Chapter Text
“Shit,” he muttered underneath his breath as he held back his groan of pain. He hopped on one leg as he struggled to pull of his timberlands, squatting to slot them back in place on the shoe rack. He ran his fingers through his light-coloured locks and sighed as he draped his leather jacket on the back of the couch.
“Long night?” Came an amused voice and Jungkook nearly stubbed his other toe as he jumped in surprise.
“Sorry,” he said, making his way around the armrest to plop onto the furniture next to the owner of the voice. “I didn’t think anyone else would be up at this time.”
“And if you did, you’d still come back this late and wake the living daylights out of everyone else with that yelp of yours,” Jin supplied with a knowing smile.
“Can’t deny that,” Jungkook agreed with a smirk. “Not my fault they want to keep me for so long.”
“If by ‘so long’ you mean a few hours, then yeah, what a disappointment,” the elder rolled his eyes as he began stacking the plates that had lain strewn across the coffee table.
“Late dinner much?” Jungkook commented as he took half the heap and followed as Jin headed towards the kitchen to dispose of the remainders.
“I had a project,” he replied dismissively, wiping his hands with a towel as he turned around. Jin rested his hip against the counter as he surveyed the younger of the two.
Disheveled chestnut-coloured tresses, sleepy grin, telltale signs of layers of sweat, the sheer scent … It was obvious to anyone with eyes he’d been sleeping around again. When did he ever stop, rather? Jin thought sarcastically. As much as the student loved his younger friend, this was getting out of hand but nothing they said or did made any difference. You’re walking down a dark path, Kookie, he mourned the loss of their wide-eyed bunny, full of excitement and innocence. Jungkook would always be Jungkook, but somewhere along the road, he’d lost his innocence and his gentle exterior was replaced by this bad boy persona. They all understood why, and swallowed the sudden change like a bitter pill but this wasn’t what they wanted for the talented, hurting boy.
Jungkook leaned against the refrigerator with a smirk playing on his lips. “See something you like, hyung?” He drawled, making the said male gag on his own spit.
“That is seriously gross, Jungkookie,” Jin complained as he gulped down a glass of water to clear his throat.
“Evidently not to the girls,” the maknae grinned, crossing his arms as he watched Jin proceed to choke on his water.
“Seriously, stob it!” He spluttered and Jungkook laughed. “Kidding, hyung. I’m too good for you, anyways.” The junior patted the senior on the shoulder as he began his trek to the showers.
“When are you going to settle?” Jin called after him, stopping Jungkook cold in his tracks.
“Why?” He asked slowly, head tilting and a pang of regret hit the elder like a truck of bricks when he saw the way the maknae’s eyes glittered callously, his irises empty pits.
“I don’t know, Jungkookie,” Jin said with a tired sigh, arms gesturing at the stale air helplessly, “I know you say you’re focused on your career path, but this can’t be healthy.”
“We all have these nights once in a while,” Jungkook said indifferently with a careless shrug. “Yoongi-hyung has them too and I don’t see you on his ass.”
We both know it’s more than just ‘once in a while.’ But Jin didn’t call the light-haired boy for his bullshit and only looked at him for a long, long time.
“Tae wants to us to meet the girl he’s been talking about for the past year next week,” is all he said. “Don’t be late.”
“Finally,” he groaned. “Can’t believe Jimin won this round, though.”
“I’m pretty sure Hobi jacked the bet,” Jin added with a grimace. “He’s been egging them on since they met.”
They both shared a laugh but a shiver crawled up Jungkook’s spine when he noticed the stranger glimmer in Jin’s eyes, at odds with their light-hearted banter.
“I won’t be,” he said quietly. Despite his cocky attitude, Jungkook loved his brothers more than life itself and would never undermine their needs over his flaws. They were the only reason he stood where he did, the person he was, and not the person he wanted to be.
“Good night, hyung,” Jungkook said uncomfortably as he gave his friend a small smile before stepping away with swift strides.
As his footsteps receded and the house settled back into a peaceful lull, Jin slumped over, resting his head on his arms as he stared at the sticky notes littering the refrigerator.
And you know, better than anyone, that Yoongi is the last person who would have a one night stand.
“Boo!”
Startled, you fumbled with the lid of your thermos for a moment before setting your cup to the side with a sigh of relief.
“Yah! What do you think you’re doing! You could’ve—oh!” You’d turned around, ready to scold the perpetrator when you recognized the flame-coloured locks, bright eyes and happy beam.
“Sorry,” he whined, taking a seat next to you as he propped up his chin on his knee, grin never fading. “Please forgive me?” He fluttered his eyelashes coyly, to which you giggled and hit him lightly in retribution.
“Aish, Tae, you’re always scaring me like this,” you huffed as you screwed your thermos back in place and leaned back against the rough bark of the tree.
Cherry blossoms fluttered around you, a gentle breeze curling against your hair as you closed your sketchbook.
“You’re always so pretty like this,” Taehyung said cheerfully, pulling out his camera as he flipped through his album.
“In a beautiful backdrop?” You murmured sarcastically but you looked up to see the boy cocking his head as he pursed his lips.
“Silly ___,” he answered, “In your natural state. You’re always beautiful to me.”
“You’re the gorgeous one here,” you said shyly, tucking in a stray lock of hair and Taehyung bit his lip as he tried to swallow the glee that was threatening to blow his boxy smile out of the waters at your innate aegyo, loving the way you acted without knowledge.
“So I need some help with the script I have for the oral presentation on Monday…,” Taehyung coaxed and you shook your head with a wry smile.
“My place tonight?” You relented with a half-hearted sigh when the boy pumped his fist in triumph.
“You’re not fooling anyone, you know,” you added with a giggle. “I know you’re just trying to find excuses to meet my brother.”
“True,” Taehyung agreed without angst, “But I also want to spend time with my beautiful girlfriend.” He leaned over and pinched your cheek before whipping out a finger heart with a wink.
You batted him away with a pout, rubbing at your skin and the orange-haired student kissed the pads of your fingers as a silent apology. He patted the empty space between his legs and you clambered onto his lap without hesitation.
Taehyung rested his hands against your waist, your back pressed against his broad chest comfortably as you turned the page in your sketchbook.
“Theme?” You nestled yourself against the crook of his shoulder and you felt his smile curve against your collarbone.
“Spring,” Taehyung murmured as he drew patterns against your sides, causing you to squirm beneath his touch while holding in your laughs.
“Y-yah! Stop it, pabo,” you complained through your tears and the flame-haired boy relented with a grin as he finally settled back and tucked you in close with a kiss on the temple.
The meadow fell silent again, save for the rhythmic breaths of your sleeping boyfriend and the quiet scratching of your charcoal pencil skating across pastel paper.
You savoured moments like these, where the world seemed to recede, if only for a few hours, and allowed the two of you to enjoy your little bubble. You drew while Taehyung slept, catching up on those rare nights of adequate slumber, his chosen field exceedingly competitive in such a prestigious art school you both attended.
You began this mini tradition when the two of you had only begun dating, after months of steadfast friendship and shy flirting. Taehyung had blurted the confession he’d been bottling up for months and you’d happily accepted. He was beyond ecstatic, having harboured feelings for you for a long time and adamantly refused to be pried from your side, to which you’d secretly relished, loving his jovial aura and mood-making, upbeat personality.
Granted, Taehyung could be a tad overwhelming at times, but your feelings only grew as he unabashedly showed you all sides of him without fear, his own for you expanding exponentially when he’d realized you’d not only accepted him for all that he was, but would eagerly join in on his seemingly 4D ventures.
“What should I draw today?” You hummed, tapping you pencil against your chin thoughtfully and Taehyung tilted his head curiously as he peered down at your empty page.
“For your portfolio?” He asked in confusion and you nodded. “For reference, in case I need to prove my artistic endeavours to someone one day,” you replied dramatically and the flame-haired boy laughed delightedly.
“What about … Wings?”
“Perfect.”
“Jungkook!”
“Hey, Jungkook!”
“Kookie!” His face twisted at that last one. His arm fell and he shoved his hands in his pocket as he sauntered up to the owner of that comment.
“Hello, Eunji,” he purred, a slow smirk catching the girl off-guard as she giggled, biting her lip in an attempt to look seductive. Her group of friends followed along and Jungkook glanced at her appraisingly. He could tell she was trying to contain her excitement, hope filling her orbs as she beamed at him. He could practically read the please fuck me plead stamped on her forehead like a red flag.
As it should be, he thought smugly. But not you, his lip nearly curled in disgust, betraying his genuine revolt at the girl.
“Do not call me that ever again,” he whispered as he leaned in, smiling like he was telling her his deepest, darkest secret. “Or I’ll make your life miserable for the rest of your time here.”
Her lower lip quivered and her eyes widened in fear as he withdrew but Jungkook only raised an eyebrow.
“Something wrong, my dear?” He drawled, smirking as she shook her head fast enough to earn her a whiplash. He watched as she scurried away, her party hurrying alongside her with their heads down despite the curious look one of them darted at him as they left.
He raised a hand and waggled his fingers at her with a wink. He abstained his laugh as the girl ducked her head, blushing heavily.
“Morning to you, Kookie,” Jungkook let out an audible sigh as he turned his head to meet the unimpressed look the black-haired boy was giving him.
“Morning, hyung,” the maknae said with a small smile, this time authentic and Yoongi offered a rare smile of his own in return for his effort.
“You know,” he began as he gestured for Jungkook to follow him as he made his way to their campus where both their lectures were for that morning, “You’re going to stop eventually. It might take days, months, years, hell, even decades, but you’re going to stop because you’ll find something or someone who is worth all your devotion, all of your time and energy and you’ll finally commit.”
Jungkook didn’t dare actively roll his eyes at his hyung, knowing how scary the budding songwriter got when he was crossed, but he opened his mouth to refute his friend’s claim when Yoongi raised a hand and shut him up quickly.
“But remember when I say don’t mistake a chance for certainty. That opportunity, that person may come around in your lifetime only once. Stay true to yourself. It’s not wrong to want the things you want, but if you don’t try, you’ll never achieve it.”
And with that cryptic message, Yoongi gave the light-haired boy a firm squeeze on the shoulder before veering to the left, where his auditorium awaited him, leaving the aspiring singer staring after the pianist with a dumbfounded look.
“Seriously, what the fuck,” Jungkook mumbled under his breath as he pinched his nose, hitching his messenger bag higher as he headed towards his own lecture with a heavy sigh.
“___!” You looked up at the shout and your lips curved into a smile when you noticed the familiar figure of your lover chasing after you with his signature boxy grin.
His flame-coloured hair was ruffled from the wind and he skidded to a halt in front of you.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said breathlessly. “Jimin stole my sweater and I thought I’d be able to find it before your class ended and I looked everywhere but it turns out he was wearing it the whole time!”
“Did you pull it off him and put it on?” You said amusedly and Taehyung straightened, looking affronted.
“Excuse me, just who do you think I am, jagi?” He exclaimed, putting a hand to his heart as he shook his head in mock disappointment.
“Of course I did!” He declared, gesturing to his outfit with a flourish.
“Hmm,” you pretended to evaluate his choices as you stifled a giggle. “I’d say it looks pretty good but then I’d be lying.”
“Naturally,” Taehyung agreed as he took your hand and the two of you fell into step. The wind rustled his bright locks as he looked at you with gentle eyes. “I look fantastic and you know it!”
“And I’d bet it looks much better on you than on Jimin, too,” you added conspiringly and the boy smiled at you. “It looks better on me than on Jin.”
“No way,” you covered your mouth in a faux gasp as he nodded slowly.
“I know,” he said solemnly. “The truth hurts, but I just can’t hold it in anymore! The world needs to know!”
“Don’t worry,” you whispered. “I won’t tell Jin. Not even when I finally meet him.”
“You’re the best, jagi,” Taehyung beamed and he leaned over to nuzzle your nose. You flushed lightly at his Eskimo kiss and squeezed his hand tighter in response.
“Aww, you’re blushing, ___!”
“Y-yah! Stop it!”