Waking up from the dead, one would expect a satin pillow and funeral attire not the same clothes worn at the time of demise and surely not the comfort of Jimin's bed. The faces he would have expected to see were there, smiling at him from photographs on the wall. All of them showcased happy memories to take there, where Gabriel said souls linger, a mythical place called Seol.
The monster under the bed had his small hand on the edge of the mattress, holding it carelessly, and Tae got up to check on the creature sleeping profoundly on the floor. Right next to him, laid Jimin on an improvised bed.
Taehyung looked at him and the silver hair that had lost all it's pink a couple of months back and had been redyed. The explanation for his ad hoc sleeping arrangements wasn't a mystery since Tae must have occupied the entire mattress, so his friend had decided to sleep on the floor. A monster caring for another ill monster, both terribly beautiful in their monstrosity, terribly broken, chased away by the commoners, spat at by the priests, damned for their choices.
Not only did he feel horrible but he smelled of the previous night's shadow, so Taehyung went straight into the shower, to put his mask on, to prep the foot that he needed to put forward into the world. He picked the most expensive floral, silk shirt from his luggage, and a plain pair of dark blue jeans. He made sure to arrange the Gucci neck bow properly before going out of the bathroom because he knew he needed to get out of the house.
6:26 AM - the clock on his phone mocked him.
Falling asleep in late evening meant getting up early at dawn, too early to disturb anybody else. A perfect moment to witness the birthplace of chaos and traffic. He felt like he needed to get out of the house for everybody's sake but before he threw his jacket over his shoulder, he kneeled next to Jimin and took his hand to the boy's face, cupping it gently and caressing it with just enough pressure to lightly wake him up.
"Jimin-ah...Mochi... " he whispered with a rugged voice, warming it up. "Mochi, take the bed and rest properly... come on..." he said as he tugged at the other boy's shoulders.
The heavy eyelids opened slightly. "Tae...?" he asked in confusion.
"I can't sleep anymore... I am going for a walk. Take my spot in bed," he said warmly, smiling at Jimin's puzzled morning face as it looked around, remembering the way it ended up on the floor.
He pushed his covers aside. "I'm coming with you... wait..." he mumbled.
"Don't... please rest. You'll make me feel very guilty if you come with me... please," Tae insisted as he easily blocked the wobbly frame from getting up.
"I need to come..." Jimin resisted, trying to push himself back up to which Tae responded by railroading him in the bed.
"I'm an adult. I'm not gonna die, it's just a walk. Nothing's gonna happen to me," he joked with a bittersweet smile.
'You sure?" asked the boy and squeezed their intertwined hands together, still pushing his torso up.
Tae's free hand traveled back to the side of Jimin's face. "I promise," he said and gently pushed him down on the mattress. Depleted, Jimin agreed and turned on his side, watching him as he got up and went to the door.
"But if I ever die, promise me you won't bury me in anything else but Versace, ok?" he joked again and Jimin giggled lightly, eyelids closing rapidly, sleep installing itself mercilessly.
Seoul, a few years ago
Jimin's apartment smelled of pancakes and syrup as a loud TV played a "jump scares free" paranormal show in the background and two university students sat on the couch drinking the cheapest sweet red wine they could get at the corner shop and eating fluffy pancakes made by following an American recipe Jimin wanted to try.
YOU ARE READING
Pathways
Fanfiction"Taehyung is the definition of flawed art and Jungkook is rebellion." Jeon Jungkook is in his last year, studying to be a filmmaker. He's career focused, smart, responsible but restless. In a country as religious as Korea, he had no contact with hom...
