Bargain (Not Met) (JungHope)

Interlude - Secret

The days continued in the lethargically-frantic pace that Hoseok committed to carrying himself with. Progress was slow in the Taehyung's research department, but they figured they were making some headway by the simple fact that multiple occurrences thinly relating to their own were showing up in more than one novel. Other than that, their spirits had significantly dimmed down when they realized that it was going to be a long, grueling process that consisted of flipping through hours worth of mind-numbing stories.

Ignoring the whole research project, however, Hoseok found himself in a bit of a pickle whose name spelled itself out into Park Jimin.

The angel's behavior had become distant and wary around Hoseok for a handful of days. Hoseok had been too disorientated and distressed the past couple of weeks to really pin-point any one occurrence that marked the beginning of Jimin's cautious behavior, but he supposed it must not have been long considering the angel was so utterly obvious with whatever he'd been hiding.

Putting the length of the curious behavior aside, Hoseok was more put-off with the fact that a guardian angel had anything to keep under covers at all.

And so, there he sat. In his cozy cubicle that was slowly starting to bake underneath the excessive amount of electric heaters that surrounded it, and wondering how he could catch Jimin off-guard.

Being blunt was his strong suit, right? Might as well go with what he was familiar with.

"Jimin-ah," Hoseok called out, spinning his office chair in a slow one-eighty to face the stiff angel.

"Yes, Hoseok-hyung?" Jimin replied, a hitch in his breath shattering the eased atmosphere.

"You're hiding something from me." Hoseok didn't bother to bring enough tact with him that morning to pose the assumption as a question, partly because he hadn't had enough coffee beforehand.

Jimin's back smartened as his face scolded itself into a stoic expression that did nothing to mask his thrumming panic. "Why would I hide something from you, Hoseok-hyung?"

Hoseok shrugged, eyes drifting over to Jungkook, who stood stock-still against the cubicle's wall. "I wouldn't know unless you decided to tell me your reason."

Jimin released a nervous titter, hiding his quivering lips behind a flushed palm. "I would have no such motivation to hold back information from you, Hoseok-hyung. I am simply a being created to protect and comfort you; I have no other desires lingering within me."

Hoseok's eyebrows furrowed at Jimin's persistent denials. He hadn't figured that the angel would put up that much of a fight—in fact, he didn't think there would be any debate gained during his investigation. Jimin always came off as submissive and easy-going when it came to his client, so Hoseok naturally thought that a simple prod at Jimin's wavering façade would have the angel crumbling and confessing right away.

He really should've bought more coffee that morning.

With a deep, grounding breath, Hoseok pushed onward, not allowing himself even a moment to second-guess his approach. "Well, it sure would bring me comfort if you just fessed up that you've been hiding something clearly important from me."

Jimin flinched, sharp and minute, and opened his mouth to perhaps spout another string of denials, but Jungkook apparently figured that the conversation required his presence.

"Give it up, Angle Boy," Jungkook sighed, weary and disappointed. "Hoseokie's not as oblivious as you claimed him to be."

Jimin sputtered at the back-handed remark on Hoseok's behalf, leaving the office worker blinking in silent surprise that the angel would ever imply such a negative observation about him.