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moonchild1 · 1 year ago

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MUST READ YOU HEARD ME!!

Shatter With Me | Waving The White Flag

↳ Model!Jungkook x Surrogate!f.Reader ⤜ Surrogacy, Best Friend's Husband ⤜ Rating: MA 🔞 ⤜ WC: 18,286 ⚠️ Crass language, talk of infertility, drinking, very mild bullying and references to cruel behavior/words, talk of surrogacy, at-home medical procedure, genital touching (non-sexual), planned pregnancy, talk of pregnancy termination/abortion, BIG hurt feelings, open palm slapping, accusations of infidelity

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Jungkook

Jungkook never thought he’d be haunted by such a small, seemingly insignificant thing. A tiny pastel pink line. Singular. Just like all the ones before it. He’s lost count of exactly how many, but it’s been years; every month, the same outcome. A singular pink line telling him he’s failed. He knows that’s a bit harsh, but it’s how he’s starting to feel—like a complete and utter failure.

“We’ll try again next month,” Jiyoon offers, dropping the offending piece of plastic in the bathroom trash before giving Jungkook a tight smile.

“Have you given any more thought to trying IVF again?” Jungkook asks hesitantly, knowing that’s a sore subject. But, dammit, he’s not in the proper headspace right now to think better of it.

Jiyoon glares at him, her pouty pink lips drawing taut. “I told you not to ask me that ever again. Now, get out. I’d like to take a shower.” When Jungkook doesn’t immediately move from his perch on the bathroom counter, she tags on a frustrated, “Please.”

Jungkook hops down, his socked feet swishing over the tiled floor as he retreats into the master bedroom. The door forcefully shuts right on his heels, echoing the hollow ache in the center of his chest. He promised himself that if it didn’t happen this time, he’d just try harder next time.

Yet, there is only so much he can do. Pushing any harder might widen the rift slowly forming between him and his wife. Already, Jiyoon spends more time at work than with him. Her glares of irritation any time he seeks intimacy outside of their strict ovulation schedule are like holes being punched into his resolve.

After nearly two years of trying, he sought medical answers a year ago. Jiyoon was quite cross with him when she found out he went to the doctor, but he needed to know if it was his fault they were having trouble conceiving. The numbers were standard, slightly higher than average even. The utter devastation on Jiyoon’s face, he’ll never be able to forget that day. Because if he isn’t the problem…then that means she is.

It’s his fault. He wasn’t even thinking about that potential. Jiyoon hasn’t been the same since. That’s when the schedule came into play. That’s when she started to pour far more energy into waiting for the perfect moment instead of just enjoying their time together.

Jungkook can see the disappointment, the guilt that eats away at her each time that single pink line reveals itself. He wishes more than anything there was a way to change it, something more he could do. Yet, she refuses to consider the option of IVF, not after the horror story she heard from her friend Dani. She refuses to even talk about it.

There has to be another way; he’s just not sure what it might be. Jungkook is at a loss, and it feels like the weight of the world is sitting heavy right between his shoulders. The shower kicks on in the bathroom, and Jungkook decides to busy himself by making Jiyoon a cup of tea for when she gets out. He knows she’ll want to spend some time relaxing before bed, and tea always helps.

💔💔💔

Not a day goes by that you don’t think about your best friend, Jiyoon, and the unfortunate circumstances that have befallen her and her husband. It’s not a secret amongst your peers that they’ve been trying to start a family with no luck for several years. It breaks your heart every time she gives you a shake of her head when you look at her with hopeful eyes.

Today isn’t any different. You’re sitting at your desk, absently clicking through the latest portfolio files you got from Namjoon, when Jiyoon walks by your desk, heading toward hers. She’s half an hour late this morning, something that’s pretty routine every few weeks. It’s like clockwork. You’re aware of the ovulation schedule that she and Jungkook keep and know that she allows herself extra time the morning after taking a test to steel herself against the disappointment that will come from the pitying stares in the office.

You catch her eye as she settles into her desk chair, and she gives you that subtle shake of her head. There is tension in her shoulders, and her bottom lip looks like she’s been chewing on it in irritation, but she turns around and gives you her back before you can think to question her about it.

“Morning, Jiyoon,” Namjoon says as he steps out of his office. Namjoon is also well aware of the unfortunate circumstances surrounding Jiyoon and Jungkook. It’s why he doesn’t hassle her about being late, something you’re endlessly grateful for.

Jiyoon is your only friend, and you are very protective of her. Well, that’s not entirely true. The protective part is, but she’s not technically your only friend. She’s just the longest friend you’ve had and the one you hold closest to your heart—your best friend. Though, even still, everyone else are really just people you know through Jiyoon or from work. Maybe that’s sad, but you don’t mind it.

“Jiyoon!” Dani squeals from the other side of the office. The bubbly, energetic woman flits across the room, looking every inch like a fairy with her blond pixie cut, petite stature, and buttoned nose.

“Oh gosh, hey. Come here!” Jiyoon swings her chair toward Dani as she beckons her forward, letting you catch a glimpse of her profile. There is a smile on her face, but it’s hard to tell whether it’s strained or not. Jiyoon has always been beautiful, with not a single wrinkle or blemish in sight. Looking at her body language, it’s even harder to tell.

Giggles punctuate their whispered words as Dani crouches beside Jiyoon’s chair, their heads pressed close together. You watch as Dani slips something into Jiyoon’s hand before she stands and waggles her brows down at your friend.

“Have fun,” Dani sing-songs as she prances away from Jiyoon’s desk. Her gunmetal eyes meet yours, and her face sours before she disappears beyond your cubicle.

“What’s that?” you ask a beat after she’s gone and before you can curb your curiosity, tinged with mild jealousy. Dani has made it clear before that she doesn’t like you very much, only tolerating you for Jiyoon’s sake. So, it’s no surprise that you don’t find yourself included when it comes to anything involving Dani—it’s something you’ve chalked up to her own jealousy, perhaps at the fact you’ve been Jiyoon’s friend for so long.

Jiyoon flicks her eyes in your direction before stuffing whatever Dani gave her into her purse. “Just some antacids,” she says, giving you a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.

All suspicions disappear as you take in the controlled curve of her lips. She looks miserable. “Oh,” is all you can manage before Namjoon calls everyone’s attention to the front of the room.

“Good morning, everyone. Let’s start this week off on the right foot. We have reports to file and new contracts to negotiate…”

You and Jiyoon have always aspired to work for a marketing and media agency together. So, when the opportunity presented itself, you both were elated to land jobs with Kim Exclusives, one of the most popular management companies for up-and-coming artists, models, and influencers.

That was seven years ago, and your time here has only solidified your friendship with Jiyoon. She met her husband, Jungkook, through the agency. He was one of the first models signed to Kim Exclusives, and you and Jiyoon both handled his portfolio and schedule for a year before she had to give you sole leadership over it once they became intimately involved—the whole conflict of interests thing.

“Are we still meeting tonight?” you ask Jiyoon as the day draws to a close. She’s still diligently working away at her computer, and you stand outside her cubicle with your bag on your shoulder.

“Hmm? Oh. Umm, yeah, I guess. I might be a bit late, though.”

You peek over her shoulder. “Is that the new Song profile?”

“Yep,” she pops the end of the word, keying you into thinking she's not in the mood to chat right now.

“Okay, well, I’ll see you guys later then.”

Jiyoon makes a noncommittal sound, already focused back on her work. You miss the days when she would give you more than a few passing words. Even on her good days, it seems like she’s growing further and further away from you. It’s hard not to feel guilty over the bitter and lonely feelings you get when you think about it. It’s not Jiyoon’s fault that you don’t have more close friends to turn to. But sometimes you wish you meant as much to her as she does to you.

As soon as that thought crosses your mind, you mentally kick yourself. It’s not fair for you to think that. You know Jiyoon cares for you; she’s just had a rough few years, and you shouldn’t be making it about yourself.

Feeling truly like a shit friend, you continue to chastise yourself over the next two hours as you commute home and get ready for tonight. Five minutes away from the pub, you consider calling Jiyoon and canceling. But, just as you pull out your phone to do that, someone calls your name from down the sidewalk.

You turn to see Taehyung and Jungkook waving at you from across the street. Well, there goes your intention to cancel.

“Hey! Have you heard from Jiyoon?” Jungkook asks as he and Taehyung jog across the street.

You press your lips into a thin line, confused. “Did she not come home?”

“Ah, no. She said she was working late and that I should just go ahead and meet up with you and Taehyung. She’s, uh, well, she’s not answering my calls. We—this morning…sorry, just, have you talked to her?”

Doing your best to keep your eyes on his, you give him an honest answer, “She was still working when I left the office. I haven’t heard from her since.” Losing the battle against your will, your eyes sweep over your best friend’s husband. He’s just as gorgeous as he always has been. His hair is a little longer than the last time you saw him, licking at the collar of his denim jacket. As the lead on his contract, you know he recently landed a massive campaign with a new clothing company, their emblem stitched onto the breast of the coat. Jungkook looks every inch the model he is; his friend no less so.

“Hey! Happy Birthday!” Taehyung greets you as your eyes swing to him.

Warm embarrassment kisses your cheeks. You hate your birthday; you hate being the center of attention. “Thanks,” you murmur, giving him a tight smile.

“Oh, yeah, happy birthday,” Jungkook tacks on. He rubs the back of his neck, giving you an apologetic look. “Should we go ahead and go inside?”

“Yeah, sure.” As Taehyung leads the way inside, you type out a quick text to Jiyoon asking how long she’ll be.

Thirty minutes later, you’re sitting in a mildly withdrawn personal bubble of silence as Jungkook and Taehyung chat about work and sip on fingers of liquor. You’re normally not so silent with them, as they have been clients of yours for years but you’ve also grown to think of them as friends. It’s just you have a lot on your plate right now, Namjoon just added three new clients to your work portfolio, putting you at juggling almost a dozen. You don’t mind the added workload, it helps keep you busy, but it does mean you have to switch around your schedule a great deal and have less time to spend with Jungkook and Taehyung who are two of the longest portfolios you’ve managed. They have a joint ad campaign coming up for the whiskey they’re sampling right now and are trying to decide if they actually like it or not.

Over the years, you've learned that advertisements are just that—a cleverly crafted piece of media to highlight a product. The models in a hamburger ad could very well be vegan, but they’re paid to make you believe otherwise. So, even if they decide they don’t like the whiskey, money will say they do.

Taehyung is a bit newer to Kim Exclusives, a model by complete accident. He came into the office once with Jungkook, just friends hanging out with each other, and the moment Namjoon saw him, he had to have him. A few weeks later, Taehyung was added to the roster of elite models under Kim Exclusives, booking just as well as any veteran.

“It’s a little too smokey for me, I think,” Taehyung comments. “What do you think?” he asks, setting his glass on the table and startling you out of your thoughts.

“What?” You blink up at him, totally lost.

“Give it a taste.” He taps the rim of the glass. “Tell me what you think,” he encourages, pushing the glass closer to where your hands are clasped together on the table.

You don’t really want to try the whiskey, but the expectant looks on Taehyung and Jungkook’s faces make you pick up the glass and take a tentative sip. It burns across your tongue, coating your throat in a fiery, smokey blend of burnt spices. The flavor sits like ash in your mouth.

“It’s, uh…”

“Not great, right?” Jungkook gives you a lopsided grin, his shoulders stretching the seams of his jean jacket as he shrugs. “It’s okay to be honest about it.”

You slide the glass back across the tabletop toward Taehyung. “Yeah, it’s not great. It might be better on ice, but I’m not a big drinker, so I think it’s hard for me to judge it fairly.”

They both seem satisfied with this response and resume their conversation about the whiskey and the new campaign. You check your phone, wondering where Jiyoon could possibly be. There is no response to your text.

You’re picking at the frayed edge of the paper coaster that’s slowly growing waterlogged from the condensation dripping down your glass of ice water when Taehyung taps on the table in front of you, trying to capture your attention.

“Isn’t that right?” he asks.

“Sorry. Is what right?” You feel heat bloom in your cheeks at being caught not paying attention yet again.

“You’re healthy.”

That statement has confusion replacing your embarrassment. “Healthy?”

“Let me backtrack,” Taehyung says, leaning back in his seat and throwing an arm over the back of Jungkook’s chair.

“Taehyung, really, this isn’t the time—”

“Ahem,” Taehyung interrupts Jungkook’s protest. “Hypothetically speaking, if your best friend and her husband were to inquire of you about the possibility of surrogacy, what would you say?”

The dots aren’t connecting for you, and his blunt question makes you feel like you missed something important. “Surrogacy?” You don’t mean to sound like a broken record, repeating what Taehyung is saying, but you’re thoroughly having a tough time understanding.

“Listen, you don’t have to answer that,” Jungkook states, shaking his head at Taehyung and giving him a pleading look that says to stop while he’s ahead.

“Are you and Jiyoon looking into a surrogate?” you ask; everything suddenly clicks into place, and the question tumbles from your lips before you can stop it.

Jungkook grips the back of his neck and grumbles something incoherent towards Taehyung before he blows out a heavy breath and his eyes slowly rise to meet yours. “Not exactly, no. We haven’t talked about it yet. It’s just something I read about today. But, honestly, you don’t have to answer the question. Taehyung is just being a dick—”

“I’d do it.”

Your response leaves Jungkook with his mouth open and jaw slack as he stares at you in bewilderment.

“See, I told you. She’s perfect. Young, healthy, and someone you know and can trust,” Taehyung tots off, waving a finger in the air.

“Wait…are you serious?” Jungkook asks, pointedly ignoring Taehyung.

You’ve never considered being a mom before, at least not in that sense. It was always an assumption that it wouldn’t be in the cards for you—the whole lack of a love life thing being the crux of it. You’ve barely had a handful of boyfriends, much less a long-term commitment that would lead to a family. But, when it comes to Jiyoon, you’d do just about anything for her. So, if she asked you to carry a baby for her, you know, without a doubt, you’d do it.

“Y-yeah. Yes,” you state with more confidence. “I’d do that.”

Before Jungkook can respond, Jiyoon bustles in through the bar's front door, her lilting laughter drawing everyone’s attention. She has her phone pressed to her ear, and she’s smiling at whatever the person she’s speaking to is saying.

“Okay, yeah. Tomorrow sounds great. See you then,” Jiyoon says before ending the call and pocketing her phone. “Oh, Taehyung is here.” It’s a bland statement, Jiyoon’s eyes flicking over Jungkook’s best friend before landing on her husband. “Did you order me a drink already?”

Jungkook clears his throat, trying to compose himself before speaking. “Babe, hey. Um, no, I wasn’t sure when you’d get here. You weren’t responding to any of my calls or texts.”

Jiyoon slides into the empty seat beside you, across from Jungkook, and gives you a quick smile before wrinkling her nose in his direction. “I’ll take a glass of red.”

“Oh-kay,” Jungkook says slowly, a look of confusion ghosting over his features. “Where have you been?”

“Hmm? Oh, just busy with work,” Jiyoon says. “Wine, please, Jungkook.” His only response is a tight press of his lips before he stands up and disappears in the direction of the bar. Jiyoon clicks her tongue and angles herself to look at you. “You’re not drinking?” she asks, eyeing the glass of water on the table in front of you.

“Um, no. You know I don’t—”

“I know, you’re boring,” Jiyoon sighs. The only thing taking the sting out of her words is the smile she gives you. You know Jiyoon isn’t exactly what people would call a nice person; in fact, she’s often coined as a ‘mean girl.’ But she’s never been intentionally mean to you, not really. She just provides constructive criticism and encouragement to be the best version of yourself that you can be.

“Way to be a bitch to her on her birthday, Jiyoon,” Taehyung mumbles into his whiskey glass before tossing it back and downing the rest.

Jiyoon winces and then plasters a smile on her face before saying, “Right, happy birthday.”

“Yeah, thanks.” You make your best attempt at nonchalance, but you’re not sure it lands properly as Taehyung shakes his head, and Jiyoon sighs again.

“I forgot, okay? It’s been so busy at work and with—uh,” she pauses for just a second, and any other time you might not have noticed, but you can’t help but pick up on the way she rushes to continue, “the new client that you know Namjoon has been breathing down my neck over. The Harper portfolio, you know the one? And apparently, the Song profile needs to be redone on top of that.”

Jiyoon has been different lately. You’re aware that she took over one of the new higher-end clients, some big hot-shot movie star or something like that, but it’s almost made her seem like she thinks she’s above everyone else. It makes things tense sometimes like everyone is on edge when she comes around. You try to ignore it, for the sake of tonight. “It’s okay, Jiyoon, really.”

“Anyway, how are things going? It’s been a few weeks since we last talked about something other than work.”

Yeah, because every time you turn around Jiyoon is spending time with Dani or has a client meeting. You shrug. “Okay, I guess.”

Taehyung pipes up in the silence that follows, “We were actually just talking about surroga—”

“Red wine for my wife, another whiskey for Tae, the good stuff this time, and a pina colada for the birthday girl. Virgin, I made sure. I know you don’t like to drink alcohol,” Jungkook interrupts Taehyung, passing out the cluster of drinks in his hands.

You stare up at Jungkook, lips slightly parted as you try to think of the proper response, completely taken off guard by his gesture. Finally, you lamely offer, “Oh, uh, you didn’t have to, but thanks.”

“Nonsense. It’s your birthday, you deserve a little treat, and I know you like pineapple.” Jungkook settles back into his seat, and you try to keep your eyes off your best friend's husband. But it’s hard with how his hair falls into his face, and the denim hugs his shoulders as he relaxes against the back of his chair.

“Ew,” Jiyoon gags dramatically, startling your attention in her direction. “Is that a jacket from the shoot today?” She gestures at Jungkook, the distaste apparent on her face. “I know they didn’t dress you in that. What were they thinking?”

Jungkook frowns, staring down at the oversized light-wash jean jacket. “You don’t like it?” he asks.

Jiyoon scoffs, “It looks ridiculous, you look ridiculous. What the hell did you do to your hair? A mullet, really? It’s a wonder you’re a model. You were okay with this?” The last part is directed at you, because, as the lead on his profile, you’re the one who signed off on the hair and makeup for the shoot.

“Hey now,” Taehyung states loud enough to quiet the table; he’s clearly not having any of Jiyoon’s antics tonight, long work day or not. “Keep your petty bullshit opinions for when you’re at home. Tonight isn’t about you or how handsome my best friend is in his jean jacket and new hairstyle.” You can tell he intentionally calls Jungkook his best friend instead of Jiyoon’s husband as an extra jab.

“I never said he wasn’t handsome,” she grumbles, rolling her eyes before looking at Jungkook and sighing. “Sorry, dear, I’m just under a lot of stress. You know I didn’t mean it.” Her eyes flick to yours. “I know it’s not your fault.” You just give her a subtle shake of your head, not sure how to respond.

Clearing his throat, Jungkook smiles, though it doesn’t reach his eyes, and tries to move the conversation along. “It’s okay. Let’s just focus on why we’re here tonight.” He swings his eyes toward you, his smile becoming genuine, and begins to loudly belt out Happy Birthday, much to your dismay. This draws the attention of everyone else in the bar and earns you a generous round of applause when the singing finally fades.

You try to enjoy the rest of your night, but every time Jungkook catches you staring at him, you can’t help but feel a small spike of guilt; guilt over the perhaps tiny, mostly insignificant, completely harmless crush you might, perhaps, maybe have on your best friend’s husband.

It’s hard not to be attracted to him; Jiyoon knows that—she flaunts that fact. She also knows her claws are deep in him, and he’s not going anywhere. Jungkook would pull down the moon for her and then ask if she wanted the sun, too. You swallow down the last of your pina colada, eyes once again locked on Jungkook as he throws his head back and laughs at something Taehyung said.

Jiyoon presses her arm against yours, leaning in close to you. In a soft voice meant only for you, she whispers, “He really is perfect, isn’t he?”

“Hm? Who?”

“Don’t play coy with me,” she giggles drunkenly. “I know you were staring at him. My husband.”

You shrug. “I wasn’t staring.”

Jiyoon sighs wistfully. “It’s okay to stare, I don’t mind. I know what he looks like, after all. He’s so beautiful when he’s happy. I wish I could give him what he wants, he’d be the perfect father…I’m so scared to lose him.” The last part is whispered, so soft it’s hard to hear.

Instantly, your guilt turns into something else: resolve. You can’t bear the defeat you hear in her voice. It’s not something you can even begin to fathom—what she and Jungkook are going through. It’s no wonder she has caustic words at times. You meant what you said earlier, what you told Jungkook you were willing to do. With that in mind, you make a mental note to start researching and do what you can to make sure at least someone gets a happy ending here.

💔💔💔

Jungkook

The night of your birthday kept playing over and over again in Jungkook’s head the days that followed. Now, just as evening is rolling around, one week later, he can’t stop thinking about what you said, your confirmation. On top of that, that night was probably the most fun Jungkook has had in a long time—as long as he excludes the prickly start after Jiyoon arrived. He’s used to her snide and biting remarks after a long work day. Brushing them to the side and sweeping them away is usually easy.

But for some reason—perhaps it was the high he was riding after your confession and confirmation—it bothered him that she was doing it in front of Taehyung—in front of you. As if somehow her criticisms might make you both believe them. Not that he cares about being good-looking to Taehyung, or you for that matter, not really. It’s just that his first thought was what if that made you change your mind? Not necessarily whether or not he’s attractive, but the exchange as a whole. What if Jiyoon’s blatant criticisms made you want to change your mind because it somehow planted doubt in your mind that they’re a happy and healthy environment for a child?

“Jungkook.” The frustrated snap of his name brings him out of his thoughts. His eyes focus on the bathroom mirror once more, on Jiyoon, who is standing behind him with her hands on her hips, accentuating the flattering cut of the navy-colored dress she’s wearing. “Are you even listening to me?”

Turning and leaning back against the counter, Jungkook gives her his full attention. “Uh, yeah, sorry. You were talking about having dinner with a client tonight, and you’re leaving now to meet with Dani so you can get some files.”

“Yes,” she says, her lips twitching in mild surprise, and Jungkook knows she was expecting him not to have been paying attention. “I don’t know how long the dinner will last, so don’t wait up for me. It’s likely I’ll be home late.” She turns to go back into the bedroom, and Jungkook isn’t sure what possesses him, but he surges forward and gently snags her wrist, turning her back toward him. “Uh?” she makes a sound of mild questioning irritation.

“I have something I need—er, want—to talk to you about. It should only take a moment.”

She shakes his hold off her wrist and gives him a placating smile. “Okay, well, talk while I finish getting ready at least.” Not waiting to see if he follows, she disappears into the bedroom and heads to the closet, rummaging through her jewelry.

“Okay, um. Okay,” Jungkook stumbles over his words, feeling like he’s under pressure for some reason. “So, the other night, it was brought up in conversation, and uh, she already agreed, and it’s just that, well, there’s this thing called intracervical insemination and…how do you feel about surrogacy?”

There is a heavy pause, dread threatening to make Jungkook backpedal and eat his words just to snatch them back out of the air. Jiyoon glances at him over her shoulder, but he can’t get a clear read on her eyes. “What? Oh, yeah, sure,” she says, turning back to her digging.

Jungkook can’t tell whether Jiyoon is the one paying attention to him now, so he probes further, just to be clear. “You mean that? You’re okay with going the surrogacy route? My sperm, her egg…your best friend carrying our baby?”

Jiyoon’s back is to Jungkook, but he watches how her shoulders slide up in a shrug. “Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

“I’m not sure, it’s just that with ICI—”

“Look, Jungkook,” Jiyoon says, turning to face him fully. Her fingers work at slipping a pair of silver hoops into her earlobes. “I trust you.” She says the words slowly, keeping her eyes intently locked on his. “I know you’ll do your best for us. Whatever you want, it’s what I want, too. You know that.”

“Well, um, do you have any questions? We should talk…discuss this, er, something. I know how you feel about IVF. I want to make sure this is an option you truly want, and you’re not just saying this to make me happy. You should take some more time to think about it.” The fact she’s so quick to agree makes Jungkook question whether or not he’s hearing what he thinks he’s hearing.

Jiyoon cups one of his cheeks, gently thumbing over his bottom lip. “I don’t need time to think, because I’ve already thought about it. I—well, I was going to bring it up to you soon, but I wanted to do a bit more research first.”

“Wait, what? Really? You were thinking about ICI, too?” Jungkook swallows hard, leaning into his wife's warm touch.

“Yeah,” she whispers, her soft smile making her eyes twinkle and his heart melt.

Jungkook can’t help letting his eyes drink in his wife. They might have been going through rough patches the last few years, but that hasn’t lessened how he feels about her. Jungkook has always found her strikingly beautiful, with long legs and shiny hair that he loves to run his fingers through. But at this moment, he feels like he might burst with the love he has for her.

“Yeah? Okay. Okay,” he tries to suppress the emotion in his words. “Okay, perfect. I love you. I love you so much!”

Jiyoon laughs, and it sounds magical, as Jungkook sweeps her into his arms and plants a kiss on her lips. “Don’t smear my lipstick, please,” she mumbles, her voice light and playful.

“Go have a good dinner, secure the client, and don’t worry about anything else,” Jungkook bubbles happily, setting Jiyoon back on her feet. “I swear I’ll take care of it all. Everything will be perfect, absolutely perfect.”

An hour later, Jungkook walks up to your apartment door. He couldn’t stop himself earlier, so he immediately texted you and asked to see you as soon as Jiyoon left for Dani’s.

The door swings open before he can knock, revealing you standing there breathless and in a set of purple checkered pajamas. “Is everything okay?” you ask, worry lines creasing between your brows. “Your text sounded urgent.”

“Oh.” Jungkook feels terrible for making you concerned. He didn’t mean for it to come off like that. “No, I mean, yes, everything is okay. But, no, it’s not exactly urgent. Sorry for that. I didn’t mean to make you worry.”

You lean against the doorframe, eyes wide on his. “What is it?”

“Er, uh, do you mind if I come in? This is more of a sit-down kind of conversation.”

The little ‘o’ your lips form is far cuter than Jungkook has a right to think it is. His mind instantly latches onto it, wondering if the baby would have your lips or his. “O-okay, sure, come on in.”

Jungkook has visited your apartment a handful of times over the years. It’s quaint and cozy, exactly what he’d imagine for you. There are books everywhere, shelves full of thick and thin volumes of literary prose. A few art pieces decorate the walls, along with dozens and dozens of black-and-white photos in simple frames. He stirs up the recollection that you enjoy photography in your spare time.

“Sorry, again, about my text. I didn’t mean to worry you, really.” Jungkook feels nervous, unsure where to stand or even sit, until you gesture toward the couch. A handful of well-loved decorative pillows are scattered across the burgundy suede. He settles at one end as you take the other, looking at him expectantly.

A beat or two passes, and Jungkook feels like he’s about to swallow his tongue until you open your mouth, clearly picking up on his distress. “Is it something with work? I can try to fix whatever it is first thing in the morning—”

“No, no,” Jungkook holds up a hand, shaking his head. “It’s not work. It’s um, it’s actually Jiyoon. Well, me and her, specifically.”

You pull your knees up and tuck your feet underneath yourself. “Oh, okay.”

“Were you serious about what you said the other night?” Jungkook blurts, figuring it’s best, like ripping off a bandaid.

Your bottom lip has an indent left from where you tucked it between your teeth before nodding. “Yes.” Jungkook didn’t necessarily expect you to say no, but the rush of relief he feels at hearing that encourages him to press on.

“I talked with Jiyoon about it today and she—we—would be honored if you’d do that for us. If you’d give us a chance at having a family. It’s…it’s something we both, deeply, deeply desire. If you’re truly serious about it, we’ll take care of everything, all medical expenses, bills, anything…just name it, it’s yours.”

“That’s—okay, okay, yes. Yes, I’ll do it. Just tell me what I need to do.”

Jungkook whoops loudly, jumping up from the couch, and drags you into his arms for a bear hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can’t even begin to explain what this means to me, to us. This is…I can’t…oh my, I need to—wait, okay. Sorry, let me calm down for a second.” The word vomit is real, and Jungkook uses his hold on you to ground himself, moving his hands to your shoulders and locking his eyes on yours. “I think I might pass out,” he whispers a second before bursting into a giddy laugh.

“Whoa, um, sit down. Please don’t pass out on me. You’re too big for me to catch!” Your frantic words make him laugh even harder.

He shakes his head, on cloud nine. “I’m kidding, kind of. I just feel…I feel so light, like—well, it doesn’t matter about that. What matters is you. Please don’t feel obligated to do this. That’s the last thing I want. If you are serious, I can send all the information you need to you in the morning. But only if you’re certain.”

“Jungkook,” the way you say his name makes his heart thump heavy in his chest as if his fate hinges on whatever comes next. “I am serious. I promise. I want to do this for you, for Jiyoon…I want to give you both the happiness you deserve.”

“Thank you,” Jungkook says fervently, never meaning something more in his life.

This happiness carries Jungkook through the rest of the evening, turning into a brilliant flame of intimacy when Jiyoon crawls into bed beside him hours later. For the first time in a long time, there is no schedule, no waiting for the perfect moment; it’s just the love shared between two souls celebrating the joys of life.

💔💔💔

The following day, several emails from Jungkook are waiting for you; Jiyoon CC’d on them all, as well as a few texts to check in. The idea that you could possibly be pregnant in the coming weeks or months—not just pregnant, but pregnant with Jungkook’s baby for your best friend—still feels a bit surreal.

You texted Jiyoon last night, expressing to her how much she means to you and that you’re honored she wants it to be you that helps her fulfill her dreams of having a family. She hasn’t replied yet, but that doesn’t bother you; she’s probably busy helping Jungkook with planning.

There is an entire email dedicated to medical referrals. Apparently, Jungkook spent hours pouring over all the local doctors and medical facilities vetting to find the best ones. Each has notes and suggestions under them, along with all the information you might need to call and make an appointment.

That’s really all you need to do: make an appointment for a check-up. Taehyung made an assumption of your health last night, but it doesn’t hurt to be sure. The last thing you’d want to do is be in poor health and unable to keep your word.

Your fingers tremble as you dial the numbers, and you have to take a few shallow breaths to get your voice to work properly. Minutes later, you have an appointment scheduled for later this week. Now, all you have to do is figure out how you’re going to wait the next few days and not burst from anticipation. It’s a slow few days.

Apparently, by Googling every possible thing you can think of about being a surrogate and pregnancies. Along with the emails full of information, by the time you’re walking into the clinic for your appointment at the end of the week, you feel confident asking questions.

“Being a surrogate is a pretty serious situation. Have you considered all the possibilities and what might be required of you?” The doctor has a pleasant demeanor; her eyes are intense yet kind. It might be the steel-colored strands scattered through her hair or the wrinkles that deepen around her eyes when she smiles, but you feel comfortable opening up to her.

You roll your lips between your teeth before saying, “Honestly? Probably not as much as most surrogates. I’m sure there are things I’m not aware of yet. It was only presented to me a few days ago. But I have done some extensive reading and soul-searching, and I know it’s what I want.”

Dr. Lee contemplates you for a moment before nodding. “Yes, I believe you do. Let’s get started, shall we?”

It’s not uncomfortable going through all the tests and procedures. There isn’t much the doctor does that you haven’t done before. Samples are taken, and a routine exam is performed. As you leave, the nurse tells you you should have results within the next two weeks.

Thankfully, the results come at the beginning of the following week. You’re sitting at your desk at work, reviewing the final details for the whiskey campaign Jungkook and Taehyung are shooting in a few days, when you get the notification that your results are viewable on your patient portal. A moment before you click into the email, your phone buzzes in your pocket.

“Hello?” you whisper, cupping your hand around the base of your phone and mouth. A nurse rattles off your information, ensuring she speaks to the right person. “Yes, speaking.”

“I just wanted to let you know that all of your results are in, and Dr. Lee has signed off on your request to move forward with the surrogacy…” Everything else the nurse says is a bit hazy. She covers the numbers for your tests and where to find resources for more information on at-home intracervical insemination. “Do you have any questions for me? Ma’am, are you still there?”

“Oh, umm, yes, sorry. No questions, thank you so much.”

The line disconnects, and you sit there for a few more moments, the phone still held to your ear, as you try to process the giddy feeling bubbling up inside you. You need to tell Jiyoon, Jungkook, someone…anyone. Pushing up from your desk, you scan the area around you for your best friend and come up empty.

“Hello?” Jungkook answers on the second ring.

“Jungkook.”

“Oh, hey. Everything okay?”

“What? Oh. Yes. Yes, everything is okay. Everything is perfect. Do you know where Jiyoon might be? I haven’t seen her since she came into the office this morning.” You rack your brain, trying to remember if you saw her leave or go into another room.

“Yeah, she called a little while ago and said that Namjoon was having her meet one of the new clients for lunch to sign some more papers.”

“Right, that’s right,” you say, recalling that Namjoon asked her to come into his office shortly after she arrived this morning.

“Why? What’s up?”

You drag a slow, shallow breath into your lungs in an effort to slow your rapidly beating heart. “I heard back from the doctor.”

Jungkook urges you to continue, “Yeah? What did they say? Is everything okay? Are you okay?”

“I’m…I’m great. I’m perfect. I’m—I, I can do it. We can do it. There’s a chart,” you explain, wedging your phone between your ear and your shoulder to free your hands so you can pull up the email you got and forward it to him. “It has an estimated schedule and recommendations on timing for the best results. I just sent everything over to you.”

“I got it. Wow. Okay. Wow. Oh my…wow! I need to call Jiyoon. Fuck. Oh my god. Okay, thank you! I’ll call you back later, okay?” The line disconnects after Jungkook says a hurried goodbye, the elation in his voice evident.

According to the doctor's ovulation chart, the best time for you to begin trying is next week. Conception is most likely during a twenty-four-hour period. On your way home, you stop and pick up an ovulation testing kit so you can remain on track.

You arrive home filled with nervous energy, unable to stop smiling as you unpack the things you picked up at the pharmacy. A large box of pregnancy tests goes beside the ovulation kit in your medicine cabinet, along with a pack of medical gloves and hand sanitizer. You’re not sure what you’ll need, exactly, but you figure it’s better to have it and not need it than the other way around.

“Jiyoon!” you gush, swiping to answer the call coming in on your phone. “Hi!”

“Hey, I just got off the phone with Jungkook.” There is a lot of background noise, and it’s hard to hear her clearly.

“Oh, wonderful! I got the results today. There is a possibility of next week being—”

A loud laugh cuts through from Jiyoon’s end, the added clang of dishes drowning you out further. “Sorry, I’m still at dinner. Next week, you say? I’ll be going on a business trip the whole of next week, Namjoon wants me to travel with a client for a go-see.”

Disappointment drags at your shoulders and has your smile softening into a frown. You suppose it can wait a few more weeks. “Okay, no problem. That will give us time to plan a bit more anyway.”

“Sure thing!” Jiyoon yells, the line cutting out momentarily. “I’ll catch you later. I can’t wait to see you when I get back. Thank you. I love you so much!”

“Okay, yeah, love you—” The line goes dead before you can finish. “Love you, too,” you murmur into the quiet of your apartment.

A minor setback. But it’s okay; you’re sure you were getting ahead of yourself anyway. Taking a few weeks to confirm things and actually come up with a game plan is probably for the better. But it doesn’t hurt to start doing that now. Letting the smile that hadn’t left your face most of the day slide back onto your lips, you continue setting up everything in your bathroom so it’ll be there for when you do need it.

It turns out you don’t have to wait—at least, according to Jungkook. From the constant flood of text messages you’ve gotten from him over the last few days, as much as Jiyoon would love to be there to help, she’s given her blessing to proceed with the ICI without her. In her own words, via a text you got last night, there will be plenty more for her to be present for, and she’s far too excited for you to wait for her to return.

Jiyoon has been relatively quiet, but Jungkook explained in delicate words that she’s okay; she just has a lot on her plate right now. Even though it may seem like she’s on the outside, it’s more that this is a very sensitive topic for Jiyoon. Despite wanting a child, ICI is nearly as taboo a subject as IVF when it comes to Jiyoon; you know this. She’s told you how much it makes her feel like a failure. So, you’re content when Jungkook takes full responsibility for the surrogacy journey and has promised to be there for you every step of the way, including coming over to your place tonight to help you with the first ICI attempt.

You’ve been testing your ovulation each morning, and the positive test strip in your bathroom trash has started a full-tilt, day-long extravaganza. It’s a Thursday, just a few days after you got your green light from the doctor, meaning you were able to leave work early and are now sitting on your couch waiting patiently for Jungkook to arrive.

All your research and reading about ICI makes you nervous about what’s to come. It’s not that you’re going to be explicitly intimate with Jungkook, but you’re well aware of the fact that fresh sperm samples, as in within a thirty-minute window, are the best. Which means, he’s going to have to somehow provide the sample while he’s here.

The idea of Jungkook masturbating in your bathroom should feel awkward or perhaps embarrassing to think about, yet you’re oddly comfortable with it. It’s a natural thing, something necessary to create something that’s going to be beautiful.

By the time Jungkook knocks on your door, your hands are clammy, and it takes you two tries to get the handle to turn. He greets you with a giant smile and shining eyes, absolutely breathtaking.

“Hi,” he breathes.

“Hi,” you parrot, unable to contain from reflecting the smile still on his face. “Please, come on in.”

“Thanks.” Jungkook steps past you, and the soft fragrance of his laundry detergent catches in your nose. “I brought everything we need,” he says, holding up a bag. He’s wearing the same denim jacket he was the other night, a white T-shirt underneath above a pair of worn, light-washed jeans, and black boots on his feet that he toes off before heading into your living room.

“Can I get you anything to drink or maybe something to eat? Have you had dinner yet?” You’re not sure how this is going to go, if it’s just going to be a clinical experience or something more comfortable between friends. Because you are friends, right? At this point, you should consider him more than just your best friend’s husband; he should at least be seen as a friend of yours, too.

Jungkook deposits the bag on your couch and turns to look at you. “Um, maybe if you had some beer or something, but I know you don’t drink—” There is a nervous energy to the way he’s talking, words coming out a little too quickly “—so, er, maybe just some water is fine.”

“Actually,” you say, hurrying into the kitchen and opening the fridge, “I got, well, is this okay?” You hold up a 6-pack of beer you bought on a whim a few nights ago. It’s true that you don’t really drink, but you weren’t thinking of yourself at the time that you bought it. In actuality, you were thinking of Jungkook, knowing he’s partial to this brand, and figured…well, you’re not sure what you figured, you bought it before you could give it too much thought.

The corner of Jungkook’s mouth lifts, his smile turning into a light smirk. “Wow, my favorite. I’d love to, but actually, I’m not sure if I should, no matter how nervous I am right now…not until after, at least. I haven’t read anything about how alcohol might impact things, but I’ve not had a drop of alcohol to drink nor a bite of junk food in the last week, just in case.”

“Oh, right. Of course, I should have thought about that.”

“No, it’s okay. I wasn’t thinking either, I haven’t been able to think about much at all, if I’m being honest,” Jungkook laughs nervously, one of his hands rubbing at the back of his neck. “Is this weird? Are you sure you want to do this?”

It is weird, but not in a bad way, and you don’t want to admit that because you don’t want him to worry. So, you simply smile and shake your head. “It’s not all that weird, it’s…well, just not weird. I am nervous,” you decide to give him at least that. “I’m worried that it might not work, or that I might do something wrong.”

“W-what do you think you might do wrong?” Jungkook asks, moving closer to you. “I’ve…I’ve read a lot about the how, I even got an informational video from my doctor.”

You can feel heat crawling up your neck. “I’m not sure, exactly. I guess just the whole process in general.”

There is a beat where you can see Jungkook contemplating his words. He chews on his bottom lip, eyes unfocused for a moment before returning to you. “I could help if you want. Purely in a platonic, helpful way, no funny business, I swear.”

“Um, I don’t know if that…uh, I can try first, maybe?” You can’t seem to swallow past the thick knot in your throat at the thought of asking Jungkook to help assist you in…well, that.

“Sure, okay. Should we…get started?” Jungkook asks, his eyes flicking back to the bag he dropped on your couch.

Your stomach flips at his words. “Yeah,” you say, voice barely above a whisper, feeling suddenly even more shy than usual.

“Great.” Jungkook claps his hands together before retrieving the bag from the couch. “I have everything we need. It's probably best if we begin this in the bathroom.”

Your apartment has one bathroom, which is joined to the bedroom but is still accessible through the hallway. Jungkook leads the way down the hall, flicking on the light inside the bathroom before stepping aside to let you in as well.

“Have you talked with Jiyoon?” you ask, seeking something to fill the silence as you watch him unpack everything from the bag and arrange it on the bathroom counter.

Jungkook shakes his head in a so-so manner. “I spoke with her for a few minutes earlier to let her know the plan for tonight. She couldn’t talk long and it was hard to hear with all the background noise, but she’s excited and said she can’t wait to be back at the end of the week.”

After washing his hands, Jungkook opens up the packet of a large sterile pad and spreads it out across the rest of the counter. From the research you’ve done, you recognize some of the things he begins to set out. There is a collection cup with an orange screw-on lid, a large syringe with a hose attaching it to a bulbous silicone mushroom-shaped plug, and several single-use packets of water-based lube. He also sets out a box of pregnancy tests, giving you a sheepish smile when you raise an eyebrow at it.

“I, uh, bought some, too,” you say, opening the medicine cabinet to show him the large box of pregnancy tests sitting between your ovulation test kit and your toothbrush.

Jungkook smiles. “I guess we’re on the same wavelength, huh?”

You have to stop yourself from leaning too far into the unusual, yet enticingly warm and appealing, feeling you get when he smiles like that. Clearing your throat, you gesture to the spread of tools. “What now?”

“I think we should discuss a game plan, make sure we know what to do and when to do it. There are some things I’ve read online, plus the directions in this pamphlet,” he says, slipping a folded paper from the box the inseminator came in.

Leaning in, you try to read the step-by-step process written on the paper over Jungkook’s shoulder. He shifts, steps closer to you, and angles the pamphlet to make it easier for you to see.

“Step one, collect the sample. Step two, transfer the sample into the syringe. Step three, insert the silicone plug into the…v-vagina,” you choke over the word, feeling heat licking up your neck, “as close to the cervix as possible. Step four, depress the plunger to administer the sample.”

“Seems pretty simple, right?”

You’re not sure you’d say simple. Sure, step by step, it looks pretty straightforward, but you seem to be responsible for the most challenging part, and that makes you even more nervous than before. “Yeah, simple.”

“Give me a few minutes, I need to—uh,” he points to the sample cup. “I’ll, you know.”

“Oh, right, right, of course. I’ll just—" you hook a thumb over your shoulder towards the door that leads to your bedroom ”—wait in there.”

It’s hard not to pace around your bedroom as you wait. You try to stick to the far side of your bedroom, not wanting to come too close to the bathroom and overhear anything you shouldn’t. The fact your best friend’s husband is in your bathroom masturbating is a weird enough revelation, albeit a necessary one for the ICI procedure; you’d still rather afford him some privacy.

After three minutes, you stop counting the seconds that pass, realizing that means you’re counting how long it takes for Jungkook to produce the sample. Which is something you’re vehemently trying to avoid thinking about so casually.

The bathroom door opening startles you, stopping you in your tracks. Jungkook clears his throat. “Ready?”

You move over to the bathroom. “I think so.”

“Hey, it’s going to be okay. You can do this and don’t forget, I’ll be here if you need any help, promise. Purely for help, for the process.” Jungkook swipes a finger in an x over his chest. “Cross my heart.”

“You’re right,” you say, trying to bolster your own confidence. “I can do this.”

You step past Jungkook and into the bathroom, but his hand on your arm pulls you up short. “Wait, wait. Would you feel more comfortable doing it in your room? It’s just that I’ve read it’s best if you could lay on your back with your hips elevated for fifteen to thirty minutes after.” He nods at your bed. “More comfortable than the bathroom floor.”

The idea of doing this on your bed crosses a line, taking this from a medical process to something far more intimate. “Maybe just a pillow,” you say, grabbing one of the decorative throw pillows you never seem to remember to put back on your bed but keep in a small pile on the floor instead.

“Okay.” Jungkook gives you a small smile, and it makes his eyes look soft and bright. The kind of smile you hope you can help him bestow onto a baby.

You leave the door unlocked, just in case you need his help. In your bathroom, there is no evidence of Jungkook's actions other than the very full sample cup sitting on the medical pad covering the counter.

The cup is warm to the touch, which is startling, though you know it shouldn’t be. Placing the pillow down on the floor, you shimmy your pants and panties down your legs and step out of them. There is a lingering scent in the bathroom; it’s a mix of Jungkook’s cologne but also of something clinical. You realize there are two empty packets of lube in your trashcan, and you can’t help the image that pieces itself together in your mind.

Swallowing hard against the threatening flood of further indecent thoughts, you move quickly to prepare the inseminator. It’s a systematic process you can do with little thought—safe—unscrewing the cap of the cup and filling the syringe. Once you’re in position on the floor, hips elevated on the pillow, empty packets of lube discarded and your body primed, you take the silicone plug in one hand and the syringe in the other.

The directions make it seem so easy. But as you try to fit the silicone plug inside, you can’t seem to get it to go where you want it. It keeps slipping sideways and tugging at the tube connecting it to the syringe. Your heart begins to race as you realize you might not be able to do this—not on your own, at least.

By the fourth try, fifteen minutes have passed, and you’re in full-blown panic mode. Your breath wheezes in and out as you crunch up, hands fumbling between your thighs, and sweat forming on your brow. “Oh god, oh god. I—uh, god dammit…Jungkook!” His name is out of your mouth in a strangled yell before you can stop it.

“What is it? Is everything okay? Are you okay?” The frantic words are muffled through the door. The door rattles on its hinges, and you can tell he’s pressing up against it from the sound of denim scuffing along it, probably pressing his ear against it in an effort to hear your response.

You’ve managed to get it inside, but you’re not sure if you can get it all the way in, pressed up against your cervix where it needs to be. It’s possible you used too much lube, though the idea that it’s possible to have too much lubricant seems ridiculous. But no matter what you do or how far you press your fingers in, you’re either at a wrong angle, or your fingers keep slipping on the plug too much. Asking Jungkook for help is the last thing you want to do, but you’re not sure what other options there are.

“C-can you come in here?” you ask in a hoarse voice. There is a moment of silence before the door eases open and Jungkook sticks his head inside. His eyes are closed so tight it makes you let out a snap of nervous laughter. “I think…I think I need help. I’m sorry, I just can’t—it’s not going in all the way, I don’t think,” you gush in explanation.

“Do you—is it okay if I?” Jungkook asks, leaving the obvious unsaid.

“Um, yes…please. I’ve tried, and I just…I don’t want to ruin this. I’m so sorry.”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Jungkook shuffles into the bathroom, eyes still firmly closed and arms out in the air. “Um, where exactly are you so I don’t step on you by accident?”

Snagging the edge of the towel hanging on the rack, you pull it down and drape it over your knees to make yourself as decent as you can be in this situation. “Just open your eyes, it’s okay.”

Slowly, his eyes peek open and finally land on where you’re laid out on the floor, bent knees covered in a towel and your shirt askew from all your efforts.

“How can I help?” Jungkook kneels down beside you, shrugging out of his jacket and tossing it to the side.

“I just…I don’t know if it’s all the way in. Can you—with your hand, I know that’s horrible and weird, but I don’t know what else to—”

“No, no, it’s not weird. I said I’d help. It’s clinical, right? We’re doing this just as a medical procedure. Like I said, no funny business, I swear. It’s for the baby. I’ll help you.”

“Okay.” You nod, squeezing your eyes shut because it’s hard to look him in the eye when he’s about to—the towel shifts, and cool air licking between your thighs has your mind going blank.

“Look at me,” Jungkook requests, to which you immediately comply. “I need you to promise me you’ll let me know if I hurt you or do something you don’t like. I’ll stop immediately, okay?” When you don’t immediately say anything, he adds, “I need you to tell me you understand.”

“I understand.”

Stretching across to the sink, Jungkook keeps his eyes on yours as he washes his hands and then shifts the towel more, folding it up and over your knees. “I’m going to place my hand on your thigh. Is that okay?”

“Yes.”

His fingers are gentle against your skin, softer than you expected, and warm from the water. You can feel errant droplets of water streak down your thigh and roll over the bottom of your ass. You try to focus on that feeling instead of the way Jungkook’s hand trails down your thigh until his fingers graze your outer lips.

“I’m going to use two of my fingers to try and seat the inseminator. Is that okay?”

“Yes,” this time, it comes out as more a breath than a word.

You tense at the subtle press of his fingers and how they probe their way down until they find your entrance. There is easily enough lube down there to grease a bakery’s worth of cake pans, considering the half a dozen empty packets now in your trashcan, but you can’t help but take a deep, fortifying breath as he begins to press in.

“Still okay?” he asks, fingers moving achingly slow.

“I think so.”

Jungkook’s brow pinches. “I feel it…only about two inches in. I’m going to push it further now. Tell me if it hurts or is uncomfortable.”

Never in a million years did you think you’d ever find yourself in this position. Not only are you butterflied open on your bathroom floor, but your best friend’s husband is now middle-knuckle deep in your vagina, and you’re not sure how to feel about it. In fact, you’re trying to do everything you can to not think about how you stretch around the intrusion of his fingers, or that it feels far better than it should.

“Do you think you can get it all the way?” you ask, voice warbling with nerves.

Jungkook hums, his lips pushing out as if he is trying to concentrate. “I think I’m almost there. Does that feel okay, is it good?”

Not once does he look away from you as he’s pushing deeper into your body. You think you want him to look away, to break that intimate contact, but you can’t even bring yourself to do that—even though you know you should. And the whispered exchange does little to help. Is it good? You’re going to burn in hell for the thoughts now flooding through.

“Oh!” You jolt in place, eyes going wide, all previous thoughts gathering into one singular point. Jungkook mirrors your surprise, his mouth popping open in silent shock.

“I’m so sorry!” he babbles. “I didn’t mean to do that. Oh fuck, god damn, shit…okay, sorry, let me just—” Jungkook is still gentle, yet swift in finishing seating the inseminator before quickly extracting his fingers from your body. “Please believe me when I say I am sorry, and I swear I wasn’t trying…I wasn’t trying to do that.”

Your body is still buzzing from the that he’s talking about—the graze of his thumb over your clit. It’s clear it was an accident by his reaction, but it does nothing to lessen the pulse that is now singing through your body.

“I-it’s okay. Really, it’s okay. It’s fine.” You’re not sure if your words are convincing enough, but Jungkook jerks his head in what you assume is a nod of acknowledgement.

“Um, it’s, uh, it’s in. Do you need me to do the syringe, too?”

“Just do it.” You exhale a shaky breath, finally tearing your eyes away from his. You’re confident he’s still watching you, even as he depresses the syringe and injects his cum into your body—as crass as that sounds in your head, that’s exactly what’s happening, and it’s the first time you think you’re realizing how truly fucked you are for this.

Nothing has happened between you and Jungkook, not in that way, but for some reason, guilt won’t leave you alone. You feel like you’ve just betrayed Jiyoon and feel even more like a ridiculous schoolgirl ruining her life over a crush on a boy. You’re intimately aware of the warmth and the subtle change in pressure as he finishes depressing the inseminator. It makes you want to squirm, but you chew your bottom lip and tap your toes instead.

“Are you okay?” Jungkook asks, his voice soft and gentle.

“I should be asking you that,” you sigh.

Jungkook balks. “What? Why would you say that? I’m fine…I’m the one that—” He nods toward where your body is now covered with the towel again. As soon as he was done plunging the depressor, he unfolded the towel and made you decent once more.

“You didn’t mean to,” you say, maybe more as a reminder to yourself than him.

“No, but that doesn’t make it okay.” Jungkook settles back on his heels, using one of the wet wipes that came in the kit to clean his hands. Suddenly, he laughs. “This is ridiculous, right? I mean, look at us, we just did something…beautiful, and we’re not allowing ourselves to enjoy it.”

You chuckle softly, fidgeting with one of the ends of the towel. “It is kind of ridiculous, huh? Sorry that I freaked out and you had to do…that.”

”I’m not. Sorry, that is. I’m glad you asked for my help. We’re in this together.” Jungkook gives you a smile, similar to the one he wore when he knocked on your door over an hour ago, and takes up the hand not pinching at the towel in his, squeezing it. “I don’t know that I can even begin to articulate with words just what this means to me. Thank you so much.”

“It means a lot to me, as well. Being able to do this for you and Jiyoon is not something you need to thank me for. I’d do anything for her. She’s my best friend. We’ve been through so much together over the last twenty years…I just want to see her happy. You, too, of course.”

Jungkook hums in the back of his throat, keeping his hand wrapped around yours as he leans back, using the side of the tub for support. A comfortable silence settles between the two of you, spanning several minutes until Jungkook speaks again. “Have you ever thought about being a mom, you know, before this?”

It’s on the tip of your tongue to answer with what you think he wants to hear, that this has always been your wish, but instead, you choose to give him an honest answer. “Not really.”

”Why not? If you don’t mind me asking.”

If it were anyone else asking, you might mind, but…

You purse your lips before offering yet another truth. “I guess I just…I’m me, you know?”

”No, I don’t think I do know. What do you mean?”

“I’m a single woman in my thirties with no prospects on the horizon. My last boyfriend was over five years ago. I’m a modern-day spinster. Nothing is wrong with that, I love who I am…I just, no one has ever shown interest in me like that. Though it’s not necessary to have another person in the picture, it’s just that…I don’t even know, I’m rambling, sorry.”

Jungkook looks at you for a long moment, and it’s so hard to read his expression. All you want to do is plead with him to tell you what’s on his mind.

“You shouldn’t do that to yourself,” he finally says.

”Do what?” you ask, uncertain what he’s referring to.

“Sell yourself short like that. You are easily one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever met. You have a successful career and amazing tastes in art and food. Not to mention, you have the biggest heart of anyone I know. You’re…you’re amazing, and I know for a fact that people think so, too.”

You puff out a breath, trying not to laugh at him. “How could you possibly know that?”

“Because I’m one of them. I wouldn’t choose just anyone to do this with. After all, the baby will be half of you, too. A win-win in my book.” The corner of his mouth tilts in a small smile.

You’re pretty certain you’ve never had something create such a viscerally emotional response in you. It takes everything you have to blink away the sudden onslaught of tears that threaten to overwhelm you.

When you finally think you can speak without melting into a blubbering mess, you whisper, “I think you’re pretty amazing, too.”

💔💔💔

Jungkook

It’s well after midnight by the time Jungkook makes it home. He’s positively buzzing and can’t even think about going to bed just yet. There is far too much going on in his head, so he decides to expend some energy in the tiny home gym he turned one of the spare rooms into.

The condo he and Jiyoon bought two years into their marriage is spacious, spanning half the second and third floors of the building. There is a three-car garage on the first floor, as well as an elevator that leads to the landing out front. Across the landing is where Taehyung lives with his roommate Jimin, another well-to-do model they met through Kim Exclusives.

Jiyoon stuck her nose up at the fact that Taehyung was buying the unit across from them when Jungkook first told her, but so far, it hasn’t caused too many problems over the years. It helps at times like this, when Jiyoon is traveling for work, to have a friend so close by. Usually, Jungkook would knock next door when he can’t get his head cleared, but for some reason, Jungkook doesn’t want to tell Taehyung about what happened at your place. He doesn’t want to tell anyone, for that matter, holding onto it as a private thing for as long as possible.

Losing himself in sets of squats and curls is far safer than describing in maddening detail the way your soft, lush—Jungkook slams his hand against the squat rack and forces his thoughts away from that line of thinking.

Just because you’re a gorgeous woman with a nice body doesn’t give him the right to think about you like that. Especially considering he’s married to your best friend, whom he loves more than anything. Besides, he’s better than that, knows the whole alpha male hindbrain is the stuff of fantasy. There is no excuse for him having such sordid and outlandish thoughts about you like that. It was simply doing what needed to be done to help—for the baby.

With that in his mind instead, he moves through the motions of his workout. By the time he’s dripping sweat and his muscles are trembling with fatigue, the sun is starting to peek through the windows, and he hasn’t thought about you in hours—well, not much, at least. And when he does, he says it's just because he's thinking of what might be passed down to your baby—er—his and Jiyoon's baby—he reminds himself.

It’s been an excruciating three weeks waiting and waiting to hear from you about something other than work. After Jiyoon returned home from her business trip, Jungkook told her about that night, including the accidental slip-up. At first, she was upset, accusing him of taking advantage of her best friend. It took hours of strained conversation to get her to understand that it was more of a clinical procedure than Jungkook fingering you.

When that accusation was first thrown out, Jungkook was at a loss for words and completely thrown off the tracks. Jiyoon apologized, saying she didn’t understand how he didn’t think she’d be upset about it but that she’d forgive him for it anyway. She then gathered Jungkook into her arms, and they cuddled in bed for the first time in what felt like forever.

Jungkook wasn’t sure if Jiyoon would confront you at work over it, but as the days continued on without a peep from you, he figured things were okay between the two of you. There were times when Jungkook wished something had gone down with you and Jiyoon because then, at least, he’d have an excuse to talk to you in a way that didn’t make him look like he only cared about you now that you were possibly pregnant or with something work-related.

He knows these things take time, and there is only so much he can do. So, he’s been pouring himself into work and filling his schedule with as many activities as possible to keep his mind off of waiting.

“Jungkook, let’s go.” Taehyung raps his knuckles on Jungkook’s shoulder, grabbing his attention. “Head out of the clouds, daddy-o, we’re needed in hair and makeup.”

Sighing, Jungkook hauls himself off the couch in the studio waiting room and follows Taehyung into the space where the makeup and hair artists are set up. He arrived at the studio early this morning and had spent the last hour spilling his guts to Taehyung, something he promised himself he wouldn’t do but couldn’t keep it contained any longer.

“Don’t call me that,” Jungkook grumbles.

Taehyung smirks. “What? Is that not what you’re hoping to be called? Don’t tell me you and Jiyoon are into daddy roleplay. That might make it a little weird to have your kid also call you daddy—ow!”

Rubbing the back of his head where Jungkook smacked him, Taehyung harrumphs before sidestepping the line of chairs and taking a seat in the one farthest from Jungkook.

“Fuck off, Taehyung. After everything I just told you, that’s all you have to say?”

Taehyung throws up his hands, and the hairdresser at his station begins to comb through his black tresses. “The way it seems to me, you’re the only one making a big deal about this. If you want to check on her, I’m sure she won’t think it’s only because she’s your possible surrogate and not because you’re friends after this. And sure, you stuck your fingers into your wife’s best friend’s vagina, but so what? It was what you needed to do. If I really needed you to touch my dick in order to complete an important procedure, I hope you’d do it with a smile on your face.”

Jungkook opens his mouth to protest but closes it when he realizes he can’t really argue against that. Taehyung is right. He did what he had to do. Hell, he knows that, he used those words himself when explaining it to Jiyoon. There’s just this feeling he can’t shake, he’s far too nervous and on edge right now. If only you’d reach out, put him out of his misery with an update.

“I hate it when you’re right. I’ll stop being such a—”

“Hi, guys.”

“Excuse me, ma’am, only staff and models are allowed back here.”

“Whoa, hey, wait. She’s our manager, and she can be here.” Jungkook is quick to spout, not caring if there is desperation evident in his voice. Once his eyes landed on you, it was all he could do not to jump up from the makeup chair, cross the room, and drop to his knees and beg for an update.

The directing assistant who stepped in your path gives you a once-over that makes Jungkook grind his teeth, but he just sighs and steps to the side. “Okay, but you’re both needed on set in fifteen,” he says, directing the last part toward Jungkook and Taehyung.

“It’s okay, I won’t be long. I just…” You hold up a thin manilla envelope and give it a shake. “Jiyoon is out of the office for the day, she said I should let you see first and that you could tell her later tonight at home. So, here I am. I thought we could look together.”

The makeup artist dabbing a sponge on Jungkook’s jaw lifts an eyebrow when he jerks forward in the chair, intent on scrambling across the room despite being in the middle of blending.

“Two minutes,” she says, stepping back from Jungkook and turning to the makeup collection on her table.

“Okay!” Jungkook springs from the chair and rushes over to you, having no regard for the way his hair flops out of place on his forehead. “Hi,” he says when he’s standing in front of you. “I didn’t realize you had an appointment today.”

“I didn’t,” you tell him. “I just wasn’t feeling all that well this morning, so…well, I just wanted to ensure everything was okay. They had to do a pregnancy test, it was routine.” You offer the folder to him. “Want to do the honors?”

Jungkook’s fingers are trembling as he takes the folder from you. It takes him three tries to get the flap open and to extract the slip of paper inside. You give him an encouraging smile as he looks to you for reassurance before letting his eyes sweep over the report.

“It’s…we’re…you’re…holy fuck. You’re pregnant. You’re pregnant! YOU’RE PREGNANT!” Jungkook shouts before breaking out into a bout of ecstatic laughter. “Fucking hell, oh my god, you’re pregnant! I’m going to be a father. Me. A father. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Yes!”

You join in his laughter, the sound pleasant and musical, as he throws his arms around you and spins you in a circle. There are shining tears in your eyes when he sets you down again, happiness clear on your face. “I’m pregnant,” you whisper, the words reverent and full of awe.

There have never been more beautiful words. Jungkook can’t help but say them again. “We’re pregnant.”

It’s hard to say if what Jungkook is feeling right now is considered a healthy response to what his wife, Jiyoon, just told him. But, the erratic beat of his heart paired with the incessant ringing in his ears doesn’t necessarily feel bad, just like he’s having some sort of out-of-body experience.

“Say that again,” he requests, softly smacking his lips, trying to work moisture back into his mouth.

Jiyoon sighs, shuffling the papers on her lap. “I’m pregnant,” she repeats the same words you said just two weeks ago.

“You’re certain?” Jungkook wants to believe he heard her correctly but can’t help asking for clarity again.

“I am.” Jiyoon smiles at Jungkook, her eyes watery. “It’s right here, look.”

Jungkook hesitantly takes the top sheet of paper from Jiyoon, letting his eyes devour the words and numbers on it. It’s all there, everything he needs to see and know for the truth—hCG levels far, far above average, an inked red circle around it along with a doctor’s barely legible scrawl of ‘pregnant’ beside that.

“How far along? It’s been—” Jungkook pauses to try to do the math in his head; it’s been weeks since they were last intimate—the night they agreed to do ICI.

“About eight weeks,” Jiyoon offers. “I suspected a few weeks ago, you know, when I was a little sick that weekend—the one when we found out about, well, I didn’t want to get my hopes up or disappoint you if it wasn’t true, especially after such good news…so I scheduled an appointment. I had to be sure, had to be certain.”

“You’re pregnant.” The words feel thick on Jungkook’s tongue, like he’s trying to talk through a mouthful of peanut butter; sweet, decadent peanut butter.

“I am,” she whispers, the confirmation turning into a squeal of laughter as Jungkook sweeps her into his arms and shouts his own happiness.

Peppering kisses all over Jiyoon’s face, Jungkook hops around, alternating between shouting how much he loves her and how he can’t believe his luck. “I’m going to be a father. Twice! What did I do to deserve this?! I love you so much. Fuck!”

“Calm down,” Jiyoon giggles. “Put me down before you make me hurl.”

“Oh, yeah, sorry.” Jungkook pants, setting Jiyoon back down on her feet. “I’m just so excited!” He wiggles his hips and shimmies his shoulders. “We’ll need to order a second crib. Should we have the babies share a room at first? That seems the easier option, right? I bet there is a book on that somewhere, I need to go—”

“Hey, calm, right?” Jiyoon’s smile is warm, soft. “We have time. There is no need to rush. Can we just enjoy this for a little while longer?” she asks, grabbing one of his hands and placing it over her belly.

“Yes. Yes, yes, yes.” Pressing his forehead to hers, Jungkook wraps his other arms around Jiyoon and sighs contentedly. “I love you so much, babe.”

“I love you, too, Jungkook.”

💔💔💔

Jiyoon seems nervous, pushing around the chopped salad on her plate as she chews her bottom lip. She hasn’t met your eyes the entire time you’ve been at lunch. You want to ask her what’s wrong, but you’ve been friends with her long enough to know that she’ll come to you with it when she wants, and pushing won’t do you any good.

“So,” she draws the word out, lips forming an exaggerated pucker.

“Yes?”

“How are you feeling?” You can tell that’s not what she wants to say or ask, but you indulge her anyway, hoping you’ll get to the actual matter of why she insisted on going to lunch with you today.

You shift in your seat, setting your fork down on your half-empty plate. “I feel good. I just have some nausea in the mornings sometimes, but it’s not too bad.”

Finally, Jiyoon’s eyes come up to meet yours. “I know what you mean,” she says, the words slow and enunciated—pointed. Her free hand flutters over her belly as if for emphasis.

“What?” The word is more breath than question. “You are?”

“I am,” Jiyoon confirms, tears shining in her eyes.

“Oh, my goodness! Jiyoon! What? But how? Oh my goodness! That’s wonderful!” You can’t contain your excitement for your friend, throwing yourself across the tabletop to hug her fiercely.

She’s laughing as you sit back down, clearly buzzing with her own excitement. “We just found out. It seems a miracle was in our cards after all. It’s still early, nine weeks or so now.” That would make it just two weeks, give or take, before you and Jungkook did the ICI.

“Wow,” you breathe, your own hand landing on your stomach. “They might as well be twins. It’ll be so cool—what?” Jiyoon’s frown stilts your excitement. “What is it?”

She casts her eyes away from yours again, pulling her full bottom lip between her teeth before letting it pop back out. “I don’t know. I just thought…it’s not too late if you wanted to—I just know it’s a lot on someone, your body, the pain and everything that comes after. And now that I’m pregnant, it’s just, we don’t expect you to continue…if you don’t want. We’d be completely understanding and fully supportive if you��”

“Termination? Is that…what you’re talking about? And Jungkook agrees?”

Her nose wrinkles. “I don’t like that word. I’m just saying that we will support your decision to do that if you’d like. It was never in the plans to have more than one child, and now it would be two newborns at the same time…that’s a lot, you know? Twice as many diapers, bottles, and sleepless nights. It would be hard to say goodbye, but we’d still love you and not think less of you for it.”

Your mouth feels too dry for you to form words. You know what she’s saying. Though there isn’t a single ounce of you that desires that, you also understand the hesitation Jiyoon is expressing. She’s right. There wasn’t a plan for two babies. So, what now? Do you volunteer to help? Do you seek out the advice of a lawyer to know where your parental rights might sit in the case they decide they don’t want the baby in the end? So many thoughts swirl through your mind that it makes you dizzy.

“Can I think about it?” you ask, feeling for the first time a wave of uncertainty.

Jiyoon gives you what you assume is supposed to be an assuring smile. “Of course. And if you decide not to, I’m sure we can come up with some sort of system. We’ll figure it out.”

She seems so sure that no matter your decision, it’ll all be okay. “Really?”

“Absolutely. I want—we want, these babies, even if we didn’t plan for two. I was just letting you know that there is that option if you want it.”

“I-I don’t think I do, but if that changes…I’ll let you know.”

“That’s all I ask! Now, tell me, what do you think it’ll be?” she asks, patting her flat stomach again. “A boy or a girl? I’m leaning more towards a boy…”

💔💔💔

Jungkook

Jungkook still can’t believe his life. Two babies—two extraordinary miracles, it’s surreal—perfect. His calendar has never been more full. There’s the regular schedule of photo shoots, meetings, and other client work but now those are penned in between the baby classes he’s signed up for and various doctor’s appointments.

One of which is scheduled this afternoon, just a few hours after another this morning. There is your ten-week and then Jiyoon’s three-month appointment. Things have been going great with the pregnancies being so close together, but it does sometimes make appointments and times overlap. Which is how Jungkook finds himself sprinting across the parking lot of Jiyoon’s doctor’s office. He’s late—really late. He didn’t mean to arrive so late. It’s just that your appointment ran a little longer than expected, and traffic wasn’t exactly on his side, either.

Just as Jungkook puts his hand on the handle to open the door to the doctor’s office, it swings outward, nearly smacking him in the face. Jiyoon glares at him, a peeved sigh escaping her.

“You missed it.”

“What? No. I still have—” he glances down at his watch. “The appointment should have lasted at least forty-five minutes, and it’s only been thirty.”

Jiyoon rolls her eyes. “They were able to get me in a few minutes early.” She pushes past him and starts towards her car. “Everything is fine, by the way. The baby is measuring small but is still healthy. Thanks for asking,” she snarks, holding up a length of printed film.

Jungkook grabs the strip from her hand, jogging to keep up with her angry strides. “Wow,” he whispers, looking down at the 2D images. “She’s beautiful, so tiny.”

“She? It could be a boy.”

“Is that what you hope it is?” Jungkook asks, skipping ahead of Jiyoon before turning and walking backwards in front of her. His eyes barely leave the black-and-white grainy images. He traces over the faintly-there contours of the face, the delicate nose and forehead.

Clicking the unlock button on her keyfob, Jiyoon sighs again. “I just want it to be healthy. I don’t care what gender it is.”

“You don’t care?” Jungkook purses his lips, finally looking up at his wife. She’s wearing a designer pantsuit, the deep navy complementing her porcelain complexion and making the red lip she has on pop beautifully. Pregnancy looks good on her. He opens his mouth to tell her so when she cuts him off.

“Don’t say it like that. Of course, I care. Good god, Jungkook, why do you have to make me feel like shit all the time? First you missed my appointment, because why? Because you were busy playing daddy to someone else. And now, here you are, accusing me of being a terrible mother before it’s even born. Fuck you. Fuck you, Jungkook.”

Jungkook is so confused. “What? I didn’t—playing daddy? What are you talking about? I already said I was sorry for missing the appointment, you know the times were really close. It was her ten-week appointment. They were measuring her nuchal translucency, you remember how important that is!”

“Whatever,” Jiyoon deadpans, pushing around Jungkook and climbing into her car. “I have a meeting tonight, don’t wait up for me.”

Before Jungkook can respond, the door slams shut, Jiyoon turns over the engine, and takes off. Maybe not everything is perfect, he laments to himself, mulling over his earlier thoughts. With a determined expression on his face, Jungkook makes his way to his own car and promises to do his best to make this right, vowing not to let something like this happen again.

Of course, it’s only some weeks later that Jungkook has to break this vow. It’s not his fault, it’s no ones. It seems that life just wants to test him, perhaps make sure he’s honing his time management skills for when the babies come.

Everything has been going great since his hiccup with missing Jiyoon’s twelve-week appointment. He’s been able to shuffle around his schedule and work with the both of you to ensure appointments don’t overlap or are too close together.

Jiyoon has become reliant on him, which is something Jungkook revels in. It’s like their marriage is finally back to the way it once was, full of nights cuddled in bed and romantic dinners—sans the wine. While you’ve been fiercely independent, yet charmingly sweet when it comes to Jungkook and Jiyoon and sharing the pregnancy experience with them.

There have been a few discussions about the fact that now there are going to be two babies instead of one. Jungkook has spent nearly all of his free time turning the guest bedroom into a nursery fit for two. His home gym has become a catch-all, most of the equipment being confined into a corner to make room for the furniture that came out of the guest room-now-nursery.

It’s been a lot, but it’s something Jungkook would never trade for anything in all the world. He’s positively jubilant over the prospect of being a father. It’s something he’s dreamed about for as long as he can remember. Now, it’s just a few months away, a permanent light in his life.

“J-jungkook?” your trembling voice sounds through his phone when he swipes to answer the call, tossing the paint roller into the bucket. Butter yellow coats the walls of the nursery and dots the hem of his old t-shirt.

“Hey, is everything okay?”

“I think so. I don’t know. I slipped on the stairs, I’m at the ER right now—”

“I’m on my way!”

“Jungkook, no. It’s okay. I know you have things going on today. I just thought I should tell you. Jiyoon was in a meeting, so Namjoon said he’d pass her a memo when she was done.”

He’s supposed to attend a First-Time Fathers class in an hour, and Jiyoon has her twenty-two-week anatomy scan this afternoon. The class can wait. If he’s lucky, he can go to the ER, check on you, and then make it to Jiyoon’s appointment.

“No, no, you’re not sitting in the ER by yourself. I’ll text Jiyoon and let her know that I’m leaving now to come check on you.”

“O-okay.”

The line disconnects, and Jungkook slaps the lid on the paint bucket and throws a plastic sheet over the paint tray. If it dries out, then it dries out. Paint can be replaced; your health is far more crucial right now.

Walking into the entryway, he thumbs open his messages and types out a quick text to Jiyoon before tossing his phone on the small bench by the door so he can pull on his shoes.

It’s a twenty-minute drive to the hospital, and it takes another ten minutes of searching to find you sitting in a waiting room with a large ice pack resting on your right foot.

“Hey, are you okay? Have you been seen yet? How long have you been here? What happened?”

You hold up a hand to ward off more of his word vomit, an embarrassed smile soft on your face. “Slow down, have a seat. I’m okay. They said I should be called back soon.”

Instead of sitting, Jungkook kneels on the floor in front of you. His fingers the ice pack, his face falling even further. “What happened?”

“I slipped in the stairwell at work, missed the last step and came down hard on the side of my foot.”

“Can I?” he asks, fingers moving to the corner of the ice pack.

You nod. “Yeah.”

Lifting it gently, Jungkook takes in the sight of your foot. The black ballet flats you’re wearing give him a clear view of the swelling that’s already beginning along the top and side of your foot.

“Do you want me to find a wheelchair?”

Before you can answer Jungkook a nurse comes through one of the doors, pushing a wheelchair. She wheels it over to you and says, “Ready?”

“Yeah.”

Jungkook slips his arm under yours as you stand before slowly helping you lower into the wheelchair. “Would you like to push her back?” the nurse asks Jungkook.

“I can come?” he wonders, hopeful.

“Of course. Unless you’d rather wait out here, and I can call for you when your wife is done.”

“Oh, she’s not—”

“I’d like for you to come if that’s okay? I don’t really want to be alone,” you interject before Jungkook can correct the nurse. She gives Jungkook a polite nod and gestures towards the door she came through.

“Please come right this way. We’ll need to get a quick weight and a urine sample before I can get you into your room, where the doctor will see you shortly.”

Jungkook aids you the best he can, helping you to and from the wheelchair as he can. He almost asks if you want him to come into the restroom with you, but you give him a quick shake of your head before closing the door on him.

What feels like an eternity later, you’re finally settled on a bed with Jungkook sitting in the chair beside it.

“Thank you for being here,” you say quietly, drawing Jungkook’s attention. “I know I said I wanted you to come back with me, and it’s not that I want you to leave, but please don’t feel obligated to stay. I know you have a lot of other things going on.”

Shifting his chair closer, Jungkook reaches for one of your hands. “Nonsense. I’m glad you called. I feel bad that I haven’t been to as many doctor’s appointments with you. I feel like it’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve even seen you. I wish our schedules worked out a little better. Perhaps, as my manager, there’s something you can do about that?” he asks, giving you a jesting wink.

“I was trying to give you more time to go to Jiyoon’s appointments!” you laugh, covering your mouth with your hand.

“I know, but in case you forgot, you’re also carrying my child. Don’t get me wrong, though, the texts are great, and I really appreciate the weekly baby bump pictures, but it’d be nice to actually see you. Though, maybe next time, let’s make it not where you’re laid up in a hospital bed, not yet, at least,” he adds on with a low laugh.

This is the first time Jungkook has seen your bump in person. The soft swell under your shirt calls to him, and he wonders if it would be okay to touch it. As if you’re reading his mind, you take the hand that’s wrapped around yours and press it gently over your stomach.

“Kinda weird, huh?”

“No. No, not weird at all,” Jungkook says, being completely raw and honest with you. Jiyoon is touchy about her belly, pun wholly not intended, seeing as she doesn’t let him touch her bump nearly as much as he’d like to. She’s only recently started to show, and it’s hitting her hard, with which Jungkook tries to empathize. He can’t imagine being pregnant and how much a body changes; he’d probably feel things like that, too.

He spends a moment absorbing the feel, trying to imagine the little life growing just a few inches below his hand. Life he helped create. He’s so in awe he could cry…if it wasn’t for the door opening and breaking the momentary spell over him.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Lee. I’ll be your attending today. I hear you slipped down the stairs today and are worried your foot might be broken?” The cheery, middle-aged woman chatters away, washing her hands and drying them off before offering one to you and then to Jungkook.

“Yeah. I missed the last step and landed on the side of my foot pretty hard.” You shake your head with a rueful smile. “I should have just waited for the elevator.”

“Oh, ouch. Let’s take a look,” Dr. Lee coos. “May I?” She gestures to the blanket covering your feet. Jungkook helped you remove your shoes once you were in bed and tossed the blanket over your feet so they wouldn’t get cold.

“Of course.”

Dr. Lee pulls back the blanket and gently probes at your foot, turning it slowly side to side to get a better look. “Does this hurt?” she asks as she rotates your ankle.

“A little, not as much as putting pressure on it, though.”

The doctor nods. “I think it might be best if we do an x-ray just to be sure it’s not broken.”

“Won’t that be harmful to the baby?” Jungkook asks.

“Don’t worry, we’ll make sure to protect your little one.” Jungkook nods his understanding. “Is it your first? You look a little green around the gills, first-time-father jitters.”

Jungkook isn’t entirely sure how to answer that. Because, technically…no? Considering Jiyoon is approximately two weeks further along than you are. Would that make her baby his first? A laugh, barely restrained, simmers deep in Jungkook’s chest.

“Something like that,” he finally says, earning another warm smile from the doctor.

“Alright, let’s get started so I can get you two out of here as soon as possible.”

The word ‘soon’ should be a relative term when it comes to hospitals—or a word that hospital staff is barred from using. Jungkook doesn’t mind spending the hours waiting with you. In fact, you’re pretty pleasant company. That’s not to say Jiyoon isn’t when Jungkook attends appointments with her; there’s just a different level of expectation, he thinks. He hopes this baby will have your patience and grace like that.

Jiyoon wants a quiet observer sitting in the corner, whereas you’re welcoming to his insights and curiosities. You haven’t hushed him a single time when he’s voiced a question of any of the medical staff. In fact, it almost seems like you welcome it, comfortable in letting him show his concern for you.

Thankfully, the x-ray showed no break or fracture. You’ve been given a temporary boot to wear for the next week and strict instructions not to overdo it. “Got it,” you say once the nurse has finished explaining everything to you.

“Now, before we discharge you, we would like to have a sonographer brought in to check on the baby. According to your charts and file, you’re at the twenty-week mark now.”

Jungkook stands up, panic worming its way in. “Should we be worried? Is everything okay?”

The nurse gives him a motherly smile. “That’s what we would like to check.” She turns her attention to you. “You didn’t fall on your belly, but with any trauma to the body, it never hurts just to be sure.”

Of course. That makes sense to Jungkook, but he looks to you for confirmation. “Yeah? You want to do that?”

“That would be great, thanks.”

Jungkook has only attended two live ultrasounds in all the doctor’s appointments he has been to. He has many printed ultrasound images that are now stuck to the refrigerator at home, one side for Jiyoon and the other for you. But he’s only managed to attend one for Jiyoon and one for you, so this will be a wonderful treat.

“Okay, they’ll be here in just a moment.”

A few moments pass after the nurse leaves the room, and Jungkook allows himself to truly assess his internal feelings. He’s thankful that you’re okay and will feel even more at ease once the ultrasound confirms the baby is alright, too. It’s wild for Jungkook to think that just a few months ago, his life felt like it was on the verge of falling apart. There was a steadily growing rift between him and Jiyoon, and you were just Jiyoon’s best friend.

Now, however, he feels closer than ever to his wife, and you’ve managed to carve out your own little pocket in his heart, too. It’s alarming, yet comforting, to realize that there is something more between you and him—a deepening connection that’s still delicate but growing more solid with each passing day.

“You feeling okay?” Your voice breaks through Jungkook’s reverie.

“Hm? Me? I’m great,” he assures, rubbing his thumb over the back of your hand. You’ve barely let his hand go the entire time, to which Jungkook won’t complain. “Does it hurt much?” Jungkook nods toward the end of the bed, where your feet are back under the blanket.

You shrug. “It’s not so bad while laying here.”

“Hi!” a bubbly voice calls from the door a second before a young blond woman wheels an imaging cart into the room. “Are we ready to get a look at your little one before you guys go home?”

“Yep.” You give Jungkook’s hand a light squeeze. “Excited?” you ask in a soft voice meant only for him.

“Very,” he tells you, sitting up straighter in his chair.

“Now, this won’t be nearly as good as if we were in radiology in an exam room, but all we really want is to get a look to make sure everything is okay. Besides, who doesn’t want to take a peek when you get the chance, right?”

The tech, with Jungkook’s assistance, helps you adjust on the bed until you’re in a comfortable position for the ultrasound. Jungkook feels frozen as you tug your blouse up and over your belly, giving him his first real glimpse of the swell in all its glory. It’s one thing to see it through your shirt, another thing entirely to see it like this.

“Cold,” you chuckle as the tech squeezes a glob of contact gel onto your lower belly.

“Sorry about that, these carts unfortunately don’t have the warmers on them. Ah, here we are,” she sing-songs when she smoothes the wand over the gel. “Look at that.”

Jungkook tears his eyes from your face, focusing his gaze on the imaging machine's display screen. His breath stutters in his lungs, and a wave of pure, unrestrained joy washes over him.

“They’re perfect,” he says, voice thick with emotion. Jungkook watches as an arm moves across the screen, followed by a little kicking foot.

“Seeing them never ceases to take my breath away.” You take the words right out of Jungkook’s mouth.

The tech hums, giving you a soft smile as she moves the wand around to different angles. “No gender yet?” she asks. “I’ll try to be careful here, don’t want to have any spoilers…unless you would like to know?”

It’s hard not to be curious. “Is it not too early to tell?” Jungkook asks.

Turning the screen slightly away from you and Jungkook, the tech says, “Um, nope. Not too early. Everything looks good, though. So, if you’d rather wait, we can get cleaned up and be done here.”

“What do you say?” Jungkook looks at you with a raised brow.

Your teeth leave a dent in your bottom lip as you worry it for a moment. Another thing he thinks would be cute to see his mini-me do. “I kind of want to, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” he admits, loving the fact that you do.

“Okay, wonderful. In that case,” the tech says before moving the screen back and adjusting the wand on your belly. “Take a look here.”

When Jungkook arrives home, the sun has long since gone down, but he’s so high on cloud nine that he can’t bring himself to care. The large smile on his face hasn’t slipped in the slightest.

Jungkook is certain nothing can bring him down. At least, that is, until he walks through the front door of his condo and straight into hell. Jiyoon is sitting at their dining table, her expression completely devoid of emotion.

“Hey, babe. What’s going on?” Jungkook hesitantly asks, eyes sweeping the open layout and taking note that the only light on is the recessed one directly over Jiyoon. His smile slowly fades, replaced with a crease between his brows.

“What’s going on?” she asks in a cold voice.

“Is everything okay?”

Jiyoon sniffs, her eyes narrowing, the first sign of emotion he’s seen since he walked in. “No. Everything is not okay.”

“O…kay,” Jungkook draws the word out, letting his mind flip through its internal catalog, trying to find pieces of the puzzle to put together.

“Where have you been?”

“There was an accident. Did you get the note from—”

“You’ve not answered any of my calls or texts.”

“I sent you a text before I left. I think I misplaced my phone, I can’t seem to find—”

“You missed my appointment!” she sneers, cutting him off once more. “And you did not text me. I haven’t heard from you since this morning.”

Realization hits, and the warmth drains from Jungkook’s face. He was so focused on everything with you, the panic and then the joy, that he completely spaced on everything else he should have done today. But also…

“I swear I texted you to let you know I was going to the hospital. I was going to make sure everything was okay.” As soon as your name falls from his lips Jiyoon shoves back from the table and rounds it, getting in his face. “She slipped at work and thought she might have broken her foot. Namjoon was supposed to give you a note about it since you were in a meeting. She called me. I was worried. I didn’t mean to miss your appointment. Were they able to determine the gender?”

Jiyoon jabs a finger in the center of his chest. “Not. Good. Enough. I’m your wife, not her! You’re supposed to be with me! Instead, you spend all your fucking time with your nose up her ass when you barely even know her!” Jungkook staggers back as her poke turns into a fully-palmed shove. “You’re un-fucking-believable! What a goddamn joke.”

“Jiyoon, that’s not fair. Something could have been wrong with the baby. It was an emergency,” Jungkook says, trying to make Jiyoon see reason.

It doesn’t work.

“Fuck you! Why do you care so fucking much about that stupid baby?! All you do is fawn over the photos and re-read her text updates! This,” she gestures wildly at her stomach, “is the baby you should care about! Yet you can’t even show up when it counts.”

“You can’t be serious. This is ridiculous.” Jungkook keeps his tone level, refusing to be baited into a knock-down-drag-out with her.

“No!” Jiyoon screams, making Jungkook flinch. “You are ridiculous.” Suddenly a menacing smile cuts across her face. “I bet you slept with her. Didn’t you? That’s it, you’re feeling possessive because you fucked my best friend, and that’s how she got knocked up, isn’t it?”

Jiyoon’s words spark a ringing in Jungkook’s ears. “What?” he whispers, the word barely forming.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Jungkook. I know you too well for that. Let’s not forget your little slip-up—” she throws up air quotes as she says that “—the night you supposedly did ICI.”

“I told you it was an accident. I didn’t mean to do it!”

Sarcasm is a heavy, bitter layer in Jiyoon’s reply, “You just so happened to touch her clit? Just a little oopsie, so innocent. You’re too nice to outright lie to me, so, of course, you come up with some half-truth, expecting me to believe that you didn’t want it, that you weren’t secretly gnawing at the opportunity to try and seduce my best friend!”

“That is not what happened at all!”

“So I’m supposed to believe my pathetically inexperienced best friend is the one that seduced you, then?”

“What? That’s not what I said at all. No one seduced anyone. You’re being fucking crazy right now. You know I’d never do that to y—”

The crack of Jiyoon’s palm against his jaw stuns him into silence. “Don’t you dare call me crazy!” she screams. “You’d never do that to me? Yeah, right. You’re a man, and that’s what men do! Heaven forbid a woman works hard and spends time away from the home, trying to provide for her family. Is that it? I’m gone too much for your sad little dick, so you have to chase after the first desperate pussy that comes your way?”

Jungkook presses his fingers over the searing heat licking up his jaw where her hand struck him. “Jiyoon, no, it’s not like that at all,” he says, losing his momentum because he’s not sure what he can say at this point to make her see reason. “I wouldn’t cheat on you.”

“Fucking my best friend because she’s convenient and out of spite for me being gone so much? No, that sounds exactly like something you would do. Well, looks like it’s your lucky day because two can play that game, asshole. Enjoy your fucking prize!”

Jungkook jerks back, as if Jiyoon just slapped him again. “What does that mean?”

She laughs, the sound deep and throaty. “This baby—” she seethes, rubbing over the small swell of her belly, voice rising with every word “—it’s not yours, you pathetic bastard!”

Next Chapter⇾ (coming soon) ◅ Back to story masterlist

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moonchild1 · 1 year ago

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I AM BACK I AM SO BACK HERE I AM SCROLLING THROUGH MY FEED AND BAM IS SEE THIS I AM FREAKING OUT I COULD FREAKING CRY DO YOU KNOW HOW HAPPY THIS MAKES ME ATWR IS LITERALLY MY FAVOURITE FIC THE FIC THAT GOT ME STARTED ON THIS APP AND TO SEE IT UPDATED MAKES ME SO HAPPY 😭😭😭😭😭😭💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

If to haven't read this yet i highly recommend you do it's good it's great it's freaking amazing!!!

and they were roommates - ch. 7

pairings: jungkook x reader/taehyung x reader

genre: strangers to lovers, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, eventual angst, eventual smut, fluff, pretty much everything . college!jungkook AU, college!taehyung AU, tsundere! jungkook, warm personality taehyung, slowburn

word count: 32.8 k (😏)

series summary: it all started with a rejection from your longtime crush, jeon jungkook. you decided to confess to him on your last day of high school. after a harsh rejection and a rough summer dealing with the heartbreak, you were starting anew once your freshman year of college came. you were going to be sharing an apartment with two other roommates that you don’t even know. what a surprise you’re going to be in for once you find out it’s the one and only: jeon jungkook and kim taehyung.

ch. 1 | ch. 2 | ch. 3 | ch. 4 | ch. 5 | ch. 6 | ch. 7

It’s around 8 in the morning when you wake up from your slumber. You’re greeted with a shock of pain shooting through your head and your body is feeling as if it’s floating on water. “Fucking hangover.” you grumble to yourself. You press a hand onto one of your temples.

You managed to get up from your comfy bed and walk to your desk drawer, where you found a small bottle of pain reliever pills. You pop two of the capsules into your mouth, washing it down with a random bottle of water you had on top of your desk. The hangover wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be. After all, you were able to sober up a lot faster than your friends did.

You were about to lay back down on your bed until you felt your stomach rumble. It was making gassy noises and hunger cues at the same time. Great. I have to shit and eat. You open your bedroom door and are met with the smell of a rich, salty umami scent surfing around the apartment floor. The smell caused your stomach to growl even more.

Before you went to check out whoever and whatever was in the kitchen, you used the restroom to release whatever your body wanted to waste out. After brushing your teeth and washing your hands, you applied heavy concealer where Jungkook had left his hickies on your neck from last night. You entered the kitchen and caught the sight of Taehyung stirring a large pot of miso soup with a ladle. Jimin was already sitting on the table sipping the soup. When Taehyung notices your presence, he greets you with his signature grin. “Morning, __. Sleep well?”

“Yeah, I guess so. Woke up with a slight hangover though, so I just popped some pills. Do you guys need some?” you ask the two. Jimin shakes his head, rejecting your offer. “This soup is enough to cure me.” He says after swallowing down the rest of his bowl. “I’m good too but thanks for asking, ___.” Taehyung softened at you just being…you. Considerate, selfless you. It was one of the reasons why he fell in love with you. His stomach flip flops after he is reminded about the realization from last night.

“Do you want some miso? It’ll help with rehydrating yourself.” Taehyung offered. You accepted his offer and joined Jimin at the table. “Can I sip on some of your water?” You ask Jimin. “Go ahead.” You gladly reach his large glass of fresh cold water, and your ‘sip’ turns into you finishing it completely.

“So, I said you could have a sip, not finish it.” Jimin stared at you as if he wanted to kill you. “Relax, I’ll refill it for you.” You chuckle, and went to the sink, refilling the water that you indirectly declared was half yours now.

After Taehyung serves you a medium-sized bowl of miso, he joins the table with you and Jimin with his own bowl too. He chose to sit next to you. You give Taehyung a grateful smile. “Thank you so much for the meal, Tae. I’ll eat it well.” Taehyung ruffles your hair and gives you a gentle pat on your back. “Enjoy.”

As per usual, Jimin rolls his eyes at Taehyung being oblivious to his own feelings. There was a comfortable silence in the kitchen. Jimin was just scrolling through his phone while you and Taehyung were devouring the miso.

While Jimin is scrolling through his Instagram stories, he sees that Namjoon has posted a couple of things on his story. Jimin skips through the ones of him just recording the party, and himself with his friends. Jimin was about to just skip his story entirely until he gets to a post of you and Namjoon posing in front of the mirror together. He had arm around you and you were holding up a peace sign. His eyes widened at the sight. “Wow, not Namjoon already posting you on his Instagram story.” Jimin excitedly shoves his phone in front of you.

When you see the picture, your face heats up. “Oh, yea that happened.” You say sheepishly. Taehyung tried not to get jealous but he’s just naturally a jealous person. It doesn’t feel good for him to see you potentially seeing another guy, especially upon recently learning that Taehyung indeed has strong feelings for you.

“Well? Are you just gonna say that? What else happened?” Jimin pressed. You debated on telling the boys that Namjoon had asked you out on a date later this week. You felt shy to say out loud that you were going on a first date with someone…ever. Namjoon is your first ever real date. You’ve kissed only two people in your life; Kim Seokjin, and one guy you had lost your virginity to when you were a third year in high school. His name was Hwang Hyunjin. You and Hyunjin were not an official couple. It was more like what they call nowadays; a “sneaky link”. Hyunjin was attracted to you, you thought he was hot enough to fuck. The two of you were just horny teenagers and wanted to get your virginities over with. It was just sex and kisses, no dates and no feelings. Hyunjin ended up transferring to a new school for his senior year and you haven’t heard from him since.

You decided that you shouldn't make it a huge deal to hide the date from them. “He, uh, actually asked me out on a date later this week.” You confess. Jimin’s eyes immediately fixated on Taehyung's reaction. Taehyung tried to get himself to say something. Anything. But he felt as if his throat was closed.

“That’s…great, __. Are you excited?” Jimin began. You nodded. “Yeah, I am. He seems nice.” You didn’t want to admit that he was your first date ever because you knew they were going to just tease you for being an inexperienced loser. “He’s supposed to text me later today to confirm the time and date.” You added. You chugged down a large spoonful of your miso.

Taehyung remained silent. He wasn’t heartbroken but he felt challenged. If Taehyung wanted you, he had to get you one way or another. He doesn’t know if he should suppress his feelings or express it the best way he can.

Suddenly, the three of you heard a bedroom door opening. It had to be Jungkook. Your stomach felt as if it was fluttering with anxiety. This would be the first time you would be facing Jungkook since you decided to end whatever relationship the two of you had. Enemies? Frenemies? Whatever the title was, you didn’t want anything to do with Jungkook for right now.

It came to your surprise when it wasn’t Jungkook who entered the kitchen. The three of you made eye contact with a foreign figure standing in the kitchen entrance. It was a girl. A pretty girl. This pretty girl was wearing an oversized black t-shirt. Your stomach and heart dropped in realization when you knew who the shirt belonged to.

“Morning.” she spoke out, giving you guys a short bow. She looked a bit nervous, as if she was meeting Jungkook’s parents. The three of you didn’t verbally say anything; you all slightly bowed back to her. “Would it be alright if I grabbed some water from the sink?” she asks, while playing her fingers. Taehyung motioned her where she could find the cups. “Go ahead.” He said.

She smiled at him graciously, and grabbed herself not one but two small glasses. She filled them both up with water and gave you guys one final bow before walking back to Jungkook’s room. The slamming of the door brought the three of you back to reality.

“Uhm.” Jimin starts. “Yeah..” Taehyung continues. “So, does he do this often?” Jimin asked you both. Taehyung shakes his head. “This is the first girl he’s ever brought back.” He informs. The emotion that was coursing through you was a mixture of pain, jolt, and numbness. “She’s pretty.” You admit. Jimin nodded in agreement. “Yeah, she is but..aren’t one night stands supposed to not interact with household members? That’s like against the law of hookups.”

Taehyung snorted at Jimin’s sentence. “You’re so dumb.” He playfully hits his head. “Jungkook though? He’s really entering his hoe phase now. About time.” Jimin sighs in relief, crossing his arms behind his head as he leaned back into the chair. It was silent for a few seconds. Jimin sat up quickly at a realization. “That’s why I heard moaning when I came home last night. I thought it was Taehyung watching porn.”

You managed to crack out a chuckle at Jimin’s abruptness. Jimin is the comedic relief in this household that you, Taehyung and Jungkook needed.

. . .

When Yeri returned back to Jungkook’s room, he was still asleep. He was snoring quietly, his pink lips slightly parted. He was shirtless and bottomless underneath the covers. Yeri sat on her side of the bed and simply stared at Jungkook. She was in awe at his natural beauty. She could stare at him for hours. When Yeri took notice of him at the party last night, he was all she could stare at all night. His beauty was striking. When Yeri knows she wants something, she gets it. And that’s exactly what went down last night.

Jungkook leant down to whisper in her ear and ask if she wanted to go back to his place. Without even thinking about it, she agreed. Yeri and Jungkook took an Uber back to the apartment. On the way there, the two of them were in a heavy makeout session throughout the entire ride. Poor Uber driver. At least the heavy tip Jungkook left for the driver made up for the trauma. The rest of the night was pure bliss for Yeri. She hasn’t cummed that many times in a one night stand since…ever. Jungkook was a god with his fingers, mouth, and with his dick. Yeri took a glance at her thighs to see if he left any marks on her. He was kissing them like crazy last night. She was met to see no hickies on her thighs, or neck or anywhere.

Yeri knew that Jungkook shared his apartment with roommates but when she saw you in the kitchen with the other men, she wasn’t expecting one of his roommates to be a woman. And Yeri recognized you too. Yeri has only known Jungkook for twelve hours so she knew that it wasn’t any of her concern of what kind of people live with Jungkook. However, when she had seen Jungkook at the party, she knew that she did not want to use him to be any kind of a casual hookup. She wanted more.

Jungkook’s eyes began to flutter open from his sleep. He was a light sleeper so he could feel that someone had been in his room and observing him. When his eyes fully opened, he was met with the sight of Yeri staring at him. He almost screamed, if he was being honest. He wasn’t expecting her to still be here when he awoke from his slumber.

“Why hello there, Jungkook.” She cooed at him. She handed him a glass of water and two pain reliever capsules.

Jungkook stared at her for a bit. He didn’t understand why she was still here and giving him pills and water as if she was his girlfriend or something. “Thanks.” he muttered and hesitantly took the water and medicine.

He gulped it down and placed the empty glass on his nightstand. “How did you sleep?” Yeri asks. She reached down to tuck a piece of his jet-black hair behind his pierced ears. Jungkook shuddered at her touch. Her hands were freezing cold.

Before he could answer, he looked around his bedroom. Their clothes were scattered throughout the floor. The messiest his room has ever been in awhile. He hates mess. He hates anything that isn’t in his order.

When he attempted to sit up, his back instantly began to sting. It was as if his skin was ripped open. He hissed in pain and attempted to turn his head to examine the cause of the pain. Yeri got up from the bed and went to look at his back for him. When she noticed all the scratch marks she left on him, she winced hard.

“Oh..I’m sorry. Seems like I scratched you a bit too hard.” She flashed him an apologetic smile. His mind flashbacked to Yeri riding him and digging her nails, piercing through his skin, from her pleasure.

He cringed at the memory, not wanting to reminisce on what the two of them did last night. He felt awful to admit that he was embarrassed his drunk self caused him to engage into another hookup. Two hookups in one night was an extremely rare occasion for him.

Over the summer, prior to beginning his freshman year at Konkuk, Jungkook decided to gain sexual experience to prepare himself for the college girls. He found girls on Tinder or Hinge that were willing to fuck and fuck only. As much as Jungkook tried to act like he didn’t care about girls and dating, he knew that he didn’t want to waste his college years without any sexual experience. He wanted to have stories to look back on, like Taehyung did. Jungkook didn’t like catching himself trying to follow Taehyung’s playboy footsteps however it was hard for him. Both Jungkook and Taehyung were extremely popular with women and it was overwhelming trying to contain the amount of attention the two of them had.

“S’okay.” he mumbled back to Yeri’s apology. He got up from his bed and reached into his drawer to look for an outfit to change into. “I saw your roommates. They were eating in the kitchen.” Yeri mentioned. Jungkook silently panicked to himself. Everyone met her already? Why would she go into the kitchen and introduce herself?

“Are you hungry? We can join them in the kitchen, if you want?” She continued to talk. Jungkook wondered to himself why the hell Yeri won’t stop talking. He put on a gray plain sweatshirt, solid black boxers and matching gray sweatpants. “I, uh, actually have to be somewhere and am running late.” He indirectly asks her to leave. Yeri gets the message clearly. “So you live with her then?” She asks without any context. Jungkook cocks a brow up. “Who?”

“The girl in the kitchen. I saw the two of you going somewhere in private last night.” If she was upset, she wasn’t showing it. “Oh. Her. She’s just my roommate. Needed to talk about her boy problems and came to me for advice.” He fed another lie. Yeri took a second to process what he said. She had a feeling that Jungkook wasn’t telling her the full truth. She remembered seeing you look annoyed with him and vice versa.

“I see. Just wondering.” she ends the conversation. “So, I guess I’m going home in my Playboy bunny costume then?” She asks rhetorically, expecting Jungkook to give her an outfit to go home into.

“Oh, sorry.” Jungkook went digging into his drawer to find a pair of shorts that he hoped would fit Yeri’s petite frame. He found a pair of biker shorts that should be able to fit Yeri. “Try this on.” She slides the shorts on. They were a bit loose on her waist but the oversized shirt she had on should be able to cover that. Jungkook then went into his closet and grabbed an unused trash bag. “You can put your costume inside this.” “I’ll order you an uber right now too.”

Yeri’s expectations for him were met expeditiously and she gave Jungkook bonus points for the trash bag. “Thank you.” She gives him a soft smile, which he returns back. “I’ll be going now. Hopefully, I’ll see you around to return your clothes sometime?” She asks with desperation laced in her tone.

Jungkook nodded in agreement. He had actually no plans to get in contact with Yeri again. He just needed to release the sexual frustration that was left in him after not being cum from the hookup with you. However, Yeri was wearing his most favorite black shirt so he definitely wanted that back.

“Can I walk you to the door?” he offered. “Of course.” Jungkook opened his bedroom door for Yeri and the two of them made their way to the apartment door. Jungkook took a quick glance into the kitchen as he and Yeri walked past it. You were no longer in the kitchen. It was just Taehyung by himself and he was washing the dishes.

When Yeri grabs onto the doorknob, she gives Jungkook one last look. “See you around, Jeon Jungkook.” She gives him one final flirty smile and exits the apartment. Jungkook breathes out a breath he was holding in.

“So you’re hooking up now?” Taehyung approached him, slapping a hand on his shoulder. “Sorry, Tae. I know I shouldn’t do that. I won’t do it again.” Jungkook apologized. “What? I’m not upset. I’m beaming with joy! See?” He flashed him a toothy grin.

Jungkook smirked at his brother. “Very funny.”

“So...how’d you guys meet? What’s her name?” Taehyung gave Jungkook a hyped up smile, finally happy that Jungkook is doing ‘regular-guy-things’ and not just sitting in his room doing homework and watching anime all day.

“This is where I stop talking to you.” Jungkook attempted to flee away from his annoying step-brother, but Taehyung wasn’t having any of that. “Bro, just tell me. I promise I’m not gonna stalk her or anything like that. Yet.”

“What?”

“Kidding. Now tell me her name.”

Jungkook sighs in defeat. “Yeri. Just Yeri, I don’t know anything else about her. I literally just met her at the party last night.”

As Jungkook said that, he was on his phone as if he wasn’t paying him any attention. This ticked Jungkook off. “How are you gonna make me tell you stuff about her when you’re on your ph-“

“Got it. I found her Instagram. Lee Yerim. Must go by Yeri for short.” Taehyung interrupted and shoved his cellphone in front of his face. Jungkook didn’t care to look at her Instagram page that was right in front of him. He doesn’t care about Yeri.

“I didn’t ask to see her Insta, dude.”

“You don’t wanna follow her? At all?”

Jungkook groaned in annoyance. “I’m not like you. I don’t crawl back to every woman I touch.”

Taehyung clicked his phone’s off button and tucked it into one of his pockets. He chuckled at Jungkook’s shade. “When are you gonna meet someone you genuinely care about?” he asked abruptly.

Jungkook was taken aback by his question. “Why are you asking this?”

Tae shrugged. “I just would like to see you experiencing love. Or a crush. Or even tolerate someone.”

Jungkook’s jaw clenched a bit. Jungkook can’t remember the last time he felt romantic emotions toward someone. It’s not like he doesn’t do romance, though. It is just not a priority for him right now. He doesn’t prioritize anything that doesn’t benefit himself or his career in any way. Besides, love hasn’t done anything spectacular for his life. Love is like an estranged parent for him: knows it exists, but not familiar to it.

Jungkook is aware that his estranged relationship with love is why he has a cold personality. The closest person in his life that he can confidently know that he loves is Taehyung.

“I don’t have time for love.” He simply answered. Taehyung let out a breath. He knew he was going to say that. Jungkook doesn’t make time for anything that doesn’t have to do with his studies or work.

“Love doesn’t care about timing. You can’t always push the thought of a relationship away.”

“I can do what I want.” Jungkook stubbornly continued. Taehyung rolled his eyes at his brother. “You’re so annoying.” Taehyung walked away from Jungkook and made his way towards his bedroom. “I’m gonna get ready for work.”

Jungkook stared at his figure until he disappeared into his bedroom. After being left alone, he released a long breath of air. Taehyung and his weird questions reminded Jungkook of you. He remembered the question you had asked him a while ago: “Are you content with your life?”

Jungkook still doesn’t know the answer to that question.

. . .

It was the next week, a Saturday afternoon, when you were in the middle of cleaning your room until you heard a ding sound from your phone.

You walked over to where you had left your cell phone charging on your bed.

Namjoon: So how does tomorrow at 5pm sound? Dinner on me.

Your heart quickened at Namjoon finally texting you. You would be lying if you said that you weren’t waiting on his text all day. You didn’t want to respond right away, it would look too desperate.

Instead, you immediately texted Hoseok.

you: guess who’s going on a date tomorrow :)

Immediately, he responded. Typical Hoseok.

hobi: uhm WHAT..

with who???

you: guess 😝

hobi: taehyung ??

You groaned in annoyance. Taehyung and I will never happen.

you: no. -.-

hobi: then i don’t care

you: LOL ur so annoying. Do you remember the guy I was dancing with last night?

hobi: wait him? he’s actually so fine. GO AHEAD 🥸

you: hehe thanks :) I can't wait to see where he’ll take me.

hobi: bring protection <3

you: i don't let them hit on the first date 💋

. . .

“You know Namjoon and __’s date is today, right?” Jimin joined Taehyung in the living room. “Yeah, I do.”

Jimin searched for a sign of jealousy on his best friend’s face. “So, what do you think of the two? Think they’re cute together?” Jimin decided to play with him.

“Yeah, they’re alright.” Taehyung replied dryly. “Hey. Cut it out,” Jimin snapped. Taehyung looked up from his phone and shot Jimin a bewildered look. “Fuck are you talking about?”

“Cut your little act. I’ve been your best friend since we were fucking five. Do you really think you can hide shit from me? I know you like __. Heck, I’m shocked that no one else caught onto it because you make it obvious as hell. When she enters the room, she’s all you’re looking at.” Jimin spat. He was beyond irritated at this point. “Why are you just gonna sit there and let your feelings continue to build up?”

Taehyung remained silent. This time, he didn’t want to lie and say that he didn’t like you when he really did. And he was desperate to talk about it with someone. Someone he trusts.

“She’s my friend,” He starts off. Jimin was about to call him out again until Taehyung continued.

“And I don’t want to ruin the friendship we’ve built together. Plus, she seems happy dating around right now.”

“I don’t understand. Are you admitting that you have feelings for her?” Jimin asked for clarification.

Taehyung takes a deep breath. He’s nervous as fuck. Jimin will never leave him alone once he confirms it to him.

“I do.”

Immediately, Jimin jumps to his feet and runs toward Taehyung, plopping his butt down the couch, next to him.

“Finally! Fucking finally! When did you come to your senses?” Taehyung couldn’t help but to laugh at Jimin’s excitement. He expected Jimin to be happy but not this happy.

“Last night, I guess? I don’t know man. We were just on the way home after the party. And I felt…just so happy doing the most mundane thing with her.”

Jimin smiled in pure genuinity at hearing his best friend babble himself over you. As a good best friend would be, he wanted his best friend to be happy more than anything.

“Wow, this is so crazy, Tae. My boy is in love.” He sings out ‘love’. “Please shut up.”

Jimin topples over in happiness and laughter with Taehyung. “So, what’s next now? You’re just gonna continue being her friend? Even though it'll literally kill you on the inside?”

“For now, yes. I don’t wanna overwhelm her. She’s probably just trying to date around and live life. Doesn't wanna settle down with a simple guy like me yet, right?” Jimin groaned as soon as he finished his sentence. “With that mentality, you will never have a girlfriend. Tae, you have a good personality, good looks, and have a great sense of humor. You have the golden trio! Why not use it to your advantage and get the girl? It’s not like Namjoon is her boyfriend.”

“I just need to be sure that our friendship is ready to go to the next level. I don’t want to just confess, and make it awkward for us if she doesn’t feel the same. Also, you can’t forget that we are literally roommates. It would be a stressful living situation for not just her, but you and Kook would be affected as well. There’s a lot to consider here.” Taehyung rambled on. He knew he was making valid points. Potentially dating your roommate is one of the most awkward and stressful decisions anyone could make. Jimin could see where he was coming from.

“You’re right. Sorry for pestering you about it, I’m just excited to be right about you.” Taehyung snorted at that. “Dickhead.”

“Do I actually only stare at __ when she’s in the room?”

“You literally drool.”

Jimin suddenly had an idea. But it was a bad idea. It was…sort of manipulative. And this idea hit him out of nowhere. Seeing the way Taehyung lit up talking about you, it was something Jimin had never seen before. Like Jimin and all of their highschool population, they all knew that Taehyung used to be quite a player. Therefore, the sight of Taehyung genuinely liking a girl was very new and refreshing. And as his best friend in the whole world, Jimin has the right to do anything to make his friend happy.

. . .

Drip.

A singular droplet plopped on the top of your head. You looked up to the sky, only to be met with incoming dark gray clouds. Fuck. Of course it would rain right now.

As if on cue, one singular droplet turned into two, three, four and many more.

The smell of wet concrete and humidity filled the air. The rain began to drench you. You sighed heavily with great annoyance at this inconvenience. The bus stop you were at had no benches nor a shelter. It was just a pole and a sign. You held your hands up above you, as if you could successfully umbrella yourself on your own.

You checked your cell phone for the millionth time, hoping for a text from Namjoon…again.

Your date was supposed to start thirty minutes ago. You were waiting outside for him, mentally giving him the benefit of the doubt. But you knew he wasn’t coming. He didn’t even have the audacity to call or text that he wasn’t going to make it. You felt humiliated and angry. You’ve never been stood up before and you didn’t know why or if you did anything for Namjoon to ditch you.

You sigh of defeat and begin to make your way home. Even though you were literally at a bus stop, you felt that walking in the rain would match the mood you were feeling. A bit dramatic of you but it was suitable for the situation.

As you were walking, a dark, moody presence was felt behind you. Its presence was so calming yet uncomfortable at the same time. And familiar too.

The rain that was drenching you seconds ago came to a halt.

You were looking down at the ground as you turned and you were met with a pair of black Doc Marten boots. Immediately recognizing whose shoes it belonged to, you looked up and was unsurprisingly met with the sight of Jeon Jungkook, holding an umbrella above you.

You and Jungkook remained in intense eye contact. Your breath was hitched in your throat. This was the last thing you would’ve expected to happen to you. He was the last person you would expect to hold an umbrella for you.

“Hi.” Jungkook spoke. “Hi.” you say back, looking intensely into his soulless eyes.

It was extremely uncomfortable to be alone with him after what happened at the Halloween party. You had been successfully doing your best to avoid him. It was still hard for your mind to wrap around the fact the two of you had hooked up together.

“W-what’s up?” You croaked out. “I’m heading home.”

“So am I.” He said. “Let’s go home together.” Jungkook stood beside you, trying his best to make the umbrella completely cover the both of you. Your heart was beating erratically right now. Jungkook remained quiet as the two of you walked together. “Wait, weren’t we just at a bus stop?” Jungkook halted. You hesitantly nodded. “Then why are we walking? Let’s just head back to the stop. I’m sure the bus will be coming soon.” He said monotonically. You followed him as if you were a lost puppy and the two of you sat on the bus stop bench.

The awkward tension was thick enough to slice your skull open. Your heart’s beating only got quicker and if you felt as if you could faint at any moment. You hated this; why is he here? Why is he talking to you as if nothing went down between you both? You wanted to so badly run away and never come back to your apartment.

The bus finally arrived after what felt like an eternity. Jungkook got up and motioned you to get in first.

You sped away and hopped on the bus and tried to sit as far as you could, hoping that Jungkook would get his own seat.

Unfortunately that did not happen.

“What are you..” You stammer. Jungkook closed his umbrella and readjusted his sitting position.

Jungkook stared straight ahead from his seat, as if he didn't have a single thought running through his head. Soon after, you felt the bus rumbling. As the bus drove away from your stop, you looked out the window.

Just five minutes ago, you were waiting impatiently for your date to arrive, you gave up and tried to go home alone but now you are taking the bus home with Jeon Jungkook sitting right next to you.

It has been a couple of days since the Halloween party incident and you have done a great job at distancing yourself from Jungkook. You hadn’t spoken a word to him since then and have not seen him physically. It drove you a bit mad, though. Not seeing him, not having any contact with him while trying to avoid making the apartment’s tension awkward. You were willing to take the Halloween incident to the grave with you.

“So, I’m guessing the date didn’t go well?”

You snapped your head to face him. “Huh? What makes you say that?” You scoffed.

“If it went well, you wouldn’t be riding the bus home alone right now, would you?”

You scoffed again, completely blown. “This guy..” you mumbled under your breath. “What if I took the bus alon to meet up with him? I’m going home the same way I went. Alone.” you lied. It was for your pride.

“Why would a guy let his date go home alone?” He asked. Why is he asking so many questions? Why does he want to pick on you so bad? Wasn’t the Halloween incident enough?

You decided to ignore him. You weren’t going to feed into what he wants to hear. Silence fell between the two of you for a moment.

Not wanting to sit in silence with Jungkook, you opened your bag and reached your earpods. As soon as you were about to insert a pod into an ear, the annoying boy spoke again.

“Namjoon isn’t a serious guy.”

This got your attention. “What?”

“Going on a date with Kim Namjoon and expecting anything after is like waiting for world peace to happen: impossible. You should’ve known better.” He scolded you. Your eyebrow twitched upward. “Why are you telling me to do better? It was just for fun.” You lied again. You were embarrassed to admit that you were hoping your date with Namjoon would turn into something new and exciting and serious.

“Frat guys are a waste of time. They are not fun nor serious. Don’t waste your precious time with them.” He continued.

This made you angrier. Why does he care so much?

“Well, I got stood up. So, it doesn’t really matter anymore. You won’t catch me trying to hang out with a frat guy ever again.”

You didn’t like that you were venting out your feelings to Jeon Jungkook. Jungkook was the last person to care about your feelings and thoughts on just about anything.

“You can’t just let any guy date you. You have to be careful and selective with whom you choose to date.” Jungkook annoyingly analyzed. You chuckle at him. “What are you, Aristotle? No, he just faked his personality at the party to get himself some pussy.” You shot back. This earned an arrogant smile from Jungkook. “Maybe so.”

“Where did you come from?” You decided to prompt. Might as well try to continue whatever conversation the two of you were sharing. “Just errands.” He cracked his knuckles. Something tells you that Jungkook was doing more than errands. Perhaps he went out with the girl from the party that he fucked last night. You hate the fact that you still feel hurt whenever you think about Jungkook doing things with another girl that wasn’t you.

“Are you okay?” You turned to look at Jungkook. You were shocked to hear him ask you this type of question.

“Why are you asking?”

“Just answer me.”

You gulped down saliva and nodded. “I’m fine. Not my fault that he didn’t have the balls to tell me he didn’t wanna go out anymore.”

Jungkook liked hearing that you weren’t gonna let Namjoon ruin your mood. It made you seem strong. “Was he gonna be your first date?” He continued to ask. Suddenly, this bus ride felt way too long. You didn’t know that Jungkook had such a nosey side to him.

Immediately, you became defensive, like always. “Hey, Jungkook. I’m not this bitchless loser you are making me out to be. I’ve been on dates before,” you lied. “I’ve been kissed before, I’ve had sex before, I’ve done everything, okay?” You said a bit too loudly. You tried ignoring the stares you were getting from other bus passengers. Jungkook stifled back a laugh at your irritated response. “Everything?” He repeated.

You couldn’t help but wheeze out a brief laugh. “Shut up.” You groaned, biting your lower lip to restrict more laughter to come out.

“I am still doubting it. You have no game.” It was as if Jungkook’s favorite game in the world was to get under your skin and you despised how easy it was for you to give him the power to constantly and consistently piss you off.

“Really? Do you remember Hwang Hyunjin? He was one of the cutest guys in our grade,” you looked Jungkook straight in the eyes. He was still facing straight but it seemed like he was listening. “Well, we fucked back then. And when I say fuck I mean actually fucked. Like dick-inside-vagina fuck.” Again, you got more stares from the person sitting in front of you. You returned back a scowl.

Jungkook slowly began to face you. To say that he was shocked was an understatement. Hwang Hyunjin used to be one of the guys that every girl in their school wanted. It was like a competition between him and Jungkook on who was the most popular guy in their grade. Jungkook didn’t give a single fuck about him but Hyunjin constantly tried to belittle him to make him feel better about himself. At first he would try to bully him for being the smartest student in their class and for Jungkook’s preference of sitting alone everywhere. However, Jungkook had to teach Hyunjin a lesson on not to mess with him; a violent lesson.

After that, Hyunjin kept his distance from Jungkook for the rest of the school year; all the way until his transfer to a different high school in the middle of their third year. He was surprised that you were previously sexually involved with Hyunjin. He wasn’t exactly the nicest guy nor was he the type of guy he thought you would go for.

“You…used to sleep with Hyunjin?” He asked. You nodded proudly. “Wow. Maybe you are dumb after all.”

You rolled your eyes heavily and didn’t feel like continuing this conversation with him anymore. “Why don’t I remember seeing the two of you interact?”

“We weren’t in a relationship. Just fuck buddies or whatever.” You mumbled. You have moved on from Hyunjin after he transferred but the memory of Hyunjin’s commitment issues and his treatment towards you still hurts to remember.

You thought that he could’ve been the one. However, he strictly wanted your fling to be sexual only. No strings attached whatsoever. But in your head, Hyunjin was the most ‘thoughtful’ guy you had ever known. He was ‘thoughtful’ enough to worry about you to make sure you don’t get hurt or get led on this situationship. You thought he was careful, articulate, and set on what he wants in life. You thought he cared about you by the way he would caress your body and leave sweet kisses all over you after sex. You thought he cared about you by the way he would give you secret winks at the school hallway, as if he was flirting with you. You thought he liked you by the way he would moan your name and your name only during sex. He would say how good you felt, how good you tasted, how your kisses are the best. You thought he liked you when he would act like he didn’t know you at school. He was just trying to protect your identity, right?

Hwang Hyunjin was not thoughtful. He was not careful, not articulate, and not set on what he wanted. He didn’t care about you nor did he like you. It was all in your head. As if your situation wasn’t any more cliché, Hyunjin was just a popular guy hooking up with a not-so popular girl and he was too ashamed to be associated with you. When in the privacy of your childhood bedroom, that was when he was being his true self. Outside of those walls, he was ashamed of you. Embarrassed of you. He just wanted you for sex and sex only. He used you and a part of you—no—all of you knew that. You just thought, in your little idealized mind, he actually wanted you at all.

And that’s what hurt you in the end. Your fantasies.

After Hyunjin, Jeon Jungkook returned to the picture:

It’s common knowledge that Jungkook was the genius of your high school. He was too focused on his schoolwork to have fun and date around. And you had admired that about him. Jungkook was one of the many school’s heartthrob, but he was the top. The ultimate one, the one that every single girl in Busan knew of and wanted. Due to his prestigious awards and national acknowledgments, your entire hometown knew of Jeon Jungkook. Jungkook was not only idealized by you but every other girl who had a crush on him. You thought he was mysterious, suave, introverted, and humble.

The Jungkook that you know as of right now is still the same introverted intelligent guy but he’s abrasive, cold, and self centered. He’s not emotionally intelligent. He only thinks for and about himself. He’s extremely blunt and honest with his words and he doesn’t know how to read the room. He has the beauty and the brains but you’re not sure if he has the basic foundation of being a good person.

“I’m guessing your type is selfish assholes.” Jungkook spoke. You smirked. “I mean yeah, I used to like you, right?”

Jungkook's eyes darkened at that, slightly intimidating you. “What? Are you not a selfish asshole?” You edged. “I don’t care what you think of me. I could care less of what anyone thinks of me. If you want to think of me as a selfish asshole, then go ahead.” He hissed. He was so irritated with you.

“I don’t have to think about it, I know it. And you’re also someone I was dumb enough to like. You even said so yourself.”

Jungkook looked confused. “You said you don’t like dumb girls, remember that?”

“You’re expecting me to remember any conversations I’ve had with you?”

“I’m not the one who’s trying to engage in conversing with you. You chose to sit next to me and ask about Namjoon. Maybe go sit somewhere else so you can continue to forget about this conversation too.” You couldn’t help your anger at the moment. Jungkook gets under your skin so badly, as if he yearns to piss you off. You’ve never had anyone push your buttons the way Jungkook did.

Jungkook remained silent yet continued to stare at you. A new, indescribable emotion quickly flew through him when he saw the way your lips were pouting softly and seeing the way your eyebrows were crinkled in frustration. He had to hold back a chuckle seeing you so upset with him. You looked as if you were a child that was denied candy. Jungkook kind of melted in a way seeing you in this state. “Didn’t realize you were so whiny,” he continued to tease.

“Jungkook, I swear to god if yo-”

Two small bottles of banana milk and strawberry milk were shoved in front of your face. “Pick one.” He interrupted. You quickly shut up and angrily eyed the two milks. “Why?”

“You don’t want them?”

“No, I do, it’s just…,”

“Just what?”

You gave him a suspicious look. “You poisoned them, right?” This earned a hearty chuckle from Jungkook. “Look at you being a comedian.”

You pouted again as you snatched the banana milk from one of his hands.

“I’m done with boys.” You say out of nowhere. This gets Jungkook’s attention. “What do you mean?”

“I’m done with boys. I’m…not going on another date with a guy unless I truly know him. You know, I’m here to get good grades, make memories and have fun. Not to waste my time on dudes who just want to dip their dick in anything that has a hole.” You vented out once again. “And I meant it when I said that I was done liking you. In case you remembered what went down on Halloween. I don’t know you well, therefore there is no use of me to continue liking you. I hope that we can move forward from what happened on that day.”

Jungkook, stunned, stared at you. He had no idea what to say. He suddenly felt a bit intimidated to be sitting near you. Especially since you brought up that forbidden night between the two of you.

And then, he too, felt pity towards you. The past few months he had gotten to know you had been full of arguing and distance. Here you are, apologizing to him for simply liking him—or liked—him and not knowing him well. Jungkook felt uncomfortable. He didn’t like that you were still being kind to him after everything he’s done to you.

“I’m sorry you haven’t seen the real me yet. I’ll work on that.” He replied.

You gave him a perplexed look. “Real you? You mean you aren’t an asshole?” Jungkook let out a laugh at that, rolling his eyes. “You’re the asshole.” He mumbled.

“Are we on good terms now?” Jungkook bored his doe eyes onto yours. Of course, he’s still gorgeous, that’s never going to change.

“Yeah. Good terms. Good roommates!” You grin. Jungkook rolled his eyes at you again. “Good terms, good roommates. Okay.” And the two of you shared a kind smile with each other.

“Konkuk University.” An automated voice called out the next stop. “We’re home.” You say. The two of you get up from your seats and ride off the bus.

Jungkook felt a sense of satisfaction in his chest after the two of you agreed to remain on good terms. Before, he felt as if he was walking on millions of eggshells around you, trying to avoid the extreme tension between you both. He didn’t want to live in a household where he needed to avoid a single roommate that hated his guts. He didn’t want that energy soaring through the apartment. And so, he needed to reach good terms with you. Not just regular okay terms, it needed to be good for him. For some reason, he didn’t want bad blood between you and him.

It was just you and him walking together towards your apartment. The rain turned into a slight drizzle, pitter pattering on the pavement. Jungkook whipped out the umbrella and placed it above the two of you again.

“It’s just drizzling.” You say.

“Don’t ruin the moment.”

. . .

It was one in the morning when Jungkook was interrupted by his studying when he received a text message from a random number. He dropped his pen on the desk and picked up his iPhone.

unknown: what are u doing tomorrow?

He raised a brow up. Who could be texting me? I have everyone’s number saved.

He decided to reply back to the mysterious human. Maybe it was just a bot?

jungkook: Who is this?

Almost immediately, the person/bot responded.

unknown: wow are you seriously asking this

Jungkook was starting to get annoyed. He wasn’t in the mood to play games, he has a fucking exam tomorrow. He thought that maybe his roommates would know who the mysterious number was. Maybe it was a friend of theirs?

He got up from his desk and opened his door. You, Jimin and Taehyung were in the kitchen baking brownies. The three of them offered Jungkook to join but he declined the offer. “Do any of you guys know who the hell this number belongs to?” He showed the contact to the three, furrowing his brows in annoyance.

“No idea, Kook.” Jimin answered. You and Taehyung shook your heads, also not knowing who the number belonged to.

“Seems like you should know who they are.” Taehyung smirked. Jungkook tilted his head, still thinking about who it could be. “I seriously save everyone’s number, brother. It might just be a bot or someth-“ The mysterious number double texted.

unknown: its yeri. We exchanged numbers the other night? lol.

Jungkook’s confused expression turned into a solemn deadpanned look. “Nevermind. I know who it is.” Jungkook sighed.

“Well who is it?” Jimin asked as he licked raw brownie batter off the mixing spoon. “None of your business. I’m going back to studying. Let me know when the brownies are ready.” Jimin didn’t let him walk away so easily. He jumped on Jungkook’s back, causing an uproar from him. “What the-“

Taehyung joined in and grabbed the phone from him while Jimin physically held him back. “What are you assholes doing?” Jungkook shouted. You were stifling back a laugh at the sight of Jungkook being thrown around.

“Well well well. If it isn't Ms. Yeri hitting you up, eh?” Taehyung cooed out. He reread Yeri’s text over and over. A grin spread on his face. Taehyung was happy that Yeri and Jungkook were still keeping in contact. Finally a girl that could make him happy, right?

Your heart admittedly sank at hearing that sentence. It was obvious that Yeri must be the girl that Jungkook slept with from the Halloween party. You could tell that she was into Jungkook at the night of the party but you didn’t think that the two of them would still keep in contact after the party. He must really like her.

Jungkook was finally able to push Jimin off of him. “She’s the one hitting me up. I had no idea she had my phone number.” Jungkook groaned. He took a quick glance at you and Taehyung. And another quick glance at you.

“Well we aren’t gonna let you leave until you respond to her.” Jimin jumped on his back again, causing Jungkook to whimper in pain. “You’re so heavy, Jimin.”

“Quit stalling and text her back already.” Taehyung snapped. “I’m not stalli-”

“Now.”

Jungkook snatched the phone away from Taehyung and quickly replied back a “hey yeri” to her. “Okay, I replied.” The two boys gave a congratulatory slap on his back, grinning from ear to ear. “Look at you! Finally hitting it off with a girl. Don’t they grow up so fast, Jimin?”

“They sure do, Taehyung.” The boy's unseriousness caused you to giggle. “You guys are traumatizing Jungkook.” you say. Jungkook nodded in agreement. “Yeah, you’re traumatizing me. Why are you two happy that you are traumatizing me? I’m supposed to be studying.”

“Fuck you and your studies and come hang out with us.” Taehyung sneered.

Jungkook wanted to kill himself. It is now close to four in the morning and his three other roommates were up laughing their asses off at a movie Taehyung had chosen. It was supposedly a comedy but it was anything but funny. Jungkook just wanted to desperately go back to his room and continue studying. And it didn’t help that Yeri wouldn’t get the hint that Jungkook didn’t want to be texting her at the moment. He was sending the driest texts and she would still find something else to talk about.

yeri: So what are u up to right now?

Jungkook rolled his eyes. She’s already asked this question like five times now. He caught sight of your eyes drifting back and forth into a slumber. It was as if you were trying hard to fight the sleep away. No one else noticed this but Jungkook.

jungkook: Watching a movie.

yeri: oh cool! What's it called?

jungkook: Idk.

At this point, you were averaging a couple seconds of sleep, and returned back to watching the movie. Taehyung and Jimin still had their eyes glued onto the screen, fully awake, like children who didn’t want to go to bed at all.

yeri: we should watch a movie together! How does tomorrow night sound?

Jungkook’s eyes widened at the text. Yeri boldly just asked him out on a date. He didn’t know what to say. He has never been asked out on a date before. It wasn’t like he was nervous or anything but he hardly knows Yeri. Jungkook debated whether or not he should even agree to the date or not.

Taehyung turned his head over to glance at you. You were in the middle of sleeping. Your lips were slightly parted open, with just a trickle of drool dropping down from your lips. You were snoring as soft as a baby. Taehyung’s heart clenched at the sight of you deep in sleep. This was the second time he had seen you like this. He doesn’t think he will ever get tired of this view of you looking so gorgeous. It’s all he can look at. The movie wasn’t as interesting as seeing you subconsciously away from the world.

And then out of nowhere, you screeched out a heavy snore. Immediately, Jimin yelped at the horrific sound. “What the fuck?” Taehyung bursted out laughing, not being able to hold it in. Jungkook too had a smile twitching from the corner of his lips. “Has she always been a snorer?” Jimin asked in a whispered voice. “Yeah. She snores pretty often.” Jungkook answered without a second thought. Taehyung and Jimin gave him a shocked stare, as if they weren’t expecting him to know that.

“What? She literally lives right next to me? Our walls are thin.” Taehyung and Jimin nodded understandably. Still, Jungkook found his cheeks warming slightly at them being surprised of Jungkook knowing a sleeping habit of yours.

Your loud snores shifted into soft purrs. “Let’s wake her up after the movie ends. There’s a few minutes left.” Jimin suggested. Jungkook kept glancing back at Yeri's text. It was just there staring back at him, taunting for a response. He didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to go but he hardly knew Yeri at all. All they did was hookup once and now she’s asking to go out on a date. Okay, so maybe Jungkook wasn’t cool with the idea: He’s a practical guy. He sees himself going out on dates with women he’s physically, emotionally and sexually attracted to. He has to like her looks, like her personality, and see himself sleeping with her at some point. He’s not into wasting his time on just any girl.

Suddenly, Jungkook remembered his conversation with you on the bus earlier. You apologized to him for liking him. Apologized. As if you liking him was some kind of crime.

You apologized for not liking the real Jungkook, just the version you liked in your head. It was at that moment that Jungkook thought to himself that your mentality was more mature than it seemed. You gave up on your longtime crush on him and accepted to be friendly with him, even after the messy hookup the two of you shared on Halloween. He thought to himself that if you can give Jungkook another chance of being “friendly roommates” then he can give Yeri a chance of possibly showing a different impression of herself. Jungkook was ready to reply back to Yeri’s proposal.

jungkook: Okay. When and where?

When he locked his phone after replying, his breath halted at a weird sight in front of him.

Taehyung wasn’t watching the film on the tv screen anymore. He was watching you sleep. He was watching the way your chest heaved up and down. Taehyung was absorbing the view of you sleeping because it was such a precious sight to him. Seeing you so quiet and away from the world was like a new kryptonite unlocked.

Jungkook immediately caught on that the way Taehyung was staring wasn’t like his usual self. He knew that this was different. It was as if he didn’t want to believe the sight that was in front of him was real and happening.

Jimin stood up from his chair and stretched big. “Movie’s over, guys. I’m gonna do my skincare routine and then knock.” Jimin’s voice woke you up. “Damn, I was trying hard not to sleep.” You yawned. Taehyung smirked at you. “You were snoring, by the way.” Your eyes widened and you threw your head back out of embarrassment. “Fuck, you guys should’ve woken me up as soon as you heard me snoring. You know snoring is bad, right? I’m basically choking on my spit.” Taehyung chuckled at your dramatic response and reached out his hand for you to grab, to get you up from the chair.

“Okay, drama queen. Go to your bed. I got to work in a few hours, I need to sleep badly.” Taehyung pulled you up from your chair. You pouted at the nickname he called you. “Fine. Goodnight, boys.” You waved at Jungkook and Taehyung before walking slowly towards your bedroom. It was just the two brothers left.

Jungkook felt uneasy at the moment. He witnessed Taehyung giving you a longing glare as you slept. Taehyung began cleaning up the dishes that were scattered throughout the living room, humming a little song to himself. Jungkook found himself thinking about the way Taehyung looked at you. He can’t seem to think that the way he looked at you was actually sincere; as if it held a meaning to it. With the way Jungkook had studied Taehyung's past history with women, he was feeling a mixture of being bitter and confused. What is it about you that has Taehyung acting not like himself?

. . .

It was around 5 o’clock in the evening when Jungkook entered the kitchen to grab himself a glass of water. He was dressed and ready to head out to his movie date with Yeri. He wasn’t looking forward to it, as expected, but he didn’t want to flake on Yeri.

You were completing an assignment on your laptop at the kitchen table as he was getting his water glass.

“Heading out for the night?” You asked him without looking up from your laptop screen. Jungkook took a large gulp and nodded. “Mhm.”

“Lucky you.” You chuckled. “Are you studying for once?” Jungkook asked. He walked over to take a glance over your screen. You were writing an essay and he saw that you were about 10 pages in. “Wow, ten pages?”

You nodded and sighed in exhaustion. “Yeah, it’s some dumb critical analysis essay I have to write for my women and gender studies class. It has to be at least 15 pages.”

Jungkook's eyes widened. “I don’t think I’ve ever written that much before.”

“Yeah well that’s because you’re a dumb little STEM major. You have to code an entire website and create a whole new periodic element for homework, right?” You joked. Jungkook grabbed your earlobes and lightly pinched it, earning a loud yelp from you. “Shut up, undecided major.”

You rolled your eyes as a response and reverted back to writing your essay. “So where are you going?” You asked. Jungkook hesitated and thought if it was a good idea to tell you about the date. Not because he thought that you would be sad or anything because according to you, you are “over him”, but because he didn’t want you running off to tell Taehyung and Jimin about the date. Knowing them, they would persuade Jungkook to keep seeing Yeri.

However, he couldn’t come up with an excuse. “I’m hanging out with some friends from my internship.” He lied. You snorted. “Friends? Since when did you have other friends aside from Yoongi?” You laughed. “You don’t know my personal life.” He defended. “You’re right, I don’t but I know for sure that you’re too much of an antisocial asshole to tolerate having more than one friend. You can barely stand Taehyung and Jimin.”

Jungkook hated knowing that you were right. Maybe you knew him better than he thought. “Are you lying about your whereabouts, Jeon Jungkook?” You turned to face him. With the direct eye contact, Jungkook found himself stuttering and trembling on what to say. He’s a terrible liar.

“N-No, I’m not. You’re being nosy.” He groaned, chugging down the rest of his water. This caused you to stand up from your chair and you began to face Jungkook directly. “Tell me the truth! Are you going to sell some drugs?”

I wish I was, he thought to himself. “___.” He warned. “Are you going to meet up with someone?”

Before Jungkook could reply, you noticed something sticking out of the pockets of the puffer jacket he was wearing. Immediately, you snatched the mysterious items out of his pockets and inspected it.

“___, give me that!” Jungkook snapped, trying to reach over your shoulder to grab them out of your hands but you were able to run away from his reach.

You glanced over at the two movie tickets in your hands. “You’re going to the movies?” You giggled.

Jungkook pursed his lips together in annoyance and snatched the tickets out of your hands. “You make it hard for me to be nice to you.” He sighs in frustration. “You have two tickets too, so you’re going to see it with someone.” You teased. “Is it with Yoongi? Does Hoseok know? Hoseok will get sad knowing him. He gets FOMO so easily.”

Jungkook decided to tell the truth since he doesn't know what other lies to say since he knows for sure that you would most likely blab to Hoseok about the movie. “No…I’m going to see it with just a girl I met.”

Your eyes widened at hearing that. “A-A girl?” You stuttered. “Like a…date?”

Jungkook nodded. He examined the look on your face however you had an unreadable expression. “Oh geez, sorry about keeping you here then. You should probably head out now, right? Wouldn’t want to keep your date waiting!” You forced a smile on your face and shuffled your way back to your laptop to continue writing your essay.

Jungkook stood where he was, not knowing what to say or what to do next. Jungkook found himself wanting to stay home and preferring to spend his night sleeping in bed, reading his manga or even continuing to stay in the kitchen with you to bug you some more and chat. However, he knew that you were right. He had to leave soon or else Yeri would be waiting for him for too long.

“Just don’t tell my brother or Jimin, please. I don’t want them to bug me about it.” Jungkook pleaded. You nodded in agreement. “I understand.”

Jungkook shuffled his feet and cleared his throat. “Okay, well I’m leaving now.”

Jungkook was about to leave until he heard you calling his name. “Jungkook!” He slowly reentered the room.

“Good luck on your date.” You gave him a soft smile.

Jungkook simply nodded back and left.

. . .

Jungkook had been gone for over two hours now and you were still stuck on page 10 of your essay. You couldn’t stop thinking about the idea of Jungkook going on a date with someone. It was even harder to swallow the fact that that someone isn’t you.

You hated to admit it but getting over Jungkook wasn’t going as easy as you thought it would’ve been. Of course you are aware of the fact that Jungkook would never like you back and that you only liked an idealized version of Jungkook, however you still held strong romantic feelings for Jungkook either way.

The past two hours, you kept comparing yourself to the girl that he went on the date with. Was she prettier? Was she smarter than you? Did they meet through his engineering classes? What does Jungkook like about her? Was he having a good time right now?

Your heart clenched at the possibilities.

“Hey.” You heard a voice coming from behind. You jumped and turned your head to see Taehyung smiling at you.

Immediately, you returned a genuine smile back at him. “Hi Tae!”

“What are you doing?”

You sighed. “I’m just struggling on this essay. I haven’t written anything.” Taehyung snaked an arm around your shoulder. “Well, when exactly is this essay due?”

“Tomorrow, I think? I was on a roll but now I’ve lost all my concentration.” You pout. “Hm. Maybe some fresh air will do you some good?” Taehyung suggested. He began to snake both of his arms around you, constricting you in a tight embrace.

“If I were to agree to go outside, where would I go?” Your voice cracked from Taehyung’s tight hug. “Maybe to walk to that new sushi restaurant that just opened up by our place? With your favorite roommate?” You snorted at him and pushed his arms off of you. “

I guess my mind would appreciate a nice dinner break.” You hummed in pleasure. “Let’s go, then! I’ve been dying to take you ever since they opened last week!”

You were shocked to hear that. “You were waiting to take me?” Taehyung affirmed by nodding his head. “Oh!” You laughed nervously. “Well, let me go ahead and quickly change into something suitable for our sushi adventure!”

You ran off to your room and changed out of your comfortable hoodie and sweats and transformed into a nice jean mini skirt, oversized sweater vest and into a pair of black loafers.

“Honestly, you mentioning sushi has my stomach already growling like crazy.” Taehyung chuckled at you. “Come on, let’s go.”

As you both walked down the street together, you began to observe the beautiful city that engulfs you. The high-rise apartments, the hustle and bustle of the college town you grew to love living in. Being outside was enough to reduce the inner stress you had going on; the essay, the upcoming exams, and…the unfortunate heartache of Jungkook being on a date with someone. You’ve realized that the feelings you harbor for him were a lot harder to let go than you thought it would’ve. At first when it was just a little highschool crush, you were able to like him from afar. It was more of a physical, vain crush. However, you live with him. You have gotten closer to him in a more intimate way compared to the high school crush. Yes, he’s still an asshole to you. Yes, he’s closed off and doesn’t seem interested in getting to know you past as being his roommate. It hurts. And you’re trying to let go, you really are. What else can you do to help yourself get over him quickly?

“We’re here.” Taehyung brought you out of your endless thoughts. He held the door open for you as you entered the sushi restaurant. The scent of the raw fish, ramen broth, and cooked rice infiltrate your nostrils. “God, it smells amazing here.” Taehyung chuckled at you admiring the restaurant. “Hopefully the food is just as good.”

“Hello, for many?” The hostess asked. “For two, please.” Taehyung answered. “Follow me.”

As the hostess led you and Taehyung to your tables, you hesitantly stared at Taehyung as discreetly as you could. Suddenly, you could hear Hoseok’s voice in your head, remembering all the nonsense he would say to you about Taehyung.

“How haven’t you hooked up with him yet? He’s so good looking!”

“Taehyung seems to care about you a lot”

“You guys are practically Han and Anna from Frozen; always finishing each other’s sentences and getting excited over the littlest things and you both enjoy each other’s company like crazy.”

And then you remembered what Chaeyoung said from a previous phone call,

“___, you’re telling me that you’re just friends with a beautiful man like that?”

Some of your closest friends kept pushing you to get with Taehyung and you just never saw him that way. But why? They were right; Taehyung is good looking, he does care about you, and you guys get along extremely well together. Did you just not allow yourself to see Taehyung past friends for the sake of your feelings for Jungkook? Admittedly, if you had met Taehyung first, he would be the one high school-you would’ve been crushing over. Taehyung is kind hearted, mature, he is beyond artistically intelligent, he cares for others and financially provides for Jungkook. You looked up to him in so many ways, he inspires you to be a better version of yourself. So, why didn’t you find yourself romantically attracted to Taehyung?

Taehyung pulled the chair out for you. “Why thank you.” You giggled. “Absolutely.”

The hostess leaves you both with the silverware and menus. “What sounds good to you?” Taehyung asked as he scanned the menu.

“You.” You smile.

Taehyung chokes on air. You slightly chuckle at his cute reaction and hide yourself in the menu. “How unexpected of you to say, y/n.” He blushes. “I don’t know where that came from, honestly.”

“Neither do I.” Taehyung blushes as well. You could feel your chest tighten at the adorable sight of Taehyung looking shy and awkward. “You look cute when you blush.” You admit. You wanted to see him blush harder and so he did. Taehyung bursted out a nervous laugh and pressed his palms against his cheeks. “You’re making my cheeks burn, y/n.” His box-like smile appears.

“Okay, I’m done..for now.” You give him a reassuring smile and look down at your lap. You honestly don’t know where the sudden flirting came from. You meant in a playful friendly way however you didn’t seem to mind if Taehyung was to take your flirting seriously. Which he didn’t really seem to since he was laughing and smiling along with you.

The thing with Taehyung was that he had an incredibly comfortable aura to him. You felt safe with him, you felt at ease. Maybe that was something you were looking for in an amicable way? You had your two childhood best friends abroad, living their own lives. Sure, you had Hoseok, however he is a busy individual and is often spending his free time with his boyfriend, as he should. You felt lonely and your heart was yearning for someone to confide in, hang with, be yourself with. Taehyung simply checked all those boxes. For now, you had settled with the fact that Taehyung was who you needed for amicable and sanity reasons. Any other feelings would come naturally if it was meant to be for.

Your server approached you and Taehyung and offered you both water and if you guys were ready to order. After ordering your choice of dishes, you were back in a comfortable silence. “Tell me how your week has been going.” Taehyung asks, taking a sip of his water right after. “Mm…not much honestly. Just been going to classes, studying. Nothing interesting.”

“What do you mean ‘nothing interesting’, didn’t you have a date earlier this week with that guy from the party?” Taehyung brought up Namjoon. Your face dropped in annoyance at the memory of him ghosting you so suddenly. Especially when he seemed so interested in you from that night. “Let’s just say that the date didn’t happen. He kind of…ghosted me.” You admit, biting your lip from remembering how embarrassing it was. Taehyung’s eyes widened. “He what?” You nodded, validating his disbelief.

“Yeah, believe me I was in shock too. I have no idea what I did.” Taehyung scoffed at you. “I could bet you a million dollars that it wasn’t anything that you did; it was just Namjoon being the typical frat boy slash fuck boy that he is. He’s a dickhead and I don’t know why I encouraged him to ask you out.” Taehyung spat. “You encouraged it?” You asked in shock. “Yeah, he kept asking Jimin and I if you were single and if it was alright for him to ask you out, since he knew you were our friend.” Taehyung could feel the warmth of anger in his chest as he spilled out what had happened at the party.

You responded with silence. Namjoon’s sudden rejection hurts less now however Taehyung’s anger made you feel slightly guilty. Not because you thought you did anything wrong but because you didn’t want to be a reason as to why Taehyung would hold anger against a good friend of his. Taehyung tried to read your expression. He could tell you had some guilt mixed with embarrassment. “Are you okay?” He asked. He leaned and tried to attempt to reach for your hand but he went against doing so.

You nodded and tried to give him a reassuring smile. “I’m okay. I was able to get over it well.” Taehyung let out a sigh of relief. “It’s his loss.”

You chuckled softly at that. “His loss, indeed.” Taehyung leaned back against his chair and was trying to read your expression again. He could tell you didn’t want to continue talking about this and so he changed topics. “Well, are you interested in anyone else?” You choked on a little water and gently coughed.

“Geez, Tae. Nice change of topics.” You laughed awkwardly. Taehyung shrugged it off and smirked at you. “I’m just in my gossip era.” You rolled your eyes at him and dabbed some water from the corner of your lips with a napkin. “Uh, no. I’m not interested in anyone. I’m trying to enjoy my single life.” You answered. Taehyung could only nod at that. Of course he wasn’t expecting much of an answer from you. He knows you’ve been through a lot with Jungkook and now with Namjoon. He just wanted reassurance that there wasn’t any…competition in his way.

Actually, he wanted to double check if Jungkook was no longer an option for you. “So…anything going on with you and Jungkook?” He asked again. Your eyes widened at his abrupt question. You didn’t expect him to suddenly mention his brother out of nowhere. “Taehyung..” You started off. He locked his dark brown eyes with yours, not afraid of how intrusive his question was. He was set on trying to get you to see how he feels for you one way or another.

“Uhm..” You hesitated. “I mean there was always nothing going on between us. However, if you meant to ask about my previous feelings for him then…I don’t think I like him that way anymore. I see him as just an acquaintance and roommate. I’m sure the same goes for him. And…yeah.” You finished. Again, Taehyung was trying to read your expression, your tone, your body language. From the way you didn’t look directly into his eyes when you answered, the way you fiddled with your fingers, the way you chewed on your bottom lip when you were thinking of your response, and the way your voice sounded defeated, as if you had lost something you didn’t want to lose, was enough for Taehyung to know the true answer lying underneath your surface.

You were lying.

You still harbored feelings for his brother. You don’t see him as just an acquaintance and roommate. He doesn’t know what you see Jungkook as but it is certainly not as platonic as you’re making it seem. He could feel his chest throb in pain slightly at the realization. Taehyung had no idea if Jungkook’s feelings towards you were mutual or not because he never seemed to care to notice or study the way Jungkook was around you. He was certain that Jungkook most likely saw you in a platonic way. From what he knows of, the two of you don’t spend a lot of time together. Nor do you both talk to each other one-on-one a lot. Taehyung thinks that the kind of relationship you and Jungkook have is currently a contractual mutualistic relationship: you guys are supposed to just put up with each other’s antics and that was that.

“I see.” He forced a smile onto his face. “Are you comfortable living with us three guys still?” You laughed at his question and nodded. “Of course. I love you guys.”

Taehyung leaned forward to you again and this time, he actually reached his hand out to yours. You gladly gave your hand to him to hold. “I couldn’t have chosen a better roommate to deal with our bullshit. We love you too, y/n.” Your heart glowed at Taehyung’s sentimental confession. “Awe, Tae..” You cooed softly.

“Okay, I have one family-sized sushi boat and your sides for the lovely couple here.” Your server interrupted and placed a large wooden boat of the gorgeous raw fish onto your table. You and Taehyung gave each other a look and snorted at the ‘couple’ remark. However, you indirectly agreed to go along with it. You figured that couples usually receive free dessert at the end of the dinner either way. “Let’s dig in, shall we?” You eagerly smiled at Taehyung. He returned the gleeful expression and the two of you pigged out together.

. . .

How can a 115-minute movie suddenly feel like an eight hour shift?

Jungkook was feeling incredibly bored out of his mind as he watched the sci-fi movie that Yeri had picked out for them. He looked over at you and could tell that she was very into the movie. Her eyes were locked onto the film and was mindlessly chomping down the bucket of popcorn she was hoarding. Jungkook wanted to melt like the butter on the popcorn and slither his ass out of the theater.

He would rather spend 115 minutes walking barefoot on the asphalt in the middle of the summer than be here on this date he didn’t want to go on. Jungkook had tried to give Yeri a chance to redeem herself but she just wasn’t…interesting. Nothing about her was intriguing to Jungkook. He asked her questions to attempt to get to know her. She’s in college studying to be an actress, she’s a part time pilates instructor at a nearby gym, she’s also a full-time content creator on YouTube and likes to make makeup tutorials and skincare videos. She likes horror and sci-fi movies but Jungkook prefers rom-coms. She likes to spend her free time outside in the city and bar hopping with friends, meanwhile Jungkook prefers staying in and isolating himself in his room. She doesn’t like to fraternize with anyone that isn’t wealthy, socially popular, good-looking, or just anyone that isn’t similar to her lifestyle and interests. She’s shallow and vain and Jungkook wasn’t vibing with that.

When Yeri told him about her close friend circle, it raised a huge red flag for Jungkook. He was familiar with her groupie. They were all influencers that posted beauty and fashion content, only dating within their wealth level and socialite class. They would still talk bad about other students on campus as if they were still stuck in their high school bully era. After getting to know all this about Yeri, Jungkook was quite ready to ghost her as soon as the movie ended.

All of a sudden, a jumpscare happened on the screen, causing half of the theater to scream and throw their popcorn in the air. Yeri was one of the few who screamed and instinctually clenched her arms around Jungkook’s.

“That was so scary, Jungkook.” Yeri pouted and buried her head into his arms. Jungkook responded by rolling his eyes but didn’t mind letting Yeri borrow his arms for a bit. He looked around the theater to see what appeared to be other dates, and the women were grabbing onto their dates like Yeri was. He grew to be even more annoyed with Yeri. He didn’t like how typical she was. She was like every other girl. Nothing special about her. It’s harsh but true, according to Jungkook.

He suddenly found himself comparing Yeri to you. Would you react the same way Yeri did? Would you hold onto him during a scary scene? Jungkook can confidently say that the answer was no.

You wouldn’t react the same way. You wouldn’t hold onto him. No, you would be asleep halfway through the movie and the jumpscare would awaken you from your slumber, and you would jump and scream obnoxiously. You would spill whatever food was on your lap and you would most likely run away from the room. Had you been watching the movie in the comfort of your apartment, instead of running away from the room you would just turn the movie off and change the mood by making an unfunny joke to ease up the tension. That’s what you would do. And for some reason, Jungkook found himself smiling and quietly laughing at the imagination he created in his head.

Yeri could hear Jungkook chuckling to himself and gave him a concerned look. “Jungkook? Why are you laughing? The main character’s best friend just died?”

Jungkook immediately shut up and cleared his throat. “I just thought of something funny.” He answered. Yeri curled an eyebrow up. “What were you thinking about?” She whispered. Jungkook shook his head. “It’s nothing. It’s just that this scene reminded me of an inside joke between me and a friend.” He lied. Yeri just nodded understandably and refocused her attention back to the movie.

Jungkook allowed another smile and a snort to escape from his lips before making himself regain his attention back to the “heartbreaking” scene of the death of the best friend.

. . .

“I had fun tonight, Jungkook.” Yeri shyly smiles at him. Jungkook forced a smile onto his face. “I’m glad. I had fun too.” He lies. “Thank you for walking me home.” She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. “Not a problem.” He replies dryly. Yeri stops at a large modern looking building. “This is my dorm building.” Jungkook nods in response. “Goodnight, Kook.” Jungkook tried his hardest not to physically cringe at the nickname she decided to give him. He managed to wave at her. “Goodnight, Yeri.” He began to turn around to walk to his apartment but Yeri called out to him and ran to grab his jacket. “Wait,”

“Hm?”

“Do you want to do this again sometime soon? Maybe next week?” She bit her lower lip in anticipation. Jungkook could see a shimmer of hope and a dash of nervousness in her eyes. He genuinely did not know what Yeri saw him and why she still wanted to continue seeing him. He tried his hardest to remain stoic and dry with her to show his lack of interest but she wasn’t getting the hint. He tried to think of a good response that will give a hint of rejection without straight up saying so.

“I’ll see. I have a lot of exams coming up so I’ll let you know when is a good time to meet up again.” Jungkook answered. Yeri remained quiet for a moment before nodding in agreement. “Okay, sure! Text me when you make it home safely!” She waved at him. Jungkook smirked. “I only live about five minutes walking distance from here. I’ll be okay.”

Yeri chuckled, “Alright, fine. But let me know when you’re free again!” She reminded him. Jungkook simply nodded and began to trail away from Yeri. “Bye Jungkook!” She unnecessarily yelled out. He was only a few feet away. He gave an awkward smile and waved back at her, and began to speed walk.

His speed walking shortened the walking distance by half and he was able to make it home comfortably. He entered the apartment and was met with the sound of laughter and the smell of alcohol. He took off his shoes, slid his feet into his house slippers and headed into the living room. He saw you, Taehyung, and Jimin sitting in a circle. It seemed as if the three of you were just talking and spending time together. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of FOMO. He would much rather have spent his night like this than be out on a date with a random girl.

“Hey, Kook is home! Where were you tonight, young man?” Taehyung slurred. “Uh, I was just out with Yoongi.” He chuckled nervously. He shared a quick glance with you, and you gave him a reassured look; a look that said he was okay and that no one knew of the date.

“You need to stop hanging out with Yoongi and hang out more with your brothers and y/n.” Jimin slurred out, taking a quick swig of soju. Jungkook shared another glance with you. He looked confused. “Why are they drinking?” He asked. “Jimin begged Taehyung to share a drink with him and well…one drink turned into many. I’ve just been here giving them company.”

“Jungkook! Come have a shot of soju with us!” Jimin patted on the ground for him to sit. “Uh, I think I’m just going to call it a night. I’ve had a long da-,” Jungkook got interrupted by Taehyung’s loud groan. “Oh my god, we don’t care, come over and sit with us now.”

Jungkook squinted his eyes at his brother in annoyance. You stifled back a laugh at this interaction. “You’re taking a shot with us too, miss y/n.” Taehyung targeted you. You gave him the exact same annoyed look that Jungkook had given him. Regardless, Jungkook listened to his two seniors and sat where Jimin had patted him to sit in. He sat between you and Jimin.

You scooted your body away from Jungkook little by little. “Now, take a shot.” Jimin slammed the shot glass onto the coffee table. “Here’s your shot glass too, y/n.” Jimin handed yours. Taehyung administered the pouring of the shots to you and Jungkook. You both turned to each other hesitantly. “I just wanted to give them company.” you whispered to Jungkook. “And I just wanted to go to bed.” He whispered back. “I’ll take my shot if you take yours.” You suggested. Jungkook just sighed in response. “There’s no such thing as saying no to these two.” He groaned. You both tapped your shot glasses onto the table and then threw the alcohol down your throats, earning a loud sound of approval from the two best friends.

“Let’s go! All of the roomies are getting fucked up tonight!” Jimin yelled. “Uh, I’m just going to take this one shot with you guys. I still have that paper to write and I have class tomorrow morning.” You halted the two boys from encouraging drunkenness from you.

“Me too. I have an eight AM class.” Jungkook added. Jimin rolled his eyes at you both and some fingers through his dark locks. “You goddamn scholars.” He cursed under his breath. “Do you work tomorrow?” You asked Taehyung. “Nope. I’m off from work and I have a late afternoon class so I get to sleep in!” He and Jimin dapped each other up, earning a scoff from Jungkook.

“Hey, by the way, where were you guys earlier today? I came home and the apartment was silent.” Jimin asked you and Taehyung. “Oh, Tae took me out to try the new sushi place that opened up in town! You guys seriously should go sometime soon, it was so delicious.” You were bouncing in excitement as you bragged about the restaurant. “Oh, and if you want free dessert, you should go with a girl. Our server thought that ___ and I were a couple and they gave us a slice of tiramisu cake.” Taehyung looked over at you and you both laughed at the memory.

Jungkook darted his eyes between you and his brother. “He thought that you both were a couple?” Jimin repeated back, laughing along. “I know right.” You cackled. Jungkook remained silent as three of you guys laughed. He began to glance at the way Taehyung looked at you. Lately, he has been picking up way too many weird signs from Taehyung when it comes to you.

Logically, if Jungkook could sense that his brother was acting differently around a certain girl then he would conclude that he is interested in her but Jungkook couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of Taehyung being interested in you. Not that there was anything wrong with you, it was just that he didn’t think of you being the type to sway Taehyung. Jungkook simply thought you two were not romantically compatible. Jungkook may not know you that well but he certainly knows his brother.

“Taehyung, let’s go take a smoke outside real quick.” Jimin stands up from the floor and massages his butt. “Fuck, my ass is so sore.” He mumbled. Taehyung got up and was beginning to follow Jimin from behind until he took a quick glance at you and Jungkook sitting together. He felt a small ache in his chest from the thought of leaving you two alone. Especially with him knowing that you very much still had some feelings left for Jungkook. They’ll be alright.

Taehyung and Jimin go out to the balcony and shut the door behind them. “Since when did Taehyung smoke?” You ask Jungkook. “He occasionally smokes whenever he’s drunk. But I’ve seen him smoke out of stress too. He just does it when he feels like it.”

“Ah, I see. I’m kinda like that too.” You chuckle. Jungkook snapped his head towards you and gaped his mouth open in surprise. “I wouldn’t take you as the type to smoke.” He curled his lips up at your confession. “It’s my little personal secret. I’ve been smoking since I was 16.”

Intrigued by this, Jungkook leans his body back, using his wrists to hold him up. “Now what caused 16-year old you to pick up cigarettes?”

You smirked at him. “My parents were going through a rough patch together. They were literally on the brink of divorce and kept dragging me into their problems. It was way too much stress for me to harbor as a high schooler that was also dealing with pounds of homework and exams every week. Luckily, they were able to work things out because they went to counseling but as of today, I like to puff puff a little bit sometimes to relieve some stress.”

Jungkook nodded understandably. He had no idea that you had gone through some family hardships as well. “I see,”

“So I’m the only one that knows this secret of yours?” You nodded. A part of him was a little pleased that he was the only one who knew.

“I’ve never tried it before.” He says out of the blue. The two of you shared eye contact at that. You were quizzically checking him out, wondering if he was hinting something. “Well, I suggest you not to do it. Once you try it a few times, there’s no going back.”

Jungkook had an idea but it was an extremely bizarre one. He didn’t know where the idea came from or why it was created. But he was amused at the thought of it and didn’t mind encouraging the idea to blossom. “You could do it with me. Just once wouldn’t hurt.” He suggested but it came out more as a question.

Your eyes popped open. “What?”

Bashfully, Jungkook looked away. “Nevermind.”

“Wait, no! I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just surprised that you would consider doing it with me. I mean…”

Jungkook made eye contact with you again. “If I was to try a cigarette for the first time, you’re one of the people I’d be okay with trying it with. I’d be okay if I was to do it with Jimin or Taehyung too. You’re my roommate, so I kind of trust you too.”

You nervously looked away and had to release an exhale that was being clogged inside of you. “Oh, sure! Of course, I get it. I trust you three as well.” You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. By Jungkook admitting that he would want to experience something, anything with you meant that he was admitting that he felt comfortable with you. That he trusted you. Despite your history together, you didn’t think that Jungkook would carry intimate feelings of trust and comfort around you. Was it because he sees you as more than “just a roommate”? He sees you as something more? Like a friend?

“Let me know when you would want to do so.” You said. Jungkook nodded. “Sure.” A slight comfortable silence fell upon you two. “Do you want to take another shot?” You asked. Jungkook thought about it before he agreed. “It’s not like they’ll know we took another one.”

“But this is actually my last one. After four or five shots, I’m done.” You warned. “Four or five? You’re such a lightweight.” Jungkook teased. “How many shots does it take for you to get wasted?”

Jungkook calculated in his head for a moment. Taehyung used to throw parties whenever their parents were out of town back when he was in eighth grade so they’ve both had a bit of experience with alcohol. “I’d say around ten is when I’m beginning to feel a buzz.” Your mouth dropped. “Ten? For a buzz? That’s borderline alcoholic.” Jungkook smirked at that. “Yeah, well when you’ve been drinking for as long as Taehyung and I have then you’d know.” “Well then tell me how long you’ve both been drinking for.”

“Since I was thirteen. For Taehyung, since he was fifteen.”

“Thirteen? Fifteen? That’s insane.”

He shrugged. “Well, our parents were barely around to notice. If they were around, I doubt that they’d care.” You gave him a sympathetic smile. “Also, we went to a rich private school so a bunch of kids like us began drinking at an early age. It was the privilege and the fact that almost all of our parents were wealthy assholes that didn’t give a fuck about us.” You groaned at Jungkook. “You’re being such a downer. You’re making me sad.” You whined. Jungkook let out a chuckle and ran fingers through his hair. “Alright, I’ll stop ambushing you with my depressive lore.” You both laughed together.

You liked this. You liked being able to be civil with Jungkook and laugh about things together. You liked whatever kind of moment was happening between you both.

You hesitated on whether or not you should bring up his date. You didn’t want him seeing that you cared to know about every single detail that happened tonight and you didn’t want him seeing that you were a little bit jealous too.

Suddenly, Jungkook’s phone buzzed. He reached his hand into his pockets and brought the phone out. It was an Instagram notification from Yeri’s account. He clicked on the notification and saw that she had tagged Jungkook onto her story and posted a picture of their two drinks and the singular bucket of popcorn and she had captioned it with a heart.

Jungkook let out the most irritated groan of his life. How did she even find his Instagram account? He never followed her and she never followed him? His username was very discreet, it did not explicitly say his name. It was actually an extremely long username: @abcdefghi__lmnopqrstuvwxyz.

“What’s wrong?” You asked as you finally took your second shot. “Nothing.” He mumbled. “What? Tell me.” You edged.

Jungkook debated on telling you. He didn’t know if you would be a good confidante for this certain situation for many obvious reasons. However, you both agreed to remain just friends right? A civil relationship with each other? Once he had decided on telling you, the patio door opened and Jimin and Taehyung stumbled back inside the living room.

He gave you an apologetic look. Maybe you didn’t need to know and it was the universe telling him so.

Taehyung took a quick glance at you. You looked annoyed. Not at Jungkook, not at Jimin, and not at himself. It seemed as if you were annoyed with yourself. You were looking down at the ground and picking at the rug on the floor. “Are you okay?” Taehyung asked, placing a hand on your knee.

Jungkook and Jimin peer over at this, with Jimin smirking to himself and Jungkook keeping his eyes glued to his brother’s hand. You fixed Taehyung with a brief smile and nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just going to call it a night, I’m getting tired.” You fake-yawn. Taehyung nodded understandably and withdrew his hand from your knee. You get up and stretch. “Goodnight guys.” You wave to the three roommates and begin to drag yourself to your bedroom.

Jungkook watches you as you disappear into the doors of your room. He could tell that you weren’t being truthful with the way you quickly came up with an excuse. You didn’t appear to be sleepy a minute ago. He didn’t want to stay and hang out with Jimin and Taehyung alone for the rest of the night. He knew that they would pressure him to drink more and he would eventually oversleep his classes, his job, and it was also a weekday. There was no need to be drunk this early into the week. “Be right back.” He muttered to Jimin and Taehyung. Jimin watched Jungkook leaving. He didn’t think too much into it. He turned his attention to Taehyung.

“I saw you placing your hand on ___’s knee earlier.” He cheesed. Taehyung groaned a jumble of words that Jimin couldn’t comprehend for the life of him. “I didn’t understand a single word you just said.” Jimin laughed. “Sorry, it’s just all those shots we took back to back that are catching up to me now. Everything’s spinning. All I can think about is ___. Where is she? Is she here? Does she know?” Taehyung rubbed his hands all over his face as an attempt to get himself together.

Jimin laughed even harder. “You’re a mess. She’s not here, it’s just you and me. Keep your voice down.” He chuckled. “Since when did your tolerance get better than mines? Fuck, I’m so out of it.” Taehyung groaned even louder. “Where did Jungkook go?” Taehyung asked. Jimin looked towards his bedroom door, which was where he assumed Jungkook went. “Probably went to bed. He said he’d be right back but you know he didn’t want to hang. He’s spiritually an old man.”

“Does ___ know?” Taehyung mumbles again. “Know about what?” Jimin scooted closer to him.

Jungkook opened the door of his bedroom and was heading towards the bathroom until he heard Taehyung’s constant repetition of “does ___ know?”. He stopped in his tracks, and stood right outside of the bathroom door. There was a wall blocking and separating the living room from the hallway that contains the bathroom and the bedrooms, therefore Jungkook couldn’t be seen from where he was.

“Just say yes or no, Jimin.” “Taehyung, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Be specific.”

Taehyung let out an irritated groan. “About you-know-what. About me. About me and her.”

Jimin shushed him, in case either Jungkook or you could hear. “No, man. No one knows except me. I’m the only one. No one will ever know between us two.”

Taehyung’s drunken eyes looked up to meet with Jimin’s exasperated expression. “You promise?” He slurred. “I promise.” Taehyung smiled in satisfaction. “I’m sorry for being a mess right now.”

Jimin snorted. “You’re always a mess.” “Says the one who is a college dropout and is crashing at their best friend’s place.” The two of them laughed together. Jungkook remained where he was, in confusion. What was Taehyung talking about? What was going on between you and him that you didn’t know about? That he didn't know about?

“Should we go to bed?” Jungkook heard Jimin asking Taehyung. Without hesitation or thinking, Jungkook ran back to his bedroom, no longer needing to urinate. He heard the shuffling of their feets dragging on the floor. Jimin put Taehyung to sleep and walked back to the living room.

. . .

It was a week into Christmas break when Taehyung had the idea for the group to go ice skating. “The place is open until 10. We can get food from the convenience store afterwards. Come on, it’s only 6:30, we have time to get ready!” He eagerly said. You sipped your peppermint tea and thought about it. “I mean, I haven’t properly enjoyed myself ever since the semester ended. I’ve been rotting in bed ever since I submitted my last final. I’m down!” You agreed.

Taehyung smiled at you and then turned his head towards Jimin and Jungkook. “I’m down too. I have nothing better to do tonight.” Jimin said. “Why is it that it’s down to you for the last vote? Why do you always have to be such a grandpa?” Taehyung pestered his brother. Jungkook couldn’t hide the smile that crept to his face. “This grandpa was planning to go on a jog before dinner and bed.” He ran a finger through his now silky dark brown hair. He dyed it dark brown last week after feeling like he needed a change with his appearance.

“Well now you can spend it with ice skating instead. Come on, you can even bring Yeri with you! You two have been inseparable ever since she came over for our Thanksgiving dinner.”

You couldn’t help but to shudder at the mention of her name. You didn’t expect for Jungkook to continue dating her after the movie date but he is. She’s been coming over to the apartment almost every single day. Your bedroom was right next door to Jungkook’s and you could hear her giggles, their conversations, their snores when they slept. It was as if you were given a sneak peek as to what hell must feel like.

Jungkook looked down at his phone and opened his text messages with Yeri. She had been begging to hangout today and do something. She was texting him nonstop and kept mentioning how bored she was and how she missed him as if they didn’t see each other less than 24 hours ago. Having a girl like Yeri by his side was tiresome. He knew that he'd rather go ice-skating and bring Yeri than have to hear her blowing up his phone with whines and complaints of wanting to do something throughout his peaceful jog, his peaceful dinner, and his peaceful bedtime.

“Sure.” He said. Taehyung smiled, in shock seeing that he actually agreed. He thought that having Yeri in his life was causing him to become more social. “Let’s leave around 7.”

Jimin immediately got up to get ready with you following behind. Taehyung looked at Jungkook and smirked. “I see Yeri has your shell opening up. I like that.” Jungkook rolled his eyes. “She isn’t opening my shell. I just feel like ice-skating.” Taehyung shrugged. “You’re still going out more ever since you started dating her.”

Jungkook didn’t care to explain anything to him. He doesn’t know what goes on in his mind and what goes on between him and Yeri. He doesn’t need to know that they only have a sexual relationship and that Jungkook doesn’t harbor an ounce of romantic feelings towards her. He doesn’t need to know that Yeri is in a one-sided situationship with him. Taehyung doesn’t need to know anything.

“If you think so.” He bites the inside of his cheek and stands up. “I’m gonna get ready.” He walks past Taehyung and texts Yeri to get ready.

Why do I feel like I will never be able to understand him, Taehyung thinks.

. . .

You fell on your ass for what felt like the fiftieth time. “I can’t fucking skate!” You cried out, holding back a laugh. Jimin skated towards you and reached his hands out to pick you up. “Why do you keep falling? Stop embarrassing us.” Jimin teased, causing your laugh to burst out of you. “I’m trying!”

You were having a great time. Seeing families, friends, couples being together made you sonder with happiness. Something about being able to be silly and kid-like without embarrassment made yourself feel as if you were on cloud nine.

You attempted to continue skating after Jimin had helped you get up. Each time you attempted, it got easier for you. You didn’t mind falling, you liked the “trial and error”-ness. You looked ahead and saw Jimin and Taehyung holding hands and skating together. You giggled at them. Seeing the two having fun together made you miss Jihyo and Chaeyoung. Every winter break, the three of you would ice skate, sled, drink hot chocolates, bake cookies together, and rewatch all your favorite holiday movies. You spent more than half of your life with them and this was the longest you have been apart and with minimal contact too with the time difference and busyness.

You knew that Chaeyoung was coming home in less than two days and Jihyo would arrive the day after to spend Christmas with their families. No plans were fully confirmed since they would also be busy during their holiday break with their family. Your prior blissful mood transitioned into disappointment.

You decided to attempt to catch up with Jimin and Taehyung to get your mind off of your dear friends. You attempted to skate faster and successfully did so.

Taehyung felt you bump against his back. “___!” He reached an arm backward to pull you from his behind and place you next to him. “You got better at skating.” He complimented. “I think I got the hang of it this time. I always remember during the season but then once winter is over, it’s like I get rusty for a bit.” Taehyung nodded understandably.

You heard a loud giggle coming from behind you. You turned to check quickly but was met with the sight of Yeri and Jungkook skating together. He was holding her hand to keep her steady but her legs were wobbling like crazy. “I can’t do it, Kookie!” She yelped out. You internally cringed at the nickname she gave him. You also internally winced at the inevitable heartache seeing him like that. Seemingly happy with the small smile that curled up on his usual inexpressible face.

He looked happy. He looked like he was enjoying himself for once. You studied his smile to question whether it was genuine or not. You felt terrible wishing for the latter. He deserved happiness. He deserved to be with someone that made him feel out of the world. He deserved good things and good people in his life, despite all the shit he emotionally burdened you with.

You hoped that his relationship with Yeri would eventually cure you with the hopeless crush you still held onto him. You forced yourself to look away after what felt like an eternity watching them.

What you didn’t notice was that Taehyung was watching you watching them. He noticed the hurt that was gleaming in your eyes. The yearning, the pain was written all over you. He was so pleased with Jungkook putting himself out there that he forgot to take account of your feelings towards them. He didn’t want your mood to be sour for the rest of the night, he wanted you to have fun. He wanted to see you happy.

“Hey you.” Taehyung nudged. You looked up to meet his eyes. “Wanna race?” He suggested, raising his brows. You smiled and nodded. “From where to where?”

Taehyung hummed, calculating where to end. “Let’s stop at the exit door. Loser buys the winner hot chocolate.” He pointed at the hot chocolate stand that was just outside of the rink. “On the count of three.” You say.

“One,” You start

“Two,” Taehyung continues

“Three” You shout. Taehyung is already speeding ahead of you, causing you to shout curse words at him. He laughed and looked behind to see you failing to catch up.

“Is that Taehyung and your roommate racing each other?” Yeri asked Jungkook. Jungkook turned his head to where he could hear the commotion going on between you two. You had a beaming grin on your face and was attempting to pull Taehyung backwards to make him lose the race. Taehyung’s box-shaped grin was plastered onto his face and he was giggling non-stop. “___, you’re cheating!” He laughed hard.

Jungkook couldn’t look away. He didn’t know why or what was making him not want to look away but he felt as if his eyes were glued onto you and Taehyung. He felt that same uncomfortable feeling washing through him. He felt a knot forming in his stomach and a sense of unease at the same time. Jungkook couldn’t comprehend for the life of him as to why he couldn't shake the unexpected pang of–whatever it was that he was feeling– away.

Yeri eyed Jungkook as he watched you and Taehyung racing. She noticed the way his jaw was slightly clenched and the way his hand that was gripping onto her arm to help her skate was tightening around her. “Jungkook?” She nudged him. His attention resumed back to her. He tried his best to give her a smile. “Hm?” He said.

“You okay?” She asked. “Yeah, I was just looking at them racing. Seems silly to race on ice. They could get hurt.” He lied. She only nodded, not knowing what else to say. She looked over at you and Taehyung again and caught sight of you both already off the rink, and were removing your skates.

Taehyung reached for your hand and dragged you to the hot chocolate and pastry stand that was outside of the rink.

“Don’t you think they could be cute together?” Yeri asked Jungkook with a playful smile on her face. Jungkook couldn’t help but to scoff out loud at that. “She’s not Taehyung’s type.” He clarified. Yeri gave him a confused glare. “What do you mean? She’s pretty. And they seem to get along well.” Yeri explained. She studied his face again but she couldn’t make anything out of it. It seemed as if he was in deep thought yet at the same time it looked like he didn’t care about the topic. His stare was completely blank yet it could be interpreted in many different ways.

“You don’t know Taehyung like I do.” He defended. Yeri decided to leave the conversation at that. “Wanna get hot chocolate too?” She asked, looking at him with pleading eyes. Jungkook shook his head. “Not in the mood.” He said dryly.

He felt bad being suddenly passive-aggressive towards her. He didn’t understand why he was being like this either. “Let’s sit for a bit.” He began to hold Yeri’s hand and pulled her to the benches.

Yeri begins to scroll on her phone meanwhile Jungkook’s eyes automatically drag itself to observe you and Taehyung again. The two of you were sitting on a bench across from them. You were showing him something on your phone. Whatever it was that you were showing, he was laughing at it. His laugh was contagious and it made you laugh harder. “I was dying at that video for a good hour yesterday.” You breathed out, trying to catch your breath. “Send that to me, send that to me.” Taehyung said.

Jungkook didn’t miss that Taehyung was slowly attempting to scoot closer to you, to the point where your left knee and his right knee were practically touching and your shoulders were a good millimeter apart. “Oo, let’s take a picture to post on my story!” You squealed. You hold your phone out and Taehyung doesn’t hesitate to close the minimal space that was between. He presses his cheek against yours and poses with his eyes squeezed shut and a peace sign held next to the other cheek.

You beam at him and post the story. “You look so cute!” You squeal again. Jungkook couldn't help but to laugh to himself at the sight that was in front of him. He was in denial for the longest but he admits now that Taehyung was indeed attempting to flirt with you. He knows his flirtatious tricks and anyone with a human brain can comprehend that he is blatantly flirting with you. He knows you’re too oblivious to this because you are an oblivious person in general. Jungkook knows you’re too naive to understand that Taehyung was being a little too touchy for someone he considers to be “just a friend”.

Just because Taehyung was flirting with you doesn’t confirm that he’s doing it out of a genuine romantic interest, Jungkook thinks. It could be because he is simply in a flirty mood or maybe he just wants to see if you would fold for him like how other girls do. That's what the old player Taehyung would do.

Jimin interrupts Jungkook’s thoughts and plops down next to him. “Are you ready to go? I’m starving.” Jimin sighed out. He reeked of cigarettes. “You’re smoking too often.” Jungkook lectured him. “I got nothing better to do with myself. I’m in my flop era or whatever the kids say these days.” He runs a finger through his hair. Jungkook chuckled at him. “I think you’re doing whatever you can to cope.” Jungkook comforts. “I’m ready if they’re ready.” Jungkook nudges his chin toward you and Taehyung that were still in the middle of a deep conversation, probably not even noticing Jimin and Jungkook right in front of them.

Jimin chuckles and sighs in amusement. “They’re so silly together.” Jimin mumbles under his breath but Jungkook picks it up. Jimin searches for a piece of gum in his pockets. He shoves a piece into his mouth and throws the wrapper to Taehyung’s head, getting your attention. “Let’s go eat.” Jimin shouts. Taehyung looks at you, inverbally asking if you are good to go. You nod in agreement. “Convenience store right?” Taehyung confirms.

“Yes!” Jimin jumps. Yeri checks out Jimin walking towards you and starts to poke your body, just to tease you. Taehyung joins along and starts to pull onto some strands of your hair. You attempt to shove the boys off and fall into a fit of laughter. Yeri couldn’t help but feel jealous seeing how well you got along with them. Yeri was aware that Jimin and Taehyung were extremely close to Jungkook and desperately wanted to get close with them, as a way to make herself feel accepted into his circle.

The three of you were already walking ahead, leaving you and Jungkook behind. Jungkook was just staring at the bench where you and Taehyung were sitting a second ago. “Let’s go, Kookie.” Yeri nudges him. He simply nods and stands up. “Sure.” He walks ahead, leaving Yeri alone.

She grew irritated with Jungkook. A while ago, Jungkook was being gentlemanly with her and was seemingly having a good time with her. She doesn’t understand what suddenly went wrong with him for him to be so cold and distant now.

Jungkook stops in his tracks and turns behind to see why Yeri wasn’t following him yet. “What’s wrong?” He asked. She shakes her head, not wanting to bring it up. “Nothing.” She gets up from the bench and catches up with him.

The rest of the night was spent with a brief convenience store run, a brief ‘dinner’ together inside of the apartment, and a brief conversation before everyone went to bed for the night.

. . .

“Are you sure you don’t wanna spend Christmas and New Year’ with us, ___?” Taehyung asked for the millionth time. You nodded. “I’m very sure, Tae. I’ll be okay. I’ll make sure to enjoy my week alone.” You reassured. Taehyung clenched his jaw, feeling hurt that you were going to spend the holidays alone. Your parents went on vacation in Bali, wanting to spend the holidays with just them two.

You and your parents were never that close when it came to quality time. They were supportive, attentive and loving parents but when it came to family-bonding quality time, it was practically nonexistent. It was what you grew up with. This was the norm for you. It was disappointing, of course, but that’s how it was.

Jihyo suddenly came down with a terrible cold and was unable to come down and spend the week with you and Chaeyoung’s family dragged her down to Busan to spend the holidays with her grandparents. To be honest, you were kind of expecting her to offer you to spend the week with her and her family since they know you well and love you but she didn’t. Maybe it wasn’t on her mind and you didn’t want to burden her to make her feel as if she had to ask and invite you.

It was Christmas Eve and Taehyung, Jungkook, and Jimin were on the way back home to Busan to spend their holidays with their family–Jimin spending it with the brothers’ family. Although Jungkook didn’t verbally express it, he too felt bad leaving you alone for the holidays. He didn’t know much about how your family functioned but he was curious as to why you weren’t going to be spending it with them.

Jimin gave you a pitiful look and hugged you. “Okay, well we should be leaving now. Our bus departs in 30 minutes.” Jimin said. You hugged him and chuckled. “Go on then! Let me know when you guys make it safely! I’ll be sure to update you guys on what I’ll be up to so you guys won’t be too worried.” You pulled away and nodded. Taehyung didn’t say anything but gave you a forced tight-lipped smile. “Alright. Merry Christmas, ___.” Taehyung walked over and hugged you tightly. You returned the tightness. “Merry Christmas.” You whispered.

After Taehyung finally pulled away, you glanced over to Jungkook. He was glaring at you back. You weren’t able to understand the look on his face but you could swear it seemed as if he too had a look of pity. “Merry Christmas, Jungkook.” You said. You didn’t know if Jungkook wanted a hug from you as well so you decided to just wave.

“Merry Christmas.” He replied, holding a hand up. After a slightly uncomfortable silence, Jimin goes ahead to open the front door and heads out first. Taehyung gives you a final smile before he follows behind. Jungkooks remains where he was for a little bit.

“Let me know if you need anything.” He gives an actual wave and exits. He closes the door slowly and softly.

You were now finally left alone for the entire week and you had no idea what to do now. The void of being alone hasn’t hit you yet and you hope it doesn’t ever or else you would end up crying yourself to sleep.

. . .

“Boys, over here!” Jungkook heard his mother calling out to him. His mother and Taehyung’s father were standing next to their large black SUV, waving at them. “We’re home, Kook.” Taehyung mumbled sarcastically to him. Jungkook smirked, shaking his head at him. “So glad.” He replied back.

Jimin ran up to their parents and hugged them. “It’s been so long, Mom and Dad!” Jimin cheered. He liked to call their parents mother and father since they practically raised Jimin along with Jungkook and Taehyung.

“Oh, Jimin! You get so handsome every time I see you!” Jungkook’s mom pinches his cheeks.

Taehyung’s father pulls Taehyung in for a hug and pats his back. “My son, welcome home.” He smiles. Taehyung fakes a smile back. “Missed you, dad.”

After greeting Jimin, Jungkook’s mom pulls him in for a hug and kisses his forehead. “How have you been, my son?” She grins at him. Jungkook thinks to himself that being away from college has made his mother and Taehyung’s father extra affectionate with them. “I’ve been good. How have you been taking care of yourself?” He asks. She shrugs. “I’ve been picking up on yoga and pilates. It’s been relaxing me from my usual heavy workload.” She smiles.

Jungkook noticed that there wasn’t a driver to pick them up like usual. Everyday, on his commute to school or anywhere else, he would have a driver to drop him off and pick him up. “No driver today?” Jungkook asked his parents. Taehyung’s father shook his head. “We both had the afternoon off and decided to get you guys ourselves.” He smiled.

Jungkook and Taehyung looked at each other in surprise. “I see.” Taehyung said. “Come, let’s go have lunch.” Jungkook’s mother held onto him and pulled him to the car. Jungkook certainly wasn’t used to the sudden physical touch his mother was giving him and the sudden quality time as well.

. . .

It was now dinnertime and Jungkook, Taehyung, Jimin, and their parents were all sitting at the table together.

“Tell me about your living situation. Are you guys enjoying living together?” Jungkook’s mom asked Jungkook and Taehyung. Taehyung nodded. “Yea, I’ve trained Jungkook well. He cleans up after himself, he’s a great cook, and he likes to hang out with me and Jimin whenever he isn’t busy.”

Jungkook’s mom darts her eyes between the three. “Jimin?” She asks. “Mhm. Jimin is living with us for the time being.” Taehyung clarifies. Jungkook’s mom mouth gapes open and turns her attention to Jimin. “Oh really? Jimin, what happened to your schooling? Are you not going anymore?” She asks.

Jimin debates whether or not he should be honest with them. Taehyung and Jungkook’s parents were a lot like his parents in the sense of needing their children to attend prestigious universities, getting good grades, and getting a good job after graduation.

“I’m taking a short break from school. I was feeling a little overwhelmed with the strict academic regulations that came with being a pre-med student. I feel like I need to be mentally prepared and confident with my decision to study medicine and I was not.”

Taehyung’s father nodded understandably. “Of course, studying medicine is a serious decision. You’re going to be saving lives. You made the right decision, son.” He boasted. Taehyung gave a quick glance to Jungkook. He was already returning the same look he had: shock. What was going on with their parents? Had Taehyung or Jungkook told their parents that they wanted to take a break from school, they would most likely faint or die from a heart attack.

“Do you like living with our sons?” Jungkook’s mother asked, giving Jimin an amused smile. Jimin chuckled, looking at the two. “Yeah, they’re the best. They and ___ made me feel very welcomed into their humble abode.” He smiled.

Their parents gave him a perplexed look. “Who’s ___?” Taehyung’s father asked. Jungkook stopped chewing his food and only stared ahead at his mother who was giving him a confused look. Taehyung turned his head to Jimin and silently cursed him out. He explicitly told him during the busride to not bring you up to them. He knew that his parents wouldn’t be okay with a woman living with him and on top of that, they would know that Taehyung was struggling to make ends meet when it came to rent. It was their decision to cut them off financially, therefore they had no need to know what was going on in his life financially-wise.

“Uh-,” Jimin stuttered. One thing about Jimin was that he was a terrible liar. He couldn’t lie for the life of him. “____ is Taehyung and Jungkook’s next door neighbor! She comes over often and hangs out with us. She’s very nice.” He spat out. Jungkook let his silverware clang onto his bowl of soup and groaned out loud. Taehyung blinked and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingertips.

“What? Are we not allowed to know about the kind of new friends you’ve made in Seoul?” Taehyung’s father protruded. “Yeah, tell us about ___. We would love to get to know your new female friend that is very close with you guys.” Jungkook’s mother chimed in. Taehyung chuckled nervously. “No, of course we can talk about ___. Like Jimin said, she is very nice. She’s a good friend of ours. She goes to Konkuk with us.” He explained.

Jungkook’s mother nodded. “What is she studying?” His father asked. “She’s studying to be a doctor.” He lied. If he was to expose that you were an undecided student, their parents would immediately disapprove of you. It would be worse than being a gap student, like Jimin.

Taehyung’s father nodded in approval. “Smart girl.” He smiled. “Yes, very smart indeed. Is she originally from Seoul?” Jungkook’s mom leaned close to the table, seemingly very interested in learning more about you.

“She’s from Busan like us. She actually went to the same school as Jungkook.” Taehyung nudged him. Jungkook choked on the soup he was trying to swallow. “What?” He muffled. “No way! What a funny coincidence! Jungkook, is she a good friend of yours too?” His mom grinned.

He tried to swallow the rest of the liquid and pondered on the question. “Uh, I guess, yes.” He answered. “That’s so nice. We probably know her parents well.” Taehyung’s father nodded. “Oh, I don’t think so. She doesn’t come from an affluent family. She’s kind of…regular.” Taehyung said.

He winced at the usage of “regular” to describe you but it was the only word he could think of for his parents to understand you and your background. It was the only word they’d understand.

“Oh, I see.” She nodded. “She must be pretty, right?” This caused Jungkook and Taehyung to both choke on their food and Jimin to snort out a laugh.

“What did I say?” she asked, worried as hell.

Taehyung’s father chuckled at his sons. “They’re blushing, love. She must be very pretty indeed.” He teased. Taehyung dabbed the corner of his mouth with a napkin and cleared his throat. “Why do you guys care?” He said with a muffled voice.

“We’re just curious.” She edged.

Taehyung tried to brush off the question but Jungkook’s mother kept pestering. “She’s as pretty as every other girl in the world.” He tried to play it off. His father chuckled at his choice of wording. “To me, that translates to she’s pretty to you. Do any of you boys like her?”

Jimin laughed harder. “Dad, stop.” Taehyung hissed. “Is she in Busan for the holidays? We would love to meet her, you should invite her to spend New Year’s with us!”

Jimin answered for them. “She stayed home for the break. Her parents are out of town.”

“Jimin-,” Taehyung warned. “So you mean to tell me that she’s alone for the holidays? Why?” Taehyung’s father asked, with concern. “No idea. We had asked her to spend the holidays with us too but she insisted against it. The three of us didn’t want to leave her behind too.” Jimin continued to yap on. Taehyung pinched his leg and he yelped from pain.

“Taehyung, Jungkook? Do invite her to come down and spend the week with us. We would love to have her here.” Jungkook’s mother suggested. “I-I think she will be okay. She might have other plans made and we shouldn’t disrupt that.” Taehyung said.

“But-,”

“Mom, just drop it. She’s busy with another family that lives in Seoul. She told me herself. Don’t get worked up over it.” Jungkook chimed in. His mother remained silent but nodded. “I just think that no one should be spending the holidays alone. I recommend you guys text her and make sure she has company of some sort. Especially since she’s a woman living alone. Who knows what could happen to her.”

That was probably the last thing the three of them wanted to hear. Although they felt reassured enough by you that you were going to be okay alone, they should’ve considered the fact that you were still a woman residing alone for a week and any weirdo could possibly hurt you and if not that, you were going to feel lonely regardless. Why would they just be okay with leaving you alone?

The three of them remained silent for the rest of the conversation. Taehyung’s father got the hint that they were now preoccupied with the thought of you being alone and decided to change the topic for the rest of dinner.

“Are any of you boys seeing someone?”

Jimin turned to look at Jungkook. “Jungkook, are you seeing someone?” His mother gasped. Jungkook kept his head down at his soup and remained silent some more. “You are?”

“I’m not seeing anyone.” He lied. “Who is she? Who are her parents? Where is she from?”

Taehyung chuckled at him. “Her name is Yeri. They’ve been seeing each other for over a month now. She’s nice.” He answered for him. Jungkook kicked his legs under the table and Taehyung let out an abrupt chuckle.

“I can’t believe how grown our son has gotten. He has his first girlfriend.” His mother cooes to her husband. “We would love to meet her whenever you’re ready to introduce us to her. I know it won’t be for a little while longer since it is still so new and fresh.”

Jungkook suddenly felt hot with irritation. Where was all this coming from? His parents suddenly showing an interest in his life? To Taehyung’s life? Why are they abnormally understanding of Jimin's drop out situation? Why now? Why now after he’s been gone for months that they suddenly want to act attentive and caring?

“What’s going with you both?” He asks. They give each other a perplexed look. “What are you talking about, son?” His mom asks innocently. “You know exactly what I mean. Why are you guys being like this? What did we do? What do you want from us?” He hissed.

Taehyung wanted to attempt to control him but to be honest, he was quite relieved that he took the initiative to say something. He was beginning to feel claustrophobic with his parent’s sudden switch up.

His parents remained quiet and uncomfortably looked at each other. Jungkook and Taehyung could sense tension oozing off of their silence. They knew that something was actually going on.

The father cleared his throat and dabbed the corner of his lips with a napkin. “I think it’s time we tell them.” He said sternly. Jungkook’s mother didn’t react. She instead responded by taking a long chug of her red wine.

Her sweet mother demeanor switched into a cold yet seemingly anxious attitude. “Tell us what?” Taehyung asked.

“I’ll say it.” Jungkook’s mom spoke up. Her voice was deep. She darted her eyes between her son, Taehyung and Jimin. Her eyes softened as she glanced between the three boys she deeply cared for and loved.

“Two months ago..,” She started off.

“Two months ago…I got diagnosed with stage two cancer. Breast cancer.” She stated.

All of a sudden, Jungkook felt as if his chair was sunken into a black void that was hungry to capture him. He felt as if he was disassociated from where he was. Is this a dream? Is it reality? Is he somewhere in between? Did he hear her correctly?

Is this actually real life?

With the silence in the room, you could hear a pin drop. You could hear thoughts.

“Your mother has her first chemotherapy session scheduled about two weeks from now. Doctors say that it is still possible they can remove the tumor inside.” He spoke up.

Taehyung slightly turned his head to Jungkook, if he could figure out whatever was going through his head. If he even had anything going through his head at all.

His face was as white as the wall, lips as white as him. His doe eyes were a combination of grief, anger, shock, and nothing at the same time. Jungkook could throw up at this very moment.

“Why wouldn’t you tell me this sooner?” He whispered to her. She looked at him with regret and with pain. Pain for her only child having the bear this kind of news.

“I figured it could wait. I didn’t want this to distract you from your studies.” She said matter-of-factly. Jungkook slammed his silverware to the table.

“It took for you to get cancer to suddenly care about me? Care about my feelings? Consider me into your life for once?” He spat out. She jumped from the sudden harsh words he said to her.

“Now that you’re sick, you want to suddenly act like you have a son to talk to?” He continued. He tried to fight the tears that were threatening to spill but he couldn’t bear it anymore. He was destroyed. He was furious. He couldn’t even look at her without wanting to say bad words.

“Jungkook-,” Taehyung’s father tried to get him to stop but Jungkook seriously could not manage to stay in the same room as her. He stands up from his seat and storms upstairs to his bedroom.

“Jungkook, come back please.” His father yelled out for him. Taehyung watched him as he left. He understood where this was coming from. It was a mixture of grief of the devastating news and it was a mixture of him genuinely being furious at how his mother was acting like everything was fine between them when it just wasn’t.

Jungkook slammed his door and sat onto the side of his bed. He expected the rest of the tears to fall out but it felt as if he finally became mentally strong enough to block it. He was struggling to catch his breath, to catch a single ounce of a breath to exhale. His chest felt as if he swallowed a flame, growing hotter and painful to withstand.

He didn’t have the capacity to think rationally, act logically, and be stable. He was dealing with a surge of insanely different emotions and didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to see his mother, he didn’t want to see his step-father, he didn’t want to see Taehyung or Jimin or have either of the two come to his bedroom to confront him. He didn’t want to be here. Not at this home, not in Busan, all he knew was that he wanted to be as far away from here as possible.

Without thinking, he grabbed his duffel bag,–which luckily hasn’t been unpacked yet–his phone, keys, and wallet and immediately left his childhood bedroom. He stomped down the stairs, not caring if they could hear him coming down, and headed straight towards the front door.

The nearest bus station was a 30 minute drive, about a two hour walk from his house, but he didn’t care. He stormed outside of the house, ignoring the calls from his mother and father.

Taehyung remained where he sat, knowing that Jungkook would be too stubborn to listen to him. He knew that Jungkook was just in shock and just wasn’t handling the news in the best and mature way.

“Where could he possibly be going at this time?” Jungkook’s mother breathed out heavily. “Relax, he probably went on a walk to clear his mind. Give him some time to breathe.” His father soothed.

“Taehyung,” His mother called out. He managed to look up from his plate and made eye contact with her. “Please call Jungkook if he doesn’t return within an hour.” She pleaded. Taehyung nodded in response.

“Promise me? It is almost sunset, he shouldn’t be walking in the dark all alone.”

“I promise.” He croaked out. Jungkook’s mother places her head into her palms and lets out an exasperated sigh. The table was filled with a painfully awkward silence. Jimin shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He was suddenly missing his own home—the home where he is disowned from.

“I’m going to get Mirae to clear our plates if we are all done eating now.” Taehyung’s father spoke up. Mirae was the housekeeper.

“Mirae, come please. We’re all done here.” He called out, after using the silence as a collective response.

. . .

After an hour and a half of speed walking, Jungkook finally made it to the bus station. His shoulders were aching, his legs were throbbing, and he was sweating like crazy. He felt pity for the people around him that could smell his sweat from walking over 20,000 steps across town.

He approached the guest service desk. “Good evening, do you have an available ticket for a bus to Seoul? Soonest one, preferably.”

As he was walking to the station, he decided he would head straight home to the apartment. He didn’t want to spend an entire week with his mother and pretend that everything was fine when it wasn’t. He didn’t want to spend Christmas and the New Year’s and pretend that he was having a good time when he wouldn’t.

“The next bus to Seoul is arriving in twenty minutes. You’re lucky, there was one available seat left. Would you like to purchase it?” The attendant asked. He immediately reached for his wallet and handed his credit card, not caring about the price of the ticket.

After purchasing his ticket, he sat at the nearest bench and closed his eyes.

All he could replay in the back of his mind was the sight of his mother at the dinner table. He didn’t realize how frail she appeared, how deepened her wrinkles grew to be, and how pale her skin was. Her hair was thinner and grayer. She barely touched her dinner as well. How could he have not noticed how sick his own mother looked? His own mother was sick with cancer and he didn’t even notice it.

His guilt shifted to resentment; how could she suddenly want to repair their damaged relationship now? Why now? Why after being diagnosed with a sickness does she suddenly want to make things better between them? Why didn’t she care prior? Would she have still reached out if she was never sick? Would she still care about him?

He refused to let the tears that were pooling fall. He didn’t want to care about this. He didn’t want to admit that he is still a hurting child inside. He is still a young boy that misses and needs his mom. He didn’t want to be that boy anymore. He wanted to be the 20-year old man that was a college student, living on his own, and heading off into the real world.

Jungkook suddenly felt his phone vibrate in his hands. Taehyung was calling him.

After letting the phone ring for several moments, he decided to pick up.

“What?” He said.

“Where are you?” Taehyung asked. He sounded as if he was keeping his voice hushed, as if he didn’t want anyone to eavesdrop on the conversation.

Jungkook debated for a moment if he should just straight up tell him. He decided to lie. “I’m going to Yeri’s.”

“Yeri’s? What, why?” He stuttered. “I, uh, don’t think I can handle being around my mom right now. Yeri’s with her family in Seoul for the holidays, so I’m just going to spend the week with her.”

Taehyung sighed against the speaker. “Kook, your mom is sick. She…she needs you right now? Don’t do this.” He said quietly. Jungkook assumes that his mother is nearby and Taehyung didn’t want her to listen to the phone call.

“She’s got you, your dad, and Jimin. She’ll be fine. She didn’t need me before and she certainly doesn’t need me now.” He spat out.

Taehyung remained silent on the line, not knowing what to say to convince Jungkook to come back. He didn’t know what to say in general.

“Alright. Do what you want. Should I tell our parents you’re with Yeri?” He asked.

“I don’t care. Tell them whatever you want, I couldn’t give a single shit.” Jungkook hangs up without letting Taehyung say anything back. He swallowed the guilt he felt after talking to Taehyung so harshly. He knew that he shouldn’t take his anger out on him. Jungkook didn’t know how to handle this situation at all. He just wanted to leave Busan. He wanted to be home.

. . .

It was 11 o’clock at night and you were awake, with a sheet mask on, painting your toenails, and were on your third glass of red wine. Faye Webster was playing on your speakers in the background and you were humming along to the lyrics as you lightly brushed your pinky toe white.

You were in a blissful mood; tipsy with wine, good music and good wine. Your chicken you ordered for delivery was on the way. Maybe this week alone wouldn’t be so awful after all. Maybe a week to yourself was what your soul was craving.

Your phone was on DND, the LED living room lamp was cozy and warmly yellow. You were in paradise. Although at the same time you did miss the boys. You missed the chaotic energy they brought. You missed the Friday night movie watches, the constant bickering, the smell of Taehyung cooking dinner, the gossip you shared with Jimin, and the rare presence of Jungkook.

You could only hope that they were enjoying their time at home. You missed Busan like crazy and wish that you could be back in your hometown too.

You chugged down the rest of your wine and immediately began pouring yourself another glass. Being wine drunk was the move for tonight’s solemn mood.

Your last toenail was painted and you placed the toe dividers in between. You sighed in delight and sipped your wine gracefully, still humming along to the song playing.

Your relaxed mood was paused after hearing the sound of someone knocking on the door. You perked up, knowing that your fried chicken had arrived. You waddled over to the door, and eagerly opened the door.

Your breath was caught in your throat as you were not met with the sight of the delivery man. You were met with the sight of Jungkook.

“Jungkook?” You gasped, still in disbelief that he was here right in front of you.

“Hey.” He said.

You couldn’t manage to say anything else. You could only just stare at him. He looked physically exhausted. His hair was disheveled and looked greasy. His lips were cracked and dry and his eyes had dark bags hanging underneath.

“Come in.” You said but it managed to come out as a question. He entered the apartment and removed his shoes. He walked straight to the kitchen right after and grabbed a glass cup. He poured himself water from the sink and chugged it down in one second. You were still staring at him in disbelief.

“Um…can I ask why you’re home so soon?” You asked. He observed your shock-ridden face that was being covered by the sheet mask you had on your face. Your hair was tied up into a low bun and was pulled back by a plush headwrap with kitten ears attached to it. You had on your pink gingham patterned matching pajamas and he looked down to your freshly painted toenails and the toes being separated by the divider. He let out a chuckle at your relaxed appearance.

“Sorry for interrupting your self care night.” He smirked at you. You embarrassingly walked away and headed back to the living room. Jungkook followed you. “Whatever.” You mumbled to yourself. Your solo night was now ruined by Jungkook’s random return.

You reached for your wine glass and took a large gulp. Your palms were suddenly sweaty and your heart was beating fast. You were nervous. You were now no longer alone in the apartment. It was just you and Jungkook.

“Why are you home?” You asked again. Jungkook shrugged. “I didn’t want to be there anymore. I felt like coming back.”

You stared at him down, still extremely confused. All you could think to yourself was why. Why, why, why? What happened?

“Does Taehyung know you’re here?” You asked. Jungkook shook his head no. “He doesn’t. And I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell him I am. He thinks I’m somewhere else.” He shoved his pants into his pockets and kept strong eye contact with you. He knows you’re confused and that you must have thousands of questions running through your mind right now.

You nodded in agreement. “Are you going to stay? The entire holiday break?”

Jungkook nodded. “Oh.” You manage to say. You couldn’t hide the disappointment laced in your voice. “Again, sorry for interrupting you. I should’ve told you I was coming.” He ran his fingers through his greasy hair.

“Don’t apologize. This is your home too. You can come and go as you please.” You chuckle nervously. You were extremely nervous to be alone with Jungkook for an entire week. This reminded you of the time when Taehyung was gone for a weekend to go interview for his candidacy as a recipient of the ‘best film’ award. You and Jungkook were in a heated argument, like usual, and you remember how awkward it was to be alone for a weekend. Now, it was for a whole week. Seven days.

“You want to join me? I’m just drinking wine and listening to music.” You offered, trying to break the awkward tension that was brewing. Jungkook debated for a moment. He didn’t know if he was in the mood to socialize anymore for the day. He was on a crowded 4-hour bus ride, and desperately craved to be back in his bed after a long day of commuting.

Despite that, he felt bad to decline your offer. “Sure. Do you mind if I shower first? I’m pretty gross and greasy right now.”

You immediately reassured him. “A-Absolutely, go ahead and shower and do whatever you need to do. No rush!” You blabbered. Jungkook gave you a curt nod and dragged his duffel bag and himself ahead to his bedroom.

You breathed out a long stressed out sigh. You reached for your phone and tracked your chicken which was beginning to take too long to arrive. The driver was five minutes away.

You groaned into a pillow, not caring that you were staining it with your sheet mask serums.

. . .

After forty-five minutes passed by, you were gnawing on your third chicken leg with Jungkook devouring the food as well. He didn’t realize how hungry he had been. He barely ate the entire day.

“This is some of the best chicken I’ve ever had in my entire life.” Jungkook said with his mouth full. You chuckled as you were chewing. “This is my go-to chicken restaurant. They never miss.” You dabbed the corner of your cheeks with a napkin and rinsed the chicken down your throat with a nice cold beer.

You shouldn’t be mixing alcohol right now but you forgot that you had ordered beer with the order and didn’t want to mix fried chicken with wine; it wasn’t a good match. You were slightly past tipsy and entering drunk territory.

Jungkook was also drinking his beer of the night. A fresh hot shower, fresh pair of pajamas, a cold beer, and crispy Korean fried chicken was the perfect way to end his shitty long day.

The two of you were devouring the chicken in a comfortable silence. Faye Webster was still playing quietly in the background. “I like Faye Webster too.” Jungkook said.

Your eyes widened. “You listen to her too?” He nodded. “I like to play her music whenever I study or read. Keeps me focused.” He said. You couldn’t help but to smile at that. “That’s so cool. I haven’t met anyone that also listened to her. She makes great music.”

Jungkook nodded in agreement. “Same here. Sucks that she probably might not ever tour in Korea.” He sighed, tossing a chicken bone into the box.

“Never say never.” You wagged a finger at him.

The two of you were sitting quite far apart; both sitting on each end of the couch. He was freshly showered and the entire living room was filled with the scent of his shampoo. He smelled like fresh and clean laundry. You admired the way his damp wet hair stuck to his forehead and how his ends sprung and curled outwards.

Another comfortable silence fell upon.

“So, how was your short time with your family?” You asked, trying to make some conversation. After all, you did invite him to hang with you.

Jungkook took a gulp of beer and pondered on how to respond to your question.

How straight forward should he be? He has come to the conclusion awhile ago that you are someone who is trustworthy and someone easy to confide problems with. You are good at comforting others. However, he constantly mentally struggles whether the two of you are considered to be ‘friends’ enough to discuss any dilemmas with. The two of you have a weird so-called friendship.

However, despite all the complications, he’d rather communicate honestly to someone who wasn’t biased to his family for once.

“If I had to describe it in one word, it would be: weird. It was weird.”

“How come?” You pestered.

He sighed. “They were being abnormally…nice for once. Like they were trying to act like actual parents and wanted to know what we were up to since we last chatted. Immediately, that was a huge red flag for me because since when did they care about that, right? What other way was there to describe that other than weird? It was so weird.”

You cocked your head to the side. “I see.” You nodded. Jungkook continued on.

“It was such bullshit. They picked us up from the bus stop themselves and actually sat down to eat dinner with us.”

You were in shock hearing at how distant and fucked up Jungkook’s relationship with his parents was. The fact that he was shocked that they ate dinner with them said a lot.

“Eventually, I made them stop the bullshit. I asked them why they were acting so differently and comes to turn out that my mother has fucking cancer.” He said nonchalantly.

Without hesitation, you immediately got up from your spot and sat right in front of Jungkook. “I’m sorry, what? Your mom has cancer?” Your eyes were wide open, with your heart thumping against your chest from the shock.

“Yeah, stage two breast cancer. She’s known for two months and broke the news over dinner.” He chugged another gulp of beer. He could feel his chest burning from the emotions arising again and his eyes stinging from the tears threatening to form.

“Oh, Jungkook…” You cooed. You hesitantly placed your hand above his hand, debating whether you should touch it out of comfort. You decided to just place your hand over his forearm.

“I’m so sorry to hear that, I’m truly so sorry.” Your eyes met with his and Jungkook could easily read the immense sympathy you had for him. Your eyes looked glassy, as if you were going to cry.

He shook his head and let out a cold laugh. “Is it bad that I’m so fucking pissed at her, ____? I’m genuinely so furious with her. Why is it that now after finding out she’s sick, she wants to become more present in my life and start wanting to know how I’ve been? She has never cared before so why should she switch up and care now?”

You allowed Jungkook to continue venting. You knew he had more to let out of his system.

“Am I a bad son for storming out after she broke the news? Was I supposed to get over it and stay for the rest of the break and be there for her? Am I in the wrong for being upset?” He was fuming. His nose was turning pink from his arising emotions and he continued to withhold the tears. He refused to cry. He refused to cave in.

“You’re allowed to feel whatever you feel. I think you have every right to feel this way,” You started off, beginning to rubbing circles on his forearm with your fingertips. Jungkook looked up to make eye contact with you.

“I also think you’re in shock and this is you reacting out of shock and the lifelong resentment you hold against your mom. The shock is coming out of worry and fear. And you carry worry and fear over your mom’s news because you love her despite the resentment. You love your mother and you’re scared to lose her. You also have so much reason to be furious at her as a secondary emotion.”

“I don’t want to worry about her, she’s never worried about me. She practically let me raise myself. Taehyung was more of a mother to me than she was.”

You stopped rubbing circles and removed your hands from his space.

“Do you want to hear advice or do you just want a friend to listen to you? I can do whatever you need.” You asked. Jungkook could only stare into your soft and kind eyes. He didn’t know how to answer that. He’s never been asked that before.

The fact that you called yourself his friend comforted him slightly. He needed a friend by his side.

“I don’t want to talk about her anymore.” He firmly stated. Jungkook’s an avoidant person. When he struggles with an issue, he pretends it doesn’t exist.

You could tell Jungkook was truly hurting from this. You could see the pain tattooed in his eyes. You also didn’t want to force him to talk about something that was distressing him and that he was clearly still in the process of accepting to believe.

“Let’s finish this bottle of wine together, yeah?” You smiled at him. He tried to suppress the smile that was trying to respond to yours but he couldn’t. It’s something about the way you always manage to get his soft emotions out of him that he can’t hide well.

. . .

Throughout the week, you and Jungkook were co-existing well. The two of you would accompany each other during breakfast and dinner, and occasionally grab iced Americanos for lunch.

There was a holiday market on campus and you invited him to tag along. The two of you spent a good hour at the market and checked out everything together; even playing the Christmas-themed arcade games provided.

You continued your Christmas tradition of watching classic holiday movies in your coziest pajamas while eating fresh baked cookies and hot chocolate. Normally, you would do this with Jihyo and Chaeyoung and had assumed you would continue the tradition alone this year but Jungkook surprisingly joined you.

Jungkook was beginning to grow comfortable with considering you as an actual friend and not just someone whom he likes to bicker with. He liked your company. He liked how you used him as Jimin’s replacement to discuss any gossip and how you used him as Taehyung’s replacement to become the chef of the household. He cooked everything for you; breakfast and dinner. He realized while he was cooking breakfast one morning that one his love languages for his friends was doing acts of service. He liked cooking for you, he liked helping Yoongi out with any assignments he had trouble with, he liked doing extra household chores to make Taehyung’s day easier whenever he had a busy day of working and going to school, and he liked tagging along with Jimin to the gym to spot him during their weight lifting sessions, even tags along without Jimin asking.

He didn’t regret leaving Busan. He knew he needed time away to process and needed time apart from his mom to understand her and her reasoning on why she did what she did. After all, she can’t just ignore the emotional negligence she’s done to him since he was a child. He was enjoying his break back at home.

It was New Year’s Eve morning when you and Jungkook were sitting at the table and enjoying each other’s company as per usual.

“I forgot, will Tae and Jimin come back tonight or tomorrow morning?” You asked Jungkook. “I think tomorrow morning. My parent’s usually like to throw New Year’s parties and probably want the two to celebrate with them and their asshole friends.” Jungkook sipped his tea.

You chuckled at how nonchalantly he insults people. “Do you want to come with me to Hoseok’s New Year’s party? He texted me about it last night. It was a last minute he and Yoongi made.”

Jungkook immediately nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been missing Yoongi like crazy.” You gaped your mouth open. “Are you actually missing someone? That’s crazy.”

Jungkook tossed a raspberry at you. “I’m not an emotionless psychopath, ___.” He rolled his eyes. You groaned in annoyance. “I don’t know why you can’t admit that you indeed are an emotionless psychopath.”

“Just because I’m not nice to everyone doesn’t mean I don’t have a heart.” He argued. “I think it means you have unsolved trauma you need to get through.” You argued back, causing Jungkook to snort at you.

“Therapy is expensive, being an asshole is free.”

You laughed at him, shaking your head in amusement. “Let’s leave at around 10:30.” You suggested. He nodded in agreement and went back to reading the news on his phone.

You suddenly got a Facetime call from Taehyung. Excitedly, you answered quickly.

“Good morning, ___!” Taehyung beamed at you. This was the first time you were seeing his face after he left to go home. The two of you continued to text everyday but this was the first time he called to Facetime after being gone throughout the week.

“Tae! What’s up! I’ve missed you a lot.” You smiled at him. Jimin popped his head into the screen and waved at you. “Jimin! Hi, I’ve missed you too!” You grinned at the two.

“We just wanted to say hi on the last day of the year. We miss you too. Wish you were spending the New Year’s with us but we’ll be back tomorrow morning. We were supposed to be back today but my parents want Jimin and I to stay and hang with them and their asshole friends.” Taehyung said. You choke out a giggle, remembering how Jungkook said the exact same thing a minute ago. A reminder of how closely similar they can be.

A text from Jungkook slides to the top of your screen:

jungkook: Remember, they don’t know I’m here.

You quickly text back a thumbs up emoji and return back to the video call.

“So, where’s Jungkook? Is he still asleep?” You asked. “Oh, he’s not here in Busan. He went to spend the holidays with Yeri and her family. I have no idea where in Korea he’s at.”

Your face fell at what Taehyung said. You peered over to look at Jungkook and he was still just reading the news on his phone, as if he didn’t hear Taehyung.

You felt so stupid to remember that Jungkook had a whole girlfriend. He’s barely mentioned her the entire time he’s been home.

“Oh, right. Well, I’ll probably text him to wish a happy new year’s after midnight. How have you guys been, what were you guys up to all week?” You quickly dismissed the Jungkook topic.

Jimin groaned. “Tae’s dad asks us to play golf and tennis with him every morning at the country club he goes to everyday. Then, in the evening, Jungkook’s mom asks us to go to her pilates and yoga classes with her. We’ve literally been exercising every single day. Three entirely different sports and exercises everyday. At night, Tae and I try to sneak out and get drinks and go to clubs to let loose.” Jimin whined. You giggled at them.

“That actually sounds like a lot of fun, I wish I could attend pilates classes for free. It’s such an expensive hobby.” You chuckle. “At least we burn so many calories a day that we have extra space to drink our sorrows away.” Jimin groaned again. Taehyung chuckled and nodded in agreement.

“Wish you were here, ___. How have you been spending your break? Enjoying the silence in the apartment? Do you keep the door locked every night?” Taehyung pestered you.

“I’ve been having a great time alone. I spent Christmas with Hoseok and plan to spend tonight with him again. He and Yoongi are throwing a party.” You lied. You didn’t want Taehyung to have the idea that you spent Christmas alone like a lonely loser.

“Ah, I’m so glad he’s giving you company. Let me know if you need anything, okay? I’m always here for you.” Taehyung urged. Jungkook tried to hold back a scoff at his obvious desperate attempts to woo you over.

“I promise, Tae. See you tomorrow, okay? Thanks for calling to check in.” You smiled and waved.

“Taehyung and I are gonna head out to the club with his dad now. Wish us luck. See ya, ___.” Jimin hung up on the call before you had a chance to say something back.

You sighed in happiness, realizing that you truly missed the two and enjoyed seeing their faces and hearing their voices after so long.

“Why do you look so happy? You missed Tae-Tae?” Jungkook mocked you. You rolled your eyes at him, already annoyed. “I miss both of them, not just Tae. What’s with everyone thinking I like Taehyung or something?” You groaned.

Jungkook snapped his head up at that. “Who thinks that?” He asked. “Literally, everyone. Hoseok and my friends Jihyo and Chaeyoung, too. Hoseok even has the audacity to think that Taehyung has some kind of crush on me. Ridiculous, right?”

Jungkook kept quiet for a second but laughed it off. “Extremely ridiculous.”

For some reason, this annoyed you. “‘Extremely’? Is it that weird if someone like Tae was to like me? As if I’m so unlikable or something?” You spat. Jungkook laughed again, not expecting you to get so heated at that.

“Did I say that? Tell me what exactly I said that hinted at that?” He snickered. You scoff at him. “You said ‘extremely’ really honestly. I could tell by the way you dragged out the word. You said ‘extreeemeleey’.” You mocked.

Jungkook was growing to be more amused with you. He didn’t know you had a dramatic side to you. “As if you are such a catch yourself! I’m surprised you even have a girlfriend that can handle you.” You pick on him.

It took Jungkook a second to remember who you were even talking about. He hasn’t thought about Yeri since the ice-skating date. He doesn’t even remember if he’s replied to the last text she sent.

Admittedly, Jungkook felt bad that he cared little about Yeri. He knows that she’s a nice girl and genuinely deserved better than the treatment he’s giving her. It’s clear she wants more than sex from him. He made a mental note to have a chat with Yeri about their relationship after the New Year’s. He knows that he can’t be the one to give her the kind of relationship she’s seeking for and that it was shitty of him to lead her on like this for so long. Maybe he really can be an emotionless psychopath.

“Didn’t highschool you harbor a big ass crush on me? Clearly, I must be a catch.” He teased. Everytime Jungkook mentions your stupid crush on him, you mentally kill yourself. What in the world made you think it was a good idea to confess to him on the last day of school? Why were you so confident that you wouldn’t run into him again after graduation? You should’ve known that you were going to lose your freshman dorm and end up living in an apartment with him and his brother somehow.

“Why don’t you go tease your girlfriend instead of teasing me all the time. Do you even know what she’s up to lately? You’ve barely even talked about her and haven’t heard you talk to her on the phone or anything.” The bickering continued.

“Why do you care though?” Jungkook’s smile grew bigger. You couldn’t help but laugh along with him. The lover girl in you couldn’t help but get butterflies at the grin he’s giving you. It’s rare to see Jungkook smile but it’s even rarer to make him smile. You forget how pretty his teeth are and how gorgeous he looks when he’s smiling.

“Stop smiling at me, you look like a creep.” You lied. Jungkook snorts at you and goes back to reading the news on his phone. You take the opportunity to secretly admire him and his beauty. God, you hated how he still makes you feel like that giddy high schooler all over again. It wasn’t fair.

What will it take and how long will it take for you to get over that stupid feeling he makes you feel? When will it hit you that Jungkook is into someone else, someone that isn’t you? Your heart panged at the constant reminder that Jungkook once had your heart and stomped all over it til it was no longer existent and relevant in his eyes.

. . .

“___! You’re here! And…Jungkook too?” Hoseok gave you a confused glance.

“He had nothing better to do and he said he missed Yoongi so I had no choice but to drag him.” You whispered through your teeth. Hoseok nodded understandably.

Hoseok’s apartment was surprisingly packed. You didn’t realize how many friends he and Yoongi collectively shared. It was around 30 people together inside their large studio apartment.

You and Jungkook had pregamed together before heading out to Hoseok’s. You both took three shots of soju together and made small conversation before leaving. You were feeling happily buzzed right now.

“Let’s take a shot together, my love.” Hoseok handed you a small plastic shot glass of a mysteriously pungent clear liquid. “What is this? It smells so strong.” You scrunched your nose. “Tequila. Don Julio Blanco.” He smiled at you mischievously.

“Oh, you want me fucked up tonight.” You chuckled at him. You both clinked your cups together and tossed the hot liquor down your poor throats and poor liver.

“I’m thankful for our friendship, ___. We only met a few months ago but you’re already one of the most important people in my life. I love you.” Hoseok pulled you into a tight embrace. “I love you too, Hobi. Thank you for being my friend. To another year of friendship.”

Hoseok kissed your temple and leaned down to whisper against your ear. “I have something to tell you but I’m afraid you’re going to kill me.”

You chuckled and leaned into his ears. “Nothing you can do could possibly make me hate you.” You began to mentally prepare yourself for whatever he was going to tell you.

“Promise?”

“Depends on what it is.” You smirked. “Namjoon is here.”

Your smile dropped instantly. How the fuck is he here? “How the fuck is he-”

“Some of Yoongi’s friends spread the word to him and next thing I know, he’s here with them.”

You groaned out of annoyance and stress. “Fuck me.” You sighed.

“I just wanted to let you know in case you run into him.” Hoseok gave you a sympathetic glare. “Thanks, I guess. I mean, I wasn’t really into him like that either way, it’s just going to be so awkward if I was to run into him after he just randomly ghosted me. I don’t know what I’d even say to him.”

“You don’t owe him an explanation. He does. So, don’t feel obliged to make conversation if you do happen to run into him. Just stick by me and Yoongi’s side the entire night, we’ll look out for you.” Hoseok reassures you.

You nod in agreement. “I’m gonna go greet my friends that just walked in, give me a second, okay?” Hoseok patted reassuringly on your shoulder and walked past to greet his newly arrived guests.

You sighed in annoyance to yourself, not knowing what to do as you were left alone. Jungkook went off to find Yoongi. You looked around the room to see if you could spot Namjoon.

Luckily, you couldn’t see him anywhere. Hopefully, he left for the night?

It was creeping to a quarter past 11. You caught sight of Jungkook and Yoongi in the middle of a conversation. You didn’t know how to distract yourself by looking all lonely so you reached your phone and randomly scrolled through different apps.

After a few minutes of doing so, you decided to go to the cooler and search for a drink to emotionally rely on for the time being. As you were searching, you reached for a Wild Basin Mango Mai Tai seltzer. Your hands were grabbing to the can until another hand suddenly reached over the same seltzer can.

You looked up and were unfortunately met with the sight of Namjoon.

“Great.” You mumble to yourself.

“Hey, ___! Nice seeing you here.” Namjoon chuckled nervously. You flashed him a fake smile and instantly stopped reaching for the drink. “H-How have you been?” Namjoon attempted to make conversation with you. You couldn’t help but to scoff and roll your eyes at him. You tried to walk away from him but he chased after you.

“___, wait please. I can explain, okay?”

Namjoon led you to a quiet corner and placed your back against the wall. “Seriously, I can explain.” He pleaded.

“I don’t think I want to hear your excuses tonight, Namjoon.” You tried to walk away but Namjoon gently stopped you. “Seriously, give me just a minute of your time to explain. I promise to leave you alone after.” You held his right hand up, as if he was genuinely swearing to do so.

“You have five minutes.” You crossed your arms.

He breathed out and scratched his neck. “Well, I don’t really know how else to explain it but…I swear I was serious when I asked you out on that date. I had true genuine intentions. I was really into you that night we met but…I was sort of blackmailed to not go on that date with you?” He admitted.

Your heart sunk at that. “I’m sorry?” You asked in disbelief. Namjoon nodded understandably. “I know how crazy that fucking sounds but I swear, I was told to not go on that date with you from a friend of mine. He said he would make the date wouldn’t happen under any circumstance. And he’s a pretty scary guy so I just did what he told me. I know I should’ve told you this as soon as he threatened me but he said not to tell you and … now here we are.”

Namjoon looked genuinely sincere. He had a worried expression mirroring his eyes. He wasn’t avoiding eye contact with you or anything that expressed that he could be possibly lying. You could sense in your gut that he was telling the truth.

“Who told you not to go on that date with me?” You asked.

“___, I wish I could tell you but I can-”

“If you want me to forgive you, tell me who told you, please. Please Namjoon.” You begged.

He remained silent for a moment, obviously mentally debating whether he should confess or not.

“Promise you won’t confront him about it? I feel like he had good intentions with the blackmailing, I genuinely trust that he must’ve had a good reason to do so. Don’t confront him, please.” He pleaded.

You nodded in agreement. “I promise.”

Namjoon sighed, to prepare himself. “It was Jimin.”

You gape your mouth wide open. “J-Jimin? Are you serious?”

Namjoon reached his hands into his back pocket and pulled out his phone. He went into his text messages and shoved his phone in front of your face. “Read the texts.”

Jimin: Joon, you busy?

Namjoon: Nah, not really. What’s up?

Jimin: Meet me in front of your apartment in ten minutes. got a huge favor to ask you

“He came over to ask me to not show up to our date. He said it was important and didn’t give a clear enough reason as to why. He just kept emphasizing how important it was and that he would eventually explain why but he never did. I swear to you, ___. I seriously didn’t mean to ghost you like that.” Namjoon explained.

You took a moment to absorb everything. As expected, you had thousands of questions running through your mind: Why would Jimin want your date with Namjoon to not happen? Why would he set you two up together to only make him ghost on you like that? Why would he comfort you as if he wasn’t the reason as to why the date never happened. Why would Jimin do that?

You grew to be extremely irritated. You didn’t want to bring this negative energy into the new year. This was a problem for next year you to handle. Tonight, you wanted to just enjoy yourself.

“Thank you for telling me this, Namjoon. Seriously.” You smiled. He returned the grin at you. “You don’t hate me, right?”

You chuckle at him. “Not anymore.” The two of you chuckle together. “Let’s go back to where everyone is.” You suggested. You pulled on his arm, making him be dragged from behind.

Jungkook caught sight of you pulling Namjoon back to the crowd and immediately felt himself grow to be confused. “Is that Namjoon?” Jungkook asked Yoongi. Yoongi swiveled his head to check out the direction Jungkook was facing. He saw you and Namjoon in the middle of the conversation, drinking seltzers together.

“Yeah, some of my friends brought him along. I guess the frat king had nothing better to do tonight.” Yoongi turned his attention back to Jungkook. He was still eyeing you and Namjoon down. Yoongi knew that Namjoon had randomly ghosted you the day of the date and knew that Jungkook would naturally be feeling slightly overprotective over you. Yoongi knew that despite Jungkook’s cold exterior towards you, you held a soft spot in him. He could tell by the Jungkook’s eyes softened whenever he was around you, the way his defensive avoidant traits have diminished and how he’s become more open and welcoming to allow you in his trusted circle.

“You’re not going to get drunk and shit on her again, right?” Yoongi teased. Jungkook chuckled and swirled his tongue around his inner cheek. “Nah, not anymore. We’re…she’s a friend to me now. I don’t do that to my friends.” Jungkook said, shyly.

Yoongi felt proud of Jungkook. He can see how Jungkook is shifting away from his angsty teenage self and is trying to transition into an emotionally composed man.

It was now five minutes until the New Year countdown. Hoseok had passed out hats, glasses, and glasses of champagne to everyone. After passing everything, he walked over to you and Namjoon. “Nice to meet you again.” Hoseok flashed him his best fake-smile.

Namjoon obliviously smiled at him back and waved at him. “You too! Thanks for hosting this party.” He gave him a curt nod. Hoseok smiled again and nodded. “Of course, thank you for coming! Make sure you get your New Year’s kiss for good luck!” Unbeknownst to Namjoon, Hoseok lightly pinched your elbow, causing you to yelp. You gave him a death glare but he didn’t bother to give you a glance. “I’m going to look for my New Year's kiss partner. See you next year!” He joked, giving you a quick wink before disappearing into the crowd.

You glanced at Namjoon and nervously chuckled. “That’s Hoseok, by the way, if you didn’t know. He’s one of my best friends.” Namjoon nodded. “Of course, I remember him from the Halloween party. He’s Yoongi’s boyfriend or something like that, right?”

“Yeah, he is.”

There was a slight uncomfortable silence between the two of you. All of a sudden, the room was filled with countdown chants.

“Ten, nine, eight, seven…,”

“___?” Namjoon faced you. You looked up at him. “Yes?”

“Five, four, three, two, one! Happy New Year’s!”

He looked down to your lips and his eyes were asking for permission to kiss you. You didn’t know if it was the alcohol hitting your system all at once or if it was the fact that you had forgiven him for what he did but you decided to not give a fuck and not make the kiss a big deal.

You gave him a single nod and he immediately bent down to plant a gentle and soft kiss on your lips.

It was a sweet kiss. He didn’t try to barge his tongue down your throat nor did he try to slobber your face full of his saliva.

You hummed in pleasure and kissed him back, cupping one of your hands onto his face. Namjoon breaks the kiss after a few moments and flashes a soft smile at you. “That was nice.” His eyes turned into crescents.

You giggled and nodded in agreement. “It was. Happy New Year’s, Namjoon.” You held your champagne glass up to clink with his. “Happy New Year’s, ___.” You felt the need to clarify your intention of the kiss. “That was just a friendly kiss, right? Just so that you could get good luck this year?”

Namjoon’s grin grew wider and nodded. “Yeah, just a friendly kiss.” He understood why you asked the question and felt the same way about you; just friends.

. . .

It was the next morning. The first morning of the new year. You were awake at 7 in the morning with Jungkook. You were slightly hungover but luckily you had remembered to take Tylenol and drink water when you had arrived home at two in the morning.

Taehyung and Jimin would be arriving home in an hour and Jungkook had asked you to help freshen up the apartment with him. Strangely, Jungkook had barely said a word to you all morning. Just a gruff “good morning”.

“What’s gonna be your excuse when they see you home already? You gonna say you came home last night or something?” You asked, as you were fluffing the couch pillows. Jungkook shrugged. “I guess so. I got nothing else to come up with. I’ll say I came home right before midnight.”

“Yeah, that’s smart.” You nodded.

Jungkook continued to sweep the floor in silence. You could sense that something was up with him. He was avoiding eye-contact with you and you felt as if he was purposely physically distancing himself from you. “You okay? Hungover or something?” You asked.

Jungkook snorted at that. “You forget that I have a way higher tolerance than you, ___.” “Right, I completely forgot you’re the king of alcohol, my bad.” You rolled your eyes.

Jungkook was starting to feel bad that he was being moody with his hot and cold emotions towards you. He didn’t want to continue his toxic habit of giving you the cold shoulder and taking his feelings out on you. He wanted to try and actually treat you like the friend you are to him.

“Are you back together with Namjoon?” He finally decides to ask. You swivel your head to his direction and feel yourself become speechless.

“I saw you with him last night. You guys seemed friendly.” He continued to say, without looking at you as he swept the floor.

You mentally debated with yourself. Did he deserve to know or care? He wasn’t even that close with Namjoon. Did he see you two share the kiss?

“He found me at the party and asked me to hear his explanation as to why he ghosted me. I decided to forgive him.”

Jungkook nodded, still feeling unsure. He wasn’t sure if he was okay with you surrounding yourself with people like Namjoon, from the perspective of a friend and the perspective of a man who knows how other men operate.

“Well, what was the reason?” He asked. You instantly got reminded of the fact that Jimin was behind the reason as to why he flaked on the date.

You felt your face turn pale and cold from the anxiety and confusion. You still can’t pinpoint on why Jimin would go out of his way to sabotage a situation that he encouraged to start in the first place? Did Jimin have bad intentions against you? You didn’t know if you should confess to Jungkook and if you did, would he even believe you? Would he gaslight you and claim that Namjoon was making it up and that you were being too gullible? However, you felt that if anyone would truly understand where Jimin was coming from, it would be either Jungkook or Taehyung.

“It’s gonna sound crazy…like really fucking crazy. But he explained to me that he was told by Jimin to not go on that date with me.”

Jungkook shared a similar wave of confusion wash over his face. His eyebrows furrowed furiously with his pink and plush lips gaped open slightly. “Yeah, weird right? I can’t pinpoint a single fucking reason as to why Jimin would go out of his way to do that. I can’t think of anything that's valid enough to hijack a date that he knew I was looking forward to. Especially since he was the one who got us to get to know each other at the Halloween party.”

Jungkook agreed with you. He couldn’t think of anything as well. “Just ignore it, ___. I’m sure Jimin did it for an urgent reason. Forget I even asked about it.” He tried to reassure you. His eyes darted over the clock that was placed on the wall, hinting that Jimin and Taehyung’s arrival is coming near; about less than thirty minutes from now.

“But–,”

“If I hear anything from Jimin’s perspective, I’ll be sure to let you know, okay? I think the place looks clean enough. Thanks for helping.” He gives you a forced smile and nods curtly.

You decide to go along with Jungkook’s suggestion for the time being. You could tell that Jungkook is trying to avoid the topic. He had a cloud of tense aura surrounding him. After being acquainted with Jungkook for some time now, you knew when and when not to press his buttons.

“Alright…just text me when the boy’s arrive. I’m gonna go shower real quick.” You leave before he could respond.

Jungkook sits on one of the reclining chairs and simply stares at the wall. He gets lost into his thoughts about possible reasons as to why Jimin would sabotage your date. He has this uncomfortable feeling brewing in his gut. It was as if Jungkook’s gut knew the answer but he mentally could not pinpoint it for the life of him. He didn’t like how much he was bothered by this new information.

Jungkook let out a heavy breath and felt conflicted with himself. He knew that he wanted to intervene but also he knew that he shouldn’t. Nothing in this situation required his immediate attention at all. But something in him compelled his need for action. He needed to know and he needed to know now. He needed to help you get closure for this. Thirty minutes suddenly felt like thirty hours. The seconds were going agonizingly slow.

“What’s up, Kook?” He heard his brother’s voice through the speaker of his phone. “Huh?” He said.

“You…you just called me?” Taehyung said, with confusion laced in his tone. Jungkook was in his head about this that he didn’t realize he had unconsciously called Taehyng just to see how far away he was from home.

“Right, s-sorry. I must’ve butt-dialed you.” Jungkook hung up immediately. He felt pathetic. He felt as if he was beginning to go crazy with the way he was so pressed about this. Jungkook decided to go and cook a quick breakfast to welcome Jimin and Taehyung in order to distract himself and to make time go by faster.

During the cook prep and the actual cooking time, thoughts and possible explanations as to why Jimin would force Namjoon to ditch the date plagued his mind: Did Jimin suddenly find out something was wrong with Namjoon? Was he toxic? Did he have an infamous cheating history? Was he protecting you from something? Something so serious that he had to stop the date from happening?

His blabbering thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the front door opening. He was welcomed to the sight of Jimin and Taehyung stumbling inside the apartment with their heavy luggages.

“Kook?” Jimin grinned. He jumped into his arms and embraced him tightly. “Kook, what are you doing here!” Jimin placed his hands onto his shoulder and pulled him back into another embrace.

“We thought you weren’t gonna be back until tomorrow?” Taehyung didn’t look as shocked as Jimin. He appeared to be genuinely confused and in utter shock.

“Well, I-”

The sound of your squeal interrupted Jungkook’s explanation. “You guys are back!” You jumped into Taehyung’s arms, launching him enough for him to almost fall backwards. “What a nice welcome.” Taehyung chuckled, wrapping his arms around your waist. He felt his heart soaring at the fact that you immediately ran to him first and welcomed him in such a wholesome way.

Jimin chuckled to himself at the sight and shook his head. “Where’s my hug?” He fake-pouted. You pulled yourself away from Taehyung’s embrace and pulled into Jimin’s arms, a bit hesitant. Jimin didn’t sense your reluctant energy that was obviously oozing out—at least in Jungkook’s perspective.

“I’ve missed you too, Jimin!” You smiled at him. Jimin ruffled your semi-wet hair and pulled you back into a side hug. “Tell me everything. Tell me how your entire week has been without us three.”

You nervously darted your eyes towards Jungkook for a second before clearing your throat. “It was great, y’know? Got some real needed alone time and spent Christmas and New Year’s with Hoseok, as you already know. Other than that, I had a good time. I’ve missed you guys like crazy.” You tried to steer the conversation away from your so-called “alone time”.

Jimin turned his attention back to Jungkook. “Right, we completely forgot to continue our conversation. When did you come home? Like Tae said, we thought you weren’t gonna be back til at least tomorrow?” Jungkook wasn’t nervous nor was he scared to lie to them.

“I came home last night around 9-ish. Yeri’s family went to celebrate the New Year’s with family in the area so I decided to come home that same night.” Jungkook said. He darted his eyes between Jimin and Taehyung to see if they believed a single thing he said. Jimin was nodding his head, as if he didn't doubt him.

When Jungkook moved his eyes to Taehyung, he seemed bothered. His lips were pressed into a thin line, his eyes were a chilling almost-black color. “So did you spend New Year’s with Yeri’s other family as well?” Taehyung asked.

Jungkook paused. He didn’t bother to look at you because he knew that you were already looking at him, eagerly seeing what he would say. Would he tell the truth or would he lie again?

“No, I spent New Year’s with ___.” He said.

There was a brief silence between the brothers. It was a silence that only the two of them could feel. As if they were the only ones who could feel the sudden tension brewing between them.

Jimin could tell that Taehyung was bothered at the fact that you and Jungkook spent the night together unknowingly. He didn’t really get why Taehyung would feel bothered at that since everyone knows that you and Jungkook would never get along no matter what, right? Assumingly, the night was spent with unstoppable bickering and negative tension.

“You didn’t spend it with Yeri?” Taehyung asked again. Jungkook shook his head. “She wanted to spend it with family and well, I…wanted to accompany ____.” He said. Taehyung’s Adam-apple bobbed up and down.

“Right,” He started off. “I’m glad you kept each other company.” Taehyung looked between you and Jungkook and reached for his luggage. “Breakfast smells amazing, Kook. I’m gonna go settle my things in my room and come back out to eat.” Taehyung rolled his luggage away from the kitchen and headed towards his bedroom.

You could tell that something was off with Taehyung. His entire mood did a whole 180. “Let’s eat, guys.” You suggested, to ease the tension that was beginning to affect you and Jimin as well.

The breakfast between the four quickly aided to resume the usual comfortable vibe with everyone. Jimin and Taehyung filled you and Jungkook in on how their week went in more detail. Their Christmas and New Year’s went by smoothly, they talked about the horrendous bruise that Taehyung got from straining his calves during a pilates session with Jungkook’s mother, how Jimin got along surprisingly well with Taehyung’s father’s golfing buddies, and all the girl’s numbers that Jimin and Taehyung received from their secret nights out clubbing. You shared in every detail how you spent your week except you left out the minor fact that Jungkook had been with you throughout all of those events: the wine nights, the holiday market stroll, watching Christmas movies till you knocked out, et cetera. Jungkook was with you throughout all of that.

The recollection of all those memories as you were sharing them made you unconsciously smile from ear to ear as you blabbered on. You didn’t realize how nice it was to have had Jungkook’s presence with you the entire time. In fact, it made you feel as if you got to know him better in a more intimate and vulnerable way. You were able to fully get along and connect as people, as roommates, as friends. You no longer view Jungkook as the handsome stranger that you just randomly harbored a crush on for years. You knew him as your anti-social yet dorky and nerdy roommate who lived in the bedroom next to yours that had a great taste in music, is a phenomenal cook, a person who loves to provide acts of service for those he cares about, is a genuinely intelligent person when it comes to the books but not so smart when it comes to real-life and its complex problems and people. All of that and more made you start to love Jungkook not in a romantic way but as a person. As a friend.

Breakfast wrapped up nicely, with Taehyung claiming that he needed to take a nap or else “he would die”. You decided to go back into your bedroom and catch up on your current read of the month. “Do you guys need help cleaning?” You asked Jimin and Jungkook. “We’re all good here, ___. Thanks for asking.” Jimin smiled softly at you. You returned the smile, ignoring the slight discomfort as you made eye-contact with him.

After breakfast, Jungkook had volunteered to help Jimin clean up. He decided that this would be the best way to corner Jimin and get him to spill the truth as to why he sabotaged your date with Namjoon. He tried his best to just not give a single fuck about this but he truly couldn’t. Something was gnawing at his gut to fulfill the need to know what happened.

The two were at the sink; Jimin was washing and Jungkook was drying.

“So, did you enjoy your stay with Yeri and her family?” Jimin asked. Jungkook nodded. “It was alright.” He said.

“Do you see yourself getting serious with her? Like full commitment?” Jimin looked at him, giving him a cheeky grin. Jungkook snorted at that. “Slow down there. I don’t even take myself seriously, what makes you think I’ll take someone else seriously?” Jimin chuckled at him. “It wouldn’t kill you if you actually had feelings for someone, Kook. It’s okay to allow yourself to feel sometimes.”

Jungkook ignored him. “How are things going with you?” Jungkook changed the subject. Jimin chuckled again, aware that Jungkook was purposely avoiding the topic. “I’ve been okay. Going back to Busan made me realize how confident I am in my decision to drop school and move in with you guys for the time being. Busan is not for me right now.” Jungkook nodded understandably. “I know we’ve said this a million times but you can stay for as long as you’d like. We love having you here.” Jungkook said. Jimin smiled at that.

Jungkook was having trouble coming up with a way to nonchalantly bring up the topic. “How was the New Year’s party? Did you hang with Yoongi the entire night?” Jimin asked. Jungkook mentally thanked Jimin for bringing up the party as it can lead to the perfect segway to mention Namjoon’s appearance at the party.

“I did, actually. You know me too well. Yoongi’s my only friend.” Jungkook fake-chuckled. “Did ___ have a good time? At least from what you saw?” Jungkook’s immediate thought was the memory of you and Namjoon in conversation.

“I think so. She was with Hoseok and his friends the whole night,” He started off. He decided it was a good time to mention Namjoon now. “I saw her with Kim Namjoon too.” He finally said.

Jimin stopped washing a cup that was in his hand. He paused for a second but remained avoiding eye-contact with Jungkook. “Namjoon was there?” He asked.

“Yeah, I guess word spread real fast about Yoongi’s and Hoseok’s party.”

Jimin nodded slowly. He didn’t know what to say. “___ and Namjoon were talking?” He asked again.

“Yes. It was an odd sight to see. From what I remember, Namjoon ghosted her after a planned date, right? At least that’s what Taehyung told me. He told me not to mention Namjoon in front of ____ anymore out of concern that it would bother her.” Jungkook continued.

Jimin managed to look at Jungkook. “Uh, yeah, he did ghost her.”

Jungkook was debating whether or not to bite the bullet. “Huh,” He said.

“Do you happen to know why he would do such a thing?” He finally asked. Jimin’s face turned slightly pale. If there was one thing Jungkook knew about Jimin after a decade of friendship, it was that Jimin was a terrible liar, especially under pressure. He breaks easily.

“I have no idea. That’s something Tae and I have been wondering too.” He stuttered slightly. Jimin’s sudden change in demeanor confirmed to Jungkook that Jimin for sure had something to do with the sudden ghosting of Namjoon. Namjoon wasn’t lying to you after all.

Jungkook suddenly felt confident enough to continue pressuring Jimin into telling him the truth now that Jimin was vulnerable enough to crack.

“Huh. That’s weird.” Jungkook was fake-pondering. Jimin shared a confused glare. “What do you mean?”

Jungkook shrugged. “I mean, I heard something weird from ___, that’s all.” Jimin turned even paler. The water from the faucet was still running and Jimin was holding the same mug from earlier in his hands.

“What did she say?” Jimin asked, with his voice getting low. Jungkook confidently gave Jimin a firm stare. His eyes darkening and his amused mood from earlier was dispersing into a somber glare.

“That you told Namjoon not to go on the date.”

Jimin remained silent. His silence confirmed it all.

He remained speechless for another moment before suddenly turning off the sink. His wet hands gripped onto Jungkook’s wrist and he pulled him to the front door. “Let’s take this outside.” He muttered under his breath.

He dragged him outside of the apartment before softly shutting the door. Jungkook wasn’t scared nor confused. He was eager to hear what Jimin had to say.

“Explain exactly what she said.” Jimin looked afraid and helpless. His eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes were gleaming with fear and anxiety.

Jungkook sighed. “According to ___, Namjoon approached her at the party and apologized for not going on the date. He blamed it on you. ___ told me that Namjoon told her it was your doing as to why she got ghosted.” Jungkook explained.

Jimin ran his sweaty fingers through his hair. “Listen, Kook. I have a good reason as to why I did that. I didn’t do it out of malicious intent towards ____ whatsoever. But I can’t tell you nor can ___ know too. I really can’t.” Jimin pleaded.

Jungkook shook his head. “Look, I know ___ and I aren’t the bestest of friends but I can feel how confused, shocked, and hurt she is. Imagine finding out that one of her good friends was behind the reason as to why her date got ruined. Especially by the same friend that set her up with the guy in the first place.” Jungkook reasoned. “I don’t know if you noticed but ____ has been a bit distant from you ever since you came back home. I don’t want either of us to live in this kind of uncomfortable environment.” Jungkook continued.

Jimin took a moment to absorb everything Jungkook said. He felt extremely conflicted between doing what he should or shouldn’t do.

“Do you know if Namjoon told her anything else?” Jimin asked. Jungkook scoffed. “Is that all you care about?”

“Just tell me, Jungkook.” Jimin snapped.

After a moment, Jungkook shook his head. “That’s all she and I know.”

Jimin placed his hands onto Jungkook’s shoulders. “Listen to me Kook. What I’m about to tell you, you have to swear and promise me that you are not going to tell a single soul about this, okay?”

Jungkook was suddenly nervous. He didn’t know exactly how to prepare himself for the information he was about to receive.

“I want to promise that but it really depends on what it is, Jimin. If I think it’s something ___ should know about then I’ll tell her.”

Jimin shook his head. “I swear to you that this is something that ___ shouldn’t know about. At least for now.”

Jungkook cocked his head to the side, out of confusion. “What is it, Jimin?”

Jimin continued to mentally debate with himself for another minute or so. He kept running his fingers through his hair and letting out exasperated sighs over and over again.

“No one else knows this, okay? Not even Namjoon,” He starts off. Jungkook was listening patiently.

“I…I told him not to go on that date because of Taehyung.” Jimin says. Jungkook’s entire stomach dropped. “What do you mea-”

“Because… of Taehyung.” He repeats. “Because Taehyung likes ___.”

Jungkook felt as if he had dissociated from reality for a second. Was this real? Was what Jimin said real? Was he in a dream? “What?” Was all he could bring himself to say.

“Taehyung is in love with ___.”

#favourites!jjk #re:to!read #i'll just be re-reading it for the millionth time like it's brand new to catch you with this new update #ahhhhhhhh #can you tell i'm excited?!?!?!?#cause i am!!!!!

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moonchild1 · 2 years ago

Text

TODAY MUST BE CHRISTMAS I HAVE TO SL CHAPTERS TO READ!!!!

Sinful Lust | ch 3 (myg & jjk)

☆summary: Yoongi finds himself questioning everything that led to him enjoying both you and Jungkook in his bedroom life. Still, he folds for you both, but will he always do?

☆pairing: bisexual boyfriend!Yoongi x female!reader x Jungkook

☆rating: 18+ (MINORS DNI)

☆genre: mostly smut, angst, snippets of life!au

☆warnings: alcohol, jealousy, establishing ground rules, curses, a crush, pet names, lies, explicit content: oral sex (male on male, male on female, female on male), mentions of anal sex, dom!Jungkook, dom!reader, sub!Yoongi, praise, degradation, fingering, jerking off, clit play, breast play, balls play, mouth fucking, anal fingering, unprotected sex (don't be stupid) cum play (kiss with a mouthful of cum? if that makes any sense lmao there might be a term for it but Idk it), begging

☆word count: 12.4k

☆a/n: Finally a Yoongi pov! I hope you enjoy this one! We're moving away from mostly pwp to finally start knowing more about the life of the characters outside of the bedroom. Thank you @moonleeai as always for beta-ing this fic <3

☆a/n pt2: I do not own BTS or any of the members. I do not know what they are like irl (I do not claim to know their personalities, sexual orientations, beliefs, etc.). This fic is just a work of fiction, so please keep that in mind while reading

☆series masterpost

☆☆☆☆☆

Yoongi feels strange. He feels strange sitting at his kitchen table while you grab a notebook and a pen, strange catching Jungkook’s gaze, who purses his lips and looks at a knot in the wood of the table.

There’s want, in his younger friend’s posture. Yoongi sees it clear as day. Jungkook can barely conceal the looks he’s throwing towards you, and to Yoongi’s surprise, towards him too.

Of course, you suggested establishing ground rules. Inviting Jungkook over for dinner, that Yoongi cooked while you and Jungkook shared glasses of wine at the table, always making sure Yoongi also had one. And you always made sure he was included in the conversation too, but he’s realized that you and Jungkook have a complicity he didn’t even expect to form between the two of you.

He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t jealous, but at night he knows he is the one you fall asleep next to. He’s been holding onto that fact for days now.

“So,” you start as you sit next to Yoongi.

Jungkook is across the table, arms crossed on his chest in a nonchalant and arrogant way that’s also been making Yoongi feel strange. Especially as his tongue keeps poking at his piercing, and Yoongi’s brain struggles with not picturing the way Jungkook’s tongue feels on his dick.

Needless to say, it feels far too good.

“So,” Jungkook echoes with a smirk ghosting on his lips. “Ground rules, huh?”

You nod, and your gaze burns into Yoongi’s profile before it falls to the paper in front of you. “Just so everyone is on the same page.”

Even though it was sort of his idea, Yoongi doesn’t even know what you all could establish as ground rules. He thinks about when he saw you and Jungkook together, looking the perfect picture of a happy couple, and he has to rein in the jealousy that is threatening to overcome his senses.

“I was thinking…” you start, nibbling on the end of the pen as you visibly search for words. “I don’t think we mind if you have sex with other people, but maybe you could always wear protection?”

Jungkook chuckles, tilting his head to the side. “Of course. I always wear protection.” He pauses, seems to ponder for a time before he adds, “Usually, that is”.

Because you haven’t worn protection when you’ve had sex together. Which reminds Yoongi of how it felt to fuck you at the same time as Jungkook, and he doesn’t have to look down to see his semi appearing, pushing against the fabric of his pants. He shifts in his seat, watching you as you scribble the rule on the page.

“Is it really necessary to write it down?” Jungkook asks, sounding more genuine than Yoongi expected. “Isn’t it weird to treat it like a contract?”

You fake-glare at him, and Yoongi doesn’t miss the way Jungkook’s eyes light up when you laugh. He chuckles too, just because he hates feeling left out.

“I mean,” he says, and both your gaze and Jungkook’s move to him. “It kind of is a contract, when you think of it.”

Jungkook snorts. “Way to make it not sexy at all, hyung.”

Yoongi rolls his eyes and prepares a retort when you gently pat his arm, and his head goes empty.

“Do you have something you’d like for us to add?” you ask Jungkook. “Any rule that comes to your mind?”

“You’re on the pill, aren’t you?” he fires back.

“IUD.”

Yoongi sits back in his chair as you add that, formulating it as a “contraceptive method”. It’s a little funny, but then he imagines what would happen if you got pregnant with Jungkook’s child. It’s enough to douse him in a cold shower, and he nibbles at his lower lip as your eyes slide to him.

“And you?” you enquire. “Anything you can think of?”

He holds your gaze, lets you read it in his eyes more than he lets it show in his tone. Because he doesn’t want you to think it’s pettiness, or jealousy, even though it probably stems from that. Indeed, he says, “No sleeping in the same bed”.

You nod, all business-like, putting the rule down. Before you even finish writing it, Jungkook is quick to speak.

“No one fucks my ass,” he says, half-joking.

Yoongi clenches his jaw, especially as the thought of fucking Jungkook makes his dick strain against his pants, and he has to shift in his seat again.

“Noted,” you reply pensively, writing it down under the previous rule. As the two men remain silent, you raise your head, gaze going between them a couple of times before you say, “Would you guys be willing to hang out for more than just sex? Just to make sure we always are comfortable with each other?”

Jungkook’s gaze is on you when he answers, “I’d love to”.

It has Yoongi clenching his jaw again, but who would he be to say no? Jungkook is one of his closest friends and adding you into the mix shouldn’t have to be weird.

Though he reckons everything has been weird lately.

You look happy, and you put it down on the paper as Yoongi shifts again. Jungkook glances at him, and a smirk grows on his lips once more.

“Something wrong, hyung?”

Yoongi’s cheeks burn, and he slightly shakes his head. “Nah, all good.”

“You look flustered,” Jungkook adds, all teasing.

Fuck.

You glance at him, eyes darting to his dick once. “Gosh, Yoons.” You pat his thigh, far too close to his cock for comfort. “Can’t even wait until we’re done with establishing ground rules, can you?”

He curses, slightly shaking his head. He wants to be able to bite back, to say something that would make you flush with arousal, but he’s never been good with that.

“What about a safe word?” you suggest, eyes trailing to Jungkook.

“That could be a good idea,” Jungkook approves. “Hyung, anything in mind?”

“We can go with the usual ‘red’.”

It’s indeed the one you’ve established in your relationship, and it feels simple to just add Jungkook to it. The latter nods, agreeing to Yoongi’s idea.

“Simple enough,” he comments.

There’s a prolonged silence then, as no one can think of another ground rule. Jungkook keeps eyeing you, and as a reflex Yoongi drapes an arm on the back of your chair. You glance at him and offer him a smile.

“So,” you say as you glance down at the list. “We can always add more if we think about something else.”

Jungkook nods. “Sounds like a plan.”

Both of them turn towards Yoongi, and Yoongi meets your gaze. “Works for me too.”

You grin, and you put the pen down before grabbing your wine glass. You’re the only one that isn’t done drinking, and Yoongi watches your throat work as you swallow.

He wants you. He wants you right now, wants to be the reason why you come. He wants Jungkook to watch and not be allowed to touch, wants to remind him what his place in the relationship is.

It’s primal. An animalistic urge, and it’s making his semi grow harder as his imagination runs wild.

“Do you guys want to drink more?” Jungkook asks.

Yoongi’s gaze snaps to his friend, and the smirk on Jungkook’s lips is enough to convince him to turn towards you.

“Babe,” he tells you.

You cock an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

“Let’s get some whiskey?”

You nod, smiling as you lean forward. You press a kiss to his cheek, and then you get up and go grab the whiskey. As you grab some glasses, Yoongi meets Jungkook’s gaze again. Now, there’s a knowing glint in Jungkook’s eyes, and it makes Yoongi shift in his seat.

“Are you sure you want to drink more, hyung?” Jungkook teases. “I’m getting a feeling that you’re already ready to go.”

“Jungkook!” you say as Yoongi remains silent, clenching his jaw.

It’s true. He’s ready enough to go, but he’s frustrated. He really doesn’t want Jungkook to touch you today.

You put ice in three glasses, while all Yoongi’s able to do is watch Jungkook. The latter falls serious, cocking his head to the side. “Unless that’s not what you want?”

Yoongi scoffs. “Just want to treat my girl right tonight.”

You stay awfully silent, as Jungkook smirks again. It’s dangerous, the way he does it, and Yoongi can’t help but palm himself through his pants.

“You want to make her feel good?” Jungkook asks.

“Yes.”

Yoongi hears you pour the whiskey, but he still can’t look away from Jungkook. It’s almost as if he’s in a trance, and it only gets stronger as Jungkook says, “You don’t want me to make you feel good?”

Yoongi’s unable to hold Jungkook’s gaze after that, and his eyes fall to a spot on his friend’s chest. “I don’t want you to touch her tonight.”

“What?” you let out as you put a glass down in front of him, and then slide one to Jungkook. You lean against the table, folding your arms on your chest as you look down at Yoongi. “So you get all the fun?”

You’re saying it teasingly, with a smile on your face, but when you notice that he’s fully serious, the smile falls. It’s replaced by fire in your eyes, and Yoongi can’t help the smirk that grows on his lips.

“Why don’t you sit on the table?” he says, surprising even himself with the dominance in his tone.

You obey, and his eyes fall to your naked legs. You’re wearing a skirt, and he already imagines just taking you right then and there.

“So I’m just supposed to watch?” Jungkook asks, laughing slightly.

Yoongi runs a hand on the inside of your thigh possessively as he grabs his glass of whiskey and knocks it back in one long gulp. He meets Jungkook’s gaze again then, and he tilts his head to the side.

Jungkook’s lips are parted, and his tongue darts to play with his piercing. It’s a gesture Yoongi’s always found hot, and right now it makes his blood boil in his veins. It’s almost enough for him to lose his hold on the dominance, but he’s saved by you when you say, “Suck his dick, JK. Show him that you can make him feel good too.”

Jungkook chuckles dryly, shaking his head no. “I’m curious what hyung has in mind,” he says to you. “What do you have in mind?”

The question is directed to Yoongi, and he wets his lips. You’ve offered him salvation, because all he has to do is repeat, “Suck my dick, Jungkook-ie. I want to hear you choke on me.”

“Damn, Yoons,” you let out, and your mouth falls open as his long fingers find your entrance over your panties. He hisses in satisfaction as he finds you already soaked, especially as you add, “You want to be in control tonight?”

He does. He always wishes he was in control, but he struggles with it. Folds whenever you look at him with your sultry eyes, whenever Jungkook uses that commanding voice of his. And Jungkook knows. His younger friend knows, and uses it against him.

Perhaps choosing Jungkook as the one to join you two for threesomes was a bad decision after all. Because, would Yoongi ever be able to tell Jungkook no?

He highly doubts so.

And maybe that’s why he wants Jungkook to be choking on his dick. Because Jungkook can’t control him like that, can’t look at you with wonder in his big eyes, like he’s been looking at you since the first day he met you.

Yoongi thinks his blood is running cold, but you lean forward, and press a kiss on his cheek. It settles the wave that was cresting over his heart, sends it back into the slumbering depths of the ocean in his chest. And as you drag a finger on his jaw, slowly, the ocean starts boiling again.

“You want me to spread my legs for you?” you ask.

Unable to find words, Yoongi only nods. Nods as his eyes dart to Jungkook, who’s sat back in his chair. From the looks of it, he’s already unbuttoned his pants, entirely prepared to watch Yoongi and you going at it.

It shoots the boiling sensation right to his dick, and Yoongi feels it straining against the fabric of his pants once more. He thinks he might be sick and twisted, to enjoy the ache that comes with you and Jungkook together. To enjoy the power trip of knowing that, at the end of the day, you’re still his.

And tonight, he’ll prove that to Jungkook too.

You sit back on the table, searching for a more comfortable position before pushing the notebook and the pen on top of it away. You’re fully dressed, yet you spread your legs wide open to make space for him, and Yoongi stands up. He grabs your face, tilts your head slightly back, and then leans to suck a deep, purple mark on your neck.

He then sits back down, glancing at Jungkook.

“Why don’t you suck my dick while I eat her out?” he tells his friend, and Jungkook looks conflicted. Conflicted, but the moment you look at him over your shoulder, Jungkook folds.

Yoongi sees it. Every time, he sees that Jungkook only gives in because of you. He doesn’t know if he likes it, just knows that the feeling of Jungkook’s lips and piercing on his dick is incredible every time.

He’s become addicted to it already, hasn’t he?

Jungkook goes under the table, moving closer to Yoongi before sitting back on his heels. His pants are unbuttoned but he’s abandoned his dick, instead resting his large hands on his muscular thighs. The fabric stretches over his legs, sinfully so, and Yoongi feels his desire for his younger friend in every single drop of blood his heart pumps in his veins.

He’s so damned confused.

So he focuses on your spread legs, on the way you’re already breathing lightly, chest moving up and down rapidly. He grabs your ankle, forces you to put your leg on his shoulder even though you’re still fully clothed, and he leans forward to inhale your sweet scent.

When Jungkook hesitantly palms him through his pants, Yoongi loses it. He once again sits back in his chair, and though he tries to sound commanding, his voice is whiny when he tells you, “Take off your panties and shirt, but keep the skirt.”

You smirk at him, the empress and he the mere servant, but you still obey. Still rid yourself of your shirt and underwear as Jungkook just remains kneeling there, watching with big doe eyes clouding with lust with every item of clothing that you remove.

Yoongi can’t help himself. He quickly pushes his pants down his legs along with his boxer briefs, releasing the pressure of the fabric on his dick. Precum already beads at his tip, and he grabs his base to squeeze once, looking at Jungkook.

“Get to work,” he tells his friend.

Jungkook tilts his head to the side, almost innocently. “You haven’t even touched her yet, hyung. Can’t let her be forgotten.”

Yoongi gulps when you tip his head back with one finger. “Oh, don’t worry”, you purr. “Watching you choke on him is plenty enough pleasure for me.”

Yoongi wants to whine, wants to tell you that you saying so is almost enough to make him bust on the spot, but he reins in the words, reins in his will to submit to you, the way that he always does. Instead, he smirks at you lazily, wetting his lips.

“But I want to get drunk on you,” he tells you, voice low and husky.

It’s your turn to gulp, as you lean back on your hands, putting one leg on his shoulder again. “Then get to it, baby. Show me how good you can eat me out.”

You don’t have to ask twice. Yoongi immediately leans in, pushing your skirt up so he can lick a long stripe from your entrance to your clit. He barely touches the bundle of nerves, but you still moan softly, carding your fingers through his hair.

And when you tug, he can’t help the small whimper he lets out, and he hopes it went unheard to both you and Jungkook as he sucks on your clit, hard. The sound you let out rivals his own, and maybe Jungkook didn’t care anyway because he grabs Yoongi’s cock, jerking him off while Yoongi busies himself with drinking you in. With exploring every crevice of your pussy that he can reach, plunging his tongue deep inside of you as you look down at him, pink lips parted in pleasure.

But he’s bound to lose. Yoongi knows it. Knows that the second Jungkook’s tongue will be on him, he’ll forget everything about defiance and control. He’ll turn into your own little toy, and he knows he’ll do anything for you. For you, and for the man between his legs.

So, he really focuses on you. Really tries to stay buried between your legs, but the second Jungkook’s tongue laps at his slit, he hisses, resting his face on your thigh. You’re merciless – you pull his hair hard, force him back to your pussy. And he obliges, even though Jungkook is now sucking on his tip, and all of his blood aims for his dick, leaving his head empty and dizzy.

You taste good. Sweeter than honey, as you always do. When he first started dating you, Yoongi loved eating you out for hours. Didn’t need you to touch him to be satisfied. Only needed to get drunk on you, on your taste and your heady scent and on every little sound you make.

Today, this hasn’t changed. Especially not as you let out a broken “Yoons…”, and then he’s sucking on your clit before circling it relentlessly, giving in more pressure before stopping, teasing the sensitive organ until you’re grinding in his face.

You’re exactly where he wants you to be. But he’s not there yet. He doesn’t think he’ll be able to unleash himself on you. Especially not as Jungkook takes more of his dick in, and he feels the piercing on every inch of his cock. Feels Jungkook’s wet tongue as it flattens against his dick, caressing the side until Jungkook stops, swallowing around his tip.

Yoongi has to pull away again, and you whine, perhaps in anger. He doesn’t even care. Only knows that he wants to fuck up into Jungkook’s mouth, wants to hear the lewd sounds his younger friend would make as he’d choke on him.

But Jungkook has sensed him moving. Because he pulls away, and Yoongi feels entranced with the sight of the string of saliva connecting his dick to Jungkook’s mouth. When Jungkook smirks, it breaks, yet all Yoongi can do is keep staring at those sinful lips, previously wrapped around his cock.

“Why aren’t you eating her out anymore?” Jungkook asks smugly. “Getting distracted?”

Yoongi can’t help himself. He grumbles, “Fuck off”, which earns him a squeeze of his dick that sends his mind flying up to the sky above.

“Look at that dirty mouth,” Jungkook says. “He thinks he can just speak to me like that?”

You laugh, and Yoongi thinks it’s a little mean. But he’s always liked that, always liked you degrading him, and his balls feel so fucking tight he thinks they might explode.

“Let him be, he was missing you,” you tease.

He was. Damn him, Yoongi was missing Jungkook.

He really is confused, isn’t he?

“Why would I suck the dick of such a brat?” Jungkook ponders aloud.

“If you want us to make you feel good after, you better not stop sucking him,” you tell Jungkook, and there’s so much command in your voice Yoongi expects Jungkook to fold.

This time around, Jungkook resists though. Sits back on his heels, lets go of Yoongi’s dick to palm himself instead. “Baby, he doesn’t want me to touch you tonight.”

Yoongi doesn’t miss the slight pout of your lips. And he hates that you two are discussing him like he’s not there, but he’s just gone mute. Mute and stupid and everything in between. There’s not enough blood left in his brain for him to formulate a coherent thought after all.

“Oh, Yoons will make you feel good,” you promise Jungkook. “Right, baby?”

That he can. Because if it’s him touching Jungkook then maybe he won’t have to watch how Jungkook holds you, or how Jungkook never finishes when it’s both of them with you. Only finishes when he’s got you all to himself, something Yoongi partly hates, though you’ve never forgotten about him once.

Perhaps he’s too possessive for this.

Jungkook leans forward, swirls his tongue around Yoongi’s tip, and just like that Yoongi knows he’s not too possessive.

He wants Jungkook just as badly as Jungkook wants you. And maybe that’ll explode in his face one day, but for now he just wants to enjoy it while he can.

“Yeah,” Yoongi breathes out, wondering if you and Jungkook can hear that he’s battling himself, heart and mind and dick all aching for different things.

“Let’s head to the bedroom, then,” you suggest. “We have more space over there for us three.”

There’s male satisfaction in Yoongi when you grab his hand to pull him behind you, letting Jungkook follow on your heels. And Jungkook and Yoongi exchange a look – a careful, assessing glance, as you walk in the bedroom, dropping Yoongi’s hand to lay down on the bed after having removed your skirt.

“Why don’t we start with you two kissing, mmh?” you suggest.

Yoongi also doesn’t hesitate for that. And Jungkook kisses him with a fervor he wasn’t expecting, making his dick ache from being untouched. But it doesn’t last long – Jungkook wraps a hand around his cock, pumping him a few times.

“Shit, hyung,” he says when he pulls away from the kiss, looking down at Yoongi. “You’re so fucking hard already.”

“He’s always hard for us,” you purr from your spot on the bed.

A glance at you makes Yoongi weak in the knees. You’ve got two fingers knuckles deep in your pussy, your legs spread open for the two men to see, and you’re rolling lazy circles on your clit with your other hand.

“Can’t help it when you guys feel so good,” Yoongi says, not expecting to actually speak out loud.

“Jungkook,” you breathe out, and it sounds so much like a moan Yoongi wants to walk to you, spread your legs even wider so he could fuck into you, so hard you’d forget anything other than his name. “Suck him,” you beg. “I want to see you swallow his cum.”

“Baby…” Jungkook lets out.

Yoongi doesn’t know how his hand reached for Jungkook’s neck. Only knows that he’s tightening his fist against his friend’s throat, restricting the air flow to his brain, and Jungkook shoots him an alarmed look.

“Get on your fucking knees,” Yoongi orders, and this time Jungkook does fold, dropping to his knees as Yoongi releases his throat.

“Good boy,” you praise from the bed.

Jungkook tries to turn his head towards you, but Yoongi has had enough of that. So he forces his friend to keep his eyes fixed on him, and he taps the head of his dick against Jungkook’s lips.

“Open up,” he growls.

Jungkook obeys. He parts his lips, big, doe eyes narrowed in lust as Yoongi pushes his cock in his mouth.

“I want to fuck your mouth so bad,” Yoongi murmurs, not breaking eye contact.

He’s trying to tell Jungkook that one more fucking baby to you and he’ll be dead. He doesn’t know if Jungkook understands. Only that he somehow grabbed a hold of his balls, squeezing just a little harder than he likes it, which makes Yoongi hiss in pain.

“You think you deserve it?” Jungkook asks when he pulls away.

You moan from the bed, but both men don’t look at you this time around. And Yoongi likes it. Likes that Jungkook’s full attention is on him for once, and he doesn’t want to miss the opportunity.

“I let you fuck my girl, the least you can do is let me fuck that dirty mouth of yours,” Yoongi hisses through his teeth.

Jungkook bites his lip, before offering a dark smile to Yoongi. “I tap your leg if it’s too much?”

Yoongi nods, but still waits for Jungkook to wrap his lips around his cock before he does anything. The second those sinful lips are once again wrapped around his dick though, Yoongi lets go of all of his restraint. He fucks Jungkook’s mouth, relentlessly, snapping his hips forward in short, hard thrust as Jungkook chokes around the tip of his cock, though surprisingly doesn’t tap his leg.

Jungkook wants to be good. That much Yoongi can tell. And he wonders, does he want to be good because he can tell that this is actually hurting Yoongi a little?

Can he read him better than you’ve been reading him lately?

Yoongi chases the thought away as he chases his orgasm instead, refusing to shut his eyes lest he forgets he’s fucking Jungkook’s mouth, and not yours. And though your mouth feels like heaven to him, Jungkook’s is a close second and he knows he’ll reach his high in no time.

Jungkook gags a little harder than previously as Yoongi nears his orgasm, and he pulls out of his younger friend’s mouth, breathing raggedly.

“You good?” he asks, not enough of an asshole to not care about his friend’s wellbeing.

Jungkook nods. “I don’t know why girls like this shit cause it feels like hell,” he comments drily, before chuckling.

Yoongi feels the blush creeping up his chest and neck, before reaching his cheeks. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Jungkook reassures him. “But as much as I want you to feel good, I genuinely don’t think I’m ready to have your cum in my throat.”

Yoongi tries to hide his disappointment, though it goes unnoticed as Jungkook immediately turns his head to look at you.

“Why don’t you come in her mouth instead?” he suggests.

Not really being able to say no to that, Yoongi looks at you too. You’re still circling your clit, lazily, and your chest is flushed red, beads of sweat collecting on your forehead. Just from the sight of you, Yoongi knows that you’ve already orgasmed. He’d tease you for it, tell you that you’re quick off the mark, but something about the fact that you orgasmed watching Jungkook choking on his dick makes him want to grab Jungkook and force him to swallow every drop of his cum.

He resists, not wanting to push his friend’s boundaries, and instead walks to where you are waiting on the bed. You find it in you to lazily smirk up at him as he climbs on top of you, but a second later he’s crashing his lips on yours, wiping the smirk from your features. You lose your hands in his hair, tugging hard, which only makes his balls grow infinitely tighter. He doesn’t know what Jungkook is doing where he left him, and frankly, right now he doesn’t care.

Right now, he just wants to feel your walls rubbing against his dick. So instead of aiming for your mouth, like Jungkook suggested, Yoongi fists his cock, aiming right for your entrance. You break away from the kiss, resting your head on the bed, and your ragged breath fills the air around you.

“Your shirt,” you whine as he’s about to push inside of you.

He pauses, conflicted, before kneeling back on his heels so that he can quickly take off his shirt. He notices your eyes going behind him and he can’t help but look over his shoulder too.

Jungkook has taken off his clothes too. He’s standing there, muscles rippling on his chest and abdomen as he jerks off, teeth digging in his bottom lip as he watches Yoongi and you.

“Don’t stop for me,” Jungkook teases, flashing a corner smile before he lets out a grunt, probably because he’s started squeezing his dick harder.

Yoongi is going to go insane. He wishes it was his hand around Jungkook’s cock, him that’d pull moans and grunts and curses out of the pretty mouth of his friend. But he resists, focusing on you instead. Focusing on your awaiting eyes, on the sleek juice that coats the tip of his dick when he rubs it against your fold.

“What’s got you so wet?” he asks you.

You reach between the two of you, grabbing the back of his neck the moment he pushes in so you can pull him down, closer. “You,” you whisper in his ear, for just him to hear.

Because of course you always take the time to reassure him, whenever you have sex with Jungkook too. To reassure Yoongi that it’s him, that Jungkook doesn’t matter like he does. Or maybe that’s just what Yoongi likes to tell himself, or else he’d go crazy.

“Fuck,” he curses lowly, and then he pulls almost all the way out, before slamming into you again.

You moan in his ear, fingers digging in the back of his neck. Your nails are pressing on his skin, and the slight pain spurs Yoongi on, sending him into a frenzy of pounding into you so hard the bed rocks against the wall.

He knows he won’t last long at this rhythm. But he doesn’t care – his orgasm is just on the horizon, and he wants to sprint toward the blessed oblivion, to forget that one of his closest friends is jerking off behind him right now.

But he can’t forget. Not when the thought of it forces him to look back. Jungkook has gotten closer. If he wanted to, he’d be able to touch Yoongi. And when Yoongi’s gaze connects with Jungkook, Jungkook tilts his head to the side.

“What do you want me to do?” he asks Yoongi. And only Yoongi, which for some reasons makes him want to kiss Jungkook.

“Fucking come closer,” he rasps, slowing his motions so that he can catch Jungkook’s lips in a kiss when his friend sits next to you.

Jungkook grunts in his mouth, and Yoongi thinks he’s about to come. Even though he’s slowed down fucking into you, he’ll come, and he’ll come hard.

Because Jungkook decided it was time to finger his ass, and the tight ring of muscle barely resists before Jungkook is able to push one slender finger in up to the first knuckle.

“Shit,” Yoongi whimpers.

“That feels good?” Jungkook asks. He glances at you, at your fucked out expression, and then settles his gaze on Yoongi again. “To be balls deep inside of her while I’m fingering your ass?”

Yoongi moans this time, especially as you roll your hips, bringing friction to his dick. He shuts his eyes, trying to focus on the sensations, but as soon as Jungkook starts fingering his ass, pushing in and out in quick motions, he loses it.

He comes, and he comes hard. So hard he thinks his balls will explode, and he can’t help the whimpers he let out in your neck as he bends down. You hold him tight against you, whispering praises in his ear, and his dick keeps on twitching inside of you, his release filling you up.

When the orgasm finally leaves him empty, Yoongi can’t move. Especially not as Jungkook is still fingering his ass, and he thinks, if you both gave him a minute, he’d be able to go again. But you’ve got other things in mind. Indeed, one of your hands leaves Yoongi’s back, and when Jungkook curses, Yoongi can only imagine that you’ve started touching his friend.

A glimpse to the side reveals that you are indeed jerking Jungkook off, and precum glistens on the tip of his younger friend’s pretty cock. It’s instinct that guides Yoongi down until he’s licked at Jungkook’s tip, which earns Yoongi a hiss from him.

And when Jungkook buries a second finger in his ass, Yoongi starts sucking his friend, while you hold his cock up for him. It’s a little awkward at first from the position, so Yoongi moves, releasing you from the prison of his limbs. From the corner of his eyes, he sees you reach up to Jungkook’s cheeks, sees you kissing his friend languidly, but right now he doesn’t care.

Not when Jungkook’s sweet precum is slowly coating his mouth.

So he focuses on that. Focuses on the taste of his friend, on his hard cock in his mouth. On the fingers in his ass, that haven’t stopped moving since they found their way there. He focuses on the sensations, not caring that you’re probably still kissing Jungkook, that the grunts Jungkook lets out are swallowed by your avid mouth. No, right now, Yoongi really wants to share his younger friend with you, even if he knows it’ll hurt later.

He pulls away, one hand wrapping around the base of Jungkook’s cock so that he can lick on the side of his friend’s dick, aiming for his balls. And when he sucks one in, Yoongi holds Jungkook’s cock up for you, and you dip down to suck on the tip hard.

“Fucking shit,” Jungkook curses.

And then he slaps Yoongi’s ass, so hard it stings, and Yoongi lets go of Jungkook’s ball to watch you as you take all of Jungkook’s cock in your mouth, or at least all that fits.

“Why don’t you come in her mouth?” Yoongi suggests as he watches the pleasure on his friend’s features.

Jungkook only nods, clearly unable to form words as you start bobbing your head up and down quickly, letting out choked sounds whenever you’re all the way down.

And perhaps it’s mercy for his friend, but Yoongi pulls Jungkook’s hand away from his ass. As much as it felt good, he has an inkling that Jungkook doesn’t quite enjoy bisexual action as much as he himself does, and he just wants his friend to feel good. To come in your mouth rather than in your pussy, which for some reason doesn’t feel quite as bad to Yoongi.

Especially not as he sees the moment Jungkook unravels, his features turning pained as he lets out a broken curse and then digs his teeth in his lower lip. Unable to resist, Yoongi leans forward, pressing a kiss to Jungkook’s neck before sucking on the skin, hard, leaving a mark behind. It only makes Jungkook moan again, and a few seconds later, you’re sitting back on your heels.

Yoongi looks at you as Jungkook forces you to open your mouth, and the sight of his friend’s cum in your mouth makes his dick twitch.

“Kiss him,” Jungkook orders.

Your hungry eyes turn to Yoongi, and a second later you’re kissing, and the heady taste of Jungkook’s cum fills Yoongi’s mouth. He swipes his tongue in your mouth, wanting more of it, more of the insanity, and you both don’t notice that Jungkook has moved to the side, giving you space, as Yoongi pushes you down on the bed, his dick hardening by the second.

Jungkook laughs condescendingly at the sight. “I won’t be able to resist if you fuck her again.”

Yoongi pulls away from your lips, spit and cum on his lips as he looks at Jungkook. “To resist what? Fucking her too?”

Jungkook’s brows knit together, and he looks down at you. His features relax when your gaze connects to his, and Yoongi hates it. Hates the softness that grows on Jungkook’s features.

“I want you both,” you breathe out from under him.

The statement stings, yet all Yoongi does is push in you, satisfied to feel his cum still lubricating your walls.

“You’re mine, baby,” he can’t help but say. And he’s aware that he doesn’t necessarily call you baby a lot. Maybe he just wanted to see how Jungkook would react.

And Jungkook does react. If he was aroused a moment ago, he clearly isn’t anymore. Indeed, he just sits on the side of the bed, head angled away from Yoongi and you, and Yoongi immediately starts pounding in you again, until you’re a moaning and writhing mess under him, until you’ve clawed at his thighs and left red marks behind.

Only then does he pull out, grabbing Jungkook’s jaw to force him to look at him.

“You want to fuck her too?” he asks his friend, needing to chase away the shadows that seem to be clinging to Jungkook now.

“It’s okay,” Jungkook says. “I’m not even…”

“You think you can be a good boy and fuck her?” Yoongi asks.

He doesn’t even know why. Doesn’t even know where he found the commanding tone in his voice, but it does the deed. The shadows change into a darkness that means nothing good on Jungkook’s features, especially as he glances at you.

And gulps once.

“Maybe I can fuck her ass while you fuck her pussy,” Jungkook suggests.

It’s then that Yoongi remembers he told Jungkook not to touch you tonight.

“Where do you want him?” Yoongi asks you then.

“Everywhere.”

Jungkook chuckles, while Yoongi runs a hand on your thigh. “Gotta choose.”

“Pussy,” you immediately say.

And though it does hurt Yoongi, he moves to the side to allow Jungkook to replace him between your legs. Jungkook is still semi-soft though, and to remedy the situation Yoongi leans down, wrapping his lips around the head of Jungkook’s cock. He sucks softly at first, and when Jungkook doesn’t stop him, he starts going harder, swallowing his friend’s dick, deep throating it easily as it is still not quite hard.

“Fuck, hyung,” Jungkook lets out.

And then Yoongi unleashes himself. Sucks Jungkook dry, until his friend’s dick is so hard he thinks it’ll explode in his mouth. Only then does he pull away, guiding Jungkook to your entrance. And he watches Jungkook’s cock sliding in you with barely any resistance, your sleek juice soon coating Jungkook’s dick as he starts ramming in and out of you.

Yoongi watches, listens to your moans and Jungkook’s grunts as he jerks off. Somehow, the sight of you coming under Jungkook makes him think he’s insane, because he enjoys it far too much. Enjoys the pain in his heart and the arousal in his lower stomach, the tightening of his balls. Everything feels too good, and when Jungkook slams in to the hilt and lets out a loud moan, clearly coming, Yoongi loses it too, coming all over his hand and the sheets underneath him.

It takes a long time for the three of you to come down from the high. Yoongi doesn’t even think he can speak – he just listens to you offering to Jungkook to sleep over in the guest room once again. Jungkook accepts the offer, cheeks turning pink as you exchange a look.

Yoongi closes his eyes, waits until Jungkook leaves the bedroom before opening them again.

“We need to clean the sheets,” you joke, and he offers you a half-hearted smile.

“We do.”

You furrow your brows, and Yoongi almost expects you to say something else. To ask what’s troubling him, like you would have done before. But somehow tonight you remain silent, waiting for Yoongi to say more, until you realize that he won’t.

He listens to you leave the room just like he listened to Jungkook leave before he gets up to clean himself with tissues. He feels dirty – he wants to take a shower to rid himself of the sensation. He heads to the bathroom, but he hears the shower is already on, and you and Jungkook speaking from inside the room. To his relief, he understands that you’re showing Jungkook how to turn on the shower, and a few seconds later you’re walking out, clad in only a shirt.

You stop, meeting Yoongi’s gaze. “He said he’ll be quick,” you sheepishly tell him. “We can take a shower together after?”

Yoongi nods, sighing deeply. “Sure.”

And if you notice his lack of enthusiasm, you still don’t say anything. He wonders, is this hurting you too?

He doesn’t think he wants to know the answer.

*****

The new employee is late, Yoongi realizes. He’s been leaning against the wall next to the elevators for over ten minutes, and the guy was supposed to show up five minutes ago, but he’s yet to appear.

Yoongi looks down at the paper in his hands, searching for the guy’s name again. Park Jimin. He’s waiting for a certain Park Jimin, and if that certain Park Jimin isn’t here in two minutes, Yoongi will tell the boss that the newcomer was a no show.

He sighs, glances at the clock on the wall and then decides that he’s done. You’re off early today, and he’d rather go home and see you.

He’s been needing to be with you more lately. To remind himself of everything that he loves about you, about your relationship. And it’s been easy. Yes, you’ve had sex with Jungkook a couple of times again. Each time, Yoongi thinks he’s insane, and yet he always gets out of it satisfied in ways you never really satisfy him when you’re alone. Not that you aren’t good, or that you aren’t enough. The mix of the pleasure of Jungkook and you together is just more.

He wonders when you’ll ask to see Jungkook again. And right as the elevator dings, he knows it has to be soon – you haven’t seen Jungkook in about two weeks, a new record now.

When Park Jimin walks out of the elevator, every thought empties out of Yoongi’s brain. He doesn’t remember how to speak, how to think, just that the man that appears in front of him is the prettiest he’s seen in his entire life. With a soft aura surrounding him, like he’s just walked out of heaven to grace the world with his presence.

And when Park Jimin actually smiles, hair ruffled by the wind outside, Yoongi thinks he is actually the most beautiful person – man or woman – he’s ever seen before.

“Hi, gosh,” Jimin lets out. He runs a hand through his unruly hair. “I am so sorry I’m late. I ran to get here.”

Yoongi feels his cheeks tinting with pink, right as he forces himself to shrug. He means to reply to Jimin, but all that he’s able to do is push up from the wall and clear his throat. Jimin politely waits, that damned smile still on his full lips.

“Hi,” Yoongi lets out. It sounds strangled, and he feels like a damn fool and all he wants is to disappear through the floor. “Welcome to the company.”

Jimin’s grin broadens. “Thank you. I assume you’re Min Yoongi?”

Yoongi nods. “The one and only. I’ll show you around tonight.”

He thinks it’s stupid that he agreed to this. That he didn’t suggest doing it in the morning instead, but Park Jimin sounded too friendly over email, when he’d instead suggested doing it tonight, so that he’d be all ready for his first day tomorrow, Yoongi hadn’t found it in him to say no.

“Thanks man,” Jimin says. “I’m again so sorry for being late.”

Yoongi can’t help the smile that grows on his lips. “Don’t worry about it. I don’t have anywhere to be tonight.”

Except he does, because you’re supposed to have dinner together, but being a little late won’t hurt, will it?

Especially not as he finds out that Park Jimin is equally as friendly in person. With an easy smile and laugh that Yoongi can’t help but reciprocate, and with bright eyes that dust Yoongi’s features with a pale shade of pink whenever Jimin catches him looking.

And Jimin pretends he doesn’t see. Yoongi is not surprised – someone attractive like him is probably already aware of all the attention that they get wherever they go. They bask in the attention, shine in it, in a pure, soft way that only makes Yoongi unable to tear his eyes off Jimin.

It doesn’t help that they’re to work closely together. Doesn’t help that Jimin’s desk is going to be right across from his. But Yoongi can’t bring himself to care. Not as Jimin profusely thanks him for showing him around and suggests grabbing lunch together the next day to get to know each other better.

Not even as he gets in his car, well over an hour after the time he was supposed to get home, just now realizing that he has four missed calls on his phone, all of them from you. He does feel a little guilty at the sight, but he doesn’t call back.

He’s going to be home in twenty minutes anyway. And when he gets home, he makes sure to apologize. To hug you tight, to pepper the side of your face with kisses. It chases Jimin out of his thoughts as you giggle and hold him just as tight, saying that he could have told you he had to work late tonight.

He only shrugs and guides you to the table, where you’ve already eaten dinner. You still sit with him, telling him about your day, while his brain produces an image of a previous dinner, with a certain Jeon Jungkook sitting across the table.

And perhaps it’s a trick of the light, or the glass of wine Yoongi has been sipping with the food, but when he looks up, he can almost see Park Jimin sitting there, smiling at him with a devious smile that makes his blood rush to his cheeks.

He can’t chase the image out of his mind all evening, and he finds himself lying awake that night, with you tucked in his side as you breathe deeply, sleep having found you a while ago. You’re warm, and you smell of your coconut shampoo and it’s a scent Yoongi’s always loved, but somehow all his brain remembers is the musky scent of Jimin’s cologne.

He shuts his eyes, frustrated, trying to chase the man out of his thoughts. He feels like he’s struck, like he’s got a teenager crush all over again, and he curses himself mentally. Curses Park Jimin too, even though the man is not to blame.

And right before he finally falls asleep, Yoongi realizes that perhaps the blame is actually on another man entirely.

*****

Late winter is unforgiving. It clings to the world, refuses to let go even though the sun rays warm up the days, melting the snow until it lies in puddles on the road. Night is a land of winter though, and Yoongi has slipped on at least three ice patches so far just trying to get to the bookstore.

He doesn’t know why he chose today to come here. He’s wanted to buy you a book for a while, since you’ve mentioned it a few weeks ago. That same night he got home late because he showed Jimin around the office…

But today is freezing and he wishes he was already home, cuddled up in a blanket, instead of walking to the bookstore where your story started five years ago. Indeed, you’d had your first date here so long ago. You’d bought a book for each other, reading it and annotating it before exchanging.

It’s one of Yoongi’s fondest memories with you. You’d sat right there in the old bookstore, back against a shelf, shoulder brushing his whenever you shifted. He’d smelled your perfume – Mon Paris by Yves Saint-Laurent, he’d later learn – and he’d right away known that he would grow to love the smell, to associate it with you wherever he went.

And he does now. If he catches a whiff of the perfume, he immediately thinks of you.

Yoongi finally reaches the door, and he pushes it open, bells ringing to announce his entry. The old man that’s usually behind the cash register is nowhere to be found, though Yoongi knows that he sometimes disappears in the back store to work on restoring some older books, something he’s always found quite impressive.

Perhaps he could get one of those books for himself today.

But first, Yoongi focuses on the book you’ve mentioned. Something about a dragon school and a shadow guy, but he doesn’t quite remember the name. It’s not his usual book, as he prefers non-fiction these days, but he still promised he’d read it too so that you could both tell each other what you thought of it, forming your own little book club.

He’s in front of the new books section when the old man greets him, appearing at the end of the aisle. They’ve been on a first name basis, so Yoongi barely startles when the elderly man calls his name.

He does startle a lot when he notices the beautiful man behind Seojun. Especially as said man’s eyes widen, before that same grin he’s come to love and hate appears on his lips.

“Yoongi!” Jimin lets out. “You followed me here?”

Seojun glances at Jimin. “You two know each other?”

“We’re colleagues,” Jimin gently tells the other man. “From my new job, you know?”

Seojun nods once, before shrugging. “Well, I’ll let you help him, then.”

The whole interaction just leaves Yoongi gaping at them, not knowing what to say. Because yes, he’s come to the conclusion that he indeed has a crush on Jimin. But who wouldn’t? It doesn’t mean that he doesn’t love you. It doesn’t mean anything at all, but to see Park Jimin in this space he associates with you feels strange.

Wrong, somehow. As if he’s doing something he shouldn’t be doing.

Jimin walks down the aisle, stopping next to Yoongi, his full lips still stretched in a smile. “What are you looking for?”

Yoongi snaps out of his trance, blinking a few times as blush creeps on his cheeks. He looks at the rows of books in front of him, but somehow, he doesn’t even remember why he was here in the first place.

“You work here?” he asks.

“I just help my granddad once in a while, when his arthritis hurts too much.”

Yoongi’s gaze widens. “Seojun is your granddad?”

“You’re on a first name basis with him?” Jimin counters back.

Yoongi chuckles, shrugging. “I’ve been coming here for years. He asked me to call him by his first name over two years ago.”

Jimin’s laugh is something straight out of a fairytale. Light and airy, gentle, soothing and yet angelic. Yoongi has come to hate it too, to hate the way it makes his heart race in his chest.

“You’re one lucky motherfucker,” Jimin jokes, gently nudging Yoongi with an elbow. “He doesn’t even let me do that.”

“Well,” Yoongi says, fighting the deepening blush. “You’re his grandson, that would be weird, no?”

“Mmh,” Jimin lets out. He tuts, before tilting his head to the side. “I guess so. But, enough of that. Anything I can help you with?”

Yoongi wonders if his heart always beats so loud, or if it’s just having Jimin here, in this place, that sends the organ racing for a finish line that doesn’t exist. He takes a deep breath, trying to steady the wild beats, but it does little to help.

All it does is make him inhale a whiff of Jimin’s musky cologne, and suddenly he feels like his head is spinning.

“Uh,” he chokes out. He hides it with a cough, hoping Jimin can’t sense his uneasiness. “I’m looking for a book? About dragons, and a school.”

“I didn’t take you for a fantasy reader,” Jimin comments. “You mean Fourth Wing?”

Relieved that Jimin immediately knew what he was speaking of, Yoongi nods his head. And he ignores Jimin’s comment – he indeed isn’t a fantasy reader. But how is he supposed to tell Jimin that the book is for you?

“Yeah, exactly that,” Yoongi answers carefully.

“It’s in the vitrine at the front, hold on a second,” Jimin says.

And then he walks around Yoongi, so close Yoongi feels the warmth of his body, and he gulps before Jimin walks out of the aisle, towards the front of the shop. It takes him a few seconds to follow, and he does find himself a little stupid that he didn’t notice it there, but he doesn’t say anything as Jimin grabs the book from a pile. He hands it to him, and Yoongi has to take a few steps towards Jimin to take it. He does so, cheeks burning from everything – from Jimin being here, from his proximity, from the way Jimin’s eyes are playfully shining where he’s standing.

He can’t wait to be home.

“I’ll get you good recommendations by tomorrow,” Jimin says. “Xaden’s hot, but I think there are better shadow daddies out there.”

Yoongi almost chokes on his saliva. He once again hides it in a cough, because what the hell did Jimin just say?

And then it occurs to Yoongi that Jimin never mentioned a woman, when it comes to his love life. Just said that he dated around a little bit, but that he’s waiting for the right person to come into his life.

But so what, if Jimin is gay? It doesn’t change anything. Yoongi loves you, you love him, and no matter how weird your sex life has gotten, nothing’s ever going to change that.

“Thanks man,” he tells Jimin, pointedly avoiding the way Jimin’s looking at him now. Instead, he focuses on heading to the cash register, and he pays Seojun while Jimin just remains in his spot, watching the whole thing.

“Hope you enjoy,” Jimin says once Yoongi is ready to leave. “Let me know when you’ve started it.”

Yoongi nods curtly. “Will do.”

Jimin offers him a last smile before he heads to the back of the store, disappearing between two stacks of books without even a word of goodbye. Yoongi takes it as a cue to leave, so he walks to the front door.

He’s about to push it open when Seojun speaks. “Is that book for Y/n? I think she’d love it a lot.”

Yoongi looks towards the old man. He’s watching him with a careful look on his features, as if testing the waters. Yoongi doesn’t really know why, but he still nods his head. “Yeah. You know, it’s right up her alley.”

Seojun nods wisely. “It is. Good evening, Yoongi.”

Yoongi tells the elderly man goodbye, and then he’s walking into the cold night outside, heart still racing from this whole exchange with Jimin. It’s a five minute walk to where he managed to park his car, so he keeps his head hung low as wind tries to rip his coat open. His fingers are frozen by the time he reaches the car, and he struggles to unlock the doors and get in. When he does manage to get in though, he quickly turns the keys in the ignition, blowing on his hands to try to get some warmth back in them.

His thoughts manage to trail to you then. To the bookstore, and the early days of your relationship, and to everything that he loves about you. It’s for that reason mostly that he finds himself wanting to go home, wanting to hold you close and breathe in your familiar scent. If he’s lucky, maybe Mon Paris will be clinging to your skin, and maybe he’ll forget that musky cologne Jimin uses.

He sighs, putting the car into drive before pulling up on the street. The drive is quick, as the bookstore is halfway between your place and work, and soon enough Yoongi is pulling into the underground parking lot, heading towards his dedicated parking spot. He’s quick to get out of the car, walking towards the elevators with his heart still beating out of his chest.

It’ll be better once he sees you. He just knows it will. Especially when you see he’s got the book for you. Maybe you can spend the night cuddled up on the couch and reading.

That sounds like a mighty plan indeed.

When Yoongi finally reaches your apartment, he walks in to the smell of a cooked meal. His stomach grumbles, making him realize that he’s been hungry all along, and before he even had the chance to take off his shoes you’re already throwing your arms around his neck.

“Yoons!” you let out.

He chuckles. “Hey, baby.”

And then you kiss him, gently. His heart settles in his chest, syncing with yours on that melody it’s known for years now, and you pull away from the kiss, eyes flitting to the book he’s holding.

“Oh my God, you bought it!” you say. You pull him into another tight hug, and he once again laughs, hugging you back with one arm.

“You mentioned you wanted it.”

You laugh. “I didn’t actually think you’d buy it.”

“I think you deserve it,” he says.

Your lips jut out in a cute pout, and he wants to kiss you again, wants to kiss you stupid, but you grab the book from his hand before walking towards the kitchen. “I made your favourite meal.”

Maybe he can wait until you’re at the table to kiss you stupid. So he kicks off his shoes, removes his coat and hangs it in the closet. After that, he follows behind you, stomach once again gurgling as the smell of the food just becomes stronger with every step. He’s already salivating, and he really can’t wait to eat.

You’re seated at the table already when he reaches the kitchen, book beside you, and he leans on the door frame for a second, just watching you. You catch his gaze, bright smile curving your lips upwards as your gazes hold.

“Come here,” you tell him, motioning to the seat across from you.

“Can I sit next to you instead?”

His suggestion makes your smile shine even brighter, and it takes just a few readjustments of the table’s arrangement for him to be seated next to you. You dive into the food, not quite waiting for him to be ready, though he doesn’t mind it.

The fact that you waited for him even though he was a little late pardons you by a lot.

“How was work today?” you ask as soon as you’ve swallowed your bite.

Yoongi answers, telling you everything. You smile and nod as he speaks, taking breaks to eat once in a while. Even if he’s starving, he knows just how important it is to you to have a conversation when you eat, so he indulges.

It’s worth the way your eyes have been shining with stars since he got here.

“Who’s Jimin again?” you ask innocently as Yoongi is telling you an anecdote that happened at work today – that is, Lydia spilling hot coffee on herself because she hadn’t seen Jimin was behind her.

She fortunately did not burn herself, but Yoongi understands the Park Jimin effect more than anyone.

And having you question him about Jimin feels strange, quite like the bookstore felt. He shrugs, glancing down at his plate to avoid your inquisitive gaze.

“Just my new colleague, remember?” he says.

“Oh,” you let out. “The one you showed around a few weeks ago.”

Yoongi nods. “The one and only.”

“You mention him a lot.”

Yoongi gulps – do you know he’s developed a crush on Jimin? Do you know that it’s been haunting him, that he wishes he didn’t feel this way?

It douses the happiness that’s been clinging to him since he got home, replacing it with guilt. “Well,” he starts. He doesn’t know how to explain, so he settles for the truth. Or at least part of it. “We work together. He’s replacing Ryan.”

“Right,” you say, nodding once.

Silence surrounds you, and Yoongi reckons maybe you don’t know at all. Maybe you have no idea of the treacherous thoughts that surround Yoongi like hungry wolves in the winter. And maybe he should be like you.

Maybe he shouldn’t entertain the idea of this crush with Jimin. Because it’s unfair to you. So he decides to let it go, to categorize Jimin into the friendship portion of his mind, and then he turns to you.

“What about you?” he asks then. “How was your day?”

And as you tell him about the text you had to translate, Yoongi focuses on you and you only, tuning out his surroundings. It’s easy to do when you rest a hand on his arm, mindlessly running a finger up and down the inside of his forearm. It makes his skin tingle, and his attention is solely on you as you speak.

On you and on the food, that is.

When you’re done eating, Yoongi takes care of putting the plates away, before joining you where you’ve already settled on the couch, a fluffy blanket in your lap and the book he bought on the coffee table next to you. You’re smiling at your phone, and you even let out a small laugh as he walks in.

“What’s got you laughing?” he asks, heading for the bookshelf where he left the book he’s been reading.

“JK sent me a meme,” you mindlessly reply.

Yoongi freezes for half a second before he resumes moving, grabbing the book. “Did he?”

It’s something he’s grown accustomed to. He and Jungkook barely texted before this whole ordeal started, so he’s not surprised that they haven’t started texting more. But he knows Jungkook has been texting you a lot – he’s got front row tickets to the show of your complicity each time you hang out after all.

But lately he’s been good at focusing on the sex. On the fact that each night it’s in his bed that you fall asleep, and not in Jungkook’s.

“Yeah,” you let out.

When Yoongi walks over to the couch, sitting on the other end of it, you turn your phone towards him. It’s a video of a kid getting hurt, and though some part of him aches for the poor kid, Yoongi has to admit that the way he falls is funny.

“Oof,” he says.

You nod. “I know.”

And then you’re turning off your phone, putting it on the coffee table to grab your book instead.

“We should invite Jungkook over for dinner this weekend,” you comment as you turn the pages to the end.

You always read the last line first. Yoongi doesn’t know why you do it – you’ve spoiled a good amount of books to yourself by doing this. But you always said you’d rather know what to expect in the end, and that it makes you expectant to read, like you want to race to the end.

“Come here,” Yoongi says instead of replying. He opens up his arms for you, and you immediately get that he wants to cuddle. So you crawl to his side of the couch, leaning your back against him as he wraps his arms around you.

When you’re settled comfortably, you ask, “Do you want to invite him over?”

Yoongi makes a noncommittal sound, not really feeling like replying honestly to your question. You push up from his chest, turning to look at him.

“That sounds like you don’t want to,” you point out.

Of course you’d know.

“I mean,” Yoongi lets out. He sighs, holds your gaze for a few seconds before he realizes he’s too much of a coward to keep holding it. “We haven’t really been intimate without him in a while.”

“Oh”, is the only thing that you say for almost ten seconds, though Yoongi sees when you understand what he means. “You’re right.” You lean back into his chest, head tilting to the side. “Then let it just be us this weekend.”

For some reason he’d expected you to insist, to find some way to convince him. That you relented so quickly makes Yoongi feel like he hasn’t been giving you the benefit of the doubt enough over the last few weeks.

It also makes him crave your touch, right about now.

“This weekend?” he repeats, voice low and husky.

You immediately sense the change. Pushing your hair behind your ear, you look at him over your shoulder. “Yeah?”

You say it like the brat you are, and he’s not enough of a dom to call you out. To act on it. Instead, he wets his lips. “What about now, mmh?”

You’re breathless when you say, “What about it?”

Yoongi puts his book down on the coffee table, before carefully grabbing yours too, putting it on top of the other one. He pulls the blanket well over the two of you, before sliding his hand down your arm, heading towards your stomach. He pulls your shirt up, circling around your navel once as you push back into him, as if trying to crawl under his skin.

“Maybe I could touch you right now,” he murmurs, lips ghosting over the shell of your ear. “Maybe I could remind you who you belong to.”

You shudder against him as he does it again, this time nibbling on your lobe. Feeling bold, Yoongi slides his hand downwards, until his fingers graze over the button of your jeans.

“How does that sound?” he asks. “Tell me what you want.”

“I want your hand between my legs,” you answer with a sultry voice. “Please, Yoons.”

He chuckles lowly. “You don’t usually beg for it.”

“I miss your touch.”

The answer hurts him somehow, because hasn’t he been touching you? Every time you have sex with Jungkook, he touches you too, doesn’t he?

Or do you think that doesn’t count?

He swallows the lump that wanted to form in his throat, focusing on the now. Focusing on how you let out a breathy sound as he cups your pussy over your clothes once, before heading back to the button.

His deft fingers get it undone in just a few seconds, and you immediately push down your jeans. It makes the blanket move, but as soon as you sit back against Yoongi again, he rearranges it over the two of you.

“Should I spread my legs for you now?” you ask, though you’re breathless. Whiny, something you rarely are with him.

It gives him courage he doesn’t usually have around you. “Do you deserve it?”

You whine, turning to look at him. “What’s got into you?”

The only answer that you get is him pushing your panties aside, one long finger pushing between your folds so that he can sense your aroused wetness. He doesn’t slide it in, just teases your entrance, and your eyes grow unfocused.

“Yoons,” you breathe, and the pang in his chest reverberates through his soul.

He loves you a lot, doesn’t he?

He murmurs your name lovingly. “What do you want me to do?”

As he asks the question, he circles your clit with a gentle pressure.

“Finger me,” you say. “Anything, baby. You always make me feel so good.”

He loses it. Maybe he had insecurities because of Jungkook, or maybe he genuinely just missed touching you, but Yoongi loses it, plunging his finger in you, immediately arching it as he searches for the spot he knows makes you come in no time. You moan, mouth falling open, and you turn your head away from him so that you can rest it on his shoulder again.

Slowly, he pushes in and out, teasing you as he peppers gentle kisses on the side of your face. He does it for a while, knowing by the way you’re circling your hips that you want more, but don’t dare ask.

As if he wouldn’t give in to you the moment you’d beg for it. But he doesn’t wait for you to beg, instead increasing his speed, squelching sounds coming from between your legs. Because you’re soaking wet, your soft walls sucking in his finger so much he knows you’d feel heavenly around his dick.

Blood rushes down, and he feels his erection starting as he adds a second finger in you, and one of your hands flies back until you’ve grabbed a hold of the side of his face. He pumps harder, faster, purposedly hitting your clit with his palm each time he pushes in. You’re still writhing, squirming under him, but he’s relentless.

He wants you to come all over his fingers. He wants to feel your walls pulsating, clenching around his digits, wants to hear your breathy moans and curses as you come. So he keeps going, hard and fast, even though his forearm hurts a little. He doesn’t care about that, just cares about your pleasure.

Your orgasm finally hits when he sucks a mark on your neck. You turn limp in his hold, and he rides you through your high, his dick straining against his pants each time your walls pulse on his fingers. When you whine from oversensitivity, he pulls his fingers out of you, almost reluctantly.

You push the blanket off yourself before turning in his hold. You wobble slightly from the remnants of your orgasm, but you’re quick to start working on the buttons of his own pants.

“I want to choke on your dick,” is all you say, and he’s the one to whine this time around. Especially as you run a hand along his clothed erection, and the friction makes him want more.

He always wants more with you anyway.

He helps you take off his pants, though you only push them down enough for his dick to spring free. You watch it for a moment, and the cold air makes it twitch.

Or maybe it’s the way that you bite your lips.

“You’re so pretty,” you whisper, and then you gently graze his dick with the tip of your fingers. “So ready for me.”

He hisses as you grab his dick, jerking him off slowly, with barely any pressure. You’re being a brat, you always are, and he fucking loves it. So he throws his head back against the armrest of the couch, and lets you touch him how you want to touch him.

You increase the speed as you say, “Fucking look at me when I’m touching you.”

His balls tighten and his dick twitches as he meets your gaze. You’re smirking, and you wet your lips.

“Should I suck you or should I bury you in my pussy?”

“Suck me,” he says in a pleading voice, unable to say it with a bite the same way that he knows Jungkook would have.

You bite your lower lip, nodding once. “Alright.”

And then you’re bending down, tongue flicking out to taste the precum on the head of his dick. He grunts softly, especially as your tongue swirls around his tip, playing with his frenulum for a few seconds before your lips finally close around him.

You suck hard, and this time he whimpers, mostly because he knows he won’t last long.

“That’s right, baby,” you say as you pull away. “Fucking whimper for me.”

He does. He can’t help but do as you suck him dry, throat working around his dick whenever you go all the way down. It feels heavenly, and when you cup his balls, Yoongi loses a hand in your hair, pushing your head down. You moan around him, and he groans again, cursing softly.

You pull away to lick a line from between his balls up to the tip of his dick, and the sight makes him go insane. He’s about to explode, he knows it, and you know it just as well. He expects you to be a tease about it, but you only jerk him off as you hold his gaze. He watches you through half-lidded eyes, doesn’t break eye contact as you finally take him in your mouth again.

And when his dick hits the back of your throat, Yoongi moans, and it turns into a series of curses as your hand that was squeezing his balls moves lower, until one of your fingers is brushing his asshole.

You pull away to say, “Should I finger your ass at the same time?”

And all he can reply is, “Baby…”

You take that as a yes, and the moment you’re fucking a finger into him and sucking on his tip, Yoongi loses it, shooting ropes and ropes of his cum down your throat. You swallow everything that he gives you, sucking him through his orgasm, and Yoongi’s mind is swimming in bliss by the time you’re done, sitting back on your heels as you wipe your mouth with the back of your hand.

And then you’re wrapping your arms around his middle, laying your head on his chest. He shakes out of the ecstasy just enough to loosely hug you with one arm while he pulls the blanket back over the two of you.

“I love you,” you whisper against him, and his heart picks up its pace in his chest as if it’s the first time he’s hearing it.

“I love you too,” he answers.

You sigh contentedly, holding him tighter. “We should spend more time just us two, without Jungkook,” you contemplatively comment.

And somehow that puts a damper on the hammering in his chest. It squeezes his heart, and all Yoongi can do is nod.

You glance up at him, and he wonders if you know where his mind goes whenever you mention Jungkook. Wonders if you can tell he wants you just for himself, but doesn’t dare say it.

Not when you enjoy it so much. And he enjoys it too – it just hurts whenever he sees Jungkook buried inside of you.

You watch him carefully, as if you can see every thought in his head, but like you have been doing recently, you shrug it off before resting your head on his chest again.

Yoongi refuses to acknowledge how much it pains him. He tries to act like you, like he’s unbothered, but his arms around you loosen, and he’s barely holding you anymore.

You also don’t comment on that, and Yoongi forces his eyes close, trying to remember your early days.

He’d give a lot to go back to the early days, coated with affection and sweetness and love that was just for the two of you.

But he knows that nothing gold can stay – even the sunset fades faster than it should. And as you snuggle even closer, Yoongi can’t help but wonder, is your relationship just another sunset, bound to fade into darkness?

He doesn’t think he wants to know the answer to that question.

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☆☆☆☆☆

Uh ohhhh...... Did we like this one? I'm afraid you guys won't like the direction this series is taking tbh.. Let me know what you think!:)

Taglist: (add yourself to the taglist here) (strike through means dumblr isn't let me tag you)

#must read after today okay i will be back #re:to!read

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moonchild1 · 1 year ago

Text

MUST READ

Since Day One

♡ pairing: pre-k teacher!jimin x pre-k teacher! f. reader

♡ genre: single dad au, fluff, crack, enemies to lovers, 18+

♡ wc: 16k

♡ summary: Being a Pre-K teacher is no easy feat, but Jimin is always up for the challenge. However, on his first day on the job, he makes an enemy in the parking lot before he even sets foot inside the building. Looks like this school year won’t be all sunshine and rainbows after all.

♡ warnings: mention of nervousness, snippy!Jimin, angry!reader, food mention, angst, lots of pettiness in the workplace, pranks in the workplace, meddling mother, mention of minor injuries

♡ part of @btsfests "Daddy's Home Fest"

♡ Date: April 6, 2024

Jimin had gotten the call early in the morning. He was distressed as he got his four-year-old daughter, Harin, ready for school.

The sun barely rose over the horizon as Jimin scrambled out of bed. He had missed the first day of school yesterday, but he had only gotten hired today. Harin had missed the first day due to a mishap with the moving company misplacing all her boxes of clothes, something they had found when the school day had ended.

Jimin had called the school, assuring them Harin would be in tomorrow. The secretary assured him it was fine, there were a few children who missed the first day, seeing as it was a half day to get the children situated and have an orientation. Nothing too big ever occurred for those few hours the school was open.

Jimin was surprised when he got the call in the morning informing him that he had gotten the Pre-K teacher job. He knew school started the day before, and he hadn’t been selected. He was offered higher pay and figured the person originally hired for the position had dropped out at the last moment.

Jimin didn’t care. He loved teaching and he was determined to make this move back to his hometown work no matter what. Harin’s mother, Mia, had given him full custody shortly after Harin’s birth when the two split less than amicably. Jimin sometimes wished the relationship had been salvageable but knew in the end, there was no point in trying to get Mia to stay with him or with Harin, which she very much had no interest in raising.

That was all water under the bridge for Jimin. He was doing an astounding job raising Harin and now that he was moved closer to his parents, who lived right across the street, he knew he could handle everything life would throw at him.

The elementary school he attended as a child was just down the road from his childhood home and his home with Harin. His next-door neighbor was one of his childhood best friends, Yoongi, and his parents’ neighbor was another friend named Jungkook, and his boyfriend Seokjin.

Jimin hadn’t had time to meet the rest of his neighbors, but the neighborhood seemed lively. Children ran around in the evenings, people walked their dogs, and some pushed their cats in strollers down the sidewalk.

Yoongi and his wife, Bree, had a daughter a year older than Harin. Her name was Lila, and she had been around to play with Harin yesterday after school. Jimin was grateful Harin had at least one friend here already. Seokjin’s nieces and nephews visited in the summer, but by the time Jimin moved in, the kids had already gone home to prepare for the new school year.

Nerves filled Jimin as he packed Harin’s unicorn lunch bag. He used the sandwich cutter to shape the sandwich into dinosaurs. He packed her some fresh fruit, vegetables, and a small pack of gummy bears.

Harin was excited to go to school. She had gotten up earlier than her alarm, ran around the room to get her clothes on, and woken Jimin up. Jimin kissed her cheek before taking her to his bathroom to sit her on the counter.

“What should we do to your hair today?” Jimin had asked her as she picked out a scrunchie that matched her outfit.

“Ponytail,” Harin had stated as she stared at her reflection. Jimin nodded as he grabbed her hairbrush, gently brushing her hair as Harin asked about her lunch and snacks. Jimin replied as he stared at his daughter’s reflection. She was a little mini-him. Her features reflected his so much, and for that he was grateful. He knew that was something he’d have to work on eventually, but for now, he focused on his daughter and his first day at the elementary school he attended as a child. He was a little apprehensive of seeing some of his teachers as co-workers but there were a few that he was eager to see once again.

Once Jimin finished brushing Harin’s hair he sent her to the kitchen table for breakfast while he got himself ready. He changed his pajamas to black slacks, a light-blue button-up shirt tucked into his pants, and a black leather belt. He rolled the sleeves to his elbows and grabbed a black blazer from his closet.

Jimin’s coffee waited for him in his blue travel mug, a little sweeter than he’d like but he could get through his day a little easier with some coffee and a chocolate chip muffin.

Before Jimin knew it, he was running late.

It took Jimin a few minutes to get his belongings and Harin’s in the car before he led his daughter to the backseat to strap her into her booster seat. Jimin made sure his daughter was secure before he got into the driver’s seat.

Jimin cursed to himself. How could he be late on his first day? This wasn’t the first impression he wanted to give the staff or the principal.

The call had been last minute, but he thought he could show up early enough to meet some of the parents of his new students.

Damn, tomorrow he’d have to try again.

Jimin was confused when he arrived at the school. A line wrapped around the building as parents dropped their children off. Jimin had to make a left-hand turn to get into the line, which would make him cut people off and nobody would let him in. His daughter is none the wiser as she sings along to a song on the radio, rapping along at the correct parts. Jimin would have been impressed if it hadn’t been for his friend, Namjoon, babysitting and teaching her all the curse words in one day.

Sighing, Jimin shakes his head at the memory.

It had taken a few days for Harin to understand those words weren’t for her to say, much less at school. Namjoon had profusely apologized, but now Jungkook and Seokjin were on emergency babysitting duty if needed. However, Jimin was impressed that Harin had most of Cypher Pt. 3 down. Yoongi, Namjoon, and Hoseok, another of Jimin’s friends who was a baker in town, had been rappers in the underground for most of their youth and the Cypher Collection lived on in their playlists. Part 3 just happened to be his and Harin’s favorite.

Jimin had attended all their shows with all their other friends until the three decided to focus on their personal lives. Yoongi still wrote and produced on the side, often flying across the country to studios with Namjoon, who also did features when he wasn’t writing and producing alongside Yoongi.

A loud honk startles him out of his thoughts. He waves apologetically as he turns his black Nissan Rogue into the school parking lot. Jimin taps his fingers on the steering wheel while he waits for his turn to drop off his child.

Just because Jimin was running late, didn’t mean Harin had to. He figured he could drop her off in line and then rush to the staff parking lot on the other side of the loop. He’d have to break into a run to get to the office for his badge, clock in, put his lunch away, and haul ass to his classroom.

Jimin hoped his Teacher Assistant was there already. He’d apologize to them profusely and offer to buy them lunch tomorrow.

“Harin, make sure you grab your backpack,” Jimin reminds her as he pulls up for his turn. A staff member opens the backdoor, unbuckling Harin’s seatbelt.

“Good morning,” they greet him as they take Harin’s pink backpack and help Harin onto the sidewalk.

“Bye, Daddy!” Harin waves as the staff member helps her put her backpack on.

“Bye, baby! I’ll be right down the hall, okay?” Jimin calls as he waves, and the back door shuts as his daughter is taken inside the school.

Relieved, Jimin checks his mirrors before pulling off the curb. All he had to do was park and haul ass to the office. He could do it. He had about five minutes to accomplish it and he hoped it would go smoothly.

Jimin pulls into the staff parking lot with ease. He sees one spot open and drives toward it, putting his signal as another car arrives in front of his vehicle with its blinker on.

However, Jimin arrives first and takes the spot. The car waits for a moment before driving away. Jimin doesn’t pay them attention as he gathers his belongings and coffee. He puts his blazer on as quickly as possible and pockets his car keys after he looks at the vehicle.

When he rounds the back of his car, he bumps into someone, spilling his warm coffee on their clothing.

“You did that on purpose!” The woman screams. “You took my spot and now you’re throwing coffee on my dress!”

Jimin is taken aback.

“It was an accident,” he explains as he pats his pocket for a handkerchief but must have forgotten it in his haste to leave home.

“Everyone knows I park right there every day! You took my spot!” The woman stomps her heel and Jimin rolls his eyes, which upsets the lady more.

“Did you just roll your eyes at me?!” She asks, shocked.

“Yes,” Jimin shrugs. Normally he’d be an adult about the situation. Maybe he’d offer to get her dress dry-cleaned or buy her a new one. He did feel bad about it, but he was already having a bad morning and she was making him late with her screaming.

“I’m late,” Jimin states as he walks around her, ignoring her calls, insisting he move his vehicle.

“What a grouch,” Jimin utters as he walks toward the school's front office. Hopefully, he wouldn’t see her again any time soon. She must be one of the parents parking where she shouldn’t. Even if she claimed to park there daily, Jimin didn’t care.

Not today.

“I am so sorry,” Jimin apologizes as he enters his classroom. The Teacher's Assistant is already in class, helping children put their belongings in their cubbies that were assigned yesterday. “It won’t happen again.”

“No worries,” the man smiles as he helps a child remove their backpack. “It happens. I heard they called you this morning, so I understand. I’m Kim Taehyung, your Teacher Assistant.”

“Park Jimin,” Jimin introduces himself, shaking Taehyung’s hand firmly.

“Nice to meet you,” Taehyung says genuinely. He shows Jimin to his desk, and the list of their students' names and where they will sit unless he’d like to make changes. Jimin shakes his head.

“This is the schedule. It usually doesn’t change unless there’s an assembly or fire drill. Lunch is from 11 to 11:30 and recess is from 11:30 to 11:45. Then we pick them up and they have their bathroom break until 12. Nap is from 12 to 1:30 and then they have Center Time before going home at 3. Bus students leave at 2:50 and Car Pick-up at 2:55.” Taehyung said as he explained the schedule.

“Thank you. How would I get ahold of my daughter? I think she’s with a Miss Sweetheart?” Jimin tried his best to remember Harin’s teacher, wishing he had been able to meet her this morning but it seemed like everything that could go wrong, did. He’d just have to hope he could meet her at lunch today.

Taehyung chuckles. “The students and parents call her Miss. Sweetheart. She’s lovely. The best teacher you could get for your little one, but I am biased because she’s my best friend.”

“Oh? I’d love to meet her,” Jimin says as he grabs the breakfast cart. Taehyung helps him distribute the cereal packs and milk, helping the students one at a time until they’re all situated.

“You’ll love her!” Taehyung gushes as he tells Jimin Miss Sweetheart’s real name. Jimin does his best to memorize it as he sits at his desk to do attendance. Taehyung keeps a close eye on the children as they eat their breakfast.

“You could go across the hall to let her know your daughter should come to your room for pickup instead of heading outside. It might make it easier to get out of here after you complete your after-school duty,” Taehyung said as he helped a child open their carton of orange juice.

“Yes, that’s not a bad idea,” Jimin notes as he rises. “Right across the hall?”

“Yup,” Taehuyng nods. “She’s got her name on a giant wooden pencil sign. You can’t miss it.”

Jimin nods as he heads out of his classroom. He leaves the door open, so he can rush back if needed.

As Taehyung said, Miss Sweetheart’s name is on the pencil outside the classroom. The door is open and he can hear the soft chatter of the children.

Jimin knocks lightly and a woman with short black hair and sunkissed skin looks up. She’s wearing a long dress with a black cardigan and matching glasses. Her makeup is minimal, but pretty nonetheless. She’s a few inches shorter than Jimin, he notes. Her smile is warm and bright, dazzling as she quirks her head. Jimin thinks she’s beautiful.

“Hello, can I help you?” She asks as she walks toward the door. “I’m the Teacher's Assistant, Mrs. Gonzalez.”

“Daddy!” Harin shouts when she spots her father. Mrs. Gonzalez steps aside once she spots Jimin’s faculty badge.

“Hey, baby,” Jimin waves awkwardly. The students are all watching him instead of eating their breakfast. Jimin feels his cheeks grow warm as he clears his throat. He doesn’t spot anyone else in the room with Mrs. Gonzalez, so he turns to her again.

“Sorry for interrupting,” Jimin apologizes. “I’m Park Jimin, the new Pre-K teacher across the hall.”

Mrs. Gonzalez nods.

“I’m also Harin’s father,” Jimin explains. “I just wanted to ask if Harin could be sent to my classroom instead of the Pick-up area after school.”

Mrs. Gonzalez smiles. “Sure, that’s not a problem.”

“Thank you so much,” Jimin sighed in relief before wishing her a good day and heading to his classroom. He shuts the door and thanks Taehyung as the two have their breakfast and the kids finish up.

Across the hall, Miss Sweetheart returns to her classroom. “Well, Lupita, I did the best I could to get this coffee stain out but it looks like I’ll just have to bear and suffer with it today. I’m packing extra clothes tomorrow to keep in my car.”

Lupita smiles sympathetically. “I’m sure tomorrow will be better.”

You nod, smiling as you return to your desk.

“Oh, before I forget. Harin’s father would like her sent to his classroom instead of Pick-up,” Mrs. Gonzalez informs you. You nod and write it on a notepad on your desk so you don’t forget.

“Thank you, Mrs. Gonzalez.”

The end of the school day arrives faster than Jimin thought it would. He ate his lunch in his classroom to review the lesson plan for the week. One of the Pre-K teachers had provided them until he could do his own. He was grateful for the help, especially tossed into this on such short notice.

Jimin had other interviews lined up and was bummed about not getting a job offer at the elementary school where his daughter would be attending. It had been his first choice, so he didn’t care about the underlying circumstances of how he got the job, he was just happy that he did.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Taehyung tells Jimin as he grabs his belongings and escorts the children who are walkers to the correct area. Jimin waves, grateful he doesn’t have after-school duty today. He’s scheduled for tomorrow, so he’ll pack his daughter extra snacks. Overall, it wasn’t a bad day even after the events that occurred this morning. He hoped he could apologize to that woman sometime, but he wouldn’t let it stew.

“Daddy,” Harin says as she pulls on his shirt. “I wanna go home. Lila’s waiting.”

“I’m going, love. Let me just grab my stuff, okay?”

“Okay, Daddy!” Harin twirls around once. Her hair didn’t make it the rest of the day. Her scrunchie clings loosely to her black hair as she twirls again before growing dizzy and giggling.

Jimin shakes his head as he smiles at her sweetly. He takes her backpack from her and takes her hand. He leads her out of his classroom, locking the door and heading for the office.

With ease, Jimin clocks out as he says his goodbyes to the staff.

Harin claps when she sees the car, allowing Jimin to place their belongings in the trunk before he scoops her up and helps her into the booster seat. He hands her a bottle of water and checks that she’s secure before rounding the vehicle and climbing into the driver’s seat.

Music plays softly in the background from the radio. Harin drinks some water and then puts the bottle in the cup holder of her seat.

“Did you have a good day at school, sweetie?” Jimin asks as he safely pulls out of the parking spot and the parking lot.

“It was the best!” Harin exclaims in excitement. “We had cereal for breakfast and chicken nuggets for lunch! I made two friends, Beth and Hilario! They’re tall like Uncle Kookie!”

Jimin laughs. He’s sure two four-year-olds aren’t that tall, but he listens intently and asks more about her day.

“And Miss Sweetheart is so nice! She’s my favorite ever! She’s funny and pretty! I like her!”

“That’s good, baby. I’m glad you like your teacher,” Jimin states honestly. He had worried Harin would have a hard time on her first day of school. He worried she wouldn’t like it, or her teacher would be mean, or she’d cry all day for him. Harin did well when left with family or friends but Jimin was still worried. It was a lot of changes for her all at once, and though they were changes made for the better, he couldn’t help but worry.

Jimin had a much larger support system now that he was back in his hometown than when they lived an hour away. He had hoped it would make parenting a little easier with his parents nearby. He was doing fantastic even if he couldn’t see it, but the extra help and support would be nice.

The moment Jimin parks in his driveway, Harin tugs at her seatbelt until Jimin opens the door and unclips it. He helps his daughter out of the car, and she runs next door to Lila, who plays on the front porch while her mother and Yoongi watch her.

“Harin!” Lila screeches. The two girls hug as Jimin shuts the car door and opens the trunk. He grabs his bag and Harin’s. He shuts the trunk and rounds the vehicle as Yoongi waves.

“Hey!” Jimin greets as he meets Yoongi halfway. Harin and Lila run around the front yard, giggling as they chase each other.

“How was your first day?” Yoongi asks his best friend.

Jimin sighs heavily.

“That bad, huh?” Yoongi smirks.

“No,” Jimin chuckles as he runs a hand through his long black hair. “This morning started rocky, but it was fine once I got in my classroom.”

“Wanna talk about it?” Yoongi asks as Lila runs to him and clings to his leg before Harin does the same. The girls tug on his pants, wanting him to join the chase.

Yoongi laughs, patting both girls on the head. “In just a minute, okay?”

“Okay!” They chirp as they take off running, squealing in delight when Jungkook crosses the street to join them. The three run around in circles and Yoongi turns back to Jimin.

“We were running late,” Jimin recounts this morning’s events as Yoongi follows along, nodding his head and grimacing when he gets to the part about spilling coffee on a stranger.

“Tomorrow’s another chance to get it right,” Yoongi states.

“Ever the wise man,” Jimin laughs. Yoongi cracks a smile as the girls run up to him with Jungkook in tow.

“Play with us!” They plead.

Jimin gets down to their level, a smile on his lips.

“I have to put our bags inside and change. I’ll come to join you in a few minutes, okay?”

“Yes, Daddy,” Harin nods as they pull Yoongi and Jungkook toward the giant oak tree to climb.

“Take your time, man. We’ve got this,” Yoongi assured him.

“Thanks, Yoon. I need to get dinner started but I’ll come back out as soon as possible,” Jimin says as he steps toward his house.

“Don’t worry about it,” Yoongi grins, patting Jimin on the back and turning to the girls. Jungkook has both in the tree and Yoongi’s heart nearly falls out of his chest as he rushes over in a panic.

Jimin shakes his head. Jungkook’s adventurous streak had been an influence on both girls. Something Yoongi and Jimin loved and hated.

Oh, well.

Jimin smiles brightly as he pulls into the parking lot earlier than yesterday. He parks in the same spot as the day before with a smirk.

Harin gets out of the car by herself but has to wait for Jimin to open the trunk to get her backpack. Jimin figures it would be best to walk his daughter in himself. After all, he’s not the only teacher with children at the school.

Just as he thinks that another teacher pulls in and gets out with her two children, her badge around her neck on a lanyard. Jimin takes his daughter’s hand and walks her across the parking lot, noticing as the car from yesterday pulls in.

With a friendly, yet devious grin, Jimin waves at the woman behind the wheel, noticing how she clenches her hands and shoots him a glare.

Humming to himself, Jimin crosses the drop-off area safely with Harin at his side. He’s in a joyous mood all the way into the building after clocking in and taking his daughter to her classroom.

“There’s coffee and muffins in the lounge if you want to head up there,” Taehyung informs Jimin as he walks into the classroom with his backpack over one shoulder and an iced coffee in one hand with a banana nut muffin sitting on the lid.

“I could use some coffee,” Jimin muses as he removes his black leather jacket and drapes it over his desk chair. “Had to skip it this morning to get here earlier than yesterday.”

Taehyung nods as he sets his belongings on his desk, a mouthful of muffin in his mouth.

Tae swallows and nods. “Go for it.”

Jimin thanks him as he heads out of the classroom. Only a few kids are playing on the carpet for Circle Time, and Taehyung watches them while Jimin heads off to the lounge, greeting a few teachers and faculty as he heads to the teacher’s lounge.

The lounge isn’t as small as the one in the last school he worked at. There are three TVs mounted on the walls, a treadmill near one TV, and a set of weights beside it for those who want to remain active on their breaks.

There are two industrial-size refrigerators on one wall, with enough room for everyone’s lunch and all the food and drinks provided by the school. Several tables litter the rest of the room, along with a plush gray couch with blue cushions and a large island beside the sink and cabinets filled with mugs and travel cups.

Just like Taehyung had said, there’s a bountiful array of muffins, cookies, and breakfast sandwiches on one table beside a note that says Faculty, please enjoy.

On the counter by the sink, several sleek appliances sit ready to be used. Among them is the iced coffee machine beside a Keuring. Jimin grins as he grabs a cup and makes his coffee, waiting for it to brew while he picks out a chocolate chip muffin.

The smell of his hazelnut coffee makes his mouth water as he takes a bite of his muffin. He moves closer to the coffee maker and waits for it to finish brewing.

Once he’s got it ready to go, he turns to look for a lid, only for him to bump into someone. A bit of his coffee ends up on the person he bumped into, and he nearly curses.

“Really? Again?!”

Jimin freezes. He feels his blood run cold. Though she’s looking down at the stain on her dress, he recognizes the dress’s pattern from this morning, and the annoyance in her voice is the same as yesterday.

Fuck, Jimin had done it now.

“I’m sorry,” he apologizes as he grabs a lid for his coffee.

“Do you have it out for me?” She hisses as he dabs at her dress and finally looks Jimin in the eye.

Jimin is too stunned to speak. He licks his lips before trying to think of a response. When none comes, it enrages her even more.

“First, you took my parking spot yesterday and today. Then you spilled your coffee on me twice. Should I expect this to become a daily occurrence so I can send you my dry cleaning bill?!”

Jimin blinks. He’s still unable to think clearly. He apologizes again before he steps around the woman and heads to his classroom with his coffee in one hand and a muffin in the other.

The end of the school day comes faster than Jimin expected. He’s tired and a little sleepy. His daughter is delivered to his classroom as he’s getting his students ready to go to the car pickup area.

“Miss Sweetheart is so nice! Today we colored and went over numbers,” Harin smiles as she holds Jimin’s hand on the way outside.

Jimin has Harin sit where he can see her and wait for the other students' names to be called.

Harin takes her homework out. She’s ahead of some kids in her class because Jimin teaches her at home. She can spell her name, write her name, and read a few sight words. She had even memorized his phone number and Jungkook’s in case of an emergency and now she just had to learn her new address.

Yoongi would have a time when Jimin told him about today.

Jimin truly felt awful about spilling his coffee on this woman twice but he had apologized, right? It was an accident… though he also stole her parking spot twice in a row now.

Grimacing, Jimin focuses on getting the students to their parents’ vehicles. He’ll have to talk to his friends this weekend and get advice on what to do. The last thing he wanted was to make an enemy at his school.

“Miss Sweetheart!” Harin shouts, smiling and waving at a woman who approaches while Jimin gets a student into their car. He shuts the door and waves before he heads back to his daughter, now that he’s done with his after-school duty.

For a split second, Jimin panicked when Harin’s belongings were left on the ground but his daughter was nowhere in sight. Ice builds in his veins as panic sets in and he looks to the left and right.

It’s not until he hears Harin’s tinkling laughter that Jimin calms down, rushing to her side.

“Harin!” He exclaims, wiping the cold sweat from his brow. “Baby, you know better than to run off without telling me.”

“Sorry, Daddy,” Harin frowns. “I just wanted to say bye to Miss Sweetheart.”

Jimin sighs as he scoops his daughter into his arms and finally turns to his daughter’s teacher. His smile is wiped off his face and yours when your eyes lock.

“Miss Sweetheart,” Jimin says through gritted teeth as you scowl.

“Mr. Park,” you growl with a blink of your eyes. Your favorite student’s father just happens to be the obnoxious (gorgeous) man who has been making your first week of the school year absolute hell.

“You’re Harin’s teacher,” Jimin is dumbfounded as he shifts Harin’s weight in his arms.

“Yup,” you affirm in a clipped tone. “And you’re her dad.”

“That’s me,” Jimin nods. He can’t help but notice how beautiful you are when you’re not seething. Maybe if he hadn’t been in such a rush both days, he would have noticed how beautiful your eyes are, or how cute your nose looks when it’s scrunched in disgust aimed at him.

Fuck, he’d fucked up majorly. His daughter had nothing but praises for you and now you hated him, maybe even loathed him. The last thing he wanted was to have an enemy in school. He didn’t want his coworkers to hate him and he’d fucked up royally only two days into his school year.

“Daddy, I wanna go,” Harin chimes as she wiggles in her father’s hold until Jimin sets her down. Harin grabs her belongings, stuffing her homework folder in her backpack before zipping it close and running back to her dad.

“Bye!” Harin shouts, waving excitedly at her teacher.

Jimin watches as Miss Sweetheart bends down to eye level with Harin. She coos at his daughter and Harin hugs her tightly, saying bye once more before going to hold Jimin’s hand.

You rise to your full height, nodding at Jimin before you head inside the building to get your belongings.

Jimin sighs in relief. At least you weren’t taking his faux pas out on Harin.

He was thankful for that.

“You what?” Yoongi laughs so hard his stomach hurts as he bangs his fist on his thigh.

“Shhh,” Jimin hisses. He had just gotten Harin to bed and he’d be damned if Yoongi woke her up.

“Man,” Yoongi rasps, wiping the tears from his eyes. “Talk about bad luck.”

Jimin rolls his eyes. “You’re telling me. How do I fix it?”

Yoongi smirks, shaking his head. “First, offer to pay for her dry cleaning.”

Jimin nods.

“Then, quit parking in her spot. Official or not, she said she had it first.”

Jimin pouts. “But it’s a good spot.”

Yoongi rolls his eyes. “And she’s Harin’s teacher. Let her have the spot, she’s been there longer than you. Didn’t you say you wanted this to go smoothly?”

“Yeah,” Jimin huffs. “I’ll fix it tomorrow. I don’t need anyone hating me. You should have seen the scowl she had on her face when she realized I was Harin’s dad.”

Yoongi chuckles. “I’d have paid money to see that.”

“Go home,” Jimin sticks his tongue out at his best friend, playfully pushing him toward the front door.

Yoongi laughs, patting Jimin on the shoulder as he takes his leave.

“Oh,” Yoongi snaps as he turns around. His left hand grips the doorknob as he meets Jimin’s gaze. “Don’t forget Sleepover Saturday. Bree’s taking the girls to get mani-pedis so pack an overnight bag for Harin.”

Jimin nods, blinking away the tears that sting the corners of his eyes.

“Tell Bree, thanks. I appreciate her including Harin,” Jimin swallows thickly. He knows Harin will ask soon why she doesn’t have a mom like Lila, and Jimin hasn’t quite figured out what to tell her yet.

“No problem, Chim. You know we love her as our own,” Yoongi said as he opened the door and headed out with one last wave.

Jimin sniffles as the door shuts and he sits on the couch until he dozed off for a while.

Someday Harin would start asking questions about her mother, and Jimin didn’t want to hurt her with the truth.

He wishes things were easier to explain, to assure Harin wouldn’t feel unwanted but Jimin wasn’t sure how. It wasn’t Harin’s fault that Mia had no interest in being a mother. It was Mia’s decision.

Jimin doesn’t know what he’ll do. Maybe he can ask his friends on Saturday night. After all, it takes a village to raise a child, at least that’s what the saying was.

Jimin had a pretty darn good one.

Hopefully, that would be enough to break his daughter’s heart with the truth. Hopefully, Jimin and his family could piece it back together again.

That never worked for Humpty Dumpty though.

The next morning, Jimin pulls into the parking lot. He’s still trying to gauge what time he should arrive at school to get Harin to class, clock in, get his coffee, and get situated before class starts.

Today is no different, except in Jimin’s parking spot sits Miss Sweetheart’s car.

He scoffs, rolling his eyes as he parks beside her. He’s arrived early enough to take someone else’s unassigned spot.

Harin waits for Jimin to get her out of the car before getting her backpack from the trunk. She’s too excited to wait for lunch and opens her kitten lunch bag to get her pudding cup out.

Despite Jimin’s best efforts, he finally gives in and takes the chocolate pudding cup from his daughter to open it.

Jimin stops in the middle of the parking lot to peel back the foil wrapper, grunting when it doesn’t come off easily. He tries again, too focused on the wrapper to notice you walking behind him to cross the lot and get to the school.

“There!” Jimin exclaims as he pulls the wrapper off the plastic pudding cup and the cup goes flying in the air just as you go to pass him.

It lands on your chest.

Chocolate pudding smears on your white blouse and black scarf.

You close your eyes and count to ten, then fifteen, and twenty as the cup falls at your feet.

“Mr. Park,” you seethed as you opened your eyes and glared at him. “I would appreciate it if you could keep your drinks and food off my clothing.”

“I-I’m so sorry.” Jimin is quick to say but you raise your hand to stop him.

“Keep your apologies. I will send you my dry cleaning bill at the end of the week. Or, if this continues, I’ll add up the total until the end of the semester. Whichever you prefer.”

Jimin scoffs. “It was an accident. I apologized.”

“Daddy, there’s a car,” Harin tugs on her father’s pink button-down shirt and Jimin nods as he leads his daughter out of the parking lot.

You turn to go back to your car to change your top. You should keep several outfits on hand for the rest of the school year if you have to be near Mr. Park.

Taehyung has decided to remain neutral. He likes Jimin quite a bit. He’s one of the best teachers he’s ever worked with sans Miss Sweetheart.

Jimin’s not all that bad once you get to know him. He and Jimin just click. They read each other well and anticipated the other’s needs. Tae could see them being close friends outside the workplace.

However, Taehyung still struggles with his loyalty to you. All week he’s heard of this awful teacher taking your usual spot and spilling coffee on your clothing.

Taehyung tried to tell you they were accidents from how you retold the stories but you can be hard-headed when you want to. For now, Taehyung plans to stay out of the squabble you’re having with this stranger. The new year just started. It was too early to make enemies or pick sides in battles that didn’t pertain to him, even if you were his best friend.

Today, you texted Taehyung earlier than usual. You pick up your coffee order and his, park in your usual spot, and head into the building.

You take your time making copies, drinking your coffee, and eating breakfast. By the time Taehyung joins you in your classroom for an early morning chat, you’re in a fabulous mood.

“So it turns out my mortal enemy is the dad of one of my star students,” you state as you cross one leg over the other. You’re looking down at the attendance sheet sitting on your desk. You were still working on learning every student's name and it was easier than waiting for your computer to wake up and log in.

“Really?” Taehyung’s brows disappear under his hair. He lifts his coffee to his lips and takes a sip.

“Mhm,” you nod. “His name is Park. Saw him yesterday on duty.”

Taehyung’s face pales and he nearly spits out his iced white mocha coffee.

There were only two Parks this school year, and one happened to be female.

“First name Jimin?” Taehyung asks nervously, needing confirmation.

You look at your file, finding Harin’s name and her father’s name.

Park Jimin.

“Yeah, how’d you know?” You raise a brow at your best friend as you tap your pen on your desk.

“That’s my teacher,” Taehyung admits ruefully. His hopes of friendship wither away as your eyes widen and a frown mars your beautiful face.

“Ah!” You scream, stomping your foot. “He’s made my life hell these past few days!”

“Look, I’m sure you two can work past this. You said he apologized, right? Forgive him,” Taehyung advises as you glare at him.

“Tae, he did it twice. Twice!”

“I’ll talk to him,” Taehyung suggests but you shake your head fiercely.

“No. You don’t need to get caught in the middle of this. You’re stuck with him eight hours a day. I can’t make it awkward for you. It’s fine. I’m a grown woman. I can handle this cordially,” you sigh as you close your file and send Taehyung on his way. The students and Mrs. Gonzalez should arrive soon. The last thing you need is to make a spectacle.

Taehyung gives you a knowing look and you roll your eyes before dismissing him.

He pauses at the door, a smirk on his lips.

“Cordially.”

Jimin is surprised his eyes don’t get stuck in the back of his head from how hard he rolls them. He had come early as usual but not early enough.

He scoffs when he sees you parked in his spot. However, he refrains from cursing in front of his daughter. Instead, he parks in the empty spot beside your car and grumbles obscenities while rounding his vehicle.

It wasn’t even about the parking spot. Jimin didn’t care where he parked as long as there was room for his car. How you had reacted on his first day was what had driven him mad and he dived right into pettiness.

Though he still felt a little awful about the coffee spills; Jimin seemed to care less and less as you accused him of doing it purposely and now taking the time to come in earlier than him just to spite him. He knew it wasn’t a coincidence. How could it be when the two of you had stepped on each other's toes all week?

Tomorrow would be Friday, and he’d have the weekend to relax.

Surely, this little feud wouldn’t extend past the first week of school?! You were both adults and though Jimin could admit it was fun to ruffle your feathers each morning, he had to remember that Harin liked you.

Despite the irony of you being called Miss Sweetheart, when you had been anything but toward him.

Jimin doesn’t let his thoughts sour his mood as he walks Harin to class before he sets his belongings on the cluttered desk and informs Taehyung of his whereabouts.

“I’m gonna make a coffee in the lounge and clock in.”

Taehyung nods, waving Jimin off as a few students trickle in. Not enough to be out of ratio, but enough to warrant his full attention.

Jimin says his good mornings on his way to the lounge. He makes sure to clock in first and avoids the gazes of his fellow faculty.

He knows they stare because he’s hot. Jimin prides himself in his appearance, he kind of has to keep up with Jungkook and Harin, the two love run at the park whenever possible. Harin and Lila, keep Jimin and all his friends in shape, from playing tag, to hide and seek, and now climbing trees.

Jimin knows it won’t be much longer before Harin asks for tumbling classes, ballet, soccer, ice skating, bowling, and rock climbing courses. So Jimin does his best to keep in shape and do his skincare because Jungkook and Hoseok showing up at his door with baskets full of products isn’t on his calendar anymore. He’s got his bathroom counter littered with items and a printed-out sheet of how and when to apply them.

Today, Jimin wears a white button-down shirt with the first two buttons undone. He's tucked his shirt into his black slacks and wears his favorite black leather belt. His hair is perfectly styled and shows his forehead. It draws the attention of a few teachers who giggle when he passes by.

Jimin’s eyes seem to sparkle when he spots the coffee maker, only to frown when he spots you beside it.

Jimin notes the way you tense when you realize who’s standing beside you. It's easy to tell you're taking your time on purpose. You hum to yourself as you look at the pods remaining on the stand. There’s only one hazelnut left and you note Jimin muttering how he hopes you won’t take it.

Grinning, you take the pod and insert it into the machine, waiting for the coffee to brew while you hum to yourself.

Jimin bites his tongue, annoyance bubbling in his chest.

The coffee aroma fills the lounge. It brightens your smile just a bit as your coffee finishes brewing into your cup. Humming, you grab the creamer and pour some into your cup, setting the bottle on the counter before going to grab a spoon to stir your coffee.

Jimin taps his foot, frowning. Heat eats at his neck, and his shirt feels too stuffy.

You pay him no mind as you raise your cup to your lips, tasting the sweetness before deciding a little more creamer is needed. You circle the spoon in your cup, ignoring Jimin’s pointed looks. If his eyes could light you on fire, you have no doubt you would be.

“Oh, I should make a cup for Taehyung,” you muse as you reach for another pod.

“He has coffee,” Jimin huffs, the tapping of his foot on the linoleum growing louder.

“Hmm, I’ll text him,” you take your phone out of your pocket and take your time typing up a message, making a show of deleting and retyping it a few times.

You sip your coffee as you wait for a response. Jimin glares, his arms crossed over his chest and his jaw taut. If you didn’t hate him so much, you could admit he was gorgeous. From his lean body to his plush lips that you’d be lucky to kiss.

You take another sip of your drink, hiding your smile behind the mug as your phone buzzes.

“Oh, must be Tae,” you grin, eyes wickedly shining as you read the text. “Oh, I guess he’s still got the coffee I bought him this morning. How could I have forgotten?”

Jimin growls, stomping his foot like a petulant child.

“All yours, Mr. Park,” you smile smugly as you step aside.

Jimin mutters something under his breath as he goes to make his coffee. You bite back a laugh as you head for the door.

“Class starts in a few minutes. Don’t wanna be late again,” you call over your shoulder, noting the way his shoulders tense.

“Thanks for the reminder, Sweetheart,” Jimin grits, eyes like burning coal when he looks at you.

“No problem, Park.”

Hours later, Jimin lines up his students. Taehyung hands them their name badge to hang around their neck while they play outside. Though Jimin and Tae have been doing well learning and memorizing names, their class heads to the playground with Miss Sweetheart’s classroom.

By the time Jimin’s class makes it outside, your class is already running around, laughing and shouting on the playground.

Jimin’s kids get excited, smiling as they approach. A quick review of the playground rules is given before Jimin sets them free.

Taehyung watches the students, calling attention to inappropriate behavior while Jimin looks for his daughter.

Harin is running around with a few kids, laughing as she runs around the playground before climbing up the steps to use a slide. Jimin relaxes once he spots her and he keeps an eye on his students while Taehyung and Mrs. Gonzalez chat over their paperwork.

Miss Sweetheart watches her students, ignoring the heat of Jimin’s gaze.

You weren’t happy that you had to share your time outside with the annoying man but you had promised Taehyung you’d be cordial and other than your little petty tirade this morning, you were going to try her best.

Taehyung had texted you once Jimin had come back to the classroom with his coffee in hand. He had not been amused at your shenanigans and you had promised to do better.

But you’d still out petty Jimin when the opportunity presented itself.

“Miss Sweetheart!” You look up as you come out of your reverie.

“Harin!” You grin as you open your arms and get down to her level. She smiles as she jumps in your arms, holding a tiny dandelion in her hand.

“For you,” she squeals as she hands you the weed. You smile, thanking her with a hug before setting her down.

“It’s pretty,” you say as she holds your hand. Harin was so sweet and smart. She loved to help you and Mrs. Gonzalez. You adored her already and it amazed you how sweet she was when her father got on your nerves but you wouldn’t let your personal feelings with her father get in the way of your relationship with Harin or any of the other students.

Jimin tries not to panic when he doesn’t see Harin. His heart beats rapidly, his brow shines with cold sweat and his hands clench into fists as he looks for his daughter and doesn’t find her.

Slowly, Jimin rounds the playground, relaxing once he spots Harin with her teacher. The two are smiling and Harin is quick to hug her, clinging to her as they both blow on the dandelion before Harin runs off once again to join her friends.

When your gaze meets him, he doesn’t look away. His eyes are stormy as he watches you for another moment, studying you before turning his attention back to the students.

Perhaps you weren’t as bad as he thought.

That wouldn’t stop him from being petty though.

“So I’ll swing by after school to pick up the girls,” Yoongi reminds his best friend, Jimin, after school.

Harin and Lila are already running around in the front yard. Bree and Seokjin chat on the front porch and Jungkook has his dog, Bam, on a leash.

“Tomorrow?” Jimin asks for confirmation.

“Yes,” Yoongi nods. “Bree, Jungkook, and Seokjin are going to that new pizza place with the arcade. We talked about it in the group chat.”

Jimin takes his phone out of his pocket. He goes to his messages and sees the muted symbol for the group chat. He has 157 unread messages.

“Damn,” Jimin says as he quickly skims through the messages until he reads about the pizza place. Namjoon and Hoseok have work to do, but Jungkook and Seokjin are excited to go. Jimin knows it’ll probably turn into some sort of competition between them and Yoongi will end up carrying the girls’ prizes.

“I’ll meet you there,” Jimin nods. “You can take Harin after school and I’ll come home for a change of clothes.”

“Sure thing,” Yoongi agrees before Harin and Lila cling to his legs.

“Come play, Daddy,” Lila tugs on her father’s hand while Harin takes the other one.

“Come on, Uncle Yoongi! Uncle Koo wants to race with Bammie!” Harin giggles as she tugs her uncle.

“I’ll change and be right out,” Jimin tells Harin as the three take off after Jungkook.

Bam barks excitedly as they run and eventually, Harin ends up being carried by Jungkook while Yoongi carries his daughter on his shoulders.

Jimin chuckles as he heads into his home to get changed. He knows his parents will be home from work soon, and he’d like to say hi to them before dinner.

Despite living across the street, it had been hard for Jimin to see them between work and making dinner. There were still boxes that needed to be unpacked in his home, and he was hoping he could get them unpacked while Harin had her sleepover next door.

Another race starts when Jimin joins his family outside. The girls have lost interest in racing and Bammie runs with them in the front yard while Jimin catches up to Yoongi and Jungkook, cackling when he runs past both of them to the end of the block and back to his house.

“Cheater!” Yoongi shouts as he comes in third place. Jimin huffs a laugh as Jungkook sits on the grass, groaning when Bam goes over to lick his face.

“Wanna go again?” Jimin goads and Yoongi flips him off.

Jimin cackles as he shakes his head, calling Harin over to go home.

“We’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

Jimin is earlier than usual.

Harin is just happy to be at school. She follows Jimin to his classroom and helps him set out the morning exercise on everyone’s desk.

Today, they’re going over the letter A.

For a moment, Jimin feels bad getting to school so early, especially because Harin was now involved in his pettiness without knowing so. He could have asked Yoongi to drop her off with Lila, but he was already picking up the girls after school and Jimin didn’t want to wake up the Min household for his petty dealings.

Today, he had parked his car in his usual spot. He was proud of himself for getting to work early. Very few people littered the halls and he was able to get his hands worksheets printed and his coffee made before other faculty crowded the lounge.

Harin sat at his desk with her breakfast. She sang to herself as she swirled her cereal in its plastic container. The bright colors stood out against the white bowl as Harin went in for another mouthful.

All Jimin had to do now was wait for class to start.

Fumes escape from your ears as you pull into the parking lot.

It was Friday. The last day of the school week and the first day of your weekend once the school bell rang.

You were in no mood to pull into the lot and see Park Jimin’s car in your spot. You had been here at the same time as yesterday but it seems like the evil villain has decided to best you.

No matter, on Monday morning you would win once and for all. Besides, how long could you keep this up before the principal got involved?

Monday would determine the true winner.

Despite Taehyung’s best efforts to not get involved in your revenge plan, he ends up involved.

Taehyung asks Jimin to go to lunch with him to celebrate surviving their first week of the school week.

It hadn’t been too hard to convince Jimin, especially when Taehyung mentioned the restaurant down the road offered all the teachers and faculty a forty percent discount if they had their badges.

All you needed was for Tae to get Jimin out of the classroom long enough for you to sneak in and get to his computer.

You sit on his desk chair, looking around until a pink sticky note catches your attention.

Password: 1994Jimin!

Okay, after your scheming was done, you’d get Taehyung to give Park a lesson in cyber security.

Logging in is easy and it only takes you a few minutes to take a screenshot of his desktop and add little photos of his icons before moving everything into a file you disguise as a flower.

While you finish up, your eyes scan Jimin’s desk. Beside the mousepad, there’s a pink photo frame with Harin smiling.

Beside it, there’s a frame with a photo of Jimin and Harin. You note there’s no mother in the photo, and you recall Jimin’s paperwork only including his parents and a man named Jungkook in case of an emergency.

You could admit Jimin was hot. He was beautiful in an ethereal way and his voice sometimes made your heart do flips. You could find him attractive if he didn’t annoy the fuck out of you. Which is why you’re currently changing his desktop to prank him.

No matter how many times he clicks on the desktop’s icons, nothing will open until he figures out they’re all just images. Nothing will launch, and hopefully Taehyung can give you a detailed recounting of Jimin’s annoyance.

Smiling, you bask in the genius of your plan. After all, you weren’t trying to harm Jimin in any way. You know the coffee incidents were accidents but you were so far in this now you kind of just rolled with it.

It had been a long time since someone got under your skin like this, and maybe you were being immature but you liked pushing Jimin’s buttons. You liked to make him tick. You liked the way his jaw grew taut, his eyes dark as he stared at you, almost as if seeing into your soul.

You could admit to yourself that maybe you had a teeny, weeny, minuscule crush on the (assumed) single dad Pre-K teacher.

But for now, that would stay in the vault.

You log out of the computer as soon as you’re done, cackling for a second before running out of the classroom. You have a quick snack at your desk, and text Taehyung a thumbs up.

[You]: All clear, Tae

[Tae]: 👀

Jimin huffs, his brow furrows as he clicks on the web browser icon.

“Why won’t you open?” He grits his teeth as he runs a hand through his black hair. It’s a little longer than normal, but with the move, the new job, and the new enemy across the hall, he hadn’t had a chance to get it cut.

Taehyung works on his paperwork on his desk. It’s nap time for the kiddos, and he’s using the time to get some work done before the weekend.

He goes over the lesson plan for next week, one from his best friend. Hopefully, by next week, Jimin will have his lesson plan ready to get them along.

“What is wrong with this thing?” Jimin huffs, his jaw is taut and his eyes blaze with frustration. The clicking of his mouse fills the classroom and a few students stir in their sleep.

Finally, Jimin decides to restart his computer. He clicks on the menu and sees a new folder. When he opens it on his screen, he frowns.

There’s no way in hell!

Jimin curses in his head, nearly growling as he figures out what’s going on.

“Who would have done this?” Jimin utters as he changes his background wallpaper and his icons back to the way they were.

Surprisingly, the web browser finally opens and he’s able to log onto his account to input grades and open the new lesson plan for the following week.

Jimin will spend his weekend working on his lesson plans and hopefully have a few weeks of them ready by the time Monday rolls around.

“Tae?” Jimin asks as he looks up from his screen. “Was Miss Sweetheart in here?”

“Not that I know of,” Taehyung lies smoothly. “Is something wrong?”

Jimin shakes his head. “No, not anymore. My computer was just acting funny.”

“Oh, do you need to use mine?” Taehyung offers and Jimin shakes his head.

“I got it. Someone just changed all my icons and desktop wallpaper. Nothing worked,” Jimin shrugs as he finishes his work and puts his computer to sleep.

“Huh, weird,” Taehyung responds before going back to his work. He feels the heat of Jimin’s stare but ignores it as he sends a strongly-worded, yet professional, email to Miss Sweetheart.

Jimin doesn’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out you were behind his computer debacle. Your little prank caused him to lose valuable time he could have dedicated to paperwork and lesson plans.

So, he thinks of a plan to get back at you because it’s not enough for this to die out in the first week. Nope, Jimin won’t be the one pulling out first. If it’s a prank war you want, then that’s exactly what you’ll get.

Jimin is glad he doesn’t have after-school duty today as Harin gets delivered to his classroom. Mrs. Gonzalez and you take his students to the pick-up area and the walkers.

His genius plan will go through the weekend. He let the secretary know his car wouldn’t start and he’d move it on Monday afternoon.

The secretary had left a message for the principal and custodian, and Jimin was on his way out the door to the pickup area. A sadistic smile on his lips.

Jimin waits outside the school with Lila and Harin. Both girls are talking about their day as they wait for Yoongi’s SUV to pull up.

Yoongi does a double take when he spots Jimin with his daughter and “niece.”

The teacher on duty opens the doors to the SUV and Jimin helps Harin into her car seat while Yoongi buckles Lila.

Jimin climbs into the passenger seat and waits for Yoongi to join him.

Once the doors are shut and locked, Yoongi pulls off from the curb.

“Something you wanna tell me, Chim?” Yoongi asks as he lowers the music on the stereo.

“Nope,” Jimin says, popping the p.

“Uh-huh,” Yoongi scoffs. He keeps his eyes on the road as Lila and Harin giggle in the backseat.

“Just remind me to grab my car keys on Monday morning,” Jimin states as he looks out the window as Yoongi turns onto their neighborhood.

Yoongi clicks his tongue but says nothing else as he pulls into his driveway.

“You left your car at the school for the weekend to make sure you got the spot on Monday morning?” Jungkook is flabbergasted as he takes a bite of his pizza.

Seokjin took the girls to the arcade section of the pizza joint after they rushed through their dinner.

Bree had joined them, getting into a competition to see who could win the biggest prize, her or Seokjin.

Seokjin wasn’t one to lose a challenge, so Yoongi knew his wife would be occupied for a while.

“I mean, when you say it like that, it sounds stupid!” Jimin exclaims, feeling heat rush to his cheeks.

“Because it is stupid,” Yoongi rolls his eyes. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Look,” Jimin tries to defend his decision. “It’s just for Monday. She’s been on my nerves since school started. You know what she did today?”

Jungkook shakes his head, already invested in this conversation so he can relay the details to Seokjin at bedtime. He slurps some cheese from his pizza as Jimin continues.

“She changed the shit on my computer so nothing I clicked opened. I spent too much time figuring out what was wrong,” Jimin huffs with a roll of his pretty brown eyes.

“That’s pretty funny,” Yoongi chuckles. “I’ll have to pull that one off on Namjoon.”

Jimin scowls. “Hello?! She’s doing all this because of an accident!”

“Well,” Jungkook pipes in as he wipes the grease from his lips with the back of his tattooed hand. Yoongi and Jimin grimace, handing him napkins in unison.

Jungkook rolls his eyes but accepts the napkins. “You didn’t have to retaliate, Jimin. You could have ended this early on.”

Yoongi nods. “He’s right, you know?”

“Too bad,” Jimin shrugs. “I already left my car in the lot and I have plans for Monday.”

Yoongi groans. “Can’t you just let this go?”

“No,” Jimin states firmly. “I intend to win this.”

“What’s her name, anyway?” Jungkook asks as he takes another slice of pepperoni pizza from the tray.

“Miss Sweetheart or something,” Jimin shrugs. “She’s Harin’s teacher.”

“You’re doing this to Harin’s teacher?” Jungkook’s eyes widened in surprise. “The one she never stops talking about?”

For the first time, Jimin feels shame. He nods, sighing heavily.

“Maybe I can apologize one more time. I mean, Harin does like her.”

“Sounds like your best idea yet.” Yoongi nods in agreement.

Jungkook slurps cheese loudly off his pizza, chewing obnoxiously before Jimin excuses himself from the table.

On Monday, he would make amends.

Sunday morning comes sooner than you’d like. You skipped your jog the day before but you had promised to climb out of bed and head out.

You jogged on the sidewalk, your water bottle in your hand and your phone strapped to your arm. The morning was rather cool, the last bit of summer just barely clinging on.

A few cars drove by on the street, and a few people said good morning as they walked their dogs in the opposite direction. The birds chirped brightly, a rooster crowed in the distance and a few dogs barked in their yards as you jogged by, heading toward the school.

“Is that…?” You come to a full stop when you jog to the parking lot.

The chain link fence is bolted shut like every weekend but a Nissan Rogue sits on the lot. It’s parked in your spot and you scowl.

“Did he leave his fucking car here so he’d get the spot on Monday?!” You screech as you pull your phone out of its pocket and snap a photo.

Seconds after sending it to your best friend, your phone vibrates in his hand.

You don’t bother with a greeting as you seethe, placing the phone to your ear.

“He left his car parked here to beat me on Monday!”

“Sweetheart,” Taehyung sighs, sleepiness evident in his tone. “Don’t you think it’s time to put this behind you? How long are the two of you going to keep this up?”

“Tae,” you huff but he clicks his tongue.

“No! It’s been a week and I’m tired of being caught in the middle. I like him, Sweets. He’s a good teacher and a good friend, potentially. I’m not getting involved in this anymore.”

“I’m sorry, Taehyung,” you apologize, feeling icky about the situation. “I won’t drag you into this anymore, I swear.”

Taehyung remains silent for a few moments as he lies in bed staring at the ceiling. He didn’t miss your double meaning but he was too sleepy to try and talk you out of whatever your plans were.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you like him,” Taehyung says, surprising you.

You guffaw, spitting over yourself as you splutter and walk toward your apartment.

“As if!” You scream in defense.

Taehyung had to pull the phone away from his ear as you continued.

“Why would I ever like someone like him?! Have you lost your mind, Tae?!”

“Someone like him?” Taehyung chuckles. “Devastatingly gorgeous, funny, and with an ass that won’t quit? Since when is that not your type?”

“Tae!”

Taehyung laughs his head off, tells you goodbye through more laughter, and hangs up. Your protest told him everything he needed to know, and perhaps he was right.

Maybe Jimin was a little cute or whatever.

But your anger and annoyance trumped your attraction for the man.

You would win this.

You had to.

Monday morning rolls around and Jimin is more upbeat than usual.

Yoongi drops him off along with Lila and Harin. He gets the girls inside the school before he heads to his car to make sure nothing has happened to it over the weekend.

When he doesn’t notice anything out of place, Jimin hurries into the school.

He’s earlier than usual and he manages to convince the custodian to let him into Miss Sweetheart’s classroom, claiming his daughter left her teddy bear in her cubby.

The students that are early, wait in the cafeteria studying, doing homework, or playing board games while the teachers arrive.

Jimin takes the pack of googly eyes out of his pocket and gets to work.

He’s quick to stick them on the computer screen, the mouse, the mousepad, the stapler, the tape dispenser, the attendance log, the box of tissues, the hand sanitizer, and anywhere he can think of.

Jimin is proud of himself as he gets to his classroom and sets his bag on his desk. He busies himself with his lesson plan for a while before Taehyung and their students arrive.

“Have a good weekend?” Taehyung asks as he settles into his desk.

“It was wonderful,” Jimin answers with a shit-eating grin.

“What the actual fuck?” You’re grateful you’re alone as you step into your classroom.

You’d arrive a little later than usual despite your best efforts to be early. You knew it would be no use trying to beat Jimin to the parking spot since he left his car there all weekend.

You had left him a nice little present on his windshield, a big ole fake dog shit a student left on your chair last year.

You hope it garners the same reaction from Jimin as it did you.

“Oh!” Mrs. Gonzalez exclaims in surprise as she sees hundreds of little eyes staring back at her. “New decor?”

You shake your head. “I came in and it was like this.”

“Interesting choice,” Mrs. Gonzalez says as she goes to her desk to get situated.

Your blood boils in your veins as you stomp to your desk, you didn’t know how but you would make Jimin pay for this.

Who else would have taken the time to annoy you this much?

You pick googly eyes off your mouse, sighing as you see them on just about everything.

They even stare back at you from the monitor.

“You��ll pay for this, Park.”

Harin is talking a million miles a minute as Jimin straps her into her car seat after school.

Today, he’s decided to take his car home. He didn’t want to bother Yoongi for rides to school every morning.

“Daddy, what’s that?” Harin asks with a wrinkled nose. “Is that Bammie’s?”

Jimin is puzzled. He shuts the car door and looks in the direction his daughter is pointing in.

His eyes widen when he spots the pile of shit on his windshield that rivals anything Bammie could have passed.

“Oh! Oh, god!” Jimin gags. He covers his mouth with his hand as he tries not to throw up all over the hood of the car.

How the fuck did someone even get it on the windshield?

Jimin is disgusted as he stares at the pile of shit. He doesn’t have anything to get it off the windshield and using the wipers might just smear shit all over the glass.

He’d have to move it with his hands!

“Miss Sweetheart!” He growls as he shuts his eyes and gets ready to flick the poop off the windshield. He says a quick prayer to whoever and ignores the screaming from his daughter in the car.

“Ew!” Harin screams from her seat.

Jimin is near tears as his hand connects to the poop, and he lifts it.

It’s soft.

It’s fake.

“Thank fuck!” Jimin shouts as he lifts the fake pile of dog shit and gets into his car.

Harin giggles from her seat as Jimin sets the poop on the passenger seat and starts the car.

“Let’s go home, baby.”

Two months later, and you’re still pranking Jimin as he does you.

Taehyung has befriended him, which made it harder to get him involved as he stood firm in his decision not to take sides.

Jimin had agreed to let him stay out of it and you wish you could just cut your losses at this point. It was a stupid parking spot for fucks sake.

However, in some weird way, you liked the attention and detail Jimin would put in his pranks.

Somehow, between planning and scheming, you’d developed a tiny crush on the hot man. You often found yourself staring at him during meetings or lunches shared with Taehyung and Jimin, the only time the two of you would have a truce of some sort because Taehyung insisted on it.

It was Friday the thirteenth of October. Something to make this already spooky month a little more terrifying.

You had your share of bad luck—from arriving late to school to spilling water down the front of your dress.

Mrs. Gonzalez had insisted you take a few minutes to yourself to make your coffee in the lounge. She could tell you needed a breather.

Now, you were waiting for your coffee to brew in the empty lounge. It was too early for anyone to take a break, but too late for anyone to arrive at work. You were grateful for the quiet of the empty lounge.

You open the fridge to steal a cookie from your packed lunch when you spot a chocolate cake. You knew they usually got cakes and pastries for breakfast most weeks and you had been too late in the morning to see the spread but seeing this cake made you ecstatic.

You cut yourself a slice and get your coffee ready. You take a seat at an empty table and enjoy your cake, moaning when the chocolate icing hits your taste buds.

Your day was already brightening up.

“Just about done,” Taehyung informs you as he sends an email to Jimin with the paperwork needing his approval before being turned in on Monday afternoon.

Jimin has headed to the lounge ahead of the two of you to snag a table.

“Ready?” Taehyung follows you out of the classroom toward the lounge. You spot Jimin up ahead speaking with some of the fifth-grade teachers.

“It’s Jimin’s birthday today,” Taehyung says casually as the two of you enter the lounge. You grab your lunch bag from the fridge and hand Taehyung his.

“Oh, I didn’t know that,” you shrug, but Taehyung sees past your fake indifference. He remains silent as he heads for the microwave as you take your usual seat.

Taehyung comes over to your table when his food is done and takes the seat beside you.

“Some of the teachers got him a birthday cake,” Taehyung informs you as he digs into his meal.

“Oh, how nice,” you pretend to be interested but Taehyung rolls his eyes.

“Just admit you like him and let us live in peace.”

“If you already know why do you need to hear me say it? He’s hot, and he’s kinda funny.” You shrug as Jimin enters the lounge.

“The two of you would make a cute couple and Harin adores you,” Taehyung takes another bite of his meal as a few teachers begin singing Happy Birthday.

Someone opens the refrigerator and takes out the box of cake you dug into this morning.

“Oh, no!” You cover your cheeks as heat rises to them and you watch in horror as they open the box just as the song ends and Jimin looks at the cake perplexed.

It’s silent.

Dead silent as realization and shock took over everyone’s face.

“Who cut Jimin’s cake?!” One of the fifth-grade teachers asks in absolute horror.

“Who would cut our Minnie’s cake?” Another asks as they look around the room filled with staff.

A few people shake their heads in disappointment but all you can do is stare at Jimin with wide, horrified eyes.

It was an accident.

A complete accident.

You didn’t know it was his birthday, much less that the cake in the fridge wasn’t some type of teacher appreciation and not a birthday cake.

“You didn’t!” Taehyung hisses as he takes in your mortified expression and how you sink into your chair.

“It’s fine,” Jimin chuckles. “We can still have cake. I’m sure it’s delicious if a piece is already missing!”

The staff laughs as Jimin slices a piece of cake for everyone, including you.

Jimin looks at you with a smirk on his lips.

Taehyung excuses himself as some of the staff leave the lounge to get to their classrooms early in preparation for their afternoon classes. Plus, he couldn’t handle the second-hand embarrassment much longer.

Jimin says nothing for a few minutes, and you pick at your slice of chocolate cake, too embarrassed to finish it.

“Not gonna eat it?” Jimin asks with a raised brow. You meet his gaze and shake your head.

“Not hungry.”

“Still full from the first slice, Sweetheart?” Jimin’s smile widens as you rise from your seat abruptly.

Jimin laughs as you stomp out of the lounge toward your classroom without giving him a parting glance.

Nothing could top this.

Jimin is exhausted when he pulls up to his driveway Friday afternoon.

Harin is already unbuckling herself from her seat when she spots Lila waiting in the front yard. Seokjin and Bree sit on the porch watching Bam run around the tree while Yoongi helps Harin out of the car.

“Hey Princess,” he greets Harin with a smile. “Are you excited for your birthday tomorrow?”

Harin nods, “Grandma is having a party for me and Daddy.”

Yoongi chuckles as Lila comes running toward them.

“Daddy, can Harin sleep over for her birthday tonight?” Lila asks with a pout.

Harin catches on quickly and pouts at Yoongi and her father. “Please?”

Yoongi looks at Jimin, who nods. “Just be home for breakfast, okay?”

“Yay!” The girls take off running toward Bam, laughing when he licks Harin’s face.

“Your mom wanted us to go to her house when you arrived,” Yoongi informs Jimin.

“Let me just change and I’ll meet you there,” Jimin assures his friend.

Yoongi nods as he heads across the street to the Park’s home. Jungkook will meet him there with the last of the party supplies for tomorrow.

Fifteen minutes later, Jimin opens the door of his parent’s house.

“Mom!” Jimin calls as he shuts the front door.

“We’re in here!” Jungkook calls back from the kitchen.

Jimin makes his way through the familiar home until he arrives at the kitchen.

Jungkook is sitting at the table, stuffing goodie bags while Yoongi frosts Harin’s cupcakes and Mrs. Park frosts the cake for Jimin.

“Oh, my baby is here!” Mrs. Park exclaims as she finishes writing Jimin’s name on the cake. She pats her hands on her apron and wraps her son in a tight hug.

“Mom!” Jimin hisses out of breath like a deflating balloon. “I can’t breathe.”

“Well, don’t kill the boy, honey,” Mr. Park chuckles as he enters the kitchen.

Mrs. Park releases Jimin, going to pinch his cheeks instead.

“Mother,” Jimin sighs as he endures the pinching a moment longer before he’s released.

“I haven’t seen you or Harin all week,” she states as she goes back to her frosting.

“We’re still unpacking and Harin is with Lila,” Jimin informs his mother as he leans against the counter.

“They’re having a sleepover,” Yoongi tells Mrs. Park as he finishes the last cupcake.

“Oh, will she still come tomorrow for miyeokguk?” Mrs. Park asks as she sets down a bowl for Jimin on the counter.

“She will,” Jimin promises before kissing his mother’s cheek.

“The weather will be nice tomorrow, so we can have the backyard party after all,” Mr. Park says as he helps Jungkook fill the goodie bags with candies and toys.

“I’ll come around early to set up the tables and chairs. Seokjin can decorate them and when Jimin gets Harin here, we can finish up,” Yoongi tells the group.

“Sounds like a plan,” Jimin slurps loudly.

“Bree and I are taking the girls out, so they’ll be surprised with the decorations,” Mrs. Park smiles as she places the finished cake in a box and puts it in the fridge.

“Thanks, everyone,” Jimin says wholeheartedly. “I appreciate you doing this for us.”

“Nonsense, we’re all glad to have you two back. We missed you,” Jungkook frowns. “It wasn’t the same without you around.”

“Yeah,” Yoongi agrees. “Hoseok and Namjoon struggled the most trying to see us all. They’re so busy.”

“They’ll be here tomorrow though,” Jungkook says as he pops a chocolate in his mouth.

“Good, it’s been ages since we’ve gotten together,” Jimin finishes his soup with one last slurp.

“That reminds me,” Mrs. Park snaps. “I set up a blind date for you, Minnie. Oh! You’ll love her!”

Jungkook giggles while Yoongi smirks, pleased with Jimin’s annoyed expression.

“Mom!”

“No, honey. I’ve already set it up and you can’t get out of it. She’s the daughter of a friend of a friend. She’s a teacher and she’s beautiful,” Mrs. Park rambles on.

“Mom,” Jimin groans as he cards a hand through his hair. “I don’t have time to date right now. Can’t I just enjoy my birthday with you and my friends?”

“One date, Jimin. That’s it,” Mrs. Park is relentless and Jimin knows he can’t break her heart so he begrudgingly agrees to one date.

“You’ll love her! She’s gorgeous!”

“Do you have a picture of her?” Jungkook inquires, grinning like a madman at his best friend’s demise.

“Well, no,” Mrs. Park shakes her head. “My friend showed it to me when we were out to lunch. But she’s beautiful, smart, funny, with a gorgeous smile.”

Jimin sighs heavily, he knows his mother means well but he isn’t interested in going on blind dates. Besides, he was kind of hoping he could eventually gather enough courage to ask you out. He knew he annoyed the hell out of you, and he did his pranks to get a rise from you but he also liked the way you said his name when he irritated you to hell and back. He liked the way you’d stomp your foot or his, he liked the way you only had eyes for him. Sure, it was probably because you were expecting a prank, but he enjoyed the warmth of your heated gaze on him. The way your lip caught between your teeth as you eyed him up and down.

Jimin knew he took up a lot of your thoughts. Taehyung had said so during lunch one day. He couldn’t lie, it stroked his ego a little.

Jimin wanted to be the only thing you filled your thoughts with. He wanted to be someone in your life, even if he was annoying.

Isn’t the line between love and hate rather thin?

The next morning is a blur for Jimin. He’s busy from the moment he wakes up until the birthday party begins.

Harin and Lila are out with Bree and Mrs. Park getting their nails done and getting their outfits on. Yoongi and Seokjin are putting the finishing touches on the table decorations and food table.

Namjoon is setting up the bounce house and Hoseok is inside making sure the Parks’ home is spotless, despite Mrs. Park having already done so.

“Daddy!” Harin shouts as she barrels through the back door straight for Jimin.

He opens his arms and gets down to her level just before she tackles him in a hug. He lifts her easily, spinning her around while her giggles fill the air and she clings to her father. A wide smile is on her face and she kisses Jimin’s cheek before he sets her down.

Lila is in Yoongi’s arms as Bree runs home to get herself ready while Jungkook comes into the backyard with handfuls of presents for Harin, Jimin, and Lila.

“I’m here!” Jungkook exclaims as he sets the gifts down on the table and pauses to open his wallet and stuff a few bills into the money gift box.

Jimin looks around the backyard and smiles, he truly is blessed with the best family and friends he could have ever asked for.

An hour later, the party is in full swing. Harin and Lila run around the yard with some of Harin’s classmates.

Lunch has been served and now children run around, play in the bounce house, and play games with Jungkook, Namjoon, and Bam.

“Hey,” Taehyung greets Jimin after he sets the gifts on the designated table.

“Hey! Glad you could make it,” Jimin grins as he hugs Taehyung. “Food is over there. Help yourself to anything. I’ll introduce you to my friends in a bit.”

“Sounds great,” Taehyung nods as he spots Harin and Lila. He wishes Harin a happy birthday as he heads for the food table.

Mrs. Park welcomes more guests as they arrive. She smiles brightly when she spots the woman she was going to set up with her son.

“I’m so glad you could make it,” She greets the flustered woman. Mrs. Park looks around trying to spot Jimin, but grabs Jungkook’s attention instead, waving him over.

Mrs. Park introduces you to Jungkook, and you smile politely as you’re led to the gift table to drop off the gift. You didn’t have a chance to inform Mrs. Park that you were there for Harin. You don’t know if you should be elated or displeased that your mother set you up with Park Jimin, but this may work out after all. You do like him, and you did have a crush on him.

Oh, Taehyung was gonna have a laugh with this one.

Your cheeks are hot with the thought of Taehyung finding out about your predicament. You barely listen as Jungkook goes on about Jimin.

“So you came for Jimin’s birthday?” Jungkook asks as you reach the table with gifts. You set yours down and shake your head.

“I’m Harin’s teacher. She invited the class to her party,” you explain and watch as the realization hits and he cackles before he looks across the yard and waves someone over.

Not ten seconds later, a shorter man with cat-like eyes joins Jungkook and smiles. “Hello, I’m Min Yoongi.”

“This is the woman Mrs. Park set up with Jimin on a blind date,” Jungkook smirks as you nod.

“Oh?” Yoongi raises a brow. “What do you do?”

“I’m Harin’s teacher,” you explain as realization crosses Yoongi’s face and he too, laughs and shakes his head.

“Small world, huh?” Yoongi grins as his daughter comes over and wraps herself around his leg.

“Come play with us!” Lila exclaims as she tugs Yoongi by the hand toward the bounce house. You’re left alone with Jungkook, who asks you to follow him to greet Harin.

“Miss Sweetheart!” Harin shouts when she spots you, running full speed to hug you. You smile when she hugs you, lifting her in your arms.

“Well, aren’t you a pretty princess? Are you having fun?” you ask as Jungkook leaves your side, most likely to get Jimin.

Taehyung comes over once he spots you, grinning at Harin as she tells you about her birthday. You listen intently, ignoring Taehyung as he tries to tell you something.

“And we got our nails done!” Harin finishes as she shows you her freshly painted nails. They’re a light pink with tiny little stars, perfect for her princess-themed party.

Across the yard, Jimin is crawling out of the bounce house, nearly sick as Yoongi bounces by his feet when they get tangled on the net in search of freedom.

“Hey!” Jungkook can’t help the Cheshire smile on his lips. “The woman your mom set you up is here.”

Jimin furrows his brows in confusion. “What?”

Jungkook nods, resembling a bobblehead. “She’s holding Harin right now.”

Jimin is on his feet in an instant. How could his mother and best friend allow a stranger to hold his child? They knew better.

In his rush to get to Harin, Jimin doesn’t realize who is holding his daughter.

“Miss Sweetheart!” Harin giggles as the two spin in a circle when Jimin approaches and freezes.

You were the one his mother had set him up with?

Had his mother been scheming or was this pure coincidence? Jimin’s unsure but at least the panic in his body has left him as Harin hugs you tight and you spin once more, causing her to giggle.

Jimin can feel his heart pulsing, but not out of fear or panic, but something more. He notes the way you gush over Harin, giggling with her as you bounce her in your arms to readjust her, eager to play with her as Harin points toward the fence where there’s a ‘Pin the tail on the Donkey’ stuck to it.

Namjoon approaches Jimin with Hoseok in tow, the two curious at all the fuss. Taehyung joins the group at Jimin’s side as Yoongi and Seokjin approach while Jungkook tries to wrangle in the kids for the sack race.

“What did we miss?” Namjoon asks as he leans on Hoseok.

“You remember I told you about someone eating my birthday cake yesterday?” Jimin asks his friends and Taehyung bites back a laugh.

“Yeah?” Hoseok states with a befuddled look.

“It was Harin’s teacher,” Yoongi smirks.

Jimin nods. “It was Harin’s teacher.”

“And Harin’s teacher is the woman blindfolded and being spun by Jungkook at the donkey thing,” Taehyung explains.

It’s silent for a moment before they all burst out laughing. Jimin shakes his head as they continue to laugh.

“So the woman you’ve been crushing on lately, and your “enemy”, and the blind date your mom set you up on is Miss Sweetheart?” Yoongi can’t help but cackle as he watches you with Harin.

Jungkook tied himself to you for the three-legged race while Harin and Lila beat them easily. You and Jungkook fall on top of each other, groaning as you get untied and realize you lost.

Jimin and his friends head over to help the two of you up before Mr. Park announces a rematch with the adults and then one for the children.

Jungkook and Seokjin pair up, Yoongi and Bree, Namjoon and Hoseok, and Taehyung, and Mr. Park, leaving Jimin with you.

“You better not lose this round,” Jimin teases as he approaches you.

You glare at him before getting down to tie your legs together. “I only lost because Jungkook is wearing those chunky boots.”

Jimin looks at his best friend and immediately spots the shiny chunky boots that could stomp anyone easily but also trip the muscular man and anyone around him. Jimin had been witness to Jungkook tripping over himself or moving furniture with his colossal shoes.

“Fair,” Jimin acquiesced.

“Is everyone ready?” Mrs. Park asks from the sidelines as the kids move away from the area. The children cheer for you and Jimin. Harin cheers the loudest as the race begins.

Jimin wraps his arm around your waist. “Is this okay?”

You blink.

“Fuck, I should have asked before,” Jimin winces, apologizing before you assure him that it’s fine.

“Go!” Mrs. Park shouts and Yoongi and Bree take off immediately.

Seokjin and Jungkook go down after a few steps due to Jungkook’s boots and Seokjin’s massive shoulders. The two bicker on the floor as they try to get on their feet but fall on each other again.

You and Jimin are doing well. His cologne smells amazing and it makes you a little dizzy. What you wouldn’t give to snuggle into his chest for a while.

Taehyung and Mr. Park nearly pass you as you daydream about Jimin.

“What are you thinking about?” Jimin asks as he looks at you from his peripheral. He noticed the goofy grin on your lips as you kept moving forward.

“Nothing,” you lie, which causes him to roll his eyes at you.

“Did you just roll your eyes at me?!” you huff as you bump him with your hip. Hoseok and Namjoon take their turn in passing you as you stop to bicker with Jimin.

Up ahead, Yoongi and Bree are rounding the blue cone set up for the race and are making their way back to Mrs. Park and the finish line. Behind them, Namjoon and Hoseok pass Taehyung and Mr. Park while Jungkook and Seokjin have given up and moved on to prepare the sacks for the sack race up next.

“Jimin!” His mom yells from her spot. “Quit rolling your eyes and get back to the race!”

Jimin sighs.

“You heard her, Jimin!” you exclaim as you move forward, towing Jimin along with you as he mutters under his breath about you and his mother ganging up on him. You bite back a smile as you round the cone and pass by Taehyung and Mr. Park.

You manage to work together to pass Namjoon and Hoseok, but your foot trips Jimin, who goes down like a house of cards with you on top of him.

You both stare at each other in surprise. You admire the curve of his lips, so pretty and pink; kissable. Jimin seems to be doing the same to you as his breath catches in his throat and he admires every bit of perfection that is your face.

“Son! Get up!” Mr. Park laughs as he and Tae race past the two of you, breaking whatever moment you shared with Jimin.

Jimin is the first to recover as he ignores the thundering of his heart to get up and help you to your feet. He brushes himself off as you two stand and hobble to the finish line, coming in last.

“You guys suck,” Seokjin teases as you and Jimin join him and Jungkook. Jimin rolls his eyes and you poke his side.

“Habit of yours?”

“Only when you’re around,” he jokes, sticking his tongue out at you as he bumps you with his hip. Jungkook and Seokjin share a look you miss as you’re handed a brown potato sack.

“My turn,” Taehyung squeezes between you and Jimin, grabbing his own sack and one for Mr. Park.

Mrs. Park smiles as she watches her son interact with you. Yoongi notices her staring and approaches her.

“Jimin really seems to hit it off with her, huh?” Mrs. Park comments as she helps Harin into her sack.

“I’d say so,” Yoongi grins. He’s genuinely happy for his best friend. Jimin deserved a chance at happiness.

“I did good picking her for him,” Mrs. Park states once Harin has hopped off to find Lila and her school friends.

“I’d say,” Yoongi chuckles. “She’s Harin’s teacher.”

Mrs. Park’s eyes widen in surprise as she looks over at you and Jimin. For the first time in a long time, he’s smiling from ear to ear with someone other than his family and friends. Mrs. Park knew not to meddle but she just wanted her son to be happy. She knew family was important to Jimin, one of the values she had instilled in him.

Yoongi and Mrs. Park sit back as the sack race begins and all the children took off hopping forward to win. Laughter fills the yard as they go and some stumble. Miss Sweetheart rushes to them along with Jimin, soothing the children and cleaning skinned knees and bruised elbows.

Once the race for the children ends, the adults get ready as Mrs. Park and Seokjin take the kids to the bounce house.

Jimin and Jungkook get ahead of everyone else. Namjoon tripped over himself, and Hoseok trips over him. Mr. Park and Taehyung go around them, laughing when Jungkook trips over himself and faceplants into the grass.

You reach Jimin easily, smirking when you pass him. He goes faster, catching up to you and bouncing in front of you, causing you to trip and take him down with you when your arms flail.

“You just love being on top of me, huh?” Jimin smirks as you stare down at him.

“Oh, you’d love that,” you retort with a roll of your eyes, but your tummy flips because he’s right. You do like being on top of him.

“I would,” Jimin chuckles as you climb off him and free yourself from the potato sack. Jimin does the same as he takes your sack and his back to the table.

You follow him, standing beside him.

“I’m glad you came. Harin really likes you,” Jimin says absentmindedly as he looks for his daughter across the yard.

“I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot.”

“It’s okay,” you say with a genuine smile. “I can be a bit of a grouch.”

Jimin’s cheeks turn pink as he remembers calling you that the first time he met you in the school parking lot. His ears burn as he apologizes again.

“Come on, let me beat your butt at cornhole,” you laugh as you run in the opposite direction with Jimin right behind you.

It’s been a long afternoon.

Jimin and Harin have been sung to, presents have been opened and children have been picked up by their parents.

Jimin’s friends and parents begin cleaning up the yard, chatting as they go.

You stick around to help Jimin. He stands by the food table putting away leftovers for his friends to take home.

“You sure know how to throw a birthday party,” you comment as you help him put the food away in a container.

“Yeah, I went overboard on her first birthday party. She was Pebbles and Lila was BamBam,” Jimin chuckles as he takes his phone out to show you pictures of Harin.

“She’s adorable,” you squeal. “She’s such a joy to be around. She’s the sweetest little girl.”

“I was worried about her starting school but she loves you so much. I’m glad my shitty attitude didn’t cause waves between you two,” Jimin sighs regretfully. “I was such an ass.”

“I would never let a parent’s attitude toward me influence my treatment of their child. I was an ass, also. How about we start over?” you offer him your hand to shake and he does so with a beaming smile.

“I’d love that.”

The two of you finish putting the food away before Jimin stands in front of his birthday cake. Harin’s classmates had gone for the cupcakes and Jimin’s cake remained untouched.

“Want a bite of this cake too? I’ll close my eyes and you can pretend I’m not here,” Jimin teases, laughing when you shove him.

“It was an accident!” you huff, stomping your foot as Jimin continues to laugh.

You roll your eyes at him and pout.

Jimin cuts a slice of his birthday cake and plates it. He grabs a fork and cuts into the cake, offering you a bite.

You take it but stick your tongue out after.

“Was that so hard?” Jimin smirks and you resist the urge to flip him off.

You take the plate for him and the fork, cutting a small piece to feed him. Jimin opens his mouth to take it, and you smear some of the frosting on his lips.

Jimin licks his lips and your eyes follow his tongue as heat spreads through your veins. Jimin’s eyes lock on yours, eyes dark and hooded as he finishes.

You stand frozen in your spot as he dips his finger in the icing and places it on your lips.

“You’ve got a little something here,” he says as he places his finger in his mouth to suck it clean. He then takes a step forward. You nod as he licks the corner of your mouth before his lips meet yours.

Fireworks seem to go off when your eyes shut, your hands gripping his shoulders as the kiss deepens and your heart thuds rapidly in your chest.

Jimin moans softly as he takes your bottom lip and nips it gently. You moan as he pulls away, body fueled with desire as you stare at each other longingly.

“How about that date?” Jimin asks, his cheeks flushed pink and his black hair falling over his eyes. You could just eat him up.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

mdni/support/line divider by @benkeibear

#re:to!read

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