Bts F2l - Tumblr Posts

messy bedsheets - m

word count: 1.8k

genre: smut 18+ | roommates!au, f2l, fwb, polyamory

pairing: yoongi x fem!reader x hoseok | sope

summary: you and hoseok have been friends for years, and now he’s set you up with his roommate. but when hoseok walks in on you and yoongi you can’t help but feel that they’ve been planning this for a while.

warnings: threesome, slight degradation, basically pwp, double penetration, unprotected sex (don’t be silly, wrap your willy), vaginal sex, anal sex (f and m) nipple play, fingering, oral (f receiving), creampie, hobi is kind of a dom, mxm action

a/n: this is basically pwp, enjoy! happy valentine’s day!

Min Yoongi was talented with his tongue, that much was now apparent. The way he lapped at your entrance made you squirm and moan. Your fingers threaded through his bleached blonde hair as he brought you closer and closer to orgasm. He looked beautiful between your legs, his eyes gazing intensely into your own as you slipped over the edge and into your release. He let you ride it out on his tongue as you wailed in pleasure. The whole experience was blissful, until you heard a wolf whistle that didn’t come from you or Yoongi.

The two of you whipped your heads towards the noise, seeing none other than the beautiful Jung Hoseok stood against the living room doorframe, eyes black and pants tight. “Don’t stop on my account,” he chuckled, taking slow steps towards you both. “That was quite the show… Didn’t I tell you she cums beautifully, Yoongs?” Yoongi nodded and smiled. You frowned slightly, confused at the fact that Hoseok had spilled your sexual secrets to his friend.

You and Hoseok had known each other since you were seven years old, going through school together. He was one of your closest friends and you had shared many experiences, including sexual ones. At seventeen years old you had lost your virginity to Jackson Wu, a jock and a notorious fuckboy, it was unmemorable. Hoseok had his first time a few months before you with Kim Areum, a pretty girl from his Science class, it was also disappointing. The two of you had often laughed about how boring your first times had been. One particular night you had been holed up in his bedroom, drinking cheap vodka from his parents’ liquor cabinet. They were out of town and his sister was abroad, leaving you both alone.

After one too many shots you were both a little tipsy, with you sharing the sordid details of how Jackson couldn’t even make you cum once. It was then that Hoseok did something that stunned you. He looked deep into your eyes and said in a husky tone, “want me to make you cum?” What followed was messy kisses, and even messier sex. It was strange to have your best friend inside you, but somehow it felt right.

The next morning was slightly awkward when you awoke naked in his bed, but that was all remedied with another romp, or two, under the duvet. Of course, you’d discussed starting a romantic relationship together, but friends with benefits seemed to fit you both better. You were far too young to make long-term commitments, and it was better to fool around with no strings than to spoil a beautiful friendship.

At college Hoseok had met Yoongi and the pair had become friends, but you hadn’t had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with him as you were attending a different institution. After graduation Hoseok and Yoongi became roommates and you found it hard to keep your eyes off the quiet blonde. Hoseok noticed, and this was how you and Yoongi ended up going on a couple of dates, and how you now found yourself with him between your legs and Hoseok slowly approaching you.

“Doesn’t she taste amazing?” Hoseok asked Yoongi, whose chin was still covered in your arousal. He nodded before something happened that truly shocked you, Hoseok passionately kissed Yoongi. You knew that your best friend was bisexual, it wasn’t a secret, and you also knew that his roommate had been with men before, but you didn’t know they did things like this together. Hoseok shoved his hand into Yoongi’s pants and began stroking him, resulting in strangled moans being emitted from the younger man. “I didn’t know you guys were together…” you trailed off as you observed the erotic scene in front of you. “We’re not,” Hoseok confirmed. “It’s like me and you.” Suddenly he brought his hand to your sex and began to finger you as he stimulated Yoongi. You were very familiar with Hoseok’s fingers, and they never disappointed. You let out a moan as your head fell back against the sofa. “Look at you both,” Hoseok said, taking in the appearance of his two practically naked lovers while he was still fully clothed. “So fucking hot. Let’s go to a bedroom.”

You sat completely naked on Yoongi’s bed, embarrassingly wet from your activities in the living room. Yoongi had shed his briefs and Hoseok was also nude, both of them looked incredible. You’d seen Hoseok naked many times and always appreciated it, but Yoongi was a nice surprise. He was lightly toned with a pretty dick that you just wanted to sit on immediately. “Why don’t you fuck her, Yoongs?” Hoseok smirked. Yoongi stared at you with half-lidded eyes and nodded, moving towards you.

Yoongi took your lips in a soft kiss before moving his hand south to check if you were ready, which you most definitely were. He reached into his nightstand to retrieve a condom, but you stopped him. “I’m on birth control and I’m clean,” you told him. “Please go in raw.” His eyes widened at your remark. “Told you she was a cumslut,” Hoseok interjected, smirking at the two of you. “I’m clean too,” Yoongi replied. He didn’t need any more encouragement before his lined up his tip with your entrance and slowly pushed inside. He let out a low moan as your walls welcomed him. You wrapped your legs around him and pulled him closer, enjoying the feeling of his dick inside you.

You looked over to the corner of the room, seeing Hoseok stroking himself and licking his lips as he watched his two lovers enjoy each other. He caught your gaze and approached you. “Sit her up,” he commanded. “I wanna fuck her ass.” The two men helped you sit up without Yoongi slipping out of you. You sat still as your best friend fingered your ass, something he did often when you were together. When he deemed you ready, he pulled on a condom and made sure he was generous with the lube.

He gently eased himself into your tighter hole and you winced at the slight discomfort. It had been a while since you had last been together, so it took a little bit of adjustment. Hoseok let out a low moan as your tight walls spasmed around him. “God, you’re amazing,” he sighed, reaching to the front of your body to play with your nipples. The two men got into a rhythm surprisingly quickly, with each one moving out as the other moved in, it felt like heaven.

“Have you done this before?” You asked before the pleasure made you speechless. “Like, with another woman, I mean…” They glanced at one another before answering as they continued to fill you up. “A couple from clubs,” Hoseok replied, sucking hickeys into your neck. “But we always pretended they were you,” Yoongi murmured into your ear. A wave of pleasure overtook your body at their remark, they had thought about this before, maybe even planned tonight, and that revelation thrilled you and turned you on more than you’d like to admit. The time for talking was over as both men impaled you on their cocks, leaving you a moaning mess. You could feel the familiar knot tightening in the lower part of your body, and they could sense this as your walls fluttered. They sped up with Yoongi massaging your clitoris and Hoseok tweaking your nipples, and each of them latched onto either side of your neck. “I’m gonna…” you whispered, before white hot pleasure cascaded through your body. You moaned loudly and grasped onto whatever you could as your powerful orgasm took its course. The men stilled, wide smiles on their faces from the show you just put on for them.

You whined as Hoseok pulled out, unsuccessfully trying to pull him back to you. “I need to give Yoongi some attention, Y/N,” he cooed. “Lay her back down Yoongs, now I’m gonna fuck your ass.” You almost choked at what you’d heard, and your walls tightened at the idea. “She likes that Hobi,” Yoongi chuckled. “She just clenched around me.” “I told you she was a dirty girl,” Hoseok smirked as he removed his condom in exchange for a fresh one. He started fingering Yoongi’s tight hole, earning moans from the smaller man. “Are you ready?” Hoseok asked, earning a nod from Yoongi.

He pushed himself into the older man as Yoongi began to thrust into you again. You’d never been so turned on in your life as you took in the pornographic scene before you. Hoseok was inside Yoongi and Yoongi was inside you, each of you pleasuring each other. Hoseok began to thrust, which pushed Yoongi harder into you as his mouth gaped open and his eyes practically rolled into the back of his head. Hoseok looked incredibly hot ramming into his roommate, biting his lip. The whole thing quickly became too much for yourself and Yoongi as you practically came from the sight alone, Yoongi spilling his seed within you soon after.

“That was incredible,” you said as Yoongi pulled out, letting his cum drip out of you. “We’re not done yet, Y/N,” Hoseok warned, pulling off the condom. “I wanna be inside your messy pussy.” You felt arousal swell in your lower region at his words. Yoongi had moved to the side of the bed to make way for Hoseok, he seemed contented to watch after his orgasm. “God, look at this filthy cunt, Yoongs,” he muttered, spreading your lower lips to show the white liquid spilling out. “She’s amazing,” Yoongi replied, still caught up in his euphoria.

Hoseok then slammed into you without warning, using the other man’s cum as a form of lube. You let out a loud moan, happy to have his familiar dick back inside you again. “Did you like fucking Yoongi?” he grunted, thrusting into you. You nodded, letting out another wail. “Answer me.” “Yes,” you replied. “Yes, sir.” You specifically punctuated your lover’s favourite title, knowing the effect it had on him. You moaned together as he continued to fuck you, moving his hand to stimulate your clitoris. Before long, you were close once more, as was he. You gripped onto him, calling his name as you came, your clenching walls triggering his own orgasm. He spilled inside of you and waited a second before pulling out.

“I’m so glad we did this,” Hoseok grinned widely, staring down at his two messy lovers. “I’ll leave you two lovebirds to it.” He climbed off the bed but didn’t even take a step before Yoongi grabbed hold of him and dragged him back in, wrapping an arm around him. “You’re not going anywhere,” Yoongi stated, now wrapping his other arm around you. “Neither of you are.” So, that is where all three of you fell asleep; quiet, content and covered in cum.

END

i hope you enjoyed it! feedback is always appreciated

Blank Pages. JJK [m]

bestfriend!jungkook x reader

Genre: one-shot; smut; romance; non-idol!jk; f2l

Words: 8k

Synopsis: You have a secret: you're a popular writer on Wattpad. The worst thing that could happen is your best friend Jungkook to discover that your erotic novels are about him...

Warning: protected sex; oral sex (f. receiving); writing of sex scenes

JK was pounding into me at an animalistic pace. I couldn't help screaming his name due to the overstimulation of the three precedent orgasms. His grip around my hips tightened as he was reaching his high. A few more dick strokes were provided before I could feel his hot shots of cum inside my pussy.

It didn't take long for the both of us to fall asleep, exhausted by the intense sex ride.

Your cheeks are red when you finish posting the new chapter of your story on your Wattpad account. Vivid images of the imaginary roll in the hay fill your brain — and your panties with wetness. You always feel the same after writing a sex scene starring your best friend: horny and guilty. You can't imagine how Jungkook would react if he knew he was the main character of a popular erotic online novel... You would die of embarrassment, knowing your best friend, whom you are madly in love with, had discovered your deepest sexual fantasies — featuring him. On the other hand, writing those filthy stories is your way to control both your feelings and your desires. Jungkook is your best friend, you can't risk your friendship.

You didn't have any thoughts other than trying to contain your sexual attraction for him when you created your Wattpad account. You had never thought that so many people would read your stories. You can't deny that you feel kind of proud that people love your writings but you also feel horrified that so many strangers are fantasying — and obviously masturbating — on your best friend. You are so glad that you kind of anonymized him by using his nickname JK. You mean, people could think it stands for Jin-Keon, right?

Just as if you needed some reminder that your writing is nothing but fiction, your phone screen brights up to notify a new message from the very same Jungkook.

'Hi, buddy! We're going to the club with the guys, wanna join?'

You hate so much when Jungkook calls you 'buddy'. It's so far away from the nicknames you wish he'd give you. In your stories, JK always uses 'baby', 'babe', sweetheart' and this is what you want... Not a stupid 'buddy' like you were his classmate in sixth grade!

You growl in frustration and answer that you're too tired and you're just going to bed. Your best friend replies that he is disappointed not to see you tonight and you hate how your weak stupid heart melts at that. You are also disappointed not to see him tonight or every single day of your life. You wish you could go home after work and know that Jungkook is waiting for you before heading to bed, together. You know damn well those are silly thoughts and maybe that's why they hurt so much. They are too far away from reality.

As you think.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

You hum, half-asleep as you feel something moving against you. You tighten your arms around the thing next to you to keep it still. However, it moves again to softly caress your hair.

"Y/N, let's go to bed" A whispered voice says

You lowly growl and bury your face deeper into the thing you're hugging. If you weren't in this sleepy state, you could notice that what you have in your arms is actually Jungkook. He doesn't really mind and it's not the first time your movie night ends up with you falling asleep. He'd just let you gradually collapse on him because he knows you always feel cold when you are sleeping. So he is happy to provide some warmth while you're visiting Morpheus' world. He even rested his arm around your shoulders to be a little more comfortable to watch the end of the movie — and enjoying this excuse to hug you.

But now, the film has ended and the couch is not the best place for a full night of slumber. Jungkook sighs when he accepts the fact that you just won't wake up. He tries, as gently as he can, to stand up and lifts you up in his arms. He pushes his bedroom door open with his foot, which causes him to almost loose balance. Finally, his mission is a success when he lands you on his bed without waking you. He smiles softly as he looks at you. He wonders what you are dreaming about right now. Are you having nightmares because of the horror movie? Or are you in a happy place full of your loved ones? He hopes for the latest.

He heads to the bathroom, brushes his teeth and joins you in bed. He knows you don't bother sleeping with him — it's not the first time either. And honestly, if he knew your feelings for him, he could be even more aware of how poorly you care. He makes sure the covers are tightly wrapped around you and scoots closer to hug you. He likes how your smaller body fits in his embrace — it's way better than his usual pillow. He gives you a small peck on the top of your hair and follows you in dreamland.

The sunlight coming through the unwell closed curtains wakes you up. You're surprised not to feel cold as usual in the morning. You want to lift your hand to rub your swollen eyes but you can't: something, or more like someone is completely wrapped around you. Your eyes snap open when you realize it's Jungkook. You turn your head and your heart melts at the sight: his sleepy face is so cute, especially with his pouty lips. You're close enough to clearly see his scar on the cheek as well as the little molds on his nose and under his lower lip. You wish you could taste its softness. You move carefully to free one arm and you caress your best friend's hair as softly as you can to not wake him up. You almost moan when you feel how silky it is underneath your fingertips. God, Jungkook is so perfect that it hurts to look at him.

Your heart beats fast in your chest due to the proximity but it suddenly stops when Jungkook, in his sleepless, presses you closer against his body. And then, you feel it. As clear as day. His morning wood. It stands hard against your lower belly and you gulp. Does your saliva drive straight to your pussy? Because your panties are now soaked. Oh god, Jungkook's cock is pressed against you and you love it. All kind of sinful scenarios take control of your brain and you wish your best friend was a sleepwalker but more like a sleepfucker. Okay, you are clearly deranged...

A normal person would try to bring some space between your two bodies but you do the opposite: you scoot closer, almost grinding on his boner.

Small sleepy growls from Jungkook make you stop moving as you really don't want your best friend to know how much of a sexual freak he is turning you into.

"Good morning, goober" Jungkook says with his sexy raspy voice before kissing your forehead

"Hi" You reply with cheeks as red as a tomato

Fuck, you still feel his dick but Jungkook doesn't seem in a rush of stepping away. Does he not feel it? Or maybe he does and he needs some friction because he fucking holds you tighter. You wish you could feel embarrassed but it's not the main emotion you experience: your horniness takes the most of you. If Jungkook doesn't release you soon, you could jump on him to ride him. Perhaps all the hot sex scenes you have written are messing up with your brain and you can't distance fantasy from reality.

(Un)fortunately, your best friend frees you to stretch. You try your best not to peak at the tent of the sheets caused by his hard-on. Jungkook leaves the bed and stands up in front of you, asking about breakfast with a very distant — according to you — voice. However, you can't focus on any words he is saying because the only thing that gets your attention is his — huge — bulge in his boxing shorts. He clearly doesn't wear any briefs and your mouth waters at the fact there is just one layer of fabric separating you from his cock — and also a whole moral code but you can't care about it right now. On the hand, it's not like Jungkook would stop you but you don't have any idea of it. A sparkle of playfulness brightens his doe eyes as he notices how you are gazing at his dick.

"Are you even listening to me?" Jungkook asks while snapping his fingers right in front of your face

"I-Jungkook, you..." You start but struggle to find the words that won't make you look like a sexual freak

"What?"

"You, uhm, seem to be awaken" You eventually decide to say

Jungkook looks at you with a faked questioning face and you point at this crotch. Rather than to be embarrassed, your best friend smirks proudly.

"Impressed, right?" He teases you and your cheeks take a new brighter tint of red

"Jungkook!" You scold him but you secretly are impressed by his obvious blessed area — way bigger than you have wrote

Your best friend just laughs with his childlike cheerful chuckle and announces that he'll cook some rice with sausages. You fall back on the bed, sighing in frustration. Jungkook is driving you crazy and you wish you could take off his wry smile by sitting on his pretty face. However, you decide it would be wiser to just sit on a chair and have breakfast with him.

"I could like to go to Songdo Beach today and go on a ride of the Busan AirCruise" You say at one point, your mouth full of food which makes barely impossible for Jungkook to understand you

"Why? You already did it a hundred of times"

"But it's raining today!" You pout "You know I love the atmosphere the rain gives to the skyline"

Your best friend does know it. You have told him countless of times how relaxing you find the sound of the rain on the glass cable car and the pale blue, almost lavender color, the Busan sky gets tinted on rainy days. Jungkook sighs to pretend it's a burden to go with you but you both know he likes it too.

As usual, the queue is not that long. Busan people tend to stay home or to take shelter in the numerous trendy coffees. What a shame people don't appreciate how nice it is to fly upon the near ocean while raindrops surround you. As usual, Jungkook buys the tickets for the two of you. You don't quite understand why he insists every time to pay but you can't deny it is heart-warming. Your best friend knows it's one of the things you love the most in life so he just wants you to enjoy it entirely.

A soft smile paints your lips as you step in the cable car. Slowly elevating you in the sky, you watch the nearby buildings growing away between the big and round drops of water. The sight is blurred yet so poetic. The glass floor allows you to take a peak at the waves and if you look at the ocean side, you can see some huge cargo boats, waiting in Busan bay to deliver their merchandise.

The calm atmosphere, enhanced by the melody of the rain on the glass, soothes you. However, Jungkook couldn't just let you be and he suddenly moves to make the cable car swing. You scream and scold him which only makes him laugh. As usual.

"Let's take a picture" Jungkook says while pulling off his phone from his oversized bomber jacket pocket

Then, he sits next to you and frames to crystalize both your two faces and the skyline in the background on the photo. You and your best friend smile brightly. If someone asks Jungkook right now, he could say that it's one of sunniest days ever because of how radiant you are.

"A last one" Jungkook announces

He clicks on the button to snap the picture at the exact moment he pecks your cheek. The photo clearly notifies how surprised you were, your eyes growing wider and your mouth slightly opened. However, your shy face mixed with your blushed cheeks make you really, really cute in Jungkook's opinion. He can only chuckle as he gazes at the picture with affection eyes. He will definitely make it his new wallpaper.

However, the small peck you have received from your best friend moves you more than it should. Your heart beats so loud in your chest that it seems to echoes down to your toes. You try to calm down and you resonate: it doesn't mean anything for your best friend. It's just a small friendly peck. Fuck, you write some erotic stories in which the characters fuck like beasts, you can't be all shaken up by a stupid kiss on the cheek!

You soothe your crazy heart by focusing on the view of the grey tinted skyline and on the few people defying the rain with their umbrellas. Deep down, you know it's the best memory you will have on the Busan cable car despite the numerous times you went on.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

"What do you think about this one?" Jungkook asks you a few days later while presenting another shirt in a dark blue color

You try hard to put a smile on your face to hide your painful chest. Does your best friend have any idea that helping him choosing an outfit for his date is torture for you? You could wince at the pain if you didn't have to act like normal.

"I think the white one is better" You answer nonetheless "You can't go wrong with it"

Jungkook nods and then finishes you completely: he casually takes off his t-shirt, flashing you with his so perfect buff chest. If it's true that you sometimes gripe when your best friend spends two hours at the gym, you are so thankful of it now. You practically drool when your eyes run through his flexing biceps — the right one delicately wrapped with ink —, his well-defined pecs and his fucking hot abs. You almost faint when your glance ends up its route on his very low pants, making his V-line and the hem of his black underwear visible. His skin seems so soft, your fingertips tickle at the thought of touching it. Fuck, this is better than anything you have ever written. You gulp when you think about all the nasty things you could like to do with Jungkook's torso.

"So, what do you think?"

Jungkook's question snaps you out of your fantasies but you have absolutely no idea of what he is talking about. Suddenly, the thread escaping from your jeans is very much interesting and you just pray that Jungkook hasn't noticed how you were eying him.

"About what?" You timidly ask

"Gogi Yummy, the restaurant I'm taking her to. Do you think it's a good idea?"

Your heart squeezes painfully when you think about Jungkook having a perfect date, doing everything you could like him to do, with someone else. You wish you could be a good best friend and be happy for him but the truth is that you love him too much not to feel hurt when he is going on a date.

"I think it's great" You reply as cheerful as you can be but still not looking to him in an attempt to hide the hurt in your eyes

"What about you?" Your best friend suddenly asks

"What about me?" You repeat his words with confusion, brows furrowed

"When are you going on a date?" He clarifies

You sigh while notifying him that you don't have time to look for a date. The real reason is obviously your feelings for Jungkook, you don't want anyone else but him.

"You know Jimin, right? The last time I saw him, he told me you were cute. Maybe you should give him a chance" Jungkook tells you with an encouraging tone but you only wince, which makes him sigh "Look, if my date goes well, we'll do something together, the four of us. This way, you won't feel pressured. How does it sound?"

Awful. But there is no way you'd confess that, especially when Jungkook is looking at you with his sparkling doe eyes and his so cute bunny smile. So you tell him that it's a great idea and you hope, even more than before, that his date is a disaster so you don't have to go on a double-date during which you won't be the partner of the person you love.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

JK was drawing delicious patterns on my clit with his tongue. I couldn't help tugging on his raven hair, not really knowing if it was to stop him or to urge him to do it harder. My breathe was cut when I felt a long and thick finger sliding into me, automatically making my walls clench around it.

"I'm close"I told JK, which provoked a proud smirk on his face

His only mission on Earth seemed to be providing me great orgasms — and he'd never failed.

"Come on, baby. Make me taste your yummy juices" He teased me, sending me on the edge

He stood up and took off this t-shirt so I could admire his delicate yet strong torso, the definition of perfection. His muscles were making me feel all kinds of butterflies in my stomach — or was it the remains of the orgasm? — and JK knew it well. He knew he was teasing me, and the way he was flexing his muscles proved me right. My mouth watered and my hand caressed the bulge of his six-pack. His tattoos always had an effect on me, making him as intriguing as sexy. A sin I wouldn't care to go to Hell for.

I wished I had time to enjoy it more but I had to go to work — JK's cunnilingus made me late as it made me come.

You save the last chapter and publish it on Wattpad. You stroll through the comments and smile when you read some very supportive ones. Almost every readers are in love with JK — only of they knew that real life Jungkook is one hundred times better. You sigh in content and close your laptop, ready to head to bed but your phone rings, stopping your plans of having a good and relaxing sleep.

'My date went great. Save your Friday night buddy cause we have a date ;)'

Why does your best friend have absolutely no clue of the draggers he is stabbing into your heart? To be fair, he went on this date because he thinks he doesn't stand a chance with you but you obviously don't know that. You growl and turn in your bed, tugging your sheets around you like if you were a burrito. Yes, going on a date with Jungkook is one of your dreams but going on a double-date with Jungkook having another date than you is a nightmare. You spend the night ramming through all the possible ways the date can go, which leads you to cry when scenarios of your best friend kissing a girl in front of you play in your mind.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

You growl while taking your clothes out of the washing machine. You don't what went wrong but it seems like every single pieces of clothing has sized down. Well, you could guess what went wrong: you were deep in thought and clicked on the wrong washing program. You sigh when you see your favorite dress... A slight and ridiculous hope that maybe it's not too bad makes you try it on, which takes you way more efforts than usual. But it only confirms what you thought: the red dress is now so tight that it looks like a second skin. The bottom hem barely covers your underwear and shows some of your ass in the back. And let's not talk about the neckline because it's worse: half of your bra is on display.

Of course, fate is never on your side — because it has been such a nice day so far. You hear your front door opening and it only means one thing: Jungkook is here. He is the only one to have a spare key — which was supposed to be for emergency but turned out to be a way to visit you without warning every time he is in the mood to. You start to panic but you don't have time to cover yourself as your best friend's pretty face appears. You feel embarrassed to show so much skin to Jungkook, even though you often fantasize about him seeing way much more. Shock — and some other expression that you could interpret as lust — paints his features. His eyes run through your very exposed body and your cheeks match the color of your 'dress'.

"Are you going to wear that?" Jungkook asks with a as natural as possible tone while he places his hands in front of his crotch to prevent you from noticing his growing boner

"Are you crazy?!" You defend yourself "I fucked up my laundry, that's all. I have no other choice than to throw away my favorite dress" You sigh in despair

On the other side, Jungkook likes the new style of the dress. It's now his favorite. Fuck, you're hot. You look so naughty. And it's even better when you turn around and some of your asscheeks are visible. He wonders how they would jiggle if he'd spanked you. He knows he shouldn't have this kind of thoughts about you but he can't help it. Your body is so fucking perfect. The peak he had of your big rounded tits, covered by your bra which led appear the shadow of your picky nipple, and the almost peak he had of your panties drive him mad. He does't think you should throw the dress away. You should keep it. For him. For when he fucks you.

Jungkook tries to get rid off those thoughts but his hard-on makes it difficult. When you send him off to change, he gladly accepts and opens your fridge, pretending he is looking for some soda, to let the cold soften his cock. You'll be the death of him.

"What are you doing here?" You asks, making your best friend jolt

Jungkook grabs a random can and turns around to discover you are now wearing your usual light green sweatpants and an oversized t-shit — former his, if he might add. You are really messing with his brain because earlier, with your tiny dress, he could pretend that his attraction was just a normal one of a guy seeing a sexily clothed girl. But now, even with a not so appealing outfit, he still thinks you're beautiful and hot.

You lift one brow when your best friend doesn't answer. Jungkook clears his throat and tries to gather his thoughts. He needs to focus on something other than you, otherwise he risks to cancel all his plans to fuck you against your washing machine.

"I wanted to ask you if you wanted to grab some food at PadThailand. It's been a while and I know you like it"

Your heart melts at the fact that Jungkook thought about you before ordering from one of your favorite restaurants. Your smile seems to illuminate the place, so much that your best friend wishes he had sunglasses. You nod with enthusiasm, spurring Jungkook to call the restaurant and book a table.

You've changed, for the third time of the day, into a simple jeans and long sleeves sailor top. You feel proud to match the area of PadThailand, the restaurant being close to one of the small ports of Busan. Delicious scents of fresh cooked fish fill the air, putting you in the mood of eating. You could even change your usual order and try the lemongrass cod fish. You giggle with eagerness, you can't wait to have your stomach full of delicious food.

"You look like you're in a good mood" Jungkook notices, a few meters from the restaurant location

"Of course!" You reply, cheerful "I'm going to one of my favorite restaurants and I'm with my favorite person"

You don't realize how your words made Jungkook stop his track. You continue your way to the door while Jungkook is trying his best to hide his wide bunny grin.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

Friday night. The day of your 'date'.

You did make an effort on your outfit, opting for a cute black denim skirt and silver top. Actually, you were quite surprise when you stepped into the restaurant and discovered that your clothes matched Jungkook's. Your heart skipped a beat at the thought that people around you would mistake you two as a couple. However, the euphoria left soon as your eyes landed on your best friend's date: a gorgeous girl named Minji. It took you everything you have to smile at her and lie while saying 'nice to meet you'.

Thankfully, the awkward silence that was getting set at your table disappears with Jimin's arrival. You can't deny that the brown haired man is handsome. Honestly, if you weren't so head over heels for Jungkook, you could kill to kiss Jimin's pulp lips. You also like the white light cotton t-shirt with longs sleeves Jimin chose to wear: the thin fabric gives a peak of his dark inked patterns. Do you have a tattoo kink? Well, it's definitely Jungkook's fault.

After ordering some drinks and food, you are starting to think that the night is not a complete torture — despite the occasional kisses between Jungkook and Minji. The girl is actually very nice and tries her best to find common tastes between the two of you. It honestly would be way easier if she were a bitch... You can't even hate her!

Jimin, on the other hand, is funny and shares a lot of stories of his last holidays which were a rollercoaster of unpleasant events. You don't have to force yourself to laugh and genuinely find his company pleasant. Yet, you can't imagine having feelings for someone other than Jungkook. You love him like you've never loved before. He swipes away every competition without even trying. He is more handsome, funnier, nicer than anyone else. He knows you more than anyone and he knows how to help you before you can even say you need him. It's like he can read in your mind, what a shame he can't see in your heart that it's full of him...

However, Jungkook begins to regret having set a date for you. Yes, he is Minji's date but it's just an attempt to stop thinking of you. Actually, he thought that if you were with Jimin, it would help him putting an end at his stupid crush. But the dragger in his heart when you smile at Jimin is a clear reminder that it's not just a silly crush... Jimin is having everything Jungkook wants to have with you. He wants to take you at the restaurant, as a date, just the two of you. He genuinely had more fun at PadThailand with you the other day — when he could pretend it was a real date, even if it was just in his head — than now with Minji. But he thinks you'll refuse if he asks you out, you have never acted like Jungkook could be something other than your best friend.

"Hey, Y/N" Minji starts with a cheerfulness that you can imagine innate in her "You said you love reading. You should follow this Wattpad account"

She hands you her phone and you stop breathing when your very username appears on the screen. Your whole body freezes and your blood is redirected in your legs to run away.

"The author is so good! Her writing is amazing" Minji continues

The compliments would please you in other circumstances but right now, it's the worst thing ever.

"And fun fact, the character of JK makes me think of you" She adds as a killer shot for you when she turns to address Jungkook

You feel so ashamed that you just keep your head down, the phone giving you a great excuse for it. You wish you could just curl up and die. Oh my god, what if Jungkook reads it? What if he knows it's about him? He will definitely know JK is supposed to be him! And he will fucking know how you dream about him fucking you in all kind of lustful fantasies! He'll think you're sick and deranged, there is no other way. He'll think you are obsessed with him and will cut all ties with you. Your throat is so tight that you can't even breath properly. You need to escape, far and fast.

You wait ten minutes not to sound suspicious and then fake an emergency, lying that you have received a text from one of your friends. Jimin, so kind by nature, offers you to drop you off but you refuse, even though you do appreciate the gesture. You basically run away and yell a taxi to head home as fast as possible.

Panic takes control of your body, making you shake and breath heavily. You walk back and forth in your bedroom as you wonder how you are going to get rid off this troubled situation. You definitely can't delete your Wattpad account now, it'd look way too suspicious. The only thing that soothe you is that Jungkook doesn't like reading so he won't look at your — erotic — stories. Right?

Why did you have to write those? You are so stupid, fantasizing on your best friend and making the whole world know! You should have kept your sexual dreams in your bed, rather than crystalizing them on white pages.

Your hands cover your burning cheeks before going to the bathroom and splashing some cold water on your face as a ridiculous attempt to wake up from this nightmare.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

Two weeks have passed since the double-date. Jungkook and you have hanged out like nothing happened — actually for Jungkook nothing happened. However, even though you really wanted to hide from him out of embarrassment, you couldn't without presenting yourself as the culprit of these stories. Your best friend was his usual self and he didn't even talk about your Wattpad account, which slowly relieved you. Like you said, Jungkook doesn't like reading, he won't do it so you can live your life without thinking about it anymore. You did stop writing though and you felt sad when you've read comments of people missing you and waiting for the next chapter.

What you don't know is that Minji has insisted so much, arguing that the main male lead of your story was just like Jungkook, that your best friend took on himself to browse through your Wattpad account. And he read everything. At first, he was quite amused at the resemblance: more than the JK name, the fictional character has black hair and tattoos just like him. The sex scenes were intense but still a little too soft for Jungkook who likes it real rough — but it's not like you can know it. But then, Jungkook grew suspicious, some scenes being very familiar to him. Like the one of the two main characters going to the beach but can't to swim because they forgot their swimsuits. Or the one when they were cooking together and JK seasoned the meal the narrator took hours to cook with sugar instead of salt. Another example was an argument between the two characters over the film they should watch at the theatre. Jungkook clearly remembered a very similar scene with you that ended up just like the book: him buying his own ticket for Fast&Furious and you throwing your popcorn on him.

A — absolutely ridiculous and impossible — thought came to his mind: were you the author? That couldn't be. You were his best friend, and you've never seemed to be interested in him — despite his endeavours he might add. But then, how could the scenes in this book be so much like the ones you two'd shared? And then, a crazier thought lighted up in his brain: are all the sex scenes you have written one of your desires? Would you like him to fuck you, to finger you, to lick you? Thinking about your pretty face torn by pleasure made him hard in his pants. He went though the hot scenes for a second time, trying to acknowledge what you like. As insane as it might seem, if Jungkook has the chance to, he'll fuck you and he wants to be prepared. Well, that's if you are indeed the author of the book. Which is such a foolish idea that he can't allow himself to grow too excited because the odds are not in Jungkook's favors.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

You are heading to Jungkook's place after receiving a text from him. He asked you if you wanted to watch a movie and you accepted. However, when you enter his apartment — you also have a spare key of your best friend's door —, the usual bowl of popcorn is no where to be seen. Jungkook has a ravishing look with his grey sweatpants and black oversized t-shirt. It's just his common look but it's so good on him.

"Hi" You greet him with a hug "You don't have any popcorn?"

"No, but maybe I have some underbaked cookies that we could eat with ice cream" He replies

You just freeze. Those underbaked cookies with ice cream are something you've written in your story. Did Jungkook read it? It's a catastrophe. You have to act like it's nothing, like you don't know what he means but god, you're such a shitty actress and your best friend knows you better than anyone else.

"Why would I want underbaked cookies?" You ask but your tone is so unsure that it only betrays you

"I don't know" Jungkook starts "Maybe because I'll get to eat you out to be fully satisfied"

Oh god. He. Did. Read. Everything. You wish the ground opened underneath your feet to swallow you whole. You throat is too dry to reply anything and your burning cheeks are screaming 'I'm the author! I'm guilty your Honor!'. You want to run away but you can't, your body refuses to move and you just keep looking down. You are so ashamed that your eyes get watery. Jungkook must hate you to have sexualized him like you did. Worse, you published this sexualized version of your best friend on the Internet and thousand of people have read it.

"Why did you write those stories?" Jungkook asks you

His tone is not harsh but not sweet either. It's just a little softer than neutral and it hurts in your heart.

"I don't know" You whisper with a shaky voice

"Don't lie to me, Y/N" Jungkook cups your face with his hands to force you to look into his so beautiful doe eyes "Tell me, I'm just trying to understand"

You are destabilized not to see any anger or disgust on your best friend's face. You thought he could be furious but he is not. He really seems curious to know. But that would mean you'd have to confess your feelings and you're not ready to hurt.

"It's just things that came to my mind" You half-lie

"So it doesn't mean anything?"

Your mouth opens in surprise at your best friend's question. Or more precisely at his tone. It's like he is hoping for it to mean something. You're taken aback. It's really not the reaction you expected. You remove his hand from your face so you can try to think again. You're lost in all the overwhelming emotions you're experiencing.

"I-" You start but nothing follows

You don't know what to say. Especially when Jungkook is looking at you with such an intense yet loving eye. Like he wants you. All of you. Your mind, your heart and your body. And you'll be happy to give them to him actually.

"Do you love me, Y/N?"

Once again, your eyes widen. You shouldn't be this surprised, it is just a logical question to ask after your interaction. You want to tell him but you're scared. Jungkook is perfect. He is the most handsome man but it's nothing compared to his personality. He is sweet and caring. He is hard-working and never gives up. He is supportive and always willing to help his friends. He is so perfect. Too perfect for you. You have nothing to offer him, he could find someone better just by snapping his fingers. But your best friend stops all those negative and destroying thoughts when he speaks again.

"You don't have to tell me" Jungkook says with a deep voice you've never heard before "I won't either. But I will show you"

With those last, enigmatic words, he cups your face with his tattooed hand. A immediate feeling of warmth rises upon the area he is touching. His thumb caresses your cheek, so delicately that you could think Jungkook is afraid to break you, but it soon drifts away to land on your bottom lip. The thinner and pinkish skin is soft underneath the pad of his finger and he can't wait any longer: he needs to feel the softness with his own mouth.

He kisses you and god, what a perfect kiss. The best one ever. His pulp lips feel like silk. The pressure is the right one: deep enough to draw butterflies in your stomach but not too much to completely overpower you. Jungkook wants to give you the opportunity to stop the kiss if you want to. But you surely don't want to. Quite the opposite: you want more.

Your hands go up to hide in his black hair to keep him close. It's the sign Jungkook waited to deepen the kiss. His hands are now on your back, pressing you closer against his strong body. Everything is just right. You seem to know each other's body like your own. Jungkook said he was going to show you he loved you and he does. The kiss is passionate but so loving at the same time. You have the feeling to fall in love with him all over again.

Without breaking the kiss, he leads you to his bedroom, which is easy since you know well his apartment. Jungkook takes off your shirt and he looks at your breasts long enough for you to grow embarrassed. But then he whispers to himself 'so perfect' and you don't feel unsure anymore. The way Jungkook looks at you makes you feel like the most beautiful woman alive. To be fair, you are for him.

Jungkook cups your tits still covered by your bra and leans down to hide his face in the valley of your boobs. God, he loves them so much. You moan when he starts to kiss the available skin. But it's not enough, for any of you. Your hand sneaks behind your back to undo your bra and finally free your breasts. Jungkook doesn't waste time and grabs one boob before squeezing it in his large and warm palm. His mouth works on your other nipple, licking, sucking and even deliciously biting it.

He invites you to lean on his bed and you're happy to do it. Jungkook grabs the hem of your pants and slides them down with your panties. Your pussy is already glistening with arousal and it's driving him crazy. He can't even control himself when he step closer to eat you out. His tongue is fast and precise on your clit and you can't help the moans from escaping your lips. Your head is thrown back and your fists are clenched around the sheets. Your cunt is soaked by your horniness and Jungkook's saliva, creating a real mess between your legs.

"More" You groan

Jungkook smirks while he enters your tight pussy with two fingers. The stretch is so fucking good that you whimper. His pace doesn't show any mercy but you fucking love it. Maybe it's Jungkook's skills or maybe it's your strong feelings for him but your orgasm is close. Your legs start shaking and you rest them on your best friend's shoulders.

"Your pussy is so good" He says against your wet clit "You've dreamt about that, uh? You little minx"

Your head is spinning because of your horniness. You feel like drowning into pleasure and Jungkook's expert fingers hitting your g-sport repeatedly are pushing you over the edge. Your back arches and your toes curl while you're trying to control your orgasm. It's too good, you don't want Jungkook to stop just now. But then, he talks again:

"I've read how you wanted me to eat your pretty pussy. You're a little slut for me, isn't that right?"

His dirty mouth — both words and acts — makes you cum on his face and fingers. Jungkook's digits are squeezed tightly by your walls and he pushes your limits by pushing on your sweet spot harder. It cuts your breathe and you feel your orgasm lasting and lasting until you can't take the overstimulation anymore. Your legs try to close but they are stopped by Jungkook's head and your hands tug on his hair.

"I'll fuck you good"

Jungkook's promise lights up your body once again. You settle down from your high just in time to watch his strip show. His pecs and abs are so perfect. You wish you could lick them but your body is still in the fog of your orgasm so you just can lift your hand to caress him like you've dreamt of so many time. His skin is warm and soft but his muscles are hard right under. Jungkook closes his eyes to enjoy your touch. He's imagined it many times before you and your delicate fingers on him are delightful. His hard cock twitches in his pants when your hand reaches the hem of his sweatpants. The bulge is clearly visible and your mouth waters.

You push the pieces of fabric down to free is big cock. Oh god, it's bigger than you thought. Some pre-cum is leaking from his tip and you use it to jerk him off. Jungkook growls out of delight and your hand works fast on his length. The sight of your small hand around his cock is fucking hot but Jungkook wants to fuck you. You two will have a lot of time in the future to experience other things.

"I want to fuck you" Jungkook says but it's also a consent question

As much as he wants to, he won't if you tell him no.

"I want it too, Kook"

Your best friend walks to his nightstand after getting off of his pants and underwear. He grabs a condom that he quickly puts on and joins you on the bed. You're gorgeous, all naked, in his bed. Lust is written on your face and he still can't believe you're looking at him. He wants to worship you and he will, but right now, he will fuck you like there is no tomorrow.

You open your legs wider for Jungkook to take place between them. He grabs his hard cock and slides the tip up and down on your folds. Your back arches.

"Please, Kook, I want you" Your whipped voice is driving him crazy

He enters slowly, not wishing to hurt you. The way his dick is stretching you out is insane. Jungkook is big but it's fucking good. He fills you so well. When he sees you relaxing, he starts to move back and forth. Your soaked pussy helps him to enter you without any difficulty. His hands cup your face to kiss you. Your moans are swallowed by Jungkook's mouth and your hands grabs his wrists when he pounds you at a faster pace. Soon, your tits are bouncing with rhythm and your groans get louder.

The grab on your jaws tightens and Jungkook rests his forehead on yours. He fucks you passionately. You wrap your legs around his waist to deepen the poundings. The slight change of angle places his dick directly to your g-spot.

"Here!" You scream and clench around him

"Your pussy is so tight but you still want to be fucked rough" Jungkook smirks "You told everyone but me. I'm so disappointed, baby"

His dick strokes are harsher and deeper, kicking the air of your lungs every time. The sound your clapping skins create is loud and sinful. You're close again and Jungkook can feel it.

"You're sure you don't want to tell me that you love me?" He asks with heavy breathe "Because I'll fuck you better if you do"

It's enough for you. Your walls are squeezing him impossibly tight. Jungkook almost winces but the fucked expression on your face is so worth it.

"I love you, Kook!" You scream when you cum hard on his cock, your vison blurred by the tears of pleasure and love filing your eyes

The euphoric state provoked by your orgasm and your feelings make you loose your mind. You kiss him but a salty taste mixes in your kiss. When Jungkook wipes the corners of your eyes, you realize you're crying. You don't even know why.

"I love you too" Jungkook whispers

A few more hard poundings are provided and Jungkook cums in the condom. You're both panting and Jungkook is almost crushing you but you don't care. His face is hidden in the crook of your neck, kissing your skin tenderly. You hug him tightly when you finally realize that your best friend loves you too.

Your cry shakes your body and Jungkook lifts up his head and his heart squeezes when he sees you.

"Hey, don't cry, baby"

He kisses every single inch of your face: your lips, your cheeks, your nose, your forehead and even your eyes to make your tears disappear.

Jungkook pulls out of you and takes off his condom. He quickly comes back to hug you tight. You truly appreciate how gentle he is. He has always been but now, with the love in his eyes, it's even better. Your whole body feels full of love. You know it's the right moment to share all the things you've kept to yourself for years.

"My head and my heart are full of you" You say "I'm drowning in the ocean of the love I feel for you. I love so much that it hurts, Kook"

"Your words feel so good" Jungkook replies with watery eyes, gently patting your hair "I can't describe as good as you my feelings but one thing I can say is that I love you. I love you, Y/N, and I'll never be tired of telling you or showing you how much I do"

You cry like a baby, undoubtedly the result of your post-sex tiredness and the tsunami of emotions Jungkook's confession provokes. It's the first time tears provoked by your best friend are welcomed.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

"So, what's next?" Jungkook asks the next day during breakfast

Just as the last time you've spent the night at his place, he woke up with a morning wood. Except that, this time, you made love. It was different from yesterday but as good. Maybe even better because you weren't in the over-everything that your love confessions provoked. You took your time, you kissed and kissed again while caressing and feeling each other.

"Maybe I'll need some inspiration for the next date scenes" You tease him

Jungkook giggles while scrunching his cute nose. He knows you so well and yet, this part of you, your writer part, was completely unknown until a few days ago. He also knows that your book is just an excuse to take you on a date. Honestly, he doesn't have to make any excuse to ask you on a date. He wants to do it. He has been wanting for years and now, you're his girlfriend.

"You're sure you don't need inspiration for your sex scenes?" He asks playfully

You smile and scoot closer to wrap your arms around his neck.

"I could use some help" You whisper before kissing him 

A Piece of You (m) | jjk | 3

Pairing: CEO!Jungkook x Artist!Reader

Genre: e2l, childhood friends AU, (eventual) smut, angst, fluff

wc: 1.1k

a/n: Let me know if you wanna be added to the taglist :)

crossposted on Wattpad.

Prev | next

Without even giving me a chance to take in my thoughts, Yoongi once again dragged me by my fragile wrists. This time it was gentle and towards the direction of his car. 

Is that a new car? Damn this boi rich.

"your cereal ran out again. didn't it?"

I pouted and nodded at how well he knew me. It's no surprise too. He has known me for what? 10 years now?

Yoongi was always there for me even when my family wasn't. He was kind of like those comfort blankets we all had as a child and never let go of. Bringing me warmth and emotional support whenever I selfishly requested it.

Don't get me wrong, my family loves me beyond limits and I love them too but they had no idea what was going on with me. 

Even with all the love and support from family, I sought for more. As a high schooler with no friends and extreme social anxiety, I felt extremely lonely and isolated from my peers. Why were they able to make friends and I wasn't? What was so wrong with me that no body wanted to be my friend?

I let my mind be evaded by these useless thoughts every single day, not having the strength to fight my own mind anymore. I was on the verge of being consumed by teen depression, that was until he came along. 

Min Yoongi, a new student from Daegu who just so happened to be transferred to my class. Although he looked intimidating and hard to approach by others, Min Yoongi was anything but that. He had a kind soul but... how should I put it?... a resting bitch face.

This put him in the same state as me. Not being able to make friends, we noticed how similar we were. This made way for our friendship. Slowly and gradually, and many many late night sleepovers and pillow fights later, we became as close as we are now.

We told each other every secret, every detail of our lives no matter how big or small. Yoongi was my savior and I was his. Nothing could break this bond, this we were sure of. 

" Let's go and grab some waffles then I'll take you home."

And before I even knew it, I was being dropped back home after having stuffed my face up to a point where I couldn't breathe. Yoongi did warn me not to go for that 3rd plate of waffles but in an attempt to spite him, I didn't listen. Oh, but the look on his face when I inhaled those waffles like they were nothing was so worth it!

"Shit! I forgot to ask. You wanna go shopping for art supplies with me later?" I bent down to the level of his car's window to ask the man.

"I'm so sorry Y/N my mom just called. Apparently she's at my apartment and Holly's "not behaving."" he made air quotes and rolled his eyes as he said this.

Holly was a well behaved dog so it surprised me to hear that he was acting out. Which is why I let him go without questioning him. After all, he had put so much effort into parenting Holly like a father would. 

All I heard was an "I'll make it up to you, I promise!" as his car drove further and further down the street, not even giving me a chance to thank him for the waffles and say goodbye.

"Who do you think you are? Dressing like a slut and showing off that fat belly of yours to everyone! Have some shame and wear some decent clothes at least!"  An older looking man shouted as soon as you made your way into your favorite art shop that you had been looking forward to going to. 

You've had it. You couldn't have one peaceful day in your life. 

It was one thing for your classmates to bully you but having a random stranger pick at your outfit that you were feeling so confident about made you loose your shit. How dare he? Who gave him the right?

"First of all, I am not gonna take "fashion advice" from a crusty looking man like you. Are you sure you're not homeless?"

The man simply scoffs and begins to open his mouth but you cut him off by holding up your index finger up to his face. You may be too shy to confront your body shaming classmates but this random motherfucker who you were never going to see again awoke the bitch in you and now he's going to have to deal with the consequences.  

"Second, you better look at your beer belly before you call me a fat," you glance at the wedding ring on his finger, "Your wife is probably out there cheating on you as we speak so you don't really get to call me a slut if you think for one second that whatever bullshit you just spoke from that shitty mouth of yours is going to have any effect on me at all."

"How dare you talk to me this way! Do you know I am older than you! " He spat out.

"Bitch, I don't give two fucks if you're older than me. You don't get to come in here and harass me like you just did. Get the fuck out of here before I report you." You didn't hold back. 

By now, people started to gather around to notice the commotion that stopped them from peacefully buying art supplies. Some cheered and while some were recording the whole incident.

It wasn't long before the managing staff asked security to escort the man out. You had a smug look as you watched them drag his crusty ass out the door. Yoongi would be so proud.  

The whole crowd cleared out, leaving you alone to shop just like what you initially came here to do.  Although nobody stepped in, and you didn't need them to, somebody did carefully notice what was going on.

He observed you as you demolished the old hag and exuded confidence like no other. It fascinated him and you weren't even aware you were being watched until he approached you.

Standing tall with his broad shoulders that could shield your entire being, he now stood in front of you. You looked up, instantly recognizing the man to be the one from the coffee shop. The one who ruined your favorite pair of jeans. 

Remembering the name from the card he handed you, you slowly utter just for the sole purpose of testing out the name, "Jeon Jungkook?"Eyes going wide, he hesitated at first. Squaring his enormous shoulders he started to speak before he noticed a presence behind him,

"Do I know you?"

A Piece of You (m) | jjk | 4

Pairing: CEO!Jungkook x Artist!Reader

Genre: e2l, childhood friends AU, (eventual) smut, angst, fluff

wc: 1.3k

a/n: Let me know if you wanna be added to the taglist :)

crossposted on Wattpad.

Prev | next

You’d think a person would remember ruining someone’s day by spilling freezing cold coffee over them first thing in the morning. You wouldn’t have guessed that a fully grown man - a handsome one at that - would completely forget of your existence the very next day. 

This man in front of you, Jeon Jungkook (as per his business card) was now staring at you, trying to pinpoint exactly where he knew you from. It takes him exactly 2 minutes of gawking (you know because you checked your watch) before he suddenly has an epiphany. 

Snapping his fingers, he utters “Ah right! the coffee shop girl.”

“Mmhmm, the one you so conveniently spilled coffee on” you say with a tight lipped smile. 

“Oh my god I’m so sorry for that day! I was running late and rushing to get to my boss’ - I mean my meeting that I didn’t notice someone standing behind me. I truly do apologize miss-”

“Call me Y/N. And thanks for offering but that’s not necessary.”

Damn you and your inability to speak up for yourself in front of good looking strangers. 

“Y/N…It’s a beautiful name. Just like yourself.” 

Your cheeks flush a deep shade of crimson and suddenly your light jacket becomes too hot for your body. Is this insanely hot and good looking calling you beautiful? Are those cute, round glasses of his just for show or did he just give you a complement?

By the time you come back to your senses, another man - just as insanely good looking, hot as fuck, built like a god - is standing right next to Jungkook. He eyes the both of you, deciding it would be rude of him not to introduce himself judging from how smitten the two of you looked. 

The second you make eye contact with him, you swear that you could feel a slight buzz. Like someone had zapped you with the tiniest volt of electricity, enough to make the hair on your arms stand up or your legs to feel like jelly. 

He opens his mouth to speak but all you can focus on is his lips. Those soft, pink, plush lips where his bottom lip is fuller than the top. At that moment your mind goes blank and you think back to the last time you had made out with someone. Surprise, surprise. It had been ages. 

Finally he spoke, breaking you out of your trance. “ Hi I’m Jeon Jung-”

“Jin. This is my assistant Kim Seokjin. He’s really shy. Aren’t you?” Jungkook cut off Jin while turning his head towards him.

You miss how the both of them exchange looks with each other. For a second, you’re left confused by Jungkook’s sudden interruption but decide to shrug it off anyway. 

“Um y-yeah? You can call me Jin I guess…” 

“Hi Jin. Nice to meet you I’m-”

Before you can even finish your sentence, you’re getting a call. Which was weird since you remember putting your phone on silent before you entered the shop. You would’ve dismissed it as someone else’s phone had you not remembered that having the mario theme song as a ringtone was very uncommon. In which case it was definitely your phone that was ringing. 

Why’s my mom calling? She never calls me during the day. Is something wrong?

You hold up a finger to the strange men in front of you and awkwardly gesture at your phone to tell them you have to take this call. Turning around, once again you miss the way the two men glare at each other and the confused looks they exchange. 

You don’t even realize you’ve walked out of the store while catching up with your mom, that too without the art supplies you had specially come for. You only realize by the time you reach your car and notice your empty hands that were holding your much needed supplies not too long ago. 

This was going to be a long week. 

“Okay so WHAT WAS THAT?”

“What was what?” 

“Jin, you know what I’m talking about. Why did you pretend to be me? And who was that?”

“Why? Did you find her cute?”

A blush creeps up his face. “I think you’re missing the point here.” 

“Okay, okay, fine. I accidentally spilt coffee on her the day your board meeting got rescheduled. I was rushing out and I didn’t see her sneak up behind me and you know what happened next.”

“That still doesn’t explain why I suddenly had to pretend to be my own secretary.”

“Oh, that’s ‘coz I accidentally handed her your business card instead of mine when I told her to contact me for compensation. I didn’t want to waste my time explaining who’s who when she recognized me.”

“So you pretended to be me? Have to give it to you, you’ve really managed to amaze me this time.” He chuckles at the older male. 

Kook-ah, relax. It’s not like we’re going to see each other again so I didn’t see the harm in playing along. Oscar worthy acting by the way. ”

Showing Jin playfully by the shoulder, Jungkook makes his way back to the car. “Learned from the best!” 

Jungkook and Jin have been the best of friends since their days at college. They considered themselves brothers more than friends. Jungkook somehow had managed to convince his senior to join him as his secretary when he inevitably inherited his father’s company, JJK inc.

Despite their playful bond outside the office, Jungkook held the weight of the future CEO title. This meant that he had to put up a strong front to maintain authority among his subordinates.  

In line to inherit the CEO title after his father’s sudden resignation due to reasons unknown to the public, during his training period, he was known to keep things notoriously professional within the walls of their office building; Kim Seokjin was no exception. 

“Secretary Kim, did you find a suitable artist that we can commission for our hotels?” 

“Yes, Mr. Jeon, I have compiled a list of capable candidates. It’s the file on the left.” Please have a look.”

He spots a dark brown, leather folder - just like Seokjin had informed him - and begins to flip through. 

At the first few flips of the pages, Jungkook’s expression is quite readable. He doesn’t find anything that strikes his eye. It’s easy to tell whenever something catches Jungkook’s interest. His thoughts are instantly given away by his furrowed eyebrows and the extremely concentrated face he makes when he likes something. 

So far, his face has just been a brick wall, flipping mindlessly through the artists’ profiles without giving their work a second glance. 

That is until one particular portfolio makes his breath hitch and his eyes go wide. The one with paintings of landscapes so familiar, they remind him of his home; not the fancy penthouse he lives in now but his actual home in Busan where he grew up before being forced into a life of endless board meetings and responsibilities. 

His eyes finally land upon a painting of a swing set. If he’s not mistaken, it looks an awful lot like the swing set back in Busan. One where he would go every day to play with his best friend at the time. He associates that swing set with his youth. 

He frantically searches for the artist’s personal information but quickly gets disappointed.Turns out the artist goes under a pseudonym and there is no sign of a recognizable name within the signature. Just his luck. 

He finally found artwork that he declared would be worthy of being displayed in the hotels that are his father's legacy. He can’t pinpoint exactly why he feels such attachment to this anonymous artist until it finally hits him. He looks up at Jin with his big, doe-like eyes. 

“Hyung,” At this moment he needed his friend Jin to listen to him, not his secretary Kim Seokjin. 

“Could it be her?”

Taglist:

@theaufanartist, @luv--you

my favorite bts fics so far (hyung!line)

hello lovely readers, i hope all of you are doing great. i've been wanting to make this post for a while now. i really want to share the amazing work and talent that many authors have on this app. as a literature fan and hopeless romantic myself, i made sure to pick out all the fics that i think are beautiful and amazing :)

disclaimers!!!!:

some of these fics contain nsfw content (minors dni), or some heavy themes, i am yoongi biased so excuse me if the fic ratio compared to the other members is waaayy bigger (like by a lot i am so so sorry), also this post is insanely long heh (once again, i am so so sorry :p), all pictures are from pinterest!

fluff- ♾️

angst- Ω

smut- ☻

crack/humor- ☼

i would sell my liver to read this again for the first time- ¶

Kim Seokjin

Turn Back Time- @raplinesmoon ♾️☼Ω☻

''pairing: baseball player!Seokjin x doctor!reader (based on the movie 13 Going On 30) genres/au/rating: fluff, humour, angst, smut, time travel au, 18+ summary: After total humiliation at his middle school baseball try outs, Kim Seokjin wants nothing more than for his awkward years to fade away until he’s thirty. Cue a magic baseball glove, and his wish is finally granted. Seokjin suddenly wakes up seventeen years later, now the star pitcher of the team he’d always dreamed of playing for. Confused and overwhelmed at the prospect of the new life waiting for him, he turns to the only person who seems to understand him — you. Will Seokjin learn what it truly means to be thirty, flirty, and thriving? Or will he find himself wishing he could turn back time?''

Every Year- @another-army-spot ♾️Ω☻

''Pairing: Jin x Reader, some implied Yoongi x reader and Namjoon x reader

Word: 15.6K

Genre: friends-to-lovers!au, richkids!au, chef!Jin, bookworm!oc, hard fluff, smut angst?

Summary:  As the daughter of the Kim’s closest friends, you’ve attended their extravagant annual New Year’s party since the year you were born.  No matter what you always spend time with your favorite childhood friend, Jin, who has always been there for you.  Here are the highlights of you and Jin realizing just how important you two are to each other.''

Let's get married as a joke- @burningupp Ω♾️

''Genre: angst, fluff

Pairing: Kim Seokjin x reader

Wordcount: 8210 (I’m so sorry)

Summary: Your best friend Jin has always had a talent of getting you into trouble. Maybe that’s why you’re not surprised that he asks you to marry him as a joke - or that you agree.''

friends get married all the time- @hobipost♾️

''The silly promise you made ten years ago comes back to bite your asses, and you’re both too weak to pretend it never happened

pairing: seokjin x f. reader

genres/tropes: friends to lovers, fluff

words: 2k+''

Min Yoongi

series:

The Truth Between Us- @jimlingss @gukyi ♾️Ω ☼ ¶

“⇒ summary: a book deal should be the most exciting time of your life, but there seems to be a constant and omnipresent damper on your mood in the form of a certain min yoongi, who you would just cut out from your life, if he weren’t your editor. but then, the world shifts beneath your feet, and you begin to wonder if maybe you’ve always been looking at life from the wrong angle.

⇒ enemies to lovers au with various other au’s thrown in there

⇒ word count: 14k (first chapter)

⇒ genre: fluff, angst, drama”

Dating advice- @taleasnewastime ♾️Ω☻

''Summary: It’s been months – ok, it’s been years – since you last went on a date. And you’re sick of it. Sick of seeing couples kissing and holding hands in the street. Sick of your friends settling down. Sick of everyone buying houses and having families. You’re going to do something about it. You’re going to snap up a man, you’re going to tie someone down, you’re going to finally commit, you’re going to – you’re going to need a bit of advice.

Pairing: Yoongi x reader

Genre: fluff; angst; smut

Word count: 54k

Status: Complete''

unexpected lovers- @jjkeverlast ♾️Ω☻

''-> pairing artist!yoongi x female reader

-> genre fake dating!au, romantic comedy

-> summary what happens when you meet min yoongi at the club, or well accidentally use him as your pawn to not get hit on. not knowing your cousins friend overhears and suddenly your whole family knows.

-> word count 19.8k''

Only Yesterday- @borathae ♾️☻Ω ¶

'' “Your life in a small countryside village was nothing of the extraordinary, you owned a quaint little teashop, enjoyed warm evenings in your garden and liked taking walks by the river. One day a handsome stranger moves in the abandoned cottage opposite side of the river and it is not long that he becomes a source of comfort in your life.”

Pairing: Yoongi x f.Reader

Genre: s2l!AU, Neighbours!AU, Teashop!AU, Slice of Life!AU, Romance, Fluff, Smut

Warnings: This is a very feel good story, meant to comfort the soul and warm the heart. However it contains talks about car accidents and memory loss, as well as sexually explicit scenes. If you are sensitive to such topics I advise you read with care. 

Wordcount: 78.620''

Signed in Black- @yoon-kooks♾️☻

''Pairing: Yoongi x Reader

Genre: Soulmate!AU, BadBoy!AU, FLUFF, Smut [in future chapters]

Summary: Min Yoongi. That was the name magically tattooed to your skin. You were told he was your lover by fate. And as cute as it would be to have a soulmate, Yoongi was the last person you ever wanted to be bound to. But thankfully, there was a way to remove the tattoo. All you had to do was convince six Bulletproof Fairies that the two of you were in love.

Word Count: 3.3k'' (first chapter)

neon signs- @pantoneyoongi ♾️¶

''title ; neon signs [ drabble series ]  pairing ; campus crush!yoongi x campus crush!you 

description ; namjoon doesn’t think it can get any clearer outside of yoongi building a giant neon sign saying i have the absolute biggest crush on you but apparently, book smarts don’t exactly translate when it comes to you and your massive crush on min yoongi.

(alternatively: namjoon and hoseok try for three years straight to get you and yoongi together.)''

Reflection of You- @agustdakasuga ♾️Ω ¶

''Genre: Historical!AU, Timetraveller!AU/ Different Dimension, Romance

Pairing: SUGA x Reader, Yoongi x Reader

Characters: Normal!Reader, Idol!Suga, King!Yoongi, Guard!Seokjin, Guard!Jungkook, RoyalAdvisor!Namjoon, Servant!Jimin, Servant!Hoseok, Prince!Taehyung

Summary: Confirming you were dating the famous Min Suga of BTS, you knew you were bound to make some enemies. But what you didn’t expect was to be cursed, leading you to meet a cold-hearted, arrogant king that shares the same face as your rapper lover. ''

your universe- @muniimyg ♾️☻Ω ☼

''in which min yoongi refuses to lose you

+ 

regretting rejecting oc, min yoongi goes through a circus load of gestures and tasks in attempt to be loved again

pairings:

basketball captain // tsundere yoongi + sunshine // preschool edu major oc

au/genre:

friends to lovers 

uni au

one sided pining / rejection / redemption / a sad excuse of a slow burn

smut, crack, angst

social media au + written

warnings:

implied + actual smut

angst (oc is heartbroken and trying to move on from being initially rejected)

name calling, love/hate friendships, big egos, overprotective friends, childish social culture, and a burnt out era <;3 

parts:

ongoing ( ongoing/25 )''

andante cantabile- @kkulfm-2 ♾️☻¶

''pairing: myg x f!reader

genre: historical / regency au, fluff, smut

wc: 30.6k + 3.8k smutty bonus

summary: You are convinced Mr. Min is nothing but a rude and gloomy man after he leaves a horrible first impression on you. His friends' attempts to convince you otherwise are met with mixed success.''

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

oneshots:

Man of The Year- @raplinesmoon ♾️¶

''pairing: single dad!Yoongi x gn!reader genre(s): pure fluff, very minor angst au(s): graduation au word count: 2.7k warnings: some swearing, Yoongi is a little nervous, Yoongi is bad at flirting, this is so cute I could cry

rating: PG

summary: For the longest time, it’s always been Yoongi and his daughter, celebrating every milestone of life together. But today, that could change.''

Shut Eye- @alpacaparkaseok ♾️

''pairing/genre: idol!Yoongi x reader, fluff

premise: In a world where every night you meet your soulmate in your dreams only to forget their face and voice when you wake up, you’re now more desperate than ever to find them.

word count: 2.6k''

gold- @aquagustd Ω♾️☻

''↣ you’re in love with Min Yoongi, yes, you are, but why do you keep thinking of the boy who broke your heart into a million pieces when you should be focusing on the one who’s mending it.

pairing: yoongi x reader (past jungkook x reader)

genre: angst, fluff, smut, bff2l

word count: 17K''

stood up. -@parkdatjimin Ω☻♾️

''Three years after dumping your toxic boyfriend, you decide it's finally time to try the dating scene again. What you don't expect is for a handsome and confident CEO to come to your rescue after being stood up.

"Just play along. My name is Yoongi and whoever stood you up is a douche."

Pairings: CEO!yoongi x fem!reader

Genre: HEAVY angst, smut, lil fluff, slice of life, mutual pining, non-idol!au''

First-Date BAIT!- @jimlingss ♾️

''Words: 11.3k

Genre: Fluff

First dates are embarrassing. First dates are awkward. I’ve been through countless ones, sitting across from people who bored the living daylights out of me. It was less exciting than watching paint dry. Some dates were so utterly rude - I think you and I both know what it’s like to be on the receiving end on that. But now we both don’t have to waste our time anymore!

With First Date Bait they went out for me! Afterwards, they informed me if it was recommended to go out on a second date. It’s amazing with a 99.99% accuracy rate! That’s how I ended up meeting my husband!

First Date Bait. Why waste your time with awkward first dates?''

DreamCatcher- @jimlingss ♾️Ω

''Words: 13k (oops)

Genre: Fluff & Angst

Summary: When your dreams are more or less nightmares, monsters inside your head that eat you alive, it seems like the only person who can help you is Min Yoongi, professional dream chaser.''

Purr-haps I like you- @taleasnewastime ♾️

''Summary: You have a no pets policy where you live, but when you find a tiny kitten in a box on the side of the road, what can you do but bring it home with you? The only problem? The landlord who made the no pets rule, also happens to be your flatmate.

Pairing: Yoongi x reader

Genre: pure fluff; Flatmates au

Word count: 11.6k''

Wild Strawberries- @yoonia ♾️☻

''➤ Character / Genre: Min Yoongi x reader/female OC (told through Yoongi’s POV) | Lucid Dream!au, fluff, smut''

first love- @jungnoir Ω♾️

''⇢ summary:  yoongi meets you, seated next to him at a familiar brown piano, and he steals you away hours before your wedding day, seated next to him at a familiar brown piano + yoongi’s been in love with you since childhood and he only has the courage to tell you when you’re about to marry someone else.

⇢ relationship: min yoongi/reader.

⇢ genre: best friend!au, angst, romance. 

⇢ words: 5.6k''

strike a chord- @snackhobi ♾️☻¶

''pairing: yoongi x reader // word count: 15.8k // genre: smut

summary: your idea of a good night certainly doesn't involve being stood up by yet another blind date and finding yourself alone in a fancy bar; fortunately for you, there's an attractive man playing the piano to keep you busy, instead.''

Anyone But The Groom- @yoonjinkooked ♾️Ω☻

''❅ Summary: After a meet-cute that brings all the romcoms to shame, you realize that for once in your life, the stars have finally aligned and presented you a guy that might be able to make you believe in love at first sight. Only to find out that you’re in charge of planning his Christmas Eve Wedding.

❅ Pairing: Yoongi x female reader

❅ AU: Wedding Planner reader x Arranged Marriage groom Yoongi

❅ Genre: fluff, angst, smut, slow burn, will-they-won’t-they type of relationship

❅ Word Count: 36.5k (I AM SO SORRY)''

Not Even a Mouse- @softyoongiionly ♾️☻¶

''Summary:  The week before Christmas, you are tasked with delivering some paperwork to your father’s former business partner in order to secure your ownership of their legendary toy store. However, things don’t go as planned and a sudden blizzard keeps you cooped up inside the tiniest town you’ve ever seen, Snow Falls. You keep telling yourself that it’s the weather that’s keeping you here, but after a visit to Min’s Mini Mart, you aren’t so sure anymore…

Pairing: Single Dad! Yoongi x Reader

Genre: Romance, FLUFF, Smut (18+ only please)''

All I Want for Christmas (ft. Yoongi)- @hayjeon ♾️Ω

''→ singledad, CEO!yoongi x secretary!reader→ 13k words''

ceo!yoongi- @jungshookz ♾️☻☼ ¶

''→ pairing: min yoongi x reader 

→ genre: ceo!au, clumsy!y/n because that’s always nice, jimin is ur best friend, floofy fluff, a touch of nsfw aka office sex

→ wordcount: 21k+ so u should probably read this using ur laptop and not ur phone''

first love | myg- @lavienjin ☻Ω

''synopsis: After an incredibly long day, Yoongi found you crying in the copy room. Though he doesn’t talk much, you’ve always found his presence comforting, and it didn’t surprise you when he stayed and listen to you vent. However, while you sought comfort in his embrace, he proposed a special offer to reduce your stress with the magic of his hands. The only catch to your arrangement? You couldn’t fall in love.

But wouldn’t you know it, just as your friendship deepens into something more, you find an old notebook sitting on his bookshelf, and in it, a collection of poems. The last entry has you reeling because it’s addressed to you. And in that page, a single line is written: Without you, I am nothing

pairing: yoongi x reader

wc: 11.3k

genre/rating/au: 18+ | fwb, coworkers, f2l au | smut, angst

warnings: unprotected sex, fingering, semi public sex, multiple smut scenes, multiple orgasms, oral (m. & f. receiving), masturbation, exhibition, lots of feelings. like a lot of feelings :(''

A Boy Like You | Yoongi- @cinnaminsvga ♾️¶

''→ summary: for whenever you are feeling low, always remember that there is a boy you know who would lift the sky for you.

{or alternatively: Min Yoongi loves you, though he never says it. He’s always been a firm believer in that actions speak louder than any words ever could.}

→ genre: coworker!au, f2l, fluff''

when the stars align- @itskimtaehyung ♾️Ω

''Pairing: Min Yoongi x Reader

Genre: FakeDating!AU with a hint of roommates (well actually more like apartment-mates but roommates is catchier), College!AU, fluff, angst

Word count: 10.5k

Content/Warnings: Mentions of heavy drinking, drug usage, strong language, but also cute things like adopting a dog together

Summary: With cuffing season approaching its end, you thought you had escaped the pressures of finding a boyfriend for the holidays. That is, until your friends set you up on a blind date that goes horribly wrong. This prompts you to enlist the help of your roommate, Yoongi, to fake a relationship so your friends will stop meddling in your love life. And it turns out Yoongi is a lot better at this romance thing than you originally thought…''

p.o.v | myg- @jtrbluv ♾️Ω

''summary: you were eight when you first met your soulmate. then you were eighteen when you realized that the boy who just got hired at the local record store next door, is also your soulmate. the issue at hand: you are the only one that knows.

pairing: yoongi x reader (fem)

genre: fluff, angst, soulmate!au, redstringoffate!au, college!au, high school!au

word count: 17.9k''

Yoongi is a Rock- @yoongsisbae ♾️Ω ¶

''rock!Yoongi x reader :D fluff a bit of angst a lot of silliness

Word Count 1.3k''

android!yoongi- @jungshookz♾️Ω☻☼ ¶

''→ pairing: min yoongi x reader

→ genre: android!au becauSe for some reason android aus are popping up everywhere, the usual heaping serving of fluff and comedy, N S F W like reALLY nsfw i poPPED OFF this time i don’t know even know what happened,,, forgive me god for i have sinned, a n g s t, i definitely teared up a little writing this because i was listening to kim bum soo’s i miss you and it made me 100x more emo

→ trigger warnings: this does get a little intense! beware!! 

→ wordcount: 24k like that bruno mars song''

you’re so concerned about the ending that you don’t even know the plot- @joonsgalaxy ♾️☼

''° yoongi x reader x taehyung

° 1.9 k words ° fluff/humour

🌟 you bring your broken laptop to Tae—the IT specialist—who you have a crush on. you drag your bff Yoongi along with you, who—you’re certain—has a crush on Tae too. what a mess, right? well, the thing is, you never even considered the possibility of your assumptions being totally wrong.''

better place- @cupofteaguk ♾️

''summary: you might be in love with childhood best friend Min Yoongi, and he might be in love with you—and everyone seems to know it. except for the two of you.

pairing: yoongi x fem!reader

genre: hogwarts au, friends to lovers au | fluff

warnings: slow burn, alcohol consumption, truly lowkey an idiots to lovers au word count: 14k''

something to hold on to- @fantasybangtan ♾️Ω ¶

''❦ word count. 17.7k ❦ genre. parent fic, fluff, angst, a bit of boob action ❦ warnings. illness, mention of hospitalisation, mention of minor character death, yoongi is kind of a dick sometimes, accidental(?) flashing ❦ summary. it’s not that you don’t like your job. on the contrary, reading bedtime stories to a certified little princess is something you still can’t believe you get paid to do. it’s just that between all the school runs, snow days and secret second hot chocolates before bed, you may fallen a little too hard for those dimpled cheeks and gummy smiles…. worse still, you’ve fallen for her father too.''

the proposal- @dreamescapeswriting ♾️Ω☻

''WORD COUNT: 35K (No its not missing a decimal point)

PAIRING: CEO!Yoongi x Assistant!Reader

GENRE: Smut, enemies to lovers, CEO x Assistant, fake marriage, angst, movie inspired, slow burn''

basketballcaptain!yoongi- @jungshookz ♾️☻☼ ¶

''→ pairing: min yoongi x reader

→ genre: basketball captain x water girl, cheesy cheesy stuff, the FLUFFIEST fluff, jungoo is an idiot, humour, nSFW = smut, cocky yoongi, spoiler alert yoongi does a body shot off of u it just be like that sometimes

→ wordcount: 18.4k this will definitely make the app crash as per usual don’t come for me''

Hug-o-gram- @cinnaminsvga ♾️☼ ¶

''→ summary: 

“This is probably the dumbest idea you’ve ever had,” Yoongi hisses, but it’s kind of hard for Seokjin to take him seriously when he’s wearing a cardboard sign around his neck that says ‘Huggie Wuggie Machine!’ in bubble font. 

“Like, even worse than when we DIY’d your car into a convertible by sawing the top off?” Seokjin asks, genuinely curious. 

“Worse,” Yoongi admits, trying his best to stay out of your line of sight. His cheeks redden, matching the gaudy pink kitten ears he was forced into wearing.

{or alternatively: Seokjin is a terrible wingman. He also runs a profitable business by sending hugs to people’s crushes for a fee. Mix them together and you have a recipe for Min Yoongi’s worst nightmare.}

→ genre: college!au, hugging booth!au,fluff, humor → warnings: yoongi is so smitten that he’s a walking disaster, so much shy!yoongi to the point where you’ll want to scream, seokjin just tryna get his homie some y/n love coochie bro ;o; → words: 13.3K''

I Wanna Hold Your Hand- @minisugakoobies ♾️

''Pairing: Yoongi x Reader (Gender Neutral)

Genre: friends to lovers, idiots to lovers, fluff, Roommates!AU

Rating: T

Warnings: pining, a lil’ smooching, Yoongi is very persuasive, reader is easily duped, it’s as fluffy as freshly fallen snow

Word Count: 1.4K

Disclaimers: None, other than obviously I don’t own BTS - they simply inspire me

Summary: It’s hand-holding season, according to your roommate.''

subtle- @joonary ♾️Ω

''↳ summary: just another memory added to the long list of drunk memories that you’ll forget but wish you’d remember, while yoongi will remember but wish he could forget. 

↳ genre: fluff; light angst; friends (?) to lovers (?); min yoongi x reader

↳ rating: pg-13

↳ warnings: swearing, alcohol consumption, and yoongi’s soft spots being exposed to the light of day. yknow, just another joonary fic.

↳ word count: 3.5k''

Hobi's Girl- @jjungkookislife Ω☻

''↬ pairing: f. reader x Hoseok, f. reader x Yoongi

↬ genre: smut [18+], angst

↬ summary: Yoongi had a wonderful night with you… but you’re Hobi’s girl.

↬ wc: 4.8k''

The King Isn’t Dead- @another-army-spot ♾️Ω☻

''Pairing: Yoongi x oc (fem)

Rating:  M

Word: 19.7k~ (my finger slipped?)

Genre:  historical fic, smut, romance, fluff, angst, political upheaval shit

Summary:  After the invasion and the King’s miraculous survival, the nation aims to secure stability and his position of power through the prospect of marriage and continuing the Min line.  As a promise to your brother on the battlefield, the King promises to consider you as his potential wife - to love and to protect.  Or maybe it’ll be the other way around?''

the landlord- @ppersonna ☻

''↳ summary- your air conditioner breaks right at the height of a recordbreaking heat wave.  good thing your hot landlord, yoongi, knows how to attend to any needs you may have.

↳ rating- explicit / 18+

↳ word count- 4.3k

↳ pairing- yoongi x reader

↳ genre- smut, light crack, PWP''

CYBERSEX- @gimmethatagustd ♾️☻☼

''The whole point of being a phone sex hotline operator is that you’ll never have to meet your clients. So what are you supposed to do when you find out your favorite client is your brother’s best friend? 

» pairing: yoongi x fem!reader 

» wc/date: 14.6k | July 2022

» genre: BTS | 18+ | brother’s best friend | smut | fluff | humor

» warnings: alcohol | blowjob | car sex | creampie | dirty talk | fingering | masturbation | pet names | phone sex | pussy slapping | sex work | unprotected vaginal sex''

Jung Hoseok

hot rod- @kinktae ♾️☻

''a 1950′s inspired fic where greaser Hoseok can’t keep his eyes, or hands, off the new waitress at his and his boys’ favorite diner.

pairing: greaser!hoseok x reader

word count: 10k

genre: 1950s au, smut, fluff''

Kim Namjoon

The Bodyguard- @rmnamjoons ♾️☻Ω

''➳ summary: You’re the daughter of the ambassador to a small, peaceful, barely-on-the-map country in Western Europe, working as a diplomat to help your mother with her endless meetings and politics. After a kidnapping attempt gone wrong, you and your protective bodyguard Namjoon are on the run across Europe, jumping from trains, stealing cars, and pretending to be a couple on your honeymoon to stay hidden. As the would-be kidnappers close in, Namjoon promises you that he’s going to keep you safe, no matter the cost.

➳ pairing: bodyguard!Namjoon x reader

➳ genre: bodyguard au, romance, smut, fake dating/fake marriage, road trip (kinda), very slight angst

➳ word count: 62.9k – this is a complete, VERY long oneshot''

Show Me How- @imaginationofacrazyfangirl ☻ ¶

''Summary:You swiped right on a nerd, instead you got a Greek God. Or tired of your virginity, you decide to throw caution to the wind and find a hook up on tinder.

— PAIRING: Namjoon x f!reader

— GENRE: smut. 18+ minors dni.''

I'll continue in a pt.2

(tumblr doesn't let me write more lmao)

my favorite bts fics so far (maknae!line + ot7)

hello lovely readers, i hope all of you are doing great. i really want to share the amazing work and talent that many authors have on this app. as a literature fan and hopeless romantic myself, i made sure to pick out all the fics that i think are beautiful and amazing :) this post includes the maknae line + ot7 fics. i also made a hyung line fic rec post if you want to check it out here heheh :p

disclaimers!!!!:

some of these fics contain nsfw content (minors dni), or some heavy themes

this is a pretty long post lmao

all pictures are from pinterest!

once again this is the key for the fics :)

fluff- ♾️

angst- Ω

smut- ☻

crack/humor- ☼

i would sell my liver to read this again for the first time- ¶

Park Jimin

series:

The Promised Iris- @akinnie75 ♾️Ω

''Pair: Jimin x Reader

Genre: Romance, Fluff, Slight Angst, Slow Burn, Fantasy, Soulmate AU

Word Count: 20k

Summary: During one rainy summer day at the park, a stranger name Jimin suddenly confesses that he’s in love with you. At first, you thought that Jimin was a stalker, but it turns out that there’s something he’s hiding from you.''

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oneshots:

balletteacher!jimin x ballerina!y/n - @jungshookz ♾️☼ (there are more drabbles for this oneshot lolz)

''pairing: park jimin x reader

genre: balletteacher!jimin x ballerina!y/n au, fluff!!!! the fluffiest fluff!!! idk jimin just really cares about y/n okAY

wordcount: 2.5k''

him after all - @mercurygguk ♾️Ω☻

''➵ summary; a guy you’ve never met before scoops in and saves you from a very embarrassing situation and you can’t help but notice how cute he is.

pairing; jimin x f. reader final word count; 17,176 (sorry y’all) rating; 18+ content; strangers to lovers au, fluff/angst/smut, infidelity, multiple appearances from jjk, oc’s boyfriend being nasty and stupid af''

lover to lean on - @sketchguk ♾️Ω☻

''pairing: neighbor!jimin x florist!reader

➳ genre: neighbor AU, flower shop AU, smut, fluff, angst

➳ wc: 20k

➳ synopsis: for months, you can hear your no face neighbor and his ‘girlfriend’ singing and dancing and laughing and falling in love. above all, you can hear their bed banging against your shared wall, and they won’t ever let you sleep. you’d much rather stay up at night worrying about your own problems, like the weight of an unrequited crush, so of course you’re bitterly single. but one day, the apartment is radio silent. and one day slowly turns into one week and then into an immeasurable amount of time since you’ve heard his laugh. so on valentine’s day, when you’re missing it the most, you beg your neighbor to open up to you with cookies in one hand and two broken hearts in the other''

beneath the water - @jungshookz ♾️Ω ☻ ☼¶

''→ pairing: park jimin x reader

→ genre: mermaid!au/fantasy!au, an extra large order of fluff, comedy!!, jungkook being a brat as per usual, a touch of angst, and of course a sprinkling of nsfw

→ wordcount: 20.5k words holy moly''

into the wilderness - @gukyi ♾️Ω ☼

''summary: alright, so last summer’s camp was… disastrous. from the murky green showers to the wasps nests, it was all-around a bad time. but none of those things could be quite as catastrophic as the end-of-camp counselor campfire, when you told park jimin that you were in love with him. and if telling him was terrible, then seeing him again this summer, one year after your fruitless confession, just might be the death of you.

{camp counselor!au, unrequited love!au, friends to lovers!au}

pairing: park jimin x female reader genre: angst, fluff, comedy word count: 27k''

Kim Taehyung

series:

charade- @ughcore ♾️Ω☻

'' “Why would you help me? What are you gonna get out of this?”

Taehyung looks you up and down, the humour twinkling in his eyes like the fairy lights he helped you hang above the TV. He tucks his hands into his armpits, assessing you for a few more moments that leave your skin hot and itchy. 

“It’ll be nice to see you out of those fuzzy slippers for once,”

The double entendre lacing his words is nothing new. The tingles in your stomach, however? Yeah, those are brand new.”

kth / fake dating + roommate au + fuckboy!taehyung

ongoing (35k) ''

maybe i do- @chateautae ♾️Ω☻

''➵ summary :  maybe you love each other, maybe you don’t. when a deal between your fathers leaves you forcefully wedding kim taehyung, arguably seoul’s most powerful CEO, you’re prepared for a loveless marriage of eternal regret and unhappiness. but maybe, it doesn’t turn out that way after all.

↳  part of the high-class series!

➵ pairing : taehyung x reader

➵ genre :  arranged marriage!au, ceo!tae, s2l!au, eventual smut, fluff, angst

➵ rating : 18+

➵ warnings : swearing, mentions of alcohol consumption, mentions of anxiety, mentions of confrontative violence (with other characters, not each other), lots of feels concerning forced marriage, a bad ex (reader’s), mentions of bad sexual experiences with ex (consensual, just bad sex), explicit sexual content, oral (m. and f. receiving), unprotected sex, penetrative sex (chapters have their own warnings!)''

A Story that we paint - @thedefinitionofbts ♾️Ω

''PAIRINGS: Jeon Jungkook x Reader | Kim Taehyung x Reader 

GENRE: College Au, Future, Scifi, Slight Fluff and Angst

WORDS: 9K (ch.1)

DESCRIPTION: Butterfly Dream: In which the lines between virtual and reality are blurred.''

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oneshots:

the universe of us. - @taesthetes ♾️Ω ¶

'' “I love you.” — “I know.”

pairing: jeon jungkook x reader | kim taehyung x reader genre: slight comedy, angst, fluff type: dream / fantasy / slice of life au word count: 21,112 words warnings: none''

you’re so concerned about the ending that you don’t even know the plot- @joonsgalaxy ♾️☼

''° yoongi x reader x taehyung

° 1.9 k words ° fluff/humor

🌟 you bring your broken laptop to Tae—the IT specialist—who you have a crush on. you drag your bff Yoongi along with you, who—you’re certain—has a crush on Tae too. what a mess, right? well, the thing is, you never even considered the possibility of your assumptions being totally wrong.''

stuck with you || [roommate!taehyung] - @jungshookz ♾️☼☻

''❥ pairing: kim taehyung x reader

❥ genre: university!au, enemies-to-lovers, fratboy!tae??, comedy that’ll either make you chuckle out loud or roll your eyes and snoRT or maybe u won’t laugh that’s cool too, domestic fluff because i want to go grocery shopping with tae toO (but also fluff in general!!), smutty smut so make sure to read this with your phone’s brightness lowered all the dang way, hi @ librarian!namjoon!!! fratboy!jungkook is also in here

❥ wordcount: 37k if ur reading this on mobile get rekt

❥ summary: kim taehyung becoming your new roommate is definitely up there on the list of the worst things that have ever happened to you.''

waterloo - @kinktae ♾️Ω☻¶

''Taehyung is a famous but pessimistic art prodigy who doesn’t believe in love. You are an art student studying in Paris, who sees the world through rose-colored lens and is a certified cheesy romance film enthusiast. And this is your love story.

Or, “Well, it is the city of love. Maybe you just need to fall in love.“

pairing: art prodigy!taehyung x art student!reader word count: 13k genre: FLUFF, angst, light tasteful smut''

falling in crayolove; (kindergartenteacher!taehyung) - @jungshookz ♾️

''✎ pairing: kim taehyung x reader

✎ genre: kindergartenteacher!au, workingman!au, F L U F F, tiny bit of angst at the start :-( but this is literally 98% fluff; y/n and taehyung are like two little kids with little crushes on each other

✎ trigger warning(s): implications of getting an abortion!!

✎ wordcount: 10.5k

✎ summary: y/n is a very single mom and taehyung is a very single kindergarten teacher. emma knows exactly what she needs to do.''

freefall - @jtrbluv ♾️☼☻

''summary: hearing banging noises outside your front door at 11 at night could mean one out of two things. one, you are seconds away from getting chopped up by an axe murderer. two, someone is purposefully being an inconsiderate asshole.

or three, a fratboy from delta phi who goes by the name of kim taehyung faceplants in front of your door amidst a high-stakes game of… hide and seek?

pairing: taehyung x reader

genre: fluff, smut (pretty tame tbh! cuz it’s my first time eek), comedy, college!au, fratboy!au

word count: 10k

warnings: RATED 18+, grinding, dryhumping, palming, mentions of drugs and alcohol (yk regular frat shit), swearing, taehyung is a gentleman fr tho my gawd with a big co-''

farmer boy, i love you - @strawberrynamjoon ♾️☼☻

''– Pairing: Taehyung x Reader

– Genre: farming!au, lowkey e2l, smut, humor & tons of nagging

– Word count: 35k

– Summary: Needing change in your life you decided it would be a brilliant idea to move to your uncle’s small farm, helping him and your cousin Jimin with the daily work. What you didn’t plan was to fall in love with your beautiful yet very annoying neighbour Taehyung, who seemed to make it his personal mission to tease you every chance he got. And what you expected even less was that he seemed to like you too.

– Warnings: includes smut, alcohol and mentions death of a father''

The Crown That Is Ours - @taeshobipop ♾️Ω☻

''pairing: Taehyung x Reader

genre: fluff, angst, smut, royalty!au, arranged marriage!au, crown prince!th, princess!reader, idiots to lovers

summary: You never wished for it, but it was inevitable — an arranged marriage to a royal stranger. The Crown Prince Kim Taehyung.

A year into your marriage and life still holds you firmly in its grip. How do you plan to steer through this mess when the public suddenly comes knocking at your door, pitchforks and torches in hand, threatening: “death to all who commit fraud!”

rating: 18+ sexual content.''

Rent-a-Boyfriend - @jimlingss ♾️

''Words: 12k

Genre: Extreme fluff for all you bitter people out there (me being included)

Are YOU lonely? Need someone to cuddle at night? Do you want love?

If you said 'yes' to any of the questions previously mentioned then we have a service for you!

Don't be alone for this Valentine's Day!

Come Rent-a-Boyfriend!™

(terms and conditions may apply. we are not responsible for any emotional or sentimental damages. please take caution with rent-a-boyfriend). ''

Jeon Jungkook

series:

new girl - @jjkeverlast ♾️☼☻¶

''☞ summary after finding out your boyfriend of 6 years cheated on you, you find yourself moving in with three guys in a loft. what could possibly go wrong? – inspired by the FOX series New Girl.

☞ pairing jeon jungkook x female reader

☞ genre roommates!au, roommates to lovers, romantic comedy

☞ status completed!

☞ rated mature (+18)''

Her - @jungk0oksthighs ♾️Ω☻

''bestfriend!jungkook, tattooist!jungkook, F2L, fluff, smut, angst

“And even if you don’t feel the same, that’s okay – I’ll always be here for you.” ''

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oneshots:

like stars in a constellation - @taegills ♾️Ω ¶

''↬ meeting in reverse au

pairing: jeon jungkook | reader

genre: slight sci-fi, fluff, angst

word count: 20.9k

summary: And at midnight, as you sit there and contemplate how the two of you were like stars in a constellation, you watch the sky with bated breath. Because somehow, for the first time since you got caught up in all of this a year ago, it almost seems like the stars are finally spiraling backwards and time feels a little more still than ever before. And when you hear your name, you turn around so fast that the world stops spinning''

the universe of us. - @taesthetes ♾️Ω ¶

'' “I love you.” — “I know.”

pairing: jeon jungkook x reader | kim taehyung x reader genre: slight comedy, angst, fluff type: dream / fantasy / slice of life au word count: 21,112 words warnings: none''

tangled webs - @ughseoks ♾️Ω

''— pairing; spiderman!jungkook x reader

— genre/au; soulmate au / spiderman au / angst, fluff

— rating; pg15

— word count; 14.1k

— summary; Soulmates are tricky thing. Not everyone is lucky enough to have their destinies intertwined with their missing piece. Signs come in dreams for those fortunate souls; short bursts that are barely memorable when the sun rises. As for you? Flashes of red and blue are your only indicators to the identity of your other half.''

Hopping Mad for You - @readyplayerhobi ♾️☻

''; Rabbit Hybrid!Jungkook x Reader

; Genre: Fluff, smut

; Word Count: 9.7k

; Warnings: Unprotected sex, handjob, blowjob, virgin sex, virgin!Jungkook, pretty sub!Jungkook

; Synopsis: For two years you’ve lived with your rabbit hybrid roommate, Jungkook. He’s been a model roommate and you’ve found yourself with little complaints. But his behaviour lately has been a little…unusual.''

Devoted to Trouble - @jeonsweetpea ♾️Ω ☻ ☼

''Spider-Man!AU | Peter Parker!Jungkook x Reader

genre: fluff, smut, comedy, lil angst rating: explicit description: In which the whole world finds out Jungkook is Spider-Man, but he doesn’t care about anything but you. OR Can you survive seven days of Jungkook pining over you while his identity is exposed to the world? word count: 11.5k''

The Love Plaza - @mayolive-writes ♾️☻ ☼

''Pairing: Jungkook x AFAB Reader

Summary: Needing to take a break from the long trip to college, you and Jungkook are forced to stay at the only lodging available within 70 miles, a love motel. And much to Jungkook’s dismay, there’s only one bed.

Wordcount: 4102

Genre: Fluff, Comedy, Smut, Best Friends to lovers, Oneshot(?)''

the underwear thief - @gukyi ♾️☻

''summary: jeon jungkook would like to make one thing very clear: it’s not his fault.

{neighbors!au}

pairing: jungkook x female reader word count: 10k genre: fluff, smut''

1999 - @tattookoo ♾️Ω ☻ ☼

''summary: the year was 1999. boybands were wearing all-white outfits, everybody wanted an ibook or a tamagotchi, tlc didn’t want no scrubs, fight club was playing in movie theaters and you became jeon jungkook’s fake girlfriend in order to fix his reputation. 

pairing: campus royalty!jungkook x f reader 

genre: one shot, 90s au, college au, hockey au, childhood neighbors to friends to idiots to lovers, fake dating, fluff, crack, angst, smut  rating: 18+ 

word count: 17.9k''

tuesdays - @axialitae ♾️Ω

''tldr. you believe your very reserved, reclusive roommate jungkook is a peculiar boy who’s far too concerned with how you spend your tuesdays.

💭 prompt. “i don’t owe you an explanation.”

🤍 pairing. jungkook x f.reader.

🐻‍❄️ genre. non-idol au. pure domestic fluff. tiny angst. roomies + kinda dumb-dumbs to luvrs.

☁️ word count. 12.1k''

Tamped - @chimoona ♾️Ω ☻ ☼

''Pairing: Shop Owner!Reader x Barista!Jungkook/Switch!Jungkook/Baby Boy!Koo, Reader x Dom!Yoongi (for, like, a second) Genre: Smut, Fluff, Humor, Slow Burn, Mild Angst/Jealousy | Barista AU Word Count: 19.7K Rating: M (18+) Summary: You and your business partner/best friend Jin have struggled to find good help to run your coffee shop. Employee after employee, it just never worked out. However, Jungkook is determined to impress and deliver. He wants this more than ever, and it always feels good to want something. To need, well, that’s even better.''

(Right) Hook, Line, and Sinker - @blog-name-idk ♾️☻ ☼

''Pairing: Jeon Jungkook x Fem Reader

Genre: College!AU, Roommate!AU, Fluff, Humor, Smut

Summary: Your horrible friends trick you into going to a haunted corn maze, where you inadvertently punch a zombie. Jungkook is, of course, in love.

Word Count: 12,353''

OT7

series:

The Return of an Empress - @you-are-my-joy ♾️Ω ☻ ☼¶

''Status: Completed

Pairing: OT7 x Reader

Genre: Isekai, Angst, Romance, Fluff, Smut

Characters: Empress!Reader, Advisor!Jin, Advisor!Yoongi, General!Hoseok, Advisor!Namjoon, Assassin!Jimin, Knight!Taehyung, Knight!Jungkook

Summary: After one fateful night, you find yourself transmigrated into your favorite novel as the Empress that shares the same name as you. As a bookworm, most would think you’d be happy, but how could you be happy when the Empress you’ve become is expected to be killed in three months. The only thing on your mind now is to learn how to survive.

Warning: May contain depictions of violence and mentions of abuse throughout the story.

Total Word Count: 280,808''

mother knows best - @seokth ♾️☼ ¶

''pairing | ot7 x female reader (platonic), ot7 moms & female reader

summary | being the only woman in a friend group with seven men automatically makes you the love interest in seven mothers’ wistful romantic stories. though your relationship with the guys remains completely platonic, the marriage fantasy their moms frequently project onto you and their sons has them coming up with all sorts of shenanigans to make you their daughter-in-law. mother knows best, you suppose.

warnings | overbearing moms, attempts at humor, platonic, slice of life au''

The Flower Path - @stellalunatmblr ♾️Ω ¶

''Genre/Tags: isekai (kinda?), bangtan x fem!reader, not poly, oc!bestfriend, surprise romantic pairings; rom-com (romance as a subplot), slow burn (the slowest of burns holy moly i cannot stress this enough), fluff, angst (will update tags along the way)

Status: Ongoing [HOLD]

Summary: What would you feel if you find yourself transported to the world of a cheesy web novel? Ecstatic, of course (well, among other things), except you’re stuck being the main character’s best friend slash sidekick. Fair enough, you don’t think you’re main character material anyway. Determined to get through your life that has changed all of a sudden, you try to keep yourself in the shadows of your “best friend.” Let’s just try to get through the last year of high school in peace. You thought it was gonna be easy – like a walk in a flower path– but the thing about walking that road is that there are bound to be thorns along the way.

Inspired by the web novel and manhwa: Inso’s Law''

operation: love letters - @ve1vetyoongi ♾️Ω ¶

 ''Sign up for the Love Calculator today to find your perfect match?

➤ YES | NO

♡ …L O A D I N G…Y O U R…M A T C H E S… ♡

♡ ⇢ pairing: ot7 x reader.

♡ ⇢ wordcount: est 30k total.

♡ ⇢ genre: mystery, college!au, romance, fluff, eventual smut.

♡ ⇢ summary: When every student on campus is going crazy about a survey that claims to make true love bloom, your best friend manages to convince you to join in on the fun — except you’re disappointed to find out that your results just seem to be lost causes. That is until a love letter from a mysterious secret admirer turns up and you find yourself on a mission to find the person behind the pen — but you quickly realise it’s going to be a lot harder than you initially thought when you have 7 possible bachelors to investigate, right? Operation: Love Letters a-go!''

The Galaxy Above Us - @agustdakasuga ♾️Ω

''Genre: Gods!AU, Fantasy, Romance, Fluff

Pairing: OT7 x Reader

Characters: Normal!Reader, God of Wisdom!Namjoon, God of Life!Seokjin, God of the Moon!Yoongi, God of Festivity!Hoseok, God of the Sun!Jimin, God of Nature!Taehyung, God of Arts!Jungkook

Summary: Just when you thought that you life was at its end, you were ready to disappear but a door appears in front of you. Above you was the milky way and awaiting you were the celestial beings that waited their whole lives for you. To show the galaxy that was made for you.''

Everything Falls (Into Place) - @blog-name-idk ♾️☻ ☼

''Pairing: OT7 x Fem Reader

Genre: College!AU, Roommate!AU, Fluff, Humor, Smut

Summary: Your new roommates are unbearably nice and unbearably hot. Good thing you're an adult who is fully capable of platonic friendships with the opposite sex, right?

Word Count: 90,211

Rating: 18+''

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oneshots:

until the last star falls - @minniepetals ♾️Ω ¶

''— summary: it was a love you knew would never make it out alive without sacrificing a part of your happiness to receive a greater happiness. but for them, you’d go to any extreme to have them again, and for you, they will always remind you each day that you are theirs and that nothing can tear you apart, not even until the last star falls.

— pairing: underworld lords!bts × shield!reader

— genre: fluff, angst / reincarnation!au / poly!au / gods!au

— word count: 44.4k ”

Spooked - @alpacaparkaseok ♾️☼

''Pairing:best friend!BTS, maybe some secret crushes going on? 👀

Premise: You + all 7 members of BTS visiting a haunted house. What could go wrong?

So, so much.

Word Count: 4k''

Kalon | Pt. 1

Beauty that is more than skin-deep.

Jimin x staff!reader

Summary : you have been working at hybe for/with BTS for a few years and have become great friends with them. Suddenly Jimin starts acting different with you and you can‘t help but get upset because you secretly have a crush on him:(

Genre/Tropes : angst, jealousy, friends to lovers (more like idiots to lovers tho), painful blindness of the two..

Word count : ~800

A/N: Hello my sweet readers I am back! For this fic the reader has a specific appearance (so sorry if feels not all inclusive).The reader is a bit taller than jimin and medium sized (not skinny but not plus size) with some curves and a soft belly<3 I hope you enjoy reading this! Leave comments with suggestions if you’d like <3

Series masterlist<3

<

No one could have prepared you for where you are now. The day you moved to Korea you couldn‘t even dream of being close friends with BTS, sitting closely in a cozy cafe while it lazily rained outside. But this is your reality now. The seven booming voices roar with laughter as Jungkook does another one of his impressions bringing you back to your marvellous reality.

It’s around 6 PM so the skies are still bright but the chill from the rain is evident in the air. An entering customer swings the door widely allowing a gust of wind right in your direction. A chill runs down your body, arm hairs rising to preserve your heat but an involuntary shudder still shakes your body. This might be a slight fault of your own considering the cream short sleeved oversize t-shirt that you were wearing but you did have a black turtleneck underneath (though it was quite thin..)

“Hey are you cold?” Jimin’s hushed voice grips your attention. You turn your head to him, slightly shaking it.

“No..no.. I’m fine…” you stutter out trying to avoid his soft gaze as heat begins rising to your cheeks.

“Y/n I saw you shaking.. just.. here you should take my hoodie, it’ll keep you warm” Jimin shuffled around putting his hands on the hem of his hoodie ready to take it off when you softly swat his hand away.

“Really it’s okay, I’m not cold at all..” You give him an unconvincing smile, allowing yourself to fully flush as you turn to your other side listening to a very passionate story that Namjoon has conjured from his vast literature adventures.

But your mind drifts off…

The heat in your cheeks is embarrassment. Oh how you wished to be engulfed by the silky material of Jimins hoodie that still radiated his body warmth. You’d sell your soul for that actually…but… there is a problem disarming you completely before him. Jimin might not be the skinny boy he once was, he sports a muscular frame now, but no matter that an insecurity that you’d simply not fit in his clothes stops you.

It is common for tannies to share clothes between one another and sometimes you also become an unwilling recipient of this ‘friend love’ as they call it.

Thanks to that you are painfully aware of the fact that you’re bigger than most of these boys (having seen the sizes of their clothes), only ever letting yourself accept clothes from Namjoon or your best friend Seokjin.

“WAH!” Jin’s loud exclamation makes seven heads turn to him. “Y/N HOW CAN YOU SIT THERE AND SHIVER LIKE THAT- here put this on now!” Jin removed his hoodie in seconds pushing it into your hands.

You knew there was no way to say no to ‘mother’ Jin so you slipped on the hoodie not even trying to put up a fight. The warmth instantly made you relax and melt in your seat a sleepy smile now adorning your features as the comfort set in.

While you were feeling comforted you were blissfully unaware of a scowl on a certain someone’s face…

Jimin was looking at you with his eyebrows furrowed also stealing some glances at his hyung. He could feel green jealousy causing a great pang in his chest. His mind was running a hundred miles per hour trying to decipher why not only you refused his hoodie but accepted Jin’s without a second thought…

Yes Jimin was no stranger to the close relationship shared between you and Jin. Nevertheless that didn’t make him any less jealous of the occurring situation. He could feel his head heating up from the sight of you nestled snuggly in his hyungs pink hoodie. It should be his hoodie! The one he offered you first! He noticed you shivering first! Just why didn’t you take his hoodie…

Jimin ran his hand through his hair trying to bring himself back to the conversation he was having with Taehyung though his mind was still running miles around you.

When the clock struck 11 PM and Yoongi wouldn’t stop whining about going to sleep you all said your goodbyes before getting into two separate taxis.

The ride home was quick and before you knew it your back was against the soft pillowy mattress and your eyes shut entering the kingdom of dreams.

On the other side of town seven boys had just filtered through their dorm door and now laid in their respective rooms with clear minds. But one could not close his eyes so easily. Jimin could not let go of what happened this evening. His eyes drifted around the celling trying to make out a reason, but to no avail, he was stuck without an explanation before sleep finally took over his restless mind.

>

Kalon | Pt. 2

Beauty that is more than skin-deep.

Jimin x staff!reader

Summary : you have been working at hybe for/with BTS for a few years and have become great friends with them. Suddenly Jimin starts acting different with you and you can‘t help but get upset because you secretly have a crush on him:(

Genre/Tropes : angst, jealousy, friends to lovers (more like idiots to lovers tho), painful blindness of the two…

Word count : ~1.3K

A/N : Hello! Please enjoy the second part<3

Series masterlist<3

<

It was finally Saturday and you all had a few days off because of the winter holidays.

Most of your holidays were spent at the dorms with the boys and today is no different.

You were currently in the kitchen preparing dinner for all of you while the boys set up the living room for a movie night, gathering blankets, pillows and some candles (because you never shut up about how candles make the atmosphere in a room much calmer).

You could hear laughter coming from the living room, Hobi’s loud cackling joined by a chorus of others made a smile appear on your face thinking about how lucky you were to have these amazing people in your life.

You opened the fridge door searching for some eggs but could not seem to find any. A frown etched into your features and you closed the door getting back to chopping onions.

“Hey” Jimins voice lingered into your senses. You turned your head catching him sitting at the kitchen island behind you with a soft grin on his face.

“Hey minnie” You smilled, fully taking in his appearance now.

‘Wow’ was all your brain could muster up this moment. There he was sitting at the island head resting on his folded arms that lay on the marble counter, hair still slightly wet from the shower he just had, eyes sparkly, cheeks a comforting pink, lips a bitable red… ‘oh my I should stop’ you tried to get yourself back to reality.

And with that you become extremely aware of the fact that your handsome crush is observing you, while you two are alone in the room, which instantly makes you nervous.

“Do you need some help with dinner?” he turns his head to look at two pots that were boiling on the stove.

Excitement was running through his veins. His beautiful friend (and crush) cooking some deliciously smelling food... as if you weren’t already absolutely perfect in his mind, you could also cook better than the lavish restaurants he had been at. All he wanted now was to be right there by your side, cooking with you close by.

“Oh no need, I’m almost done” You replied nervously, knowing that if you had to cook in front of him you’d end up making a total fool of yourself. You were already so tense having him sit there watching you for a minute.

“Well then I’ll just sit here and keep you company” he threw a cheeky smile at you and you quickly diverted your eyes to the pot gulping nervously.

God why did he have to be so absolutely divine! And why did you have to have the biggest crush on him! It’d be much easier if he was a lot less good looking, then you could tell yourself that he’s not THAT much out of your league. But now you had an actual angel following your every move with his lovely eyes and you could not feel more like a piece of a rock.

Your heart is accelerating with every move you make, knowing that he can see you. Your mind wonders off to your insecurities. What if my hair looks bad from the back? What if my sweatshirt fits weird? What if he finds me disgusting looking?

You were being silent, Jimin could not sit in silence with you, he needed to hear your voice that sang only for him in the empty room. Just as he lifted himself a tad and opened his mouth to ask you about your day a certain someone barged through the door disturbing his action.

“Ahh Y/n-ahh” Jin sloths into the kitchen hanging himself on your shoulders, eyes barely open “I can’t take it anymore with themmm” he whines “They’ll never set up the TV and they’re not listening to me, even though they should! I am the oldest” a signature pout appears on your best friends face as you turn your attention from a pot to him.

“Let the kids play Jinnie” you chuckle feeling much more at ease now that Jin was in the room dispersing your mind from insecurity clouds thus softening the tension, because you were sure if you had to feel Jimin’s burning gaze on you for a second longer you’d actually catch fire.

“How is the food?” He focuses on the stews that are emitting a delicious smell and tickling his receptors.

“Have a bite and critique me if u must” you smile dipping a spoon into one of the stews and blowing on it before bringing it to chef Jin’s lips. He welcomes the tester and hums. “I admit it’s pretty good.. ahh our Y/n is so talented… right Jiminie?”

You turn to Jimin making eye contact “of course she is” his eyes are pointed at Jin, jaw set. There’s something in his voice that shakes you a bit. His tone much deeper, his answer sounding more like a hard statement.

“Thanks” you smile at Jimin which visibly softens him up again as his eyes shift to you “but it’s not done yet” you continue stirring the pot.

“Well I’ll help you finish it” Jin grabbed the knife from the counter and began chopping the ginger you had set aside for later.

“It’s alright I’ll manage it by myself Jinnie, you must be tired” you gave him a smile reading his tired features easily.

“Not tired, I wanna help you c’mon“ he smiled leaning onto the counter and you gave in rolling your eyes, handing him a few more veggies to chop while you peeled some potatoes.

Jimin was fuming watching the interaction. Literally fuming. He had gotten so hot from the inside that his damp hair was dry by now. He doesn’t know what hurt more, you not refusing his help but accepting Jin or the lovely scene that the two of you created in front of him, where he wished to be beside you, being the reason for your smile.

‘So you accept Jin’s help, but don’t want help from him’ was the only thought swimming in his head, consuming him whole. You were acting weird before Seokjin came in, but he thought that it was because you were tired from cooking for the past hour. Yet all it took for you to become light as a breeze again was Jin.

Now Jimin’s face fell. He has come to a conclusion. You like Jin. And from the looks of it Jin liked you too…

Jimin couldn’t stand watching the cute interaction between the two of you while wishing it was him next to you and not his hyung, so he got off the chair and left the kitchen letting out a deep sign on his way out.

Now Jin placed the knife down and turned to you.

“Why are you like this?” he demands an answer from you but you continue stirring your stew.

“Y/n I’m talking to you” he pokes your side “so do answer me. I’m not Jimin, I won’t wait for you to come around”

“What are you talking about?” you turn to him perplexed by his statement.

Jin chuckles looking down at the ground “You two are completely oblivious and it hurts. Can’t you see that he likes you? And why in the world you act so strange around him? I could cut the tension with my hand when I came in here.”

“First of all he doesn’t like me, second of all you know why” you send him a glare “and third, I don’t know what you’re talking about” you turn back to the pot.

“Okey do as you wish I can’t force you to confess...” his words brought up a storm in your mind.

Could Jimin possibly like you? And if he did, could you be so selfish to tell him about your feelings?

>

Kalon | Pt. 3

Beauty that is more than skin-deep.

Jimin x staff!reader

Summary : you have been working at hybe for/with BTS for a few years and have become great friends with them. Suddenly Jimin starts acting different with you and you can‘t help but get upset because you secretly have a crush on him:(

Genre/Tropes : angst, jealousy, friends to lovers (more like idiots to lovers tho), painful blindness of the two…

Word count : ~1.7K

A/N : Hii! Hope you enjoy the third part<3

Series masterlist<3

<

Preparing for a comeback was never an easy task. New choreographies to master, stage planning, outfit preparations, media coverage and much more. You had just gotten a raise to the third manager in command which meant that most of your work was to do with the boys, checking choreographies for corrections to match the stage, making sure outfits for each song were impeccable but also comfortable for the boys.

Today the team focused on the new choreos. It has been almost a full month since they started the choreo-focus.

You had spent 9 pause-less hours in the practice room with the boys and a few instructors. For now, tucked away at a far corner in the studio, there was nothing for you to see and comment on, so you had your computer with you, completing documents that were sent to you by the superiors.

Once in a while, after finishing sentences you’d lift your head to observe the boys and their state. Just as you looked up, instructors gave them a little break, seeing as they could barely breathe. You quickly jumped out of your seat on the ground and gathered 7 bottles from a nearby table to pass around.

Approaching the 7 sweaty bodies that laid on the ground a compassionate smile covered your features.

“Okay now everyone sit up and have some water” you called out passing each of them a bottle “and I repeat sit up… I don’t need anyone chocking on water… again…Jin I’m talking to you, you big baby” you shot daggers at your best friend catching his laying form about to pour water into his mouth.

One last bottle is left in your hand as you ascend to Jimin.

He’s been silent lately and no one knew why.

Even Taehyung and Jungkook asked you if you might have a clue what was wrong with their hyung, but you as well as them held no knowledge over the fact.

He was sitting up straight, legs crossed, head narrowed down. “Have some water Jiminie” you put the water in front of him, but he didn’t move a muscle. “Yah Jimin! Drink up while you still can, this is gonna be our last break for a while” Hobi scolded the younger boy.

“I’m not thirsty” he answered in an uninterested tone.

You were about to dispute with him, but an alarm going off took everyone’s attention.

“Time to get back to work” Namjoon signed and handed you his bottle with a quick nod to say ‘thanks’. You return his smile with one of your own before collecting the other bottles out of their way and stacking them next to the wall.

When the music starts again you scan over the seven boys, your eyes unintentionally lingering on one particular boy standing in the front of the set-up.

Oh how much you wished you could enter his head and see what was it that weighed him down, you wished you could solve all his problems only to see his smile beaming at you once again… you hadn’t realized how much his smiles, the ones that left you red as a beet, affected the quality of your daily life, until you lost the privilege of getting multiple through the day…

> 

The clock strikes 9 PM when your older colleagues bid you farewell and leave the almost dark building. You stay behind wanting to finish up a few documents so you’d have all of tomorrow to focus on concert outfits. For you fittings were the hardest part. Stylists would put together wonderful outfits, but without one thought of how anyone is supposed to move around, let alone perform in them. That job was left to you as well as a few older staff members with more experience.

“UGH!” you let out a loud sign resting your head at the wall behind you, closing your eyes to settle the stinging sensation in them from not blinking, “finally, time to go home” you close the laptop securing it in your backpack and locking up the room.

You turn to leave but a light at the end of the hall catches your curiosity. You walk towards the light peeking inside the room.

“Jimin?” you whisper to yourself. The boy was in a dark grey top that you soon realized was actually a light grey top completely drenched in his sweat.

His pale skin shone off the mirror capturing your gaze as it slipped to his face. Wet hair stuck to the pale skin, lips a mix of grey and red, where he must have bit it out of frustration, eye circles prominent even from afar.

‘Is he insane?!’ you thought to yourself becoming aware of all the signs that pointed to a conclusion that he was once again overworking himself.

“Jimin!” you shout over the music coming into the room to give him a piece of your mind. Worry now completely radiating off of you as you stood closer to him, the details even more pronounced to your vision now.

He doesn’t seem to mind your voice as he pays you no attention, eyes still locked on his fluid form in the mirror.

“JIMIN!” you try again, straining your voice. Now your worry becomes irritation as he voluntarily ignores you once again.

You walk over to the stereo and pause the music, and look up at him. He’s storming over to you, his face stone cold which makes you want to curl into yourself but this isn’t your first rodeo with one of the boys overworking themselves, so you know that it’s not always a pretty view.

“What the hell are you doing?” his sharp voice cuts you. He was so close to you making you nervous for all the reasons that did not matter right now. You recover fast enough from your daze.

“Probably saving your life considering the way you look… Have you seen yourself in the mirror recently?” you try to lighten the mood, but you come to regret it soon enough.

“Have you?” Jimins eyes scan you up and down and you can physically feel yourself become smaller in his scrutinizing gaze. The lighthearted smile that just adorned your face now gone completely without a trace, your eyes big, insecurities hogging your clear mind into the darkness again. You wrap your arms around your torso as you become painfully aware of the way you look. Your frumpy giant form next to Jimin’s angled toned body seems comical making you feel like a total joke.

You lower your gaze not wanting him to see your eyes that were beginning to moisten and Jimin’s gaze immediately softens seeing your reaction.

Jimin was beating himself up inside. Seeing your face fall, your warmth retreating from him he immediately knew of the monumental mistake that he had just made. He knew that what he said was entirely wrong and not even true in the slightest. He was just so hurt the day he became aware of the feelings that you shared with his hyung and decided that instead of being sad about it he’ll be mad at the whole wide world.

That was in no way a better decision, but for a while being mad at the two of you helped him more than crying into his pillow out of frustration every other day and waking up with a headache.

However the hurricane of emotions that he felt seeing you so close to him messed up his brain. It was just the effect you had on his poor heart that still yearned after you.

With you so close he only wanted to bring you into his embrace like he used to and squeeze you tightly till you couldn’t stop laughing. Yet he knew that these dreams of his were in ruins as you belonged to another and he couldn’t let himself act out his feelings so instead he masked it with hatred and fury.

“Just… don’t hurt yourself…” you clamer out, eyes never again meeting his as you retreat out of the room.

Jimin lifts his hand to stop you, his whole body burning with embarrassment that he said that to you that he made you feel sad, but you don’t notice him.

Jimin is left alone in the room, his hand still up, reaching for you who is no longer present. He stays frozen in that position overthinking everything that just happened, beating himself up for being such an idiot.

“No wonder she likes Seokjin, not me… there’s nothing to like about me.” he glances at his slouched void form in the mirror, before resuming the music, determined to dance until he can no longer lift his feet as punishment…

The moment you step out of the room your tears cascade down your warm cheeks and a shaky cry escapes your lips. You cover your face your palms crying into them with pain seeping through you.

You had always had insecurities about the way you looked, but being with BTS had helped so much, considering that the boys were all about self-love and never said anything hurtful your way.

Jimin’s comment released the dark monster inside your head.

You did look ridiculous, how could you even let yourself think that he could possibly ever like you back, when you looked like ‘this’. You should apologize to him for having to be so close to someone so ugly…

But if Jimin thought you were disgusting the rest of the boys definitely did too… maybe they just haven’t blurted something out in your earshot.

You took your hand away from your face deciding that you’d better leave before you can run into Jimin again. Just then you notice your reflection in the mirror. It’s a confirmation of all the thoughts you had before. The girl standing in front of you had a red wet face, budging stomach in pants with a cropped sweater that made her look like a shapeless whale. Jimin’s voice echoed in your head again.

‘Have you?’

You snapped your eyes away and hurried out of the building, leaving droplets of fresh tears all the way home.

>

Kalon | Pt. 4

Beauty that is more than skin-deep.

Jimin x staff!reader

Summary : you have been working at hybe for/with BTS for a few years and have become great friends with them. Suddenly Jimin starts acting different with you and you can‘t help but get upset because you secretly have a crush on him:(

Genre/Tropes : angst, jealousy, friends to lovers (more like idiots to lovers tho), painful blindness of the two…

Word count : ~1.7K

A/N : I love when it snows with big fluffy snowflakes, it makes me think of snowflower<3 Do you like snow?

Series masterlist<3

<

The next day you enter BTS practice room unwillingly, your body clad in oversize joggers and a matching long sweatshirt that hid your body from any praying eyes, as you were commanded to collect Jimin for his outfit check, while the other staff got other boys. You considered asking one of the other staff to switch with you, but that would have started a rumor about you and Jimin being enemies or what not… although it did feel as if you were his enemy as of lately judging by the treatment you’d received not even 12 hours ago.

This morning Jimin managed to look even worse than he did last night, and he felt even worse than he looked if that was even possible.

“When did you come in last night? I don’t think I heard you” Namjoon was fulfilling his leaderly duty, questioning Jimin on his whereabouts.

‘I don’t remember because I lost track of time crying in the studio because I’m a total fuck up’ Jimin wanted to say as he looked into his friends caring eyes, but settled on a simpler explanation.

“I slept at the studio.”

“Jimin you can’t sleep in the studio when we’re practicing every day, you need some proper rest if you wanna do well” Jin waved his hands in the air. Jin wasn’t blind he’d seen the way his friend had been acting lately with you and with the band. Something was very wrong and if Jimin continued to ignore those around him it would become a huge problem that they did not need a few months before their tour.

Jin’s voice instantly aggravated Jimin. If this conversation had taken place weeks prior, Jimin would be apologizing to his elders and doing just as they told him. However the present Jimin hated his hyung with a passion, because he, without actually doing anything, proved Jimin that he was third-rate compared to Jin.

You come closer to the three boys lounging on the floor keeping your moves as quiet as possible to not irritate Jimin. Your heart is beating like crazy and your whole body is stiff as a rock when you finally approach them.

“Jimin could you please come with me for the outfit check?” you barely meet his eyes, scared to see the same expression from yesterday glaring at you making you feel no bigger than a pebble and no smaller than a whale at the same time…

Jin and Namjoon share a confused look.

Jimin doesn’t say a word, his eyes never leaving your face, which is sadly hidden behind your hair. He exhales deeply and gets up heading for the door.

Guilt is swarming him, all he wishes to do is apologize to you for what happened yesterday, to set things straight again. He could no longer fool himself that ignoring your existence or raining down on everyone around him was in any way comforting.

You also turn toward the door now that his eyes are no longer burning your face and take a step when a warm hand catches your arm.

Your eyes shift to a concerned expression on your best friends face.

“Are you alright?” Jin voice is smooth and soothing, like cool gel on burnt skin.

“I’m fine” you reassure him, not wanting to bring your friend into your mess.

You can see that Jin doesn’t really trust your words or your ‘reassuring’ smile and hesitantly lets go of your hand when you put your hand on his signaling him to let you go.

Jimin is standing at the door watching the scene, once again an outsider. Hurt and anger reach a boiling point in him again. Jin’s hand on yours and the way your eyes never left his face, it was all so angering to Jimin. His anger towards you two becomes sadness and his eyes gloss over with new unshed tears.

That is all he had ever wanted, that kind of warmth from you, being able to share glances and comforting touches with you… But he was not the kind of guy that you liked.

You liked a man like Jin, an older man, one that was tall, had a soft voice and a strong body and of course was undeniably handsome.

To Jimin, he was nothing like the man described and on top of all, a total wreck that couldn’t even treat his friend well.

The two of you walk wordlessly to the dressing room and you lead him to a room with his name plastered on the door. He enters after you, closing the door behind himself.

You quickly shuffle through racks of clothes searching for a particular one that you had to go over today, while Jimin awkwardly stands by the door trying to get a grip on his emotions.

You finally find the hanger that you were looking for and unzip it, checking out the outfit within.

Usually these outfit checks were a fun thing between you and Jimin. You’d joke around without any tension, even though he had to take his shirt of multiple times in front of you, but you always kept your composure, as did he.

Now you didn’t know how to approach him while holding the shirt in your hands. It was full of buttons on the front and back, ones that he’d not reach to fasten himself.

You let out a shaky exhale and Jimin takes notice of your anxious state and decides that he must somehow diffuse this tension or he’ll suffocate.

“Need me to put that one on?” he cringes when it comes out harsher than he intended due to his gravelly voice.

“Yes… please” you nod handing him the shirt, still not lifting your head.

He takes it from you, your hands gently brushing against one another and you retract your hand as if he’d burned you. A big sign leaves his lips and he turns from you to put the shirt on. It feels foreign to turn away from you, as if he was hiding something, when before he’d take his shirt off the moment you entered the dressing room only to see the scarlet shade emerge on your cheeks.

At the back of his mind he knew that he’ll never be able to make you blush, because now you had someone to who your heart belonged and your heart recognizes only that someone.

Jimin slips out of his t-shirt and stares at the buttoned shirt his mind going blank. He tries to unfasten the buttons, slide his head in but still finds no way to put his body inside the shirt.

The shirt is bunched into a frustrated ball in his hands as he approaches you. You finally lift your head to look at the shirt only to be met with Jimin’s naked chest.

Your jaw goes slack and your eyes widen jumping from his chest to his eyes. Jimin breaks into a grin seeing your shocked expression.

“Mind helping me a bit? I can’t seem to figure out how this works… it’s so weird…” he chuckles out of embarrassment and your heart finally stills, anxiety dissociating with every word he says to you.

“Yes, sure” the corners of your lips pull up slightly which makes Jimin’s heart come alive. You take the shirt from his hands and methodically unbutton the garment in seconds which makes him chuckle.

“That’s why you’re the best” he mumbles under his breath but you don’t catch a word too focused on putting the shirt on him.

“Just put your hands through here and turn around, I’ll button you up”

He obeys your commands without a second thought, turning his back to you once he’d put his hands in.

A gasp leaves your lips when his back comes into view. It’s fully littered with bruises of different sizes and colours, indicating that some were new ones and some dating back a few weeks.

“Jimin… your back... what happened to-o your back?” the words barely roll out of your mouth. The image already imprinted in your brain leaves distaste on your tongue.

“It’s nothing” he’s quick to disregard your care, feeling an absolute idiot for showing himself to you. He should have remembered the way his back looked after the extensive dance training he’d been doing.

“Jimin this is not nothing, it looks horrible” you try to get an answer from him but seem to steer him into the wrong direction.

“Well nobody asked you what it looks like. Don’t like it, don’t look.” He snarled at you, but you were not backing down this time.

“It’s not about how it looks visually, gosh Jimin what is up with you lately? You’re totally out of it and now your back? You have to tell me what’s wrong; I could help you, the boys care about you too. We’re all friends here so don’t push us away” you try knocking into his heart but Jimin only sees red at the mention of his band mates, because believe it or not his mind can only conjure an image of his hyung and you together being ‘friends’.

“You’re a staff Y/n. So just do your job and leave me alone.” he snaps at you, venom leaking from his words. You didn’t even notice when the bubbly atmosphere became a hellish cold with his words settling into your heart.

You step back from him creating distance, returning to your previous lone-sphere. Jimin lets out a frustrated sign and rips the shirt off of his body flinging it to the side before stomping out of the dressing room with his own t-shirt in hand.

You stumble back into a chair; your eyes adhered to the ruined shirt sitting on the floor of the now quiet room.

“What the hell…”

>

Kalon | Pt. 5

Beauty that is more than skin-deep.

Jimin x staff!reader

Summary : you have been working at hybe for/with BTS for a few years and have become great friends with them. Suddenly Jimin starts acting different with you and you can‘t help but get upset because you secretly have a crush on him:(

Genre/Tropes : angst, jealousy, friends to lovers (more like idiots to lovers tho), painful blindness of the two…

Word count : ~4.6K

A/N : The last part of this story! I hope you enjoyed this rollercoaster of feelings<3 

Series masterlist<3

<

The many strange occurrences between you and Jimin were totally giving you whiplash. One second he’d be acting normally, cracking jokes and smiling, and the other he seemed as if possessed by the devil himself, his eyes would get dark and his soft lips would start spewing venom.

Every day walking into work you didn’t know what to expect and with each interaction your confidence has been diminishing. Getting ready in front of the mirror has become your own personal hell and the fact that you spent 90% of your time surrounded by walls covered in mirrors didn’t help either. Every time your eyes lingered on your own reflection in the mirror his triggering words spoke out in your head as if he was standing right there beside you.

There was just something so convincing in the way Jimin said all those things to you... or was it your adoration for the man that made you take every word he was saying to heart…

You rub your forehead with your hand trying to scatter the insecure thoughts from your head once again as you reach the studio where all the boys were waiting for their lunch.

Before you could enter you heard your name being mentioned and decided to listen in, needing to silence your rising insecurities to know whether Jimin was the only one not fond of your presence or not.

“What do you have against her then!?” you could make out your best friend’s enraged voice.

“She’s always around and annoying us… the least she could do is give us some space gosh…” Jimin answered the older man, his voice void of interest.

Your eyes dart to the ground tears already prominent, creating waterfalls on your cheeks as his words imprint themselves in your head. Your mind instantly runs trough all possible encounters where you could have come off as annoying, wanting to find the error faster than one of then can mention it to you.

All you can think about is how you physically cannot enter the room, your feet have planted themselves in the spot too scared to move. Your mind runs a thousand miles a minute creating a headache that even Jin’s following words can’t calm.  

“It’s her job to be around us and I don’t find her annoying. At all because she IS our friend.” Jin’s voice cut through the air of the room.

“No she’s not. She’s just a staff that is annoying us every fucking day, deluding herself into thinking that we are her friends.” Jimin lights up like a match, explosively getting his insulting words out for everyone to hear.

While at first the other boys paid no attention to the small bickering between Jin and Jimin thinking that it was harmless now everyone’s mouths were hanging open, eyes wide. Not only was it shocking to hear these particular words leave Jimin but for them to also be directed towards you was beyond disturbing.

“You can’t possibly mean that hyung…” Jungkook stared at Jimin unable to recognize his friend of several years.

“Whatever man…” Jimin rolled his eyes and stood to leave the room. Suddenly Jin stood before him visibly mad, towering over the younger man.

“Don’t you dare talk about her like that.”

“Sorry hyung but not all of us can be blindly in love with her the way you are.” He grit his teeth pushing a confused Jin out of his way and escaping the small room that was making his head spin.

Pushing trough the door he stumbles into someone and loses his footing falling over to the ground with that someone.

“Oh I’m sor-” his voice cuts off when he sees that the someone is you. Your tear stained cheeks come into view sending a painful sensation piercing trough his heart. You definitely heard everything that he said.

“Y/n are you okey?!” Jin came out of the room offering you his hand that you do not take. You do not break eye contact with the ground as you rise from the ground, pick up the bag full of food and hand it to Jin.  

“Y/n I’m so so-” Jimin can’t help himself but melt in your breaking vision, apologizing for his words promptly, his mind coming to a conclusion that enough is enough, it was time to stop his actions that were actually hurting the one he loved with his full heart.

It felt like the clouds that were in front of his eyes the past few months dissipated, everything sat in their places after he saw those broken sad eyes. No more self-pity was left in his body when now all he wanted was to see you smile again, to see you shine the way you used to in his close vicinity, to joke around with you like good friends, to at least be your friend if he could not be your lover.

You turn to Jimin, pain and anger mixing together inside of you giving you confidence to say your last words to him.

“I’m so sorry for being a nuisance to you mister Park, I’ll be sure to give you all the space now” you bow slightly to the man and turning away abruptly to completely isolate yourself from the man you still wished to be your lover.

The rapid tapping of Namjoons foot was the only sound in the eerily quiet studio.

“Nothing you want to talk about?” Namjoon’s voice broke the silence.

“Not particularly…” Jimin let out a sign resting his locked arms on his thighs, eyes moving from his leader to every corner of the room, afraid that the hyung’s fierce gaze will make him spill all the secrets he’s been keeping from all.

“Do you know why I asked you to come here?” Namjoon’s low voice hinted at the significance of this conversation, but Jimin only remained silent.

Jimin turned his head to the left, Namjoon’s form leaving his perifery vision.

“Be respectful and look at me when I talk to you” his voice was louder this time “You’re almost never at the dorms and no one ever knows where you are. I get that you like to have fun outside of work but you could keep it to a low when we only have a month before the tour. Also I didn’t want to mention it before for obvious reasons but have you been eating? Because in all honesty Jimin you do not look good… like you don’t look healthy, you’re beyond thin nowadays, which makes me question whether or not you’ve been eating lately and that is not acceptable. I understand… we all understand that you want to look good for our armys but you’re going too far with all the practicing too…” Namjoon’s whole being radiates frustration as he tries to get the younger man to see the problems.

“Also you have distanced yourself from the group… it’s really hard to work together when someone is outside of the whole system, whenever we’re practicing it’s like you’re not actually here, not to mention all the meetings where you have not uttered a single word with the group...” Slowly Namjoon tries to approach the most uncomfortable of topics. “and Y/n…”

The mere mention of your name makes Jimin tear up and lock eyes with his hyung.

“I don’t know what happened between the two of you… was it her or was it you that started all of this… but as much as I love you Jimin I can’t stand behind your actions. You have been unreasonably cruel to her and I can’t understand why. I would ask you to fix the situation but like I said, I don’t know anything abou-”

“I’m so sorry hyung” Jimin drops to his knees in front of the older male hugging his legs, begging for forgiveness. ”I’ll try to be better hyung… I’m so sorry for everything… I’m so sorry that I am not good enough”

Hard sobs escaped Jimin’s lips as he continued apologizing to an alarmed Namjoon.

“Everything is gonna be okey…just let it out, it will be better soon” Namjoon slid out of the chair and hugged his younger friend, holding him in a strong grip, making sure to stick his broken pieces back together.

“it hurts so much hyung… I can’t hide it no more…she… hurts so much” Jimins body was shaking with every tiny breath he took and the hard crying was making him dizzy and he felt like he might just fly out into the space. But he was no longer alone the only thing holding him down now was his friend, a friend who wants to help him, who wants to understand.

The revelation that he is not alone calms him down enough to give him back the ability to form sentences. That is when everything starts to spill out of his lips. Jimin tells Namjoon everything from his major crush on you to the horrible way he has been treating you and to the main reason why.

Thw two of them don’t even notice when the dead of night changes to the sunny morning. The entire night has passed as Jimin utters the last words.

“-and that is how I ended up here, in your studio, on the floor, crying my heart out because she chose him instead of me…”

“You have to fix it Jimin. I don’t know anything about what’s going on between Y/n and Jin, but that does not matter, you still owe her an apology for the way you treated her” Namjoons wise words initiate an intent inside Jimins heart, one that has to do with making it right with you.

“I promise hyung, I’ll do everything to make her forgive me… even if it means that I’ll never have her.” Jimin narrows his head at the thought that you might not forgive him, because, in all honesty, you have every right not to.

 It has been 2 weeks after your last incident with Jimin and you have run out of excuses to skip work. To your displease you had no vacation days left and yesterday was your last official sick day, which meant that today at 8 AM sharp you’ll walk through the doors of the infamous Hybe building and greet numerous eyes that you’ve been actively avoiding.

The missed calls and texts are still unanswered, creating a pile of notifications on your phone screen, but in all honesty you barely had any strength to get out of the bed this morning, let alone respond to hundreds of messages from your best friend and others.

You did see a couple messages from Jin. He was threatening to show up at your house with police if you don’t let him in and continue to ignore him, but thankfully you had been keeping yourself locked away from the surrounding world in your friend’s apartment that has been vacant for months and Jin knew nothing of.

Although now as you step into the building after a long lunch hour you wish you had responded at least once to let him know you were alive and well. The unreadable expression on Jin’s face scaring you more than the devil himself. He struts over to you and grabs your arm without a notice before dragging you to a nearby room.

His back is to you as he closes the door and immediately you begin apologizing.

“Jinnie I’m so sorry I didn-”

Your breath gets knocked out of you from the sheer force of Jin‘s embrace.

“Thank god you’re still here. I- we all thought that you left or that something happened to you. But I’m so happy now, even though I was so mad at you for not texting back.”

“I’m sorry really, I just haven’t been in the best of headspace lately… I needed to work with myself a bit… alone ya know” you offered him a soft reassuring smile and watched his bread cheeks rise as he nodded at you acknowledging your statement.

“I understand. Now let’s go back to work before we get fired- oh and dinner at our dorms tonight?” he asks leading you out of the room and toward the elevator.

“Absolutely” you beam at him.

“Oh one last thing” Jin put his hand between the elevator doors “you need to talk to Jimin today” he says nervously.

“I know” you nod determined to solve all the problems that have been weighing you down, ready for your new chapter to come.

It’s late when you finish your work that had piled up during your absence. You check the time on your phone, a single new message from Jin reminding you of the dinner that was in about an hour. You take your bag and coat into your arms and exit your cubicle.

Since practice time is over you decide to walk through the practice rooms having forgotten their spacious feel after the scrutinizing two weeks at a small apartment.

A particular beat catches your ear as you walk down the hall. You identify the music as a BTS song which peaks your interest. You near the unclosed door and take a peek inside. You’re greeted with a sight you definitely did not expect to see.

Jimin is kneeling on the floor his head narrowed down. Your first thought is that he’s once again perfecting a routine like he usually does but a painful cry and a harsh shake of his frame alarms you.

You instantly drop your bag and coat to the ground and run to him and get down next to him putting your hand in his shoulder, shaking him to get his attention.

His head snaps up at you and then is when you notice his eyes full of pain causing distress to build in your chest. You pull him into a tight hug tears now forming in your own eyes. His body continues to shake against yours and you hand begins to soothe his back while your own tears run dampening his shoulder.You pull away first to check up on him.

“Are you hurt?” Your voice laced with concern speaks out as you lock your eyes with his searching for an answer.

He looks at the space between the two of you and nods his head confirming your question, which makes you panic.

“What!? Where?! What hurts?!” You frantically start scanning from his face running down to his hands and legs that are curled beneath him.

“Here” he points at his chest right where his heart is located.

“Did you fall and hurt it? Let me see maybe I can fix you up…” your eyes lock on the location and your hands lift from your lap to examine the place but before you can get any closer his voice stops you.

“No.” he stressed.

You promptly straighten up and away from him putting your hands in your lap caving in yourself to keep your distance from him.

“I’m sorry…” you mumble.

Now Jimin became panicked seeing you distancing yourself from him.

“Nonono that’s not ... unhh you keep taking everything wrong Y/n” he runs his hands through his hair frustrated with himself mostly for not being able to communicate his feelings with you.

“I didn’t fall.” it comes out with a sign.

“Do you know why it hurts then?” you question him full heartedly, all you want to do is help him with his pain.

“Yes, I know”

You look up at him again “well what hurt you?”

“You did.” He meets your gaze and watches the horror encrust your features realizing that he could have worded that better.

Your first thought was that maybe you squeezed him too hard while you were hugging him, but he was crying even before you came in… And then it hit you. He wasn’t talking about you physically hurting him…

“Me? I-I don’t understand Jimin … you were the one who told me to act like a staff because we weren’t friends” you were fighting your body trying to keep your compose saying those words in front of him when all you wanted was to let your tears flow.

“You disappeared. For weeks.” His tone strained.

“YOU wanted me away”

“No that’s not what I said”

“That is exactly what you said”

“Okay I did, but that’s not what I meant … I’m not sure I even meant anything by that. Maybe I just hoped that you’d stop being with Hyung so much.”

“What? Jimin I don’t think I understand” your eyebrows furrow at his last statement.

“Well I didn’t understand you for a long time too and I don’t understand you still”

Silence engulfs both of you as you think of what to say next.

“Why didn’t you take my hoodie?”

“What?”

“Back then at the cafe. You were cold and I wanted to give you my hoodie to keep you warm because I care about you and I-I didn’t want you to get sick, but then you refused me, not because you weren’t cold, because just seconds later you took hyungs hoodie…so I… my question is why not me? Why him?”

You didn’t know what perplexed you more the question or his note to a certain hyung that he believed you were involved with, but before you could get a word out he continued.

“Also the time when you were over at the dorms making us food and once again you chose his help over mine”

“Aaaand you even stayed the night at the dorms which you NEVER do but because HE gave you HIS clothes to sleep in.” he takes a deep breath trying to put together the last of his rant.

“Y/n I just want to know why I couldn’t be the one to make you warm, help you cook or have you stay with me whenever I wanted, why your eyes couldn’t look at me so lovingly why couldn’t your smile be directed to me. Why can’t I be the one for you to love?”

He’s still on his knees in front of you tears streaming down his cheeks. Now you can see what your best friend and the boys and even some older staff have been telling you for the past year. Park Jimin does love you.

“Jimin” you begin with a small voice. He’s still breathing heavily after his emotional rant.

“Do you love me?” your question comes out smooth like butter making Jimin frown even further.

“I know you love him.” he stands “so I’m gonna spare your heart Y/n out of respect for you and Jin hyung...I won’t stand between your happiness” he turns away from you, but before he can step away and leave you distraught on the floor, you catch his hand jumping onto your feet. You knew exactly what to say to Jimin now.

“I don’t love Jin.” You beam at him “well I do but in a way I love all my friends”

“But-”

“There are no buts. He’s my friend, he understands me and he knows a lot about me, and he knows about my crushes, and how crushed you made me feel, and he even pushed me to talk with you! I don’t like him in the way that I like you Jimin, I never did and I never will” your eyes sparkle as you stare intently into his eyes watching him connect all the dots inside his head.

“You chose him over me Y/n, many times…” he can’t shake the insecurity.

“I didn’t choose him over you. Jimin you have to understand that a girl like me isn’t supposed to like a boy like you. But I still did and it made me so self-aware...in literally the worst way… Whenever you were close or paid any form of attention to me it’s like a little voice would recite me all that’s wrong with me inside of my head” tears began to develop again as you remembered all the beautiful moments that were smudged with self-hatred.

“Y/n there is nothing wrong with you” he pulls you closer to him by your interlocked hands.

Your gaze is on your feet as your mind is still clouded with ancient worry. Jimin softly places his hands on your cheeks and makes you face him.

“There is nothing wrong with you. There has never been anything wrong with you. I wish you could see yourself for the way I see you” he speaks with intent, not letting you miss a beat.

“Jiminie I like you, I only ever liked you but I just wasn’t sure you’d like me back…” your lips form a little pout, which makes a smile break out on Jimin’s face.

“But that’s alright now. Because I do like you” his warm thumb caresses your cheek making a smile light up your face.

“I’m sorry I was rude to you Y/n, I was so jealous of hyung for the relationship you shared. Please forgive me?” he gives you his puppy eyes, the one’s you could never say no to…

“Of course I forgive you, but only if you forgive me for taking Jinnies hoodie”

“I’d rather have you in his hoodie than freezing” he wraps his hands around your waist hiding his face in your neck and takes a deep breath in. War is finally over.

“I think it’s about time we went home, you need sleep” you pull back from him.

“Do I look that bad?” he frowns.

“You actually do, sorry sweetie” you offer him an apologetic smile at which he only laughs and packs up his stuff quickly.

You put your coats and gloves on and exit the building together, both Jimin’s and your bags slung over his shoulder. It’s snowing slowly and the air is crisp with the dry cold.

“Are you hungry? We should get you something from the store” you turn to him. He turns to you and takes your hand in his.

“It’s okay, I’m full” he gives your hand a squeeze and gives you his warm smile and you smile right back at him, warmth filling you up inside.

When you arrive at the dorms he helps you out of your coat and slips out of his quickly.

“I need a shower” he smells himself and you chuckle making him go beet-red in the face.

“Then go take one, I won’t leave you” you reassure him with a smile.

“I’ll be quick, you can go to my room if you want, also the boys are out at the movies so feel right at home” he smiles at you again before entering the bathroom.

You instantly go to the kitchen and prepare him a quick meal with minute rice, ramen noodles, warm pork belly and some kimchi. You had completely forgotten about the said dinner that was happening tonight, must have been one of Jin’s ploys to get you and Jimin back together. That thought makes you chuckle now.

You gather the bowls and bring them to his room, placing them on the table right when he enters. He only has a towel wrapped around his torso leaving the rest of him to be observed.

“Yah why aren’t you dressed!” you panic and cover your eyes with your hands.

“I forgot to take clean clothes with me, you’re really distracting to me you know?” he smiles at you and you shake your head laughing.

“Get dressed and come eat you casanova”

“You made me food?” he clutches a t-shirt to his chest.

“Yes so don’t let it get cold.”

He quickly picks up few articles of clothes from his huge closet and runs out of the room returning only seconds later fully dressed in a black T-shirt and lilac sweatpants.

You smile at him.

“Let’s eat” he rubs his hands together and sits at the table where you’re already sat waiting for him.

He overlooks the table a genuine smile pulling at his lips. He looks at you again. You look between him and the food.

”Is something wrong? Why aren’t you eating?” you get nervous that he doesn’t find the food appetizing.

“Y/n I need to say something to you and you don’t have to say it back okay.” He breathes out.

“I love you Y/n, I truly love you. Thank you, for everything”

You’re left speechless by his words and bite your lip to keep your mouth from falling open.

After he’s done shoveling every bit of food into his mouth and asking you about a hundred times that you should have some too he lets out a breath his hand resting comfortably on his stomach.

“You didn’t have to eat everything Jiminie, it might have been too much” you take notice of his comical position.

“But you made it for me, I couldn’t leave anything behind“

You caress his cheek and he melts into your hand closing his eyes and putting his hand on yours.

“You should go to sleep minnie, you’ve been working hard”

He locks his pleading eyes on you “will you stay?”

“I can if you want me to” your words make him nod his head like an eager child.

“Although I don’t really have anything to sleep in…” you tap your finger on your chin deep in thought “I could ask Jin for some pjs..” you think aloud and Jimin almost falls out of his chair.

“Hey! I’m right here! You’ll wear my clothes only!”

“I thought you said that’s it’s alright if I wear Jin’s clothes” you decide to annoy him a little bit.

“I changed my mind. You can only wear my clothes” he stands from the table and brings out a matching lilac hoodie and black sweatpants. He stands before you handing them to you.

“Jimin… I won’t fit into that” you tell him truthfully not wanting to go running around circles again.

“Well you can look into my closet I’m sure you can find something that you’ll like” he gives you the most reassuring smile, you can’t help but submit to him.

You open up the closed and rummage through his T-shirts grabbing a black one that looked large enough to fit on you and some lilac shorts (secretly wanting to match with Jimin). You put them on in the bathroom and surprisingly they fit… of course the shorts hug your curves but they aren’t glued to your skin and very comfy while the shirt fits almost perfectly.

When you return to the room the dishes are gone and Jimin is lying on the bed. The click of the door takes his attention and his mouth falls open.

“What?” You ask confused, getting hot in your face.

“You look so beautiful in my clothes” he obsesses with the image of you standing in front of him in HIS clothes. His heart beats like crazy seeing you turn red at his compliment and he stands up to drag you into bed with him.

You lay together now eyes on one another hands interlocked, smiles covering your faces.

“Jimin?”

“Yes jagi?” his use of the nickname makes you blush again.

“I love you too”

His face becomes serious as his eyes look down at your lips before he descends at you. The next thing you know his hand is cupping your cheek and yours is on the back of his neck both of your lips interlocked in a warm embrace of each other.

And at that moment the two of you smiled into the kiss, you both knew that no matter the circumstances your love was each other’s kalon.

 >

Kalon Masterlist^^

Kalon | Pt. 1

Kalon | Pt. 2

Kalon | Pt. 3

Kalon | Pt. 4

Kalon | Pt. 5

Love takes the stage

Pairing: Yoongi x reader

Genre: Friends to lovers 🤭

Word count: ~800

A/n: Somehow I wrote this with a genderless reader! I hope you all enjoy <3

<

Yoongi paced nervously backstage, his heart racing with anticipation. He was about to perform at his first concert in New York, and he couldn't help but feel a little intimidated. The crowd was huge, and he wanted to give them his all.

Suddenly, he heard a knock on his dressing room door.

"Come in," he called out, trying to steady his breathing.

The door opened to reveal you, his longtime friend from Seoul. Yoongi's heart skipped a beat as he took in your beauty.

You were wearing a dark outfit inspired by Daechwita and even had the scar painted on your right eye. Your attention to detail always excited Yoongi the most especially when you focused it on his interests.

Now his heart seemed to be bursting out of happiness, a gummy smile on his face, as you stood before him nothing less of a vision and even carrying a bangtan bomb in your hand.

"Hey," you said softly, a smile playing on your lips.

"I just wanted to wish you good luck."

"Thanks," Yoongi said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm a little nervous, to be honest." Yoongi’s gaze dropped from yours to the ground as the thought of what awaits made his anxiety rise again.

You walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't be," you said. "You're amazing, and you've worked so hard for this. You're going to do great."

Yoongi couldn't help but feel a surge of confidence at your words. He took a deep breath and stood up straight, ready to face the crowd and you gave him an encouraging smile before walking out.

As he walked out onto the stage he immediately found you in the crowd happily waving the bomb. The moment he felt your eyes on him he relaxed and he couldn't help but smile. He began to rap, his words flowing effortlessly as he poured his heart out to the audience.

With every look around the stadium his confidence grew and with every look into your sparkly eyes so did his heart.

After the show, Yoongi was buzzing with excitement. He had never felt so alive. As he walked offstage, he saw you waiting for him with a bouquet of flowers.

"You were amazing!" You squeezed, giving him a firm hug. "I'm so proud of you." Your eyes shone from the building tears.

Yoongi felt his heart swell with gratitude. He had always admired your unwavering support, and he couldn't help but feel a little bit in love with you.

As the two of you walked out of the venue, Yoongi took your hand in his. You looked up at him, surprised, but didn't pull away.

"Y/n," he said softly. "I know we've been friends for a long time, but I can't help the way I feel. I love you." He wanted to say but standing here also ne with you and a confession on his mind made the nerves return and twist his guts in a fist.

Your wide eyes never left his as you awaited his next words.

“Thank you for being here today… it felt really good to see you in the crowd” he scratched the back of his neck a small smile paying on his rosy lips.

You felt like you were left a little high and dry and decided that you’ll take the matters into your own hands.

You see before Seokjin joined the army he told you an important secret about a friend of his that might have included words like “Yoongi” “likes” and “you”.

"I like you too," you said, before leaning in to kiss his cheek.

Yoongi felt like he was on top of the world as your warm lips touched his cheek, his heart beating faster than ever before.

When you pulled back and smiled at him he without a second thought wrapped his hand around your waist and pulled you into a real kiss.

With your lips caressing his own he could feel the tension in his muscles subsiding and his heart charging up to its full potential.

“I like you more” he looked into your eyes before placing a sweet kiss on your forehead.

The both of you knew that this was just the beginning of your journey together, and couldn't wait to see what the future held.

>

One day with you

Pairing: Seokjin x gn!reader

Genre: Friends to lovers (kinda not really but yes)

Word count: ~700

<

Seokjin and you have been the best of friends for as long as you could remember. You shared countless memories, supported each other through thick and thin, and were always there to lend a listening ear. Little did the two of you know that deep within your hearts, a stronger bond had grown—a secret love that neither of you had confessed.

Life took a sudden turn when Seokjin received his call to duty, and he enlisted in the army to serve his country. It was a difficult time for both of you, as you would be separated for a while. But you promised each other to keep in touch through texts and occasional calls whenever possible.

Your conversations were filled with longing and affection, but neither of you ever explicitly mentioned their feelings for each other. Perhaps the fear of risking your friendship held you both back, or maybe both of you were waiting for the perfect moment to reveal their emotions.

Three long months passed, and you eagerly awaited Seokjin's return, craving his warm presence beside you. Finally, the day arrived when Seokjin was granted a short leave to visit home.

You had just finished a tiring day at work and could not wait to get back home and spend the rest of the night lounging in front of the TV.

As soon as you sat down on the couch the door bell rang making you groan as you got off the soft couch.

As you opened the door, your eyes widened in surprise. There he stood, Seokjin, in his crisp army uniform, holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers in his hands, a crystal smile covering his face. The sight of him filled you with a mix of joy, relief, and overwhelming love.

"Hello, best friend," Seokjin greeted you, his voice laced with affection and happiness.

Without a second thought, you threw yourself into his waiting arms, wrapping your entire body around him. The familiar scent of his cologne overwhelmed your senses, and tears streamed down your face, a mixture of relief, joy, and longing.

"I'm never letting you go," you declared, voice trembling with emotion. You clung tightly to Seokjin, not wanting to release the hold you had on him.

Seokjin held you just as tightly, his embrace conveying all the unspoken words you two had kept hidden for so long. In that moment, you both knew that your love had blossomed beyond the confines of friendship.

With tears of happiness in his eyes, Seokjin whispered into your ear.

"I've missed you more than words can express, Y/n."

You leaned back slightly to gaze into his eyes, your own eyes shining with a mix of emotions.

"I've missed you too, Seokjin. More than you'll ever know."

You stood there, entwined in a heartfelt embrace, cherishing the precious time you had together. Every second felt like a treasure, and you vowed to make the most of it.

Your unspoken love had finally come to the surface, and from that day forward, both of you let your feelings show more and more making the bond between you two even stronger, fueled by the love you had silently carried within your hearts for so long.

>

Kalon Masterlist^^

Kalon | Pt. 1

Kalon | Pt. 2

Kalon | Pt. 3

Kalon | Pt. 4

Kalon | Pt. 5

Tell Me What Changed (Pt. 1)

Banner and lines by the talented @awrkive

Summary: Alex and Jungkook have been best friends since childhood --actual best friends. She is NOT in love with him, for real, and wishes people would stop assuming that. Why does no one question if he's in love with her? Huh? But it might have to do with his successful fuckboy status, while Alex is very much... not that. Which is fine and doesn't matter! Until Jimin's impending wedding leaves her eager for a date and willing to put herself out there, and Jungkook can't believe what happens next.

Fuckboy Best Friend JK x OC

CW and tags: fuckboy behavior, jealousy, pining, heartbreak, angst, language, sex, sexy photos, alcohol, f2l, who knows what else

Ch. 1 word count 18,561

Alex flopped onto the sofa next to Rebekah, a plate in each hand and the bag of chips held between her teeth. Rebekah laughed at her and took the chips seconds before they fell, demanding,

“Why did you carry them like that? You weirdo.”

“I’d already picked up the sandwiches, obviously.”

“Obviously. Where are the pickles?”

“Babe, you think I’d leave the pickles off? They’re on the sandwich!”

“Yeah but we want more than that, don’t we? No, you sit, I’ll get them, I know where they are.”

“You just want me for my pickles,” Alex sighed as Rebekah disappeared around the corner to the kitchen and returned a moment later with several jars and a fork. Pickles were about the only gourmet food Alex kept stocked because she loved them and also because you could just buy a jar of them for not very much money. Even gourmet ones weren’t that expensive. It wasn’t like she made the pickles herself. Actually she was a very good cook, but lazy, and not very interested in cooking just for herself, so maybe she’d cook something if Jungkook was home but he’d been “busy” lately.

Speak of the devil, Jungkook stumbled out of his bedroom as if her mere thoughts had unfortunately summoned him. He never exited the bedroom quietly; he groaned and snorted like he had the world’s biggest loogie to hock. His feet were like sandpaper shuffling across the hardwood floor in his low-hanging sweatpants as he scratched his stomach and dug the sleep out of his eye. If he found anything, it was tossed to the floor.

“Gross, put your eye boogers in the trash,” Alex complained. “Rebekah doesn’t want to see that.”

The transformation was instant. Jungkook cleared his throat and straightened. A second ago his eyes were barely opened like a fresh kitten but now he blinked and smiled and ran his hand through his hair, ruffling the recently trimmed locks. 

He turned and gave Rebekah his most charming crooked smile and waved and said with a low, gravely voice, “Morning, Rebekah.”

“Afternoon, Jungkook.”

Alex rolled her eyes –both at the Jungkook’s performance for her friend and at Rebeka’s willing participation in it– and decided to burst that bubble, “Hey fucker, your hookup the other night left a dog-sized wad of hair in the shower.”

“Bullshit– Sorry, Rebekah. But that’s your damn hair, Alex.”

“Yeah, my blonde curly hair?”

“Well–”

“Yeah and I saw it was still there this morning so go see for yourself.”

“You left it?”

“Uh, not my job to clean up after your fucks? But I think this one’s diseased, that’s a lot of hair she left behind.”

It worked; Jungkook was annoyed about the teasing before he’d had anything to eat and sighed,

“Fine, whatever, I’ll clean it out. I’m so sorry to subject you to the body horrors of your own species.”

“Wha!” Alex cried. “And what are you, if not human?”

“You aren’t going to comment about me calling you a female?”

“How the fuck do you get laid so much if you refer to women as ‘females’? That’s like a primary red flag.”

He came close and flicked her ear, teasing, “I don’t refer to women as ‘females,’ only you, slug bug.”

“Don’t call me slug bug,” she complained, slapping at him, trying to hit him in the dick. He knew and laughed as he easily evaded it. 

“Sorry for being crude around you, Rebekah,” he beamed at her, all charm again. “Alex brings out the gremlin in us all….”

“Fuck off…”

Rebekah just waved her hand, “Don’t worry about it…” She looked, of course, dazzled by Jungkook’s smile aimed in her direction. Women often were. How Rebekah still carried that torch though was baffling to Alex because she got to see the real Jungkook more than most other women did, since she occasionally came into the turd monster’s inner sanctum –ie, the apartment Jungkook and Alex had shared for three years now. Jungkook was nothing like the type of man Rebekah actually went for, and yet his suave charm worked on her even to smooth over the glimpses of his true bratty personality that peeked through while she was around. Only Alex got to see the real thing though, the whole thing, the foul-mouthed, sore loser, gaming-obsessed, Cheeto-chomping, trash-TV-loving asshole. Ok, sure, the muscle-y hottie with the dimpled smile and big shiny eyes, who’d graduated with Honors back in the day and was now doing disgustingly well at his sales job wasn’t fake , exactly. That was all stupidly true too, just not the whole picture. She’d seen Jungkook fasting before a party and lying about his hobbies to pretty women and leaving the remains of his manscaping around the toilet seat too many times not to think it was all really fucking stupid. But the lies worked. Jungkook was successful in everything from gaming to work commission to the revolving door of his bedroom.

“You got a little something there,” Jungkook said, pointing to his own chin. Alex wiped at her face with the back of her hand. “No, it’s…” He sighed deeply and licked his thumb and wiped the mustard off her chin himself then grimaced after putting the remnant into his own mouth, “It’s too early for mustard…”

“It’s almost one!”

“Time is relative…” He trailed off, heading towards the kitchen. Rebekah stared at Alex for a moment with unabashed envy. 

Alex sighed, “Oh come on, don’t buy into his whole thing too…”

“What?” Rebekah gave her a blank smile. Alex sighed again. And Again. 

And reached for her sandwich, motioning, “Eat your damn food, traitor.”

“What? Traitor?” Rebekah craned her neck, apparently searching to see if Jungkook was still in sight. When he wasn’t, she asked quietly, “Ok, but does it really not bother you?”

“Does what not bother me?”

“Living with… him ?”

“Oh yeah he bothers me tons,” Alex snorted. “Can’t put his fucking socks in the hamper. Leaves the jelly jar on the counter. Doesn’t make me food automatically when he’s in there making his own. And–”

“But I mean with all the… he brings a lot of women home, doesn’t he? He’s got a bit of a reputation…”

Alex went very still. She’d known Rebekah a long time, and considered a close friend, even though she’d only recently moved back to the city. But if there was one thing she wouldn’t tolerate, it was any of her friends saying shit about Jungkook. That was her job, and her job only.

“Define a lot… what about his reputation…”

“No, I just mean he’s popular with women, right? Like actually popular. He always has the attention of the most gorgeous woman in the room and– I just mean, aren’t you in love with him?”

Alex instantly choked on her sandwich. She really thought she might be going to die or puke as Rebekah pounded her on the back to dislodge the oversized bite. Once it was down, her eyes watered and she had to sip water before crying,

“Don’t say something dumb like that! Of course I’m not! Why does everyone always think I’m in love with him?”

“Well… have you seen him…”

“Yes, I’ve seen him.”

“Oh really? Like seen him, seen him? And was he–”

“I’m not impressed and you’re being gross.”

“Sorry,” Rebekah mumbled and grabbed her sandwich.

“How come no one ever asks him if he’s in love with me? It’s bullshit! I can’t tell you how many times a woman has come out of his room, seen me, and been like, ‘aw, he lives with his little sister? That’s so sweet.’ His sister! I’m not even fucking Korean! Do all Asian people just look the same to white people?!”

“As a Jew I can’t really speak for all white people–”

“Just once I’d like to hear someone ask, ‘Jungkook, how do you possibly live in the same space as that goddess and not just fall head over heels for her?’”

“Ok, but do you want him to….? That’s what I mean. You really don’t have any feelings for him? It doesn’t bother you at all to see him parade through all these gorgeous women?”

“Uh, no,” Alex rolled her eyes. “It’s somewhere on the spectrum between funny and gross –as long as he cleans the damn shower!” she added, hearing his footsteps down the hall. He walked like he had steel-toed boots on even when just wearing those weirdo toe socks he loved so much. Women hated those. She noticed he appeared to have removed his socks in the kitchen and used water to push the hair back from his face. He had a bowl of yogurt and granola and a mug of coffee but for some reason had his tongue bulging in his cheek –not food, because the bump disappeared. He knew women liked that thing he did too. He’d made such a careful study. He was observant about that kind of thing, which made him a very good fuckboy. Or, uh, bad, however you were supposed to say it. Successful.

“I’ll scrub the shower as soon as I finish my breakfast, promise,” he said with a megawatt grin. For Rebekah’s sake. Probably he’d heard everything she’d just said and was going to gloat about it later. Alex had previously insisted Rebekah was uninterested. Three years ago she had been!

“With tub cleaner, not your body wash!”

“I know how to clean a bath tub!” he called, disappearing down the hall.

“He doesn’t,” Alex snickered. “He definitely moved in with me thinking I’d be his wife. Joke’s on him! I’m as much a goblin as he is.”

“He’s… a goblin?” Rebekah asked, eyebrows raising. And Alex sighed, because of course Rebekah didn’t see it. No one ever saw it because around everyone else Jungkook was this star child. He glowed like the sun, he charmed, he seduced. She saw it, even if she didn’t get hooked the same way everyone else with a pussy did. But also like… he was her funny, scumbag friend who stayed up all night playing video games with her and doing Taco Bell runs at one in the morning and went to opening night of every Star Wars and Lord of the Rings movie with her and bought her a body pillow that said Pippin’s Girl over Billy Boyd’s character –literally the only birthday present he’d ever given her. 

But there was no point trying to explain these things to Rebekah, and in a way, it would feel like a betrayal of Jungkook. He worked hard to keep that charming pretense up! And Rebekah wouldn’t be able to see even if she did talk about what it was actually like living with him. She’d sound bitter. She’d sound like she was in love with him and denying it. She’d been told that before. Boring take. Two people had never been more platonically friends than they were.

So instead she shrugged, “Whatever. But sorry, we have a strict ‘no sleeping with my friends’ rule and he won’t break it.”

“Oh, yeah no, of course not,” Rebekah quickly insisted. “I wasn’t– I was just curious about, you know, what it’s like to live with a guy. We’re friends and I would never… I really value our friendship. Chicks before– you get the idea.”

More than you want to fuck Jungkook? Who are you trying to convince here?

Alex sulked into her sandwich and tried to think of a way to change the subject away her dumb best friend. No, living with him wasn’t a problem at all, but living in his shadow could get really annoying.

Alex did her best to hold still as she applied eyeliner, leaned over the bathroom mirror. Eyeshadow baffled her, but she’d mastered a fierce cat eyeliner over the years. It was funny to think back to college now, when Jungkook had sprawled across her bed, watching the same makeup videos and trying to help her get it just right because he insisted he could do it better. He could. Damn his steady hands. The capstone of that study had been them both rocking pretty sweet looks to the Rocky Horror live viewing party that year. Jungkook in fishnets and a bustier had looked every bit the fuckboy he hadn’t even fully evolved into yet; now he wouldn’t be caught dead in such an ensemble.

At the right party, Alex would! She loved a good costume. But tonight was the run of the mill, regular beer bash at Namjoon’s place because his divorce had finalized. That’s right, Namjoon had married and divorced before Alex had even been in a real relationship. 

Her phone buzzed with a notification. Perched on the edge of the counter, it was just enough vibration to pitch over the edge and bounce right off her toe.

“Fuck!” she cried, dropping and grabbing her poor toes, squeezing through the pain. At least it had kept her phone from breaking but fucking shit, it hurt!

“You ok?” Jungkook’s voice drifted from the kitchen.

“Yeah, phone fell on my toe!”

He didn’t say anything back but at least he’d asked. She grabbed her phone, feeling her pain transfer to anger at whoever had messaged her. 

But it wasn’t even a message to her! Apparently her phone thought it really important that she know Jungkook had posted a snapchat. She didn’t even use Snapchat, it was just on her phone because Taehyung’s girlfriend Sabina had made her download it, insisting it was a useful tool for meeting guys. She was wrong . Maybe if you looked like Sabina. 

She opened the app, ready to see what was so important.

“A meal before the buffet at nj’s 🌶🌶🌶 hungry?”

The caption was pasted over a photo looking down Jungkook’s bare muscular stomach to the kitchen counter, the cutting board on the left with red and green peppers and broccoli, and a frying pan on the right where the sausages were sizzling –the dinner he was making for them to eat before they headed out to Namjoon’s party. There wasn’t food at the party. Certainly no buffet. 

But all of that was beside the point because the photo was centered on Jungkook’s package on the kitchen counter. Sure, still wearing his gray basketball shorts, but they left very little to the imagination. He did not appear to be wearing boxers. 

“Jungkook!” she shouted, stomping out of the bathroom. “Get your dick off the kitchen counter!” Nevermind that she was certain he would have had to stand on his tiptoes and flex to pull off that photo, which was funny as shit. She wasn’t mad about the dick on the counter, per se.

But he gave her such a dumb look as she stormed in, saying only, “Huh?”

“Your latest thirst trap is a bit much, don’t you think?”

“What…”

“I can see tip! What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

“What?!” he yelped and grabbed his phone. “That was supposed to be private…”

“Are you serious?! I just got a notification! Snapchat wanted to make sure I can see you got yourself all chubbed up in the kitchen while you’re making my dinner!”

“Ewwww,” he frowned, but he was frantically opening his phone.

“Yeah, ewww is right! Keep your sausage away from my sausages! And you’re letting them burn!”

“I am not…”

But he was distracted. She shoved him out of the way and fanned the smoke away from her face as she flipped them over. Jungkook’s phone buzzed so steadily in his hand that she thought he had an alarm going off. He sauntered down a bit and leaned against the counter, surrendering the cooking to her without a word. He was smiling.

“What are you smiling like an idiot about?” she demanded.

“Seems like it’s a pretty popular picture,” he grinned, flashing the phone screen at her. It was the Snapchat message page but she couldn’t read that far away and probably didn’t want to. “Getting a lot of messages about it…”

“Saying ‘Hey cheap manwhore, keep your junk away from hot oil?”

“I’m not cheap. Those peppers are organic!”

“No, are they? Why?! That’s so much more expensive, you idiot!”

But he was ignoring her again, typing on his phone. 

Look, she’d gotten used to his thirst trap insta a long time ago. What had started as an account mostly focused on him trying to perform cool dangerous stunts on his skateboard had found better traction once he started adding gym selfies. Somewhere along the line, scrawny little Jungkook had figured out a way to add some bulk to his frame. Not much –he still looked small next to Namjoon, something he lamented every time he drank too much in a pretty unchanging and homoerotic monologue– but enough to fill in the definition of his muscles. And the ladies on social media liked that. A lot of men too, actually, and while Jungkook wasn’t looking for male attention, he did seem flattered by it nonetheless. So his content grew to include pool selfies. Party selfies. Outfit of the day selfies. Just bought coffee selfies. And a whole lot of shirtless domestic selfies –in fact, there was a good chance that if he’d done a chore around the house, it was so he could post a photo of himself doing it shirtless. 

Whatever, it got the chores done.

He had almost 10,000 Instagram followers, and who knew how many on Snapchat and TikTok and whatever other dark web places he spent his time these days.

Alex had an instagram and a Twitter. Her instagram was mostly pictures of cats she found when she went for walks and funny things her friends did. She never posted on Twitter but just kept the account so she could read the entire thread from funny Tweet compilations on Buzzfeed. 

“Eh, I’ll leave it up,” he shrugged, brushing past her to grab the peppers, only to see she’d already tossed them into the pan. 

“Are you serious?”

“Why not?”

“ Tip , Jungkook.”

“Will you stop saying that to me?”

“I can see your tip,” she said again slowly. “I don’t want to see your tip.”

“Then don’t look!”

“You blasted it to my phone!”

“Well, it turns out you’re in the minority, so–”

“Next stop, OnlyFans? Ooooh hey I bet you could buy us a PS5…”

“Alex! Don’t whore me out–”

“You whore yourself out, I’m just capitalizing. Let me know if you need help.”

“Are you offering to hold the camera?” he asked, arching his eyebrow. Blatantly flirting to mock her. 

She punched him in the stomach, then removed the pan from the heat before he could retaliate in any way. His ‘ oof’ was so satisfying.

“I’ve seen your little pepper, I was not impressed–”

“Hey! Hey, ok that was– I was– we were fifteen and it was on accident! You shouldn’t have walked into my room without knocking!”

“Yeah, lesson learned!”

He sighed, “You caught me before I’d even started… I’m a grower, not a–”

“Shut up ,” she groaned. “Stop talking to me about your dick.”

“I wouldn’t be telling you to shut up if you wanted to tell me about–” But he broke off before she could even kick him, laughing and unable to keep up the farce himself. She wasn’t his type and he wasn’t hers and this was all like seeing her brother’s dick show up on her phone. Gross. 

“I’m going to finish getting dressed. Are you wearing that?” she teased, pointing to his bare torso.

“With all the messages I’m getting? Nah, I’ll look good.”

“Good luck pulling that off.”

“Whatever, shrimpy.” She shoved her knuckle into his ribs as she passed and he flinched, but as a final peace offering called after her, “Your eyeliner looks good though!”

“I know!”

Namjoon’s party was everything she had actually missed from college. Alex wasn’t a big partier ever, not really, but if the timing was right and she could be just drunk enough while her friends were also just drunk enough, she could let loose for an evening. And all her friends were here, and all just the right amount of drunk, and In’am was killing it on playlist management. Sure, there were dozens of people she didn’t know, and that tended to annoy and exhaust her. She and Jungkook were complete opposites in that way –but she had plenty of friends besides him to act as a buffer. Jimin, Taehyung, and Namjoon had sheltered her from many unwanted social encounters over the years. The additions of Jimin’s In’am years ago had been a breath of fresh air in her male-heavy friend group, and Sabina more recently had this god-given talent for diverting a conversation with literally anyone once it started to get tedious. 

Which was perfect because Taehyung and Jimin were blunt as shit and Namjoon meant well but sometimes didn’t pick up on cues and said exactly what you didn’t want to hear. Especially when he was drunk.

“This is Alex Song,” he said, introducing her to someone whose name stood no chance of sticking in her brain. “Like the Thong Song but with an ‘s’.”

“What the fuck?” she complained and hit him in the stomach, only to yank her hand back, “Ow.” She cradled it against her chest.

“I love that song!” the guy said.

“Ironically or unironically?” she asked him, predicting the answer.

“It’s great!” Yep, there it was. 

But suddenly Sabina was there, sliding her arm around Alex’s shoulder as she said, “We’re going to dance, goodbye.”

“Where?” Namjoon asked with interest.

“On your table probably?”

“No!”

“Yes!” Taehyung argued for them as they walked past. 

Alex didn’t actually want to dance on the table, and at the last moment ducked away. It left her torn between harassing Jimin during his pool game or joining some older acquaintances piled around the TV playing Mario Kart. The range of activities was lovely. She ought to tell Namjoon he was a good host, but then recalled he’d associated her with the Thong Song. Wildly uncomfortable underwear. Was she a wildly uncomfortable person?

“You look lost,” In’am mused, sidling up to her. 

“Too many things, I don’t know where to go…”

In’am grinned and suggested, “We could go in the backyard–”

“How did Namjoon already afford a house like this?” she interrupted with a sigh, even though she knew the answer. Wealthy parents. Lucky. He had a yard . She was going to be stuck rooming with Jungkook forever. At least his fuckboy ways meant he was unlikely to ever get married and leave her. With Jimin and In’am engaged now, and Taehyung and Sabina maybe not far away, it was down to her, Namjoon, and Jungkook. And Namjoon would be on the look again soon probably now that the divorce was behind him and he was great even if he was a dumbass sometimes, so that probably wouldn’t take too long. And Jungkook would always have his bed warm. So it would be just her. Just lonely her all alone, tagging along, watching rom-coms and wondering why it seemed so impossible that she would ever have that kind of a thing. How could she even meet someone? There was no one at this entire party she wanted anything to do with like that–

“Alex,” In’am called, grabbing and squishing her face. “You need to sit down?”

“Am I going to be alone forever?

In’am laughed, “Girl! What? No! I thought you just weren’t looking!”

“I’m not but…”

“I can introduce you to some people if you want–”

“No,” Alex suddenly panicked and pulled away. Dating? Yuck. Getting to know someone? Horrible. Finding someone she could have the kind of intimacy and closeness and fluffy romance she saw in the movies with and craved? It just didn’t look right for her in real life! Even she couldn’t see herself in something like that! “I’m just hungry and I need another drink.”

“You didn’t eat Jungkook’s sausage?”

“ What ?”

In’am had meant the joke though and laughed, “That fool boy sent that out– I have never deleted an app from my phone so goddamn fast. Last thing I need is my fiance’s friends sending that crap to my phone…”

“Right? It’s crap!”

“I mean, power to him to post whatever he wants, and he’s catching the fish he wants with that kind of hook but I don’t need that in my head when he’s like my little brother.”

“Yeah, same. Very little.”

He had not looked very little in the photo. In fact Alex knew he wasn’t very little because it wasn’t her fucking fault he wore sweatpants around the house all the time. She didn’t check him out but she existed and he had not needed to tell her he was a grower because she knew that. Just like she knew many obnoxious stories about that dick of his, inconvenient boner times, the kinds of porn he liked, whatever. Granted, she didn’t know how much of the things he told her were truth or jokes, but since there was a zero-female-awareness thing going on between them, he was perfectly comfortable telling her the bro-y sordid details. Not that he was any kind of special guy to her either, other than being her dearest idiot friend, so it wasn’t a big deal, but sometimes it would be nice if he’d stop thrusting his manness into every aspect of their lives. Sometimes she kind of missed the pre-fuckboy days when Jungkook had also believed no one would ever look at him twice and they’d cried at romantic movies together and played video games all night and challenged each other to disgusting food concoction competitions.

Jimin was motioning them over and Alex was happy to go. A game of Kings was getting organized and Alex was happy to slide into place. She loved this kind of game! Even drunk, she nailed the mental challenges of remembering the rules, and always did great at naming states or presidents of animals or whatever challenge came up. 

“Where’s Jungkook? He’ll want to play,” Taehyung said, sitting next to Alex and tugging Sabina down next to him. 

“I don’t know where he is. Am I my brother’s keeper?” she scoffed. But her gaze naturally flitted around the living room and dining room and kitchen, all visible from her seat. She got that weird, kind of sad feeling again. Like ok, maybe he’ll come play this game and we’ll all have a blast together and later we can laugh about the fact all our friends are finding love while we eat fries in my bed and fall asleep, happily single.

He was in the kitchen, most of him blocked by the girl he was making out with. Alex happened to spot him at the same time he whispered something in the girl’s ear that made her laugh. He led her out of the kitchen, his smug smile not noticeable to the woman behind him. Apparently his sausage picture had let him cut right to the chase; it wasn’t even 11 yet and he was already out.

“Oh, there he goes…” Jimin snickered, shaking his head. “That kid.”

“Can’t wait to meet my new mom!” Alex joked. She nudged Namjoon, “Guess I’m sleeping here tonight. You got a poolhouse I can have?”

“You know I don’t have a poolhouse and cabs still work if you’re single…”

The defensive groans and complaints from their friends were enough. Namjoon backtracked, insisting he was joking, of course Alex could crash here, probably lots of people would. 

They decided Alex could make the first rule. But what kind of sucked is that she could think of so many rules that would be super funny to Jungkook, or at least the Jungkook who hung out and was chill and had more thoughts in his head than where he could stick his dick, and he wasn’t even here to hear them.

Maybe that was unfair… They still did lots of stuff together! Maybe his teasing went too far sometimes lately but hers kind of did too, right? It was hard to tell. He seemed invincible lately. He was living the life he wanted and in a way, that meant leaving Alex behind–

“Earth to Alex!”

“Ok, my challenge is: name states that don’t have an A in them! If you fuck it up, drink it up! Mississippi.”

“Idaho,” Taehyung beamed at her . After a beat, a roar of laughter. He’d already fucked it up just to make a joke. How Taehyung. 

Her friends were great. Who even needed Jungkook around right now? He could do whatever and they could just be roommates and that was fine. Everything was fine, she was just the wrong kind of drunk, but she could snap out of it. Hopefully he’d go to the girl’s place and she could have the apartment to herself for her hangover! That was good since she always felt overheated and nauseated when she drank too much and wanted to wear as little clothing as possible, but Jungkook teased her about her short legs like an asshole. What did women keep seeing in him anyway? But then, they fucked and were gone before they had to deal with the teasing, so that was the answer. 

“Famous painters,” Taehyung declared for his turn.

“The topics for Kings have sure changed a lot since we were in college,” Jimin laughed. “What happened to Spongebob characters and types of sex toys?

“Wait for your turn, asshole!”

But yeah, things were changing. That was all. Nothing wrong with that! Alex was glad when it was her turn to drink.

On Thursdays the arcade did Ladies’ Nights where girls got unlimited game cards for the machines. Alex and Jungkook had been going to this long enough to remember when it was only a $50 card, but it hadn’t brought in enough women, so they’d expanded the benefit. Jungkook’s bitterness had risen, but not so much that he would miss out, and while they didn’t go every week, it was a pretty common place to find them on a Thursday night.

“I just don’t know why they keep running the offer if it’s not working for them,” Jungkook complained, plastic machine gun wedged against his shoulder. Beside him, similar stance but over a foot shorter, Alex fired her red version at the screen with much less careful aim. 

“But it obviously is working for them.”

“What obviously?” Jungkook asked, motioning around the relatively quiet arcade. “No hot girls.”

“The fuck are you talking about?” she argued, motioning up and down her own body. “I’m here all the time.”

“Yeah, like I said, it’s not working–” He grunted as she spun and kicked the back of his knee, but he’d been prepared for it and unfortunately didn’t go down. She contemplated stealing his beanie and throwing it onto the Mortal Kombat AR stage so he’d have to show off his smashed greasy hair until the match finished and he could retrieve it, but settled for pointing out his character had died and she won. 

“I meant you’re here all the time already. You’d be here even if they didn’t do that thing. The only girls who show up are like that–”

“Wow. Woooow , Kook, you’re really going for asshole today, huh?”

He rolled his eyes and leaned against the machine console, not even bothering to watch her play out the remainder of her lives because she’d just kicked his ass at this game, “I mean that the only girls who give a shit about unlimited game cards at the arcade are…”

She aimed the machine gun at him and made her own sound effects on top of the game. 

He rolled his eyes, “I’m shredded and my muscles are made of Vibranium so that’s just bouncing off me–”

“How do you manage to hide what a loser you are from so many women ?” she cried. Her turn wasn’t over but she was bored of the game now and slid the gun back into the holster. It didn’t matter anyway since her game card was unlimited. “And why are you being so sulky tonight? Are you shriveling up from lack of pussy juice? Is that the problem?”

“No,” he glared. “I’m just bored. We haven’t done anything new lately. I need to meet new people.”

“Ah, fresh blood.”

“Virgins? Fine–”

“Oh is that the secret to your hairless baby face?” she asked, reaching up to slap her hand along his jaw. He hated references to his lack of facial hair. Ever since Taehyung had grown a hot little brush and gotten so much attention for it, Jungkook had complained about it. Only Alex had gotten to see him try twice to grow something and it was so patchy and uneven and yuck looking that she’d taken to calling him Pedo –and accidentally in front of his parents. Oops. “All that virginal pussy juice–”

“Virgins don’t usually let you put your face there,” he corrected. 

“You can’t just talk about virgins like they’re some monolithic group,” Alex argued. “Literally all of us are born virgins.”

Jungkook let out a deep sigh and threw his arm around her shoulder, “But only some of you are so blessed to also die one.”

“I’m not a virgin you dick,” she growled and tried to kick him again but since his arm was around her, it gave him too much warning and he ducked away laughing. Of course he knew she wasn’t a virgin though. He, unfortunately, knew pretty much every sordid detail of her previous sexual encounters –one a first awkward boyfriend who’d lasted two months and the other a second date mistake. Mistake! It had been a mistake. Maybe if she hadn’t done it she would have gotten a third date but Jungkook had confidently assured her it was doomed either way. Cool. He insisted he meant that to be reassuring.

Just as easily conversation slid away from sex and Jungkook’s complaints that their dating pool was growing stagnant and instead to shit-talking each other about whether to do basketball or air hockey next. 

“I don’t think you’re ready for air hockey yet,” she told him. “Let’s start with basketball.”

“But I always kick your ass at basketball and then you get all lame and sulky.”

“I do not!”

“Yeah you do and it’s wildly unappealing,” he taunted. “Why do you even challenge me? You’re like three feet tall, obviously you will never beat me at basketball.”

“Uh, Jimin is shorter than you and left you in the dust at basketball,” she pointed out.

Jungkook rolled his eyes, “He fucking did not, he just got lucky that one time and he played on a team as a kid. I didn’t.”

“You were too busy skateboarding,” she snickered. “So cool.”

“Uh, I was super cool.”

“No. You weren’t.”

“Uh, you need me to start listing off girls who think it’s cool?”

“I’m well aware a lot of my gender has glitter glue for brains and gets easily blinded by dimples and a flat stomach–”

“Abs,” he interrupted. “I have abs .”

“For a couple of days you did– but hey, baby ,” she teased him, “I like you better fed anyway. You know that’s the one thing my mom and I agree on. ‘You are too skinny!’” she cried, mimicking the way her mom said it every time Jungkook was in the vicinity, usually moments before plying him with food he could simply not refuse. Not that he ever did refuse. But at twenty-five, he was already complaining that he was growing out of the metabolism needed to survive her mom’s cooking –noodles, buns, lots of sauces, rice, every Chinese delicacy she could think of to fatten Jungkook up. This had been going on since they’d become friends like fifteen years ago. “And also you’re an asshole when you’re hangry.” She reached down to tap her card against the slot to join as Player Two.

“Girls think it’s cool I skate,” he said, gaze fixed on the flashing lights as they counted down to the start of the competition.

“To fuck, not to date or, god forbid, marry.”

He flashed her his most charming smile, “Good thing I don’t want to marry them either.”

“Yeah, regular intimacy with someone who cares about your pleasure and sees you as more than a sex toy that squirts, what a nightmare!”

He shrugged, “It’s different for guys. It’s hard to get a girl off if you don’t know what she likes but I’m getting off no matter what so… regular intimacy not needed.”

“Do you seriously–” The buzzer to begin was painfully loud. Jungkook had already sunk a basket by the time she got a ball in hand. 

The game went exactly as he had predicted, unfortunately. It was true, Alex had never come close to beating him at basketball and probably never would. She had played on a team for two years in middle school and still tried to insist that meant she could compete with him, because he’d never played! But he’d just like learned shooting skills by proximity. In junior high he’d come over and they’d shoot hoops and it was pretty even. But she quit when sports got serious at school, and he played tennis to avoid team sports, and somehow those two facts meant his shooting skills zoomed up from hers as much as his height did. 

“Did you really just try to pretend you squirt? There’s no way you squirt.”

“ What ?!”

“You said you’re more than a fuck toy that–”

“What the fuck, dude? I meant you! You squirt out… stuff– Only difference between you and a dildo–”

“Stuff!” he repeated, howling with laughter. “My sperm is not just any stuff .”

“Please don’t scream that word in the middle of the arcade–”

“Well I just kicked your ass as basketball so I think now you have to buy me a slice of pizza–”

“Uh, I beat your ass at the shooting game before this and you didn’t buy me shit.”

“Aleeeeex,” he whined. “I’m hungry. Feed me.”

“Fuck no. You didn’t state your terms before basketball. But I’m happy to take you up on that challenge now with some hockey–”

“Ya! Last time you went right for my balls!”

“I don’t aim for your balls,” Alex huffed. “You’re just bad at defending them. Which is insane considering how much you talk and think about them.”

“I’m really attached to them–”

“Eww, gross, get a better sense of humor.”

“Too hot to bother with that.”

She laughed and shoved his arm. It sucked that Jungkook actually was the funniest guy she’d ever known. It really wasn’t fair to have grown up into looking like that and be able to charm your way through basically any social encounter with a woman and be able to chill and impress most men too and be really funny. Really poked a hole in the whole God doesn’t have favorites idea because Jungkook was clearly one of them. But she couldn’t quit him because there was no one in the world who appreciated her own humor the way he did. The two of them were too fucking funny to ever break up. Besides, if she got a new roommate it would probably be a girl and they probably wouldn’t buy such oversized shirts that were so easy to just steal and wear and then panic because she got food stains on them and then enlist her sister’s help to fix them and then sneak them back into the laundry. That panic was basically her cardio every week!

“Tell you what… I’ll go easy on you,” she offered as they settled at opposite ends of the air hockey table.

“I’m going to fucking kill you,” he mumbled, veering instantly into that overcompetitive space where he failed to realize the things he said were terrible to anyone else. Of course Alex knew that was just his pre-injured pride talking. Because even if she went easy on him, she was going to crush him. That was true most of the time, certainly enough to give her the confidence to do a pre-victory dance, wriggling her arms and crouching down and swaying side to side to intimidate him.

“Not at air hockey though,” she taunted.

The thing about air hockey though was that it was very important to them. It played a part in their history a lot. They’d actually gotten banned playing it at another place because they were so aggressive. Jungkook had also met an early hookup once when the puck had hit a girl on the shoulder and he’d insisted he buy her a drink to apologize –that had been lame because they’d been in the middle of a game and Alex wound up having to take the train home on her own. Sometimes his addiction to women was a little annoying…

But they hadn’t gotten kicked out from here! Yet! 

“How the hell do you do that?” he complained as the puck managed to ricochet from his mallet to the wall and into his own goal before he could even twitch. 

“You’re too jumpy,” she told him. “You try to overmuscle it. It’s an air hockey puck. You have to be gentle . Caress. Be one with the puck.”

“Puck you.”

“God your humor is rancid tonight!” she laughed. “Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“Nah, saving my good humor for –fuck!” he cried and spun away from the table, clutching his cheek where the puck had just flipped up.

“That wasn’t my fault!” Alex immediately defended. 

“You hit that thing like 50 miles per hour!”

“With these dumpling arms?!”

“Yeah how the hell?”

“Oh my god though did it seriously break your face? It’s your fault! You pinched it against the wall! I’ve told you that’s not a valid defense move!”

He kept whining so she went around the table, motioning, “Ok, bend down, beanpole, let me see.”

He leaned down just a little as she reached for his face –only to yank away just as she touched his cheek, grab the puck, and shoot it straight across the table.

“Motherfucker!”

“Mother fucker !” he yelled too because the puck hadn’t gone in, even unguarded. She collapsed against the table laughing, sliding her way back to her space as he cursed the universe and the gods. 

“Yeah serves you right for cheating, asshole!”

“I would never cheat! You hit me in the face! Abusive!”

“Your own muscles betrayed you, that was your own damn fault.”

“Bullshit!”

The game was a foregone conclusion from that point. Even Alex stopped playing as well just because they were too busy laughing. Jungkook had gotten himself too worked up and wound up knocking the puck into his own goal twice. To taunt him, Alex gave him another chance for a free goal, lifted her arms up, and he actually made it that time, but it was too late. Alex had won, fair and square, even with his attempts to cheat.

“I think you broke my cheek,” he complained as they walked away to find something else to play.

“Shit, no! Did I really? You’re fucked! Your personality is way too shitty to survive as an uggo!”

“Alex,” he complained and backhanded her directly in the boob.

“My tit!”

“No, my face! No one cares about your tits!”

They laughed and stumbled along for a moment, bumping into each other in the direction of more of the regular machines, ignoring and ignored by other arcade go-ers on a Thursday night. 

But Alex got the prickles on the back of her neck that someone was watching them and whirled around, ready to tell off whoever was being weird.

Except it was Hoseok.

She nearly tripped over her feet and fell ass over head to the floor but caught herself on Jungkook’s arm, performing a weird twisting maneuver that might possibly have won her gold at a free skate. Confused, Jungkook thankfully dragged her back the right way on her feet. Unfortunately the klutzery was still all witnessed by Hoseok, without a doubt, because he gave a bright smile as he walked over –though first Alex did glance over her shoulder, certain Hoseok must actually be smiling like the sun at someone else.

“Alex Song,” he greeted, removing most of the doubt that he had noticed and approached her. 

“Hi, Hoseok Jung.” Fuck, that was awkward. He’d used her full name so she’d used his too but it sounded awkward when she did it. He sounded hot and playful. To cover it, she added, “Your cheekbones look especially sharp today.”

Fuck! That was not how you spoke to someone in corporate!! Even a cool someone in corporate!

Hoseok laughed and touched his face as though checking for himself, as if he wasn’t born with the opportunity to feel up his own face every morning. God, what Alex wouldn’t give to be able to feel up his face every morning.

“That was an intense game of air hockey,” he said, smooth as butter in covering her shitty socialization skills. 

“Oh! You um, saw that… hey I didn’t know you like arcades…” She looked around wildly, reassuring herself she was in fact still in the arcade and trying not to totally melt into panic at the fact that not only was Hoseok here, he had seen her juvenile, taunting game of air hockey with Jungkook. At least she’d won, but–

“Ah I’m not great at games but I’m here with my–

Girlfriend , he was obviously going to say. 

“Your girlfriend? She must be nice.”

“My sister,” he corrected, motioning over his shoulder. “She’s terrible at games too but she’s an influencer and they wanted her to take photos on Instagram and…” Alex’s gaze followed his gesture to see two young women, one leaning dramatically against a pinball machine while the other took her photo. 

Without thinking about it, she elbowed Jungkook in the ribs, “Influencers! See! They’re doing more than just ladies night!”

“Ow! I guess…”

Before she could say anything else, he held his hand out to Jungkook, introducing, “Sorry to be rude, I’m Hoseok Jung, I work with Alex–”

“He’s my brother,” Alex blurted out, grabbing Jungkook’s arm before he could shake Hoseok’s hand and shoving it away. This confused Hoseok; it flickered across his beautiful face before the smile returned.

“Ah. Her brother,” Jungkook agreed. His lips pursed into a line and Alex knew she was in for shit later. “We live together. We don’t really get along but we come here on Thursday nights to appease our overbearing parents who always dreamed of siblings who’d get along.”

“I see…” Hoseok said. Confusion returned. Fuck. Fuck, he was going to think they were dating. Wait, would it make him jealous– no, of course it wouldn’t make Hoseok Jung jealous.He had literally no concept of being jealous of Alex. 

“Hoseok works in corporate,” Alex quickly offered to continue to try to smooth out the steaming piles of horse shit being dumped onto her head right now. “He does training and–”

“Actually, I’m changing positions.”

Positions . She bet he knew lots of positions. She didn’t know any! Well, ok, like two…

“To what?” she asked, realizing this might mean he was moving away, or moving into a capacity where she wouldn’t ever see him. Right now the times he came by the store were equal parts joy for her and terror for everyone else, even though Hoseok was always nice and not really in a scary corporate position. It was still a visit from corporate, even if the corporate guy was hot and nice and funny and playful…

“We’re opening a new location over on Ash Boulevard. I’m transferring over to be the assistant store manager. I want to open my own someday.”

“Oh! Right, that’s opening soon, isn’t it?” This was baffling to her. Usually people wanted to move into corporate, not out . 

“Yeah! I’ve missed being in the stores. Corporate was great but I don’t think it’s where I’m happiest,” he continued, “so I'm really excited about it. Kind of scared too, though, it’ll be a lot of work but I hope I do well.”

“Obviously you’ll do well.” 

 “Well I need good staff and we’re still selecting so uh.. Don’t tell Dan I said this but if you want to transfer… I’ll put you at head of the line.” He smiled and winked. 

Alex laughed. Not a sexy cool laugh, not even a flattered laugh because that was actually really flattering for him to encourage her to change to his store –but not surprising if she was honest, because she was a fucking badass shift lead and she got shit done with a smile on her face even when she wanted to murder those around her! But she laughed because he’d winked at her and every nerve between her knees and her scalp shot off fireworks. Anyone else winking would have been creepy and wrong but a wink from Hoseok was just so friendly . So kind! So not sexually interested in her. Sob.

“Thanks, I’ll think about it…” If she transferred, she could see him all the time! If she transferred, she’d have to see him all the time, and those fantasies of him taking her in the stock room would be completely out of the realm of possibility because a shift lead and an assistant store manager at the same store was strictly not ok. As opposed to now when they were just 99.47% outside of the realm of possibility. There was always the possibility of a doomsday scenario where they were the last two people on earth and tasked with repopulating…

“Hm, Dan runs a good store, I see why you might not want to leave… who knows if I’ll be any good at it but… I think we’ll do great.”

“I think so too!” she said, matching his sunny tone. She didn’t have to look to know Jungkook was having a hard time controlling his facial expressions beside her. 

“Hobi!” his sister called and he turned before sighing, “I guess I better get back to her… Maybe next time I can challenge you to something in here that’s not as intense as air hockey.”

“She’s ruthless at all games, I should warn you,” Jungkook interjected. “Laugh and dance on the graves of her enemies kind of–”

“Shut up,” she hissed, elbowing him. It seemed unlikely Hoseok would find that kind of thing appealing.

He laughed, “Oh no, I probably won’t put up much of a challenge then…” She wanted to die. No, first she wanted to murder Jungkook and then die.

“We can see next time,” she offered. “We could do a co-op game like the Jurassic Park ride or something…”

“Yeah! You seem like a good person to be on a team with.” Flattering? Friendzone? Coworker zone? Subordinate employee zone? Alex basked in the pain of them all and nodded dumbly as Hoseok said goodbye and returned to his sister and her friend, both looking pretty bored to be there and eager to move on. His sister must have said something teasing because Hoseok shook his head and waved his hand at her before disappearing.

Alex didn’t even look at Jungkook, just tried to simultaneously shove her hand in his face and flee. She needed a moment without his taunting because an encounter with Hoseok Jung left you disoriented for at least a few hours. Discombobulated. Flustered. She was giddy when he focused any of his attention on her when he came by the store and now she’d actually spoken directly with him for a few minutes outside of work! Even better/worse, it had happened because he recognized and approached her! She wanted to live in this moment without Jungkook saying something stupid. And she needed Hoseok to leave the arcade before she murdered her best friend because that didn’t seem like Hosok’s vibe –although he’d probably be very useful in a body-disposal scenario.

But Jungkook followed her, bumping against her shoulder as he said, “Ok, as your brother I have a question–”

“Shhhh,” she held up her finger but missed covering his mouth and instead just jabbed him in the chin. “Please let me enjoy this for a moment before you ruin it–”

“Enjoy what ? Why is a superior winking at you? That seems like a really inappropriate–”

“ Shhhhhh ,” she shushed more harshly. Eyes closed. Picturing the two of them at one of the machines, her standing behind with her arms around him, teaching him how to hold the gun. Ok, she’d have to stand on a stool or something but… romantic… the sexual tension distacting them both from the game… Hoseok suddenly spinning and taking her into his arms and pressing her against the console… the lights and sounds of the arcade dimming because he just couldn’t resist her any longer and needed to take her now –

“Alex Xiuying Song what the fuck is going on in your head right now? You look like an overripe tomato–”

“I do not!” she shouted and the frustrated, embarrassed energy exploded into her punching his arm multiple times. It just made him laugh and twist her into a headlock that made her squawk and thrash until he pushed her towards a machine.

“So who the fuck is that guy? Hoseok? Sounds Korean but–”

“He is Korean,” she sniffed, lifting her nose, as if that made him better than Jungkook… who was also Korean.

“Then why is his hair blonde? The fuck he think he is, an idol or something?”

“He has blonde hair because he’s beautiful,” she glared at him, “and he can pull of literally any hair color in the world. Like there’s not a color on the planet that wouldn’t be blessed to adorn his head–”

Jungkook started to ugly laugh, “What the fuck are you saying right now?”

“Shut up, ok? Just shut up and let me… he’s…. Ahhhhhhh and he talked to me first!”

“Wait. Wait wait,” Jungkook said, stopping just before he’d tapped his card to the console of House of the Dead. “Are you saying you like that guy? Because that would explain all your weird squid behavior right now but–”

“I’m not a squid!”

“You just had like a full on weirdo meltdown in front of him and I thought you were just nervous because he’s a big shot at work but–”

“He is a big shot at work,” she sighed. “He’s so competent at his job and so sexy walking around with a clipboard and–”

“You’re kidding me.”

“Do I like him… Ha! HA! Did you see his perfect face? That elegant nose… those chiseled cheekbones… those perfectly manicured eyebrows.”

“I… you’re being serious right now?”

“Are you saying you didn’t notice those things?”

“No? He just looks like some guy to me and like… you’re serious right now? That’s your type?”

“What does that mean! That’s my type? Yeah that’s my type! He’s kind and funny and charming and stunning– why are you looking at me like that! What I’m saying is objectively true!”

“I…” His head tilted to the side like a puppy dog as he studied the carpet for a moment before pressing, “So you like… want to hold his hand? Or you want to fuck him?”

“Um, both , obviously? Why are you being so weird about this?”

“No! No, it’s just…” She was surprised now by the sincerity on his face. Sincere confusion. “Honestly I kind of thought you were asexual.”

“Huh?!”

“It’s fine if you are!” he quickly insisted, hands held up in defense. “Obviously. I mean I’ve thought all this time you are–”

“You know all about the times I’ve had sex!” Unfortunately.

“Yeah and you had a terrible time and didn’t enjoy it at all so– I thought you just felt pressured–”

“Well yeah but… but because I’m awkward and it was bad not because… I don’t like… want sex!” She dropped her voice at the last second as several kids ran by. “Just because I don’t live and die by where I can stick my dick today–”

“You don’t even go on about hot guys in movies or anything. I mean rarely–”

“That’s because Hollywood is trash and just chooses boring ass white boys for their leads all the time and I can barely tell them apart. But like the things I would let Richard Ayoade do on my face–”

“You’re crazy,” he laughed. “That guy? And Hoseok? Are you sure you’re not just like… desperately reaching for what society tells you that you need to be fulfilled– ‘cause look, I think sex is the bomb but it’s really not like emotionally fulfilling or I wouldn’t need to have it all the time–”

“Woah,” she gasped. “Are you… self-reflecting?! What’s that like for you? Is that scary? I’d be scared looking too closely at what’s in your brain–”

“Yeah and what’s in your brain?! All this time I thought…”

“Are you serious? You really thought I’m– I’m just awkward! Not ace! Not that there’s anything wrong with being ace but–”

“Yeah, that's what I'm saying. It’s totally cool if you are.”

“I can’t believe this though. You’re like my best friend and you thought I was… shit. Shit! No wonder I can get any dick! Am I putting out ace vibes?! Fuck!”

“Yeah well… Or maybe lesbian? I mean you should probably just directly let that guy know you want to fuck him,” Jungkook snickered, finally tapping his card and motioning for her to do the same. 

“Yeah fucking right. I’m going to go to that guy and ask for– are you fucking insane?” 

“Actually I’m a little rattled right now. All this time I thought–”

“Trust me, I want to get spit-roasted by Manny Jacinto and–”

“Yeah ok, I get it.”

“Wait… are you going to be weird suddenly? All this time you thought–”

“No I’m not going to be weird I just think you should be careful about getting spit-roasted, you’re really little and not very flexible and you’ve got that overactive gag-reflex. Like how many times did you puke on your orthodontist–”

“I hate you!” she cried and kicked the back of his knee. Since his attention was on the screen, he had no warning and went down. It was glorious. 

Jimin’s engagement party was extravagant, crowded, and also incredibly awkward, considering the mixing of groups. Jimin’s and the bride’s parents, both well connected and with a large guestlist of their own, greeted and praised and cast derisive looks at Jimin’s and In’am’s friends. 

“We aren’t even doing anything wrong!” Alex huffed, elbowing Taehyung to get around him to the buffet table. “Is that… tul? Baba ganoush?

“That’s tabouleh,” In’am corrected, suddenly at her elbow, “And you’re a disgrace. I mean, sorry, I think that’s what my parents keep telling me so it’s just etched into my brain–”

“Inny no!” Alex frowned. “You aren’t a disgrace.” Part of her brain thought she ought to give In’am a hug, but considering the likely cost of the sparkly dress she was wearing and that Alex was not a big hugger, she decided against it. Only belatedly did she realize she was also holding a plate of food and likely would have dumped it right down the back of the bride-to-be.

“The shit I’m getting for having a buffet table instead of tailed waiters or a seated dinner…”

“You’re doing great,” Taehyung assured her, sliding his arm around her shoulder. He was always comfortable and easy and cool. Alex would take her former crush on him to the grave, especially now that she knew Jungkook had spent all this time thinking she didn’t have a sexual bone in her body. Fucking ouch . She almost blurted that out now, desperate for their disagreement, but thankfully stopped herself. Taehyung and In’am were too cool; if they agreed she would stab herself with a fork in the middle of this luncheon. Then Im’an’s and Jimin’s parents would really disapprove of their friends, though at least she’d be done away with…

“You’re slow,” Jungkook complained, kicking her ankle. “Is it because you’re wearing a skirt?”

“Um, I wear skirts and dresses,” she glared. He’d already bullied her that morning when she’d come out of the bedroom wearing this dress. It was a nice dress! Maybe not as pricey or nice as what In’am and her family were wearing but…

Jungkook was piling his plate high, so Alex hurried along, looking uncomfortably away when Jimin came over to retrieve In’am with a hand on her waist and a kiss to her neck. 

“You’re going to piss off your parents,” Jungkook snickered.

“That’s the point,” Jimin sang, and dragged In’am away. In’am didn’t look as pleased about his stance and Alex sympathized with her. As much as she might in theory want to piss off her parents, in practice she’d want their approval. Thank fuck her parents were pretty awesome for the most part. Like somehow her mom had said Jungkook’s eyebrow piercing was “charming”? The fuck? But not for her, there would definitely be daughtercide if she came home with a pierced eyebrow. Probably not any guy she brought home either. Jungkook just got to live in a blessed golden bubble for some reason. Jungkook’s own parents had not been happy about it.

“If their parents are paying for the wedding, they probably shouldn’t bait them,” Sabina mused. Her hand touched Taehyung’s back lightly as he showed her he had filled his plate for both of them. Disgusting. Love. Ugh. She could never.

She followed Jungkook’s also-single back to the table they had left their jackets and bags at earlier to claim. Rude? None of them cared, they just wanted this particular table which would let them watch all the drama without having to participate in anything. There were supposed to be speeches at one point and Jimin had asked Jungkook to make one and he’d agreed, to Alex’s shock. But then of course he’d made her help him write it and listen to him practice, because he hated public speaking like that. She still didn’t understand why he’d agreed to do it.

But it wasn’t speech time just yet, just eating and mingling. Alex didn’t want to mingle. She turned to Jungkook to make some joke about how he’d never have an engagement party when she saw someone who made her gasp and dive behind Jungkook.

“The fuck are you doing?”

“Fuck, he’s here.”

“Who’s here?”

“ Yoongi. ”

“Her ex,” Taehyung explained to Sabina.

Jungkook snorted, “Barely. If you count three weeks as an ex–”

“It was longer than that! Like two months!”

“You didn’t date him for two months, stop lying.”

“It was enough –”

“It’s an emotional decision,” Sabrina interrupted, waving her hand dismissively at Jungkook. “If she feels like they’re exes–”

“We’re exes. Shit, don’t let him see me.”

“He doesn’t care.”

“ I   care. Shit. I forgot he and Jimin are still friends…”

“How did you forget that?”

“Well our circles don’t cross!” Alex defended. “Fuck. Now I need a date to the wedding…”

Sabrina shook her head, “Uh uh, it doesn’t mean that. I mean you can get a date if you want but you are perfect even solo and you don’t need to change for any man.”

“Yeah. Plus I doubt Yoongi is going to pay any attention,” Taehyung added, earning a nod from Jungkook and a scathing glare from Alex.

“It’s not just about him though, it’s about…” She trailed off as Yoongi turned, a woman’s hand running up his arm and touching his chest, clearly intimate. The light caught a very large jewel on her finger. “He’s married ?! Fuck, now I really can’t go single–”

“It doesn’t matter–” Sabina tried to insist while Jungkook snickered, “You can’t change who you are, Turtle, don’t worry about it.”

“Don’t call me Turtle!”

“Yeah it’s not like you can get a fiance by the time of the wedding,” Taehyung agreed.

Sabina sighed, “Plus it doesn’t matter . You’re living your best life solo.”

“Yeah, it’s not about that, it’s about appearances. If I can’t even find a date to a wedding– oh!” She slapped Jungkook’s arm. “You can be my date!”

“No thanks.”

“Shut up, you’re going with me. It’s not like you have a girlfriend to bother taking.”

“Yeah, but Yoongi knows we’re just friends so that doesn’t prove anything to him. Besides, I’ll be making my own plans…”

“You don’t have a girlfriend,” Alex said again.

“Yeah, I don’t want a girl to take, I want a girl to leave with…”

“Oh come on, it’s your friends’ wedding,” Alex frowned. “Can’t you think about something else for one night?”

Jungkook gave her a baffled look and demanded, “Why? It’s a wedding . They’re notorious for one night stands. Jimin and In’am know a lot of hot single women–”

“Haven’t you slept with most of them by now?” she snapped. 

Now it was Jungkook’s turn to glare as he defended, “Most of them? No. And sorry if I don’t want to be your pity date–”

“You aren’t a pity date. I’m the pity date! I just don’t want to go to Jimin’s wedding alone. You can still meet someone else–”

“I’m a groomsman. It’s not the same look if I roll into the wedding with a date on my arm.”

Alex gave Taehyung and Sabina an incredulous look and held her hand out, begging for them to agree with her. She was getting flushed now, annoyed by Jungkook’s blunt rejection. She wasn’t asking him to be her fake boyfriend or anything, she just wanted someone to sit with and dance with. So they were friends, that was fine! But it would be a visual credibility to anyone –like Yoongi– who might look over and think Oh, she’s the kind of girl who can find a date to a wedding no problem, huh? Maybe I was wrong about her…

“You’re getting all pissy,” Jungkook laughed. “Why?”

“I’m just asking you for a favor–”

“A favor you don’t need. Yoongi probably doesn’t even remember you.”

She couldn’t help arguing, “Uh, the sex was bad enough he definitely remembers me.” She meant it as a joke. A joke to save her dignity from this rejection. It was the wrong kind of joke to save her dignity. No one even laughed, which made it worse.

“Let’s see,” Jungkook suggested, raising his hand to wave him over. Alex practically tackled him, and Jungkook laughed. “Chill out, Alex. It’s not a big deal.”

“It is to me!”

“If she wants a date, she should have a date,” Sabina tried.

“Sure. Why don’t you ask that Hoseok guy you like?”

Alex sighed, “Because a wedding isn’t a good first date? And I don’t know him that well? And I have no reason to believe he’d say yes?”

“You asked me knowing I wouldn’t say yes,” Jungkook pointed out. But his teasing smile was too much this time. He was being an asshole. She wasn’t asking for much. They were friends; couldn’t friends help each other out in a pinch? So what if he didn’t care, or Yoongi didn’t care, she cared! She’d feel better having fun with her friend at a wedding, though realized now Jungkook was being upfront that he’d be bailing on her anyway.

“I can’t believe you’re so obsessed with pussy you can’t even be a good friend,” she snapped, grabbing her plate up. “You can’t even turn it off for one night to have fun with friends at your friend’s wedding? That’s insane. You should get help.”

“What the fuck, Alex–”

She promptly stomped off, not interested in anything else he had to say. If his answer was really a no, he could have least been less of an idiot about it but… but why couldn’t it be a yes? Just for Jimin’s wedding? Could he really not cool his dick for one wedding to spend time with her?

But no, apparently not! Because as she stomped off fuming, she began to think about their friendship and how one-sided it was. Were they really friends at all? Or were they just roommates and he played along when it served him –like how she managed all the apartment bills and did most of the grocery shopping– and peaced out the second she actually asked him for anything? 

“He’s a bad friend!” she cried, slamming her plate down on an unoccupied table.

“You ok?”

FUCK Yoongi.

She’d recognize his voice until the day she died probably, as the only guy she had anything close to a real relationship with. Short but devastating. She hadn’t known shit about what she was doing and they weren’t well matched and it was just all a mistake, her fault. Definitely her fault.

“Hey,” she said, dragging the word out awkwardly as she turned.

“Hi, Alex.”

“Yoongi, hey.”

“How’s it going? I haven’t seen you in years. This is my fiance, Raquel.”

“Hi, Raquel.” Alex almost blurted out that she was an old… but what? God, if she said she was an old girlfriend and Yoongi corrected her, she’d explode in a cloud of dust and shame. 

“So nice to finally meet you, Alex,” Raquel said. To finally meet you . Suddenly Alex could tell she was painfully correct and Jungkook was wrong. Yoongi had told this pretty, sophisticated woman he was marrying all about the mortifying ordeal that had been Alex Song.

Yoongi smoothly added, “I told her about that music festival we went to–”

“Oh god,” Alex sighed, covering her face. The drugs she and Yoongi had done at that 2 day festival had objectively been what led to them even dating in the first place. They’d sat at the back of the field, eyes closed, swaying to the music. He’d taken her hand. He probably regretted that a lot later.

“Not ‘oh god,’ it was cool. Maybe we did a little too much recreational…” he admitted, trailing off and giving Raquel a sheepish smile as she arched her eyebrow. “But Alex saved our asses because none of us even knew how to put a tent up and no one brought sunscreen or food…”

That was not what she had expected he would tell Raquel…

“I was at a show in Austin one year,” Raquel told Alex. “Three day concert. Rained the whole time.  It was too muddy to put up tents. We bailed on day one but cars couldn’t even get down the road so we had to walk miles… now I can remember it fondly but also… youth, right?”

Yoongi laughed and nodded, “Yeah, I couldn’t put myself through that again. There are better ways to hear music that don’t leave me covered in bug bites and sunburned… but I’m glad I did those things when I was younger.” He paused and looked at Alex with what she felt like was a strange look before asking, “What have you been up to? I hear little things through Jimin but–”

“Oh, not much,” Alex insisted, instantly awkward. “Still working at the coffee shop. Still going to three-day music shows in the summer and stuff…” Even though you both are too old and boring for them now and probably a lot more in charge of your lives and, like, engaged to be married and stuff.

“Are you still rooming with Jungkook?”

“Yeah…”

“Did he ever learn to load the dishwasher?” Yoongi asked, then explained to Raquel, “I swear I showed him twice because Alex was the only one doing it, and her roommate Jungkook tried to say he did all the dishes…” Oops . Alex had made a point at the time of always loading the dishwasher when Yoongi was over to make it look like she was more competent than she was. She’d looked so good at the music festival, but it was just dumb luck that she was the only one of her friends who’d gone to that kind of thing before and knew the right things to bring. Jimin had brought Yoongi, who Alex had only met a couple times before, and she had somehow… impressed him? So obviously she had to keep the lie up…

“A good roommate is hard to find,” Raquel sympathized. “He’s going to have a hard time finding a girlfriend if he’s lazy like that.”

“Yeah, he’s, um, better now, I guess… you know, people change… I mean, not me much, I’m still pretty much the same as always!” she laughed awkwardly.

There was an awkward beat, and then Yoongi said, “That’s cool. Some things change, some stay the same.”

“Uh huh.”

“Nice to meet you, Alex. We can catch up more later, I’d love to hear any stories you have of Yoongi–”

“All right, bye,” Yoongi said, interrupting Raquel. He steered her away with an arm around her waist, and waved at Alex over her shoulder. It was smooth and cool, just like he’d always been. God. It was inevitable that wouldn’t have worked, but it made it all even more mortifying that she’d had a chance and just been so… bleh. Awkward. Uncomfortable. She had tried too hard and not tried hard enough simultaneously. It was kind of unbelievable to look at Yoongi walking off with this cool-looking fiance and believe she had dated him for like seven whole weeks. They’d had sex! Even though she was really bad at it! He’d been nice but obviously not impressed…

And now she was “same ol’ Alex” who Yoongi wasn’t even threatened telling his fiance about. Why would he be? She still worked at Starbucks. She still lived with Jungkook. The greatest things Yoongi knew about her were lies and luck. 

“Hey.”

She turned around again, annoyed this time because she’d shoved a spoonful of cold food into her mouth. Jungkook stood there, looking displeased.

“Just come back to the table with everyone, ok?”

“No, you’re being a dick.”

“Because I won’t go to the wedding with you? You can find another date, it’s not for months.”

She glared at him, “Yeah? Can I? You’re so sure?”

“Sure I’m sure. You’re great. Who wouldn’t want to go with you?”

“You, apparently.”

He let out a deep sigh, then said, “Look. It’s not like you asked me because you want to go with me, you just don’t want to go alone. I think you’ll be happier if you try to find a date you actually want to take.”

“Yeah that’s so easy–”

“I can help you. And if it doesn’t work, we can go as friends.”

She paused, because he’d basically just agreed to what she wanted and she didn’t trust that. Did he realize he had just agreed to what she wanted?

“What’s that look? You don’t believe me?”

“No I don’t believe you! You just gave me a whole spiel about how that’s a terrible idea because it could stand in the way of your holy grail–”

“Yeah, so I’ll be extra motivated to help you find a date.”

“A good date,” she clarified. “Not like–”

He actually sounded annoyed as he said, “Come on, Alex. I wouldn’t set you up with just anyone.”

“Hm.” That was kinda sweet and soothed her hurt ego. He rolled his eyes at her expression as she considered this. “Fine. You can help me find a better date, otherwise you’re my last resort.”

“Gee, thanks, but fine. Now come back.”

“Why, does Sabina think you were being an asshole?”

“Yeah, and I wouldn’t care but Taehyung thinks so too and then they told Jimin and In’am about it and In’am gave me that look —”

“I would expect you were far more used to that kind of look by now.”

Jungkook picked her plate up for her to hurry her along and scoffed, “What are you talking about? Women think I’m adorable. I mean, the kind of women who want what I’m selling. In’am is not one of those women.”

“Taken?”

“I know which trees not to sniff up, and it’s one of many reasons I’m as successful as I am.”

“In pussy business.”

They’d been walking by some of In’am’s family, who spun and gave them a wild look.

“Fuck…”

“If you get us kicked out before I even get an intro to–”

“You already saw someone you’re interested in?!”

“I didn’t plan on it but it is a party,” Jungkook pointed out. “Oh come on…”

“Just make sure it’s not a bridesmaid you’re going to have to work with on wedding stuff for the next six months…”

It was a bridesmaid. That didn’t bother Jungkook, and he’d convinced her to sneak off before the end of the party. Which was fine, but sometimes it sucked getting left behind. Like couldn’t he not fuck someone for once? So she didn’t have to bum a ride off one of their other friends?

She definitely needed to find a better date than Jungkook for the wedding. 

“What about him?” 

Alex leaned over but shook her head and pulled away.

Jungkook sighed, “Ok, what about–”

“Nooo, stop showing me pictures,” she complained. She balled up the boxers she’d pulled from the basket and chucked them at his face. 

Usually he would retaliate by slingshotting a pair of her panties back at her, but that would require dropping his phone and losing his place in this “Follows” list. 

“So you want me to just… pick? Traditional but ok–”

“No, I don’t trust you to just pick for me!” she glared at him. “But why are we already talking about this? It’s too early.”

“It might take some time…”

“Asshole.”

“No!” he laughed. “I meant because you’re being so damn choosy!” He scrolled down, paused and clicked on Nick’s profile but… nah, he wasn’t right for Alex, even as a wedding date.

“Yeah because it’s my friend’s wedding! I don’t want to show up with some rando as my blind date.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just a wedding date. This would be a lot easier if you’d just be chill–”

“If you tell me to be chill I will strangle you with your own fucking tube sock,” she threatened.

He just rolled his eyes, “Your puny little hands couldn’t tie that around my throat.”

“I’d stuff it down your throat.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

She launched herself forward, sock in hand, and did her best. Alex had weight to her but it definitely wasn’t enough to budge him when he was sitting on the ground. She tried to use her leg to keep his hand away but Jungkook had done too many years of martial arts to be even a little bothered. He just rolled forward, swept her legs to the side so she splatted on her back, and then pressed her arms down at her sides. 

“Now put the sock in your mouth.”

“Fuck no.”

“Put it in your mouth, I won.”

“I’m not putting your damn stinky sock in my mouth!”

He paused for a moment. Definitely a familiar position for him, but not exactly with Alex. She looked up at him with that challenging glare and he realized maybe he had been a little bossier than he should be with her… and in that position with him towering over like that… She was short. He wasn’t such an asshole that he didn’t know that could make small girls uncomfortable. 

This was, in fact, the most compromising position he’d ever had Alex in. They didn’t really wrestle, though poking, hitting, kicking, and pinching were all common. 

So he almost said a few things at once. “Do it now,” because that’s what he would say to a girl he was going to fuck and they were in the position. “You’re so small,” because she was and always whined and kicked him when he made fun of her for being so small because apparently she thought you could only be small if you were also skinny. She wasn’t skinny but she was short and that still equaled small. And “you’re lucky I’m not going to actually make you lick my sock, you turd,” because that’s what a good friend would say.

Instead what he said was, “Lucky,” and then pushed off of her. 

Of course she wouldn’t drop it and immediately demanded, “I’m lucky? Lucky for what? Lucky you just shattered my leg bones sitting on me like that? I think I need to go to the hospital–”

“Lucky you have me to help you find this date,” Jungkook said and picked up his phone again. Her hair stuck out every which way as she sat up and pushed her glasses back up her nose. He couldn’t help but laugh at the static and reached out to brush it down, but she punched his hand away and sulked at him.

“Ok, what about…” he said, returning to his scrolling. The truth was he didn’t have many male friends she didn’t already know. Their social circles had been nearly identical since middle school. Even when he had done something without her, they usually picked the only friends worth keeping around to add their their mutual group. Usually if Jungkook was going out, Alex was right there with him, unless it was a date. But he dated women, so that didn’t give him many male connections.

Besides, it wasn’t just about finding guys he knew but figuring out who would potentially be a decent enough match for Alex to go on enough dates with her for her to not be weird about the wedding. Because apparently she was being weird about the wedding. Maybe that shouldn’t surprise him. She’d dated so rarely ever, it must still seem like such a big deal to her. He really had thought maybe she just wasn’t interested in that, but now that he knew she was… it made it hard for him to really envision who would be good for her. She’d only had the one barely-boyfriend Yoongi Min and Jungkook had never understood how that even came about anyway. Everything about them seemed wrong together. 

Who might like Alex? It wasn’t that he thought she was hard to like! Actually completely the opposite, she was one of his favorite people in the world. She was great. Funny, smart but also dumb in endearing ways, sometimes cheerful, sometimes grumpy, good cook, loud about her (sometimes terrible) opinions on just about everything, up for a joke and a friendly competition, the same degree of sore loser as he was so she didn’t resent him for it when he was an ass about it. Non-judgmental except about the things it was funny to be judgmental about. Sincere except when she was sulking behind humor. There was no one’s opinion he trusted more or whose support meant more to him. 

But she just didn’t put herself out there like guys were looking for at this point. She wasn’t hot in a mainstream way, but plenty of guys didn’t care about that as long as she made it clear she was actually interested. She looked cute in pictures, she could make a funny dating profile and hook someone, he was sure of it! Even with as weird as she could be, someone would find it charming. The things she complained about herself –her glasses, her her weight, her occasional acne, her gremlin nature– weren’t important and if she liked a guy for whom they were important, he was a dick anyway. It wasn’t that. But… she just still needed a special someone and he just didn’t know that kind of special someone for her, so he couldn’t really envision who that person was. But he definitely existed! Somewhere!

He showed her another picture, a guy who might like her, but she grimaced and shook her head.

“You don’t like anyone I’m showing you.”

“I don’t know, you’re only showing me a picture! I don’t know anything about any of them!”

“But do you think they’re hot?”

“Eh… not really,” she admitted.

“What’s your type?”

“Hoseok Jung,” she instantly answered with a sigh. 

“So like… long-faced 5s who wish they were kpop idols–”

“What?! How dare you?! He’s not a fucking five ! He’s at least a nine with blonde hair, definitely a 10 with his dark hair.”

“Uh huh, on a scale of–”

“You’re like a 6.”

“Six,” he repeated, leveling a look at her. “ Six . I am not a six .”

“Really? Because I’m looking at you and–”

“I’m at least an eight. If I was a little taller, nine, easy–”

“Ok that’s so funny though. Like you’re going to argue with my six but not even have the ego to say you’re a ten–”

“Well, if I could grow a beard maybe,” he mused, running his fingers along his skin. He hadn’t shaved in two days and barely had any stubble to show for it yet. “This baby face is a blessing and a curse–”

“Your baby face isn’t the problem, it’s the stupid abs you’re trying to convince the world you have. You’re just flat. Eat a fucking cheeseburger already.”

“So you’d rate me higher without abs…”

“Eh… no, probably not. Six seems right for you.”

“Ok, four.”

He’d meant it as a joke. A joke . Because she was saying he was a six! And she didn’t give a shit what he thought about her looks! But there was a moment before she responded, and in that moment he realized that maybe even Alex wouldn’t think a joke like that was funny.

“Four as in the number of items from these laundry baskets you’ve even touched?” she asked, kicking one towards him. “I’m not folding it all myself!”

“I was joking. You aren’t a four. Obviously you aren’t a four or–”

“God, if you feel like you have to clarify, that’s so much worse. I don’t need you trying to convince us both that I’m hot. I may not be like the girls you go after but someone else will find me hot. Someday.”

“Yeah! Wait, I mean–”

“Fold the fucking laundry, Jungkook.”

Now he felt like an asshole and tossed his phone aside to do that, but tried to make it better by asking, “Do you want me to tell you the things I think are pretty–”

“Jesus Christ, no I don’t. That would be weird for both of us. My feelings aren’t hurt you don’t think I’m hot… it’d be way weirder if you did.”

“Ok…”

“You’re not my type either so… damn, I hope Hoseok doesn’t think I’m just a four…”

Jungkook had no way to predict what Hoseok thought. He hadn’t really read much from his appearance at the arcade. He just seemed kind of bubbly and bland. Probably he’d be great as a Starbucks store manager because he seemed like the kind of person who got way too excited about organizing merchandise and recommending frappuccinos to people.

“Why don’t you ask him?” Jungkook suggested.

“Ask him… to rate my attractiveness–”

“No, ask him out,” he clarified. “You’re shitting on everyone I show you. You think he’s hot. Find out if he thinks you’re hot.”

“I can’t do that while he’s in corporate– and besides, it’d be mortifying when he says no and– and this is my career!”

“Yeah but what if he’s down for it?”

“The wedding is too far away. Even if he said yes, I can’t ask him to go to a wedding with me in six months. He’d get tired of me way before then.”

“Yeah but maybe he’d feel obligated if he’d already said yes–”

“Jungkook! God you’re such an asshole today after I loaned you quarters for the laundry–”

“I’m folding it, aren’t I?” he pointed out, adding another shirt of hers he’d folded to her pile. “Fine, keep him in mind as a backup then. If I don’t find you someone else by a few weeks out, then you can ask him.”

“How is he a back up if he’ll say no?”

“Maybe he won’t say no.”

“But then I’d need to not transfer to his store… I can’t ask him out if he’s literally my boss.”

“Hm… good point… guess it’s now or never?”

“Never. God I’m getting heartburn just talking about it like this. He’s so pretty… he’s definitely not thinking dirty things about me when he sees me…”

“It doesn’t have to be about looks. Your personality is ok–” He broke off as she threw his jeans in his face. He laughed.

“Besides, you’re my backup.”

“You can’t sabotage every suggestion I come up with though.”

“Yeah and you can’t just pawn me off on a piece of shit just so you don’t have to go with me–”

“Hey!” He gave her a sincerely offended look. “I wouldn’t just pawn you off on a piece of shit. That’s why this is harder! I mean, if you would just be casual about the wedding date, there are more guys I’d be ok setting you up with for that but if you want to date first and–”

“I mean I don’t need a boyfriend but yeah I’d like to go on like at least a date before. What if the guy is like an alcoholic and gets too drunk at the wedding? Or causes a scene? Or bails on me to go fuck a bridesmaid?”

“I told you I was going to do that one and you said–”

He wasn’t expecting her sigh, “I guess I was hoping you could just not be a fuckboy for our friend’s wedding. But whatever, that’s between you and Jimin–”

“Are you being… judgy right now?”

“That you care more about sex than celebrating our friends getting married? A little, yeah!”

“I don’t care about marriage, but yeah, Jimin and In’am are great. I’ll be celebrating their romance so many times between all the parties and the wedding and groomsman duties… he doesn’t give a shit if I fuck someone from his wedding as long as it’s not a family member.”

“Ok, whatever…”

“We all have our own ways of celebrating love.”

“Sex isn’t the same thing as love.”

“Sure it can be, even if it’s only for a night. You think I don’t treat the women I’m with well? They feel loved for a night.”

“Jesus Christ,” Alex scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Look, whatever, I didn’t expect you to get all defensive. Fuck whoever you want, I don’t care. I’ll find my own date to the wedding.”

“No, I promised I’d help.”

“I don’t need your help.”

“You kinda do.”

“Maybe I don’t,” she said, glaring. Her glare was so funny. Least threatening glare ever. Her mom had a terrifying glare and it seemed to have skipped Alex completely. 

“Really? You’re going to find a date without my help at all?”

“Yeah!”

“Yeah?”

“YEAH,” she said. “So don’t bother.”

Jungkook just put his phone away and went back to folding. She was doing her Big Alex Talking thing right now, but later she’d admit she didn’t actually know anyone. She didn’t do much. She didn’t meet people. He was way more social than she was. Sure, she’d have fun at parties with their friends. She was fun to do things with! Honestly, she was way more fun to do things with than any of their other friends, and he knew that. But she was a creature of habit. She didn’t know shit about dating or meeting people or relationships. 

He looked forward to her crawling back. He’d even be nice about it! Maybe he’d keep looking for ideas while he waited for her to eat crow…

Despite what Jungkook liked to tease her about, Alex actually did have friends he wasn’t a part of. Because Jungkook worked at the Verizon store in sales, he had no concept of fun coworkers. 

But Alex’s coworkers were (mostly) a dream. She loved the people at her store. There was a reason she had stayed in the same store for so long, because even the early shift could be fun if you worked with the right people, and most of the people she worked with were totally the right people. Whether that was singing pop songs through the headsets while on drive-through, or leaving funny notes at closing for the openers to see when they showed up at 4:30 am, or coming up with on-the-fly debates to enlist customer feedback on, or experimenting to make their own new favorite drinks. Alex’s absolute favorite –a soy peppermint white mocha frappuccino– had definitely added some inches to her waistline. But they were just that good, so she’d embraced the additional chub, that’s just the way it had to be. Well, she’d gone through an americano phase for a while to try and cut the calories but that much caffeine had basically turned her into a maniac, so she decided to be happy and docile and embrace the frappuccino padding.

Coworkers at the store did lots of things together –movies, cook outs, pool parties, cookie decorating in the winter, volleyball games. Some went camping together; others went clubbing. Alex didn’t go along to everything, but depending which of her coworkers were going, she’d tag along. They were her friends! Jungkook was far from her only friend! He was also strictly forbidden from sleeping with any of her coworkers, which he said he wasn’t tempted by anyway because everyone smelled like her work clothes. The social circles didn’t mix much anyway.

On this particular beautiful spring day, a handful of her coworkers were heading over to the park down the street from the store to play some volleyball. Alex dragged her feet throughout her shift, deciding whether to go or not, but Amy and Rob begged her to, and Milo said he would only go if she did, and it was really nice out… 

So she was convinced, and headed straight to the park with Milo once their shifts ended.

“Ugh, I feel like I should have gone home to shower first,” she complained. “But if I did, there’s no way I’d get my ass back out of my apartment.”

“We’ll all smell like cocoa powder and espresso, it doesn’t matter. I don’t even notice it anymore. I took this guy on a date the other day and as soon as he got in my car, he was like ‘Either you work at a coffee shop or you have a serious addiction.’”

Alex snickered, “Yeah? Well did the date go well after that?”

“No, totally bombed. He doesn’t even like coffee… So do we all just stink all the time?”

“Could be worse,” Alex pointed out. “I mean there are worse things to smell like.”

“Yeah, but there are better things to smell like too… at least we’ll be outside.”

“Yeah but the others didn’t work yet so they won’t smell like this yet.”

Milo suggested, “It’s probably in our blood by now. We all just sweat espresso. At least we all have each other.”

“You mean to comfort us until we die alone?”

“Yeah exactly. We’ll all get ground up for mulch for cacao plants…”

They reached the park to find the game of volleyball already kicking off, and hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill to the side.

“I hope you scrubbed that grill first!” Alex called, making a beeline for the grill while Milo went to bully his way into the game. She reached the couple of people gathered around it as Amy assured her,

“Yeah we did, are you kidding? We’re great at sanitation!” 

Beside her, who should turn around with a big smile on his face but Hoseok as he agreed, “Yeah, I was already in the groove from scrubbing the new store so I gave it a good once, twice over.”

“Oh. Hey.”

“Don’t look at me like that,” he laughed. “I can be here, I’m officially not corporate anymore!”

“You’re here sharking our employees, huh?” Alex teased.

Hoseok’s smile grew even bigger as he insisted, “No! No! Dan would kill me… everyone knows your group has the tightest staff. Maybe I just want to learn how to recreate that at my store.”

“Tight, huh?” Amy laughed –Amy and Hoseok had known each other since high school. But Amy had kids young and was a stay at home mom for a while and only worked part time now, while Hoseok had instead gone right into his career. 

Had Alex asked questions of Amy sometimes when they worked the early morning sleepy shift together? Just because she wanted to learn more about Hoseok? …. Maybe.

“Are you really going to complain? I bought the hot dogs!”

Beside them, Oliver snickered, “Yeah because you’re trying to lure us in.”

“I’m not! My intentions are pure! Amy invited me…”

Alex gave them a suspicious look now. Were they…? Amy was a single mom. They’d been friends forever. Amy was a shift lead like her, so she could date an assistant manager at another store…

But as if her thoughts had been read, within minutes Amy mentioned a recent date and Hoseok added that he’d enjoyed babysitting. 

“Ok first batch is done… I think,” Hoseok said, leaning closer to the grill. Alex gasped and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back.

“Don’t put your face near the fire!”

He cried out, “I wasn’t even thinking about it!” He shook his head, “Ahh, you’ve got the common sense skills…”

“... To go work for you?” she laughed.

“I’m not trying to– why does everything think I’m trying to shark people? I thought I could still hang out even though I’m an assistant store manager–”

“You can hang out,” Oliver assured him. “You’re cool.”

“Are you going to play volleyball?” Alex asked him. “That’s where the true trial begins…”

Hoseok glanced at the sand pit nervously as he lifted hot dogs from the grill with tongs and set them on the plate Alex held out, “Ah, well… I’m not very good…”

“Most of us aren’t good,” she admitted.

Oliver glared at her, “Speak for yourself, I’m basically pro.”

“Then why are you hovering around the hot dogs instead of out there?”

“Uh because free food?”

More free food was showing up. Andrea brought a batch of brownies –confirmed free of both nuts and pot. Priyya brought an industrial-sized case of Jell-o cups because her parents had a Costco membership. Chesley produced a massive bag of baby carrots, “So y’all can get your veggies today and not live on carbs and coffee. I’m worried about everyone’s shits.”

Alex tried to not be pathetically obvious that she was hanging around Hoseok. She really did. She kept reminding herself that just because it kind of felt like he was hanging around her too didn’t mean anything. She was probably imagining it. He was just so nice and friendly and open with everyone!

He asked about her family as they ate because apparently he remembered that her brother had just moved to Italy –”not the brother I met at the arcade though,” he clarified, forcing her to facepalm and admit that wasn’t actually her brother, just her best PLATONIC friend. He smiled like he had known they weren’t siblings but wanted to be nice and she felt the need to insist again it was just a platonic friendship, and then admit her friend was a fuckboy and not into her.

“He’s so hot though,” Jayme sighed. 

Alex snorted, “Is he? Not my type at all.”

“Oh, what’s your type?” Hoseok asked, then clapped his hand to his mouth and laughed, “Sorry, maybe I shouldn’t ask that… I’m just caught up in the gossip!”

“Yeah, what is your type?” Amy asked, nudging her arm. “You like, outgoing…”

“Sure…”

“Hardworking.”

“Uh huh.”

“You look so uncomfortable,” Andrea laughed.

“Yeah, I don't know! None of you ever cared about my dating life before! Leave me alone!”

“Because there’s no dating life to discuss,” Oliver grinned at her.

“Hey I get enough of that shit at home. I’m not against dating, I’m just… picky I guess…”

“As you should be,” Hoseok insisted. “Don’t settle! You deserve to not waste your time with someone.”

“Yeah.” She took a massive bite of her hot dog and mumbled with a mouthful, “Thanks.”

People ate in waves, and once she’d finished, Alex thought she should probably give Hoseok space and not make obvious she was hovering. Besides, some people like Kacy might be shitty if they picked up on it; it wouldn’t be the first time she’d talked shit about Alex…

So Alex went to join the next round of volleyball, taking up position at the front of the net where she hoped most of the balls would go over her head anyway. 

But when the first ball sailed over the net, it came right for her. She flailed and managed to pop it back up into the air but couldn’t hit it again, so she dove out of the way. Hoseok was right there to hit it, barely tipping it over the net as everyone yelled.

“Oh!” She hadn’t even realized he’d come to play as well and it left her flustered when he held his hand out to help her up.

“Wait, your team has too many people!” Chesley pointed out.

Hoseok laughed, “Alex and me are only one person.”

“Yeah, they suck, let ‘em stay.”

“This is maligning the sanctity of–”

“I’ll malign your sanctity, just throw the ball!” Amy challenged and clapped her hands. 

So Chesley did. And Hoseok and Alex did not exactly make him regret it. She had a couple good saves, there was that in her favor at least! And Hoseok too kept the ball from being lost at least once. 

Afterwards Alex joked, “You’d never guess I played volleyball when I was a kid, huh?”

“You’re so fast!” Hoseok argued instead. “Wow, it was so impressive though! You dive right across the court!”

She flushed at what seemed like sincere flattery. God, he was just so nice . And hanging out, it was easy to remember that he was more than his job –previously in corporate and now an assistant store manager. 

“You know what I used to play?” he continued. “Tennis.”

“Oh, yeah?” Rich kid , she immediately thought, which was not what she had previously expected of him. It did not occur to him he might just have been lazy like Jungkook. Though he did dress nicely when he came by the store to say hi to Amy or Craig, who he also was pretty close with. He’d looked nice at the arcade. He looked nice in his social media profiles, though she was too shy to actually friend him and see anything other than his public posts, which weren’t many.

“I wanted to be a pro for a while in elementary school,” he continued as they walked together to get drinks. “I won bronze in a tournament.”

“Woah! Really!”

“There were four people,” he admitted, clapping his hands as he laughed at himself.

“So not last!”

“Ah, I knew you’d say that. You’re a funny person who’s also nice.”

A funny person who’s also nice. The death knell of romantic hope. Funny and nice. He might as well have just shoved her away from him as they walked. 

Sigh.

But it wasn’t like that was unusual. She knew that. She didn’t even know how much older he was, but at least a couple of years, and further along in his career. And beautiful. And nice and funny but also lots of other things too.

She had planned to go home by this time, since she’d worked all day, but found herself bullied into staying. Some were debating whether to go to the pool at Chesley’s apartment building. Some were debating a movie. Some weren’t thinking of leaving at all, just letting conversation take them wherever. An hour flitted away like that, and then Alex decided she really ought to head home.

“I know, but I open tomorrow!” she complained, pushing up from the grass where they’d stretched out. Her legs itched. She still needed to walk back to her car too, which she’d left up the street at work.

“Yeah, I need to head out too, my girls should be getting back from their dad’s,” Amy said. Apparently Hoseok had ridden with her, because he stood too and thanked everyone for letting him hang out and seemed genuinely pleased when they said he wasn’t so bad for an assistant manager.

As they started to walk, he sighed, “I know I won’t be able to hang out like this with the people in my store though, huh?”

“Depends who’s in your store,” Amy insisted. “Lots of managers I wouldn’t want to be around outside of work, but you’re one of the good ones.”

“I wouldn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable though…”

“How could you make anyone uncomfortable?” Alex demanded. 

“Ah well thanks…”

“Hey, do you two want to come over to my house for dinner?” Amy asked. “I’ve got space at the table.”

Embarrassed if Amy felt the need to invite her along, Alex quickly insisted, “I’m probably all set from those hot dogs–”

“Yeah, but what about tomorrow?”

“Amy,” Hoseok glared. Which confused Alex. She suddenly felt like something was happening she didn’t understand. 

Amy actually laughed, “Well? Do something then!”

“I don’t want to…”

“Yeah, no one ever wants to listen to me!” Amy sighed dramatically and then quickened her step to leave them behind.

Now thoroughly confused, Alex admitted, “I don’t know what she’s talking about. I just didn’t want to invite myself along– I know you two are friends and–”

“Yeah, we’re friends,” Hoseok agreed. “Sometimes she gets pushy. She’s just trying to help me but… well…”

“Help you what? Make friends? You really shouldn’t feel like it wasn’t ok for you to hang out with us. Even if it doesn’t feel right at your own store, it’s not a big deal with us. We all like you and you aren’t in charge of us.”

“You don’t mind?”

“Me? Of course not, why would I mind?”

“Ok, that’s good.”

They walked half a block in silence. And Alex just had that weird feeling like maybe she wasn’t weird for feeling like what had just happened was weird. Was Amy trying to help her spend more time with Hoseok?! Had she figured out from Alex’s vague and infrequent questions that she had a crush?! Shit! 

But… But Amy and Hoseok were friends. She wouldn’t nudge Alex towards something if there wasn’t the possibility it was welcome…

But how could it be welcomed? He was so…

“Hey, how old are you?” Alex asked impulsively. “I’m allowed to ask that, right?”

Hoseok laughed, “It’s only illegal if you’re hiring me.”

“ You’re the assistant store manager.”

“But not yours!”

“Yeah, are you going to grief me if I don’t come to your store?”

“You made up your mind already, huh? And I’m twenty-nine.”

Oh. That wasn’t as much older than her as she thought. 

“Don’t get me wrong, I think it would be a lot of fun to work with you,” she said. Was that flirty? Was she flirting? Was she doing this right?! God, she was insane, there was no way he wanted her to flirt with him… he was just looking for employees…

“Yeah, I think so too,” Hoseok said. “But I get it. You’re happy at your store and you’re doing really well. You like being a shift supervisor?”

“I do! Yeah.”

“So you’re definitely not coming to my store.”

Fuck. Was she really saying that? Well, she could say no and then always change her mind later… she doubted Hoseok would grief her if later she asked to transfer, though it might not be his call anyway. And probably he wouldn’t even be an asshole if she asked him out right now and it was totally unwarranted. It wasn’t like against company policy or anything though–

“Hey, can I ask you a hypothetical question?”

“Sure.”

“This is totally hypothetical, not about anyone you know,” she said. “But I didn’t know what to tell my friend and they’re worried they’ll get in trouble for asking.”

“Oh,” he said, looking very serious.

“Can a shift lead date a shift lead or even like a store manager at another store?”

Alex really felt like she might shit her pants. It wasn’t just her stupid feelings on the line right now, but also possibly her career. Maybe she’d have to leave Starbucks and go work at fucking Verizon with Jungkook. She would be surly and not good at it.

“Yes, that’s not against company policy,” he said. “Level differences in dating just can’t be in the same store, or in a store and corporate. Peer-relationships in a store have to be disclosed and ideally someone transfers to a different store. But at different stores, there’s no issue with it.”

“Oh ok, thanks. I figured you have the handbook memorized and everything.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m not going to your store,” she said. 

“Yeah, I get it, how many times do you need to reject me?” he joked.

“Do you want to get dinner tomorrow? Not with Amy though, just with me…”

FUCK! She was really asking this! 

He immediately laughed and she died, but just as quickly he assured her, “No, I can’t believe it. I was going to ask you that!”

“You were going to ask me out?”

“But I didn’t know if it was ok with you and if you were thinking about coming to my store I didn’t want to risk making you uncomfortable but–”

“Wait, really ?”

“No?”

“Sorry, I’m having a hard time processing this right now–”

“Your own question?” he laughed.

“I didn’t expect you to say yes!” she admitted. “I just expected to make you awkward and uncomfortable and I was already planning my resignation letter in my head–”

“From the whole company?!”

“Yes! Wait… wait did you say yes?”

His whole face lit up; he laughed with his whole body. He did not seem to think she was being a loser about all of this. He just looked amused and… happy.

“Yes, yeah,” he said. “Let’s get dinner tomorrow and uh… do you want to see a movie? Do you like movies?”

“I like movies.”

“What kind of movies?”

They’d reached the parking lot now though, where Amy was waiting in her car with the music up. They decided to trade numbers and discuss movies and dinner over text. She actually watched Hoseok type his number into her phone. She actually received a smile from Hoseok as he said bye and headed towards the call. She was actually going on a date with Hoseok.

She couldn’t wait to get home and lord it over Jungkook! He was never going to believe she’d been the one to ask him out!

She got into her car as Amy and Hoseok drove away. Her radio had been left on and blasted. She hurried to turn it off but actually the shock of a loud noise was welcome because it proved this wasn’t a dream. Had that really just happened? Had she asked Hoseok out? And he’d admitted he wanted to ask her out?! That couldn’t be true, right? She’d just hallucinated…

But she looked at her phone and saw his name and number, entered by his own finger.

“HOLY FUCK!”

Masterlist coming soon | Pt. 2 coming soon

...𝙝𝙚'𝙨 𝙖 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙...

━ type: bts x gn! reader ━ masterlist

━ about: don't know, neither this nor that ━ pictures taken from Pinterest

━ a/n: yes f2l is cool but have you ever wondered about the precarious drop of a friend of friends? Strangeness mixed with knowing, seeing and talking in passing, wondering maybe you should speak more. Maybe nothing would happen but what if. What if.

NAMJOON: All he quite discerns of the matter right now, is that his hands are clammy. Namjoon comes to stand in the empty doorway, momentarily glimpsing at your back, before uttering -

"'Sup."

Those...those were not the words he meant to say. You glance over your shoulder, meeting the long-limbed figure with a tired, polite smile.

"'Sup," you take back and Namjoon slowly comes to stand near you. The hot summer air has chilled into a warm evening and the cicadas are yowling in full spring while the rest of your friends are sitting around the campfire, swapping stories and laughter. You were washing away the dishes in silence. He wonders why.

"You need any help?" he asks, hoping you'll agree, hoping you'll toss him a bone to wield as an excuse.

"Ah, you can dry the washed ones if you want," the tone of your voice leaves much to discover. Maybe because he doesn't truly know you. A friend of a friend is not a stranger but also not family. An awkward gamble played between two social roles, tugged perfectly in the middle. Not friends, not strangers. Acquaintances.

"So, how have you been?" he questions further.

In the silence, the only sound is the rhythmic ticking of the clock and he feels that signifies the divide between who he wants to be and who he is. But what does he want to be? To you, that is. Slyly, he peeks at you from the corner of his eye. Your lips, your brows furrowed in a wrinkle of concentration. He quickly turns away. Namjoon doesn't know what he wants. All he knows is that lately whenever you came into his mind, he felt...fuzzy, for lack of a better term. And in spite of also lacking free time, he had clawed tooth and nail to be in this gathering of friends. Especially after you affirmed you'd be here.

"Eh, same old, same old," you laugh, cavillous. "Working away. You?"

"Same," he chuckles but with hardly any humour.

"You must be tired," you reckon with a hum and he takes the plate out of your outstretched hand.

"Why do you say that?"

"You're sulking when you think no one's looking," you explain, in your own mind, wondering whether you're breaching some invisible boundaries. Maybe he didn't want to be reminded of that.

"Are you looking?"

"I just notice."

The plate smashes against the kitchen tile and the atmosphere eases. Though Namjoon is not happier because of it.

"I'll get the broom," you laugh, looking at the broken ceramic and taking a step away. "I thought they were overestimating your...capabilities."

"No, no, they've been correctly estimated," demurely, he scratches behind his ear. You've been watching him. Have you then seen him watching you as well?

When the plate is disposed of, with a promise to act dumb when questioned about its absence, Namjoon lingers at the bottom of the stairs as you go up the rented guest house. Retiring early for the night, you said.

"Wait, I'm gonna rest too," he calls out and bounds up the steps to where you were standing.

"There are spare pillows in my room," you offer conversationally, trailing next to each other. It's weird. But good weird, you think. "You want some?"

Namjoon decides he needs an exorcism for the flash of impure thoughts briefly running through his mind. And despite having two very good pillows on his own, he agrees. Taking a seat on your bed is...it makes something inside him tingle and shiver. He's on entirely new territory, eager to explore but scared of being shot at from a proverbial bow.

"How long will you be staying?" he inquires. He's full of questions when it comes to you.

"Not quite sure," you reply. "I was offered a new job. Here. And I don't know what to do about it."

Namjoon's head snaps upwards. Moving. Here. Permanent. Geographical moving also meant you'd move into a much closer tight-knit circle of friends he met on the regular basis. Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, his heart is hammering.

“You want to gather thoughts together?”

YOONGI: Ask anyone and they wouldn't dare to even presume this would happen. And you do mean anyone - a medium, a priest, a prophet, all of the above - no one could possibly see this coming.

Min Yoongi, The Min Yoongi, was in the same zoom call as you. Out of respect and also due to the fact that you hardly knew the man, your gaze was kept solely on your notepad. An open page sits there beneath your hand, diligently receiving the inked words. Monday. Away. Shane. Cordially. Bastard.

But damn did he look good.

Although you hoped to all of higher power, he remembered nothing of last year. Recalling your life’s greatest humiliation, you want to smash this keyboard against your skull and knock yourself out. Although that doesn’t happen. More so to simply not draw any more attention. If you were a truly outstanding person this year, karma could repay you and make you invisible. 

You stumbled through the front door of your friend's home with perhaps a minuscule amount of leisure and free-mouthedness one would deem too much for an upstanding citizen.

The scorching sun had finally sunk beneath the horizon and eager to wash away both the torrid heat and the annoying work call thrust in the middle of your vacation, you'd been perhaps too liberal with the liquor but you meant no harm.

You truly did mean no harm.

"Whose the little guy?" you tossed a hand towards the stranger standing at the bottom of the stairs. When he turned around, you squinted and went Occam's razor on the situation. Which one was more probable - you were drunk during your vacation or a renowned idol and producer of a world-famous k-pop group, Min Yoongi, was sipping a milkshake out of your own personal mug?

"As if," you laughed out loud and then promptly passed out on the couch, face smushed into the fabric in what could only be described as an expression that could only be made within a fever dream.

Turns out the truth was stranger than fiction. A fact you were reaffirmed many, many times as you'd spent the rest of the vacation absolutely stunned at the revelation that one of your friends was bosom pals with a superstar. The same superstar whose first impression of you was…that. Safe to say you’d evaded him like the plague for the rest of the trip. 

“______________,” a friend calls out over the line and you jerk at the sound of your name. Thank God Yoongi was not looking, far too preoccupied with his phone. “Are you coming?” 

“Eh, I don’t know,” you drawl. “Because I have to be at work longer than you do, I won’t be able to drive with you and, to be honest, taking a solo trip in the mountains? No, thank you. I'm not made to fight wilder beasts. I bruise like a peach.”

Just then your phone dings with a message from an unknown number. 

I can pick you up.

You frown at the screen.

It’s Yoongi.

A pause. Somehow transmitting the awkwardness through the endless void of digital silence.

Suga of BTS?

“I’ve got a work thing, give me a second,” you lie without blinking, turning off both the camera and microphone. 

Smooth

Yes, I know who you are

Both messages arrived on the respective phones simultaneously.

Well, as I said I can pick you up. I won’t be able to make it on time as well. 

Right. Or wrong. Or perhaps merely...confusing.

Why would you do that?

Is there something wrong with doing "that?"

For every response, he seems to have a question, and for every question a rebuttal. You don't yet know whether that's something to be enjoyed or annoyed by. He doesn't give you time to ponder, anyhow.

Turn on your camera, Sae is asking for you

Before your brain can wholly grasp the situation, your fingers already brush up against the buttons on the keyboard and you're forced to stare at your own dumb-founded expression.

For a second, you meet Yoongi's gaze through the monitor. He seems to be in deep thought...or perhaps hungry. You don't know him, that's the problem. But maybe you can get to know him, or you simply won't. A hitched ride will remain only that, with no further bound expressions of familiarity. When you glance at Yoongi again, his head is faced downwards, fingers numbly scrolling up and down. As if he was still in the text conversation, flicking through it solely to appear busy.

"Oh, please, come," Sae pleads. "It's been so long since you hung out with us. You and Yoongi are practically tied to your jobs. Oh, please, please, please!"

We'll just both have to endure it T-T

You didn't peg him for a T-T type of guy. Min Yoongi turned out to be full of surprises. You do hope they're the good kind.

"Okay, I'll...find a way. To get there."

If Yoongi hears you omit his proposal, he doesn't display it in the slightest.

Text me where and when, comes his succinct order and both the conversation and the zoom call appear to end there, leaving you leaned back into the chair and wondering how he even got your number. Just then, in a manner both alarming and yet characteristic, the last ding lights up your phone like a lighthouse in the dark.

If you're wondering how I got your number, I asked Sae :)

JIN: Arguably you've known him for a very long time. So long in fact many friends had faded and new ones had the time to appear. However, you've never known him so driving by three ads of his face plastered presumptuously across the marble high rises of elite society doesn't garner much reaction or interest. Even when you stumble upon his ad whilst flicking through anything to numb your mind for the evening, you watch it but don't obsess over it. But you do watch it.

Some of his ads are fun, that's all.

"He's shy," your friend had tiptoed to whisper in your ear as you pointed out that the guy nursing a glass of champagne awkwardly in the corner was in fact Kim Seokjin who had modelled a perfume you bought. "Please, don't bother him too much. People harass him too much as it is."

You could agree to that and hadn't bothered him too much or rather at all. Those very few times you spoke with Jin were in passing - between dinners of mutual friends or in the clumsy lingering pauses when you found yourselves the only two present in the room.

Which is why this was oh so suffocating. Pressed thigh against thigh, you had to squeeze between twenty other people to take a picture. He's a bridesman, you're a groomsmaid. A cliche with a twist. Like anyone needed those today.

It seems that you've amassed some bad karma as throughout the whole event, the word "squeezing" is etched into the forefront of your mind. Squeezing to get past someone, only to have Jin either in front or the back. Squeezing to push your chairs closer as the rowdy migrating crowds flock to each other like birds during spring. Squeezing to get into the queue to congratulate the happy couple, squeezing to escape the many children, the annoying cousins, the inebriated uncles...

A wedding is a tight-packed event is the lesson to take home here.

Finally having escaped all the constrictions, fleshy or otherwise, you draw a heavy sigh of relief, shivering in the cold flowing from the swaying sea. Another friend married off, another ten questions of when will it be your turn. As if these prospects just announced themselves...

"Excuse me, may I join?"

You blink. For a second guided by fuzzy logic, you glimpse at the sky, pondering shouldn't a divine voice sound more intimidating and assertive but then you turn and find Jin standing some distance away. Even in the dark, you could spot his thumbs twiddling, riddled with anxiety.

"Sure," courteous, you reply. Jin traverses the sand, slightly wobbling from left to right. Drawing a heavy sigh of relief, he drops to the ground as though all the strings that kept him upward were abruptly cut all at once.

Deafening is the sound of waves crashing against the shoreline.

For a lingering second, Jin gazes at the dark horizon, before nuzzling against his knees.

"I'm sorry," he mutters all of a sudden and you frown at his statement. "You're...you're the only other person I know here, so I clung to you the entire day. Must have been annoying."

"It's okay," you brush off. "I get it."

Silence settles once more.

"Why are you not out there?" demurely, he hums, throwing a head back to the pulsating, multi-coloured shell of a guest house trembling with bibulous celebration. "You're usually front and centre at these kinds of things."

Despite finding it strange that he knew such detail, you keep the confusion behind your teeth.

"I'm not feeling it," you shrug, also shrinking into yourself as the chill of the night soaks through the sand. "Work has been really tough and my went missing-" realizing that you were speaking to him as a friend, you stopped. "Nevermind, you don't have to hear it."

"It's okay," he echoes, casting you a soft, empathetic smile, permed curls flitting in the faint breeze pushing grey clouds in an out of the moon's glow. People weren't lying, he really was handsome even if both his nose and ears had gone exceedingly pink.

Wind rushes through the air and with it carries the unmistakable stench of alcohol.

"Are you drunk?" flatly, you state and he rocks back and forth, sporting a supposedly innocent expression.

"A bit," he puts two fingers together. "Needed some courage."

"Alright," you drawl, rising to stand and he glimpses up at you. He doesn't at all seem intimidating as his fame made it seem. "Let's get you to bed before you'll get the idea to go ass bare into the ocean."

He embraces your offered hand with an offended pout.

Trailing up the narrow path to the guest house, you begin to tremble and immediately feel a jacket draped on your shoulders. Jin was looking away when you glanced at him in question.

"We should meet more often," he mutters near incoherently, entirely fixated on the ocean, though in the soft glow of the outdoor lighting you can spot that his eyes ever so slightly travel your way.

HOSEOK: Warily you glimpse at the blank hallways that stretch around you like a maze, littered with doors leading nowhere. You're going to die in here. Get lost and starve to death.

"__________?"

Hearing the questioning lilt of that voice, you shrink into yourself and wonder if it'd be feasible in any sort of way to pretend you can't hear him. But he draws a bold dash across your hopes with a single casual sentence.

"Hey, __________!"

Turning around, you clutch the water bottle like a shield. Hoseok struts towards you, his manager trailing behind. They exchange a few words and the other man slides past you with a polite, yet curt nod of the head.

"Hello, Mr Jung," your eyes naturally flit to anywhere, fucking anywhere, but the blinding smile spreading across his lips.

"Ah, ___________, still so official," he complains. You're not quite sure if there's a sentiment behind those words or if it's just something he thinks he needs to say. Regardless, you're much too intimidated to delve into it and as such count your prayers to get out of there as fast as possible.

After a stilted pause during which you can't force yourself to speak, he at last wonders out loud.

"What brings you here?"

Travel. Vacation. Hoseok-less promised vacation that Nall promised you'd have.

"You can see the Bean!" you remember her saying. "Lounge around in a hotel! Wander the Windy City!"

"What about your BFF?"

She had only thrown a hand at your concerns.

"Hoseok and I will be busy working through the routine," she scoffed. "We won't have time to hang out."

Maybe they won't but Nall could forget her water and whine for food, which meant you had to fetch both at the end of the day. Fetch both and run into Hoseok.

"Ah, Nall brought me along," you scratch at your nape, catching a whiff of the jumper's sleeve. Yeah, this was definitely not of the first freshness. "And she forgot her food and water, so I'm here to deliver it."

You jingle the bag as if to prove yourself. Hoseok laughs at that.

"Sorry," he sputters, pushing a palm in front of his mouth. "It just sounds like she's your puppy."

You smirk ungainly with him.

"I'll bring you to her," Hoseok drawls, feet turning back. "She's still in the practice room."

"Thank you," quietly you bid, shuffling next to him. At first, he seems bouncy but the longer you walk, the more you notice the way his shoulders slump. The darks under his eyes.

"Are you...nervous about your performance?"

He laughs again, but to your ears, it sounds forced. Quite a lot forced.

"I'm excited," he reiterates but for some reason, you persist.

"They don't cancel each other."

Hoseok was never your friend, mostly due to your own blame but how was it possible to ever not feel...cheap beside him. Your clothes, your hair, your likes, your days, everything about it was normal and he was decidedly not so. You were simply on two different levels and the way to bring them together was to exit from the game altogether. Nall sometimes remarked that he would ask about you but those times were usually in passing. This hasn't happened before. You never met him alone.

"Suppose they don't," he mutters, briefly appearing much more sullen, almost sunken. A shell. "It's just very..." he huffs a short breath full of wordless frustration. "Overwhelming."

"Nall says you make it overwhelming," you mumble and his eyes snap at you, instantly making you avoid his gaze.

"What do you say? Honestly."

You think about it.

"I think that it doesn't much matter how your performance will turn out because you're not going to be satisfied by it anyhow."

Hoseok makes a low sound at the back of his throat, pushing his hands deep into his pockets.

"And what would you do?"

"I would..." you fall into silence as well. "I would actively disregard all critique. Push it to later, and for now, concentrate on just being in all of this," you gesture at the building, of course, meaning in actuality, the festival. Hobipalooza, as Twitter, coined it. "Trust yourself, trust your fans and remember that sometimes the moment for critique comes after something is done."

You almost want to add the cowardly "but that's just what I think". After all, what were you risking putting yourself out there? Nothing much, nothing deadly. Nothing that could compare to thousands of eyes starved to get nothing but perfection and ready to examine your every single movement in one of the most stressful moments of your life.

Now you can't help but feel silly giving such "advice". It wouldn't be too grand of a surprise to see Hoseok roll his eyes in annoyance but he wasn't. He was glaring at the floor. Abruptly he stops and you fret he's going to curse you out or cast a cold shoulder but he does none of that, instead pointing at a door you've halted by.

"She's there," he states quietly and you madly scramble to get away, only to freeze when Hoseok calls out your name. Again.

"Thank you," he offers a weak smile which you return and then turns on the heel, trailing away, wrenched in deep thought. You could tell even from the curve of his back. With a sigh, you open the doors and bring down the very thunders of judgment upon Nall's head. For making you endure this torture.

Leaving the studio, you both waddle with some speed, eager for fresh air.

"Dress comfortably on Sunday," she remarks casually, pushing open the entrance doors, whilst absent-mindedly chewing a piece of chicken. It bobbed in her left cheek. "Hoseok just texted to offer you a VIP pass."

JIMIN: Everyone had gone dead silent. Like others, you turn to examine the stranger but seeing the shrunken stature, agitated and unwillingly placed in a spotlight, you quickly turn to frown at the hotel carpet.

"You should have told us."

Naturally, Em is the first one to do the scolding, and on instinct, you scoff.

"Well, I told you I'd bring the needed plus one and here he is," feebly, Malia gestured at the masked man. Didn't do him much good as you all realized who he was in the whooping span of 35 seconds.

They squabble amongst themselves for a while, until the decision is laid on you, eyes turned to hear your judgment. You were the last domino, whatever side you swing on, that will bound to happen.

"We needed one person, he's here," numbly, you shrug. "Nothing more to it."

Em appears displeased as all hell. Her face contorted in an expression of thinly veiled resentment but you couldn't care less. She could hitchhike far away from your group if she hated to be here so bad.

"He will be recognized," she hissed in the corner, earning a dirty glare from Malia and some others. "And then we'll have to muck up the mess!"

You stop by your friend, giving her the entrusted document folder without a word. Though unspoken, she understood the "talk later" without ever needing extra clarification. The guy glued to her side, Jimin, meets your gaze and blinks slowly. A hesitant "thank you" comes from underneath his mask.

"No problem," you reply cooly and head out.

No, the rest of the crowd didn't much like Jimin, and Jimin didn't much like them either which meant that you were saddled with him. You were with Malia and she was with him. It was an indisputable package.

"So are you...together?" you ask her cautiously as you two were the last one's outside the tents, chatting absent-mindedly around a dwindling campfire. Immediately she stutters, a grimace seizing her features.

"What? No!" she cries out, seemingly scandalized beyond any belief that you would even suggest such a thing. "We're just friends. Nothing more."

"Then why did you bring him here?"

Her lips purse and she reaches to gruffly poke the cindering wood with a stick.

"I don't know..." she trailed off. "He's never had much of stuff like this. Normal stuff, you know, and one day I was raving on and on about what fun it is - the nature, you, everything - and he had this faraway look in his eye and I..." she sighed. "I felt bad. So I invited him to gift that sense of normalcy. If for a little."

Malia was always so kind-hearted. Whenever you began to feel like Jimin was all one of your best friends could see, you recalled her words, summoning each letter to the forefront of your mind and then letting the matter be. And it wasn't like Jimin was a heinous travel companion. Quite the opposite. He helped you out whenever he could, even without asking but the conversations you had were scarce, limited mostly to single words instead of sentences. But life is funny, though you don't think highly of her sense of humour.

"I'm sorry," the receptionist bid once again and you sag on your bag, drenched in ice and thoroughly drained. "All the rest of the rooms truly are full."

The math was simple and judging from the skirting glances passed around the lobby, everyone knows that. Two unlucky bastards would have to sleep in the campervan. And while you wouldn't have to share a bed, the space in that foul machinery was so small, you might as well have. Just thinking of the airless, claustrophobic space parked outside gives you a nauseating shiver, in spite of sensing in your heart, or the sixth sense, that it'd be just your luck to end up there. You draw matches.

Two losers.

You and Jimin.

Awkwardly you glance at each other before turning away. Malia loved Jimin and you like two siblings but even her gaze flitters somewhere around the wooden beams of the ceiling.

The dinner proceeds with lingering tension. You shower, partake heavily in the buffet, drink hot wine and just before lights out, miserably slump to the campervan. When you yank the doors, Jimin, who'd you not seen for some time, recoils as if shot. You cast him a tight-lipped smile only to halt in confusion.

"I...made a bed for you," he explains, shuffling to the side.

"I...Thank you. You're very kind."

Jimin smiles, brightly, broadly, so much that his eyes disappear into thin lines of happiness.

"You've gone completely red!" he cries out amidst peels of laughter, pointing incriminatingly at your face and immediately you find your gaze lowering. Escaping him.

"I'm glad my internal temperature amuses you," you drawl and he laughs harder.

TAEHYUNG: "Just trust me!"

"Ah, yes, the pinnacle of reliability. Yelling "trust me" after every two steps."

Jae casts a displeased side-eye at your grumbling figure, shivering like a stranded leaf in the wind. The loose clothing did little to protect you from the sudden onslaught of unwanted elements, and despite wholeheartedly agreeing with Jae to go to the snottiest brunch of all time, mostly for a change of scenery, it didn't hinder you in the slightest - from complaining your heart out that is.

"He should be here any moment," Jae mutters, jumping up and down from cold like a delirious flamingo.

"Why can't we just take a taxi?" you cry out when a punishing wind strikes your back.

"Because it's expensive! And besides," Jae began to erratically wave towards a stream of cars coming down the road. "He was driving around anyway."

"What for?"

"Says it clears his head."

By sitting in traffic? But before you could dispute it any further, a car does roll to the side of the street where you stood waiting. You had to admit it was a nice car, though you couldn't say much more than that. This was Jae's strangest of friends, bearing no name or workplace as far as you knew. You'd never understood why Jae, a reputable blabbermouth, felt the need to be so goddamn cryptic but the issue also didn't capture enough of your attention for you to pester him. You let it be. Currently facing the ominous darkness of two tinted windows, you swallowed. And maybe shuffled behind Jae to peer dubiously when the car doors opened.

"Hey man," Jae leant down, wearing a broad, dazzling smile. "Thanks for helping us out."

"No problem."

Bizarre, you could swear you knew that voice. Something about it tickled an acquainted nerve. Naturally, as you stood there wondering, Jae was already sticking a foot in the backdoor with no inhibition whatsoever. You attempted to follow him only to be shocked in stupor when Jae casually tossed out:

"Hey, can they sit in the front? Carsick traveller here."

"Of course."

As a form of retribution, you elbow him in the ribs, hard, and begrudgingly climb into the passenger seat, only to have your entire muscle system stiffen and ears ring as you fixate on anything but the driver.

You were positively going to rip Jae an entirely new set of holes.

"You don't mind some music, do you?" Kim Oh Christ Taehyung questions oh so considerate and Jae affirms that he doesn't. You can't even manage a stutter. Maybe if you don't look at him, he won't exist...

"So, __________, are you feeling better these days?"

Elegant. The goal is to sound elegant, put-together and most of all, n o n c h a l a n t.

You squeak a breathy, high-pitched laughter.

"What?"

Why not just unbuckle the seatbelt and drop yourself out on the road? Surely, would hurt less.

You hear Jae press his entire face into a seat to muffle his laughter.

"Oh," Kim The Fucking Taehyung, blinking at you, befuddled. "Jae was just saying that you'd been sick for some time."

You wither away with a smile. They'd been talking about you. Kim Taehyung knew about your cold. Why not?

"I'm fine now. Thank you for asking."

He nods, with a hum, then turns up the volume.

"Do you like this song?" he converses with ease you can only envy. Your cheeks burn and you find enough belief in your heart to pray that soon he won't be so friendly. You tune into the melody, before shaking your head.

"I haven't heard this one. Not my type probably."

"Oh," Kim Thee Taehyung deflates visibly by the wheel, rubbing the back of his neck with one palm. "It's my song."

You should have just stayed home. No, no, you should have just never woken up. Maybe you should have never been born.

"Oh," dully, you echo. "I mean it's a nice song! I just...listen to other genres."

Well, at least Jae finds this very amusing. The rest of the car ride is spent in relative silence, with only a few, well-meaning questions: where are you going? Do you need a ride home? Jae agrees but you think firmly to yourself that even walking back home would be a more viable option.

At last, Kim The Taehyung rolls up to the obnoxious brunch place Jae wanted to burn his funds through and faster than a bullet, you bend your head his way, squeak a mousy "thank you" and jump out of the car, wondering if somewhere amidst the pose you managed to flash him. Maybe you should just move. Like to Mars. Enrol in one of those space programs. Jae bids his friend, Kim The One and Only Taehyung, a warm goodbye, expressing his own gratitude for such help on this fine Saturday morning. Just before he leaves, Taehyung finds your gaze and waves.

"See you soon, _____________! You're funny."

JUNGKOOK: "Get your fucking stompers off my carpet!" you groan, the second you find that husk of a black dot, sprawled all over your furniture, a handful of chips reaching towards his mouth.

"So unhospitable," Jungkook tuts and you roll your eyes. If a year ago you would have questioned why a k-pop boy was snacking and watching your TV then right now it was just a part of a deeply harrowing weekly routine.

Kiya pokes her head through your open bedroom with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, we just needed a place to escape the paparazzi."

"And get pre-drinks," you note, sternly gazing at the various bottles littered all over your precious coffee table. Kiya can only laugh and disappear at that. With some amazement mixed with judgment you watch as Jungkook shovels the food into the bottomless pit that most people called mouth.

"Don't worry about it," Kiya huffed, blowing strands of her sweaty hair from her eyes. You dropped the box onto the floor of your empty apartment. Your own place. Who would have thought? But who also had the bright idea that they didn't need a moving agency! They could get on their own. Well, ten strangers later and you were still only halfway through. Bodies pressed against the narrow hallway, catching breath and mercy like they'd been through a war. All of them were friends of friends, with the last one running late. Kiya insisted that this guy would be your salvation, he could lift anything and was insanely competitive to also succeed or :

"Sprain an ankle trying!" Kiya laughed but you found no humour in her sentence. At last, a smooth and breathy voice greeted people around him by the entrance, and without wasting any time, the stranger perched your full-length mirror on his back, making his arduous way up the stairs.

"He's a madman," you gasped.

"He also accepts the payment in food, so we're going somewhere to eat later on," Kiya poked you by the side, gesturing to free the space for her atlas of a friend.

A year later, you bore just about the same opinion about Jungkook. The guy truly was a madman. But as annoying as he was, you still were thankful that he had hauled half of the furniture up two flights of stairs that day.

"So, Grumpy," he poked with his knee as you sat down. "You coming to my show?"

"Undecided."

"Oh, come on," he whined loudly and you glared at him, seeing some of the chips stain your precious sofa. "Just because you look like Grumpy The Dwarf, doesn't mean you have to act like him too."

You can't kill Korea's national pride, you repeat it like a mantra in your head. You can't kill Korea's national pride.

After a dizzying wave and a stupid row of giggles, Kiya and Jungkook waltz away from your home, leaving you sighing and exhausted on a Friday evening. Maybe you should have joined them...But the second you drown in more comfortable clothes, the thought of leaving dissipates from your mind.

As nameless movie drones in the background and the silence of the night is filled with the rhythmic chopping of your knife, you try to convince yourself that you're not lonely. You're striving, as they say. You're cruising through life, with a stable, clean home and a stable job. Many people had much less, you were lucky. But the crushing solitude, makes your fingers halt and suddenly you feel thoroughly appalled by the simple process of making yet another meal to eat with no company. Perhaps you should get a cat? Perhaps go straight to two?

A quiet rap by the door interrupts the ever-reliable routine and you cautiously paddle to see who'd come by your door, only to scream when a big eye reflects into your peephole.

"Oh, what do you want?" you berate him but there's something different about Jungkook. For one, he's red like a ripened tomato, and secondly, his expression was unexpectedly sincere.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it," says he, swaying slightly and slurring his words. "You don't look like Grumpy the Dwarf. I meant to only tease but then I thought about it and it may have been a little rude."

"It's okay," you drawl in vague comfort as he guiltily scuffs the tip of his shoe against the ground. "Is that everything?"

"Yes! No!" he pouts in a frustrated manner. "I came to clean."

"To clean?"

Clearly disorientated he blunders into your home, squinting at the sofa.

"I made a mess here," he mumbled. "I ought to clean it. Where's the vacuum?" he began to spin around which foreseeably ended up with him kneeling on the floor, head caught between his trembling hands.

"Damn, this carousel is crazy," you hear him mutter to himself.

"I just think he doesn't quite know how to talk to you," Kiya, truly shockingly being the more sober one, reflects as Jungkook snores on the floor. Rolled to the side, courtesy provided by you. She'd barged in, deep in the throes of a crying frenzy, yelling that Jungkook was kidnapped and it was all her fault, and the Korean government will sentence her to death. Yet when the initial panic wore off and everyone's ride home was organised, she was once again the elegant, collected angel you'd known her as. Jungkook was...well, slumbering on your floor, blissfully unaware of the world around him.

You both sat around him, eating grapes and partaking in some much-needed late-night talk. "Like sometimes he tries to be really cool which comes off as aggravating. Despite being an idol, he's still human you know, and he wants to be liked."

Kiya takes a sip of her water, a picture definition of refined behaviour even if one of her lashes were hanging by her cheek.

"Why does he want to even talk to me?" you ponder, checking if he was still breathing. By the unflattering tractor sounds rising from his face, it was safe to assume yes.

"He thinks you're cool," she shrugs. "Hence why he tries to emulate that."

"And sorely fails," you shake your head at him and Jungkook stirs, blinking tearily at your figure. "You keep sleeping, honey. Don't worry about a thing."

Naturally, the sarcasm goes right above his head and with a polite, obedient nod, he's knocked out again.

When with some extreme difficulty, you manage to hurl him into the backseat of his company's car, he drunkenly grasps your palm into a handshake.

"Let's be friends, okay," he offers, barely stringing together any coherent sentence. Kiya glances at you, clearly guilt-tripping at this point but Jungkook wasn't a bad guy. At least, you didn't think so. Thus you shake his large and bizarrely soft hand and promise okay, you'll be friends.

He giggles at that, nose scrunching up in an expression of pure happiness.

Maybe he wasn't the coolest around you, but he wasn't a bad guy. Not even a bad friend, you reckon.

© soraviii, 2022

tagging: @introlxv; @pinkcherrybombs; @devilsbooksworld; @btsiguess-kpop; @mwitsmejk; @belladaises; @halesandy; @seok-jinnies; @themochiverse; @cuteipat; @ratherbefangirling; @manchuria; @chimchimmarie; @smalliechelle; @koostarcandy; @personaarmy; @flitzerj; @love-bug121; @bloodline1632; @royallyjjk;

he's a friend of a friend.txt

━ type: bts x gn! reader  ━ masterlist

━ about: don't know, neither this nor that ━ pictures taken from Pinterest

━ a/n: yes f2l is cool but have you ever wondered about the precarious drop of a friend of friends? Strangeness mixed with knowing, seeing and talking in passing, wondering maybe you should speak more. Maybe nothing would happen but what if. What if.

━ previously posted on soraviii

NAMJOON: All he quite discerns of the matter right now, is that his hands are clammy. Namjoon comes to stand in the empty doorway, momentarily glimpsing at your back, before uttering -

"'Sup."

Those...those were not the words he meant to say. You glance over your shoulder, meeting the long-limbed figure with a tired, polite smile.

"'Sup," you take back and Namjoon slowly comes to stand near you. The hot summer air has chilled into a warm evening and the cicadas are yowling in full spring while the rest of your friends are sitting around the campfire, swapping stories and laughter. You were washing away the dishes in silence. He wonders why.

"You need any help?" he asks, hoping you'll agree, hoping you'll toss him a bone to wield as an excuse.

"Ah, you can dry the washed ones if you want," the tone of your voice leaves much to discover. Maybe because he doesn't truly know you. A friend of a friend is not a stranger but also not family. An awkward gamble played between two social roles, tugged perfectly in the middle. Not friends, not strangers. Acquaintances.

"So, how have you been?" he questions further.

In the silence, the only sound is the rhythmic ticking of the clock and he feels that signifies the divide between who he wants to be and who he is. But what does he want to be? To you, that is. Slyly, he peeks at you from the corner of his eye. Your lips, your brows furrowed in a wrinkle of concentration. He quickly turns away. Namjoon doesn't know what he wants. All he knows is that lately whenever you came into his mind, he felt...fuzzy, for lack of a better term. And in spite of also lacking free time, he had clawed tooth and nail to be in this gathering of friends. Especially after you affirmed you'd be here.

"Eh, same old, same old," you laugh, cavillous. "Working away. You?"

"Same," he chuckles but with hardly any humour.

"You must be tired," you reckon with a hum and he takes the plate out of your outstretched hand.

"Why do you say that?"

"You're sulking when you think no one's looking," you explain, in your own mind, wondering whether you're breaching some invisible boundaries. Maybe he didn't want to be reminded of that.

"Are you looking?"

"I just notice."

The plate smashes against the kitchen tile and the atmosphere eases. Though Namjoon is not happier because of it.

"I'll get the broom," you laugh, looking at the broken ceramic and taking a step away. "I thought they were overestimating your...capabilities."

"No, no, they've been correctly estimated," demurely, he scratches behind his ear. You've been watching him. Have you then seen him watching you as well?

When the plate is disposed of, with a promise to act dumb when questioned about its absence, Namjoon lingers at the bottom of the stairs as you go up the rented guest house. Retiring early for the night, you said.

"Wait, I'm gonna rest too," he calls out and bounds up the steps to where you were standing.

"There are spare pillows in my room," you offer conversationally, trailing next to each other. It's weird. But good weird, you think. "You want some?"

Namjoon decides he needs an exorcism for the flash of impure thoughts briefly running through his mind. And despite having two very good pillows on his own, he agrees. Taking a seat on your bed is...it makes something inside him tingle and shiver. He's on entirely new territory, eager to explore but scared of being shot at from a proverbial bow.

"How long will you be staying?" he inquires. He's full of questions when it comes to you.

"Not quite sure," you reply. "I was offered a new job. Here. And I don't know what to do about it."

Namjoon's head snaps upwards. Moving. Here. Permanent. Geographical moving also meant you'd move into a much closer tight-knit circle of friends he met on the regular basis. Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, his heart is hammering.

“You want to gather thoughts together?”

YOONGI: Ask anyone and they wouldn't dare to even presume this would happen. And you do mean anyone - a medium, a priest, a prophet, all of the above - no one could possibly see this coming.

Min Yoongi, The Min Yoongi, was in the same zoom call as you. Out of respect and also due to the fact that you hardly knew the man, your gaze was kept solely on your notepad. An open page sits there beneath your hand, diligently receiving the inked words. Monday. Away. Shane. Cordially. Bastard.

But damn did he look good.

Although you hoped to all of higher power, he remembered nothing of last year. Recalling your life’s greatest humiliation, you want to smash this keyboard against your skull and knock yourself out. Although that doesn’t happen. More so to simply not draw any more attention. If you were a truly outstanding person this year, karma could repay you and make you invisible. 

You stumbled through the front door of your friend's home with perhaps a minuscule amount of leisure and free-mouthedness one would deem too much for an upstanding citizen.

The scorching sun had finally sunk beneath the horizon and eager to wash away both the torrid heat and the annoying work call thrust in the middle of your vacation, you'd been perhaps too liberal with the liquor but you meant no harm.

You truly did mean no harm.

"Whose the little guy?" you tossed a hand towards the stranger standing at the bottom of the stairs. When he turned around, you squinted and went Occam's razor on the situation. Which one was more probable - you were drunk during your vacation or a renowned idol and producer of a world-famous k-pop group, Min Yoongi, was sipping a milkshake out of your own personal mug?

"As if," you laughed out loud and then promptly passed out on the couch, face smushed into the fabric in what could only be described as an expression that could only be made within a fever dream.

Turns out the truth was stranger than fiction. A fact you were reaffirmed many, many times as you'd spent the rest of the vacation absolutely stunned at the revelation that one of your friends was bosom pals with a superstar. The same superstar whose first impression of you was…that. Safe to say you’d evaded him like the plague for the rest of the trip. 

“______________,” a friend calls out over the line and you jerk at the sound of your name. Thank God Yoongi was not looking, far too preoccupied with his phone. “Are you coming?” 

“Eh, I don’t know,” you drawl. “Because I have to be at work longer than you do, I won’t be able to drive with you and, to be honest, taking a solo trip in the mountains? No, thank you. I'm not made to fight wilder beasts. I bruise like a peach.”

Just then your phone dings with a message from an unknown number. 

I can pick you up.

You frown at the screen.

It’s Yoongi.

A pause. Somehow transmitting the awkwardness through the endless void of digital silence.

Suga of BTS?

“I’ve got a work thing, give me a second,” you lie without blinking, turning off both the camera and microphone. 

Smooth

Yes, I know who you are

Both messages arrived on the respective phones simultaneously.

Well, as I said I can pick you up. I won’t be able to make it on time as well. 

Right. Or wrong. Or perhaps merely...confusing.

Why would you do that?

Is there something wrong with doing "that?"

For every response, he seems to have a question, and for every question a rebuttal. You don't yet know whether that's something to be enjoyed or annoyed by. He doesn't give you time to ponder, anyhow.

Turn on your camera, Sae is asking for you

Before your brain can wholly grasp the situation, your fingers already brush up against the buttons on the keyboard and you're forced to stare at your own dumb-founded expression.

For a second, you meet Yoongi's gaze through the monitor. He seems to be in deep thought...or perhaps hungry. You don't know him, that's the problem. But maybe you can get to know him, or you simply won't. A hitched ride will remain only that, with no further bound expressions of familiarity. When you glance at Yoongi again, his head is faced downwards, fingers numbly scrolling up and down. As if he was still in the text conversation, flicking through it solely to appear busy.

"Oh, please, come," Sae pleads. "It's been so long since you hung out with us. You and Yoongi are practically tied to your jobs. Oh, please, please, please!"

We'll just both have to endure it T-T

You didn't peg him for a T-T type of guy. Min Yoongi turned out to be full of surprises. You do hope they're the good kind.

"Okay, I'll...find a way. To get there."

If Yoongi hears you omit his proposal, he doesn't display it in the slightest.

Text me where and when, comes his succinct order and both the conversation and the zoom call appear to end there, leaving you leaning back into the chair and wondering how he even got your number. Just then, in a manner both alarming and yet characteristic, the last ding lights up your phone like a lighthouse in the dark.

If you're wondering how I got your number, I asked Sae :)

JIN: Arguably you've known him for a very long time. So long in fact many friends had faded and new ones had the time to appear. However, you've never known him so driving by three ads of his face plastered presumptuously across the marble high rises of elite society doesn't garner much reaction or interest. Even when you stumble upon his ad whilst flicking through anything to numb your mind for the evening, you watch it but don't obsess over it. But you do watch it.

Some of his ads are fun, that's all.

"He's shy," your friend had tiptoed to whisper in your ear as you pointed out that the guy nursing a glass of champagne awkwardly in the corner was in fact Kim Seokjin who had modelled a perfume you bought. "Please, don't bother him too much. People harass him too much as it is."

You could agree to that and hadn't bothered him too much or rather at all. Those very few times you spoke with Jin were in passing - between dinners of mutual friends or in the clumsy lingering pauses when you found yourselves the only two present in the room.

Which is why this was oh so suffocating. Pressed thigh against thigh, you had to squeeze between twenty other people to take a picture. He's a bridesman, you're a groomsmaid. A cliche with a twist. Like anyone needed those today.

It seems that you've amassed some bad karma as throughout the whole event, the word "squeezing" is etched into the forefront of your mind. Squeezing to get past someone, only to have Jin either in front or the back. Squeezing to push your chairs closer as the rowdy migrating crowds flock to each other like birds during spring. Squeezing to get into the queue to congratulate the happy couple, squeezing to escape the many children, the annoying cousins, the inebriated uncles...

A wedding is a tight-packed event is the lesson to take home here.

Finally having escaped all the constrictions, fleshy or otherwise, you draw a heavy sigh of relief, shivering in the cold flowing from the swaying sea. Another friend married off, another ten questions of when will it be your turn. As if these prospects just announced themselves...

"Excuse me, may I join?"

You blink. For a second guided by fuzzy logic, you glimpse at the sky, pondering shouldn't a divine voice sound more intimidating and assertive but then you turn and find Jin standing some distance away. Even in the dark, you could spot his thumbs twiddling, riddled with anxiety.

"Sure," courteous, you reply. Jin traverses the sand, slightly wobbling from left to right. Drawing a heavy sigh of relief, he drops to the ground as though all the strings that kept him upward were abruptly cut all at once.

Deafening is the sound of waves crashing against the shoreline.

For a lingering second, Jin gazes at the dark horizon, before nuzzling against his knees.

"I'm sorry," he mutters all of a sudden and you frown at his statement. "You're...you're the only other person I know here, so I clung to you the entire day. Must have been annoying."

"It's okay," you brush off. "I get it."

Silence settles once more.

"Why are you not out there?" demurely, he hums, throwing a head back to the pulsating, multi-coloured shell of a guest house trembling with bibulous celebration. "You're usually front and centre at these kinds of things."

Despite finding it strange that he knew such detail, you keep the confusion behind your teeth.

"I'm not feeling it," you shrug, also shrinking into yourself as the chill of the night soaks through the sand. "Work has been really tough and my went missing-" realizing that you were speaking to him as a friend, you stopped. "Nevermind, you don't have to hear it."

"It's okay," he echoes, casting you a soft, empathetic smile, permed curls flitting in the faint breeze pushing grey clouds in an out of the moon's glow. People weren't lying, he really was handsome even if both his nose and ears had gone exceedingly pink.

Wind rushes through the air and with it carries the unmistakable stench of alcohol.

"Are you drunk?" flatly, you state and he rocks back and forth, sporting a supposedly innocent expression.

"A bit," he puts two fingers together. "Needed some courage."

"Alright," you drawl, rising to stand and he glimpses up at you. He doesn't at all seem intimidating as his fame made it seem. "Let's get you to bed before you'll get the idea to go ass bare into the ocean."

He embraces your offered hand with an offended pout.

Trailing up the narrow path to the guest house, you begin to tremble and immediately feel a jacket draped on your shoulders. Jin was looking away when you glanced at him in question.

"We should meet more often," he mutters near incoherently, entirely fixated on the ocean, though in the soft glow of the outdoor lighting you can spot that his eyes ever so slightly travel your way.

HOSEOK: Warily you glimpse at the blank hallways that stretch around you like a maze, littered with doors leading nowhere. You're going to die in here. Get lost and starve to death.

"__________?"

Hearing the questioning lilt of that voice, you shrink into yourself and wonder if it'd be feasible in any sort of way to pretend you can't hear him. But he draws a bold dash across your hopes with a single casual sentence.

"Hey, __________!"

Turning around, you clutch the water bottle like a shield. Hoseok struts towards you, his manager trailing behind. They exchange a few words and the other man slides past you with a polite, yet curt nod of the head.

"Hello, Mr Jung," your eyes naturally flit to anywhere, fucking anywhere, but the blinding smile spreading across his lips.

"Ah, ___________, still so official," he complains. You're not quite sure if there's a sentiment behind those words or if it's just something he thinks he needs to say. Regardless, you're much too intimidated to delve into it and as such count your prayers to get out of there as fast as possible.

After a stilted pause during which you can't force yourself to speak, he at last wonders out loud.

"What brings you here?"

Travel. Vacation. Hoseok-less promised vacation that Nall promised you'd have.

"You can see the Bean!" you remember her saying. "Lounge around in a hotel! Wander the Windy City!"

"What about your BFF?"

She had only thrown a hand at your concerns.

"Hoseok and I will be busy working through the routine," she scoffed. "We won't have time to hang out."

Maybe they won't but Nall could forget her water and whine for food, which meant you had to fetch both at the end of the day. Fetch both and run into Hoseok.

"Ah, Nall brought me along," you scratch at your nape, catching a whiff of the jumper's sleeve. Yeah, this was definitely not of the first freshness. "And she forgot her food and water, so I'm here to deliver it."

You jingle the bag as if to prove yourself. Hoseok laughs at that.

"Sorry," he sputters, pushing a palm in front of his mouth. "It just sounds like she's your puppy."

You smirk ungainly with him.

"I'll bring you to her," Hoseok drawls, feet turning back. "She's still in the practice room."

"Thank you," quietly you bid, shuffling next to him. At first, he seems bouncy but the longer you walk, the more you notice the way his shoulders slump. The darks under his eyes.

"Are you...nervous about your performance?"

He laughs again, but to your ears, it sounds forced. Quite a lot forced.

"I'm excited," he reiterates but for some reason, you persist.

"They don't cancel each other."

Hoseok was never your friend, mostly due to your own blame but how was it possible to ever not feel...cheap beside him. Your clothes, your hair, your likes, your days, everything about it was normal and he was decidedly not so. You were simply on two different levels and the way to bring them together was to exit from the game altogether. Nall sometimes remarked that he would ask about you but those times were usually in passing. This hasn't happened before. You never met him alone.

"Suppose they don't," he mutters, briefly appearing much more sullen, almost sunken. A shell. "It's just very..." he huffs a short breath full of wordless frustration. "Overwhelming."

"Nall says you make it overwhelming," you mumble and his eyes snap at you, instantly making you avoid his gaze.

"What do you say? Honestly."

You think about it.

"I think that it doesn't much matter how your performance will turn out because you're not going to be satisfied by it anyhow."

Hoseok makes a low sound at the back of his throat, pushing his hands deep into his pockets.

"And what would you do?"

"I would..." you fall into silence as well. "I would actively disregard all critique. Push it to later, and for now, concentrate on just being in all of this," you gesture at the building, of course, meaning in actuality, the festival. Hobipalooza, as Twitter, coined it. "Trust yourself, trust your fans and remember that sometimes the moment for critique comes after something is done."

You almost want to add the cowardly "but that's just what I think". After all, what were you risking putting yourself out there? Nothing much, nothing deadly. Nothing that could compare to thousands of eyes starved to get nothing but perfection and ready to examine your every single movement in one of the most stressful moments of your life.

Now you can't help but feel silly giving such "advice". It wouldn't be too grand of a surprise to see Hoseok roll his eyes in annoyance but he wasn't. He was glaring at the floor. Abruptly he stops and you fret he's going to curse you out or cast a cold shoulder but he does none of that, instead pointing at a door you've halted by.

"She's there," he states quietly and you madly scramble to get away, only to freeze when Hoseok calls out your name. Again.

"Thank you," he offers a weak smile which you return and then turns on the heel, trailing away, wrenched in deep thought. You could tell even from the curve of his back. With a sigh, you open the doors and bring down the very thunders of judgment upon Nall's head. For making you endure this torture.

Leaving the studio, you both waddle with some speed, eager for fresh air.

"Dress comfortably on Sunday," she remarks casually, pushing open the entrance doors, whilst absent-mindedly chewing a piece of chicken. It bobbed in her left cheek. "Hoseok just texted to offer you a VIP pass."

JIMIN: Everyone had gone dead silent. Like others, you turn to examine the stranger but seeing the shrunken stature, agitated and unwillingly placed in a spotlight, you quickly turn to frown at the hotel carpet.

"You should have told us."

Naturally, Em is the first one to do the scolding, and on instinct, you scoff.

"Well, I told you I'd bring the needed plus one and here he is," feebly, Malia gestured at the masked man. Didn't do him much good as you all realized who he was in the whooping span of 35 seconds.

They squabble amongst themselves for a while, until the decision is laid on you, eyes turned to hear your judgment. You were the last domino, whatever side you swing on, that will bound to happen.

"We needed one person, he's here," numbly, you shrug. "Nothing more to it."

Em appears displeased as all hell. Her face contorted in an expression of thinly veiled resentment but you couldn't care less. She could hitchhike far away from your group if she hated to be here so bad.

"He will be recognized," she hissed in the corner, earning a dirty glare from Malia and some others. "And then we'll have to muck up the mess!"

You stop by your friend, giving her the entrusted document folder without a word. Though unspoken, she understood the "talk later" without ever needing extra clarification. The guy glued to her side, Jimin, meets your gaze and blinks slowly. A hesitant "thank you" comes from underneath his mask.

"No problem," you reply cooly and head out.

No, the rest of the crowd didn't much like Jimin, and Jimin didn't much like them either which meant that you were saddled with him. You were with Malia and she was with him. It was an indisputable package.

"So are you...together?" you ask her cautiously as you two were the last one's outside the tents, chatting absent-mindedly around a dwindling campfire. Immediately she stutters, a grimace seizing her features.

"What? No!" she cries out, seemingly scandalized beyond any belief that you would even suggest such a thing. "We're just friends. Nothing more."

"Then why did you bring him here?"

Her lips purse and she reaches to gruffly poke the cindering wood with a stick.

"I don't know..." she trailed off. "He's never had much of stuff like this. Normal stuff, you know, and one day I was raving on and on about what fun it is - the nature, you, everything - and he had this faraway look in his eye and I..." she sighed. "I felt bad. So I invited him to gift that sense of normalcy. If for a little."

Malia was always so kind-hearted. Whenever you began to feel like Jimin was all one of your best friends could see, you recalled her words, summoning each letter to the forefront of your mind and then letting the matter be. And it wasn't like Jimin was a heinous travel companion. Quite the opposite. He helped you out whenever he could, even without asking but the conversations you had were scarce, limited mostly to single words instead of sentences. But life is funny, though you don't think highly of her sense of humour.

"I'm sorry," the receptionist bid once again and you sag on your bag, drenched in ice and thoroughly drained. "All the rest of the rooms truly are full."

The math was simple and judging from the skirting glances passed around the lobby, everyone knows that. Two unlucky bastards would have to sleep in the campervan. And while you wouldn't have to share a bed, the space in that foul machinery was so small, you might as well have. Just thinking of the airless, claustrophobic space parked outside gives you a nauseating shiver, in spite of sensing in your heart, or the sixth sense, that it'd be just your luck to end up there. You draw matches.

Two losers.

You and Jimin.

Awkwardly you glance at each other before turning away. Malia loved Jimin and you like two siblings but even her gaze flitters somewhere around the wooden beams of the ceiling.

The dinner proceeds with lingering tension. You shower, partake heavily in the buffet, drink hot wine and just before lights out, miserably slump to the campervan. When you yank the doors, Jimin, who'd you not seen for some time, recoils as if shot. You cast him a tight-lipped smile only to halt in confusion.

"I...made a bed for you," he explains, shuffling to the side.

"I...Thank you. You're very kind."

Jimin smiles, brightly, broadly, so much that his eyes disappear into thin lines of happiness.

"You've gone completely red!" he cries out amidst peels of laughter, pointing incriminatingly at your face and immediately you find your gaze lowering. Escaping him.

"I'm glad my internal temperature amuses you," you drawl and he laughs harder.

TAEHYUNG: "Just trust me!"

"Ah, yes, the pinnacle of reliability. Yelling "trust me" after every two steps."

Jae casts a displeased side-eye at your grumbling figure, shivering like a stranded leaf in the wind. The loose clothing did little to protect you from the sudden onslaught of unwanted elements, and despite wholeheartedly agreeing with Jae to go to the snottiest brunch of all time, mostly for a change of scenery, it didn't hinder you in the slightest - from complaining your heart out that is.

"He should be here any moment," Jae mutters, jumping up and down from cold like a delirious flamingo.

"Why can't we just take a taxi?" you cry out when a punishing wind strikes your back.

"Because it's expensive! And besides," Jae began to erratically wave towards a stream of cars coming down the road. "He was driving around anyway."

"What for?"

"Says it clears his head."

By sitting in traffic? But before you could dispute it any further, a car does roll to the side of the street where you stood waiting. You had to admit it was a nice car, though you couldn't say much more than that. This was Jae's strangest of friends, bearing no name or workplace as far as you knew. You'd never understood why Jae, a reputable blabbermouth, felt the need to be so goddamn cryptic but the issue also didn't capture enough of your attention for you to pester him. You let it be. Currently facing the ominous darkness of two tinted windows, you swallowed. And maybe shuffled behind Jae to peer dubiously when the car doors opened.

"Hey man," Jae leant down, wearing a broad, dazzling smile. "Thanks for helping us out."

"No problem."

Bizarre, you could swear you knew that voice. Something about it tickled an acquainted nerve. Naturally, as you stood there wondering, Jae was already sticking a foot in the backdoor with no inhibition whatsoever. You attempted to follow him only to be shocked in stupor when Jae casually tossed out:

"Hey, can they sit in the front? Carsick traveller here."

"Of course."

As a form of retribution, you elbow him in the ribs, hard, and begrudgingly climb into the passenger seat, only to have your entire muscle system stiffen and ears ring as you fixate on anything but the driver.

You were positively going to rip Jae an entirely new set of holes.

"You don't mind some music, do you?" Kim Oh Christ Taehyung questions oh so considerate and Jae affirms that he doesn't. You can't even manage a stutter. Maybe if you don't look at him, he won't exist...

"So, __________, are you feeling better these days?"

Elegant. The goal is to sound elegant, put-together and most of all, n o n c h a l a n t.

You squeak a breathy, high-pitched laughter.

"What?"

Why not just unbuckle the seatbelt and drop yourself out on the road? Surely, would hurt less.

You hear Jae press his entire face into a seat to muffle his laughter.

"Oh," Kim The Fucking Taehyung, blinking at you, befuddled. "Jae was just saying that you'd been sick for some time."

You wither away with a smile. They'd been talking about you. Kim Taehyung knew about your cold. Why not?

"I'm fine now. Thank you for asking."

He nods, with a hum, then turns up the volume.

"Do you like this song?" he converses with ease you can only envy. Your cheeks burn and you find enough belief in your heart to pray that soon he won't be so friendly. You tune into the melody, before shaking your head.

"I haven't heard this one. Not my type probably."

"Oh," Kim Thee Taehyung deflates visibly by the wheel, rubbing the back of his neck with one palm. "It's my song."

You should have just stayed home. No, no, you should have just never woken up. Maybe you should have never been born.

"Oh," dully, you echo. "I mean it's a nice song! I just...listen to other genres."

Well, at least Jae finds this very amusing. The rest of the car ride is spent in relative silence, with only a few, well-meaning questions: where are you going? Do you need a ride home? Jae agrees but you think firmly to yourself that even walking back home would be a more viable option.

At last, Kim The Taehyung rolls up to the obnoxious brunch place Jae wanted to burn his funds through and faster than a bullet, you bend your head his way, squeak a mousy "thank you" and jump out of the car, wondering if somewhere amidst the pose you managed to flash him. Maybe you should just move. Like to Mars. Enrol in one of those space programs. Jae bids his friend, Kim The One and Only Taehyung, a warm goodbye, expressing his own gratitude for such help on this fine Saturday morning. Just before he leaves, Taehyung finds your gaze and waves.

"See you soon, _____________! You're funny."

JUNGKOOK: "Get your fucking stompers off my carpet!" you groan, the second you find that husk of a black dot, sprawled all over your furniture, a handful of chips reaching towards his mouth.

"So unhospitable," Jungkook tuts and you roll your eyes. If a year ago you would have questioned why a k-pop boy was snacking and watching your TV then right now it was just a part of a deeply harrowing weekly routine.

Kiya pokes her head through your open bedroom with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, we just needed a place to escape the paparazzi."

"And get pre-drinks," you note, sternly gazing at the various bottles littered all over your precious coffee table. Kiya can only laugh and disappear at that. With some amazement mixed with judgment you watch as Jungkook shovels the food into the bottomless pit that most people called mouth.

"Don't worry about it," Kiya huffed, blowing strands of her sweaty hair from her eyes. You dropped the box onto the floor of your empty apartment. Your own place. Who would have thought? But who also had the bright idea that they didn't need a moving agency! They could get on their own. Well, ten strangers later and you were still only halfway through. Bodies pressed against the narrow hallway, catching breath and mercy like they'd been through a war. All of them were friends of friends, with the last one running late. Kiya insisted that this guy would be your salvation, he could lift anything and was insanely competitive to also succeed or :

"Sprain an ankle trying!" Kiya laughed but you found no humour in her sentence. At last, a smooth and breathy voice greeted people around him by the entrance, and without wasting any time, the stranger perched your full-length mirror on his back, making his arduous way up the stairs.

"He's a madman," you gasped.

"He also accepts the payment in food, so we're going somewhere to eat later on," Kiya poked you by the side, gesturing to free the space for her atlas of a friend.

A year later, you bore just about the same opinion about Jungkook. The guy truly was a madman. But as annoying as he was, you still were thankful that he had hauled half of the furniture up two flights of stairs that day.

"So, Grumpy," he poked with his knee as you sat down. "You coming to my show?"

"Undecided."

"Oh, come on," he whined loudly and you glared at him, seeing some of the chips stain your precious sofa. "Just because you look like Grumpy The Dwarf, doesn't mean you have to act like him too."

You can't kill Korea's national pride, you repeat it like a mantra in your head. You can't kill Korea's national pride.

After a dizzying wave and a stupid row of giggles, Kiya and Jungkook waltz away from your home, leaving you sighing and exhausted on a Friday evening. Maybe you should have joined them...But the second you drown in more comfortable clothes, the thought of leaving dissipates from your mind.

As nameless movie drones in the background and the silence of the night is filled with the rhythmic chopping of your knife, you try to convince yourself that you're not lonely. You're striving, as they say. You're cruising through life, with a stable, clean home and a stable job. Many people had much less, you were lucky. But the crushing solitude, makes your fingers halt and suddenly you feel thoroughly appalled by the simple process of making yet another meal to eat with no company. Perhaps you should get a cat? Perhaps go straight to two?

A quiet rap by the door interrupts the ever-reliable routine and you cautiously paddle to see who'd come by your door, only to scream when a big eye reflects into your peephole.

"Oh, what do you want?" you berate him but there's something different about Jungkook. For one, he's red like a ripened tomato, and secondly, his expression was unexpectedly sincere.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it," says he, swaying slightly and slurring his words. "You don't look like Grumpy the Dwarf. I meant to only tease but then I thought about it and it may have been a little rude."

"It's okay," you drawl in vague comfort as he guiltily scuffs the tip of his shoe against the ground. "Is that everything?"

"Yes! No!" he pouts in a frustrated manner. "I came to clean."

"To clean?"

Clearly disorientated he blunders into your home, squinting at the sofa.

"I made a mess here," he mumbled. "I ought to clean it. Where's the vacuum?" he began to spin around which foreseeably ended up with him kneeling on the floor, head caught between his trembling hands.

"Damn, this carousel is crazy," you hear him mutter to himself.

"I just think he doesn't quite know how to talk to you," Kiya, truly shockingly being the more sober one, reflects as Jungkook snores on the floor. Rolled to the side, courtesy provided by you. She'd barged in, deep in the throes of a crying frenzy, yelling that Jungkook was kidnapped and it was all her fault, and the Korean government will sentence her to death. Yet when the initial panic wore off and everyone's ride home was organised, she was once again the elegant, collected angel you'd known her as. Jungkook was...well, slumbering on your floor, blissfully unaware of the world around him.

You both sat around him, eating grapes and partaking in some much-needed late-night talk. "Like sometimes he tries to be really cool which comes off as aggravating. Despite being an idol, he's still human you know, and he wants to be liked."

Kiya takes a sip of her water, a picture definition of refined behaviour even if one of her lashes were hanging by her cheek.

"Why does he want to even talk to me?" you ponder, checking if he was still breathing. By the unflattering tractor sounds rising from his face, it was safe to assume yes.

"He thinks you're cool," she shrugs. "Hence why he tries to emulate that."

"And sorely fails," you shake your head at him and Jungkook stirs, blinking tearily at your figure. "You keep sleeping, honey. Don't worry about a thing."

Naturally, the sarcasm goes right above his head and with a polite, obedient nod, he's knocked out again.

When with some extreme difficulty, you manage to hurl him into the backseat of his company's car, he drunkenly grasps your palm into a handshake.

"Let's be friends, okay," he offers, barely stringing together any coherent sentence. Kiya glances at you, clearly guilt-tripping at this point but Jungkook wasn't a bad guy. At least, you didn't think so. Thus you shake his large and bizarrely soft hand and promise okay, you'll be friends.

He giggles at that, nose scrunching up in an expression of pure happiness.

Maybe he wasn't the coolest around you, but he wasn't a bad guy. Not even a bad friend, you reckon.

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