Wild And Free [Namjin]

Chapter 9

Seokjin waited by the door, expecting Namjoon to come down at any second. Eventually, he did, limping his way down the stairs with difficulty. He smiled weekly at Jin, silently thanking him again like he'd been doing every other minute.

Jin had finally convinced Namjoon to leave his gloomy room and bathe in the sunlight for at least a bit. At first, he opposed, sayin he could hardly leave the confinement of his four walls. So, they started slow.

Namjoon shaved his rough stubble and took his first long, proper shower in forever. Jin helped style his hair and got a few airy smiles from Namjoon when he tried styling his hair in a mohawk. It helped Jin realize that his main goal was to turn that light exhale into full-blown laughter.

One baby step after the other, Jin watched Namjoon recover, regularly making his way to the kitchen to eat, living room to watch TV, even have small chats with Jin every now and again.

An eternity later, Namjoon finally agreed to go outside for a short walk. Jin couldn't be more ecstatic, fluttering around the house in the morning to make a sugary breakfast and prepare a comfortable set for Namjoon to wear. When he finally came down the stairs wearing his apologetic smile, Jin grinned nostalgically, able to bring a small piece of Namjoon's inner adventurer out. He still knew the poor guy thought he was being a burden, but Jin couldn't feel more relieved and he intended on showing it.

"Look at you!" He exclaimed like a proud parent and immediately regretted it when Namjoon froze at his motherly tone. "You look like a new man." He smiled softly after clearing his throat and correcting himself. They stood face to face for a second and exchanged the green card look before walking out into the rising sun.

The weather was nice to Jin, but all the more overwhelming to Namjoon. All the times Jin would open his windows to clean the air in the room, Namjoon would counter by dipping his head farther into the blankets and away from the strong sunlight. He spent so much time drowning in his sweat during the day and walking around only when the sun was under the horizon.

At first he didn't know how to feel, the calm atmosphere triggering a storm of thoughts, but the moment Jin linked their arms together, the day was suddenly not as bad. What he didn't know was that it was a force of habit, cemented into Jin's brain after years of working with joyful, lonely ladies. The gesture wasn't much, but Namjoon felt more secure with an arm around him and Jin's heart beating right next to his.

Short conversation prologued into deep confessions, each of the young men admitting a wall from his past and tearing down lines of insecurity. Namjoon found that his life was an easy surf compared to Jin. He found that Jin's mother died right before he graduated high school and his dad left right after, promising to send him the support he needed but it never came. He didn't even know if his dad was still alive, considering he was unemployable and a regular day-drinker.

Jin had to stand on his own at a very young age, dedicating himself to the disease that took his smile away and working voluntary shifts in the hospital while taking medical courses to strengthen his knowledge. He became an at-home nurse out of consideration for the patients- how they hated to stay in white-washed hospitals, locked up with beeping machinery and a tasteless atmosphere. Home was home and he appreciated every bit of that, especially after losing his own.

Namjoon listened to Jin describe how comfortably some people died in his presence, when he felt like he did well. The rare feeling of fulfillment right after a crisis. They decided to stop at a clearing by the street, a huge patch of grass stretching out for a few blocks. Namjoon thought it would be a great place for a small kids' playground because it looked like it needed more life.

They sat down in the grass, cross-legged and staring out at the same spot- an aged tree that looked like it had been carrying the entire neighborhood since they first started building in it. That old.

"And what happens to your job now?" Namjoon asked, looking up at the thin clouds. "I've been doing small shifts, but in all honesty, I hate that place. I just want to find a new place to be.." At that, Namjoon snapped his head back towards Jin and found him looking up as well. He smiled widely and felt joy that he couldn't feel in so long as a suggestion bubbled in the pit of his stomach.

"Jinnie." Jin looked back down in light shock, a trail of goosebumps following the nickname that he had almost forgotten about. Namjoon sat right across from him, resting his open palms on Jin's tucked knees. "Hm?" he questioned sweetly.

"Come with me."