Double update. Read the chapter before this one uwu
Lmao I don't know why I wrote uwu
Ehm- I'm going slightly bonkers but whatever! Who cares =D

✪12✪

“Jimin is powerful,” Taehyung mumbled dejectedly, running a hand through his wavy auburn hair.

“What can he do?”

“Heal people.”

“So he’s more valuable than powerful. Maybe the government won’t murder him if he cooperates. I mean, we do kill a lot of them so he would probably help them save on man power by healing some of the injured fools.”

“That doesn’t mean we let him be captured!”

“I didn’t say that,” I sighed. “Look, Taehyung, I’m going to be honest with you. We said we’d help but I have no idea where Jimin might be.”

Taehyung exhaled heavily and plopped his butt down on the dirty grey park bench. “Having company is better than being alone.”

I sat down next to him and placed my around my legs, with my chin on my knees. “I couldn’t agree more.”

He gave me a small smile, his dark brown eyes meeting mine. We remained silent for a few minutes. I combed through my memories, trying to find anything of importance.

“How new here are you? Do you know anyone yet? Other than us?” I asked him suddenly.

“A week. My employer knows me, obviously.

“About that. How did you get a job so soon?”

“We came from Seoul and immediately tried to find one. We needed the money. Certain... circumstances didn't let me grab cash when I ran from home and Jimin's fifty dollars wasn't sufficient.”

“They gave it to you? At the pizza place. Just like that?”

“The owner only asked our ages and where we came from. He provided us with an apartment too because he knew we just flew from in from Seoul…”

“Taehyung,” I groaned. “You have got to be kidding me!”

“I didn’t realise!” he protested wildly. "I thought he was asking for our age because he wanted to know if we were old enough to work or something."

"Why would he do that? You don't look like an effing six year old."

“I just thought he was really kind!”

“No one is kind.”

“You were. You are.”

“I am being nice because I have my own agenda and finding Jimin happens to be one of them.”

“And what is your agenda?”

“I’m collecting people like us. Jin and I. So we have a chance to survive.”

“Jin… the curly light brown haired one?”

“That’s him.”

“Joan, I know nothing about my boss," Taehyung wailed. "If he's the one that took Jimin then how am I supposed to find out?"

“What’s his name? I know a person that can find out more if I have simple information like identity and appearance.”

“Um… Hutch Gregory. I think.”

“Taehyung!”

“I’m sorry,” he placed his hands over his eyes and tried to hide from me. “He is tall. And huge.”

“More, Taehyung, I need more.”

“Uh black hair. Walks like a pig.”

“What about his age?”

“Around forty. Wait, I remember his name! It sounded like pretzel… ah yes, Hutch is correct," Taehyung beamed proudly.

“How does Hutch sound like a-?”

“You are talking about pretzels?” came an eager voice from behind. “I have a joke!”

Several groans sounded from behind an excited Jin and I had the good fortune of seeing peace loving Hoseok pretend to shoot himself with a finger gun. Sarah stormed past Jin and slammed down two buckets of popcorn.

“Are you sure you like him? Is he threatening to tell you his jokes for the rest of your life if you don’t go out with him, is that why you are dating him?” She straightened her red shawl, glaring at Jin. “This young man treated us to sixty-five of his jests.” She grabbed my shoulders and shook me hard. “Sixfty-fricking-five of them, all with increasing degrees of stupidity! I need coffee.” She turned helplessly to Hoseok and he handed grinned and handed her a cup of it from his pocket.

“My pretzel joke is good," Jin placed his hands on his hips and huffed. “Listen. Why did the pretzel file a report?”

“Becau-”

“Not you, Joan! Can I say? Can I say?”

Jungkook tried to choke Jin from behind and was carried off by Yoongi.

“Because it was a-salted! Get it? It is a play on the word assaulted! Like you know-”

“Stop explaining the damn-," Sarah began only to be interrupted by huge guffaws. All of us looked at Taehyung, bemused, as he rolled around on the grass laughing until tears poured out of his eyes.

“You are laughing at… my joke?” Jin asked uncertainly. “Mine?”

“A-salted!” Taehyung slapped his thighs while giggling. “I am going to use that on Jimin! He's going to kill me, but who cares!”

“You liked my joke? Mine? The pretzel one?”

“Yeah! Do you have more?” Taehyung made a puppy-eyed expression at Jin who took a step back in amazement and pretended to wipe away stray tears.

Dramatic ass.

But my dramatic ass.

My cheeks involuntarily turned red.

“Of course I have more!” Taehyung and Jin beamed at each other before I realised that if I didn’t act fast enough, Jin was going to be murdered. Like actually murdered, I realised with a start as I watched Sarah sharpening a knife on the edge of her palm.

Where did she get a knife? It looked too much like mine… it was mine! I can’t believe the idiot actually stole my only weapon.

“Sarah, sweetie,” I started, taking an angry step forward. “Why do you have my knife?”

Her eyes moved from Jin to me as she smiled wickedly. “You are incredibly easy to steal from.”

“Give it back!” I stretched forward to clasp my fingers around the bronze handle when it just vanished from sight.

I glared at the ground. “Seriously?”

Sarah blew air in my ear and I shrieked.
“Sarah, don’t make me pepper spray you!”

“Yoo-hoo, baby, do it!” her voice giggled from my left and I lunged immediately. I landed on a soft body and placed my fingers around a now visible Sarah’s throat. “My knife," I hissed.

Sarah's eyes widened and she gave it back to me, wincing as she tenderly rubbed her ass. “You are heavy. You don’t look heavy but you are heavy.”

“That’s what you get for stealing," I glared at the cluster of inquisitive boys around me. “Let this be a lesson; No one touches my knife.”

Sarah winced as she continued to rub her bottom. “Ow,” she muttered sullenly.

“You have a fat butt,” Yoongi commented, his eyes looking lively as he grinned widely. “It shouldn’t have hurt that much.”

“Min Yoongi you did not just-”

“Anyways!” I interrupted. “We have a lead on finding Jimin so we should get going now.”

“This is not over, you are a pathetic excuse for an onion! I’ll strangle you in your sleep,” Sarah glowered at him.

"But he's not an onio-," Hoseok winced as she scowled at him. He started speaking quickly. "Min Yoongi you're a big ugly onion that deserves to be chopped and minced and-"

"Let's just find Jimin," Jungkook rolled his eyes and poked Sarah's back and we started walking.

***

“Peter,” I smiled warmly at the young boy in front of me. “Hello!”

“Joan!” He greeted me equally enthusiastically. “And Jin! Did you guys start dating yet?” he cheekily asked.

Jin’s ears flushed as he muttered under his breath. “Hi Peter.”

“Tea? Coffee?” Peter shut the door behind us as we trooped inside his house.

“We have both tea and coffee,” Yoongi sniggered.

“Uh…”

I snorted as I realised what Yoongi meant. He flashed me his toothy grin and winked from his seat on the bean bag.

“He means Taehyung and Hoseok,” I explained. Five pairs of eyes blinked. “Hoseok can produce coffee and Taehyung can be called Tae… like tea, you know?”

“No I don’t know," Jungkook muttered.

“Forget it. It was a lame attempt at cracking a joke, it will never happen again,” Yoongi rolled his eyes and I shook my head in exasperation and took off my shoes.

“Peter how have you been?” Jin asked.

“Good, good. Government paid a lot of visits.”

I flopped down on the floor. “They suspect you too?” Peter was the most intelligent and cunning person I had ever known and if he was under suspicion then it was definitely worrisome.

“Yeah, but it’s not serious. I have a month or two.”

“What are they hoping to find?” Hoseok asked curiously.

“Evidence that I’m a so-called abnormal child.”

“What do they think will be lying around? Posters saying ‘I have the gene’?” Yoongi snorted.

“I didn’t say they were smart,” Peter chuckled. “So, Joan, what do you want?”

“Right.” I placed my hands in front of me. “I wanted to know more about a man named Hutch Gregory? He's around forty years old and is fat and um- walks like a pig?"

Taehyung nodded encouragingly.

"Where he stays, his hideouts, the works.”

“Give me a minute,” Peter clapped his hands together. He came back a few minutes later with eleven thick green folders each of them filled with sheets and I eagerly grabbed them from him. “All the fat forty year old Hutch Gregorys of the continent.”

“Whoah!” Jungkook muttered, his round eyes wide and mouth gaping. “How do you have that?”

“I am very rich,” Peter replied simply, sitting on the floor next to me.

“Taehyung,” I beckoned the copper-haired boy to come closer. He sat on the sofa behind me, his legs dangling over my shoulders and resting on my chest. He leaned forward, his nose brushing my back and the strands of his hair tickling my ears. “Okay, start,” he whispered.

Did he want to spit down my neck or something?

I sighed and opened and the first file. Boys were so weird.

“No.”

And the second.

“No.”

The third.

“No.”

By file nine Taehyung’s chin was resting on my head as he twirled my hair around his fingers and breathed down my shirt.

“That’s him! Gregory Hutch, 43 years old, convicted felon,” he yelled suddenly and I nearly jumped. I was barely one centimetre away, was there any reason to shriek in my ear?

I craned my neck to see him and my eyes met his soulful ones. “Convicted felon? Seriously? You accepted a job from him?”

“Hey,” he raised his palms in surrender. “I thought it’d be nice for him to have a do-over in life. You know? Cause with everyone scorning him, I thought some niceness would be nice for a change.”

“Aw Taehyung,” I gushed. “That was so dumb but so sweet!” Jin grumbled from the far end of the couch. I turned to look at him and Taehyung immediately shuffled away from me guiltily. I sighed and stretched my cramped legs before making my way past a dozing Yoongi and a captivated-with-the-remote-Jungkook. I pushed a smirking and a failing-to-wink-at-me Peter off the sofa and took his place next to my grumpy boyfriend.

“I’m right here,” Jin whined. “And you are getting all cozy with him!”

“Jin, he is just a friend. He's touchy by nature."

Seokjin pouted and I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. Jealous Jin was so cute.

“Oops!” A delighted shriek echoed around the room from the left and we turned to see Jungkook eyeing the television remote with fascination. “It came on! I touched it and it came on, Joan!” He excitedly gestured to me.
“I have magic hands!”

Sarah and Hoseok exchanged looks which plainly said that Jungkook was a little nutty.

I couldn't agree more.

“Shush everyone,” Yoongi instructed, pointing at the television. We gazed at it in time to see the name of the next show flash on screen.

Dr. Malhotra: Ingenium- A Thesis and More.