A/N:  Hello everyone! A lot happens in this chapter as bts fights their way out of the Pepsi Center but that's just the start of their run. I hope you enjoy... as much as is possible at the moment. Just, please stick with me. It can't rain forever after all, right? 

What precious babies. 

Taehyung hastily pulled Hoseok from the side exit of the Pepsi Center into a sea of bodies running every which way; some running for their lives, others filled with an insatiable hunger. It was hard for Hoseok to get the last images of Yoongi, standing alone and proud, ready to fight for the group’s survival even though he was already lost, out of his head. But then a heavy hand landed on his shoulder, easily pulling him out of Taehyung’s strong grasp. With a garbled shriek, he turned towards his attacker, the knife Taehyung had forced into his hand while running through the chaotic corridors now finding a home in the monster’s skull without him even being aware of his movements. There was no time for praises nor panic however. Taehyung just grabbed at his hand again and continued to pull him through the concrete lot, the others forming a loose circle with them to keep Namjoon and Jimin in the center, safe.

“Over there!” Jungkook pointed across the lot. “Can you hotwire a Humvee, hyung?” On a normal day, the lot was littered with military vehicles and pickup trucks for the supply runners to use. The space was large and open and the vehicles were all spread out, parking wherever they had ended up at the time, no apparent rhyme or reason evident. Tonight was no different however, the humvee just seemed so far away with all the obstacles running amok around them.

Before Taehyung could answer, a distant shot rang out from above them and a body landed just in front of his feet. He had been so busy scanning the lot towards Jungkook’s pointing finger that he had missed the zombie just a few feet away from him. Realizing what had happened, he saluted towards the top of the Pepsi Center, thanking whatever sniper had just saved his life. He couldn’t help but worry for the snipers however. He couldn’t even fathom how escape could be possible for them.   

“Let’s move!” Jin exclaimed hurriedly as he rifled through the side pocket of Jimin’s bag he had taken off the floor earlier when the younger man had collapsed into Namjoon’s arms. He pulled out the handgun the younger had found while on a run and hidden from the National Guard in case they needed it after their planned leave of The Center. Taehyung and Jungkook already had their own handguns out, the only one missing being Yoongi’s.

Now that he had his sights set on it, Taehyung took the lead once again, this time towards the humvee. Hoseok was on his left, slightly behind him and Jungkook on the right, next to Namjoon who was still carrying Jimin like a wet blanket over his shoulder. Jin followed in back of the group, constantly watching what was behind them as well as in front. Shots pierced the air intermittently as they made their way through the sea of so many faces they had come to know.  

The night felt uncharacteristically cold to Namjoon as his feet moved without conscious thought, his eyes locked on the back of Taehyung’s head. He knew he was in shock, that his body was acting and reacting even though his mind seemed to be detached, floating above him and taking it all in as if he were merely a spectator. He wanted to stop, to give up. He had lost so much already in his life. Yet he kept moving, kept going. He wasn’t about to break his promise to Yoongi. He was going to keep Jimin alive and whole. It was the only reason he had left to live for.

The humvee was slowly growing closer yet there was so much panic and death going on around them that Jin had to fight off waves of nausea as he tried not to lose sight of his group. A cry pierced the air, his head snapping towards the sound. He watched in horror, his feet stilling, as a red-headed girl was knocked to the pavement. “Kenna” he whimpered in recognition as another face he knew filled his vision, hunching over the fallen girl. The face was twisted, dead, yet he couldn’t help but remember the proud smile it had worn just a little while ago as Chuck had successfully completed his magic show in front of the large crowd of the Pepsi Center.

The image was cut short when Chuck’s head exploded as it was hit by a flying bullet. Then a hand was in Jin’s pulling him from the macabre scene. “We’re almost there, hyung.” Jungkook’s sympathetic yet determined voice cut through Jin’s fugue and got him moving again. They quickly caught up to the rest of the group, Jungkook now taking the rear, firing his gun at anything that got too close to them.

Just as they got close to the humvee, a distorted Mickles rounded the front. Taehyung stopped in his tracks, Namjoon bumping into the back of him and accidentally shoving him a step closer. The runner couldn’t help but wonder if Johnson was the start of this mess. He probably ran around one too many corners absentmindedly and had finally gotten scratched. Mickles was advancing on them but Taehyung just gave a sad shake of the head before aiming his gun and shooting him through the head before continuing forward, stepping over the fallen body.  

Finally, Taehyung reached the humvee, pulling on the door handle in the hopes it was unlocked. The heavy door swung open effortlessly so Taehyung clambered inside, checking for keys in the sun visor and under the seat. He hit the steering wheel in frustration when the keys couldn’t easily be found. He needed to get his friends out of here, damn it. But the pounding on the steering wheel was met with the jingle of metal. With a cry of “aha,” he reached for the steering column, finding the keys already in the ignition and starting the vehicle at once.

The others huddled around the open door in a half circle as they waited, Jin and Jungkook half a step ahead of the others in a protective stance, firing at the zombies that approached. It was a nightmare for Jin. He knew as many names and faces as he didn’t within the crowd of wrecked beings. All that effort they put in to warn people and yet every life lost was his to bear. He fired again as Amber’s zombie lurched towards him.

The first shot got her in the stomach, not slowing her in the least. The second buried itself in her left shoulder before the third finally found its way through her skull. He was wasting ammo and he knew it. There was a reason he hadn’t started with a gun afterall. But he wasn’t about to let another one of his friends fall. It was already too much guilt to stand beneath.

As soon as they heard the vehicle start, Jin let Jungkook take over. He immediately began  ushering Namjoon into the back seat, helping him to shuffle Jimin so that he was still in the elder's arms. Taehyung had jumped out of the driver’s seat as Jungkook continued to cover them, so he could grab Hoseok by the arm and quickly usher him to the other side of the humvee. Bodies were converging on the humvee but gunfire continued to explode around them, clearing their way. Quickly, they got into the backseat alongside Namjoon and Jimin. Once they were in, Jin got behind the wheel as Jungkook ran around to the passenger door, still shooting as he ran.

As Jin threw the humvee into gear and pressed the gas pedal, a low moan of, “Nnnoooo....” came from the backseat, almost sounding like it was vomited up from the depths of hell even as Jimin seemed unaware that he spoke. The broken moan was followed by dead silence as all but the driver were finally allowed a moment to process everything. How’d everything go so wrong, so fast? Hoseok wondered in his head as his limbs shook with fear and adrenaline, thankful for Taehyung’s strong hand kneading and rubbing circles into his thigh reassuringly.

Jin was doing everything he could to keep from breaking apart as he drove, hitting bodies and driving over them as if they weren’t even there. Heavy thuds and jarring bumps filled the silent air as he continued on, only the back chain link gate in his vision. The closer they got to their exit, the harder he punched the gas pedal until they were flying, bursting through the barrier and knocking the chained doors of fencing off their hinges. Finally the road was smooth, the only sound the tires on the pavement and the low rumble of the engine. Jin drove aimlessly but always kept the main roads in sight, as he tried to figure out what to do, where to go. His mind was too muffled to even remember the plan at this point.

When the silence was broken, it was by the loud, heart wrenching sound of brokenhearted wails. Namjoon was desperately clutching at the still catatonic Jimin’s shirt as he cried into his shoulder. He didn’t know who he was crying more for, Jimin who had lost his soulmate, or himself who had lost his only chance to be with Yoongi and Jimin because of his stupid stubbornness. It hurt. Everything hurt. But he knew Yoongi was relying on him so he was only allowing himself this moment to mourn all that could have been. Then he’d be strong. He’d be strong for Jimin and Yoongi.

*******

“We’re almost out of gas.” Jin reported in a quiet voice, finding it hard to break the hush that consumed the humvee’s interior. Namjoon wasn’t sure how much time had passed but his tears had finally been drained and a quiet weariness tugged at his bones. At some point while he had been crying hysterically Jin had gotten onto the highway.

“Where are we?” Namjoon asked in a hush, his throat rasping as he spoke thanks to his outburst.

“We’re almost to Westminster. We’ll have to stop to get gas, maybe stay somewhere for the night.” Jin whispered back, still not really sure why he was whispering but finding it too hard to break the heavy silence with his regular speaking voice.

Namjoon just nodded in reply, leaning his head back against the headrest. He was pretty sure Jimin had fallen asleep in his arms, the younger man’s head resting on his shoulder and lolling slightly with the movement of the humvee. Hoseok was sitting directly to his right, sitting erect, staring out the front windshield, not moving a muscle. Taehyung was to his right, leaning slightly against the door, watching the three others in the backseat with him. A shiver ran up his spine as he looked into Jimin’s wide, glassy eyes that currently saw nothing.

“There’s a gas station, hyung.” Jungkook pointed out in a calm voice and Jin took his foot off the gas, slowing so he could be more alert as he exited the highway. There were vehicles parked all around the station, all makes and models. They were blocking the way in, the large humvee too big to fit between all the cars.

“There’s a few gas cans in the back.” Taehyung informed helpfully, having shifted his attention to the front windshield as the humvee slowed.

“Okay. I’ll get as close as I can.” Jin replied, mind humming as he tried to figure out how they were going to pull this off. He had never siphoned gas before and didn’t have the first clue as to how it was done.

“Get close but not too close.” Jungkook chimed in. “We may need to leave in a hurry.”

“Do we know what we’re doing? Do we know what we need?” Jin asked, worry etched on his handsome face.

“This thing runs on diesel so we’re going to need to find the yellow port on the ground that the big tanker trucks dump into.” Taehyung began explaining. “There’s a key to open it, round, about the size of my fist. It should be somewhere on that truck.” He pointed towards a gasoline freighter on the side of the store. “We’ll also need two long tubes to get the gas flowing.”

“You’ve done this before?” Jungkook asked, surprised that he had so much knowledge.

“Well, I have been a runner for a while now.” Taehyung hedged, not telling anyone that he was actually the one to teach the other runners what to do.

“Okay, everybody out.” Jungkook instructed once JIn parked, opening his door right away.

“What? Why?” Hoseok asked, eyes open wide in fear and uncertainty.

“Because if anything happens and we need to run, we need to be together.” Jungkook answered confidently, waving the others out of the vehicle. He kept sweeping his eyes around the area as the others climbed out of the car to join him. Namjoon had gotten Jimin to stand, walking where he was led, stopping where he was stopped, eyes still vacant as he drown in his own personal oblivion.

“I’ll go find the tubing.” Jin announced before silently dashing off towards the storefront.

“I’ll get the key.” Jungkook stated accompanied by a confirming nod of his head and then he was dashing off towards the gasoline tanker.

“Guess that leaves us to grab the gas cans and find the port.” Taehyung sighed, pulling Hoseok along with him to the back of the humvee and opening the trunk upwards. Namjoon watched, one hand on Jimin’s shoulder to steer him. After a moment, Taehyung and Hoseok were returning from the back of the humvee, each carrying a 10 gallon gas can in each hand. They carefully made their way between dusty cars towards the main drive of the gas station, Namjoon leading Jimin along behind them, until they found something that looked like a small manhole cover spray painted yellow.

Namjoon looked around nervously, his hand never breaking contact with Jimin. He hated standing in the open like this. He felt like the main course at a monster buffet, just waiting to be plucked up and eaten. After all, that’s what the world had become, right? A giant zombie smorgasbord? The thought was broken as he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Snapping his head in that direction, he saw Jungkook jogging towards them, holding up an orangish yellow, round thing in his hand. He dropped to his knees as soon as he joined them around the gas port, trying to figure out how to use the key.

“Yes!” Taehyung hissed triumphantly as Jungkook got the heavy iron top off. Soon, Jin had returned as well, a garden hose in hand and his knife out to cut it once they knew the right length. “Feed the hose into the tank.” the younger cousin instructed the elder and Jin followed along without question. Once it seemed to hit the bottom, Taehyung instructed him to cut the hose while still allowing enough room to reach the top of the gas cans. Then he was feeding the other part of the hose into the tank as well but stopping before he hit the fuel.

“Now what, hyung?” Jungkook asked as Taehyung seemed to be looking around the area for something.

“Now you’ve got to create air pressure.” Namjoon sighed, taking his flannel from around his waist and tossing it on the ground. Then he proceeded to his jeans and piss on the shirt. Jin and Hoseok gasped in surprise but Taehyung and Jungkook just grinned. Once the shirt was sufficiently wet, Namjoon tucked himself away and then bent forward, grabbing the shirt and stuffing it around the two tubes in the gas tank, doing his best to make it airtight. “Now you’ve just gotta blow into the shorter tube.” he shrugged.

It took a long time to blow enough air into the tank to cause enough pressure to push the gas through the long hose. Taehyung and Jungkook had both gone blue in the face as they took turns. Finally, Hoseok had his fear enough under control to try his hand at it as well. Gas finally began flowing out of the hose into the first gas can and he couldn’t help but be proud that he had finally found a way to help.

“Hell, yeah, baby. I always told you you were good with your mouth.” Taehyung celebrated, as he ran his hands over his lover’s straining shoulders. Hoseok was too busy too scold the other for the innuendo.

It seemed to take forever filling the containers, the boys trading off blowing air as their cheeks and lips stretched numb. Finally, they were on the last one when the sound of ultimate suffering infused with pure rage ripped through the night in a piercing war cry. All eyes shot towards the sound, Jin almost chocking on the noxious fumes of the gas as he gasped in surprise. A commotion broke out in the gas station, the sound of shelves toppling and glass breaking streaming through the air.

“Jimin!” Namjoon exclaimed, only now noticing the shattered man was no longer by his side. Instantly everyone was running towards the store, knives and guns drawn. The store was dark but there was enough moonlight shining through the glass walled front to see destruction littered everywhere. A broken, bloody body in blue mechanic's overalls was sprawled facing downward across the checkout counter. Another body in a stiff, dirty red sundress was heaped atop a toppled shelf of candy and gum. In the back corner they found Jimin hunched over yet another body, his knife still in the back of its head as the young man screamed and howled and cried, beating his fists against the prone figure.

“Jimin!” Taehyung worriedly exclaimed, running to his best friend’s side. In a flash, Jimin had his knife back in hand, wielding it at Taehyung like he was a threat, his eyes not really acknowledging what he was seeing.

Taehyung stopped in his tracks, hands up in surrender. “It’s okay, Jiminie. It’s just me, TaeTae.” he tried to calm the other down but Jimin was delusional with pain, slicing at the air in front of Taehyung as tears streamed down his cheeks.

“Give! Him! Back!” Jimin screamed, eyes rolling in their sockets.

Namjoon slowly walked next to Taehyung, his hands also up in surrender. “Hey, Jiminie. It’s me, Namjoon.” he said in a slow and steady voice. “We need to get out of here. It’s not safe.”

At Namjoon’s gentle voice, Jimin seemed to break, his face scrunching in pain, brows furrowed and lips stretched tight in a grimace, showing most of his teeth. He dropped the bloody blade in his hand, body crumpling forward on top of the zombie he had killed, his arms holding his legs tight to his chest in the fetal position as sobs began to wrack his body once again.  

“, hyungs, this isn’t good.” Jungkook stage whispered as he watched zombies thread their way between the packed cars in the lot, making their way towards the small gas station. Jimin’s horrific war cry seemed to have caught the attention of the monsters outside.

“!” Hoseok hissed, now looking out the window at Jungkook’s side. A fresh wave of adrenaline and fear flooded his system. “How are we gonna get out of here?”

“There’s got to be another way out of here;” Jin insisted, joining the other two. “an employee exit, side door, something.”

Taehyung quickly scanned the place with his eyes, noting a hallway with a bathroom sign hanging over the entryway. Without a word, he skittered off in that direction to check it out. Meanwhile, the zombies continued to converge on the store, the first few having reached the window. Grey, contorted faces moaned hungrily, jaws snapping and teeth gnashing as hands stretched towards their prey. Bodies collided, pressing, pushing, trying to breach the clear barrier that momentarily held them at bay.

Namjoon had been trying to coax Jimin from his curled position on the floor but the young man wouldn’t budge, wouldn’t acknowledge his hyung’s efforts. Finally, Namjoon gave up, squatting beside the broken boy and struggling to get his hands beneath him. Jimin’s body remained stiff and unyielding as he was pulled into strong arms. Struggling with the hold he had on the man as well as the weight, Namjoon finally got back to his feet, his thighs and lower back screaming out in protest. He was huffing slightly, a few beads of sweat popping out on his forehead. He jostled Jimin slightly as he tried to get a better grip on the boy, one arm behind his back, the other between his thighs and calves as he cradled him to his chest but it was beyond awkward because the boy was still pressing his wet face into his knees as he bent in on himself.

“This way. There’s a back door.” Taehyung hissed at the group, startling Namjoon slightly. He was slightly preoccupied with nerves that his clumsiness would somehow result in the loss of the man in his arms and it scared him. He glanced towards the front of the store again, noticing the small cracks that were beginning to spiderweb along the glass and he knew he had no more time for doubt. Pushing all other thoughts aside, he hastily began shuffling towards the back hallway alongside the others.

The hallway was short and dark, the odor of mold strong. On either side of the hall was a door, one marked with a “Woman's” and the other with a “Men’s” in stark black and white. But the door they were interested in was straight ahead at the end of the hall. A red arm stretched across it reading, “Emergency Exit. Alarm Will Sound.” across it in white and black.

Jungkook took a deep breath then pushed the door open, praying the alarm was dead. The door groaned slightly as it swung open but made no other sound. Releasing the anticipatory breath he had been holding, he stepped through the threshold, finding himself stepping into a narrowly paved drive about two car widths wide. A handful of zombies were headed towards them from the two sides of the store he had just exited. Instantly, he was charging ahead, attacking the nearest beast as he cleared a way for the others to cross. He could see Jin joining in the charge in his periphery and he smiled to himself, admiring the other’s strength as always.

Namjoon stepped through the door next, quickly skirting a parked car in the wake of the first two men, Hoseok and Taehyung tight on his heels. Behind them, they could hear as the glass front finally gave way, a huge ‘Crash’ bursting through the night air.

“. Come on!” Jungkook urged the others as he drove his knife into the head of the struggling walking corpse in his grasp. They raced down a brief hill of dead summer grass, hopping a weedy ditch at the bottom, and bounding up the other side. Namjoon’s body canted forward as his foot slipped but Hoseok and Taehyung were on either side of him, quickly righting him before he could fall.

More zombies were in the drive on the other side of the tiny gully, the back of a mini-mall, painted a dark brown stretched out in both directions on the other side, lined with three large dumpsters. Jin and Jungkook jumped into action, clearing a path towards the nearest backdoor, Taehyung keeping the rear and sides clear as they moved forward. Jin reached the plain metal door first, yanking at it with force but the door didn’t budge.

Without a word, as if already rehearsed, Taehyung sprang for the door as Jin and Jungkook took over watching their rear, running forward to down the closest zombies and retreating to cover the others in turn. Taehyung quickly searched his pockets as his eyes searched the ground around them, looking for something to get them through the door. In his back jeans pocket he found the wire he had always taken with him on runs. He quickly kneeled in front of the door, using the wire to lift the tumblers of the lock.

“Hurry!” Hoseok hissed. He had seen that the quiet commotion was slowly drawing the attention of more zombies.

With a few more jiggles of the wire, the lock finally gave way and Taehyung sprang to his feet, holding the door open for the others. Jin ran through the doorway first, not wanting any surprise attacks on the others. A strange tang in the air tickled his nose as he entered but he ignored it for the moment, all his attention focused on being alert for dangers.  Hoseok and Namjoon quickly followed him into the dark hallway, only made darker once Taehyung, the last to step through the threshold, quickly closed the door, cutting off the moonlight. It was silent for a moment as everyone stretched their hearing, trying to find a hint as to whether or not they were really safe for the moment. A small ‘click’ could be heard and then a bright penlight broke apart the dark making several of the men gasp in surprise and fear.

“Let’s check this place out.” Taehyung whispered, a smirk sitting firm on his playful lips as he threaded his way through the others and down the hallway, a small flashlight in hand held over his head. Hoseok rolled his eyes at the theatrics but quickly joined his lover, the others closing in behind him.

There were three doors in the hallway, one with a pictured uni bathroom sign and the other two across the hall with ‘Employees Only’ and ‘KEEP OUT’ signs posted. The doors were already closed so Taehyung led the way past them, wanting to check out the open storefront first.

The storefront was small, only one glass case countertop across from the windowed front and door. This glass front was different from the gas station however, the entire thing covered in a dark film, blocking the view through the window. Thin wires knitted through the tempered glass as well, making it strong. Shadows hung from the walls, showcasing some of the larger merchandise but it was hard to make out what those items were in the dark. .

“You think that glass is bulletproof?” Taehyung asked curiously, more of a rhetorical question than anything else.

“Probably not bulletproof but hard as hell to bust through, hyung.” Jungkook answered as he wandered behind the counter, taking it all in.  “A ing gun store. This is awesome.” he swore under his breath, looking at the mirade of weapons locked in the case. It explained the odor of gun oil in the air.

“Yeah, yeah. Before you go all ‘kid-at-a-candy-store’ on me, let's check those doors we passed, make sure no one dead or living is in here.” Jin scolded half-heartedly as he tugged on Jungkook’s jacket sleeve, pulling him from behind the counter. Taehyung joined them as they began their way back down the hallway.

As those three wandered off, Namjoon approached the display case from the customer side, Hoseok following close behind him, practically smothering him in his nearness as he clung onto the elbow of the encumbered man’s jacket. He set Jimin’s on the glass surface, groaning with the relief as the counter took most of the smaller man’s weight. Gravity took over, finally pulling Jimin’s knees from his face, his arms going limp and his head hanging forward. With a pained sigh, Namjoon spread the boy’s legs, stepping between them as he wrapped the boy’s arms around his neck. He wanted to be in position if he had to move fast and this was the best way to be ready to carry the boy without still holding his weight as he waited.

“Is- is he awake?” Hoseok asked hesitantly.

“Honestly? It may be a very, very long time before he will ever sleep restfully again.” Namjoon answered monotonously, once again steeping his toes in the pool of his past misery. Every ounce of Jimin’s crippling agony echoed in his memory and at the moment it was almost tearing him apart as he fought not to internalize it once again.

“And… how are you doing?” Hoseok asked gently, concern shining in his eyes. He wanted to help the two lost men with him but he didn’t know how.

“Me?” Namjoon reiterated as he tried to focus on the here and now. “I- I’ll be okay. I’ll be whatever I need to be to get Jimin through.” he answered, trying to sound convinced. He knew it’s what he needed to do but it wouldn’t be easy.

“Hey, guys.” Taehyung broke through the moment. “We found a break room/office we can crash in for the night.” As he spoke, he approached Hoseok, peeling him from Namjoon’s side and wrapping around his lover protectively. “Need me to take him?” he asked an exhausted looking Namjoon, pointing to Jimin with his chin.

“Nah. I got him.” Namjoon answered, pulling Jimin’s now pliant body towards him. He wound the younger man’s arms around his neck, causing him to list forward, letting his forehead fall to the taller man’s collarbone with a sharp thud but otherwise didn’t react. Then strong arms wrapped around the smaller frame, lifting him from the countertop and grasping him under the thighs firmly. Without another word, he followed Taehyung back down the hallway to the first door on the right, the small room located directly behind the service counter.

A desk was pushed up against the wall directly opposite the door, facing as if an occupant could see through the wall into the storefront. A desktop computer monitor and keyboard sat atop the desk, the keyboard almost hidden under spilled piles of paperwork. A small mini-fridge was set on the floor next to it and an old couch with a brown and cream weave that looked scratchy as hell was pushed up against the wall facing the desk. A couple tall filing cabinets spaced along the other walls made up the only other furniture in the room.

“Come on. You can lay him down here.” Jin ushered Namjoon forward as soon as he stepped into the room. Jin steadied the younger man’s shoulder as he squatted down in front of the couch, grunting against Jimin’s crown as his knees finally hit the floor. He had managed to get Jimin’s to land on the couch cushions and the relief from the younger’s weight once again made him exhale deeply. He reached up to unwind Jimin’s arms from his neck but the muscles just beneath the surface of his loose satin jacket hardened at the older man’s touch, refusing to let go.  

“Uh, Jiminie?” Namjoon asked hesitantly in Jimin’s ear, the younger’s only reply being his tightening grip, effectively pulling him closer.

“Maybe you should lie down with him.” Jin suggested kindly from just behind Namjoon, watching the scene with keen eyes. He felt it was imperative to keep the hurting boy calm and quiet and would pretty much do anything to help him heal.  

Namjoon answered the elder with a subtle nod of his head as he began to whisper in the younger man’s ear. As he whispered, he leaned the boy to the side, lifting his legs onto the cushions and helping him move his back side along the back cushions so the larger man would have room on the couch as well, the younger man’s arms tight around his neck the whole time.

Once he managed to squeeze onto the edge of the chair, he entwined their legs, scooting even closer to the man whose forehead was pressed against his chest, trying not to suffocate the man. As he wrapped his arms around the smaller’s frame, he let his tired mind wander to the last time he hid from the crumbling world in a breakroom. Unspilled tears filled his eyes as he remembered the ‘Namjoon sandwich’ he had found himself in, snuggled between Yoongi and Jimin. Now, once again resting against Jimin, he could swear he felt Yoongi’s essence scoot in behind him and wrap him up in an embrace. He melted into the feeling, letting go of the world around him as his exhausted psyche finally fell to rest and then he was out like a light, snoring deeply.

A/N: *sighs* I know that may have been hard to read. Honestly, it's been hard to write. I can only do little bits and pieces at a time. Also, I am my only editor so sometimes I need to take time to clear my head before I can come back and look through what I wrote. 

So, what did you think? I love how Jin is so strong, always running into the fray and protecting his dongsaengduel any way he can. It hurts me how much this is all hurting Namjoon. I'm so thankful he's taking care of Jimin as best as he can though. He's a real hero. Jimin's agony though... I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. I'm so, so sorry baby ChimChim. 

As always, thank you so much for subscribing and upvoting but most of all, for leaving comments. Your comments help to push me through the pain so we can hopefully see brighter days ahead.