Day's dawning, skin's crawling [Jimin]

Edan was just getting out of the shower and getting ready for bed when he heard the knock on the door. It was late. Why was anyone here so late? He slid into a pair of silky pajama bottoms, toothbrush in hand, as he made his way to the peephole in his door. Seeing Jimin, he slid the door open quickly. There was no good reason for Jimin to come by so late, so he knew there must have been something bad going on and he was hoping to help.

“Hey,” He began, mouth full of toothpaste. “Come in, Jimin, what’s up?” He asked. “Sit on the couch, I’ll be right back.” He finished brushing his teeth quickly, rinsed, and then put his toothbrush away before heading back out to the living room to sit with Jimin. His mouth tingled, but he was a little chilly without a shirt. Of course, Jimin had certainly seen him in less, so it wasn’t that big of a deal.

“Should I put the kettle on?” His mouth was minty fresh, but he could handle some sugarless tea, maybe chamomile or something like that would be fine. “You’re here a little late, and look a little worse for wear. Should I get ready to cover up a crime?” He teased lightly.

@Jimin Bane

Jimin was having second thoughts. He had just knocked on Edan's door, but it seemed quiet. He knew it wasn't the best idea to barge into your best friend's place close to what...midnight? They didn't live together anymore, although Jimin often wished they still did. He missed having Edan close. He missed waking up in bed with him instead of alone. It was pathetic. He wasn't a child unable to deal with his baggage. He had been carrying it for years, and Jimin thought he could finally start getting used to working through it alone.

Yet, here he was.

Standing in front of Edan's apartment, waiting and hoping the door would open despite being late at night. Maybe the darkness surrounding him seemed safer than the brightness of the day to come into the other's arms for comfort. He did want to talk about the Basil club incident, but what he wanted more was Edan close. Be in the safety of the other's arms like many times before. Not enough. 

The door opened, and Jimin blinked at Edan in pyjama bottom and a mouthful of toothpaste, visibly getting ready for bed. Blinking again, his eyes slid lower for a second, then jumped back up to the other's face. He liked seeing Edan without a shirt, but he wasn't about to tell him. "Hi," his lips curved a little, and he gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry for showing up this late," he entered the apartment at the other's invitation and made himself at home on the offered couch as Edan went to the bathroom.

He picked at his nails as he waited, stomach curling in nervousness.

He sighed, shifting on the couch, folding up into himself and trying to calm down. He was pointlessly getting himself worked up. Sighing again, he glanced at Edan as the man came back and sat down. He shook his head at the wizard's offer for tea. "Thanks, but I'm not really thirsty." He wasn't in the mood for a laugh, but his lips still curled at Edan's remark into a half-smile.

"I don't know...um, it's about Basil," he admitted, his smile curling into something akin to grimace. He didn't want to come back to the club's memory, but he needed someone to talk it through. Well, he needed Edan to talk to. There was no one else Jimin would come to with this besides his psychologist. That was different, though. "I met him in a club a few days ago." A crease showed up between his brows, and he nibbled on his lower lip, tense.

It was about Basil. Of course it was. Edan frowned slightly, but took a seat adjacent to Jimin on the couch, opening his arms for the other to cuddle into. Edan was supposed to be friends with Basil. Technically, he was. Even so, he kind of hated the boy, especially the way he had treated Jimin. Jimin deserves better than Basil had ever been able to give, and Edan wished that Jimin would get over him eventually. He seemed to be doing well, but every time it seemed like Jimin was moving on, Basil showed up again and caused issues all over again. Basil didn’t know what he had, what he wanted, or what he was going to do about it. Edan resented this. He knew what he wanted, and if he had Jimin, he would never let him go the way Basil had, over and over. 
 
“What happened?” He asked, arms still open for Jimin to enter. “Don’t tell me you guys are back together again, you know how badly he treated you. You deserve… so much better.” Edan didn’t really know if he counted as better, he was just as flawed as the other man in his own way… but at least he loved Jimin. He knew what he would do if he had him. He would never have let him go. Never hide him, at least not for long. He wouldn’t have pushed him away and used him and hurt him.  
 
He thought back to the tea, thinking it sounded good, but not wanting to really get up from his spot on the sofa. “You don’t look like it went that well, though.” He admitted. “Did he hurt you again?” The last time Jimin had seen Basil, Basil had hurt him terribly bad. Edan hoped, for both of their sakes, that it wasn’t a repeat of that. 

Jimin wanted to melt when Edan opened his arms in an invitation to cuddle. He was glad the man knew what he needed. He seemed to know that often, actually. Sometimes, Jimin wondered if he perhaps knew more than him. The thought soothed him the same way Edan’s embrace did. Although they had done this, cuddled hundreds of times, asking out loud for it right now seemed a bit too much for the wizard. Jimin was glad for the silent offer. He crawled forward and laid himself against Edan’s chest with a small sigh. The tension in his body seeped away, and he closed his eyes as Edan’s warmth washed over him. Sometimes this made him a little emotional. His mind was too caught up elsewhere, though for his eyes to cry.

He shook his head a little, "we’re not together." He had been thinking about Basil a little more since they met in the club. However, not all of those thoughts were pleasant, and Jimin could confidently say that his feelings had stayed the same despite loving Basil. They did not deepen in any way. Or maybe the spark just fizzled out by now. The high Basil used to give him was gone once and for all, and there was no safety and security for him to want to stay around. The love had dulled.

His heart gave a lurch when Edan told him he deserved better. Hearing this still shocked him a bit as much as it elated him. Jimin wouldn’t be able to count on his fingers how many times he had thought this, but this wizard was truly an amazing man.

He shifted so he would be able to look up at him. His palm covered one of Edan’s hands, craving his touch. It soothed his raging mind so much. "I … he didn’t mean to," he said softly because this time it was true. It had been an accident. A traumatic one, but nonetheless an accident. "My co-worker, she wanted to try this newer club," he bit his bottom lip, looking a little troubled although he felt safe. "He was in the bathroom doing drugs..." he paused for a moment. "He came onto me and was a little pushy," he exhaled shakily, squeezing Edan’s hand harder and closing his eyes. "It was a public bathroom, and he pressed me onto a sink," Jimin had told Edan about the night. It was likely the other had already connected the dots. "I got a flashback and got triggered. Had an...episode."

Edan knew where this was going as soon as Jimin mentioned the public bathroom. He knew what happened to Jimin the last time a man was pushy in a public restroom, and he thought, for some reason, that Basil had known too. Had he been trying to trigger him? He doubted it. Basil was stupid, but not typically cruel on purpose. Just careless, like the way he was with everything else in his life.  He didn’t like this, though, the idea that Basil would think he was entitled, after all this time, to just come onto Jimin—forcefully at that. His arms around Jimin tightened a little bit.

“What happened after that? Were you okay? I wish I had been there…” He sighed, looking a little worried. Jimin seemed okay now, even if he was a little worse for wear. He squeezed Jimin’s hand back, three small times.  He was livid at Basil, again, and hurting for Jimin. No one deserved to go through what he’d gone through, let alone have to relive it due to an abusive ex-boyfriend who didn’t know when to say no.

He reached up to brush some hair out of Jimin’s face. “Hey, you’re here now. You’re okay, anyway.” He rubbed the side of his face gently. He wanted to kiss him, but he didn’t.