1 the torture

Taejo was son of emperor Jiho, and heir to the throne. It wasn't his title that mattered, really, but it was what he was good at. He was well liked in all parts of the capital city, and everyone respected him for it. If they had a problem with it, they could take it up with the emperor. No one ever did. Even his mother didn't say much about it when she found out, though Taejo knew better than most that it was a sore spot for her. Still, no one dared go against the emperor and lived. So there you have it.

He would be eighteen next month, and it had been almost a year since his mother passed. The whole thing hit him hard, to tell the truth, because he had known her since he was just a little child. His father and grandfather were not kind to him, so when she died he went into the palace to live with his uncle, whom he had grown up with as a brother and a best friend. When he met Taeyeon, however, who seemed to change everything, he felt like his entire world fell into place again. And then, a few days later, he was dead too.

It took him a while to get used to the idea of being dead, though. After living life like a normal person, for almost his entire life, he wasn't exactly sure what to expect. But he was happy now, he supposed. He had met Taeyeon, married her, and they had had two children together. That made this whole thing even easier than he thought it would be. In fact, they probably wouldn't even notice if he vanished from their lives. Not unless they looked around, anyway. Which is why Taejo had made sure to make sure that there was someone to watch over them whenever he left the house, just in case something happened.

As he walked through the palace halls today, on his way to meet with an advisor about his plans for the future, he couldn't help but think back on how happy he was here, despite having never seen another human being before. At least, not outside of this building, where the rest of the citizens were kept. Everyone had always been afraid of him. Well, they still were. Of course, Taeyeon and the others had never feared him. They were family, after all, and they loved him unconditionally, and he couldn't ask for anything more. Especially not a daughter like Taeyeon.

He was distracted from these thoughts by a voice coming from behind him. Turning, he saw one of the guards from earlier, Yerim, coming towards him, a concerned look on her face. "Prince Taejo! Is everything alright?" She asked, looking down at him with concern written across her features.

Taejo nodded, smiling at her gently. "I'm fine, thank you," He said. "I've just been having a lot on my mind lately. How are things in your kingdom?"

Yerim smiled faintly at him. "Well, we are doing rather well, I suppose. We have a new king named Jaehwan," she informed him. ", something caught his eye. He stopped in his tracks and leaned forward, squinting a bit. There was nothing there…

Then he heard it again, faint, almost inaudible. What did he hear? He strained his ears. Was someone talking in the corridor outside the meeting room? No one else was walking by, but still… Something about the voice didn't feel right. Taejo followed the direction of the noise to find out where it was coming from. Maybe it was the wind? He hadn't noticed anything before but perhaps there was some sort of draft.

The door was cracked open, so he peeked in. Two people stood inside, one of which was holding what appeared to be a piece of paper. They turned towards each other and started whispering rapidly, gesturing wildly with their hands. One of them was wearing robes with a hood pulled up over their head. Taejo couldn't see who it was, or even make out their features. All he saw was black cloth covering their face and the rest of their body.

What were they doing here? Did they know he was in the meeting room? He wondered who these two were. Perhaps they were spies sent by the emperor. The possibility made his blood run cold, and he took another step closer to the doorway, ready to run.Though we have had some trouble in some areas."

Taejo raised an eyebrow at her, tilting his head slightly. "Trouble in what areas?" He asked her, curiously.

Yerim smiled slightly at him. "The people are scared of you," She told him softly. "They fear you will turn on us like they have turned on their previous king."

Taejo sighed heavily, nodding slightly. He should have expected it. He had known it might happen sooner or later. "I see," He muttered. "That's unfortunate. I wish I could do something."

"Don't worry, Prince Taejo," Yerim reassured him. "You won't need to do anything to save our kingdom. You can just continue to rule it as Emperor. I know you want nothing less."

Taejo smiled softly at her, shaking his head. "Thank you, Yerim," He told her softly. "For everything you do. For taking care of me, and the people, and my brother, for staying with me."

Yerim blushed lightly, looking away from him. "N-no, it's okay, Your Highness. I only hope I can fulfill my duty."

Taejo tilted his head again, studying her for a moment before stepping inside the room and closing the door behind him. He walked over to the table in the middle of the room, standing between the two people in the room. "Good morning, Your Majesty, Your Grandmother," He greeted both of them quietly, bowing slightly towards them. Both of them looked at him. "Have either of you seen Taeyeon anywhere? She came in early yesterday, but I haven't seen her since," He explained, glancing quickly at one of them before returning his gaze to the other.

His grandfather glanced briefly at his grandmother. "She isn't in the garden yet, I don't think," He replied, frowning slightly.

"Hmm." Taejo nodded, turning to address the other man in the room. He bowed low once again. "I apologize, My Lord," He said, bowing again. "But I must have misplaced her. Please excuse me."

"Of course," He replied, nodding to him politely, also bowing.

"Thank you, My Lord." The two spoke louder. They sounded worried. Were they here to kill them? Or worse? Had they figured out that he was here? He held his breath, waiting, hoping, praying…

Finally the man in the robes turned his attention away from the woman he was speaking to and spotted him. His eyes widened slightly, as if surprised, but he quickly hid whatever emotion he might've shown as he walked towards him, slowly. Taejo stayed where he was, trying desperately to keep himself calm and collected, but his heart was racing so fast he was certain he must've looked panicked. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat but it stuck. His mouth went dry and his eyes darted around nervously, watching the figure as it got closer and closer.

And then it stopped, mere inches from him. Their face was shrouded by the shadow casted by the hood, so he couldn't identify them.

Taejo closed his eyes tight and steeled his nerves. He had made a promise to his mother that he wouldn't run. He wouldn't give in to panic, even if the intruder was a murderer. A few moments passed without a word being exchanged. Then the stranger sighed and removed his hood, revealing himself to be a young man, maybe a few years younger than Taejo. Taejo turned to leave the room quickly, making sure no one saw him. As soon as the doors shut behind him, he let out a sigh of relief, leaning against the wall. He hadn't been able to shake those feelings off of him. It was strange, he thought. What made them come? The words, maybe. Or the presence of those two people. Neither of them were particularly nice, that was clear enough, and they were certainly suspicious of him, too. Still, something about them made him feel uneasy. Like he shouldn't trust them. Like they weren't telling him the full truth.

Or at least, that's how it felt. He shrugged it off quickly, though, and continued his walk towards the gardens. If he had missed her, he would simply wait until she appeared. If she was still awake, that was. She usually was during the night, especially nowadays. He frowned at the thought, and then forced himself to forget it. It was none of his business anyways. He had no reason to worry, not anymore.

As he arrived at the entrance to the gardens, he spotted Taeyeon sitting on a bench, reading what looked like an old book. She looked up, smiling brightly at him when she noticed him, though he didn't smile back. Instead

Before Taejo could say anything, the stranger spoke. "I am very sorry, Taejo, for scaring you," he apologized. He lowered his hood slightly, making sure to keep eye contact with Taejo. "Please forgive me."

Taejo blinked and shook his head, confused. "Who are you?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. He was getting really sick of not knowing who this mysterious stranger was. Why couldn't he just tell him who he was? It was pretty obvious, wasn't it? This person didn't even have a cloak. And there was no reason for him to hide his face.

"My name is Taekwoon," The stranger told him. "I'm a friend of Taeyeon and Doyoung."

"Friend?" Taejo repeated. "How long have you two been friends? And where does your mask come from?"

Taekwoon stared at him for a moment, raising an eyebrow. "Are you asking me if I've been hiding my identity all along?" He questioned, smirking slightly. "Because I assure you, I have not."

Taejo frowned. "So why did you decide to hide it now?"

"Because I'm afraid you won't believe me."

"Why not?"

"Because it hasn't happened yet." Taekwoon told him, raising an eyebrow. "It may never happen."

Taejo scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Oh please," He said sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest. "We're both men, aren't we? I doubt it could've happened."

Taekwoon chuckled humorlessly. "Maybe you'd be more inclined to believe me if I told you that it already has occurred. I'm afraid that it won't ever happen. Because it never will."

Taejo narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at Taekwoon with disbelief. "What do you mean it hasn't happened? How can you be so sure? How do you know it doesn't already exist? It hasn't happened yet, right?"

"Yes, yes, of course," Taekwoon replied, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "If it truly existed, I would have found out about it."

"What do you mean?"

Taekwoon paused momentarily. He glanced down at Taejo's hands, which were clenched into fists, as he tried to hold back tears. His eyebrows knitted together, and he swallowed hard.

"Well," Taekwoon began, hesitantly. "There's this story…"

Chapter 4

The sound of footsteps echoed through the hall, echoing loudly throughout the silent halls. The palace was deathly silent; it seemed that no one dared to disturb the Prince while he was in this state.

Prince Taejo was pacing up and down the length of his own chambers in front of the mirror that sat in front of his large window overlooking the palace grounds. His fingers twitched every now and then as he ran them through his black hair, combing out any loose strands that had come loose.

He paced silently, trying to stop himself from thinking about how much he wanted to see his father. How much he wanted his father to finally see him. To hear him talk.

He didn't dare to stop moving. His body was frozen. His mind was numb.

Every second that passed without the prince hearing his father speak felt like torture. Every minute that passed and his father remained silent felt like a lifetime to the prince.

When he heard soft footsteps approaching him, he froze again. They stopped abruptly a foot or so from where he stood. The prince took several deep breaths as his grip around his fist tightened, and he took a step backward.

"Your Highness?" The voice called.

"No!" He whispered harshly. "Go away. Leave me alone!" The words escaped his lips, but he didn't care. No matter what he shouted, no matter what he demanded, the person wouldn't listen. It wouldn't go away. So, instead of screaming, he resorted to begging.

He hoped it worked.

The footsteps came closer again, sounding louder. Taejo tensed and gripped his fists tighter. He didn't want anyone else to see him cry, even if they were his only company. 'Just don't look,' he thought. But he couldn't seem to find the courage to close his eyes. He didn't think he could manage to do it anyway, and he doubted he would even try.

Instead, he forced himself to stand up straight and face the door, hoping the intruder wouldn't catch him in the act.

A light knock sounded on the wooden panel, causing him to flinch slightly and take a sharp breath before forcing himself to relax. He bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut tightly, willing himself to remain calm and not show any signs of weakness.

"Your Highness?" The voice said once again. "You haven't left the room since the incident."

"I said go away," Taejo spat.

Silence followed his words, and after a few seconds, he could hear another set of footsteps coming toward him. This time, however, they didn't stop in front of him. Instead, they kept walking past him. They stopped outside the doorway and then retreated to a spot near the end of the corridor.

Taejo waited for the silence to return. After a few minutes passed, he opened his eyes slightly and peered around the edge of the doorframe. He watched as his visitor walked to the end of the corridor and disappeared around the corner. He waited for another few seconds before opening the door fully.

His eyes landed on the empty space the other had previously occupied. Confused, he walked towards it. When he reached the end of the corridor, he stopped, staring at the area where the stranger had disappeared from. He looked around the corridor curiously. There weren't many places that someone could possibly disappear to. He knew most people spent their whole lives inside the walls, not too far from the throne room.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder.

"Did he really just leave?" He wondered aloud, frowning slightly. "What's gotten into him?" He turned around and walked back in the direction he'd come from, heading back inside the throne room.

Taejo stopped in his tracks, looking to the side, as he listened. He strained his ears, trying to determine the source of the noise. It took a moment, but eventually his gaze settled upon the fireplace. A loud crackling could be heard, and it soon became apparent that the fire within was burning quite poorly. He smiled slightly. "Finally," He mumbled.

Without hesitation, he walked over to the fireplace and crouched down, reaching out a hand. He hesitated briefly, but then closed his eyes tightly and placed his hands firmly on top of the flames. In an instant, the fires flickered, but stayed steady. Slowly, the small flame in the middle of the fireplace grew. Soon enough, the entire room was lit up by bright, fiery orange flames, warming the cold, dark air within it considerably.

Taejo sighed contently and relaxed slightly. Once the small flame died down a little, he lifted his hands off the ground and stood up again, brushing his pants off. He looked back at the entrance of the throne room with furrowed brows. His eyes trailed back and forth, waiting for someone to appear, but none did.

"Who are you?" He asked quietly to the empty space. He waited again, watching intently for any sign of movement that might reveal who or what was beyond the entrance of the throne room.

After a few moments, he shook his head and moved away from the entrance. He walked over to his chair and plopped down, placing his hands onto the armrests. He sighed deeply, staring ahead.

He was going mad. He could tell. Everything was beginning to get to him. He felt sick and exhausted. He hated being in here. He hated having to stay. He hated that everything that had happened made him feel even worse. He hated everything. Why did he have to be born the way he was? Why did he have to have a birthmark? What happened to him? Where was his mother?

Where was his father?

Everything was beginning to make his head spin. His stomach was twisted and churning, making him nauseous. He didn't understand what was happening, but he didn't have it in him to care. Not anymore.

He let his body fall heavily back into the chair, feeling the weight of the chair against his back. He breathed heavily, closing his eyes tightly.

Taejo couldn't stop thinking about his birthmark. He remembered when his mother used to run her fingers over the mark that rested underneath the cuff of his jacket sleeve. Sometimes she would rub his skin gently, smiling lovingly at him. Other times she would brush his hair out of his eyes, whispering softly to him. Other times she would kiss the mark gently before she kissed him, holding him tightly and kissing him with such love and passion that he couldn't help but smile. She loved him more than life itself. And, even though he loved her, he was always scared of losing her.

But he couldn't remember her face. He didn't know who she was, except for what she'd told him. He didn't know why.

She hadn't been there when he'd been born. That's all he knew. He hadn't seen her face. All he knew was that she wasn't there to watch him grow into his young years. That's all he knew. He didn't remember a thing about the day his mother had given birth to him. Nothing. Just nothing.

But he would always hope for a better memory than the one he had received. Maybe someday he'd even forget what he had been taught in school when he was younger. Perhaps he would be able to forget what he had done. Who he had killed. What he had become.

Maybe one day he would be able to forget.

For now however, he had to keep on living, pretending. Pretending to be the perfect prince, acting and pretending to be happy. Acting like he didn't hate it, pretend that nothing bothered him, pretend to be grateful.

For now, he would pretend. For now, he would put on a strong front, a good front, and pretend he was fine. Because the last thing he needed right now was for anyone to notice he was hurting, to point out something he wanted desperately to hide.

So he continued with his duties. He performed his tasks with a cheerful, yet blank expression. He played games with his guards and servants whenever possible. He laughed loudly and cheerfully when they joked around with each other. He pretended that he had never experienced what he had experienced in the past week and a half, pretending that he hadn't been locked away in the dungeon all day long, pretending that his guards hadn't dragged him back inside after dinner and beaten him repeatedly, pretending that his father hadn't tried to kill him, pretending that his mother hadn't abandoned him, and pretending that he didn' t wish for her to return.

For now.

He still wished she would come back, but he wasn't so sure anymore.

For now, he continued to pretend.

Chapter 2

A few hours later, Jin stood next to Seokjin's bedside, watching as he slept peacefully. A small smile graced his lips, and it faded the moment he saw tears form in his eyes. He frowned slightly at the sight. He knew how much he missed Yoongi's mother, but he couldn't imagine how he must have reacted when he found out what had happened. He didn't blame Yoongi. If anything, he blamed himself.

If only he could go back in time and change some things. If only he could have prevented all of this from happening. If only.

Jin stepped closer to the bed, sighing softly as he gazed down at Yoongi. He sat down in the chair, resting his elbows on his knees as he rested his chin on his palms. He stared sadly down at his brother, wishing he could fix everything. He wished he could give Yoongi happiness, but he couldn't. Even if he had tried, he wouldn't have been allowed to.

All he could do was try to help in whatever way he could. Even if he couldn't be there physically.

He leaned forward, resting his head in his hands. His eyes focused on Yoongi's sleeping face as he began to cry.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered. He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts and allowing his emotions to consume him once more. "I should've known." He continued, lowering his head slightly, resting it on his arms. "It was supposed to work. I should've realized. How could I have ever thought he wouldn't realize that I was lying to him?"

Jin continued to speak softly, letting his head rest against his forearms. "I didn't expect him to find out this early." He admitted. His voice broke slightly, and he paused for a second, inhaling sharply through his nose. The tears streamed down his cheeks freely. "I don't deserve to be forgiven anyway." He said, raising his head again, wiping at the corners of his eyes with his sleeves. He sniffled and cleared his throat. "How am I supposed to explain this to him? How am I supposed to convince him that what I did was wrong? How am I suppose to prove to him that what I did is wrong? How...how am I supposed to show him that I'm sorry?"

Jin looked directly down at the floor for a few moments, blinking slowly and taking a deep breath. He looked back up again, and he blinked slowly. His gaze fell upon Yoongi once more. He reached out, hesitating slightly. He hesitated longer, considering his options, and then brought his palm to touch the side of Yoongi's cheek. The younger man immediately jerked awake, looking wildly around, trying to catch sight of who had just touched him. When he spotted Jin, he immediately calmed, but he tensed slightly. He glanced around, taking quick glances at the surroundings as he listened closely for any noises around him.

"What are you doing here?" He whispered, looking warily between Jin and the door. Jin opened his mouth to speak but quickly shut it once more, deciding not to respond. Instead, he simply turned his attention towards the window. Yoongi followed his line of sight. "...You're not supposed to be awake yet." Yoongi commented, his tone slightly worried. Jin remained silent, continuing to stare outside. Eventually, he let out a quiet sigh, turning back towards Yoongi, and he leaned back in his chair.

"Why didn't you answer your cell phone?" Yoongi asked quietly. He shifted in his seat, pulling his legs up onto the edge of his bed and wrapping his arms around them, his knuckles whitening as he clenched his fists.

Jin shrugged quietly, looking away from his brother, avoiding eye contact. "I didn't turn it off." He replied shortly. Yoongi frowned.

"...Didn't turn it off?" Yoongi repeated slowly. His brow furrowed, confusion flashing across his features briefly. Jin nodded.

Yoongi shook his head, standing from his position on the bed and walking towards Jin. He grabbed onto Jin's shirt collar roughly and pulled him close, gripping him tight.

"Tell me." He demanded lowly. Jin flinched slightly, wincing a bit as he stared at his brother in shock. He blinked rapidly a few times, his eyes widening as he stared back at Yoongi.

"I can't." Jin answered quietly. "Please stop touching me." He pleaded. Yoongi rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Tell me or else." He growled lowly. Jin looked around for a few seconds, biting his lip lightly.

"No, please don't!" He begged quietly, attempting to pull his neck away from his brother's grasp. "Don't hurt me! Don't take my stuff, please! Don't-" Jin yelped, squeezing his eyes shut and tightening his grip on his brother. "Please. Please don't hurt me. P-please..." He sobbed.

Yoongi growled, releasing Jin, and backing away. He glared at Jin, crossing his arms over his chest angrily.

"Just tell me already." He ordered angrily. "Why weren't you answering your damn phone?" He shouted angrily. Jin stayed silent for several moments, swallowing thickly, before finally speaking.

"Because I turned it off." He mumbled, staring at the ground. Yoongi watched silently, waiting for him to continue. After a few moments of silence, Jin looked up and met his brothers eyes. Tears glistened in his eyes. "I can't talk to anyone anymore." He whimpered quietly. "Not even you." He added. "I don't want to leave you alone, hyung. But I can't stay here anymore. I can't live in this castle. I can't stay here without you." He whispered brokenly.

"What did they do to you?" Yoongi asked softly, stepping forward and kneeling down by his brother's bed. He gently took one of Jin's hands, bringing it to his lips and pressing a gentle kiss to the top of his hand.

Jin closed his eyes, shrugging weakly. "They beat me. They locked me up every night. Locked me away in a room so dark I could barely see myself in front of me." Jin continued. "But you know that already, right?" He added bitterly. Yoongi looked away. Jin sighed softly, closing his eyes, leaning into the warmth of his brother's touch.

Yoongi wrapped an arm around Jin's shoulders, pulling him close, and stroking his hair gently. Jin leaned into his touch, feeling his body relax somewhat, despite the pain in his wrists.

"Why didn't you call me?" Yoongi asked quietly. Jin looked up at him with wide eyes.

"...I didn't want you to worry about me." He answered quietly. "I didn't want to upset you any more than I already have."

"Jin." Yoongi murmured softly. "We're family. We care about each other. And you shouldn't be worrying about upsetting me." He insisted, frowning deeply as he brushed his fingers lightly through his hair. "You shouldn't be hiding things like this from me." He stated firmly. Jin swallowed nervously, nodding slightly.

"Sorry." He muttered. Yoongi smiled a little.

"Don't apologise. You don't need to apologize. I understand why you did what you did." Yoongi assured him, gently. Jin sighed softly.

"Hyung, I can't tell you that I'm sorry, okay? It doesn' matter whether I can or not. I messed up." Jin explained quietly. He paused for a few moments before continuing. "That's why you hate me." He pointed out. Yoongi's expression faltered a bit, but he quickly returned to his usual neutral expression.

"Why would I hate you?" Yoongi questioned. Jin raised his eyebrows slightly, chuckling dryly. Yoongi shook his head. "I love you." He murmured.

"You always say that." Jin chuckled dryly. He frowned, narrowing his eyes slightly. "You've never actually said it though." He reminded Yoongi. Yoongi pursed his lips tightly together, furrowing his eyebrows.

"I haven't." He responded.

"Then how do you know that you actually feel that way about me?" Jin pressed. Yoongi's jaw clenched.

"Because I'm not blind." He snapped. He glanced away for a brief moment. "And because I know that I've changed." He told him. Jin raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Really? You've changed?" He repeated quietly. Yoongi nodded.

"...Yes." Yoongi confirmed. "You haven't seen yourself, Jin." He murmured. "But you will." He promised. Jin frowned.

"When?" He asked.

"When you wake up and look in the mirror." Yoongi explained. Jin sighed heavily, closing his eyes, and letting his head fall backwards. Yoongi tightened his hold on his brother slightly. "And when you're able to remember everything that happened here. Then you'll realise exactly what I mean." He explained. "And everything will be all right again."

"So you know that I've changed?" Jin repeated. Yoongi nodded. Jin opened his eyes and lifted his head again, meeting Yoongi's gaze. "How much do you know?" He asked curiously. Yoongi stared blankly at him.

"Everything." He answered. Jin frowned, narrowing his eyes a little.

"What?" He asked.

"I know everything." Yoongi repeated. Jin's eyes widened in surprise, and he sat up straight again, staring at Yoongi incredulously.

"What?! What do you mean? Where have you been?!" Jin exclaimed. "I haven't heard a word from you in months!" He continued. "All those nights we spent together? All the time we spend together? Are you crazy? Why wouldn't you let me contact you?! You can't possibly think that you're the only one who matters anymore!"

"Calm down." Yoongi muttered calmly. "Take a breath." Jin stared at his brother, confused and concerned.

"Have you been watching us? Did you see what they did to me? Did you see how much pain I was in?" He asked.

"Stop questioning me." Yoongi said irritably.

"Answer me."

"Yes."

Jin looked up at Yoongi, shocked. Yoongi narrowed his eyes slightly, shaking his head.

"I wasn't there." He clarified. "I couldn't have known what was going to happen." Jin shook his head.

"It's just too obvious now." He responded.

"I am aware that you are being forced to work as a slave in a place where slaves belong. I am also aware that you are being treated extremely badly." Yoongi explained. "The servants aren't happy with the fact that you've been working for their master and mistreating his property, so they want nothing to do with you, which is why they keep you under watchful eye." Yoongi finished.

Jin blinked, looking away. "Ya...you're watching me?" He asked quietly.

"Of course."

Jin frowned, raising a hand to his face. He ran his fingers along his cheek lightly, running his tongue against his bottom lip and then over his teeth repeatedly. His eyes were wide and scared as he looked up at Yoongi, his eyebrows furrowed.

"You really knew that this whole time? How long had you known this whole time?" He asked in disbelief. Yoongi shrugged slightly, averting his gaze and avoiding his brother's gaze.

"Since you disappeared." He mumbled. "From home, and everyone." Yoongi admitted, sighing softly.

Jin looked away from his older brother, shaking his head slowly. "Oh." He whispered, staring down at the bed sheets, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Is there anything I need to know, or anything you should tell me?" Yoongi asked carefully. Jin hesitated for a minute, staring at the bed covers before turning back to face him with a guilty expression.

"Did they hurt you?" Yoongi asked hesitantly. Jin nodded, swallowing hard. "Did they-"

"No." He cut his older brother off.

"Okay." Yoongi breathed softly, smiling softly. "I trust you, Jin." He assured his younger brother. Jin smiled sadly, resting his head against Yoongi's shoulder.

"Thank you, Hyung." He whispered, tightening his grip around his brother's waist. Yoongi smiled, placing his chin on top of Jin's head, hugging him closer to him, breathing in the scent of his younger brother. "Can I please sleep now, Hyung?" Jin asked. Yoongi nodded.

"Do you need anything?" He asked. Jin shook his head slightly, lifting his arms slightly, signalling for Yoongi to pick him up and carry him downstairs.

"Just a hug. Nothing else." Jin requested. Yoongi nodded, picking him up easily in his arms, holding him securely as he carried him to the bed, sitting down on the edge, putting Jin in between his legs, wrapping his arms around his chest tightly, resting his chin against Jin's head.

Jin placed his own arms around Yoongi's neck as best as he could, burying his face deeper into his brother's shoulder.

Chapter 4

"Jin." The guard called lowly. Jin lifted his head instantly, looking around, his heart speeding up in fear. "You are wanted." He informed his young brother.

Jin's eyes fell onto Yoongi's sleeping figure curled up into a ball underneath the covers of his bed. Jin sighed softly, getting out of bed silently, grabbing his coat on the way out of the door, quietly closing it behind himself.