"So my brother lives here?"

Jungkook exhaled the question with a tint of curiosity and excitement laced along the crevices of his words. He climbed out of the car, not even waiting for Jimin's reply as he stared up at the wooden lodge resting in the middle of the forest.

The house loomed over Jungkook and gazed down at him with its chin turned upward. It eyed him with an unimpressed gaze before turning away with a flutter of its lashes that were the vines crawling along the wooden logs. Jungkook stumbled forward- boots kicking away rocks and pebbles that skidded in front of him and fell into the garden of flowers blooming outside.

"Woah." Jungkook breathed out in amazement- dragging his eyes along the windows and front porch. He took another step forward, allowing the lodge to cut off the sun beaming down at him and the shadows to rush forward to engulf his frame.

The car door to his Volvo slammed shut, followed by Jimin snickering to himself and walking past Jungkook, "Wait until you see the inside." Jimin murmured, smacking his palm against Jungkook's back.

Bambi eyes snapped down to Jimin in awe before the younger shook his head and scrambled after the smaller. Jimin bounced up the stairs of the lodge and trailed the tips of his fingers along the wooden railing. The stairs squealed under his weight and the shadows cast by the house greeted him with eager kisses on his cheeks.

The melody of the birds hidden deep in the forest, was carried by the waves of the wind. The sounds of the forest guided the pair until they reached the front door and escaped the whispers of the nature by stepping into the silent house.

Jimin's nostrils flared as he inhaled the stiff air, immediately becoming equally stiff once he realised that no one has been here recently. He knew that Seokjin always liked to keep the windows open to allow the scent of nature to flood in and fill each little nook of the house. He turned his head to the side and eyed the wilted flower petals sprinkled around the porcelain vase placed right next to the door.

"So, where is he?"

The question grasped Jimin's heart in a tight fist and clenched until all the blood rushed out of his body- leaving behind pale, sweaty skin. The blood was immediately replaced by the emotions of guilt and a tint of fear of Jungkook's reaction. Jimin began to realise the heaviness of the situation as it began to squeeze his shoulders and weight him down. He didn't know how Jungkook would react to the news that Jimin had no idea where Jin is, but at least he knew that Jin was alive at the moment.

Jimin's throat bobbed as he tried to swat away the jumbled mess of emotions tapping against his temples by clearing his throat and stepping deeper into the empty house, "Maybe he went grocery shopping, I don't know." Jimin picked up the first thought that rubbed at his mind and flung it at Jungkook, immediately wincing afterward as he realised that, what he just said, will make the situation worse.

"Right." Jungkook nodded in agreement, perking up at the thought. He stepped around Jimin and walked deeper into the house- eyes round with amazement as they drank in every little detail of the wooden lodge. For a split second making Jimin think that he was even impressed by the stinky tub of mint ice cream that rested on the coffee table.

Jimin would've scrambled forward and hid the evidence of Jin's lack of presence, which was the rotting tub of ice cream that released the stench of five dead bodies, but Jungkook seemed to brush off the signs as he scrambled towards the elevator in the hallway and began to jab his finger against the button.

"Holy shit! Hyung has an elevator!" Jungkook exclaimed, whipping his head around to blink back at Jimin with a beaming smile that displayed his two bunny teeth.

Jimin winced at the sight and looked away, not being able to stare at the blooming flowers of pure happiness radiating off of Jungkook's face. He knew that once Jungkook finds out the truth, which could be a few minutes from now, those poor flowers would wilt and crumble, along with Jungkook's hope and happiness.

"Yeah.." Jimin exhaled glumly, yet still tried to hide the sour expression on his face when Jungkook's smile faltered at the signs of negativity. Jimin quickly straightened out and bound towards Jungkook with a plastic skip in his step, "How about I show you your room, Kook?"

Jungkook's face dropped in shock and finger hovered above the button of the elevator, only to be brushed aside to allow Jimin to twist and pop out the button to reveal another button, "Woah..." Jungkook murmured, squinting his eyes and bending down to watch more closely as Jimin pressed the button hidden underneath the button, which caused the elevator to ding and slide open, "Holy-"

"Wait.." Jungkook cut himself off, watching with a growing, barely hidden smile as Jimin stepped into the elevator before turning around to gesture for Jungkook to join him, "Wait...you said that I have my own room?"

Jimin only smiled.

≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪

The earthy smell radiated off the wooden logs of the lodge and slithered through Jungkook's nostrils as he inhaled and filled his lungs with the rusty smell of nature. His raven hair was swept away by the gentle brush of the wind, after Jimin had walked over to the windows and cracked one open, allowing the fresh air to flood into the room and wash out the mustiness sticking to the surfaces of the furniture.

Just like Jimin had said, Jin had created a room for Jungkook in his lodge- for the time when Seokjin could freely, without endangering Jungkook's life or meddling with the younger's career, reach out to him and introduce himself back into Jungkook's life. Jimin remembered when Seokjin had spent months slowly decorating the room to perfection, and even longer just lounging in it and thinking about how it would go when he finally reached out to Jungkook. But now all that wondering and planning would be thrown out of the window because of Jimin, who took it upon himself to drag Jungkook into their mess.

Yet Jungkook didn't complain, maybe it was because he didn't know anything about their lives and struggles, or maybe it was because he was too mesmerised and touched by the room to ponder over such things.

The room was spacious and large- the largest in the house. The wall on the opposite side of the wall consisted purely of large windows, that displayed the emerald green forest behind the lodge. The bed was placed on the right side of the room- thick, white duvets and pillows swallowing up the mattress and wooden headboard, and a fluffy, fur duvet draped over the foot of the bed. A fur carpet stretched underneath the bed to make sure Jungkook's feet would be warm in the mornings and a rusty, antique chandelier hung over the end of the bed with small crystals embedded in the designs.

On the left side of the room, the entire wall was covered by a fireplace and a leather couch. Above the fireplace rested a TV with video games and movies placed in the shelves around it.

Jimin leaned against the doorway with his hip, crossing his arms over his chest and watching Jungkook take a gentle step forward as if he was scared that the sight in front of him was just a painting of his imagination. Yet once Jungkook began to sink further into the realisation that this was real, he stretched out his arm and trailed his fingers along the back of the leather couch, all while blinking back at the forest displayed outside of his window.

The uncomfortable churn in the pit of Jimin's stomach stretched further up his body at the thoughts looming over him, Jin should be here, Jin should be the one to show him this, Jin should see this, each whisper of thoughts haunted him and tightened its hold on Jimin's neck. He didn't say anything as he wordlessly slipped away and began to walk down the hallway to his own room.

Jimin could only flinch away with each stab of these thoughts as they sunk into his skin and left behind permanent marks of guilt. Suddenly Yoongi hunting him like a hound didn't seem like his biggest problem next to the thought of confronting Jin about stealing his chance of being the first one to see his brother, or next to admitting to Jungkook that he had blindly dragged him into this mess without any knowledge of Jin's whereabouts.

The Kitty gangster entered his room with his thoughts trailing after him with a hunch in their backs. Jimin ignored his unmade bed and the dirty clothes hanging off of his laundry bin, and even the makeup thrown all over his vanity mirror, instead, he made his way over to his closet and gently pulled it open.

Articles of clothing varying from the palest of pink to the darkest of black, were hanging in the closet. The corners of Jimin's lips tilted at the familiar sight of the clothes, only for it to grow even wider as he reached out and took out a few articles of clothing.

Jimin chose something simple and comfortable, yet something that gave him the confidence and comfort he missed from wearing these type of clothes. His thick, pale thighs were squished into a pair of jeans, that matched the cropped jean jacket he threw over his cropped white shirt. As Jimin raised his hand to brush away his sweaty strands of brown hair, the jacket and shirt slipped up and revealed his tan stomach.

Jimin's feet skidded to a stop in front of the vanity mirror and gaze lifted to allow his honeycomb eyes to stare back at himself. He greedily drank in the sight of his bare face without a speck of makeup dusted over his sharp features, and the way his brown hair messily fell around his head- some strands soaked with sweat and sticking to his temples.

Jimin glanced down at the outfit he wore and winced as he was plunged into the sea of memories that made him remember the last time he had worn the outfit. Jimin had been staring back at himself through the same mirror with Taehyung rummaging through his closet and a smiling Jin watching the pair from the doorway with a fond smile on his face. It had been a peaceful day, without a hint of anxiety or tension thrown in the mixture of happiness they felt as they spent the afternoon enjoying each other's company.

A shaky breath scratched against Jimin's lungs and crawled through his nose, he swallowed down the lump in his throat and reached forward to glide his fingers along the tube of glittery lipstick laying next to his eyeshadow palette.

Two weeks was all it took for Jimin's life to be thrown in the air and be flipped like a coin. And right after that coin, Jimin himself was thrown in the air too. Everything he knew, everything he was, had been spun around and twisted until it was flung away from him- leaving him stripped bare. Jimin felt like the years he spent painting and moulding the person he desired to be, had been swept away with the flick of Yoongi's hand. Instead of seeing the beautiful artwork that he sculpted as he gazed back at himself in the mirror, Jimin could only see a blank canvas and occasional splashes of the person he once was.

Yet the worst part out of all of this wasn't that Jimin's life had been wrecked and shattered to the point where he could no longer recognise it, nor was it the fact that he had lost himself along the way, it was the fact that neither he, or his life, had fallen back to the ground and shown which side of the coin it had fallen onto. No. His life was still spinning and keeping his future a secret, and once again Jimin came to a realisation that he wasn't the person in control of which side the coin would fall onto, he could only watch as fate decided what would happen to him from now on.

The gentle creaking of wood and the sound of Jungkook's boots smacking against the ground, made Jimin lift his head and pull his hand away from the makeup. He shook his head- the swaying strands of his hair swatting away the memories clinging to his lashes in the form of crystalline tears.

"Jimin?"

The echo of his name came in a delicate glass case that was filled to the brim with realisation and hidden fear. Jimin didn't look at Jungkook when he felt the younger enter the room, only proceeded to walk over to his messy bed and take a hold of his puffy pillow. Jimin's face remained blank and stoic, his movements were stiff and almost robotic as he began to make his bed.

"Jimin." Jungkook repeated, yet this time he stomped over to Jimin and ripped the pillow out of Jimin's hands. The brown haired assassin's eyes lifted and narrowed as the pillow was flung to the other side of the room and smashed against the wall, "Did you lie?" Jungkook hissed through gritted teeth, "Did you lie about my brother being alive?" He spat with harsh breaths beating against his chest. They brushed against Jimin's cheeks and as he inhaled, Jimin could feel the heat of fiery anger burning in the pit of Jungkook's chest.

"No." Jimin mumbled immediately, lifting his head in order to connect their stares.

A curtain of hesitation swayed in front of Jungkook's features, followed by him taking a hesitant step back, "Then where is he?" Jungkook breathed out with a wave of his hand around them.

Jimin straightened out and connected his hands behind his back, his stare was unyielding and eyebrow lifted as he dug up his next words and presented them to Jungkook with an emotionless bow wrapped around it, "I don't know."

"Wha..what do you mean you don't know?" Jungkook spat in return, blinking back at Jimin in disbelief. He scoffed in the assassin's face before whirling away and pacing around the room. Jungkook's fingers tangled in his raven hair as various emotions flashed through the cracks of the mask, he tried to force on his face in order to stop Jimin from seeing the vulnerable state he was in.

Jungkook's feet suddenly froze as if he had stepped into a pool of glue, his hands fell to his sides and head twisted into Jimin's direction, "Did you.." Jungkook began- voice shadowed by the bitter taste of a plead, "Tell me that you at least knew where he was when you asked me to help you."

Jimin flinched back and allowed himself to plop down on his bed, his gaze never left Jungkook, not even when the flames of anger began to bubble under Jungkook's skin and slowly ate him up from the inside, "Tell me you knew." Jungkook hissed with a matching snarl, curling his fingers into fists.

Yet despite Jungkook's terrifying presence that filled the room until the walls threatened to collapse from each breath he pushed out, Jimin remained silent- giving Jungkook the answer he needed.

Jungkook's lips peeled open to release a trembling breath, the glue under his feet disappeared, allowing him to stumble back until his lower back hit Jimin's vanity mirror. The tube of glittery lipstick began to roll to the side until it reached the edge of the vanity mirror and fell to the ground with a small clunk.

The pair ignored the sound and focused on each other- Jungkook pushed away from the mirror and jabbed a finger into Jimin's direction, "You can still help me find him! No. You will help me find him, I swear to god, Jimin..."

"I won't."

The air around them sucked in a sharp breath at the words Jimin had uttered, followed by the walls coming back to life and gaping at the unbothered assassin sitting on the edge of his bed. Liquid steel swam through Jimin's eyes and soaked into his veins, he didn't look bothered by the murderous aura emitting from Jungkook as he stood up to face the younger.

"I won't." Jimin repeated in a much more gentle tone, finally allowing the wall of steel to melt and flood out of his face, and be replaced by the guilt he felt inside, "I can't. You know that I'm being tracked by Yoongi, you can't stay with me or else you'll be in danger."

Like a needle, Jimin's words poked into the balloon of anger Jungkook gripped in his hand, making it pop and release the fury into the air to disintegrate. Jungkook's shoulders ever so slowly sagged in defeat and fingers began to uncurl, his eyes dropped down to the floor and face twisted into the expression of fear.

"Then where the fuck do I go, Jimin?" Jungkook huffed, blinking down at the tiles. He raised his hand and pressed it against his forehead before dragging it down and placing pressure onto his burning eyes, "I...the police..they probably already know that I aided you, they're gonna look for me now too. I'm a criminal, I can't return to my job, to my home, fucking hell I don't have any friends that could help me run."

"Fuck, Jimin, what the hell should I do?" Jungkook flung his head into Jimin's direction and glared at him, "You dragged me into this mess, only to leave me here alone to deal with the consequences of your actions? Are you fucking kidding me? I have nothing now because of you! I could be put into jail, I was ready to be put into jail if only it meant that I could see Hyung again, but you've taken that away too!"

Jungkook's chest heaved with each pant he exhaled, he stared down at Jimin as his expression slowly crumbled into defeat, "Do you even care? Do you even care about anyone but yourself? Do you care about all the lives you've ruined?" The heavy words died out on the tip of Jungkook's tongue yet left their presence linger in his mind, his eyes never left Jimin's, not even for a split second as he murmured under his breath, "I...I don't know what to do."

A bitter chuckle bloomed in Jimin's chest and wrapped its thorny vines around his ribs, "Guess that's something we can relate to, huh?" The kitten forced an empty smile on his face before shaking his head and swatting away Jungkook's words with a wave of his hand- trying to act as if they hadn't sunk their claws into his charcoal heart, "Don't worry, I'll send you to the same place where I sent Taehyung and Hoseok. The people there will most likely know where Jin is and they'll help you find him." Jimin mumbled lazily, falling back on his bed.

Jimin bounced a few times and allowed his eyes to flutter shut, his palms rested on his stomach and lashes brushed against his cheekbones. Jimin tried to sink further into the mattress and ignore Jungkook's glare looming over his head like an omen of death, yet when Jungkook peeled open his lips and whipped his tongue against his teeth to create his next few words, Jimin's emotions toppled over the edge and spilled all over the room,

"I should have never helped you."

Jimin's eyes flung open and palms pressed against the mattress to push him up, the honey in his eyes was melted from the heat radiating off of his skin, "What do you want me to say, Jungkook?" Jimin gritted, curling his fingers around the duvet under his palms, he ignore the way Jungkook straightened out and steeled his expression after sensing that Jimin had finally reached his breaking point, "You want me to tell you that I shouldn't have come after you? Because you know what?" Jimin stumbled up to his feet and twisted his lips into a dry smile, he smacked his hands onto his hips and snarked back at Jungkook, "You're right, I shouldn't have come to you for help. Reaching out to you seemed to be completely and utterly useless, you didn't help me in anyway, your 'help' was just as pointless as you."

"But you want to know another thing?" The smile tracing the seam of Jimin's lips slipped off and shattered against the floor, Jimin began to approach Jungkook with steady steps as if he was a panther stalking a little lamb, that took a wary step back from the low tone Jimin used, "Without me, you would still be in your shitty job, chasing someone who hasn't committed the crimes you've accused them of, grieving someone who wasn't dead, wasting your life until you could no longer give it your all, until you'd be thrown to the side and be left to die alone."

Jimin stopped in front of Jungkook and peered up at him with narrowed eyes and clenched jaw, his eyes flickered all over Jungkook's face- momentarily pausing at the glistening corners of his eyes, "I set you free, if anything..." The corner of Jimin's lip lifted as he leaned in until his breath was sliding along Jungkook's chin, "...you should be thanking me."

The heavy words floating in the air between them, were enough for the wall holding Jungkook's soaring anger at bay, to shatter. The anger surged through Jungkook's veins and consumed his mind to the point where he couldn't stop himself from pouncing forward and slamming his fist against Jimin's cheekbone.

Jimin's head swung to the side and a flash of white zipped past his eyes, he stumbled back from the weight put into the punch and pressed his hand against the spot where he was hit. The air around them buzzed with the leftover traces of raw fury, the walls stilled and the lodge seemed to slowly shut its eyes as if it was afraid of what would happen a second later.

A hallow laugh dug itself into Jimin's chest and buried itself inside his lungs, Jimin's head slowly twisted around to allow him to stare back at Jungkook with a psychotic smile, "You little shit..." Jimin murmured with a growing smile, which lacked the usual warmth smiles possessed. This smile seemed to have peeled itself off the face of a demon living in the deepest, coldest depths of hell and stuck itself along the seams of Jimin's features, "You want to fight? Fine, we can fight."

And with those words, Jimin straightened out and dashed towards Jungkook, he pushed off of the ground and jumped on top of the taller. Jungkook stumbled back and grabbed Jimin by his hips, he tried to push him off and tried not to cry out in pain when Jimin shot out his hand and sliced his nails across his cheek.

Jungkook tightened his grip on Jimin and managed to flung the older off of himself. Jimin slammed into his vanity mirror, causing the wood to crack under his weight and leave a dent, while the mirror shattered and sprinkled around him. A snarl lit up Jimin's face before he pushed off of the broken vanity mirror and brushed off the shards of glass on his Jean jacket.

Jungkook watched the scene unfold with parted lips and petals of fear blooming around his heart, yet he still managed to pluck out the flowers and dispose them once Jimin's eyes settled on him once more. The small kitten rushed forward yet again, only for Jungkook to duck sideways and jump on the bed. He rolled across the mattress until his boots smacked against the ground on the other side of the bed. He grabbed one of the pillows laying on the mattress and just as Jimin was jumping over the bed with a predatory grin, the younger reeled his hands back and swung the pillow at Jimin's face.

The plush surface of the pillow slammed into Jimin's face and caused him to fall back onto the bed. The force of the hit created a rip in the pillow, allowing the feathers inside it to fly out and sprinkle across the room. A single feather floated through the air and landed on the tip of Jimin's nose, the brown haired assassin's eyes fell downward and breath slid through his nose, causing the white feather to be pushed into the air once more.

The hazy cloud of emotion slowly flooded out of Jimin with each feather that landed on top of his body. Jimin continued to lay on the bed motionlessly, blinking back at the ceiling hovering above him and silently judging him. He didn't know what had gotten into him, what had made him attack Jungkook like a feral animal, but Jimin knew that for a split second when he was stuck in that psychotic haze, Jimin relived everything that has happened in the past span of two weeks and felt the pain of these events caress his skin once more. Perhaps the suppressed emotion or the fact that he wasn't even allowed to digest any of it, was what made Jimin lash out at Jungkook.

But at least as he was laying against the soft mattress of his bed, sprinkled in white feathers, with Jungkook plopping down next to him on the bed with a sigh of relief, Jimin felt as if his head was a bit clearer than before. A fresh surge of determination began to leave small traces along the inside of Jimin's lungs, allowing him to exhale softly and glance over at Jungkook,

"Ignore that." Jimin muttered quietly with matching red cheeks of embarrassment and a scrunched up nose.

Jungkook's head bobbed up and down, yet eyes stayed glued on the wooden tiles between his legs. Just as his lips peeled open to allow his words to climb out of the safety of the back of his throat, a shrill ringing filled the air.

Jungkook's hands flew up to shield his ears, "What the fuck is that noise!" He shouted through his grimace, twisting his head around in order to see where the piercing noise was coming from.

But the answer to Jungkook's question came in the form of Jimin scrambling up to his feet and looking around in panic. He didn't seem bothered by the shrill noise as he marched towards the window of his room and cautiously brushed away the curtains to look outside.

The expression on Jimin's face dropped as he drank in the sight in front of him, his skin turned pale and shoulders straightened, Jungkook even saw him gulp and tighten his grip on the curtain. The reaction pulled Jungkook up to his feet and led him over to Jimin until he was looming over the assassin and staring outside the window at what had emitted such a reaction from Jimin.

What Jungkook didn't expect to see was a row of sleek black cars with tinted windows appearing behind the wall of trees and slowly driving towards the wooden lodge. Jungkook's mind flashed with all kinds of questions, yet the only thought he could catch between his fingers, was the one he uttered,

"J..jin?"

The question seemed to snap Jimin out of his thoughts and make him fling the curtain shut, he whirled around and grabbed Jungkook- pushing him down to the ground as if to shield the younger with his body. Jungkook's eyes were wide in surprise as he watched Jimin look around until his eyes fell onto a certain spot in a wall, "Not Seokjin." Jimin mumbled, wrapping his hand around Jungkook's elbow and dragging him over to the spot in the wall.

Jungkook's mind couldn't wrap around Jimin's words as he watched the kitten open a hidden doorway in the wall, revealing a small passageway. Jimin turned his head into Jungkook's direction and nodded for him to get inside, "Its not Seokjin." Jimin repeated once more, yet this time his voice began to harden and his face turned sharper with determination, "Yoongi."

≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪

Jimin was selfish, he knew that, he knew that he wasn't a good person and he never tried to convince anyone that he was. Jimin embraced the worst parts of himself and made sure that they benefited him in any way they could. But even when Jimin thought about all the people that he had murdered, all the lives he had ruined, even Jungkook's who was hiding in the second floor of Jin's wooden lodge, Jimin still didn't believe that he deserved to go through everything that life had been throwing at him in the past two weeks.

Perhaps it was karma that had been chasing him and only now had caught up, perhaps it was his own destiny hanging over his head like a guillotine. Jimin didn't care, the only thing he cared about was the pounding heart thrumming against his ribcage as if it was playing a banjo with his ribs.

Perhaps that's why life was so forgiving to him- always allowing him to lash out and hurt whoever he wanted, always giving him whatever he demanded- because it knew that once Jimin stepped through the front door of Jin's lodge and gazed into Yoongi's eyes, his fate would be much worse than of those who he had hurt in the past.

Jimin wished that he could say that fear wasn't shadowing each step he took towards the door, just as he wished that he could say that his hands didn't tremble as they curled around the door-handle to Jin's lodge. Jimin wished that he could face the consequences to his own actions and face Yoongi with his chin held high, but Jimin wasn't invincible. He wasn't made out of steel, nor was he given supernatural strength, he wasn't a god or an alien from outer space. Jimin was human, more or less, but in the end, he could feel fear like everyone else.

Yet he still tried, maybe even lied to himself that he was invincible as he pulled open the wooden door and allowed the sun to pool around him. He still tried to hold up his chin and shield away the fear swimming under his skin as he stepped forward to exit the lodge. Jimin didn't dare lower his gaze or turn away, he kept staring forward, kept drinking in the sight of cars parked in front of the lodge in a circle as if to make sure Jimin didn't make a run for it. But most of all, when Jimin's eyes drifted towards the man leaning against the hood of Jungkook's Volvo, Jimin didn't dare allow a single droplet of emotion to merge with his features.

One step forward was all it took for Yoongi's eyes to leave the burning cigarette hanging off of his fingers and flick over to him. Jimin stopped at that, didn't say a thing or move an inch, he even held his breath just like he held Yoongi's gaze.

Until, finally, the corner of Yoongi's lips lifted and his eyes slowly dragged down Jimin's body, "Freedom suits you." Yoongi mumbled through an exhale of smoke, gliding his tongue along his lip at the sight of Jimin's outfit.

Jimin didn't dare relax at the words, yet the emotionless mask he wore briefly faltered to allow his eyes to narrow into a small glare, "It's not really freedom when you're running from a gang leader, is it?" He ripped the words out of his throat and swung them into Yoongi's direction, making sure that each grit of his teeth cut into Yoongi's pale skin.

The smile trailing along the seam of Yoongi's lips never slipped, he merely nodded at Jimin's words and turned his attention onto the gravel under his boots. The silence flooded into the space between them like water flooding into a parched valley. Jimin's eyes didn't leave Yoongi's, feet didn't move an inch from where he stood on top of the front porch, not even as he watched Yoongi huff out a small chuckle under his breath with a matching shake of his head.

"My men..." Yoongi uttered gruffly, cutting himself off by lifting the cigarette up to his lips and inhaling a cloud of smoke into his lungs. Yoongi's lips curled around the cigarette before his head tilted back and he watched Jimin with sleazy eyes, "My men will check out the perimeter, make sure that..." Yoongi paused briefly to push out an amused huff of breath, which only fuelled the fire eating away at Jimin's insides. Yet Yoongi ignored the obvious signs of anger in Jimin and finished his sentence with that smug smile still tracing his lips, "...no stray kittens jump out with their claws raised."

"The only kitten you need to worry about, is me." Jimin spat back with anger licking away at the crevices of each word. He dared to take a step forward, earning himself a flicker of Yoongi's eyes in his direction, that lingered longer than they should.

Yoongi didn't cave under the pressure of Jimin's words or emotion, nor did he react much to it. The only indication that he had heard Jimin was a small rumble of a hum in the back of his throat, followed by Yoongi raising his hand and waving in the direction of the black cars surrounding them.

And as the cars began to open and Yoongi's men climbed out with guns grasped in their hands, Jimin finally dared to look away from the gang-leader, who's gaze remained firmly on Jimin. Jimin stilled, tried to ignore the way his heart sucked in a breath and cowered away as the men began to come closer and eye the area. Jimin tried to keep his eyes on them to make sure none of them would sneak up on him, but there were too many.

Some walked around the house- eyeing the windows and peering inside, others stayed hovering near the cars with their sharp eyes burning into Jimin's skin, while some of the men even went into the forest to make sure that no one was hiding among the trees. Jimin tried to ignore how violated he felt as he watched these unfamiliar men walk the grounds of such a sacred place that only a few knew of, but he couldn't help himself when one of the men dared to walk towards him and place his boot onto the first step of the porch.

The glue under Jimin's soles disappeared in an instant, he stalked towards the man and pressed his hand against his chest- shoving him back before he could place his other boot on the first step. The man stumbled back before his head swung up and eyes narrowed at Jimin.

The kitten matched his glare with a murderous glint glossing over the honey of his eyes, "Step back, asshole." Jimin hissed under his breath, not afraid to stare at the frustration hovering behind the man's movements.

The gang member dragged his eyes along Jimin's body and sucked in his cheeks, he hesitantly twisted his head into Yoongi's direction as if to ask the leader what to do in this situation. Yet Jimin didn't look away from the gang member, didn't care to turn and meet the eyes burning into the side of his face, not even when Yoongi's lips parted to release the words dangling off of the tip of his tongue.

"Go inside the house, Zhang."

The uttered words swam through the air towards Jimin- none of the letters being weighted down by the seriousness and anxiousness Jimin possessed in this situation. That's when he no longer could keep his gaze away from Yoongi. The amused, teasing tone he had used when speaking to the man, as if he was making fun of him for not being able to walk around Jimin, was enough for Jimin's anger to flare.

The kitten's head snapped in Yoongi's direction and the withering glare he sent him, caused the smirk on Yoongi's face to falter. Their eyes tied together and gazes were secured by a knot of silent emotion that flashed between them. The flowers of smugness ever so slowly wilted off of Yoongi's face with each passing second that his gaze remained on Jimin. The cigarette in his hand was released and dropped to the ground before Yoongi broke their eye-contact by looking down to stomp on it.

Jimin's murderous glare remained on Yoongi, even when Zhang began to cautiously climb up the steps of the porch and brushed past him to reach the front door. Even as he heard the man pull open the door and invade the house that was filled to the brim with memories of such fond times. The same house that Jungkook was hiding inside- located deep within the walls of the house where the members of Yoongi's gang wouldn't be able to get him. Because in that moment, Jimin was too busy taking in the small snippets of Yoongi's thoughts that were revealed by Yoongi's wandering eyes and the specks of hope sprinkled across his face.

And that's when Jimin realised something, something vital that he had yet to see and admit. The realisation made a bitter smile crawl onto Jimin's face and an empty chuckle bubble in his chest. He could feel his thoughts coming to a slow halt and watch as Jimin gently gathered them around and sat down among them- finally lowering to their level and looking at Yoongi with a clearer perspective.

"I know now, I know why you chose me." Jimin breathed out quietly, catching Yoongi's attention and making the man look at him with a quirked brow. Jimin tried not to let the indifferent look on Yoongi's face bother him as he skimmed over the small folder of unsaid words and plucked one of them out, "It wasn't because of my resourcefulness, like you said, nor was it because you thought I was smart and manipulative." Jimin stumbled back until his shoulder-blades were pressing against the wooden beam of the house. He shook his head as if he was in disbelief that he had never realised this before, he swallowed another empty giggle and looked up at Yoongi with a ghost of a smile, "You chose me because I was selfish."

Yoongi stilled, the cocky look on his face finally cracked and disappeared, his eyes cleared of all amusement and he straightened out. Jimin could see a hint of hesitation and confusion, but mostly he focused on the fact that Yoongi's eyes had cleared, just as his did, and he was finally paying full attention to what Jimin had to say.

"You knew, no....you thought you knew that I would be so selfish that even if I found out about your plan, I would still go back to my gang." Jimin's face lit up with each word he muttered- each one becoming louder than the other and dripping with more and more arrogance. Jimin pushed off of the wooden beam and walked closer to Yoongi until his shoes were hovering off of the edge of the top step and the sun could nip at the tip of his nose, "You thought that my fear of loneliness would turn into selfishness, you thought that I would much rather get assassinated along with my gang, than spend the rest of my life alone."

The growing smile on Jimin's face slowly wilted and the corners of his eyes softened with sadness. He stared back at Yoongi, trying to look past the leader's clenched jaw and defensive stance against the car, he tried to look much deeper into Yoongi than just the outer layer he tried to push down Jimin's throat. Jimin tried, he did, he tried to reach out his gaze as if it was a hand, hoping that Yoongi would reach out a hand in return, but he didn't. Jimin's hand remained empty, just as empty as the stare he received from Yoongi.

"How pathetic do you think I am?" Jimin whispered quietly, his words resembling the wind that played with their matching hair.

Yoongi's eyes fluttered shut and chest rose as he sucked in an inhale of Jimin's words, he uncrossed his arms and placed his palms against the hood of Jungkook's car, "I got your letter." Yoongi grumbled lowly, completely dodging Jimin's words or questions- using a question of his own as a defence towards the sudden tint of vulnerability that tainted the air between them.

Jimin's face dropped, along with his eyes, he took a step back at Yoongi's answer before swallowing down the anger burning in the back of his throat and steeling his facial expression, "Don't change the subject." Jimin spat breathlessly, whipping his sharp eyes up at Yoongi, "For once.." Jimin hissed as he took a step forward and began to descend down the steps of the porch, "...for once be fucking honest."

Jimin stopped when his soles sunk into the gravel and the sun snarled down at him, "Min Yoongi." Jimin spat once again, narrowing his eyes at the way Yoongi gritted his teeth and didn't look at Jimin, he took another step forward, which immediately made Yoongi push off of the car and loom over Jimin with a glare of his own directed down at him.

"What?"

The words died out on Jimin's tongue as he stared up at Yoongi, the same wall of steel that Jimin currently wore, was what was staring back at him. Jimin felt as if he was gazing into a mirror, a mirror with a reflection that was similar to his, but couldn't get the details quite right.

"There's something you missed." Jimin mumbled in realisation, causing Yoongi to swallow thickly and stand straighter. He didn't dare say anything as Jimin's eyes glided along his cold features and hand reached forward to allow the tips of his finger to brush against his shirt.

For a brief second, through a crack in Yoongi's mask, Jimin could see the smallest tint of longing. A small second was all it took before it was brushed away and shielded once more, a second was enough for Jimin to smile and press his hand firmer against Yoongi's stomach. The stomach under Jimin's palm moved with the next breath Yoongi released, only for his hand to get grabbed by Yoongi's pale fingers and get pushed away.

"What did I miss?" Yoongi huffed out the words, tightening his hold on Jimin's wrist before releasing it completely and allowing it to fall down to his side.

The almost gentle smile on Jimin's face cracked and shied away, giving room to the empty smirk Jimin used to taunt Yoongi with, "You may have read the files, you may have realised that I was this horrible person. But that's the thing, Yoongi..." Jimin huffed out a breath of amusement, a breath that carried so many emotions, so many unsaid things that dangled on Jimin's lips. Yet the small breath didn't dare betray Jimin's loyalty by whispering Jimin's secrets to Yoongi, it chose to free itself into the air and float away.

Jimin's shoulders sagged and the negative tint in his features slowly leaked out, he took a step back, allowing a wave of fresh air to flood between them and the sound of Yoongi's gang to finally breach the bubble they were stuck in.

Jimin's eyes traveled to the men walking behind Yoongi before his attention was redirected onto the gang-leader, "I'm a bad person," Jimin breathed out with a growing smile, looking up at Yoongi to make sure each word he said from now on, would create a permanent mark in Yoongi's memories, "but I'm not a monster." The kitten stated confidently, immediately receiving a look of amusement and a shake of the head from Yoongi. Jimin didn't allow him to speak and interrupt him, he cut him off first and squashed any opportunity Yoongi had to retaliate with even sharper words of his own.

"By viewing me as one, and focusing only on my bad qualities, you completely missed the fact that, yes, I'm selfish, yes, I'm a bad person, but in the end, I am capable of loving someone." Yoongi's brows furrowed and lips smacked shut, he gulped down each word Jimin released into the air with golden greed, "Perhaps you actually didn't miss that, perhaps you wanted to miss it because you hoped that the negative traits we shared, wouldn't be the only thing we had in common."

"Perhaps you hoped that you finally found someone that is like you, someone that would make you less lonely and someone that loved the same way you did. Perhaps by closing your eyes to this one little detail, you would be able to pretend that you're not the only person in the world that's incapable of love."

Yoongi sucked in a sharp breath, "Jimin-" The gang-leader masked the way he flinched from Jimin's words with a wolffish snarl of anger, "Shut up." Yoongi uttered the low warning, yet Jimin merely smiled up at him with a quirked brow.

"But here's the thing, Yoongi, I am capable of love, and when I love, I know that I would do anything for that person. I would much rather spend the rest of my life living in loneliness and paranoia, be hunted by you until I finally decide to take my life, than escape my loneliness by dragging Taehyung with me and stealing his happiness."

Jimin chuckled bitterly and reached out his hand to curl his fingers around the collar of Yoongi's shirt. His eyes followed his hand as it slid along the collar until it was laying flat between Yoongi's collar bones, "That's how I know I never loved you." Jimin whispered through a small smile, quickly glancing up to make sure the words hurt the gang-leader.

They did.

Jimin smiled.

"You can send your men into that lodge, you can send them to comb through every inch of that forest, but in the end, you will find nothing." Jimin murmured, tugging on Yoongi's collar before pulling back and dropping his hand onto the swell of his hip instead, "Its sad, you know. To see the hope and excitement in your eyes, it made me realise that your view of me didn't change. You still think I'm selfish enough to have gone back to my gang, you still think that there's a possibility that your plan wasn't a complete failure, like you, and that they're hiding here somewhere."

"Are they?" Yoongi managed to push his tongue against his teeth in order to create the weak question. He tried not to slip in too much emotion or allow his mind to linger too much on what Jimin had said, but each word sunk its claws into his skin and promised not to come out.

Jimin blinked up at Yoongi through raven lashes, his brown hair was swept away by the wind as he giggled at Yoongi almost mockingly, "They wouldn't hide." Was the only thing Yoongi needed for him to exhale through his nose, and turn to look at the men still invading and rummaging through every inch of the lodge and the property around it.

"Suho!" Yoongi called out, causing Jimin's head to whip around and eyes to narrow at the familiar man that descended down from the lodge and began to walk towards them. Suho looked fine, except for the small limp he had when he stepped on his left foot. His eyes flickered down to Jimin before he pointedly looked towards Yoongi.

"Yes, sir?"

"Gather everyone, we're leaving." Yoongi ordered cooly, ignoring the way Jimin's breath hitched and eyes tried to peer into his. Instead of explaining why they were leaving or responding to anything Jimin had just said, Yoongi pivoted on his heel and began to march towards the black BMW purring in the middle of the circle of cars.

Jimin's eyes widened at the ground where Yoongi used to stand, before he twisted around and watched the gang members begin to walk out of the places they were looking through. The looks on their faces were full of confusion, yet they still complied with Yoongi's order and started to walk back to their cars with their guns pressed against their abdomens.

Suho began to move forward too, sharing a brief glance with Jimin and even parting his lips to offer him a few words, "Bye, Jimin." Suho murmured, yet there was something in his voice that made Jimin realise that he wasn't saying a goodbye. More like he was saying 'See you later, Jimin' as if Suho knew that this wasn't the last time he would see Jimin, as if he knew that the second Jimin starts to move away from here, Suho will be sent after him.

"No."

The single hiss of the word caused Suho to frown and furrow his brows, only for Jimin to suddenly brush past him and begin to stomp towards Yoongi, who was reaching into his pocket to pull out another cigarette. Eyes from all directions focused on Jimin and watched the small kitten stalk towards the gang-leader until he was grabbing him by his wrist and ripping him back.

The unlit cigarette in Yoongi's hands fell against the gravel, Yoongi eyed it before turning his attention onto Jimin, "Where the fuck do you think you're going?" Jimin snarled, tightening his grip on Yoongi's wrist to the point where his nails dug into his pale skin and drew a droplet of blood.

The man behind Yoongi exhaled sharply at the sight of blood and stepped forward, only for Yoongi to raise his hand and stop him. Yoongi's eyes trailed down to Jimin's hand and lips peeled open, "We're heading home since your gang isn't here and there's no need to say." Yoongi's tone tilted condescendingly as he snorted and rolled his eyes, gently pulling his arm out of Jimin's hold, "I can repeat it slower if that's too hard for your fucked out brain to comprehend." Yoongi said, making sure that, not only Jimin, but the few guys behind Yoongi heard him too. They laughed mockingly at the insinuation that Yoongi had fucked all intelligence out of Jimin, causing Jimin's skin to prickle and nostrils to flare.

The laughs echoed around Jimin, bouncing along the walls of his mind and wrapping around his throat until he couldn't breathe. His lungs held still and heart curled into itself, his eyes though, they were staring right into Yoongi's as the pair listened to the sound of laughter coming from Yoongi's men. Jimin searched for a pinch of remorse, a pinch of emotion that gave him hope, but he saw nothing, except satisfaction at the realisation that his words had hurt Jimin the same way the kitten's words had hurt him.

And that's when Jimin had enough.

Jimin snapped by reeling his hand back and backhanding Yoongi across the face. The gang-leader's head whipped to the side and eyes grew wide in surprise, the laughter cut out instantly and the tension flooded into the area. Yet no one moved until Jimin shot out his hand and ripped out Yoongi's gun from its place under his jacket.

The guns were raised and pointed at Jimin in an instant, just like the gun grasped between his stubby fingers was pointing at Yoongi's forehead. The gang-leader immediately jumped into action, raising his hands in surrender and shouting at his men, "Don't shoot! No one fucking shoot!" Yoongi yelled, quickly eyeing his men to make sure none of their fingers were hovering above the trigger.

Then Yoongi's eyes found Jimin's over the metal gun pointed at him- finally losing the arrogance he had been radiating this entire time, "Jimin," Yoongi murmured cautiously- sternness shadowing his words, "Jimin, lower the gun, this isn't the time for your games."

Jimin snorted and shook his head, "Isn't it? You've been having so much fun this entire time." Jimin mocked with a tilt of his head, shifting on his feet and slightly shaking the gun as if to taunt Yoongi even more, "I'm having fun now, Yoongles."

Yoongi sucked in his cheeks and slowly lowered his hands to his sides, his eyes flickered around them to drink in the amount of guns pointing at Jimin, "Lower the gun, don't do anything stupid." Yoongi mumbled under his breath, making sure that Jimin was the only one who heard his words.

His words were swatted away by Jimin's breathless giggle, and completely squashed by the tears of anger and frustration that glossed over Jimin's eyes. Jimin was tired, so so tired of everything, he just wanted to leave and settle down somewhere for a while. Get his bearings, think about everything that has happened, think about who he was now and what he wanted to do with his life from now on. But Jimin felt so tired and fed up with everything, he just wanted Yoongi to take him seriously because he needed closure before they separated and never saw each other again.

"Jimin..."

The mumble of his name guided Jimin out of his fog of thoughts and made him stand up straighter, "No." Jimin sneered, blinking away his tears and tightening his grip on the gun. His chest rose and fell with each puff of air he exhaled through his plump lips and the bags under his eyes suddenly looked heavy when Jimin looked up at Yoongi, "You're going to shut up now and listen to what I have to say."

Yoongi looked as if he wanted to say something, but with a quick flick of his eyes towards the gun, he swallowed down his words and merely nodded at Jimin. The men around them, on the other hand, shifted uneasily at the sight of a gun being pointed at their leader with the command of not to shoot hanging over their heads. They may not shoot now, but if anything happened, they would retaliate without a single thought.

Jimin puffed out his cheeks and released a hysterical giggle, earning himself a wince from Yoongi, "This is how things are going to go from now on. Congrats, Yoongi, you have earned yourself two options!" Jimin beamed while raising his free hand and wiggling two fingers in the air. Another giggle began to bloom between Jimin's ribs, only to be squashed by Jimin a second later.

"I'm not leaving this place and running from you. I refuse to be hunted by the likes of you to boost your ego and make you feel like you're the scariest man I've met. Because you're not, the scariest man I've met,"Jimin paused for dramatic effect, still holding the gun as he leaned closer and cupped his lips while whispering, "It's me."

Yoongi's eyes rolled around in a circle and tongue pressed against his cheek, his eyes lingered on the clear blue sky hovering above their heads as if he wanted to be somewhere else. Jimin didn't take offence to that, he didn't care much about what Yoongi had to say right now, but that would change after Jimin finally presented Yoongi with the two options he had.

"What are the two options?" Yoongi grumbled lowly, refusing to look at Jimin as he asked the question.

Jimin didn't take offence to that either.

"Option one!" He chirped with plastic enthusiasm, stumbling a few steps back and earning himself sharp inhales of breath from the people around him. Jimin's glowing smile and crescent eyes lifted off of Yoongi for a split second in order for him to eye the men surrounding him, "Option one." Jimin tamed his smile and looked back at Yoongi almost seductively.

"I leave this place, I go wherever I want, with whoever I want, and do whatever I want. The second I leave, you stay the fuck away from me and never see me again, not even a single whiff of me, not a single peep." Jimin murmured through his pout, feigning a look of sadness.

Yoongi managed to chuckle at that and reveal his gums, "You really think I'll choose that option?" The gang-leader was looking at Jimin once again like he had lost his mind, which only prompted the tension in the area to flood out and make a few members smile in amusement.

Jimin's smile cracked for a split second before it was glimmering twice as brightly, "Oh, honey." Jimin purred with a small click of his tongue, "You don't have a choice."

Before Yoongi could say anything else, Jimin was cupping his mouth with one hand and bellowing loudly, "Option two!" Yoongi winced at the volume and rolled his eyes once more, placing his hands on his hips and tapping his foot against the ground impatiently, "Option two is that I don't leave this lodge at all, and by that I mean, you shoot me right now, Min Yoongi."

The time came to a breezing halt and almost seemed to gape at Jimin's smiling face in shock. It glanced between the equally surprised faces of the gang members around them until its eyes fell on Yoongi, who had frozen in disbelief. No one said or did anything for a few seconds as if they were afraid that the tiniest movement could shatter the eerie trance everyone had been struck in by Jimin's words.

"Excuse me?" Yoongi managed to utter without any reaction towards how weak and empty his voice sounded as he asked the question.

Jimin snorted and this time he was the one who rolled his eyes, making sure Yoongi could see the action perfectly, "Sugar." Jimin taunted with a matching snicker, taking a few steps forward until the gun was pressed against Yoongi's heart, "If you let me go, I know you won't keep your word. I know you'll send people to follow me and make me think that I'm free. You're gonna wait until I lower my guard, wait until I become so desperate for company that I reach out to my gang. The smallest text or a letter, a single call, would be enough for you to cream your pants and run straight towards them with guns blazing."

"That's why I won't do it." Jimin murmured as he dragged the tip of the gun up Yoongi's chest and traced his collar bones, "I will never reach out to them, never see them again. I refuse to reach out to them and give you the satisfaction of making you think that your plan could ever work." That's when Jimin's eyes left the gun and he peered up at a stoic Yoongi through his lashes, "If I ever think about writing them a message or a letter, or contacting them in any way..." Jimin leaned in to whisper against Yoongi's ear, making sure to make eye-contact with Suho, who was standing behind Yoongi, "...I will kill myself."

Yoongi inhaled slowly at Jimin's words before exhaling and puffing his breath against Jimin's hair. The kitten giggled breathlessly and fell back on his feet, "So that's the two options, Yoongi. Either you let me go completely or you kill me. The choice is yours." Jimin sang, raising his eyebrow at Yoongi, who didn't say anything and only stared at Jimin with a blank look, "What?" Jimin smiled with a tilt of his head, lazily pointing his gun at Yoongi until his eyes fell down on the dangerous weapon.

"Oh, right, you can't shoot me if you don't have the gun." Jimin murmured to himself before perking back up and stepping towards Yoongi. The heat of their bodies gravitated towards each other and greeted one another like old friends. The air between them was suffocating with tension and the electricity of suppressed emotion as Jimin took a hold of Yoongi's hand and placed the weapon between his fingers, "That's better." Jimin breathed out, curling Yoongi's limp fingers around the handle before raising his hand to make sure the tip of the gun was pointing at his forehead.

Jimin's heart was pumping against his chest and spreading the poison of acceptance throughout his veins. He wasn't sure if Yoongi would actually pull the trigger, but Jimin was aware that there was a huge possibility that he would. Of course, Yoongi wasn't stupid, but he had put Hoseok in prison and he had loved him more than he could ever love Jimin. Why would Yoongi not pull the trigger on someone he had only known for 2 weeks?

Jimin thought that he was prepared for anything in that moment, he thought he knew what he was doing as he traced the line between life and death with his fingers. Yet, as Jimin's gaze lifted off of the gun pointed at him and his eyes tied together with Yoongi's whiskey ones, Jimin felt as if the reality of the situation slowly pressing down on him. Jimin took in the sight of Yoongi's lashes fluttering as he blinked, took in the sight of how the sun swam along Yoongi's glossy, doll-like lips, and the way suppressed emotion glimmered for help behind Yoongi's kitten eyes.

"Yoongi." Jimin found himself exhaling softly with his hands still wrapped around Yoongi's pale wrists and the tip of the cold gun pressed against his forehead. Jimin swallowed thickly and didn't dare look away from Yoongi as he slowly loosened his grip on the man's wrist and took a cautious step back, "Choose, Yoongi." Jimin murmured with more softness than he expected himself to posses in this moment.

The gun remained hovering in the air even after Jimin's fingers had released Yoongi's wrist. His grip was tight on the weapons and eyes never left Jimin's, he swatted away the sound of his gang's hushed mumbles and the lifeless tension pooling around their feet. Instead. Yoongi readjusted his grip on the gun and took a step forward, watching with morbid fascination as Jimin's eyes fluttered shut at the lightest touch of the cold gun gliding against his forehead.

"Why?" Yoongi breathed out in return, choosing the single word to carry the weight of so many unspoken questions and unreleased emotions. The words was heavy in the fragile silence between them, but it never dared to put too much pressure on it and actually shatter it.

Jimin's throat bobbed as he swallowed before reluctantly peeling his eyes open. The first thing he saw was the metal gun filling up his line of sight before they dragged along Yoongi's pale fingers wrapped around the gun snugly. Jimin blinked as if he was on the brink of sleep, but in reality, he was high on the drug of serenity that his mind used as a defence mechanism in this situation.

"We both know that your plan has failed." Jimin stated breathlessly, reaching out his hand to wrap his fingers around Yoongi's wrist once more. They slid along his skin and traced the veins climbing up his wrist, Jimin's eyes hesitated in finding Yoongi's, but, eventually, they gravitated towards each other, "You will never be able to reach my gang, I refuse to give you the power to do so. So instead of pointlessly chasing me around the world until you finally decide to kill me, only to not be able to catch me, use this opportunity where I'm standing in front of you and kill me right now. Save both of us from this empty cat and mouse game."

Jimin took a step forward until the tips of their shoes were touching and their chests were brushing against each other's. The gun slid along Jimin's temple and over his cheekbone until it tipped over his jaw and dug into the underside of his throat. He ignored it. Ignored the eyes burning into his skin from the men surrounding the pair, ignored the danger he was in from facing so many loaded guns, and most of all, Jimin completely ignored how his pride tried to stop him from lifting himself up on his tippy toes and pressing his lips against the corner of Yoongi's mouth.

"Shoot me, Yoongi." Jimin whispered against Yoongi's lips, causing them to part and release a shaky breath. The gun digging into Jimin's skin pressed a bit tighter, followed by Yoongi's other hand wrapping around the back of Jimin's neck to pull him closer. Yoongi's eyes slipped shut along with Jimin's and their lips touched in the softest kiss the pair had shared. Almost as if with a single kiss, they were comforting each other's cracked hearts.

After a few seconds of their lips lingering against each other's, Jimin fell back and blinked his eyes open, "Kill me now, kill the only kitty gangster you will ever be able to reach, ever be able to touch." Jimin murmured, gliding his hand up Yoongi's chest until he could wrap his fingers around Yoongi's chin and pull his head down to press their lips together in another gentle brush of lips, "Kill me and your mission will succeed." Jimin breathed just before he crashed their lips into a searing kiss.

With each move of their lips, with each flick of their tongues, each little nip of their teeth, the smallest specks of hope began to chip off the clouds above and sprinkle across Jimin. He allowed himself to fall into the pool of hope of Yoongi choosing him over his reputation and gang, he had allowed himself to daydream about a life where they could rule over Korea and spread their black wings until they cast shadows over the world.

Jimin hoped.

Jimin dreamed.

Perhaps he even loved.

But he didn't notice the finger hovering over the trigger of a gun until it pressed down and created a loud gunshot.