Jungkook falls to the floor with an almighty groan, and Jimin feels an utterly self-satisfied feeling curl in his gut as he breathes heavily, tears prickling at his eyes. 

‘Jesus ,’ Jungkook wheezes, his forehead to the floor as if to pray to Jesus to spare him. Jimin say anything, and instead turns around to look at Hoseok, who looks like a whole cocktail of different emotions, the foremost being confusion.

He is about to say something to explain to Hoseok why he just kneed his friend in the crotch, but instead the blonde man still standing just behind him speaks up. 

‘…you always do that to strangers?’ Blonde-man says with a grimace clear in his voice, whistling down at Jungkook’s pained form. Jimin slowly turns to look at him, disbelief likely clear on his face.

‘-He…he pointed a gun at me and threatened me, and then you, you stole my ing yogurt card. I think I have all the right reasons for kneeing him in his crotch… twice. You’re lucky I didn’t hit you too, stranger’  Jimin seethes, his hands clenched into fists at his side. He doesn’t know who this guy is, but he’s getting on Jimin’s nerves.

Blonde-man’s eyebrows shoot up into into his hair as his eye widen and a strange look appears on his face, and since the parlor has slightly better lighting than the dark alley they first met in, blonde-man looks even more attractive. He feels his poor heart ache at the fact that such an attractive person stole from him.

After a few seconds of just staring at Jimin, accompanied only by the still ongoing groan from Jungkook on the ground behind Jimin, blonde-man quickly s out his hand in front of Jimin. 

‘I’m Yoongi–‘ after saying his own name his face scrunches up briefly, like he had s or taste in his mouth, but his expression quickly smooths ‘–I don't have the yogurt card anymore, I used it this morning,’ he finishes quickly, his face unsmiling, but his eyes noticeably relaxed, almost soft in their gaze, speaking of what he thinks of Jimin. Jimin just fixes him with a very unimpressed stare because he definitely hoped he could get his yogurt card back, but does end up taking Yoongi’s hand in his and giving it a brief shake. 

‘It’s not very nice to meet you, Yoongi’ Jimin says simply, forgoing honorifics even though Yoongi is clearly older, which makes Yoongi’s face twitch. 

‘I can’t say the same, Jimin. It’s nice to see someone give Kookie what he deserves. Though I’m damn glad you didn’t decide to do it to me’.

‘You better be,’ Jimin replies, giving Yoongi a quick vertical scan, lifting an eyebrow in challenge.

Hoseok groans from the side, pinching the bridge of his nose in clear agitation, though the reason behind the gesture escapes Jimin.

Hoseok suddenly rounds on Jungkook, who is standing up off the floor on shaky legs, his face pulled into a grimace. ’I can’t believe you decided to threaten Park-ing-Jimin, you absolute ,’ Hoseok seethes, a frown on his usually smiling face.

‘-I…I thought, you know, since he's kind short, right? He would have been a good target,’ Jungkook says, hesitatingly. Jimin feels a bit of his righteous anger return at the mention of his height, and buries the urge to put Jungkook back on the floor.

‘Kookie, c’mon. You really gotta pay attention to the person you’re gonna to mug, dip.’

‘Oh yeah? Well how the was I supposed to know some dude in sweats on a Thursday night was the one guy I shouldn’t go after? Huh? I really don't see how this is my fault.’

Jimin feels his eye twitch at the almost uncontrollable urge to hit him.

‘This is totally your fault kid. I specifically told you not to go around the university,’ Yoongi speaks up for the side, his accented words sharp.

‘Oh yeah, fine, you told me so. You can be all smug Yoongi-hyung, but I will never say it’s my fault… ‘cause it was not,’ Jungkook scoffs, almost sounding like he's whining, and certainly looking the part as he crosses his arms and frowns.

Jimin tries to keep up with the conversation but he's feeling lost. Did Jungkook need to mug someone? Jimin decides to voice this.

‘Wait, are you saying that Jungkook here had to mug someone? What? Are we not going to talk about the morality this ?’

Yoongi doesn’t answer, looking very much like he doesn’t want to answer. Hoseok saves him the trouble by clapping his hands together, and looking at the other three people in the room.

With his hands clasped, his addresses them all in a very Hoseok fashion.

‘As much as I would like to do this here, we should really be sitting. I also think he should know everything, considering what apparently happened last night,’ he says looking pointedly at Jungkook and gesturing to Jimin.

Yoongi looks at him sharply and they share a look Jimin can’t decipher, and Yoongi quickly relaxes, and Hoseok turns around and waves for them to follow him back into the back room where he has a few couches put for an occasion like this one.

Yoongi, Jimin, and Jungkook follow Hoseok into the back room and Jimin takes a seat in the single seat across from Yoongi and Jungkook, while Hoseok takes one of the couches to himself.

Jimin doesn’t wait for it to get awkward, so he speaks up first, deciding that he wants to know now for some peace of mind. 

‘So, why did you try and mug me?’ he asks bluntly. Jungkook goes to speak but Yoongi quickly waves a hand and cuts him off before he can even start.

‘This little piece of picked you because it was part of his test. We were testing his instincts, but he decided to pick the one person in the city that was deemed “off limits”– ’ he does exaggerated air quotes to accentuate his point ‘–by Hoseok here.’ Yoongi starts, gesturing to Hoseok. ‘And before you ask us what we’re doing mugging people as a test, know this: that’s how we operate. We don’t kill people, but we do need to establish our authority here. This city is a cesspool, this is how we deal with it. And if you have a problem with that, tough .’

Jimin ignores Yoongi’s biting tone, and finds he isn't feeling very surprised at Yoongi’s words, just more pissed off that he threatened in that alley because of some test. Though as he processes Yoongi’s words, he can’t help but feel like he’s lying. Some part of him, his gut feeling maybe, tells him that that is not the truth.

Jimin scoffs ‘What, are you guys some kind of street gang?’ he asks, not fully serious.

Jungkook just shrugs in response ‘In some ways’.

‘Wait, seriously?’

‘…yes?’ 

‘–That kinda explains a lot actually’ Jimin says, rubbing hand on his chin, thinking back to the night he first met the two sitting in front of him. ‘I saw Yoongi’s tattoo, on his hand. It looked unique, I assumed crime syndicate or something’. 

Yoongi barks out a short laugh, the sound grating and humorless. Jimin winces, but he doesn’t know why he does. ‘You noticed that? Damn. You're not far off’, he pauses, looking at Hoseok, who just nods. ‘We’re Bangtan,’ he finishes, a dangerous look in his eyes as he regards Jimin.

‘Bulletproof? Huh, now the tattoo makes a bit more sense,’ Jimin says, rubbing his neck pensively, not really too sure what to reply to that since he clearly remembers the tattoo of a black gun and a letter B on Yoongi’s hand.

‘Yeah, well I didn't design the tattoo, Princess did, and he's not too good at the whole edgy gang thing,’ Yoongi scoffs, the corner of his mouth quirking up. He looks down at his lap for a second, his expression changing to be somewhat sad. Jimin feels a stab of sympathy, shocking himself. He just met this man, why is he so affected?

Jimin shakes off the feeling. ’Well, I can’t pretend to forgive you for threatening me, Yoongi, but I now understand what happened a bit more,’ Jimin says hesitantly, deciding not to ask about who Princess is, since at this point, he thinks that trying to be in their good favor is better than the possibility of being threatened more. 

‘–Hyung,’ Jungkook chimes in as soon as Jimin finishes.

‘What?’

‘Yoongi-hyung’ Jungkook says, fixing Jimin with a glare, and furrowing his brow. Jimin almost leaps up off the couch then and there.

‘I just met him’ Jimin says slowly, returning the glare with equal strength. 

‘So? You should be respectful’ Jungkook scoffs.

‘Hey now kid, you in’ hypocrite, you didn't call me hyung for weeks. And besides, we’ve just officially met.’ Yoongi interjects before Jimin and Jungkook go at each others’ throats, his tone odd. 

Hoseok, who had been silently observing, finally speaks up, sighing.

‘Jungkook, try not to antagonize Jimin more. Haven’t you done enough to him? This can all be talked about later anyways after we get your tattoo done. I wanna close early today, shrimp, so let’s get moving,’ Hoseok says, seeming like he doesn't want to be there listening anymore. He jumps off the couch, walking away in between Jungkook and Jimin, dispelling the tension slightly by slapping Jungkook’s knee good-naturedly as he passes by. 

Jungkook gets up off the couch and follows Hoseok, who gives Jimin one last indecipherable look as they walk back into the main part of the shop. Jimin feels the sudden awkwardness that he had hoped to avoid permeate the air as he and Yoongi sit there for a few moments, not talking as Jimin actively avoids eye contact. 

Jimin decides to finally say something to break the silence.

He clears his throat louder than he intended and Yoongi eyes flick up to meet his sharply. Jimin soldiers on. ’So, about this gang, how many people are there? Oh, and how did you know who I was earlier, after Hoseok said my name? H-has he mentioned me before?’ Jimin asks, initially wanting to just ask one a simple question, but soon finding that they all kind of come spilling out of him.

Yoongi looks down, that look returning to his face. He looks tense for a few seconds but eventually relaxes and replies softly. ‘We're just a few at this point, with myself, Princess, RM, Hoseok, also known as J-hope, some other stragglers here and there. Jungkook is still in initiation. Hoseok, h-he told us about you after you started working here, and to lay off you, if we ever came across you, hence Jungkook’s reaction earlier,’ he finishes with a waving hand gesture.

Jimin nods, feeling thankful to Hoseok, even if hasn't really quite sunk in that he has just met a street gang, a gang in which this boss is apparently a member of. He briefly wonders again who Princess is, and RM too, but he decides to let it go.

‘You know, if I’m honest, I didn’t expect you to be like…this’ Yoongi says hesitantly after a few moments of pause, making Jimin look back at him. His eyes are dark as they were before, undeniably attractive as well, as he looks at Jimin with a softer expression. 

Jimin feels his heartbeat quicken slightly for other reasons than fright, and he looks away, feeling bashful for some strange reason. He really needs to get a grip on himself, he thinks; he’s been all over the place today, and since the attack as well.

‘W-what do you mean?’ he asks, stuttering slightly.

The corners of Yoongi’s mouth quirk up in what Jimin is beginning to consider the extent to which he smiles.

‘You kneed Jungkook in the balls twice. You have …spirit,’ Yoongi says simply as he leans back into the couch, as if he were just reading off a newspaper instead of saying something that made Jimin’s heart skip. He mentally berates himself as he wills his subconscious to stop making him react like this.

Jimin can’t help himself as he replies, and thinks he might perpetually have his foot in his mouth. 

‘What did Hoseok tell you? That I’m Korean Jesus? Seriously, please don't believe anything he told you about me,’ Jimin says, a whining lilt to his voice that he can’t help. 

Yoongi just gives him a look before letting out a short laugh, ’Something like that.’

Jimin grimaces, but as he opens his mouth to reply, Hoseok pops his head past the door frame and calls for them.

‘Sorry to interrupt…whatever this is,’ he makes a vague gesture between Yoongi and Jimin, ‘but if you wanna see Jungkook get his tattoo, you better c’mon before I get started,’ he finishes, his signature smile back on his face.

Jimin quickly stands up and walks out of the door, following Hoseok back into the front part of the shop where he sees Jungkook sitting on one the the chairs at Hoseok’s station. He looks hesitant and somewhat scared, which just makes Jimin happy in some sort of sadistic way because he can definitely gloat a little bit. 

Hoseok takes a seat on his small wheeled stool, making his way over to Jungkook’s side where he has his arm laying faced up on the chair arm. Jimin watches as Hoseok takes his equipment and begins to tattoo Jungkook’s hand in the same spot Jimin had seen Yoongi’s tattoo, following some small marker lines carefully. 

Jimin watches as Jungkook’s face scrunches up in pain, and he feels acute satisfaction hum through his body.

He hears a quiet huffed laugh from his side and turns to look at Yoongi, with a slightly hesitant gaze, and finds Yoongi already looking at him. Jimin feels his cheeks heat up in a much loathed blush as he holds Yoongi’s strangely soft gaze. 

Eventually he looks away, hearing Yoongi make a small huffing sound again, once again affirming Jimin’s growing suspicion that he probably doesn’t really laugh or smile properly. His attention is quickly drawn back to Jungkook, though, when he hears his groan of pain at being poked remorsefully by a pleased looking Hoseok. Jimin watches the sight, and, in the back of his mind, he thinks of just how strange the past hour been. 

_________

Jimin’s work evening ended eventually and he said goodbye to Hoseok and his special mafia-esque guests. Jungkook seemed almost pleased to see him leave, remarking that he is glad to be away from Jimin. Yoongi on the other hand seemed regretful to let Jimin leave. He had said that it was ‘dangerous’ to go out at night, to which Jimin replied with a tactful yet slightly scathing ‘Yeah, I might get robbed…oh wait, that already happened,’ to  which Yoongi made the sour grimace face again and let it go.

Hoseok was unusually quiet for most of the good-bye, but he did pull Jimin aside for a minute as he was putting his coat back on. 

‘Hey Chim, uh, are you okay? With all this, I mean,’ he asked hesitantly as Jimin was putting the rest of his things inside his bag by the counter.

Jimin paused for a second to think about it, mentally running over the events of the past few hours.

‘I..am… still slightly confused. But I'm fine, Hobi-hyung’ Jimin said honestly, feeling tired from the events of the last few days.

Hoseok smiled, placing a reassuring hand on Jimin’s shoulder, but not looking all too convinced. ‘Alright, if you have questions, ask me,’ he said, still smiling slightly, and gave Jimin a pat on his shoulder. Jimin just nodded in response, a small smile on his face as well. He eventually made it outside, and started his walk to the bus stop, waving as Hoseok sped past on his motorcycle, Yoongi and Jungkook just behind him on their own motorcycles. 

That’s how he ended to where he is now, icicle-like hands in his pockets, feeling freezing to the bone cold, in the dark, at a bus stop that is too similar to the one that he sat at after his encounter with the not-mafia. He feels motorcycle-envy to his soul. 

He waits for a few minutes, not even taking his hands out of his pockets to get his phone and check the time and instead just shivering miserably, hating himself for being broke and without some other kind of transportation.

It’s a few minutes later that he hears the loud rumble of a bus lumber from around the corner at the end of the street, and Jimin swears he has never seen anything quite so beautiful. He almost wants to cry as he waits the few painstaking moments for the bus to pull up and the doors to creak open.

He first notices the very few people on the bus, but then he notices the driver, who is very familiar. 

‘Well, this is a surprise. I honestly kinda thought you were dead,’ the drivers remarks jokingly, and Jimin remembers him, Namjoon, he thinks, from the night of the attack. Jimin just huffs out a tired laugh and goes to pay his fare.

The driver just watches him with a sideways glance as he pays and drags himself over to slump into the same seat as he had taken the night of his attack when he had first met Namjoon. He doesn't speak or reply to Namjoon’s comment as he just mulls over the last few hours, namely his encounter with a ing gang.

Eventually, Namjoon breaks the silence.

‘So, kid, what was it this time? More muggers?’ He asks, probably trying to sound uninterested but ultimately failing. Jimin just snorts and lifts his head up from where it was placed down on his crossed arms, regarding Namjoon with a tired gaze.

‘I don’t even know. Apparently, my boss is part of a gang…’ he lets out a dejected sigh and runs his hand over his face. ‘It’s been a weird day.’

Namjoon’s eyebrows lift up in surprise and he barks out a quick laugh, making eye contact with Jimin through the rear view mirror. 

‘Your boss, huh? He wouldn't happen to be named Jung Hoseok, would he?’ Namjoon asks, his gaze flicking away from Jimin's and back to the road as he waits for a response. 

‘Yeah, you know him?’ Jimin asks tiredly, still not really seeing a connection, and feeling too tired to really care at this point. He knows that Hoseok wouldn’t want him to tell anyone, but this guy is just some bus driver, right? So, what’s the harm? He does wonder how Namjoon knows Hoseok-hyung, but he doesn’t think it over too much.

Namjoon snorts, and rubs the back of his neck in a slightly nervous-looking gesture, and Jimin feels himself go back to his seemingly perpetually confused state. Before Jimin can ask for some sort of clarification, Namjoon speaks up.

‘Hoseok and I go way back. Now, I’m not sure how much you know, but since you know Hoseok, you must be that Jimin, so you can call me RM,’ he says, his voice casual, but his mouth is curled up into a strange expression. Jimin feels the confusion fade away at Namjoon’s explanation, but still wonders if Hoseok told all of the gang members his name.

Jimin doesn’t believe his luck, or his misfortune, depending on how he looks at it. His night just keeps getting weirder.

‘Damn, you're RM, part of their gang? Wow, it really is a small world, or small city, however you wanna look at it,’ Jimin grumbles, looking back at Namjoon in the mirror with a pinched expression. Namjoon just laughs, turning around in his seat and looking back at Jimin.

‘Sorry kid, you're probably still in shock? Yeah, well it’s not like we do this everyday either. Suga and Princess are usually pretty reserved about what we do, so I guess we're taking a risk with you too, I hope you remember that,’ he says, a stern sort of tone coming through his words in a completely unsubtle way. 

Jimin nods, not feeling particularly conversational. He eventually does respond, just to affirm Namjoon that he understands.

‘Yeah, I get it, its just a lot, given I was robbed by your friends a few nights ago, and well now actually they’re some gang, and apparently Hoseok-hyung is part of said gang. So, , it’s just a lot, ’ he finishes, running a hand through his hair, briefly looking out the window of the bus at the night. The streets are dark, and fairly empty, and Jimin feels like he really just needs to go home and relax.

‘Alright kid, I get it. Just sit back okay? We can talk about all this later-’ he pauses, reaching down into a bag by his feet, pulling his phone ‘-and put your number in here, just in case we need to contact you, or something.’

Jimin obliges, and takes the phone, pulling his own out and entering his number under a contact he names ‘Chim’.

He hands the phone back to Namjoon, who for a few moments has a pinched look on his face  at the name his number is saved under, but that does not last long as pockets the phone quickly, focusing back in the road and effectively apparently ending their conversation. Jimin does not speak up again, choosing to ignore Namjoon’s strange reaction and instead focuses back on the road and quietly waits until the bus stops near his apartment.

_________

He gets off after a while with another wave to Namjoon, who returns the wave with a lazy salute as he closes the doors of the bus, and drives away, leaving Jimin standing on the sidewalk feeling more tired than ever.

Jimin pulls himself together and slumps down the road to his apartment, feeling more tired with every step. When he sees his run-down apartment complex, he could burst into tears, but instead walks with more vigor at the thought of his warm bed waiting in said run-down apartment.

He reaches his door after a short walk, and pushes his old door open, the kind of door that sticks badly to the frame, with his last bit of strength. He thankfully doesn’t really register anything off about his apartment as he steps in, and drops his bag down next to him tiredly, fully intending to collapse into his bed and sleep, but only after he gets some water.

He slumps into the kitchen and opens his fridge, looking around for a bottle of water when he notices a dark shadow in the corner of his living room. He feels his heartbeat quicken, as he freezes in place at the sight of the shadow.

Grabbing the closest thing to him in the fridge, a full plastic bottle, he turns around not thinking and letting his hopefully good aim guide his throw. He aims for the dark shadow, and after a few painfully long moments of his near blindness because he hadn’t thought to turn the ing light on, he hears the bottle thump not against the wall, but a against a person, judging by the noise. He feels a slight amount of satisfaction as he hears the person groan in pain, before he quickly dashes to the door to flick the light on. 

When the light blinks on, he spares a look at the person that he threw the bottle at, and feels immediately guilty.

It’s Yoongi, of all people, standing there, his hand to his head and a pinched expression on his face, apparently in pain at being assaulted by a bottle. 

Jimin’s guilt disappears quickly. He looks at Yoongi hesitantly, who just looks back at him with an unimpressed look on his face. Jimin eventually finds his voice as he recovers from his shock.

‘What are you doing here? And, how the do you know here I live?’ He puts a hand to his chest, trying to calm his rapid heartbeat. ‘– Christ, you scared me!’ Jimin shouts from his place by the door, hoping that Yoongi understands his shock and just how much Yoongi scared him. 

‘, do you always greet people with violence?’ Yoongi says with a strange expression on his face as he rubs his head, obviously in some degree of pain from Jimin’s throw. 

‘Don’t answer a question with a question,Yoongi. Did you follow me home?’ Jimin demands angrily, crossing his arms.

‘, no, I didn’t follow you, Hoseok just told me where you live. I wanted to make sure you got home alright,’ Yoongi says as he rubs the back of his neck awkwardly.

Jimin just sighs, feeling some of his anger and annoyance fade away at Yoongi’s admission, but finds he still feels unnerved at Yoongi’s odd behavior. He may not know him very well, but he knows that most people don't break into someones apartment and wait for them to get home. Jimin doesn’t know if he’s supposed to feel flattered because of that. 

‘I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine, and I didn't think I would be mugged taking the bus home. Besides, I even met your friend, RM’ Jimin says, staring incredulously at Yoongi. He notices Yoongi frown at the mention of RM.

‘You met Namjoon? Alright, alright,’ Yoongi pauses glancing at Jimin, still looking as attractive as ever, his blonde hair almost shining in the light of his apartment, before continuing. ‘I just wanted to make sure you were okay, sorry about scaring you,’ he finishes, his near-expressionless face somehow still looking apologetic.

Jimin nods, accepting his apology, though still feeling somewhat miffed that Yoongi basically broke into his apartment on the pretense that he was, apparently, concerned for Jimin’s safety.

‘Wait, how the hell did you even get in here?’ 

Yoongi just pulls out a looking small wallet looking thing from his jacket without a word and holds it up. 

Jimin pauses, staring at the wallet-thing as Yoongi opens it up and shows Jimin the contents: two small metal tools.

‘Am I supposed to know what that is?’ Jimin asks, raising an eyebrow in question.

Yoongi blinks in confusion and hesitates as he answers Jimin’s question. 

‘It’s-… , it’s for picking locks?’ Yoongi says hesitantly, folding up the wallet holding the lock pick, and pocketing it in his dark jacket. 

Jimin just stares at him in disbelief, going to speak, but finding himself unable to. He is simply too tired to answer, and finds himself sighing once again.

He walks into the living room area from his place by the door, and just looks at Yoongi straight in his dark eyes.

‘Well, I am going to go to bed now, and seeing as how you can apparently break into my apartment with your lock pick, I assume you can find your way out. So, goodnight. Oh, and remember this: this is not me dropping this conversation. We are going to talk about this again, preferably when I’m not dead tired,’ Jimin says with an air finality, and marches away from Yoongi to his bedroom where his bed awaits along with an escape from gangs and attractive strangers who he just met that apparently break into his apartment to check on him. 

He walks into his room, shucking his pants off along the way and collapses into his bed. He is just drifting off to sleep when he hears his door close loudly, meaning that Yoongi must have left his apartment. Jimin sighs to himself, not really wanting to think about anything, and instead just goes to sleep.