Blood Ink ✔️

46: Hard Life

You and Jin together are a good combo.

Out of all the men in the group known as Bangtan, you seem to coexist with him much easier than the others.

He isn't willful and dry like Yoongi, or commanding and cool like Namjoon.

His eyes don't sparkle with the mischief that Jimin's do, and he doesn't bounce off the walls with youthful energy like Taehyung.

His aura doesn't scream bright happiness and positive enthusiasm like Hoseok.

He doesn't look at you with burning fire in his eyes like Jungkook.

He's just Jin - cool but energetic, sweet but realistic. Comforting, empathetic, and cooperative.

He doesn't press, and you appreciate that.

As soon as the other men disappear from the driveway in a subtle black SUV, Jin claps his hands together, his large chocolate eyes smiling at you from their perch above the elegant slope of his nose bridge.

"Alright, Y/N," he says. "They're gone. You're free. Now is your opportunity to be happy and have fun."

A laugh slips out before you can stop it; not that you'd want to.

Jin's silly grin makes you feel like you can say anything you want without consequence. The carefree mood of his voice and body language are almost at odds with the double lip rings and the ink swirling its way across his skin.

Sometimes you forget that these men are the most dangerous ones of all.

Jin hops into the living room on light feet, stopping excitedly in front of the television. It's small, barely noticeable in the room, and rests on a tiny entertainment center with drawers for storage underneath.

The brunette pulls open a drawer and sticks his hand infused, digging around for a moment with his face creased in concentration. Moments later, he emerges victorious with a Wii controller clutched in his hand and a serious look on his face.

"How much do you Mario Kart?" asks the cold-hearted assassin, his eyebrow ring glinting in the light.

Without a beat, you respond, "Enough to know that Yoshi's gonna kick your butt."

Jin gifts you win a pearly grin that hides the ferocity of a tiger. "Not when my main hoe Princess Peach is on the course, sweetie pie. That's a real woman right there."

You choke on your laughter, but take the remote from his fingers - without knowing that agreeing to play video games with Jin is actually a multi-hour commitment.

You and he play game and game again to pass the time, giggling like children as you cheat and push and do anything to win whatever you're playing. You shove his precious blonde baby off of a cliff, and he retaliates with a giant speeding bullet to blow your cute little green character off of the face of the Mario Bros universe.

There's a friendly comfort between you and, for the first time in a while, you let yourself relax.

You feel normal.

You aren't running, you aren't hiding, you aren't questioning emotions coming to light.

You're just...here. Playing. Laughing.

Having fun.

Your shoulders are relaxed, there's no sign of a frown on your face, and you don't feel the incessant need to watch the door, waiting for a bevy of armed men to come bursting through in order to take you.

It's been a while since you felt like this.

You guess you needed it more than you realized.

After several hours, when the morning sun has faded in color and placement to late afternoon, the rumble of hunger in your stomach tears you away from the television screen.