A Swim in the Dark
Aurhour: wingedseok
Retrieved from: Ao3
Words: 2200
Ship: Jimin×Hoseok
Summary:
Jimin's always been there whenever Hoseok has needed him. This time around, it wasn't any different. It was them, together at three in the morning, with their feet dipped inside Hoseok's pool and that was really all that Jimin had ever known.
Or, when Hoseok shoved Jimin into a pool then asked him to prom.
--
Need you.
When Jimin had gotten Hoseok’s Kakao message, he’d wasted no time in putting his glasses on and looking out his bedroom window towards Hoseok’s backyard. He’d waited until a dark-haired, bare-chested Hoseok had stepped through the back door and sat down at the edge of the pool before Jimin threw his blanket off. He slipped out of bed and into a pair of swim trunks that he had only bought when late night swims with his neighbor had become a usual occurrence.
Jimin made his way down the stairs and through his own back door as quietly and as quickly as he could. His parents may be deep sleepers, but Jimin wasn’t going to take any chances. Soon enough, he was feeling grass beneath his feet and in between his toes as he made his way towards the door in his fence that separated his backyard from Hoseok’s. The door opened quietly and Hoseok threw an arm up in greeting as Jimin stepped through, quickly latching the door shut behind him.
“Hey.” His voice was soft and musical, but Jimin had known Hoseok long enough to know that the husky undertone in his voice meant that he’d been crying.
“What happened?” Jimin asked as he walked towards the elder and sat down beside him.
Hoseok gave out a quiet chuckle. “I forget how well you know me sometimes.”
Jimin felt his face heat up under Hoseok’s gaze, but he pressed on. “You’ve been crying. What happened?”
Hoseok turned his head to look out across his pool and Jimin continued to look at the side of his head. Jimin was pretty tired and a bit cold, considering it was past three A.M and he was sitting with his feet dipped into a pool, only in his trunks, but Hoseok had said it himself, he needed Jimin. So Jimin was there.
When Jimin was going to ask again, Hoseok responded in a quiet voice, “Nothing happened. It’s just the same-old, same-old.”
Jimin peered at the elder, biting his lip before he asked, “Your dad again?”
Hoseok hesitated, then nodded his head. “Yeah. My dad again.”
“I’m sorry,” Jimin murmured, his arm wrapping itself around Hoseok’s shoulders. “What'd he do this time?”
“Threw a picture at the wall by my head for not doing the dishes then stormed out of the house. He’ll probably be back in the afternoon.” Hoseok leaned into Jimin’s embrace. “But it's cool. S’not your fault, Minnie.”
Jimin was glad that Hoseok wasn't facing him anymore because his blushing face that the nickname always brought would have given everything away. Everything as in, Jimin having a huge crush on the boy next door. The boy next door who happened to be his best friend. His best friend who happened to be severely depressed and felt so goddamn lonely all the time.
Hoseok had theorized it was probably why he dated a new person every week and flirted with everybody. He wanted to fill up that vast void, but so far, no one had managed to do it. Jimin argued that another person wasn’t going to fix the elder, because Hoseok wasn't broken or damaged or any other Tumblr cliche shit he sometimes spouted. Hoseok was just a sad, seventeen year old boy with a drunk dad, an absent mother, and a best friend who’d been in love with him since the sixth grade.
