Chapter 27

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Since his grandma didn't have a car and he knew his mother would go crazy if she had to stay in that little town with no chance to run away he left his car with them and asked Taehyung to pick him up.

Jimin felt relieved. His mother believed him. She was clearly shaken up, but she didn't think he was lying anymore. She knew about his stepdad.

He still had a hard time comprehending that that man was probably going to be gone now. But it was exactly like that. After all these years he'd finally managed to gather the courage to tell her. And it was all thanks to Taehyung and Jungkook.

Had they not let him live at their place and supported him like this... it would never have gotten to this point. Jimin probably would have still lived there and would have been forced to put up with his stepdad.

"How did it go?" Jungkook asked the moment they entered the living room. Jimin felt fucking exhausted. Yes, he was relieved, but talking to his crying mom hadn't been easy. Seeing her in this kind of state wasn't normal.

She always kept herself together. He hadn't even seen her sad before, so this... this had been a lot to take in. But he was glad to finally be home.

Sighing he sat down next to Jungkook and leaned against him. "I'm not going to lie. This was awful and I'm glad it's over... My grandma will be taking good care of her now. She knows best what my mum needs. Helped her through a lot of heartbreaks in her teenage years."

"This is a little more than a heartbreak though." Jungkook muttered, bringing his hand up to run it through Jimin's hair.

"I know." Jimin watched as Taehyung disappeared into the kitchen. "But I think she'll get better soon. She's strong."

"How about you?" Taehyung entered the room with a glass of water. "This doesn't just affect her."

Jimin looked up at the ceiling. "I think it will help. I haven't been living with them for a while, but knowing that man still claimed to have any sort of power over me... was scary nevertheless."

He felt a warm hand reassuringly squeeze his shoulder. "He doesn't have any power over you. At all. Your mum knows how much of a dick he is now and even before that... He has absolutely nothing on you."

Jimin was grateful to Jungkook for saying this, but it wasn't quite right. He still had to get him out of his head. Because even though Jimin knew his stepdad had nothing on him... he still felt fucking nervous.

Years of fear didn't just go away simply because the man in question no longer had actual power over him. But he'd get over it. It was going to take a while, but he knew that he would get over it.

"I know in theory." Jimin chuckled bitterly, closing his eyes. "But emotions are ugh."

Jungkook chuckled, pressing a kiss to the top of his head, squeezing him a little. "Emotions can be a bitch, but even those will calm down soon."

Being told that by someone else was reassuring. Jimin knew that it would probably get better the moment his mother talked to his stepdad again and they came to some sort of solution... which was very likely going to be a divorce. At that point his stepdad was really going to be gone, but right now there still was that floating uncertainty that made everything kind of awful.

"Let's watch a movie or something. I need some distraction and then I'll go to sleep I think." It was kind of sad that this had come up so soon after they had gotten together. They should be having a great time right now, but instead he was making everything kind of tense because he was constantly tense himself.

"Let's do that." Jungkook pressed another kiss to his head before grabbing the remote control.

Jimin sat on Jungkook's lap for most of the movie while Taehyung massaged his feet. He really had to pay them back for this somehow. Do something for them because they had been nothing but patient and sweet these last couple of days and he didn't want it to be this one sided.

He felt like he was using them. And that was something he really didn't want.

But halfway through the movie the doorbell rang. For a second all three of them were confused. It was eleven pm. No one had ever shown up around here at this time of the day... or rather night.

Jungkook was the first one to get up, his expression stern as he told Jimin to stay in place and not come into the hallway. That was when it hit him. The person standing in front of his door... there was a high chance it was him.

Jimin could feel his heart rate pick up. He had come here once before. Why wouldn't he once again? Especially now that he was angry.

Jimin was on his feet quicker than Taehyung could stop him, but Jimin didn't walk through the door to the hallway. He stayed right by the door where he could hear what was going on but if it really was his stepdad he wouldn't be able to see him.

He could hear his heart beating in his ears when Jungkook unlocked the door, the clanking of keys awfully loud for him in his nervous state before the door opened.

A familiar voice cut through the air and Jimin could feel his hackles rising, his knees turning to jelly. He was glad he was leaning against the wall because he was pretty sure his legs wouldn't have been able to support his body.

"Where is he?!"

Taehyung joined him, reassuringly taking his hand.

His stepfather sounded drunk and angry. An awful mix. Unintentionally his hand tightened around Taehyung's. He felt sick to his stomach.

"Not here." Jungkook's tone was cold and warning. Jimin had never heard him talk like that before, but for some reason it felt reassuring... because he was covering for Jimin. The only reason he even talked in this voice was to protect him.

"I know that little bitch is here." His stepdad slurred out and there was the sound of clothing moving around before Jimin's stepdad hissed. "Don't touch me!"

"Don't try to come inside and I won't touch you."

"You fucking...!" There was a loud noise and Jimin could feel his heart in his throat. He couldn't stay here any longer... if his stepdad hurt Jungkook... Jimin slipped through the door before Taehyung could stop him, but the picture he found was not what he had expected.

His stepdad was on on his back on the floor in front of their entry door, groaning as he rubbed his red cheek, while Jungkook stood above him shaking his hand. "Not gonna lie, that felt pretty good."

He didn't even notice Jimin approaching him until Jimin quickly grabbed the door and closed it before his stepdad could enter, turning the keys around as quickly as he could with his shaky hands.

He didn't know why... but for some reason, as scary as that had been... seeing Jungkook knock his stepdad to the floor with one punch... made him seem so much more pathetic. Less like a scary threat and more like a man Jimin should probably pity. But Jimin wasn't going to pity him.

He had brought this upon himself.

Instead he turned around to look at Jungkook, who was watching him. "Feels good to just lock him out like that? You just completely locked him out of your life, you know."

Jimin looked back at the door and then at Jungkook again. "Yeah... it feels good."

Seeing Jungkook punch him. Knowing his mother was going to divorce him. Being aware of just how pathetic his stepdad really was, playing tough and strong when he was really weak.

It all felt really good.

A/N

Just gonna say... hitting someone in the face is not usually a way to solve your problems.

The only reason it somewhat turned out well here is because Jimin has always seen his stepdad as this pillar of authority... something he can't do anything against.

But seeing how weak his abuser actually is destroys that idea of him being an unmovable force. Instead he's just this desperate weak drunk man now.

And Jimin kind of needed that.