out as he broke away from your eyes and carefully places the bottles on the counter. Jimin lets out a small sigh of relief as you place down the one you took, before Taehyung pulls you into his embrace and holds you tightly, his face buried in the top of your head to hide his shame.
"Thank you, Y/N." Jimin whispers softly as he reaches to grab the remaining bottles, before tipping them down the sink while Taehyung held onto you tightly, without any intention on letting you go.
