PROLOGUE

October 2018, London, The O2 Arena 

*
Namjoon and Hoseok’s loud voices managed to steal Jimin’s attention for a fleeting moment.
He took a swift glance around the arena. Yoongi was half-sitting, half-lying on a bunch of
chairs, probably half-asleep. Taehyung was stretched out on the floor, waving a paper plane
around without a care in the world. His cue sheet was nowhere to be seen, Jimin noticed.
Maybe it had flown away? If he weren’t so tired he would’ve burst in laughter at his silly
joke. Instead he simply smiled at Tae’s quaint nature. Jungkook was munching on something
while directing Seokjin that struggled to improve his dancing in between laughs. And finally,
the grown-ups, Namjoon and Hoseok, kept on talking, eagerly sorting out the last details for
the upcoming concerts.

Sitting on the floor, Jimin went back to his phone, scrolling through it absent mindedly. After
a long day of countless rehearsals and rushed meals he was more than happy to welcome a
break, no matter how short. It was past midnight and all he wanted was a warm shower and
a few hours of precious sleep.

He hadn’t been able to sleep well for the past week. As the days passed, and the countdown
for the Europe leg of the tour intensified, so did the bubbly excitement and inevitable anxiety.
Their latest album Love Yourself: Tear was doing so well, and their ever-growing army was
expecting them more than ever. Everything had to be perfect. So he spent day in, day out
practicing nonstop because for him, his perfect always seemed lacking. God knows why.
Thankfully it wasn’t too long until they heard back from Namjoon.

“Guys, we’ve worked hard today! Let’s have a good night’s sleep and enjoy tomorrow to the
fullest!!”
Delighted, Jimin jumped to his feet. Everybody made their way out of the practice room,
buzzing with content. Except for Yoongi. He slowly slid from the chairs and lazily followed
behind them, yawning at each step.

When they got the hotel, it was past 1am. They all said their goodnights and wandered off to
their rooms.
“I’m going to take a shower.” Hoseok told Jimin as they got to their shared room.
“Uhum…” Jimin mumbled, after crashing on his bed, ready to sleep forever.

“Oh don’t even think about going to sleep without taking a shower Jimin!” Hoseok warned
him. “How can you be there with those sweaty clothes on? Come on, get up!”
Grudgingly, Jimin slowly got off the bed. Satisfied, Hoseok headed to the bathroom.
To his surprise Jimin was still half-conscious when he stepped into the room again. He had
to suppress a giggle as a zombie-like Jimin wandered off to the bathroom, stripping his
clothes as he went.

Still smiling, Hoseok went to pick his phone charger. His phone, however, was nowhere to
be seen. After 5 minutes of going through his baggage, he finally remembered he had left it
with Taehyung at practice.
“How stupid!” He whined, while face-palming himself.

Hoping Tae would still be up, he quickly made his way out. Taehyung’s room was the farthest
one, right by the end of the hall.

He was about to knock when he heard a pained groan coming from inside the room.
“Tae, is everything okay??”
Dread took over him for an instant as flashes of old memories crossed his mind. He didn’t
want to relive them. After a few seconds of worrying silence, Tae replied.
“Uh, yes I slipped in the bathroom. Just give me one second, hyung.”
“But are you hurt??”
An embarrassed Taehyung met his eyes as the door opened.
“No it was nothing.” He reassured him with an apologetic smile. “Maybe one or two bruises
tomorrow but other than that okay.”
Hoseok sighed relieved.
“You scared the shit out of me. How the hell did you slip?”
Tae pursed his lips together.
“I ran to the bathroom…when I noticed the rug there, umm, too late? You can imagine the
rest, hyung.”
Hoseok shook his head. He didn’t know whether to scold him or laugh at him.
“Just be more careful Tae, okay?” His friend nodded enthusiastically. “By the way, you
almost made me forget but the whole reason I came here was my phone. Do you still have
it?”
“I gave it to Jimin when we left the arena. He didn’t tell you?”
Hoseok closed his eyes exasperated.
“He was sleepwalking all the way here so no. Let me go back before he passes out! Night
Tae!!”
“Of course. Good night hyung!!” Taehyung said as Hoseok ran down the corridor.
When the door closed behind him, Taehyung’s face contorted in pain. He found comfort in
the darkness that engulfed his room. He quietly took off his pants and shirt before sitting by
the edge of the bed. He didn’t need to look to know it was bleeding again. He felt the warm
fluid oozing out and dripping down his left thigh. Anger and frustration consumed him. This
had gone too far.
He laid back in bed and closed his eyes.

It had been too long since he had seen anything other than endless darkness after shutting his
eyes. That night, he saw something different. A flower. Just one, blooming in the dark.
“Make me stop.” He whispered.
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More about the AU HERE

TEASER VIDEO

Chapter 1 

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Copyright ⓒ 2018 to @topbtssmut; @jamsforlife [co-written by the two of us]