Catalyst

Part 12

"Yoongi must really like you, Y/n. I've never seen him warm up to someone so fast." Hobi said as we pulled out of the driveway, finally leaving Jin and Namjoon's place around midnight. 

"You're kidding, right?" I scoffed. "Yoongi obviously hates me."

Jimin chuckled softly in the backseat. "Hoseok hyung is right. Yoongi was being pretty friendly." 

"He kept saying I was suspicious and asking why I was there." I shook my head. Clearly these guys were delusional. 

"Yoongi isn't exactly warm when meeting new people." Hobi glanced at me while we were stopped at a red light. "It was weird seeing him flirt with you."

"What?! How was that flirting?"  

"Hyung, you should have seen him at our apartment earlier." Jimin practically sang from the backseat. "He asked for her number."

"Oh, that reminds me! Jimin-ie, why was Y/n buying your clothes from Yoongi? I picked you up some clothes the other day when I went to your guy's place to tell him what happened." 

"What the hell, Jimin?!" I turn to glare at him, but it was too dark for him to see my eyes. 

"I wanted to see if I could trust her, hyung. I know you said she was trustworthy, but I needed to see for myself." Jimin passed his hand through his hair and grinned. "Besides, you know I had to get in the apartment somehow to open my safe. It seemed like a win-win. I warned Yoongi in advance, and he played along." 

I stared at him, still turned in my seat as we pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex. 

"How did you warn him?" Hobi asked, parking in his designated spot. 

"I used an emulator on Y/n's computer and messaged him through Kakao." 

"I hope you explode." I whispered, moving to get out of the car. What the hell is Kakao?

Both men giggled as I got out of the car. 

Hobi rushed up to me while I was unlocking my door, and gave me a hug and a quick peck on the cheek. "Thank you for helping us, Y/n. You're an amazing friend." 

The events of the previous 24 hours had left me exhausted, so I began getting ready for bed as so as I got inside. 

I heard a light knock on the door as I was brushing my teeth. Hobi brought over a duffel bag of Jimin's clothes and other items he had picked up from Jimin and Yoongi's apartment. 

After removing my makeup, I put on my pajamas and climbed into bed. I was looking forward to a good night's sleep. 

I had just gotten comfortable and was drifting off, when I felt the mattress shift. 

"No," I groaned, the word coming out slightly more whiny than I had intended. 

Jimin ignored me and made himself comfortable. 

"Jimin, you can't sleep in my bed. It's weird."

"What if I'm a cat?" he whispered. "Would that be better?"

I thought about it for a minute. "No. That's worse. I'll try to pet you, then when you're human again... ugh. No. It hurts my head. I don't like it." 

I rolled onto my side to face him. "Just go sleep on the couch."

Jimin sighed. 

"I don't want to be alone." His voice was small and vulnerable, causing me to wake up a little more. "Please just let me sleep here."

"I'm sorry, Jimin. I can't even begin to imagine what you are going through, but this is too awkward." 

"I won't do anything, I promise. Please, Y/n. Just let my stay." The light from the smoke detector in my bedroom was just enough for me to see the pout on Jimin's face. He looked desperate, but also sad. 

I gave his request serious consideration. Hobi trusted Jimin. I trusted Hobi's judgment. 

"Fine," I relented. "Just stay on your side of the bed."

"Thank you." Jimin sighed with relief, and turned over on his side, his back to me. 

"Hey, Jimin."

"Yeah?"

"I snore." I smiled and rolled onto my back. "Loud."

***

I woke up to the glorious smell of bacon. I had to give it to him, Jimin was doing his best to earn his keep by cooking each meal and cleaning up afterward. It did make his presence a little easier to accept. The fact that was extremely attractive didn't hurt either. 

I quickly pulled on some sweats and put my hair up before going to the kitchen. 

Jimin was standing in front of the stove wearing only the sweatpants he'd had on the night before when we met with his friends. 

"Are you trying to be sexy? Cooking bacon shirtless?" I asked starling him. Jimin glanced over his shoulder and flashed me a smile before winking at me. "Because that just looks dangerous."

The smile dropped from his face.

"Grease could splash up and you'd get burned. You should put on a shirt." I maneuvered myself between him and stove, and took over the cooking. 

Jimin mumbled as he walked out of the kitchen, "No one's ever told me to put a shirt on." 

I made sure the bacon was perfectly crispy before removing it from the pan. 

Pulling a shirt over his head, Jimin came back into the kitchen. He grabbed a plate out of the microwave that contained scrambled eggs and toast, and took it to the table. 

"Who do you think he'll respond to first? You, Yoongi, or-" 

"Jin. Obviously Jin." I laughed and took a seat at the table, grabbing a few pieces of bacon before setting down the plate. "Like he said, he's universally attractive." 

"I believe his exact words were 'worldwide handsome.'"