B.

nineteen

Jimin dreamed of the ocean. The one that always called to him. Threatened him. Taunted him with its dark, beckoning waves. He knew it would overcome him one day and drown him in its deep sea.

In his dream, Jimin began walking toward the ocean. Its waters stayed further back, kissing gently at the edge of the beach. It soaked the sand but did not go any further. So Jimin went to it.

Three pairs of hands grasped him and pulled him back, keeping him away from the bay. 

Jimin hated the hands that were on him, but not because their touches were bad. He hated them because he wanted the ocean to drown him. He hated them because they protected him.

He hated being alive. He hated living because no matter how far from the beach he went, the waters would always find him and drag him back. He would never be free, never truly live.

So he wanted to drown.

-

Jimin opened his eyes, groggy. He looked around, panicking only for a second before he remembered where he was. He threw off the blankets, sitting up and squinting as his vision adjusted to the sunset-lit room. How long had he been out?

A quick glance around the room and he spotted Seokjin sitting at his large, wooden desk on the other side of the room, typing vigorously into his laptop.

Jimin looked down, his hand hovering over his belly. He didn't feel well. 

He shot up from the bed and tore across the room, grabbing the handle of the door on the side of the wall. He opened it, correct in assuming it was the restroom, and stepped inside.

Seokjin glanced over his shoulder when he heard the rustling of movement. Jimin was missing from his bed, and the bathroom light shone from the edges of the closed doors. 

"Min?" Jin called.

"Toilet!" was Jimin's response.

He chuckled. "You okay?"

"Yep!"

He swiveled in his chair, crossing his arms as he waited for Jimin to emerge. 

Jimin finished up and began viciously washing his hands. His pace slowed as he met his own eyes in the mirror. He looked over his head, turning his head to see the hickeys on his reflection. There were so many of them on either side, freckled from beneath his ear all the way down to his collarbone.

Surprisingly, Jimin felt oddly proud of them. As tired as the Kims made him, he couldn't say that he hated being around them. He felt a bit hesitant with Namjoon, but it wasn't anything too deep or that would last long. He'd opened up fairly quickly with them and their contract and was steadily growing more confident. 

Jimin traced his wet fingers over the hickeys that each of the three Kims had left for him. Then he spun on his heel and emerged from the bathroom.

Seokjin swiveled in his chair to face Jimin as he emerged, his brows rasing as he took in Jimin's naked figure. With a shake of his head, he said, "You have makeup, don't you?"

Jimin nodded, roaming around the room as he looked for his clothes. "The basics, yes. Why?"

"Honestly, you just need concealer and powder," Jin said, nodding a bit distractedly as he watched. "For the marks."

Jimin tossed on his shirt, the last bit of his attire, and glanced at Seokjin with an arched brow. "Why do you know what makeup types I'll need for this?"

Jin broke into a grin, but it seemed a bit distant and sad as he said, "Plenty of experience giving hickeys."

Jimin caught the look in his eyes and said carefully, "Did that girl teach you?"

Seokjin frowned, glancing away. "Anyway, make sure that you get concealer and powder that matches your neck tone. It's a few shades darker than your face."

Jimin arched his brow, settling down on the bed with a soft huff. "You're telling me this as if I'm going to be buying it."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, first off, you're the rich one. Secondly, these hickeys came from you. You should buy the products I need."

Jin scoffed. "It's your body. Your hickeys, your responsibility."

"That you three gave me," Jimin insisted, sitting forward with narrowed eyes.

Seokjin shook his head, smiling a bit as he grabbed his wallet off the surface of his desk. He filed through the bills. "Alright, fine. How much do you need?"

"No idea." An innocent smile.

"Well, then what am I supposed to do?"

Jimin beamed. "Uh, maybe come with me like a decent human being?"

"No need for the sass," Seokjin relented with a deep sigh. He stood up.

Jimin bounced to his feet, clapping his hands together. "Yippy! Retail therapy!"

"What? No! We're getting two things and that's all. I'm not your sugar daddy," Seokjin chided with wide eyes.

Jimin giggled, quite bubbly from winning the argument, and glided forward to loop his arms around Seokjin's. "Sure you're not. Now c'mon! Baby wants a new eyeshadow pallet!"