Seokjin's P. O. V.

Pain. Fear. Blood.

So thankful for the bulletproof vest on him but I can still feel the shudders ripple through his muscles every time he got shot. My senses were getting hazier by the second so I pressed my head to his chest and listened.

His heavy breathing. His racing heartbeat.

Even if I die I have no one to blame. I chose this, I wanted to do this. I wanted to be brave and helpful, but yet again I became a burden. I am crying, and it's the last thing I wanted to do in a situation like this.

"Hold on to me" he softly said to me and my eyes froze onto his dilated dark pupils. A white flame raged there, like a seraph's, who had dawned to guard my soul. His arms tightened around me as I coiled mine around his neck. I let the ruckus around us get blotted out as my brain zoomed in on him.

The way he clenched his teeth in pain and agitation, his Adam's apple bobbing as he tried to gulp down his anxiety, the way his damp dark fringes stuck to his forehead, his sweaty honey skin warm against my cheek. Suddenly everything moved around us and I felt so light.

Are we flying or falling?

Crashhh!

"Urrghh!" His heavy loud groan bellowed at my ears and I fought to open my eyes. I found a gasping and groaning Taehyung under me, his right hand badly bruised and bleeding, and now probably broken. While the other was still protectively wound around me. His eyes were searching me, I tried to mouth an 'I am okay' but was too weak to do so.

Two blurry figures rushed to us the next moment and I was pulled away from him. Panic struck me and I struggled "N-no! Let g-go!" But to no avail as the man carried me away. I wriggled to see Taehyung and noticed another similarly masked man dragging him behind us.

I hazily saw the black SUV in which we were put before familiar voices took over and the car hurried out of the basement.

"Calm down Taehyung or you'll go into shock!" I wearily watched him gasp for breath beside me, his chest heaving as he gulped down mouthfuls of air. Yoongi's eyes shifted from him to me and I heard Kook's voice right over my head "he's bleeding a lot, it's a gunshot wound". I realized it was him who had carried me to the car.

Suddenly Taehyung jolted forward to grab at his chest and growled. I wanted to caress him, help him ease through the pain I had been the cause of. After all I was the one who had injected that drug in him!

I saw Yoongi pat his back "breathe, breathe. This will go down, you need to make through just a couple more minutes" he assured.

Pushing away the pain and the dizziness that was rapidly taking over my senses I tried to sit up but was instantly forced back to lie against Kook. "Don't move much, it might increase the blood loss" he sternly spoke lowering his head closer to my ear as his hand around my waist tightened.

I let my hazy gaze go back to Taehyung who still had his head hanging low, all the voices around me began to fade as I caught the last lingering glimpse of shudders coursing through the man and a whisper speared in through the alluring darkness.

You broke your promise Jin but I promise you, no matter how hard you fight me I'm never leaving your side ever again...

Taehyung's P. O. V.

"Let's have jjajangmyeon hyung!" Hyuk blithely hopped around me as we walked up the stairs to our apartment "and...and stir fried pork!" He suggested already salivating.

"Yah, will you settle down, I've not even arrived home properly and you're talking about eating out already. Do you know how hard it has been to eat outside food every day for the last six months?!"

We pushed open the door to the third floor "I'd rather have that meat stew mum makes, with rice and fried eggs" I reminisced the nights we would sit around the table to share dinner, the way I'd be put on duty by mum to make sure Hyuk ate all the shiitake mushroom and the greens, and the way she would call me 'my good li'l soldier'.

"Ugh, not the meat stew please! That's too much hyung!" He whined as we passed by several dark-wood doors along the long familiar passageway. I have missed the days when I'd just lean over the railing and watch the lights twinkling all over the several tall buildings around the apartment complex. Watched and imagined how their lives must be like. Do all of them have happy lives? Do all of them have dreams and ambitions? Do all of them have someone to love?

Hyuk opened the door and we entered our apartment still chuckling and engrossed in catching up with all the little things I've missed in the last six months. "...you bet I'm great at it! You'll see I'm gonna make it to the taekwondo finals and knock all those assheads down for good!" I boasted.

"Mum must be back. The TV is on" Hyuk said and my heart rejoiced to know that she had skipped her night shift because I came home for the holidays. "But why are all the lights out" he walked ahead into our home as I got busy in getting rid of my shoes.

"Hyuunnng!!" I ran in hearing his loud exclamation and the scene infront of me struck me like a lightning bolt.

She was right there writhing and groaning on the ground, gesturing us to flee from there as we stood stunned, the diffused light from the tv screen showed patches of dark red blood on her porcelain skin.

In that cursed darkness I realised there was someone hunched over her, tears gushed out her eyes as she told us to run with her last bit of life. We could not see his face but I will never forget those eyes.

It was those eyes that gave me everlasting nightmares. Those were not demonic red or devilish black but dark and intimidating. The shadow turned around to near us.

I can see those eyes clearly now, but why? Why does it have my eyes?

It took another step closer and I could see that hard honey skin peeping beneath the hood covering his head. Mothers' pleadings and Hyuk's wails echoed as a trance took over me and all I could see was the dark form steadily nearing me. His murky shroud slowly morphed to form my own identical reflection before me.

There I was, draped in darkness and my hands stained with the blood of my mother, my brother, my best friend and my team, standing over the group of bloody distorted carcasses with murder in my eyes.

I jolted up from the bed gasping as cold sweat ran down my back. The white walls and lonely room were the first things my eyes registered. I closed my eyes again trying to ease my racing heart and let my mind wander. Just a bad dream. A painful memory. Just one among my many recurring nightmares.

Just as I tried to rub away the sweat beads on my face pain shot through me and all the recent occurrences came streaming in. Seokjin! Worry gripped at my heart and I rushed out to step into the dimly lit living room.

It was after my vision settled in the low light that I realized where I was. It's a safe house.

My eyes scooted further to reach the couch on the other side of the low table. Seokjin was stretched out with his head laid on a throw pillow propped against an arm of the couch, a pale blue rug covering up to his ears and on the other side Jungkook sat sleeping with his head on the back pillow, his left arm dangling over the sofa arm on his side.

My eyes pensively stayed on his other hand that was softly draped over Seokjin's bandaged leg, resting over a throw pillow on Jungkook's lap. I watched as he sleepily caressed Seokjin's leg and immediately felt an urgent need to carry the sleeping boy away.

I walked closer to the where he was sleeping and knelt down to come at eye level with him. My brave Seokjin. You must have been so scared. I lightly ran my fingers over his brows and down his cheek.

I wish you would never try to be my savior ever again, I thought tracing a few purple bruises on his face before my gaze locked on to a dark red blotch on his lower lip. I let my thumb glide over the mark I had left on him which stood out proudly against his milky skin.

I cannot have your blood on my hands, I won't be able to live with that. I've paid too much already. I pressed my lips on his forehead and felt a tear run down my cheek to land on his eyelashes.

"We had to give him sedatives to take the bullet out, but he's gonna be fine" Hoseok's voice assured softly as I saw him walking out of a room. "I'm thankful to you all for getting me out of there but you really shouldn't have let him do this" I loved the feeling of his soft tresses in between my fingers as I caressed his head.

"We let him? Huh...I guess you don't know the real Kim Seokjin, do you?" I looked up at him and instantly realized what he meant "hmm...I remember him being too stubborn" I smiled as an image of an obstinate fifteen year old Seokjin angrily ignoring me popped up in my head "he once acted like I did not exist for two whole weeks after I had kissed him against his will".

Although we broke into a fit of snubbed laughter at that, my eyes did not miss the tremor that shot through Jungkook's softly draped hand which now protectively coiled around Seokjin's leg.
Just the kind of reaction I had wished to catch. Do you think I'm stupid? I see you, you wicked fuck!

"We need to talk" Hoseok broke through my outraged inner grumbling "let's wake Yoongi and Jungkook". And as Hoseok went inside the room to wake Yoongi, I realized it was on me to wake up Jungkook. Well, that's easy coz the shithead is already awake but I guess he thinks he is doing a super job at feigning sleep.

"Wake up" i patted at his shoulder. And stop touching Seokjin or I swear you're gonna end up losing an arm!

I watched him fake-groan tiredly as he turned to trace my voice through half closed sleep drenched eyes. Stop with the acting already or I'm gonna make sure you need not wake up ever again!

Ten minutes later the four of us were huddled in a circle around the dining table, three pairs of eyes sending inquisitive looks at me as my heart felt heavier with each piece of information Hoseok put forth.

"Namjoon and Col. Wang have been arrested" more like they sacrificed their freedom to get me away from that life sentence. "Our team has been revoked and there are arrest warrants for the three of us including Yoongi". So if the trial had commenced to find me guilty and I had been confined for life could all of them be secured and live a normal life? Can I actually live free knowing this? Do I really deserve to live?

"Jin-Young must have been really upset about your fleeing" my panicked eyes shot up to look at him. No! He wouldn't do that right? No way! "Col. Wang believes Axel must have forged some documents about you being..." It was as if he was disgusted to even voice it out "you being the son of Byun". I could feel their gaze bore into my skin, waiting for some reaction from me, perhaps hoping to see me call it a ridiculous statement or the poorest attempt to put me in the wrong.

I froze.

I am not ready to deal with this.

Probably never will be.

"He killed my mother" was all I could say.

The silence that took over was deafening. I felt naked and humiliated, I didn't dare to look at them.

"They issued a shoot-at-sight order on you and him" I saw Jungkook grab at his head at the news while my eyes drifted to the still sleeping figure on the couch, his bandaged leg lightly peeping out of the fuzzy rug. I heard a chair abruptly push out and loud banging followed as Jungkook huffed and hit at the kitchen counter.

"We need to think of something to get him out of this, that's the first thing we're doing." Yoongi asserted suddenly getting worked up "He is still a student, his finals are in a month". "Who cares about a fucking final?! His life is on the line!!" Hoseok contested against the man.

"What do they know about him till now?" I asked turning back to the group. "Well, till now almost nothing. Just that he had accompanied Dr. Min as an assistant."

"Tell them he died due to excessive blood loss" Jungkook jerked around. "Are you crazy?! What if someone recognizes him later? Do you think they will let him live a normal life after that?!" "They don't have pictures of him since the cameras were down" Hoseok thought out loud.

"Just make sure his name or profile doesn't get to the media" I asserted it almost like an order. "I hope you can do that right?"

I saw Jungkook's eyes stay on me, it was as if he was trying to read my mind. "What are you planning?" He finally asked walking up to me and I stood up to face him head on. "Nothing you need to know about."

With one brief glance at the sleeping Seokjin on the couch I headed to my room.

What is a battle without sacrifices? A fight without bloodshed? If you call everything fair in a war, then so it is in love.

They have literally pushed me to the end of the line, still testing out my breaking point. I hope they know that with every hit my heart has been getting more and more tempered to unbreakable limits. What if you have unknowingly empowered my heart to become adamantium? Will you fear me then?

If all the right ways could only bring futility and more death, then maybe I should try doing the wrong.

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