fourteen hours

thirteen

- yoon -

aria - hey yoon?

yoon - yes ari?

aria - is everything going to be okay?

yoon - everything is going to be okay, i promise you

Aria smiled softly, hugging her phone to her chest, her eyes closed as 'Magic Shop' played through her Airpods. "Everything is okay."

—-

"H-hey Jin." Arai looked down, a small smile on her face, Jin waving from the other side of the phone.

"Hi Aria." Jin leaned forward slightly, trying to get a better view of her face in her dimly lit room. She had only the LED lights lining her ceiling for light, and a salt rock on her bedside table. "Hey! You have RJ!"

"Oh." Aria held up the RJ plushie, this one being a full body one, unlike the Mang one she has which is just their head. "I do."

"Very good." Jin made a face of approval and an okay sign with his hand. "Do you like him? I work hard on making him."

"I love him so much." Aria smiled and looked down at RJ. "He's the perfect size for hugging, see?" Aria gave RJ a big hug and Jin clutched his heart, sighing as he was 'attacked' by them.

"Perfect. RJ and you are perfect." Jin gave her two thumbs up, Aria smiling once more, but Jin has yet to get a laugh out of her. He made a huge mental note of this. Usually it took no time to get ARMY to laugh, or anyone he was with in general.

But Aria was different.

She wasn't just an ARMY, she wasn't a staff member. She was his tiny friend that lived in Virginia. She was the notification on his phone that cause a great smile on his face whenever he saw it. She was the girl that made him a playlist full of meaningful songs even before she met him and the rest of BTS.

She was different.

"I washed my face tonight." Aria rubbed her eyes, her glasses being pushed up once she did so. "And I used the products you recommended."

"Oh that's so good!" Jin practically shouted, Aria looking up quickly, not prepared for such a loud noise. "How was it?"

"Me and my teenage face needed it." Aria smiled a little wider as she rubbed her cheeks, feeling very clean. "My acne sucks."

"It really doesn't though." Jin shook his head and pursed his lips slightly. "It could be a lot worse, but yes, it could be better."

"I wish I could have smooth and clear skin like you." Aria sighed, sitting RJ in her lap. "You have nice skin, if that isn't weird of me to say."

"Well you will one day, if you keep up with cleaning your face daily." Jin reassured her, picking up the bottled water and taking a swig of it. "And you'll get as beautiful as me don't worry. Which reminds me." Jin tightened the cap of his water bottle and sat it back down. "You are just as beautiful as you are now and just as beautiful as you will be with clear skin, okay? Don't think you're ugly because you have acne, because that is untrue. You are a beautiful person, okay?"

"Oh." Aria froze, staring at Jin through the FaceTime call. "Okay." She laid RJ in her lap and smoothed his scarf. "Thank you, Jin. One day I'll have clear skin. I just wish I could remove my freckles as well."

Jin sat up quickly, blinking several times and knocked off the sweatshirt hanging from the back of his chair. "W-what?"

"Yeah, the dots." Aria poked her face roughly, Jin flinching for her. "I'd like to not have them.

"But, but they're freckles." Jin couldn't believe what he was hearing. He thought she looked wonderful with the freckles. It made her look unique! He's so used to everyone having clear skin in Seoul, and seeing someone with freckles was something new and something he loved.

"Yeah." Aria nodded, not knowing why he was reacting this way.

"I like them." Jin picked up the sweatshirt and placed it on the table, telling himself he'll put it away later. "I believe the amount of freckles on one's face is the amount of lives they've saved in their past life. And you," Jin and Aria locked eyes, "Are one heck of an angel."

"Angel." Aria whispered to herself, looking down at RJ. Looking down at her long sleeves. Looking down at her exposed wrists, and sighing softly. She pulled them back over her scars and cuts.

"It's really late for you Ari." Jin tilted his head, sensing the shift in the mood. "You should try and sleep."

"I should." Aria nodded, agreeing on rest for once. "It's Monday tomorrow."

"It is." Jin nodded, it already being Monday for him. "And you have a full week of school." Aria had previously had a five day weekend due to Thanksgiving break. And now she had a five day week. "You can do it Aria. You've done it a thousand times before."

"I suppose." Aria sighed, pulling her sleeves down one last time before picking up her phone. "What are you doing now?"

"I am doing absolutely nothing." Jin watched as she climbed into bed, turning of the LED lights, but not the salt rock. He smiled softly, knowing what she was getting at. "Do you want me to sing you to sleep again?"

"Yes please." Aria nodded, setting her phone up on a pillow so it faced her. She hugged RJ as she laid on her side, looking at Jin.

"Any song?" Jin sat up straighter, clearing his throat gently.

"Any song."

.

Jin finished the fifth song, about to grab his water bottle for a small break, but his eyes were on Aria. She looked asleep, and she looked so peaceful. His eyes fell on RJ, and slowly made their way to her wrists.

"I know Aria." Jin spoke in Korean, crossing his legs as he stared at the cuts, only visible by the salt rock. "You don't have to hide from me, I know.

"Please know it changes nothing."