The auburn fur cladding the back of a small squirrel shimmered underneath the bright rays of the early morning sun. Two white teeth nipped at the edge of a nut, only to release it when it was rotated between two furry hands. The small rodent lifted it's head and chittered it's teeth together, it's fluffy ears twitched and stood straighter before twisting to the left.
In a split second, the auburn squirrel bounced away from the branch it was sitting on and jumped onto another tree. It jumped from tree to tree with only a fluffy auburn tail flashing between the gaps of the trees. The squirrel jumped into the tree next to an empty rode and grabbed onto a sturdy branch with its small claws- one hand gripping the tree and the other holding onto the ripe nut.
The squirrel leaned forward and peered over the curtain of emerald green leaves to catch a glimpse of the whirlpool of disaster in the middle of the deserted road. A large, grey bus was laying on its side, surrounded by a pool of broken glass from the shattered windows. A single wheel seemed to be still rolling around in an endless circle and the silence hung lowly over the bus, threatening to be shattered and scattered over the fallen bus at the lightest sound. Streaks of black intertwined with droplets of ruby red and danced along the pavement behind the bus until it finally reached the rear of it.
The two front teeth of the squirrel snapped together before it was turning away from the scene. It's small, fuzzy palms fumbled with the crispy brown nut, only for it to lose its grip and allow the nut to fall off the tree branch.
The nut flew through the air with the blanket of the wind swaddled around it until it crashed into the ground and rolled across the pavement. The shell of the nut split open and a large crack embedded itself in it's side as it rolled across the pavement until it stumbled upon a broken shard of glass and stopped rolling.
The anxious silence in the air was cracked just like the nut by barely audible beeps squeaking through the shattered windows of the bus, followed by a low, throaty groan.
Inside the bus, a single pale finger twitched, followed by a few more before falling limp once again. A droplet of blood slid along the edge of the steering wheel until it released its grip on it and landed on the tip of the small pinky finger. The hand stilled, and the forest around the bus seemed to hold its breath as it waited patiently for another sign of life.
A sharp gasp cut through the silence and shattered it into millions of tiny shards that joined the already broken glass windows. A head full of brown locks jerked up and two eyes cracked open to reveal the golden, honey-glazed eyes.
When the consciousness wrapped its arms around Jimin and dug its nails into his exposed skin, the first thing that greeted him, was the lungful of the crispy morning air slithering through his nostrils and filling every inch of his lungs. Jimin's chest rose with his next inhale, and breath seemed to be trapped in his lungs before he puffed it back out and allowed himself to fall back against the edge of the fallen bus.
Something sharp dug into his lower back, creating a crease between his brows and a small hiss just on the tip of his tongue. Jimin's raven lashes fluttered against his cheeks and eyes narrowed at the empty windowsill hovering over his head. His head tilted to the side and fingers twitched as another droplet of blood landed on them.
The bony fingers of pain pinched at the side of Jimin's head and made him flinch away. His trembling fingers lifted off of the throne of glass it was laying on and touched the edge of his damp locks. Jimin pulled his hand away, trying not to wince at the dull sting crawling along his skull, and peered down at the contrast between the pale skin of his fingers and the ruby red colour of his blood, "As...expected." Jimin slurred out, barely managing to move his tongue along the roof of his dry mouth.
With a heavy intake of breath and a twist of his features, Jimin reached out a trembling hand and grabbed a hold of the metals bars separating the driver side from the rest of the bus. He hooked his fingers through the holes in the bars and tugged himself up. The glass shards cracked under his sneakers and the bus creaked in protest at the sudden shift in weight.
The realisation of what had happened slowly began to seep into Jimin's skin, along with the blood dripping from his temple and tainting his clothes. He blinked at the dizziness swarming along his vision until it got wafted away with each wave of his lashes.
Jimin's knees trembled and bones cracked from the stiff movements of his injured body. He leaned against the iron bars and twisted around on his heel to take a peak at the damage done to the bus. The edge of his shoe pressed against a sharp edge of glass, only for it to slide away from the blood underneath it. Jimin's foot slipped off to the side, which was enough for him to stumble and slam into the metal gate.
A wave of pain rattled through Jimin's bones and kicked at his knees, his features pinched together and breath got stuck in the back of his throat. Jimin released a low groan before blinking his eyes open and lifting his foot away from the pool of blood. He tightened his grip on the bars behind him and straightened out, pushing away the pain to the best of his ability. Jimin swallowed down a few droplets of spit to soothe his aching throat before twisting his head to the side in order to take in everything around him.
A few papers and a single bag of chips laid beneath his feet, tangled in the mess of shattered glass and droplets of sticky blood. The bag had been already ripped open before the bus crashed, resulting in the chips flying out and sprinkling all over Jimin. He lifted his hand, wincing at the tension in his muscles, and brushed the cheese dust off of his clothes before, finally, turning his attention onto the driver of the bus.
The guy Suho was with, was laying lifelessly in the driver's seat. During the topple of the bus, the gravity had worked against him, which resulted in the glass on the driver's side to shatter as soon as it made contact with the concrete. The lack of protection from the raw concrete ended up with half of the driver's face being ripped off, allowing Jimin to get a glimpse of his tongue resting limply in his mouth, through his ripped off cheek, and the bloody eyeball leaking out of his left eye.
The scene of the dead guy didn't tickle a single nerve of guilt or disgust in Jimin, he merely blinked down at the dead body before raising an unimpressed brown and turning away.
Jimin was aware that he was out of the prison and standing waist deep in the sea of freedom. Judging by the light leaking into the bus through the empty windowsills, Jimin guessed that a few hours had passed and the sun had just began to rise. His nostrils flared as he sucked in another lungful of the morning air.
Definitely morning. Jimin thought with no emotion. He pushed off of the metal bars and ripped open the gate, he lifted his stiff legs and climbed over it with small cracks emitting from his joints.
The chubby blood coated fingers gripped onto the iron gate as he stood at the front of the bus and faced rows and rows of empty seats. Jimin tilted his head to the side and squinted his eyes, trying to peer through the seats to find Taehyung and Hoseok, but the only person he could see was Suho sprawled unconsciously over the second row of seats.
Suho looked fine to the human eye, only a dark purple bruise beginning to form on the side of his face and small glass shards embedded in the palms of his skin. His fake guard uniform had been ripped at the elbow, shallow pants lifted his chest in the air before it fell with the next exhale of breath.
Jimin pushed forward and climbed over the first seat, he ducked under the seat hovering over his head in order to not bump his already aching skull against it. Jimin was careful with his next step- mindful to not step on Suho's limp legs that were sprawled across the narrow space between the two seats.
The tip of Jimin's shoe pressed against the floor just as Suho's leg shifted towards him. He ripped his foot up and allowed it to hover in the air as he watched Suho's face scrunch up in pain. Jimin held his breath, staring down at Suho's body as if he would suddenly jerk up and grab him. The creases dancing along Suho's nose became more prominent and his fists curled before he fell limp once again and melted into the pile of broken glass underneath him.
Jimin released the breath he was holding and lowered his foot, he loosened his grip on the first seat and fully climbed over it. With both of his feet planted right between Suho's thighs, Jimin nipped at the cracked skin of his lips and reached forward to grab a hold of the next seat above his head. He pulled his body forward and lifted his other foot before raising it over the second seat- practically doing a split over Suho's body.
Jimin's nose twitched and chest sunk in as he released a stuttering breath when he felt his crotch drag across the side of the seat. His muscles flexed and grip tightened around the top seat before he pushed himself forward with a small boost from his other foot and swung over the seat.
The drums of dizziness hit him upside the head and made Jimin stumble into the next seat. Two small palms smacked against the plastic of the seat, followed by Jimin's hips brushing against it. The bus creaked in protest, followed by the cracking of glass. Jimin's head lifted just in time for him to see a large glass shard hanging off the windowsill by a thread.
The shard swayed side to side before the glass snapped off and fell towards Jimin, the brown haired assassin stumbled back on shaking feet and flinched as the glass slid past his chest and shattered across the ground, "Holy shît.." Jimin breathed out with a hallow chuckle of disbelief, twisting his head up to blink at the window above his head.
It didn't seem like there would be other glass shards that decided to release their grip on the windowsill to fall on him, but now, at least Jimin had another thing to look out for while he was trying to reach Taehyung and Hoseok.
Jimin leaned forward and continued to climb over seat after seat- new vines of determination growing along his bones until they reached his heart and helped it pump even faster. Jimin knew that he couldn't slow down and waste time on such things as mild pain when he was so close to freedom. Just like Jimin knew that by now, Yoongi was probably awake and his gang would try to track down the bus to stop them. Jimin couldn't allow himself to get caught, he wouldn't allow himself to succumb to the pain until he knew they were safe from Yoongi's poisonous claws.
Just as he was climbing over one of the middle seats, almost reaching where Taehyung and Hoseok had been sitting, Jimin heard the smallest hitch of breath, followed by the sound of glass shards skidding across the ground as if someone had kicked them.
Jimin's head flung up and wide, honeyed eyes peered over the two seats in front of him. He barely managed to catch a glimpse of something moving before a head full of dark curls lifted and slitted eyes bounced around the bus to take it in.
Shards of glass were sprinkled between the strands of Hoseok's hair like little diamonds that glimmered in the morning sun. His expression soured and dulled before his gaze settled on Jimin and he inhaled sharply, immediately allowing life to bleed into his features.
Hoseok's throat moved as he swallowed the words stuck in his throat before parting his lips and pushing them out, "We're out of the prison, I'm guessing." A slight scratchiness was ripping his words apart with their sharp nails.
The voice of someone else seemed to be the exact thing that made Jimin's shoulders drop in relief and a small smirk curl around his lips. He fell against the seat in front of him and allowed his chin to touch his chest as he chuckled with a shake of his head, "Yes...." His words were cut off by a small giggle before Jimin lifted his head and tilted his head to the side, peering at Hoseok with glimmers of deviousness, "Yes, we are." He finally breathed out, tightening his grip on the seat and climbing over it to reach Hoseok.
Hoseok's caramel hair swayed against his forehead as he nodded before twisting around with a small wince. Jimin watched him sit on his knees and turn to something next to him. Jimin climbed over another seat and peered around the last one that separated him and Hoseok, only to finally catch the glimpse of Hoseok scooping Taehyung's limp body into his trembling arms.
Taehyung's overgrown platinum locks were tainted with a touch of blood, that dripped down from the cut on his cheekbone. His eyelids were glued together with crust around the edges and lips were parted to allow Jimin to catch a glimpse of his white teeth. Taehyung's nose barely twitched as he was lifted into Hoseok's arms before he melted against his chest.
"Why isn't he waking up?" Jimin breathed into the silence between them, eyeing Taehyung's still form in concern. He hoped that Taehyung didn't suffer from internal bleeding or head trauma, or any other serious injury that wouldn't be treated as soon as they should, which could lead to some permanent damage.
Hoseok bit his lip and ran his hands over Taehyung's limbs to check if he could feel any injuries, "I think he's just unconscious from the drugs, Yoongi injected me a couple of hours earlier than him." Hoseok grumbled, wrapping his fingers around Taehyung before glancing at Jimin over his shoulder, "I think that..." Hoseok's voice became quieter at the end before completely cutting off mid-sentence as his eyes flickered to something behind Jimin.
The small shift in Hoseok's irises, caused Jimin to tense and straighten out. He knew someone was behind him, and judging by Hoseok's eyes, they were close enough to do damage, yet far enough to prevent him from retaliating. The only other person in the bus was Suho, so it was quite obvious that the male had awoken from his slumber and joined them at the worst time possible.
"Suho."
The murmur of his name, confirmed to Jimin that Suho was indeed behind him. Jimin didn't know if he should be relieved by it since Hoseok made sure that Jimin knew, instead of turning away and acting like nothing was happening, or burdened since someone was looming behi-
Something cold and metallic nudged the back of Jimin's throat, creating a tilt in Jimin's lips and a bubbly giggle on the tip of his tongue. Jimin shifted on his feet, only for the gun to dig into his skin harsher than before, "Don't turn around, face them." The low rumble of Suho's voice slithered through Jimin's ears and scratched at his eardrums. His eyes flickered up to Hoseok, who stared back at him with thin lips.
Hoseok's eyes slowly dragged along Jimin's body before he looked back into his eyes and offered him a confident nod of reassurance. Jimin was tempted to breathe out in relief from not being alone in this situation, but he knew better than to trust someone blindly. Jimin still wasn't sure what Hoseok's intentions were or why he was so adamant on helping him, but if he offered to help, who was Jimin to deny him of that?
Glass cracked and turned into dust as Suho readjusted his feet and peered around Jimin's shoulder. And as soon as his gaze intertwined with the one of Hoseok's, the steel in his features melted away, "Hoseok." Suho almost seemed to breathe out in relief as if the sight of the sunshine was like a cold, wet cloth placed on a burn on his body.
Hoseok was careful as he laid Taehyung back on the ground without looking away from Suho before reachering out and stumbling up to his feet with the help of the seat in front of him. He raised his hands in surrender and eyed Suho carefully, "How are you, Suho?"
"Everyone misses you." Suho shot back as soon as the question slipped along Hoseok's tongue. The grip on his gun loosened and the weapon got lowered a tiny inch, yet Suho's shoulders still remained stiff and posture defensive, "Did you choose to come back?" Suho's voice lowered at the end and even gained a tint of happiness at the thought of Hoseok rejoining the gang.
Hoseok's gaze bounced over to Jimin and narrowed as he watched Jimin suck in his cheeks and inch his hand towards his pocket in order to try and find something to use as a weapon. Hoseok shook his head, which was directed to both Suho and Jimin, "Listen..." Hoseok began, looking away from the Kitty gangster, "I'm not coming back, it took me a long time to realise this, but I don't belong there."
Suho's lips parted and gun lowered even more, he took a step forward and got ready to protest, but Hoseok held up his hand and shook his head at him, "Let me say what I want to say." Suho's lips reluctantly smacked shut and he seemed to chew on his unspoken words, yet he still stayed quiet and watched Hoseok with rapt attention.
"I'm grateful that you all accepted me and took me in as one of your own, selfish or not, I am even happier that my disappearance didn't go unnoticed and that you've missed me because I...I missed you too." Hoseok murmured with a ghost of a smile hovering along the seam of his lips, "When I was in the prison, I couldn't wait to get out of there and see all of you again. But I came to realise that I don't....I don't belong with you. The only reason why I was in your lives was because of Yoongi, and well, Yoongi has his own problems that he has to deal with before he drags someone else into his life."
Hoseok's eyes slithered towards Jimin as he uttered the last sentence, which made Jimin's lip curl into a sneer and eyes narrowed into a deadly glare. Hoseok didn't react to the murderous look on Jimin's face because he could see his bleeding heart through the slits in Jimin's hostile facade.
"I was happy while it lasted, not only with Yoongi, but with all of you. I'm happy that I had the chance to meet you." Hoseok turned his attention back on Suho, who had grown incredibly still and quiet, and dropped his hands to his sides, "But nothing lasts forever and I want to move on...." Hoseok twisted his head around and peered down at Taehyung, "With someone that's not Yoongi."
Jimin's heart pumped against his chest, his fingers curled into fists before uncurling and tugging at the edge of his shirt. His honeycomb eyes lifted and focused on Hoseok, he took in the lean male in front of him and wondered if Yoongi had loved him. Jimin wasn't stupid, obviously there had been something going on between Yoongi and Hoseok, he just wondered if Yoongi was capable of love and if he was, could he ever be able to fall in love with Jimin?
Suho exhaled sharply, turning his gaze away and chewing on the inside of his cheek, "You know I need to call and tell Yoongi, right?" He murmured, lowering his gun completely, all while eying the back of Jimin's head.
As soon as the gun was lowered, Jimin whirled around and reeled back his fist, only for Hoseok to pounce forward and grab his wrist before he could slam his knuckles into Suho's jaw. Jimin stumbled into the seat behind him with a yelp and snapped his head towards Hoseok, who shook his head in return and tightened his hold on Jimin's wrist.
Jimin's eyes narrowed and small fingers curled into fists, the skin under Hoseok's palm shifted with the curl of Jimin's fist before the hand was ripped out of his hold, "Whatever you're gonna say about sparing him because you know him, save it, it's smarter to kill him now and buy us as much time as possible without risking Yoongi being alerted of our location." Jimin leaned over the seat and hissed into Hoseok's ear, all while glaring at Suho through a curtain of dark lashes.
An understanding hum vibrated through Hoseok's chest, followed by Hoseok leaning down and whispering back to Jimin in a calm, soft tone, "You're right, killing him may give us more time to run from Yoongi." The creases on Jimin's forehead smoothened out with the gentle caress of Hoseok's words, his eyes snapped over to Hoseok in surprise at the fact that he had agreed with him, instead of fighting him.
A small smirk curved at Jimin's cracked lips and his hand reached out to pluck a broken shard of glass from the ground, "I'm glad we're on the same pa-"
"But-"
"Of course there's a goddamn 'but', what else did I expect?" Jimin's hand dropped back to his side and honeycomb eyes rolled around in a circle before pausing at Hoseok and waiting for him to elaborate.
"-You're injured, Jimin, and so is Taehyung, actually, all of us are injured. One of us will have to carry Taehyung since he's unconscious and both of us have difficulties to walk on our own." Hoseok explained in a hushed whisper, leaning against the seat between him and Jimin with his hips.
The glint in Hoseok's eyes wasn't judgmental or hostile, nor did his voice drip with traces of a command, Hoseok was keeping his voice neutral as if he was happy to allow Jimin to make the choice himself and deal with the consequences too, "Fighting Suho could end with you gaining even more injuries, and I definitely won't be able to carry two injured people, while being injured myself. The choice is yours, Jimin, but keep in mind that what you choose, won't affect only you." Hoseok murmured, flicking his eyes towards Suho, who's lips lifted as soon as his eyes met Hoseok's.
Jimin gritted his teeth and exhaled sharply before grabbing onto the seat between him and Hoseok and swinging himself over it, "Fine, he lives." Jimin spat in distaste, eyeing Suho with a glower before twisting the look on Hoseok, "Asshole." Jimin huffed out, brushing past him to approach Taehyung.
Hoseok huffed out a chuckle, "Guess we have something in common." Before Jimin could peel open his lips and spit an insult back at him, Hoseok was turning away to face Suho, "I know you need to inform Yoongi, I'm not stopping you from doing that. All I'm asking is for you to 'wake up' an hour later and then contact Yoongi." Hoseok suggested slyly with a sugary grin pressing against his lips- clearly implying that Suho should turn away and act like he had woken up only when they were long gone.
"Hoseok-" Suho began with a deep sigh, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the seat behind him.
"I'm not asking for much, just shift the truth a tiny bit." Hoseok cut him off before Suho could shoot down his request, he watched Suho's gaze lower to the radio strapped to his fake uniform and his jaw clench, "And we both know that if Yoongi really wanted us to not escape, we'd already be at Cypher's headquarters."
A veil of thoughts fell over Suho's gaze as he pondered over Hoseok's words and glared down at his radio. Jimin chose this as his chance to crouch down next to Taehyung and brush his blond locks away from his forehead, he bent down and pressed his lips against the sweaty skin of Taehyung's forehead.
"Me and your future baby daddy will get you out of here, pup." Jimin's lips wrapped around each word that he breathed out against Taehyung's clammy skin. The tips of his fingers brushed along the chub of Tae's cheeks and dipped in the traces of crusted blood trailing along the side of his face. Jimin straightened out and looked back up at Hoseok just as Suho spoke up,
"Get out of here." Hoseok's and Jimin's eyes snapped towards him-both males seeming to still at the words they were hearing.
Despite Hoseok suggesting to bargain with the member of cypher, he never actually consider the possibility that Suho cared about him enough to go against Yoongi and not inform him of their location. Perhaps Suho only pretended to agree to their plan in order to get them to let their guard down, while he contacts the rest of the gang and calls them over, but Hoseok wouldn't let this opportunity to save the life of someone he still cared about as a friend, slip between his fingers.
"I'll be 'waking up' in an hour and then I'll call Yoongi. It doesn't matter if you'll be only a few metres away from the bus, or if you'll be in the next city, I will call him." Suho hissed at them, allowing a wall of ice to crash down on his face as he sent both men a long, hard stare that resembled more of a silent warning than a hostile threat.
The brows on Jimin's face lifted to greet his hairline under his unruly brown locks. He watched Suho turn away from them and climb over the car seats to the front of the bus, "That was...easy." He breathed out, eyeing the man suspiciously- thinking that he'd contact Yoongi as soon as he was out of their view.
"Great, now you've called it." Hoseok raised his hand and rubbed his fingers along the slope of his nose, his eyes followed after Suho before his lips cracked open and he called after the man, "Suho!" The said man paused on top of one of the front seats and twisted around to face Hoseok, "Thank you, I really appreciate it, and I hope that we'll see each other again." Hoseok offered him a genuine, heart shaped smile, that managed to curl Suho's lips upward before the man was turning away.
"Are you finally done with the deep, emotional reunion in the middle of a crashed bus?" Jimin spat in annoyance, still resting his palm on Taehyung's shoulder as he stared up at Hoseok and watched the warmth in his smile seep out and turn plastic.
"Speak any louder and he might change his mind." Hoseok grumbled through the plastic smile, not looking away from Suho as he stepped over to Jimin and pointed at the window above them, "You go first, then I'll lift Taehyung and then you help me up."
Brown locks slid apart and revealed Jimin's forehead as he tilted his head back and blinked up at the window above them. The glass had almost completely shattered, leaving only small shards still clinging onto the window-frame. The blueberry sky smiled back at Jimin, followed by the flirtatious wave of a stray, white cloud floating past the window. Jimin stared at the sky and allowed the sun to run its fingertips along his nose and tap at his plump lips.
"Okay," Jimin breathed out, inhaling the traces of fresh air swirling through the window and past his nostrils. He allowed his head to drop forward and eyes to meet Hoseok's before he stepped closer to the man with a small nod, "Okay, I'll go first."
≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪
When Jimin was recruited by the Kitty gang, the gates of the world that had been previously locked, broke in that moment- allowing him to enjoy the twisted wonders of the world. Drugs, sex, street racing, travelling, Jimin has done it all. He allowed it to poison his blood and taint his mind so much that he forgot about the simple things that used to bring him joy.
Perhaps his own arrogance may be what had led him into the claws of Min Yoongi, or perhaps it was the ignorance of how the world truly worked from being sheltered by Jessi's rules.
But in that moment, as Jimin was stumbling through the woods with Hoseok a step behind him, Jimin wished he had paid more attention to the whispers of the wind and gossip of the birds, the small bugs zipping past him and even the occasional sound of an animal calling out somewhere in the distance. Because these sounds, were the exact thing that reminded him that he was free.
Jimin didn't want to lie to himself about the entire Yoongi ordeal being in the past, but the lack of prison bars around him, created a dangerous illusion that he had escaped the pale gang leader. Jimin couldn't stop himself from inhaling the moist air clinging to the emerald green leaves, and imagine that he would never stumble upon Yoongi again.
But with freedom came another price.
Jimin's mind relaxed, and the thoughts of running before Yoongi could capture them again, seemed to be pushed down by the burning presence of Hoseok trailing behind him. Jimin couldn't stop the questions from carving into the walls of his mind and tugging at his hair to make him glance over his shoulder at Hoseok.
The lean male seemed to be just as deep in thought as he was, yet Hoseok still held onto some type of awareness by hoisting Taehyung further up his back and sometimes stomping his foot too hard into the ground.
"Why are you here really, Hoseok?"
Even Jimin seemed to startle at the sudden question that escaped the safety of his own mouth. He tried to mask his emotions by squinting his eyes and pursuing his lips as if he wanted to ask the sudden question at the worst time possible.
Hoseok looked up from the moist grass under his boots and blinked back at Jimin with a raised eyebrow. Jimin sucked in his cheeks and turned away, choosing to glare at the forest in front of them as he elaborated on what he meant, "Do you really expect me to believe that you fell for Taehyung in the span of two weeks? Don't hide behind the bullshit that you love Taehyung more than someone you've....known longer." Jimin's feet came to a halt and he whirled around to face Hoseok- the wolffish snarl dancing dangerously along the cracks of his lips, "Why are you here, Hoseok, I won't ask again."
Hoseok stopped walking as soon as Jimin did and tightened his grip on Taehyung's thighs. The unconscious Kitty gangster flopped against his shoulder and allowed his limp arms to brush against Hoseok's chest.
"You're right, Jimin, I didn't fall in love with Taehyung. That's impossible considering the short period of time we've known each other. I do, however, have feelings for him, maybe it's not love, but it's still something. But...before you attack me and try to murder me, let me ask you something." Hoseok released his grip on Taehyung's thigh, allowing it to fall limply by his side and make him stumble to the right. Hoseok clenched his jaw and raised his hand towards Jimin to stop the angry kitten from unleashing his claws and scratching his eyes out, "Are you asking me this because you don't trust me, or are you asking me this because you want to know if I still love Yoongi?"
Jimin flinched back as if he had been backhanded by the caramel haired man. He took a step away and smacked his parted lips shut before huffing out the words lodged in his throat, "I'm asking for Taehyung, don't act like you know me."
Hoseok's eyebrow quirked and he dropped his hand back down to pick up Taehyung's limp thigh, "I have dealt with a lot of people like you before, one of which we're currently running from. So ask your questions before we get caught because of your pride to admit that you want answers."
The small shift in Jimin's jaw was the first thing that captured Hoseok's attention, then it was Jimin's nose scrunching up, followed by his lips jutting out and body straightening. Jimin shifted his weight from foot to foot, glaring back at Hoseok with unconcealed anger until he finally snapped with a small hiss of breath.
"Did he love you?"
The forest seemed to still and hold its breath at the heavy question hovering in the air between the two males. Hoseok's face shifted ever so slightly at the question and eyes became hazy, while Jimin huffed at himself and rolled his eyes- trying to mask the vulnerability of the question behind a curtain of anger.
"He did."
The forest exhaled sharply at the answer and continued to watch the men carefully. The wind leaned forward on the branches of the trees, making them shift around and sprinkle a few emerald leaves over their heads. Jimin had stilled as soon as he received his much awaited answer and allowed his eyes to fall on one of the fallen leaves. Emotions that he could no longer deny or push away, came barging into his heart and squeezing it almost painfully.
"How do you know?" Jimin pushed out, barely caressing the roof of his mouth with his tongue. He lifted his eyes and tilted his head to the side, allowing curiosity to seep past the jumble of emotions rocking through him and bleed into his features, "How do you know that he loved you?" Jimin's face almost seemed to sour at the small, nostalgic smile that danced along Hoseok's lips.
"Because I loved him back." The words escaped Hoseok's cherry lips in the form of a breeze-like whisper, as if remembering the pale gang leader didn't bring Hoseok pain, but rather fond memories that he held dear to his heart.
Jimin's brows knitted together and hands lifted to cross over his chest. The wind dragged its cold finger down his exposed arms and rose goosebumps along his skin, yet Jimin chose to ignore the small shiver nipping at his spine and threw the next question at Hoseok, "If you loved each other, why did you break up?"
The smile on Hoseok's face crumbled just like the shattered windows of the bus. He almost seemed to sober up at the question and stand straighter like he had been ripped out of a daydream by the grip of reality, "Look, Jimin, things...they weren't easy, okay?" Hoseok sighed, letting a drip of bitterness finally leak into his words, "Yoongi isn't a monster, he's capable of love. But just because he's able to love people, doesn't mean that that love is healthy."
"Yoongi has his problems, a lot of them, and I don't think having a lover will make him change the unhealthy mindset he's stuck in. He needs time to heal, and the only person that can help him do that, is himself."
Air rushed through Jimin's nostrils and brushed against his upper lip, he offered Hoseok a sharp nod as an answer and turned away, choosing to continue walking instead. His mind began to sink into the ocean of what ifs, which led to Jimin wondering if Yoongi, or anyone, could ever love him. Maybe love was a stupid thing to reach for, but now that Taehyung seemed to hold it in his palms, Jimin allowed himself to dream too. Maybe it's finally time for Jimin to seek for something more than just the next mission to go on.
"Jimin." Hoseok sighed, moving his legs faster and hoisting Taehyung higher on his back when he began to slip back down. He only slowed when he was walking step in step with the short mochi, "I think that Yoongi would've loved you if the circumstances were different, maybe even more than anyone he's ever loved before."
Jimin's head swung into Hoseok's direction and lips pursued, "You don't have to tell me lies to make me feel better, Hoseok. I don't love Yoongi either, nor do I ever plan to entertain the idea that we could ever be something more than two people that lust over each other." Jimin spat harshly, not daring to look away from Hoseok's eyes even for a split second. He wanted to make sure that Hoseok knew that every word he said, was walking hand in hand with honesty.
Jimin's piercing stare cut through Hoseok's much calmer eyes before the Kitty gangster turned away to glance down at Taehyung's face pressed against Hoseok's shoulder. Jimin sighed and lifted his hand to tug at a loose strand of brown hair.
"I could never love Yoongi or be with him, not after everything he's done to me. Our relationship was based on lies and deceit, he manipulated me and used me, he threatened my family without any remorse. Even if I admitted that I may have began to develop feelings for him, those were crushed as soon as I found out who he really is." Jimin stopped walking and extended his hand in front of Hoseok to make him stop walking too, "And now all that I feel for him, is just leftover crumbs of a meal that had been thrown into trash."
Hoseok blinked and ran his finger over each word Jimin said. He processed them and parted his lips, only for Jimin to cut him off before he could get a single sentence in, "Give me Taehyung, it's my turn to carry him." Jimin extended his arms towards Taehyung and tapped his foot against the ground impatiently.
Hoseok snorted and shook his head, completely dismissing Jimin's extended arms as he brushed past him and continued to walk into the direction they were originally walking in. Even after travelling for what seemed like hours, the forest seemed endless and all they could see was the green cover of the trees and the blueberry jam of the sky.
Jimin scoffed at Hoseok's back and glanced down at a fallen pine cone. He reeled his foot back and kicked the pinecone across the forest floor until it slammed into a tree. Jimin's eyes lingered on the pinecone before he pivoted on his heel and dashed after Hoseok.
"You didn't tell me why you two broke up and if you still love each other." Jimin began once his sneakers skidded to a halt next to Hoseok and they continued to walk in sync. He grabbed the hem of his shirt and lifted it up to his face to wipe away the sweat on his forehead.
Once Jimin dropped the shirt, he looked up at Hoseok in time to catch him rolling his eyes, "I don't know about Yoongi but I still love him. Not in the way lovers do, but I do care about him to a certain extent." Hoseok shrugged his shoulder, not bother to look at Jimin as he lifted his lips into a small smile and allowed some lightness to flock around his voice, "Does that answer your question, Jimin?"
"Fuck no. Are you always so cryptic, can't you just say yes or no? Do you have to go on a long ass rant? If I would've known these are the answers I'd be getting, I'd talk to Taehyung instead." Jimin huffed back at him, kicking away another pinecone and raising his hand to run it through the sweaty strands of his brown hair. Jimin knew that there still had to be some spots of brown dye smeared along his neck or hairline, but fortunately it was covered by the overgrown strands.
A deep laugh bubbled in Hoseok's throat and bounced past his lips, his face scrunched up into a beaming smile before he turned to look at Jimin and gifted him the genuine fondness looming behind his dark irises, "I think I'm starting to like you, Jimin." Hoseok pushed out before releasing another chuckle.
Honeycomb eyes dragged up and down Hoseok's body and inspected him as if he had something wrong with him. Once seeing that the slight limp was the only flaw, Jimin looked away and glared at the bushes ahead of them. It seemed as though they had reached a wall of shrubs that they will need to push out of the way before they could reach the other side.
A ghost of a smirk glossed over Jimin's lips and his eyes sparkled in mischief as he glanced between the wall of shrubs blocking their way and Hoseok, "Right now, I like you just as much as those bushes." Jimin snickered, raising his hand and pointing it at the bushes just as they stopped in front of them.
Hoseok merely hummed and tightened his grip around Taehyung's thighs, only for the tan arms against his chest to shift and tighten around his neck. Hoseok's brows rose and head twisted to the side to eye Taehyung carefully.
Jimin huffed at the lack of answer and jutted his lips out in a pout, "I don't like that wall of bushes." He elaborated further, hoping that Hoseok's lack of understanding towards his insult was the only reason he didn't retaliate.
"I know, Jimin." Hoseok looked up at him and parted his lips into a disgustingly sweet smile that made Jimin's face scrunched up as if he had eaten a dice of lime.
"You could've just told me that you didn't like me, you know. I thought you hated cryptic talks."
"I thought I made my dislike towards you known by the constant glares I sent you." Jimin twisted around on his heel and planted his hands on the swell of his hips, "Perhaps you want me to rip out your eyes since you're clearly not using them?" He tilted his head to the side, blinking up at Hoseok innocently.
Hoseok snorted and allowed a smirk to engulf his lips in a tight embrace, "Would you like me to bring you a stool so that you could reach my eyes?"
Jimin's smile crumbled into a pile of dust that got swept away by the caress of the wind. He straightened out and smacked his parted lips shut before raising his hand and shoving his stubby finger into Hoseok's face, "Bring it, and ill use the legs to stab each of your limbs and leave you here for Yoongi to f-"
"Can you both just shut the fuck up already!"
Jimin's lips smacked shut and eyes widened in size, he froze and stared at Taehyung as he lifted his head and blinked sluggishly at both of them. Taehyung's eyes were puffy with sleep and dry drool crusted around the edge of his mouth, his lips parted in a small yawn and fluffy blond hair twirled along the wind. Taehyung unhooked one hand from an eerily still Hoseok and stretched it above his head before dropping back against his back and pressing his forehead against Hoseok's shoulder.
"He..." Jimin's eyes bounced back over to Hoseok, who's mouth hung open and eyes were burning into the side of Taehyung's head. The honey coating Hoseok's skin had been swept away along with the blood on his face, leaving behind pale skin that made it seem as if Hoseok had seen something horrific and traumatising.
The giggle hanging on the tip of Jimin's tongue released it's hold on the organ and stumbled past his plump lips. He sunk his teeth into his lower lip and pranced towards the couple, stopping next to them and reaching out to pat Taehyung's fluffy locks, "Don't get a sudden boner in the middle of a prison escape, Hoseok-ssi."Jimin taunted with a devilish grin, earning himself a weak slap of the back of Taehyung's palm against his face.
Hoseok straightened out at Jimin's words with a wince, turning away to hide the red dust sprinkled across his cheeks, "Shut up." He grumbled in response to Jimin, receiving a middle finger in return, before glancing down at Taehyung, "How are you feeling?" Hoseok lowered his voice until it was merely a whisper that kissed the shell of Taehyung's ear.
Taehyung lifted his head and revealed his pale skin, his eyes were droopy and hazy as he twisted his neck around to eye the forest they were in. Both of the ex-prisoners watched Taehyung take in their surroundings with sudden alarm and confusion, the panic spread until Taehyung unwrapped himself from Hoseok and stumbled onto his trembling legs.
Jimin instinctively stepped towards the alarmed kitten- the taunting smirk long gone and replaced by a comforting tilt of his lips, "Tae, it's okay. Hoseok and I will explain everything, but you need to breathe and tell us if anything hurts."
Hoseok nodded along with Taehyung, almost seeming to hunch into himself to appear smaller as he addressed Taehyung, "You need to breathe, alright? And then we'll answer any questions you have." He murmured calmly- voice tangling together with the chirps of birds from a nearby nest, that's hidden deep in the foliage of the trees.
Taehyung's lashes fluttered against his cheeks as he squeezed his eyes shut and sucked in a deep breath. His cheeks puffed out, along with his chest, and the colour seemed to leak back into his tan skin. Jimin and Hoseok began to relax and looked at each other with small nods, only for Taehyung to suddenly hunch over and vomit all over the ground.
"Shit!" Jimin hissed, scrambling over to Taehyung and grabbing him by his biceps before he could face-plant into the ground he had just puked on.
Hoseok followed soon after, rushing next to Taehyung's and allowing his hands to hover over Taehyung's back. The latter swayed on his feet, blinking for a bit too long for it to be normal before opening his mouth to release another mouthful of cream coloured vomit.
That's when Hoseok said fuck it and placed one hand on Taehyung's back to rub soothing circles, while the other wrapped around his waist to hold him up and prevent him from falling.
"Is this normal? You didn't have these symptoms." Jimin grumbled in a hushed whisper, addressing Hoseok, yet not lifting his eyes off of Taehyung. The puppy finally stopped puking and straightened out with a wince, he tried to look at Jimin and Hoseok, only for his trembling knees to buckle underneath him.
Hoseok and Jimin lunged forward- both gripping and holding onto Taehyung from each side, causing him to lean into them with a weak hiss of pain. Hoseok swallowed the lump in his throat and shook his head at Jimin, "I don't think he should have this reaction, we need to take him to a doctor. Perhaps the dosage they gave him was too much, that would explain why he slept for so long." Hoseok wondered out loud.
Jimin bit at his lip and ran his thumb along Taehyung's ribs. He tried to look past the panic swarming his mind in order to think of a plan that could save Taehyung. He briefly skimmed over each folder of information neatly tucked in the boxes littering his brain before his finger paused at a single file of information.
Jimin pulled it out and inhaled it's contents, his eyes snapped open and connected with Hoseok's as he peeled apart his lips and breathed out, "I know what to do, but you'll have to listen to me carefully." Hoseok nodded numbly, stumbling back when Jimin released his hold on Taehyung and allowed his full weight to lean on Hoseok, "Do you have a pen?"
"Why would I-"
"Do you have a pen, Hoseok, or anything to write with?" Jimin cut him off with an urgent huff, impatiently tapping his foot against the grass and staring back at Hoseok with expectant eyes.
A small crease formed between Hoseok's brows, he readjusted his grip on Taehyung and pulled him into himself, allowing the younger to grip onto him and shiver against his chest, "No." he finally pushed out, watching Jimin with confusion.
Jimin exhaled sharply in annoyance, "Fine, then memorising it is." He grumbled under his breath- the whisper barely audible to Hoseok's strained ears. Jimin perked up and straightened out his spine, he gazed back at Hoseok with stern seriousness, "Alright, listen to me carefully. My friend Jin joined the Kitty gang years ago, he always seemed to clash with our leader and occasionally disappeared. Everyone wondered where he was going, but eventually, they dismissed him as harmless to the gang and allowed him to go wherever he wanted."
"But in reality, underestimating Jin was incredibly stupid and irresponsible of them because Jin was smart. He didn't believe in the rules our leader forced on us and found a way around them." Jimin puffed out his breath and tangled his fingers into his hair, he began to pace around while telling Hoseok this useful information, "Jin didn't tell me everything, but one thing he made me always remember, is that if something goes wrong and there's nowhere else to go, I should go to Euljiro and look for the dumpling shop and tea shop. Between these two shops, there's gonna be an alleyway, you have to go in there and look for a spray-painted crescent moon with an m in the middle."
Jimin stomped over to the wall of bushes, and grabbed a handful of the sticks and leaves. The sharp edges of the branches dug into his palms and left tiny marks, Jimin ignored the stinging sensation and began to rip the bushes apart. With each leaf that fell to the ground and each stick that slit Jimin's palms apart, Jimin's mind began to wrap around the worst part of his plan.
There was a reason he had to make sure Hoseok knew where to go for help, yet Jimin himself didn't want to face it yet due to the fear of reality crashing down on him and squishing him completely. No matter how hard Jimin tried to hide it, no matter how hard he tried to push it down, Jimin was terrified. He was so petrified that he didn't know what to do except make sure that they broke through this wall and got to any type of civilisation as soon as possible. And when Taehyung and Hoseok are on their way, Jimin will finally be able to allow the reality to squish him like a grape.
Before Jimin could grab another handful of leaves, two hands gently grabbed him from behind and lifted him off the ground. Jimin yelped and immediately began to struggle in response before he noticed Taehyung leaning against the bottom of a nearby tree with Hoseok nowhere in sight.
"Let me go." Jimin spat once he stopped struggling and just went limp in Hoseok's arms. The grip around him loosened and lowered him to the ground until his shoes touched the moist soil. Jimin pushed his burning palms against Hoseok's wrists and shoved him off.
Hoseok's breath fanned against the back of his neck before the ex-prisoner grabbed him by his shoulders and spun him around. The once calm look on Hoseok's face was replaced my something akin to a whirlpool of realisation, denial and guilt.
Jimin sighed at the look on Hoseok's face, he took a step back and allowed Hoseok's fingers to slip away from his shoulder, "Yoongi...." Jimin's shoulders dropped in defeat and he peered back at a pale, trembling Taehyung who barely managed to keep his eyes open in order to watch them both, "Yoongi inserted a tracker in me, we're probably already being tracked down so we need to separate as soon as possible."
The look of denial was shattered by the heavy weight of realisation, Hoseok exhaled sharply and chewed on the inside of his cheeks. His head lowered in shame as if he had been the one to insert the tracker into Jimin.
"Jin told me the people there can be trusted, that they have no ties to any gangs, but they owe him a favour and they care about him, so they won't turn you away if you tell them that you're with Kim Seokjin." Jimin pronounced each syllable of the name slowly and carefully, making sure that Hoseok got it. Once he received a small nod, Jimin nodded in response and sidestepped Hoseok to walk back over to the brushes.
Hoseok chewed on the skin on the edge of his lip and rolled his shoulders around to rid of the tension in them, "When I find the symbol...." He began hesitantly, not bothering to hide his awkwardness as he faced Jimin's back and watched him grab the, now, thinner foliage and begin tugging on what seemed to be the last part that separated them from the other side of the bush wall, "...What should I do then?" He finished, choosing to walk over to Jimin and grab the leaves too to help Jimin rip them away.
A bead of sweat trickled along the length of Jimin's neck and soaked into the collar of his shirt, his stubby fingers tightened around the leaves and the cuts in his palms left behind traces of scarlet red blood, "Jin said that you have to make sure to emphasise that you're there for them and not some random drunk that stumbled into the alleyway. You probably have to tap the symbol or just rub your hand on it and do that until they come to you."
"What if they don't come?" Joseph raised an eyebrow, readjusting his feet in the mud and tugging in sync with Jimin.
The mochi pursued his lips at the thought before shaking his head to rid of the possibility, "They'll come, just don't take him to a hospital or you'll both be put into the prison again."
Hoseok nodded wordlessly and continued to tug, but the next time his muscles clenched and he pulled at the leaves, he stumbled back as the bushes snapped apart and revealed a hole in the thick wall. The opening was small but it was big enough for both of them to peer through it and reveal the sight of a gas station on the other side of an empty road.
Not a single car was driving past and the gas station itself seemed to be empty, except for a single car that belonged to the store clerk. Jimin and Hoseok perked up at the sight and snapped their heads towards each other. Jimin was tempted to smile at him at their success, but instead chose to pursue his lips and roll his eyes at the smile on Hoseok's face.
"Thank god, I thought I would die if I spent another second in your annoying presence." Jimin murmured- words dripping with the venom of annoyance. He brushed past Hoseok and ran over to Taehyung, once he crouched down next to the Kitty gangster, Taehyung's eyes peeled open and he sent Jimin a weak smile.
Hoseok joined them both just as Jimin's lips were lifted by a string up fondness and he returned Taehyung's smile, "How do you know Jin can be trusted?" Hoseok asked Jimin, while reaching down and scooping Taehyung into his arms. Taehyung managed to blink up at him at the sudden movement before he puffed out a breath, and leaned his head against Hoseok's chest and slid his arms around his neck.
Jimin eyed them both with squinted eyes and thin lips, only to keep his lips shut about it and answer Hoseok's question instead, "Taehyung may be my soulmate and I love him more than anything, but if there's one person I had to choose to trust and depend on completely, it would be Jin." Jimin stated confidently, portraying the raw trust he had for Jin through the way he uttered the words- firmly and without a hint of hesitation.
"Does that answer your question, Hoseok?" Jimin taunted with a growing smirk, remembering how Hoseok had answers to his own question.
Hoseok's eyes narrowed in response and lips parted before smacking shut a second later. He sighed and began to walk over to the slit in the bush wall, all while readjusting Taehyung in his arms and ignoring Jimin's teasing giggles behind him.
Maybe this way, Jimin can forget that an hour later Hoseok and Taehyung will be on their way, while he'll be left alone for Yoongi to find and devour.