XOXO | YOONMIN |

No tears left to cry

Jimin caressed the roof of his mouth with his tongue and muttered, "Because they saw your brother enter the store right before the explosion happened, just like they heard his cries for help. They were there because they got your brother out of the store and took him away to our gang."

A wave of tsunami carried the thick tension and flooded the office. Jungkook seemed to not be breathing as he stood completely still like an ice statue that would break at the lightest touch.

Jimin took a step towards a frozen Jungkook and slid his chubby fingers between Jungkook's longer ones. He held his hand firmly and rubbed soothing circles on the back of his palm, "Your brother never died in that explosion, Jungkook, he was taken to the Kitty gang and he healed in the span of three months. Our leader began to train him and offered him the option to join or leave.." Jimin's teeth nipped at the edge of his mouth and tongue swept away the blood gathered there. He looked almost apologetic that he had to be the one to tell Jungkook this information.

"Seokjin chose to stay."

Jungkook ripped his hand out of Jimin's and shoved him back by pressing his hands against his chest. Jimin slammed into the desk behind him with a yelp of pain, only for Jungkook to raise his finger and shout at him a second later, "You're lying! Stop lying about my dead brother! It's cruel, and slimy and disgusting!"

Crystalline tears gathered in Jungkook's eyes and clung to his eye-lashes. He whirled around on his heel and tangled his hands into his raven hair, "Seokjin would never do this to me, he'd never make me think that he's dead and leave me behind for so..some criminals." Jungkook stuttered under his breath, looking absolutely heartbroken and conflicted as he stumbled through the office on trembling legs.

A lump formed in Jimin's throat and he wrapped his arms around himself, wondering if he had done the right thing. Jin's only rule was to never involve his brother in the gang business, because he wasn't allowed to see his own brother- all the fault of Jessi's rules- so Jin wanted to be the first one to see him and tell him what had happened.

Jimin quickly realised that hearing that your dead brother was alive all these years, should've come from someone that Jungkook loved. Or perhaps Jimin telling him this and ripping the bandage off right away, was better than it coming from Jin himself. This way at least he'd be prepared to see Jin again.

Jungkook suddenly swerved around on his heel and marched towards Jimin. He pushed the smaller against the desk and grabbed him by his collar. Jungkook got into Jimin's face and glared down at him through teary eyes, "Tell me it's not true." Jungkook's harsh tone turned into a choked whisper. A stray tear escaped his eye and rolled down his cheek at Jimin's silence and the way his honeycomb eyes stayed glued to his shoes. "Pl..please." Jungkook croaked, squeezing his eyes shut and inhaling deep breaths to stop himself from crying.

"I'm sorry." Jimin breathed out, reaching out and engulfing Jungkook's trembling hands in his own. He lifted his head and stared at the raw agony painted across Jungkook's face by the brushes of the harsh truth, "Seokjin...he..he didn't have a choice. Our rules didn't allow him to visit you, but he supported you in the ways he could." Jimin mumbled softly, easing Jungkook's curled fists away from his collar and lowering them until they hovered between their stomaches.

"The scholarship to the police academy, the paid rent, the baskets of food by your door, the mysterious large sums of money in your bank account, it was all Seokjin." Jimin listed off all the things he remembered Jin doing for Jungkook. He had tried to help his brother out and compensate for his absence, but everyone, including jin, knew that no matter how much materialistic things he gave Jungkook, it would never lessen the grief of losing his own brother.