Don't Call Me Angel || VMIN

τριάντα τρία

"So, you're going to be okay with potentially running into Jackson?" Taehyung asked sceptically, holding the steering wheel loosely with his left hand, "I'll reiterate the fact that it's more than likely someone is going to get hurt if things start going south."

Swallowing thickly, Jimin confirmed that he understood the elder's point, ignoring the voices in his head demanding that he get the hell out of the car at once. They weren't going to do him any good now, not now that he had decided he was staying where he was. For better or worse, he wasn't going to leave the other's side if he could help it.

Both he and the brunette were sitting in the front seats of the same sleek car he was beginning to grow very familiar with, about to drive over to Soojin's café. It had taken a lot of mental coaxing on his part even to get himself buckled into the passenger's seat, mainly due to the seatbelt having to be fastened across his chest, unlike last time.

At first, he had completely frozen when the door was closed behind him, freaking out at the size of the space he had shut himself in. The idea of having to strap himself down to the leather seat made it very hard for him to fight the impulse to leave and he repeatedly shuddered at how it reminded him of the other bonds he had been forced into. Having almost jumped right back out, Jimin only stopped panicking because he knew it would have been even more difficult to watch the other leave.

His mind had become somewhat of a limpet and it refused, point blank, to let Taehyung go without him. This dilemma of not wanting to be parted had taken hold of the dancer the moment he switched the shower on in the bathroom and he had started to panic that the elder wouldn't be there when he walked out. As a result, he had wrapped himself in a towel, dried his body off, and gotten dressed in a much shorter time than anticipated, before hurrying back to the office. Of course, Taehyung hadn't moved from behind the desk and was very surprised to see him back so soon. His hair had barely even been damp, owing to its brief time under the warm water, and he had struggled to come up with a plausible explanation.

Was it entirely irrational? Definitely, but nothing about any of this made sense so he decided not to care. It had been hard to bury the thought that he was just going to be a massive burden. However, he managed eventually.

Holding onto the edges of the new jumper he was wearing, tangling his fingers in the snug fabric, he hummed a quick 'yes' and continued to stare out of the tinted window at the darkening street outside. Dusk was upon them, for the brunette had chosen to leave the apartment much later, knowing it would be unwise to cause a scene while the roads were bustling with shoppers and tourists.

"As long as it's not you," he added a moment later, no longer avoiding eye contact when the elder turned to him.

"As long as what's not me?"

"As long as you're not the one getting hurt, it's all fine."

He didn't like the silence that followed, Taehyung's hesitance to respond hinting at the answer he really didn't want to hear. Of course, no one could guarantee his safety, but that didn't stop the younger wishing someone would. He would easily take false hope over no hope right now.

"I'll try my best."

Those were the last words spoken before the elder shifted the gearstick and pulled out of the private car park, heading off down the road. Street lamps flickered to life around them, lighting up the growing darkness with their amber glow. People dressed in all kinds of coats, from ones that hung down to their ankles to others that scarcely covered their chest, hurried along the pavements in their haste to return home for dinner, clutching bags filled with their purchases of the day.

The nearby cafes and restaurants were starting to swap out their menus for the evening selection, preparing for the wave of customers that the early night was sure to bring them, and it made the ever-present worry in Jimin's stomach dim. He smiled softly, watching all the happy couples and groups of friends settle down at their tables to enjoy what promised to be a fine night out. He stared attentively at how they scoured over the long lists of delectable appetisers and entrees, choosing the ones that would suit their taste the best and comparing them with the options their companions had picked. The light-hearted banter that passed between them when they reached a disagreement over which dish was superior made his chest squeeze painfully.