24

                                    

                                          
Confront them with annihilation, and they will then survive; plunge them into a deadly situation, and they will then live. When people fall into danger, they are then able to strive for victory.
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The Art of War
Sun Tzu
                          
≣
                          
Love did not exist without fear. 
                          
Fear only existed when there was something to lose.
                          
And when one had something to lose . . .
                          
"I'm taking Jungkook with me."
                          
. . . they acted irrationally. 
                          
Fuck. Every single emotion Taehyung experienced almost two weeks ago - when he witnessed the murders - came rushing back full force. Fear coated his tongue, the taste like metal as he attempted to swallow it down. Panic locked his muscles, rendering his body immobile and frozen. And terror obliterated all pretense of logic, preventing him from thinking with a rational mind. 
                          
Any control he once possessed slowly slipped from his grasp, leaving him with nothing more than fear, panic, and terror. But none of those debilitating emotions were centered around his self-preservation. No, he truly wasn't concerned over his own well-being at all. And maybe that's why he couldn't think clearly . . . He wasn't thinking with his head. His heart had taken the lead and dissipated his once wise thoughts into nothingness. 
                          
The blinding desire - that primal need - to protect his love at all costs overpowered everything else. 
                          
So, Taehyung decided to bring Jungkook with him, to take the boy out of one cage and potentially introduce him to another.
                          
He didn't weigh the risks, didn't stop to consider what new threats would develop because of this decision. He didn't do any of those things because he wasn't stupid. He knew he just invited unimaginable dangers into both his and the younger's lives. And his common sense, while muted by paranoia and anxiety, told him this was the entirely wrong call. 
                          
But Taehyung wasn't willing to consider the alternatives - hell, he didn't have the time to debate which path forward would be the safest. The only immediate action to ensure Jungkook's safety was to keep him close, to protect his life with his own.
                          
And he'd do it, too. If worse came to worst, he would do anything necessary to protect the younger. No matter the costs, Taehyung would pay them without pause. 
                          
As soon as he had that revelation, he understood why Yoongi initially sent Jungkook away. The Chief probably knew that by keeping the two boys together, they'd inevitably endanger themselves in an effort to defend the other. And while Taehyung hated the decision at the time, he had wanted to put as much distance between Jungkook and potential violence as possible. So he watched the younger leave even though it shattered his heart, and he didn't consider going against Yoongi's ultimate ruling.
                          
But their circumstances had changed.
                          
So, with an unyielding tone in place, Taehyung declared his decision regarding Jungkook to the Chief. He left no room for discussion, no opportunities for rebuttal. His fear, panic, and terror would not allow him to bend to anyone's will but his own.
                          
And while he felt extremely confident with his plan, trepidation immediately flooded his senses. The hair lifted on the back of his neck; a slight shiver ran down his spine. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and increased his heart rate until the organ slammed against his ribcage. Every single part of Taehyung understood there was so much more at stake this time around. There was so much more to lose.