We might die

Chapter 8

Jimin is in hysterics when Taehyung returns, because when he woke up Taehyung wasn't there. Namjoon could imagine just how lost Jimin had felt. He had been too busy focusing on the Yoongi-Taehyung exchange to look at any of the other screens, but he guesses Jimin had probably been terrified when he found Taehyung gone.

"You p-promised, you said you would never leave m-me," he accuses, throwing himself into Taehyung's arms, where he fits perfectly. Taehyung clutches Jimin's hands, slotting Jimin's tiny sweater paws in his larger palms, and the two practically melt into each other.

"I was, I was so scared, I thought you'd never come b-back, I thought I lost you f-forever..." Jimin continues to bawl, while Taehyung has a supremely guilty look on his face.

"Jimin, I ran into Yoongi-hyung," he mumbles, after Jimin had pretty much cried himself dry and is lying on Taehyung's thighs in exhaustion.

"Yoongi-hyung?" Jimin blinks. "And then?"

"He said to meet him at the cave at the beach, he said..." Taehyung pauses, looking around for cameras. Which is a pointless move, Namjoon knows, as there is a discreetly-placed camera pointing right at them. "He said he wants to try escaping the island together. So we should find Kookie, and meet Yoongi-hyung there."

Jimin mulls over the words slowly. "Tae... you know I really look up to Yoongi-hyung but..."

"But?"

Jimin is playing with Taehyung's phone, fiddling with it distractedly with his cute fingers, clearly nervous about what he has to say next.

"But that's super suspicious, Tae. Like really suspicious. Jin-hyung and Hobi-hyung..." Jimin's eyes mist up at the thought of his lost band members. "...that's two people dead, Taetae. You know I didn't kill them. And you didn't kill them. We have alibis. Yoongi-hyung... doesn't have an alibi."

Taehyung's thick eyebrows scrunch up. "Yoongi-hyung said he killed Hobi-hyung in self-defense. And Jin-hyung committed suicide."

Jimin snorts. His eyes are trained resolutely on the phone, refusing to meet Taehyung's piercing gaze. "Tae... would Jin-hyung commit suicide? He's totally not the type to commit suicide. Goodness, Tae! I love Yoongi-hyung, but no, we can't do this. We can't go to the cave."

Taehyung is quiet, brow furrowed, seemingly deep in thought. After a while, he finally speaks again.

"Chim... I trust hyung."

Damien spits out his drink and Namjoon jumps from the sudden wetness on his neck.

"Sorry," Damien apologizes, wiping his mouth. "Just... how stupid can that one get?"

Namjoon doesn't have an answer to that.

"If you don't want to go find hyung— ("of course I don't want to go find hyung, Tae!") then I'll go look for Jungkookie, see if he wants to— ("don't drag Kookie into this! Oh my god Kim Taehyung, seriously?") Come on, Chim, it can't be that bad. And Kookie is made of muscles! So if Yoongi-hyung turns evil, Kookie can take him."

Jimin takes several deep breaths. "Tae. Kookie doesn't have an alibi either, you realize that?"

Taehyung had not realized that. His mouth hangs agape, entertaining for the first time in his whole life that everyone's favorite maknae could be a killer. He does love fighting Jin-hyung every chance he can get, but still...

"I can only trust you," Jimin whispers, voice broken. "I only have you."

Damien wipes his eyes in faux sentimentality. "At least this one has some sense. And I actually thought he would be the dumbest, with that pink hair and whatnot."

Taehyung gazes into space for a while, and Namjoon wonders what is going on inside his head. He could practically see those gears turning. Turning.

And then Taehyung sits up, reaching for his backpack. He has his gaze trained on somewhere afar, not able to bring himself to turn around and look at Jimin.

"Jimin, I... sorry. I want to look for Jungkookie. I still think it's better... if everyone's together."

He has his back towards Jimin, too frightened to meet his best friend's expression of utter betrayal.

"Tae... you do realize that the only way everyone will be together... is if everyone's dead?" Jimin spits, sudden venom in his formerly angelic voice.

"I... I just wanted..." Taehyung looks down. Behind him, Jimin scrunches his eyes shut, and opens them again. His voice softens, but his expression does not.

"Okay. Okay, fine, you go. Go find Kookie. Go find Yoongi-hyung." Taehyung is unable to meet Jimin's eyes, but he can still hear the defeat in his voice. "Um... Take care, okay? Uh... here. Take some food and water? You don't... you don't want to starve."

Taehyung nods sullenly. Tears pool in his eyes, for he knows that even when it comes to this, Jimin cares. They had a disagreement, Taehyung is pretty much going to abandon his best friend, but Jimin... Jimin still cares. His hand lingers a little in Taehyung's as he passes his stuff over.

Taehyung gratefully takes the food items and his backpack, gestures a silent thanks, and slides down the tree. He never turns to look at Jimin, he doesn't dare to.

And thus he does not see how Jimin had quickly emptied the contents of his small supply of potassium cyanide into the water bottle before handing it to Taehyung.

The camera, however, sees. Namjoon sees. Damien sees.

"This... this is amazing," Damien gushes. "Think of the ratings. The ratings will definitely blow up."

Namjoon is sprawled in his seat, trying to calm his heart, which is thumping madly inside his rib cage. No. No. No. Everybody say NO.

He shakes his head. He can't believe this. Jimin. Not Jimin. Not the squishy little Jimin who is a crossover between a mochi and a half-baked marshmallow.

"Didn't think he'd have it in him, huh?" Damien remarks.

If only to not let Damien have the satisfaction of knowing that he is, in fact, devastated, Namjoon mutters: "There's a reason I sorted him into Slytherin."