i. partner in crime | vkook

9. train rides

silently resting his face against the warm train window, the boy looked out despairingly at geochang disappearing behind them. tears were still visible in streamlines down his cheeks. he was thinking about many things; his family, if he was going to be shot and left in a ditch somewhere, the red marks around his hands, and of course, the man beside him.

jeongguk sat slouched over in the chair, still tired, and watching the boy out of the corner of his eye. the sun kept glaring in his face, making him quite grumpy, but at least he felt relaxed. he had his mask slipped over his face just in case someone recognized him.

they sat at the back of the train, just in case the boy decided to jump out of his seat and out the doors or something. the train had the familiar blue seats and quiet people with their earbuds in, trying to drain out the boring ride.

"stop being mad at me," jeongguk finally whispered. "i'm pretty sure i'm saving you."

"you dragged me out of my parents bed n breakfast and screamed at me," the boy quickly snapped around to glare at jeongguk and then went back to looking out the window.

"i didn't scream at you, i raised my voice."

the boy watched the rolling hills and dandelions decorating the fields beside them. "you're gonna take me to some sort of scary basement and kill me, are you?"

"no???" jeongguk furrowed his eyebrows.

"where are we going then?"

"not sure yet. you're, uh, you. you look pretty bad," jeongguk examined the boy's bright red cheeks and still puffy lips. his once bright pretty eyes looked pretty exhausted now.

"i knoow, don't make fun of me," he whined, still resting his head on the window. "and my wrists hurt."

"i wasn't making fun of you. uh, you can go to sleep or whatever," jeongguk leaned his head on his hand on the armrest, awkwardly watching the boy purposely ignore him.

"m'tired."

"go to sleep, then."

the boy quietly tucked his legs up on his seat, wrapping his delicate arms around them and intertwining his fingers, nuzzling his head in between his knees. the ac on the train was blasting because of the high heat warnings outside and in his thin cotton button up shirt he was shivering.

jeongguk watched him shiver in the seat beside him, and after a few minutes of thinking, he took off his stupid blue windbreaker (making sure to empty the pockets) and draped it over the sleepy boy's shoulders, unlocking his dainty hands and grabbing one just in case he tried to run away and stroked it with his thumb again, trying to comfort the poor thing, jeongguk leaned back and went to sleep, too.