▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
❝ i am not a stranger to the dark. ❞
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
⚌⚌
⠀
⠀
⠀
⠀

THE WORLD is full of obvious things that many fail to observe. no one looks up at the chimneys or the trees laid against the sky or the tops of buildings towering above. everybody stares down with their eyes on the pavement or the screens of their phones drowning out the rest of their senses. it's the sound of their shoes and the steps their taking or the text that's coming — what else could really be of importance nowadays? the whole world could pass them by and no one would even have a clue.

he would know, though, he always did. the casual glance over the sunglasses perched on his nose and the relaxed position of his wrist on top of the steering wheel.

the watch said it was half past noon. ten minutes late. god he would never hear the end of it now.

the skill of observation was never truly lost, maybe dying, but that was only more beneficial. he could take one look at someone and know nearly everything about them.

the woman standing at the side of the street, waiting for her turn to cross. she had a curved spine, occasionally fixing her posture every few seconds and most likely hating that office job where she sat for numerous hours. mid thirties, no children since it was the school pickup time now and there wasn't a ring on her finger for the husband to be doing it. the two indents on her nose, in between her eyes, she'd run at it and probably put on her glasses again once she's at home and away from the public, it was common to see ladies feeling more secure with contact lenses advertised to make you more beautiful. it was somewhat sad.

small things like this brought back too many memories, the good ones that had him clutching the steering wheel and closing his eyes, thinking back to the adrenaline days and schemes carefully planned out with the best observations put in place to ensure perfection.

the light was red. a few months ago that wouldn't have stopped him, he'd be tearing down the street like a whisper in the wind with no chance of being caught, a legend to only be heard of. but doing that would be like walking back to the concrete cell and locking the door himself.

not again, he repeated in his mind. that was a mistake, the trust that was broken and then strings in one's heart torn like it was nothing.

jungkooks hands clutched at the wheel, the red emotion pulsing through his veins nearly identical to that of the traffic light. maybe a second layer, his heavy boot would have pressed down on the pedal, a simple wish to leave behind that feeling that's sat in his chest the past six months.

but it was the little ding, a chime that broke his thoughts and a name that wiped any negativity from his mind. the picture was one he didn't even take, a close up selfie of big pink lips and crescent eyes.

jimin was calling, probably wondering where he was.

it was a quick glance at the red, certain ones waiting to flash above a cop car sitting on the corner. jungkook just sighed, a feeling of longing tugging in his chest as he picked up the phone and held it to his ear.

"hello?" he said, voice quiet and hands shifting to the wheel as he pulled out once the light turned green, finally.

"you were suppose to be here ten minutes ago." his friend has been ready, sitting in the kitchen with his surprise display all set up and carefully prepared all that morning.

there was only a quiet chuckle in response. most of their conversations were vague like this, subtle innuendos and inside jokes leading the way for only them to fully understand. "i'm having a good morning, by the way, thanks for asking." jungkook said.

"just get here, you're anything but late." jimin said with a roll of his eyes. it's been a second or too, jungkook really couldn't help himself as his foot pressed down on the gas, the engine spurring on and a light smile tugging on his lips at the sound.

the center of the city was more crowded, a bunch of cars and taxis filling the air with pollution alongside the noise of chatter and honking. stores lining the streets begged for customers and many ladies disappeared into clothing stores while their husbands hit the bars. jimin liked living here by the clubs, there was plenty of drunk people at night to watch and laugh at — and the tech stores on the corner was his second home.

the raven haired male was lucky enough to find a spot on the side of the road, parking quickly and making his way into the building lobby before he got another call from his friend. six floors up and five doors down, his knuckles met the wooden surface and a voice echoed from inside, "come in!"

jungkook opened the door and wasn't surprised at the scene before him. the other boy had matching dark hair now, very different to the usual pastels he dyed it, standing there in the kitchen opening with his arms spread and sign hanging above him.

congrats on being incarcerated! we're out of cereal. it wrote in crayons.

"welcome home!" jimin cheered, he had a huge smile on his face and a cake in his hands. the plate was pink, matching the drawings on top made from icing. they weren't the best drawings, but jimin did his best.

jungkook pulled off his jacket and walked in, leaving it on the stool and giving his friend a hug — an awkward one at that with the cake in the way. "did you forget how to buy groceries while i was gone?"

"i didn't forget." jimin clarified while setting the plate back down and going for two forks. "i simply didn't feel like it."

the other just hummed and picked at the soft dessert, it was vanilla, his favorite. jimin knew this of course and remembered to order it with the whipped topping since it wasn't as sweet. he added the doodles on top himself. "are these pink skulls?" jungkook asked, using the fork to poke at the little icing drawing.

"yes," jimin said, "since you're such a hardass." he smiled and took another piece of cake on the fork, a little icing was smeared on his bottom lip. "what did you do the whole time anyways?"

he was just waiting for that question. of course anyone would wonder what goes on inside prisons or correction facilities, the people one would meet with various backgrounds and crimes sending them there. "i had a lot of time to think. solitary isn't that bad." jungkook said.

jimin chuckled and shook his head, those word were dangerous despite sounding so innocent. there was no reason to really worry, not even jungkook was that crazy to already be scheming this soon after seeing fresh air. "that's funny," the shorter boy giggled, "because you always say that when you're about to tell me about some extravagantly planned-"

he cut himself off, the ravenette didn't even need to as he stood there with a small smirk on his lips. god they knew each other too well.

"no. jungkook, no." jimin dropped the fork and stood up, his bangs bounced as he shook his head and busied himself with anything other than what could possibly be on the others mind. "i'm retired."

"you're 23." jungkook stated simply.

he was still defiant, or at least trying to be. "there's lots of retired young people."

there was no way he could hide it from the other, observation was one of jungkooks best skills, and he didn't even need to be that good at it when talking to his best friend. he just knew him too well. "so, you don't miss it?" the raventte asked, he saw the shift of the boys weight on his feet and the slight glance as his interest was provoked. "the codes and numbers across your monitors? the feeling of using your skills to get passed the toughest securities and firewalls just meant for you to climb over?"

jimin huffed and looked over into the living room. there was a slight glow of the screen lighting up the room from a lame online game. "it was nice." he admitted in a quiet mumble.

"come on," jungkook set his fork down as well and pushed the cake away a bit. they both had their share of sweets for the night. "let's go for a ride."

routine would be a little inaccurate of a term, maybe a comfort would suite them more. the ride in the car on nights like this, through the city lights and further away towards the trees and dark skies where stars could be seen even better. they always did this, whether it was for leisure or for a job. the two would get in the car and drive, nothing but the stars in their eyes.

⠀
⠀
⠀
⠀
⠀
⠀
⠀
⠀
⠀
⠀
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
hi welcome to my new story
i'm really excited and deal with
vagueness for now ♡ – m.