┊ ˚➶ ｡˚𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓜𝓪𝓭𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓣𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓞𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓜𝓮 ˚｡➶˚┊

Y/n had never been in so much pain.

Not only from the pain of losing Hoseok, Tana, and Aisha, but also from the physical pain her leg was giving her. She grunted, holding onto Park as he approached the light at the end of the tunnel. She bit on her lower lip until she tasted her own bodily fluids, begging it would be over soon.

"We're almost there," Park whispered, kissing the top of her head.

She hadn't processed the fact that his name was Jimin. In her mind, she saw a mixture of Park and Jimin. He asked her to call him Jimin, but she knew it'd take time to adjust. She spent more than half a year calling him Park. It'd be impossible to make the change that quickly. For his sake, she tried, but her mind was a little occupied at the moment.

"Talk to me, Y/n," he said as the light brushed by her skin. "Tell me you're still with me."

"I am. I'm right here."

His shoulders seemed to ease as he brought her to the forest. Her vision was fading in and out, so she didn't see where the train was. She didn't see where Jaime and Jungkook were either.

The forest surrounded her as Park carried her to their rides. He helped her get on the back of Shadow. As soon as she was settled in, she glanced over and saw Jungkook riding a Leeka with a scarlet coat and glistening amber eyes. She didn't see Jaime.

"Blood loss," Jungkook explained, Y/n hanging her head.

Jimin huffed and checked the bags attached to the sides of Shadow's saddle. Jungkook's Leeka had the same brown bags, all four of which were filled with gold.

"We didn't have enough space for all of it. I put it in three Leekas thinking Jaime would make it," Jungkook said, Park shaking it off.

"Which one? I'll tie her to Shadow."

Y/n zoned out as Jungkook and Jimin spoke. They went over the escape plan. Jungkook scolded Jimin for rushing back into the bunker with no notice, but by the end, Jungkook embraced him for saving Y/n. She didn't bother with speaking. Her mind stayed on Hoseok's eyes. The eyes that had a spark of hope for the first time in years.

"Y/n," Jimin said, bringing her out of her daze. "I'm gonna need you to talk to me during the ride, okay? I need to make sure the tourniquet is working and you're not going to pass out from blood loss. Can you do that for me?"

She nodded, him raising a brow. "Sorry. Yeah. I can do that."

He hopped on Shadow, Jungkook leading the way back home. She didn't notice there was another Leeka tied to Shadow. She didn't care. Her mind and body were crushed. Squished, almost. They were a foreign entity waiting to break free from the cage known as herself. She wondered if she'd ever get that freedom.

It had been five minutes since they started their ride. Since they were far from home, she expected Jimin wouldn't ask her questions very often. He ended up asking every minute.

"If I gave you Shadow for a day, what would you do?" he asked, although it was hard to hear over the wind that slapped her ears. They were going at top speed as to get to the town as fast as possible.

"Give her something other than alcohol," she muttered, clinging onto his back for dear life.

"Don't worry, she has a high tolerance, just like me. But come on, seriously, what would you do?"

"Maybe ride to Topside. I'd love to see our base there. The last time I saw it was when I dropped Seulgi, Jungkook, and-" She cut herself off, giving him an accidental squeeze. "Never mind."

Jimin went quiet for a moment. But only a moment. "What about the Emperor? If you were left alone in a room with him, and you could do anything you want, what would you do?"

"Cut out his eyes, burn his dick, flay him, then tar and feather what's left of him."

"Vivid. I like it."

"I'm really not in a joking mood," she said, Jimin humming.

"I know. I'm not either, but if it keeps you awake, it keeps you awake."

She was in no position to disagree, so she didn't. And it carried on like that. He asked her questions, she gave him half-hearted answers. She didn't know how much time had passed by the time her head got fuzzier than before.

She groaned, Jimin noticing and shaking his shoulder as if to move her. "Hey, princess, talk to me. What's going on?"

"I don't know."

"That doesn't exactly ease my nerves," he replied, but despite the frenzy in his tone, he kept Shadow going at the same pace. "Talk to me. What happened?"

"I feel lightheaded."

"Shit," he mumbled, grabbing the reins and tugging. "Faster, Shadow!"

Shadow obeyed, going even faster. Y/n grunted from the bumps they faced, her stomach doing hurdles inside her and threatening to throw what little lunch she had out her mouth.

"I can't," she tried to say, but the words were muffled from her slur.

"We're close, Y/n. Please hang in there."

But she couldn't. The darkness hit her all at once, her vision fading as more blood dripped down her leg. She fell off Shadow, Jimin shouting something when she made contact with the ground. Thanks to the rain New Theon received daily, she was covered in mud. Her eyes stayed on the stars, looking for the light Hoseok found earlier. She begged him to come for her, to rescue her from a life without him. Yet her pleas fell on an empty sky with no gods there to listen.

"Y/n!" Jimin shouted, much closer than before. He slid down next to her, grabbing her and pulling her onto his lap. She heaved in the air around her, unsure where her hands and legs were.

"Leave me," she murmured, but Jimin kept trying to pick her up. "Please."

Her head began tilting down, Jimin shaking her rapidly. "Y/n, please stay with me. I know it hurts, I know. Don't do this to me, baby. Please stay."

"Jimin," was all she could muster. She felt herself getting picked up, but she didn't know who was responsible. Her head was already limp like the rest of her body. Her breathing slowed as she closed her eyes.

The last thing she remembered doing was searching for hope in an endless sea of stars.

┊ ˚➶ ｡˚˚｡➶˚┊

"I don't care!"

Consciousness kissed her, breathing a new light into her body she hadn't had before. There were two male voices. She couldn't identify who. They were distant, like they were behind a door. Her eyes couldn't open yet. They hadn't adjusted to being alive. Yet she could feel the bed beneath her. At least, she thought it was a bed. It was soft, hugging her figure while what seemed like blankets covered her top.

"You need to go check and make sure no one followed us-"

"You go do it! I'm not fucking leaving her!" Jimin. That was the unmistakable voice of Park Jimin.

"Well I'm not leaving her either!" Jungkook. But what about Jin and Taehyung? Where were they?

"Then I guess we're shit out of luck! I'd rather be dead than leave her right now!"

"You're lucky you're not after that stunt you pulled! I'm glad you got her out, but you exposed yourself! You're not our spy anymore!"

"Who cares?! Y/n's alive, okay?!" Jimin yelled, louder than before.

"But now we don't have our most vital asset-"

"Not everything is about the fucking Emperor, Jeon! Right now, Y/n is safe! She's the only thing that matters! She's all I have left!"

It went quiet after that. Y/n finally opened her eyes, noticing she was in Jimin's room. Her leg was bandaged, probably stitched, too. There was no blood staining the white fabric covering her, which meant they had to have changed the wrapping or, at the very least, done a damn good job cleaning it.

"Just go find Tae and Jin, tell them to do it," Jimin said after the long silence, his voice softer than before. She heard his footsteps, so she shimmied up into a sitting position. Her leg protested, but she ignored it. As soon as the door opened, she jolted from the sudden intrusion. Jimin froze in the doorway. He smiled for a moment, but only for a moment. "You're awake."

He closed the door behind him and came over, sitting on the side of the bed. "What..."

"Shh, you're healing. Just focus on keeping your breathing steady, and I'll talk, okay?" She agreed, and he brushed her hair out of her face. "You got lightheaded from shock, not blood loss. We stitched you up and bandaged you. The bullet went clean through, no worries there. You'll be back on your feet in a month. Hopefully fully healed in three."

"That long without walking?"

"I'm sorry, but it's the best we can do. Jungkook's still stiff and hurting from the wounds he suffered at the Tower. We can't play around with your health. You're in my room now, so I'll help you whenever you need it. I'll sleep on the floor if you want."

"You really think I want to sleep alone after... that?" she asked, her voice nearing a crack.

"Oh honey," he mumbled, climbing into bed and wrapping his arms around her. He kissed the side of her head. It hit her all at once. The loss of her friends. She reached for her pocket only to find she was wearing no pants, only Jimin's long tunic that covered her thighs.

"My clothes, I had Hoseok's-"

"I know. I have it." He took it out of his pocket, handing it to her. She was quick to put the necklace on and tuck it under the tunic. "We had to change you to get to the wound. We figured you'd want clean clothes anyway."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"You saved my life. You gave up your status for me."

"Don't worry about that, what matters is you're safe."

"But what about your brother?" she asked, him sighing at that. "Won't the Emperor kill him?"

"I don't think so. Now that he knows I'm part of the rebellion, he won't hurt Jihyun. He'd be foolish to. Jihyun is the Emperor's only bargaining chip with me. If he wants to draw me out of hiding, he'll use Jihyun. Killing him gets him nowhere, especially if I don't know about it. A public execution is risky, there's still a chance I won't know about it since he has no idea where we are. I don't think he'll kill Jihyun, or hurt him, really. There's no point if I don't know what he's doing."

"Then what will he do?"

"Try to get me out of hiding. Capture me and threaten Jihyun's life. He wants me for information on the rebellion. The Emperor is a lot of things, but he wasn't born yesterday. He knows damn well that if I'm in the rebellion, I have to be a higher-up. If not for my skills, then for my status. Well, my past status. I'm valuable to both sides."

"And to me," she said before she could stop herself. He paused, meeting her gaze. She thought she pushed their relationship too far, but his soft eyes told her otherwise. "Sorry. I forgot you don't like feelings."

Jimin took her hand, kissing the back of it and holding her close. "Feelings hurt like a bitch, don't they?" She laughed but agreed, the ache in her heart never going away. "It's not that I don't like feelings, Y/n. It's that I've never been taught about them or how to express them."

"I'd say you're doing a good job."

"Ah, don't feed my praise kink. Or my ego."

"You're such an asshole," she mumbled, a smile on her face as she said it. It was a temporary distraction from reality. Park, or Jimin, gave her a sense of freedom she hadn't had in years.

They stayed quiet for a few minutes. Her leg was numb, but she took that as a good sign. If nothing else, the bed was comfortable. It was more comfortable than she remembered it being. Maybe they did that on purpose. It hadn't occurred to her that she wouldn't be able to walk for a month. She wondered when she'd face reality.

"I hate to bring this up," Jimin said. As much as she dreaded what he was going to say, she had to admit his gentle tone was comforting. "But we're going to have a funeral for them today."

"Today? How long have I been out?"

"Not long. Just a few hours. It's dawn now. Later tonight we'll host it. Jin, Tae, and Kastor are making arrangements."

"And Jungkook?"

"Who knows. He's mad at me."

"I heard," she said, wincing. "Do you think he's right?"

Jimin kissed her, and she knew his answer before he pulled back to say it. "I don't care if he is." They fell back into another silence, but it didn't last as long. "Do you want me to take you outside? Or to the bathroom? Hungry? Thirsty?"

"Outside. I think I need some fresh air."

He agreed, picking her up and carrying her out back. It was dawn, like he said. The sun's rays were waving to her as he took her to their familiar firepit. Kastor was there, sitting on one of the four logs and motioning for them to join. Jimin set her down before sitting between her and Kas. Kastor gave Jimin's shoulder a squeeze, turning to her afterwards.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Physically or mentally?"

"I don't get paid enough to hear about your mental state."

"My leg is numb. My head hurts a bit, but probably from dehydration-" Jimin jumped up and practically sprinted inside. "Otherwise, I'm okay. No pain anywhere else."

"Glad to hear it. There are people here from the Rocklands. They'd be willing to listen to your mental-"

"Thank you, Kas. But for now, I need to think about it. Alone. I'm not talking to anyone about it until after the funeral."

"Makes sense, just remember we're here for you, okay? We all loved him, but you..."

"I know," she said. She paused to take a deep breath. "I know."

Jimin came back out with water, handing the cup to her without a word. She thanked him and drank. She ended up chugging it, and Jimin went back inside to get more.

"You want to see Tae and Jin?" Kas asked.

"I'll see them later. I want to enjoy the solitude for a little bit."

"Is that your way of asking me to shut up?"

She nodded, and he respected that. Jimin returned with more water. He brought out three cups this time. She chugged all of them, but she stopped him from going back for more. The sudden hydration had her feeling better. Not by much, but it was enough. And she felt even more at peace when Jimin wrapped an arm around her and helped her cuddle against him.

Between the three of them, it was silent. They stared at the trees and listened to the Mimos. Jimin whistled a few notes to give them something to mimic. They chirped out similar tunes. She didn't know it was possible for her to smile, but she found herself doing it the longer the Mimos parroted Jimin.

"I know we said silence," Kas said a few minutes after the silence began. "But this is important." Jimin and Y/n glanced at him and motioned for him to continue. "How long have you two been like..." He pointed between the two, then made a fist as if that'd explain what he was talking about.

"What?" Jimin asked, knitting his brows together.

"Is this a romantic thing?" Kas clarified, Jimin and Y/n shrugging at that. "Well, either way, I hope you make each other happy. Don't fuck it up, Park."

"I'll try not to, old man," Jimin said. He cleared his throat, pausing for a moment. "And... it's Jimin."

"Jimin?"

"My name."

Kastor stared. Then, he slowly smiled. "Well I'll be damned."

Jimin returned the smile, Y/n too tired to join in. They stayed like that for a while, and the rest of the day passed like a blur. Jimin helped her to and from the places she wanted to go, but they ended up cuddling in bed for a majority of the time. She didn't have the effort to move until there was a knock on Jimin's door. Jungkook came in, Jimin and Y/n not bothering to get up yet.

Jungkook noticed how close they were but didn't comment. "Funeral's in ten minutes. We're gathering outside now."

He left without waiting for their responses. Jimin kissed her forehead and helped her sit, picking her up afterwards. They went outside, where Tae and Jin were. They came up and checked on her, but there wasn't much to say. Her physical state was fine. It was her mental state that needed evaluation.

Jimin set her down near the makeshift headstones on a pile of uncomfortable rocks. The headstones were thick sticks pointing upwards. There were initials carved into the wood, Y/n not taking her eyes off the "JH" on the largest one.

A tear fell, slipping down her face and dripping off her chin. Jimin wiped it away, but it didn't matter. Another replaced it. Tae, Jin, and Jungkook were in the same situation. Kastor kept to himself in the corner, giving them the space they needed. Y/n didn't bother speaking to any of them.

Jin cleared his throat, pat down his face, and got in front of the four makeshift graves. He glanced at the few guests there, scanning over their faces for a moment.

"Hoseok, Tana, Jaime, and Aisha," Jin said as Jimin sat next to her. "Without them, we wouldn't have pulled off a successful heist. Because of them, we are one step closer to winning the war. One giant step. If you four can hear us, thank you for your sacrifice. And Hoseok, thank you for leading us. You were always our friend, no matter if you were the most hopeful person in New Theon, or the least. We'll always love you. I promise."

Y/n trembled, her lower lip quivering. Jimin predicted it and grabbed her, pulling her up against him. She collapsed on his chest and sobbed. He didn't say anything. He held her while she cried, her knuckles burning from how hard she gripped his tunic.

No one spoke. She sobbed in his arms for what could have been hours. Taehyung left first, going inside for a reason she didn't care to know. Jin rushed after him. Kastor and Jungkook stayed. Jungkook knelt in front of Hoseok's grave, his shoulders slumped and his hair falling in his face.

Jimin kissed the top of her head as she slowed down, her figure still shuddering. "It's okay," he murmured, although she was sure he knew that wasn't true. "Everything will be okay."

He repeated the words over and over again. His voice was just as comforting as it had always been. She found herself staying in his arms, clinging to him and refusing to let him go. He whispered more sweet nothings as she closed her eyes. She drifted to another world, a world where Hoseok smiled and laughed. A world where he was okay.

A world where he was at peace.

┊ ˚➶ ｡˚𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓜𝓪𝓭𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓣𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓞𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓜𝓮 ˚｡➶˚┊