(You Make Me Feel) Brand New
Title: (You Make Me Feel) Brand New
Pairing: V/Jungkook, Jin/Jimin
Rating: PG-13
Genre: fluff, humor
Word Count: 7949
Summary: Jungkook thinks it was probably coincidence, because he doesn’t believe that much in fate.
In Jungkook’s list of things that Jimin has done and will probably end up doing, he should probably have been unfazed by his best friend’s “big announcement” that he said he really had to tell Jungkook as soon as possible because it can’t possibly wait any longer.
But when Jimin actually breaks the news to him the moment they meet up at their usual spot in the university’s cafeteria, Jungkook’s eyebrows burrow together. “What the fuck?!” he exclaims. He doesn’t realize his voice is raising a few octaves higher than usual-it’s not enough to echo along the entire hall, but it’s loud enough to catch the attention of some students nearby.
Jimin’s wide grin falters a bit, the edges of his lips seeming as if they’re being forcibly pulled instead. “Why, what’s wrong with that?” he asks the same time Jungkook grumbles a “Now look at what you made me do. I looked like a hysterical pre-pubescent boy. My image is ruined.”
Jimin’s smile is back on his face quick enough before Jungkook could completely take notice of its absence. “Please Jungkook, stop being so pretentious. You don’t even have an image to uphold.”
“I’m supposed to look cool. Stay chill. I’m the cold city guy, for god’s sake.” But Jimin, always the helpful best friend that he is, laughs at him at this. “Except that’s not true and that deep inside, you’re actually a huge soft-hearted nerd who likes watching Sailormoon.”
“Okay, let me make this clear,” Jungkook says, tearing off part of a chicken leg with his teeth. “There is nothing wrong with watching Sailormoon. There is perfectly nothing wrong with the shows I used to watch and still watch. Now for the sake of the actual argument we were supposed to be having here, I’m going to begin again from where I left off.”
He hasn’t even completely swallowed the food he’s eaten before getting another huge bite from the chicken leg. He points the half-eaten chicken in Jimin’s direction, nudging it forward with every word to make his point clear. “What. The. Actual. Fuck.”
“You make it sound like I’m arguing with you that High School of the Dead has an actual plot where all those panty shots and boob shots were completely necessary.” Jimin replies, digging into his own bowl of jajjangmyeon. “Chill Jungkookie, it’s not like I’ve committed a crime or anything.”
“But it’s almost like that. Hey, listen,” Jungkook raises a greasy hand when Jimin makes an attempt to reach out and punch him in the arm. “You’ve known the guy for literally two weeks and you’re going to live with him? I haven’t even seen the guy!”
“We’re only going to live together, it’s not like we’re going to get married and buy a house and go adopt ten kids or anything.” Jungkook gives him a distasteful look while wiping the grease off his fingers with a table napkin, which probably translates to “ isn’t that where this is going to lead to though”, but he tries not to read too much into everything. “What?”
“Jimin that’s-“Jungkook pauses, not knowing what he’s supposed to say next. He’s Jimin’s best friend-he’s supposed to stop Jimin from doing anything stupid, but he’s also supposed to help Jimin stay happy. He’s not too sure on how he’s going to do both of those at the same time. “I’m just-“he messes his own hair in frustration. “I just don’t want you do get hurt again, okay? Every time you put yourself out there, you always end up getting hurt.”
“Aww, little Jungkookie is concerned for me,” he laughs, ruffling Jungkook’s hair, but his eyes are sparkling. “Don’t worry Jungkookie, it’s going to be alright. He’s different, I can feel it.”
“I hope so hyung,” he sighs. Jungkook wishes Jimin is actually right this time and that it’s not just some hunch he’s giving based on blind faith just because he likes the guy that much. “I really hope so.”
❣❣❣
“Please move over. I’m eating,” Jungkook complains, moving the bowl of chips closer to himself so it could be a safe distance away from getting hit by a flailing Jimin and end up as a fallen mess of sadness. He’s restraining himself from doing himself a favor and just kicking the couple off the couch, but that’s not really the right thing to do to your best friend and his boyfriend, most especially if it’s actually their house you’re in and not the other way around.
“Or like, can’t you just do your- thing” Jungkook wildly gestures with a free hand to emphasize what he means about this “or whatever you call that-somewhere else, where someone won’t get choked to death when you start your mating ceremony?”
It’s Seokjin that breaks out into laughter first, hand slapping Jimin’s shoulder. “He just called it mating ceremony. Oh god,” he wipes a stray tear that suddenly fell from his eye from laughing too much. “Your best friend is really funny, babe.”
Jungkook involuntarily cringes at the pet name, but he’s glad that the two are focused on each other that they don’t notice this. Jimin looks over at him proudly, ruffling his hair with a look on his face that Jungkook remembers seeing on proud fathers during times like their children’s graduation ceremony. “He’s a real sunshine, isn’t he?”
Jungkook gives them a tight smile in return just to be polite, but he would’ve punched Jimin right out if it were only the two of them at the moment.
It’s not his first time meeting Seokjin as Jimin had introduced the two of them to each other as soon as all of their schedules permitted them to meet. Jungkook takes pride in the fact that he’s quick to notice a lot of things, and he takes careful note that there really is something noticeably different with this guy compared to the other people Jimin had dated.
He thinks Seokjin is really nice, and not just on the level of politeness; Jungkook could see this from the times he’s dropped by the couple’s apartment when Jimin invites him over to study or when Seokjin comes around their university to fetch Jimin that he thinks it’s sometimes to the point of sainthood. And for once, Jungkook really did think that Jimin was right; that things would be different with Seokjin.
It would still take him time to get used to the couple being too sweet to each other, though-they always give each other that love-struck look, moving comfortably around each other and sticking around each other as if one would not be able to function well without the other. But even though he wants to gag at their affectionate ways, Jungkook just hopes that it’ll last because he hasn’t seen Jimin this happy in quite a long time.
“Oh yeah, Jungkook, are you free on Sunday?” It’s Seokjin who asks Jungkook, and he is partly startled, still not quite used to being addressed directly by the older guy even though it’s been weeks since they’ve known each other. “It’s Yoosun hyung’s wedding, and I’m thinking maybe you could come?” He slings an arm over Jimin’s shoulders, and Jimin instinctively leans in, looking comfortable in his arms.
“Yeah, Jungkookie. It’d be nice if you could come.” Jimin chimes in.
“Yoosung hyung…. Your older brother?” Jungkook asks to make sure. He’s heard a few bits here and there about Seokjin’s older brother, but he didn’t know that the guy had a girlfriend, let alone the fact that he was engaged.
“Yep. It was a surprise, actually. We wouldn’t even have known that he was engaged if his fiancée hasn’t slipped up about the topic when he got back from the military.” He gives Jungkook a kind, reassuring smile, as if to say “ but it’s okay if you can’t go; I’ll understand”.
There’s a ding resounding from another room , and Jimin hurriedly stands up, announcing that it’s just the popcorn he left in the microwave and it won’t take long.
“I’ll do it,” Seokjin volunteers, about to stand up, but Jimin just presses him down by the shoulder, telling him that it’s okay, and he’ll use mittens this time so he won’t get burned. Seokjin gives an uneasy okay, but his eyes are still on Jimin even when the other male is already padding out the door.
“But why am I invited?” the words slip out of Jungkook’s tongue before he could stop himself, and it might have sounded rude to other people, but Seokjin simply takes his question in stride.
Seokjin tears his eyes off the door, blinking back at Jungkook. “Well, you’re a friend. Aren’t people supposed to invite their friends over during events?” He says as-a-matter-of-factly, and Jungkook couldn’t help but think that he doesn’t realize how simple he’s putting everything out, even when it isn’t exactly like that.
“You don’t have to go that far, hyung,” he says, looking down on the bowl in his lap. “Well yes I’m friends with Jimin, but you don’t have to do this.”
“Well, aren’t we friends?” Jungkook is surprised at his words, even more so with the gentleness of his voice. By extension, Jungkook wants to say. But instead, he just blinks back at Seokjin with wary eyes.
“You think I’m doing this to earn your vote?” Jungkook stutters at this, quick launch into an explanation to defend himself, but Seokjin just brushes it off with a laugh. “You’re a really great kid, Jungkook. And I think that even if you weren’t Jimin’s best friend, even if we met under different circumstances, I still would have thought of you as a friend.”
“I… uh…” Jungkook rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. He isn’t really used to conversations like this, even though it was harmless. “I didn’t know you thought of it that way.”
“Well, now you do,” Seokjin smiles at him warmly, and like this, Jungkook realizes why Jimin fell for him in the first place-why his best friend was so willing to put his heart out there again and hand it over to Seokjin even when he’s been hurt so many times before. “And ease up, will you? You look like you’re about to jump out the window half the time I see you.”
Jungkook laughs at this, eyes crinkling at the edges. “It wouldn’t have been like that if you two aren’t so sweet with each other.”
At this, Seokjin laughs too. “You’ll understand when you get there.” Before Jungkook could ask what he means, Jimin is already coming back from where he left, bringing two huge bowls of popcorn with him. Jungkook never got the chance to bring the topic up again.
❣❣❣
Jungkook reaches for his tie to adjust it, the heat making the stuffiness of his suit even more unbearable. The occasion wasn’t anything too fancy-it was mostly a gathering for most of the Kim family’s friends and relatives, but of course, since it was a wedding, it was still a black-tie type of event. Jungkook ended up borrowing one of Seokjin’s old suits that went in a smaller size to fit him because the older guy kept fussing over him, wanting him to look perfect even though he wasn’t even on the entourage. He would have settled on the suit that his parents bought him for prom once, but Seokjin had insisted that he should wear a fancier outfit.
The reception, at least, was partly a relief since it was inside a fully air-conditioned room in a hotel that the newly-wed couple has booked beforehand. The food tasted great, and Jungkook is convinced that if it weren’t for the beef, he would have already ditched out by now.
Jungkook isn’t a big fan of formal events such as this, but even Seokjin’s family welcomed him, treating him as an extension of their family. Jimin had given him a thumbs-up from where he’s standing alongside Seokjin’s father, involved in some discussion. Something about the flow of the stock market, Jungkook had presumed, seeing as that was what Jimin was studying and having a bit of knowledge about the Kim’s family business being related to investments and exchange.
Jungkook just smiles in return from his seat, trying to hold off on his own while sitting in an empty table. It loneliness feels kind of stifling, especially when it seems like almost everyone here knows everyone, but he thinks this is way better than being flocked by the groom’s mom and aunts, at least.
The event’s host-the bride’s best friend, as she had introduced herself during the beginning of the small program for the reception-calls the couple out for a dance, and slow music begins playing in the background by a live band onstage.
Jungkook runs his eyes over them, taking in the features of each person playing an instrument, including the vocalist who seems to be enjoying the performance a little too much, even jumping a bit on his place even if the song didn’t go along to the beat of his steps. His eyes settle over one of the saxophone players, eyes shining as brightly as the light brown highlights on his dark brown hair. If Jungkook is being honest with himself, he’d say that the saxophone player was actually quite good-looking.
He isn’t quite sure of it, but it seems like the guy met his glance for a moment, a smile playing on his lips as wide as what could be allowed while playing a woodwind instrument. But he ignores the thought, because that isn’t what he came here for.
Moments later, other pairs start filling in the dance floor, and Jungkook spots Seokjin and Jimin among them. From what Jungkook can see in his position, Seokjin is struggling in his steps, looking greatly apologetic when he accidentally steps on Jimin’s feet more than a few times. But Jimin just laughs it off, eyes crinkling into half-moons and resorting into hugging the older man tightly, simply swaying to the beat of the music instead of following the other pairs in their steps.
Like this, Jungkook sees that they really might be made for each other. “ Maybe Jimin was right,” he thinks, sitting back comfortably in his seat as he fiddles with the half-empty glass of wine in his hand. “ Maybe he really did have to go through all those crappy relationships first before finding the right person.”
The music shifts into an acoustic rendition, and Jungkook finds himself nodding to the beat of the song, the melody familiar in his ears even though he doesn’t quite remember when he heard it or where he’s heard it from. Nevertheless, none of the pairs dancing seem to be fazed, simply changing the speed of their dance so they could still go along with the music.
“Care to dance?” a deep voice asks from beside him, and Jungkook comes face-to-face with the saxophone player he saw moments ago, hand extended for him to take. It takes a moment for what the guy said to finally register in Jungkook’s mind, and even so, he’s still confused by the sudden turn of events.
“Would you mind? Dancing with me, I mean.” The guy rephrases, hand still outstretched. Jungkook would be lying if he doesn’t say that he isn’t the least bit tempted with the offer, especially when the guy suddenly pulls out a dazzling smile.
“I wouldn’t mind, but I don’t exactly dance.” He says in reply, not wanting to hurt the guy’s feelings. It’s odd, actually, because he would usually jump on such opportunities. A little fun wouldn’t hurt. Besides, one night wouldn’t matter, right?
The guy retracts his hand but doesn’t take back his smile, asking, “Can I sit here with you, then?” Jungkook starts to think that maybe a single night could make a difference, especially when he nods his head even though he doesn’t exactly feel the need of having any company.
“I’m Taehyung, by the way.” The guy extends his hand again, eyes shining with hope. And Jungkook thinks that maybe he should stop turning down the guy, finally accepting his hand for a shake. “Jungkook.”
“Are you a friend of the groom?” Taehyung asks, breaking the unspoken tension between them that only Jungkook seems to feel. He seems genuinely curious about that, and Jungkook doesn’t have the heart to ignore him.
“No, I’m a friend of-“Jungkook pauses, about to say that he’s a friend of his brother’s boyfriend, but he stops himself, remembering what Seokjin had said. “His brother. I don’t even know why he invited me here.” Jungkook finds himself confessing, but Taehyung doesn’t seem to judge him for it, breaking into a smile, even.
“You mean Seokjin hyung?” Jungkook is surprised that he knows Seokjin, but maybe it isn’t actually that unlikely, given that Seokjin is nice to everyone. “By any chance, did you get to know him while you’re in the hospital?”
The question takes Jungkook by surprise. Sure, Seokjin is a doctor, but Taehyung’s question was still quite odd. “He’s my best friend’s boyfriend.” Jungkook mumbles, unable to keep his eyebrows from furrowing.
“I’m taking that as a no, then,” Taehyung laughs lightly, but the same amused expression stays on his face. “I never knew that he knows how to make friends out of the emergency room now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nah, I’m just kidding. Seokjin hyung is a really nice guy. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone complaining about him,” There’s a proud smile on Taehyung’s face, and it reminds Jungkook of his own smugness when his older brother graduated as the class valedictorian during high school, boasting about it to his friends for the whole day that Jimin almost kicked him out of basketball court. “It’s just that he’s been really busy these past few years that he rarely has the time to get out of the hospital. But I see that he’s enjoying some breaks every now and then nowadays.” He says, gesturing to the dance floor, and Jungkook follows his gaze, eyes settling on Jimin looking serene in Seokjin’s embrace.
“Does that mean that you met him when you got hospitalized?” Jungkook doesn’t mean to pry, but he just really wants to know.
Thankfully, Taehyung doesn’t find him too nosy, grinning rather widely at the memory. “Fell over while I was trying to do skateboarding tricks. You know, the one on the railing?” Jungkook grimaces, imagining the scenario.
“It must have hurt a lot,” he thinks, and Taehyung laughs. Jungkook hasn’t realized he had actually said it out loud until then, and he looks down at his hands in embarrassment. “It did, of course. I landed on my arm and broke a few bones, but they were able to fix it. Hyung was just an intern then, and he was assigned to monitor my vital signs.”
“Oh,” Jungkook says. Oh, because he doesn’t know what else to say, but he felt like he had to at least react to that. Taehyung smiles at him anyway, continuing from where he left off. “We don’t usually get to hang out since he’s really busy, but I still owe him. So I told him that I’d do this for free.”
Jungkook blinks, thinking of what he meant by that. “Oh, you mean the saxophone?”
“Yes, that,” Taehyung looks amused. “The whole band, actually. My friends weren’t opposed to it, since the Kims had sponsored for us before.” Jungkook nods. He didn’t know that Seokjin’s family was that influential, the family business not being that big enough to be a multimillion corporation. But maybe they had a reputation that went further than what their monetary earnings are.
“So you’ve been playing the saxophone for a while now?” Jungkook asks, lifting the glass of wine to his lips. Taehyung’s eyes follow the movement, half in a trance, but Jungkook doesn’t quite notice this.
He blinks repeatedly, breaking out of his daze, but Jungkook doesn’t process this for something related to Taehyung being distracted. “Yup! Since I was in the sixth grade.”
“So I guess it’s easy for you now, huh?”
“Not really. Sometimes I run out of air from too much blowing, but it doesn’t get that much hard.” He says with a straight face, and Jungkook almost chokes on his drink. He thinks that Taehyung might be joking, but the latter just blinks at him innocently, not realizing the gravity of his words.
“That’s-“Jungkook can’t find the right word for it, so he settles instead for “nice.” He decides to steer the conversation into a slightly different direction. “Is that your job, though? Playing the saxophone during special occasions? Or is it just a sideline?”
“Just a sideline,” Taehyung gestures with a hand. “I’m still studying.”
“Music?” Jungkook guesses.
Taehyung smiles again at Jungkook’s attempt. “Biology, actually. I almost ended up with agriculture because I wanted to help at my grandmother’s farm.” Jungkook is surprised at this, because it’s the first time someone had told him that they wanted to become a farmer. It’s usually something grand, like lawyer or engineer or doctor, but he doesn’t see anything bad at wanting to do something that you like, even though other people might think little of it. “How about you? I’m guessing it’s something related to business.”
“Criminology,” Jungkook clarifies with a grin. “It’s Jimin who’s gotten himself involved with that. My best friend.” He adds when Taehyung gives him a confused look. “My parents really did actually want me to do business, but I didn’t want that. Nothing they could do about that, either way.”
“Ooh, a rebel,” Taehyung laughs, and this time, Jungkook grins along with him. Taehyung talks a lot for someone he’s just met, and Jungkook is surprised that it doesn’t feel that much awkward with him, every topic they’re moving to coming out easily, getting them to talk more at ease with each other with every minute passing by.
Taehyung’s presence is comforting, especially since Jungkook doesn’t know anyone in particular besides Jimin and Seokjin and the occasional relatives introduced to him in passing whose names he’s already forgotten.
It scares him a bit, not knowing why he’s trusting this guy that he’s just met. They’ve only known each other for a couple of minutes-barely even an hour into their conversation, to be exact-and Jungkook tries to reason it out with himself that it’s because he’s already known a lot of things about Taehyung than those other people he’s gone out with a few times even if they’ve reached the third date already.
A thought suddenly nags at the back of his head. What if it doesn’t work out? But he stomps the thought out, because he doesn’t want to have any room for doubt.
The music suddenly changes to a more upbeat one, gaining cheers from the younger people who attended and laughter from the older ones who try challenging each other into freestyle dance battles on the dance floor. Even the bride and the groom are enjoying themselves, dancing without a care in the world.
“Hey,” Taehyung calls his attention, and Jungkook peels his eyes off the crowd of bodies dancing and looks at the guy sitting beside him, eyes shining with excitement.
“How about now? Or is it too late to still ask you to dance with me?” He’s persistent, really, but Jungkook doesn’t find himself the least bit annoyed.
“I told you I didn’t dance, right?” Jungkook’s smile isn’t uneasy anymore, but somehow, he kind of feels regretful having had to lie to Taehyung just to not put the other guy down.
“Hey, it’s a free-for-all dance, not a contest. Come on, it’ll be fun.” The smile that he gives Jungkook is too bright and cheerful on a Sunday night, but Jungkook couldn’t help but return the smile. His grin is stretched too widely over his face that his cheeks hurt, and he doesn’t remember a lot of times before when he’s smiled this much.
Jungkook ignores the warning lights shining at the back of his eyelids and decides to go with it. “Well then, if you’re going to teach me how to dance, then I don’t see why not.”
❣❣❣
“You lied,” Taehyung says in the middle of their dance, all sweaty and bright-eyed, but there’s still a smile teasing at the corners of his lips. He wipes the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand, carding his fingers through his wet bangs. “I’ve never seen someone dance like that. It’s like,” he gestures animatedly with his hands and Jungkook breaks out in a smile even before he could finish his sentence. “Legendary.”
“Well I did say that I didn’t dance,” Jungkook grins at Taehyung cheekily. “Not that I didn’t know how to.”
“And here I was, attempting to teach someone who was actually a dance prodigy,” Jungkook could feel his face heat up at the compliment. He’s usually unperturbed by such simple praises, but the way Taehyung says it makes him feel so important and proud. “You should teach me your ways, sunbaenim.”
“Well that is, if you’re willing to pay,” Taehyung groans. “Come on, nothing comes free these days.” They’re not even dancing anymore; just standing there, caught somewhere near the middle of the dance floor between gyrating bodies and laughing guests, but Jungkook could still feel the adrenaline rushing through his veins. He convinces himself that it’s the dancing that made him feel such a rush, and for a moment, he almost has himself fooled.
“Do you accept Yu-Gi-Oh cards as substitute currency? Because I’m rather short on cash right now.”
“Well, if you own either a Blue Eyes Dragon or an Exodia, you won’t need anything else.”
Taehyung gives him a box-shaped grin, eyes forming into crescents. “Well I guess it’s your lucky day.”
❣❣❣
Jungkook doesn’t really believe in fate; he doesn’t believe that the cosmic powers of the universe would conspire with each other just to bring two people together, only to have them break apart into unrecognizable pieces the next moment, or any of that bullshit about couples being able to be together no matter what the circumstance because they’re fated to be that way. So he convinces himself that it’s probably just coincidence that he runs into Taehyung the following night in the convenience store, the area surrounding the neighborhood not being that big of a place, anyway.
Jungkook is debating whether he’s going to buy some cheese for the jjampong he’s going to make for himself tonight as accompaniment for a whole night’s worth of slaving off for his term paper, seriously giving it thought while looking through different brands of cheese on the display when he feels a light tap on his shoulder. He turns just in time to be greeted with a trademark box-shaped grin and a question that he doesn’t expect on a Monday night run to the convenience store. “You still have that offer up?”
Yes, it’s probably just coincidence, he tells himself, even if there are about ten other convenience stores in town that Taehyung could have gone to instead of this one.
“It depends,” he smiles automatically, because Taehyung just has that effect on him.
“On?”
“On whether you’re a good student.” Jungkook says, and he almost stutters to take it back, belatedly realizing that it might have a double meaning. But Taehyung doesn’t seem to notice how it might have had a hidden innuendo, offering Jungkook that same wide grin he’s offered him when they danced at the reception the previous night.
“I am!” he replies, chirpy as ever. He looks like an enthusiastic five year old ready to learn how to tie his shoelaces, and his innocence makes Jungkook’s toes curl; makes him want to protect Taehyung from everything toxic this world might cause hurl at him. “I’ve got some pretty considerable grades on me,” he looks at Jungkook sheepishly, biting his lower lip in thought. “I think.” He laughs a bit at this, looking even years younger than his actual age.
Jungkook feels a churning in his gut. He blinks worriedly, not used to this unsettling feeling at the pit of his stomach, threatening to throw him under the bus any minute.
“So can we start now?” Taehyung looks hopeful again, like he’s wishing on a meteor passing by. Jungkook really hates disappointing people, but by protocol, he has to do what he’s got to do.
“Sorry Taehyung, I really need to finish a few papers tonight,“ it’s not even a lie, but he even sounds more apologetic than he feels that he’s surprised at himself. It’s either his acting skills has improved or he’s just gotten better to tricking himself.
“Some other night then?” he just shrugs in response, only one of his shoulders, rising a bit to complete the action. “I’m kinda busy with uni stuff right now since the semester’s about to end, but I’ll see what I can do.” Taehyung looks greatly distressed at the news, and he immediately feels guilty after pulling the busy-because-of-school card on Taehyung, but he really shouldn’t let his emotions cloud his judgment. Besides, it’s not like he’s going to meet Taehyung after this, right?
“Are you free for dinner then? I mean, it’s just dinner. Wouldn’t take much of your time for that.” Taehyung hastily adds, and Jungkook could see that he’s really trying hard to save what’s left of what else they can do together, what with Jungkook’s “busy” schedule.
This would be the last, anyway, he reminds himself. “I’m not really up for anything fancy right now, so maybe we could just have ramyeon here?”
“As in right here, right now?” Taehyung clarifies, eyes widening in surprise at Jungkook’s sudden take at his offer.
“Sure.” Jungkook shrugs. “But if you’re busy, we can do it some other time.” The words slip right out of Jungkook’s mouth before he could stop himself, and even if he hates himself for thinking about it, the prospect of seeing Taehyung again actually excites him.
“I wouldn’t mind.” Taehyung grins, childish look back on his face. “Convenience store dates are fun.” Jungkook almost chokes on his own spit from Taehyung’s inclusion of the word “date” in the entire sentence, but he doesn’t exactly have anything to say against Taehyung’s wishes.
❣❣❣
Jungkook had thought that the last time they would meet would have to be at the convenience store, but of course, he’s wrong. He doesn’t like to believe it himself, but it seems like fate keeps finding other chances to throw cards at them.
The next time they meet again, Jimin is latched onto Jungkook’s arm like a sloth hanging from a tree like his life depended on it. They’re at the grocery store, on their way to pick up some ingredients that Seokjin needs to make some jjapchae when they come face-to-face with Taehyung as they are making a turn for the next aisle. He misses the way Taehyung’s eyes-always alight with excitement-seem to waver a bit.
“Jungkook!” Taehyung greets, patting Jungkook on the back. Even though he initially looked like he was planning to back out, Taehyung still greets Jungkook with a warm smile and a mischievous grin. “Didn’t take you to be the type to do grocery shopping, honestly.”
“He isn’t, really,” Jimin butts in, and Taehyung looks at him confusedly for a moment, like he’s trying to piece it together in his mind where he’s seen Jimin before. “He prefers playing Piano Tiles on his phone, but I didn’t want to go alone so I had to drag him out here.”
“Uhm, yeah Taehyung, this is Jimin. And Jimin, this is Taehyung.” Jungkook starts off in an attempt to lessen the awkwardness he feels with the two finally getting to meet each other. He hasn’t exactly pictured how it’d happen, given that he never expected Taehyung to stick around at all, but then he doesn’t exactly think of this as bad. (That is, if Jimin doesn’t start butting in and revealing all of his embarrassing secrets)
“I met Taehyung during Yoosun hyung’s wedding,” he explains to Jimin first, and there’s a look in Jimin’s eyes that’s accusing him of blatant betrayal, like he’s already scolding Jungkook with his stare alone. It’s something along the lines of “Why haven’t you introduced us to each other sooner?” and to Jungkook, it sounds like the deafening shrill of a hysterical mom fussing over her son’s school uniform. Jungkook ignores this, a promise of an explanation for later at the look he gives Jimin back.
“And Jimin here’s my friend.” Jungkook says to Taehyung simply, because that’s how he introduces Jimin all the time, anyway.
Jimin clears his throat. “Best friend!” he clarifies. Jungkook just pinches his lips together so he would stop butting in on the conversation.
“He likes talking a lot, as you can see.” Jungkook says, grimacing. Jimin swats his hands away, punching Jungkook’s arm in the process.
The pieces seem to click together in Taehyung’s head, and Jungkook doesn’t seem to remember seeing his smile so wide before. “Ah, the one you were talking about at the party? Seokjin hyung’s boyfriend?”
“Yep, that’s me!” Jimin proudly declares, puffing his chest out.
“You guys wanna hang out after this?” Taehyung asks, casually pulling up a can of blueberries on the rack. He rolls it around his hands to busy himself as Jungkook glances at Jimin, conflicted.
“I can’t, I need to help my boyfriend make jjapchae.” Jimin pouts in disappointment, and Taehyung noticeably fumbles with the can, almost dropping it. He puts it back in the shelf quickly, not wanting to pay for any damages. “I’ll make sure to tag along next time though!”
“Hyung, you’re just gonna sit around and watch him cook.” Jungkook contradicts.
“Trust me, I’m gonna help him.” Jungkook almost gags at the knowing wink Jimin gives him, but he knows better than to prod further.
“I’m pretty sure Jungkook can come along though!” Jimin cheerfully says, patting Jungkook on the back a little bit too strongly. He smiles at the younger widely, as if telling him not to let this opportunity go to waste.
Jungkook stutters, his hands on the handle of the cart twitching. He tries to think of the best excuse he can come up with, trying not to fumble for words. “I can’t, I have a test I need to study for.”
Taehyung’s face falls in disappointment, and Jungkook couldn’t help but want to take back his words. “I thought your next exam is in two weeks?” Jimin squeaks beside him.
“It’s a difficult subject, I don’t want to cram.” Jungkook looks over at Jimin, willing him to understand why he’s doing this. He looks back at Taehyung with a smile, hoping to channel all his sincerity through it. “Thank you for the offer though, I really appreciate it.” And he does, though he doesn’t want to show how much.
Taehyung smiles again and waves it away as if it didn’t bother him at all, bidding them goodbye and promising to see them again some other time. But the glance he throws them over his shoulder before he leaves tells Jimin otherwise.
Jungkook begins pushing the cart again, but he stops in his tracks when he realizes that Jimin isn’t following him. “What’s wrong?”
Jimin stalks over, looking like he wants to punch someone but feels helpless with it. “Jungkook, why’d you do that?” Jimin grabs Jungkook’s sleeve a little too forcefully that it surprises the both of them, and Jimin hastily lets go, apologizing quickly. Jungkook waves it off, pushing the shopping cart forward because really, it doesn’t bother him at all. Jimin gauges the look on his face before speaking again. “It’s pretty obvious that you like him.”
“I don’t.” he says through his teeth, glaring at the older man in warning, daring him to push further. He looks at the items on display instead, glancing around for one that doesn’t have a dent on its lid, but of course, Jimin being typically himself, ignores Jungkook’s look.
“You do, but you don’t want to admit it to yourself.”
Jungkook stops looking through the cans of vegetables stocked up on the shelf, his grip on the cart tightening. He grits his teeth, not wanting to hear any more of it, only to end up arguing with Jimin. “How can you be so sure, hyung?”
“I can see it in your eyes.” Jungkook is quiet for a moment, because that’s something he doesn’t know how to contest with. Jimin’s pretty observant, and if he notices something’s off, he’s usually right.
Jungkook’s been denying it all to himself, but just a single sentence from Jimin affirms his thoughts, and he’s starting to be doubtful of his decisions. Jimin takes this as his chance, knowing that Jungkook is listening to him. “If you’re doubting your feelings for him just because you haven’t known each other for long, well, you shouldn’t. You don’t need to be together for a long time to like that person. It’s not like you’re getting married already, right?”
“But still, hyung,” he complains, and this time the resignation in his voice is clear. He thought that if he ignored what he’s been feeling it would just go away and fade like it was never there in the first place, but with Jimin telling him this, he feels as if it’s getting even more real. “I don’t like this feeling.” Jungkook doesn’t want to admit it out loud, but Jimin nods in understanding, as if it’s in his second nature to understand whatever Jungkook actually means to say behind his words.
Jimin doesn’t bring up the topic of Jungkook calling him hyung even though he likes rubbing it on the younger’s face, because he knows that Jungkook only always calls him hyung when things get serious. He makes sure to reserve it for the next time, though. “Because it makes you feel vulnerable?” Jungkook doesn’t answer, and Jimin takes this as his cue, because he’s probably right.
“Tell me Jungkook, why are you running away?” At the look of hesitation that keeps flitting around in Jungkook’s eyes, Jimin gives him a comforting pat on the back. "It’s okay, you can tell me. That’s what I’m here for, right?”
Jungkook bites his bottom lip, blinking in unease. But this is Jimin he’s talking to-he can tell anything to Jimin, right? “I watched you put your heart out there, only to have it given back to you in broken shards. I don’t want that to happen to me too, hyung.” Jungkook admits, and Jimin is painfully reminded of how, despite Jungkook’s calm and cool exterior, he’s still just a kid.
“Is that why you never got into a real relationship?” Jimin asks, voice a little too quiet for Jungkook’s taste. Jimin doesn’t recount all the people he’s turned down along with the few hook-ups and one-night stands that he remembers, and Jungkook is thankful that he doesn’t mention that.
“I don’t want to get hurt hyung. I’m-“He pauses, eyes glistening when he looks up at Jimin. “I’m terrified.” He admits, and Jimin rarely sees this side of him-vulnerable and terrified and acting like his own age.
Jungkook’s always appeared to be cool and all, acting like a cold guy in front of people, wanting to uphold that image that he’s built for himself so that other people would know not to mess with him, but he’s only an eighteen year-old, too. Even though he acts like a snotty brat to Jimin sometimes, he’s still two years younger. He always likes acting tough, but he’s still actually just a kid.
“It’s okay, Jungkook. I get scared of things like that, too. A lot, actually.” Jimin admits, laughing at a distant memory that Jungkook isn’t sure he himself knows. “Everyone does. But you can’t always learn from the mistakes I’ve made. You have to learn from your own. Because you’d never actually know, right?”
❣❣❣
The fourth time they meet again, it’s in front Seokjin and Jimin’s shared apartment.
Jungkook had come over when Seokjin had called him in a rush, not even caring to explain, but when Taehyung comes to view with a determined look on his face, his steps filled with purpose, everything clicks right in Jungkook’s mind.
He curses at Seokjin for not giving him a heads-up before making a decision, and he swears to punch Jimin in the face after this for getting so wrapped up in this, even involving Seokjin in the matter. He steps away from the door and moves to the bottommost part of the stairs leading to the apartment, waiting for Taehyung to catch up.
Taehyung hands him a card that he partly recognizes right before saying anything, and Jungkook looks down at the card in his hand, a familiar cartooned face grinning up at him “Sorry I couldn’t give you my Blue Eyes White Dragon. I’ve kind of grown attached to it.” Taehyung grins at him apologetically, and Jungkook is reminded of how his older brother grinned at him after giving him one of his older toy robots in compensation for when their parents were only able to afford buying one new model.
“Why are you giving me this?”
Taehyung looks taken aback at his question, and Jungkook’s eyebrows knit involuntarily. What has Jimin been telling him, anyway? “Aren’t you mad at me because I didn’t honor our deal?”
“Oh, that?” Jungkook scratches the back of his neck, stopping himself from sighing right in front of Taehyung. He can’t believe the lame alibis Jimin is always coming up with, but he can’t understand how Taehyung actually believes in it, either. “Actually… I wasn’t really serious when I agreed to have you pay me back with Yu-Gi-Oh cards. I wasn’t asking for anything in return.”
“But still!” Taehyung protests, as if it hurt his pride. “I have to honor our deal.”
“Okay…” Jungkook accepts the card hesitantly, not wanting Taehyung to have any outbursts. He stashes it in his wallet, inserting it behind his identification card. Taehyung grins widely, his lips forming into a box shape and his teeth on full display. Jungkook is unable to stop himself from smiling back, Taehyung’s smile being contagious as it is, but he catches himself before his grin gets too wide. “But you know, I wasn’t mad at you.”
“Then why were you avoiding me?” There’s that childish innocence to the way Taehyung asks him, like he’d understand it if only Jungkook would take the time to explain it to him.
Jungkook opens his mouth to explain, conjuring up the lines that he’s thought of before if ever he meets Taehyung again and asks him for a reason. But then he remembers Jimin’s words, and he realizes that Jimin has a point, and that he doesn’t want to keep lying to himself anymore in order to avoid getting hurt by other people and his expectations of them. “Because I was scared.”
“Of me?” Taehyung laughs, the deep baritone of his voice calming. “Truthfully, I’ve always wanted to join the drama club. I think the role of a psycho would fit me best.”
“No,” Jungkook shakes his head, and Taehyung looks befuddled, about to ask him what role he actually thinks would fit him better. “I’m afraid of liking you too much.” It sounds like a line grabbed from a cheesy drama to Jungkook’s ears, and his toes curl in embarrassment, his cheeks reddening along with it.
But then Taehyung giggles, his own cheeks tinged with red, and Jungkook suddenly doesn’t feel like crawling into a niche anymore. “It’s okay, I like you too much already, anyway.” He says, slinging an arm around Jungkook’s shoulders. “So don’t worry, it’s a give and take situation.
Despite the number of encounters they’ve already had, Jungkook’s still surprised by Taehyung’s forwardness, the heat creeping up his cheeks in embarrassment at Taehyung’s sudden confession.
“So, can I kiss you now?”
Jungkook blinks, unsure of what he’s hearing. “You’ve been wanting to kiss me?”
“Ever since the wedding, yeah.”
“Then, I don’t see anything wrong with that.” He says, smile inviting. Jungkook smiles and lets Taehyung’s hands settle on his waist, thinking that for a moment, he was at the right place, at the right time, and that he had his life in his own hands.
Maybe Jimin was right; maybe he should try it for himself. What has he got to lose, anyway?
So he returns Taehyung’s smile with his own and takes the other’s hand in his. “I accept your offer, Kim Taehyung.”
From inside the apartment, Jimin peels his eyes off the windows to look back at Seokjin, grinning like a proud father. “See, what’d I tell you? He just needed a little push in the right direction.”
Seokjin grins back at him, putting an arm around his shoulders and pulling him closer. He places a kiss on Jimin’s cheek, and Jimin couldn’t help but giggle. “I knew you could convince him.” He says, nuzzling into Jimin’s neck. Jimin wraps his arms around Seokjin, unable to stop himself from smiling.
❣❣❣
The next time they meet, Jungkook is quite sure that Taehyung did it on purpose.
They’re supposed to meet at the park, but Jungkook opens his front door to find Taehyung standing there, hands stuffed in the pockets at the sides of his hoodie. His ears are red from the cold, and Jungkook scolds him before taking his freezing hands, putting them together and rubbing his own hands against them in an attempt to warm him up. “You could have just called me to tell me you were coming over, I could have let you in while you were waiting.”
“It’s okay,” Taehyung grins his usual easy-going grin, as if the cold never bothered him at all. “By the way, I never got to dance with you during the party.”
“You did.” Jungkook looks at him with raised eyebrows to emphasize his point.
“I meant a slow dance.”
Jungkook sighs, putting Taehyung’s hands back down to his sides. “There’s always a next time, right?”
“What if we do it here?” Taehyung suggests, and Jungkook looks as if he’s trying to solve a 100-piece puzzle, trying to guess if Taehyung is joking or not.
“As in right here? Right now?” Taehyung’s answer to both of his questions is an enthusiastic nod.
“Okay,” Jungkook says, but he still sounds hesitant. He looks around as if searching for something, and when Taehyung prods him about this, he looks back at Taehyung with an equally confused expression on his face. “But what about the music?”
“I got you.” Taehyung puts his hands around Jungkook’s waist and starts humming a tune, his voice low and tantalizing. His eyes are solely focused on Jungkook’s all the time, and the latter feels hypnotized by his gaze.
The melody isn’t all that familiar to Jungkook, but if he listens to it closely, it sounds a bit sad. But somehow, it’s a little bit hopeful, too.
He doesn’t know what Taehyung is thinking and why he chose that song over others, but he likes to think is that what Taehyung hears beyond the wishful longing in the overall tone of the song is the hopefulness of it all.
“They might think we’re crazy.” Jungkook murmurs, finally swaying along to the beat. He wraps his arms around Taehyung’s shoulders and looks into Taehyung’s eyes, as if he could find all the answers he’s looking for in there.
“They just can’t hear the music.” Taehyung’s answer goes, sounding cryptic, but this time, Jungkook understands him well.
Pairing: V/Jungkook, Jin/Jimin
Rating: PG-13
Genre: fluff, humor
Word Count: 7949
Summary: Jungkook thinks it was probably coincidence, because he doesn’t believe that much in fate.
In Jungkook’s list of things that Jimin has done and will probably end up doing, he should probably have been unfazed by his best friend’s “big announcement” that he said he really had to tell Jungkook as soon as possible because it can’t possibly wait any longer.
But when Jimin actually breaks the news to him the moment they meet up at their usual spot in the university’s cafeteria, Jungkook’s eyebrows burrow together. “What the fuck?!” he exclaims. He doesn’t realize his voice is raising a few octaves higher than usual-it’s not enough to echo along the entire hall, but it’s loud enough to catch the attention of some students nearby.
Jimin’s wide grin falters a bit, the edges of his lips seeming as if they’re being forcibly pulled instead. “Why, what’s wrong with that?” he asks the same time Jungkook grumbles a “Now look at what you made me do. I looked like a hysterical pre-pubescent boy. My image is ruined.”
Jimin’s smile is back on his face quick enough before Jungkook could completely take notice of its absence. “Please Jungkook, stop being so pretentious. You don’t even have an image to uphold.”
“I’m supposed to look cool. Stay chill. I’m the cold city guy, for god’s sake.” But Jimin, always the helpful best friend that he is, laughs at him at this. “Except that’s not true and that deep inside, you’re actually a huge soft-hearted nerd who likes watching Sailormoon.”
“Okay, let me make this clear,” Jungkook says, tearing off part of a chicken leg with his teeth. “There is nothing wrong with watching Sailormoon. There is perfectly nothing wrong with the shows I used to watch and still watch. Now for the sake of the actual argument we were supposed to be having here, I’m going to begin again from where I left off.”
He hasn’t even completely swallowed the food he’s eaten before getting another huge bite from the chicken leg. He points the half-eaten chicken in Jimin’s direction, nudging it forward with every word to make his point clear. “What. The. Actual. Fuck.”
“You make it sound like I’m arguing with you that High School of the Dead has an actual plot where all those panty shots and boob shots were completely necessary.” Jimin replies, digging into his own bowl of jajjangmyeon. “Chill Jungkookie, it’s not like I’ve committed a crime or anything.”
“But it’s almost like that. Hey, listen,” Jungkook raises a greasy hand when Jimin makes an attempt to reach out and punch him in the arm. “You’ve known the guy for literally two weeks and you’re going to live with him? I haven’t even seen the guy!”
“We’re only going to live together, it’s not like we’re going to get married and buy a house and go adopt ten kids or anything.” Jungkook gives him a distasteful look while wiping the grease off his fingers with a table napkin, which probably translates to “ isn’t that where this is going to lead to though”, but he tries not to read too much into everything. “What?”
“Jimin that’s-“Jungkook pauses, not knowing what he’s supposed to say next. He’s Jimin’s best friend-he’s supposed to stop Jimin from doing anything stupid, but he’s also supposed to help Jimin stay happy. He’s not too sure on how he’s going to do both of those at the same time. “I’m just-“he messes his own hair in frustration. “I just don’t want you do get hurt again, okay? Every time you put yourself out there, you always end up getting hurt.”
“Aww, little Jungkookie is concerned for me,” he laughs, ruffling Jungkook’s hair, but his eyes are sparkling. “Don’t worry Jungkookie, it’s going to be alright. He’s different, I can feel it.”
“I hope so hyung,” he sighs. Jungkook wishes Jimin is actually right this time and that it’s not just some hunch he’s giving based on blind faith just because he likes the guy that much. “I really hope so.”
❣❣❣
“Please move over. I’m eating,” Jungkook complains, moving the bowl of chips closer to himself so it could be a safe distance away from getting hit by a flailing Jimin and end up as a fallen mess of sadness. He’s restraining himself from doing himself a favor and just kicking the couple off the couch, but that’s not really the right thing to do to your best friend and his boyfriend, most especially if it’s actually their house you’re in and not the other way around.
“Or like, can’t you just do your- thing” Jungkook wildly gestures with a free hand to emphasize what he means about this “or whatever you call that-somewhere else, where someone won’t get choked to death when you start your mating ceremony?”
It’s Seokjin that breaks out into laughter first, hand slapping Jimin’s shoulder. “He just called it mating ceremony. Oh god,” he wipes a stray tear that suddenly fell from his eye from laughing too much. “Your best friend is really funny, babe.”
Jungkook involuntarily cringes at the pet name, but he’s glad that the two are focused on each other that they don’t notice this. Jimin looks over at him proudly, ruffling his hair with a look on his face that Jungkook remembers seeing on proud fathers during times like their children’s graduation ceremony. “He’s a real sunshine, isn’t he?”
Jungkook gives them a tight smile in return just to be polite, but he would’ve punched Jimin right out if it were only the two of them at the moment.
It’s not his first time meeting Seokjin as Jimin had introduced the two of them to each other as soon as all of their schedules permitted them to meet. Jungkook takes pride in the fact that he’s quick to notice a lot of things, and he takes careful note that there really is something noticeably different with this guy compared to the other people Jimin had dated.
He thinks Seokjin is really nice, and not just on the level of politeness; Jungkook could see this from the times he’s dropped by the couple’s apartment when Jimin invites him over to study or when Seokjin comes around their university to fetch Jimin that he thinks it’s sometimes to the point of sainthood. And for once, Jungkook really did think that Jimin was right; that things would be different with Seokjin.
It would still take him time to get used to the couple being too sweet to each other, though-they always give each other that love-struck look, moving comfortably around each other and sticking around each other as if one would not be able to function well without the other. But even though he wants to gag at their affectionate ways, Jungkook just hopes that it’ll last because he hasn’t seen Jimin this happy in quite a long time.
“Oh yeah, Jungkook, are you free on Sunday?” It’s Seokjin who asks Jungkook, and he is partly startled, still not quite used to being addressed directly by the older guy even though it’s been weeks since they’ve known each other. “It’s Yoosun hyung’s wedding, and I’m thinking maybe you could come?” He slings an arm over Jimin’s shoulders, and Jimin instinctively leans in, looking comfortable in his arms.
“Yeah, Jungkookie. It’d be nice if you could come.” Jimin chimes in.
“Yoosung hyung…. Your older brother?” Jungkook asks to make sure. He’s heard a few bits here and there about Seokjin’s older brother, but he didn’t know that the guy had a girlfriend, let alone the fact that he was engaged.
“Yep. It was a surprise, actually. We wouldn’t even have known that he was engaged if his fiancée hasn’t slipped up about the topic when he got back from the military.” He gives Jungkook a kind, reassuring smile, as if to say “ but it’s okay if you can’t go; I’ll understand”.
There’s a ding resounding from another room , and Jimin hurriedly stands up, announcing that it’s just the popcorn he left in the microwave and it won’t take long.
“I’ll do it,” Seokjin volunteers, about to stand up, but Jimin just presses him down by the shoulder, telling him that it’s okay, and he’ll use mittens this time so he won’t get burned. Seokjin gives an uneasy okay, but his eyes are still on Jimin even when the other male is already padding out the door.
“But why am I invited?” the words slip out of Jungkook’s tongue before he could stop himself, and it might have sounded rude to other people, but Seokjin simply takes his question in stride.
Seokjin tears his eyes off the door, blinking back at Jungkook. “Well, you’re a friend. Aren’t people supposed to invite their friends over during events?” He says as-a-matter-of-factly, and Jungkook couldn’t help but think that he doesn’t realize how simple he’s putting everything out, even when it isn’t exactly like that.
“You don’t have to go that far, hyung,” he says, looking down on the bowl in his lap. “Well yes I’m friends with Jimin, but you don’t have to do this.”
“Well, aren’t we friends?” Jungkook is surprised at his words, even more so with the gentleness of his voice. By extension, Jungkook wants to say. But instead, he just blinks back at Seokjin with wary eyes.
“You think I’m doing this to earn your vote?” Jungkook stutters at this, quick launch into an explanation to defend himself, but Seokjin just brushes it off with a laugh. “You’re a really great kid, Jungkook. And I think that even if you weren’t Jimin’s best friend, even if we met under different circumstances, I still would have thought of you as a friend.”
“I… uh…” Jungkook rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. He isn’t really used to conversations like this, even though it was harmless. “I didn’t know you thought of it that way.”
“Well, now you do,” Seokjin smiles at him warmly, and like this, Jungkook realizes why Jimin fell for him in the first place-why his best friend was so willing to put his heart out there again and hand it over to Seokjin even when he’s been hurt so many times before. “And ease up, will you? You look like you’re about to jump out the window half the time I see you.”
Jungkook laughs at this, eyes crinkling at the edges. “It wouldn’t have been like that if you two aren’t so sweet with each other.”
At this, Seokjin laughs too. “You’ll understand when you get there.” Before Jungkook could ask what he means, Jimin is already coming back from where he left, bringing two huge bowls of popcorn with him. Jungkook never got the chance to bring the topic up again.
❣❣❣
Jungkook reaches for his tie to adjust it, the heat making the stuffiness of his suit even more unbearable. The occasion wasn’t anything too fancy-it was mostly a gathering for most of the Kim family’s friends and relatives, but of course, since it was a wedding, it was still a black-tie type of event. Jungkook ended up borrowing one of Seokjin’s old suits that went in a smaller size to fit him because the older guy kept fussing over him, wanting him to look perfect even though he wasn’t even on the entourage. He would have settled on the suit that his parents bought him for prom once, but Seokjin had insisted that he should wear a fancier outfit.
The reception, at least, was partly a relief since it was inside a fully air-conditioned room in a hotel that the newly-wed couple has booked beforehand. The food tasted great, and Jungkook is convinced that if it weren’t for the beef, he would have already ditched out by now.
Jungkook isn’t a big fan of formal events such as this, but even Seokjin’s family welcomed him, treating him as an extension of their family. Jimin had given him a thumbs-up from where he’s standing alongside Seokjin’s father, involved in some discussion. Something about the flow of the stock market, Jungkook had presumed, seeing as that was what Jimin was studying and having a bit of knowledge about the Kim’s family business being related to investments and exchange.
Jungkook just smiles in return from his seat, trying to hold off on his own while sitting in an empty table. It loneliness feels kind of stifling, especially when it seems like almost everyone here knows everyone, but he thinks this is way better than being flocked by the groom’s mom and aunts, at least.
The event’s host-the bride’s best friend, as she had introduced herself during the beginning of the small program for the reception-calls the couple out for a dance, and slow music begins playing in the background by a live band onstage.
Jungkook runs his eyes over them, taking in the features of each person playing an instrument, including the vocalist who seems to be enjoying the performance a little too much, even jumping a bit on his place even if the song didn’t go along to the beat of his steps. His eyes settle over one of the saxophone players, eyes shining as brightly as the light brown highlights on his dark brown hair. If Jungkook is being honest with himself, he’d say that the saxophone player was actually quite good-looking.
He isn’t quite sure of it, but it seems like the guy met his glance for a moment, a smile playing on his lips as wide as what could be allowed while playing a woodwind instrument. But he ignores the thought, because that isn’t what he came here for.
Moments later, other pairs start filling in the dance floor, and Jungkook spots Seokjin and Jimin among them. From what Jungkook can see in his position, Seokjin is struggling in his steps, looking greatly apologetic when he accidentally steps on Jimin’s feet more than a few times. But Jimin just laughs it off, eyes crinkling into half-moons and resorting into hugging the older man tightly, simply swaying to the beat of the music instead of following the other pairs in their steps.
Like this, Jungkook sees that they really might be made for each other. “ Maybe Jimin was right,” he thinks, sitting back comfortably in his seat as he fiddles with the half-empty glass of wine in his hand. “ Maybe he really did have to go through all those crappy relationships first before finding the right person.”
The music shifts into an acoustic rendition, and Jungkook finds himself nodding to the beat of the song, the melody familiar in his ears even though he doesn’t quite remember when he heard it or where he’s heard it from. Nevertheless, none of the pairs dancing seem to be fazed, simply changing the speed of their dance so they could still go along with the music.
“Care to dance?” a deep voice asks from beside him, and Jungkook comes face-to-face with the saxophone player he saw moments ago, hand extended for him to take. It takes a moment for what the guy said to finally register in Jungkook’s mind, and even so, he’s still confused by the sudden turn of events.
“Would you mind? Dancing with me, I mean.” The guy rephrases, hand still outstretched. Jungkook would be lying if he doesn’t say that he isn’t the least bit tempted with the offer, especially when the guy suddenly pulls out a dazzling smile.
“I wouldn’t mind, but I don’t exactly dance.” He says in reply, not wanting to hurt the guy’s feelings. It’s odd, actually, because he would usually jump on such opportunities. A little fun wouldn’t hurt. Besides, one night wouldn’t matter, right?
The guy retracts his hand but doesn’t take back his smile, asking, “Can I sit here with you, then?” Jungkook starts to think that maybe a single night could make a difference, especially when he nods his head even though he doesn’t exactly feel the need of having any company.
“I’m Taehyung, by the way.” The guy extends his hand again, eyes shining with hope. And Jungkook thinks that maybe he should stop turning down the guy, finally accepting his hand for a shake. “Jungkook.”
“Are you a friend of the groom?” Taehyung asks, breaking the unspoken tension between them that only Jungkook seems to feel. He seems genuinely curious about that, and Jungkook doesn’t have the heart to ignore him.
“No, I’m a friend of-“Jungkook pauses, about to say that he’s a friend of his brother’s boyfriend, but he stops himself, remembering what Seokjin had said. “His brother. I don’t even know why he invited me here.” Jungkook finds himself confessing, but Taehyung doesn’t seem to judge him for it, breaking into a smile, even.
“You mean Seokjin hyung?” Jungkook is surprised that he knows Seokjin, but maybe it isn’t actually that unlikely, given that Seokjin is nice to everyone. “By any chance, did you get to know him while you’re in the hospital?”
The question takes Jungkook by surprise. Sure, Seokjin is a doctor, but Taehyung’s question was still quite odd. “He’s my best friend’s boyfriend.” Jungkook mumbles, unable to keep his eyebrows from furrowing.
“I’m taking that as a no, then,” Taehyung laughs lightly, but the same amused expression stays on his face. “I never knew that he knows how to make friends out of the emergency room now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nah, I’m just kidding. Seokjin hyung is a really nice guy. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone complaining about him,” There’s a proud smile on Taehyung’s face, and it reminds Jungkook of his own smugness when his older brother graduated as the class valedictorian during high school, boasting about it to his friends for the whole day that Jimin almost kicked him out of basketball court. “It’s just that he’s been really busy these past few years that he rarely has the time to get out of the hospital. But I see that he’s enjoying some breaks every now and then nowadays.” He says, gesturing to the dance floor, and Jungkook follows his gaze, eyes settling on Jimin looking serene in Seokjin’s embrace.
“Does that mean that you met him when you got hospitalized?” Jungkook doesn’t mean to pry, but he just really wants to know.
Thankfully, Taehyung doesn’t find him too nosy, grinning rather widely at the memory. “Fell over while I was trying to do skateboarding tricks. You know, the one on the railing?” Jungkook grimaces, imagining the scenario.
“It must have hurt a lot,” he thinks, and Taehyung laughs. Jungkook hasn’t realized he had actually said it out loud until then, and he looks down at his hands in embarrassment. “It did, of course. I landed on my arm and broke a few bones, but they were able to fix it. Hyung was just an intern then, and he was assigned to monitor my vital signs.”
“Oh,” Jungkook says. Oh, because he doesn’t know what else to say, but he felt like he had to at least react to that. Taehyung smiles at him anyway, continuing from where he left off. “We don’t usually get to hang out since he’s really busy, but I still owe him. So I told him that I’d do this for free.”
Jungkook blinks, thinking of what he meant by that. “Oh, you mean the saxophone?”
“Yes, that,” Taehyung looks amused. “The whole band, actually. My friends weren’t opposed to it, since the Kims had sponsored for us before.” Jungkook nods. He didn’t know that Seokjin’s family was that influential, the family business not being that big enough to be a multimillion corporation. But maybe they had a reputation that went further than what their monetary earnings are.
“So you’ve been playing the saxophone for a while now?” Jungkook asks, lifting the glass of wine to his lips. Taehyung’s eyes follow the movement, half in a trance, but Jungkook doesn’t quite notice this.
He blinks repeatedly, breaking out of his daze, but Jungkook doesn’t process this for something related to Taehyung being distracted. “Yup! Since I was in the sixth grade.”
“So I guess it’s easy for you now, huh?”
“Not really. Sometimes I run out of air from too much blowing, but it doesn’t get that much hard.” He says with a straight face, and Jungkook almost chokes on his drink. He thinks that Taehyung might be joking, but the latter just blinks at him innocently, not realizing the gravity of his words.
“That’s-“Jungkook can’t find the right word for it, so he settles instead for “nice.” He decides to steer the conversation into a slightly different direction. “Is that your job, though? Playing the saxophone during special occasions? Or is it just a sideline?”
“Just a sideline,” Taehyung gestures with a hand. “I’m still studying.”
“Music?” Jungkook guesses.
Taehyung smiles again at Jungkook’s attempt. “Biology, actually. I almost ended up with agriculture because I wanted to help at my grandmother’s farm.” Jungkook is surprised at this, because it’s the first time someone had told him that they wanted to become a farmer. It’s usually something grand, like lawyer or engineer or doctor, but he doesn’t see anything bad at wanting to do something that you like, even though other people might think little of it. “How about you? I’m guessing it’s something related to business.”
“Criminology,” Jungkook clarifies with a grin. “It’s Jimin who’s gotten himself involved with that. My best friend.” He adds when Taehyung gives him a confused look. “My parents really did actually want me to do business, but I didn’t want that. Nothing they could do about that, either way.”
“Ooh, a rebel,” Taehyung laughs, and this time, Jungkook grins along with him. Taehyung talks a lot for someone he’s just met, and Jungkook is surprised that it doesn’t feel that much awkward with him, every topic they’re moving to coming out easily, getting them to talk more at ease with each other with every minute passing by.
Taehyung’s presence is comforting, especially since Jungkook doesn’t know anyone in particular besides Jimin and Seokjin and the occasional relatives introduced to him in passing whose names he’s already forgotten.
It scares him a bit, not knowing why he’s trusting this guy that he’s just met. They’ve only known each other for a couple of minutes-barely even an hour into their conversation, to be exact-and Jungkook tries to reason it out with himself that it’s because he’s already known a lot of things about Taehyung than those other people he’s gone out with a few times even if they’ve reached the third date already.
A thought suddenly nags at the back of his head. What if it doesn’t work out? But he stomps the thought out, because he doesn’t want to have any room for doubt.
The music suddenly changes to a more upbeat one, gaining cheers from the younger people who attended and laughter from the older ones who try challenging each other into freestyle dance battles on the dance floor. Even the bride and the groom are enjoying themselves, dancing without a care in the world.
“Hey,” Taehyung calls his attention, and Jungkook peels his eyes off the crowd of bodies dancing and looks at the guy sitting beside him, eyes shining with excitement.
“How about now? Or is it too late to still ask you to dance with me?” He’s persistent, really, but Jungkook doesn’t find himself the least bit annoyed.
“I told you I didn’t dance, right?” Jungkook’s smile isn’t uneasy anymore, but somehow, he kind of feels regretful having had to lie to Taehyung just to not put the other guy down.
“Hey, it’s a free-for-all dance, not a contest. Come on, it’ll be fun.” The smile that he gives Jungkook is too bright and cheerful on a Sunday night, but Jungkook couldn’t help but return the smile. His grin is stretched too widely over his face that his cheeks hurt, and he doesn’t remember a lot of times before when he’s smiled this much.
Jungkook ignores the warning lights shining at the back of his eyelids and decides to go with it. “Well then, if you’re going to teach me how to dance, then I don’t see why not.”
❣❣❣
“You lied,” Taehyung says in the middle of their dance, all sweaty and bright-eyed, but there’s still a smile teasing at the corners of his lips. He wipes the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand, carding his fingers through his wet bangs. “I’ve never seen someone dance like that. It’s like,” he gestures animatedly with his hands and Jungkook breaks out in a smile even before he could finish his sentence. “Legendary.”
“Well I did say that I didn’t dance,” Jungkook grins at Taehyung cheekily. “Not that I didn’t know how to.”
“And here I was, attempting to teach someone who was actually a dance prodigy,” Jungkook could feel his face heat up at the compliment. He’s usually unperturbed by such simple praises, but the way Taehyung says it makes him feel so important and proud. “You should teach me your ways, sunbaenim.”
“Well that is, if you’re willing to pay,” Taehyung groans. “Come on, nothing comes free these days.” They’re not even dancing anymore; just standing there, caught somewhere near the middle of the dance floor between gyrating bodies and laughing guests, but Jungkook could still feel the adrenaline rushing through his veins. He convinces himself that it’s the dancing that made him feel such a rush, and for a moment, he almost has himself fooled.
“Do you accept Yu-Gi-Oh cards as substitute currency? Because I’m rather short on cash right now.”
“Well, if you own either a Blue Eyes Dragon or an Exodia, you won’t need anything else.”
Taehyung gives him a box-shaped grin, eyes forming into crescents. “Well I guess it’s your lucky day.”
❣❣❣
Jungkook doesn’t really believe in fate; he doesn’t believe that the cosmic powers of the universe would conspire with each other just to bring two people together, only to have them break apart into unrecognizable pieces the next moment, or any of that bullshit about couples being able to be together no matter what the circumstance because they’re fated to be that way. So he convinces himself that it’s probably just coincidence that he runs into Taehyung the following night in the convenience store, the area surrounding the neighborhood not being that big of a place, anyway.
Jungkook is debating whether he’s going to buy some cheese for the jjampong he’s going to make for himself tonight as accompaniment for a whole night’s worth of slaving off for his term paper, seriously giving it thought while looking through different brands of cheese on the display when he feels a light tap on his shoulder. He turns just in time to be greeted with a trademark box-shaped grin and a question that he doesn’t expect on a Monday night run to the convenience store. “You still have that offer up?”
Yes, it’s probably just coincidence, he tells himself, even if there are about ten other convenience stores in town that Taehyung could have gone to instead of this one.
“It depends,” he smiles automatically, because Taehyung just has that effect on him.
“On?”
“On whether you’re a good student.” Jungkook says, and he almost stutters to take it back, belatedly realizing that it might have a double meaning. But Taehyung doesn’t seem to notice how it might have had a hidden innuendo, offering Jungkook that same wide grin he’s offered him when they danced at the reception the previous night.
“I am!” he replies, chirpy as ever. He looks like an enthusiastic five year old ready to learn how to tie his shoelaces, and his innocence makes Jungkook’s toes curl; makes him want to protect Taehyung from everything toxic this world might cause hurl at him. “I’ve got some pretty considerable grades on me,” he looks at Jungkook sheepishly, biting his lower lip in thought. “I think.” He laughs a bit at this, looking even years younger than his actual age.
Jungkook feels a churning in his gut. He blinks worriedly, not used to this unsettling feeling at the pit of his stomach, threatening to throw him under the bus any minute.
“So can we start now?” Taehyung looks hopeful again, like he’s wishing on a meteor passing by. Jungkook really hates disappointing people, but by protocol, he has to do what he’s got to do.
“Sorry Taehyung, I really need to finish a few papers tonight,“ it’s not even a lie, but he even sounds more apologetic than he feels that he’s surprised at himself. It’s either his acting skills has improved or he’s just gotten better to tricking himself.
“Some other night then?” he just shrugs in response, only one of his shoulders, rising a bit to complete the action. “I’m kinda busy with uni stuff right now since the semester’s about to end, but I’ll see what I can do.” Taehyung looks greatly distressed at the news, and he immediately feels guilty after pulling the busy-because-of-school card on Taehyung, but he really shouldn’t let his emotions cloud his judgment. Besides, it’s not like he’s going to meet Taehyung after this, right?
“Are you free for dinner then? I mean, it’s just dinner. Wouldn’t take much of your time for that.” Taehyung hastily adds, and Jungkook could see that he’s really trying hard to save what’s left of what else they can do together, what with Jungkook’s “busy” schedule.
This would be the last, anyway, he reminds himself. “I’m not really up for anything fancy right now, so maybe we could just have ramyeon here?”
“As in right here, right now?” Taehyung clarifies, eyes widening in surprise at Jungkook’s sudden take at his offer.
“Sure.” Jungkook shrugs. “But if you’re busy, we can do it some other time.” The words slip right out of Jungkook’s mouth before he could stop himself, and even if he hates himself for thinking about it, the prospect of seeing Taehyung again actually excites him.
“I wouldn’t mind.” Taehyung grins, childish look back on his face. “Convenience store dates are fun.” Jungkook almost chokes on his own spit from Taehyung’s inclusion of the word “date” in the entire sentence, but he doesn’t exactly have anything to say against Taehyung’s wishes.
❣❣❣
Jungkook had thought that the last time they would meet would have to be at the convenience store, but of course, he’s wrong. He doesn’t like to believe it himself, but it seems like fate keeps finding other chances to throw cards at them.
The next time they meet again, Jimin is latched onto Jungkook’s arm like a sloth hanging from a tree like his life depended on it. They’re at the grocery store, on their way to pick up some ingredients that Seokjin needs to make some jjapchae when they come face-to-face with Taehyung as they are making a turn for the next aisle. He misses the way Taehyung’s eyes-always alight with excitement-seem to waver a bit.
“Jungkook!” Taehyung greets, patting Jungkook on the back. Even though he initially looked like he was planning to back out, Taehyung still greets Jungkook with a warm smile and a mischievous grin. “Didn’t take you to be the type to do grocery shopping, honestly.”
“He isn’t, really,” Jimin butts in, and Taehyung looks at him confusedly for a moment, like he’s trying to piece it together in his mind where he’s seen Jimin before. “He prefers playing Piano Tiles on his phone, but I didn’t want to go alone so I had to drag him out here.”
“Uhm, yeah Taehyung, this is Jimin. And Jimin, this is Taehyung.” Jungkook starts off in an attempt to lessen the awkwardness he feels with the two finally getting to meet each other. He hasn’t exactly pictured how it’d happen, given that he never expected Taehyung to stick around at all, but then he doesn’t exactly think of this as bad. (That is, if Jimin doesn’t start butting in and revealing all of his embarrassing secrets)
“I met Taehyung during Yoosun hyung’s wedding,” he explains to Jimin first, and there’s a look in Jimin’s eyes that’s accusing him of blatant betrayal, like he’s already scolding Jungkook with his stare alone. It’s something along the lines of “Why haven’t you introduced us to each other sooner?” and to Jungkook, it sounds like the deafening shrill of a hysterical mom fussing over her son’s school uniform. Jungkook ignores this, a promise of an explanation for later at the look he gives Jimin back.
“And Jimin here’s my friend.” Jungkook says to Taehyung simply, because that’s how he introduces Jimin all the time, anyway.
Jimin clears his throat. “Best friend!” he clarifies. Jungkook just pinches his lips together so he would stop butting in on the conversation.
“He likes talking a lot, as you can see.” Jungkook says, grimacing. Jimin swats his hands away, punching Jungkook’s arm in the process.
The pieces seem to click together in Taehyung’s head, and Jungkook doesn’t seem to remember seeing his smile so wide before. “Ah, the one you were talking about at the party? Seokjin hyung’s boyfriend?”
“Yep, that’s me!” Jimin proudly declares, puffing his chest out.
“You guys wanna hang out after this?” Taehyung asks, casually pulling up a can of blueberries on the rack. He rolls it around his hands to busy himself as Jungkook glances at Jimin, conflicted.
“I can’t, I need to help my boyfriend make jjapchae.” Jimin pouts in disappointment, and Taehyung noticeably fumbles with the can, almost dropping it. He puts it back in the shelf quickly, not wanting to pay for any damages. “I’ll make sure to tag along next time though!”
“Hyung, you’re just gonna sit around and watch him cook.” Jungkook contradicts.
“Trust me, I’m gonna help him.” Jungkook almost gags at the knowing wink Jimin gives him, but he knows better than to prod further.
“I’m pretty sure Jungkook can come along though!” Jimin cheerfully says, patting Jungkook on the back a little bit too strongly. He smiles at the younger widely, as if telling him not to let this opportunity go to waste.
Jungkook stutters, his hands on the handle of the cart twitching. He tries to think of the best excuse he can come up with, trying not to fumble for words. “I can’t, I have a test I need to study for.”
Taehyung’s face falls in disappointment, and Jungkook couldn’t help but want to take back his words. “I thought your next exam is in two weeks?” Jimin squeaks beside him.
“It’s a difficult subject, I don’t want to cram.” Jungkook looks over at Jimin, willing him to understand why he’s doing this. He looks back at Taehyung with a smile, hoping to channel all his sincerity through it. “Thank you for the offer though, I really appreciate it.” And he does, though he doesn’t want to show how much.
Taehyung smiles again and waves it away as if it didn’t bother him at all, bidding them goodbye and promising to see them again some other time. But the glance he throws them over his shoulder before he leaves tells Jimin otherwise.
Jungkook begins pushing the cart again, but he stops in his tracks when he realizes that Jimin isn’t following him. “What’s wrong?”
Jimin stalks over, looking like he wants to punch someone but feels helpless with it. “Jungkook, why’d you do that?” Jimin grabs Jungkook’s sleeve a little too forcefully that it surprises the both of them, and Jimin hastily lets go, apologizing quickly. Jungkook waves it off, pushing the shopping cart forward because really, it doesn’t bother him at all. Jimin gauges the look on his face before speaking again. “It’s pretty obvious that you like him.”
“I don’t.” he says through his teeth, glaring at the older man in warning, daring him to push further. He looks at the items on display instead, glancing around for one that doesn’t have a dent on its lid, but of course, Jimin being typically himself, ignores Jungkook’s look.
“You do, but you don’t want to admit it to yourself.”
Jungkook stops looking through the cans of vegetables stocked up on the shelf, his grip on the cart tightening. He grits his teeth, not wanting to hear any more of it, only to end up arguing with Jimin. “How can you be so sure, hyung?”
“I can see it in your eyes.” Jungkook is quiet for a moment, because that’s something he doesn’t know how to contest with. Jimin’s pretty observant, and if he notices something’s off, he’s usually right.
Jungkook’s been denying it all to himself, but just a single sentence from Jimin affirms his thoughts, and he’s starting to be doubtful of his decisions. Jimin takes this as his chance, knowing that Jungkook is listening to him. “If you’re doubting your feelings for him just because you haven’t known each other for long, well, you shouldn’t. You don’t need to be together for a long time to like that person. It’s not like you’re getting married already, right?”
“But still, hyung,” he complains, and this time the resignation in his voice is clear. He thought that if he ignored what he’s been feeling it would just go away and fade like it was never there in the first place, but with Jimin telling him this, he feels as if it’s getting even more real. “I don’t like this feeling.” Jungkook doesn’t want to admit it out loud, but Jimin nods in understanding, as if it’s in his second nature to understand whatever Jungkook actually means to say behind his words.
Jimin doesn’t bring up the topic of Jungkook calling him hyung even though he likes rubbing it on the younger’s face, because he knows that Jungkook only always calls him hyung when things get serious. He makes sure to reserve it for the next time, though. “Because it makes you feel vulnerable?” Jungkook doesn’t answer, and Jimin takes this as his cue, because he’s probably right.
“Tell me Jungkook, why are you running away?” At the look of hesitation that keeps flitting around in Jungkook’s eyes, Jimin gives him a comforting pat on the back. "It’s okay, you can tell me. That’s what I’m here for, right?”
Jungkook bites his bottom lip, blinking in unease. But this is Jimin he’s talking to-he can tell anything to Jimin, right? “I watched you put your heart out there, only to have it given back to you in broken shards. I don’t want that to happen to me too, hyung.” Jungkook admits, and Jimin is painfully reminded of how, despite Jungkook’s calm and cool exterior, he’s still just a kid.
“Is that why you never got into a real relationship?” Jimin asks, voice a little too quiet for Jungkook’s taste. Jimin doesn’t recount all the people he’s turned down along with the few hook-ups and one-night stands that he remembers, and Jungkook is thankful that he doesn’t mention that.
“I don’t want to get hurt hyung. I’m-“He pauses, eyes glistening when he looks up at Jimin. “I’m terrified.” He admits, and Jimin rarely sees this side of him-vulnerable and terrified and acting like his own age.
Jungkook’s always appeared to be cool and all, acting like a cold guy in front of people, wanting to uphold that image that he’s built for himself so that other people would know not to mess with him, but he’s only an eighteen year-old, too. Even though he acts like a snotty brat to Jimin sometimes, he’s still two years younger. He always likes acting tough, but he’s still actually just a kid.
“It’s okay, Jungkook. I get scared of things like that, too. A lot, actually.” Jimin admits, laughing at a distant memory that Jungkook isn’t sure he himself knows. “Everyone does. But you can’t always learn from the mistakes I’ve made. You have to learn from your own. Because you’d never actually know, right?”
❣❣❣
The fourth time they meet again, it’s in front Seokjin and Jimin’s shared apartment.
Jungkook had come over when Seokjin had called him in a rush, not even caring to explain, but when Taehyung comes to view with a determined look on his face, his steps filled with purpose, everything clicks right in Jungkook’s mind.
He curses at Seokjin for not giving him a heads-up before making a decision, and he swears to punch Jimin in the face after this for getting so wrapped up in this, even involving Seokjin in the matter. He steps away from the door and moves to the bottommost part of the stairs leading to the apartment, waiting for Taehyung to catch up.
Taehyung hands him a card that he partly recognizes right before saying anything, and Jungkook looks down at the card in his hand, a familiar cartooned face grinning up at him “Sorry I couldn’t give you my Blue Eyes White Dragon. I’ve kind of grown attached to it.” Taehyung grins at him apologetically, and Jungkook is reminded of how his older brother grinned at him after giving him one of his older toy robots in compensation for when their parents were only able to afford buying one new model.
“Why are you giving me this?”
Taehyung looks taken aback at his question, and Jungkook’s eyebrows knit involuntarily. What has Jimin been telling him, anyway? “Aren’t you mad at me because I didn’t honor our deal?”
“Oh, that?” Jungkook scratches the back of his neck, stopping himself from sighing right in front of Taehyung. He can’t believe the lame alibis Jimin is always coming up with, but he can’t understand how Taehyung actually believes in it, either. “Actually… I wasn’t really serious when I agreed to have you pay me back with Yu-Gi-Oh cards. I wasn’t asking for anything in return.”
“But still!” Taehyung protests, as if it hurt his pride. “I have to honor our deal.”
“Okay…” Jungkook accepts the card hesitantly, not wanting Taehyung to have any outbursts. He stashes it in his wallet, inserting it behind his identification card. Taehyung grins widely, his lips forming into a box shape and his teeth on full display. Jungkook is unable to stop himself from smiling back, Taehyung’s smile being contagious as it is, but he catches himself before his grin gets too wide. “But you know, I wasn’t mad at you.”
“Then why were you avoiding me?” There’s that childish innocence to the way Taehyung asks him, like he’d understand it if only Jungkook would take the time to explain it to him.
Jungkook opens his mouth to explain, conjuring up the lines that he’s thought of before if ever he meets Taehyung again and asks him for a reason. But then he remembers Jimin’s words, and he realizes that Jimin has a point, and that he doesn’t want to keep lying to himself anymore in order to avoid getting hurt by other people and his expectations of them. “Because I was scared.”
“Of me?” Taehyung laughs, the deep baritone of his voice calming. “Truthfully, I’ve always wanted to join the drama club. I think the role of a psycho would fit me best.”
“No,” Jungkook shakes his head, and Taehyung looks befuddled, about to ask him what role he actually thinks would fit him better. “I’m afraid of liking you too much.” It sounds like a line grabbed from a cheesy drama to Jungkook’s ears, and his toes curl in embarrassment, his cheeks reddening along with it.
But then Taehyung giggles, his own cheeks tinged with red, and Jungkook suddenly doesn’t feel like crawling into a niche anymore. “It’s okay, I like you too much already, anyway.” He says, slinging an arm around Jungkook’s shoulders. “So don’t worry, it’s a give and take situation.
Despite the number of encounters they’ve already had, Jungkook’s still surprised by Taehyung’s forwardness, the heat creeping up his cheeks in embarrassment at Taehyung’s sudden confession.
“So, can I kiss you now?”
Jungkook blinks, unsure of what he’s hearing. “You’ve been wanting to kiss me?”
“Ever since the wedding, yeah.”
“Then, I don’t see anything wrong with that.” He says, smile inviting. Jungkook smiles and lets Taehyung’s hands settle on his waist, thinking that for a moment, he was at the right place, at the right time, and that he had his life in his own hands.
Maybe Jimin was right; maybe he should try it for himself. What has he got to lose, anyway?
So he returns Taehyung’s smile with his own and takes the other’s hand in his. “I accept your offer, Kim Taehyung.”
From inside the apartment, Jimin peels his eyes off the windows to look back at Seokjin, grinning like a proud father. “See, what’d I tell you? He just needed a little push in the right direction.”
Seokjin grins back at him, putting an arm around his shoulders and pulling him closer. He places a kiss on Jimin’s cheek, and Jimin couldn’t help but giggle. “I knew you could convince him.” He says, nuzzling into Jimin’s neck. Jimin wraps his arms around Seokjin, unable to stop himself from smiling.
❣❣❣
The next time they meet, Jungkook is quite sure that Taehyung did it on purpose.
They’re supposed to meet at the park, but Jungkook opens his front door to find Taehyung standing there, hands stuffed in the pockets at the sides of his hoodie. His ears are red from the cold, and Jungkook scolds him before taking his freezing hands, putting them together and rubbing his own hands against them in an attempt to warm him up. “You could have just called me to tell me you were coming over, I could have let you in while you were waiting.”
“It’s okay,” Taehyung grins his usual easy-going grin, as if the cold never bothered him at all. “By the way, I never got to dance with you during the party.”
“You did.” Jungkook looks at him with raised eyebrows to emphasize his point.
“I meant a slow dance.”
Jungkook sighs, putting Taehyung’s hands back down to his sides. “There’s always a next time, right?”
“What if we do it here?” Taehyung suggests, and Jungkook looks as if he’s trying to solve a 100-piece puzzle, trying to guess if Taehyung is joking or not.
“As in right here? Right now?” Taehyung’s answer to both of his questions is an enthusiastic nod.
“Okay,” Jungkook says, but he still sounds hesitant. He looks around as if searching for something, and when Taehyung prods him about this, he looks back at Taehyung with an equally confused expression on his face. “But what about the music?”
“I got you.” Taehyung puts his hands around Jungkook’s waist and starts humming a tune, his voice low and tantalizing. His eyes are solely focused on Jungkook’s all the time, and the latter feels hypnotized by his gaze.
The melody isn’t all that familiar to Jungkook, but if he listens to it closely, it sounds a bit sad. But somehow, it’s a little bit hopeful, too.
He doesn’t know what Taehyung is thinking and why he chose that song over others, but he likes to think is that what Taehyung hears beyond the wishful longing in the overall tone of the song is the hopefulness of it all.
“They might think we’re crazy.” Jungkook murmurs, finally swaying along to the beat. He wraps his arms around Taehyung’s shoulders and looks into Taehyung’s eyes, as if he could find all the answers he’s looking for in there.
“They just can’t hear the music.” Taehyung’s answer goes, sounding cryptic, but this time, Jungkook understands him well.