Run into Sin | Jikook

⋆Part 15⋆

Jeongguk's trying to complete to his History work, frowning upon the dates of the First World War that he has to remember until he hears a soft knock on his bedroom door. He's laying on his stomach, books scattered out in front of him and his notes messily scrawled out. He winces when he notices, realising he's probably going to have to rewrite them.

"Come in."

The door opens slowly and reveals Jimin. He's wearing his lounge wear, a baggy white hoodie that swallows him whole and hangs off his shoulders. It reveals his dainty neck adorned with two necklaces, his sharp collarbones. He looks sheepish, a dubious expression playing on his face.

"Hey," he gets out. "Do you have a minute?"

It's not often that Jimin will wander into his room, demand for a minute of his day. Jimin never asks for anything. Jeongguk can't help but feel immediately obliged to follow, nodding as he sits up and crosses his legs.

"Yeah. Come, sit."

Jeongguk moves the books out of the way, making space for his roommate. Jimin takes the hint, still not making eye contact as he shuffles onto the bed. He seems to make himself appear smaller as he crouches into the space, drawing his legs up to his chest and looking at Jeongguk earnestly.

Jimin looks delicate, skirting around carefully like there's something he wants to say but he's not sure how.

It pings at Jeongguk's chest as he twists his body to face him better, offering a reassuring smile. He's tempted to reach out, to lay his hands on Jimin but he resists. He doesn't want to keep crossing their unspoken barrier, wanting to remain within the lines. He wants to keep his affection that he readily gives out to people at a bay.

"Is something the matter?" Jeongguk finally asks when a few minutes pass and neither of them speak, remaining devotedly muted as they bask in the tranquility of the moment. "You look..." He searches for the word and fails, sentence falling short.

Jimin looks up to him, finally. Uncertainty leaks into his face, making him look younger than he is. He shifts on the bed, taking a deep breath.

"I know I said I didn't want to watch the videos back, to read the comments but... but.. I want to see what people are saying about our videos."

He says the words slowly like he's trying to comprehend his own thoughts, trying to understand why he wants it. Jeongguk frowns and he waits a beat, carefully articulating his next words. He understands, in this moment, that Jimin has come to him with something he never usually would. By saying something wrong, he'll only build up the walls that Jimin's trying his hardest to demolish.

"Are you sure?" He frowns. He hasn't checked the comments himself, not wanting to concern himself with people and their opinions. "The public can be brutal."

Jimin shrugs. "I'm a big boy, I can handle it."

"I know you can. You just don't have to purposely put yourself through something that'll only hurt, potentially."

Jimin seems to consider this. His eyes turn clouded, overcome with thoughts before he looks back at Jeongguk. There's a smile twitching on his lips. He reaches out to tap Jeongguk's shins like he's trying to console him, assure that this is what he wants. He had, after all, gathered the courage to ask.

"Let's read the comments."

Jimin's usual remoteness and detachment has melted off. Since they started to film the videos, there's a switch between the dynamics they're usually accustomed to. It seems like Jeongguk's prying into his roommate's inner self slowly, bit by bit. There's still a long way to go, still so much to learn and discover but the initial hardship has been wiped clean.