One thing Jimin seems to have gotten extremely good at is avoiding whatever he doesn't feel like dealing with in the moment. And as of right now, it just so happens to be leaving the house - of course except when he needs to get to his classes.
Strangely enough, though, Jeongguk hasn't tried contacting him within the last few days. Not since their night at the club. And it's strange because he's usually always reaching out - always so sure of what he wants and when he wants it.
As of late, Jimin seems to be one of those things and he just can't figure out why. But he doesn't want to figure out why, does he? Maybe that's what he keeps trying to remind himself. Because as stubborn as he seems to be, he has not parted with his phone, just waiting. Waiting for what, exactly?
Would it be so bad if he said he was waiting for a text from Jeongguk? It doesn't feel right because he has never been the type to wait since his last relationship that fell through.
Since he's unable to focus, he tosses his study material to the side, standing from his bed. He paces the floor, running his fingers through his hair until it's a mess. Everything has felt pretty messed up lately and this house is one of the last places he'd rather be - mostly because he wants to do what he can to get away from Hoseok.
He's afraid, thinking about how the warmth of Jeongguk's arms after they spend the night together feels so right - feels so perfect. He has so many questions, his head feels like it's about to explode with the pressure. And as much as he wants an explanation, he's beyond terrified to come to terms with the way that he's acting.
Because he has been here before in his last relationship. He recognizes the yearning and what it entails. He recognizes the ripe emotions fulminating in his chest - how dangerous they can be and how royally screwed he'll make himself if he chooses to open up and let them blossom like he knows they shouldn't.
The more he thinks about his rejection toward other men, the more he realizes that that's when things started to take a turn. Hoseok is handsome and so is Ro-un; and they're probably both fucking good in bed. But the thought of other hands on him - hands that don't belong to Jeongguk. It makes him feel slightly queasy and he needs to sit back down on his bed, otherwise he's going to fall over.
"Fuck," Jimin lets out a shaky breath, holding his palms against his face. "Just ignore it. It will go away if you ignore it," he mumbles to himself, hoping it will make the situation better. And maybe hoping that somehow, in some way, he'll dissappear.
Suddenly, Jimin's phone goes off.
JEONGGUK:
I need to speak with you and it
can't be done over the phone. I'll
send you the address of my office
and which floor I'm on. Everyone else
has gone home. Come ASAP.
Jimin eyes the text message, not realizing that he's been trembling until he tries to reply. He sends a short 'OK' and briefly after, he's sent the details he needs in order to go to the location.
This isn't going to be a repeat of what happened at the club, is it? It can't be, not since Jeongguk is at his work office. It'd be wreckless, especially considering Jimin's aware that he's a secret.
He sighs, looking at the time. It's extremely late. Like, two in the morning late. He doesn't understand why Jeongguk is still up. He wishes he didn't know the reason he's still up but the fact of the matter is that he can't shut his brain off. If he's going to be up all night, maybe he should try to fight the constant and disruptive feeling in his stomach.
Maybe he should take this opportunity to call things off. That's what he'll do.
Jimin is only in a pair of sweats. He grabs a thin zip up hoodie from off of the back of the couch and pulls it over his arms. It probably won't be warm enough but it isn't like he's going to be staying long. He pushes his feet into some small slip-on converse and heads out, closing the door behind him quietly. Honestly, he has no idea if anyone is home but he doesn't want to risk waking them up.
As soon as he gets into his vehicle, he doesn't hesitate to start it up. He punches the address into his phone and gets started on his drive. It's a similar route to his penthouse and now that Jimin thinks of it, he has probably already seen the building. Either way, he follows the path he's given until the last second, pulling up on the other side of the road.
It's slightly - no - incredibly eerie. Almost every light in the building is off minus one in particular that's up very high as well as a few in the main entrance. Jimin assumes that they've been left on for him but even so, he begins to wonder if anyone is waiting there to let him in. And then he begins to hesitate, losing the confidence he was wearing so proudly only ten minutes ago.
"What the fuck am I doing?" Jimin asks himself, pressing his forehead against the top part of his steering wheel.
Okay, maybe he should just drive away and forget anything ever happened. Dissappearing could be an option and yet his body works against him. He's frozen in the passenger seat, staring at the clock in his car as it jumps minute to minute, almost as though it's mocking him for being so ridiculously indecisive.
"This isn't who you are," he says suddenly, looking ahead down the street. "You're confident and you're certain. Go in there, talk to him and leave. It's as easy as that." Just like that, Jimin pops his car door open, pulling his hood over his head.
He wanders down the street and as he makes his way up the steps, he spots a figure waiting for him through the glass. Jimin's speed slows as he approaches the door, now feeling intimidated by an unknown presence. But now that he thinks about it, it's the same man he saw that one day with Jeongguk when him and Taehyung were out.
He must be Jeongguk's bodyguard. Tall and definitely built as his body fills every seam of the suit on his body. He's let inside and warily, he continues to rove him from head to toe.
Hair brown, just long enough to fall down his forehead and meet his eyes - eyes narrow and sharp like a dragon's. He doesn't smile. He doesn't seem like the type of person to smile and as he walks away, he doesn't really seem like the type to speak, either.
Jimin follows behind him blindly, looking around out of both curiosity and caution. This building is huge and it makes him feel incredibly tiny. That or it could just be the man walking in front of him.
They make it to the elevator and Jimin is let in first. He stands idly as the door closes, playing with his fingers. The man stands just a foot away, close to the buttons. He stays in his spot even when he presses the correct one, staring ahead blankly. It's almost like he's a robot.
Jimin is pretty sure he would have believed it if it weren't for the clearing of his throat. Not only does it feel super awkward in the elevator but the blond also feels like he's going to be sick to his stomach. He's also extremely tired and he's hungry. This whole situation that's going on - whatever it is - doesn't make anything better.
An eternity later it feels like, the elevator finally opens. Once again, Jimin is encouraged to leave the elevator first. When reaching stable ground, he feels himself rock slightly on his feet but the bodyguard is there to keep him steady, in a heartbeat.
"Jeongguk will kill me if you're injured before you reach his office," the man says, voice deep with a warning glint in his recessed eyes.
Jimin swallows, nodding his head. He isn't usually clumsy but he blames it on his lack of sleep and clamored mindset. He continues to follow the large man as though he's a dog on a leash, right up until they reach a specific door.
There's a gold plaque plastered onto the front of it that says 'CEO JEON JEONGGUK.' Jimin toys with one of his sleeves, nervous. Whenever they've been together, typically, Jimin could play by his own rules. Things are different because now, they're in a business setting. Jeongguk's business setting.
The man knocks with a single knuckle, waiting for a reply. As soon as he hears someone beckon him from the other side, he pops the door open and the blond enters.
Jimin is out of breath. Wordless. He has never really seen Jeongguk quite like this before - in his element. He's leaning back into his chair with his legs crossed, staring at a spreadsheet that sits snug between his fingertips. He has glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose that he readjusts by one of the arms.
He's knocked out of his trance when the door closes behind him. It's just him and Jeongguk now, in the man's office, in the dead of night. Jimin isn't sure what to feel, what to say or what to do.
Thankfully, Jeongguk is the first to make a move, placing the loose-leaf on top of the desk. He leans forward with his elbows flattened along the oak of his work surface, resting his chin on his intertwined fingers.
"We need to talk," he says, breaking the silence.
Jimin lets out a breath he hadn't realized he was keeping in. He stares into Jeongguk's eyes, trying to figure out what could possibly be on his mind. He's impossible to read and when he notices how stiff the blond is, he stands up while loosening the tie around his neck.
Rather than taking a seat like his body wishes of him, Jimin stands where he is and watches as Jeongguk rounds his desk to lean his backside against the front of it. He folds his arms over his chest, looking the blond over from his dirty sneakers to his messy hair.
"About what?" Jimin finally finds the courage to speak up.
Jeongguk rolls his tongue into the inside of his cheek, leaning his arms against the desk beside his hips. "I think you know, little minx. I think you know very well, actually."
Shaking his head, Jimin looks elsewhere. "I don't," he replies quietly.
He doesn't get anything verbal in response - not just yet, at least. Rather, Jimin feels a finger hook underneath his chin. He's forced to look up and there's Jeongguk's face, incredibly close to his own. It isn't fair how attractive he looks in a suit with it's tie loosened and a pair of glasses on his nose. Their faces are close but not enough for Jimin to feel him breathing against his lips.
"Stop playing coy-"
"I'm not," Jimin interjects and a little after, Jeongguk's finger lowers from his chin. "I'm not playing coy."
A scoff leaves Jeongguk's mouth. He clicks his tongue while he rounds Jimin, standing behind him. The latter freezes in his spot, completely in the dark as to what the man's intentions are.
And then he feels lips graze his ear. "We've never really been good at talking, have we? And if we try, it always ends up with me on top of you. And more often than it probably should, huh? Do you see where I'm going with this?"
Jimin shakes his head, refusing to say anything. Just the feeling of Jeongguk's lips against his skin makes him malfunction. He doesn't realize that the man has actually been pushing him forward until he feels the desk hit his thighs. He's turned around so that he's leaning up against it, placing his hands on the surface by his hips to keep himself stabilized.
"Tell me, little minx. What's going through your head right now?" Jeongguk husks, leaning in close.
The blond looks away, disobedient. His jaw is gripped softly and he's forced to meet Jeongguk's gaze. Jimin has never felt so defenseless against a set of big, brown eyes. They consume him - his every being. They strip down his walls, confronting the feelings he tries so desperately to avoid at all costs. It's almost like they're controlling him, like a marionette does a wooden doll.
Due to his lack of response, Jeongguk forces himself between Jimin's thighs, fingers still secured around his jaw. "You're usually so loud for me. Not tonight?" One of his fingers run down the blond's neck, over his chest until it's sitting against the zipper of his hoodie.
"You're so full of yourself," Jimin quips. "You want me to talk? Fine, I'll talk." He pushes Jeongguk by his chest and the man stumbles backward, catching himself.
Jimin moves forward, keeping his hand on the man's body to force him back. Jeongguk's legs hit the sofa and he falls onto it, immediately straddled by the blond.
While Jimin grips Jeongguk's tie, pulling him a little bit closer, he does his best to ignore the way his heartbeat skyrockets - the way his pulse quickens. He's reminded of the night at the club and this time he feels so high without taking a single puff from a rolled joint. Maybe it's because Jeongguk is responsible for making him feel so light. Like he's the drug to get addicted to instead. And it fucks with his head.
So much so that it gives Jeongguk the opportunity to flip Jimin onto his back. The latter hovers over top of him, focusing on the way the blond's soft, full lips part in surprise. How gentle breaths of air leave from in between them, ghosting his own. The businessman's hand creeps up Jimin's body, beneath his thin zip up hoodie to touch at his smooth skin.
Jimin gasps at the touch, moving his fingers into Jeongguk's hair. "You're the one who invited me here because you said there was something we needed to talk about. So talk."
Suddenly, Jeongguk's expression changes. Not drastically - just enough that Jimin can see the differences. Physically, they're subtle. But in reality - in their reality - they're huge.
The man takes his hand out from beneath Jimin's hoodie, reaching for his wrist. Jeongguk brings it up to his chest, flattening the blond's palm over his heart, staring into the eyes beneath him that tremble with something akin to fear.
"Your heart," Jimin mumbles, his fingers curling into Jeongguk's suit jacket. "It's... beating so fast." His voice is breathy, the words leaving himself in surprise.
Jeongguk hums, removing his hand from Jimin's but the blond's remains where it is. He pushes the smaller man's hair out of his eyes and behind his ear. "...It's because of you, little minx."
Jimin chews on his lip, moving his hand away slowly. He wraps it around Jeongguk's neck and admires him before pulling down slowly. But when their lips almost touch, he tilts his head to the right, feeling lips brush his cheek instead.
This has been his worst fear. Jimin can feel Jeongguk's weight against him, right and comfortable and protective in every possible way. His heart is hammering against his chest too quickly. It's overwhelming to the point a lump begins to form in his throat. This isn't happening.
"Jimin?" Jeongguk questions the second he hears sniffling. "Jimin, look at me."
"N-no." Jimin keeps his head turned away, embarrassed.
"Please, Jimin. Look at me," Jeongguk asks again, much softer.
But to no avail. The blond does what he can to keep quiet, a few cries sneaking between his lips. "I can't," he mumurs.
Jeongguk bites on his inner cheek, watching Jimin closely. "Can't what?"
"I can't do this. Not anymore," Jimin responds with small cracks in his voice.
"Jimin." Jeongguk sounds desperate this time. "Talk to me. I'm right here."
A lingering of silence passes where everything feels so still. Jimin turns his head, bit by bit until he's finally facing Jeongguk again. Cheeks wet and red, eyes glistening with tears. When the latter moves in to wipe it all away, the blond has no energy left to move.
Jeongguk's hand drags gingerly over his skin, careful to not make the red worse than it already is. He ends up cradling the side of Jimin's face, brushing his thumb against his cheekbone.
"...I'm afraid," Jimin croaks, exhaling shakily. "This isn't what I wanted. This isn't... I don't want to get hurt. I've done so well at avoiding it, I... why you? Why now?" He can't stop the words from leaving him as they come barreling out with zero discretion.
"Jimin," Jeongguk whispers, keeping his hand against the blond's cheek. "I could never hurt you."
Jimin doesn't know what to feel - he doesn't have control over any of it. He starts to choke up again, watching with fright and anticipation as Jeongguk comes closer. Their lips touch - a simple graze as the businessman tests the waters. The blond's hands hesitate but secure around Jeongguk's neck. He pulls him in and closes the distance.
Please don't hurt me, he thinks to himself.
(a/n): hey everyone! i hope the pace is okay. a part of me is afraid that this is too soon but the other part is happy because there's still a lot of drama ahead. if i could hear your thoughts that'd be great!