The next morning at school, Jimin has an increasingly hard time keeping his eyes open as he sits at his desk, grading the tests he was told to not worry about last night. His high school students are busy working quietly on unit assignments, and the soft white noises they make are almost soothing enough to lull him into a much needed slumber. He can feel himself slipping and when he does, he looks up with cautious eyes, noticing that one of his students has caught him. He smiles sheepishly, however the young boy simply stares at him.
Jimin rubs his nape and clears his throat, returning to the daunting papers sitting beneath his nose. There's nothing he hates more than failing his students and so for the rest of the work period, he grades them diligently.
Soon the class ends, and the Science teacher is able to hand back their Biology tests. He's pleased to find some happy faces, however a few of his student's overtake a downhearted expression and he knows he's going to have to talk with them shortly to uplift their spirits. They all pile out of the classroom, saying goodbye to Jimin and wishing him a good weekend. His smile doesn't falter, but as soon as he's alone, as soon as nobody is watching, he slumps back into his chair and buries his face in his hands, exhaling heavily.
Soon he departs from the haven of his hands and he scans his cluttered desk briefly, taking in all of the papers he's required to go over and hand back to his students. He sighs at the thought of having to stay late, yet that seems to be the only plausible option seeing as nothing will get done at home.
Jimin rubs at his irritated eyes, not having to use contact lenses in months. He grips the plethora of papers on his desk, shuffling through all of them and getting to work.
The teacher spends hours upon hours until he believes he's the only one at the school, desperate for a quick dose of hot coffee. Standing up from his desk, he walks sluggishly to the teacher's lounge, grabbing himself a mug from one of the cabinets. Jimin starts the coffee machine and after doing so, he leans against the counter, pulling out his phone.
As if right on cue, he receives another text message and an immediate chill ripples down his spine. He can feel the hairs on his arms rise as he reads it over.
Unknown:
I forgot how good
you looked in a dress
shirt and tight dress pants.
I can't wait to touch
you again.
Read at 7:03 PM.
Jimin fumbles with his phone, shoving it in his back pocket. Suddenly the room has gotten much colder and he completely forgets about the coffee being brewed. He leaves the teacher's lounge and makes his way back to his classroom. During his paced walk, his paranoia sets in as he constantly peers over his shoulder.
As soon as he reaches his classroom, he shoves all of his papers inside of his bag as well as his belongings and swings it over his shoulder in a panicked frenzy. He can feel as well as hear his heart pounding in his ears and the fear consuming him only amplifies as the lights are killed and everything goes pitch black.
Jimin keeps his mouth closed, terrified as he exits his classroom, walking through the barren and dark hallways of his high school. He isn't sure if he can hear noises, or if it's just his mind playing tricks on him considering the circumstances. Whatever it may be, he's still as equally afraid once he exits the school, walking quickly to reach his vehicle parked at the side of his building.
Fumbling with the keys in his small hands, a lump residing in his throat and threatening to burst in the form of tears has Jimin whimpering quietly and desperately. Unfortunately he drops them, and when he does, he feels a hand press to his shoulder.
The teacher whips around with fear stricken eyes and soaked cheeks, surprised to find Officer Jeon standing before him with a concerned expression on his face.
"Jimin?" the policeman asks and said male releases a thankful, timbre cry, wiping the tears from his face. "Why are you here so late? Why are you crying?" Jeongguk questions and the teacher sniffles, crouching down to pick up his keys.
"Just marking some papers," he replies quietly, standing rigidly. He peers around, on alert and the police officer seems to notice instantly.
"...Okay, but you still haven't told me why you're crying. Did something happen?" he asks, and despite his reoccurring tender expression, his complexion as well as tone approaches an austere attempt and Jimin sighs quietly, shaking his head.
"It's just that the power went out. I don't say it often because people make fun of me for it, but I'm still afraid of the dark," he explains, only half telling the truth.
"That's fine. We all have our fears. And that's actually why I'm here. The station got a call from an unknown number saying there was an unnatural power outage and seeing as we're located just down the street, I figured I'd drive down and check it out," Jeongguk explains and momentarily Jimin's facade twists into a perplexed state.
"That must have been you, right? The parking lot is empty and your car is the only one I see," Officer Jeon furthers and Jimin sniffles one last time, deciding to nod his head in agreement despite the stark contrast in his current inward sentiments.
This means that his suspicions are confirmed and his ex is definitely back in town, trying to harass him and not only by text. But why would he call the cops? Why would he purposefully get them involved?
"Well, you should probably head home. It's getting late and I'm sure you've spent your body with all of the reading and teaching you've done," Officer Jeon advises kindly and Jimin chuckles softly, rubbing at his nape.
"Yeah, maybe... but I've gotten used to pulling late nighters and reading until words no longer make sense," the teacher replies and Jeongguk's lips quirk upward into a very small, sympathetic grin.
"Do you want me to stick around and follow you home?" Officer Jeon asks and Jimin can't help but break into a sheepish smile.
"Are you worried about me?" the teacher asks with a shy smile and then immediately after face palms, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. I know you're married—"
"No, it's okay," Jeongguk assures. "But I do have a right to be, don't I? I say this in the kindest way possible, but each time I've run into you, you've been a mess," he says in jest and Jimin doesn't find the need to disagree.
"Well, you're not wrong about that, that's for sure," he says and finds himself smiling, unsurprisingly more at ease while in the presence of Officer Jeon and his comforting aura as well as genial nature.
"I'll tell you what. I'm off in about half an hour. How about we grab a bite to eat afterwards? Have you eaten yet?" Jeongguk asks and Jimin shakes his head.
"No, not yet. Not unless we're counting the rough estimate of five cups of coffee I've consumed since classes have ended," the teacher jokes with a weak smile and Jeongguk tsks playfully.
"You can't live off of coffee, Jimin. Give me twenty-five minutes and we can meet up at Denny's," Jeongguk suggests strongly and Jimin scrunches his nose, running his hand through his hair with clear hesitation. He really should finish grading the last few tests he has sitting in his bag, yet the policeman doesn't seem to give the teacher a choice as he holds his open hand in front of Jimin.
"Phone," he states monotously and Jimin purses his lips, reaching into his bag. He grabs his phone and places it in the man's hand, watching intently as his thumbs move swiftly.
"There," he says as he hands the teacher his phone back, smiling victoriously. "My number."
"Okay," Jimin says softly, and as the officer pivots on his heel toward the school, the teacher grips his wrist and stops him in his tracks, not trusting he'll be safe seeing as the blond's ex clearly has something up his sleeve.
Officer Jeon turns around and sends the teacher a perplexed look, eyes averting to the soft grip around his waist.
Jimin pulls his hand away shyly, rubbing at his nape as he looks to the ground, embarrassed. "It's the weekend, right? I'm sure someone can take a look at it tomorrow morning when it isn't late at night. I mean... if that's okay?" he suggests hesitantly and finds himself relaxing as soon as Jeongguk breaks into a smile.
"Yeah, I guess so. It isn't urgent, I suppose. There's definitely worse things happening in the world than power outages," he says in jest and the teacher smiles. "I'll just get one of my fellow officers to take a look at it."
"I mean, only if that's okay with you? I don't wanna pull you away from your duties if it will get you in trouble," Jimin replies while toying with his keys in his hands.
Jeongguk sniffs. "It's fine. I just have to change out of my uniform first and then we can grab that thing to eat. How does that sound?" he asks and Jimin curls his lips in, looking down to his feet.
"I kind of like you in uniform... not that I think you look sexy in it or anything! Oh my gosh, this just keeps getting worse," Jimin complains as he covers his face briefly in embarrassment. "What I'm trying to say is that it makes me feel safe. Y'know... when you wear it," he finishes and at this point he's completely red.
Officer Jeon can't help but to chuckle while silently watching the teacher suffer. "I still know exactly what I'm doing without it on. But if it feels too awkward to see me in something other than my uniform, I can keep it on," he soothes and Jimin looks up, giving the man a weak, sheepish smile. The teacher is thankful that the policeman doesn't seem to mind his indiscretion, even though it's accidental, for the most part. He still blames it on his lack of sleep and ten cups of coffee a day, though.
"That's good," he says quietly and has the sudden urge to rub at his eyes, whimpering softly with vexation.
"You sure you're not too tired?" Jeongguk asks and Jimin shakes his head.
"It's just these stupid contact lenses. I haven't had to use them in so long but they're all I have until I get a new pair of glasses. They just irritate me and make me blink funny," he explains sadly, and the policeman chuckles.
"Blink funny?" he reiterates and the teacher nods his head with a dejected expression, scrunching his nose.
"It doesn't help that I'm so used to pushing my glasses up with my index finger. Sometimes I forget I'm not wearing them and just end up poking myself in the eye. It's only been one day yet it feels like they've been making fun of me for it for a week," Jimin adds on with a gentle sigh.
Officer Jeon smiles sweetly, shaking his head. "You really are just a fragile little thing, aren't you?" he questions and Jimin blushes, thankful that the dark sky helps in hiding his bashful state.
"Let's just go. I don't like it out here," the teacher suggests and Jeongguk nods in agreement.
"Just follow me and I'll lead the way. See you in a little bit," the taller man says and Jimin smiles, watching him as he walks to his police car.
He climbs into his own, finally enough at ease that he's able to start it without difficulty. He starts the car and remains still for a moment. Pressing at his warm cheeks, he sighs softly.
This isn't good.