nothing lasts // bedroom

xiumin draws the flimsy curtain around the bed, the metal hooks whooshing against the rod.

in a blink he’s disappeared behind the curtain. i stare at the space where he had been for a long breath before his hand sticks out from the small opening. in between being amazed by the passive aggression conveyed by his beckoning fingers, i follow behind.

instead of seeing the hospital bed, i’m greeted by the welcoming sight of my apartment. this magic door teleportation thing is something that will take time to get used to.

“jisoo, come here.” he says without missing a beat.

xiumin stands with his hands on his hips, knee slightly crooked. i realize i’ve never let a man into my apartment before, even though he’s not really a man… he’s a grim reaper.

i shake my head at the absurdity, deciding it’s better to continue marveling at a boy in my one bedroom efficiency.

“what?” i answer finally, dragging myself toward him with a frown. he raises a sharp brow in warning.

“i need to teach you a technique.” he straightens his back, moving his hands so that they’re palm-up. “it’s called grounding, a way for spirits to become visible in the human realm.”

he looks like he’s about to launch into a yoga pose but i copy him anyway.

“what do i do next?” i peer at him, he had closed his eyes. his lashes are surprisingly thick, almost as if he wore makeup. i wet my lips. “do i just think about being human or something?”

he’s quiet.

“to simplify it: yes.”

i drop my arms in surprise.

“you’re kidding, right? that’s your technique?”

his eyes open slightly, glaring at me through narrowed slits.

“jisoo, go back to the position.”

with a huff i do as told, holding out my palms. my eyelids flutter shut.

i think about what it was like to have a body. what it was like when riding the bus, sitting on the hard plastic seat and gripping onto the cool rail. i think about how the wind would rush through my hair. how it felt to get a papercut. how it felt to lay down on soft sheets still warm from hanging in the sun.

“how do i know it’s working?” i whisper, as if scared to disrupt whatever magic’s going on if i speak too loudly.

“it is. you can open your eyes again.”

the reaper stands by the kitchen counter, watching me. it feels almost eerie, but at the same time… not. i’ve started to realize that the moments i feel comfortable around xiumin are the weirdest of all.

i don’t know when it became so easy to forget that he had taken my soul from my body and basically kidnapped me.

i start to walk toward him but my legs feel strangely heavy. it’s almost as if i’ve never walked before. my hand reaches out to the wall, bracing myself so that i don’t fall over. i look up at him in a brief panic, but his expression is neutral. this must be why it’s called grounding. i literally feel like my will be on the ground any minute.

“xiumin, what the…”

“it will go away soon.” he interrupts, fingers hovering over a framed picture on my shelf.

he wanders around my tiny apartment as i watch him, unable to move. he picks up a throw pillow, inspecting the texture and fluffing it up before carefully placing it back on the couch. his fingers gingerly touch at the leaves of a wilting plant on my windowsill. he looks over at me in disapproval as if it isn’t his fault i wasn’t home to water my plant.

i follow his gaze toward the kitchen. he seems transfixed by the kettle sitting on the stovetop.

“will you make me a cup of tea?”

a shocked laugh leaves my lips as i lean my head against the wall. slowly, gravity ceases desperately tugging me to the floor and i regain control of my limbs again.

“will you make me a cup of tea?” i mimic with a scrunched nose, making my way toward the kitchen. he lets out a satisfied huff as i pour water into the kettle and place it back onto the now heated coil. “that was not fun, xiumin. do you have to do that, too?”

he rests his elbows on the counter as he watches me work, his facial expression an antithetical mixture of fascination and boredom.

“reapers have no connection to the human world, so i am unable to.” he answers simply. i grab a box of tea and mugs from the cabin