Run With Me || JJK+PJM

twenty-one

JIMIN

The tip of the dagger is a hair away from my back as I'm forced onto the stage to untie Jungkook. He's trembling as my fingertips brush against his arm. I go for the gag first and he gasps for air before coughing on it.

"Are you okay?" I ask quietly as I undo the knots, too scared to feel the rope burn against my fumbling fingers.

He staggers forward when the ropes let loose and I bless the gods that at least he is okay. He looks conflicted - like he could run and just forget this ever happened. But he'd probably still be hunted down by his father.

"Walk to the horses over there. Try to pull something funny and Jimin dies," Taehyung sternly says and Jungkook does as he is told, casting a few glances back every once in a while. I gulp, hands starting to get clammy despite the cold. There are murmurs as we leave the town square and approach the brown horses.

Instead of a carriage, the horses are pulling a metal cage on wheels.

There truly is no escape.

"For the record, I thought we were friends too," I whisper, trying to get on Taehyung's good side. As if that'll cover up years of rivalry and hatred.

"Nice try," he sneers before pushing me forward into Jungkook. I stumble into Jungkook who grabs the sides of my arms to steady me and we back away as Taehyung walks to unlock the cage, the knife pointed right at us.

He cocks it in and tilts his head.

"In you go," he purrs, leaning against what I'm sure is ice cold metal. I give him a hard stare one last time before climbing in. The coldness of the metal gives me goosebumps and the hardness of it makes me sure I might throw up on the ride (or at the very least, not sleep at all). Jungkook climbs in after me and this cage is big enough that Jungkook and I can sit with our legs outstretched.

I think that - like this is some form of luxury.

The keys rattle as Taehyung locks us.

"I hope you enjoy your ride," he smirks as I grip onto the bars, wishing every horrid curse upon him.

JUNGKOOK

I still feel slightly woozy. Between being drugged, finding out Appa's suddenly after me and then being shoved into a tight cold cage, I am feeling rather sick. Jimin eventually releases his grip on the bars and sinks beside me, head in his hands and knees tucked under his chin.

I let my head fall against the only actual wall of this cage behind me (where I assume this Taehyung boy is on the other side resting his smug back on) and let the cold wake me up. But there is no real point in staying awake. After all, it is going to be a long long trip by carriage.

"I'm sorry," Jimin mutters though I can't really hear it above the clacking of hooves on the cobblestone and whistling wind.

"It's okay. I got lost first," I smile sadly, reminiscing the night I stumbled upon his mansion. He laughs softly at that, tired from everything we've been through.

"I'm cold," he says and I look at him in the dark. It's cold but his cheeks are no longer red, only a deathly pale. Without thinking, I grab his hand and hold it tightly, sharing whatever warmth I have to offer.

He rests his head on my shoulder, legs still tucked in.

He falls asleep quickly and I can feel his heartbeat against my hand - it's fascinating. I worry he might fall sick which is quite ironic since I think I'm sick. But his head makes my neck feel warm and with his whole body pressed against mine, I'm not too cold.

I exhale, watching my breath leave me weakly.

And then I laugh quietly.

Because if Jimin and I had met sooner, our plans would definitely have gone more smoothly.

Because we're both grossly unfit for this life on the run.

Because now we're both headed back to where we started.

"We should've run together, Jimin," I say softly.

All this while, we've only been tolerating each other - trying to make the best of the situation by being friends. But we'll never know if tolerating each other would've worked now.

But I do think that we could've pulled this off better if we'd known each other sooner.