Don't Call Me Angel || VMIN

δεκατρία

Annoyingly, but not unexpectedly, Taehyung was right, exerting himself after passing out and falling down several steps was a foolish thing to do. Even more so to do it on an empty stomach. Jimin's energy levels were really low for he hadn't had time to eat any of the warm rice that he had been brought.

Thinking about the little act of kindness, however insignificant it may seem to anyone else, made the warmth in his abdomen return. He matched the feeling to that of butterflies flapping around in a jar, only the jar happened to be his stomach and he knew for a fact that he hadn't swallowed any insects recently. The dancer didn't have time to ponder its meaning now, though, and he needed to get as far away from this bedroom as possible before Sunwoo spotted him.

Despite him having no say in the decision to sleep in that bed, his presence in a room that wasn't his own would probably break several of the old man's unspoken rules. Luckily, he made it to the top of the stairs just as Sunwoo addressed him and he turned with a false smile plastered on his lips, hoping that his proximity to Taehyung's room wasn't noticed.

"Ah Jimin, I was just about to send someone to find you," he stated, a chill accompanying his words, "There's something we need to talk over, so I'd like you to join me in the conservatory for lunch."

The eager edge to his tone made Jimin feel sick to his stomach, easily quelling the warmth he had felt mere moments ago. There was no way he would be able to get out of this. He gave an involuntary nod of his head, silently agreeing, and saw the other's grin broaden.

"I'll let you change into something else beforehand and I'll meet you down there in fifteen minutes."

There was no kindness in this offer, that much the ravenette knew, and he willed his mind not to overthink the reasons behind the simple meal. It was just lunch after all and he prayed it to be so as he scanned his wardrobe for something more appropriate. The sentence repeated itself like a mantra inside his head, it was just lunch, nothing would happen, losing conviction with each reiteration, until he gave up reassuring himself altogether. His selection of outfits to choose from was in no way limited, but he took his time in picking out the designer jumper and loose-fitting jeans he decided to wear.

Jimin wasn't trying to waste time, he just wasn't in the mood for any unwanted touches or comments from anyone and delaying the moment he headed down to lunch would help with that. Covering himself up as much as possible also seemed to be a good precautionary measure. The elder was yet to go further than the occasional grope of his waist and thighs and he wasn't about to give him a reason to try anything else.

The sleeves of his jumper fell passed his wrists, giving the dancer sweater paws and making him feel as innocent as the name Angel suggested for once. Bitter truths burst his momentary bubble of bliss, brought about by the fading bruises along with a couple of newer ones peeking out from below the collar. No matter how hard he tried, how much he built up the barricades around himself, there was no escaping his fate. It was stitched to his body like the shadow that followed him around. Relentless and irrefutable.

Gazing into the mirror, Jimin could almost hear his sister's voice calling out some cute compliment about how the material swallowed up his tiny frame, echoing her words from the past. She always fawned over his short stature despite there being close-to-no difference between their heights. An opportunity to bring it up was never missed by her or her girlfriend and they would constantly teasing him about it. Snap out of it, he scorned himself,  he had a lunch to get to.

With that, the ravenette gave one last tug to the strand of hair falling resolutely over his eyes before he strode down to meet the elder. Sunwoo was seated at a polished oak table laden with an assortment of intricate dishes far more decadent than the meals he had been scavenging from the kitchen over the last week. Making sure to choose the seat furthest away, the younger sat down, folding his hands in his lap to prevent any nervous fidgeting. He stared down at them for a minute, gathering up the courage to look across the table.