"My head is about to explode," Jimin began, voice stifled because of his teeth that clenched due to vent up anger. "You have no idea how hard it was for me to come here, do you understand what you've done?"
He kept going on and on, his mask rested on his chin as his lips were bare now. You simply watched them move quickly. Jimin was angry and you couldn't help but just stop an amused smirk from releasing over how hot that was. For once, someone looked scarier than your bleeding face. Seeing his usual caring, sweet face damped in anger was refreshing, and shall I mention again, hot.
"No, enlighten me," you popped, staring at veins starting to pop as he nodded and continued to whisper-yell in the tight closet.
"Well first off, I had to scarf down the food that Hoseok hyung brought us all-" you interrupted him, curious, "Was the food good? Oh, how I miss food." Jimin pursed his lips, anger falling for a second as he nodded, "It was actually so great, he also bought little cheeseballs for a try, and-" Jimin's smiling face fell as you grinned at how easily manipulated the conversation got. His jaw was back to clenching and his eyes hardening.
"Okay, enough of trying to change the topic."
You pouted, "But why, I like it when we talk about food. I miss it. You know...since I'm dead and all, I can't eat anymore and it makes me upset."
Jimin's upper lip twitched and you wanted to laugh at how serious he looked. "Chill out will you?"
"I will," he piped, nodding at nothing, "I will as soon as you accept the fact that you aren't dead. You aren't dead Y/N, I don't personally know what's been going on with you because you haven't told me anything. But I've been worried sick and running off like that isn't going to cut it again - ever. Be straightforward with me and tell me what's going on!" He finished, chest heaving as he took a long breath of air. His mouth was close to your cheek as the warmth on his tongue hit your skin. You liked the warmth, Jimin almost made you shiver.
"In medical terms," you began, voice soft as you still tried to joke around, "I am just about dead."
Jimin glared. He said nothing, nostrils flaring. He glared hard.
You gulped. You, the ghost-like aurora got afraid of the adorable idol that was once called 'mochi'. This is a new low. Laughing nervously, you moved your hand to brush his shoulders, rubbing the leather jacket he had draped over himself. "Relax babe, relax."
He didn't. Jimin looked straight in your bloody eye, then your normal one. He kept doing it as he spoke confidently, "I need to know what is going on with you. Let me help you."
"You've got other things to worry about," you sighed out, eyes squinting as you awkwardly opened up your little bubble. It did help that he was breaking into your physical bubble as well. "Touring, performing, how crazy the media is over you guys possibly murdering a fan...I don't want you stressed over what I should be figuring out alone."
Jimin's eyes softened, now simply sad. "You don't have to figure any of this out alone. Why do you keep wanting to?"
You licked your lips, doing the same thing he was doing with your eyes to his. You stared deep and far, trying to read him yourself. "Because..."
"I'm waiting," he mumbled out, crossing his arms over his chest. The idol had softened but he was still insanely irritated over the unanswered questions he had and that was obvious. "I'd love to hear what you have to say after everything...I stole a licensed BigHit van just to get over here so your explanation good."
Your softened state snorted, eyes wide. "No! Please tell me you didn't."
"I did."
"Did you kill anyone while coming over here?"
Jimin's eyes widened. He looked offended and you choked on your laugh. "Sorry," you piped, smiling sheepishly, "Dark humour, dark humour."
"Why do you keep wanting to be alone?" Jimin asked, repeating himself. He was stern and ready for explanations.
You swallowed hard, glancing around the small space you were in, it was a surprise security hadn't noticed Jimin through the cameras usually placed in the hallways. If anything, you were hoping they would've come by now and taken him out. But thinking of that to be too harsh, you rolled your eyes at your own thoughts.
Jimin cleared his throat dramatically and you glared at him, mimicking his throat clearing by cocking your head out like a chicken. The boy flicked his fingers at your forehead causing a slight snap and you took about thirty seconds to realize what had happened. The pain hit you suddenly and you whined, slapping his chest that was toned and tense behind his crossed arms.
"Answer me."
"Why so mad?" you whined, rubbing at your forehead.
Jimin sighed. It was frustrating, "We've been through this! I ate delicious food fast and stole a van to come to you."
"My knight and shining armour," you chimed, smirking and he taunted you by bringing his fingers up for another flick. You chuckled nervously, holding his hand and bringing it to your side. You kept holding it, fingers rubbing up and down his small ones in attempts to have him calm that way.
"I'm serious, you've been crying and screaming at nothing for days. I need to know what's going on...who is hurting you?" His voice was soft now, eyes still angry but heart in the right place and you could see it.
You pursed your lips slow. Jimin glanced down at the bloody skin before looking back at your good eye. He stared for a while, patient as he had been from before. You appreciated that patience as you asserted what he deserved. You spoke all that you knew.
"I've been seeing this...this creature," you whispered softly, "I thought everything was fun and games until this Thing came and every time it does I feel my insides start to - Ah! I don't know how to explain it, but imagine your insides melting from just a glance or presence of a dark figure."
Jimin's face was expressionless, his lips parted and close for our vision to memorize. He looked scared for you, all while taking a while to believe what you were saying; he couldn't imagine it well.
"Big eyes that are separate, they aren't even white," you smiled but didn't mean it, "The mouth changes, teeth no teeth, teeth no teeth. Constantly. The angrier it gets the teeth come and the last time - this morning, this morning it was back again and it hurt me. I felt pain and Thing caused it. And just now before you showed up it was back, Thing came back. I comes back when you aren't around." You rambled, getting scared just talking about the details you kept to yourself, "Then it started to sing when I asked what it was and I couldn't understand, I couldn't understand at all."
Jimin could see your lip starting to tremble as you talked and it looked like a live person freezing while speaking. But you weren't cold, nor were you close to being alive, so he cocked it up to be speaking from fear. His expression was softer than ever as he squeezed your fingers that previously rubbed his.
"It spoke about decaying, and anchor," your brows were knit as you tried to revisit the jingle, "then something along the lines of 'choose you choose me'."
Jimin nodded, thinking hard himself as he tried to register the information. Already set himself to help you, his worried form whispered, "The decaying I presume it means Death."
"Maybe..." you pursed your lips, "the 'choose you choose me' bit is what I don't understand. All I know is that the anchor is what keeps Thing away."
"Your body?" he asked, getting to understand that that was the possible reason for you running out so fast today. Just as he had run just now, you were searching for answers yourself.
You nodded, "That's what I thought at first but when I touched my body nothing happened, I went through it."
Jimin's brows jumped. By the look of your hesitant face, he knew where this conversation was heading and he was already displaying shock on his face as you continued, "...just like everyone else, when I touched my body I phased right through. It seems like the only person I can touch-"
"Is me."
You gulped when noticing the epiphany gravitate throughout his body. Jimin panicked as he held tense grounds again and stepped closer to you in the already tight closet. "W-Wait," he chuckled nervously, fingers leaving yours as he rubbed hard at his neck, "Okay, wait let me think for a second."
"Take your time," you whispered, seeing a boy so concerned with you before starting to panic and grow scared for himself now. "It's a lot to take in, trust me, I've lived being tossed around by the Thing so I-"
His voice was high, kind of like when he first met you in the tub. Jimin's fingers didn't leave the back of his neck as he screeched, "I'm the anchor."
You shushed him, glancing over at the door for him being so loud and he was starting to breathe harshly and fast. If you didn't know any better, he was on the verge a panic attack. Stable enough to not get so bad, you watched him whisper-yell, "I'm the anchor? Oh no no no! I'm the anchor. I'm the-" he squeaked, "What does that even mean? What am I bringing down exactly?"
You pointed over at yourself, smirking playfully and trying to lighten the situation. "More like what are you stopping from going off into abyss. Call me your ship," you winked and he closed his mouth and screamed.
Jimin screamed behind a closed mouth and your smile fell as he started to pace in the closet...so like, two steps each side roughly (it was a small place with a mop bucket and general waste supplies stalked on metal bars). You didn't say anything as you watched him stress.
You sighed, "This is exactly why I didn't tell you anything. Look at you."
"I'm fine, I'm perfectly fine," Jimin squeaked, hands at his hips as he continued to do a two-step military style in the dusty room.
"Yup, this is how fine looks like."
"Let me think."
"Mhm," you hummed, rolling your eyes before looking at the door that was closed, "Another reason to why I solve things myself. Now I'll have to worry about you taking nervous shits in your pants."
Jimin stopped for a minute as he looked over at you. Cheeks blushed, his nose scrunched, "You smelt that?"
"Yes, you're gasy and it's a small room. The smell hit my nostrils the minute I told you what you were."
Jimin was excited for a second, his fear masking into something shakier as he pointed out your senses. "See? You aren't dead, there's clearly something going on, you can still get to your body."
"I'm sure the only reason I'm able to smell is because your farts pass the threshold of death," you joked and he deadpanned. "Mmh~ Smell."
Jimin ignored you, moving to stand frozen in front of you again as he shot out theories, "Or maybe the anchor," he cleared his throat, awkward when he pointed at himself, still not believing it, "Maybe I am what brings you closer to being alive?"
You snorted in his face. "You ate way too many cheeseballs! That's the cheesiest explanation I've ever heard. This ain't some dramatic love story we got goin' on."
"But what if it is?"
Your brow cocked and Jimin waved you to stop being amused. "I'm talking about the explanation being right, not the love story bit."
"Why? Don't act like you wouldn't fall in love with me."
"Please focus."
You smirked, wiggling your eyebrows. "I see that you didn't deny it."
Jimin ignored you, deep in thought. "You have said that you've felt your heart beat, you're able to touch me, your ability to smell, maybe eventually, if you stay by me you'll be able to breathe?"
"You're going to resurrect my lungs?" you piped, chuckling, not believing the theory one bit. "You're going to save my life? The dead lil' damsel and distress in your hands?" you pouted at how adorable his thoughts were.
Jimin sighed, head cocking back in annoyance. "You aren't dead, stop saying that."
"I've accepted my fate, I can't go back there."
"Well you can't stay here like this," Jimin said softly, "There's something after you and you don't know what it wants from you. The last I want is for it to hurt you again."
You had trouble looking at him. "I can't go back."
"Why not?"
You nibbled at your inner cheek. "I just can't alright? What's dead should stay dead, we've been through this before."
"That's the thing Y/N and this is the last time I'm going to say it," he was stern yet gentle while ordering for you to listen, "You aren't dead."
You stared at his lips that moved into a warm smile. His strong gaze did the act of staring into both your eyes again and you felt the fluttering at your heart return after the ambush of Thing where you had felt dead. Jimin made you feel like your heart raced and for a second, just for a second, you gave his theory a shot. It made sense. You listened, felt, and gave in to how he made your heart feel alive.
Staring over at his lips, your eyes begged for him to see more of you and your vulnerabilities as you whispered, "I'm scared."
He nodded. "I can tell."
You smiled a little at that. The fact that he didn't leave his smile and tried to hide his worried expression for you made him cuter.
The sweetness bad, killing off the anger that had taken over him when he peeked into your mind and drove the answers out of you.
"Thank you for being sweet to me," you breathed out, eyes glistening and bouncing from his small eyes and big lips.
Jimin's brows furrowed deeply at you thanking him. He chuckled, the breath hit you straight in the face again and you shivered visibly. He didn't notice as he focused on what he wished to say back, "Of course. It's weird how invested in your survival I've gotten at this point. No more secrets okay? I think I'll lose my mind if you go running off like that again."
You pursed your lips from smiling too large as you nodded. "Okay."
"Promise."
"You sure?" he asked, eyes narrowing in uncertainty. Jimin didn't notice you continuously looking over at his lips.
"Cross my heart and hope to di-"
"You aren't going to die," he murmured, not allowing you to make another sick joke.
You stared at his lips, not even bothering to be subtle at this point as you nodded slow, very very slow. "Okay."
Jimin watched how your expression grew dazed. He noted, spotted, and memorized each step you took to admiring his lips and found your cheeks to flush and heat as you moved to inch closer to him. Feeling noses close to brushing, the boy side-smirked, eyes narrowing as he teased and caught you quick.
"You tryna kiss me?" he asked, laughing when your eyes widened and you moved back onto your heels so your head wouldn't be tilted into his.
You scoffed almost immediately, "No, gross."
"Yes, gross," he piped, amused when staring down at your bloody mouth. "I care for you and all, but not to the extent of that my ghost pal."
You knew he was joking around but you suddenly felt insecure. Smiling past the embarrassing pain that you wanted to curl up to, you watched as Jimin nudged his head to the door. "Let's get out of here before the ghost and human sex you'd joke over actually comes to be."
Again, you knew he was joking but your mind weirdly considered it. Chuckling nervously, you watched as his tamed smile was sweeter than ever. He looked free, unleashed and in-tune with what was going on now. It was a good look for Jimin as he moved out of the closet by looking from side-to-side in the hallway.
As he exited, he waited for you to be extra and phase through the wall instead of walk out the door, but as you were about to follow him, the door slammed shut loudly behind his back. Sealing you immediately inside and away from Jimin who turned back to face the door shocked, smile gone, and palms on the door as he banged for you to come out.
"Jimin! Jimin I can't!"
Jimin jolts as he bangs on the door that doesn't budge. He even tries to twirl the knob but that doesn't work. It's stuck and feels as if someone or something stronger than ever is holding the knob in place. Hearing loud thuds and objects falling, the last he heard before everything went quiet was a deafening scream by you.
In shock, it took a lot for Jimin to snap out of it. He couldn't help his quiet world as he looked around to the room close by. Announcements roared on the speaker and nurses and staff rushed fast into the room being called out. 'Room 7, code blue' was repeatedly being called out.
Someone was in trouble and it was loud, there was loud crying coming from the room and Jimin's distressed form spun the knob once more only to have it open easily.
As he did, he looked hastily inside and there was nothing. Everything thing looked normal, nothing was on the ground nor was anything broken. The only thing wrong with the room was what was missing.
You. You were missing.
-
A/N: *obnoxiously munches on nachos*