Archive of Our Own

 one

“you did what?”

it was clear as day that taehyung was getting his kicks from the mess jungkook found himself in, if the ear-to-ear grin splitting taehyung’s face in half was anything jungkook could go by.

he should really consider finding better friends.

“i panicked, okay?” jungkook retorted through his gritted teeth, rummaging through the contents of their minifridge since this critical situation was calling for banana milk, and he was pretty sure there should be at least one bottle left from his last trip to the store. “she confessed, and i tried to reject her as gently as i could. but then she started to cry, and you know how crying girls make me nervous.”

“aw, jungkookie,” taehyung cooed, and if jungkook was within his reach, he would probably ruffle his hair too. “is nervous a new word for being scared shitless?”

“why am i even telling you this? you’re the worst,” jungkook grumbled in reply.

he spotted two familiar bottles with a green cap so he thanked for the self-control his past self had to show. after getting the milk, he kicked the fridge door close.

“jimin would actually disagree with you.”

“well, your boyfriend’s opinion doesn’t count because both of you think with your dicks when you’re around each other.”

“true, true.” taehyung let out a sigh that could be described only as dreamy which was how he usually got whenever the name of his other half was brought up. “but back to your story – so you broke that poor girl’s heart-“

“i didn’t want to!” jungkook argued and took a sip of his milk. there was nothing better than banana milk to soothe his mind and soul.

“- and then what? you just lied and told her you were gay, and that you were currently dating someone else?”

“basically, yes.”

taehyung laughed out loud, and since he was lying down, it sounded even deeper and more sinister.

“i’m sorry, but how was that supposed to help your case?”

“i thought that it would discourage her and the other girls as well, if the word got around.” jungkook ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “because all these confessions are just getting out of hand.”

“ah, you poor thing,” taehyung said, but it didn’t sound sympathetic at all. “it must be so hard to live this every straight guy’s dream where every girl on campus is thirsting after you. what a tragedy.”

in terms of looks, jungkook was quite average – handsome, but not in a way that would send passer-bys down on their asses. but ever since he had competed in the swimming championship, where he had beaten out the guy from the rival university and got back his school’s glory after seven years, girls were lining up to ask him out, to his dismay.

“i’m not interested.”

“too bad your plan didn’t work out then.”

“it’s even worse,” jungkook said as he sat down on the floor and leaned his back against the bed.  “actually, i’m pretty sure they know i’m lying. some of them think i’m hiding a girlfriend, so they are following me everywhere, desperately trying to find out who i am dating.”

“that sucks man.”

“what should i do?” jungkook asked with a frown as he felt the milk getting sour just from recounting the events of these two last weeks.

yawning, taehyung rolled onto his side to look at him.

“i don’t know, tell them the truth?”

“are you crazy?”

“in that case, there isn’t much that can be done,” taehyung said, shrugging, before his eyes widened as a thought ran through his mind. “unless…”

since living with taehyung had prepared him for all sort of things, jungkook didn’t even bat an eye when the other abruptly sat up.

“unless what?” jungkook asked simply.

“how comfortable would you be with a dude around you? and when i say around, i mean in your personal bubble.”

narrowing his eyes in suspicion, jungkook stopped nibbling the straw in his mouth.

“why on earth are you asking something like that?”

“oh, i’ve just got the greatest idea,” taehyung answered with a mischievous grin that only meant trouble. “and i know someone, who could help us.”

-

and that’s how, one week later, jungkook ended up sweating under the gaze of his supposed saviour, only in his worn-out basketball shorts.

“this is seokjin-hyung,” taehyung beamed as he proudly threw his arm over the guy’s shoulders. “my cousin.”

since taehyung himself was very good-looking, it was only logical that he was related to a god. because that’s what taehyung’s cousin was – a greek god walking among mortals.

with self-consciousness starting to creep over him, jungkook found it incredibly unfair how nature was in some cases overly generous, while being stingy elsewhere.

the more he looked at seokjin, the more he realized how stupid taehyung’s plan was.

“what’s up,” seokjin said, smiling and raising his hand in greeting.

since meeting new people always made him a bit tongue-tied, jungkook only managed to nod at him awkwardly.

“hyung is an acting major in konkuk. isn’t that great?” taehyung said as he was bubbling with excitement.  “honestly, who could be better at pretending to be your gay boyfriend than an actual actor and gay?”

seokjin, who had been quietly looking around their messy room, immediately turned his attention to them.

“excuse me?” he said in a voice that could be placed somewhere between bewilderment and indignation.

“you said he agreed to do it,” jungkook hissed, pinning taehyung with a withering look. “so, you didn’t tell him, at all?”

“tell me what, tae?” seokjin crossed his arms over his chest, furrowing. “when you called to ask me a favor, i thought you needed a lift, or wanted to borrow a car, or something. now, what is this really about?”

“don’t worry, hyung, i’ll explain it to you,” said taehyung, leading his cousin to the chair by his desk.

“please, do,” said seokjin warily as he let taehyung push him to sit down. “or i am leaving.”

when taehyung started, jungkook couldn’t help himself but bury his face in his pillow. he wished the ground would just swallow him up, thus putting a quick end to his mortifying embarrassment.

“so, let me get this straight,” seokjin said once taehyung was done, chuckling for a moment because of his pun. “your friend here is not gay, but is pretending to be one, because he doesn’t like the attention the girls are giving him, so i’m supposed to be his fake boyfriend?”

after hearing it coming from seokjin’s mouth, jungkook just wanted to scream and die. but not before strangling his roommate for getting him into this situation in the first place.

“that’s basically it,” taehyung confirmed with a casual smile as if they were discussing a regular math problem, and not a plan that could easily be a script for the next tv drama.

“but how does it even make a sense?”

“it does, so don’t stress over it too much,” taehyung replied and reached out to pat seokjin on his knee.  “can you just, please, help jungkook out?”

seokjin fell silent and narrowed his eyes as if he was seriously contemplating the request.

“this will cost you a lot,” he said finally, making jungkook’s head snap up.

“but we’re family,” taehyung whined.

“he,” seokjin said and pointed at jungkook, “is not my family. moreover, what kind of family force you to fake date somebody? so nope, give me your best offer or this deal is over.”

it was like watching a ping-pong match, with the things getting really interesting now. yet, jungkook couldn’t decide whether he liked it or not.

taehyung, on the other hand, seemed to be on top of the situation.

“i wanted to be nice and civilized, but you leave me with no other choice,” he sighed nonchalantly, even cracking his fingers before glancing up at seokjin. “june 18, 2014, hyung.”

jumping to his feet, seokjin seemed to be caught off guard as he opened his mouth, only to close it right afterwards, without saying anything.

when he finally did, it was through gritted teeth, his eyes burning with an unspoken threat.

“you wouldn’t...”

“try me,” taehyung challenged him with his characteristic smirk since he knew that victory was already on his side.

“you little shit,” seokjin said in a lower voice as he stared back, but taehyund didn’t waver. eventually, seokjin groaned and ran his hand through his hair in exasperation, surrending.

“so, what exactly do you want me to do?”

“i don’t know, some hand holding, hugs, maybe pecks?” taehyung shrugged before glancing at jungkook. “i am not sure how comfortable would kook be with full on kisses, not mentioning some tongue action.”

since he had been mostly ignored throughout the exchange that taehyung and seokjin had, it was weird and uncomfortable to suddenly feel the two pairs of eyes on him.

it took jungkook some time before he registered what taehyung had said. something about kissing... wait, what? kissing? who-? was seokjin going to kiss him? no, no, no... no, absolutely not, no. no. he hadn’t sign up for this. no.

the panic must have been evident because seokjin nudged his cousin and nodded to the door.

“tae, can you go out for a bit? let me talk to...” seokjin paused as he looked at jungkook.

“jungkook,” he supplied, croaking since he tried to grasp what was happening. because, kissing? him and seokjin?

“right, jungkook,” seokjin repeated, turning back to taehyung who just rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically.

“fine, you better make it quick though.”

cocking his eyebrow meaningfully, seokjin smirked.

“is that what jimin tells you everytime?”

“no, we’re always slow and vanilla tender,” taehyung answered casually as he grabbed his phone, playfully patting seokjin on a cheek.

“like i would believe you, you mustang,” said seokjin with a laugh and a wink, the two of them sharing some kind of inside joke. in reply, taehyung only shoot finger guns at him before leaving them alone.

“okay, now,” said seokjin and clapped his hands like he was about to give a speech. “you and me, let’s talk about this.”

well, too bad jungkook didn’t feel like talking at all, at least not about that.

“kissing...” he started hesitantly.

seokjin tilted his head as he leaned over, resting his arms and elbows on his knees. “sorry, what was that?”

“do we have to kiss?” jungkook tried again once he had cleared his throat. “i mean, no offence, you’re handsome and all, but i’m not kissing a dude. i’m still, um, straight, you know.”

raising one of his eyebrows, seokjin leaned back in the chair with an unreadable expression on his face. “yes, i’m aware of that. homosexuality is not a damn flu that you can just catch though.”

“i’m sorry, i didn’t mean to-“

“i’m just saying that kissing a guy doesn’t automatically turn you into a gay,” seokjin emphasized with a fixed look that made jungkook feel a bit ashamed. “but no kissing, i get it.”

“so, you’re going to do it?” jungkook was not exactly sure what he hoped to hear more - seokjin accepting the offer, or flat-out rejecting it.

the same doubt seemed to trouble seokjin as well since he heaved a resigned sigh.

“you mean being your fake boyfriend? it’s not like i have a choice.”

“i could pay you. for your help, i mean. not much, but-“

“keep your money. take it as a favour that i may collect one day,” said seokjin, shrugging while slowly spinning in the old swivel chair. “ok, but what will this fake dating thing involve?”

that was something jungkook would love to know as well.

“i haven’t thought that through...”

“hm,” seokjin hummed, already deep in thought. after a moment of silence, he suddenly got up and marched towards jungkook, plopping down on the bed right next to him.

jungkook instinctively jerked away when he felt seokjin’s leg pressed against his.

“whoa, what are you doing?”

“testing the waters, what else, you einstein,” said seokjin as he moved closer.

“what?”

furrowing, jungkook tried to scoot over, but seokjin only followed suit.

“can you, please, calm down?” seokjin sighed again and put his arm around jungkook’s shoulders to keep him still. “i know this must be quite awkward for you, but if we want people to believe that we’re a thing, you will have to get used to this.”

seokjin’s remark made jungkook freeze and he stopped squirming because the guy had a point. as jungkook had learned a long time ago, everything had its price, and in this case it meant some sacrifices on his side.

“but what about you?” jungkook wondered, ignoring how extremely close they were sitting together and how he was starting to sweat everywhere.

“me? i’m an actor,” seokjin said with an amused smile as if it wasn’t obvious. “and you’re cute, so that’s a plus.”

since he had no idea how to respond to that except by blushing, jungkook dropped his gaze, suddenly interested in the pattern of the trampled carpet in their room.

as if it wasn’t already weird enough, seokjin decided to place his other hand that wasn’t squeezing jungkook’s shoulder on his knee.

“is this okay?” he asked carefully.

no.

“i-i guess.”

“look, i won’t do anything that would make you uncomfortable, so just tell me, okay?”

truthfully, jungkook had been uncomfortable since taehyung had suggested this plan, and seokjin’s presence did not added to that feeling either. but he really needed his help so there was no place nor time for backing out.

“okay.”

with this permission, seokjin slid his arm around jungkook’s neck more comfortably, letting it hang there loosely.

“have you ever been this close to a guy?” seokjin’s voice got lower and jungkook could almost feel his words tickling him behind his ear. whatever was happening, jungkook’s confused mind seemed to shortcut, refusing to process the current situation.

“i used to do wrestling,” jungkook said, not even sure how he managed to do so while sounding so casual.

but seokjin apparently liked his answer because he started to laugh.

“great, then think of this as a wrestling practice.”

jungkook was tempted to retort that this was nothing like any of his past training sessions but his breath hitched when seokjin’s face got nearer, staying just inches from his.

seokjin must have noticed his disconcert, because he moved back right away.

“i’m sorry, too much?” seokjin chuckled, not sounding a bit apologetic as he leaned back and tilted his head in amusement. “oh, this will be fun.”

jungkook was starting to really hate him. actually, it made perfect sense now that taehyung and seokjin were related because it must have been naturally inscribed in the kims’ genetic coda to make jungkook’s life miserable.

“i have to go now, but tae will give you my number, and we will sort out the details later,” seokjin said while getting off the bed. with a wink and a flirty smile, he slightly slapped jungkook on the back. “well, i guess i’ll see you soon, babe.”

seokjin then opened the door, so taehyung, who had been sitting on the floor with his back against it, fell inside. grinning, seokjin bent down to pinch his cheek before skipping away.

“what did you two do in here?” taehyung asked once he crawled back into the room.

“nothing, just...”

taehyung’s eyes narrowed as he scrutinized jungkook’s face, searching for the answer there.

“just?”

“...some planning.”

“oh, really.”

“yeah, really,” jungkook said with finality. “by the way, what happened in june 2014?”

enigmatic like mona lisa herself, taehyung chuckled at the mention of that particular summer that had supplied him with quality blackmailing material for life.

“something that my hyung would rather forget.”

two

the silence kept stretching out since everyone was pretending to be focusing on their food, not daring to speak out first in the presence of mr kim.

jungkook knew that meeting seokjin’s parents would be a nerve-wracking experience, but no one had warned him it could reach this level of torture. despite the unbelievably scrumptious food, which could easily be worth his month’s rent, jungkook had never gone through a dinner this uncomfortable and stressful where swallowing a simple bite would be a challenge.

“how’s the steak?”

seokjin glanced up from his plate, but his eyes immediately dropped under his father’s direct gaze.

“good,” he answered courtly, his face expressionless and unreadable like one of the professional masks he usually put on for the press. but attuned to the slightest nuances of seokjin’s demeanour, jungkook could tell that he was on edge. his assumption was confirmed only a second later when seokjin downed his third glass of wine.

“just good?” mr kim scoffed, while cutting himself another bite of the large piece of meat. “this is how perfect beef steak should be done.”

it was the first nice thing seokjin’s father said since they had sat down at the table – after grumbling about the weather and the traffic, he had criticised his wife for reserving a table in the middle of the restaurant. then he had complained about the service and proceeded to comment on seokjin’s bleached hair as well as his blazer. eventually, he hadn’t left out seokjin’s choice of career either after asking him about his latest film.

to be honest, jungkook found it actually surprising that there was something that could please the man, after all.

“what about you, son? do you like the meat?” mr kim asked, still chewing, as he turned his attention to jungkook for the first time that evening.

jungkook quickly swallowed the half-chewed food in his mouth.

“it’s delicious, sir,” he said, slightly proud that he managed to answer without stuttering, which mr kim appreciated with a nod.

“you look quite young,” said mr kim after a while, “how old are you again?”

“twenty-four, sir.”

“twenty-four!” mr kim exclaimed loudly, the tone of his voice amused, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “are you, now, robbing cradles, seokjin?”

seokjin didn’t join his father in his laughter, and with a hand tightly clutching the glass, he decided to take another sip of his wine instead.

“five years isn’t that much of a difference, honey,” said mrs kim as she had taken on the role of the mediator between her husband and her son, probably cutting in to save the conversation and lighten the mood.

“they are in completely different life phases,” mr kim argued, this time with no humour.

he looked back at jungkook who instinctively sat up straight like he would at a job interview. or at a police station. “and what are you doing, right now? studying?”

“yes, i’ll be graduating this year.”

“major?”

“graphic design.”

“so, an artist! an actor dating an artist, what a couple you are,” snorted mr kim. “and after school? what job can you get with that degree?”

“dad,” said seokjin with a sigh, but it sounded almost like a silent warning.

“what?” without faltering, mr kim kept filling his mouth, clearly enjoying his dinner. like this, it was alarming how he and seokjin resembled each other, yet they couldn’t be more different. “i’m just asking him about his future plans. there’s nothing wrong with a few basic questions.”

“no, you’re interrogating him.”

“son, if you bring a stranger, to a family dinner, don’t blame me for wanting to know who i’m eating with on my birthday.”

sensing the approaching danger, mrs kim cleared her throat.

“honey, i was the one that told seokjin to-“

“be quiet, i’m talking to seokjin right now,” mr kim snapped as he put down his fork and knife, and then he pointed at seokjin. “and you, young sir, stop being cheeky. you came here with one of your flings-”

“his name is jungkook and he’s not one of my flings,” said seokjin calmly, but firmly in an ice-cold voice.

at first glance, he seemed unaffected by his father’s outburst. however, jungkook knew better than anyone else how easy it was to get deceived by him since seokjin only showed what he wanted others to see.

“whatever you say.” mr kim was quick to dismiss his son’s objection. “look, you’re almost thirty, seokjin, and you have some responsibilities towards this family, so it’s time to stop playing around and settle down. find a nice girl from a good family-“

before mr kim could finish his sentence, seokjin’s bitter laugh interrupted him, making everyone at the table flinch.

seokjin had stopped eating a while ago, poking into the food with no interest, which must have been the first time jungkook saw him losing appetite.

while still moving the roasted asparagus around his plate, seokjin was now laughing like a mad man.

and it wasn’t a nice sound.

“what’s so funny?” mr kim asked gravely, his face darkening.

from the little seokjin had shared with him, jungkook figured his relationship with his father was far from being ideal since mr kim didn’t approve of the life seokjin was leading, including his job in entertainment industry and his partner preferences.

this kind of conversation probably wasn’t a rare occurrence for them, but jungkook still didn’t like where it was going because seeing seokjin as a target of unnecessary judgement was making his insides burn.

however, he had no idea what to do either.

while it would be easy to throw a punch at some random guy passing inappropriate or rude comments about seokjin, this was seokjin’s father and jungkook couldn’t just hit him, no matter how much of a douchebag he was.

it didn’t mean that jungkook didn’t want to do it though.

he looked at mrs kim, hoping that she would stop this before things would get heated and blow up but she kept her gaze fixed on her hands that were folded in her lap.

“just, why would i…” with the last remnants of his laughter, seokjin shook his head in disbelief. “what kind of nonsense is this, dad? it’s not even an hour since i introduced you to jungkook and you are-“

“please, how serious this thing between you two can be?”

something seemed to click in seokjin’s head, the air changing suddenly as he pressed his lips into a thin line.

calm and with his hand steady, seokjin finished his drink and brought a napkin to his face, delicately dabbing at his mouth before throwing it on the plate. then he stood up, gesturing to jungkook to do the same.

seokjin stared at his father, and for the first time that evening, he looked like his usual self, tall and broad.

“we’re together for almost five years, and i’m planning to marry him one day. that’s how serious we are.”

-

the car ride home was silent, but unlike the tense, suffocating atmosphere at the dinner table, this silence was tranquil and comforting, albeit a bit gloomy.

“you okay?” jungkook asked and looked away from the road to quickly check on seokjin who had been awfully quiet.

drowning in the seat, half-sitting and half-lying, seokjin didn’t answer as he kept staring out of the window. with the wine and the events of that night starting to catch up with him, seokjin seemed exhausted.

jungkook reached over, and placed his hand on seokjin’s thigh, squeezing it lightly.  “hyung?”

startled, seokjin turned his head and offered him a tired smile. he took jungkook’s hand, lifting it up to his lips and placing a light kiss there.

with a sigh, jungkook glanced at the wing mirror before turning on the blinker.

seokjin furrowed his brows in confusion.

“why are you pulling over?”

jungkook didn’t answer as he pulled up at the side of the road and the car gently rolled to a halt.

“don’t be upset,” he said finally and looked over at seokjin who, throwing his arm over his eyes, breathed out in annoyance.

“i’m not.”

“hyung,” jungkook pressed.

turning his head, seokjin levelled his gaze at him.

“jungkook.”

honestly, jungkook could hardly be described as a mushy boyfriend. but since seokjin gave him no other choice, he did what he did - he unbuckled himself and climbed over the console between them.

as he was trying to settle in seokjin’s lap, the older let out a surprised squeak.

“ah, what is this?” seokjin groaned, but he sounded like he was actually about to burst out laughing instead.

there wasn’t much space and the angle was too awkward for them to hug comfortably, but there were more important things to take care of than leg cramps at that moment.

“hyung, i know you’re sad and disappointed because of your dad,” said jungkook, placing his hands on seokjin’s shoulders, “but don’t let it get to you.”

seokjin chuckled, but it did not sound cheerful in any way.

“i would have to have some expectations first to be disappointed,” he shared truthfully as he wrapped his fingers around jungkook’s wrists, pulling his hands down. “i’m fine. i’m used to it by now.”

“you shouldn’t be.”

“that’s how it is if you live with my father for a really long time.”

since jungkook didn’t know what to say to that, he just pressed himself against seokjin’s chest and locked him in a tight embrace, hoping that it would somehow soothe seokjin at least a bit.

“it’s pity how it all turned out,” he mumbled against seokjin’s neck a moment later, “i really wanted him to like me.”

“high hopes you got there. that man only likes himself, so don’t be too hard on yourself,” seokjin said as he ran his hand down jungkook’s back. “but i’m sorry that you had to be there and experience that.”

“don’t apologize for something you didn’t do.”

“yeah, but my father did, so i’m sorry. i promise you won’t have to meet him again.”

sitting up again, jungkook frowned a little.

“hyung, i’m really okay, so stop apologizing,” he insisted as he stared at seokjin who only hummed and kissed the corner of his mouth softly.

with a sudden urge, jungkook leaned over to find seokjin’s mouth and kiss him properly.

“hyung, everything your father said, you know it doesn’t matter, right?” he said afterwards, brushing the strands of seokjin’s hair away from his face.

seokjin sighed and laid his head against the headrest.

“i know, but i just hate that after all these years, he still has this ability to get under my skin, to make me feel like i’m a little kid again that can’t even look his father straight in the eyes.”

it was very rare for seokjin to let his walls down like this. probably as the result of his upbringing under the hand of an authoritative father, he kept his worries to himself most of the time, hiding behind silly jokes and sunshine smiles.

jungkook just wished that seokjin would realize that he didn’t need to hold on to his shield in the presence of those who wanted to take care of his wounds.

“hey, hey, it’s okay,” jungkook said, taking seokjin’s face in his hands, “you’re not that kid anymore. despite everything, you’ve grown up to be this amazing, successful and independent man. you’re doing great.”

seokjin’s lips quirked up into an amused smile.

“when did you get so mature, kookie?” he asked, laughing. “how am i so lucky? how come you didn’t run away after meeting my terrible family?”

rolling his eyes, jungkook hit the side of seokjin’s neck, but only because he felt embarrassed by both seokjin’s reaction and his own words.

“i chose you, not your mother nor your father. although we can’t choose our parents, they don’t define the person you decide to be,” he said quietly with his gaze fixed on seokjin’s collar, but the older tipped his chin up.

“i love you,” seokjin said sincerely, still smiling but without a trace of joking in his voice.

“and i love you, hyung,” jungkook replied automatically, mirroring seokjin’s content expression.

both of them closed the distance between them at the same time as they met in a gentle kiss. it was sweet and familiar, and saying more than any words of endearment could convey.

“oh god, i really hope i didn’t take after my dad,” said seokjin after he broke the kiss and leisurely leaned back in the seat. “i can’t stand the thought of our kids hating me.”

jungkook, on the other hand, did not share seokjin’s calmness. he stiffened because it was a second time that night when seokjin offhandedly dropped a bomb that required a serious talk.

chills ran down his spine, and jungkook could soon feel his palms getting sweaty, most likely soaking seokjin’s crisp shirt.

“our kids?” he asked carefully in a hoarse voice.

“don’t you want to have kids?” seokjin wondered, completely unaware of the turmoil in jungkook’s head as he started to play with jungkook’s earring like he usually did, hooking his finger through and tugging at it. “i mean not now, obviously. but someday, maybe? that is, if i get over my fear of those little monsters.”

trying to ignore the tight lump in his throat, jungkook gulped and wetted his lips.

“yeah, i do, but…”

“but?”

 “you’ve mentioned marriage at the dinner, and now kids, and i’m just…” jungkook paused for a moment, not entirely sure what to say since his thoughts were all over the place.

although he did not interrupt him, jungkook knew that seokjin was watching him, patiently waiting for him to continue as he intertwined their hands and squeezed them lightly in a silent encouragement.

jungkook took a shaky breath. “do you really want that? with me?”

instead of an immediate answer, seokjin drew him closer and kissed him, slowly and tenderly like he wanted him to remember and never forget.

in no hurry, seokjin pulled back with a soft smile and words whispered against jungkook’s lips.

“of course, silly. who else?”

at that moment, jungkook felt like he was the one who got really lucky.

three

not even trying to hide his doubt, jungkook eyed the weird concoction with a raised brow.

“i don’t know, hyung.”

“what don’t you know?” seokjin glared at him, blowing his fringe out of his eyes. “it says ‘keep mixing’, so that’s what i’m doing: mixing.”

“do we really have to do it?”

“look, i’m not thrilled about it either but your mom sent us this kit. and if she wants a cast of her grandchild’s foot for her living room, she will get one, okay?”

while jungkook continued to rock the baby in his arms, his sceptical gaze dropped to the bowl with the molding powder and water. the mixture had been hot pink only minutes ago, then it had turned lilac and now, seokjin was supposed to whisk it until it lost most of its color again.

“i don’t like the idea of sticking my only daughter’s leg into unidentifiable mud,” jungkook said disapprovingly, “imagine the trauma if she wakes up.”

seokjin chuckled.

“she wakes up in a fully wet diaper every morning, so stop being so dramatic.” seokjin rolled his eyes and started to beat the mix more vehemently. “also, being your daughter, she won’t probably even twitch.”

there was nothing he could retort back, because seokjin was mostly right - jiyeon did sleep a lot, and not much could stir her awake. jungkook’s parents and seokjin often joked that she could easily pass as his biological child.

“is she still asleep?” seokjin asked when he noticed that the color of the mixture was starting to fade.

“yeah, like an angel.” jungkook nodded, gently stroking jiyeon’s bare back. since their a/c had broken yesterday, the whole apartment sweltered in heat and humidity like a sauna. while both jungkook and jiyeon were sweating in their own skin and underwear (or diapers), seokjin still walked around fully clothed, unbothered.

“perfect,” said seokjin and put the bowl aside, gesturing jungkook to come closer. “otherwise, she would wiggle her little toes, and i don’t think i have the nerves to go through this process again.”

following seokjin’s instructions, jungkook brought jiyeon nearer to the bowl and seokjin carefully dipped one of her chubby legs into the mixture. just as they predicted, their daughter didn’t notice her foot being abused for the sake of art as she continued to sleep soundlessly.

once they were sure the mold solidified and finished setting, jungkook pulled jiyeon’s leg out while seokjin began to prepare the casting stone.

“you know,” jungkook said pensively after a while as he watched seokjin pour the last drops of the liquid stone into the mold, “people could make all kinds of things with this.”

seokjin glanced over at him, not hiding the leer that settled on his face.

“what,” he grinned, “are you saying you want to have a cast of my dick in your office?”

“even though it would be funny, i think my boss would fire me for indecency.”

“or give you a raise,” seokjin pointed out matter-of-factly, patting jungkook’s cheek with affection. “i’m quite confident when it comes to my gear, you know.”

jungkook instinctively rolled his eyes and slapped his butt with his free hand.

“sure you are. that’s why we’ve never broken up in the first place.”

-

after leaving the casting stone cure for several hours, they could finally check the product of their art project that was about to become one of the useless, dust-catching objects in the jeon household.

while seokjin was excited and curious, jungkook was leaning towards the more sceptical end of the spectrum.

nevertheless, when seokjin began to peel away the mold and they got the first peek at what looked like jiyeon’s little toe, both of them couldn’t supress the gasp of surprise.

“wow, this is amazing.”

jungkook fell silent as he stared at the tiny little foot in seokjin’s hands, suddenly overwhelmed by this odd feeling in his chest.

“may i?” he nodded at the cast.

“sure,” seokjin said with a shrug, and sitting down, he took their daughter from his arms so jungkook could closely examine the stone replica.

it had been a month since they had brought jiyeon home, and sometimes, it was still hard to believe that she was really their daughter.

jungkook would never forget the first time he got to hold her – the warm body wiggling in his arms, the small hands grabbing at his face, the heart beating against his skin, the baby smell that became his favorite.

although they suffered from a serious case of sleep deficit, fought about night duty turns, played rock, paper, scissors to decide who was going to change her poopy diaper, or they would from time to time stepped on one of her toys, this little human was part of their lives now. the intense and immediate feeling of love and protectiveness, which jungkook had not expected at first, was simply overpowering. he used to think that he could never love someone like he loved seokjin but here he was, with a heart swelling for a twenty-six-inch girl burping milk.

“kook, what’s wrong?” there was a hint of worry coloring seokjin’s voice as he picked up on the change in his mood.

with a faint smile lingering on his lips, jungkook shook his head as his hands traced the outline of jiyeon’s toes immortalized in stone.

“nothing, i just…,” jungkook said quietly, but then he leaned down and kissed seokjin lightly on the mouth. “thank you.”

“for what?” seokjin wondered, his eyes crinkling in a smile.

“everything, i guess.”

something in jungkook’s answer must have unsettled him because seokjin’s look immediately softened.

shifting jiyeon to the crook of his right arm, he pulled jungkook to sit on his leg. once he wrapped his arm around jungkook’s waist, hugging him tightly, seokjin placed a kiss at his shoulder.

with a content hum, jungkook closed his eyes and leaned back against his chest, absent-mindedly playing with seokjin’s wedding ring like he usually did.

they stayed like that for a while, enjoying the quiet moment and each other’s closeness.

it was nice and felt like home.

“oooh, you know what we should get your mom for her birthday?” seokjin mumbled into his neck suddenly, breaking the silence. “what about stamping jiyeonie’s butt on a paper? we could draw a stem there and write down ‘jiyeonie’s first harvest’. you know, since it will be chuseok season too.”

jungkook snickered and slapped seokjin’s hand.

“way to ruin the moment, babe.”

“i swear to god, jungkook, if our daughter’s first word is ‘babe’, i’m going to skin you alive.”

-

not knowing whether it was a test, jungkook stared at the box in front of him. there was something off about seokjin’s grin when he had presented him with it after dinner.

“are we celebrating something?” jungkook asked, furrowing as he tried to recall all the important dates he might have forgotten – their wedding anniversary had been two months ago, there was still plenty of time till his birthday and their first date anniversary wasn’t until the end of december.

as if reading his mind, seokjin propped jiyeon against his hip and gave jungkook’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

“calm down, you didn’t miss anything.”

“then what is this for?”

“just open it,” seokjin said impatiently, accompanied by their daughter’s burst of baby talk.

jungkook heaved a sigh but started to unwrap the present just like he was told.

he wished he didn’t though.

“what’s this?” jungkook asked, pursing his lips.

truthfully, his question was quite pointless since it was very obvious what seokjin had buried in the ridiculous amount of tissue paper.

“what do you think it is?” seokjin was trying, and failing miserably, to stifle a laugh.

“hyung,” jungkook deadpanned as he placed the brand new cast of seokjin’s hand flipping the bird on their coffee table. “did you just… give me the finger?”

finally giving up, seokjin threw his head back and burst out laughing.

“i literally did,” he wheezed, still roaring with uncontrollable laughter and slapping his thigh.

face to face with his husband’s contagious joy and happiness, jungkook never managed to keep his face straight. no matter what, jungkook always gave in, indulging seokjin in his antics. it was a weakness he wasn’t afraid to admit, so soon enough, he found himself cackling at the juvenile creation seokjin had made for him.

if it weren’t for the gesture, the cast would actually be a pretty work of art since jungkook could recognize all the curves and folds of seokjin’s fingers as well as the details of his well-tended nails.

“this is lame and childish even for you, hyung.”

“then why are you laughing?”

“because you’re so stupid.”

“yet, you still fell hard for this stupid ass.”

“i must have gone mad.”

“oh, honey, you knew what you were getting yourself into when you married me.” seokjin had the audacity to wink at him before he twirled with jiyeon in his arms, making her babble happily. “isn’t daddy right, my sweet little peach?”

“please, be careful and don’t drop her again,” jungkook warned, but his voice sounded fond and there was a smile on his face because after all these years, he was still a hopeless fool in love.

“that happened only once, and it was on the bed!”