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"god, seokjin hyung is so hot, isn't he?" jimin swoons after seokjin's retreating visage.
jungkook nods, munching on a donut as he plops down onto the ground, the floor cool and refreshing against his exhausted and sweat-drenched body. the donut tastes sweet, heavenly, and delicious, just like seokjin. sweet, heavenly seokjin who dropped off a box of fresh donuts for jungkook to enjoy during his dance practice.
"hey, so you're pretty close to seokjin hyung, right?" jimin asks tentatively, breaking the comfortable silence between them, the last notes of an exo song fading away as seokjin disappeared into the distance.
"yeah. why do you ask?" jungkook replies absentmindedly, taking another bite.
"um..." jimin starts off nervously. "do you think... you could set me up on a date with hyung?"
"no."
"oh, come on, jungkookie! whatever happened to bros before hos? you're supposed to help me out here."
"did you just call seokjin hyung a ho?"
"you know that's not what i meant. so, are you going to help me get laid or not?"
"i said no."
"why not?!"
"because i'm going out with seokjin hyung." confusion clouds jungkook's features. he thought that was obvious? it's not like he and seokjin were subtle about the pda, openly groping each other's asses in public on a near constant basis.
jimin frowns. "you know, if you don't want me going out with seokjin hyung you could've just said so. no need to make up outrageous lies."
"i'm not lying! we're really dating!"
jimin snorts. "yeah okay. and i'm joining taeyang on his next world tour."
"why don't you believe me?" jungkook is getting frustrated.
"uh, because it's kim seokjin, rising rookie actor, our uni's acting department star and shining beacon of light and hope, actual male god, and he's out of our league?"
"then what makes you think you have a chance and that i don't? you're like four feet tall. not really hyung's type."
"rude. besides, have you seen my ass? i have it on very good authority that he's an avid appreciator of butts." jimin winks and shimmies his hips to flaunt his self-proclaimed glorious ass. then he shoots jungkook a pointed look. "and you're a child."
jungkook's expression turns sour, the sweetness of the donut having long died on his tongue. he hates being called a child. he maybe young, but he's certainly not a child, especially when he's done very adult things with seokjin.
but he only likes my butt! jungkook wants to fire back indignantly. it sounds immature even to his ears so he settles for, "you're barely older than me! and if you saw the things i do with seokjin hyung then you wouldn't be able to call me a child anymore."
"yeah right. i've seen you with hyung. he babies you."
jungkook pauses. it's true that seokjin babies jungkook. seokjin likes spoiling him, and jungkook loves being spoiled—he especially loves it when seokjin calls him baby boy while they're ensconced in the silky satin of their 1500-thread count egyptian cotton sheets. but what jimin doesn't know is that it works both ways, with jungkook massaging seokjin's shoulders when he's too wound up or preparing a hearty, home-cooked meal for him when he's too worn out to do it himself.
"th- that's..." he sputters. he's trying to formulate words to refute jimin but his brain refuses to cooperate. he kind of sucks at this talking thing.
"you don't need to deny it, jungkook ah. it's cute. it's like he's your mother."
that ignites something deep within jungkook's core, fanning the flames until he explodes.
"what the fuck? how is he my goddamn mother? do you pinch your mom's nipples or grab her butt? does your mom slip her hand into your back pocket?"
"well, no..."
"do you go on dates with your mom and let her finish the last bites of your pasta by licking the leftover cream sauce from your lips with her mouth or take you home, heave you against wall with your legs hooked around his waist, and fuck into you senseless that you can't remember your own name? do you—"
"okay, dude i get it. hormones are crazy at your age, but you don't need to recant your every fantasy with seokjin hyung in explicit detail. spare me, please."
"they're not fantasies! they're real life! i'm not some horny teenage brat okay..." jungkook mumbles, voice trailing off at the end. because, well, he kind of is a horny teenage brat, but that's only because seokjin is so hot that he can't help it alright. and it's not like seokjin is very innocent himself either since he happens to love jungkook's thighs a lot. jungkook has the marks on his legs to prove it.
"aw, it's okay, jungkookie. it happens to all of us. it just means you're growing up."
"seriously, go fuck yourself, park jimin." jungkook is tired. he's drained from the dance practice and doesn't have the energy to fight anymore. he bites into another donut, sinking his frustrations into it instead.
"go fuck yourself, jimin hyung," jimin corrects. "and nah, i'm gonna wait for seokjin hyung." he smirks as he reaches for a donut, but jungkook petulantly slaps his hand away. he then grabs the entire box and storms out, abandoning jimin like he's a speck of dust in the wind. jimin's mouth hangs open in shock as he yells something about rude insolent dongsaengs. jungkook grumbles back about traitorous disbelieving asshole friends.
the airy tone of seokjin's voice, reminiscent of an enchanting breeze on a midsummer's night, flitting through the auditorium has jungkook feeling like he's floating in heaven. with the brightness of the stage lights shining down on him and casting a halo around his broad, sculpted-by-gods form, seokjin looks like a literal angel.
jungkook's not the only one who thinks so, because the whole theater seems captivated by seokjin. in particular, he spies the piano accompaniment also staring at seokjin with the same starry-eyed look that mirrors his own. jungkook pushes his tongue to the side of his mouth in annoyance.
he's vaguely familiar with the guy—min yoongi—from attending as many of seokjin's rehearsals he possibly could (partly because he couldn't get enough of seokjin's singing but also to fend off any potential threats lurking in the vicinity, like now). their interactions have been limited to wordless grunts of acknowledgement and glaring daggers at each other in between the breaks of making heart eyes at seokjin though.
so jungkook basks in the opportunity to laugh at yoongi when he hits the wrong keys, distracted by seokjin no doubt, and receives a harsh admonishment. the rest of the rehearsal goes without a hitch however, and jungkook loses himself in the sweet, soft cadence of seokjin's voice resonating in his ears.
jungkook lingers after the rehearsal ends while seokjin bustles around the auditorium discussing with the rest of the cast and crew improvements for the final run of their musical. he's waiting for seokjin to finish up so they can head home together. when seokjin finally has a moment alone, he waves and smiles at jungkook. the brilliance of seokjin's smile intensifies the lights cascading down on him, bathing him in an ethereal glow. jungkook's so mesmerized that he doesn't realize there's another person beside him until he hears yoongi's voice.
"wow," he breathes.
"yeah..." jungkook replies automatically as they both stare. seokjin tilts his head curiously and god, he looks so cute like that. so so cute. the lights illuminate the angles on his face in all the right places, softening his appearance and accentuating his face to give him that innocent, angelic look.
"do you know if seokjin hyung is dating anyone?" his deep voice lilts as he asks wistfully, enthralled by the holy countenance of kim seokjin.
"uh, me?" jungkook finally shifts his gaze toward yoongi, his expression questioning.
yoongi stares at jungkook. he waits. processes the words. then bursts out laughing.
"hahahaha, that's a good one kid." jungkook grimaces.
"what's so funny about that? it's not a joke. we're really dating."
"yeah right, you just follow seokjin hyung around like a little puppy. and you expect me to believe he's dating a snot-nosed brat like you? please."
"why the hell are you so antagonistic to me? what did i ever do to you?"
"because you're literally always here. disrupting our practice."
"i think you were the one who disrupted practice earlier when you screwed up because you couldn't keep it in your pants while staring at seokjin hyung."
"tch. you think you're any better? chasing after seokjin hyung with your big doe eyes and reeking of sad teenage desperation. hyung's too nice to turn away lost, abandoned puppies like you so he indulges you."
"what in the actual fuck? he's not my owner nor am i his damn puppy. and he actually likes spending time with me because i don't look like i hate life 24/7 like you. what can you offer hyung? have you even exchanged more than five words with him?"
"my literary musical genius, cunning wit, exceptional ability to make puns that would make shakespeare jealous. we don't have to talk. we just have this connection. a child like you wouldn't understand."
"can hyung even see you? at least he can look at me in the eyes instead of having to crouch down to make eye contact with you. you're not big enough to satisfy hyung's enormous appetite."
yoongi narrows his eyes into slits at jungkook, murderous intent burning fiercely behind them. jungkook can see the cognitive wheels turning in his head contemplating on whether or not to kill jungkook. yoongi opens his mouth to retort with another scathing remark, but then something behind them shuts him up and makes him clench his jaw.
"hi, jungkookie." seokjin sneaks up on jungkook and envelops him in a warm embrace, "wait long?"
"no, hyung." jungkook cranes his head up to beam at seokjin, lacing his voice with as much aegyo he can muster to purposely up the charm in front of yoongi. he then looks yoongi dead in the eye before twisting in seokjin's arms and pressing a wet, sloppy kiss on his lips.
"missed you," he murmurs when they part. seokjin giggles into jungkook's mouth.
"what, already? but i've been here this whole time." seokjin playfully nips jungkook's nose which makes him yelp. he flails backwards, but seokjin catches him, pulls him closer, and leans in for another kiss but halts after spotting yoongi. he spins jungkook back around and settles for resting his chin on jungkook's shoulder, arms still encompassing his waist.
"sorry, he's a bit needy." seokjin offers yoongi a small, apologetic smile. "oh, and don't worry too much about the scolding. director choi is on edge because the final show is nearing and he wants everything to be perfect. you did good earlier. i'll see you later, yoongi yah." yoongi doesn't answer since his jaw dropped to the floor and stole all of his words with it.
"ready to go now?" seokjin peeks down at his boyfriend.
"yes, hyung," jungkook chirps sweetly, honey dripping from his voice. he lets seokjin steer him out of the theater but not before sparing yoongi a cursory glance, who looks like he's about to vomit from the disgusting, diabetes-inducing, overly saccharine display.
jungkook smirks triumphantly.
the warmth from seokjin's body as jungkook curls into his side and the softness of his breathing has jungkook drifting off into a light slumber, the manhwa in his hand long forgotten. the bookstore's couch is too comfortable and seokjin's fingers raking through his hair is too comforting to resist. he nuzzles his face into seokjin's neck, who grants him a soft smile before returning to the book propped up in his lap.
"excuse me, is this seat taken?"
jungkook cracks one eye open to peer at the intruder. he's tall, neatly dressed with good proportions, and has a nice set of dimples when he smiles.
"yes."
the guy ignores jungkook and situates himself next to seokjin anyway. "hi, i'm kim namjoon."
"kim seokjin. and this—" seokjin fondly pats the top of jungkook's head, "is jeon jungkook. a bit of a brat, but he's harmless."
"he's cute. but, not as cute as you are." jungkook groans into seokjin's neck; he knows where this is going.
"thanks." polite as always, seokjin extends namjoon a perfunctory smile and resumes his reading.
"so, you're interested in nietzsche? i'm fascinated by his works too." jungkook lifts his head to glower dangerously at namjoon, but he doesn't seem to pay him any mind. jungkook thinks that pisses him off more.
"huh, what? oh, i'm reading this for class."
"ah, so you're a philosophy major then? that's cool because it's my minor."
"no, i'm actually an acting major. i'm only taking this class because i need a liberal arts class to graduate."
"ah, i see. well philosophy can be a bit difficult particularly for non-majors. if you're struggling with any of the material i can help explain it to you."
"nah, not really. i'm behind on my reading because jungkookie here wanted to play video games all weekend, and i didn't have the heart to say no. his puppy eyes are seriously too adorable to resist."
namjoon's eyes follow seokjin's as they glance over at jungkook. if he notices jungkook's heated stare, he doesn't say anything. he just tries to salvage the pitiful remnants of his and seokjin's dying conversation.
"oh. so acting huh? i'm in the arts too! music composition and production, to be specific."
"really? our jungkookie is also a music and dance major. what types of songs do you write?"
"rap and hip hop mainly." namjoon brightens up thinking he's found a similar point of interest with seokjin finally. jungkook bites his bottom lip, hardens his glare.
"jungkook specializes in hip hop dancing!"
"do you like hip hop and rap too then, hyung? i can let you listen to a couple of the songs i've written so far if you'd like."
"no, i prefer pop and ballads myself. jungkookie might like them though."
"oh." namjoon visibly deflates.
jungkook snorts.
"is something funny to you, kid?"
"yeah, your lame attempts at flirting with my boyfriend."
"y-your what?"
"boyfriend. do i need to spell it out for you? can't you see us cuddling together here? i thought with your philosophy minor your comprehension skills would be better than that. i'm disappointed, hyung."
"i-i'm sorry. i thought you were brothers or something."
"brothers?" seokjin's eyes trail down from where his fingers are still twisted in jungkook's hair to jungkook's head still resting on his shoulder. they share a look before both turning to stare at namjoon.
"you were doting on him like a little brother..." he tries to explain.
"what, i can't dote on my own boyfriend?" seokjin asks incredulously. namjoon must feel hot shame washing over him as the tanned skin from the back of neck to his cheeks color into a faint pink. he stands up quickly, separating himself from the couple.
"i assumed wrongly. i'll excuse myself now." namjoon walks away flustered, haphazardly bumping into a book display in his hysteria and it topples over. jungkook doesn't bother to hide his gleeful cackle.
seokjin isn't the greatest dancer, jungkook thinks, but he definitely knows how to move his hips as they sway together in tandem to the beat of the music. they grind against each other in perfect synchronization as jungkook slides his hands up seokjin's sides to curl his fingers in seokjin's hair, and seokjin rests his hands on jungkook's hips, dangerously close to the hem of his pants. a mass of bodies surround them but jungkook feels nothing, sees nothing, and hears nothing except for seokjin pressed hotly against him. he smiles into seokjin's neck and breathes in seokjin like he's air when an unfamiliar scent overcrowds his senses.
it sends him reeling back, hands unceremoniously slipping from seokjin's body. before he can register what's happening, someone rips seokjin away from him, placing a hand on his hip and whispering deafeningly in his ear, "hi, beautiful. i'm your hope, i'm your angel."
"what—" seokjin pries the guy's hand off him, violently jerking away. red flashes before jungkook's eyes, and he instinctively shoves the guy away roughly that he stumbles backward into the crowd. the force causes the drink he's cradling in one hand to splash a bit across the sticky floor.
"what the fuck are you doing?" jungkook growls.
"i was trying to dance?" the guy scratches the back of his head, disoriented and like he's not quite sure what happened. he's confused or tipsy or both.
"with my boyfriend?!"
"boyfriend?" his face twists exaggeratedly in bewilderment like they're instructions to a ramyun packet he's too drunk to figure out.
"yes. boyfriend," seokjin answers, drawing jungkook into an intimate back hug to indicate that yes, they are in fact dating. as if the thin fabric of their jeans being the only thing separating their dicks a few moments ago wasn't enough of a sign.
"what in the hell made you think it was okay for you to try to dance with me when i'm clearly with someone?" seokjin tries to keep his voice steady and controlled, but jungkook can detect the anger thinly concealed within his words. it would turn jungkook on if his face wasn't set into a heavy scowl with his hands clenched tightly into fists, menacing and hardwired to pummel off the guy's baffled expression.
"i'm sorry man. i just thought you were bros?"
"bros? do bros typically grind on each other?" an odd concoction of righteous anger and genuine confusion bubble inside jungkook.
"really good bros?"
"the fuck? are you normally this stupid or is it the alcohol talking?"
"...aren't you kind of young though? can you even drink?" the guy asks curiously, sipping on his cocktail to drive his point home.
"i'm old enough to be let into this club. you can fuck off now."
"well," he leers in seokjin's direction, "i'm hoseok in case you want to trade up from barely legal to literal sunshine on the streets but a freak in the sheets and whore on the dance floor." he winks, larger-and-brighter-than-the-sun smile engulfing his entire face, and stalks off in search of someone else to dance with or more drinks since his glass looks perilously empty.
seokjin tugs jungkook and squeezes him in close before he can punch hoseok's lights out. trapped, he screams out, "better get some water before you die of dehydration from insatiable thirst!"
jungkook hums around a forkful of cake which he readily accepts from seokjin's gracious fingers. the cake is sweet, but it tastes even sweeter when it's from seokjin, especially when he's perched on seokjin's lap, arms wrapped securely around seokjin's thin waist. he grins at seokjin, savoring the delicate taste as it dissolves on his tongue. he then cheekily opens his mouth again, signaling for seokjin to feed him another piece.
"what, you don't have hands?" seokjin gripes, but he indulges jungkook anyway. "god, you're such a messy eater," he complains, thumb swiping at the corner of jungkook's mouth to wipe away the crumbs and icing that collected there.
hypnotized by the sight of seokjin smiling tenderly at him with his thumb still pressed lightly against his lips, jungkook hardly registers the sound of metal scraping across the floor and the shadow of a figure sliding into the chair opposite of them.
a deep, booming voice breaks his trance, however, and his head snaps up to greet the face of the uninvited stranger.
"are you a quadruple shot non-fat mocha latte with extra whip and caramel drizzled on top? because you're raising my heart rate and you look steaming hot and overwhelmingly sweet." his eyes glaze over seokjin's broad shoulders down to what he can make of seokjin's tiny waist and then up the planes of seokjin's handsome face like he's the most delectable, mouth-watering slice of cake the cafe has to offer. then adds with a sly grin, "and i bet you taste absolutely scrumptious too."
jungkook almost chokes. he looks at the stranger, then at seokjin, at his arms enclosing seokjin's waist and then down at his position on seokjin's lap, then back at the stranger.
"seriously?" he asks incredulously. if his brow raised any higher it'd touch the moon.
"hush, i'm talking to the pretty hyung, not you child." the stranger continues smiling, blissfully unaware, his boxy grin stretched wide across his face like he hadn't just hit on jungkook's boyfriend whose lap his ass has currently taken residence on. with a pickup line so bad that even jungkook's shy, awkward 14-year-old self could've put to shame. and that jungkook couldn't properly string together a compliment without blushing furiously, words tumbling out in broken fragments in the completely wrong order.
jungkook gawks, an offended squeak escaping his lips. "listen, you fucking d—"
seokjin cuts him off by placing a gentle hand on jungkook's back, rubbing soothing circles in attempt to calm him down. "uh thanks? that's ...um—"
"kim taehyung." the guy supplies, completely unprompted. "fashion design major, semi-famous instagram user vtaetae_vangough95, and aspiring model soon to be gracing the runways of milan fashion week decked out in gucci from head to toe, taking the fashion world by storm with my unrivaled facial symmetry and impeccable sense of style. you look like you could be a model too hyung, printed on the cover of vogue korea."
jungkook doesn't remember anyone fucking asking. and, gucci really? with his ripped up navy sweater like he got mauled by a wild bear underneath a mustard yellow duster coat adorned with cheap pins from the 500won bin and patches that sport nonsense english phrases? in the middle of the fucking sweltering heat of summer? and he's wearing 6000won holographic reflective sunglasses straight from the h&m reject pile on the back of his head for fuck's sake. what third-rate university accepted this clown into their fashion program? jungkook doesn't understand fashion but he's pretty sure mixing and matching pieces from sm's trashcan blindly isn't it. he's about to say as much but seokjin speaks up before he gets the chance.
"right, taehyung. listen, i'm flattered you think i'm hot, but i'm already here with my boyfriend."
"what? who? where?" taehyung whips his head around, eyes flickering across the cafe in search of this so-called boyfriend, bypassing jungkook entirely. jungkook scoffs loudly enough to seize taehyung's attention, who turns to finally settle his gaze on jungkook. "wait... you can't possibly mean ...him?" taehyung asks, finger pointed accusingly at jungkook. seokjin nods.
"really?"
this time jungkook can't help it when he balks, "what part of his fucking dick being only a couple of centimeters away from my ass makes it hard for you to understand that we're dating? or are you too stupid to pick up the obvious glaring social cues?"
"woah, chill. i don't know man, you just look like an overgrown puppy." he shrugs.
"what in the actual fuck?" jungkook barks.
"anyway, so hyung—"
"did you not get it the first time? we're dating. fuck off."
"you know, you look cute and all, but you're actually kind of mean. like a chihuahua." taehyung nods sagely like he's made a new scientific discovery worthy of winning a nobel prize.
"w-what?!" jungkook is livid. he's 0.000000001 seconds away from lunging across the table and strangling taehyung. in fact, he's already lurching forward, but seokjin circles his strong arms around jungkook's waist to hold him firmly in place. jungkook tries to reach for the hot coffee instead, but seokjin has his hands on his in an instant, entwining their fingers together. it effectively stops jungkook.
"taehyung-ssi, you should probably go now," seokjin states at the same time jungkook cries out, "hyung! let me go! i'm gonna shove my foot so far up his ass, he'll be eating his own shit instead of dick!"
jungkook's face must have contorted into one of pure, unadulterated rage because taehyung actually recoils in fear. seokjin remains eerily calm, having bared witness to many similar instances of jungkook's jealousy.
"well, okay. this has been ...fun. anyway hyung, whenever you break up with this meaniebutt over here, don't forget to call me!" taehyung slaps down a crumpled napkin on the table with some numbers messily scrawled on it before he darts out of the cafe at the speed of light.
it takes all of seokjin's strength to stop jungkook from giving chase and painting the cafe's walls crimson with taehyung's blood.
"what's wrong?"
"huh, what? nothing's wrong. everything's fine," jungkook vehemently denies, refusing to meet seokjin's eyes. he doesn't want to have this conversation, not right now. he's still stewing in his bad mood leftover from their dinner earlier. leave him alone to drown in his teenage angst please.
"jungkook." his tone is firm, unyielding. jungkook can feel seokjin's piercing gaze fixed on him.
"what?"
"you hardly touched your dinner tonight and you love food almost as much as me. something's wrong. tell me." seokjin dips behind jungkook on the mattress to blanket him in his arms. he drops his head onto jungkook's shoulder and nudges him gently. jungkook sighs and finally relents. knowing seokjin's stubborn streak, he'll keep pressing until he can get his answer.
jungkook isn't sure why he's even trying to deny it. of course seokjin would sense something is wrong when the usually clingy jeon jungkook distanced himself in an act of petty rebellion, shrugging off seokjin's touches and snapping at the most mundane comments. he couldn't help it; dinner had been an arduous affair with no less than three people hitting on seokjin that night. the immense frustration it roused in him killed his normally massive appetite that he resorted to stabbing the food on his plate in retaliation.
by now, jungkook has gotten used to it. he's used to swallowing down his jealousy when seokjin's stunningly good looks attract unwanted attention from yet another random passerby. he's had ample practice since before they started dating, which ultimately led to jungkook's eventual confession when he couldn't endure it anymore.
("jeon jungkook. what's gotten into you tonight? you're more aggressive than usual."
"i have no idea what you're talking about," he breathed out, voice surprisingly level as he feigned ignorance.
"really? how about why you shoved jaehwan when we were watching the movie earlier."
jungkook's mind flashed back to the horror movie scene playing in front of his eyes in excruciatingly gory, hd detail: jaehwan casually stretched over seokjin, their long limbs twisted together like a pretzel. he couldn't tell where seokjin's body ended and where jaehwan's began. his insides burned in jealousy, and it spread through him like wildfire, smoke shrouding his judgment in a dizzying haze. before he could think clearly, he wrenched jaehwan off of seokjin and, curse his muscles because he accidentally used a bit more strength than intended and sent jaehwan flying into the coffee table, knocking over the snacks strewn across it.
"he was draping himself all over you and it was annoying okay! and it was only a slight push! not my fault he's so weak that he fell..."
"slight?" seokjin raised an eyebrow. "you almost broke his nose from the sheer impact when he crashed face first into the coffee table."
cue a flurry of popcorn and bodies swirling around the room in a panic as they rushed to assess the damage and administer aid. there was no mess of blood and tears though, thank god, and sandeul escorted jaehwan out of the apartment nursing only a bruised nose and ego. he didn't even need the help; jungkook suspected he made a spectacle of it to make him feel guilty. jungkook didn't plan on hurting jaehwan, but he couldn't bring himself to feel sorry at the moment, so he glared in lieu of a response. his radio silence stifled the already tense atmosphere. seokjin ran a hand down his face, exasperation and exhaustion sweeping over him and marring his handsome features. jungkook almost felt sorry. almost.
"why did jaehwan 'draping himself all over me' bother you so much? we weren't disturbing you. he was just being affectionate in a totally platonic way. you always seem to get annoyed whenever anyone touches me or looks at me the wrong way."
jungkook wanted to argue that it didn't look platonic to him. instead he blurted out, completely unintentionally, his real feelings. "i just don't like it when people get too close to you!"
"why?"
"because i like you!"
they both froze.
"...what?"
shit. jungkook didn't mean for that to come out. his cheeks burned in embarrassment. flushing a bright red, he averted his eyes away from seokjin so fast he almost got whiplash. he was too afraid to face seokjin, see the inevitable look of horror reflected in his eyes, and suffer from the acrid sting of rejection. he stared at the floor instead hoping that it would eat him up. "i-i'm sorry. i didn't mean to... hyung, can we forget that? please?"
"no." seokjin wasn't going to let him live, huh? was this the world's cosmic punishment for teasing his hyung too much?
"huh, why?!" jungkook jerked his head back up to protest, and his heart constricted when he noticed seokjin standing right. in. front. of. him. with a smug grin and a mysterious glint in his eye. jungkook gulped.
"because i like you too, dumbass.")
seokjin's own confession quelled all the self-doubt jungkook harbored about seokjin returning his feelings, convinced that seokjin would never feel the same because he only thought of jungkook as a kid. his friends reinforced the idea by ridiculing his crush, reducing it to a mere puppy love and amounting it to simply an intense admiration akin to fans' love for their idols. seokjin proved them all wrong however, and jungkook's confidence soared.
times like this though, that buried insecurity rises to the surface and takes his mind hostage. the familiar stabbing of his chest from biting taunts disguised as lighthearted jabs ("aw, is little kookie lusting after yaoi prince jinnie sunbae?" and "better control your thirst, jeon, or hyung'll break your heart when he lets you down") serve as a bitter memory of when his life read like a cliche shoujo manga starring seokjin as the quintessential hero, complete with the requisite sparkles and army of adoring fans, and jungkook was only a nameless side character. and now that jungkook achieved the impossible feat of winning over the unattainable seokjin despite all obstacles, people still didn't take him seriously. it hurts more than he'd like to admit.
"i-i just. i just don't understand why everyone thinks we can't possibly be a thing. am i not good enough for you?" he mumbles quietly into seokjin's chest. he hates feeling like this. it makes him feel weak, childish.
"jungkook ah." seokjin tenses, and jungkook feels it through seokin's grip on him tightening, pulling him impossibly closer.
"don't think things like that. don't you know how amazing you are? you're endlessly talented. you're such a good dancer, perfectly executing those difficult moves which would have me twist my ankle if i attempted. you're a natural. you shine on the stage like you were born on it. seeing your hard work and ambitious drive inspires me, too. you're kind, always helping me with chores around the apartment, still compliment my cooking and lick your plate clean the times when i use too much sesame oil and not enough salt, practice lines with me when you're already busy with your own work. you're funny and always make me laugh, and though you insist my dad jokes suck, you crack up at them anyway, cheer me up when i'm down, encourage me when i doubt myself and feel like shit. you're so beautiful, jungkook ah. you're more than enough. you're perfect to me, okay. you know i love you, right?"
he knows. he knows seokjin loves him, has spent inordinate time tracing it into his palms and whispering it into his ears and mouthing it against his skin. but does he reciprocate and let seokjin experience the same flutters that he does? he knows he excels at certain things; singing, dancing, athletics, kicking people's asses in video games, making seokjin laugh with that annoying squeaky laughter of his, confidence overflowing to the point of cockiness sometimes. he knows he's attractive too, even if he likes to parade everywhere in loose t-shirts and baggy pants, or better yet seokjin's oversized hoodies, that do nothing to show off his sculpted body. seokjin knows though; has seen it, touched it, revered it like the masterpiece it is and it's another source of pride he has.
what he lacks though is the outstanding social skills that seokjin possesses in spades, and it makes him feel inadequate at times when he watches people sidle up to seokjin, engaging him in easy conversation which took jungkook weeks to work up the nerve to do. it's a sore spot since it's the one thing he can't compete with. he's just so irrevocably bad at communicating his feelings. he doesn't shower seokjin with the sweet honeyed words of affection that he deserves. he can't properly express the depth of his feelings with words, can't sweep seokjin off his feet with sonnets of how deep and gorgeous his eyes are the way that others can. will jungkook, with his petty jealously and obsessive clingyness and relentless teasing, ever let seokjin feel cherished the way seokjin makes him feel, in a way that no one else can?
"of course i do, hyung. but sometimes, it gets to me you know. everyone thinks it. i feel like at this point even if i suck your dick in public people still won't think we're dating."
seokjin laughs at that. like full blown wheezing, windshield-wiping laughter.
"hyung, i'm being serious right now!"
"i'm sorry, jungkook ah. but, you are aware that sounds ridiculous, right?"
the vibrations of seokjin's laughter combined with his heartfelt confession reverberate throughout jungkook and he feels inexplicably lighter. he's never really been able to resist his hyung's infectious laughter. and well, he is right about the ridiculousness of the situation.
"...yeah, i guess. i know i shouldn't be but it always surprises how truly stupid and oblivious people can be."
"see? they're being stupid. you have nothing to worry about." jungkook hums as seokjin begins threading his fingers through jungkook's hair. he melts into seokjin's hold, mood lifting as the negative feelings begin to dissipate into thin air.
"you know, i think you secretly like all the attention." jungkook teases.
"it's nice, i won't lie. but none of it compares to the attention from you."
"cheesy." jungkook snuggles closer into seokjin though, relaxing against his ministrations.
"feel better now?"
"hm. a bit."
"only a bit?" seokjin asks with a quirk of an eyebrow and a tinge of warning in his voice.
"yeah. maybe you should tell me more about how i'm perfect."
"oh my god. you're unbelievable." seokjin tries to shove his boyfriend away, but jungkook grapples onto him. he squeezes his arms around seokjin and clings to him like a koala. big smiles break across both their faces, stretching from the corners of their mouths all the way to their eyes, and jungkook hopes the glimmer in his eyes can convey what he can't say aloud, how much he truly loves and appreciates seokjin.
seokjin's hands gently cup jungkook's face so he can gaze directly into his eyes.
"hey, jungkook. listen up. it doesn't matter what anyone thinks of us because the only thing that really matters is that we both have each other and we love each other and we know how we feel. you make me happy in ways other people can't. nothing can take that away from us. no one can change how i feel about you. their opinions can't affect anything, so try not to let them bother you so much okay? fuck them all."
"seriously so cheesy. i don't know why i love you." jungkook wrinkles his nose. but there's no bite in his voice as he maneuvers seokjin down onto his back on their bed to straddle his waist. he grins at seokjin's easy acquiescence.
"wow, i'm pouring my heart out to you and this is the response i get? i take it back. i don't love you anymore," seokjin replies dramatically in mock-hurt, a hand clutching his heart for emphasis.
"nooooo hyung, you can't take it back. it's too late. you already confessed." he smirks and drags seokjin's hand on his chest away to interlace their fingers together. "i love you too though, you know, don't you?" he whispers quietly. he waits for seokjin's affirmative nod before leaning down to capture his lips.
seokjin presses back, slow kisses growing more fervent as he tugs jungkook closer so their bodies lie flush together. he swallows all of jungkook's soft little gasps, kissing away every doubt, worry, insecurity that jungkook has until they disperse into nothingness. jungkook drinks in the love and affection seokjin pours into each kiss until he's intoxicated by the warmth of seokjin's pliant body beneath him and the feeling of seokjin's plush lips against his. he ghosts 'i love you' across every inch of seokjin's skin in recompense, engraving it into seokjin's heart so everywhere he goes there's jungkook reminding him that he's loved too. they lose themselves in each other until the world fades till there's nothing but seokjin and jungkook, just their mouths and bodies and hearts uniting into one against the world.