Pretty | Yoonmin (DISCONTINUED)

thirty seven

By the time the booked hour had come to a close, Jimin was sweaty and sleepy from
the constant exertion, and Yoongi was smiling faintly, a sort of dazed gloss to his eyes. They were both ready to go home, if only so Yoongi could ogle at the younger in the safety of solitude.

They waved goodbye to Taemin, who was sitting in the lobby, laughing softly at something on his phone, and Jimin let Yoongi cling to him again once they left to brave the open streets.

They got to the car without any problems or too much distress from Yoongi besides the occasional flinch or fearful nuzzle into Jimin's side. They resumed their usual positions once they'd settled in the car, and Jimin had to resist the urge to fall asleep in the bursting warmth resonating from the vents. He couldn't wait to arrive back home, if only so he could take another nap. He felt like a grandpa, consistently low energy and tired, but when he mentioned the fact to Yoongi, the elder only took another opportunity to chide him for depriving himself of his bodily needs for three days.

But despite the way he scolded him, Yoongi drew slow, soothing circles over Jimin's knee, even as the creeping shadows of irrational fear and terror that came with lingering memory returned to torture him, focusing only on lulling Jimin into comfort.

When they arrived, Jimin was adamant upon staying up to look after Yoongi, seeing as he'd had a rough day. And while Yoongi was very much touched by the sentiment, it left nauseating guilt pooling in searing coils in his stomach, and his mind latched onto the idea that he was only a burden to the younger.

Jimin had enough on his plate without looking after Yoongi.

To draw his torturous thoughts away, he decided to invite Jimin to his private library. He knew that the blonde was fond of reading, and he'd never given him a proper tour so there was no way he could have known. Yoongi has devoured every book of interest to him over the course of the first year of his stay, so he lived off of the library books that Jin brought for him. But the library had become an extra safe place for him over the years, safe from the sharp, harshness of unreasonable noise or unwelcome voices, and thick with the redolence of inked words upon yellowing pages. He liked spending time there, and he was sure that Jimin would too.

So, with a curious dongsaeng following behind him, he led his caretaker to his secret world.

And he was right. Jimin did love it.

Not only because he loved libraries and Yoongi's held a special sort of comfort, a lulling silence that was more gentle than threatening, but because Yoongi had decided all on his own to share it with him. That was huge progress in his eager eyes, and he found himself rambling excitedly to the older as they passed through the aisles, fingers skimming along the book spines.

Once Jimin decided which book he wanted to read and picked it from one of the many shelves, the two found seats at a round wooden table in the corner of the large archive, and began losing themselves in the lives of their respective characters, feet pressing together and unconsciously syncing their breathing.

They had only spent about twenty minutes there in pleasant silence when Yoongi felt a light weight on his shoulder. The redolence of white lilac, vanilla, and lemon shampoo intensified, and sunshine locks brushed against his blushing, cherry cheeks. He knew without turning to catch a glimpse of his undisturbed features that Jimin had fallen asleep on him again. And though he was terrified of being all alone with his roaring head and churning brain, he couldn't help but beam into the crown of his yellow head.

He didn't mind Jimin sleeping against him, and his presence was warm. Although he wanted to turn the younger's company against himself, he prayed he would be a little safer if he just stayed beside him, feeling his breaths ghost the crook of his pale neck. His plush lips left skitters of heat whenever they dragged over his flesh, and it made it a little hard to concentrate on his book.