The people clapped and yelled in gratetude as Jimin opened the gates, quickly streaming through when their way was cleared.
Jimin and Jungkook got seperated by the crowd the moment it crammed through the gates, getting pushed aside as if they hadn't just saved the people from a horrible fait.
"Jungkook!" Jimin yelled, panicking as he lost sight of the young man.
The screaming crowd drowned out Jimin's voice to just another call for help.
He got pushed and shoved and tripped and nearly fell, but managed to stay on his feet.
"Jungkook!?" Taehyung called upon seeing his lost friend, suprising the man with a tight hug.
Jungkook had been busy trying to find Jimin and flinched when Taehyung embraced him.
"Did you open the gate?" Taehyung asked, patting Jungkook's back with a wide smile. "Man it was crazy down here, people were planning to storm the gates before you arrived."
"Yeah..." Jungkook answered wearily, half his brain still trying to locate Jimin. "Listen Tae, they're only letting firstclass women and children on the lifeboats right now... how are you gonna get out of here?"
It looked like Taehyung hadn't yet grasped how serious the situation had become. He gave Jungkook a lazy smile and shrugged. "I'll find a way, I might dress up as a woman or something," he joked.
Jungkook looked his friend in the eyes and was brought back to the moment he and the boy won at pocker and earned their tickets to the great Titanic. The happiness they'd felt had made it seem as if their deepest wishes came true. Two poor countryboys that always traveled the world by horse. How lucky they claimed they were.
Jungkook reached into his pocket and retrieved the stack of dollars Jimin had given him before, shoving them in Taehyung's breastpocket without any doubt.
"Jungkook? What are you-"
"Use that money to buy your place on one of those boats okay? If one person doesn't take it try the next."
Jungkook grabbed Taehyung by the neck and pressed their foreheads together.
Time seemed to stop, his heart as well, but he knew that this was the right descision, deep inside he knew it was the best choice.
"What will you do Jungkook?" Taehyung asked, eyes watering now that it semeed the man started to understand.
Jungkook chuckled through the tears welling up in his eyes. "We had good times Tae..." he said, smiling even though his soul cracked.
Taehyung shook his head and tried to make Jungkook see reason, but before the boy could open his mouth Jungkook nudged him into the stream of people.
"Jungkook! You idiot!" Taehyung screamed, tears falling from his eyes and trickeling down his face.
The boy was dragged away by the crowd of people that stopped for no one and Jungkook laughed through the pain as he waved at Taehyung. He tried to focus on the fact that his dear friend would survive this, and live on to succeed at life the way they'd always planned to.
Jungkook dried his eyes as he waited for the stream of people to end, hoping he'd see his flower standing somewhere.
"Jungkook!" Jimin called when most people had gone.
The boy catapulted himself in Jungkook's arms and placed a kiss on his cheek.
"Let's find Tae," he said, looking up at Jungkook as the boy stroked his hair and gave a small smile.
"I already found him, he's on his way to the lifeboats right now," Jungkook said, focusing on his flower and the moment, just for a few seconds. "He said he'd dress up as a woman to get on a boat."
Jimin grinned, hugging Jungkook tightly again, glad that they could finally leave now.
The two men returned to the top deck after a rough path of almost having to swim through the hallways and squeeze their way into the elevator, praying the thing would rise out of the water and lift them up again.
The men arrived on the deck trembling violently, walking straight towards the lifeboats among the panicking people.
Men and women crying as they got seperated, people calling out to find their loved ones, a whirlwind of fear and chaos that made Jimin dizzy.
Almost there, the boy chanted in his head, seeing another boat get filled up with wealthy passengers in front of him. Almost safe.
"You goddamn failure!"
Yoongi appeared right in front of Jimin when Jungkook and him had nearly arrived at the lifeboats.
"You still cling to this waste of space?" The man yelled, pointing his finger at Jungkook. "Be wise for once in your life and get in the boat! I'll make sure you'll pay for your betrayal when we get to safety."
Jimin raised his chin, suddenly feeling bigger than usual now that his surroundings were in turmoil.
He used to question if his brother was really evil, wondering if maybe some part of him really did care for Jimin, and just wanted him to secure the family line.
But seeing him now, Jimin realised his brother was a man blinded by his ambition. He'd never known anything else, never wanted to know anything else, and Jimin found it sad, because there were things in this life he had discovered, that were far more beautiful than wealth and status.
Love.
"There is no 'we' brother," Jimin said sternly, "and I'm getting in the boat with Jungkook, not with you."
Jimin gently squeezed Jungkook's hand as he stood up to his brother. "He is not a rat he is the most wonderful person I've ever met and he showed me freedom. Freedom to love who I want, freedom to go where I please, freedom to say what I think."
Jimin took a deep breath as he could feel Yoongi's intimedating aura shrink as his own grew. "You do not own me anymore," he said coldly, his eyes lingering on Yoongi's for what he knew would be the last time.
"Goodbye brother," he said when Yoongi kept silent, both men staring at each other with nothing other than hate.
Jimin pulled Jungkook with him to the the crewmember that managed who could leave in the boats.
"Jimin..." Jungkook called quietly, the pride he felt for his lover getting buried underneath a thick layer of guilt he was sure would crush him soon enough.
But Jimin didn't listen. His only thought was getting off this ship as soon as possible.
"Sir, please let us on the boat," he said to the crewmember, shoving a stack of dollars into the man's hand.
All the man did was give a curt nod to signal his agreement to the deal, probably ignoring the voice of moral in his heart that told him what he was doing was wrong.
Jimin quickly climbed into the wooden lifeboat that was close to departing.
"Jungkook, give him the money," he said, his eyebrows furrowing slightly when he saw that Jungkook hadn't secured his place on the boat yet.
The young man just stood there, tongue-tied and silent as the sounds of disorganisation started defeaning Jimin's ears.
"Jungkook!" He yelled as if he thought Jungkook couldn't hear him. "Gi-... give him the money!"
Jungkook shook his head as Jimin looked at him with disbelief, his eyes shimmering in the moonlight as they watered.
"Jungkook!" Jimin yelled again, feeling himself beginning to get anxious, as the world seemed to be spinning out of control.
"I don't have the money," Jimin could see Jungkook's lips say, and like paper being shred Jimin felt his soul rip in half at what that meant.
"No..." he whispered, his heart imploding in his chest.
"I gave it to Tae..." Jungkook said, tears starting to escape his eyes though he tried to act as if he was at peace with his descision. "I couldn't leave him to die..."
Jimin felt his knees weaken in defeat, his lips parting and eyes fluttering, he saw his lovely Jungkook stare at him with that dumb smile on his face while his shoulders shook gently with each sob.
"Why would you do this to me?" Jimin said, shaking his head over and over, feeling like he was getting sucked into a black hole that slowly darkened his world.
"Why would you leave me?!" He yelled, stomping against the flooring of the lifeboat as anger rose inside of him.
Jungkook started crying, whispering small sorry's to Jimin as he silently begged for his forgiveness.
"I hate you!" Jimin screamed, though Jungkook could see the boy was only trying to rid himself of the pain, "I hate you," he screamed again, outing his distrought and fear on Jungkook because there simply was no one else left.
"We... we we're going to live... we were going to be free..."
Jimin entered a state of shock, forgetting how to breath as he felt a panick attack creep out from the shadows.
"I'm so sorry my flower," Jungkook said softly, slowly backing away so he wouldn't torture Jimin with having to look at him any longer.
"No!" Jimin yelled with gritted teeth when Jungkook tried to disappear, clenching his fists in pure anger and dispair.
The man felt the boat get pulled up into the air by the crew and was ushered to sit down.
Feeling both lost and confused Jimin did as they said, only to realise what was happening when the ship hung high and started getting closer to the sea.
"Jungkook..." Jimin whispered, his eyes falling in and out of focus as if he had fallen greatly ill.
They left the top floor and descended down to the second within mere minutes, quickly nearing the icy water below.
"Are you quite alright son?" A random man that sat next to Jimin asked upon seeing the distressed boy repeating Jungkook's name like a mantra.
Jimin's head shot up, teardrops springing from his eyes as he did so.
He rubbed his red nose and dried his stinging eyes as he looked at the man next to him, seeing what he'd become if he stayed put in that boat right now.
"No..." Jimin said, looking at the railing on the ship's second floor that didn't look too far to jump onto.
"But I will be..."