Don't Call Me Angel || VMIN

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The park was deserted, unsurprisingly, and the nearest lamppost only cast its light on the swing set, leaving the rest of the play area under a cloak of shadow. Jimin would have been more scared if it weren't for the tall man by his side, although, that didn't stop him from flinching every time a bush rustled or a twig snapped. Very carefully, he pushed open the gate, wincing at the rusted screech it made as it turned on its hinges. For some reason, he felt like they were breaking a law by being here so late and so it was with light feet that he walked over to the closest swing.

It must have looked really sketchy to a passerby: an eighteen-year-old tiptoeing around a kid's play area in the company of another man who had an intimidating air about him, but to Taehyung the whole scene was adorable. There was a childlike manner to the way the dancer grabbed onto the support chains, making sure he didn't fall off even though he was barely moving. He seemed carefree for once. Almost.

Loving the quiet of the night and the moonlight filtering down to illuminate small patches of his bare skin, the younger forgot about the previous mishaps of the last twenty-four hours and rocked himself back and forth on the small seat. The motion was extremely slow and gentle for he didn't want to make too much noise and risk waking up some angry sleeper. After checking that the elder was still with him, he closed his eyes and leaned off to the side, resting his head against his tightly gripped hands.

A soft breeze drifted through his ruffled locks and, despite the warm weather, he shivered slightly, releasing his hold to pull his hood up.

"That makes you look even tinier than you already are," the brunette chaffed, making the other's eyes dart over to him.

Said man was standing by the end of the frame, lazing against the tattered paint on the metal poles, and Jimin pouted at him, forehead creasing in mock offence.

"What's so wrong with being small?" he demanded, dragging the tips of his shoes through the bark chippings beneath him, which would be completely ineffective in their role of cushioning him if he fell, "I happen to enjoy being short, means I don't tower over people when I wear heels."

"Never said there was anything wrong with it, I was simply making an observation, Min."

The nickname rekindled the fire in his cheeks and he turned his face away, his retort drying in his throat when he heard the other let out a low laugh. Looping his fingers back around the supports, he kicked off from the ground a bit harder than last time and swung around, trying to deflect the attention from his burning blush. It had the desired effect and thankfully, the cooling air dampened the colour so that it settled, instead, as a pale pink.

"You sit on the other swing," the ravenette piped up, knowing he sounded completely childish and finding that he didn't care, "Pretty please."

"No," Taehyung replied bluntly, and the dancer slumped his shoulders dramatically, "Someone has to supervise you, it would be irresponsible to encourage a kid when he's messing around."

"I'm only eighteen, I can be a child if I want to," he chided back, poking the tip of his tongue out for emphasis, "Plus, I didn't really have a childhood so I have an excuse."

His tone dipped, realising the weight of what he had just said, and he hated that it made the smile slip off the elder's face. Way to ruin the mood, he grumbled at himself, lowering his gaze to look anywhere but Taehyung. Of course, he had to say something like that and spoil one of the least awkward exchanges he'd had in a while with the sad reality of his youth. Good job, Jimin.

He hadn't lied though, from as early as he could remember, his mother had refused to let him play about with people his age, mess around in sandpits or draw all over his body with ink that wouldn't wash off for days. It wasn't until Jieun had introduced him to Hoseok that he understood what it was like to have a friend to fool around with and, even then, they weren't always able to hang out. Given the age gap, he would often be left in the care of countless useless nannies whilst his sister and friend went off to school.