BLOOD MONEY || bts mafia au

twenty seven.

It was like a floodgate was opened and all of the thoughts that he'd managed to shove down were freed, swallowing him whole. All those nights he'd spent evading sleep just so he wouldn't be confronted with the reality he couldn't bring himself to face, and suddenly the source of all his troubles was less than ten feet away. And here he was, standing stupidly in front of the two people who had the most reason to want him dead.

Before either of the Purgatory had the good sense to take advantage of Yoongi's rare moment of hesitation, Cobras were pouring into the room, alerted at the sound of the gunshot. If Yoongi had been in his right mindset, he would've wondered why it took them so long to recognize the presence of enemies in their den. If he'd been in the right mindset, he would have noticed Jin and Namjoon at the head of the pack, would've seen the way Namjoon strode forward to knock Jimin's gun from his hands, immediately twisting his arms behind his back and kicking the backs of knees in to bring him to the ground, or the way that Jin took up a protective position at his side as one of his other soldiers worked to disarm Taehyung.

At the sight of Jimin being forced to the floor, Yoongi came back to himself.

"Now this a familiar sight," he drawled, a slight smirk coming to his lips at the memory. "Guess you just couldn't stay away."

Jimin let out a scoff underneath his breath. "Oh please. Don't flatter yourself." His gaze hardening as he twisted against Namjoon's vice-like grip on his arms, he scowled. "Is this even really necessary? If I truly wanted to hurt you, I already had the chance."

At that, Yoongi's smile only grew more pronounced. Almost as quickly as it appeared, it vanished as he cut a glance back towards Taehyung, who was struggling within the Cobra's grip, a hint of the dark promise he'd held in his gaze still etched across his face. "Nice try, kitten. But unfortunately, it's not you I need to deal with this time."

Taehyung stared unyieldingly back up at him, refusing to bend.

Panic shot through Jimin with all the heat of a fiery lance as he threw himself forward against Namjoon's grip, desperately trying to draw Yoongi's attention away from Taehyung. For he knew exactly what would happen next. He could see it spelled out in Yoongi's eyes.

Taehyung had tried to kill him. And probably would've succeeded too if Jimin hadn't managed to get here in time.

That wasn't something Yoongi was likely to overlook.

"No," Jimin pleaded, his voice breaking in the middle. He had lost too many people. Too much fault rested on his shoulders. He would be damned if he let them take Taehyung too. "Please," he begged as he threw himself against the hands restraining him onto the floor in front of Yoongi, his nose stopping just short of the stone surface. "Take me instead. I-I'll do anything!"

Taehyung's sightless eyes widened in horror as his head whipped toward the sound of Jimin's voice, terror bleeding through the mask of serene anger. "Jimin-"

Yoongi just raised his brows in reply as he peered down at the younger, tilting his head to the side as if in assessment. Jimin kept his eyes glued to the floor below him, his breath caught in his lungs. For a second, he wasn't sure whether Yoongi would ignore him anyway and simply just shoot Taehyung right there.

The room seemed to remain deathly still as Yoongi crouched down in front of Jimin, an unreadable glitter sparkling in his eyes as he slipped a finger beneath Jimin's chin and forced the other boy to look up at him. At his side, Jin stood tense, preparing to jump into action at any moment if Jimin so much as uttered a wrong word.

Jimin met Yoongi's gaze unwaveringly, a small shudder travelling down his spine as their eyes locked.

Yoongi regarded him coldly for a moment before his lips formed the answer that Jimin craved. "You have yourself a deal."