Archive of Our Own

jeon jeongguk. 

that's the name on everyone's lips, the rumoured boy coming back to seoul as a transfer student, after living abroad for a few years due to his father's vocation requirements. word had spread fast, jimin's teacher letting him (and the student leaders) know a week in advance. as class president, it would be his job to help jeongguk feel at home, integrate back into the traditional grind of schooling unlike the comparatively lax systems in the states.

he was class A’s president, while neighbouring class B’s president happened to be his good friend, kim taehyung. they had grown up together, and therefore were very close despite some subject differences and dissimilar tastes.

“jimin, did you see the instagram handle people have been circulating? i found it in the class chat.” taehyung hands over his phone, words from the rumour mill spreading like wildfire. according to the id photo attached to the short rundown of the past dossier from his younger days, jeongguk seemed like a good boy- with shaggy bangs and large doe eyes. but the instagram profile with a whopping 10k followers begged to differ. people in the comments begged too, with raunchy comments and risqué emojis, if you get the gist.

“look at him doing gang signs and posing in front of someone's sports car-”

“excuse me, your yoongi hyung does gang signs all the time as well-”

“but he's… cute…”

“oh tae,” jimin sighs dreamily, “did you see the one with the six ramen cups? and the bed selfie? and the one with the dark grainy filter- oh my god.” jimin presses follow using a private account that he created to follow his idols and studygrams, cute animal videos and memes. maybe also some cute models and thirst traps. maybe.

“sorry to break it to you, jiminnie, but i'm afraid this jeongguk here is an international playboy.” taehyung frowns, and jimin nods (a nodding mochi) in understanding, knowing taehyung only wants to protect him wherever possible. the first term that came to mind while stalking was, inevitably, fuckboy. that's sad. why does he always like these types? he almost wants to wail at his unattainable and impeccable taste.

he catches taehyung mumble at least yoongi hyung stays local, under his breath, and almost cooes. he buys taehyung strawberry candies after school to say thank you.

it turns out, people are either turned on or off by the reputable jeon jeongguk.

it might be a culture shock, or frowned upon in a conservative and traditional country like south korea, to have tattoos; lucky for him, jeongguk only has a few (instagram shows jimin the designs on his chest) and all of which easily concealed with daily clothing and their uniforms, comprising of a white button down, slacks, and a sleek black jacket with a mandarin collar and silver military buttons running down the front. there's even a matching hat that’s used for formal photo taking occasions.

and… he's really handsome.

the uniform sits across broad shoulders, buttons threatening to pop whenever the taller boy stretches. jimin finds out soon that when they play sports during physical education, jeongguk's sweat soaks through his shirt and makes his tattoos visible through the cotton material. his mouth goes dry, and so does everyone in the same class. (well, some girls are salivating, but that's another story.)

on the other hand, jimin is a stark contrast to his aggressive, competitive and buff physique; he's categorised as a nerd who always tops his cohort, sometimes helping out on the soccer team and the school's kendo club if needed. he's obviously, like every other good boy and bad boy alternate universe, crushing hard and fast on the new transfer student. he hears jeongguk is shit at mathematics and is contemplating on joining the baseball team or taekwondo. he wants to die just imagining the uniform on him.

jimin's a lovely boy, even though the other kids call him ‘weird’ in a scintillating manner; it's not every other day you see someone this grown not wanting to kill flies and ants, or cawing back at crows to get them off the windowsill. he likes talking to animals and always feeds the birds (there's this one pigeon with a missing leg that he's terribly attached to, and they always share a sandwich when he packs one for a snack) and along with taehyung, they enjoy playing with tannie, one of the stray puppies that loiter near the back alleys of the school. they've fed him so well that he grew so chubby and big in just a few months.

jeongguk has a certain boyishly charming charisma about him, despite having the muscular body of a man; so far, jimin's favourite part is his beautiful bambi eyes.

“did you see that post on twitter, jimin? his high school yearbook quote was “i haven't lost my virginity because i never lose.” and i don't know how to feel about that.”

when his new form teacher introduces him to the class, the first person he's assigned to meet is a boy named park jimin. they introduce him as class A’s president, park jimin, but jeongguk's brain registers it as park jimin, 20, the prettiest.

(he soon adds nation’s baby, south korea’s ultimate baby boy and national sweetheart to the list of accolades that jimin deserves.)

jimin wears glasses to see the board and projector, or when studying and reading- and it's the cutest thing jeongguk's seen in a while. he's fascinated with the way his this front teeth overlap, the way his lips pucker when he's confused, the pout that stays when he's upset.

talking to crows and watching little animal videos during break with the school's lagged wifi and he still beams when he sees the doggos and cats and bunnies on the screen in a miserable 240p, and jeongguk bites his lip to stop himself from calling jimin a kittenpup, with his melting chocolate eyes and plush baby lips pout.

“oh god, he's talking to the birds again.” one of the boys at the back mutter within earshot, causing the transfer student to stand up hotly.

“oh yeah? you got a problem with that?” jeongguk glowers, ready to throw hands. “oh my god, jeonggukie, it's okay-” jimin fusses, tugging at his arm for him to sit down, running a hand down his bicep to calm him down. (he can confirm it's solid muscle.)

“but! he-!” jeongguk points an accusatory finger, making the classmate (who cares what's his name) freeze, grab onto his friend in fear for his life. jeongguk's younger than all of them, but he's physically much bigger due to hardcore exercise regimens from puberty onwards.

jimin waves it off, dismissing the threat against the student sitting behind, comforting jeongguk instead of the other way around.

“baby, it's okay, they don't mean any harm-”

“you just called me baby.” the hand on jeongguk's arm stops.

“i, um-”

“it's okay, i like it.”

“but-”

“say it again.” jeongguk's staring at him so intently he can feel the cold sweat on his forehead.

“b-baby?”

jeongguk almost purrs.

he notices all of jimin's habits, standing at attention with his heels clacked together, using the tip of his fingers to rub his nose when he's thinking, nose scrunching when he's having a hard time, confused, or extremely happy. there's also the full body flinging laugh, where jimin collapses to the nearest object (table) or person (jeongguk) or the floor when gravity chooses to kiss him, too. also, the brushing back of his hair for no goddamn reason. he also seems to like propping his chin up with a palm, pinky touching the corner of his lips. jeongguk doesn't even know why he's aware of these when he can't even do basic algebraic manipulation.

truth be told, he simply can't be bothered to listen in class, when he can doodle on jimin's notes when he's not looking to make him smile. during lab experiments, the teacher will gather them to the front bench, where a demonstration will take place. jimin always volunteers to be first assistant, and jeongguk shuffles along, sticking close by, sometimes even resting his chin on jimin's shoulder and pretending to squint, because obviously he's leaning closer because he can't see clearly. points were made.

it makes jimin flustered, makes him carry out the experiments more filling because he doesn't want to embarrass himself in front of his jeonggukie.

he just likes making jimin laugh, doing the stupidest things just to make him smile when he's listless or tired. it brings him immense joy and satisfaction, the way he wins first place in a game. since they're desk mates, it's easier to pass notes or drop a low whisper when the teacher isn't looking. jimin looks particularly tired today, since he had an additional project due from a module that only top students were allowed to take up. he goes for it, poking jimin's arm to get his attention. is making jimin smile his job? is that it? apart from crying about his pretty everything- how are the citizens of pjm nation (he's certain there has to be, he's president) out there even living? y'all doing okay? y'all died or meditating?

“jimin, do you love me? are you riding? say you'll never ever leave from beside me-” he taps the table top to emphasise the fact they literally sit next to each other, making jimin go bright red, “‘cause i want ya, and i need ya, and i'm down for you always-”

mr shin almost catches him for singing a mellifluous version of drake’s in my feelings to jimin, but he escapes, by the grace of jimin's presence and sweet smile to show he's paying attention. he tinier boy falls sideways against his shoulder in embarrassment, using a hand to cover half his face. a few seconds later, he plops on to the table in a faceplant. jeongguk is really going through it.

“jeongguk, please- we're in class- ” he exasperatedly wheezes, despite the lopsided grin that he flashes, the crinkle of his eyes to show his aegyo-sal, and jeongguk almost pauses everything to gape a little longer.

“but i'm lost in you-” he awkwardly flirts back, always choosing to use banmal wherever possible, since he has the advantage of ‘forgetting korean honorifics and formal speech’ after being exposed to western culture for too long. “haha, ‘m just kidding, i'll pay attention if you want me to,”

jimin wanted to reply with then pay attention to me, and only me- but keeps quiet as the lesson droned on, taking down quintessential pointers for easier revision, and also small notes just in case jeongguk doesn't understand and he needs to teach him again.

jimin gets really worried when word of mouth passes like chain mail, that jeongguk got into a fight with someone who insulted jimin, someone who talked shit about him being such a goody two shoes and teacher’s pet, always raising his hand up to answer questions and remind their teachers to collect their overdue and undone work.

(“jeongguk oppa, is it true that you hate jimin oppa-” it's a slender girl with long black hair that confronts him in front of his locker.

“no, who said that?”

“um, my friends all said that, and my boyfriend and his buddies were analysing-”

“you tell your boyfriend to shut the fuck up and stay in his lane. i like jimin. end of story.”

her boyfriend’s really testing him. he really out there thinking he's braver than the US marines?)

he comes back with gauge on his cheek, some bruises. he can tell jimin's worried plainly by seeing how tightly he's holding his hand, and the watery kitten eyes as he silently locks eyes with jeongguk in lecture. jimin doesn't probe further.

“where could he be?” jimin mumbles to himself as he peers out of the window, grey clouds looming and blocking out every single fluffy white cloud, every inch of blue sky. it's getting dark and cold, but it's only brunch time. jeongguk had his attendance taken, but disappeared shortly after. they're having a combined lesson with class B, and thus it makes sneaking out easier when it's a teacher that doesn't know him.

jimin knows that he skips lessons from time to time, if it's boring, or he's done it before and doesn't bother. but the higher ups have nothing to rebut him with, since results are produced. (aside from math.) he doesn't like this teacher, anyway- she made a look of disgust upon finding out he had tattoos and lived in a non-oriental setting for years. to hell with her replacement class.

it's about to pour, and jimin is worried.

he could only be-

“t-taehyung-ah, if miss lee comes and asks where i am, please tell-”

“-her that you're not feeling well and went to the nurse’s office. yeah, i got you, minnie!” taehyung winks, completing his sentence right to a T. “make sure to take an umbrella if you're finding him, though.”

so the rest were right when they said taehyung and him possessed telepathic thoughts at times.

true to his gut feel, jeongguk camps at the rooftop. but with the stairs cordoned off for repair works, jimin can only use climbing from the alternate staircase before parkouring his way up. pr something like that. its started drizzling and he's almost there, save for another level up with no stairs. it would be easy for someone like jeongguk who's used to inclined pull-ups and etcetera, but at the corner of the block he finds small bricks stacked up neatly as a footstool, as if whoever were up there had anticipated his presence.

with a flash of lightning and roll of thunder, it's pouring, and jimin toggles his way to clamber up while opening the umbrella. jeongguk lay there peacefully, hands by his sides as the cool raindrops dripped on his face, shirt soaking up the water and turning translucent. as if completely oblivious to the deteriorating weather, he peacefully continued to nap with puddles starting to form around him.

“you're going to get sick…” jimin whispers, jogging over to put the umbrella over jeongguk's sleeping face, earphones plugged in and barring him from a certain extent of the world. hastily, he tugs off his hoodie, placing it on top of jeongguk's wet torso in a pathetic bid to keep him warm. he gets slightly drenched, but scurries along having spotted the emergency exit.

the pitter patter against the waterproof material of the umbrella reverberates, echoes penetrating through the music blasting in his ears when the song changes. jeongguk opens his eyes to find a familiar umbrella shielding him, and an even more familiar army green sweater with a grey hood, smelling like a certain someone's soap.

jimin is always, for some reason, slow in spite of his punctuality and always arrives last, and when they go to the music studio, jimin takes a long time to enter because his converse highs are difficult to take off, since he double knots his laces in fear of tripping over them and falling- it sounds dumb, but it has, in actual fact, happened far too many times than he would like to admit.

with a small sigh, jeongguk saunters back and wordlessly holds the door with his foot, crouching to untie the shoelaces, making jimin blush. it's not done on purpose but it does seem so romantic…

“there we go,” jeongguk smiles, carefully yanking off the shoe, and jimin almost slips on the polished floor once his socks touch the studio grounds. thankfully, jeongguk grabs onto him tightly, pulling him into a warm embrace. s-so warm, so close-

“hyung, please be careful…”

“sorry,” is all he can mumble sheepishly, wishing he could have stayed in that position for a little longer.

jimin is class, sass, and a whole lotta ass.

jeongguk really respects the way jimin is succinct and crystal clear when need be, isn't purely a damsel in distress- he's seen jimin do splits and kicks and he deadass knows martial arts so he can fend for himself. a fucking black belt when jeongguk's only a red belt with a black tip. damn. he's pretty, yes, but also knows his limits, knows how to stand up for the things he believes in, will not allow mean people to trample on him; he knows how to reason things out with a calm voice and collected mind, making jeongguk feel shameful about his first instinct being to fight.

(he chooses rational arguments over hotheaded spewing of aggression and expletives when boys bigger than him come for jeongguk and his westernised ideals and unorthodox thinking, which makes him marvel at jimin's back in awe.)

he's so utterly fond of jimin. and he realises he wants to know more. it goes without saying that he's a hit with the girls, loitering in the hallways just to get a glimpse of him and try to strike up a conversation, waiting until he ends class to give him presents. hell, some of them even tried waiting outside the washrooms- that was totally not creepy at all.

jimin, on the other hand, despite being an extrovert, keeps his circle of friends small and tight, preferring to have attention from people that he knows loves him, rather that large crowds that he'd rather shy away from. jeongguk always finds his eyes flicking to find him, one way or another, regardless of whichever faceless person he's holding a nonchalant, half-assed conversation with.

(“what is the longest time you've ever waited for someone?”

“i have never waited, people wait for me.”

the random question proposed made his ‘fans’ swoon harder, for some reason, thinking he's extra manly and cool. it puzzles him, because can't they see he's built up an iron wall for everyone else that isn't jimin? even if the boys are cute or the girls are pretty, he just passes them by.)

((he asks jimin the same question, along with taehyung on the way back home, and when he realises both had gotten stood up before, and with a long 3-7 hour wait, he gets mad. who the hell had the audacity to let such a sweetheart pass by like that?))

it's compulsory to join an after school club or activity, but seokjin forms his own one-man show, calling himself a self proclaimed counsellor and advisor. every tuesday afternoon his little booth (now upgraded to private consultant room, he is not a bitch, but that bitch) to give advice to his dongsaengs, especially since it's his last year. the club was approved with befuddled passes, since it did fall under the category of ‘benefitting a considerable amount of students’ and indeed ‘improved welfare and wellbeing of the student body’.

kim seokjin somehow knows everything (the tea is especially hot today, will be prepared scalding tomorrow), and the locals (sorry, we mean the students) will go to book an appointment to seek help. usually, it's always romantic, sometimes about their worries, concerns, or to pose a more difficult question to a mature mind. whenever jimin goes there, it's to unwind and banter with him- and he always brings him nice food- but whenever namjoon, hoseok or taehyung visit, it's always regarding his roommate and it makes him have a headache.

“welcome,” seokjin motions to a swivel chair across the table, “a confident but confused and panicked gay, i see.”

jeongguk almost gawks at the highkey accurate description, coughing awkwardly. maybe the bad boy persona hadn't been working that well? he's pretty sure seokjin is prescient.

“hello, seokjin hyung. i’ve heard about your miraculous ways and i-”

“yeah, i'm aware i'm fabulous.” seokjin cuts it short, waving aside the pleasantries, cutting down straightaway to business. “so. what about jimin? anything specific you would like to know?” he smiles warmly, like a friendly protagonist of a kdrama- you know, the rich man’s son that falls in love with the poor village girl- who would've thought that beneath the comforting presence and soothing voice lay the biggest vessel of all secrets? they're right- seokjin doesn't run a magic shop, he is the magic shop.

“what- i mean, um. i kind of wanna, uh, date him.” he almost cringes at how cheesy this whole thing is, looking away as he makes a face, “i mean, i do want to, you know, do the nasty-” both of them cough awkwardly with ruddy cheeks, “but! but jimin is different and i want to treat him right. with care. i just- i wanna know the way to his heart. that's all.”

“point noted. but first, you have to make payment.” it seems like seokjin also has a disarming smile, but in jeongguk's eyes, jimin's is still the most magnetic and charming. (sorry, worldwide handsome.)

“payment, huh.” jeongguk grumbles, stingy with his cash, but nonetheless whips out his wallet with a sigh. so these were the infamous tolls he's heard from past experiences. nobody explains in further detail, though, so he's not quite sure what happens after the dollar bills change hands.

“ah, no, don't worry-” seokjin laughs, taking a sip of his floral tea with a pinky raised, “i don't need money, so it's not a cash or cheque matter per se.” his eyes glint when jeongguk heaves an audible sigh of relief. phew, he'd be able to save a quick buck to buy jimin something else. nice.

“i just want to know three untold truths about you.”

whenever jimin drops by, service is free of charge. seokjin’s soft for him, and treats him like a younger brother. also, jimin always brings him nice snacks.

“hyung? i'd like to ask you something about jeon-”

“i know. i printed out an infographic for you last week.”

“well, jimin, as the son of miss korea 1977, of course i can differentiate and recognise a beautiful human being- including you. you're really cute.” honestly, he would've opted for pipe down, you non-artists and listen to me, but this is jimin who's brought him carbonara today, so he lets it slide.

“oh wow- that's… thank you,” jimin blubbers, “was i really that obvious?” seokjin waves him off with a loud uncle-like sigh.

“he's a dumbass, so it's okay. also, as the son of a ceo, i definitely am aware of how to run a successful business.”

jeongguk is tired. whenever he goes to his locker to retrieve something, he's almost certain something will fall out, be it a gift, letters, confessions, or his spare clothes. he's tired- being popular is hard, and it's not like he asked for it. like, seriously, jan? do these gifts ever stop? (shut up, it's the white girl voice playing inside his head.)

“oh please, whoever in this school hasn't even gotten at least one before must suck real bad.” he dumps the cookies and cards onto the table with a huff, making jimin jump. it's almost been a month since jeongguk settled down into the class, slowly but surely blending back into his oriental roots, but that doesn't stop him from reverting to openly running his mouth in a very occidental manner.

jimin swallows, keeping mum. even though he knows jeongguk is a little more crass and means no harm, a part of him feels the comment is a slight jab at his miserable love life, of nothing but if anything, prior unrequited pining, admiration from afar.

to other people, jeongguk's blunt comments might sound arrogant and cocky, especially since he radiates the epitome of alpha masculinity (big dick energy) and poses a very, very formidable threat against other guys; but to jimin, who quietly sits next to him, it gives him an idea, a tiny hope that maybe, just maybe he would get noticed- but the dull thud hammering rapidly against his chest vehemently begs to differ.

it's been slightly over a month and a half since jeongguk's inauguration, and some of his old friends ask him out to go drinking, welcoming him back to soju and makgeolli instead of vodka and whiskey.

“hello, is this jimin? this is namjoon speaking.” namjoon’s a senior one year older, president of the student council. they've become good friends and bonded over many higher order lectures and additional academic programmes.

“hello hyung! i saved your number, so i know it's you. is anything the matter?” it's already past midnight, so thankfully jimin's a night owl, or the call wouldn't have gotten through.

“uh. jeongguk's in your class, right?”

“yes?”

“well. he's in a bit of a fix right now, could you drop by? i'll text you the address.”

jimin shoots a text to taehyung and hoseok, his study buddies, cancelling their skype call discussion in fifteen minutes, typing in lots of sad and crying face emojis and vaguely saying he needs to attend to someone.

namjoon and jeongguk had met back in america, where namjoon was part of the pilot batch that went to his school for a fortnight as part of an exchange programme.

namjoon meets him at a nearby park, apologetically dumping him with an inebriated jeongguk. jimin never knew they were this close, for namjoon to know his apartment code, and that jeongguk actually lived relatively close to him. it makes him feel funny.

“jeongguk, please cooperate…” jimin prays, kicking off their shoes at the entrance, supporting his shared weight with the doorframe. with mild difficulty, he manages to guide jeongguk to his bedroom, making the younger frown and whine with his sluggish movement.

squinting at him, jeongguk backs him into the wall, semi-conscious as he presses a finger to jimin's lips. “how… how dare you make that face, jimin ssi- if you wanna pout so cutely, only… only do it to me…” reserve that innocent, cute expression just for me… the nerve of you, park jimin, for making me go crazy just thinking about you.

it takes a mere two seconds for jimin's fast reflexes to angle him properly so he collapses into his bed and not the floor. w-what was that…

his shirt reeks of alcohol and smoke, and jimin's frantically running a hand through his hair. he needs to change his clothes… with a determined stance, hands on his hips as he surveys a passed out jeongguk, leaving the room and re-entering with a warm towel and pail of water.

he sets about giving him a miniature sponge bath, caressing jeongguk's fluffy hair, devoid of wax or hairspray. he hold his face with both hands, gently unbuttoning his shirt and using the damp cloth as a makeshift bath. jimin knows the stigma and social pressure surrounding koreans having tattoos, but he can't help but feel that jeongguk's look so nice on him; it feels right- like he carries pieces of art along with him, on the expanse of his chest, smaller ones on his back, his hip. if he were to describe it, jeongguk's like a magnificent mural, a little bit of refinery, pop culture and graffiti all in one.

putting on a loose white tee after, having to use all his strength to lift a dead weight, makes everything seem ten times more intimate. jeongguk is soft, in spite of the hard bone structure, solid muscle mass. petting his head again, jimin smiles to himself, jeongguk sound asleep with his mouth open.

“good night, jeonggukie.”

closing in, he almost feels the ardent urge, the desire to kiss jeongguk- just a quick peck- but he's never kissed anyone before, and what if jeongguk wakes up because he's a terrible kisser? he's shy, and jeongguk will wake up if he feels his inexperienced lips trembling. that would be awful.

it's already 1:47am. maybe he should leave- but what if jeongguk needs help later? what if he wakes up halfway looking for painkillers? these are excuses, he knows, but his eyes are closing, and he's so sleepy;

maybe he'll just stay for one song… he puts in the earphones on the bedside table- only to find out it's jeongguk's airpods, and the playlist that automatically starts (as he checks jeongguk's phone) is labelled JM: Just Mine in english. he scrolls through:

intro: serendipity

outside- tender

one shot, two shot- boa

heart to break- kim petras

remember- katie

best of me- john.k

jasmine- dpr live

falling in love- hnb

heart attack- chuu

moonwalker- seventeen

sometimes- honne

pure luck- ninajirachi

with you in the morning- carl storm

fatigue creeps up on him, as he blinks, trying to fight it. he notices jeongguk's hands searching for something in his dream, and decides that for now, maybe just hand holding would do. just for one song.

it's 4:20am when jeongguk cracks his eyes open with a splitting headache, only to come face to face with his desk mate, his lovely jimin. fuzzy memories of the club and one too many drinks flood back as he harshly rubs at his temples. wasn't namjoon the one that was going to take him home? then how..?

“you're so beautiful, jimin,” his murmurs, gently running his hands across god’s canvas, a featherlight touch skipping past dewy skin. he quietly chuckles to himself thinking about how jimin would always berate him about not calling him hyung. “alexa, play euphoria.” the corners of his mouth twitch into a small smile. it's so stupid and corny, but just looking at jimin alone makes him happy.

it's a struggle, to have the self control of a saint and not kiss jimin all over when he's asleep; he can see why jimin would be taken advantage of, he's too precious, too pliant, too pretty- he's too kind, too sweet.

“just one… won't hurt, right?” his breath hitches as the breath of air in the form of monosyllabic words leave his lips, blinking in his thought. his brain is still hazy from going to hard, partying like he was a wasted youth all over again. how did an angel manage to land his way in jeongguk's messy bed?

he always knew jimin's skin was soft- but it's even softer to the touch. his lips were sweeter than expected, cheeks warmer and rosier than in photos, eyelashes longer than assumed when they fluttered and curled up prettily. hell, even his shallow breathing was rhythmic, cathartic in motion and the soft rise and fall of his chest, sleeves covering half of his hand, like sweaterpaws.

he allows his lips to tenderly graze past jimin's, stopping and pulling back after a split second, propping himself with his arms caging jimin's waist, to stop and admire the delicate and sheer beauty of park jimin, his deep features, his natural scent. if jimin were to open his eyes at this very moment, he'd be a dead man.

the phone that pings in the middle of nowhere scares the shit out of him. he can't be dead now, who else is gonna tell jimin everyday he's so beautiful? who else is gonna do the booping of his cute nose? screw it, he'll do it himself.

“i’m sorry,” he blurts, to nobody in particular, still staring down at jimin like he's a heavenly body resting in his humble abode, gingerly brushing his bangs to tuck it behind his ears. he can't seem to look away. slowly, he removes their entwined hands, only to interlock their fingers back together, making sure jimin's properly covered in his blanket.

“please forgive me.”

i should've kissed you after asking for permission, but it was too tempting an opportunity to pass up.

when jimin suddenly wriggles in his sleep, jeongguk feels his heart stop- it starts again when he hears the soft snores, feels jimin curling up against him, clutching his hands tighter.

jimin groggily rouses at 6am, circadian clock easily making him rise without the aid of an alarm. the moment his eyes open, he almost gasps loudly when he sees jeongguk's face mere inches away. he jolts up, regretting immediately, silently hoping he didn't wake the younger up.

“holy shit-” he fumbles around in the dark, panicking when he realises they've been and still are holding hands, that he's been sleeping on jeongguk's bicep for god knows how long. “oh my freaking god-”

his heart starts pounding rapidly, the sun outside teasingly plotting its reveal to the world yet again, like a golden egg yolk, and jimin freaks out even more. he needs to leave before jeongguk wakes up- how else will he explain everything? he has questions on his mind, but this would be too compromising of a situation; he doesn't even know jeongguk that well after all- what if he uses this as blackmail or something? he is one of the best class presidents there are and the vice chairman of the student body executive committee- he absolutely cannot be caught in something as ludicrous and insinuating as this!

grabbing his coat, jimin flees.

jeongguk sits up in his bed, alone, the moment he hears the door click shut.

jimin arrives in school, a whole cluttered and flustered mess, forgetting his phone, his pencil box, and calculator. groaning, he huffs as he makes his way to class B, spotting taehyung and hoseok moping at the back.

“let's be real, i seriously think yoongi hyung’s gonna end up with namjoon.”

“but, my lil meow meow!” taehyung wails, pushing up his glasses in distress, and hoseok sighs in tandem. both of them have been good friends, and still are, since min yoongi- or as the school nicknames him, min monarch- is practically unattainable to their poor souls. he's a legendary god in the music department, which they're both upset about, is where namjoon resides.

his friends wave, and jimin sullenly sits on the floor. “i'm a mess today.”

“can see that,” hoseok pipes up, laughing at jimin pouting and slouching on the floor. even taehyung laughs at him when he squints to see the clock, only to realise he's forgotten to bring his glasses.

“stop it,” he whines, “yesterday was pure chaotic, you won't believe what hap-”

“good morning, pres. you left this on my bed.” the loudmouthed announcement causes the rest of the students to stir, at the sudden barging in of a certain jeon jeongguk from next door. jimin often comes to visit taehyung, so there's no surprise about that. jeongguk bends over to drop jimin's phone into his breast pocket, “you're welcome, hyung. i charged it for you, too.”

“ohoho- so, jiminnie, it was chaotic in bed last night? was that why you cancelled on our skype call?”

“jimin, why are you so red-”

(they won't ever let him live anymore.)

his phone had beeped right after jeongguk kissed him, and fallen out of his pants pocket with a warning of 10% battery left- so he'd charged it out of courtesy, noting the water and shirt change, but he wasn't expecting jimin to actually flee and forget his phone. it was next to the nightstand with his glasses.

after further discussion and a bright pink jimin relating his side of the story, taehyung comes back with some interesting observations.

“eh? if it's written in english then that's your initials?” it makes jimin wonder too, but he distracts taehyung by telling him other things.

“tae-ah, he likes the group that has your suga inside.”

“wow, an intellectual- he's probably a great person already.”

“i think outro tear is a really fantastic song.” jimin says, pulling his chair out as jeongguk pulls out an earbud. they're starting a normal conversation like yesterday never happened. that's a good start.

“yeah. i don't trust anyone that skips it on shuffle.”

(jimin secretly likes the maknae of that group, having had the biggest uwu anthem of the century, bangtan_sonyeondan_hwangeum_maknae_jeon_junkook_imnida.mp3 as his alarm ringtone at a point in time- he's just too embarrassed to admit it, since the person sitting next to him in class has equally good looks that could rival the idol himself.)

“you remind me of love maze.”

seeing that jeongguk's wearing an additional layer today, jimin stuffs his hoodie into his bag, the strings peeping out a telltale sign. he tugs jeongguk's arm. “jeonggukie… i'm cold.”

what am i gonna do? say no?

with a soft sigh, he just shrugs off his sweater and puts it on for jimin as he elder turns strawberry pink, biting his lips as he gets engulfed by jeongguk's natural scent as he didn't spray anything today.

seeing jimin pat down his oversized hoodie, lovingly smiling to himself, jeongguk finally makes up his mind to put his plan into action tomorrow morning.

he feels his eyes get wet as he looks at jeongguk during first period the next day, clutching the letter tightly to his heart, “it's my first love letter-”

“what? you've never gotten a single-”

“n-no…”

jimin gets all fidgety in class, smiling so widely and makes sure to answer all questions with bright eyes. it makes jeongguk soften, want to poke his cheeks and force him into a corner and kiss him senseless.

he has a flashback of the shitty comment he made a few days ago about those not receiving locker gifts before, and he chides himself for being such an asshole.

dear jimin,

i've always wondered how someone could be this pretty. for the love of god, even your nostrils are f**king cute- and i don't even save photos of guys but really, you're all i dream about. can you please stop being so attractive? i've always thought that if i poked your cheek, it would be as soft as mochi. if i ever get to kiss you, would you taste like a peach? if i hold your hand, would there be puffy kitten stickers on mine when i let go? if i touch your heart, would it melt into gold glitter? these are only some of the stupid things i think about in class, and my productivity is dropping like crazy. and it's all your fault! TT

i hope you don't think i'm weird. but you should know that you are responsible for making my heart beat so f**king fast. it's really not fair!

ps. i know it's more sincere to write it by hand, but i typed this out because my friends tell me my handwriting is atrocious and indecipherable sometimes. sorry ‘bout that.

still like you, though.

-your secret admirer

and they keep coming.

jimin ssi,

i don't know if anybody has said this before, but did you know your philtrum is really cute? and your toes are adorable? i hope a don't sound like a psycho, but god bless you- i don't understand how someone like you actually exists; trust me when i say i want you.

i want you, i want you TT

also, you really will be the death of me, but did you know that sometimes your bangs curl in from the sides towards the center to form a little heart on your forehead? i think that's the cutest and most precious thing i've witnessed in my whole damn life. please just take my heart and go, jimin ssi, stop hurting my heart TT

you also have very beautiful lips- i couldn't resist buying these.

-your secret admirer

enclosed were two tubes- one peach shine nivea lip gloss, another pat mcgrath lip fetish lip balm in the shade of VR astral pink. jimin's eyes widen in awe as he pulls open the casing, revealing a sparkly shimmery blush-like colour.

“hyung, what's that?” jeongguk asks, feigning innocence and plopping down lazily into the seat beside him, “can i put it on for you?”

“huh? on me? now?”

“yes? you, now.” jeongguk mimics, making jimin even more flustered when he smugly smirks, satisfied in successfully teasing his hyung. he's so cute.

jeongguk almost starts drooling when the applicator glides past jimin's lips, doing them justice and making them glimmer and glow the way they should be. he needs to be on guard today until jimin safely reaches his house; boys and girls are going to start falling like dominos left, right and center; jimin really is the most beautiful and powerful boy on this planet.

(he almost wants to haughtily ask- demand- for a kiss, since he did such a good job, but later starts sulking the rest of the day when he realises it's not going to work and jimin might steer clear of him.)

((in all honesty, he should've taken hints from jeongguk's desk lined with prettily packaged cosmetics and perfumes and colognes- all with nice packaging.))

jimin in a way, has an advantage, since jeongguk is lazy and refuses to read every single letter when they're all the same, so what's the point? he makes jimin pick out some for him to read when class is boring, and jimin gulps when he worms his own baby blue envelope into the read pile.

to: jeongguk

good morning. it took me a long while to muster the courage to write this to you- it might even get lost in all the different letters and gifts you receive everyday, but i'll still try. i've always thought you were very good looking, and you're really so handsome up close it makes my heart flutter. you smell really nice too. i don't know how else to tell you that i really like you- and it goes without saying that half the school feels the same way too. to be honest, i don't even think i stand a chance- but i'm still going to write you this to tell you to take care and not burn yourself out. school can be terribly exhausting and draining, especially when the asian education system is much more rigid than that in the states. i hope you will do okay! always make sure to drink water and eat proper meals!

love,

your guardian angel♡

unlike the other superficial letters, jeongguk doesn't make any snide or snarky remarks, doesn't point out his handwriting is ugly, doesn't cuss at the phrasing or terrible style. jimin considers it a victory.

unlike jimin's secret admirers positively gushing about him, jeongguk's guardian angel often sends him short (but many) reminders; to wake up early the next day for a briefing, to make sure he remembers to study for his tests, check if he's feeling okay or overwhelmed, and there's always a caring tone to it.

perhaps it feels like love.

dear jimin,

today i realised that i'm probably in love with you. i know it seems super shallow and stuff, but i don't know how else to put it into proper words other than these 3. you are truly the epitome of an angel, a celestial being too good for this world. you're so innocent and so beautiful- and so intelligent, and you work so hard. you have a very beautiful brain and body. everything about you is so cute and pretty. since people like to call you a nerd (that's not cool, but i admire how hard you work, and you're really cool when you speak in legitimate technical jargon. like, that's so hot.) i'm going to try my best at awkward seducing you with study related things. i'm not a good student, but for jimin ssi, i will try!

you're like… i don't know, you like maths, right? you're like euler’s identity- the most beautiful equation of all. forget it, i'll just do my best. you have been warned that i'm a lousy student, okay. you're the darkness the stars need to shine, but the sunshine that peeks out after a rainstorm. you're the rainbow and also the fluffy clouds that i like staring at. you're the pretty rose quartz and blue diamonds that everybody wants to find. since i'm a dumbass, you're the mitochondria, the powerhouse of my cells.

i know i'm rambling, but that's because i like you. if this isn't a bother… could you wear glasses to school as an indicator that… you know, you might be the least bit interested in me. i dunno, sounds ridiculous but i thought i'd just try, right?

ps. i'm so sorry this got horribly long!! longer than all my essays, wig

-your secret admirer

park jimin, for the love of god, has the audacity to wear contact lens and an expensive pair of non prescription glasses (from: fake me) to school the next day. jeongguk doesn't even bother trying to be discreet. he doesn't even know what lecture or subject it is. he just blatantly busies himself with doodling jimin and staring.

jimin ssi,

i cannot believe i found out you've never been courted or wooed by anybody. how is that f**king possible?! are people just blind??? how could anyone hate you or not like you:-( you're so f**king cute and so sweet. i just cannot believe it. WTF. you're unreal- that must be why. people just can't come to terms with perfection personified!! i'm sorry for always swearing, but i'm really shocked and appalled!!!!! TT who wouldn't want to date you?! you're so very lovely and excuse me, if nobody will date you, i will. wait for me!!!!

okay, just kidding. i'm too shy to tell you in real life, rejection is scary to me. it's so hard because what if we're not meant to be? that just makes me so sad. it's quite pathetic, isn't it. lol.

i love you, jimin. i want to tell you that one day. you will wait, right?

-your secret admirer

“jimin hyung, i did all my homework. am i a good boy?” jeongguk asks, eyes so bright with childlike wonder. jimin smiles back effortlessly, proud that he's making an attempt to be a better student, even trying to focus and put aside his phone during the subjects he has more interest in.

“the best boy,” jimin softly says back, hands tucked between his thighs, as jeongguk scratches the back of his neck nervously.

“please pat my head.” he mumbles, “that's how you let someone know they're doing well, right?” oh look, maybe webtoons and anime didn't really apply in real life. jimin blinks owlishly, and jeongguk decides there and then that he's clowned himself enough. “s-sorry, uh- been watching too much haikyuu and shit-”

jimin's unsurprisingly so gentle, as he cards his fingers through jeongguk's hair, threading into them in a soothing manner, the way he rakes a hand through his hair as a bad habit. his touch trickles down, cupping his cheek, his jaw; fingers lingering across the pretty melanin skin, tracing beauty marks and faded scars. it's only a three second action, but to jeongguk, whose throat has gone dry, it's a goddamn slo-mo rundown with the second lead edit, the fucking glossy filter with the roses and sparkles as the camera pans to jimin's shy smile, in the perspective of jeongguk. it's always the second lead that deserves the fucking world and the best outcome, but somehow always falls short from the protagonist.

he's been laughing at those k-drama fanatics with the apparently ‘cheesy and cringe worthy storylines’ and here he is, fantasizing and daydreaming about jimin, right in front of the man himself, park jimin. (we been knew.) also, he thanks god for not making any weird noises in that transient, surreal moment; that would've been awkward.

“jeonggukie, look- i finished the bonus questions and the hard ones im record time, so you should praise me!” jimin refuses to back down, jeongguk having patted his head in recognition, in the midst of scrolling through his phone to find an old text. he can't seem to find the message from seokjin about the flowers that jimin likes.

“jeonggukie~” jimin persistently whines, locking his phone, making him bark out a noise of irritance reflexively. it makes jimin's eyes go wide, and he immediately feels bad, wants to take it back; it's not his fault he has a bad temper that he’s trying to curb- honestly, be does even not give two shits if it's someone else; but if it's jimin in the picture, he gives twenty shits. maybe even two hundred for good measure.

“sorry, hyung- i was too focused and i just-” he has to bite the inside of his cheek to hide the guilt gnawing at him, crawling up his skin like a wicked reminder of how good jimin is for this world. far too good.

“‘s okay,” jimin weakly smiles, shaking his head in reassurance. “i was being annoying.”

“no! who said you were? i just- well, it's my fault, really- was there anything you needed?” jeongguk almost winces at the wounded puppy expression in jimin's eyes. fuck.

the paper filled with equations and calculations get folded into half, nimbly hidden from sight. “it's nothing, really- i'm just going to the washroom for a bit,”

when jimin comes back, eyes a tad redder, jeongguk awkwardly puts his hand on jimin's head, being as discreet as possible when the tutor turns to face to board. “uh, you did well.”

“oh- thank you.”

it's a sad smile.

since he'd been an utter piece of trash yesterday, so he went ahead to expose himself further to seokjin, to obtain information about anything jimin wants. a polaroid camera. in the latest letter, he states that he's sorry that his old polaroid’s not entirely new, and with a few scratches and chips in the paint coat (since he was stupid and liked tossing his stuff to be cool as a teenager) but other than that, it's fully functional. also, he's broke.

jimin probably doesn't know, but jeongguk used to run a youtube channel with travel edits (due to his dad’s job requirements) called G.C.F. in it, the square polaroid camera made a few appearances, not that jimin will ever know.

it makes the boy’s whole day, running about in school (jeongguk's brain automatically adds in the squeaky sound effects- ugh, his mind) to take photographs of his friends and of the birds and dogs.

he proudly brings the old collector’s pocket file, of all his old polaroid photos. jeongguk knows this was the best decision he ever made when he sees a baby photo of jimin on a rainy day, wearing a yellow ducky raincoat with a flared base to keep his little feeties dry. jeongguk wants to combust when jimin adds that he was on the way to the police station to return a 100won coin to the lot and found- he'd wanted to be a policeman when he grew up because the officer was so kind and gave him candy after calling him a good boy.

“jimin hyung, do you smell something burning?”

“what? where?”

“my heart's on fire! i'm proud!”

jimin mewls, having received news that he topped the class yet again- and he slaps him on the shoulder, but he still laughs anyway, heart skipping along with his giggles.

i don't wanna lie no more,

i don't wanna hide no more-

what i found in you is so real;

i don't wanna hide no more,

i don't wanna lie no more-

now that i found you.

jimin's tired from cramming for three pop quizzes in a row, all contributing to the grade on coursework, and he's sluggishly lugging himself to the library after the bell rings to signal their dismissal from the last lesson of the day.

“gotta… study…” jimin mumbles to himself, trying to keep his eyes open, almost bumping into three people en route. “hyung, please, you need to rest-”

“library-” is all jimin can say before he gets scooped up in a bridal carry, squeaking as jeongguk lifts him up like he weighs nothing. “my god, gukkie, we're in school-”

jeongguk puts him back down. “okay, then get on.” he crouches down for jimin to mount his back, which he gleefully jumps on giggles as he tightens his hold around jeongguk's neck.

“thank you…” he sleepily murmurs into jeongguk's shoulder, resting for a quick moment until the journey comes to a halt. this is not the library.

“jeongguk! i said i need to st-”

“be quiet.”

“o-okay,” jimin replies cutely when jeongguk frowns at him, making himself comfortable on the open space of the rooftop. (how can jimin saying okay be so diddly darn cute? it's just an okay. )

“come here,” jeongguk beckons him, hands tucked behind his head. “the ground may be hard for you, so you have three options- here, here or here.” he points to his chest, his stomach, and his thighs one after the other.

“w-what-”

“did you not hear me? i said you're not studying until you rest properly.” with a sigh, since jimin doesn't seem to know what to do, refusing to budge, he gets up and pulls jimin down onto him, causing jimin to whine at the sudden impact (soft landing on hard body) and close proximity.

“i've heard i make a great lap pillow,” jeongguk smirks, causing jimin to blush further, covering his face in both his hands.

“if you're embarrassed you can just use my jacket as a pillow, you know. it's quite comfortable too. i've tried-”

jimin drifts off into a slumber as he rests his head on jeongguk's stomach, facing him, but eyes giving in to fatigue before he can notice jeongguk's ears go bright red.

he's decided. today will be the day he reveals his identity. he's got a curt note written in his personal chicken scratch, making sure to look around before lurking close to jimin's locker.

as he swings it open, he finds a note in jimin's locker saying sorry.

to my secret admirer:

i do admit i did like you a lot in the beginning; i really did. but i guess i don't know you enough and i'm really sorry- i tried to forget about someone i really like in school, but i couldn't. i tried so hard, and even though i know they probably like someone else. and yet, i love that person, i love someone else, a someone that isn't you. i'm really so, so incredibly sorry if i've ever let you on, or made you think we could've been something- or perhaps looked forward to your letters to make me feel like i'm really as beautiful or pretty as you often said i was. i guess i was right and i'm not- and i have nothing else to say other that i'm so sorry.

i hope you find your happiness someday, too, regardless of who you are. even though we've never met, i feel guilty for betraying you somehow. i'll always remember you. i wish i had the courage to tell you i once that i was brazen enough to have thought i loved you.

sincerely, with all my heart,

lots of love from park jimin.

“park jimin…” jeongguk falters, letter slipping through his hands, “you liked someone and i… i didn't realise? h-how?” mumbling to himself, jeongguk almost walks into the wall. he's flabbergasted and appalled. at himself, for not picking up the slightest hint- he'd failed not only as a suitor, but also as a classmate, a good friend.

it takes a bend and half a corridor for jeongguk to spot the object of his affection.

“jimin hyung!” jeongguk shouts, as soon as he sees the bespectacled figure in the hallway. “jimin hyung,” he pants, dashing all the way, clutching the crumpled paper in his hands, “who? who do you like?”

“jeonggukie! you can't just open people's lockers like that…” jimin squeaks, weakly pushing up his glasses, “i-it's a personal letter-”

“answer me,” jeongguk growls, completely averting the statement, “or do you think we're not close enough for you to let me in?”

“a-ah, you went to my locker to get the math guide i said i would lend you, right? that must be it-” jimin's trying his best to deny the allegation, a futile effort in diversion, chest panging with every forced word. jeongguk cannot know- not now and not ever. “silly me, there's no way you would be so nosy and read-” it's no use. he's just running away from his worries, throwing caution to the wind as he tried to weakly fight jeongguk's desperate eyes with his words. his random fumble of words drows jeongguk's voice out, but it's him on the inside that's drowning.

“do i really have to beg taehyung hyung to find out-” his voice cracks midway, eyes glistening as jimin lowers his head in guilt, lips pressed together tightly to avoid giving anything else away.

“jeongguk, please-” it's so soft jeongguk barely catches it.

“are we not even friends?”

the glittery eyes jimin shoots back at him breaks the last straw. who allowed him to bite his lips and make them go so red? who allowed him to hold the universe’s most beautiful, glowing jewels as his eyes?

jimin only feels the thud against the wall, jeongguk pushing him into a corner, caging him with his muscular arms. it reminds him very much so of that one night. and jimin almost whimpers at the knitted brows, the fixated, dark glare directed straight at him. “stop looking at me like that- and don't you dare make that face to other people- it drives me fucking crazy.” jeongguk starts, voice strong initially, slowly softening into a waver. i'm going nuts not knowing whether to be straightforward and kiss you, take you with consent and then show everybody you're mine- but what if, what if that means i'll rob you of a chance at true love? what if it's me standing in the way of you and the someone that you love?

what if it's unrequited?

the gradual transition of his voice going from obstinate and definite to insecure and irresolute makes jimin's heart stop, then stutter; his breath gets held in, released as a quiet gasp- jeongguk's honeyed voice catching the fallen petals of his breath, as they flow down together, peach and cherry blossoms stuck in a viscous amber waterfall. a death trap, a pliant succumb.

“jeongguk-”

“i-i'm so sorry for everything, hyung. i'm not thinking straight-”

the letter in his hands falls. jimin's letter, his own letter kept snugly shoved into his pocket. his behaviour snaps into a whole different demeanour, a complete 360. maybe it's his eyes that are the ones shining and watery, not jimin's.

people are staring, all eyes on him. them. he does the best he can to collect himself and immediately apologises, in a deep bow, realising he's been unconsciously attracting the attention of orher students. people are going to think jimin is undeserving of his leadership titles if he can't even handle a brat like himself.

but i still want you

-jeongguk

he holes himself up in the one place that jimin won't ever dream he enters on his own accord. in the library, he writes to his secret admirer, his guardian angel with the most beautiful soul.

this is for the person that always writes to me in a blue letter pad,

hey. i know that i've been a dick sometimes and maybe an asshole to many people but can i meet you? i want to cry on someone's shoulder and i'm not manly enough to do that in public… i honestly don't know what to do, but i feel like you won't laugh… actually, you know what? forget it. i think we should stop communicating- it turns out i'm really absolutely shit at relationships. everyone was right- maybe i only am capable of having flings and one night stands.

i'm sorry it had to end this way. it's for the best. i've already hurt someone i like, and i don't want to hurt you either.

sincerely,

jeon jeongguk

he hesitates, but stuffs the blank paper, neatly folded into a heart, into his locker. when he returns an hour later to grab his extra shirt, the letter is gone.

jimin had wanted to write him a note, but he couldn't find the exact words.

he left without placing his letter into jeongguk's locker.

 and i still want you

-jimin

“hello, is this jeongguk? this is taehyung. kim taehyung from the next door class.”

“yeah. what d’you want?” he's annoyed that the call made him lose focus and read the glaring letters of game over on the pc.

“um, you see, we went drinking, and uh, hoseok is really drunk and um, jiminnie is tipsy too, so-”

“give me your location right now.”

thank god taehyung had known his limits and bought himself a cola, instead of hoseok who drank beer from a goddamn straw. it's basic knowledge that you get drunk faster that way. jimin's best friends really are all nerds. nice nerds.

“as you know, i've been friends with jimin for a long time, and i think you're a good guy, so i'm entrusting you to protect jiminnie from now on, okay?” taehyung’s doing his best to look stern, but hoseok's busy trying to kiss him and touch him all over, a bad sleeping habit. “i'm taking this guy over here back home, so please-”

“i-i will take good care of jimin. thanks, hyung.”

he doesn't trust leaving jimin in his own house, so he takes jimin back to his place. the smaller boy is still whining and asking for more drinks as he stumbles about, hips swaying and feet crisscrossing in the most endearing of ways an inebriated person can be. he didn't do as well for his test (97% instead of 100%, seriously, jimin? not everyone is a perfectionist or valedictorian, you know.) and he read jeongguk's letter. it's the worst possible combination of unfortunate events ever.

“he doesn't like me…” jimin’s pouting as jeongguk settles him on the bed, whining with his bright eyes, all wet and glistening. “t-tell me, jungoo- is dimin… is diminnie not good enough-” he's hiccupping and jeongguk doesn't quite know what appropriate thing to say. he doesn't want to lie, but he doesn't want to hurt his precious sunshine either.

“i swear to god, anybody who's blind enough not to like you- if you tell me who hurt you i'll literally go smack a bitch right now. even if it's past midnight, i don't care- f the person played you or rejected you i'm gonna punch them square in the face-”

“you can't punch yourself!” jimin sobs, falling into jeongguk's chest, tears moistening his shirt as he balls his hands into the cotton and bawls. “how could i-”

“i'm sorry, what?”

“i like you… diminnie likes you,” he hiccups as he rummages his pocket for a crushed piece of paper in his wallet. it's jeongguk's letter. “i- i want to go home!” jimin punches his chest with balled up fists repetitively, but they're weak.

“darling, hush, calm down,” jeongguk soothes, jimin clambering into his lap, and he pats jimin's back long enough to fall asleep in his arms. he must be so tired.

“good morning, honey bun sugar plum.” jeongguk says when jimin slowly tosses around and cracks his eyes open. he hasn't slept a wink, staying up to keep watch over jimin.

“how… this is not my bed,” jimin comments, voice thick with sleep, blinking blearily.

“i'll make us breakfast!”

jeongguk grabs banana milk and pours cereal into it, takes a ready to eat sausage from the refrigerator, and another bag of chips. he reaches out for a lemon just in case. by the time he's done, jimin's washed up and sitting cross legged on his sheets.

“um. breakfast in bed?”

jimin scrunches his nose. chips for breakfast? no thank you. he's wholly prepared to whip them both a simple breakfast without any processed food. “what's with the lemon?” he has to try his best not to giggle.

“o-oh. hyung likes lemonade…”

it makes jimin smile fondly. “i said some stupid things last night, didn't i?” he takes jeongguk's idea of breakfast, puts them on the table. he holds both of jeongguk's hands, takes a deep breath.

“so. i do like you. very much. and i'm sorry if i said anything to make you uncomfortable- i had a drop too many last night, so i hope you can forget, and forgive-”

jeongguk wastes no time in pressing their lips together, jimin tasting like mint from the toothpaste and cherries from his lip gloss. it's very soft, and very sweet, as they hold hands, jeongguk growing ravenous, starving, voracious; he inches his way closer, jimin cupping his face to deepen their kiss, jeongguk pushing him against the mattress having granted access to his heart. it's molten, like honey, like lava. it's burning, fervent, desirous; as if a kiss would grant eternal happiness, the greatest love of a lifetime.

jimin's lips are overly nipped and sucked at when they pull apart, even puffier than normal, and jeongguk almost cooes at how adorable he looks with his hair sticking up in odd places.

“i know this is kinda redundant, but uh. d’you wanna like. um. be my boyfriend. like for real- not just some, y’know. fling or anything-”

jimin kisses him once more with his tinkling little laugh, a windup musical box, wind chimes in the breeze. “your boyfriend will cook you a meal now.”

as he whizzes off, jeongguk gives a dopey smile to where jimin had been sitting just seconds ago, shyly rubbing the back of his neck, and then proceeding to yell into his pillow. how'd he get so lucky? breakfast isn't served in bed, but it's served with lots of love and jeongguk's tummy approved of the nice proper meal conjured with his lousy stock of junk and canned food, loaf of bread and remaining eggs. it's eaten over lots of kisses, and some orange juice. (everybody say thank you, jimin.)

it's their first date, and jimin spends a long time dressing up, making sure to accessorise and look good. he wears blue and white stripes, and a fuzzy bell hat, while jeongguk does his usual all black ensemble. they visit the arcades and noraebang, taking many polaroids along the way. jeongguk makes him pose by every single landmark to leave as many memories as possible, and jimin complies, taking selfies together so he can look at them every night before he sleeps.

they share ice cream, win prizes, and decide to get henna done. “i want it to be permanent, though…” jeongguk pouts, but jimin dissuades him, telling him in wild embarrassment that tattooing park jimin across his chest was a big no no. jeongguk pouts, retorting that it's not that bad and he's just exaggerating, he just wants to get jimin's name across his heart.

“henna,” jimin says decisively, “so that we can get them together…”

“but hyung!”

“i'll always be yours, jeonggukie… i already said i'd go to the moon with you if i had to, haven't i?”

jeongguk sulks petulantly when he knows it's true, and jimin runs to a nearby stall to buy a blue slushie to make him happy. jeongguk becomes a baby, sticking out his tongue to show jimin his tongue is now coloured blue. “blueberry~!”

it's a tough call, but eventually they decide to get a crescent moon with a heart hanging from it like a star, jimin's hollow (white) and jeongguk's filled in (black).

jimin sits on the floor as jeongguk gets his done, scrolling through his phone and munching on egg bread until the latter says “let's go, baby!” to notify him that he's done.

to add on to the already sappy day, they get matching phone covers, buy cartoon character socks, get their caricature portraits done. (there was only one chair, so jimin had to make do with jeongguk's lap as his chair.)

they visit hongdae at night, sharing street food, odeng, hotteok, corndogs, tteokbokki; when jeongguk gets sauce on his lips, jimin instinctively wipes it off with a thumb. it makes the tips of his ears go red.

“hyung, if you were an anime character, you'd be kisumi shigano- you know, from free? the one with pink hair?”

“ah! kisumi!”

“since you asked so nicely,” jimin's eyes grow wide at jeongguk successfully tricking him, but nevertheless kisses back as he tiptoes to boop his nose after.

“i've been good, do i get a reward now?”

“n-not here…” jimin gets hot and bothered when jeongguk comes to close, holding his waist as he whispers into his ear, doing the tall guy thing and hooking his chin across jimin's shoulder, arms draped around him in a backhug. teasing jimin is really what he was born for.

“we haven't agreed on a prize yet, what could you possibly have in mind, hmm? blushing like that, jimin ssi.”

jimin refuses to share any more of his pajeon and dumplings with him. until jeongguk says sorry for bullying him, kisses him twice. jimin gives him all the food without any hesitation.

they hold hands all the way home, even on the metro.

“good night, jeonggukie.”

“good night, jimin.”

“good night jeonggukie.” jimin softly mumbles again, craning his neck to give jeongguk's jaw a small peck, before ducking back into the blankets to hide his face. he's so embarrassed. it's not everyday you get to fall asleep next to the love of your life, okay?

“darling, please… you're making it difficult for me to sleep, you know?” jeongguk slowly peels off the edge of the lemon yellow blanket, revealing a blushing jimin (yes, he glows in the dark! the light from the night sky flitting in gives his rosy cheeks a dewy glow.) and cuddling jimin tighter, pulling him closer.

“i'm sleepy, but i don't wanna sleep,” jimin confesses with a pout, “if i wake up it might all fade away into a dream-”

“baby...” jeongguk automatically shuffles, adjusting his weight so jimin is partially using his chest as a pillow. “i'll wait till you fall asleep, then i'll sleep. just so you know i'm still here.”

“jeonggukie… i know, i believe you, but i just can't believe that we're holding hands and getting matching things and-” the pout in jimin's voice makes jeongguk irrevocably soft, eyes full of nothing but love and tenderness. “sometimes i wonder why of all people, me-!” jeongguk gently presses a kiss to his nose.

“because i love you. nothing's gonna change that.” jeongguk argues, patting jimin's back rhythmically, lulling him to sleep. jimin's adorable hands hand their way to his face, caressing his face, running his baby fingers through soft brown hair, kissing the little scar on his left cheek. “you know i've always loved you, right-”

jeongguk kisses the pout away, making jimin mewl and hide his face somewhere. jeongguk tastes like candy floss, smells like milky body wash.

“good night, jimin.”

“good night, jeonggukie.”

a minute of silence passes.

“jeongguk, you know i love y-”

“jimin, honey, please-” jeongguk's awfully exasperated and endeared to the point where he actually has to sing jimin to sleep, so his baby can rest knowing he's still there. he sings lost stars, softly kissing jimin's curls upon the line i saw a lion kiss a deer.

the clock that glows in the dark, placed next to jimin's cat lamp, lets him know that their anniversary date is november 8th.