Heartless || •OG• ✔️

Chapter 19 - Jimin

"Why is it always us?"

"Because Charlotte knows what she's doing," Jimin replied, Jericho quirking a brow as they sat in the box-shape of the watchtower. It overlooked the entire clearing, and Jimin gulped as he peeked down.

"Want me to hold your hand?" Jericho asked.

"Shut up." Jimin forced himself not to have a panic attack over the height. Anything taller than him made him uncomfortable. Seeing as he was considered 'short' despite being average height, some would argue that he was scared by almost everything. That wasn't true. He had faced men and women in combat that were taller than him, yet he still kicked their asses. Height was just something that terrified him, even when it came in the form of people like Theo.

Theo was massive to say the least. He was the biggest of the bunch both by height and width. The only other one Jimin knew that came close was June, but he wasn't present. Not that Jimin wanted to think about that asshole anyway.

"Something up? You seem distracted," Jericho said.

"Always am."

Luck wasn't on Jimin's side. His normal, sarcastic answer wasn't enough to get Jericho to back off. The man kept his focus on the surface, but it was like the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up. Jimin could see it from his position. He prayed ignoring Jericho's curiosity would get him to back off, but the next words had Jimin gripping the wood tighter.

"Are you okay?" Jericho asked.

"Do you care?"

"A little. Not a lot, but a little," Jericho replied. Jimin confessed that he admired the honesty. It was only fair he was honest too. But was he going to be? No.

"I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

That one question had Jimin halting. Deep down, he didn't want to lie. For 5 years he had lied every day. What harm could another lie do? The thought of it brought a tremble to Jimin's skin. It didn't help that the breeze was kicking up. Wind replaced what was once a gentle tickle of air. Now, Jimin was rubbing his arms and cursing at himself for not having heavier clothes to combat the cold New York was known for.

"Sure," Jimin said, pushing each syllable past his lips. "Yeah, I'm sure."

Reading people was pretty easy in his profession. Jimin trained every day to ease his pain, and he gained skills he didn't have beforehand. Granted, when his parents paid attention to him, he learned basic skills like cooking and how to throw a punch. But his skills really grew when he lost the one he loved.

The reason Jimin was thinking about it was because he knew Jericho had a similar set of skills. It was impossible for him not to. From what Jimin gathered, Jericho had been in the business even longer. It was easy to forget that most of the people around him were in the Underworld their entire lives. Jimin was one of the only ones who wasn't recruited in his teens. As far as he was aware, he was also one of the only ones struggling with loss. Not a friendship loss like Jericho and Kayden, or a lost brother or parents like Charlotte and everyone else. It was far worse than that.

"You know you don't have to lie," Jericho said, confirming Jimin's suspicion that he too was good at reading people.

"I didn't say I did."

"I wasn't born yesterday."

"Sometimes you sure as hell act like you were," Jimin said, Jericho shooting him a glare he didn't return. It was too late - or early, in that scenario - to get angry. Jimin wasn't a morning person. Or a night person, for that matter. He didn't know his own sleep schedule or what time of day was best for him.

Jericho didn't reply to that. He took the message and went back to focusing on their task. Each second that ticked by grew the pit in Jimin's stomach. Although there were far more imperative matters to attend to, Jimin couldn't stop himself from bringing his gaze to the back of Jericho's head.

"You know I don't hate you, right?" Jimin asked, and he scolded himself for allowing sorrow to drip into his tone.

"You don't?"

"Well, I don't like you either-"

"Ah, there it is. I knew it was too good to be true," Jericho replied.

To both of their awe, Jimin chuckled. He wasn't sure if it was genuine amusement or a natural reaction to conversations like these. It could have been both and Jimin never would have noticed.

Throughout his life, Jimin had been paranoid. It was easy considering his circumstances. He lived in the woods for 4 years. He was protecting the one he loved most, so obviously he was on edge whenever a strange noise occurred. That paranoia transferred to 25 year old Jimin. Every grass blade that moved had him wishing he could grab his stupid gun and fire away. Regardless of his nerves, Jimin pretended his mood was light.

"I'm sorry, does the Jericho Novak want me to like him?" Jimin asked. He could feel Jericho's soft smile.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You can try begging," Jimin replied, which made Jericho grunt.

"I'm sure you've used that line before."

Jimin couldn't stop himself from smirking. "I have. On your future girlfriend, actually. Good luck with Charlotte, you won't stand a chance against her."

Jericho, without looking, flipped Jimin off. He laughed at that, holding the butt of his pistol a bit too tightly. That was mostly because whenever he laughed, his eyes creased to the point where he could barely see.

"What? I dated her for two years, you think I can't give tips?" At Jericho's silence, Jimin released his pistol and put his weight on the back of his heels. "She doesn't like boring people. Don't be boring."

"Is that why she broke up with you?" Jericho asked.

The breakup between Charlotte and Jimin wasn't actually that bad. Jimin was an asshole - and admittedly still was - who got on her nerves one too many times. Although they dated for years as Jimin mentioned, they realized they weren't the one for each other. Jimin was fine with that. It wasn't even a nasty breakup, really.

Jericho sensed he wasn't going to answer that, so he shut his mouth and let the watch carry on. Since they were in the middle of nowhere, Jimin wondered if wildlife was around. Bugs, sure, but animals like bears too. New York had deer, so maybe they'd see some of them along the way.

"I'm surprised you've lasted this long without a partner," Jericho said, breaking their short-lived quiet. "You seem like the type who can't go a day without sex."

"I've gone six months without it."

"So, what I'm hearing is, you jerk off every day?"

"I don't want to answer that," Jimin replied, heaving out a sigh and listening in on the crickets making their signature noises. Jimin was half-expecting an owl to hoot and holler at them. No such sounds ever came.

Jericho was still snickering from Jimin's antics, and he appreciated how the mafia leader was able to handle humor. Without thinking, Jimin went over to Jericho's side and gave the man a nudge. He groaned from it, but ultimately returned the action.

The older of the two observed Jimin, and he bit back the temptation to squirm under Jericho's prying eyes. Watch felt like it was going on for hours. It was boring to sit and stare down air. It didn't help that Jimin was still on the verge of shitting his pants from the height. Jimin was light. One stream of wind could knock him out of the tower. Although that was a funny thought, it made him swallow the lump on his tongue.

"Hey," Jericho said, Jimin bringing his eyes to him. "I'll take care of her. You have my word."

"Uh oh, should I call Mr. Belmour and have him write that down?"

"You can if you want to," Jericho replied with a smile tugging on the corners of his lips.

It hadn't been long since Jimin officially met Jericho. The real Jericho, anyway. The one that was fierce but had a bit of an ego problem. Jimin joked about having the same problem, but no, that was all Jericho.

Life wasn't worth living. Not in Jimin's eyes, anyway. He had a philosophy that kept him alive. If he didn't, he would have killed himself by then. He wasn't kidding or being dramatic either. If it weren't for the philosophy he carried around, he would have had no problem jumping from the watchtower face-first. For 5 years he didn't fear death. Yet now, it felt wrong to wish for it. To crave it as badly as he did mere weeks ago. Something changed. But what?

Finally, Jimin realized he hadn't replied yet. He pat Jericho on the shoulder. Jericho allowed it. "I'll trust you. Not fully, but enough to take your word."

"You and your trust issues," Jericho replied.

And just like that, Jimin's voice dropped to a mumble. "I haven't trusted anyone in five years."

"Neither have I." Jimin peeked at Jericho's side profile, the moonlight cloaking it and showing off the complexity hiding behind his irises. Strange. From close up, Jericho seemed frail. But Jimin couldn't observe him for long since Jericho brought his gaze to him. "You're not too bad."

"Who are you and what have you done with Jericho?" Jimin asked, but the truth was he was still concerned.

"I don't know, but what I do know is that you're not nearly as bad as I thought, Mr. Seong." Jericho extended his hand, and Jimin was about to fall over if it weren't for Jericho's mouth moving. "Friends?"

What started as a handshake for a truce was now evolving a bit too quickly for Jimin's liking. However, he was in no position to refuse the offer. It'd be foolish. With the state of their lives and the uncertain future, Jimin needed allies. People who would save him when it came down to it. And with that, he shook Jericho's hand.

"Friends," he said. "Want to know what I think?"

"Not really, but go ahead," Jericho replied, topping it off with a shrug. Classic Jericho. Honest and a bit of an asshole. The two thoughts combined made Jimin smile, his eyes smiling with him.

"You're not that bad either, Mr. Novak."

~~~
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