—

"Have you ever held a gun before, Jungkook?"

No, he hadn't.

When it came to weapons, Jungkook never really dabbled in anything other than knives - or his bare fists. There was once, that Namjoon had showed the younger male where he kept his firearm, but Jungkook never dared to touch it. Something about having that much power between his fingertips, was extremely unnerving to him.

Now though, he couldn't really avoid it.

Him and Jimin currently stood inside of an abandoned building pretty far out of the city, Yoongi promising to pick them back up whenever Jimin called. It was cold, the wind blowing through the cracks in the boarded up windows. The grey haired man was standing directly in front of him, an expectant look on his face as he held his personal gun out to Jungkook. "Well, have you?"

Jungkook gulped before shaking his head, extending a shaking hand outwards for Jimin to pass the weapon off to.

"Never." Jungkook thought that he should at least be honest. Jimin obviously knew his way around his gun, holding the piece of metal casually. To be fair though, Jimin seemed to know his way around everything - a knowing glint in his mysterious eyes every time Jungkook worked up the courage to ask a question.

It had been just over a week and a half since the two of them had first met, and yet they had only seen each other face to face three separate times. The bank, the parking lot, and now. If there was one thing that Jungkook had noticed about Jimin within the short amount of he had spent with him, it was this: Jimin seemed to want to keep all knowledge about him hidden - never staying longer than he needed to, never saying more than he should.

It was if he was constantly censoring himself, always stopping himself short before he could say too much or ask too many questions.

This did make sense of course, considering his lifestyle, but it was frustrating to Jungkook - who wanted to pick apart his mind so badly.

At this point in time, the younger male only knew a few things about Jimin - all of which he had learned from Yoongi on the drive home a few days ago. One thing was that Yoongi wasn't his partner, but only a getaway driver if Jimin ever needed one. Another thing, was that Jimin didn't steal things to get rich.

He just really liked doing it, according to Yoongi.

"Well, the safety is on so we won't have to worry about you accidentally shooting me." Jimin placed the gun in Jungkook's hand, trying to ignore the twinge of regret that came with handing his weapon over to someone else.

He immediately felt more bare.

He watched as Jungkook studied that gun in his hand, turning it around a few times to study it completely. He adjusted his grip a few times, trying to become accustomed to the way it felt in his hands.  It wasn't anything fancy, just a .22 caliber Glock 17 that Yoongi had given to him a few years ago. It wasn't flashy, and it wasn't too heavy either.

Jungkook was staring at it like the older male had just handed him a severed limb.

The metal felt cold in his hand, and he couldn't help but take a shaky breath in. Everything was going alright until then, but it was only now that his instincts were screaming at him to get himself out of this situation as quick as possible. The fact that he was holding the same gun that nearly killed him caused an unsettling mix of emotions to stir within his mind.

"How many people have you killed with this?" He asked softly, not meeting Jimin's eyes as he did. The question was blunt, and he knew it was, but the words had left his mouth before he could think of a better way to word it.

He heard Jimin sputter, and looked up from the weapon in his hand to let his gaze rest upon the older male. His expression was shocked more than anything, taken aback by Jungkook's sudden confidence. He had put up a front the night they first met, but after realizing his own mortality he seemed to keep unwanted remarks to the minimum.

The older male crossed his arms over his chest, Jungkook wondering silently how he wasn't cold in just a t-shirt and a flannel. His busted lip was healing over into a scab, old bruises that Jungkook had left finally fading into lighter shades of yellow and green. He opened his mouth to say something, before closing it again and narrowing his eyes at the male in front of him.

Jungkook couldn't help but frown as he watched Jimin swallow his words once more, knowing that he was just inches away from a real answer.

"Why do you want to know?" Jimin finally asked, confronting Jungkook instead of answering his question directly. He couldn't help it - one week simply wasn't long enough to trust someone.

Jungkook shrugged, slowly bringing his pointer finger onto the trigger of the gun - just to see what it felt like.

"You nearly killed me with it, and didn't seem too phased about doing so." He spoke, making eye contact with Jimin. Doing this was always hard, the older male's gaze often too intimidating to hold on to too long. "You've told me yourself that if you get caught you'll go down for murder too." Jungkook watched carefully as an unknown emotion flashed through Jimin's eyes for just a split second. "How many?"

The question hung in the air too long to be comfortable, sending them into an excruciating silence. It was nearly suffocating, drops of water in the distance creating a deafening soundtrack for the moment they were in.

"I don't use my gun unless I need to." Jimin finally spoke, his expression softening for the first time in Jungkook's presence. When his gaze wasn't hardened into a glare, Jungkook couldn't help but noticed how warm it was; though coated in years of stress. "And I don't kill people unless I don't have any other choice."

Jimin was the one to break eye contact this time, tattooed fingers tapping nervously against his bicep.

He wasn't opening up, his body language still closed off and unyielding. His defences were struggling though, and Jungkook knew that getting those two sentences out of Jimin was a miracle in itself.

"That doesn't really answer my question though." He couldn't help but push, aching to see what side of him Jimin was trying to hide so badly. Who was he? Jungkook still had no idea.

"No more than five." Jimin kept his answers short, but it was more than enough information for Jungkook to eat up. He looked down to the gun in the younger boy's hand, walking forwards and snatching it out of his grip.

Before Jungkook even had time to protest, Jimin held out the gun and pointed towards a clock that was still haphazardly nailed to a wall adjacent to him. The arm he held the gun in was solid and unwavering, the muscles in his shoulder tensing up slightly before he pulled the trigger and fired a shot.

The sound of a gunshot rang through the empty air, rattling the younger boy's mind slightly and causing him to stumble back a few steps. It was loud, so loud that Jungkook could barely hear the bullet casing drop onto the concrete ground below them.

His ears rung for a few moments, and he brought his hand up to rub them slightly in an attempt to smooth the irritation.

Jungkook finally looked back to Jimin, the older male still frozen in the same stance he had fired his gun in. The barrel had a transparent stream of smoke escaping it now. His eyes travelled from the smoking gun, tracing the trajectory the bullet had taken, before landing on the clock that was now barely hung onto the wall.

There was a bullet hole dead centre, the piece of metal flattened and imbedded into the wall behind the clock. Shattered glass framed the bullet hole, a few pieces giving way and crumbling to the floor as Jungkook's eyes studied it.

He felt his blood run cold. His mind couldn't help but realize how lucky he truly was to be alive in this moment. Jimin had the skill, he just didn't use it.

Jungkook nearly jumped as Jimin placed the weapon in his hand once more, not even realizing the older male had walked over. He had very soft steps, Jungkook knew that was for a reason.

"Your turn." Jimin spoke curtly, meeting Jungkook's gaze with the same hardened expression the younger male had become to grow used to. "Stop asking me so many questions."

Jungkook looked down at the gun in his hand, the metal now heated up due to him and Jimin's combined body heat. The safety switch wasn't on anymore, Jungkook swallowing down the ball of fear that was resting in his chest because of that fact. "It's not that hard, just pull the trigger."

It was 'that hard' actually, in Jungkook's mind. His muscles were tense and his arms were shaking, his subconscious mind using every card it had to try and make Jungkook rethink his decision. It felt like the gun had suddenly gotten heavier, having to force himself into the same stance that Jimin formed before he fired his shot.

His heart rate was so fast that he would have been worried about having a heart attack if there weren't too many other stressors in his mind to block that idea out. His hands were clammy, and sweat heated up at his forehead. Jungkook couldn't help but feel almost embarrassed at how terrified he was finding himself at the mere idea of firing a gun at a wall, but the dread that flowed through his veins masked every other emotion.

He took in a shaky breath, his pointer finger trembling as it slowly sank down on the trigger of the gun. He finally squeezed his eyes shut, all of his muscles tensing as his body braced itself for the worst.

A second gunshot rang through the air, and Jungkook grunted softly as he felt the recoil in his shoulder. The sound was louder this time due to Jungkook being the one to fire it himself, and he squeezed his eyes shut harder to bear the pain in his ears.

He could feel his whole body shaking, adrenaline and anxiety forcing him into a state that left him frozen where he stood. Jungkook's feet were rooted to the ground, grip on the gun so tight that his knuckles were turning white.

"Hey." Jungkook's breath stopped short at the sound of Jimin's voice breaking the uncomfortable silence. He slowly opened his eyes, feeling a twinge of embarrassment in his chest as one of the tears he was hiding rolled down his cheek.

He really didn't need Jimin thinking that he cried over every little thing. "Jungkook, you did it."

Jungkook tilted his head in confusion, slowly lowering his arm back down to his side. He finally allowed himself to look where he had shot, finding a bullet hole quite far away from where Jimin had destroyed the clock. If that was the target, he had just failed miserably.

"No I didn't." He scoffed, passing the weapon back off the Jimin before wiping the tears off of his face. He felt a weight lift off of him immediately. "Are you blind?"

Jimin furrowed his eyebrows, looking between Jungkook and the bullet hole he had created. He didn't look annoyed for once, his arms uncrossed - one hand in his pocket and one tucking his gun back into it's holster. Just for a moment, Jimin's eyes told him that he understood.

And Jungkook felt himself breathe out a sigh of relief without even noticing.

"The point was for you to fire a gun." The older male spoke, using his flannel to conceal his weapon. "Do you really think I expected you to be a natural?" Jungkook looked away before shaking his head, ruffling the brunette strands on his head. "Do you think I was, when I first fired a gun?"

This time Jungkook couldn't help but pause, and shrugged instead of shaking his head. Jimin huffed, walking closer and resting his hand on Jungkook's shoulder. The younger boy nearly flinched, not accustomed to non-violent physical exchanges with Jimin. The older male's hand was warm, providing a type comfort that Jungkook didn't even know he needed that the moment. "I wasn't. I had to learn, just like you have to learn."

Jungkook watched in near disbelief as a small smile played at Jimin's lips, not familiar with the expression on the older male if he wasn't just picking fun. His eyes weren't mischievous this time though, they were unmasked - allowing Jungkook to bask in all of the emotions they held. "The only difference between the two of us, is that you have me."

Jungkook found himself returning Jimin's small smile, lowering his gaze and nodding his head softly.

He was content. Something warm, possibly excitement, bloomed in his chest as he realized that he had chipped away at Jimin's hard exterior just a little bit.

He knew he would continue to.

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a/n:
ugh this chapter was so fun to write!! very excited for all the action scenes coming up

- Charlie :)