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the water has turned cold around him. it’s with wrinkled, trembling fingers that jeongguk reaches for his phone when it buzzes, an incoming message to be read on the screen.
me, [05:09 PM]
come in hyung
was just having a bath
be out in a min
right after jimin replies with a smiling face, jeongguk hears the distant sound of a door cracking open, then hushing shut right after. he’s given jimin his passcode a few months ago, yet he always gives jeongguk a heads up before he intrudes into his home. and on most days, jeongguk would argue, tell jimin how he’s always welcome here; refrains to add how he wishes this could be a home for him, too. (he will, one day, that much he knows. but they’ll get there whenever that time comes.)
tonight, however, jeongguk is glad for the announcement.
he’s spent the past forty minutes in the bathtub, knees pressed against his chest and arms rough with goosebumps where they meet the chilly air. he knows he should hurry or else they’re gonna be late for their reservation, but—but…
it’s silly. god, jeongguk knows it’s so damn silly—or so he has been trying to convince himself ever since he got out of that store. but he couldn’t help it then, the grin that stretched on his lips and the tickles in his chest that almost had him bouncing on his feet; neither can he help this nerve-wrecking feeling that has been clogging him ever since he arrived at his home. and the thing is, the tickles haven’t even left him; but it’s only natural, he figures, how it takes only a few seconds for that laughter to turn into panic, and suddenly—jeongguk is terrified.
it’s just a skirt. a skirt he bought especially for his date with his lovely boyfriend who he wanted to surprise. and also for himself, because he always wanted to wear a skirt. and it—it shouldn’t be a big deal. jimin has worn skirts more than once, even. but… that’s the whole issue, isn’t it?
because, for jimin, it is just a skirt.
for jeongguk, though, it’s so much more.
it’s a door he’s so scared to open he can’t even bring himself to get on his feet and join his boyfriend, who’s waiting for him right outside now.
time ticks by again when he hears a soft knock coming from the door, then freezes again until jimin’s voice comes from outside.
“baby? everything alright?” it’s soft as always and jeongguk knows there’s no rush in his words—only sheer concern, but that doesn’t ease jeongguk’s heart in the slightest. he wonders how long must have passed since jimin came inside. he doesn’t dare to reach out for his phone to check. at his silence, jimin insists, “jeongguk-ah? you in there?”
“yeah... yes,” jeongguk forces himself to nod, reaching behind himself to look for a towel. “i’m sorry, i’ll be with you in just—fuck,” jeongguk curses as he stumbles on his feet as he rushed out of the tub, barely managing to keep his balance.
jimin seems to have caught on to the crash from outside, because it’s in that second that he knocks once again, “what—jeongguk? i’m coming in.”
it’s only when he finally finds jeongguk that his voice melts, becoming smaller when he reaches out to him. “hey,” he smiles when jeongguk turns to him, adjusting a towel around his waist, water dripping down his body and pooling under his feet. “you scared me there, babe. sorry for crashing in.”
“it’s alright,” jeongguk reassures, feeling a bit guilty for having made jimin worry over nothing. “sorry, i just… god, what hour is it? give me ten minutes and i’ll be ready. for real this time.”
“hang in there, woah,” jimin frowns, playfully. “not even a kiss? a ‘hi, hyung! missed you so much, my beloved, the light of my life’?”
even though jimin is joking, it makes jeongguk’s heart shrink in his chest. he purses his lips together, then shakes his worries off. or, at least, he tries to, reaching out to jimin while his hands fall on his waist, lips against his.
“sorry. sorry, baby. hi,” he smiles, shyly, albeit genuinely. although it’s short-lived, immediately fading once he finds jimin’s eyes again, only to notice he’s not smiling. he knows something is off—he must, because jeongguk is shit at hiding his feelings, and jimin never fails to read right through him as if he were an open book. “i’m sorry, i’ve been a little distracted all day long. ‘course i missed you.”
it’s sincere, when he reaches for jimin’s lips once again, eyelids easily giving up as he lets himself breathe in, breathe into jimin. it’s soothing, makes him dizzy, and his thoughts a little more disperse. better this way, jeongguk thinks to himself. it’s always easy to shut his worries out entirely under jimin’s touch.
“ah, sorry, forgot i’m still wet,” jeongguk apologizes with a small chuckle. “i just—missed you.” need you.
“ah, jeongguk-ah,” jimin husks through a smirk, fingers brushing a strand of hair off jeongguk’s forehead. his hand curves against his jaw as he tugs the dripping hair behind his ear. “i know, i missed you, too.” he pauses, examining jeongguk’s features before he speaks again “is there anything you wanna tell me about, though?”
“no, it’s—” jeongguk shakes his head, not managing to let the words out. “we’ll be late, hyung.”
it makes jimin laugh, this time. “we still have some time, don’t worry about that. besides… something’s bothering you, baby, isn’t it? it’s okay if you don’t wanna talk about it. but if you do, we have all the time in the world, alright?”
jeongguk opens his mouth to argue, the words ‘there’s no need, hyung, everything’s alright’ already forming at the back of his voice. but, as he bores into jimin’s eyes, he can’t say it—doesn’t want to say it.
“it’s silly, really,” he blurts out, nerves making his voice break into a nervous laughter. and god—he wants to take it back as soon as it’s out, because it’s only now that he realizes he doesn’t even know what’s the problem, really. or rather, he doesn’t know how to—doesn’t dare to put it into words.
“it’s not silly if it’s upsetting you.”
jeongguk nods, giving himself the time to let it sink in, and also the time to think. it doesn’t take much for him to realize this is something… he wants to talk about. a weight he wants to free his shoulders from, if only partly. and it doesn’t take him much to realize that it’s jimin, the one he wants to trust this part of himself with. the one he wants to go through this with.
“i guess it’s silly, though, in a way,” jeongguk admits, feeling bare under jimin’s gaze. and it’s not simply because he’s almost entirely naked, under the soothing feeling of his fingers running down his smooth skin—with those same hands that have explored jeongguk’s body all too many times, in and out.
it’s always been easy to let himself be under them. untangle all of his worries until he turns to silk in jimin’s hands.
so, even if this is a piece of himself that he has treasured deep, deep inside him throughout many years, it’s also one he wants to share with him, as well.
“i bought a skirt,” jeongguk blurts out, a little breathless, squeezing his eyes closed in a grimace as he patiently awaits for jimin’s laughter.
what he finds, instead, is a small smile—not one that’s mocking, rather… tender, clean, void of anything that isn’t love. and god, god, jeongguk feels warmth spreading through his chest the same way he’s sure flush is reaching his cheeks now.
jimin doesn’t say anything, only waits for jeongguk to go on. “i just… i wanted to surprise you. wanted to wear it tonight, ‘cause i always found skirts pretty and kind of, wanted to give them a try, i guess? i just—i never entertained that thought enough to actually act on it. but… i saw this really pretty skirt today, tried it on, and said fuck it. and i kind of loved it,” loved it a little bit too much, “but then as i started getting ready for our date i just couldn’t bring myself to put it on and…”
“easy there,” jimin reassures, voice small yet firm. “take it slow. you bought a skirt? it isn’t silly to be nervous about it, jeongguk-ah. god knows i was terrified the first time i dared to wear a skirt outside. no matter how damn good it looked on me.”
at the information, jeongguk tilts his head in surprise. “really?” it’s a bit hard to believe, knowing how confident jimin is these days. although it’s surprisingly reassuring, as well, finding out there was a process for him to get here. it makes jeongguk believe he’ll be able to be there one day, too.
“of course i was,” jimin chuckles at the memory. “it is silly, when you think about it rationally, ‘cause it shouldn’t be a big deal to wear whatever you want—but that’s not how a lot of people view it, is it? it’s alright to acknowledge that, too. because that’s what we were taught, as well. but it’s a process, coming to terms with the fact that you, and anyone, can wear whatever clothes they feel comfortable in. despite what others might think.”
“i guess… yeah, you’re right,” jeongguk says, at the lack of better words and—this is exactly why he knows he’d trust jimin with his life. his heart. his soul. no one has ever made him feel this understood.
this safe.
it makes his trail of thoughts freeze for a second, all his worries coming down to crumbles to realize—god, he’s so thankful for jimin. he knows he loves him, knows jimin loves him, too. but… there’s still an abysmal distance, between love and trust, because jeongguk loves a lot of people—he loves his family, loves his friends—, yet there’s only a few who make him feel this free. safe enough to allow himself to be.
familiar words start to swell at the back of his throat, and jeongguk allows himself to taste them, as if he was patiently waiting for them to ferment there, let their roots settle down, down, deep inside him until it was his heart, they’d reach—just to let them out in full bloom.
he doesn’t get to speak them yet, though, before jimin is smiling at him, reassuringly.
“do you wanna show me, baby? if you think maybe that could help, of course. i love that you wanted to surprise me, but it’s okay if you’re not ready yet, okay? you can keep it to yourself for as long as you want to. although… i can tell you i don’t need to see you wearing a skirt to know you look absolutely gorgeous in it.”
“ah, you’re just flattering me now,” jeongguk chuckles, gaze escaping jimin’s eyes for a second.
“have you seen yourself? you are gorgeous, jeongguk-ah.”
“see? flattering,” jeongguk rolls his eyes, feeling so relaxed it’s as if his entire body had melted under jimin’s fingers, under jimin’s gaze. laughter melts, too, slowly, before jeongguk tilts his head. “i could show you, though. i..” he mumbles. “i’d like to. i want to.”
“yeah?”
“yeah,” he nods, biting down his lip. “i even took some pictures when i tried it on. i almost sent them to you, but then it wouldn’t have been a surprise, y’know.”
“hm,” jimin’s gaze falls to jeongguk’s chest, followed by his fingers. they tap on the skin lightly. “i would definitely love to see those if you ever wanted to share them, too.”
he’s flustered, jeongguk can tell. it’s in very rare moments that he gets to have jimin like this, and he never lets them slip. so it’s through a smirk now, that he says, husks, “why would you want a picture when you can have the real thing?”
the pile of clothes lies on jeongguk’s bed, right where he’d left it. the entire outfit he’d picked for tonight: his nicest white shirt that contrasts with the black coat he knows highlights the broadness of his shoulders; on top of it, the boarded black skirt, delicate and elegant. it’s different to what he usually wears, almost feels like it doesn’t belong to him.
for a moment, he hesitates.
it’s not because he doesn’t want to try it on, nor because he can feel the weight of jimin’s attentive gaze on him, but because as he stands there, towel still wrapped around his waist, he realizes—he’s come a long way. it may be silly, and he may still have much longer to go, but, right now, jeongguk looks back to a couple of years ago, and he finds it almost impossible to picture a younger version of himself doing this. it makes him feel a little sad, on one hand; but, for the most part, it makes him feel proud.
“jeongguk-ah...” jimin’s voice reaches him with the tenderness of a kiss. he finds him, sitting on his bed, eyes glancing up at jeongguk full of adoration. he must’ve caught the tiny smirk that had formed on jeongguk’s lips, by now. “this isn’t only about the skirt, is it?”
jeongguk closes his eyes, smile fading. no, it’s not. he feels butterflies in his belly even, knowing now comes the part he fears the most. or is it fear, really? it’s hard to tell, with all these mixed emotions within him, colliding, exploding.
“it’s…” jeongguk clears his throat. then nods, moreso to himself. as he steps forward to stand in between jimin’s legs; gentle, loving, hands finding his body—he knows that, as many questions as he may have, one thing is sure: he wants to do this. “i’ve been wanting to work on, uh, the way i express myself. my identity… my gender identity.”
jeongguk lets out a breath and it amazes him how—just like that, it’s out.
jimin’s smile is almost imperceptible, in tune with the way his fingers grip a little tighter around his hips, shy but reassuring caresses drawn on his lower back.
“i’ve been questioning myself a lot, lately. and there are just a lot of things i don’t understand. so it was kind of overwhelming, at first. and i thought—well, still think that… as long as i get to express myself the way i am, with no inhibitions, then labels don’t matter, right? but…” jeongguk sighs in frustration. “eventually, i realized how that mentality just ended up becoming an excuse to stop questioning myself at all. and that doesn’t work for me, either, because there are answers i do need.”
“it’s important to find balance,” jimin agrees when jeongguk’s voice fades, giving him the little push he needs right now. “an in-between point where you challenge yourself to get out of your comfort zone to try and find where it is that you want to be, yet still not adding more pressure than your shoulders can bear.”
“yes… yeah,” jeongguk nods, “that’s—exactly it. and, for example, i know wearing a skirt isn’t necessarily a statement, but for me… it kind of is? if that makes sense?” jimin hums, giving jeongguk the time to organize his thoughts before he goes on. “like, i’ve come to terms with the fact that i’m not cis and—” fuck, fuck, it’s really out. when jeongguk feels jimin’s hands wrapped around his, he lets out a sigh. “i haven’t found a specific label i identify with yet, mostly because although i don’t feel like i’m just confused, or whatever, i still have a lot of questions left. but for now, i think, non-binary, as an umbrella term, is one i fall under?”
it’s a statement, even if it comes out as a question. “and i know that’s just—part of me. and the way i look, or what i wear, for that matter, won’t change that fact, but… but i still feel like i wanna do it, for myself. i’m just… trying to figure things out. at my own pace. so, even if i am not confused, it can get confusing at times, ‘cause…” jeongguk sucks in a breath, a little frustrated.
it’s hard to put it into words, when he’d thought these were ones that would never see the light of day. but, as he keeps talking, it somehow gets easier. it feels like breathing—natural, as if he’d only need to let himself be. so, he does.
“i’m still comfortable using my name, and my pronouns, and just… this is something i always kind of knew about myself, deep down, but it still took me a while to finally address it. and this is—god, this is huge for me already, ‘cause i never planned to admit it out loud, but i still have a long way to go. and honestly, i’m a bit afraid to start searching for labels and stuff because i don’t know if there will be any out there that will fit me, y’know what i mean?”
“of course, gguk-ah. labels can be very helpful, at times, to find a community you relate to and put into words some things about yourself without going through the hassle that it takes to look for them on your own. they make you feel understood, and seen, and they’re important. but they’re still labels. they don’t cater to every single experience of every single person out there, and they don’t dictate how you should navigate your own experience, either. you don’t have to fit yourself into them just ‘cause you relate to them to a certain level.”
jeongguk lets the words settle inside him as attentive fingers play with his hands, a thumb running through his knuckles.
“like… like me, in a way,” jimin adds now, pensive. “i’ve questioned my gender identity in the past. although i’m cis, i know that much. but, just because i identify as a man, i won’t stop myself from wearing a skirt if i want to. i’m—god, i’m sorry,” jimin grimaces at the sound of his own voice, immediately regretting the words. “i’m not sure if that’s the best example for you, because i am cis, and i don’t experience the same struggles as you. i just—yeah, that came out wrong. but i guess what i’m trying to say is that you shouldn’t limit yourself to the expectations people have of you just ‘cause there’s a label you orbitate around.”
the grin on jeongguk’s lips only grows when jimin finally dares to look up at him. silently, he takes back his clothes, doesn’t mutter a single word as he finally unwraps the towel from his waist. he has shared his body with jimin a million days, a million nights, but something about this exact moment still manages to feel different, exciting.
jimin has seen him naked countless times—but being this bare under his eyes, beyond the mundane barrier of bones, skin and flesh, feels electrifying.
jeongguk is still quiet as he gets inside his briefs, although his heart is hammering harshly against his chest. there’s nothing to be afraid of, though, at the sight of jimin. not even once he’s fully dressed, skirt hanging loosely off his waist.
the smile jimin is giving him right now is a rare one, coming from him, yet one jeongguk knows too well. he usually teases him whenever he catches a glimpse of it. tells him ‘this is your proud smile, hyung,’ and then jimin argues it’s his happy smile, instead.
this time, jeongguk remains silent, stepping towards him to fall in the same spot as usual, towering over jimin, standing right in front of him. his hands fall to jimin’s nape, finding comfort in the warmth as he dives his fingers into his boyfriend’s hair, softly.
“it…” jeongguk swears jimin’s eyelashes fail him before he gets to recompose himself. “it’s even more beautiful than i could’ve pictured.”
the compliment takes jeongguk by surprise—although he should’ve expected it, coming from jimin. but the way the skirt looks on him wasn’t that much of a big deal, or so he’d thought, because hearing jimin’s words now makes jeongguk feel like he’s in full bloom.
“you think so?” jeongguk mutters, teeth sinking into his bottom lip. it doesn’t manage to conceal the dumbfounded smile that stretches his cheeks, though.
“yeah, you’re…” jimin shakes his head, lightly, bringing jeongguk closer as his arms circle his back, “you are beautiful. in and out. then out and in. doesn’t matter if you’re wearing your baggy clothes or ripped jeans or this skirt but—you look radiant right now, jeongguk-ah.”
jeongguk thinks he understands what he means by that. because he feels radiant, right now. vibrating with so much freedom it has him high—elated. his cheeks are starting to hurt from smiling. he doesn’t mind it in the slightest bit.
“what are you laughing about now, huh?” jimin taunts, joining him with a light chuckle.
“i’m not laughing! i’m just—i’m happy,” jeongguk says through the smallest voice. “i’m so damn happy, hyung. you’re… i’ve never told anyone.” never thought i would, either.
the dim lights coming from the living room barely light up jimin’s profile, but jeongguk doesn’t miss the way his features soften at the words.
“thank you for trusting me, baby,” he whispers. “i love you so fucking much, you know that?”
at that, jeongguk finds it impossible to stop himself from reaching down for jimin, legs spreading to his sides as he sits on his lap, the mattress giving in under the added weight.
and when he kisses him, slowly, sweetly, he swears he can taste himself on jimin’s lips; a murmur, jeongguk catches. he can almost hear it—jimin, caught in a never-ending chain of heartbeats. ‘i love you, i love you, i love you,’ he seems to say.
it’s only now that jeongguk has the chance to say it back, and when he does—pulling slightly away, but remaining close, their noses almost brushing as he whispers, “i love you more”—it’s as if he was giving jimin a piece of his heart through his voice.
“impossible,” jimin argues, like he always does. jeongguk pays him no mind. he tilts his head to the side before he speaks again, “i don’t intend to ruin the moment, baby, but i have to ask you. what do you wanna do tonight?”
ah, right. their date—their reservation, more specifically. jeongguk doesn’t need to check the time to know they must be running late by now.
the little bubble they’re immersed into feels too nice, too warm, to let it pop yet.
and honestly, it’s one thing to do this when he’s alone with jimin—as much as it may have taken jeongguk to get here—but, out there, in public…
“i... we have our reservation,” he only says nervously. he knows he doesn’t sound convinced at all, but this feels much easier than saying ‘let me take this skirt off, put on some nice pants, and i’ll be good to go.’ he’s had his taste of freedom, if barely a sip, and it’s a cup he isn’t ready to carry outside—but it’s one he doesn’t want to throw away half-empty, half-full, either.
“who cares about a damn reservation?”
jeongguk feels the trail of jimin’s touch as it meanders down from his waist, over his skirt, then his thighs.
“i—i do! you booked that table an entire week ago and you were so excited about it and...” he mutters, a bit distracted by jimin’s hands as they draw figures on his skin, playing with the edge of his skirt, then barely, barely, reaching under it. and god—jeongguk doesn’t want to be anywhere else right now.
it makes jimin giggle, his evident flusteredness. “and...?” he tilts his head, playfully. no answer comes before he’s speaking again.
“jeongguk-ah, tonight is about you. stop worrying so much about me. but, if you need to know,” he adds, tone lower now, and jeongguk knows he’s serious when even the playfulness of his hands cease, “i just want you. i just wanna be by your side, wherever that is. i’m—i’m so glad you trusted me with this. i’m proud of you. this was a huge step, i know. it’s okay if you’re not ready to go further yet. so, if you wanna wear that skirt tonight, we don’t have to go to this fancy ass restaurant. we can just—have dinner here. you, in your beautiful, beautiful skirt. and me in my boring-ass suit,” he adds with a smile jeongguk finds it impossible not to reciprocate.
“i don’t even have food here, hyung,” he can only argue, not entirely convinced about jimin’s idea—even if he wants nothing more.
“we’ll order something. something nice, i promise.”
“but we…” jeongguk laughs, letting his head fall backwards. he feels a bit guilty, for having jimin cancel their plans just for him. “i don’t know… we do that—all the time, hyung.”
“and i intend to do it a million more times,” jimin replies simply and oh, god, jeongguk learns for the hundredth time under jimin’s touch—what love feels like. “listen... if this is a step you wanna take tonight, then i assure you i’ll be right by your side the entire time. for this, and all the nights that come ahead. but if you don’t, if you feel like this is just as far as you wanna take it for now, then i’ll still be here, alright? i don’t mind what we do, as long as i’m by your side. besides, we can have fun here, too.”
jeongguk nods, one hand finding the side of jimin’s neck.
“i want to do that, one day,” he says; whispers, rather. “put myself out there, freely. and i’d love to have you by my side when i do but… tonight—i don’t think i’m ready yet. i want to get there. with myself. and with you, by my side, too. just…”
“one step at a time,” jimin nods when his voice fades. “you’ll get there one step at a time. and i’ll be with you all along the way, alright?”
jeongguk has never felt more at ease.
the world is a bit less scary, when he gets to have jimin with him, he finds.
he smiles, partly at himself. partly at jimin.
“i think…” jeongguk mutters through a smirk, “i have some nice candles.” at that, jimin tilts his head in interest. “and the bouquet you got me. for a nice centerpiece, you know.”
“ah, so you’re not laughing about—how did you put it? my old-fashioned—shakespearean sense of romance, huh?” the words come with a tickle at jeongguk’s side. it makes him squirm on jimin’s lap, a giggle escaping his lips.
he pays him no mind, knows that jimin is too aware of how much he loves every single bit of attention, even if it can be old-fashioned, at times—maybe, even, especially because of that.
“and the nice champagne i got for jin-hyung, too,” he adds, pensive.
“wasn’t that the one you got for his birthday?”
“hyung, it’s may,” jeongguk argues.
“that’s exactly the point i’m trying to highlight here.”
“i just—kept forgetting to give it to him, okay!” now, both of them are laughing. “i considered it a lost cause in march already. but comes in handy, don’t you think?”
jimin is humming at him now, gaze slipping from jeongguk’s eyes, moving downwards. fingers grace his chin, light as a murmur. “guess it does.”
“besides, we’re all dressed up now. so it’s… only fitting, don’t you think?”
jeongguk can’t tear his eyes away when jimin licks down at his own lips, eyelids half-fallen already, looking dizzy.
he doesn’t need to hear what’s going on in his mind to know exactly where it’s wandering to, right now. he can almost see the trail of his eyes as they set on his own lips. a sight that would be a shame not to entertain.
“you in your suit…” jeongguk whispers, finding the knot of jimin’s tie around his collar. the grip is light, yet firm enough to make jimin search for his eyes once again. he speaks no words, yet jeongguk can feel the warmth of his breath as he leans in closer, only a little, enough so jimin can still spot the smirk on his lips, the dim fire in his eyes. “me in my skirt.”
the words get to jimin, he can tell by the way his hand dives into the flesh of jeongguk’s thighs.
not willing to let the sudden wave of boldness ease yet, he leans in, lips ghosting jimin’s earlobe before he speaks, “and, if you’re lucky enough, you’ll get to take it off by the end of the night.”
the mere sound of the sigh jimin lets out then has jeongguk feeling light-headed already.
it doesn’t come close to the sight of him right now, though. jeongguk always teases jimin about how his eyes are so small, yet it amazes him how they manage to convey so much emotion within them. he can see it, deep inside them, explosions of love and want colliding as he drinks jeongguk in. it has him feeling silly, dazzled as they stream down on him. feeling this—desired is different this time. because tonight, there isn’t a single wall jeongguk is shielding himself behind.
tonight, he’s given himself fully, freely, to jimin.
“what if i don’t want to?” it’s with a short breath that he breaks the silence now, accompanied by a slide of his hand, reaching higher, deeper, underneath jeongguk’s skirt.
the mere implication of his words has excitement swelling within jeongguk.
“then we can negotiate that, too.”
when jimin kisses him, a smirk tinted against his lips like a decalcomania, sealing the promise of what lies ahead for them tonight, jeongguk finds himself thinking how jimin manages to make him feel so easy to love.
and, although most times it amazes him beyond his understanding, right now… he thinks he gets it.
because tonight, jeongguk thinks, he’s gotten to love himself a little bit more.
his heart races at the thought, and, for a moment, the road that stretches ahead of him doesn’t feel as terrifying. if anything, it feels exciting.
one step at a time; he’ll follow it one step at a time.
when he closes his eyes, he can almost see the road, rock and dirt getting lost behind the horizon, in search of the sun, and a light, warm breeze kissing his nape where sunlight can’t reach.
all along, jeongguk pictures jimin standing right by his side.
the mere thought makes him feel a little bit braver.
and when he opens his eyes again, he finds jimin, face still in between jeongguk’s hands. his breath reaches jeongguk like a breeze—light, warm. a kiss pressed on his skin, here, where light can’t reach.