Pollen
he was allergic to flowers. but he gets them for you anyway because he knows how much you love them.
⟢ pairing: neighbor!jungkook x fem!reader
⟢ genre: fluff, a teensy little bit of angst if you squint
⟢ warnings: none, this fic so cute. except maybe for an annoying co-worker. oh and maybe swearing. y/n seems to love swearing.
⟢ word count: ~2.2k
author’s note. so I had an appointment a few days ago. and while queuing (with no internet connection, might I add—how did people live before wifi connections?? let alone, phones??), I had nothing else to do so I started writing to pass the time. I eventually finished it at home bc I couldn’t stop thinking about it lol.
anyway, here’s the fruit of what felt like hours of waiting at the doctor’s office! enjoy!
Ding! Your phone buzzes on your desk just as you shut down your computer.
You were beyond exhausted, and you can’t wait to just get home.
“I’m here :)” you read Jungkook’s text. He never disappoints. You tell him he didn’t have to pick you up every time, but he reasons your workplace was en route home.
You knew it wasn’t, and he had to detour to a ten minute drive, but he insisted anyway.
You text back a quick ‘omw’, pack your stuff, and head to your building’s elevator. The moment it opens though, you internally wince, seeing a dreaded face inside.
“Y/n!” the man happily calls your name, completely disrupting your peace. His tie was all shriveled up, his hair a mess. You wonder why he’s still even in this company where you almost didn’t get hired because your coat was slightly crumpled during your interview.
It wasn’t your fault that the subway was packed that morning.
You swear, the management has its favorites.
“Hey, Jun-hee,” you force a smile, heading inside the confined space. You had no choice, you wanted to get home as quickly as possible.
It’s not like you hated Jun-hee. He’s a smart guy. He’s just messy at times. Oh, and has probably hit on every other girl in your workplace.
It seems like you’re his new target now.
“You haven’t replied to my text, pretty face. Busy much?” he quips, and annoyingly so.
Never mind, you do hate him. Despise him to your core.
“Yeah, sorry ‘bout that.” you mutter.
“Come on now, I just wanna take you to a cute little date. Get to know you more.” he yaps in that high-pitched, annoying voice of his.
You know what he’s saying isn’t true. He just wanted to sleep with you.
“Jun-hee, for the nth time, I’m not interested.” you visibly see him pout, and you internally cringe. What the fuck is this man on?
The elevator finally dings to your favor, and he follows you outside. “Just give me one chance, yeah? I swear I’ll make it worth your while.”
You continue walking, spotting Jungkook’s black benz parked just outside your building’s entrance.
“Do you have a ride home? I can take you.” God, this man just won’t leave you alone.
You let out a breath, forcing a polite smile. “No need, my boyfriend’s here.”
It’s a lie you’ve told before—sometimes to escape creeps at bars, sometimes just to make your mom stop setting you up with her friends’ sons.
Your mom’s still waiting for you to bring him home.
Except, the whole boyfriend thing is a lie and you can’t actually. But, who are you to complain?
You can see an amused expression flash on Jun-hee’s face, like he doesn’t believe your words at all.
A faint click of a car’s door echoes, catching your attention. Jungkook probably spots you exiting the building, because you hear his car’s door open and close, followed by quiet sounds of footsteps on the pavement.
Jun-hee, as self-absorbed as he is, is probably too busy admiring his reflection on the building’s shiny exterior to notice anything else—always stuck in his own little universe where he’s the center of gravity and every woman is supposed to orbit around him.
“Your boyfriend’s picking you up? You’ve never mentioned you had one” he drawls, adjusting his tie like he’s posing for an invisible audience. “Do you even have one at all?”
The fucking nerve of this asshole.
“He’s here,”
A voice comes from behind him, calm, deep, and unmistakably Jungkook’s.
Jun-hee turns, and visibly stiffens in front of you.
You smile at Jungkook, maybe a little too brightly, relief instantly flooding through your chest. “Hey, koo.”
Jungkook smiles back with his boyish demeanor, but then takes one glance at Jun-hee, then back at you. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” you reply, quick and casual. “Just ran into my co-worker.”
Jun-hee laughs awkwardly at that. “Co-worker and friend,” he adds, puffing his chest just a little.
Again, the nerve of this dude. You want to punch him in the face right there and then so he can’t make use of it anymore to prey on every woman he sees. It’s not like it’s working, anyway.
Jungkook hums, clearly unimpressed at the man. “Ah. Nice to meet you.” he steps forward, extending his tattooed hand. His tone was calm and polite, but there’s something in his gaze that makes Jun-hee’s annoying smirk falter.
They shake hands briefly. Jun-hee looks like he’s ready to bolt.
He does just that. “Well, I should…get going” he mumbles, scratching his neck. “See you at work, Y/n.”
You offer a tight-lipped smile. “Sure.”
As Jun-hee walks away, Jungkook turns to you, his brow raised. “That the annoying Jun-hee guy you always talk about?” he whispers.
“Yeah, he’s insufferable.” you whisper-scream, so much so that you think Jun-hee hears it from where he ran to.
“Friend, huh?” he teases.
You groan. “Don’t start.”
Jungkook grins, the tension fading instantly. “Couldn’t help it. You looked like you were about to murder him.”
“Almost did,” you mutter, crossing your arms. “Thanks for saving me, by the way.”
He shrugs. “Anytime.” Then, more teasingly, “Though I did hear something about being your boyfriend?”
You flush. “It was a convenient excuse!”
He chuckles, leading you to the car and opening the passenger door for you.
Before you enter, though, you scrunch your eyebrows. “Hey! You were the one who claimed to be my boyfriend. That ‘he’s here’ dialogue.” you imitate him.
He snorts. “Get in, Y/n.”
“Pfft. You just wanted to act cool!” you tease, slipping inside his car, and he simply laughs and shuts the passenger door in response.
Jungkook walks over to the driver’s side, getting in and shutting the door behind him. He glances at you for a second, before starting his car. “Tiring day?” he asks, in which you hum in response. “As always.”
You settle in the seat, sighing as the day finally melts off your shoulders. The familiar scent of his perfume lingers faintly—clean, warm, and so very him—but there’s something else too. Sweet. Floral.
You blink, glancing around until your eyes land in the backseat.
“Jungkook,” you gasp. “Are those flowers?”
The corner of his lips twitch up when he sees your expression. “Yeah,” he says, like it’s the most casual thing in the world.
And that’s when you notice his nose—slightly red, eyes a bit glassy.
“They’re for you.” he smiles cheekily.
You can only groan in response. “You’re kidding me. You got me flowers? You’re allergic to flowers!”
He laughs, voice soft. “I know.”
“That’s not funny! You could’ve sneezed yourself into another dimension.”
He throws you a grin, one hand casually resting on the steering wheel. “I passed by the shop and thought of you. They had your favorite ones, lillies, right?”
You press your lips together, trying to sound annoyed but failing miserably. “That’s not the point, Jungkook.”
“Sure it is,” he says, mock-serious. “I mean, if my girlfriend–”
“Not girlfriend,” you interrupt quickly.
He raises a brow, clearly enjoying this. “–if my girlfriend likes flowers, then obviously I’m buying them. Even if I have to risk my life for it.”
You snort. “Risk your life? You sneezed, like, twice.”
“Three times,” he corrects with mock indignation. “And it burned.”
You can’t help but laugh, cheeks warm. “You’re ridiculous.”
“But you smiled, so I’d say it was worth it.” He says, glancing at you with that easy smile.
You roll your eyes, trying to hide the way your heart flutters at that.
He drives the car forward, hands fixed on the steering wheel. “See? You’re smiling.” he steals a glance at you.
As the car hums softly down the road, you glance back at the bouquet—pink and white petals glowing under the streetlights—and then at Jungkook, sniffling beside you but still grinning like an idiot.
Your chest pangs.
It’s subtle, but it’s there. A tiny tug of guilt you can’t quite shake off.
Because once upon a time, Jungkook had actually meant it when he said he liked you. Back when you first moved into your building—fresh from graduation, bursting with ambition and plans that didn’t have space for anything else. You remember the day clearly: his shy confession over coffee and your carefully practiced smile when you turned him down.
You’d told him you wanted to focus on yourself, on your career, on the life you’d been working toward for years. And it was true. Every word of it. You didn’t want distractions, didn’t want to risk losing focus, even if that distraction had been someone like Jungkook, all warmth and patience and charm.
He’d only smiled then, nodding with that soft understanding you didn’t deserve. “Friends, then,” he’d said. And he meant it.
Now, months later, he’s still here. Still driving you home, still looking at you like you hung the stars, still buying you flowers even though his allergies are probably killing him.
The irony isn’t lost on you. He already acts like your boyfriend, even when you were the one who said you couldn’t have one.
You steal another glance at him. His cute pointy red nose, soft messy hair, big tired doe-like eyes, but smiling anyway—and your chest tightens again.
“You’re insane, you know.” you murmur, your voice softer this time.
He glances at you, grinning. “You keep saying that, but you’re still here.”
You let out a small laugh, shaking your head. “You’re the one who keeps showing up.”
“Yeah, well,” he says, shrugging one shoulder, “someone’s gotta make sure you actually go home and not back to the office to ‘fix one last email.’”
You gasp dramatically. “I do not do that!”
He snorts. “You literally did that last week.”
“That was one time!”
“Uh-huh.” He glances at you again, lips quivering. “Face it, you’re a workaholic.”
You huff, turning toward the window to hide your smile. “At least I’m passionate.”
He hums in agreement. “I know. That’s one of the things I like about you.”
Your breath catches. He says it so easily, so casually, that you almost wonder if he realizes what he just said. But when you meet his eyes, there’s that same soft fondness you’ve come to know too well. The kind that feels safe, but dangerous all the same.
You look away first. “You’re gonna make me feel bad for turning you down, you know.”
He chuckles under his breath. “That’s not the goal.”
“Good,” you say quickly. “Because I—”
“—already felt bad, I know.” He finishes for you, tone light but knowing. “You don’t have to. Really. Like I’ve said before, I just want to be here. You don’t have to do anything in return.”
You glance back at him, and he smiles—that same boyish, easy smile that makes something in your chest bloom and ache all at once.
“Jungkook,” you sigh, half fond, half exasperated. “You’re supposed to hate me a little.”
He laughs. “Nah. Not when you look that happy with flowers I nearly died for.”
You roll your eyes, but the laugh that escapes you is soft, unguarded. Maybe it’s the exhaustion, or maybe it’s the quiet hum of the car, but when you look at him again, something gentle settles in your chest.
Jungkook’s still sniffling, fighting off another sneeze as he drives, but there’s this calm to him. Like he doesn’t mind any of it—not the detour, not the allergies, not the fact that you once said no.
You rest your chin against your palm, watching the city blur past your window. You used to think love was a distraction, something that could slow you down, pull you away from the version of yourself you were trying so hard to become. But with Jungkook, it never feels that way. He never asks for your time, only offers his. Never demands space, just quietly makes room beside you.
Your gaze drifts to the bouquet in the back seat. The petals tremble slightly with the motion of the car, their color soft and full of life. A few specks of yellow pollen cling everywhere.
But sometimes, the things that make you sneeze are also the things that make you smile.
You glance at Jungkook once again, and your heart does that stupid little stutter.
Maybe love’s a bit like pollen, too. Inconvenient, messy, impossible to control, but worth it, somehow.
He catches your gaze and grins despite the redness in his eyes. “You’re staring,” he teases.
You roll your eyes, trying to hide the smile tugging at your lips. “Just wondering how you’re still breathing.”
“Barely,” he says, dramatically sniffing.
You shake your head, laughing quietly, and lean back into your seat. The car fills with that soft, familiar silence that only exists between people who don’t need words to be comfortable.
The faint scent of the flowers thread through the air—sweet and persistent, just like him.
You close your eyes, thinking that maybe, even if you tried, you wouldn’t be able to keep him out anymore.
Because, if you think about it, Jungkook’s like pollen.
He lingers in the air long after he’s gone, settling quietly on everything he touches.
And no matter how hard you try,
You can’t help but breathe him in.
── .✦ all rights reserved; @imajeon on tumblr 2025. masterlist.
