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dusky-dancing · 5 years

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Downtime

Summary: The night before their biggest day yet, Sora and Kairi get some well-deserved time together. The night, and the town, is theirs for the taking. May contain KH3 spoilers.

Rating: K+

Genre: Romance

Length: ~2500 words

For SoKai Week, Day 2: Perfect Date

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Kairi waited beside the purple train outside of Yen Sid's tower, taking in the unobstructed night sky. Add a few seagull caws and crashing waves, and it would be identical to that of Destiny Islands.

The seven Guardians had reunited, and the biggest day of their lives lay ahead. They only had one night. One single night to themselves amidst the chaos that ensued around them. More importantly, it was more time than they'd gotten together in over a year.

Approaching footsteps drew her attention from the sky. He walked slowly, hesitantly. He was nervous, though it brought her some sense of comfort at the same time. Her own nerves likely showed as well.

She smiled and folded her hands, "Managed to get away?"

Sora stopped just within arms' reach, scratching his head. "Uh - course!" He pulled the gummi-phone out of his pocket and promptly switched it off, "Off the grid, as promised."

He'd changed his attire, which she was grateful for. She grew tired of seeing him covered in enchanted clothing made for battle. Instead, he only wore a simple sweater, jacket, and dress pants. Even in such casual attire, he still looked charming. She'd donned a more casual evening dress herself, and she hoped it lived up.

She giggled and held a hand out, "Shall we, then?"

A weight lifted off of her shoulders as soon as the train door closed behind them. The ride started with a jolt, but smoothed out after departing from Yen Sid's tower. She and Sora breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. For a moment, they sat silently across from one another, taking in the brief moment of peace they had.

It was nice to break away.

"So," Sora began, "we've got a whole night. What comes to mind first?"

Kairi didn't even have to think for long. "Food," she giggled, "I don't know about you, but I'm ready for a nice warm, home-cooked meal."

Sora's growling stomach told her that he felt the same. He laughed, "Guess I didn't even have to answer."

The walk from the station to the food district was brief, but each moment alone with him seemed to stretch forever. Not that Kairi complained, there was just so much she wanted to say that she didn't know where to begin.

They finally seated themselves outside of the Bistro. Almost right away, a waiter approached and handed them both menus.

"The dinner special tonight is Cassoulet," he spoke very politely, "and what would we like to drink?"

"Something warm sounds nice," Sora said, "hot green tea?" He looked to Kairi.

"We'll share a pot," she smiled, "honey on the side, please."

The waiter nodded, bowing himself out to give them time to decide. The night air was chilly, but nearby torches kept an aura of warmth around the outside dining area.

"I don't even know what half of these things are," Sora said as he scanned the menu.

Kairi laughed, "I thought you said you knew the chef."

"I do," Sora scratched his head, "but I only helped him with little things. Never knew how complicated the recipes really were."

Half of it was written in a language she couldn't even understand. Luckily, the waiter returned with their tea and a small basket of warm bread to hold them over.

"Have we decided?" he asked.

"Yes, I think I'll have the Rat..a...too...ille," Kairi pointed to the item when she was sure she'd failed to pronounce it correctly. All she knew was the plate looked delicious

Sora closed the menu and handed it back to him, "Bring me your favorite. I trust your taste more than mine. "

He bowed once more as he returned inside. Finally, they got a longer moment to themselves. Kairi just hoped that no one would walk by and recognize them. Sora grabbed a piece of bread and broke it in two.

Extending the larger half to Kairi, he said, "To our friends, old and new."

Kairi took it. "To reunions, and new beginnings."

The bread warmed her mouth instantaneously. The outside was crunchy, but the inside was soft enough to melt.

Soon, their food arrived. Sora ate quickly, but Kairi savored every warm, flavor-filled bite. Throughout her training, she only ever ate food on the go. She missed sitting down to actually enjoy a meal.

She looked up, only to see Sora with tomato sauce all over his chin. A giggle escaped from her before she could stop herself.

"What's so funny?" he said with a mouth full, "something on my face?"

"Mhm," she nodded, "but it's okay, see?" With that, she ran a finger across her place and wiped it on her chin. "How do I look?"

Sora stifled more laughter and stroked his chin, "Hmm, wasn't enough to make me laugh like you did. You need more." Before she could pull away, he used his thumb to add more sauce to her cheek.

"Hey!"

He leaned back snorting in his chair, "Now that's funny!"

Kairi considered flinging another spoonful of sauce at him, until the waiter approached again and asked, "Do we need more napkins?" From his restrained tone, she got the underlying message, please stop the food fight.

"No, thank you," Kairi said.

He nodded, "I'll bring your check. There's no rush."

Once he was out of earshot, Sora leaned in, "That means there is a rush," he smirked.

"Sorry," Kairi said, "guess we're too used to our friends."

At her last words, Sora's smile dropped for a moment. He just stared forward, lost in thought.

"What's wrong?" Kairi asked, "I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's not you, I was just," Sora paused, staring at his hands, "for our friends, I hope I'll be strong enough."

Kairi touched his arm, bringing his attention back. "Don't think about that right now, Sora. Tonight, it's just you and me," she smiled.

He covered her hand with his own, "You're right. Sorry."

The torches around them snuffed out, and the cold night air overtook them. Sora's eyes went wide for a moment, but there didn't seem to be an immediate threat around them.

Kairi glanced around. The tree branches stayed motionless, so it couldn't have been wind. Behind a nearby building, however, she noticed the smallest white feathered tail sticking out from behind. She giggled.

"What is it?" Sora asked.

She nodded her head in the direction, "I think we've been followed."

A smirk grew on Sora's face, and Kairi knew he'd figured out the source as well. "Donald," he grumbled.

The duck had put out the torches. She suspected it wasn't so much an attempt to sabotage their night, but to force them closer together. In a way, it was thoughtful and sweet, impossible to be mad about. The question was whether or not Sora pieced it together as well. Her eyes went to the comfy-looking jacket resting on the back of Sora's chair.

"Want me to give him a hard time?" Kairi asked.

Sora shook his head, "I have an idea."

Without staring in their spy's direction long enough to arouse suspicion, Sora reached into his pockets and placed munny on the table. He counted enough for the meal and a generous sorry-for-the-trouble tip, then scooted his chair back.

"Ready to bolt?" he had that mischievous smile on his face, the same as whenever he and Riku would prank each other. They may never be allowed back at the restaurant, but Kairi didn't care.

She nodded.

In a whisper, he counted down, "Three, two...one!"

They dashed out of their seats and took off towards the alleyways. Sora knew the streets far better than she did, so he grabbed her hand and guided her through the maze of buildings.

"Think we lost them?" Kairi glanced behind as Sora led her around another corner.

They ended up in a secluded back-alleyway. On one side was a large commercial building, like a restaurant or a shop. The backs of residential homes lined the other.

"I think so," Sora panted, "that was fun."

Kairi nodded as she caught her breath, glancing a smile at him.

Once her adrenaline faded, she noticed the music coming from inside. Strings and wind instruments harmonized and played around each other. The song was upbeat, like something one would hear in a tavern at the busiest hour.

They faced the back entrance, and it didn't take much stealth to open the door unnoticed under all of the commotion. Inside, several people danced and twirled as bards performed on a side stage. She didn't spot any posters or signs for an event.

As they peered in, the clap of webbed feet echoed closer to their hiding spot. To their advantage, Donald wasn't exactly stealthy.

"Ah phooey! Where'd they go?" Donald cried.

"I dunno," Goofy's voice chimed in. So he was an accomplice to this as well. "Maybe we should, you know, leave them alone for a bit?"

Donald huffed, and his footsteps grew closer to their alleyway. Kairi gave Sora a smirk, and without a word, pulled him inside of the dance hall along with her.

"Ah! Kairi, what are you-"

"Just dance with me and blend in," she winked.

She skipped her way into the group. Sora stood dumbfounded for a moment, but eventually caught up with her. Kairi never thought she'd get the opportunity, and she wasn't going to waste this moment. Grabbing his arm, she pulled it around her waist as she reached for his other hand. To her surprise, he didn't need anymore guiding. He secured his hand around her and led them into the dancing circle straight away. No one seemed to notice the sudden guests who'd snuck in the back.

He pulled her along, and she followed with little resistance. As they moved around the circle with the other dancing pairs, he also spun her around himself. The sensation was dizzying at first, but her body quickly warmed up. It was a nice contrast to the cold outside.

Sora loosened his hand around her, signalling a change in pace. She stepped away and spun in the direction he guided her. Her dress flew around her, and in that moment she was glad she'd changed up her attire as well.

"You're pretty good," he smiled brightly.

"Speak for yourself," she laughed.

"You know," he said, "Donald and Goofy have probably moved on by now."

"Oh, right," she'd forgotten what lead them inside in the first place, "we could probably stop if we wanted."

His expression fell for a moment, and guilt weighed over her for such a suggestion.

"But, you know, we should probably keep going, just in case," she smiled.

A few extra minutes of dancing turned into a couple of hours. Through fast or slow song, Kairi could never gain the strength to pull away or stop. Only once her feet begged for a break did they eventually take their leave and make their way back to the main streets. They laughed as they walked, still full of energy.

The sun had long since set, and Kairi ached for the little time they had left.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

"The night's a little chilly."

Sora finally took his jacket off and placed it around her shoulders. A delayed response to Donald's hint, but Kairi was grateful regardless. She grabbed the edges from inside and pulled it around her, allowing the empty sleeves to sway at her side.

"Anything else you wanna do?" she walked slowly, not ready to return to the sorcerer's tower - to reality.

Sora stopped and stared up at the town's large clock tower. He seemed almost hypnotized by it.

"Yeah, one more thing."

Together, they walked at an easy pace towards the tower, no longer concerned with outrunning any potential onlookers. Minutes later, they sat together atop the station tower, looking on the lights of the town from above. Even at night, the view was spectacular.

"It's beautiful," Kairi leaned back as her feet dangled, "how did you know about this?"

"I don't know," he said, "just a feeling I got."

She looked to the sky. It was even more beautiful than the view from Yen Sid's tower, not even obscured by trees. A few minutes of silent appreciation passed before Sora spoke again.

"Hey, Kairi?"

"Mhm?"

He cupped his hand over hers, "Thank you."

She glanced down, surprised, "What for?"

"Ever since this whole journey started, this was all I wanted," he turned his gaze back to the town, "to just have fun in another world with you."

"Oh," she didn't know how else to respond. Her face suddenly felt warmer against the cold air. "Well I told you, I'm with you wherever you go."

"That doesn't count. I wanted to sit next to you, laugh with you," he paused, hesitant to go any further, "every time I went to another world, I always ended up wishing you'd been there too, you know?"

She looked down at their hands touching, "I'm sorry."

His eyes darted back up to her, "No, no! I wasn't- I didn't mean-" He stopped himself, "it wasn't your fault."

Words kept escaping her. There was so much she wanted to say, but couldn't. She hoped a gentle smile would communicate enough. "Once this is over, maybe we can revisit the worlds together." She turned her hand over and curled her fingers into the spaces between his.

He returned a smile that outshone hers, "I'd like that."

As much as she wished she could stop time, the night had to come to an end, and they'd need their sleep. After a reluctant climb down from the tower and another train ride, they were back at Yen Sid's tower.

Before entering her chambers, she turned to Sora, pushed herself onto her toes and kissed him on the cheek. It was brief, but warm. His face flushed red as his hand instinctively shot up to his cheek.

"Thank you," she said, "this was all I wanted too, the most magical night I could have asked for."

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

Meanwhile, down the hallway, a curious Goofy ducked back into his chambers and closed the door. He covered his mouth to stop himself from yelping at the sight.

"What is it now?" Donald grunted.

"Oh nothing," he waved it off, "sorry you lost track of them earlier."

"It was you who lost them, you big palooka!"

He shrugged, "Maybe next time."

In truth, he knew Sora wouldn't need their help the moment he saw them dancing. The hard part was leading Donald down the wrong trails to keep him from noticing.

#kingdom hearts #kh fanfiction #sokaiweek2019 #sokaiweek #sokai #sora #kairi #Kingdom Hearts FanFic #kh3 spoilers #my writing #dusky writing #long post

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finn-nelson-for-the-win · 6 years

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Before the World Stops Turning: Pt. 10

Hello my lovelies! Alas, after about 2 long months, this story has finally reached its conclusion. I’m beyond excited for you all to see how the events of this chapter unfold, so without further ado…

Everything I’ve written can be found right here!

I hope you enjoy this chapter! (Keep an eye out for my final additional notes/random commentary about this chapter and the story overall at the end beneath the tags!)

***

Finn sat with his back against the wall of the venue distractedly watching the stage crew and members of the different bands performing tonight as they unpacked equipment and instruments from the back of one of the white vans in the parking lot in front of him.

Despite Finn’s apparent confidence when it came to actually performing on stage in front of large crowds of people, the hours leading up to each show left Finn a nervous wreck and when it got bad enough, he had a tendency to chain-smoke to help calm some of his pre-show jitters.

Finn lit up his fourth consecutive cigarette since he managed to break away from the rest of the band after they arrived at the venue in Danny’s van and pulled the small, leather-bound notebook from the pocket of his jacket that was draped over one of his legs.

When Finn was inspired, he always found that song lyrics and writing music came naturally to him; however, this summer he has been suffering from the worst case of writer's block he had ever experienced. As he read over the most recent lyric idea he had come up with after more difficulty that he would care to admit, Finn tried to draw inspiration for a new song or find a way to make that line fit with one of the various other songs he started but would likely never be able to finish.

We may be young and making dumb mistakes,

But we’re still learning the reasons why.

Just living life before the worlds stops turning…

Finn snapped his head upright and looked up from his notebook when he heard the rear door to the venue swing open and he saw Archie and Chop exit and walk along the wall of the building before sinking down to the sidewalk on either side of where Finn was sitting.

“Where are Alex and Danny?” Finn asked as he closed the leather notebook and returned it to the pocket of his leather jacket before flicking his cigarette butt into the small pile forming on the ground in front of him.

“Sound checking the instruments to make sure everything is sounding good. They sent us out to check on you because they said that you’ve been in a mood all day”

“I’m fine, Arch. Just amazed that the whole summer is basically over...it wasn’t at all what I thought it would be.”

“You did write and record a lot of music though! That’s really good, mate!” Chop said with a wide smile and reassuring nod.

“Yeah, I guess so…” Finn trailed off as he began examining his fingernails closely to give him something else to focus on.

Chop leaned over and pat Finn on the back as a comforting gesture before standing up from his seated position and walking back into the venue through the door beside them.

“Have you heard from Rae at all this summer?” Archie asked quietly to help fill the silence that was hanging in the air between him and Finn.

“No...ever since I lost my phone and had to get a new one with a new number, I didn’t have my contacts saved or anything so she didn’t have my new number and I didn’t know her number to reach out to her instead…”

“What about on social media? Did she try to reach out to you at all on there?”

“She might’ve, but it’s not like I would have even been able to see any messages she sent. After I lost my phone, my social media account got locked and I’ve been emailing support back and forth for the last month trying to get access of my account again, but nothing they’ve recommended has worked so far,” Finn explained with a mildly annoyed huff.

“Wow...that’s awful. I’m sorry, Finn.”

“S’alright,” Finn replied with a shrug and a sad smile.

“She might show up tonight, ya know? Both her and her mate seemed to be fans of our music...and from what I’ve seen and heard, Rae certainly seems to be quite the fan of you too”

“Hah! That’s unlikely...even if she did like me before this summer, she probably thinks I’ve been ignoring her texts and messages for the last month, which does not bode well for me at all if I’m trying to get her to like me back”

“You never know…” Archie added with a smirk which caused Finn to roll his eyes and chuckle lightly in response.

Finn looked up when he heard the distinct sounds of Chop’s laughter as he walked back out of the venue followed by Danny and Alex.

“Oi, are you two going to just sit around and chat all day or can you get off your arses and actually help the rest of us get set up for the show tonight?” Alex joked as the three of them walked past Finn and Archie towards where their band van was parked.

Archie quickly stood up and extended a hand to help Finn stand as well and the pair hurried towards the band’s van to help the others carry boxes of CDs and merchandise they were going to be selling at their merch table after the show. Even after unpacking and organizing the contents of their boxes on the table that they would be selling their items at after their performance, the combined effort of all five of them was more than enough to help them finish what they needed to do prior to the show in record time.

Since they had a significant amount of time to waste prior to when the doors for the show opened and they had to get ready to go on stage, the entire band decided to walk to a small shop down the road from the venue they were performing at to buy some drinks and snacks.

As they made their way back to the venue with their chosen sodas, bottles of water, and bags of crisps or candies Finn noticed that in that short time a significant amount of people had gathered in a line that wrapped around the venue leading to the entrance. Alex began walking ahead of the others and sprinted over to someone that was standing towards the middle of the line of concert goers waiting for the doors of the venue to be opened.

“Well if it isn’t my favorite physical therapy student! How is the ankle doing, Izzie?”

Finn overheard what Alex said as he walked nearer and looked over at them just in time to lock eyes with Rae, who looked just as surprised to see Finn as he was to see her. Finn did not break eye contact with Rae for a few long moments until Archie nudged his side with his elbow and Finn broke his stare to lift a hand and wave at Rae tentatively.

Rae returned the wave and gave Finn a quick smile before turning away from him to resume the conversation she had been having with her mate before Alex had interrupted.

Finn remained quiet as he kept walking and he soon noticed that Alex had caught back up with them as they entered the venue through the back entrance.

“Uhm, hey…” Finn began hesitantly as he tried to think of the best way to initiate this conversation, “so what was all that about and how do you know Rae’s mate, Izzie, so well?”

“She’s my first physical therapy student that I’ve had since I took the job full-time this summer!” Alex replied with a scoff as if to imply that the answer should have been obvious.

“Really? Why is she in physical therapy?” Archie asked before Finn had the chance to ask the same question.

“She got pretty badly injured during a dance performance at the end of the semester. It was actually the reason why she and Rae weren’t at our last show!”

“Our show back in May? What do you mean?” Finn asked with a look of confusion obvious on his face.

“Yeah! Izzie told me that Rae refused to leave her alone and she sat by her side in the hospital for hours while they examined her injury. She got injured the same day as our show, so the two of them had to miss it.”

“And you know all of this because..?” Archie asked as he rejoined their conversation.

“Izzie and I talk a lot about during our sessions,” Alex shrugged in reply.

Finn’s initial confusion had passed and as Alex’s words started to sink in, a sudden realization caused a wave of annoyance to wash over Finn.

“Hmmm, I see...And not once in the last two months have you thought to tell me that you have a decently close friendship with the best mate of the girl that I’ve been losing my mind over for the entire summer...Am I understanding this whole situation correctly, Alex?”

“I dunno, mate...I didn’t think about it, I guess.”

Finn nodded silently and walked away to join Chop and Danny where they were currently sitting beside the stage and watching the concert goers shuffle into the venue and fill the crowd in front of the stage.

“Look, Finn...it wasn’t like I didn’t try to figure out what happened. I know that Rae is special to you mate, but Izzie and I both thought it would be best for you two to work it out yourselves. I really am sorry that I didn’t tell you about all this sooner. Are we alright, buddy?”

The joking tone that was almost always present in Alex’s voice was absent for the first time that Finn could recall and as he looked up at his band mate, it was not hard to see the sincerity of his apology.

“Yeah, mate, we’re alright,” Finn reached up and clapped Alex on the shoulder before continuing with a small chuckle, “but you’re paying for the first round of drinks after the show tonight!”

Alex chuckled and groaned jokingly as the rest of the lads cheered in celebration.

“So Finnley...are my eyes deceiving me or is that your girl, Rae, standing in the crowd right now?” Chop asked with an eyebrow wiggle.

“Er, no...that’s her. I just—well, I just don’t know how to make things right with her or if she even tried to reach me at all in the last two months...I don’t see why she would’ve…”

“Rae texted and messaged you a lot in the beginning of summer, or so Izzie told me. I don’t think she knows that you lost your phone, so I can only imagine what this all seemed like for her...” Alex replied.

“Fuck,” Finn muttered under his breath as he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, “I fucked up.”

“Well...sure things didn’t go as planned, but it wasn’t exactly your fault, Finn,” Archie replied in an effort to stop his mate from blaming himself too much.

“I really need to unfuck things up between Rae and me, huh?” Finn asked and he received a chorus of mumbles agreeing with him and nods from his band mates.

Finn stood up abruptly from the equipment case he had been sitting on, knowing that he needed to talk to Rae but with no real plan of how he should go about doing that, but he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder stopping him.

“Actually, as much as you would like to fix things with Rae right now, we first need to get warmed up. We do have a show to play, after all, and we go on stage in 15 minutes…” Danny said as he glanced down at the watch on his wrist.

Finn’s face fell slightly and he took a step back to lean against the equipment case he had been sitting on.

“Alright, don’t looks so sad Finney boy...This is fine! First we play the most kickass show of the summer, and then you can unfuck everything up and get your girl” Chop replied triumphantly, earning a small smile and a nod from Finn.

***

The music playing through the speakers of the venue between band sets came to a stop and the stage lighting shifted to signify that the next band that was scheduled to play was supposed to take the stage.

Finn trailed behind Danny alongside Alex and Archie as they walked on stage and found their respective positions on the stage. Finn scanned the crowd casually as he pulled the strap of his guitar over his head and adjusted it to sit comfortably on his shoulder.

Oh shit! There she is…

Finn could clearly see Rae and Izzie standing a short distance away from the stage on the side of the crowd closest to where Archie stood. When Chop finally walked on stage, the crowd went crazy and they immediately launched into performing one of their older songs that was always a crowd favorite.

“How’s it going ladies and gentlemen?” Chop called loudly into the microphone after their first song ended, “I see a few familiar faces in the crowd out there, but in case ya don’t know who we are, we’re a band that goes by the name ‘Kings and Queens’ and we’re here to blow your minds with some fucking amazing tunes! How does that sound to you all?”

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause and they transitioned right into the next song in their set. Despite Finn’s mind being focused on their performance enough to not make obvious mistakes, no matter how hard he tried to focus on what he was doing, his attempts were in vain and he found himself unable to stop looking at where he knew Rae was standing in the crowd.

After a few songs, Chop began talking to the audience when Finn grabbed the water bottle that was on the side of the stage beside the speaker closest to where Finn was standing. When Finn opened the water bottle and took a long drink from it, he saw Izzie lean over to Rae and whisper something in her ear out of his peripheral vision. At nearly the same time, Rae and Finn looked over at each other and Rae gave him a tight-lipped smile before turning around and navigating her way out of the crowd with Izzie trailing closely behind.

Fuck! They’re about to leave and I didn’t even get my chance to talk to Rae!

“Okay our next song is actually a song that our handsome guitarist here, Finn, wrote after he met a very special girl that came into his life unexpectedly and from the first time he saw her she rocked his world and turned his whole life upside down…”

Chop gestured to Finn—who had been watching Rae and Izzie leave the crowd until he heard his mate mention his name—which made him smile sheepishly and run a hand through the back of his hair in embarrassment, thus earning loud cheers from nearly every person in the audience.

“She really does make Finn do and say some pretty stupid shit, but what can I say? You’re intoxicating, babe!”

The crowd was still cheering loudly, but when Finn looked out into the crowd to find Rae, there was no indication that she was anywhere in sight.

“I know you’re out there in the crowd somewhere right now, baby girl, so hopefully you’re listening and you can see and hear how much of an effect you’ve had on our Finney boy here...this is our new song called ‘Alcohol or Love’...”

EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD STARTS TO BLUR,

NO ONE LEFT IN THE ROOM NOW BUT HER

JUST TAKE MY HAND BABE, JUST TAKE MY HAND

After playing their final few songs of their set, Finn and the rest of the band began to leave the stage after closing their set much in the same way that they close every show they play.

“I need to find Rae,” Finn said to no one in particular as soon as he was off stage and already putting his guitar away in its case as the others took their time leaving the stage.

Finn walked in the direction that he last saw Rae and Izzie walking away in during their set, but after looking for them for long enough that the next band had already taken the stage and was well into their set, Finn knew that there was no use in keeping up the search.

Well, I guess I missed my chance...if Rae really left, she definitely long gone by now…

Finn walked over to the merch table where Danny and Alex were currently selling CDs to a group of teenage girls that immediately asked for a picture and an autograph as soon as they saw him approaching.

When the small group of fans left and the other two at the table resumed their previous conversation, Finn looked around the venue and saw Chop and Archie near the stage on the opposite side of the venue. Finn furrowed his eyebrows in confusion when he saw the pair stop briefly and walk towards an area beside the stage that was out of Finn’s line of sight, but before long he saw Archie walking in the direction of the table where Finn was still sitting.

“Have you had the chance to talk to Rae yet?” Archie asked as he took a seat on the large equipment box behind their merch table where Finn was seated as well.

“No...I saw her walk away during our set and I tried to find her afterward but I think she might have left the show early…”

“I wouldn’t be so sure…”

“What do ya mean, Arch?”

“Oh, nothing...”

Finn looked over at Archie skeptically, but when he knew that Archie was not going to elaborate any further on the subject at this time, he simply shrugged and returned to selling CDs and chatting with the occasional fan of their band that stopped by their table to meet them.

When the show finally ended and the fans in the crowd began to disperse to buy merchandise and talk to the band members that were willing to meet fans, Archie stood from the equipment case and stretched before turning to face the others.

“Hey Alex, Danny...do you think you two can hold down the fort here at the merch table for a little while? Finn and I are needed elsewhere right now. I’ll be back in a little while and I’ll bring Chop with me too…”

“Yeah, of course!”

“We’ll be fine...go do what you gotta do…”

Danny and Alex replied before Alex leaned over and shoved Finn’s shoulder to coax him into standing up. Finn was still confused about what was going on, but he decided to follow where Archie was leading him nonetheless.

“Where are you taking me, Arch?”

“You’ll see…”

“Archie…”

“It’s fine, Finn...don’t worry about it!”

“Archibald!”

“Oh just shut up and follow me! I know you’ll be thanking me for this later…”

Finn begrudgingly followed Archie to the same area beside the stage where he had seen Archie and Chop stop a bit over an hour prior to this. Finn looked around this area off to one side of the concert venue where the stage lights were still shining and there were crews unplugging all the equipment on the stage and looked at Archie expectantly as he waited for Archie to explain why he brought him here.

“Okay, so Finn...now don’t get mad, but we knew that you wanted to make things right with Rae. But we also know how terrible with words you can be, and being in her presence certainly does not do you any favors.”

“What did you do, Arch?”

“Well, Chop and I crossed paths with Rae and her mate after our set and we decided that it was our responsibility as your best mates to help you unfuck up this whole situation...so Chop is over there explaining to Rae that you lost your phone and have been basically dead to the world in terms of you online presence due to a simple drunk night with the lads gone wrong...we couldn’t stand to think that she thought you were ignoring her, so we set the record straight and Chop has probably been talking her ear off for the last hour, so as long as you’re ready now, I think now is your chance to go talk to Rae!”

Archie grabbed Finn by the shoulders and spun him around to so he could see Izzie, Chop, and Rae a short distance away talking and laughing.

Rae looked up and locked eyes with Finn across the short distance separating them for a moment before giving him a wide grin and playfully rolling her eyes in response to something Chop must have said.

Before Finn could even fully register that he was moving on his own volition, he had closed the space between him and the others and he stood mere steps away from Rae, Izzie, and Chop.

“Hey, uhm...how’s it going, Rae?” Finn said hesitantly when he noticed a break in their previous conversation.

“Pretty good! And yourself, Finn?” She replied with a bright smile.

“Good too, I suppose…”

“Well Izzie, as riveting as this conversation is, I think it would be best if we left these two love birds alone, yeah?” Chop joked before gesturing for Izzie to follow him toward where Archie was still standing nearby.

“You got this mate…” Chop muttered as he clapped Finn on the shoulder with one hand before turning towards Rae and leaning in close to speak to her quietly, “Be gentle with my Finney boy, alright love?”

Chop pulled away and give the pair a smirk before walking away to join Izzie and Archie as they walked out of Finn’s line of sight to a different area of the venue.

“So…” Finn began hesitantly as he shifted his weight from one foot to another.

“So...you really lost your phone?” Rae asked with her eyebrow quirked.

“Yup”

“...in the middle of a bar fight?” Finn tried to gauge Rae’s tone when she asked this question, but he was unable to decide if she seemed impressed or disbelieving.

“Uh, yeah...sort of…” Finn mumbled before breaking eye contact with Rae to stare at the floor sheepishly.

“But Chop tells me that you were just standing up to some twats that harassed Archie?”

“Yeah, that part’s true too…”

“Huh…” Rae paused briefly and Finn looked up at Rae through his fringe to see her facial expressions when he saw a smile spread across her face, “That was really sweet of you.”

Finn returned the smile and a comfortable silence settled between them as a few moments passed before Finn gathered his thoughts enough to decide what he wanted to say.

“Rae, I—I swear that I really did want to talk to you and keep in touch this summer, but with losing my phone I basically got cut off from all forms of communication. And I only just found out that Alex has been seeing Izzie regularly for physical therapy sessions. If I had known sooner, I would have…”

“Don’t worry about it, Finn. I’ve know that he was her physical therapist for a couple of weeks now, but I figured if you wanted to talk to me, you would’ve found a way, so I didn’t try to use him as a middleman or anything.”

“Well still, I’m really glad to see that you made it out to the show tonight,”

“I’m glad Izzie and I decided to come out tonight too...I’m also glad that I was here to see you perform the new song you apparently wrote this summer that Chop was talking so much about.” Rae added with a smirk.

“Oh, yeah...that...he was exaggerating a bit, I assure you, but uh...I sort of thought you had left during our set because I saw you and Izzie walking out of the crowd and I was almost afraid that I had missed my only chance to make things right with you”

“Oh! Yeah, we were too close to the stage and it was really crowded and Izzie didn’t want to get stepped on by someone since her foot isn’t completely healed yet, so we found a little area next to the wall to stand by and still watch the performances.”

“That makes sense, I suppose,”

“Yup!” Rae popped the “p” at the end of the word as she reached forward to grab the black permanent marker that was sticking out of Finn’s shirt pocket, which caused Finn to cock his head to the side in confusion.

Rae grabbed Finn’s hand and brought it closer to her before turning his palm to face her as she used the marker to scrawl something across his hand.

“My phone number...I’m writing it on your hand so you can put it into your new phone. That way you won’t be able to use that as an excuse not the text me,” Rae said in response to the quirked eyebrow and look of confusion Finn was giving her.

“I’m putting your number in my phone right now!” Finn said as he hurriedly pulled his phone from the back pocket of his jeans and entered her phone number in as a new contact.

“So…” Finn said again when there is a break in the conversation.

“So...I have a bit of a request, if it’s not too much trouble…”

“What can I do for you, girl?”

“Well at the first concert I saw you perform at I got a picture with everyone except for you...and I wanted to see if I could get a picture with just you this time to make up for it, you know?”

“But of course, m’dear!” Finn replied with a grin before pulling his phone back out of his pocket, “Hey, mate! Can you please take a quick photo for us?”

The stage crew member that was currently packing up all of the equipment and wires that were still in a mess on the stage looked up when he realized that Finn was talking to him and he happily agreed and grabbed the cell phone from Finn while Finn and Rae prepared to take the picture.

“Alright...on the count of three say ‘cheese’!” the crew member said once he had brought up the camera on Finn’s cell phone.

Finn wrapped an arm around Rae and draped that hand gently over her shoulder, intentionally putting as little space between them as he possibly could while still respecting her personal space.

“Three”

Rae moved slightly closer to Finn until there was very little space between them as they waited for the photo to be taken.

“Two”

Finn looked over at Rae out of the corner of his eyes and he could clearly see the genuine smile lighting up her face and he knew that her smile went much deeper than just for the purposes of the picture.

“One”

A sudden burst of confidence came over Finn and as soon as the stage crew member taking the photo said “cheese” aloud to signal that he was taking the picture, Finn leaned over to gently press his lips to Rae’s cheek.

Rae pulled back after the photo was taken to stare at Finn, her jaw dropped in surprise, as a warm pink blush began spreading over her cheeks.

“What the fresh hell was that, Finn?”

“I dunno...you had to wait four months to get a proper photo with me, so I figured I might as well make it worth your while…”

“You cheeky bastard!” Rae added with a chuckle as she shook her head side to side in disbelief.

“I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have done that without asking you first. I didn’t mean to—”

Before Finn could finish his statement, Rae closed the distance between her and Finn again and crashed her lips against his, effectively shutting him up and ending his rambling.

Though the kiss came as a surprise to him, as soon as Finn registered what was happening, he started to return the tender kiss, but he soon felt Rae smile against his lips as she pulled away and ended the kiss almost as suddenly as she started it.

“I, uh...that was...I mean...wow! Er, do you want to maybe go and get a drink with me right now?” Finn finally managed to stutter out as he continued to struggle to regain his train of thought after the unexpected kiss with Rae.

“I’d like that”

Rae reached for Finn’s hand and interlocked their fingers together before she turned to face him, “Lead the way, Finn!”

Finn and Rae walk hand-in-hand towards the exit of the concert venue—attempting to ignore the cheers and wolf whistles from the other members of Kings and Queens and Izzie who was sitting with them behind the band’s merch table—and Finn could not wipe the blissed out grin off his face even if he tried to.

THE END :)

@arathewallflower @eveerez @tinakegg @hey1tskat1e @lurkernolonger @milllott @nutinanutshell @i-dream-of-emus @milymargot @vivammfd @bitchesbecrazy89 @mallyallyandra @kneekeyta @tothetardissterek

A/N: Yay! We finally made it to the end of this story. I don't really have too much to say in terms of author's notes for this chapter, but what's one of my posts without a bit of rambling and nonsense at the end, you know? Hahaha I just wanted to start by thanking all of you for reading this story, first and foremost, but also for letting me know what you all think of the story as it progressed and just in general for being so supportive and amazingly sweet whenever I post a new chapter. As 2017 draws to a close, I've started looking back on my year and realizing how much my life has changed over the last year, mostly for the worse. One good thing that did happen was that I rediscovered my love of writing and it's been a great outlet for me when things have been especially tough, so I have each and every one of you guys that follow me and read my writing to thank for that. ^_^ I know I promised 3 new chapters/fics this week, but I've been really busy with all that's going on in my life and the holidays, BUT as of right now I'm thinking all 3 things I wanted to post should be up on or before Christmas...idk, we'll see... Until next time: Stay awesome, my friends! :D

#Before the World Stops Turning #part 10 #mmfd #mmfd fanfic #my mad fat diary #my mad fat diary fanfiction #My writing #Finn-Nelson-for-the-win

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dtgsummercamp · 4 years

Text

༄༄༄ 𝙀𝘗𝘐𝘚𝘖𝘋𝙀 𝟣 ☼

MEET THE ROOKIES || 𝗣𝖠𝖱𝗧 𝗢𝖭𝗘

It’s time for the rookies to head off to their designated location! But, where are they going?

- Hyunjin, Aiko and Jubi are in car #1 with Hana

Hyunjin: Ah, I’m so excited!

Aiko: What are we going to do today?

Hana: You’re going to be living in Nonjitmul Beach House for 31 days!

Jubi: Wow, I cant wait~

Aiko: Are we gonna get seashells? Or go swimming?

Hyunjin: What kind of food will we get?

Hana: Maybe if you were quiet so I could drive YOU WOULD GET THE ANSWER TO THOSE QUESTIONS...

meanwhile, in the next car...

- Jeonghun, Daejung, Kenji, Taeyang, and Axl are in car #2 with Eundong

Taeyang: I like the lights.

Daejung: Where are we going?

Kenji: I’m hungry.

Eundong: Jesus Christ, please be pa-

Axl: What’s a Nonjitmul?

Jeonghun: Where is the show gonna be recorded?

Eundong: THE SHOW IS BEING RECORDED RIGHT NOW...

Meanwhile, in the next car...

- Daewon, Seungho, Chanwoo, Jaeyoung, Hari, Wooa, Miso, and Dohee are in car #3 with Aria Moon.

Daewon: Wow, the car is cute.

Seungho: I expected our car to be a little more like everyone else’s...

Aria: Well, too damn bad. Welcome to my nine seater!

Chanwoo: Nine? We’re riding with girls?

Wooa: We’re riding with boys???

*on the way there*...

Jaeyoung: Dohee.

Dohee: ??? *looks away from iPhone.*

Jaeyoung: Do you know Yumemi Riamu???

Dohee: Yes, let me guess, my hair looks like hers?

Jaeyoung: Yes-

Dohee: Thank you, that was the whole point of me dying it. *She gave him a fake smile before going back on her phone.*

Hari: This is so boring, we should play games together...

Seungho: Like what...?

Miso: We could play word association.

Dohee: We could play truth or dare.

Hari: We could play 20 questions.

Dohee: Which would end up being 160 questions due to time.

Hari: We’ll be in here for like, 4 hours anyways.

Daewon: We should just play two truths and a lie, it’s an easy, short game and lets us get to know each other.

*Everyone ends up agreeing with Daewon.*

Miso: I’ll go first! One, I used to have a lisp. Two, I’m a vegetarian. Three, I hate coffee.

Jaeyoung: It’s the coffee one. Who hates coffee?

Seungho: Maybe it’s the lisp, it seems easier to pretend like you used to have one than to pretend like you hate coffee and meat.

Wooa: You seem like a vegetarian, so I’m gonna say #1 (the lisp).

Dohee: How can someone seem vegetarian??? We haven’t even ate yet. I say #2 (vegetarian).

Hari: I agree with Dohee.

Chanwoo: I think it’s #1.

Daewon: #3. (hating coffee)

Miso: It was... *fake drumroll* ...#2!!!

Jaeyoung: SERIOUSLY???

Dohee: I WAS RIGHT!!!

Hari: So, is it my turn or Dohee’s?

Dohee: What if we went together? *Debby Ryan smirk*

Hari: *Debby Ryan smirk*

Dohee: One, I can’t swim. Two, I speak fluent Japanese, Three, I love cats.

Hari: One, I’ve won an award. Two, I’ve been to 5 countries. Three, I used to work at the mall.

Miso: For Dohee, I think it’s #1... I mean... this is summer camp.

Daewon: Some people can’t swim Miso... and they still can have fun in summer...

Miso: I refuse to believe such people exist. (A/N: Not @ me writing this even though I can’t swim?2))272 PLS)

Jaeyoung: For Hari, I think it’s #2. For Dohee , I think it’s #3.

Chanwoo: It’s #1 for Hari. What award could she ever win???

*Hari smacks Chanwoo.*

Wooa: For Hari, it’s #1. For Dohee, it’s #2.

Hari: WHY DOES NOBODY THINK I HAVE THE TALENT TO WIN ANYTHING?)2$/)/ *sobs*

Seungho: For Hari, it’s #2, and for Dohee it’s #1

Aria: Idk what anybody said were their truths or lies, but I have the feeling Hari is lying about #1.

Hari: EVEN YOU DON’T BELIVE IN ME???

Chanwoo: For Dohee, it’s #3.

Dohee: How could I lie about liking cats?

Chanwoo: WHY would you like cats?

Dohee: Because they’re cute???

Chanwoo: They’re the devil...

*Everyone in the car starts arguing about if cats are bad or not until Aria gets them to stfu.*

Daewon: Since Dohee exposed that #3 isn’t the answer, I’m going with #1. For Hari, I’ll also go with #1.

Miso: I’m going with the same answers!

Dohee: I lied about #1!

Hari: I lied about #3, DUMMIES!!!

*Everyone and their grandma is shocked at the fact 3 was the lie.*

Hari: I’ve been to the USA, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, AND FRANCE!!!

Chanwoo: Maybe you are cooler than I thought...

Hari: And since nobody guessed both correctly, I get to pick who goes next!

*She scans the room before coming up with an answer.*

Hari: Daewon!

Daewon: One, I love boba. Two, a cat bit my ankles when I was eight, and three, I broke my nose skateboarding a week before I joined Dalddalgi.

Dohee: What... on earth...

Hari: I’m going to hope the lie is #3 for your sake.

Wooa: I’ll say #3, too.

Chanwoo: #2.

Dohee: #3.

Seungho: It’s probably #1, and you just said two outrageously true statements to throw us off.

Jaeyoung: Yea, but that’s not a good number to assume is correct. I’ll just say #2.

Miso: #2.

Daewon: It’s 1.

Seungho: I TOLD YOU GUYS!!!

Wooa: HUH???

Chanwoo: Further proving my point that cats are the spawn of Satan!

Dohee: *Eye roll.*

Seungho: Okay, it’s my turn. One, I speak four languages. Two, my dad wanted to be an idol. Three, I can’t drive.

Dohee: It’s probably 3.

Hari: One?

Miso: #1.

Chanwoo: #2. How would you know your dads dream to be an idol?

Daewon: Maybe because his dad TOLD HIM??? Anyways, I choose #1.

Jaeyoung: #3.

Wooa: #3.

Seungho: It’s #3.

Jaeyoung: YAY!!!

Wooa: Seungho, what are the four languages you speak?

Seungho: English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese.

Dohee: Whoa...

Miso: I can only speak Korean ㅠㅠ (A/N: Me not knowing korean but knowing hangul so I can only write their names and certain words I know/expressions but not fluent korean)

Jaeyoung: Does this mean I get to go?

Wooa: I get to go too, right?

Jaeyoung: Okay, so, One, I met BTS before they were famous in 2014. Two, I’ve had almost every ice cream flavor before. Three, I have two showers per day.

Wooa: One, I’ve slipped on a banana peel before. Two, I can’t play any instruments. Three, I can breakdance.

Seungho: Wow, Wooa’s is actually hard.

Wooa: Thank you. 😌

Seungho: The first two ones seem like things you would do.

*Wooa smacks Seungho.*

Miso: Jaeyoung’s lie is #2, Wooa’s lie is #3. You don’t look like the type to breakdance, and you couldn’t possibly be close to having EVERY flavor...

Jaeyoung: Or could I???

Miso: No, you couldn’t.

Daewon: Wooa’s lie is #3, definitely. Jaeyoung’s lie is #3 as well, it sounds simple compared to the others.

Hari: For Wooa, the lie is #2. For Jaeyoung, the lie is also #2.

Seungho: For Wooa, the lie is #1, and for Jaeyoung, the lie is #2.

Chanwoo: Jaeyoung’s lying about #2, Wooa’s lying about #3.

Dohee: Wooa’s lie is #1. Slipping on banana peels in only in cartoon shows. Jaeyoung’s lie is #1 as well. If you did meet BTS though, did you take any pics?

Jaeyoung: I did take pics because I DID MEET THEM. The lie was #3, I take one shower per day.

Wooa: I lied about #3 too!

Chanwoo: I ALMOST GOT IT!!!

Miso: You’ve really tasted almost every ice cream flavor???

Seungho: Well then, surely you know which ice cream flavor is the best?

Jaeyoung: Cookie dough remains superior.

Chanwoo: I’m the last person to go... One, I exercise every day.

Miso: One is the lie.

Chanwoo: I HAVEN’T EVEN FINISHED YET!!! Two, I played soccer in my old school. Three, I love deep fried Oreos.

Seungho: God, I just barfed in my mouth. Please tell me three is the lie.

Dohee: One is the lie, I think.

Hari: I think it’s Three.

Jaeyoung: It might be two and we’re just being tricked.

Wooa: Three is the lie!

Miso: Two could be the lie...

Daewon: Three is obviously the lie, how are you guys even picking two???

Chanwoo: It’s two.

Daewon: HUH???

Jaeyoung: I told you guys!!!

*Miso and Jaeyoung high five.*

Dohee: Who got the most right?

Aria: Well according to what I’ve observed,

Daewon got 1 right!

Seungho got 1 right!

Chanwoo got none right!

Jaeyoung got 2 right!

Hari got 1 right!

Wooa got 1 right!

Miso got 1 right!

and Dohee got 2 right!

*Chanwoo is visibly upset as Dohee and Jaeyoung cheer.*

Dohee: Do we win anything!

Aria: I can take you guys on a shopping spree?

*Everyone gets excited.*

And of course, in car 4...

- Jieun and Saray are in the car with Me (Tomi).

Jieun: There’s only two of us???

Tomi: Most of the rookies are in Aria’s car. But hey, at least you get to be with me!!! ;)

Saray: It’s like going on a field trip with the principal on your bus...

PART TWO

PART THREE

PART FOUR

PART FIVE

PART SIX

LAUGHING MAN APPEARANCE

#dalddalgi #dalddalgient #dtgsummercamp #idol au #idol!au #dtgrookies

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jihope-tension · 7 years

Text

And darling I will be loving you 'til we're 70

Since Tumblr became cancerous and I don’t really know why I’m just gonna drop this little drabble. I love the album so much I have this on repeat on Spotify since yesterday, so I’m seriously leaving Tumblr for a while to let everyone chill and calm down about it. I know we all have opinions, but you know what, I’m not gonna be fake and say ‘Yes, I understand your point’ blahblahblah. Call me a bitch or anything you want but this album is positive to me and so beautiful, and I really don’t do good with bad opinions on things I like and enjoy so Imma just stay away and not get involved :) I love every single one of BTS’ songs and nothing will change that. Love you guys anyway.

‘Come on, Jennie, cheer up. For me?’ Jungkook makes puppy eyes hoping the girl would finally stop staring blankly outside the car window. 'Look at me. Come on, come on.’ The boy starts poking at Jennie’s side to make her move, but the girl doesn’t do as much as blink. With a sigh, Jungkook shifts his gaze back to the road.

There’s a familiar song playing on the radio, an instrumental version of one of Jungkook’s favourite songs of all times, gentle flute, and catchy beat humming in the background. It’s an old song, from around 2017 if he remembers correctly, belonging to his grandad’s favourite boy group at that time.

'Could you turn it off, please?’ Jennie asks silently without looking at Jungkook, her skinny hands pressing harder together in her lap. It’s not much, but at least Jungkook knows she’s conscious. He’s been worrying for the entire ride if his friend has had an emotional crisis to the point where she lost the contact with the reality. Without a word, Jungkook shuts the radio down, hands coming back to the wheel.

They continue the rest of the trip like this, full 4 hours of thick silence with only two stops for toilets and one coffee stop for Jungkook.

If he didn’t know any better, he would have just taken Jennie’s hand and told her everything would be okay soon. But it’s Jennie, and it was never this simple with her. She didn’t need a banal hug or a plain word of comfort. All she needed was some space and silence.

But when she came to him two days ago looking like her entire world shattered right in front of her eyes, Jungkook didn’t know how to help her, how to ease her pain. Maybe they’re only 20, but they’re capable of love and that day Jennie looked like her heart had been ripped out of her chest in the slowest, most agonizing way.

'We’re almost there.’ Jungkook’s lips curve into a small smile against his will when they pass a sign 'Welcome to Busan’. From the corner of his eye, he can see Jennie stealing a curious glance as well before she quickly turns back to the window. Under other circumstances, he would have been teasing her, calling her 'Gangnam Princess’ since she’s never been to Busan before. Now, though, all he can do is hope that spending a few weeks in his hometown would do something, anything to help forget. Well, not his hometown per se, more of his mother’s but he spent half of his life here so it could as well be his hometown.

Driving further and further into the city, passing by the all familiar houses and shops, Jungkook can’t help but feel nostalgic. He didn’t visit last year, something he deeply regrets, but knows that none of his grandparents will be mad at him. His their first and only grandchild after all and he’s been spoiled by them all his life.

The fuel reserve light turns on catching Jungkook’s attention, so he drives for a few more minutes before stopping at the last gas station before his grandparents’ house.

Jennie still doesn’t move even when Jungkook makes funny faces at her from the other side of the window, so he just refuels and goes to pay. Fumbling with his wallet, he doesn’t notice a person walking towards him resulting in bumping into them with a groan. Before he can apologize, a big, triangular smile appears in front of his eyes and then the rest of the face, and without much thinking, Jungkook throws himself at the man.

'Uncle Taehyung!’

'Kookie! Told you to call me Tae! God, I swear, you’re getting taller every year.’

'You say so every year!’

'Well, not last year.’ Uncle Tae shoves at Jungkook’s shoulder making Jungkook almost fall over. 'You’re so handsome, I wonder after who. Surely not after your grandfather.’ The man shakes his head rubbing at his jaw in a fake deep thought.

'You know, I always have another-.’

'Oh my,’ Taehyung whistles 'and who would that be?’ Jungkook furrows his eyebrows following his uncle’s line of sight until he locks eyes with a curious looking Jennie. 'Is that your girlfriend?’ Taehyung waves at her and to Jungkook’s genuine shock, Jennie waves back with a shy smile.

'No, just a good friend from college. She’s- Her boyfriend broke up with her, and I just thought she would like to see Busan. You know, maybe have some fun? You get it.’ Taehyung scoffs.

'Of course. I might be old, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know stuff. See, when I was young-.’

'Uncle.’ Jungkook puts a hand on top of Taehyung’s shoulder. 'Why don’t you come over later? We’ve been kinda driving for a few hours, and I’m sure Jennie would appreciate some shower and rest.’ He gives his uncle an apologetic look to which he receives a curse, but as it turns out, he’s not the one being cursed at.

'Shit, you’re right. I’m a fool. Go. And tell this old prick I’m expecting my martini to be nice and cold when I stop by sometime during the week.’ He adds louder as Jungkook walks over to the car.

'Of course! See you!’

'Who was that?’ Jennie waves again at Taehyung and Jungkook might be seeing wrong, but he swears the top of her uncovered ear turned slightly pink.

'Uncle Tae, he’s a good friend of my grandparents.’ The best, he thinks.

'Wow, so how old is he?’ Jennie turns in her seat, and Jungkook bites his lip to prevent himself from smiling wide. Better safe than sorry.

'Hmm, if I’m correct he’s my grandad’s age so it would be 64-.’

'64?!’ Jennie’s eyes widen comically. 'He looks no older than a little over 40!’

'Time has been merciful for him, I agree.’

'And he’s so handsome! Like, you know, this manly kind of handsome that comes with age.’

'Guess I’m not manly.’ Jungkook shrugs his shoulders.

'Maybe a bit? But he’s on the entirely different level, so you kinda suck next to him.’

'Nasty.’ Jungkook laughs and lets out a small breath of relief when Jennie giggles as well for the first time in two days.

'Wow.’ Jennie looks around her as Jungkook starts pulling their suitcases out from the trunk. 'It’s so nice.’

Jungkook stops to look over the house, white elevation with wooden elements here and there, big front yard with different kinds of shrubs and nicely shaped hedges lining the fence, so the whole place feels cozy and safe. Nothing changed since two years ago. He nods slowly.

'Yeah, it’s nice.’

'Kook?’ A slightly deep yet silky like honey voice calls out making both Jennie and Jungkook turn to the source of it.

A man, dressed in the comfy looking pants and an oversized blouse, looking like he walked straight from one of these 'mature sexy men magazine’ appears on the stone path leading to the main entrance. He’s holding a huge flowerpot with different, colorful flowers in it, his glove-covered hands are dirty from the soil, and the bronze skin of his face is grazed with pink. He sets the pot on the ground then pulls off the gloves with a smack.

'Hey, grandpa.’ Jungkook smiles slightly before jogging over to the man and straight into his wide open arms.

'My baby Kook.’ The man coos before he starts tightening the grip around Jungkook. 'You didn’t say you were going to visit you fuckin. Little. Shit.’

'Sorry.’ Jungkook manages to gasp out before the grip loosens and his grandad pats his shoulder blades.

'Seriously, you even brought a girlfriend. I didn’t clean up the house!’

'She’s not my girlfriend. Don’t worry; she won’t mind-.’

’I mind. What is she going to think of your grandparents, huh?’

'Seriously, don’t worry about it.’

'You fucking-.’

'Um.’ They snap their heads towards Jennie who managed to walk over without being noticed. Jungkook’s grandad quickly composes himself running a hand through his surprisingly thick and blonde hair. 'Hello. My name is Jennie, and it’s a pleasure to meet you.’ She bows slightly before the man sends her a charming smile and takes her hand to plant a kiss on top.

'It’s indeed a pleasure, such a beautiful lady with such good manners. If I wasn’t taken already-.’

'But you are.’ Jungkook peeps in, but Jennie just smiles shyly admiring the handsome man in front of her. There’s something youthful about his eyes and the way he talks that almost draws her in like a moth to a flame.

'A dog in the manger. Alright, since my lovely grandson didn’t bother to mention you were going to come, we’ll need to organize something.’ The older man spins around with a wink and starts walking towards the house completely ignoring the pot. Jennie looks briefly at Jungkook.

'Oh, maybe we should just go to the motel? I wouldn’t want to intrude-.’

'What?’ The man stops in his tracks before storming back to Jennie. 'Sweetheart, you’re not intruding. I just need to change bed sheets and maybe clean the bathroom a little, but I believe Jungkook will take care of you for an hour, right?’ He smiles sweetly, little crinkles appearing in the corners of his eyes and Jennie finds herself nodding fervently.

'Pops…’ Jungkook groans then jumps to the side to avoid being hit.

'Please, make yourself home.’ He squeezes Jennie’s arm gently before leaving.

As they both watch the man entering the house in a hurry, Jennie turns to look at Jungkook questioningly.

'Pops?’

'My childhood nickname for him. I like to tease him.’

'Are all old people here so handsome?’ Jennie furrows her eyebrows.

'What can I say. You’re not the only Gangnam Princess.’

'Alright then, princess. Let’s unpack. I could die for a cup of tea, also?’ Jungkook salutes.

'Got it, milady.’

Jungkook closes the door to Jennie’s room quietly before joining his grandfather on the couch downstairs. Reaching for the empty glass he lets the older man fill it with dry red wine.

'She’s very nice. But she seemed kinda sad?’ As usual, his grandad is pretty much observant and pretty much straightforward. Jungkook leans against the backrest.

'Her boyfriend of four years dumped her for someone else. After cheating on her multiple times. She didn’t know until two days ago.’

'That’s awful.’ His grandad nods rising a glass to his lips.

'She was devastated. Usually, she can take care of herself, but it was different this time. I could just sit and watch her becoming an empty shell.’ Jungkook rubs at his forehead out of a silent frustration. The older man doesn’t say anything for a while before humming into the wine with a smile.

'That’s why you brought her here.’

'This place can heal everything.’ Jungkook answers but not without a hint of affection. 'I missed you.’ He’s immediately crushed between two strong arms.

'We missed you too Bunny Boo.’

——

It’s been four days since their arrival, and even though Jennie looked relatively fine, Jungkook knew it’s not true. She met Taehyung properly, on the second day, laughing all the time at the old’s man antics. But she’s been looking at her phone every few minutes, and sometimes her eyes would glaze over, and she would excuse herself to the bathroom every time they did. Jungkook was to say at least, frustrated.

'Kook?’ He lifts his head to look at his grandfather.

'Yeah?’

'Could you prepare the fireplace? Taehyung’s coming over, and I thought we could grill some sausages? I’ve got marshmallows?’ He wiggles his eyebrow making Jungkook snort.

'Sure.’

'Maybe I could help with Jennie?’ Jungkook turns his head around to glance over his grandad.

'How?’

'I don’t know.’ The man shrugs. 'She’s too beautiful to be this sad.’

'I know.’ Jungkook sighs throwing thin pieces of wood into a plastic box. 'She’s hurting so much because of some stupid asshole. I wish someone just beat the shit out of him.’

'You really care about her, huh?’ Jungkook stops for a second then continues with searching for the wood.

'She’s not an ordinary girl, and she helped me a lot in college. She’s kind but stands for herself. She doesn’t deserve to be treated like this.’

’Nobody deserves that.’ His grandad pats his shoulder before walking away whistling quietly.

'No. You got it wrong. It was completely different from what you just said.’

'Taehyung, I swear, it was you who jumped from the scaffolding-.’

'You old fool, I would have remembered something like this-.’

'Then maybe it’s time to check your memory you goddamn prick-.’

'Woah, woah, woah.’ Jungkook walks over to the fireplace. 'I’m leaving you for a minute, and you’re almost fighting.’

'Who’s fighting you little shit?’

'Right! You’re just a bug to us so shut up.’ His grandad fist bumps Taehyung before they start cackling together.

'You’re awful.’ He whines with a frown. 'Here you go.’ Jungkook wraps a soft dark blue blanket around Jennie before plopping down next to her on top of the bean chair wrapped in his own dark pled.

'Thanks.’ She mutters softly through a mouthful of marshmallows. She seems cozy and definitely warmer with the blanket but for some reason, her eyes are getting dangerously glossy again, so before she could untangle herself and run away, Jungkook instinctively pulls her closer. She looks up at him, but he just presses a finger to his lips to shush her.

'Is it a storytime?’ Taehyung runs both hands through his thick brown hair.

'Of course.’ Jungkook’s grandad shakes his head like it’s the most obvious thing in the world and to be honest, it kinda is. Jungkook has always loved storytime with his grandparents; they either made him fall asleep in minutes or kept him awake for the entire night. To this day he believes there was magic behind these stories, the kind of magic that even his wonderful parents couldn’t create.

'How about it, Jennie? Do you wanna listen to his old man’s story?’ Taehyung gets more comfortable in his rocking chair. 'I promise, they are only the best quality.’

'I don’t doubt it.’ Jennie smiles and nods her head. 'I will gladly listen to your story.’ Absentmindedly she snuggles more into Jungkook’s side creating an extra dose of warmth between them. Not that Jungkook complains.

'Let’s see. Hmm. Okay, what about Jungkook’s favorite story?’ The old man gives him a questioning look as well as excited Taheyung and curious Jennie.

'I haven’t heard it in years.’ Taehyung nods appreciatively then makes puppy eyes at Jungkook. And damn, is it working.

'Yeah, I wanna hear that.’ Jennie agrees. 'Since it’s his favorite, it must be good.’ Jungkook locks his eyes with his grandfather’s. Actually, he heard it only twice and only when he became an adult.

'Yes. Yes, it is.’

'What is it about?’ Jennie reaches for her cup of tea. Jungkook’s grandad smile to himself.

'I hope you don’t mind a little- spice.’

——

At first sight, I could recognize you As if we were calling for each other The DNA in my-

'Um, excuse me?’ Jimin quickly pulls at his earphones to look at the stranger hovering over him. 'Is this seat taken? It’s full everywhere.’ Jimin glances at the seat where his bag sits then back at the stranger. It’s hard to tell his features because the sun is directly behind him, but Jimin supposes he doesn’t look like a freak. So quietly, he puts his bag between his legs motioning at the now empty seat.

'Please.’

'Thank you.’ The man bows and sits down in front of busy putting an earphone back in Jimin.

None of this is a coincidence Because we’re the two who found our destiny-

Jimin ignores him for the good thirty seconds before curiosity gets the best of him and before he can stop himself, he’s looking up from his phone. Everything would have been fine, Jimin would have taken a quick look then hid back behind his screen where he’s safe. But what he didn’t predict was that the stranger could be already staring at him as well. And oh, boy. He does have some nice features to look at.

His hair is fiery orange, slightly wavy and parted in the middle. He’s dressed nicely but not overdressed, with nice pants and loose longsleeved shirt. Suddenly Jimin feels half-conscious about his plain black jeans and the hoodie. They both avert their gazes at the same time pretending to like the scenery outside the window more than the person in front of them.

The train is moving at the speed of 300km/h, but Jimin swears his heart is beating faster. He’s not sure why. No, he has some fair idea why, but he’s better than that. He’s better than judging someone by the looks.

The boy doesn’t look at him for the next few minutes until they reach the next station and the speakers above the door to their section announce that there’s an over hour-long delay due to some reparations on the tracks.

Jimin slumps in his seat, stuffing both hands in the pocket of his hoodie. The sky is getting pinky orange now, so before he reaches home, it’s going to be plain dark outside. Great.

'Guess we’re stuck here for a while.’ The stranger’s voice makes Jimin flinch, but if the said stranger noticed, he does a good job of pretending he didn’t. He shrugs.

'I guess.’

'I can just leave you alone and shut up if you mind me talking.’

'I don’t. It’s okay.’

'Okay. But stop me if I’m too much. Sometimes I forget not everyone is like me.’ Jimin raises an eyebrow.

'Like you?’

'Overly excited.’ The other eyebrow follows the first one.

'About what?’ Jimin asks unsurely. The stranger smiles mischievously.

’Everything.’

Jung Hoseok wasn’t lying that day in the train. He was overly hyped and continuously made Jimin want to shove his fist down his throat whenever he started to talk at the speed of light about things that weren’t interesting to Jimin. But most of the time Jimin didn’t shove his fist down Hoseok’s throat. Actually, he never did. However…

'Fuck.’ Jimin’s fingers are so tightly curled in Hoseok’s hair that he thinks he would literally pull every one of them out if he did it any harder. 'Fuck. I- fuck.’ He doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t even know why he feels like he has to say something at all.

It’s just that it doesn’t feel right when there is silence between them. Well, maybe except for the moans and filthy sounds of slurping but silence beside that. With Hoseok’s constant talking he can think. Without it, he’s a mess like this.

He thrust and thrusts, and for a moment he becomes scared that he’s going too fast, too hard. But then Hoseok lifts his teary eyes and smirks around him, and he looks like he’s in his favorite spot in the world right now doing what he likes the most and Jimin doesn’t have the heart to take it from him. So he simply gives in.

And Jung Hoseok wasn’t lying that day in the train. He’s overly excited about everything.

'That was- intense.’

'No shit.’ Hoseok pants out trying to wipe the sweat away from his face. 'I feel like my soul left my body.’

'Same.’ Jimin agrees, quick, sharp breaths leaving his chapped lips. 'Any particular reason behind it?’

'Just a choreography for this boy group. Sorry if I went too hard.’

'No!’ Jimin flinches when Hoseok turns his head to look at him questioningly. 'I mean, it was fine.’

'Someone likes it more on the rough side, hm?’ He’s teasing, Jimin knows, but he still turns bright red at the indication. Hoseok raises an eyebrow. 'You really do.’

'I guess? Never really knew until today.’

'Did I wake up a best in you?’ God, yes.

'What was that?’ Jimin frowns. 'That was cheesy at so many levels.

'Not on your level shortie.’ Hoseok winks rolling around across the bed to run from the potential hit. He grabs his underwear and skinny black jeans, jumping to get them up his legs.

'Look, who’s talking. President of the 'want to be tall’ club.’ Jimin throws a pillow at him squeaking as Hoseok dodges it to steal a kiss from him. The mattress squeaks as well when Hoseok presses his palms on both sides of Jimin’s head.

'Whatever shortie. I gotta go home. Call me when you have time.’ He gives Jimin one last kiss, a little longer, maybe a bit lingering before he throws a shirt on and like this, he’s out.

'So you’re fuckbuddies with some Hoseok dude from the train.’

'Yes.’

'And it’s been four months?’

'Yes.’

'But you checked if he’s clean?’

'Yes.’

'Is he good?’

'Yes.’

'So it’s strictly physical relationship.’

'Yes.’

'But you talk beside that.’

'Yes.’

'And you want it to be more.’

'Yes.’

'Come on, teach me.’ Jimin laughs as they kiss in the middle of his apartment.

'You’re not even a dancer.’ Hoseok raises an amused eyebrow, then adds. 'Ballerina, maybe.’

'Just a few steps. And then I’ll suck you off, nice and clean.’ Jimin pulls at the rim of Hoseok’s shirt. Hoseok clicks his tongue.

'Alright. Let’s see if you can keep up with me.’

'Alright.’

'So we start with a jump-.’

—

'You’re a shitty person. You know that?’

They’re sticky and sweaty and too warm to be laying this close to each other, but somehow none of them moves an inch.

'It was you who said I’m not a dancer.’ Jimin giggles, wiping fresh strikes of cum on his stomach with wet tissues. He’s worn out, slightly sore and his throat is getting lightly red from the earlier ministrations on it.

'Cuz you never told me?’ Hoseok takes one of the tissues to wipe at his face. Jimin bites a lip at that but doesn’t stop wiping at his skin as he speaks.

'Cuz I didn’t know you would like to know.’ He only lifts his gaze when a hand wrap around his wrist and another one takes the almost dry paper away. He looks into Hoseok’s dark eyes and he stops breathing.

'Would you like me to?’ Jimin shrugs his shoulders, unsure.

'I guess.’

'I’m just gonna remind you that I’m overly excited about everything.’ Hoseok searches for something on Jimin’s face, in Jimin’s shining eyes, thick lips. They curve into a smile under his gaze before moving softly.

'I know.

'Pass the coke?’ Jimin wipes sweat away from his face with the back of his hand.

'Coke is bad for your gorgeous body.’ Hoseok hands him a glass of water, dropping a kiss on the side of Jimin’s head. 'And you’ve got something here.’ He points at Jimin’s forehead, white stripe of paint contrasting sharply with the gold undertones of his skin. Jimin touches it with his fingers then looks at the back of his hand.

'Fuck.’

'Here too.’ Hoseok points at something at his face again, and Jimin rushes to check it. When he furrows his eyebrows in confusion when nothing comes off on his finger and opens his mouth to ask, Hoseok’s already pressing a dirty brush against his nose. 'Right here.’

'Hoseok!’ The older laughs loudly before Jimin paints his cheek, chin and the side of his neck laughing as well.

'You did not.’ Hoseok dips his hands in the bucket with paint before dirtying any area on Jimin’s clothes and body he can reach. The paint splatters around the paper-covered floor as well as across the unfinished wall, but none of them seems to care, too caught in their own world. Hoseok catches Jimin’s midsection from behind spinning them around with Jimin’s legs dangling in the air. He trips over the paint roller, though, and soon they’re both kissing on the dirty floor, painted hands wandering everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

'I love you.’ Hoseok breathes into Jimin’s neck when they curl up together on the only mattress in their still empty apartment. It’s cold and pretty much dark, but it’s just the beginning, and they don’t have much energy to get up and go to Hoseok’s house to sleep.

Despite the temperature, Jimin feels like he’s burning on the inside, even underneath the thin worn out blanket. He puts his chin over Hoseok’s head sliding his fingers into his boyfriend’s hair. He inhales the faint mixture of paint and some random shampoo, not an unpleasant scent, and exhales.

'I love you, too.’

It was an agreement. It was a mutual decision and an easy solution.

Hoseok was leaving for America and Jimin- Jimin wasn’t.

Hoseok had a chance to become a big choreographer, and he craved some different. Something not-Korea.

Jimin was opening his academy in Seoul, and he loved his country, and despite loving Hoseok like crazy, he knew he would never be happy away from home. He was 23, they got to spend amazing three years together, but they just weren’t meant to be. Simple as that.

He didn’t cry at the airport, not when they kissed one last time, not when Hoseok whispered 'You’re my whole world,’ not when he whispered it back and not when the plane finally took off.

He knew that that day at the airport they were both lying, but for once, Hoseok wasn’t overly excited about something.

'Thank you for today. I had a great time.’

Seulgi was a beautiful girl, with fiery hair and soft eyes and Jimin shook his head as if to convince himself it’s just the coincidence. He asked her out because she was kind but brave, she was funny and she made Jimin blush more than once since he met her. She was just one of his employees in the academy; a modern dance teacher that only added to Jimin’s admiration for her.

He hasn’t heard from Hoseok for a few months now; another point in their agreement. He was going to move on and it was the only way. Sometimes he caught himself following him on Instagram or Twitter anyway but the day he saw a pic of Hoseok’s new partner, he just stopped for all.

'Yeah, I had a great time too.’

Thanks to Hoseok, he was all knew to dating stuff. It came naturally to them after everything they’ve done earlier. But this situation right now is so much different, with a person he wants to impress, with a person who is a girl and a person who is not Hoseok.

He kisses Seulgi slowly and carefully, feeling something nice warming up all of his body. He deepens the kiss, a bit, and hums when Seulgi responds boldly to it. He likes her so much and really hopes they would work out. He deserves happiness and in this moment he’s sure everything will turn out just fine.

He opens his eyes, slightly, catching a sliver of fiery hair and closes them immediately letting the kiss take over him.

Jimin smiles widely at everybody at the table pulling Seulgi closer to himself.

She was amazing, really. He loved her so much. He even told her about Hoseok. She was nothing but understanding, and he loved her even more for that.

Now, though, surrounded by their mutual friends and under the shimmering stars in the backyard of Seulgi’s house, he swears he feels like on cloud nine.

Seulgi is showing off the ring proudly, Irene and two other of her friends cooing and giggling and congratulating her in every possible way. Her hair is blonde now, something Jimin is quietly grateful for, but somehow, it disappoints him whenever he runs his fingers through it. Jimin’s friends, Namjoon and Seokjin, keep patting his shoulders, congratulating every time they open their mouths. Seokjin is more excited about it. He didn’t get to meet Hoseok but Namjoon was their mutual friend since the beginning, and while he is all smiles and kind words, Jimin can feel him being slightly less happy about it than his boyfriend.

He laughs at something one of the dancers from his academy says clapping his hands and covering his mouth with a sleeve. He feels lightheaded, from alcohol, from overwhelming emotions, from love for his fiance. He excuses himself to the bathroom, planting a lingering kiss on Seulgi’s wine-stained lips on the way before he disappears inside the house.

His phone vibrates in his pants as he’s making his way back. He steps in front of the glass door leading to the backyard, watching his friends having a good time. He can’t hear them through the glass but just by the looks on their faces he can proudly say they are happy for him.

He pulls the phone out, skipping through the notifications on his Instagram, comments, and likes underneath the pic of him proposing to Seulgi on top of one of the Seoul’s skyscrapers. He couldn’t thank Kai enough for taking it for them.

His phone vibrates in his hand again, an unknown number appearing on the screen. He opens the message and immediately sits down on the closest chair.

From: Unknown Congratulations :) H.

Jimin deletes the text quickly joining the rest at the table. He laughs for the rest of the night, drinks with everybody, kisses Seulgi whenever he feels like it and later in the night makes passionate love to her.

But that day he was lying to himself thinking that that one message didn’t stir something deep inside of him.

He plays with the sharp edges of the creamy paper card, moving it around and flipping it back and forth, eyes fixed on the elegant letters. It’s a plain invitation, classy with small embossed patterns around the edges. There’s not many of them, Seulgi wanted to invite only the closest family and a few friends.

The wedding’s in three weeks. He should be jumping in happiness and not be able to wait this long. But the longer he looks at the invitation, the more he feels- tired about everything.

The wedding rings, tuxedo fitting, shoes, decorations, cake, constant meetings with the consultant. He thanks God Seulgi has her friends to help her with a dress.

And then there’s this feeling, the voice at the back of his head which appeared the day of his proposal and stayed with him since then. It fills him with thoughts he doesn’t want, leaves him distracted most of the time that sometimes he’s unable to hide it even from Seulgi.

And she noticed. Of course, she did. She could say something is off about Jimin, but she didn’t say anything. She was loving and caring and left him when he visibly needed space.

Jimin couldn’t be happier to have someone like her in his life.

He reads over the invitation once again before slipping it into an envelope with 'Jung Hoseok’ at the top and the address he got from Namjoon underneath. He pushes it through the slit of the mailbox quietly hoping it’s not a correct address.

As he starts the engine and takes off, he swears the painful feeling behind his sternum is just the anticipation.

–

Kang Seulgi and Park Jimin

joyfully invite you to share in their happiness as they unite in marriage on Saturday the 16th August 2023 at 4 pm

PARK HYATT SEOUL 606, Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu Seoul, South Korea, 06174

She looks beautiful. She looks so beautiful walking down the aisle Jimin needs to blink for w few times. She dyed her hair back, fiery orange underneath the thin lacy veil and she looks like a Gangnam Princess with her dark red full lips and delicate eyes. Her simple, elegant dress flows down to the floor, like cascades of white gold and she looks so damn flawless Jimin knows the whole world is probably jealous of him.

Right, the whole world would probably kill to be him, to have such a beautiful wife, so kind and so damn loving. Every person on this planet can only wish to be in his boots right now. Jimin’s got the whole world in front of him yet there’s another person with even more fiery hair that catches his attention, in the furthest point of the church, right next to the main entrance.

He chokes on his breath, feeling sweat gather between his shoulder blades. He sees Seulgi, smiling, but there’s worry in her eyes, the one he knows so well. He sees his friends, Seulgi’s friends looking happy for him, for her. But his eyes wander to that damn spot next to the door, and he feels his chest contracting because if it’s possible.

Hoseok looks better than he remembers, in a navy suit and rich red bowtie and somehow, Seulgi, his wife-to-be, looks almost bland next to him. Everything rushes back to him, every kiss, touch, word. He’s 20 again and so utterly in love.

He bites his lip though when he takes smiling Seulgi’s hand, smiling at her as well through teary eyes because the love of his life is right here and right now but not the one whose hand he’s holding now. He swallows down the sob, feeling pathetic because this woman gave him his life and his love and Jimin loves her so much it hurts him sometimes.

But she’ll never be the love of his life, and it’s something that he’ll remember forever.

He’s the first to say 'I do.’ and he does say it, smiling wide with heart beating wildly in his chest. It was all in this past and he’s finally stepping into the future.

'Oh God.’ Jennie wipes at her eyes, her tear-stained cheeks glistening in the light of the crackling fire. 'Wow, you’re such a good storyteller. I literally couldn’t stop crying.’ Jennie giggles a bit when Jungkook presses her even closer against his side. He started stroking at her arm some time ago but she doesn’t seem to notice at all.

'The best.’ Taehyung agrees, lifting a glass of martini to his lips. There’s a delicate smile on his lips pressed against the rim of the glass.

'I feel sorry for Seulgi though. Kind of? I hope Jimin just finally forgot about Hoseok and loved her to the end. I think Hoseok just left after the ceremony and, I mean, they weren’t meant to be anyway? Though I thought you were going to bring them back together somehow, I really loved their story.’ Jennie continued with Jungkook still stroking her side.

'Well…’ Jungkook starts popping one of the marshmallows inside his mouth.

'What? Am I wrong?’ Jennie looks up confused then back at Taehyung and Jungkook’s grandfather, both of them looking at each other with a smile. Jungkook’s grandfather laughs quietly and there’s something nostalgic about it. Jennie watches him suspiciously.

'Oh God, they are real, right?’ She points an accusing finger towards the older men with wide eyes. 'You know them.’

'Of course.’ Taehyung laughs happily and Jungkook’s grandpa nods in agreement. Jennie turns to Jungkook but the boy just smiles with his eyes almost closed.

'Oh, my. So what’s the end of the story? What happened? You can’t leave me hanging like that.’ Jennie whines hitting Jungkook continuously.

'Pops, please. She’s going to kill me.’ Jungkook cackles trying to catch Jennie’s abusive fists.

'Well-.’

'Mickey!’ Taehyung exclaims making everybody turn to the small puppy running towards them, barking happily until it jumps onto the man’s lap. Jennie watches curiously how the dog licks furiously at Taehyung’s face but then catches sight of Jungkook’s grandpa. He watches the dog with adoration on his unbelievably young-looking face, the wrinkles around his eyes showing up. Then from the darkness emerges a person Jennie sees for the first time, the silhouette moving closer until they stand right behind Jungkook’s grandfather. Two slender hands, just a bit wrinkled make their way onto his shoulders and then the rest of the person comes to a sight. Jennie gasps in Jungkook’s embrace.

'Welcome home, Hoseok.’ Jungkook’s grandfather says softly, head turning to the side to snuggle into one of the open palms. There’s no mistake with the fiery orange hair and handsome face.

'It was you.’ Jennie breathes out and Jungkook’s father- Jimin it turns out, smiles at her brightly.

'I guess.’ He shrugs his shoulders and Jennie opens her mouth in awe.

'And who would be that beautiful lady?’ The other man, Hoseok, asks already walking towards her and Jungkook. She’s so shocked she forgets to stand up but Hoseok just kneels on one knee taking her skinny hand in his planting a kiss just like Jimin did on the first day.

'I’m so sorry, my name is Jennie and I’m Jungkook’s friend.’ She rushes to move but he presses a palm onto her shoulder.

'Nice to meet you. I’m Hoseok, and this little shit right here is my grandson.’ He ruffles Jungkook’s hair playfully. If I knew you were going to visit, I would visit Yoongi some other time you brat.’

'Sorry grampy.’ Jungkook smiles cutely, his bunny teeth showing and soon both Jimin and Hoseok are cooing and calling him Bunny Boo which Jennie finds enormously endearing.

'Wait!’ She interrupts their little reunion, instantly going red when they turn to look at her. 'I’m sorry, oh my god, so it was you all this time but how? I thought you said yes?’ Jennie presses further not really getting what’s going on. 'What about Seulgi?’ Hoseok sits down next to Jimin with a smile on his face, immediately joining their fingers together and planting a soft kiss against his blonde hair. Like this, they really look like teenagers they once were, in love and so content. Jimin closes his eyes laughing.

'She said no, obviously.’

'Jungkook?’ Jennie calls out as she watches from the window of her bedroom Jungkook’s grandparents cuddle on the wooden swing in the light of candles hanging from the branches of the huge chestnut tree.

'Your mother, how did they-.’

'They adopted her when she was 6. She quickly got pregnant with me but my father is the best man in the world and they were the happiest when I was born.’ He answers softly, thinking about his parents and promising himself to visit them as soon as possible. He looks at Jennie hugging herself in front of the window. He sits down on her bed.

'You know,’ he starts, 'when grandpa Hoseok left, grandpa Jimin told me he felt like his life was taken out of him that day. He thought it would be easy to move on, that it was just a puppy love. He didn’t cry that day but cried every next one until he met auntie Seulgi.’

'Auntie?’ Jennie turns around.

'Yeah, they’re still in contact. She’s great. And really beautiful. She got married and has a big family. She’s happy even though she was really heartbroken then. But she was also too kind and understanding.’ Jennie sits down next to him, leaning her head against his shoulder. 'My point is, not everything is the end of the world. Grandpa Jimin said he never knew he wasn’t really happy until he had grandpa Hoseok in his arms again. And now I am telling you, that someday everything will be fine. You’ll be happy again, Jennie.’ Jungkook takes her hand and squeezes.

'I know.’ Jennie squeezes back leaning more into Jungkook. 'Of course, I will.’ She closes her eyes letting Jungkook embrace her fully. They sit like this for some time, enjoying the warmth between them. Outside, Serendipity, another Jungkook’s favorite old song, plays from the small speaker installed in the swing and he doesn’t need to see to know that his grandparents are dancing slowly in the fading light of the candles, whispering and sharing warmth as well. He hears grandpa Jimin giggle softly and knows that grandpa Hoseok said either something stupid or nasty. He’ll never know.

He strokes Jennie’s arm.

'Let’s say I would like to take you out for a date. What do you say?’ He asks casually and Jennie snorts into his hoodie.

'I would say yes.’ Jungkook smiles in the darkness.

'So you think I am manly handsome.’

'I guess.’ She shrugs her shoulders and they both laugh hugging each other for the rest of the night.

'And you, Seulgi, do you take Park Jimin, to be your husband? Do you pledge to share your life openly with him and to speak the truth to him in love?’ The priest turns to Seulgi, gentle smile on his wrinkled face as he waits for her to answer. Jimin squeezes her hands, pushing Hoseok to the back of his head as he looks in the eyes of his fiance. She opens her mouth, smiling through the tears and her lips are finally moving, but Jimin doesn’t hear anymore. He hears gasps, feels himself gasping as well and watches Seulgi dumbly. Time stopped for him.

'W-what?’ He croaks out, stuttering as she presses her lips together. She remains silent for a moment then clears her throat before speaking loudly and clearly. One of her soft hands come up to cup Jimin’s cheek, stroking the skin lovingly.

'I love you, Jimin. And I know you love me, too. So much. I wish I could be your wife and have your children and that we could be happy together. Forever.’

'Baby-.’

'But you and I know that sometimes love isn’t enough. You love me, but I’ll always be just someone you love, not someone who is your life.’ A few more tears slide down her cheeks, but she doesn’t move to wipe them away.

'What are you saying?’ Jimin frowns but in the back of his head, the nagging voice nods furiously, absorbing every word and engraving into his body.

'I’ll never be the love of your life. I’ll never be him.’ She presses her forehead against Jimin’s temple as she turns his head to the side. He can barely see through the tears but the bright spot, that fiery spot is still there and as he blinks to get his vision clear, he notices Hoseok’s wet cheeks and pleading eyes.

'I-.’

'I’ll take care of everyone.’ She whispers into his ear, like a snake, like she tries to persuade him to sin. 'I love you, Jimin. But you would make the biggest mistake of your life marrying me.’

'Stop, we can fix this.’ Jimin tries to face her, but she keeps his head in place. 'How can you even know what I feel?’

'I don’t have to.’ She shakes her head. 'Knowing what he feels is enough. You looking at him after all these years is enough. I’m not stupid.’ She giggles but it’s low and raspy and Jimin sobs as she pushes him gently down the aisle.

'Seulgi-,’

'Go away, Jimin.’ She smiles waving her bouquet at him before throwing it almost hitting him in the face. 'Go to him and never let him go again. Promise me.’

Jimin keeps looking at her stubbornly but hesitates. Everybody watches him, his every move. Nobody says a thing. Women are standing with hands pressed together; men are keeping their breaths in. Seulgi suddenly lifts her eyes and nods at someone. Jimin spins around to face Hoseok who’s mouthing 'thank you’.

His head starts to hurt; everything becomes too much for him to bear but then Hoseok is catching him by the hand, and nothing around them matters anymore.

'You’re my whole world, Jimin.’ His voice is exactly the same, his lips are exactly the same, and everything is so familiar about him- 'Nothing changed. I’m sorry for leaving, for leaving you, for not trying to find a better solution. I let you go, and only today I fully realized I could completely lose you. And I can’t afford that.’ Jimin feels the tears on his cheeks as he stares into Hoseok’s eyes as if there were answers to all the questions in them as if there were galaxies or the key to immortality. But there’s only pure love in them and galaxies can go fuck yourself as long as Jimin can have that love forever. 'I love you.’

'I love you too.’ Jimin breathes out immediately surprising even himself.

He turns one last time, to his parents, to his friends, and finally, to Seulgi. She’s doing a great job of keeping her tears at bay, and she’s smiling this lovely smile, the one that cured every one of Jimin’s worries and he thanks her, soundlessly, before he leaves with Hoseok’s hand in his.

He can hear people talking, asking Seulgi if everything’s okay when clearly, nothing is. He feels terrible. He always will.

'Hoseok.’ He stops at the side of an empty road, feeling like everything is going to crash upon him any moment now. He reaches with a shaky hand to shove at his shoulder. 'Hoseok you shitty-.’ But he never gets to finish, never gets to yell at him, never gets to do anything except for kissing, no, drinking his soul back from Hoseok’s lips. After all these years, he finally understood the difference between his love for Seulgi and for Hoseok.

She was warmth. She was lazy flicks of flames on his skin in the morning while Hoseok was a raging fire in the middle of the night, taking over him in seconds and leaving him in ashes before he could even react.

'It’ll be a good story one day, you know?’ Hoseok pulls away, breathing harder than before and looking more alive than through the whole ceremony. He holds Jimin’s wrists in his hands like he could just run away if he didn’t. Jimin waits for his own breathing to calm down, counting from ten to one before crashing against Hoseok’s chest with a sob.

'Let’s go somewhere. Please.’ He asks with face pressed into the crook of Hoseok’s neck, inhaling deeply. He needs to think about everything, needs to fix some things and he certainly needs Hoseok to help him right now.

In the rear mirror of Hoseok’s car, he sees Seulgi getting into a taxi and taking off in the opposite direction.

'Jimin?’ He watches the window silently but lets Hoseok intertwine their fingers together.

'Hm?’

'Everything will be fine.’ And the way he says it makes Jimin smile. He shrugs turning to Hoseok. He places a long kiss on his neck, staying there and inhaling him.

'I guess. You’re here now.’

#fic #drabble #bts #bangtan sonyeondan #jihope #jhope #jung hoseok #park jimin #jeon jungkook #kim taehyung #min yoongi #kim seokjin #kim namjoon #kim jennie #blackpink

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