Yoongi snuck off to meet Jimin every chance he got. When he wasn't actively standing right in front of him, he was thinking of ways to see him again. He knew Jin and Namjoon had noticed his growing absences but couldn't find it in him to care. His thoughts were only consumed by one person.
It should've concerned him, how easily everything else faded into the background when he was with Jimin. It was like nothing else mattered when he was holding him in his arms and Jimin was clinging back like he never wanted him to leave. Yoongi had half a mind to give in and stay with him forever.
For so long, all he'd cared about was building his gang up. Increasing his territory, his power. Taking bit by bit from Jungkook the way he'd taken everything from him. But now, all that he cared about was whether Jimin had a good day. He wondered what he was doing at that moment, what he was thinking, if he was smiling with his eyes turned up into those adorable crescents the way Yoongi loved so much.
Jin slammed his hands down on the desk in front of Yoongi, startling the boss out of his thoughts. "Alright, that's it. You've been mentally checked out for days. We've been nice about picking up your slack, but I want to remind you that this is your mess that we're in."
Yoongi looked up with a scowl, shuffling through the papers stacked in front of him. He wanted to argue, to defend himself, but he knew no logic could support it. He knew it was stupid and reckless to just hand over such a large portion of their territory for someone who wasn't even in their gang but he couldn't seem to help himself when it came to Jimin.
When the snarky retort he'd been waiting for didn't come, Jin only seemed to grow more furious. "You're not even going to fucking say anything? Everything is falling apart, Yoongi, what don't you see about that? Our clients are leaving and our soldiers are losing morale and everything is going to go to those fucking Kingmakers if you don't pull it together soon! All this and for what? Some boy?"
"He's not just some boy," Yoongi snapped.
Namjoon shifted his weight awkwardly in a forgotten corner, shrinking back while he let the two work it out the way they normally did.
Jin leaned back. "So that's it, huh? We're all second-class citizens to him now, aren't we? And you're going to throw us all to the fire just for him."
Something in Yoongi's gaze softened. "Hyung, you know that's not the truth."
But Jin didn't seem satisfied with that. "Then what is?"
"Jin..." Namjoon interjected. "Come on, guys, there must be some way we can have a calm conversation about this."
"How can I be calm when he's sneaking off to fuck our rival gang's right hand while we're in the midst of a territory war with another gang?" Jin exploded. "We can't take much more of this, Yoongi. Is that what you want? You want this to be over so you don't have to deal with any of us anymore and you can go back to Jimin? I've stuck by you for years. Do you know how much of your shit I put up with?"
Yoongi bristled. "If you hate me so much, why don't you just leave then? If I'm such a terrible person, why did you stay for so long?"
"Because I love you, Yoongi!" Jin yelled. "Because we're fucking friends, even if you don't think you have any of those. I did everything because I cared about you. We both did. Do you think we would still be here if we didn't? But, god, you can be such an asshole sometimes." He lowered his voice, drifting back to a gentle speaking tone. "I want you to be happy, Yoongi, I really do. But I can't afford to let you throw everything away for someone who might never be able to be what you want."
Now, Yoongi dropped his gaze, chewing on the inside of his cheek instead of responding.
Jin took this as a sign he was getting somewhere, creeping closer until he could rest a hand on Yoongi's shoulder. "I only want to look out for you. I don't want you to get your heart broken. The way you love him is too much. I don't know how long he can stand it."
Yoongi's mouth twisted into a scowl. "I don't need you lecturing me like a little kid. Don't you have other important things to deal with? They seemed pretty important when you were talking just a second ago. Wouldn't want to waste another second on me."
Jin didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay and argue until his throat was hoarse and he'd finally gotten through whatever wall Yoongi had around himself that stated that Park Jimin was nothing but an angel sent directly from whatever god had forsaken them. But, instead, he scowled right back and stalked toward the door. He knew a useless fight when he saw one.
Namjoon looked back once at Yoongi before scrambling to follow Jin out the door.
The anger left Yoongi's face the moment the door closed behind them. He sighed, dragging a hand down his face as he stared down at the mountain of papers that hadn't grown any smaller. He knew he was letting his friends down, but he couldn't seem to stop.
Another disdainful glance down at the papers. He couldn't stay away from Jimin, but he could do this for them.
He had barely gotten through the third one when Namjoon burst back through the door.
Yoongi didn't even glance up, allowing his expression to carry the annoyance he felt. "Namjoon, I can't work on this if you don't leave me-"
"The Kingmakers are here."
Yoongi's gaze snapped up. "What?"
"They're here! Now, get your lazy ass up!"
Flashbacks of the last times he'd faced the Kingmakers ran through his head. Namjoon on the ground, clutching the blood that gushed from his stomach. Jimin chained to the Hatter's makeshift throne, bruised and broken.
What would be next?
Yoongi felt the rage building back up inside the second he made eye contact with the Hatter. Again and again, he sought to test Yoongi's patience. He was tearing at the walls Yoongi had spent all these years building brick by brick and Yoongi was not going to stand for it anymore. Not after what he'd done.
When he burst into the location Namjoon led him to, he had to take a moment to stop and collect himself.
The Hatter was perched on the edge of Yoongi's chair, one leg dangling toward the floor. How had he gotten inside? He flashed a lazy smile upon spotting the other boss, tipping his head back slightly. The lowlight caught in his blonde hair. "Ah, Arsonist. How lovely of you to show up."
Yoongi could've killed him right then and there. Unfortunately for him, the Hatter had shown up with several of his best. So he was forced to swallow his threats. "Hatter. To what do I owe the visit?"
The Hatter trailed an absentminded finger along the arm of the chair. "I think you know why I'm here, Min Yoongi. The bit of your territory you gave me in exchange for that little plaything of yours is really quite something, but I want more. I'm prepared to offer you a deal."
Yoongi ground his teeth together. The lack of respect was starting to piss him the fuck off. "Over my dead body."
"That can be arranged if you'd like," the Hatter said innocently. "But I'd rather settle things more tactfully, don't you agree? Or shall I go back on over to the Purgatory's den and see how Jiminie's healing?"
"Don't you fucking touch him," Yoongi snapped, hands curling around the butt of his gun in a warning.
"Or we could talk about your lovely friend - Namjoon, was it? He seems to have healed remarkably well. Maybe I should aim somewhere more vital this time?"
Jin all but growled at him as he stepped in front of his boyfriend. "Absolutely fucking not."
"Let's end this once and for all," Yoongi stated sharply, throwing his shoulders back as he stood up straight. "I'm getting sick of seeing your face."
The Hatter was not phased. That only seemed to make him smile more. "I couldn't agree more." He dragged his leg back to drape it across the other, tilting his entire body toward Yoongi. Maybe in another life, he could've been very pretty. But to Yoongi, all he saw was the faces of all those he'd hurt, and felt a new wave of anger. As if he could read Yoongi's mind, his lips stretched wider. "In fact, I'm so nice that I'll take my leave now so that you may prepare for what is to come. It would be a shame if you were unable to say your goodbyes to Jimin before I ended you, wouldn't it?"
Yoongi's ears rang. It fell so easily from his lips, so confident, and he stilled. But even as the thought of death came to him, Yoongi couldn't help but feel that, as long as he held Jimin one last time, he wouldn't mind it. He knew that they didn't have any promises of a future anyways, with Yoongi and Jungkook's spotted history, but they could have right now. If he got to kiss Jimin one last time, told him he loved him while still could, he could die with no regrets.
Maybe it was always supposed to be this way. Maybe he didn't deserve any more than this.
"I accept your challenge," Yoongi said.
The Hatter grinned crookedly. "It wasn't ever a debate, but I appreciate your cooperation nonetheless. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have some preparing to do." He dipped his head shallowly, just enough for the message to be understood loud and clear. Whoever won in this upcoming battle would get everything. Territory, soldiers, power, clients, respect. The loser would be left with nothing.
Yoongi almost collapsed the second the door closed behind the final Kingmaker.
Jin whirled on him instantly, face paler than normal. "No. Absolutely no way." His voice was loud and sharp, cutting deep.
Yoongi didn't look at him. "What?" he asked, but there was nothing behind it.
"You are not seriously considering the idea of losing, are you?" Jin searched his expression desperately for hints, but he was impassive. "He was threatening to kill you and you just sat there and accepted it. What is wrong with you? How could you just give up like that?" He shook his head, his voice quivering as he asked, this time softer, "What happened to you?"
Yoongi stared at the ground in front of him. His throat felt tight. "You don't know what I've been through," he whispered. "You don't understand the kind of pain..." He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. He'd never talked about his past before. At least, not openly. "This has been the most happiness I've ever felt in my entire life. Maybe... Maybe there's no more for me."
Jin's head shook more furiously this time. He had tears in his eyes, threatening to spill over any second. "Yoongi, no, please. This is not how it ends. It can't be. W-We still need you. We're always going to need you. And if you won't believe us, then believe that Jimin needs you."
That caught his attention at last. Yoongi picked up his head, coming face to face with the empathetic expressions of his only friends. His whole life had been a series of people turning their backs on him. His father, his mother, Jungkook... The concept that someone, after all this time, needed him was so foreign he didn't know what he'd do with it if it fell in his lap.
Namjoon seemed to understand what he didn't say. "Hyung, there has to be something we can do. Isn't there? If we can't defeat the Hatter on our own-"
Jin inhaled sharply. "Don't say it."
"It may be time for us to ask for help," Namjoon finished anyways, shooting his boyfriend a stern look. "I know we don't like it, but we do have someone we can ask."
Yoongi stilled when he realized what he was getting at. "The Purgatory," he breathed.
"Even if we go to them for help, even if we have Jimin advocating for us," Jin started, "that doesn't mean that Jungkook will agree to help us. I know we don't know what happened between you two all those years ago, but I know for sure that he's not pleased that you betrayed him and tried to kill him. Not to mention that Taehyung also despises your guts."
Yoongi glared at him. Sighing, he fell into the chair that the Hatter had occupied just a few moments ago. He pressed a finger to his throbbing temple. "Alright, so we're going to have to pull off a fucking miracle."
"Ask Jimin to come here," Namjoon suggested. "If we can convince him to at least get us an audience with Jungkook, that's the best start we could ask for."
Yoongi's face twisted. "You realize that I can't ask him to beg his boss for me? He's a right hand, sure, but there's a limit to what rules he can break. I won't make him choose between loyalties."
Something shifted in Jin's gaze, but he seemed to hold it back. Instead, he said, "Then just tell him the situation. Let him decide on his own. But you should be honest with him about how desperate we are."
"If I'm asking them for help, I'm sure he'll know how desperate we are," Yoongi grumbled bitterly.
"Look, I'm not happy with the idea of asking him to help either," Jin retorted, scowling slightly. "I think it's a really stupid idea, but it's the only one we have. We're going to have to act fast since we have no idea when the Kingmakers are coming back. So either we seek their help or start preparing ourselves like hell."
Namjoon slid his attention over to Yoongi. "Do you have any way to contact Jimin right now?"
Yoongi arched an eyebrow. "You want me to call him over right now?"
"Better to see if he'll even pass along a message for us now rather than later," Namjoon said with a shrug.
Yoongi openly scowled now, but he didn't protest, merely got to his feet and shuffled off. After the first time he'd slipped a note to Jimin, they'd found a more reliable way to meet up. Yoongi had found the old pagers somewhere in the den and had passed one along to Jimin with codes set up for various scenarios. The one Yoongi sent today was more urgent, and he hoped Jimin would be able to slip away easily.
Jin was staring at him with an unreadable gaze when he returned. "You must really care about him, don't you? Enough to put his moral dilemmas over loyalty above your needs? Do you think he'll sacrifice his position just to help you?" It was asked genuinely, but it still got under Yoongi's skin.
A muscle feathered in Yoongi's jaw. "He'll be here," he stated firmly. "He'll come." It was the only thing he could say for sure.
After the first time, he'd told Jimin he'd loved him several times. As many as he'd let him, now that he didn't have to hold it back. He didn't mind when Jimin didn't say it back because the way he pulled him into a kiss once the words left his lips was enough of an answer for him. But, now, in the face of Jin's questioning, he couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of insecurity.
But when the shout from a soldier rang out, it left just as quickly as it came. "Sir, the Purgatory's right hand is here! He said you called?" It seemed like the security had recovered from the Kingmakers' attack.
Yoongi dipped his head. "Let him in."
Namjoon and Jin shuffled to stand slightly on either side of Yoongi as the telltale footsteps sounded. They didn't trust Jimin but they didn't know him the way Yoongi did.
Jimin only looked at him when he entered the room. His features were rearranged in an expression of concern, only seeming to grow confused when he saw that the boss looked unhurt. He stopped just in front of him, paying no attention to the ones at his sides. "You said it was urgent? What's going on? You're not hurt, are you?" His hands fluttered like he longed to reach out and touch him, but they knew it was both better not to with their audience.
Jimin's explicit worry for him made Yoongi's heart warm. "I'm fine," he said gently.
Jin gave him a side eye, clearly unused to such tender treatment coming from him, but said nothing. Yoongi had to inform him why he was there.
Yoongi swallowed hard. He hated himself for the words he was about to speak, but he had no other choice. He only hoped Jimin could understand that. "The Kingmakers were here. We are to meet them head to head."
He knew Jimin knew what that meant. The right hand sucked in a sharp breath. "But you can't..." he started. His eyes widened, horror crossing his face as realization struck him fully. "You said you'd challenge them? Yoongi, what is wrong with you?" Jimin hissed. "You're operating with less territory and less power, there's no way you could stand a chance against them! How could you be so stupid? They'll kill you!"
"I didn't have a choice," Yoongi said firmly. "We don't know when they'll attack. But if we didn't do it now, we wouldn't have stood a chance later."
Sensing that Yoongi was shying away from the real issue at hand, Jin stepped up. "Our only hope lies in seeking help."
Jimin froze, the dots connecting now. He looked back at Yoongi with such a shattered expression that the older almost fell to his knees in front of him for forgiveness. "You want me to ask Jungkook." He sounded so quiet.
Now, Yoongi reached out a hand for him. Jimin tried to shake him off, but Yoongi was insistent. "I don't want to ask any more than you want me to," he said, desperate to make him understand. "I wouldn't be asking if I had another choice. But I must do what's best for my people. I hope you can respect that, at least."
"Do you realize what might happen to me if I ask him?" Jimin whispered. "I haven't spoken to him face to face since he found out."
Yoongi frowned. "But you're still right hand, aren't you?"
Jimin nodded miserably. "I tried to make him take it away, but he refused."
"Jimin, Jungkook is the last person I would ever ask for help," Yoongi said, tightening his grip on his hands. "I don't want you to sacrifice everything for me. I just need your help to get an audience with him. That's it. Just a message that I need to speak with him."
He could see the hesitation in his eyes. He didn't blame Jimin. Just because they'd continued seeing each other did not mean that they could be allies. They were always walking a thin line.
"Fine," Jimin said quietly. "I'll help you. But only because you told me the truth."
Yoongi knew what he was trying to say. He was grateful Yoongi was keeping his promise to give him the whole truth, even if it wasn't what he wanted to hear. He could also hear the small admission that he would never say in front of Jin and Namjoon: I don't want to see you die.
Yoongi only held on tightly to his hands, as much physical comfort as he could offer. "Thank you."
Jimin tried for a smile, but it was too heavy. "Just don't make me regret it."