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Jimin suddenly sat up in his bed, breaking out into a cold sweat. He groaned, wiping his forehead as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. It was nowhere near dawn. But then why—
A bright flash and loud roll of thunder answered his unfinished question. Jimin cowered underneath the covers, shivering despite the warmth of his soft blankets.
Hylia, please lend me your courage!
Clammy hands tightly pressed over his ears, muffling the howling wind enough to hear his shaky breath.
That’s right. Breathe. Breathe.
He forced himself to inhale slowly.
It’s just lightning.
A slow exhale.
You’re safe here.
CRACK!
N-no, I’m not safe. Not safe.
Outside, a tree fell to the ground with a resounding boom. Jimin lost control of his breathing, gasping erratically as the flashes continued to blind him. He tossed and turned in his bed, trying to shut out the tumultuous storm, but to no avail.
I need to get out of here.
Zora’s Domain was still as magnificent as Jimin remembered, with crystal clear waterfalls and blue palatial structures constructed from luminous stones. It was beautiful. It was his home.
Was.
Jimin felt exposed as the elder Zoras peered at him with scrutinizing eyes, probably wondering why this Hylian would dare to come back. He stuck close by Namjoon, who walked with a calm confidence that soothed Jimin’s nerves, as Bangtan made their way to the throne room. Jimin kept his head bowed towards the ground, avoiding meeting anyone’s eyes as Namjoon and King Dorephan discussed the mission to slay the nearby hinox and lynel.
The only time Jimin looked up was when Prince Sidon greeted him with a cheerful wave and a tight hug. That was the only thing he missed about his former home.
Still, he was proud and honored to protect Zora’s Domain from horrible monsters, and so that night, Jimin diligently polished his trident as he listened to his friends debating battle strategies in the inn.
“The lynel is a difficult enemy to take down,” Namjoon started, “so we need all the manpower we can get. I propose that all seven of us fight the lynel tomorrow, and then some of us can kill the hinox the next day.”
“But the hinox is closer to the domain,” Hoseok rebutted. “The Zora guards see it as a more urgent threat, so it might be better if we defeat the hinox first.”
“Even though the hinox is closer, the lynel wields shock arrows. That’s why the Zoras are more fearful of the lynel and also why I think the lynel takes higher priority.”
“I think,” Yoongi interrupted gruffly, “we should let Jimin have a say. He grew up in Zora’s Domain after all. Jimin?”
Startled, Jimin flushed at the attention directed towards him. “You both make good points. The Zora military are more concerned about the hinox because they’re the ones who have to deal with it. But the lynel…” he shuddered, setting his trident down and folding his arms across his chest. “I remember when I was younger, shock arrows would rain down upon us from the mountain. We couldn’t move outside of cover. We were too afraid to touch water because we could get shocked. Even though I’m a Hylian, and I’m not weak to electricity like the Zoras are, I… I…” Terrible memories consumed his mind, preventing him from finishing his sentence.
Taehyung scooted over and hugged Jimin, who relaxed in his best friend’s arms, comforted by his warm presence.
“Jimin, we understand,” Jin said kindly. “You don’t have to tell us more if you don’t want to.” Jimin nodded in silent thanks.
“I’m sorry.” Hoseok looked guilty. “I didn’t mean to diminish your experiences, and I’m sorry for that. We can kill the lynel first.”
“There’s another option,” Taehyung piped up in realization. He spoke quickly, mind racing as ideas flooded in. “We’ve been assuming that we have to fight them one at a time. But what if we let go of that premise? What if we split into two groups and kill them both on the same day? That way, we can satisfy both the military and the civilians.”
“That’s a great idea, Taehyung!” Namjoon praised. “And we don’t have to split the group evenly. We can have five of us fight the lynel and the other two fight the hinox since the lynel is more dangerous.”
“But who will be the two to fight the hinox?” Jungkook wondered.
“Well,” Hoseok addressed the youngest member, “you’re really good at using that stone smasher, which is effective on slower enemies. I say you should fight the hinox.” Jungkook nodded, agreeing with that reasoning.
“Jimin,” Jin said gently. “How about you go with Jungkook?”
So that you don’t have to face the lynel.
Jimin clenched his fists. He knew that Jin was just looking out for him, offering an easy way to avoid his past trauma while still contributing to the team. But it felt too much like a cowardly cop-out, to hide behind Jungkook’s natural talent for everything: strength, combat, evasion, endurance, everything.
“No,” Jimin said, swallowing down the bitterness creeping up his throat. “No, I’ll fight the lynel. I want… I need to do this for myself.”
“Are you sure? If it’s too much—”
“I’m sure.”
“Then that’s that,” Namjoon stated, swiftly moving the conversation forward. “Yoongi, you are one of our best fighters. How about you fight the hinox with Jungkook?”
“Jungkook is also one of our best fighters. We shouldn’t split the group like this.” Yoongi’s eyes darted around until they fell on the boy hugging Jimin. “Taehyung should go with Jungkook. He can shoot arrows in the hinox’s eye, since that is its weak point, and he’s the best archer among us.”
“Oh yeah, that’s a good strategy. I’m down!” Taehyung said.
“So Taehyung and Jungkook are fighting the hinox, and the rest of us are fighting the lynel, right?” Hoseok summarized.
“Yes,” Namjoon confirmed. “We’ll slay them both tomorrow, but for now, let’s get ready for bed. We’ll need our energy.”
He sprinted out of his room, not entirely sure where he was going, but he needed to leave now. Jimin rushed downstairs and burst through one of the doors connected to the living room, searching for… he wasn’t sure of that either.
“What the fu—” the occupant muttered at the sound of his door slamming open.
“Please help me!” Jimin cried. “Oh Hylia, please help me.”
“Jimin, calm down! What’s wrong?”
“I can’t calm down! Please help me! I—I—” He choked up when the thunder roared deafeningly, unable to speak.
“Get in here.”
Jimin blindly obeyed, crawling into the unfamiliar bed with unfamiliar blankets. It was warm, but he still shivered each time lightning struck.
“S-sorry for disturbing you,” Jimin apologized into the pillow.
“Shh, it’s alright.” The warm hand on his back felt nice. “Just sleep now.”
Jimin did not get good sleep. Distorted images of a red monster with a lion’s face and a horse’s body plagued his nightmares as he tossed and turned until he woke up in the middle of night, frazzled and sweaty.
He would be fine, Jimin attempted to reassure himself. He’s not the same scrawny kid that he was years ago. He had grown, matured, and improved his battle skills thanks to the other Bangtan members.
That’s right. He wouldn’t be facing the lynel alone. Namjoon was level-headed and resourceful, using the Sheikah Slate and elemental rods in ways that Jimin could never dream of. Hoseok was quick on his feet, distracting monsters and creating openings for Jin to strike with his deadly saber. And Yoongi was just terrifying all-around, skilled at archery and close combat, wielding the weapons of his defeated enemies.
He would be fine.
Breakfast went by in a blur and so did the trek out of Zora’s Domain. As the five boys marched up Mount Ploymus, Jimin was startled by a friendly arm slung over his shoulder.
“Cheer up, Jimin!” Hoseok said with a sunny smile. “We got this in the bag!”
“Y-yeah.” Jimin glanced towards Yoongi, confident and unflappable, before turning back towards Hoseok. “I have you and the others supporting me.”
“Exactly!”
All too soon, they reached the summit, where the red-maned lynel resided. Namjoon motioned for them to hide behind a large rock as Yoongi equipped his steel lizal bow and shot an arrow into the sky. When it pierced the monster’s eye, the five boys ran.
The battle commenced with a deafening roar.
Hoseok was the first to reach it, jabbing at the lynel’s side with his forest dweller’s spear. The wooden weapon didn’t do that much damage, but that was never the intention. As the monster turned its neck to confront Hoseok, Jimin leapt up and straddled the lynel, stabbing it multiple times with his ceremonial trident before he was forced to jump off and wait for the next opportunity.
The lynel galloped a short distance away before breathing out fire blasts from its mouth. Namjoon quickly neutralized them with his blizzard rod, clearing the path for Jin to cut a deep gash in the monster’s leg. Enraged, the lynel withdrew its heavy sword and swung at Jin, but Hoseok quickly intervened, parrying the attack with his shield.
Namjoon activated the stasis rune, halting the monster’s motion for a few seconds. “Jimin, get ready to mount! Yoongi, shoot its head after it breaks free!” he commanded as Jin and Hoseok took advantage to repeatedly hit the lynel uninterrupted.
“Right!” Jimin shouted as he ran behind the lynel, ready to leap into action. Jin and Hoseok rolled out of the way as the monster burst out of the stasis rune’s hold, while Yoongi loosed an arrow straight at its lionlike face, stunning it in place.
Once again, Jimin mounted the lynel, driving his trident deep into its upper back. But this time, he was harshly thrown off, tumbling onto the ground while his spear was still impaled in the monster.
Jimin coughed, eyes stinging from the dirt that had made its way in. He could hear the lynel jumping backwards (thankfully away from him) and the other members running to get closer. Ignoring the sharp pain shooting from his knee, Jimin eventually staggered onto his feet, but then he looked up and froze.
Three shock arrows were strung onto the lynel’s multi-arrow bow, aimed directly at him.
Someone was yelling at him, but Jimin couldn’t hear over the pounding of his heart. Distorted, muffled sounds warbled through the air as if he was dunked underwater. Fear quickly penetrated his mind as the nightmares resurfaced, as he remembered the rainstorm of shock arrows torturing him and the Zoras when he was a child.
“Jimin!”
Instinctively, Jimin raised his hands to protect his face. He felt a piercing pain in each of his arms as his body convulsed in shock; then, the world went black.
Jimin woke up in his own bed. How did he get there? He definitely remembered being scared by the violent storm. He remembered running downstairs in fear. He remembered a warm, comforting presence.
But he couldn’t recall who he was with or how he got back upstairs.
Jimin woke up disoriented, body numb all over. Where was he? He blinked a few times. Blue beds lined up against blue walls, majestic cliffs in the distance, the sound of rushing water. Oh, the Seabed Inn in Zora’s Domain. But how did he get there?
“Hey Jimin.”
With all the strength he could muster, Jimin turned his head towards Yoongi, who was sitting at his bedside. He winced as his left arm twitched. Suddenly, a flood of memories rushed into his head.
“The lynel! Yoongi, I—”
“Shh,” Yoongi soothed as he pushed down on Jimin’s shoulders, preventing him from getting up. “It’s okay. We killed the lynel.”
“Oh…” Normally, that would be good news, but Jimin didn’t feel like celebrating. “I… I’m sorry.”
Yoongi looked completely puzzled. “For what?”
“I couldn’t help. I was a burden,” he mumbled as guilt washed over him.
“Jimin, I saw you stab the monster seven times in a row. You were not a burden.”
“But when it aimed at me, I—”
Yoongi’s dark eyes flashed with heightened intensity. “Just shut up and listen to me when I say that we couldn’t have done this without you. You are not useless. You are not weak. Anyone who says otherwise is a fool.”
“I… okay…” he conceded, deciding that it’s not worth arguing with Yoongi. He looked around the area. “Could you get me some water?”
“Oh yeah, sure.” Yoongi left the room. He soon reappeared, seemingly annoyed for some reason. “Taehyung is bawling his eyes out, claiming that he needs to see you. Do you want to let him in?”
“Ah, yeah, I think it’s best if we let him in,” Jimin weakly smiled as he pushed himself up in a sitting position and accepted the cup of water with shaking hands.
“Are you sure? We can wait until he calms down or—”
“I’m sure.” Jimin looked down at his blurry reflection in the water. “Thank you, Yoongi.”
“It’s nothing,” Yoongi replied, pointedly turning his head away. “If he’s too annoying, just call for me and I’ll deal with it.”
“Okay, I will,” Jimin chuckled, though he could never push Taehyung away.
A few seconds later, Taehyung burst into the inn with a loud JIMINIEEEE, leaping high and landing directly on his torso, causing Jimin to let out a harsh grunt and spill water over them.
“You idiot! Don’t jump on him!”
Jimin laughed as Yoongi dragged Taehyung off his stomach, ranting about how Jimin needed space to heal, while Taehyung insisted that hugs were the best medicine. It hurt a little to laugh this hard, but he felt lighter inside and forgot about his overall pain, if only for a little while.
“Jimin, are you okay?” Taehyung asked worriedly, noticing the bags under his best friend’s tired eyes.
“I’m fine… I just didn’t get good sleep.”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah,” Jimin nodded, unaware of the growing smirk on Taehyung’s face.
“Mmmm, I see. So you weren’t sleeping here last night?”
“I guess? I know I went downstairs, but I don’t remember coming back. And yet here I am.”
“Someone must have carried you up, then. How adorable.”
“Yeah. I just don’t know who.”
“Are you kidding me?” Taehyung deadpanned.
“No,” Jimin said honestly. “It sucks. I remember the lightning and thunder and how I was panicking but nothing else.”
“Oh…” Taehyung’s smirk immediately fell. “You know, you could’ve woken me up. We cuddle all the time. I could’ve helped.”
“I guess my conscience didn’t want to bother you? I’m sorry, Tae, I really wasn’t thinking last night.”
“It’s okay, Jiminie. But just remember, you’re my best friend, and I want to help you if you need it!”
Jimin frowned in displeasure as he glowered at his bare forearms. While the physical wounds had recovered, his arms still spasmed from time to time. It was highly inconvenient. Jimin had broken several bowls over the past weeks, spurring Taehyung to spoon-feed him during meals. Taehyung was always happy to help his best friend, and Jin never complained about cleaning up the messes. But Jimin hated being treated like a helpless baby.
He needed to be stronger.
“Tae, where are you going?” Jimin asked right as the archer was about to exit the Bangtan house.
“I’m going to Kitano Bay to catch some fish. Do you want to come?”
“No, but…” Jimin pointed at the quiver of shock arrows slung over Taehyung’s shoulder. “Can I borrow those?”
“Why?” Taehyung tilted his head in confusion.
“I just want to borrow them.”
“Huh? You don’t really like archery. Well… I guess if you want to practice, I can give you regular arrows.”
“No, I need these ones. I insist.”
“But why?” Taehyung glanced at the bright yellow tips of the arrows and widened his eyes in realization. “Jimin… are… are you going to shock yourself?”
Jimin didn’t answer. Instead, he aggressively moved towards the archer. “Just give me the arrows!”
Taehyung backed up against the wall, clutching his quiver to his chest. “Jiminie, you’re my best friend! I won’t let you hurt yourself!”
“I need to do this!” Jimin growled. “If you’re my best friend, then you’ll give them to me right now!”
“No! Kookie! Help!”
Just as Jimin made a grab for the arrows, Jungkook bounded from across the room and restrained him in his strong arms.
“Let me go!”
“Tae, go! Throw them away!” Jungkook ordered. Taehyung immediately fled, forgetting to close the front door behind him.
“What’s going on?” Namjoon called as he came downstairs, alerted by the commotion.
“Namjoon, hide your thunderstorm rods! I’ll explain later!”
With a curt nod, Namjoon quickly dove into the storage room and then ran out of the house, cradling lime-green magical weapons in his arms.
“Jungkook, how dare you stop me!” Jimin vehemently tried to break free, but to no avail.
“Are you out of your mind?! Why do you want to hurt yourself?!”
“I need to be stronger. I need to build up my immunity,” he chanted. “I’m too weak. I need to be stronger. Now let me go!”
”No! I’m doing this for your own good!” Jungkook cried.
“You know nothing about my own good!” he bit back scathingly.
“Look, I know you’re scared of electricity, but this isn’t the way!”
“Oh, like you know anything about fear!” Jimin spat, anger quickly clouding his mind. “You aren’t scared of anything! Because you’re so perfect and so good at everything! You don’t know what it’s like to struggle, so don’t you dare strut around like you know shit!”
“Jimin…” Jungkook faltered, loosening his hold on Jimin. “I never said—”
“I’m sick of being the weakling! I’m tired of letting others fight my battles!”
“We don’t think of you like that—”
“If you won’t help me, then leave me alone!” With one last push, Jimin forced his way out of Jungkook’s grasp and shut himself in his room.
The storm continued raging the following night, and once again, Jimin found himself huddled in a bed not his own.
“I hate lightning,” Jimin whined in a small voice as a warm hand massaged his back.
“I know.”
“I hate thunder.”
“I know.”
“I… I’m scared.”
“You don’t have to be, but I understand.”
“I don’t think you understand.”
“Well I’ll try my damn best to,” the other person retorted testily. After taking a deep breath, he lowered his voice to something more soothing. “It’s alright. You’re safe.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I’ll do everything within my power to make sure you are.”
The atmosphere at Bangtan was suffocating. Dinners were void of conversation, though Taehyung continued to help Jimin eat, albeit silently. Not being able to talk to his best friend felt extremely uncomfortable, but of course Taehyung would side with Jungkook. Jin, too. Everyone knew that Jin had a soft spot for the youngest member. Meanwhile, Namjoon and Hoseok held tight control over the flow of conversation, deliberately avoiding any topic that could turn sour very quickly. Thankfully, Yoongi didn’t act any differently, loafing around the house and being prickly as usual.
Jimin noticed that from this point forward, he was strategically excluded from ventures that had the slightest chance of encountering electricity. Being left out of the hunt for Farosh? Understandable. He didn’t want to chase the thunder dragon anyway. Missions to kill wizzrobes? Nope. He stayed home. Trips to the Gerudo Desert? Canceled indefinitely.
That didn’t really leave Jimin with many options besides the Hebra Mountains and Goron City. The last trip to Goron City with Jin and Jungkook was especially awkward, with Jimin bitterly keeping to himself the entire time. He wasn’t stupid enough to instigate a fight in Jin’s presence.
On one lazy day, Jimin was brooding in the living room when he realized that he was alone in the Bangtan house. Well, technically, Yoongi was napping in his room, but Taehyung, Namjoon, and Hoseok were on another dragon-chasing trip, and Jin and Jungkook were out buying groceries.
Jimin sprung into action.
Earlier, Taehyung claimed to have sold all his shock arrows, with no intention of buying any more for the time being. It was so hard to tell if he was lying, with his poker face and impassive voice. But now Jimin had the opportunity to tear through Taehyung’s belongings without interruption.
But it seemed like he wasn’t bluffing after all.
Frustrated, Jimin stormed out of his and Taehyung’s room and stopped in front of Namjoon and Jin’s shared bedroom. He hesitated. Jimin barged into Jungkook and Hoseok’s room all the time. And Yoongi never rejected Jimin’s requests to come in. But Namjoon and Jin’s room was largely a mystery to him. Jin was extremely strict about privacy; he respected everyone’s space, never entering rooms unless expressly allowed, so he expected the same in return. As a result, no one except Namjoon was allowed in their bedroom.
But Jimin was on a mission. If Taehyung’s shock arrows weren’t available, then surely Namjoon’s thunderstorm rods were. Especially since Jin had a habit of leaving notes to Namjoon reminding him of where he left various small items.
Jimin went in and opened every drawer he could locate: in the dresser, in the bedside table, in the desk. One drawer held a stack of papers, which looked promising. Opening them up, he then scrunched his face in disgust. What the… were these love letters? Jimin knew that they were in a long-distance relationship before Bangtan was formed, but Namjoon’s flowery language made it sound like he would die dramatically minutes after leaving Jin’s arms.
“My dearest Jin.”
Gag.
“Not a day passes by when I’m not missing you.”
Puke.
“I would be overwhelmed by the divine sight of you.”
Absolutely disgusting.
He had half the mind to tease Namjoon about it, but that would mean admitting that he snuck in their room without permission. Jimin hastily put the letters back and fled, completely forgetting about why he went there in the first place.
Jimin opened his eyes. Why was it so dark? He usually left his window curtains open so that the rays of sunrise would gently wake him up, but it was dark. Mumbling in confusion, he turned to the side and gasped at the sight of Yoongi’s sleeping face inches away from his own.
Well, that explained why the curtains were drawn, why he felt disoriented, why his back hurt from sleeping in an uncomfortable position, and, well, why his cheeks started to flush red.
Oh Hylia… had he really barged into Yoongi’s room last night and forced his way into his bed?
He blushed further when he belatedly noticed that Yoongi was shirtless. Jimin distinctly remembered being hugged last night, which meant… his back had touched Yoongi’s chest… Yoongi’s firm, bare chest that felt really nice through the silky material of his pajamas…
Oh Hylia…
Jimin scrambled out of bed as quietly as possible, because he really didn’t want to have the inevitable discussion that was sure to happen when Yoongi eventually woke up. With a silent bow, he apologized to Yoongi for the intrusion and attempted to sneak back to his and Taehyung’s room before anyone noticed.
Jimin was roughly shaken awake at an ungodly hour. Startled, he opened his mouth to let out a bloodcurdling scream, but he was immediately smothered by a warm hand.
He looked up and saw Yoongi, who pressed a finger against his own lips.
“Come with me. And be quiet.” Yoongi released Jimin’s mouth when he felt him relax, and swiftly left the room.
Jimin slipped out of bed, gingerly stepping across the bedroom so he wouldn’t wake Taehyung, who was sleeping soundly. He walked through the empty living room and out the front door, shivering at the cool temperature of the night. Jimin found Yoongi in the nearby field, where scarecrows were propped up with targets on their heads.
He took a moment to study Yoongi, who had his eyes serenely closed, chin tilted upwards towards the sky, face appearing paler than usual underneath the moonlight.
“Yoongi,” Jimin rasped, voice hoarse. “Why did you wake me?”
“I’ll help you,” Yoongi said simply. He shrugged a large bag off his shoulder, revealing a wooden bow and a quiver of shock arrows.
“Yoongi, where did you get those?”
“That’s not important.” He turned to stare at Jimin, finally opening his eyes. “Do you want my help? You can go back to sleep if you want; I’ll get rid of them, and we’ll never speak of this again.”
“No, wait. I’ll stay.”
“Good. I’m going to teach you how to shoot shock arrows.”
Unfortunately, there was no chance of sneaking past Jin.
“Good morning, Jimin. How was your night?” Jin kindly asked, his eyes never leaving the fried eggs he was cooking in the kitchen.
Jimin stopped in his tracks, wincing as his back unintentionally cracked. “Good morning. Umm… I had trouble sleeping, and my body hurts from sleeping in a weird position.”
“Ahhh,” Jin nodded, hiding a smug smile. “Your lower back hurts?”
“… Yes, actually.”
“I can brew some herbal tea that can help soothe the pain if you want. It works wonders on me personally.”
“Oh, that would be really nice. Thanks, Jin.”
“You’re welcome.” With that, Jin plated the fried eggs and finally turned towards Jimin. “Well, I just wanted to say congratulations.”
“What?”
“Congrats! I’m really happy for you.”
“Okay… but why?” For what? Agreeing to try his tea recipe?
Now Jin gave him a perplexed look. “Didn’t you sleep with Yoongi last night?”
“Yes, but why would that matt—” Jimin paused. And thought. And replayed the last minute of conversation. “Jin, no! I didn’t sleep with him! Not like that!”
The Sheikah had the audacity to look disappointed. “You didn’t?”
“No! Really!” Jimin rushed to explain. “There was a thunderstorm last night, and I got scared, so I went to Yoongi’s room because I couldn’t calm down. We didn’t do anything last night, I swear!”
“Okay! Okay!” Jin relented. “I hear you. So you’re not dating, right?”
“Of course we aren’t! Why in the world would you think that?”
Jin muttered something under his breath that Jimin couldn’t hear before clearing his throat. “I’m sorry for assuming. I believe you, Jimin. And I won’t tell anyone you came out of his room just now.”
What a saint. “Thank you, Jin.”
“Don’t thank me just yet. I won’t say anything, but you better go find Taehyung before he comes up with his own wild conclusions on why his best friend has disappeared in the night.”
Yoongi was incredibly patient as a teacher. That, or he was very good at hiding his irritation. Jimin wasn’t proficient at archery to begin with, and he kept flinching each time he touched a shock arrow, but Yoongi never berated him for missing the targets, only handing him another arrow and asking him to try again.
They had agreed to meet like this every three nights, right under the other members’ noses, though they had a few close calls. Taehyung, in particular, was annoyingly perceptive and persistent. Where were you, Jimin? There was no storm last night. Just walking off a nightmare? Oh okay, but you were gone for a really long time. The onslaught of probing questions wore Jimin down to the point where he desperately blurted that he wanted to apologize to Jungkook. Not because he actually felt sorry, but because he needed a distraction. Taehyung excitedly dragged Jimin to Jungkook’s room, practically pushing the two boys into a hug. The atmosphere at Bangtan lifted, much to everyone’s relief, and while the resentment still lingered, at least Taehyung forgot about his interrogation.
After Jimin could consistently headshot the scarecrows without flinching, Yoongi deemed that he was ready to learn how to shoot multiple arrows at once.
“That bow…” Jimin gasped as Yoongi held out a red serpentine-shaped bow that featured in a different set of nightmares.
Yoongi remained silent.
“W-where did you get that?”
“A Yiga archer.”
Jimin frowned. Obviously that was a Yiga weapon. “Yes, but—”
“I stole it.” Yoongi smiled wryly. “It’s fitting, isn’t it? To use an enemy’s weapon against them. The duplex bow against the Yiga. The shock arrow against the lynel. Unless,” he withdrew the bow slightly away from Jimin, “you don’t want to.”
“No. I want to. Please teach me.”
Jimin let out a sigh of relief. Taehyung was still sleeping, and it was going to stay that way as Jimin tiptoed towards his own bed, burying himself under the covers to make it look like he was always there.
“I knew it~” Taehyung sang, smiling with his eyes closed.
“Tae!” Jimin screeched. “You were awake?!”
“Of course. I was just waiting to see how long it would take for you to crawl back here, doing the walk of shame past everyone’s bedrooms. So? How was Yoongi’s dick?”
“Not you, too!”
“You two slept together, warming each other underneath the blankets~”
“We did not—”
“Making sweet, sweet love~”
“Will you listen to me?!”
“Tell me, did he touch you like fragile glass, or did he pound you into the mattress like the horny man he is?”
“Tae, I swear you are doing this on purpose. Stop it!”
“Damn. You know me too well.”
“Unfortunately.”
“So you really didn’t fuck?”
“We really didn’t. I’ve been trying to say that this whole time!”
“Not even a kiss?”
“No! We’re just friends!”
“Mmmmkayyy,” Taehyung drawled, not completely believing him, but decided to drop the subject. “Then why weren’t you here last night?”
“I… it’s the lightning again. I know you said I should seek you out for comfort, but I didn’t, and I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s okay. I understand. Yoongi’s special after all.”
“Taehyung…” Jimin groaned.
“Alright, alright. I’ll stop.”
The next time thunder roared, Jimin didn’t hesitate. He went straight to Yoongi’s bed.
When Jimin woke up the next morning, he didn’t expect to be face to face with a wide-awake Yoongi.
“Y-Yoongi!” Jimin blushed, moving so that he was exactly one foot away from Yoongi’s shirtless body. “Were you watching me sleep?!”
“You looked very peaceful.”
Jimin pulled the blankets up to his neck to cover his modesty, never mind the fact that he was fully clothed. “But, it’s improper…”
Yoongi smirked, raising an eyebrow. “More improper than you coming into my room last night?”
“I’m sorry!” Jimin scrambled towards the edge of the bed, ready to make a run for it, but Yoongi wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him flush against his chest.
“Hey, I don’t mind,” Yoongi murmured. “I know you don’t like lightning, and if it helps, you’re welcome to stay anytime. How are you feeling anyway?”
“I think I’m fine?”
“You think?” he questioned. “Your hands have stopped shaking. That counts for something.”
Jimin looked down in surprise. Come to think of it, he hadn’t broken any dishes recently. “Okay, you’re right. I am fine.”
“Good.”
Jimin let Yoongi hug him for a few minutes, sighing in relaxation. This… was really nice. He then had a sudden realization about the boy who taught him advanced archery, who reassured him that he was strong and capable.
Who comforted him during thunderstorms, who helped him overcome his fear of electricity.
Who let him sleep in his bed, who made his heart flutter, who cared for him in ways no one else had.
He turned his body to stare directly into Yoongi’s handsome dark eyes.
“Yoongi, I like you.”
Yoongi’s breath hitched. “As in…?” he said cautiously.
“As in romantically. More than a friend. You… you make my heart feel things.”
“Jimin, you do as well.”
“Yoongi… will you be my boyfriend?”
“Of course, my angel.” Jimin’s heart leapt as Yoongi tenderly kissed the back of his hand. “You’re so gorgeous and wonderful, how could I ever say no?”
“If I’m your angel, does that make you my devil?”
Yoongi chuckled. “If that’s what you want.”
Jimin shook his head. “No, I would rather you be my Yoongi.”
With a gentle smile, Yoongi moved forward and pressed his lips against Jimin’s, but Jimin pulled back suddenly, surprised by the spark he felt from Yoongi’s lips.
Yoongi patiently waited, loosely wrapping his arms around Jimin’s waist, content to gaze into his gray eyes as Jimin calmed himself down. Swallowing his nerves, Jimin initiated the kiss, and this time, he didn’t run away. He let himself enjoy the thrilling sensation. He gasped as a bolt of intensity coursed through his body, from his lips all the way down to his fingertips. Electricity.
But this electricity, he did not have to fear.