"Y/N? Jungkook?" Namjoon's voice is strained as he calls out. The two of you had watched as Jin ran into Jimin's and Yoongi subtly waved Namjoon and Hoseok home.
"We're up here!" Jungkook calls out. You are now in his lap as the two of you continue to watch the comings and goings of next door. You can hear two sets of footsteps racing up the stairs and you groan internally because you know they are going to make a big deal about your face.
"Y/N!" Hoseok exclaims in a strangled voice. He hurries to the bed, taking you from Jungkook to fret over you. Namjoon sits right next to him, eyes wide with worry.
"What happened baby? What's going on next door? Are they ok?"
You both explain to them all you know, from the time you heard the commotion, to your retreat home when the police showed up. Namjoon pulls Jungkook into his lap and the four of you settle into an uneasy silence. You all watch as the police leave and the paramedics leave. Jimin and Taehyung get in Yoongi's car, but you can see Yoongi and Jin heading to your front door. The four of you quickly leave the room.
"Y/N, hun? Where are you?"
"Here," You come down the stairs as Yoongi comes to the bottom.
"Fuck babe! We need to take you to the clinic." You wave him off.
"It's not that bad!" You protest. Jin comes up beside Yoongi.
"Y/N!" He gasps, pulling you closer and tilting your head to get a better look. There was only a slight bruise so far, it was mostly just red and puffy.
"We are still taking you in!" Yoongi insists, "Let's go!" You walk with Yoongi and Jin to the door, Hoseok, Namjoon and Jungkook trailing after you. "Will you guys go and pack them both a bag for a couple days? Two or three of us will have to sleep down here, so maybe some bedding and finding our air mattress will be good too?" The four of them nod, solemn, anxious looks on their faces.
"We'll be back soon," He opens the door for you and you both leave.
Hours later you are in bed with Tae and Jimin, Jungkook spooning Jimin on one side and you spooning Taehyung on the other. The two between you have finally fallen asleep. Their faces are swollen and red from crying.
"Is your face ok lover?" Jungkook lifts up on his elbow so he can see you. You smile at him, so cheeky this boy.
"It's fine, just a little sore." Dr. Kim had examined you and gave you the all clear. He told you the symptoms to watch for and released you. Taehyung was similarly examined and released. Tae turns in his sleep to face you.
You gently stroke his raw face, it breaks your heart to see them like this. You keep replaying it over in your mind, that man Jisoo, his hand on Jimin's throat. The panic in Jimin's eyes. You keep hearing the way Tae was whimpering as blood flowed through his fingers. What if you hadn't heard them? What would have happened to these two?
You kiss Tae's brow and then smooth it with a finger. He purrs in his sleep. Maybe Jungkook's thoughts are the same because he is gently kissing Jimin's neck, jaw, and behind his ear.
The bedroom door opens and Jin comes in. "Let's wake them up, food's done and they haven't eaten all day." You gently rouse them. Tae blinks at you, his eyes automatically filling with tears. Maybe it's your face or the pain in his head, but he seems to be taken right back to the moment.
"You're ok sweetheart! You're ok!" You kiss his face, pressing one comforting kiss after another, "Let's get up and eat though, ok? Your body needs it, to help you heal and feel better." You start leading him out when you notice Jimin is awake but not moving. You usher Tae into Jin's arms and then tell Jungkook to follow them. You climb in bed behind Jimin and wrap your arms around him.
"You ok, Jiminie?" You ask quietly. He doesn't respond. Yoongi comes in and waves for you to leave too. He climbs in the bed as you climb out. He lays down in front of Jimin and pulls his body close, then Jimin starts sobbing. You want to stay, but you leave Yoongi to comfort him.
You all eat in silence for the most part, except for urging Taehyung to keep eating. The bedroom door opens a little later and Yoongi leads Jimin into the living room, gesturing the rest of you to follow him. They sit on the loveseat, Namjoon sits by Jin as Jin and Jungkook tuck Taehyung in between them on the sofa, and Hoseok pulls you into his lap on the floor.
Jimin takes a shaky breath, "The man that was in our home, his name is Jisoo, we — we dated for almost a year." Jimin brushes his hair back and looks up at the ceiling, "At first he was the most amazing guy, he was a little possessive, but I thought that was cute. When he first, when he first — hit me, I thought I deserved it, I thought I pushed him too far, I do — I do that! I push too far, I push buttons. So every time he hit me, I thought I deserved it. The first time he hit —" His voice cracks and he chokes on a sob.
Everyone in the room has a sudden desire to go to him, to comfort him. Yoongi rubs his back and he takes a deep breath, starting again, "When he first hit — Taehyung, that was it for me, I got out of it for him." He looks over at Taehyung, "So we moved out, moved in with my parents, but Jisoo didn't want to let me go. He would harass my parents at work, camp outside of Tae's studio. One night I confronted him about it and he put me in the hospital."
Jimin closes his eyes, rubbing his face, "He went to jail for a few months and we moved away. My parents helped me buy my dance studio and we lived there for almost a year before we moved in next door. Hyunwoo, the man who walked by the other day, he is one of Jisoo's closest friends. You can tell what type of person he is." You remember the leash on his hybrid and anger burns in your chest at how degrading that is.
"Hyunwoo told Jisoo where we were," He looks towards Tae, buried in between Jungkook and Jin, "I'm so sorry, we should have left last night! If we had you never would have been hurt!" Jimin dissolves into heartbreaking sobs and Tae rushes to him, kneeling in front of him.
"You didn't know what was going to happen! Jimin, you're not the one who hurt me, he is!" Jimin buries his head into Tae's shoulder and sobs.
Bit by bit you learn what happened before you got there with Jungkook and Yoongi. Jisoo had forced himself into the house and started arguing with Jimin. When Jisoo hit Jimin, Tae had stepped in to defend him. Jisoo had shoved Tae hard enough that he fell backwards, hitting his head on the table. Then he grabbed Jimin by the throat. That was when you had come in and Jungkook incapacitated Jisoo.
You look from Jimin to Taehyung, they look absolutely exhausted. The marks on Jimin's neck have darkened and he unconsciously keeps touching them.
"So, what now?" Hoseok asks quietly.
"I don't know, all I know is I can't stay in that house!" Jimin's statement settles in like a storm cloud, it's a statement that has the power to wash away everything your small unit has worked so hard to build.
Hoseok volunteers to lead all of Jimin's classes for the rest of the week. He knows the choreography so it's easy for him to step in. On the days that Jungkook doesn't teach, Jungkook goes with him. Yoongi drops them off in the morning and picks them up.
True to his word, Jimin does not step foot into his house, he barely leaves your downstairs bedroom and wants to be left alone. Taehyung is the opposite, he doesn't want to be alone and gets upset if he is left alone at any point. Yoongi and Namjoon end up taking him to the studio with them most days. But sometimes he sits at the kitchen table, staring into space as you paint.
Jin goes out of his way to make people laugh and lift the mood and you can tell it's exhausting him. You can see his smile droop when he thinks no one is looking.
One afternoon, four days after the assault, you walk into the bedroom and find Tae crying on the bed.
"Tae, what's the matter honey?" You sit beside him on the bed and cup his face in your hands. Instead of looking up at you, he buries his head in your shoulder.
"Y/N, he wants to move!" He says in an anguished voice. You feel sick to your stomach.
"Who wants to move Tae?" You already know who.
"Jimin! Jimin wants to move away and I don't want to! I want to be able to see you everyday, spend the night with you. If we move, we will never see each other!" He sobs into your shoulder, "You guys make me feel safe, leaving scares me but he doesn't want to hear it–" You cut him off as he gets more and more upset.
"Tae, it's going to be alright! Tae, look at me," You pull him away from your shoulder, cupping his face again. You look into his deep, dark eyes, dewy from tears, full of fear. You're scared too about what this could mean for all of you, but your main focus is to reassure him, "Tae, I love you! I love you so much and even if there is a change, even if things get hard, I will always, always be here for you! We all will, ok?"
He kisses you hard, his lips wet from his tears, seeking comfort and connection. Your heart feels like it is slowly breaking.
Once you have calmed him down, you go upstairs to find Yoongi to see what he knows and to seek comfort yourself.
"You don't know what it's like!" You stop outside the door as Jimin shouts at Yoongi.
"Of course I do, if anyone does I do. I'm afraid to even let her go out of the house but she can't live like that and neither can I," You fidget uncomfortably. Jimin must be talking about Taehyung and how scared he is on his behalf.
"I don't even know who to protect her from, because they can come from anywhere. It takes a lot of trust and a lot of faith that things will be ok and she will be safe, but it makes us both happier. There are just some things that you can't hide from. Jimin, they need each other and I need you. If you move away, we will be taking a step back!"
"How is it a step back?" Jimin almost sounds like he's pleading with Yoongi for permission, permission to leave.
"We go from dinner together every night to seeing each other every few days? That is a step back. Where are we going Jimin? Are we moving towards something permanent? If we are, then you moving into a two bedroom apartment isn't that!"
"I don't know what to do Yoongi! I can't stay here!"
"What if we look for a place together?" Yoongi's statement takes your breath away, when you breathe again, the air seems to be laced with just the faintest, sweetest hint of hope.
"Yoongi...." Without seeing his face, you can't tell what Jimin is feeling right now.
"No, I'm serious. I've been thinking about it for awhile now, but we literally live next door to each other so we didn't need it yet."
"You really want to live with this mess? Not just live with me but build a future with me? I think you should think long and hard about that one." Yoongi's study door opens unexpectedly and you are face to face with Jimin. His look of frustration phases to shock and then melts into a tired smile. He brushes your cheek as he passes by you and goes downstairs.
Your eyes meet Yoongi's and you can feel the tears starting to pool in your eyes.
"Are they really leaving?" You ask quietly.
"Yes, they're going to a hotel tonight."