Nada

The Road To Death

"What?" Y/N tried lifting her head up but Hoseok was blushing profusely and mentally smacking himself, ignoring her attempts to sit back so she could look at his face. He hadn't meant to say it, it'd just slipped out. Now he felt like a jerk. Now was not the time or the place. The time or the place had been before he went to the fucking bathroom....

Y/N finally got her head up and leaned back slightly to study his face. "What'd you say?" There was no turning back now. He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through her hair, pulling the front strands back so they wouldn't get stuck to her cheeks with the new wave of tears.

"I said I want you. You're wrong when you say you won't be wanted. I want you." She blinked.

"What?" He felt a little irritated but shoved it down, knowing that he was really mad at the situation, not at her.

"That's why I asked you to dinner tonight. I....I wanted to ask you if.....I wanted...." He was nervous, stumbling over his words. "I find you very attractive and I wanted to try exploring something different with you. Something more than friendship." He finally took Yoongi's advice and just spit it out. His heart was hammering in his chest and he looked down. "I'm sorry....I didn't want to ask you when you were living with me, I didn't want you to feel obligated. And I wasn't going to say anything now with everything that just happened....but I'm also a dumbass." He mumbled.

For Y/N's part, she felt like her brain was completely short-circuiting. If this had been brought up a couple weeks ago...she would've instantly shut him down. She wouldn't have believed he'd be interested in anything other than a one-night stand. But him....all of them....she had gotten to see that they truly cared about her. They hadn't had to stick around. They hadn't had to go to such lengths for her.

She'd noticed that Hoseok didn't ask her to point out girls to him anymore. But she'd just assumed he was maturing, growing up. She hadn't realized....for all her talents, for everything she saw, she was always good at glossing over interest in her. Maybe a part of her didn't believe it was possible, doubted her worth. She always managed to attribute it to something else.

She didn't pine for anyone. As long as she had friends she was good. But there was also that small part of her that wondered if her acceptance of this was really an acceptance of her really being unworthy trash. It's easy to accept your lot in life when it's your lot.

For Hoseok, he felt like his heart was being crushed the longer she stayed silent. She didn't see him the same way. She wouldn't even consider it. He cursed himself for every one-night stand he'd ever had in his whole life. If one of them was a slut, it was definitely him.

How had he thought this pain would be better than not knowing. That was the line his thoughts were taking when Y/N sat up and slid her arms around his neck and rested her cheek against his. He sighed in relief and squeezed her tight again, understanding that she couldn't communicate what she wanted to with words.

"Thank you." He whispered.

"Why are you thanking me?" She pulled back again and he gently kissed her forehead before resting his against hers.

"Because....for you it takes a lot of trust....especially considering how we met. And that trust is precious to me." He paused. "And, if we're being honest, of the two of us in this car, if someone's a whore it's me." She frowned and gently knocked his forehead with hers.

"You just told me liking sex doesn't make you a whore. Take your own advice, Hobi." He smiled slightly.

"So....." He said quietly, reaching up to stroke her cheek. His. She was his. He thought he would burst with joy. And anger. Joy and anger. "Why don't we go back to my place, because now I'm not sure you're safe again, and I'll tuck you in to my spare bedroom, and you sleep and clear your head of all this. Does that sound good?"

It was a relief. A relief to not be worried about everything herself. A relief to have someone to fall back on.

"Okay."

So that's what they did. When they got to his place, Hoseok wrapped her tightly in the blankets and kissed her forehead again.

"You're mine." He whispered, hardly able to believe it. "Call if you need anything." She nodded sleepily and closed her eyes, ready to just be done with today. She'd feel everything again tomorrow. But for now she just wanted to escape.

It would be awhile before Hoseok escaped though. As soon as he closed her door he pulled out his phone and dialed Namjoon.

"Hello?"

"We have a slight problem." Hoseok said, walking into the kitchen and keeping his voice down.

"Oh?"

"Mordecai's back at it."

"What'd he do? Was he here? Did he approach her?"

"No, I don't know where he is. He fucking posted nudes of her and spread them to everyone they know." He heard Namjoon's sharp intake of breath.

"I'll have it taken care of." Namjoon's parents owned a well-off tech company with some of the best people in the world working for them.

"I just don't understand...if he wants her back then why do something like this... surely someone as crazy as him can see how much this would backfire...."

"He doesn't want her anymore." Hoseok stopped pacing.

"Huh?"

"I've been doing some reading. People like him will do whatever they can to get their victims back under their control. But if they feel they can't....they make sure no one else can have them either." Hoseok clenched his jaw.

"She's not fucking property."

"I know that and you know that. But that's not how he views her."

"Joon. How do things like this normally end? Do they ever stop?" There was silence on the other end.

"So....I also did some reading on the group Y/N came from." His tone was cautious. "There's been an increase in attempts to leave, especially from women. There's also been more scrutiny because of some molestation scandals, which is probably why more people attempt to leave. They finally get unfiltered exposure to the outside world."

"Okay. And?"

"Well....not all of the women are alive anymore." Hoseok frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean people, not just from this group but everywhere, people with this kind of mental illness or immaturity or personality type or whatever you want to call it....these people really make sure their victims can't move on and truly leave them." Hoseok felt a chill run down his spine.

"You mean he might try to kill her."

"Yeah." Namjoon was hesitant. "So that means I need to ask you a question....did you get any chance tonight to ask her?" Hoseok had talked to all the other members, feeling it was appropriate to give them a head's up on a possible change to their relationship with her.

"Yeah."

"And?"

"She said yes." Namjoon was silent. "What does that mean?" Hoseok asked, fearing the answer.

"It means the odds are high that, once he realizes she's completely out of his grasp, he'll try to kill her and possibly you."