[CONTENTID1] Twenty-One [/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]

"Relax, ___-ah. Take a deep breath," Jimin gently instructs from where he sits at the foot of the bed.

You peer at him from under your eyelashes and nod. The soju is buzzing in your system, not nearly as potent now that you've vomited the majority of it up, but your mind is still hazy, and it's difficult to focus. You try to loosen up your still-tense muscles, and concentrate on drawing oxygen into your lungs. Your eyes flutter shut as you hold in the air for a few seconds, then exhale it all out with a deep whoosh.

"Good," Jimin praises you, "Now try feeling around for my mind."

It's difficult to follow his instructions. Your thoughts are messily scattered everywhere, not contained in the confines of your own mind. As a result, it's near impossible to gather up your untrained consciousness, let alone search for his, but you try your best, regardless. "Am I doing it, Jimin?" You ask after a few seconds of concentration.

He frowns, "I think I can kind of feel your mind… But you're getting distracted by your own discomfort."

Your eyes flash open in shock, "How do you know?"

He smiles wryly at you, "You're projecting your thoughts again… Though not at me, this time. You're getting better at narrowing the sphere of your projection. But since I'm right next to you, I can hear your thoughts."

"Oh god. I'm so sorry," you say, blushing up to your very roots.

"Nah, don't worry about it," he says, shooting you a smile that crinkles his eyes into little crescent moons, "Just try again."

You nod and shakily inhale as you attempt to reach out again… But random images and fleeting thoughts fill up the crevice of your skull. The memory of lying on Jungkook's bed in the dorms the same way, the feeling of Namjoon curled around you the night of your attack… and random thoughts of how you need to do laundry and how your astronomy final project is due on Monday invade your mind. You shake your head to wipe all those thoughts and focus on reaching out for Jimin.

After a second, you feel him. But it's not a concrete feeling, like any of your five senses. Instead, it feels like a little tickle of your mind, like the sensation of flying or falling. Not tactile—nothing you can feel with your two hands, but every bit as real as the bed beneath your back or the blankets pulled up to your chin. Jimin's mind emanates a certain strength and warmth that draws you the way plants tilt towards the sun. Experimentally, you brush your consciousness against his.

Hi.

His sonorous voice seems to echo in your mind. You flinch back, a bit shy, but Jimin's mind follows yours. He circles around you, almost playfully, and mixes himself up with you into a tangled embrace. Enticed by the warmth of his mind, you eagerly reach out to seek him out. In your inexperience, your mind lashes with too much force…

And then, suddenly, you can feel all of him. Every thought and sensation, from the steady beat of his heart to the concern in his chest, engulfs your consciousness. It's such an out-of-body experience. It feels like you've stopped existing as an individual—like you've been separated from your physical body and only exist as an entity intertwined with Jimin.

You feel the way air is drawn to his lungs and how his clothes feel hanging on his thicker frame. You feel him under your skin, overflowing the blood in your veins, spreading across each synapse in your brain. This is by far most intimate experience of your life. More than the time Taehyung stole the breath from your body. More than the time Namjoon carried your body from the bathroom and kissed your scars. Because Jimin has stripped more than just your clothes. He has stripped the layers of skin, flesh and bone down to your very core.

In return, you feel all of him mixing with you. All his strength, hope, and love. All his weaknesses, doubts, and fears. You are more Park Jimin than yourself.

.

The pressure in your chest lightens and suddenly, Jimin is ripped out of your mind. Clarity fills your mind, and you gulp down air like breaking the surface of the water after being held down for too long. You are yourself again, not Jimin, but you. And you're not sure if that's a good thing.

", ," Jimin repeats, out loud this time, "___, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," you say, massaging the stiff muscles of your neck that you didn't realize you had strained, "That was just… intense…"

"Sorry," he sheepishly says, "I promise it's not usually like that… I think you reached out for me at the same time I did and we just… collided."

"Oh… I'm so sorry," you gasp, lowering your face in your hands in embarrassment, "I didn't mean to do that."

"I know," he laughs, "It's okay. Usually it's really difficult to even reach out like that. This just shows that you have great strength of mind."

You slowly raise your head to peek at him between your fingers, and are surprised to find him across the bed from you. He hasn't laid a single finger on you, but it feels like he had curled himself up inside of you. You had almost expected to find him on top of you. Though what you two had just experienced was more intimate than any physical contact could ever be, and you can't help but feel a bit shy.

"Don't worry about it," Jimin laughs, sensing your unease, and reaching over to pat your head, touching you for the first time, "Now that we're a circle, this is bound to happen."

His touch feels like nothing compared to his mental embrace only moments ago, "Your mind feels like you," you say with a little frown, "I'm sorry, am I getting off track? I just… it's strange, isn't it? Just one touch of your mind and I could tell that it was you at once… And I don't know why."

Jimin raises an eyebrow in surprise, "Really? Our minds represent our inherent personalities, but it's still a bit unusual that you could tell that quickly… What does my mind feel like, ___?" He asks, intrigued.

"Warm," you say with a little tilt of your head, "It's interesting, because you're an earth mage… You definitely feel strong and sturdy, like a normal earth mage, but most of all, you feel warm… almost maternal," you add with a little laugh.

Jimin makes a face at that, "Wait until you feel Jin-hyung's mind," he mutters darkly under his breath.

"It's a compliment!" You insist.

"Sure it is…" he grumbles.

You grin at that, "Wait, Jiminnie, what does my mind feel like?" You ask in curiosity.

Jimin's smile fades, and just like that, the mood drops, "You feel… you feel reserved," he finally admits, "Even though you can't control your thoughts… you are surprisingly guarded."

You frown at that description. You don't need to read his mind to tell that he's hiding something from you, "And…?" you pressure.

"And…" He bites his lip and drops his gaze to his lap, "And… sad… ___, you feel sad."

You stare down at the pattern of the comforter as a stab of hurt spikes through your chest, "Oh, I see… I'm sorry that being in my mind depressed you, Jimin. I didn't intend for that to happen..."

"No, that's not it," the earth mage quickly backtracks, "You don't make me sad… you're just… well, you are sad," he gnaws on his bottom lip in irritation, "I'm not being very eloquent, am I?"

"It's fine," you say, trying to laugh it off, "I'm not a very bright person, like you or Hoseok-sunbae, but that's ok, isn't it?"

"Yeah, of course," Jimin quickly agrees. An awkward silence descends between the two of you, so he scrambles for a change of topic, "Anyways, when did Namjoon-hyung see you ?!"

You pull the comforter over your head, squealing in embarrassment, but are privately grateful for this subject change, "Does nothing stay a secret in this circle?!"

Jimin laughs so hard that he squeaks, "Why would you ever let Namjoon see you ? He's such a ert that I don't even feel comfortable around him!"

"It wasn't my choice," you screech at him, slapping both hands over your ears.

"Jesus, you should've made him strip for you, too. Just to make it fair!"

"It wasn't like that! What the hell, Jimin?!"

"Yeah, you're right. Namjoon-hyung isn't pleasant," the earth mage says with a shudder, "He always says he goes to the gym, but we all know he's just at the studio watching ."

"Ugh! I do not need those images in my mind!" you yell, angrily kicking at him from under the covers. "Shut your mouth before I make you!"

"Not gonna shut up," Jimin shoots back, pouncing on your legs to pin them down, "Whatcha gonna do about it?"

"I'm going to kick your ," you growl, throwing the blankets off in order to lunge at him.

Jimin giggles, happily allowing you to tackle him down. The two of you wrestle around on the bed for a few moments, a mess of limbs and blankets flying everywhere. Jimin politely pretends that you have a chance of beating him up, despite your blatant lack of muscles, and you're in the process of smothering him with a pillow when a loud voice interrupts your little roughhousing session.

"Where the are you, Jung Hoseok?!"

The two of you freeze and stare at each other for a long second, your expression confused, and Jimin's terrified. Then, your same-aged friend is scrambling to his feet, rapidly smoothing down the covers and placing pillows back where they belong.

"Jimin, what are you doing?" you ask, trying to sit up to help him.

"Shh, just play dead," he hisses at you, pushing you back down on the bed and tucking you in so tight that you can't move your arms.

"Wait, what?"

Jimin ignores you and dives for his desk. And not a second too late, for at that very moment, Jungkook barges into the room, out of breath and furious. Jimin places down the book held up to his face and turns around to shoot the younger boy a frown, "What's wrong, Kookie-ah?" He says with careful casualness.

"Have you seen Hoseok?" The maknae demands.

"It's rude to call him by his name like that!" you pipe up from where you lay, straight-jacketed to the bed.

Jungkook glares at the sight and rushes over to tear the covers off of you, "Why are you in Jimin's bed?" he asks, releasing you from your binds.

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