We're Better Strangers

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Author’s POV

Gloomy weather is beautiful. It’s so incredibly beautiful. The way clouds gray, covering the rays and decorating the blue sky. The way the wind blows, brushing your face softly as your eyes closed. And you can just smell the hint of rain, fresh and unknown. Some people cover themselves to avoid it, but some sit by their windows to hear the pitter-patter of water drops, while some of them go out and dance in it.

Truly, it was a blessing. 

There, Jungkook stood by the window with a cup of hot chocolate in his hands while his eyes stared outside. Mind emptied, feelings numbed, just him watching how the clouds moved by the wind. He closed his eyes and focused on the tiny noises, taking a deep breath before opening them again. He stood still in his place when he saw his reflection against the window glass.

He looked uncontrolled. Hair messed, lips bruised in blue as if he was being beaten, skin paled white with no hint of blood, dark circles, and swollen doe eyes that had lost their shine. In short, he looked dead.

It had been three days. Three days since the last time he met Jimin. After that, he stayed in the dorm from the moment he woke up until he slept. And the routine repeated for days. Somehow in some way, he was thankful that he had been punished for a week. He never thought he would need it more than anything now. It was easier for him to avoid Jimin without having to see his face. 

He was glad. 

“Gguk,” He heard someone call from his back, catching his attention as he turned around and smiled a little. It was his dorm partner, Kim Yugyeom. He looked very similar to Jungkook in certain perspectives, but taller and a lot more buffed. They had known each other since high school and used to be classmates. 

“Hey,” Jungkook greeted weakly before focusing back on the rain.

“You haven’t eaten anything in three days, you should have something other than coffee.” He heard Yugyeom sigh, probably noticing the foods he bought for Jungkook left untouched for days already. It wasn’t that he did not appreciate it, he did. But he doesn’t have any appetite. 

“I’m not hungry.” 

“Still-”

“Let it be, Yugyeom. I’m fine.” He cut in, not wanting to hear the other blabber about the issue further. If anything, he certainly doesn’t need advice from anyone right now. Not when his mind was still unorganized, filled with thoughts, and never seemed to leave him alone. 

“At least, take a shower,” Yugyeom suggested and Jungkook nodded in agreement. It had been a while too since he last showered, his body stinks, not to mention his breath. He really needed to get himself together. 

“Yeah, I will later.” He spoke and watched the other bobbed his head in acknowledgment. Jungkook sighed and closed his eyes before leaning his body towards the window. The room doesn’t have a personal bathroom, hence he needed to go outside to take a shower. The thought of going anywhere other than the dorm made his heart sink. He doesn’t want to. There’s a chance for him to accidentally bump into Jimin even though it was a slim one. It was nearly impossible to happen since the colonel’s house was far from their dorm but there was still a possibility and he didn’t want to meet the older by any chance.

“Also, Colonel Park had been looking for you again for the second time today. I told him you weren’t doing well and you would meet him later when you're fine.” 

Jungkook shot his eyes open at the utterance. His heart ached immediately hearing the certain name as he reached for his chest and rubbed it before his sight slightly blurred. Waves of sorrow washed over him at the mention of Jimin. The older one had been looking for him? He truly doesn't expect that.

But who cares? Certainly not him. 

“Really? Thank you, I will meet him soon.” 

No, he won’t. 

“Yeah, it had been a while actually. I forgot to tell you and I just remembered now. Is everything alright? Did you get into trouble? Should I be worried?” 

Jungkook laughed lightly at that, ignoring the pain he felt spreading slowly like a poison in his veins. “Worry not, Gyeom-ah. It’s nothing.” He lied and forced a smile before looking away. He didn’t have the intention of telling what was going on. There’s no good in telling people his problem, they sometimes only make it worse. And Jungkook wasn't the type to share everything, he didn’t like the idea of revealing what was going on in his life. 

Soon, he heard the door closed and he was left alone again. Four days… He had four days left and then he needed to go back on the field for their practice formation. He doesn't mind that though, it wasn’t hard. What worried him was the fact he needed to face Jimin that time. 

Will everything be okay? Time would decide that for him. 

He sighed for the last time that morning before finishing off his coffee and grabbing his towel. He stopped in his tracks when he saw his phone on the nightstand. It reminded him of what had happened and he realized that he had not yet called Min-Ha for the past three days. “Right… I should call her.” Jungkook noted to himself before taking the phone. Though, he wondered why she hadn’t called him either. Usually, she would have called him by the morning and he would have called her by the night. They took turns but it seemed like Min-Ha didn't mind about his disappearance either. 

“Ah…” He voiced when he found out there was no battery left anymore. No wonder he didn't hear it ring. That made sense. Jungkook then decided to shrug it off and charge it before walking out of the room, making his way to the public restroom. 

It doesn’t take long for him to reach his locker, taking out tiny bottles of shampoo and body soap along with a toothbrush and a mini toothpaste. He was wearing nothing but a piece of a boxer with a towel hanging on his shoulder. Suddenly, he felt a hand laid on his ass, making him jerk off at the sudden contact. Jungkook immediately turned around and pushed away the hand before hissing in hatred. It was Lieutenant Hong Jonghyun. 

“Hi, sweetheart.” He spat and Jungkook scrunched his nose in disgust. He was an asshole and a pervert. Many of the low-ranking soldiers had constantly reported his sexual assault. But eventually, those cases ceased when they reached the High General, his father. It occurred to Jungkook that the family is somehow ill will. Rather than executing Jonghyun from the military, the old man decided to turn a blind eye to them. 

“Keep your hands to yourself.” Jungkook spat simply before closing the locker but he gasped when both of his wrists were gripped tightly before he was pinned to the locker by two other men, each one for his hands. He let out a groan, wriggled his body, and glared at Jonghyun when he heard the man chuckle.

“Come on, pretty… Let’s have some fun.” Jonghyun mumbled sickly before digging his nose into Jungkook’s neck, taking a deep breath and humming in satisfaction. Panic rushed in his veins as he quickly called out for help. “Is a-anybody here?! Hello?! Help me!!” He yelled and squirmed harder but his body was too weak, he had no strength to fight back even if he was trying so hard. His body trembled in anxiety as he felt Jonghyun’s hand slide under his thigh. 

“No one will come in and save you, pretty. They all are waiting outside, hearing your screams.” Jungkook’s mind froze after hearing that. Now when he thinks about it again, there were a few people earlier and now they are all gone. His breath hitched when a question came across his mind. 

‘Did they… leave me to be the victim?’ 

He closed his eyes as a tear slid down his cheek at the realization. They did… They left him there alone to keep themselves safe. To keep themselves out of trouble. It wasn’t totally their fault, Jungkook knew everyone was only trying to survive and live well. He just happened to be unlucky today. He glanced at the door and watched the shadows behind them. He chuckled at that and thought, how cruel. 

‘No use in fighting, Jungkook. Just let him do it and close your eyes.’ He persuaded himself and shut his view, ignoring the unfamiliar rough hand touching him all over his thighs and body. He bit his inner cheek when he felt Jonghyun tugged at his boxer. He wanted to scream no, he wanted to say no, yet all he could do was to shed his tears. After all, he had no force left to even do anything. And the dizziness he started to feel certainly didn’t help things further. 

His body jolted when he felt the man’s hand go under his boxer, straight to his ass cheeks before gripping them tightly. Tears continuously damped his cheeks as his body went lumped, accepting whatever would come for him. After all, he was chosen today. None of them cared to break down the unlocked door to save him. No matter how Jeongguk wanted to see the good side of it, he just couldn’t. How could they ever do this to him? 

“Let him go.” 

His heart dropped at the cold voice. It was familiar, too familiar for him to not recognize whose it belonged to. He looked to the side and saw the last person he wanted to see. His views blurred further when he saw Jimin standing not too far away with a stoic face. If it weren’t for his harsh tone earlier, nobody would have guessed he was outraged by what had happened. 

“C-Colonel Park…” Jonghyun stuttered, backing away from Jungkook who later fell on the floor with a loud thud. Nervous filled in his veins as he faced Jimin, fidgeting his fingers. 

“Touch him again, you’ll lose the hand,” Jimin warned shortly as the three of them stumbled and sprinted out of the room, leaving both of them alone. He wanted to beat them to death so badly, but he knew better than to do so. Making it physical would only complicate the situation. He needed to bring this case to the Ministry of Defense. He couldn’t promise himself to behave if he ever saw Jungkook in this state again, he wouldn’t stand idly by. 

His heart broke as he looked over the younger, bending down and cupping his face who jerked in shock. “H-hey, it’s me. It’s me, Darling. You’re safe now.” He whispered, watching the doe eyes stare up at him with unshed tears. Jimin took a deep breath at that, Jungkook looked so vulnerable and frightened it made his heart ache. He shouldn’t have taken too long to arrive here. 

“J-Jimin…” Jungkook mumbled as he gripped the older’s uniform tightly, not wanting to let go as if Jimin would leave him if he did. Once again, Jimin reminded himself to not do something stupid. He was beyond mad, he was apoplectic.

“D-don’t leave me please!!”

“Shh, I would never leave you, Darling.”

“T-they force m-me, Jimin!! T-they touc-”

“It’s fine.” Jimin cut in, not wanting to hear it. He doesn't know how he will take in the information. It’s better for him to not know. “Now breathe in, it’s okay. I’m here… It’s okay…” He whispered softly, again and again, hugging Jungkook. Soon, he heard the younger snore as he looked down and realized that Jungkook had fallen asleep. Anguish washed over him at the view. The other must be so fatigued.  

Unexpectedly, a tear left his eye as he quickly wiped it harshly. 

“I…” He trailed off, breathless. “I almost thought I had lost you…” He admitted, and closed his eyes, holding the younger one in his arms tightly as if Jungkook was going to run away if he didn’t. 

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Jungkook groaned lightly, feeling his body lying on a soft surface. He squinted his eyes, trying to recover the dizziness in his head. Slowly, he looked to his left. He frowned slightly, he wasn’t in the dorm, but instead in an unknown room. It was neat, however, meaning it belonged to someone. 

“Awake already, Darling?” 

He jolted at the question, startled by the voice as he glanced to the right. He wasn’t aware that Jimin was sitting on a sofa not too far away from the bed. Cigarettes were placed between his fingers as his gaze stayed still on Jungkook with a stoic face. He then stood up, walking closer to the bed before sitting on the mattress. 

“Darling?”

Jungkook, on the contrary, despite his weak state; had somehow in some way couldn’t get his eyes off of the older. He doesn’t know whether it was the clouds of smoke surrounding Jimin, the damped black hair, or the formal military uniform. But it made the Colonel appear to be more handsome than he had ever been. Or maybe, Jungkook just got to eye him properly without a rush. And realized, he could stare at this face for the rest of his life. 

“Take a picture. It'll last longer, Darling.”

Jungkook blushed at the statement, there’s no need for Jimin to call him out like that. It was embarrassing, he couldn’t help but to look down and hold back a smile. He bit his lips when he heard Jimin chuckle, probably observing his behavior. Unexpectedly, a finger touched his chin, pushing him to look up front as Jungkook felt his heart beat faster. 

“You’re cute.”

Finally, he broke a smile. 

“How are you feeling?” Jimin asked and it all came crashing down to him. Jungkook almost forgot what had happened earlier. Right… Jimin saved him. Though, the memories were blurry. He couldn’t remember much. But one thing he knew was that Jimin stood up for him when nobody did, and that was all he needed. 

“I’m fine, thank you for saving me earlier,” Jungkook mumbled and watched Jimin hum in response. He concluded that the older man wasn't a talkative person, he was either humming or chuckling. Yet again, does the Colonel really need anything to be attractive? 

“We’ll talk about that later, I’ve filed the case to the Ministry of Defense, along with other reports regarding it…” Jimin explained and he nodded to show that he was listening. Though, he was actually staring and didn’t give a single fuck about it. The older one just looked too tempting to him right now and he couldn’t get enough of it. “Now mind telling me, why haven’t you been eating for three days, Darling.” 

Jungkook gulped at that question. 

“H-How do you know?”

“Of course, I do. I bought them for you.” 

“Oh, I thought Yugyeom did.” Jungkook asserted, watching Jimin take a puff of the cigarette. It occurred to him he never thought of the older one as a smoker. Because when they shared the kiss, there was no scent or bitter taste. Not to mention the soft lips… It was odd to see him casually smoking. 

“I asked him to send them to you.”

“I haven’t had any appetite…”

“I figured as much.” Jimin came to an end while blowing out the smoke.  

“Let’s talk about us, Darling…”

..༺♡༻..

I don't want to hurt you,
But there's no other way,
Promise that you'll see it one day,
We're better as strangers,
We make better strangers,

We're running from the breakdown,
The bitter and goodbye,
The truth is you and I,
Make bеtter strangers,
We make better strangers.

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[A/N: Do you think the story will have a happy ending? And what do you think of the new cover? Daddy Jimin is so hot TOT]

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