As the glaring, setting sun slips between the cracked curtains and reaches the teacher's face, his eyes flutter and his face contorts sleepily. He's so tightly held in Jeongguk's arms that even the thought of moving is ridiculous.
He feels his cheeks heat up as his eyes linger to their perfectly woven legs. He can feel the man's peaceful breaths as they ghost the side of his face.
"Jeongguk," he says quietly, getting nothing but an adorable, lazy nose scrunch in response.
"Please wake up," he tries again softly and his heart skips a beat as the policeman's eyes open and land directly on his own.
"You're squeezing me too tight," Jimin states and releases a thankful huff of air as Jeongguk snakes his arms away.
"Sorry. I'm a cuddler," he admits sheepishly and rolls onto his back, placing his hands beneath his head while looking up. "It wasn't my intention to fall asleep next to you."
Jimin bites down on the inside of his cheek, peering up at the roof himself. "It's okay... I haven't been able to sleep in a very long time. It was surprisingly easy with you next to me," he says and blushes deeply, eyes in clear panic as they flit from the ceiling to the side of the man's face. He's not very good at keeping his prospering sentiments on the down low.
"I'm sorry, I should go-"
"It's okay, Jimin. I'm glad you were able to fall asleep," Jeongguk cuts him off and the teacher hums quietly, pressing his fingers to the bags beneath his eyes. He can almost feel how heavy they are and as he looks out the window, he watches the sun as it placidly slips beneath the horizon, kissing the earth's surface.
"It's not even night yet," Jimin mumbles quietly and swings his legs over the bed. With balled up fists he rubs at his sleepy eyes and yawns cutely. "When is So-Young coming home?" he asks curiously.
"She should be home soon. She's typically out running errands after her shifts," Jeongguk explains and the teacher can feel the man's weight lift off of the bed.
"I think it's super cool how she's a veterinarian - oh!" Jimin squeaks, covering his face with his hands in order to hide the garnet red walloping his cheeks. He definitely wasn't prepared to see the policeman shirtless again, and so soon.
"Hm," Jeongguk hums as he shuffles through a dresser drawer, searching for a clean top.
"Y-you're not wearing a shirt," the teacher mumbles and Jeongguk chuckles.
"It's okay for you to look. You just fell asleep on my side of the bed and so all of my clothes are over here," he explains in short, rolling a white top over his body.
"Okay..." Jimin replies shyly and he slowly lowers his hands from his beat red face. He stares down into his lap, blinking rapidly.
"Hey, you okay?" Jeongguk asks as soon as he notices and freezes admist what he's doing, giving the teacher his full and undivided attention.
"I fell asleep with my contacts in by accident. It hurts," he whimpers suddenly and the policeman sits by his side, a small look of worry sewn onto his pretty face.
"You can take them out if you'd like, Jimin," Jeongguk suggests and Jimin shakes his head.
"I need my case. It's in the spare bedroom," he replies and the taller man squeezes his shoulder.
"Okay, I'll be right back," Jeongguk states and Jimin can feel Officer Jeon's weight rise from the bed and his presence leave the room.
It's been roughly five minutes, and Jimin is thinking that the man can't find his case. He stands up just to do it himself until he hears the same familiar ticking against a window he did the night previous.
He cranes his neck, turning to the right, afraid to open the blinds fully seeing as his answer has now been answered. It wasn't a tree that whole night. It was his ex.
"J-Jeongguk," he calls out with a cracked timbre as soon as he sees the side of the man's face reveal itself. He sports a sadistic smile and his eye pierces into his own. He knocks faster on the window and as it gets louder, Jimin beckpedals and falls onto his butt. He cradles his ears with his hands, trying to kill the sound. He begins to sob into his knees, desperate to escape the incessant scratching and ticking sound resonating in his ears.
"S-stop! Please just make it stop!" he cries out and at once Jeongguk is in front of him, kneeling down to meet his trembling body as well as red and damp cheeks.
As soon as Jimin spots the policeman in front of him, he lunges forward and wraps his arms around the man's neck. Jeongguk pulls the teacher in just as close, circling his arms around the smaller man's middle.
"Hey, you're okay. I'm here," he soothes into his ear and Jimin's small fingers curl into the man's shirt.
"I s-saw him, Gguk. He's h-here. I'm sorry. I'm putting you b-both in danger," Jimin cries into the nape of his neck.
"You're okay, Jimin. Just breathe in and out, okay? I'm here. I'm always here," Jeongguk says as he begins to rock back and forth, hand rubbing up and down the smaller man's back the whole time. "Where did you see him?" he asks and Jimin pulls his face away.
He peers over at the window, small finger pointing in said direction as he sucks in his bottom lip.
"Let me take a look," Jeongguk says and stands to his feet, feeling the man's arms release from his body.
The teacher watches closely as Officer Jeon approaches with window without so much as hesitation. He's fearless and as he rips the blinds open, Jimin flinches.
Nobody is there. Not anymore.
"I don't see anybody, but I believe you," Jeongguk states and crouches down in front of the smaller, trembling man. He hands him the case for his contacts and Jimin takes it thankfully.
"...Is it okay if I take a shower first? I feel gross and I don't wanna take on in the morning right before I have to go to work," he asks timidly as he peers up at the man's doe eyes.
"Of course you can. I'll prepare you an extra change of clothes as soon as you're done. How's that sound?" Jeongguk suggests with a ginger small and Jimin nods his head, allowing himself to be helped to his feet.
"A fresh towel should already be in there. Take your time, okay?"
"Okay, thanks," Jimin murmurs, smiling shyly. He leaves the man's bedroom and approaches the bathroom cautiously, entering it.
He slides against the door as soon as it's closed and locked and lowers his face into his knees. His fingers weave into his hair and he tugs his locks out of frustration as well as fear. Nothing about this is good. Not his feelings, not his ex-boyfriend knowing where he's staying.
Jimin huffs, feeling tears sting at his eyes. He shakes his head and stands to his feet, pulling his clothes off of his body. He looks at himself in the mirror, studying the scars his ex had left behind.
He doesn't like the way he looks. He never has.
The teacher curls his lips in and hops into the shower. He turns the water on and toys with it until the temperature is to his liking. It cascades down his figure and strikes all of his aching muscles, easing the built up tension coiling his body.
Finally, he feels at peace. The loud sound of his thrumming heartbeat is drowned out by the water as it clashes with the floor of the shower. He no longer feels like he's running and can finally stay still. He can finally unwind, knowing that Jeongguk is out there, keeping him safe.
But he then starts crying and slowly lowers himself to the ground. His situation begins to catch up with him. He's tired of running. He's tired of putting other people at risk just because he's too afraid to go to the station. Too afraid to get any other officers involved.
Jimin shakes his head and stands to his feet. He ignores the lump residing in the very core of his throat and washes at his hair deftly, feeling guilty for how much water he's using.
Once he's finished he turns the water off and hops out of the shower. He dries himself off lazily and wraps a towel around his waist, another of smaller size resting on his shoulder. He exits the bathroom quickly and seeks haven in Jeongguk's bedroom.
As soon as Jimin's standing in the doorway, he knocks lightly.
The policeman is propped up against the bed, sweats on his legs and a newly added hoodie on his body. His eyes tend to the novel gripped in his hands but as soon as his gaze flits to the man standing in the doorway, the story is no longer on his mind.
He sits up slowly, placing the piece of literature to the side. Jimin stands bashfully, eyes lingering on Jeongguk's struck facial expression and if he doesn't know any better, he would say he's being checked out.
"I'm, um... done showering," he states the obvious with a shy tone to his voice.
"Yeah, okay. Take a seat on the bed and I'll find you some new things to wear," Jeongguk suggests and Jimin does as told, seating himself on the foot of the mattress. His gaze is trained on his lap and he plays with his small fingers, honing in on the sounds of the policeman moving behind.
Jimin doesn't notice that the bed has dipped behind him and before he knows it, he feels gentle, feathery like touches along his back. He tenses up as Jeongguk clearly traces his scar outlines with perfect precision and benign care, not wanting to scare him away.
"He did this to you, didn't he?" Officer Jeon brings up and Jimin nods slowly with a heavy heart, sinking his teeth into his bottom lip.
"...I'm sorry. I wasn't there for you when you needed me the most," he apologizes and Jimin gasps softly as the man's warm hand envelopes his slim waist.
"It's o-okay... I believed I deserved it back then. I wasn't looking for help," the teacher admits sadly.
Jeongguk frowns and rounds the bed, taking a seat in front of Jimin rather than behind him. He tilts the man's head up seeing as he's staring at the bed and their faces align. They stare into each other's eyes and the teacher is the first to break, scrambling to look back at his legs.
"You have to stop. You... You can't look at me like that. You can't touch me softly and expect it to not have an effect on me. It hurts, Jeongguk. You're hurting me and you don't even know it," Jimin states truthfully.
"...I'm sorry. I don't know what it is, but... you're just so soft. But I understand how you feel, and I need to acknowledge that. Here. Your clothes," he says and places them in Jimin's hands.
"Thanks," he mumbles with red cheeks. "I should probably go change."
"I'll see you in the morning, yeah?" Jeongguk says and the teacher nods.
"See you in the morning."