A Couple Months Ago

God, the heat. The heat on his neck. His Chest. His ears, cheeks, lips.

Park Jimin was in Hell. Humid, sweaty, Hell.

"Jimin," a voice like honey said in Jimin's ear. Tattoos covered the man's fingers, his forearm, and his neck of separate doodles like butterflies, letters making up the word ARMY, hearts, an eye, and more floating up underneath the loose sleeve of the his black t-shirt.

Tattoos Jimin knew like they had been painted on his own skin. They might as well have been with how often his fingers brushed against the ink or held the hand of the man they belonged to while a needle engraved them.

"You ruin it when you don't draw the name out." Jimin responded with a smirk and Jeon Jungkook rolled his eyes as he grabbed Jimin by the elbow, nudging him out of the busy Seoul subway entrance.

South Korea's summer heat was attacking the country once again, today's dog day one of the most intense in years. Both Jimin and Jungkook were covered in sweat. Jungkook's dark hair had curled from the humidity and shined in the sun. Jimin's own was sticking to his forehead, much like his silk shirt which - granted - wearing a full sleeve silk v-neck sounded like a great idea for fit purposes alone but outside of AC it was probably one of the worst experiences of his life.

Well, second worst. Nothing could beat running from SADA's basement freshman year after Jimin refused the organizations invitation to join. Nothing would ever beat the fear that memory still instilled in Jimin's chest, the cold of his hands as they shook under Seokjin's voice, or the blood that covered the floor beneath him. No. Nothing would ever come close to that.

Jimin scowled at Jungkook as he pulled his elbow again to let a couple pass them down the subway steps. Jimin cranked his neck, rolling onto his toes to look out into the busy city in hopes of spotting Yoongi. Yoongi was the only person that Jimin and Jungkook trusted, a longtime medic for Jungkook and his family, and now a full time member of their little trio. And - he was late.

There was going to be a huge business meeting between one of Korea's richest CEO's son and a new party drug supplier. They were supposed to witness the meeting, scope out the new drugs name and get any photos they could of the transaction in order to sell the information later to Korea's underground elite. But Yoongi had to join them first, he had not only the tech to record the whole encounter but the location too.

Dropping out of dance for a career in an info-selling gang wasn't exactly on Jimin's bingo card for his life, but yet here he was. Though not his first choice for his life, he was glad the underground job kept them safe from SADA's eyes - and he got to spend it quietly with the love of his life. Jungkook. His Jungkook.

"You have to watch where you're going, Jimin." Jungkook said as some kids almost bumped shoulders with him.

"You say my name boring when we're in public."

Jungkook's blushed and Jimin grinned at watching a man with such broad shoulders and powerful frame redden so easily. He ran a hand down Jungkook's back, his nails scratching the defined muscles lightly underneath as he looked over Jungkook's shoulder. What he would do to that beautiful body and even more wonderful soul later -

Jimin's motions stopped.

"Jungkook. We have to go. Now."

Jungkook's head snapped up, his dark brows furrowing as his head turned in the direction Jimin was looking. His hand tensed around his phone as he slid it back into his pocket as he caught sight of a man crossing the intersection street a block away from the subway entrance.

Under the sun in the busy Seoul street walked a man in a silver mask. His dark suit like a shadow cast on the street below him, walking at a casual pace right for them. The suitcase swung in one hand where a true gold watch gleamed. In the other he pressed his phone against his cheek.

"Now." Jimin said. Jungkook put a hand on Jimin's lower back as he swore under his breath.

"How did they find us? Do you think he saw?" Jimin asked as they turned into the subway entrance.

Jungkook huffed as they walked straight into a crowd of college students. The group was massive, kids dressed in all styles, too drunk to realize Jimin and Jungkook didn't belong with their crowd. But they provided good enough cover.

"Maybe Yoongi set us up." Jimin offered, throwing a smile at one of the drunk girls as they stumbled down to the subway underpass, heading for the line that went straight out of Seoul. His heart dropped a bit. Busan, his hometown, was so different from Seoul's sprawling city. Seoul was massive in a way that made him homesick sometimes, but it wouldn't do him any good to dwell too much on it. Not when he knew he could never go back to Busan. He'd chosen Jungkook and Jungkook's life, and after SADA, he wouldn't put his family in any danger.

Jimin squeezed Jungkook's forearm and the two of them slid into a small alley pass in the underground subway system. His hand rested on Jungkook's cheek as he watched the boy who made his own soul sing take a long, uneasy, breath. Jimin wished they could stand there forever, just the two of them while the rest of the world faded away.

"He wouldn't do that," Jungkook said, shaking his head. "Yoongi's on our side. He wouldn't-"

A girl screamed. The sound ripping from the lungs of one of the drunk college kids that Jimin and Jungkook had walked behind earlier. She was repeating a name, presumably her friend's, over and over as more people started to slow their walk to see what was going on. Steps that started to speed as Jimin caught sight of drops of blood splattered around the floor.

The SADA member, a graduated active by the shape of his frame and design of his mask, walked around her calmly - as if he hadn't shoved her into a wall hard enough for blood to spatter.

Jimin and Jungkook looked at each other, eyes wide. Jimin always liked how golden Jungkook's were - it was one of the first superficial aspects about him he had noticed when they met back in college. How they were large and full of sunlight, like fireflies or a dancing fire when night hit. They were burning with panic now.

The man in the silver mask turned from the body on the floor towards Jimin and Jungkook's direction. The eyes underneath it went wide - shock like a wave of cold water causing the man's movements to pause. Jimin wondered if maybe he'd known him - there was something familiar in that raw gaze.

Jimin and Jungkook took the hesitation as a chance to start charging through the subway. It wasn't long before the heavy sound of footsteps was right on their heels.

Jungkook was swearing and his hands were around Jimin's waist trying to pull him along, but they were too slow.

The SADA member called out Jimin's name, now only a brush away as he chased. Finally Jimin heard the sound of a familiar voice, one that he hadn't listened to in over six years, and it caused him to stop just as sharply as approaching a cliff would.

That's not possible. It can't be - I held the - Jimin turned and the world froze. A strong hand gripped onto his forearm. Jimin watched Jungkook thrown to the size, bleeding from his head, as Jimin came face to face with their attacker. 

His heart cracked.

"How-?" Jimin opened his mouth to speak, not sure what words would fall off his tongue. What did you say when your greatest regret stared in the face? What could you say, when your worst sin was at your doorstep?

"I had a good feeling." The SADA member said with a smirk and an unmistakable drawl on his lips as his cold eyes slid onto Jimin's face, a face he'd last seen covered in blood, and smashed the suitcase over his head with one great swing.

Jimin could make out Jungkook's frame, stumbling up and preparing to fight the attacker, but Jimin couldn't help it as his body fell limp to the ground and darkness swallowed him. In less than a second, two pairs of eyes flashed against Jimin's vision. One, a golden pair with sun kissed lashes of a man that loved him. The other, dark as the night sky, belonged to a ghost of Jimin and Jungkook's past. An impossible man, someone who was supposed to be dead, who they knew was dead, of Kim Taehyung.

___________
A/N
I'm so sorry!! With finals everything has just been absolutely all over the place. I hope everyone is studying well and getting ready to enjoy some summer, some Jikook overload, and some good old sunny fanfic reading free time  😏😏
- your gf Vio 💜