Out for Blood
Title: Out for Blood
Pairing: Jimin/Jeongguk
Rating: PG
Genre: Vague fluff.
Word Count: 2'192.
Warnings: (none)
Disclaimer: While the content of this story is inspired by real events and people, any references made are entirely thought up by the author and in no way reflect actual actions and opinions. Any similarities are coincidence.
Summary: Namjoon discovers Jimin's suspicious enthusiasm for donating blood - which may or may not have something to do with the cute red cross worker poking people with needles.
Note: Cross-posted on AO3 and tumblr. Even though this was written really quickly, I tried my best to meld real life experience with some extra research on anything blood donation-related. If you do spot any inaccuracies, please excuse them as thought up for the sake of flow.
Out for Blood
When Jimin spotted the blood drive sign on the way out of his office building, he stopped in his tracks. Namjoon only narrowly avoided a collision by performing an awkward twisting motion.
“Whoa, what’s wrong?”
“I totally forgot about the blood drive today,” Jimin answered, tacking on a curse under his breath so that he wouldn’t get a comment about his language.
Namjoon glanced over his shoulder at the sign pointing to the nearby university campus. “Oh, right. Did you want to go donate? You should be able to make it before they close up.”
Guiltily thinking back to how he hadn’t eaten since breakfast and how he’d barely drunk more than three cups of coffee because he’d been so busy with a project deadline, Jimin tried to inject cheerful energy into his “Yep!”
“Alright,” Namjoon replied, fumbling for his wallet. “I should go, too, I haven’t been in ages. Ah, here it is.” He flashed his blood donor card with a grin. “All set.”
“Great. Let’s go.” Jimin grabbed him by the sleeve and marched off toward the building housing the university’s basketball court.
It was a lot emptier than the last time Jimin had been there, probably because it was later today as he’d been working overtime to finish the project details. The elderly volunteer at check-in gave him a smile as she scanned his card. “Back again, Park-ssi? You’ll be at your first gallon soon.”
Jimin smiled back cheerfully, ignoring the astonished look Namjoon threw him. When they both had taken their health questionnaires to a small table, Jimin did his best to look busy checking boxes. It worked for about twenty seconds, then Namjoon said, “I didn’t know you were so much into donating blood.”
Jimin shifted his eyes to him, but Namjoon’s expression was carefully neutral. “Yeah, well,” he mumbled, looking down at his questionnaire again. “I just want to do good while I can.”
“That’s nice,” Namjoon replied patiently, “but I’ve known you for years now. What else?”
Sorely tempted to bury his flaming cheeks in the paper in front of him, Jimin steadfastly refused to look at his friend. “There might be this really cute volunteer helping out here. He’s been there every time I went the past year or so.”
“A guy?”
At that, Jimin did peek and saw that Namjoon’s eyebrows were raised in surprise. “So what? You know I’m bi.”
“No, of course, I do. It’s just that it’s almost always been girls before now,” Namjoon said. He looked thoughtful. “That’s what ‘do good while I can’ is all about?”
Jimin flushed a little harder. “I can hope, can’t I?”
“Sure,” Namjoon answered with a reassuring smile. “You done? Let’s see if he’s here today.”
His cheeks still faintly red, Jimin trailed after Namjoon to get their preliminary testing done and finally found himself in line to be seated for donation, clutching his tubes, bags and the pressure cuff in his hands. He searched the area eagerly and there he was, the cute volunteer nurse who was responsible for his good Samaritan streak, prepping a donor’s arm with a look of earnest concentration that was much too attractive. Jeon Jeongguk, as Jimin knew from his nametag.
Jimin was still watching when Jeongguk happened to look up and catch his gaze. An adorable smile lit up his face like sunrise and he nodded in greeting. Feeling like a small fire was burning warmly in his stomach, Jimin grinned back and waved before Jeongguk had to turn back to hook the donor up to the needle.
“You weren’t lying when you said he was cute,” Namjoon interrupted his moment of bliss. “And it seems like he’s happy to see you, too. You must have left quite the impression.”
“Of course I did,” Jimin replied loftily, beaming that even Namjoon had noticed their little moment. There definitely was hope.
“Did you use a cheesy pick-up line on him or something?”
Wrinkling his nose, Jimin gave him an offended look. “As if I would do that, seriously.” There was a short pause during which Namjoon leveled him with a blank stare. Jimin caved. “Alright, I might have pretended to feel a little faint, but I didn’t know what else to do, okay? He makes me nervous, I never know what to say,” he admitted.
“Wow, he got you good.” Namjoon sounded almost awed, which Jimin resented.
He didn’t get a chance to voice that resentment, however, as a nurse came by to collect Namjoon and lead him to an empty chair. With nothing better to do, his eyes immediately jumped back to Jeongguk, who was at that moment jumping up from his stool where he’d still been fiddling with the bags by the donor’s chair. It didn’t fit the efficiency Jimin had seen from him at all and at the stray thought that he might be stalling so that he’d be free when Jimin was up, a helpless smile crept onto his face and stayed there until Jeongguk was right in front of him.
“Hey,” Jimin greeted, feeling the already huge bubble of happiness inside of him grow even larger.
“Hello,” Jeongguk said quietly, smiling back with his shy bunny smile that made Jimin want to melt into a puddle.
There was a comfortable silence between them as Jeongguk led Jimin to an empty chair. As usual, Jimin had to repeat his name and birth date, then Jeongguk silently started to prepare the sample tubes and bag with barcode stickers, put the pressure cuff on Jimin, and began to disinfect his arm. Jimin watched him work with efficient, sure movements of his lean hands in ugly rubber gloves and admired the stern line of Jeongguk’s eyebrows. Jeongguk kept looking up at him-quick, bashful glances from the corner of his eyes-that shouldn’t be as attractive as they were.
Jimin barely felt a sting as Jeongguk pushed the needle in. “Is this alright?” he asked, meeting Jimin’s gaze fully with his dark eyes.
Feeling like he was drowning in the best way, Jimin just nodded mutely. The smile Jeongguk gave him made the last of his breath evaporate in his lungs.
Thankfully for Jimin’s continued well-being, Jeongguk had to leave at that point to take care of other donors. With a sigh, Jimin started opening and closing his fist to help with the blood flow and stared at the ceiling. How was he supposed to ever ask Jeongguk out if all words just left his head when he had the opportunity? At the rate he was going, he’d be on the news for his willingness to give blood before he got anywhere with his love life.
The machine next to his chair beeped to signal his filled bag and Jeongguk came hurrying back over to check it. “A bit over seven minutes,” he told Jimin, already pulling the needle out and pressing a sterile swab on the puncture. As Jimin reached over to hold down the swab, their fingers brushed. Jimin glanced up. Jeongguk was staring at him with an intense look that sent his heart stumbling.
The moment seemed to stretch and fill the air between them, but then Jeongguk ripped his eyes away and started wrapping up Jimin’s arm with practiced movements. “There you go,” he said, sounding a little breathless himself.
“Thanks,” Jimin replied, sending Jeongguk a quick smile, and swung his legs out of the chair. His brain felt overloaded and his heart about to burst at the seams with swelling feelings. He really, really needed a moment to process this guy and his shy smile and those eyes and the bashfully questioning tilt to his head.
The second he pushed up on his feet, however, his whole body seemed to turn into heavy molasses, the world began to fade to black at its edges and all he could hear was buzzing in his ears. He felt his knees give away and pitched forward until someone grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back into the chair.
“Jimin-ssi! Jimin-ssi, are you alright?”
When the blackness receded enough that he could see again, Jeongguk’s face swam into view, those earnest eyebrows drawn together worriedly. He pressed searching fingers into the pulse on Jimin’s throat and drew back, looking a little more relaxed. “Stay here, I’m going to get you something to drink.”
Before Jimin could protest, Jeongguk hurried away with long strides. Well, he felt all weak and trembly, and hot and cold at the same time, so maybe a drink wasn’t a bad idea. When he turned his head, he saw Namjoon-who was just getting his arm wrapped up-peer over at him with concern. Jimin flopped his hand in the air in what he hoped was a reassuring wave.
Jeongguk came back carrying a paper cup with cola that he pressed into Jimin’s hands, a wet paper towel that he placed on Jimin’s forehead, and a blood pressure meter. “This didn’t happen the last times,” he said, already pushing Jimin’s arm into the sleeve of the meter.
A little embarrassed by all the fussing, Jimin drank a few sips from his cup with a shaky hand. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
Jeongguk gave him an exasperated look and brushed his hand with one of his gloved ones as if to say Don’t apologize, you idiot. It felt weird, but it still made Jimin feel like he was about to float away with happiness. He took another sip of his cola, already feeling a bit better.
The blood pressure meter beeped. “Your blood pressure’s low,” Jeongguk said, pulling the deflated cuff back off, and flashed him a wry smile. “As expected. You should stay lying down for a while.” His eyebrows pulled together in a frown again. “Why did that happen, though? You were fine the last times you were here.”
Jimin stared down into his cup fixedly. “I, um, might not have eaten since breakfast. And not have had much to drink,” he admitted in a volume only a little over a mumble.
Jeongguk must have heard him, though, because he sighed audibly and Jimin could see him shaking his head from the corner of his eye. “You shouldn’t donate under such conditions,” he said, his words scolding but his tone gentle and worried.
“I know,” Jimin replied to his cup, and it was definitely the lightheadedness from blood loss making him go on. “I just… wanted to see you.”
“Oh.”
Jeongguk’s voice sounded strange, not like anything Jimin had ever heard from him, so he glanced up and found Jeongguk staring at him with a bashful smile, biting his lip. There was a most adorable shade of pink slowly creeping up his ears and he looked so glowingly happy that Jimin felt the giddy bubble inside of him slowly expand until he was about ready to float away. “Do you, um, maybe want to get dinner with me sometime?” he ventured carefully, watching for Jeongguk’s reaction.
If Jeongguk’s shy smile had made his heart miss a beat before, his wide, eye-crinkling one made it ache longingly. “If you don’t have plans, I’m free once we’re done here in a little while.”
“I’m free,” Jimin assured him quickly.
Jeongguk’s smile seemed to be as permanently stuck to his face as Jimin’s felt. “You should eat something anyways or you’ll faint for real.”
“Well, I’ll have you to take care of me,” Jimin replied and reveled in how good it felt to speak to Jeongguk freely after all this time.
Jeongguk shook his head fondly and stood from his stool. “Just stay here and rest until I get off. Maybe have your friend bring you another drink.”
Mock-saluting him, Jimin comfortably settled back into his chair and contentedly watched Jeongguk stride away. It was barely a handful of seconds before Namjoon materialized next to his chair, having obviously been waiting on the sidelines.
“Don’t tell me you pulled the same trick again.”
Jimin debated lying to Namjoon for a moment, before he deflated a little and grimaced. “Nope, no trick. I just forgot to eat and drink today, so, yeah, that happened.”
Namjoon expression said he was close to slapping Jimin upside the head, but he just pinched his nose instead with a long-suffering sigh. “I hope your cute nurse told you how stupid you were being.”
“Nope,” Jimin repeated, a lot more smugly this time. “He was too busy agreeing to have dinner with me.”
“Really?” Namjoon perked up at that development. “That’s good news.”
Jimin smiled happily, draining his cup. “He also said you should get me another drink since I’m not supposed to get up yet and all,” he said innocently, blinking up at his friend.
With a deadpan stare, Namjoon snatched the cup away. “Only to make sure you don’t faint face-first into your dinner later.”
“Jerk,” Jimin muttered to himself, shaking a fist after Namjoon’s retreating form, but even the teasing didn’t erase the broad grin from his face.
From across the room, Jeongguk caught his eyes and smiled. This time, Jimin’s lightheadedness had nothing at all to do with blood loss and everything with almost bursting from happiness.
Pairing: Jimin/Jeongguk
Rating: PG
Genre: Vague fluff.
Word Count: 2'192.
Warnings: (none)
Disclaimer: While the content of this story is inspired by real events and people, any references made are entirely thought up by the author and in no way reflect actual actions and opinions. Any similarities are coincidence.
Summary: Namjoon discovers Jimin's suspicious enthusiasm for donating blood - which may or may not have something to do with the cute red cross worker poking people with needles.
Note: Cross-posted on AO3 and tumblr. Even though this was written really quickly, I tried my best to meld real life experience with some extra research on anything blood donation-related. If you do spot any inaccuracies, please excuse them as thought up for the sake of flow.
Out for Blood
When Jimin spotted the blood drive sign on the way out of his office building, he stopped in his tracks. Namjoon only narrowly avoided a collision by performing an awkward twisting motion.
“Whoa, what’s wrong?”
“I totally forgot about the blood drive today,” Jimin answered, tacking on a curse under his breath so that he wouldn’t get a comment about his language.
Namjoon glanced over his shoulder at the sign pointing to the nearby university campus. “Oh, right. Did you want to go donate? You should be able to make it before they close up.”
Guiltily thinking back to how he hadn’t eaten since breakfast and how he’d barely drunk more than three cups of coffee because he’d been so busy with a project deadline, Jimin tried to inject cheerful energy into his “Yep!”
“Alright,” Namjoon replied, fumbling for his wallet. “I should go, too, I haven’t been in ages. Ah, here it is.” He flashed his blood donor card with a grin. “All set.”
“Great. Let’s go.” Jimin grabbed him by the sleeve and marched off toward the building housing the university’s basketball court.
It was a lot emptier than the last time Jimin had been there, probably because it was later today as he’d been working overtime to finish the project details. The elderly volunteer at check-in gave him a smile as she scanned his card. “Back again, Park-ssi? You’ll be at your first gallon soon.”
Jimin smiled back cheerfully, ignoring the astonished look Namjoon threw him. When they both had taken their health questionnaires to a small table, Jimin did his best to look busy checking boxes. It worked for about twenty seconds, then Namjoon said, “I didn’t know you were so much into donating blood.”
Jimin shifted his eyes to him, but Namjoon’s expression was carefully neutral. “Yeah, well,” he mumbled, looking down at his questionnaire again. “I just want to do good while I can.”
“That’s nice,” Namjoon replied patiently, “but I’ve known you for years now. What else?”
Sorely tempted to bury his flaming cheeks in the paper in front of him, Jimin steadfastly refused to look at his friend. “There might be this really cute volunteer helping out here. He’s been there every time I went the past year or so.”
“A guy?”
At that, Jimin did peek and saw that Namjoon’s eyebrows were raised in surprise. “So what? You know I’m bi.”
“No, of course, I do. It’s just that it’s almost always been girls before now,” Namjoon said. He looked thoughtful. “That’s what ‘do good while I can’ is all about?”
Jimin flushed a little harder. “I can hope, can’t I?”
“Sure,” Namjoon answered with a reassuring smile. “You done? Let’s see if he’s here today.”
His cheeks still faintly red, Jimin trailed after Namjoon to get their preliminary testing done and finally found himself in line to be seated for donation, clutching his tubes, bags and the pressure cuff in his hands. He searched the area eagerly and there he was, the cute volunteer nurse who was responsible for his good Samaritan streak, prepping a donor’s arm with a look of earnest concentration that was much too attractive. Jeon Jeongguk, as Jimin knew from his nametag.
Jimin was still watching when Jeongguk happened to look up and catch his gaze. An adorable smile lit up his face like sunrise and he nodded in greeting. Feeling like a small fire was burning warmly in his stomach, Jimin grinned back and waved before Jeongguk had to turn back to hook the donor up to the needle.
“You weren’t lying when you said he was cute,” Namjoon interrupted his moment of bliss. “And it seems like he’s happy to see you, too. You must have left quite the impression.”
“Of course I did,” Jimin replied loftily, beaming that even Namjoon had noticed their little moment. There definitely was hope.
“Did you use a cheesy pick-up line on him or something?”
Wrinkling his nose, Jimin gave him an offended look. “As if I would do that, seriously.” There was a short pause during which Namjoon leveled him with a blank stare. Jimin caved. “Alright, I might have pretended to feel a little faint, but I didn’t know what else to do, okay? He makes me nervous, I never know what to say,” he admitted.
“Wow, he got you good.” Namjoon sounded almost awed, which Jimin resented.
He didn’t get a chance to voice that resentment, however, as a nurse came by to collect Namjoon and lead him to an empty chair. With nothing better to do, his eyes immediately jumped back to Jeongguk, who was at that moment jumping up from his stool where he’d still been fiddling with the bags by the donor’s chair. It didn’t fit the efficiency Jimin had seen from him at all and at the stray thought that he might be stalling so that he’d be free when Jimin was up, a helpless smile crept onto his face and stayed there until Jeongguk was right in front of him.
“Hey,” Jimin greeted, feeling the already huge bubble of happiness inside of him grow even larger.
“Hello,” Jeongguk said quietly, smiling back with his shy bunny smile that made Jimin want to melt into a puddle.
There was a comfortable silence between them as Jeongguk led Jimin to an empty chair. As usual, Jimin had to repeat his name and birth date, then Jeongguk silently started to prepare the sample tubes and bag with barcode stickers, put the pressure cuff on Jimin, and began to disinfect his arm. Jimin watched him work with efficient, sure movements of his lean hands in ugly rubber gloves and admired the stern line of Jeongguk’s eyebrows. Jeongguk kept looking up at him-quick, bashful glances from the corner of his eyes-that shouldn’t be as attractive as they were.
Jimin barely felt a sting as Jeongguk pushed the needle in. “Is this alright?” he asked, meeting Jimin’s gaze fully with his dark eyes.
Feeling like he was drowning in the best way, Jimin just nodded mutely. The smile Jeongguk gave him made the last of his breath evaporate in his lungs.
Thankfully for Jimin’s continued well-being, Jeongguk had to leave at that point to take care of other donors. With a sigh, Jimin started opening and closing his fist to help with the blood flow and stared at the ceiling. How was he supposed to ever ask Jeongguk out if all words just left his head when he had the opportunity? At the rate he was going, he’d be on the news for his willingness to give blood before he got anywhere with his love life.
The machine next to his chair beeped to signal his filled bag and Jeongguk came hurrying back over to check it. “A bit over seven minutes,” he told Jimin, already pulling the needle out and pressing a sterile swab on the puncture. As Jimin reached over to hold down the swab, their fingers brushed. Jimin glanced up. Jeongguk was staring at him with an intense look that sent his heart stumbling.
The moment seemed to stretch and fill the air between them, but then Jeongguk ripped his eyes away and started wrapping up Jimin’s arm with practiced movements. “There you go,” he said, sounding a little breathless himself.
“Thanks,” Jimin replied, sending Jeongguk a quick smile, and swung his legs out of the chair. His brain felt overloaded and his heart about to burst at the seams with swelling feelings. He really, really needed a moment to process this guy and his shy smile and those eyes and the bashfully questioning tilt to his head.
The second he pushed up on his feet, however, his whole body seemed to turn into heavy molasses, the world began to fade to black at its edges and all he could hear was buzzing in his ears. He felt his knees give away and pitched forward until someone grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back into the chair.
“Jimin-ssi! Jimin-ssi, are you alright?”
When the blackness receded enough that he could see again, Jeongguk’s face swam into view, those earnest eyebrows drawn together worriedly. He pressed searching fingers into the pulse on Jimin’s throat and drew back, looking a little more relaxed. “Stay here, I’m going to get you something to drink.”
Before Jimin could protest, Jeongguk hurried away with long strides. Well, he felt all weak and trembly, and hot and cold at the same time, so maybe a drink wasn’t a bad idea. When he turned his head, he saw Namjoon-who was just getting his arm wrapped up-peer over at him with concern. Jimin flopped his hand in the air in what he hoped was a reassuring wave.
Jeongguk came back carrying a paper cup with cola that he pressed into Jimin’s hands, a wet paper towel that he placed on Jimin’s forehead, and a blood pressure meter. “This didn’t happen the last times,” he said, already pushing Jimin’s arm into the sleeve of the meter.
A little embarrassed by all the fussing, Jimin drank a few sips from his cup with a shaky hand. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
Jeongguk gave him an exasperated look and brushed his hand with one of his gloved ones as if to say Don’t apologize, you idiot. It felt weird, but it still made Jimin feel like he was about to float away with happiness. He took another sip of his cola, already feeling a bit better.
The blood pressure meter beeped. “Your blood pressure’s low,” Jeongguk said, pulling the deflated cuff back off, and flashed him a wry smile. “As expected. You should stay lying down for a while.” His eyebrows pulled together in a frown again. “Why did that happen, though? You were fine the last times you were here.”
Jimin stared down into his cup fixedly. “I, um, might not have eaten since breakfast. And not have had much to drink,” he admitted in a volume only a little over a mumble.
Jeongguk must have heard him, though, because he sighed audibly and Jimin could see him shaking his head from the corner of his eye. “You shouldn’t donate under such conditions,” he said, his words scolding but his tone gentle and worried.
“I know,” Jimin replied to his cup, and it was definitely the lightheadedness from blood loss making him go on. “I just… wanted to see you.”
“Oh.”
Jeongguk’s voice sounded strange, not like anything Jimin had ever heard from him, so he glanced up and found Jeongguk staring at him with a bashful smile, biting his lip. There was a most adorable shade of pink slowly creeping up his ears and he looked so glowingly happy that Jimin felt the giddy bubble inside of him slowly expand until he was about ready to float away. “Do you, um, maybe want to get dinner with me sometime?” he ventured carefully, watching for Jeongguk’s reaction.
If Jeongguk’s shy smile had made his heart miss a beat before, his wide, eye-crinkling one made it ache longingly. “If you don’t have plans, I’m free once we’re done here in a little while.”
“I’m free,” Jimin assured him quickly.
Jeongguk’s smile seemed to be as permanently stuck to his face as Jimin’s felt. “You should eat something anyways or you’ll faint for real.”
“Well, I’ll have you to take care of me,” Jimin replied and reveled in how good it felt to speak to Jeongguk freely after all this time.
Jeongguk shook his head fondly and stood from his stool. “Just stay here and rest until I get off. Maybe have your friend bring you another drink.”
Mock-saluting him, Jimin comfortably settled back into his chair and contentedly watched Jeongguk stride away. It was barely a handful of seconds before Namjoon materialized next to his chair, having obviously been waiting on the sidelines.
“Don’t tell me you pulled the same trick again.”
Jimin debated lying to Namjoon for a moment, before he deflated a little and grimaced. “Nope, no trick. I just forgot to eat and drink today, so, yeah, that happened.”
Namjoon expression said he was close to slapping Jimin upside the head, but he just pinched his nose instead with a long-suffering sigh. “I hope your cute nurse told you how stupid you were being.”
“Nope,” Jimin repeated, a lot more smugly this time. “He was too busy agreeing to have dinner with me.”
“Really?” Namjoon perked up at that development. “That’s good news.”
Jimin smiled happily, draining his cup. “He also said you should get me another drink since I’m not supposed to get up yet and all,” he said innocently, blinking up at his friend.
With a deadpan stare, Namjoon snatched the cup away. “Only to make sure you don’t faint face-first into your dinner later.”
“Jerk,” Jimin muttered to himself, shaking a fist after Namjoon’s retreating form, but even the teasing didn’t erase the broad grin from his face.
From across the room, Jeongguk caught his eyes and smiled. This time, Jimin’s lightheadedness had nothing at all to do with blood loss and everything with almost bursting from happiness.