Yeonjun's POV:

"Come on! I feel like I know nothing about you, and you've been here for three weeks!" Soobin said, a smile on his face before he took a bite of his burger.

We stopped at a diner on the way to my apartment, Soobin said it was one of his favorite places in the area. We've been chatting away since we've been here, but I've only really been asking him questions instead of the other way around. I chuckled lightly, eating a fry before I said, "What would you like to know?"

He leaned forward a little with his burger in his hands, "What was the BAU like?"

I shrugged, "It was chaos, honestly. We would go all over the country to help the local police solve cases. That's the thing I wanted to do when I got out of college, but I hated the hours and travelling everywhere. I just wanted to be grounded somewhere."

Soobin nodded, "Understandable..." He replied, eating a few fries before he said, "I went to a military college after high school. Not very smart compared to you."

I rolled my eyes, "Don't say that. Just because I can read people's behavior doesn't make me a genius – I had to learn how to do it. I'm just hyper observant."

"But it's so cool! You're like Sherlock Holmes!..." He said, making both of us laugh lightly, "Profile me."

Me

Me

Me

I shook my head, "I don't profile my coworkers."

"Awwww... Come on~..." He whined, "Please? At least tell me how you do it."

I smiled softly, "It's just making inferences based off small details. Like how our waitress is currently going through a divorce." I said, picking up my glass to take a sip of my water.

He paused in the middle of bringing a fry up to his mouth, scrunching his eyebrows as he asked, "Wait, what?"

I raised an eyebrow, "There's no ring on her finger; only a tan line left behind. It's prominent as well, which means the separation is recent and she's been wearing it long enough for her to be married and not just engaged. Usually, the people who file for divorce are the ones who take off their rings first compared to their partners, and she doesn't seem too depressed, so she's the one who broke it off. That's subjective, though." I replied, taking a bite of my burger right after.

Soobin was in a state of shock, his lips slightly parted as he stared at me, "You need to teach me how to do that."

I laughed at his comment, "Years of learning and practice. Helps to have an identic memory as well."

Soobin put his burger down on his plate, leaning forward a bit, "You have an identic memory?!"

I nodded, "That's something I can't teach you, unfortunately." I replied, chuckling.

Soobin smiled at me, "You just get cooler by the minute."

I laughed again, replying, "Yeah, well I think you're pretty cool too..." I took another bite of my food before I asked, "What made you want to join the army?"

Army

Army

Army

He shrugged, "I wanted to keep people safe and I never really fit in anywhere in school. My parents weren't super thrilled, though."

I nodded, "Mine weren't either when they found out that I would be tracking down serial killers. My mom was pissed." I replied, taking a bite of my burger right after.

"Yeah, I know the feeling..." He replied, his cheeks puffing up from taking so many bites. It honestly made him look kind of cute, "Now, I want to hear about this mysterious crazy ex-girlfriend of yours."

I raised an eyebrow, and he smiled at me, "Why?"

He shrugged, "You left me on a cliffhanger."

I chuckled lightly, "It's a long story." I replied to try and get out of it.

"We have time..." He said, and it made me purse my lips. I honestly didn't really want to tell him because it's a lot to handle. I think he noticed because he added, "But you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

I pursed my lips, quietly saying, "It's just... a lot."

It seemed like he understood because he nodded and replied, "We'll talk about something else then..." It made me smile because he's so sweet, taking another bite of his food before he asked, "Do you have any siblings?"

I shook my head, "I'm an only child. You?"

He hummed, "I have a brother and a sister, but they're both older."

I chuckled lightly, "You're the baby of the family?"

He laughed a little too, "Yeah, my brother is ten years older, and my sister is seven years older, so I definitely am the baby of the family."

"Awwww..." I cooed, and Soobin chuckled as he took another bite of his burger, "I bet you were a cute baby."

Soobin had to bring a hand up to cover his mouth, his eyes turning into crescents as he laughed, "I had a huge head, and I was pretty chubby."

I nodded, "Yeah, as I said, super cute."

~ ~ ~

"Wow—Everything's so..." Soobin said as he walked into my apartment, closing the door and locking it behind us. I turned to him, watching as he was eying the entire place, "Clean."

I chuckled lightly, putting my keys in the little bowl on the kitchen counter, "Yeah, that's the OCD showing through..." I quietly said, hanging up my jacket and placing my bag down on the floor next to the door. I took my shoes off one by one, squatting down to straighten them out a little and place them in the perfect spot next to my duffle bag. I looked over at Soobin, who had already wandered off into the kitchen to look around, "Soobin? D-Do you mind taking your shoes off, please?" I tried to be as polite as possible.

Please

Please

Please

He instantly turned to me, "Oh, yeah—Sorry, I should've asked." He replied, hurrying back over to where I was standing. He took his shoes off quickly, reaching out with his foot to straighten them out a little. I think he could tell that it was making me anxious, so he bent over and made them perfect and aligned them with mine.

He gave me a little smile when he stood back up, his dimples popping, "Is it alright if I hang my jacket here?"

I nodded, giving him a smile in return. He took his coat off, and I watched as he placed it next to mine. I tried to hold it in as best as I could, knowing how both sides of the hangers weren't even. There's five of them, and I always place my jacket on the one closest to the door. And now that Soobin has placed his next to mine, there were three vacant spots that didn't match with the pattern I wanted. I bit my tongue, only able to contain myself for about five seconds, "D-Do you mind putting it on the end?"

He looked at me, his smile turning into a small pout on his face, "Why?"

I brought my hand up, scratching my opposite arm to try and release the tension, "It's not even."

Even

Even

Even

His eyes went a bit soft, "Oh, ok..." He quietly said, reaching up and moving his jacket to the farthest hook. I took a little breath of relief when everything was even again, "Better?"

I nodded, "Yeah, sorry..." I replied, crossing my arms over my chest, "I was diagnosed with a mild form of OCD when I was little, but it never seemed mild to me."

He gave me a smile again, "It's alright. I understand..." He said, looking back around my apartment again, "I'll try not to mess anything up, but tell me if something bothers you."

I softly smiled, "Thank you."

~ ~ ~

I woke up to a scream, flinching awake. My eyes shot open in an instant, and I quickly threw the covers off me and climbed out of bed. I quickly went for the pistol I keep locked underneath my bed, just in case of emergencies. It freaked me out because I knew Soobin was in the living room sleeping on the couch, so I hurried as quietly as I could to the door of my bedroom. I could see a faint light shining through the crack under the door, but I couldn't make out what the muffled noise was on the other side.

I took a deep breath and opened the door, bringing my pistol up in the process. The lamp next to the couch was on. I scanned the room as quickly as possible, seeing Soobin flinch and turn around on the couch when I suddenly came in. He was sweating, breathing heavily as I asked, "Is anyone else here? Are you ok?" While still holding my gun up in case I needed to use it.

He shook his head, and that's what made me lower my gun. I flipped on the safety switch, unloaded it, and placed it down on the kitchen counter before going over to him. He was still breathing heavy, and upon closer inspection, most of his shirt was damp with sweat as well. His hair was wet, a couple droplets sliding down his face. He was holding onto the edge of the blanket with one hand and the pillow with the other, gripping so hard that his knuckles were turning white.

I knew what had happened after a few seconds, slowly kneeling down in front of him so I didn't seem too overwhelming, "Everything's ok, I promise. It's just us..." His eyes were frantically looking around the room, and this is the classic behavior that I learned about in college. He's clearly responding to some sort of flashback or nightmare that seemed all too real, and it's really common for military personnel to have post-traumatic stress disorder; that must be why he goes to therapy, "You're alright, Soobin. Just focus on your breathing."

His eyes were still moving all over the place, and he wasn't slowing down, "Soobin, hey... Look at me..." I added, and I felt relieved when his eyes locked with mine and they didn't move. I gave him a little smile to try and help as I softly said, "It's just us, ok? We're fine. Everything's fine."

Fine

Fine

Fine

He gulped as he stared at me, his breathing beginning to slow down. I gave him a minute to himself, giving him the space he needed to get back into his calm state. His eyes seemed a bit heavy, and I already knew in my head what was about to happen. I reached my hands out, placing them on each of his shoulders, "Soobin, lay down..." I quietly said, and I slid my hand up to the back of his neck so he could safely land on the pillow. His face was getting pale from the hyperventilating, so I grabbed two more pillows from the recliner to put under his feet. He needed to get the blood back to his head, and I placed two fingers under his jaw to make sure he was alright. He turned his head to face me, and I gave him a little smile, "I'm just checking your vitals."

His pulse was a little high, so I quietly said, "Just stay here for a little while, ok? Should I call someone to check your blood pressure?"

"I'm fine. I'm sorry..." He paused for a second, dryly swallowing and taking a deep breath before adding, "I-I had a nightmare. I'm sorry."

I shook my head, "Don't apologize..." I quietly said, "Just breathe, and I'll get you some water."

I pursed my lips, sighing a little as I stood up. I looked at him for a few more seconds before I walked around the couch and went into the kitchen. I grabbed a glass of water quickly so I could be back with him. I placed the glass down on the side table and went back to where I was, sitting on the floor next to him. His eyes followed my movements, locking with mine when I finally sat down. The color was coming back to his face, and he quietly said, "I saw him; Roger. I-I saw him, and I freaked out."

I scrunched my eyebrows, "The subject from today?"

He nodded, "I shot him over and over again in my dream. It's like I couldn't stop myself."

I paused for a moment, pressing my lips together in a thin line because I knew what this was about, "What you did today was extremely courageous. You didn't hesitate at all."

He let out a laugh, but it sounded like he was trying to hide his anxiety, "And that's the thing I hate about myself."

He turned his head, staring at the ceiling to try and avoid my eyes. It's what people do when they think you're judging them for their actions; I've seen it in interrogations way too often. So I replied, "You want to know what I think?..." I asked, and he didn't respond. He kept looking at the ceiling, and after a few seconds, I added, "I see someone who wouldn't hesitate to save their team. Someone who would put another person's wellbeing in front of theirs. Someone who would suffer as long as it meant that everyone else was alright..." I paused for a moment to see his reaction, but he just kept taking deep breaths instead. I knew what he was doing already, trying to make sure the tears didn't start falling so I wouldn't judge him further, "That takes a lot of bravery and a lot of selflessness that the majority of people don't have, and I think that makes you absolutely incredible."

Incredible

Incredible

Incredible

He sniffled when I was done, taking another breath before he turned his head back to me. A single tear slid down his cheek, and he was quick to bring his hand up to wipe it away. It's like he was trying to make it not exist at all; like he was embarrassed from showing emotions, "D-Do you really mean that?"

I gave him a little smile to lessen the tension, tilting my head to meet his eyeline, "If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I don't say things unless I mean them."

He sniffled again, softly smiling at me, "Thank you..." He took a breath to stop himself from breaking down completely, "That's really nice of you."

"This is why I didn't want you to be alone tonight. I was afraid you would get too caught up in your thoughts." I replied.

He raised an eyebrow, "I thought you said you don't profile your coworkers."

I shrugged, "It's engraved into my brain. I can't help it..." I said, bringing my hand up to fix his hair a little. I just realized it was a bit out of place, and I added, "The one thing I can control is saying it, and the least I could do was try my best to help. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't do anything when I had an intuition that you would be having a hard time tonight."

He smiled as I took my hand away from his hair, "I don't remember the last time someone did something like this for me..." He replied, "So why did you?"

I smiled back at him, "I haven't known you for very long, but I know how kind you are. You protected all of us today; I just thought you deserved to have someone watch over you for once."

"We're a team. We protect each other..." He was quick to reply, sighing before he said, "You don't have to thank me for doing my job."

I chuckled lightly, "I think the complete opposite, actually. I should be thanking you more often."

He let out a little giggle, like music flowing through my ears, "You have a nice way of talking..." He replied, and it made me smile wider, "Can I at least thank you in return?"

I shook my head, "That's the point; I don't want you to thank me. I want you to have it all to yourself."

Yourself

Yourself

Yourself

"Can I thank you anyway?..." He replied, turning his head to look back up at the ceiling, "I'm usually miserable on days like today, but you made it the opposite in just a few hours."

I knew he was embarrassed from the way he avoided my eyes again, so I quietly said, "You're welcome, then..." I knew he wasn't going to quit until I accepted his thankfulness, and I was right because he turned back to me as soon as I said that. I gave him a smile, "I can get you another shirt. Drink some water, ok?" I added before I stood up, trying to hide the little smile on my face as I walked to my room.