"Oo, finally embracing your backbone and handling the situation," Thing said with an echo, smirking with a weak pout, "Truly attractive."

Jimin stared at his own reflection taunting him with such an evil grin. His skin crawled at the sight.

"Could've came out as your true form," Jimin said through his teeth, circling around slowly. He didn't leave the eyes Thing possessed. It was like talking to an evil version of himself in a mirror. "Posing as me so you could talk to me, is a little dramatic?"

Smile still so dark as Thing chuckled and tilted it's head back. It did a crack at it's neck and Jimin recalled you doing the same thing from earlier, his stomach twisted and turned from realization over how similar you and Thing were once gone rogue.

Thing smirked. "I kinda like playing dress-up," it shrugged, even down to the attire Thing looked like Jimin, "Halloween's coming up and I felt the spirit."

Jimin didn't smile.

"Pun intended."

Jimin still didn't smile.

Thing performed an eye roll. "Oh, would you smile a little?" it weakly asked, "You completely ambushed and ruined my win, you don't see me all mad about it."

"You needed me to be in the room as you killed her," Jimin's voice was louder than Thing, still yelling, "Why? Answer why."

Thing moved a finger toward it's ear. Wiggling it playfully at the hole before scrunching its face, Thing mumbled, "I see both Y/N and you have a problem with yelling at a person when near?"

Again, Jimin didn't smile.

Thing, on the other hand, was doing nothing but smiling as he continued to walk in a distanced circle.

Pointing over at the ground, Thing pointed at it's chest and back at the circle they made. He was amused, "We about to tango up in this bitch?" it asked, giggling, "Yo, I'm excited if we are. Haven't danced in forever and could really use a hot partner."

Jimin stopped his circle, not knowing how to react to his own reflection talking such words. Thing stopped his feet too, grin still heavy. There was a tiredness to it's eyes that made Jimin relish in familiarity. Jimin had been that tired and that weak just before you had shown up to the dorm...just before he had kissed you.

"You're weaker."

"Yes, would you like a cookie for stating the obvious?"

Jimin held back an angered snarl. "Listen, I'm done playing games-"

"Good," Thing popped, crossing it's arms across it's chest. "I've been waiting for you to anchor-up and get to work. It's been a slow burn for both Y/N and you, kinda pathetic if you ask me. First, Y/N was clueless and couldn't put the pieces together and here you were, doing nothing to get her back while getting excited from sex dreams of her ex?" Thing's smile was back to being evil when Jimin was startled suddenly and blushed. "...well, my ex."

"H-How did you kno-"

"I know everything about you," Thing said through it's teeth.

Jimin regained his blushing when thinking about Iniko and the fact that her beauty really did take a toll on his mind. He couldn't help but feel naturally attracted to a friendly face that seemed genuine and caring. It was in his nature to feel such a way, plus, it's not like he could control his nasty dreams.

"How is that exactly," Jimin said slowly, crossing his hands over his chest as well. He looked like a duplicate completely but didn't back down because he wanted to stay scary-looking and mad. "How is it that you know more about me every day and I know nothing about you. I barely caught a glimpse of you until today."

"Because in all the time Y/N's been in the holding cell, I've been stronger than you." Thing shrugged, sighing lightly before moving tiredly to go lean against the brick walls of the hospital. Near the dumpster, Jimin moved his body so he could watch Thing tiredly find comfort in not standing on its own.

"I've noticed the strength. I'm assuming getting Y/N to think like you only made you stronger."

Thing rolled its eyes. "Yes, and you tossed all my efforts away by kissing her? Really? That was your big plan? To neglect her this entire time only to swoop in and damage my Plan B by kissing her out of the blue."

Jimin finally smirked a little. "Anger and helplessness are very loud in your tone."

Thing smiled at Jimin proud with himself.

"I need to win, and I was close to doing so today. Of course, I'd be a little wounded in the ego since plans didn't go according to what I had hoped."

"Hm." Jimin hummed, anger starting to re-burn within the pit of his guts.

"But to answer your question," Thing sighed dramatically, pretending to be hurt and offended as it spoke, "I need you in the room because you're the third part of the holding cell equation."

Jimin tried not looking too confused for his own good, but there was no helping it. "Holding cell equation?"

Thing nodded. "Light side Y/N, dark-side Y/N (also known as the messenger)-" it pointed at its chest, "and the anchor. You. We all needed to be there for the fall. For me to win."

"Holding cell equation..." Jimin's breath was under a whisper, his mind replaying those words, so he could memorize it.

"Yes, hot stuff," Thing purred, "Her + Me + You = one big happy family."

"So, for me to win I use that equation as well?" Jimin asked, heart on the line as he asked.

Thing shook it's head, smiling more when seeing how vulnerable Jimin clearly was. "Not exactly sugar daddy."

Jimin was in discomfort over the pet names that were continuously being shot his way. The fact that it was coming from a mouth that looked exactly like his wasn't helping.

"That's my ending, that's my win. I need you there accepting your fall along with her to get my win. She would've died, and you would've weakened and possibly died with her as an anchor. The minute your body gave out and the ritual was complete, your corpse would've been zombie-like the rest of the day until found dead the next morning on your bed sheets. Your band members would have their memories erased and would be clueless as well, while, other humans would choke everything up to a heart attack. I win, you lose."

Jimin looked sick. He didn't feel it, but he remembered how he had fallen sick earlier and nothing helped him out of it. "If you won that would've been my greatest lose. I would've become sick to no repair," Jimin was in awe as he reached an epiphany.

"Yes, king-booty."

Jimin tried not to cringe. He was too terrified and stressed to consider anything else as he went, "Wait, then that would easily mean the moments you're weaker and I'm stronger, I'm slowly killing you as well." Jimin was about to bitterly grin but Thing clicked its tongue before shaking it's head.

"Your possible win is much more complex," Thing educated, sighing as it bounced away from the wall and started to slowly walk over to Jimin, "You see, in my win, you're the third party. Y/N and I are equal, we're one. We're the same." Jimin watched Thing continuing to come closer, "But for your win, a need for balance is necessary. Even with my weakened state, both Y/N and you have to accept that I'm a part of her if you ever want her to wake up."

Jimin's lips parted at that. It all hitting him.

"Think about it, it makes no sense to have me killed if she were to wake up," Thing mumbled, treating Jimin like a child who couldn't figure out what 1+1 meant. "You win, she wakes up, and she doesn't have a darkness to her? Every human has darkness...every human needs it no matter how sad one's life comes out to be. No matter how threatening I am, or how much better Y/N would be without her depression, her doubts, her suicidal thoughts...she needs me to be human, to be alive."

"That's it? You've just told me how to get her back," Jimin said confused, not seeing where the catch was.

Thing grinned a side-grin. Again, the evil looks seemed weird on his own reflection.

"But have I?"

Jimin's jaw clenched. "I said to come clean with everything."

"Where's the fun in that?" Thing chirped, giggling again. It was a familiar giggle, the ones that would make Jimin's eyes move into lines and his teeth pop out in amazement. Jimin for the first time saw what the fan's died over when seeing him smile.

Jimin's hands were in fists and Thing stopped laughing. Amused and staying with its tough-guy bravado, Thing eased Jimin by placing its hands out in defense. "Easy there mochi-chuchi, tame thy self. No need to perform your masculinity and get worked up for no reason. Civil talks. Civil talks."

"How is it fair that if you win I die, and if I win, you live in some sort of way?"

Thing shrugged. "I didn't make the rules my friend."

Jimin's body was shaking. "I am not your friend. Will you stop with the riddles and just tell me all I need to know?"

Thing waved it's hands again. Blinking tiredly, Thing sighed dramatically for the hundredth time since this conversation took a course. "Okay, I'm going to ramble out a quick run-on course for you to keep up. I'll say all that you and Y/N are right about so you can plan your next steps in defeating me."

Jimin was about to open his mouth and speak but Thing shushed him.

"I'm Y/N's negative side that was ripped away from her the minute she entered the holding cell," Thing began, continuing his slow walk towards Jimin who was frozen, "My ass got burned completely from the separation and the pain caused me to mope and cry myself into complete darkness. She woke up with you and society, I woke up alone and in my own head. Collecting myself and getting stronger, I could get to her and feed off her insecurities. Both of you are spot on with the idea of her being easily manipulated. The more she's negative, the stronger I get, the more hopeful she is, the stronger you get."

"This leads to my win. You got sick and almost died in the room where I was winning, only for you to go anchor-ass and touch her, kiss her, do anything light and human-like that made her snap out of it. I lost and now we're here."

Thing stopped for a moment. Two steps away from Jimin.

"I've told you how you can win...the last step anyway...and it's just about mentally preparing you to get there. You need to accept that I'm a part of Y/N no matter how badly you choose to deny it and make me out to be some monster."

Jimin's eyes softened. "I need to save the both of you."

Thing didn't care for him slowly processing everything as Thing started to move forward again.

"I've told you how to get her back. The process of it you'll have to figure out yourself because I am done mothering you children around." Thing was face-to-face with Jimin.

Jimin stared at the eyes that looked deep into his. Challenging, intimidating, and in a competition with each other, Park Jimin stared for dominance in the other Park Jimin's eyes.

"Destroy the thought of me winning again," Thing whispered, staring over at Jimin's heavily breathing self by bouncing its gaze to the idol's lips. Smirk-game strong, his voice echoed as he completed his saying, "I dare you, anchor."

Jimin cocked his chin out, staring over at Thing's lips for a second as well. When he brought his gaze over to Thing's eyes that were 100% like his.

Jimin held the cockiest expression. "Challenge accepted," he said through his teeth, "I will win."

"Wish you luck on that."

"I don't need the luck," Jimin said slowly, "all I need is an answer towards why I'm the anchor. Why was I chosen to save you?"

Thing smiled. "She's mentioned this many times Jimin, sometimes the jokes she lets out is nothing but truth. Instead of rolling your eyes at everything Y/N says, maybe listen for a change and stop being dense over the emotions she clearly has for you."

Jimin was confused over what Thing was trying to get at. "I thought Yoongi hyung was her bias," he said breathless, still so innocent-minded and oblivious.

Thing rolled its eyes, moving backward, "And again with being fucking clueless!"

"I don't understand I-"

Thing moved to turn it's back on Jimin. "We picked you because you had the greatest glow of positivity in that moment. She latched on to you while I was lost yet approved of the choice without even notice. Whatever, whatever, the time has past and you haven't really justified the hype, all that great potential seems to have been going to waste from what I've observed."

Thing started to walk away. Jimin grew defensive, watching himself walk away. For a moment, he grew curious and stared over at Thing's ass, wanting to see for himself what everyone in the fandom was going crazy over. As he looked, Jimin saw it. He really did have a great butt.

"Good luck ya idiot," Thing sang out, waving the back of his hand out as a 'bye' before going towards the alley's corner for an exit. "I'll be back to kill you soon enough and win. Just don't be annoyingly calling me anymore, we shouldn't even be meeting in the first place."

"H-Hey-" Jimin rushed down the alley, chasing after Thing. "Wait," his voice was almost begging and Jimin corrected it fast as he tried to be scarier with a yell, "COME BACK HERE."

"I'm soo scared." Thing simply waved again and moved around the corner.

Jimin ran, moving around the corner and seeing nothing as he halted to a stop. Groaning in frustration, the idol brought his hands to his hips before kicking over at the wall beside him. As soon as he kicked it, his eyes widened, and he tripped forward in a limp. "Ow, ow, ow!" Jimin limped his way to the parking lot.

Half-way in, he realized he didn't have a ride since you had phased him here, Jimin swore so loud into the air.

"FUCK, WHAT IS LIFE?!"

-

"Fuck, what is life?" you softly said to yourself, hugging Jimin's pillow to your chest as you sat on the foot of his bed.

Being scared most of the day, you had phased over to his bedroom faster than a blink of an eye. After the kiss that snapped you back into some sort of sanity, you had stared at yourself in the mirror for a long while. Normally, when you would get ready you would hate your reflection or not think too much of it. But with weeks and weeks of just blood and misery, seeing your face clean of death and looking livelier was something that made your eyes water.

The fact that your eyes were watering simply made them water more. You had cried a lot to yourself once alone in his room.

Looking more like yourself, the power you had stayed. The strength you had stayed, but there was a humane 'lock' that seemed to be placed on you to control your urges. All of this happened as Jimin had kissed you, the sudden want to destroy and see people suffer broke your heart instead of making it bounce with thrill.

Sitting onto the foot of his bed for hours, you were in deep thought. You could remember everything you had done while being a puppet from the hands of Thing. You remembered vividly and wished to cry harder. You didn't, stopping yourself because you were scared to get too sad and have Thing appear again. Frankly, at this point, your shaking body didn't want anyone. You sat in your guilt, trying to cope and ease your mind.

Soon, the hugging of Jimin's pillow and wanting to smell him at your nostrils helped.

Now, you were numb and staring at nothing.

Waiting

Waiting

Waiting

Waiting.

You waited and it paid off when a presence was outside his bedroom door.

"Hyung, can we-"

"I'll come out and talk to you all soon," Jimin's voice was kind, tired, and overwhelmed from the events of today, "Just give me a minute. I need to check for something in my room."

It was Jungkook's voice that was soft, and you moved your hands to your mouth, so you wouldn't sniffle loud. You knew he wouldn't be able to hear you, but the reflex happened as you cried and shook into his pillow. You tried to smell his scent again and calm down. All you wanted was to calm down but suddenly you were now thinking about how closely you had come to hurting Jungkook.

"Okay hyung," the maknae said.

There was then a sweet exchange of a few whisper muffles and you didn't bother focusing on listening. Gathering yourself together as the door opened and a form strolled in, you didn't look up from the ground you stared at when he closed the door slowly behind him.

His movements made it clear to you that he saw you instantly. His feet slow and frozen by the door as he leaned against the closed wood that held him up. You saw nothing but his feet, making your cheeks out to be clean and dry but your eyes were red from the corners, swollen from the bottom bags, and it was obvious you had been crying.

"Hi..."

You slowly looked up at the boy. Expecting and awkward exchange or glance, Jimin held a soft smile and you almost broke. Pouting, you threw the pillow over at him and he slapped it away before it could hit him. Chuckling, he was confused over you crying instantly and cursing over at him. "Woah, Woah, what was that for?"

You were trembling. "You aren't supposed to be smiling at me, you're supposed to be yelling and mad for all that I've done. I don't deserve this treatment, I almost killed Jungkook, I-I-" You stopped when Jimin sighed, his form bending by your feet as he forced you to look at him. He was close, eyes teasing before he let himself touch you. Bringing his hand to your lap so he could grab your hand, you lamely let him tangle his fingers with yours.

"That's your problem Y/N," he said softly, "You keep trying to find reasons for why people should hate you, when we both know that you weren't yourself under Thing's power. I'm mature enough to understand that you weren't you...why would I be mad?" His smile was tired but sweet before he arched his head in for you to look at him when you ducked your head down.

"I don't des-"

"You deserve happiness," Jimin said, cutting you off before you could go down a negative train of thoughts again, "You deserve to live, breathe, and see your family again and that is what I will bring you to do. Not because I must but because I want to, so stop thinking of yourself as a burden. Understood?"

You looked at his eyes. After everything, they were so kind when looking straight at you.

Jimin chuckled, his smile light. "This is the last time I hear any doubt from you or hear you belittle yourself, got it? Tell me you understand before I blow up, I've had a rough day."

You nodded, tears moving onto your cheeks without power behind stopping them and Jimin rolled his eyes before he got off the floor in front of you and moved to sit next to you. He let your hand go before laying down onto his back and having his knee nudge yours. You stared over your shoulder and saw him rub his face in exhaustion.

"You've finally got your beautiful face back," Jimin said breathless, his hands cupping his face, "Don't ruin the moment by crying."

"I'm allowed to feel emotion," you said softly, trying to ignore your heart that was raging in your chest. "Don't nag me."

Jimin grinned in his hands. He could hear you sniffling to yourself again and the world went quiet around him for a second before he breathily chuckled in his hands and let the happiness and relief that glorified within him come forth. No longer angry, no longer irritated over the events, Jimin simply got lost in how happy he was to see you again. Jumping forward and instantly grabbing you down with him, Jimin's side hit the bed again but this time he brought you down with him.

Your watery eyes were wide as he hugged you so tight.

"Jimin I can't breathe!" you said at his shoulder, feeling your lungs tighten.

Jimin laughed. "You can breathe!" he chanted, excited and having faith in himself to continue and be a good anchor. He knew he could do it, he just had to try harder and do what he could.

He moved away from you when you tapped on his shoulder more aggressively and he laughed, kissing your forehead as he breeched away enough so his face could come to stare at yours. Expecting blood and what he normally saw you with, it hit him slow when realizing that he was staring at your face, your real face so close to his. Smile falling a little, Jimin's throat tightened with a lump he couldn't conquer.

You noticed him staring and suddenly went back to thinking about how he had kissed you. He was so angry when kissing you for the first time, sure it was hot and needed in your life, but seeing how gentle and sweetly he looked over at you now was only making your heart thirst for more – thirst for something different from what you had received this morning.

Jimin pursed his lips slowly when staring at yours for a long while. "They were really blue this morning," he said softly, in awe of how adorable you truly were. He could sense it even past the blood, but seeing you for the first time more comfortable in your own skin was where he noticed the difference more.

"What were?" you asked softly, shoulder leaning over so you could lay closer to him without it being too obvious of a tilt.

"...your lips." Jimin's upper lips moved over some of his teeth and poked out from a successful side-smile. It was light, and he continued to gawk in awe.

You blinked. "What colour are they now?"

He blinked. "They could be brighter..."

You tried not to shyly smile at that and he was blushing himself before nervously smiling and looking to your eyes to stare. Jimin just kept staring.

"Any advice on how I could possibly do that?" you asked, amused and wanting to brighten the situation instead of having both of you blushing.

"Get a better lipstick shade."

"Funny."

"I try," Jimin sang out, laughing as he looked up to the ceiling and not at your face anymore. He held a shy smile but couldn't hide how happy he was to be holding you.

You could see the happiness in his eyes and it made you melt.

You sighed, shutting your eyes and wiggling closer into his side.

Jimin laughed, looking over and having your hairbrush his cheek. "What're you doing, we can't be laying here, I've got to go meet the boys outside and explain where I've been with you."

You whined, stuffing your nose into his hoodie so he couldn't see you become more and more child-like the minute he tried to shuffle away from you and get up.

Jimin noticed from the whining however and laughed.

"I'm glad you're back and I'm happy that you're more beautiful than ever." Your heart hammered but he didn't care for his words as he got up from the bed and pulled your hand up as well, "But we've got the rest of the day to survive together."

You moaned and tried to pull him back down. "Five minutes I want to smell you."

"Smell me later," Jimin said, not knowing whether to be freaked out by that, "For right now, you'll be meeting the boys for real this time."

Your eyes shot open at that. No longer whining, moaning, or playing around, your back bounced up from the bed and you stared at Jimin's soft smile with surprised eyes.

"I'm going to do what?"

Flashes of harassing Yoongi and almost killing Jungkook came into your head.