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Namjoon’s day had taken a very dramatic turn from good, to the absolute worst, and from that, to the very best.
It was Valentine’s Day and there was an special event in the local arcade, where everything had been (not so) carefully decorated to look romantic and prizes were being given for, basically, anyone who won at any game.
At first, he wasn’t that eager to participate. His friends, Yoongi and Hoseok, were the ones who invited him to this outing, along with a couple more friends, with the intention of celebrating their first year together as a couple.
He had every intention to just hang out and enjoy himself, while watching the others have fun from his seat. Namjoon and Prize Games weren’t a particularly good combination and he would prefer to keep his good reputation intact.
But then, he saw it.
A blue koala plushie.
Namjoon was a collector, of sorts. A collector of all things sweet and cute, with plushies (mainly, ryan plushies) being the items he liked the most. So when he saw that blue koala that maybe, kinda , looked at little like him… he just knew he had to have it.
So, swallowing his pride and standing up from his chair, Namjoon gathered every single penny and coin he could find in his wallet and made his way towards the basketball game, decided to take that plushie home with him.
I mean , he thinks, it’s not like an basketball game could be so hard, right?
Wrong. Almost two hours later and Namjoon had ran out of coins, having failed extensively in this stupid, damned basketball game.
In his mind, he was already practicing what to say to his friends, once he went back to their table. It went something like this: ‘All right. I know I lost, but… the game looked so, so easy! And I was doing well at first, but no one told me that the fucking hoop moved! Like? What? What kinda of weird basketball hoop moves? And besides, I have terrible hand-eye coordination! So anyone who makes fun of me for my valiant efforts is nothing more than a cruel, heartless heathen.’
Resigned to his fate, he mentally said goodbye to the blue koala that now, would probably never belong to him. Before he had the chance to leave, however, help comes in the form of a delicate tap on his shoulders.
Namjoon turns around. There was a guy standing there, offering him a warm smile. He looked to be around his age, with messy brown hair, deep hopeful eyes, and sleeve tattoos that covered most of his right arm and extended to his hands and fingers.
He asks if he can give the game a try and Namjoon watches, in awe, as he manages to win the thing in his third try.
“That was amazing!” He says, crossing his arms and averting his gaze to the ground. “You’re really good at… games.”
The guy blushes, his cheeks and neck turning into a bright shade of pink, and makes a vague hand gesture, saying something along the lines of ‘it’s nothing’ . He chooses his prize, and before Namjoon has the time to feel surprised, there’s a blue koala plushie being handed to him.
“Here you go!” He says. “This is the one you wanted, right?”
Maybe it was the way he was smiling at that moment, a perfect mix of shyness and kindness that made him look soft. Or maybe it was just the spirit of Valentine’s Day talking. But seeing him in that moment felt like Cupid Himself had come down from Mount Olympus and shot an arrow straight through Namjoon’s heart.
▪︎ 🐰 💘 🐨 ▪︎
It’s not that Jungkook was a selfish person.
Far from that, actually. He was used to sharing his food, clothes, lecture notes - and in one very weird occasion, underwear - with his friends. He often had his cheeks thoroughly squished by kind old ladies after offering them a helping hand.
Even Seokjin praised him for always staying behind and helping him clean up after movie night. Although, that praise was usually followed by a jab towards Taehyung and Jimin.
(“I wish my two boyfriends would be as considerate as you are, Jungkookie.” Seokjin would say, dramatically sighing and petting his hair. “Have I told you that you’re my favorite dongsaeng?”
Taehyung would readily reply: “But babe, he’s a virgo! That’s an impossible organization standard to match!” while Jimin simply shot death glares at Jungkook, no doubt plotting his ultimate demise for making him look like a terrible boyfriend.)
But even though he wasn’t selfish, Jungkook was the type of person who tried as hard as he could to mind his own business. He was good at keeping himself away from things that absolutely did not concern him and had every intention to keep it that way.
Especially when it’s Valentine’s Day and his single ass had been dragged all the way to the arcade by Jimin and Seokjin, in order to support Taehyung’s first gig as a singer.
Yes, he was proud and yes, he wanted to support his friend. But no, he did not want to be the fourth wheel on Valentine’s Day. That already felt shitty enough on regular days. So he sat himself down on the booth, listening to Seokjin and Jimin gush about their boyfriend and counting the minutes until it was socially acceptable for him to leave.
Halfway through Taehyung’s cover of Unchained Melody, Jungkook’s eyes caught sight of him.
He was very tall, with strong arms and the thickest of tights. Dimples adorned his face, with blond hair that was perfectly styled and a peach-colored cardigan that made him look so… soft. It was an adorable sight.
Jungkook watched, in a mix of curiosity and interest, as he walked towards the basketball game and inserted a few coins. He played once, twice, three times - failing all of them. But instead of giving up, like any other person would, he punched the ‘start’ button once more and tried again.
That had been two hours ago, and while his insistence was extremely cute - it was also starting to get exasperating, watching him lose. Especially because he looked like he was concentrating so hard on the game, throwing ball after ball and scrunching up his nose, seeming deep in thought. His gaze would sometimes drift towards a blue koala plushie on the prize shelf and a determined look would set upon his face.
And although Jungkook was trying his best to look away and stop paying attention to this random stranger on the arcade, he simply could not. It was like watching a very slow, very tragic disaster unfold right before his eyes, and he was beginning to feel sorry for him.
Ah. This is none of my business. He thinks to himself. I should stop watching him. He probably doesn’t want an audience and... I don’t want to be creepy?
But then, he loses again and Jungkook actually flinches.
He had been so close that time. Surely, next round he would win, right?
As the guy searches his pockets for more money, he seems to have ran out of coins to insert into the machine’s slot. His shoulders slump and he turns his body towards the koala plushie, looking completely defeated.
Despite knowing he would be better off leaving this stranger alone, Jungkook couldn’t just sit there and do nothing anymore. Before he could even register what the actual fuck he was doing, his body moves on his own accord and he walks towards the guy, cautiously tapping him on the shoulder.
“Would it be okay if I gave this thing a try?” He asks, blinking his eyes and hoping his question isn’t taken as an offense.
“Oh.” The guy shakes his head, sighing. “I don’t have any coins left.”
“That’s okay. I still have plenty.”
Jungkook inserts a coin into the slot machine and presses down hard on the start button, concentrating. The game is as difficult as it seemed to be, and, knowing how arcades worked, probably a little rigged, too.
But if there was one thing Jungkook was good at, that thing were video games of any sort. And also, sports, in general. Which probably helped. Nevertheless, it takes him three tries until he scores enough points to choose whatever prize he wishes.
(“Congratulations.” The bored teenager with neon colored hair who worked at the prize stand said, as she handed him the koala plushie. “Also. Please, never let your friend play this game again.”)
There’s a surprised look on the guy’s face when Jungkook hands him the plushie – but that is soon replaced by a sincere smile as he accepts it, hugging it against his chest and bowing. “I… Thank you…” He murmurs, sounding adorably shy. “You didn’t have to do that, but... Thank you. I’m Namjoon.”
At that moment, two very important thoughts cross Jungkook’s mind. The first one being, ‘fuck, he’s cute…’ and the second one, ‘oh shit, it’s Valentine’s Day’.
It was Valentine’s Day and the guy - Namjoon - was probably trying to win something for his significant other and Jungkook had just completely screwed that up for him. His stomach twists, making him feel a little sick, and of all appropriate things to do at the moment, he chooses to start rambling .
“I’m Jungkook! But my friends call me JK.” He introduces himself, bowing politely as well. “And really, it was no trouble. You just… looked like you really wanted the koala and it was. You know. Kinda cute that you were working so hard for it, so I thought it would be. Nice? To, uhm, get you the prize.” With every word Jungkook said, he felt his cheeks flushing redder and redder with embarrassment. “God. Sorry if that was. Weird? I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything, I just saw you playing, and- Not that I was staring at you or anything, you see, it was just-”
“Breathe, Jungkook!” Namjoon jokes, shaking his head. “It’s okay. I know you mean well. Like I said, I’m thankful.”
“Okay.” Jungkook sighs, rubbing his neck and averting his gaze towards the ground. “Just wanted to make sure, but. Yeah. Okay. I should-”
“Wait. Can I buy you a milkshake?” Namjoon interrupts, hugging the prize tightly against his chest. “As a ‘thank you’ gesture.”
“I thought you didn’t have any more coins left.”
“I don’t.” He laughs. “But I do have a credit card. So. Milkshake?”
▪︎ 🐰 💘 🐨 ▪︎
The rest of the day goes by with the two of them sitting down on a different table, away from the prying eyes of their respective friend groups, sharing milkshakes and fries, while talking about themselves and getting to know each other.
(The most important thing they learn is that they are both single, emotionally available, and down to maybe go on a few dates, if the flirting is anything to judge by.)
When they finally have to part ways, Namjoon places a small kiss on Jungkook’s cheeks and whispers another ‘thank you’. Jungkook’s heart beats a little faster at that, and not even Taehyung and Jimin’s constant teasing during the way back home were enough to wipe the smile off his face
Later, there’s a text on Jungkook’s phone. It was a picture of Namjoon, in his pajamas, with wet hair and large glasses that somehow made him look even cuter, holding the blue koala plushie in his arms.
[~ joon 🐨]
his name is koya.
and i would like to see u again.
dinner tomorrow?
[~ 🐰]
only if it’s a date
[~ joon 🐨]
it is 😉
i… am very sorry
the emoji was terrible.
[~ 🐰]
lol
good night, hyung
give koya a little kith from me 😚
They have a wonderful dinner together. And in the next morning, with bare chests and purple markings spread across their bodies, they have a wonderful breakfast in bed, too.