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“You know, you shouldn’t be so mean to him.”
She stiffened.
“He’s not that bad, maybe you should try talking to him instead of ignoring him.”
“If you came over to give me a lesson on how to live my life, I don’t need it,” she muttered.
“Geez, chill. I was just saying.”
She knew it was her frustration with herself she was pushing onto him, but she didn’t need Jimn making her confront the jumble of emotions that her relationships consisted of. Maybe she was being close-minded and arrogant, scared of dealing with what needed to be dealt with, but she was not in the mood for that kind of effort right now. And from Jimin? He knew nothing, absolutely nothing. But she knew, too, that in this battle she was wrong, obstinately wrong, because she refused to back down.
“Maybe you should try minding your own business first,” she said, looking far ahead, away from his honey-and-sage-melting-into-starless-oblivion eyes.
Jimin scoffed, eyes bitter dark chocolate now. “Speak for yourself. You’re the one trying to tell me how I should live my life.”
She blinked quickly, eyes wide. The venom was creeping into her voice as well now. “Well I’m sorry for actually caring.”
“That’s not you caring.”
His words tore into her heart like claws and lodged there, the glistering metal stained with spurting crimson blood.
“Yeah? What is it, then?” Her mind was swimming somewhere far away, her chest constricted, her gut knotting and twisting. She swallowed, turning her dark gaze to his face. He didn’t look at her.
“Constantly asking me what’s wrong and trying to analyse me all the time is not caring. It might feel like it is, but it’s not.” He glanced at her, gaze so hard and sharp and unyielding she just wanted to turn and run away from everything she had done.
“What am I supposed to do when something’s clearly up? Just ignore it?” Her nails were digging into her palm now, but she knew all he was saying was true. She was wrong. She had tried, and failed, to help. To do anything. She had only made it all worse.
She felt her nose tingle, like she had a cold, and sniffed slightly. She felt it again, and muttered a curse as she clasped her hand to her nose. Some of the blood had already slid down to her mouth. She wrinkled her nose in distaste at the copper taste.
“Shit, what did you do?” Jimin's eyes were wide and soft with concern when she looked up. She removed her hand experimentally, finding it covered in veins of bright crimson, but quickly pushed it against her nostril again when the blood kept coming.
“It’s fine, just a nosebleed,” she muttered, searching through her pockets for a tissue.
Of course she didn’t have any, but then Jimin's fingers were around her wrist, pulling gently. She froze, gut tingling. She let him pry her hand from her nose and press his tissue there instead. She let him lead her backwards to the low wall outside her garden. She let him pull her up on top of it.
“I’ve got it, thanks though,” she muttered, lifting her hand to hold his tissue. “It’ll stop soon anyway.”
Jimin glanced at her, then away. “Do you get these often?” he asked.
“Not really.”
“Lean forward, blood going down into your lungs is not great.”
“I know.”
She took the tissue away, examining the large crimson stain on the otherwise soft white. A corner of her lips tugged upwards into a cynical smile.
“Hey,” he murmured, standing just a little too close. “What’s up?”
She looked up, cocking her head. “Thought you said you didn’t like me analysing everything you did?”
He rolled his eyes. “Stop trying to change the subject. What’s up?”
She lowered her eyes back to the soiled tissue in her hands. Looked up again. Sighed. “I’m sorry.” Looked down again. “You’re right.” Looked up at his hot-chocolate-by-the-fireplace-on-a-cold-night eyes. His pupils were large, black, but not dark. “I have a lot to learn about care and trust, convictions and morals.”
A pause.
“It’s fine.”
“I’m sorry.”
That crooked smile. “It’s fine, really.”
He reached up, snaking an arm behind her waist and another under her knees. He swept her off the wall, and her breath hitched.
“Hey!”
“What?” His eyes were dancing with amusement.
“Thought you said I should be leaning forward, so I don’t choke on blood.” She smirked, leaning into the warmth.
He shifted her up so she had to wrap her arms around his neck in surprise.
She tightened her hold, eyeing him with what she hoped was a dark glare. Her gradually warming cheeks probably didn’t help her cause. “I can walk, a nosebleed doesn’t incapacitate people. You know, I should just get a paper cut or something next time we fight.”
“You want me to drop you?”
“You wouldn’t dare.” She smirked.
“Then shut up.”
“Make me.”
They were at the top of the stairs now. Jimin pulled her up closer, shifting his hold, and then pressed his lips to hers, smiling against them. He leaned into the kiss, making her gasp at the shift just enough for him to push his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss as her hands pulled at his back.
They parted, both breathing a little harder, both smiling.
Jimin's eyes were dark again, but like chocolate melting over the fire, speckled with cinnamon before it poured over the edge into the abyss of the starless black.
“Ew, you taste like a vampire.”
She shook her head, smile widening impossibly further. “Like you would know.”
“Of course,” he smirked.