A Take For Two

Chapter Five

I've been throwing stones, waiting by the river
You've been gone too long, I'm waiting out the winter
I've been on my own, praying like a sinner

💒

"Is that why you'd left so suddenly?"

Jungkook is glaring at him, he knows it. He's surprised that he hadn't pulled out his sword yet, but Jimin won't blame him if he did. He glances at Taehyung, now asleep as Hoseok -now with his hood off- attempts to heal his wounds. Jungkook's eyes are not kind when he returns his gaze to them.

"No wonder Jennie and Black Eye opposed you," he continues.

"They oppose me for different reasons," Jimin argues back. "Hoseok's influence was still very much present even when he was chained and thrown into the river. He possesses the body of a whisperer. If he was able to get to me, then it would have been only a matter of time before he gets to anybody else." Jungkook is not convinced, still glaring at him, but he continues anyway. "He's under my influence now. He shall not harm you nor Taehyung." And maybe Jungkook will believe him if he proves his words to be true in the near future. "I know Hwasa. You might not trust me at the moment, but I'll have you hating me rather than dead. Just have a little faith in my plan."

"That you're not telling," Jungkook finishes for him, and honestly, Jimin has no reply to this. He can't tell Jungkook that he still hasn't come up with anything, but he can't include him in this. And as he turns his head to look at Taehyung again, he knows that both of his friends will be Hwasa's main target if he didn't stop her first.

Hoseok stands up from Taehyung's side, and Jimin hates that the first thing Jungkook does is to pull away from their conversation, confirming that he still hadn't forgiven him for his actions. He takes a deep breath and sees Hoseok approaching him instead. "He'll be better soon," he nods at Jimin, eyes following Jungkook as he takes his place next to Taehyung. "It is indeed an unexpected alliance, though he could have been nicer."

"You tried to kill him," Jimin narrows his eyes at him. "Trust me, he's the nicest he can get right now."

"I was seeking power, just like everybody inside this room," Hoseok's gaze returns to him, a smirk on his face. "Even you can't deny that you still wish this castle was yours."

Hoseok's words startle him, and his lips part on nothing as his fists clench by his sides. He pushes the door open and exits the room instead, hearing footsteps behind him, and he's about to tell Hoseok that this castle belongs to Taehyung and he doesn't have ill thoughts about his friend when he turns to find Yoongi instead. His face is still showing great concern over Taehyung's condition, and he stops until he's able to catch up to him. "There surely have been events that I've missed regarding you two," he offers a weak smile, but Yoongi only looks up at him with the same expression.

"You're aware that Hwasa now knows who you are," he changes the topic, and Jimin's mood turns down again. "She might not go after Jungkook, and probably not Taehyung again, at least for now. But she will try to take you down."

"I know," he sighs.

"You've spent many years with her, and while you might have not gathered much intel about her, I bet she knows things about you that you, yourself, aren't aware about," he pauses. "She will hurt you through means you can't run from."

"I know," he repeats with a frown. "She can't be affected by my influence, but I doubt she will send her men after me either," he looks around him, the castle's walls decorated by gold and the painting hung on the wall. There's one of the garden surrounding the castle, and his heart misses a beat as he turns back to Yoongi. "I need to get to Seokjin ..."