𝗺𝘆 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 ↬ 𝗷𝗶𝗸𝗼𝗼𝗸

5 | pick and choose

jimin has probably spent the last hour contemplating on the situation at hand.

risk his life for taehyung or try to fall in love with jungkook.

he should have chosen an answer by now, he should know who he wants to be with, should know that jungkook likes him and jimin's only here because of the younger and jimin's barely even said a full sentence to taehyung, but he can't make up his mind. all he's been able to do is stare blankly past jungkook, who's sitting beside him with a lowered head and an aching heart.

jungkook let out the longest sigh jimin has ever heard, and he felt himself wanting to be crumpled like a paper ball and be thrown far away as the sound echoed in his mind. "why didn't you tell me that you had a thing for taehyung?"

"it's not exactly easy to tell someone who likes you that you like their best friend." jimin almost regretted that sentence alone when he could see jungkook's heart break from the way his body cringed. "and i didn't really get much of a choice, anyway."

jungkook's eyebrows furrowed as he turns his head to give jimin a look that looks offended in a way. "what do you mean you 'didn't get much of a choice'? you've had many chances to tell me."

"i was kinda dragged here, kook. i didn't even know you liked me until today. it was just: here's different me's for you to choose from to see which one you want to spend the rest of your life with." jungkook pouted at jimin's words, not even giving that situation a thought. he never did ask about jimin's feelings for him, or if he liked him at all. he never even thought that he was peer pressuring jimin into something he never gave a thought about. "everything's just being thrown at me and i feel kinda suffocated."

all this was completely blind sided by jungkook.

he feels embarrassed.

"i... i didn't realise that. when you put it that way, i sound like a selfish jerk who's just throwing you at themself. well, themselves, in this situation."

"you're not a selfish jerk, kook. all this is new to you as it is to me. we don't even know where the fuck we are and there's only one way out, and it relies on me." jimin takes in a shaky breath, clenching his fingers around his pants as he pulls his knees closer to his chest. "it's not that i don't like you, either. i could really see a future with you, and talking with kookie and jk helped me realise that."

"why do i sense a but coming?"

"but it's just... i dunno, my head is still wrapped around taehyung, even if i barely talk to the guy. there's just something about him that's–" jimin paused, feeling a sudden change of mood from jungkook. his head is lowered once again and his entire body looks defeated, like he just lost the biggest game of his life, and it takes jimin a few seconds to realise why. "sorry, i probably shouldn't talk about that in front of you."

"you think?" jungkook replied quickly, eyes darting to the ground beside him. he inhaled sharply as jimin finds himself copying jungkook's postion, eyes staring out in front of him at nothing in particular. "just tell me one thing, hyung. when you kissed me, did you feel anything?"

jimin shut his eyes tightly, knowing this question was going to pop up again by jungkook himself.

"i did."

then jungkook went silent. he was true to his word. when he asks to be told one thing, he only asks that one thing and doesn't push further, it's one of jimin's favorite things about him. jungkook never pushed anything further than he had to and he never stepped over anyone's boundaries.

the air between them was tense and quiet, out of the idea of not knowing what to day. the other two sets were talking amongst each other about how different their universes are, like how one scenario was played in the other universe. during the silence between him and jungkook, jimin caught on that the way jk and kookie asked their boyfriend's out was the same.

they asked them if they wanted to go out to dinner, took them to their favorite restaurant, asked them to dance, confessed his feelings and asked them out right on the dance floor. of course, min and minnie said yes, and that's how they got to where they are today. so deep in love and happier than they've ever been.

but jimin couldn't wrap a thing around his head.

what happened to taehyung after that day?

jimin was left puzzled since they told him taehyung asked them to a party before jungkook asked them to dinner. they went, didn't they? jimin wasn't the type to reject an offer like that from someone he's into.

maybe they did go and that's why they told him not to, but what happened between taehyung's question and jungkook's? did taehyung do something to them? if so, is it worse than the thoughts jimin came up with?

jimin didn't want to think of taehyung bringing pain on him, or think negatively of him for that matter, but he's becoming conflicted again. it's all too familar to a twisted love story that never seems to have a true ending, and jimin is starting to lose his head from trying to figure it all out.

fortunately, he stopped thinking when a loud boom echoed throughout the empty space and caused him to jump up from his place on the ground. his eyes darted around trying to find the source of such a noise. nothing stood out to him, and everyone else was just as scared as he was as they trembled next to their partner and hugged each other tightly.

then jimin realised they were all looking behind him.

an adrenaline rush was an immediate reaction to their pale faces and he slowly turned his head back in slight fear.

there was a figure standing behind him in a long, leather black hooded cloak.

jimin didn't know who or what he was looking at, and he was about to fearfully ask who he was until jungkook cut him off.

"i know that's you, kim seokjin."

jimin gawked at him, but his eyes were drawn back to the cloaked man in front of him pulled back his hood, revealing a handsome man with black hair, fair skin, and plump lips.

the man, now known as kim seokjin, smiled devishly at jungkook, who showed not a single ounce of fear on his body. "must you ruin my surprise entrance, peasant? i didn't even get to properly scare your friends."

jungkook rolled his eyes as jimin, along with the rest of the group, silently watched the two converse. "what're you doing here, seokjin?"

"ah, now you ask the right thing," seokjin's laugh matched that of a villain, minus the annoying loud cackle. it sounded more like an evil chuckle, and it made jimin's skin crawl. "i am here because i have a surprise for your friend." his eyes met jimin's, who didn't dare look away out of fear that anything could happen to him right now, whether it was good or bad.

"i've been watching you all since you arrived, and couldn't help but notice that jimin seems to be debating on two different paths. i think he needs a little push in the right direction."

keeping eye contact, seokjin opened his hand to make a long staff appear in his hold. it looked like multiple tree branches twisted together and gave off a harry potter vibe, even though it wasn't a wand per say.

the attention to the staff was drawn away to seokjin again, who had now shut his eyes and was moving his staff in a circle, causing a trail of blue to follow behind it. the color only got brighter and brighter as seokjin kept revolving the staff and sounds could be heard coming from it.

then everything flashed to white.

and when jimin opened his eyes (which he didn't know he ended up closing), he wanted to actually perish.

because there, standing right next to seokjin, was none other than kim taehyung himself.