openupblackwidow

[openupblackwidow]

yoongi + swag

[openupblackwidow]

The Suns of Gunshots Two Years Later Interlude

Fandom: BTS Characters: Reader & BTS Genre: Thriller Rating: E - For Everyone Length: 907 Words Summary: After being saved by your friends, you find yourself swept up in a whirlwind of an unwanted adventure on Purge night.  Author’s Notes: Please be aware that chapters of this story may contain mature content (mostly violence), as it is a Purge related fanfic. It could potentially trigger some people, so please proceed with caution. This is my first time writing something with a lot of action and something dark like this as I normally write fluff. All feedback is greatly appreciated and welcome, within reason (don’t just tell me you hated it without giving something constructive that I can work with).

Chapter One (M/TW) | Chapter Two (E) | Chapter Three (E) | Chapter Four (M/TW) | Chapter Five (M/TW) | Interlude (E) | Chapter Six (E) | Chapter Seven (M/TW) | Chapter Eight (M/TW) | Chapter Nine (M/TW) | Chapter Ten (M/TW) | Christmas Interlude (E) | Chapter Eleven (M/TW) | Chapter Twelve (E) | Chapter Thirteen (M/TW)

TWO YEARS LATER

WEEEEEEEEWOOOOOOO We interrupt scheduled programming to bring you this breaking news. Hello and we apologize for this interruption of the regularly scheduled program. We are bringing you breaking news straight out of the capitol.

As you may know, a year and a half ago, a new kind of rebellion rose in riot against the bi-annual Purge celebration. This group has dubbed themselves The Republic for Human Lives and has promised the nation freedom from the Purge. They have been demanding the government listen and end the Purge before a bull blown riot breaks out.

Well, we’re here reporting that riot has arrived everyone. We have a reporter, Becky, on the scene to report.

Thanks, Jim. I’m Becky here at the capitol where two parties are coming head to head on the street. Police and military have arrived and lined up as a barricade to control the crowds, but that’s what’s odd, Jim. The crowd of people from The Republic for Human Lives hasn’t moved or spoken for the last three hours.

What do you mean, Becky?

I mean they are standing together with arms linked in silence. We were able to pull a member aside to ask why and what this response meant. He said they were standing in silence for the ones who were forced silent. It’s crazy out here, Jim. Hundreds of thousands of people are gathered here in protest of the Purge and demanding action from the capitol building.

That sounds pretty intense, Becky. You stay safe out there!

Thanks, Jim. Back to you.

With the next Purge just weeks away, all eyes are on the capitol and those in charge to see what action they will take against The Republic for Human Lives. The Republic gained traction after the recent Purge where the leader of the group was killed while helping a family escape a group of Purgers. The anti-Purge group is currently leaderless, but still gaining more followers despite the lack of leadership.

We’ll bring you more on the story as it develops. This has been Jim with KTTP.

“Republic for Human Lives. What a crock of bullshit.” The leader of the Eliminators scoffs as he sits in the chair at the hair salon. The woman clipping at his hair says nothing as he carries on.

“I bet those idiots are cheering at the TV watching this. ‘Yeah! Republic for Human Lives! Let’s go join!’” He scoffs again. “Stupid Taehyung. I can hear him screaming it already. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d already joined and were at this stupid protest. Seems like it’d be right down their alley!”

Hair falls from his head and onto his shoulders in flaky blond layers. The stylist brushed the trimmings off the black protective cloth before she picks up a comb and some styling gel. She smooths it through his hair, encouraging the locks to fall off to the side.

The door to the salon opens and closes as a man decked in black strides across the floor with a folder in his hand.

“What you asked for,” he mumbles to the leader, glancing at the stylist.

The leader looks to the woman in the mirror and nods toward the door. She catches the hint and shuffles out in silence. The newly arrived associate unbuttons the black protective sheet from his leader’s neck and pulls it away. He passes off the folder to the leader who opens it and glances down the sheet.

“So they haven’t left?”

The other man shakes his head. “So tell me then, why hasn’t she been with them? She’s the only one who hasn’t come out the last two years. We have unfinished business to take care of, but she won’t come out to play.”

The associate shakes his head. “She’s still there. She’s been seen coming and going, but we can’t figure out where she hides when they’re gone.” He sits in an empty salon chair beside his leader. “We could smoke her out. Light the place up like last time. Drive her out of the place.”

The leader shakes his head. “Too risky. It’s not fun if she’s too injured or dead.”

“We’ll have to figure out another way then.”

The head of the Eliminators closes the folder and places it in his lap, a smirk crossing his face. “I’ve got just the trick. It’s been two years. We’ve been saving up for this moment.”

“Are you sure?”

“Very. It’s the best plan to get her out. Get him and she’ll be forced to come out. She’s already had to make a choice once. I’m confident she learned from her mistake last time. She won’t let it happen again. Get things ready. The Purge is only a few weeks away now. We need to make sure we’re one hundred percent ready.”

“Your call, boss. I’ll start working on it and get things in place. I’ll report to you when it’s ready.”

The associate stands from the chair and disappears. The leader is left on his own again. Having swiveled around to face his companion, he turns his chair back to face the mirror. He grins at his reflection. “This Purge may top the last one I saw her at. This girl has definitely made things very, very interesting.”

He reaches up and replaces a loose strand of hair back with the rest and lets out a soft laugh. “Let’s have some fun, shall we?”

[openupblackwidow]

The Suns of Gunshots Ch. 13

Fandom: BTS & GOT7 Characters: Reader & BTS & GOT7 Genre: Thriller Rating: M - There’s some violence and a death in this scene. Possibly triggering situations, so proceed with caution. Length: 2295 Words Summary: After being saved by your friends, you find yourself swept up in a whirlwind of an unwanted adventure on Purge night.  Author’s Notes: Please be aware that chapters of this story may contain mature content (mostly violence), as it is a Purge related fanfic. It could potentially trigger some people, so please proceed with caution. This is my first time writing something with a lot of action and something dark like this as I normally write fluff. All feedback is greatly appreciated and welcome, within reason (don’t just tell me you hated it without giving something constructive that I can work with).

Chapter One (M/TW) | Chapter Two (E) | Chapter Three (E) | Chapter Four (M/TW) | Chapter Five (M/TW) | Interlude (E) | Chapter Six (E) | Chapter Seven (M/TW) | Chapter Eight (M/TW) | Chapter Nine (M/TW) | Chapter Ten (M/TW) | Christmas Interlude (E) | Chapter Eleven (M/TW) | Chapter Twelve (E)

The drive to the house took longer than I would have liked. It felt as if hours passed before we pulled into the empty driveway and opened the garage door. How many times we had to stop and wait for purgers to pass, I lost count after the seventh. In the end, BamBam and Yugyeom, the weapons experts from the other crew, and Youngjae tagged along, driving us back to the house.

Yoongi opened the door and stepped in. He punched a few buttons on the inner keypad that opened the lock to the hidden cellar. We descended the steps into the hidden room that held the weapons.

A high whistle sang from BamBam’s lips. “This is quite the collection,” he whispered in awe as he gently picked up a grenade.

“We prefer guns and knives,” Yoongi replied disinterestedly.

“Aren’t you worried about living above a place that’s loaded with stuff like this that the smallest of fires could blow the place to Mars?” Youngjae asked with genuine concern laced in this voice. It was a question I had asked many times, and just like now, it was one I never got a response to. 

“Take whatever you need,” Yoongi mumbled from the corner where he was pulling out boxes of ammo and dropping them into a backpack.

I started grabbing weapons for the others and strapping them to belts. It was as I was loading up Taehyung’s favorite knife choices, that I saw it, the old bow. My crossbow had been destroyed when we wrecked, trampled by a vehicle until it was left to nothing.

The bow felt both weird and familiar in my fingers. I raised it and tugged at the string, testing it out to see if it still had the same strength it once did.

“Take it,” Yoongi whispered. When he’d arrived behind me and how long he’d been watching, I had no clue, but he had a serious and sad look in his eyes. “You lost your choice weapon, but this one you’re just as good with. You’ve had enough practice now. I know you can do it.”

An hour later, we were back at the warehouse. Taehyung flung his arms over my shoulders and pulled me close. He stroked my hair before patting my back. I knew what he was saying just by his actions. I’m sorry. We’ll save him. It’ll be okay.

I wanted to believe it. When he offered a weak smile, I desperately wanted to believe we would save Jimin and everything would be okay. We would work everything out. We would clear away the dust and move on with life. We would get Jimin back. But I couldn’t accept his optimism. A unsettling fear still gnawed at my gut when I looked to the building that seemed ominously… still.

“What’s going on?” I asked worried.

Jackson shook his head, looking up from the pair of binoculars he’d been gazing through. “About ten minutes ago, they all just went inside. Just… disappeared. There was no alarm, no sign of frenzy. Just… poof.” He emphasized the final word by raising his fisted hands and flexing his fingers into the air.

I gnawed at my bottom lip nervously. Something didn’t feel right. Why had they just disappeared? Did they know we were watching?

Almost as soon as I thought it, the warehouse door opened and two guys walked out laughing. Weapons were slung across their back casually as they slid onto separate four wheelers and took off.

“If we’re going to get him, we need to go now,” Namjoon began. “We’ve only about an hour and a half until Dawn starts to break,” he pointed at his watch.

JB nodded in agreement as BamBam handed him an ear piece he had collected from our storage. Once by one we were all slipped the device and tested them out. We broke into teams, and quickly worked out some sort of rough plan. None of us knew what to expect once we were inside, but we at least had an idea about the exterior.

Fifteen minutes later we were moving. Yoongi, Jungkook, Jackson and I would separate from JB, BamBam, Taehyung, and Jin once we were inside. The others would do the same on the other side. Divide and conquer was the idea but I was terrified.

Yoongi took my hand and squeezed for a moment as Jackson opened the door with Jungkook covering his back. Our hands pulled apart and we all moved. As soon as we were through the door, I knew we’d made a mistake.

The room we entered was bare, not even paint adorned the plastered walls. Two halls broke off in different directions. It was too perfect for our situation. Two halls for two groups. None of us knew where they would lead, but there was no time to decide. JB circled his group and pointed to one hall, and Yoongi nodded in agreement.

With weapons in hand, we moved. It was quiet. Too quiet. Our quiet footfalls sounded like drum beats bouncing off the walls. As we approached a corner and stopped, I realized I’d been holding my breath. In the moment of hesitation, I placed a hand to my chest and exhaled. Jungkook, who’d been bringing up the rear, squeezed my shoulder before we started moving again.

The warehouse appeared to be a giant maze. After rounding more corners, we found ourselves facing two directions again. As we stopped for a moment, Namjoon’s voice filled our ears.

“You guys playing this warped game too?”

Three different responses answered a quick yes.

“It’s a trap,” Yoongi whispered. “It’s a fucking trap we’ve walked right into.”

His eyes went wild as he looked around, looking for anything that would confirm his theory. He shook his head and looked to Jackson.

“We’ll waste more time if we stick together. Take that side and we’ll go this way. Use your marker to mark your way so you don’t get lost. We have to get out of here before dawn or Jimin won’t be the only fucked one.”

Jungkook and Jackson split from us, disappearing down their hall. I followed Yoongi as he led the way down ours. With my bow loaded, I spent a large time walking sideways, glancing constantly over our shoulders to make sure we weren’t being tailed. Several times we found forks and had to turn back. As we left the hall, Yoongi put a black X at the entrance, a way for us to know not to enter that way.

I glanced at my watch. Before we’d entered, we had an hour and a half. Fifteen minutes gone for planning. Ten to descend cautiously into the warehouse. Forty-five minutes of walking this annoying maze.

“Yoongi,” I whispered. “We only have twenty minutes.”

He nodded, but I realized his gaze hadn’t left a hall that felt like it had a stream of air blowing from it.

Without a word, he started to move, faster than he had the rest of the maze. Holding on tighter to my loaded bow, I half-ran to catch up with him. His hunch wasn’t wrong.

At the end of the hall was a large, open room. It was cooler, cold enough I could see my breath as I tried to catch it. As my eyes roamed around the, again, dull room, they landed at the opposite side where a large, shiny, metal guillotine sat. There, at the base of it, tape across his mouth, hands still bound behind his back, was Jimin.

Our eyes met and he began to squirm, shaking his head. His muffled voice echoed off the walls of the empty room.

I didn’t think twice as I ran across the room to him.

“No!” Yoongi shouted, but I was already to Jimin before he could stop me.

“We’re here,” I assured him in between sobs. “We’re going to get you out, Jimin.”

Yoongi’s footsteps filled my hearing as he ran over while I pulled the tape from Jimin’s face.

“GET OUT!” He screamed as soon as he could. “GET OUT NOW!”

As soon as he said it, the entire warehouse blared with the sounds of an alarm. The shriek took me back to grade school when the fire alarms would pierce the quiet during a drill.

“HURRY!”

Jimin’s warning pulled me out of my surprise. “No! We aren’t leaving you, Jimin!”

Gunshots began to sound from somewhere. Voices began yelling in my ear. Somewhere in between the directions of the other groups, I heard Yoongi call for Jackson and Jungkook.

I looked away from Jimin’s protesting face to the ropes around his wrists. Two more were tied around his arms, strapping him to the guillotine so tight, he had no way to run. Blood dripped onto the concrete floor from a leg would.

“You have to leave,” he pleaded, softer this time.

“We have to go,” Yoongi said panicked. “WE HAVE TO GO NOW!” He shouted more urgently.

I looked up to see gates lowering a the doors to the room.

“No, no, no!” I shook my head and moved to Jimin’s hands, trying to pull apart the knotted rope.

“Get her out!”

Arms grabbed me and before I could protest with words, Jungkook had me thrown over his shoulder. My legs flailed and my hands pounded into his back.

“WE HAVE TO SAVE HIM!” I screamed, a hand reaching out as if I could stop the man carrying me from running. “STOP! WE CAN’T LEAVE HIM!” I sobbed even louder. My vision blurred with the hot tears running down my face.

Gunshots got louder as we ran down the hall. He hesitated at the end and looked back, clearly worried for the other two. I took the moment to wiggle free. Falling head first to the floor and scrambling up. Jackson and Yoongi slid beneath the closing gate.

Arms caught me and held me tight.

“It’s too late!” Yoongi scolded. “We have to save ourselves. It’s what he wants!”

He shoved me backwards, trying to move me down the hall. As we neared the end, the sounds of shouting echoed down it. Jimin. Something was wrong. Yoongi froze at the sound of his best friend begging someone we couldn’t see. He went silent. For a second, all was still. It was broken by the sound of a blade falling down into a base.

A scream louder than the alarm screeched from me as my legs gave out beneath me. Yoongi staggered into the wall, bracing himself and shaking his head.

“Hyung!” Jungkook was at Yoongi’s side, pulling an arm over his shoulder. Meanwhile, Jackson took me up and clung to me. This time I didn’t fight as he ran down the halls and toward our exit.

“Where are you guys?” Namjoon yelled. “Yoongi? Jungkook? You have to get out now! We have to get away from here while we still can!”

At some point, Yoongi found his feet and raised his gun. He and Jungkook fired at the few guards blocking the door. Outside the warehouse was even more chaotic. Guns were firing, BamBam sent a grenade into the wall of the warehouse, sending chunks of it onto some of the guys. Taehyung had blood dripping down his forehead. Jin’s left arm hung limply at his side as he used his right to fire.

Jackson dropped me to the ground in a heap. No one seemed to notice me as they fought. No one except one person who came from the building and walked confidently toward me.

Anger and sadness flooded me. I stood and steadied my bow. I raised it and the arrow pointed at his head.

Fire. Fire it and wipe that cocky smile from his face. Fire it and end this forever. Just let it loose.

The words chanted through my mind as I watched him. He stopped close enough for the point of the arrow to poke his forehead.

“You won’t do it,” he whispered. “You can’t do it, but I could… I did.”

I was too angry and focused on the man before me to notice the sounds of the purge alarm blaring. It was over. Dawn was breaking and all eyes were no on us, watching, but no one lowered their weapons.

“Put them down,” he demanded from his people. “The night is gone. Day has arrived. It’s another successful Purge complete. The worst of the scum has been removed from this earth.”

“You son of a bitch!” Yoongi yelled. Namjoon grabbed him and with help from two others held him back, but I didn’t look. Instead, I pulled my bow tighter and pressed it to his head again, enough for a single drop of blood to trickle down.

“It’s too late now. You release that arrow and kill me and you’ll be held responsible. Save your anger for next time. Save your anger and remember this… You made this choice. You were the one to choose, not me.”

He stepped back and walked away, a slight laugh shaking his body. His people followed but I couldn’t lower my bow.

It wasn’t until fingers wrapped around the arrow and then the string of the bow and gently pulled them away that my arms fell limply to my sides, then, once more, my legs crumpled beneath me. As the others moved back toward the street to get tended to, Yoongi and I sat and stared at the door to the warehouse for two hours.

I made this choice. I was the one to choose. At the time of the incident, I thought I only had two options--Jimin or Yoongi--but now I realized I’d had a third. Me. It was me. Jimin could have lived if I had offered up myself.

[openupblackwidow]

The Suns of Gunshots Ch. 12

Fandom: BTS & GOT7 Characters: Reader & BTS–Yoongi & GOT7 Genre: Thriller Rating: E for Everyone Length: 2637 Words Summary: After being saved by your friends, you find yourself swept up in a whirlwind of an unwanted adventure on Purge night.  Author’s Notes: Please be aware that chapters of this story may contain mature content (mostly violence), as it is a Purge related fanfic. It could potentially trigger some people, so please proceed with caution. This is my first time writing something with a lot of action and something dark like this as I normally write fluff. All feedback is greatly appreciated and welcome, within reason (don’t just tell me you hated it without giving something constructive that I can work with).

Chapter One (M/TW) | Chapter Two (E) | Chapter Three (E) | Chapter Four (M/TW) | Chapter Five (M/TW) | Interlude (E) | Chapter Six (E) | Chapter Seven (M/TW) | Chapter Eight (M/TW) | Chapter Nine (M/TW) | Chapter Ten (M/TW) | Christmas Interlude (E) | Chapter Eleven (M/TW)

“It looks like they didn’t follow us,” a strong voice whispered into a wire at his chest. “Let’s plan to meet at the agreed upon place as soon as possible. Remember, keep your eyes and ears open. Stay safe.”

There was a scratch of sound before a quick roger that echoed into his ear and his fingers released his shirt. The man looked up at the crew of three who had accompanied him. Two watched him with accomplished eyes, while one was still stationed by the window of the apartment they’d arrived at.

“You all need to see this,” he whispered to the glass, his warm breath creating an misty sheen on the window that he quickly wiped away.

The man reached the window in what felt like two steps and leaned toward it. The street below was lit by street lights and headlights. Though the fog made it difficult to see details, they could make out the shadows of two bikes racing toward them with a band of what he could only imagine to be trucks and vans giving chase.

The bikes neared the building but never made it. Instead, the bodies atop them were flung into the street. Initially, he thought there were only two, but one shadowy mass broke apart until three of them were stuck on the road.

“We should go help,” came a soft voice to his left. He could feel his companion moving to go out, but his hand gripped his shirt and he shook his head.

“I want to help, I really do, but there’s four of us and who knows how many of them in those vehicles.”

And sure enough, as the chasers made their descent on the three, he could see rivers of shadows pouring out and backing a lone figure near the front -- the leader. He kept his hand fisted on his friend’s shirt as they continued to silently watch.

Frustration boiled up within him. What was happening? All they could see were the dark masses and it appeared the leader was simply standing there. No, that didn’t make sense. He was conversing with the one body on the ground that had moved. But what was he saying?

“Open the window,” he whispered. He could feel eyes blink at him in surprise and confusion. “Open it!” he barked again in a hushed tone.

“Surely you don’t want them both to die,” they picked up as the cool night are drifted into the apartment. “Who do you choose?”

He stepped back confused at what they’d heard. Three bodies, one choice. He turned and closed the window before he looked to the other three.

“Get ready to help. We don’t know what the situation will be, but we need to get down there.”

There was no argument as they nodded and grabbed their weapons. The quiet voice from before was even quieter now as he reached over and slung a bag full of medical supplies over his shoulder.

The four walked out and into the nearby alley. They hid within the shadows, going unnoticed by the gathering of shadow people who were either too distracted by their leader’s scene, or too blinded by the fog to notice the group of guys who were just feet away. The answer came to them quickly enough.

Engines that had been humming idly growled back to life as doors slammed and voices hooted and hollered. One man walked dangerously close with something in his hands. A body. As they passed, the fog lifted just slightly and he was able to catch a fleeting glimpse of the limp form.

“Jimin,” he whispered.

Beside him, a pair of eyes widened in shock and surprise. “You saw him too?”

He nodded.

They watched as the vehicles began to move away and he pulled his shirt back to his lips again. “Cancel the previous plans. We’ve got a convoy moving in your direction. Give chase but in secret. There are too many for just the three of you. Find out where they’re going and get an idea of body count. Meet us at the park on 6th and main. Again, do not engage. Stealth. I know that’s hard for some of you but there’s a more important matter right now than picking a simple fight on Purge night.”

A reply of confirmation was sent to his ear and as soon as the four were sure the others were gone, they ran through the fog to the bodies on the ground. A girl and…

“Yoongi. Damn it,” he mumbled. He instantly regretted not helping sooner, but even for a friend he knew their fight would have been hopeless.

“Both of them have a pulse,” his quiet friend spoke up. “I need to bandage her head,” he said with a nod to the female.

“Not on the street,” the leader called, feeling less chipper about the night than he had just moments ago. “We have to move them. Let’s get into the treeline of the park for added coverage.”

Once more, no one argued and while the other two scooped Yoongi up together, he leaned down and cradled the girl’s body to his chest. With glances left and right, they moved from the street into the trees.

“Let me see her,” his friend anxiously whispered to him.

He set her down in the dead grass and pulled off his coat. He draped it over her body for added warmth and looked over his shoulder at his old friend who was still unconscious. What trouble had he gotten into? Why had they taken Jimin?

“She took a good hit to the head, but I think she’ll be alright,” came a voice from the ground beside him. He looked down to watch as the sunshine from their group masked his brightness with a worried frown. He’d done a good job bandaging the girl’s head where blood had decorated it moments ago, but there was nothing more he could do.

“Great,” he whispered in a form of praise. “What about Yoongi?”

“He’s coming to!” someone responded a little too excitedly. “Yoongi? Yoongi, can you hear me?”

“You’re supposed… to call… me Suga… in public, you dumbass,” came a breathy response, followed by the slightly of lip twitches into a smirk.

“I think he’s fine,” came a chuckle of response.

The two knelt down before Yoongi who looked at them both in confusion and relief.

“I would say it’s great to see you guys again, but it’s never great to see JB and Mark’s faces.”

My head. Why did it hurt so bad? Why was it throbbing so much? Is this what death feels like? Am I dying? Panic surged through my body as I tried to move, but realized I was in some sort of dreamlike state. It was dark and quiet and extremely cold. Am I alone? Where are the guys?

Warmth blossomed around the coldness, easing the anxiety I was beginning to feel. Yoongi? I could feel hands on my face, something wet swiping across my skin, making the spot feel icy, before it was warmed again by something dry. The fingers were gentle as they danced along my skin. Jimin.

Jimin had always been more gentle than Yoongi in many ways. His words, his actions, his smile. It was graceful and smooth and nothing but gentle.

Yoongi was like the warmth, taking over instantly without any warning. He was bold and strong and never cared what others thought, he just did what he felt was best for others.

I should have never picked. I should have never said the hurtful words that had come from my lips before we’d left. I needed both of them in very different ways. We were a trio. Two of us without the other felt incomplete and wrong. We should have all died together. Then again, I knew the Eliminators would have never allowed that. They had made their decision before it was even offered. Had I chosen to let us die, they would have either killed us and taken Jimin, or left us to live and taken Jimin anyway. Their target had always been Jimin. This was just a twisted, sick game now.

Jimin. They had taken him. Jimin was gone. Sweet, caring, graceful Jimin.

But what had happened to them?

My head screamed again and I felt my throat tighten as a soft groan echoed from it. Voices. I heard voices.

“Yoongi?” I croaked hoping it was his voices and not someone looking to end me.

More voices. I couldn’t make them out, but they were there. My fingers curled as another pain stabbed my head.

“It’s okay,” came an unfamiliar voice, cutting through the others and finding its way to me. It was soft and sweet. It sounded like summer and sunshine and hope. How a person could manages to make their voice sound so promising and sure, I would never know, but in this moment, I knew it would be okay.

Despite the pain, my eyes blinked open slowly. Around me, blurred faces began to take shape. I knew none of them.

My eyes shot up and I moved to scuttle away but I couldn’t. My fingers swept the earth around me, but I could find no weapon, just an unfamiliar jacket that had been blanketed over my body.

“Who are you?” I finally managed to spit out.

“It’s okay,” came a calm, familiar sound. “They’re friends.”

“Yoongi?”

He staggered a bit as he finally took his feet and came to squat beside me. His fingers brushed aside my hair to look at my head. They wrapped around my jaw to move my face around so he could check every nook and cranny.

“They’re my friends,” he finally spoke again. “Old friends I haven’t seen in awhile, but friends. They won’t hurt us.”

He plopped down tiredly beside me with a sigh. A finger stretched out and pointed. “Jinyoung, Mark, their leader JB, and their medic, Youngjae. He’s the one who bandaged you up.”

“Hi,” Youngjae said with a small smile and wave.

So this was the voice I had heard. His was the voice that had lulled me from my darkness and brought me back here. Even his smile was infectious, as small as it was.

“Thank you,” I finally mumbled, receiving a nod in return.

“Do you remember what happened? Do you remember the Eliminators and the wreck? And…” he trailed off, clearly not able to bring himself to finish.

“And I sent Jimin to his death,” I finished for him.

“You didn’t,” he argued back. “They would have filled us if you hadn’t chosen. They would have just finished it if you hadn’t agreed to play their game. As wrong as it is, your decision has given us a chance to stay alive, and a chance to get Jimin back. You didn’t send him to his death.”

He sounded so sure. The fact that he and the others had once been friends with the Eliminators’ leader, must have been what backed his sureness, because I certainly didn’t feel that way. I was positive Jimin was already dead and his body discarded on the side of the street somewhere.

“I had guys following them,” JB piped up. “They’re on their way here now with the information. Just stay put and we’ll figure this out.”

He definitely was a leader. He reminded me of Namjoon, calm and collected in the middle of a crisis. Where he had thought to have the gang tailed, I would have been running around in circles, flailing my arms like one of those dancing air dolls car dealerships had out in their lots.

The others moved away to give Yoongi and I some time after Youngjae handed me a bottle of water and a couple of aspirin. Yoongi dropped his arm over my shoulder and pulled me into a side hug, letting my head rest on his shoulder.

“I promise we’ll find him and get him back. None of this is your fault. He and I should have been more focused tonight instead of being stupid and fighting like children. We’ll get him back. We have to.”

I knew his words were more of a promise to himself than to me. As worried as I was, I couldn’t begin to fathom how Yoongi must feel. Jimin was his best friend. They’d been friends for so long. I had messed that up. Despite Yoongi saying it wasn’t my fault, I couldn’t help but continue to feel like it was.

“You’re right,” I softly mumbled out. “We will get him back. I have to make right what I’ve wronged. I have to make sure you two make up. I have make sure Jimin lives. Otherwise, he won’t know what I said earlier to you both is a lie.”

I moved away from Yoongi’s arm to look him directly in the face. “I’m sorry, Yoongi. I should have never said I didn’t need you or Jimin. You both have done so much for me. You both are the reason I am still alive. I should have never said that.”

He pulled me toward him in a hug again. “It’s okay,” he whispered in my ear. “I know. It’s okay.”

We stayed that way for what felt like hours before we wear the sound of motors nearing and the hushed voices of the others. I instinctively reached for my weapon that wasn’t there before shrinking back into Yoongi, feeling helpless like the time he and Jimin had found me.

Everyone fell quiet and hid as footsteps crunched on grass cautiously. A whistle. A sigh of relief.

“It’s them,” JB called to us.

Three guys walked into sight and raised a hand up.

“Yoongi. Miss,” greeted one.

“This is Jackson. He’s the leader of this trio. The other two are BamBam and Yugyeom. They’re with us. They have information,” JB explained to me.

“We followed them back to an old, rundown looking warehouse on the outskirts of town. The old factory building. Jimin’s alive,” Jackson started.

At the confirmation of Jimin’s survival, I felt my back stiffen as I sat straighter. I was desperate for more information. How did he look? Was he really hurt? Were they beating him?

“They had him bound at the hands and tape over his mouth. He walked in with little fight,” he finished as if reading my mind.

I shrank back into my shell. Little fight. Had he already given up? That didn’t sound like the Jimin I knew.

“We wrote down the location,” BamBam added.

JB looked from his crew to Yoongi, his eyes serious. “We’ll help. There’s no way you can take them all on alone. They guessed at least twenty target bodies, maybe even thirty. Who knows how many are hidden inside too. You’ll need as many hands as you can get.”

Yoongi nodded in thanks and stood up. He borrowed a phone and called Namjoon. “We’re stocking up and going there. We’ve got to get Jimin out.”

Though I couldn’t hear the other end of the conversation, I knew Namjoon must have agreed. When Yoongi hung up the phone, he extended his hand to me to pull me to my feet. He looked to JB and sighed. “We appreciate any help you can and will give us. We don’t expect you guys to put your lives at risk. The least we can ask for is a ride to our place. After that, if you want to disappear, we’ll remain good friends and no hurt feelings will linger.”

JB looked around at his men who stood beside him. None of them backed away. None of them refused. He returned his gaze to Yoongi and grinned. “We’re in this for the long haul. We’ll get Jimin out or die trying.”

[openupblackwidow]

chicken reduces woojin’s vocabulary to a single word

[openupblackwidow]

confirmed: woojin is a happy dancing bear (tr.)

bonus:

[openupblackwidow]

why do they look like bad boys at school strolling into class late

[openupblackwidow]

Am I the only one...

who always wants to bite JB’s neck? It just looks so biteable. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[openupblackwidow]

The Suns of Gunshots Ch. 11

Fandom: BTS Characters: Reader & BTS–Jimin, Yoongi, Jin, Namjoon Genre: Thriller Rating: M - There’s not much violence or gore in this chapter, but it could be upsetting or a potential trigger warning for some. Length: 2222 Words Summary: After being saved by your friends, you find yourself swept up in a whirlwind of an unwanted adventure on Purge night. Author’s Notes: I apologize for tense changes and errors. This was written at work with no editing done after. Please be aware that chapters of this story may contain mature content (mostly violence), as it is a Purge related fanfic. It could potentially trigger some people, so please proceed with caution. This is my first time writing something with a lot of action and something dark like this as I normally write fluff. All feedback is greatly appreciated and welcome, within reason (don’t just tell me you hated it without giving something constructive that I can work with).

Chapter One (M/TW) | Chapter Two (E) | Chapter Three (E) | Chapter Four (M/TW) | Chapter Five (M/TW) | Interlude (E) | Chapter Six (E) | Chapter Seven (M/TW) | Chapter Eight (M/TW) | Chapter Nine (M/TW) | Chapter Ten (M/TW) | Christmas Interlude (E)

“I don’t like this.” Jin mumbled his thoughts from where he stood at the edge of the garage. Blankets of this fog swirled around his ankles, threatening to swallow him whole.

A sigh traveled from his left as Namjoon crossed his arms thoughtfully over his chest. “I don’t either,” he began, hesitating before finishing his thought. “But we have to go. We’ve dealt with worse.” Though, the look on his face said he didn’t quite believe the statement he’d given. “We just need to be on our toes and keep an extra eye out.”

The tall man turned around and left Jin staring out worriedly into the gray curtain that covered our home and faced Jimin and Yoongi.

“Your group faces the hardest challenge. You’re not in a four wheeled vehicle and the bikes will be loud,” he addressed Yoongi.

The man nearby shrugged his shoulders, trying to seem nonchalant about the whole situation.

“It’s as you said, we’ve faced worse. It’s not our first time going out there. I won’t lie, it will be more dangerous than it normally is, but I believe we’ll be okay.”

It was with a sigh that shook his whole body that Namjoon nodded his head and proceeded to finish the preparations for his group, leaving the three of us to do our own work.

With the conversation finished, I began to fill my quiver with bolts. After more training, I’d been upgraded from a bow to a crossbow. As if I needed to feel like a monster killing badass. It had proven helpful when Yoongi and I managed our tricks on the bike. It was easier to use, easier to aim and felt like it had way more power.

“It has nothing to do with that, man! She needs to ride with me. That’s the way we trained and how we should go out there tonight. You’ll fuck everything up forcing her to ride with you with the conditions the way they are right now. We have to do what’s familiar.”

Yoongi’s barely whispered words reached me, making my hands still and my ears prick up.

“Tch,” Jimin’s tongue clicked back. “Okay. That’s a great excuse to get closer to her now that we’re split.”

A scoffing laugh followed but before Yoongi could butt back, I stood up and walked between the quarreling two.

“I’ll ride by myself if you two don’t shut the fuck up. I am my own person. I can take care of myself now. I don’t need either of you and if you don’t stop acting like one of you is going to win me like some trophy, I’ll request to be moved to Jungkook’s group.”

With a humph over my shoulder, I walked away and stood beside Jin who was still standing at the mouth of the garage looking out at nothing.

“Jin?” I whispered after settling the flame in my chest that had sparked to life.

“I don’t like it,” he whispered again. “I know we’ve dealt with many surprises and challenges along the way, but I’ve got a really bad feeling about this.”

His eyes remained locked on the fog as if his gaze could break it apart and clear it away. A shiver ran down my spine and I reached out a hand, placing it gently on his arm. My mouth opened to reassure him that it was probably just paranoia but the words never came.

“Let’s move out,” Namjoon called, followed by the sounds of doors shutting and engines roaring to life.

Jin and I shared a quick look and I noticed he was staring hard at me, almost as if he was trying to memorize my features.

“It’ll be okay, Jin,” I whispered as we separated and walked to our groups, but he never did give me that reassuring smile he always did when we all left.

I turned my attention to the two I would be working with for the night. Their gazes watched me expectantly and I couldn’t help but sigh in frustration.

“I’m riding with Yoongi,” I told Jimin, looking him square in the eyes before turning on Yoongi himself. “Not because I favor you over Jimin but because this is how we’ve trained.” I moved to pull my gloves over my hands and my quiver over my shoulder. “What Jin said has me on edge now,” I added with a mumble.

The truth had come out to Jimin Christmas night. It had been rough but for the best. We had tried to work things out after a few days with some distance but it became increasingly difficult for me to deny the feelings I had for both men. In the end, I’d made the decision to end things because the last thing I’d ever wanted to do was hurt anyone.

I hadn’t expected for the decision to cause more tension and turmoil between the two friends.

My only hope was that they could focus. It was going to be a dark and difficult night ahead of us. The last thing we would need is an argument between the two of them getting us all killed.

“I don’t like this.”

Jin’s words fell out of my lips as the three of us stood at the end of the street that should have looked very familiar. Instead, it was shrouded in gray-white, the light from the street lights giving off an eerie glow.

The fog had only thickened the further we’d driven and by the time we got into town, it was completely unrecognizable. The curb that should have only been a few feet away, was nowhere to be seen and the buildings hid like daunting caves with beasts hiding inside. Their shadows danced in the glowing light of the orbs that should have had legs attached but instead, floated mistily above us like UFOs.

A shiver ran down my spine once again as Jin’s haunting words from earlier echoed in my ears.

“I’ve got a really bad feeling about this.”

“We should keep moving,” Yoongi whispered, but his words felt like quickly swallowed screams in my ears.

Noises seemed to echo off the clouds around us but on the same token, they disappeared quicker than it seemed possible. Everything about the night felt wrong and I was beginning to wonder if Jin had seen some sort of premonition before we’d left.

“If we stay in one spot too long, we’ll be easy targets. Not that anyone can really see well in this mess.”

His voice shook just slightly and I dared a glance at his face. His eyes danced left and right in a complicated waltz, looking for something but never finding it. Even the fearless leader of our trio, the one who always had a mask over his emotions and a comeback for every whip was lost in this situation.

Neither Jimin nor I argued. Instead, we silently took our places on our bikes and began to slowly drive along, listening for something, anything.

It felt like we’d driven for hours before a shriek finally cut through the fog, but it was impossible to know where it was coming from. Jimin looked left, Yoongi right, and I whirled around, staring up and down, anywhere possible.

The longer the scream went on, the more it drove us mad until I knelt down beside the bike with my hands over my ears.

“Make it stop,” I whispered to no one.

If only I had opened my eyes faster.

The arrow lodged in the ground before me in an unusually silent manner, but the wind it’d brought with it jolted me to my feet. In an instant, my crossbow was in my grasp and my gaze looking in the direction it’d come from. A dark spot slowly began to grow in the fog as it walked slowly toward us and I realized I could see it because it was backed by what felt like the lights from a million vehicles.

“We have to go,” I pulled Yoongi and Jimin back to the bikes. It only took a second for them to realize what was happening and we all sprang into action.

Instead of hoping on behind Yoongi, I sat before him, my legs straddling him and my arms looping around him. It wasn’t the most comfortable of positions but we had learned to make it work.

The bikes roared to life and Jimin took off ahead of us. We began to follow, my bolt aimed at the fog behind, but I couldn’t make out anything. I knew we were behind followed thanks to the lights glittering behind us, but I couldn’t figure out where a tire or a body could be.

I chanced a glance over my shoulder, hoping we were headed somewhere safe we could hide and wait for them to pass. Instead of safety, my eyes saw something glisten for just a split second on the ground.

“Yoongi, turn,” I told him with fear laced in my words. “YOONGI TURN!”

But he noticed too late. Jimin’s bike took the pain first, his tires popping as they ran over the spikes. We quickly followed.

The bike kicked us from it and sent our bodies soaring through the air. My crossbow flew from my hands as I wrapped my arms tightly around Yoongi’s middle and he held me close to his chest, his arms moving to the back of my head in an attempt to protect it. It felt as if we were in the air for minutes before we hit the ground with a thud and rolled away from each other.

Black spots danced in my eyes as I tried to blink away the pain that was consuming me whole. Yoongi. Jimin. Were they okay? We had to get up and keep moving, but as I tried to pull myself up, a scream echoed in my head and darkness covered my eyes. I have to save them.

Boots crunched as footsteps grew nearer.

“Well, well,” came a cool and almost handsome sounding voice. It was deep and smooth, easy to listen to and something I would have wanted to capture on tape.

The footsteps stopped and when the voice spoke again it was much nearer to me. “So you’re the girl I’ve heard about,” he cooed, prodding me with what felt like the end of a stick. “You are pretty. No wonder my old friends took to quarrelling over you. If only you’d been around a few years ago. You probably would have made it so much easier to win Jimin over to our side.”

I blinked open my eyes into slits, blinking several more times, trying to open them wider and longer each time, but I could feel my consciousness fading out. His face was slender and his jaw sharp. His dark hair fell over his forehead, parted to the side. His teeth were perfectly aligned and glistened white but I couldn’t figure out how they were glistening in the fog. He was just as handsome as his voice, but I could tell his heart was ugly. I knew it was because this had to be the leader of the Eliminators.

He had to be the gang’s old friend I’d heard about.

“I should really just kill all three of you right here, right now, but that wouldn’t be so fun, would it? No, no it wouldn’t. I tell you what…” he hesitated and I could tell in between blinks that he was glancing between two things. “I’ll let you pick. Doesn’t that sound fun? You pick which one gets to stay and live.” He stood up and stepped back, his arms crossing over his chest.

I forced myself to roll over onto my stomach, telling myself to find a weapon and stab him or shoot him or maim him at least, but all I could manage was a small crawl forward.

“Don’t leave them waiting! Surely you don’t want both of them to die.”

I didn’t want either of them to die, but I was in no condition to do anything about it. I was quickly fading and had no strength left.

To my left I saw Jimin, his arms splayed open in a vulnerable pose. Blood stained his cheek and forehead but I could barely see his chest rising and falling. His face was wrinkled in pain.

Yoongi’s body was to my right, the pressure being applied to his stomach, his face turned toward mine, his hand reaching out toward me as if he was trying to get to me before he’d blacked out.

I slowly looked left and right several times.

“Who do you choose?” the man called again, getting more impatient by the minute.

Jimin was too far away. I knew I wouldn’t make it to him before passing out. Besides, I couldn't do anything without Yoongi. All my training had been with him. I was stronger with him than Jimin.

Tears swarmed my eyes as I used the last of my strength to stretch out my hand. The edges of my fingers curled around those of the hand to my right but my gaze remained on Jimin as I collapsed into the ground.

Darkness began to swallow my vision but before I completely faded, I watched as they scooped up Jimin’s body and carried him away.

[openupblackwidow]

Babe 💚

[openupblackwidow]

Suns of Gunshots Christmas Interlude

Fandom: BTS Characters: Reader & BTS–Jimin, Yoongi, Jungkook, Jin, Namjoon, Taehyung, Hobi Genre: Thriller Rating: E for Everyone Length: 2517 Words Summary: After being saved by your friends, you find yourself swept up in a whirlwind of an unwanted adventure on Purge night. Author’s Notes: I apologize for tense changes and errors. This was written at work with no editing done after. Please be aware that chapters of this story may contain mature content (mostly violence), as it is a Purge related fanfic. It could potentially trigger some people, so please proceed with caution. This is my first time writing something with a lot of action and something dark like this as I normally write fluff. All feedback is greatly appreciated and welcome, within reason (don’t just tell me you hated it without giving something constructive that I can work with). 

Chapter One (M/TW) | Chapter Two (E) | Chapter Three (E) | Chapter Four (M/TW) | Chapter Five (M/TW) | Interlude (E) | Chapter Six (E) | Chapter Seven (M/TW) | Chapter Eight (M/TW) | Chapter Nine (M/TW) | Chapter Ten (M/TW)

There’s a voice singing in my ear. “Merry Christmas! Wake uuuup!” It sweetly says.

It’s too bright in the room all of a sudden, burning my eyes beneath my lids. “Mmm nnn.” It’s the only response the sweet voice can pull from me as I roll over and bury my face into my pillow.

“Maybe we should steal her covers and open a window?”

“Hyung,” the sweet voice chuckles. “That’s too mean!” The room is quiet for a moment and I can feel someone lurking over my still body. “We’re going to have to go with plan B.”

The first jab into my back is quick but effective. It sends a sliver of pain through my body that lasts for just a second, but is enough of a spark to cause a twitch from my body and whiny groan from my lips. The next attack is much more unbearable and much more effective. It’s as if fingers are prodding my body from places that shouldn’t be possible.

“Okay!” I cry out, carefully pushing myself up on my elbows while trying to protect myself from any more boney fingers in my side. “I’m… awake!” My words come out in an annoyed huff, but the assaults cease. I ease myself back down with a sigh and slowly open my eyes.

“Good morning!” Hobi coos into my sleepy face. “It took you long enough to open your eyes and greet us!”

All I can do for a moment is stare at him in disbelief. “You’re way too chipper for this time of the day. What time is it anyway?”

“It’s eight,” came Jungkook’s voice from my closet.

“Eight?!” I cried, sitting up in bed and slamming my palms into my comforter. “You guys woke me up at eight on a day I can sleep in?” I looked from my closet door, where Jungkook stood trying to look sweet and innocent, to Hobi still hovering beside my bed with a large grin on his face. “What’s wrong with you two?!”

Hobi lets out a chuckle, but I can’t seem to find the humor in my words that were anything but a joke.

“Look outside,” he replies happily, taking a step back to let me peek out the balcony doors.

“Whoa,” I whispered in surprise. I shove the covers from my lower body and stand up. My fingers instinctively reach for the hem of my shirt and yank it down to meet my pajama pants before wrapping around my body for extra warmth.

Standing at the closed balcony door, I look out over the beautiful winter scene painted before me. Snow sits everywhere as far as the eye can see. The field stretching out by the house is no longer painted brown by the slumbering plants, but is pure, solid white.

Well, it would be if not for the five men running around, chasing after each other. I watch with a smile as Namjoon runs after Jin with a mound of snow in his hand, but instead of catching up with him, slips and lands face first in the fluffy ice. A laugh is stifled behind fingers on my lips at the sight.

Something warm plops onto my shoulders and I look to see one of my warmest coats draped over my pajama top.

“It’s time to get you dressed warmly and cute for your fella,” Jungkook whispers as he fumbles with a pair of gloves he’s trying to slide on my hands.

He looks up for a second and though no words are said, it’s clear he can read my mind by the way he stills and his face stiffens just a little.

Which one? My eyes plead with him.

Jungkook is the only one who could possibly know what I mean by the look. Well, he and one other.

Two weeks ago, I made a mistake. Rather, I committed an act that was a mistake, but my heart still isn’t so sure that’s what it was.

Shortly after the last Purge, Jimin and Jin started working at an overnight job. It would have been fine, if not for the fact that it started to feel like I never saw Jimin anymore. The two come home, Jin cooks breakfast, we all eat and after they retreat to get some sleep. It’s understandable, but I would be lying if I said it didn’t make me lonely.

My days became filled with outings with Jungkook – apparently my new best friend – and training with Yoongi. I think that’s where the root of all my problems began.

The further apart Jimin and I grew, the closer Yoongi and I got. As if my heart wasn’t already confused, the sudden changes only made it worse.

I don’t remember what led up to that one night, but everything spiraled out of control before I knew it. I had cheated on Jimin with his best friend – who I also have feelings for.

For the last two weeks, I have slept with my door locked, too afraid of letting either of them into my bed, the shame becoming more unbearable each day. Everyone in the house noticed the change. I started hiding more than usual, started leaving the house more often to get out of it and away.

Jungkook approached me first. His invitation to go Christmas shopping was simple enough. It would get me out of the house for a few hours, and it needed to happen anyway. I never thought the truth would spill from my lips over lunch.

Bless him, though. Not once did he come off as judgmental. Not once did he shame me. Instead he sipped his soda quietly and listened.

“Honestly, it’s not hard to see you care for both of them,” he’d told me. “You need to figure out where your heart truly lies. As much as people online joke about things like this, you can’t have both. It wouldn’t be fair to any of you.”

And I knew he was right. I never thought I could have both, not in that sense, but I never imagined making the decision would be this hard.

“You’ll figure it out,” Jungkook whispers, careful to not be overheard by Hobi.

He slides the gloves on my fingers and helps me pull on my jacket.

“Hurry up!” Hobi whines with a bounce at the door. “It’s all going to melt!”

The three of us hurry out of the house and into the field. Hobi takes off across the yard without hesitation. I pull my coat tighter around my body and look off at the others after Jungkook leaves me to go play.

A smile stretches across my lips despite the cold. It felt like a lifetime ago when we all had fun like this. Laughter filled the air and snow flew left and right.

A snowball flew past me. “Sorry!” Taehyung called after it.

The apology was enough to catch the attention of the other boys. All eyes were on me for the first time since I’d come outside.

“Oh!” Jimin called excitedly and ran quickly toward me. “When did you come out?” he asked sweetly.

I looked at him and forced a smile on my lips despite the way my stomach churned when he approached.

“Jungkook and Hobi came to get me. They wanted to make sure I got to see the snow in case it melts quickly.”

Jimin’s hand stretched out and gently tugged at the beanie on my head, making sure it covered my ears properly. As he did, my eyes trailed away and found Yoongi’s. There was pain in his eyes and I could tell we were in the same boat.

I cursed myself internally. I should have talked to him after it happened. We should have worked it out and been honest with Jimin, but instead, I ran away.

“I’ve missed you lately.” Jimin’s voice is just above a whisper as his fingers brush against my cold, rosy cheek. “You’ve been sleeping with your door locked, so I can’t crawl in bed with you in the mornings anymore. Did something happen?”

Fear and worry consumed me. What if he knew? He could have figured it out. He wasn’t stupid by any means. What if I blurted it out now? What would happen? Would he forgive us? Would he hate us? Would he forgive me and blame Yoongi?

“Who’s hungry?” Jin called across the yard. “Let’s go in for breakfast and afterward we can exchange gifts.”

A cheer erupted from Taehyung who ran past the rest of us through the doors.

Relief rushed through me. Never had I been more thankful for a perfectly timed interruption. Jimin draped his arm over my shoulders and we went inside together.

After breakfast, we all sat around the living room. Jimin plopped down on one side of me, and much to my surprise, Yoongi took the other side after handing me a mug of hot cocoa made by Jin. I thanked him with a forced smile but our eyes never met.

Gifts were passed out from beneath the tree one by one. Our piles grew and once Namjoon was finished playing Santa, we all dove into the pile of boxes and bags.

Halfway through my pile, I picked up a slender box. I pulled off the top to reveal a nice black leather jacket. I unfolded it and looked at it a little confused.

“I bought you that jacket so you can give Yoongi his back. I thought it was about time you had your own and not his,” Jimin said with a smile beside me. His grin was nothing short of self-praise. You could tell he was proud of his gift, but I couldn’t have felt worse.

“Thank you,” I whispered, trying to sound genuinely grateful despite wanting to cry from the pain in my heart.

He went back to his gifts and I sat for a moment trying to come up with a plan. In the end, I just reached over and picked up the gift I’d gotten yoongi and slipped it behind my back. As soon as my gifts were opened and thanks exchanged, I scooped up my haul, and Yoongi’s gift, and retreated to my room.

Dropping everything, I fell face forward into my bed and let out a soft cry. I would have let real tears trail down my face if not for the knock on my door. It only took seconds for me to jolt up and straighten myself up. I plastered the fakest smile on my face and opened the door, surprised to see Yoongi standing on the other side.

“I… uh…” he hesitantly started, running his fingers through the hair at the back of his head. “Can I come in? I promise it’ll only be a moment.”

I was reluctant after everything that’d happened between us, but what could possibly happen with a house full of awake people?

I stepped aside and he entered quietly, shutting the door behind him with a soft click.

“I wanted to give you your gift in private,” he shyly mumbled as he stretched out the small black box toward me.

Swallowing the lump forming in my throat, I carefully took the box and clicked open the lid. A small gasp left me as I fingered the silver arrow necklace.

“It looks just like—“

“Like this?” he finished for me, tugging on the sleeve of his shirt to show me the arrow tattoo I’d always admired when patching him up.

I pulled the necklace from the box and held it beside the tattoo on his forearm. It was a spitting image when putting aside the color differences. The arrow ran right through a mini compass, making a strange sort of cross shape when it was all said and done. It was meant to symbolize always finding one’s way to one’s intended target, he had once told me.

Tears swelled in my eyes and without an exchange of words, he gently pulled the necklace from my fingers. My hair was brushed gently over my shoulder as he pulled the chain around my neck and clasped it shut. The cool metal fell against my skin. The length was just right to hide beneath my shirt, understandably so. The last thing either of us wanted was anyone thinking it was a couple’s gift.

The thought was enough to make me laugh bitterly.

“What?” He asked softly.

Only then did I realize how close he was, close enough to tickle my ear with his breath. My breath caught in my throat as I looked up at him for a moment, our gazes locking on one another.

“I… I…” My eyes squeezed shut and I shook my head slightly, trying to get the fuzzies out of my brain. “I got you something too.”

I picked up the box and handed it to him. “I didn’t want you to open it in front of anyone else. You’ll surely understand why when you open it.”

He tore the paper off the box quietly and pulled open the lid. From within he pulled out a black leather jacket, similar to the one Jimin had gifted me.

“Wha—Is this…”

“I… Well… I wanted to get you a new one since I kind of made your old one my own. I… I wanted to keep it for a little longer,” I mumbled under my breath. A blush painted across my cheeks and I looked at the floor.

It was in that moment that I began to realize which direction my heart was going. I loved Jimin. I truly did, but in that moment I realized it was always Yoongi. From the start it had been him.

A sigh danced from his lips and before I could argue, his arms found me and pulled me to his chest in an embrace.

“We’ll… We’ll figure all of this out. I promise. We’ll figure out the least painful way for all of us.”

My eyes closed and buried my face in his chest. His promise filled me with appreciation. It wasn’t a declaration of breaking Jimin’s heart. It was a promise that somehow, we would all come out of this okay. There had to be a way. He wasn’t staking me as his own or pushing away Jimin. He was leaving it up to me again, letting me decide which way everything should go.

His hand stroked the back of my head for a moment before we pulled away and walked toward the door. His jacket had been put back into the box under his arm and my necklace was hidden beneath my shirt.

“Thank you,” I whispered genuinely to him.

He nodded and I turned the knob to let him out. Only, he never made it out of the room. There on the other side, with his hand raised to knock, stood Jimin, looking just as surprised as we were, and more confused than I’d ever seen him.

“What… What’s going on?” he asked, looking between us.

Yoongi and I exchanged defeated glances—glances that said Jimin deserved to know the truth.

[openupblackwidow]

Legend has it; if you close your eyes and say “BTS dont sing live” 3 times, Min yoongi will appear behind you, kick your ass and then rap cypher 2 in one breath

[openupblackwidow]

The Suns of Gunshots Ch. 10

Fandom: BTS Characters: Reader & BTS–Jimin, Yoongi, Jungkook, Jin, Namjoon, Taehyung, Hobi Genre: Thriller Rating: Mature for Violence & Death Length: 3799 Words Summary: After being saved by your friends, you find yourself swept up in a whirlwind of an unwanted adventure on Purge night. Author’s Notes: Please be aware that chapters of this story may contain mature content (mostly violence), as it is a Purge related fanfic. It could potentially trigger some people, so please proceed with caution. This is my first time writing something with a lot of action and something dark like this as I normally write fluff. All feedback is greatly appreciated and welcome, within reason (don’t just tell me you hated it without giving something constructive that I can work with). 

Chapter One (M/TW) | Chapter Two (E) | Chapter Three (E) | Chapter Four (M/TW) | Chapter Five (M/TW) | Interlude (E) | Chapter Six (E) | Chapter Seven (M/TW) | Chapter Eight (M/TW) | Chapter Nine (M/TW)

A cold shiver ran down my spine as I glanced around the corner of the dark alley I hid in. I wasn’t prepared for this. I wasn’t confident enough. As my back pressed against the cool brick again, I heaved a quiet sigh, my hands running up and down my arms in a comforting manner.

I could still feel Jimin’s warmth on my body from the parting hug we’d shared. I’d clung to him. I’d felt the anger twitching in his muscles over this last minute plan.

I couldn’t blame him. I wasn’t exactly keen on the idea myself, but it was too late now. My feet moved back further into the alley, the darkness swallowing me whole. With another great sigh, and a four worded pep talk under my breath, I took off, running as fast as I could out of the alley and into the street.

I ran until I thought I was close enough to the group of Eliminators but still far enough away to be safe and skidded to a half. My chest rose and fell heavily from both exertion and fear. I was face to face with our enemy, well part of our enemy.

It was as Namjoon had suspected. They were only a few of the larger group. Good. That would make this a lot easier.

“Well, well,” cooed one of them. He slipped off his bike--one I recognized all too well from what felt like the million chases we’d encountered with them--and walked toward me. His pupils dilated as he scanned me up and down, admiring what he saw. I heard Jimin’s questioning voice from earlier in my head as he’d tried to snuff out the jealousy and protectiveness he felt when he’d seen me. I wish I had changed.

I could feel my fists clenching at my side in anger that could easily be seen as a protective stance. My mind struggled with my heart, reminding it now wasn’t the time to show my anger, but to draw out the fear I’d felt earlier when this plan had been drawn up.

“They’re after me!” I called, choking out the rehearsed words. “Please! You have to help me!”

The words were so ridiculous, I almost slipped up and laughed. I didn’t know the Eliminators well, but I knew them well enough to know I wouldn’t be getting any help. Not from them. Even if I did, the payment that would be due would have me wishing I’d died at the hands of my invisible chasers.

He got closer, his brows furrowing. From behind him, a girl with a knotted mane followed. Unlike the man’s distracted toward the alley gaze, hers studied me carefully. Though I didn’t know her name, nor did I recognize her, there was a spark of recognition in her eyes. Everything had gone accordingly up to this point. This was when the plan got a bit hazy and uncertain.

The man had finally reached me and his eyes were back on me now, glancing first at my chest, then at my face. I took a step back, this time not acting, and reached into my pockets, pulling the unzipped jacket across my front in a protective manner. My legs bumped into something rough and I had to stop myself from falling backward over the bench on the sidewalk. I was cornered.

“Who would want to kill such a pretty thing like you?” he asked, catching up to me and stretching out a hand. His fingers traced along my jawline while a sick smile stretched across his lips. “I can think of much better things to do instead,” he whispered in my ear.

“Oi!” the girl called behind him. With each step the man had taken, she’d followed behind, still trying to place me. “It���s her! She’s the girl that’s with them!” Her finger stuck out and she looked from the back of the man I longed to spit on, to the other few lingering behind watching. “It’s the girl with the Resistors! Kill her! We have to kill--”

She never finished her sentence. An arrow zipped through the air and connected with her heart, sending her crumpling to the ground.

“Shit!” the man said, sending small drops of spit into my face.

It was the cherry on top of the sundae for me. My hands slipped out of my pockets. One grabbed onto him while the other plunged a knife into his gut once, twice, three times until he backed away. My hands were warm with his blood as I reached up and wiped the spit and few splatters of blood off my face with the sleeve of the jacket.

When I looked up, the others had emerged from their hiding spots and were locked in a battle that would surely be easily won. Or so I thought.

After dealing with one of the Eliminators, Jimin ran over to me, catching me right as my legs began to give out on me. I didn’t regret killing the man, but the proximity of the act, the way his blood stained my skin, and the hilt of the knife still in my grasp were overwhelming.

“Hey,” he gently whispered, his arms supporting me as my body fell into him. “You’re okay now.” One hand reached up and rubbed my back and for a moment, I felt relieved.

“We’ve got company!” Taehyung called out from not far off.

We parted and looked up to see a van, much like our own, pulling up and bodies pouring out of it, followed by a few more bikes. This was not part of the plan.

There in the middle of the street where my home sat darkened by the dangerous night, we all stopped and all eyes were drawn to me.

“It’s me they want, isn’t it?” I asked Hobi, hoping he would deny my suspicions. But just as I’d done moments before when it’d hit me, his eyes looked to my left, then my right before returning to me full of sadness.

Panic swallowed me whole. If it was me they wanted, I couldn’t stay with them. I was putting them in danger! Though, I supposed it’d be worse if I was to walk away now. Still, I couldn’t think rationally as my legs folded beneath me and I become a small little ball in the roadway.

My fingers laced through my hair and I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to fight the urge to cry. I was tired, emotional, and right now I felt weak. I just wanted to go somewhere dark and alone and let it all out.

A hand found my back and I could sense Jimin’s presence squatting down beside me. “What do you mean they want you?” he asked cautiously, not understanding my words.

“They want to take me and use me against you,” I cried from my knees. “They’re after me.”

His arms swallowed me whole, pulling me to him and holding me tight. It was enough to pull me out of my shell and my fingers grasped helplessly at his shirt front.

“You don’t know that,” Yoongi mumbled gently behind me. “They’ve been after us for a long time now. They could use any one of us against the rest. They have no reason to target you as a captive.

But even as he said it, I could hear the doubt in his voice. I was weak. I’d just joined the group and still had much to learn. I would be an easy catch.

“Would you be willing to test this?” Namjoon’s voice sounded sure as he asked. “Would you be willing to trust us and see if it really is you they want?”

“No way!” I felt Jimin shift, lifting his gaze to stare hard at his friend. “There’s no way we will do anything to intentionally put her in harm’s way.”

“She’s in harm’s way just by associating with us, Jimin,” Yoongi muttered under his breath. He sighed up into the air followed by a curse. “He’s right, Jimin. We can’t make her, but if she’s willing, we should know if they’re after her.”

Jimin’s hold tightened on me protectively. Despite my eyes still being shut tightly, I could feel his body move and could see his head shaking desperately against my eyelids.

“Look,” Namjoon started with a sigh. “We’ll come up with the plan first. She can decide after that, but you can’t speak for her, Jimin.”

He sucked in a breath to argue against the idea again. “Okay,” I called out from his chest. “Okay.”

I pulled away just slightly and looked up into his eyes so full of sadness and disbelief and something else. Fear. Despite everything we’d been through, I couldn’t remember seeing his dark orbs so full of emotion like they were now.

“I’ll make a decision after I hear the plan, but if I don’t like it, you’re not going to force me into it,” I replied, my eyes still locked on Jimin.

“Okay,” Namjoon agreed.

We stood and began making our way back to the van as originally planned. It was out of sight and in a quiet place. I was surprised at how they’d managed to find such an ideal location. Inside were the two bikes driven by Jimin and Yoongi. The guys pulled them out first before we all piled into the back and Namjoon began to voice his idea.

“We know where they like to set up camp and trap people. We know where their routes are--for the most part,” he corrected after a sharp gaze from Jimin. He rolled out our map and pointed a finger at a street not too far from here. “There’s almost always a small group of them here, small enough that we can take them out easily. The Eliminators are many, but they are weak. They don’t train them all properly like we do.” He pointed to some of the buildings lining the road. “We’ve got contacts here and here. That’ll give us roof access. Yoongi and Taehyung will set up from above in those spots. The rest of us will cover the ground.”

He paused to make sure he was pointing out the locations right and thoroughly explaining himself before he looked up at me. “You’ll come in from this alley. You’ll pretend you’re being chased and ask for help. You have to make it believable or they’ll kill you instantly.”

The silence in the van was suffocating following the words. Believable acting? I wasn’t great at lying or faking things. Would I really be able to pull that off?

“If you succeed, they’ll hold off, thinking there’s a group after you. You have to make them believe there’s more than one person of their attention will focus on you and you won’t get any more words in.”

“What’s the point in this?” Jimin asked crossly. “How is any of that supposed to tell us whether they’re targeting her or not? All it’s doing is delaying her death.”

“Exactly,” the leader replied. “It’s delaying her death. It’s giving them time to see her and place her. If they don’t recognize her, we kill them and get her out of there. She’s not the target. If they do place her… well…”

“There’s a hole in your plan,” I finally chimed in. “If they recognize me, they’ll be interested. They’ll either take me hostage or kill me for being one of you. You can’t guarantee you’ll be able to help me in time,” I whispered nervously. “I can’t go in there with a weapon. A gun will be too noticeable with my attire, and my bow would be way too obvious. I can’t protect myself, and you can’t guarantee you can either.”

He was quiet for a moment, lost in thought. “Maybe we can’t be 100% sure,” he started.

“And what if more of them show up?” Jimin tacked onto my own doubts. “What if more show up and we’re outnumbered? Not only could she be killed, we could be too.”

“Look,” he cut in. “It’s not perfect. No plan will be. But I have faith in Taehyung and Yoongi from above to make sure they get any shots dead on.”

“No pressure,” Yoongi muttered from the corner where he’d sat quietly until now with his arms crossed.

“They’ll be able to see attacks coming from a better vantage point. They’ll be able to predict movements better than those of us on the ground. Not to mention, they’re two of our best shots. I firmly believe with their locations where they are, they’ll at least be able to buy a little time for her to get away if she needs to. And,” he branched off onto another thought. “You won’t be going in helpless.”

From beneath where he sat, he pulled out an old box and yanked the lid open. He shuffled around in the contents until he produced a knife. “This will fit in your pocket and be unnoticeable. Should you need to use it, you can.”

The weapon fell onto my fingers and glistened in the dim light of the van.

“I can’t guarantee more won’t come. I can’t guarantee we’ll get any answers out of this. I can’t guarantee we won’t get hurt. We will do damage to the Eliminators though. We’ll be striking first this time. Aren’t you tired of always being the hunted? They won’t be expecting this. I think we can pull this off and find out what we need to know.”

Jimin sighed heavily from beside me, shaking his head again. Yoongi’s fingers rubbed against his chin and Hobi stared quietly at the map.

No one seemed overly excited to be doing this. No one seemed overly confident, including Namjoon, but I could see a fight building up in them. I could see they were considering it.

“Ah,” I heaved in a defeated manner. “I’ll do it.”

“WHAT? YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS!” Jimin roared from beside me.

“Yes, there are flaws in the plan. Some are hard to ignore, but I also can’t imagine carrying on without knowing whether or not I should stick with you guys.”

“Wait… What?”

It seemed my words caught his attention as he sat up and put his palms on his knees.

“If they’re after me and really are targeting me,” I began as tears welled up in my eyes. “If that really is what they’re doing, I’m putting all of you in danger by sticking around. If they really do want to use me to get to you all, I should leave and cut off ties all together. Disappear from your lives.”

“That’s stupid! Why would you do that? Yoongi even said it earlier, they could use any one of us against the other!”

I stared hard at him, my lips pulled tight to show how serious I was about this. “It’s not stupid to me, Jimin. It’s not about whether or not they can use you against each other. It’s about the fact that I don’t think I could carry on if I knew they were trying to use me specifically. I know it doesn’t make sense to you,” I looked away at the rest of the van, “or if any of you really understand what I’m getting at, but I need to know. I have to know if it’s me, Jimin.”

The vehicle was quiet for a moment before Namjoon broke the silence. “Okay. If anyone has anything else to say, say it now.”

No one spoke. It was a silent agreement, even if some were reluctant, to give the plan a shot. Words were no longer needed as three of us climbed out of the van and loaded onto the bikes. This time, I didn’t ride with Yoongi. It was Jimin’s bike I slipped onto as his grip on my arm was relentless. I pressed my cheek into his warm back as we drove into the night and parked a short distance away from my starting point.

“Remember,” Jimin said quietly, his hands on my neck and his gaze locked with mine. “I’ll be close. If anything feels wrong, you just give the signal and I’ll be there. You’ve got the knife?”

My fingers fumbled around in my pocket for the hilt and I nodded slowly, never breaking away from his gaze.

“Okay. You’ll be okay. We all will. Just remember to listen for the gunshot and run in as if you’re being chased. I believe in you,” he whispered the final words to me before leaning in and gently pressing his lips to mine.

The kiss was far too short but I knew there was no time to waste. If we were lucky, there’d be plenty of time for acts of affection later.

He pulled away from me after a hug and started to head toward his designated spot. Yoongi had already disappeared from view and I was left alone.

“JIMIN WE NEED YOU!” Jin yelled from nearby as the new Eliminators came at our group. He parted from me and disappeared into the fray, leaving behind a dread I couldn’t get rid of. What if one of them hurt him? What if one of them killed him?

Sounds of nearby fighting snapped me from my little daze. Yoongi was locked in a hand to hand combat with a guy who was much bigger, but seemed much weaker and definitely stupider. I watched as Yoongi raised a fist and plunged it into the side of the man’s face, giving just a small window for him to put a little more space between them.

The worry and dread returned. Sure, I was worried for all the guys as I stood there looking like a helpless, lost puppy, but I realized my fears were much stronger for only two of them.

Having lost track of Jimin, I set my sights on Yoongi’s challenger. Just a few feet away rested the familiar bow and quiver of arrows, no doubt flung from his hold when all hell broke loose. My fingers familiarized themselves with the weapon as I took aim and let an arrow fly. Had it not been for fear of hurting Yoongi, I may have done more damage than just lodging the arrow into the shoulder, but it was distraction enough for my partner in crime to pull a knife from his body and finish the job.

Our eyes met and I could tell from his gaze he was thanking me, even if he would never say it.

“Aye! Get her out of here!” Jimin yelled from behind me. I could tell he was in the middle of fighting by the way his breath caught and grunts of physical exertion interrupted his demand.

I wasn’t given a chance to argue. Yoongi’s fingers wrapped around my wrist and tugged me away from the fight, away from our friends, away from Jimin. We ran to the spot where the bikes were hidden and he kicked the stand on his. It took no time for it to roar to life and helmets forgotten, we were long gone from the scene faster than ever.

My arms wrapped around his middle tightly, embracing him from behind as I squeezed my eyes shut and tried not to see all the events from the night again. The sun would be making an appearance in an hour or two and we’d all be home free, if we could all last that long.

“We’re just going to drive,” I heard Yoongi call out above the wind. “Don’t want to lead them back to our place.”

His voice was gentler than usual and I wondered if he regretted leaving them behind. Still, I took the opportunity to let a few tears fall from my cheeks. I cried from exhaustion. I cried for the new friends we had made and then lost. I cried for the ones we’d left behind. I cried for myself, feeling more like a coward than ever before. They say sometimes you just need a good cry to feel better and in the early morning hours, I felt my shoulders lighten.

“It’s just a scratch!” Jungkook argued. We were fighting against one another. I grabbed his arm. He pulled it away and waved it out of reach. I scolded him. He whined and assured me it was nothing.

“Okay, it’s a scratch… but it needs to be disinfected!” It was only a moment of hesitation but it gave me the chance I needed. I locked his arm in my grasp and poured alcohol over the cut, listening triumphantly as he yelped from the sting. I finished it with a band aid and sent him on his way.

The others had returned home not long after Yoongi and I had. We’d sat side by side in silence on the sofa. I don’t know when I had done it, but at some point I’d taken his hand, seeking comfort. He hadn’t denied me.

As soon as the back door had opened and they all stumbled in, as soon as I saw they were all still alive I felt myself slink. Other than fixing them up and tending to any wounds, they were alive. They were okay. Everyone was here and okay.

An hour and a half later, I dragged my feet up the stairs toward my bedroom. I needed a shower. I needed to change, but all I wanted was my bed and a pair of arms around me.

The door was cracked open and as soon as I pushed it open, I saw why. Jimin and Yoongi sat on the bed looking at one another. I don’t know what kind of conversation I’d interrupted, but it seemed serious. They gazed at me and Yoongi cleared his throat.

“I’ll be going now.”

He slipped off the bed and made to exit the room, but my fingers curled around his arm. My eyes locked on Jimin’s hoping he would understand.

“Both of you stay?” I asked, though it wasn’t so much asking as a soft demand. “Please.”

Though I didn’t see them, I could felt Yoongi’s gaze widen with his eyes before he looked to Jimin. A silent conversation occurred before both sighed simultaneously. Had I not been so tired and worn, I may have giggled.

Yoongi turned around and sat on the edge of the bed, clearly feeling uncomfortable with this arrangement. Jimin too didn’t seem pleased, and I knew neither of them would understand. Even I couldn’t fully understand my heart, but I knew I was exhausted and afraid. I knew any dreams I had would be riddle with pain and sadness. I knew the only comfort I would find was in knowing they would be right there beside me.

[openupblackwidow]

The Suns of Gunshots Ch. 9

Fandom: BTS Characters: Reader & BTS–Jimin, Yoongi, Jungkook, Jin, Namjoon, Taehyung, Hobi Genre: Thriller Rating: Mature for Violence & Death Length: 2075 Words Summary: After being saved by your friends, you find yourself swept up in a whirlwind of an unwanted adventure on Purge night. Author’s Notes: Please be aware that chapters of this story may contain mature content (mostly violence), as it is a Purge related fanfic. It could potentially trigger some people, so please proceed with caution. This is my first time writing something with a lot of action and something dark like this as I normally write fluff. All feedback is greatly appreciated and welcome, within reason (don’t just tell me you hated it without giving something constructive that I can work with).

Chapter One (M/TW) | Chapter Two (E) | Chapter Three (E) | Chapter Four (M/TW) | Chapter Five (M/TW) | Interlude (E) | Chapter Six (E) | Chapter Seven (M/TW) | Chapter Eight (M/TW)

The sounds of the gunshots and screams were overwhelming. I watched a man raise a shotgun and fire. It was as if everything moved in slow motion as the shell burst from the weapon. A small flash, like a little mini sun, sprang forth and the ammo headed to its target. It hit Jungkook square in the chest, sending his body falling backward as his blood painted his shirt crimson red.

All around me the others were dropping one by one. I stood helpless, unsure what to do at this point. We were fighting a losing war. I’d long ago run out of arrows to shoot and Yoongi had since resorted to a small pistol that he fired off as quickly as he could while running toward me.

Our eyes locked and he shouted something at me, but no sound came from his lips. I urged him to say it again, but every time he tried, I was met not by his voice, but by the silence. Just a few more steps and he would be upon me, no doubt dragging me away from the dangerous scene.

In an instant, things changed. Instead of running, he was falling forward, into my arms. Despite his weight, I caught him and slowly brought him down with me. His breathing was ragged and the color in his eyes was fading quickly to nothing. Still he looked up at me and parted his lips one more time.

“Run,” he breathed. “Run... from…” His body crumpled into my hold, going heavy.

“Run from what, Yoongi?” I hurriedly replied. It was useless. I knew he was gone already. I pulled away to see blood on my hands, sticky and warm from his body.

A scream left me as I backed away, into another warm puddle. Jin’s. Using the last strength he had, he pulled me close to him.

“Run,” he whispered into my ear with a shaky voice.

I finally found my feet, looking around as I did. Taehyung still fought, but I knew it wouldn’t be long until he too dropped, just like Jin, Jungkook, Hobi, Namjoon, and Yoongi had. His body would fall to the asphalt and crumple up in a pool of his blood. The warmth would wrap him like a blanket and lull him to sleep, only he would never wake up again. It was only a matter of time.

But where was Jimin?

My eyes searched first the dead then the living. My lips parted and whispered his name with hope, but I didn’t get a response. I flipped over bodies of people I didn’t know or recognize, I scoured my dead colleagues for weapons or any possible sign of where he could be.

Taehyung still stood, blood seeping through his shirt at his arm, but he still fought. He was buying me time.

“Jimin?” I called again.

Cold fingers latched around my arm tightly, pulling me away from the scene. I watched as Taehyung and the Eliminators grew smaller and smaller, his wounds becoming more and more with each step I took.

“I have to save him,” I called to my captor. “I have to save Taehyung and find Jimin!”

At this, the hand around my arm yanked me around, forcing my gaze to meet his.

Jimin looked angry and his movements were far too aggressive compared to his usual gentle nature. His lips were drawn tightly and his face lingered inches from mine, making his rough breath tickle my skin. Where I would once lean in to press my lips to his, I cowered back, tried to put space between us, but he wouldn’t let me go.

His gaze held mine, forcing me to search his face. Something wasn’t right. He wasn’t dressed like he usually would, his hair was dark and styled in a way that wasn’t him. What was worse was the look in his eyes. Cold, steely, there was no sparkle of hope or happiness lingering in the pools of dark brown. It was almost as if he was dead.

“Run,” he hissed between gritted teeth. “Run and don’t look back or you’ll regret it.”

As he let go of my arm, he shoved me away and pointed down the quiet street.

“Go.”

I didn’t wait for another response. My feet knew what to do and began carrying me far away from the scene I’d watched unfold. Away from Taehyung, whose shouts of self-encouragement had died away soon after. Away from Yoongi’s lifeless form. Away from the stranger Jimin.

A scream rocked my body awake, sending the blanket around me flying across the room.

“What’d you do to her, Jungkook?”

I looked up and found a pair of wide brown eyes staring at me in shock, his hands raised toward his face in surrender, concern etched over his features.

“I just shook her a little! You told me to wake her!” he called back.

“Told you we should have let her sleep a little longer,” came Jimin’s voice from nearby.

My palms brushed across my face, mixing smeared make-up with a cold sweat. It was just a dream, I told myself over and over again. Several deep breaths in my hands later, I allowed myself to look around and take in all the faces. They were all here. All of them were okay. No one was hurt.

Jimin knelt down next to the sofa and searched my face. Without a thought, my hands plastered onto his cheeks, forcing him to stay still.

“What? What is it?” he asked nervously.

His hair was normal, clothes the usual, and his eyes held their all too familiar glow of light and goodness in them. This was the Jimin I knew and loved. My arms moved around his neck and I pulled him toward me, burying my face in his skin. I squeezed my eyes shut tight, holding back the hot tears that wanted to spill from them.

“You’re alright!” I whispered. “You’re you.”

I didn’t really find any of this funny, but a chuckle rose in his throat as he rubbed my back gently and agreed it was true.

A throat cleared from the other side of the room. We pulled apart to find everyone staring at us, Namjoon a small smile on his face.

“Not to ruin a moment or anything, but we need to get on with the plan and get out of here. We don’t want to bring any bad luck to her parents by getting their house ransacked, smeared in blood, or burnt to the ground,” he casually spewed.

“Comforting,” I whispered.

I realized we were still in my parents’ bunker room. The last thing I remembered was Yoongi’s phone ringing, forcing us apart from a potential mistake I could have made. My eyes found him across the room and our gazes met for a second before he looked away and a light blush tinted my cheeks.

With a crack of my neck I sat up on the sofa, willing myself to forget about what had almost transpired. There was no sense in dwelling on it. Nothing had happened. I didn’t do anything wrong. He answered his phone and I gave into the overwhelming exhaustion I’d been feeling after the deaths of Abraham and Aribella.

My heart sunk at the thought of the mother and son. We could have saved them. We could have done more.

I knew the guilt would stick with me for a long time. This wasn’t like when I’d shot at the Eliminator guy last Purge. He’d been after us, targeting us, trying to kill us. Aribella and her son were innocent. They had done nothing wrong. They didn’t deserve the fates they’d met.

It must have shown on my face what I was thinking about. Next thing I knew, Jungkook lifted me to my feet and wrapped a single arm around my shoulders, pulling me gently to him.

“You’ll adjust to it eventually. The first time it happens is never easy, but you’ll get there,” he whispered comfortingly into my ear. “I know it doesn’t help anything saying this, but know it’s not your fault.”

He ran a hand through my hair with one last squeeze before he stepped away and followed Taehyung and Hobi who were already crawling out of the hiding place. Yoongi and Jimin stood on either side of the door, waiting while the rest left. I took one last long glance around the familiar room, stopping on an old family photo on the bookshelf before heading toward the exit.

The cool night air tickled my skin, welcoming me back to it as I locked the door of the house and hid the key. The others waited in the shadows, looking up and down the street.

“It took us an hour just to get to the house from the next road. They were everywhere. Must have followed a scent or something,” Hobi whispered to me.

I realized he meant the Eliminators. They’d followed us here, had somehow managed to find the right road, just never which house.

“Surprised they didn’t just light them all up,” I mumbled back to him as I stepped away from the door.

“They had others to deal with,” he replied, nodding his head down the road a few houses to a dark spot in a neighbor’s yard. A pile of bodies I realized. A shiver crept down my spine. That could have been us--it almost was.

“Let’s move,” Namjoon called quietly to the group.

We moved in the shadows, sticking to walls of houses, ducking beneath windows, hiding behind bushes and small clusters of trees. They’d parked the van a road over after stopping to retrieve Yoongi and Jimin’s bikes. Convenient. They’d certainly thought of everything.

“Your house is quaint,” Hobi said from my side with a grin. Despite his bright look, his eyes still darted around, looking for any signs of trouble. “I especially liked the photo on the wall where you were missing your front two teeth. Adorable.”

I threw a light punch at his arm and shook my head. It was just like him to try and make light of dark situations. I guessed now was as good at time as any since the world was silent and even though gunfire could be heard, it sounded miles away from where our little party moved.

“Why didn’t they just light the whole street up?” I finally asked. The question had been eating at me since I’d first spoke the words. It didn’t seem like the Eliminators to hold themselves back. Besides, it was Purge Night. Why not go all out?

Hobi shrugged, his smile falling into something a little more serious and his brows furrowing deep in thought. “I wondered that too, honestly. We knew these guys well. They love this. They have no regrets or sympathy. Why didn’t they just burn every last house and finish off two of our stronger members?” He hesitated a moment, the gears in his head clearly grinding in concentration. “I think they’re after something, or someone. They didn’t want to burn the houses because they want to take one of us for torturing or to lure the others in or because Jimin or Yoongi has something they want,” he shrugged again. “That’s the best answer I can come up with. There’s no real way to know unless we ask but who’s gonna do that?”

Something or someone they want? Torture? Luring others in? My feet stopped moving and I stared at Hobi’s back as he walked a few more steps ahead. Jimin and Yoongi stopped on either side of me after having taken rear guard. Hobi too eventually stopped and looked over his shoulder.

“Me?” I whispered, my eyes staring at him. “Is it me?”

I looked away and to Jimin on my left, then to Yoongi on my right. It was too easy to see. If they took me, both of them would come for me. Not just them, the others too. We were a family. We’d grown close to one another. But, they knew the two men beside me had my heart more than the others. They knew with me in captivity these two would be the first to walk into the trap--never mind that they would know it was a trap already. They weren’t stupid by any means, but there was no question in my mind they would do it to save me.

[openupblackwidow]

I FEEL SO ATTACKED RIGHT NOW! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME YOO KIHYUN?!?!?!

[openupblackwidow]

The Suns of Gunshots Ch. 8

Fandom: BTS Characters: Reader & BTS–Jimin, Yoongi & Original Characters Genre: Thriller Rating: Mature for Violence & Death Length: 3136 Words Summary: After being saved by your friends, you find yourself swept up in a whirlwind of an unwanted adventure on Purge night. Author’s Notes: Please be aware that chapters of this story may contain mature content (mostly violence), as it is a Purge related fanfic. It could potentially trigger some people, so please proceed with caution. This is my first time writing something with a lot of action and something dark like this as I normally write fluff. All feedback is greatly appreciated and welcome, within reason (don’t just tell me you hated it without giving something constructive that I can work with).

Chapter One (M/TW) | Chapter Two (E) | Chapter Three (E) | Chapter Four (M/TW) | Chapter Five (M/TW) | Interlude (E) | Chapter Six (E) | Chapter Seven (M/TW)

Once when I was just ten years old, the kitchen in our school cafeteria had a small fire. It wasn’t really bad. They said a back corner of the vast room was covered in blank and a few appliances would need to be replaced due to fire and water damage, but it had set off the fire alarm throughout the building, as it should have. I remember all the teachers rushing us out of classrooms and out of the door. Even though the fire had been contained to one spot, there was a definitely sense of urgency that had been terrifying. We’d all been afraid the building would collapse on us or that we hadn’t practiced stop, drop, and roll enough times to follow through in a real life situation. Students were crying, teachers were gently nudging, and the alarm wailed deafeningly. The panic and fear were very real.

This was much worse.

“Shit,” Yoongi muttered as he shoved the phone back in his pants pocket and looked at us. “They could be near,” he whispered.

Jimin and I exchanged a glance. Neither of the guys had to speak for me to understand that the less Aribella and Abraham knew of the situation, the better off they would be. But, we still had to get them to safety. We had to get all of us to safety and given the fact that we were only minutes away from our designated safe spot, we most definitely were not safe.

“What’s going on?” Aribella questioned, her voice shaking as she asked.

“We need to go back,” Yoongi answered before Jimin or I could find our own voices. “We need to go back now and quickly.”

He pulled an arrow from his quiver and started walking. Jimin followed the action and pulled out the gun from his belt and checked his rounds before clicking off the safety. Quietly, he nodded his head at me.

“Let’s walk together,” I whispered to Aribella, trying to ease the tension she was clearly feeling.

I was thankful when she didn’t argue. We began moving at a brisk pace back the way we’d come, but this time we were all a little more alert and aware of our surroundings.

“Have you lived here long?” I broke the silence to ask the woman beside me, hoping quiet small talk could help to not only pass the time, but distract her mind from the threat we were possibly facing.

“Most of my life,” she started after a moment of hesitation. “My family moved here when I was in middle school. I met my husband in high school.” A smile crept across her face as she shifted Abraham from one arm to another. “I had never believed in all that high school sweetheart talk but, I guess it really does exist.”

Even I couldn’t fight the smile that sneaked its way onto my features as we moved.

“You must have loved each other very much.”

Her response came in a nod and her eyes grew glassy. She opened her mouth to speak but I never found out what it was she was going to say.

A gunshot broke through the air as flecks of brick sprung out at us from the building we’d been walking along. All it took was a quick glance over my shoulder to know we were in trouble.

We had already known the safety spot had been blown. We knew it was all too possible, and honestly probable, that they would catch up with us sooner or later. I think we’d all been praying for a miracle, holding out hope that maybe, just maybe we could get away without being seen.

It was silly to hope for such things on Purge Night.

“Run!” Jimin yelled from behind us as he turned to fire his gun over his shoulder.

And we did.

From beside me, Aribella took off at lightening speed with Abraham howling in her arms. I followed, reaching for an arrow from my quiver as I went. Yoongi and Jimin stopped, firing their weapons in hopes of buying us a little more time.

Another gunshot split the air and I saw Aribella fall with a scream. Blood began oozing from a wound on her leg. Her fall had flung Abraham out of her arms and he sat beside her, still letting out wails, especially now that his mother had been hurt.

“Take him…” she cried out. “Take him and go! Please! Leave me!” She held her leg tightly, but I knew there was no hope. There would be no surviving that wound, not when we had no way of getting her somewhere to patch it up fast enough. Especially not while we were being attacked.

My hesitation had been long enough for the guys to catch up. Jimin slowed and scooped up the crying child who stretched his arms out, reaching out for his mother. He turned and thrashed in Jimin’s grasp, but there was no release.

“Go, please!” Aribella cried softly, her eyes pleading with me to save myself.

“There has to be a way,” I mumbled as another shot fired off and went who knew where.

A bloodied hand reached out and shoved me away as the woman urged me to run. Catching up, Yoongi grabbed my arm and began to drag me off until I finally found my own feet.

“Ah!” Jimin cried out.

I looked to him in time to see the child fall from his grasp. He was too fast for me or Yoongi to catch him.

“Abraham! No!”

But I couldn’t go. Yoongi was unrelenting in his grip, now on my wrist as he yanked me ahead.

“We have to help them!” I screamed at him, though my feet still carried me forward. “We have to go back and save them! Yoongi, please! We can save them!”

Whether he heard me or not, I didn’t know. He continued to pull me from one side and Jimin, after rubbing the bite on his arm, joined on the other.

We rounded into a dark alley and slowed for a moment, just as three gunshots filled the air. A heavy sob wracked my body as Jimin’s warm arms wrapped around me and pulled me to his chest.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“We have to keep going,” Yoongi cut in, his voice sounding much more distressed and darker than usual.

When I looked up, I could see a glistening in his eyes and knew even he was holding back tears.

We walked down the alley and I forced myself to dry up. When I finally came to at the mouth of our temporary hiding place, I couldn’t believe what I saw.

“Take a left,” I whispered, taking control of the directions. I continued to lead them down a few streets into a neighborhood until a dark house came into view.

“Come on,” I waved a hand and ran up the driveway without explaining. When we got near the porch, I looked up and down the street. “Cover me.” I knelt down and pulled a smooth, dark gray rock from the ground. Attached was an old prescription medicine bottle and inside was a gold key.

“It’s still there,” I whispered in amazement.

“Not to be that person, but we need to hide…” Yoongi urged with a noticeable note of confusion in his voice.

I pulled out the key and slid it into the lock on the front door. There was a click followed by the creaking of the hinges and the sound of an alarm chirping. I hurried in to stop the alert before it sent out a message to some creepy purger sitting behind the computer at the security company. No good would come out of someone making a check up call.

The guys followed me in and locked the door behind me. Yoongi peered out the window, watching the street while Jimin walked through the house to make sure it was secure. Meanwhile, in the safety of the home, I felt my resolve crumble again.

It had taken everything in me to pull myself together while on the streets. I’d had to, but now, I felt all the walls falling away.

“They’re dead, aren’t they?” I asked Yoongi, not really seeking an answer since I already knew it. “Those gunshots were for them.”

He kept his back to me, still staring out the window.

“There was no way we could have saved them. I was stupid for thinking that. I was stupid out there. I could have gotten all of us killed. But… He was just a child, Yoongi. They killed a child,” I choked out, hot tears sliding down my cheeks again.

I mimicked their action and slid down the wall, burying my face in my hands. My sobs were quiet and muffled by my hidden face. Though I knew there wasn’t any more we could have done save for sacrificing ourselves along with them, I still felt guilty. I saw Aribella’s helpless, pleading face in my mind telling me to run. I saw Abraham running away from Jimin after a deep bite to his arm. I heard the shots that were fired and wondered whether they’d missed once or whether one of them had fought harder than had been expected.

An arm slipped over my shoulders. When I didn’t look up, it tightened and I was pulled slightly into a body. The scent was different from Jimin’s and I knew it wasn’t him. I didn’t care. I was thankful for the silence Yoongi provided in that moment. He didn’t try to spew out useless comforting words. He didn’t say everything would be okay or stroke my hair. He just sat there with an arm around me in silence until footsteps could be heard approaching the stairs.

The house felt colder when he moved away from me and back to the window, but I understood the arrival of Jimin on that scene could have made things awkward and uncomfortable for all of us.

“The house is clear,” he whispered to us, even though it was unnecessary. “Are you okay?” he asked when he saw me in my slightly crumpled state.

Again, I swiped away at the tears on my cheeks and nodded. “Just tired,” I choked out.

He came over and helped me up, but the second he did, Yoongi was shoving us both back to the floor against the locked door. We soon realized why.

A light shone in through the window of the door, scanning the entrance foyer. I saw it move away and go the window in the dining room.

“I don’t think they’re here,” we heard a voice call from outside.

“We’ve got company,” another replied.

The light disappeared but we still held our breaths. Straining our ears, the sounds of whooping and hollering could be heard from somewhere down the street. Though we couldn’t make them out, words were exchanged before they grew violent and, what I could only imagine happened, a fight broke out.

“Yah,” Jimin whispered. “Is there a safe room here?”

Coming to my senses, I nodded tiredly.

Still worried about the possibility of someone checking in on the house, we moved along the walls away from windows and view of them. We reached the staircase and I opened the closet beneath it. I crawled in first and urged them to follow me.

“This… is the safe room?” Yoongi remarked.

I ignored him and pushed along the opposite wall until I felt a small crack. I dug my nails into it and pried it away from the wall.

“Flashlight.”

There was a click and a small beam of light found the spot on the wall. A lock like that found on a safe appeared in the light. I twisted it a few times until there was a click. The wall gave way to a small crawl space that opened to a much larger room.

Gently, I pushed on Jimin and Yoongi’s backs until they went inside. I followed behind and pulled the door closed behind me with excessive tugging.

“We’ll be safe here,” I huffed and turned to face them.

If I wasn’t exhausted after the night we’d already had, I probably would have laughed at the look on their faces. Both of them stared at me with a million questions swimming in their eyes.

“I’m sorry for asking, but is your family made from money?” Jimin asked.

This time, a little snort did leave me as I shook my head. “No,” I replied and moved to turn on one of the battery operated lanterns. It came to life and dimly lit the room.

Jimin clicked off the flashlight and the two of them moved around the room, lighting up a few of the other lanterns until the room was lit in a warm glow.

The safe room was small and humble, but well furnished. A bed sat along one wall, a couch along the other. There was a bookshelf stacked with books, old magazines, and board games. A dresser rested near the entrance door with blankets, extra clothes that probably didn’t fit anymore, and a drawer with medicine and first aid kit. There was no kitchen unit, but cans of soup and fruit, along with a box of unopened crackers sat atop the dresser--beside it, an unopened package of water bottles. There was a tiny closet sized room off in the corner with a drain in the floor and a bucket. The unfinished bathroom.

“Are you sure you didn’t come from money?” Jimin asked again.

“I’m sure.”

I sat on the edge of the bed and Jimin joined me while Yoongi continued looking around.

“My parents saved up and built this room and furnished it. When we first used it, there was nothing here. After our first purge inside, we added the bookshelf and the blankets. We used to sleep on blanket pallets on the floor until they bought me a new bed and put the old one in here. Over the years, we added a little more to the room. It’s still not done, but my parents don’t care anymore. Now that I’m out of the house, they’ve decided to plan vacations around the Purge. They go somewhere no one will find them. They’re probably on some island right now.”

I can’t help but let out a bitter laugh, wishing my parents had taken me with them.

“They don’t know what you’re doing, do they?” Jimin asked cautiously.

My gaze looked to the floor and I shook my head. “They don’t. It’s better this way. It’s better that my mother thinks I’m safe somewhere instead of out roaming the streets.”

He sighed and fell back into the bed, putting an arm over his eyes. I was thankful the conversation had ended there. I didn’t want to argue with Jimin about the situation. I knew he thought I should be honest with them, that they deserved to know, but I stood firmly by my belief that they were better off not knowing.

I looked up at Yoongi who was browsing the bookshelf collection, pulling out a book to look at the cover before sliding it back. That was when I noticed the gash on his arm. I glanced over at Jimin, noticing the steady rise and fall of his chest and knew if he wasn’t asleep yet, he would be soon. I held my tongue until I heard the familiar suck of air that indicated he’d drifted off. He must have been just as exhausted as we were. Though sleep sounded ideal, I knew there was no way I would be able to drift off after everything. I would let Jimin sleep though. We wouldn’t be here all night. We had to check on the other guys and we had to get back out there. We couldn’t just hide, but while we did, I would let him rest.

Careful not to moved the bed too much, I slipped off it and approached Yoongi. My fingers curled gently around his arm, taking him by surprise. I placed my pointer finger against my lips and nodded to Jimin, but knowing I had his attention, I shifted my gaze to the wound.

“It’s fine,” he whispered casually.

“It could get infected,” I quipped back.

“It’s just a cut.”

“It could still get infected, Yoongi.”

It was a losing fight and he knew it. I left him to take out the first aid kit from the dresser. In a demanding way, I pointed to the sofa and he sat without arguing. I perched beside him and opened the kit, feeling his eyes on me the whole time. I took out some alcohol and q-tips and twisted open the bottle.

“I’m pretty sure this wasn’t how Jimin was expecting his first time at your family home to go,” he whispered with just a hint of bitterness.

I felt my hands pause for a moment before I composed myself and bit back. “And I’m pretty sure this wasn’t how you were expecting it would go either.”

It took everything in me to will myself to look at him following the words. His eyes were wide, as if some great big secret had been exposed. He must not have realized how obvious his jealousy had become.

While he was still in shock, I stuck the alcohol covered q-tip to the wound, receiving a hiss in exchange. There was something nice about inflicting slight pain on him. After all, he’d been acting like a complete ass toward me since Jimin and I had started dating. Then again, he’d always been an ass, but that was beside the point now.

“You know,” he started quietly. “I’m glad you never took that jacket off when the fire broke out. It was my favorite one.”

He was, of course, talking about the very jacket on my body now. It was the same black leather jacket he’d draped over us last Purge when he’d used it to shroud me in darkness. I remembered how close we had been in that moment, remembered the desire I’d felt.

The same desire I found swelling up within me now.

For a moment, I forgot where I was and who I was with. I forgot about the deaths I felt were on my shoulders. Forgot about hiding in the safe room at my parents’ house. Forgot Jimin sleeping on the bed and that I was very much his. For just a moment, it was just me and Yoongi, and I was suddenly very aware of how close we were sitting.

Our eyes locked on one another, and as if being pulled by some unseen force, I felt as if my body was leaning toward his.

That's when the phone in his pocket started to ring.