2) I love tall men with pretty brown eyes and scrungly brown hair (I have a type)
3) English + creative writing student who has too many random small interests
4) I enjoy writing, cooking, reading, analysing characters and movies and storylines as well as biting my pillow at 2am due to an amazingly written fic (I also dabble in a bunch of random things like crochet)
5) I hope my fics make others feel happy sad and emotionalđ»
I do not give anyone permission to copy, translate or repost my works as their own on any platform. If my work is posted on another app, it will be on wattpad under the name peachysoek ;d
None of the characters or shows belong to me unless stated otherwise!!
bf! Taehyung isn't interested in the concept of personal space. It didn't matter where you two were; some part of him would always be touching some part of you.
You two could be sitting at a restaurant, having dinner with friends, catching up - and the entire time, Taehyung has his hand on your leg. He doesn't even realize it until you're trying to stand up to go to the bathroom, and his hand is falling from your thigh as you push your chair back. His hand aches the entire time you're away.
And it's worse when you two go to bed.
His body fuses to yours, arms and legs intertwined until you can't decipher where he starts and you end. All you know is that his face is smushed into the curve of your neck, and he's nudging his nose under your jaw in a silent plea for you to run your fingers through his hair.
You do, and it's how you two fall asleep, almost every night.
bf! Taehyung can't hide his facial expression when it comes to you. His eyes get all sparkly and wide when you walk into the room. He can't look away even when someone is trying to talk to him. His eyes track your every movement until you finally reach him, and then his smile is all warm and lovesick.
"Hi," You smile, and everyone can see the hearts forming in Taehyung's eyes as he focuses on you.
"Hey." He might as well melt into a puddle right then and there.
bf! Taehyung goes out with his friends for a "guys' night," and it never fails to end with one of his friends FaceTiming you on his phone.
He's supposed to be hanging out with his friends, catching up, relaxing, and when you answer the phone, you're greeted by one of his friends smiling. They tell you that Taehyung is okay, but drunk, and he won't stop blubbering about you.
It honestly warms your heart, but when the screen shows your boyfriend sniffling, you can't help but giggle and coo.
And when Taehyung sees you, it brings a new round of pouts; his hands are snatching the phone to hiccup as he tells you he misses you and loves you like he didn't see you six hours ago.
After a few moments of you reassuring him that you miss him too, you laugh and tell him to enjoy the rest of his night because he can see you later.
What a silly lover boy.
bf! Taehyung says "I love you" with a kiss. He's lying on top of you, his arms wrapped under your back, and his hips snug between your thighs. He's got his head resting over your sternum as you card your fingers through his hair, and the overwhelming feeling of love fills his heart until he needs to let it all out.
The first kiss is right over your heart, followed by his soft voice, and "I love you." The next is on your collarbone, two kisses, followed by two "I love you's." And then he makes his way up higher.
When he reaches your face, both of you are smiling like fools, and his hands are resting on either side of your head as he leans down. He kisses both of your cheeks, your forehead, your nose, and he laughs when he ignores your puckered lips to kiss your chin. But when he finally does kiss your lips, he makes sure to look at you a moment before.
He studies your eyes, the way your cheeks are flushed, and your fingers are holding onto his biceps, waiting so patiently for him. That's when he leans back down, his nose nudging yours softly before he finally presses his lips to yours.
He doesn't say I love you then; instead, he shows it by kissing you nice and slow, his body molding to yours as he coaxes your mouth open to deepen the kiss with a grin.
Summary: It had been years since Jin graduated from high school, and even longer since the last time he had any contact with his old classmates. It wasnât like he was dying to see them again, especially not with the level of fame he had now, but curiosity always got the best of him, and knowing there was the tiniest possibility of seeing his best friend again⊠well, it made him take certain risks.
wc: 1.8k
Pairing: Kim Seokjin x Fem!Reader
A/N: Here comes the first request from the 1000 followers event! A little drabble of our beloved Jin <3 Ohh, I was so excited to show you guys this one, even if itâs not the best thing in the world, itâs just that I absolutely love the childhood best friends trope, you know? Anyway, I hope you enjoy it! Donât forget to check out the event in case you want to send a request for any of the 5 activities. See you soon ^3^!
Dividers | Masterlist | Taglist | Event
If he had known the reunion was going to be this boring, he probably wouldnât have come. He was exhausted, he had just finished touring, and they had already started recording their second album after their military service. The rehearsals made his bones ache, the recording sessions left his voice rough, and he was pretty sure that somewhere in the middle of the nightmare this month had been, he had started developing eye twitches from stress.
And yet, he still came to this place, filled with people who only greeted him and laughed beside him because of his fame, people who grabbed his arm to drag him from one side to another, telling him about a nephew who was a huge fan, or about a friend of a friend who had seen him at a concert years ago.
If he was being honest, he couldâve left hours ago. He couldâve grabbed his things and gone back home, laid down against his soft, comfortable sheets and slept until the next day, ignored the invitation and moved on with his life. He couldâve done that. But doing so meant ruining the only chance he had to see you again.
And he couldnât allow that to happen a second time.
âSorry, I need to make a quick call. Iâll be right back.â
He didnât wait for an answer. He just pushed himself up from the chair, squeezing past the guys blocking his way so he could finally escape toward the barâs exit. He really needed some air.
Almost fifty minutes had passed since the party started. Why werenât you here yet? You had always been responsible, always arriving a few minutes early to everything, prepared, organized, always one of the first people there to avoid problems.
Were you really not coming?
âLeaving so early?â
Jin wasnât the kind of person who could recognize people by their voice. Faces, yes. Expressions too. But voices? That was his weakness, and hearing the voice of someone he hadnât seen in over ten years was, well, impossible.
Or at least that was what he thought until now, because somehow, his body reacted instantly the moment he heard your voice.
âY/N?â
He didnât look up right away. He didnât think he was capable of seeing your face without dying in the process. His heart was killing him, slamming against his chest so hard he felt like he might collapse from the pain at any second, and his stomach was an even bigger mess.
So he looked at your shoes first. He recognized them immediately. They were the same ones you had talked about years ago, the pair you desperately wanted because they were the perfect combination of comfort and elegance. He could still remember all the times you insisted that a good pair of shoes could take you somewhere good, because at the end of the day, they were what carried you through the world.
Your legs were covered by lime green pants, tight around your thighs and loose below your knees, a style he had always seen you wear back in high school, except back then the fabrics had been simpler, denim and cotton, sometimes even scraps of old clothes that wouldâve otherwise been thrown away. You had always been good at giving forgotten things a second life.
The last thing he noticed before reaching your face was your shirt, cream-colored, made of a shiny fabric he himself had worn hundreds of times during performances in the past and whose name he had never managed to learn. It looked so much better on you. More natural. More harmonious.
Almost as beautiful as your face.
You hadnât changed at all. Your hair was longer now, sure, and he was pretty sure the color looked lighter too, but your face was still the same. You still had that calm gaze from back then, the same shy smile you used to greet him with every morning, the same expression you wore every time a new school year started.
You looked even better now, with your confident posture and steady eyes.
Probably nothing compared to his flushed cheeks and parted lips.
âI didnât think youâd remember me after all these years.â
You adjusted your bag over your shoulder, stepping closer until you leaned against the wall beside him. Just like old times, when you used to stand outside convenience stores together to hide from the rain, or simply to grab a quick snack.
âWhat?â He frowned, almost sounding offended. The audacity you had to say something like that to his face was unbelievable. âOf course I remember you. I spent six out of seven days a week with you.â
âYeah. Sixteen years ago.â
âThatâs not that long.â
âThatâs basically the age of a teenager.â
âI donât really see the difference between a teenager and a baby, you know?â
Pretending it didnât happen, though, wouldâve been a lie.
He hadnât even realized how much he missed hearing your laugh until now. He didnât know if he could go home knowing this might be the last time heâd ever hear it.
âYou really havenât changed at all, have you?â
âIs that a bad thing?â
âNo.â You shook your head, lowering your gaze toward your feet. It was hard to make out your expression with your hair covering part of your face, but Jin could swear you were smiling. âItâs exactly how I imagined it, actually.â
âHow I imagined it?â he repeated quietly, trying to make sense of your words through the chaos in his head. âYou imagined this?â
âUs meeting again? Of course. You were⊠are my best friend.â
âAre? Present tense?â
He watched silently as your hand lifted to brush your hair away from your face and god, you really looked beautiful under the moonlight. Or maybe it was the streetlights. Did it even matter what was lighting up your face right now? The result wouldâve been the same.
You still wouldâve looked like the most beautiful woman he had ever known.
âNo one could ever take that place.â
You nodded with a smile, trying to hold his gaze and failing completely. He noticed it in the way you looked away the second your eyes met his, in the way you shifted awkwardly with a broken little laugh, and in the soft pink spreading across your cheeks.
âOhâŠâ
âYeah. Oh.â
âI wasnât leaving,â he said quietly, answering the question you had asked earlier.
He knew what he was about to say could make everything awkward. He knew he was taking a huge risk. But what exactly did he have to lose? He didnât even have your number. If things went badly, heâd just⊠go back to living his life the way he had before seeing you again.
âNot before seeing you again.â
âWhat do youâ?â
âI came to this reunion because I wanted to see you again.â Not even performing on the biggest stages in the world had ever left him feeling as breathless as he did right now. âIt was the only way I could contact you again. I couldnât let it slip away.â
The silence that followed was suffocating.
His heartbeat echoed in his ears, his hands were cold with sweat, and he didnât even want to think about the horrible trembling in his legs. He was sure he was about to throw up right there, sure he was about to hear a direct rejection to⊠whatever it was he had just confessed, and spend the rest of his life drowning in embarrassment and regret andâ
Did you just laugh?
Seriously?
God, he knew it. He knew he had sounded ridiculous. This was his fault for opening his mouth without thinking twice.
âIâm sorry, I shouldnât have said that. Letâs just go back inside. You havenât even greeted anyone yet, right?â
He let out a nervous laugh, wrapping his trembling hand around the door handle. He was more than ready to drown himself in alcohol and use every acting skill he had to pretend nothing had happened out there when suddenly, a hand wrapped around his wrist, stopping him instantly.
âI came here just to see you too.â
âYou donât have to say that just to make me feel better.â
âI mean it.â
Throughout all the years you had been friends, he could swear he had never seen your eyes shine the way they did right now. He couldnât help wondering if his looked the same.
âI wasnât even going to come because I thought that, you know, since youâre an idol, youâd avoid places like this. Yujin texted me a few minutes ago to tell me you were here.â
âThatâs why you were lateâŠâ
âI didnât know if this would be my last chance to see you.â
He remembered hearing once that best friends thought and acted the same way. Now he understood why people said that.
âWhy did you want to see me?â
The question slipped out before he could fully process it. Yes, he had thought about it the moment you explained why you came, but he hadnât wanted to ask. He didnât want to risk even more than he already was.
But then again, he had already taken too many risks tonight, and every single one of them had worked out.
So he was hopeful now. Certain, even, that this answer would be in his favor too.
He prayed it would be.
âFor the same reason you did.â You smiled softly. âOr at least, Iâd like to think so.â
Cheater.
You knew exactly what you were doing.
Neither of you fully dared to take the next step. At least not explicitly.
A heavy silence settled between you. Everything felt more intense than before: the floral scent of your perfume, the colorful lights reflecting against your clothes, the distant sounds of cars and strangers passing by becoming barely audible to Jin.
He supposed this was what it felt like when you were seconds away from saying something you had kept buried inside yourself for more than half your life.
âI love you,â he whispered as quietly as he could.
He didnât want anyone else to hear it. He didnât want anyone else to know about whatever this was between the two of you, because it belonged only to you. He couldnât share it.
He didnât want to.
âI couldnât say it back then, but I couldnât keep living knowing youâd never understand how I felt.â
Felt, he said.
As if there werenât still traces of those feelings left.
As if, even now, he didnât still dream about what his life couldâve been if the two of you had stayed in contact.
This time, when he looked at your face, there was no laughter.
No surprise either.
Just⊠a smile. One you tried to hide by biting the inside of your lip. The expression of someone who had waited a very long time to hear those words. To hear that they had been right all along.
âI know,â you whispered back in the same soft tone, your hand slowly moving from his arm to his neck, until finally cupping his cheek. âI love you too.â
The two of you stared at each other in silence for a few seconds. You, holding his cheeks between your hands, studying his flushed face as if it were one of the wonders of the world, and him, leaning into your touch, trying not to look at your lips for too long. Not here. Not in public. Not where anyone could see the two of you andâ
To hell with it. He had waited sixteen years for this.
âIâm pretty sure weâd get into trouble if we did anything here,â he murmured softly, his hand settling against your lower back. âSo⊠would you like to come home with me?â
âWoah, I donât remember you being this bold, Kim.â Your laugh sounded lower this time, quieter, a tone he had never heard from you before, but definitely one he wouldnât mind hearing again. âI didnât drive here.â
âPerfect. Then Iâll take us.â He pulled his car keys out of his pocket, swinging them back and forth with a smug smile tugging at his lips.
He knew he probably shouldâve gone back inside to say goodbye. It wouldâve been the polite thing to do and all that⊠but he couldnât find a single part of himself that wanted to return to that place instead of getting into the car with you and spending the night at home together.
He had already lost his chance once, and now? Now he refused to lose it a second time.
glimpse: you're an alien in prince jungkook's planet â both literally and figuratively.
alternatively, jungkook gives his nickname for you to someone else in a fit of anger, and you've never been more upset.
[ fluff, angst, painfully oblivious n dense alien koo, mutual pining (yes MUTUAL!!!!), the glaring concept of not being good n whole enough to deserve love (yikes but i Swear it gets better), mentions of injuries ]
notes: after being asked for literal years to write an alien au, it's finally here!!!! mwah thank u for patiently waiting :D
as always, lmk what you think <3 send in feedback n love to my askbox anytime!!
Jungkookâs fond of appraising things.
Heâs fond of assigning values to things that may or may not hold some bit of importance to his life, whether its value proves itself in the present or the future. Jungkook likes setting his literal ducks in a row, and the little inanimate yellow tokens that his brother brought back from Earth serve as a discreet (not really, though) reminder that he may have some hoarder tendencies.
Jungkookâs not really a hoarder-hoarder; it just happens that he likes keeping things, sometimes for no apparent reason at all.
He likes swiping the flashlights that the night guards use to stash in his own personal âemergencyâ (not that thereâs ever been one, nor will there ever be) cabinet, just because he wants to be prepared for a natural catastrophe that wonât probably ever happen in his area. Heâs already seen a couple of films that humans have made, and if ever comes a time that Planet Twell has a dinosaurian monster battle it out with a gigantic prehistoric ape, Jungkookâs proud to say that he has a couple flashlights for him and his brothers to use.
In addition, Jungkook likes picking flowers just before they go out of season. His eldest brotherâs already cussed him out for it, but heâll still do what he does best (?), if best means âpreservingâ the flowers by drowning them in water every ten minutes so they wouldnât wilt and heâd still get to see them during off-peak days.
Prince Jungkook likes appraising things in his own definition and pace. Theyâre never categorized in his head for what they actually do, but for what kind of unexplainable fulfillment fills his chest whenever he thinks about the item.
The youngest prince of Twell didnât like it when there was a commotion at the lily field and the citizens ran out to see what it was about, instead of eating their slices of cake with the fondant that he made out of scratch. Jungkook didnât like the fondant either because there must be something insanely wrong with itself (or itâs just that he made it just as bad), but he didnât like being alone either when finding out about the taste.
He didnât like seeing the tiger lilies he planted himself squished underneath an unknown figure, who may or may not have fallen from the sky, judging by the way youâre wincing alone with no aircraft, no parachute, nor any other person with you.
Jungkook didnât like seeing you, an alien, whoâs just as confused with the entire ordeal. You canât remember anything about how or why youâve gotten here â all you know is your name and who you are, and unexpectedly so, the first prince whoâs gotten to where you are isnât so thrilled about the fact.
Heâs fond of appraising things, and although heâs not extremely excited about you just as he had been when Yoongi brought home trinkets from him during his trip to Earth (including the very seeds for the tiger lilies youâve destroyed), heâll make do.
Jungkook will try and make you mean something, if not everything, to him.
.
.
.
Prince Jungkook has come to learn that youâre part human.
Youâre neither fully his kind nor his type (or atleast thatâs what he thinks so) and he doesnât know what to feel about that. He doesnât know what to feel about only the slight panic that filled you knowing that itâs still unexplained of how or why youâre in Twell; even more, he doesnât know what to feel that youâre neither scared nor intimidated by him.
You donât know what to feel either when Jungkook, whoâs only mildly shocked about your existence in general, delivers his first question to you and itâs not of the sort that you expected. He looks soft and round, unlike the hearsay about his kind that only amounts to half of you. He doesnât look aloof and unaccepting at all â if anything, he looks at you like youâre the one whoâs cruel instead of him.
Jungkook almost completely does not care about who you are or where youâre from, but what he cares about is if you have any trinkets with you that he could possibly have. Out of anything he could possibly solicit from you, he only asks for so little, no matter how odd.
âT-trinkets?â you squeak, brows raising in surprise. âIâm sorry, Prince Jungkook â y-youâre asking if I have trinkets so you could have them?â
âYeah,â he nods, lips pursed and cheeks puffed out as he confirms your confusion. âItâs my birthday, and I want to have a trinket.â
âOh,â you blink once, twice, a small smile playing on your lips to replace the fact that youâve been confused for the entire half hour since you came back to consciousness. âHappy birthday, prince.â
âI see.âÂ
âItâs thank you,â you mutter automatically, coughing lightly when he only knits his brows at you. Heâs cute this way â innocent, even. âI-I mean youâre supposed to say thank you when someone greets you, or when someone does something nice for you in general.â
âOkay. My brother forgot to teach me that,â Jungkook hums in recognition, eyes briefly glowing with a bluish hue before he regains his composure. âThank you.â
You wonder if staring is also frowned upon in this planet.
You wonder if it would get you a mean glare or a sarcastic snicker if you were to stare at Prince Jungkook a little longer without any thoughts floating in your brain, except for the fact that you are completely unaware that youâre already zoning out on him.Â
You wonder if it would be wrong for your eyes to take in every single detail of him from his short hair that softly falls onto his forehead, to his supposed birthday attire that only consists of a white button-up, to his gleaming royal jewelry that rightfully so, only looks like it would belong to him and him only.
âTrinket?â he reminds you, head tilting and eyes widening as he cranes his neck to look at you beyond the table that separates the both of you.
âOh! U-uhm,â you scour your pockets immediately just to present something, and bluntly put, you havenât even checked your well-being, much less the possessions you have on yourself. You feel more than relieved to know that it isnât empty, because oddly enough, youâd feel a little upsetâ a little down if you were to disappoint a prince you just met not more than an hour ago. âI have this handkerchief, I guess.â
âPerfect!â Jungkook exclaims, leaning to grab the baby blue square from you thatâs embroidered with your initials that are unfamiliar to him. He clutches it into his hand tightly with a smile on his face, the happiness later dwindling when he realizes he has no clue of what heâs holding. âWhat is it supposed to do?â
You blank at that, meekly scratching your temple. âNothing, I think. Itâs just there for most people, but Iâve never had to use it.â
âYouâve never had to use it, but you still take it with you?â he attempts to clarify, a slight frown embedded into his lips as he looks down on your averagely prized possession.
âI donât mean never as in never ever, and Iâve used it a couple of times like everyone else does, but itâs just-âŠâ you trail off, shrugging helplessly because you canât describe the concept of nothing to him easily. âItâs just there.â
Youâre more than fatigued and a lot more confused (albeit less worried) about the semantics of your presence here in Twell, specifically in Prince Jungkookâs office, but the latter doesnât seem to take mind as he takes you with an open mind.
âOkay. Thank you. Iâll have it,â he announces, shifting his eyes between you and your (his now) handkerchief that heâs slowly and hesitantly unraveling, only to put back into its original square form after every move.
âYou will?â you almost snort, a tiny bit amused that a prince is clenching your handkerchief like its the most interesting thing in the galaxy.
âYes,â he hums distractedly, looking up at you as he lightly scratches the embroidered teddy bear at the corner of the fold. âI will have you too.â
âYou will?! Youâre not going to dispose me or anything?â you straighten immediately, eyes more frantic and disbelieving to hear that youâre being taken care of (or something of the sort) than just awhile ago when you were unsure of your fate. âWhy?â
âDonât know,â Jungkook shrugs just as easily as you do. âI just want to.â
( ⥠)Â
Prince Jungkook isnât so bad, and neither is Twell.
The planet isnât so bad in the sense that although you donât feel the most welcome you have ever been in your entire life, thereâs a recognition that seeps into your bones that some of them, if not most, would set out a plate for you if ever Jungkook came into their homes. Heâs the social butterfly of his family; the baby lamb thatâs set out into the field to check up on everyone else and act as a mannequin of sorts thatâs a little less superficial, and a little more warm.
Jungkook isnât so bad either in the sense that although itâs the bare minimum to do so, he doesnât throw his kindness back to your face even in the most critical situations, with now being the sole exception.
With the exception of now, Prince Jungkook has not ever acted rashly towards you. He wasnât annoyed with you when you kept asking him questions of what it would mean to act as his security detail, and he wasnât irked either when your questions about your heritage (and his by extension) toed personal lines that no one else would dare cross.
With the exception of now, Jungkookâs never acted rude towards you. He wasnât as guarded with your existence like his older brothers were; as a matter of fact, he even came to your defense when some of them theorized that you were only here in their planet to act as a precursor for their downfall.
With the exception of now, Jungkookâs never been this cruel; with the ultimatum of his pride over your heart, heâs never made you feel this different and alienated from him â with, of course, the exception of now.
Heartbreak is a human emotion.
The weakness of the concept is disturbingly human and vulnerable. Thereâs no escape from it, even if the said percentage of human in your blood is barely half and could light a candle to your more evolved, far more powerful Twellian genes. Itâs a sickening emotion to feel, much more have it get you carried away from what you have to do at hand.
The grip that said heartbreakhas on you is unimaginable, far more different than what your people, not humans, tell you how itâd feel like. There had already been an uproar when it was announced that you were appointed as Prince Jungkookâs guard, the news of an impure Twellian bearing the coveted position receiving every reaction possible â from fear, to distaste, and even to genuine amazement.
All of the kingdomâs advisers had theorized that despite you of being impure heritage, youwere superior in terms of physical capabilities. With everything else youâve been theorized to lack at, you bite at the possibility that the ache in your chest is attributed to your stunted emotions.
You feel painfully human. You feel what heartbreak is, and compared to what others have made it out to be, itâs an emotion that you canât put into words.
âYou canât, Jungkook,â you firmly say once more with your ears ringing, not because the volume of the club makes you want to get down on your knees, but because youâve perhaps heard something far worse; far more grating, and far more overwhelming than what your heart could even bear. "All of your brothers specifically insisted for me to bring you back before midnight."
They say that your hearingâs supposed to be better. They say that you could see far more colors than what your alien counterpart could ever do. They say that for everything else you lacked, you made up for with the way youâre more physically advanced and therefore adept to protecting the planetâs youngest prince.
No oneâs ever said that youâll be safe from Jungkook himself.
"Jungkook, let's go home. Please," you plead through your teeth, the word youâve last spoken being the latest term youâve taught him. Jungkook, along with everyone else, is not familiar with begging; theyâre not familiar with desperation so wrung out, thereâs actually a word made just for it.
Jungkook only scowls at you, eyes turning a bright red as opposed to his usual pink allotted for you. "Butt out," he murmurs, tightly crossing his arms as his nostrils flare involuntarily. âYou promised me I could be out tonight."
Youâre starting to get over the heartbreak little by little, the tantrum thrown by the young prince making you indifferent.Â
Maybe you just misheard a few minutes ago â maybe, it was only a fluke and you didnât hear it correctly the first time. Maybe itâs only your faulty impureness that made you susceptible to just hearing your nickname out of nowhere. Maybe, itâs not heartbreak that you were feeling, but rather only a subdued version of it by seeing Jungkook disappointed at you doing your job.
Itâs your fault, you guess. Perhaps itâs the fault of the bustle of the club and the hundreds of dialects you could hear all at once finally got to you, overwhelming you to the point that you heard Jungkook calling for your name, despite not looking at you all.
Youâre about to plead even more for the both of you to go back already; to save him from a lecture from all of his brothers and for you to be spared an even harsher scolding because they think youâve gone too soft for him â but then you hear it. Again.Â
Jungkook clenches his jaw tightly, eyes glowing a bright magenta before he opens his mouth.
"Come on, princess," he calls you by his term of endearment for you, yet his hand is outstretched for the female Twellian on his side.
Heâs not calling you â heâs not even paying attention to you. Jungkook isnât giving you a shred of his focus but he wants you to hear him call someone else the endearment he had playfully made up for you, to which you grew accustomed to without fail. He wants you to see how he gives it to someone else easily, the syllables falling from his tongue easily getting into the girlâs head.
Jungkook wants you to know how angry he is over you doing your job, he hits you where it hurts. He has no idea what heartbreak is supposed to feel like, but he doubts that youâd even feel that emotion over what heâs done â and if you actually do over something seemingly simple (for him atleast), he could only think that everyone else is exaggerating what it felt like.
Your heart, whatever is human of it, skips. It tightens and it loosens alarmingly so, almost as if you have no control for the liquid hurt that compromises you.
âIâll show you a good time tonight, princess,â Jungkook whispers to her ear loudly for good measure, eyes darting up at you, only for him to see that youâve been watching the whole time.Â
You almost canât tear your eyes away until Jungkook crashes his lips into hers, your nickname easily falling out of his lips as if the endearment is free for everyone; as if itâs never been yours in the first place and you only borrowed it out of desperation.
Your whole flight home is quiet.
Jungkook makes it back home before midnight, but you donât.
( ⥠)Â
Jungkookâs been looking for you the whole day.
Heâs been looking for you since he woke up, and that was fifteen ungodly hours ago when he had risen in a cold sweat. Jungkook felt sick to his stomach, and despite his insistence that something must be severely wrong with him for him to feel that way, the palace doctor (along with every other physician, healer, and reader he knew of) confirmed that nothing was out of place.
Jungkookâs supposedly okay, yet it feels like every part of him is being wrung dry. Thereâs an ache to his chest that renders him stupid because he feels like heâs forgotten every word, every lesson, and every vaguest bit of semblance that would detail about what he felt.
All of a sudden, Jungkook feels like heâs forgotten what the palace looks like. Itâs as if heâs forgotten how tiles are supposed to feel cold on bare feet and how bleak his days are when he doesnât have you by his side, even if the palace is also occupied by his brothers and the grounds are teeming with staff.
The young prince suddenly feels that heâs forgotten the very layout of his home because his mouth is agape at each room he walks in, simply because youâre not there. Heâs practically turned the palace upside down just to grab a whiff of you somehow, and yet youâre nowhere to be found.Â
Nothing from his or his brothersâ belongings are missing. Thereâs not a single piece of furniture thatâs tilted askew. Nothing has been taken from Jungkook except his peace of mind and the capacity to just stay still because your sudden disappearance unsettles him like no other.
.
.
.
Youâre back home, except youâre no longer dressed in the same outfit you left him in.Â
Your uniformâs been ditched for something more casual â something more worn and lived in to the point that it looks like a shirt thatâs never been yours in the first place. The sight of you, dressed in clothes thatâs not yours, puts a bitter taste to Jungkookâs mouth.
Heâs never been that selfish before. Heâs generous and lenient as far as a prince could go, and yet heâs never felt this territorial over something seemingly as trivial as a shared garment.
The concern feels too vulnerable to the point that only a silly human, something Jungkookâs not, would consider it as a burden.
âWhere were you?â he asks with the gentleness he didnât think heâd possess after being worried shitless about you, the panic he had harbored for the longest time immediately dissipating at you.
Jungkook wants to be mad at you so, so, so badly. He wants to be angry at the way it was irresponsible for you to be alone because after all, your strength wouldnât compensate for the gleaming fact that youâre not from here in the first place.
âI was on my leave,â you answer simply, keeping your hands behind your back as if this was any other outing with Prince Jungkook and not just Jungkook, the same man whoâd call you princess for fun and hold your hand just for the sake of it.
âI didnât say you could be on leave,â he lowers his voice, jaw tightening at the sight of you being indifferent towards him.
âI asked your brothers.â
Jungkook feels that sickness again. He feels that tinge of metal that lingers in the roof of his mouth and he wants to spit it out in front of you just to see if heâd find something else thatâs not the sensations heâs been experiencing since you came around; if heâd find something else thatâs not your doing yet affects him just as much.
âWhat if I needed protecting, hm? What if something happened to me while you were gone?â Jungkook half-taunts, shrinking on himself despite doing his hardest to appear big by crossing his arms.
âI knew you were in good hands, prince,â you tense, the tide that comes with your tone washing over Jungkook until he drowns in the realization that you were there while she was in his quarters. âI made to sure to hear that you were in very good company before I left.â
( ⥠)Â
Jungkookâs on a self-imposed break from his duties.
The princeâs duties almost exclusively involved chatting and being charismatic in general, along with the occasional goodwill event wherein he had to be all over the place just to take care of things, and not once did he ever take this long of a radio silent break â or atleast thatâs what one of his brothers said.
Heâs been cooped up in his room since you came back two weeks ago. Despite your absence (if you could even call it that) that barely lasted for an entire day, along with your confrontation just spanning within minutes, itâs been theorized by one of Jungkookâs brothers, again, that itâs because of your doing.
The youngest prince is theorized to be sulking over you and you simply cannot believe it.
You refuse to believe that Jungkook is bedridden with sadness because to begin with, his kind isnât even supposed to feel such type of intense emotion. He shouldnât be swayed by you â he shouldnât be preoccupied with such pathetic, human emotion that you thought only you could feel because of him.
You rebuff the idea that heâs paralyzed with guilt, not only because you feel that itâs physically impossible for him to be, but because itâs him. Someone of Jungkookâs power and influence wouldnât be so ridden with guilt that he refuses to show his face to you because heâs ashamed of hurting you.
You reject with your whole heart each and every idea that his brothers pitch you. You stay stationary with Jungkook and yet you will yourself to amount to something, even if it isnât for him, just so the sickening feeling of being replaced wonât ever creep up to you.
Youâre in love with him and itâs terrifying.
Whatâs even more terrifying is that youâre not the only one who knows so.
âI suggest not falling in love with Jungkook.â
You look up so sharply, your neck aches at the speed. Yoongi stands above you with a perfunctory smile, and with just the tiny bit of effort for him to come near you almost makes you forget that heâs Jungkookâs brother who had been particularly vocal about being wary of you.
âIâm sorry?â you murmur in disbelief, eyes wide and unblinking as you take into account his perfect tone.
âItâs obvious, you know?â he smiles tightly, pulling a chair to sit himself down across from you. Yoongi looks relaxed as he takes you in, almost as if he hasnât spent half a year avoiding you. âIâve seen the way you look at my brother. Iâve seen it over and over again when I was sent for a mission on your planet.â
You want to ask him why heâs telling you this. You want to ask badly why heâs saying this now when youâve been certain for the longest time that your adoration for Jungkook wasnât apparent in a land of creatures that donât know what love, in your own terms, is supposed to look like.
You want to ask Yoongi why it shouldnât be Jungkook, but you canât bring yourself to â not because you know the answer deep down in your subconscious, but because youâre afraid that he would only make senseâ
That heâd only solidify why Jungkook should never be in your orbit.
âOh,â you swallow the lump in your throat. âHow do you like my planet then?â
âYouâre changing the subject.â
âIâm sorry, my prince,â you immediately apologize, looking down on your lap as you wait for the impeding lecture; maybe even the impending punishment (youâre not sure what it is, but you know it would hurt someway and somehow) that comes with loving the prince, even by the sidelines.
âJungkook is a wildcard at best,â he trails off, exhaling heavily as he listens for the heartbeat in the room behind you that houses his brother. âHeâs brash and stubborn. Heâs driven by emotions we are not even supposed to have.â
If Yoongi stands up now and jiggles the knob to Jungkookâs room with just the slightest bit of force, he can guarantee that the latter would be falling face-down to the floor, just because of the way he has his ears pressed to the door.
Jungkook is moping and sulking and to this day, he does remain miserable â the aforementioned factors donât stop him from being desperate and nosy.
âWhat Iâm saying is that heâs weak, Y/N,â Yoongi sighs. âThe strong isnât for the weak. Thatâs always been the case.â
âI know Iâm weak, prince, but I-âŠâ
âWhat?â the prince laughs out loud, the smile on his face wide and cheery. Heâs so amused with you that his eyes glow into pink, throwing his head back as he regains his composure. âJungkookâs the weak one. Not you, obviously,â he snorts. âHeâs basically a loser with a crown on his head. Heâs the one who doesnât deserve you and not the other way around.â
Youâre not the one whoâs being insulted, and yet it feels like it. Your throat tingles and your ribs burn at the sudden urge for you to protect Jungkook, even if heâs in no real threat; even if it feels like all the baser parts of you are coming together just to make sense of the way you grow simultaneously weak and strong for him.
Jungkook, the actual subject whoâs being insulted and is proving his brother right by being weak because heâs wallowing in his room out of self-deprecation, sadly hums to himself in agreement.
âIâm not-âŠâ
âDonât refute it â thatâs an order.â
âPrince Yoongi,â you relent, trying to find the right words. âMay I ask why youâre telling me this?â
âBecause Jungkookâs weak,â Yoongi answers simply. âIâm just saying that you donât have to be weak with him and for him.â
( ⥠)Â
Youâre eating dinner by yourself in the staff room when Jungkook walks in.
Itâs the first youâve seen of him in three weeks. Heâs evidently moving on from what seems to have been a rough period for him, right when youâre at your lowest that youâve ever been.
Prince Jungkook decides that after three weeks, he should take you by surprise and meet you in the staff room wherein youâre alone, pushing your dinner around your plate instead of doing any other menial task youâve assigned yourself just so it would feel like youâre in use.
Youâre just there. You just happen to be there and no one, even you, could do anything about it. You just happen to be there with no exact purpose and itâs gnawing at you from the inside out.
It feels all over again that your family is the runt of the entire extended bloodline. It feels that youâre not remarkable enough for your relatives to surround you and that you donât amount to anything enough, in whatever aspect it is, to get a shred of attention that isnât pity,
It feels like the sinking sensation in your chest wherein you have to see that all your mom could contribute to the table is her trusted homemade recipe during holidays, lost amongst a sea full of pre-ordered meals that only your relatives could afford. Like itâs how your dadâs side of the family is borderline batshit crazy and heâs the only one that turned out to be good, and you canât do anything but watch strangers your have for blood relatives belittle you. Familiarly so, itâs like youâre a kid again with your siblings sitting on the carpet and cleaning up wrapping paper from gifts, not because the gifts are for you, but because you just happen to be there.
You feel like the alien that you are wherein you donât belong; wherein your family has to sit on the spare chairs dug up from the basement, situated on a portable table outside of the actual, solid dining table where everyoneâs sat.Â
Jungkook sits with you at that dusty, old portable table. He sits himself on the flimsy chair thatâs only used for stepping and for laundry.
Jungkook sits with you, not because he just happens to be there, but because heâs there for you.
âIâm⊠sorry for calling someone else princess.â
âItâs no problem,â you murmur, putting your fork down as you keep your hands glued to your knees underneath the table.
âBut there is a problem,â Jungkook counters, lowering his head to get you to look at him yet you donât budge. âIâm not okay with calling anyone else princess other than you.â
âItâs okay.â
âItâs not.â
âThen suit yourself,â you quip, even with your voice shaky and your vision blurry.
âIâm-âŠâ Jungkook starts again, racking his brain for the limited vocabulary he has that surely isnât enough to make up for his grave msitake. âIâm very sorry for making you feel bad. It must have hurt.â
âItâs no problem.â
âThereâs a problem,â he insists. âIâm saying sorry because I hurt you.â
âYou didnât hurt me.â
âBut I did,â he frowns, beyond confused to why you keep denying the fact that heâs hurt you in ways he canât even imagine.
âYou really didnât.â
âWhy do you not want me to say sorry?â Jungkook questions, voice raising yet he still looks confusedâ innocent, even. âDid I⊠hurt you that much?â
Itâs the last straw for you. The pure innocence in Jungkookâs words is and should be the last straw for you because it only makes you realize that heâd never understand you. It resonates in your head, more than ever, that youâll never be able to understand him fully either because youâll never be the same.
The only option the universe provides you is for you to love Jungkook halfway.
âYouâll have to excuse me, Prince Jungkook. I shall go back to-âŠâ
âCan I not say sorry to you?â Jungkook bursts, darting his hand out blindly to get a hold on you before you leave.
âYou canât say sorry to me because all of this would feel real,â you ramble, shaking your head vehemently. âYou should not say sorry to me because that would mean that Iâm hurt because I love you.â
Jungkook looks at you innocently with his eyes wide and lips parted, blissfully unaware of the name to the sensation that keeps tugging at his chest to the point that it feels like it would burst open, yet above all else, he still dives in head-first.
âCan you not love me, princess?â he tilts his head. âIs it not allowed?â
( ⥠)Â
Yoongiâs words lie heavily on both you and Jungkook.
The princeâs sentiment stays on your chest like a paperweight that only grows heavier the more that you try to push it off. You know Yoongi means well, no matter how his words come across otherwise, but the longer that you think about his own suggestion regarding his brother, the more you feel unsure.
Jungkookâs made complete sense of his brotherâs words on the other hand, and instead of being filled with a type of rage that only bubbles up when being looked down on, oddly enough, he comes to the truth quite easily.
He knows the truth that heâs weak despite painting himself the opposite, and he feels it the most now that youâre the one whoâs distancing yourself from him. Jungkook feels like swallowing the sun and chasing it down with water when you respond to princess, even if itâs jokingly uttered by his brothers and not said sincerely by him alone.
He knows the truth that heâs the weak one in the family, if not the weakest, whenever he stands next to them. Jungkook may be the poster prince for the citizens but he knows the most out of everyone that heâs not as vital to the kingdom as the others are. He may get an assigned seat at the actual, solid dining table, but he knows that heâs not at the head of it.
He knows heâs weak, with and for you, and thatâs never bothered him until it actually did.
Jungkookâs eyesight isnât as good as yours.
Unlike you, heâs restrained by the entirety of his Twellian blood from immediately focusing his gaze on anything. Thereâs a lag that registers whenever he fixes his sight on anything, just like everyone else but you, and that hadnât been a bother to Jungkook the whole time.
He had falsely assumed that since youâre the only one whoâs different here, the only exception in the planet by being impure and partially human, youâd be the one whoâll have a hard time adjusting your daily life to his â not the other way around.
Jungkook, who had not once ever felt insecurity before, suddenly feels inferior. He feels like dirt and yet heâs angry, not because of the fact that he comes second to your abilities, but because he canât do shit when it comes to you.
The princeâs eyesight isnât good enough to notice the tiny little expressions that litter your face whenever something remotely intriguing happens to you. His hearing isnât on par with yours because he canât register the laugh in your voice as quickly as you could recognize his. Heâs not on the same level as you and itâs only now that it bothers himâ
The realization creeps into Jungkook, slowly yet unsettlingly, when he sees the cut on your cheek; the liquor of inferiority, chased down by Jungkookâs own rage, only hits him the moment he sees that a nasty bruise is blossoming by the corner of your eye.
Jungkook grips your jaw lightly out of nowhere, making you look up at him unexpectedly when you had been only preoccupied with fixing him his drink. The prince, no matter the unmistakeable rage thatâs brewing in red, is the softest heâs ever been when it comes to addressing you.
âWho hurt you?âÂ
He has all his attention on you and itâs almost sickening with the way he doesnât want to break off. Jungkookâs hand is still on your jaw and his eyes are still fixed on yours and yet his mind, whatever remains rational of it and not just vengeful, is going a million miles per hour.
âGet your hands off me,â you spit, suddenly overwhelmed by his presence and the vitriol that spills out of him so clearly, the air around both of you shifts.
âI asked you a question,âJungkook repeats, putting is hand on your wrist firmly instead. He makes the grave mistake of looking down, though, because as soon as he realizes that thereâs blood caked underneath your nails and that your knuckles are stained with your own blood, Jungkook can no longer hold himself back. âWho. Hurt. You.â
Jungkookâs reflexes are slow, but the moment your bottom lip trembles in vulnerability and pure bitterness, he feels as if time has caught on to the point that itâs only your anguish that sharpens his senses.
His feelings, even.
âIf I tell you, would it make a difference? If Iâm considered weak, Jungkook, then that means youâre even weaker,â you scoff, eyes trained on the ground with your head low so you could muffle the tremble in your voice; not that it would make your prince any less attuned to you.
Jungkookâs eyes remain narrowed at you, breathing heavily as you only state the facts not to insult him, but to remind the both of you of your place â or whatever is left clear of it because Jungkook canât even think straight the longer that he looks at you hurting.
âWhat, prince? What are you gonna do about it?â you spit as the last resort, standing up abruptly to storm off and make an escape for it just once so youâll be free of the burden of being yourself in Jungkookâs existence, yet he doesnât let you.
The grip that the prince has on your arm is unstable yet unyielding at the same time, as if itâs taking everything in Jungkook to remain standing despite wanting to hunch over by the unexplainable tremor that roots from his chest.
(It is taking everything in him.)
âBurn,â he utters. âIâll burn everything.â
âYouâre-âŠâ
âWeaker than you? I know that,â Jungkook interrupts, his lips set in a straight line as he lets himself be swept by the current that is you. âAll the more reason to do everything for you then.â
The young prince doesnât even break his gaze from you once, even if his pupils are trembling and his teeth are chattering out of the sheer trepidation that comes with being scared for someone else who carries your heart with them.
He doesnât break his gaze from you, even for the briefest second, as he fishes out his (your) handkerchief from his pocket thatâs there, not because it just happens to be, but because itâs allotted for you.
To love and to be loved is to feel the sun from both sides, and Jungkook no longer wants the star to swallow him whole because he doesnât want you to be burned.
Would anyone be interested in reading a Jungkook x reader fic set in the Harry Potter world? đ«Ł a bit of a strangers to childhood friends to lovers trope? With some jealousy and miscommunication and teenage drama? đ maybe even a bit of adulthood reuniting?(quidditch player jk x magizoologist reader?)
Iâll probably post it anyway but Iâve been wanting to write a Harry Potter au for a few months now so I wanna see if anyone would be interested đ«¶
Im happy to tag anyone who wants to read this once I post it just lmk in the comments âșïž
âČ Description: Kim Taehyung was an enigma, you thought. Outspoken, carefree, popular and with a pretty face to boost. What you couldn't fathom was why he was so laser-focused on you.
m a s t e r l i s t
Quick Summary:
This happens after all the other stories, aka, Joon, Jimin and Yoongi.
Lily Potter was best friends with Reader in Jimin's story.
Jeongguk is Jimin's adopted little brother, also explained previously in Jimin's story.
Taehyung and Jimin are 7th years, Jeongguk is in his 6th, while all the others just graduated.
âDid you see?â
âYes! I canât believe it.â
âSeems impossible!â
âRiiight? Like a fever dream or something.â
âWhat do you think he did?â
âEnhancement potions, perhaps?â
âIsnât that illegal?â
âDonât be daft, the beauty kind.â
âFrom where?â
âI hear the biggest brand of beauty potions from America just got approved for a license into the UK. Frontpage on the magazines last month.â
âMy mum mentioned it during tea time the other day! Didnât realize it would hit off with the males though.â
âDoes it matter? Atkinson got well fit over the summer.â
âEnough to shag?â
âWeelllâŠâ An unseen look was shared between the gaggle of three sixth-year girls occupying the far end of the common room sofa and armchair, heads bent close together as they giggled almost obnoxiously to themselves, thinking no one was hearing their conversations.Â
No one that mattered that was. And that no one certainly included yourself.Â
Not one nearly important enough to watch their words around in fear of it reaching someone else.Â
Which is why you were free to sit in your usual place against a tiny wooden table large enough to fit two cups of tea tucked beneath the smallest window the Ravenclaw tower had to offer, in one of its darkened corners and listen to the juiciest gossip of the new term.
First days of classes were in the morning, everyone having just arrived today and catching up with friends the summer apart.Â
Again, that did not include you. But out of free choice, that is.Â
You were perfectly happy in your own company, with your books and scrolls tucked into secret corners or end of tables. Mostly absorbed in your own world, but also finding entertainment in simply listening to everything around you rather than engaging in it. There was a specific serenity in it for you, an aspect many could not understand and didnât bother to spend time finding out.
You were simply you, after all. The Ravenclaw wallflower since you first stepped foot into the magical school. Someone people knew, but not by name. Someone who might just flitter into peopleâs memories in a passing mention, but forgotten again the very next.Â
There were many great names at Hogwarts with you. Especially in the last two decades since the years of your parents. Potters, Weasleys, Malfoys, Greengrasses, Parks and numerous other great names of ancient wizarding families and their offspring.Â
You were a pureblood, yes. But your parents were from normal wizarding families despite it, and so were you.Â
Someone who was simply there. A student among other students.
No great name, no ancient blood and a heroic history attached to it before your birth.Â
And you preferred it that way.Â
The giggles of the group of girls one year younger than you turned into frantic mutters the moment the subject of their conversation walked into the common room, and you found enough interest to peel your eyes away from the rather gripping muggle book in hand to pay a smidge of attention.Â
Jensen Atkinson, a classmate in the same house had remained remotely the same in all the time youâve seen him. Because knowing was far too much of a generous word.Â
An average British boy, perhaps a bit too scrawny with a thin face and oversized, thick glasses that hid most of his features. He usually had a pimpled face, which you had heard him complain about several times over the years.Â
He wasnât ugly, so to say. You never thought so.Â
He was sweet. Not as hidden in the background as you, but kind and soft-spoken all the same. With his straight, if a bit messy dark blonde hair and wide smile which had that small gap in the middle.Â
Endearing, was the word you were looking for.Â
And you didnât know what beauty potions they were talking about, but even you had to admit they had done their job for two months.Â
There were no pimples for once, only smooth, fair olive toned skin. His hair was no longer a shaggy ruffle of strands, but rather refined and almost a deliberate mess this time around - loosely slicked back with strands falling into his forehead and covering the top of his eyes.Â
Jensen grinned as he walked towards a group of his mates, teeth perfectly straight with no gap in sight. Neither were his features hidden by the too large glasses, having been replaced with a new pair; thinner frames, straight at the top and rounding at the bottom to fit his slightly more filled out face and wider jawline that had sharpened with whatever assistance.Â
Hm. They werenât wrong.Â
But you knew a secret they didnât.Â
Jensen Atkinson had never been unfit. In the physical sense of things that is.Â
You caught him once, in the dewy early mornings of a sunny autumn on a weekend when everyone was still asleep. You were wandering through the halls towards the Great Hall when his jogging form caught your attention against the backdrop of the rising sun.Â
Dressed in a fitted long-sleeved sports shirt and black jogging trousers, basically molded against his slim yet broad shoulders and firm biceps, always hidden beneath clothes two sizes too big.Â
You had simply arched a single brow at the revelation before continuing on your way.Â
He had grown confident because he was finally wearing clothes so obviously tailored to his shape now, enhancing what everyone thought to be nonexistent. And you knew his clothes were far too big because he had once offered his jacket to cover your legs during a partner project in potions and you were visibly shivering at the time.Â
You had noticed how strangely long his sleeves had been, and how the bottom of his cloak always dragged against the floor and offered to show him a simple mending spell from one of your motherâs sewing books to shorten them swiftly.Â
And that memory must have been the reason his gaze was quick to catch your own as they swept over the common room, lightening up in recognition and promptly ignoring the three girls right in front of you.Â
Your own widened almost comically as you looked back down at the book, fingertips crumpling the thin page with a small prayer.
But a pair of white sneakers stopped in your vision as you tensed in anticipation.Â
âHey Y/N,â his voice was low, thank goodness, and still the soft-spoken way he always did. Speaking as if addressing an easily scared animal ready to run. Â
You were known to be shy, yes. But not scared of people. Just a smidge of social anxiety.Â
âHey Jensen,â you glanced up, mouth drying up at having to talk to Hogwarts's newest catch of the year. Not the kind of public attention you wanted. âHow was summer?â
But he was unaware or simply did not care, because his smile widened that you bothered asking him a question. âIt was nice, thank you. How was yours?â
You shrugged easily, gently shutting the book with your thumb resting between the pages you stopped at. âSame old, nothing too exciting.â
âJust up your alley then, I assume?â his wink was good-natured, and you were surprised he was close to knowing one of your preferences.Â
You supposed it made sense for another Ravenclaw to have the same amount of observational ability over you as you did to them.Â
âYeah, I guess,â You let yourself smile a bit less stiffly. âYou look great by the way. Summer must have treated you well.â
Jensen blushed adorably quickly as you smothered a giggle. He was at least the same, easily flustered guy from before all the transformations. âT-thank you.âÂ
He wanted to say something more, but one of his friends called out to him by the door's entrance. âAh, I should go. But it was good talking to you, Iâll see you around, yeah?â
Despite your confusion at his obvious hope to speak again, you nodded with a small wave as he walked away.Â
The short, but awkward conversation was strange but not completely unwanted as you returned to your neglected book, pointedly ignoring the stares directed at you from the group of sixth years.Â
+
âThat doesnât make any sense.âÂ
Taehyung groaned as Jimin from across him scrunched down at the written essay. Hovering quill being plucked from the air and circling around a sentence on his discussion on the negatives and positives of using Veritaserum in todayâs age and society compared to the time during the first and second wizarding wars.Â
âIâm just trying to fill out the page count at this point, mate. No need to be so picky.â
âYou chose to sign up to N.E.W.T potions, and now you want to slack off?â His best friend scoffed, continuing to skim the content.
âYeah, because I know I won't fail it doesnât mean I have to do everything perfectly.â He smirked then. âLike another teacherâs pet, for example.â
âYah, Iâm not a teacherâs pet.â
âThatâs what they always say.â Another heavy sigh from Taehyung as he leaned back on his chair. âI wish Joon was still here. He would have been much nicer than you.â
Their older Ravenclaw friend who had graduated just this summer was the smartest of their little group of Korean wizards in the Scottish highlands. Namjoon had been Head Boy in his year, as well as claiming the number one spot on the academic ladder as he left with a proud grin.Â
Last they heard he was happy and dandy, moving into an apartment with his prankster of a Slytherin girlfriend in Diagon Alley while acing his apprenticeship in Advanced Alchemy at St. Mungos.Â
âNamjoon hyung would have ripped out his hair sooner than you think. Especially when youâre involved.â
âRude.â Taehyung huffed, taking in Jiminâs scrutiny of his essay with a twitching eye, which he knew wasnât bad. âWhatâs even the problem?â
âYouâre being too simple.â Jimin deadpanned, quill tapping almost pointedly at his discussion section. âYou canât just list negatives and positives like going to the food shop. Why is it negative? Why is it positive? Is it legally right, but morally wrong? You need details.â
Merlin, if heâd known NEWT essays were this tedious, he wouldnât have signed up for them.Â
âBesides,â Jimin continued. âYour second argument lacks credentials. You say it should be allowed to be used on criminals in severe cases, but have only proof of one instance of when it worked in the courtâs favor. And that was over fifty years ago. You have to consider today's society where human rights are more on the forefront than ever before.â
Taehyung arched a brow at his friend. âYeah, but itâs a magic potion that reveals the truth. Options muggles donât even have in their world when convicting the guilty, so why shouldnât we as wizards use what we have to our advantage?â
Jimin smirked. âWell muggles have technology, shouldnât you know that as a half-blood? Their current tech goes far beyond what our magic can do in many areas, so how would you say a magic potion is more reliable than the newest muggle technology used by the FBI or military?â
âHow the bloody hell do you even know what the FBI is?â Taehyung couldnât help but gape at his friend.
Jimin shrugged. âI watch muggle shows. Very educational actually, father was fascinated by it.â
âOh yeah? The show or the tv?â
Crickets could have started singing by the moment of silence between them.Â
â...the tv.â
The moving form of someone about to pass, however, made Tae act impulsively as he called out.Â
âOi! Would you say the use of Veritaserum during trials against criminals is immoral?âÂ
He ignored the hissed shock of Jimin. âWhat the hell are you doing, Kim Taehyung?â
Taehyung simply looked at the stranger he managed to stop on their way, a Ravenclaw girl, obviously stunned and confused as he held your stare with a weird intensity.Â
âUh-uhm pardon?â Was all you managed to stutter out, two books held tightly against your chest as you stared down at the lounging lad before you, balancing the chair on its two hind legs without a problem.Â
Oi? How awfully rude.Â
His friend was hiding his face between his hands in exasperation, and you recognized him as Jimin Park.Â
âBut theyâre like the really bad ones, you know. Voldemort-bad that is. And they refuse to say anything. Would you still say using Veritaserum at that moment is immoral and against their human rights?â
âI-I,â Your brain was whirring as you tried to find your footing in the absurd situation, hardly acknowledging the apologetic look Park sent your way as your mouth moved without thinking.Â
âW-well if you mean the use of Veritaserum should be allowed in criminal trials to help uncover the truth to save innocent lives, I donât see the problem. Criminals are criminals, and depending on their degree of severity there should be clauses for when Veritaserum should be allowed as a measure-âÂ
His mouth was starting to widen, but you werenât done speaking.Â
â-but it is not used for a reason, especially in this scenario. Veritaserum is unreliable, it only forces the person to tell their version of the truth, not the factual truth.âÂ
To your surprise, he actually looked interested in what you were saying. They both were.Â
âWhat do you mean by their version?â
Oh! He wanted you to continue.Â
âMeaningâŠif a person is mentally unstable or wholeheartedly believes that something is true then that's what they'll say. Besides, if said person is aware that they're going to be given the potion it's possible to mentally prepare or take precautions to try and throw off, or at least diminish, its effects. So a muggle polygraph test would be more efficient when you think of it.â
There was a stunned silence until Park slapped a firm hand on the table and in the other guyâs direction in an aggressive I-Told-You-So motion, a humorous sassy head motion following as he crossed his arms with a pointed look.Â
Someone you now recognized as Taehyung Kim, a face far too well known in the Ravenclaw common room now and then to visit his friends and always drawing some kind of attention with a confident nature and grin as he waltzed inside after a successful riddle. Not to mention how easy on the eyes he was.Â
He was no longer smiling, but his eyes were sparkling, or at least you thought so as he took you in silently, flicking to your house badge and to the nervous shuffle of your feet.Â
âHm, Ravenclaw indeed.â He said instead, lips quirking. âThanks for thatâŠ?â
He was asking for your name.Â
âUh, Y/N.â You felt your blush starting to creep up on both of their attention.Â
âThanks for the help, Y/N!â Taehyung then grinned, that wide, charming smile that lit up his entire face.Â
You mumbled a quick no problem before rushing away like Hungarian Horntail was on your feet.Â
+
âWho was that?â Taehyung still mused to himself that evening as his dinner cooled down in front of him. His chin rested on the palm of his hand as he mindlessly stared at the pumpkin juice in his goblet.Â
âWho was who?â Jeongguk arched a brow at the conflicted look upon his friendâs features and got no reply as he turned to Jimin instead.Â
âA girl he was annoying in the library today.â
âWell, who?â
âHe doesnât know,â Jimin scoffed with a self-satisfied smirk. âShe certainly knocked down his ego a peg or two. A Ravenclaw.â
âThat doesnât exactly narrow it down,â Jeongguk shook his head. âA girl Tae annoyed that put him in his place, could be any of them..â
âMaybe it was me,â a new voice chimed in as Lily Luna Potter pushed her way in between Jeongguk and Taehyung without care. âOr at least that sounds like me.â
Ever since taking her to the Yule Ball as Taehyungâs date last year, she had become a good friend to most of them, especially with her connection to Jiminâs girlfriend now that Namjoon, Hoseok, Yoongi and Seokjin all graduated, halving their usual seven man-group.Â
Jeongguk was already complaining about how heâd be all alone next year and was making sure to make friends with others in fear of becoming a social outcast.
âBut youâre not a Ravenclaw.â Taehyung was still present enough to follow along with the conversation. âAnd youâre far too mean.â
âKeep trying insulting me, Kim, and youâll see why the Potters and Weasleys are so infamous for their havoc,â She flashed an innocent grin at him that was more reminiscent of a lionsâ maw.Â
âYou mean besides being the offspring of The Chosen One?âÂ
âHah Hah.â
âAnyways, sheâs a Ravenclaw. About yey high, all wide eyes and stuttering but apparently smart, but not the bonkers kind of smart that all of you are known for.â Taehyung turned his serious stare onto his younger friend in wait.Â
Jeongguk only stared back unamused. âWow, what a flattering description. Thanks hyung.â
âNo problem. Now do you know?â
Obviously seeing how important it was for his hyung to find this mysterious Ravenclaw person, only one name could come to mind with what heâs heard. âWell, did you get her name?â
Of course! How could he forget her bloody name?
Taehyungâs expression was sheepish as he replied. âY/N.â
Jeongguk rolled his eyes. âThereâs only one of her in Ravenclaw.â
âY/N?â Lily mused over the name. âHavenât heard of her, who is it?â
âSheâs in 7th year. And to be honest, I donât know anything about her. Sheâs there and sometimes she isnât. Kind of justâŠaround if you really look. Sheâs very shy though.â Jeongguk thought to himself for a second. âI havenât actually seen her speak to anyone ever.â
âSo an outcast,â Taehyung mused, just for Lily to slap his arm rather hard as he winced.Â
âDonât be rude!â She reprimanded with that familiar Weasley glare. âNot everyone can be as annoying as you.â
âOr obnoxious,â Jimin flittered in.
âOr loud.âÂ
âOr irritating.â
âThatâs the same thing, you bloody wanker,â Taehyung reached across the table to try and whack at his same-aged friend, who dodged easily.
âOh is it?â Jiminâs sharp eyes simply glinted before something else caught his eye and he jumped out of his seat and left with a wiggle of his fingers.Â
It didnât take any of them long to see it was his girlfriend who had caught his attention, as the guy bounded over and smothered her face in kisses as both left the hall with nauseatingly blinding grins.Â
âUgh, they make me sick sometimes,â Lily groaned, but there was genuine happiness there for her best friend having found love in someone as kind as Park Jimin. As sassy and smart mouthed he could be at times. Another charm, she supposed.Â
âSo what now? Youâre in love or something?â Lily turned the conversation back on track.Â
âWho said anything about love?âÂ
âBy the way you keep talking about her, I assumed so.â
Taehyung shrugged, leaning back on his hands gripping the underside of the bench. âJust curious, is all.â
âAbout?âÂ
âHow someone like her has managed to go under my radar.â
Lilyâs warm hazel brown eyes narrowed, this time no lightheartedness blinking beneath them. âDonât you dare go and play that poor girl, Kim Taehyung.â She had gotten into the habit of putting his last name first. âNot everyone looks at relationships as a game.â
Jeongguk wisely chose to remain silent.Â
âWhat makes you think itâs a game for me?â His head tilted ever the slightest, taking in the redhead with no expression besides the normal aloofness he wore.Â
âIt always is.â Her response was sharp, and certainly with no regret before softening. âIâve been there, remember?â
Taehyung had no words for that.Â
He had to admit his fault there.Â
Kim Taehyung had found the enigma of Lily Potter as some sort of chase last year, especially with the announcement of the Yule Ball returning to Hogwarts after nearly two decades. She was the only daughter of Harry Potter, a firecracker as bright as her hair and as fierce as her namesakes. A younger girl who had found his interest in her thrilling. And he had pursued her. Flirted with her, as innocent as it was and took her to the ball. Only to break her heart only two days after - or at least what little hope she had for them to become something more.Â
He was lucky to only get off with a mild bat bogey hex and Lily found it in her to forgive him after a while and agreeing to become friends again.Â
âIâm not going to hurt her.â Those words sounded heavier than he expected, but he held firm. âI promise.â
Lily Luna searched his gaze for a short moment and sighed. âI really hope so, Tae. Truly.â
Yeah. He probably did the same.Â
+
Jensen spoke to you again.Â
Two weeks into the semester as you were walking from your Charms class to Transfiguration, he stopped you with a small wave. It only lasted a few moments, with both of you needing to make it to the next class. But you found it considerably easier and more relaxed this time around.Â
Relaxed enough that you didnât even notice your new seating partner until you had sat down.Â
âSo this is where you like it. I can see the appeal; in the middle, not too close and not too far.â
Your heart must have stopped for a single beat from the voice, let alone the unfamiliar sight of Taehyung Kim lounging the way he apparently always did on the neighboring seat on the right of you.Â
âYouâŠâ Was your clever reply, but with a frown to rival that of the late Headmaster Severus Snapeâs portrait mixed with a good amount of bewildered confusion. âWhy are you here?â
âTo learn, I hope.â
âSinceâŠwhen?âÂ
Taehyung made a near constipated look, as if in serious thought. âOof, tough questions youâre asking there. I assume since the semester started.â
You realized how foolish you were sounding, biting down on your tongue to stop talking and sliding further down on your chair in an embarrassed attempt to hide yourself from view.Â
âSoâŠY/N, right?â
You dared a glance in his direction, giving a single nod.Â
Taehyung grinned, seeming far too happy to know your name as you felt slightly suspicious of his behavior.
He reached out a hand. âIâm Kim Taehyung, or Taehyung Kim here, I suppose.â
You had manners enough to accept it, although gingerly and releasing it fairly quickly. âI remember who you are.â
âHonoured.â
âI didnât mean to offend you.â
His grin turned upside down, a frown of confusion taking its place. âOffend me?â
You shared that expression. âIsnât that why youâre talking to me? About the Veritaserum thing?â
He looked unbothered if anything.Â
âAnd what about it?â
âDid I ruin your argument?â
He chuckled in realization. âNot even close. You helped a lot, to be fair. I changed my core discussion and managed to score a perfect O.â He held up the shape with his thumb and index in front of one eye.Â
âOh.â Some of the tension eased from your shoulders.Â
âWas even used as an example in front of the class. If anything, you just improved my academic reputation by tenfold.â
âYouâreâŠwelcome?âÂ
Potions had never been a strong forte of yours as much as you strived to excel in every subject. But you realized that quickly enough and was forced to admit defeat before 7th year came around, and therefore chose not to take it as an elective despite your higher end of an A in it.Â
The discussion essays were your strength â the brewing being completely different. It was well-known knowledge that Slytherins â as stereotypical as it was, held a superiority in its arts of precise cutting and stirring from their centuries of pureblood ancestry.Â
Which is why it came as a surprise to hear that Taehyung Kim, Hufflepuff through and through, was among the top five of seventh years.Â
You supposed it made sense when thinking of the people he hung around. Several Slytherins, including Jimin Park and the notoriously scary couple of Min and Greengrass, who had both graduated to your intense relief.Â
You had found them scary individually, but when the news of their dating â or courting as purebloods called it â spread last year, that fear tripled whenever you were to come across them in the halls together.Â
Identical donât fuck with me auras and cold facades enough to freeze the Black Lake twice over.Â
You made sure to stay out of their way.Â
âIs there a reason youâre sitting here? Youâve never done it before.â
He leveled you with a side glance, hands folded behind the back of his head as he lounged back. âAre you always this suspicious of people wanting to speak to you?â
âIâm not suspicious,â You tried defending yourself, though failing. âItâs just weird.â
âIs it?â
âPeople never speak to me.â You expected the same uncomfortable pity to appear just as anyone else who bothered to spare you a moment and ask about the obvious absence of any friends by your side.Â
You never meant to come across as pathetic. It was just a fact, nothing you grumbled over. But for them it always sounded like some heavy load ready to burst followed by a string of tears.Â
Taehyung shrugged. âWell Iâm speaking to you now. Do you mind?â
You were quick and honest in answering âNo.â
His mouth quirked. "Good. Iâve decided I like youâ
Taking him in from top to bottom, you noted the loose way his tie was around the unbuttoned collar of his shirt, as well as the half-tucked-untucked way his clothes looked.Â
It was disheveled, but in a careful, fashion forward way rather than rumpled. He made up for it with tastefully chosen accessories, such as a ring, bracelet and silver dainty necklace.Â
His hair looked soft. Far softer than yours. A deep black and longer than most boys at school, reaching his ears with a deliberately chosen half middle part with several wavy strands covering his brows and tickling the top of his eyes.Â
Eyes in such a dark brown color, you couldnât help but compare them to a warm, fuzzy blanket with the way he was looking at you.Â
You were quite frankly in danger of getting lost in them as you internally shook yourself out of it.
âThat sounds awfully ominous.âÂ
âOminous, endearing â itâs all a branch of interest in the end.â
A brow flicked up from your part. âIt really isnât.â
âSmart mouthed witch, arenât you?â The easy look on his face said it was meant in jest. Not that you took offense to things easy.
âComes with the Ravenclaw territory.â Your usual shyness had evaporated enough for you to snark in return. A new development from your end.Â
Taehyung seemingly noticed the same thing, an understated sort of glee on his expression as he opened his mouth to reply but failed to do so as the professor strolled into the room with a greeting and everyone dutifully returned to their seats and faced the front.Â
You glanced at him again carefully only to blush at the quick wink he threw you.Â
Boys.Â
+
The entire way from the last class you shared of the day â which was surprisingly many â to the entire length of the trek down to the Great Hall just in time for dinner.Â
You said nothing, mostly only giving suspicious glances trying to figure out what he really wanted. He only strolled along with a lighthearted grin, often stopping in his path to hit off a chat with others.
Times at which you thought youâd finally lost him, only for him to come jogging up around the corner again.Â
The strangest part was that he didnât bother you. Or even speak.Â
The strangeness of it all is what made you huff and stop abruptly in your path and seconds later you felt him almost skid to a halt in surprise, nearly running into you in the process.Â
âWhoa.â
Turning around swiftly, your eyes narrowed up at him as Taehyung blinked. âWhat do you want?â
âWhat keeps making you think I want anything?â
âBecause thisââ Your hand flicked up and down along his form. âIs the true essence of someone wanting something.â
âIâm just trying to get to know you, love.â
âBy stalking me?â
âKeeping you company,â he corrected with that same mischievous grin.Â
âWithout my permission?â
âI thought we were getting pretty close in class just now.â
âListen-â You sighed heavily. âWhatever it is youâre trying to do, thank you, but no thank you. Iâm all set with my friends.â
It was a lie, obviously. You didnât have friends. Not really. Â
But you were also very content with where you stood at the moment. Comfortable.Â
You were a seventh year student with less than ten months left before graduation. You didnât need any sudden complications to make the end of your life at Hogwarts any harder.Â
And that included the persistent curiosity of one Taehyung Kim.Â
âDo those friends perhaps include a very persistent Atkinson?â
The tip of your red ears were thankfully hidden by the tresses of your loose hair as you frowned. âIf anyoneâs persistent, itâs you, Kim.â
âHow about a deal?â
âPardon?â Your exasperation was hardly hidden. âWeâre making deals now?â
âGive me a chance.â Taehyung seemed unbothered by your obvious annoyance. âI wanna get to know you.â
â...why?âÂ
âWhy not?â
âWhy me?â
Taehyung gave a hum in contemplation. âI canât help but feel like this conversation already happened.â
âWhat Iâm trying to sayââ You kept your eye contact firm as his own glinted. âYou donât have to feel like you owe me anything for that one answer on the essay. I donât need pity-friends.â
For once he looked careful in choosing his words. âWhat makes you think I'm trying to be a pity friend? Maybe Iâm a secret admirer you never noticed.â
You barked out a sharp laugh. âHah! You didnât know of my existence until the library. Can you truly blame me for being suspicious?â
Taehyung huffed out a laugh, cheeks warming up as he scratched his head with a sheepish expression. âFair enough, that was a bit over the top. So I repeat. How about that deal?â
âA deal about giving you a chance?â You repeated doubtfully. âAs?â
âFine Iâm gonna be frank. Yes, I do feel like I owe you something after your help, but I also enjoyed who I spoke to as a person. So naturally, Iâm interested in being your friend.â
You had run out of arguments and as much as you wanted to shoo him away, the genuinity in his words and expression were hard to push off as lies.Â
Unless he was simply a fantastic actor, which you wouldnât push past him.Â
âAlright then.âÂ
Taehyungâs eyes widened.âWait really?â
âIâllâŠbe your friend, I guess.â You mumbled almost in embarrassment at the strange sentence. Never in your life have you had someone argue so much for simply wanting to become a friend.Â
How utterly bizarre.
But perhaps it was the sort of bizarreness you needed in your life. Not that you would admit it.Â
âStop being so shocked!â You huffed. âIâm not a mean person, you know.â
He was grinning. âThat never crossed my mind.â
Shuffling your feet almost awkwardly as he continued to grin at you in silence, the trickle of students in the corridors were starting to thin down. Most of them had already arrived at the Great Hall for dinner.Â
âWhat now then?â
Taehyung threw an arm around your shoulders, starting to pull you towards the Great Hall as you stumbled a few steps before managing to keep up with his long strides.Â
âFirst things first as a new friend,â He âwhisperedâ with a smirk. âIntroduce you to more friends!â
The absolute fear on your face must have shown, because he actually fucking cackled. Cackled. Like some bloody villain ready to sacrifice you to the wolves.Â
Your anxiety could hardly keep up with him.Â
Merlin, help me.
+
âEveryone, meet Y/N. Y/N, meet everyone,â Taehyung grinned at the four occupants somewhere in the middle of the Slytherin table sharing various degrees of amusement and anticipation.Â
His arm was still around your tense shoulders as you tried to smile at them in return, but with your wide anxious eyes and stiff grin, you gave the picture of someone forcefully held against their will rather than pleasantries for the first time.Â
And whether it was by the sight of Jimin Park rubbing the bridge of his nose, or Jeongguk shaking his head - they were probably as exhausted as you were by his antics.
It was Jiminâs girlfriend who saved the heavy awkwardness hanging in the air as she jumped up and grabbed your hand.Â
âHi Y/N, come sit next to me,â she chirped with a sweet voice as you followed, ending up in the middle of her and Taehyung on the bench.Â
âThanks,â You tried to sound unaffected, surrounded by so many strangers.Â
âSo what schemes has Tae gotten you into to end up here?â It was Jimin inquiring from the other side of his girlfriend as he peered around her to look at you with a small smile, not at all looking annoyed by your presence. Rather the situation youâve been forced into.Â
âUhm, I donât really know, to be honest,â You answered truthfully.Â
âHah!â Dark burnished orange hair and pretty, wide chocolate brown eyes were the next to keep your attention as you found yourself locked in the mischievous gaze of one Lily Potter.Â
Oh my God, even Lily Potter was a part of this friend group.Â
âPlease donât tell me he forced you, Y/N. If he did just give me a sign, Iâll curse his arse out for you.â
âYeah, sheâs pretty good at that,â You heard Tae mutter next to you with a shudder.Â
Your lips twitched.Â
âThanks for the offer, Iâll put it to good use one day,â You promised and the younger girl grinned.
She was insanely pretty, you couldnât help but notice. Or maybe it was just her confident personality that made her so attractive to everyone. No wonder either, she was the youngest child of war heroes, and her boyfriend was heir to the Malfoy heritage.
It was all over the Daily Prophet several times over the past year how Scorpius Malfoy was working day and night to change the dark past of his family reputation by working his way rapidly well up in the world of aurors, coming on top in the Auror Academy and beating records of those decades before him. There were rumors of Harry Potter himself considering choosing the young man as his new rookie partner in the field.
If you werenât a Ravenclaw, you would have wondered why the man hadnât chosen either of his two sons, who were both aurors - one already well into his career and the younger one being a starring pupil alongside Malfoy. But laws clearly stated that those with direct family ties were not allowed to work together in close quarters.
If only the law had known Scorpius Malfoy was a very likely candidate for the future son-in-law position at the Potter household.Â
You would imagine if there were main characters in the world; then Lily Luna Potter was certainly one of them. And you were simply excited to have a first class seat to witness it rather than wanting to be in her place.Â
You took another look around and noticed the one person left who had yet to speak. Jeongguk Jeon must have felt your curious gaze, because when he looked away from his plate of food and met yours he blushed alarmingly quickly, even for you, but offered a friendly smile nonetheless.Â
He sat opposite of you, besides Lily. It was a very off balance order with only two people on one side of the bench and four on the other. But at this point Jimin had his girlfriend on his lap and they were giggling quietly together while still managing to eat, and Taehyung was your designated friend.Â
âHey Jeon.â It was the first time youâve spoken to the underclassman, despite seeing him all the time in your shared common room and passing in the hallways.Â
âYou can call me Jeongguk,â He shrugged.Â
âWe call him Kookie.â Taehyung whispered beside you, not that it was much of a whisper as the boy whipped his gaze over with a glare.Â
âYou do not!â Jeongguk snapped, clearly annoyed but in the way a younger brother would be.Â
âDonât worry, Iâm not planning to call you that.â You just met these people, there was no way you were planning to get on their nerves already.Â
âSo Y/N, what classes are you taking this year? Besides sharing Transfiguration with my wonderful self.â
You could hardly hold back the eye roll as Taehyung grinned.Â
âA lot of the core classes. Charms, Transfiguration, Defense and Herbology, but I dropped potions from last year.â
âReally? Not planning to become an auror?âÂ
âGodric, no,â You chuckled. âI wouldnât be able to handle the Academy, never mind catching dark wizards. I prefer my future career as something safer.â
âI feel you there.â Taehyung folded his hands behind his head. âI was considering working at the ministry somewhere, but havenât decided which department yet.â
âA ministry worker?â You were honestly surprised. You expected something more eccentric from him.Â
âShocked?â He smirked in return.Â
âA little yeah, I thought you were going to say dragon handler or something.â
He barked out a laugh. âI scream at the sight of reptiles, never mind a dragon. What about you?â
âIâm not sure.â You admitted. âIâve got options in both the muggle and wizarding world, so Iâm at a stand still.â
Both his brows were raised in surprise. âYouâre considering leaving the wizarding world?â
âNot completely, just a little reprieve perhaps. Iâve read up on the muggle education system and going to universities.â
âUni, huh.â Taehyung looked even more intrigued at this point, and you couldnât fathom why. âAre you half-blood?â
âPureblood.â It was a delight to see his face twist into more shock. It seems the only emotion you were able to give him. âNot all of us are bigoted and close minded, you know.âÂ
âI wasnâtââ
âRelax idiot, sheâs obviously kidding,â Lily cut in with a scoff as you shared a laugh with her. âBut that sounds fun, Y/N. One of my older cousins is going to a muggle uni right now, and sheâs loving it.â
âIt seems really fun,â You agreed. âIâve always been interested in the muggle world. My parents often took us traveling when I was younger with only planes and public transport.â
âMy dad too!â She gasped. âHe was always dragging us on the tube in London for everything, wanting to make us independent for the future and not rely on magic. I can basically find my way anywhere now.â
âOh my, I hate the rush hour!â You complained, suddenly full of vigor finding someone who knew what you were talking about. âI accidentally got stuck in it during the holiday and it was horrid. Never again.â
âSame! Luckily I had been warned, but had to eventually endure when I got a summer job last year,â Lily pouted.Â
âYou had a job?â You clapped a hand over your mouth at how you sounded, but she only waved off your concern.Â
âI know; shocking. Another one of dadâs lessons, providing for ourselves and not through family members.â
âBut why? Heâs Harry Potter!â
âExactly that,â Lily smirked. âBecause heâs Harry Potter. His favorite quote to my brothers and I is âItâs my money, not yours. If you want something, go make your own.â â
âWow, harsh.â
âHe means well though,â she was quick to assure with a wave of her hand. âDad used to spoil us rotten as children, since he never got to experience a privileged childhood. But the moment we got into our teens he was strict in teaching us more about responsibility.â
âShe wasnât even allowed to work at her uncleâs joke shop.â You had nearly forgotten Jimin was there, as his voice came from beside you.Â
âDragged you back?â You flicked up a brow. âIs there a reason for it?â
âLetâs just say they werenât too fond of the British drinking culture.â
You made a small noise of understanding, but forced yourself to bite your tongue. Because there were about five questions that you wanted to ask and absolutely none of them were probably appropriate to ask on a day likeâŠwhatever this was.Â
Lily snorted, and would have elbowed Taehyung in the ribs if she wasnât sitting on the other side of the table. âYour parents werenât wrong. Half the blokes here treat weekends like a competitive sport.â
Jeongguk, bless him, choked on his pumpkin juice and you didnât know whether to laugh or look at him with concern. Instead your hand moved to smooth your robe as if it had wrinkles that werenât there.Â
Jiminâs girlfriend laughed bright enough for everyone to attract a few head turns. She caught it and lowered her voice sheepishly as she turned to you.Â
âWhat about you, Y/N?â she asked softly, like she was letting you into a private joke rather than putting you on display. âWhereâd you travel?â
There was a pause. Not awkward exactly, if you could put it into words.Â
You blinked at her and the table and the strange feeling of everyone looking at you with interest rather than a distracted politeness you were used to.Â
âMy parents like random placesâŠI suppose,â You started off and heard the faint wobble in your own voice and hated it. âSpain once. Italy. My mum got obsessed with muggle museums over a summer, so we did Paris and Rome without magic. Which wasâŠâ You lifted your shoulders. âA lot of walking.â
âParis without magic,â Lily repeated like a heroic feat. âRespect. Not even a stop at the French ministry?â
âNot once,â You shook your head. âIt was mainly just me getting lost and pretending I wasnât,â you admitted. And to your surprise, laughter bubbled up around you â all warm and genuine.
Taehyungâs eyes narrowed slightly, as if he discovered a new species in the wild. âYouâre funny.â
âIâm truthful,â you corrected automatically. Because accepting a compliment was never a strength of yours without deflecting.Â
He leaned closer however, resting his chin on his palm. âSame thing.â
âIt really isnât.â
âIt is when it comes out of your mouth.â
You opened your mouth to argue, then shut it. Because the last thing you needed was Taehyung Kim collecting small facts about you like shiny stones in his pocket.
Jiminâs girlfriend, thank Merlin, nudged your elbow. âDo you like chess?â
You blinked at the change of subject.. âYeah?â
Jiminâs face lit up like a child on Christmas. âFinally. Someone with taste.â
Taehyung groaned. âOh no. Youâve just fed him.â
Jeonggukâs mouth twitched into something like a smile. âHe gets insufferable about chess.â
âI do not get insufferable,â Jimin said, offended.
Lily raised her brows. âYou called my cousin an intellectual peasant because he didnât know a queenâs gambit.â
âHe was an intellectual peasant.â
You startled again, but this time it turned into a laugh before you could stop it. A real one.Â
And you found yourself not minding this feeling even a little bit.Â
By the time dinner ended, youâd been asked questions that werenât traps. Youâd been teased in a way that didnât sting, and youâd been included without the exhausting pressure of having to perform gratitude for the inclusion.Â
But still, when you stood up â habits made itself known.Â
âI should go,â you said, a little too quickly. âI have⊠reading.â
âMhm, must be a lot two weeks in already," Lily said knowingly, and her eyes softened. âIt was nice meeting you, Y/N.â
Jiminâs girlfriend squeezed your hand before you could pull away. âCome sit with us again tomorrow, yeah?â
You hesitated.Â
âOkay,â you heard yourself say anyways
+
The next day, you sat with them again
And the next.Â
It didnât happen suddenly. But slowly, like a leak of warmth into places you hadnât even realized were cold. It all started with Jiminâs girlfriend waving you over automatically, like your seat had always been there.Â
And continued with Lily throwing a piece of parchment at your head from a table behind whilst you were studying in the library. âYouâre glaring at your notes like they owe you money,â she said.
Even with Jeongguk quietly sliding you an extra quill when he noticed yours had snapped mid-essay in the common room, not meeting your eyes.Â
And then there was Taehyung, doing the most Taehyung things imaginable; somehow managing to insert himself into your orbit like a comet.Â
By winter and only a few weeks away from Christmas, your name no longer confused people. It was said easily now, casually even. Tossed across tables and corridors like it always belonged.Â
âY/N, have you seen my notes?â
âY/N, sit here.â
âY/N, settle this argument before Jimin combusts.â
You still liked the corners, the small windows and quiet tables tucked away and chairs pulled just a bit away from the center. But you were no longer alone in them.Â
Sometimes Taehyung would drop into the seat across from you without asking, parchment and quill abandoned somewhere between intention and distraction. He wouldnât speak right away. Neither would you.
He learned the way you studied too â surprisingly more astute than you took him to be. How you underlined sparingly, how you paused before writing, eyes unfocused and thoughts clearly somewhere else.Â
He also stopped interrupting those moments.
You noticed the way he fidgeted when restless. Especially when he began to twist the rings. Or when the chair tipped back just enough to irritate professors. Even a hum under his breath when something amused him.
But that wasnât the only change; Jensen became a surprising constant too.Â
He started walking you to meals. Sat with you in the common room, knees angled toward you even when his book lay forgotten. He remembered things with careful precision. From your favorite tea, to which subject drained you the most. And that you preferred quiet Hogsmeade weekends over crowded ones.
You didnât notice the way his hand lingered when passing you a quill. Or how his eyes softened when you laughed. Or how his voice dipped when he said your name.
But Taehyung did. And he said nothing.Â
Because when Jensen sat beside you, Taehyung simply chose the seat across. When Jensen walked you back to Ravenclaw tower, Taehyung peeled off with a wave and a joke.Â
And when his shoulder brushed yours, Taehyung looked away.
It was a good thing, he told himself.Â
You looked comfortable. You laughed more now. Spoke without bracing yourself first. He had watched it happen slowly, like someone tending a fire and knowing better than to throw water on it.
Whatever this thing was with Atkinson, it seemed good for you.
+
There were moments.Â
Small ones. Maybe tipping into dangerous territory.Â
Such as the afternoon autumn rain trapping you under a stone archway after your Charms class, laughter echoing as you waited it out. Taehyung had shrugged off his jacket and held it above both your heads, standing a bit too close, his breath warm against your temple.Â
For a second, neither of you had moved.Â
Then you stepped back first, apologizing out of habit.Â
He smiled and said nothing.Â
Or the night you fell asleep in the common room, a book slipping from your grasp. You woke to a blanket draped over your shoulders and Taehyung sitting on the floor nearby, back against the couch talking to Jeongguk, pretending he hadnât noticed you stir.
You were sure that blanket had been on another chair across the room.Â
Taehyung had never been particularly good at timing.Â
But even he could tell when something didnât belong to him.
+
Christmas passed in a blur of twinkling lights, a layer of snow and laughter. And before you knew it, spring crept in with lighter mornings and warmer evenings.Â
Revision season brought exhaustion and shared misery.Â
You sprawled across library tables with Lily, muttering curses at Arithmancy. Jimin quizzed you mercilessly and then praised you like heâd trained you himself. Jeongguk slipped you chocolate when you looked like you might cry over Transfiguration theory.
Taehyung started walking you back after late study sessions without comment, matching your pace exactly. Sometimes Jensen joined. Sometimes he didnât.
On nights when it was just the two of you, the conversation drifted easily.
âWhat do you think youâll miss most?â he asked once, as you descended a staircase dusted with moonlight.
You didnât answer right away.
âThe quiet,â you said eventually. âThe kind that only exists here.â
He nodded. âYeah.â
âWhat about you, Tae?â You had come to call him by his nickname comfortably.Â
He shrugged. âProbably the food.â
He didnât say your name. He kept his hands in his pockets and his thoughts to himself as you snorted and rolled your eyes.Â
+
The year thinned toward its end, but not everyone was leaving.
That was the strange thing about seventh year. It felt final, heavy with endings, yet still tethered to unfinished threads.
You, Taehyung, Jimin, his girlfriend, and Jensen moved through the months with the shared awareness that time was closing in. Essays mattered more. Conversations lingered longer. There was an unspoken pressure to decide who you were becoming.
Lily and Jeongguk hovered at the edges of that gravity.
Lily complained loudly about OWL prep while you and Jimin exchanged knowing looks over breakfast. Jeongguk sulked whenever graduation plans came up, as if sheer irritation could delay time itself.
âYouâre all abandoning us,â he muttered one evening, poking at his food.
âYouâll survive,â Taehyung said easily. âBarely.â
Jeongguk scowled. âTraitor.â
But there was affection there. A sense that even as the group shifted, something solid had already formed.
+
Graduation arrived with a strange feeling.Â
The achingly quiet settled into your chest the moment you blinked open your eyes that morning and realized there were no more classes to attend. No essays to finish. No timetables to follow, and no excuse to pretend this was just another day.Â
You lay in bed longer than usual, clutching at your comforter and staring up at the familiar ceiling of your four-poster bed, counting the hairline cracks youâd memorized over seven years.
Someone down the hall laughed. Someone else slammed a trunk shut. The whole castle sounded restless.Â
You had done everything slowly that morning.Â
Folding away the last of your clothes you hadnât bothered doing from the night before, going through books that you wouldnât need anymore and smoothing down your graduation robe.Â
The Great Hall was already filling when you arrived, sunlight pouring through enchanted windows, banners hanging proudly overhead. The noise pressed in on you immediately. Cheers and voices belonging to parents calling out names like spells â all sitting in the back with families to the graduating students.Â
The 7th years were sitting in the front separated into houses and you waved at your friends until you found your place next to Jensen, who had grinned at your arrival.Â
The ceremony blurred in places. When your name was called, your heart stuttered, but you heard the familiar cheers. The voices of your parents and friends when you accepted the rolled up diploma.Â
When you returned to your seat, you noticed Lily was on her feet, clapping like her life depended on it among the underclassmen.
You swallowed. So this was what leaving home looked like.
+
Afterward, the crowd gravitated towards the courtyard for last goodbyes with friends and families before the 7th years would be sent across the Black Lake in boats as a last farewell to commence their journey ending at Hogwarts â in the same way they had all arrived seven years ago.Â
You stood between your parents, grinning and happy but feeling heavy all the same. They were catching up with old school friends as your name was called out from afar.Â
Jiminâs girlfriend pulled you into a hug next, fierce and warm. âYouâre going to be amazing,â she said like it was a certainty, not encouragement.
Jimin followed, brief but solid. âDonât forget us when you become terrifyingly successful.â
âAs if,â you scoffed, voice thick.
Lily threw herself at you without warning, arms tight around your shoulders. âYou better write,â she ordered, eyes shiny. âOr Iâll hunt you down.â
No part of yourself could stop the sniffle as you returned it. âWouldnât dare, Potter.â
Jeongguk hovered, then hugged you too, awkward and earnest. âIt wonât be the same without you.â
Your throat closed around the words you wanted to say.
Taehyung waited. He always did.
When the others drifted away, when the noise dulled just enough to make space for something quieter, he stepped forward.
âCongratulations,â he said.
You laughed softly. âYou too. It doesnât feel real.â
He smiled. âYeah. It kind of doesn't.â
So you hugged him before you could think better of it.Â
It was instinct. Muscle memory built over a year of shared space and quiet understanding â your arms around his neck, standing on your tiptoes as you breathed in his scent.Â
For a moment, he didnât move.
Then his arms came around you, careful, grounding, like he was memorizing the shape of you without letting himself linger too long. One of his large hands cupped the back of your neck like a steadfast shield.Â
âThank you,â you murmured into his shoulder.
â...For what?â
âFor becoming my friend.â
âIt wasnât all me,â he murmured. âYou just needed a little push.âÂ
You grinned into his shirt without realizing it. As you pulled back, searching his face and trying to read the things he wasnât saying.Â
Your chest ached with the weight of everything you didnât know how to ask or say.
âIâm really glad I met you,â you said instead.
He nodded, brown eyes warm. âMe too.â
There were a thousand other words hovering between you.
Not now, you both thought.Â
â âââ â Ten years later: â âââ â
The new lounge bar in Diagon Alley smelled exactly like it looked.Â
Aged whiskey with the hints of citrus from freshly cut peels, warm amber light spilling from hanging lanterns catching on dark wood and polished leather, turning the room into something hushed with Jazz music playing from floating instruments in the corner. The deep leather seats curved into booths around small tables, gleaming new but made to look like itâs been aged by time.Â
It reminded Taehyung of a speakeasy he had visited once in midtown Manhattan for one of his magazine campaigns.
As well as the fact heâd barely made it three steps before someone called out, âOi! There he is!â
He winced and smiled at the same time, but there was enough noise in the bar to drown out the voices of his clearly tipsy friends.Â
âSubtle,â he muttered, shrugging out of his coat as Hoseok was the first to reach him, arms wrapping around him with zero restraint.
âYouâre late,â Hoseok said into his shoulder, grin audible.
âIâm on time,â he corrected. âDonât blame me for starting the party early.â
âSame thing,â Seokjin chimed in from the table, already halfway through a drink. âSit. You look too expensive to be standing.â
Yoongi lifted his glass in a quiet greeting, eyes sharp and knowing as ever. Namjoon nodded, fond and Jimin was already half out of his seat pulling Taehyung into another hug like he hadnât seen him on a screen three nights ago.
Jeongguk stared at him for a second too long before smirking. âYou look stupidly expensive, hyung.â
He had tried to dress relatively under the radar, actually. The black henley and beige dress pants felt normal to him.Â
âThanks,â Taehyung said dryly. âYou got more ink?â
He slid into the empty seat and someone shoved a drink at him without asking. Whiskey in a pristine crystal glass. Not his favorite, but he wasnât one to complain today.Â
Jeongguk shrugged before rolling his shoulder in a stretch, bicep flexing almost obnoxiously by the motion. âEh, felt like something new.â
All of them nearly simultaneously rolled their eyes.Â
Jeongguk had gone through several transformations in the years since their Hogwarts days; growing bigger than all of them, as well as an entire sleeve of tattoos that now stretched further in towards one side of his chest.Â
âDid you come from a shoot?â Jimin asked him, the only one around this table to see him frequently enough to notice the subtle signs of styling on his features.Â
âMorning one,â Taehyung nodded.Â
Out of all seven of them, no one had been surprised when Taehyung declared he had been interested in dipping his toes into the muggle fashion world. He had always been vocal about his hobbies and interests around them â fast forward ten years, and heâs made a name for himself around the world, and somewhere in the midst also started dabbling in music with a few releases.Â
He had always been the one to fit into the public eye the most.Â
âSo,â Seokjin leaned back, a light flush already starting at the base of his neck. âHow long are you gracing us this time? A night? Two?â
He smirked. âLong enough to survive the hangover after the wedding.â
âRiiight,â Namjoon nodded at the reminder. âNearly forgot Potter and Malfoy were tying the knot.â
âWedding of the century, if you ask me,â Yoongi snorted, fingers tracing the rim of his glass absently.Â
âAre you going, hyung?â Hoseok asked him.Â
âIâm married to a Greengrass. Thatâs basically family with the Malfoys, so yes.â
âSo what, itâs just us three not invited?â Seokjin pouted and pointed out the three of them, not that Namjoon and Hoseok looked bothered by the fact.Â
âYou donât even know her that well, hyung.â Jimin shook his head exasperated. âLily has always been selective. Besides her big family and us as friends, I think most of the guests are from Malfoyâs side.â
âOh, everyoneâs coming?â It was thrown out lightly from Taehyungâs part. A filler question if anything.Â
Jimin didnât look up from his drink. âYeah. I mean. You, me, Kook. Family. A couple of her Auror friends. Ministry people. I think her bridesmaids are all cousins.â
Taehyung nodded, âMhm.â
Then, like an afterthought, Jimin added, âDonât know about Y/N though.â
His finger stopped the tracing on the edge of the table. He blinked once, and slowly. Like processing an unfamiliar word. âYeah?â
Jimin shrugged, still unaware of the effect her name had made. âLily was the last one who had contact with her, I think. They wrote on and off a few months ago. Dunno if thatâs still a thing.â
âOh,â Taehyung said, making sure it was neutral sounding. Like he didnât really care. But it obviously had the opposite effect.Â
Because Yoongiâs eyes flicked up for half a second to meet his, then back down to the table.
Jeongguk leaned forward, elbows on the table. âYou didnât know?â
âKnow what?â Taehyung asked, too quickly.
ââŠthat sheâs kind of famous?â
âIâve heard rumors, yes.â
âWhat is she famous for?â Namjoon asked, the only one seemingly out of the loop.
Jiminâs mouth twitched. âMuggle-famous. Books. A lot of them.â
Seokjin perked up. âRomance, right?â
âYes!â Jimin snapped his fingers. âThatâs it. Romance novels. Bloody everywhere. My girlfriend reads them.â
Jeongguk grinned. âMine too.â
âYou have a girlfriend?â Someone asked.Â
âWell, ex.â This kid.Â
Taehyung stared at his drink. Romance. The irony. âThatâs⊠good for her,â he said finally, because that was the correct thing to say.Â
Hoseok nodded enthusiastically. âSheâs doing really well. Travels a lot, too. Always somewhere new on social media. Italy last month, I think?â
âSpain before that,â Jeongguk added. âAnd New York. She posted a picture with an aesthetic coffee.â
Jimin laughed. âShe looks happy.â
âDo you two just happen to be her stalkers or something?â Yoongi arched his brow at Hoseok and Jeongguk.Â
âLily mentioned maybe inviting her,â Jimin went on. âBut she didnât want to pressure her. Y/Nâs⊠got her own thing going.â
Taehyung leaned back again, the motion controlled, practiced. âMakes sense.â
Jimin kept talking.
About deadlines and fittings for dress robes, about how Lily had banned certain colours, about how Scorpius was apparently being unreasonably calm about the whole thing. The conversation flowed around the table like it always did, familiar and easy.
Taehyung nodded in the right places; smiling, humming, clinking their glasses when one of the guys got a bit excited but remained relatively calm most of the night. The others didnât find it suspicious, probably chalking it down to exhaustion from work.Â
He had known, actually.Â
Perhaps a bit too much.Â
He had known the first time your name appeared in a bookshop window in Soho when he walked past, serif font clean and understated, stacked in a display meant to look effortless. Heâd stopped walking without realizing it, body reacting before thought ever caught up.
Heâd reacted the first time one of his stylists mentioned a novel she âcouldnât put downâ on a flight to Milan, holding up a dog-eared paperback pulled from her bag and the same name caught his eyes in the mirror he was sitting in front.Â
He bought most of the books too. Physical copies and hardbacks, to support where he could.Â
But he never found the courage to follow you online.Â
âSo,â Seokjin said, jolting him gently back into the moment. âYouâre quiet though.â
Taehyung glanced up, sipping from his glass and expression easy. âAm I?â
âYes,â Jeongguk said. âYouâre doing that thing.â
âWhat thing?â
âThe thing where you pretend youâre not thinking about something,â Yoongi replied flatly.
Taehyung huffed a quiet laugh. âYou give me too much credit.â
Yoongi met his gaze for a fraction of a second longer than necessary, then looked away.Â
Ten years later, and he still knew better than to reach for something that had learned how to stand on its own.Â
If you came to the wedding, he would smile.Â
Maybe even offer a hug if you were up for it.Â
Yeah, he could totally handle that.Â
+
You nearly walked past the alley that led down to the joke shop.
Diagon Alley was louder than you remembered â all colours and movement mixed with overlapping voices and magic buzzing like a second heartbeat. It was loud and busy, but not overly chaotic.Â
Hogwarts had just started its new semester two weeks ago, so the crowd was missing students and their families scrambling for last minute essentials, and you were grateful for that.Â
You adjusted the strap of your bag and slowed a bit, letting the crowd move around rather than through you.Â
Youâd barely taken a step when your eyes flickered, briefly, to a darkened lounge tucked off the main stretch. Warm light glowed behind tall windows, inviting in the abstract way places like that always did.Â
âThatâs new,â you muttered to yourselfÂ
The smell shifted as you reached the joke shop; a wave of sweet sugar, smoke and something sharp and bright but comforting nonetheless.Â
Weasley Wizard Wheezes announced itself loudly, its sign creaking overhead, enchanted displays spinning in a riot of colour. The bell chimed the moment you pushed inside, noise crashing over in the best possible way.
You hadnât been here in years, memories of your school days rushing by.Â
âY/N!â Lilyâs voice rang out clearly from somewhere between a display of Extendable Ears and a stack of fireworks that looked suspiciously unstable. âYouâre finally here!â
You laughed, the sound easy and unguarded. âI was on time, wasnât I?â
âYouâre never on time,â Lily countered, appearing with her hair tied back and sleeves rolled up, looking exactly like someone whoâd grown into herself. There was a happy flush to her cheeks and her hair was longer in soft waves from what you remember. âYou look unfairly well-rested.â
âI flew in this morning,â you protested lightly as she pulled you into a fierce hug without warning. âIâm surviving on caffeine and stubbornness, if that makes sense.â
Lily grinned, stepping back to look at you properly. âStill living life traveling around the world, huh?â
âAnd you?â You shot back teasingly. âI doubt being a lead healer on your ward at St. Mungos is giving you much rest.â
A gleaming emerald ring on a sleek silver band encrusted by smaller, sparkling diamonds shone on her ring finger whenever the light caught it.
She sighed. âYeah, but luckily with the wedding coming up Iâve been able to request some time off.â
She guided you deeper into the shop, magic humming around you.Â
âWhy are you even here?â You peered closer at a stand of pink bottles as small hearts popped around it with kissing noises.
 Fascinating. Must be their new brand of love potions.Â
âBlame Uncle Ron. He swore they had âuseful decorative bitsâ if I needed anything for the wedding. Which, translated, means half of it might explode and the other half will insult the guests.â
âPerfect,â You deadpanned. âVery on brand for Weasleys.â
Lily was holding a stack of small enchanted gift bags, two floating lazily beside her. âThese are actually kind of cute though. Look, they change colour depending on whoâs holding them.â
You couldnât help but smile, watching her fuss over details with the same fierce focus sheâd always had. âYouâre really doing this.â
âI am,â Lily said, softer now. Then she glanced up, eyes bright. âAnd youâre here.â
That landed heavier than Y/N expected. You shrugged lightly, masking it. âYou asked.â
Somewhere deeper in the shop, something let out a loud bang followed by a distant, enthusiastic cheer that could only belong to Ron Weasley.Â
âMunchkin! Come look at this, I swear this is perfect for the wedding fireworks!â
Lily rolled her eyes fondly before calling back. âUncle Ron, mum said no last minute fireworks that havenât been tested at least three times!â
âHeâs excited,â You noted with a grin, leaning against the shelf beside you.Â
âThey all are,â Lily shook her head. âIâm the youngest in the family so theyâre all a bit dramatic about it. Dad has cried at least three times just the last week.â
âAnd you? How do you feel?â
âCan you ask me again on the wedding day?â She huffed, tightening the ponytail briefly. âIâm a bit too stressed at the moment to think.â
So being the good friend that you were, you looped your arm around her elbow and grabbed another handful of the giftbags. âThen how about we finish bagging these up and grab some food? Iâm famished.â
Her brown eyes glittered. âAre we having drinks?â
You winked. âAnything for the bride-to-be.â
+
The restaurant Lily chose was tucked away from the main street, a few shops over from the joke shop, the kind youâd miss if you werenât looking for it. It was getting dark outside, the entire space being lit up by warm and enchanted candle light on the tables and floating against the ceiling â reminiscent of their Hogwarts days.
But other than that it was the most opulent restaurant youâd seen lately, especially for Diagon Alley. A domed ceiling rich with ornate plasterwork and blue-and-gold detailing. Chandeliers that hung like constellations besides the candlelight, their warm light pooling over marble-topped tables and leather banquettes in shades of rust, caramel, and moss. Â
People were sitting in quiet pockets. Some leaning into conversations, others curling inward with drinks and phones, giving the room a hushed, cultivated hum rather than a buzz.Â
You slid into the chair opposite of her, a table for two tucked against the wall and window out towards the street.Â
âThis,â you sighed, glancing around impressed, âwas an excellent decision.â
Lily smirked as she picked up the drinks menu, familiar with the place. âI love this place. I usually go here for drinks with my female cousins.â
You picked a sharing menu of their best sellers in smaller portions, as well as drinks; a classic margarita for Lily and a mojito for yourself.Â
âSo,â Lily said once the drinks arrived and you were alone again, folding her hands together on the table. âHow long are you in London for?â
âA week,â you replied. âPossibly longer. My parents have been missing me lately.â
âAlways moving,â she smiled fondly.
âDonât make it sound like a bad thing,â You flicked up a brow, leaning back against the chair.Â
âItâs not,â She chuckled. âJustâŠvery you.â
The food arrived not long after, and so did the flow of conversation. Catching up with each otherâs lives; work, travel, friends. The strange limbo of you being recognized but not known. About Lilyâs hospital shifts, her wedding dress shopping and how surreal it felt to be planning a future rather than just talking about it.Â
âAt least Scorpius is calm,â she said, rolling her eyes while chewing on a chip. âSuspiciously so.â
âIf one of you is panicking, shouldnât at least one keep calm?â You countered.Â
She giggled in agreement, taking a sip of her drink before studying you over the rim of her glass.Â
And there it was. That look.Â
You sighed. âWhat?â
Lily smiled innocently. âNothing.â
âThatâs never true, and you know it.â
She didnât deny. Instead she tilted her head. âWhat happened between you and Atkinson?â
You blinked and then huffed out a quiet laugh. âWow. Straight to it.â
âYou dated for three years,â Lily said. âAnd I got like one update. I feel entitled.â
âDo you now?â
âAnd that Iâm getting married tomorrow. Bride privileges, if you will.â
Your lips twitched but answered nonetheless.âIt was two years and seven months, actually,â you corrected. âAfter Hogwarts. We even lived together for a bit.â
âAnd?â She prompted.
You shrugged, honest. âAnd then we didnât.â
A frown. âThatâs it?â
âThatâs it.â
âNo dramatic breakup?â she pressed. âNo betrayal? No emotionally devastating scene in the rain?â
You snorted. âNo, Lils. We just stopped fitting. He wanted to settle down, have kids and I wanted to travel. We realised we were holding on out of habit more than anything.â
Lily considered that. âYou loved him though?â
âI did,â you agreed without hesitation. âIn the way you love someone whoâs good to you. HeâŠwas safe and familiar.â
âBut isnât that good?â
âI donât know,â You admitted with a shrug. âIt just didnât feel right to hold on. Weâre still on good terms though. He just moved in with his long-term girlfriend if Iâm not wrong.â
There was a pause before she leaned forward again, elbows on the table and eyes sharp. âOne more question; what happened between you and Tae?â
Someone had been holding back.Â
You chose your words carefully. âNothing happened, if thatâs what you mean.â
âY/NâŠare you going to tell me that during your entire 7th year, you didnât have an inkling of feeling towards him?âÂ
âH-he was a good friend,â curse yourself for stuttering before you relented. âBesides, what's the point of being hung up on it? Itâs been years.â
âTen years is a long time,â Lily said slowly.Â
âExactly,â you nodded. âWhatever my feelings were, it belongs to the past.â
âYou donât sound sad about it.â
âIâm not,â you shrugged. âIâm realistic.â
Her shoulders sagged. âBut donât you thinkââ
âHe doesnât,â You cut in gently. âIf he ever had those feelings, theyâre long gone. Heâs got a whole new life right now, a very visible one too.â
 Lily watched you for a long moment, then sighed. âYou know itâs not too late, right? For anything.â
You stared at her, half incredulous and half amused. âWhat, you just want me to waltz up to him and confess?â
She snorted into her drink, shoulders shaking. âI mean⊠I think it would work, to be fair.â
You let out a disbelieving laugh. âAbsolutely not.â
âCoward,â she said fondly.
âReal,â you corrected. âThis isnât one of my books. Real people donât operate on dramatic timing.â
âEveryone could need some drama in their life.â
âI know better than anyone that it only works on paper,â you shot back. âReal life is messier.â
Lily opened her mouth, then closed it. Tried again. âHeâs coming to the wedding.â
Your fingers stilled around your glass. Just briefly.
Then you smiled, controlled. âI expected nothing less.â
Silence settled between you, heavier now but not uncomfortable. Finally, Lily lifted her glass in surrender. âAlright. I wonât push.â
âHurray.â
âBut,â she added immediately, eyes gleaming, âI will observe.â
You groaned, smiling despite yourself. âYou are a menace, Lily Potter.â
+
Taehyung stepped leisurely out of the bar after the rest of the guys, the night air hitting his face sharp enough to sober him just a fraction. He hadnât drunk a lot, just enough to warm him up and make the world feel a little too crisp around the edges.Â
In front of him, Seokjin was mid-sentence, arms flung wide like he was delivering a speech to an audience that didnât exist.
Namjoon laughed softly, one hand steadying Hoseok as he nearly missed a step. âWe should probably split before Jin hyung convinces himself he needs another drink.â
Taehyung exchanged a look with Jimin over Hoseokâs shoulder.
Jimin smirked. âHe says that every time.â
âYeah,â Taehyung replied. âRight before he trips.â
As if on cue, Hoseok stumbled, catching himself on Namjoon with a laugh.
âSee?â Jimin said. âPredictable.â
They reached the junction where the alley widened, lantern light thinning as the city opened up around them.Â
Namjoon stopped first. âWeâre heading back,â he said, nodding toward Seokjin, Hoseok and Yoongi. âEarly morning tomorrow.â
âTraitors,â Jeongguk said lightly.
Seokjin pointed at him. âYouâll thank me when youâre not dying next time, maknae.â
âDoubtful.â
They exchanged quick goodbyes, easy and familiar. A few shoulder claps and a mock bow from Seokjin. Yoongiâs brief nod before disappearing down the darker stretch of the alley with the others.
The noise dropped immediately after, leaving only the three of them now.
Jeongguk shoved his hands into his coat pockets, rocking slightly on his heels. âIâm starving.â
âYouâre always starving,â Jimin said.
âItâs a condition.â
Taehyung hummed noncommittally, gaze drifting without intention. And then it stopped, just fixed at one place.Â
Further down the alley, near the glow spilling out of a restaurant doorway, Lily stood laughing. The sound carried and was bright and familiar even at a distance.
But she wasnât alone.Â
The woman beside her was turned slightly away catching the light for just a second too long. Her posture was relaxed and unhurried. The way she shifted her weight felt painfully recognizable.
Taehyungâs breath stalled.
The alcohol in his system didnât blur the moment. If anything, it sharpened it.Â
It was you.
You laughed at something Lily said, head tipping back briefly before you stepped closer, hugging her tightly.Â
âHey,â Jeongguk said beside him, oblivious. âAre you listening?â
Taehyung didnât answer.
He watched as you and Lily slowed, conversation easing into something quieter as the night settled around you.Â
His chest tightened, not painfully but something strangely uncomfortable nonetheless. Just enough to remind him he was still very much alive.
You turned first, the crowd taking you easily, your figure slipping into the darker stretch of the street that led away from Diagon Alley.Â
âTae?â
Jiminâs voice cut through the fog.
Taehyung blinked, forcing himself to breathe again. âWhat?â
âYou okay?â Jimin asked, eyes narrowing slightly. âYou look like you just saw a ghost.â
Before he could answer, Lily peeled away from the direction youâd gone and headed toward them, her steps light, expression easy.
âOh, hi!â she greeted brightly, like this was the most ordinary meeting in the world. âDonât tell me you lads are out on a bender the day before my wedding.â
âSays the bride-to-be? Your cheeks are red,â Jimin shot back.Â
âWhat are you doing out? Shouldnât you be stressed about wedding decorations or something?â Jeongguk smirked.Â
âThatâs where a big family comes in handy. So keep talking and Iâll send the aurorâs office on your arse.â
âThatâs an abuse of power, you know.â
âOh shut it, Jeon.â
Jeonggukâs response was a cheeky wink.Â
But Taehyungâs gaze continued staying fixed over her shoulder and Lily followed it as her smile softened instantly.
âShe just left,â she said gently. Then, quieter, meant only for him, âYou just missed her.â
Something settled in his chest. Regret?
He inhaled slowly, then let a smile curve into place, easy and practiced. âAh,â he said lightly. âThatâs a shame.â
If Lily noticed how his eyes had gone soft, how they lingered a moment too long on empty space, she didnât comment. She only nodded, like this confirmed something sheâd already suspected.
Jeongguk blinked between them. âWait. Who?â
âY/N,â Lily said simply.
Jiminâs expression shifted instantly. âSheâs here already?â
âFlew in this morning,â Lily replied. âWe had dinner.â
Taehyung finally looked at her then. âHope it was good.â
âIt was,â Lily said, watching him carefully. âSheâs doing well.â
âThatâs good.â
They reached the wider stretch of the alley where the lantern light thinned and the night opened up. Lily slowed, glancing briefly back the way sheâd come, toward the darker street where youâd disappeared minutes ago.
âSheâs staying near the river,â Lily said casually. âOnly in town a few days. Wedding, then sheâs probably off again.â
Taehyung didnât ask where. Or when.
âSounds like her,â he said quietly.
Lily looked at him properly then. Not probing. Just noting. She nodded once.
They lingered at the junction longer than necessary, the way people do when the night has been good and no one wants to be the first to leave.
Jimin pulled Lily into a hug without warning as she squeaked and playfully shoving him away.
âOne day,â he said. âThen youâre officially not our problem anymore.â
âYouâll never be rid of me,â she replied sweetly.
Jeongguk hugged her next, awkward but earnest â his body almost covering her entirely by the mere size difference. âDonât disappear on us.â
She rolled her eyes, patting his back. âIâm marrying a Malfoy, not moving to the moon.â
Taehyung was last. She stepped into his space easily, arms looping around him like sheâd done a hundred times before. He hugged her back just as naturally.
âThank you for coming back,â she said quietly.
He didnât pretend not to understand. âYou didnât really give me a choice.â
She smiled against his shoulder. âI knew youâd come.â
When she pulled back, her eyes flicked once more down the street, saying nothing. Just gave him a look that said tomorrow without ever speaking it aloud.
Then she stepped away.
âGet some sleep,â she ordered lightly. âItâs going to be a long day tomorrowâ
No doubt about that one.
+
You thought you were used to a certain crowd from doing what you loved.Â
The life of an author often needed you to travel long distances for promotions, meeting certain people already well known and established. Especially when you attended large conventions with other famous people.Â
But thisâŠthis felt like a moment out of a history book you were thrown into unceremoniously.Â
There was the security to start with. You werenât allowed to apparate straight to the grounds, only on the outside of the wrought iron gates with aurors on either side doing identification checks with their wands.Â
It reminded you of who was truly getting married.
The manor appeared gradually, revealed by the road; Old stone, ivy crawling patiently up its walls, magic humming so subtly you only noticed it once you crossed the threshold. The gates alone had made your stomach tilt.
You were greeted almost immediately by someone offering you a drink from a floating welcome platter, the glass already chilled in your hand, before being guided toward the back garden with the flow of guests.
A loud laugh carried across the lawn and you turned to see George Weasley, hair greying at the temples, hugging someone fiercely while barking instructions at a group of cousins nearby. A little farther off, the minister of magic Hermione Granger-Weasley stood deep in conversation with someone from the Ministry, posture sharp, expression focused even on a day like this. The weight of her presence was unmistakable.
Faces you recognized from newspapers. From portraits. From history books youâd read more than once. Former aurors whose names were still spoken with reverence. Healers who had treated half the wizarding population during the war.Â
People who had survived things that shaped the world you lived in now.
And thenâ
Harry Potter.
He stood near the far side of the garden, laughing easily, sunlight catching in his black hair gracefully streaked by time as he spoke to a group of guests. There was a pride to him that made your chest tighten unexpectedly. Not the hero from stories. Just a father glowing on his daughterâs wedding day.
Your head felt light.
âY/N?âÂ
You startled, then turned with a smile already forming as you recognized the young blond man approaching you.
âScor,â you said warmly, stepping forward to hug him. âHi.â
Scorpius Malfoy looked dashing in a sleek dark green suit and vest, a cream-white tie neatly in place. His hair, usually immaculate, looked like it had been run through one too many times already.
âItâs been a while,â he grinned. âYou look wonderful.â
âThank you,â you laughed softly. âHow are you feeling? Nervous?â
âIâm definitely not calm,â he admitted with a chuckle. âBut Lily wanted me to find you and send you up to the bridal suite.â
âOh,â you blinked. âI thought her mum and cousins were helping her get ready.â
âThey are,â he said, a little sheepish. âBut she didnât want you to be alone and stressed out.â
Your cheeks warmed despite yourself. Lily knew you far too well.
âWell,â you smiled, lifting your glass slightly, âthen I suppose I shouldnât keep the bride waiting.â
âPlease donât,â he laughed. âIâm banned from going up the stairs anyway. Just head all the way up and follow the sound of the music. Youâll find them.â
Lily spotted you hovering near the doorway and immediately squealed your name, crossing the room in three long strides before bulldozing straight into you. You stumbled back a step as she wrapped her arms around you.
âGood. Youâre here,â she said firmly, like sheâd been checking something off a list.
She was dressed in white silk pajamas, her makeup already done while her hair was still in the process of being styled. Around her, bridesmaids and cousins in matching baby blue moved in and out of corners, chatting and laughing as they got ready.
âScorpius said you were looking for me?â you asked once youâd regained your balance.
âYes,â Lily said simply. âI didnât want you alone down there.â
You smiled, squeezing her hands lightly. âLils, I promise, I can handle myself.â
âI know,â she replied immediately.
You blinked.
âThenââ
âBut that doesnât mean you should have to,â she added, cutting you off without missing a beat. âEspecially today.â
You opened your mouth to argue, then stopped. âIâll be fine,â you said more gently this time.
Lily studied you for half a second, sharp eyes scanning your face like she was checking for cracks.
âOkay,â she nodded. âGood.â
Then she grabbed your wrist and tugged you farther into the room.
âSit,â she ordered, pointing toward a chair near the window. âDrink something. Eat if you havenât. If anyone bothers you, tell them youâre with me.â
There were two tables pushed together filled with drinks, coffee, tea and bubbly wine, as well as pastries and snacks.Â
You laughed softly. âYouâre the bride.â
âExactly,â she said. âMaximum authority.â
She squeezed your hand once, quick and grounding, before turning back toward her hairdresser.
âYouâre not allowed to disappear before the ceremony,â Lily added over her shoulder. âAfter that, you can vanish all you like.â
You smiled to yourself, settling into the chair.
+
You stayed only long enough to be useful.
Long enough to hold a stray hairpin, to accept a glass of champagne pressed into your hand, to listen as Lily fielded last-minute questions with practiced calm. When her hair was finally secured and the room shifted into that anticipatory quiet that meant itâs time, you stepped back without needing to be asked.
The ceremony space had transformed while you were upstairs.
Rows of chairs stretched across the lawn in careful symmetry, lanterns floating above in slow, lazy orbits. Flowers climbed trellises and arches, shifting subtly in colour as magic responded to the gathering crowd.
Guests were already taking their seats, murmurs blending into a low, excited buzz. You let yourself be carried with them, moving without urgency, choosing a place near the side where you could see without being seen too much.
You smoothed your dress as you sat, folding your hands neatly in your lap.
It gave you a moment to take a breath, not that it lasted long when someone dropped into the seat beside you with far too much enthusiasm.
âY/N!â
You startled, then grinned as you turned. âJimin?â
He looked exactly like himself and somehow not at all. Sharper around the edges, like most of them and settled in his posture, but still wearing that unmistakable grin like heâd just found something delightful, as well as the shock of ash blonde hair gracing his head.Â
âYou coloured your hair?â Was the first question you managed to sound.Â
âDo you like it?âÂ
âYou look good, how are you?â
âYou made it,â he said instead, ignoring your surface-level question and you couldn't even blame him for it.
âBarely,â so you teased him instead. âThis place is⊠a lot.â
âThatâs Lily for you,â he said proudly, then leaned in conspiratorially. âDid you see the guest list? I think I shook hands with at least three people who used to terrify me as a teenager.â
You smiled. âOnly three?â
He scoffed. âGive me time.â
Before you could say anything else, another familiar presence hovered in front of you.
Jeongguk.
He stood there for half a second too long, like he wasnât sure whether to interrupt or retreat. Taller now, much broader, but still somehow carrying that same earnest uncertainty you couldnât help but notice up close, but there was no doubt about the confidence he wore with ease.
âHey,â he said.
You stood up immediately and hugged him before he could overthink it. He froze for a fraction of a second, then relaxed into it, arms settling around you carefully.
âWell look at you, Mr. heartthrob,â You teased gently, feeling the strength of his hold.Â
âItâs good to see you, Y/N,â Jeongguk was smiling as he pulled back. âItâs been too long.â
âToo long,â Jimin cut in easily. âSit. Both of you. Before the ceremony starts and Lily murders us for blocking the aisle.â
Jeongguk slid into the seat on your other side, shoulders brushing yours lightly as he settled. He smiled to himself, small and content, like he hadnât realized how much heâd missed this until now.
âSo,â Jimin said, glancing between the two of you, âhow overwhelmed are we feeling on a scale of one to fainting?â
âSix,â you answered.
âSame,â Jeongguk nodded.
Jimin grinned. âExcellent. Group solidarity.â
The area was starting to fill up more swiftly now, the conversations softening a fraction and the music shifting to a calmer tune.Â
Then someone paused in the aisle beside your row.
You felt it before you saw him.
The subtle shift in air. The awareness sliding into place like a missing piece.
Taehyung stood there, gaze flicking briefly to Jimin, then Jeongguk, before landing on you.
âMind if I join?â he asked, voice low, casual enough to give you an out.
Jimin blinked up at him. âYou were going to sit somewhere else?â
âI was,â Taehyung said easily. âThen I changed my mind.â
Jeongguk scooted over without comment, making space. Jimin snorted softly but didnât argue. Taehyung slid into the row, close but not crowding, knees angled forward, hands resting loosely on his thighs. His presence settled beside you like it always had.Â
âHi,â he murmured.
You turned your head just enough to meet his gaze. âHi.â
That was it.
No pause. No tension spelled out. No acknowledgement of the years sitting invisibly between you.
Ahead, the music swelled again, fuller now. The crowd fell silent as one.
You faced forward, hands folding together in your lap, aware of the people on either side of you in a way that felt oddly grounding.
For the first time since arriving, the dizziness eased. Whatever else this day was, you werenât navigating it alone.
And that, somehow, made all the difference.
+
By the middle of the reception, after all the teary eyed speeches from family, you had managed to get a good buzz of alcohol going.Â
It was just the perfect amount to loosen up your anxious muscles and keep you warm in the evening breeze without making you act like a complete fool.Â
The music had taken a 180 from earlier in the day, exciting beats famous sing-along songs to get most of the younger guests going â Lily and Scorpius being in the middle of the jumping dance circle. She had gone so far as to rent a lad who had been in the same year as her â a famous muggle DJ now apparently â who seemed to be having the time of his life behind his personal set up.Â
You had just barely managed to sneak away from the dance circle and grab yourself some water, lingering on the edge of the dance floor and by your assigned seat. Laughter carried freely now, glasses clinking without ceremony, and conversations overlapped in a way that felt lived in rather than rehearsed.
Even so, from here the social fault lines were impossible to ignore.Â
Closer to the manor the older generation lingered. Not crowded like the cluster of many of your same-aged school mates, but calmer. Former aurors stood with their backs to stone walls, eyes still sharp, and still cataloguing exits out of habit, whilst ministry officials spoke in lower tones, posture precise even as they laughed.
And then there was the Malfoy side of things. Or should you have said Slytherin.
The air felt a bit different there, you admitted. Cooler perhaps, or curated carefully in a way. Old Slytherin families gathered in elegant knots, dark robes cut perfectly, jewellery understated but unmistakably expensive. Their conversations were quieter, smiles measured, attention sharp enough to make your shoulders tense even from a distance.
You recognized names youâd grown up hearing spoken carefully. Some rehabilitated. Some never fully trusted.Â
And near the edge of that cluster you noticed Yoongi and his Greengrass wife by her family and Scorpiusâ parents. Youâd met him a handful of times after Hogwarts whenever you returned to London and met up with either Jeongguk and Jimin, and he would tag along.Â
Yoongi caught your gaze briefly, and simply lifted his glass in a small, unmistakable salute before turning back to his wife, murmuring something that made her lips curve faintly.
You chuckled to yourself. Still as intimidating as ever, those two.Â
You hadnât realized how much of this night felt like standing between worlds until that moment.
You shifted your weight, suddenly aware of everything. Your dress. Your posture. The way you were holding your glass. The fact that you had absolutely no business wandering any closer to that side of the lawn.
So you stood there for a moment, breathing almost too carefully if that was possible. Then Taehyung appeared beside you without announcement.
âDo I need to stage a rescue?â he asked mildly.
You stared straight ahead. âToday I've been introduced to the extended Potter family â which just so happens to include war heroes and the minister of magic â and just now silently saluted by your married friend.â
He hummed. âProductive evening.â
You let your pulse settle back into something manageable with the night pressing in around you, warm and loud and full of motion, but Taehyungâs presence beside you acted like a buffer.
A shield, almost.Â
Yet he didnât speak right away. Neither did you.
The laughter around you softened, people leaning closer to hear one another over the pumping music, the reception settling into its second life.Â
âYou okay?â Taehyung asked quietly.
âI didnât expect it to hit like this.â
âThe scale of it?âÂ
âAll of it,â you clarified. âThe people. The history. The feeling that I might accidentally say the wrong thing and be remembered for it forever.â
He huffed softly. âTrust me, half of them are just relieved theyâre not the center of attention anymore.â
âThat doesnât make them less intimidating.â
âNo,â he agreed. âIt really doesnât.â
You shifted, finally turning to face him properly.
Up close he looked familiar in a way that tugged something low and deep in your chest, but at the same time he was like a different person. There were no more baby cheeks or the long messy hair, you had in your memory.Â
Everything he wore was black; a fitted turtleneck tucked into tailored trousers, a long coat structured at the shoulders. A small gold brooch catches the light at his chest, subtle but deliberate, like an afterthought that still draws the eye. His hair is darker than you remember, brushed back but imperfect, a few strands falling loose around his forehead.Â
It makes his face look sharper, more defined, though his expression is still familiar
Taehyung had always been a confident force of nature in your eyes, even before knowing him. But there was something different â a type of confidence that came without his teenage innocence, just steady and present without being too loud.Â
There was a quiet focus in his eyes too, the kind that makes it seem like heâs observing more than heâs letting on.
You realized, distantly, that this was the first time youâd truly looked at him tonight.
âHi,â you said again, quieter this time.
Taehyungâs expression softened. âHi.â
A pause stretched between you.
âSo,â He cleared his throat lightly. âItâs⊠been a while.â
You snorted. âThatâs one way to put it.â
âYeah,â He agreed, then winced slightly. âSorry. That wasââ
âNo, itâs fine,â You cut in quickly. âI justâ I donât know what the correct opener is here.â
By the flush on his neck, he didnât seem to either.Â
You shifted your weight, angling your body a fraction more toward him without fully committing to it. âYou look⊠well.â
He glanced down at himself briefly, then back up. âI feel mostly functional, which Iâll take as a win.â
âThatâs about where Iâm at too.â
Another almost-laugh passed between you.
âI wasnât sure if youâd come,â He admitted, quieter now.
You frowned slightly. âWhy?â
Taehyung shrugged, small and noncommittal. âI donât know. Itâs been ten years. People change. Schedules exist.â
âThatâs a very diplomatic way of saying âyou might not have wanted to see me,ââ You couldnât help but say it.Â
He grimaced. âThatâs⊠also true.â
You looked down at your glass, watching the bubbles gather and break. âI hesitated.â
That got his attention. You felt it in the way he turned more fully toward you.
âWhy?â
âJust because of everyone,â You admitted. Then rushed on, words tangling a bit. âNot in a bad way. Justâ I didnât want this to turn into something awkward. Or heavy. Or⊠I donât know. Like reopening something that maybe doesnât need reopening.â
He nodded slowly. âYeah.â
âYou know how weddings are,â You continued, gesturing vaguely toward the dance floor. âEveryoneâs emotional. Everyoneâs nostalgic. It messes with your sense of proportion.â
âI do know,â He huffed, âIâve had to physically stop Jimin from making three separate speeches already.â
That earned a real laugh from you, brief but genuine. âSounds like him.â
âIt was deeply concerning.â
You relaxed a fraction after that, shoulders lowering without you realizing. The silence that followed felt different. Less tense, but still careful.Â
He hesitated, then added, âYou seem happy, at least.â
The word landed carefully between you.
You considered it. âI am. Most days.â
He accepted it without pushing. âThatâs good.â
You watched the crowd again, aware of how close he was without it feeling intrusive.
âIâm glad you came,â Taehyung added, a little awkwardly, like he wasnât sure if it was appropriate to say.
You glanced at him. âIâm glad I did too.â
The music shifted again, something slower threading through the noise. People gravitated toward the center of the lawn, couples pairing off without much discussion. Lily was dragged into another dance with Scorpius, dress swishing dangerously close to someoneâs abandoned shoes.
You both watched her for a second. âSheâs glowing,â You noted fondly.
âThey both are.â
One moment youâre standing near the edge of the lawn, the noise of the reception swelling and receding like a tide, and the next youâre moving away from it. Taehyung falling into step beside you without comment, like this was always the plan even though neither of you said it out loud.
You pass lanterns, laughter fading the further you go. Gravel crunching and the manor looming quieter from this side. Thereâs a stone bench near the back, half-hidden by hedges and the music reduced to a distant hum.
You sit, mostly because standing feels like too much. He follows a beat later, leaving a careful amount of space between you as the quiet presses in again.Â
âSo,â You say, exhaling. âThis feels better.â
Your heart was still beating too fast. Like it knows something is happening and doesnât want to miss it.
âYou handled it well,â He says.
You snort quietly. âI almost forgot my own name twice.â
âThatâs a normal response to meeting several generations of intimidating people in one night.â
You smile at that, but it fades quickly.
You think of Jensen before you mean to.
Not because youâre trying to compare. But because your brain always reaches for patterns when itâs nervous.
Jensen had been easy. From the beginning. Comfortable silences. Familiar routines. He fit into your life like heâd been designed for it. You never felt off-balance around him. Never wondered what he was thinking. Never felt like you were one wrong sentence away from something shifting.
You cared about him deeply. You still do, in a way that feels respectful and done.Â
But sitting here now, heart thudding just because Taehyungâs knee brushes yours, you realize something youâve known for a while but never said out loud.
You never felt this with Jensen.
Not the flutter. Not the awareness. Not the strange mix of comfort and tension that makes you feel both steady and slightly undone.
You swallow.
âI should probably say this before I lose my nerve.â You say, and feel immediately horrified after. But it was too late. Â
Taehyung turns toward you with his full attention. âOkay?â
You take a breath. Then another.
âWhen I was with Jensen,â You started off, choosing your words carefully, âeverything made sense. He was kind and steady and⊠safe.â
You couldnât help but notice the way his features straightened as he nodded, listening carefully..Â
âAnd I thought that was what love was supposed to feel like,â You continue. âBecause I wasnât anxious. Or confused. Or second-guessing myself all the time.â
You glance at him briefly, then look away again.
âYet I never felt nervous around him,â You looked at him closely, trying to gauge his reaction to your words. âNot once. I never felt like I had to catch my breath just because he was close.â
Taehyung doesnât interrupt. He barely moves, if you were honest.
âBut with you,â you murmured quietly, heart thudding. âI always did.â
His jaw tightens slightly.
âI told myself that meant it wasnât real,â You go on, too afraid to let him get a word in. âThat it was just gratitude. Or inexperience. Or me being seventeen and overwhelmed by someone who paid attention to me.â
You shake your head, a small, almost disbelieving smile on your lips.Â
âTurns out I was just scared of naming it.â
You finally look at him then, or trying to.Â
âI didnât break up with Jensen because of you,â You say immediately. âThat was its own thing. He wanted to settle, and I wanted motion. We stopped going after the same goals long before the breakup.â
Taehyung exhaled slowly.
âBut when it ended,â you add, âI realized the thing Iâd never let myself mourn had never been him.â
The silence stretches.Â
Taehyung leaned forward, elbows on his knees and stared at the ground like it might keep him anchored.
âFuck,â he muttered.
You blink. Not exactly the response you expected. âPardon?â
âNo,â he says quickly. âNo, notââ he runs a hand through his hair, letting out a breath. âI just⊠I was prepared for a lot of outcomes tonight, and that wasnât one of them.â
Your shoulders relaxed again, huffing a soft laugh, nerves spilling out. âSame.â
Taehyung straightens suddenly, like a decisionâs been made without consulting his brain.
âCan I do something very impulsive?â He asks you.Â
Your pulse spikes. â...That depends.â
He stands.
You donât move. You donât lean back. You just look up at him, heart thudding hard enough that youâre pretty sure he can see it.
âAre you certain?â
Youâre not, but you still donât stop it.Â
So he exhales, mutters another âfuck itâ under his breath, and leans down.
The kiss isnât planned.
Itâs not slow or careful or dramatic. Itâs immediate. Warm. Slightly uncoordinated, like neither of you expected it to actually happen. His hand comes up to your jaw, steadying you, and perhaps grounding himself.Â
You make a quiet sound of surprise before your hands find the collar of his jacket, gripping without thinking.
Your chest feels tight in the best way. Your head is spinning, just a little.
He doesnât mean to let it stop there.
You feel the moment it hits him, the exact second restraint gives up. His hand tightens at your jaw, not rough, just decisive, and before you can even process it heâs pulling you up with him.
You barely register standing.
One moment youâre seated, heart racing, the next youâre on your feet and heâs there, close enough that thereâs no room left to pretend this is still controlled. Your back brushes the stone wall behind you and heâs already kissing you again, harder this time, like heâs making up for lost time and bad timing and a decade of restraint.Â
Itâs rushed and unapologetic all at once.
Taehyungâs mouth moves against yours like heâs been waiting for permission he never knew how to ask for. Your hands slide up without thought, fingers curling around the nape of his neck anchoring yourself because your legs feel dangerously unsteady.
He exhales into the kiss, a sharp sound, like he didnât expect it to hit this hard either.
âMerlin,â he mutters against your mouth, coaxing actual whine out of you from the loss of touch before heâs kissing you again.
Thereâs nothing tentative about it now; just heat and urgency and the very adult realization that youâre both done pretending this is something that can be talked through slowly.
You kiss him back just as urgently, pulling him closer and he lets himself be pulled, every inch of your bodies pressed up against each other. One hand slides to the back of your waist â firm and grounding â making you arch further against him, like he needs the physical confirmation that this is actually happening.
Itâs messy in the way real things are.
Your breath stutters. His does too. Someone laughs somewhere far off near the reception and it barely registers, the world narrowing down to the press of his body and the way your chest feels too full, too fast, too alive.
He breaks the kiss only because he has to breathe.
His forehead drops to yours, both of you breathing hard now, the tension still crackling instead of fading.
Taehyung looked beautiful. His lips subtly swollen, cheeks naturally rosy and his hair a bit more of a mess. His dark eyes were blown out with his want for you, and you couldnât help the grin beginning to tug at your own swollen lips, lip gloss long gone.Â
Taehyung chuckled, noticing the expression. âYou cheeky witch.â
You laugh too, breathless. âYou love it.â
His thumb brushes along your jaw again, slower now, like heâs grounding himself after the impact.
âThat I do, loveâ he says quietly. âIâm very late.â
You meet his gaze, chest still rising too fast. âMe too.â
He leans in again, softer this time but no less certain, pressing one more kiss to your mouth like punctuation
When he pulls back, his hands stay at your waist.
âOkay,â he suddenly declared, steadier now. âThat felt very real.â
You giggle. âYes. Unfortunately.â
He grins this time, wide and unmistakably Taehyung from your youth. âUnfortunate how?â
You glance back toward the glow of the reception, then back at him. âBecause now I have to walk back in there pretending my heart isnât trying to escape my ribcage.â
He chuckles, leaning in close enough to murmur, âIâll survive the same problem.â
Your arms slowly loop around his own waist, hanging onto his body as you tilted your head even further back with a pout. âYou realize that Lily is going to notice.â
âOh, absolutely,â he says without hesitation. âShe clocked this about ten years before either of us did.â
You huff a laugh. âSheâs going to be unbearable.â
âSheâs going to cheer,â he corrects with a wink âLoudly. Possibly in public.â
âAnd then,â you continue, already resigned, âthere will be the I told you sos.â
This time Taehyung winces, but heâs smiling. âWorth it.â
You look at him properly then. Still familiar. Still ridiculous. Still standing far too close like this has always been where he belonged.
Summary: You weren't sure how it happened so quick. One day you were living your normal life, living on your own in the city, the next your asshole ex boyfriend shows up and you both get kidnapped.
But maybe this wasn't an accident and these 7 really attractive men actually have a plan for you.
Chapter Warnings: We're just getting started here! This is my first fic but I can't wait for y'all to read it!
WC: 2.2K
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Cold winter mornings were perfect for two things, being warm under your biggest and fluffiest comforter, and sleeping in after a particularly long day at work the previous day. But today you would not be afforded those luxuries as you are rudely awakened by someone banging on your front door. Rolling over you see the familiar glow of your alarm clock in the dark, showing that it was 7:09 am.Â
Crawling out of the warmth of your covers and into the chill of your bedroom. The cold January air is seeping into the room from your antique windows.Â
Slipping your feet into your slippers next to the bed and wrapping yourself in your fluffiest robe. You grumble as you walk to your front door to see who would be waking you up at such an hour. You grow even more confused as you look through the security peep hole.Â
âWhat are you doing here?â You ask in a gravely morning voice.
âI was in the area and thought I would come visit and see how youâre doing lately.â He said, trying to hide the tremble in his voice.Â
You stare at the man in front of you, deadpanning âReally? Last time you were here you were very clear you were tired of me and our relationship."Â
âIf I remember correctly, I said I needed some time to think about my future, but that I would be back.âÂ
You were trying hard to keep your face neutral to not show your rage at the man you worked half a year to forget. âTrevor, that was 8 months ago. How much thinking did you need to do? Or should I ask, how many people did you have to sleep with to realize what you lost?â 4 years of memories come flooding back after seeing his face again. Some good, but most not as you tried to push them back into the box in the back of your head where they belonged.Â
Trevor was the definition of textbook handsome. He was 6 foot, 3 inches, athletic build of muscles that he spent at least 4 hours a day in the gym for. Golden blonde hair that fell in soft waves. Hazel eyes that in the sun, sparkled with gold flecks. And a slight stubble on his face that he kept short and tidy along his angular jaw.Â
He half grinned, hiding the pain in his side and the blood slowly dripping down his leg. âDo you really want to know the answer to that?âÂ
You stared at the tall man in your door knowing the answer but not able to say it. You truly did want to know what he was doing the last 8 months and if it was really all worth throwing your relationship down the drain for. âI guess not.â You said trying to hide the emotions flooding through you.Â
âCan I at least come in?â Trevor asked in his silky voice, hoping heâs not forming a puddle of blood in your hallway.Â
âYeah sure, come on in. I was planning on waking up soon anyways.â You said as you rolled your eyes and moved out of the doorway for him to slip inside your apartment.Â
It was a cozy space you had meticulously decorated in dark jewel tones, antiques and plush furniture. You had fallen in love with it from the second you saw it online 5 years ago. You called your realtor immediately, disregarding that your phone said it was 9pm, to set up a showing the next morning.
The building was an old watch factory back in the early 1900s, on the north side of town. The area was mostly abandoned for the last few decades, until some investors came in, renovated the empty warehouses into apartments and store fronts. You were able to snag your corner apartment in the early days of construction and the rent was cheap.Â
You had also found a new job in the floor level of your building. The same week you moved in, a new combination bookstore and coffee shop was opening and needed a manager. The banner above the doors with, âThe Bean Sproutâ in big swirly letters greeting you. You werenât expecting to get hired so fast when you walked in and asked the person at the front counter how to apply. But you got to talking with them and learned they were the owner, Samantha, and she was in over her head with her new business and she hired you on the spot. After working for her over the years you became close friends. At least the closest friend you had since you didnât leave your home very often.Â
Once you and Trevor were serious he had moved into your apartment because you were not willing to let it go. And once he left you had to remove everything that reminded you of him. You had saved up enough and had just finished completely redecorating and refurnishing everything when he came knocking again.Â
âSo do you still live in the area?â You asked, noticing he had a slight limp as he walked into the living area to the right of the entry. Â
He was shocked to see everything he left behind and that you two had purchased together for the apartment was gone. He was distracted looking around at the room when he noticed you were quiet and waiting for an answer. âUh, no.â He said almost sounding offended you would assume he would live in this area willingly. âNo, my dad bought me a penthouse on the east side of downtown.â
âDo you work here in the area then?â You asked confused why he would be in this neighborhood if he didnât live here. He worked for his fathers hedge fund, if you could call what he did working and not just taking his dads money under the guise of being an employee. He commented regularly about how this neighborhood was full of drugs and crime and he wanted to live east in a highrise. It was one of the many things you would argue about.Â
Still only half paying attention, he turned towards the bathroom to the left of the apartment, just past the kitchen. âSort of. I had a meeting with a potential client down the street.â
âA meeting this early in the morning? Is there anyone even alive at this time of day?â You asked, trying to lighten the tension in the room but also confused about who on earth he would be meeting up here this early on a Tuesday morning.Â
Your shift at The Bean Sprout didnât start until 11am, when you took over for Samantha that covered the early mornings. You werenât normally a functional human until 9:30 at the earliest. You never envied people who could wake up that early. You very much preferred to stay up until the wee hours of the morning and sleep until the last second you could.Â
Trevor was moving closer to the bathroom still with a limp when he said, âOh just some new international investors that prefer to meet in the mornings.âÂ
Thatâs when you finally noticed the blood droplettes on your concrete floors that were dripping from his pant leg. You gasped and quickly shuffled to him, still in your slippers a robe, asking where the blood was coming from.Â
He turned his head and looked down at his side and then back at you. âOh that yeah I might have a little cut on my side.â As he lifted his winter jacket and black button down shirt, to reveal a short handle of a knife sticking out of his side about 4 inches above the band of his black slacks.Â
You gasped again now at seeing how much blood had soaked through his shirt and pants but was camouflaged by the dark clothing. In contrast his skin was two shades paler than his normal tan skin.Â
You immediately dragged him into the bathroom he had been walking towards to help clean him. Without saying a word he followed you and sat on the closed toilet while you pulled out the first aid kit and got a damp rag.Â
âWhat are you doing?â He asked, confused that you were helping him with no questions.Â
âI might hate your guts, but I also donât need you bleeding out in my apartment right now. So Iâm going to get you patched up enough so that you can get out of my apartment alive.âÂ
You started by removing his jacket and lifting his shirt over his head so you could see what you were doing.Â
âDid you see how big that was before it went inside of you?â You asked, trying to figure out if you could remove the blade without causing even more damage or more bleeding.Â
He looked at you with a grin and said, âThatâs what he said.â Laughing so hard the knife was moving and more blood was coming out of the wound.Â
You reached up smacking him in the chest. âNow is not the time for jokes, asshole. Iâm being serious.â
âDamn, okay.â He said, raising his arms in mock surrender. âIâm not really sure. I was more focused on the other 6 guys with guns to pay attention.â
âHold on! There were 7 of them, they were all armed,â Counting on your fingers every red flag he chose to ignore. âAnd you went to this meeting alone and unarmed?!â You half shouted at him. How could he be that stupid. Which you already knew was a stupid question in itself. Trevor was just cocky enough to think he wouldnât need anything to defend himself if things went sideways. And just what kind of meeting was he having if the others were coming that heavily armed?
âI wasnât unarmed, for your information.â He said incredulously. âI had 2 pistols on me. One in my belt and the other in my pant leg. They found them and took them off of me before I blinked.â
You just stared at him for a moment trying to process the stupidity of your ex boyfriend and how you ever thought there would be a future with him when a boom shook the whole apartment.Â
You both ran to the source of the noise at your front door, when another loud boom echoed through the walls and your door went flying open where you could see a tall muscular man in all black and steal toed combat boots kicking the door in.Â
The second the door was open, he and 6 other men in all black from head to toe, with beanies and face masks covering their identities, swarmed the apartment. They immediately rushed you and Trevor.Â
Somehow Trevor had gone even paler than he was before and you noticed the knife was no longer in his side. Instead the shortest of the group of men was whipping the blood off on his pants and sliding it back into a sheath on his hip.Â
âWe werenât done talking.â The tallest that broke down the door said to Trevor before your vision went black with a bag being placed over your head and duct tape being placed around your wrists in front of you. You were then picked up around your middle and placed on someone's shoulder before you felt duct tape being placed around your ankles.Â
You assumed Trevor was getting the same treatment because he was screaming and crying about how they were making a mistake and how important he is and that his dad will send the whole city to find him. At that comment you heard one of the men next to you chuckle quietly and say in a low baritone voice âYeah weâll see about that.â Making your skin crawl.Â
The man carrying you then started walking, you assumed out of your apartment, down the back hallway, down the stairs and out the back door of the building. You could hear the sound of an engine running, and a sliding van door before being dropped on the metal floor of a van. You could hear the shuffling of feet and Trevor still pleading for his life.Â
He said through a shaky voice and tears, âTake her instead of me, please! Sheâs much more useful to you than me. I promise!âÂ
At that your gut dropped. Knowing that showing up to your apartment was a set up because he knew he fucked up and thought he could trade you in for his mistakes. You also were scared about just who these guys were and what Trevor knew about them if he said you would be useful to them in some way.Â
âShut up!â You heard one of them say with a slight accent, before you heard Trevor grunt and go quiet, presumably being knocked out so he would be quiet for the ride.Â
Which is exactly what you were trying to do. Be as small and quiet as possible so hopefully they would forget you were there. That is, until you felt someone sit on the floor of the van next to you and place a hand on your shoulder and a soft voice in your ear, âDonât be too scared. The ride is not too long.â And then the man set your head on his firm thigh to keep from bouncing on the metal floor.Â
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â Genre/Trope: fantasy, werewolf au, strangers to lovers, exes to lovers, soulmate au question mark?
â Rating/ Warnings: making out, swearing, stalking, i'll add more as they come :)
â Ch. Warnings: swearing, violence, vague description of a head injury (concussion)
â Word count: 7,072
â Summary: Middleoaks was a small quaint town. Although it was quite secluded and had a small population, it had all the things you needed; a local university, hospital, shops, peace, and quiet. You didn't expect much from it, just a fresh start where nobody knew you. But in Middleoaks, not everything is as it seems, nor does everything go to plan. Here, you had your first love, first heartbreak. And he was intent on stepping back into your life, bringing with him not only a broken heart but also the secrets of a world that only exists in books and myths. Or... Does it?
A/N: I've changed up the introduction of one of the characters, for those who have read the first part, I'll be rewriting that to correct a few things ^^ sorry for the superrrrr long wait but I hope you all like it <33 (as of 19/05/26, chapter 1 has been completely rewritten and updated!) (this chapter might also get minor rewrites just to make sure everything matches up with previous chapters but as of 19/05/26, nothing has changed yet :))
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Mushy, wet leaves splattered beneath your feet. Their remains clung to your slippers like a second skin, soaking through the legs of your pyjama trousers and porously welcoming the chilly October air to your skin. The sensation acted as an afterthought as your brain focused on something else entirely.
In this moment in time, where the only sounds that permeated the air were your desperate hurried steps and uneven breaths, where only night creatures lurked and blood-shot eyes watched, there was only you, and it.
It stalked you since the moment it breached the entrance of your home, eager. For every step you took, it took three â no, four. Each movement was clinical, calculated, and calm.
You could almost feel itâs thoughts, as if the creature and you became one single being. It had one simple goal â to kill. You had one simple goal â to live.
The creak of the patio doors startled you, though you quickly dismissed it. Too quickly. The sounds were exhaustion-fuelled hallucinations, and you swore to yourself youâd go to bed as soon as the film was over.
You were tired, hungry, and upset. Your brain was simply looking for ways to get your body into bed, under your comforting duvet and cold pillows.
But then, from the corner of your eye, you noticed it. The faint mist gathering in a small cloud on the glass door. You didnât even have the time to think. The crimson irises glowed against the darkness.
The patio doors slid open. You watched. Motionless. Mute. Mortified.
Drool dangled from the corners of its snout as it breached the invisible wall between the safety of your home, and the haunting chill of October. Razor-sharp canines peeked from under its lips, which curled towards the sky in a mocking grin.
A low branch swooped dangerously low. You ducked.
A spine-chilling growl resounded behind you. Trees shook, mud bristled.
The chase had been going on for long, too long â just how long had you been running?
Needless to say, the monster was growing tired. Tired of your desperate attempts to evade itsâ clutches.
Exhaustion clung to every inch of your body. It gradually burned at your lungs, pulled at your cramping muscles, crushed at your slipper-clad, bruised feet.
Somewhere in the back of your mind, you knew you couldnât keep this up for much longer.
In a way you hadnât seen or heard before, Socks hissed savagely. Black and white patches of hair stood on ends, as if the air around him had been charged with electricity. His spine arched, warning the beast not to take another step.
âSocks, get out. Now!â You screamed, launching your cat off the couch before the wolf-dog creature could lunge for him. The feline scrambled away, and you followed in his steps.
You pushed on. One foot after the other. Breathe in, and out. In, and out. Put as much distance between your bodies as physically possible.
The distant hum of traffic spurred your efforts on. Just a little bit more, just one more minute or two and maybe, just maybe, your savage pursuit would come to an end. The creature would be scared off by moving vehicles and youâd be safe.
With every inch of ground covered, more and more streetlights began to bathe the view ahead. The orange glow they emitted beckoned you forward. Just a little bit longer, just one more step and youâll be safeâ
A ragged growl brought an abrupt end to the hope that steadily filled your heart. A blood-curling scream ripped from your throat as a sharp, inexplicable pain ripped and dug into your shoulders. Claws had pinned down your body, squashing it against the wet, chilly pavement.
âGet off! Let me go!â The words scratched through your throat, more screams rippling out as you wriggled against the claws.
The floorboards croaked and jolted with every step it took.
Your foot had caught on the edge of the couch, your body sprawled on the ground as you hastily sat up, crawling backwards as the creature inched towards you.
Itsâ breath had just barely scratched the tip of your nose.
Bile rose in your throat, your lungs heaved, fingers clutched at the floorboardsâ
You leaped up. Towards the hallway that led to your front door. Fingers encircling the doorknob, only one thought lingered in your head.
I wonât let it catch me.
The pressure on your body doubled. The weight of the beast sunk you deeper into the ground. You thrashed and you kicked and you screamed. Mud-riddled paws shook you up and down like a ragdoll until your head hit the concrete and stars danced in your vision. It continued on and on, until your body stilled and your breathing grew shallow.
Squeezing your eyes shut seemed to only intensify the crackling pain in your head, so they drooped open, watching hazily as a black snout lowered itself to your level. A ringing noise muted out all other sounds.
As its jaws opened and revealed a row of shiny pointed teeth, you only hoped that it couldnât hear the petrified racing of your heart.
Your legs had carried you through majority of your neighbourhood. You ran and ran, past neighbouring houses, past the familiar cars and bikes, past the childrenâs park, even as your breath grew ragged, even as your heart threatened to beat out of your chest.
You had only one goal in mind â the town centre.
It was bound to be busy on a Friday night and the beast surely would be scared away by the crowds and the noise.
It loomed not far behind â you could feel its stare on the back of your head. Could imagine the cheshire grin formed on its mouth.
It was most definitely enjoying this. Enjoying the chase.
Youâd cursed yourself. Why havenât I taken up running? Why not make it a hobby?
You didnât dare look back.
You couldnât slow down. Couldnât afford to give it any more of an advantage.
You couldnât afford to make mistakesâ
As fast as it came, the weight disappeared. Gone was the gnarly vomit-evoking foul breath, gone was the slippery, slimey drool, gone were the claws keeping you pinned to the ground.
Yet, your body remained still.
Life continued to go on like nothing had happened. The wind whistled past, the sunset-coloured leaves above you rustled, the ringing in your ears continued, and the distant hum of traffic never ceased.
Unchanged, unbothered.
A voice called out.
Again, and again.
It grew closer, until you could vaguely make out the words being spoken.
It called your name, over, and over.
Slowly, you peeled your eyes open. When had they closed? You couldnât tell.
There was no wolf. No black fur. No glow of crimson irises or unveiled razor-sharp teeth.
Just the gentle amber glow of streetlights against the night sky.
You remained still. Blood beat ruthlessly against your temple.
âWhat happened? Why are you on the ground?â The voice, now vaguely familiar, asked. A warm hand nudged your shoulder, and suddenly, you were staring right into the oak-coloured eyes of the last person you wanted to see right then.
âY- Yoongi?â You croaked.
He was kneeling beside you, unbothered by the puddled concrete.
âAre you hurt?â
His hands inspected your body, checking for injuries. You remained still, welcoming his careful touch until he began prodding at your head. A yelp ripped from your chest as he touched a sore burning spot.
âStop, stopââ You tilted your head away, wishing for his fingers to stop egging on the fire that spread within your skull.
âYou might have a concussion. And youâre bleeding. Iâm taking you to the hospital.â
âN- No. No hospital. Iâm fineââ You began, using up whatever energy was left in your arms to lift yourself up. Thatâs when gravity decided it was no longer your friend.
An even sharper pain erupted in your skull, like someone was beating a steel crowbar against it, and you fell headfirst into Yoongiâs steady arms.
âIf not a hospital, then my house. One of my brothers is a doctor in training. Heâll check you over.â His tone was nothing but authoritative. There was no way he was going to accept any answer other than, âFine.â
Ever since you ran out your front door, exhaustion had made itself evident. But now, it seemed to be desperately coiling itself around every inch of muscle, tissue, even every thought. You could barely lift your head, and each attempt was met with even more double vision and tear-inducing pressure on your brain.
âIâm tired.â You muttered, letting your eyelids droop closed.
âKeep your eyes open, sweetheart. And donât fall asleep.â Yoongi warned, but his words had little effect. The sweet clutches of unconsciousness were already welcoming you and the pounding in your head began to cease. You barely registered it when he hoisted you up in his arms, pressing you tightly to his chest.
âWeâll be there soon. You hear me? Keep your eyes open.â
-------
The moment the grasps of consciousness begin to lull one out of their dreaming state, it is practically impossible to remain ignorant to the fire that spreads through oneâs body. Whatever visions one desperately clings to, like sand, they begin to slip, one by one until the dreamer is left drifting across the vast void that spawns behind onesâ closed eyelids.
Once the awareness of simply being settles in, it is difficult to focus on what someoneâs just dreamed of, unless of course, they immediately jot it down in a little notepad dedicated to dreams. You arenât one of the people who do that. You simply wake up and start your day anew, similar to how one has to open their notebook onto a new, blank page.
So then why do the blood-coloured eyes haunt you beyond your dreamscape?
A dull ache keeps on hammering at your skull, like youâre some sort of stone being cracked apart so that your attacker can find the precious crystals inside. Except youâre not a stone. Youâre a human; a skin sack of organs and blood and flesh that all spill aggressively if given the chance to.
Consciousness continues to grapple with you, eager to drag you back, but youâre stubborn. Falling asleep again means you wonât have to deal with the pounding in your head, nor the voices that seem to cling to your every side.
Although theyâre as quiet as they can muster, the mere noise and kerfuffle are what aggravates the headache.
An involuntary groan slips from your throat as you shift in your place, burying your face in some kind of soft and pliant material, desperate to drown out the noise and block the light that feels similar to the sun blazing against your eyelids.
âSheâs awake.â One voice mutters. The sound is saccharine, like strawberry candy, and it reverberates against your eardrums with a stubborn familiarity.
Someone shushes them from beside you, and a hand begins to stroke at your hair. The action is semi-comforting, and you groan again when their touch withdraws. âWatch your volume, sheâs got a concussion.â
âDim the lights.â Another voice chimes in, but this time youâre vaguely aware of how far they are from the others. Their request is followed by footsteps, a quiet click, and finally your eyes no longer feel like theyâre burning from the inside out.
âAre you awake?â The person resumes stroking your head, their voice hushed, like talking normally would somehow cause your head to split open. Which, in all honesty, it just might.
You muster up a small affirmative grunt. Your eyes arenât ready to open yet and take in all the information around you, so you donât bother.
âOkay, thatâs progress. And are you in any pain?â
You grunt again.
âNamjoon-hyung will get you painkillers, right hyung?â
There is a small pause, before a pair of footsteps recede and youâre left to lay in silence again.
âDo you feel any tingling or numbness in your arms or legs?â
Of course they wonât let you rest in peace.
âNo.â You uttered, fingers grasping at the silken pillowcase beneath your head. âWhere am i?â
âYouâre at Yoongi hyungâs house.â The strawberry voice replied softly, âHe brought you here after you lost consciousness. Do you remember anything that happened before that?â
The ache in your head doubles, and you clutch the pillow tighter.
âN- No. I d- donât know. I was being⊠chased? By a big⊠Dog.â You hiss out, taking deep breaths through your nose.
At the mention of the events leading to you waking up, countless images flash through your mind. Black fur. A breath that smelt of death and blood. Vicious, glowing ruby eyes, and a crazed grin that shouldnât be possible for a dog to conjure up, and yet, that one has. But even with your head injury serving as evidence, youâre not entirely sure that everything that happened had been real. You werenât sure that Yoongi had even seen the creature. Maybe it noticed him first and chose to flee. Maybe something else spooked it. So, you didnât say any more. That would be a conversation for later â if Yoongi would make another appearance. Â
Although, even if he did see it, would he believe it? Yoongi was a well-known sceptic. He didnât believe in ghosts, or anything supernatural really. A sneaky feeling deep down told you that he would try and deny everything if he did, in fact, see anything.
âHere, have some water.â The hand that stroked your hair moved, cradling your head instead as his other hand helped you move up, like you were some fragile thing. The rim of a cold glass pressed against your lips, and you drank, relief flooding your system as the water cooled your throat and smothered the remaining flames which burned at your skull. âHere, have some paracetamol. It should help.â
After youâd swallowed the pill, you were lowered back down, just enough so that there was no pressure on your head, but not enough to let your body fully lie down.
The stroking of your head resumed, and everyone was eased into a long few minutes of quiet.
The medicine kicked in, alleviating your eyelids from the overbearing pressure of your headache.
As another pair of footsteps approached, your eyelids fluttered open. A dull ache briefly hit you, but you were able to keep them open. Adjusting to the dim lighting, you were finally able to see the people that surrounded you.
Needless to say, you were utterly horrified.
âTaehyung? Jimin? W- What are you doing here?â Your voice was hoarse, eyes barely widened despite the shock coursing viciously through your body. âI didnât know you and Yoongi w- were this closeââ You clamped your teeth together, keeping anymore words from spilling out. You didnât want to say anything thatâd rouse suspicion. Afterall, none of them knew just how close the two of you were.
It was Taehyungâs hand that busied itself with calming and comforting you, his face impossibly close as he towered over you, and it was Jiminâs voice that seemed to drown your eardrums in a sickly-sweet syrup. Just how many people did Yoongi associate himself with? Did Taehyung know of your shared history with your ex? Why did Yoongi never tell you?
âWell, weâre Yoongi-hyungs⊠Cousins?â Jiminâs voice seemed hesitant, though youâd barely picked up on it as your eyes scanned the entire room. Two more men were in the room, sat further from the three of you but still close enough to make out the sheer shock painted on your features.
Quickly averting your gaze, you refused to acknowledge their sharp features. Handsome features.
Does everyone who associated themselves with Yoongi look like a runway model?
âYeah,â Taehyung coughed, removing his warm hand from your head, âCousins. We all live together, didnât he tell you?â
Never in the entire year and some months of your relationship had Yoongi ever mentioned even having family here. Heâd never brought you home, always coming up with some kind of excuse, and finally you understood why. (That also explained why they were all drop dead gorgeous).
âN- No, he neverââ
âYouâre awake!â A new voice exclaimed. You squeezed your eyes shut, hissing as another headache ripped through your skull.
âQuiet, hyung! Sheâs only just taken the tablet!â Jimin turned to the newcomer, momentarily scolding him before turning his attention back to you. âThe pain should subside soon, though you did hit your head pretty hard.â
The newcomer stepped towards you, and, upon opening your eyes again, you realised you didnât recognise him either. Another cousin, perhaps?
Who cares.
Yoongi was always emotionally unavailable and withdrawn into his shell, and you learned overtime that it would be impossible to crack it open. Which is why you gave up.
âHow are we feeling?â The man asked, his chocolatey eyes distracting you once more. His gaze bore into you with a strange intensity, as if simply looking at you had something stirring in his gut, and you found yourself unable to look away.
The words left your mouth before you could think twice. âHave we met before?â
His eyes widened, brows lifted a tad as he briefly looked to Jimin, then Taehyung, then you again.
âI- I donât think so..? Not that Iâm aware of anyway.â Although you had no reason to doubt him, alarm bells were going off in your mind. He was lying, but you couldnât recall when youâd met him. Maybe the head injury was messing with you. Â
âMay I?â He quickly asked, distracting you as his slender fingers deftly felt around your scalp, apparently already familiar with where the beast had slammed your head against the concrete.
âDo you feel any painââ He was cut off with a swift yelp and a weak attempt to pull away. His fingers retracted quickly and apologies spilled from his plush lips like songs.
âNow, keep your eyes open for me.â Bringing up a flashlight, he flicked it on, momentarily blinding you. âEverything seems fine. Do you feel any nausea, light headedness or numbness anywhere?â When you carefully shook your head, he went back to standing at a distance.
He toyed with the small flashlight between his fingers. Then he nodded. âYou can go home now, if you would like to, or you can stay the night.â He trailed off, the look in his eyes distant, as if multiple thoughts were fighting in his mind, trying to be the first to escape his lips, âIâd advise you to stay, in case anything happens, though Iâm fairly confident youâll be feeling better by tomorrow morning.â
Another pause, a scrunch of his sharp brows â like he was fighting something inwardly â and then, he smiled. âJimin and Taehyung will prepare the bed for you.â With that, he began walking off, stopping short in his tracks as you called out.
âYou havenât told me your name.â
Slowly, he craned his neck towards you, a gentle â semi surprised â smile on his face. âIâm Seokjin, but you can call me Jin. And you?â
âY/N.â You replied, though you were sure Yoongi and the other two already told him your name. âThank youââ You paused, now certain that youâve seen him before, âFor looking after me.â Quickly, you added.
With a small nod, Seokjin disappeared behind the door, and you were left with Taehyung, Jimin and the other two men once again. The latter hadnât spoken a word throughout the entire interaction.
Turning to them, you cleared your throat. âAnd you two are more of Yoongiâs cousins, I presume?â
The raven-haired man on the left looked up, surprised. âOh, Iâm Hoseok, and this is Namjoon,â He gestured to the man on the right. He had black hair with frosted tips and dimples that seemed to melt your heart as he smiled up at you.
âWeâre their housemates,â Namjoon gestured at Jimin and Taehyung, âWe all met during our first year. Iâm surprised Yoongi hasnât mentioned us to you, seeing as you two are⊠close.â
Your eyes widened, your cheeks heating as you shook your hands in a cross motion. âWeâre not close. At all. Just classmatesââ
âI thought you studied⊠English?â Namjoon asked, confusion written across his face as he glanced to Hoseok, âUnless I heard him wrong thenââ
âNo! No⊠We um, shared a class during one semester â song writing â and weâve been, uh, acquaintances ever since. Yeah.â There was no way heâd told them, right? Not now, not after the fact. That would just be⊠Odd.
You ignored the raised brow from Taehyung, and the confused look on Jiminâs face. They didnât need to know the details. None of them did. Afterall, it was history. But you couldnât shake the feeling that they knew more than they were letting on.
No one spoke again, but this time it was an uncomfortable silence, rather than a comforting one.
âSo⊠Is it okay if I- I stay the night..?â Meekly, you asked. Toying with your fingers, you tried to ignore the heat now fully embracing your features.
In all honesty, you didnât feel safe going home, even if your family were there. Hopefully your mom wouldnât be too upset over the mess, and Socks was safe. Yes, he was definitely safe. He was a smart and agile cat, and the beast seemed to be completely uninterested in him. Thatâs when you realised â your mom had no idea where you were. When you ran from home, it was already almost 8 oâclock.
âCrap! I need to tell my mom Iâm here!â You exclaimed, frantically reaching into the pockets of your pyjama trousers, only to realise that you had no pockets. And your phone was nowhere to be found. Afterall, you left it somewhere on the couch or chucked it onto the floor whilst making your escape.
âItâs okay. I called up your momâs shop to let her know youâre here.â Jimin interjected, placing a soothing hand on your arm. âShe was confused at first, but seemed to be fine when I got Yoongi-hyung on the phone.â At that, you let out a relieved breath. At least she knew.
Looking around, you noticed the glass of water had been placed on the coffee table. As if having read your mind, Taehyung reached for it before pressing the object into your awaiting hands.
Taking a sip, you took a good look at all the men around you. Surely they all had better things to be doing than looking after you. If anything, Yoongi should be here, doing the bare minimum of handing you a glass of water at least. But alas, he isnât. You wondered what he was up to.
âSo, can I stay? Tonight? I donât think itâs safe to be walking around at night,â You paused, brows pulling taut as a new sound reached your ears. âAnd itâs raining. Do any of you have a car?â
Looking to Taehyung, then to Jimin and Hoseok to Namjoon, you decided that the answer was no.
âWell⊠I do but,â He paused, his hand pulling away as he went to scratch at his head, âYoongi-hyung has it. He went out after bringing you here and hasnât come back yet.â Taehyung said, almost afraid of what your reaction would be.
Blinking, all you could say was, âOh⊠Okay.â After another moment, you added, âDo you know what heâs doing? Or where he is?â
âAh, well, heâs just.. Out. Doing some business.â He averted your gaze, instead focusing on some distant object off to the side.
Seeing the growing tension, Hoseok leaped up. âWe donât have a spare bed, but the couch can be extended into one. If youâre okay with sitting on the armchair for a few minutes, Iâll get it all set up for you.â
Your eyes widened, and you gave him a small smile, âThank you.â
âCâmon, letâs get you up.â Taehyung butted in, his warm hand slithering under your elbow, nudging you up as Jimin semi-assisted, his hands hovering under your elbow and behind your back as slowly, you rose to your feet.
You winced as a pounding ache restarted in the back of your head. Since the painkillers had begun to work fairly fast, youâd quickly forgotten about the concussion. The pain was worse than a migraine â and youâd had a fair dose of those during your twenty-two years. Your teeth chattered as a sudden chill overcame you â the blanket youâd laid under had slidden off your shoulders when Taehyung helped you onto your feet. A soft gasp escaped you as your foot caught on something, though you didnât feel the motion of gravity pulling you down. You felt soft cotton rubbing against your cheek, and a sturdy chest beneath your fingertips. Opening your eyes, you realised it was Taehyung who broke your fall and held you tightly against him.
Muttering a thank you, you glanced at the coffee table. The collision had shaken the entire thing, and the water on it bristled into countless tiny ripples.
You didnât notice the sharp looks he was receiving from the roomâs other occupants.
Now, as you finally sat down, you were able to pay some attention to your surroundings. As far as you could tell, you were in their living room. The doorway that Jin had disappeared through was just in the right corner of the rectangular room, and a set of three armchairs sat a couple of feet from it, facing away. In front of them sat the small coffee table, which probably had the capacity of only about 3 mugs and two bowls before it became overwhelmed. Opposite the armchairs was the couch which you woke up on. Your mint green blanket laid on the cream-coloured piece of furniture, though it was quickly lifted by Namjoonâs hands as he cleared the space for Hoseok.
The male moved towards you, gently laying the piece of fabric across your body. His dimpled smile sent you into a stupor, and you continued to trail his every movement from then on.
âJimin, will you grab a bedsheet cover please? It should be in the cupboard upstairs.â Hoseok asked, and the younger male nodded, sending you a soft smile before departing. His footsteps grew quieter, until they became a background thump amongst Hoseok and Namjoonâs living room manoeuvres.
The couch was quickly unfolded into a queen-sized bed. Jimin had returned within seconds, carrying a neatly folded white sheet, and the three quickly assembled your bed for the night. Meanwhile, Taehyung remained by your side, casting concerned glances in your direction every so often. Your little stumble had worried him more than you deemed necessary, though you appreciated the amount of concern he showed you â even though the two of you had only met once before. As soon as he was done, Jimin headed straight for you, a proud look gracing his features as you eyed the newly transformed bed behind him.
âCome on, letâs go get you washed up. Taehyung will also fetch you some clean clothes,â He glanced towards the brunette, raising his brows as the two seemed to have some kind of internal conversation, âWonât you?â
Blinking, Taehyung gave a curt nod. âDâyou need any help getting to the bathroom?â He addressed you, rising from the neighbouring armchair. When you shook your head and thanked him, he sent you a quick smile and left.
âWell then, shall we?â Jiminâs sickly sweet voice rung through your eardrums, offering his elbow like a gentleman, and in that moment you decided â he was dangerous. Dangerous to your peace of mind, dangerous to your newfound rule of avoiding relationships, dangerous to your heart.
When he smiled at you, something familiar bloomed in the base of your stomach. Something you hadnât felt sinceâ
Yoongi.
As Jimin led you out of the living room, you tried to ignore the stirring in your stomach, you tried to ignore the nagging in the back of your mind. You only met them an hour ago, yet it felt⊠Longer. Like youâd been waiting for years for them and you were finally home.
------
âIs this seat taken?â A soft voice startled you. Whipping your head in its direction, you spot a girl standing right beside you â books in hand, a faded red backpack slung awkwardly over her shoulder, her face worryingly pale in comparison to everyone else, her hooded eyes a beady, intense black â which are also so intensely focused on you itâs almost unbearable. Â
The words are stuck in the back of your throat, so instead you gesture at the seat. Â
As she sits beside you, your gaze drifts back to your laptop. A dull ache has settled in your bones, long before youâd even entered the class. Each muscle sags pitifully despite the long nightâs sleep youâd had. Sighing, you slide your laptop out of the way and let your head rest against the cool wooden desk. The headaches are back, and youâve got no painkillers on you to make them go away.
I shouldâve listened to Taehyung.
Bone-chilling memory replays after bone-chilling memory, keeping your brain overexerted, your adrenaline constantly pumping, and your body begging for a break.
Each sensation and thought you experience is accompanied by an itching pain â one that continues to scratch at the skin on your knees, acting as constant reminder to last nightâs events. In fact, the pain is your only reminder.
Last night, Taehyung and Jimin had spent a good two hours with you, calming you and helping you finally settle down. After youâd cleaned up and taken another paracetamol, the memories seemed to wash over you and drench you in dread.
âDonât forget to scan in!â Your professor calls out as a the last few stragglers enter the lecture hall. The projector above whirs viciously to life, a faint light illuminating todayâs lesson on the board behind him as you lift your head just enough to get a glimpse. It takes another minute before the actual slides appear, and you find your curiosity is piqued as the words, âMythology and Folkloreâ, appear on the board.
âToday, weâll be going over some prominent figures from across the world,â He pauses, flicking to the next slide. A number of different movie posters flood the screen and a couple giggles and whispers resonate across the room as different students recognise their favourites. âBut first, Iâd like you all to name me a few monsters.â
The room is engulfed in half-shouts and hands in the air, the professor nodding along, muttering âYesâsâ, his eyes scanning the entire lecture hall from one corner to the other.
âGhouls.â The girl beside you calls out, her voice akin to a whisper amongst the bustle of the class.
âWitches.â You said, raising your hand. Your teacher nodded in your direction, and a small smirk spread over your lips.
âSirens.â The girl added. She mirrored your smirk as your teacher called out, âExcellent!â
The two of you engaged in a back-and-forth battle of naming every supernatural creature, until finally, you ran out of names and had to settle on the more popular ones.
âWerewolves.â She utters finally, glancing to you from the corner of her eye. Â
âVampires.â You counter, an amused smile dancing along your lips as you half-heartedly expect her to continue. The smile drops as her shoulders stiffen and suddenly her teeth nervously clamp down on her fingernail, her hand shaking in the process.
A small, hesitant chuckle slips past your lips. The girl, whose name you still donât know, remains silent.
âI take it youâre interested in mythical creatures then?â
A long silent pause fills the space between you two, but eventually, the noirette gives a small nod.
âYou could s- say so, yeahâŠâ She drifts off, steadying her gaze on the slides. Youâre almost sure that this is how the conversation will end and that the two of you will never speak again, but then she asks, âAnd you?â
Blinking, you utter a simple âyeahâ as the lecturer calls for everyoneâs attention, resuming the lecture. Neither of you spoke for the remainder of the class, yet as it continued, an uncomfortable feeling kept nagging at the back of your head.
Going over the origins of different creatures and the rise of folklore and mythology amongst different communities, the lecturer did his best to make the class engaging, though his efforts fell short as your mind moved onto other more important topics.
Despite Yoongiâs absence and your staying in an unknown to you home, youâd never felt safer than when you were with Jimin and Taehyung. Sure, the former always visited you at your motherâs restaurant and always made every interaction enjoyable, but you didnât really know him. You only knew the snippets of him that he chose to share with you, a stranger who wouldnât judge.
But each time you met eyes, it felt like youâd known him your entire life, and longer. The entire two hours theyâd spent at your side, both Jimin and Taehyung had often engaged in some sort of staring contest, as if they were communicating through means that you had no access to. In some way, you felt excluded. In other ways, you knew whatever it was, you could trust them.
Taehyungâs touch lingered on you throughout the entire night â a hand gently stroking your head, a leg draped over yours as he playfully sprawled out over the couch, or a hip touching your thigh as he leaned in, gazing at you intensely and clinging to every single word that fell from your lips, like you were a sinner confessing your sins, and he were the priest, taking in every word and letting you know you were forgiven so long as you kept returning to him.
Taehyungâs constant attention and Jiminâs curious gaze and sweet voice had made you feel seen and heard in a way you hadnât felt since you and Yoongi parted ways.
And that shouldâve disturbed you. You shouldâve been incapable of thinking of anything but the attack. And yet, between the two, you felt more at peace than you had in a little over a year.
In a way, their complete and utter devotion to paying close attention to every little thing reminded you ofâŠ
Yoongi.
-----
You felt⊠Watched. Like you were a piece of art that someone couldnât tear their eyes off of. Or an animal in a zoo.
It was safe to say you had a sneaky suspicion as to who the culprit was; each time you glanced to the side, your classmate would make some sort of movement. Readjusting her position, scribbling erratically in her notebook, brushing slender fingers through her hair. Each time, you caught just the slightest movement of her eyes, which flickered impatiently between the front of the class and⊠you.
Discomfort crept in slowly, taking its time to fully settle in the pit of your stomach. Something felt off, but what? Sure, some people liked to observe others, and maybe she was that type.
But⊠There was something there.
Deep in her stare.
It was unsettling enough to trigger memories of last night.
Towards the end of class, she finally ceased her surveillance.
âRemember folks, each assignment I give to you counts towards the modulesâ final grade. For this week, Iâd like you all to research a creature of your choice and write up a couple hundred words on its origin and role within todayâs society. Iâll see you all next week.â
With that, the class exploded into chatter and shuffling as everyone began rushing for the door or towards the professor before he disappeared.
âSo, whatâs your name?â
âMy name?â Repeating, you glanced over to your desk-mate. She busied herself with stuffing her books into her bag, albeit awkwardly as each one was shoved in at an odd angle. âIâm Y/N. You?â
âEunhee. What are you going to do for your project?â
âUhm⊠I was thinking werewolves.â Her straightforwardness unnerved you a little.
Her movements paused as her gaze honed in on you. âWerewolves?â She asked, voice accusatory.
Nodding, you zipped your bag up, eager to escape the stuffy room, and the impatient student behind you. âYeah, I really liked them in twilight. Theyâre very mainstream and Iâm sure the info on them is easily accessible.â That wasnât really the true reason, but it would do for now.
The two of you headed for the stairs, slowly climbing one after the other as a flurry of students blocked your path.
âTwilight? You know, theyâre not actually real werewolves. Theyâre considered to be shapeshifters.â
Your mouth formed an âoâ shape, and you briefly glanced at her as the two of you slipped through the exit. âI guess thatâs something that I can talk about in my assignment. What about you? What are you gonna do?â
âI guess sirens would be coolââ
âY/N?â A familiar voice called out. Dread washed over you as his gaze met yours. Yoongi. Standing just at the doors of the English building, hands in pockets, waiting.
âSorry, Eunhee, but I have to go. It was lovely meeting you, letâs meet up sometime yeah?â You asked, squeezing her arm and starting towards Yoongi before she could say anything else.
Yoongi squinted his eyes at your new friend, the corners of his lips tugging downwards before you grabbed him by the arm, moving out of the building.
âWhere were you?â
Even as the two of you left Eunhee behind, he continued to look in her direction.
âHello?â Waving your hand in front of his face, he finally turned his attention to you.
âWho is she?â He asked.
âWho? Eunhee?â He nodded in confirmation. âSheâs a classmate. Where were you last night?â
You try not to think about Jimin and Taehyung. Their comforting presence, the sound of their hushed laughterâ
âI had some business to attend to.â
You quirk a brow at him. Yoongi tries to ignore your obvious disbelief.
âI was on my way to discuss a contract when I saw you, on the ground, half-passed out. I didnât get the deal because I had toââ He cuts himself off, jaw clenching shut before he can say something heâll regret.
âBecause you had to what, Yoongi? I never asked for your help.â A flicker of guilt crossed his features before a neutral mask took over. âI wouldâve made it home just fine. You donât have to protect me anymore.â Okay, that was an obvious lie, but you refused to feel guilty for something you had no control over.
âI couldnât just leave you on the pavement. Who knows what wouldâve happenedââ
Your breath hitched.
âDid you⊠See anything?â Your voice was hushed, but hopeful as the two of you continued walking.
Clearing his throat, Yoongi barely spared you a glance as you waited for him to respond. When he took too long, your suspicions grew. âYou did, didnât you? You saw that massive wolf dog thing. You spooked it away, didnât you?â
âI donât know what youâre talking about.â His voice was strained as he continued to look ahead, but you saw it. You saw the way he bit his cheek, how his hand quickly rose to scratch at his nose. Those were his tell-tale signs.
âYou saw the wolf. You saw it crushing me against the ground. Didnât you?â Your voice grew more and more accusatory as you moved to block his path. When you wouldnât let him pass, he sighed loudly.
âThere was nothing there, Y/N.â He finally said, tone firm, low as if he didnât want anyone to overhear you. âAll I saw was you laying on the ground, barely awake. In all honesty I thought you were drunk or⊠Or something.â
âOr something?â
âI donât know what you get up to in your free time. And for the last time, Iâm telling you, I didnât see anything.â
Your brows furrowed. âAre you accusing me of something?â But he didnât bother to respond this time, instead he barged past you, shoulder meeting shoulder as if to say âThis conversationâs over.â
He didnât account for the fact that you were still feeling the effects of your concussion. Your feet were unsteady, and you tumbled to the ground, the impact of hitting the ground spreading through your body until an ear-splitting headache hit you.
âShit!â You exclaimed. Clutching the side of your now throbbing head. A now familiar pressure grew, your ears rung, but you pushed his hands away as Yoongi flew to your side. âDonât fucking touch me.â You warned, ignoring the way his eyes softened, the way his hands hovered over you, wanting to help.
âIâm sorryâI didnât mean toââ
âJust leave me alone.â You pleaded, tears brimming at your waterline as the pain spread, overwhelming all your senses. The light was hurting your eyes, and Yoongiâs softly uttered apologies only encouraged the migraine.
At first you only heard Yoongiâs voice, which was now closer than ever.
âYoongi-hyung?â
A set of hands gently touched your shoulders. You were about to yank them off you, curses dying at the tip of your tongue as you looked up, realising that it wasnât your ex who was once again trying to apologise for the damage heâd done. No, it was Taehyung.
âAre you okay?â He murmured, his breath coming out in clouds. The morning sunrays shone brightly against his dark beige coat, bathing his skin in a golden glow as his pretty cocoa eyes, partially covered by tufts of dark brown hair, peered down at you with concern and his warm hands squeezed your shoulders gently. From the corner of your eye, you noticed that his frame was partially blocking someone else, and for a moment, a sense of ease washed over you. A small smile grew on your lips.
âTaehyung? Jimin? What are you two doing here?â You asked, and, despite the pounding in your head, you leaned to the side, a half-formed smile shaping your lips as your gaze landed on⊠Jimin. But it wasnât Jimin.
It was a doe-eyed man with parted lips and bunny-like teeth. His gaze locked with yours, and for a split second, an image flashed in your mind.
Freshman Yoongi, guitar in his arms, his dark eyes soft and gleaming up at you as if you were a goddess gracing his presence.
When you first laid eyes on Kim Taehyung, you thought he looked like a sin dressed in white.
It was your first Sunday at the commune, the kind of place hidden behind thick pine forests and winding dirt roads, where the outside world faded into myth and obedience became second nature. They called it The Sanctuary. Called it holy. Called it chosen.
And standing at the front of the chapel with a worn leather bible pressed against his chest was himâŠ..
Kim Taehyung.
The pastors son.
The boy every girl whispered about behind closed dormitory doors, only to kneel twice as long afterward in silent repentance.
His dark hair fell over his forehead in careless waves, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows as he turned pages with elegant fingers, voice low and warm as honey as he read scripture.
You hated how your Pulse jumped when he spoke.
Hated it even more when his eyes found yours. Because Taehyung didnât just look at people.
He saw them.
And when he saw you, He smiled.
â
âHead bowed.â
Sister Miriamâs sharp voice snapped through the prayer circle, and your chin dipped instantly.
âTemptation begins in wandering eyes.â
A chorus of Amen followed. Your throat tightened.
Because across the room, even with your gaze lowered, you could feel him looking.
Like sunlight against skin. Like a hand hovering just above your pulse.
Like danger.
After service, you stayed behind to stack hymn books, mostly because your hands needed something to do.
The chapel had emptied except for the faint creak of wooden pews and the scent of candle wax.
You were reaching for the highest shelf whenâ
âCareful.â
A warm hand steadied the stack before it slipped from your fingers.
You turned And nearly forgot how to breathe.
Taehyung stood beside you, close enough for you to notice the tiny mole beneath his eye.
Close enough to smell cedarwood and soap. âFirst week?â he asked.
You nodded too fast. âIs it that obvious?â His lips curved. âA little.â Heat crawled up your neck.
He took the books from your arms effortlessly, setting them on the shelf as if it weighed nothing.
âDonât worry,â he said softly. âEveryone looks terrified their first week.â
âDid you?â He looked at you then, really looked. And for a second, his smile changed. Became quieter. Sadder. âStill do.â
â
After thatâŠ
He was everywhere.
In the gardens, sleeves rolled up as he watered herbs. In the kitchens, laughing softly as flour dusted his hands.
In morning scripture studies, sitting across from you with his chin resting in his palm while Sister Miriam lectured about purity.
And somehowâ Somehow, He always found a reason to speak to you.
âWrong verse.â Heâd lean over your shoulder, tapping the page with long fingers while your pulse hammered. âItâs Corinthians, not Psalms.â
Or
âYou missed breakfast again.â Sliding an apple across the wooden table without looking up from his book.
Or
âYou hum when you work." That one had made you freeze. âI do not.â
âYou do.â A teasing smile. âOnly when you think no oneâs listening.â And the worst part
He was right.
â
One afternoon, you were hanging freshly washed sheets behind the girlsâ dormitory, pinning white fabric against the clothesline while the wind tangled your hair.
You didnât hear him approach. âNeed help?â
You jumped so hard you nearly dropped the basket. Taehyung caught it before it hit the ground.
Again.
Always catching things before they broke. âYou do that on purpose,â you muttered. His brows lifted. âScare you?â
âAppear out of nowhere.â He laughed. And God It was unfair.
Warm and deep and genuine enough to make your chest ache. âMaybe youâre just easy to sneak up on.â
He reached past you to pin a sheet in place, his arm brushing yours for half a second
Barely anything.
And yet your entire body forgot how to function. He mustâve noticed. Because when you stepped back too quickly, He went quiet.
âDid I do something wrong?â Your throat tightened. âNo.â
âThen why do you look like I burned you?â His voice was softer now.
Careful. Dangerously sincere. You couldnât answer.
Because the truth felt far too ugly.
Because being near him felt too warm. Too easy. Too wanted. And all your life
Wanting had been the first step toward sin. So you looked away. And from that day on You started avoiding him.
â
You tried to avoid him after that. You really did. You sat farther back in sermons.
Took different paths between chores. Volunteered for kitchen duty instead of garden work.
And somehow....
He always found you.
âFunny,â Taehyung murmured one afternoon as you stocked canned goods in the cellar, his voice appearing behind you like a prayer turned curse.
You nearly dropped the jar in your hands. He leaned against the wooden doorway, Bible tucked beneath his arm. âYou keep running.â
âIâm not running.â His lips curved.
âNo?â He stepped closer. Dust danced in the thin rays of cellar lights.
Your breath shortened.
âYou wonât even look at me.â Your fingers tightened around the glass.
âThatâs because looking at you feelsâŠâ You stopped yourself.
His voice dropped softer. âFeels what?â
Wrong.
Dangerous.
Like standing at the edge of something youâd never be forgiven for.
But instead of saying any of that
You whispered, âSinful.â
And for the first time, Taehyung stopped smiling. Something darker flickered behind his eyes.
âGood.â
Your heart stuttered.
He took another step.
Close enough now that you could smell cedarwood and old pages.
Close enough that if you movedâŠ.Your bodies would touch.
âYou know whatâs worse?â he asked quietly. You shook your head.
His gaze dropped to your lips. âWanting somethingâŠâ
His fingers brushed yours, Barely. But it felt like lightning. ââŠand praying every night for God to rip it out of you.â
Your breath caught. âTaehyung..â
âI fast.â His voice cracked slightly.
âI pray.â His jaw tightened.
âI confess.â And then his eyes lifted to yoursâ
Raw.
Hungry.
Terrified.
âAnd none of it stops when it comes to you.â The jar slipped from your hands. Glass shattered across the cellar floor.
Neither of you moved. Neither of you cared. Your pulse thundered in your ears as silence swallowed everything.
Then
âTell me to leave.â His voice was barely above a whisper. âTell me.â
But you couldnât. Because all your life, theyâd taught you temptation looked ugly.
Corrupt.
Easy to reject.
No one ever warned you temptation might look like Taehyung, Hands trembling. Eyes full of guilt. Wanting you like it hurt. Your voice came out small.
âI canât.â His exhale sounded almost broken.And when his forehead gently rested against yours.
Neither of you prayed.
Three months passed.
Three months of stolen glances.
Three months of brushing shoulders in crowded hallways and pretending neither of you felt the electricity.
Three months of sermons about purity that somehow felt more personal every time his voice read the verses.
And somehow
Avoiding Kim Taehyung had become impossible.
Not because you stopped trying. But because Taehyungâ
Taehyung refused to let distance exist between the two of you.
â
âYouâre distracted.â
His voice came low beside your ear, warm enough to make your fingers slip.
The basket of fresh vegetables nearly tipped from your arms before he caught it like he always did.
You looked up sharply.
âYou have to stop doing that.â
Taehyung smiled lazily, sunlight filtering through the greenhouse glass and catching in his dark curls. âDoing what?â
âAppearing out of nowhere.â He stepped closer. Close enough that your back nearly hit the wooden worktable behind you.
âMaybe,â he murmured, eyes dropping to your lips for half a second, âyou just notice me more now.â
Your heartbeat turned violent. âTaehyungââ
âMm?â He knew. God, he knew exactly what he was doing. And the worst part? You didnât step away.
â
At first it had been harmless. Shared chores. Shared scripture study. Quiet conversations while everyone else slept.
Taehyung sitting beside you on the chapel steps long after evening prayer had ended, shoulders touching while neither of you moved.
Talking about nothing. Talking about everything. âThe stars look fake out here,â you whispered one night. Taehyung looked up, then sideways at you. âNo.â His voice had gone quieter.
âThey look honest.â Your chest tightened. Because he wasnât looking at the sky anymore. He was looking at you.
â
After that⊠Everything changed. Not outwardly. No one would notice. No one except you.
Except him.
The way his hand would linger when passing you a book. The way his fingers brushed yours under the dinner table. The way his knees pressed against yours during scripture study and neither of you moved.
And worst of allâ
The way heâd look at you during prayer. Head bowed. Bible open. Looking absolutely devotedâ While his thumb slowly traced circles against your wrist where no one could see. It made you feel insane. Made you feel filthy. Made you crave more.
â
You were in the chapel when it finally started becoming unbearable.
Late.
Long after everyone else had gone to bed. Candles flickered against wooden walls, throwing shadows across stained glass. You knelt at the front pew, fingers clasped so tightly your knuckles ached.
Trying to pray.
Trying to make your thoughts stop being filled with him. Trying to stop remembering his laugh. His hands. His voice. âLord, pleaseââ
The chapel door creaked open. You didnât need to turn around. You already knew.
Taehyungâs footsteps echoed softly against old wood. then stopped right behind you.
Silence.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Thenâ
âAre you praying for me too?â Your breath caught.
Slowly⊠You turned.
And there he stood in white, sleeves rolled to his forearms, curls slightly messy like heâd run his hands through them a dozen times. His jaw looked tight. His eyes, His eyes looked tortured.
Hungry.
Guilty.
Just like yours.
He took one step closer. Then another. Until your knees almost touched. His voice dropped to barely a whisper.
âBecause Iâve been praying for monthsâŠâ He swallowed hard. âAnd itâs only getting worseâ
Taehyungâs words hung in the candlelit chapel like a confession neither of you could take back. And itâs only getting worse.
Your breath came shallow. Unsteady.
Every instinct told you to move.
To stand.
To leave.
To pray.
Instead....
The air in the chapel felt heavy, the scent of melting wax and old wood pressing in on you as you stayed on your knees before him. When Taehyung leaned in, his forehead resting against yours, the world narrowed down to the sound of your synchronized, shaky breathing.
âTaehyungâŠâ you breathed, your voice barely a whisper.
His jaw flexed, but there was no aggression in it only a profound, trembling longing. âDonât say my name like that,â he murmured, his voice cracking slightly. âLike you donât know what youâre doing to me.â
He looked at you with eyes that were wide and brimming with a mixture of terror and adoration. He reached out, his hand shaking visibly as his fingers brushed your cheek. It was a touch of absolute uncertainty, the touch of someone discovering something sacred and frightening for the first time.
âYou should stop me,â he whispered, though he didn't move away. His thumb tentatively traced the curve of your lower lip, his touch so light it was almost a ghost of a sensation.
âYouâre not stopping either,â you replied softly, your own voice trembling. You had spent your whole life being told that desire was a poison, and as you looked at him, you felt the first drop of it hitting your tongue.
A small, broken sound escaped his throat, and then he kissed you.
It was clumsy a tentative press of lips that spoke of months of uncertainty. Neither of you really knew where to put your hands or how to tilt your heads; there was a sweet, breathless hesitation as your lips brushed and collided, searching for a rhythm you both lacked. You reached up, your fingers curling into the white fabric of his shirt, pulling him closer, and you felt him shiver violently against you.
As the kiss deepened, Taehyung let out a soft, needy whimper into your mouth. His hands wandered awkwardly, sliding down your back with a hesitant reverence, as if he were afraid you might shatter.
When his hips pressed against yours, you both jumped slightly, the sudden, hard contact sending a jolt of electricity through you that made you gasp. He pulled back just an inch, his breath hitching, his face flushing a deep crimson.
âI⊠Iâve neverâŠâ he started, his voice barely audible. âI donât know if Iâm doing this right.â
You looked up at him, your own eyes shimmering with a mixture of fear and heat. âNeither have I,â you whispered.
The admission seemed to break something inside him. A soft, shaky exhale left his lungs, and he leaned back into you, his forehead resting against yours. Together, you were two people stepping off a cliff into the unknown.
He began to kiss your neck, his lips soft and lingering, each press of his mouth feeling like a silent, desperate prayer. He moved with a slow, cautious curiosity, his hands trembling as he helped you gather the fabric of your dress, lifting it just enough to expose your thighs.
When he found the dampness of your underwear, he stopped completely, his breath catching in his throat. He didn't dive in; instead, he pressed his palm flat against you, rubbing in slow, gentle circles through the fabric. The sensation was overwhelming in its tenderness, making you arch your back and let out a soft, high-pitched moan that sounded foreign even to your own ears.
âAre you okay?â he whispered urgently, pulling back to look at you, his eyes searching yours with an intensity that felt like he was reading your soul. âDoes it⊠does it feel okay?â
âYes,â you gasped, your heart hammering against your ribs. âPlease, Taehyung.â
His hands fumbled clumsily as he worked at the fastening of his trousers, his breathing coming in short, jagged bursts. When he finally freed himself, he looked almost shy, his gaze dropping to where he was hard and pulsing. You reached out, your fingers brushing against him for the first time, and he let out a loud, startled gasp, his eyes snapping shut as a shudder ran through his entire frame.
âOh God,â he breathed, his voice trembling.
He positioned himself carefully, his movements slow and mindful. As he pushed into you for the first time, he did so with an agonizing slowness. You gasped, your fingers digging into his shoulders as you felt the sudden, overwhelming stretch of him. He stopped immediately, freezing in place, his face contorted in a mix of pleasure and sheer panic.
âDid I hurt you?â he whispered, his voice thick with worry.
âNo,â you whimpered, though tears pricked your eyes from the intensity of it. âJust⊠just stay there for a second.â
He waited, holding his breath, his forehead pressed against yours until the tension in your body eased and you began to melt around him. Once you relaxed, you wrapped your legs around his waist, pulling him the rest of the way in with a small, needy cry.
As he began to move, it wasn't with the force of experience, but with a rhythmic, tentative grace. Every thrust was accompanied by a soft moan or a whispered word of affection. He held you close, his arms wrapping around you as if he were trying to protect you from the very sin you were committing together.
The friction was slow and building, a gentle fire that grew with every tentative slide. He watched your face the entire time, his expression one of pure, raw devotion, learning the map of your pleasure in real-time.
When the peak finally hit, it wasn't a crash, but a wave, slow and all-consuming. Taehyung gripped your hands, interlacing his fingers with yours and squeezing tight as he shuddered inside you, a soft, broken cry escaping his lips as he released everything into you.
He collapsed against you, burying his face in your shoulder, his body still trembling from the aftershocks. He didn't pull away; he stayed there, holding you in the quiet of the chapel, the silence no longer feeling oppressive, but protective.
âI think,â he whispered, his voice sounding small and happy, âthat Iâm okay with being a sinner.â
if you couldnt tell i got kinda lazy near the end but i hope you guys like it :)))
SUMMARY: Ending your relationship on a sour note, you never expected your childhood best friend, Jimin, to enter back into your life. Least of all, as your roommateâs boyfriend. Determined to keep your distance, you try to keep him at an armâs length. But your childhood best friend turned bully has a score to settle.
PAIRING: Jimin X Reader
WARNINGS: Yandere behaviour, implied stalking, mean!Jimin, slight non-con, blackmailing behaviour, infidelity (not between the MCs), gun violence.
Word Count: 9k+
Note: Dedicated to my dear friend and patron m1n.ty, by whom this fic was originally commissioned and who has very kindly agreed to letting me post it!
PATREON
You met Park Jimin on a Tuesday afternoon when you were eight years old and still new enough to the school that every hallway felt unfamiliar.
The cafeteria was louder than anything you were used to. Voices were echoing off high ceilings, trays were clattering and children were shouting across tables as if silence was a crime punishable by death. You stood there for a moment longer than necessary with your tray in hand, scanning the room with the quiet desperation of someone hoping a seat might magically appear beside a friendly face.
Instead, a boy nearly collided with you.
He skidded to a halt just in time, sneakers squeaking against the polished floor. His cherubic face filled your field of vision, chubby hands grabbing at the air in front of him in an attempt to find his balance.
âWhoa,â he said, steadying the tray before it tipped out of your hands. âCareful.â
You blinked up at him.
He was small for his age but there was an artless sort of ease and innocence in the way he stood there. His hair was a soft sandy blond that curled slightly at the ends and his eyes held the kind of playful brightness that suggested trouble was never very far away.
âSorryâ you said. You felt kind of embarrassed standing here in front of this beautiful looking boy, streaked as your cheeks were with the tear tracks that had made their way down your face as your mom had dropped you off in front of your new school.
He glanced at your tray, then back at the cafeteria, then finally at you again.
âYouâre new?â
You nodded. You hoped desperately that he would offer you a hand of friendship and you wouldnt have to stand here awkwardly anymore.
âI could tell. Youâre standing there like youâre waiting for someone to adopt you.â He smiled at you mischievously.
You frowned.
âIâm looking for a seat.â
âWell you wonât find one just standing there.â
Before you could protest, he reached over, grabbed your wrist with casual familiarity and began weaving through the tables.
âCome on.â
You stumbled after him, startled but too curious to pull away.
âWhere are we going?â
âMy table. All my friends are there tooâ he said simply.
He stopped near the back of the cafeteria where a small group of kids were already halfway through their lunches. A boy with glasses looked up.
âJimin, who is this?â
âNew friend,â Jimin interrupted, nudging a chair out with his foot. âScoot.â
The others shifted without argument and before you could question it further, you were seated among them. Jimin dropped into the chair beside you.
âIâm Jiminâ he said, opening his milk carton. âWhatâs your name?â
You told him.
He grinned, stuffing his face with the mini choco chip cookies in front of him. At your continued stare, he forwarded the packet and nudged at you to take some.
You stared at the cookies.
âAre you bribing me?â
âObviously.â
You picked one up.
âWhy?â
Jimin shrugged easily.
âBecause making friends is easier than being bored.â
That was the beginning.
From that day forward, Park Jimin inserted himself into your life with the natural ease of someone who had already decided he belonged there. He walked you to class as soon as you entered through the school gates. He shared his snacks with you when you forgot yours and stole your pencils when he was bored just to watch you get annoyed. When other kids tried to pick on you for being the new girl, Jimin stepped between you and them with a bright smile that somehow managed to be both charming and mildly threatening. You grew immensely fond of him, becoming his partner in crime whenever he went around teasing other classmates. The two of you were like two peas in a pod, with the same sense of humor, mannerisms, even your favorite games.
By the time you were ten, it felt impossible to imagine your school days without him.
You didnât know anything about his family beyond the vague fact that his grandfather worked in politics. Jimin didnât talk about it much and you didnât care enough to ask. To you, he was just Jimin. The boy who climbed trees better than anyone else. The boy who laughed too loudly during quiet reading hour. The boy who always saved you a seat. If anyone had asked you then, you probably would have said he was your best friend. For a while, that was enough.
Until the adults found out.
It happened on your birthday. Your parents had allowed you to invite a few friends over for a small party at your house. It was something you had been excited about for weeks. When your mother asked who you wanted to invite, you rattled off names without much thought. Jiminâs had been the first.
You didnât notice the way your fatherâs expression changed when you mentioned it.
âY/N,â she said carefully âhow long have you known this boy?â
You glanced up from your bed.
âJimin? Since third grade.â
Your father stepped into the room behind her.
âPark Jimin?â he asked sharply.
You frowned.
âI guess? Thatâs his last name.â
Your mother exchanged a look with your father. Then he sighed heavily and rubbed his temple like you had just given him terrible news.
âYou canât see him anymore, kiddoâ he said.
The words were so sudden that for a moment you thought youâd misheard.
âWhat? Why?â
âY/N, we cannot be seen with any member from his familyâ your mother explained.
âBut why, Mama?â
Your father didnât bother softening it.
âHis grandfather is Park Yeoncheol. You know that your Papa lost the last elections because of him. Your granddad would be very angry if he finds out that youâre friends with the Park boy.â
âOh.â
Your mother stepped closer, kneeling in front of you.
âThis isnât your faultâ she said gently. âBut itâs better if you keep your distance from him.â
âHeâs my friend.â
âDo you want Papa to be angry at you? He loves you so much. He would be so sad if he hears of this, love.â
You tried arguing after that. You tried explaining that none of this had anything to do with you or Jimin. Your parents didnât care.
The next day at school, the words felt heavy in your throat.
Jimin found you by the lockers like he always did.
âY/N! Have you thought about which cake youâre going to order for the party? You know I love black forest but I can also make do with butterscotch.â He grinned at you cheekily.
You hesitated.
His smile slowly faded when he saw your expression.
âWhatâs wrong?â
You swallowed.
âMy parents found out who your grandfather is.â
Jimin frowned slightly.
ââŠOkay?â
âThey donât want me talking to you anymore.â
The confusion on his face lasted exactly three seconds before disbelief replaced it.
âYouâre kidding.â
âIâm not.â
âWhy would that matter?â
âBecause our families are rivals.â
He stared at you. âAnd?â
âAnd they said we canât be friends.â
Jimin laughed not because it was funny but because the alternative was worse.
âThatâs the dumbest thing Iâve ever heard.â
âI know.â
âSo we should just ignore them.â
You shook your head helplessly.
âTheyâll ground me.â
âFor how long?â
âI donât know.â
âThen weâll just keep hanging out at school.â
âTheyâll find out.â
âThey donât have to.â
Your chest tightened.
âYouâre not understanding.â
âNoâ Jimin said quietly, âI think I am.â
The shift in his voice made your stomach drop.
âYouâre choosing them.â
âThatâs not fair.â
âYouâre doing exactly what they told you.â
âIâm ten!â
âAnd?â
âAnd I canât just ignore my parents! I donât want to make Papa sadâ Your lips wobbled, eyes filling with tears at your situation.
For a moment neither of you spoke. Then Jimin looked away. When he looked back, the softness that usually lived in his expression was gone.
âFine,â he said lightly.
The sudden indifference caught you off guard.
âFine?â
âYeah.â
You waited for him to argue more but he didnât.
âYouâre not even going to fight me on this?â you asked.
âWhatâs the point?â
âYou just said it was stupid!â
âIt is.â
âThen why are you acting like you donât care?â
Something that looked very close to hurt flickered in his eyes. But it vanished quickly behind a careless smile.
âBecause if youâre going to dump me that easily,â he said âwe probably werenât that good of friends anyway.â
The words hit harder than you expected. You eyes widened, two fat tears rolling down your cheeks.
âThatâs not true.â
âSure.â
âJimin-â
âDonât worry about it, Y/Nâ
You watched him walk away with a strange tightness in your chest, knowing you had lost that sweet boy, your sweet boy, forever. That was the moment everything changed.
At first, the change in Jimin wasnât obvious. For the first few days after your parents forbade the friendship, he simply stopped approaching you. He no longer waited by your locker in the mornings or dragged you toward the cafeteria during lunch. When you passed him in the hallway, he didnât speak, didnât smile, didnât even acknowledge your presence beyond a brief glance that slid away as quickly as it appeared.
It should have made things easier. Instead, it made everything feel strangely hollow. You had expected anger. Some kind of confrontation. Jimin had never been the quiet type and his sudden indifference felt more unsettling than a fight would have.
A week passed like that.
Then the comments started.
You were reaching into your locker one morning when Jimin leaned against the metal door beside it, a sneer pulling on his otherwise sweet face.
âWell, if it isnât the girl who abandons her friends because her dad told her to.â
Your hand froze halfway to your backpack, shame and guilt clawing at your chest. You did realise what a bad friend you had been to him but your pride wouldnât let you admit it in front of the entire school.
âI didnât abandon youâ you said stiffly.
He finally glanced at you, eyes bright with amusement.
âCouldâve fooled me.â
âI tried to explain.â
âSure.â His mouth curved slightly. âYou know, I told my grandfather about that.â
Your head snapped toward him.
âYou did not.â
âI did.â
âAnd what did he say?â
Jimin shrugged.
âHe thought it was funny.â
You stared at him in disbelief.
âThatâs not funny.â
âNoâ he agreed lightly. âItâs pathetic.â
The insult stung more than you expected.
âYouâre being rude, Jimin.â
âAm I?â
âYes.â
He pushed himself upright, slinging his backpack over one shoulder.
âWellâ he said as he started walking away âat least Iâm consistent.â
The encounters didnât stop there. If anything, they became more frequent.
Jimin had always been mischievous but now his attention carried a sharper edge and without his support, you were unbearably alone.
When you raised your hand to answer a question in class, he would mutter something just loud enough for the surrounding students to hear.
âCareful, guysâ heâd say. âShe might cry if the answerâs wrong.â
When you joined a group game during gym, he would conveniently end up on the opposite team.
âYou probably shouldnât runâ he told you once, blocking your path with an easy smile. âWouldnât want to hurt yourself. You know that youâre not very sporty.â
You shoved past him.
âMove.â
âOhâ he said brightly, âshe bites now.â
You learned quickly that reacting only encouraged him.
But ignoring Jimin Park had always been difficult, even when he was infuriating. Especially then.
One afternoon during recess, you were sitting under the large oak tree near the edge of the field when a shadow fell across your book. You didnât need to look up to know who it was.
âWhat do you want?â you asked flatly.
Jimin crouched down in front of you, resting his elbows on his knees.
âYou know,â he said thoughtfully, âIâve been thinking.â
âThatâs new.â
He ignored the comment.
âIf your parents are so worried about us being friends, maybe theyâre right.â
You glanced up.
âWhat does that mean?â
âIt means maybe youâre not worth the trouble.â
Your jaw tightened.
âThen why do you keep bothering me?â
Jimin tilted his head slightly, studying your face. The silence stretched long enough that you wondered if he was going to answer at all. Finally he smiled.
âBecause itâs fun.â
The words were light but something about the way he said them made your chest feel tight.
âYouâre cruel,â you said quietly.
âAwwâ
Then he reached forward and tugged sharply on one of your pigtails. The sudden sting made you yelp, your face screwing up as you tried to push back the incoming tears.
Jimin laughed as he straightened.
âYou should wear your hair downâ he said. âThis is too easy.â
âJust leave me alone.â
His smile lingered for a moment longer before fading into something unreadable.
âMaybe I willâ he said.
But he didnât. Because even when he mocked you or stole your pencils or made snide remarks loud enough for half the classroom to hear, Jimin never let anyone else do the same.
One boy had tried once. The result was a black eye and a week-long suspension for Jimin. When the teacher had asked what happened, he only shrugged. âTrippedâ he had said.
You heard about it later from someone else. You didnât thank him but the warmth in your heart that you had carried only for him, since you were eight, even when his childish cruelty made you sob quietly in the washroom stalls, only burned brighter.
You argued more than you spoke normally, sometimes the insults were sharp enough to draw blood. But there were also moments when the old Jimin slipped through. Like the day you forgot your lunch and found a familiar packet of cookies sitting quietly on your desk during class. Or the time you tripped on the stairs and he grabbed your arm before you could fall, only to immediately shove you away afterward and mutter something about clumsiness.
Neither of you acknowledged those moments.
Then, during the summer before eighth grade, your parents made another decision.
âYouâre transferring schools next semesterâ your father announced casually.
You looked up from your plate.
âWhat?â
âA boarding schoolâ your mother clarified gently. âItâs one of the best in the country.â
âBut my school is fine.â
Your father exchanged a look with your mother.
âThis will be better for your future.â
âYouâre sending me away because of himâ you realized.
Your father didnât deny it.
âIt removes unnecessary complications.â
Your chest tightened.
âThatâs stupid.â
âY/N-â
âI already stopped being friends with him!â
âThatâs not the point.â
âThen what is?â
Your fatherâs voice hardened slightly.
âThe point is that you need to grow up and focus on your studies.â
You wanted to argue and to scream but deep down you knew the decision had already been made, like all the decisions before this.
And two weeks later, you packed your bags.
The last day before you left, you saw Jimin standing near the school gates after class. He leaned against the fence with his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket, looking like he had been there for a while. You almost walked past him.
âIâm leavingâ you said.
Jimin didnât move.
âYeahâ he replied quietly. âI heard.â
âBoarding school.â
âSounds fancy. You must be happy.â
You sighed. No matter how much you might hope for it, the boy you thought was your best friend, your confidant, the boy whose eyes and innocent smile made your childish heart skip beats, just couldnât be found anymore.
Finally you shifted awkwardly.
âWell then, goodbye.â
Jiminâs head lifted slightly as something flickered in his eyes.
âGoodbye?â he repeated.
You swallowed.
âWhat else am I supposed to say?â
He studied your face for a long moment. Then he laughed softly.
âYou always were dramatic.â
The familiar mockery should have been comforting. Instead it felt hollow.
âI guess Iâll see you aroundâ you said.
He didnât reply. You hesitated. For a moment you almost apologized.
Then you remembered the months of teasing, the constant insults, the way he had made school feel like a battlefield. So you didnât.
You turned and walked away instead, hoping against hope that he might stop you, or just wish you goodbye once so you could hold the hand of the only boy you had ever loved in your young life. But nothing like that happened. Jimin watched you go.
Boarding school forced you to rebuild your life faster than you would have liked. The first few months were awkward and lonely in the quiet, suffocating way that comes from realizing nobody around you knows who you used to be. No childhood routines. No familiar faces. Just long hallways, strict schedules and the constant expectation that you would adjust.
Eventually, you did. Mostly because of Kelly. She arrived halfway through your first semester with the sort of personality that refused to be ignored, friendly in a way that made resistance pointless. Within a week she had decided you were her person and within a month the rest of the dorm seemed to accept that the two of you operated as a unit.
Kelly talked enough for both of you. She filled silences easily, dragged you into social situations you normally would have avoided and somehow made the sterile atmosphere of the academy feel almost bearable. More importantly, she never asked about the strange gaps in your stories. When people reminisced about childhood friends or hometown memories, you simply changed the subject. It wasnât difficult. The truth was that you had spent a long time deliberately not thinking about Jimin. At first, the anger had made that easy. Memories of his smirking face in the hallway or the relentless teasing during class had been enough to convince yourself that cutting him out of your life had been the right decision. You had repeated that logic often enough that eventually it started sounding believable. The crush you had harbored on him despite his cruel nagging started feeling stupid and hazy and anger took its place.
Time helped too. Three years was a long time when you were young. Long enough for old friendships to fade into something hazy and distant.
By the time you and Kelly graduated and moved to the city together for university, Park Jimin had become little more than an unpleasant chapter you rarely revisited.
Which was why you didnât think twice when Kelly burst into your apartment one evening with a grin that practically split her face in half.
âYou have to meet himâ she announced, dropping her bag onto the couch.
You looked up from your laptop with mild suspicion.
âMeet who?â
âMy boyfriend.â
You blinked.
âSince when do you have a boyfriend?â
âSince two months ago.â
âAnd youâre telling me now?â
Kelly flopped dramatically into the armchair across from you.
âBecause I wanted to make sure it wasnât a disaster first.â
You snorted.
âThatâs optimistic. Whatâs so special about this one, then?â
âHeâs different.â
âThey always are.â
Kelly pointed a finger at you accusingly.
âYouâre being negative.â
âIâm just being realistic.â
âYouâll like him, Iâm sure.â
âThatâs exactly what you said about the wannabe finance bro who tried to explain investment portfolios to us during brunch.â
Kelly waved the comment away impatiently.
âJimin is not like that.â
The name barely registered at first. It was common enough that your brain didnât immediately attach meaning to it.
âOh?â you said absently. âWhatâs he like?â
Kelly leaned back with a dreamy smile.
âKind of an asshole, honestly.â
You raised an eyebrow, a smile splitting your face.
âThatâs a selling point?â
âBut in a charming wayâ she insisted. âYou know the type. Sarcastic, confident, a little mean but funny enough that you canât really be mad about it.â
Something in your chest shifted faintly, though you couldnât immediately explain why.
âAnd you like this man?â you asked.
âUnfortunately.â
You shook your head.
âYou have terrible taste. It has been proven time and again.â
âHeâs also ridiculously attractive.â
âAhâ you said as you snorted âNow weâre getting to the real reason.â
Kelly grabbed a pillow and threw it at you.
âJust come to dinner tonight.â
You caught the pillow and tossed it back.
âI already have plans.â
âWith who?â
You hesitated.
ââŠMyself.â
âCancel them. Please, for me.â
âIâm not cancelling my evening alone because youâre in love with a jerk.â
âYouâre not cancellingâ Kelly corrected. âYouâre upgrading. Besides, you should go out a little. Socialize, talk to a few guys. How in the world would you ever get a boyfriend if you continue this? Itâs not like men are queuing up around the block for a girl who never leaves home.â
You stared at her for a moment before sighing, a small twinge pinching your heart at the constant reminder of your perpetually single status. You knew Kelly didnât mean it in an insulting way.
âFine.â
She clapped excitedly.
âGreat. Weâre meeting him at that bar on Sixth.â
The bar was loud in the comfortable way that came with a busy Friday night, music humming through the walls, conversation spilling over from crowded tables, the soft clink of glasses behind the counter.
You spotted Kelly immediately.
She was already sitting in a booth near the back, waving enthusiastically when she saw you. And someone else was sitting across from her. For a moment you only noticed the posture first. Relaxed and leaning back slightly in the booth like the entire room was his.
Then he turned his head.
Shaggy blonde hair fell loosely across his forehead, longer than it had been when you were children. The cut was deliberately careless, giving him a slightly rebellious edge that matched the dark jacket slung over the back of his chair. As he turned, the sharp line of his jaw, contrasted by the plump shape of his lips that were pulled into a knowing smile made your face heat up and your heart pump erratically in your chest. And his eyes. Oh, those pools of obsidian, so predator- like in their feline shape. Cruel in the exact same way you remembered.
Park Jiminâs eyes met yours across the bar. He didnât look surprised. If anything, he looked entertained.
Kelly stood up eagerly. âThere you are!â
Your feet carried you forward automatically, though every instinct in your body screamed that something had just gone very, very wrong.
âY/N,â Kelly said brightly, âthis is my boyfriend.â
Jiminâs gaze never left your face. His smile widened slowly, like someone savoring a private joke.
âJimin,â Kelly finished happily.
You stared at him.
He looked older, obviously, with a sharper jawline, broader shoulders, confidence worn like a second skin but the essence of him was exactly the same. Dangerously self-assured.
Jimin tilted his head slightly as you approached the table and sat down on the furthest possible chair from him to avoid his penetrating gaze.
âWellâ he said smoothly.
His voice had deepened over the years but the tone was unmistakable.
âThatâs a familiar face.â
Kelly glanced between you both.
âYou two know each other?â
You opened your mouth.
Before you could answer, Jimin spoke first.
âOh, we go way back.â
Something about the way he said it made your stomach tighten. Meanwhile, Kelly looked delighted.
âSeriously? Thatâs crazy.â
Jiminâs eyes flicked over you slowly, deliberately after giving Kelly a smirk.
âYouâve changed, Y/Nâ he said.
You folded your arms.
âYou havenât.â
His grin sharpened, almost baring his teeth as his eyes flicked over your face cruelly as if cataloguing for the faults in your visage.
Kelly laughed nervously.
âOkay, I feel like Iâm missing context.â
Jimin leaned his elbow on the table, still watching you with unsettling focus.
âWe were childhood friends,â he explained lightly.
You let out a short, humorless laugh.
âThatâs one way to describe it.â
His eyebrow lifted.
âNot the way youâd choose?â
âIâd say something closer to âchildhood menace.ââ
Kelly looked between you both with growing fascination.
âOh my god,â she said. âYou two hate each other.â
Jiminâs gaze didnât waver.
âHate is a strong word.â
You met his eyes coolly.
âNot strong enough.â
For a moment the tension between you was almost tangible. Then Jimin leaned back in the booth with a quiet chuckle, his dark blue shirt pulling at his chest, affording you a view of the lean muscles of his chest. You gulped as your eyes flickered away.
âWell,â he said casually, âthis should make things interesting.â
Dinner that night should have been uncomfortable. Instead, it became something worse. Jimin had always been the kind of person who thrived in chaos and the moment he realized exactly how awkward the situation was, he settled into it with the easy confidence of someone who had just been handed an extremely entertaining toy.
Kelly, blissfully unaware of the undercurrents running between the two of you, spent the first ten minutes enthusiastically filling the silence.
âSo you guys went to school together?â she asked, glancing between you.
Jimin rested his chin lightly on his hand, his gaze still fixed on you with unsettling patience.
âSomething like that.â
You picked up your drink, deliberately avoiding his eyes.
âWe survived the same building, at least I did. Jimin here was too busy trying to make sure that I didnât.â you corrected.
Kelly laughed.
âThat sounds dramatic.â
Jiminâs smile tilted.
âSheâs always been dramatic. Trying to make everything bigger than it really is. I donât remember any such antagonistic feelings between us. Maybe my memory of you is just hazy, Y/N.â
You scoffed quietly as he tried to deliberately downplay your relationship, smirking at you cheekily.
âYou used to pull girlsâ hair and call them dramatic when they got mad.â
Kelly looked delighted.
âOh my god, really?â
âConstantlyâ you said, taking a sip of the drink that had already been ordered before you had arrived. It was your favorite. Kelly remembered that for once.
Jimin didnât look remotely embarrassed.
âI was ten.â
âYou were annoying.â
âAnd you were easy to annoy. Always so stuck up and allergic to fun. Has she become any better?â He laughed, putting an arm behind Kellyâs chair as he peered at her, egging Kelly on in an attempt to humiliate you. Kelly merely let out an uncomfortable snort.
Dinner continued like that for a while.
Kelly talked. You responded politely. Jimin watched.
It became increasingly difficult not to notice the way his attention kept drifting back to you. The subtle, almost lazy glances that lingered just a second longer than necessary.
When Kelly reached for his hand across the table, he allowed it without hesitation. But his gaze never left your face. You felt it every time.
By the end of the meal, your patience was wearing dangerously thin.
âSo,â Kelly said cheerfully as the waiter cleared the plates and accepted Jiminâs card that he so graciously forwarded before the two of you could say anything, âwe should all hang out sometime. The three of us.â
You immediately shook your head, âIâm busy.â
Jimin chuckled softly.
âYou didnât even ask when.â
âI donât need to.â
Kelly rolled her eyes.
âYouâre being rude.â
âIâm being honest. I need to work hard this semester if I want to land an internship.â
Jimin leaned back in his chair, crossing one ankle over his knee.
âYou know,â he said thoughtfully, âI missed this.â
You looked at him sharply.
âMissed what?â
âThis charming personality of yours.â
âDonât flatter yourself. Itâs not for you.â
âReally?â he asked mildly, an eyebrow hitching.
Something about the question made your stomach tighten. Kelly sighed.
âYou two are exhausting.â
âThen stop inviting him placesâ you suggested.
Unfortunately, he was right. Over the next few weeks, Park Jimin began appearing in your life with irritating consistency.
It started innocently enough.
Kelly inviting you both to brunch. A movie night. Drinks after class. At first, you assumed it was a coincidence.
Then you started noticing patterns. If Kelly suggested meeting somewhere, Jimin would already know the place. If you mentioned plans in passing, somehow he ended up nearby. Even when the two of you, Kelly and you, would make plans to hang out sans Jimin, he would inevitably show up to annoy you.
Once would have been chance.
Three times felt suspicious.
By the fifth time, it felt deliberate.
You were leaving the campus library late one evening when you spotted him leaning against the hood of a black sports car parked across the street.
Your steps slowed.
Jimin glanced up as if he had been expecting you. His mouth curved into a familiar smirk.
âWell,â he said as you approached, âlook who it is.â
Your eyes narrowed.
âWhy are you here?â
âKelly mentioned you were studying.â
âThat was four hours ago.â
He shrugged.
âI had time.â
Something about that answer made irritation spark immediately.
âYou waited four hours?â
âDonât sound so flattered.â
âIâm not flattered. Iâm confused.â
Jimin pushed himself off the hood of his car, hands sliding casually into the pockets of his tailored charcoal pants.
âKelly wanted to grab dinner together.â
âShe could have texted me.â
âShe did.â
You checked your phone. There was a message you hadnât seen. You looked back up at him suspiciously.
âYou still didnât need to wait.â
âI didnât mind.â
âYouâre being weird, you know that right?â
âIâve been told.â
You stared at him for a moment longer.
âWhereâs Kelly?â
âRunning late.â
âSo itâs just us?â
âFor now.â
You exhaled slowly.
âFantastic.â
Jimin studied your expression with quiet amusement.
âYouâre still holding a grudge.â
âYou were insufferable for two years.â
âYou deserved most of it.â
Your jaw tightened and you looked away from his face. The street lights casted a yellow so pale on his face that his skin looked almost luminescent, eyes glowing as they dug into yours.
There was a brief pause. Then he tilted his head slightly.
âYou cut your hair.â
You blinked.
ââŠWhat?â
âIt used to be longer.â
The comment caught you off guard.
âHow would you know that?â
Jimin shrugged lightly.
âI notice things.â
The answer felt oddly vague but before you could press further, Kellyâs voice called from across the street.
âSorry! Traffic was awful!â
She hurried toward you both, slightly out of breath.
Jimin stepped back easily as she reached them. You realised how close the two of you had been standing, him with one of his hands on his car and the other inside his pocket as he bent towards you, your faces close together. Your heart was thundering.
âMiss us?â he asked.
âObviouslyâ she replied, slipping her arm through his.
The movement should have looked natural instead it felt strangely performative. He glanced at you briefly. Just long enough for you to see the quiet amusement in his eyes.
Jimin didnât just tolerate your presence. He seemed to seek it out. If Kelly invited you somewhere, he made sure he came along. If you declined plans, he conveniently had some work come up. In front of your eyes, Jimin would be unbearably touchy, constantly putting his arm around Kellyâs shoulders and caressing her face. It was irritating but you bore it for your friendâs sake. However, stranger still was your friendâs confession that Jimin had yet to kiss her. When you asked what was stopping him, Kelly looked uncharacteristically abashed and murmured that he was old fashioned and wanted to wait. It was a strange contrast. Nevertheless, this PDA in front of you (sans the kissing), never stopped.
Sometimes he provoked you directly. Other times he simply observed. It was subtle enough that Kelly never noticed but you did.
One evening during drinks, Kelly excused herself to take a phone call outside, leaving the two of you alone at the table.
You didnât bother pretending politeness.
âAlright,â you said flatly.
Jimin lifted an eyebrow, his hand coming up to gently caress his lower lip, the silver ring on his thumb and the watch on his wrist catching the strobing lights.
âAlright what?â
âWhat are you doing?â
âDrinking.â
âYou know what I mean.â
His lips curved faintly.
âYouâre going to have to be more specific than that.â
âYou hate me.â
âThatâs a strong word.â
âYou bullied me for two years.â
âAnd you abandoned me first.â
âThat was years ago.â
âTime flies.â
You leaned forward slightly.
âThen why are you constantly around me now? And what are you doing with Kelly? â
Jimin studied you quietly for a moment. There was something unsettling about the calm focus in his eyes. Finally he smiled.
âYou give me something to do.â
He ignored the latter part of your question completely. Your expression darkened.
âThatâs not funny.â
âI wasnât joking.â
Kelly returned before you could respond.
The conversation ended there but the tension didnât because deep down, a quiet suspicion had begun forming in the back of your mind. Jiminâs behavior wasnât just annoying. It was intentional.
And the way he watched you sometimes, too attentive, too patient, felt less like coincidence and more like someone slowly tightening invisible strings. You just hadnât figured out why yet.
Jimin, on the other hand, seemed perfectly content to let the game continue. And judging by the faint, cruel satisfaction in his smile whenever you snapped at him he was enjoying every second of it.
The club had been Kellyâs idea. Your semester exams were finally over and the reprieve from the academic pressure made you give in to her demand, even knowing your nemesis would surely be coming along.
It was loud in the kind of deliberate way that made conversation difficult and bad decisions easier. Music pulsed through the walls and floor alike, bass vibrating through your ribs as people crowded the dance floor beneath flashing lights.
You normally avoided places like this but tonight you had made an exception.
Kelly was already halfway through her second drink when she leaned across the table with a grin.
âI swear,â she said over the music, âyouâve been in a bad mood for weeks. Weâre fixing that tonight.â
âIâm not in a bad moodâ you replied.
She gave you a look that suggested she didnât believe you for a second.
âReally? Because youâve been snapping at everyone lately. Especially Jimin.â
At the mention of his name, your gaze shifted automatically across the room. He was standing near the bar with one hand resting casually on the counter, talking to someone you didnât recognize. Even from a distance he looked completely at ease with his dark leather jacket pushed back slightly, shaggy blonde hair falling over his eyes as he leaned in to hear his companion.
As if sensing your attention, Jimin glanced up and your eyes met across the crowded room.
For a brief moment the noise seemed to fade behind the weight of his stare. Then his mouth curved into that familiar, infuriating smile. You looked away immediately. Kelly followed your gaze.
âYou know,â she said thoughtfully, âI think you two secretly enjoy hating each other.â
âThat sentence doesnât make any sense.â
âIt does if youâve watched the way you argue.â
âWe donât argue.â
âYou absolutely do. Like two siblings constantly at each otherâs throats.â
You picked up your drink, an unknown guilt suffusing your chest at her words.
âHe antagonizes me, thatâs all.â
Kelly laughed.
âAnd you antagonize him right back.â
âBecause he deserves it. Prick.â
Kelly leaned back in her chair, sighing.
âYouâre both exhausting.â
You took a sip of your drink, trying to ignore the lingering awareness of Jimin somewhere behind you.
It didnât help. Because even without looking, you could feel his attention like a physical weight.
After another few minutes, Kellyâs phone buzzed. She glanced down and groaned. Her journalism internship demanded all sorts of odd hours.
âUgh. I have to take this.â
âWork?â
âUnfortunately.â
She stood, already heading toward the quieter hallway near the bathrooms.
âDonât disappear on meâ she warned.
âI wonât.â
The moment she left, the table felt strangely emptier.
You waited a few seconds before standing. Sitting alone felt awkward and the music was loud enough that dancing seemed like the easier distraction. The dance floor was crowded but energetic, bodies moving under shifting lights as the DJ changed songs.
You pushed your way into the center, letting the music drown out your thoughts. For a few minutes, it worked. Then someone tapped your shoulder.
You turned to see a tall guy with dark hair and a friendly smile.
âHey,â he said, raising his voice slightly over the music. âYou looked like you were dancing alone.â
âI was, yeah.â
âMind if I fix that?â
You considered it briefly, your intoxicated brain considering the prospect. Then shrugged.
âSure.â
He introduced himself though the name disappeared almost immediately under the music and you both moved with the rhythm of the crowd. It was harmless. The kind of meaningless interaction that usually faded from memory by morning. As his eyes lightly fell on your hips, you sashayed to the beat.
You didnât notice Jimin until it was too late.
He had been watching from the edge of the floor for several minutes.
At first he simply observed. The way the strangerâs hand settled lightly on your waist. The way you laughed at something he said. The easy closeness of two people sharing a moment that had nothing to do with him.
Jiminâs expression remained calm but the longer he watched, the tighter his jaw became. Something dark and sharp twisted slowly in his chest. It wasnât jealousy in the usual sense. It was something far more possessive, something that had been simmering quietly for years, something that was made crueler and darker by your callous abandonment of him, twice.
By the time the strangerâs hand slid slightly lower on your waist, Jimin had already made his decision.
He stepped onto the dance floor. The crowd shifted instinctively as he pushed through, his gaze locked firmly on the two of you. You didnât notice him until a hand closed firmly around the strangerâs shoulder. The man turned, confused.
âHey-â
The crack of the gunshot cut through the music like lightning. For a moment nobody moved. The sound echoed through the club as the bullet struck the ceiling above the dance floor, plaster raining down onto startled bodies below. Screams followed immediately after and music stopped abruptly. People began pushing toward the exits in sudden panic.
You stood frozen as Jimin lowered the handgun casually back to his side.
His eyes were burning, chest heaving as he ground down his teeth.
The stranger beside you stared in shock.
âWhat the hell is wrong with you?â he demanded.
Jimin didnât answer. Instead he reached for the bottle sitting on a nearby table. The movement was so quick the man barely had time to react. Glass shattered against the side of his head with a brutal crack. The stranger collapsed instantly.
You stumbled back, heart hammering. The haze of vodka was finally clearing though not fast enough for you to run away from him like a bat out of hell.
âJimin, what the hell are you doing?â
His gaze snapped toward you and the fury there was terrifying.
âWhat am I doing?â he repeated quietly, his eyes burning into yours.
âYou just assaulted someone!â
Jimin stepped closer, the broken bottle still clutched loosely in his hand.
âYou let him touch you.â
Your disbelief flared into anger.
âExcuse me?â
His voice dropped dangerously low.
âI was watching him all night. The way he kept looking at you. The way he thought he could just walk up and put his hands on you like that.â
âYouâre insane.â
âAm I?â
âYes!â
People were still scrambling toward the exits around you, the chaos building with every second. Jimin didnât seem to notice. His entire focus was fixed on you.
âYou think Iâm insane,â he said slowly, âbut you were the one standing there smiling while some stranger felt you up in the middle of a club.â
âHe was dancing with me!â
âAnd that makes it acceptable?â
âItâs none of your business!â
Jimin laughed sharply.
âYou really believe that?â
âYes!â
The tension between you snapped.
âYouâre dating my best friend!â you shouted.
His smile was cold. âThatâs interesting.â
You stared at him.
âWhat is that supposed to mean?â
Jimin stepped closer again.
âYou know what I find funny?â he said softly. âThe fact that after all these years, you still act like you donât understand the situation.â
âWhat situation?â
âThis one.â
He gestured lazily between the two of you.
Your anger sharpened.
âYou pulled a gun in a crowded club because I danced with someone.â
âYou let him touch you.â
âYouâre not my boyfriend! In fact, you are not even my friend. You are nobody to me. You donât get to decide anything for me!â
Jiminâs expression darkened further.
âNo,â he said slowly. âBut that doesnât mean you belong to anyone else.â
The possessiveness in his tone sent a chill down your spine.
âYouâve lost your mind. You really have.â You said, finally moving away from him as the gravity of the situation sunk in. His gaze followed you like a hunter carefully tracking a prey animal.
âMaybe.â
Your patience finally snapped.
âListen carefully, Jimin, because Iâm only going to say this once.â
You stepped closer, your voice dropping to a dangerously calm level.
âYou donât get to control me. Not now. Not ever. Whatever weird obsession youâve built up in your head does not give you the right to dictate who I talk to or who I dance with.â
For a brief moment, something like amusement flickered in his eyes.
âYou think this is about control?â
âWhat else would it be?â
Jimin leaned down slightly, his voice low enough that only you could hear it.
âItâs about the fact that youâve been walking around for weeks pretending you donât notice whatâs happening.â
Your stomach tightened. âI notice that youâre an asshole.â
He chuckled quietly.
âYouâve always been good at avoiding the obvious.â
âAnd what exactly is âthe obviousâ?â
His eyes searched your face with unsettling intensity.
âThe obvious,â he murmured, âis that Iâve spent years making sure you never forget I exist.â
Before you could respond, the distant wail of sirens cut through the chaos. Jimin glanced toward the entrance. Then he smiled again.
âPerfect timing.â
Your eyes narrowed.
âWhat did you do?â
He looked back at you.
âI called the police.â
For a moment you simply stared at him.
âYou shot a gun in a club⊠and then called the police on yourself?â
âNot exactly.â
Understanding dawned slowly.
âYou reported the club.â
âAnonymous tipâ he confirmed casually.
You felt vaguely nauseous at the chaos that had inundated your life and opened your mouth to say somehting.
âRelax,â he interrupted. âTheyâll shut the place down for the night. No big deal.â
âYouâre unbelievable.â
The sound of approaching police cars grew louder outside. Jimin grabbed your wrist.
âCome on.â
You jerked your arm back.
âDonât touch me.â
âYou can stay if you want,â he said calmly. âBut when the police start asking questions about who fired the gun, things might get complicated.â
Your stomach dropped. âYou wouldnât.â
His expression was almost innocent. âWouldnât what?â
âYouâd drag my family into this?â
Jiminâs smile returned slowly.
âYour fatherâs entire campaign revolves around public image. Imagine how interesting the headlines would be if his daughter got caught up in a nightclub shooting. And, remind me again, where is the petty princess who would dump anyone to be in her familyâs good graces?â He looked around theatrically before grabbing your arm and pulling you close to his chest as he exclaimed, âThere she is!â
Your pulse spiked. âYouâre a psychopath.â
You only got a cruel smile in return before he began dragging you towards the exit, his hand clutching your arm in a vice grip. Throwing you inside his car with a cruel carelessness, he shut the door with a bang. The engine roared to life.
As the police flooded into the club behind you, Jimin sped into the night. The city lights blurred past in streaks of neon and shadow as the car tore through empty streets. He didnât slow down until you were miles away.
When he finally stopped in an empty overlook above the city, you shoved yourself out of the car immediately.
âWhat the hell is wrong with you?â you demanded.
Jimin moved out to stand in front of you calmly. âYouâre welcome.â
âFor what? Are you serious?â
âFor getting you out of there before things got messy.â
âYou caused the mess!â
âYes,â he agreed easily. The casual admission made your blood boil.
âYou assaulted someone, fired a gun in public, blackmailed me, and now youâre acting like you did me a favor.â
Jimin stepped closer. âYouâre missing the important part.â
âAnd what part is that?â You seethed.
His gaze darkened. âYou were dancing with someone else.â
You stared at him in disbelief.
âShut up! Thatâs your takeaway from this entire situation?â
âItâs the only part that mattered.â
Your temper finally exploded.
âYou donât get to decide what matters in my life! Youâre nobody to me, understand? You were dead to me the moment I left you in the dust back then!â
Jimin grabbed your face suddenly and kissed you. The force of it knocked the breath from your lungs. It wasnât gentle. It was rough, demanding, almost violent in its intensity. One of his hands held your jaw in a tight, bruising grip as the other held your hands beneath your back. The force of his mouth against yours pushed you back two steps and you stumbled as you felt the hood of his car behind you.
Growling against your mouth, his chest knocked you backwards, forcing you to collapse onto the hood. You lay under him, your lips being punished by his as he sucked at your mouth, nibbled at your bottom lip and tried to gain entry into your mouth. A particularly hard nibble at your top lip forced your lips open as you tried to gasp for breath before he pushed his tongue inside your mouth, the lack of breath and the shock of his warm tongue ticking all over the inside of the warm cavern of your mouth, made you lightheaded. As he tried to pull your tongue into his wet mouth to suck it between his lips, a soft wail left you. He shuddered in response, his chest heaving as he moaned at your taste. His hand, which had been holding two of yours in a strong hold, left to run up your sides.
Shock froze you for half a second. Then your hand cracked sharply across his face. The sound echoed in the quiet night.
Jiminâs head turned slightly with the impact. Slowly, he looked back at you. Instead of anger, a strange satisfaction flickered in his eyes.
âYou always did hit hard,â he murmured.
Your voice shook with fury. âYouâre insane if you think that was acceptable.â
âI could get a psych evaluation, if youâd like.â
âAnd Kelly-â Your voice wobbled. He stared at the tears running down your face, his eyes softening at the guilt coating your voice.
âKelly and I are done, princess.â
The words stopped you cold. âWhat?â
âI broke up with her.â
âWhen?â
âJust now.â
You stared at him. âYouâre unbelievable.â
Jimin shrugged lightly, âShe served her purpose.â
The casual cruelty in his tone made your stomach twist.
âYou used her.â
âI needed a way back into your life.â
Your anger faltered briefly.
âWhat are you talking about?â
Jimin stepped closer again, his expression dark and unwavering.
âYou think itâs a coincidence that I started dating your best friend?â
Realization crept slowly up your spine.
âThatâs⊠thatâs insane.â
âIs it?â
âYouâre lying.â
âIâm really not.â
He leaned down slightly, his voice quiet but deadly certain.
âYou left me, Y/N. Not once, twice. Do you have any idea what I felt back then? How I felt when the girl who was the center of my universe left me to start her life over without me? Youâre so cruel, you have always been. And I am the fucking idiot who cannot get over you. Your name is threaded into my heart, it runs in my blood. No fucking power on Earth can take you away from me again, not your family and certainly not you. You donât get to leave me again, you dont!â He shouted, shaking slightly as his manic eyes bored into yours.
âI spent years making sure the next time you walked back into my life, you wouldnât be able to leave again.â
A week after the club incident, Park Jimin walked into your family home like he had always belonged there.
At that exact moment, you were upstairs in your bedroom, attempting to focus on a stack of notes that had remained untouched for the last twenty minutes. Your concentration had been terrible lately. Not surprising, considering the chaos of the previous week.
Kelly still hadnât spoken to you properly. Guilt gnawed at you every time your friend declined your call and the feeling of shame held you in even deeper grip when you unconsciously found yourself caressing your lips as you thought about the bruising kiss. News outlets were buzzing about Park Yeoncheolâs sudden retirement and the equally sudden rise of his grandson as the partyâs new face. Your father had spent several evenings in tense phone calls with advisors, strategists and donors.
Politics never slowed down in this house but today felt different. You heard the staff downstairs making a lot more noise than usual. The quiet but urgent shift in tone that always happened when an important guest arrived. Doors opening. Polite greetings. The sound of shoes against marble flooring in the main hall.
Then your fatherâs voice.
âPark Jimin.â
Your head lifted. For a moment you wondered if you had imagined it. But then you heard Jiminâs voice respond. Smooth, calm, unmistakably familiar as ever.
âMr L/N.â
Your stomach dropped. You stood slowly, every instinct in your body suddenly alert. Curiosity got the better of you. The staircase overlooked the main sitting room below, separated only by a carved wooden railing that allowed sound to carry easily through the open space.
You moved quietly to the edge. Your father stood near the fireplace, posture formal but not unfriendly. And across from him was the man you had spent the last week thinking about, Jimin.
He looked completely comfortable standing in the middle of the home belonging to the man whose political career had spent decades opposing his own family.
âYour grandfatherâs retirement came as a surpriseâ your father was saying.
Jimin inclined his head slightly.
âHe believed the party needed someone younger to lead the next election cycle.â
âAnd that someone is you.â
âFor now.â
There was a faint humility in the answer but you recognized it immediately for what it was. A performance. You scoffed.
Your father studied him carefully.
âYou understand the history between our families.â
âOf course.â
âAnd yet you requested this meeting.â
Jiminâs hands rested loosely on top of his knees, posture casual despite the weight of the conversation.
âHistory doesnât have to dictate the future.â
Then he said quietly, âYouâre suggesting cooperation.â
âAn alliance.â
Your eyebrows lifted slightly. That word carried serious implications.
âWhy?â your father asked.
Jimin smiled faintly.
âBecause the alternative is continuing a political feud that wastes resources on both sides.â
âAnd you think my supporters would accept that?â
âWith the right reasoning.â
Your father crossed his arms. âAnd what reasoning would that be?â
Jiminâs gaze flicked briefly toward the staircase. For a split second, you thought he had noticed you. But then his attention returned to your father.
âMutual benefit,â he said calmly.
The conversation continued for another several minutes with talks of strategy, elections, voter blocs. Jimin spoke like someone who had been preparing for this conversation long before it ever happened. He wasnât nervous or even particularly cautious.
Your father wasnât dismissing him. If anything, he seemed⊠interested and was nodding along to many suggestions while making his own opinions known.
Finally your father sighed.
âYouâre ambitious but thatâs a good thing. I like it in young people such as yourself.â
Jimin chuckled softly.
Then your father said thoughtfully, âPolitical alliances are easier when families are connected.â
Your stomach tightened.
Jimin didnât hesitate. âI agree.â
Something about the tone of that answer made your pulse jump.
Your father nodded slowly.
The meeting ended not long after that. Your father walked him toward the front door while continuing the conversation about scheduling future discussions.
You slipped away from the railing before either of them could notice you. But you didnât go far. Instead you waited in the long hallway that connected the main entrance to the garden doors. You heard footsteps approaching. Then Jimin appeared around the corner.
He stopped the moment he saw you. For a second neither of you spoke.
Then his mouth curved slowly, âLook whoâs eavesdropping.â
You crossed your arms.
âYouâve got a lot of nerve showing up here.â
Jimin didnât look remotely bothered.
âIt was a scheduled meeting.â
âYouâre trying to manipulate my father.â
âIâm negotiating. Itâs the nature of politics.â
âThatâs not the same thing at all and you know it.â
He stepped closer.
âIt is in politics.â
Your eyes narrowed.
âSo thatâs the plan?â
âWhat plan?â
âYou insert yourself into my familyâs political strategy and suddenly weâre all supposed to pretend the last twenty years didnât happen?â
Jimin tilted his head slightly.
âRelax. Iâm not here to destroy anything.â
âCouldâve fooled me.â
Jimin stepped closer again.
âYou heard the conversation.â
âYes.â
âAnd?â
âAnd youâre trying to trap my father into a political alliance.â
He smiled slightly.
âNot just your father.â
âYouâre insane if you think Iâm going along with that.â
Jiminâs gaze dropped briefly to your mouth before returning to your eyes.
âI donât need you to go along with it.â
âThen what exactly do you need?â
His voice lowered slightly.
âYou. Always have and always will.â
Your pulse jumped. Jimin stepped into your space suddenly. In retaliation, you grabbed the front of his suit jacket and pulled him down into a kiss. It was just as angry as the one the week before. You poured weeks of frustration and tension into his mouth. Jiminâs hand slid to the back of your neck, holding you there as the kiss deepened into something rougher.
When you finally shoved him back, both of you were breathing harder.
âYouâre still a manipulative bastard,â you said.
Jimin wiped his lip slowly, eyes dark with quiet satisfaction.
âAnd youâre still terrible at pretending you hate me.â
Pairing: Super model, Boyfriend Jimin X Criminal Lawyer, Fem Reader
Theme: Angst, hurt to comfort au, establish relationship au.
Summary:
In which Jimin lies to you about meeting his ex-girlfriend and you find it out from a common friend.
Total Word count: 5k
Warnings: lying, hospital, Jimin is a good boy, he is just too good to tell people no, reader is suffering, allusion to sex, fluff. this is not too angsty actually.
Minors Do Not Interact!
Masterlinks | Patreon (this one is already posted in Patreon, so, if you want, you can read the story right away)
A/N:đ«¶
They say no relationship is ever balanced.Â
There will always be one who loves more than the other. There will always be the one who gives more than the other. There will always be the one who compromises more than the other.Â
You donât mind to be the âoneâ in question - because for Jimin, all of it comes from within.Â
Yes, there are days that are bleak, that are as scattered as fine dust. There are days when you wish to receive as well, when you wish to be celebrated as well, but feelings like that donât stay for long. Â
Jimin is not indifferent by any means - but he is too busy, often too bright for you. He brings so much that you donât know what to keep and what to let go.Â
His world is the center of chaos, all while you like to reside in the calm, in the tranquility, in the adverse current of the flow.Â
Many would say you two are a bad match - a popular super model and a criminal lawyer. But you know better. You know the joy you feel when you come back home to his scent rafting around your apartment.Â
You know the love you feel when he ditches his club nights to be with you after a long, demanding day.Â
You know the emotions that swell up in your eyes when he leaves sweet hand-written notes right on the filled sanitary container because you forgot to buy yourself your needs again.
And hence, those bleak days, those moments of wishing for more and gaining a little less, can never stand tall before the amount of love you receive from your boyfriend. Despite all the differences, you two thrive in your own tide.Â
Nevertheless, tides too can turn into whirlpools and whirlpools often end in destruction. Hence, you try your best to stay afloat, even when your heart starts hurting a little too much.Â
Just like right now.Â
Itâs been more than two weeks since you have seen your boyfriend. He is out participating in Paris fashion week and you are here watching paparazzi posting just a new picture of him every single day.Â
He texts you often or at least once a day because he is just too busy to even eat proper meals. But itâs okay. You are used to this rush of his life. You are used to this absence. You know itâs a matter of a few hours before he is here, before he is hustling through the door of your shared space and picking you up and kissing you on the mouth - making up for all the time that was lost.Â
You take a look at your watch to find out that itâs already four in the afternoon. You can not wait to go back home and start preparing the dinner.Â
Jimin is landing very soon. Although he forgot to text you - you got notification from the airlines that the airplane has started its journey and will land in Incheon by eight at night.Â
Letting your eyes wander out of the vast floor to ceiling window of the office - you try to picture your boyfriendâs angelic face on the clouds.Â
Cliche, right? But everything is fair when your partner is as charming as Park Jimin.Â
Jimin has started gaining global recognition long ago. However, he hasnât changed even a bit. He still loves kimchi jjigae the best and looks for a bowl of steaming rice to fill his stomach whenever he comes home after a work schedule overseas.Â
Today is not going to be any different for sure. So you start preparing the said comfort food of your boyfriend as soon as you arrive home from work.Â
Maybe itâs because you are suddenly too focused on cooking or maybe you just couldnât comprehend how time flies by too fast these days - itâs already ten in the night when you finish preparing all the banchan and start plating the food.Â
As you take a look at the clock again, you frown. Jimin should have been here already. It should not take more than an hour for him to reach home. Is he stuck in traffic? Given the fact that itâs Friday and everyone is out partying the night, he might have gotten stuck in an unexpected traffic jam.Â
Wait - he must have called you several times. You put your phone on charge in the bedroom and forgot it there.Â
Running towards the bedroom, you retrieve your phone only to find not even a single text. Now this is certainly something to be worried about. Was the flight delayed?Â
You open the booking app to check the flightâs whereabouts - but it has landed in time. Where the hell is Jimin?Â
He is fine, right?Â
You can call his manager, but the man has a family and he was away from his wife and two year old kid for two weeks as well. So no⊠you donât want to bother him unless itâs absolutely necessary.Â
Opening the call logs, you dial your boyfriend. If he doesnât pick up, you will go and contact his manager, but not before that.Â
The call connects through kakotalk - it starts ringing, it rings, rings, rings and then disconnects. Your fears start swelling even more and more.Â
As the call cuts, you stare at the screen blankly. No no no - you can not let yourself go down the rabbit hole even before knowing whatâs up.Â
Taking a deep breath, you call him for a second time.Â
The call connects, it starts ringing and it is received after two rings.Â
âJimin! Are you okay? Where are you?â you almost scream into the speaker.Â
But thereâs no reply. All you hear is a small sigh.Â
âI am fine, baby.â Jiminâs voice filters through the speaker, âno need to panic.âÂ
âOh god! I- I was so scared! Where are you?â you ask the question again, a cold wave of relief spreading through your heart.Â
âI am sorry. I⊠I-uh- I couldnât catch the flight tonight. I was late to the airport. Manager hyung flew back home last night. And you know how tardy I can be when I am on my own. So⊠I will catch the earliest flight home, I promise.â he sounds apologetic.Â
But it only makes you smile. âItâs okay, Jimin. Just be safe okay? Are you still at the airport?â Â
âAh- yes. Yes. I am in the bathroom. I should go look for the flights.â he replies.Â
âYeah. stay safe and text me when your flight takes off.âÂ
âOkay, Y/N. See you soon, baby.âÂ
âSee you, Jiminie.âÂ
Itâs a game of trying - winning or losing again and again.Â
You try your best to convince yourself that thereâs nothing to feel lonely about, that Jimin will be here in twenty four hours. But as you pack the food up and place it inside the fridge, you canât help feeling a bit gutted.Â
You know itâs temporary, you know it will go away. Â
But still⊠feeling shit right now is very real and you can not just suppress this. Your spirits stay low as you wash the dishes and take a shower. Your mind stays occupied even when you do your nightly routine before bed. Jiminâs words play in your head as you force yourself to close your eyes to close and go back to sleep.Â
You know what happened was just an accident and can happen to anyone. But there's one silly question that keeps rounding in your head - was Jimin not excited enough to see you? If he really wanted to come back home, wouldn't he stay alert about the flight and its timing? Especially the way they send alerts through mails and text messages? And why didnât he tell you that he missed the flight earlier? He could have just texted you?
Shaking your head, you scold yourself. There's absolutely no reason to think so negatively. There's no way Jimin would-Â
The train of your thoughts comes to a screeching halt as your phone starts vibrating on the nightstand. The very first thought that comes to your mind is Jimin, it has to be him who is calling.Â
Grabbing the phone as soon as possible you find a completely different and unexpected name on the screen. Why is Ryohyun calling you so late?Â
Swiping up on the answer, you voice a little greeting, not being sure enough if the call was intentional or just a mistake.Â
âHey?â your friend greets you, voice kind of concerned, âis everything okay?âÂ
âRyohyunâ, frowning a little you continue, âI should be the one asking you this. Is everything okay? Why are you calling so late?âÂ
âI am fine. I called you because I just saw Jimin at Hangkuk hospital. He seemed quite exhausted. I tried calling him but he didnât hear me. And now he isnât picking up my calls. I got so worried thinking something must have happened to you or one of your family members.â your friend explains.Â
You hear it all. You listen to every word he says with utmost attention but still nothing makes sense. What is Jimin doing in the hospital? He should be in Paris right now? It has to be a mistake. Ryuhyun probably saw someone else.Â
âI am fine, hyun-ah. And so is everyone else. You must have seen someone else. Jimin is not here in Korea. He should have landed today but he missed the flight.â you try to convince your friend and maybe yourself too.Â
âY/N, seriously?â you friend chuckles, âyou really think I will mistake someone else for Jimin? Especially when his face is all over Oliveyoung?â there is a bit of pause before he continues, âit was Jimin, Y/N. I am sure. Okay, I gotta go now. Good night. Take care.âÂ
The call cuts, setting your doubts to sore higher than the sky.Â
Ryuhyun is right. He can hardly make mistakes when it comes to recognizing Jimin. They have been friends for more than a decade now and also, he was the reason you met your boyfriend. So no⊠you canât take it lightly.Â
Something must have happened to him and he is lying to you! You can not just sit and wait for him to come back. You need to dial the one person who has to know everything. His manager.Â
Despite feeling bad for calling so late, you ring him up. He picks your call up on the third ring.Â
âY/N-ssi? Uh- hello?â his voice tells of his confusion. But you donât have time to explain anything.Â
âSorry for calling so late, Mr. Kim. I just wanted to ask about Jiminâs whereabouts? I heard he is at Hangkuk hospital? Is he okay? Has something happened to him?â tears start gathering in your eyes as you manage to utter those words somehow.Â
âOh? He hasnât⊠he hasnât informed you yet?â his managerâs voice turns a notch lower, as if he is scared to tell you something.Â
âNo. I donât know anything. Please tell me if he is okay? Please?â a tear rolls down your cheek.Â
âHe is fine, Y/N-ssi. He is fine. Itâs actually⊠the thing is that." The hesitation is as clear as daylight but you still donât understand the source or reason for it, âNabi-ssi was hospitalized earlier and Jimin is her emergency contact. So he had to be there for her at that moment. I am sure he will return home as soon as his need there is over.âÂ
The name makes its way through your ear and strikes your heart with the force of a thunder. Han Nabi - Jiminâs super model ex-girlfriend, the very person you are extremely insecure about, has been the reason behind Jiminâs lie.Â
He gave you an entire false scenario behind his absence? He didnât even think twice what would happen to you when you get to know the truth? He didnât even consider your emotions, your sanity, your love - the relationship that can be endangered with just one such lie, and ran straight to her. What hurts the most is that he did it all while knowing how you feel about his ex-girlfriend and her constant attempt to keep being in his life despite breaking up two years ago.
You feel lost in the desert all of a sudden. The day started with so many expectations, so many plans for tonight and now itâs just something else - something as bad as a nightmare. You donât know where to head, how to navigate and you would rather stay stagnant here in this feeling, this betrayal than doing something else - something like going after Jimin and demanding the truth.Â
If he really loves you, he should come and tell you everything.Â
If he really loves you, he would right whatever wrongs he made earlier.Â
For this one time, you wonât chase, you wonât compromise your stance. You will wait for him to do so. And if he doesnât, you guess, that will speak volume about what you actually mean to your boyfriend.Â
Jimin is accustomed to being lied to.Â
Being in the modelling industry means he has been lied to more times than he would care to admit. And we are not talking about small white lies here - here lies mean big life altering false statements that are capable of ruining someoneâs entire day, or week or month for that matter.Â
Although, Jimin is used to being lied to - he has never been the one to lie so nonchalantly. This was the very first time he did something so severe and his conscience is eating him out alive.Â
On the top of everything - he lied to you! To you! Someone as pure and kind as you! But his only agenda behind crafting this lie was to stop you from spiraling down the rabbit hole, because he knows what kind of thoughts run around your head whenever Nabi is mentioned in a room.Â
He is aware of your insecurity and despite trying to ease your fears, he has never once succeeded. Standing there, if he told you that he was saved as Nabiâs emergency contact and had to run to the hospital straight from the airport, which he chose to do instead of going back home to you, then⊠there are chances he might lose you.Â
But he had no other option. The EMT called him thrice from Nabiâs number. Her manager being out of town only made things worse. He had to run here, not by his choice but for his duty as a fellow human being.Â
âAre you Han Nabiâs guardian?â a nurse appears in the line of his sight, trying to grab his attention.Â
Jimin stands up and bows a little, âah- yes.âÂ
âThe patient is now stable. She was having acute stress cramps. We have given her the medicines to ease her pain. You can take her home once she is done with her IV drop.â she bows and leaves once she is done with her explanation.Â
Jimin doesnât waste a second more. He runs towards the bed with a whole dialogue playing in his head.Â
âJimin-ah.â she whines as soon as Jimin appears from behind the curtains. âI am so sorry-âÂ
âYes, you should be sorry, Nabi.â he states firmly without giving her any time to form another sentence. âIt has been two years since we broke up. Why do you still have me as your emergency contact? You should have added your family or manager or whoever you wanted! Why me?âÂ
âBecause I wanted you, itâs simple.â She dares to look sad.Â
âNo itâs not simple, Nabi. I have a girlfriend and you keep on trying to create problems between us. As if commenting on my posts and publicly flirting with me isnât enough for you anymore, huh?â Jimin has had enough of her games, not anymore. Today tasted his limits. He is now standing at a point where telling you the truth will endanger the relationship and he is already shit scared about that.Â
âYou know why I do this. You know I love you.â Nabi states, giving him puppy eyes and all.Â
âNo you donât. And you know that too.â Jimin places the pouch of medicine that he bought earlier down and takes his leave.Â
He knows his narrative wonât match with his actions if he suddenly arrives home now. Itâs already way past midnight and according to his own lie, he should only reach home the next evening.Â
But he canât keep lying to you anymore. He will go back now and tell you everything. You are always the one to invest much more emotional effort in this relationship, and if he canât at least be truthful now, he will never be able to forgive himself.Â
Itâs almost thirty past one in the morning when you hear the door lock chiming. No one else knows the code other than you and your boyfriend, so it has to be him.Â
It takes you by surprise. Jimin should not come home so early if he doesnât want you to question his lie.Â
If he actually missed his flight and had to catch another one - he would not be reaching home before 8 the next day. So, what is he trying to play here?Â
The door cracks open, prompting you to turn on your heels and watch your boyfriend tiptoe inside the apartment. You watch as Jimin tries to drag his carrier without making any noise, as he bends down and undoes the shoe laces. You watch him as he sighs, grabs the carrier and tries to lift the entire thing into the living area.Â
âJiminâŠâ you call him and only then he realizes you are sitting on the couch motionlessly.Â
âY/N?â he asks, putting the carrier down and reaching for the light control.Â
As he flicks the switches up, his eyes meet yours.Â
Jimin expected you to be asleep. He thought he would wake up earlier than you, make two cups of coffee, extra cream for you just the way you like and unleash whatever he had done. He would apologize, ask for forgiveness, do whatever you ask him to. That was his plan.Â
So, you catching him red-handed as he sneaks in, tilts his calculations sideways. âY/N, you- you are awake?â he fumbles with his words.Â
Fuck! He is nervous. His fingers are trembling already and his gut is warning him of an impending doom.Â
âWhy? Would it be easier to lie your way around if I was asleep?â your voice comes out cold. Jimin gulps.Â
âThat- actually I- I mean-â Jimin was sure as hell, even a few minutes ago, that he would be able to tell you the truth without having to feel numb and nauseous with the fear of losing you. But as you are standing before him, face straight and stoic, voice colder than he has ever heard you, he doesnât know where to find his will to keep going.Â
âLet me tell you what you mean, Jimin.â you take a step forward. The tornado thatâs raging inside you, takes the charge of your actions. And despite thinking you would let Jimin come clean, you can not stop your mouth from running anymore.Â
Suddenly, the feeling of being wronged and betrayed is too much to bear. You want him to know that you are aware of his conscious choices and you no longer wish to stay understanding about them.Â
âYou mean that your super model ex-girlfriend is way more important than me. So you had to run to her while I waited for you with plates of home-cooked food that I prepared for you.â the tears that you have been fighting for the better part of the evening and night, finally start raining down your eyes.Â
Jimin stiffens. You know? You knew about his whereabouts? How? No! Thatâs not his concern now.Â
âY/N, please listen to me.â he tries to calm you down by taking a few hurried steps towards you. There are tears in your eyes and Jimin doesnât like to see you crying, especially now, because the reason is him.Â
âYes, Jimin. Go ahead. I want to know whyâŠâ you fail to finish the sentence. No matter how big of a bravado you pull, you are scared of his answer. Â
Nabi is way above your competition. She is beautiful, confident, famous - a perfect companion to Jimin. They were the IT couple for the entirety of the time they dated. You watched it all - with your own eyes, while pining for Jimin endlessly.Â
Although you two started dating a little more than a year ago, you and Jimin have been friends for a long time before. And you have been in love with him for half of the shared time. Never being able to gather enough courage to confess to him - you only watched him dating people one after another. None of that seemed to be too serious, but then Nabi came along.Â
They dated for two years - longest in Jiminâs history and you watched whatever hope you had left off dying every single day little by little. Not to go into the details but in your eyes, Nabi was the only partner Jimin appeared to be very whipped for.Â
However, things didnât turn around as you, or Jimin for that matter, expected. They broke up shortly after their two year anniversary.Â
Almost a year later, ten months to be precise, you confessed to him without expecting anything in return. What you wanted was to get the burden off your chest to finally move on and start going to the various blind dates your friends were setting you up on.Â
By some twisted miracle, Jimin did not only accept your confession but he himself confessed to have a thing for you as well. He never thought you would be interested in his flashy life, and hence, stayed reluctant.Â
Now back to the present, you think that you might have been a subject to his interest but was never capable of taking away the place Nabi held, or holds still till now.Â
âShe was rushed to hospital and I was saved as her emergency contact-âÂ
âI know all that, Jimin. I have heard all that.â you cut him off. Whatever explanation he was preparing in his mind, dims right away, âI want to know why did you lie to me? What was the reason behind hiding it all from me? If you told me the truth I wouldnât have stopped you! I wouldnât have pressured you to come back to me, especially when it's something as serious as a medical emergency. Did you lie to me so that I⊠I donât come between you two? So that I stay in the dark while you keep putting her as the top most priority in your life? Is that so?â your mouth runs without a halt. Whatever you kept suppressed up until now comes rushing out of your whole being. Your body jerks as you let your emotions take over.Â
âY/N!â Jiminâs heart squeezes painfully inside his chest, âdonât⊠just donât say stuff like that!â It's a painful realization. You really think he prioritizes Nabi over you? âI know I lied to you. I lied to you because I didnâtâŠâ his voice trembles, âI donât want to lose you. And I was afraid that if I told you the truth at that moment, you would⊠you would walk out of my life. I was afraid that I would come back home to find you⊠find you gone.âÂ
His words settle on the base of your heart like the center of a quake. You feel your resolve shaking. But no.. you canât back down so easily. If you are staying with him, you will have to make sure Jimin never chooses her over you ever again.Â
âAnd you think I canât do that now? I still can walk out, Jimin. I would rather walk out than be a third-wheel between you and your ex." Wiping the tears with the back of your hand, you continue, âI know I am not as pretty or stylish or confident as her. I know well that I am not as suitable as she was for you. And thatâs okay. You donât have to be with me if you donât want to. If you want to go back to her then go ahead, I am not gonna stop you. But be honest with me. Be honest and tell me to fuck off on my face. I promise, Jimin, you will never see me again!âÂ
Jiminâs face falls. His heart lurches inside his chest, before something akin to anger starts bubbling.Â
He takes another step towards you and towers over your smaller form, âyou want me to be honest? You want me to be honest? Okay then-â grabbing you by your bicep, he pulls you close to him. You crash against his chest with a yelp.Â
âI fucking love you so much that I afraid you will leave me if you got to know I had to rush to the hospital! I fucking love you so much that I lied to you, which was a stupid move, because I could have just told you the truth. I love you so much that I yelled at Nabi and blocked her as soon as I was out of the hospital. I love you so much that IâŠ.â a tear tickles down his eye, âthat I- I will go away if you donât want to accept me anymore.â There's a lump in his throat and he hates it. He hates that he has to get these words out. He hates he has been making you feel he doesnât value you enough for all these times when he could have shown how much you actually mean to him.Â
For a stretch of a moment both of you stand still, voiceless, staring at each other as if your eyes would do the talking from now on.Â
The thing is that you are aware of Jiminâs sincerity. If Park Jimin is one thing then he is sincere about the relationships he holds close to his heart. Yes, he is one of those people who are bad at giving. But that doesnât mean he doesnât love. He loves, that too, very deeply, and that is why you are here, still with him, despite all the differences that create chaos between you two.Â
âYou love me?â The question is stupid and repetitive, but you canât stop yourself from asking.
âYes. Yes, I love you. I am in love with you from every single bone of my body.â Jimin replies, wiping his tears. He hates to be a crybaby, but the fear of losing you gripped his heart too much not to let his emotions spill over his eyes.Â
âThen please⊠please donât do something like this ever again, or I will⊠you will never find me again.âÂ
Leaving your biceps, he warps his hands around yours and squeezes gently, âI promise, I wonât. I promise. Please forgive me. Please?âÂ
You nod, âokay. Okay, but just this once.âÂ
âYou wonât have to forgive me twice.â Jimin pulls you closer again. This time he wraps you in his embrace, relishing the warmth of your body, your scent, the comfort of your presence like a hungry beast.Â
You melt in his embrace. Jimin is here. He really is here. Maybe he has chosen to do the wrong thing once but he is here, he is regretting and asking for forgiveness. The effort is visible and you would never stay blind to that.Â
You are so lost in the hug that you donât notice when Jimin has started swiping your hair off of your neck and started pressing kisses on the exposed skin. You jump a little when his cold fingers come in contact with your skin, right under your pj shirt. Â
âJimin-â the whine gets cut off as he shuts you with his lips. The kiss starts soft but turns hungry soon enough. Jimin can not take it anymore.Â
He had been craving you so bad for all these times and just when he was about to get you under him, the mishap happened. But now that everything is over, he can have you. He can have you all to himself.Â
He bites on your lower lip, earning a moan.Â
âYou should eat something, you havenât-âÂ
âNo worries, I am gonna eat for sure.â Jimin adds suggestively as he lifts you up and turns towards the bedroom.Â
The night has been so eventful for you. At first you thought of spending it by watching a movie with your lovely boyfriend. Then you thought you would be staying up crying. Then when Jimin came back, you expected yourself to be all angry and pissed and maybe nurse a heartbreak. But look at you now, you are right where you wanted to be, writhing under Jimin as he makes love to you.Â
Life is unpredictable for sure. It is full of twists and turns. But as long as a day ends well, everything is fine.Â
For Jimin, as long as he can come back home to you⊠everything is fine.Â
