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softlyjiminie · 4 years

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cherry glosses n car washes | j.j.k

⇢ pairing(s): goth!jeon jungkook x sorority sister!reader.

⇢ word count: 7K.

⇢ rating: 18+, mature.

⇢ genre: pwp, smut, fluff, college!au, sorority!au.

⇢ summary: in the blistering heat of the summer sun, a bikini carwash is the last place you’d expect to find tattoo bearing, black sweater wearing jeon jungkook. but then again, no one expected to find him dating everyone’s beloved sorority queen YN LN either. in all honesty, he only really came to support her…but most definitely in more ways than one.

⇢ warning(s): please read! brief fight scene, heavy smut, pwp, switch!jungkook, switch!reader, oral sex (male receiving.), oral fixation, fingering, handjobs, heavy!exhibitionism, dirty talk, overstimulation, male masturbation, cumplay, creampie, unprotected sex - please wear protection!

⇢ author’s note(s): hello my loves! happy august! i hope you all are having a beautiful summer! the time has finally arrived for this cheeky fic, read with caution! extreeeme jk spice up ahead. ( thank you to @bangtan-headquarters for allowing me to participate in their Bangtan Boardwalk Collab Event! )

everyone knows who YN LN is. some know you as a daughter, a friend but to everyone at alpha delta pi, you were sister. you were a kind to all, taking care of your peers in your sorority, whether that be during times of hardship or just needing a simple friend to pull through. no person went untouched by your bright light, no person went without your cheery smiles and soft spoken voice, through cherry glossed lips and under peach blush. you made friends everywhere you went, entrancing them with sparkling eyes and a soft cherry blossom scent— and although you denied it, you were everything everyone wanted to be; smart, pretty, popular— you were living the dream.

but then there was your dream...jeon jungkook.

with dark ink tattoos of guns and roses spiralling down his arms and intertwining with his finger tips, long, thick hair and more piercings than you could count, jeon jungkook was the epitome of college bad boy. your boyfriend was the complete opposite of yourself, trading out any colour for black sweatshirts and heavy combat boots, grazed knuckles and a pierced lip that contrasted with the bubblegum pink shirts you wore every wednesday because your sorority was obsessed with early 2000s movies and yelling ‘you can’t sit with us!’ to jocks across the quad.

jungkook liked rock music, his motorbike named missy, painting his nails black and writing songs with his little band ( the weeping kittens, which you always found absolutely morbid but loved anyways ) whilst you liked collecting sparkly lipgloss and pretty stationary kits and those sanrio stickers that you liked to put on jungkook’s phone case sometimes. it was a wonder to anyone on campus how you got together, and to say they were intrigued was an understatement.

but you loved him for who he was, even with all of his odd little tendencies; like wearing black in the summer and scrunching his nose up when he laughed too hard, or how he used your hair clips to hold his hair back when he was concentrating. you liked that he quiet in class but loud and giggly with you, soft and sensitive, snarky and sweet. jungkook wasn’t like anyone you’d ever met, not like jung hoseok from your brother frat— who all your friends thought you’d end up with. of course, you’d flirted with the jock once or twice at parties but he hadn’t stolen your heart that night in sophomore year when jungkook stole your kisses in the back of his yoongi hyung’s van.

and although your friends still try to set you two up, jung hoseok will never be your jeon jungkook— there just isn’t anyone else like him.

that’s why you wear his oversized black AC/DC shirt that differs very much from the pink interior of your room, decorated by your roommate in the sorority house on campus. you didn’t have the heart to tell aerum that the feathers above your bed made you sneeze in your sleep, or that her choice of wallpaper sometimes made you woozy and that you’d much rather a less...bedazzled look; so you let her decorate as she pleases, with only a few hums in of agreement when she changes the settings on the LED lights every week. it’s only now that you realise how blistering this summer is, so you have the air con turned up to the max— goosebumps rising on your bare legs as you chat to your boyfriend of a year over facetime about you’re upcoming philanthropy project.

‘a bikini car wash, huh? like in those teen romcom movies you make me watch?”

your boyfriend mumbles absentmindedly—jungkook has his phone propped up against something, giving you a full view of his perfectly toned body as he strums away at his guitar— he claims he’s writing you another song, the lyrics purely focused on your pink skirts and cherry vanilla chapstick, but your concentration slips as you watch his inked fingers tug at his guitar strings...thinking about the way they’d curl around your throat or slip into the warmth of your mouth and press down against your pink tongue.

your lover glances up from playing for just a brief moment, the corner of his red lips twitching up into a brilliant smile when he catches you looking. ‘dollface, you’re staring.’ he whispers smugly, quirking his pierced brow at you and you struggle to hide the warm blush that blooms across the apples of your cheeks and neck.

“no i’m not.”

‘don’t be a brat, you know you are.’

you whine at his scolding tone, rolling over on your disney printed bed sheets because after all, you’re still a little girl... or his little girl as jungkook would put it. he makes a low noise in his throat, finally putting down his god forsaken instrument so he can pay attention to you, before sitting back in his seat expectantly. “are you sure you don’t wanna come? we’re raising money for a good cause!” you try again, jutting out your bottom lip in full pouty mode as you bat your eyelashes up at him. you’d been trying to convince jungkook to come to your philanthropy event for at least a week— the aforementioned car wash that was happening tomorrow— but whenever you brought it up, his gaze would drop and he’d fall quiet. “we’re donating all the proceeds to food shelters...”

‘i don’t know, YN...’

“i even got a new bikini, i wanna show it off for you!”

‘angel...’ your boyfriend sighs, running a hand through his midnight locks with the lightest hints of frustration. you deflate immediately, dropping the topic in favour for not pushing him any further. you don’t mean to upset him, you just really want him there so you can show him off and gush about how much you love him— the thought itself has your pout deepening before you know it. ‘come on now dollface don’t make that face, you know i can’t help myself when you make that face...’

this much is true, you know that no matter what you’re doing, if you make that face— jungkook’s a goner. “meh...” your voice is quiet and muffled from where you’ve shoved your face into the sheets to hide from jungkook, because you know that you’ll melt if you look at him. you don’t know what it was about him, but your lover always had a way of making you feel small in the best of ways. despite his quiet personality, jungkook was very domineering inside and outside of the bedroom, he cared for you like no other, protected you like no other. he wasn’t one to take advantage your kindness and he wasn’t about to let anyone else do the same so perhaps that’s also why you fell for him.

jungkook hums, leaning into the camera to get a better look at you. ‘it’s not that i don’t want to come and support you baby... i’m just worried that you’ll be exposed too much and—’ he lowers his voice, so you feel as if he’s lying right next to, causing you whimper out for him. the boy tuts, a lazy smile painting his lips as he looks at you with all the love in his eyes. ‘—and god as much as i’d love to see you show off your little outfit for me, i’m not so sure i’d fit in with your...crowd of friends...’ you nod your head slowly in understanding, because as much as you loved the girls in your sorority, they had a knack for making jungkook feel like he didn’t deserve you, purely because he was different from your usual type and jungkook was always too shy and introverted to say anything. you hated that he couldn’t feel comfortable around your friends like you could with his— so you couldn’t blame him for not wanting to come around.

“s’ okay googie,” you hum, curling into a ball on your bed as he laughs at your pet name for him. “i’ll just have to show it to you another time.”

‘another time it is, dollface.’ jungkook repeats, pretending to boop your nose through the screen. you talk for a little while longer before the members of the weeping kittens come in and interrupt your facetime call. the band consists of four members; yoongi the drummer, namjoon the guitarist , jimin the bassist and jungkook, of course, lead singer and guitarist number two. the older two occupy themselves with teasing your boyfriend, poking his cheeks and singing old playground songs ( “YN and jungkook sitting in the tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”) whilst jimin clings to the youngest like a baby and if you hadn’t known better, you’d have thought that the purple haired male was the baby of the group.

jungkook’s cheeks flush a deep crimson when you decide to play along, wishing him a goodnight that makes his face ripple with cringe. “sleep tight googie-poo,” you coo with a sing song tone, finally sitting up to blow him a kiss. the other members shriek with laughter, ruffling their little junggoogie’s mop of dark hair as you tease him for them to see. “i love youuu!”

‘goodnight angel-bear,’ jungkook says quietly, gritting his teeth has he sinks into his sweater to hide his embarrassment. you know his reaction is more of a result of his hyung’s teasing— he claims he can’t sleep well without saying goodnight in your special way. ‘i love you too...’ he mumbles, giving you a shy smile before hanging up the call, leaving you to fall asleep with an equally wide smile.

“there you go, joongie, hope she’s clean enough for you!”

you grin as you wipe the remaining sudds off of hongjoong’s bright red vintage car that you’re sure he spent all of his college loans on. nonetheless, you take the twenty he offers you from his wound down window and ruffle his matching strawberry hair. “thanks YN-ah,” he giggles, turning away from you for a brief second to tuck his wallet away, he briefly smacks his friend ( mingi ) on the thigh for staring at your boobs — and you can’t blame him, you love those girls — before offering you a bright smile. “you guys did a great job on her.”

you thank him once again, winking at mingi with a sly smile before waving the boys off and waiting for the next customer. the bikini car wash your sorority has set up is booming with business, students from across campus driving in to get their cars cleaned. some of the girls on the committee ordered in pink and white balloons to hang outside your dorm house, with a handmade sign saying ‘alpha delta pi wash!’ painted in pastel shades. your girls are having a great time too, looking stunning in all types of bathing suits that show off their beautiful bodies under golden rays, splashing each other with soapy water to ease the burn of the summer sun against their skin.

you quite like the little number you’re wearing too, a pale pink two piece with obsidian black accents and panelling at either side. you wave to some of the girls as you head over to your booth to count the cash you’ve made so far, when the familiar sound of rowdy cheers and hollering boys fills the air. barely glancing up from your work, you note the excited squeals of younger members of your sorority— already tripping over their flip flops to get a taste of the frat boys that take over your car wash.

“what does a guy have to do to get his car washed around here?”

rolling your eyes, you close the catch box with a drawn out sigh— picking up your gaze to meet that of jung hoseok’s. he stands half a head taller than you, chocolate brown hair parted and pushed back from his forehead, he wears the typical varsity jacket and baseball cap combo, paired with blue jeans and his signature chunky trainers. you wouldn’t lie and say that hoseok wasn’t attractive because you’d messed about with him once or twice before, but now he couldn’t seem to understand the boundaries of your blossoming relationship with jungkook. “pay thirteen bucks and use some manners?” your question is more of a statement, with you not in the mood to deal with a cocky frat boy who thinks he’s entitled to your service. the brunette looks taken a back, not used to your snarky attitude with him, but today was not a day for you to be messed with, all you wanted was to raise money for a good cause and have fun, not deal with assholes like him. nonetheless, the jock hands you his donation with a smirk as you whistle over one of the girls to help him.

“hyeri, you don’t mind helping hoseok over here do you—?”

“no,” hoseok cuts in, stepping between yourself and the older girl— stopping her from taking the equipment she needs to clean his car. you roll your shoulders, a light sweat dripping between their blades as frustration builds up within your temple— dealing with hoseok is bothersome and all you want is to relax and let lose. the brunette steps closer to you, and hyeri watches with blushing cheeks, the short, red head almost wishing she was in your position— her flustered attitude only inflating the boy’s ego. so entitled. hoseok was so so entitled. thinking that he could get anything he wanted from any girl just because he was pretty, and maybe that was the reason why he liked you so much— because you resisted him. “i want you to do it, YN, wash my car for me princess? please?”

scoffing, you cross your arms and send an apologetic look to the bumbling mess that is now hyeri. “book him a slot for me, love? i’ll let you help?” you ask softly to which she nods her head and runs off to take a note. hoseok smiles triumphantly but his win is quickly shot down by the glare you send him, and if looks could kill, he’d be six feet under. “you know it’s gonna cost you extra for even having me near you, right?”

“that’s an extra cost i’m will to pay...” the boy hums, smirk finding its way onto his lips once again, as he hands you another twenty before heading back to his car full of idiots. relieved that he’s gone ( for the time being ) you release a breath you hadn’t realised you were holding and head off to grab an extra bucket and sponge to clean hoseok’s obnoxiously bright yellow ferrari, but not before you take a second to reapply a layer of your favourite cherry gloss that had faded during the day.

you miss the recognisable sound of yoongi’s truck while your back is turned to the hustle and bustle of your event, so your skin jumps with goosebumps when a familiar pair of arms wrap around your bare waist. “guess who?” a soothing voice whispers into your ear, causing a light giggle to pass between your freshly glossed lips.

“let me think, is it mr. tall dark and handsome?” you tease, squealing as jungkook picks you up and spins you in his arms. before he’s even set you back onto your feet, your boyfriend attacks your face with soft kisses while tugging you into him. “you came!” you beam, once jungkook finally allows you to pull away— using an inked finger to trace patters on the small of your back. hums of approval sound from the bottom your throat while your stresses melt away, your boyfriend’s presence easily calming you down.

jungkook nods, a small smile tickling the corners of his pierced lips as he tucks a strand of your hair behind your ear and presses your foreheads together. “i realised that i was being stupid,” the guitarist mumbles, lips only inches away from your own— you’re so close that you can feel the warmth of his breath against your skin and his own body heat radiating against yours. although your foreheads are growing sticky from sweat ( a result of the intense summer heat ), you don’t mind, loving being in close proximity to your lover. “i shouldn’t let the fact that we have different friends stop me from showing my support, i shouldn’t be one to judge your events or say i think you’re exposing yourself— because this is your body and your choice and i’m so proud of you, sorry for being a dumb boy.”

you boop his nose, heart melting at your boyfriend’s words and even more when he scrunches his nose under your touch. “but you’re my dumb boy,” you add, teasing him slightly as you lean up to brush your lips against his. from the outside, it would appear that jungkook would always be the one to make you flustered— so it amused you when your larger, much more intimidating boyfriend blushed under the slightest touches from you. he puckers his lips, awaiting your kiss only for you to nip at his earlobe and whisper. “now how may i help you today?”

pulling away, you can see jungkook shyly curling in on himself— beyond flustered by your actions. his brown doe eyes avoid your gaze while his fingers slip into the sleeves of his black sweater as if he’s hiding. “i uh, also came to get yoongi hyung’s truck washed... he’s not happy with the state we left it in last time,” your lover mumbles quietly, and now you understand why he’s acting more shy than usual.

with bubbling laugher, you reach onto your tippy toes to ruffle jungkook’s long black locks— effectively moving them out of place. “i can help with that, koo,” you tease and pinch his cheeks as you return to your normal height. “but i can’t promise it’ll be any cleaner than last time—“ jungkook tugs you into his chest once more, opening his mouth to speak, when a car begins honking from your left. you huff, pushing your head into your boyfriend’s broad chest while you grip his sweater. “it’s hoseok...i’m sorry.”

jungkook shakes his head, offering you one of his beautiful bunny smiles before he leans down and captures your bottom lip between his teeth. his deep caramel eyes are locked onto yours before he grasps your cheeks and kisses you fully, tongue slotting perfectly against yours as they battle in a light dance for passion. but as soon as the kiss comes, it’s over, jungkook releasing you while you stand dazed to process what happened. your boyfriend was never one for PDA but you definitely notice how he smirks and revels in the cheers you both get, sending heat straight down to your core and making a light slick pool between your thighs. cheeky bastard. the boy salutes you as he lets you go, allowing you to run off to hoseok’s car while someone else books your lover in, before he heads back over to the truck. you make quick work of building up the suds for washing the car, dipping your sponge into the soapy water as you work on the hood— deciding now of all times, would be an ample opportunity to tease him. in the meantime the guitarist makes himself comfortable in the drivers seat of yoongi’s truck, watching you get to work— and it’s not long before he notices little things about you, like how you lean over hoseok’s car a little more, drawing attention to the curve of your ass or how you purposely drench yourself with the crisp, clear and cool soapy water when you ring out each sponge.

suddenly, jungkook’s pants begin to grow tight and his senses kick into overdrive as he becomes increasingly aware of the show you’re putting on for him. the boy knows what you’re doing, from the way you look at him from over your shoulder, to the spark in your eyes and the way you lick your cherry gloss lips. jungkook’s body acts for him, hand sliding down to the buckle of his pants as he slowly undoes it— his cock is half hard in his briefs just from watching you. he hisses when he grabs his length, pumping it slowly. jungkook feels wrong, dirty for touching himself in public, let alone in his hyung’s van but he can never help himself when it comes to you— so he almost whimpers when you lean over to soap up hoseok’s window and give him a full view of your breasts in the little pink bralette you wear.

the guitarist thanks his luck that his dark sweater covers his dirty work, thrusting he shallowly into his hand— imagining that it’s your cute little pussy clenching around him. the warmth of need bursting in his chest because god, you look so good and he knows you’ll sound better when you’re underneath him. squeezing his cock, jungkook let’s a low groan rumble in his chest— fingertips just brushing at his orgasm.

but the euphoria of his release is suddenly ripped away from him when another girl he recognises as your roommate, areum, from the nights he visits you at the house— knocks on his window. jungkook tears his hands from his pants and gives the girl a smile, driving over to get the truck washed just as you finish up with hoseok. you smile at the job you’ve done and the way the frat member’s car shines as you dry up your hands. right when you’re about to leave to find jungkook, hoseok slips from his vehicle and grabs your wrist so that your attention is turned to him.

“she looks great, YN... thanks for cleaning her up,” hoseok praises you, leaning back against his precious yellow ferrari that you’re sure is loaned ( because realistically what college student could afford such a fancy car ), you blink, appreciative of his thanks and nod your head but your mind is too hazy from the looks your guitarist lover was giving you earlier. you know he’s beyond turned on at this point and your mouth almost waters from the thought of him taking you right there, right now. “is there any way i can repay you?”

you snap out of your thoughts, tugging your wrist from hoseok’s grip and smiling at him sweetly— hoping that it speeds up your interaction so you can return to your boyfriend. “you already paid.” you mumble bluntly, turning to leave once more before you’re pulled back into the taller male’s grasp.

“why so distant YN-ah? let me take you out to say thanks?”

“let me go hoseok.” you warn, growling out your words. it’s like he couldn’t understand, that he was incapable of realising that you just weren’t interested in him like that anymore. your eyes and heart were set on jungkook, your days flirting and messing about with boys from the neighbouring frat were over and you didn’t care what people thought of your new relationship. yes, jungkook wasn’t your usual, conventional type but he was yours. your shy, emo, inked, pierced pretty boy.

“just think about it...” the boy pushes for you to consider it, pulling you into him by the hips as the pads of his fingers sink into your naked skin.

“hoseok.” you repeat, your tone much harsher this time as you push him back by his shoulders.

“just let me—“

the wind is knocked out of you before you have a chance to retort, as you’re yanked free from hoseok’s burning grip into a warm and familiar embrace. you immediately recognise jungkook’s sweet, floral scent and cast your gaze upwards, his sharp jaw is clenched, pierced nose is flared and skin shines under the sun from his light perspiration. you’ve never seen him so angry before, at least not in public. jungkook has never been one to start fights or initiate major PDA in front of anyone, so his attitude today... shocks you. “are you dumb, stupid, or is it both?” your boyfriend spits, anger at hot as the sun that beats down on you. his large palms that hold onto your waist tighten and his possessiveness starts to make you light headed with want. you don’t know if it’s the fact that you’re both angry or that jungkook never gets this pissed but you feel the same wetness from earlier begin to gather in your panties. “shit man,” jungkook continues as a crowd begins to gather. “when a girl says to fuck off, you fuck off, especially when she’s taken.”

your pupils blow wide, gaze flickering over to hoseok who’s chest rises and falls with a mix of embarrassment and anger. you can’t tell which is the more domineering emotion. “and what if i don’t ‘fuck off’ what are you gonna do about it freak? we both know she deserves better than you.” hoseok goes for a low blow, eliciting a chorus of ‘ooo’s and ‘fight! fight! fight!’s from the group that surrounds you and his car. your boyfriend clenches his teeth ready to to spit out another comeback when you detangle yourself from his grip and knee hoseok in the dick before giving him a good old sucker punch— watching with a satisfied glossy grin as he doubles over in pain.

“YN, you bitch!” he cries out in pain, and you’re about to swing again when jungkook lifts you by your hips— legs kicking and arms flailing just to get another taste. once you’re a fair distance away, your boyfriend sets you down as you shake out your hand— knuckles barley bruised from the punch and you know that your lover is impressed ( and maybe just a little more turned on ).

hoseok’s frat brothers help him clear up his bloody nose while girls fawn over the poor thing. you’re not surprised when hyeri gives you a disappointed look, punishing you with the task of cleaning the interior of the douche’s car whilst the sorority takes a lunch break. something about repaying him for almost breaking his nose. you don’t mind though, you were far too hungry for something else.

“that was hot,” jungkook mumbles against your neck after everyone’s gone, he’s got you pressed against the door of yoongi’s truck— thigh between your legs and lips barley touching your neck. you moan lowly, feeling your hips naturally grind down against the meat of your boyfriend’s thigh whilst slick gathers at your entrance. the combat jeans he wears are a rough polyester, only adding to your stimulation but you’re beyond turned on at this point, not caring if anyone sees. not that they will, the car wash is closed while everyone’s on break, so you have time to kill. “the way you sucker punched him like that, god i don’t think my dick’s ever gotten that hard that fast...”

your laughter falls into an airy moan, as your fingers dance their way down from jungkook’s sweaty hair to push at his sweater. you wonder how he’s not burning in the thing with how thick it is, not to mention how black clothes attract heat but you don’t question it, only knowing one thing and one thing only. that you want it off. “don’t lie to me googie,” you whine when he pulls away to rid himself of the ghastly article of clothing— a different type of heat building in your core. “saw you watchin’ me wash hoseok’s car earlier, bet you were painfully hard just sitting there knowing you couldn’t touch me,” you breathe, enjoying the way he twitches in your grasp as you yank him up for a blazing kiss. his strawberry tongue swipes over your lips to taste the cherry they have painted on and the flavour bursts in your mouth as he forces your lips apart and tangles his tongue with yours. when he pulls away, only a trail of saliva connects you both, making you both groan in unison. “were you touching yourself, baby?” you ask breathlessly, forcing your head back against the cool surface of the truck.

“fuck, angel face...” jungkook hisses at your lewd words, hips stuttering when you grab his growing bulge through his jeans. “h-how’d you know?

“i just know you.”

your boyfriend presses his lips to yours once again, fingers diving down to pinch your clit over the panties of your bikini— making you squeal with pleasure. jungkook swallows each and every one of your noises, hands trailing up and down your body until the slide under your bralette where inked fingers pull at your nipples and squeeze at your breasts. the peaks harden under jungkook’s touch, which is surprisingly cool despite the weather and you arch your back into him— desperate for more.

“let me feel you,” he finally says, sounding just as desperate as you and you nod, letting jungkook drop your feet to the ground gently and shove his shirt into the front of yoongi’s freshly cleaned truck. the guitarist is about to open the door for you when an idea pops into your head. pulling jungkook’s arm, you point over to the piercing yellow ferrari on the other side of of the lot outside of your sorority’s house and his face falls. within an instant, the key’s of hoseok’s car are back in your hand (after an hour of cleaning it) and jungkook is lowering you onto it’s hood. “want me to fuck you here, dollface? for everyone to see?”

you nod your head, a series of incoherent babbles falling from between your lips as you stare up your boyfriend with a hazy look in your eye— a look that drives him wild. jungkook strips you of your bralette and takes a breast into his mouth, sucking and licking and biting like a man devouring his last meal. you have no choice but to take what he gives you, closing your eyes to the melody of wet, sloppy sounds as his warm tongue swirls around each bud— contrasting with the cold metal of hoseok’s car beneath you. his freehand tweaks your other nipple before dancing down to between your legs as he pushes your thighs further apart. wetness pours from your burning entrance, causing your panties to stick deliciously to your pussy and jungkook groans around your second breast ( having switched between the two ) before he slides his two fingers past the flimsy pink material to circle your dripping hole.

“please koo, finger me...fuck me!” you cry desperately, writhing against the expensive car that your pussy drools onto. he groans, wasting no more time as he pushes his tattooed digits into your tight cunt, you whimper as he grinds his palm against your clit with every thrust of his fingers inside of you— dragging his finger tips against your needy walls as your eyes threaten to flutter shut from bliss.

your boyfriend tuts from your breast, standing straight to lean over you while more of your juices splatter lewdly against the hood of hoseok’s car. “nonono, angel, eyes open, want you to look at me as i stretch you open on this fucker’s car, yeah?” he pants, curling the fingers he has buried in your pussy so that they catch deliciously on that one spot. your bleary eyes focus on one thing and one thing only, your lover. the way that his lips shine under the sun with smears of your cherry lip gloss, and the way that his dark eyes shift to lighter shades of coffee brown in the sunlight— the way his strawberry lips are caught between his teeth as he pleasures you and your heart bursts with adoration. “that’s my good girl...” he mumbles, voice gravelly with need when he notices your open doe eyes.

with uncoordinated movements, you manage to tackle the buttons of jungkook’s pants, pulling his painfully hard cock free from its material confines. he practically whimpers when your burning palm comes into contact with his weighty length, his tip bright red and glistening with need. “feel good baby?” you ask him while doing your best to pump him in time with the thrusts of your fingers, creating the illusion of him being inside of you. jungkook leaks endless amounts of precum, eyes scrunching shut as he grows closer to his orgasm.

jungkook buries his mop of midnight hair into the crook of of your neck, kissing at the skin there. “d-didn’t finish earlier...” he stammers, thrusting his length into your grip. “if you don’t stop i’m gonna cum before being inside you...” he wastes no more time, pushing your pretty pink panties aside and slapping is leaking tip against your glistening pussy— teasing you both even though you’ve been craving each other all day. his strong, tattooed arms hook around your legs, bringing you closer to him as he finally pushes his cock past your entrance— you hiss in unison as his weighty length sits within you and you dig your heels into the small of his back to prompt him to move. “shit...angel, dreamed of this pussy all day...”

“then take it jungkook, take me like you mean it,” you almost scream, wrapping your arms around his shoulders to pull him impossibly closer. your nails dig crescent moons into his blemished, freckled skin as he circles his hips and drills is cock into you, tip rubbing against your fiery walls while you clamp down on him. your cunt selfishly sucks him in as you find the strength within you to lift your hips and meet his thrusts— loving the way he feels and the burn of his fat cock stretching you open. the air between you seems heavier, hotter as the sun shines brightly above you— your perspiration clouding the glimmer on the hood of hoseok’s car as mix of your arousals smear across the honey yellow paint. you’re messy, dirty, tainting hoseok’s car as jungkook fucks into you with wanton— chasing the release that’s been building in his stomach all day.

you love it though, the way he wrecks your little hole out in broad daylight for everyone to see if they wanted— the sounds of his hips slamming against yours filling the empty lot in front of your sorority. anyone could come back now and see you taking his cock, and the thought makes your pussy gush with sweet, hot nectar. “your cunt is so greedy, swallowing my cock whole,” jungkook reminds you, pushing his cock into your womb until he reaches the hilt. “you must like me taking you in public huh?” he speaks your thoughts, moaning heavily as you squeeze around his length with every word, your juices wetting him more. jungkook presses down on your tummy and you watch with awe as it bulges slightly— his hips never easing up as he pushes himself impossibly deeper inside of you. “god angel face, would you look at that, look at me inside of you.”

“you’re so big,” you praise from underneath him, gasping as he grinds himself into you— harsh material of his jeans brushing against your sensitive clit. you play a game of back and forth, pushing your hips against each other with every turn until jungkook picks up the pace again, a knot in your stomach begins to form— your orgasm sneaking up behind you as your pussy weeps and cries, painting the front of jungkook’s jeans as well as your pretty thighs. “wanna cum on this thick cock of yours koo, make me cum please please...”

“you’re driving me insane dollface,” jungkook comments through gritted teeth, pounding into you now at a relentless pace— you can feel every vein and ridge of his cock against your walls, causing your jaw to go slack as you drip endlessly. he shuts your pleas up with the two fingers in your mouth letting you taste the remains of your essence. your boyfriend only manages a few more thrusts before you’re falling limp against him with new colours flashing behind your eyes as cream against his cock. jungkook rides out your high, hitting your g-spot over and over and almost reaches his climax when you hear someone’s footsteps against the gravel. eyes widening jungkook pulls your weak frame into his chest, using the discarded keys to open hoseok’s car door before bringing you inside. your heart thumps as you spot a sister from your sorority in the side mirrors, she seems to be looking for something but for now, you remain out of view.

with that in mind, you push yourself out of jungkook’s iron grip— knowing full well that he still hasn’t cum. ignoring your boyfriend’s nervous and confused expression along with the thumping in your chest, you drop to your knees, paying no mind to the burn the gravel causes against them. “YN, what are you—?” jungkook never finishes his question as you brace yourself on his thighs, giving sweet kitten licks to his tip before taking him into your mouth. you won’t need to do much work, he’s already close and you can tell from the way his abs clench and his fingers weave their way into your hair. your free hands pump what doesn’t fit into your hot mouth, as you drool on his cock and spit gathers on your chin.

your boyfriend whimpers quietly in the front passenger seat and you slap his inner thighs when the girl walks past. you spare a glance to the mirrors once more, swirling your tongue around your lover’s length as he strains to hold in his moans. he whispers ‘pleases’ under his breath, begging you to let him cum...so once the footsteps retreat and disappear completely, you tap his thigh once and jungkook immediately bucks his hips. your jaw falls lax as he thrusts into your mouth as if it were your tight heat, desperately chasing the release he’s been waiting for all day. “fuck, fuck, shit!” he curses as your throat tightens around his length, causing him to spill his seed into your mouth. you swallow gratefully, only pulling away to show him the mess he made of your tongue before letting him pull you onto his lap. “such a dirty girl, sucking me off like that with people around...”

“you loved it,” you tease, twirling his long hair between your fingers as he kisses down the valley between your breasts.

“would have loved to cum inside you, more.”

you straddle jungkook’s lap, letting his half hard cock brush against your soaked panties as you grind down on him. “then let me make you cum again; let me ride you.” you state more so than ask, taking his hands into yours and intertwining your fingers. jungkook looks up at you with bright starry eyes, and you lose yourself within their constellations— you loved him, you knew that and no one would change that. the mood slips into something softer and you’re no longer in a rush to ruin hoseok’s car, instead you take your time easing yourself down onto your love’s length as it hardens with each stroke of your hips.

neither of you will last long this time, sensitive from your previous releases but that doesn’t stop you from slowly lifting your hips and bringing them back down to start a steady pace. the length of jungkook’s weighty girth, drags along your velvet walls with each rock of his hips into yours, sending tingles of pleasure down your spend. he lets go of your right hand, using his large inked palm to grab at your waist, guiding you into him in away that makes him whine. he moves onto your ass, squeezing the peachy flesh as you bounce on him, launching you both into new realms of pleasure.

“love that ass baby, how good it looks in this little set,” jungkook whimpers against your sweat slicked skin, closing his eyes to tune into the sounds of your angelic moans and wetness against his dick. “always so pretty for me...”

you swivel your hips in soft circles, clamping down on your lover with each word of praise as he sucks blues and indigos and violets between your breasts, his mouth salivating from watching them bounce with every thrust into your tight heat. he worships you under the golden sun, heated bodies moving together as you both work towards release. “it’s all yours, koo,” you cry, biting your cherry lips— bitten red and swollen from kisses your lover used to soothe your cries of wanton. “i’m all yours.” you add before he’s wrapping an arm around your waist and you’re pulling him by the hair to yank him into another sweet kiss, tasting traces of your gloss on his pinkish lips.

“mine.” jungkook claims your mouth as his, as you squeeze and clench and clamp around his girth, tears beginning to roll as your high approaches. the guitarist doesn’t up, letting you swallow his whines as the sensitivity grows too much, the tip of his length hitting that one spot over and over again while you push your hips down to meet his every thrust.

“look me in the eyes when you cum with me.” you growl to him, freeing your hands to cup his cheeks— lips tingling and cunt spasming. jungkook can barely nod but he obliges, deep brown eyes pulling you in as his warm breath fans across your face. you drown in his eyes, falling under as the knot in your stomach finally snaps— your hips falter as you cling to jungkook with all you have, release glazing his cock until he fills you with his creamy essence. your fingers massage his wet scalp while you bury your face into his neck, hearing him whimper and cry out as he fills you over and over again.

eventually, the sensitivity grows too much and jungkook pulls out of you with small moans, fingers finding your messy entrance as a mix of your arousals drips onto the leather seats. “i love you, angel face...so fucking much,” he finally says with glossy eyes and a tiny smile, dipping his finger into your leaking hole and smearing the evidence of your rendezvous against your lips.

“and i love you, more than anything.” you hum back, licking the sweet and salty sheen from your lips before mirroring your lovers smile because all though he’d rubbed of your cherry gloss, jungkook’s cum was the next best thing.

⇢ taglist !

@periminkle @singular-itae @ggukkieland @preciouschimime @ultraanonymousey @aishots @yiyibetch @luvrssunrise @uyyugukkie @10cm @4gustdx @codeinebelle @itssmarla @http-je0n

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feliix · 4 years

Text

Crush Culture ✦ KTH (18+)

✦ Pairing: Taehyung x Reader

✦ Rating: M ✦ Word Count: 14k (screams)

✦ Genre: fluff, angst, smut, fake dating!au

✦ Summary: Once summer hits and you return to work at the local ice cream shop, you’re swarmed with couples coming in on lovey-dovey on dates. You’ve always hated the idea of relationships and love, but it’s Taehyung’s mission to make you reconsider by the end of the summer.

✦ Warnings: childhood friends 2 lovers, idiots 2 lovers unprotected sex, fingering, pining, soft sex, light mentions of marking, mentions of bad past relationships, Tae is kinda a player but he turns out alright

✦ A/N: a big big thank you to the lovely @hobiance for helping me plan yet another fic and @jinned for giving me the much needed support and hyping me up until I finished my first long boi ilysm ♡ also thank you to my lovely beta @jinterlude who I would be completely illiterate without! the most beautiful banner you’ve ever seen is made by none other than my baby @koophoriia ily bunbunbun

Written for the BHQ Bangtan Boardwalk Collaboration

Taglist: @krystle1990 @imluckybitches

“Gross”

Another couple. Probably the 50th overly lovey-dovey pair that you’ve seen this evening alone. The shop is packed full of them on warm nights like this.

To say ‘love’ isn’t really your thing isn’t far from the truth. Relationships suck. Been there, done that.

You always keep the same theory; relationships either end in heartbreak or marriage. And even still, marriage can still end in heartbreak, so what’s the point?

“Stop being dramatic,” Taehyung laughs after catching your snide remark from around the corner. He had just run to the back to get you a fresh package of cups after using up all the stock in the front.

Tonight is busy, to say the least. The sun is setting, and it’s the perfect time for families and couples alike to come in and get a cold and tasty treat, especially on a day as hot as this one. It’s over 100º, and the humidity is doing a real number to your hair.

“It’s not dramatic,” you sigh, leaning on the counter behind you as Taehyung maneuvers around you, placing the cups on the shelf underneath.

It’s just the two of you on the schedule tonight. Your boss is kind of an asshole, leaving 2 ‘kids’ in their early twenties to run the shop by themselves while he went off to do god knows what. Probably at the bar across the street, since his car is still parked in the back, but he’s nowhere to be found. That’s okay though, it's better than having him loom over your shoulder and critique your scooping texture the whole shift.

“Whatever you say,” Taehyung shakes his head.

Unlike yourself, Taehyung is a hopeless romantic, always looking for love in the wrong places. It always seems that his relationships never work out though, which has always confused you – Taehyung is a great guy.

So great that you have been best friends with him for as long as you could remember. It all started that time in pre-k, where you poured a shovel of sand on his head in the sandbox. Initially, it did make him cry, but he got over it eventually. Ever since, he’s been right by your side, sandy hair and all.

“How much longer,” your eyes roll back in your head, neglecting to look at the watch on your wrist in fear that your shift has a significant amount of time left.

“Just under an hour, we should start the closing checklist so we can get outta here,” Tae responds as he reaches for the rag and sanitation bucket.

Nodding your head, you follow his plan – beginning your mission to clean like a speed demon so you can leave at 8 o’clock on the dot. You’ll be damned if a customer comes in at 7:58, but there's always one Karen that comes as you’re about to lock the doors. You hate those Karens.

Lucky for you, closing tonight went as smoothly as it can go. You and Taehyung are ready to go at 8 on the dot, clocking out and locking up behind you.

“So what are we doing tonight?” Taehyung asks, his fingers adjusting the headband that sits just above his forehead.

“I was gonna go home and sleep…” you trail off, avoiding eye contact with him. You know his eyes are much too convincing to look into, and you are beyond exhausted from working a double today.

“Booooo you’re boring,” he teases, stopping in his tracks in the center of the parking lot, “it was an early night we should do something.”

With a deep sigh, you stop as well, turning around to meet his suggestive smirk. He knows he’s about to get his way before you have the chance to argue back with him. So you tilt your head, waiting for him to explain what he has in mind.

“I’ll be at your house by 9.”

And with that, you’re starting the ignition to your car and racing home, carefully, of course.

Taehyung is always spontaneous like this.

After making it home and rushing to get ready, Taehyung was there to pick you up, a few minutes late, but that’s just par for the course. When you end up at your favorite boba spot, you know Taehyung wants to talk about something. He never wants to sit down at a place like this just for small talk, you’ve picked up on his signs and can read him like a book.

But when you finally get your drink and sit at your favorite table in the back corner, he doesn’t say much. It’s almost like he’s waiting for you to speak up. His eyes staring down at his drink instead of sipping it, hands rested in his lap with his lip caught between his teeth. It’s puzzling, slightly, you thought he wanted to hang out tonight and do something adventurous…

The awkward silence and lack of gestures from Taehyung is starting to make you uncomfortable, so you decide to take matters into your own hands.

“How are things going with that girl,” you ask before bringing the straw of your tea to your lips, sipping nonchalantly.

“Oh yeah,” he sighs, his fingertips drumming along the surface of the table, “it didn’t really work out.”

When it comes to Taehyung, relationships never really seem to work out. To say it lightly, he is extremely picky. His last relationship ended because he thought the girl breathed too loudly. The girl before that had an annoying laugh, and then the one before that bit her nails.

Eventually, his pickiness has become a trend to the point that Taehyung will entertain a girl for a month or so. Then, he'll find something so minuscule within the said girl and turn it into a dealbreaker. The nit-picking things are way too much to move past for Taehyung. It’s clear that he is in search of the ‘perfect woman,’ like that even exists.

“You’re probably better off.”

You don’t think much of the words before they leave your lips. Relationships are a ton of work, is it really worth it to put all your effort into something like that? There is a way to just be happy on your own, you know.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He’s taken back by your statement, his eyebrows furrowing in response as he waits for your answer.

“You know what I think,” you tilt your heat matter-of-factly, “relationships are a waste of time.”

“What is with you and all this ‘anti-love’ stuff anyway?”

His question catches you off guard, a boba bubble almost catching in your throat leaving you a coughing mess. Taehyung chuckles at your discomfort, waiting patiently for you to get it all out and answer his question.

“I’ve wasted too much time with too many dead-beat guys to even think about love,” you sigh again, your coughing fit subsiding as you reach for your boba once again.

“Not all guys are dead-beats, you know.”

His words come out harsh, almost as if he finds your words offensive. Like you are meaning to group him in with all the guys you’ve dated in the past. Which is strange, Taehyung knows that he’s different. For one, you’ve never dated him before and two, if he was such a dead-beat you wouldn’t have kept him around for so long.

You can’t talk to guys, or most people like you talk to Taehyung. He’s the one you rant about the dead-beats to, along with everything else under the sun. He knows all the shit that you don’t tell anyone else, he’s like your own personal human diary. Secrets are always safe with him, it's not like he has anyone who would listen to the gossip even if he wanted to tell.

After a minute of silence Taehyung’s expression changes, his eyes squinting at you in that ‘I have a crazy idea’ type of way. It’s a look that you see often, and you couldn’t say that you would ever be used to it.

“Okay then I’ll make you a deal,” he proposes, a glimmering look in his eye that made you somewhat nervous. You never know what you are getting with Taehyung, but most of the time his ‘deals’ are on the crazier side.

“What is it?” You still ask although you’re a bit nervous to hear his answer. If his plan is to set you up with one of his delinquent friends or something–

“Be my girlfriend.”

Your eyes widen as the words leave his lips, confusion taking over your expression as a small chuckle leaves his lips. He can't be serious…

“Your what?”

“Two weeks is all I’m asking for. Be my girlfriend for just two weeks, and I’ll show you that love isn’t as shitty as you think it is.”

“You’re crazy,” you shake your head, a disbelieving smile stretching wide across your face.

“C’mon Y/N,” he challenges, “it’s two weeks of your life, what else do you have to do?”

The quirk of his eyebrow and quick squint of his eyes grabs your attention. He’s serious about this, scarily serious, and you aren’t quite sure how to react to that.

“What’s in it for you?” Your chin falls into your palm as you stare at him, waiting for his response.

“Well for one,” he starts, a sigh leaving his lips, “I won’t have to listen to you complain about how much relationships suck anymore.”

Just when you don't think you can roll your eyes any further into the back of your head, your own actions surprise you. If looks could kill, the one you’re giving him right now would surely take him out. He doesn’t pay much mind to it though, he’s used to your sass and just shrugs it off.

“This is an awful idea,” you glare at him as if it will change his mind. You’re certain this experiment of his would not change your own. Love sucked, and that was that.

“Two weeks,” his voice carries a taunting tone, his eyebrows wiggling to entice you into his plan. He isn’t going to give up on this easily, you know Taehyung. And Taehyung always gets his way.

“Fine,” you huff, “two weeks and that’s it. And if my mind isn’t changed you owe me 3 more of these,” you say, picking up your tea from the table and shaking it at eye-level for emphasis.

His bottom lip catches between his teeth, satisfied with your response. He isn’t exactly sure how he’ll manage to pull this off, but he’s definitely up for the challenge.

“We start tomorrow at 8, I’ll pick you up after work.”

Crossing your arms over the table, you bury your head in your arms. This is going to be the most interesting two weeks of your entire life.

“So you’re like dating dating?” Lainey’s jaw drops, excitement prevalent on her face as you spill about your night with Taehyung.

Lainey is the only person in your life that understood your hatred for relationships, other than Taehyung of course. Not that she shares the hatred herself, she just heard enough about how much you despise being in one to know how you felt.

Along with Taehyung, Lainey is your best friend. And she’s the only person in this world that you can bear to work a double with on a Saturday.

“That's the plan,” you sigh fiddling with the scoops behind you. It’s pretty slow for a Saturday afternoon, not many customers have come in since you opened up at 11.

That’s the thing about working at an ice cream shop – it sucks when it's slow, and it sucks when it's busy. Though it isn't a miserable job, you at least have Tae and Lainey to keep you company.

The smirk on Lainey’s face hasn’t disappeared since you told her about Taehyung’s deal. She’s shocked that you actually agreed to something like this, especially since it’s with Taehyung. The same Taehyung that ended a 3-month relationship last year because the girl ‘smelled like peaches.’ It’s only a matter of time until Taehyung finds your own deal-breaking trait.

“For the record,” you turn to look at Lainey, a grin still evident on her face, “I don’t think this is gonna change my mind.”

“Y/N,” Lainey whines as she draws out the last syllable of your name, plopping herself down in a chair to pout. “Stop being so…so…”

“So?”

Her face crinkles as she racks her brain for the word, rubbing her temples in hopes that it will come to her. Your eyebrow crooks in response, a slight chuckle leaving your lips as you wait.

“Pessimistic!” Lainey’s face lights up as it finally comes to her. She does have a point. It’s been a while since you actually let anyone in

“You know Taehyung, you never know, maybe something could happen,” her eyebrows lift at the end of her sentence, too suggestively for your own comfort.

“Okay no, that's exactly why this is only two weeks. I know Taehyung, he’ll be over it in 2 weeks.”

“Whatever you say,” the pitch of her voice is raised teasingly. She doesn’t believe this will be a two-week thing.

Lainey has been friends with you and Taehyung for 4 summers now. Once she started working at the ice cream shop with you two it was an automatic connection. Letting her into your little clique with no hesitation, you quickly became 3 peas in a pod.

But Lainey sees a lot of things that you aren’t able to see for yourself. You had grown up with Taehyung, grown accustomed to his unique mannerisms and behaviors without even noticing. Lainey, on the other hand, has a different point of view.

She sees the way Taehyung looks at you and how he hangs on each and every word that leaves your mouth. How he longs to make you laugh, watching you with a growing grin each time a chuckle passes through your lips. She notices every behavior that you see as nothing more than ‘friendly.’ But who is she to say? So, for now, the information remains tucked away and stored in her mind for a later date.

Your fingers drum on the glass cover of the freezer beneath you, leaning against it as you wait for a customer to come in. All this time with nothing to do is really doing wonders for your imagination; thinking about what Taehyung has planned for the two of you to do tonight. Nothing special, you hope, he really doesn’t need to go all out for this.

“He’s picking me up after work”

“Oooh he’s picking you up?”

“Shut up,” your eyes roll at her teasing nature, growing slightly embarrassed by how giddy it’s making you. It’s just Taehyung, and you are just hanging out like you do every other night.

The rest of you shift flies by – it always does when you work with Lainey. Before you know it, the closing checklist is coming to an end, only a few steps left before you can finally get out of here. The clock had just turned to 7:55 pm, but Taehyung still isn’t here. Not that you’re expecting him to be on time or anything, this is still the same Taehyung you have always known.

What you aren’t familiar with is the nervous butterflies fluttering around in your tummy as the clock approaches 8pm. What are you even nervous about? It isn’t a blind date, other than the fact that you have no idea what you’re doing. And it isn’t even a date. It’s Taehyung for crying out loud.

Speaking of the devil, the chimes in the front of the shop ring as Taehyung passes through the doorway. You don’t see who it is at first, your back turns to the door as you sweep behind the counter. The chimes ringing at this time of night do trigger your fight or flight instincts though, ready to turn to whoever is approaching and give them a dirty look for coming in this close to closing time.

But once you turn around and see Taehyung standing in the doorway with a bouquet of sunflowers, your tension quickly subsides. You swear that you can feel your heart skip a beat, heat rising to your cheeks as you try your hardest to form a manageable sentence. It's okay that you aren’t able to, though, the surprised look on your face is enough for his own to light up and beam across the room.

“I’m here to pick up the pretty girl with the coffee ice cream stain on her shirt,” he chuckles, his bottom lip catching between his teeth.

He dressed a lot nicer than usual attire; a dress shirt with a loose pair of slacks dressing his slim figure. His hair is light too, much different than the dark brown curls that frame his face. He’s really going all out for this – and you’re wearing a pair of running shorts and an ice cream stained t-shirt.

Lainey is just as stunned as you are, frozen in her spot with her jaw practically on the floor. She looks at you with wide eyes, her eyebrows raising as a smug expression crosses her face. You look in her direction, about to ask if she’s alright to finish closing on her own, but before you’re able to say anything she’s already shooing the two of you out the door.

With a goofy grin displayed across his face, he hands you the bundle of flowers, tied together with a delicate white ribbon. You mumble a thank you, still stunned that he showed up here looking like that to take you out tonight. So he is the romantic type, note taken.

“You like nice,” you gulp nervously. It already feels like a date and you haven’t even left the parking lot yet. If this is how things are going to start you had an exciting 13 more days ahead of you...

“As do you,” he smirks, his eyes wandering down to the small brown stains littering your shirt. Eyes narrowing, you read the expression crossing his face – of course, he’s joking. “I brought you some fresh clothes to change into don’t worry.”

Relief rushes through your body as the words leave his lips.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

An interesting yet on-brand response from Taehyung. He’s a big fan of surprises – as long as he’s not on the receiving end.

The drive to your destination seems long. You aren’t quite sure how long you’ve been on your way; between the agile back seat changing of clothes, which you are surprisingly skilled at, and the anticipation coursing through your veins, you’ve lost track of time All you know is that you’ve been driving through backroads for at least 15 minutes, and the destination doesn’t seem anywhere near.

“This is it.” The car pulls into a small dirt parking lot, dimly lit by some dingy street lights that aren’t doing such a great job illuminating things. Your eyebrow crooks unintentionally – this was it?

Your eyes wander outward as Taehyung parks the car, unable to see anything further than a 10-foot radius.

“Where are we?” The question leaves your lips in a worried fashion. Trees surround the parking lot on all three-sides, while the road you've pulled in from occupies the fourth-side. You’re hesitant to get out of the car, but as Taehyung rounds the front and opens the door for you, you’re on your way out. He motions for you to hold on as he pops the trunk – returning with a blanket and a reusable shopping bag filled with god knows what.

He still hasn’t given an answer to your question though, and you still aren’t quite sure where you are. If It was lighter out you assume it would be beautiful here, all the greenery dark and shadows hovering over you from the trees.

The bright light from his cell phone flashlight lights up the way, a path on your right

“Hell no,” your arms cross over your chest as you stand still in your place. He’s out of his mind if he thinks you’re going into the woods this late at night. You’ve seen enough horror films, stuff like this never ends well.

“C’mon, it’s not as bad as it looks,” Taehyung laughs at your pouting manner, amusement filling his system as you glue your feet to the ground of the parking lot. His puppy dog eyes plead for you to follow him, a hand outreaching in your direction for the taking. You contemplate it for a moment, your eyes narrowing as you ponder the possible outcomes of the situation before you.

“Fine,” you huff as you take his hand in yours.

His hand feels different in yours this time. His long fingers lacing between your smaller ones in the perfect fit that you’ve neglected to notice before. You’ve held his hand before, platonically though. This time it’s platonic too though, right? It’s just a date. A platonic date between two friends. Two friends who are dating on a two week trial period. So yes, it is strictly platonic. Right?

The dirt path doesn’t drag on for too long, but the sounds of bugs ticking and twigs breaking beneath your feet is enough to startle you. Every scared and breathy gasp that leaves your mouth is followed by a small fit of laughter from Taehyung. At least one of you is amused.

But the dirt path soon turns rocky, a clearing becoming more and more noticeable as Taehyung’s flashlight brightens the way ahead of you. The rows of trees come to an end as the ground flattens, a giant slab of rock lying beneath your feet. Out ahead of you is completely dark, and until you approach the darkness you don’t notice that you’re just a few yards away from the edge of a cliff. A river lies below the edge, the sound of water rushing fills your ears and calms your nerves. It is quiet out here, peaceful and without distraction.

Taehyung stands back as you admire the scenery around you – your own phone flashlight now out and panning around to look at the view. It’s beautiful out here, nothing to worry about but the sounds of the water and whatever Taehyung is doing behind you…

You couldn’t have zoned out for more than 2 minutes, but once you turn back around to face him a picnic blanket lies on the ground before you. Snacks scatter the extent of the fabric, a few candles placed in the center

“You really went all out for this, huh?” A nervous laugh leaves your lips before you swallow harshly. Never in your life has a guy ever gone all out like this for you. A late-night picnic at a secret location, fixed with all of your favorite snacks and some candles for ambiance.

“Had to,” he smiles, “it’s our first date.”

You join him on the blanket, grabbing for a bag of popcorn as you sit down. Maybe relationships wouldn’t suck so much if all men treated you like this…

Woah woah woah. It’s just Taehyung. Taehyung who already knows all your favorite things to eat. He’s just trying to be convincing – to prove to you that men take you on dates, do nice things. But stuff like this never lasts. Two weeks from now you’ll be going back to the same old Tae and Y/N friendship that you’ve always had.

The conversation goes on as normal tonight, he doesn’t make any moves (as expected, it’s Taehyung) and you enjoy the view and calm atmosphere with your fake but not so fake boyfriend. You stay out on the cliff for a few more hours before he takes you home. Taehyung put a lot of effort into making tonight special, and you appreciate him for that. But even after all his effort, you know that real relationships aren’t like this.

Every guy you’ve dated would try to woo you over in the beginning too. They call it the honeymoon stage for a reason. Things are always great in the beginning, lavish gifts and dates, loving gestures. That kind of thing never lasts. Soon the effort runs out, the guy gets bored of putting the work in, and they end up sleeping with your freshman year roommate. Well, at least that's how it is for you.

The bundle of sunflowers Taehyung gave to you earlier on in the night sits on the end table next to your bed. Each time you look at them all you can picture is the goofy grin he sported as he stood at the entrance of the ice cream shop. It replays in your mind like a movie. How he dressed up all spiffy just to take you out. How he took you to a spot only he knew about, somewhere so off-site and serene that he knew you’d remain uninterrupted. You can’t help but wonder if he’s using the same old tricks on you that he does to other girls though. If he only knew about that place because he’s taken someone there before.

Not that it matters though, you aren’t his real girlfriend. You’re just on a trial period. But for some reason the thought that he might have brought another girl to the same spot before doesn’t sit well with you.

“Sooooo,” Lainey teases, her chin falling into her palm as she leans on the freezer before her, “how was your date with Y/N?”

Taehyung chuckles at her nosiness, he’s sure you’ve already told her all about it. There are no secrets left between you two. Even sometimes Taehyung felt like the odd man out around you both.

“It was good.”

Taehyung keeps his answer short, leaving the rest up to her imagination. He isn’t one to kiss and tell or to not kiss and tell either. Things are better that way.

“Just good?” Lainey challenges, knowing there is much more that he’s leaving out. Her eyes narrow as she waits for his response. You haven’t told her anything about last night, not even where you went after he picked you up. Things are radio silent on your end.

Taehyung glances back at her, contemplating whether or not he should spill the beans.It would be nice to have someone else to confide in since it's always you on the receiving end of his secrets; however, this is the one secret that you can't know.

He chews on his bottom lip pensively, if anyone knows what’s on your mind, it would be Lainey. Not that Taehyung is looking to pry, he just has no indication to how you feel about last night, or about him.

Before Taehyung can even open his mouth to speak, a knowing smirk is spread wide across Lainey’s face. It’s that kind of look that makes him nervous – she knows something.

“You like her,” she muses, tossing her hair over her shoulder as the words catch in the air. It’s out there now, and it’s obvious. Well, maybe not obvious, but clear as day to Lainey – and that is more than enough to make Taehyung worry.

“I don’t,” He denies her claim, his willpower too strong to give into her.

“Oh yeah? Why do you self sabotage every one of your relationships then?”

Her words catch Taehyung off guard, his jaw clenching harshly as an annoyed breath is forced out of his nostrils. He wants to deny her claim once again, but he can’t bring himself to keep brushing off these feelings that have had a grip on him ever since he was young.

Lainey is right too. He does sabotage each relationship that comes his way. Taehyung goes out of his way to find something wrong with each girl he dates. He can never admit it to himself, but in the back of his mind, he knows that it's the fact that none of those girls are you.

“It’s written all over your face every time you look at her you know?”

Was he really that obvious? Did it show that much whenever he was around you?

“What do you mean?” Taehyung clarifies, the small once of hope bearing weight in his chest that Lainey is just joking around. That she doesn’t actually know the one thing he’s been holding onto for so long.

She doesn’t have to respond for him to know the answer. The quirk of her eyebrow and knowing expression on her face says enough.

“Well you can’t tell her,” he sighs, hand gripping harshly on the countertop as he stares down at the black and white checkered floors. Lainey turns to look at him staring down in distress, a sympathetic glance directed at him. He’s worried you’ll find out.

You can’t find out. If you do, then all bets will be off. Once you know Taehyung’s feelings for you there is no way that you’ll let your little arrangement continue. He knows you only agreed to this because there is nothing between you romantically, or at least as far as you know.

Lainey bears her weight on the cooler behind her, leaning comfortably on the cool glass. “I want her to be done with this ‘I hate love thing’ just as much as you do,” her fingers mock air quotes as she continues, “Want me to be honest?”

“Please.”

“I think you might be the only one who can change her mind.”

Taehyung’s heart skips a beat as the words leave her mouth. Blood rushes to his ears, pumping like a snare drum as he considers what she just said. He’s confused as to what she means. You agreed to fake-date him, but you still hate love.

A comfortable silence fills the air, Lainey watching him as his lips roll between his teeth as he’s deep in thought. Change your mind. The words repeat in his mind like a broken record. That’s what he’s trying to do, for the right reasons; so that you won’t be so miserable. But behind those selfless reasons come with smaller selfish ones. He gets to be with you as more than a friend now, and although it’s nothing more than some kind of test run, he can’t help but feel like this can be something more too.

“Like you think…” he gulps, clearing his throat as the words stutter out of his mouth, “I could get her to fall for me?”

The lack of response that Lainey gives is ominous, but the raise of her eyebrows and toothy grin forming on her face needs no words to tell. If anyone is to change your mind, it’ll be Taehyung.

That night Taehyung took you to the drive-in movies. To be quite honest, you couldn’t really recall what was playing, some Pixar film with bugs as the main character if you can recall it correctly. You were far too distracted laughing with Taehyung, watching as young kids played around on a grassy patch near his car. The giggles that left his lips each time the little girl waved to him were music to your ears. You never noticed how much he loved kids, how good he was with them.

The image of his hands clasped together as he fawned over the little girl, picking dandelions in the grass and racing to place them by your feet was burned into your memory. The boxy grin that graced his face all night long. The way his eyes squinted from his cheeks, pushing up as he smiled so big. The whispers of the word ‘cute’ each time her pigtails bounced while she toddled away.

Missing the movie doesn't disappoint you. If anything, the memories you've saved from tonight are more than enough.

The next night you were unable to go out, the shop was so busy that you were not able to leave until an hour and a half after your shift was supposed to end. Some punk kid dropped 2 cones on the floor on his way out and decided it would be best to leave them there without cleaning anything up. Maybe if it hadn’t been so busy then you would have noticed the spill before it dried up and stuck to the tile floors.

Naturally, you spent a good 15 minutes trying to mop up all the stickiness on the floor. But to your luck, Taehyung is working with you that night. Once all the customers left the shop he hooked his phone up to the speakers, grabbed your hands, and danced you around the shop. Well, it was supposed to be dancing but it probably looked more like Taehyung swinging your arms as you attempted to not trip over your own feet.

It makes up for not getting to go out though, and you’d take a night like that over a fancy dinner any chance you got.

It’s been 12 days since you became Taehyung‘s girlfriend, and as the remaining days decreased, so did your hatred for love. Each night he planned something special. The real kicker was the texts that you get once he makes it home from dropping you off every night. A simple ‘I had a great time tonight’ was enough to make your heart swell and heat rise to your cheeks.

And as you notice your hatred for love and relationships leaving you, you notice another feeling enter your system. Or several feelings…

Things are getting just as sticky as the night two when ice cream cones landed on the shop floor face down, sprinkles and all. Spending time with Taehyung like this is bringing some things to the surface you didn’t know were buried in the first place.

Every night that you spent with Taehyung over the past 12 days allowed you to see him in a new light. You got to see him on a different level than just friends. You got to see what every girl that fawns over Taehyung experiences.

Something about your friendship never let you jump past that barrier. You only see him as a dear friend of yours. Nothing more and nothing less. And now the issue is that...you aren’t sure how you’ll ever go back to see him as such.

You like Taehyung as more than a friend, that's for sure. And you know because of that things will never be able to go back to the way they once were.

Maybe you're reading too much into it, but your gut is telling you that you aren't the only one feeling this way.

The feeling of butterflies that pound in your stomach each time you meet eyes with him has to be reciprocated. There is just no way you can be feeling this way and he isn’t.

This isn’t like the feelings you’ve caught for any guy before, this is something else. Every night when you go home you lay in bed, staring at your ceiling with a dumb grin on your face as you think about your time together, about him. About the way his black curly hair falls in front of his eyes each time he looks down and how his smile lights up every room he was in.

These things that you were so blind to before can’t escape your thoughts, and it makes you wonder how many times or things you’ve looked over that make you melt, just like you are right now.

But in just 2 days, this trial-boyfriend period will be over, and you’ll have to go back to being just friends. Each day, each hour, each minute that approaches feels heavier and heavier. Anxiety floods your system each time you think about things being over, or that this arrangement you have isn’t even real.

When you think about the growing feelings you have for him, you honestly can't imagine what your life will be like any other way. What it would be like going back to just hanging out here and there. And what it would be like

You can’t even fathom thinking about what it would be like hearing him talk about another girl again. It makes you sick thinking that there's going to be someone after you, because in just 5 days this will be all over, and you’ll go back to being the girl best friend, nothing more.

Maybe it’s just wishful thinking that Taehyung has more feelings for you too. But the glimmer in his eyes as his bangs brush out of his eyes and they land on you tells a different story. When he looks at you it feels like you are the only two people on earth. He sees nothing else but you, and the way your eyes sparkle back at him.

Each day you spend with Taehyung after that feels like a wrench tightening the screws of your heart. 14 days is just not enough.

“Earth to Y/N” Lainey says waving a hand in your face. You must have zoned out, for god knows how long.

“Thinking about Tae?”

“What,” she catches you off guard, straightening your posture and brushing yourself off before responding to her, “no…just thinking.”

“Right,” the sarcasm drips from her lips, turning away from you as she wipes off a table in the front.

For personal reasons, you’ve kept Lainey out of the loop during this whole fake-boyfriend Taehyung thing. It’s better if you keep your feelings to yourself until you figure them out. And although it feels really really strange not giving Lainey the intel on what’s going on in your life, you know it’s for your own good.

Once you put what is in your head out into the world, you can’t take it back. What if you are just in the honeymoon-phase? If these feelings for Taehyung are only because he’s trying his best to woo you, and then they’ll just fade away as things return back to normal.

Something in you tells you that this isn't the case, but the small shadow of doubt in the back of your mind keeps you from talking to your best friend about it anyway.

The thing is, you don't have to tell Lainey for her to know. Every time Tae picks you up from work to take you out you shine. Your smile spreads so wide she’s afraid your cheeks will tear. The nervous shake of your fingers as you grab for your belongings as you head out the door doesn’t go unnoticed in Lainey’s eyes. She knows you too well to look over things like this, she just wanted to wait for you to say something first.

But now that you aren’t, Lainey has decided to take matters into her own hands, asking you about it herself.

“Lainey,” you start, waiting for her attention before you pull out a stool, sitting down and motioning for her to follow suit. She does, a questioning but knowing look evident on her face as she joins you. “You know how this thing between Taehyung and I is just an experiment or whatever?”

She nods in response, her hand quickly falling into her palm as she listens intently to your words.

“I think I messed up.” Your head is buried in your arms, laid over the tabletop in embarrassment.

“What do you mean?”

Her question is more for clarification, she wants to hear you say it herself. She knows that you’re gonna tell her you caught feelings. She sees it coming from a mile away, you confirming it is just the icing on the ice cream cake.

“Don’t make me say it,” you whine, neglecting to pick your head up and look at her. You can feel the grin on her face. You know she's smirking at you right now, doing her best to hold back a laugh. Finally, you got over your ‘I hate love and relationships suck’ thing.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about,” she sings, quite obviously teasing you while another deep sigh echoes from your chest. You manage to pick your head up, leaning onto your elbows with your chin caught between your palms as you face her.

“I like him.”

It comes out as a whisper, but Lainey hears it loud and clear. If you didn’t know better, you’d assume that the smile on her face can't grow any larger, but it does. She jumps up from her chair in victory, doing a funny dance with her arms whooping in the air to celebrate. You’re confused as to why, but you’re too far in your own thoughts to pay it any mind; your head just sinks back into your arms as your forehead presses against the cold metal table beneath you.

“I knew it,” Lainey smiles, her happy dance subsiding as she sits back down across from you. “I knew this fake dating thing was gonna work.

“Yeah well it really worked, because now I have feelings for a guy that’s never gonna reciprocate them for me.”

Your tone is laced with sarcasm, a disappointing ring outlining each of your words. You’re too embarrassed to look at the girl sitting before you, worried that if you do all the emotions you’ve been holding onto for so long will spill over and stain your stone-cold image; one you’ve maintained for far too long.

But Lainey’s your best friend. The only one that you should be comfortable being vulnerable about your feelings for Taehyung with; for some reason all you can’t bring yourself to be.

Before you can get a grip on your emotions tears are streaming down your face, falling onto the cold metal surface under you in small puddles.

A sympathetic sigh leaves Lainey’s lips as she tries to gain your attention, “Hey.”

Inhaling deeply, you face her – mascara strewn across your face in black streaks and eyes nearly bloodshot. You’ve held this in for far too long. Only a double would tire you out and exhaust you enough to cry on the clock. Thank God it’s a rainy day, no customers ever come in on rainy days.

Or at least, no customers usually come in on rainy days. It's not until you hear the bells on the front door ring that you’re wiping your eyes, whipping around to greet whoever was entering.

And then you see him, standing there as he shakes out his umbrella, a bouquet of sunflowers in his hand.

And he sees you; mascara running down your face and tears staining your cheeks. He’s early. Your stomach turns at the sight of him, emotions not stable enough to handle carry a normal conversation like

“Y/N,” his voice is quiet, worry dripping in his tone as your name leaves his lips. But you can’t face him right now, not like this.

Your feet move faster than you mind, standing up and rushing to the back to avoid him. Taehyung doesn’t follow you, just stands there and watches you walk away, solemn and worried that he’s done something.

It’s not until Lainey is rising from her seat and pacing over to him that he’s brought back to reality.

“Taehyung,” she starts, hands coming up slowly to console him, “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be here right now.”

“Wh-What’s wrong?” His lip worries between his teeth, eyes glossy as he stares at the door you just closed behind you. He’s looking at it intently, mind flooding with worry, wishing so badly that the door will just fly open, and you’ll tell him what was going on. In the back of his mind, he knows that you won’t, at least not for now. Talking about emotions has never been your strong suit, and chances of that changing at this moment are at an all-time low.

Lainey is unsure how to answer him, caught in between not wanting to lie and keeping your feelings private. She doesn’t want to speak for you; but she’s scared of saying something that can make this situation worse.

Her mouth gapes as she searches for a response to his question, lips opening and closing and she hums to find the right words. They don’t come.

The umbrella hanging from Taehyung’s hand drops with a crash, starling Lainey as she jumps at the sudden sound. But before she is even able to speak, the bell to the front door is ringing again, and Taehyung is walking away into the pouring rain.

The next day you wake up feeling numb. You’ve received several texts from Taehyung the night before, none of which you have the energy to reply to or even look at for that matter.

The guilt riddling your body has become too much for you to handle. You left work last night without even saying goodbye to Lainey. She’s a good enough friend and coworker to know that what you’re going through is more important than working the counter at an ice cream shop.

After Taehyung left she came back and let you know; she almost had to break down the door to the backroom in order for you to let her in. She told you to go home, get some rest and that you’d talk tomorrow.

But after waking up the last thing you want to do is talk about Taehyung; to think about him.

Every time you thought about how your arrangement was supposed to end in just a few days you felt sick. You have worked so hard to open up just to build your walls back up again. And now you’re back at square one.

When you agreed to be Taehyung’s girlfriend you did not expect to fall for him like this. He’s Taehyung. He’s your personal diary, the one who knows all the shit that nobody else knows and listens to all the shit that no one else cares about.

Feelings ruin everything. Love sucks, and you knew this before you agreed. You agreed under the circumstances that Taehyung could show you that relationships could be fun; not under the circumstances that he would make you fall in love with him,

And the more that you think about it, maybe you were always in love with him. Maybe you always had these feelings for him, but they were trapped in the tight bonds of friendship that your subconscious never let you out.

But none of that even mattered now. The deal had to be off, and you need to distance yourself from Taehyung before you are hurt any worse. The longer this goes on the worse that you are going to feel when it's all over.

How are you supposed to go back to normal after this? Like is Taehyung thinking that showing you how amazing relationships are, you won't fall for him or something? Or does his true plan consist of making you fall in love with him, just to string you along like every other girl he's dated?

You’re trapped in the never-ending spiraling thoughts, soiling your image of Taehyung with each new theory that crosses your mind. None of them are good. All of them paint him as a player, as someone who just used you.

But the little thump in your heart when you notice the sunflowers placed on your bedside table wants your mind to change. Your heart wants you to believe that Taehyung feels something too, that throughout this arrangement he has seen a different side to you too – that he’s fallen for you just like you have for him.

It's a knock at your door that guides you out of your thoughts. The repetitive tapping at your front door that drags you out of bed. And when you check your peephole and it's no one else, but your small blonde best friend standing on your doorstep that has relief rushing through your system.

The door cracks open, Lainey standing there with an umbrella in her hand – even though it was nearly 100º with clear skies.

“Why are you still in your pajamas? It's noon.”

She pushes past you and to your living room, plopping down on your couch and making herself comfortable as she waits for you to join. You spin on your heels, an exhausted breath leaving your mouth as you pace over to her, plopping down beside her.

“Why the umbrella?” Your brow furrows as she hands it over. You take it though, still confused behind the meaning of the object that you're holding and where it came from.

“It’s Taehyung’s.”

You nearly drop it as his name leaves her lips. The name causes your stomach to tighten, mouth-drying instantly as emotions well behind your eyes.

“Why?” Is all you can mutter out. Why was she giving it to you, why was she here, and why did she have it?

“You need to bring it back to him.” She says sternly, her eyes locked on you as she waits for you to look back at her. But you’re too focused on the umbrella placed gently in your hands, tracing your finger over every wire and the soft rubber handle.

“I can’t.” Your words come out in a whisper, breath light and airy as you sigh, sinking your body back into the couch cushions. Giving the umbrella back to Taehyung will mean that you have to go see him. And if you see him, he’s going to want to talk to you about last night, then question you about why you haven’t been returning his texts. No. You will not be giving Taehyung his umbrella back.

“Y/N,” your name leaves her mouth gently, a sigh following it before she reached for you, rubbing your arm comfortingly before continuing, “I think you need to talk to him.”

“Lainey,” you let out an annoyed sigh, “you know I can’t do that.”

You’re serious in your words. Not that you don’t want to talk to him. If you could, you would, but you can’t. There are too many emotions involved. The wound is fresh and seeing him would be rubbing salt right into it.

“Y/N,” she sighs, this time more forceful, she’s trying to get something across to you but it's going right over your head. “Talk to him. Please.”

“You know I’m going to end up hurt if I do.”

Tears well in your eyes as the words croak from your throat. It's dry and scratchy, full of fear and anxiety.

“I think you’d be surprised,” she mumbles, her eyes instantly widening on realizing the words that just escaped.

Eyes wide with confusion, they’re begging her to go on, but if she does then Taehyung won’t be the only one in deep shit right now. You can’t know what she knows.

“What do you mean I’ll be surprised?”

“I have to go,” she stands instantly, motioning to the umbrella, “and you need to bring this back.”

With a slight ruffle to your hair, Lainey is giving you a supporting smile and waving goodbye. And you’re left alone once again – just you and Taehyung’s blue umbrella.

It takes a lot of courage to get ready today. You make sure to take your sweet time rummaging through your closet, flipping through articles of clothing for the better half of an hour. At the end, you opt to go with a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt. There isn't enough energy in your body to put on anything else, and you know you’ll just want to curl back up in bed once you get home. Sweatpants are safe, and safe is just what you need.

No makeup today either. If things are anything like you’re expecting, your makeup will just end up ruined anyway. It's your better judgment to shower though, you’ve neglected to take one after work last night; opting to just bury yourself under your covers as soon as you got back. But today is a new day. And with a fresh shower and your comfiest pair of sweatpants, you are about as ready as you’ll ever be to get your heart broken into a billion pieces.

Umbrella in hand, you step out onto your front steps, relishing in your last few moments of ignorant bliss before making your way to Taehyung’s. You immediately regret your wardrobe decision as the sun beats down on your frame, the humidity making you feel sticky and gross – your favorite pants are no match for this heat.

But you’re on your way to your destination anyway, the drive feeling longer and more drawn out than normal. Taehyung didn’t live that far away from you, but the ride there still felt like an eternity with each theoretical scenario passing your mind.

Dragging your feet, you make your way to the front steps of his house. You’ve been here a million times, but today is different. From now on, every time you drive past this place all you’ll know is heartache.

You brush yourself off, taking a deep breath before bringing your hand up and pushing the doorbell. The sudden ringing sound startles you, even though you have every indication that it’s coming – you’re just too nervous and jumpy for your own good.

Footsteps approach the door, your stomach tightening more and more with the muffled pitter-patter of footsteps. You’re praying to God that it’s his mom, hoping that Taehyung just so happens to be out – even though his car is in plain sight parked just a few meters away from you. Wishful thinking, you suppose.

When the door to his house opens, you struggle to maintain your composure. He’s dressed similarly to you; a pair of sweats and an old sports t-shirt that has definitely seen better days.

“Hi.”

His eyes are sunken in, dark circles dragging underneath his eyes and his lips pulled downwards. He looks like a sad puppy, his dark hair all scruffy and sticking up in each direction – probably from him running his hands through it so many times.

“I came to give you this,” you extend the umbrella out before you. He nods before taking hold of it, his hand far at the opposite end making sure not to keep his distance. The more you look at him, the more sorry you feel for dodging his texts. He looks like he hasn’t slept a wink, and you’re afraid it’s all because of you.

“Oh...uh, thanks,” he struggles to make eye contact with you, looking down at the object in his hand.

It’s awkward, uncomfortable, and you can’t seem to find the words to say to break this strange tension between the two of you. He’s acting weird, shifting his weight back and forth but not moving away to close the door. His mind is racing once again – contemplating whether or not to just invite you in or leave it at that.

But with every aching bone in his body, he musters up the courage to lift his head, looking you directly in the eyes. Their dark like his, definitely from the lack of sleep you had the night before. Your mouth is turned downward too; hands fiddling together to try and distract yourself.

“D-Do you wanna come in?” He stutters, stepping aside slowly as he gestures towards his house. He suddenly worries when you don’t respond right away, taking a second to contemplate if this is a good idea or not. Ripping off the band-aid is never easy, but it needs to be done.

“Sure,” is the word that you decide on – hoping that it doesn’t make you seem disinterested or too desperate to talk. Maybe he’s just being kind though. Maybe it’s an empty offer, something that you say when you’re trying to be nice, but subconsciously hope that they won’t take you up on it. Like when you offer to share your food with someone, but you’re really hungry. You do it to be nice, not because you actually want to split the delicious looking burger and fries on your plate.

He leads you inside and to his bedroom. It looks the same as always, but it feels different. It still smells like him though, the comforting woodsy scent of pine and mahogany that he always reaches for. But that comforting scent is anything but comfortable. You’re frozen in place, unsure if you should sit on his bed and make yourself at home, much like every other time in the past. For now you just stand in the doorframe, waiting for him to tell you to take a seat, just like any polite guest would. A guest. You have never felt like a guest in his home before, or around Taehyung in general. But that imaginary wall between the two of you is standing tall and sturdy, and suddenly the two of you are reverted back to being strangers.

You watch as he toys with something on his desk, his fingers dancing from object to object and sifting through papers to look busy. The point of it – unknown to you but to him, he’s buying time. Trying to think of the first thing to say, what to ask, or if you even wanted to talk. Maybe you only agreed to come inside to be nice. Maybe you were too worried about hurting his feelings if you said no. But alas, here you are, standing awkwardly in his doorway as he shuffles around his room, his brain flooding with thoughts – but his mouth can not form them into audible words.

“I’m sorry for ignoring your texts.”

Your voice catches his attention, dropping whatever paper he’s looking at now and turning his gaze to you. You’re sunken into yourself, your chest thumping with anxiety as his eyes begin to wander your frame. Not in a ‘I’m checking you out’ manner though; more of a ‘you look so sad and I don’t know what to say to you right now’ kind of way.

It’s true though, he doesn’t know what to say – which is why he’s staring at you, hoping the right words would just pop up and he didn’t have to use any brain-power at all. He doesn’t want to say ‘it's okay,’ because it's not. You never ignore his texts, and that alone tells him enough about what's going on. You are upset at him.

“What did I do wrong, Y/N?”

His words sound accusatory but his tone is soft, gentle and full of worry. Eyes swollen and looking like they are about to fill to the brim with tears, his sight is focused on you; now not able to look away.

“I-I don’t know…”

Your answer is honest. You don’t know if his intentions are dirty. Yeah, that’s what you thought initially, but looking at him with such hurt written all over his face tells a different story.

Taehyung is silent, unsure of what more he can do or say to make you talk to him. He can’t force you to open up, he never has and he never will – that’s always been his rule. Everything you’ve shared with him has been on your own terms and conditions. Taehyung has always been here to be your listening ear, but he never pries.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

His voice is soft, eyes full of sympathy as he holds himself together. Those were the words he has been looking for. Now the ball is in your court and you’ll have to be the one leading the conversation. It’s just what he needed to figure this shit out.

“I-I don’t know.”

“Y/N,” he sighs as he drops himself down onto the mattress, “I shouldn’t have to say this for you to know it, but you know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

You do know that. You really, really do. But this time things are different. Is he expecting you to just come out and speak your truth like there won’t be consequences? No, he won’t push you to tell him anything you don’t want to. But the worry in his eyes and clammy hands are begging for you to just let it out so he can stop being in the dark.

You sigh out an ‘okay’ before sitting down beside him.

Rip the band-aid off Y/N. Quick and painless.

His eyes narrow, almost to a squint, staring right through you in hopes of reading your thoughts. Your expression is nothing but blank as you try your best to gain some sort of composure. Do you just speak up and spill your guts? The words replay in your mind over and over until your thoughts are beat down and misshapen.

You can picture his face when you say it; disgusted with a trace of disappointment and some confusion spread into the mix. Or maybe he’ll laugh at how pathetic you were, catching feelings for your fake boyfriend.

That’s it. There’s no way you can tell him. It would be much easier to just get up and leave. Tell him to pretend like none of this ever happened and that you needed some time to cool off. A few months maybe, or maybe you could just ghost him entirely.

“Y/N?”

The sound of his voice breaks you out of your toxic thoughts, and his chocolate brown eyes bring you back down to earth. You can’t just leave him in the dust. He’s looking at you like you’re the only thing that exists. Things will be okay, right?

“Sorry, sorry,” you exhale deeply as you calm your thoughts; shifting the nasty scenarios out and accepting that whatever happens after this conversation is your fate.

“Taehyung, I-I guess I wasn’t expecting this boyfriend-girlfriend thing we’re doing to go like this.”

His brow quirks at your words, confusion riddling his expression as his eyes narrow. With a tilt of his head, he’s pushing you to continue, visibly riddled with your choice of words.

“Swear you’ll be honest when I ask you this?” You question him, your hand moving closer to his as you lean in slightly. He’s like a magnet, you can’t help yourself from moving closer; even though the proximity of the two of you is clouding your thoughts and you can feel your heart beginning to swell.

He nods in response to your question, his eyes full of concern as he waits for you to continue, “Why did you ask me to do this thing?”

He knows that a question like this was coming, only if he could have prepared for it. But he didn’t, so his throat is left dry and scratchy as his mouth opens, only to stutter a bit before closing it back up. No coherent thoughts or words are able to escape his lips, just nonsense mumbling that caught himself off guard.

With a deep breath, he closes his eyes, regaining his composure before he can face you again. He agreed to be honest, and if honesty is what you want, honesty is that you’ll get.

“I’m sorry.” That’s all that he can say.

Oh no. This is exactly what you were expecting before you came here. He’s gonna tell you that he didn’t mean to mess with your emotions, that he felt you catching feelings and got carried away. That he’s sorry that he ruined your friendship and played you like a violin all at once.

“Me too.”

You don’t know why you’re apologizing, but you are. It feels wrong. Absolutely utterly, and undoubtedly wrong. Apologizing for your own feelings is not something that you are okay with. Especially when he made you fall for him like this. Okay so maybe thinking that is giving him too much power, but who the hell takes you out on dates for nearly 2 weeks straight just to laugh about it later. How can he expect you to not catch feelings for him? With his deep voice and fluffy hair that always hangs in front of his eyes, that little giggle he has when he finds something amusing. Everything about him was attractive. And you’ve fallen for it all. Hard.

“Wait, why are you sorry?”

A scoff escapes your mouth unintentionally, but it’s well deserved. “For being the idiot to fall for a guy that was playing her, I guess.”

You can’t look at him any longer, so your eyes fall to your lap, staring at your chipped nail polish and dirty fingernails instead of reading whatever dumb expression he has now. But if you just took a second to look up, you’d notice the widening of his eyes, how his fingers are beginning to shake and his mouth gape.

“Wh-What?”

“Don’t make me say it again Taehyung, I don’t feel like sounding stupid one more time.”

“No no I heard you, it's just,” his eyes slam shut, angry at himself that he let things get this far without keeping you in the loop.

You’ve been telling him that you hate love for years now. After hearing it so many times, he’d just given up on the thought of you. Maybe if he said something before you went through all those shitty guys things could have been different. But he’s let this go on for far too long, and now you’re the one that was paying the price.

“Y/N, I have feelings for you.”

Your neck nearly breaks with how fast your head snaps up. He’s the one looking away now, his cheeks a bit rosy as he tries to hide himself. He isn’t doing a very good job though, his hair is only shadowing his eyes and you can clearly see the way he’s nervously chewing on his lip; a cute habit you have grown fond of these past couple of weeks.

If he didn’t look like he does right now, you’d assume he was messing around. But you know Taehyung. You know his small little gestures and what they mean by now. You know when he’s being serious and when he’s telling a lie. He can look someone dead in the eye and lie to them, but when he tells the truth, he becomes shy and worried that he’s said the wrong thing.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” You ask softly, gently reaching for his hand. The subtle contact makes him flinch, reacting by pulling your hand away. But his eyes meet your sympathetic ones, sparkling just like they always do, and he knows what he wants.

Taehyung’s hand reaches back for yours, lacing his fingers through yours before giving your hand a light squeeze. “You hate relationships,” he chuckles lightly, the mood of the room instantly shifting as the laughter leaves his lips.

“I hated the ones that weren’t with you,” you correct him, but your voice comes across as just a whisper. He’s close enough to hear though, a blushing grin forming on his face as you shyly look away. His heart flutters when he hears it, a million butterflies erupting in his tummy all at once.

“I hated the ones that weren’t with you too,” he coos, his eyes wide and sparkling as he looks at you with such adoration.

Time moves in slow motion as his hand meets your cheek, your eyes look deeply into his chocolate ones as he moves in closer. As your eyelids flutter shut his tongue runs across his bottom lip, wetting the surface before closing the distance between you. Finally.

And in that moment you’re at peace. Everything you thought you’ve ever hated, love, relationships, and maybe Taehyung for a hot second, are the only things that you long for. The 14 days don’t have to be over, and your days no longer have to be counted. When you’re with Taehyung you’re happy, you’re comfortable, and you're confident that he can give you what you have always deserved – but have never gotten.

His lips move against yours in slow, languid motions, his large hands holding you close like he’s holding on for dear life. But you won’t leave even if you want to, not now, not after all this.

Slowly, Taehyung shifts his weight and you move in succession. He’s laying you down on his bed, gently climbing over you without breaking the kiss. Things are becoming more heated now, you can feel it as his hungry lips devour your own. Your chest heaves up to meet his, your back arching off the mattress as his hands begin to scour your body. The heat pooling in between your legs is growing, an aching sensation overwhelming your core as your own hands reach up to rake through his long, fluffy hair. And you can tell he wants you too, the thin fabric of his sweatpants doing little to conceal the growing erection pressing against your thigh.

You can’t help but let out a steep moan as his hips begin to grind into yours. Needy groans fall past his lips and onto yours as you roll your hips upwards to meet his small ruts.

In a leisurely motion, Taehyung’s body is moving upwards, his knee finding a place between your legs as he brings himself up to a kneeling position. You chase his lips the entire way there, sitting up straight to be sure the contact doesn’t vanish, too consumed by your need for him to leave his lips.

And then his needy hands are running along the waistband of your sweats, fiddling with the tie before breaking your heated kiss. “Is this okay?” His words come out in a whisper, his eyes searching yours for any signs of doubt, but all he sees is lust.

“Yes,” you confirm, out of breath from making-out for so long without coming up for air. The lightheaded feeling taking over you goes unnoticed though, and quite frankly you’re too caught up in Taehyung to care.

Quickly, he rids you of your pants, looking back up at you for confirmation about your underwear. With an affirmative nod he’s removing those too, leaving you completely bare from the waist down as he stands over you fully clothed.

But soon he’s ridding himself of his own clothing, his shirt being pulled at the nape of his neck as he discards it across the room. He’s leaning back down to you, hungry for the feeling of your lips. He misses it, even though it's been less than a minute since he’s last felt your smooth lips on his.

You won’t open your eyes to see, but with the shuffling movements and shaky connection between your mouths you can tell Taehyung is stripping himself of any remaining clothing he has on. He’s needy, unable to wait any longer to get down to business, he’s already waited long enough.

You’re the one who breaks the kiss this time, too curious to see what he’s sporting down below for your own good. But you are not disappointed once you see it – he’s long and girthy; the pigment a shade or two darker from his skin tone than the rest of his body. Your thoughts are wandering, wondering what it's like to have him inside of you; dreaming about what he feels like. Arousal pools at your core, mouth salivating as your daydreams linger.

“Like what you see?” Taehyung chuckles. You barely notice that you’ve been staring, eyes wide and focused on the hardened dick before you, which is probably a bit uncomfortable for him.

“Sorry!” You cringe at yourself lightly, covering your eyes in embarrassment in fear that you just ruined the mood you’ve worked too hard to create.

“Don’t apologize,” he smiles as he grabs your wrists, moving them away from your round eyes. Scrunching your nose in displeasure, you catch your lip in between your teeth, mentally face palming at how weird you’re being.

He couldn’t blame you though, it was taking everything in him not to gawk at you. It was the first time you’ve seen each other naked. Bathing suits did little for your imagination, not that you had even thought about Taehyung this way before.

But he eases your nerves by coming down face level with you, reaching for your shirt and pulling it up over your head. You look at him with wide eyes, taking in each part of him as he caresses your body gently. He’s in awe of you like this. So relieved that you’re finally his, that he has you like this.

Nimble fingers dance down your body, landing at your core as he runs one up your slit, collecting your arousal on his fingertip. An impressed smirk grows slowly on his face, “I can’t believe you’re this wet already,” he hums. “All for me.”

His eyes remain focused on your center, devouring it with his eyes as his hands hold steady on your thighs. You can’t help but grow slightly embarrassed, dripping with arousal so early on though he’s barely touched you. A lump forms in your throat causing you to swallow thickly – this doesn’t go unnoticed by Taehyung.

A concerned expression crosses his face, brow furrowing as he moves his hands upward to settle on your waist. “Hey,” his voice is soft, gentle and full of worry, “everything okay?”

“Just nervous,” you answer, a fake smile showing on your face to try and combat your own emotions.

It is no secret that Taehyung is a bit more experienced than you are in bed. He knows that, you know that, and that is enough to turn you into a nervous wreck. Leave it to your own thoughts to ruin the moment.

“We don’t have to…”

“No!” Your voice comes out a little too eager, a bit loud, shocking Taehyung. His eyes widen in response, body jolting from the impact of your tone. “No,” you say more gently this time, “I want to.”

You did want to – you just have to get over your own nerves first. Luckily, Taehyung didn’t mind and was willing to guide you through it.

With a reassuring smile plastered across his face, he laces his fingers through yours. As you lock eyes, you nod him onward, giving him the go-ahead to continue. He moves languidly, his fingers moving back down to trace your slit once more. The sensation makes you tense, the nerves tingling through your body making it difficult for you to calm down.

But with a reassuring squeeze of his hand to yours, you’re taking a deep breath. Closing your eyes as you lie your head backwards onto his pillowcase. The smell of him consumes you, relaxing you effectively as his fingers meet the entrance of your core.

Shivers run through your body as he dips one finger inside. Your arousal acts as a natural lube, letting his finger glide gracefully into you. You gasp at the sensation, eyes rolling back into your head as he begins caressing your walls. His finger moves swiftly in and out of your core, his other hand still locked with yours to guide you through.

With your body finally relaxing, Taehyung is able to add another finger into the mix. The extra pressure makes you shudder for a moment, taking a little to adjust to the greater size inside of you. Thankfully the mild discomfort subsides, and he’s able to pump his fingers in and out once more.

He’s making sure to watch each of your expressions, growing harder and harder just from watching your face contort in bliss. With each of his movements you bite down harder onto your lip, focusing on him and him only.

“You’re doing so well,” he praises as his thumb rubs circles over your hand soothing you. You can feel your heart swell at his words, heat beginning to rise to your cheeks.

In one swift motion, Taehyung begins to separate his fingers, stretching your walls as his digits move in scissor-like motions inside you. “Fuck,” you mumble, hips jutting forward in reaction.

A steep moan leaving your lips as he brings his fingers back together, just to extend them once more. Your body is quickly getting used to the pressure, begging for more as you roll your hips.

He can sense that you’re eager from your movements alone. With one final squeeze, his hand is leaving yours. The empty feeling in your palm is unpleasant. But once you open your eyes and notice he’s using it to palm himself, his fingers groping around his length and beginning to pump slowly, that empty feeling is replaced with something else.

Your mouth salivates with desire, hungry for the feeling of him inside of you. He’s aroused you enough, and you’re too eager to feel him for your own good.

“Taehyung,” you moan, “fuck me please.”

His cock jumps in reaction to your words, his chest heaving as his breath catches in his throat. Never in his life did he expect to hear those words come out of your mouth – but he wouldn't mind hearing it again.

“Hmm?” He hums, knowing damn well what you said but being greedy enough to pretend that he didn’t. You whine in response, your legs shaking on the bed in a mini temper-tantrum.

“Please,” you drag out, “please fuck me.”

Your words are music to his ears. He removes his fingers from your dripping cunt, grabbing the backs of your knees to pull you closer to him and hike your legs up over his hips.

“Anything for you.”

Complying to your wish, he lines the tip of his cock up with your entrance. The feeling of his smooth head against your core is enough to make you moan, your head thrown back to expose the soft skin of your neck.

Taehyung takes this as an opportunity to leave his own mark behind, leaning down to attach his lips to your skin. You gasp as his teeth graze your skin, his plump lips sucking harshly before his tongue is swiping over the area to soothe it.

But your eyes open once he’s beginning to pull away to look at you. His eyes are dark, full of lust mixed with adoration, a sigh of relief leaving his chest as he gazes down at you under him. There’s a lot going on in his head right now. Of all the emotions swirling around, the thing he’s most focused on is how lucky he is to have you.

And before you know it, he’s leaning down. Pressing a chaste kiss to your lips, making you smile. One more kiss is left on your forehead before he's pulling back, securing the position of your legs on his hips.

And then he’s realigning himself with your core, pushing past your entrance and slowly descending into the depths of your pussy. He’s moving slowly, taking his time as he thrusts into you. The delicious stretch is unfamiliar, but it's not uncomfortable – like you were made just for him. A simultaneous groan leaves your lips as he bottoms out, the tip of his cock pressing deep into you on a spot that’s gone untouched.

He hums a sigh of contempt before pulling back, only to rock his hips into you once again. Your velvety walls welcome him delightedly, soft whimpers leaving your lips once he bottoms out again.

“Y/N,” your name leaves his lips in a low grunt, the bones of his pelvis driving into your skin as he begins to pick up his pace. In reaction you clench down on him, orgasm beginning to loom overhead with each movement of his hips.

Desire fills your senses as you roll your hips over to meet his thrusts. His movements are slow and intentional, making sure to bottom out each time to watch you squirm over his dick. He loves how your jaw drops each time his tip presses against your g-spot, knowing just when he hits it each time.

Taehyung’s teeth are barred, sweat gathering at his brow as his dark fluffy hair sticks to his face. He’s trying to hold himself back, the overwhelming urge to finish just in reach, but he doesn’t want to stop. So his hands roam your body to try and distract him, his palms caressing up the sides of your torso as your back bridges into him. The feeling of hot breath fans over your face with each sigh he lets out.

But the tightening knot in your stomach is threatening to snap with every movement of his hips. It's getting harder and harder to hold on with the power of his thrusts growing stronger.

“Taehyung,” you whine, “so close” your hands find his back, fingernails dragging down his spine in attempts to ground yourself. Taehyung’s face contorts as your nails pierce his skin, leaving lines of red scratches down the length of his posterior.

The stretch from his length and his rhythmic motions sends your senses into overdrive. Squeezing your eyes shut and grasping onto the sheets underneath you, you can taste the brink of your orgasm. Taehyung is focused; his grip on your thighs strong and his face contorted with bliss. But all you can think about is how stupid you could have been if you had decided to just cut him out. What matters is that you’re here with him now, and the thought of that is enough to push you over the edge.

Your breath hitches in your throat, stomach twisting and turning as your pussy throbs repeatedly around his member. Emotions running high, three words almost slip past your lips, but with the small amount of strength you can muster up, you hold them back. Another time, some time that isn't so lust filled like this one.

Taehyung’s thrusts are growing sloppy. His grip on your legs tightening as his lip is caught between his teeth. And with just a few quick thrusts, he’s coming undone inside of you. White, hot spurts of cum paint your walls, filling you up and making you feel so unbelievably full.

You’ve always felt close to Taehyung – he knew everything about you and vice versa; but this time was different. The way his hands settled on your legs, bringing them down gently after finishing. How his eyes are becoming so soft as he looks at you, a lazy grin pulling at his lips. You’ve never felt closer to Taehyung as you do in the moment. As his body collapses next to yours, pulling you in and holding you close as you recover from your highs, you’re completely at peace.

“Sorry I got carried away, I guess I should have asked if you’re on birth control still,” he laughs, burying his face into the crook of your neck.

“I am,” you chuckle alongside him.

Your naked bodies tangle together, his leg weaving its way through yours to be as close to you as possible. He’s intoxicated by you, closing his eyes as he rests against your body in complete bliss. Now that he has you this close he never wants to let go; and neither do you.

“Can I tell you something?” His voice is soft, whisper like but still confident. His tone doesn’t falter.

“Anything.”

“I love you, Y/N.”

Butterflies erupt in your tummy, your heart thudding in your chest as heat rises to your cheeks. He loves you. It's not that friendship kind of love anymore; it's the relationship kind. The same kind that makes your heart skip a beat and body riddle with every emotion in the book. The kind that keeps you up all night thinking about – but also helps you fall asleep, knowing he’ll be there in the morning.

And all of a sudden it seems so stupid that you were fighting those words back in the heat of the moment just a few minutes ago. He felt it too, you always knew that.

“I love you, Taehyung.”

Crush culture once made you want to spill your guts. Every guy sucked, relationships were stupid and love was a social construct that you didn’t feel like conforming to. There was absolutely no one that you would waste your time on, until Taehyung came around. What you had been looking for your entire life has always been right in front of your eyes – you were just too dumb to see it.

Maybe love is alright, after all.

#bb2020 #bangtanarmynet #networkbangtan #ficswithluv #btswriterscollective #smutcentralnet #magicshopnet #bangtanhq #cypherwritersnet #winterbearnet #kpopuniversenet #taehyung x reader #kth smut #kth fluff #kim taehyung #taehyung fanfiction

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mypersonmyg · 4 years

Text

Colors | MYG

*thanks @namluve for the amazing banner!!

Pairing: Yoongi x reader

Genre: angst, fluff, flipped au

WC: 11k

Warnings: angst, some of the boys being stinky jerks :-( (even tho they’re the softest bunch uwu), cursing, mentions of anxiety (nothing too deep yet, but it’s there), NOT EDITED AT ALL OMG IT’S PROBS SO BAD

Summary: When you meet your new neighbor Min Yoongi you immediately fall for him and have no issue telling him how you feel. Yoongi does not feel the same and makes that very clear. Just when you decide that maybe you were wrong about him, Yoongi starts to have his own change of heart.

a/n: Oof, this one is rough and I’m not really sure how I feel about it. I decided that, for the sake of time, this is going to be a two-shot rather than a one-shot. It could probs be read as a one-shot tho, but it would have a lot of loose ends so...Anyways, this is my angst entry for bangtanhq’s summer boardwalk collab! Depending on how I’m feeling this might undergo major reconstruction before I post the second one-shot, but for now it is here and ready to be heavily criticized ahahaha...also I’m not really sure how angsty the angst is :\

The sun beats down against exposed skin, the bucket hat perched atop your head doing very little to protect you from the sweltering heat. Your mud coated fingers glide over the baseball sized clump of dirt, once filled with tiny pieces of sediment, now smoothed over as much as you could manage. You gently place it in with the two others you’d been able to scrounge with the mud you collected earlier in the day.

You hum at your progress, swiping the remaining grime onto your shorts, already soiled from hours of crafting.

Your thighs have settled comfortably against the ground, the grass beneath you smushed against bare skin, the earthy scent settling into your nostrils. Despite the glowering sun the day is perfect, the chirp of birds and the rustle of luscious leaves floating in and out like a melodious tune.

Glancing to the sky, clouds few and far between, you make accidental shapes against the blue backdrop. Fingers come to swipe your cheek, a streak of mud left against damp skin. Were it not for your ill equipped supplies and dirt stained palms you’d whip out a blank canvas ready to explore the perfect subject glinting from above. Instead you’re busied with the arrangement and rearrangement of brushes and buckets until the dark of a looming shadow pulls you from your task.

Peering down at you with a smile rivaling the pearly white of freshly waxed marble is Park Jimin, his hair a flattering blue and his brows furrowed in amusement. “Thought I’d find you here.”

“How perceptive of you.” His arm extends enough for you to grab hold, the muscles flexing at your added weight as he pulls you to your feet. He grimaces at the slip of mud gliding against his skin, “It’s just a little dirt you pansy.”

“I personally prefer not to walk around covered in it.”

“It’s not like I prance around slinging mud everywhere! You knew what you were walking into, sir.” You quip with the toss of a towel blindly in his general direction, “Did you need something?”

“Yes actually,” He replaces the towel, trading in the soiled rag for a stray paintbrush. You watch as he traces shapes into the air with childlike amusement, “I just wanted to remind you that my roommate is moving in tomorrow.”

“Okay...why? He’s not my roommate.”

“But you’re my friend and I want you to meet him. Preferably not looking like you just army crawled through the woods.” Jimin taps the brush to the tip of your nose, the rough edges of the bristles causing a crinkle amidst the onslaught of a sneeze.

“You’re quite the nuisance, Park Jimin”

“Lucky for you,” He adds, hefting your supplies into his arms with a grunt. “Now come on, I’m starving and you’re definitely gonna collapse from heat stroke if you don’t get inside.”

“So tell me about your new roomie,” You fall into step, easily keeping pace with Jimin’s strut. He glances over with a tilt of his head, the grip of his stubbed fingers nearly slipping from your overflowing bin.

“Well, his name is Yoongi and he’s a little older than me. We were cool back in college, we met through Taehyung because they’re from the same city.” Your head dips, acknowledgement seeping from the gesture meant to encourage his continuance, but it never follows suit.

“Is that it?”

“Huh?”

“Is that all you know about him? His name is Yoongi and you guys were kinda friends in college?” The words come in a scoff, your hand nearly halting Jimin from walking into the building, though the grimace of concentration tugging at his lips pulls you back. “This guy could be waiting to kill you in your sleep and you’re all ‘hey I’ve got a spare room, you should have it’!”

“I think you’re missing the part where I said he’s friends with Taehyung. You like Taehyung, remember?”

“That’s not the point,” You huff, elbow shoving against the elevator key. You glance down, groaning at dirt fallen from the heels of your boots.

“This is why we don’t play in the mud,” Jimin pokes with a click of his tongue.

“Oh, ha ha. But seriously, Jimin, what did you ask this guy before you just offered him a key?”

“To be fair he doesn’t have a key yet, I had to make copies.” You look deadpan, hands gripping the mud soaked towel and scooping the wasted goop from the freshly polished tile, “I know he’s opening a restaurant in town and he needs a place to stay. Tae knows him really well and he really is a cool guy from what I can remember.”

“I just don’t want you getting yourself into something you’re not prepared for.”

“Don’t worry, I’d never let some random psycho come to live with me, I’d definitely point them in your direction first.” The two of you step into the elevator, you coming to shove Jimin, his feet stumbling off course and nearly sending him crashing against the adjacent wall.

“Well aren’t you sweet,” Your finger nudges the fourth floor button and the two of you fall to a relative silence, the lack of chatter a welcome addition to the cool of the tiny space. “So, if he and Tae are such good friends why isn’t this Yoongi guy staying with him?”

“Taehyung is letting another friend of ours crash with him and since I’ve been looking for someone anyways he suggested I let Yoongi move in and I agreed.”

“Oh, I didn’t know he’d found a new roommate already. Last he told me he was still trying to convince Hoseok to move in with him.” You both chuckle, shoulders brushing together. When Hoseok had lived with Jimin the place had never been cleaner. It became commonplace for you and Taehyung to routinely convince him to trade up.

“Yeah, guess he doesn’t have it in him to replace me just yet.”

“I would agree if it weren’t for the fact that he left you to go live with Jin.” You don’t miss the pout on Jimin’s plump lips, but you choose to ignore him when the elevator doors once again slide open. “My place or yours?”

“Yours, it’s closer.”

“You live right across the hall,” You don’t earn a response, Jimin’s stride already carrying him toward your front door. Once inside he’s quick to deposit his added weight, hand sliding into his pocket to retrieve his cell. He’s concentrated on the screen of his phone, all pinched brows and pursed lips. You study his delicate features, Jimin’s beauty, not something easily ignored.

His hair is freshly died, the icy blue happily underwhelming after the highlighter pink that shocked you weeks prior. The habit is new, his desire to experiment with different hues sparking the interest of the artist within, but also your concern as his friend. Following the draw of your lips and the card of your hands through his fluffy pink locks it had become your mission to uncover what had caused him to commit the extreme. The details remain unclear, but it’s difficult to ignore the itch telling you this concerns Taehyung.

When you first moved the two introduced themselves in tandem and you immediately picked up on the profound bond they shared. You fell in with them easily, but there was always something untouchable surrounding them. Stars that could never truly be grasped, only gazed upon in hopes of one day having something so beautifully impenetrable. You were then shocked to find out that Hoseok was the one sharing a space with Jimin rather than Taehyung whose apartment was blocks away.

It didn’t stop him from popping up at all hours and staying for as long as he pleased. He would crash on Jimin’s couch, a blanket and pillow always nestled off to the side for just such an occasion. So it came as a surprise to you when you received a knock on your door nearing midnight all those weeks ago.

You weren’t sure who you were expecting but it certainly wasn’t Taehyung, bags under his eyes and a frown tugging at the corners of his lips. He asked if he could stay and you showed him to your extra room, the door closing in your face before you could investigate any further.

You’d texted Jimin, sure that Taehyung was meant to stay there and the two must have had a petty fight, but Jimin simply told you that he didn’t know what Taehyung’s problem was. Taehyung’s visits have been scarce since then and even when he did stop by Jimin was nowhere in sight. Jimin on the other hand came knocking at your door the next day to surprise you with his vibrant pink hair. You’d nearly choked on your tea when you saw him, fearing he was going through a quarter life crisis.

“It’s fine, I’m just trying something new. I’m tired of the same old thing,” He’d explained to you when you dragged him to your bathroom ready to attempt to fix his head. After he continued to spew about all of the colors he wanted to try, simply ignoring you when you asked what Taehyung thought of this, you decided to leave him be.

“Do you like it?”

“Hm?”

“The color, I assume that’s what you were looking at.” He heads to the kitchen, sights set on your stocked fridge.

“Yeah, I think it’s actually very nice. But you know if you dye your hair so close together you’re gonna fry your scalp.” He chucks a water bottle in your direction and you gladly accept it. You press the bottle to your forehead, sighing at the refreshing contrast in temperature. The ice cold condensation drips down the sides of the plastic feeling like heaven against your sweaty skin.

“I didn’t know you were a hair stylist, why the hell am I paying someone to do this for me?”

“I don’t know, because you could just do it yourself.” You take a long satisfying sip, watching Jimin run his fingers through his hair. You’d think he was just fascinated by the new coloring if you didn’t know him so well, but you do and the stress induced habit is readily recognizable. The cling of the rings decorating his hand draws your eyes from him, though your curiosity remains.

“Nah, I’d fuck it up. You on the other hand, are a true artist and I would be lucky to have your hands grace my scalp.” Jimin bows his head, his hands pressed together before him.

“Oh? I thought my hands were gross and dirty from all of that army crawling.”

“Oh yeah, you definitely need a shower. You do that and I will order us some food while also continuing to raid your fridge.” You send your eyes rolling but don’t disagree, sending him one last look before you head back to rid yourself of your muddied clothes.

The smile that Jimin sends you is almost genuine.

“I don’t see why you don’t just come over here and tell him yourself.” The door to your apartment slams, bags swaying along with your unsteady stride. The phone cradled to your ear, sticking to sweat coated skin. You nearly collapse against the kitchen floor, the cool of the counters a welcome relief from the unrelenting heat of summer.

“I can’t.”

“And why is that?” You challenge, the sigh coming from the other end rivaling the gentle breeze of the air conditioning. “Tae, I know that there’s something going on here and I refuse to be your messenger when you won’t tell me what it is.”

Your arms push against cool granite, forcing your weight to your feet for fear of the ice cream resting against the counter melting after time spent in the sun. Finger pushing against your phone, you slide it against the tabletop as Tae’s voice flows from the speaker.

“There’s nothing going on, I’ve just been busy.”

“That’s not what Jimin said,” The line goes silent, your lip quirking at your white lie. You wait with baited breath, Tae’s words coming beats later and shades away from his earlier tone.

“What did Jimin say?” He’s painted with worry and a hint of something you can’t quite grasp. His reaction isn’t quite what you were expecting, the pregnant pause cluing you in on the severity of the new normal between your closest friends, “Y/n?”

“Do you know he’s been dying his hair?” You steer the conversation away, the potential topic you had been prodding at now seeming too raw for a phone conversation.

“What?”

“Yeah, he’s like trying out the entire rainbow on his head. He’s currently sporting blue, which is actually very nice and it’s certainly not fair how he can make everything work, but I don’t know what’s up with him.”

“Uh....no i didn’t know that. We haven’t really had much of a chance to talk lately.”

“Hm, I’ll send you pics. Anyways, I’m telling you now that you’re coming to the next movie night. I need to see all of my boys, plus I need a buffer in case this Min Yoongi is actually a killer.” You muse emptying all of your groceries onto the counter. Per Jimin’s request you’re stopping over at his place later to meet Yoongi and you refuse to go empty handed. You eye the ingredients before you, hoping that making cookies is as easy as molding clay.

“He’s not a serial killer.”

“If you say so,” Your eyes scan the length of the recipe in front of you, hand reaching for your newly purchased bag of chocolate chips, breaking the seal. A handful is shoved past eager lips, “Hey, what do you call chocolate chip cookies without the chocolate chips?”

“Iーwhat?”

“Cause that’s what I’m gonna be baking if my taste buds have anything to say.”

“I don’t know, just cookies I guess?” From your lips falls a hum, thoughts focused on the melt of the chocolate when your fingers retreat once more into the bag. “I gotta go.”

“Yah, see you, love you, bye!” Taehyung manages before the click of the line.

You trot over to the sink, the chocolate coating your fingers already grossly sticking together. Your tongue runs against the roof of your mouth and over chip covered teeth, savoring the taste whilst your hands rinse clean. Despite the craving biting at your buds you seal the bag of chocolate, shoving it into the freezer in hopes the chips will retain their shape in time to mix in with the dough.

“Okay, now letsー” Three sharp taps against the door halt the roll of your shirt, your sleeves now uneven in appearance. “Let’s answer that I guess.”

You move to the door, knowing that it must be someone other than Jimin, his manners null when he pounds his fist incessantly against the wood demanding entrance. Your reluctance to provide him with a key is out of pure spite, the natural pout of his lips always a source of amusement. You pull the door, the trick hinge catching for the briefest moment before you’re met with a figure of unfamiliarity.

“Hello...can I help you?” Your smile is polite, though your eyes are not shy when they wander the form of the man before you. His hair is covered with a snapback, the blonde peeking out from the edges and his brows are highlighted by their contrasting darkness in color. He wears a t-shirt of white and black skinny jeans, worn converse attached to his feet. When your eyes slide back to his, the apples of his cheeks are coated in a faint blush.

“Um, do you happen to know Park Jimin?”

“Sadly, yes. What did he do?” Your shoulder drags against the frame of the door, head cocked in exasperation. The man shrugs, lip quirking upwards and his hand rubbing against the base of his neck.

“Well...nothing. I’m Min Yoongi, I don’t know if he told you, but I’m moving in today.” He shifts on his feet, the plains of his chest stretching the material of his shirt enough to display his pecks.

“Hmm, so you’re the suspected killer then…”

“Excuse me?”

“...yeah he told me about you,” You cover with a half convincing cough. “I’m Y/n, it’s nice to meet you.”

Your hand extends, the long fingers of Min Yoongi clasping yours, warmth enveloping the skin. You don’t miss the slight rough of his palms, no doubt the buildup of callouses from...whatever it is he does. He pulls away following a brief shake, the two of you falling to relative silence once again.

“Was there something you needed help with?” You prompt when any sign of his stepping forth remains absent.

“Oh, sorry,” There goes that blush again. Cute. “Jimin isn’t home and he isn’t answering his phone. He hasn’t given me a key yet so I was hoping you’d know where he is?”

“Ah, I can’t say I do,” You watch the fall of his features, any qualms that you had upon opening the door momentarily dissipating. “But I can sure as hell try to find out. You wanna come in?”

Yoongi looks unsure, whether it be for fear of imposing or, perhaps, his own suspicions of impending murder you aren’t sure. Though after what feels an eternity of contemplation, and what only serves in reality a few seconds, he nods. He steps through the threshold, the moment feeling altogether symbolic, your initial fears holding no bearing over your desire to help Yoongi in his time of need.

Your feet guide to the kitchen, legs almost tripping under the watchful stare of a curious stranger. You almost chuckle at the absurdity of your physical anxiety, not fooled into believing it’s lingering fear, but aware that you're not blind to the attractive man following in your wake.

You waste no time scooping your discarded cell, dialing Jimin and shoving the device to your ear. You glance to Yoongi with a strained grin, the tap of your foot audible against glinting tile. You wince at the automated beep, Jimin’s voicemail reciting in your ear.

“Jimin! You wonderful, wonderful man...you sent me to voicemail. Well, in case it somehow slipped your mind your new roommate is here and you’re not! He’s currently sitting in my kitchen, so if he does happen to be here to kill me he’ll succeed because I am very sore today and there’s no way I can take him!”

Your voice falls to a ramble, no mind paid to Yoongi who watches with raised brows, shifting in discomfort. You hang up the phone, all smiles when your eyes once again meet your new neighbor.

“Well, he didn’t answer so I’m not really sure where he is.” You summarize, well aware of the odd look bestowed from the opposite side of the counter.

“Ah, well I could just come back later…” He’s already risen halfway, stool wobbling under the shift in weight.

“No, you don’t have to go!” You cringe, tone eager and hands extended as if reaching for Yoongi. You immediately dial back, busying with the meaningless movement of empty bowls and fresh ingredients. “Sorry, I just mean, there’s no point in you leaving when Jimin could be back any minute. You’re free to hang out here until he shows up, I promise I don’t bite.”

You’re sure he’ll say no, nothing thus far indicating the potential for fast friends. A ridiculous notion, you note, as your conversation consisted of nothing but a helpful hand and hurried introductions. Yoongi must feel a tad awkward and under prepared to have met you without much pretense. You’re surprised when he lowers back to the chair, eyes darting to the supplies resting before you.

“Baking something?”

“Oh, I was actually just about to bake cookies for you.” You mutter, hand grabbing for the measuring cup to wave for extra emphasis. “I’m pretty horrifying in the kitchen though, so not really sure how they would’ve turned out.”

“Would’ve?”

“Oh, well I was planning on making them for when we first met but clearly that’s off the table.” You chuckle, though Yoongi rises from his chair, rounding the counter.

“I could help you…” His lessened proximity catches you off guard, and you nearly knock the sugar from the counter. “With the cookies I mean, if you want.”

“You bake?”

“Something like that,” Yoongi chuckles rolling his sleeves. His elbow comes to cheekily nudge yours, gesturing to your still half-rolled appearance. Quickly you comply, watching him saunter over to the sink and wet his hands under the faucet, making sure to work in the suds. You avert at the sudden stop of the water, prodding at the unopened flour.

You follow suit, the short venture to the door and back seeming reason enough to rewash. It serves the perfect distraction from your wildly wandering gaze.

“What kind of cookies are we making?” Yoongi calls you to attention, once again observing the ingredients, “I would guess chocolate chip, but I don’t see any.”

“I put them in the freezer, they got a little gooey on the ride home and I’m hoping they’ll be ready to go in a bit.” You shrug, nursing a kitchen towel to dry your hands. You feel suddenly out of place in your own kitchen, Yoongi’s presence irrevocably demanding as he moves around searching for various items. You suddenly realize he could use your expertise as the owner of said items.

You easily fall into routine, Yoongi guiding you to assistance, sure not to bestow a task too taxing. His faith seems to have dwindled when you mistook sugar for flower despite your hurried, and valid, explanation of paying half attention. What had been difficult was explaining where the other half remained focused.

You aren’t opposed to blunt honesty, but you suppose Jimin would prefer if you kept your candor to a minimum so early on. So you easily complied, the goal of freshly baked goods guiding you to the halfway mark of a twelve minute cook time.

“The cookies will still be all soft and gooey after ten minutes, right? I love to feel like I’m still eating the dough,” You muse, eyes focused on the oven, a cookie’s kiln. You drag your gaze back to Yoongi, his own focus on the painting in the far corner. His head rests at a tilt, eyes widened and mouth ajar.

“Did you paint that?” You take in the aged swirls of purple and blue, the blackened rim sending a jolt down your chilled spine.

“Yeah...a long time ago.” Your response is hushed, an accidental tell that drags Yoongi back to the counter, covered in white. “So about the cookies...gooey?”

“I’m not sure who’s been feeding you half raw cookies, butー”

“I’m here!” Jimin’s shrill cry penetrates the closed door, floating down the hall and to your peeled ears. To the back of your head your eyes roll as your feet lead to the front door, swinging it open. Jimin stands with labored breath, his hands braced against his hips and his hair dangling across his forehead in sweat soaked strands. “I’m here.”

“So you are, and where have you been?” Jimin shoves his way past you, the moment reminiscent of just a few days prior. You whirl around, shoving the door back into place. “And why are you sweating like a pig?”

“It’s hot as shit outside,” The words are dismissive, Jimin brushing a hand to his forehead, sweeping hair back to perfection. He straightens his posture, breath finally evened, “Did Yoongi say he was coming back later?”

“No, he’s in the kitchen. I told him he could just wait it out here.”

“Really? You let a potential killer into your home and I’m the crazy one?” You shove him forward, stepping past to make your way back to where Yoongi waits. He’s pulling the tray of cookies from the oven when you arrive, eyeing the baked goods as if he can see through them.

“Look who finally showed up,” You joke, falling back as Jimin steps into the room.

“Sorry about that, I got caught up and completely lost track of time.” Jimin hurriedly explains, hand showing to his front pocket to produce his keys. He clumsily removes one, handing it over to Yoongi, the freshly pressed metal a contrast to the light rust of the rest.

“Thanks, it’s no problem Jimin-ah, it was a nice chance to get to know my new neighbor.” Yoongi sends you a smile, amicable enough given the little time you’ve spent. He then turns back to the cookies with a satisfied click of his tongue. “I don’t know if they’re gooey enough, but they’re definitely finished.”

“You made him make you cookies?” Jimin expresses in exasperation, his tone not keeping him from his gentle steps forward as Yoongi transfers the treats to a cooling rack.

“I didn’t make him do anything! He offered to help and I so gratefully accepted,” You scoff, sneaking a hand to a cookie only to receive a light tap from Yoongi’s free one. Your lips pull to a pout, the delectable scent leaving you to salivate with want. Instead you turn to the fridge, offering Jimin a bottle of water. He downs the contents in no time, his still damp skin glistening like the ocean in the sun under the light shining through the open window.

“I was glad to do it, I mean, the gesture was enough, but I’d like my cookies to be edible.” Yoongi pulls the oven mit that still rests over his hand and tosses it to the side. He turns to Jimin gesturing toward the exit, “I think I should probably move in soon. Don’t wanna bother the new neighbors with unnecessary noise, plus I have a meeting early tomorrow.”

“Oh, yeah sure! Hoseok is on his way to help and he might be bringing Jin.” Jimin mutters, tossing his bottle into the bin. You push off to the side with the intent to clean the substantial mess coating the counter. You wager how much more of a mess it would have been had Yoongi not knocked at the perfect time. “We’ll see you later, Y/n.”

“You should take your cookies,” You call when the two look ready to split. Yoongi turns with a half smile.

“You keep ‘em, think of it as my present to you.” You’re prepared to tell him that isn’t how it works, but he’s already rounded the corner, Jimin sending you a knowing look before he does the same.

Despite the little time allowed for cooling you pull a cookie from the tray, wincing at the slight burn, and take a bite. Immediately you’re moaning in satisfaction, a smile upon your lips when you realize that they’re just perfectly under baked.

“How’s the new neighbor?” Namjoon wonders, hand absently tracing the edges of his notebook. His glasses push against the bridge of his nose, his concentration on the page before him long gone since your entrance.

“He’s fine...nice,” You chirp, gathering your own notebook and pencils ready for sketching. Though you’re wholly focused on the task before you, it’s difficult to ignore the gaze burning through you. “What?”

“Fine? Nice? Could you give me a little more? Last I heard you were worried about the guy and now you have nothing to say. I think I deserve a little explanation.” Namjoon urges, pen tapping against the expanse of the wooden table, his mug, half filled, light clinking against its dish.

You’re no fool, his act of procrastination not lost on you, but you think it’ll be good to voice your thoughts and opinions. You haven’t actually spoken to Yoongi since that first day, but you’re still holding onto that unfamiliar feeling that unknowingly crawled into your chest and set up camp.

“I don’t really know him, but he seems nice enough. He baked me cookies,” You smile at the thought, half of the batch unhealthily consumed that very night. You begin to doodle absentmindedly, your goal lost in a cloud of undecipherable emotions. “I don’t know what it is, but I can’t stop thinking about him, it’s actually kind of crazy.”

“I’m inclined to agree,” Namjoon huffs, sipping what’s left of his drink. He watches the steady movement of your hand, gliding back and forth without care, lines and edges mixing perfectly. “I hope this isn’t some adolescent love at first sight kind of thing. Those never end well.”

“Love at first sight sounds so juvenile,” You groan, nearly smudging a heavy line of lead. “It’s more like an unexplored attraction.”

“You’ve met him once,” Namjoon deadpans, his pen falling back into his grip.

“And it was nice, there wasn’t much substance, but it felt like there could be.” You ignore the outlandish look being sent your way, continuing on with your spontaneous drawing. Instead you redirect the conversation, mood not ripe for being scrutinized by your supposed friend. You know that his words hold some truth, but it’s been a while since you’ve allowed yourself to accept your feelings so openly.

“Are you coming to movie night? Yes, of course you are, I don’t know why I asked.” You answer your own question, Namjoon’s mouth left to flounder like a fish. “Everyone’s gonna be there, you’ll finally have the chance to meet Yoongi and have all of your questions answered.”

“Of course I’ll be there, why is this the first I’m hearing of it?” He seems offended, your hands coming to rest at the edge of the table.

“Oh, I’m sorry, but your whole ‘don’t bother me when I’m in the middle of a breakthrough’ rule kind of limited my window. Plus, I’m not even sure when it’ll be yet.”

“Fair enough. Is Taehyung coming?”

“Of course Taehyung is coming, why wouldn’t he come?” Your mind has momentarily decided to block the memory of your possibly feuding friends, the thought that Taehyung wouldn’t come never even crossing your mind. You almost reach for your phone, half a mind to dial him right then, but the potential of his response is low.

“Aren’t you the one convinced that he and Jimin are on the fritz?”

“On the fritz? What are you, eighty?” You tease, nudging at Namjoon’s calf underneath the table. His ears tint slightly and he takes to rolling his pen along the table top. You chuckle, clasping the top of his hand with your own, “I’m kidding, but yes, they’re still not really speaking. I’ll just stop by to see Taehyung later, force him to come and maybe get a little more out of him.”

“Ah yes, your powers of persuasion.” He chuckles chasing the sound with a sudden groan, his hands coming to encase his head.

“What’s up?”

“This story, I’ve got nothing, which means that I’ve got nothing for you to illustrate.” He removes his glasses, the frames falling to the table. “I thought when I came to you with this idea that things would just fall into place. I can barely formulate a coherent sentence, let alone a whole novel.”

“Hey, you’ll get there. What is it that people say, Rome wasn’t built in a day? It’s a little obvious, but true nonetheless.” You encourage, a small smile already playing on Namjoon’s lips, “We aren’t in a rush, we want to enjoy the process, not feel like we’re being pushed to the finish line.”

“I know you’re right, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating.” He sighs, head shaking at his frustration. “You should go ahead and head out, I don’t really think I’m gonna need much on your end today.”

You glance down at your sketch, a mess of lines and shapes that somehow appeared pleasing to the eye. You offer one more glance in Namjoon’s direction, his own eyes on your page.

“It’s nice, I think maybe you should add a little color to it.”

It’s only seconds before Taehyung is letting you into his apartment, his hair slightly damp letting you know he’s just showered. Your trip to his place follows a two hour session, your mood substantially brightened, only adding to your delighted mood from earlier. You follow Taehyung to the living room, plopping onto the sofa with a relieved sigh. The cool leather squishes beneath your thighs, a feeling as close as you’ll get to diving into a pool.

“What’s up?” Taehyung asks, legs lifting to rest against the coffee table. He seems altogether different from that day he’d knocked on your door seeking refuge. As a matter of fact, he seems unbothered, like there’s nothing plaguing him as of late. He finds himself flipping through various channels on the television, paying no mind to your lack of response as you stare into the side of his head.

“You’re coming to movie night, right?”

“Huh?”

“Movie night, we’re having one. Are you coming still? We talked the other day, but I just wanna make sure.” You explain, eyes falling to the screen, the channel stopped on some news station. You know Taehyung is thinking on your words rather than listening to the evening weather report, your lip falling between your teeth.

“I don’t know…”

“Why not?”

“Jimin and I haven’t really talked lately and I just think it’d be weird.” He shrugs, his outward demeanor showing lack of impact, though you know that inside he’s wrestling with his own words. The two of them haven’t seriously fought since you’ve known them and it’s clear that whatever the issue is it’s eating at both of them.

“And why is that?” You once again try your hand, tired of having to dance around the topic. Taehyung shifts, his hand clenching around the remote to match the movement of his jaw. “You two are apparently having this huge thing and not speaking to each other and I’m just standing here wondering what could possibly be so terrible that you’re shutting out your best friend.”

“Just drop it, Y/n.” You ignore his dismissal, determined to get him to open up.

“Tae, you need to talk about this! If not with Jimin then you could at least confide in me, let me try to help. I’m so tired of having to work around the two of you just so we can hang out! Besides, your friend is now living with him, don’t you think it would be weird if you didn’t show up to movie night or come around ever?”

“I can make plans with Yoongi here.”

You groan at Taehyung’s inability to see your point of view, the ever growing tear between him and Jimin seeming so fragile from where you’re standing.

“Taehyung, I justー”

“Let it go, Y/n! It’s none of your business and I’m a little sick of you trying to worm your way into the middle of things,” You start at Tae’s sudden outburst, his anger lifting him from his position on the couch. He cards a hand roughly through his hair, heaving in anger. You slightly cower when his attention once again settles on you, “You know, I actually find it pretty damn ironic that you think you’ve got some magical powers to fix this.”

“What do you mean,” You manage, voice a low mumble.

“You know what I mean,” He chuckles, a sound lacking his usual glee. “If Jimin and I hadn’t knocked on your door two years ago you’d still be sitting alone in your apartment nursing half finished paintings and crusted piles of dirt. So please don’t sit here like you know anything about what’s happening and maybe learn how to handle your own problems before you get in the middle of mine.”

You sit, stunned by his sudden words. The sharpness of his tone stabs through your heart, a fragile ecosystem only just beginning to embrace recovery. Taehyung seems to realize his words, the unshed tears threatening your ducts bring your hand to subconsciously swipe at your dry cheeks.

“Y/n Iー”

“Heyo!” You jump at the intrusion of a third party, twisting to see who must be Taehyung’s new roommate walking in. He handles a bag of takeout, the scent, something that would normally have you ready to pounce on this unfamiliar character, but right now it fuels your sudden need to vomit. The pounding in your ears accompanies the rapid beat of your heart as you stand. “Oh, hi. Sorry, I didn’t know you were having company. I bought extra if you’re interested.”

“No no, I just came to remind Tae about the movie night I’m having in the near future. You’re invited of course, I wanna get to know my friends’ new roommates. I’m Y/n by the way, you must be Jeongguk.” You extend your hand ignoring the feeling of Taehyung still watching you, gaze remorseful.

“Oh yeah, Taehyung’s mentioned you. You’re an artist, right? I’d love to see your stuff sometime.” Jeongguk is quick to deposit the bags, eagerly gripping your hand in his own, his smile enough to pull one with actual meaning from yourself. “Like I said, you’re welcome to join us if you want.”

“No thank you, I’ve gotta get going, but I’ll see you two soon?”

“Wouldn’t miss it!” Jeongguk responds, letting your hand fall to your side. You offer Taehyung one last nod of acknowledgement, your eyes barely resting on his for a second before you make your escape.

Upon collapse into the front seat of your car, you wait for the arrival of a sob or a stray tear, but find nothing and that’s what truly pains you. It’s almost as if Taehyung’s words triggered a numbness within you, the factual nature behind his verbal assault enough to leave you in a spiral. You force your key into the ignition, hands braced against the wheel.

Your mind is a confusing loop of everything and nothing, no clear focus to ground you to the moving vehicle. You were unprepared for the sudden events and now you feel the urge to cry and empty the little content that rolls around inside of you, but you do none of that when you finally step into your home.

The lights remain off, the dim of the place somehow a comfort in the midst of your emotional turmoil. You toss your keys, the clatter of your lucky throw to the table only slightly startling you. You begin your trek to your bedroom, stopping momentarily to eye the painting that Yoongi had been caught on the other day.

A begonia, blues and purples bursting from the cursed flower like spilled ink. Your fingers come to brush the frame of the canvas, wrapping around with the intent to remove. Something stops you, internal refrain pulling your lead-like limbs back to task.

You fall to your bed with a thud, hands resting against your stomach, eyes trained on the ceiling. You note the ping of your phone, the vibration from nearby seeming a great distance from your current state.

There’s a tugging in your brain, like muscles yanking tangled vines, an annoyance that makes little sense, but still remains constant. You wish the effect of words were like the saying, your physicality all but unharmed unlike your bruised psyche.

You have half a mind to ignore the sound just outside of your door, unsure who could be in need of your presence. A small portion of you imagines it’s Taehyung, equipped with a half meaningful apology, but your limbs are too tired to satisfy your curiosity.

“Y/n, you home?” You shoot forward at the sound of Yoongi’s voice, faint through the edges and corners through which it travels, but still recognizable. You find yourself hurrying to the door, the desire to see Yoongi somehow working past your dormant state. You answer just in time, his heel in a half turned state, as if he was prepared to step away. “Ah, I thought I heard you come home...not that I was listening for you.”

“Hmm, shame,” You find yourself joking, even with the lack of enthusiasm in your tone. Yoongi seems to sense your demeanor, his brows scrunching in question.

“Are you okay? I can come back if this is a bad time.”

“No, it’s fine. As good a time as any. Did you need something?”

Yoongi seems to falter a little, as if he’s suddenly nervous about his impromptu visit. Your hands raps against the cool of the doorknob, the other bracing against the wood doorframe. You wait patiently, watching as Yoongi seemingly tries to find the correct words.

He’s different from the first time you met him. His posture is more comfortable, he exudes the confidence radiating from his very impressive outfit, though as he inhales through his teeth you wonder if you’d gotten it wrong.

“Do you wanna go out with me? I mean, go out somewhere with me, not go out, we barely know each other.” You both fall to awkward chuckles, your own thoughts not sure whether to soar or fall at the misstep in his words. Your force away the desire to over analyze, remembering the words spoken to you not an hour prior. “I wanna show you something.”

“Then show me something.”

When Yoongi dragged you from the building, leading you to his car you hadn’t expected him to drive into the city. You don’t often frequent the hustle and bustle, but you don’t miss a chance to appreciate it when you do. The lights of buildings and the various shapes and designs draw you in. It’s flashy and busy, completely gobbling up the stars that you’re used to twinkling above.

“I always forget how beautiful the city can be at night.” You muse aloud, head resting against the side of the car.

Yoongi paints a faint smile with his lips, eyes focused on the road whilst you remain entranced by the passing scenery. Though it’s not unusual you’re surprised by the number of people still out and about. It makes you want to blend with the crowd even with the knowledge that your chest would be pounding with each step.

“So, where is it that you’re taking me?” You ask, for what must be far too many times not to cause Yoongi annoyance, but he only chuckles at your enthusiasm.

“Here.” He pulls to a stop in front of a building lining the street with dozens of others, though this one doesn’t hold the same life, no lights or people decorating the interior. You glance at the sign in curiosity.

“Gochyeo Goshi,” You say to yourself before turning to Yoongi. “It’s closed.”

“Yeah, it’s not ready yet. We’re hoping to open the doors by next month.”

“Oh, I completely spaced! You and Jeongguk are opening a restaurant, that’s amazing.” You squeal, your hand grabbing Yoongi’s in your excited stupor. You unbuckle, hopping out of the car. You’re eager to see the inside, what it will look like when people are packed from wall to wall.

Yoongi follows your lead, though you notice a slow to his step, his nervous energy from earlier returning full force. You think it’s endearing, the way he becomes so bashful when it comes to his accomplishments. You recall when he neglected to speak on his cooking prowess when he insisted on helping you bake.

“It’s a little unimpressive right now, we’ve been busy working on the more logistical side of things…” He hastily explains, sifting through his keys to find the right one.

“I’m sure it’s great, the fact that you guys are even doing this is already impressive.”

He clumsily slides the key in, pushing the door open for you to enter. Your gait is slow, excited to see the space that Yoongi and Jeongguk were able to call their own. You and Namjoon have been toying with the idea of acquiring your own space for a few years and knowing someone who’s done it gives you more drive to follow through.

Yoongi steps in behind you, hurrying to find a light switch for fear of you tripping over an ill timed chair. When he does, the overheads flood the building, the bare white walls and the low beamed ceiling simple, but still drawing the place together nicely. The dining area is just the perfect size for a medium crowd, decorated just enough to get a feel for the vibe they’re going for.

“I love it,” You turn to Yoongi, your toothy smile on full display to match his own gummy grin. “What made you guys want to open a restaurant together?”

Yoongi makes his way to one of the tables, taking a seat. You follow suit, still eyeing the space, but focused on Yoongi’s words just the same.

“Well, I’ve loved lamb skewers for as long as I can remember and I introduced them to Jeongguk when we were younger. He was the only one that always wanted to go with me, so it became our thing.” He explains, a fond look in his faraway eyes. “We started talking about what it’d be like to open our own restaurant and here we are.”

“Wow, I guess dreams really do spark reality.” The two of you lock gazes, your eyes drinking his in like a woman dehydrated. “You have really nice eyes.”

“Oh...thanks,” Yoongi ducks his head, a faint blush creeping to his cheeks. “You have a really nice smile.”

“You know, you don’t have to pay a compliment with a compliment.” You tease, embarrassing him even more. “I’m telling you because I like you, not because I want you to pay it forward.”

You hope he’s able to grasp the deeper meaning behind your words, a part of you begging to elaborate, but the other part knowing that it’d probably scare him off. Yoongi clears his throat, shifting under your gaze.

“The reason I called you here actually,” His tone shifts to something more serious given the environment. You internally sigh, the moment clearly past without much success in your attempt at half confession. “Jimin told me that you’re an artist and I remember that painting I saw at your place.”

“Yeah, I like to think I’m pretty good.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ve noticed that this place could stand for some decoration,” He gestures to the walls, the plain white nothing to draw an ordinary gaze. “I was hoping that you’d be interested in painting a mural for me, well Jeongguk and I.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you’re very good and we’d be happy to have you do it. That is, if you want. We’ll pay you of course and you can set your own hours just as long as it’s finished in time for opening.” Yoongi hurriedly fills in, stumbling over words as you watch him with widened eyes.

You find it hard to hide your surprise, the thought of Yoongi asking you to do something so important absolutely astounding.

“I mean, I’d love to do it, but are you sure?”

“Positive. So, are you in?”

“Absolutely, you just made a very bad night a whole lot better. Now, do you happen to have actual food here yet? Because I am actually very hungry and I’m surprised you haven’t heard my stomach growling.” You clutch your midsection, the emptiness within gnawing away at you.

“Oh I heard it, I just thought it would be better not to say anything.” You shove at his arm with a scoff.

“Ow, sorry! I don’t have food here, but there’s this really amazing takeout place just around the corner.”

“Lead the way.”

“I don’t understand why I have to come.” Jimin whines from the front seat, sipping on his drink in feigned annoyance.

This morning when you’d awoken, eager to get started on your new project you exited your apartment to find Jimin about to enter his, grocery bag in hand. You were able to intercept it before he could get away, extracting a brand new dye kit and staring down a sheepish Jimin.

“You can’t keep dying your hair Jimin, there’s no way this is healthy!” You exclaim, your eyes darting over to him before your focus falls back to the road. He only grumbles, no reason for argument as you’ve already confiscated his purchase. “I’m just saying, I like the blue and you should keep it going a bit longer before you bleach your scalp to pieces.”

“That’s not a thing.”

“It is if I say it is,” You counter, tongue poking in his direction. “Besides, don’t you think it would do you some good to hang out with me?”

“You specifically?” You hum and Jimin grips the point of his chin in silent contemplation, “No, not really.”

You choose to ignore his comment, focus on pulling into the nearest available parking spot.

“What do you think of Yoongi?”

Jimin is hopping out of the car before you’ve had the chance to come to a complete stop, his sights already set on the entrance.

“Yoongi? I mean, he’s my friend, my roommate...he’s a cool guy. I’m not sure what you’re asking,” Jimin leans against the hood of the car, immediately pulling back at the burn of his skin. A sigh escapes you, arms folding over your chest.

“I don’t know...I just…”

“Wait…” Jimin trails, scanning you with suspicion. “Do you like Yoongi?”

You don’t respond and that's enough for Jimin. He chuckles at your avoidance of his gaze, feet shifting against the pavement.

“Shut up.” You mumble, moving to the back of your car, throwing the trunk open.

“Can I be honest here?” He asks, moving closer, tone even. You nod, straightening from where you leaned to the back of your car. “I don’t think you two are really a good fit.”

“Why not?”

“You’re just too different,” He shrugs, feeling that’s enough explanation. You however press him for more, not understanding his quick dismissal of the idea. “It’s like...would you date Namjoon?”

“No!” Is your immediate response, not in a disgusted sort of way, but you can’t see yourself as anything more than friends with him for a number of reasons.

“But you don’t hate Namjoon or think that he’s unattractive, right?”

“Of course not.”

“Well that’s how I see you and Yoongi. You don’t strike me as compatible as anything more than friends, sure he’s handsome and a pretty cool guy, but you just don’t fit.” He finishes, “I’m not saying that I don’t support you in whatever you do, but that’s just my opinion. There are plenty of other guys that would fit you perfectly.”

You nod, no words coming to mind. You hadn’t expected Jimin to be so blunt, a common thread with your friends as of late. He offers a quick pat to the shoulder before turning to the entrance.

“You could at least help me with my things!” You call after him to which he only waves you off with a shrug. You get to work unloading your trunk, sighing at the number of things you have to carry. You inwardly curse your absent friend, reminding yourself to outwardly curse him later.

You’re distracted by a sudden text from Namjoon, who only wonders how things are going, his chain of messages resembling those of a nosey younger sibling. He’s been pestering you about your crush since you filled him in, your recount of the night Yoongi showed up only fueling his tease filled ramblings. You send him a short, sweet reply, sure to include a kindly worded threat about his behavior.

You imagine for a moment if this were Yoongi instead, trying to make sense of Jimin’s perspective.

“Need some help?” You jump, finding Jeongguk waiting just inches from you, hands resting in his pockets. You eye your growing pile and turn back to him with hopeful eyes.

“Would you mind? It seems someone has no interest in helping me out,” You send a glare to where Jimin leans against the door. He shoots you a wink and you return it with an unkind gesture to which he only cackles.

“Not at all.” Jeongguk responds, already leaning down to collect your first two boxes.

With Jeongguk’s help you’re able to move things inside in no time. You note that there’s already tarp laid out for you and the furniture is pushed from the walls to allow you ample space.

“Have any idea what you wanna do?” Jeongguk asks from just over your shoulder. You eye the blank space before turning to him.

“Oh, I figured the two of you might have something in mind. I don’t wanna take over completely, it is your restaurant.”

“But it’s your mural. We trust you to make the right decision,” He assures you. You nod, turning back to your canvas.

“I see you’re already hard at work,” You spot Yoongi walking through the door, a box of donuts perched in one hand. You smile, very aware of Jimin’s eyes following your movements. “I assume Jeongguk filled you in on everything? Have any ideas on your big masterpiece?”

“Well...I was thinking, this place is in the midst of this city, the streets almost always filled with people, it can get crazy. Some people want nothing more than to be someone in the crowd, but they’d also just rather be somewhere cozy and without the stress of all the people and the lights.”

“I’m following,” Jimin cuts in, his hands collapsed before him as if his opinion is life or death. You toss an empty water cup his way hitting your mark with a resounding thud.

“As I was saying, I want to paint something that will make people feel like they belong here while also feeling like they’re out there,” Your hand comes to point in the direction of the front window, people rushing by as if to further prove your point. “A still city, something that still holds the absolute beauty of the exhilarating rush, while allowing those who enjoy it to take a breath and just relax while they enjoy some delicious skewers.”

You finish your small presentation, watching both of your new employers’ faces alight with enthusiasm.

“I love it,” Jeongguk is first to say, his eyes roaming the walls as if he can already picture the ornate design. You both turn to Yoongi, his expression a little less telling though he still allows a smirk to plant against his features. You wait, hopeful of his impending response, this somehow feeling worlds apart from Jeongguk’s readied approval.

“Me too.”

You spend the coming weeks working on various projects, your days spent at the restaurant only motivating you more in your venture with Namjoon. He doesn’t fully understand your fit of passion but he appreciates it all the same.

You spend your days furthering your mural and nights with Namjoon when his schedule allows. The two of you brainstorm and make rough drafts, the work feeling like mountains of progress even if half of your ideas seem less constructive in the light of day.

Most days you spend in relative silence save for the tunes you play in the background the more than occasional burst into song keeping you from getting too caught up. Jeongguk filters in more often than not, happy to keep you company. You’ve gotten to know him quite well, his eagerness to express his passions meshing well with your lack of desire to vocalize your own.

It’s rare that Yoongi is seen walking through the doors, the days that he does serving as an extra reward for your hard work. He usually only stops for a quick check-in, but today he finds himself pulling a chair. You send him a smile, sure to pull your brush from the wall for fear of an accidental stroke.

“Hi,” You hum, noting the slight slump in his posture. “Everything alright?”

“I’m fine, are you alright?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” You ask, tone soaked in confusion. He shrugs, sitting back in his chair, pinky lifting to scratch just beneath his blonde fringe.

“You never told me what was wrong.”

“Hm?”

“The night I asked you to do this. You were clearly upset about something, but you never told me what it was. Come to think of it, you don’t really share much about yourself at all.” You seem to shrink in on yourself at his words, the accusation too heavy for you to ignore.

“I mean, you can ask me whatever you want, but there’s not really much to tell. I don’t like talking much about me,” The truth, or half at least, but enough to keep him at bay.

“Why’s that?”

“Why does it matter all of a sudden?” Your tone is defensive, his words dragging it out of you.

“I’m just trying to figure you out. All I know about you so far as that you’re not a very good cook and you’re good at making art.”

“That’s all you need to know,” You counter with a growl. “Do you mind if I get back to this? Your opening is coming up soon and I’d like it if I wasn’t scrambling last minute.”

“No one’s stopping you,” He waves you forward. With a sigh you turn back to the wall, brush making a few new strokes against steadily drying paint before you stop once again.

“Do you know what hikaru dorodango is?” You ask, setting your brush to the side and finding a seat against the paint stained tarp. Unsurprisingly Yoongi responds with a negative shake of the head, his hands coming to clasp before him. “It’s basically turning mud into marble. It can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.”

You pick at paint half-dried to your shirt, silence stretching between you. You aren’t sure if Yoongi is processing or if he just finds no interest in your words, refusing to look up at him.

“It was the first form of art that I felt like I was really amazing at,” You chuckle, memories of millions of failed attempts come to mind, leading to your first success. “I never really had many friends growing up, I preferred it that way because it always seemed so much more difficult for me to open up to people, so I was always the odd one out.”

Yoongi still doesn’t speak, but you chance a glance to find that he’s listening with all of his attention. His posture has him leaning on his bouncing legs, eyes focused in a squint.

“The point is, like me, dorodango takes time. It’s always been hard for me to completely let people in, but that doesn’t mean I never will. You just have to be willing to take a chance on me.” You finish with a sigh.

You wait, stuck on an inhale, as Yoongi mulls over his response. You’re surprised at yourself for your surprising admission, taking over a month to even tell Taehyung and Jimin your favorite movie.

“Fair enough,” He finally says. “We’ve known each other for close to a month, do you think I’ve earned at least one fact?”

“I think I just served you a pretty big one, but I think maybe I can outdo myself.” You say the words before you can really think over what you’re about to do. The words of both Jimin and Namjoon ring in your head and you’re sure Taehyung would say much the same. You haven’t known Yoongi for terribly long, but you know that if you wait any longer you’ll psych yourself out.

“Do your worst.”

“I like you...a lot.” He’s visibly taken aback by your words, his eyes widening and his hands fidgeting in his lap. “It’s kind of crazy but I’ve liked you since the moment that I met you, of course then it was just blind attraction, but since I’ve gotten to know you I realize that I’m really interested in you.”

“I…” Yoongi clears his throat, trying to find words, mouth opening and closing more times than you can count.

“I know it probably seems so ridiculous, I mean, I said the words and I can barely wrap my head around it. But if you just give us a chance, I thinkー”

“No.” He cuts through your words, head shaking adamantly, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re not really my type.” It’s your turn to be shocked by his words. Of all of the things that could’ve come from his mouth you hadn’t expected that.

“I’m not...your type? What does that even mean?”

“It means that I really like you as a friend, but I can’t really see us as anything more.” Fine, you think, you can respect that. “You can be overbearing and nosy yet in that same breath you lack self-confidence. You’re so afraid to bother people with your problems that you try to fight your way into theirs just to make yourself feel better.”

You realize where all of this is coming from. Since Yoongi stepped foot through those doors he’s been working under the knowledge of Taehyung. You aren’t surprised that Tae told someone, though it certainly wouldn’t be Jimin, the two still not on good terms. Why wouldn’t he tell Yoongi?

“So, you waltz in here and tell me that I’m almost a stranger to you, but now you suddenly know me so well? You’re making assumptions based on what you heard from Taehyung who is currently probably very pissed at me.” You argue, the fire beginning to rage inside of your chest causing the squeeze of lengthened nails into calloused palms.

“I know enough, and I’m truly not trying to hurt you, Y/n. I’m trying to tell you that you have your own issues that you need to work out and I’m not equipped to deal with them. Honestly I’m not looking for anything complicated right now and that’s exactly what you are.”

“A complicated problem that needs to be dealt with?”

“That’s not what I meant,” He rises from his chair at the same time you rise from the ground. While his attention remains on you, yours falls to putting away your supplies and making sure to rinse paint from each of your brushes.

“It honestly doesn’t matter, I get the hint and I’m so sorry to have inconvenienced you. But, here’s a tip,” You toss your last brush and whirl around to face him, the two of you closer than you anticipated. You can feel the heat radiating through you, anger consuming you to the point that you can’t even feel whatever attraction you have for him at this moment. He’s just a face, another person telling you everything that’s wrong. “You could’ve just stopped at no thanks.”

You don’t give him the chance to rebuttal, sights set on getting as far away as possible. You feel a slight wetness against your cheek, your hand coming to swipe at the irritating sensation. When you realize it’s the fall of a tear you're only thrown into an even further downward spiral. Angry that of all things this is what gets to you, someone who was never even interested.

“I know this probably isn’t what you wanna hear right now, but you have to get over him.” Namjoon speaks in a hushed tone, your tear stained cheek sticking to the skin of his arm.

You found yourself outside of his apartment soon after you left the restaurant, just needing a shoulder to cry on. He was surprised to see you, knowing that you’re usually routine left you paint stained and focused on your mural. When he saw the tears streaming from your ducts he was quick to usher you inside and has been attempting to soothe you since.

“I know, I don’t even know why I’m crying. It’s not like we were ever dating, according to Yoongi we’re practically perfect strangers.”

“I’m sure he didn’t mean it like that...it was probably just a heat of the moment thing. You did, kind of, spring this on him.”

You scoff, glancing up at Namjoon in betrayal. “I’m sorry, are you not on my side? What was I supposed to do, send him an invitation?”

“Look, I’m not saying that it's right what he said, but it’s fair to say that given the discussion at hand you smacked him with a ball out of left field. The bright side here is that you know that he doesn’t have feelings for you and you can give up this idea that you two are meant to be.” Namjoon explains, doing wonders to stop you from interrupting him, his hand coming to rest over your mouth. You fight the urge to lick his palm, recalling the way he’s spilled glue on himself just before you arrived.

“Stop making it sound like I’m some lovesick puppy, Joon. It just sucks to not even be given a chance, and to be rejected so harshly.” You groan, pulling one of his throw pillows against your chest.

“It’s kind of like that one movie…” He muses, clearly living in his own thoughts, eyes spaced out.

“What movie?”

“You know, the one with the girl and the guy that don’t end up together. It’s got some big life lessons that you don’t learn to respect until you’re older,” He informs you, having more faith in your knowledge than even makes sense.

“I don’t have time for your riddles, can I just sulk in peace?”

“As long as you promise that after you sulk you’ll try to get over him,” Namjoon pokes at your puffed cheeks, only pulling away to wipe your tears onto his shirt. You don’t respond, unsure if what pains is the thought of just moving on or the idea that moving on doesn’t sound so hard.

Something changed in you during your conversation with Yoongi. You feel it’s a number of things, but something has made Yoongi’s rejection seem a lot less detrimental than you previously thought. It begs the question of whether your feelings for Yoongi have already begun to dissipate or if they were truly feelings to begin with.

“Y/n?” Namjoon waves a hand before you, drawing your gaze back to him. “Promise me. I don’t want you falling back into this pattern. I don’t agree with everything that he said, but he was right about one thing. You should take time to heal yourself or find someone who accepts you and has the patience to heal with you.”

“Fine, yeah, I hear you. No more Min Yoongi.”

Colors II

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namluve · 4 years

Text

↳ right on tide | seokjin x reader | 16.5k | oneshot | 18+ genre: smut, crack, angst & a little fluff, e2l, coworker au warnings: near death experiance (drowning), oral sex (m+f), fingering, swearing, praise

❝ as a passionate surfer instructor at one of the most glamour’s vacation resorts there were two things you hated. bad weather and kim seokjin. jin always steals your summer hook ups, leaving you in a dry spell for the whole summer each year the two of you work on the resort. this time, you decided things would be different, this time, you would get revenge. ❞

note: this is my late bangtan boardwalk fanfic finally seeing the light. I want to thank everyone who encouraged me and a speciall thank you to @spicykoreantatertots, Hannah, who helped me beta read it. without you, this would have been a hot mess. enjoy!

Laying on the beach, you listen as the waves hit the shore, the sound comforting as you try to relax. Kim f-ing Seokjin was arriving at the island today, two weeks after everyone else because, why not? As far as you're concerned, this just meant two weeks of not having to deal with his ass.

Being passionate about surfing, you were blessed to be able to have a job as a surfing instructor during the summer. A nice break from the rest of the year that was spent at university. The summer was the highlight of every year because you were able to share your passion with others. Teaching beginners how to surf as well as giving more experienced surfers tips. Your workplace was a famous vacation resort set by the beach, surrounded by small islands. Attracting all kinds of people, but mostly middle aged singles looking for a good time.

These first two weeks of your summer, however, had been a little different. With Jin gone, you had to step in and cover some of his shifts, which you honestly didn’t mind. Diving had always been something you’d find relaxing. You loved to be able to watch the ocean underneath the waves as well as on top of them. Seeing entire ecosystems flourish and live peacefully, even if there was a storm raging on the surface. It always seemed to be quiet down in the sea.

That’s why you didn’t mind taking some of Jin’s shifts. Having missed diving and seeing the ocean from below, it was a win. Well, besides all the extra workouts you got from working double shifts. Your body, that was happy whenever you walked instead of taking the bus, was untrained and not ready for such intense exercise. Your muscles were sore, and you thanked God for the waves being too high to ride today. Giving you a day to rest and recover. To let go of your worries.

This year, you wouldn’t let Kim Seokjin ruin your summer. That you were sure of. You had packed all of your most daring outfits. Swallowing all of your insecurities, this year would be the year that Jin wouldn’t get in the way of your hook ups.

He was always so shameless about it, stealing them right in front of your eyes. The first few times he had done it, you were convinced the boy was gay. So, you went after a girl that, just like the guys, eventually left your side to go with him.

What was annoying about it though, was that he always waited until the end of the evening before making his move. Stealing them at the very last minute. Not giving you a chance to find someone else.

This year, however, you had a plan. A plan to ruin your enemy’s mischiefs for good. This year, your dry summer spell will end. This year, you will get revenge.

Jin’s first week back, things are as usual. He flirts with and gets together with everyone, leaving you to feel like a plastic bag that’s just floating in the air while nobody cares about the environment. So, you just keep on floating, never getting picked up.

In all fairness, you barely tried. Too tired after work and your mood was instantly brought down at the sight of Jin. Why did someone so handsome have to be so cruel to you?

You were even convinced that one time he brought you a drink at the last party was some kind of apology for being dick. Only for him to scare away the cute girl you were talking to.

“What? She obviously had a boyfriend. I really did you a favour.” Was his response when you confronted him about it. What a dick.

“Please don’t ever come near me again. I don’t even want to breathe the same air as you right now!” You angrily shouted as you stomped your foot before walking away from him.

Jin chuckled as you walked away. God his crush was a maniac. He could have chosen to like literally anybody else. Yet, every summer he came back, he couldn't help but to be drawn towards you. More and more so for every time you annoyingly rolled your eyes at him. He couldn't help but to think you were adorable.

After the first month of the summer had passed, your boss gathered around all team leaders for a quick meeting. Wanting to check the progress of each department. Making sure things were going smoothly. Your boss was not at any fault for having these meetings, but it did mean you had to spend time with Jin. Which… you weren’t excited about it, considering how mad you were at him for his behaviour at the last party.

“Y/n! how is it going for our new guests?” Your boss asks, all eyes shifting towards you. You glance over at Jin. A coy smile on his lips. You wanted to gag at the sight, turning your attention towards your boss.

Jin was probably really happy about being in the same room as you. Especially when last time you spoke to him, you said you didn’t want to breathe the same air as him. Only to be forced to be in the same room as him four days later.

“Good. Most of them really have a talent for it. I’m fully booked for the next two weeks.”

“I’m glad to hear. Jin,” the focus shifts to Jin and as you look at him, your eyes meet. His eyes had never seemed to shift their focus from you. Not until your boss spoke again and he turned towards him. “How is it going for our new recruit?”

Had the diving team gotten another employee? While you and Taehyung were on your knees with how overbooked you were? This had to have been Jin’s doing. He probably knew about your department's situation and got another recruit for the laughs of it.

“It’s going well but it is going to take some time until he can swim out with a team of his own. Together we can keep track of two more people so that’s been a relief.” He speaks and you scoff., rolling your eyes at his words. So their new recruit couldn’t even handle a team on his own? Useless to hire him in the first place, you thought.

“Something you wanna say y/n?” Jin asks and suddenly all eyes are on you again. That fucker. A smirk on his lips. His prolonged plan to make your boss hate you going really well right now you thought. If looks could kill, Jin would’ve dropped dead on the floor.

“Nothing.” You quietly said, the kind warming smile on your bosses’ face turned towards you. You turned towards him, your face softening. The glares you had been sending Jin gone the moment you turned your eyes away from his.

Your boss could be, at times, hard to read. He wanted to hear improvements that could be made to the resort. Well... as long as he didn’t have to put any time or money into it. Complaining about your work hours would probably not make a difference. Your boss milked out as much as he could from your department each year.

“Come on y/n, you know you can speak your mind freely here. We want everyone to be a part of the meeting and voice their concerns.” Your boss tried and you thought, well… When he puts it like that…

“We could really use another person on my team.” You begin hesitantly. “As I said, I am fully booked for the coming two weeks and Taehyung is as well. In between that, I somehow need to find time for my paperwork. And also time to clean all the equipment.” You explained, seeing the cogs turn in your bosses’ head at your words. “We could just really use some help…”

A silence was left in the room as your boss was thinking. Jin still had a smile on his face. You thought it was because he was taunting you, but really, he was proud to see you standing up for yourself. Speaking up about the issues you so loved to talk about with your colleagues. He actually wanted for you to have some free time, to not have to work overtime everyday.

“You’re right,” Your boss suddenly says. Surprised to hear him say those words, you looked at him confused, “since Jace can’t dive on his own with tourists yet, he can help out with cleaning and organizing all the surfboards at the end of the day. Gives you more time with the paperwork, sounds fair?”

You nod, never having expected to get anywhere with your comment. Happy that finally, you might not have to stress everyday to make sure everything stays afloat. Your boss was probably pleased with the solution, not having to hire another worker and just moving around the ones he has. Like he usually does in any situation ever. You wouldn’t be surprised if he threw you around the departments this summer as well, despite your busy schedule. Oh well, you guess you’ll just have to wait and see.

The meeting went on as usual. You looked at Jin a final time before you ignored him for the rest of the meeting. He still had that stupid smile on his face. In a way, it was his push that led you to get some extra help in your department. Never in your life would you admit that though. You would never give credit to Jin.

As the end of the day slowly approached, you decided to sit down and look over your paperwork. There was much more paperwork to your job than you initially thought. Having to look over the next day's bookings, plan out lessons, keep track of the weather and make sure everyone paid.

Yesterday’s meeting was forgotten, the stress of today’s work wearing heavy on you. Your shoulders tense, legs sore and skin almost burning. Of course you wore sunscreen when you were outside but sadly, that didn’t always help. Today was one of those days.

You didn’t even notice when the door to your little hut opened. Jin stepped in, looking around the place. This was where it all began for him. He started his career as a surfing instructor before it got boring and he moved on to diving.

He knew the passion you held for the sport, always looking so happy out on the waves. He knew you held some kind of grudge against him, and he kind of knew why. Jin honestly just liked to deny it. Stealing your crush’s dates maybe wasn’t the best way to get them to like you, but it sure got their attention.

Also, you looked super cute mad. Brows furrowed together, jaw clenched, eyes piercing through him with rage. Often placing your hands on your hips as you scold him. In all honesty, Jin didn’t even listen to half the things you were saying while you were shouting at him. He was just happy to be able to see you eye to eye. You couldn’t ignore him when you were mad at him.

Jin had already sent off Jace to help Taehyung, he really didn’t have to go inside the hut but he wanted to see you. Concentrating on your work, you huffed the strand of hair that had fallen down onto your face. Trying your best to piece together the schedule. A new family booking three lessons last minute, screwing over your entire schedule.

It wasn’t until Jin started walking towards you that you noticed his presence, sighing in annoyance. Looking at him as he stood in front of you. A white t-shirt clinging slightly to his chest, dirty blond hair still a little wet, beige shorts going down just above his knees. He had probably just ended his shift while yours was on for at least another hour. Yet another petty thing you could be mad at him about.

“I cannot deal with you today.” You tell him, rolling your eyes and he laughs. Showing off his white teeth as he smiles brightly.

“In all fairness, you say that to me everyday.”

“And I mean it every time.” You snapped back and Jin sighed. Well, he wasn’t getting anywhere closer to you with this conversation. Looking at the papers splayed out around the table. Your work computer open with the booking tab, Jin sensed there was something more to your attitude today.

“Tell me what’s really bugging you,” Jin said, a seriousness and caring tone to his voice, “I know there is more to this.”

“Well…” You began, contemplating whether to open up to Jin or not. Looking up at him through your tired eyelids, you decide what the hell. You had no problem complaining to all the other employees, why not to your arch nemesis. “There’s just this family who booked some lessons last minute, screwing up my plans completely.”

“I see...” Jin said, looking like he was thinking. Holding his chin between his thumb and pointer finger. “Have you tried seeing if the family has any previous surfing experience?” He asks and you sigh. Of course Jin wouldn’t be of any help, just mock you with the most basic questions.

“It’s the first thing I check, they haven’t written anything in their booking.”

“Not that, but the database that stores all bookings. So… you can check those made a long time ago.” There was a database for it? Wow, you thought, this really showed how poorly your boss had educated you before throwing you into the job. You had almost been completely independent already on day one.

“Should I have?” You ask, feeling suddenly small and not so bold against Jin anymore. There was just something about his relaxing nature, never stressing about things, knowing quite a lot about the resort and how it works. Yes, you were willing to bury the hatchet for a little while if that meant your job would get easier.

“I mean… I could show you if you want?” Jin quietly suggested and you nodded, sliding your chair to the right so Jin would have space to work on the computer. He walked over. Even though you had moved your chair, Jin still had to bend down over your shoulder. His chin almost resting on your shoulder as he began typing something on the computer.

You closed your eyes for a moment, Jin’s scent completely taking over you. His perfume was sweet, but with a hint of musk in it. The warmth of his body makes your cheeks heat up. Suddenly, you felt like a highschool girl about to get her first kiss.

“Y/n.” Jin said your name, snapping you out of your thoughts. As he turned his head towards you, you were suddenly painfully aware of how close his lips were to yours. Ears red, you answered him, “yes?”

“The family that’s coming are pro surfers, they just don’t know how to book the surfing boards without adding the lessons.” He speaks and you look at him, stunned. Hypnotized by his beauty, never seen him this up close.

Tilting your head to the side, you allow yourself to be drawn to him as you ask. “How do you know that?”

“I taught them how to surf many years ago, they are pro surfers and friends with one of the managers.” Jin’s words were what got you out of your trance. No way would you play into his little games.

“What do you mean you taught them?” For as long as you could remember, the four years you had been working at the resort you hadn’t seen Jin surf, not even once. He was probably just playing with you right now, as usual. Jin sensed your change of tone, realizing you were probably going to be annoyed with him in a few seconds again.

“I started out as a surfing instructor, before I moved on to diving.” Jin explained and you scoffed.

“Why? Was loch ness calling you back to your home?” Jin was a bit taken aback by your words. For some reason they sounded harsher than usual. He shook his head, exhaling a deep breath as he stood up. Disappointed in himself for thinking he had the smallest of chance with you.

“What?” You questioned, confused by Jin’s reaction. He wasn’t teasing you back and it made you feel weird. You couldn’t describe it, but it was almost as if you felt bad for him. Jin began walking towards the door, having to intention to stay any longer in your presence.

“And here I thought you would be nice for five minutes.” Jin almost spit out, a clear anger behind the tone of his voice. “Not even a thanks for the help.”

And with that Jin left. Leaving you alone with your paperwork. The room almost felt cold despite the heat that radiated from the sun outside. Your stomach twisting and turning, feeling as if there was a lump in your throat. Jin had just helped you, and you had, what? Been nothing but a dick to him. Your rivalry aside, he wasn’t that bad of a person, and you knew that.

Your colleagues telling stories about how nice and helpful he was would often make you want to gag. But matter of fact, Jin was a nice and helpful person, you were just too caught up to notice it most of the time. Never thanking him when he opened a door for you, made sure you always had water at the meetings. Leaving his leftovers at your door when he knows you're working all the time.

The first few times he’d done it, you thought it was to poison you or something. When you tasted his food for the first time however, you were blown away with how good it tasted. A smile on your lips each time you found a container outside your door. Not sending him a glare the next time you’d see him after he’d left some food. Jin noticed it of course. It was one of the few things he knew wouldn’t get on your nerves.

Now he was helping you with work, and you did nothing besides be a dick to him. Sighing, you tried to go back to your paperwork. Ignoring the bad feeling that was upsetting your stomach. Your schedule, more or less saved thanks to Jin. Now, you just had to pull through the rest and do some cleaning, then you’re good to go.

“We’re all done!” Taehyung chimed in as you closed your laptop, finally being done with the paperwork after an hour. Confused, you looked at the bright smiling boy who most of the time looked like a lost puppy.

“We?” You question and Taehyung just nodded, smiling brightly.

“Yeah, Jin left Jace with us so he helped me out. Once you’re done with the paperwork we can head back.” Your mood was now drastically lifted, a wide smile on your face as you packed your things. The first day ever since you got here this summer that didn’t end in overtime.

Taehyung packed up his things as well and once the two of you were out the door, you locked it. Feeling the warmth of the sun as you step outside. Even thought the sun was setting,the warmth from it almost burned your feet as you walked over to the apartment complex with Taehyung.

As you walk down the hall, you glance at Jin’s door, wondering for a second what he was up to. Was he mad at you? Was he sad? You couldn’t exactly go up to his door and ask so you decided to do the next best thing.

After cooking dinner for yourself, you wrapped a box up for Jin as well. You left a note on top of the plastic container, writing ‘thank you’ on it. Would Jin even know it was you? I mean, yes it was your iconic yellow dotted containers he would receive the food in, but how would he know for sure?

Deciding to write your name in the bottom corner, you head outside of your apartment, and take the few strides it takes to walk over to Jin’s door. Placing the container on his doormat. Hopefully, he will accept your apology. Hopefully, you might have a chance to make things right with him.

There were parties essentially every night at the single resort you were working at. Tonight, however, the resort would host one of their more famous ones. This meant a lot of people would attend it. since the weather would be bad tomorrow, you didn’t have to get to work that early. You had the best conditions that could’ve been given you to get revenge.With your makeup on point. Eyeliner so sharp you hoped it would cut into Jin’s perfect face. You looked at yourself one last time in the mirror before you made your way down to the beach.

Your dress shimmering in the moonlight as you stepped outside. Following the stonepath on the ground, you make your way over to the party tents. What if Jin was still mad at you? You hadn’t really seen him after you tried to apologize to him with your cooking. He must have gotten over it, he usually did when you were rude to him. You’d never know why though, especially when you didn’t deserve it most of the time.

As you arrived, you thankfully accepted the welcoming drink. Shaking a little as you grabbed it. Most of your friends were not up to the party, meaning, you were on your own. As you sipped on it, you spotted Jin. Talking with two girls, he looked perfect as usual. Laughing at some joke one of the girls probably told him. The feeling that set in your stomach at the sight could only be described as green. Luckily, you were already wearing it on your face, the green makeup showing your true colours unintentionally.

Jin was dressed as Eric as far as you could see. A dashing prince. The two girls around him looked stunning as well, although, they didn’t put in as much effort as you and him to the masquerade bit. Wearing simple dresses and nude makeup, they didn’t stand out quite as well as the two of you did. You’d overheard Jin telling Taehyung how excited he was for the party because he loved to dress up. Why was he spending his time with people who didn't even put in half the effort he did?

Jin was wearing Prince Eric’s signature white loose shirt. A red scarf that it seemed like he diy’d into looking like Eric’s belt. Dark blue loose trousers with almost knee high black boots. To top it all off, he’d changed his hair colour into black. Probably spraying it with some wash off colour, same as you with your red. Your green dress that barely covered your butt went well with the green and blue makeup you’d put on your face. Using fishnet stockings to create a fishscale pattern on your face to finish it all off, you were ready for tonight.

This year, it was time to switch things up. This year, you would take his conquests from him. Not the other way around. You decided to finish your glass of champagne in one go, hoping it would give you a boost of confidence as you started walking towards Jin. You had one goal in mind, ruin Seokjin’s chances with those two girls.

As you made your way down the beach, Jin noticed you. Eyes locked on yours for a second before they trailed your body up and down. It was most certainly a win on your part. You had checked Jin out as well, but he didn’t know that. Jin’s mouth was slightly open, his reaction more obvious with the three glasses of champagne in his body. He most certainly thought you’d never looked better.

Jin had let go of all the anger he felt towards you when he had gotten your apology meal. You had tried after all, and he couldn’t be mad at you for that. Especially considering this was the first time you had even tried to apologize to him, Jin thought that he might have a chance now. If not at pursuing you, at least at becoming your friend.

“My prince,” you announced as you reached him, and the girls took half a step back. Thinking that the two of you might be a couple of some sort. Well, you did wear matching outfits after all. A smirk on your lips as they did. Your plan was going as planned.

“Princess,” Jin answered, bowing down before you overdramatically. One hand behind his back, one foot in front of the other before he stood up again. His hand reaching forward, you hesitated before you placed your hand in his. Remembering what you’d told yourself earlier. You weren’t going to let him have an affect on you at all. You couldn’t be thrown off by a little hand holding. Besides, it would probably increase the chances of the two girls to leave.

He took hold of it, never breaking eye contact as he placed a kiss upon it. It shouldn’t affect you at all, but the way he was looking at you got you feeling butterflies in your stomach. You’d forgotten why you walked over in the first place. Forgotten about how this was not supposed to affect you at all. Forgotten how this was all just a chance for you to get revenge.

The girls had left by now, not really understanding what was happening and left for some more drinks. A little sad that the dashing prince was already taken by you.

“You look stunning Ariel.” Jin complimented and you felt your cheeks heat up. Happy that the green makeup probably covered it. Keep it together, you thought to yourself.

“So do you Eric.” Two could play this game, you thought. Jin looked surprised by your words, well, most often you only called him names and was angry at him. This surely was a nice change.

“Care for a dance?” He asked, knowing he was probably risking it. You could turn at any given moment. Get mad at him. Scold him, as you have done for years but you shrugged your shoulders. A ‘sure’ leaving your lips even though you were far from sure. Your mission was already completed, then why did a tiny voice in your head tell you to dance?

These were uncertain waters you had never explored before. Sure, Jin had flirted with you a few times before but that was just to annoy you, right? Like that time he’d shamelessly checked you out when you were by the swimming pool the first summer you worked at the resort. Sending a wink your way when your eyes meet. The two of you didn’t know each other back then and as the summer went on, your annoyance for Jin continued to grow.

At the first party you ever attended at the resort, Jin stole your date for the first time. You’d gathered courage to talk to the cute guy that had brought you ice cream earlier that week. Only to have Jin swoop in and steal him right under your nose, take him to his room and spend the night with him.

As he led you out to the dancefloor, your coworker started looking at your direction. Ready to call 911 in a second, knowing how heated you could be at times. You got self conscious under their stares. Jin looked at where your eyes were directed. Seeing the hesitant look on your face. How could someone so confident in front of him feel so small in other people’s company? You took half a step closer to him, searching for safety without realizing it. Jin was more than happy to provide it.

Taking your hand, he placed it on his shoulder, and you took the hint. Placing your other hand on top of his shoulders as well. As you turned your eyes to meet his, your surroundings suddenly seemed to disappear. His hands moved to rest on your hips. Swaying to the music, his eyes almost burning through yours and you feel the need to look away. Flustered at having him so close to you.

“Don’t shy away from me now princess.” Jin chuckled and you thought, how could I not? Besides the fact that you hated him, you couldn’t deny that Jin was handsome. Stunning even. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was infuriating, you would have jumped his bones a long time ago. Whenever Jin wasn't making you mad, he was always making you feel things you couldn’t quite understand. It had always been easier to just hate him.

But right now, you and Jin were in the situation you were in. For years dancing around each other to finally dance with each other. You had to admit it, it was nice. Not to be angry, not being on your toes around him. Just enjoying his company. Just being.

Jin had a hard time believing this was all real. He knew you hated him. He just didn’t know why. I mean yeah, he teased you a lot, but he didn’t know how else to catch your attention. To have you practically in his arms, flustered, not being able to look him in the eyes was a blessing. He never wanted it to end.

“This is quite nice,” Jin said and you finally looked at him again. Muttering a ‘what?’ as you had been too deep in your own thoughts to acknowledge what he’d said.

“I said it’s quite nice, dancing like this. Not fighting.” Jin spoke again and as he did, he felt your hands clench, your whole body stiffening. He knew his moment with you was over.

“Well it’s not my fault we began fighting, is it?” You snapped back and Jin couldn’t read your expression one bit. It seemed as if you were in a conflict with your own thoughts and words. Wanting one thing and saying another.

“So, who started the fighting?” Jin asked, wanting your honest thoughts. Wanted to know what he did to make you hate him so much. You were already looking for your escape by then. You wanted nothing more than to just be alone and swallow your feelings. This was exactly why you didn’t allow yourself to be nice around Jin. Things got messy.

Spotting Kyle, your colleague that you didn’t exactly get along with either, you made your exit.

“I’m just gonna check on Kyle,” you said letting go of Jin, moving past him. He took hold of your arm before you could move out of his personal space. His eyes pleading as you looked back at him.

“Please just tell me what I did,” he begged, and you harshly pulled your arm from his grasp. Looking in his eyes for one more second before you headed straight towards Kyle. Your feet moved on your own as you moved past him and started walking back to the resort.

You didn’t need this. Not at all. You were supposed to make him feel bad, not the other way around. As you reached the lobby, you were met with a handsome face. The brown haired tall boy looking at you up and down as you walked over to him.

“Wanna be my distraction for the night?” You asked him and he nodded. Taking out his hand so you could shake it.

“I’m Matt,” he introduced himself and you shook his hand, introducing yourself.

“Nice to meet you, what’s a beautiful lady like you doing running from the party like that?” He asked and you shrugged.

“Just avoiding my co-worker really. Care to show me to your room?” Matt nodded and you small talked on your way over. Finally, you had managed to get a hook-up of your own without Jin interrupting.

Spending the night in Matt’s room you were treated to adequate sex. You know the one that’s not bad but doesn’t leave you quite satisfied? Yeah, that one. You woke up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep because of Matt’s snoring, so you decided to head back to your room.

Walking with your heals in your hand down the halls, going to the staff area, you passed Jin’s door. Wondering who had been the lucky lady or guy to follow him back to his room tonight. Could have been you if you weren’t so stubborn. Jin had his eyes set on you.

Walking over to your door that was almost at the end of the hall, you unlock your door. Going inside, you threw your heels to the side and took off your dress. Finally getting to remove your makeup and put on your softest pyjamas. Climbing in under the covers, you fell asleep quickly. Dreaming of dancing with Jin.

You woke up because of loud knocking on your door. Looking at the clock, you realized it was only seven in the morning. Your first day off in what felt like forever as well. What a joke your life suddenly seemed to be.

Grunting, you got up. The lack of sleep gives you a headache that is pulsating, making it feel like your head was about to explode. Your limbs were still asleep as you dragged yourself across the floor to your door.

Opening it, you were met with an equally tired very familiar face.

“What do you want Jin?” You snared, not quite happy about being awoken so early. Jin looked down at your pyjamas, smiling. Finding it cute.

“Boss said we need to dive and check on one of the reefs,” he explained, and you scoffed. A week was all it took before your boss started moving you around as usual. You didn’t expect it to be in Jin’s team, however. It was probably because you covered for Jin those first two weeks that he missed. Where was he those weeks anyway?

Being reminded of his absence, you grew even more annoyed at the situation. “Does he know about the storm-“

“Yes he does, and he doesn’t seem to care, he wants us to do it before the storm comes.” Jin interrupted, seeming burdened as the words left his mouth, obviously agreeing with you. It was dangerous to go out on the waters when there is a possibility of a storm. It wasn’t even a possibility today, it was well known along the whole coast that the storm would come.

“It’s a reef close to one of the new living areas that’s opening in a few days. Apparently, some fishers did some damage to it…” You saw the sadness in Jin’s eyes. You knew how much he cares about the ocean, just as much as you. “…and we need to check on it.”

He continues explaining and you nod. Of course, your boss cared the most about his precious resort more than anything. More than his summer employees. But still, you cared about the ocean too, having a deep respect for the waters and the animals living in it. It contributes to you being able to carry out your sport.

So, you agreed to help Jin. You didn’t really have a choice in the matter. You just hoped that you could be done just in time to miss the storm. Scared of what would happen if you didn’t make it back in time.

Out on the boat, the waves had already started getting worse since the crew got out on the water. The two old men driving the boat hadn’t said a word to you or Jin since you sat down in the boat. Probably not that happy about being out on the water today and you totally understood that.

Looking over to your right, you focused on Jin for a while. He looked good in the diving suit, you had to admit that. Almost more so than the prince Eric costume if you’re being honest. The wetsuit clinging to his body in the most appealing way it probably could. Showing off his toned body.

“Yah… if you’re going to stare at me, you have to make it a little less obvious.” Jin suddenly spoke, turning to you. Your ears and cheeks turned red as you kept eye contact with him. You were not going to let him make you feel flustered this year, no.

“I was just thinking about if I should throw you off the boat or not… It’s really moving towards ‘yes’ right now.” Jin laughed at your comeback. Muttering a ‘sure’ under his breath as he began to look at the ocean again. The island where the reef was located got closer with every second as the boat traveled across the waters.

“You know all the signals, right?” Jin suddenly asked, mostly just to have a conversation with you, but also as part of his routine. You wouldn’t be able to speak under water of course, you would have to rely on being able to signal things with your hands to one and another.

You scoffed at his question. “Do you even know who took care of your shift while you were gone doing God knows what?” Jin never meant to question your abilities but he quickly realized he hit a sensitive spot. You were probably the most overworked employee. He knew that because you knew the place inside and out. The boss of course loved to use that, throwing you around wherever he needed you.

He sighed, turning his head towards you. Looking at you with a pleading face, asking you to drop the hatchet for just a moment. Just for a bit so you really understood that he meant every single word.

“I’m thankful for that. I know you didn’t really have a choice, but I want you to know that it meant a lot to me.” Jin’s words caught you off guard, his genuine appreciation making you stutter over your next words. Wanting nothing else than for the conversation to be over.

“Wha… Whatever… Let’s just get th-this over with…” You almost mumble, looking down at the bright wooden floor on the boat. Kicking your legs as you sit restlessly for the rest of the ride. Avoiding a conversation with Jin at all cost. The sun was still out. Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad out on the waves today after all?

Jin was smiling the rest of the boat ride, happy to have finally caught you off guard and made you flustered. Maybe things could finally change between the two of you. Maybe, just maybe… you being forced to spend time with him had a positive effect this summer. The last two summers had only drifted you further apart.

This year it seemed like the waves were crashing in, the ocean’s current too strong for you to fight against it. Drawing you closer to Jin, making you see him from a new perspective. And the view was surprisingly nice. When you allowed yourself to look, instead of turning a blind eye to it. Appreciating what had been in front of you this entire time. What had always been there and what you had never noticed. Yeah, maybe the view wasn’t so bad after all?

“Here it is, in you go kids. Don’t stay out too long or we’ll leave your asses here.” The captain of the boat said as he turned off the engine. You wanted to scold him for saying such a thing but Jin beat you to it.

“You’ll stay put here for as long as we want you to. Wouldn’t want the boss finding out his best instructors somehow went missing because of a moron?” You smiled. Best instructors, so Jin did admit you were good at your job? It was a nice feeling, being recognized for your hard work.

The captain muttered a ‘whatever’ waving Jin off. Jin turned to you as he shook his head, scoffing. All that was left for Jin to put on was his goggles. His eyes soften the moment they meet yours.

“You ready?” He asked and you nodded. “Let’s go then.”

You take a sitting position on the edge of the boat, falling backwards into the ocean. Your oxygen tank feelt lighter the second it was submerged into the water. Taking your breather in between your lips, you took a deep breath. Testing so it all works before you dive deeper into the ocean. Your legs made slow kicking motions to keep you close to the surface.

Looking at Jin, you saw his thumbs up and you gave him one back. At the reassuring signal that everything was alright, you and Jin began swimming further down, quickly reaching the ocean floor where the coral reef flourished. You followed Jin’s lead as he knew the area better than you. Enjoying your quiet time in the ocean. Allowing yourself to spend time with Jin without arguing. Yeah… you could actually get used to this.

You and Jin went around and checked on the coral reef for about an hour. Luckily, where the boat had hit the reef it was mostly just big rocks that nothing really lived on. The reef was lucky this time. A while ago, you noticed the light getting darker but didn’t think much of it, too focused on your task at that very moment. It was not until you and Jin began to swim towards the surface that you realized why it had gotten darker.

When you reached the surface, the wind made the waves crash over you. You tried to keep your head above water level, searching for the boat, trying to find your ticket back to safety. As you looked around, you couldn’t see the boat anywhere. You started to panic. Had they really left you and Jin in the middle of the fucking ocean? In the middle of a storm?

Jin was mad, beyond furious but he put all his feelings aside the moment he saw you. Struggling to keep your head afloat, waves crashing over you as the rain poured down. He had to think of something. He had to think of a plan real fast. Otherwise, the two of you could actually die, the realization made Jin sick to his stomach. His body filled with fear as he thought about the options he had.

While you were still panicking, looking around frantically, occasionally screaming your lungs out for help, Jin got an idea. The new living area on the island was close to the coral reef.

Looking around, Jin was able to find the island pretty quickly. A barrier of rocks surrounded it. Of course the fishers had damaged the reef on the opposite side of the beach and pier of the island. It would take too long to swim around the island. The currents were too strong, and you could in worst case die out of exhaustion trying to make it. If only there was some other entrance…

The caves. The underwater caves leading to the lagoon, the island's future main attraction. If he could only navigate the two of you there. He knew the entrance was around here somewhere. He had, after all, been here last week to check on the cave system.

He swam over to you. One hand taking hold of your shoulder to gain your attention. Stopping you right before you were going to scream for help again. Jin’s touch felt comforting, but left you all too soon. Removing his hand once your eyes met, he knew he had your attention.

“Follow me!” He screamed. The wind made so much noise that you could just barely hear him. As Jin made a down motion with his hand, you understood what he meant. Giving him a nod. When Jin dived back into the calm waters below the waves, you followed. He brought out his flashlight to light the path in front of him, and you did the same.

You swam close to the rock walls and you quickly realized Jin was searching for something. Matter of fact, he found it within a minute. Doing a ‘follow me’ motion with his hand, he started swimming into a hole in the wall. You followed him closely. The cave system was a little too narrow for your taste really, but you didn’t really have a choice in the matter.

Jin swam slowly, following the air bubbles. Air that desperately tried to find the closest way to the surface. In other words, leading to the lagoon. As you took a deep breath, you suddenly heard a beep. Indicating you only had five breaths left before your tank would run out of oxygen. Shit.

You tapped Jin on the foot and he stopped in his tracks. The space in the tunnel was big enough that he could almost stand as he turned around. You took a breath, pointing towards your oxygen mask and then showing him four fingers.

Shit, Jin thought as well. He forgot you weren’t as an experienced diver as him. He nodded. He could give you his air if needed. Pointing towards his tank and then towards you, you got his message. Relieved, you swam after Jin as he began swimming again.

Jin stopped after a little while, taking his mouthpiece towards your mouth and you breathed in. You still had four in yours and was grateful for Jin giving you some of his. He probably had a lot left you thought, he was more experienced after all.

The smile that Jin had as he saw your relieved face when you took a breath of his oxygen died quickly. As he took a breath, he heard the beep. You had four breaths left and Jin was now left with five. The situation got more deadly in a matter of seconds. Jin ignored it. He had to make it, he had to get you two to safety, no matter the cost.

With each breath both you and Jin grew more paranoid. As you took your final breath that was left from the tank, you suddenly saw light. The surface was close and Jin knew this as well. One final breath was left in his tank as he swam out of the cave. Looking behind him once he reached the lagoon, he saw you struggle.

You needed more air, muscles straining and working against you as you looked up towards the surface, desperate to reach it. Your vision started to darken, you felt a mouthpiece being pressed against your lips. You took a deep breath, finally having enough oxygen in your body to swim above the surface. You looked at Jin for a second before you swam as fast as you could.

Reaching the surface, you breathed heavily. Trying to catch your breath, you almost started to cry out of happiness. You made it. You were in some random cave, but you made it. Looking behind you, ready to throw yourself at Jin, you noticed he wasn’t anywhere to be found.

On his way up, Jin inhaled water just before he reached the surface. The lack of oxygen shutting his brain down as his lungs begged him for something. Upon your realization, you quickly dived down, finding Jin’s limp body sinking towards the cave floor. No. You would not allow this. Throwing your thousand dollar equipment off your body as fast as possible.

You reach Jin in a matter of seconds, throwing his tank off him as well. The weight of the metal made the oxygen tank sink as you grabbed hold of him and swam towards the surface as quickly as possible. Your body found an immense amount of strength, propelling you towards the edge of the lagoon. You had done this a few times with your students, swam with them to safety on the beach. It had always ended up well. So why were you worried to death all of the sudden?

Dragging Jin’s body up on the hard rock floor, you checked his breathing. Your mind was completely focused on the task. You had to save him. When you couldn’t feel him breathing, you checked for his pulse. Your middle and pointing finger applying pressure on the artery vein on his neck. He had a pulse. You just needed to get him breathing again.

You pinched his nose, restricting his airflow, and tilted his head upwards. After taking a deep breath, you placed your lips over his, filling Jin’s lungs with air. When nothing happened, you placed your lips over his again. Filling his lungs with air one more time.

Jin finally began coughing and you quickly let go of him. Your worried hands brushed the hair out of his face, watching for the life that was returning to his eyes.. Jin was trying to breathe while also coughing up all the water that he had taken into his lungs. Water was coming up with each cough, but eventually his lungs cleared.

When he started breathing normally, you threw your arms around him. Having no strength left in his body to support the two, Jin fell backwards with you clinging to his chest. He winced as his body hit the cold, rock hard cave floor. He wanted to complain, his head hurting from the fall, but he stopped himself. Your arms squeezing even tighter around him as you start to sob into his chest.

“I thought you were gone…” You choked out and Jin felt a sting of pain in his heart. Hearing you so heartbroken and scared… He placed his arms around you. With one around your body, he brought you closer to him. While the other hand softly petted your head, reassuring you.

“Shh, it’s okay. We’re alright.” Jin whispered and you allowed yourself to relax. Exhaustion quickly overcomes your body. Jin felt you relax, your body going limp as you started falling asleep.

He let you sleep. Allowing himself the moment. To finally have you in his arms. To finally have you look at him with concern and not hate. For you to care about him. Yeah, all Jin could wish for really was to live that moment for a little longer. His body tired, mind empty, he fell asleep as well shortly after you.

You both laid there sleeping for almost two hours before you woke up. Confused, you looked around the cave. Not quite remembering where you were at first. Not until you became aware that you were sleeping on Jin. His chest rising as he takes a deep breath. His mouth was slightly open, eyes effortlessly, beautifully closed.

He looked so peaceful like this, so beautiful. As if he had been sculpted by the God Poseidon himself. His beauty was remarkable. His dirty blond hair was still slightly wet. Skin a little paler than usual, probably from the lack of oxygen. Lips red and puffy.

His lips. You look at them for a while. They looked way too inviting. Your hand moved up to your lips. Two fingers tracing your lips as you were reminded, they had touched Jin’s. Sure, it was because you were trying to save him, and you couldn’t really remember much of it. But you wanted to. Wanted to know how his lips felt. How they tasted.

As Jin let out a slight snore, you were brought back to reality. Almost throwing yourself backwards and away from his body. What were you thinking? This is your arch nemesis. The reason for your dry summer spell. Well, you did break it this year, but Matt barely counted. Not when he couldn’t even fully satisfy you.

Okay focus, you told yourself, you needed to figure out what to do next. So, you went through the facts. You were stuck in a cave with Jin. A cave that was… where exactly? Had Jin just told you to follow him into a random cave? Shivers going down your spine as you felt a slight breeze. Your body instantly started to shake.

Great, you were in a random cave, with Jin, and you were freezing. Your day couldn’t get much better. Looking over at Jin, you realized you had to wake him up. You needed to know where the hell you were.

You approached him, slightly shaking his body. Your hand gripping his arm. He just grunted and you sighed. No way were you just going to let him sleep peacefully while you were freezing. It was his fault anyway that the two of you went out into the ocean in the first place. He should have stood up to your boss, you thought.

You shook his arm more violently, Jin finally opened his eyes. A confused look on his face as he sat up. Looking around the cave slightly before his gaze looked onto yours.

“Where are we?” He asked, still half asleep and very much confused about the situation. You slowly shook your head, scoffing. You slap his arm lightly, trying to get him to focus. Jin whines, confused as to why you’d hit him.

“Oh, but shouldn’t you know that? It was your brilliant plan to take us here, after all.” At your words, Jin is reminded of what had happened. Reminded where you guys were. Reminded that everything was back to the way it was before.

“Yah… I brought you here, to safety, so you wouldn’t drown… I almost drowned in the process, and this is how you thank me?” He questioned and you were suddenly filled with guilt. Jin was right but you didn’t have a chance to apologize before he spoke again. “We are in the new resort islands lagoon, meaning we can get out of here and spend the night at the new houses built on the Island.”

No words could describe the feeling in your stomach. You were sickened by your behaviour. How selfish of you to think that Jin would do anything but bring the two of you to safety. You wanted to say something, anything that could make the situation better. To let Jin know you were sorry.

“I should have just left you in the ocean.” Jin muttered as he pushed himself up from the cave floor. It wasn’t meant for you to hear. He’d just said it out of anger, but you couldn’t help the sadness that washed over your body. So, as he started walking, clearly familiar with the place, you followed him. Like a stray puppy, looking for someone to bring them in. Anyone to give them shelter.

You didn’t say a single word as Jin led you up towards the surface, the storm still raging on. You could hear it in the caves, more and more so the closer you came to the surface. Nothing could have prepared you for the real deal however.

The rain was lashing down on the island. The water pressure in your shower was like a slow drip compared to this. The force it struck down was enough to make it hurt when it hit your skin. The wind took hold of the trees, making it look like they could snap in half at any second. You needed to find shelter, fast.

Jin looked to his left, instantly finding what he was looking for. One of the guest houses stood only 10 meters from the cave. He turned toward you, sighing, and roughly grabbed your hand. He didn’t say anything, still clearly upset with you. He had every reason to be, but still, he didn’t want to risk losing you out in the storm.

He started sprinting, his free hand held over his face, shielding him from the lashing rain and wind. You did the same, covering your face as you followed him closely.

When you reached the house. Jin lifted the mat in front of the front door to reveal a key laying under it. He unlocked the door, a sigh of relief leaving his lips. He opened the door and waited for you to get in before he closed it. The sound of the storm could still be heard inside the house and you were both thankful to have a roof over your head. Especially with night time approaching.

While trying to catch your breath, you began looking around at your temporary shelter. The decoration of the house had a modern style mixed with tropical vibes. The white fabric of the couch matched the curtains and the frames on the paintings that covered the walls. The furniture in the living room and adjoining dining space were made of bamboo. The walls of the open concept room had oak paneling, giving the place a rustic island vibe.. Green plants were placed around the house to give it a pop of colour. Your mouth was slightly agape, it was much more beautifully decorated than the guest rooms on the main island.

While you were busy looking at the house, Jin was busy exploring it. Checking the kitchen for food and water first. Not much there besides a welcoming basket and some food the construction worker must have left behind. The toilet was plain and simple, toilet,sink, and shower. The bedroom only had one double bed. Why couldn’t any of the big family houses have been any closer? Jin let out an annoyed sigh.

He now had to fight you over the bed. There was no way your stubborn ass was just going to hand it over to him. You started walking around the house quietly, looking into the bedroom and Jin braced himself. Ready for an argument that he had to win. No way was he going to sleep on the small couch with his wide shoulders and suffer all night.

“You can take the bed. I’ll take the couch.” You suddenly announced, walking past Jin to get to the bathroom. You were freezing and you needed to change into something warmer. Dragging your cold soaking wet wetsuit down your body, you placed it on the shower floor. Your bikini following suit. Taking the white kimono that was hanging beside the shower to wrap around your body. The white silk felt expensive and breezy around your body. Probably made for the beach under the hot glazing sun.

While you had been changing, Jin had taken off his wetsuit as well. Going around in his swim trunks as he tried to make sense of you. Almost shaking his head at himself for not having his priorities straight. He needed to eat and drink. His basic human needs that were somehow overthrown by you. He couldn’t help it. He just couldn’t make any sense of you.

One minute, you are screaming at him, telling him that you don’t even want to breathe the same air as him. Next, you are dancing with him, well, you could have been drunk out of your mind that time actually. Arguing again but for some reason agree the next morning to help him? To throw yourself in his arms and later on, shout at him again.

And now, you had just given him the bed. Without a fight, without anything. Jin couldn’t understand anything. He couldn’t understand you at all. So, he decided to do something he did understand and knew how to handle. Cook some dinner for the two of you, well, with whatever he could find in the kitchen.

It would be an early dinner, but he didn’t think you would complain. You did go out on the waters with him without eating any breakfast, wanting to get out on the water as soon as possible in fear of the storm. And later on, sleeping through lunch in the caves.

As you walked out of the bathroom, you were blessed with the sight of Jin shirtless in his swimming trunks. Hanging low, so low you could see the beginning of his v-line. You wanted to get closer. Wanted to know what he would feel like against your skin. To have his body move against yours.

He was cooking something on the stove. The faint smell of vegetables reached your nose as you took a deep breath. Your mouth salivated at the thought of finally eating something. Jin hummed as he stirred the two pots. You wanted to know what he was cooking and so, you walked up to him.

He didn’t notice you until you stood next to him. As he looked down on your body, he could see the outline of your boobs through the thin fabric. His cock instantly twitched at the delicious sight that was now in front of him.

Jin was quickly drawn from his thoughts when one of the pot’s contents started to boil, the hot drop of water landing on his arm. He jumped back, his reflexes doing all the work for him. His other hand pressed against the area where he’d burned himself.

“Are you okay?” You hadn’t quite understood what had happened, but your instinct told you to take hold of Jin’s arm. With your small hands compared to Jin’s, you moved his hands away. Examining the area where the water drop had hit. A little red but otherwise than that, it was fine.

At your sudden caring nature, Jin was caught off guard. He was supposed to be mad at you, but how could he be when you held his arm so tenderly? With your fingertips that grazed over his skin so lightly, checking for any bruising.

Pulling his arm back from you he muttered ‘I’m fine’ before he went back to cooking.The house, just like every house on the island, where stored with canned food. In case of an emergency or storm. Canned beans, rice and some sauce was enough for Jin to make a stew for the both of you.

Jin took the pots of the stove. You blinked a few times, confused at Jin’s sudden outburst before you heard him say- “Dinner’s ready.”

The two of you eat in silence. It wasn’t as uncomfortable as you thought it would be. Jin’s cooking skills were really good, given the few ingredients he had, he managed to make something really tasty. For that, you were grateful.

When you finished eating your dinner, you waited for Jin to finish his. Sitting at the dinner table, you looked out of the big window. Rain poured down, wind catching the trees of the island. Making them sway. Oh, how you were thankful at this very moment to be inside with a roof over your head.

Jin watched you, when your focus was somewhere else, he could admire your beauty. If only that beauty could match your personality. He knew you weren’t as cold as you tried to be towards him. You were one of the most liked workers on the resort, your bright caring personality being behind it. So, why were you so hell bent on hating Jin?

“Why do you hate me?” Jin spoke, breaking the silence. You looked at him confused, not catching what he said at first.

“Why do you hate me?” He repeated. You gulped as you looked down on the floor.

“Why is that important now?” You asked, and he scoffed.

“Don’t I deserve to know after I saved your life? Come one y/n, you always dodge this question whenever I ask you. Just be honest for once.” Jin had a point. You did always avoid the question. Most often, you got mad because he didn’t already know. Well, maybe it was time for you to just tell him.

“The first summer I worked here…” you began, looking away as you could not look him in the eyes. “You stole my date.”

“Your date?” Jin questioned, trying to think about what you could have meant by that. You quickly grew annoyed.

“Yes, my date, the boy I was with all night at the beach party. The boy you stole from me and took back to your room doing God knows what.” At your words, Jin started laughing hysterically.

“What?!” You questioned. The boy shook his head, fighting tears coming out of his eyes from laughing to hard.

"You are not gonna believe me when I tell you. This is so funny.” He said and you waited for him to continue. Wanting to know what he meant by that.

“You flirted with my friend Sam, who happened to have a girlfriend at the time.” He explained and an ‘ohh’ left your lips.

“So yeah… I took him back to my room so he could sleep it off. I knew he had been fighting with his girlfriend that night and didn’t want you to get caught up in anything.” Well, that did explain a lot, you thought. Still, it didn’t explain why Jin started to steal your hook ups after that.

“Okay, I get that…” you started, “but why did you continue to steal my hook ups over the years?”

“Would you believe me if I said I was jealous?” Jin’s sudden honesty surprised you. It would make sense yes, but why would he be jealous? Unless…

“I’m just gonna head to the bathroom, be back soon.” Jin announced as he left the dinner table, leaving you alone with your thoughts. Focus y/n, there is no way Jin liked you, you thought. Standing up from the table as well, you took both yours and Jin’s empty bowls to the kitchen. As you placed them in the sink you quickly realized you needed to do something to distract yourself. Anything to take your mind off the fact that Jin might like you.

You tried to brush your fingers through your hair, fingers instantly getting stuck in it. You sighed. You hadn’t had enough time to brush your hair before getting out in the ocean. Your hair now a mess. In true little mermaid spirit, you opened the first drawer. Taking a fork, you sat down on the couch, trying your best to detangle your hair.

The sight of you brushing your hair with a fork made Jin chuckle as he opened the bathroom door. His mood instantly lifted. Watching you from afar as you struggled, the fork getting stuck with each stroke.

“You are really taking the Ariel thing to the next level.” He chuckled as he approached you. As you looked towards him, the fork got stuck in your hair. Wincing, you tried pulling it away to no avail.

“Let me help you.” Jin said as he saw how you struggled. He sat down next to you, placing his hand over yours. You removed your hand, allowing him to hold the fork. He sat there for a little while. Removing the hair strands that had gotten stuck around it.

“What’d you try to do? Brush your hair?” He asked and you muttered a ‘yes’. You felt stupid now. To have Jin baby you like this. When you felt the fork being removed, you tried to stand up. Only to have Jin place his hand on your shoulder, pushing you back down.

“Sit still.” He’d order you, and you’d listen. Feeling your ears turning red as carefully separated your hair into smaller sections with his hands. Working his way through it with his fingers, separating what had gotten tangled up earlier today. Skilful hands that worked quickly, but carefully.

Eventually, you started to lean into his touch. Jin’s hands moved over to massage your scalp once they were done untangling your hair. You let out a quiet moan as you took a deep breath. The sound made Jin want to bend your over this couch right here, right now.

He stopped massaging your hair, ready to move away from you before he wouldn’t be able to resist those urges. Before he could move, you’d already turned your head. As you looked him in the eyes, head tilted upwards, you wanted nothing more than to have him closer. Jin felt the same as unknown forces pushed you together. No longer able to deny the obvious.

You looked down, staring at his lip. Oh, how you wished you could just taste them. You bit your lip, silencing the whine coming from your mouth at the thought of it. As Jin looked where your focus was, he couldn’t hold himself back any longer.

Grabbing your face with one hand, he roughly placed his lips over yours. You were surprised for a second but quickly melted into the fierce kiss, kissing him back with even more desire. Taking hold of your hair with his other hand, Jin pulled your head to the side. Your lips disconnected as he started working his way down your neck, kissing every part of it.

“This okay?” He’d ask as he placed a sweet kiss just below your ear. You hummed and that was all Jin needed to continue working on his art. He wanted to mark you. To let everyone know you were his. You let out a moan when his lips brushed over your sweet spot. Jin smirked against your neck before he sucked roughly on your sweet spot. Earning yet another moan from you.

“You like it princess? Like it when I mark you up so everyone knows who you belong to?”

“Yes Jin.” You moaned, allowing lust to completely take over your body. As Jin continued to mark you up, leaving hickey’s wherever he pleased, his hands started to trail your body.

“Let me know if you want me to stop.” You trusted him, knowing you could stop at any time. But hearing those words made you feel butterflies in your stomach. You felt reassured, happy and safe.

Jin’s hands moved to slip under your kimono, your nipples already hard as he began playing with them. Circling, twisting and pulling, Jin took his time with them. You could feel your arousal when you shifted your legs, desperately trying to find any friction that could relieve your aching core.

Jin noticed how you squirmed, and he could barely believe it. He had you all to himself now, squirming under his hands. Your body moved on its own accord. Breathless moans and whines leaving your mouth that only made Jin harder. You could feel him now. As you pressed your backside backwards, you could feel his hard cock against your butt cheek.

He wanted to devour you and he couldn’t wait any longer. You started growing impatient, complaining as Jin started to move away from you.

“What’s taking you so long?” You whined only to hear him scoff. As you turned your head around, you were met with his burning gaze.

“I don’t remember Ariel being able to speak on her vacation to the surface. I think we need to change that.” Jin spoke and you were reminded of the movie, how the princess voice was taken away from her in exchange for her to be able to walk on land. You couldn’t believe he was still referencing it. “On your knees princess.”

You did as you were told. Jin parted his legs, allowing you to sit in between them. You got down on your knees, looking up at him with pleading eyes. You were, however, not short on your snarky comebacks.

“Now what?”

“Now… we put that mouth to better use. Open up.” Opening your mouth, you waited while Jin took off his swimming trunks. The second his half hard cock springed out, your pussy clenched at the sight. It wasn’t the biggest you’d ever seen but it was definitely above average. Your mouth watering at the thought of having him inside any of your holes.

His hand grabbing hold of your hair, this time not as roughly as he guided you to his cock. With your lips wrapped around it you teased the tip for a bit before Jin pulled you further down on it. The feeling so heavenly that you closed your eyes. Still holding your hair, Jin bobbed your head up and down his length. Your moans muffled by the cock in your mouth.

“It seems like we solved our little problem. Your voice seems to be gone princess.” You only moaned more at Jin’s dirty talk. Feeling your arousal drip down your thighs at this point as there was no underwear to stop it. The kimono being your only piece of clothing. Your pussy clenched at the thought of being so wet that you were leaking down on the floor.

“Can’t talk with your mouth stuffed with cock, now can you?” As he mocked you, you swirl your tongue around his tip. A firm grip with your hand around the base, pumping what you couldn't fit in your mouth. Earning a moan from Jin, his head thrown backwards against the couch. His eyes closed as he breathlessly asked you. "Can you take it deeper princess?"

You responded by taking him further down. The tip of his dick resting at the beginning of your throat. Taking a deep breath, you tried taking him further, only for your gag reflex to kick in.

Gagging on his dick, you pulled him out. Still holding your hand firmly around his dick. Pumping his length as you rested your mouth and throat for a while. Jin sat up, stroking your hair before tilting your head upwards. His hand resting on your chin as he did.

When you met his eyes, you saw that they were filled with concern. His gaze soft as he looked into your tear filled eyes.

"Hey, hey… You don't have to…" He reassured, but you shook your head. His hand letting go of your face as you did.

"I want to." You wanted so badly to take his dick down your throat. To watch him fall apart because of you. You weren't even in the mood to tease him. You just wanted to make him cum.

It just that it had been a while since you… well… had given anyone a blowjob. Too busy studying at university and Jin cockblocking you all summer. He wasn’t exactly small either.

Determined, you tried again. You almost choked at first, suppressing the feeling as you heard Jin groan. This time, you took him down your throat a little further than the first time. Taking a deep breath through your nose, holding it in. The sounds that came out of his mouth were more than enough to encourage you.

This time, you could almost take all of him down, bobbing your head up and down his length. His cock grazing your throat each time, your cheeks hollow. Wanting Jin to cum, wanting him so desperately to be at your mercy. To be the only one who could pleasure him like this.

“Oh fuck, just like that…” Jin moaned and you felt his cock twitch as you repeated the action. Sucking in your cheeks as much as you could. Hearing his breathing getting more and more ragged the closer to the edge he got. His hands gripping your hair desperately to hold onto anything as he got right to the edge.

“So close… gonna cum…” He warned and you backed away a little, focusing on swirling your tongue around his tip as you let your hands take care of the rest of his girth. Jin cumming inside your mouth as you squeeze his dick a little harder, milking his cum into your mouth. Letting him ride out his orgasm as you sloppy kept one of your hands on his dick, moving slowly up and down. Jaw tired from all the work you had to do.

As Jin slumped down onto the couch, you let go of him completely. Swallowing his cum as you slumped down on the floor as well. Exhausted, you allowed yourself to close your eyes and rest for a bit.

Well, that’s until you felt Jin take hold of you, his hands firmly placed on the side of your boobs as he lifted you up on the couch. Laying you down on the couch as he climbed on top of you.

“Don’t you dare think for one second I’m done with you.” He growled as he wrapped his lips around your niple, sucking on it while he played with the other one with his hand. Taken completely by surprise, you moaned at the sensation. Jin switched between sucking and circling your nipples with his tongue. Occasionally, grazing them with his teeth. Always giving attention to the other nipple that he didn't have his mouth on with his hand.

Your pussy aching to be touched by now, your legs rubbing together to try and create any friction for your neglected clit. Jin noticed it right away, a smirk on his lips as you started to whine.

“Please Jin…” You pleaded, asking for anything at this point. Taking hold of one of your legs, he hoisted it up on the couch backrest. His other hand taking hold of the other leg, pushing it towards you, spreading you wide open for him. Your pussy clenching and leaking as he kissed your thighs with feather like kisses.

"Don't worry princess, I'll take care of you." His voice deeper as he cooed you. His eyes looked up only to see your glistering pussy, groaning at the sight. The sweet smell of it made him want to taste you even more and stop teasing you.

Giving in, he dived in, parting your legs even further. Spreading you out for even more as he put two of his fingers between your folds, separating them. His tongue vibrated against your clit as he moaned when he finally wrapped his lips around it.

You cried out. Throwing your head back as one of your hands desperately took hold of his hair. Any other day Jin would scold you for ruining his hair but today he couldn’t care less. Not when it felt so good everytime you tugged at it every time he would suck a little harsher, lick a little faster on your clit. The sounds you made, God, you sounded like an angel that was brought down from heaven for him and him only. The sound was like music to his ears.

You truly felt as if you were in heaven. Your orgasm approaching quickly thanks to Jin’s skillful mouth and your general absence from sex. It had been way too long someone had treated you this good. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, you felt Jin tease a finger at your entrance. Tracing it with circle motions, but never entering you.

“Please Jin… just give it to me…” You pleaded and Jin stopped working on your clit. A whine leaving your lips. Bucking your hips into his face in a desperate attempt to get him back where you wanted him. A smirk on his lips as he watched your naked body, the sight of your breasts moving up and down as you breathed heavily. His finger still teased your entrance as you tried to get it, moving your hips.

“Why? So you can rip my hair out even more?” At Jin’s words, you looked down on him. His hair being a mess with your hand gripping it tightly. His dirty blond strands were all over the place. When did you even grip his hair? You thought as you let go of it.

“Sorry…” You mumbled, brushing through it with your hand in an attempt to make it better. Jin only smiled sweetly at you. His lips even more plump, glistering with your wetness. Eyes full of mischief and care.

“It’s okay… You close princess?” The endearing nickname making butterflies fly around in your stomach. You nodded, not trusting your words as Jin was still teasing your entrance.

“Hmm… What else could I do for my princess to make her feel good?” Jin asked playfully and just as you were about to answer him, he slipped his finger inside you. The unsuspected action making you moan. Moving his finger in and out of you slowly.

“Oh maybe that?” Jin playfully said, one of his eyebrows raised as he observed you. A smile on his lips as you kissed your thigh harshly, a whine leaving your lips as he did. Looking up again once he was done with leaving another mark. His finger still moving in and out at a slow pace.

“It’s better where it’s wetter, isn’t it princess?” Jin joked. Of course he would make a fucking ‘the little mermaid’ refrence as he was fingering you, you thought. Wishing he could just stop teasing you and make you cum.

“Bet I could just slip in two… or even three fingers right now… You’d like that princess, wouldn’t you? To feel full?” Jin spoke as he let another finger enter you. You arched your back at the sensation as Jin continued. “Fuck you’re wet, you’re taking my fingers so well princess. Could you handle another?”

You chanted out ‘yes, yes, yes’ as you wanted was more of Jin. More of him. He added a third finger and you clenched around them, loving how full you felt. Moaning when Jin curled his fingers inside you, finding your g-spot.

“Does it feel good like this?” He asked and you responded by moaning, a satisfied smile on his lips. Happy with your response. “Just you wait until I finally get to fuck you and you’ll feel my dick inside you. Oh what I would do to be inside you right now.”

The thought of Jin being inside you was too much, you almost came at the thought of it. How he would probably put you in whatever position he pleased, anywhere and everywhere he wanted. Fucking you so deep and hard you wouldn’t be able to walk for days.

“Please… Just make me cum… I can’t…” You pleaded, asking Jin to have mercy on you as your legs started to tremble. Feeling as your eyes started to water. The overstimulation was almost too much for you.

“Shh princess, I got you. You can let go whenever.” He cooed before going down on you again. Speeding up his fingers just a little as he wrapped his lips around your clit. Taking you over the edge the moment he started sucking on it. Slowing down his fingers and kitty licking your clit as you rode down your high quite literally. Bucking your hips as you tried to get away from Jin, your oversensitivity quickly kicking in once you came down.

Jin pulled out his fingers as he continued eating you. Long strokes with his tongue as he collected all your wetness, savouring the taste of you. Cleaning you up until you started pushing him away due to the slight pain coming with your oversensitivity.

“Alright, alright.” Jin laughed, getting up from the couch. Standing in front of you, he held out his hand for you to take.

"Want to join me in the shower?" With the wonderful bliss that you felt after your orgasm still lingering in your body, you nodded. You had just seen him naked and he had seen you. There was no harm in it, right?

Taking his hand, you followed him into the bathroom. Jin had already turned on the water in the shower as you entered the bathroom. Both of you stepped into the shower once the water was hot enough. The water soothing against your burning skin. Still hot from all your previous activities. You closed your eyes for a moment.

While you were standing there, content, Jin observed you. Watching as the water dropped down your body. Making your skin look like it glowed. A sigh of relief leaving your lips as you brushed your hand through your detangled hair. Jin thought he was the luckiest man on earth.

“You’re so beautiful.” He whispered, and you opened your eyes. His gaze was soft and you felt safe under it. As if he was some angel sent to watch over you, to make sure you were safe. Despite the near death experience and the storm raging on outside, you did feel safe. Because of him. His presence, caring nature and genuine concern for you.

Who were you to deserve a man like that? Your thoughts started to spiral, the smile you had on your face faded. A sigh of disappointment leaving your lips, and Jin noticed it.

“What’s wrong?”

“I just need some space, some time… I’ll just go to sleep and we’ll talk about it tomorrow?” You quietly said, biting your lip. Holding in the tears that so desperately wanted to roll down your cheeks. Jin didn’t deserve your crap, and you certainly didn’t deserve him.

“Yeah… of course.” His voice, equally quiet as yours. Jin didn’t know where all of this came from, but he wasn’t going to push you. Much had happened in the last 12 hours after all. Maybe you didn’t have any feelings for him. Maybe he was just imagining it all. A bitter truth that Jin was beginning to accept as you nodded at his response before you left the shower. Leaving him alone with his thoughts.

As you laid on the couch, covered in a blanket that barely gave you any heat, you waited for Jin to go to bed. He spent more time in the shower than you thought he would. Holding in your tears, hiding underneath the blanket as you waited for Jin to go to sleep.

When you heard the bedroom door close, you let all of your feelings out. Sobbing into the blanket, your body shaking from all the sadness it had been filled with. You wanted to let it all out. Pouring your heart out as the storm drowned out your cries.

You didn’t deserve him. The moment he had called you beautiful, you couldn’t help but to think it was all unreal. It was just a dream. A moment the two of you had shared. Nothing more, nothing less. Tomorrow, when the building crew that is working on the island comes to work, you’ll be saved. Everything will go back to the way it was. Right?

But how were you supposed to hate him when you… No. There was no way you had fallen for Jin. Kim Seokjin who made it his life mission to make your life as difficult as possible. Who always stole your hook-ups for selfish reasons. Yeah, there was no way you were falling for him.

But if you weren’t, then why did it hurt so much? Why did it hurt so much to see him disappointed in you? See him sad, see him hurt, see him almost dying. Why did your body ache at the thought of not being good enough for him? Why did you feel as if you wanted to throw up when you thought about all the hurtful things you’d told him for years. Jin was right about one thing, he should have left you in the ocean.

You said you wanted space which was the only reason Jin didn’t leave the bedroom to console you. Hearing your cries made his heart ache, but he began to understand why you’d said you needed space. It was all probably very overwhelming for you. While he might have had a crush on your for years now, this was most likely all new to you. Or so he’d like to think. Why else were you crying on the couch right now instead of joining him on the bed?

Two sleepless hours of crying later and you admitted defeat. You wouldn’t be able to ever fall asleep, at least not like this. You needed to make things right with Jin. How else were you supposed to be able to wake up tomorrow? To face him?

You threw off the blanket and got up from the couch. With goosebumps on your skin, just the thin kimono covering your body, you made your way over to the bedroom. You dragged your feet across the floor, head hanging low knocking lightly before opening the door. Jin was laying on his side underneath the covers. His hair splayed out on the pillow, looking like an angel from what you saw in the dark. The occasional flashes from the lightning giving you a glimpse of his features. Almost asleep as you quietly made your way over to the bed.

He opened his eyes to see you awkwardly standing beside the bed. Looking for the right words to say as you twiddled with your thumbs. Looking down as you took a deep breath, not daring to look Jin in the eyes.

“I’m sorry…” You begin with, unsure what you were apologizing for really but you knew you had a lot of apologizing to do. “... for the things I’ve said… and done… I just-”

“Shh it’s alright.” Jin interrupts you, taking hold of the covers, pulling them aside. “Just come here, we’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

He invited you to his bed, despite everything, without hesitation. You really didn’t deserve him, you thought as you climbed into the bed. Laying down next to him, he pulled the covers over the both of you. His arm sneaking around your body to pull you closer to him. You almost let out a yelp out of surprise but quickly relaxed in his embrace. His body flushed against yours.

“I’m so sorry Jin, for-”

“I know, I know y/n… You’re forgiven, I promise... Just try and get some sleep okay?” Jin promises and you respond with a quiet ‘okay’. Jin rarely said your name and so, you felt that his promise to you was genuine. Finally, you were able to breath without it feeling as if someone was sitting on your chest. Closing your eyes, you moved your head around a little before finding a comfortable position to sleep in.

“Good night y/n.”

“Good night Jin.”

The following morning, you woke up in Jin’s arms. Hearing him snoring slightly behind you. You chuckled, your chest vibrating, waking Jin up. Groaning, he pulled you even closer to him, almost squeezing you.

“Don’t even think about leaving the bed for another hour.” He warned, voice hoarse and you snorted.

“As if, you’re so warm and the rest of the house is so cold.” As the words leave your mouth, Jin let’s go of your body a little. His voice being more steady now as he starts to tease you.

“Yah… are you using me for my warmth? I’m deeply hurt.” You chuckled and Jin couldn’t help but to smile as he felt your whole body being filled with joy.

“Maybe…” You teased back. You hadn't felt so happy in several months as you did right in this moment. With Jin beside you, the sun suddenly wasn’t as bright. Jin’s warmth was brighter than anything you had ever felt before.

“That’s it.” You heard Jin say before he attacked you. Strong arms gripping around your body to give him all the leverage he needed to tickle you. His hands skillfully drawing out high pitched screams from you as he tickled your stomach. Your legs and arms fly everywhere as you try to get away from him.

“JIN... NO... PLEASE…” You managed to say in between laughs. Being the gentleman he is, he stopped at last. Growing tired of holding you still enough for him to be able to tickle you.

You weren't convinced that he was done however, thinking you finally somehow escaped his embrace. One idea came to mind. You climbed on top of him. Taking hold of his wrists to either side of his face. His goofy smile shined back at you.

“Pinning me down first thing in the morning. If you wanted me that bad you should have just told me princess.” He teased, knowing you would be embarrassed. With your ears now red you looked away from him. Letting go of his wrists as you bit your lip. Suddenly thinking of last night's thoughts.

“Aww… and I thought we were just about to get kinky...” Jin whined and you ignored him, too caught up in your own thoughts. Suddenly painfully aware your core was right above his dick. You needed to have a discussion about this, about what the two of you are before you could do anything else. You needed to focus.

You turned your head towards him, meeting Jin’s eyes. “Can you have a serious conversation with me, even though I’m sitting on top of you?”

“Is that even a question?” He snorted and you slapped him lightly on the arm. Offended, Jin rubbed the area where you’d just slapped him with his other hand. Letting out a sigh as he sees you crossing your arms. Ignoring how delightful your boobs looked underneath the thin kimono as you did so. Reminded of last night's events suddenly.

“Yes I can.” He said, knowing you probably had things you wanted to say. Considering he didn’t let you last night.

You think for a few seconds before you begin. “Jin… You’re so much more than I ever thought. So much better than whatever villain version I was painting up in my head and I’m sorry for the way I treated you. I probably don’t deserve you or this, whatever this is and I’m honestly scared…” You confessed. As you had started speaking, Jin had soothening rubbed circles on your things. Looking into his eyes as you continued.

“I think I want something… But that’s only of course if you want something... Maybe this was just a one time thing for you…” You started to ramble and Jin takes you by surprise as he sets up.His face being only inches away from yours. Staring deeply into your eyes, he caressed your face.

“Of course I want something with you.” He soothed and you let out a breath of relief.

“Okay that’s good… Well… I guess what I wanted to say was… Can we take it slow? Figure it all out before we move further?”

“What’s further than my dick down your throat and my tongue inside your pussy? Me inside you? Assplay?” Jin joked and you shook your head out of disbelief. Though you couldn’t help that the thought of it awoke a certain type of need in you.

“I seriously can’t with-” Before you could finish your sentence, Jin had already pressed his lips against yours. Softly and playfully kissing you as you giggled into the kiss. Annoyed that you weren’t able to focus on him, only laughing in his face (literally) he moved onto your neck. Pressing feather light kisses to it. Only a man could stop himself for so long when he had a beautiful girl confessing she wanted something with him, half naked on his lap. He wanted you, and he wanted you now.

You were both interrupted by loud noises coming from the outside. As you tried to listen, you suddenly heard your name being shouted followed by Jin’s. The rescue team was here. You almost threw yourself off the bed in surprise. Jin groaning as you left his lap, his head thrown back.

“Really? We are about to be saved from being stranded, and you’re complaining?” You questioned and Jin scrunched his face shaking his head lightly.

“Yah, why do you have to say it like that? I wouldn’t exactly mind if they came an hour later or so. That’s all.” Jin said as he got up from the bed. Stretching his back as he yawned with his arms up in the air. You laughed, shaking your head before you replied to him.

“Come on now… let’s go home.”

The rest of the day was spent in meetings with your boss and other people higher up at the resort. They apologized profusely for what you and Jin had to go through. Offering you a week off to just enjoy your time at the resort. Jin had denied the offer quickly, saying you will work as usual and that they will be contacted by his lawyer regarding the incident.

You’d left the meeting earlier than Jin, he reassured that he would take care of it. It was enough for your exhausted body to give in and go back to your apartment. You wanted nothing more than to rest for a little while, to let your sore muscles heal.

As you changed into something a little more comfortable, you couldn’t help but to think back to the last 24 hours. You and Jin had almost drowned. You were stranded on an island. Well, inside a fancy hotel resort condo but nonetheless still stranded. You’d spend so much time with Jin. Seeing a different side of him as you finally allowed yourself to open up to him.

With your mind filled with blissful thoughts of Jin, you fell asleep. Not even bothering to pull down the blinds as the sun shined through your window. Exhausted, you allowed yourself to relax and sleep. To heal from all the bad that came with all the good.

You were woken up from your nap by a knock on the door. Looking at the clock, you realized several hours had gone by and it was suddenly evening. Your room was dark, the sun had gone down already. You were confused as to who could want something from you at this hour, so you dragged yourself out of bed to look. Opening the door, you were met with Jin. A bright smile on his lips as he held two containers of food in his hands. The beginning of something new.

From that point on, Jin didn’t leave the containers outside your door. The two of you always ate dinner together. Making new routines, getting acquainted with the idea of being something other than enemies. Something sweeter. Something more joyful. The best part? You had two months left of the summer to spend together. Two more months of just you and Jin. Bound together by tides that just happened to be right on time.

#bangtanhq #bangtanidx #smutcentralnet #thekimlinenet #BB2020 #seokjin smut #seokjin fanfic #seokjin x reader

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carnationdoe · 3 years

Text

Withering away [KSJ]

Idol!Seokjin x Staff!reader | Hanahaki!au | Angst | wc: 10.8k | 18+

╰ As flowers continued to bloom in her chest, it became harder to hide the illness from the world. So when the doctors tell Y/N that time is running out, she has to make a decision; Get surgery to remove the blooming love or let herself wither away

⟶ warnings: Angst, Strong language Self conciousness, Mental Health and Major character death

Part of the Bangtan Boardwalk collab: Summertime Sadness booth

Banner made by the wonderful @dee-ehn <3

A big thanks to my lovely beta readers @spicykoreantatertots, @your-hannahbanana, @guksweet and @namluve if it hadnt been for you guys I wouldnt have been able to finish this story.

|| MASTERLIST ||

“Nurse Nam, I’m scared” your voice was cracking and fading into a hoarse whisper, while you looked at the nurse with worried eyes.

“You have nothing to fear, my dear” The kind elderly nurse reassured you.

For a few seconds, the room was filled with silence except for the heart monitor's steady beeping and your rough breathing helped by the nasal tubes.

You took the time to look over the room - your room.

A room you had been living in for almost a week yet it didn’t have any of the homey feeling you were used to. The walls weren’t plastered with art, instead it was clean white walls with only the most essential in the room; a bed, a cabinet for your belongings and a few chairs for visitors.

“How do you know?” you asked, voice trembling.

”Have I ever lied to you?” Nurse Nam asked seriously, waiting for you to shake your head before continuing; “Exactly, I will be with you every step of the way”

You didn’t know how to reply, or react for that matter, to the sudden vow of reassurance. So when you suddenly felt something wet on your face, moving your hand to touch it, you realised you were crying.

“Don’t cry, my dear” Nurse Nam cupped your cheek and wiped a few tears away with her thumb, a thing that had become a habit between the two of you through the whole course of your illness.

“I will be right by your side during surgery - and afterward too” Nurse Nam added softly.

“Promise?” you whispered, looking up at nurse Nam with big doe-like eyes, searching for that last bit of comforting reassurance.

“I promise.”

Nurse Nam took hold of your hand and gave it a light squeeze, scared that if she squeezed harder it would break into pieces. Your body being just as fragile as your mind right now.

“Okay...” you whispered, trying to convince yourself that you were brave enough; that you could do it.

“I’m ready.”

As soon as the words had left your mouth, you couldn’t breathe. Your lungs simply refused to unfold probably - it felt like you were choking. You brought your hands up to your mouth, covering it as the coughs tore through you.

As sudden as the coughing had started, it stopped again.

When you moved your hands, you weren’t shocked at what you saw. You had become used to the bloodstained flowers.

“Are you sure?” Nurse Nam asked worriedly.

You nodded your head weakly, not having much energy left to reply verbally. It was a telltale sign of the disease that was killing you from the inside.

“Okay, then let's get going.” Nurse Nam said, a weak smile with wrinkles around her eyes softened her gaze.

Then she took a firm hold on the hospital bed’s frame and started to roll it towards the operating room.

As you were being rolled through the corridors of the hospital, you looked around with big eyes, trying to take in everything that you came by.

The corridors were filled with people and it all seemed so different from what you were used to. It almost felt lively; The usual blue scrubs that filled the surroundings had been swapped out with casual clothing in all of the rainbow’s colours.

Some of the people were waiting outside; in the corridors, pacing up and down with frowns on their faces, while others were inside the hospital rooms enjoying time with their loved ones.

Even as your eyesight began to blur, you couldn’t hide the smile that was forming on your dull face as you watched the world unfold.

Yet, it also made your chest tighten. Not in the way you were used to - and had been for a few months by now. It almost felt like... envy, you also wanted someone to be by your side.

You hadn’t noticed that the bed had stopped moving until a hand clasped down on your shoulder, making you jump and flicker your eyes around in confusion.

The room made you nervous; The cold and clinical gray-blueish colour of the walls, the platform bed in the middle of the room with bright light coming from above, and the machines that were standing up against the walls, it made a shiver run down your spine.

“Let’s get you up here,” Nurse Nam said softly.

You gave her a firm nod and tried to lift yourself off the bed and over on the platform, but even the smallest movements sent stabs of pain slicing through your body. You let out a painful groan before slumping back down on the bed.

“I can’t” you huffed annoyed, sounding mostly like a stubborn child not getting their way.

Nurse Nam looked at you and gave you a kind yet sad smile. Then she called on her colleagues and told them to help her get you from the bed and onto the platform.

After finally getting you onto the platform bed, they began to prep you for your surgery.

“You will feel a little prick, okay?” Nurse Nam said and waited for you to nod, before carefully piercing your skin and inserting the IV in the back of your hand.

“That didn’t even hurt, Nurse Nam” you chuckled weakly, trying to lighten the mood with a giggle when suddenly you began coughing again.

Painful coughs ripped through your chest, forcing the air out of your lungs and leaving you gasping for more, while you fought to sit up; trying to relieve some of the pressure in your chest, but your body was having none of it. It was as if you were fighting against some kind of invisible weight that plagued your body down.

“I’m sorry” you repeated in between violent coughs; spurting even more petals, flowers and blood out.

Tears formed in your eyes and began flowing down your cheeks like waterfalls.

The pain you were going through was simply becoming too much. You couldn’t do anything, you were merely a passenger to it all.

The sight wasn’t anything new for the healthcare workers, yet it still affected them dearly - how could it not? A young woman was dying at the hands of a terrible disease which was slowly choking the life out of her.

Nurse Nam rushed over to your side and began soothing you with soft and motherly words, while she dapped your face with a wet cloth; wiping away the signs of blood that had been spluttered out of your mouth seconds ago.

“There, good as new,” Nurse Nam dabbed the last bit of blood away from the corner of your mouth.

You gave her a smile, however, it didn’t reach your eyes.

“You okay?” She asked, voice filled with concern.

“Yea-a-a” you replied hoarsely, your throat hurting from the thorns having ripped through it.

“Okay... then let's continue” She was still unsure if you truly were ready for what was to come.

Nurse Nam put the oxygen mask on you, immediately you inhaled, grateful to finally be able to breathe and get more oxygen down your lungs.

“Now Y/N, count to ten backwards.” She instructed.

‘10 - 9 - 8...’ you didn’t even reach five before your eyes became heavy and you drifted off to sleep.

7 MONTHS AGO - SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

You were late. again.

It wasn’t something new, but you had promised yourself - and your manager, that today was the day that you wouldn’t do it. Yet here you were, running as fast as you could to get to where you were needed.

“No running, miss y/l/n!” You heard someone yell after you as you passed the entré point of the building.

“Sorry, I’m late!” you yelled back with an apologetic undertone as you kept running, not slowing down the slightest.

A sigh left the person who had yelled at you, already knowing what they were thinking; that it wasn’t anything new, you were always late - and well, you couldn’t argue with that.

The elevator would have taken too much time, but a brilliant idea popped in your mind; the stairs. You took two steps at a time, trying to save as much time as possible.

As soon as you stepped into the hallway, you looked around with wild eyes until they settled upon the sign with the number #13.

Standing in front of the door you took a few deep breaths, trying to get your breathing under control. However, you couldn’t stay outside the room for much longer, since you should already be inside.

With a firm hold on the door handle you pushed it open, shocked by your own strength. You stumbled through the door and into the room, almost falling over your own feet in the process, when the door ripped open.

You had already opened your mouth and begun sputtering your apology.

“Sorry I'm late sir, but the traffic was drea-” you stopped in your tracks, having caught the eyes of seven young men and one angry looking manager.

“Oh, fuck me” you groaned, throwing your head back and then forward with a heavy sigh.

Your head whipped up when laughter filled your ears, wide eyes looking around until they settled on the seven young men, who were now stifling their laughter.

Immediately, a flush spread across your cheeks. You could feel them becoming hot.

You wanted to hide, but it would be rather hard since you were standing at the entrance to the room. So, instead your eyes flickered down to your feet, trying to hide your face behind your hair

“EY!”

Immediately, the snickers stopped, making you look up, trying to find the person who had saved the last bit of your pride.

Your eyes settled upon one of the seven men; one with dark hair cut in a shaggy bowl cut kinda way. His eyes a pair of the warmest chocolate brown eyes you had ever seen.

You couldn’t help but let your eyes wander, taking in his broad shoulders and how his shirt tightened around his arms, showing the muscles underneath it.

If your cheeks weren’t already red, they would be now for sure after the man caught you checking him out.

You looked down at your feet again and began fumbling with your shirt sleeves, playing with them as you tried to calm yourself down.

Taking a few deep breaths you tried to collect yourself and get yourself into your work persona.

“I’m so sorry for my lateness, that was very unprofessional of me, please forgive me” you voice started out slightly shaking, but as soon as you had formed the first few words, it sounded professional.

You were waiting to be scolded by your manager, but also by the seven clients in front of you. Yet it never came, instead you were met with those warm chocolate eyes again and a kind smile.

“No worries, you are here now”

5 MONTHS AGO - UNKNOWN, SOUTH KOREA

“Oh, Stylist-Unnie has lightened your hair... Blonde suits you, Seokjin-ssi” You said softly while Seokjin sat down in the chair.

He cupped his face with his hands in a ‘V’-shape and sent you a cheeky smile through the mirror.

“Now make me worldwide handsome” He informed you and began slouching in the chair, letting his body relax.

“Your words are my command”

You started with his skin care routine; exfoliating his skin in a light manner, making sure not to upset the skin and then moisturizing it.

“Is it okay if I close my eyes?” Seokjin asked, his eyes already drooping from exhausting.

You nodded and gave him a soft smile.

Not long thereafter, he fell asleep, making an even bigger smile form on your face.

It wasn’t the first time he had fallen asleep while you had been working on his face. It was what could be expected from idols who worked as hard as BTS did.

Even with how exhausted Seokjin was, he didn’t have the biggest or darkest circles under his eyes, but they still needed a little bit of colour correcting.

You blended the peach colour into his skin and then covered it with some concealer, making sure that it would make his eyes pop.

You found the next product and began to work on his face. However, you also used the time to take a closer look at him.

The now blonde hair was swept away from his forehead, making your fingers twitch with longing; wanting to run them through his bleached locks and find out if it was indeed as soft as it looked.

Somehow, his features were a perfect combination between sharpness and softness; his strong, dark eyebrows that had become even more prominent now were framing his face and his equally dark eyes. His strong yet gentle jawline combined with his slightly rounded nose tip and plump rosy coloured lips.

Blood rushed to your cheeks, warming and turning them a light red colour as you caught yourself staring at him.

Yes, he was handsome, and you had known that from the minute you had met him. Neither was it a shock that he’d gotten the nickname ‘worldwide handsome’ because that’s what he was. But it was the first time where you didn’t just find him handsome, you found him attractive.

You were attracted to the man in front of you.

As soon as that realization came, you shook it off. You couldn’t have these thoughts about someone you worked with - or more like, worked for.

3 MONTHS AGO - HAMILTON, CANADA

It had been a little over a month since the ‘Love yourself World Tour’ had started; The American part of the tour was almost finished with only a few concerts left before we had to travel to Europe.

Your eyes were locked on the screen showing the members of BTS having the time of their lives on the concert stage; singing, dancing and just generally enjoying themselves.

You couldn’t help but envy them; they made it all look so easy.

They were used to this way of life. They were used to the fast paced life that came with being an idol; used to the long hours working on the same routine to perfection, before going back to the dorms to sleep and then repeat it the next day again.

And it was always more stressful whenever a comeback was nearing.

They became even more dependent on each other.

That was in big contrast to you and what you felt at the moment.

It was your first time being abroad for more than a week and without family or friends. You were alone and couldn’t depend on others, you only had yourself.

You reminded yourself that this was a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ but it didn’t calm you down. You missed home.

It was interfering with your work.

And it didn’t help watching others enjoy themselves while you were having an internal battle with yourself.

A flash of blonde hair flickered by the corner of your eyes. You blinked a couple of times, making sure you weren’t seeing things and that the blonde man was indeed sitting in the chair.

You used all of your strength to muster up a smile as you greeted him.

You didn’t wait for a reaction before turning around to fetch the products you needed to do your job.

However, if you had waited, you would have seen how Seokjin’s face contoured into one of worry and dismay. He had expected to hear the usual humming and cheerfulness from you when he sat down in the chair, but instead he was met with a silent and tense looking Y/N.

“Y/N, are you okay?” Seokjin asked softly, his eyes flickering to your face, and for a split second, he almost thought he detected something. Sadness, maybe?

For a moment, your movement halted as you glanced at him, eyes wide and unsure. You were quick to compose yourself.

“Mhm” You hummed and began to dab his face with a paper towel - a little harsher than needed.

You could feel his eyes on you, but refused to acknowledge them. Concentrating hard on the task at hand, doing it all on autopilot.

Seokjin wasn’t satisfied with your answer, at all. But instead of bombarding you with all kinds of questions, he was looking intensely at you as you re-applied his makeup.

Usually, the two of you would converse about anything and everything, so he wasn’t used to the awkwardness that came with the utter silence from you.

After what seemed like hours of silence, but were actually only a few minutes, his eyes lightened up as he suddenly remembered what you had mentioned a few weeks ago; This was your first time being overseas for a long period of time.

He decided to do what he normally did whenever one of the members were going through something similar.

“Did you hear the rumor about butter?” - “Well, I’m not going to spread it!”

You chewed on your bottom lip, stopping yourself from making any sound.

He kept doing all kinds of jokes, waiting for some kind of reaction from you. Even as no reaction came, he kept on going. As more jokes spluttered out of his mouth, he had more and more problems with keeping a straight face himself.

“What do you call cheese that isn’t yours?” - “Nacho cheese” He bursted out laughing at his own joke.

And that was the last straw, your walls crumbled as the hysterical laughter of Seokjin met your ears and your own laughter filled the room. It started out light but quickly turned louder and louder until you had to hold your stomach.

A smile formed on Seokjin's face, happy to hear your laughter.

2 1/2 MONTHS AGO - LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

For the first time that day you were all by yourself. You were curled up on the couch, enjoying the silence that came after the storm.

It had been a long and stressful day preparing the members and getting through the concert.

You let your eyes wander around, taking in the room. It was quite plain to be honest; it only held two couches and a table. It was clearly here the members had their down town in between sets and after the concert.

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, clearing your mind and settled yourself deeper into the couch.

The last few weeks of the tour ended up nice and you had actually enjoyed yourself. Seokjin had truly made a difference; after he had shown his persistence to make you laugh, the two of you had ended up being... close.

He had become somewhat of a safe haven for you.

Whenever you needed someone to cheer you up or talk to, you knew you could go to Seokjin whether it was work related or more personal. He simply knew what to do and say to make you feel better.

The two of you could talk about everything. Well almost everything.

You couldn’t get yourself to mention how warmth was slowly spreading through your body whenever you were near him. You didn’t find it appropriate, and neither did you quite understand what it meant. Maybe it was just a little crush.

“What are you doing Y/N-ya?”

Surprised, you let out a piercing shriek.

You had been so caught up in your own thoughts that you hadn’t heard the creak of the door, nor had you noticed the shaggy haired boy whose head popped through the door frame.

“Seokjin-oppa! You scared me” You giggled and clasped your hands to your chest dramatically.

He sent you a charming smile and strolled into the room. You tried not to goggle obviously at him as he did so; he looked even better in the casual clothes he was wearing than the clothes he had been wearing on stage.

“You aren't doing anything important, right?”

He was looking around the room, trying to find any indication that you indeed weren’t doing anything ‘important’.

“Just enjoying the silence after the storm” you answered letting out a heavy sigh of relief.

“Would you like to go out for dinner?”

Your eyes widened at the alternate implication of his question. The calm feeling was replaced by a tingly feeling in your stomach.

As the words sunk in, Seokjin himself became flustered; face and ears heating up and turning a light red colour, and he was quick to correct himself:

“What I meant was: Do you want to join me and the rest of the team for dinner?”

“Oh”

You had been excited by the prospect of going out for dinner - just you and him. But you quickly covered it up with a smile.

“Yea. Everyone else is already ready and waiting at the entrance”

“I didn’t even know!” You pointed out in a high-pitched voice, still trying to hide your disappointment.

You then quickly gave yourself a look over and continue in a more sensible manner: “Give me two minutes then I’ll be ready.”

He offered his hand to you and you placed your own hand in his, letting him pull you to your feet. However, you weren’t ready and you fell into him.

A jolt ran through your body and your pulse quickened as your front was pressed up against his.

Immediately, your cheeks heated up and you were almost left breathless.

“Sorry” you mumbled and stumbled back, almost falling over your own feet in the process.

“Are you okay?” Seokjin asked softly, looking just as flustered as you.

“I will just fix myself” you mumbled, not really registering his question.

The BTS members, staff and yourself ended up in the cellar of a Korean restaurant. It gave you the needed privacy.

On your left side was a wall and on your right side sat Seokjin. You were studying his face while he - and everyone else - was having a good time, enjoying eachothers company and finally relaxing after an exhausting day.

You felt like an outsider again, leaning your head up against the wall, just nodding to the conversations that were going on over the table.

“Are you enjoying yourself? Or do I have to make you laugh again?”

You let out a gasp of surprise, startled by suddenly being pulled into a conversation.

Your reaction made him laugh, hard and after a few seconds of just staring at him you joined him.

Your heart fluttered at the sight of him looking so happy and carefree.

2 MONTHS AGO - SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

It had only been a few days since you had arrived back in South Korea. Finally getting a break after working hard for three full months.

You had imagined that you would be enjoying yourself, being with your family and friends you hadn’t seen in months, but instead you ended up getting sick almost immediately after arriving home.

It had started out as just a simple cold, but as time went by it became worse and worse. You could hardly get out of bed because of how exhausted you were, only leaving whenever the need to eat or pee became too much.

Even as the clock approached 3 pm you were still in bed, rolled up in a bundle of blankets like an oversized burrito watching ‘Friends’.

Rachel and Ross were outside, standing on the balcony. Ross was staring at Rachel as he tried to formulate the words that were on his mind. He stumbled over his words as he tried to confess his feelings for her, when Rachel’s attention shifted from him to something behind him.

She began cooing as a fuzzy orange cat jumped upon Ross’ shoulder and vigorously attacked him.

You couldn’t contain your laughter as the scene rolled by, it was just too ridiculous not to.

The hoarse laughter filled the once silent room, but was soon replaced by gasping sounds.

You were gasping for air as your throat had suddenly seized itself closed. As if that wasn’t bad enough, you also felt a tightness spreading through your chest like someone was pressing down on your ribs - hard.

It went on for a short moment when suddenly your throat opened up just a little and a cough tore itself through you. Then as your throat opened more and more, more coughs started to tear through you.

The coughs were powerful, making you thrust your head forward with every cough.

When they finally stopped, your body slumped back as strands of your hair flew over your face, clinging to your forehead because of the sweat you had developed through the course of it.

Your chest was heaving, trying to control your breathing, yet your throat still felt itchy.

1 1/2 MONTHS AGO- TOKYO, JAPAN

It was weird.

Throughout the whole break you had struggled with your health, yet when you arrived in Japan your health improved out of nowhere. You were no longer coughing and neither were you shivering like a leaf because of a fever.

It was nice to be able to breathe normally again.

It was also nice to finally be outside and around others.

You hadn’t even complained when you had been stuffed into the staff bus instead you had joined in on the conversations that flew in every direction, while a smile had been plastered on your face.

The bus ride was short and soon enough you found yourself standing at the back of the stadium.

You were left breathless at the sight of the stadium; the sheer size of it was enough to leave an impression, but it was the way the glass-windows made a ramp towards the white dome-shaped roof. It was simply breathtaking - especially for one who never had seen it before.

A small smile formed on your face at the knowledge that later that day, it would be filled to the brim with screaming fans which made it even more incredible.

You jumped, startled from the sudden touch on your shoulder. You stumbled back in shock and searched for the perpetrator.

Your eyes widening as they locked themselves upon a pair of familiar warm eyes; you could recognize those eyes anywhere. Seokjin.

But before the two of you could greet each other a loud ‘clunk’ could be heard, making you both look towards the sound.

You hadn’t even noticed that your bag had slipped from your hands until the two of you looked at it laying on the pavement.

Neither did you notice that the two of you simultaneously reached for the bag, before it was too late and you bumped heads.

“Sorry” You mumbled in unison.

Then you reached for the bag and bumped heads again.

“Oh, gosh, sorry again!” you jerked upright, embarrassed.

Seokjin let out a soft groan before standing up.

Without a word he handed the bag back to you. Sudden a tingly feeling ran down your spine as your fingers brushed against his. An overall warm feeling settled in the pit of your stomach.

“Thank you, Seokjin-ssi”

“Well it was my fault you dropped it” Seokjin replied, his voice shaking slightly with laughter.

A comfortable silence settled between you for a moment before Seokjin spoke again.

“So ehm, what were you doing before?” He had a playful smile on his face, the one where one corner is quirked up a little more than the other.

“Nothing” you mumbled and your cheeks heated up, embarrassed that you had been caught staring.

“Tell me, please!” He whined with a big pout on his face.

How could you deny him when he looked like that? His head tilted to the side cutely with his plump lips forming a pout. It made you wonder how they would feel? How would they feel against yours?

Instantly your face paled at the thoughts. You couldn’t think of him like that. You knew that. So you tried to shrug off those thoughts.

“I just... well, it’s... big” You were stumbling over your words, still not having got the previous thoughts completely out of your head.

As soon as the words had left your lips Seokjin was bending over holding his stomach with laughter.

You weren’t quite sure why he was laughing until you thought your words through. Immediately your cheeks heated up as you realized how it could be interpreted.

“Not like that Seokjin!”

It simply made him laugh even harder.

“Sorry” He was trying to apologize while laughing.

“I was talking about the stadium. It looks gigantic and I have a hard time imagine how it’s going to look filled with people”

“Oh, so that’s what you were talking about” He teased while wiggling his eyebrows playfully.

“Of course!” You shrieked, looking at him with playfulness shining in your eyes.

Seokjin laughed at your reaction and you were quick to join. Your laughter joined the bird chirping in the trees becoming a beautiful symphony, if you had to say yourself.

“You look beautiful when laughing, Y/N-ie”

Immediately your eyes flickered down to your shoes and your cheeks flushed at the unexpected compliment.

“Stop it” You shyly nudged his shoulder.

“I mean it!” He said seriously with a slight laugh in his voice “your eyes turn into half-moons and your whole face lights up.”

“Yea yea, if you say so” you simply accepted the compliment, not wanting to start an argument with Seokjin knowing that he could go on for hours without giving up.

Silence settled between the two of you once again for a short while, before Seokjin faked a cough to get your attention. You looked up at him, eyes turning curious as you noticed the offered arm.

“Care to join me, my lady?” He asked, his whole demeanour turning to the Seokjin you knew.

You let out a giggle, feeling how your eyes crinkled as you did so. Nothing you had thought of before he mentioned it and now you couldn’t help but nothing you had thought about.

“Don’t mind if I do”

You took the arm he had offered and then the two of you began to walk towards the back entrance of the stadium, talking and laughing as you did so.

1 1/2 MONTH AGO - TOKYO, JAPAN

“Y/N!?”

You turned your head around, trying to find the source of the high-pitched voice that drowned out the R&B inspired track that was flowing through the speakers.

You lept out of the chair when your eyes landed on the person who had called your name. A rather stressed looking man was pacing towards you, looking like he wanted to rip his hair out.

Had you done something wrong? Would you be fired, right now, right here in front of everyone?

“You’ll have to take over for Jimin’s stylist, she just threw up”

“What about Seokjin?” You wanted to facepalm yourself for asking that, but it was the first thing that sprung to mind after the announcement.

“We got it covered”

“Oh, okay?” You weren’t quite sure how to react to it all, so when you saw the coordinator about to turn around, you took a hold of his sleeve and pulled at it to get his attention.

“Anything special th-”

You stopped yourself when he dismissed you with an agitated hand gesture before sending you a tight smile.

“I have to go”

You couldn’t stop yourself from staring at the back of his head as he left you to yourself, without any proper guidance as to what was to come.

With a heavy sigh your eyes flickered back to your station, deciding that it would be good to tidy it before all the chaos would break loose within the next five minutes.

As you fixed your station your thoughts drifted back to Seokjin; How would he react? Would he be annoyed? just as you were by the sudden change.

Maybe he would even miss your presence?

“Jimin-sii! Over here!” You yelled over the chaos that was created as the members returned backstage.

In that instant, Jimin reminded you of a child looking for his mother; His head whipping around with big eyes, trying to find you in the crowded room and when he couldn’t, a pout found its way to his face.

A staff member ended up having to take a hold of Jimin and lead him towards you and your station.

“Jimin-ssi” You greeted him with a bow before gesturing for him to take a seat in front of the mirror.

“Unnie has gotten sick so I’ll take over for the rest of the evening, I hope that’s okay?” you explained as Jimin made himself comfortable.

“No worries” His voice hoarse from singing but soaring with exhilaration.

You turned your attention to Jimin’s face, busying yourself with fixing his makeup.

As you began blending the colours on his eyelids, you heard an all too familiar laughter erupting through the room, making your whole body jerk, including your hand. The brush in it ends up jabbing straight into Jimin’s eye.

“Fuck”

You stared at him in horror, mouth turning dry with dread and your whole body was frozen in place. Even when the need to cover your face grew, your body didn’t react, it simply didn’t cooperate with your brain.

It felt like minutes you were frozen like that, but was probably only a few milliseconds, before you were apologizing profusely to Jimin.

You took a hold of his face and looked into his eyes, making sure that no harm had been done.

You traced a thumb over his cheek towards his eye and caught a single stray tear that slowly spilled from it.

“It looks okay, are you okay? Does it hurt?” You asked, still looking him over to be completely sure that he was okay.

“Just don’t stab me - again” He said in a serious tone, but the smile which had found its way on his face made it clear for you that he was pulling your leg.

Then you went back to the task at hand, fixing what damage you had done. This time you were extra careful, not letting any sound disturb with your work. But it didn’t stop you from glancing towards the laughter with pursed lips every now and then.

An overpowering feeling of jealousy spread in your stomach, only to be suppressed by a chest-crushing bitterness that was blooming in you, and a layer of fog appeared in your eyes. You tried to blink it away and ignore the tightness in your chest.

Stupid Seokjin kept laughing, shoulder shaking as he doubled over with half closed eyes.

Every now and then he would be clapping his hands whenever something ‘too funny’ was being said. You knew exactly what was happening; Seokjin had just told the female makeup artist the same lame joke as he had told you.

As your chest tightened even more, a sudden cough tore through you making you grab the sides of the vanity.

“Are you okay, Noona?” Jimin was worried, you had been fine just a minute ago and now you were crunched over the vanity, coughing your lungs out.

“Ye-e-a” You said - trying to suppress the coughing long enough to speak.

Jimin didn’t quite believe you, yet he didn’t word his concern as your coughing seemed to have stopped just as quick as it had started.

You shooed him off to the stage as you had finished his makeup.

As soon as Jimin was out of sight, you grabbed a tissue before bending over as if you had been punched in the stomach and began coughing again. A lot more violently than before.

When the coughing ceased, you moved the tissue away. Immediately, your eyes widened in shock; Inside the white tissue laid a crumbled rose petal.

4 WEEKS AGO - OSAKA, JAPAN

You had been searching every corner of the internet, trying to understand what exactly was wrong with you. It had become clear rather quickly that what you were experiencing was called: Hanahaki disease.

A disease born from unrequited love.

The signs were clear as day that it indeed was Hanahaki disease you were experiencing because what other disease made you cough up flowers?

It wasn’t anything like the common cold where most symptoms could be seen in other illnesses too.

However, there was something that kept nagging you since the whole premise of the disease was unrequited love; who did you love?

How could you attract a disease centered around unrequited love when you didn’t even know who it was you - supposedly - loved? It freaked you out.

Your mind had been on overdrive trying to find out who could be the reason behind it all, but none sprung out to you. Mentally you were going over every single person who you interacted with, coming up with reasons why it couldn’t be this or that person.

It had been quite easy until you came to Kim Seokjin and your mind went blank.

Sure, you may or may not have a little crush on the man, but who didn’t? He had the face of a Greek god and the personality of an angel, making him that more attractive to you.

Still it was simply just a tiny crush, something you had had multiple times before and that had never ended with you coughing flowers.

So who could it be then?

That was the question that kept popping up in your head, even as you set up your workstation it was all you could think of.

Lost in thoughts, you hastily set your things up before rearranging them over and over again out of unreasonable anxiety.

A heavy sigh tumbled out of your mouth and your fingers pinched the bridge of your nose, the frustration almost bobbling over in that moment.

You tried to calm down yourself; you closed your eyes and focused on your breathing. You breathed in for five seconds and then breathed out through pursed lips for five seconds.

You did this for a few minutes before opening your eyes and letting them flicker around, before you knew it, you were staring right at Seokjin.

Seokjin was walking side by side with another woman, someone you hadn’t seen before.

Who was she? And why was she here, near Seokjin? Your mind crumbled and your stomach turned at how her hand was caressing his arm and at how he was doing nothing to stop it, instead he had a smile plastered on his face.

Suddenly you were bent over as if you had been punched in the stomach and began coughing.

They continued tearing through you when your eyes widened all of a sudden; You put two and two together and suddenly it all made sense.

Yet you couldn’t face it, so instead you followed your instinct and fled the area.

You could feel your colleagues' questionable stares, but you didn’t stop, instead you set up your pace. Even as you heard your name being called you didn’t stop.

It was only when someone took a hold of you, making you stop in your tracks. Being twisting you around, making you come face to face with none other than Seokjin himself.

“What’s wrong Y/N?” He asked almost out of breath, hands on his knees while looking up at you.

You couldn’t help but admire him - and you hated it; How his brows were slightly drawn together, emphasizing the worry in his gaze. His cheeks were flushed and his plump lips parted as he breathed heavily.

“What’s wrong?” He repeated as his breathing had come a little under control.

You took a step back, distancing yourself from the man in front of you yet your eyes were still on him. As the two of you locked eyes the nausea came back instantly.

As if you didn’t have a hard time already breathing, it became shallower and shallower for every second that you were near him. You knew that soon you would be coughing your lungs out.

“Answer me!” It was clear that he was becoming agitated by being ignored.

His tone made you feel even worse and the first cough tore itself through your body. As another cough came through you, you were quick to bend forward as they kept tearing through you intensely, to the extent that white spots appeared in your eyesight.

The coughing stopped suddenly as you felt a warm palm on your shoulder, sending shock waves through your body and making you suck in air through your teeth.

“Please don’t touch me” You whispered, pleading desperately.

However, either he ignored what you said or he didn’t hear it because he kept a firm hold on your shoulder. His fingers were gently caressing you.

Why didn’t he understand that you didn’t want him near you? He had never shown any form of interest in you until now and it made you so angry.

“I said; Don’t touch me!” You yelled, ripping your arm out of his hold.

Immediately your coughing reappeared but you didn’t let it face you, instead you took a step back even as your legs were beginning to shake.

Seokjin didn’t listen this time either, he leapt towards you as soon as he saw how your legs were reacting, but you were quick to cower away.

Why didn’t he just listen to you, couldn’t he just leave you alone?

“Leave me alone, Seokjin!” You yelled, letting all of your frustrations out.

Then you turned around and fled for the second time of the day. You sprinted with all your remaining energy, even as your lungs felt like giving up both from the running and from the coughing, you kept going.

The adrenaline pumping through your veins, making it just a little easier for you.

Before you knew it you had slammed shut the hotel room door and slid down it.

No longer could you keep your emotions at bay; your eyes began watering and your vision became blurred. Within seconds tears were streaming down your cheek. You were sobbing and coughing uncontrollably.

You couldn’t love him. It simply wasn’t a possibility. How could you? You didn’t know him well enough to have that strong of a feeling for him, right?

You kept denying it even as it was staring right back at you. You simply didn’t want to believe it, but how else could you explain why you had memorized how his eyes clouded over whenever he was lost in thoughts, how his shoulders were shaking from laughter and his eyes shining.

You ended up falling asleep with the image of Seokjin in your mind, still huddled up against the door and with dry tears on your face.

Every hour or so you woke up because of a coughing fit ripping through your body. Even if you had wanted to move yourself away from the door, you couldn’t because of how your whole body - and soul - hurt.

A few days went by, and you had spent most of your time hiding in your hotel room alone, with only your thoughts to keep you company.

In the beginning you had been distraught by the mere idea of being in love with Seokjin. You couldn’t understand any of it, it simply didn’t make any sense how your tiny childish crush had evolved into something more - something a lot more. You didn’t understand how it had come to this.

And then you became angry; angry at the world, angry at Fate and how it had played you as if your life was one big joke.

The overwhelming anger consumed your being and made you lash out. You had never acted like this in your life before - ever.

You had been in such a rage that you weren’t even thinking straight.

All you wanted to do was scream your lungs out at the unfairness of the world. However, no scream would ever leave your lips instead a mixture of hisses and coughs would.

Your entire body was covered in cold sweat and trembling uncontrollably. The way your soaked clothes stuck to your skin was making you feel suffocated.

The hatred that filled you only moments ago seeped out like air from a punctured balloon. It left you with the overwhelming feeling of guilt and sadness. A sadness you never had experienced before, it almost felt like your heart was tearing itself in two.

You stuffed a fist in your mouth, suppressing the cries which threatened to make an appearance.

The realisation that it was Seokjin, who was the reason behind the flowers blooming inside of you had shocked you - yes - but that wasn’t an excuse for how you had acted.

You had acted childish, immature and totally out of order, letting your emotions get the better of you. It made you cringe inwardly with disgust.

As if that wasn’t enough to make you hate yourself, whenever you closed your eyes you saw Seokjin’s distraught face as you screamed at him. He looked as if you had kicked a puppy in front of him.

The memory brought distress and regrets with it, even making you nauseous.

You wished you could snap your fingers and make everyone forget what had happened, but it wasn’t realistic.

You had quite a hard time believing that Seokjin would ever be able to forget your interaction; forget how you had screamed at him like a crazy person.

You certainly wouldn’t forget it, especially if it had been the other way around. If he had been the one yelling and screaming at you for no apparent reason.

You weren’t sure what to do with yourself.

The guilt was eating you up and you knew that only one thing could help it going away; you had to take responsibility for what you had done.

You had to find Seokjin. Soon.

But first you were in need of a nap. Both mentally and physically drained after the whole situation plus you had doped yourself on pain medication for your throat and chest pain.

Sadly, the nap hadn’t gone as you had hoped; you had hoped that it would have come easy without much disturbance, instead it had been filled with the memory of you screaming at Seokjin.

However, it had been altered; no longer were you looking or sounding as yourself. Your voice had been robbed of its soft essence and became disfigured into a sinister entity of darkness that only promised hell. While you became bigger and bigger, Seokjin seemed to be smaller and smaller as you became more evil.

Suddenly you jerked awake; eyes flew open and hands grasping ferociously at your throat, trying to get the imaginary hands away from your throat. But it didn’t help, it still felt like someone was choking the life out of you.

Your vision started becoming blurry and white spots danced before your eyes. Gradually your body became numb and your senses faded, you wanted to scream but your energy was slipping away from you.

You were sure that you would be passing out soon, your lungs burning from gasping for air. The intense choking sensation suddenly eased when a cough tore through your body.

Tears sprang to your eyes and slowly trickled down your cheeks. You kept blinking to get your sight back and when it came back, a startled cry left you.

No longer was it only white petals that met your gaze, now the petals were splattered with a crimson hue. You rubbed one of them between your thumb and index; eyes widening as the colour transferred to your fingertips. It was blood - your blood.

You had to find Seokjin and it had to be NOW.

You felt as if you had been walking for an eternity, ending up at the basement of the hotel, you felt like giving up. When suddenly your ears picked up on something, eyes flickered around until they locked themself upon a door.

Was your mind playing tricks on you? You weren’t quite sure, so you inched closer to the door, nearing it you could hear the muffled sound of the all too familiar track “Idol”. You could also hear someone talking behind the door, it sounded a lot like Hoseok whenever he was in ‘dance teacher’-mode - but again you weren’t sure.

Biting your lip, doubt filled your head. Did you really have to knock on the door?

You weren’t even sure if BTS were in that room. And if they were inside, they were probably practicing and didn’t have time for anything else - especially not silly little you.

No, you had to be strong.

You had to face Seokjin and apologize.

And with those encouraging words echoing in your head you knocked on the door, waiting for someone to yell that you could enter.

So imagine your shock when the door instead was ripped open and you came face to face with none other than Seokjin.

This wasn’t how you had pictured it to go and it was overwhelming; your hands were clammy and beads of sweat peaked across your forehead as your heartbeat increased.

Neither did it help how Seokjin looked at you; he had a scowl on his face and his arms crossed in a tight manner. You could almost taste the disapproval that was raging from him.

“What do you want?” He sneered.

Immediately you casted your eyes down, unable to look him in the eyes, feeling small under his stare.

“Hnh, could w-” You swallowed the lump in your throat and a cough tore through you before you could continue, “could we talk?”

You lifted your gaze up from your feet and you looked at Seokjin with pleading eyes.

It felt as if he was looking right through you and you were slowly losing hope that he wanted to hear you out.

How stupid could you be thinking that he would want to talk to you after what you had done?

You were ready to turn around and run back to your room, but were stopped when he looked over his shoulder and began talking to someone you couldn’t see. Neither did you hear what was being said. Then he looked back at you, letting out a deep sigh before nodding his head.

Then the two of you found a secluded area to talk.

You opened your mouth and closed it again, unable to find the right words to say. You lifted your head to look at Seokjin, who was standing in front of you, his eyes locked upon you with an annoyed look.

“So?!”

Seokjin’s sudden outburst made you stumble over your words, trying to form some sort of apology in between coughs.

“What did you say?” he asked, his demeanor having changed slightly as he noticed your anxiety heightening.

Hearing his voice having turned soft - much more like the voice you adored - you looked up at him with big eyes.

“I-i-” you swallowed the lump in your throat and let out a deep and sad sigh, “I’m sorry”

As soon as the words had left your mouth, you ducked your head into a bow while you squeezed your eyes shut in embarrassment.

If you hadn’t lowered your head in embarrassment you would have seen the expression in Seokjin’s eyes soften drastically, they even held a glint of kindness as he waited for you to continue.

As seconds went by and no sound came from Seokjin’s mouth, you no longer could keep your head lowered and your gaze flickered up to him.

You noted he seemed to have calmed down a lot since his sudden outburst only minutes ago.

It made a sudden burst of confidence surge through you and an apology spilled out of you. You were shocked by how calm your voice was.

“I’m sorry for what I did - for how I acted. I should never have screamed at you like a mad woman and for that, i’m truly sorry and I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me”

However, the confidence vanished just as quickly as it had appeared under the scrutiny of his eyes.

Was he analysing you? Trying to find out if you truly meant what you said?

Dread washed over you; scared that you hadn’t sounded remorseful and that he wouldn’t accept your apology.

But it was all turned to dust when a smile stretched over Seokjin's face.

“You are forgiven, but please try not to let the pressure get to you. Come talk to me or someone else instead of... - you know” He said softly, adding the last two words with sternness.

You let his words settle in and relief flood over you. He forgave you.

You took in a deep breath before opening your mouth to thank him for his forgiveness, but instead a high shriek left your lips as you were knocked into.

You didn’t register the faint ‘sorry’ that the pepetrature said as they ran past you.

How could you when you were flushed up against Seokjin? Your palms were firmly planted on his hard chest while his big hands were clamped at your waist, steadying you. You could feel the heat rise to your face and stomach fluttering.

“Are you okay?” Seokjin asked, eyes full of concern.

You nodded your head, scared that if you spoke your voice would be trembling.

A few seconds went by before Seokjin noted the position the two of you were in. Immediately, his cheeks heated up and turned red and so did his ears.

Your eyes locked upon each other and it was as if the time stopped, as if the two of you were the only one in the world.

His dark eyes were like the night sky, sparks of gold flickering as if God had put the stars in them.

Without thinking you stood on tippy toes, reaching up towards him while he leaned down towards you. You felt his hot breath over your nose. A smile forming on your lips and you closed your eyes.

The butterfly in your stomach was going crazy in anticipation.

But the kiss never came and the warmth of his hands left your waist.

Confused, you opened your eyes and saw why; He had straightened and appeared troubled, unable to meet your gaze.

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t Y/N. You are a nice girl, but I can’t” He replied,

“Oh” You took a step back, making distance between the two of you.

You felt a stab of pain in your heart and the air was knocked out of you, lungs contracting because of the flowers blooming in your chest. You had to get away from the situation - get away from him.

“You should probably go back to practice” you said, dismissing him.

You could see that he was dying to say something, but you knew that whatever he was going to say would make you break down.

“Let's just... forget this” You said sternly and turned around leaving Seokjin behind.

2 1/2 WEEKS AGO - TAOYUAN, TAIWAN

After the whole incident with Seokjin, you had done everything in your power to distance yourself from him.

You had even tried to talk to your supervisor about the possibility of swapping artists with one of your colleagues. Unfortunately for you it wasn’t possible. You were stuck with Seokjin.

It had bummed you out massively because you didn’t know how to act around him. Not after the clear rejection he had sent your way. But you had to suck it up and do your job while keeping your distance whenever it was possible.

To be honest, you thought you had done a rather good job.

Still it didn’t mean that others hadn’t noticed the sudden change; How you had been pulling away from both Seokjin and your colleagues. No longer did you anticipate in long - deep - conversations with them (and you missed it. alot).

However, it didn’t seem to faze Seokjin. Instead he seeked conversation elsewhere and it hurt. Even more so when his flirty nature seemed to flourish in these conditions.

The same couldn’t be said for you. Your coughing had become worse and it never seemed to be gone for more than twenty minutes. The petals had also become a frequent sight.

It had taken a toll on you. Whereas you had looked healthy and happy, you now seemed gaunt and tired.

Today was no different.

You had used extra time trying to cover up the tell tale signs; the dark circles beneath your eyes emphasized the fact and your cheeks having become sunken and hollow as though you hadn’t been eating.

With the thought of having done a good job covering up your dull appearance you had hoped your day would have gone... okay.

But who were you kidding?

As you stepped into the work room, you caught sight of Seokjin at your workstation with another woman, it made you stop in your tracks.

You pressed your lips together in a tight line, trying to suppress the pain you felt.

Neither did the subtle touches that passed between them go unnoticed.

You could literally feel your heart breaking.

So it didn’t come as a shock when you suddenly bent over sharply as if you had been punched in the gut. You couldn’t hold the coughing in anymore and let them roll through you.

You were so focused on the pain that you didn’t notice that someone had neared you, it was first when you felt a hand on the middle of your back. You didn’t even have to look up to know it was, you would know his touch whenever.

He was caressing you softly.

“Are you okay?” his voice was so close to you, that it made you jump a little, before a new fit of coughs tore through you.

“Yea I’m ju-” you were interrupted by coughs.

Even as the coughs tore through you, you knew that something more was about to come, so you fumbled with your backpocket for a tissue. You pressed it to your mouth and coughed some more.

The tissue became moist and when you looked, it had drops of blood spattered on it.

1 1/2 Weeks ago - LOCATION UNKNOWN

“Are you firing me?!” You demanded.

This wasn’t what you had expected when you had been called to have a talk with your manager.

“Firing you? No no no, that’s not what I’m doing” Your manager huffed in exasperation.

“Then please enlighten me because it feels like you are firing me”

“I’m not firing you”

“You sure about that?” You retorted in a slight mocking way, something you normally wouldn’t do but the anger and most of all confusion was going to your head.

“Listen to me, goddammit!” The way he raised his voice made any sneaky remark that had been on the tip of your tongue getting swallowed.

“I’m not firing you” He repeated in a much gentler voice but still professional.

“Then what is this?” You whispered with a frown on your face, eyes casted down to your feet that were shuffling around nervously.

A reply didn’t come immediately, your manager pondering how to word his next sentence.

“I didn’t want to say this, but you look like hell”

Your gaze flickered up, opening your mouth to retort but found your words stuck in your throat when he added:

“-and i’m not the only one who has noticed”

You shuffled around uncomfortably and tried to hold in the coughing, but were unsuccessful. Two or three hacking coughs sneaked their way out of you. Luckily, it stopped quickly.

“I’m good, so no worries sir”

You knew no one would believe you; you panicked and those were the words that had left your lips in a trembling manner.

“You don’t have to lie, Y/N”

The softness of your manager's voice made it clear to you that he knew something was up, that you weren’t well - that you were sick. With what he didn’t know, but he knew you were sick.

“- and therefore I’m sending you home”

You opened your mouth in objection but shut it again when you noticed the stern look he sent your way and you knew nothing you had to say would change it.

He had the final say.

5 DAYS AGO - SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

Days had gone by since you had been sent home and at first, it had been okay - yes, the illness had gotten worse, but it hadn’t affected you much.

However, it quickly took a turn for the worse.

No longer did you have the energy to leave the comfort of your bed unless it was absolutely needed. You had even stopped eating anything that wasn’t in liquid form because of the throbbing pain you felt in your throat whenever you had to swallow - or do anything else for that matter.

As you were drifting in and out of consciousness, you heard the muffled sounds of someone talking and the soft knocking on your door? Or was it just something you imagined, you weren’t sure so you didn’t answer.

However, the knocking continued and you panicked when you thought you heard the words; “Open up, it’s the police”.

Panicked because you didn’t want them to see the mess you and your apartment had become. How the dishes were stacked in the sink and around on every surface, tissues overfilling the bins making some lay on the floor. It was a mess and so was you; still wearing the same pyjamas as you had days before.

In your panicked - and sick - state you opened your mouth in an attempt to answer them. Yet no words left your mouth, only scruffy sounds escaped you, ragged gasps.

In that moment, You were in so much pain, your whole body was simply too tired and began to shut down.

Your vision became blurry as sharp pain shot through you, like someone was clawing at your chest. The overwhelming taste of iron filled your mouth and lungs with each breath until you blacked out.

The annoying beeping sound was what woke you up. You reached for the alarm on your bedside table to make it stop, but when your fingers didn’t find the alarm - or the bedside table.

The beeping became louder - more high-pitched than before and more frequent.

Panicked your eyes flicked open. You were met with a too harsh lightning, making you shut them immediately again.

“Oh thank god, you are finally awake miss Y/L/N”

PRESENT - SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

The steady beeping of the heart monitor had been going on for two hours now, making the surgery team be at ease. Nurse Nam used a machine to suck the blood out of the operating field, so the surgeon could remove the flowers that had wrapped themselves around your lungs.

They had been shocked when they had opened your chest, seeing just how much had been blooming within you. It was easily the worst case any of them had seen, yet you seemed to pull through.

However, it’s never that easy, is it?

It all happened so fast. How the high-pitched beeps of the monitor suddenly decreased significantly, making everyone stop mid-motion. Their eyes flickered towards the monitor and then back at you.

You had started bleeding from your mouth and nose. It was a terrifying sight.

Nurses and surgeons watched in horror as your heart stopped beating.

“Fuck” someone mumbled under their breath.

“She’s going into cardiac arrest!” Nurse Nam yelled over the panic, trying to get everyone going.

“Quick do CPR” Nurse Nam yelled again, making the surgeon who already had his hands inside of you take a hold of your heart and began pumping it manually.

In your dream-like-state the dim light you had been staring at was becoming brighter and brighter at every second that went by. It was almost as if it was calling for you.

You stood up from the ground and walked towards it, with a skip in your step. You no longer felt any of the pain that had been plaguing you for weeks and that was making you happy - with each step toward the light, you felt more and more peace.

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hannahsheppardsblog · 22 days

Text

Final major project- rethink

i have been struggling to identify problems and solutions so far so i will re work my project and make links with things i have already explore to redirect the project.

I know that i want this to be a branding and packaging project because i want to move into that in the future and i need another project like that in my portfolio.

I have already researched alcohol packaging and research behind that so that is something worth while continuing to explore.

I will need to re write my learning agreement to fit the following new brief:

who: Belgium & blues Southampton is a beer and blues music bar in Southampton. its independently owned and has originated from 3 friends wanting to create an experience from a beer bar. They host a range of different night throughout the week, like quiz nights, live music and comedy nights.

what: (i have conceptualised) they want to bring out their own series of Belgian and craft beers and need branding and packaging to support this

why: because they are attending pop up shows this summer and want to stand out against other beer brands and get more people involved in this community they have created so far.

where/when: they will also have other pop up blues music and beer events across the south coast this summer to branch out further and see if they would be successful to open stored in other areas of the south coast

how: they will need a series of packaging and branding to promote the bar and stand out against other beer brands and have their own voice

“B&B | Southampton.” Bb2020 Temp, www.belgiumandblues.co.uk/. Accessed 6 Apr. 2024.

#final major #research #ideation

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justimajin · 4 years

Text

Something Smells Fishy

› Pairing: Taehyung x Reader

› Genre: Fluff & Angst, Crack (a very nice dose of it) - part of Bangtan Boardwalk’s fic event

› Words: 14.1k

› Summary: Summer is finally here and vacation is on the rise. Spending some quality time with your friends and having a joyous holiday is something you’re definitely looking forward to, but a sudden turn of events proves you otherwise with the addition of a surprise guest that you’re not exactly keen on seeing. You suppose it could be worse, worse than having to lose two of your precious limbs and growing a ginormous fish tail out of nowher- wait WHAT?!

› Warnings: pg13, not much aside from fish jokes

The sound of wheels rolling against the wooden floor resonates through the dorm.

Your giant black suitcase has been tightly packed and filled to the brim, nearly appearing on the verge of exploding soon enough. There’s a pair of peach coloured sunglasses resting against the bridge of your nose with skin that glows from sunscreen overuse and a straw floppy hat perched on top of your head. Dressed in a tank top and a pair of shorts, the adventure you’ve planned is pretty obvious at this point.

That’s right. You’re going on vacation.

And you won’t be alone this time.

The red SUV is parked along the sidewalk, sunlight highlighting it’s sheer capacity. You smile when a head of blonde sticks out from the window, her arms erratically waving at you.

“Y/N!!” She hurriedly unbuckles her belt and pushes against the car door, welcoming you with open arms. “I’m so glad you could make it!”

“Me too Eunha.” A hand tugs at your suitcase and you release your grip, letting her prop it up into the back of the car. She squeezes it in with the rest of the luggage, gesturing for you to open the peripheral door.

“I think Sunyi’s still sleeping back in there.” She remarks with a smirk. You frown, brows knitting together as you go to yank at the door handle. Inside, you find her passed on a handful of snacks - presumably ones Eunha probably grabbed for all of you.

Eunha circles behind you, her hand pounding against the roof. “Hey! Sleepyhead! Wake up!”

You chuckle as she barely stirs and Eunha apologetically smiles, “I swear she totally wanted to meet you.”

“Uh-huh.” You lean over and rip open one of the bags, letting the scent fill through the congested car. Within moments, Sunyi’s eyes flutter open and she’s staring back at you like a child being offered a toy.

“Really?” Eunha scoffs as Sunyi grabs the bag, scarfing down the contents. “That’s all it took?”

“What? I was hungry.” Sunyi defends, but her eyes land right on top of you and instantly she’s lunging for you, bag all forgotten. “Oh my gosh, Y/N!!”

Eunha sighs as you hug Sunyi back, glancing at her watch, “Well kiddos, we got approximately an hour to get to our destination. Are we picking up the guys too?”

“Is that even a question?” Sunyi counters. You settle down into the passenger seat as Eunha takes the wheel. The engine roars and she applies pressure on the accelerator, reversing the car out.

“I dunno, ever since lover boy came into the story we haven’t been able to hang out as much.” Eunha honestly adds much to Sunyi’s reluctance.

“Sorry about that guys…”

“It’s alright.” Eunha waves it off, putting on her sunglasses, “As long as you and Hoseok aren’t sucking face every five minutes while we’re trying to talk, I don’t really mind.”

“What?” Sunyi’s eyes are narrowed, offense written all over her, “We do not suck face every five minutes.”

��Hm, keep telling yourself that hon.”

“What?” Sunyi interjects again, turning to you this time, “Do you seriously think me and Hoseok are like that, Y/N?”

You wistfully smile and shrug, “I’m afraid I’m with Eunha on this one.”

Eunha laughs and Sunyi whimsically deflates in the back, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “I can’t believe my friends hate my boyfriend.”

“If we hated him that much, I wouldn’t be driving to his place to pick him and his friends up.” Eunha points out, but a vibrating sound pulls Sunyi out of it.

“Speak of the devil~” She sing-songs, flicking out her phone with giggles. You and Eunha simultaneously sigh, aware that she was going to be out of reach for a while.

“So what’s been going on with you, Y/N?” Eunha asks, shaded eyes still trained on the road, “Last time we spoke, you were pretty busy with finals.”

“Eh, just the usual.” You shrug, stretching your arms and leaning back on your seat, “Aside from college being a nightmare, not much has been going on.”

Eunha hums, “I’ve been looking forward to this though, we haven’t gotten together in so long and I’ve been needing a decent vacation for a while.”

“So you’re okay now..?” Eunha cautiously says, her voice barely making out from Sunyi’s loud one in the background.

A sad smile flickers on your lips for a brief moment, but it vanishes just as quick.

“Of course I’m okay.” You smugly smirk, raising a brow, “What did you take me for?”

“I know, I know.” Eunha scoffs, so used to your triumphing vibe, “I just get worried. We hadn’t heard about you in so long and then you said you didn’t want to come-”

“I was just busy.”

“I know.” Eunha glances at you, “But I still need to ask.”

You hum, acknowledging her concerns.

“Well I can assure you I’m fine now, Eunha.” You playfully grin at her, warmth spreading through your features, “I’m just looking forward to spending a good time with my favourite girls after so long.”

Eunha smiles at your confidence, but it’s broken by Sunyi’s high pitch.

“Aww, of course I love you baby! You’re my hopeful sunshine! My darling cutie patootie!” Sunyi coos loudly, sounding more like she was talking to a child instead of her boyfriend. You and Eunha warily exchange an odd stare, right before the two of you burst out laughing much to Sunyi’s protests.

“Hopeful sunshine? Darling cutie patootie?” Eunha enunciates sarcastically, gawking at Sunyi from the rear mirror, “That’s a lot of words for a guy who spilled his coffee on me, Sun.”

The memory of the incident causes you to chuckle. “You guys are just jealous!!” Sunyi huffs, resuming her phone call. You assume Hoseok asked her about the random ruckus in the background because she goes on to explain that she was in the car with the two of you.

“Jealous?” Eunha snickers, “Of what? That I don’t have a boyfriend who spills coffee on my friends?”

“Didn’t you go on a date with one of his friends?” You bring up, recalling her sending you a picture of him, “What was his name? Junghyeon…?”

“Jungkook.” She corrects, “He was alright. I think I could see him more as a friend than someone I wanted to date.”

“Fair enough.”

“I think he’s actually coming too.” She adjusts her position, looking at her rear mirror, “Hey Sun, which of Hoseok’s friends are coming with us?”

“I’ll ask right now!” She exclaims, sweetly repeating the question to her boyfriend on the line. You and Eunha patiently wait for an answer, but silence is all that greets you.

“Sun?” Eunha cranes her neck back for a moment, “Who’s coming?”

“Y/N…..” She whispers, voice cracking. You twist around as well, brows furrowed at her meek tone.

“What?”

“Uh, well you see…” Her eyes fall onto the ground, “Hoseok was surprised to hear you were coming. I think it was because we made this plan before you confirmed so he didn’t know and-”

“Sun, what is it?” You ask sterner this time, her pale expression drawing concern out of you by the minute.

“H-He’s coming.” Sunyi gets out, “I’m so sorry Y/N, I wish I knew before, I-I would have said no.”

“What do you mean he’s-” Your words die out at her guilty expression and you silently eye Eunha for a moment, who has annoyance etched onto her features. A heavy silence enters the car, and long gone is the surreal joy.

Eunha’s lips twitch.

“Y/N, you say the word and Hoseok will tell him not to come.” Sunyi opens her mouth as if to counteract, but the stiffening of your shoulders renders her unable to suggest anything.

“No, it’s okay.” You state, “You guys didn’t know if I was going to come until last minute so Hoseok probably didn’t think twice to invite him.”

“Are you sure Y/N?” Sunyi presses on, “I can still ask if it’s uncomfortable.”

You shake your head. Although the onslaught of new information did take you by surprise, you can’t simply brush away that he was closely associated with Hoseok.

You look at Sunyi with a smile, “Nah, it’s fine.”

“O-Okay.”

Sunyi sinks back into her seat and Eunha focuses back on the road. Sunyi eventually ends up falling asleep midway through the drive and Eunha occasionally chimes through with pieces of conversation for you, but you can barely respond as your eyes narrow down on the bits of scenery passing by your window.

You hadn’t been expecting this, at least, expecting it on a vacation that you ultimately decided would have been in the best interest when it came down to clearing your mind. But you would be foolishly lying to yourself if you were prepared to face him, since he was basically summer personified and regardless to say, a deep wedge in between you and your vacation.

The ride to Hoseok’s place is exhausting long, so the moment you set your eyes on the familiar house, a deep sense of relief cascades through you.

Hoseok is standing outside by the time Eunha pulls in, his hands energetically waving you over and a cheerful smile painted on his lips. He wears a bright blue beach shirt that has imprints of a sunset, and brown cargo shorts with matching sandals. His black hair has been pushed back with a sheen of hair gel, oddly giving him the mixed appearance of a frat boy and a tourist at the same time.

You keep that opinion to yourself when Sunyi jumps out of Eunha’s car in enthusiasm, reaching out to hug him instantly. Although you and Eunha have always had your fair share of making fun of the duo, moments like these draw a genuine smile from you at their display of affection.

“Y/N! Eunha!” Hoseok greets you with a friendly smile. You return it and he gestures for all of you to follow, “The guys are inside, I’ll just call them out.”

Eunha nods and sits down on Hoseok’s red suitcase, huffing as sweat starts to accumulate at her temples. You laugh when she begins to exaggerate her breathing and starts dramatically fanning herself, your laughter only being cut short once a man in a black shirt and similar cargo pants pops out.

“Hurry up guys, we’re going to be late!” He shouts behind him, placing his large bag onto the ground with a scoff. You narrow your eyes at the size of it compared to the suitcase Eunha was sitting on, an interesting military design covering the exterior.

He looks up, eyes immediately widening at the appearance of your group until his sight halts at Eunha.

“O-Oh hi...” You raise an eyebrow at his sudden shyness, only able to fully connect the dots once your eyes land on Eunha’s bashful expression. A huge smirk crosses your lips and Eunha glares at you, but that simply serves to increase it.

“Hi.” She warmly replies, catching him by surprise. Before you can experience any more awkward air, another person runs out of the house.

“Sorry Jungkook! My bag’s zipper got stuck.” He pouts, sight landing right onto you. He’s dressed in purple hoodie and black shorts, bright orange hair poking out from underneath the hood.

“Hi!” He reaches out his hand for you to shake, “I’m Jimin.”

You smile and take his hand before he goes around introducing himself. Jungkook does the same towards Sunyi and you have to admit, Hoseok’s friends don’t seem so bad.

Sunyi grins at you like she can read your mind, ecstatic that something’s worked in her boyfriend’s favour. You roll your eyes, just glad that you’ll be spending your vacation with some decent people.

“Let’s go, we need to hit the road already!” Hoseok’s voice chimes from afar and he emerges out into the driveway. Judging from Sunyi’s averted eyes and Eunha’s surprised ones, you can already assume who the last friend to leave the house is.

You turn around at the sound of deep laughter, heartbeat spiking up and rapidly thudding against your ribcage. Your eyes come into direct contact with the familiar shade of blonde hair and sun-kissed skin, only now he also has pink shades on and his hair has been pushed back with a headband. There’s a faint marking of red and blue at the side of his neck, your eyes enlarging at the realization that the markings formed into the shape of a butterfly.

It makes him look drastically gorgeous and to see him appear like that in front of you now, makes you sick to your stomach.

You watch as he stops laughing at Hoseok, lids dropping down and face contorting back to normal. You watch as his vision lands straight on you and how all the joy in his expression moments ago, contorts into utter surprise.

You wonder if there’s a nearby bush you can hide yourself in.

Sucking in a sharp inhale as he draws closer, a strained smile is plastered onto your lips, “Hi...”

“Hey.” He playfully smiles, hands stuffed inside his short’s pockets. Compared to you, he doesn’t appear to be as frazzled, just merely intrigued. “I didn’t know you would be here.”

The surprise is apparent in his voice too, “I was a last minute addition.” You clarify and he hums, sending an understanding smile in your direction. The air becomes mute between you for a split moment, right before Jimin comes rushing forward.

The orange haired boy scratches the back of his head, “Taehyung, can you help me load the suitcases into the car? Hoseok’s going to check into the place soon.”

“Oh yeah, sure thing.” He follows Jimin to Eunha’s car and Sunyi quickly grabs your arm soon after, ushering you closer to the group.

After contemplating how long it’ll take to arrive, you decide on getting into the two cars and making your way over. The place you’ve chosen for your vacation is actually an area of land that Hoseok’s family has owned for several years and occasionally rent out to people in need for some time off. Sunyi has originally suggested you all visit there together at least once, but both yours and Eunha’s schedules were always too far off from ever actually making plans.

Needlessly to say, you’re pretty excited. The opportunity right now is perfect for all of you and although the trip has taken a turn of events you’re not particularly fond of, you’re simply here to relax first and foremost.

Slipping into Eunha’s passenger seat, her car consists of you along with Sunyi and Hoseok in the back. Jimin and Taehyung are with Jungkook in his black SUV, closely following behind.

Hoseok has his phone planted against the side of his face, his lips pursued. “That’s strange.”

There’s a crease in between his brows as he stares at the device.

“What is it?” Sunyi wonders.

“The call’s not connecting.” He tries again, but the call cuts off, “I need to confirm that we’ll be arriving soon, but it’s like they don’t even have a signal.”

You peer behind you as Hoseok continues to fiddle with his phone until Sunyi offers to try calling through hers instead. Hoseok takes the suggestion and tries again, but the attempt ends up failing as well and the distress is clear on his features.

“This is so weird.” Hoseok scorns, scanning both of their phones. You assume that the connection problem has something to do with the line cutting off completely, so another idea sparks in your mind.

“It's family owned, right? Why don’t you try calling your parents?” You propose, “They’ll probably know what’s going on.”

Hoseok hums, “That’s not a bad idea.” He places a call in his own phone and patiently awaits. The sound of a woman resonates through the phone and Hoseok instantly recognizes her.

“Hey Mom, it’s me.” He confirms, “Do you know what’s been happening at the lodge? I’ve been trying to call to check in but no one seems to be picking up.”

You and Sunyi patiently wait for an answer, but Hoseok's dejected expression soon surfaces.

“Oh...I see…Alright, thanks for letting me know.” He deeply sighs as the line cuts, facing the two of you with regret in his eyes.

“Sorry guys, but the area’s been closed down because of a recent drought.”

“What, really?” Sunyi asks right away, and Hoseok nods. You and Eunha let out a collective sigh.

“Well that sucks.” She chimes, briefly looking back at the Hoseok and Sunyi, then you. “I guess the only thing we can do is turn around. Vacation time is over, folks.”

“Argh! I was so looking forward to this!” Sunyi rants and you groan in agreement.

You’ve only started on this trip and it seems like whatever needed to go wrong, has gone wrong. You wonder if being around Taehyung is already bringing you misfortune again, but that thought clears up once your eyes fall upon a vast expanse of water.

“....is that a beach?”

Blinking, you point towards the grey sand covering the land, the black-blueish water next to creating waves. There’s small teal specks glittering in the water, something that makes you wonder if your eyes are playing tricks on you.

Hoseok and Sunyi hum in acknowledgement and Eunha raises an intrigued eyebrow. “Why don’t we check it out?”

“I don’t know…” Eunha whispers, “I’ve never seen this place around here before.”

“Yeah and that water...” Sunyi narrows her eyes at the way it appears sparkling dark blue in the middle of the day, “Looks sorta of creepy…”

“It does.” Hoseok whispers, sounding in disbelief. Lips thinning, your eyes stray around before they land on the large house near the shore.

“Look! They even have shelter!” You point out, though your group still seems a little unimpressed. “How about we at least go down there and have a look, hm?”

Eunha frowns, her hands tightening on the steering wheel, “Okay, but tell the guys too.”

“Roger that.” Hoseok confirms, presumably calling one of them as he lifts his phone to his face. You observe the water again, honestly not seeing what all the fuss is about.

“I guess it does look pretty.” Sunyi mentions and Eunha hums.

“I really don’t want to drive all the way back, so I don’t think there’s any harm in checking it out.”

You smile, glad there were on board with your idea. Truthfully, you were prepared to set up a tent right here and now just for the sake of getting a vacation, so you’re not really on par for questioning the place at the moment.

It’s actually quite decent.

After Hoseok explained the situation to his friends, they all agreed with you in at least seeing what it had to offer. And as it turns out, it’s a lot better than you would have initially imagined from far away.

The house is warm and cozy, right next to the salty shore. They rent out rooms on a daily basis and the original ominous appearance of the ocean ends up being a purpose, the “unique theme” of the place that’s meant to draw in customers, as the generous owner remarks. You end up leasing three rooms in total - one of your trio and two for the guys - and everyone is content with the notion that their gracious vacation wasn’t on the loss of being cancelled due to a mere drought.

Hoseok in particular, is ecstatic with the idea and this shows with his constant cheerfulness in his interactions with Sunyi, to the point where you eventually have to drag her into your shared room for some much needed rest. All of you settle in for the night, planning on resuming your blissful vacation in the morning.

The crisp sun rises bright and early, a clear blue sky greeting you. All your friends are dressed in their swimming attire, ready to enjoy the most of the beach as they can.

Hoseok runs and dives head first into the bluish waters, plunging into it through a huge splash. Instead of floating, he ends up sinking into the water and resembles something akin to a dead body, an action that has Sunyi bursting out laughing until he finally manages to poke his head out.

Jimin and Jungkook are together, engaging in what you suppose to be a water splashing fight that Jungkook inherently seems to be winning. Eunha passes by them, keeping her head out of the water and spinning around to face you.

“What are those two even doing?” She laughs, clearly watching in with you. You shrug from afar, finding shade underneath a giant tree and keeping your feet dipped in the chilling sea. “You sure you don’t want to come in? It’s really nice.”

You shake your head right away, raising your legs, “The water’s really cold, I’ll come in once it gets warmer.”

Eunha hums, “Okay, I’ll be here so just let me kno-”

Her voice cuts off and all you see is a blur of water splash by you, two concerned faces emerging.

“Y/N, are you okay?!” Jimin hurriedly questions, kneeling down at your thoroughly soaked form. You clench your teeth, preventing them from chattering in the midst of the freezing cold water sticking to your skin.

“I’m fine.” You get up, attempting to shake off all of the excess water droplets as you do. Eunha pops out from behind you, holding onto your arm.

“Here, let me take you inside.”

“It’s alright.” You wave her off, “If I sit in the sun, my clothes will dry up.”

“Are you sure? You might catch a cold, Y/N.”

You shake your head, pointing towards the blazing sun, “It’s hot enough out here to cook an egg out here, I’ll be good.”

Although wary, Eunha lets you get out of the shade into the warmth of the sun and slowly heads back in the water. Jimin pesters you with some apologies but you don’t take too mind with it. Truthfully, it was probably not the best decision to sit right beside a huge body of water if you didn’t intend on getting soaked.

The decision ends up being a great one, since you can already feel your skin beginning to dry within minutes. However, that’s when you feel a shift in the sand, a heavy weight flopping conveniently right next to you.

Taehyung is dressed in a blue beach shirt and colourful shorts, his peach pink shades still resting on the bridge of his nose. He looks like he’s just woken up, hair a bit disheveled and eyes lowered.

The sound of a shutter catches your immediate attention, and you notice him squinting his eyes and sticking out his tongue as he continues to snap away images of the large body of water with his camera.

“You still take pictures?” You reminiscence in a joking manner, the words blurting out without thought. Immediately, you contemplate if striking up a conversation was such a good idea, but you suppose it can’t do much harm if you’re going to be spending so much of your vacation with him.

Though, you truthfully don’t expect him to twist around and place his camera down on the sand.

“Well, you know me. Have to carry my memories around somehow.” He retorts with a smirk. The action draws a smile on your lips, his voice mimicking your playful manner.

You point towards the water. “Don’t accidentally drop it though, it won’t be a great price to pay.”

“I guess that’s when I’ll have to go fishing.”

“You can barely swim.” He raises an eyebrow at you from that, “What? Those were your words.”

A pout surfaces onto his lips, immediately correcting you in defense, “I’ve improved.”

“You want to test out that theory?” Gesturing to the large body of water in front of you, Taehyung immediately hugs his camera closer to his form.

“You’ll have to save both me and my camera if you really want an answer.”

“Is that a way of saying you still can’t swim?”

He frowns, “It’s a way of saying that I’ll need...some assistance. Just in case.”

“Assistance in what? Drowning?”

“No!” He immediately protests, “I can still float pretty well.”

“Hm, sure.”

Taehyung sighs, already knowing that you haven’t been fully convinced just yet. As a result, when the waves slowly push the water closer to you, he dips his feet into it for a split moment. He grins at the immediate result, cheekily glancing at you.

You roll your eyes at his supposed accomplishment and he laughs, raising up his camera again to continue taking pictures of the scenery. The gesture seemingly spreads a genuine smile on your features, something you couldn’t have imagined he still had the ability to do.

Your smile instantly drops and that sick feeling begins to swirl in the out of your stomach again. You get up with a deep breath, calling it a day and heading back to the cabin.

Yet in the midst of your action, you don’t notice how Taehyung’s no longer capturing pictures of the rare waters. Instead, his camera remains on the ground, his gaze following your disappearing form.

“I think you should just go for it.” His friend leans back in his chair, currently in the midst of eating through a take-out box. “Be honest with her.”

Taehyung rolls his eyes, “Like that’s going to actually work.” He picks out a piece of Jungkook’s fried chicken and sighs.

“I think Jungkook’s right, Tae.” Jimin plops down next to him, “You said it yourself, you felt like this was a chance to fix things, right?”

Taehyung lets out another sigh. He did say that, but that thought only sparked within him once news broke that you would be joining them on this trip. Initially, he assumed that it would be a bad idea, that there would be too much friction between the two of you and it would cross the limit of being unbearable again. But he can’t help but think about running into you at the beach and how you clicked right back in, like nothing had ever been wrong between you.

It’s made him consider a lot of things, one of which he wonders how he can outright declare that he’s still in love with you, how he thinks fate is on his side for once and telling him to set things right now before it’s too late.

“Maybe you guys are right…”

“Of course we are.” Jimin quips, cheekily smiling as Taehyung pouts.

“I’ll at least apologize to her…” He urgently declares, already snatching up his grey hoodie and throwing it over his head. He quickly peers at the window outside, the sun having already set and a dark forecast slowly beginning to take over the sky.

“Good luck Tae!” Jimin exclaims, watching him hurry out the door.

After spending a majority of your first moments in bed twisting and turning with no luck of falling unconscious, you find yourself strolling along where the ocean water meets the dry sand. The cool breeze passing by gives off the salty scent of the ocean and the night sky makes the area’s unique appearance even more entrancing from broad daylight.

Leaning down closer to the splashing waves, your eyes attach onto the way the bright algae glows within the waters, appearing like fireflies fluttering underground. You reach out to faintly touch a piece, observing the way the teal orb glows brightly within your hands before getting swept up by the currents once again.

You smile, letting your hand splash around in the water.

“Mind if I join you?”

Your breath hitches and you nearly topple over into the giant seaway, but an arm quickly grabs onto you before you do.

“S-Sorry.” Taehyung stutters, sheepishly staring down at the ground, “I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s okay.” You simply say, having steadied yourself thanks to his help. You continue to play around with the water, a little unsure at what to say with his sudden appearance.

He eventually speaks up, but it's with a suggestion that has your brows raising. “Do you want to go swimming?”

“Now?”

He nods, pointing over the dark waters, “I didn’t get a chance to swim this morning.” He gets up, swatting away remains of the grey sand from his shorts and reaches his hands out for you to take.

You shake your head, “I really don’t want to.”

“Aw come on!” A giant pout crosses his lips, voice raising up a pitch, “You’re still no fun!”

Your mouth drops wide open, offense written all over your features. Gazing back at the water, you suppose it would be better than to swim during the hours of hot sunlight, so you opt out for getting up as well.

“Okay.” You point an accusing finger at him, “But for your kind information, I am tons of fun.”

Taehyung smiles at you like you’re going to have a hard time living up to that statement and that only fuels your need to prove him wrong. You’re dressed in a simple sundress and you suppose it should be enough to swim in, but by the time you turn around Taehyung’s already taken off his shirt and diving head straight into the waters.

“I thought you couldn’t swim?!” You shout in disbelief, rushing to meet him halfway into the body of water. It’s cool temperature immediately spikes a trail of goosebumps down your arms and legs, but you bite back the shivers when your eyes come into contact with his smug expression.

“Told you I could at least float.” He giggles as you come closer, huffing against the resistance that surrounds you waist down until you finally reach him. He points towards the pit of the sea once you do, drawing your attention to the sparkling algae that has begun to spiral around your feet.

“Wow.” You whisper, eyes racing in pure awe as they begin to collect. Taehyung smiles, scooping up a handful while you’re occupied with gazing at the bright lights and left unsuspicious. Before you know it, he’s tossed them onto you and they stick to your wet strands of hair.

“What the-?” As you attempt to get them out, Taehyung loudly laughs. “Can you stop laughing and help me??”

“Sorry.” He still giggles once he reaches out and takes one out, “I thought they would look nice on you.”

“I’m exactly not sure what part of luminous algae you thought would look nice on me.” You pout as he continues to pluck and unwind them from your hair, but then he grins.

“I meant in a pretty way.” He takes out a piece that’s managed to get behind your ear, leaning forward. You suddenly blink, realizing he was inches away from you and that even though the water was icy cold, your temperature has only spiked up.

“Y/N?” Taehyung questions, wondering why you’ve suddenly shriveled up as he flicks the last piece away. You peer up at his eyes and that’s when it hits him.

The perfect opportunity.

He opens his mouth, about to spew everything on his mind before he loses his chance.

Lightning cracks.

You and Taehyung immediately push away from each other, heartbeats racing at the sudden sizzle left in the sand far from you. Staring up at the sky in terror, the clouds begin to swarm together and that’s when Taehyung grabs onto you, shaking your form instantly.

“We have to get out of here!” He yells, but another flash strikes through the sky and is followed by a series of bulleting raindrops. It doesn’t take you another moment to nod at his words, following through with getting back to land as far as possible.

Taehyung lets go of you.

It happens so fast that you can barely register it, whipping around to see Taehyung miles apart from you. He shouts something across from the water, but by the time you pick up on what he’s trying to say to you, his entire body plunges right into the water.

“TAEHYUNG!” You scream, fiercely pushing against the water to get to him. The rain falling from the sky obscures your vision, but you keep going until you reach the spot he was sucked away at, glancing back and forth for any sign of him.

“TAEHYUNG!” You yell out again when you fail to locate him, diving straight into the deep waters. The salt stings at your eyes and your blood runs thin at the lightning above honing down on you, but you discover a familiar face buried by the depths of the ocean and you don’t think twice in grasping onto his arm.

Holding onto your escaping breath, you propel your legs back up higher and gasp once you make contact with the surface. Taehyung’s form limps against your body for a moment, but your grasp on him instantly loosens.

“Wha-” You breath, blinking away your clouded vision. A rumble of thunder echoes through your ears, yet the rain starts to slow it’s rapid pace, falling down gently on top of you until it completely comes to a halt. Glancing up in confusion, the dark grey clouds start to drift away from each other and eventually, leave the night sky all together.

You shake your head, ignoring the pulsing sensation pounding through in it and blink your eyes again to find Taehyung. It’s easy to spot him this time, but his leaning bareback faces you instead.

“Taehyung!” You shout in relief, arms splashing closer to him. He raises up a hand, leaving the other left to cover his face.

“Don’t!”

You freeze mid-way, hands dropping down.

“T-Taehyung?”

Tilting your head, he doesn’t budge. Although the rain has stopped and the lightning isn’t buzzing above your head anymore, you have to hold onto your arms to stop them from shivering. You attempt once more to get closer to him, but the throbbing in your head rapidly increases and before you know it, you’re the one sinking into the water this time.

You can barely hear Taehyung when he shouts for you, you can barely feel him grab onto your trembling form and pull you out of your water, you can barely register being in his arms, slowly losing consciousness bit by bit.

Among all this, you can barely make out the shining blue tail that sticks out of the water as he desperately swims back to shore.

It’s still pitch dark by the time you come to.

Your eyes flutter open at the sound of the tides continuing to push against the shore, mind spinning from the fabricated recollection of events that went down. Your very first instinct is to harshly cough, bubbles of congested water forming up from the seam of your lips.

A hand gently touches your back, warily patting it as all water makes it way out. You heavily breathe, shaking away any remains of drowsiness.

“T-Thanks Taehyung.” You manage to get out, shifting in the sand to face him. His hand instantly comes over to shield your eyes, his voice wavering.

“W-Wait.” He stutters, “Don’t-...Don’t freak out.”

You frown at what he could have meant at that, but then his hand drops down and your eyes widen into large saucers.

You open your mouth to scream.

“Y/N!” Taehyung pleads, sighing when you pause mid-way, fear filling your eyes by the minute. His lips set into a firm line, and he gazes at you with desperation. “Please, just…” He raises up his hands, “Just calm down.”

“W-What?” You breathe heavily, “W-What happened to y-you?”

He stares down at the palms of his hands in dismay, “I-I don’t know…”

You gulp, nodding. Truthfully it’s difficult to believe what you are seeing before your eyes.

Because right in front of you is Taehyung, but not Taehyung at the same time.

His blonde hair has been completely coloured into a deep sapphire shade, the ends of it longer and curling at the nape of his neck. His eyes are no longer the warm brown hue you’ve become so familiar with, but now a striking green that almost appears cat-like. Along his neck, arms and torso are small strange teal aligned pockets, all of which trail down to his waist which has the most notable change.

A long aqua blue coloured fish tail has completely engulfed the portion his legs used to once take up.

It’s almost overwhelming for you to completely register. He lappears so strikingly different that you wouldn’t have recognized him hadn’t it been for the familiarity of his tone or touch.

“Taehyung…” You whisper, having finally accepted reality. He seems to notice that you’ve calmed down, relief etching onto his features. “H-How did this all happen?”

“I’m not sure,” He sighs, “One second I’m trying to grab you and get out of the water before the lightning hits us and the next, I’m being pulled down into the bottom of the ocean.”

“When I came back up...this is what I looked like.” He stares at his hands again, unable to properly understand what he was either.

You nod, eyeing his tail again, “You used that to swim…?”

He hums and moves it for a second, causing you to flinch. There’s specks of gray sand starting to stick to it, presumably from him having to use it on land, “Surprisingly it helped me get back faster.”

“I see…” You get up, dusting the sand off of yourself. You step closer to him, examining it further.

“Don’t stare at it like that.”

Your eyes widen, “Why?” You reach out to touch the new limb and he instantly flinches, moving it away from you.

“Because it’s weird!” He flaps it around in the sand for a while, “I don’t even know how to properly use it, for all I know I could just-”

He’s too late in explaining because the motion he’s used has managed to slap you across the face with the tail.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t-” This time it hits your legs and you fall down onto the sand, resulting in Taehyung becoming even more apologetic.

“Okay, okay! Just stop moving for a second!” You protest, raising up your hands against it. Taehyung freezes the tail in mid-air, staring at you like he was on command and awaiting further directions.

“I think we should focus on how to get you out of here.” You pinch the bridge of your nose, squeezing your eyes shut, “The others will be awake in the morning and I think trying to explain that you’re part fish is going to be a lot harder than it is.”

“How do we do that?” Taehyung desperately asks, peering up at you from his spot in the sand. A thought sparks inside your mind, but you stare at him in dismay.

“I have an idea...but I don’t think either of us are going to like it.”

“I’m surprised Y/N.” Taehyung proclaims, “This is really romantic.”

You can barely make out a clear answer, huffing and wheezing at the same time. Leaning against the wall, you attempt to catch your breath.

“Hm? Y/N? Can you hear me?” Taehyung tilts his head and leans closer to you, but you jerk your head up and scoff at him.

“Give me a minute, will you?! You’re not exactly a box of feathers!”

“Well that was kind of harsh.” Taehyung pouts, reclining onto you and resting his head against your shoulder. You tighten your hold on him, careful not to let go of his new slippery side that’s been a pain in your rear for the past fifteen minutes.

“I will leave you here and then you’ll have to flap your way back to your own room, you fish!”

Taehyung gasps like you’ve just sworn at him but then you purposely loosen your grip on his tail and he instantly freaks out, “Alright! Just get me back in one piece!”

“I’m trying.” You huff again, taking another step on the enormous spiraling staircase. You didn’t realize him and the guys wanted the top floor of this place so badly, and unfortunately it’s a decision you’ll have to pay the consequences for now.

After an exhausting trip of losing your footing a billion times and having to repeatedly catch your breath, you make it to Taehyung and Jimin’s shared room. Fortunately, Jimin’s completely passed out by the time you do make it up there and you attempt to keep that way, watching your step as much as you can.

Unfortunately, the man currently whispering in your ear is not helping much.

“I can’t sleep here! What if Jimin wakes up in the morning and discovers my tail?!”

“It’s better than taking you to my room that has three people staying in it!” You harshly whisper back, plopping him down onto his bed. Though you forgot how stubborn Taehyung can be, especially when he refuses to separate from you and as a result, drags you on top of him.

“Ow!” You scold him, glaring down at the huge smirk he holds. The position you’re in doesn’t help the situation much either and you attempt to get yourself off considering the fact that you’re sitting on top of his scaly tail.

However, that’s when Taehyung’s bright green eyes narrow and for a second, you suck in your breath. You know he looks considerably different now, but you haven’t been able to pinpoint why he almost feels like a different person at moments, especially when he stares at you.

There’s something incredibly alluring about him, something you haven’t figured out until you realize you’re leaning closer to him and hovering right above his lips. You snap out of it right away and by the looks of it, so does Taehyung.

With a quick goodbye and a rough toss of a blanket over his head to cover up his strange appearance, you rush out of his room and shut the door. Spinning around, a hand presses against your racing heartbeat and you swipe away the sweat that has built against your temples.

“You really expect me to wear that?”

He points to the lengthy black skirt you’ve managed to rummage out of your suitcase, a floral design lining the edges. He’s seated on the side of his bed, already dressed in a long-sleeved white shirt that covers the imprints in his skin.

You hum, “How else are we going to cover that?”

You gestures towards the large blueish-green tail that sits on the ground, spread out and already taking up a large majority of the floor beneath his bed.

Taehyung deeply sighs, letting out a groan before reaching out his hands in dismay. “Fine.”

You smile once he takes it, attempting to balance himself enough to put it on. You immediately reach out and let him steady himself using your shoulders, helping him tug it on.

“How come I got a fishtail and you didn’t?” He whines, growing frustrated with the utterly useless tail to have on land. You stifle back a laugh and he glares at you. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”

“I’m not.” You truthfully admit, aiding him in tying the two connecting strands of the skirt. “I just didn’t think I’d see the day where you’d be wearing one of my skirts.”

“It beats being half-naked.” Taehyung retorts, glancing down at his tail, “Even though the naked part doesn’t even look human.”

You sigh and roll your eyes, close enough to helping him finish dressing. A low knock captures your attention and you freeze, whipping around at the door.

“I-Is someone-” You’re too late, because not a moment is spared as the door comes barging open. You catch a faint hint of orange tucked away in a white hoodie and you step in front of Taehyng right away, unease crossing your features.

Jimin pokes his head in, “Hey, I-” Your voice dies out when Eunha and Sunyi step in behind him, closely followed by Jungkook and Hoseok.

“Oh.” Eunha says, staring at you and Taehyung. To be quite honest, the situation itself does seem strange - you’re standing in front of Taehyung and covering him up as he struggles to tug on one of your skirts in your room.

You have no clue how to explain any of this.

“Y/N?” Sunyi peers at you from behind Eunha, confusion maring her as well. You anxiously smile, quickly whipping up a flimsy excuse.

“I-I was just helping him! You know, w-with finding some clothes because...uh….he lost his suitcase!”

Eunha nods and you let out a low sigh. Taehyung emerges from behind you, a questioning stare in his eyes.

“What brings all of you here?”

“Woah.” Jungkook exclaims, “What happened to you??”

“What do you mean?” Taehyung questions, clearly having forgotten the striking colour his hair is and the shifted hue of his eyes.

“U-Uh he’s been trying out a new hair colour! And has contacts!” You throw a glance at Taehyung with a nervous laugh and he turns into stone, finally realizing the error in his appearance.

“Okay…” Eunha mutters, warily staring at Taehyung. Hoseok clears his voice, answering the former’s question.

“We were going to head over to the beach again.” He points towards the window, “You guys down to swim?”

You and Taehyung exchange a glance and for a moment, you could have swore you saw him visibly gulp.

“I-I think we’ll pass guys…but thanks for the offer!”

“You sure?” Eunha steps forward, concern on her. “Y/N, is everything okay?”

You bite back the truth, “Yeah! I’m going to just stay back with Taehyung, so I’ll be fine.”

“Really?” Sunyi asks, peering at said man. Something twinkles in her eyes and she places a hand on Eunha’s shoulder, bringing her away.

“We should listen to Y/N, Eunha.” She appears baffled with Sunyi actions at first, but then the latter winks and she lets out a soft “Oh..”

Eunha shrugs with a smile, “I guess we’ll leave you to it then.”

You nod and one by one they exit the room. Once the coast is clear, you let out an audible sigh, pressing a hand against your chest.

“That was close.” You turn to Taehyung, “We need to be careful.”

He’s sitting on the bed now, arms crossed and a huge pout on his lips.

He looks like a child that's sulking.

“What?”

“I miss my legs.” He moves his tail for a moment before letting it flop back down onto the ground.

You sigh, growing weary already, “Let’s just see if there’s something we can do here.”

Rummaging around the area, you seek to find anything that you can occupy yourself with for the next couple of hours. Although you had declined the offer of joining your friends for the sake of Taehyung’s situation, a part of you is growing increasingly dismayed with the fact that you have to do this in the first place.

You were supposed to be on vacation - but now you’re stuck with the person you didn’t want to be with and have no hope of being able to relax.

“I hate this.” Taehyung states from behind you, somehow being able to communicate your collective thoughts with only three words. You let out another sigh, revealing a stack of cards you found near Jimin’s suitcase.

Taehyung’s still in the same state, brows furrowed and bottom lip jutting out.

“I can’t promise it’ll get better but at least we made it back in one piece.” You offer, throwing the card stack onto his bed and flopping down beside him. “Now play a game with me before my mind explodes from boredom.”

That luckily seems to bring a smile out from him and you begin to shuffle the cards, but then a slimy texture touches your legs and you immediately back away.

“Can you put that somewhere else?” You gesture to his tail that brushes against you, but Taehyung innocently shrugs and grins.

“It’s attached to me, there’s nothing I can do about that.”

The more he smiles, the more you glare at him, “Fine, but maintain some distance at least, fish.”

He scoffs at the sound of the nickname you’ve adopted for his situation, but thankfully obliges so that it’s not all over the place.

After having countless card game sessions with Taehyung (to which he won most of and you had to endure a plethora of his cheeky smirks as a result), the rest of your friends finally make it back. You’re pleasantly surprised to find out that Eunha and Sunyi took the liberty of bringing food as well, since you were worried that if you left to go eat something Taehyung would find some way to slip out of his bed and bounce around on the ground from his lack of being mobile-

That wasn’t supposed to be a pun.

“We brought sushi.” Sunyi says, setting the trays down on the picnic table at the terrace of the cabin. It’s a nice place to dine together, small fairy lights brightening up the high roof and clearing out the now darkening sky.

“I hope that’s okay.” Eunha hesitates, but you shake your head. You weren’t truly a huge fan of the dish since it was essentially rice wrapped up in vegetables and meat, but at this point you’re so utterly famished that you can’t bring yourself to care. Reaching over to grab the remaining bags, Hoseok and Jungkook come over to help you and you’re soon having dinner underneath the lights.

However, that’s when Jimin pops up.

“Hey guys, has anyone seen Tae?” He twists around, “He wasn’t in our room when I left.”

“I think I saw him sitting down at the reception.” Jungkook mentions, “I thought he was going to come soon.”

“Oh.” Jimin says, pursuing his lips. You raise an eyebrow at the information, already rising from your seat.

“You guys keep eating. I’ll go see if I can find him.”

“Do you need any help?” Eunha questions, but you shake your head.

“Don’t worry, it won’t take long.”

Eunha nods and sits back down into her seat as you scurry off. You quickly climb down the stairs from the terrace, heading into the reception hall.

Peering back and forth, it’s entirely empty. The appearance throws you off and for a moment, you assume it would be best to turn around and search elsewhere - but that’s when you hear a low groan.

You swivel around, opening the door to a nearby room.

Your eyes land on Taehyung right away.

He’s on the ground, appearing to be struggling with lifting himself up from the edge of a table that he has a threatening tight grip on. At the sound of the door abruptly opening, he looks up, eyes widening.

You rush over in an instant, holding onto his arm and helping him up. Guilt overtakes your features when you realize that you had completely forgotten about him up until this point, but Taehyung fortunately seems to notice your remorse.

“Hey, don’t look so upset. I was actually doing fine until I accidentally got pushed into this room by some couple walking by, so it was kind of my fault for getting stuck.” He casually explains, but you freeze in your tracks and stare at him.

“Your fault…?”

“Yeah?” He stares at you, not really understanding why you look so concerned. You shake your head, focusing on getting him out right now instead.

Making your way back to the terrace, Taehyung halts you in your steps. “Wait, how am I supposed to..?”

He gestures to how you’re basically carrying him like a dead body, his whole weight limping onto you and the amphibian parts of him lazily dragging against the ground. His point does stand to reason and you suppose you didn’t really think this through before coming to aid him.

Your eyes narrow onto his hands, an idea suddenly popping into your mind.

“Should we just hold hands then?”

His brows raise, like he hadn’t been expecting you to offer that out of all things. When his speechlessness takes too long, you reach out and grab hold of him right away. He nearly slips and tightens his grip on your arm, leaning half of his weight onto you.

“N-no one’s going to get the wrong idea, right?” Taehyung quietly laughs, but you’re more focused on the way that this position puts a lot more pressure on you. So you merely nod in response, trying your hardest not to collapse against having to hold onto him like this.

Unfortunately, you forget the crucial fact that you’re walking into a room full of people aware of the history between the two of you. It draws out an array of spiked brows and agape mouths, but you nonchalantly help him sit and flop down next to him, nearly sinking from the sheer relief of not having your shoulder and arm be broken off.

You eventually engage in conversation with Eunha and Sunyi, who persistently keep eyeing the man sitting next to you occasionally in between. You wonder if you should clarify to them the actual situation that’s been going on, but you think you’ve spoken too soon when a scream from behind you spikes up the hair on your body.

Whipping around, Taehyung has his hands on either side of his face and he glances at the food in front of him in hysteria.

You grab onto his shoulder instantly, “Taehyung, what’s wrong?”

“H-HOW COULD IT BE?!” He picks up a roll of sushi, eyeing it in horror, “HOW COULD THEY DO SUCH A THING?!?!”

“What are you talking about??”

“THIS!” He gestures to the entire table, scrambling away from it and you at the same time, “They’ve cut them up into tiny pieces and wrapped them up in rice?! It’s horrible!!”

You’re prepared to ask a million questions about his absurd reaction, but then you catch a glimpse of what exactly he’s referring to and suddenly, everything begins to make sense.

The sushi has seafood in it.

Taehyung looks like he’s on the verge of crying, fear filling him at the prospect of just sitting at the table.

“H-How could they…YOU WERE A FAMILY OF FIVE! Now you’re here and your brother is too! How could they put you two beside each other when one of you has been fried?!?”

You wince as he whispers towards one certain dish, not really distinguishing between the pieces so easily until he mentions it. However, that’s when you catch a glimpse of the entire table, the faces of your close friends informing you that you weren’t really doing such a great job at keeping his situation under wraps.

Quickly reaching out, you begin to collect the seafood contained ones. You then turn around and hand them over to a confused Eunha, asking her to take them away because of Taehyung. Although you get many questions thrown at you from the reason and why Taehyung was acting up so much, you simply state that it was a result of a really bad allergy and that the food needed to go.

More like I’ve-turned-into-a-fish-and-now-seeing-them-as-food-is-sad allergy, but you decide to keep your mouth shut about that personal opinion.

Thankfully, Eunha reacts faster to your request that you had expected and all the seafood filled sushi is long discarded of. You then focus your efforts on trying to calm down Taehyung, who seems to respond to your eventual suggestion of seeing alive fish later at the shore to calm himself down.

Taking a deep sigh, you slump down in your seat. It was getting harder and harder to manage this and you were beginning to wonder if there was even a way out of it, because so far the situation has just remained hopeless in front of both of your eyes.

“Great to see you’re all having fun out here.”

You turn towards the entrance of the terrace to see a middle-aged man in a tourist shirt and shorts, a pair of sunglasses resting on the bridge of his nose. He warmly smiles, standing at the front of your table.

He introduces himself, “My name is Minho and I run this place. I thought I’d drop by to see how you’re all liking it so far.”

Taking turns introducing your group members, Jungkook offers for him to settle down next to him at the table and the man cheerily obliges, darting questions back and forth about your stay. He’s surprised to hear that you weren’t originally planning on coming, instead derailed by your foiled vacation plans.

“Yeah, we thought it was pretty weird looking at first but then we took a closer look and it turned out to be nice.” Hoseok explains, laughing a bit, “Honestly it seems better then where we were originally supposed to go.”

“It’s a special place.” The man remarks tenderly, eyes crinkling, “Beautiful, but full of mysteries and wonder.”

“Mysteries and wonder?” Jimin repeats and Minho hums.

“Have you folks heard about the legend?” You shake your head and he looks genuinely surprised, as if the information should have been prior knowledge. “Well, let me tell you that you haven’t even begun to understand where you are just yet then.”

“Many years ago, this place was inhabited by a couple.” Minho speaks in a low storytelling tone, “The man and woman loved each other very much, and were hoping to spend the rest of their lives by the sea together.”

“However, one day the man left to go fishing and never came back. The woman was left all alone and in worry, prayed every night for his safe return.”

“Ultimately the man never returned and his body was later discovered in the sea. It was presumed he had drowned and the women fell into a deep sorrow, feeling betrayed and abandoned by the one person who said he would never leave her.”

“The moon heard her call and was vexed by her desperate pleas of his return, so it cursed her to roam the corners of the very place he drowned in - the sea.”

The entire table is dead silent and Minho drops the one fact that has your eyes widening.

“They call it, the legend of the mermaid.” Minho turns, pointing to the intriguing appearance of the sea, “That’s why the water is darker and the sand has turned grey, because it’s believed her anguish still remains deep within the ocean.”

You and Taehyung make eye contact in an instant and Jimin tugs at the man’s sleeve.

“D-Does that mean this place is cursed?”

The man chuckles, “Of course not! It’s just a legend! Didn’t you hear me say that before I told you the story?!”

“It’s an interesting legend, I didn’t know this beach could be so meaningful.” Eunha remarks and Minho smiles at her.

“Ah, see! She gets it!”

Eunha returns his smile and Minho continues to reassure Jimin, who still seems startled with the new information. Meanwhile, you gaze at Taehyung, wondering to yourself how much of that story was truly a mere legend.

“I swear, you only care about yourself!” You spit out, “If you didn’t want to live together then why did you say yes??”

“Because you wanted it!” He shouts back, “I wanted you to be happy! I’ve always wanted you to be happy!” His once warm irises are dripping with spite, “But as of recently, living with you has turned into an actual nightmare.”

There’s a tense, held silence looming in the air. You’re in a similar state as him, the exhaustion keeping a dreadful grip on your bones.

“How else am I supposed to talk to you then?” There’s hoarseness in your voice, soft before it spikes up, “You never tell me anything and act like everything is okay all the time! I can’t know if you don’t talk to me, Tae!”

He shakes his head, appearing defeated. You’re expecting something, some hidden spark of hope that you can manage to work this out. But that immediately shatters once he reaches for his bag.

A deep exhale leaves his lips, like he’s grown tired for too long.

“I can’t take this anymore, Y/N.”

“W-What?” You watch him grab his shoes, placing them onto the ground to slip his feet into, “So that’s it, huh? You’re not going to try to fix things with me and instead just run away?”

“No, I’m not.” He glances up at you, a seething glare in his eyes that takes you aback, “I’m going to break up with you before I do.”

You can only stare as he grabs his jacket on his way out, the door harshly slamming behind him. Water unconsciously begins to well up in your eyes and you slump down onto your knees, left completely alone in the room.

“Taehyung?”

“H-Huh?” He blinks, body unconsciously rolling over to you. You’re tucked in your bed, leaning down to see sleeping on the make-shift bed you’ve made on the ground for him after he had called you and complained he wasn’t able to properly sleep.

“You were mumbling in your sleep.” A low yawn passes by your lips and you rub your eye, “Are you comfortable down there?”

“Kind of. It’s been difficult sleeping like this.” He shuffles around a bit.

“I’m sure it’s not too bad if you try sleeping on your side.” You lie down, facing him, “Just let me know if you need an extra blanket or two.”

“It’s not that....” He mumbles, letting out a sigh.

You raise an eyebrow, “Then what is it?”

“This.” He admits, turning to look at you. The moment dips into a steady silence and you uncomfortably shift, wondering why he was simply just staring at you.

“I don’t get it.”

“This.” He points to his eyes, “I don’t have eyelids anymore.”

“What?” You jump out of bed, shifting closer to him, “How do you not have-”

Your eyes land right above his foreign green orbs and sure enough, the skin has become transparent. “I can’t close my eyes when I sleep anymore, so I just stare at the ceiling until I pass out.”

“Wow that’s….” You have no clue what to say to that.

“It’s okay, go back to sleep.” Taehyung whispers, “I’ll have to wait until I can fall asleep again.”

“Alright…” You bring your blanket backup to cover yourself, but occasionally your eyes drift over to Taehyung. It’s a little unnerving to find out he doesn’t have eyelids anymore and is practically a fish at this point, but you decide to let the thought slip away when you begin to ponder on more recent events.

Namely, the legend. Although Minho had told your group as a way to draw out more meaning from the place you were at, you wonder if there was some way to figure out how to get Taehyung’s human appearance back from it, such as a gap in the story. But the most you can come with at the moment is simply retrieving the man’s body back for the mermaid to realize she wasn’t abandoned, but you have no clue how that’s going to help Taehyung.

Maybe throwing him into the sea again and waiting around for a thunderstorm to take place would be more effective…

Your absurd thoughts are caught off guard at the sound of a low cough, “If you’re really having a hard time sleeping, I can just take you back to your room, you know?”

He doesn’t answer you and you contort your brows, rolling over in bed, “Taehyung?”

The very first thing your eyes land on is how he’s crouched down, lifting himself up on his shaking arms. You immediately throw your covers off and slide down, grabbing onto him. “Taehyung!”

A chain of rough coughs greet you again and your eyes flicker when he begins to harshly gasp. Searching around, you notice that his usual crystal blue tail has dissolved into the shade of lime green and how the small openings on his ribs have begun to rapidly open and close.

Your eyes widen and you catch a glimpse of the window for a moment, eyes surveying the ocean. Quicking grabbing a hold of Taehyung’s arm, you loop it over your neck and tug him up with a grunt, letting him rest his weight on you.

“Hold on Taehyung.” You hastily get out of your room, heading out the hallway. The spiral of staircases tests your patience greatly on the way down, but when Taehyung’s head lolls to the side and he becomes completely unresponsive, you don’t give it a second thought.

The moment your feet meet the grey sand again, you attempt to accelerate your speed. The extra dead weight doesn’t help in that matter, but nonetheless you rush towards the water and hold your breath.

The icy temperature immediately spreads over your skin, drenching your cozy pajamas in an instant. You hurriedly poke your head out to the shore and look down towards the water, feeling Taehyung's limp hand sink down and slip away from your grasp.

He lets out a loud exhale moments later, panting once he’s able to meet the shore as well. He glances in your direction, a look of surprise and relief flooding him immediately.

“H-How did you know...?”

You softly smile, “I assumed staying on land for too long doesn’t help much with your situation.”

“Thanks.” He deeply breathes with a grin, pushing back his sapphire hair. You whirl around, about to head back before it gets too cold until you feel a jerk on your wrist.

“Wait.”

You turn to face him, “What?”

“I-I don’t want to be alone here.” He whispers, quiet enough for you to barely hear it, “It’s scary.”

Your lips form into a pout, thinking he was being absurd for a moment. However, your eyes begin to roam around, taking in how it’s pitch black outside, making the water appear more like ink by the minute. Save for the light sounds of the tides, it’s also dead silent.

“Fine - but I can’t stay in the water for long, it’s freezing.” You honestly reply, your shoulders already starting to tremble. Taehyung nods in agreement, swimming over to you in an instant. You don’t expect him to encase his arms around you right away, pulling you flush against him.

“Hold your breath.” He reminds you and you timidly nod, hoping he doesn’t notice the way your complexion has tinted rose. Luckily he doesn’t when he dives into the water, swimming at a speed that you barely get up to alone with your legs. Your eyes watch in fascination as his long tail moves in unison with his body, lighting up the dark ocean with it’s bright blue hue.

Taehyung ends up taking you to a landscape of rocks near the shore, a place you wouldn’t have else found if you tried swimming there all by yourself. He hastily gets you out of the waters, letting you inhale as much air as possible just like you had done with him in the sea, before he remains at the edge of rocks and watches you settle into the small opening.

The temperature has subsided and is a lot better than the waters below you, but Taehyung seems to be at ease right in the centre of it. In comparison to before, now you can get a broad view of the ocean and all the little ripples that pass by the dark tides, the moon illuminating each and every wave with a pearly hue.

“Ah-choo!” You sniffle, covering your mouth. Taehyung spins around, eyes widening.

“Are you cold?” He immediately asks, but you shake your head.

“I’m alrig-AH-CHOO!”

Taehyung grins, “Doesn’t sound like it.” He latches onto the edge and lifts himself up, half of his blue tail still remaining in the water. Taking the bottom of his shirt, he tugs it over his head and places the soaked material onto the side, facing you.

“W-What are you doing?” You immediately ask, but he glances at you in confusion.

“What? I’m a lot warmer when I’m not wearing wet clothes.” He extends his arm and gently pushes you closer to him, “Now come over here, will you?”

You pout but eventually oblige when a third sneeze leaves your body. It’s a little strange to be snuggling up to him like this after so long, but old habits eventually sink in once Taehyung places his hand firmly against your waist and your rest your head against his shoulder.

You watch the tides hit against each other, roaring louder as the wind around begins to pick up. Unconsciously you loop your arms around Taehyung, not noticing the small smile that tugs on his features as you do.

Eyes drifting over to the radiant moon, a question sits at the tip of your tongue. “What did you think about the legend Minho told us? The one about the cursed mermaid?”

“I thought it was sad.” Taehyung confesses, “Instead of trying to help the mermaid with her grief, the moon made her suffer for the rest of her life.”

You hum, “She never got to see the man again and ended up stuck in the place that took his life.” A cascade of shivers runs down your body, “I wonder if the legend could help us get you back to normal.”

“I highly doubt it.” Taehyung stiffly chuckles, “Maybe after this vacation is over, I’ll spend the rest of my life in the ocean too.”

“Please don’t.” You whisper, not wanting him to live out the same unfortunate fate, “The woman was cursed because the man’s death left her all alone. I don’t want you to feel the same.”

Although you can’t see it, a soft smile casts itself onto Taehyung’s lips. It remains even as your lids begin to droop down, your head occasionally tilting to the side. When it completely lolls over, Taehyung separates from you, gently placing you against a smooth patch of rock that you instinctively curl up on at contact.

He lowers himself into the waters, shoulders poking out as he glances up at the bright moon shining down on you. Pivoting around, he watches you completely get lulled into sleep by the comfortable sounds of the ocean ripples, a fond gaze running deep in his sea green eyes.

Months later after breaking up with you, Taehyung returns back to the apartment the two of you once upon a time shared. There’s a clutter of open suitcases and things covered in bubble wrap, presumably you’re doing after you declared to him that you’ll be moving out soon and that he should begin packing his own things as well.

It’s strange for him to enter an apartment that has countless memories woven into it, from the way he was so used to sharing his time, his room and even his bed with you. Now the apartment falls short of all of that, remains of what could have been left behind when he opens the door into the bedroom.

Your things are all gone. Long removed and tided away. It’s just his own belongings that remain within the four walls anymore, seemingly the only thing left occupying the room.

He’s all alone now, abandoned underneath the moonlight that peeks through the once joint window.

You wake up the next morning to see Taehyung peering at the rising sun, a deep crease in between his brows. It takes you waving your hand erractively to draw his attention away, his eyes beaming up at your sudden awakening. After asking you if you were okay to go into the waters in pajamas again, you loop your arms around his neck and hold on for dear life once his head dips into the ocean, swimming back to shore at a racing speed.

Meeting up with the rest of your friends, Eunha and Sunyi take the liberty of persuading you into swimming with them, not adamant about you refusing after last time. With one concerned look at Taehyung, the latter smiles and tells you to carry on after finding a giant blanket and spot in the grey sand to keep himself covered.

However once you’re in the water, you can already see him sulking from a mile away.

“Why don’t you come in?” You ask, swimming over to where he’s seated. The pout on his lips only grows more from your request, dejectedly shaking his head.

“You know that’s only going to cause a lot more problems if I do.”

“Then maybe we can come back during the night.” His eyes light up and you smile, “No one will be able to see you then, right?”

He nods with a grin, “Okay.”

You stay for a moment until Eunha calls out for you, sending a small bye in Taehyung’s direction. He tells you to have fun on his behalf and you happily oblige, racing over to your friends. Hoseok ends up bringing out a beach ball he stored in his car, tossing it over in your direction.

You grasp onto it, raising it up high before launching it Sunyi’s way. She passes over to Eunha who then hands it over to Jungkook, before throwing it to Hoseok.

Unfortunately, he barely hits it and it lands far behind him.

“I’ll get it!” You instantly volunteer, hurriedly splashing against the water. In the midst of retrieving it, you notice Taehyung gazing in your direction and wave back at him, a soft smile on your lips.

That’s when the throbbing begins.

It starts off as a small pulse, but a sudden sharp ache shoots up your right leg and it completely stiffens. You gasp as the feeling intensifies, akin to someone wrapping their hands around your leg and twisting it as harshly as they can.

Your hands slip off from Hoseok’s beach ball and before you even know it, you’re sinking straight down into the pit of the ocean.

Water fills your lungs at an alarming amount and you attempt to kick away at the water, but it only results in a cascade of agonizing pain to run through your leg. You feel yourself slipping away bit by bit, barely any sunlight reaching you as the ocean continues to swallow you whole.

A hand grabs onto yours right away.

You squint against the cold waters to see a blue tail swimming closer to you, a shade of bright sapphire emerging and hurriedly lifting you up. Once you meet sea level, you wheeze and gasp, coughing out all the water that luckily bubbles out of your system.

Taehyung keeps an arm against your back as you do, but your eyes grow alarmingly wide once your vision clears up.

“T-Taehyung?” You promptly question, eyes flickering over him in concern, “You’re in the water, if anyone sees-”

“I don’t care if they see me.” He interjects, “Are you okay?”

You nod and his shoulders sag in relief.

“Thank god.” He breathes, hugging you close to him. You’re a bit taken aback from how he tightly grasps onto you, as if letting go was the last thing on his mind.

“Taehyung….” You whisper, slightly breaking away to look up at him. You keep forgetting how alluring his appearance has become, his sea green eyes and sapphire hair never failing to captivate you every single time.

He sadly smiles, fear-filled eyes boring into yours, “I didn’t want to lose you a second time.”

Your vision unconsciously glosses over and before you know it, you’re looping your arms around his neck and roughly pressing your lips against his. He seems stunned by the sudden motion, but immediately reciprocates as you begin to move your lips.

It’s not somber, like how it was saying goodbye for the last time. It’s neither bittersweet, like how it was dumping precious memories into a suitcase and leaving the place you once tenderly remarked was your home. It’s instead reciprocal, like how it felt when you first fell in love with him.

You part from him and he flutters his eyes open, as if still trapped in a daze. But once you pass along a genuine gaze in his direction, his rambles begin.

“I-I’m still in love with you. Ever since we broke up. I’d never thought I would get the chance to see you again but then you showed up on this trip and I-” You lean forward to kiss him again, catching him off guard for the second time.

“You’re not the only one who’s still holding onto feelings.” You smile and he returns it, “I’m sorry for what happened between us, I think I just got too invested in trying to live together that I didn’t realize how big of a step that was and ended up rushing you without thinking.”

“I’m sorry too.” Taehyung professes, guilt weighing down deep in his green orbs, “I used to always hate when we fought so I never took it seriously, but I didn’t realize how much that hurt you in the process. I should have just been honest with you and told you I wasn’t ready.”

You share a mutual look with each other, something you don’t think you could have ever done when you were together. Taehyung hovers over your lips again and you flutter your eyes shut, but he freezes mid-way.

“Taehyung?” You ponder, but his hand instantly reaches out from the water to cover your eyes. You catch a glimpse of blonde hair and suddenly you’re taken back to the night the two of you got caught up in a storm.

“A-Are you-?”

“Don’t.”

His hand leaves your face, falling down to your shoulder. You slowly open your eyes, peeking out to see his sapphire hair and green eyes replaced with his familiar blonde shade and warm brown eyes. The corners of your lips curl in astonishment, but before you can say anything, Taehyung spins you around.

His grip tightens on your shoulders, “The others will be here soon to find you, but don’t look down and get me some clothes asap.”

Frowning at his instructions, your eyes suddenly light up and you’re swimming away, “Right!”

As you leave, Taehyung sinks back into the water with an exasperated sigh.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Eunha asks, her hands resting against her hips. Sunyi sits on a chair next to her, munching down on a bag of chips in her lap that she had managed to steal from Hoseok.

Pausing your packing for a minute, you swivel around with a sigh, “I’m okay Eunha, it was just a cramp. Taehyung managed to save me before I drowned so I’m alright now.”

“Oh yeah! You guys are together now, right?” Sunyi exclaims, resulting in a small smile to stretch on your lips. Eunha’s eyes widen and she places a hand on your shoulder.

“Really? Are you serious?”

You nod, “We made up during our time here. I guess this vacation was all we needed to resolve our old problems.”

“Oh my gosh, this is amazing!” Sunyi smooshes the two of you into a hug, “I think this is the first time all of us will be in a relationship!”

Your brows furrow and you drop the shirt you were folding, “All of us?”

Your gaze automatically meets Eunha and she suddenly grows bashful, pushing back a lock of her hair, “Ah, well you see....”

“You and Jungkook finally got together?” A smirk crosses your lips and Eunha’s mouth falls agape, gaze falling to the ground.

“W-Was it that obvious?”

“Huh?” Eunha looks up to see Sunyi counting and passing you a couple of coins like it was the most normalest thing ever.

“What? Seriously?!” A scoff leaves her lips, “You guys betted on whether me and Jungkook were going to be together?!?”

“Hey, it was a fair deal.” You point out, grinning at Sunyi, “Which I definitely won.”

Sunyi rolls her eyes, counting out the rest of your coins. A low knock draws you out of your thoughts, raising your head to see Taehyung leaning against the doorframe with a smug smile on his face.

“All packed?” He asks and you nod, planting your suitcase onto the ground before scurrying over to him.

“Just need to dry out our towels and find Hoseok’s shoes, but otherwise yeah.”

“If that’s the case then….” He peers into your room, reaching out his hand for you, “Do you guys mind if I steal her for a while?”

“By all means.” Sunyi says, both her and Eunha sending you sly smiles. You pout in response, but let Taehyung lead you away.

He brings you outside near the shore, now easily able to walk along the grey sand with his bare feet. However, that doesn’t seem like the destination he has in mind as he brings you closer to the edge, near a rocky shore you recall snoozing for hours along.

“You want to go back?” You ask in surprise, letting him reach out for you once he jumps down from a high leveled rock. He catches you as you jump, humming.

“Even though we went there in the middle of the night, I want to go back one last time.” He pauses, turning around and smirking at you, “You know, without a tail and all.”

You giggle, “But I thought it suited you.”

Taehyung raises a brow, appearing offended, “Really? Last I recall, I was being called a fish left and right.”

“You didn’t have eyelids.” You protest, but then Taehyung draws uncomfortably close to your head and blinks rapidly.

“What are these then, huh?” He very obviously points to his now present lids and you laugh, pushing him off from you.

“Okay, okay! You have eyelids now!” You clap your hands together, “What a miracle!”

He shakes his head with a smile, carefully leading you to the spot he found that night. You peer around, noticing how the sunlight forecasted onto the shore in a way that brightened it even more compared to the moon.

“It’s breathtaking.” You whisper, swiveling to look at where the shore meets the ocean.

“It is.” Taehyung remarks, “I think I’m going to truly miss being part fish.”

You lean closer to him, “Well, if you’re really going to miss it that much...I could toss you into the ocean right now and pray for a storm to take you away.”

Taehyung places a hand on his chest, pretending to be teary-eyed, “You would really do that for me?”

You snort, “Of course.”

Kneeling down, you dip your hands into the icy waters for one last time. Taehyung joins you, playing around harmlessly and then somehow accidentally splashing you with some of it.

You scoff as he laughs, but you soon get your revenge in the midst of his laughter, to which he mumbles that he probably deserved that. You chuckle and he smiles, shaking the water droplets out of his hands before helping you up as well.

“We should get going.” You remind him, “The others are probably waiting for us.”

Taehyung hums, but it’s not long before he freezes and his content expression completely falters.

A shaky hand is placed on your arm, drawing out your oblivious attention.

Taehyung points to the ocean, where a pair of two green eyes are staring back at the two of you.

Your eyes widen and you stagger back, nearly bumping into him if he hadn’t immediately caught you. The green eyes catch the movement, drawing closer to you. From afar, the long strands of sapphire hair flowing in the water and the blue tail shimmering within the ocean gives you a slight glimpse of exactly what you’re dealing with, but it seems like an afterthought once both you and Taehyung scream in unison.

“That’s it! I’ve had enough of this place!” Taehyung shouts, racing away to get back to the steep rocks that lead back to the cabin. The green eyes continue to watch as you scurry after him immediately.

“Don’t leave me behind!!” You plead, following after him as quickly as you can. Along the way you managed to slip on a slippery rock, resulting in Taehyung lifting you onto his back so you can get away faster together.

From a distance away, the girl with the green eyes submerged in the ocean chuckles.

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jinterlude · 4 years

Text

Protecting Each Other

↳ Header created by the amazingly talented @kimtaehyunq from the BHQ’s Banner Request Board.

—Pairing: Seokjin x OC (Sumin) —Genre(s): The Last of US!AU, Zombie Apocalypse!AU, Fluff, Romance, Angst, Fantasy, Slight-Action, & Slight-Humor —Warning(s) / Rating: zombies, semi-graphic description of violence (mainly shooting and killing zombies), weapons (guns and a sword), light graphic description of injuries, blood, brief mentions/hints of deaths of a loved one, light suggestive moments (mainly making out), & swearing / 18+ —Word Count: 16K —Summary: In just one year, the virus swept the planet, destroying everything and everyone in its path and drastically changing the world. However, at least one thing is for certain—Seokjin & Sumin will always have each other.

—A/N: The moment you guys have been waiting for! It is the release of my BB Summer Collaboration Fic! Cue the cheers and confetti! I’m quite proud of myself with how this turned out! I would like to thank my soup friend and forever my number one supporter, Jey @softjeon. It is because of her that this story even came to be the way it is, so this story is dedicated to her.

↬ It is also dedicated to my amazing people: @jinned, @hobiance, @j-sope, @mindays, @ppersonna, @miamorjoon, @parksfilter, & @mygsii. Thank you guys for supporting me and just cheering me on when I needed it. You are truly one of a kind. ↫

» Feedback is always appreciated and thanks for giving my story a chance!

Destruction. That single word echoed in Sumin's mind frequently—on an endless loop. The faint smell of burnt and decaying flesh invaded her poor nostrils as the exhausted young woman carefully maneuvered around the lifeless bodies. Her eyes surveyed her current surroundings, noting how colorless the world had become. How the suffocating silence circled her, engulfing her entire body. Oh, how she missed the times where the sounds of laughter and lively chatter greeted her like a dear old friend. Instead, it was either the painful silence or agonizing screams that said, "hello," to her.

No longer did she see the vibrant colors that caught her attention before the outbreak began. Shifting her gaze downwards, she noted her attire. A faint yet amused smirk formed on her lips as she thought about the irony of her previous observation. She, too, no longer wore bright colors. Now, she wore all black from head to toe.

Her leather jacket? Black.

Her shredded jeans? Black.

Shoes? Black.

Every article of clothing that covered her bruised and wounded body was dark. Well, at least she'd be ready to pay her respects if someone close to her tragically died.

Now, standing in front of a man, who's currently crouched down catching his breath, Sumin remained on high alert. Her right hand gripped the hilt of her Japanese sword to the point that her knuckles turned white. Meanwhile, her left hand held the trusty semi-automatic pistol in front of her. Her index finger rested nicely on the trigger—ready to pull it back at even the faintest snarl heard. She needed to be prepared to fall into action. She couldn’t afford to falter because if she did, then it would cost her significantly. Her hesitation would cost her the life of the person who was the keeper of her heart. She would lose her long-time companion—Seokjin.

Protecting that man was the reason she needed to stay alive. Sadly, he was her only reason to do so. Her family and friends had tragically died one-by-one over the years. To be exact, it was ten years. Ten fucking years since this outbreak came into the picture. Ten fucking years since the zombie attack destroyed any ounce of normalcy she established since she was a child. Then, in a blink of an eye, it was gone, vanished with a snap of someone's fingers.

Only her boyfriend remained by her side, and the protective young woman prepared to do everything and anything to ensure it stayed that way.

As Sumin continued to stare into the fog, searching for any strange shadows, her eyes picked up a faint sound. Her breath hitched as she clutched her weapons, prepared to attack at any second. Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a hand. Without a second thought, she swiftly turned around, pointing her pistol at the person's forehead. At the same time, the blade of her sword pressed into the intruder's neck.

But then, she dropped her weapons, both of the lethal items dangled by her side. A long sigh of relief exited her lips as the exhausted Sumin gave the person a dirty look.

"Jesus, Seokjin. I could've easily slaughtered you. You know that right." She scolded the young man, who only chuckled in response, which further irritated her.

Seokjin wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close as he planted a sweet kiss on her temple.

Sumin grimaced and pushed him away, "Ew. I'm all sweaty and bloodied up, Jinnie. No kissing until you and I shower," and just as she finished her statement, she dreaded it instantly. This sense of mischievousness twinkled in his eyes. His lips formed this playful smirk.

Oh, boy. Those two features never made a great combination in Sumin's book. If anything, what came next always left her either a blushing mess that couldn't string a coherent sentence together or chasing the idiot and threatening to punch him.

Silently, she prayed it would be the latter. Sumin wanted to make sure that she could still punch an undead person.

"Jinnie..." She began, forcing a sweet smile on her filthy face, "You better choose your next words carefully or else."

Seokjin's smirk grew, "I don't know what you're talking about sweetheart," He took a step forward, "I was about to suggest something that any loving boyfriend would do for his wonderful girlfriend." He shrugged as his eyes flickered towards Sumin for a moment.

Sumin's breath hitched but soon composed herself.

"Oh, so that's how he wants to play. Game on, Jinnie boy..." She amusingly thought, nodding her head slowly as an alluring smile crept on her face.

Without any warning, Sumin turned the pistol's safety on and tried to fire the gun as a precaution. She then tucked the firearm away in her thigh holster. She secured her prized weapon in its confinement, whistling softly to herself.

As she did that, this unsettling sensation washed over Seokjin's body. His heart raced as if he ran away from a hoard of starving zombies. He suddenly felt parched as Sumin continued to instill fear in him. Her body crouched as she tightened the shoelaces on her boots. How completely still she was as she did something so minuscule. His eyes continued studying her body language, noting how completely balanced she was. He subtly tilted his head, hoping to get a better look at his princess.

"Speaking of ass..." His eyes drifted down Sumin's back, but he forced himself out his unholy thoughts, "Wait, now is not the time to be checking out your girlfriend, Seokjin." He shook his head furiously. His ears perked up at the random sound Sumin made as she stood up. She dusted off her torn jeans before turning her body towards him. An overly sweet smile greeted the scared man.

Seokjin flashed a smile, chuckling nervously at her as he swallowed his saliva; his Adam's apple bobbed a few times. Sadly, it only made him thirstier.

His tongue swept the bottom of his dry lips. Then, he spoke,

"Princess," He began, clearing his dry throat, "Are you preparing for another battle with the undead?" A nervous chuckle escaped his lips, "You know, the more you whistle, the more anxious I become. Do you want that, Sumin? Do you want to be dealing with a nervous boyfriend while we fight for our lives? I think not!" He finished his rather dramatic yet short monologue.

Sumin's face went poker-faced as she nodded her head slowly. No words escaped her lips, maintaining the eerie silence that surrounds the environment. Her eyes narrowed as she homed in on her target. She cracked her neck, releasing the tension in her muscles as she took a step toward the poor man.

As she stepped forward, Seokjin stepped backward. The attractive couple continued this rather odd dance for a few minutes until - suddenly - Seokjin grabbed his pack and bolted away from the menacing young lady.

Sumin bolted after him, shouting at him to stop being such a coward and face her like a real man. Though, she was careful not to alert any enemies of their presence. The last thing she wanted to deal with, on top of Seokjin behaving like a child, was a mob of ravenous zombies.

Yup...definitely not on her nonexistent to-do list.

With her lungs practically begging for air, Sumin refused to let that man escape her grasps. She easily dodged the low hanging branches while keeping her eye on the prize. The prize of closing the gap between her and Seokjin, so she could punch the living shit out of him. What made the situation funnier was that Seokjin taunted her endlessly. Each insult that spewed out of that gorgeous man's mouth fueled her desire - that competitive drive - to tackle him to cold hard concrete.

Then, as if God answered her wish, Sumin's eyes gleamed with excitement as she focused her attention on his perfectly still body.

"HA! I knew you'd stop being such a little bitch and take my punch like a mature adult!" She exclaimed as she jogged up to him. Just as she drew back her fist, she swiftly caught on to Seokjin's odd expression. No longer did he wear this playful mask but now dawned an emotion that Sumin thought she'd never see again.

Complete and utter disbelief.

Carefully, Sumin placed a warm hand on the young man's broad shoulder; her eyes dripped with concern.

"Jinnie..." The concerned lady began but was soon interrupted.

"Do you know where we are, Sumin?"

"I...uh..."

"Imagine everything lit up. The entrance sign lit so brightly that blinded anyone who dared to stare directly at it. Now, add the sounds of the arcade and carnival games going off every second as loud chatter mixes in with the lively atmosphere. Children that scattered all over the fairgrounds as they ran towards their parents, screaming from excitement as they begged their parents to win them yet another gigantic stuffed animal."

Sumin still didn't quite understand what Seokjin was talking about until he said,

"Look at the broken-down stand in the far-right corner," He pointed in that specific direction, "You see those beaten up stuffed animals?" He asked as he intertwined their fingers together. He then guided the two of them towards the row of carnival games. The unhappy pair carefully maneuvered around the fallen debris, planning their steps accordingly. The last thing they wanted to do was deal with one of them having a broken ankle.

The more Seokjin and Sumin adventured down the row of destroyed carnival games, the more Sumin's face became solemn as sadness washed over her entire body. Her jaw clenched, and her breath hitched. She couldn't believe it. She took in every single torn down - practically shredded - dull banners as she passed the poorly maintained game stands. The same game stands she and Seokjin used to frequent every summer and the reason she came home with a massive pile of stuffed animals. It was thanks to that lovesick fool that she no longer had space in her closet for her cuddly friends. At the same time, it was because of those soft stuffed animals that got her hooked on Seokjin's charms in the first place.

God, the more she reminisced about her countless summer spent at this fair, the more she became depressed. However, she couldn't stop thinking about those specific moments in her life. After all, those days led her to the man that she absolutely could never imagine living her life without him.

"I wonder if this place was the first to go?" asked Sumin, voicing her innermost thoughts as her doe-like gaze switched to Seokjin. She noted how tight his jaw was as if he tried his hardest to maintain his composure.

"I hope not..." He trailed on as he continued to survey his surroundings, "Though, it wouldn't surprise me if it was since the annual summer fair always drew in a massive crowd." He finished, letting out a soft, airy chuckle.

The corners of her lips curved upward as Sumin read his mind.

"Yeah. Kind of how it drew us together for the very first time, right?"

"What do you mean, kind of drew us together? It matched two beautiful people together."

Sumin's face fell, "Are you sure? Because I remember our fateful meeting quite differently."

Seokjin gawked. He couldn't believe the words that came out of his princess' mouth.

"Oh, do tell how that day went, then, Minnie

"Gladly...!" She exclaimed with an intriguing twinkle in the corner of her eyes.

Seokjin scoffed playfully, "Oh, I can't wait to hear this."

The petite young female shot an irritated look at the attractive man before beginning her tale.

"Well, as you know, it started on that Friday evening. You had just gotten out of her last class of the week and..." Sumin trailed on. Her words echoed in the back of Seokjin's mind as he, too, recalled their meeting so vividly.

For the twentieth time that evening, Sumin checked her appearance using her front-facing camera. Her trembling hands ran through her beach curled hair, positioning it in a way that made her look charming yet radiated innocence. It wasn't every day that she was set up on a blind date by a good friend of hers. However, she wasn't a stranger to the dating scene, so why did she feel so damn nervous? Why did her heart pound against her chest as if she ran from her house to the fairgrounds?

Suddenly a look of complete and utter dread washed over her face as this horrendous thought implanted itself in her frenzied mind. Without a second thought, Sumin subtly smelled herself, praying to every God known to man that her sweet rose perfume still lingered around her body. She sneakily raised her arms and took a quick whiff under her armpits.

"Oh, thank God. My tropical fruit-scented deodorant is still working." She thought as this massive sigh of relief exited her lips. She dropped her arm, and as she raised her head, her eyes went round. Her breath hitched as this feeling of embarrassment hit her like a tidal wave.

"Please don't be my blind date. Please don't be my blind date." She repeatedly chanted as a drop-dead gorgeous man started walking up to her. With every footstep, he slowly closed the gap between them, and as he closed that distance, Sumin's anxiety increased. The butterflies in the pit of her stomach flew into a flurry, which only caused the poor young girl to smile nervously. She also chuckled softly as she awkwardly waved her hand.

"Great. Now, that handsome fellow is going to think I'm this huge doofus." She mused as she quickly mustered the sweetest smile and introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you, Sumin. I'm Seokjin, but my friends call me Worldwide Handsome." The handsome fellow greeted back, playfully winking at her as he displayed this thousand-watt smile.

Sumin became lost for words. She slightly parted her mouth as she wrapped her mind around the fact that this attractive man seriously said that his friends called him "Worldwide Handsome." Her eyes flickered with annoyance before switching back to politeness.

But before she could ask him if he was serious, Seokjin beat her to it.

"I'm kidding. My friends don't call me that," Another wave of relief washed over Sumin, but once she heard Seokjin's next sentence, that moment of peace was over, "I call myself that. I've been spending my entire high school career trying to get my tasteless friends to admit that I'm good looks are enough for me to hold the title of 'Worldwide Handsome.'"

Out of nowhere, Sumin felt a slight twitch in her right eye. Her body heated up. Her breathing grew heavy as her nostrils flared slightly.

Yeah, they didn't even get past the formalities., and his words ended the date right there.

As the irked young lady opened her mouth, ready to apologize to him that she wanted to end the date, a high-pitch noise emitted from his lips. It was almost as if she activated her car's windshield wipers.

"Oh, my God, I can't keep this charade up any longer," He paused, continuing his fit of laughter. The laughter grew too much for him as he clutched the sides of his stomach. "Congrats, princess. You passed." He vaguely announced, further irritating Sumin.

The serious honey-brown haired woman stared at the tall immature man through slit eyes. Her mind battled if she should ask him to clarify or not. Part of her - scratch that - most of her wanted to go home, but, sadly, the curious side got the best of her, so she asked Seokjin what he meant by his strange words.

The towering, well-dressed man cleared his throat, "Well, my young and surprisingly beautiful princess, what I meant is that you passed the, 'can this potential girlfriend handle my arrogant side and be honest with her reaction rather be fake?' test." He answered, keeping this calm tone of voice.

Suddenly, Seokjin shot Sumin with a playful wink, as he dug out his wallet from the pocket of his light pastel blue zipper hooded sweatshirt. A faint, "ah-ha," escaped his plump lips as he waved his black leather wallet in front of the unamused female.

Sumin raised her brow, finding Seokjin's actions odd and silently berating herself for not going home yet. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something in the back of her head told her to continue humoring the princely idiot.

Her conscience had better be right.

"Is that your hint that you want me to pay for our entrance tickets?" inquired Sumin as she prepared to dig for her wallet in her cotton candy-colored purse. However, as her fingertips grazed the zipper of the wallet, Seokjin gently grasped her wrists. For a split second, a single strand of electricity shot up through her right arm, igniting the nerves that laid beneath.

The longer Seokjin touched her wrist, the more Sumin's cheeks became heated. Just this once, Sumin was glad that it was Summer. She could easily blame the heat on her flushed cheeks, and not the fact that she felt this unspeakable spark between them.

Not wanting to become a blushing mess, Sumin gently tore her hand away from his grasp—much to Seokjin's dismay. Unknown to her, but he felt that spark as well. Never in his years of dating other women did he feel the same that Sumin did. The kicker was that she didn't even know that she had this hold - this magnetic pull- over him. Seriously. She could ask him to tell his friend Jungkook that he sucked at bowling, and he would gladly do it even though it was a death wish in doing so.

Wait, what happened? Where did those thoughts come from as he usually would never think about that, especially towards a woman he had just met? Pushing the confusion away, Seokjin lightly shook his head and plastered a sincere smile on his attractive face.

"Anyway, since we are losing daylight, why don't we go inside the fairgrounds, and yes, I'm gonna pay for your ticket. Don't argue with me on that, okay?" He kindly suggested as he maintained the wicked smile that caused both men and women to swoon over him.

Sumin chuckled, "Alright, you can pay for my entrance ticket, but I'm gonna pay you back by winning you a stuffed animal, cool?" She said with a sunny, innocent smile.

Seokjin's body slightly froze as he thought, "Okay, she might have beaten me in terms of having a smile that caused hearts to skip a beat," He quickly pulled himself back into reality and agreed to Sumin's suggestion.

Though, it wouldn't result in her trying to win him a stuffed alpaca. An hour into their date, Sumin wanted to succeed at winning him that cuddly stuffed alpaca but kept losing at the ring toss. Refusing to give up, the stubborn young lady shelled out another ten-dollar bill and slammed it on the wooden counter.

"Alright, Seokjin, prepare to- wait, what are you doing?" She questioned as Seokjin took the tiny plastic ring from her dainty hands.

The equally as determined man positioned himself in front of her and said,

"I'm gonna win you that alpaca, princess," He stretched his right arm, warming up his muscles, "So, prepare to be amazed by my professional throwing skills!" He announced; his voice was almost loud enough to be overheard by every single person at the carnival.

Sumin giggled softly, shaking her head playfully. Then, a brilliant yet bold idea popped into her mind.

With a seductive grin painted on her lips, Sumin stood on the tips of her toes and courageously planted a kiss on Seokjin's cheek. On the outside, Sumin appeared calm as a clam. However, on the inside, it felt like there was a tornado in the pit of her stomach. Then, a feeling of regret followed, but Sumin pushed it away. A good friend of hers told Sumin that she needed to be confident and more flirtatious. Now, she hoped that her friend's advice paid off.

"I'm sorry if that was too forward, I thought you could use a kiss for good luck?" Sumin quickly apologized, averting her gaze. Her cheeks became flushed as the bashful woman messed with the hem of her dress.

Then, a hand clamped over hers before the cold sweat from her hands left an embarrassing stain.

Sumin's eyes trailed upward and soon widened with how close Seokjin's face was. He was so close that their noses were merely inches away from bumping into each other.

As the doe-eyed Sumin parted her mouth to speak, Seokjin gently pressed his right index finger on her lips. Sumin's gaze flickered to his hand, noticing the plastic ring hanging on his pinky.

"First, thank you for that sweet kiss. It granted me all the luck in the world needed to win these rigged carnival games," He removed his index finger and stood up straight, "Second, now I'm even more determined to win you that alpaca so that I can get another kiss. Perhaps, this time, maybe on the lips?" He flirted, winking at her before he turned his back towards her and prepared to play the ring toss game.

Sumin mustered enough courage and composed herself.

"Let's talk after you win me, RJ."

"RJ?"

"Yeah, that's going to be the name of our cuddly stuffed animal."

Seokjin chuckled at how adorable Sumin was.

"Okay, RJ, it is."

Sumin cheered as she shook her hands in excitement, eager to hug the alpaca.

Her cheers faded into the back of his mind as Seokjin gently pulled himself away from that beautiful memory. It honestly felt so real to him. The smell of deep-fried food lingered around his nostrils while the sounds of Sumin's cute protests echoed in his ears. A reminiscent smile formed on his gorgeous face as he recalled the events that happened after he successfully won her RJ. She dragged him around each food stand and paid for any item that they wanted to try together, though Seokjin offered to pay for the more expensive food items. However, being the stubborn woman that she was, Sumin swatted his hands every time he reached for his wallet.

To this day, he could still feel the stinging sensation on the backs of his hands. Who would've thought that his princess had some strength to her?

"Why are you rubbing your hand, Jinnie?" Sumin's voice pulled Seokjin away from his thoughts. He glanced down and low and behold; he did rub his hand as if she smacked his hand a few minutes before. He ceased his odd action and then threw a warm and loving arm around Sumin's shoulders and pulled her close.

"Don't worry about it, princess, but I still think that you told some aspects of our first date incorrectly." He teased with a lop-sided grin. "If I remember that night correctly, it was I who tried out the ring toss stand first," He playfully tapped Sumin's nose, "And it was you came to my aid like the breathtakingly goddess protector I know you are." He finished before innocently pecking her sweet lips.

Sumin playfully rolled her eyes as the corner of her mouth curved upward. She then lightly shoved her foolish boyfriend, creating space between them.

"Anyway, where should we go next? We still need to find these so-called, 'Fireflies,' if we want any answers on this cure." She asked, surveying the abandoned fairgrounds. Her eyes flickered from every direction, ensuring that there weren't any abnormal shadows nearby.

A faint hum emitted from Seokjin's mouth as he, too, looked around. Then, something captured his attention as he was about to finish his search. He quickly focused his gaze onto the Ferris-wheel as he annoyingly pushed Sumin, repeatedly telling her to look into the distance.

The annoyed honey-brown haired girl lightly slapped his hand away, demanding that he stop being weird.

"I can't help it. You just make me a fool for you, Minnie." Seokjin flirted, causing his girlfriend to gag.

"I swear you are too much sometimes," She readjusted the strap that held her Katana, "But, when you want to, you do spout some intellectual things," She smiled brightly at Seokjin, "Let's head towards that Ferris-wheel and use it as our vantage point." She suggested, which of course, Seokjin agreed as he laced his fingers with hers. Then, the two hiked over to the gigantic wheel, hoping that it could give them some form of a clue.

Minutes later, the duo arrived in front of the rusty Ferris-wheel. The curious young woman broke away from her boyfriend as this strange magnetic pull forced her to step towards the poorly maintained ride. Her fingers grazed the rough cold metal as Sumin noted both the rust and vines that surrounded the wheel.

"It's so strange..." muttered the shocked girl as she stepped back.

Seokjin slowly nodded, unsure what to say next as specific memories plagued his mind. Thoughts of him and Sumin passing by this very Ferris-wheel as he begged her to go on it with him. Whenever he explained to Sumin why they had to ride this attraction, he always told her that it was part of the book of romance. Naturally, his sweetheart demanded that she sees this book so that she could see that so-called rule. The more he thought of that event, the more he chuckled.

His princess was always the skeptical one, but that made their relationship refreshing. They never behaved like any other couple, and he wouldn't want it any other way.

As he forced himself away from his beautiful memories of his lovely lady, he noticed Sumin doing something strange in the corner of his eye.

"Uh...sweetheart? What are you doing?" questioned Seokjin as he continued to watch his girlfriend with curiosity.

Sumin hummed as she glanced over her shoulder, "Oh, I’m gonna climb the Ferris-wheel and use it as our vantage point." She explained as she undid the belt that held her Katana and shrugged off her leather jacket.

"I see...I see..." Then, her words finally registered in his mind, "I'm sorry? Did you say that you were going to climb the Ferris-wheel? Miss ‘I'm afraid of heights’?" He asked with a quizzical expression on his face. The longer he thought about his girlfriend climbing up that poorly maintained carnival attraction, the more he became concerned. It didn’t help that those worries conjured up every worst-case scenario known to man and flooded his mind with them.

Yeah…

He definitely did not want Sumin climbing up there, and just as he shrugged off his jacket, Sumin spoke,

"Yup! Now, stay down here and keep watch, okay? You have my sword if you need an extra weapon." She said with a cheerful smile, reassuring her worried boyfriend. It was as if she read his mind and wanted to wash away his unnecessary concerns.

Seokjin looked utterly stunned. Every time he opened his mouth to say something, Seokjin swiftly closed it as he knew that he couldn't stop his headstrong princess from doing something if she already made up her mind.

Letting out a defeated sigh, Seokjin quickly hugged her and placed a warm kiss on her temple. As he pulled away, he told her,

"Remember what I told you the first time we rode this together?"

"Yeah...don't look down."

Seokjin uttered a quick, "good," as he released his loving hold on Sumin and watched her start her journey up the rusty fair ride.

His eyes remained glued on her body as he watched the love of his life climbed up the ladder of the neglected attraction. Seokjin's mind drifted to the first time he successfully got his princess to ride the Ferris-wheel as he stared at her fading backside, slowly becoming one with the sky.

Crossing her arms underneath her chest, Sumin blinked a few times. She tilted her head slightly as she tried to comprehend the fact that her boyfriend of almost two years wanted her to go to the Ferris-wheel. Also known as the fair's local death trap.

A short yet heavy sigh escaped the hesitant woman as her gaze focused on Seokjin, who currently nibbled on his bottom lip. A cute little habit that Seokjin had whenever he was deep in thought. That was one of the many quirks she learned about him over their two years of being together. The fun part of that sentence was that he always had her learn something new about him every day.

That was one part of their loving and entertaining relationship that she would never trade for the most expensive diamond in the entire universe.

Seokjin was priceless, and Sumin was incredibly lucky to be with someone like him.

Speaking of which...

"Okay, I got the ultimate bribery for you, princess!" Seokjin piped up, pulling Sumin away from her loving thoughts.

The corners of her lips turned up as curiosity burned in Sumin's eyes.

"Oh? And, what are you exactly going to bribe me with, huh, Jinnie boy?" She asked with hints of playfulness in her words.

Seokjin chuckled, "I'm glad you asked, my curious kitten," He then pointed at the nearby cotton candy stand, "If you go on the Ferris-wheel with me, I will buy you all the cotton candy your heart desires!" He exclaimed with eyes practically pleading Sumin to say yes.

A hum escaped her lips as Sumin lightly tapped her chin; her bottom lip jutted out as she "seriously" thought about his offer.

"I don't know, Seokjin, you know well enough that I'm deathly afraid of heights, you're practically asking me to risk my life just for tonight since you want to see the 4th of July firework show at the top of the wheel," Sumin lightly shook her head, "You're gonna have to do better than that, Jinnie." She stated, shrugged her shoulders.

Seokjin's eyes narrowed on her as he mentally cursed at how argumentative Sumin could get—when she wanted to be. He made a mental note to make sure that his princess never hung out with a particular headstrong friend of hers. If he didn't know any better, he knew that Sumin's good friend more than likely told her about his romantic plans for their 4th of July celebration.

"That pain in the ass..." He muttered to himself, rolling his eyes.

Unfortunately, for him, Sumin heard his words and assumed that he called her that. However, she knew better not to start a fight with him over an assumption. She learned that lesson the hard way after an evening of arguing with him over a hunch that almost caused them to break up just before the night of their big first-anniversary date. From that night on, Sumin learned to always ask for clarification. She vowed never to feel that devastating heartbreak again.

Mustering an innocent smile, Sumin eyed him accusingly, "I'm sorry, who's 'that pain in the ass'?"

Seokjin nearly choked on his spit. His body tensed. He then slowly focused his gaze onto the woman that not only made his heart skip a beat but also instilled fear into him. There was nothing in between those two feelings.

The nervous young man opened his mouth to speak but soon closed it as he had to pick his next choice of words carefully. Having a full-blown fight with her was certainly not on tonight’s romantic agenda. Instead, he wanted to share the most magical kiss with his princess and then confess how much he loved her.

While, yes, they had been together for almost two years, Seokjin and Sumin never said, "I love you," to each other. Their mutual friends told them that they took their relationship a little too slow for their liking. Still, Sumin wanted to make sure their feelings towards each other were genuine, and Seokjin respected that.

He wanted her to know that he was just as serious about them as she was.

Which motivated the handsome fool to say,

"Not you," He gently took Sumin's hands as complete and utter adoration burned in his eyes, "Which is why not only will I give you an endless supply of cotton candy, but I will bestow you the most romantic kiss ever known to man, if you agree to go on the Ferris-wheel with me," He quickly glanced at his watch, "We have exactly an hour to wait in that line, get on one of those carts, and slowly ride up to the top of the wheel where we will stop and enjoy the firework display," He smiled warmly at her, praying to every God out there that she would say yes, "So, how about it? You and me? All alone in that surprisingly roomy compartment?" He finished, eager to hear Sumin's answer.

Sumin remained silent as she glanced up to the Ferris-wheel, pondering for a moment. Then, after what seemed like an eternity of waiting, she opened her sweet lips and said,

"Yes. I will ride the Ferris-wheel with you."

Sumin suddenly shrieked, followed by this soft laughter as Seokjin abruptly picked her up and twirled her around. Bystanders would've thought that he just proposed to her, and she said yes. That was how ecstatic Seokjin was for finally getting Sumin to agree to ride the wheel with him, especially since he knew how afraid of heights she was.

That was true love right there, and it solidified the never-ending devotion he bore for her.

Gently placing his princess on the ground, Seokjin softly pecked her nose before intertwining their hands together.

With a sincere smile painted on his lips, the handsome young man guided the woman, he absolutely adored, towards the semi-long waiting line to get on the ride. The happy couple passed the time by talking about everything and anything popped in their heads. They talked about how their college courses went the past Spring Semester. They spoke of how goofy their group of friends was, especially when two of their friends sabotaged each other's audition for the theater department's Spring musical.

Sumin still couldn't believe that Jungkook and Hoseok became infatuated with the same girl, who auditioned to play the main heroine in the play.

Slightly shaking her head, she cuddled up to Seokjin as she wrapped her arms around his waist, covering her goose-bumped riddled arms. She buried her face in his chest, inhaling the addictive scent of his cologne.

Seokjin peered down with an amused smirk plastered on his face.

"I'm starting to think that you only restocked my cologne with this scent because you personally like it," He shuffled their bodies up to the front of the line, "Not so much that you think that it's a scent that works well on me." He teased, chuckling at how precious Sumin was as she vigorously shook her head.

She then looked up with her doe-like gaze, “I bought it because you said that you personally liked it and it worked well for you,” She untangled himself for her but only for Seokjin to wrap his arms around her waist and rest his chin on her shoulder, “Don’t pin it on me, mister.” She stated as the ride operator asked if they wanted to ride alone or together while the cart slowly stopped in front of the couple.

Seokjin quickly answered that they wanted to ride together before Sumin had the chance to say some sarcastic remark.

The ride operator nodded and waved them over, allowing them to cross the safety line. The carnival worker politely helped Sumin into the cart then helped Seokjin afterward. The worker quickly did the safety check, making sure everything worked properly before pushing the start button.

The second the cart moved upwards, Sumin’s breath hitched. Panic settled in the pit of her tummy. Her breathing grew sporadic as the carriage continued going higher.

Out of the corner of his eye, Seokjin noticed how tense his princess was and reached over to grab her hands. He gently caressed the backs of her hands as he whispered words of encouragement and peppered her faces with kisses.

“I know it’s too late to say this, but don’t look down.”

“Oh, you’re damn right it’s too late to say that!”

A low whine escaped her mouth as she continued to resist taking a peek down below. The extremely stressed out girl flailed her legs as if she hoped that maybe her kicking her legs would speed up the ride. It didn’t, but a girl could dream, right?

Sumin whined, “Ah, how much longer to the top, Jinnie?” She asked, her voice shaky as she placed a trembling hand on her chest. She felt how her heart practically hammered against her chest, and then it suddenly stopped.

Slowly prying one of her eyes open, Sumin saw Seokjin’s hands tightly holding hers. That explained why she suddenly felt this warmth transfer to her cold hands. However, she began to feel more than just his body heat; she started to feel his courage. The longer he held onto her, the more she felt safe with him. With Seokjin by her side, whispering words of encouragement and showering her with all of the admiration he bore for her, she felt invincible.

Seokjin challenged her by facing her fear of heights. He showed her that while yes, it terrified her to no end, she still had a courageous side to her that needed just a little shove.

Ah, Sumin hated when he unknowingly proved a point to her… God damn it…

Gently opening her other eye, a faint gasp escaped her gentle lips. Her eyes widened at the marvelous view. The city lights twinkled like the stars in the night sky as tiny streaks of red and white gradually passed by the fairgrounds.

What she currently saw, at that moment, was the epitome of a brand-new world—and she owed it all to Seokjin.

Without a second thought, Sumin grabbed Seokjin’s face and kissed his cheek sweetly, letting out a giggle as she pulled away.

A boyish grin appeared on Seokjin’s princely face, “What was that for, princess?” He lightly questioned.

Sumin maintained her loving smile, “For always pushing me to be better,” She said, resting her head against his broad shoulder, “You always know me better than I know myself.” She added as Seokjin rested his head against hers.

“Well, think of it as me returning the favor. You constantly pushed me out of my comfort zone, so naturally, I’d do the same for you.” He stated with a meaningful expression as the Ferris-wheel momentarily came to a halt.

Sumin’s brows furrowed as tiny creases formed on her forehead. Curiosity washed against her body but soon evaporated as the couple heard loud booms followed by flashes of colorful lights.

The easily enamored young lady stared into the night sky in complete awe. Her eyes sparkled like the fireworks that lit up the sky. It was during that moment that Sumin briefly forgot that she was an adult with responsibilities. Responsibilities that came with being a college student who enrolled in a full course load of classes. She forgot about the endless pile of assignments, group projects, and presentations.

For only tonight, the only thing - the only person - she needed to focus on was the attractive fellow that sat next to her.

Which reminded her…

Taking a slow, deep breath, Sumin emptied the nerves that riddled her body. She repeated that action a few more times until she felt weightless. For the past few

months, unknown to Seokjin, she practiced how to confess her love to him. After all, this would be a gigantic leap for them in their relationship.

With a final deep exhale, the shy brunette turned her body towards her boyfriend as the fireworks continued to decorate the black canvas that covered the town. Flashes of color illuminated the Ferris-wheel as Sumin slowly leaned in with rosy-colored cheeks.

“Seokjin…?” She softly called out to him, causing the boy to hum in response; though, his eyes didn’t leave the firework show.

“Can you look at me for a second? I need to tell you something.”

“Oh, that is not something any boyfriend wants to hear coming out of their girlfriend’s mouth.”

“I’m serious, Jinnie!”

“I’m serious too, princess! The moment any girlfriend says that to their significant other, it’s—”

Seokjin’s lips were captured by Sumin’s. Her hands slowly reached up to his neck, gently grasping it as she pulled him closer. Their chests pinned against one another as the couple gradually became lost in each other’s embrace. Seokjin’s hands rested on Sumin’s thighs. At the same time, her fingers entangled themselves in between locks of his hair, gently tugging at them as their kiss grew more fervent.

Tiny moans floated into the air, mixing with the powerful booms from the firecrackers, as the two battled for dominance; neither one of them allowed the other to win, as Seokjin and Sumin remained in their tight embrace for what seemed like an eternity.

Reluctantly, Sumin pulled away as she remembered why she called for him in the first place.

“As I was saying before we passionately kissed each other,” She smiled brightly, chuckling as she wiped away her remaining lip gloss off Seokjin’s swollen lips, “I need to tell you something, and no, I’m not confessing a relationship sin nor am I breaking up with you, you dramatic doofus.” Sumin paused again, soothing the butterflies that fluttered in her tummy, “I wanted to tell you that…I’m in love with you…” She finally confessed with bright red cheeks as passion burned in her eyes.

A massive sigh of relief escaped her lips as she finally and courageously announced that she was utterly head-over-heels in love with him. Now, she didn’t expect Seokjin to say it back since they both agreed, at the beginning of their relationship, that they would say, “I love you,” at their own pace, but a part of her felt afraid. Scared that maybe she said it a little too soon for Seokjin’s liking and now scared him off.

Oh, great. Here came the regret of announcing her love too early, hitting Sumin like a massive tidal wave as her boyfriend remained silent with a straight face.

Sumin sucked in air between clenched teeth, nodding her head as she scolded herself for confessing her love. Slowly, she turned her body, and as she was about to create space between them, she felt a pair of hands cup her cheeks and pull her into the most mind-blowing kiss ever.

Her eyes fluttered close as she became lost in the kiss, and during that heated exchange, she heard Seokjin say in between pecks,

“I’m…in…love…with…you…too…”

With one and final kiss, Seokjin pulled away, though he would instead continue kissing her as he showed her just how much he loved her. As he unraveled himself from her body, he couldn’t help but smirk as he noticed how flushed Sumin’s cheeks were.

He wasn’t going to lie, seeing his princess, a total blushing mess boosted his confidence as this sense of pride surged through his body. He unknowingly puffed out his broad chest as he flung a warm around Sumin’s chest while the Ferris-wheel slowly resumed operating.

“You know, I don’t think our future anniversaries are going to top this one.”

“Yeah. I think you might be right, but I’ll still love you even if our next year’s date consists of us chilling on my roof and stargazing.”

“Huh. I think you just gave me an idea for our annual Autumn dates!”

Slowly opening her eyes, a faint smile graced Sumin's face as Seokjin's words echoed throughout her mind.

And true to her boyfriend's word, he did set up a stargazing date for their yearly Autumn dates.

It still baffled her mind that he was always consistent whenever he suggested something unexpectedly, but that was something that made her fall more in love with Seokjin.

Speaking of love…

Peering down with an exciting twinkle in her eye, Sumin took a deep breath before shouting,

“If I recall that night correctly, I did not confess my love to you until the week after!”

Not even a minute later, Sumin heard Seokjin’s fake laughter, causing the amused young woman to genuinely chuckle as she shook her head, slowly climbing down the Ferris-wheel. There was no point in staying up there if she didn’t see any abnormalities in the shadows.

As the fearless lady descended the ladder, Sumin could hear Seokjin make a few jabs at her memory—or lack of one.

“And another thing, my gorgeous yet always wrong princess! How could I’ve told the story wrong when my memory is ten times better than yours!? So, there! I win!” bragged Seokjin, completely forgetting the fact this booming voice could easily attract a horde of the undead.

A low growl escaped from the annoyed girl’s lip as she paused in her steps. Her gaze drifted upward as the anger bubbled within her chest. Her grip tightened on the rusty metal of the ladder; her knuckles turned white, which meant that the poor girl was seconds away from punching her oh-so-charming boyfriend.

Was it too late to leave Seokjin behind while she journeyed off to find the Fireflies? After all, her boyfriend could easily manage a bunch of zombies on his own.

Forcing out a sigh, Sumin continued her journey down, loving yet hating the fact that she could never leave him behind.

She loved him too damn much…

Little by little, Sumin gradually closed the gap between herself and the sweet ground that she wished her feet stepped on as opposed to the tiny stairs. As much as she didn’t mind heights anymore, she would rather be on the floor if she could help it. More comfortable to defend herself and Seokjin if necessary.

“Ah, I hope he’s doing….” She mumbled to herself, stopping abruptly when her eyes picked up something strange into the distance. She halted in her place. Her eyes squinted, hoping that it would help her vision become sharper. Then, her breath hitched as it grew sporadic. Her chest tightened as she gripped the ladder once again.

This heaviness of complete and utter dread crashed into Sumin’s body like a gigantic tidal wave that hit into a city. She slowly felt the wind knock out of her as the horrific shrieks drew near.

Then, her heart completely stopped the moment she heard Seokjin cry out to her in terror.

“Seokjin, just leave me!” She commanded sternly as the adrenaline-fueled woman rushed down the ladder, no longer caring if she fell from the ladder. Sumin was close to the ground anyway and could quickly get into a combat-ready stance while Seokjin dashed to safety.

Seokjin’s safety would forever and always be a top priority for Sumin…

As the worried young woman descended from the maintenance ladder, practically near the gravel, she heard Seokjin idiotically taunt the undead as they surrounded him, desiring so much to eat his warm flesh. However, the secretly terrified young man couldn’t let his fear consume him. He needed to protect Sumin as he could never imagine living his life without her. Since the start of this horrendous outbreak, the lovestruck man vowed to protect his beloved and ensured that no harm came her way.

He hasn’t failed yet, nor would he ever fail at keeping his promise because, just like Sumin, Seokjin’s utmost priority is his girlfriend’s safety.

Using his sacred promise as his motivator to keep fighting, Seokjin peeked into the scope and fired shot after shot with his semi-automatic rifle, readying another round of ammo as his ammunition clip emptied.

Just as he pulled out the emptied ammo, Seokjin felt something sharp swipe at his right arm, creating a gash on his bicep as blood streamed down and stained his black leather jacket; though, it didn’t matter as no one would notice it. Well, the horde of undead caught it as the addicting scent of fresh plasma enticed them even more, sending them into a frenzy.

The injured man winced as the pain grew increasingly unbearable, but he refused to stop fighting. The moment he ceased firing, they would attack Sumin and more than likely kill her.

No…

Seokjin would never allow that to happen…

Not as long as his heart continued beating…

Exhausting his last amount of strength, Seokjin suddenly stopped firing and rammed the end of his semi-automatic rifle into one of the zombies before shooting a few bullets into its decaying body. As the adrenaline-fueled protector readied to fight off more zombies, he failed to realize that he had a few rushing at him from his flank. As their growls grew close, Seokjin knew it was too late to fire a few rounds at them while five more zombies ran at him from the front.

No matter which direction he focused on, those undead bastards would aggressively claw at him before devouring his juicy flesh. However, he couldn’t let that thought deter him from his personal objective; his mission of getting Sumin to the Fireflies, so those groups of doctors could create a cure that would one day restore humanity on this lonely planet.

That’s why he had to keep fighting….

Breathing deeply, Seokjin readied his weapon, releasing bullet after bullet at the horde in front of him, ignoring the ones that rushed at him from behind.

But he also neglected his ride-or-die partner…

A loud grunt entered one ear and exited through the other, followed by the sound of a sharp object impaling one flesh after the other before bodies dropped right behind the handsome man. Their decaying, decapitated heads rolled towards the assailant’s feet before the person kicked to the side like a soccer ball.

Seokjin faintly scoffed as he glanced behind his shoulder and whispered, “And I thought it was my job to save you, p-princess…” as the last bar of his energy finally depleted. His face paled from the amount of blood that slowly drained from his arm. His eyes shuttered close as Seokjin gave in to the exhaustion that plagued him. His legs wobbled as his knees buckled in, ready for his entire body to collapse onto the pavement.

Yep…Seokjin depleted all of his energy…

However, as he was seconds away from dropping to the floor, Sumin quickly sheathed her Katana and grabbed Seokjin before he could. She then wrapped his uninjured arm around her shoulders as she hoisted Seokjin and supported his weight with all the strength she mustered minutes before.

“C-come on, Jinnie…” A few grunts left her lips, “You c-can’t give up on me just yet.” Sumin’s voice quavered as she struggled to reach for Seokjin’s assault rifle. Her fingertips grazed the strap a few times before she successfully wrapped them around the leather material and hung it around her boyfriend’s neck. Of course, she switched the rifle’s safety on before doing that. Insult to injury would be that she caused the death of her boyfriend.

“Alright…” She softly began as she surveyed her surroundings, hearing loud shrieks in the distance. Terror settled in her face, but Sumin didn’t allow it to show. No. The second she let the fear win, it was game over for her and Seokjin.

And Sumin would never allow that to occur, so she had to think of a place for them to hide.

Her mind went into overdrive as she thought of all the possible places for them to wait for the horde to lose interest in them quietly. The site also had to provide them enough cover that could not only disguise their scent but ward off the stench of blood as she patched Seokjin’s deep wound.

Sumin’s concerned gaze glanced at her boyfriend’s limp and severely injured arm as streams of blood stained his scarred hand.

Quickly shaking her head, the worried girlfriend forcibly pushed away any possible worst-case scenarios as it would neither help her or Seokjin in their current situation.

Suddenly, another thunderous, bone-chilling scream echoed in the eerie atmosphere, and this time it sounded nearby.

“Shit…!” She cursed through clenched teeth as she readjusted Seokjin’s weight against hers. “Okay, do you remember where the Hall of Mirrors was at?” She asked, guiding them away from the pile of lifeless zombies.

Seokjin groaned a few times. His eyes fought to stay open, but he found it difficult to do so. Shit, he barely registered Sumin’s question. That was how drained he was.

Sumin’s brows furrowed as wrinkles formed on her forehead. Her heart tightened from Seokjin’s lack of response.

“You know what, it’s okay, Jinnie,” Sumin forced an affectionate yet tired smile, “I think I remember where it was at,” She said, hunching her body as Seokjin’s weight slowly collapsed on top of her tired body. Still, she exerted enough of her depleting energy to keep them standing.

“Alright, let’s go.” She whispered, hobbling the two of them over to the entrance of the Hall of Mirrors. She kept her right arm anchored on Seokjin’s waist. At the same time, her left hand interlocked with his as she practically dragged them towards the entryway.

In between her grunts, she suddenly heard Seokjin let out this light chuckle. Sumin couldn’t help but giggle as her boyfriend’s delirious expression was priceless; though, she shouldn’t find his dying state hilarious. She believed the dehydration slowly crept on her emotional state and took a mental note to take a few big gulps from her canister. Just one of the many containers filled with water that Sumin and Seokjin filtered by boiling out the impurities from a river they stumbled upon a few weeks back.

But before she could dive into the hilarious memory associated with that river, a string of slurred words entered her ears followed with pain-induced groans.

Sumin forced air through her nose, “Seokjin, save what little strength you have. Okay?” She kindly suggested, though, it sounded more of a demand.

“B-But…princess…” Seokjin winced as his eyes opened slightly, “We can f-finally settle o-our bet once and f-for all.” He finished, stumbling over some words.

Sumin briefly halted their steps but swiftly resumed as they couldn’t afford to stop with a pack of starving zombies on their trails.

With a raised brow, Sumin asked what he meant by his rather vague statement as she and Seokjin finally passed through the entryway to the Hall of Mirrors. Correction. The place was now a dark, spacious area surrounded by broken mirrors and cracked glass decorated the pathway.

“I mean, S-Sumin…” He coughed twice, causing the tired girl to become alarmed and even more concerned for Seokjin’s wellbeing, “Don’t you r-remember on our fourth a-anniversary that y-you a-and I made a bet—” Seokjin let out a loud cry as Sumin accidentally bumped his injured arm against the wall as her body finally gave up on her. The two of them collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily.

“Sorry, Seokjin.” The exhausted young lady mumbled as she took a minute to catch her breath before moving his body to a more comfortable position.

Seokjin made a face before continuing where he left off.

“As I w-was saying before you c-carelessly d-dropped me,” Sumin shot him an icy glare, resulting with him swiftly apologizing before resuming, “Anyway, you a-and I made a b-bet on our f-fourth a-anniversary because neither one of us h-had y-yet to come inside here,” Seokjin repeated, hoping that something – anything – triggered Sumin to have this lightbulb moment.

Then, like clockwork, she did.

“Oh, my God…” She trailed on as she took off her jacket and tied her hair up in a pony-tail, “Are you talking about that stupid bet that you created because you were too much of a chicken to go in this place by yourself?” She questioned, emphasizing a specific word.

Seokjin gawked but let out a few more coughs, “That b-bet isn’t stupid!” He declared, wincing loudly as Sumin carefully removed the torn leather jacket sleeve from his arm. The fabric lightly grazed his gaping wound, creating an endless wave of this unbearable stinging sensation.

Sumin smiled wanly as she gently held his injured arm, assessing the severity of the wound.

“I know you’re in pain, Jinnie, but the bet was stupid, and I’ll tell you why.” She said in a matter-of-fact tone, not realizing that Seokjin closed his eyes, surrendering to the darkness that slowly swamped his mind. Sumin didn’t notice this yet, but Seokjin sadly began reacting to the virus that caused this damn outbreak in the first place.

Minutes rolled by and still no snippy remark from Seokjin. Panic settled in Sumin as she immediately shifted her focus on him. She gently cupped his marked-up cheek; her eyes dripped with fear.

“Jinnie?” She lightly tapped his face while the anxiety settled within her chest, “You gotta stay away, okay? Just stay awake for me. P-please…” She desperately begged as tears formed in the brim of her eyes. “After all, you have to travel down memory lane with me on how that stupid bet came to be…” She stated in a soft-spoken voice as she applied pressure to his wound, refusing to give up on him.

Sumin’s eyes fluttered close, slowly breathing out of her nostrils. Her mind wandered off, transporting her back to that fun evening.

Harden stares. Smug smiles. Two people proudly stood in front of each other, hiding one of their hands behind their backs. The unusual duo anchored their bodies in front of the infamous entryway to the Hall of Mirrors, calculating the other person’s next move in their fun game of rock-paper-scissors. Rumors surrounded the infamous carnival attraction as legends said that a couple of fair-goers had unexpectedly grown ill and currently fought for their lives in the downtown hospital. Knowing that only enticed every single customer to want to brave it out and check out the attraction for themselves.

But not for Seokjin and Sumin. Nuh-uh. This quirky couple would rather look like complete fools in front of the infamous fair attraction than go inside.

And this all started because Seokjin stubbornly refused to go inside the Hall of Mirrors by himself.

Naturally, Sumin called him a coward; thus, it led them to their current predicament.

With an arrogant smile painted on her beautiful face, Sumin’s stare narrowed as if she had telepathic abilities, allowing her to read Seokjin’s next move.

“Stare at me all you want, princess, but you will never defeat the rock-paper-scissors champion!” taunted Seokjin with an equally cocky smirk plastered on his gorgeous face.

Sumin snorted; her eyes briefly flickered to the side.

“You and I both know that there’s no such thing as a champion of rock-paper-scissors. You giant doofus!” She quipped in a high-pitched voice, earning her a few odd glances from a few bystanders.

Yeah. That reaction resulted in Sumin’s boyfriend doing his infamous windshield wiper laugh, causing a couple of people to stop in their tracks with a confused expression.

The embarrassed college student hung her head low. Her cheeks heated from unwanted attention.

Shyly, Sumin lifted her head, uttering a few apologies to the strangers before shooting Seokjin a cold stare as he continued cackling for a good three minutes.

The agitated brunette blew air upward from her mouth before stalking up to her hysterical boyfriend and punched him in his bicep.

Seokjin yelped but showed no sign of his laughter ceasing any time soon, which further annoyed Sumin.

Finally fed up with her cackling boyfriend, Sumin shouted, “Enough! I’ll go inside the stupid hall of mirrors with you!” She walked towards the carnival worker, dragging Seokjin by his wrist while his laughter slowly faded away. He quickly wiped away the tears that formed because he laughed so hard that his stomach ached.

Ah, he hadn’t a good laugh like that since Namjoon broke their Chemistry professor’s beaker and set off the smoke alarms in the classroom.

Good times right there…

Softly shaking his head, Seokjin handed the worker two entry tickets. Then the employee granted them entrance into the Hall of Mirrors.

Gradually, the couple walked further into the hallway. The light from the sunset faded in the background as the young pair went deeper into the creepy attraction.

Without a second thought, Sumin wrapped her arms around Seokjin’s forearm and clung to her protector. The frightened girl shuffled alongside her boyfriend, disregarding the fact that she could’ve easily tripped him. Her heart pounded against her chest as she caught glimpses of her funny reflections in the mirrors.

Tiny whines left Sumin’s lips as she cutely stomped her feet because Seokjin wanted to admire his humorous reflection.

His action shocked her tremendously since it was Seokjin’s idea in the fucking first place that they played rock-paper-scissors to see if Sumin accompanied him or not inside this terrifying place. Now, she started believing that the attractive idiot she called a boyfriend hustled her.

If that were the case, then what she was about to do next, she wouldn’t feel guilty whatsoever.

With both a devious smirk and gleam on her innocent face, Sumin turned her attention towards Seokjin, slightly tilting her head.

“Hey, Jinnie…”

“What’s up?”

“Wanna make a bet, especially since it’s our fourth anniversary together?”

Seokjin blinked a few times. His lips thinned as this uneasy silence covered them like a warm blanket on a Winter’s night.

His stare darted between Sumin’s innocent face and the random stranger squeezed by them.

The confused man opened his mouth but soon closed it as the longer he stared at his girlfriend’s doe-like eyes, the more he realized that there was a trap waiting for him.

With knitted brows and taking a step backward, Seokjin hesitantly took the bait and asked what kind of bet Sumin talked about.

“Simple, Seokjin,” She gestured to their rather cramped surroundings, “Since you and I both do not want to be in here any longer than we have to,” She then pointed towards the direction in front of them, “And judging from the bone-chilling screams that echo every five seconds, it seems that this place is only going to become even scarier.” She explained, though, not really getting her point across.

However, that was the beauty of their relationship. Seokjin always understood what went on in Sumin’s beautiful yet devious brain.

And sadly, for him, this was a bet that would result in his loss…

Looking briefly displeased, Seokjin sighed heavily before interlacing their fingers together and continuing their journey inside the spooky attraction.

“So…what happens if you lose the bet?”

“Me? Ha. That’s comical, Jinnie. Tell me. Who’s the braver one between us two?”

“Well, that depends princess on what we’re doing, you big goof.”

Sumin scoffed, rolling her eyes, “You just don’t wanna admit that I’m braver than you.”

Now, it was Seokjin’s turn to scoff.

“Uh-huh. Let’s see if you keep that mindset once we near the end of this hallway since I believe that is when we heard the most terrifying induced shrieks.”

“You’re on!”

And true to his words…Sumin freaked out first and punched one of the costumed workers in the stomach.

Yeah…

Safe to say that the carnival manager banned the couple from entering the Hall of Mirrors ever again.

Well, at least there was a positive aspect of this epidemic…

Seokjin and Sumin were allowed inside the attraction; though, the concerned woman wished it were under better circumstances…

A defeated expression washed over Sumin’s face. Yet, the anxious but determined young woman refused to allow Seokjin to succumb to the deadly virus. A few sniffles echoed slightly as Sumin maintained pressure on the wound, allowing the disinfectant to have some sort of effect on the injury.

“Come on…” The distressed girl repeatedly uttered as tears cascaded down her dirty and bloodied cheeks. Out of anger, Sumin threw the blood-soaked gauze and hurriedly applied another, cleaning and dressing the gash some more. The upset girl’s tears landed on Seokjin’s arm, unknowingly stirring the man from his pain-induced slumber.

A couple of faint groans escaped his precious lips as Seokjin’s eyes slowly fluttered open. He slowly turned his head; his gaze landed on Sumin’s.

A small smile displayed on the handsome man’s face before he started to reach out to Sumin with his injured room, stubbornly ignoring the severe shooting pains that surged through his veins.

“…n-now…why is m-my princess crying…?” whispered Seokjin as his bloodied hand cupped Sumin’s soft cheek, “Beautiful w-women shouldn’t s-shed any t-tears…” He added, successfully causing his concerned girlfriend to chuckle.

Sumin leaned into his warm touch, maintaining her solemn smile, before grasping his hand with hers.

“G-gross Jinnie…” She teased, forcing herself to make light of the situation for not only her sake but Seokjin’s as well, “I don’t want you touching me with your bloody fingers.” She added, removing her hands from his bloody one as she resumed tending to his wound. Using her jacket sleeve, the brunette carefully wiped away the tears that threatened to fall. The last thing she needed was her purposely causing more minuscule pain to Seokjin.

Seokjin tried laughing, but they soon turned into small coughing fits. The injured man rolled his eyes; though, he maintained his tiny, playful smile.

“Well, I’m s-sorry that I c-couldn’t w-wash my hands before doing t-this—” Seokjin suddenly yelped as he felt this unbearable pain shoot up his arm once again. Then, he felt a cooling sensation that followed shortly. Wondering what it was, Seokjin’s gaze followed Sumin’s arms and then noticed yet another gauze slowly soak up his tainted blood. Not even a minute later, that excruciating ache returned.

“Ouch woman!! Be a little gentler next time!!” cried the injured man, shooting glares at his girlfriend.

Sumin gawked, “You know what…I take my tears back now,” Her face became emotionless, “Since you’ll be fine now seeing as that you finally stopped stuttering caused by that excruciating pain you were in earlier.” She said blankly, blinking a few times before turning her back towards him to put away their shared medical supplies.

Tiny chuckles escaped Seokjin’s chest as he slowly sat up, examining his bandaged-up arm. He stared at his wound as curiosity slowly washed over him. His eyes trailed over to Sumin and instantly noticed that her left hand dawned a bandage. Then, it occurred to him. She must’ve fused her blood with the disinfectant and made a quick cure for his wound before the virus had a chance to completely take over.

With the corners of his mouth turning upwards, Seokjin shuffled his way over to Sumin and warmly placed a hand on her head. Love glowed in his eyes as he stared affectionately at her backside.

“Well, it’s thanks to you that I’ll be fine,” but not even a second after saying that, he winced; his hand rested on the side of his torso. “Damn, did those undead bastards get me somewhere else too?” He bitterly thought but was soon thankful that he didn’t feel any fresh blood on his fingers. However, he didn’t want to alarm Sumin yet again. He saw how anxious she became when those zombies severely injured his arm. Seokjin couldn’t put her through that heartache for a second time.

Through gritted teeth, the stubborn fool repeated that he’d be okay and that he could never die.

“As long as I’m breathing and standing before you, I will always protect you,” He pressed his plump lips to Sumin’s temple, “Again, nothing and no one can kill me.” He declared; his eyes burned with determination as if he made another sacred pact to himself.

A faint scoff escapes her lips, unbothered to show her face to him.

“What if someone is successful and does kill you? Then, what, Jinnie?” She asked; her breath hitched for a split second. “I-I can’t afford to lose you…” She added, muttering as her voice softly broke in the beginning. Then, Sumin closed her eyes, slowly exhaling through her nose as she desperately tried taming the anxiety that gradually swallowed her body. The thought of losing Seokjin always triggered it for her. There were days where she wished that she were this emotionless, ruthless killing machine immune to emotions such as love, but that wasn’t the case.

It was thanks to those beautiful emotions that Sumin was herself. If she was this robot, then she wouldn’t have met Seokjin.

And with that final thought, the uneasy young woman turned towards her boyfriend, facing him with a brave expression as Sumin swung her backpack around her shoulders and tightened the straps.

“And that is why I will not stop at nothing until I find that safe haven.” She declared suddenly yet firmly; her eyes sparked with this undying resolve for her personal mission. “You hear me, Jinnie? I will find us that secure place. I s-swear to you.” She finished, letting out a few sniffles as her eyes became glossy.

Seokjin remained speechless, unsure of how to answer Sumin’s question. He was also taken back from Sumin’s sudden declaration; however, his mind soon drifted back to her earlier question.

Truth be told, he never thought about his death since that was something, he couldn’t afford to even imagine it.

No.

The moment he thought about someone killing him, it would be game over. His body would succumb to the fear that Seokjin channeled countlessly into courage. He needed to be strong for him and Sumin.

He just had to…

Tapping his chin, Seokjin hummed in response before wrapping a warm around Sumin’s shoulders, pulling towards him. His chin now rested nicely on top of her head while his courageous girlfriend finally broke down and sobbed in his chest, dampening his shirt. She could only hold that brave face for so long.

“Aw, Minnie…” He cooed, softly rubbing her back and sweetly kissing her head, “You don’t have to worry about keeping me safe, and do you want to know why?” He asked softly; his eyes blazed with absolute devotion and admiration.

Sumin nodded her head but remained glued in his broad chest as more tiny sniffles escaped her precious lips.

Seokjin couldn’t help but chuckle in response, finding his girlfriend extremely cute at that moment.

“Well, the reason why you don’t have to worry about keeping me safe is that I’m already safe, princess.”

“Huh? How’s that possible, Seokjin?”

Then, he grinned widely before answering,

“Because I’m always safe whenever I’m with you, sweetheart.” He happily stated, earning himself a light shove and angry stare from Sumin. “Ah, that tiny push was worth it since you’re no longer upset and shedding your beautiful tears when they aren’t necessary.” He added, smiling brightly. His smile was so vast that his cheekbones practically touched his eyes, causing them to disappear.

Sumin made a face, “Unbelievable…” She trailed on, walking away from him, “After all these years, you still manage to become cheesier than your last attempt!” She shouted over her shoulder, wearing this amused yet teasing smirk on her face.

Seokjin shook his head, forever enjoying their endless game of cat and mouse.

“I swear, I must be a masochist…” He humorously thought before chasing after his woman.

Inch by inch, Sumin peeked her head out; her gaze flickered toward every single direction, making sure the close was clear before leaving their hiding spot.

Seokjin’s breath fanned the back of her neck, creating goosebumps to appear. Tiny giggles emitted from her lips as Sumin hunched her shoulders, hoping that it would stop the rather affectionate man that she called her boyfriend.

However, it did not. If anything, the lovesick fool saw his girlfriend’s protests as a challenge. A challenge that he’d surely win.

Without a second thought, Seokjin wrapped a protective arm around Sumin’s shoulders, pressing his chest against her back. Then, he slowly lowered his head; his plump lips hovered over her ear.

“So…is the close clear?” He whispered; his hot, breathy tone caused the poor girl to become flustered as a small, yet enticing moan escaped her innocent lips.

Then, seconds later, a loud smack echoed throughout the dark, empty halls of the destroyed carnival attraction.

Seokjin grunted, rubbing the area where his girlfriend smacked him.

“Did you really have to go for my chest? You know how sensitive I am in that area.” He whined, pouting cutely as he continued rubbing his injured chest.

Sumin scoffed, ignoring his rather cute complaints, “Obviously. Why else would I slap you in your most sensitive spot beside your humongous ego.”

“Ego? That’s a weird name to call my—”

“Finish that sentence and no sex once we find the safe haven.”

Seokjin flinched. His face tensed from the mere thought of not being intimate with his girlfriend. Then, he hung his head low, “I’ll behave, princess.”

The triumphant young lady uttered a quick, “good,” before placing an innocent peck on his scratched-up cheek. She then gestured towards the exit, announcing to him that it was safe to run towards the fence that faced the abandoned, ruined mall. During the couple’s attempt at escaping the hungry horde, Sumin noticed a destroyed wall in front of the mall that she and Seokjin frequented for many years.

“You ready? Do you have enough energy to dash towards that gate?”

“I think I can manage, sweetheart.”

Tightening the strap that held her sword in place, Sumin slowly inhaled then released the pent-up stress and other frustration through her nostrils.

With a look of determination on Sumin’s smudged up face, the fearless woman charged out of the entrance; her gun fired round after round, emptying the clip before she quickly inserted another ammo clip. She briefly took note of how many clips she remained before she completely ran out.

Running behind her, with an infinite release of ammo from Seokjin’s semi-automatic, the protective yet still injured man guarded his girlfriend, protecting her like a royal knight for his princess as he safeguarded her from any harm. He shot down any undead bodies that rushed at Sumin, finding it a bit therapeutic as killing those zombies was another form of revenge for him.

Funny, huh?

Gradually, the abandoned mall became large as it appeared in the running couple’s sights. Their hearts drummed against their chest as they felt the adrenaline deplete from their bodies, but they couldn’t give up. Not just yet. They needed to find a safe haven and restore humanity to this rotting planet.

They just had too…

Skidding towards the open gate, Sumin held it up, widening the gap so Seokjin could fit in the hole. She breathed heavily while her eyes homed in the rushing horde that slowly closed the distance between them. With her free hand, she aimed her gun at the dead crowded, firing a few times. The frightened girl landed head-shots and permanently killed them.

“Come on, Sumin!” hollered Seokjin as this wave of anxiety washed over him as well. Being on the other side of the fence did not sit well with him whatsoever—scratch that. Not standing right beside Sumin did not sit well with him at all.

Just as the worried man readied his weapon, Sumin scrambled through the hole, earning herself a small cut on the back of her hand.

Seokjin instantly noticed, grabbing her uninjured hand, and pulled her towards the ruined building. The exhausted boy tapped into any reserve energy he stored. At the same time, Sumin addressed his wounds earlier as they continued their mad dash for the broken mall building.

With the entrance doors in sight, Seokjin practically shoved Sumin inside before following after. He swiftly scanned his surroundings, looking for anything that could be used as a barricade. Seconds later, his eyes focused on a pile of pipes.

“That should work…” He frantically thought as he grabbed a couple and stuck in between handles. For added measure, he rolled over some of the fallen metal trash bins, completely ignoring the surging pain in his right arm. Even though Sumin wiped away the virus from Seokjin’s body, his gash still remained and gradually reopened.

A few winces escaped his plump lips, instantly alerting Sumin. She tucked her pistol in its holster before helping him push the trash bins.

Playfully shaking her head, Sumin gave him a look, teasing him in the process.

Seokjin rolled his eyes, scoffing before flashing her a boyish grin.

“You know I could’ve rolled that by myself.”

“Uh-huh. Sure,” Sumin pointed at his injured arm, “And that’s why your wound reopened, doofus.” She stated before maneuvering the metal bin in front of the door, securing its position.

Seokjin jokingly mocked her as he felt a slight tug on his wrist. He obediently followed Sumin, sitting down when instructed to. His eyes trailed up, noting how breathtaking his princess was despite the many cuts, bruises, and dried up blood that decorated her face. Soon, the corners of his mouth curved upwards as he continued watching Sumin redo his bandages. He couldn’t quite explain it, but he felt like he transported back to the day he first fell in love with her.

And it all because of the angelic smile that graced her beautiful face…

“Okay, all done.” Announced Sumin, tightening the knot on the bandage. “Next time you reopen up your gash, I’m gonna let it get it infected.” She warned with an overly sweet tone before placing an innocent kiss on his cheek.

Seokjin chuckled, jokingly saluting his woman before standing up. He grabbed his weapon and flung the strap around his shoulder, allowing it to lazily hang beside him as he and Sumin journeyed deeper inside the empty mall.

Walking past broken glass displays, where only a few shards remained hanging on the wall, Sumin mumbled the name of each storefront. Suddenly, she halted, tugging on Seokjin’s jacket sleeve.

Seokjin peered down, asking her if she was okay, and why they stopped in their tracks.

Without saying a word, Sumin simply pointed at the storefront. The concerned young man followed her finger and soon gasped.

“Is that—”

“Yup.”

Sumin took a step forward, walking towards the broken counter. She observed the discarded plastic cups and open cash registers. She clicked her tongue, devastated seeing one of their favorite food places utterly destroyed. She turned her head but quickly looked away after seeing the bloody hand prints that decorated the door that led to the kitchen.

The bottom of her lip disappeared as Sumin closed her tear pooled eyes. A few drops trickled down her cheeks, alerting Seokjin. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder before pulling her body towards his. He wrapped his arms around her, resting his cheek against her head as he whispered loving words, hoping to soothe away her sadness.

“It’s just not fair, Jinnie.”

“I know, princess, but at least we have each other.”

Sumin sniffled before mumbling, “Kind of like how Hoseok had Lainey?”

Jinnie chuckled at her sudden lighthearted comment as he pulled away from his now smiling girlfriend.

“No. I think you’re thinking of Renae, sweetheart.” He corrected. Though he secretly could be wrong as he too couldn’t remember which girl, he and Sumin successfully paired Hoseok up with for his third blind date.

Quickly wiping away any remaining tears, Sumin cleared her throat a few times before speaking,

“I don’t think so, Jinnie. It could be this one girl. Oh, what’s her name…?” She trailed on, snapping her fingers in hopes that it’d help her remember. Then, it finally clicked. “Ah! Bunny, I believe, was her nickname!”

Seokjin shook his head briefly humming before correcting Sumin yet again.

“Nope. Wrong again, princess. She ended up with Jungkook, remember?”

Sumin lips fell slightly open, silently berating herself for having the worst memory. Granted, she and Seokjin busied themselves with saving the human race and fighting off countless undead hordes, so that played into her favor.

With her brows knitted together and her lips thinned, Sumin thought long and hard on who the fuck ended up being Hoseok’s girlfriend. Alys? No, she remembered that she wound up with Namjoon. Kenzie? That was also another no since she ended up with Jimin—or was it her good friend Lindy? Oh, my God. Sumin drew a fucking blank on the name as she swiftly ruled out another friend of hers, Bean, who ended up being Yoongi’s adorable girlfriend.

“Fuck!” She mentally cursed as she gnawed on her bottom lip, desperate to figure out who ended up with Hoseok.

Seokjin, on the other hand, laughed at how serious yet adorable Sumin looked. He found it especially cute when her cheeks puffed out as the frustration slowly washed over her face.

Should he be a good boyfriend and help her? The amused young man quickly weighed his options, finding both the pros and cons to helping Sumin out but decided to assist his poor, agitated girlfriend.

“It’s Nina.”

“Nina? Oh! Nina! I’m a dummy. I can’t believe I forgot her.”

Seokjin gave a lop-sided grin as he wrapped a loving yet protective arm around Sumin and repeated, “It’s okay,” and “I still love you, stupidity and all.” He then guided her away from the ruined food court and resumed their journey inside the mall.

Laughter echoed throughout the three abandoned floors of the humongous building. For that brief moment, Sumin and Seokjin were simply two lovebirds on a simple date.

The loving couple recollected all the times they ended up at the mall after an extravagant dinner. Seokjin gently caressed the back of Sumin’s date, releasing a chuckle or two as she recalled the time Jungkook stole a black leather jacket.

“I’m still trying to figure out why he thought it was wise to steal the mannequin as well.” Sumin laughed, smiling brightly as she oddly felt relaxed.

Seokjin shrugged, “I have no clue, but with Jungkook, I never do. That boy has always been a strange one.” Suddenly, sadness clouded his handsome features, halting his steps, the more he thought about Jungkook and the rest of his close friends. He had yet to receive any news on their whereabouts. The last time he heard anything was 7 years ago.

7…long…years…

Before he could dwell on his friend’s untimely demise, he felt a warm hand cup his dirty cheek. His solemn gaze trailed down and met Sumin’s loving and comforting stare.

“Hey. Think positive, Seokjin.”

“How can I? For all I know, they could be long dead, and I wasn’t there for them, like the older brother I was supposed to be for them.”

Sumin sighed but quickly validated his feelings. Shit. She felt the same way about her close friends and family, and she allowed the guilt to eat away at her conscience. However, it wasn’t until the 3rd year of this pandemic that she turned the blame into resolve and swore that she would avenge everyone she loved.

Softly rubbing Seokjin’s marked up cheek, Sumin plastered a sweet smile and said,

“Once we find that safe haven, we will go look for your friends, okay? I mean, they have Namjoon and Yoongi with them, so the rest of them can’t be dead. Alright?”

The distraught boy nodded his head as the corner of Seokjin’s mouth twitched.

His princess always knew what to say, especially to light a fire underneath his depressed ass.

He sweetly pressed his lips against her forehead and muttered a quick, “thanks,” before taking her hand once more and resumed their exploration.

The completely smitten couple journeyed to the third floor, both of them finding it humorous that they actually walked up the broken escalators. Years ago, when it worked properly, the duo always rode it up to their designated floor. Even when it became evident that walking up the escalators were so much faster. However, they didn’t care.

They were proud to be called the “lazy” couple within their group of friends. Shoot. Sumin secretly found it amusing that they were dubbed that since she and Seokjin studied medicine before this horrific pandemic began.

Funny how everything turned out for the two of them. Seokjin became her protector, and she carried the cure that could potentially reverse humanity back to its original state.

Jogging away from Seokjin with a mischievous gleam in her eyes, Sumin peered behind her shoulder, enticing her boyfriend to chase her. Soft laughs escaped her sweet lips as she picked up the pace, wanting to increase the distance between their bodies.

“Be careful, princess!” advised Seokjin, feeling the anxiety slowly settle within the pit of his stomach. His worried gaze remained on Sumin’s retreating backside as the gap grew wider with each passing second.

Out of frustration, the concerned fellow ruffled his hair before running after his woman. Within minutes, Seokjin closed the gap between them and protectively wrapped his arms around Sumin’s torso as he shouted,

“Gotcha!”

Sumin laughed, smiling radiantly as her boyfriend peppered her face with soft kisses and whispers of adoration.

“You know that I love you to the sun and back, Sumin. Right?”

“Of course, Jinnie,” She turned her body, though, she was careful to not whack him with the hilt of her Katana, “And you know that I love you to the moon and back. Right?” She said sweetly and softly.

Seokjin hummed in response as his brows furrowed together.

Sumin gawked, lightly slapping his chest, and pulling away from him.

“I’m kidding, princess! Please come back! I need you in my arms, or else I’ll die.”

“Oh, my goodness. You’re such a drama king, Jinnie.”

“Well, yes, but that’s beside the point! Please give me a hug?”

Now, it was Sumin’s turn to playfully think about it. Then, not even a minute later, the stubborn young lady simply shrugged and walked up to her pouty boyfriend. She cupped the back of his neck, locking her fingers into place, and gently pulled Seokjin’s face towards hers. Their noses lightly bumped into each other as their dirt-stained foreheads pressed against one another.

The two of them, dawning warm smiles, remained lost in each other’s gaze for what seemed like forever until something captured Seokjin’s attention.

“Is that one of those luxurious contest cars?”

Sumin perked up her brow as she peered behind her shoulder. Her eyes widened as she untangled herself from Seokjin and ran up to the car, much to his dismay.

Curiosity got the best of her as her calloused fingers traced the cold metal of the car. She couldn’t help but admire how beautiful the car still looked despite its surroundings destroyed.

Well, until she heard a loud smash, causing the poor, unknowing girl to flinch as Seokjin swung his assault rifle back to its original position, blissfully unaware of Sumin’s death glare. He then carefully reached through the broken window and tried to feel for the door lock. His fingertips grazed the car door handle a few times before finally latching over the lock. Seokjin pulled it towards him, the two of them heard a click before swinging it open.

Like the gentleman he was, the attractive young man gestured towards the door, politely bowing his head at Sumin.

“Your chariot, my lady.” Joked Seokjin in a poorly imitated British accent.

Sumin chuckled lightly as she shook her head, brushing her shoulder against his.

“Why, thank you, my good sir.” She played along before removing her Katana from her back, making it easier for her to maneuver inside the vehicle.

Using the sleeve of her leather jacket, Sumin carefully brushed off the broken window shards from the car seat.

“You know, I’m thankful that the car battery died because you would’ve definitely attracted a crowd of zombies to us, you impatient dork.” She quipped, shimming her way towards the backseat. The exhausted lady let out a massive sigh of relief as she rested her head against the leather seats. Through a tired, cloudy gaze, Sumin squinted at the door and then realized something.

“Hey, Jinnie.”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“You’re a jerk for having me shimmy my way towards the backseat,” She then reached over the backdoor and unlocked it, “When you could’ve just reached even further and unlocked this door as well.” She finished, opening it up and flashing him a knowing smile.

Seokjin rolled his eyes as he teasingly closed the door on her before finally entering the car. He quickly placed his gun on the passenger seat and then put both hands on the steering wheel.

With a boyish grin written on his face, Seokjin glanced over his shoulder and asked,

“Where to, princess Sumin?”

A soft chuckle escaped her lips as she leaned in her seat and poked her head between the two front chairs. With an alluring smile painted on her lips, Sumin hovered her mouth over his ears and whispered sweetly,

“To the stars…” Before grabbing his shirt and pulling him towards the back of the seat. Though, it was a bit difficult at first given how bulkier and taller he was than her.

A faint grunt exited his lips as Seokjin found himself plopped next to the love of his life. His eyes bore into hers as he couldn’t help but admire how breathtaking she was despite going through hell and back.

Without a single thought in his head, the utterly smitten young man cupped his girlfriend’s stained cheek, gently caressing it. Then, slowly, the two of them inched their faces closer. Their eyes flickered from each other’s loving gaze to their lips before the gap finally closed.

A gentle moan escaped Sumin’s lips as she entangled her fingers in Seokjin’s hair. She slowly massaged his scalp, resulting in a low moan from Seokjin as he anchored one hand against the door-frame and the other against Sumin’s hip. He slowly lowered her body onto the seat, careful not to accidentally bump her head against anything.

“I love you, Kim Seokjin,” Sumin whispered, briefly breaking their passionate kiss.

Seokjin, slightly panting, simply smiled before capturing her precious lips once more. He poured all the love he bore for the woman underneath him and hoped that she knew how much he loved her.

For that single moment, Seokjin knew that actions spoke louder than words. Releasing her addicting lips, he trailed fiery kisses down the side of her face all the way to the base of her neck. His teeth lightly grazed her soft skin, causing a few moans to leave Sumin’s mouth, further igniting Seokjin’s hormones.

His hands buried itself underneath her shirt, the warmth of her skin contrasted the coolness from his hands. Seokjin’s fingers lightly trailed upwards, and just as his calloused fingers grazed the fabric of her bra, they heard a loud, terrifying shriek.

The couple instantly broke apart, fixing up their disheveled appearance as Seokjin promptly peeked through the window. Now on full alert, he hurriedly scanned the area; his ears picked up even the tiniest of sounds. Then, the thunderous, horrific cry echoed throughout the mall once more.

Not wanting to chance it, Seokjin quickly instructed – well more like demanded – Sumin to run for cover while he provided covering fire.

Her mouth fell open while her eyes went round. Did Sumin hear him correctly? What Seokjin planned was a suicide mission as the hordes would easily overwhelm him. Still, deep down, Sumin knew that as she studied his overall body language. The frantic young girl vigorously shook her head, rejecting his idiotic idea with her entire body.

“Well, do you have a better idea, princess?” Seokjin asked, giving her a look.

“Yes, you run beside me, and we protect each other,” Sumin paused, cupping both sides of his face, “Like we did every single time we faced these undead bastards and will continue to do until it’s no longer necessary.” She finished in a courageous tone of voice.

Seokjin was rendered speechless but soon composed himself. Sumin was right because if he ended up dead, then who would protect her in his stead? No one worthy of her that was for sure. He needed to remain alive for her sake.

And she needed to remain alive for his sake…

Taking a long, deep breath, Seokjin’s eyes sparked with fearlessness as he stared at Sumin. He gently took her hand into his and quickly pressed a sweet kiss on the back of it.

“Okay, as soon as I open this door, you better be running right beside me. Got it?”

“I should be telling you that, Jinnie.”

Seokjin snorted, ignoring her comment as he pulled on the door-latch and opened the car door. He quickly grabbed his weapon from the passenger seat before diving out of the car. He readied his semi-automatic and peeked through the scope, looking for any scouts. Luckily, he saw none, but they needed to hurry and find cover. Then, his ears picked up a soft grunt followed by a string of swears.

With an amused grin, Seokjin glanced to his side, noticing Sumin rubbing her chin.

“Let me guess you hit yourself with that Katana.”

“Shut up and run.”

Sumin repositioned her sword and began running with her pistol out and ready to fire. Seokjin quickly followed behind, mimicking his sweetheart's every movement. This continued for a few more minutes until they found a suitable hideout and ducked behind the concrete wall. The two lovers seized that relaxing opportunity and calmed their irregular breathing. The last thing the two of them needed was to pass out while fighting a raging crowd of zombies.

Slowly, the loving couple inhaled the sweet oxygen through their nostrils and exhaled it through their mouths. With each breath they took, Seokjin and Sumin felt both their physical and mental strength restored.

They were ready to fight once more…

Slightly tilting his head, revealing this lazy smile, Seokjin gave Sumin a quick glance-over, making sure she didn’t have any secret injuries.

“So, are you ready for round 3?” He jokingly asked.

Sumin snorted, “Round 3? It’s more like round 5 at this point, Jinnie.”

This time it was Seokjin’s turn to let out a quick snort as he stood up with his assault rifle ready to fire at any given moment. The second he stood up, the blood-curdling shrieks grew near. Seokjin gave those undead gnats about ten seconds – give or take – before they swarmed their position.

“Careful, princess. People might think you’re talking about our sex life.” He joked, shamelessly winking at her as he pulled the trigger, firing a few rounds at the undead horde.

Sumin rolled her eyes as she unsheathed her Katana and shot up from her spot.

“What people?” She quickly gestured at the two of them and then at the never-ending onslaught of zombies that approached them, “In case you haven’t noticed, Jinnie, we’re the only ones here, so you have nothing to worry about.” She bluntly stated, completely missing Seokjin’s sarcasm, before impaling one zombie and decapitating the second one before raising her gun.

Sumin then cocked back her pistol and aimed it at the enemy, emptying the clip as she landed head-shot after head-shot. She hurriedly reached for another ammo clip and loaded it into the pistol.

Meanwhile, with Seokjin, the poor boy shook his head as he observed how frantic Sumin slowly became. He swiftly focused his weapon on her direction and fired at the zombies that threatened to swarm her.

“With you around, sweetheart, I will always worry.” He announced as he quickly fired at the zombies that rushed towards their direction. He then spun around and fired at his original path.

Sumin’s face reddened but soon composed herself, though her cheeks remained rosy.

She quickly cleared her throat before speaking,

“And to think, I thought you couldn’t get any cheesier.”

“Only for you and always for you…”

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softlyjiminie · 4 years

Text

cherry glosses n’ carwashes | j.j.k [TEASER]

⇢ pairing(s): goth!jeon jungkook x sorority sister!reader.

⇢ word count: 7K.

⇢ rating: 18+, mature.

⇢ genre: pwp, smut, fluff, college!au, sorority!au.

⇢ author’s note(s): hello my loves! this fic is to be part of @bangtan-headquarters Bangtan Boardwalk Collab Event! the expected date of release will be 01/08/2020. please let me know if you want to be added to the tag list ( by comment, ask or dm!) or you can add yourself here!

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feliix · 4 years

Text

Bluff ⇢ PJM (18+)

⇢ Pairing: Jimin x Reader ⇢ Summary: Working at The Big Kahuna with Park Jimin consists of a lot of suggestive flirting with no actions made to follow it up. But after a summer filled with endless amounts of sexual tension, it’s finally time to let things loose. ⇢ Word Count: 3.8k ⇢ Rating: M ⇢ Genre: Smut, PWP, Coworkers to Lovers, a lil bit of fluff ⇢ Warnings: unprotected sex, fingering, creampie, teasing, dirty talk, multiple orgasms, overstilulation, dom!jimin, sub!reader ⇢ Banner made by @hobiance ⇢ A/N: thank you @jinterlude for beta reading this and @jinned for hyping me up always ily ily ily ♡ (the end is not edited so sorry rip) ⇢ Written for BHQ’s Bangtan Boardwalk Summer Collab

Working at the Big Kahuna hasn’t always been such a breeze. During the busy season, customers are in and out of here, renting jet-skis, paddle boards, and kayaks alike, all day long.

It's a little blue hut right on the water, a walk-up window that you sit behind overlooking a wooden dock. It’s small inside the hut, just enough room for you and one other person to work a shift, but it’s cozy, and the view is unbeatable, so you don’t really mind. The sandy beach surrounding you holds a plethora of water-sports equipment, ready for rental and just dying to be used at this point.

But now it's late in the season, the weather is cooling down, and fewer people have been showing up. It doesn’t quite matter to you, though. Fewer customers mean less work, and the less there is to do here, the better.

You’d think it’d get boring with nothing to do, but with a coworker like Park Jimin, things are always interesting. To be frank, he’s a flirt. But so are you, which is why working here this summer has been nothing short of a dream.

The flirtatious banter between you goes no further than just innocent teasing. It’s just something to keep you occupied while you get through your shift. Not that you’re complaining, though. If it did ever go somewhere further, you would not be mad about it. He’s hot, and you’re both young and single, so something’s bound to happen. You can cut the lingering sexual tension with a knife, and the longer you’re around each other, the thicker said tension gets.

So far today, there have only been two customers; a dad and his son who came in a few hours ago to rent out a couple of jet skis. When things are slow around here, the two of you seem to match the energy. It takes twice as long to clean up after people leave with twice the amount of energy expected just to complete a simple task. All you want to do is sit on your stool behind the counter and look pretty – nothing more, nothing less.

But even though the customers left over two hours ago, Jimin has yet to clean off the jet-skis. After losing a close match of ‘rock paper scissors’ the daunting task now belongs to him. And even though the equipment probably won’t be used for the rest of the day, it still bothers you that Jimin has been pushing off the task for so long.

All he’s doing is sitting on the stool next to you and messing around on his phone. Every once in awhile, he’ll snap a quick selfie, pushing his hair back with one hand and adjusting his look for the camera. He’s probably Snapchatting another random girl, whatever lucky lady has the pleasure of having his attention for the day. Not that you’re jealous or anything...

“So are you gonna clean those jet-skis or..?” Your voice is passive-aggressive, slightly taunting, and that bothers Jimin.

His eyes roll back into his head, a deep exhale leaving his mouth, “Yeah, when I feel like it.” A sly smirk grows on his lips, knowing his careless words and procrastinating actions are driving you up the wall.

Now it's your turn for your eyes to roll back into your head. You are just about to stand up and grab a rag to clean them yourself, but you will not let Park Jimin get his way again.

That’s how working with him went. It’s like he knows he has some kind of mindless control over you, that you’ll just pick up his slack once he flashes you with his pearly whites. Damn him and his little crooked tooth that makes your heart twist a bit more than you’d like to admit.

“Can you just wipe off the jet-skis already? You did lose the bet.”

Your tone is kinder this time, adding a head tilt to make you seem a bit more friendly. He doesn’t buy it.

“Be careful ordering me around like that. Keep it up, and I’ll have to show you who’s actually in charge.”

There he goes again with the suggestive flirting. Except his actions never follow through. He just throws words like that out there, making your knees weak to rile you up. That’s half of the fun. The other half is watching you try to muster up some confidence to respond while your face flushes and legs squeeze together.

“You’re bluffing.” You roll your eyes once more. Part of you thinks that he is, but that deep-seated desire for him is nearly at its peak. And the small tinge of hope you have that he’s being serious suddenly becomes not so little – right at the moment, his feet begin pacing over to you.

“Am I?”

The left corner of his mouth lifts upwards, his eyes growing dark and eerie as he gets closer and closer. You swallow thickly, your heart beating faster as he approaches you. Without realizing, your legs clamp shut, squeezing together for dear life to ease the throbbing ache of your pussy as Jimin slowly closes the distance between you. And before you know it, you’re standing up from your stool; your heart caught in your throat as your mouth runs dry.

So badly you want to hold your ground. To keep yourself back from jumping his bones, grabbing the back of his neck to crash your lips into his. But you need restraint. He’s the one who's bluffing; he’s the one that has to make the move.

“M-mhm,” you hum, saving yourself the embarrassment of actually trying to speak in a state like this.

His hot breath fans across your cheeks and deep breaths pass his plump lips as he stands just inches away from you. Being this close to him is too intimidating for your liking. You're trying your best to keep your stance, but your knees are quaking, and your heart is pounding so hard that you can hear it.

But the closer he leans in, the quicker your heart begins to race.

“How about now?” He whispers over your lips, just a hair’s width away from brushing over them. Instantly, your eyes flutter shut, inhaling deeply to regain your composure and to get a grip on your sanity. If you let yourself go for one second, you’ll fall into him – but that’s what he wants.

“Mhm,” you repeat, too afraid to open your lips in fear they’ll touch his. Not because you’re scared to kiss him, but because you are too damn stubborn to be the one to kiss him.

You feel a gust of air push onto your lips as an airy chuckle leaves his mouth, “Cute.”

You swear your heart skips a beat when he says it, how he says it. His voice is low and seductive, dripping with lust and drawing you in, capturing your attention though you aren’t even looking at him. But even still, you're immersed with the thought of him. The predicting thoughts of the feeling of his lips on yours, and the soft texture of his light brown hair as your hands card through it.

It’s getting harder to hold back and stand your guard each time a soft breath lands on your lips. The sweet smell of his cologne overwhelming your sense of smell as heat from his body radiates onto you.

But suddenly, you find yourself not holding back any longer; your will power rapidly decreases as his hands rest on your waist. And when he tightens his grip around you, it's game over.

That strength you’ve been gripping onto for dear life is gone. Your lips crash into his in a heated kiss, his mouth instantly moving steadily against yours. They’re so much softer than they look, his pillowy lips encasing yours while his hands pull your body tightly into his own. His tongue soon traces over your bottom lip before he catches it between his teeth, tugging on it slightly in a way that drives you wild.

A stiffness forms beneath his shorts, pushing right against your body as he pulls you into him. Arousal quickly floods between your legs at the feeling, a needy moan vibrating past your lips and onto his. You’ve waited too long for this, the whole summer aching to feel his body pressed up against yours like this. And now you can barely hold it together just from a passionate make-out session – you’ve already soaked through your bikini bottoms, and he’s barely touched you.

But once his fingers find the hem of your shirt, you know this isn’t the furthest it's going to go. Internally, you’re singing praises, thanking whatever higher power allowed you to be in this position and this very moment.

And just when he’s about to pull away and rip the clothing off your body, he remembers where the two of you are. Quickly, his hands leave your body as he races over to the shack window. You roll your lips into your mouth, savoring the taste of him on you as you watch him reach for the heavy overhead door to shut. He closes the metal gate with a rough grunt, the slam of the door onto the countertop echoing through the small hut. And just like that, the room is filled with darkness, only a tiny beam of sunlight making its way through a small window in the back.

The sound of footsteps shuffling back in your direction calls you back in. Jimin’s figure appears again in front of you, the small amount of light peeking into the hut bouncing off his slender form. He’s just inches from you, but the sexual tension in the atmosphere feels like a million pounds weighing down on you.

Jimin’s hands reach back for your top, pulling it over your head in one swift motion. He wastes no time removing his own shirt, your hands effortlessly reaching out for him, running your fingers down his defined torso. His skin is hot, whether it's from the temperature outside or the building heat within him is up to your interpretation – but you’d like to think of it as the latter.

As he leans back into you your heart flutters, the now-familiar feeling of his breath washing over your lips comforting you.

“Fuck,” Jimin hums over your lips, “I’ve wanted to do this for so long.”

His hand wanders down under your thigh, gripping the muscle while lifting your leg with his strong arm. His body presses into yours, feeling the rough outline of his cock through his swim trunks right over your core. You’re dripping; arousal seeping right through the thin fabric of your bikini bottoms and onto your cotton shorts that do absolutely nothing to conceal your desire.

He can feel it for himself once his fingers graze down your body, finally meeting the flimsy fabric covering your core. Jimin’s digits flatten across the area, dragging them across your slit ever so slowly, making you shudder at his touch.

A satisfied sigh leaves your lips as he applies some pressure, pressing and rubbing your clit through the material of your shorts. You let your head fall back, bucking your hips into his hand to feel more, but the layers between you keep you from getting what you desire.

You’re too needy for his touch, unable to withstand much teasing before crying out for him. “Jimin,” you whine, “stop teasing me, please.” Your voice is high pitched and drawn out, begging for him to just rip the remaining clothing off your body.

“Hmm,” he hums, satisfied with your begging. “Tell me what you want.”

A knot forms in your throat, desperate enough to keep begging, but your pride prevents you from letting any words out. Your body language should be enough, pressing yourself further into him and raking your fingers up his back and running your fingers through his hair to try and entice him.

“With your words,” he says firmly, stopping the movement of his hand over your core. You keen into his touch, letting your head fall onto his shoulder as you’re unable to look him dead in the eye. Not while you’re so desperate and needy for him, and not before you’re about to admit it.

“Jimin,” you whine again, dragging out the last syllable of his name for greater emphasis. “Want your fingers inside me.”

He smirks in response, satisfied with your words. “Already so wet for me,” you shiver as a deep, lust-filled voice leaves Jimin’s lips, his fingers slowly pulling the fabric of your shorts to the side. It sounds different from his normal voice; usually light and airy, something you could pick out of a crowd. But this was a whole different Jimin – one that you certainly like.

The cool air meets your soaked core, giving you a quick chill. Instinctively, you lean into him, the shiver running down your spine as his fingers begin to circle your entrance making it hard for you to stand up straight.

But all you can focus on is his erect member now rubbing against your thigh as the pads of his fingers smeared the wetness along your slit. Your eyes are sewn shut, your head digging deep into his neck as your only supporting leg quivers.

You’re so sensitive to his touch, it’s becoming difficult to control your body. Your eyes are closed so tight you can see stars dancing behind your eyelids, just focused on the feeling of his fingers dancing along your core. As his fingers work their way upwards, a high pitched moan leaves your throat. It catches you off guard once he begins rolling your clit between his fingers, pinching it lightly, making you keen over in pleasure.

“Fuck, Jimin. Feels so good,” your fingers grip the roots of his hair, tugging and pulling at it to ground yourself. But once his lips begin moving over your neck and his hand supporting your lifted leg tightens, you can’t help but let out a wanton moan.

You find yourself grinding down onto Jimin’s fingers, needy for more of him, and yearning to feel him inside of you. You’ve already asked once, you already feel like you could come right now and he hasn't even been inside you yet.

He can read your body language well, bringing his fingers to trace the extent of your slit back until they meet your entrance once more. Swiftly, he dips two fingers into the arousal that's pooling from your core. Finally. Your bottom lip catches between your teeth as just his digits carefully caress your walls. The slow movement of his fingers plunging into your depths takes your breath away in an instant.

The bulge rubbing against your leg is doing nothing but teasing you. Each time his finger slides in and out of you he ruts into you, begging to be touched. You pick up on this, snaking your hand between your bodies to palm at the evident cock outline he's sporting. A sudden gasp leaves his lips at the feeling, his eyebrows raising in succession as his cock jumps in your grip.

His movements stop as you squeeze his member, now unable to focus at the task at hand with you teasing him like this. A rough grunt leaves his lips, removing his fingers from your core instantly. You immediately feel empty and bare without them inside you. So your jaw drops, confused and ready to ask what his deal is – but Jimin has other plans.

His hand holding your leg up quickly leaves your thigh. You don’t even have time to react before his hands are gripping your waist, spinning your body around, and bending you over the desk as he steps behind you. Air is sucked out of your lungs as your chest meets the wooden desk, cheek pressed onto the hard surface as Jimin harshly grips your hips.

“Such a tease,” he shakes his head, one hand coming down to leave a playful slap on your ass. You wince in reaction, the quick tinge of pain turning into pleasure. Arousal floods from your core as his hand rubs over the affected area, soothing the skin over the material of your clothes.

Jimin’s fingers loop themselves over the waistband of your shorts and under your bikini bottoms, tugging them downward. He doesn’t bother to even take them off fully, just shimmies them halfway down your thighs so that he has full access to your dripping pussy.

He’s quick to slide his swim trunks off his body, his fully erect member springing from the confines of the fabric. Your heart is pounding in your chest, heaving as you try to catch your breath. But he’s not one to wait, wrapping his hand around his shaft and pumping it a few times before lining it up at your entrance.

You brace yourself for his length, but it doesn’t come. You’re desperate, arching your back in attempts to push him inside of you, but he just shifts his weight backward.

“Ask nicely.”

His voice is stern; teasing but direct. Rolling your eyes, you give in, unwilling to play another game of cat and mouse while he already has you bent over and ready for the taking.

“Please Jimin,” you moan, “please fuck me.” Leg bouncing impatiently as you wait for him, he lines himself up with your entrance once more. The light pressure of his tip pressed against you makes you stir, bouncing your leg in anticipation as your hands look for something to grip onto.

A steep gasp passes through your lips as his cock slides itself into you; your velvety walls squeezing the veiny ridges of his member as you take him in. He’s thick and long, his length continuing to push into you until you’re filled to the brim.

You can’t help but clench down on him as you adjust to his size, your walls squeezing his thick cock as he bottoms out his thrust. A string of curses leaves his lips as your walls squeeze around him from every angle. The arousal spilling from your cunt coats his cock deliciously.

Jimin’s hands quickly find their place on your hips, holding you steady as he begins to rock backward. His cock slides in and out of you slowly but forcefully. He makes sure to bottom out each time, taking his time to pull out and then slam himself into you with such force.

“So fucking tight,” he moans, his thrusts beginning to quicken in pace. Your arms extend before you, gripping onto the edge of the desk to keep yourself steady. His powerful thrusts fail to subside, the force he rocks into you causing his member to prod your g-spot.

The sounds of his skin colliding with yours and the deep moans echoing from his throat fill your ears. Soft whines bubble past your lips with each thrust, his power shaking you and the desk underneath you.

Smoothly, Jimin’s hand reaches downward, snaking between your legs and gathering your arousal on his fingertips. His fingers graze over your clit gently, immediately making your body jerk in reaction. Slight pressure is added by his hand, soon to make a slow rubbing motion.

“So...close…” you manage to get out while you pant for air. You can feel a knot tightening in your stomach, threatening to snap if he keeps on like this.

“Cum on my cock, princess” he groans, teeth clenching as you squeeze tightly around him. The pet name is what gets you, your walls already beginning to spasm as he applies more pressure to your clit.

Euphoria takes hold on you as you release, your vision becoming fuzzy as your body grows limp. Jimin pushes you through it, his fingers continually moving over your throbbing bud as you release over him. Your legs shake, the strength of your orgasm so strong you lose all control of your body. His name leaves your lips like a mantra, chanting it over and over with curses intertwined.

It takes you a bit to come down, oversensitivity quickly setting in as Jimin’s trusts continue. His fingers are more gentle now, lightly toying with your clit as you do your best to try and swat his hand away. But you’re too lethargic, too drawn out from your orgasm that took all your strength away from you.

“One more,” he says, “doing so good for me.”

And soon enough that familiar knot in your stomach was making its way back to you, if it ever left in the first place. The repetitive tap of Jimin’s tip deep inside you has you so far gone; your pussy clenching and unclenching around him completely out of your control.

But it's getting to him too. The added lubricant of your orgasm mixed with the squeezing of your walls around his cock is bringing him close to his own end.

“Gonna...come,” he moans, his hands leaving your overstimulated clit to grip onto your hips. The pace of his thrusts quickens, his brow furrowing deeply as he focuses on chasing his high.

All it takes is one powerful thrust, and you were coming undone around him once again. “Fuck, fuck!” You nearly scream, pushing back into him to meet his thrusts, helping him through an orgasm of his own.

The everlasting sensation of bliss takes over the both of you. Jimin’s thrusts grow languid and sloppy, his torso slowly falling on top of your back. You lie like this for a moment, letting him collapse over you and feel the heat of his body radiate onto yours. It feels nice, close having him inside you like this while his arms wrap around you in silence.

“We should've done this sooner,” his voice breaks through the quiet room. A small smile forms on your lips as you internally agree, showing him with a nod of your head.

Slowly, he stands up, pulling out of you and leaving you feeling empty for the second time today. A mixture of your and his cum dribbles out of your cunt, Jimin noticing and quickly swiping it up with his finger. You can see him out of the corner of your eye, watching his movements closely to see what he’ll do next.

Swiftly, his hand finds its way to his mouth, his digit slipping past his lips as he licks the juices from it. Your jaw drops in reaction, his finger leaving his mouth with a soft pop of his lips.

He notices you gawking at him, raising his eyebrows as you suggestively in response. “I’d like to try it right from the source next time.”

A slight chuckle leaves your lips, in disbelief while still being very turned on. “Next time.” You hum, liking the sound of that as it leaves your mouth.

“There will be a next time, won't there?” Except his question comes across as more of a statement, his tone firm and gestures sturdy while he reaches for his swim trunks to pull back up.

You follow his actions, standing back onto your shaky legs to pull your swimsuit bottoms and shorts up in one quick motion. There will definitely be a next time.

#bb2020 #ficswithluv #bangtanarmynet #networkbangtan #btswriterscollective #smutcentralnet #magicshopnet #bangtanhq #cypherwritersnet #kpopuniversenet #jimin x reader #jimin smut #park jimin #jimin fanfic

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agustdef · 4 years

Text

With All My Heart

Pairing: Tattoo Artist!Hoseok x Doctor!Reader.

Genre: Established Relationship; Angst; Fluff

Word Count: 11K

Warning: Angsty. Language...?; Mention of Death; Mentions of mental health struggles

Rating: PG15

Banner Maker: @httpangelicjimin who was wonderful enough to remake this one after realized the other wouldn’t work and then proceeded to use it for I Found You.

Beta Reader: @suhdays who knew I was in a rush and was kind enough to offer to beta it for me without me asking.

When Hoseok came home from his last appointment, he found the apartment mostly silent and way cleaner than when he’d left that morning. Probably cleaner than after the weekly Sunday morning routine was finished, which was impressing and worrisome. But also made him hopeful.

After discarding his shoes and jacket at the door, he headed to the bedroom where he found YN already settled into bed. She wore a large shirt – with the words fight me with a leprechaun on front – that she’d probably stolen from Yoongi’s closet during their last visit, her bonnet, and a koala face mask. Her eyes were focused on the TV on the wall opposite their bed and she hummed along with the intro to the anime she was watching.

It was the most relaxed he’d seen her in weeks.

“Hey baby,” he said.

That drew her attention towards him, and she smiled when they locked eyes, though that stopped as soon as her mask shifted. She was happy to see him and had missed him after the day she’d spent alone. Not that she was lonely or anything, but it felt nice to break away from being by herself.

“Hi. You’re home early. I thought you had to work on that big piece tonight?” she said.

That made Hoseok annoyed in an instant. He huffed and rolled his eyes while his fingers ran through his hair. The memory of the evening he had before, and after he finished what turned into his last client filled his head.

“She called and said she couldn't make it. Which was fine, because I wasn't up to working on it tonight anyway. I'm still feeling sick I guess. But, then she kept changing her mind, and when she finally decided to come - and said she was on her way - she didn't come at all. No response to calls or any of the messages I sent. But I was scrolling through the shop's feed while waiting for my other person only to see her at some other shop we follow getting a different tattoo. I just told her that if she wasn’t going to honor appointments and give me the run around, then we weren’t the right fit.”

In response YN frowned. It was clear how annoyed and tired he was, even without the added stress of a wishy washy, client who just thought they could do whatever the hell they wanted when requesting someone’s time. She wanted to knock the girl upside her head, but it wasn’t realistic, and she’d never go out of her way to attack someone. Though the idea of cussing her out if she appeared at the shop when YN was around didn’t seem too terrible of a plan.

However, that wasn’t something that either of them lingered on long because Hoseok sneezed five times in a row and by the third he seemed wiped out.

YN took off her mask and threw it in the trash near her side of the bed before hopping up. She opened her bedside table and pulled out a thermometer, which she quickly freed from its little bad as she rounded the bed to where he stood. Hoseok knew better than to argue so his mouth opened before she even raised her arm to stick it in.

They stood there for a moment staring at each other, until they heard the beep and when YN looked at the temperature she winced.

“You went up so much since this morning. You’re practically at fever levels. Go take a shower and get in bed. I’ll get some stuff for you to take,” she said.

There was no way Hoseok would argue with how he felt. It was like once he was at home and stopped moving his body had started to give up. He felt heavy and he ached a little here and there. His head also felt a little weird, but he chalked up part of that to being frustrated. So, once she stepped away from him he dragged himself to the bathroom.

By the time he finished his shower and pulled on some clothes, YN was already back in the room. She’d had a bowl, a mug, and a glass of water sitting on the table near his side of the bed. And she was unfolding a blanket, which Hoseok recognized as one the weighted ones. It was something that YN pulled out whenever one of them was having a tough time sleeping or in general, and when they got sick. Something about the thing eased the body into relaxation that neither of them had ever felt before.

When she noticed his arrival, she smiled at him and patted the bed. Hoseok moved as quickly as his body would allow him and plopped down onto the bed. Before he could do much else she placed the bowl into his hands.

“It’s a mix of the broths from the soup your mom brought and that Mama Min brought. You are to never tell them that I did this. Or that while both are good they taste next level combined. I will not be killed because I took care of you,” she said.

At that Hoseok laughed, and then drank down the broth. YN wasn’t wrong about it being better combined, which was part of the reason he downed it despite the burn he felt. Naturally, YN chastised him as he did because she could see the pain on his face, but he paid her no mind. Once finished, she replaced the bowl with the mug and one look inside had him sitting it down.

“You know I don’t like that version of ginseng. Why can’t I drink the other one?” he whined.

“Because it’s the kind that helps you the most and it hides the taste of the medicine you hate so much. This is your own fault for being a wimp and not wanting to drink it down by itself. So drink it,” she said.

Of course, he didn’t do it right away. Hoseok stared YN down and attempted his best puppy dog eyes and pout, but was met with an unamused expression that became more uncaring as each second passed. That didn’t deter hum though, at least not for about a minute or so when it was clearly she only grew more impatient with him.

With a huff he grabbed the mug and quickly downed the shot of ginseng and medicine. He winced in reaction to how bitter it was and immediately snatched the glass of water up as YN took the mug from him. Once he’d downed that as well she grabbed all the dishes and headed out of the bedroom.

“Get comfortable in bed,” she called back.

Upon return she had both of their 34oz water bottles filled up and ready for them to drink through the night if need be. Which for Hoseok was often while sick and because she’d caught a little of his cold she too needed a few sips at random times if she woke up.

After giving it to him, she climbed into bed and slid under the blanket. It may have been summer but they tended to keep their room on the colder side, which meant that they wouldn’t overheat just because they slept under them; which was good because YN needed to be under a blanket to sleep.

Getting comfortable didn’t take them long, since they were both so wiped out from their days. And despite Hoseok’s sickness they cuddled together, because unlike him YN continued her dose of medicine until it was gone. She knew she wasn’t one hundred percent better even when the symptoms appeared to have left her completely.

They stayed cuddled together for about half an hour watching what YN had on before he’d come home. Nothing felt tense or awkward in their silence, just comfortable and relaxed.

But as time went on Hoseok remembered the feeling he’d had upon his arrival home. The worry that filled him when he saw how much she’d cleaned by herself in the time he’d been gone. And the hope he’d had at knowing she’d found enough energy to even make the effort to clean that much in the first place. She’d been out of it for weeks and it was the first major sign that something changed. Or that’s what he wished for.

Hoseok turned his head to look at her, well more like assess her face. It was relaxed and she seemed genuinely interested in what was on the screen and not off in her own little world. Though once she realized he was staring she turned his way and his assessment was over almost as quickly as it began.

“Can I help you?” she asked, her brow raised.

For a moment Hoseok debated telling her no, but that didn’t sit right with him. He needed to say something or it would bother him until he blurted it out. Or there was a chance she’d bottle it all up and not say anything at all because she was fine or she didn’t want to dump on him because he wasn’t her therapist.

“How was your session?” he asked.

There was a momentary change in her expression, but she didn’t let it linger for long. That made him even more worried, but he waited for her to say something. Though he knew if she was holding back and if he should push her.

“It was fine, I guess. Less crying than usual. We talked about all my other issues and saved how I was feeling about my mom for last. I think she hoped that by keeping me in a time constraint of twenty minutes I’d be forced to get out the main issues first and avoid going off into tangents. She was very wrong about that and the appointment ran for half an hour longer than it should have. I’d gotten so worked up that it wasn’t wise to try to force me down quickly,” she said.

Hoseok nodded along and reached under the blanket to grab her hand but didn’t utter a word. Just like her therapist he wanted her to let things out at her own pace.

“I mean it’s getting easier, but I don’t know. How is one supposed to process the death of their mother? And it doesn’t help that on top of that it’s dealing with how we were estranged. Knowing that my mix of apathy and deep hurt are valid. That it’s okay that I’m not as torn up about her dying as I think I should be. That I’m not torn up about losing a chance at speaking to the sibling that I never wanted to deal with because he moved back to the US. Dealing with calls from a slew of aunts and uncles who regularly give no fucks about me, questioning why I’m not there, and why I chose not to be heavily involved in the process. Why I could only show up. Why I didn’t stay longer.”

The more she spoke the shakier her voice got and it broke Hoseok’s heart. She was getting better and he knew that, but he always knew it was a lot to overcome. The loss of her only parent, despite their relationship, was something hard to deal with or so he imagined it. It had even affected Yoongi a great deal since he’d been close to her before too, but he recovered faster.

More than anything, Hoseok wished he could find some magic way to lessen the pain and confusion for her, but he felt just as helpless as when she found out. She’d come to the shop when she still had six hours of her twelve hour shift left to go and looked in shock. Without a word she’d run into Yoongi’s arms as he’d come out of his room after hearing Jungkook’s frantic calls. There she burst into tears, and through the sobbing told them that her mother had been in a car accident and didn’t make it.

None of them, except Yoongi, had ever seen her cry that hard and he tried his best to be her rock, but he broke with her. They broke down in the middle of the shop, falling to their knees as they cried together. The boys decided to close after that and just let them cry, comforting them when they could. And at some point they called Beau and Mama Min to tell them what had happened.

From there, they had to wait until they were calm enough to get them in a car to head back to Yoongi’s place. There they were met by Beau and Mama Min, who accepted them with open arms. The sobbing started all over again and they slowly got them to calm down enough to eat and shower. Everyone assumed it was a sleepover kind of situation, so they’d gotten Jin and Taehyung to swing by their places to grab stuff for them.

The entire night was just everyone surrounding YN on the makeshift nest they’d made. She never once let go of Yoongi’s hand and he didn’t dare release hers. And as they slept she cuddled into Mama Min’s side holding onto her for dear life with her other hand.

Seeing her shattered like that was eye opening for Hoseok, and he tried his best to make sure she was okay. Work gave her two weeks off, but when she didn’t bounce back quickly they extended the leave for a little longer. Then when that ran out she used vacation time she’d saved up. That was the start of when she actually made progress in not being a shell of her former self and Hoseok would tell her to take off all the time in the world if it meant that she’d be better.

But, as Hoseok sat there thinking about how he wished there was something he could do to fix things he realized there was something he could at least try to make her feel a bit better. And it would allow him to do something that he’d been wanting to for a while.

Smiling at her he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead before pulling away and staring into her eyes.

“We haven’t gone out in a while. So, what do you say about us and everyone going out to the beach for a week? We can do it next week too. Go to the beach house and hang out, have some fun,” he said.

For a moment it felt like she’d say no, especially because she looked so emotional, but then she nodded. And Hoseok watched as a smile worked its way onto her lips, bigger and more genuine than he’d seen in a while.

“That sounds like what I need,” she said.

Happy with that, Hoseok leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her lips before pulling away and snuggling into her. They continued their comfortable cuddly night in and slowly drifted to sleep together. Hoseok’s mind focused on planning things out perfectly until he knocked out.

The day before they were to leave to head to the beach house YN had planned to spend it packing and relax because the journey was tiresome. However, Hoseok had other plans and just as she finished packing her stuff he called her to come down to the shop for the night. Saying no was an option, but he sounded so excited that she couldn’t help but say yes.

So, on a Friday night when she could’ve been in her home eating and playing video games she found herself in Hoseok’s tattoo room by herself. Upon her arrival she’d been told he’d run out for a second and would be back in a bit. And in that case a bit meant thirty minutes or so after she got there.

Annoyed was an understatement, especially when she saw that he read the texts she’d sent asking him where he was. When it got too much, she got up to leave, but the moment she put her hand on the knob she was stumbling back because the door was being pushed open from the outside.

Hoseok – sweaty and breathing heavily – held bags of food and balanced multiple drinks in a tray. His eyes were wide and his mouth open in that uncomfortable mouth breathing way. Like YN could see the man’s uvula clear as day.

For a while they stood there staring at each other, that was until Hoseok regained control of his breathing.

“Were you about to leave?”

“Yes. You asked me to come at a specific time and you’re not here. Then I have to wait over thirty minutes where you open and don’t respond to my texts. How much longer did you think I was going to stay? Especially since you asked me to come here when I planned to not leave the couch until I absolutely had to all night,” she said.

At that Hoseok frowned. Moving past her a little he placed the stuff down in the tattoo chair that was reclined back. Then he moved to stand in front of her, his hands cupped her face. He stared at her expression and saw the slight bags under her eyes and the lingering sadness. She’d done so well for almost a week following his proposal of the beach trip, but the last day or two something shifted.

Her mother’s husband had found a way to contact her and it had thrown her off. Though the conversation had gone well it had brought her two steps back. Hoseok had woken up to her crying in the middle of the night and through the tears she’d managed to say that she felt like she was doing something wrong despite knowing she wasn’t. Despite knowing she was doing what was best for her and her mental state she felt like it was all wrong. Overthinking her decisions needlessly. The next morning – after he’d gotten her to sleep – she apologized and told him she knew that she was right and having a conversation with her mother’s husband that didn’t go horribly or fill her with anger felt off.

Things got better after that, but it took more than a moment of clarity and a talk with her therapist over the phone to get her back to where she’d been before. And that was why Hoseok had come up with the idea to call her into the shop. Well Jungkook and Taehyung came up with the idea to take her out before they all left, but he came up with what they’d do.

“I know, but I wanted to do something before we left. I swear we shouldn’t be here all night and I got that burger you were craving,” he said, a pout formed on his lips.

The usual thing would be for YN to throw the smallest of fits because she felt so tired, but his stupid face was there and she couldn’t say no. Plus she hadn’t left the apartment much in a week and needed the change of scenery even if it wasn’t a major one.

YN sighed. “Fine.”

With her answer and the small smile he saw fighting to take form on her lips Hoseok finally stopped his pouting. Leaning forward he pressed a quick kiss to her lips before releasing his hold on her face and moving over to the food. He carefully removed everything from the bags and then ran to put two of the four drinks in the tray into his mini freezer.

All the while YN stood and watched him; she hadn’t wanted to get in the way of what he was doing. The man could be anal about how things were handled when he was attempting to make some nice gesture and she’d been on the end of one of his glares before. Though she knew he wasn’t actually mad she knew not to push it further. There was no need for her to deal with a pouty baby later because things veered off plan; especially since she’d shown up before he could get back.

“Okay, so I know you were craving a burger and I went to the place you like and got you a double cheeseburger with extra pickles and a large fry. Also, a sprite and a chocolate milkshake,” he said.

Hearing him list the things made something stir inside YN. After giving into him she’d gotten less annoyed, but that hadn’t meant her mood shifted completely. Despite not being actively sad she felt down and having him get her the thing she’d been craving and getting her out of the house brightened her day. The corners of her mouth even turned up in a smile, something that hadn’t graced her lips once since she’d arrived – or all that day for that matter.

So, she watched as he excitedly continued and reassured her that the things she didn’t like weren’t on the burger and that he thought it would be good for them to sit in his room to eat. There was something about another plan of his, but she barely heard him as she smiled and watched him closely. His smile grew as he excitedly spoke of his idea, causing her own to do the same.

Hoseok was mid-ramble when he noticed that she was smiling at him. A truly genuine one at that. It made his heart beat a little erratically, but he didn’t mind at all. YN’s happiness was his priority and it felt good for him to see that she looked happy, even for a moment.

“Should we start eating?” he asked.

She nodded and he moved one of his chairs over to her so she could sit down to eat her food at the tattoo chair. In many cases she’d object, but the smell of multiple disinfectants told her that he’d cleaned the thing multiple times before her arrival. Plus, he’d laid a paper you’d see when you went to the doctor over the seat, so there was an added barrier from the food and the not so cleanly people who sometimes sat in it.

Though her mouth watered at the smell and the visual of her food YN waited until Hoseok was seat in his own chair across from her. He gave her a pointed look that she knew well from all the times he got annoyed at her not just eating and she dug into it without a word.

Not speaking was something they maintained for a few minutes before Hoseok swallowed a bite that he barely chewed.

“Did you finish getting everything ready?” he asked.

She nodded, because unlike him she liked to chew her food quite a bit before swallowing it.

“Yeah. Everything of mine is packed, as well as stuff we need for the beach, most of the snacks, and I grabbed all your stuff but didn’t pack it.”

Hoseok scoffed. “Good.”

At that she couldn’t help but to roll her eyes.

“You could’ve just let me pack it all for you. That way you don’t have to worry about it when you get home. Plus, you’re going to ask me to help when something doesn’t fit anyway,” she mumbled.

“I can back my own stuff. I’m a big boy. Besides who says I’ll need your help this time, I’m not even taking a whole lot with me.”

There was no verbal response to that, just a shake of the head as she gave up on the topic. At the end of the day she knew she was right and that Hoseok would come to her whining about something not fitting right or being unable to zip the bag. And the solution would be to refold something, rearrange how things sat, or make him realize he didn’t need as many pairs of shoes as he packed. And he definitely didn’t need to bring multiple colors of the same chunky, ugly pair of shoes that she hated.

She wished she could burn them but he loved them too much.

From there silence persisted for a bit and then she randomly turned her head to see a sketch on his wall of an anime she’d watched a long time ago. Naturally, that started a whole conversation about it and how much Hoseok hadn’t liked it as a kid. Something about his sister forcing him to watch it and him not liking the main character. Which led to a discussion about other main characters they both didn’t like. It spiraled into the difference between characters made unlikable as a part of their stories and how some were just not great and people played them off as unlikable on purpose. That didn’t stop people critiquing them though. Definitely didn’t stop YN.

As they talked their food lessened until it was gone. Hoseok took the initiative to clean it up and directed YN to the freezer. She grabbed their shakes and sat the one that was clearly white and black down on his side, grabbing a straw and jabbing it into her own cup. Her lips wrapped around it to pull some of the frozen treat up, but she struggled with how thick it was. When she finally got some out she pulled away with a smile.

“I see it’s up to your standards of thick. Sure you don’t want a spoon?” he asked upon his return to the seat.

YN shook her head vigorously and went in for more. Part of her brain hated the struggle, but the joy that filled her each time she finally got some was too great. The thick milkshakes were always the best.

While she did that Hoseok moved to his computer and turned on some music, his usual tattooing playlist blasted through the speakers. He turned it down when he saw YN flinch and then slid his chair back over to the seat. He grabbed his own straw and milkshake and sucked it down. It was thick, but the normal kind. No part of him had the patience to wrestle with his food or drink, so despite how much creamier it was her way he chose not to suffer.

About half the milkshake was gone before he got up from the seat and snatched YN’s from her hand – despite protest – to put back in the freezer. When he turned around he was met with her pouting and he wanted to give it back but they had other things to do as well.

“There’s another reason I asked you to come,” Hoseok said.

“Which is?”

He didn’t respond, just gathered a few things and prepped his small rolling table for tattooing before pushing towards her. There was no time to process what he meant by the action because then he was whipping off his shirt and taking a seat in the tattoo chair.

His intentions were beyond clear.

“Today?” she asked.

“Today.”

“But I-”

“Aht, no buts. You’re ready to do this and you were so excited to get to tattoo an actual person. So, today you’re going to do me and then Yoongi another time. Probably the others too since they’re all babies who can’t be left out.” He rolled his eyes while he said the last bit.

“That’s so many, I didn’t sign up for that. And why now? I’m not prepared for this. I don’t even have the stencil ready or-”

Again she didn’t get far because Hoseok pointed to a sheet of paper on the table that had various copies of the tattoo they’d agreed on and a pair of scissors.

The man had truly taken the time to make sure that everything was set. Which was sweet, but also spiked YN’s nerves. So much that any sadness that she’d felt was nowhere on her mind.

Hesitation was clear on her face as Hoseok watched her and he worried she was stuck amid her sadness, but then he noticed the nervous glint in her eyes. He found it cute that the woman cut open people for a living and was worried about how her tattoo would come out. Even though she caught onto tattooing faster than anyone in the shop and had the steadiest hand of all of them.

Reaching over Hoseok cupped her face and forced her gaze on him.

“You’ll do fine. We chose this tattoo because it was quick and basic. Line work and some shading. You even did it a million times on oranges, lemons, and grapefruit. It’ll be great,” he encouraged.

There was an urge to protest, but YN didn’t. She rose from her seat and walked out of the room. She went to wash her hands and then came back to slip gloves onto them. She lifted the arm rest and placed his arm on it, careful to look around for a good spot. Hoseok was tattooed almost completely on both arms, but there was a spot on his left forearm that had enough space.

From there she was kind of on autopilot. She cut the stencil and placed it on the spot to double check that it would work. Once pleased she set it back on the table and grabbed an antiseptic wipe to clean the area. She spent way too much time on that, but Hoseok didn’t comment on it. Before she knew it she was actually placing the stencil onto his skin and peeling it off, the thin purple lines transferred perfectly.

By then the nerves had returned and she was ready to back down, but then she made eye contact with Hoseok and he gave her an encouraging smile. She couldn’t stop then, she needed to see the tattoo through.

She got the gun and the ink ready, but the vibe felt off. So, without a word she rolled over to the computer and pulled off a glove. There were several clicks before Jonghyun’s beautiful voice filled the space. It was the first song on her surgery playlist and in a way tattooing was like that, so it was the perfect relaxer.

After replacing the glove she took off with another one she got to work. The tip of the needle dipped into the black ink and using her free hand she pressed Hoseok’s arm down and began the tattoo.

The design was a crescent moon – which would be shaded in – and a sun combined. Where the moon stopped lines and dots of varying lengths were used to make clear that it was the sun. Nothing intricate, but still something she worried about messing up.

Her movements were careful and steady, her hand moving easily as she traced the outline of the moon. It took her shorter than she thought even with her excessive wiping, but she wasn’t pleased with the outcome. It wasn’t bad at all, basically perfect. However, she’d been so nervous that the lines were too thin.

“If you want it thicker you can do it. I know Yoongi worked with you on that the last few sessions. I only taught you to start with thinner lines just in case you’re unsure,” Hoseok offered as if he read her mind.

YN nodded, chewing on her lower lip as she went in again. That time her lines were a little heavier and though part of her worried that it was a mistake to make them that thick, by the time she’d finished and wiped the excess she was pleased with it.

Being happy with her outcome meant that she felt more confident, which meant she went into the next part with less worry. She shaded the moon in with vigor and had to mutter a few apologies when Hoseok whined about her being too aggressive. It was just that she got excited and so into the work.

Which meant that she didn’t notice Yoongi when he’d silently entered the room. He stood behind her, though about a foot away so he wasn’t crowding her. Him and Hoseok watched as she finished the shading and went on to the lines to create the sun. Her hand moved carefully as she did and though there were a few curses when she thought she messed up, there were also those lightbulb moments when she realized she could make up the length with a few extra dots. Nothing ruined at all.

Once finished she set the gun to the side and carefully used the other items on the table to clean it. Seeing the cleaned version had her scared it was a mess, but the more she stared at it the more she liked it.

“You did good. How the hell did you get that to curve so fluidly?” Yoongi said, startling her with his sudden presence.

“She was so worried she’d mess up, I told her it would be fine,” Hoseok said.

Involuntarily, YN rolled her eyes. They enjoyed double teaming her on everything, but self-doubt was by far their favorite.

“Let the man see the new tattoo,” Yoongi said, playful nudging her shoulder.

Her eyes widened as she remembered he couldn’t see it well from the angle he was at and she moved away from the chair so he could get up. Hoseok immediately went over to the floor length mirror hanging near the door. He held out his arm and examined it closely – and for way too long – without saying anything. If he hadn’t smiled before he spoke she would’ve thrown up in fear he hated it.

“I told you, you’d do good baby,” he said.

Tension melted from her body at that and Hoseok watched on in joy. Not only had she accomplished her first tattoo, but she also appeared genuinely happy. There was nothing about her that exuded sadness or showed that she was even vaguely in a low place. It didn’t mean she was completely free from the thoughts, but it did mean that she wasn’t caught up in them enough to show any outward reactions. And since she wasn’t the best at keeping her emotions hidden and bottled up that was a win.

From the eye contact he made with Yoongi for a moment the older male also appeared to think so. Flashing Hoseok a thumbs up when YN wasn’t looking.

The first part of Hoseok’s plan was a success.

The trip to the beach was long and started early. They’d rented a twelve-seater van to drive there and alternated drivers. Jungkook, Yoongi, and YN switched out every two hours so no one got too complacent or tired with the six hour drive. It was trying sometimes because of stupid drivers or someone complaining too much, but they made it there without anyone killing someone else.

A true win.

They arrived at the beach house late afternoon and decided they’d spend that night in. None of them had enough energy from the trip to anything and they had a full week to venture out. Plus avoiding the massive crowd on a Saturday night was a win.

Food was ordered in front various places because everyone either wanted something different or couldn’t make up their mind on what they wanted at all. Dinner was eaten and though it started off with minimal conversation they all eventually started talking about random things and eventually it led to talk of what they would do the next day. Hoseok mentioned something about the amusement park nearby, which got YN excited immediately and everyone agreed with that.

However, the quickness in which they all said yes wasn’t lost on YN despite her excitement. Usually they all took forever deciding what to do on any group outing and when they did there was some sort of whining. But everyone had agreed and then went about eating like everything was fine. No questions asked. No adjustments to time. No concerns about being there for so long. Just compliance.

It was something YN planned to ask about and fight against if they were doing it because she wanted to. Them giving in just because it would make her happy because she’d been so down wasn’t something she was okay with. The thought was nice, but she preferred they did their own things if that’s what they wanted. But she didn’t get to ask because everyone finished and before she knew it Hoseok escorted her to their room.

And like clockwork her body felt heavy the moment her eyes laid on the bed. Not even the pretty view from their balcony could draw her in. Which made it easy for Hoseok to maintain control to get her in the shower and then bed in the matter of thirty minutes.

By the time her head hit the pillow she felt refreshed, but like she’d cried for a few hours straight. The kind of tired where you don’t really feel one with the world and everything is almost like an outsider looking in. Though when she looked at Hoseok he grounded her a bit.

He took a few minutes longer to get into the bed after she did, slipping in wearing nothing but his boxers. Which was fine because she was in short shorts and a crop top. Something that seemed to warrant him poking her stomach every so often, which she allowed to happen because she didn’t have it in her to stop him.

Hoseok knew what he was doing too and that he’d pay for it once she slept, though she tended to forget things when too tired. But he stopped his poking and prodding after a few seconds, preferring to pull her close so they were cuddled together. Her leg thrown over him and their faces resting inches away from each other. He wanted to stay up a little and talk, but her eyes were closed and her breathing slowing.

For once she didn’t argue about it only being 8:00pm and thus too early to sleep. She’d say that every time they went on a trip, but more than anything she’d been saying it since after her mother’s funeral. Even when she looked exhausted and mentally not there she refused to sleep that early. So it felt good to see her not do it for once and after placing a kiss on her lips that thought lulled Hoseok to sleep.

Because they’d fallen asleep so early everyone was up at around seven the next morning. Well, everyone except for Jin, Beau and YN. They’d all woken up and ventured out of their rooms at around five almost six and decided yoga was the move. They gathered on the back patio of the house where you could see the beach and got to work.

Yoga was something that Jin and YN did regularly. The hospital had classes for all the staff to take and they’d gone with no intentions to ever do it again, but then realized how good they felt the days after. From then on they went to the classes or met up in a secluded part of a park early in the morning to do it before going out for breakfast or something. Beau joined in once when YN did it at home and then usually join her anytime he saw her doing it. Sometimes even joining her and Jin when they ventured out.

It was a great first moment of the vacation and one of the few times she’d felt so at peace in a long while.

From there they showered, got dressed, and went down to make breakfast. They’d picked up some groceries before getting to the house so they didn’t have to worry about it later.

By the time they finished everyone was up. Food was consumed at an alarming rate and everyone got ready with the same quickness. They wanted to get to the park at opening so they could have a better chance to get on everything. Which led to a lot of yelling and rushing people to hurry up and get to the van.

Hoseok took it upon himself to drive them there and as the rides came into view the closer they got the more excited YN got. She bounced in her seat and almost opened her door before the car came to a full stop.

That was dangerous and with the way Yoongi looked at her Hoseok thought she’d get scolded, but in fact the older man was upset that she tried to cheat. Which confused Hoseok until he whipped the door open and sprinted towards the entrance, YN hot on his heels and yelling about who was the real cheater.

It was like watching two children and goodness did it make Hoseok feel good.

When the others reached them they both stood there with big smiles and holding wrist bands, all of them the kind that were used for those with fast passes.

Hoseok narrowed his eyes at them, but neither of them looked regretful about what they’d done. In fact, they both appeared way too smug.

“What did we say about you two buying everything before anyone gets a chance? It’s not allowed on this trip or any trip,” Beau said.

Yoongi and YN turned to each other and shrugged, then thrusted a wristband into everyone’s hands. Since it wasn’t their first time out with the two amusement park junkies they all knew to get the bands on quickly, as if their lives depended on it. Yoongi had once wrapped Jungkook’s so tight that it limited circulation in his hand and they had to get another.

No one wanted to repeat that.

Without missing a beat they walked towards the workers scanning people in, leaving the others to catch up. Both of them were several feet inside the park by the time the others caught up again. They stood perfectly still and took in the park. One could feel the excitement that radiated off them.

It took Taehyung clearing his throat multiple times before they turned to face the rest of the group. Though that only lasted for a second before they were focused on each other.

“We meet here in four hours?” YN asked.

Yoongi nodded. “Right here and then I kick your ass in everything.”

That made YN scoff but she refrained from any trash talk in retaliation, there was always enough of that during them playing the games. Besides her focus was on something else.

Off in the distance was a ride that was way too high and moved way too fast – by even her standards – but the expression on her face showed how much she wanted to try it. So, without a word to the others Hoseok walked forward, grabbed her hand, and headed towards it. Everyone else went their own way, except for Jungkook and Taehyung who followed behind them. Hoseok felt like he was going to be sick the whole way, but YN and Jungkook reassured him the whole time while Taehyung poked fun at him, though it was clear that was only to calm his own nerves.

Once on the thing they all were ready to shit themselves but pushed through and as the it reached the first drop. YN and Hoseok made eye contact for a second and there was a reassuring feeling that flowed through them, but the next thing they knew they were sailing through the air so quickly it took a moment for her to breathe properly again.

The entire ride there was no moment to relax or get used to it. Even knowing what was to come didn’t make it any easier to adjust.

It was exhilarating.

That feeling is why Taehyung and Hoseok ended up waiting as YN and Jungkook went on again. Neither of them wanted to relive that and the fast pass line wasn’t that long, so they just sat on a bench a few yards from where the line-up started.

“So, are you going to do it today?” Taehyung asked, his voice a bit strained.

At first Hoseok was confused by the question and then it dawned on him what he meant. A different kind of discomfort settled in him at the thought of saying yes and so he shook his head quickly.

“Definitely not,” he muttered.

Taehyung turned to look at him with a raised brow and confusion.

“I thought that was the plan? Get her all happy and then do it? Don’t tell me you’re chickening out?” he teased.

Hoseok reached over and lightly punched his shoulder, a soft – but nervous – laugh escaping his lips.

“I’m going to, just not today. I want to make sure she’s good first. I’d hate to do it while she’s still wrapped up in sadness. That would make the whole thing much more complicated than it already is.”

At that Taehyung shrugged and turned his attention back towards the ride. They sat in a comfortable silence watching it climb high and then drop, looping a few times before it climbed again. It was more nerve wrecking watching it move like that then being on it, but that didn’t mean that Hoseok wished he was on it instead. He never planned to get on that ride again if he could help it.

About twenty minutes or so passed before they both returned and then everyone was off to other rides. They were all their own level of terrifying, but as they ran from ride to ride Hoseok got used to the fear and thrill that came along with them. He’d even agreed to go on one twice, which made YN beyond happy. Especially since she could see the eagerness was genuine. As if him being the one to request they go again wasn’t clear enough.

They continued on like that for a while, though eventually Jungkook wanted to circle back to get on something they’d all said no to. He convinced Taehyung to go with him and then Hoseok and YN were traversing the park alone.

A few more rides after the departure of the others and Hoseok forced a stop for food. Which wasn’t a whole lot and less than Hoseok would’ve liked her to eat, but it was more than she’d had some of the days from weeks before. A win in his book.

Before they went to get on some more rides they stopped to get a dessert, which was ice cream wrapped in a crepe. The park hadn’t had it the last time they’d come to it and that made YN all the more eager to indulge. They reminded her of ones she’d had in Japan when she’d gone for six months to study in high school. They tasted like them too.

“I don’t know if I should get another one now or later when we’re about to leave,” she said.

Hoseok laughed as he watched her devour it.

“I think I saw a stand with it near the entrance so you can get it when we leave,” he offered.

Though she looked conflicted at first, she smiled and nodded after a bit. No matter how practiced she was at eating and getting on rides too much dairy was a mistake. Fifteen-year-old her learned that the hard way.

After food was consumed, they went on a few more rides and then headed back toward where they were to meet with fifteen minutes to spare. The walk was taken slowly and they intertwined fingers as they went.

It was a moment of peace among the chaos and when YN looked at Hoseok with one of the brightest smiles he’d seen in a while he felt near tears. She’d been so happy and never once did her expression falter or her body language shift negatively. There was so much freedom and joy radiating from her and despite his optimism he’d been scared she’d stay shrouded in darkness for forever. So to have that voice in his head silenced because she was there and existing outside of it was just the best thing to happen to him.

Everything wasn’t fixed, but it was better than nothing.

Yoongi was at the meeting point with an irritated Beau who held a large stuffed bear. Most would question why Beau looked that way, but by the shifting that Yoongi was doing and the wide smile it was clear that he’d challenged his boyfriend to a few games and then mercilessly beat him.

Upon seeing a smiling YN though Beau’s expression shifted to mimic the smile on her face and so did Yoongi’s for a moment. However, YN was in competition mode and when he noticed that he was as well.

Not a word was uttered between them as they left their significant others to head towards the games and neither of them said anything about it. They merely trailed behind them and watched as they tried to one up each other.

Who knows how much time passed or how many prizes were handed over to kids or anyone standing nearby before everyone was gathered together watching them. Though it was tiring to stand there and see them go on forever there was also this mutual contentment as they all looked on. It was as if they were all on the same wavelength with how nice it was to see either of them back to some sort of normalcy.

“Has she been like this all day?” Beau whispered.

Hoseok nodded, his eyes never leaving them.

“Yeah. She’s been so happy and carefree. I don’t think she’s thought about it once all this time. And it doesn’t feel like she’s faking it,” he said.

There was a nod from Beau in response and then all the focus was back on them.

YN being that happy that quickly wasn’t what Hoseok foresaw at all, but it was nice to see that the second part of what he planned worked out well. He only hoped that it was doing some actual, concrete good for her mentally and that the last part of everything would go as smoothly.

Four days into their trip YN decided that Hoseok was acting weird. Though weird was something normal for his behavior it was a different type. He was attentive and kind, but also drifted off into his own head a lot and didn’t put up a fight when asked to do something that wasn’t necessarily in his comfort zone. She hadn’t pushed his limits by any means and accepted no when he said it, but for the most he gave in without a second thought.

Of course, his efforts were appreciated greatly, but that was what worried her the most. She knew how down she’d been and how the call from her mother’s husband had changed her. It was clear as day to her how she was acting and she wished she could snap her fingers and stop, but that wasn’t possible. And since she knew that, so did Hoseok and that meant he’d ramped up on trying to keep her at the very least not actively sad. All his free time was spent trying to help and look after her. The trip was just another one of those things and though she jumped at the prospect of being away from home to enjoy herself – and had enjoyed herself – she feared him taking things a step too far to please her.

No matter her mental state there would be no excuse for any damage she could do to his if that was the case. So YN planned to talk to him about it one morning, but she was redirected by Yoongi to get ready. Apparently he wanted to take her out for the day, just the two of them. Something she happily agreed to on the compromise of her going to talk to Hoseok about a thing first, but that was shot down by being told he’d headed out a few minutes beforehand. Which meant she had no other choice but to do as she was told, but with a pout.

Despite her mopey mood she didn’t take long to get dressed. Mostly because when she’d entered the room she found a pair of shorts and one of her long sleeve tops laid out for her. Yoongi promptly informed her he didn’t want her taking forever so he’d done it for her. It wasn’t out of the norm since he’d done it many times throughout their lives because supposedly she moved too slow or always grabbed the one thing in her wardrobe he hated with a passion. After a while she learned to just let it happen.

Once ready to go Yoongi grabbed her hand and practically dragged her from the house. It took some begging and mild threats to get him to not hold her hand so tight and slow down. From there he was less aggressive, but still held her hand firmly in his. She was fine with that because it was a habit from childhood that they never grow out of. As long as his bony fingers didn’t dig into her hand or squeeze too tight she was fine.

During their walk they didn’t speak, which was fine. They both tended to be quiet people and silences were rarely awkward. Walking for ten minutes to the nearby cafe bookstore was nothing in the realm of how long they could be around each other and not utter a single word.

“I wanted us to relax before dinner later. You know they’re all going to get drunk and it’ll be a mess. So, some peace and quiet for now,” Yoongi said once they entered.

That made YN smile wide. Even without the reason she loved the idea of spending a few hours there.

“You sure it’s not because they let you take naps here whenever we come?” she teased.

Yoongi laughed. “That too. A peaceful nap.”

With that she nodded and finally removed her hand from his. She shooed him away to see if any good seats were open and then headed off to buy their drinks. All of her will was used not to stop and look at books that caught her eye as she walked to the counter. The man wanted a nap, but him waiting too long for his favorite hot chocolate wasn’t on the table. Plus, there was something about being inside the place that calmed her so much that she was a bit tired herself.

After she grabbed the hot chocolates she searched for him and was beyond happy to find him at the reclining chairs in a back corner. Not daring to destroy the nice atmosphere of the space she merely handed him his drink and plopped down into her own chair. Her body relaxed instantly. It was asking her to sleep, but she wanted to drink her hot chocolate first. That lasted maybe ten minutes before she and Yoongi drifted off.

Sometimes she didn’t remember how much having a good time and being happy could drain from a person, no matter how much sleep they got.

When they finally woke up, panic filled YN because she’d misread the clock as saying four hours had passed, but it was barely an hour. The darkness only exacerbated that, but she was thankful her eyes adjusted before she shook Yoongi awake.

Since she felt refreshed from the nap the urge to explore books overcame her again. Instead of ignoring it she left Yoongi to continue his napping and looked around the store.

A lot of what did interest her were things she had read, were on her to read list, or by someone who wasn’t the greatest person despite their excellent writing. The things she did find that didn’t fit into that were all so tempting and she wanted to get them all but knew better than to do that. Her to read list was long and she didn’t need a million more books. So, she settled on getting the top three and took pictures of the others to buy at a later date.

By the time she made her purchase Yoongi had woken up and joined her at the register. He appeared rested and much peppier than he had before, which made her happy to see.

“Should we head back now?” she asked.

He nodded and then they were holding hands and walking back to the beach house.

The silence on the way back didn’t exist. Yoongi asked about what books she’d gotten and some other book she’d gotten a while ago that he’d been interested in. She agreed to give it to him and just as they reached the house and she prepared to ask if he wanted the book’s sequel as well he stopped abruptly.

Confusion coloring her face YN turned her head to look at him and was met with a tense expression. However, before she could question it he spoke.

“You’re okay, right? Actually okay, not the fake okay?” he asked.

YN felt a pang in her heart and her eyes watered for a second, but she pushed that all down. She wouldn’t dare make him more worried than he’d already been, especially when there was nothing to worry about.

“I’m okay. In fact, I’m as close to content as I’ve been in a while,” she said.

His entire demeanor changed when she said the word content. It was a signal of sorts. Something that they’d both learned they wanted through therapy. Happiness was great but being content and not so much good or bad was always the goal. As long as they could reach contentment all would be fine.

Though relaxed he didn’t stop staring her down for a moment and then after a firm squeeze of her hand – that she returned – he started walking again.

Inside the house everyone was putting the finishing touches on the dinner they’d decided on for the evening. It was a night in, which meant cooking and Jungkook had said that meant it needed to be an extra meal. So, him, Jin, Jimin, and Namjoon had spent a lot of time getting everything prepped and cooked. YN had wanted to help and even offered once Yoongi and her returned, but they were done and shooed her out to the patio so they could bring the food out.

Hoseok, who she’d seen maybe twice that whole day, pulled her down onto the seat next to him and immediately moved in for a kiss. That elicited some gagging from Beau which was met with a middle finger from both Hoseok and YN all without pulling away from each other.

They did part when the first of many dishes were placed on the table though. And without hesitation – once everyone was seated and Jin gave his go ahead – they began grabbing the things they wanted or moving them in range.

There was just so much. They’d made kimchi stew, bulgogi, pork ribs, fried rice, curry, and braised chicken. And of course, enough white rice that would satisfy even YN.

Bloated wasn’t even the word that truly captured how YN felt by the end of it all. Though happy was definitely a descriptor. They’d eaten, talked, and down alcohol. Jokes and stories were told, laughed about, and denied with intense vigor all around. It was a peaceful moment despite the chaos and watching her family just be together always filled her with such joy.

She could stay like that forever, but of course that was a no.

About thirty minutes after she’d had her last bite Hoseok suggested they go on a walk while they waited for the others to return with the chosen dessert. No was on the tip of her tongue, but he reminded her walking could help her feel better. Plus, he had a look in his eye that reminded her that she’d wanted to talk to him about something before.

So, they kicked off their shoes and headed down the beach. Hoseok laced their fingers together and led her away from the house. At first they said nothing, but then at the exact same time they spoke.

“YN-”

“Can we talk-”

They both paused and looked at each other with wide eyes before descending into laughter. It took a moment or two, but they collected themselves soon enough and continued their trek.

“You first,” he said.

YN nodded. “I want to thank you for all of this. It was what I needed and I’m so happy to have all this time with you and everyone else. Being with the people I loved most and who love me. Having fun that I haven’t had in a while. Having moments where I feel content, even if it’s fleeting. I haven’t had a bad day for the last few days and I haven’t even thought about anything really. And even if I did it was such a fleeting moment that I only barely remember it happened at all.”

“But?” Hoseok said when she paused.

“But I worry about taking advantage of all of you. I know that I’m not and everyone is happy to be here for a good time and to offer all the support in the world. I know that that feeling is for naught. But I realized how much you’ve given into me the last few days and it makes me feel like I may be crossing a line. You’ve had to deal with me being distraught and not myself for weeks. Never able to escape that unless out at work or I’m with someone else. And then you plan this and you give into my every whim. You do things that I know make you uncomfortable. Even if I’m not pushing you on certain things and I know I’m not crossing any hard lines it still feels wrong. And I’m sorry about that,” she said.

That ended in them coming to an abrupt stop. Hoseok released her hand and moved to stand in front of her, his hands moving to cup her face.

“Baby, you don’t have to worry about any of that. You have not crossed a line or made me do anything I didn’t choose to do. I’m fine. Did I agree to a few things that scare me or make me cautious? Yes. Did I do them partly because they made you happy? Yes. But like I said, it was my choice. I wanted to try them and that was an extra incentive. Seeing you smile or be in the moment was the greatest incentive in the world. I wouldn’t change doing those things. And I know you’re worried about what all this or your behavior could have done to my mental health, but I’m good there too. It hurt me to see you like that, but I processed that in therapy. Dr. Seo was more than willing to take me in more than once a month to process all this. I swear to you I’m fine.”

There was clear uncertainty in her eyes despite what he said. Hoseok could see it and though he wished she’d just believe him he knew that wasn’t how the mind worked. Sometimes things took a while to process or a little more assurance needed to be given.

After taking a deep breath he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, one she returned without hesitation. When he pulled away one of his hands slipped from her face as their foreheads pressed together.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too.”

The next few moments happened in a weird space where everything moved too fast and too slow. Hoseok’s other hand moved from her face and he pulled away from her, but before anything could be said or done on her end he was down on one knee with a ring in his hand.

YN had no time to process it before he started talking.

“This week was about making you feel even an ounce of happiness, but it was also about finding the right time to ask you. YN you know I love you with my entire being. How you love yourself, me, and our little family brings me such joy. How you live to be the best you and know that you’re not always going to get it right. How you know yourself enough to know how to handle your problems. You realize how off you’re being and take the time to self-assess, not just because of you but because of me. So you’re not doing anything that could affect me. That could lead to unintentional behavior that could harm me. You grow so much all the time and it feels impossible for you to put forth any more effort than you already do.

“You just make me feel so happy. Doesn’t matter if it’s from watching you be that way, you making me feel that way, or the reminder that I can be happy on my own despite you. That I can stand alone in happiness that doesn’t revolve around you or anyone else. Something I struggled with so much before. You’ve helped so much by just being you. And though I know that we have cemented our relationship already, I still want to do this. It would truly be the best thing in the world if you married me, baby.”

YN had worked through the initial shock and was much calmer than when he’d started talking. Her brain fought to keep up with the words and her heart soared as she took them in. It’s why she didn’t hesitate in responding with a yes.

Without missing a beat Hoseok slipped the ring on her finger and rose onto his feet. He pulled her into a tight hug and whispered ‘I love you’ over and over. In the distance there were cheers from their friends who had watched on from the back patio. She hadn’t even realized they’d turned and walked back towards the house once she’d started talking. But that didn’t matter at all. At least not in that moment.

The calm that she felt mattered. The excitement she felt mattered. The content feeling that washed over her mattered.

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demi-demilich · 3 years

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Been working on my Blood Bowl human team. The buffalo counts as an ogre but now I kinda wanna make a Chaos team so I can use him as a minotaur. Fun project, family photo coming Soon(tm)

#tw blood #blood bowl #mini painting #games workshop #bb2020 #tabletop

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silverlightqueen · 4 years

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21 Things To Do This Summer PJM

y/n has a week left to live and 21 things she wanted to do this summer. Jimin vows to help her do them all before she dies and give her the summer of a lifetime.

jimin x reader - angst, fluff, comedy, non-idol!au

Part of BangtanHQ’s ‘Bangtan Boardwalk’ at the ‘Summertime Sadness’ booth!

Rating: Mature (heavy themes and strong language - read with caution)

Word Count: 16.9k+ (she’s a monster omg)

Warnings: death and illness, discussion of death and illness, jokes about death and illness, brain tumour, discussion of eating disorders, brief mention of murder and crime (y/n jokes that Jimin could be a murderer or a thief), explicit language throughout, I think that’s it but please let me know if you noticed that I missed anything

a/n: here’s the first part guys! if you enjoy it, make sure to check out the other fics in the Summertime Sadness booth, and the other booths on the Bangtan Boardwalk! a huge thank you to @silverlightprincess for proofreading this massive fic, I love you so damn much x

silverlightqueen masterlist

y/n’s Summer Bucket List

21 Things to Do This Summer

1) Make a new friend

2) Dye my hair

3) Go on a road trip

4) Do pavement chalk

5) Get everybody I talk to to sign a shirt

6) Have s’mores at a bonfire

7) Get drunk and skinny dip at the beach

8) Make a wish balloon

9) Go to a fairground

10) Have a picnic

11) Get a tattoo

12) Sleep under the stars

13) Cloud watch

14) Try camping for the first time

15) Have a water fight

16) Make homemade ice cream

17) Have a pyjama day

18) Send a message in a bottle

19) Watch fireworks

20) Go to a drive-in movie

21) Make a photo album of it all

‘Hey! Hey, excuse me! Hey, wait, you dropped something!’ I can hear someone shouting and, despite the tears running down my face, I roll my eyes, wondering why the idiot who dropped something doesn’t stop to get it. ‘Excuse me! Hey, wait!’ I hear, the voice getting closer, before I feel a tap on my shoulder, and I realise; I’m the idiot.

I turn around to see a boy. The first thing I notice is the piece of paper in his hand. The second thing I notice is that I already know him. ‘You dropped thi- oh, y/n! Hey! Long time, no see. Wait, whoa, are you crying?’ he asks, and I roll my eyes again as I frustratedly wipe away my tears. ‘No, Jimin, why? Does it look like I am?’ I spit out sarcastically. ‘Okay, I’m going to ignore how rude that was because you’re clearly upset about something, and I’m going to be a good person and return this to you,’ he says, holding out the piece of paper. When I realise what it is, I snatch it from him, tucking it safely into my bag and mentally chiding myself for nearly losing it.

‘Thank you. Sorry for being rude,’ I say before I turn away, continuing to head home. It’s only after a few seconds I realise he’s walking beside me, and I speed up, trying to get away from him. He speeds up too. I slow down. So does he. I stop in my tracks, turning to shoot him an annoyed look, and he merely grins back at me, blinding me with his annoyingly handsome smile.

‘What do you want, Jimin?’ I ask tiredly, deciding not to be rude after he returned my list to me. ‘Well, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other, so I thought it’d be nice to catch up. And I also know you, and you’re clearly upset about something, and I’m not going to abandon somebody who I have history with if they’re crying. And, as well as being a very caring and empathetic person, I’m very curious, and so I have to find out why you’re upset,’ he says, and I frown, continuing to walk, even more annoyed when he continues to walk alongside me.

‘It’s none of your business, Jimin,’ I say sharply, hoping he’ll leave me alone. ‘Well, obviously. It’s your business. But the nature of being curious is wanting to know other people’s business,’ he says as though he’s speaking to a little child, and I shoot him another look. ‘You’re practically a stranger.’ ‘I am not! We had classes together through the whole of high school!’ ‘I’m not going to tell you my business,’ I say with a note of finality, hoping he’ll leave the subject. And leave me, for that matter.

‘Would you tell me if you knew me better?’ he asks thoughtfully, and I roll my eyes. ‘Probably, yes.’ ‘Okay. I’m a Libra, I hate spinach and 13 is my lucky number. Oh, and I dance,’ he says, and I literally want to bash my head against a wall. ‘That does not mean I know you better. It just means you overshare.’ ‘Well, you can’t say I’m practically a stranger. Maybe only half a stranger,’ he says, and I let out a humourless laugh at how persistent he is, and he grins, mistaking it for a real laugh.

‘God, what is it with you? What do I have to say to you to get you to leave me alone?’ I ask, stopping in the street and putting my hand on my hip. ‘If you tell me why you’re crying. Or, should I say, were? Because, if you haven’t already noticed, you’re no longer crying. Thanks to me,’ he grins, and I actually didn’t notice that I’m not crying anymore.

‘Well, your stupid ass has distracted me,’ I admit, and he laughs, the sound quite… endearing. ‘So? Tell me then. I think I deserve to know. Considering I cheered you up,’ he says, and I roll my eyes yet again. ‘I said that you distracted me. That is not the same as cheering me up. Listen, Jimin, I’d appreciate it if you left me alone. It’s nice to see you again, and I hope everything’s going well in your life, but it is not a good time for me right now. My patience is seriously wearing thin,’ I say, continuing to walk, but he still walks beside me, making me want to throttle him.

‘I think your patience was already thin. And I’m a good citizen, so I would never just let a pretty girl crying pass me by without asking what’s wrong. Especially if I already know her,’ he says lightly, and I roll my eyes. Is he seriously trying to flirt with me? ‘Jimin. Leave me alone,’ I say seriously, putting emphasis on every word as the anger begins to bubble up in my stomach. ‘Not until you tell me what’s wro-’ ‘I have a week left to live!’ I shout, losing my temper, and his face instantly transforms from teasing and light, to shocked and guilty as tears fill my eyes. That’ll teach him not to pry into other people’s business.

‘Oh. Oh, gosh. I’m sorry, y/n. I wouldn’t have asked if that’s what it was. I thought you were gonna say you’d broken up with your boyfriend or something. I’m so sorry,’ he says, sounding sincere, but I merely roll my eyes, turning and walking away, and hoping he’ll leave me alone now. ‘How’d you know?’ I hear him say from beside me, and I sigh aloud, having to physically restrain myself from hitting this boy with my bag.

‘What?’ ‘How’d you know you’ve only got a week left to live?’ ‘I went to the doctor a couple days ago, for chronic headaches. They did some scans, and then I got a call this morning to go to the hospital. They told me I have a brain tumour. Terminal. They said I’m lucky if I have another ten days,’ I say tiredly, a couple tears falling down my face which I wipe away hastily, and he takes a deep breath. ‘Wow. I’m really sorry. That’s… terrible. Is there no treatment?’ he asks, and I sigh again. ‘Yes, but they said it’s unlikely to cure it, it’ll only delay my inevitable death, and it’s… painful. I’d rather die sooner than later if later’s gonna hurt. Or it could get rid of the tumour, but it could ruin my future quality of life; I might not be able to speak the same, walk the same, even think the same. So I’ve refused treatment,’ I explain, not sure why I’m opening up to him, and he nods. ‘Reasonable. I’d do the same.’

We walk in silence for a few moments before Jimin starts speaking again. ‘So. Where are you going now?’ he asks, and I side-eye him. ‘Home.’ ‘To your boyfriend?’ ‘Don’t have one.’ ‘Girlfriend?’ ‘Don’t have one of those either.’ ‘Spouse?’ ‘I’m single.’ ‘Parents?’ ‘Don’t live with them.’ ‘Siblings?’ ‘Only child.’ ‘Friends.’ ‘Don’t have any.’ ‘What about all your friends from school?’ ‘I matured; they didn’t.’ ‘Oop. Roommates?’ ‘Nope.’

‘You live alone?’ he asks, and I laugh. ‘I have a dog. If that counts,’ I say, and he grins. ‘Of course it counts. What breed?’ ‘A miniature husky. His name’s Coco, and he’s literally tiny,’ I say, a small smile coming onto my face at the thought of my baby, and he holds a hand to his heart. ‘That’s a cute name. My friend, Taehyung – you remember him, right? – he has a Pomeranian who’s tiny, called Yeontan. Tannie for short. Tan for even shorter,’ he says, and I smile despite myself.

‘That’s so adorable. Maybe Taehyung can have Coco. He’ll need a new owner,’ I say jokingly, and Jimin winces. ‘Don’t you feel like it’s too early to make jokes?’ he asks, and I laugh. ‘It’s never too early. By the time it’s okay, I’ll be dead,’ I say bluntly, and he lets out a strangled laugh, as though he wants to hold it back but can’t.

I still feel a little shocked, but mainly numb. I went through the stages of dealing with bad news whilst I was still at the hospital. I started by denying it, and telling the doctor that something in the scan must be wrong. And then I got super angry that it hadn’t already been identified and screamed a little at her (it was my own fault, though – I’m the one that didn’t go to the doctor until it’d been months of me having headaches). Then I tried to bargain with the doctor, and ask if there were any treatments that don’t hurt or wouldn’t cause me irreversible damage, or if there was any chance I would survive any longer. And then I cried. A lot. And by a lot, I mean a lot. I got through a box and a half of tissues. I was at the hospital for three and a half hours, and spent two hours of that crying. And I was still crying when I left.

I guess I’m now in the acceptance stage. I didn’t know it was possible to move through the stages that quickly.

‘What was that paper you dropped? Your diagnosis?’ he asks, and I shake my head. ‘All my paperwork was in a folder, loads of it. I threw it in the recycling at the hospital.’ ‘Glad to see you’re looking after the planet for those of us that’ll still be here when you’re gone,’ Jimin says, almost tentatively, and I burst out laughing, covering my mouth. ‘That was funny,’ I admit, and he grins, relaxing. ‘I do try.’ ‘Yes, you’re very trying.’

‘Anyway. What was that paper then?’ he asks, and I sigh. ‘Do you, like, make it your life’s mission to pry?’ ‘No, it comes naturally. A lot of girls receive it well, actually. They like it when someone good-looking seems interested in their life,’ he smirks, and I shoot him a disgusted look. ‘Big-headed much?’ ‘Just truthful.’ ‘Well, I’m not receiving it well. Clearly.’ ‘I guess you’re not like other girls then,’ he muses, and I shoot him another look. ‘Please don’t tell me you think that’s a compliment, because it isn’t,’ I say, and he laughs. ‘I didn’t mean it like that. Let me rephrase it. You’re not like the girls that I’m used to being around.’ ‘You’re probably used to being around girls just as pretty as you.’ ‘You think I’m pretty?’ ‘Shut up.’ ‘Well, you’re right. But it’s okay, because you’re not just as pretty as me. You’re prettier.

But anyway. Are you gonna tell me what that paper is?’ he asks again, skimming over the fact he’s now called me pretty for the second time, and I sigh, giving up. ‘It’s a summer bucket list. I saw this girl reading a book with the same name in the waiting room at the doctor’s surgery the other day, and it inspired me to write one,’ I admit, and he grins. ‘That’s cute,’ he says, and I roll my eyes, looking away from him. ‘Well, I’m gonna die before I get to do any of them anyway,’ I say, and he sighs. ‘Oh. Yeah. Forgot about that,’ he says, voice small, and I nod.

We continue walking, his shoulder a few inches from mine, and I distract myself from the slightly awkward silence by looking at our surroundings instead. It’s a lovely summer’s day today; warm and sunny with the most beautiful breeze. Families are out in force despite it being a weekday, little boys running around shirtless and barefoot, and little girls in cute summer outfits. Chill ‘vibey’ music floats through open car windows, couples share ice cream at the café we walk past, birds chirp in the trees that line the road. It’s such a beautiful day. I even shaved my legs and put on a cute floral playsuit. So much for sunbathing in the garden.

‘Hang on,’ Jimin says suddenly, stopping in his tracks. ‘What?’ ‘Who says you can’t tick off your bucket list?’ he asks, and I raise an eyebrow. ‘I’m going to die, Jimin,’ I say slowly, and he lets out a frustrated noise. ‘You have a week. That’s more than enough time for us to do it all,’ he says, and my eyes widen. ‘Us? Who said anything about us?’ ‘I’ve taken it upon myself to help you tick off this bucket list.’ ‘And I’m taking it upon myself to refuse your help.’

‘Um, rude. Why?’ he asks with an amused glint in his eye, and my eyes widen even more. ‘Are you kidding? We barely know each other. The closest we ever were was when Nayeon and Jungkook dated and we all planned at their joint birthday party, and when we got paired together for that History project. That was years ago; I have no idea what kind of person you are now. You could be a murderer,’ I say, and he raises an eyebrow. ‘You’re going to die anyway,’ he says, and I stifle a laugh. ‘Okay, I’m allowed to joke about it; you are not. You could be a thief.’ ‘Again: you’re going to die anyway. But, I’m not a thief, so don’t worry. You’ll still have all of your belongings to put in your will.’ ‘Excuse me. Stop joking about my imminent death.’

‘Listen, I want to help you. Let me help you tick off your bucket list,’ he pleads, and I’m surprised at myself for actually considering it. I’m going to die anyway – I might as well spend my last few days having fun. Even if it is with an unbearably curious person from my past. ‘Please let me help you. I’ll consider my life a waste if you don’t,’ he says dramatically, dropping to the floor, making enough of a scene for people to look over at us. ‘Jimin, get up,’ I hiss, and he scrabbles at my shoes. ‘I’ll die if you don’t let me. Please, y/n, please let me,’ he wails, and I look around embarrassedly, feeling lots of stares on us.

‘If I say yes, will you stop making such an embarrassment of yourself?’ I hiss, and he looks up at me with wide eyes and a grin, nodding. ‘Then, yes. I’ll let you help me,’ I sigh, and he jumps up from the floor, a wide smile spreading across his lips. ‘Okay, let’s see what I’m working with,’ he says, and I look at him blankly. ‘Let me see the list,’ he prompts, and I pull the list out of my bag, handing it to him tiredly.

‘Okay, let’s see. ‘y/n’s Summer Bucket List’. Cute. ‘21 Things to Do This Summer’. Only 21 things? This’ll be easier than I thought,’ he says, before his eyes scan down the rest of the list. As he reads it, I look him up and down, inspecting him. He’s changed since school. A lot. He’s now around 5’8’’, with clear golden skin, chocolate brown eyes, plump pink lips and ink black hair swept back from his forehead (must be dyed because I remember his hair being a lot lighter than this). He’s dressed in a pair of grey shorts and a plain white t-shirt, a loose grey jacket over the top of it with pair of sunglasses at the back of his head. ‘Okay, well, you’ve already achieved number one. Making a new friend,’ he says, pointing at himself with a grin, and I roll my eyes exasperatedly. ‘I don’t know you well enough to call you a friend,’ I say, and he sighs.

‘That’s the best bit. You barely know me, and I barely know you. We can be whoever we want to be. All I know about you is the vague stuff from school, and I know that you had high hopes for this summer, but you’ve been diagnosed with a terminal illness. And you’ve only got a week left. And that you’re grumpy and get annoyed easily and are not receptive to strangers. And you’ve got a dog called Coco. All you know about me is the vague stuff from school, and that I’m a Libra, I hate spinach, my lucky number is 13, and that I dance.’ ‘And that you’re annoyingly curious and persistent and stubborn and think a lot of yourself.’ ‘Exactly! That’s literally nothing in the grand scheme of things.’

‘So you think we should lie to each other about what and who we are?’ ‘No, no, you’re misunderstanding. Haven’t you ever wanted to be like someone, but you’re too scared to, or you’re too stuck in your ways?’ he asks, voice soft, and I nod. ‘This is your chance. We barely know each other, and we have no more than a week together. You get to be whatever you want to be, y/n, and we’ll tick off everything on your list. We can be like those reckless teenagers from all those stupid films. What have you got to lose?’ he says gently, his eyes big and his words convincing.

‘We can’t do all this in a week,’ I say, and he sighs. ‘Can’t is not in my vocabulary. And neither are cannot, unable to, won’t, shouldn’t, wouldn’t, mustn’t-’ ‘Who in this century says mustn’t?’ ‘We can easily do all this in a week. Even less than a week,’ he says, and I raise a sceptical eyebrow. ‘Ambitious, but I don’t think so.’ ‘And that’s not in my vocabulary either. But… give me four days,’ he says, and my eyes widen. ‘Four days?’ ‘Easy. I could probably do it in three, but I’ll say an extra day just to be sure,’ he says confidently, and I roll my eyes.

‘Haven’t you, like… got a job? Or, like, studying? You can’t just devote four days – or more – to helping me tick off my bucket list,’ I say, and he rolls his eyes. ‘Why are you so sensible? Trust me, there’s nothing I have to do,’ he says, and I raise an eyebrow, not believing him for a second. ‘Fine,’ he sighs, ‘I work with my friend – Hoseok, remember him? – at his dance studio, but he’ll let me have some time off,’ he says, and I’m still slightly sceptical, but decide to give him the benefit of the doubt.

‘Why do you want to help me? Haven’t you got better things to do with your life?’ I ask him, voice small, and he smiles, seemingly endeared. ‘There’s something tragic about you, y/n. You went to the hospital alone to be told that you’re going to die. And you don’t live with anybody. And you have a list of things you wanted to do this summer, but won’t be able to do them without help. My help. Of all the places you dropped that paper, you dropped it in front of me. And of all the people that could’ve picked it up, it was me. We haven’t seen each other since we left school, and even though the odds of us seeing each other again were slim, look where we are. Fate works in mysterious ways, y/n. Let me help you. For old time’s sake,’ he says softly, and I feel that little voice in my head whisper, ‘why not?’

‘You know what? Let’s do it,’ I say, throwing caution to the wind, and feeling a little bit of excitement bloom in my chest. ‘Wait, really?’ he asks, surprise on his face but also… hope in his eyes. ‘Yeah. Let’s do it,’ I say with a small smile, the excitement in my chest flooding out into my veins. He jumps up and pumps the air, whooping and shouting in celebration, and I don’t even feel embarrassed of him, finding it quite endearing.

‘Okay, let’s get started. It’s 12.32, so we have until 12.32 on Sunday to tick the whole list off. Let me look at the list again. Um… well, number one’s done. And the last one, the photo album, we can buy a photo album now and take pictures as we go along to put in it,’ he says, thinking aloud, before he turns abruptly. I look around in alarm before rushing after him. ‘Where are we going?’ ‘There’s a supermarket just down the road that we can get a photo album from. Oh, and we can buy an instant camera too! Cuter pictures,’ he says, and I roll my eyes with a small smile on my face.

‘We should just scrap that one. It’s not like I’ll be able to look back at it, so what’s the point?’ I say, and he frowns at me. ‘Well, we could say that about all of this, but it’s about making your last few days exciting and fun and an experience of a lifetime. So don’t say ‘what’s the point’, because there is a point,’ he says firmly, and I keep my mouth shut, unable to stop a small smile from appearing on my face.

We enter the supermarket, the change in temperature making me shiver in my skimpy outfit, and Jimin looks over at me. ‘Oh, my God, my mum would kill me if she knew how ungentlemanly I was being right now,’ he says, taking his jacket off. ‘No, Jimin, it’s fine,’ I try to stop him, but he’s already handing it to me and taking my little backpack from my hand. ‘Let me. Have you ever been treated like a princess?’ he asks, and I shake my head shyly. ‘Then take the jacket and let me hold your bag. It’s the least you deserve,’ he says, and I smile to myself as I shrug on the jacket without further complaint, watching amusedly when he puts on the backpack.

He leads us towards the electronics, the back corner of the store, and makes a beeline for the camera section. ‘What’s your favourite colour?’ he asks, and I hesitate. ‘It’s hard to choose a favourite,’ I say quietly, and he rolls his eyes, an amused smile playing at his lips. ‘Okay. What’s your favourite colour out of these?’ he says, motioning to the instant cameras, and I think before answering, ‘that one. The pastel blue.’ ‘Ah, nice choice,’ he says, picking one of the boxes up and heading over towards where the photo albums are, and I follow after him. ‘This one’s perfect!’ he says, pointing at one the same colour as the camera, and I nod, Jimin picking it up with a grin.

‘Right, let’s just double-check this list and see if there’s anything else we need,’ he says, getting the list out of his pocket again. ‘Hmm, we could buy some chalk to do number 4. And we can buy a shirt and markers to do number 5,’ he says, thinking aloud again, walking ridiculously quickly to where the art and school supplies section where the chalk and markers will be, before rushing off towards the clothes section, having me running around behind him.

Once we’ve picked out a plain white button-up dress shirt, we head over to the counter, Jimin chatting amicably with the cashier as I hang behind, surprised and slightly envious of his ability to speak to strangers like they’re close friends. ‘Would you mind doing us a favour?’ Jimin asks, and the cashier nods instantly, scanning through the shirt. ‘Can you sign this shirt? Just, like, with your name and your… job, I guess. We, um, we’re doing a project,’ Jimin says with a grin at me, and the cashier nods again, looking a little confused as Jimin hands her a marker from the pack. She writes ‘Soojung –supermarket cashier’, before handing Jimin the marker back with a grin.

‘Have you got film for this camera?’ Soojung asks as she scans it through, and Jimin looks to me, both of us exchanging an embarrassed glance. ‘No, but it’d probably help,’ I say frankly, and Jimin nods with a laugh. ‘I’ll go and grab them for you,’ the cashier says, getting up and running off. ‘We could’ve gone and gotten it, she didn’t have to,’ I say, and Jimin grins. ‘Perks of being a nice person – people do things for you that they don’t have to,’ he says pointedly, and I scowl at him. ‘Was that a dig?’ I demand, and he grins even wider. ‘Not at all, my dear, y/n,’ he says, throwing an arm around my shoulders, and I roll my eyes in response, the cashier reappearing with a couple boxes of film.

‘Do you want just the one or…?’ ‘We’ll take both,’ Jimin replies, the cashier nodding, scanning them through. ‘Gonna make some summer memories?’ the cashier asks, and we exchange another glance, a small smile playing at Jimin’s lips when he replies, ‘something like that, yeah.’

‘Okay, let’s have another look at this list,’ Jimin says once we’re seated in the back corner of his favourite coffee shop, pulling the list out of his pocket and reading it through. ‘So you’ve already made a new friend. Me. We’ve got the chalk for number four, and a shirt and markers for number 5. I should sign the shirt, right?’ he says, and I nod, thinking this’ll be easier if I let him do what he wants, and he grins, writing ‘Park Jimin - y/n’s fabulously beautiful assistant and school friend’. I raise an eyebrow, and he raises one back, challenging me to say something, but I just shake my head with a small smile.

‘Let’s look at the rest of them. Number 2, dyeing your hair… I have a trillion boxes of dye at home, that’s easy. Number 3, go on a road trip… we can do that, and tick off the others as we do it. Number 4, pavement chalk, we can do with Taehyung on his and Namjoon’s driveway because Tae’s good at art and their driveway is huge. Number 5, get everyone to sign a shirt, won’t be difficult, we just have to remember. Number 6, have s’mores at a bonfire… let me think about that one. Number 7,’ he begins, before looking up at me with a smirk, and I roll my eyes, a little embarrassed.

‘Don’t laugh. It’s something that so many people have done, and I never have,’ I say defensively, his mouth falling open. ‘You’ve never gotten drunk?’ he asks jokingly, and I laugh despite myself. ‘No, idiot, I’ve never skinny-dipped, but I’m pretty sure I’ll only have the courage to do it if I’m drunk,’ I say, and he nods, looking at me thoughtfully. ‘You can leave me with that one too, I’ll think about it.

Number 8, make a wish balloon, that’s easy. Number 9, go to a fairground… that may be a bit more difficult, but I’ll get it done. Number 10, have a picnic, easy. Number 11, get a tattoo, ooh, that’s fun. I know the perfect place. Number 12, go to a drive-in movie… difficult, but I’ll find a way. Number 13, cloud watch, super easy. Number 14, try camping for the first time, that’s easy too. Number 15, water fight… that’s easy as well. Number 16, homemade ice cream, easy. Number 17, pyjama day, even easier. Number 18, send a message in a bottle… should be easy. Number 19, run through sprinklers… shouldn’t be too hard. I hope. Number 20, stargaze and fall asleep under the stars, should be easy enough. And Number 21 is well under way already,’ he says with a grin.

The photo album already has two pictures in it; one of Jimin and I smiling and squinting in the sunlight, and one of us with the cashier, who looks a little awkward, but it’s fine. Nothing will be more awkward than telling her we’re trying to tick off a summer bucket list within a few days because I’m going to die soon. I was right – Jimin has a serious habit of oversharing.

‘Hi, welcome to the Sweetbrew. I’m Yoongi, I’ll be your server. What can I get you?’ a barista says, sounding like he wants to die, his entire face hidden behind a menu. ‘Yoongi,’ Jimin says, snatching the menu to reveal a boy with porcelain skin, mint green hair and brown eyes. I recognise him as one of Jimin’s best friends from school – Min Yoongi.

He was always one of the quieter members of their friendship group. Not shy, but more calm and laidback – it was easy to seem like that when surrounded by his friends, every single one of them having been big and loud characters. But he was just like the rest of them in that he was definitely popular, and desirable too. Everyone saw him as this sensitive and kind boy, his passion for music reinforcing that even more, and there was always somebody that was crushing on him, his look unique and intriguing. And he’s only gotten better looking since school, more mature and manly, yet still with the soft and delicate features that he had back then.

‘Oh, Jimin. Hey,’ he says, sounding a little more lively, before he turns to look at me. ‘Ah, y/n, right? From school?’ he asks, and I’m surprised at how quick he recognises me. ‘I told the group chat about you. Sorry,’ Jimin says, and my eyes widen, Yoongi sitting in the spare seat at our table. ‘What? When?’ I ask, and he grins. ‘While you got distracted playing with that puppy outside the supermarket,’ he says, and I frown.

‘Did you tell them everything?’ ‘No. Well, nearly everything. I told them what we’re doing, but I didn’t say why. Obviously,’ he says, and I fix him with a glare. ‘Oh, it’s okay to tell a random shop worker, but not your best friends?’ I ask, Yoongi shooting him a look too. ‘Not cool, Park,’ Yoongi says, and Jimin scowls. ‘I already apologised for that. I have a serious problem with oversharing,’ he says, Yoongi and I exchanging a glance as we chorus, ‘we know.’

‘Why are you doing this? If you don’t mind me asking,’ Yoongi asks, curiosity in his eyes, and I sigh. ‘I’ve got a brain tumour, so I’ve got, like, a week left to live,’ I say bluntly, Yoongi’s mouth falling open. ‘Oh. Oh, God, I’m so sorry, y/n, that’s awful,’ he says, sounding a little awkward, but I wave him off. ‘It’s fine. I’ve already gone through the five stages, and am now sufficiently distracted from my impending demise by your stupid friend,’ I say, Jimin scowling.

‘Well, at least he can make up for being stupid by helping you tick off your list. Anyway, you guys want drinks or you just chilling?’ Yoongi asks, and Jimin looks to me to answer. ‘I could do with a drink.’ ‘What would you like, y/n?’ Yoongi asks, and I hesitate, not quite sure. ‘Um… I don’t know. Jimin, what do you have?’ I ask, but Jimin already looks like he’s cooking up a scheme. ‘What fruits do you like, y/n?’ he asks me, and I think for a moment before answering, ‘berries, pineapple, mango, kiwi, peach. I like everything.’

Yoongi and Jimin exchange a glance, talking without words, and Yoongi nods before disappearing into the back. ‘Anyway. We need to get Yoongi to sign your shirt before we leave, remember. And then… we can go to Tae and Joon’s to do pavement chalk. And we should be able to make the ice cream at Tae and Joon’s too. Then we can go and pick up stuff from our houses before we go on the road trip,’ he says, and I hold up a hand.

‘We’re gonna have to go to mine before we go to Taehyung and Namjoon’s, because I’ve left Coco with the neighbour. I told her I’d only be a couple hours and it’s already been… nearly four,’ I say, Jimin nodding, and I can practically see his mind working. ‘We can get Coco and take her to theirs, and she can play with Tan while we get on with ticking things off. And then we can take her on the road trip with us the next day,’ he says, and I nod, getting more and more excited with his ideas.

‘Are you gonna drop me home tonight and then pick me up in the morning?’ I ask, and he thinks. ‘How about… we sleep over at Tae and Joon’s? You can get all your stuff when we go now, and then we’ll be able to leave first thing in the morning,’ he suggests, but I’m sceptical. ‘Won’t they mind?’ I ask, and he shakes his head instantly. ‘They’re so chill about this kinda stuff. They really won’t mind. We all sleep over at their house all the time because it’s the biggest. There’s more than enough space,’ he says, obviously trying hard to convince me, and I nod. There’s no point worrying about intruding at their house when their best friend seems to be the most intruding person in history.

Jimin looks back down at the list, thinking hard, and I smile to myself. It’s sweet that he’s putting so much effort in to try and tick off this list, even though we barely know each other. The most we ever said to each other at school would’ve been ‘d’you have a spare pen?’ or ‘can you pass me the bottle opener?’

Yoongi reappears after a couple minutes with two plastic cups in his hands, the drinks within them vibrant pink and orange. ‘I call this one… ‘y/n’s summer bucket list’. I put in the syrups for all the fruits you named and a lot of sugar and ice,’ he says, putting them down with a flourish, my heart warming as I smile at him. ‘Thank you. It looks amazing,’ I say, taking a sip, my eyes widening as the flavours explode in my mouth. ‘And it tastes amazing too,’ Jimin says, having already taken a (large) gulp.

‘I’m not the best barista here for nothing. But, y/n, you gotta take the credit. It is named after you,’ Yoongi says, and I roll my eyes with a smile. ‘Get out of here. But, for real, it tastes great, Yoongi,’ I say, the boy giving me the cutest gummy smile, and then I notice Jimin fiddling around with the camera. ‘What are you trying to do?’ I ask, stifling a laugh, and he sighs defeatedly. ‘Take a picture of us with your drink,’ he says, and I hold back a smile, ‘get someone else to take it.’

He ropes in an innocent woman sat beside us with her friend, and she takes a while to focus the camera on us and get the three of us in frame, but when the photo develops, it’s pretty good. ‘Perfect. Right, let’s head back and get Coco,’ Jimin says, and I hold out a hand. ‘Wait. Yoongi, will you sign this shirt?’ I ask, and he looks a little confused. Nevertheless, he signs it as ‘Min Yoongi – creator of the iconic ‘y/n’s summer bucket list’ drink and y/n’s school friend’.

Jimin looks thoughtful as we rise from our seats, and I side-eye him. I’ve noticed that a little bit of panic appears in my chest when I see that look on his face. ‘Yoongi, you busy tonight?’ Jimin asks, and Yoongi shakes his head. ‘I’m never busy,’ he says, and I stifle a laugh. ‘When d’you get off work?’ ‘4.’ ‘Come ‘round to Tae and Joon’s. I got an idea,’ Jimin says cryptically, wiggling his eyebrows at me, and I give him a look.

‘Okay. See you guys later then,’ Yoongi says before turning to head into the back. ‘Wait. Don’t we need to pay?’ I ask, and Yoongi smiles at me, a little sadness behind the expression. ‘It’s on the house. I might even speak to the manager about getting this drink put on the menu,’ he says, and I smile at him, trying to ignore the tears in my eyes. ‘Good idea. Thanks, Yoongi. See you later,’ I say, Jimin bidding him goodbye as he disappears into the back. ‘Okay,’ Jimin turns to look at me with a grin, ‘let’s go get Coco.’

‘Oh, y/n. Oh, my angel, I’m so sorry,’ Mrs Choi says for the eleventh time, dabbing at her eyes with her handkerchief, and I smile sadly. ‘It’s okay, Mrs Choi,’ I say, not sure what else to say, when Jimin appears at my elbow. ‘Everything’s in the car now, so whenever you’re ready,’ he says with a grin as he hands me the house keys, Mrs Choi looking him up and down. ‘Oh, Mrs Choi, this is Jimin… an old school friend. Jimin, this is Mrs Choi, my lovely neighbour who my dog likes more than me,’ I say, Mrs Choi laughing as Jimin shakes her hand, bowing his head politely.

‘Oh, don’t be silly, y/n, Coco adores you. He cries whenever you leave him with me,’ she says, and I raise an eyebrow. ‘And then cries when I come to pick him up,’ I point out, and she waves a hand dismissively. ‘It’s because I feed him so much,’ Mrs Choi says, and I laugh, Coco appearing in the doorway behind her. He comes bounding up to me, my heart filling as he rests his front paws on my leg, and I bend down to pick him up. ‘Hi, baby. You okay?’ I say, showering him in kisses, and ducking away when he tries to lick my face. I hate when he licks my makeup off.

‘That is the cutest dog ever,’ Jimin says, and I hold Coco out to him. He instantly takes him into his arms, and giggles when he licks the tip of his nose. Coco leaps out of his arms, and he panics, trying to catch him, but he does it all the time, bounding around the front garden. ‘Here,’ Mrs Choi says, handing Jimin the little tennis ball she keeps beside the door for when she plays with Coco. He instantly throws it and Coco bounds after it, running straight back to him with it in his mouth.

‘He’s handsome,’ Mrs Choi observes quietly so Jimin can’t hear, and I roll my eyes. ‘And doesn’t he know it?’ ‘Are you… and him…?’ ‘Oh, God, no. I… there’s a list of things I wanted to do this summer, and he’s helping me get through it all before I...’ I trail off, and she nods, blinking furiously, obviously trying not to cry. ‘That’s lovely of him. Make sure you take lots of pictures to show me,’ she says, and I grin. ‘We’ve already started a photo album. Actually. Hold on,’ I say, getting the camera out of my bag as Jimin bends down to pet Coco who jumps on him, the unexpectedness making him fall onto his back. I get a really cute picture of him lying down, laughing, with Coco on his chest, trying to lick his face.

‘Lovely. Well, I’ll let you get to it. But make sure you come to see me again before… well, when you get back from ticking off your list,’ she says, pulling me into a hug, and I screw my eyes shut, trying my hardest not to cry in front of her. She’s been like a mother figure to me since I moved out of my parents’ house, always coming over to check if I’m okay, bringing me food and inviting me around at least once a week, looking after Coco whenever I need her to. I’m heartbroken that I’m going to be leaving a hole in her life when I go.

‘I will. See you later, Mrs Choi,’ I say, pulling away from her, and we exchange a sad smile. ‘See you, y/n. Be careful, dear, and have fun,’ she says sadly, pressing a kiss to my cheek, giving me one last long look before she disappears into her house. I don’t blame her; I’d be struggling to deal if I were in her position.

‘Okay. Let’s go,’ I call to Jimin who’s sat cross legged on the floor, Coco running towards him with the ball and dropping it beside him. Jimin’s standing when I reach them and he hands me the ball, Coco’s eyes never leaving it. ‘Do you want Coco to sit on my lap or do you mind him sitting in the back?’ I ask, as we walk towards his car, and he shrugs. ‘He can sit in the back, I don’t mind,’ he says, and I pull open the back door, putting the ball in there, and Coco leaps in without hesitation. I shut the door behind him before climbing into the passenger seat, Jimin already sat in the driver’s seat.

‘You ready?’ he says excitedly as he starts the engine, putting on the radio which is currently playing Justin Bieber. ‘Yep. Let’s do this,’ I say, sneaking one last look at Mrs Choi’s house. And then it hits me. This might be the last time I look at her house. I might die before I get to see her again.

My body goes cold all over, tears prickling in my eyes as my throat constricts painfully. It just repeats in my head again and again; ‘I’m going to die. I’m going to die. I’m going to die. I’m going to die.’

Coco realises I’m upset before Jimin does, and he begins to whine from the backseat. ‘Is Coco okay?’ I hear Jimin’s voice distantly, and when I don’t reply, I hear him coo, ‘Coco? What’s the matter, boy?’ And then he looks over at me.

‘Oh,’ he breathes out, instantly pulling over. ‘y/n,’ he says gently, reaching out to take one of my hands, and the second his skin touches mine, I burst into tears. He shuffles as close as he can, the gearstick separating us, and he leans across the gap, pulling me into his arms. I sob into his shoulder, letting him hold me as the tears come in an endless flood, whispering the words ‘I’m going to die’ every few seconds.

Once I’ve calmed down (and feel ridiculously uncomfortable in the position we’re in), I gently push away from him, and he releases me, still holding one of my hands in his. ‘Sorry,’ I whisper, and he frowns. ‘Don’t apologise. You’re allowed to be upset. Like, you’re going to die, for God’s sake; you can cry about that. Cry as much as you want, you’re entitled to do so. Just… tell me when you’re upset so I don’t say something stupid,’ he says ruefully, a small laugh falling from my lips, and he grins.

‘It’s just… it’s not fair. There’s still so much I wanted to do with my life. I’ll never work in my dream job. There are so many beautiful places I’ll never get to see. Tokyo, Mexico, Portugal, Bali, Dubai, India, Australia, Brazil, Hawaii, The Caribbean, The Maldives, Greece, Morocco. So many things that everyone does that I’ll never get a chance to do. Fall in love, get married, have a family. I’ve never even been in a relationship,’ I say with a harsh laugh, and Jimin sighs.

‘You’re right, y/n. It’s not fair, it’s not fair at all. You deserve so much more, so much better. You’ve been robbed of the rest of your life. You’re allowed to be angry. I’m angry,’ he says so simply, and it feels as though his words just… make it all okay. It’s hard to explain, but they feel like a consolation. They make me feel like the way I’m feeling isn’t me just being irrational, or a spoiled brat, because I know that it could be worse. They make me feel like I’m justified in my thoughts and feelings. And that’s what I need right now.

‘Thank you,’ I say, sniffling a little, and he smiles at me. ‘You’re most welcome, y/n. Now. Are you ready to go to Tae and Joon’s or would you like to cry for a little longer?’ he says teasingly, and I laugh, shoving him gently. ‘Drive, you moron,’ I say, and he gasps as he starts up the car, a small grin playing at his lips as he says, ‘Moron? I’m about to give you the summer of a lifetime in four days. Do you think a moron could do that? No, of course they couldn’t.’

‘y/n! Oh, my God, girl, it’s so good to see you!’ Taehyung exclaims the second I open the car door, running over from the front door and throwing his arms around me. I was always a little closer to Taehyung than I was to Jimin, because we had quite a few classes together. I hug him back, my face practically smushed against his chest as he holds me in a bone-crushingly tight embrace.

‘Hey, Taehyung. How have you been?’ I ask as he releases me, his hands still on my shoulders. He holds me at arm’s length, looking me up and down, before an appreciative grin spreads across his face. I hold back from pointing out that he still has the same adorable boxy smile from high school. And then I register his bright blue hair, stifling a laugh at how eccentric he still is. ‘I’m good. You got hot, y/n!’ he exclaims, and I feel blood rushing to my face from embarrassment.

‘Thank you. But look at you! You’re so handsome, Tae,’ I grin, and he grins back with a little wink. Everything about him is just as appealing as back then. Tae was definitely a ladies’ man… and a men’s man too. He was loud and bubbly, his personality easily grabbing the attention of everyone in any room, and his laugh was crazy infectious. He was the perfect mix of cute and hot, and he’s only gotten hotter, with his manly features and strong build.

‘Thank you, babe. Come in, come in. Jimin, do you need a hand with the bags? No? Good,’ he says, not even waiting for an answer from Jimin before he drags me up towards the house, the other boy muttering behind us as I hear him pop the boot open.

The second I step over the threshold, a ball of fluff appears and begins yapping at me from behind Tae, and he bends down to pick it up. ‘y/n, this is my beloved son, Kim Yeontan, or Tannie for short,’ Taehyung says, introducing me to his little Pomeranian, who has now quietened down and is staring at me with a curious look in his eyes. ‘Hi, Tannie,’ I coo at the dog, reaching a hand out to stroke his head, and he lets me with a contented little growl low in his throat.

‘Ah, he likes you! He rarely likes strangers. Little coward,’ Taehyung says affectionately as I slip off my shoes, Jimin appearing in the doorway with my bag (a suitcase, actually – yes, I might be dying soon, but I wanna make sure I look good when I do, so I had to bring plenty of clothes) in one hand, and Coco in the other. And then the barking match starts.

Coco and Yeontan incessantly yowl and woof at each other, both of them scrabbling to get out of Jimin and Tae’s arms. And then Taehyung puts Tan down, and Tan instantly shuts up, hiding behind his dad’s legs. Jimin does the same, putting Coco down, and he tries to get Jimin to pick him up again. ‘They’re both cowards,’ I mutter with a smile as Taehyung leads us down the front hallway, Yeontan trotting along beside him as I follow behind, Coco hanging back with Jimin as he takes his shoes off and shuts the front door.

We enter the kitchen, and if it wasn’t clear from the outside of the house, it’s made clear now; this house is beautiful, and expensive. It’s roomy and spacious, modern and clean, with classy and tasteful furnishings. ‘I love your house, Tae. It’s so nice, and I love the way you’ve decorated,’ I say, and he beams at me, eyes nearly disappearing behind their lids. ‘Thank you, y/n. It was all me – Joon has no sense of decoration,’ he says, sounding genuinely touched, and Jimin raises an eyebrow at me as he walks in. ‘Look at you sucking up,’ he mutters with a grin, and Tae and I both shoot him dirty looks.

‘You want something to drink, y/n? Before we get started on the chalk?’ he asks, and I shake my head. ‘I’m okay, thank you,’ I reply, but he’s already distracted with the list that Jimin’s put in front of him on the marble island counter. ‘Ooh, so this is the list? Let’s have a look,’ he says before reading it intently. Once he’s done, his eyes flit up to me, before flitting back down to the page.

‘Don’t take offence to this, okay?’ he says, and I already brace myself for a mocking remark. ‘Some of this stuff is, like, basic teenager stuff. How have you not done all of this already?’ he asks softly, and I feel a little embarrassed. ‘I don’t know, I just… after high school, I drifted from the girls – I still talk to them every now and then, but it isn’t the same – and I didn’t really… make any new friends to do these kind of things with. I have my work friends, but the most I’ve ever done with them is a night out. And in high school, I guess I was… too cautious and too scared to join in on these kind of things. We went on a group trip to the beach – I was the only one that didn’t skinny dip. The end of school prank was dyeing our hair in the school toilets – I was the one of the only ones that didn’t dye mine. Everyone planned a camping trip together – I didn’t go. I was, and still am, a little… uptight, I guess? I wanted to change that this summer, but…’ I trail off, and Tae surprises me by nodding sadly.

‘Jimin told me on the phone while you were talking to your neighbour,’ he says, and I shoot Jimin a look. ‘I thought it’d be better if you didn’t have to keep telling people!’ he exclaims defensively, and I nod with a roll of my eyes, thinking his reasoning is fair enough. ‘I’m really sorry, y/n. There’s not much someone can say in these kind of situations, but I just want you to know that I’m so sorry, and that it’s so unfair,’ he says gently, and I smile sadly. ‘Thank you. I appreciate that.’

‘Now, anyway. Shall we get on with this list? I know Jimin said that we can start with chalk and ice cream, but…’ Tae says, voice a lot more cheerful as he sidles over to me, twisting a lock of my hair around his finger, ‘I think we should dye your hair first.’ ‘Dye it?’ I say, lifting a hand to pat my hair protectively, having not yet worked up the courage. ‘Yep. I have trillions of box dyes upstairs – you can choose any colour you like,’ he says, and I look over at Jimin who grins, nodding encouragingly.

A few minutes later, I’m sat on a stool in Tae’s lavish bathroom, a towel resting over my shoulders as I inspect the boxes laid out on the counter in front of me, Taehyung and Jimin stood behind me as Coco and Tan play in Tae’s bedroom (they seem to be the best of friends now). ‘I’m thinking I shouldn’t go too wild considering it’ll be my funeral in a little while and my parents will probably want an open casket,’ I say musingly, Taehyung choking on air as Jimin holds back a smile.

‘Good idea. Maybe… highlights or ombre rather than the whole head?’ Jimin suggests, and I nod, feeling a little more at ease at not having to take the full plunge. ‘Okay… what colour then?’ Taehyung asks, and I look at all the colours. ‘Um… I don’t know. It’s really difficult,’ I say a little timidly, both boys nodding reassuringly, trying to give me a little more confident. ‘You’re right, it is difficult. How about… two platinum blonde streaks at the front of your hair?’ Taehyung asks, and I nearly choke.

‘Blonde streaks… like an e-girl?’ I ask, and Tae laughs, nodding. ‘It’s on trend, and I think you’ll be able to pull it off really well,’ Tae says thoughtfully, and whilst I’m still not convinced, Jimin nods excitedly. ‘Yes, that’d look amazing! Go on, y/n, you should!’ Jimin urges, eyes locked with mine in the mirror, and I sigh before nodding with a small smile. ‘Why not? Go for it,’ I say, the two of them exchanging a grin.

Before I know it, the front sections of my hair have been bleached and foiled, and a timer has been set for 20 minutes. And Jimin is contemplating dyeing his own hair. ‘I mean, I’ve had black for so long, and I need a change, right? I’ve been wanting to go bright for a while. But do I go a natural bright, or a colourful bright?’ he muses, Tae fake yawning at him in the mirror, coaxing a giggle from me, but Jimin doesn’t notice, too busy inspecting the dye boxes.

‘If it helps, I liked it when you went blond at school. You look nice blond,’ I say, and he looks at me in the mirror with a thoughtful look in his eyes. ‘Bright blond, or platinum blond, or dirty blond?’ he asks, and I think for a moment before answering, ‘bright blond.’ ‘Okay, let’s go bright blond then,’ he says instantly, disappearing off to get a towel from Tae’s airing cupboard.

‘That was… interesting,’ Tae says with a smirk at me in the mirror, and I look back at him confusedly. ‘How so?’ ‘He never takes anyone’s advice when it comes to his hair dye. And he never decides that quick,’ he says, his smirk even wider, but Jimin reappears before I can reply. I try to shake off Tae’s words as Jimin looks for the right box dye.

‘Maybe I should dye my hair too,’ Tae says, looking at his blue locks in the mirror. ‘I like you with brown hair, Tae. I’d like it if you had brown hair at my funeral,’ I say, and his eyes widen slightly at the mention of it again. ‘Yeah, I think that’s a good idea. We should all have natural colours for the funeral, out of respect,’ Jimin says, and I frown. ‘No, I don’t mind if you guys had the craziest colours ever. I just think you look so… classically handsome with brown hair, Tae,’ I say, and he looks smug at my compliment. ‘Okay,’ he grins, reaching for a box dye, Jimin and I exchanging a look in the mirror as he says, ‘guess I’m going brown then.’

‘When did you go brown, Tae? And you blond, Jimin?’ a voice suddenly says, making all three of us jump. There’s a man stood on Taehyung’s front garden, and I remember him as Jung Hoseok from school. He was cute back then, but he’s handsome now with his golden skin and his silky brown hair. ‘About… 90 minutes ago,’ Taehyung says, currently drawing what looks like a heart but could also be an alien, and Hoseok nods as though it’s perfectly normal.

‘Hey, y/n. Your hair looks nice,’ Hoseok says, shooting a heart-shaped smile at me, and I smile back. I’m still not used to my hair being blonde when it falls into my face, but it does look nice – Tae and Jimin did a good job. ‘Hey, Hoseok. Thank you. Tae and Jimin did it.’ ‘Please, call me Hobi. Anyway, how are you?’ he says before wincing, obviously already aware of my situation. Jimin really can’t keep his mouth shut. ‘I’m okay. How are you?’ I ask, and he nods, replying, ‘I’m good. Excited to work on this list.’ ‘Well, get some chalk and get your ass down here to help us,’ Jimin says from where he’s sprawled out on the gravel, drawing a dog (or attempting to, anyway).

We’ve been working on the chalk for just over an hour, listening to music from Taehyung’s speaker that’s sat in the doorway (Coco and Tan have already knocked it over several times whilst they’ve been playing). Bright chalk covers nearly all of Taehyung and Namjoon’s driveway – except for where Tae and Jimin’s cars are – rainbows, flowers, hearts, clouds surrounding us (as well as a bunny, a pineapple, a unicorn, a slice of watermelon and Jimin’s dog).

‘It looks like you’re nearly done,’ Hoseok observes, and I nod, wiping my forehead clean of sweat. ‘Yeah, we are. This isn’t as fun as I thought it was going to be,’ I say frankly, the others all laughing. ‘The fun comes from taking pictures with the chalk,’ Taehyung says, and I get up instantly. ‘Okay, let’s just take pictures and then carry on with the list,’ I say, the three of them laughing again as Jimin and Taehyung get up from the floor.

Taehyung instantly goes into director mode, making me lie down in a gap in the chalk. Jimin stands over me, one foot on either side of my waist, taking pictures on both the camera and his phone whilst Taehyung directs him on how to take them and me on how to pose, Hobi using his phone torch to give us better lighting (it doesn’t make much of a difference, but he’s trying).

I start to feel a little embarrassed, wondering what we must look like to Tae’s neighbours, before I remember that life is short – mine especially – so I should make the most of it without worrying what people think of me. After a few minutes (and a few dozen pictures), I get into it a little more, and the boys all begin hyping me up, Jimin making a few flirty comments here and there.

And then Jimin joins me, Taehyung taking the camera and Hobi directing us (he’s even more… bossy than Taehyung, instructing us down to the simplest things – the positions of our fingers, the direction we look in, the angle of our heads. Everything.)

‘You guys are gonna make her regret asking for help,’ a voice comes from the driveway, all of us looking over to see Namjoon and Jungkook from school stood there, leaning against the Jimin’s car. ‘Watch the car!’ Jimin exclaims, both of them heading over. ‘Just for the record, I didn’t ask for help. Jimin forc- I mean, Jimin volunteered his help,’ I say, correcting myself when he shoots me a dirty look, the others laughing.

‘It’s good to see you guys again. Did you walk here?’ I ask, and Namjoon nods. ‘It’s good to see you too. Jungkook picked me up from work, and then we dropped his car off and walked here. We all live really close to each other. Jimin, Jungkook and Hobi live on the road up there, and Jin and Yoongi live on the road down that way,’ Namjoon points, and I nod, thinking how sweet it is that they all live so close together.

‘JK, the blue’s gonna have to go,’ Tae says to the baby of their group. He’s changed more than all of them; he still has his big eyes and his cute bunny teeth, but that’s where the similarities end. He’s so handsome, and his body is lean and tall. Not as tall as Namjoon, though; he always was tall, but he’s grown even more now, and he’s gorgeous, with his dimples and blond hair. It’s like only beautiful people are allowed in their friendship group.

‘What?’ Jungkook asks, confused, his eyes wide. ‘You need to dye your hair brown again,’ Tae says, Jungkook frowning. ‘Why? I’ve only been blue for a couple days. Don’t you like it?’ ‘It looks great, but we’re all going natural out of respect, for y/n’s funeral,’ Jimin says casually, Jungkook choking and Namjoon slapping his back with wide eyes. ‘Jimin. You can’t just drop it in like that,’ Hobi reprimands, but I wave it off. ‘It’s fine, I’d prefer if we just spoke about it normally. Anyway, you don’t have to go brown, Jungkook, it’s okay,’ I say, Jungkook nodding, still looking a little shell-shocked.

‘Can we get up now?’ I say to Hobi from where I’m lying on the floor, shoulder-to-shoulder with Jimin, and he shakes his head. ‘If you want to make a scrapbook, you can’t just have pictures of you and Jimin in it. You need to get pictures with all of us,’ he says simply, and I bite my tongue, knowing I’ll just have to suck it up. Twenty minutes later, I’ve taken several pictures with all of the boys, and it was a little fun, I guess. We’ll have run out of film by the end of the day at this rate.

But my head’s starting to hurt a little, and I know I can’t take anymore. ‘Can we stop now? I’ve got a bit of a headache,’ I say, sitting up, and they all look a little worried. ‘Is it from being under the sun for so long?’ Hobi asks, nervously, but Tae speaks before I can reply; ‘no, it’s probably the hair dye.’ Jimin looks at them both incredulously. ‘I think it’s the tumour in her brain,’ he says slowly, and I can’t help but share his exasperation at their stupid suggestions, the boys all falling into a shocked silence as Jimin looks to me with thinly-veiled amusement.

‘Yeah, I think you’re right, Jimin, it probably is,’ I say, holding back a laugh. ‘Do you want some painkillers?’ Tae asks weakly, and I smile, shaking my head. ‘I’m okay, thanks. I might just have a little lie-down, if that’s okay?’ I ask, Tae nodding straight away. ‘I’ll show you to one of the guest rooms and you can have a shower, or a nap, if you want?’ Tae suggests as Hobi and Jimin help me up, my head dizzy and light, and I nod. ‘That sounds perfect.’

I blink in the slices of soft sunlight that fall between the blinds onto the bed, sitting up carefully. My head feels a lot better after that nap, which was the best nap of my life, by the way. Tae and Joon must be seriously rich, because this bed is the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in. And the room is super lavish, monochrome and clean, with a deep carpet and expensive looking furnishings. The bathroom was nice too, and I dragged out my shower a lot longer than usual, my skin smelling fresh with Tae and Namjoon’s expensive passionfruit body wash.

I slowly climb out of the bed, looking at myself in the floor to ceiling mirror on the wall opposite me. I still can’t get used to the hair, but it does look good. Tae has good taste, and he and Jimin put the dye in really well – the front sections of my hair are the perfect vibrant blonde. Tae put all these different haircare products in it after he washed out the dye, and it feels healthier than ever before. It’s obvious he’s dyed his hair plenty, because he’s clearly an expert. He could be a hairdresser if he wanted to.

I open my suitcase and get out a bralet to put on (my pyjamas are satin, and I’d rather not have my nipples visible through them in a room full of childhood friends I haven’t seen for years) and put it on beneath my black button-up pyjama shirt. I quickly splash some water over my face to wake myself up a little before I head downstairs, following the loud voices that lead me into the kitchen. Namjoon’s stood at the counter, making coffee, Jungkook, Jimin, Tae and Hobi sat around the breakfast bar with two new arrivals; Yoongi, and Seokjin. Seokjin literally hasn’t aged a day, and he’s somehow even more handsome than he was back then, with his plump lips and swept back dark hair.

‘Sleeping beauty awakes!’ Jimin exclaims when he sees me walk in, and I smile softly, still a little sleepy. His blond hair really does look good, the perfect summer colour, and Tae’s looks really good too – the dark brown locks make him look like a model. ‘y/n! They were right, you really are gorgeous!’ Jin exclaims, jumping up and pulling me into a hug, and I try to supress the embarrassment I’m feeling at them talking about me, and telling Jin I’m gorgeous. One thing I remember about Jin was that he never used to feel embarrassed, at anything. Sometimes he’d get a little shy, and his ears would go red, but he’d never hesitate to do something, even if it was embarrassing, if it would help to ease any awkwardness and make people feel comfortable.

His hugging me, despite us barely speaking when we went to school together and not having seen each other for years, is just what I need, and a perfect example of how kind Jin is.

‘Thanks, Jin, but look at you! You’re really handsome,’ I say honestly, feeling at ease after his hug, and he grins at me. ‘You didn’t call me handsome, y/n, but you called Tae and Jin handsome,’ Jimin pouts, and I roll my eyes at him. ‘She knows Tae and I are the best-looking, that’s why,’ Jin says, and Jimin scowls at him before looking back at me, still waiting for an answer. ‘Just because I didn’t say it out loud, doesn’t mean I didn’t think it,’ I say matter-of-factly, and he grins proudly. ‘What about the rest of us?’ Hobi asks, all of them flashing smiles at me, and I blink a few times. ‘You’re all handsome. Now stop smiling at me before I faint,’ I say, all of them laughing.

‘Coffee, y/n?’ Namjoon asks, but I shake my head. ‘I’m trying to cut down on my caffeine intake. Thanks, though,’ I say, and Jimin frowns. ‘y/n, it’s not like it matters,’ Jimin says, everyone wincing, and I laugh, nodding in agreement. ‘You’re right. I will have some, please, Namjoon,’ I say, everyone laughing again as Namjoon nods with a smile, getting another mug out for me. ‘Sit down, y/n,’ Tae says, patting the empty seat between him and Jungkook, and I sit in it, feeling a little self-conscious. I’m in my pyjamas, with no makeup and slight bedhead, and they’re all just… so handsome.

‘What do you guys do? For you all to be at home at… 5.38 on a Wednesday?’ I say, reading the time on the clock. I have all of the boys on social media, so I vaguely know some of what goes on in their lives, but not much. It’s hard to keep track of everyone from school. ‘Um, I own my own photography business. We do photography for weddings, parties, photo shoots, etc. and we’ve had some pretty high-profile clients, so we’re quite successful. And I do some art on the side, and some of my paintings have sold well, hence the fancy house. I get to work from home most of the time, because I mainly do editing – I’ve hired photographers, but I do a couple weddings here and there,’ Tae says, and I’m impressed, though not surprised. Tae always did have a talent for art, and he was the photographer for the school newspaper, so this career is perfect for him.

‘I own my own dance studio, and we only open on Monday and Tuesday 6-9, Thursday 3-6, and then Saturdays and Sundays,’ Hoseok says and, again, I’m not surprised; Hoseok always loved his dancing and he put more effort into dance than into his school work, but I guess it paid off.

‘I work for Hobi and Tae. I teach classes every day that it’s open, and then I do some photography work every couple weeks. And I do some shifts here and there at a tattoo shop,’ Jungkook says, and I think it’s really cute that he works for his friends, though I wonder if it sparks any arguments between them. I look at Jimin when Jungkook mentions the tattoo shop, and Jimin grins with a little nod, my stomach turning. Obviously, he was referring to where Jungkook works when he said he knew the perfect place for me to get a tattoo.

‘I do all the finances and admin and paperwork for Tae and Hobi, and I work for a small record label, producing and rapping,’ Namjoon says as he puts my coffee down in front of me, and I thank him with a smile, quite surprised to hear Namjoon’s career choice. To be fair, Namjoon excelled in all of his subjects, so he’d be good at whatever he chose to do.

‘I’m a part-time chef at this restaurant in the city, and I’m also studying to become an actor,’ Jin says, and I’m impressed. I didn’t know Jin was interested in cooking or in acting, but now that I look at him, he really does look like an actor, and I could imagine him as a chef too, with one of those big white hats.

‘I’m a barista, as you know, I teach a couple piano lessons a week, and I do some rapping and producing at the same company as Namjoon,’ Yoongi explains, and I remember how good he was at piano. He was chosen to play at one of these awards’ evenings we had at school, and we were all so impressed at how good he was. Rapping, though? I never knew he could rap.

Everyone looks at Jimin to answer, but he looks back blankly before saying, ‘I already told her my job.’ They all nod before looking back at me. ‘What do you do, y/n?’ Jin asks, and I roll my eyes. ‘I work part-time as an assistant at a law firm, and I’m studying to become a lawyer. Or I was anyway,’ I trail off, a little sad that I’ll never be able to do my dream job, and the boys all give me pitying looks. Except for Jimin, who says, ‘damn, y/n, you’re clever. Law student, huh?’ I nod with a smile, and he grins. ‘You could’ve got in on the family businesses, and done all the boring legal shit for us,’ Jimin says, and I grimace, internally endeared at him calling them the family businesses. ‘I’d have passed. Sorry,’ I say, the boys all laughing.

‘Okay, enough chit chat. Let’s carry on with your list,’ Jin says, picking it up from where it sits in the middle of the island, and I take a sip of my coffee. ‘Should I wash the chalk from your driveway?’ I ask Tae and Joon, and they both shake their heads. ‘I was about to, but Jin stopped me. He wants some pictures with you and the chalk,’ Tae says, and I let out a sigh, all them laughing. ‘We’ve literally spent all of our time on the chalk so far. Your four days are gonna fly by,’ I say to Jimin, who waves it off with an easy grin.

‘Stop trying to worry me. Four days is plenty. You go take some pictures with Jin, and Yoongi, while I set up the next thing for us to tick off,’ Jimin says, getting up and pulling me off my seat, pushing me towards the door. ‘Make sure you get plenty of good pictures,’ Jimin says to Tae with a mischievous glance at me, who nods, and I roll my eyes. ‘We’re gonna run out of film,’ I say, but Jimin shakes his head with a grin. ‘I went out whilst you were asleep and got some more supplies, including a few more boxes of film,’ he grins, and I let out a deep sigh as Tae and Jin drag me outside, Yoongi trailing behind, and Jimin waving at us from the doorway.

‘Done with your photoshoot?’ Jimin asks as we walk into the living room. ‘Yes, thank God,’ I say, throwing myself down onto the sofa. ‘Jin, you’re way too demanding. We were out there for forty-five minutes,’ Yoongi says, flopping down next to me, and Jin scowls at us from the doorway. ‘Tae wasn’t getting my angles!’ he exclaims, and Tae’s eyes widen. ‘You’re not blaming this on me. I own a photography business, so don’t accuse me of being a bad photographer,’ Tae says, Jin opening his mouth to speak, but Jimin interrupts; ‘don’t argue. y/n’s dying.’

They go silent, and I burst out laughing as Jimin grins at me. ‘You can’t drop that into every conversation, Jimin,’ I laugh, the others relaxing a little, and Jimin shrugs. ‘I can. Just watch. Anyway, before you get comfy, we need to go into the dining room,’ he says vaguely with a knowing grin, and I narrow my eyes at him. ‘I don’t want to, because of that look on your face,’ I say suspiciously, and he laughs. ‘Come on, y/n, we gotta tick the next thing off your list,’ Jimin says amusedly, holding a hand out to me, and I take it after a moment of hesitation, letting him pull me up. He doesn’t let go of my hand, dragging me behind him into the dining room, and it takes a little while for me to register what’s going on.

The table is set up with these different machines, and Jungkook sits at the table with an empty seat beside him, a lamp set up to cast a bright light onto the empty chair. And then I spot the little book on the table, sat beside a bunch of needles lined up on a small white sheet.

Jungkook’s about to give me a tattoo.

‘Oh, hell no,’ I say, turning around, but Jimin grabs me around the waist before I can walk away, picking me up and carrying me over to the door as I struggle around in his arms, the other boys watching amusedly. But Jimin’s freakishly strong, and my struggling doesn’t work. He puts me down in the empty chair, and I pout at him before looking around at the others. Tae, Jin and Yoongi are stood in one doorway, blocking it, and Namjoon and Hobi stand in the other, blocking that too. I literally cannot leave, and when I look down at the needles, my stomach turns.

‘Do you want to look through the book?’ Jungkook asks gently, and I sigh. ‘Not really,’ I say, all of them laughing as he hands me the book, and I flip through it. ‘Can you all stop looking at me? Or at least put on some music so I don’t feel so tense,’ I say, more laughter rippling around the room as Taehyung gets his phone out of his pocket and taps the screen a couple times, gentle RnB music floating out into the room from the ceiling. They must have a built-in sound system – their house really is boujee.

I scan the book and some of the designs are cute, but none of them really stand out to me. ‘Struggling to choose one?’ Jungkook asks quietly, the others having conversations between themselves, and I nod. He rolls up his sleeve, and shows me the various tattoos that cover his arm and hand. He has a flower, a skeleton hand, the word ‘Truth’, the woozy emoji, a purple heart, a little crown and some black stripes with various numbers and letters on his hand. ‘They all stand for different things. Like, for example, this is the tiger flower, which is my birth flower, and the letters all stand for the guys. So you could get some that are meaningful to you, or you could just get something that you think looks pretty. It’s up to you,’ he says, and I nod, thinking.

I decide on getting my birth flower, a little bolt of lightning and my parents’ initials. ‘Why don’t you get something summer related?’ Jimin suggests softly, and I think before nodding. ‘Like… the sun, or something?’ I ask, and he shrugs. ‘Whatever you want. You could get a picture or a quote, anything you want. It’s up to you, y/n. It’s your body,’ he says, and I nod, thinking about the first idea I had for a tattoo when I wrote that list. ‘How about ‘we’ll always have summer’… or is that silly?’ I ask, and Jungkook shakes his head straight away.

‘Of course it isn’t silly,’ he says, but Jimin looks at me thoughtfully. ‘Who’s we?’ he asks, and I sigh. ‘I don’t know. A general ‘we’, I guess? Like… as bleak as life gets, as boring, as sad, as hard as life is, there’s always the hope, the promise, the excitement of summer. So no matter what happens, we’ll always have summer,’ I explain, Jungkook’s eyes widening, and Jimin nodding at me with a small smile. ‘Wow, that’s so deep, y/n. You’re so clever,’ Jungkook says, and I laugh, waving it off.

‘Have you decided yet?’ Hobi asks, and I nod, feeling a little nervous. ‘I’m getting my birth flower, a bolt of lightning, my parents’ initials, and ‘we’ll always have summer’. What do you think?’ I ask, and Hobi smiles, looking impressed. ‘You’re getting four?’ he asks, and I laugh. ‘Might as well.’ ‘Where do you want them?’ Jungkook asks, and I hesitate. ‘Where does it hurt least?’ ‘Your ass,’ Jimin says with a grin, and I swat at him whilst the others all laugh. ‘The least painful is usually your back, the outside of your arms, the inside of your forearm and the outsides of your thighs. Hands aren’t too bad, and nor are shoulders,’ Jungkook explains.

After a lot of deliberation, we make the decision as a group of where I should have them; birth flower on my inner forearm, my parents’ initials on my right ring finger, the lightning bolt on the side of my ribcage/side-boob, and the quote on the back of my left shoulder. ‘How long will it take, Jungkook?’ I ask as Jungkook sets up all his equipment, the others arguing about what we should have for dinner. ‘Please, call me JK, or Kook, or whatever. And, it shouldn’t take longer than a few hours, because they’re all quite small. The quote will take the longest, and I can usually do quotes in an hour and a half, so I’d say… three hours, maybe three and a half?’ he says, and I feel dread at the thought of being in pain for that long. But it’s fine. I’ll be fine.

‘Are you still not done?’ Taehyung demands as he enters the room, Jungkook’s eyes still fixed on my finger as he sighs. ‘Relax, I’m doing the last one now. I’ll be done in a few minutes,’ he says, and Tae huffs. ‘You’re taking ages. We want to do the next thing on her list.’ ‘Don’t rush me, Tae. Tattooing is an art,’ Jungkook says calmly, Tae rolling his eyes from behind Jungkook’s back, and I hold back a laugh.

It actually wasn’t that painful, surprisingly. The worst thing was having to stay still for so long. He started with my birth flower, and it was fascinating to watch the ink appear on my skin, at first. The fascination soon wore off, and I was itching to move, but I knew I’d just ruin it if I did.

Then he moved onto the quote. I had to tie my hair up into a bun and sit backwards on a chair whilst he did it, and Jimin fed me some of the Chinese food they’d ordered, keeping me entertained with his stupid antics. Jin tried to feed Jungkook, but when he choked Jungkook with a chopstick, Jungkook decided he’d just eat afterwards.

And then he did my lightning bolt. I had to take off my top and unclasp my bra, holding it in place with my arm out of the way so Jungkook could get to my side-boob easily, and I told the boys that none of them could come in whilst he was doing that one, because the bra kept slipping. Jungkook was very professional though, and I can’t even imagine how many boobs he’s seen over his time working as a tattoo artist.

And now he’s doing my fingers. I’m used to the stinging pain now, and I’m very proud of myself for not crying. Tae shows me some funny videos on his phone whilst Jungkook carries on with the tattoo. ‘And… done!’ he exclaims, sitting back in his chair with a sigh. I look at my hand, pleased with how the tattoo looks. ‘Thank you, JK, it’s great.’ ‘No problem. Right… let me give you the aftercare speech,’ he says as he begins to put the weird jelly stuff and a bandage onto my finger. It’s weird how professional he is – I saw him passed out drunk at house parties more times than I can remember, and now he’s giving me tattoos and telling me how to look after them properly.

‘Don’t remove these bandages for 24 hours, and when you do, wash the tattoos, gently, with an unscented soap and water, and pat it dry afterwards. Put on some of this ointment twice a day, if you can, but you don’t need to put on another bandage. Wash them a few times a day, gently, with unscented soap and water, and always pat them dry, and then put on an unscented sensitive skin moisturiser. Obviously, you’re going to tick those things off your bucket list, and I’m sure a couple involve being in the water and sun. We usually advise against being in the water and sun, but obviously, you’re not going to do that, so just don’t be in the sun for too long, and put plasters over them when you go in the water, to try and stop them being infected. It’s not really that big of a deal if they do get infected because…’ ‘I’m dying anyway.’ ‘Yeah, that. So don’t worry about it too much, but just try your best to be careful with them. Oh, and don’t go into hot water, if you can help it. Have cool showers, and not for too long, either. I think that’s it, but if you have any questions, just get my number from Jimin and text or call me. Do you have any questions now?’

‘Only one; would you rather I transferred you the money, or do you want cash?’ ‘y/n, don’t be ridiculous. I’m not charging you,’ he says as though it’s obvious, and I frown. ‘Jungkook.’ ‘No, y/n, I’m not taking money from you.’ ‘Why not? I haven’t got anything else to spend it on, remember? And it’s taken you ages!’ ‘It doesn’t matter. I’m not accepting any money from you, and that’s it. I do free tattoos for the boys all the time – Jimin’s got several from me. Just see it as a gift from an old friend,’ he says simply, with a grin, and I can’t help the small smile on my face. ‘Thank you, JK,’ I say, and he grins even wider, his cute little bunny teeth on display. ‘No problem, y/n.’

‘Are you done now? Can we move on to the next thing?’ Tae says excitedly, Jungkook nodding with a laugh at his eagerness. ‘Come on, then,’ Tae says, grabbing my hand and pulling me up, dragging me out of the dining room. He leads me towards the back door, pushing it open and moving aside to let me out first, and I gasp when I see the garden. ‘I know it’s not that big but it’s the best I could do,’ Jimin says as I slip on the sliders that he puts down on the floor in front of me, stepping out onto the light wood decking.

Tae and Namjoon’s garden is beautiful – it’s obvious at least one of the two loves gardening. The decking has steps down onto the grass which is healthy and neat, a dark, rich green, and there are trees and flowers of all different colours lining the light wood fence that runs around the garden. Fairy lights are strung up around the fence, casting a warm yellow glow across the space and there’s a fire pit in the middle of the garden, a small fire inside it with a garden furniture set placed around it, four armchairs and two two-seaters.

‘Oh, my God, this is great! Did you already have a fire pit?’ I ask Tae who shakes his head. ‘Jimin went out to buy one earlier,’ he says, and I look to Jimin with a frown. ‘You shouldn’t have. Let me give you the money for it,’ I say, and he shakes his head before I even finish speaking. ‘I don’t think so. Come on,’ he says, holding out an arm to me, and I take it with a begrudging smile. He leads me down the decking steps, across the grass to the bonfire and he sits down in an armchair as I sit in the two-seater beside it, Tae and JK following behind, the leftovers of the Chinese food in Jungkook’s hands.

‘Where are the others?’ I ask, and Jimin looks a little sheepish. ‘I, um, went to get supplies when you were sleeping, right? Well, I bought the fire pit, but I forgot all the other stuff,’ he explains, rubbing the back of his neck embarrassedly, and I hold back a laugh. ‘What other stuff?’ I ask, just as Jin and Hobi appear through the back door. ‘The biscuits, the chocolate, the marshmallows, the roasting sticks. Everything else,’ Jin says exasperatedly, the two of them coming to join us.

‘Where are the other two?’ Tae asks as they take their seats, Jin taking a prawn cracker from Jungkook’s lap, the boy shooting him a dirty look. ‘Putting the stuff onto plates for us, because a couple of us are too messy and, apparently, we’ll drop melted marshmallows and chocolate onto the grass and ruin it,’ Hobi says with a roll of his eyes, and I have a feeling he’s quoting Namjoon. ‘Am I wrong, though? There’s still the patch of grass that’s discoloured after Jimin spilled beer on it!’ Namjoon exclaims, holding blankets in his arms, Yoongi following behind with a tray in his hands, paper plates atop the tray. ‘How many times do I have to apologise for ruining your grass before you forget?’ Jimin asks tiredly as Namjoon and Yoongi take their seats, and Namjoon gives him a hard look. ‘As many times as it takes for the grass to return to its proper colour,’ Namjoon says, and I can feel an argument brewing so I quickly change the subject.

‘Shall we get a picture?’ I ask, not realising that another argument is about to start, over who’s going to take the picture. ‘Oh, my God, we’ve been arguing for five minutes! Just let me take the picture!’ Yoongi exclaims (after five minutes of arguing), his annoyance only half-hearted, and I pout. ‘No, Yoongi, I want you in the picture. I want us all in the picture,’ I say, Jin sighing and grabbing his temples before sending Namjoon to ask their nice neighbour, Mr Lee. I feel bad for disturbing him at 9.09pm on a Wednesday, but they insist. It’s more than a little awkward when he starts asking questions and Jimin says with a grin, ‘we’re ticking off y/n’s summer bucket list because she’s got a brain tumour and she’s going to die in a week.’ It’s like he can’t take the pictures quick enough after that, practically sprinting out of the garden once he’s done.

Yoongi gives us all our plates, Jungkook balancing his on one knee whilst he eats his Chinese food, and I feel pretty stupid when all of them instantly know how to put their s’mores together. ‘Have you never had s’mores before?’ Jimin asks, and I shake my head sheepishly. ‘Here, let me show you. You gotta just put a marshmallow on a stick,’ he says, and I copy the way he spears it on the stick. ‘Then you hold it over the fire for a little while, until it goes a bit brown, and then turn it over the other way,’ he says, holding his stick over the fire, and I do the same, turning it the other way once it’s browned a little. ‘And then you get a piece of chocolate and put it on top of a biscuit. And then you put the marshmallow on top of that. And then you put a piece of chocolate on top of the marshmallow, and another biscuit on top of the chocolate. Then you take it off the stick and… you got your s’more!’ he says, holding his s’more up with a flourish. It looks a lot neater than mine, but I’m still proud of myself for managing to not set fire to anything. ‘Just wait a little for it to cool down. Kook learned that the hard way,’ Jimin says pointedly, the other boy pursing his lips embarrassedly as we all laugh.

The sky is still high and light with clouds, though the sun has disappeared over the horizon, the moon a pale white circle against the soft blue. The air is still warm, but not with the humidity of earlier today, a cool tinge to the breeze that glides across my skin. It’s the perfect summer evening, made even better by the light conversations we have and the alcohol that Taehyung brings out for us – Jimin, Yoongi and Jin drink their soju like it’s going out of fashion, Jungkook, Namjoon and Hobi nursing beers instead whilst Tae and I sip on our Malibu and coke (very little Malibu actually in it). The s’mores are amazing, the warm gooey marshmallow, rich melty chocolate and crunchy sweet biscuits a perfect combination – whoever came up with s’mores is an actual genius.

‘Do you want some more s’mores, y/n?’ Hobi asks once my plate is empty, and I groan, the boys all laughing. ‘I think I’ll explode if I have another. I’ve eaten more today than I have in the last week,’ I say, clutching my stomach. ‘I’ll have one, Hobi,’ Jungkook says with a cheeky grin, and Hobi shoots him a glare, no real venom in it. ‘Get yourself one.’ ‘You offered to y/n!’ ‘You’re not dying in a week,’ Hobi says, eyes instantly flitting to me to see if I mind, but I’m already bursting into laughter, my head falling onto Jin’s shoulder which is shaking from his laughter too.

‘Are we terrible for joking about death?’ Jungkook says once we’ve all calmed down, and I sigh. A cold breeze rushes past us, biting at my skin, and I shiver, pulling my blanket closer around me and shuffling forward in my seat so I sit closer to the bonfire. It’s gotten so much cooler so quickly, all of us wrapped up in blankets. ‘What can we do but joke about it? I think I’d cry if we didn’t,’ I say into the silence, the boys all just listening as I stare into the flickering flames, deeply inhaling the smoky scent in the air.

‘It still doesn’t feel real. How do you prepare yourself for death?’ I ask, voice a little shaky, and Jin puts a hand on my shoulder gently. ‘I wish we could tell you, y/n, and make it easier for you, but it will never be easy to see someone of your age die. Old people, who have lived their lives, they can prepare for death. I don’t think you can. And I’m sorry for that, I really am. We all are,’ he says softly, his kind words bringing a sad smile to my face. ‘Thank you. Thank you all, for doing all this today, and Namjoon and Taehyung, for opening your home to me,’ I say, all of them reflecting my sad smile back at me.

‘We’d have done it even if you weren’t dying, y/n. Please, don’t think we’re only doing this because you’re dying. We’ve all known each other since we were kids. And look at all you did for us. We’d have done all of this for you regardless of your health if you asked us to,’ Namjoon says, and I look at him in confusion, wondering what he means. ‘What did I do for all of you?’ ‘We were talking about this whilst you were asleep. Remember when I was riding my bike past your house, and I fell off it?’ Namjoon asks, the others laughing at the mention, and all of a sudden, a memory I didn’t even know I had appears in my mind.

We must’ve been around 7; I don’t remember what I was doing, but I saw Namjoon on the floor outside of my house through the window, clutching onto his knee with his bike beside him. I ran and got the plasters from where they were in one of the kitchen cupboards, and practically sprinted outside. I sat down on the floor beside Namjoon, and there were tears in his eyes, and his knee was bloody. Not knowing that you’re supposed to clean a cut and disinfect it, I’d just put a plaster on for him, and then my parents saw what was going on, and took Namjoon inside to properly clean the cut, me following them in with his bike in my arms, and then they phoned his mum to let her know what had happened. Our school was a tight knit community and all the parents were friends with each other – they all had each other’s phone numbers.

‘How do you remember that?’ I ask, smiling at the memory, and he grins. ‘It’s the first act of kindness I remember experiencing. And it might have been simple, but it taught me to be kind, and do things for people when I didn’t have to, because that’s what you did for me,’ he says, and then all of the boys share the stories of things I did for them over the years we went to school together.

For Jin, I’d lost one of his crayons and then I’d brought in a whole new pack for him. When his mum mentioned it to my parents and thanked them for buying Jin a new pack, they’d had been confused; they hadn’t bought a new set of crayons. I’d taken in one of my own sets for him without telling them. Jin brought it into school every day and shared it with me and only me, and wrote both of our names on the packaging so that everyone would know that they belonged to the both of us.

For Yoongi, I’d recorded his piano performance at the awards’ evening because I’d overheard his mum saying she’d forgotten her video camera at home and didn’t have a smart phone to record it on. I’d sent it to him that night, letting him know why I’d recorded it, and he’d thanked me before showing his mum. I never knew this at the time, but apparently she was so happy that she cried, and made Yoongi give me a present to thank me. I didn’t know that Yoongi was the one who put the thank you card in my locker with a necklace in it a couple weeks later – he’d been too shy to give it to me face to face (I’d been so confused, wondering who was thanking me and for what). I still wear the necklace sometimes – it’s a silver chain with a little butterfly pendant that rests between my collarbones.

For Hobi, I’d spotted a random bag in the school car park, and checked the belongings to see that it was Hobi’s – his wallet had been in there, along with a load of money and some dance clothes. I’d brought it in the next day and gave it to him, and he’d thanked me profusely. What I didn’t know at the time was that his mum had worked multiple jobs in order to fund his dancing, including buying him all that dance gear, and that he’d thought that someone would’ve stolen it all because they were worth a lot, as well as stealing his wallet. But instead, it’d been returned back to him, with everything still in there.

For Taehyung, I’d been the only one to say I liked his drawing, back when we were little kids. It was of a little alien cartoon character, with a heart shaped head (the same thing he’d been drawing in chalk on the driveway earlier), and everyone else laughed at him and called it silly and said it looked nothing like the real cartoon. But when I told him it was nice and that I thought it was really good, it made him want to draw it more, before he started drawing other things too, and his passion for art had been sparked, all because of a little compliment from me when we could barely write our names.

For Jungkook, I’d been helping clean Dahyun’s house after her house party, and I found him passed out in the upstairs bathroom. I got Dahyun to help me get him into my car, drove him home (I knew his address from a party he’d had once), used his house keys to get him in his house, helped him lie down on the sofa, forced him to drink some water and then left a note beside a full bottle of water to letting him know who’d dropped him off at home. And then I’d locked up after myself and posted the keys through the letterbox. His mum had phoned my parents the next day to thank me profusely, and brought over some cupcakes – they were amazing, by the way.

And for Jimin, maybe the most important of them all – I’d done my end-of-year presentation on eating disorders. We had to do the presentations for our language grade, to show that we could speak with fluency and precision and accuracy, and we were told to do it on an interesting topic so that we would be motivated to write an engaging presentation. Almost everyone else did theirs on superficial things, like their hobby or their favourite celebrity. Mine was one of the only serious ones. Everyone had praised mine – I always was good at language – and I got one of the highest two grades (Namjoon and I competed for the top of the class in every lesson we had together). But what I didn’t know was that, thanks to my presentation, Jimin realised he had an eating disorder. He was virtually starving himself, not eating for days at a time, whilst over exercising, because he hated the way his body looked. And because of the helplines and websites I put at the end of the presentation, he sought help, and spoke to his parents about it. He went to the doctor with his mother, and they put him on a diet plan to get him back to being healthy. I helped him to be healthy again.

My eyes are teary when Jimin finishes speaking. I’m so touched that he remembers, that they all remember the acts of kindness I did for them. And whilst Jimin’s was unintentional, it was still so important, and I’m proud of young me for deciding to do her presentation on a serious topic. I’m proud of her for being such a kind person all the time. This truly is karma – I did these nice things for them back then and they’re repaying that kindness back to me when I need it most. And then I realise why Jimin was so desperate to help me – he just wants to help me like I helped him.

‘So, really, y/n, don’t thank us. We owe you,’ Namjoon says, all of them nodding in agreement, and I beam at them, tears beginning to spill down my face. ‘Don’t cry, because you’ll make me cry!’ Jungkook shrieks, all of us laughing as Jin hands me a tissue, and I dab the tears away. ‘God, what’s wrong with me? I never cry this much usually,’ I say embarrassedly, and Jimin grins. ‘Don’t be embarrassed about crying. I think I’d have cried out all of the water in my body if I were you,’ Jimin says, coaxing a laugh from me. ‘Me, too,’ Jungkook says, sniffling a little, and we all burst into laughter when we see that his eyes are full of tears. ‘My God,’ Jin says, his lip curled up in mock disgust, ‘you really are a cry baby.’ ‘Can you blame me?’ Jungkook asks defensively, wiping his eyes, and Jin’s eyes widen. ‘Yes! You’re not the one dying!’ he exclaims, setting the rest of us off again, our laughter carrying in the cool summer air.

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