salt || jikook

eighteen

jungkook finally finished stitching jimin up and patching up the rest of his wounds to the best of his abilities. the stitching seemed to last forever (according to the multiple complaints made by jimin himself) and he felt like he would've passed out from the pain, but he endured. somewhat...

he was curled up in jungkook's arms afterwards, like a child. it was so different from the dominate nature he had from the previous days, before he had to... leave. whatever happened in hell really humbled him. in small, whispers, jimin explained the excruciatingly painful acid that he was thrown into. jungkook could hardly even imagine it, despite the given vivid descriptions of someone who experienced it. jimin was scared to simply go to hell, even though the flaming habitat is his own home. he feared that if he just took a wrong step down there, he'd be thrown in again.

he laid his head against jungkook's crossed legs, folding his hands over his stomach. his eyes went to the ceiling, giving him a plain, clear peace of mind.

"it hurt... so bad..." jimin said, slightly quivering at even jungkook's gentle touch. he just wanted to be close, to know that jungkook wouldn't reject him. "but all i could think about was you," jimin admitted in a mumble. jungkook closed his eyes, stroking jimin's still somewhat damp hair.

"if i didn't have you... i may have given up," jimin admitted, somewhat ashamed at the thought. he hated how he could have easily given in, he could basically killed himself in that water. and he hated that he even considered it. the waters made him bow to death, but jungkook kept him alive. just the thought of the angel was enough for jimin to pull himself out of the lake and gasp for life. jungkook was the thread he hung on at the edge of the cliff, jungkook was the reason he clung onto his measly existence.

"don't say that, i couldn't have been the only reason," jungkook mumbled, not wanting to think too highly of jimin's words. he didn't want it to go to his head, he was scared that if it did, he would have problems in the sky.

"hmm..." jimin thought to himself. maybe there was another reason, something deep within his thinking. "you were at least the primary reason..." jimin said, now unsure of his own words. "maybe i was too scared to die..." the simple singular sentence jungkook said was enough for his entire thinking to shift.

did it even make sense? wanting to live for one person alone? is that truly enough to bring someone out of suicide? or even being too scared of death? it wasn't really suicide. jimin didn't throw himself into the water. he would never willingly do such a thing even if he was trying to kill himself. but would it have been suicide to let himself drown? to burn as the water bubbled around him?

he couldn't think about it anymore. the thought made him feel small. he felt like he needed protection, he needed saving when he had never felt it before. he really needed jungkook. the red haired male began to tear up at the thought, but only one tear fell.

"it's fine... you're fine jimin don't cry please..." jungkook said, wiping off the silent tear that stained his cheek. "you don't have to go there anymore... you don't have to go through it—"

"i'd go through it a thousand times for you, i'll go through it until it kills me," jimin said with raging confidence. he didn't even have to think twice better uttering the selfless words, he didn't second guess himself at all.

"what are you—" jimin cut jungkook off once again.

"if it was you or me to suffer through that, i'd chose me countless times before it was ever you."

jungkook let out a sigh, his hands running through the red strands of jimin's hair. he wasn't sure what to respond with. jimin seemed so firm on his words that... was it even worth trying to convince him otherwise?

"you don't have a suffer alone..." jungkook mumbled. jimin raised an eyebrow, looking up at the angel.

"you know... you never walk alone... not anymore... i'll walk whatever path you take," jungkook said, staring out the sliding glass doors. the sun was just about to set, the night was bleeding into the daylight.

"even if that path kills me? what if that path inevitably killed you too? or what if it got you thrown out of the heaven? shunned from your god as long as you exist—"

"then i'd do it," jungkook said in a mumble. his finger still subconsciously tangled themself in jimin's soft hair. "there's not much for me in heaven... i was already god's mistake... according to everyone around me that dares to be truthful, i suck at my job... evidently so," jungkook said with a small laugh.

he was obviously referring to how he fell in love with his enemy. but jimin didn't want to pick at the thought. instead, he continued to listen to jungkook's calm, soothing voice.

"i was called a failure you know... i was basically a puppet for the council, doing whatever they needed me to, running simple errands... at least until they sent me to earth, something happened where they either had a change of heart or change of mind... they called me a prodigy," he said, inhaled a deep breath. "i could so easily get people to obey to everything good, to turn away from their temptations, a prodigy? i guess i was..." his eyes were on the sun, as it very slowly settled down, it's sunlight going to the other half of the earth, putting the one half to sleep.

"but when you look at me now... am i still that prodigy?" he said in a breathy tone, linked with a small, sad scoff. "here i am, holding my enemy in my arms, here i am telling my enemy that i'd go through hell with him if it meant i could hold his hand... i'm not god's prodigy, i'm not heaven's disciple..."

"jungkook..." jimin mumbled.

"we both fucked our jobs up, we both suck at what we were created for," jungkook said with a laugh, just to lighten his previously heavy words. "but... only you paid the price for it. where's my beat down? how come i didn't get a gash on my back for undermining god's rules?" he let out a defeated, worn sigh.

"god's a lot more... merciful... than the devil i suppose," jimin mumbled quietly. jungkook shrugged.

"perhaps..." his voice trailed. "maybe, we should write our own bible," he said with a small laugh. "our own story, a different fate from the one we've learned," jimin let out a small chuckle, followed by a faint smile. jungkook's phone rang from the coffee table. he only started at it for a minute, not reading the called id yet.

"answer it," jimin said, reaching over and handing it to the angel. jungkook took the phone from the demon's hands, looking at the caller id. his eyebrows knit in confusion.

"jin... that's a name i haven't in a while... what's he doing calling my phone..?" he asked in confusion, wondering if he should even pick it up.

"answer and find out..." jimin said. "i'm keeping my head in your lap, i don't give a damn who calls you," he laughed. jungkook rolled his eyes playfully, accepting the call.

"hello?"

"you're wanted in heaven."