Pluto Rooms | Jikook

Have You Said Hello To the Flowers Yet?

"You know, we aren't going to make it to the Winner's Circle now. I realized that after I came back from the dead."

Jimin's bluntness slides against the younger's cheek in whispered vowels. Their bodies are still layered together like peanut butter and jelly in a sandwich, deliciously smushed between walls of bread. Perhaps the hospital walls are not bread, but they contain the couple's togetherness nonetheless. Jungkook sniffs against Jimin's neck, the bandage covering his nose tickling Jimin's skin.

"Who cares. Isn't winning this court case against the Yoon's a cool enough prize?" The younger drags his lips across Jimin's chin, kissing a few random times. "Or is my Melonboy really upset that he isn't going to get a special winner's message surrounded by that heart font? I'll admit, I kinda wanted to see that too, but we already missed two days of gameplay. We lost the game through indirect forfeit."

"Yeah...losers can't be whiners I guess...I'll shut up about the Winner's Circle...I was just curious about what it would be. Given the expensive company building, I'd think it would be super cool--with free food, loads of pink confetti, and congratulatory music! Ugh, it sucks we lost...maybe I should go back inside Sperosity and ask the receptionist what the Winner's Circle entails. He seemed to know a lot about Perilation." Jimin sighs, his sweatpants sliding down his torso. He yanks them up again, his fingers dusting over the bandages covering his chest. Unintentionally, he sucks in a breath of pain, pulling his fingers away from the damaged areas. Fuck! Still hurts.

"Oh no, my poor Melonheart." Jungkook's fingers ghost over the injured areas on the outside of the wispy nightgown, petting them affectionately. "She got you pretty bad, didn't she...fuck, Jimin, I was so fucking scared when I saw what that bitch p-put on you...a-and...I was so scared you were going to die on me right then."

Jimin grimaces, recalling the few blurry visions before he blacked out at the Keeping Skin location. He remembers Yeji's pained face, Gyuri's shock of being stabbed, the blood...oh, he won't ever forget how much blood there was, trailing in a thick carpet of red behind Gyuri's dragged body...

Jungkook continues. "My lovely, beautiful Jimin...look what she did to you!" Disgust and hatred lie on Jungkook's tongue as he speaks. The younger's fingers trace along his bandaged torso, from the knife marks to the burnt ring of flesh around Jimin's neck from the shock collar. His thumb traces over Jimin's pale face and sunken cheeks, finally resting on his lips. "I would have traded my life for you right then, right there if it meant you'd survive. It wasn't until after we got back to the hospital that Hoseok came in my room and told me everything. About...Gyuri's blackmail...and the movie you were filming...and how you were trying so hard to protect me by risking yourself under Gyuri's control."

Jimin inhales sharply--he hoped that Jungkook wouldn't bring up Gyuri during their visit. "I...I'm sorry, Jungkook-"

"Jimin...you don't know how worried hearing that stuff made me..." Jungkook wraps his hands around Jimin's pale arms, squeezing lightly. The air in the room suddenly grows solemn, as if awaiting for the truth to come out full-fleshed and disturbing. "I know you didn't want to tell me because you had good intentions, but Jimin-"

"I know, I'm so so stupid, Jungkook. I should have let you know the problem right away but I was being selfish...somehow I thought that if you didn't know about it, we could keep continuing our relationship happily and pretend like everything was okay. When it wasn't." Jimin stares down between them, at the bunched pile of bedsheets. He pushes his hair back messily, afraid to glance up at the younger. "I hope you don't think I didn't tell you because of a trust issue because I do trust you Jungkook. So much. I was just trying to live this double life where you were my fairytale in one life and the other life was...a nightmare."