In the Dead of Winter || •PJM• ✔️

Jimin's Realization

"Ves..." she mutters, kneeling to inspect his face. "What's wrong baby? Show me." Ves shows the bite, and Y/n takes his wrist, staring at the gory sight. She kisses next to it, but not quite on it, giving him a plastered smile that brings more sorrow to Jimin's gut. "It's okay." She kisses it again, rapidly nodding her head, "It's okay. It'll be okay."

"But-"

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up. It's okay."

Jimin brushes his tears away, going over to Fiona and dropping his voice to a murmur. "Get inside and clean up, both of you. I'll handle this." Sky and Fiona reluctantly agree and head inside, Jimin motioning for Namjoon to come closer, and he does. "Get an axe. If you don't have one, fucking find one. Start a fire in your office fireplace and heat up a knife so we can cauterize the wound. But we need something like an axe to get the hand off easily. A knife would work, but let's not put Ves through a minute of torture, rather a couple seconds, okay?"

Namjoon agrees, rushing off to fetch the tools Jimin asked for. And now it's time to handle the beast: Y/n. Oh lord, how is he gonna convince her this is the best play? Only one way to find out.

Jimin approaches from behind, Y/n holding Ves's hand and bringing him inside. Jimin follows, tapping Y/n on the shoulder. She freezes, meeting Jimin's stare. "Yes?" she asks, her smile bringing goosebumps to his body.

"Hey kid, go to Namjoon's office, we need to talk to you there. Let me talk to mom for a moment, alright?" Ves hesitates, but he gives in after a beat, rushing up the stairs. Jimin waits for him to be out of eyesight and earshot, then, he takes Y/n's hands and kisses both of them. "We're gonna save him, honey."

"Save? But he doesn't need saving."

"Y/n, he got bit. We need to amputate his hand and stop the infection before it spreads more than it has. We have until he passes out for the first time. We need to hurry, otherwise he's gone. Come on." He goes to leave, but she keeps him in place. He bites back a grunt and turns back around. "Y/n."

"He's fine."

"Honey, please-"

"I said he's fine, it's not a bite, it's just a scratch. Am I the only one with eyes?"

"Even Ves says he got bit. Why do you think he's so scared?" Jimin tries to brush her hair out of her face like always, but she backs away. His eyes crack with his heart, him lowering his hand. "Baby, we need to go save him. Please don't do this."

"Do what?"

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "Please let us save him. Don't try and stop us."

"But he's fine."

"He's not fine!" he yells, her flinching from it. His gaze eases, and he goes to hold her hand, but she keeps her distance. "Baby, I'm sorry, I just..."

"He's gonna die, isn't he?" she asks in a whisper.

Jimin hides the glass that is his heart. The glass that cracks more with each heartbeat. "Yeah babe, yeah, I think he will." Y/n doesn't react, she only keeps her eyes on her feet. "But I'm gonna fight like hell to make sure he doesn't." This time, she lets him take her hand, and he kisses it as an apology for yelling. At this point, she doesn't even seem to care. "Do yourself a favor... don't watch. Please."

Y/n doesn't agree or disagree, so he backs up and sprints up the stairs, entering Namjoon's office seconds later. Ves is by the fire Namjoon started, the man holding an axe and a knife as requested. "Found them fast, we have fire axes everywhere." Namjoon tosses the axe to Jimin, and he catches it, Ves backing away.

"Kid, this is the only way."

"I don't want to."

"I'm sorry, but do you want to live or not?" Jimin asks, gripping the axe in his hands. The idea of hurting Ves brings nausea swelling inside him, and Ves's terrified, and even hate-filled eyes has him wishing to die on spot. He'd rather die than hurt his son, but the truth is, if he doesn't do this, Ves will be the one to die.

Ves trembles in the chair he's sitting on, his breathing quickening until it appears as though he'll pass out. "I-I don't want to lose my hand, I'd rather just go out in peace than risk intense pain and maybe live." Jimin kneels, taking both of Ves's hands. "Please... dad, please."

The single word has a tear falling out of Jimin's eye, him rubbing his fingers over the backs of Ves's hands. "Ves, please. I'm begging you to let me do this. I don't want to do this either, I never want to see you in pain, but it's either this, or you die."

Ves doesn't answer, his grip tightening on the arms of the chair. Jimin traces his fingers down Ves's wrist, the light peeking in from the window illuminating the bite wound on his wrist. Jimin kneels and sets Ves's hand into a fist, tilting his arm to the side so he can get a better view.

Then, his heart stops.

Jimin releases Ves's hand, his lower lip quivering. Ves furrows his brows, "What is it?" Jimin can't find words to describe it, hell, he can't even utter a single syllable. A heavy sensation blasts through his body, stomping on his chest as if a Howler was crushing him. Jimin falls on his ass, his eyes widening and focusing on the bite. "Jimin, what is- oh my God."

Ves shakily brings his hand up to eye level, Namjoon creaking the floor as he steps back. Ves hops to his feet and goes to the window, observing his wound in better lighting. Jimin doesn't have the strength to stand. He merely keeps his gaze on the seat Ves was just in, his body shuddering.

"Why the hell did the bleeding stop?" Ves asks, Jimin peeking over his shoulder to see the kid poking the skin. "And why the hell is the skin... a-am I... regenerating?" Jimin finally gains the courage to get up, approaching Ves cautiously. When he gets to the kid's shoulder, he takes the wrist and stares, his breath coming out shallow and sharp. "Dad, what's happening to me?"

Jimin rips most of the sleeve off, noticing how what was a chunk of Ves's skin ripped off and replaced with a bite mark is now a bruise at most. The skin is back, bruising littering where the bite was, and the teeth are so faint, it seems unreal. Jimin drops Ves's hand and chokes, rushing out of the room. He holds his throat as he goes, bursting into the nearest bathroom and vomiting into the toilet, coughing and holding the sides of the seat.

He gags and pants, his eyes brimming with tears from both the stench clogging his senses and the realization hitting his core. Every cell in his body jumps at the sensations overwhelming him, his knuckles turning a shade of white Jimin's never seen before. Jimin has never seen that happen before. No bite victim ever healed. Ves didn't have bags under his eyes, or cold skin, or even a headache as far as Jimin is aware. Jimin almost slips to the ground, his weak arms barely holding him up. No one has ever done that before. Ves is displaying no signs of infection even over two hours after it happened. That's rare, especially for a kid. The smaller the size, the smaller the body. And often times, the faster the infection spreads. But not here. Ves shows no symptoms, and the bite fucking healed. Two tears fall off of Jimin's lashes and onto the seat of the toilet, him wiping the vomit off his lips. Holy fuck...

Ves is immune.