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chaoticneutralwriter · 5 years

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Misery and its Company

As the saying goes, misery loves company now that you’ve officially joined the ‘can’t go to a BTS concert’ club but you find company in probably the last person anyone would think of (even if he thinks you’re the one possessed by a demonic entity).

guardian demon!Jimin x reader

word count: 7.3k

genre: supernatural, fluff, romance, comedy, slow-burn

Related works: see masterlist under guardian demon!jimin au

Continuation of Thirty Second Heartbreak

A/N: And so the ball starts rolling.... (SORRY FOR THE WAIT AS PER USUAL TAT!! But I still love you~)

You're met with silence, which is a bit surprising coming from him since he always seems to have a sassy comment ready to dish out. You spend the time finishing up on typing your message before you finally put your phone down and your eyes naturally stray over to him. The first thing you see is just how confused he looks, the most you've seen him – one perfectly raised eyebrow, eyes scrunched and the corner of his full lips slightly downturn; the image almost manages to crack a smile on you.

Right when you're about to voice your own confusion, he asks. “So what of it?”

The heavy sigh escapes from you before you can stifle it, already feeling the weight of your post-concert depression except you haven't even went yet and the slightest tinge of annoyance for Jimin's tactless question.

“Well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not made of money and even if I were to go, the cost of the tickets alone is a lot already but now I have to take into account for travel and a place to stay.” You explain, tapping back into your group chat to also continue this conversation there too. “Also, even trying for a ticket is hard in itself; my friends and I were lucky to score some the last time they were here.”

“Then why not try again? You can always split costs for travel and hotel can't you?”

“They're pretty much tight on money too.”

You hear him scoff lightly, cocking his head to one side still very much not understanding your point. “I thought you were pretty much dedicated to BTS, ready to drop the ball for them the moment they announce anything.”

“Not like I don't want to go! It's just...” You feel your frustrations begin to boil over; frustration for not having your city included in the stops, for having restraints like distance, time, money, and that no matter how much you even (theoretically) try to work out a plausible plan, it still wouldn't work. “There's too many strings I need to pull, and not just on my end, to make this work.”

The words pained you even if you were the one who spoke them. They don't stop the dull yearning in your chest that had settled there, only making it worse, to the point where your friend's joke about 'YOLO-ing' it for this concert is looking more and more enticing as you reply laughing to it. Alas, the logical side wins you over at the end of the day, the need for sustaining yourself in the long run and upholding responsibilities smothering out the more impulsive side of you that flares up at the most unexpected of times.

“It's fine.” You say after a while, more to yourself you think than it is for Jimin who's been observing you quietly from the side. “The trailer said that there were 'more dates to come', so I'm gonna put my faith that they will come.”

“Because in BTS we trust?” The demon snorts and the underlying light-heartedness of his tone in the comment successfully tickles a small smile out of you.

“Yeah,” You laugh lightly, “In BTS we trust.”

He says that, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that it's not as okay as it seems. Days pass by from the initial announcement of the tour, you go on about your life as if everything is fine, like the dog sitting in the burning house type of way.

Jimin still doesn't quite understand your logic in any of this. He gets you've got other commitments in life (school and work) and also money hesitancy, but...this is BTS we're talking about – the one thing that brings joy to you and for all the times you've proclaimed your undying love for them, you choose to pass up the opportunity to actually see them? Because of, what he thinks, are materialistic reasons? What if this was your only chance for another two-three years? He only thinks this because he's honestly seen people with way worse odds against them and yet the minute they get the chance at something they want, they jump on it, money and responsibilities be damned. Impulsivity, the very core to the folly of humans in the best way he's seen it – caused by giving in to the temptations of their own poison, their own kryptonite and often times, lead to their own demise.

He cocks his head again, lost in thought; you're so confusing because by all means you should've done the same; be blinded by your love in pursuit to chase that temporary high, only to crash and burn afterwards in dealing with the consequences. But here, logic wins over your heart's desire and willingly you suffer under the pretense of blind faith instead.

Ah, he thinks in realization, is this simply you choosing between the lesser of the poisons?

He catches a smile creeping up at the corner of his lips at the possibility. Interesting...

“What are you smiling so dreamily to yourself? Thinking about setting a poor sap on fire?”

The ghost of a smile instantly vanishes at the sound of another presence and Jimin's face quickly takes on a more irritable one.

“Yes, in fact, I actually had you in mind.”

“Oh dear brother, you're going to have to do better than that.” Jungkook sidles up to the older demon, plopping himself down on the edge of the building he's found the guardian on. The night air is still cool, but seeing as there is no wind to be felt it made sitting outside pleasant, even more so with the view of the city lights illuminating from below. But Jimin is not here for the view, never really has been while Jungkook on the other hand, is here to pick apart his mentor and friend's brain. Jimin's blasé response to Jungkook's follow up all the more intrigues the young demon because that's a clear sign that something else was on his mind. Something more important and he's willing to bet money on what that could be. So he waits, bides his time to see if he'll crack. It pays off.

“Humor me,” Jimin's smooth lilt breaks through the silence, the only other sounds were the bustling of cars passing by below, too faint to be a disturbance to the two demons in their own world atop of another. “If one was given the chance to see the one thing that brings them joy, with the prospect of probably never seeing them again, would you still forgo your responsibilities, even if they'll most likely lead to your demise in the long run? Or do you not, instead, live a stable life but suffer for an undetermined amount of time on the what-ifs?”

Jungkook straightens up, the metaphorical throwing him off a bit. To be honest, he wasn't really sure what he was expecting but nevertheless, he's willing to take a whack at it. Who knows, it might lead to some more telling things. Crossing his arms, he answers after giving it some serious thought.

“Depends on what one values.” Jungkook responds vaguely enough. “If desire and satisfaction rules above all else, then indulging in ones joy even at the cost of your demise in the long run is but a small matter.” He pauses, tilting his head much like a puppy, as a thought comes into mind. “What's that expression mortals like to say? Curiousity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back? Makes you think they rather prefer acting on impulse than to go through a slow death of not knowing the possibilities from trying.”

Jimin goes quiet again in contemplation; from Jungkook's answer, even he eludes to the fact that humans would naturally fall into that sort of trap – just like how Eve did with the snake and the apple in the Garden of Eden. But then there's you, who's brain triumphs over your heart even when presented with your figurative apple.

“Why do you ask, brother?” Jungkook speaks up after the silence becomes too unbearable for him. “Last I remember, you're not much of a riddler type.”

He doesn't get an immediate answer and it further prods at the younger demon's curiousity. So his mind starts to race, pulling up information he already knew and piecing them together in hopes of coming up with something coherent. Jimin has always been aware of the weak will of humans, ruefully laments on them in fact, for making his job as a demon very lacklustre so why would it get him all hot and bothered now? Come to think of it, he's hadn't had a thrill since meeting Jungkook and....

The light bulb goes off in the brunette's head and his face does not hide his eureka moment. Jimin is immediately suspicious.

“What's with the stupid look?” He asks, eyes narrowing.

“....this is about Y/N isn't it?”

“Wouldn't you like to know.”

“So it is. I knew it!”

“I didn't even say it is!”

Jungkook makes a knowing hum in the back of his throat, noise rising in pitch with thin lips curling at the edges to give his cheeky grin a very bunny-like quality. It takes everything in Jimin to not smack the younger upside the head but with much effort, he settles with rolling his eyes hard and shaking his head, turning away to gaze out at the city instead.

“Has something come up recently with Y/N?” Jungkook persists however, doe eyes wide and leaning into Jimin's personal space. “Did you two get into a philosophical argument? Clashed on morals?”

Jimin remains determined to ignore him, and Jungkook could feel his eye twitch at his friend's stubbornness. So he decides to switch tactics; do the one thing that'll get on the older demon's nerve in one second flat: make absurd assumptions. Leaning in closer for dramatic effect, Jungkook whispers scandalously, much like a gossiping housewife.

“Has she committed a sin?”

The reaction was instantaneous.

“W-What?! What are you even talking about?! Of course not!” Jimin sputters and it brings indescribable joy to Jungkook to see him so flustered (a very rare sight). He can't help the bark of laughter that has his head tipping back but quickly recovers to placate the older demon so that he doesn't end up ditching him with no answers to his odd behaviour.

“Okay, okay then what? You seem awfully troubled and I could only guess it has something to do with your darling of a charge.”

The glare sent his way could kill, dark eyes flashing dangerously red before they flicker back to their muted brown. Jungkook puts his hands up disarmingly, watching the other demon release a heavy sigh while running a hand through his faded midnight blue locks. Jimin stares unseeingly out at the cityscape for a moment longer before he gives in.

“You know how Y/N loves that boy band of hers', BTS right?”

“Oh yeah, the ones who's faces we borrowed, not to mention her room is a reminder of it in our every waking moment and we don't even sleep. Why?”

The corner of Jimin's lips pulls up without resistance in the way Jungkook answered the question, like he was asked what the colour of the sky was. His big doe eyes stare at Jimin, blinking perplexedly.

“Well,” The older demon starts, rolling his head to one side to deliberately drag it out. He hates having to confide in someone, it goes against a lot of his demonic nature but then again, he's currently working as some mortal's guardian now so he can't exactly say this is a first – but that doesn't mean he still doesn't dread every second of this. With a heave of his shoulders, he spills, “They're doing a world tour right now and one of their stops is in the area.”

Jungkook's eyes grow impossibly in size at the news, mouth dropping open in shock and surprise. “Holy shit! I bet Y/N's freaking losing it right now! Is that what's this is all about? Did you tell her she can't go 'cus she's broke or something?”

“Quite the opposite actually.” Jimin cuts in sharply, deadpan. “She's decided not to go because the stop isn't exactly in the city but a few hours bus or plane ride away and something about not having friends agreeing to go, even after the fact I said I was fully expecting her to go too.”

That makes Jungkook pause, completely taken aback. So much so that it makes him zone out and at any moment, the X-Files theme music will start playing in the distant. Jimin looks on in disbelief, not really sure how to react but definitely knows that he's having a hard time keeping a straight face. Finally, after it seems like Jungkook's returned back into his vessel, he snaps.

“That's ridiculous! How can she not go see them?! This is her life's work! Has she lost her mind?! Are you sure we're even talking about the same person here?” He says it all in one breath, eyes still so piercing that Jimin leans back with a concerned furrow of his brow.

“Don't ask me, ask her because I would like to know too.”

“You're right, I should. There's just no way.” Jungkook nods to himself, abruptly standing with a fierce determination that Jimin had to thank his supernatural reflexes once again to be able to stop the younger demon in time from bursting through your room at five in the morning.

It becomes even more painfully obvious as the first days of the tour comes around the corner. Jungkook probably (read: most likely) made matters worst by doing what he couldn't do the first time he heard the news of you not going out of your way to any of the tour stops; ask why in the seven hells you're not doing it. After having to explain to him about how being a broke college student, knee deep in debt (and climbing), working at a part-time, minimum wage job will probably have you end up on the streets before you can say 'BTS', (and Jimin throwing a warning fireball shot at his head) he drops the topic.

But the salt has been rubbed into your metaphorical wound and you're still feeling the burn, as much as you don't want to admit it. It's not like you haven't been to a BTS concert before, in fact, you had gone the previous year. In hindsight, there are many fans who wouldn't even have the slightest chance ever of seeing them for a number of reasons; you're blessed enough to have them in your country at all. But BTS, oh BTS, when you're in deep, it's deep. You don't think you can put into words how happy they make you feel, how they became something more than just a K-Pop band you follow because they have great music (bonus that they're all ethereally beautiful, inside and out), how much they influence your life in small ways that cause a bigger effect. It may seem ridiculous to other people, but for those who don't understand won't see how they helped you re-connect with old friends you never thought you could be close with again, comfort you in your hard times with their songs and letters, and helped remind you that you're doing great even when it doesn't seem like it.

They're the ones who tell you the things you need to hear the most.

A heavy sigh escapes you before you realize, and it seems to make your whole body sag. You're on your last few weeks of the semester, crunch time and exams are looming over your head and instead of studying, all you can think of is how you're not living your best life right now.

“That's the fifteenth time you've sighed.”

You throw a halfhearted glare behind you where the demon stands, back leaning against the closed door with his arms crossed coolly. You only let out a grunt in response, turning back around to stare vacantly at your laptop screen, trying to force yourself to read through your online textbook chapters and go through Powerpoint slides on God knows what anymore – the subjects are all blurring together at this rate. You've also have given up on colour coding your notes along the way, finding it too troublesome to switch between the different coloured pens and highlighters you have so needless to say, you're on your way to failing your exams.

You don't even pay any mind when you feel Jimin's presence creep up beside you, your desk creaking at the added weight caused by him pressing his hips into it to peer down at you like a house cat wanting attention and is thinking about sitting on your keyboard to get it.

It goes on for a few minutes but after reading the same two sentences again for the fifth time, you let out a loud, ragged breath, dropping the pen you're holding and letting your head fall forward.

“What do you want?” You ask tiredly.

He doesn't reply right away as if giving the answer some thought before he says in a very deadpanned voice, “You look awful.”

You shoot him an unamused side glance that's devoid of any real effort, picking up your pen to twirl it distractedly in between your fingers as you slouch further in your seat, practically wallowing in your misery. “Yeah, well that's what having five different exams to do within two weeks will do to you. Now, be a dear and leave me alone to die.”

You hear a quiet snort but you really do have half the mind to actually ask him to send you to literal Hell if it means that you'll get out of having to write these exams. You're pretty sure that having your limbs pulled and set aflame will be much more painless than this. But alas, as if reading your mind, Jimin saunters away without another word, footsteps quietly receding and you're surprised he listened.....Or he really is leaving you alone to die a slow and painful death. Damn, there goes your chance.

Looking back at your screen has you wanting to bash your head against the desk and though you really want to just call it a day, you need to get this chapter finished. So after a few more mental pep talk, you haul yourself up begrudgingly to start reading through the paragraphs of texts again.

You make it about three pages away from the end when you're pulled out of your tunnel vision by a hand reaching over to place a mug of steaming tea in front of you. It takes you a second to let the image settle into your mind but once you process that Jimin had went and got you a cup of tea in a small gesture to ease your stress, your eyes immediately trail up to who it belonged to, slightly widen at the realization. When you meet his own gaze however, your face begins to warm.

He quirks one perfectly shaped eyebrow at you but otherwise, his face remains passive. It makes you feel silly, with your racing heart and shaking eyes struggling to remain focused on him. In moments like these, you can't hide behind the facade of being annoyed by his teasing, letting you become just a tad bit too vulnerable in front of him. It makes you not know how to act which makes you fumble and make a fool out of yourself. You hated that feeling, so you shy away, dropping your gaze to the mug of tea and hands reaching up to cup the ceramic with a murmured thanks.

You miss the way he stares at you for a moment longer, just taking in your slightly disheveled hair, the way your shoulders slouch, eyes drooping and the mindless doodles that litter on the pages of your notes, having long lost their focus on the subject at hand. He watches as you delicately hold the mug up to your lips, giving a steady blow to cool the liquid inside before taking your first sip. A soft hum of approval escapes you and already Jimin can see the drink easing your tired body and mind. It's only then that he turns away, letting his head roll back towards the ceiling. Jimin lets you have your moment of peace, letting the companionable silence take over. His eyes drift over to your bedside clock and seeing the time reaching into the early morning hours has a small smile tugging at his lips. It seems you two always had a habit of being in each other's company during these times, but perhaps given the nature in how you met, it's only fitting.

Turning his head back to you again, Jimin finds that you've made it halfway through your mug of tea and decides then that it'll be in your best interest to head to bed.

“You should sleep. It's getting late.”

“....But I need to finish this chapter.”

Even as you go to protest, Jimin can hear the drowsiness in your voice as well as the reluctance to continue. He shifts his body to face you, towering over you as you peer up at him with a slight pout to your lips. Honestly he doesn't know why you're so adamant on pushing yourself like this when you're clearly very tired but a part of him does respect you for your tenacity.... Or he should say stubbornness. Either way, he can't have you fainting all because you choose to bypass sleep but furthermore, what kind of demon would he be if he's not tempting you into the more self-indulgent things in life.

You instinctively shrink back from the demon when he leans down slightly, letting one hand rest against the back of your chair. You watch with trepidation as his dark, alluring eyes roam over your face in an almost calculative manner, and the way the light of your desk lamp makes them glimmer as well doesn't help the growing suspicion you have that he's up to no good. As you swallow nervously, you see from the corner of your eyes his free hand reaching up to the tea mug you have clenched in your hand still, prying it away from your crushing hold with relative ease.

“Now, Y/N....” Jimin's voice flows out like velvet honey – rich, smooth and dulcet, like a Siren's song drawing you in, powerless. Vaguely, you had the thought that Jimin was using a bit of his demonic powers to enthrall you into submission but another part of you argued that you're still very much aware of your surroundings, of what he's doing and that perhaps, to your utter astonishment, you're willingly allowing it to happen; maybe going as far to say that you enjoy it.

You register the gentle way he places the mug onto the desk, never once breaking eye contact with you before you feel the ghost of his touch along your shoulder, nudging you so that you swivel towards him. Your body reacts, goosebumps erupting and as you see him lean in just a hair more, your breath catches in your throat. You watch, hyper aware as his pillowy lips part and he whispers huskily.

“Why don't you be a dear, and come to bed....”

God yes, the words were right at the tip of your tongue, mind unable to distinguish between meaning the bed or something else entirely, but you would've embarrassingly said it in the same way as someone who just got asked if they wanted to eat a plate of the creamiest chicken Alfredo....for free.

But Jimin, Park impeccable timing, the Biggest Tease™ Jimin, knows when exactly to leave you high and dry because the next thing you know, you're being hauled upwards and the swooping sensation of your stomach dropping like you're on a roller coaster kicks your muddled brain right back into fight or flight mode, starting with an undignified cross between a yelp and a loud, choked gasp escaping from your lips. You're jostled into his arms, limbs flailing between trying to reorient yourself and slapping a hand over your mouth to prevent you from waking up Jaehee (and possibly your neighbour). Jimin takes it like a champ, stupidly well-coordinated and steady throughout it all (even has the gall to snigger at you) as he nonchalantly turns to deposit you onto your bed.

You bounce with a squeak but immediately shoot upright, grabbing the first pillow you touch to smack him with it, only the weight and momentum don't add up for an effective throw and instead, Jimin gets a light pat that barely puts a wrinkle in his luxurious black, lace-up collar, tunic shirt (probably made of Egyptian cotton). He makes a show of that by dusting off the spot where the pillow had hit, unperturbed.

“What is wrong with you!?” You hiss indignantly, red in the face. “I'm not a sack of potatoes! Don't – !” You cut yourself off to chuck another pillow at him, this time it flies upwards to his face but he catches it midair. Clearly, you're proving yourself not to be the most athletic but at least you stopped the snide comment that was about to leave his mouth. Unfortunately, the sly smile is still on his face when he lowers the pillow, casually fluffing it as if you had voluntarily given it to him and he's graciously accepted to do it out of the kindness of his heart.

“Now, now my darling Y/N, I know it's past your bedtime so there's no need to throw a tantrum.”

“I'm not a child, Jimin.” You snap back, eyes narrowing on him. “I need to finish my exam notes tonight so I can start on making other notes on my other exams.”

“You can do that tomorrow.”

“I literally have three pages left!”

“Exactly.” He says, plopping the pillow back at the head of the bed. “It won't take you that long. Besides, I can't have you sabotaging my way to getting into the good graces of heaven just because you decide to pull a quick one on me.”

That made you raise an eyebrow. “Good graces...? Oh, right.”

You completely forgot about that; the whole point of Jimin being here. Now that it's been brought up, Jimin's good track record, by the looks of it thus far, meant that he was well on his way to getting let off the hook for...whatever heinous crime he committed against heaven. The thought suddenly has your mind spiralling with questions.

“Are you like expecting their letter of approval some time soon or what?” It slips out before you can really think about it. The demon only gives a noncommittal shrug, tossing the first pillow you threw back onto the bed from the floor.

“Who knows – we never know what heaven is up to half the time. Nevertheless, I'd rather not take any risks so,” He redirects the topic back to you and your deplorable sleep schedule seamlessly with a pointed look, “we can do this the easy way, or the hard way.”

You scoff a laugh at that, crossing your arms,“You just said you weren't going risk your perfect track record and now you're threatening me to sleep?”

“Oh cherub, I didn't say I was going to use physical force to make you sleep you know.” Jimin smiles with a tilt of his head, making his fringes fall lightly over his eyes....that were beginning to glow red; at first dimly before gradually becoming more luminous. An immediate chill washes over you, your initial stubbornness shrinking back down by ten notches and unease takes over.

“I can simply ask and you would listen.”

Before you can ask what he meant by that, you hear another voice whisper in the back of your, lie down.

Soon you feel your own body seize up and against your will, you're lying back on your bed. The only thing you could do is stare up in shock at Jimin who shoots back a smug smirk.

“W-What did you do to me?!” You whisper shout, voice cracking when for the life of you, you find that you can't get yourself to sit back up or move any of your limbs for that matter.

“Your mind is in such a worn and tired state that it's easy for me to take control, bend you to my will you could say.” He replies, matter of fact. Jimin blinks and the eerie glow vanishes along with the numbness of losing control of your body. You immediately do a pat down to ensure that that's the case and once satisfied, you shoot a hard glare his way.

“That's not fair.”

“It is doll; you could have easily stopped it but in your state, I highly doubt that.”

And being the dumbass that you are, you shoot up in retaliation (and maybe even out of pettiness), but is met with the same constricting force that had restrained you earlier. Jimin is unfazed, not a single hair out of place, one hand cupping his cheek with a sickly sweet smile staring down at your struggling form.

“We can do this all night darling; you know I don't sleep.”

A few more minutes of silent fighting with him no where near breaking a sweat and you about to sweat buckets, you let out a frustrated groan, letting go of the strain you've been putting on yourself in attempts to break free of his hold. It's then that he relents, your body automatically becoming loose against the mattress, too tired to even think about trying to lift a finger and it's with a belated scowl of annoyance that you realized you just played yourself.

“Sweet dreams cherub. You'll thank me later.” Jimin says a little too smugly. In a last ditch effort to getting the last laugh, you limply swing your arm at him, hoping to land an indignant smack to his person but as expected, he dances out of the way in time, giggling all the way.

Contrary to what Jimin said, you're not so thankful. Well....Sure, you did get a fairly well rested sleep but in terms of progress with your study notes....

“What are you doing?”

You minimize the window so that your digital textbook could be seen on the screen instead, going back to pretend like you were in the middle of writing down a note.

“Studying.”

“Right....” You hear him drag the word out as he saunters over to obnoxiously lean over you to reach your laptop. “And not, oh I don't know, scrolling through your Twitter feed to read everyone freaking out about tickets going on sale in half an hour?”

Jimin takes the time to click on your hidden window right at that moment to pull up the receipts. You swat his hand away, hitting with a satisfying smack but all he does is squeak a laugh as he pulls away and you're left red-faced in embarrassment anyways. You throw down your pen in order to rest your head in your hands, heaving out a heavy sigh.

“I can't help it....” You nearly whine. “It's stressing me out even when I'm not going to buy one anyways. Like I should be but I'm not and my mind is just screaming at me why?”

“You know what that is?” Jimin singsongs from his place on your bed, reclining back on it as if he owns it. “It's your gut telling you that you should.”

You shoot a glare his way. “If you think you can tempt me this time then no.”

He shrugs, turning his attention back on his phone. “Your loss.”

Minutes tick by and though you valiantly truck through half a chapter more, once the clock struck its half hour mark, you find yourself unconsciously pulling up one of the ticket web page (you know, just out of curiousity). As expected, the site is borderline malfunctioning probably from the rush of people on their server and on top of that, there's this new queue line setup that you have to go through before even getting to the seat selection screen.

You're currently behind 250 other people.

You feel dejected already, knowing that even if you had wanted to get a ticket, the chances of that are slim to none, just as you had predicted.

“Wow....what is that?” Jimin's breath brushes over your ear so closely that you jump at the sudden proximity. You run a hand over your face, trying to calm your racing heart before addressing the demon.

“It looks like a new queuing system to buy tickets, I guess to stop bots or something....”

“Huh, well shit.” He chuffs, “I'd say getting into hell is a lot easier than that, by the looks of it.”

You laugh dryly, watching the little running man on screen run as if his life depended on it but has yet to move even an inch forward (wow, story of your life). “Aren't you a demon? Don't you have some black magic for this kind of stuff, like cheating the system?”

He hums, tilting his head from side to side. “I can...”

You hate yourself for perking up at the idea, wide eyes following Jimin as he moves languidly back over to your bed. He takes his time to flop back and get comfortable, bringing an arm up to cushion behind his head while pulling out his phone before he notices your laser beam eyes. The sight causes his lips to quirk.

“There are some strings I can pull if you want the tickets that badly, but as with most demonic magic, it'll be at the expense of someone else.”

You deflate, brows furrowing at the statement. “Expense? How?”

“Simple – for you to get the tickets, someone else will lose their chance, no matter how good the odds were for them.” Jimin puts plainly, bringing his phone down. “So do you want to? Just say the word.”

He holds up a hand in a way that looks like he's about to snap his fingers, eyes faintly glowing in that reddish hue. You swallow, watching with morbid fascination that literally all it would take is a snap of his fingers and the tides would turn in your favour. You could have something to look forward to once all the stress of exams and a school year is over; the perfect escape to just forget about your worries for a while.

But you tear your eyes away, letting out a sigh that has you slumping your shoulders.

“No, it's fine.”

It wouldn't be fair, you'd rather try with your own chances and not have to live with the guilt of ruining someone else's because you so happen to have a demon to your advantage (you don't think anyone could say that in their lifetime). You know it'll eat you alive.

Jimin raises an eyebrow at you but acquiesces, lowering his hand almost disappointingly. He watches you close the ticket window and then go back to reading your textbook, the only sounds between the two of you is the scratching of your pen on paper as you take notes. After a moment more, Jimin huffs quietly to himself.

“You're no fun....”

You continue to read through your textbooks for the rest of the day, stopping only to eat and take few short breaks (snacking, getting a drink, showering etc). Even when you feel like you're not taking in any information by the time the sun has gone down, you stubbornly write down everything that might be of significance. As for your guardian demon, the last you saw of him was earlier that afternoon when he had offered to get the tickets by shadier means. You figured at some point he had gotten bored and wandered off to probably tempt more unfortunate souls around the city.

By the time you decided you've had enough and should probably head to bed in preparation for your first exam of the week, it was already half past twelve. You can only praise the sun that the class was at least an afternoon one. But in spite of that, you find that you can't fall asleep once your head hits the pillow and you've settled under your covers.

You toss and you turn repeatedly, trying desperately to shut off your racing mind. Of course, you think ruefully with your eyes shut tight but very much still awake, that the one time you try to be a decent human being and go to sleep early, your mind decides to have a crisis – asking unhelpful hypotheticals like 'are you sure you've studied enough?', 'can you answer this particular question right now if you're asked it?', or 'what if you'll never see BTS again for another three or four years? You're probably missing your one and only chance right now', 'hey, remember that one thing you did when you were sixteen? Man you're such a –'

“You know you'd make a very poor actress from the way you're pretending to be asleep.”

“I'm not trying to pretend.” You grumble, finally giving up and letting your eyes fall back open. As per usual, it takes a while before they adjust to start distinguishing shapes in the darkness of your room and from there, you see the unmistakable figure of Jimin by your door. You shoot him one pointed look before going back to stare aimlessly at your ceiling and after a silence passes between you two, you dejectedly admit, “I can't sleep.”

“I can see that.”

“Maybe it's the pre-exam jitters or something, like I feel like I'm gonna blank out as soon as I see the papers.” You find yourself ranting to him, maybe in hopes of trying elevate your worries or lull you enough to finally sleep. Either way, it has you feeling like you're in a psychology session with Jimin as your psychologist – which you should not have someone as a psychologist....or anyone for that matter. You run a hand down your face, refraining from groaning as you catch your mind racing with ridiculous thoughts again when you should SLEEPING.

You feel a dip in the bed and you don't need to look up to know who it is.

“Humans are so easily troubled by their own minds....” You hear him sigh. “I'm sure you'll do fine.”

You huff one back in return,“As if you – ”

“Like I said cherub, you're funny but not dumb. You're just getting in your head again.” Jimin says this as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. You're surprisingly touched by his words despite his blasé tone but you know by now how to read Jimin's sincerity. It warms your cheeks and makes you fidget with the sheets by your hands.

“....You're very bold to assume I won't totally bomb this exam.” You can't help deflecting. You feel him shift as if to shrug his shoulders.

“Well, when all else fails, you can bullshit your way. You're good at that right?”

A puff of air escapes through your nose, the smile threatening to overtake your face. You swat lightly at him, the back of your hand unfortunately meeting the bonier end of his knee. You immediately recoil hissing in pain. He lightly snickers.

“Sleep cherub.”

“I told you I can't.”

“Count sheeps then.”

The suggestion makes you crane your neck to give him a raised eyebrow and a face that clearly asks, ‘are you serious?’ When all you’re met is silence, you’re surprised that he’s actually serious. But you’re also getting desperate at this point, at your ropes end so you think, why not give a tried-and-true trick a go?

So you inhale deeply, then exhale steadily through your mouth, closing your eyes as you try to slow your breathing and picture a meadow with a little picket fence, where fluffy white sheeps are bound to hop over one by one in succession.

One sheep.

You try to let it become your lullaby, hypnotizing you to drift into a dreamless slumber.

Two sheep.

Three sheep....

Four sheep...

For a moment, you think it's working or...or maybe you're trying to fool yourself into thinking it's working and you just look silly. Actually, were you supposed to say ‘little’ before each sheep or...?

You exhale loudly, eyes coming open again. “It didn't work...”

Even Jimin lets out a quiet groan of his own, head thumping back against your wall. You feel him shift again and hear the light smack of his hands coming down on his thighs as he pushes himself off your bed. “Well, that's all I got.”

“W-Wait, I swear you have a spell for this.” You say, propping yourself up on your elbows. “The sleeping one you always do.”

You faintly see him halt in his steps, turning back to you with a hand on his hip. “Yeah, but it's magic induced sleep – it puts you in a deeper slumber than natural sleep and as a human, you're susceptible to becoming dependent on it.”

“Okay... Yeah, I get it, but....I'm asking you this time – just this once. I feel like I'm going to lose my mind at this rate.” You half plead. He goes quiet and you think he'll humour you by giving it some thought before outright turning you down. “I swear this will be the only time, you can even use enough to just make me sleepy....?”

Still, he remains quiet and you think that's your answer enough. So you begin to sink back into your bed, preparing to count sheep into oblivion when you hear him release a sigh, bringing a hand up to run it through his hair. Then, he turns back to you and you can only stare up in question.

“You owe me.” He murmurs under his breath. You blink, mind floundering for an appropriate response but it seems that Jimin didn’t plan on leaving any room for argument as he carries on to say, “Lie back.”

You involuntarily swallow but obey regardless, lying back fully and getting comfortable. In all honesty, you understand where he's coming from, having already experienced the magic induced sleep spell a total of two times but....you really need this, even the groggy after effects can't stop you.

Jimin stoops to take his seat on the empty space beside you again, only this time, he positions himself in a way he can hover over you. The faint glow of his eyes is the only thing that helps you get an idea of just how close he is to you, along with the soft caress of his breath against your lashes and rapidly warming cheeks. You wait with baited breath, nibbling your lower lip out of nerves. It makes him let out a breathy chortle.

“Relax, you're making me nervous.”

You snort unattractively, eyes darting off to the side as you mumble under your breath. “You shouldn't be talking....”

Jimin doesn't say anything in reply, though you know he's probably smiling to himself and it's only when you feel a gentle hand cupping your cheek does your gaze snap back to his, body freezing up instinctively. He patiently waits until you're used to his touch and though it takes while, you eventually feel yourself loosening up, as if his gaze has you spellbound. Jimin senses the way you once tense body relaxes and he takes it as a cue to prepare the spell, eyes glowing a little more vividly as he whispers the magic words.

“Now, sleep.”

The last thing you feel is the feather light touch of Jimin's thumb caressing your cheek as you gladly let the familiar hazy cloud swallow you finally into your much desired dreamless sleep.

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