#Bts hobi

[mrsvante]

Rules of Engagement

pairing: hoseok x reader

genre: idol au, ex-fwb to lovers, angst, pfp

summary: you were never just a fling, he just didn’t say it in time. now he’s back with a different haircut, the same eyes, and too many things left unsaid between you.

there’s no guidebook for this. for how to love someone who only figured it out after you walked away. for how to forgive the kind of silence that hurt more than goodbye. but his voice still makes something in you unravel, and he’s finally ready to say everything.

warnings: military discharge, yearning, oral f!receiving, fingering, creampies, overstimulation, crying during sex, praise kink, soft dom!hobi, a dangerously high concentration of I love you’s 🥰

word count: 7,372

a message from our sponsors 💁🏽‍♀️: i figured let’s round out the group and give everyone a military discharge drabble. i wasn’t posting tumblr when hobi & jin were discharged, nor had i written anything on the platforms i was previously on. so here we are, and of course i had to give someone some mild angst. who better than my fellow aquarius 😊 hope you enjoy!!

The cameras flashed before he even stepped out the gate.

Hoseok kept smiling.

The uniform fit him well, his shoulders had filled out more over the last year and a half, the lines of his jaw sharpened by routine and discipline.

Though he looked calm, he definitely didn’t feel it.

The familiar weight of military issue boots thudded across the pavement, steady and rehearsed. The press line was shorter than expected, just a handful of reporters with polite voices and professional posture. He bowed and smiled, and raised his hand to wave. Let them snap their photos, and ask the easy questions.

“What was the first thing you thought about when you woke up this morning?”

“Cake,” he said brightly, and everyone laughed.

But it was a lie.

The first thing he thought about was you.

That last night.

The slam of your voice against his kitchen walls. The way your eyes had gone so heartbreakingly still after he stumbled through his answer—if it could even be called that.

‘It’s not about you being gone. It’s about the fact that I could be your everything and you’d still call it casual.’

He hadn’t replied fast enough.

Hadn’t fought hard enough.

You’d stood up quietly, told him to take care of himself, and walked out without looking back.

He still hadn’t forgiven himself for that.

And you hadn’t answered a single letter.

Not one.

“Any words for fans who’ve waited for you?”

“I missed you all so much,” he answered, waving again. “Thank you for your patience. I’ll be back soon.”

Another lie. Or at least a misdirection.

Because the one person he really wanted to say that to wasn’t here. And probably wouldn’t ever be.

He kept his expression bright as he was ushered into the black van waiting at the curb by his manager. The door clicked shut and the noise from the press fell away instantly. Just the hum of the engine and the soft scent of fabric softener from his pressed uniform.

He sat back and finally let his smile fade while the ride home passed in a blur.

Every streetlight blurred with memory. Every turn retraced a pattern he knew too well. His phone buzzed in his pocket, messages from the guys, an old group selfie from Jin’s welcome party with a ‘You’re next, hyung!!’ caption that made him smile.

But he didn’t open the thread from your old contact.

He didn’t dare.

He hadn’t deleted it, but he couldn’t bring himself to look at the last thing you ever said. ‘Don’t wait on me to figure it out for you.’

By the time the car pulled into the driveway of his parent’s home, the ache had knotted itself between his ribs.

But the second he stepped inside, all of it had to disappear.

“Oh, my boy!!”

His mother’s voice rang through the hall like sunlight.

His sister barreled toward him next, arms flung wide, cheeks already damp with tears. His father was behind her, already clapping and joking about how short Hoseok’s hair still was.

And then the cake.

White frosting, strawberries, the homemade sponge his mother always swore she’d never get quite right but always did.

He smiled and laughed, letting them pull him into the kitchen. Let himself be hugged and fussed over, handed chopsticks and spoonfuls of side dishes between stories.

He really was happy to see them. But the thing about Hoseok was this, he had never needed to look sad to be sad.

It was somewhere in the pause between his laughter. In the way he lingered too long at the kitchen window. In the way he reached for his phone twice that night and put it back both times without checking.

They didn’t notice. Or if they did, they let him have his silence.

By the time he showered and finally settled into bed back at his apartment, he finally let himself exhale. There’d still been no word from you. Not even a ghost of a reply. And as he lay there in the dark, he realized the thing he’d feared most wasn’t that you’d moved on.

It was that you hadn’t and he’d burned the bridge too badly for either of you to cross it again.

—

The practice room was quiet, the lights overhead illuminating the seemingly endless space, the familiar black walls felt like home.

Hoseok sat cross legged on the hardwood floor, a towel draped over his shoulder, chest still rising and falling from the cooldown stretches they’d just finished. Jin was a few feet away, sprawled out on his back like a starfish, arms thrown dramatically overhead.

“I’m getting old,” Jin muttered. “My knees made six separate noises getting into that squat.”

“You’re the one who wanted to stretch to ballads,” Hoseok shot back, grinning faintly.

Jin didn’t answer immediately. Just let the silence stretch.

“Have you heard anything?”

Hoseok’s breath stalled at the sound of your name, and that fraction of a second of hesitation told Jin everything.

“Aish,” he sighed, sitting up slowly and rubbing the back of his neck. “Nothing then, huh?”

Hoseok looked down at his hands, flexed his fingers, watched the faint sheen of sweat dry on his forearms.

“I messed it up,” he said, voice low.

Jin didn’t push, just waited patiently.

“We were… it wasn’t serious. But it felt serious, you know? Years of that. Her crashing at my place after working late. Me picking up her favorite snacks without thinking about it. Waking up with her in my arms like it was the most normal thing in the world.”

He paused.

“A few days before I left, she asked me what we were. And I didn’t… I didn’t have an answer. Not because I didn’t feel something, but because I had this whole plan. Military service, then my music. Solo projects. Touring. Branding. That was the order. I didn’t want to drag her through all of it.”

Jin tilted his head, watching him carefully. “Did you tell her that?”

“I tried hyung,” Hoseok said. “But it came out all wrong. She thought I was brushing her off. That she was just a warm bed and a good laugh. And maybe I didn’t say it out loud, but she wasn’t wrong to think that. I never gave her anything solid to hold onto.”

Another silence passed between them.

Then Jin shifted, sitting up straighter.

“Alright,” he said slowly. “Let’s say you follow your plan. You release music, you travel, you go on tour. You perform, and win awards, do your magazine spreads, maybe a drama cameo if you get bored.”

He looked Hoseok straight in the eye.

“Then when you’re finally done and decide now is the time, you go to her house. You knock on the door… and her boyfriend or worse, her husband answers.”

The words hit Hoseok like a gut punch, but Jin didn’t stop.

“Will that plan have been worth it then? Will it have been enough to know you stuck to the timeline in your head while she built a life with someone else?”

Hoseok couldn’t breathe. His jaw clenched as his chest tightened.

“Or maybe,” Jin continued, softer now, “maybe the real question is, isn’t she worth making room for in the plan? Because to be completely honest with you Hob-ah, you’ve looked miserable ever since you left the training camp. And I’m willing to bet she didn’t bring that conversation up without already having weighed every pro and con.”

The room went quiet again.

No music, none of his excuses to get back to practicing. Just the faint hum of the building’s ventilation and the sound of Hoseok’s heart pounding in his ears.

He hadn’t let himself imagine you with anyone else. Not really. Not until now.

And the image of some faceless man opening your front door, your laughter echoing down the hall behind him, a ring on your finger, a photo on the wall, made him feel like he was bleeding out without a mark on his skin.

He scrubbed a hand down his face.

“Shit,” he whispered.

Jin stood and clapped a hand on his shoulder, firm and steady. “I’m not saying you have to blow up your career for love. But maybe… just maybe… this plan of yours would be a hell of a lot better if you stopped assuming she doesn’t belong in it.”

—

The sky was streaked in pink and gold when Hoseok reached your apartment building.

He stood in front of the gate, hands deep in his pockets, pulse pounding. The world was quiet around him for once. No paparazzi, no press, no fans screaming his name. Just the slow exhale of the city winding down for the night, and the sound of his own nerves buzzing behind his ribs.

He pressed the call button.

It rang once.

Twice.

And then your voice, warmer than he remembered, but so much colder than he’d ever heard it directed at him.

“…Why are you here?”

His throat tightened. “I just—I want to talk.”

A pause. Long enough to sting.

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Please.” His voice cracked. “Five minutes. That’s all I’m asking. You don’t have to say anything. Just let me say what I should’ve said back then.”

Silence again.

Then, with a click, the gate buzzed open and he stepped inside. Quickly heading up to your apartment.

Your door was already ajar when he reached it, but the tension wrapped around the apartment like fog. You didn’t greet him, didn’t look at him. Just turned and walked toward the living room, leaving the door open behind you.

Hoseok followed.

The space hadn’t changed, not really. Same plants on the windowsill, same soft lighting, same throw pillows he used to steal for neck support whenever he crashed here after long nights in the studio.

But it felt different.

Colder.

You sat on the far side of the couch with your shoulders squared, legs crossed, gaze guarded.

And he hated how quickly his mind played back every time he’d walked in here before laughing, tossing his jacket on the back of a chair, leaning in to kiss you before he even finished his sentence. This wasn’t that. You weren’t that.

You were steel now. Quiet fire wrapped in armor.

He sat across from you, careful not to take up more space than necessary.

You unlocked your phone, tapped something, then set it face up on the coffee table between you.

A timer.

Five minutes exactly.

“Go.”

His hands clenched in his lap.

“I… have no idea how to do this,” he admitted. “But I’ve been thinking about it for over a year. Every night. Every letter I sent you. I didn’t know what to say back then, but that was never your fault. That was me, me being stupid, and scared, and selfish.”

You didn’t speak, didn’t even look at him. Just stared at the timer, eyes rimmed with that quiet fire.

Hoseok swallowed hard.

“I had this plan,” he said. “Music. Touring. Performing. Building something permanent. I thought love, real love, would be a distraction. Something I’d have to work around instead of build with.”

His voice wavered. “And then I lost you. And I realized I hadn’t been building anything. I’d been hiding. From you. From what we had. From what I wanted to have but was too much of a coward to name.”

Your jaw clenched.

“I reread your last text more times than I can count. I memorized it. Played it like a song in my head. And I still couldn’t figure out how to answer it.”

You interrupted his frantic confession with a shuddered inhale. Your eyes burned, lips trembling. “Please…Hoseok. Please don’t do this to me.”

He froze.

“You can’t just walk back in here and start saying things like that,” you whispered, voice breaking. “Not after everything. I can’t get pulled back into that loop, I won’t. I love being with you, I—I love you, but that’s not enough if it’s just going to be the same thing all over again.”

Panic flickered across his face. He moved forward, hands open, like he wanted to touch you but didn’t dare.

“I love you, too,” he said, fast and rough. “I always have. I was just too stupid to say it. Too busy thinking I had time.”

Your breath caught.

He took a shaky breath, voice trembling but growing stronger with every word.

“If I’m everyone’s hope, you’re my peace. You’re my love. You’re my light, and my strength, and the only thing that ever made me feel like a person, not just a name on a stage. You grounded me. You loved me before I ever figured out how to love myself.”

You pressed a hand to your forehead, something else already on the tip of your tongue, but he pushed on.

“And if the chance is gone, I’ll live with that. I’ll deserve it. Because you do deserve the world. And I was too stupid and too naive to realize you were already offering me yours.”

Tears rolled down your cheeks.

“But if there’s even the slightest chance, just a speck that we could try again… I’ll take it. I’ll take it and I’ll run with it, because I swear to you, I am committed. To you. To our future. To whatever the hell comes next. All of it.”

His voice cracked at the end, chest heaving with every breath.

“Because I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. I can’t dance or breathe or live without you. You’re in every corner of my head, every beat of every song, every dream I wake up from sweating and reaching for something that isn’t there.”

The timer buzzed.

Neither of you moved.

He stared at you, shaking. “You don’t have to say anything. But I had to say it. I had to.”

The room went silent again, except for the sound of your shaky breath, the faint sniffle you tried, and failed, to swallow.

And when your eyes finally met his, wet and wide, Hoseok’s heart clenched so hard it hurt.

You didn’t mean to cry.

You really, really didn’t.

But it was like his words cracked something open beneath your ribs. Not just sadness… grief. The kind that had been sitting, dormant and heavy, since the night you walked out of his apartment. Grief for what never was, what almost was. What still could be, if only it didn’t hurt so goddamn much to hope again.

You dropped your head into your hands and sobbed.

Shoulders shaking, lips trembling, breath catching in your throat, eyes blurry and burning. Messy and open, and absolutely heartbreaking.

The coffee table between you vanished in a blur. One second you were across from him, fists clenched in your lap, and the next, Hoseok was kneeling in front of you. His arms wrapping tight around your body, pulling you into him like it was the only thing keeping him upright.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, voice splintering. “I’m so sorry. I love you—I love you so much—I’m so sorry.”

You clung to him like a lifeline, your tears soaking his collar as he rocked you gently, whispering everything he should’ve said months ago into your hair.

“I should’ve fought for you,” he said softly, over and over. “I should’ve seen you. I should’ve said something—anything.”

“I waited for you,” you choked out, voice muffled in his shirt. “I wanted so much for it to mean something.”

“It did,” he said, clutching you tighter. “It does. I was just too scared to let myself admit it.”

The air between you throbbed with everything unsaid. You didn’t know how long you sat there pressed into his chest, his arms looped around your waist, his cheek resting against the crown of your head, but eventually the sobs softened. The shaking stopped. You exhaled, chest hollowed out and sore, eyes swollen and raw.

You pulled back just enough to look at him. And then without thinking, you slapped his arm. So hard your hand throbbed, and it went ignored, overcome by your anger and frustration.

Then you punched his chest.

“You asshole,” you cried, voice thick and cracking. “I hate it…I fucking hate how easy it is for me to forgive you!”

Hoseok blinked, then laughed, wet and hoarse, forehead tipping forward to rest against yours.

“I’ll get on my knees if you want,” he murmured, eyes shining. “Swear to God, I’ll grovel. I’ll do it in the hallway. In the lobby. In traffic.”

You smacked his shoulder again, hiccupping through your frustration. “You should! You should be on your goddamn knees begging.”

“I am,” he said softly, brushing his thumb beneath your eye. “Right now. In every way that counts.”

You stared at him.

This ridiculous, beautiful, broken man.

With tears still threatening to spill, your lips trembling, and heart pounding. And damn it, no one could save you now… because a piece of you already believed him.

—

You were still fuming, eyes puffy and blinking back tears when he leaned in.

Still unsure where you’d land, torn between punching him again and pulling him impossibly close. But then his hand came up, cradling your cheek, thumb brushing the edge of your mouth like he couldn’t believe he was allowed to touch you again.

And when he kissed you—oh, when he kissed you—It was like coming home to a place you thought had burned down long ago.

His lips were warm and frantic, soft in some places and needy in others. He kissed you like he needed to taste everything he’d been starving for. Like he was memorizing the shape of your mouth all over again.

His hands slipped behind your neck and waist, pulling you closer, guiding your body into his lap as the kiss deepened. Hot and wet and broken open by the sound of his voice trembling between your mouths.

“I missed you, pretty girl,” he whispered against your lips. “So much—fuck, you have no idea—I love you, I love you so much.”

You whimpered into the kiss, nails curling in his shirt as he licked into your mouth, moaning at the taste. His hands were everywhere, cradling your face, gripping your hips, sliding beneath your top like he couldn’t get enough of your skin. You tugged his hoodie off over his head, desperate to touch more of him, to feel more of him, to have him.

“You don’t know what you do to me,” he groaned, tugging your shirt over your head and tossing it aside. His eyes darkened as he took you in, chest heaving, still flushed from crying. “Fuck, baby…”

He pressed kisses down your throat, wet and open mouthed, his palms warm as they cupped your breasts through your bra. “I missed you,” he muttered, breath hot against your skin. “Missed the way you sound when I touch you here…”

He slipped the straps down slowly, teasing with his mouth until your bra was on the floor and his hands were full. Fingers and tongue lavishing every inch, licking over your nipples until you gasped and rocked against him.

“Perfect,” he breathed. “You’re fucking perfect.”

You moaned, body arching into him, and he lost the last of his restraint.

He laid you down across the couch in one fluid motion, long fingers tugging at the band of your leggings as he dropped to his knees between your thighs, eyes blown wide with lust and adoration.

“Oh my God,” he choked, staring. “Look at you.”

You were spread out before him in absolutely nothing, chest flushed and heaving, legs parted in invitation, and the hunger on his face almost hurt to look at.

“I never thought I’d get to see you like this again,” he whispered, slipping your panties down your legs with trembling hands. “Being right here. Just like this. You—waiting for me—like I’m something you want. It feels like a dream.”

He tossed your panties aside and dove in, kissing down your belly, licking slow and filthy up your inner thigh.

Then his fingers found your pussy, slick and warm and already dripping.

“Oh, baby,” he groaned, sliding one finger inside, then two. “You’re so wet. Fuck, it’s been too long—too fucking long.”

You gasped, legs falling open wider as his fingers curled just right, his breath hot and shaky against your core.

“I need to feel you cum around me,” he murmured, mouth hovering just above you. “Need to taste everything I’ve missed.”

And when he finally lowered his mouth to your pussy, tongue flattening against your clit as his fingers pumped deep and slow, it was like everything cracked wide open.

His apologies.

His promises.

And the ache you’d both been carrying for far too long.

Hoseok didn’t rush. He stayed there between your thighs, breath heavy, fingers slow, watching you like you were something fragile and untouchable. Even as you trembled under him, dripping and desperate.

His tongue made the first pass over your clit languid and slow, the tip curling slightly, coaxing a strangled moan from your lips. Then he pulled back to murmur against you, his voice low and fraying at the edges.

“Still so sensitive for me…” His fingers moved inside you again, gentle, unrelenting, curling just right with every thrust. “Still open for me, like your body remembers who I am.”

You whimpered, hips rolling toward his mouth as he dragged the flat of his tongue over you again, lapping softly, teasing. He moaned like he could taste your need.

“I missed this so much,” he breathed. “I used to lie in bed thinking about this—you—the way you sound when you cum. The way you taste when you’re close. Fuck…”

His tongue circled your clit with maddening precision, while his fingers sank deeper, fucking into you. You could barely think, barely breathe as your hands buried in his hair, your thighs tightening around his shoulders.

“You like that?” he murmured between kisses, his lips sticky with you. “Like how I’m making you feel, baby?”

You gasped out something like his name. Half broken, half begging and he smiled against your pussy, pressing a kiss to your clit.

“That’s it,” he whispered, voice hoarse. “Give it to me, pretty girl. Cum on my fingers. Let me feel it.”

He slipped a third finger in, curling all of them just right, pressing against that sweet spot while he sucked your clit softly, messily, humming encouragement into your skin.

“Let me have it. You’ve been so good for me. So perfect. Let go.”

And you did.

Your orgasm washed over you like a wave. Your back arched off the couch, mouth open in a silent cry, thighs shaking as he held you down, kept licking you, coaxing every last pulse of pleasure from you like he couldn’t stand to let any of it go to waste.

Even when your hips twitched from overstimulation, he didn’t stop, not completely. Just slowed his pace a little. Let his fingers ease out of you, licking them clean one by one like you were a feast he’d only just begun.

When you finally opened your eyes, breath still ragged, you found him hovering above you, pupils blown, lips wet, a look on his face that made your stomach flutter all over again.

“You should see yourself right now,” he whispered, cupping your cheek. “You’re… fuck, you’re unreal.”

You reached for him instinctively, and he leaned down to kiss you, letting you taste yourself on his tongue. You moaned into his mouth, and he groaned right back, grinding his hips into the couch.

“I need to be inside you,” he whispered, voice shaking now. “But not until you tell me to. I’ll wait forever if I have to.”

Your body was already arching into him again, heat rising between your legs, slick and aching and ready.

“Please,” you whispered.

He kissed you again. “Say it. I need to hear you say it, baby.”

“I want you inside me.”

His breath stuttered. “Then I’m yours.”

—

He didn’t let you go for long.

One final kiss and then he was pulling back just enough to strip. Roughly shoving his sweatpants down, boxers with them, his cock flushed and hard, standing proud against his stomach. Your gaze caught there and lingered, and he caught you watching, a breathy laugh slipping from his lips.

“You always stare,” he murmured, bending to kiss you again, voice teasing but thick with heat. “You’d think you’d have gotten used to me by now.”

“Never,” you whispered.

He groaned, forehead resting against yours. “Fuck, I love you.”

Then he lined himself up, fist wrapped around the base of his cock, rubbing the head through your slick folds, spreading the mess he made of you.

You gasped, hips canting forward.

“Still so wet for me,” he whispered. “You ready?”

“Please.”

And then he was pressing in.

The stretch was perfect. The familiar feeling of being so full, of him reaching so deep inside you was grounding.

You both gasped at the contact, at the slow slide of him inching inside after so long. Your walls clung to him like you remembered, your legs wrapping around his waist on instinct as he bottomed out with a shudder.

“Fuck,” he rasped, voice raw. “You feel even better than I remembered. How is that even possible?”

He held still for a moment. Just breathing, adjusting, letting you adjust. His arms trembled where they braced on either side of your head.

Then he started to move.

Long, slow strokes. A pace that made your body throb and your eyes roll back. The kind of rhythm that made you feel owned, wanted, cherished. His hands curled under your knees to open you wider for him, his chest pressed to yours, his lips barely leaving your skin as he whispered through every thrust.

“I missed you—missed this—missed us.”

You whimpered beneath him, fingers clutching his back.

“You were always more than a hookup. Always. I just couldn’t admit it. Couldn’t say it because I didn’t think I deserved you.”

“Hoseok—”

“I do now,” he whispered, rolling his hips deeper. “I’m not letting you go again. Never again.”

The kiss he gave you then was messy and desperate, more breath than lip, more need than finesse. He was shaking with how hard he was holding back, fighting to keep the rhythm steady even as your walls clenched tighter around him.

“I’m close,” he groaned. “But I need you to cum first. Want to feel you fall apart on me. Wanna know you still trust me with your body, your heart, everything.”

You were right there teetering on the edge, your legs wrapped around his waist, your nails digging into his back.

“Hoseok, please,” you whispered.

That was all he needed.

One hand slipped between your bodies, fingers finding your clit, rubbing tight little circles as he fucked you deeper and a little harder now, chasing your release.

“You’re mine,” he moaned. “You’ve always been mine.”

Your orgasm hit like a pulse of light, sending your back arching, voice catching in your throat, pussy clenching tight around him as you shattered all over again. Hoseok followed not long after, unable to resist the quakes of your walls around him, hips jerking as he spilled inside you with a cry, burying himself as deep as he could go.

The aftershocks rolled through both of you, breathless and heavy, tangled in each other like you didn’t know where one ended and the other began.

And then silence.

The familiar weight of safety falling over you both, full with the vulnerability of your love.

He kissed your shoulder, your cheeks, your temple. “I love you,” he murmured. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

Your eyes fluttered shut, arms winding around him.

—

You were still trying to catch your breath when Hoseok leaned down, and kissed you again before sliding his arms under your thighs.

“What are you—oh my God,” you gasped as he stood, lifting you with ease.

Your arms flung around his shoulders as he started walking, still buried inside you, still thick and getting harder with every step.

“Oh fuck, Hoseok,” you moaned, voice catching with every subtle bounce of your body against his. His cock dragged along your walls lazily with each stride, sending jolts of overstimulated pleasure through your core.

“You didn’t think we were done, did you?” he grunted, gaze locked on the hallway ahead. “It’s been almost two years since I was inside you, baby. We’re not even close.”

You could feel it, how quickly he was getting hard again inside you, the thick swell of him pressing deeper with each careful, deliberate step toward the bedroom.

By the time he reached the bed, he was fully hard, his breath ragged and jaw clenched like he was barely keeping it together.

He laid you down gently and hovered above you for just a moment to take in your flushed, dazed face spread across the sheets.

Then he snapped.

There was no more hesitation. No more holding back.

He pulled back and drove into you again, his fingers digging into your hips as he started fucking you like he had something to prove.

“Mine,” he growled, watching the way your body arched into him. “Always been mine, my pretty girl.”

You cried out, the force of his thrusts jolting you up the mattress. Hoseok caught your legs, hooked them over his shoulders, and bent forward to fuck you deeper. Slamming into you with enough force to make the headboard creak.

“Missed this pussy,” he gasped, sweat slicking his chest. “Missed how tight you get when I talk dirty to you, how fucking wet you get.”

His hand slipped between your legs, rubbing over your clit as he pounded into you.

“You feel that?” he moaned. “That’s how much I love you. Every fucking inch. Every thrust. Every word I didn’t say before—I’m saying it now.”

You were close again. Could feel it building in your core, a fire climbing higher and higher.

And then, suddenly, he pulled out.

“Hoseok why’d—”

He flipped you over before you could finish, hands gripping your waist and hauling your ass up in one smooth motion.

“Need to see it,” he panted, lining himself up behind you. “Need to watch it.”

And then he was inside you again. Slamming deep, groaning as your walls clenched around him. His eyes were locked on the way your ass bounced with every thrust, his hand gripping your hip so tight it bordered on bruising.

“Fuck, look at you,” he growled, voice cracked and desperate. “You’re taking it so well, just like you always did. Always so fucking good for me.”

You moaned, fingers clawing at the sheets as he fucked you harder, deeper, and filthier than he ever had before.

“You don’t even know,” he panted. “How many nights I fucked my hand thinking about you. Bent over like this and bouncing on my cock. Moaning my name like you were still mine.”

You sobbed his name into the sheets.

“Say it,” he growled. “Say you’re mine.”

“I’m yours,” you gasped, back arching as your orgasm threatened to crash down again. “Hoseok, I’m yours—always yours.”

He slammed into you once, twice, then again, each thrust sharper than the last.

“I love you,” he groaned. “I fucking love you. You’re everything—my girl, my future, my fucking forever.”

You came with a scream. Your legs shaking, walls pulsing around him pulling him over the she with you. Hips jerking as he emptied inside you with a low, strangled moan that sounded like pure relief.

He didn’t pull out right away.

Just collapsed over you, chest to your back, mouth pressed to your spine as his breath slowed.

“You okay?” he murmured, breathless and tender.

You nodded, still trembling.

He kissed your shoulder. “Good, because I’m not letting you go again. Ever.”

Your heart was still pounding, body boneless beneath him, when he leaned in and kissed the space between your shoulder blades softly, lips lingering.

He stayed like that for a moment. Just breathing and letting the heat of your skin settle against his, his cock still twitching inside you as your body pulsed gently around him. It was messy and slick with both of you, but he hadn’t moved, hadn’t pulled away.

And then he did, only to flip you on to your back.

His hands were warm and slow as he turned you onto your back, guiding your limbs like you were breakable, like he was afraid to lose the moment too quickly. You blinked up at him, eyes glassy, lips parted, chest still hammering as he hovered over you. His hair was startling to curl around his temples, damp with sweat, chest glistening and his expression soft in a way that made your breath catch.

He lined himself up again, eyes locked to yours.

And he pressed back inside.

“Fuck,” he gasped, voice trembling. “You’re so warm—so fucking soft…”

Your legs curled around his waist, your hands ghosting up his arms as your body accepted him again, all wet heat and slippery tension. His hips stilled when he was fully seated inside you, his cock stretching you open, filling you slow and deep.

But he didn’t move, just breathed.

Forehead pressed to yours. Eyes fluttering closed.

“Feels like I’m dreaming,” he whispered. “You… letting me have this again. Letting me love you like this.”

You touched his cheek, your thumb brushing the edge of his bottom lip.

“I never stopped loving you,” you whispered back.

He kissed you, lips barely moving over yours as his hips began to rock. So shallow it almost didn’t register at first. Just a subtle shift of weight. The smallest pull and push.

And it was everything.

Every movement savored. Every glide of his cock through your soaked, swollen heat dragging shudders from your body. Hoseok kissed you again, then your throat, the slope of your collarbone, the swell of your breast. He took his time, tonguing over your nipple, breathing hot and low against your skin.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured. “So fucking beautiful. I don’t deserve you.”

You moaned softly, your fingers threading into his hair.

“But I’m gonna try,” he breathed, thrusts slow and deep and steady. “Every day. I’m gonna spend every damn day proving to you that I was worth the chance you gave me.”

Your eyes burned again.

“I’m gonna spoil you. Worship you. Make sure there’s never a moment—not one second—where you question what you mean to me, pretty girl.”

His hand slipped between your bodies again, fingertips finding your clit and circling it gently. Oh so careful, so patient.

“You’re everything,” he whispered. “You’ve always been everything.”

The tears slipped down your cheeks before you could stop them.

Hoseok kissed them away, then said the thing that made your body shiver all over again.

“Let go for me, baby. Cum for me, just like this.”

And you did.

Quietly, completely, body arching into his as you came with a soft cry, everything tightening and then unraveling as he rocked you through it.

His thrusts became erratic as you constricted around him, his breath stuttering as he thrust one last time and buried himself deep, cumming with a low groan of your name like it meant something different now.

Like it meant forever.

When the tremors eased and he collapsed on top of you, his arms folded tightly around your waist, you curled your legs around him and held him there. Not just because you wanted him close.

Because you didn’t want the moment to end.

And neither did he.

—

Your body still hummed with the aftershocks of everything, sex, the rush of emotions, the surrendering of your heart when Hoseok gently eased himself out of bed.

You whimpered a little at the loss, clinging to the pillow he left behind as he eased off the bed as slid on his sweatpants. He leaned down and kissed your temple.

“Don’t move,” he whispered. “I’ll be right back.”

You heard the bathroom faucet run, then a pause. Then the shuffle of feet across your apartment and the soft sound of cabinets opening in the kitchen.

When he returned, he came armed with two bottles of water tucked under one arm, a handful of snack packs, a bag of kettle chips, and a half opened granola bar already in his mouth.

You laughed as he climbed back into bed. “You still know where everything is?”

“I lived here, remember?” he said through a mouthful of granola. “I could find the peanut butter blindfolded.”

He handed you the water first, then slipped between your legs to clean you up, murmuring softly as he worked. Afterward, he grabbed the snacks from the nightstand and set them between you, flicking on the TV. He flipped through the channels lazily until he landed on a bizarre Japanese game show. It had both of you raising your eyebrows before bursting into giggles like kids.

He curled around you from behind, his chest warm against your back, one leg tangled between yours while his fingers traced slow, aimless shapes into the skin of your thigh. Hearts. Spirals. The occasional teasing tap whenever someone on the show did something ridiculous.

His lips pressed light kisses to your shoulder. Then your neck. Then the soft curve beneath your ear.

You hummed, settling deeper into his touch, the snack bag crinkling in your hand forgotten.

He got quiet for a moment. Like something in him had shifted again.

“Come with me to L.A.”

Your brow furrowed. “What?”

He leaned up slightly, eyes still soft but voice firm. “I’m leaving in a few days. To work on music. Prep for tour. I’ll be out there for a while.”

You sat up a little. “Hoseok—”

“I know it sounds fast. And I know we just… found our way back to each other. But I can’t go that far away from you again. Not after eighteen months without you.”

Your mouth opened, ready to offer something—probably something safe, something cautious—but he cut you off gently, reading you like a book.

“If it’s work, I’ll make sure there’s an office in the house I rent. I’ll have whatever you need shipped over. You won’t even have to unpack the kitchen unless you want to.”

Your heart thudded.

“You’ve really thought about this,” you whispered.

“I had eighteen months,” he said with a sheepish smile. “It’s all I did. Think about ways to make it right. How to earn your trust and your love back.”

You hesitated.

It wasn’t that you didn’t want to go.

It was the weight of everything. The unknown. How quickly the future had arrived.

“How long will you be there?” you asked softly.

“About a month. Maybe five weeks.”

You swallowed, trying not to overthink it. A month. With Hoseok. No excuses. No distance. Just… time.

And when you met his gaze, steady and hopeful and barely blinking, the answer was easier than you expected.

“So I get you all to myself for a whole month?” you said, a little smile tugging at your lips.

His eyes lit up. “Yes. You’ll come?”

You nodded, slow but certain.

He beamed, full body, pure sunshine, and practically tackled you back into the pillows, showering your face in kisses.

“You’re not gonna regret it,” he whispered, laughing as he kissed your cheeks, your nose, your forehead. “I swear, I’ll make it the best month of your life—just us, music, good food, cuddles—maybe some sex. Just a little.”

You smacked his chest, giggling.

Then, like a switch flipped, he looked at you seriously.

“I love you,” he said. “So much.”

You paused, nerves and warmth rising in equal waves.

And then you finally said it back, really said it back.

“I love you too.”

The room stilled. He stared for a moment, like he was afraid he’d imagined it. And then his whole face cracked open. Eyes wide, lips parted in stunned joy.

“Say it again,” he whispered, crawling closer, nose brushing yours. “Please. Just one more.”

You laughed softly, eyes misting as you cupped his face.

“I love you.”

He kissed you, deep and slow and overwhelming, and between kisses, you said it again.

“I love you.”

He pressed one to your shoulder.

“I love you.”

To your chest.

“I love you.”

To your cheek.

“I love you.”

And that was how you fell asleep. Lips swollen, arms tangled, laughter fading beneath whispers of love that neither of you planned to stop saying anytime soon.

— — —

Los Angeles smelled like jasmine and exhaust.

The sun had dipped low by the time the car pulled to a stop in front of a low, nondescript building on a corner that looked like nothing special from the outside. You shifted in your seat, looking out the window, then back at Hoseok.

He was smiling softly, hood pulled up, sunglasses pushed into his hair.

“Where are we?”

“You’ll see.”

You followed him through the front doors, past a few quiet corridors and up a short flight of stairs. Every hallway smelled like old leather and wood polish, warm in a way you didn’t expect. He moved like he’d walked this path a hundred times before. Relaxed, unhurried, casual in a way that only came from familiarity.

You were still wondering where, exactly, this place fell on the list of his plans when he opened the last door.

Inside was a recording room.

Two men stood when you both entered, one with headphones around his neck, the other with a notepad in his lap. Hoseok greeted them casually, pulling off his hoodie in one smooth motion before waving over his translator, who’d followed close behind.

They all began to talk in soft, rapid bursts of Korean and English, sorting logistics and cueing up files, the rhythm of studio life already in motion.

Then Hoseok gestured toward you without looking.

“This is my translator,” he said, motioning to the woman at your side. “And this—” He turned to you. “—is my girlfriend.”

Your heart stuttered.

Girlfriend.

The word danced in your chest like a sparkler. You bit back a smile as warmth pooled under your skin. He said it so casually, so plainly, like it had always been true.

You gave a small nod to the producers as they greeted you, settling onto the low couch behind the glass. Hoseok squeezed your shoulder briefly before stepping into the booth. You could feel his palm lingering on you even after he let go.

From where you sat, the studio looked soft lit and cinematic. The kind of place where something real happens. Where magic sneaks into music.

And then the beat started.

Sensual vocals over soft chords. You didn’t recognize it at first, maybe something new, or something old but when Hoseok leaned into the mic and began to sing, it took you a second to breathe again.

You the only cover that I need when I'm cold

You can have my body, with my heart and my soul

You light up my life, you're like a diamond

Shinin', shinin', shinin', yeah

And we might never get to sleep tonight

I'll give you everything you need tonight

This kind of love, I guarantee for life

Dreams gonna be sweet tonight

His voice was low, honeyed. Steady. But it was his eyes that got you. He was looking straight at you through the glass.

Like this song had been for you all along.

And as the track rolled on, verse after verse, you felt it build. The weight of his love, layered into the rhythm. All the words he’d missed saying before, woven into melody, whispered in harmony.

By the time he reached the final chorus, you had one hand pressed to your chest, like it might hold the pieces of you still being rearranged.

You’d been serenaded before, but never like this.

And as the last note rang out, Hoseok pulled the headphones off slowly, eyes never leaving yours.

He didn’t smile.

Not right away.

He just looked at you like you were the only thing in the world that ever made sense.

masterlist

[stlllle]

"Stop Being Cute When You're Jealous"

Pairing: Jung Hoseok (J-Hope) x Female!Reader

Genre: Fluff, Jealousy, Humor, Smut (NSFW), Established Relationship

Word count: ~10k(i think)

Warnings: Oral sex (f receiving), unprotected sex (be safe!), creampie, lots of kissing, possessiveness, dirty talk, babying, soft dom Hobi, jealousy, cuddling, spanking, hair pulling, hand kink, degradation + praise mix (e.g. "my dirty girl" + "I love you"), reader being bratty, smut-heavy.

___

Masterlist bts

my main list

You didn’t mean to ruin the night.

Really, you didn’t. You had been the picture of a supportive girlfriend all evening—clapping, cheering, dancing along while your boyfriend practically set the stage on fire with his choreography. But then she appeared. The dancer. Tall, flexible, and glued to Hoseok’s hip in that steamy choreo that had the entire arena holding its breath.

And yeah, okay, maybe you got a tiny bit jealous.

So when he came backstage all sweat and smiles and tried to pull you into his arms, you ducked under them and gave him a look. A look that said "Don’t talk to me right now, mister grinding-on-other-women-on-stage".

"Yah," Hoseok whined behind you, trailing like a kicked puppy as you stomped down the hall. "Baby, come on. It was choreography."

"I know," you replied, voice tight, eyes forward. "I watched it."

"Then you know it meant nothing. It’s for the show. You want me to mess up in front of thousands of people just so you don’t get jealous?"

You stopped and turned slowly, eyes narrowed. "So you admit it made me jealous?"

He opened his mouth. Closed it. Scratched his neck. "I mean... kinda? But you’re cute when you’re jealous."

Wrong answer.

Back at home, you climbed into bed without so much as a kiss. Hoseok stood at the doorway, holding a fluffy pillow and blinking at you like a sad puppy.

"I can’t sleep here?"

"Nope."

"You’re really kicking me out of our bed?"

"Yes."

"You’re serious?"

Your silence was answer enough. With a loud groan and a dramatic flop on the couch, he sulked his way into the guest room.

Around 3am, you felt warmth press against your back. Big arms sliding around your waist. A familiar nose nuzzling your neck.

"Mmm... baby... stop being mad. I can’t sleep without you..."

You stirred but didn’t answer.

"You smell so good," he whispered, voice all gravel and honey. He kissed your shoulder. Your neck. Your cheek.

"Don’t ignore me," he whined, now fully spooning you, his lips brushing your ear. "You think I wanna grind on anyone but you? You know how hard I was after that stage? I wanted you, not her. I always want you."

Your breath caught as his hand slid under your shirt.

"Let me show you how much, hm? Let me make it up to you, baby girl..."

He flipped you gently onto your back, climbing over you with that soft, sleepy desperation in his eyes. The way his voice dropped an octave while his hands explored every inch of you made your legs part without a second thought.

"You know you're mine, right?" he whispered, dragging your panties down slowly, "Only mine. You think I'd ever want anyone else, baby? Hmm?"

You shivered as he kissed down your chest, teeth grazing your nipple before he sucked it deep into his mouth.

"Such a jealous little thing," he cooed, "but fuck... you're so hot when you're mad."

You gasped when he suddenly gripped your thighs and pushed them apart, mouth finding your core in seconds. His tongue was relentless, lips messy and wet against your pussy, moaning while he devoured you like a man starved.

"Tastes better than anyone could ever dream of," he mumbled into you. "This pussy's mine. Only mine. Say it."

You whimpered, back arching as his fingers joined his mouth.

When he finally slid up your body, you grabbed at his arms, digging your nails in. He smirked, catching your hands and pinning them above your head.

"Oh no," he growled, "you don't get to act like a brat all day and then take control. You're gonna lay here and take every inch of my cock like a good girl."

He thrusted in deep—and hard. You cried out, legs wrapping around his waist instinctively.

"Fuck, baby," he groaned, biting your shoulder. "You feel so damn good."

He pulled your hair just enough to tilt your head back, biting and kissing down your neck while his hips pounded into you.

"Jealous because I danced with her? Then take this. Take it and remember who fucks you like this."

His hand came down on your ass with a sharp smack. You yelped.

"You love it," he whispered darkly, fucking into you rough and deep. "Love when I fuck you dumb, don't you? My needy little thing."

You nodded desperately, tears pricking your eyes from the overwhelming mix of pain and pleasure.

"I love you," he moaned, slowing his pace to roll his hips deep, making you feel every inch. "Even when you're jealous. Even when you're bratty. Fuck, I love you so much."

He kissed your face over and over, still holding your wrists in one hand as he drove into you.

"Gonna cum inside you, baby. Fill you up nice and full. Want my cum dripping out of you when you wake up."

Your body convulsed around him with a sob as you came, and he followed right after, groaning your name into your neck.

He stayed on top of you for a moment, catching his breath, still kissing your skin.

"Still mad?"

You shook your head, dazed.

"Good," he smiled, finally releasing your wrists and brushing the hair off your forehead. "Because I’m not going anywhere. You're stuck with me, jealous tantrums and all."

He pulled you into his arms, cuddling you tight.

"Next time you're jealous... just say it. Or better yet, sit on my face. I won't complain."

You smacked his chest, laughing breathlessly.

"Asshole."

"Yours," he whispered, kissing your nose.

And this time, you let him sleep beside you—skin to skin, hearts pressed close.

[greenxgloss]

Brothers Best Friend

Word Count: 4k Summary: When Namjoon, your older brother, asks you to drop off some things at his best friend's house, and you're left alone with him after the end of the summer party. Themes: Big brother!Namjoon, SoftDom!Yoongi x Eager!reader, F!receiving oral, fingering, protected penetration, smut, fluff

"can you drop this off at Yoongi's house?" your brother asked you, holding a cardboard box. "aww what did you two break up?" you teased. "shut up. this is just stuff he wanted to bring with him to uni." he said, leaving the box in the doorway of your room. "he got into university?" You questioned, making Namjoon laugh.

You watched Namjoon pull out of the driveway and head back to his own school just outside of town. You sighed, looking back down at the cardboard box full of little things yoongi's left here over the passed two years. some shirts, trinkets, an old Mp3 player, a pair of headphones and whatever else yoong has left behind.

You battled with yourself internally on whether or not to drop the box off or let Yoongi pick it up or even just forget about it all together and after changing your outfit about 7 times you picked up the box and you headed to Yoongis house.

Before texting him, you spent a few minutes drafting and redrafting your message, sending each version to your best friend for approval. It was ridiculous how much effort you put into something so simple, but you couldn’t help yourself.

Once you finally hit send, you anxiously watched your screen until Yoongi’s reply came through, instructing you to come in through the basement entrance.

The closer you got, the louder the music became, a deep bass thrumming through the air. The moment your fingers wrapped around the doorknob, you felt it vibrating beneath your touch, the soundwaves pulsing through the metal. For a brief second, you hesitated, gathering yourself before finally pushing the door open.

As you opened the door, the smell of BO and perspiration wafted back in your face. You made eye contact with colin over the crowd of people, he waved and mouthed to leave the box in a corner somewhere. You nodded and after putting the box down you decided to hang out since he'd invited you anyway.

soon you were debating with someone wether or not Sabrina Spellman in Chilling Adventures was alive. You had a drink in your hand but you had been arguing so long that it got warm and you didnt want it anymore.

"gotta go to the bathroom." You told the random dude you were arguing with as you left your jacket on a nearby chair and left upstairs to find the bathroom.

Yoongi has been a family friend for as long as You can remember. You're only a junior right now. and you've had a bit of a crush on him since 6th grade but he's your brother best friend. he probably looks at you like a little sister. either way you've had sweet fantacies about him. nothing weird dispite you calling them 'sweet fantacies'.

You had one where he asked you on a date and took you to a drive in. he rented a pick up truck and put blankets and pillows in the truck bed. You got all Your favorite snacks and cuddled through the hole movie.

Over the years, you watched how he treated his girlfriends—always the perfect boyfriend. He never brought up sex unless it was obvious the timing was right, or at least that’s what they all told you. You never felt jealous because you believed that if something was meant to happen between you two, it would. You had done your part; now, you were just waiting for the universe to push Yoongi to do his.

You walked out of the bathroom and headed back downstairs to the basement to find that everyone had left and Yoongi was picking up the last of the trash while watching some sports show. "How long was i in the bathroom?" You laughed nervously. He looked back at You. "wanna watch something?" he asked, leaving the trash bag by the door and walking back to sit on the couch. "uh.. sure." You considered leaving. it was cold and you didnt feel like walking home alone. but then you thought, when are you ever going to have a moment alone with him, at night.

You walked over and sat next to him. he arm was already sprawled out on the back of the couch but you swore he inched it closer to your shoulders.

he clicked through the channels and eventually he landed on some boring old mid 90s romcom. it had just begun. "im gonna grab a drink." You said and headed to where the beer was. it was still cold. it was still in a cooler. "grab me one too." he said, dropping his arm.

"do you remember at all what you first thought of me?" he asked after a long silence while you retrieved the glass bottles. "what do you mean? like when we first met? because i think i was like a few months old when we first met." you said, walking back to the couch, letting out a snort. "no i mean like when you first started to retain memory. like oh thats my brothers bestfriend hes tall but blah blah blah." he said, watching you walk back to the couch and sitting down.

"well i mean i thought you were cool. i thought what a pity that you were older than me." You said, handing him his drink. He looked at you for a moment, searching your eyes, as if he was looking for a sign that it was okay to admit something. And then he did.

"When you turned 14 and I was 16, I thought you were the prettiest girl I'd ever seen. It was the moment I started having intimate feelings. Before that, I'd been obsessed with video games and reading. but one day it all clicked." he spoke, just above a whisper.

You could hardly believe what you were hearing. There was no way he was actually admitting that you had been his first crush. The words hung in the air, almost surreal, as he continued speaking, but you had already drifted into your own thoughts. Should you tell him how you felt? Would it be foolish to lay it all out now, after so much time had passed?

Maybe it wasn’t even that deep. Maybe he was just saying it to boost your confidence, to make you feel better about yourself. After all, for years, you had been the quiet, antisocial one in the group—the one who always stood on the sidelines while everyone else paired off and moved forward in ways you never did. Perhaps he thought this little confession would somehow make up for all the times you had been left out, a way to reassure you that you weren’t as invisible as you had once believed.

Still, a small part of you wanted to believe it meant something more.

But then, he kissed you. You could feel the heat radiating off his body. You could smell the faded cologne and the tough scent of alcohol. You leaned into him as you deepened the kiss.

You had never really kissed anyone before—except for that one time in eighth grade when you gave your first boyfriend a quick peck. You could only hope that Yoongi wouldn’t pick up on your inexperience, the hesitation in your movements a direct contrast to his own confidence. With him clearly being the more experienced one between the two of you, the last thing you wanted was for your lack of practice to be obvious.

He laid you down gently, turning toward the tv for a moment to click it off. Your breath hitched when he slipped his hands under your sweater. He pulled away for a moment. "is this okay? Are my hands cold?" he asked, breath heavy and eyes blown. You were so close to assuring him before you realized it. You shook your head.

"are your parents home?" you asked softly "yeah. they're asleep upstairs." he said still watching your body language intently. You seemed apprehensive, and he could tell. it lead him to suggest-- "The guest house. It's empty." he spoke sweetly, reading the hesitance in your eyes. You nodded in response, allowing a small smile to tug at your lips. He sounded like he wanted to make sure you were comfortable as opposed to just being desperate to get your clothes off.

Without a moment to lose, Yoongi helped you off the couch and walked you to the door. When he opened the door, the rain had just started to pick up, falling much harder than the light drizzle from when you first arrived. The temperature had also dropped noticeably, making the air feel even colder. You looked up at him. "uhh- let me get my shoes." you whispered, but before you could turn back, Yoongi had you on his arms bridal style. "no need." he chuckled. Thats when he began Running, trying his hardest not to slip or drop you. When had he gotten so strong?

Both your laughs muffled under the loud heavy rain the entire way up to the guest house until he put you down at the bottom of the steps. "you're certainly determined." You joked, earning a shy smile from him. It was too dark for you to notice the faint flush spread across his cheeks, but you would have found it endearing.

The two of you walked into the carpeted room in a rush. Yoongi pulled you in for a kiss once again, and you could feel just how cold he had gotten, his teeth chattering through the kiss. "Maybe we should get out of these wet clothes." he pulled away for a moment, huffing in an unconscious attempt to heat himself up. You nodded frantically as you watched him peel his soaked shirt off and then helped you take off your sweater, connecting your lips again and slowly lowering you onto the bed, having made your way, stumbling and disoriented when the pair decided to leave the lights off.

Yeah being in the bed may have freaked you out a little, a bed is very different from a basement couch after all, the implications and confirmations jolting you into how serious this was getting, but you tried your hardest to soothe yourself. And then you started thinking;

Are you really about to do this with your brother's best friend? The brother you just saw a few hours ago. It probably showed that you were feeling a bit disgruntled with yourself because Yoongi pulled away from the slobbering kisses he was leaving on your neck. "are you okay? are you sure you're okay with this?" he asked, scanning your facial expressions. You thought for a moment. What does it matter? No one has to know. Besides, it's not like Namjoon hasn't dated your friends.

"yeah. this is totally fine." You smiled, whispering. He smiled back. This was really happening; Your childhood crush was really making out with you. You're about to hook up with him. Not only that but he fully admit to having feelings for you for years. His smile faltered for a moment. "oh let me turn the heat up." he chuckled as he crawled out of the bed and cranked the thermostat up and climbed back under the covers just as fast.

You both still uncontrollably snickering when your cold foot would even just graze his leg or your absolute zero hand would grip his back and he'd yelp before kissing you again. He giggles like the Pillsbury Dough Boy, You thought.

But then he snaked a hand to cup your ass and gave a firm squeeze earing a soft moan against his lips. your face had been contorting just at the thought of having him closer than he already was.

Yoongi kneeled between your legs and pulled your hips up to his, and when you sat up, you straddled him. You felt his cock painfully hard against your inner thigh causing a whimper to fall from your lips. Yoongi held you close with a hand on your ass and another on the back of your neck while he kissed you. This kiss was passionate and messy but not rough; it felt sensual. Like he craved you, a long time yearning. Like he had just been waiting, patience running thin to get his hands on you.

"Pretty girl," he whispered, letting you slowly fall back, letting the misty moonlight fall across your torso, pouring in through the window. He dragged his hand from your neck down your chest and lingering on your lower stomach.

He inhaled sharply. He was falling apart at the sight of you. Fuck this is so hot. You pulled him down with you. "Please, Yoongi." You whispered as you gripped his shoulder. "Please, what baby? use your words." he pressed the tip of his tongue to the middle of his upper lip before moving in to kiss your neck again. "Ahh- Need you- I need you." you whimpered.

Yoongis hand was locked around your waist, pressing you tightly against him. He smiled against your skin before his hand reached from the back of your neck to your bra clasp, snapping it open with his thumb, index and middle finger. the ease in which he did so pulling a gasp from your throat. He chuckled, setting you down on the bed and slowly pulling your bra off. "didn't think you could get prettier." he leaned back, allowing himself the full view of your exposed chest.

a violent blush unrolled across your cheeks. He has a soft smile pinned to his lips as he took in the vision of your bare skin underneath him. Yoongi pressed his hands, gripping you just above your hips and pulled you tightly against his own. He leaned down peppering kisses over your chest before taking your nipple into his mouth, sucking gently. You tangled one hand in his hair while the other gripped the pillow under your head. soft, airy moans leaking from your lips, similar to the heat and wetness pooling in your black panties.

"yoongi," you whined. "please you're- you're teasing." you whimpered, your hips involuntarily grinding into his. He softly groaned at the friction. Yoongi nodded, hooking his fingers under your panties and pulling them down. "I need you to be patient baby, can you do that for me?" He whispered as he lowered himself and lifted your thighs over his shoulders. You bit your lip in anticipation and nodded. "I can try." you whispered.

"Good girl. Is this okay? Need to taste you." You could feel his breath against your heat, and the proximity was driving you crazy. "Please." The only word you could return, desperation leaving you in the form of perspiration. Yoongi kissed the inside of your thighs before gently pressing a thumb through your folds to your clit. Your body tensed. "Nghh- Fuck." you whimpered quietly. "that good?" he chuckled, your responsivness boosting his ego.

Yoongi kissed your folds before reaching his tongue to your cunt, his thumb rubbing slow circles on your clit. You writhed under him, slack jawed and those same airy moans slipping your tongue.

Yoongi was just as worked up, hips involuntarily rutting into the bed below him and soft groans vibrating into your cunt as he began sucking your clit softly, tongue poking out to lick a strip up your cunt. You were so wet you dripped down his chin. Yoongi hummed in pleasure, enjoying your flavour.

You squeezed around nothing, eager for him inside you. Yoongi picked up on this immediately and slowly slipped his first finger inside your pussy. "F-fuck fuck, oh fuck, Yoongi." This causes him to add a digit, smiling as he roughly scooped your clit and hood with his tongue.

"So close," you whimpered, gripping his hair, giving it a light tug and spurring him on. His fingers quickened in pace as he pulled away for a moment to look up at you. "I need you to cum baby, drench me, its okay," he spoke low and sultry before attaching his mouth to your heat again, tongue and swollen lips attacking your clit. "Nghn- Shit." you fell apart, gripping his hair tighter than before. Yoongi let out a groan, enjoying the sting on his scalp and lapping up your juices.

He slowly pulled out his fingers, licking them and using his thumb to collect the excess thick liquid from his chin and encouraging it into his mouth, humming as he swallowed. "soo good." he sat up, leaning down to peck your lips as you caught your breath, tasting yourself on his lips.

Your head was spinning, your chest heaving, rising and falling as you raked your eyes over his exposed milky skin.

"You ready for me, pretty girl?" he asked in a low tone, trailing his hands up and down your sides, slowing at your hips and giving them a small grip. You nodded, biting your lip again. You were spent and still craving him.

Yoongi stood to peel off his boxer briefs and set his length free. You felt your stomach flip as you took in his size and girth. He stroked it gently a few times before fishing for his wallet in his jeans on the ground. He pulled out the metallic gold packet as you sat up, leaning against the headboard. It put his size into perspective- the gold glistening in the ray of moonlight streaming through the window.

Yoongi chuckled as he looked up at you for a moment, approaching you on the bed. "Are you nervous?" he asked softly. You nodded as you blushed again. "Would it help if you put the condom on for me? get you a little more familiar?" he suggests, kneeling once again between your legs. "Yeah- I think," you stammered before letting out your own giggle and taking the condom from his hand.

"Wait." he stopped you before grabbing one of the pillows behind you and lifting you to slip it under your hips, elevating you. "Okay." he motioned for you to proceed.

You tore open the small foil packet, pulling out the slick latex before wrapping your fingers around his length. The heat of him pulsed against your palm, and you watched the way his body reacted—his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths, his muscles tensing ever so slightly under your touch. Slowly, deliberately, you rolled the condom down over him, your eyes flicking up just in time to catch the way his pupils had blown wide, his forehead glistening with a light sheen of sweat, the tip of his nose flushed pink. His lips were parted, his breath unsteady.

"I-I'm ready," you whispered, barely able to hear your own voice over the pounding of your heart. Those two words sent his head reeling.

Yoongi gently guided you onto your back, his hands warm and steady against your skin. He hovered over you, eyes searching yours as he murmured, "You can stop me if it gets too uncomfortable." His voice was soft, almost reverent, and you nodded in response.

The anticipation was almost unbearable as he aligned himself with you, pressing the swollen head of his cock against your slick pussy. A slow, deliberate drag—up and down—coating himself in your arousal. The teasing friction made your thighs twitch, your stomach clench, a quiet gasp escaping your lips.

He pushed in, just the tip, a stretch that sent a shiver through your entire body. Yoongi's gaze flickered between where your bodies met and the expression on your face—your brows knitted together, lips parted, breath shaky. He groaned low in his throat, adjusting his grip on your hips, his movements slow, controlled. The pillow beneath you propped you at just the right angle, allowing him to sink deeper, dragging along the sensitive roof of your walls.

"Fuck," he exhaled, voice strained. His forehead pressed against yours for a brief moment before he pulled back slightly, giving you a second to adjust. "You feel so good, so tight."

The pleasure built slowly, a delicious ache, the kind that made you crave more. And with every inch he gave you, you welcomed him deeper. "Faster," you whimpered, gripping his forearm, feeling his muscles tense in your hand. Yoongi nodded, his own grip on your hips tightening as he picked up his pace while making sure to let you adjust before allowing his hips to snap against yours.

Technically, you had never been with anyone before, but you were no stranger to exploring your own body. The idea of pain wasn’t what unsettled you—it was everything else. The anticipation, the intimacy, the unknown.

"You ask so sweetly," he groaned, his voice rough with desire. "Such a good girl for me." Each word sent a shiver down your spine, the sound of skin meeting skin filling the dimly lit room. His praise wrapped around you like a vice, tightening the coil of heat in your core. Your breath hitched, eyes fluttering shut as warmth spread through your body. The weight of him above you, the way his voice dripped with admiration—it left you feeling dizzy, vulnerable, and utterly consumed.

"So pretty under me," he murmured, his grip tightening just slightly, as if to remind you that you were exactly where he wanted you. "god, yoongi please keep going, stretch my pussy out so good." A moan caught in your throat as your back slightly arched off the bed. Yoongi lightly pressed his open hand on your lower stomach as he thrust in and out. "Nghh shit feels so good." he let out his own whimper.

Yoongi wanted you to finish before him—he needed it. He could feel his own release creeping closer, the tension coiling in his lower abdomen, but he held himself back, determined to draw you over the edge first. His thrusts grew sloppy, uneven, his breath coming in ragged pants as he leaned over you.

"Cum for me, baby," he murmured, his voice low and strained. "Cum all over my cock like a good girl."

His words sent a pulse of heat straight to your core, making your legs tighten around his waist. The way he spoke—so desperate, so commanding—made your entire body tremble with anticipation. Your fingers gripped the sheets as waves of pleasure built inside you, growing stronger with every precise thrust.

Yoongi’s tongue pressed against the roof of his mouth, his teeth grinding together as he fought to maintain control. He slowed his pace deliberately, teasing you with deep, measured strokes, his free hand trailing down between your bodies. His thumb found your clit with practiced ease, rubbing tight, purposeful circles, sending jolts of electricity up your spine.

A choked whimper left your lips as his other hand pressed firmly against your lower abdomen, intensifying the sensation, making every movement feel impossibly deep. Your walls fluttered around him, your body begging for release. He could feel it—feel you tightening, feel the way your breathing grew erratic, your thighs trembling beneath his touch.

"That's it," he coaxed, voice thick with lust, his dark eyes locked onto yours. "Let go for me, pretty girl. Let me feel you."

And with that, the coil inside you snapped. Your moans increased in volume, a continuous string of rising shrill moans as you clenched around Yoongi's length, causing him to release with you. He continued thrusting, allowing you both to ride out your highs before collapsing next to you.

Yoongi peeled the sopping condom off his half-hard length and tossed it on the ground before turning to pull you into his arms. He pressed gentle kisses to your shoulder as he spooned you. "you okay?" His voice was sweet as honey. You hummed a yes, feeling yourself get drousy. "Was really good, yoongi." You smiled as you drifted off in his arms.

Your anxious thoughts having stopped the moment he picked your panties off, you felt safe, warm, comfortable. His afterglow and post ejaculation scent mixed with the lingering cologne, calming you unlike anything else.

Yoongi smiled, holding you tight, not a single ounce of regret in his body but no reservations about keeping tonight between the two of you and out of Namjoon's ears. He drifted into a deep sleep soon after you, huge smile on his face, completely forgetting he's leaving for school in the morning.

A/N: HII this is my first time writing a lengthy smut since I realized my smut is soooo brief (I might re-write my passed smutty fics just to lengthen them for you guys) anyway sorry for postponing this. it was an idea I had originally had for Colin Shea, an Chris Evans character from the movie Whats Your Number and it was inspired by the opening scene in the book Save The Date by Morgan Matson. it was buried real deep in my drafts and decided to recycle it for Yoongi since I really like the brothers best friend trope lol I hope everyone enjoyed this is technically like 3 years in the making LMAOOO ok love you bye

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[lo1k-diamonds]

Moving On 💜

You can sleep with me.

PAIRING: Hoseok x (f) Reader

SUMMARY: All you wanted was to help your best friend move in with her fiancé, Jin — you just didn't know putting up with Hoseok came with the deal. And now there's only one bed.

WORD COUNT: 22.2k

GENRE: enemies to lovers, one bed trope, smut, oneshot (is renovating a house a genre? 🤣)

RATING: Explicit

WARNINGS: bickering, arguing, Jin is a whole mood and sometimes he doesn't help, unfinished business, misunderstandings, Hoseok is actually a sweetheart and vulnerable and goals, alcohol (no one does things drunk), sexual tension, dirty talking, brief masturbation, exhibitionism (kinda), oh brat reader 💯, soft Dom Hoseok, oral f rec, fingering, unprotected sex, biting, his hand around your throat once, pulling out, reader can't get enough of him 🤷‍♀️

A.N.: So... I had the idea for this fic one year ago, when I renovated my place and moved in. I'm trying to go through my WIP folder, what can I say? Better late than never. Also, that's where some of the knowledge comes from, but don't take it at face value 😅 I did most of the painting, not the rest 🤣 Anyway, enjoy 😉 Thank you, Raven @eerieedits, for the banner! This is another entry for Bangtan Writers HQ's Second Quarter 2025 event: ‘Home Is Where The Heart Is’.

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As soon as you exited the bus, you heard a familiar voice shouting your name. Ahn Hyeonseo was easy to spot at the Gwangju bus terminal — she was the beautiful girl jumping around and waving for you to find her between the crowd of families, the elderly, and a few young people. You waved back and got your luggage from the bus luggage compartment before making your way to her.

She squealed in your ear as she hugged you, “I’m so happy you’re here!!!”

You hugged your best friend with a sigh, then pulled away. “There are way too many people here,” you complained, telling her in so many words that you wanted to leave.

She led the way from the terminal to the nearby, overcrowded parking lot. “Because of the festival. I’m happy we scheduled this well in advance, or I’m not sure how you’d get a ticket.” 

“It’s why we picked this weekend anyway.” You shrugged as you dragged your luggage at least half your size behind you.

She raised an eyebrow as she eyed it. “Yeah… And you need all that for a weekend?”

You scoffed. “This is just what I might need to help you,” you underlined, poking her with your elbow as she grinned. “My clothes are in my backpack,” you added, showing her your big backpack that she certainly noticed when she hugged you.

She smiled widely as she unlocked the car and helped you load your things inside. “I got everything you told me to, and you can always wear my clothes.”

You pushed the trunk door closed. “These are just for the details… I don’t know what I’ll encounter.”

Hyeonseo laughed playfully as she got into the driver's seat, and you got into the shotgun seat. You were teasing her because she had only sent you a few photos, hoping to convince you to visit and see for yourself. That made things more complicated because you didn’t just want to visit, you wanted to help her restore the house she had bought with her fiancé. But Hyeonseo preferred to keep up the mystery.

“Don't exaggerate, you've seen the whole place. I've sent you enough photos and videos.”

“Not of the details,” you complained, and she shrugged. 

“People were working, so everything was covered anyway. Now that the electricity, plumbing, floors, and all that is done, we can finally finish it.” She had a massive smile as she drove you to her new home. “I'm very excited about it.”

“How was the move-in?”

“We took two days off and already slept there tonight.” She glanced at you with sparkles in her eyes. “I love it. I’m so happy we did this, even if it literally makes me broke for the rest of my life.”

You grimaced ever so slightly, but stopped yourself from commenting negatively.

“It was a good investment,” you told her, observing the streets that would witness your best friend building her family. “It was a good find for where it is and everything.”

“Yeah, it’s just the amount of work it needed,” she sighed. She gave you the latest update about the roof, and you recognized the long sigh of someone who wanted to spare you the stressful details. “But it’s finally done. We’ve moved in, everything is in boxes everywhere, and we can now work on the details. That’s where you come in.”

She smiled sheepishly, and you felt lighter. “I thought you’d want to settle in asap and overlook the details.”

“Well, Jin is right — if we don’t do it now, we will never do it. And since we can get help, we decided to push through it,” she explained as you observed the residential neighbourhood you were now in. “Our kitchen isn’t finished, we only have a few pieces of furniture… It’s a work in progress. Actually, that’s one thing we need your help with,” she added, as though suddenly remembering. “We thought to replace the built-in closets, but it’s really expensive. So we wanted you to take a look and tell us if they can be recovered.”

“That’s not a problem.”

“There’s also— Ah, you’ll see,” she cut herself short when she entered her new driveway. 

A pickup was already parked there, and you automatically assumed someone was still working at the house. More importantly, you leaned forward to look out of the windshield at their new home. It had two floors, plus an attic, and it looked quite nice, with black tiles on the roof and large windows. Who knew your best friend would become a homeowner?

“Come, let’s get you inside,” she said, already getting your luggage from the trunk. “I have to call the furniture store again, it’s getting late.” 

Hyeonseo huffed and refused to let you carry everything by yourself. Instead, she went ahead and entered the place through the garage, welcoming you inside her home for the first time.

“Come in!!!” she almost squealed, putting your luggage to the side and forcing you to put your backpack down too.

You were already in awe, eying the whole place. It was spacious, with an open concept and large windows at the front, providing ample light to an almost empty living room, aside from the materials and machines left there and the air conditioning unit up in the corner. The wood floor was beautiful and matched the vibe of a fixer-upper. The kitchen also looked brand new, but you could see what Hyeonseo meant with it not being finished — there was no stove, for example.

“We’re supposed to get a bunch of things still today, I’m so excited!” She clapped her hands. “Chairs, a dining table, and a couch. Finally, it will start looking a bit more proper!”

“Tell me you have a bed,” you asked, suddenly worried.

Hyeonseo laughed. “First thing we assembled — our bed and the guest room’s bed.” You sighed, and she waved at you to follow. “Come, I’ll show you the rest!”

You wanted to stop and observe things a bit more carefully, but Hyeonseo dragged you along to the first floor after a glimpse at the bathroom. Instantly, you noticed the dark blue stains on the wood stair treads and halted. Glancing behind you, you noticed that the ground-floor wooden floor had no stains.

“What happened here?” you asked, reaching to touch a particularly dark stain to feel how thick it was.

“Some walls upstairs were blue and they didn’t protect the floors while painting,” Hyeonseo revealed, then heaved a deep breath. “The renovating team fixed the floors, but not the stairs. They proposed it, but it was expensive, and it would mean not being able to access the rooms for a while, which didn’t work for us. We needed to move in this week,” she reminded you as she climbed the rest of the stairs, and you nodded.

“Yeah, well, it’s not a lot, it just takes a lot of time… I might be able to do something about it.”

Hyeonseo sighed in relief, happy to count on you. Once on the first floor, she proudly showed you the second bathroom and the master bedroom. You nodded, noting that the only pieces of furniture you’d seen so far were that bed and a couple of chairs in the living room. The ladders didn’t count. Nor did the yet-to-be-assembled furniture, like the bookshelves, closets, and desk, still sitting in piles of wood planks and bolts in the living room.

“You painted the rooms already?” you asked, and she nodded.

“Just the bedrooms, so we could learn to do it and already sleep here. What do you think? That main wall was dark blue before.” She pointed at the main wall behind their bed, and you nodded, approving the very light orange tone they had chosen instead.

“It’s nice, it opens the room and makes it softer.” You walked around, noticing the corners and the skirting board. “You even protected the skirting board and taped the other wall for a perfect line. I’m impressed.”

“You told us to!”

You smirked. “Sure, but you did it properly.” Hyeonseo rolled her eyes, and you raised an eyebrow at the built-in closet. “Is that the one?”

You approached it carefully, instantly entranced by the beautiful flower engravings on the wooden sliding doors. However, once close, you scowled. “They got paint on the closets too?! How clumsy can they be?”

Hyeonseo sighed. “Yeah, they left it a mess.”

You slid the closet door open and started feeling the shelves and the back of the closet. You hummed as you did, glad that it didn’t look like there was much damage to be fixed.

“Well, the closet might look old, but the wood is sound. I think just some sanding and treatment with oil should be enough.”

“That’s wonderful news!” your best friend beamed. “Let me show you your room.”

You followed her to the room next door, which had a queen-sized bed and a similar built-in closet. You were about to make your way to it to check it out, but Hyeonseo guided you away gently by the shoulders. “You can check it later. Think about this,” she coaxed, turning you to look at the sun-lit room. “You can visit anytime,” she gushed, hugging you dearly. “We’re just a three-hour drive away!”

You smiled and held her back, eternally thankful for her.

“Now come and check the attic!” She beamed at you, grabbing your hand to drag you along. “It’s the only part they finished before we bought it,” she explained as she went up the narrow wooden stairs.

You placed your hand on the wooden railing and compared it with the other set leading to the ground floor. The Korean pine wood you were touching had been recently installed, and it still had a fresh, new smell. It was the same type of wood as the older set leading to the ground floor, but that one needed work. Starting by removing those horrible dark blue paint stains—

“Oh, hi!!” Hyeonseo beamed again, already out of your sight.

You pressed your lips and hurried to follow your best friend to the attic before she called you out for geeking about the wood of her stairs.

You instantly heard Jin’s voice replying to her and smiled, but your stomach dropped as the attic came into view.

“Hobi!” Hyeonseo all but shouted and jumped into his arms, and you almost missed the last step and fell face-first onto the beautiful varnished floor. 

Only Jin seemed to notice your almost tumble; he hid a smirk as you kept going, sniffling casually. By then, your brain couldn’t take in the spacious, raised-ceiling, well-lit room. You were just staring at the man hugging Hyeonseo, anticipating being able to see his face at any moment and confirm that it was, in fact—

Hyeonseo’s feet touched the floor when Hoseok put her down. “Ah! The pickup outside! I didn’t recognize it!”

Hoseok smiled casually as he let her step back into Jin’s orbit. “It’s my father’s. I grabbed a bunch of things from him just in case.”

“I told you the roof was fixed.” Jin shrugged, placing a hand on Hyeonseo’s shoulder, only to make her slide to the side so he could greet you.

“I have other things as well,” Hoseok said as his eyes landed on you, and you stopped breathing. 

For a split second, you didn’t know how to feel. He looked good five years later, with clearer skin and a sturdier build. Even if he still looked scrawny under his cargo pants and white tank top, he was taller and stronger. His eyes were just as scrutinizing as you remembered, even with soft locks of hair falling over them. Yet, they were all you could see until Jin got in your line of sight.

“There she is!”

You raised your eyes to meet Jin’s just in time to be swept off your feet and squeezed empty like a balloon while trying not to squeak like one.

“Don’t kill her, put her down,” Hyeonseo chuckled, tapping her fiancé’s shoulder. Jin put you down with a grin as she told him, “We need her alive.”

“That we do,” he agreed, then turned to Hoseok. “I’m guessing you remember each other.”

You almost gasped. Instead, your eyes jumped to Hoseok’s, remembering everything. Your gut churned as his features remained stoic. All he did was bow, and you bowed back.

“Hello.”

You mumbled a hello back before pointing behind you. “I’ll go check the other closet now.”

“Now?” Jin asked, confused. “You can do that later!” he suggested, but you were already going down the stairs.

“In case we need to buy something extra,” you retorted, projecting your voice so he could still hear you.

You heard feet behind you and knew Hyeonseo was following you down. You waited in the second bedroom, then closed the door behind her.

“What the hell?!” you whispered-shouted, widening your eyes at her.

“What?”

You instantly knew she was feigning her naivety. “You know we don’t get along!!”

She rolled her eyes. “That was in high school.”

You opened your mouth, then closed it, biting your lip. Reeling your frustration in. “Why is he here anyway?”

“Besides being Jin’s best friend,” she underlined, “he also knows what he’s doing. His dad is a contractor, and Hoseok has helped him his whole life with renovating houses. He brought a lot of materials and machines so we could do this right and for free.”

You groaned. “Aren’t you lucky with your friends?”

She beamed at you with the wildest smile, but you were still uneasy.

“Why this weekend?” you insisted. “I know you say it’s just high school and that it was five years ago, but you know me better than that.”

“I know,” she acknowledged, sighing. “This wasn’t the plan. He was supposed to have come last weekend, but plans changed at the last minute, so it happened like this.”

“And I don’t suppose he could come back later?” you asked, and she smiled sheepishly.

“Not really… His mom moved to Seoul, and his dad lives more than two hours away. He drove all the way on purpose to help us. Sorry,” she added before opening the bedroom door to shout back at Jin. “WHAT?”

You didn’t hear what he was asking, only that Hobi would stay there the weekend at the same time as you. Maybe he’d leave soon. Clearly, the place was almost done anyway. All that was left were details, and you could handle those.

You took a deep breath, using that thought to soothe yourself. It was temporary. And it was all water under the bridge anyway. It all happened a long time ago.

“Not yet! Come,” Hyeonseo called you to follow her. “I have to call the furniture retailer and then order something for dinner.”

You heaved a deep breath, throwing a woeful eye at the built-in closet before following her out. You didn’t want to be anywhere Hoseok was, nor did you want to pretend otherwise.

You could appreciate Jin and Hyeonseo’s effort, though. She called the furniture retailer, which confirmed delivery soon, then ordered fried chicken. Meanwhile, she bantered with Jin the whole time, who focused on trying to create cocktails without knowing where anything was.

“It’s written on the box!” Hyeonseo facepalmed, and Jin started whining just to push her buttons.

“Yeah, I know! But it’s not in the box that says bar!! Did you throw my shaker away?”

“No!!” she denied with a screech as she pushed boxes left and right, trying to find the right one. “How else would you make me drinks?”

“Right? Then you have to find it,” he teased, then scoffed. “Otherwise I’ll never again be able to—”

“Ah!!! Found it!” she claimed victoriously as she stood from her knees with a small box containing a cocktail shaker and other things.

“Woah!! How was I supposed to find it?! You called the box ‘tools’!!”

“It is a tool… to make drinks…” she tried, putting the box in his hands. He scoffed and she insisted, “The tool boxes are all yours anyway.”

He gasped. “There’s more than one?!”

She forced an angelic smile, then darted away, and Jin kept whining about her. You knew it was all playful and guessed Hoseok knew as hell, only he wasn’t listening. He was inspecting the sockets and light switches to ensure they were installed correctly. When a socket almost broke apart in his hand when he touched it, you guessed all of them needed to be checked.

He glanced at you, then kept going as though you could be anyone, and it annoyed you. He was the douchebag, why the hell was he ignoring you? 

You spun on your heels. “I’m going to—”

“No way!” Jin stopped you, leaning over the counter as though he would run after you if he had to. “You had a long trip, and you just got here. Sit while I make you a drink.”

Your mood lightened as the evening progressed. Hyeonseo and Jin kept playfully bickering while she made fun of him for not making proper drinks, settling instead for soju and beer bottles. The fried chicken arrived not long after, and the conversation between the four of you was decent, even if you and Hoseok never really addressed or answered each other. You never thought you’d ever be sitting down on the floor eating fried chicken with your bare hands with him, but there you were.

You were almost done eating when the doorbell rang. Hyeonseo instantly sprang up to go get it with Jin echoing close behind her, “Finally!!!”

You glanced at Hoseok, who lowered his eyes quickly as the couple got the door. Instantly, you could hear how relieved they sounded, but it was short-lived.

“This can’t be right,” Hyeonseo challenged, and you turned to look. 

There were six beige textile dining chairs with light oak legs and a gorgeous matching dining table that made you gasp quietly. It was beautiful craftsmanship with a smoke finish that just made you want to slide your hand on its surface.

“Where is the couch?”

That was the question that sparked a long, back-and-forth discussion. The delivery guys had no idea; it wasn’t on their delivery sheet. It was past closing time, so at first they couldn’t contact the retailer. Eventually, they managed to, but everything was correct on their side — chairs, table, and couch. Finally, the store said something had happened at the warehouse, and even though Hoseok offered to go get the couch himself, the manager had sad news.

“It was shipped to our warehouse in Daegu by mistake,” he said over the phone on speaker. “I can promise you’ll get it, but only on Monday.”

“It’s two hours away,” Hoseok said, and Hyeonseo shook her head.

“Two and a half hours, which makes five. You’re not going at this hour—”

“They can’t give it to you even if you go. The paperwork must be sorted before it can be delivered to you. I’ll do it personally, but they only reopen on Monday. I’m sorry.”

There seemed to be no workaround, so the call ended, and the delivery guys left.

After a moment of silence, Jin decided, “We’ll pay for your hotel room.”

“Don’t be silly,” Hoseok instantly shook his head.

“It’s the only option.” Hyeonseo exchanged a look with Jin, then continued, “Your dad is too far away.”

“The fuel is cheaper than a hotel,” Hoseok argued, and she shrugged.

“But the four-hour drive is not worth it.”

“You blew through all your savings, absolutely not,” Hoseok insisted, throwing a look at Jin as well. “I can book my own hotel room, it’s fine—”

“Everything is likely booked because of the festival,” Jin breathed, and you knew before he finished talking that Hyeonseo would groan and curse their luck.

“Damn it, you’re right!”

Hoseok still tried, “Well, there must be one room left somewhere—”

“You can sleep with me,” you offered.

Everyone turned to look at you, even him, and the silence stretched. It was the first time he was looking at you as though he saw you, and his features hardened.

Next to him, Hyeonseo raised her voice, “I’ll ask my parents for money and—”

“What?!” Hoseok interjected, then shook his head firmly. “I can sleep on the floor.”

“You can sleep with me,” you repeated firmly, trying as best you could not to be annoyed. 

He looked at you again, and you could see the vexation sparkling in his eyes. You kept your eyes on his, daring him to say he was so petty about stupid high school drama that he’d rather sleep on the floor.

“We can’t ask you to do that,” Hyeonseo protested, and you shrugged.

“We’re both adults. Besides, we’re not strangers,” you pointed out, letting the room take in your laidbackness. 

Hours before, you had told Hyeonseo she should have known better than to invite Hoseok while you were there, and now you were saying it was fine to sleep in the same bed. And that was the thing — it was logical. Because there was a difference between what you’d prefer and the situation at hand. You were not that petty. 

Hoseok kept scrutinizing you as though he could read your mind, and you held his stare relaxedly, with nothing to hide. “I don't bite, you know.”

He rolled his eyes as Jin and Hyeonseo exchanged a look, but then they looked at Hoseok, and you noticed the hope in their eyes. You didn’t doubt they’d call their parents and get money to pay for a place somewhere, even if it cost hundreds of thousands or millions of Korean won a night. But you also knew there was no way Hoseok would go for that. And there was no way they’d let him pay it, so—

“Fine,” Hoseok accepted as he shrugged. His hands were in his pockets, and you couldn’t help the irritation. Not even a thank you, a bow, an acknowledgment, or any indication that he’d make this an endurable experience. You couldn’t believe you had ever fallen for him. Even as a teen, how were you so stupid? He was not a soft-spoken or gentle person. He was unrefined and ungrateful.

“Shouldn’t you also promise not to bite her?” Jin asked Hoseok, and Hyeonseo elbowed her fiancé. Hoseok didn’t bother answering, and you couldn’t tell if Jin was serious or trying to lighten the mood. He insisted, “No, I’m serious. I think it’s only healthy to establish boundaries. See, I should have forbidden you from hitting me from the start, now it’s a bad habit,” he explained as he caught Hyeonseo’s hands mid air trying to stop him from saying nonsense and making things weird. “We’re a cautionary tale, kids. Listen well to—”

“Oh, stop it,” she whined, and Jin smiled and kissed her forehead.

“It’s getting late,” Hobi commented, interrupting them. “Maybe we should decide on how to make this weekend the most efficient.”

He grabbed his beer and waved at the hosts to sit first on their new dining chairs. You couldn’t help but smile as Hyeonseo and Jin sat and touched the new table, kicking their feet and giggling — their house was coming together little by little. 

Hoseok gave them a minute before settling on a chair next to Jin, and you finally mimicked him — you grabbed your soju and sat next to Hyeonseo.

“Okay, let’s make a list and then establish priorities,” Hoseok started, and everyone agreed. “Have you bought the stove?”

“Yes, we can pick it up tomorrow morning,” Jin replied.

“Okay, I can install it. I noticed that some sockets and light switches are not installed properly, and one of them is broken. We need to buy that too. Now, lamps,” he pointed above their heads, “you only have the light bulbs or nothing at all. We need to get something too, have you decided what you want?”

“We wanted something modern and simplistic,” Hyeonseo told him, and Jin nodded.

“Pick something, I can also install them. Same for garden lights. What else?” Hoseok mused, looking around. “We’ll need to paint the whole ground floor, bathrooms, and corridors. I noticed the damage and cracks on the wall.”

“We were told it was normal,” Hyeonseo mumbled, instantly worried, and Hoseok nodded.

“It is, it’s the house breathing, and probably from paintings and shelves and things like that from the previous owners. But I’ll patch those up before we paint. I also noticed that the doors look old, and the built-in closets are not looking great either. Have you considered replacing them?”

Hyeonseo shook her head, but you spoke first, “That’s why I’m here. They need a bit of work, but they should be great after I’m done with them.”

He didn’t instantly reply, and both Jin and Hyeonseo stayed quiet. Hoseok just looked at you as though he was evaluating whether he had misjudged your role in this renovation, and you couldn’t care less about his opinion. 

You turned to the couple. “I’ll also remove the stains from the stairs. Though for that, I need you to buy the proper remover tomorrow as well.”

Hoseok hummed. “Okay, that’s a lot of work for two days. Maybe we should start prepping still tonight.”

You scoffed. “No way,” you disagreed, then shrugged. “We’re four adults and two of us know what we’re doing. As long as we have everything we need, this will go fast.”

He huffed. “Still. Prepping now is time we don’t have to spend tomorrow.”

You rolled your eyes and turned to Hyeonseo. “You have the paint you want?”

“Yes.”

“Did you pick special paint for the bathrooms?” Hoseok asked. “Because of the humidity—”

“I told them to get waterproof paint,” you interrupted.

“She did, we have it,” Jin confirmed, eyeing the two of you as though you were children about to fight.

You looked away from Hoseok to Hyeonseo. “So the most efficient way of doing things will be that you and Jin go get your stove and the ceiling and garden lights while Hoseok handles the wall patches, and I check the sockets and light switches.”

“You know how to do that?” Hoseok asked, and you couldn’t help your sarcasm.

“What else are you going to ask me? If I can change a light bulb?”

His features sharpened, but Hyeonseo spoke first, “Alright, and then?”

“Then Hoseok can install the stove so we can eat lunch while the others prep the floors, skirting boards, and windows. I wouldn’t tape the doors cause I plan on sanding them and painting them anyway. Then, after lunch, if the patches are dry, we can sand them and start painting. That will take the longest, but with three people, you’ll go fast.”

“Why, what will you do?” Hoseok asked with a hint of cynicism.

“I’ll start with the stairs because they will take the longest. Then I’ll handle the closets and then the doors. If you could sand them beforehand, that would be great.”

He scoffed with derision before smiling. “There’s one flaw in your plan.”

“What?”

“The spackling paste needs at least twenty-four hours to dry.”

You frowned. “No, it doesn’t, a couple of hours is enough.”

“No, that’s not good enough.”

You rolled your eyes. “It’s to fix little—”

“Doesn’t matter how little it is, the paint won't adhere nicely and it will be noticeable in the long run,” he argued, and you heaved a deep breath.

“Guys—” Hyeonseo tried.

“Fine,” you relented, though as annoyed as ever. “Then we only paint the walls and ceilings without patches and leave the others for Sunday.”

Hoseok didn’t even blink. “Once you open the paint bucket, the color might change.”

You had to snicker. “Over twelve hours? Give me a break!”

“It’s best to do it in one go,” Hoseok insisted.

“Sure, it’s best, but we only have two days!”

“If we start tonight, we can get it all done.”

“We’re too tired to start tonight, we can start tomorrow!” you argued, leaning over the table towards him.

“We won't be able to finish it.”

“Whatever we can’t finish, they can. They’ll at least know what to do. They can paint anytime!”

He rolled his eyes. “They need to live too. They have everything in boxes. They don’t even have closets to put their clothes or shoes in—”

You bristled. “You worry about your part, I’ll worry about mine!!”

“Okay, let’s calm down,” Jin suggested, rising from his chair. “How about a drink? A toast?”

Hyeonseo instantly picked up on his cue. “That’s a great idea! Another beer? And for you, soju?” You gave her a look, but eventually nodded and got up alongside her. Hoseok stood up too, and you ignored him. You had to swallow your pride and tone it down; there was no use in wasting your time with him.

Jin was back in a second and opened the bottles, then passed them around. Then, he raised his. “To moving in with my starlight and to surviving this,” he started, and Hyeonseo elbowed him.

“To our best man and maid of honor for being by our sides every step of our lives. We love you,” she added, teary-eyed, and you reached an arm around her. You didn’t want to fight or stress her out even more. She knew that, you could see it in her fond smile as she eyed you. 

“Right, thank you also for helping us finish our house and saving us a lot of money!” Jin added cheekily, and you all had to smile.

“Jjan!”

Four bottles clinked together, and you were still smiling when your eyes crossed Hoseok’s. His expression was so much lighter and tender that it was like a gut punch. He looked just like when you were teenagers at parties or school, laughing and playing around. It was nonsensical, but your heart fluttered just as it had back then. You had to press your lips before taking a sip from your drink. It was as though your heart had forgotten all that had happened on your prom night.

But he was quick to remind you why you had fallen out. He put the bottle down and headed toward his tools in the far corner of the living room. “I’ll patch the walls tonight so we can paint tomorrow.”

You widened your eyes, instantly irked, and Hyeonseo put her hand on your shoulder, shaking her head. Jin hurried to follow Hoseok while you bristled. “Why does he have to be like this?!”

“Let him,” she told you with a shrug. “It’s his body and energy, right? Don’t worry about him, let’s get you settled in.”

You appreciated Hyeonseo's help with your bags and even more the time alone with her. With the move and her wedding planning, you barely had time to talk. 

She turned to you, then propped herself up on one elbow beside you on the bed. “Do you think they're still at it?”

You nodded. You had suggested that Hoseok take the morning to do spackling because you believed he'd need more than two hours. You hadn't even been talking that long.

You tapped your fingers on the mattress over the sheet, then got up and neared the built-in closet in that room. You stood your ground that you’d only really start tomorrow, but the fact that Hoseok was getting things done already made you a little restless. It wasn’t a competition, but…

Hyeonseo called your name, and you hummed while you inspected the closet in the same way you had the other one earlier. No blue stains there, so that was a plus.

“Is it really okay for Hoseok to sleep here?”

You didn't answer, frowning as you felt something on a shelf that you weren't expecting. 

“I was thinking that maybe he could sleep with Jin while I—”

“Shit!!” you exclaimed.

“What?”

She got up to join you as you started hitting the shelf until it dislodged, and you could take it out. 

“Shit,” you bit again and she looked at the wooden shelf in your hand. “See this?” You pointed at the edge — it looked rugged, frail, and friable, as if it were about to break apart. “It's rotten. I think a few of them have it. Something must have spilled in there, and they didn't clean it properly at the time.”

“Okay… can you fix it?”

You were fretful as you realized the problem. “I can, but I didn't bring wood with me or tools to cut wood. I do have glue, but that’s about it.”

“Okay, but… is it really a big deal?”

You looked at her in disbelief. “I’m not going to let you use a closet that is rotting! It’s not impossible to fix, I just don’t have the tools!”

She nodded, knowing you well enough — you said you’d do it and you didn’t like failing your best friend. “I can ask Hobi.”

Your eyes instantly widened as though she had lost her mind. “I don’t want to ask him!” you blurted out louder than you needed to, and you instantly regretted it. Hyeonseo raised an eyebrow, and you swallowed dryly, reeling your irritation back in. This wasn’t about you. “But I will.”

“I can ask,” she suggested, and you shook your head.

“No, I need to ask.”

Hyeonseo didn’t question you, and you were thankful for it. You followed her out of the room downstairs as you mused over how to go about this. You decided that being professional was the best way to handle the situation. For Hyeonseo and Jin, Hoseok would surely agree.

You found him on a ladder, sanding a hole in the wall, likely from a nail used to hang up a painting. On your way, you notice multiple patches already spackled, and you have to give it to him — he’s fast and efficient. Hyeonseo turned to the kitchen to talk to Jin, but you didn’t. You stopped right next to Hoseok.

“What?” he asked quietly, feeling the hole and surrounding wall with a digit before passing the brown sandpaper a few more times.

“I need to ask you something.”

He didn’t stop working or tell you to go on, so you couldn’t help seething underneath your composure.

Still, you continued, “Did you bring any tools to work with wood?”

“I did.”

Your expression instantly morphed from concealed anger to hope. “What did you bring?”

“I have a track saw.”

“And bar clamps?”

He finally put the sandpaper in a pocket of his cargo pants and turned to look at you. “Yeah, why?”

You instantly explained the situation to him, transparent about what you needed and why. You knew you sounded overly concerned about something simple, but he didn’t snicker or mock. Instead, by the time you were done explaining what you needed and what you planned on doing, he was down from the ladder, listening to you intently. 

“What type of wood do you need?”

“A type of soft pine wood. It’s inside the closet, so I can turn the shelf around and it won’t be visible even if the color is slightly different.”

He nodded. “What size?”

You raised your hand. “About twenty by ten? I’m not sure yet, I haven’t cut the rot out yet.”

“How many?”

“Two that I’ve noticed so far.”

“So, four bar clamps would be enough?” he asked, and you nodded. “I’ll check, give me a sec.”

You held back from following him and simply stayed put, waiting expectantly. You couldn’t believe you were nervous and hopeful that Hoseok would help you with this. But at the same time, you didn’t care that it was him as long as you could do it. Built-in closets were expensive, and you didn’t want to leave without fixing them. On one hand, you could just buy new shelves, but on the other, that felt like wasted money when it was something you knew how to fix.

When he came back, you rushed to him. He had six bar clamps in one hand and a couple of planks of wood that you instantly took off his hands. You analyzed the thickness, color, and size while he put the bar clamps down in the corner next to his tools.

“What do you think?” he asked, stopping next to you with his hands on his waist.

“They’ll do,” you told him with relief relaxing your shoulders. “Should I go take the measurements now?”

His eyebrows raised in a moment of surprise, and you pressed your lips. You surprised yourself by asking his opinion.

“No, that’s okay,” he said quietly, extending his hands so you could give him the planks. “Maybe we could start with the closets tomorrow morning? That way, you can leave the wood gluing until Sunday while you get the stairs done.”

You nodded, gave him the planks so he could put them down, and pressed your lips, noticing the bucket with spackling paste hanging on the ladder.

“Cool,” he told you before getting back on the ladder. 

You kept your lips pressed as he grabbed his metal spackle knife. You cleared your throat. “And the sockets and light switches?”

“I can check them, don’t worry.”

He gathered paste on his spackle knife and applied it to the wall, and you ended up sighing. “Do you need help?”

“I’m almost done,” he muttered, focused on what he was doing. “A couple more and I’ll be done.”

He got down from the ladder, and if he could see your uneasiness, he didn’t say anything. So you simply nodded and let him be. After informing Hyeonseo and Jin about Hoseok helping you with everything in the morning, you headed to bed, but sleep didn’t come easily.

Hoseok said he’d be done soon. What was taking so long? You huffed and played with the sheet while you waited, getting irked. Why did you care anyway?

You sighed and looked at the ceiling. While you almost berated him for wanting to start tonight, it was the fact that he did that that gave you extra time to handle the unexpected wood rot in the built-in closet. Not only that, but he simply offered to help instead of flat out refusing or even taking a jab. He ended up being way more professional than you were, making you uneasy with your own attitude. You wanted things to go smoothly.

It was almost two in the morning by the time he entered the bedroom. He did so quietly in case you were sleeping, so you croaked hurriedly, “I’m not sleeping yet.”

He paused and looked at you, already under the sheets, then nodded. He had a bag with him that he dropped against the wall on the opposite side of the room, then suddenly stopped, and turned to look back at you.

You instantly tensed up and stammered, “Do you prefer this side of the bed?”

He looked down and turned away, kneeling to search for something inside his bag. “No.”

You pressed your lips as your heart started racing inside your chest. You were hyperaware of the t-shirt and shorts you had on, of the softness of the sheets you were lying on, and of what else you could potentially feel once he joined you in bed. Of course, you were no longer a teenager, but he was still… attractive and off-putting and…

He found a t-shirt and kept rummaging for something else while you swallowed dryly. He was just a hot guy you once pinned after. That was a long time ago.

He pulled a pair of shorts out and got up with the clothes in his hands, and you spoke without thinking, “I can turn around if you want.”

He blinked at you, but you were already turning to give him privacy. Instantly, your whole body heated up like crazy. Why would he change here? You were here; that would be weird. And now it would be embarrassing in any case, whether he stayed or left to change somewhere else.

You berated yourself in your head for being stupid. You should have been asleep instead of saying—

A muffled sound reached your ears, making you feel even hotter. You could imagine his cargo pants hitting the floor or his tank top, and something thrummed under your skin, making you rub your thighs together. For a second, you closed your eyes. You still remembered what it was like to be around him during high school. The way he laughed or held the door open for you. You were good friends, although for you, he was so much more.

The bed dipped behind you, and you burned. A wave of heat scorched your spine up to your neck as Hoseok settled behind you, and you could barely breathe.

He whispered, “Can I turn off the light?”

“Wait.”

Your breath hitched with your plea, and your cheeks flushed. You didn’t know your voice could sound like that, and you could only pray that he didn’t notice.

You turned back around to face him and found him looking at you with a raised eyebrow, arm stretched out to the light switch on the wall.

“I…” Your voice trailed off as you looked down. He was under the sheet, right there, an arm's length away. You cleared your voice. “Do you need a blanket?”

He observed your whole face for a second before answering, “No, do you?”

You shook your head. “I think I’ll be too hot.”

Your heart skipped a beat, and you realized you said it out loud. He didn’t even blink, but your cheeks were burning. Suddenly, you felt like breathing was impossible while he looked at you like that.

At least until he turned off the light. “Yeah, I get that.”

You didn’t know why you were reacting this way. If anything, he turned off the lights, so it had to mean he was done for the night. No more talking, looking at each other, and certainly no touching or wondering or—

You pushed a tense breath through your gritted teeth. You weren’t making any sense.

You turned your head to his side in the dark. He hadn’t moved next to you, which meant you were both just staring at the ceiling, awkward and stiff next to each other.

“Okay, listen,” you croaked out once more. “I know this is awkward, but it’s just sleeping. Can we agree to be normal and just get through this?”

“Are you saying I’m not normal?”

“N— No, I’m just—” You struggled to find words, especially because everything pointed to you not being the normal one. “I just meant that we could cooperate since we’re in this situation.”

“Am I not cooperating?”

“You are, I’m just saying that— Gosh, just—” The more you stumbled all over your words, the more you had no idea what you even meant anymore. “You can trust me, that’s all.”

You looked at him in the dark again, wondering if he’d have a snarky remark or if he’d call you out for blushing and acting weird, unlike him. You braced yourself for it, thinking what excuse you could give, and as you waited, the silence stretched. You frowned; maybe he had fallen asleep?

But eventually, he whispered, “Okay.”

You woke up slowly, so warm and snuggly, you didn’t want to move or open your eyes. You were hugging the most wonderful pillow, warm and soft, with an earthy, citrusy masculine scent that had you dreaming of walking through sun-warmed soil and citrus groves. You buried your nose a bit more, wondering why the fabric was soft but the pillow itself was so sturdy—

Your eyes snapped open, and you pulled back, gasping mutely before your hand covered your mouth. Your heart raced inside your chest as you realized you were spooning Hoseok, burying your face in his back, and getting crazed by his cologne. Your eyes widened impossibly; how crazy were you?! Yet before you could understand what the heck happened, Hoseok’s arm moved and felt the space behind him. Your stomach twisted as you slid further away from his reach, your heart about to come out of your mouth with how fast it was racing. 

Whatever he thought was missing was not enough to wake him up or make him turn around. Thinking you stood a chance, you pulled the sheet closer to his back before sliding away and putting your legs out of the bed. You hugged your chest for a moment, willing yourself to calm down before getting up, grabbing your things, and rushing to the bathroom. It looked like you were the first one up, and maybe that was a good thing, because you needed to do some serious soul-searching to figure yourself out.

It was just Hoseok. You didn’t even like him, hadn’t for many years. Hadn’t since he misled you, broke your heart, hurt you, making you angrier than you had ever felt. And humiliated and blindsided and—

You clenched your teeth as you washed your face. Right. That Hoseok. You weren’t seventeen anymore, but it didn’t hurt to remember what happened. Maybe your attraction to him was undeniable, but he still didn’t deserve a second of your attention, let alone whatever was happening to you. You were there to help Jin and Hyeonseo, nothing more.

When you got downstairs, you were glad to find the happy couple scrambling to prepare whatever was left for breakfast and brewing coffee. It gave you a moment to sit down, chill, and wait for Hoseok to wake up. 

Five minutes later, Hoseok was already downstairs and ready to have coffee, so you finished yours in an instant to get to work.

Hoseok's calling halted you in your tracks. “Wait, let’s decide what our morning looks like first.” You pressed your lips and nodded, rejoining the three of them in the kitchen. He turned to the couple. “Have you decided on the lights you want?”

“Yeah, we stayed up last night deciding,” Hyeonseo beamed, and Jin grabbed his phone to show what they had picked.

You didn’t have much to say; their options were modern and seamless, easily blending in with their aesthetic.

“Okay, so the plan is the same,” Hoseok concluded, glancing at you. “You go with Hyeonseo to get the stove, the lights you selected, and the stain remover. Meanwhile, we’ll get the closets started. We should take care of the sockets and light switches before we prep for painting. Also, you need to get covers for the floor.”

“We saved cardboard boxes to use them as protection,” Hyeonseo shared with a smile, nudging you.

“Good idea,” Hoseok agreed, and your lips twitched in the hint of a smile. Of course it was.

Everyone agreed on what to do, so you went ahead upstairs. Now you were paranoid that there could be more rot you hadn’t found, so the quicker you were sure the built-in closets were fine, the better.

You grabbed your toolbox and got started in your room, removing the doors, drawers, and shelves from the closet, and laying them on the floor out of the way in a corner of the room. The two shelves that had rotted were placed to one side, and fortunately, everything else seemed to be in good condition. You tapped everywhere extra times and felt each surface to make extra sure everything was fine. Once you were certain, you moved to the master bedroom and repeated the same process there.

Fortunately, no rot there, but the front of the sliding doors had dark blue stains on the flower carvings. Once everything was dismantled, you knelt and felt the paint splashes with your finger, and that was how Hoseok found you.

“Need help?”

“No, it’s okay. The ones with the rot are in our room,” you told him, stopping what you were doing to show them to him.

Once there, you let him evaluate them himself as you discussed how you’d like them cut and fixed.

“Okay, so about five centimeters more?” he asked, and you nodded. “Do you want me to measure them and cut the new wood to size?”

“Yeah, I’ll glue them then,” you agreed, already thinking about what you had to do there while he helped with that.

He nodded. “You got it.”

You glanced at him as he left with the shelves to be cut, but didn’t notice his expression. You assumed you could trust him, given his experience, and weren’t shy about letting him do it. You had a long day ahead of you anyway.

You started getting the metal shelf pins off the closet, then unscrewed the handles of the drawers and the drawer frames. Despite the age of the wood and the carelessness with whatever liquid had rotted the shelves, the closet was at least relatively well-preserved. 

When you looked up, you frowned. You were a bit short, but that closet rod was really up high. Even Hyeonseo would have difficulties using it. You should probably lower it a bit once you were done.

You jumped a few times to try to get the closet rod to come off, but it was screwed in. So your next step was to search for a ladder downstairs. You grabbed the first one you could find that was truly just a two-step folding ladder and got back to it. You had to get on your tippy toes with your screwdriver to reach the bracket and try to unscrew it, all while the metal step moaned under your feet.

Gritting through it, you smiled when the bracket came loose. However, as soon as it did, you realized it was a terrible idea to support your weight on the rod itself. As soon as it loosened, it gave way under your weight, and you fell forward.

Except a pair of hands grabbed you by the waist before you could fall inside the closet. A ruckus echoed all around you, and you cowered, covering your ears. The rod clattered inside the closet below your feet as wood shelves were tossed to the side on the floor.

Seeing them made you realize you were pressed firmly to someone’s chest. Someone who stepped on the ladder and steadied you firmly.

“Are you okay?”

You shuddered and looked over your shoulder. Hoseok was so close, letting you down slowly as your legs gave in. He supported your weight until your feet were safely on the floor. You turned to him, the adrenaline making you tremble. And yet he kept his hands firmly on your waist, making you blush even more as you tried to calm down.

“What were you doing?” he asked, and you finally saw the tension in his shoulders. “Why are you using the short ladder if you can't reach it?”

“Because— I—” you stammered, losing yourself in his eyes for a second. “Because I thought you’d need the big one.”

“I was cutting the wood pieces outside,” he pointed out.

“Yeah, well, for the…lights.”

He huffed and gave you a look, and you pressed your lips. Right as you did and realized it was unlikely your heart would stop racing for as long as his hands stayed on your waist, you heard the sound of racing footsteps up the stairs.

“Is everything okay?!” Hyeonseo shouted, but it was Jin who showed up first.

“We heard—”

He stumbled on his feet and words at the sight of Hoseok dropping his hands at your sides. Jin’s eyes were comically widened when his fiancé entered the room, looking spooked.

You cleared your throat. “It’s okay. It was just noise; nothing serious happened. Thanks for the help,” you added, looking at Hoseok for a moment. “I still need to take the rod from the other closet as well, so…”

“I’ll do it,” he offered, and you frowned.

“No, I will do it.”

He sighed. “Just let me do it.”

“No!” You squinted. “I can perfectly do it myself!”

“You won’t reach it.”

You scoffed. “I can definitely reach it!”

“It’s not safe.”

“Guys—”

“Well, then help me.”

Hyeonseo called your name, and you both finally turned to her. “Should we get the other ladder?”

Jin was already exiting the room when you said, “There’s no need. This one is already here,” you remarked, with your eyes on Hoseok. You were blatantly going against his advice, but it didn’t feel like an argument. It felt like something else.

“Be reasonable,” he breathed, and you leaned toward him.

“I am. I’ll do it, and you’ll help me.”

Hyeonseo looked at Jin while you folded the two-step ladder and exited the room with Hoseok not far behind you.

“Well, we’ll go get the stove then,” Jin announced, not getting much of a response. Hyeonseo patted his shoulder, then grabbed his hand to drag him downstairs.

You didn’t see his face of disbelief because you were busy setting the ladder in front of the built-in closet in the master bedroom.

“How should I help you?”

“Stabilize the ladder.”

You stepped on it, screwdriver in hand, and he huffed. “It’s not enough,” he complained, and you smiled, already on your tiptoes to get the bracket uncrewed.

“Then stabilize me.”

He circled the ladder to get in front of you, settling his firm hands on your waist. You had a smug smile as you got the rod, but it vanished when you looked down. Hoseok was at your chest level, looking at you with dark eyes. It made your knees weak, and he was quick to grab you and put you down on the floor again.

This time, he removed his hands quickly, pushing you out of your haze. You swallowed dryly. “Thanks. See? Reached it very well,” you told him. He nodded, and you set the rod aside. “So, the shelves. We need to glue the pieces together.”

You weren’t even surprised he helped you, but you were thankful. It went faster as you applied the glue and set the pieces in position while he tightened the bar clamps to keep everything locked tight.

“There,” he said, once everything was done. You left everything drying in the hallway so the rooms wouldn’t smell. “Now you can move on to the stairs and handle the closets tomorrow.”

You shook your head. “First, the sockets and light switches.”

“I can handle that,” he suggested as you both went down the stairs.

“No, it’s faster like this. This way, if they need to buy extra, we can call them while they’re at the store.”

Hoseok turned to you when you both got to the ground floor and nodded. “Thank you.”

You weren’t supposed to have fun with Hoseok, but you wouldn’t deny it happened. You made it a competition to check every socket and light switch as fast as possible, and it was super tight. You won, checking your half first, but Hoseok dismissed it by saying he had caught two broken sockets. He had to call Jin and Hyeonseo to ask them to buy new sockets, explaining what type was needed, and you grinned. It was still a win in your book.

When the couple returned, you were quick to say you’d fix those sockets while Hoseok installed the stove. While he took the time to prepare, you noticed he kept an eye on you. You couldn’t help a smug smile while you connected the three cables in the correct color code, housed properly in the backbox, before you screwed the faceplate over it. You did it in record time, and when you got up to move to the other one, you saw him turning away with a smile on his face. You didn’t know why, but impressing him made you really fuzzy for some reason.

After that, you evaluated the stairs more seriously. You knew that even if the stains weren’t extensive, you had to do it properly — every stair tread multiple times. You weren’t even sure a whole afternoon would be enough.

You huffed and turned away, grabbing painter’s tape to start prepping alongside Jin and Hyeonseo. You even got on the high ladder to protect the fire alarm on the ceiling and noticed Hoseok glancing at you every now and then.

Hoseok and Jin installed the bedroom and bathroom lights after that, and you decided that helping with lunch was more efficient than just hanging around. It gave you more time to talk to Hyeonseo and ensure everyone got an early lunch.

“How's your shop coming along?” she asked you as she cooked and you chopped vegetables.

“You mean my online store?” you asked, and she nodded. “I have enough commissions on Etsy and other platforms to do nothing else. Working on those items means I have content to upload on social media, and I have enough views that I make some money from that already.”

“Can you believe that? Remember when restoring things was just a hobby you did in your parents' living room?”

You nodded, giving her the chopped onions. “And now I have a room in my apartment that’s my workshop.”

She took them and kept cooking. “Maybe one day you’ll have a physical store!”

You crinkled your nose and grabbed plates and chopsticks to set the table. “Not sure it will ever be worth it, especially in Seoul.”

“Seoul?” You turned around to Hoseok and Jin, now seemingly done with the lights. For now. “You live in Seoul?”

“Yeah.”

“Where?” Hoseok asked, grabbing the glasses and water jar. Jin passed behind him and you to help his fiancée.

“Seocho-gu…”

“Seocho-gu??” Hoseok almost choked as he placed what he was carrying on the dining table, same as you. “I live there! Where?”

“Nambusunhwan-ro, in a street that leads to the Daehang Hospital.”

“That’s so close to where I live! Woah, the world is small!”

You pressed your lips and nodded slowly while setting the table alongside him. “And you work there too?”

“Not there, I teach in Hongdae.”

“You’re also a teacher?”

“Oh, you’re a teacher?”

You shook your head as Jin and Hyeonseo carried the many side dishes to the table. “Like Hyeonseo, I mean,” you clarified, working with everyone to finish everything and start eating.

It gave Hyeonseo the opportunity to talk about her school and kids, and finally sigh, “I’m happy I teach kids before they become teens.”

“Yeah, I teach adults. It’s much better,” Hoseok acknowledged before turning to you. “But you don’t teach.”

“No, I restore old items like furniture and chandeliers and sell them online.”

“Ohhhh.” Hoseok nodded. “That explains it.”

You raised an eyebrow. “What do you teach?”

“I’m a dance instructor.”

You didn’t hide your surprise. “So you don’t work with your dad?”

“Fuck no,” he grumbled.

The conversation evolved in another direction, but you stayed behind, wondering if you ever knew Hoseok at all. You were friends for a year in high school; good friends, you’d say. You remembered him talking about his parents' divorce, for example, but not about the time he spent with his dad. You knew he enjoyed dancing, but you never knew he took it seriously. You realized after that you probably didn’t know him well, if he could blindside you like that, but now you were realizing you never knew him at all.

Everyone helped clean up, and while Jin put on music to cheer up the place, you couldn’t help but chuckle. He had pulled Hyeonseo to the middle of the room to dance while you and Hoseok handled the dirty dishes, and it was a sight to see. 

“It’s our song!” she laughed as Jin swung her around. To call it dancing would probably be too much, but the song did say ‘shut up and dance with me’ multiple times.

You glanced at Hoseok, who was quietly next to you, just looking at them with a soft expression, and you guessed he remembered it too. Jin and Hyeonseo were always like this, all the way back in high school. They were the living proof that young love could grow and evolve into something beautiful.

Once you finished with the kitchen, you let Hoseok handle the painting with the couple while you turned to the stairs. You were already dreading the amount of time it would take and the stinky smell, but it was for a good cause.

You opened the windows up and downstairs, put on gloves, and then prepared the gel that would remove the paint. You decided to do two steps at a time, tread and riser, top to bottom, so that while one set had the solvent, you could already scrape the previous and not get burned. Grabbing your brush, you glanced at Hoseok, who was starting to paint the kitchen ceiling after they had spent some time protecting the cupboards and surfaces. He didn’t say anything about the stairs, and you sighed. Even he didn’t want to get involved.

You covered the first two steps with the gel and stepped away to breathe normal air for a second. After fifteen minutes, you started scraping the gel and paint with a spatula, and Hyeonseo clapped behind you.

“It’s working!!”

You glanced at her, then sighed. “This is going to take a while.”

“And now?” Hyeonseo asked behind you. 

You sighed and turned to her, shutting off your electric sander and wiping the sweat off your brow with your shirt. She was clearly worried about you, and you didn’t have the energy to react whatsoever.

It had been seven hours since you started with the stairs, and you could feel Hyeonseo’s discomfort every time she checked up on you. First, she thought it would go really fast—until she realized you had to apply the solvent, wait twenty minutes, scrape it off, and clean the grime at least twice from every tread and riser. All fourteen steps.

You touched the diluent with your forearm, so that got you a small burn mark that she freaked out about. When you tried assuring her it wouldn’t happen again, she assumed it was because you were done. But you still had to sand everything multiple times.

So you had been using your electric sander for the past couple of hours. First with heavy grit, then medium grit, then fine grit. Hyeonseo had checked on you a couple of times, but she didn’t understand that you couldn’t stop. If you did, you wouldn’t be able to lift a finger anymore.

You put the electric sander down and passed your hand on the last step. “It’s going well.”

“Are you done?”

You chuckled. “No.”

“It’s almost eight… we were thinking of going out for dinner and checking out the festival.”

You suppressed a laugh. “Sure. Not sure I can survive that, but sure.”

Hyeonseo sighed while the men kept painting, now in the bathroom, you believed. “You’re not supposed to kill yourself doing this.”

You rolled your eyes. “Don’t exaggerate.”

You grabbed a pot of wood filler that matched the Korean pine wood color of the stairs and a putty knife, and climbed up the stairs again.

Hyeonseo’s eyes widened. “What are you doing now?!”

“Fixing your stairs,” you informed, getting to work filling every crack and hole you saw.

“But— The paint is gone, so—”

“Stop worrying,” you told her. “Let me do my thing.”

She sighed.

You opened your eyes and instantly groaned — shit, everything hurt.

Raising your head from the pillow, you looked around the dark room with a frown. You had fallen asleep. Shit.

Your eyes drifted to the closed door. What was that noise?

You got up from bed, feeling even more dead than when you lay down just for a minute to rest your eyes. That was a terrible idea, you mused as you got out of the bedroom and followed the noise. 

What you found made you stagger atop the stairs. Hoseok was sitting on the second step of the stairs, counting from the bottom, using a delta sander to get the corners perfectly, judging by his gentle and precise technique.

You shook your head. “Wait,” you said, going down the stairs, and he stopped to look at you. “The filler has to dry.”

“And it did,” he agreed, grabbing a sheet of sandpaper to sand the nosing of the step.

You were baffled. “How long did I sleep?”

He glanced at his wristwatch. “About three hours.”

You cursed vilely. “And nobody woke me up?!”

“You needed the rest.”

“And you didn’t?!”

“Everybody took a nap,” he told you with a light smile, and your eyes widened.

“You too?”

He nodded. “You didn’t flinch when I lay down or when I got up.” You rubbed your eyes, slightly embarrassed, and he continued, “Jin and Hyeonseo are getting ready for dinner, and then it’s our turn.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Dinner?”

“We’re going to a barbecue place,” he said casually, basically telling you not to worry, and you deflated. As long as you weren’t ruining anyone’s plans.

“What do you think?” you asked, kneeling to feel the texture of the stairs.

“You did a wonderful job,” he complimented, and you looked at him as he analyzed the details. “Stains are gone, every surface is smooth and balanced. You even picked the right color for the filler. A second sanding and it will basically become invisible.”

“It’s already pretty good,” you commented, scrutinizing the bigger patches you had fixed that were barely noticeable after Hoseok sanded once.

“Indeed.”

You felt the nosing of the step you were on and pressed your lips. “Thanks for the help.”

He got up, and you did the same, towering over him ever so slightly. 

“Not a problem.”

Your eyes locked on his, and you didn’t know what to say. For the first time in years, you were actually fine with him. Anger and frustration were no longer bubbling under your skin, making you believe you had moved on from what happened. Though the more your heart beat, the more you questioned how he drew you in like this.

“You were right, you know,” you whispered, and his eyes lowered to your lips. It likely didn’t mean anything, but your heart skipped a beat or two. “I should have started last night. I wouldn’t have been able to do anything properly so far without your help. And I’ve only started the closets and the stairs,” you remarked with a sigh. ”I don’t know how I’m going to do the doors as well.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he instantly reassured you, raising his eyes to yours again. His tone was warm and intimate, and it made you shudder. “I’ll sand them tomorrow, and they can paint them later. They’re pros at it now.”

He said it jokingly, and you chuckled, letting that warmth envelop you.

He licked his lips. “I know how exhausting it can be, and we don’t have much time. So don’t worry about anything. Whatever you need, you can ask me.”

You searched his eyes and saw nothing but honesty, and your heart was unrestrained. Logically, you knew exactly what he was saying, but your stupid heart was still racing. You observed his features, both gentle and sharp, as he looked at you. You could swear his eyes had as much intensity as yours, but you had to doubt yourself. Were you still pining after Hoseok? Were you really over him if all it took was a few whispers for him to steal your heart again, even after so many years?

“Oh, you woke up!” Jin exclaimed from the top of the stairs, and you turned around. “You can go ahead and shower.”

You pressed your lips and eyed Hoseok before climbing up the stairs again.

You didn’t know how you got here.

“Come on!” Hoseok insisted with a lopsided smile and a glint in his eyes. 

He held your hand and you blushed, stammering, “I can't…”

“Oh, come on!” he insisted. “I’ve already heard you snore. There are no secrets between us.”

You heard Jin and Hyeonseo laugh behind you, and let Hoseok drag you closer to the crowd of people dancing.

Thinking again, you knew how you got there. You all ate barbecue and had a few drinks, and now you were tipsy with a dance instructor insisting you should embarrass yourself in front of your friends. And what was worse, you didn’t mind.

He turned to you and grabbed your hand, spinning you once to loosen you up. “Just relax.”

You tried moving side to side along to the music, but you were no good. You couldn’t even look at him, your eyes were nailed to the floor as he tried to get you to follow his lead with your hand. Suffice it to say it wasn’t working.

“It’s no use,” you told him, unable to meet his eyes. “I’m just no good.”

“Nonsense,” he breathed, pulling you close. The music shifted to something more commercial that you recognised, but didn’t pay much mind to. “Just hold onto me.”

He wrapped your arms around him, then wrapped his around your middle. Your heart skipped a beat, and you had to look away, afraid your red cheeks would be too obvious. So you hugged his chest and let him swing you both to the song’s rhythm.

You closed your eyes, breathing in the earthy citrusy cologne while his firm chest acted as a pillow. Little by little, you relaxed, letting the moment sway you and take you. The lyrics spoke of running away and young love, and your mind blanked as he guided you ever so gently. His hips were moving to the beat, and although he wasn’t forcing you to match him, you found yourself doing it. Your hips had a mind of their own and swiveled to match his, and his posture changed.

You looked up at him, flushed and slightly embarrassed. You weren’t really just dancing with the way you were glued together. His body was firm, warm, relentless, pressed to you, never once leaving you behind. On the contrary, his hips responded to yours the same way his hands brushed up and down your body in feather-like touches, covering you with goosebumps all over.

What were you two doing?

“That’s it,” he murmured, and you looked up at him. He raised his fingers to brush your hair out of your face. “You’re doing so well.”

A familiar burn spread through your whole body, making you swallow dryly and lose sight of reality for a second. You wanted him. Your fingers curled around his neck, and his weren’t shy about pressing your waist. In another world, you would have kissed him already. You were burning, breathlessly swivelling your hips with him in a crowd, gushing between your legs, and eager to jump him. There was no way you felt all that without him feeling something. And on top of that, his eyes were fixed on you. He wasn’t looking away, or eager for it to be over. He was pressing you closer, guiding your bodies, breathing at the same tempo as you, licking his lips as though he wanted to taste you.

The music halted for a moment, and a message was broadcast through the speakers, but you weren’t paying attention. Hoseok hadn’t let you go; neither of you had moved. 

While you pondered over what you could say, a voice from behind you snapped you back to reality.

“Woah! You’ll have to teach us how to dance like that for our wedding!”

Hoseok let go of you slowly, and you let him, loosening your grip as well. You wondered if his eyes held a question before they turned to your best friend.

“I will, don’t worry!” Hoseok replied with a grin. “Anyone can feel the rhythm. It’s easy to achieve this, I do it all the time,” he answered, seemingly proud of himself, and you felt the flame inside you wither until it was snuffed out.

“Really?” Hyeonseo asked with a teasing tone, but you were no longer listening.

“Excuse me.”

You spun around, letting your feet take you as far away as possible. You frowned as you walked, confused about the feeling twisting your guts. So what if Hoseok was a good teacher and bragged about it? Why was that making you so furious?

Sitting on a street bench while the crowds passed you by, you took a deep breath. You knew why, even if it was hard to admit. You thought you two had something special. There was tension and want, and you believed you weren’t the only one feeling it. But you were. Again.

Suddenly, there were tears in your eyes. You felt seventeen again, crying and wondering where you went wrong. What you did wrong, what you interpreted wrong. But you were twenty three now, and you refused to go through the same shit for the same guy. Fuck that!

You didn't want to worry Hyeonseo, so you made your way back. You found them chatting in a way that made you think they were waiting for you to get back. You lied about going to the bathroom, and before you could reveal your intentions to leave, Hoseok grabbed your hand.

“Come on, let’s teach them together,” he proposed with a sparkly smile.

You pulled your hand free. “I don’t feel like it. I’m sure you can find someone else here to do that.” You turned to Jin and Hyeonseo with a small smile. “I’m going home. I’m really tired.”

Hyeonseo looked at Jin, who nodded. “Sure, we can all go—”

“No, I’ll go ahead. I already called a taxi.” You bit your tongue; since when did you lie so much? “You guys should enjoy yourselves a bit longer.”

You said your goodbyes quickly and were thankful Hyeonseo knew you well enough not to insist. She told you she’d text you the code to get inside the house, and you were on your way.

Growing up in Gwangju meant you knew exactly where the taxi street of the festival was, and you headed there without a second thought. Once there, you got in line — it was almost three am, so many people were already leaving.

Not even a minute later, you heard someone calling your name, and you turned, surprised. Hoseok was making his way to you in between people, and for a moment, your breath hitched. He looked dazzling in jeans and a leather jacket, his firm body framed perfectly. To think you were pressed to his firm chest, wrapped in those arms… 

You could almost forget he made you feel like an idiot. Almost.

You were ready to ignore him, but he reached you quickly, bowing to the other people waiting in line.

“I almost lost you,” he complained, clearing his throat, and you raised an eyebrow.

“Why did you follow me?”

“Because I wanted to talk to you. I think there’s been a misunderstanding,” he said. Seeing you remained skeptical, he continued, “I didn’t mean you were easy or something.” He scratched the back of his head. “When I said I do it all the time—”

“You just meant that you can teach anyone,” you interjected stoically, and he paused.

He dropped his hand as the queue moved forward. “Right. So then, why are you upset? It’s why you’re leaving, right?”

Your lips twitched. “I’m not upset. I was just reminded of why we never got along in the first place.”

He frowned. “Never? That’s not even true.”

You rolled your eyes as you became the first in line. “Whatever.”

You could see out of the corner of your eyes the way he clenched his jaw and looked away before turning to you again. “Well, what is it? Maybe if we talked about it—”

“I don’t need to talk about it. And I don’t want to. I know everything I need to know.”

He huffed and shifted his weight from one foot to the other constantly as though his frustration was physical. “Doesn’t sound like you do,” he commented with a hint of bitterness. “Maybe if we talked you’d be able to form sound opinions instead of just assuming shit and acting like you know everything.”

Your eyes widened. “Assuming?! You literally just said it!”

“You’re making up whatever story in your head,” he insisted, eying you harshly. “You hear what you want to hear.”

You scoffed before you could help it. “Yeah, right!”

A taxi stopped in front of you right on time. You spun on your heels and got in, and Hoseok grabbed the door when you reached to close it.

Instantly, your eyes were locked in a mute argument. You even expected him to shut the door behind you, seeing as he was just as annoyed as you. Instead, he was preventing you from closing it.

“Miss?”

You couldn’t even turn to look at the driver; you couldn’t lose.

Hoseok stepped closer to the car and muttered, “Don’t be like this. Let me go with you.”

You gritted your teeth and seriously pondered kicking him in the shin and closing the door, leaving him there. It was only the thought of how Jin and Hyeonseo would have been disappointed that made you roll your eyes and swallow a grumble before letting go of the door and moving along in the backseat of the car.

You told the driver the address, and Hoseok rode in the taxi with you. Why was he even there? Surely not to make sure you made it safely. Although he might have promised that to Jin and Hyeonseo so they’d stay at the festival and enjoy themselves. He was likely just tired…but you’d be damned if you cared.

As soon as you entered Jin and Hyeonseo’s place, you stormed your way to the bedroom you were sharing. You changed clothes hastily, turned off the lights, and threw yourself over the bed diagonally, spreading the pillows around you and hugging a few. You’d be damned if you wouldn’t sleep properly tonight.

You couldn’t fall asleep. Hoseok entered the room not ten minutes later and you could feel the air thickening around you. By the time he hit your foot with his knee, the lights were back on and he was pissed.

“Move.”

You ignored him, and he bumped your foot with his knee multiple times. 

“Move, I want to sleep.”

“Not my problem,” you grumbled, and he scoffed.

“Indeed, but you’re mine. Get out of the way.”

“No,” you grumbled again, muffled. “I’m withdrawing the invitation; you can sleep somewhere else.”

You could almost hear the way he was fuming. “You’re fucking unbelieveable, you know that?! First, you get angry and don’t want to talk about it. Then, you withdraw your invitation? Fuck! I can trust you my ass! You’re so two-faced!”

By the time he was done, you were sitting up in bed, baffled and angry. “What?!”

He had no issues facing you head-on. “You heard me. You extend an olive branch one second and shit all over people the next. I’ve never met anyone as two-faced as you.”

“How fucking dare you!” you screeched as you kicked the sheets to get up from bed. “You’re the one who plays people, pretending to be all vulnerable and hurt, only to use them and throw them away like trash! Who the fuck are you to call me two-faced?!”

His anger was visible on his clenched jaw and flared nostrils as you shouted at him. He frowned. “What the hell are you talking about?”

You scoffed. “As if you don’t know.”

He threw his hands up in the air in frustration. “I won’t know until you tell me! Stop assuming shit!”

“Stop playing dumb!”

“When did I?” he asked you to your face, and you crossed your arms over your chest.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m not going to fall for it again.”

Hoseok groaned and pressed his palms to his eyes. “Fuck, you’re just like back then! The second I think I can trust you, you flip a switch and turn into someone else completely!”

“What?”

“Hyeonseo said I had you all wrong, that it was all a misunderstanding, but she’s wrong,” he told you, facing you head-on again. His eyes were harsh, and his tone accusatory. “This is just who you are. It’s bad enough our paths crossed twice; let’s not do it again.”

He grabbed his bag from the floor and stormed off with you hot on his tail.

“What are you talking about?!”

You chased him all the way downstairs, then stood frozen as he went outside to his pickup to get a blanket. When he started to make a makeshift place to sleep in the corner of the living room, you lost it.

“Argh, you’re fucking impossible!” you exploded, gripping your hair by the roots. “I flipped a switch?! I literally go to the bathroom, and the next thing I know, you’re kissing someone! Right after telling me you were so heartbroken you couldn’t stand the thought of being with someone! Are you serious?!”

He had taken off his jacket and thrown it on the blanket. He snickered. “Next thing you know? My, do you have selective amnesia or something?”

Your brow furrowed. “What?”

“You didn’t go to the bathroom, did you?”

You were stunned. “What?”

“I heard you!” he accused, all signs of mockery morphed into anger. “I followed you to suggest holding your drink, only to hear you giggling with your friends about how pathetic I was.”

You paled but instantly shook your head. “I never said that.”

“Your friends did, and you just laughed! Two-faced,” he underlined.

You gaped, frowning as you tried to remember what he was talking about. “I was— I don't know, I— Maybe they did say that, I don’t remember. But I wouldn’t have.”

He scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest, and you bristled. He was so sure of himself, but what did it matter?

“What does that have to do with anything? I didn’t ‘flip a switch,’” you insisted. “They called you that, not me. So what does that have to do with what you did?”

“You thought I was so pathetic, and I just—” His expression soothed as his voice quieted. “I didn’t want to be.”

“You never were.”

He scoffed derisively, and you rubbed your eyes for a second, wanting to kick yourself.

“Listen, they just—even I, we were just…mean,” you explained with regret. You weren’t proud of who you were in high school. “Young and stupid and mean.”

Hoseok listened with harsh yet glistening eyes. “I opened my heart to you and you ran to tell them.”

“That is not true.”

You stiffened, and he instantly retorted, “Yeah, right.”

“I don’t care what you heard, that is not true,” you stated resolutely. “I never told anyone a word of what you told me. I might not have refuted them when they called you that, I might have played along, but I’d never break your trust.”

He had a painful smile, holding back a snicker as you spoke, until he blew up, “Oh, come on! You expect me to believe that?”

“It’s the truth.”

“So you mean to tell me you went along with them and still never told them the things I told you when I believed we were friends.” You nodded, and he insisted, “You went along with them saying those things about me, but were still actually my friend.” You nodded again, and he threw his hands up in the air. “Does that even make sense?!”

“It’s the truth,” you repeated.

“Why would I believe you?”

Your breath hitched as you realized the answer to what he was asking. He was angry and maybe hurt; you could see it in his face. You, on the other hand, didn’t know how to feel. You were talking, actually talking, for the first time in years. But you never expected it would mean you’d have to tell him this.

But then again, it didn’t matter anymore. It was a long time ago.

You pressed your lips to hide a sad smile. “Because it’s the truth. Not just because you had told me things as friends that I would never repeat to someone else, but because I didn’t want them to look at you twice, I…had this big fat crush on you and didn’t want any of them to get any ideas.”

He wasn’t just stupefied, you could see in his wide eyes that his thought process was completely busted. “What??”

It made you blush and rub your eyes again before you blurted, “We became closer friends when you opened up about your ex, and I… I didn’t want to make a move because it would have been too soon, and I didn’t want to be a rebound, but I was hoping we could… I don’t know,” you sighed, looking away, embarrassed. “But then you invited me to prom, so I thought maybe you were over her, so I thought what the hell, why not? I was so excited that night, just waiting for the right moment to say something, but then I saw you kissing whoever that was and I just—I was fucking pissed ‘cause that wasn’t even a rejection, that was… Why invite me to prom if you wanted to be with someone else? It just—”

You stopped yourself, feeling the anger bubbling up in your chest once more. You rubbed your eyes and sighed, calming down. He looked befuddled; he probably didn’t remember any of it.

“I didn’t,” he blurted out, and you looked at him. “That girl, I… I didn’t want to be with her; I didn’t even like her. I was just pissed after hearing you and your friends saying I was pathetic for being heartbroken over my ex and…I felt betrayed. You were literally the only girl I trusted at the time, who I thought…Who I wanted to spend time with. And then you said those things and I just…I didn’t want to be pathetic,” he admitted, heaving a deep breath. “That girl caught me alone and confessed, and when she kissed me, I felt…validated. Like I was not worthless. Of course, I told her I didn’t feel the same way, and she was cool about it. Otherwise, I would have felt pretty shity about it.”

“You were never worthless, much less because you had feelings. I’m glad she made you feel good about yourself.” You looked down, a frown on your lips. She did what you couldn’t. “Regardless of what they said, you were never pathetic. They were allergic to vulnerability and needed to be bitches about it, that’s all. Hell, me too. I’m sorry about that.”

He nodded with his shiny eyes focused on you. “Even if I know now how you felt at the time…I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to do with all of this information.”

You shrugged. “You don’t have to do anything, it’s in the past. Though…about today,” you started, then heaved a deep breath as you rubbed your pink cheeks. “I’m not gonna lie, it felt just like back then. There I am, thinking something special is happening, only for you to dismiss it like it’s nothing. It’s easy to achieve this, I do it all the time,” you mimicked his voice, and he groaned.

“No, I knew it was bullshit as soon as I said it,” he confessed, scratching the back of his head. “Even Hyeonseo called me out for it.”

“‘Cause you realized it wasn’t that good to begin with, ‘cause I’m a terrible dancer?”

You spoke really fast, and he chuckled, “No, because it just isn’t true. The way we danced, especially when you’re not comfortable with it, is not easy. At all. Even seasoned dancers need months to be that smooth, sometimes even couples can’t do it, and you just— No, that was all us. I don’t do that all the time, it’s not something easy to teach.”

You frowned. “Dancing?”

“Chemistry.”

Your breath hitched as you stared at him. You couldn’t help the confusion or the way your heart raced. “I thought…” you croaked, “it wasn’t real.”

His eyes were locked with yours. “I think we can agree that it is.”

Your breath deepened as a familiar burn climbed up your chest. The air was thickening again as you stared at each other, but you stayed in place. Even if you both agreed that there was chemistry between you, you weren’t sure what to do with it. You weren’t sure you wanted to follow through…or that he did.

When he stalked slowly in your direction, you stood at attention. Your skin tingled under his eyes, roaming over your legs, past your pajama shorts and t-shirt to your eyes. By then, he was already in front of you, less than an arm away, and you struggled. You were almost dizzy with want, pushing your nails into your palms to hold yourself back. When he took another step closer, the faint scent of his cologne made you sigh and look up. You were radiating heat at that point, keeping your desire in check while wanting nothing but for him to grab you.

He seemed to be waiting for something, so you closed the distance between your bodies. Your stomach pressed to his, and your curiosity got the best of you. You looked down, wondering if you’d get to feel—

His hand raised your chin to make you look up at him. Instantly, the fire you were trying to contain reared its ugly head. Your hands found their way to his shirt, clutching it as though you were containing a visceral need to pull it off, all while you looked into his eyes. Your core ached for something to clench around and you almost begged him to fuck that crisp tension out of you.

Your lips parted as he leaned in, covering you with a shudder as his free hand palmed your waist, pulling you to him by the arch of your back. But then, all too fast, you both blinked.

The sound of car doors slamming closed hit you, and time didn’t stop to let you two figure it out together. Instead, Hoseok’s eyes flickered to your lips, but you weren’t able to say anything. By the time the first key was pressed into the front door lock pad, he had already lowered his hands and released you. 

You couldn’t protest because in a second, Jin was opening the front door with Hyeonseo not far behind him.

“Oh, hey guys,” Jin said with a smile, then closed the door behind his fiancée. “We thought you’d be sleeping already.”

“Is everything okay?” Hyeonseo asked, eying you as she took off her jacket. 

“Yes,” you croaked.

“We were just heading to bed,” Hoseok told them, then gave you a fleeting look before going ahead. “Good night!”

You offered Hyeonseo a small smile to reassure her and waved at Jin before following Hoseok upstairs. You closed the bedroom door behind you, and seeing the mess of pillows and sheets you had left behind, you were a little embarrassed.

“Sorry,” you muttered, getting on the bed to align the pillows and pull the sheet to lie stretched and proper. “I wasn’t thinking. I was just pissed.”

For a second, he frowned, but then he seemed to remember. “If you want me to sleep downstairs—”

“I don’t,” you cut in, sitting on your side of the bed. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “It’s okay, I shouldn’t have… assumed the worst.”

“That I’m two-faced?”

He hummed as he neared the bed. 

“So you…also assume things?”

Your tease made him chuckle. “I guess I’m at fault, too.”

You smiled and got under the sheet comfortably. Only then did you notice he was just standing there. “What’s wrong?”

“I left my bag downstairs.”

You raised an eyebrow, imagining Hyeonseo’s questions if she saw Hoseok with his bag. “And you don’t want to go grab it?”

“Not really.”

He stepped out of his shoes, then sighed, putting one knee on the bed, and you stopped him. “Get them off.”

He raised an eyebrow, and you looked at his jeans.

“You shouldn’t get in bed with outside clothes.”

He looked down at your legs under the sheets, then back at you, and you simply held his gaze. Now that you had found common ground, you were confident that teasing him a little wouldn’t hurt.

It helped that Hoseok was precisely the kind of man who made your knees weak. You asked, and so he got rid of his jeans in a flash, casually tossing them and his t-shirt back before getting into bed with you just in boxers. As if his chiseled abs wouldn’t have you drooling. As if he weren’t half-hard. As if he didn’t know you’d eat him with your eyes. As if he didn’t want you to.

You both lay back on your pillows, and your eyelids became heavy. The light was still on, but you were comfortable and warm, and all of a sudden, it was hard to keep your eyes open. You still wanted Hoseok, but you were so tired, you were getting dizzy.

You felt his eyes on you and turned to him with a sheepish smile. “I’m really tired,” you confessed, and he nodded.

“Same, I’m hanging on by a thread.”

You smiled and licked your lips. “Can I…?”

“Hug me to sleep?” 

He raised an eyebrow and your eyes widened as you gasped. Did he know about last night?!

He simply smirked. “Yeah, come here. Oh, wait,” he told you before reaching the light switch on the wall. Then he settled back and grabbed your hand over the sheet, pulling you closer. You snuggled up to him, then sighed comfortably, and he held you close.

You woke up snuggly and warm, with a citrusy perfume near your nose and your legs tangled with someone else’s. You didn’t question it, stretching lazily before pulling away slightly. You slept like a rock, but still felt the exhaustion from the previous day. Just thinking you had another day like it ahead of you made you groan under your breath.

Hoseok turned around to face you, and it made you blink a bit more awake. He looked raw and vulnerable, with his hair disheveled and eyes barely open. Instantly, it made you feel a little breathless, a little hot, and a little exposed.

“Hey,” he whispered, and your cheeks warmed.

“Hey,” you rasped back, covering your face with your hands. “I must look horrible.”

He chuckled. “You look the same as always.”

You peeked between your fingers. “So I always look terrible?”

He was caught off guard and laughed quietly. “No, you never do.”

You lowered your hands and stayed like that, just observing one another, until you asked quietly. “We were friends… How come you never told me about your dad?”

“What do you mean?”

“You talked about the divorce, your sister, your mom, your ex… but not about your dad.”

He looked down for a moment before answering, “I just… didn’t want to talk about him. Our relationship was always…complicated. He left my mom, and then he would insist on taking me to construction sites for long weekends and vacations so I could learn the trade. He refused to listen to what I wanted. Meanwhile, my mom worked two jobs to support my dreams of becoming a dancer. She pushed me to go to Seoul and supported me while my dad all but threatened to disown me if I followed my dreams.” His expression hinted at bitterness before he looked at you again. “You can imagine I didn’t want to talk about him.”

You nodded. “And now?”

“He’s changed,” Hoseok acknowledged softly. “I think he accepted that it’s up to me to do what I want to do and that I’m good enough to do it. So we’re okay now. I see him a couple of times a year.” You nodded, and he quieted. “What about you? I remember your mom was sick five years ago.”

“She was, she’s been in remission for three years. My parents moved to Jeju Island to have a peaceful life there, and I’m hoping that will help.”

“You must miss them.”

“I do… Feels like everyone is super far away now.”

“But as it turns out, we live in the same neighbourhood,” he reminded you, and you raised a corner of your mouth.

“So it seems.”

“You can call me, you know,” he offered. “If you need anything.”

Your face was warm. “Thank you.”

“You can also call me just… Just because. If you want to.”

You weren’t used to seeing Hoseok hesitate, and yet, somehow, it made you relax. “Maybe.”

“Maybe?” he asked, as though he couldn’t believe your answer, and you grinned.

“Maybe,” you teased, and he smirked. You felt warm again, seeing that smile, but also incredibly at ease.

His eyes returned to yours with a sharper edge to them, and you were instantly stirred up.

“You had a crush on me?”

“Yeah.”

His eyes roamed your features for a brief moment. “I wish the timing were different.”

“I don’t,” you admitted. “I was not the greatest person back then.”

“And now?” He raised an eyebrow, and you chuckled.

“Still a work in progress.”

He nodded, smiling too. “I wasn't great back then either. I was insecure. Thought my world was ending when my ex left, and that I had to be in a relationship to mean something.”

You nodded slowly. “Was that why you dated so many people afterwards?”

“It’s also the way people act. I don’t know about you, but my friends are constantly dating someone.”

You shrugged. “If you call that dating. I don’t get the obsession with saying you’re dating when you know it’s going to last a couple of weeks tops.”

“It has to be serious enough to avoid a stigma, but not serious enough ‘cause a relationship takes too much work.”

You raised your eyebrows. “Wow, exactly. Well said!”

“Thanks. It’s my conclusion after years of therapy to process how my parents’ divorce made me link my self-worth to my relationship status.”

Your chin dropped. “Woah!”

He smiled. “Once I realized I was following a pattern, I thought therapy would help. I had internalized that being alone meant I was less, without realizing that I didn’t even want to be with some of those people. I just said yes so I wouldn’t be alone.”

You pressed your lips. “And now?”

“I’ve been single for two years, and it’s nice.” He smiled, stretching a bit before asking, “And you?”

“I haven’t really thought much about dating,” you admitted, shrugging. “I’ve been developing my business for a year, and it takes most of my time.”

“That makes sense,” he said, adjusting the pillow under his head.

“Some pillow talk we’re having,” you joked, and he cleared his throat.

“Sorry, did I make things weird?”

“No, not at all. It reminds me of when we were friends.”

You remembered all the breaks you would spend just the two of you talking at the back of the school or in some park.

“Maybe that’s why it's so easy to talk to you,” he mused, observing your expression.

“You mean you don’t talk about this with every girl you get in bed?”

“No,” he stated, then joined you in laughing quietly. “Also, you got me in bed.”

“That’s true. Had to take charge,” you confessed with mock modesty. “Now, I have you right where I want you.”

“Do you?”

Your smile dissipated when you realized what you had said and how he was looking at you. Instantly, heat spread from your cheeks down your neck, and you had to swallow. “I—I mean, not that I’d force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”

“You mean besides forcing me to strip before getting into bed?”

You almost choked. “I didn’t mean it like that!”

“I know.” He smiled, and his hand moved near yours over the sheet, but he didn’t touch you. “If last night was an isolated thing, that’s okay. It’s cool, I promise.”

You instantly remembered the way his hand pressed you, arching your back and hitching your breath. “It wasn’t…I mean, it wasn’t alcohol or anything like that,” you said, your voice more and more quiet as the tension spread down your neck. “If anything, it feels like whenever we’re together, we…”

“Have chemistry?”

You hummed.

“Was it like this in high school? And I was just blind to it?” he asked in disbelief.

“It wasn’t like this… Wanting to kiss you and wanting you are two different things,” you explained, despite feeling like you were dipping into dangerous waters.

“So you want me?” he asked, and you felt almost assaulted by his dark, meaningful eyes. Your core clenched around nothing at the thought of being under this man. The way he turned you on was wild.

“I do…” As soon as the admission was out of your lips, he moved closer, and you had to put your hands on his chest to stop him. “But we’re not alone.”

Your tone was firm, more to tame your desires than to stop him, but he still halted. He was close enough that you could see the moles on his face, but he had yet to touch you. 

He eyed you intently. “And if we were?”

“We’re not…”

“But if we were?” he insisted. 

You swallowed, rubbing your legs together. “I already told you I want you.”

His lips curved in a tease. “I want to hear what else you want.”

You raised your chin. “You haven’t told me what you want yet.”

“I’ll tell you, then,” he whispered, making you shudder from head to toe. He got up on his elbow, and you rolled to face up. “I want to look at you. I want you to take your clothes off for me.”

You couldn’t help but smile. “If only you had asked before…”

“I still can.”

You hummed, unashamedly running your eyes down his exposed torso. He didn’t have the broadest shoulders, but every piece of him was defined and soft, like a taunt for you to scratch and bite. It was torture to see all that flesh but not touch it.

“I want you to touch me,” he spoke again, drawing your gaze up. “I want you to touch me and grab me with the same hunger you have in your eyes right now.”

You let out a small, tense breath as you eyed his chest again, unabashedly taking advantage. “And then?”

“Are you sure you want to know?”

You chuckled. “I might need ideas to spice up my shower.”

He groaned mutely, then gently tucked the sheet to frame your silhouette without touching you. It made your body temperature surge as you let him find his way to seeing your form without stripping you. The more he observed and wondered, the more sensual and wanted you felt. You didn’t know if you wanted to rub your legs together or spread them open for him.

“I want to touch you,” he breathed, then looked at you. “Lick and feel every curve until I know you by heart. I want to eat you out. I want to know how you taste, wet like that for me.”

Your eyebrow quirked, but you stayed quiet, letting his words burn you a bit more intensely than his presence alone did.

“I want your hips on me again. Need to appreciate the way they match mine.” His eyes caught you opening your legs under the sheets, but you didn’t close them. “And I want to fuck you. I can’t hide it,” he whispered, adjusting his posture as though he was eager to get in between your legs, if only you let him. “I need to know what you look like when I fuck all sense out of you.”

“Wouldn’t that be something,” you breathed, sneaking your hands down your stomach.

“You—”

A bang interrupted him and covered you with goosebumps from head to toe.

Neither of you breathed as you waited patiently for the sound of a car engine to roar to life, and then for it to move away from the driveway.

Your eyes were locked, both surely thinking the exact same thing — Jin and Hyeonseo were likely gone to grab breakfast. You were alone.

“Tell me what you want,” he rasped, his muscles flexing as he stayed in place.

“You.”

“Don’t just say that,” he scolded lightly, adjusting himself on his knees.

“It’s what I want,” you insisted, more than aching for him. “I want everything you said.” You leaned in a bit. “Make me scream your name.”

He ripped the sheet from over you and froze. You bit your lip but couldn’t find it in you to look innocent. Not when your hand was buried in your sex.

“I can’t believe you,” he breathed before throwing the sheet to the end of the bed.

“You never said I couldn’t,” you argued, giving up on solo pleasure when you could have him. 

He caught your wrist as he settled between your legs. “I said I want you.”

“And I want you, too. Hey,” you called, letting your voice register lower. “I’d let you watch.”

He shook his head and forced your wrist to the mattress next to your head as he covered your body with his to reach your lips. His mouth wasn’t soft at the dawn of a first kiss; it was rough and helpless with want. Your free hand instantly gripped his hair, keeping him close as your bodies adjusted to each other, and in a second, your world was overturned.

He didn’t just take two seconds to push his tongue inside you; he took two seconds to melt you to a liquid state. In a split second, he was kissing you like he owned you, matching every whimper and sigh with more. If you needed to breathe, he bit your lip. If you needed to moan, he swallowed it. 

He wasn’t shy about pressing his cock to your thigh, nor about palming your curves as he said he would. You could only shudder and whimper with the way he touched and squeezed you, especially when he grabbed your ass. He even parted your mouths to hide in the crook of your neck and have both hands free to squeeze your asscheeks, pressing you to him.

You had to moan, swiveling your hips to get friction.

“You and your perfect ass,” he grumbled, giving it a few more squeezes. “On the ladder, the stairs, last night… Fucking tease.”

“Didn’t know you were staring,” you breathed, and he raised his head.

“Didn’t you?”

“No. No, trust me.” You smiled, gyrating your hips as you cradled his cheeks. “Or I would have made it much worse.”

He let his mouth crash to yours harshly before pulling away. “You fucking tease… I’ll take my time with you—”

“No,” you cut in, holding his head so he’d look at you. “We don’t know how long we have.” You could see Hoseok’s gears turning, so you insisted, “You have to fuck me. I need to feel you. I need you to fuck this tension out of me.” He groaned, and you didn’t give up. “Need you to make me scream your name while creaming your cock. It will be therapeutic,” you promised, earning a smirk. “Please.”

It took Hoseok one second to ponder your request. The next, he was already on his knees.

“Take them off.”

“What?” 

“Take them off,” he repeated, glancing at your shorts. His hands dipped inside his boxers to stroke himself, and you almost melted at the sight.

Instead, you swallowed. “We don't have much time.”

“Get your clothes off before I rip them off.”

Heat flushed through you as you gushed between your legs, and you scrambled to as he asked. Normally, you’d like that moment to be sensual, but all you could think of was Hoseok between your legs.

He clearly was thinking of that too, because as you got rid of your pajama t-shirt and shorts and underwear, he kept stroking himself in front of you. He wasn’t shy about grunting, licking his lips, cursing, or spreading the precum on the tip of his dick right under your hungry eyes. Especially when you leaned back down and spread your legs for him.

“Holy shit,” he almost choked, falling to his elbows on the bed right before pressing his face to your wet cunt.

Your moan echoed in the empty room as you clenched from the surprise. Your hands gripped his hair firmly, and you cursed yourself, bucking your hips against his starving mouth. You watched him eating you out, groaning into you as he drooled all over your slicked folds. That was such a power trip for some reason. Like you knew you were his kryptonite, like you knew he should have been fucking for years, like you knew he wouldn’t be able to resist you as soon as he tasted you.

But the past didn’t matter; you need him now.

“Fuck, Hoseok, wait,” you breathed between moans, finding it hard to not press his face to your sopping pussy.

He hummed, and you tried sorting out your thoughts.

“We don’t know how long we have,” you reminded him, cursing him when his tongue started drumming on your clit. “Fuck! You either fuck me now, or—!”

You keened desperately when three digits pushed through your warm walls, stretching you with a few pumps. Looking at him, his eyes were almost wicked as he saw you trying not to writhe in pleasure.

“So bossy…” he commented, licking his lips. “Lucky we’re in a hurry.”

You whimpered and curled your toes with the way he fucked you with his fingers, but stayed otherwise quiet because he grabbed his hard cock in his other hand.

“It’s a shame, really,” you breathed, and he surely thought you were teasing him, because he quickly leaned in to nip a nipple, making you jolt. “I also didn’t get to touch you and grab you.”

“Can still make it happen,” he told you, sitting back between your legs with his cock still in his hand.

You smiled. “That sounds good,” you breathed, reaching out to meet his busy hand. 

While he looked down at your hand taking over from his, stroking him gently, you observed his reactions. The way his eyes hooded, or his lip raised, containing a moan when you squeezed a little more. He enjoyed watching what you were doing, and you enjoyed watching him. Even when his fingers inside you lost focus, you were set on that one goal — to see him fall apart.

“So hard,” you whispered, licking your lips. “Come on,” you coaxed, slowly pulling him by his dick to close the gap between you.

He followed your lead, removing his fingers from your sopping pussy to replace them with the tip of his cock. He moaned quietly then, as he rubbed his shaft on your slick, hungrily passing a heavy hand up your stomach to your chest. He pinched a nipple just to tease you, then pressed the head of his cock through your entrance.

You couldn’t even catch your breath, whimpering uninterruptedly as your core hugged the head of his cock. You cursed him, feeling your legs trembling as you spread them as much as you could. Your core throbbed wildly with the stretch, and you thought that was the peak for you, but then he topped it off with his fingers on your clit.

You finally let go and arched your back, so completely overturned by pleasure, you felt like you were in a tempestuous sea. You couldn’t suppress your moans, hold back the way you gripped the sheets or moved to sink further down his cock. Instead, you mumbled incoherently, begging him to poke your insides, but he smiled and kept fucking you exactly like this.

“I don’t know,” he taunted, but you could see the sweat trickling down his temple as he held back. “I think you can cum just with the tip.”

“Fuck, I can— But I want you whole— I didn’t say make me cum,” you pointed out a bit more firmly than your previous moans. “I said, make me scream your name.”

He growled your name, then gripped your hips and fell over you, sinking as far inside you as he could, bottoming out with a groan. You could only scream and throw your head back, letting the pain mix with the delight of having him tucked to the base inside you. It was so good, your nails were piercing the sheets as you clenched like a vice around him.

Looking at him, you knew you had a victorious look on your face. He smirked. “Got what you wanted all along, huh?”

“Not yet,” you breathed, then locked your legs behind him. “Fuck me, Hoseok. Please—”

He grabbed your legs further up around his waist, then finally gave in and gave you exactly what you wanted. Everything heightened your senses so much that you were speechless, finally rid of all your thoughts and judgments. The way he breathed heavily into your neck, stealing nips and licks while hearing you moan attentively. The way he gripped your asscheeks to fuck you as deeply as possible, groaning mutely against your skin. He wanted you, craved you, just like you craved him. The slap of skins, the sloppy mess between your bodies, the citrus cologne as you bit his shoulder — that was what dreams were made of. 

You knew you wouldn’t hold for long, but you didn’t expect to last minutes. You were in the zone, matching your hips to his, when he bit your neck hard. Your hands instantly darted to grab him, your nails sinking into the skin of his shoulders, but still, he didn’t release you. Instead, he rutted into you like he needed to fuck you. Like he was in too deep to stop. Like he knew you needed to take his cock just once more before you’d fall apart.

You wanted to scream his name, and it was the first thing out of your mouth as soon as the wildfire spread through you in waves. You were surprised when his hand darted to cover your mouth, but he didn’t stop pounding into you, and so if anything, you came even harder. His mouth replaced his hand once you became breathless, gently kissing you and coaxing the last quakes out of you, until you stilled.

Your senses returned to you slowly, and two things were immediately clear to you: one, Hoseok was still hard as fuck inside you, and two, you were no longer alone.

“Fuckin hell,” he cursed, moving ever so gently inside you, and your hands darted to his asscheeks to stop him.

“They’re here?!” you whispered, suddenly so anxious your chest felt tight. You could hear faint noises from downstairs.

“You didn’t hear them coming in?” he asked, surprised. You were clearly spooked, so he reassured you, brushing your cheek gently, “The door slammed like seconds into your orgasm. I didn’t want to ruin it for you, so I didn’t stop.”

You gasped. “What if they heard?!”

“They didn’t.” You gave him a look, and he kept reassuring you, “They didn’t. I covered your mouth, I promise you they didn’t hear a thing.” You heaved a breath, hugging him, and he nuzzled your hair. “But I did… you sounded so fucking hot, I almost burst. Fuckin hell,” he groaned, moving once tentatively inside you. “Fuckin heaven, rather,” he corrected himself, then pulled away to look at you. “But I know you’ll want to stop—”

Your hands darted to his ass again, this time to prevent him from pulling out, at the same time your phone buzzed on the floor next to the bed. You didn’t even glance away; your eyes locked with his as they were. You couldn’t help it; you couldn’t explain.

“What?” he asked, eying you curiously.

Your phone buzzed again, and you whispered, “If they can’t hear it…”

Your voice trailed off as you bit your lip, and he chuckled darkly, leaning back in to nuzzle you. “Then what?”

“Then why stop?”

He laughed a bit more, quietly dragging his nose down your neck. “You naughty girl… I love that idea,” he whispered, withdrawing his hips for a moment before sinking into you again.

You had to curl your toes and bite your lip, but suddenly, you were exhilarated. You felt dirty, but it was so good to have him fucking you slowly while you tried your best not to make a sound. Your eyes stayed locked, spreading a hellish fire down your chest because he saw you. He saw you taking his cock, fighting the urge to moan and let the world know how good he felt. He knew how turned on you were from fucking under people’s noses like this. And all it did was make him fuck you harder, wanting to spill all his cum inside a little whore like you—

You could swear a second orgasm was right within your grasp when you heard voices talking loudly downstairs. Hoseok halted this time, looking at you while he listened attentively. Then, your phone buzzed again, and this time, you didn’t ignore it. 

Hoseok almost slipped out of you as you contorted yourself to reach the bloody thing on the floor. Then you gasped.

Hyeonseo had texted you multiple times: 

[Are you okay?] 2:43

[Are you hungover? I can make soup.] 9:12

[We got breakfast.] 9:39

[You can come down.] 10:01

[Are you okay? You’re still not up yet.] 10:03

You heard steps on the stairs and hurried to type:

[I’m fine, gonna shower first. Hoseok is still asleep.] 10:04

You looked at him with eyes like saucers, and he didn’t react. He stayed still, listening to Hyeonseo turning back down the stairs and telling Jin something.

“I told her I’d shower first and that you’re still asleep,” you informed him, rubbing your eyes. What the hell were you thinking?

“Okay, good,” he breathed, then pressed a kiss to your lips.

His hips instantly moved again, slowly but breathtakingly, and you knitted your eyebrows to keep quiet. You grabbed onto him while he fucked you, snapping his hips to yours with such precision, you started seeing stars. You were so turned on, the sloppy, gushing sounds where your bodies met thrilled you even more.

“I wonder if she had called you,” he whispered before licking up the column of your neck to reach your ear. “Wonder how you would have reacted, trying to talk to her while I fuck you like this.”

You licked your lips, eyes closed, shuddering from head to toe at the thought. “Maybe next time,” you said, though your voice broke apart.

Hoseok smiled at you and pressed his lips to yours firmly, halting his thrusts completely. You sighed into the kiss, imagining he’d continue, but he pulled out and away, getting up from bed.

You sulked instantly. Usually, you were very uptight about your privacy and behavior, but right now, you wanted to finish what you both had started.

You were about to open your mouth when Hoseok said, “Let’s get you in the shower.”

You turned to him, eyes wide. “What?”

He was already back in his boxers, his hand out for you to grab. “Don’t argue with me.”

You sulked further. You thought he was done, and it soured your mood.

So you put your hand in his and let him pull you up to your feet with a huge pout. It just didn’t feel right to—

Hoseok stole a kiss from you, then grabbed a folded towel nearby and wrapped it around you, making you raise an eyebrow while he smirked. “Stay quiet.”

You tucked the towel more firmly around you as he led you out of the room. Once out, you could hear Jin and Hyeonseo cooking while music played in the background, likely from one of their phones.

Hoseok pulled you by the hand to the bathroom and, to your surprise, closed and locked the door behind him. Then, he gently pushed you into the walk-in shower. You stumbled back, eyes fixed on his, wondering what he was up to.

In a flash, his hand grabbed your towel and maneuvered you against the sidewall of the shower. Your back hit the cold tiles while he caged you in, making your knees weak in anticipation. All he had to do was stretch his arm and start the shower, and you were both unleashed.

You gasped as the water spray barely caught your leg, but you had no time to think about it because he kissed you. You dared to breathe more heavily and even to whimper when he pulled your towel loose, his hands instantly grabbing your tits to pinch your nipples. He swallowed your cries, ever so mindful, and it made you gush even more. This was a man who wanted to be with you, was willing to be risqué, but still took your limits as a priority. You just wanted him even more.

As his hands trailed your sides, his mouth followed, licking every inch of skin within reach. It made you close your eyes as you leaned back against the wall, letting every touch send shivers down your spine. He kneeled in front of you, licking and nibbling, then he looked up at you before reaching your sex. Made you clench right in front of him before his lips ever touched yours. You even blushed at how much you wanted him to do crazy things to you.

As though he had heard your thoughts, he smirked and tilted your body to show him your side. Instantly, he bit your round hip, making you bite your own fist not to make a sound. The pain mixed with a pleasurable sting stunned you so much that you were nimble in his hands as he turned you around. Then, he spread your legs and asscheeks, pulling you to him, and in a second, your moan echoed in the bathroom.

He pulled his mouth away from your dripping folds. “You have to be quiet,” he warned you, and you nodded, covering your mouth as he dove in again.

His mouth on your slit was something sinful. The way he grabbed your hips to fall back on his face, and the way your hips urged you to follow, was demented. You could barely spare a thought for how important it was to keep your mouth shut. 

He must have realized it, because soon after, he got up behind you, covering your arched back with his chest to reach your ear. “Something for next time,” he suggested, biting your earlobe. “Want you to touch yourself at the same time and come, but I think you’ll be too loud.”

You could only catch your breath and look at him over your shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey,” he cooed, turning your chin slightly to meet his eyes. “Don’t say sorry. I like the thought of doing this again.”

You looked at him, blushing even more if that was possible, while he just smiled at you. 

Then, you felt his fingers gently rubbing your clit. “Can I?”

You nodded instantly, kissing him to stifle your whimpers as he kept caressing you. You were dazed, at the mercy of his wishes, and when he pressed the tip of his cock to your core, you easily groaned in bliss.

You pressed your hips flush to his, making him take a deep breath near your ear as you appreciated being full again.

“Fuckin heaven,” he muttured to your ear before grabbing your hips.

For a second, you thought you’d lose all sense of reason, but you were sensible enough to put your hand on the wall and press your mouth to it as Hoseok slammed his cock into you again and again. At times, you pressed your forehead instead, but the way he pushed inside you made it almost impossible to hold back your cries. It was everything, both in its entirety and in the details. The way he was holding his breath while pouding into you as though your cunt was the best he had ever fucked. Or maybe the way he grabbed you, muttering how your ass was perfect and your wet pussy was heaven. And then, perhaps it was the way he tried not to cum, pressing you flat to the wall as he kissed your face. As he made it personal by making you cream his cock thoroughly as he slowed his thrusts.

“Can you cum again?” he almost groaned, swiveling his hips.

“Yeah,” you breathed.

“How?”

“Fingers.”

He licked and nipped down your neck, and you weren’t sure he heard you. But surely enough, his fingers found your clit and rubbed in circles.

“Good?”

“Up and down,” you stammered as you shuddered, your nails looking for something on the wall to hold onto, but there was nothing.

As soon as his hand moved as you requested, you tensed from head to toe.

“Fuck,” he groaned behind you, pushing himself even further inside you. He was so deep, you could feel him in your throat. “You feel so good,” he grunted. “Close? I won’t last long.”

“Just—” You could barely breathe. You let your head fall back to his shoulder. “Just undo me.”

He kissed your neck before supporting himself on the wall with his free hand, and the way he moved was just different. He wasn’t trying to fuck you as quick and hard as possible, it was something else. His fingers were attentive to move as you had asked, bringing you so close with a simple rub that your toes were curling. But it was also the way he covered you like a cape, moved his hips with you to deepen the feeling, making you constantly feel like all you breathed, tasted, and felt was him. To the point that all you needed was a little push, so you moved closer to the wall, exposing your neck while you tried to grab his hand taking support there. 

He didn’t get it at first, thinking you wanted him to cover your mouth for your orgasm. So you had to pull on his hand until you tucked it snugly around your throat, and then he got it. He pressed you by the neck to him, and you were finally tucked in. Exposed and vulnerable, while safe and thoroughly fucked.

In that position and with his hands all over you, you didn’t need much to cum. The fire building between your legs was uncontrollable, and the way he poked your insides, bliss. A few thrusts deep inside you, making you moan desperately, and you unravelled. You had a mind to cover your mouth to stifle the cries, greedily meeting him thrust for thrust to make the climax last as much as possible.

Because of this, you almost prevented him from pulling out. He had to hold your waist so you wouldn’t fall back on his dick, making him cum inside you. You looked at him as you felt him cumming over your ass and in your fucked out daze, you thought he was wonderful. Just very fucking wonderful as he groaned and shuddered, spurting ropes of cum on your skin.

When he opened his eyes to meet yours, you smiled, and he kissed you. Not once, not twice, just so many gentle kisses, you forgot about the world.

“Are you okay?” he asked the moment he pulled away to look at you.

“Perfect, you?”

He chuckled and brushed your cheek. “You could say that.”

You wouldn’t complain about having his lips on yours again, but you still gasped when you felt the water touch your arm. It shouldn’t have surprised you, you knew the shower was running next to you, but still. You were too much in your daze.

“Shower, remember?” he whispered, and you sighed, shifting to stand under the stream fully. You wiped the water out of your eyes as he turned you around, stealing another kiss. “I’ll see you after?”

“Absolutely,” you breathed, and stood there as you watched him leave the bathroom.

You weren’t exactly sure how, but you were just getting started. You were just with him, and all you could think about was being with him again. This time, in your apartment, with nothing but neighbours whom you didn’t give a shit about to feel inconvenienced by you fucking him without restrictions. All day, all night, until you got that horny bug out of you. If ever.

“Okay, but won’t you listen to me?” you asked Jin with a huff as you dragged your luggage outside.

“How about you come and do that some other weekend? Before the wedding, preferably,” Jin suggested, and you shook your head in disbelief.

Yet before you could say anything, Hoseok tapped your shoulder. “May I?”

You looked at him, and he tapped you again. “Oh, right,” you agreed, giving him your backpack, which he proceeded to load into his pickup along with your luggage. You turned back to Jin. “It’s unlikely that I will be able to.”

“And if Hobi does it?” Hyeonseo suggested, coming outside with a few snacks for you to take on your trip back.

“I might not have the time, so listen to her,” Hoseok shouted from his pickup, and Jin sighed.

Once more, you thoroughly explained how to apply the finish on the stairs; only the most essential step. “Do it as soon as you can before stepping on it damages the surface. I’d say as soon as you get your couch tomorrow. It takes a few days, but then you have beautiful stairs for a lifetime.”

Jin mumbled something you didn’t get, and Hyeonseo patted his shoulder. “We’ll do it, don’t worry. That’s all that’s left, right?”

“Yup, the closets are done. The stairs almost,” you said with a bit of a grimace. “The doors…”

“Sanded, you guys can paint them tomorrow,” Hoseok said, joining you. “All the lights, the stove, and the ceilings are done. Now you can paint what is left, you will be done tomorrow for sure.”

“Did you add the silicone sealant in the shower downstairs?” you asked, remembering suddenly, and he nodded.

“Yup, all done.”

Hyeonseo had tears in her eyes. “Thank you so much, guys, you’ve done so much for us!”

“Now, make sure to take care of the place,” Hoseok teased Jin with a look.

“Maybe we’ll invite you over once a year. Just to catch up,” Jin suggested angelically, and Hyeonseo elbowed him. Everyone chuckled. “You two seem to be getting along much better now,” Jin noted, scratching his chin. “So tell me: did Hobi ever promise not to bite you?”

“Jin!” Hyeonseo gasped.

“It does help to settle boundaries from the start.”

They started bickering, and you subtly closed your jacket lapels a bit more. You weren’t sure that was an innocent comment, given that you had a few marks around your neck.

“Don’t listen to him,” Hyeonseo sighed, then turned to you and Hoseok again. “You sure it’s okay to take her to the bus station?”

“Of course! Not a problem at all,” Hoseok reassured her with a smile. “Should we get going? I still plan on returning to Seoul tonight.”

You nodded and hugged Hyeonseo. “Thank you for dinner and for everything. See you soon!”

You also hugged Jin, ignoring his quips, then made your way to Hoseok’s pickup. You sat shotgun and instantly let it sink in: Hyeonseo and Jin were waving at you as Hoseok got into the driver's seat next to you. You glanced at him, your heart skipping a beat all so easily. You, sitting there, pretending you tolerated a man you not only had balls deep inside you earlier this morning, but intended to have again as soon as possible.

“You good?” he asked as he prepared everything, including the temperature, GPS, and music. You nodded, ready, and he glanced at you. “You know, we live in the same neighbourhood in Seoul. If you want, I can take you. I just have to drop off the pickup at my dad’s and get my car.” You stayed quiet as he buckled his seatbelt. Then, he looked at you. “If you’re comfortable.”

“You want to be with me inside a car for three hours?”

You raised an eyebrow teasingly, and he chuckled. “Actually, close to four with the detour. But there are worse things. I enjoy the company.”

You nodded and waved again at the couple while Hoseok drove you out of the driveway and away.

At the house, Hyeonseo and Jin waved until your car disappeared.

Then Hyeonseo asked, “Did we succeed?”

Jin nodded. “Yes, we did!”

Hyeonseo raised her hand, and Jin instantly high-fived her. “Mission accomplished.”

[bambihobii]

⠀⠀ ⠀𝗒𝗈𝗎'𝗋𝖾⠀⠀⠀𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗅𝗅⠀⠀⠀·🔭·⠀⠀⠀𝗯𝗹𝘂𝗲 ㅤㅤ🕳

[dollgguk]

ㅤ𝑒𝑛 ㅤ𝘦𝘭꯭ ㅤㅤㅤ ༒︎ ㅤㅤdeli𐑾ꪱ𐓪

ִֶָ𓂃

[minsyoongi]

hobi ♡ iamurhope: Paris Started ~ Paris Ended ~

[jjkeverlast]

thumbnail for the MV of “Killin’ It Girl” ft. GloRilla

[wetorwild]

Hellow! Hoseok one shot. Husband wife trope. Age gap..maybe.. and.. idk rich hoseok (no idol pls) whose wife runs a book/flower shop which loses 50k every month?🤭

Devoted Care

warnings - age gap (reader 25, Hoseok is mid thirties),Hoseok loves her so much, sickly inlove, couple still in the honeymoon phase, Hoseok uses his money to help reader without her knowing, alluded to smut/intimacy,reader is not financially smart, reader loses alot of money

The streets of Gangnam were empty in the early hours into the night, the streetlights beginning to creep out its shades. Hoseok's hand was wrapped tightly around the wheel, his lap spread in a layed back manner. The sleek car rushes down the sleek streets, his eyes focused ahead with only one destination in mind. You. He knows you had been having a hard time with the shop, the shop you had just opened almost a year ago. He remembers the twinkle in your eyes when you were being shown around it by the agent. He rhink about that look on your face regularly.

Of how beautiful you looked.

It makes him reminisce about how you guys met. How your parents were planning on selling dome land to him, and there you were. Tucked away in the corner, with his interest piqued he had later questioned about you. That's how he learned of you coming home from college on holiday, to find your parents selling land that had been in your generations, and for the life of you, you couldn't just understand why. Although you gave him the cold shoulder in a matter of one year, you had a heavy rock on your ring finger. And on tour wedding day he promised to take care of you and he meant that.

Truly

Even if that meant going through hundreds of apartments to find the one you truly loved, he was right behind you with his black card ready. Or buying you a shop in the middle of the city once he saw you were getting bored around the house. He remembered you once telling him about your passion of gardening, but most important flowers. And how you loved to plant them and watched them grow into something beautiful, knowing you did that. So once he had bought that new shop and surprised you ln you anniversary, it was safe to say you were ecstatic. If the look on your face didn't show that, what you did to him all night surely did.

But you were never really a sales woman. The passion was there but the technique of selling, definitely wasn't. And that's how he had arrived to pick you up after you were supposed to have closed up. Instead he saw the lights still on amd you slumped over the front desk crying. His eyebrows hunched forward in both clncern and curiosity, what had happened? He gently knocked on the glass to get your attention, you face rose tear soaked cheeks and red eyes. You slowly went to open it and once he was inside and locked it behind him.

He attacked you with questions but gently, with him pulling your head on his shoulder.

"Were you robbed?"

"Was it a rude customer?"

"Were you tired?"

The questions were bouncing off inside your head, overwhelmed you shook your head and pushed a piece of paper into his hand. With the other one still around you, he took it and read it, it looked like your financial statement for the business. He immediately assumed it was happy tears, had you finally seen how good your business was? How the small problem at the start of sales was only temporary? That was until he was the negative cash flow. Of worth $50,000. His eyes widened un shock, he knew there was some problems, but gosh. He didn't even know you could spend that much money on spending flowers.

But quickly recovering from the shock knowing you were watching him, he looked up to be met with such sad eyes. "Baby its okay, every business starts out slow" he knew ge was lying that no business should be losing that much. That fast. But this was about comforting you. But you saw right through it, you shook your head "but that much? And with the lack of sales each day, maybe I should quit while I see the signs." Ypu say as you wipe your cheeks, but Hoseok was having none of that.

"No, no, no. You love flowers, you love running this shop. And what do I say about running a business," your face now in his hands as he stares at you. "It always works out if you enjoy it" you recite, as Hoseok sniles back at you and puts your head back into his chest, as he soothes you. That night he took care of you running you a bath, spending in bed with you and watching your favourite movie as you fell asleep in each others arms. He knew that statement had upset you, and he knew just the thing to do.

Hoseok was hunched over his desk as ge looked through files, the sunlight from the tall windows seep into the room. He knock kn the door snaps him put of it he looks up to see his secretary. "Mrs Jung is here to see you Sir" he nods giving the greenlight for you to be sent up. A few moments pass until he hears the excited clicking of heels coming straight to his office, the door swings open and a smile is already on his face. You skip over to him and settle on his lap, as his arms envelope you in an warm embrace. "Guess what" you voice light with flirtation "What?" He plays along.

"I just was 3 major companies want to order from the store to use for their latest campaigns in their stores. Nationwide!" your voice drips with excitement, and Hoseok has the biggest smile on his face. Showing his beautiful heart hspaed smile you love so much, "see didn't I day it would get better" he lightly teases. You laugh slightly before gently kissing him. He kisses you back in an instant showing the joy he had for you in that moment.

His eyes slightly open into the kiss as he looks to his desk, a stack of papers sitting there. The papers detailing how he had negotiated with the biggest companies to use a flower shop he highly recommended, in exchange of his investment and advertisements. He knew this was caused by him, but why ruin your big moment? He discreetly flips it over and under another pile, before gently swiveling his chair to the other side. All that matters is that you were happy and didn't feel like a failure anymore right? Atleast that's what he tells himself as he tries to mask his guilt with your soft lips.

[mnijoy]

Devil Town | 01

pairing: ot7bts x reader

genre: mystery, haunted, ghost!au, historic, supernatural (read warnings)

summary: She eagerly stepped into her new home, filled with excitement and a sense of newfound independence. Unbeknownst to her, the house held a hidden secret, as seven ethereal beings lingered within its walls, trapped in a realm between the living and the dead. Their presence would soon intertwine with her life, revealing a haunting tale of mystery where she would be forced to free them, bringing them back to the land of the living.

warnings: mentions of ghosts&demons, mentions of death, murder, blood, haunted house, horror, smut, fluff, angst, jump scares, bts haunt y/n… (warnings will be at the start of each chapter)

authors note: this was meant to be a lot longer but i just needed to get something out... pls ignore how bad this is it’s just the start so it’s kind of like a filler? idk ? AND IM GETTING THERE SORRYYYYY 🥹🥹🥹 also don’t be a silent reader and lmk ur thoughts 💛

word count: 4.1k

tag list: ( open) @comicnerd557 @sanya823 @v4ksk4tz @uniquecutie-puffs @borahaetelevision @trouble-sistar @sathom013 @uniquetravelerone @cbtmeee @11thenightwemet11 @minimonimi8

series masterlist | teaser | 01

The moving truck groaned to a halt in front of the house, its engine rumbling as if reluctant to let go of the cargo inside. You stepped onto the cracked sidewalk, clutching your coat tightly as you looked up at the house that was now yours. It stood at the end of the quiet street, its weathered exterior bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun. The shutters sagged slightly, and ivy crept up one side, giving it a certain charm that had called to you the moment you saw it. It was a house with history - a place that felt alive.

The movers began hauling your furniture and boxes into the house, grunting under the weight of your belongings. You directed them inside, navigating the maze of boxes and half-assembled furniture.

It didn't take as long as you expected, and soon enough, all the boxes from the truck were now somewhat neatly placed inside your home, ready to be opened and emptied, a task you couldn't wait to begin.

The house was a huge catch, and you couldn't find the words to explain your gratitude to the universe for helping you come across it. It was perfect. Two stories with a basement and an attic. What more could you possibly ask for? The only downside was that it was a little old and uncared for, the grass at the front and even at the back was far past being overgrown, in desperate need of being cut and the inside of the house had an even more antique and rustic look to it. It would take a lot of work to bring it right to your standards.

A newfound surge of excitement and independence coursed through your bones as you basked in the glory of your home, skipping up the steps of the porch and looking out at the neighbourhood. Your eyes caught sight of your neighbours standing across the street.

A man and a woman stood on the curb, their faces unreadable as they watched you. The man whispered something to the woman, who frowned and shook her head. You waved, offering a polite smile, but they didn't wave back. Instead, they turned and walked away briskly, their murmured conversation carrying on the wind.

You didn't think anything of it, not everybody was friendly at the beginning. Shrugging, you made your way inside.

Your first few days in the house were a whirlwind of unpacking and organising. You carefully placed your favourite books on the shelves, hung up curtains that caught the light just right, and arranged cozy touches that turned each room into a small sanctuary. Boxes lay scattered, slowly dwindling in number as you added pieces of yourself to the space, arranging and rearranging until it felt less like an empty shell and more like a home.

By the time you were finished, you sighed in satisfaction, leaning against the worn wooden banister that framed the staircase. It was quiet--almost too quiet-but the kind of silence that felt peaceful, wrapping you in a sense of calm.

You didn't notice it at first, the faint sounds overhead, until you settled onto the couch with a cup of tea and heard a soft, rhythmic tapping drifting down from above, coming from the attic.

That first night, you dismissed the noise as nothing. "Old house, old noises," you reassured yourself, pulling a blanket tighter around your shoulders. But as the hours passed, the tapping continued. You could almost convince yourself it was just the wind, until you realised it had a pattern.

The second night, the noise returned, louder and more persistent. This time, curiosity overcame your unease.

Finally, with a deep breath, you set your cup aside and rose, casting a glance up the dim stairway. You grabbed a flashlight, though you weren't sure why; something about the attic's shadowy corners unsettled you in a way you couldn't quite explain. Still, you found yourself climbing the stairs, the air growing cooler with each step, a hint of something stale lingering in the air.

At the top, you hesitated before pushing open the attic door, half expecting dust and cobwebs, maybe a few forgotten boxes. But as your flashlight's beam swept across the room, you froze. Across from you, lined up along the far wall, was a row of portraits. Each one was framed in intricate, dark wood, perfectly preserved but muted in haunting gray tones.

Heart pounding, you stepped closer. Seven faces, frozen in time, gazed back at you—young men, each expression somber and strangely intense, as though they had secrets hidden just behind their eyes. The photographs were stunning in their detail, each capturing a distinct personality, a different mood. They wore vintage clothing that seemed pulled from another era, their gazes seeming to follow you, almost as if they were watching, waiting.

Chills prickled down your arms as you moved down the row, taking in the portraits one by one. A strange familiarity tugged at you, though you couldn't quite place it. You didn't know them, but something about them felt almost... known.

As you leaned in closer, the silence shattered. A whisper, barely audible, brushed past your ear. You spun around, flashlight trembling in your grip, but the attic was empty. The air seemed to thicken, the temperature plummeting as if an unseen presence lingered in the corners. Turning back to the portraits, your heart raced, the weight of their stares pressing down on you like a physical force.

And then, your eyes caught onto something else. Each portrait bore a small brass plate, each engraved with a single name, each name once again oddly familiar, but now feeling strange and haunting in this setting. Seokjin. Yoongi. Hoseok. Namjoon. Jimin. Taehyung. Jungkook.

Your breath caught as you stared into their eyes. For a split second, you thought you saw the faintest glimmer of movement—did they just blink? You stumbled back, heart pounding, questions swirling through your mind. Why were they here, preserved in this lonely attic? And what did it mean that you had found them? The whispers began again, soft as a breath, as if the walls themselves murmured secrets you weren't meant to hear.

Panicked, you turned and fled down the stairs, the lingering image of their eyes etched in your mind. Yet as you descended, the unnerving feeling wouldn't leave you. No matter how you tried to shake off the encounter, you couldn't help but feel you had disturbed something hidden, some mystery that lay just beyond reach, waiting for you to unravel it.

You could practically hear your heartbeat thumping against your chest, rapidly gaining speed and causing a rush of blood to run through your body. You held a hand to your heart in a futile attempt to calm it down, taking deep, laboured breaths and closing your eyes for a second.

Although you managed to calm your heart down, your mind continued to wonder, causing a throbbing ache to grow inside of it.

That night, sleep refused to come. You lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, tossing and turning as the weight of those portraits pressed onto your mind. Every time you closed your eyes, their faces hovered in the darkness.

At some point, exhaustion finally won, pulling you into uneasy dreams. Shadows slithered through your subconscious, whispers curling around your ears like tendrils of smoke. In the dream, you stood in the attic once more, but this time, the portraits were empty. The frames remained, perfectly aligned, but the faces; gone. You turned your head, and instead of them being frozen in time in the portraits, the seven of them stood with their unmoving eyes watching you, until a loud thud yanked you from your sleep.

You sat up, heart hammering against your ribs. The house was silent again, but the sound had been real. You knew it.

Swallowing your fear, you swung your legs over the bed and stepped into the dimly lit hallway. The floorboards creaked beneath your weight, the air colder than it should have been. You followed the unease settling in your bones, your feet carrying you forward before you could second-guess.

As you passed the staircase, something caught your eye. A shape—a figure—just at the edge of your vision.

You froze.

Someone was standing at the bottom of the stairs.

Your breath hitched. The shadows clung to them, obscuring their features, but you could make out the silhouette of a man. He stood completely still, head tilted slightly, as if observing you.

Your fingers loosened around the barrister, your voice caught in your throat. A scream threatened to rip out of you, but something was stopping you from doing so. Hesitantly, your feet pulled you towards the light switch, flicking it on without turning away from the figure before you.

And just like that, it was gone.

The air around you felt heavier now, pressing in on your lungs. You knew fear. You had felt it before, in the attic, in the dream, in the weight of those stares. But this? This was something else.

Gathering whatever courage you had left, you descended the stairs slowly, each step measured and careful. The wooden boards groaned beneath you, but the house was still, too still. The silence felt unnatural, charged with something unseen.

Then, from the living room, the record player clicked on.

A soft static hummed through the air before a hauntingly slow melody crackled to life, its sound eerily distorted. The hairs on your arms stood on end. You didn't own a record player.

Your pulse pounded in your ears as you turned toward the sound. The living room was empty, but the record player spun lazily, its needle gliding across the vinyl.

A voice spoke out.

Soft, low, and undeniably real.

"You're not supposed to be here."

It came from behind you.

Ice shot through your veins. You turned, pulse roaring, eyes darting across the dim space. There was nothing. No one. But the air was charged, as if something unseen had just been there.

The melody from the record player warbled, slowing, distorting into something unnatural before cutting out entirely.

The silence returned, deafening in its weight.

You took a shaky breath, trying to steady yourself, but deep down, you knew you were not alone in this house.

Millions of thoughts raced through your mind. Was this somehow connected to the paintings? It couldnt be, right? Your heartbeat pounded unnaturally fast, breath hitching as your entire body trembled. A violent sob tore from your throat before you could stop it.

Without thinking, you bolted up the stairs, desperate to reach the safety of your room. But just as you reached for the door, it slammed shut in your face.

Tears burned at the corners of your eyes, throat tight with unshed tears. Your gaze darted frantically around the dim hallway before you lunged for the handle, yanking it open.

A ghost? A spirit? No. That thought had long been buried. This wasn't some supernatural force—this was real. Someone had broken in.

You threw the door shut behind you, heart hammering as you stumbled towards the bed and snatched up your phone. Your fingers, trembling and slick with sweat, tapped out the first numbers that came to mind.

911.

Seconds dragged unbearably long as the ringing tone buzzed in your ear. You sank onto the bed, one leg bouncing uncontrollably, hands clenched into fists. Until, finally, a voice called out from the other side.

"911, what's your emergency?" A woman's voice. Soft. Steady.

You sucked in a shaky breath. "I— There's s-someone in my house. I think they broke in. I—I'm pretty sure they're still here." The words spilled out, tripping over themselves.

"Okay, miss. Take a deep breath for me. What's your name and address?"

You answered quickly, throat tightening as you waited.

"Stay on the line with me. Can you tell me what makes you think someone broke in?"

Your fingers clenched tighter around the phone. The memory surged back, ice-cold and unmistakable.

"I saw a man," you whispered. "They spoke to me."

The line crackled for a moment, filling the silence in your room with static. Then, the dispatcher's voice returned—calm, controlled, as if she hadn't just heard the most terrifying thing you've ever said.

"They spoke to you?"

You swallowed hard. "Yes."

"Can you tell me what they said?"

Your mind raced back to that moment—the voice, the way it seemed to slither into your ears like a whisper only meant for you. You could still hear it, low and deliberate, replaying over and over.

You're not supposed to be here.

You squeezed your eyes shut, as if that would make it go away.

"They said I—I shouldn't be here.," you managed, voice barely above a whisper.

A beat of silence. Then, "Y/N, are you somewhere safe?"

Safe.

Your eyes flickered toward the door, the flimsy lock on the knob. A thin piece of wood separating you from whoever, or whatever, was out there.

"I don't know," you admitted.

The dispatcher's voice softened. "Help is on the way, okay? I need you to stay quiet and listen carefully."

A rustling sound echoed from outside your room. Footsteps. Slow. Measured.

Your blood turned ice cold.

"They're still here," you whispered into the phone.

Another pause—this one heavier, more urgent. Then, the dispatcher spoke again, voice low and firm.

"Lock the door. Now."

You lunged for the knob, twisting it until you heard the soft click of the lock sliding into place. You barely had time to step back before a thud sounded from behind it.

Your breath caught in your throat.

Something had just pressed against the door.

The phone shook in your hands. The dispatcher's voice was still in your ear, but you could barely hear her over the blood rushing in your head.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

A slow, deliberate knocking.

Your stomach dropped.

The voice from the other side was familiar.

"Let me in."

It was the same one from earlier.

Your breath hitched.

Every fiber of your being screamed at you to move, to do something, but you were frozen in place, your body paralyzed by sheer terror.

"Let me in."

The words slithered through the door, slow and deliberate.

Your entire body went rigid. You knew that voice. That painstakingly low, guttural tone that had sent a chill down your spine the first time you heard it. The kind of voice that didn't just speak, it crawled under your skin, wrapping around your bones like something cold and suffocating.

It was him.

The man from earlier. The one you'd tried so hard to convince yourself wasn't real.

And now, he was standing just outside your door.

The phone nearly slipped from your grip. Your fingers clenched around it in a desperate attempt to hold on, but the tremors in your hands made it feel like you could drop it at any second. Your breath came in shallow, uneven gasps, chest rising and falling too fast, too erratic.

You opened your mouth to speak, but the words tangled themselves into knots at the back of your throat, choking you. Finally, you forced them out in a ragged whisper.

"T-There's—" Your voice faltered, barely audible over the pounding in your ears. You swallowed hard, forcing down the rising panic threatening to consume you. "There's someone outside my door."

The silence that followed was thick, almost unnatural.

"They're—" You sucked in a sharp breath, gripping the phone so tightly your knuckles turned white. "It's the same one from earlier."

The moment those words left your lips, the air in the room changed.

On the other end of the line, the dispatcher hesitated. It was barely a second, but you felt it. The carefully measured calm in her voice cracked, just slightly, but enough to tell you that she knew that something wasn't right.

"Y/N," she said, slow and deliberate. "Is there anyone else in the house with you?"

You shook your head instinctively before realising she couldn't see you. You swallowed again, throat dry and tight.

"No," you whispered.

Another pause. Another moment of silence.

Until the handle rattled.

Not violently. Not in an attempt to break in. It was slow. Controlled. Testing it.

Your breath hitched, a sharp, strangled sound catching in your throat. You staggered backward, nearly losing your balance as your legs collided with the edge of the bed.

And then it spoke.

"End the call."

The voice was different now, more soft. Too soft. It shouldn't have made your blood run cold, shouldn't have sent that horrible, skittering sensation crawling up your spine.

It sounded like a recording played back at the wrong speed, stretched and warped just enough to feel off. Just enough to make your body reject it, to tell you that whatever was on the other side of that door wasn't supposed to exist.

The dispatcher's voice was tighter now. Urgent. "Listen to me. Stay where you are. Do not open that door. Officers are on route. Can you find anything to barricade it?"

Your brain struggled to process her words, to latch onto them through the growing fog of terror. Your eyes darted around the room, searching desperately for anything to use as a barricade.

The desk. The dresser. The chair in the corner.

Could you move them in time? Would it even matter?

"You're not supposed to be here."

Your stomach twisted violently, nausea clawing its way up your throat.

The rattling of the door handle combined with the knocking managed to drown out the comforting voice on the other side of the phone. 

And then, silence.

The knocking stopped. The rattling ceased. The presence outside the door just... vanished.

The air in the room felt heavier now, thick and unmoving, pressing down on you from all sides. It was as if the walls themselves were holding their breath, waiting.

The dispatcher's voice crackled through the phone, but it felt distant, muffled beneath the deafening ring in your ears.

"Miss? Are you still there?"

You couldn't answer. You couldn't move.

Because your gaze had drifted—just slightly.

The door was still closed. Still locked. But, behind you, the closet was open, creaking slightly as it continued to open until finally, it slammed against the wall.

The closet door slammed against the wall with a force that sent vibrations through the floor, and your breath caught in your throat. The silence that followed was suffocating, a thick, unnatural quiet that pressed against your ears like cotton.

Your body refused to move at first, the sheer weight of the moment rooting you in place. Your eyes locked onto the darkness beyond the threshold of the closet. It wasn't just darkcit was void, an abyss that swallowed the faint glow of your bedside lamp before it could reach inside.

Then, something shifted.

A presence.

At first, it was subtle—a slow, creeping awareness that prickled at the back of your neck. The unmistakable sensation of being watched. A deep, bone-chilling cold seeped into the room, frosting over your skin and sinking into your muscles.

"You're not supposed to be here." The voice from the beginning called out, slithering through the air like an icy tendril, curling around your ear in a breath that wasn't entirely human. It was layered, distorted almost, as if spoken by multiple voices at once, each one slightly out of sync with the other.

Your body reacted before your brain could. You stumbled backward, a sharp gasp escaping your lips as your heel caught the edge of the rug. Your legs buckled, sending you crashing onto the floor.

The phone slipped from your grasp and landed beside you, the dispatcher's voice buzzing through the speaker in broken static.

"Officers... on their way... stay with me—"

You barely heard her.

Because something moved in the closet.

A figure.

It was impossible to make out, but it was there, a mass of shifting darkness that loomed just beyond the threshold. Not quite human, not entirely formless. It seethed in the black, pulsing with something unnatural, something wrong.

And then it stepped forward.

Your breath turned to ice in your lungs.

The air itself seemed to warp around it, bending and distorting like a heat mirage, but cold. Unfathomably cold. The shadows clung to its frame, shifting and unraveling, like the edges of its form couldn't quite stay together.

Then, the hand shot out; long, spindly fingers, impossibly thin yet unnervingly strong, clamped around your wrist. A chill unlike anything you had ever felt surged through you, locking your muscles in place. It wasn't just cold, it was absence, a void where warmth had never existed.

The grip tightened.

A sharp, excruciating pain shot through your arm, like icy needles burrowing beneath your skin. Your pulse thundered in your ears as you let out a strangled scream, instinctively yanking back.

It held firm.

The thing in the closet didn't move, didn't lurch or stagger. It simply existed, an unrelenting force beyond the grasp of reason.

Slowly, deliberately, it began to pull.

Your heels dug into the floor, desperate to find purchase, to fight against the inhuman strength dragging you toward the black maw of the closet. Your free hand flailed wildly, knocking over a lamp, sending glass shards scattering across the hardwood.

A scream tore out your throat, thrashing against the tightening grip.

But just as suddenly as it had grabbed you, it released.

You fell back hard, the impact rattling through your bones as you gasped for air, clutching your wrist. The skin there was ice cold, a deep, aching numbness settling beneath the surface.

The room was still.

Too still.

The figure had retreated.

But the closet door remained open.

The dispatcher's voice crackled through the phone, sharp and urgent.

"Y/N, are you safe? Are you safe?"

You couldn't answer. You couldn't breathe.

Because just as the sirens outside wailed closer, flashing red and blue against your window—

The closet door clicked shut.

And in the heavy silence that followed, you swore you heard it again.

That voice. A breath against the shell of your ear. It was hard to make out what it said, but you could feel its lingering presence all over your body—like hands roaming over you.

Another scream ripped from your throat, raw and unrelenting, as sobs shook your entire body. Your mind struggled to grasp the impossibility of the nightmare unfolding around you, but reality felt fractured, distorted beyond comprehension.

Somewhere in the distance, the dispatcher's voice crackled through the phone, urgent and persistent, The shrill noise of the sirens blended with the dispatcher's frantic calls, layering over the ringing in your ears. A flicker of red and blue light pulsed against the windowpane, flashing in rhythmic bursts, casting eerie shadows across the room.

But you couldn't form words, you could barely even breathe properly. The weight of fear pressed down on your chest like a vice, suffocating, paralyzing.

Your fingers dug into the cold wooden floor, grasping for any sense of stability. With trembling arms, you pushed yourself up, legs wobbling beneath you. Every movement felt sluggish, as if you were moving through water, but you forced yourself to stand.

Help was finally here, but you didn't feel any safer than you did before. What could they possibly do now? There was something much more deeper, darker happening here that the police would not be able to solve.

Deep voices, commanding shouts joined the chaos outside, overlapping with the howling sirens.

Short, rapid breathes left your throat in an attempt to calm yourself down as you slowly took steps towards your door which was still surprisingly locked. Your quivering hands reached out, clasping onto the metallic handle and twisting the door open. A violent banging sounded from downstairs, causing you to flinch in fear, before realising it was just the police outside. They continued to shout, and you managed to make out the sound of your name frantically being called by someone.

Your feet dragged you down the stairs, as you wiped your face, removing any trace of the former tears that had fell from your swollen eyes. Before you could open the door, it was already being pushed open and officers rushed inside. 

Two officers stood in front of you, the other two had taken on the task of exploring your house, checking if there truly was a burglar -- an invader -- lurking inside.

You carefully explained the previous events that had occurred before their arrival, and they listened intently, nodding along to everything you said. Soon enough, the other two joined in with a concerned look etched on their faces.

"There's.." one of them began, all eyes on him. "There's nobody here. We checked every room." He clasped his hands behind his back, glancing towards his colleague. 

"There wasn't a trace of anybody.. But you did leave the front door unlocked." the other added.

"Oh, it must've slipped my mind..." you trailed off, mentally facepalming at your stupidity. You never left the door unlocked. Ever.

Noticing your sullen expression, the female officer spoke up, "Hey, don't worry. We'll do one last check, right?" she looked over at her peers, causing them to nod along, followed by a chorus of 'yes'.

You muttered out a quick thank you, hands clenching into balls in your lap as you watched them make their way back up the stairs, in search of someone you were no longer sure had ever been real.

[misbangtan]

HOBI FUCK 🥵

[magic-shop-stories]

Your content has literally made me cry insanely hard several times now, and I mean that as a compliment. As a break from all that bittersweet, would you maybe be up to writing something sweet/funny about bts introducing their s.o to the members?

💌 Reply:

ahhh... THANK YOU so much for the kind words 🥹💜 Sorry this took ages, but I hope this is what you wanted! I accidentally deleted my draft when I was halway through and had to rewrite it all, so I was a bit pissed and ignored it for a while - I'm sorry... Anyway I hope you enjoy reading! — c —💜

BTS Introducing their Significant Other to the Members - HC

Pairings: BTS x reader Rating: G Genre: fluff, comedy, romance Warnings: none

KIM NAMJOON (RM)

SETUP

plans a "low-key intellectual hangout" at his apartment

= poetry books, ambient jazz, charcuterie board

he spent two hours arranging cheese by acidity levels

he’s nervous

you can tell by how often he adjusts his glasses

How He Introduces You

Stage 1 (Formal)

“Everyone, this is [y/n]. They’re a [job] and… uh… they like Murakami?” 

practiced this in the mirror countless times

Stage 2 (Panic)

when Jin raises an eyebrow

he blurts

“They also hate cilantro. Like me.”

as if this is the ultimate compatibility test

MEMBERS’ REACTIONS

Jin

immediately slides you a glass of wine

“Rate his bedroom skills. Scale of 1 to dimples.”

Namjoon drops his knife

Namjoon: “HYUNG. WHAT.”  You: “Solid 8. Loses points for explaining Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason after.” Jin: “Classic Joon-ah.”

Jin high-fives you

Yoongi

lurks by the bookshelf, then deadpans

Yoongi: “You know he cries during Her, right?” Namjoon: “It’s a philosophical response!” You: “He cried at a McDonald’s commercial last week.” Yoongi: “Keep them.” 

= his version of approval

Hobi

drags you to the dance floor

a.k.a. the 3x3 ft space by the speaker

Hobi: “Teach us your signature move!” You: [attempting the sprinkler] Jungkook: “Iconic.” 

he joins in

Namjoon watches fondly, forgetting to be embarrassed

FUNNY MOMENT

Taehyung finds Namjoon’s Notes App open to “Reasons I Love [y/n] (Draft 7)”

reads it aloud

“1. Their laugh sounds like wind chimes. 2. They don’t judge my plant names. 3. They...”

he snatches the phone

Namjoon: "Privacy is a thing, Tae!” You: “Wait, what’s #3?” Jin: “Obviously ‘they tolerate my hyungs.’”

SWEET MOMENT

Namjoon Checks On You

pulls you aside

hands cupping your elbows

“You okay? They’re… a lot.”

his thumb rubs circles on your skin

“They’re perfect. Like you.”

his ears turn red

“I... uh. Galaxy. You’re my... universe. Or something.” 

= poet ruined

AFTERMATH

Jungkook adds you to the “BTS Group Chat” 

nickname “Joon’s Better Half (Literally)”

Jimin texts you later

“He’s so whipped. Welcome to the family.”

Namjoon falls asleep on your shoulder that night

“Told you they’d love you.”

KIM SEOKJIN (JIN)

SETUP

transforms his penthouse into a "Michelin-Star Experience"

= candles everywhere, suspiciously perfect table settings, a 7-course menu

greets you in a silk robe that accidentally flaps open

"Relax, jagiya! They’ll be jealous of how hot we look."

How He Introduces You

Stage 1 (Grand Entrance)

"Members! Meet the reason I’ve upgraded from ramen to truffle oil!" 

winks

spills champagne on Yoongi’s shoes

Stage 2 (Panic)

when Jimin coos "Aww, hyung’s blushing!"

he deflects

"It’s chef’s glow! Also, they beat my Super Mario Kart record. Marry them."

MEMBERS’ REACTIONS

Yoongi

Immediately sniffs the "homemade" bisque

Yoongi: "Tastes like... Yeosu’s Seafood Palace. Three Michelin stars. Interesting." Jin: "I... adapted their recipe!"

he sweats visibly

You: "He burned water twice this week. We ordered in."

Yoongi smirks

slides you his number

"Call me when he starves you."

Hobi demands a "Couple Dance Challenge!"

Jin: "Observe my tango!" You: "That was the sprinkler, babe."

Jungkook films it

caption: "Worldwide Clumsy."

Taehyung pulls you aside mid-salad course

Taehyung: "He owns 37 BTS plushies. Sleeps with an RJ nightlight. Tell no one." Jin: "YAH! Stop seducing my partner with secrets!" 

flings a bread roll

FUNNY MOMENT

Soufflé Incident

Jin’s "signature dessert" collapses

Jin: "NO! MY MASTERPIECE!" Jimin: "It’s a metaphor, hyung! Like... collapsed dreams?" You: "Or just bad baking." Jin: "Fine! Emergency dessert!" 

pulls out a bought cheesecake

SWEET MOMENT

Jin Checks On You

finds you hiding in the kitchen, overwhelmed

"Hey. Worldwide Handsome to the rescue." 

leans against fridge

"They’re idiots, but our idiots. Okay?"

tugs you close, voice uncharacteristically soft

"Yah. You’re my favorite view." 

presses a kiss to your flour-dusted hair

AFTERMATH

Group Chat Add

Jin creates "Jin’s Prettier-Half Protection Squad" 

= members OT7 + you

first message:

Jin: "RULES: No flirting with my partner! No stealing cheesecake! Jungkook stop sending gym selfies!"

Jimin sends a selfie of him and you and Jin’s abandoned soufflé

"New couple photo!"

MIN YOONGI (SUGA)

SETUP

does not do "meet the members" events

but after six months of dating, he finally caves

on his terms

brings you to his studio under the guise of "needing feedback on a track" 

= a lie

it's just the only place he feels in control

How He Introduces You

Stage 1 (Casual Avoidance)

"This is [y/n]. They're... here." 

gestures vaguely

refuses eye contact

Stage 2 (Defensive)

"No, you cannot interrogate them. No, Jin-hyung, they don't want to hear about my trainee-era mullet."

Stage 3 (Unintentional Softness)

when you compliment his equipment

mumbles under his breath

"They know their shit..." 

tiniest smirk on bis lips

this is how the members know it's serious

MEMBERS' REACTIONS

Jin leans against the mixing board

Jin: "So. How exactly did you tolerate this grumpy cat long enough to date him?" Yoongi: "Hyung. Leave."

he is glaring

tho doesn't deny the "grumpy cat" label

You: "I bribed him with coffee. And silence." Jin: "A soulmate."

Hobi immediately challenges you to a "studio dance-off" 

= a.k.a. embarrassing Yoongi

you attempt the "Haegeum" choreo, failing spectacularly

Yoongi: "Yah. Stop." 

he's hiding a smile behind his hand

Jungkook notices the extra headphones Yoongi bought just for you

Jungkook: "Hyung... you never share your studio."

Yoongi: "They're quiet. Unlike some people." 

you catch his pinky brushing yours

FUNNY MOMENT

Jimin finds Yoongi's secret playlist titled "[y/n] Vibes" 

= full of lo-fi and one Taylor Swift song

Jimin: "Oh my god. Yoongi-hyung has feelings." Yoongi: "Delete that. Now." 

too late

screenshot is already in the group chat

You: "I knew you liked 'Cruel Summer'!"

SWEET MOMENT

Yoongi Checks On You

between members' chaos, he tugs you aside

"You good? They're... a lot." 

his thumb traces your wrist

= his version of a lifeline

you whisper "I love them. And you."

he looks away, but his ears are red

AFTERMATH

Taehyung adopts you as his "new muse" 

starts sketching you during meetings

Namjoon texts you later

"He’s never let anyone touch his studio equipment. Ever."

Yoongi "accidentally" leaves his hoodie in your bag

"It’s cold..." 

it’s July

JUNG HOSEOK (J-HOPE)

SETUP

plans a "fun, casual, totally-not-overwhelming" dance studio hangout

room is suspiciously clean

there's a snack bar with heart-shaped rice balls

he's changed outfits three times

insists "It's just chill."

he is bouncing on his toes

How He Introduces You

Stage 1 (Enthusiastic)

"GUYS! This is my favorite person!!" 

lifts your hand like a boxing champ

Stage 2 (Panic)

when you look nervous, he blurts: 

"They can dance! Probably! Watch this..." 

tries to spin you

you stumble

he catches you

 "...Graceful!"

MEMBERS' REACTIONS

Jimin immediately challenges you to another dance-off

Hobi: "Babe, show him your signature move!"

you do

Jin leans in

Jin: "How do you handle his morning energy? Does he sing while making coffee?" You: "He does the cha-cha while toasting bread." Jin: "Ah. A menace." 

Yoongi lurks in the corner

Yoongi: "They seem… quiet." Hobi: "They’re mysterious! And scary good at Mario Kart." Yoongi: "…Keep them."

FUNNY MOMENT

Jungkook: "Do they know about Hobi’s shower concerts?" You: "Oh, I have playlists. Wanna hear his Noraebang version of ‘Dynamite’?" Hobi: "TRAITOR!" 

chases you

you hide behind Tae

SWEET MOMENT

Hobi Checks On You

pulls you aside mid-chaos

hands framing your face

"You good? Too much? I can tone it down." 

you whisper: "I love your chaos."

he grins so wide his cheeks hurt

"Yeah? Good. Because this is your life now."

AFTERMATH

Taehyung adds you to his "Favorite Humans" list

Namjoon texts you: 

"You survived. Welcome to the circus."

Hobi falls asleep that night, head on your lap

murmuring: "Knew they’d adore you."

PARK JIMIN

SETUP

plans a "cozy movie night" at the dorm

complete with fairy lights, a mountain of blankets, every snack known to mankind

he’s bouncing with excitement

texting you all day

“Hyungs are gonna love you! Just be yourself! But maybe don’t mention the time I cried over Toy Story 3.”

How He Introduces You

Stage 1 (Excited Puppy Mode)

“GUYS. THIS IS MY PERSON.” 

literally drags you into the room by the hand

Stage 2 (Possessive Cuddles)

pulls you onto his lap in front of everyone

“Mine. Look at them.” 

Jin coos

Yoongi groans

MEMBERS’ REACTIONS

Jin immediately tests your humor

Jin: “Jiminie sings in the shower. Rate his high notes.” You: “Depends. Is dying whale a note?” Jimin: (gasps) “Betrayal.”

but he’s grinning

Jungkook: “They’re perfect for you.”

Hobi challenges you to a Just Dance duel

you attempt “Butter” 

tripping over the coffee table

Hobi: “10/10 for effort!”

Jimin claps like you won an Oscar

Yoongi raises a brow

Yoongi: “You know he steals hoodies, right?”

you pull up sleeve to reveal Jimin’s stolen BTS tour shirt

Yoongi: “Ah. Another victim.”

he smiles

FUNNY MOMENT

Taehyung finds Jimin’s Notes App open to “Reasons I’m Obsessed”: “1. Their laugh. 2. Their eyes. 3. They let me bite their sandwiches.”

"TAEHYUNG-AH. DELETE THAT.” 

tackles him

“Wait, #3 is accurate though.”

SWEET MOMENT

Jimin Checks On You

between movies, he pulls you into the kitchen

hands framing your face

“You okay? Too much?” 

eyes wide, earnest

“They’re amazing. Like you.”

he melts

“Jagi… I’m so happy.” 

kisses your forehead

Jungkook awws from the doorway

AFTERMATH

Jungkook adds you to the “BTS Chaos Group Chat” as “Jimin’s Favorite Human.”

Taehyung DMs you

“Welcome to the Jimin Protection Squad.” 

sends a selca with Jimin mid-pout

Jimin falls asleep curled around you

KIM TAEHYUNG (V)

SETUP:

Taehyung doesn’t plan introductions

he orchestrates experiences

instead of a casual meet-up, he surprises everyone (including you) with a "Renaissance-Themed Picnic" in a secluded garde

there are velvet blankets, antique teacups...

How He Introduces You

Stage 1 (Dramatic)

wearing a beret and a silk scarf

presents you like a masterpiece

"Members, behold! My muse... the one who laughs at my bad jokes and steals my sweaters."

Stage 2 (Unscripted)

when Jimin coos, Taehyung pulls you into a slow waltz

"They’re also really good at this." 

you are not?

he doesn’t care

MEMBERS’ REACTIONS

Jin raises a champagne flute

Jin: "Finally, someone who appreciates real art, like my face." Taehyung: "Hyung, please." You: "I do appreciate your face, Jin." Jin: "Keep them."

Yoongi eyes the harpist who has been playing

Yoongi:"How much did this cost?" Taehyung: "Art is priceless, hyung." Yoongi: "That’s not an answer." You: "I’ll Venmo you half." Yoongi: "I like them."

Jungkook challenges you to a "flower crown showdown"

Taehyung: "They’re winning." (you are not) Jungkook: "No way! Mine has daisies!" You: "Yours looks like a salad."

Taehyung wears both crowns for the rest of the day

FUNNY MOMENT

Hobi finds Taehyung’s "Love Notes to [y/n]" journal

reads aloud

"Day 87: They sneezed like a kitten today. Perfect."

Taehyung: "Privacy, Hobi-hyung!" 

but he’s grinning

You: "I do sneeze like a kitten." Jimin: "This is the cutest disaster I’ve ever seen."

SWEET MOMENT

Taehyung Checks On You

pulls you aside under a willow tree

"You okay? They’re a lot." 

his fingers lace with yours, squeezing gently

he kisses your knuckles

"You’re stuck with us now."

AFTERMATH

Jimin adds you to the "Protect Taehyung’s Heart" group chat

it’s just pictures of him crying at dramas

Yoongi texts you later

"He’s never been this happy. Don’t break him." 

then sends a "Just kidding. Maybe."

Taehyung falls asleep in your lap

"Told you they’d adore you."

JEON JUNGKOOK

SETUP

plans a "chill gaming night" at his place - which means:

8 consoles hooked up to a TV (as big as possible)

snack mountain that could feed a small army

him nervously reorganizing the controller cords for the 15th time

How He Introduces You

Stage 1 (Excited Puppy)

"Hyungs! This is [y/n]! They're... they're THE BEST!"

proceeds to lift you in a bear hug

Stage 2 (Possessive)

"And they're MINE so NO FLIRTING ESPECIALLY YOU TAEHYUNG!"

Stage 3 (Panic)

when you wave hello, he suddenly realizes: "Wait... do they even LIKE video games?!"

MEMBERS' REACTIONS

Jin immediately challenges you to Mario Kart

Jin: "If you beat me, you get my blessing. If I win... you have to call me 'Worldwide Handsome' for a week." Jungkook: "NO FAIR HYUNG YOU'RE A PRO AT THIS"

you proceed to absolutely demolish Jin

Jin: "Okay I hate you. Welcome to the family."

Yoongi takes one look at how JK keeps touching your shoulder and smirks

Yoongi: "So. How long until you move in?" Jungkook: (spits out his drink) You: "About three weeks ago?" Yoongi: "Knew it." 

then goes back to his phone

Hobi makes you do the "ARMY chant" as an initiation

when you nail it:

"OH MY GOD THEY'RE PERFECT KEEP THEM FOREVER"

FUNNY MOMENT

Taehyung finds Jungkook's secret playlist titled "Songs That Remind Me of [y/n]"

plays it on the Bluetooth speaker

it's just 'Perfect' by Ed Sheeran 17 times

Jungkook turns tomato red and tackles Tae to the ground

You: "Awwwwww" Jungkook: "DON'T 'AWW' THIS IS SERIOUS"

SWEET MOMENT

Jungkook Checks On You

between games, he pulls you into the kitchen under the pretense of getting drinks

cups your face

"You okay? They're not too much?"

you smile

"You're doing so good jagiya. They all love you."

kisses your forehead before anyone can see

finds you teaching Jimin an English slang word

watches from the doorway with heart eyes

Jimin: "Yah! Your boyfriend is making that gross lovestruck face again."

AFTERMATH

you are added to the group chat as "Kookie's Heart Attack"

Jin sends you monthly "How to Deal With Jungkook" guides

Jungkook changes your contact name to "My Win 🏆"

shows it off to EVERYONE

[kpopreplays]

[greenxgloss]

Could you do one where the reader is pregnant and yoongi is just helping her through the pains, like nausea, throwing up, idk like bad stomach aches etc…

Thank you!!!!!

A/n: i would be soooo happy to continue writing for this au if you have more requests for it but ngl i was drawing a blank with this one bc i have as much knowledge about pregnancy as my HS parenting class and google gave me lmao i also idk ive never really thought about or fantasized about being pregnant with someone so i dont really know like... what to fantasize about??? ig? idk but this being said ill still write this au if requested esp because this was so short and i feel so bad abt it

Pregnancy, Panic, and Yoongi’s Patience

Pairing: FatherToBe!Yoongi x Pregnant!Reader Summary: In the quiet chaos of early pregnancy, you battle morning sickness and bizarre cravings while Yoongi proves, in every tender and tired moment, that love—and his steady presence—makes it all a little easier to bear. Themes: Y/n getting emotional and morning sickness, Yoongi literally being the cutest dad-to-be, fluffy fluff Word Count: 1.4k

You weren’t sure what woke you first—the nausea creeping up your throat like a bad secret, or the gentle weight of Yoongi’s hand resting protectively on your belly, half-asleep and instinctual even in slumber.

The answer didn’t really matter. You were up. And unfortunately, so was your stomach.

You shuffled as quietly as you could out of bed, hoping to make it to the bathroom without waking him. You almost succeeded, too—until your foot caught the edge of the hallway rug and the smallest gasp slipped past your lips.

A moment later, you heard sheets rustle behind you.

“Y/N?” His voice was low, husky with sleep. “Bathroom?”

You didn’t answer right away, too focused on kneeling over the toilet and regretting everything you’d eaten the day before.

Then, quietly: “Yeah.”

A beat passed. Then soft footsteps padded behind you, followed by a hand gathering your hair back and another gently resting on your spine.

“Third time this week,” Yoongi murmured, squatting next to you with a yawn. “Your stomach’s got terrible taste.”

You let out a weak laugh as you wiped your mouth. “Don’t talk about our child like that.”

“Fair.” He brushed his fingers lightly over your temple, the way he always did when he wasn’t sure how else to help. “You okay? Want water?”

You nodded, curling against the cool tile wall as he disappeared and returned a moment later with a glass of water and a cold washcloth.

“Your hands are warm,” you muttered as he dabbed your forehead. “Feels nice.”

“I read somewhere it’s supposed to help.” He sat on the floor next to you, his legs crossed, sleep still in his eyes but heart fully awake. “Not that Google’s been that useful. Every site says something different. One said ginger tea, one said crackers, one said essential oils… I might just get you all three.”

You leaned your head on his shoulder. “You’re trying too hard.”

“Trying just enough.” He tilted his head to rest against yours. “You’re growing a person. I can grow into a husband who Googles too much.”

You smiled tiredly, stomach still in knots but heart slowly settling. He smelled like sleep and laundry detergent, his hoodie soft against your cheek. There was no miracle fix for morning sickness—but having him here like this, solid and gentle and yours, made it feel a little more survivable.

“You should go back to sleep,” you whispered.

Yoongi shook his head. “You’re not going through this alone.”

And for the first time that morning, something in you relaxed.

Even if your body was turning against you, even if the days ahead would be filled with more discomfort and nausea and crying for no reason—you had this.

You had him.

And somehow, that made all the difference.

-

After brushing your teeth and drinking water, you sat on the couch, Yoongi insisting on making you breakfast while you rested.

You were curled up, wrapped in one of Yoongi’s oversized hoodies and swaddled in the fluffiest blanket he could find. The early morning sun was still a shy glow behind the curtains, casting a soft amber hue across the living room. Yoongi was in the kitchen making toast—the only thing you could even think about stomaching right now—but your eyes weren’t on the food.

They were on him.

Your husband. Quiet and focused, hair a bit messy, sleeves pushed up as he hovered over the toaster like it was a mission from the gods. The way he moved—gentle, unhurried, careful—like the whole world might shatter if he didn’t get it right… it undid you.

By the time he walked over, balancing the plate and a glass of water in one hand, you were already blinking too fast, heart caught in your throat.

“Hey,” he said softly, crouching beside you, setting the plate on the table. “Still nauseous?”

You nodded, then shook your head. “It’s not that.”

Yoongi’s eyes flicked to your face, concern washing over him instantly. “What is it? Do you need—”

You cut him off with a shaky breath. “No—it’s nothing bad. I just…” Your voice caught as tears welled up, thick and sudden. “You’re just… really good to me.”

He blinked, confused for half a second. Then he moved. Quietly, without a word, he sank onto the couch beside you and pulled you into his arms.

And that’s when it broke.

You buried your face in his hoodie, tears slipping silently down your cheeks, soft and overwhelmed and grateful in a way words couldn’t hold.

“I’m just… so happy,” you whispered. “I didn’t know it would feel like this. I didn’t know I’d get someone like you.”

Yoongi’s hand slid up your back, warm and grounding. “You’re scaring me a little,” he murmured, kissing your hair. “But also… I think I know what you mean.”

You pulled back just enough to see his face. “You’re going to be such a good dad.”

Something in his expression shifted—surprise first, then something deeper. His eyes softened, full of something almost shy. “Yeah?” he asked, barely above a whisper.

You nodded, smiling through tears. “I already see it. The way you talk to the baby, the way you take care of me. You’re patient, and kind, and…” You sniffled. “God, I’m a mess.”

He chuckled gently, brushing a thumb under your eye. “You’re not a mess. You’re just really pregnant and really loved.”

That made you laugh, and cry a little more, and then curl back into his arms.

Yoongi kissed the crown of your head, resting his chin there. “I don’t have it all figured out yet,” he murmured, “but I’ll show up. Every day. For you and for them. That I can promise.”

And in the quiet, wrapped up in his arms with the morning light growing warmer, you believed him.

You didn’t need perfection. You just needed this. The kind of love that stays.

“Yoongi,” you said, completely serious, eyes locked with his like you’d just discovered the solution to world peace. “I need pickles.”

Yoongi didn’t even blink from where he was folding laundry on the bed. “Okay. Pickles I can do.”

You paused dramatically. “But also… chocolate frosting.”

This time he blinked. Slowly. “Like, as a dip?”

You nodded solemnly, rubbing your belly as if that might lend some credibility. “I saw someone do it on TikTok. They said it was life-changing. Sweet and salty. The perfect combo.”

Yoongi set the towel down. “Babe. With all due respect, and from a place of genuine love… that sounds like a crime against food.”

You frowned. “I’m growing a human. I get to commit at least one food crime.”

He sighed, already reaching for his keys. “If we end up in the ER tonight because your stomach rejects your Frankenstein snack, I’m telling the doctor it was your idea.”

—

Ten minutes later, you were at the kitchen counter, pickles in one hand, a tub of frosting in the other, staring at them with almost reverent anticipation. Yoongi leaned against the fridge, arms crossed, watching like you were about to detonate a bomb.

“You sure you want to do this?” he asked one last time.

You dipped the pickle into the frosting, eyes narrowing at his doubt. “Watch and learn, Min Yoongi.”

You took a bite.

And immediately gagged.

Yoongi didn’t even try to hide the slow, victorious smirk spreading across his face. “Oh no, baby. What happened to life-changing?”

You spit the offending combo into a napkin, dramatically slumping onto the counter. “It betrayed me.”

He chuckled, walking over to rub soothing circles on your back. “Told you it sounded like a war crime.”

“It was supposed to be sweet and salty,” you mumbled miserably. “Instead it was… cursed.”

Yoongi kissed your temple, grinning. “Let’s just stick to normal weird stuff, okay? Like orange juice and cereal. Or hot Cheetos and yogurt.”

“I never said I was gonna stop trying weird stuff,” you said, voice muffled into the counter. “Next week might be tuna and jelly.”

“Absolutely not,” he said instantly. “I draw the line at seafood and fruit spreads.”

You giggled, turning to look at him, feeling your heart soften as he cleaned up your failed experiment without complaint.

“You still love me, right?”

He looked at you like the question offended him. “Of course. Even if you try to poison yourself with snack choices.”

And when he kissed you, quick and sweet, you made a mental note: no more pickle-frosting disasters. But also… maybe he was onto something with the cereal and OJ.

Maybe.

➽ Yoongi Masterlist ➽ Main Masterlist ➽ Kpop Masterlist ➽ G-Dragon Masterlist ➽ Buy Me a Coffee

[foreignjaykay]

company (a jungkook fic)

part one - "you wish i'd miss you,"

company - a jungkook fic

can we keep each other company?

their workplace was chaos, but jungkook made it fun. their camaraderie was effortless—until he decided to leave. no big deal. people quit all the time. so why does it feel like everything is about to change?

pairing: jungkook x reader

genre: r18+ (angst, fluff) minors do not interact!

chapter warnings/misc: workplace!au, coworkers!au, event planner!jk, event planner!oc, jk is not famous, angst, fluff, sad, crack, event planner!mingyu, bts in event planning company, unserious friend group, they are so silly and unserious, mean boss - yeah no she sucks, ANGST, IDIOTS both of them, yeah i guess thats it...for now hehe

notes: hello everyone!!! hehe its my first fic on tumblr and my first ever jk fic so i really hope you guys like it. im writing after so many years so please ignore mistakes eh. its kinda based on my personal experiences. things will only get interesting as this fic progresses.. lots of new characters will come in the next chapter! this fic will honestly pick up its pace from the second chapter!! anywho lets get into it!! <3

moodboard • playlist • series masterlist

The first thing you saw when you unlocked your phone this morning was a text from Jungkook. That in itself was weird—he wasn’t the type to be up this early, let alone texting people.

jaykay (work) [8:50am]: hi :)

you [8:50am]: oh my god. what did you forget?

jaykay (work)  [8:51am]: have some faith in me. i was texting for something entirely different. 😒

you[8:51am]: are you sick? held hostage? blink twice if you need help.

jaykay (work) [8:52am]: how da hell are u so dramatic in the morning

you [8:52am]: come to the point jungkook

jaykay [8:52am]: fine. 🙄 don’t bring lunch today

you [8:53am]: why?

jaykay (work) [8:53am]: lunch is on me. taking you, shane and mingyu out for ramen

you [8:53am]: 🤨🤨🤨

jaykay (work) [8:54am]: see you in office🥰

You squinted at the screen, trying to process the words through your morning haze. This man barely made it to work before noon on most days, always breezing in with an iced americano and a sheepish grin. And yet here he was, awake and making lunch plans at 9 AM? Suspicious. Very suspicious.

It’s fixed, you know? Him being late to work, getting sarcastic remarks from the bosses - Natasha, the reporting manager (god did she love micromanaging the team) and Kim Song, the director of your company.

But whatever, free ramen was free ramen and, on that note, you finally woke up and went to get ready for the weird day that was ahead of you.

By the time you got to the office, the usual chaos had already begun. Natasha, wasn’t physically present today, thank the lord for that, you thought, but her presence loomed over Zoom calls like a dark cloud. You had barely set down her bag before her laptop screen lit up with an incoming call. Does this woman ever chill?

“Good morning, team,” Natasha’s clipped voice rang out as the screen loaded. “Let’s go over the deliverables for today.” Her screen was hidden and she was on a holiday like she had very explicitly mentioned the week before she left.

You suppressed a groan as you saw Jungkook and Mingyu joining the call too. Shane, their CS intern, looked half-asleep. Jungkook, though, was oddly quiet, his usual playful banter nowhere to be seen. His leg bounced under the desk, fingers drumming against the tabletop.

You shot him a look, but he didn’t meet your eyes.

Okay that was weird, wasn’t it?

You looked towards Mingyu and Shane to see if they noticed Jungkook being a little off today but to your surprise they were engrossed on what Natasha was instructing on the upcoming event which was the luxurious Cartier dinner.

Classic Natasha, putting her work on us while she sips on pina coladas on the beach after this 10-minute meeting. You wanted to be as carefree as her sometimes, how easily she just threw her tasks on others.

Throughout the meeting, you couldn’t help but steal glances at Jungkook which thankfully he didn’t notice.

Or at least that’s what you thought.

Jungkook knew you. He knew how curious you got sometimes and he also knew currently the wheels were turning in your head wondering why he was being so awkward. He smiled internally, thinking how much you knew him and how much he was going to miss you.

If you kept looking at him like that, he was going to crack. He just hoped you wouldn’t figure it out before he told you himself.

Once the meeting was over, you quickly went towards the design studio in the office, greeting Yuna and So-hee who seemed like had just come to office with the way they were switching on their systems for the day.

“I really need the final design renders for the stage setup and the seating plan for Cartier, Yuna,” You said worried knowing that if you don’t get these renders in next half an hour then the costing would delay and then Natasha…yeah no.

Its as if Jungkook got a sign, he entered the design studio greeting Yuna, So-hee, and Dae and standing next to you as if to ease the tension you had going on.

“Babe, give me 10 minutes, the renders are ready. I’ll email it to you, Natasha and Namjoon,” Yuna said as she started working on her system. You nodded your head and gave her a worried smile.

“Mark me in the email too,” Jungkook said instantly and you gave him a pointed look. Yuna seemed to mirror your thoughts and raised her eyebrows towards him.

Seeing that you both were confused, Jungkook chuckles and says, “__, you should be happy that I am willingly asking to be marked on emails,” which makes you roll your eyes playfully and smirk.

“Also, I don’t have nothing big going on currently, project wise, so I’ll follow up for the costings and Natasha will stay away from my ass,” Jungkook continues and laughs with Yuna, So-hee and Dae.

You looked at him as he was sort of back in his carefree self but something still felt off. You just couldn’t put your finger on what this feeling was.

Lunch couldn’t come fast enough. The second Natasha’s second call for the day wrapped up the call, you shut your laptop and turned towards Jungkook who along with Mingyu and Shane was joking and was waiting for you to get done.

“Okay, spill. What’s with the mystery since today morning?” You immediately asked him and he couldn’t help but chuckle nervously.

Mingyu slung an arm around Jungkook’s shoulders, grinning. “Yeah, dude. You’re making me nervous.”

Shane, ever the observer, just raised a brow. “Is this about work? God I can’t wait to dig into some good ramen after hearing Natasha ramble since past 15 mins. 15 mins with her feel like 2 hours,” Shane continued rambling earning laughs from the three of you.

Jungkook let out a breath, running a hand through his hair. “Let’s just get to lunch first.”

That didn’t help your growing suspicion, but you let it slide—at least until the 4 of you reached the ramen place.

The aroma of rich broth and sizzling garlic filled the tiny ramen shop. Shane and Mingyu were already practically vibrating with hunger, menus discarded, ready to order. You, however, were still scanning the options, your stomach rumbling in anticipation. Just as you were about to decide, you and Jungkook spoke in unison: “Japchae.”

A surprised laugh bubbled up. “You wanna have japchae too?” you asked, a little thrill of connection sparking despite the weirdness of the morning. He nodded, a small smile playing on his lips, and ordered for both of you.

Minutes later, steaming bowls of ramen and the shared plate of japchae arrived. The savory scent made your mouth water. You took a tentative bite of the japchae, the noodles perfectly chewy, the vegetables crisp and flavorful. It was delicious. But Jungkook just sat there, chopsticks hovering over his bowl. He had a strange expression—not quite annoyed, but… something. You knew that look. It was his tell when food was exceptionally good. That’s just his weird trait.

You took the second bite yourself to see if it was and it was really good.

“I got another job.”

Silence.

Your stomach dropped.

Then, Mingyu blinked. “Wait, what?”

Jungkook shifted in his seat, avoiding their gazes. “I got an offer from an event company. They handle production for A-list musicians—concerts, world tours, all of it.” But you could see how proud he was. This was his dream.

“Oh, shit, that’s huge,” Shane said, eyes wide and dramatically keeping his chopsticks on the side.

Jungkook looked at you trying to gauge for your reaction.

You swallowed, gripping your chopsticks a little tighter. “Wow. That’s… incredible, Jungkook.” You said genuinely but why did it feel so off? Why did it feel like you were losing everything? People leave jobs all the time and this is no different, so why was it feeling all to different suddenly?

When you congratulated him, you meant it. You really did. He deserved this. But there was a weird, hollow feeling in your chest. Something tight that you couldn’t quite name.

Jungkook was watching you and asked, “You okay?”

You forced a smile but to everyone it looked genuine. “Of course. This is a big deal. I am so happy for you, Jungkook!” Mingyu and Shane mirrored your smile and congratulated him to which Jungkook threw an honest smile.

His eyes still lingered for a second longer before he nodded, turning his attention back to his food. But you could tell he didn’t fully believe you.

Mingyu and Shane immediately started asking him the questions about his new company and the new job and Jungkook excitedly answered them all and you were interested too to know all the details.

Once the 4 of you were done with the lunch, you asked him, “So when are you telling Natasha?”

“Next week, and then 2 weeks’ notice,” He said looking at you as if he was trying to find an emotion out of you.

“Damn bro, you are leaving us so soon.” Shane said and you looked at Jungkook.

“Now at least I will have some proper desk space at the office,” You tried to joke which earned you a playful eye roll from Jungkook.

“Oh my god, I have to plan a farewell party for you now,” Mingyu joked and you laughed. For the whole lunch, this is the first time Jungkook noticed you genuinely smiling and it was all thanks to Mingyu’s dramatic nature.

The rest of the workday felt strangely off-balance. Even though nothing had technically changed yet, you felt the weight of the upcoming shift pressing down on you. The knowledge that soon, Jungkook wouldn’t be here anymore—wouldn’t be there to roll his eyes at Natasha’s ridiculous demands, wouldn’t be crashing at her desk with an iced coffee and a new piece of gossip, wouldn’t be around to share those unspoken glances when things got too absurd.

You had started hating how much that realization unsettled you.

It was Jungkook who got you out of your dazed thoughts when he said, “___, I have asked Namjoon hyung for the Cartier costing and he is working on it,”

You threw a sincere smile towards him and nodded while he went back on his desk and worked on some small projects he had going on.

gyu (work) [3pm]: are you okay?

Once you read the text, you immediately looked at him but he acted to be so engrossed in his work and you couldn’t help but look back into your phone and text back

you [3:01pm]: yeah, why?

gyu (work) [3:01pm]: you sure about that? ever since jk dropped that bomb, you have been quiet and so has he.

That got your attention. Were you that obvious?

you [3:02pm]: no nothing like that. im happy that he got this. he deserves it!! also when is the blue label bottle engraving costing going to the client? natasha has been on my ass about it since morning. send it asap please <33

gyu [3:03pm]: girl i gotta give it to you, nice attempt to change the convo but we aren’t done yet. ugh why are you my senior? im sending it in 5

By the time the day ended and finally the costings for Cartier had gone out (thanks to Jungkook and Joon), you had convinced yourself you were just being dramatic. People left jobs all the time. This wasn’t a big deal. It shouldn’t be a big deal.

Mingyu and Shane had already left for the day and the design studio was also empty leaving only you and Jungkook in the client servicing department. For a Monday, people had left earlier than usual, you thought to yourself.

You looked at the clock and saw it was 7pm already.

While you packed your bags, like routine, Jungkook waited for you. He dropped you home everyday given that you both lived nearby and your apartment came on the way to his.

However, the silence between the two of you felt heavier than usual.

“You’re quiet,” he finally said as the two of you entered the elevator.

You forced a laugh and adjusted your purse, trying to look anywhere but at him. “So are you.”

The two of you exited the elevator and sat in his car, he started the engine. For the first time ever, the silence between the two of you was uncomfortable.

Jungkook sighed, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel as he took the familiar route and said, “Are you really happy for me?”

You immediately turned to look at him, meeting his gaze in the dim glow of the streetlights. “Yes, I am. Why would you think I am not?”

His smile was small, a little sad. “Alright. You and I haven’t spoken much since lunch,”

You didn’t know why, but something in your chest ached at that. But you ignored it,  and looking towards and giving him a smile and said, “Jungkook, I am so happy for you. I am. I know you wanted this and now you have it,”

For the first time in the whole day, he smiled genuinely at you.

“Will you miss me?,” He asked as he stopped the car right out of your apartment and looked at you with his doe eyes that carry the sta-

Wait what?!

You ignored whatever that thought was and quickly composed yourself and laughed at him. “You wish I would miss you,” You joked playfully and he rolled his eyes.

“On a serious note, yes I will. Who will I tolerate Natasha with?” You continued and he let out a small chuckle.

“Anyway I have to go. See you tomorrow boss,” you finally said, and then you were gone, disappearing into the building.

Jungkook sat there for a moment, staring after you.

He knew you better than you thought. He knew when you were genuinely happy, when you were just pretending, when you were holding back something you didn’t want to say. And tonight, you were definitely holding back.

Jungkook sighed, leaning his head back against the car seat. Leaving this job was supposed to be exciting, a step up, an opportunity of a lifetime. And it was.

But why did it feel like he was losing something, too?

part 2

© foreignjaykay

[jesssart]

Bangtan Year💜

Still can’t believe it’s now 2025, time flies… and they will be back as a group in just a few months!🥹💜