A/N: A lot happened last chapter, so we're slowing it down a bit this time. Savor the sweetness of this chapter, because it'll go sour before long.
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You had almost forgotten about Jackson's vet appointment that you had scheduled a week before. You'd told Jimin he could come since the kitten was half his, but your stomach churned. Other than class and dance practice, you didn't really associate with Jimin on campus, and if your ex or the wrong person were to see, it could mess up your plan for revenge or cause problems like the night before.
Slut.
You're ex's words still echoed in your head. You knew it shouldn't matter what he thought of you or what he called you, but it still hurt. It shouldn't matter that you enjoyed sex, casual sex, even, or that you enjoyed the attention you got when you wore a short dress or a tight skirt. It was easy not to think about when you got what you wanted, but as soon as someone you used to care about so much looked down on you for those things and called a name you usually embraced, it hurt.
You left for class in yoga pants, a sports bra, and a jacket thrown over the top. You shut your door and turned around to lock it, noticing two Ziploc bags taped to the door and a sticky note stuck between them.
You smiled, remembering Jimin's text. You peeled the sticky note off the door:
A treat for Mochi and a treat for Mommy
He'd drawn a small heart and smiley face after the note and indicated which bag was for you and which was for the kitten. However, looking at them it was obvious which was yours. One bag was full of cat treats and the other full of hard candies. You took one of the red candies and popped into your mouth. Cherry.
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You entered the classroom and noticed it mostly empty except for a few students huddled in a group in the back and Jimin setting up mats around the studio. He looked up as soon as he heard the door. He smiled but was sure not to linger too long.
You quickly stuck out your red stained tongue causing him to smile. You could tell he held back laughter as he ran his hand through his hair, his smile only growing wider.
"What're the mats for?" you asked.
"You'll have to wait and see," he said, cocking an eyebrow.
You rolled your eyes and noticed as the rest of the class began filing in. You took your spot in the class, despite not being assigned a place to stand, everyone always fell into the same places. The instructor came in a few minutes later.
"Hello class," she said. "Today we're going to be doing something a bit different. For some of you, this will be familiar, but for others, this may take you out of your comfort zone. Regardless, part of being successful in the dance world is trusting in your team and your partners. So, today we are going to do some trust exercises, so partner up."
You looked around as everyone in the class grabbed onto a partner. You looked towards the girl next to you who had asked about Jimin--Eun-ha--but she had already paired with the girl on her other side.
"Now, there's an odd number, so one of you is probably without a partner," the instructor said, her eyes sweeping through the pairs before landing on you. "Ah, Inna." She waved her hand over at Jimin. "Jimin will be your partner."
Jimin walked over to you. He held a smug look on his face and he looped his arm through yours, brushing his fingertips over the skin of yours lightly.
"All right, the first exercise is an easy one, the trust fall," the instructor said. "Take turns falling backward and catching each other."
You turned to Jimin. "All right, fall," you said.
He laughed and turned around. "Are you sure you can catch me?"
"Shut up and just do it," you said. "Let's just get it over with."
You held your arms out and Jimin fell towards you. You caught him with your arms locking through his armpits and his head falling against your collarbone. You were used to these kinds of trust exercises from your ballet days. They were standard in the beginner's classes and often when working on a show when tensions are high, you'd all run through them again.
You helped push Jimin back to his feet. He turned to face you, a large grin taking up the majority of his face. "You trust me, babe?"
"To do a trust fall? Sure. Otherwise? Not an ounce."
"Ah, come on, I didn't beat up your ex last night for nothing."
Your entire body stiffened and you stood frozen. Did he really hurt Chul-soo? Your eyes looked down at his knuckles which didn't look terribly bruised. You hated your ex. You wouldn't care if he disappeared and you never had to see him again, but the thought of Jimin beating him up brought back the memories from high school of Jimin's black eye and bruised ribs and that Chul-soo didn't come to school for a few days he and Jimin fought back then.
"Okay, the second partner should be going by now," the instructor said.
You shook away the thoughts and Jimin's concerned glances and turned around. You held your arms up and began to tip back on your ankles, feeling your toes leave the floor and slowly, ever so slowly, you began to fall. Your eyes closed and you felt as Jimin's arms came under your own and catch you.
Your head rested against his shoulder and you felt his breath against your scalp. He slowly helped you back to your feet, but his hands lingered on arms and his lips brushed against the top of your ear.
"See? You can trust me." His voice was raspy and rough, but so hushed you could barely make out the words.
You scoffed and pushed him away. Yet, you felt a small pull in your stomach that maybe, just maybe, his words were true.
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"Hey beautiful," Jimin said, leaning against his motorcycle and holding his spare helmet in his right hand. "I should write your name on this." He held the helmet up to you and you took it and strapped it on. "You're the only one who wears it."
You rolled your eyes as Jimin climbed onto the motorcycle and started it. You got on behind him and wrapped your arms around his middle. Once you were secure, he kicked up the kickstand and drove towards your apartment.
You weren't sure what it was about a motorcycle that made you feel so free. You could rest your head between his shoulder blades and feel like you were the only two people in the world. The wind that swirled around you isolating you from the rest of the world.
It only took a few minutes to reach your apartment. Jimin followed you up and waited for you to unlock the door. Jackson was curled up on the couch asleep, but as soon as you opened the door, his head popped up and he meowed in greeting.
"Hey buddy," Jimin said, immediately throwing himself down on your couch and touch his noses with the kitten.
"I'm going to go change. I'll be just a second."
He hardly acknowledged you as you walked back to your bedroom and changed into a different pair of leggings and a sweatshirt. You placed a few treats in the pocket to reward Jackson after the vet and to make sure he stayed in your pocket on the way there.
You walked back toward the living room and heard Jimin talking to the kitten softly. "You're taking care of her, right, Mochi? I can't be here all the time, so I need you to make sure she's all right." You felt your chest tighten and walked into the living room.
"Hey," you said. "I'm ready."
He nodded and picked up Jackson, the kitten slumping happily over his palm. He handed the kitten to you and you placed him in your sweatshirt pocket where he curled up against your stomach. You kept one of your hands inside the pocket and allowed the kitten to chew lightly on your fingers.
You walked back down to Jimin's motorcycle and climbed on, this time careful not to crush the kitten, but also ensuring that the kitten couldn't climb out during the ride.
"I think I'm gonna keep my hand in so that he can't fall out," you said.
"No," Jimin said. "I don't want to risk you getting hurt. Just make sure you stay close to me and he should be all right."
"Jimin, I'll be fine. It's not a long ride--"
"Just be careful. I really shouldn't ride with you on this thing."
You rolled your eyes and secured one of your arms around his waist while you kept the other one in your sweatshirt pocket.
Jimin took off slower this time and you noticed he braked sooner and slower. Jackson stayed in your pocket, nearly asleep between yours and Jimin's bodies.
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"He appears to be fairly healthy for a stray," the vet said, her hands ran over the kitten's body and peered at his teeth. "He does look a little malnourished, but it's likely he was abandoned or orphaned. It's nothing a little love can't fix."
Jackson--unlike any other pet you'd before--didn't seem to mind to mind the vet's poking and prodding. He only mewed a little during his vaccinations and even purred as the vet did her examination.
"Looks like this little guy was lucky you two found him when you did," she said. "We'll keep him here for a couple of days to monitor him and prep to neuter him." You nodded, swallowing back your worries. "You can come pick him up in a few days. We'll make sure he's perfectly comfortable."
You nodded and gave Jackson a few goodbye pets and the treats he hadn't already eaten. He nudged the back of your hand and you felt it hard to pull away from the kitten.
You were startled out of your thoughts as you felt Jimin's hand on the small of your back. He gave you a sympathetic look before petting Jackson.
"We should get going," he said. "We still have to practice tonight."
You nodded and left the little kitten with the vet. You clung to Jimin a little tighter as he drove back to the university.
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You approached the final dance studio, although felt your heart sink as you heard music. All of the studios were being used.
"It's full," you said, walking back down the hall to Jimin. You shrugged your shoulders, your lips pouting out slightly.
Jimin sighed and reached into his pocket. You heard the rustling of keys and watched as he flipped through his keys until he came to a small silver one. "Come on," he said.
You followed him down the other side of the hallway and to an older part of the building. The building with all the studios had recently been remodeled and so there were a few abandoned dance studios in the basement of the building, but they were normally locked.
"Since I'm the T.A., I have access to the old studios," he said. "Since I'm required to always be available."
He unlocked the door to one of the studios and held the door open as you walked in. He followed you in and turned on the lights. The studio smelled a little dusty but was still in good condition, other than a few dents in the floor.
You headed to the corner of the room to plug in your phone.
"Wait," Jimin said. "I wanna do something different today."
He took hold of your wrists and led you to the center of the room. He sat down and you did the same. He pulled out a bottle of alcohol from behind him and two shot glasses.
"Where?! Jimin, have you had those the whole time?"
"It doesn't matter," he said. "What matters, is that for me to be able to help you, we're going to have to work through some things. You can still go on with your little revenge plots, I don't care, but you need to trust me enough for this."
"So, what's the alcohol for?"
"Answer or drink," he said.
"Jimin, you still have to drive..."
"I don't have a reason to go home tonight. Do you?"
Without Mochi at your apartment, there was no reason for you to go home. Your outfit was appropriate for the next day's dance class and it wasn't like you hadn't stayed out all night before classes before.
You shook your head and Jimin proceeded to pour you both a glass. The alcohol he'd chosen was a cinnamon flavored whiskey you were surprised he'd like at all. The orange liquid settled in the shot glass and you were surprised as Jimin took a shot immediately. He poured himself another shot and set the bottle back down with a soft thud.
"All right, who should go first?"
"I will," you said. "Are you attracted to me?"
"Yes," Jimin said, his voice cutting through the air. "Don't waste all your questions like that."
"Why do you let me see Mochi?" he asked.
"What do you mean, Jimin? We found him together. It's only right."
"But, you hate me?"
You sighed, downing you shot and refilling it. "That was two questions."
"Why are you so nice to me?" you asked.
Jimin's eyes softened for a moment before he took the shot glass and tipped it back.
"Why do you still care about what happened?" Jimin asked.
"You were my first boyfriend, Jimin. I don't know, I was deluded and naive and you took advantage of that. Why--why did you do it in the first place?"
Jimin sat still for a moment, his eyes stuck on your face. "I don't know," he said. His voice cracked and barely there.
"That's not an answer, Jimin."
"I know, but I really don't know why I did that."
"Just drink."
He obliged and took a shot. While you knew Jimin had a fairly high alcohol tolerance, you could see the flush beginning in his cheeks.
"What happened between you and Chul-soo?"
You immediately took the shot. There was no way you were going to explain everything between you and Chul-soo. The cheating, the toxicity, the jealousy that turned to resentment. You'd dated Chul-soo for years, and yet, you were happiest without him.
"I tried to look for you, you know? That night after you ran off, I looked for you for hours," Jimin said, his flush getting worse. "Where did you go?"
"Jimin, I--"
"Just drink," he said.
You did, this time the whiskey didn't go down as smoothly, the burn in the back of your throat becoming scalding. You felt your own neck and cheeks heating up. You hardly ever got flushed, but this time, you weren't sure if it was from the alcohol, or from the game.
"Why are you doing this? Surely, you had girlfriends after me," you said. "Why do you care about me so much?"
Jimin didn't answer, but rather, scooted closer to you. He took a shot, keeping eye contact with you. He threw the shot glass aside before his hands were cupping your cheeks.
"Jimin?"
"Can I kiss you?"
Your eyes widened at the question, but before you could even think about answering, your lips had already done it for you. "Yes."
His lips landed on yours for the first time since the night you first spotted him the club. He tasted like cinnamon and alcohol, you were sure you tasted the same. Within a minute, your back was on the floor and Jimin's hips were pressed against your own. His hands were balanced firmly on the floor on either side of your head.
He pulled away, his eyes tired and his lips swollen. Jimin brought one of his hands to his hair and pushed it back, before bringing back down and wiping his thumb over your lips.
"You should go home," he said.
"Jimin, I thought we were just going to stay here all night?"
"I changed my mind. Come on."
"No, Jimin, you're not driving. Let's just walk back to my place. You can crash on the couch."
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When you woke up the next morning, Jimin was gone. This time there was no note left or any evidence he'd even been there, other than the crumpled up blanket on the couch. All he left was the slight swelling of your lips and a small ache in your chest that you wished would go away.