roses ;

"You sure he's here?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"Because you said he was here!"

Fed up, Jin hissed softly, "Shut it, idiots, follow me." Hoseok and Jungkook had been arguing non-stop about where this Namjoon guy was. Jimin had been silent the whole time, refusing to let go of your hand as you trailed down the hallway. The place looked like a palace, chandelier lights hung from the ceilings, guards stood at the corners, holding taser-like weapons.

"No, you shut up! Your sense of direction is like shit, it stinks and it's horrible." Jungkook retorts, rolling his eyes in annoyance. Grumbling, Jin's hand collided with the back of Jungkook's neck, with a loud smack. The guards turned towards our direction, squinting their eyes. Four, large, bulky demons stood there, guarding the area.

"Youch! What the heck was that for?" Jungkook snarled, returning the gesture. Yelping, Jin reached for the back of his neck, rubbing the spot. "God, the both of you don't know how to shut your shit holes, do you? Are you devils trying to get us caught?" Hoseok shrieks, shooting the both of them a glare.

"Says you," Jin and Jungkook muttered under their breath, causing you to let out a breathy laugh. Oh, if looks could kill, you would've already been dead. "Not funny, y/n." Hoseok sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I feel like I'm the oldest out of you five," he grunts, before continuing what he was doing before.

"Wait, Hoseok called us devils!" Jin exclaimed, eyes brightening.

"Oh god," the redhead exhales deeply, jaw clenched in exasperation. "He did!" Jungkook nods, eyes wide, lips slightly parted as he looked at Jin. Both of them did a small victory dance - which involved head bumps, leg kicks, chest hits, neck smacks, and more. They jumped around, celebrating their small victory.

"What's so good about being called devils?" you question, straightening your back. Still reluctant to let go of your hand, the clingy baby had now wrapped his arms around you, chin placed on your shoulder. His hands had snaked around your waist, both hands now entwining themselves with yours. Jimin didn't budge.

"This is hell you're talking about, young lady. If Hoseok were to call me an angel, I would head-butt smack his small face." Jin scrunches his nose, shaking his head at you childishly. Snickering, your eyes travelled towards the field-like space.

The guards were in the middle of the hall of level twelve. Due to the constant bickering and indecisiveness, none of you have moved from the level you had explored countless times. Jin had tried to lead the group but ended up going in circles. Now the four of you were counting on Hoseok.

However, this was a brand new place. It was like a field, with four pathways, opposite each other. They were like rooms, hallways, without doors. "Can we dash across?" Jungkook suggests, staring at the hallway opposite of ours. "Dummy, do you want to get caught?" Jin mumbled, eyeing the hallway at the other end.

"Pretty sure you're thinking of the same thing," Hoseok sighs, looking out for the devils. "What do we do? I'm sure we're supposed to turn right. That'll lead us to a lift." he spoke to himself, probably immersed in his thoughts.

"What's her name? Your lover," I whisper, fingers tracing Jimin's knuckles. Right now, the only thing you could focus on was the fact that Jimin had a lover, and he was probably not over her. The possibility of him being a serial killer was far back in your head.

"Rose." the name trails off his tongue. You could feel the emotions he held as he said it. He was definitely not over her. "Rose, she likes roses," he answers, tilting his head slightly as he snuggled into your neck.

"So that's what I call her. Rose. A pretty name, for a pretty girl," his warm breath tickled your skin, sending tingles throughout your body. His touch felt unwelcoming as if they were meant for someone else. Someone who wasn't you. However, you pushed that thought away.

"Can you let go of my hand now? My palms are getting sweaty," you whispered under your breath, feeling uncomfortable. Why were you feeling this way? Shifting, Jimin's lips were now brushing against your earlobes. "Liar," he murmurs, a lazy smile forming on his lips.

"Let go, Jimin." you pushed your back against his chest, voice stern and steady. "Why? Are you affected by it?" Jimin mutters. Despite your struggles, his arms wrap around you more forcefully, and his chin was back on your shoulder.

His chin jutted out, head tilting to make eye contact with you. The silver in his eyes lured you in as if it was trying to wrap you around its soft but strict gaze. For a moment, it flashes blue. What did it mean? "Is my porcupine jealous?" Jimin smirks mirthfully, wriggling his eyebrows.

"W-what? No!" you stuttered, breaking skinship. However, his grip on your hand never faltered. "Then why so jittery?" He snickers, eyeing you up and down. "Shut up, lovebirds. If you aren't going to help, keep it down." Hoseok snarls. Something tells you that he was going to snap the next time anyone tried to say something annoying.

"Also, I am not yours," you hissed, using your left hand to pry the blue-haired male's hands off yours. He locked them harder, a playful smirk laid on his lips. "What if I want you to be mine?" Jimin whispers, placing a hand on your back. With that hand, he pushes you towards him, closing the space between you two. Your chest collided with his, causing you to let out a soft grunt. Stunned, you looked up at the smiling phantom.

Your heart was pumping loudly, as if it might shoot out of your ribcage anytime soon. You silently prayed that Jimin couldn't-

"Your heartbeat is ringing in my ears," he grins, leaning towards you. Your lips were inches away from each other, noses close to touching the other. Was he a mind reader? Summoning all the courage within you, you whispered back, "Are you sure it's not yours?" Jimin opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, you were torn away from his arms, hands unlinking.

"What the-"

"Time to go," Hoseok pursed his lips, interlocking hands with you, pulling you away from Jimin's grasp. "I wasn't going to let our chance slip, because you wanted to have some lovey-dovey time," Hoseok replies, pulling you along as you ran towards the right.

Casting a cursory glance, you realised that no more guards were guarding the area. "Break time," out of the blue, Jungkook spoke up, making eye contact with you. Heat rushed to your cheeks, a faint hue of red painting over them. Were ghosts mind-readers?

"Time to get namjoon," Hoseok smiles, the same hue of red that rose to your cheeks flashed past his orbs.

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uh so hi :)). sorry about chapter twenty-four, it was severely unedited lolol. i realised i had never mentioned what level Jin was on. i corrected that mistake on chapter seventeen! he's on level twelve btw.

++ double update, yayy