Chapter Text
The elevator shoots up the floors quickly, barely noticeable to Hoseok as he leans back against the glass walls. There's crowds milling below, gradually growing smaller as they approach the top floor. A distant rumbling, indicative of the bustle of the building, businessmen and lawyers and all types of Important People with Important Things going on. But it's distant, deafened, like these people are all too far to reach, right past where his fingertips can only hope to brush.
Hoseok yanks at his collar, sitting too tight against his chest. Something feels incredibly wrong to him but he can't quite put his finger on what. On why things don't make sense. Hoseok supposes it's just being back here, in this place. Accounting was never really for him, coming back here just makes him feel stifled all over again. He turns to look at Jimin, catching the soft smile that graces his features.
"It was nice of you to come all the way down here," Hoseok says, glancing down at his shoes. Jimin was dangerous, something in his mind tells him. Makes his stomach jump too much. Territory Hoseok shouldn't go near. "You took me by surprise. I didn't think we'd be having lunch so soon."
Jimin shifts closer, his smile getting that much wider, "Well, I did say that I'd call you." He crosses his arms over his chest and Hoseok can't help but notice, eyes following the movement. The button down sits on Jimin's frame far too well. "Besides, I don't really know many people in Gwangju. So..."
"So hit up the one person you do know for free food," Hoseok offers, voice wry.
"Exactly," Jimin laughs, loud and bright, overshadowing the ding of the elevator as the doors sweep open. It buzzes at Hoseok's limbs, gets his mind away from the eeriness haunting the back of his mind. "I just didn't expect you to take me up to the roof to eat out of take-out cartons."
"I'm full of surprises," Hoseok shrugs, smirk smug and posture easy as he leads the way down the hall. There's still that alarm bell ringing but it's muffled now. Something about Jimin makes him feel more open, willing to take a few risks in a way that feels unreal -- almost unnatural.
"I can see that," Jimin says, laughter still lilting his voice. He sticks close, Hoseok can feel the warmth of him at his back, shivers in spite of it.
"Oh, that's weird," Hoseok stops at the door that leads out to the roof. His shoulders slump, the bag of food in his hands sway. "There's a lock on the door. I... don't think I remember the password." He's not sure he’s ever seen it before, his guts suddenly feeling misplaced. A voice in his mind whispers that he's being silly, that it must have always been here. He's been having a problem with forgetfulness after all.
Jimin presses a hand to the small of his back. Hoseok can smell the lightest cologne on him. It might not even be a cologne, merely freshly laundered clothes. A brief flash of something else flashes through Hoseok's mind. Of his face pressed into Jimin's sheets, nosing at a pillowcase bathed in the same scent. He shudders. Jimin's hand seems to lie heavier. When he tilts his head up to meet his eyes, Hoseok sees his glance has heavied as well, gotten darker.
"Try putting in the password anyway," Jimin offers, nudging him forward, "Muscle memory might kick in."
"I don't think muscle memory works with passwords, Jimin-ah," Hoseok raises a brow, his throat feeling tighter, tongue heavy.
"Oh, so quick to doubt me, hyung," Jimin grins. Hoseok's heartbeat picks up. "Go on, try it. Trust me, I'm smarter than you'd think. Bet it'll work."
"What are we betting?"
"What do you want?"
Hoseok pauses for a moment, appraises Jimin with critical eyes. "Pay me back for the lunch."
"With dinner?" The response whips out quickly, Jimin leaning his shoulder against the door jamb.
"Obviously," Hoseok says with an impossible to stop smile, turning back to the door, raising a hand to the keypad.
"Obviously," Jimin nods, huffs, leans back out of Hoseok's space.
It feels like Hoseok's brain finally clears up just a little. There's still that feeling, of greying, of unease, of time slipping away from him but it's so quiet that he doesn't mind it. Can easily push it away. Let his fingers press in the key code without thought.
"Interesting," Jimin says, glancing up from Hoseok's fingers. It makes him feel caught off guard, despite knowing full well that Jimin would be able to see the passcode. Like he's seen something incredibly private.
"What is?" Hoseok asks, cagier than before. The unsettling feelings are taking up the forefront of his mind again.
Jimin just shakes his head, slips by Hoseok's side to push the door open with a clang. "I'll tell you later."
Hoseok steps out into the crisp air behind him. Autumn is always harsh, but he loves it. Loves the way it bites at him. Loves the way it makes Jimin's skin bloom pink in all the places Hoseok couldn't affect himself. He takes a deep breath, takes a second to take in the skyline. It's a sight he'll never get tired of. One that he misses, strangely. Frowning, he steps further out onto the roof, making his way to the center. He's always hated heights but this feels like home -- as long as he's far enough away from the edges. It's quiet up here. Quiet and private, a place Hoseok can finally let down his defenses, even if it's only for a quick fifteen minutes.
"Why later?" he pouts, turning to Jimin. It's different having someone up here with him. But Hoseok thinks he likes it. Thinks he can get used to having Jimin around when he's being himself and not the Hoseok everyone else always sees. He shakes his head, turning back to the carefully still setting, rumbling from too far away rather than just below, trying to dislodge the thought from his head. It's like he's in a daydream that's getting away from him, speeding off while he's stuck still trying to understand how they've managed to rekindle this friendship at all.
"Because this isn't real," Jimin says simply, approaching Hoseok with slow steps, voice so serene that it sparks an irrational lick of annoyance in Hoseok's belly.
"What?" Hoseok snaps his head back around, lips turning down in a triangle. "What are you talking about?" Something clicks in the back of his mind, a distant voice, telling him it's time to wake up. His limbs feel heavier, like he's trying to rouse himself from a nap that isn't done weighing down on his consciousness.
Jimin's fingers slip around Hoseok's wrist, tugging him around. "We're dreaming, hyung," he says. Hoseok blinks, jerks. It's the first time Jimin's addressed him so directly and it pushes him off-center. The world tilts, the birds freeze in the sky. "Remember? We went under the PASIV," Jimin's thumb strokes over Hoseok's pulse point.
Hoseok breathes heavy, quick, sharp through his nose. "I remember," he mumbles, eyes unfocusing. There's a stinging against his arm where he remembers the needle being inserted. He didn't like it, didn't want it, afraid of needles, and Jimin had reached over to stroke his wrist in the same way -- despite still being unfamiliar.
Strangers.
They had only just met the day before.
There's a crashing in the distance, the strange rumblings no longer diluted but far too close, rushing at him from all sides. Hoseok’s eyes are wild with panic, taking in a crashing city around him. "Jimin-ah--" his voice dies in his throat, inexplicable fear crawling up his chest.
"Hyung," Jimin says, firm, steps right into Hoseok's space. It's not comfortable anymore, not something Hoseok can get used to. They're not even close enough for Jimin to be calling him hyung yet. Hoseok tries to jerk back but Jimin's hand holds him steady, anchored to his spot. "Relax," he says. Hoseok feels a hysterical laugh bubbling up. "Relax," Jimin repeats, "You're just waking up. It's time to wake up."
"We're going to die ," the words tumble out unbidden as the ground shakes beneath their feet. Hoseok remembers agreeing to this now, remembers Namjoon talking him through the steps as Jimin sat in the background, elbows on his knees, shooting him a reassuring grin when he glanced over. Seeing a smile on Jimin's face now , as the building crumbles, as dust flies up in the air – and still the world somehow seeming so out of time – terrifies him rather than reassures.
"We won't," Jimin says. Hoseok shakes his head, tries to pull away again. "Stop," Jimin says, smile finally dropping off his face. Hoseok doesn't know what he prefers. "Trust me, hyung."
"I don't even know you!"
"And yet, you've trusted me so far," Jimin says, pushing closer.
"Because you're a conman," Hoseok shoves against Jimin's chest. "That's what we do here, isn't it? Professional conmen?"
"Not within our team, " Jimin barks, pulls at him as roughly as Hoseok had tried to push him away. " We trust each other. And I promise you, I'll keep you safe." Jimin's hands tighten against his body, Hoseok feels himself sag, weaken. "I'll keep you safe. Hyung ."
Jimin raises his hand, tilts Hoseok's face back to look at him. Hoseok's stomach drops out as their building begins to tumble, something pulling up at his gut, the world bleeding out from before his eyes. "I think I hate this," Hoseok laughs, weak, tinge of hysteria still in his voice. His hands fist into Jimin's shirt of their own accord. He only just realizes that their food has disappeared, the sky has gone yellow, a summer sunset instead of overcast autumn.
"You'll get used to it," Jimin smiles again, it feels realer than anything prior. His hands clasp over where Hoseok's are bunched up. "Close your eyes."
Hoseok listens, falls –
shoots up with a yelp.
"Sorry," Namjoon laughs, standing above him. Leaving him disoriented. "Rough first time?"
Hoseok’s chest heaves as he pants, a sheen of sweat layered upon his skin. The lawn chair he had been laying back against digs against his hips, uncomfortable. A hand clamps down on his shoulder and he jumps. Again.
Hoseok's face screws into a frown, his head dropping forward as he rubs the back of his neck, feels the tension that's built up there. "Shut up, asshole," he snipes, halfheartedly, smacking at Namjoon's stomach, "You didn't tell me it'd be that scary! You said easier than bungee jumping!"
"That wasn't easier than bungee jumping?" This time it's Jimin, sitting up from his own lawn chair, stretching out leisurely. Hoseok thinks it's unfair that he's still allowed to look this good. They almost died . Even if it was just all in his head. "In what world? Bungee jumping was hell."
"There was an actual building crumbling beneath our feet," Hoseok deadpans. Fatigue is beginning to set into his bones. Dreaming has never taken quite so much out of him before.
Jimin shrugs, shifts onto his feet. "But it was fake. Nothing to worry about when there are no consequences, right?"
Namjoon scowls, shoots Jimin a look. "Just because you're unconscious doesn't mean there are no consequences," he says, in a voice that tells Hoseok he's given this lecture many times. Jimin just flaps a hand in his direction. Hoseok laughs, still breathless and reeling, incredulous.
"That building wasn't real, Hoseok-ssi," Jimin says, walking over to join Namjoon, leaning against him, but otherwise ignoring him fully. "So, fundamentally, less scary."
"Hoseok-ssi?" Hoseok raises a brow, spares Namjoon a glance and catches him rolling his eyes. "What happened to hyung?"
This catches Namjoon's attention, at least. "Hyung?"
Jimin flushes, prettier than he did on that rooftop. Something swoops in Hoseok's stomach that he tries to ignore, even as his mind works to imprint the sight in his memory. He grins, triumphant.
"We only just met last week," Jimin clears his throat.
"And yet?" Hoseok prompts, blatantly smug.
"I needed you to be comfortable around me," Jimin says, ducking his head. Seeming sheepish for the first time. Finally, Hoseok feels like he's got the upper hand, holds onto it tight.
"Because you were in my head," Hoseok nods. "Fuckin' conman."
"We're all conmen," Jimin shoots back, looking up at him from beneath his fringe, the words echoing their dream easily. "I can't be building your dreams without any trust, can I? You would have snapped out of it a lot sooner than anticipated if I was in your dream calling you Hoseok-ssi ."
Hoseok hums, nods, pushes up to his feet. "You can stick with calling me hyung."
Jimin looks surprised, doesn't get to do much more before Namjoon steps in. Claps his hands together loudly with an, "O- kay ." He steps back from what's suddenly became a tight knit huddle, snapping Hoseok back into his frame. It takes a second but he starts feeling the post-dream lethargy again, sinking back onto the lawn chair as Namjoon begins to collect his things. "We can have another practice session soon so you get a better handle on things, Hoseokie," he says. Hoseok smiles at the old nickname falling so easily from his tongue. "For now, I've gotta get going. I'll call. Thanks for helping out, Jimin."
"No problem, hyung," Jimin waves him off, a hand shoved into the pocket of his sweatpants. Hoseok may or may not take a moment to admire the way they hang on his frame. Quick to snap his eyes back to Jimin's face when he turns back to him. "Do you have a way home?"
"The bus," Hoseok says, sighing heavily. Even if he likes being around people, he doesn't like being around sullen, tired-from-work-and-life people -- the only kind you can really find on public transport. But it's what he signed up for, time and time again.
"How about a car?" Jimin offers him a hand, helps him up and steadies him. Doesn't let go.
"Gonna get me a cab?" Hoseok asks, happily taking the help as he sways. He lets Jimin lead him out of the large warehouse they've been using to plan all this out. Their steps echo and it only serves to make Hoseok even more woozy, still feeling disengaged.
"Nah," Jimin's arm slips around his waist. Hoseok feels like a swooning sixteen year old. "Gonna drive you home. You're welcome. Hyung ."
Hoseok huffs a laugh. There's still that spark when Jimin addresses him so directly, something sudden and staggering. He hasn't noticed him do it too often, not even with Namjoon. The knowledge settles warm in the center of his chest. "I like the sound of that," he hums. "Keep that up."
It's quiet in the car at first. Hoseok lets his body rest against the nice leather of the car that looks like it's out of Jimin's league. His body's starting to wake up -- at the worst of times. Everything's over, but there's still something buzzing in the background. Jimin's electric.
"Nice car," Hoseok huffs, running his hand over the dashboard.
"Benefits of the job," Jimin's voice lilts. He watches Hoseok out of the corner of his eye and of course, Hoseok notices. Hoseok always notices. "This is what you're signing up for."
"Nice cars and shitty headquarters?" Hoseok asks, incredulous laughter trailing after his words.
"You'll get used to the warehouse," Jimin says, smile going wry around the edges. "I hated it at first, y'know," he takes his eyes off the moment to glance at Hoseok, brows raised, "There's always the smell of gasoline and it's so. Loud."
"Loud?"
"In a quiet way," Jimin says, motions with his hands in the space between them, "Everything's always echoing."
"I noticed," Hoseok shifts, partly leans against the door so he can face Jimin more directly, "You don't like the quiet?"
The smile on Jimin's face lightens but his features stay bright, mellowing into something more at ease. "Are you interrogating me?"
Hoseok presses a thumb into his palm. Rubs. He feels exposed. "Just trying to get to know you better."
There's a pause. A moment where it feels like time's standing still again, the way it was in his dream. Hoseok notices the flickering of too many emotions to name across Jimin's face. For a moment, he thinks he'll be shut out. Then, Jimin sighs. And it's enough for Hoseok to not feel like he's overstepped their invisible bounds.
"I'm fine with the quiet," Jimin says, slow. Like he's picking out his words carefully. There's an added drawl, more texture -- like thinking about his words is taking away from the effort he puts into hiding his accent. "But not too quiet. I need background noise. Otherwise it feels... Desolate. That, I definitely don't like."
"Understandable." Hoseok nods. It's a familiar feeling. Even though sometimes he'd like to shut out all sound completely and totally. There are more questions he wants to ask, shooting through his mind and he mulls them over, one by one, as carefully as Jimin mulled over every word before he spoke them. He gets beaten to the chase.
"Have you figured out what your totem will be?" Jimin asks, catching him off guard.
"What?" Hoseok blinks, gaze snapping back to Jimin from where it had drifted to the road outside. An overcast autumn day.
"Your totem? Namjoon talked to you about it right?" Jimin looks at him properly. Hoseok snaps at him to get his eyes back on the road half out of a habit that hasn't been roused in years.
"Oh, right," Hoseok says, "Yeah. I think I've got something." The old lighter sits in the top drawer of his dresser table. Buried under socks and underwear. He tells himself he's been too lazy to dig it out but knows it's reluctance. Fear of confronting his past.
"Use it when you get home," Jimin says, "To reassure yourself that this is all real."
"I'm not worried," Hoseok offers, quickly. Not wanting to be seen as weak, not ever.
"I'm glad you're not," Jimin reaches out, touches his knee lightly. Pulling back just as quickly. It lingers, warm. "You should check anyway. Eases the subconscious."
"Okay," Hoseok readjusts, burrows into his seat, "I will."
Silence falls over them. Comfortable. Relaxed. Neither of them bothers to make a move for the radio. Hoseok is surprised at how easy things seem to be between them. The upside of having someone share in his dreams, he supposes. Jimin hums for most of the time when they're out of traffic. It brings a smile to Hoseok's face. He even joins in when he recognizes the tune, happy to provide the background noise that Jimin craves.
A thought strikes Hoseok, belated but sudden, when they drive under a familiar overpass. "Wait," he sits up a little straighter, peering out of the window. They don't seem to be lost at least. "Do you even know where you're going? I never... gave you directions to my apartment?"
"I know where you live," Jimin says, so offhand and blase that Hoseok almost lets it go. But his mind is back to firing on all cylinders and his brows shoot up, lips turn down.
"That's creepy, Jimin-ah." Even as the slight worry that he's going to be axe murdered leaks into his mind, he marvels at how easily Jimin's name slips off his tongue. Jimin seems to have noticed too. He shoots a glance at him. Dimples. Bites his lip. At least his axe murderer is cute.
"You're really scared of everything, huh?" Jimin snickers. Hoseok takes back the compliments he thought about him. "I'm not creepy ."
"Then explain."
"Jeonggukie did a full profile on you," Jimin tells him, not bothering to fill him in on who this Jeonggukie is. "After Joon hyung told us he'd be bringing you on. I took a peek or two at it."
"And memorized my address or some shit? That's creepy as hell." Hoseok's not wrong on this. It's an invasion of privacy. He figured whatever Namjoon was up to was outside of Hoseok's current circles. He'd gotten smarter with all the shit they got up to when they were younger. Hoseok was more of a traditional thief, left behind to slum it after they lost touch. It only makes sense for Namjoon to have him checked out. Still. Still, he doesn't like the feeling of being left out in the open. Vulnerable.
"I didn't memorize it, I'm not a stalker," Jimin pouts. His cuteness multiplies, Hoseok wants to see him affronted all the time now. "I went to scope out your place a few times. Make sure you weren't dangerous to us. I just happen to be good at remembering where things are, curse of a dream architect you could say."
Hoseok scoffs. Is at a loss for words for a minute. "Now who's scared of everything?"
"It's not fear," Jimin shakes his head. "It's self-preservation. It's not exactly like we'd get medals pinned to our chests if you were a rat."
He can only sigh in response, because it's true. Not for the first time, he wonders if this is really something he wants to get mixed up in. It's crazy. Completely and totally. And terrifying. A part of him hasn't been able to let go of the feeling of falling to his death, even past the hour mark. Hoseok presses his forehead to the cool glass of the window, closes his eyes as they turn onto his street. There's a light flickering, people loitering. It's not the best neighborhood but it's what he's got. Likes it a lot better than some of the upscale ones he's been forced into in the past.
"Hey," Hoseok starts, when they slow to a stop in front of the hardware shop his apartment is above. Something pings against his forehead, almost lost in the abyss of his forgotten memories. "You never told me what was so interesting."
"Hm?"
"When I unlocked the door to the roof," Hoseok reminds Jimin, turning to look at him straight on. Jimin's relaxed back into his seat, head lolled to the side, gaze focused in solely on Hoseok. It takes him aback, before he gives his head a little shake. Gets himself back on track. "You said it was interesting. That you'd tell me later."
"Right," Jimin says. Hesitates. Hoseok can see it. His ears go pink again, the color dusting all the way down his cheeks. It's endearing. Makes Hoseok want to reach out and pinch him, coo and coddle. He wonders how fast Jimin would throw him out of the car for that. Jimin bites his lip, makes up his mind between one breath and the next. "That was last Monday's date."
Hoseok waits for more, gets nothing. He gives Jimin the benefit of the doubt, waits it out a little longer, blinking in confusion. Finally, he sighs. "And what's so interesting about last Monday?"
Jimin grins, both bashful and shameless. Hoseok can't wrap his mind around how he manages to be so much all at once, all in the same moment. Holds his breath when Jimin opens his mouth and tries not to stare too long at his lips.
"It's when we met," Jimin says. "Last week, our first introduction," Hoseok flushes. It had been one on one, laying the groundwork for the practice run they would have today. Coffee. Simple. But it had stuck in his mind for days afterward. "I guess I made a good impression."
Hoseok can feel his cheeks flare up. "I think it's more interesting that you even remember that date," he shoots back, voice the slightest bit shaky -- he hopes Jimin doesn't notice but there's a sparkle in his eye that says he does.
There are many ways Hoseok expects this to go. His cards are in the air, many options laid out on the table. What he doesn't expect, doesn't take into account -- because no matter how much Hoseok notices, they're strangers still -- is for Jimin to lean in, his grin getting sharper, his gaze turning into something darker. Something more .
"Good," Jimin says, voice pitched just that little bit lower. Raspier. Cutting straight through Hoseok's gut. "Keep being interested in me."
Hoseok gapes. Shameless is definitely winning out, Jimin proves, surprising him more thoroughly than he has been in a while. A thrill shoots down Hoseok's spine, but his mind comes up blank, words dying on his tongue. He just laughs, helpless, disbelieving, as unsure of how he ended up in this situation as he was in his dream.
"I'll walk you to the door," Jimin turns away, smug.
"You don't have to do that," Hoseok croaks out, scrambling with his seatbelt. He needs to run away and regroup, even as his heart titters and flutters.
"I don't," Jimin agrees. "But I want to." His eyes glint at him and he's out of the car in the next moment, waiting on the sidewalk for Hoseok to join him. Moving far too fast for a normal person. Then again, nothing about Jimin is particularly normal.
Hoseok steps out of the car, taking the few feet to his door quickly. He casts a quick look up at the sky as he goes through his locks, harder when the lights for the stairs up don't shine through the glass to light the way. They must be out again. It's going to be a dark evening, even more so with the approaching rain.
"Thanks for driving me home," Hoseok says, looking over at Jimin when he steps up beside him. Deja vu sweeps over Hoseok. Thunder rumbles distantly in the background.
"Of course, hyung," Jimin smiles. Waits a moment. Pulls Hoseok back right when he pulls on the door with a hand against the small of his back. Their chests brush, they're so close. Hoseok can smell mint on his breath. "Don't forget to check your totem," Jimin reminds him, their lips so close to brushing that for a second, Hoseok thinks maybe they've ended up kissing.
The warmth of Jimin's body disappears in the next second, he's stepping back to his car. Backwards, still facing Hoseok, hands in his pocket and head tilted to the side. Hoseok grins, nods, "Yeah, okay. You have a good night, Jimin."
"I will," Jimin smiles, turns around finally. Hoseok waits for the perfect moment then,
"Be sure to think about me!" he calls, before disappearing through his door, giddy as he clambers up the steps to his apartment.