Glistering beams of light were slipping through your thick lashes, hurting your eyes. You blinked several times trying to get rid of the burning feeling and get a clearer view of your surroundings. The last thing you remembered was the way your breath would cover the glass you rested your forehead on in a thin layer of steam that would vanish within seconds. Your head was still spinning, voices hidden somewhere in the dark haunting you with their echo. The familiar white walls and soft touch of the sheets were the first thing you noticed. It was your room. You sighed in relief. Your eyes landed lazily on the side of the bed. Taehyung was once again holding your hand while deep in sleep. You could not help but smile. You tried to move your right hand to brush his hair with your fingers but the sharp pain that roamed through your back and whole arm made you freeze. The groan that escaped your lips made Taehyung's eyes snap open like an alarm.
"Y/N!" His grip grew tighter. "Are you ok? Where does it hurt?" He jumped on his feet and examined your body as you stared at him in confusion.
"I'm fine." Your voice was almost a whisper.
"You scared the shit out of me back there. I seriously thought I was losing you."
"I'm not going anywhere." You chuckled. "Taehyung-ah...can you promise me something?"
"You know I hate that shit."
"Just...listen. Can you promise me that you'll come for me next time?"
"Next time? There won't be a next time. What are you talking about? You must be delusional. I'll call Hoseok to give you something." He was about to leave when you grabbed his hand.
"Promise me..."
The fact that he was nowhere to be found when you were so close to dying was still bothering you. How could his place be taken by the enemy? How could Jungkook's warmth be the one to bring you back and not his?
"Fine!" His voice was harsh. He hated making promises because he knew just how hard it was to keep them in this world of his.
"One more thing."
"What now?"
"Promise me you won't die. Just don't get yourself killed, Taehyung-ah...whatever happens..."
He looked down at you, eyes reading sorrow, anger, and surprise. Yours were glistering with tears. You did not even notice it until Taehyung pressed his lips against yours, making you close your eyes as the tears fell from the corners. His kiss was soft and tender. When you parted he hovered over you, gaze piercing through your soul.
"I promise."
The corners of your lips curved up. Your heart had been restless since you faced Namjoon. You needed to hear Taehyung actually say it to give you some sort of assurance. Your fingers found their way to his face, brushing against the bruises on his forehead. He cupped your hand in his.
"Does it hurt?"
"You're not in the position to ask me that." He chuckled. "You're always acting tough."
"You taught me that."
"Did I?"
"I am your diamond, remember?" You laughed softly.
"Oh, yeah, that..."
"I did well, right?"
"It could have been better."
You were flabbergasted so you hit him lightly. Not a great idea because it was you who ended up in more pain.
"See? How much better would it have been if you returned home untouched."
"Well I have to thank you for that as well, you know. Maybe if you were by my side, I wouldn't be in this position." What you wanted to be a joke, came out as a reproach.
"I'm...sorry, Y/N."
His face was serious. Your eyes widened. You knew he was not the type to just say "sorry" but he said it with such ease this time that it took you by surprise.
"I couldn't protect you."
"It's ok, Taehyung-ah. I am ok."
"No, it's not. I should have killed that bastard."
"Taehyung-ah, look at me. I am here, right? Calm down."
"How can I calm down, Y/N? This is a war with only one end. And I don't want to lose."
You kept looking at him, not able to say anything. The image of the one who saved you popped into your mind. He was there too, you remember him insisting on coming along. You got curious.
"Taehyung-ah...the man that we brought in...how is he?"
"Don't even mention him. Just thinking about his face makes my blood boil."
"You...didn't kill him, right?"
"Not yet."
"He can help us."
"Well he hasn't been of much help so far."
"Where is he? I'll try to-"
"No." His tone was harsh again.
"Let me talk to him..."
"I said no!"
"Taehyung-ah...he knows me."
His body went stiff for a moment.
"How are you so sure? He could be lying. You have no reason to meet him."
"I-I remembered him."
A cold silence took over the room. You were just staring at each other. His mind went blank while yours was clouded by all sorts of thoughts.
"What are you talking about?"
"That night, in the car...he was there. I remember it clearly. Taehyung-ah...why did you hid that from me?" You feared his reaction but you had to ask anyway.
"The car crash...that's what you remembered?"
"Yeah."
He sighed. He felt as if a weight was lifted off his chest. But he was still walking on a mine field.
"I didn't know he was there."
"You didn't know. You don't look surprised though. Matter of fact, how did you even find me?"
"We were just driving and we saw your car. End of story."
"Oh, yeah. And you expect me to believe that?" You sighed trying to calm down. "Just tell me the truth...please."
"I am. But it seems you no longer trust me. Is that it? He shoots you and pretends to save you and all of a sudden you trust him."
"It's not that, Tae..." You closed your eyes and shook your head. "It's just that I feel you are hiding something from me and I hate it. Just tell me what happened that night."
"Listen, I don't know what you remember or not. I told you what I saw that night. Anything else is not important." He was pissed.
"It's not important? Taehyung-ah, do you even hear yourself? I was there, in that car, with him."
"So what?" He screamed, making your heart jump.
"Then that means I am somehow connected to him."
"And? What are you going to do? Jump in his arms? Kiss him for saving you?"
"What? No! Can you just stop and listen for a second?! If he was with me...and those pictures in Namjoon's office..."
"What pictures?"
"He had some pictures hidden in a book. Taehyung-ah, I was there." You looked up at him. His brows were furrowed. "That's why I need to know. There's just too many things that link me to Namjoon."
"So he's been keeping an eye on you?" The anger in his voice was fading.
"It seems like it. There was this guy with me in all of them but I couldn't see his face..."
"Y/N...just forget about that for now. You'll get to ask Namjoon in person once we get him." He took a seat next to you and ran his slender fingers through your hair. " You need to get well first."
"Taehyung-ah..." You said softly.
"No excuses."
His fingers slipped to the back of your neck, making your heart skip a beat. He brought his lips to your forehead and gave it a long soft kiss as you let yourself fall into the feeling, completely erasing the anger you felt moments earlier. But not the doubt that poisoned your heart. A knock on the door made you come to your senses.
"Yes?"
Your eyes were curiously waiting for whoever was behind it to make his appearance. Taehyung stood up from the bed and mimicked your reaction.
"Y/N? Oh, you're awake." It was Yoongi.
"Yes, I just woke up." Your faint smile was met by another from him.
"How is it? Does it hurt a lot?" He was walking towards you as he spoke.
"It hurts a bit, but I can take it."
"You went through a lot, kiddo. You did well."
He was the one to sit next to you now. Yoongi's eyes and voice had this fatherly and warm vibe to it. It made you feel a bit better. And hearing him say that was something you really needed.
"Did you get anything from him?"
"Nothing much. I heard him ordering the boys to go after you and that was it. I think he found the bug."
"Ugh...damn."
"It's ok, kiddo. You did your best." He ruffled your hair. "At least now he knows what he's up against. You should focus on getting better. We'll leave you out of our business for a while. Tonight I have somewhere I need to be and the boys have some deal to take care of."
"Is it something serious? I can still help."
"No, it's nothing like that, don't worry. I'll leave some boys downstairs just in case." He patted you on the shoulder.
"Thank you."
He nodded at you and stood up.
"Let's go." He grabbed Taehyung's arm. "She needs to rest."
You looked at Taehyung. His poker face was hard to read. He just turned around and left without saying anything. Your eyes fell down to your hands as soon as the door was closed. A mix of feelings was making your chest hurt. It was always a dangerous game with Taehyung. You could never guess his next move. And somehow you always ended up being hurt. It was a rollercoaster that started to exhaust you. But still you could not run away. And then there was Jungkook. A man you just met but who seemed to know you for ages. A man who did not vanish when he hurt you but instead embraced your broken figure. And his warmth was giving you a sense of peace and security you have not felt in a while. You took the photo you hid under the mattress of him and the others, eyes flying directly to him.
"Who are you?" You whispered.
Everything within you was telling you to go and talk to him. You had so many questions and he seemed to be willing to answer. And there was something more but you could not figure out exactly what. The sun was about to set when you saw Taehyung, Jimin and Hoseok get into the car and drive away towards the city. Yoongi was already gone. You knew that what you were about to do would get you in trouble, but you could not fight it anymore. Your hand was hovering over the handle as worries filled your heart. One deep breath and you opened the door. Your eyes scanned the hallway a few times before your feet started moving towards the staircase. Your steps were as light as a cat's. Your heart was pounding hard against your chest. You squatted on the stairs, trying to get a better look at the situation on the first floor. You could hear voices of men but there was nobody around. You ran down and slipped outside at the speed of light. You leaned against the door, trying to control your breathing. The moment you looked ahead and saw the forest sinking into the first shadows of the night you felt relieved.
Each shy step you took on the mushy grass was accompanied by a different thought, worry or question. When your toes reached the entrance of the basement, your mind went blank. You pulled the doors open and sighed. The same somberness and smell you dreaded welcomed you. It was hard until the first few steps, after that your feet seemed to move on their own. You stopped in front of the metallic door that secured the screams and pain of those trapped behind. It had this eerie vibe that sent chills down your spine. The cold metal was vibrating under your touch. You feared what could hide behind it, but it was already too late to go back. A loud noise reverberated throughout the whole room when you pushed it open. Everything was dark. Your hands started roaming all over the walls trying to find the switch. And when your fingers finally found it the voice of a man made you freeze.
"Who is that?"
The words came out so slowly. It seemed like a great effort was put into just making the sound come out. You flipped the switch and turned towards the place the voice came from. Your heart sank when your eyes met. Jungkook was blinking slowly, visibly disturbed by the sudden light. As his view became clearer, his heart started beating faster.
"Y-Y/N..."
His whisper made you snap out of shock. You started dragging your feet towards him. The closer you got, the worse he looked. The strong man that carried your body down the stairs at the motel was now tied against a chair, covered in blood. Matter of fact, there were hardly any spots left untouched. He was a canvas made of bruises, cuts and blood. You felt your stomach tighten when the strong irony smell hit your nose. He was barely keeping his head up, gazing at you through dark strands of hair.
"Just how exactly did he end up like this?" You thought.
You kneeled in front of him, not being able to say anything. The silence was at times broken by his heavy breaths. His tired and swollen eyes were smiling looking at you. The pain that had been bothering you until then was nothing to what he must have been through. And it somehow affected you as well in ways you could not explain nor control. You did not even know what to say, but words still found their way out.
"Who did this to you?" Your voice was almost a whisper.
Your fingers brushed away the very locks that were blocking his sight. Your soul was being flooded by guilt. Even if you clearly knew he was part of the rival group, you could still not force yourself to not feel anything. The lump in your throat was a clear sign of that.
"Y/N..."
"I'm sorry. It's my fault..." Tears fell down, surprising both of you. You were crying?! Why? You could not figure it out.
"No..."
You could not stand it. If this was his punishment for shooting you, then you needed to pay him back for saving you as well. You got up and started searching through all the shelves and drawers for the things you needed. He was following your every move, head falling every now and then from exhaustion. You found some clean cloths and put some water on the heater the boys used so that it would warm up. When you were back by his side, his eyes were closed. You gently pressed the damp cloth on his cheek. His gaze was back on you. No words were exchanged as you cleaned his face. The water was getting redder and redder. His every groan of pain was making your heart ache more.
"Did Taehyung do this to you?"
You were expecting an answer, but he was just staring at you. He knew you already knew the answer. If he said yes, that would only make you feel worse. But his silence was also an answer. When you went to replace the dirty water with fresh one the events from earlier that day replayed in your head. This only added to the rage you had deep inside. But you tried to control it, both for your relationship with Taehyung and for Jungkook's sake. You looked back at him. A crazy thought came to your mind and not even the fear of what could happen could hold you back anymore. As soon as the water hit the right temperature you went to him and kneeled just like before.
"J-Jung-kook..." You were stuttering, lost in his dark brown eyes. "...is your name, correct?"
"Yeah."
"Can I trust you?"
Your words sounded more like a plead. You wanted to trust him. You knew you could, but you needed to hear him say it. Jungkook nodded slowly. He saw you getting up and heading somewhere behind him. The warm touch of your fingers on his wrists made him snap his head back. You were fighting the tight ropes, trying your best not to hurt him even more.
"What are you doing?...Y/N...no..."
He knew Taehyung would notice and it would not be nice. He feared it, actually. You could not care less right now. He felt the tightness around his wrists loosen and, as soon as you untied them completely, his body started sliding off the chair. Your arms flew around him at the speed of light, giving him enough support to stop the fall. You let out a small groan when you felt fire spreading from your shoulder down to your fingers. With all his might, Jungkook pulled his body back into a sitting position, taking his weight off of you. His arm were numbly hanging on his sides. You took each of them and cleaned them. He was once again staring at you.
"Y/N..." His voice startled you. "Did you really...lost...your memories?"
"I...I don't know. It seems like it. There are things that don't make sense and things that I feel but I have no memory of."
"Do you really not remember a thing about us?"
"Us?" You looked at him in confusion. Tears were filling his eyes.
"Doesn't this...scene...seem familiar?"
"I'm...not sure."
His hand moved slowly to your cheek, his fingers caressing it.
"Try...remember..."
"I can't. It doesn't work like that."
"Should I...help you?"
His eyes were hiding something. You could not tell what, but something changed in those few seconds. Your heart started racing as you let yourself be enchanted by them.
"What?" You said softly.
And that was it. The moment you opened your mouth, he already knew what he had to do. His hand went to the back of your neck and pulled you up to him. Your breath hitched and eyes widened when you saw just how close you were to him. He was shooting arrows straight into your soul with that serious gaze of his. He could feel your veins pumping hard against his hand when he closed the distance and pressed his lips on yours. Your mind went blank and all the butterflies that were hibernating in your stomach came back to life. Your whole body went stiff under his soft touch. His lips moved like feathers over yours even if they were chopped and still slightly smeared in blood. Inside of you there was now a war: should you push him away or kiss back?