BTS GOT NOMINATED FOR GRAMMYS YES YES YES YES YES
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh im so happyyyyyyyyy
The fact that veteran ARMYs went all out in twitter dragging them haters i cannot-
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"Missed me?"
Jimin watched smugly as the Warden's eyes widened a fraction when he walked in, a little suggestive sway in his hips. Jimin had the feeling that the encounter the two of them had had weeks ago had still not exited the man's head. Maybe it was because Jimin had left quite an impression on him. Or maybe it was because Jimin was the culprit for the prison beak-in the Warden had had to face and he was calculating ways to trap Jimin into his net now ̶ just like how Jimin was hoping that the man would fall into his trap.
The thought had Jimin panicking, but he had no time for that. He'd already walked in. It was either proceeding with his plan or risk getting caught and arrested.
Jimin slowly walked up to the desk, making sure that his eyes were perfectly hooded and his lips were stretched languidly. He'd had plenty of experience with facial expressions, what with being a skilled dancer: facial expressions were what completed a dance.
"I may have..."he paused to lick his lower lip before aiming a sultry look at the Warden. "Changed my mind"
The Warden was a statue: eyes hard and unforgiving.
"I think you misunderstand me" the Warden gave a tight laugh. "I am not someone to be fooled twice"
Jimin tilted his head slightly, wetting his lips. "Oh?" he purposefully made his voice softer. "But I am not here to fool you, master"
At the husky word, Jimin could see the Warden lose some of his cool, if his widening pupils were anything to go by. Jimin leaned forward, palms resting on the table top.
The Warden too, leaned forward, lips stretched into a lazy smirk.
"I think you have gravely misjudged me, darling"
Jimin curled lips upwards. "'s that so?" he straightened himself before slowly making his way to the where the Warden was sitting. Once near the chair, he bent forward, shifting the rolling chair to face him. The Warden looked properly affected now.
"I think you want me" Jimin whispered. "And I can play just as you want" for the extra teasing effect, he shuffled back, running a hand through his hair. "Am I too late? I really did think that the offer would still last..." he shot the confused looking Warden a smoldering look. "I came all the way here to see you again, master"
It was almost pathetic how the Warden's eyes glazed over and his jaw clenched. Jimin had him perfectly fooled: he knew it by the man's fingers tightening around the arm rests of the chair.
And, Bingo.
The Warden's muscles loosened and his lips curled over his lips in a smirk.
"Of course you did" The Warden was saying now, arrogantly. He aimed what he possibly thought was an attractive look at Jimin. "I am everything a whore like you dreams of"
Jimin's left eye twitched at that.
The Warden stood up, hands clasping behind his back.
Perfect.
"I have the status" the Warden began. "The money" he lifted a finger for each thing he stated. "The looks" he raised an eyebrow at Jimin. "What more could you want?"
A shred of decency.
But outwards, Jimin pretended to be allured. He faked a breathless exterior.
The Warden took slow and calculating steps towards Jimin, while Jimin alternatively stepped back.
Just like that, He chanted inwardly, keep walking forward.
"Do you want to start working right now?" the man murmured. He chuckled when Jimin's back hit the door, loving being the one in control. Jimin acted up, making his eyes wide and wetting his lips.
"I'm sure you want to, hmm?"
Jimin subtly tapped three times on the door.
The man was right in front of him now.
Ten. Nine. Eight.
He barely stopped himself from scrunching his nose up in distaste when the Warden walked right up to his personal space. He leaned closer, angling up Jimin's face so that their lips were almost brushing. It took a great deal of effort to stay in place; to not ruin the whole plan and punch the man because Jimin did not want anyone but Yoongi's lips on his.
But he held on.
Seven. Six.
Jimin could feel the Warden's breath fanning against his lips and a nasty shiver ran up his spine.
Five. Four.
Jimin gripped on to the material at the man's chest, as if the Warden had already had Jimin weak at the knees. The Warden's smirk widened.
Three. Two-
In a smooth motion, Jimin flipped them over just as the door forcefully opened inwards and smacked the Warden on the head.
One.
Jimin smirked triumphantly as the man crumpled into a lump on the floor.
Erata laughed silently, hand on the knob of the door, looking down at the unconscious man on the ground. After a second, Jimin joined in her laughing because damn, that felt exhilarating. Revenge was truly sweet.
Jimin finally calmed down enough to get a grip on their situation. They didn't have time to be laughing although it felt so soothing after nothing but weeks filled with sadness. "We need something to tie him up"
Erata pulled out a rope from about her. Jimin raised an eyebrow and she shrugged. "You never know when you need one"
The two of them lugged the man over to the door at the end of the corridor as soundlessly as possible. Jimin hoisted him up by his armpits while Erata almost harshly pulled out the man's hand.
"Where do you need to keep this?" she wiggled the Warden's hand, gesturing it to Jimin who grunted out a, 'Right where the handle should be'.
Erata obliged. The door glowed for a second or two before it opened.
Jimin laid the Warden on the ground, careful to not make a sound. He nodded at Erata who pulled out the rope. She looked at the single rope in her hand and at the man before she pulled the Warden so that his back was leaning against the wall.
"Hold his knees to his chest" she ordered and Jimin obeyed, doing as told. He watched, rather amused, as Erata pulled the man's wrists so that they were on either side of his ankles and wound the rope around his ankles and knees. Jimin pulled out the ribbon-like cloth around the Warden's waist and gagged him. He smiled, satisfied before lugging the man inside the opened room. Erata followed him in and closed the door behind them.
"This is the portal?" she questioned.
Jimin nodded breathlessly.
They were just so close.
The two of them jumped into it without a second to spare.
**
The guard at the end destination of the portal looked bewildered at the sudden appearance. He at once held his spear accusingly at Erata, disregarding Jimin completely, as he looked like a normal guard.
"Who are you?" the man bit out and Erata looed barely affected. She pulled out her ID and thrust it towards the guard.
"I am a representative from the council" she intoned. "And I am here, with the full permission of the Warden, to speak to he-who-knows-it-all"
The guard still held his ground, much to Jimin's dismay.
"We have strict orders from the Warden to not let anyone in, without him" he waved his spear at Jimin. "You should've know not to let her enter, especially after that break-in-"
"The Warden granted access to this lady" Jimin smoothly interrupted the ramble of the panicked guard. The man was scared of any unwanted incidents that might twist his furture. And scared mouths babble a lot, it was simple logic. He just needed some reassurance. Just some simple words to ease the suspicion. "She is someone who has the highest respect of the Warden. Who are you to deny access to such a person?"
The guard looked chastised. He pulled his spear from their vicinity before bowing to Erata. "You have my apologies, ma'am. Please, proceed"
Erata nodded at him briskly and stepped forward.
Their measured footsteps lasted only until the guard was within their periphery. When the man was a good way behind, Jimin and Erata rushed forward as if the weight of the situation suddenly hit them right in their faces. Jimin took the lead as he tore up the stairs seeing as he had been here previously and unlike before, when he'd trodden up the same stairs, he had more energy. It was a strange reassurance to him. He didn't know what could happen next that could drag him into a metaphorical hell and he'd wanted some kind of a factor he could rely on to bring him a sense of safety- and years of physical training had bought his petite but toned body into perfect shape. At least he had the relief of being able to punch someone effectively.
Once they reached the top of the stairs without a hitch, they paused a bit to catch their breath.
"That's the cell" Jimin gestured at the thick metal door guarding Draiotch. "We just need the keys"
Inwards, he was already starting to panic. His had flew up to clutch his necklace. So many things could go wrong, starting from the lady escort being suspicious of how long it was taking Erata and Jimin to come downstairs. They hadn't really thought through this reckless plan of theirs and on top of that, if Erata couldn't summon another portal-
"Jimin" the said woman's voice tore him out of his speculating. "Focus. We don't have much time"
Jimin nodded slowly. "We just need a guard to get the keys-"
Just as he said this, a voice behind them snapped them both of their own bubble, saying, "Who are you?"
Erata straightened her back, as did Jimin, as she turned to the guard and held out her ID like it was a reflex action. "I am a representative from the council. I would like to speak with he-who-knows-it-all, please"
The guard didn't seem to accept this. He angled his spear at the two of them. Jimin gulped, trying to pull himself together to trick this man too but he could see that it was going to be a tough job: this one was much harder to sway.
But he had to try.
"The Warden has granted access-"
His words stopped abruptly when four more guards popped up from nowhere, as if the one that had been interrogating them had called upon reinforcements.
"Now now" Erata began, and Jimin hoped to god that he was the only one who could hear the nervous tilt of her voice. "Why all this fuss? The Warden has complete faith in me"
"We have orders to not let anyone see he-who-knows-it-all" one guard monotonously said.
"The Warden himself sent me with her" Jimin hastily countered. This wasn't going well.
None of them even shared a look, but Jimin could see that they'd reached a silent agreement by the way all five of them stepped forward making Jimin and Erata walk back, progressively getting more and more nervous.
"What are the names of the guard who was fired after the break-in?"
Jimin frowned at the random question, until his brows cleared and he realized the purpose. They're checking if you're an imposter. Shit shit shit. Guards who got fired? That could be anyone. Starting from the man at the portal to the prison that day.
It never crossed his mind that it could be the three temporary friends he's made, Hyuna, Hyojong and Lucas.
"You don't know do you?" one guard sneered, spear held tightly in his hands. The five of them were closing in on Jimin and Erata and in his state of panic, the only thing Jimin registered were the feeling of the spear's metal grip in his hand along with the lone solitary window on the wall-
The window.
In a moment of inspiration, he clutched his spear and pointed at the window that was nothing but a square of missing bricks on the wall, crying- "Oh my god what is that?"
He didn't expect it to work.
The five guards whipped their heads back to look at the window in surprise while Jimin lurched forward, smacking the closet one to him on the head with the handle of the spear. The next second, the other guards roared furiously, diving forward to get them and Jimin was panicking-
Until Erata jumped in and angled her leg to hit one's crotch.
Jimin followed her example and trusting his fists, turned on the guard who was tackling him. While he's taken down on measly guard, Erata was brushing herself down, three unconscious bodies around her. Jimin felt slightly ashamed, seeing as a girl outdid him in fighting.
I'm definitely going to be going to the gym daily.
"Good thinking" Erata praised, bending down to hoist one guard's robes up at his waist. She held out a bunch of keys, grinning from ear-to-ear. "And not so bad for a first time" her eyes implied that she knew exactly what Jimin had been thinking.
Jimin gave an embarrassed laugh. "Yeah, sure. Thanks"
"Let's hope no one heard us" She pulled out the ribbon-like cloth from on the guard's waists and bound his wrists together. Jimin mirrored her and the five men where neatly tied up, spears out of reach. "Wish we had some more cloth to gag them" she wistfully said.
"It can't be helped" Jimin firmly said. "Let's go"
They walked over to the cell door and Erata quickly juggled multiple keys into the lock to see which worked. She gave a quiet cry of triumph when one fit and the locked clicked. Jimin took a deep breath and took off his headgear pushing the door open and walking inside.
A strange kind of relief mixed with contempt filled him as he stared at Draiotch, head hung down and slumped against the wall. He heard Erata close and lock the door behind him.
"I'm back" he finally said. He didn't know why he felt off with the man but something had his mouth tasting bitter. "Let's get you out"
The way Draiotch's head snapped up was painful, but his eyes were gleaming with hope. He was almost looking at Jimin with awe. He made it to scramble on to his feet, swaying unsteadily all the while. His hands were bound by a strangely glistening pair of handcuffs.
"You-" Draiotch was shocked. "You actually came"
"Yes" Jimin shortly said. "I'm hoping you can make a portal. And I also need another answer"
"The second request, I can agree to" Draiotch said. "But I can't make portals. I am a Seelie. And Seelies can't perform magic. Why do you think I've been staying inside here without breaking out?"
It also explains something Jimin had fleetingly wondered before: why didn't Draiotch lie to all the people who demanded answers? Just out of spite, he could lie and anyone would believe him.
But now, it was clear. Because Draiotch was a Seelie. And Seelies can't lie.
Erata swore, breaking Jimin out of his reverie. "Who has the keys?"
Jimin thought he already knew the answer before Draiotch had said it. His heart plopped down to his shoes because if it was who he thought, they were so done for. All the unconscious people they'd left along the way were surely going to wake up any time now and-
"They're not regular keys are they?" Jimin whispered looking at the cuffs. They had no place for a key to go. Draiotch nodded. What the man said next had Jimin want to thump his head against a wall, because once again his guess had been wrong and it was much much worse.
"The only ones who can unlock them are the heads of the council"
Always the damn council.
"How are we going to get out?" Erata was starting to panic and Jimin was sure that her expression mirrored his. They were truly and honestly trapped. "This is bad Jimin. Really bad"
And Jimin didn't need her to say that. He knew that all too well. He felt increasingly guilty when he realized that if he hadn't gotten Erata to agree to this crazy quest, she might not have been in this situation.
If the guilt wasn't bad enough, what happened next had Jimin's heart in his shoes.
"We know you're in there!"
It was the Warden. And he sounded absolutely livid.
"Get your asses out here! You have nowhere to run off to! You have three fucking seconds before I break the door!"
Jimin threw a panicked look at Erata.
"One!"
There was no way they could come up with an escape plan in such a short period of time. Absolutely no way.
As if already realizing this, Draiotch had retreated back to his shell, opting to slump back to his prior position against the wall. The sight had Jimin's last shred of hope vanishing.
They had no way to go.
It was nothing but a dead-end.
"Two!"
It was nothing but a dead-end.
Jimin could feel his eyes prickle with tears.
Was this it then? Were they going to have to surrender?
All this and he hadn't even seen Yoongi's face.
The thought spurred a rush of anger in him but there was nothing he could do about it. It was already too late.
It was too late.
"Three!"
The door burst open and guards swarmed in at a pace so fast, Jimin couldn't even register it. One of them had his arms behind his back before he could process anything and he kicked out, desperate to be free, all to no avail. In his periphery, he could see Erata being held the same way as he was and she too, was trying her utmost best to escape.
But it was too much.
There were too many guards around them; too many spears aimed at them.
Amid it all, the Warden walked right up to Jimin, hands clasped behind his back. His eyes were glittering with contempt and anger. Jimin had the inexplicable urge to spit on his face.
And he did, watching satisfactorily as the Warden's eyes widened at Jimin's probable stupidity, for what he did was beyond idiotic. He was in the Warden's hands now: the man could juggle him however he wanted to and Jimin was not doing himself any favors.
"You're going to pay for everything" the Warden hissed. "You're not going to see the sunlight ever again. Just like your little friend here" if he had anything at all for Jimin before, all that had seemed to vanish into nothingness.
Jimin blinked back tears.
I'm sorry Erata. I'm so sorry for leading you into this.
He gave a cry of pain when one of the guards roughly grabbed his neck to push him forward. Jimin watched as the Warden walked away from him.
I'm sorry Hoseok. And Seokjin.
He tried to down the rising pile of emotion but failed miserably.
I'm so sorry Yoongi. I'm sorry that I couldn't save you.
He couldn't help his pathetic whimper at that. One of the guards sneered at him and he felt his arm twist painfully behind his back.
He watched through blurry eyes as the Warden stepped out of the cell.
And then stopped.
No, he didn't stop. He paused mid-step. And not in a natural way either. He Just...paused.
With a start, Jimin realized that the guard who had been tugging him forward had also frozen. All around him everything was frozen.
Only one word ran through Jimin's mind: Ajax.
Hadn't the man stopped time like this-exactly like this- before? When Jimin had first been dragged into Elyxion?
He was starting to panic because no. He couldn't meet Ajax right now. He didn't have to emotional power for that.
"Jimin!"
His eyes widened as he focused on Erata stepping carefully between the guards. She tugged Jimin forward, twisting him out of the guard's grip gently as if she understood how Jimin as feeling. She gave him a small smile. Her lash line was wet too, as if she'd been crying.
"We have to get out. While we still have the chance"
"But h-how..." Jimin couldn't even finish the sentence. He looked at the room full of statues of guards with incomprehensive eyes.
"I don't know either" Erata admitted. "But someone's helping us. And we've got to go now Jimin, let's panic later.
"But Draiotch-"
"I'm coming too" a raspy voice piped up. Jimin blinked. Draiotch was moving too. How-
He couldn't think about that now. They had to get away. While they had a chance.
He turned to Erata. "Make a portal"
She hesitated. "But-"
"Somewhere closer to Idina" Jimin prompted. "It'll be easier for you. We just need to get out of here"
Her features hardened at his harsh tone. She was driven by the same force as Jimin: the same wild and uncontrollable feeling to save who they loved. She had the same desperation as Jimin; the same urge as him.
"Alright"
She took a deep breath and held her hand out, chanting quietly. Around them, Jimin could see slight and slow movements. His heart started to accelerate.
"Be quick, girl" Draiotch grumbled and Jimin elbowed him with a scowl. They couldn't hurry her up.
And then, there was a portal.
Erata was panting, sweat rolling down her ashen face. Jimin at once rushed to her side. Around them, the guards were slowly staring to come back to life. Before Jimin could do no more than tug Erata forward, Draiotch jumped into the portal. Jimin pushed Erata into jumping before he himself did the same.
The last thing he heard was the Warden's outraged roar and then he stumbled on to the rough ground, letting out a cry of pain as he the whole weight of his body fell on to his hand.
He yelled in alarm as a hand tore through the portal and gripped his foot in an unforgiving grip. He tried to tug it away, struggling, all to no avail.
Erata shakily got to her feet, wearily yelling a command and the portal zipped shut, sucking the arm back in.
For a moment, they were all just panting harshly, staring at the place the portal had been.
Then the three of them flopped on to the uneven ground, tired and boneless.
**
Erata passed out.
Jimin pursed his lips, looking at the unconscious girl. He'd at first panicked, but she had a steady pulse so he figured she was only exhausted to the point that it made her pass out. He wished there was anything he could do, but there was nothing he could do, except for letting her get as much rest as possible.
Beside Jimin, Draiotch coughed, his whole body shaking. But his eyes were so joyful. A great contrast with Jimin's own.
"We're still in the Idina" Draiotch wheezed. "Probably a few meters away from the Paradox. But they'll send out search parties. Especially since you broke me out" despite his words, he looked ecstatic. He gazed as the trees around them in wonder; almost greedily. His hands were still bound by the cuffs but he looked nothing short of happy.
They had to keep moving. Especially since the guards knew how Erata looked and the Warden knew how Jimin looked. And Draiotch- a lot of them knew him, no doubt.
But Jiminwas tired as well. Tired and ravenous. And yet, he couldn't afford to rest now. Not with the Warden and the guards probably searching the entire parameter of the Idina for them.
"Tell me" he finally said. Draitoch looked at him. Despite his untidy look, he looked a decade younger already. "Tell me where my friends are. They got caught by the council"
"You're going to have to tell me about your friends more clearly" Draiotch dryly said. "I'm assuming one of them is the one who came to talk to me with you, the last time"
Jimin nodded.
"The other two?"
Jimin looked at him blankly. He remembered how Yoongi had warned him to not mention his name to Draiotch. "Does it matter? They'll be in the same place"
At least, Jimin hoped so.
Draiotch shrugged. "I'm doing this only because you actually got me out of that place. People have promised me before, but no one had actually...kept the promise"
"And I broke you out only because I wanted to save my friends" Jimin monotonously countered. "And you were the fastest way we could find out the answer. So we're even, yeah?"
Draiotch laughed as if was amused. It irked Jimin, but he was too tired to do anything about it. "Yes" he agreed. "You're not quite the person you seem to be"
Jimin didn't question it.
Draiotch closed his eyes and Jimin sighed, looking around the dense forest around them. He wondered how they were going to be in hiding in a world that was so unjust and unclear to Jimin.
"Interesting" Draiotch suddenly said. His eyes were suddenly glistening again, just like before, after he'd given Jimin and answer in the form of a freedom ritual. Jimin briefly wondered why, but then he remembered that Draiotch had an answer to what he was so desperate to know. "Your friends must've done something really serious"
"Where are they?"
"The dungeons" Draiotch's tone didn't sit well with Jimin. "The dungeons right underneath the council"
Jimin didn't know how to feel about that, seeing as he knew nothing about the place. Draiotch seemed to catch up on that.
"It's highly guarded. Not by people, by magic. And it's usually where-" Draiotch looked away. "it's where prisoners are executed. Secretly. So that no one would know"
Jimin's throat closed up.
They had a place to execute prisoners secretly? So that no one would know?
Just how fucking tainted was Elyxion?
But the bigger question was, how were just two people going to breach in and save-
Jimin groaned, frustrated, clutching at his hair.
There was nothing Jimin and Erata could do. They were just two people against a whole legal system.
His heart was crying and shit. Shit. He was crying too.
His whole soul was crying. And it wasn't going to stop any time soon.
**
Hours later, after Jimin had dried up his tears, he and Draiotch had decided to start moving. They had no supplies and Jimin, rather blankly, had realized that he'd left his clothes in the supply room. He had pulled Erata up to his back- she was still unconscious but breathing evenly- and the three of them had moved to where they hoped was forward. Draiotch seemed fairly certain about the direction and Jimin decided to trust him with it. The man was more desperate than him to not be caught so he wouldn't lead them astray knowingly.
Erata wasn't exactly a light-weight, but they had to keep moving forward. At one point, they came across a spring gushing out from the ground and Jimin realized just how thirsty he was. He wished they had a bottle somewhere to fill some up for Erata but they had no possessions. Instead, he gently wetted her face with the cool liquid and did the same for himself. He wished he could shed the heavy guard uniform but they couldn't leave behind a trail leading right up to them. That wouldn't do at all.
It was nightfall by the time Erata regained her consciousness. Jimin and Draiotch had decided to rest against some trees- it was pretty secluded, what with the shrubbery and the thick tree barks. Jimin had laid the unconscious girl on the ground softly, taking off the topmost robe of his uniform off and bundling it up into a makeshift pillow and placing it under her head. Draiotch had started snoring immediately, but Jimin figured someone should stay awake to keep watch. So despite his eyes almost burning with the effort, he kept them open. Minutes later, Erata shifted and blinked blearily trying to say something but the words didn't quite make it out of her.
"You did well" Jimin soothed. "We got out thanks to you"
She gave a watery smile and promptly fell asleep again.
Jimin smiled to himself. After everything the two of them had been through in the past few hours, they were much closer than Jimin would've thought possible for a shy person like Erata.
He angled his head up to the sky peeping through the roof the leaves of the trees made.
He continued staring at the flickering stars until his neck ached, head full of worries and doubts.
**
Jimin was on the brink of exhaustion when Erata and Draiotch both woke up the next day. All of them looked weary. They hadn't eaten anything since lunch the previous day. Erata hadn't even had any water. But whatever pain they had, they needed to get away from here. Fast.
It was a small comfort that the Idina was not as harsh as the Nyx. And there seemed to be springs full of fresh water at each step to quench their thirst.
It could have been much worse.
Erata scrounged up some fruit from random trees, claiming that they were not poisonous when Jimin raised an eyebrow at her. It was not much, but it was all they had.
"Can't you open up...another portal?" Jimin hesitantly asked. Erata shuffled nervously.
"I don't know. I've never really tested my capacities"
It was then that Draiotch spoke up. "Maybe tomorrow then. Rest and gain you energy back. We won't be able to make it out without a proper map"
Erata nodded, still looking fairly uncertain. "Yeah. Tomorrow"
Jimin pursed his lips at that. Somewhere along the past days, a sibling-like affection had washed over him for Erata and he was very worried about her. But if she claimed it was okay...well Jimin wasn't going to argue. They all wanted to get out of this forest.
As he knuckled down to sleep that night- Draiotch had promised to keep a look-out- Jimin wondered when exactly did he sign up to be a wilderness survivor or a heister. He smiled tightly to himself, eyes falling shut in a split second.
Tomorrow dawned almost horribly quickly.
Erata claimed that she felt good enough to open a portal and Jimin didn't voice his concerns: All three of them were eager to get back to civilization and fill up their empty stomachs.
The hunger was almost painful by now.
Erata chanted, and a portal gradually appeared. But she looked so drained.
"It's not strong and it won't last for long" she warned before she jumped in and Jimin followed suit.
They stumbled into Erata's house, falling on the floor from exhaustion. Jimin didn't even contemplate it: he just curled up into a ball and let sleep take over him.
He was pretty sure the other two did the same anyway.
_____
Ah yes
Draiotch again hmmmm?
I realize i'm making jimin suffer a lot but oh no no it doesn't end here oh no no
*evil smirky grin*
XOXO