I Need You to Run ✔️

43. Hostage

(Same Night)

Jimin dropped his belongings by the front door, not even attempting to put them into the respective places he usually preferred. His keys slipped out of his fingers and landed on the ground with a clang, but he didn't care. All he wanted to do in that moment was take his mind off of everything.

After slipping out of his shoes and changing into slippers, he moved through the house and straight towards the bathroom. A bath was just the thing he needed to ease his mind and help him forget. After turning on the water and clogging the drain, he moved to the cabinet, pulling out his collection of bath oils and a waterproof Bluetooth speaker he often used to calm down after a stressful work day.

Pressing shuffle on his usual playlist and letting the water fill the tub, he moved towards the bedroom, stripping his sweater over his head and dropping it onto the floor. He unclasped his jeans, letting them pool around his feet as he approached the dresser and collected his neatly folded pajamas.

Just as he was closing the drawer, his eyes caught the sight of something he wished he had never been in possession of. A single Polaroid, stuck in between the mirror and wood framing, mocked him with the image of the boy he desperately wanted to forget meeting.

Plucking the photo from its spot, he let the clothing slip from his grasp, completely lost in a trance as he stared down at the smiling faces in the picture, feeling his heart tighten in his chest.

He had fallen harder and faster than he ever believed possible, the young boy catching his heart the moment he smiled his dazzling smile. He wanted to believe that he would never do anything to betray that trust, but something gnawed at his stomach, reminding him that anyone was capable of anything. Even someone as beautiful and sweet as Jungkook could have a devious side.

Of course there was the chance Kook was doing nothing wrong for him to be upset over. He was free to talk to whoever he wanted. It's not like they were in an official relationship or anything. He had no right to be jealous or possessive. But the simple idea of how torn he would become if something did happen was enough to make him run.

He loved Jungkook more than he had ever loved anyone in his life, which is why he couldn't continue to be with him. He couldn't continue pretending to be someone he wasn't, hiding his reality from the younger boy. He was toxic. His way of life ruined any possible chance of happiness he had in any relationship

If Jungkook ever found out the truth behind what he did for a living, selling his body to men he pretended to train, there was no way in hell he would stick around. Since becoming serious with the younger boy, he had stopped allowing special sessions to take place, resulting in regular clients canceling their appointments all together. After seeing the impact on his finances, it was clear he had relied too much on the thirsty men wanting him, completely forgetting his actual career. He was disgusting. Who would want to be with someone like him?

Hearing the running water echo over the music coming from the bathroom, Jimin pulled his eyes from the picture and aimlessly wandered back to the white room. Without much thought, he climbed into the water, his clothes soaking up the warmth as he continued to stare at the photo.

He loved how happy they once looked, Jimin sitting on Jungkook's lap while both boys clung to each other, smiling up at the camera. He remembered the exact moment Jin had taken the picture, pulling them from their deep conversation for a simple picture they would 'one day look back on and smile about.' Neither boy had a care in the world in that moment besides learning every possible detail about one another.

Everything besides the truth.

Reaching up, Jimin searched the small built-in shelf for the lighter he kept handy for candles, another calming method he preferred for his baths. Once his fingers slipped around the small object, he looked back down to the picture, as his thumb flicked the metal crank and the flame licked the edge of the paper.