to build a home | chapter fifteen
Pairing: Jungkook x reader. ceo!jk + dilf!jk x nanny!oc
Genre: strangers to lovers. angst. fluff. smut.
Word count: 12.2k
Warnings: oof. let me keep it brief so i don’t spoil too much! it’s angsty. a looooong walk down memory lane. reminiscing. its kinda sad. but lucy’s holds oc through it all! bathroom quickie lol. unprotected sex (do better ok). a lil choking. a lil spanking. jk being an ass man!!!!! team mingyus u get to see ur boy!!! big gasp towards the end.
Author’s note: oh, boy! what have i DONE? lol. i’m not gonna say much. only that i love y’all with all my heart and i truly cannot wait to book club the fuck out of this chappie. sending x’s & o’s your way, always!!!!! <33333
This is a work of fiction. Please respect the members and their privacy. x
Chapter Fifteen
In the forty minutes you sleep, you manage to dream. It’s soft, tender and blue. It’s the ocean and Jungkook’s face, the sand on your toes, on your hands, falling from your fingers and getting caught in the wind, some landing on your face. He calls your name, beckoning you over, smile inviting as he walks backwards into the vastness of the sea. You smile, on your feet in no time before you’re running towards him, feet splashing salty water all over as you join him. You’re in his arms the second you’re close enough to him, legs wrapped around his waist as he lets his body fall into the water, deep, blue, your body never letting go of his.
Your eyes open gently, head on his chest in the same position you’d fallen asleep in. Soori’s babbles coming from the baby monitor sound muffled as you incorporate yourself back into consciousness. Jungkook’s body is warm against the palm of your hand, breath steady as his chest rises and falls. You look up at him, not ready to leave his side, not ready to do what your brain demands of you the moment you start slipping into wakefulness. You close your eyes, snuggle your head in his chest once more, arm wrapping around him as you pull him closer to you ever so gently. He reciprocates your actions in his sleep, arm wrapping tighter around you as his head sinks further into the pillows. Soori’s not crying, you could probably stay like this for twenty more minutes, wrapped in his arms, closing your eyes and letting your mind and body be consumed with him so you don’t have to think. To really think.
But you know it’s no use. You know that it’s over, whether you grant yourself the thirty minutes or not. It makes your heart ache, too weak to feel anger anymore. Too weak to even protest and try to put up a fight. You feel tears well up in the corner of yours eyes, and if you let them fall now, they won’t be able to stop. You pull away from him, your movements gentle as to not wake him up. You feel the bed move, making you stop in your tracks and glancing back to make sure he’s not awake. He simply lays on his side, snuggling himself into a pillow, his breathing letting you know that he’s still in deep sleep. You let yourself look at him, taking in his face, his body. He’s so beautiful it hurts. He’s so beautiful your heart begins to regain its strength some, becoming aware of him, swimming through the mud, about to beg you to keep going. But your brain is faster as you close your eyes, turning around and heading for the door. God, it hurts. It hurts to wake up, it hurts to walk. It hurts to feel him all over your body, the traces of the night you just shared still taking over your senses. His smell, his touch, the exhaustion that takes over you that borders as sweet because your body remains in that fucked out bliss only he knows how to put you in.
The most reasonable part of you begs you to be strong.
The most tender part of you begs you to turn back around.
You leave his room.
You’re basically on your tiptoes, closing the door behind you gently, abstaining from making any noise. You think you manage pretty well, chanting victory a little too soon as you turn around and pretty much jump in place, hand coming to your mouth as you let out a yelp at the sight of Lucy standing in the hallway.
“Good morning,” she says, jutting her hip out and tapping her feet on the ground as she crosses her arms in front of her body.
“You scared the living shit out of me,” you whisper yell at her.
“Of course I did, because you just got caught.”
You sigh, admitting defeat. “Come get Soori with me. She’s awake.”
“Will you explain?”
“Yes.”
“Okay,” she says, opening the door to your room. “Put some pants on first. And panties.”
“Shit,” you say, looking back at Jungkook’s room.
“No use now. He’s got himself a souvenir.”
“Don’t be witty right now,” you tell her, rummaging through your bags to find a pair of pants. And panties.
“___, you were bawling your eyes out last night. I was literally scared you’d put yourself through dehydration or something. So imagine my surprise when Jimin wakes me up in the middle of the night to tell me that it sounded like someone was doing construction work inside of Jungkook’s room.”
You bring your hand to your mouth, eyes widening in surprise at her words. “Oh my God.”
“Relax. He went to get a glass of water, we couldn’t hear anything. I’m sure nobody did.”
“Thank God,” you sigh.
“That is not the point. What is going on, ___?”
“It’s a long story,” she’s about to protest, “I’ll tell you over breakfast. Let’s get Soori first, though.”
She lets out a sigh of relief. “Let’s.”
~
And so you begin the recount of events.
As you get Soori out of bed, you begin to tell her about that night, omitting any explicit details, of course. You tell her how you told him you loved him, tell her about his silence, about the way you dismissed your words in fear he wouldn’t reciprocate them. She passes you one of Soori’s sundresses, a cute black and white polka dotted one.
“And what happened then?” She asks, rummaging through the suitcase Jungkook had packed for her and looking for a bow to match.
“He didn’t say it back.”
“Oh,” she says, face falling even though she knew that much would be true.
“Yeah. I guess at first I was just trying for it not to… hurt as much as it did. Sunday was nice, we spent the whole day by the pool with Soo. I don’t know. It almost made me feel like I could live with it, you know? With the fact that he hadn’t said it back.”
“Yeah, I get you. We like to tell ourselves lies to keep our feelings at bay. It’s a woman thing.”
The three of you sit on the floor, Soori in the middle as you brush her hair and get to work on her little pigtails whilst Lucy plays with her, helping her stack her pink wooden cubes on top of one another. You tell her about your rollercoaster of emotions, going through a failed attempt at suppressing your feelings, then the feminine rage all the way to the sadness plummeting so hard through you it made you restless.
“I should’ve known. Nobody sings Good Luck, Babe by Chappell Roan like that for no reason.”
You laugh, albeit weakly. “Don’t feel bad. I knew that the moment I told you, it’d be real.”
“No, I get that. But I just can’t believe that you went through all of this by yourself. I wish I could’ve… been there.”
You put a hand on top of hers, Soori following in your steps as she puts her chubby hand on top of yours, making the both of you laugh. Lucy looks at Soori, then back at you, concern lacing her features as she asks,
“Then what happened?”
You make your way down the stairs, Soori on your hip as she babbles sweet nothings to her giraffe and Lucy follows suit. You tell her about the book you’d found in Jungkook’s living room, the one filled with pictures of him and Ira.
“God, they were really in love, weren’t they?”
“Yeah. Seems like it.”
“What on Earth happened?” Lucy asks, making her way into the kitchen, reaching down to pick Soori’s giraffe up that she’d dropped, smiling at her as she places it back in her hands.
“That’s the thing, I don’t know. I have no clue about what could’ve possibly driven her to…,” you halt your words, not wanting to finish the sentence in front of Soori, as oblivious as she was right now as you sat her down on her high chair.
“Jimin has said things to me,” she starts, her words a bit weak. “I mean, nothing much. Or too specific. But he told me Jungkook tried. He told me he really tried. He was a good partner to her… just like he’s a good dad to Soori.”
“You know, it’s funny. I never once for a second thought he wasn’t.”
“I did. I mean- you know him better than I do. And it all sounded so complex to me I thought that maybe he’d driven her away. But Jimin- he talks about Ira with so much spite. Almost hatred. And they used to be close. I mean, she’s in a picture frame at his parents’ house, for God’s sake! He made them remove it, of course, but-” you take her words in, looking into her eyes. “I don’t know. He tried and she left. That’s all I’ve gathered from what he’s said.”
“Yeah. I guess the picture book really made me realize that… they’d loved each other. Very much.”
“What happened then?”
You look at her, a bit of shame lacing your features. You look at the kitchen counter, remembering that night.
“Well,” you start and your tone of voice gives you away.
“Oh, brother.”
You tell her about that night, in code, of course. Tell her about how it’d been a weak moment for you, how the little altercation you’d had before had set the mood for the tension to be released in one way or the other. And well, you were only human. A bit weak at times. You also tell her how it made you feel even sadder, though. How having him physically but not emotionally was really beginning to take a toll on you the more you pondered on your situation. You both get started with breakfast, cutting Soori’s fruit and putting some on her high chair before you get to frying eggs, mashing avocados, toasting bread, making coffee. You tell her about your sad girl hours, well into the night.
“I’ve stalked all of Jimin’s exes on Instagram. It was pure torture. I can’t imagine having so much access to her on Google. I think it would send me spiraling,” she says, passing you the spatula.
“Oh, it did. The worst part is that I couldn’t hate her. I mean, there she was, on my phone screen, looking perfect with her sweet, low voice, saying all the right things. How can I hate her?” You flip your egg.
“I’ve heard a lot of those things are fabricated, though.”
“I don’t know, Lu. The way Mai and Taehyung talk about her in that book… it was all adding up.”
She sighs, taking a sip of her latte, passing a tiny square of avocado toast to Soori that she’d cut up. She takes it, smiling at her, making her swoon. She gets your attachment to her now. She’s so sweet.
You decide to take breakfast to the garden, the morning serene before you, sky settling into darker shades of Blue. The waves of the ocean can be heard from where you stand and the air feels fresh, clean. You tell her about Jungkook closing his deal, about the night you’d called her in a desperate bout, asking her what to wear. You tell her about Lily. She understands, doesn’t judge when you tell her how jealous you’d felt, how it’d made your blood boil as she threw innuendos at him.
“Oh, I would’ve-,” she looks over at Soori, who blows a raspberry before shoving a piece of egg right into her mouth. “She would’ve heard a number from me, certainly.”
“What can I say, though? Yeah, Lily. Don’t flirt with my- my boss! Who I have romantic feelings for because he talks to me so very sweetly and he,” you look down at Soori. “He is really good at… frolicking me.”
She lets out a loud laugh, hand covering her mouth as she’s mid bite. “Fair enough. Ugh!”
You laugh a little, too. Your heart finding respite in your best friend. “I know. So annoying.”
“I mean, he is quite handsome, ___.”
“Yeah. I never wanted to get a paper bag over his head more.”
She chuckles at your words, shaking her head before she’s sighing for what feels like the millionth time today. “Then what happened?”
You look up at her, bringing your iced coffee to your lips and taking a sip.
“We frolicked.”
“___! What is it with this vicious cycle you’re in?”
“I don’t know! It just keeps happening! In my defense, he just… frolicked me with his-,” you point at your tongue. “That’s all we did.”
“That is not the feminist act you think it is.”
You chuckle. “Trust me, I know.”
“But then again, I can’t blame you.”
“You should.”
“I would never.”
You smile at her. It’s almost funny, the way your chest feels a little lighter, the way you can laugh through it all, even as you walk down memory lane on some of the saddest days of your life. Lucy was magic.
“I was emotionally hungover the next day. All I could think about was how I was standing under Ira’s shadow. How maybe… I don’t know, he’d never be able to love me the way he loved her.”
“I get that. I mean, those are some big shoes to fill. And it has nothing to do with you. It’s more so all the years they spent together, everything they went through, you know,” she nods in Soori’s direction, “the whole ass child they had together.”
“Yeah,” you sigh.
“So… what exactly happened yesterday? You were in pretty bad shape.”
You tell her about Mingyu. About what Jungkook said to you. She flinches, eyes squinting as she viscerally reacts to his low blow.
“Ouch.”
“Yeah. Ouch.”
“So much to unpack here.”
“Good luck trying.”
“I mean, he was jealous. Dare I say, he is jealous. And I mean, I can almost understand him. Not saying you did anything wrong, but he did walk inside his kitchen and there you were, drinking peppermint tea with his friend, wearing his navy blue Ralph Lauren sweater!”
“It was bad judgment on my part, I can admit. But also, I didn’t mean for it to mean anything. I was just… cold. And dumb.”
“You are not dumb. He’s dumb! Because if he would’ve been aware of you, if he got his head of out his ass then he would’ve been the one drinking peppermint tea with you and you would’ve been wearing his navy blue Ralph Lauren sweater. I bet you they have the same one.”
Her words make you laugh. “His words sure did sting, though.”
“Duh, no wonder. He was a bit brutal.”
“Like, does he really think I would do something like that?”
“And what if you did? I mean, ethically speaking, flirting with your boss’ friend is wrong. But, flirting with… a guy. At a BBQ? What’s wrong with that!”
“He’s his friend, Lucy.”
“And that’s what he gets for not making it exclusive and going back and forth with his little boy feelings! Playing with yours in the process!”
“It’s more complicated than that,” you defend.
“___,” she huffs, taking your hand in hers and looking into your eyes. “You are in a situationship.”
“Oh, God,” you gasp.
“With a grown ass man. A twenty eight year old male Paris Hilton.” You store that remark for when you need a laugh in the future, right now you’re too busy digesting her words. “Who also happens to be your boss. The person that puts food in your plate.”
“I know!”
“Yeah!”
“God!”
“Christ, even!”
“Fuck.” you whisper.
“I take it you guys didn’t really talk about what happened last night, you just got to… frolicking?”
“Yeah.” You lower your head in shame. “I just- I told myself that it was going to be the last time. That I’d confront him today- well, confront is a big word. I don’t want to fight. I don’t want to make this any harder than it already is. Plus, I have to think about Soori. I can’t leave her. We’re just gonna have to learn how to be civil about all of this.”
“So you’re breaking up with him?” She sounds surprised. You frown.
“Breaking up is a big word for Elmo. We are not together.”
She decides to store your remark for a future laugh, she’s too busy digesting your words right now. “Just like that?”
“Just like what, Lu? I mean, what else is there? I- I pour my heart out to him. I tell him I love him. I give him all the time in the world for him to say it back. Say anything back! And nothing. He doesn’t love me. And it’s hurting me, Lucy. It’s hurting me so bad. The uncertainty, the hiding, the back and forth. I don’t think I can take it any longer.”
Lucy takes it all in. Sees the pain in your eyes, hears the desperation in your words. She feels it, too. Not just because she’s your best friend, and truly, genuinely believes you guys are connected through celestial magic, but also because she knew the feeling a little too well. The heart ache, the restless feeling that takes over you when love isn’t reciprocated, the anxiety of it all. She knows what it feels like to be so close to giving up.
“You’re right,” she says. “You’re right, ___. You don’t deserve any of it. You don’t deserve having to sit through the uncertainty, you don’t deserve to be with someone that keeps you a secret. You don’t deserve to feel any of what you’ve felt in these past couple of weeks.” Her saying the words back to you hurt more than you uttering them, and it makes you realize that you were perhaps hoping she’d say the opposite. “It must’ve been horrible – to bare your heart out to him like that and not hearing it back. It must’ve been horrible to have to see him every day. For him to be completely oblivious towards your feelings.”
“Yeah.” Your words are faint, barely there.
Matter of fact, Lucy knows what it’s like to give up entirely. To completely submit yourself to what you so strongly believe is fate. She thinks of Jimin, a smile forming at her lips like muscle memory at the mere thought of him. She thinks of how deflated her heart felt the day she met him, how her pillow had been silent witness to her tears just the night before after she’d longingly stared at her computer screen, some love story making her crave what she thought could only be found in movies and fairy tales. She’d given up, yes. She’d sworn off men, had encouraged herself to be a little more realistic. To use her logic when it came to romance.
Jimin had dismantled all of that with only five words.
“Hi. I’m Jimin, and you?”
“But I don’t think you’ve tried hard enough.” Her words make you flinch, looking at her with confusion, feeling a little defensive from the get go. “Listen to me. Yes, you did the big, brave thing. You told him you loved him, you sat through the dismissal his words provoked, you cried all the tears and sang along to all the sad songs in the world. You probably watched Pride and Prejudice a couple of times, too.” It frightens you a little, how she knows you so well. “And that’s all valid. And honestly, fuck him for making you feel like that. I hope he steps on a lego, like, every day for the rest of his life. But also,” she pauses for a bit, leaning closer to you. “You didn’t talk to him. You didn’t tell him any of this that you’re telling me. Yes, he’s oblivious, but your silence basically encouraged it. Yes, he’s dense but you didn’t open up to him enough so as to know if it’s coming out of malice. Which, frankly, I don’t believe. As much as he is not on my good graces right now,” she rolls her eyes, “I don’t think he meant to… hurt you.”
“I know, but-” you don’t know, actually. Your silence proving that much and so she continues.
“That day… when he showed up at our door, I didn’t know what was happening. All I knew was that my best friend was in bed, feeling sad, and wouldn’t tell me why. And then I opened the door, and there he was, looking all… sad. I almost wanted to slam the door on his face because I knew he was the reason, it all made sense to me right then and there. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t because he looked like he knew he’d… lost something. Something he wasn’t quite sure he could get back. He looked scared. And so I let him in.”
“He did a shitty thing that day.”
“I know. It was very shitty. I truly hope the legos aren’t upside down. But,” she takes a breath, collecting her words for a second. “I guess, ever since that day I’ve been trying to decipher him. To decipher what he feels for you. It’s quite hard since, you know, you guys have to hide from the world or whatever. So I’ve taken to just… observing him. I’ve taken to looking at him when he’s looking at you. You barely notice, and I’m almost glad you don’t. I feel like if you would you’d break the little magic the moment holds. Maybe he’d shy away from the way his eyes get all shiny and he smiles in a way that lets me know he’s not really aware of it. And so a part of me is relieved, because I know that whatever it is, the feeling is pure. I went up to your bedroom yesterday because when I looked at him… he looked just the way he had that day in our front door.”
“Do you think he loves me?”
Lucy’s heart breaks a little when you ask her, ever so faintly, a question that she doesn’t think she can answer. But nonetheless, she smiles, taking your hand in hers.
“I don’t know. I don’t know if he loves you, ___. I don’t even know that he knows. Or that he can even become aware of it after all he’s been through. All I know is that you haven’t tried hard enough to figure it out. And it should never take a toll on your heart. It should never break you the way it did. But also, I think the reason why it did is because you had to carry the weight of it alone. I think… I think he would’ve at least been willing to help.”
“I don’t know, Lu…”
“Yeah. You don’t. Nobody knows. That’s the tricky side of it all. The one we run from the most because it means that we have to be even more vulnerable. Because we know we’re risking even worse of a heart break. But, could you live with yourself knowing you didn’t at least try? And I mean, really tried.”
“No.” The words come out of you before you can even think her question through.
“Then you owe yourself at least that. Not him, not even my sappy, romantic self. You.”
You smile at her, lacing your fingers through hers. “What if I try and I’d been right all along?”
“Then I’ll be here. We’ll sing Chappell Roan together and I’ll make sure to scatter the legos all over his house myself.” Her face grows proud as she says this.
You laugh. “I love you.”
“I love you.”
Soori shrieks, making you both turn, laughing at her reaction. You walk over to her, taking her in your arms as you kiss her, swaying from side to side. She whines a little bit, voice muffled with the way you squeeze her cheeks with your kisses.
“You’ll grow up and have the bestest friend ever, too, Soo Soo.”
Lucy looks at the two of you, can feel the way you radiate love. The way your whole face lights up as she brings her little chubby hand to your cheek, shrieking in excitement at your words that she doesn’t even understand, but that are coming from you. In that moment, she knows she’d given you the right advice. She knows it. She sees it.
From where she stands, the future paints itself rosy shades of pink.
~
You feel your heart slowly mending itself, regaining its strength as the minutes pass and you bask in the sun, in Lucy’s words of comfort and her wise advice. In Soori’s little antics as the two of you play with her, letting her dip her toes in the water on the shallow end of the pool. You lather her body in sunblock and Lucy laughs at the white patches you intentionally leave on her cheeks.
“She’s the most sensitive there,” you defend, running the lotion down her arms.
“Okay, mommy.”
“This is my job, you know? Keeping the baby safe,” you mock defensiveness.
“Oh, please. Get so very real right now, ___.”
“I am,” you laugh. “Although I will admit I do happen to love keeping the baby safe.”
She takes Soori in her arms, letting her splash about with her feet as she places her between her legs. “It’s okay, Soori. I’m the fun auntie.”
You look at them, a smile on your face as you revel in Soori’s sounds of excitement and Lucy’s tender nature towards her. You love seeing everyone melt for her, give her love and attention.
“Ah, there you guys are!”
The three of you turn around, a smiling, pyjama-clad Jimin walking towards you.
“Good morning, babe!” Lucy waves at him, bringing Soori’s little arm up, making her wave, too.
“Hi,” you say, a little shyly, all things considered.
“Good morning, ladies. Good morning, princess Soori.” He kisses Lucy’s lips, then Soori’s forehead.
“How’d you sleep,” Lucy asks him.
“Good. Would’ve been better if I hadn’t woken up to an empty bed.”
“Sorry! Got hungry. Needed breakfast real bad.”
“You guys had breakfast already?”
“We’re on baby time,” you say, looking down at Soori whose arms are reaching out for Jimin.
“Come here, baby,” he says, picking her up.
“Gahhhh, my ovaries!” Lucy’s cries are dramatic as she throws her body back, falling on the grass, making you chuckle and raise your eyebrows at her.
“Anytime, babe. I keep telling ya,” is all Jimin says, making you widen your eyes in shock.
“Quit saying that, oh my God,” she whines.
“Mr Jeon Jungkook has been looking everywhere for you,” he looks at Soori, looking at you next, “and you.”
“Oh, he’s awake?”
“Yup. I heard he had a long night,” he says, a little smirk forming at his lips. Your blush is so evident it actually makes him feel bad.
“Jimin! Leave her alone,” Lucy says, coming to her feet.
He laughs, throwing his head back. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
“I’m gonna…,” you point towards the house, ready to make your exit.
“You may be excused.” Jimin’s words earn him a scowl from his girlfriend, which humors him further.
When you make your way back inside the house, you see Jungkook as he enters the living room. Eyes swollen, groggy with sleep, running a hand through his hair to try to fix his bedhead. And as much as your heart aches at the sight of him still, you also can’t help but smile, still in the high Lucy’s words had left you in.
“Hey,” you say, making him look at you. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” he walks towards you, hand reaching for yours, holding it for a second, squeezing before he’s letting go. The act alone is so gentle you think you could cry. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”
You shrug. “Wanted to let you sleep in for a bit.”
“I should’ve let you sleep in.”
You shake your head, smiling at him. “It’s okay. We’ve been having a nice morning. Lucy joined us, we had breakfast outside. They’re by the pool now. I lathered her in sunscreen, don't worry.”
He smiles. “Thank you.”
You look around for a second, finding a door next to the hallway that leads to the kitchen. “What’s in there?”
He follows your line of vision. “A wine cellar.”
“Can we go there? Just for a minute,” you ask, and although your question makes him curious he simply nods, letting you lead the way.
The door gives way to a spiral staircase, a bit narrow and small. You hold onto the railing, a particular yet pleasant smell invading your senses as you begin to descend. It’s woodsy, a little musky and fruity. It’s a bit chilly, too.
“You’re really into wine,” you tell him, eyeing the many shelves stacked with bottles of all kind. White, red, pink, a couple of bottles of champagne.
“Yeah,” he says, looking around, too. “I guess I’ve become my father.”
You laugh. “I like that about you.”
“What? That I’ve become my father?”
“No!” you say and he laughs at your reaction. “That you know a lot about wines.”
“Hm,” he hums, grabbing you by the waist and bringing you closer. “I can teach you if you want.”
“Go on.”
“Okay, so, the temperature in this room remains at a perfect 12 degrees celsius at all times. This prevents the wine from oxidizing,” his words falter a bit as you bring your hands to his hair, fingers massaging his scalp gently as you listen intently. “The cooling system is quite particular because it keeps the humidity in the air at a steady 60%. The temperature the wine is stored in really affects the complexity and balance of the-,” he groans in satisfaction as your fingers hit a particularly sensitive spot. “Wine.”
“Jungkook,” you look up at him, eyes dreamy and hazy.
“___,” his voice hold the same nature.
“Can you kiss me? Can,” you sigh, “can we kiss, a little, right now?”
“Yeah, baby. We can kiss a little right now.”
Your eyes lock on his, blinking slowly as you take in the way he takes you in. His eyes are shiny, and they smile before his lips do. You close your eyes, falling into him a bit before he’s catching you with his lips on yours. His hand comes up to your cheek, fingers snaking through your locks of hair as he brings you closer, sighing against your mouth. Your arms wrap around his waist, hands coming up inside his shirt, his skin warm at your touch. His teeth close around your bottom lip and you give him full access to your mouth, tongue meeting his, but it’s ever so slow. Tender, almost.
It sort of dawns on him right then and there, something he’d been missing from you, making him realize that this is the most he’s gotten of you in a while. And he doesn’t mean your body, or your touch, or a kiss. No. He means the way you fall into him, the way you look at him, the way you ask him for affection in that way that he loves, so supple and pliant, almost shy. The way you hug him to you feels different, only there’s nothing different about it, it’s just been a long time. Jungkook can’t make much of it, mind too wrapped around your lips, just like his mouth, but it doesn’t miss him, how much he’s missed you and how suddenly the realization hits.
“You want breakfast?” you part your lips from his and he pouts with his eyes still closed.
“I was in the middle of it.”
You laugh, shoving him playfully. “We can’t hide in the wine cellar forever.”
“All I need is, like,” he presses his hips against yours, “twenty minutes.”
You gasp. “Jungkook!”
“I just woke up! You took advantage of my vulnerable state.”
You roll your eyes. “I just wanted to kiss you a little.”
“Fine,” he huffs, mocking annoyance, the frown between his eyebrows falling when you put your lips on his one last time.
Perhaps you’re playing with fire. Perhaps you’re stalling, buying yourself time before you have to put your plan in action, before you have to do the real hard work, thread the words needed to do it all. The courage, too. Perhaps you’re savoring the moment just in case this is your last. You try not to think about it too much, staying in the bliss you just put yourself in. You decide you’ll tell him once you’re both back from the beach. On tuesday, when he comes home from work. You’ll have time to craft a sensible plan, find the right words, benefit from Lucy’s sound advice a little longer.
Yes. Tuesday it is.
“What are the plans for today?” you ask as you make your way up the stairs.
“Pool party, burgers and, me personally, winning every game of Badminton.”
You laugh, nodding your head slowly. “I’ll be rooting for you.”
“Aw,” he coos. “My little cheerleader.”
“I can hear your thoughts, Jeon.”
“I can see you in a mini skirt, ___.”
“Hey, I might. Just for you,” you say, looking back at him as you make your way to the kitchen.
“Ah, you spoil me.”
You turn around, pointing a finger at him. “That’s true actually.”
“That’s true actually,” he mimics your voice when he says this, making you shove him playfully and open your mouth in shock.
“Dada!” Soori’s sweet voice makes him turn around, a big smile on his face as she enters the living room in Jimin’s arms.
“There you are, my little princess!” She falls into his arms the moment he’s close enough for her to, wrapping her chubby arms around his neck. “Aw, thank you, baby. You’re so sweet. Good morning.”
“Nana,” she says, pointing at you. Lucy and Jimin smile, although you don’t notice, too hyper fixated on Soori.
“You wanna go with Nana?” Jungkook leans over towards you, handing her over before he’s pulling away playfully. She whines. “Alright, alright. I’m sorry,” he says, laughing.
“Come here,” you tell her, arms outstretched and she falls into them swiftly. She giggles some, clapping two times before she’s turning back to Jungkook, shooting grabby hands at him.
“That’s what I thought.” He takes her into his arms.
You gasp, feigning offense. “Traitor!”
“You guys are cute.” Jimin voices his thoughts out loud, unable to contain them as he takes the sweet scene in. He doesn’t voice how happy it makes him, though. He doesn’t tell you guys that seeing the three of you together like that makes him feel like he’d found the last piece of the puzzle – one he couldn’t when Ira was around and his expectations of seeing his best friend in a loving family dynamic sort of tumbled when she wouldn’t play her part.
Jungkook looks over at him, smiling as he bounces Soori in his arms, whose already looking at you like she’s about to betray him this time. He smiles, silently agreeing with his friend, almost as if he understood what he was thinking. Almost like he was feeling it, too.
~
“A tankini? Really, ___?”
“It’s cute! Plus, it’s appropriate for the job. Soori tends to tug at my clothes at times, I can’t wear a bikini.”
“No, no. I get that much,” Lucy says, “but a tankini?”
“It was on sale!”
“You get away with too much by being drop dead gorgeous and having the face of an angel.”
“Your compliments won’t make me want to wear my tankini any less.”
“I beg of you, don’t wear the tankini.”
“But it’s pink,” you protest, spirit a bit deflated although you know she’s kind of right.
“May I?” She points at your suitcase and you nod, plopping down on the bed a little dramatically. “Okay, I see the potential,” she says, throwing shirts and dresses around. “This!” She holds a white strapless one piece swimsuit. It’s one of your favorites – simple but cute.
“That one gives me a wedgie.”
“Something’s got to give!” She throws the bathing suit at you. “Also, don’t blame the swimsuit blame your thiccy.”
“Did you just call my ass thiccy?”
“Yeah, I got it from Jimin.”
“Ew,” you say, looking at her. “Ew.”
“Here,” she says, throwing an oversized blue button up shirt your way.
“What about pants?”
“Use that as a dress!” You’re about to protest, “and that’s final.”
You throw a firm nod her way. The shirt was long enough to pass as semi-modest so you opt out of protesting.
“So,” she says, sitting on the spot you’d left empty on the bed as you begin to change. “Have you decided about when to talk to him?”
“Yeah,” you say, pulling the bathing suit up your body. “Tuesday. Tuesday after he comes home from work. I’ll have it all perfectly rehearsed in my head.”
Lucy smiles. “That’s good. The both of you will be well rested after this weekend and you’ll be able to have a sensible talk.”
“Yeah, exactly!”
“Do try to, you know, sleep at night.”
“Shut up. I’m feeling fine! Running on caffeine and adrenaline, but fine.”
She laughs. “Ready?”
“Ready!”
“Let’s go.”
“Wait,” you say, making her turn around, confused. She lets out a nod of understanding when she sees you grabbing Mingyu’s sweater, which you’d neatly folded to give back to him.
“Everything’s gonna be okay,” she reassures. “It’s gonna be a good day!”
“God willing, Lucy Lu. God willing.”
You sigh, giving yourself a little pep talk for courage before you exit the room, ready to take on the day.
~
The rest of the morning, as well as the beginning of the afternoon, had really catered to your inner child. Yes, it was your job to take care of Soori but the rest of the kids seemed to love you just as much and so your hands had been full. You’d swam in the pool with them, built sandcastles, played mermaids and even had a little water balloon fight that seemed to interest both the children and the adults alike. By the time noon hit and Jungkook and Taehyung were starting to roll the burgers around, you’d been convinced to sit at the kid’s table. Which wasn’t a table per say, as they’d wanted to have a little picnic and so you’d found yourself sitting on one of the many beach towels they’d retrieved from inside to make their own picnic blanket.
It’d been sweet and fun, exactly what you needed after having to walk down memory lane this morning. And in a way, it added to the lighthearted mood you’d ended up your talk with Lucy in. Kids were easy – well, kids came easy to you. You found them to be less complex than people gave them credit for. They were easily entertained as long as you were willing to step inside their little world, which at times played out to be more entertaining than your own.
By the time 3 p.m. rolled around you could start feeling the shift in atmosphere, though. They were exhausted, you included, as a sleepy Soori fuzzed about in your arms.
“I think it’s time for a nap, kiddos,” Mai says, her words followed by whines of protest from the kids.
Sun acts as the voice of reason, though, as she says, “but can we keep playing afterwards, auntie Mai?” she pleads, turning to you, “will you still play with us after nap time, ___? Pleeeeease.”
“Of course,” you tell her, free hand caressing her hair. “Plus, it’d be funner then because you guys will have more energy.”
“I am a little tired,” Dae says, his Rs running a bit, making him sound ten times more adorable.
“See? We all need a nap. You guys can go inside the play room and make it a little mid-day pj party, how about that?” Mai’s idea comes as a success, the kids jumping with excitement, some even hugging her. She turns to you, voice a whisper when she says, “I’m kinda badass at this.”
Your lips form a pout and you nod at her. “You are.”
She smiles at you before she’s officially on nap duty, gathering all the kids and bringing them inside the house. You bounce Soori in your arms, her eyes half closed already, head wobbly as she fights to stay awake. You give her a kiss on the cheek, making your way to the sunbeds where the boys are drinking beers and talking about some game they’d watched the night prior, the team scoring the winning goal only three minutes before the game was over.
“___!” Jin says the moment he sees you, making them all turn their heads in your direction. “Aren’t you god sent? I think my kids like you more than me today.”
“My kid likes her more than me at least once a week,” Taehyung says, smiling at you.
“Thank you, thank you. I do birthdays, weddings, baptisms.” You say, making them all roar out in laughter.
“You do have that midas touch when it comes to kids, ___.” Hobi tells you, leaning back and taking a sip of his beer.
“I probably enjoyed that more than they did.” You smile, feeling a bit shy under their praise.
Jungkook smiles, feigning a casual front as he takes a sip of his beer, eyes on you. Wet hair, a little ruffled from the day’s activities. A big blue shirt that’s mostly wet, too, and that bathing suit that as modest as he knows you tried to aim for, does very little to keep him away from what he knows is underneath. Your cheeks are officially crimson and your body golden. He can’t help it when his eyes travel down, the softness of your skin drawing him in. You’re nothing if not perfect and if he were to reach out, he could run his hand down your leg. Not sexually, per say. Just… touch. Touch so as to let you know what he thinks. What he feels.
He composes himself for a second before his eyes are on Soori. “She ready for a nap?”
“Yup.” You nod at him, looking at Soori under your nose. She smiles and when you follow her line of vision you see that it’s Yoongi and his silly faces that pull it out of her. “I can go put her down, if you want.”
“No, let’s go together,” he says, standing up, coming down to kiss her chubby cheek. He turns to his friends one last time, bowing before saying, “gentlemen, I’ll be back. Take this time to decide who’s ass I’m beating next in Badminton.”
As you turn around and walk towards the house, you can’t help but laugh at the remarks that follow, his friends absolutely going ham on him, all lighthearted blows he opts to ignore with a chuckle of his own.
“You’re like the meme of the girl standing in front of the burning house.”
He looks at you, frowning in confusion. “Excuse me, what?”
“Oh my God, you’ve never seen the meme of the girl standing in front of the burning house?”
“No, but that sounds horrible. Was she okay?” You laugh as you turn to him, noticing the way real concern laces his features.
“It’s funny! It’s like a cult favorite, too. I’m pretty sure it’s been around for a while. Like back in the 9GAG days. You know, B.C.” You smirk his way, not missing the way he rolls his eyes at you.
“Hey, I loved 9GAG. It was funny.”
“Of course you did.”
You step inside the house, walking in front of him and laughing when he pauses in his steps and says, “what’s wrong with 9GAG?”
“Nothing,” you tell him, smiling and dragging him upstairs by the arm. “It’s always an honor to be in the presence of people that have witnessed history.”
“Shut the fuck up,” he tells you, chuckling at your little bout of wittiness.
You make it inside of Soori’s nursery, promptly changing her diaper and getting her into a pair of dry pyjamas. She falls asleep halfway into this, making you both laugh and bask in a quiet satisfaction at realizing just how much fun she’d been having. When you put her in her crib, you take a second to just look at her, neither of you saying much, simply taking her in.
“She’s perfect, huh,” you whisper.
“She’s so perfect,” he whispers back.
Jungkook smiles at her before turning to you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders and kissing your cheek. It all feels… domestic. Tender, lovely and sweet. The knot in your stomach that’d been growing bigger and bigger for the past couple of weeks begins to break, slowly, releasing a small army of butterflies that seem to both excite and calm your nerves. You kiss his cheek, basking in the bliss his proximity brings.
“Let’s go back,” you tell him, “you have asses to kick.”
He smiles, lips coming to yours in a quick peck. “You should relax. Drink some wine with the girls, get some sun.”
“If I have one sip of wine and lay by the sun I’ll probably end up like her,” you say, looking down at Soori.
“Do it, baby. I got her.”
The knot breaks entirely, wings fluttering violently as they’re freed after so long.
You’re in love.
~
You’d taken Jungkook’s advice, laying on the sunbeds with the girls, glass of wine in hand as you snack on the fruit platter Mai and Seulgi had prepared. You’d even fallen asleep for all of fifteen minutes, which had recharged your battery more than you’d originally thought. You’d think it’d be quieter with all the kids sleeping, but the boys and their very serious game of Badminton kept the ambiance just as loud as before. At one point, you’d all taken the roles of spectators and cheerleaders, rooting for your competitor of choice. Jungkook won, yet again, and you didn’t miss the smile he shot your way, overly confident in his skills. Overly confident in his ability to pull reactions out of you. This one in particular he’d found adorable, seeing the way you flustered at his actions, hiding your face in your hands for a second before you went back to feigning nonchalance.
Now you were all scattered around. Some in the pool, some by the beach, a couple of you still in the sunbeds, soft music playing from the speakers. It was rather blissful, if you were being honest.
You’re in the middle of small, lazy talk with Mai when you suddenly remember,
“Oh, I have to get Soori’s swimming diapers. She ran out but Jungkook said he had spare ones somewhere…”
“Oh, yeah,” Mai says, “he keeps them in the pool house. Go inside the bathroom, they should be in one of the drawers.”
You smile at her, thanking her before you’re making your way to the small, white house that sat at the end of the big backyard. Making your way inside you see that it’s mostly for storage. Floaties, surfboards, spare sunbeds. You notice that the door to the bathroom is open slightly, but don’t make much of it as you walk towards it. Both you and Jungkook let out a loud scream when he appears by the door frame.
“Holy fuck.” You whisper yell, hand on your mouth.
“You scared the living shit out of me.” His own hand comes to his chest, leaning against the counter and steadying his breathing.
“Me? You scared the living shit out of me! Why are you in there with the lights off like a crazy person?”
“Why didn’t you turn the lights on when you came in like a normal person?”
You both stare at each other for a second too long before you’re breaking out in laughter.
“I came to get Soori’s diapers,” you tell him, mid-chuckle.
He raises his hand, showing you a handful of diapers. “Me too.”
“Ah,” you say, walking closer to him. “Great minds think alike.”
“Mhm,” he leans against the counter once again as you stand in front of him. “My heart’s beating so fast, dude.”
You laugh. “You’re so dramatic, dude.”
“Hey, you can’t dude me.”
You roll your eyes at him playfully. “Fine. You’re so dramatic, Jungkookie.”
“I’m not! Look,” he takes your hand in his, bringing it to his bare chest and placing it over his heart. He’s still wet from the pool, skin warm from the sun. His heart is beating a little irregularly, you must admit.
“I’m sorry,” you say, adding to the drama of it all as your voice grows soft. “I’ll put a bell around my neck the next time so I don’t startle you.”
“Ha ha, funny.”
“Oh, I am.”
You can’t explain it, but the air shifts around you. Jungkook can’t explain it either, but he welcomes it.
“Yeah?”
You smile, cheeks growing red for whatever reason. Or perhaps for all the right reasons. He can dismantle you with a few words and that’s one your favorites by far.
“Yeah,” you breathe, eyes growing heavy as his own look into yours. In a matter of seconds they’re landing on your lips. And then he’s kissing you.
The kiss holds the same nature this morning’s had, perhaps a little less playful. A little more intentional. Like you’re both finding a means to an end just so you can bask in the journey of getting there. When you sigh into his lips, Jungkook brings you closer, hand on your cheek as he parts your lips with his tongue. The kiss grows heady, your fingers carding through his wet locks and his hands land on your waist, squeezing some before he’s turning you around until you’re leaning on the counter. The swiftness with which he handles your body has a moan escaping your lips and he feels the way you smile against his mouth. He pushes his hips into yours, drunk on you already, determined to pull those little sounds out of you.
“Wait,” you say, parting your lips from his, laughing a little when you see his flustered state, lips red and swollen in his signature pout. “What if someone walks in?” He smiles, eyes not leaving yours as he leans to the side and closes the door, locking it in a beat. He’s about to kiss you again but you interrupt him. “Soori?”
“Baby monitor in my back pocket.” He kisses you. “We’ve got like, twenty minutes give or take.”
You laugh, kissing him back, arms wrapping around his neck as you breathe into the kiss in giddy anticipation. “Think you can make me cum in twenty minutes give or take?”
He pulls away, but it’s only an inch. He scowls, a smile on his lips that takes your breath away. “Is that a challenge?”
The air shifts yet again, air growing dense this time. “Yeah,” is all you can muster.
“What do I get?”
You hum, pretending you’re deep in thought. “Me?”
“I’ll do it in ten.”
You laugh, sweet music to his ears and his smile meets yours in a kiss. It’s deeper this time, grows sloppy soon enough and Jungkook wastes no time as his hand cups your tits over your bathing suit, grunting a bit at the fabric getting in the way before he’s pulling it down in one swift movement. He brings his mouth to your nipple, expert little sucks that have you throwing your head back as your fingers pull at his hair. You lean back, head hitting the mirror as your breathing grows heavier. When you come back up, you push him back with a hand to his chest as you come to stand in front of him. You erase the frown from his face the moment he sees the way you roll the white fabric of your swimsuit down your legs, leaning back against the counter.
“Better than the mini skirt,” he says, towering over you as he pushes his hands against the counter.
You bite your lip, smiling at him with dark eyes before you’re turning around, your hands falling in front of you, tits pressing together as you push your ass back against him. You look at his reflection on the mirror, giggle a bit when you catch him staring, lust filled eyes scanning over your body.
“Like what you see?” your voice is teasing, cocky even, and it comes to no surprise when Jungkook’s firm hand comes to your waist, holding you in place before he delivers a hard smack to your ass. The pain translates to pleasure in a brief yet delicious second, eyes closing as you moan and bring your body forward. His hand lingers for a while, softer this time as he caresses the warm skin before his fingers travel south, parting your slit and drawing lazy circles against your clit.
“You’re so wet, baby.”
“Fuck, I am,” you pant, head lolling forward as you breathe into his touch.
“You’re a little brat today,” he says, matter of factly, staring at your reflection in the mirror as his fingers expertly pull little moans from your lips.
You look up at him, fucked out eyes pleading, “need you inside me.”
“Yeah, baby?”
“Yes,” your words get caught up in a whiny moan when he pushes two fingers inside of you. “Please.”
“That’s more like it. So pretty when you ask nicely.”
His eyes don't leave yours and you see the way he pushes his swim shorts down slightly, wrapping a hand around his cock before he’s lining himself against your entrance. He teases your hole with the head, smirking at the way you squirm in his hold at the mere action. He wishes he could tease you further, but Jungkook’s time is limited and he knows that much. He pushes his cock inside of you, gasping when he bottoms out. His hips pick up the pace right away, wasting no time as he starts fucking you the way he does when all he wants is to make you cum, perfectly angled so he hits all the right places repeatedly.
“Fuck, that feels so good, baby,” you mumble, words breaking at the intensity of his thrusts. You close your eyes, try to steady your breathing out but he has other plans as his hand wraps around your neck, pulling you up some as his fingers close around your throat.
“Keep your eyes open.”
He looks at you through the reflection in the mirror, takes you in as he fucks you, a low groan escaping his lips when he feels you clench around him. His face contorts in pleasure, a grin pulling at his lips when he realizes you’re already close. The hand that wraps around your throat tightens, applying more pressure at the flesh, making you feel a bit lightheaded in the most perfect way, aiding to the way your senses zero in on him and the way he makes you feel. You know you’re close the moment your tummy tenses, his cock massaging your g-spot with each push and pull of his hips.
“Oh my God,” you breathe out, hand clasping around his own as you make him press harder. “Don’t stop.”
He moans at your actions, at the way you beg for more with your body when your words fail. He keeps that exact pace up, thumb and middle finger pressing into your throat a bit deeper, just the right amount to have your eyes rolling to the back of your head and your body falling back into him, head on his shoulder as you cum around his cock with a silent moan. The sight before him feels straight out of the craziest of his wet dreams and it makes his cock throb inside of you as your walls milk him through your orgasm.
Your body shakes a bit as you fall on top of the counter, your hand coming to his hip to get him to stop moving for a second as you cringe a bit in overstimulation.
“Victory is sweet,” he says, bringing his hand to your back, fingers running down your spine in a soothing manner.
You smile at him. “I was confident all along. Just needed an excuse to get you to fuck me.”
“Aw, baby. All you had to do was ask.”
He pulls your body up, hands on your hips as he turns you around and sits you back on the counter. He lets out a low grunt when he pushes his cock back inside you, your pussy pulling him in right away and he knows he won’t last long.
“Fuck, you feel so good.”
You giggle, brains completely fucked out before you say, “we’re having a quickie in the bathroom.”
Jungkook scoffs, hands closing around your tits, hips thrusting into you slower, letting himself enjoy it. His head falls, eyes fixed on the way his cock pushes inside of you, moaning at the sight alone. His gaze travels up, taking you in. It’s so hot inside the bathroom he can feel the way his body sticks to yours every time he fucks into you. A single drop of sweat falls from your chest, traveling between your tits before it lands on your navel. His eyes close in a mix of bliss, disbelief and pleasure.
“You’re so sexy, baby. Shit, I’m so close.”
“Cum for me, Kook. Need it so bad.”
Your arms wrap around his neck, bringing him closer to you as you kiss him, lips locked in his as he breathes out into the kiss, little whines leaving him as he lets himself fall into the feeling completely. You become conscious of him, let yourself enjoy him in this state, when he’s so close to letting go he grows a little desperate, hands all over yours, needy sounds passing his lips, hips lazily moving into you.
“Fuck, I’m gonna cum,” he says against your lips, pulling away so he can bury his head down the crook of your neck. He gets carried away – too carried away. His cock throbs inside of you, hips slowing down their pace as his body tenses for a second. He’s about to let himself relax, let himself cum, and it’s then that he realizes he’s still inside of you. “Fuck.” he looks down, pulling out and wrapping a hand around his cock, pumping once before he’s cumming on your leg. You bring a hand to your mouth when you notice, trying to muffle your laughter. “Shit, that was close.”
“Yeah,” you say, bringing his face to yours. “Got carried away?”
“Yeah. Completely let go of the principles of conception for a good minute.”
You laugh. “No conception would’ve taken place. It would’ve been a creampie at the max.”
“Don’t say the word creampie, my dick just jumped and we can’t go again.”
“You’re such a boy,” you say, bringing your lips to his.
“I’m a man,” he protests, words muffled by your kiss.
“Mm, yeah you are. You’re also a daddy so let’s get those diapers inside.”
“Don’t say the D-word, my dick just jumped for real and we really can’t go again.”
“Oh my God. You’re so filthy minded!”
You push him off of you playfully, pulling his shorts up before you’re doing the same with your previously discarded swimsuit, jumping a bit as you roll it past your ass. Jungkook smirks at your struggle.
“Mmmm,” he hums. “Do that again.”
“Have I ever told you you’re an ass man?”
“I’m a you man, baby.”
“Shut up.”
“Shut me up.”
“Oh my God!”
You both laugh at your flustered state that only seems to edge him on further, but it’s short lived. Your hands land on the door knob of the pool house at the same time, making you giggle before your smiles are falling as you realize that you’re about to do the walk of shame and have no idea how to get out of it.
“Shit,” you say.
“Shit, indeed,” he says back.
~
To your fortune, the walk of shame isn’t that bad. It isn’t bad at all, actually. The kids had woken up from their naps and had everyone’s attention so nobody noticed your absence much. To your misfortune (and Jungkook’s) it doesn’t take you long to realize that Mingyu keeps Dae entertained as they play around with water guns.
Jungkook lets out a big sigh that you don’t miss before he’s clearing his throat and saying, “hey, bro. You made it.”
“Hey,” he says, a little too giddy for his friend’s liking. “Yeah, sorry I’m late. Went on a hike this morning, could barely move afterwards.” He waves at you, a smile on his face.
“Gotta work on that stamina,” Jungkook says, mostly playfully with a little hint of something else.
“You should come with me the next time, we can work on it together,” he bites back, no hint of anything but playfulness in his words.
His eyes land back on yours and you give him a tight lipped smile, taking the diapers from Jungkook’s hands before you’re letting him know that you’re gonna go get Soori. He smiles, feels the need to pull you closer, give you a kiss in front of everyone, take your hand in his. Anything. But he doesn’t. He just nods and then you’re on your way. He doesn’t miss the way his friend’s eyes scan over your body, a stupid smile plastered all over his face that makes his blood boil a little.
You don’t really notice it, though, making your way inside the house and going up the stairs to make it to Soori’s room. She’s awake, jumping a little when she sees you walk inside the room.
“Hi, baby,” you coo. “Did you have a good nap? Are you ready to keep having fun?”
“Nana,” she whines, making grabby hands at you.
“Come here.” You get her out of the crib, taking her to her changing table before you’re getting her swimming diapers on and putting her in a clean swimsuit with cute daisies printed all over it. “You’re so cute.” You kiss her cheeks repeatedly until she gets ticklish, pushing you away as she cackles.
You sit her against your hip before you exit her nursery, walking the long hallways and going down the stairs as you sing her a little song she babbles along to. It’s then that you brave yourself for what you’re about to do, walking inside the kitchen, quickly finding Mingyu’s sweater that you’d left on top of the breakfast table this morning. It’ll be quick and harmless. You’ll just hand it over to him, thank him and go about your business.
It’s a good plan. A great plan even. It’s also a plan that crashes down before it can even take off as you see him make his way inside the kitchen.
“And so we meet again.” He smiles when he sees you, looking down at Soori and smiling even wider.
“Hey,” you say, a bit nervously.
“Came to get some beers, the boys are out.” He walks closer to you, hand coming down to rest on top of Soori’s head as he caresses her hair softly. “Hi Soo Soo.” She smiles, falling into his arms as quickly as he reaches them out towards her. It’s in that moment that you realize that he’s closer to Jungkook than you’d originally thought. He has to be if Soori’s this comfortable around him.
“Thank you,” you say, passing his sweater over to him.
“No worries. Sure you don’t wanna keep it? It’s gonna be just as chilly tonight.”
“No, that’s okay.”
“You kinda disappeared last night,” he says, bouncing Soori on his hip, looking down at her so as to not have to look at you when he says this.
“Yeah, I was really tired, couldn’t get to bed soon enough.”
“It was nice getting to talk to you. I was looking forward to today… just so we could do it again.” He laughs a little, shaking his head at his words. He doesn’t mind your silence, though. “I was thinking… maybe we could grab a coffee when we’re back in the city?”
“Coffee,” you say, and he can’t tell if it’s a question or a statement.
“Or dinner! Or a movie, or something. Just… hang out. Get to know each other.”
“I’m sorry… I- I don’t think that’s gonna work.”
He smiles. “Yeah, perhaps me asking you this right now isn’t the smartest move, huh?” He looks down at Soori. You’re silent yet again. “Perhaps I’ll leave it up to fate.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps we’ll bump into each other in some random place like the grocery store or in the middle of a really busy street and… I’ll ask you again. And perhaps you’ll say yes.”
You feel bad. You feel bad because as dense as you might be when it comes to receiving attention, you don’t fail to see that he likes you. Genuinely, sincerely likes you. Or at least likes the idea of you enough to want to pursue it further and get to know you.
“Or hey,” he says, making you look into his eyes again. “Maybe I’ll make my own fate.”
~
“Sorry what,” Jungkook’s head turns so fast he’s sure he’s given himself whiplash, grateful to not have taken the sip of beer he’d planned on the moment he started talking because he’s sure he would’ve spat it out.
Mingyu’s idea of making his own fate was… something, to say the least. And so there he was, next to Jungkook as they both started the fire for the grill, asking him to be his wingman.
“I mean, perhaps it was a bit wrong of me to ask her out while she’s on, you know,” he says, looking at Jungkook and pointing at him with the tongs, “the clock and whatnot. But fuck I don’t know. She’s just so-” he sees the way Jungkook looks at him in shock and it makes him chuckle. “Am I making any sense right now?”
“No.”
“Yesterday- we hit it off. But you know, it was casual. We barely got to know each other in a,” he pauses for a second, and every pause makes Jungkook’s blood boil further. “Deeper level. So I tried to not look into it that much. But then I got home and got in bed and all I could think about was her. Like, fuck, I felt eighteen again. She’s so beautiful. She’s so fucking sweet. And so I knew it couldn’t end there. So I just asked her out.”
“When?”
“In the kitchen, when I went to get the beers. She was giving me my sweater back and I thought to myself, might as well.”
“And what did she say,” Jungkook asks.
“She said no. She said she doesn’t think it’s gonna work.” Jungkook lets out a breath he very much knew he was holding. “But I blame myself for that. I mean, I get why she wouldn’t agree to it right now. She’s technically on the clock, like I said, and I get why it could be perceived as inappropriate.”
“Yeah,” Jungkook says, eyes a little lost, quite literally begging for the earth to swallow him.
“But that’s where you come into the picture.”
“How exactly do I come into the picture,” he says, but what he really thinks is, I already am in the picture, dumbass. She’s mine. He also realizes this would be an extremely childish thing of him to say.
“Well, you know, we’ve been friends for so long. You can put in a good word for me, sort of encourage her to-”
“You want me to encourage my nanny into going on a date with my friend?” His words have edge to it but Jungkook doesn’t care anymore, not that Mingyu seems to notice, too caught up in the visions of a future with you he’s formed inside his head.
“Well, when you put it like that it sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen, I get it,” Jungkook scoffs. “But, you know, maybe you could do it in a lighthearted manner. Like, yeah he’s a great guy! You totally deserve to be happy! You know, kinda like… a brotherly figure. Yeah! That’s it!”
“You’re fucking insane.” Now he really doesn’t care that his words have bite to them. And Mingyu’s head is still way up in the clouds for him to notice they do.
He chuckles. “Maybe I am. But she’s…,” his eyes find you in the crowd, “different. She’s special you know?”
Yes, I know, is what Jungkook wants to say. But instead he says nothing.
Mingyu looks back at him. “But hey, I’ll find a way. I’m telling you, man. This was written in the stars. Luck is on my side. Then you can play cupid,” he says, patting his back.
Jungkook laughs faintly. Not because anything’s funny, but because he’s glad the conversation is over.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Sure, I’ll get this started,” Mingyu says, motioning to the grill.
Jungkook tries to stop it, but he can’t help it. He feels the way his heart constricts inside his chest. He’s angry, furious even, but he can’t do anything to release said anger. He had to sit through that conversation and pretend like his friend’s words were only fucked up because he was trying to get with his nanny, not because he was trying to get with his-
Girlfriend.
Jungkook wants to call you his girlfriend but he knows he can’t. He knows he has no right to call you that because you aren’t his girlfriend. Because Taehyung was right – you guys weren’t exclusive. You didn’t owe him anything. Not a title he hadn’t asked for. Nor loyalty. Nothing. If you wanted to, you could very well accept Mingyu’s proposal. He was there, at your disposal, and perhaps even in ways Jungkook hadn’t been. He’d been straightforward with you. Bold, even. Jungkook almost had to admire it. He’d gone up to you and simply… asked you out. Showed interest, shot his shot. He liked you. He liked you and Jungkook knew he liked you in a way that you deserved. The realization sinks into him, a punch that knocks the air out of him as he makes his way through the garden and out into the beach.
He’s so caught up in his own thoughts that he doesn’t notice you noticing him. But you do. You notice the way he talks to Mingyu, see the way his eyes grow darker with each passing second. You see the way he pushes the anger that threatens to leave him away. See the way he makes his way through the garden, steps a bit lost, like he doesn’t know where he’s going. You see the way his face falls with every step until they land in what you can only describe as sadness. The moment he’s out of sight, you excuse yourself from the conversation you’d halfheartedly been in, and go after him.
He faces the ocean, takes in the sun as it begins to set, the air growing colder around him, the breeze making the waves choppier before they break at his feet. His mind is blank now and he’s almost grateful, his thoughts unable to attack him any further. All he can focus on is the sky turning colors and the ache that grows inside his chest.
“Jungkook.”
Your voice is a whisper that gets caught up in the wind and for a second you think he doesn’t hear you, but then he’s turning his head around, eyes on yours as you make your way to him. The sand feels heavy on your feet, almost like it wants to stop you. But once you’re face to face with him he smiles. He smiles and you almost want to buy it but you know it’s not fully there. Nonetheless, you smile back. Your lips pulling up with the same nature as his.
“Hi,” he says, looking at you for what the eternity of a second can hold before his gaze is back to the blue of the sea and the pink of the sky.
“What happened?” You don’t have to pretend like you don’t know something did. You see the way he smiles again, only this time it holds something more. Bitterness, perhaps.
He doesn’t look at you when he says, “Mingyu told me.”
“Told you what?”
“About him asking you out… he really likes you, you know?”
“Jungkook, I’m sorry. I- I said no. I told him-”
“I know,” he says, and it’s soft, holds no anger or resentment. “I guess that I’m just realizing that if you hadn’t said no… I couldn’t really hold it against you.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Your voice grows faint, a silent plea. You want him to look at you.
“I can’t pretend like you owe me anything. And that’s on me, I guess. No- I know. I know it’s on me. And so I guess it’s catching up to me.”
You scoff, turning your face away from his, your own gaze fixated on the sea. The sky paints itself orange. You wrap your arms around your body, shaking your head in disbelief.
“You still don’t get it, do you?”
He’s silent, and for once you welcome it. You don’t think the words you say next could leave you if he weren’t. And although brave, your voice is soft when you say,
“Jungkook, I love you.” You feel it when his eyes are on you. “I love you,” you shrug, a faint laugh leaving your lips. “I love you in the heat of the moment and I love you in the warmth of it. I love you when it’s cold. I love you when it’s freezing, even. I love you. And you don’t get it still. And perhaps I should try and find better words in hopes that you’d understand but I’m afraid that all I have is…,”
You pause, look into his eyes.
“I love you.”
~
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