Archive of Our Own

"Jungkook-hyung!" a too excited voice sounds over Jungkook's giant headphones.

Jungkook blinks, taking it off and watching as Taehyun invades his bedroom, shaking a white paper and holding the biggest smile on his face.

Jungkook blinks again.

"Look at this!" The youngest shoves the paper on Jungkook's face, not giving him room to breathe, let alone read whatever is written.

"I'm trying!" Jungkook holds Taehyun's hand and takes the paper from him.

It's a very badly written sign of some band called Zero O'Clock that is currently looking for a lead guitarist to join them. Jungkook reads it all (they'll have an audition next Saturday), then looks again at Taehyun, curious.

"So what?"

"What do you mean, so what ?!" Dramatically, Taehyun throws himself on Jungkook's bed. "It's your chance!"

Honest to God, Jungkook is feeling awfully confused. Sure, he understands that this is an ad about some random band looking for a guitarist, and he’s not dumb, he can put two and two together because, of course, he knows how to play the guitar. What he doesn’t get is how Taehyun got his hands on this ad, and why he’s showing it to Jungkook if he said just the week before that he had officially given up on this music dream .

“I don’t want it, thank you” Jungkook gives the paper back, but Taehyun doesn’t take it. “Where did you get it, anyway?”

“Some cute guy went to the coffee shop and asked me to put it on our board.”

“And you didn’t put it there, clearly” Jungkook shakes his head, putting the paper on his desk and going back to the code he’s programming now. “Take it back and put there tomorrow.”

“But hyung!” Taehyun whines, and he’s lucky Jungkook loves the kid because Jungkook needs to concentrate right now. “You have to at least try.”

“What I have to do, Taehyun-ah, is finish this code because my boss need it ready by tomorrow, ok? Now, please, let me work.”

Although he stays quiet for a while, Taehyun doesn’t leave Jungkook’s bedroom. It’s a little uncomfortable, Jungkook not being able to really focus on his work with Taehyun laying on his bed, silently watching. He knows Taehyun is judging him for missing this opportunity. It would be the fourth failed attempt of getting into a band in the past six months, so in all honesty, Jungkook feels tired. Tired of getting on bands that people know nothing except fight for getting the spotlight and never take their time to enjoy music. 

So the only thing he wants is to focus on his actual job, with an actual payment check by the end of the month, so he can pay the rent. And for that, he needs to focus completely on what he's doing right now, and completely ignore the stare he feels Taehyun giving to his neck.

It takes about fifteen minutes for Taehyun to finally get up and say before leaving "I won't take the paper back. Consider it again."

Jungkook dismisses him with a scoff.

***

Jungkook feels like an idiot. He can't believe he let Taehyun get inside his head like this. He can't believe he let the paper on his desk and the glares Taehyun gave during the entire two days that followed get inside his head. 

Now he's feeling like the biggest idiot in the world while he rings the bell of the too big wooden door. Jungkook holds tighter on his guitar case handler, heart beating faster inside his chest when the door finally opens.

"Hi, how can I help you?" The cutest guy in the world is on the other side, showing the cutest smile. The guy is short, has blonde hair, plump lips and sweet eyes. Jungkook's heart beats even faster.

"Hi, I came for the audition?" Jungkook holds the paper up.

It takes some seconds for Cute to realize what Jungkook is talking about, which is weird. Jungkook is sure he's on the right address, this guy should know. It's even weirder when Cute seems to finally understand what Jungkook is talking about and suddenly seems terrified . 

"Fucking shit, you- shit" the guy runs one hand through his hair, desperate, and Jungkook pretends he didn't look like a model doing that. "Wait a minute."

The door closes on Jungkook's face, and he takes a deep breath. Once Jungkook arrives home, he's going to kill Taehyun. He knew this was a bad idea! And he blames Taehyun for bringing this fucking paper and-

The door opens again.

This time he sees a taller guy, a little taller than Jungkook, with the face of a model, wavy black hair falling on his eyes and making him look serious, intimidating and sexy .

"Hi, I'm sorry but,- oh " his voice is deep, sweet, Jungkook thinks he'll have a heart attack at any moment now. "Oh no, you're so cute. You look like a cute bunny, I can't do this." The sexy guy turns around and screams for whoever is inside the room "You all are going to get on your knees and apologize to the bunny right now!"

This is probably the weirdest interaction Jungkook has ever had in his entire life. Sexy looks at him again and opens a square smile, one that makes him look like an adorable teddy bear. Jungkook opens his mouth, ready to say that this was a big mistake, and he'll just go home, when a third guy appears.

Jungkook freezes.

The third guy is tall, taller than them all. His hair is gray, a little messy, and he wears gym clothes that do nothing to hide how buff he is. Especially the tiny shorts. With huge thighs showing. Big, muscular thighs.

"Are you feeling alright?" Thighs says, and Jungkook realizes he spent a good long seconds staring at a stranger's thigh. It's probably a crime, somewhere in the world, to have legs that look like that.

"No" Jungkook answers. Then shakes his head and looks at Thighs' face. "Sorry, I mean, yes. I'm alright" this makes Thighs smile and, holy fucking shit, he has dimples. The guy as fucking dimples . "I'll just leave." 

Jungkook points over his own shoulder, to his back, and gives the most awkward smile in the history of humanity. But before he can leave, a fourth guy appears (and honestly how many people are inside this room?) This one looks small. He's not short, probably Jungkook's height, but especially between Thighs and Sexy, the new guy looks extra thin, delicate.

"You are all scaring the bunny, get inside everyone" and as if this new guy has some sort of power, Sexy and Thighs just smile apologizing and go inside as ordered. "I'm so sorry, I feel we had a misunderstanding, but we would like to explain it to you. Would you like to come in?"

Jungkook is ready to deny it. The last minutes were absolutely the strangest moment of his entire life, so no, he doesn't want to come in. He wants to go home, give Taehyun a hard time and see the workload his boss has probably already sent for the next week.

But then the guy smiles and Jungkook loses all his will. The guy has a heart shaped smile.

"Ok" Jungkook hears himself saying and Heart’s smile gets even bigger. Jungkook has no idea who this guy is, but he hopes he will be forever happy.

The inside of the room is fancier than Jungkook expected, though small. It's a studio filled with every modern equipment Jungkook intends to have one day. The walls are wooden, making the place look a little dark but cozy and modern. 

While Heart leads him to a brown couch, Jungkook looks at the five other people inside the room: Sexy, Cute, Thighs, a guy who's surely a Model because there's no way on earth that someone has that face with those lips and is not a model, and a short guy who looks like a curious adorable Cat. 

"What's your name, bunny?" Sexy asks, starting the conversation.

"Jungkook. It's… nice to meet you."

"I'm Taehyung, but you can call me-"

"He can not" Cat interrupts Taehyung. "I'm Yoongi, nice to meet you too. Please, ignore Taehyung for your own sake. Jimin too."

"I was quiet!" Cute, clearly Jimin, protests, but opens a mischievous smile to Jungkook.

“Anyway” Heart giggles, a delicious sound. “I’m Hoseok. He is Namjoon”, Hoseok points to Thighs, “and that beauty right there is Seokjin”, the Model is finally introduced. Now they all have names and Jungkook can stop calling them by physical features. Was it offensive?

"We would like to apologize, Jungkook", Jimin pouts, succeeding in looking even cuter. "The poster was supposed to be a prank on Taehyung. We asked the cute barista to put it on their board because it's Tae's favorite coffee shop, and he's our lead guitarist, so…"

"And since Jimin is on the rhythm guitar…"

Oh .

They aren't looking for a guitarist.

Their band is complete, probably. Jungkook is just embarrassing himself. He tries to keep his cool, not let his disappointment and shame get the best of him, but he can feel as his face starts to get all red.

"I see", Jungkook opens the most embarrassed smile in the world and gets up, grabbing hard on his guitar and getting ready to leave this place and never come back again. "I'm sorry to waste your time. Thank you for your patience." Jungkook bows three times quickly while he starts to go to the door. 

"Wait", a voice stops Jungkook when he's almost leaving. He thinks about pretending that he didn't hear, but it would be too obvious. It’s not a big room. When he turns, he sees everyone staring at Yoongi. "Do you happen to know how to play keyboards?" All the others seem to understand the question, but Jungkook tilts his head in confusion, making Taehyung coo at him. "We always talked about how we could really use the keyboard on our songs, but the only one besides me who plays it is Jin, and he refuses to be part of the band."

"I'm sorry, I don't play it", for some reason Jungkook feels really disappointed. "I only know how to play guitar and drums."

"Oh" Yoongi's eyes light up. "Would you mind playing some drums for us?"

Jungkook shrugs, accepting the drumsticks that Yoongi offers him. All six pairs of eyes are on him when he sits and takes a deep breath before he starts playing a solo that he really likes. In all honesty, Jungkook is much more of a drum person, so he feels much more confident while ignoring the eyes of six extremely handsome men on him.

"Wow", Namjoon says when Jungkook finishes. "You're good."

"Thank you" Jungkook can't help but open a shy smile. Particularly, he thinks that he still lacks in many drum related things, but Taehyun taught him that he has to accept compliments and shush his impostor syndrome from time to time.

“Maybe…” Seokjin begins, all eyes on him now. “You would like to come to a practice? Yoongi can send you the drum notation for our songs, and you can play it with us? So, if you like it, we can talk about you becoming an official member of Zero O’clock .”

“I thought the band was complete” Jungkook steps away from the instrument, giving the drumstick back to Yoongi. 

“If you play the drums, I can play the keyboards, and the band becomes what we really wanted it to be”, Yoongi shrugs and opens a small, gummy smile that makes Jungkook trip on his own shoes.

“Okay, I can- I can give you my number, then”, Jungkook says to Yoongi, and when he hears Jimin giggling, he realizes how it must’ve sounded. “I mean, so you can send me the drums notations! Only, not like, you know. Yeah.”

A loud laugh and the sound of a slap cuts the awkward moment. Hoseok is trying to contain Taehyung while he actually falls on him by laughing so hard.

It’s enough for Jungkook to say his goodbyes and go home the fastest that he can, trying his best to ignore the way he felt so shy under the six pair of eyes over him the entire time. Again he asks himself why the fuck he still listens to Taehyun and his shitty ideas, but he isn’t really mad, is he?

Jungkook apparently just got in a band.

With the most six handsome men he has ever seen in his life.

***

Next time Jungkook knocks on their door, he’s greeted by the happiest Taehyung. Jungkook can’t help but open a smile of his own while Taehyung holds his hand and takes him inside. Everybody is there already, Seokjin and Namjoon seeming really focused on something on Seokjin’s phone, Jimin sitting on Yoongi’s lap, apparently taking a nap, and Hoseok is sitting on the floor, playing with his bass.

“Jungkookie is here” Taehyung announces, still not letting go of Jungkook’s hand. 

“Hello, Jungkookie”, Hoseok is the first to greet him. “Did you like the songs we sent?”

Jungkook shakes his head, agreeing. During the week, Yoongi sent him the notations of three songs: Mic Drop , Butterfly and Telepathy , as well as the studio version of the three said songs. They were simply amazing, and Jungkook got too invested in learning the songs during those days (it had been a long time since a sleepy Taehyun asked him to please turn off his electric drums because it was three in the morning, and he had to wake up early).

“You are very good. The songs are so good, the lyrics are… and the arrangement, honestly it’s all so good .”

“You can thank Namjoon for that, he’s our official lyricist”, Seokjin smiles, small and cute, making Namjoon blush a little. Something inside Jungkook’s heart jumps. “And Yoongi is our producer, so always expect extremely high quality music.”

“I hope I don’t disappoint you.”

“You would never”, Hoseok smiles kindly. “Now, how about we start with Butterfly ? Yoongi, can you please wake up Jimin?”

“Baby”, Jungkook registers the endearment term, asking himself if Yoongi and Jimin are perhaps a couple. “We need to start practice, can you get up?”

Jimin whines a little, making Hoseok and Yoongi giggle, while Yoongi gives a quick kiss on his cheek, very close to his mouth. So, they’re probably dating. Jungkook remembers that two or three of the many other bands he got to be a part of ended because some affair between two members ended on awful terms, but these people seem to be different. It’s hard to explain why, but Jungkook feels that whatever happens between Yoongi and Jimin is really pure and sincere.

When Jimin giggles and pulls Yoongi closer, so they can properly kiss, Jungkook decides not to keep staring and gives the couple some sort of privacy, turning his head but not bothering to hold a fond smile. His eyes meet Taehyung’s, who is staring at Jungkook with such an intense and curious expression that makes Jungkook’s cheeks burn instantly.

“What?” Jungkook asks shyly.

“Just thinking”, Taehyung gives his hand a light squeeze before letting go. Jungkook tries not to show how he pathetically misses the warm feeling. “Let’s start then.”

They easily get in formation, and for a second Jungkook feels completely lost. Of course his job is just to get behind the drums and do his thing, but they all flow so well that, for a second, Jungkook asks himself what he is even doing here. That’s when he feels a hand on his shoulder, and sees Namjoon smiling at him, supportive. It's almost wrong the way it makes Jungkook feel at ease, as if just Namjoon's reassurance is enough for a good mood.

"Okay, let's start with Butterfly . Yoongi, can you start?"

The song starts with a sweet melody followed by Jimin's velvet voice. While Jungkook tries to follow the notions, having in mind what he practiced during the week, he can't help but think how good they are. Everything about them is really perfect, and Jungkook asks if he actually deserves to be here with them. What if they just invited him because they pitied him? And now that they're actually playing together, they are just thinking about a way to let Jungkook down gently? And why does it make Jungkook's heart sink so hard?

"Ok, that was wonderful", Hoseok says after the song ends. "Jimin, your voice is extra good today, you hit every note without even trying."

"I had classes yesterday", Jimin opens a shy smile that makes Jungkook involuntary smile too.

"Won't you praise me too, hyung?" Taehyung pouts, and Jungkook can't help but admire how Hoseok is strong enough to not melt.

"You were also perfect, baby", Hoseok sends him a flying kiss. "And Jungkookie…" Jungkook instantly straightens his back, looking attentively at Hoseok. "You are so good , you got the entire song without missing a beat. You fit so well with us, I'm really happy you're here today."

Jungkook's entire body burns with pride. He lowers his head to hide his embarrassed smile and rose cheeks. Feeling like a teenager, he tries to make his hair look cooler, because he knows he gets a little messy when he plays drums.

"I couldn't say better", Yoongi says, just to make Jungkook even more embarrassed. "Let's go with Mic Drop now." 

The next two songs, Mic Drop and Telepathy , follow easily. They are not that hard to play on drums, so Jungkook has an easy time with the songs. After they finish, they decide to take a break before introducing the next songs to Jungkook, and Seokjin loudly announces he’s going out to buy them all lunch. 

“You don’t have to pay mine, Seokjin-ssi”, Jungkook quickly denies. He isn’t about to spend these people’s money, thank you very much. 

“Don’t worry, I always buy lunch for everyone”, Seokjin ignores completely the other five protests, shrugging and smiling sweetly to Jungkook. “Also, don’t need to be formal, you can call me hyung.” 

“How… how do you know you’re older than I?” 

“You are clearly a baby, but sure, shoot. How old are you?" 

Seokjin’s smirk is so full of himself that it takes an embarrassing moment for Jungkook to finally answer, “Twenty one.” 

“I’m way older than you, Jungkookie, and you can call us all hyung. Now, what do you want for lunch?”

“I’m not a picky eater, whatever you’re having is fine by me.”

“Great, come on, Namjoon and Jimin, I need help to carry the bags.”

Namjoon and Jimin don’t even argue, just grab their stuff and leave behind Seokjin. Jungkook wonders if this is common for them, especially when Taehyung gets excited about dessert and convinces Hoseok to go out with him to buy at that incredible cake store on the other side of the neighborhood. Soon, it’s just Jungkook and Yoongi in the room.

“Don’t worry about Seokjin paying”, Yoongi says while he opens a notebook on his lap and starts to write something. “he really always does that, and he’s also the rich one here. He has a good job and his family is pretty wealthy.”

“You all have other jobs besides the band?” Jungkook sits close to Yoongi, not too close, so it’s uncomfortable, but close enough, so the conversation is easy.

“Yes, I’m an architect, Namjoon is a book translator, Taehyung is a kindergarten teacher, Jimin is a dance instructor, Hoseok is a veterinarian and Seokjin is a programmer.”

“Woah, me too!” Jungkook opens a big smile, happy that he can find one more thing to connect with them besides music. “I mostly work with Python, obviously, but-”

“Oh, I have no idea what programming language Jin-hyung uses, sorry” Yoongi cuts Jungkook and giggles softly, nothing rude about it. “But I’m sure he’ll love to talk to you about it, he likes this stuff. He always says that his job is to be a hacker, and at this rate I honestly believe him.”

“So… The band is just a hobby you six have in common?”

“Yes and no”, Yoongi finally looks at Jungkook, the notebook being quickly forgotten. “We all love music like crazy, it’s our true passion, but we also need to pay bills and feed. We don’t get many gigs, so…”

“Yeah, I get it. I had honestly given up on this music dream, too many bad experiences with previous bands and… I need to pay rent, Taehyun doesn’t make that much money as a barista, and he is on college, so you imagine how money can be a problem.” Jungkook realizes he’s talking too much about his own life, and a lot of stuff that Yoongi honestly didn’t even ask. But the older one doesn’t seem bothered, so Jungkook will pretend that he’s not being a pain in the ass.

“Taehyun?” Yoongi frowns, a mix of curiosity and… disappointment? Sadness?

“He’s my roommate and kind of younger brother. Our families are close, and when he got into college, I offered him to move in together. He’s the cute barista you asked to put the sign but he brought it to me instead.”

“Ah, I have a lot to thank him for, then”, Yoongi’s smile looks… flirty. Which can’t be, because Jungkook knows Yoongi and Jimin are dating, right? It’s just not possible that Yoongi is flirting with him. “Anyway, I’m happy you’re here, I think you complete us really well.”

“Yeah?” Jungkook feels something warming his heart. It’s too soon for him to feel so attached to all these people, but honestly he feels like something is indeed more complete , so to speak. “Namjoon and Seokjin are also part of the band, right?”

“Yes. Jin has a very, very beautiful voice, but he insists that he just wants to be our manager, hence the always buying lunch stuff. And Namjoon is probably the best rapper I have ever met, he’s even better than me, and he taught Hoseok a lot of things, but he honestly hates to get up on stage, so he writes all of our songs instead.”

“And you produce”, Jungkook remembers what Seokjin said earlier. 

“Ah, yeah, this”, Yoongi, who is very pale, suddenly becomes too shy and red, and his attention is back to the notebook. “I do something here and there, but it helps that they are all wonderful musicians.”

Jungkook wants to say that Yoongi doesn’t need to be humble about this, that he’s obviously also a great musician, but the door opens and soon Seokjin, Namjoon and Jimin are being loud while they sort the food for everyone. After Hoseok and Taehyung arrive with an ungodly amount of donuts, the seven of them eat together, laughing and joking around as if this is just another day in their lives.

It is, for all the other six.

It’s completely new to Jungkook, the way he laughs and has Jimin and Hoseok falling over him when they laugh too hard. The way it’s almost natural for him and Seokjin to bicker a little but without losing their smiles. It all feels too natural to be real.

The best part is that it is very much real.

***

“How was it? Will you become an official band member?” Taehyun jumps on him as soon as Jungkook enters home, barely giving him room to breathe.

“Jesus, Taehyun, let me breathe”, Jungkook laughs when the younger takes some steps back. “Yeah, I’ll be their drummer from now on” he can’t help but laugh when Taehyun starts to do a weird dance in celebration. “Yoongi-hyung seemed really happy about adding keyboards to their performances, so I guess it was for good.”

“Hyung?”

“Oh”, Jungkook feels his cheeks warming once he realizes how he said it so naturally. “Yeah, I’m the youngest, they all told me to call them hyung, so…”

“They sound like cool people”, Taehyun frowns, a little worried. “What’s your verdict?”

Jungkook also frowns. He understands where Taehyun’s worries come from; Jungkook had his fair share of bad (worst) experiences with bandmates in the past, from people that were overall rude to people that actually tried to steal Jungkook’s house.

But Jungkook has the best feeling about Zero O’clock , so he smiles at Taehyun, “I think I finally found my place.”

***

When Jungkook enters the practice room two weeks later (for which he now has the passcode), the first thing he sees is Hoseok sitting on Taehyung’s lap, they both in a heated make out session. The moment the door closes, they both stop and turn to Jungkook.

“Uh”, Jungkook doesn’t really know where to look or what to say. Hoseok is getting out of Taehyung’s lap while Taehyung only smirks, totally shameless. “Sorry, I didn’t know- I didn’t want to intrude- I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault, Kookie”, Hoseok says while he straightens his shirt, opening a cute smile as if this is just another day in his life. Maybe it is. “We thought we were alone, you arrived early, didn’t you?”

“I’m sorry”, is all Jungkook can say because he did arrive early. He was just excited for practice and for them to play Best of Me for the first time, a new song that Namjoon sent them about one week ago.

“You have nothing to apologize, baby”, Hoseok coos at him. “We were too public, we’ll watch out.”

“Or Jungkook can actually-”

“ Don’t ”, Hoseok says in a warning tone that, for the first time since Jungkook met him, makes Hoseok sound threatening. “Don’t you dare finish this sentence, Kim Taehyung.”

“I won’t. Yet .”

“You-”

“Hello!” the door opens again, and Jimin enters holding a big smile and Namjoon’s hand. Jungkook frowns for a second, but says nothing. “Yoongi got stuck at work and Jin is waiting for him, so they’ll be a little late today, but we can begin to warm up our voices.”

Jungkook goes to the drums and starts to freestyle, just warming up, but he can't hold himself from looking at Jimin and Namjoon from time to time. It's just that, they look really cozy. Couple-y cozy, which is insane because Jimin is dating Yoongi, why would he be with his hand so high up Namjoon's thigh, whispering something in his ear?

It's only when Namjoon quickly kisses Jimin's lips that Jungkook drops his drumsticks. He can't help but feel shocked, and the ugly noise the drums make is enough to get everyone's attention. Luckily, none of them think much about the matter, laughing at Jungkook's clumsiness and quickly dismissing it.

Not long after, Yoongi and Seokjin finally arrive, so they can start the practice. Even when they should be focused on the music, even while the beat of Best of Me is so good, Jungkook can't help but stare at Jimin's neck, thinking about how Jimin giggled happily when Namjoon kissed him.

This is exactly the kind of thing that can end a band.

Jungkook doesn't want to judge, but he is sure that Jimin and Yoongi are dating. And, again, he doesn’t want to judge, but Jungkook can’t stop thinking about the fact that Jimin, who is dating Yoongi , maybe shouldn’t be kissing Namjoon, who is not Yoongi . Who Jimin is dating. But Jungkook is not judging. He just thinks it’s funny .

This is the exact kind of thing that can compromise the band, the exact thing that Jungkook has lived once, along with his first night spent at the precinct to testify physical assault. A shiver runs down his spine, making him almost miss a beat, when he thinks about Namjoon and Yoongi physically fighting over Jimin. There’s nothing right about this, and why did Hoseok and Taehyung say nothing about it? They didn't even blink at the obvious betrayal!

That's how they practice, with Jungkook staring at Jimin's neck the entire time, but whenever Jimin turns around, Jungkook can't hold his glare for a second, focusing on his own foot.

When practice is done and over, Jungkook tries to leave as soon as possible, putting his drumsticks away and getting his backpack, but before he can say bye to everyone and go home to overthink the day, Jimin is right in front of him, with the same cute smile he flashed the first time Jungkook saw him.

“Before you go, can we talk a little? I’ll drive you home”, Jimin asks in a sweet way, that surely gives Jungkook an out if he wants to.

And, god , how much he wants to.

But Jungkook is an adult, half-functional adult who can face the adversities that meet him in life, and he can pretend that everything is fine when he looks at Jimin, smiling, “sure, Jimin-ssi.”

Jimin raises his eyebrows at the formal treatment, but says nothing while they say their goodbyes and leave the practice room to the place where Jimin said his car is parked. Jungkook keeps quiet as he enters the car and puts on the seatbelt, quickly telling his address to Jimin so he can put on the GPS. They keep quiet for a while. It’s a little uncomfortable, but Jungkook for sure won’t be the one to initiate the conversation. 

“Wha… I got that you were staring at me a lot during practice today”, Jimin finally starts. “And I won’t lie, it didn’t feel like it was just because I’m very pretty” Jimin’s laugh is not followed by Jungkook. “You can’t even look at me, Jungkook, and you sure weren’t acting like this two days ago. What happened?”

The hardest part of this question is how Jungkook doesn’t really want to answer it, because how can he say I don’t like cheaters ? Even if it’s true, it’s not right to just accuse someone of this, it’s very rude. Also, it’s not something that Jungkook should be talking about, it’s not his place to say anything. He just met everyone.

“Do you and Yoongi-hyung have an open relationship?” is what Jungkook chooses to say instead. Casual. Not accusatory. Passable. 

“What?” Jimin frowns, looking completely confused. “I wouldn’t say that, not really. Why?”

“Nothing”, Jungkook can’t even look at Jimin, opting for staring at his own lap. “You and Namjoon-hyung looked cozy today.”

Now, is this too straightforward? Does it sound like an accusation? It must, because Jimin’s frown gets even deeper, as if he’s trying too hard to understand why the hell Jungkook is saying all this. And when he does, the worst thing happens. Jimin starts to laugh.

“Oh my god !”, Jimin says in between laughs. Jungkook feels a little disturbed, a lot uncomfortable. Why is this even a laughing matter? “Oh, Jungkookie, honey , please tell me you didn’t think I was cheating on Yoongi with Namjoon.”

“I-” Jungkook opens his mouth and closes again because that’s exactly what he was thinking. What he saw happening. Why is he feeling like the biggest loser in the world?

 “Oh, baby”, Jimin apparently can’t stop laughing now. “You got it all wrong, Jungkook.”

“What is happening, then?”

“I mean, Yoongi is my boyfriend. But so is Namjoon.”

It takes more time than Jungkook wants to admit for him to understand what Jimin means.

“I see. So… you’re a throuple?”

“Hum… I guess we are actually a… sixouple? Is this a thing?”

“What” Jungkook raises his eyebrows as the GPS informs that they have finally arrived. “Six?”

“We’re all in a relationship. All the six of us”, Jimin looks at Jungkook a little… anxious? Afraid? Full of expectations? “Like… we’re all dating. Each other. They all are my boyfriends.”

Jungkook’s mind goes blank.

Of course he has absolutely no problem with poly relationships, it’s not a new concept, even though he never saw it from up close. For a while, it was something that Jungkook got a little obsessed with because he has his obsession phases, and so he searched a lot about poly relationships. It made a lot of sense to him, the fact that more than two people can fall in love with each other, and there’s nothing wrong in that. But then this phase was replaced by theories about the afterlife and Jungkook didn’t think about poly relationships again.

Until now, at least.

It makes a lot of sense, the reason why Jungkook felt that those people worked so well together, why he felt this kind of vibe coming from them. The trust and love between them all must be insane, if they are six people in a romantic relationship and also business partners.

Also makes Jungkook feel a little out of place. He never thought that by being part of Zero O’clock he would also be part of a relationship. Not that he’s in a relationship now, but he’s in the middle of a sixouple and it’s… New. And a little lonely, when he thinks about it. 

When Jungkook joined the band, he honestly felt like he was part of something, that he belonged somewhere, from the first practice. Everything was so natural, even Yoongi said so. But now that he knows, Jungkook feels a little out of place. It’s strange to be the only one who’s not part of the relationship (and of course he doesn’t want that).

“Jungkook?” Jimin brings him back to the present moment. “Is this… Will this be a problem for you?”

“No!” Jungkook instantly denies, shaking his head too hard, making it hurt a little. “No, it just took me by surprise, but it makes sense, I guess. The reason why you all work so well together.”

“Happy it’s not a problem with you.” They stay quiet for longer than it’s comfortable. Jungkook should probably get up and leave the car, but he still is a little fuzzed by the news. “So… Is there anything on your mind about this matter?”

“I just… how long have you all… been together?”

“All six of us… I guess it’ll be four years in two months.” a sweet smile adorns Jimin’s mouth. It’s cute, to see him talking about his boyfriends like that. “It started with just Hoseok and Taehyung, they were already a couple when we met, and it evolved with time. It was… not easy, at first.”

“No?” it’s Junkook’s turn to frown. They seem to work so perfectly that it’s hard to imagine any kind of trouble coming between them.

“No, because… Taehyung and Hoseok are a couple since their teens, right? They are childhood sweethearts and Tae likes to joke that he doesn’t remember a period on his life that he wasn’t in love with Hoseok-hyung, so… When we met, and they started to develop feelings for other people… It was really hard for them. And for us, honestly. It was messy and heartbreaking for a while, until we all understood that we indeed love each other deeply, and that we can be together. All six.”

Jungkook nods silently, understanding. He’s happy that they ended up working, but six doesn’t sound like the right number.

“I hope it doesn’t change the way you think about us, and your thoughts about being part of Zero O’clock .”

“It doesn’t”, Jungkook manages to open an honest smile, making Jimin smile just the same. Finally, the frowns are gone. “Sorry I thought you were a cheater.”

“I mean,” Jimin laughs loud. “I’m glad someone is looking out for Yoongi. So, now that you know I’m not cheating on any of my boyfriends… will you call me hyung again?”

“I will, Jimin-hyung.”

“Cute” and, for Jungkook’s surprise, Jimin actually pinches Jungkook’s cheek. “Now give me a hug!”

It’s a very weird hug because the gear is between them, and they’re both still using their seat belts, but it still feels good to have Jimin all around him, with his soft skin and velvety laugh. While he walks inside his home, Jungkook thinks about how bittersweet he’s feeling right now.

***

The months that follow just show Jungkook that he was wrong and right.

He was wrong: he does want to be part of the relationship.

He was right: the number six really is not right.

***

It’s been almost four months since Jungkook joined Zero O’clock when they get their first gig.

They are at practice, playing the third song, when Seokjin enters the room like a hurricane. If it was possible for him to look messy, it would be now. But of course Seokjin looks like the Greek god that he is, just a little hurried. He signals for them to stop the song, which they don’t even hesitate to do. Seokjin wouldn’t come in the middle of practice and ask them to stop if it wasn’t important.

“What is going on?” Hoseok says, worried. 

“Maybe I got us a gig”, Seokjin starts, and instantly Taehyung and Jimin start to celebrate, but Seokjin stops them. “But I don’t know if you’ll like it.”

“What do you mean?” Yoongi frowns, followed by Namjoon who was before typing on his phone but now has his full attention on Seokjin.

“We were invited to play at a high school graduation.”

Everybody grunts, and Jungkook doesn’t understand why suddenly everybody seems to be so sad or annoyed. Sure, it’s not a proper show with fans that really want to be there just for them, but at least it’s something, right? So Jungkook gets up (always sitting at the back by the drums sometimes can feel a little lonely) and stops between Taehyung and Hoseok, taking a better look at Seokjin.

“Not again”, Jimin whines while Taehyung pulls Jungkook closer to him.

Soon, Jungkook is caged in Taehyung's arms, being back hugged by the older. It has also been something that happens very often between all of them. The six seems to be more physically affectionate towards Jungkook. They are always hugging him, bringing Jungkook to their laps, sometimes cuddling with him during breaks. Whenever this happens, none of them even bat an eye at Jungkook, so he just assumes that they’re all ok with it. 

If Jungkook fantasizes about being the seventh part of their relationship whenever this happens, it’s entirely Jungkook's problem.

“Why do we hate playing on high school graduations?” Jungkook frowns, getting too comfortable against Taehyung’s body, laying his head on Taehyung’s shoulder.

“It’s filled with teenagers”, everybody agrees with Jimin. “Last time we played at a high school, there was a girl that got completely obsessed with Taehyung, she stalked us on social media and one time she actually showed up here to bring him a peppero. We had to talk to her parents.”

“And also they try to get up on stage with us, as if they’re so cool.”

“It’s hell.”

“Yes, but this one will pay enough for we all get at least a hundred thousand won each .”

Silence. One hundred thousand won is definitely not much, but it’s a hundred thousand for each one . It’s probably more than they are worth at this rate in their (basically non-existent) careers. Jungkook can sense that they all know this, but none wants to admit it. So, maybe Jungkook can help for once.

“We should try this one”, he says, all eyes on him now. “It’s not a dream coming true, but it’s better than just playing in the practice room, right? Also, I promise I’ll protect you from stalkers, Tae-hyung.”

“Will you now?” Taehyung turns to look at Jungkook, making their faces so close that a shiver runs down Jungkook’s spine. “What a cute dongsaeng you are for me”, and, as if this is just another day, Taehyung kisses the corner of Jungkook’s mouth.

“Hyung!” Jungkook almost shouts, desperately trying to get away from Taehyung’s grip. Everybody is laughing, while Jungkook's face burns hot, matching the way his heart races so fast. It should be illegal, to be this close to something he wants so bad and still not being able to have it.

“Jungkook is right, it’s not our dream, but we need to start somewhere”, everybody agrees with Hoseok, even if it’s begrudgingly. “Ok, Jin-hyung, we’ll play at the high school graduation.”

That’s how, three weeks later, Jungkook finds himself holding back his tears when the gig is finally over.

He tries his best to not cry while they collect their stuff, Seokjin helping him with the drums. They’re quiet because they know the “show” was just as bad experience as they anticipated. Indeed, it’s not easy to play for so many teenagers. Already on the start, five boys got up the stage with them, saying something about being back dancers. They were next to the drums, crowding Jungkook and making him feel overwhelmed and extra nervous. When he inevitably missed one beat during Telepathy , the five buys started laughing, along with some of the other teens watching.

Jungkook never felt so humiliated in his life.

He tried to maintain a clear head during the rest of the presentation, but he couldn’t help the feeling that he fucked up the entire presentation, that people now think Zero O’clock is a joke, that he ended the band’s future. He bets that they all regret letting him into the band, they probably know by now that Yoongi should still be their drummer. Jungkook bets that Yoongi would never let something get into his head and affect his performance like that.

“Hey”, Jungkook feels a hand on his back. When he looks, it’s Hoseok. Jungkook blinks, confused. When had Seokjin left his side while they were picking up the drums? Jungkook looks around, but he sees no sign of Seokjin or even Yoongi. Where were they? Probably talking about how they should get Jungkook out of the band. “Jungkook, can you look at me?”

Jungkook looks at Hoseok. For a second. Then his eyes are on the other side of the room, where three girls are all over Jimin, Taehyung and Namjoon, even if they’re trying hard to get then gone, so they can put everything inside the cars and just leave this place, but the girls seem to be insistent about talking to them. Jungkook thinks about how this is all his fault, that he was the one convincing them that they should accept this gig. Jungkook is the reason why his hyungs are probably gaining some stalkers now. And he said he would protect them! Jungkook promised that he would protect Taehyung, but all he’s doing now is looking at them from afar, feeling his eyes burn with the urge to start crying.

“Baby”, the word sounds soft, followed by an even softer touch on his cheek. Jungkook looks again at Hoseok, who looks worried as hell. “Seokjin and Yoongi are going to get the drums, ok? Don’t need to worry. Taehyung and I are driving you home.”

“Sorry”, it’s all Jungkook can say, still fighting the tears that are threatening to fall.

“You have nothing to be sorry about. Come on, let’s take you home”, Hoseok holds his hand the entire way to the car, where he finds Taehyung already waiting for them, thankfully free from teenage girls. As soon as they arrive, Taehyung opens his arms. Jungkook hesitates, still holding Hoseok’s hand and not really wanting to let go.

“I’ll talk to Jin and Yoongi before we leave, be right back.”

Jungkook feels a chaste kiss on the back of his hand before Hoseok’s warm is gone. Without thinking twice, Jungkook practically jumps on Taehyung’s arms, feeling the warmth of his body make Jungkook’s heart beat faster. They don’t talk, just stay like this, with Taehyung drawing circles on his back while Jungkook just quietly wishes that he could never leave here, this place that feels so much like home.

“Babies”, Hoseok is on his side again. Did he go and came back really quickly, or did Jungkook really completely lose track of time? “Let’s go home.”

Jungkook hesitates for one second before letting Taehyung go. To his surprise, when he enters the back seat, Hoseok is quickly by his side, leaving the duty of driving to Taehyung. When Jungkook confusingly stares at Hoseok, his hyung just opens a cute smile, and in a second Jungkook is snuggling against Hoseok, caging his hyung inside his arms, hiding his face on Hoseok’s neck. Taehyung feels like home, Hoseok smells like it. Jungkook never wants to leave.

“I fucked up”, Jungkook finally says after a while. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

“You did not fuck up”, Taehyung says almost too quickly.

“Why do you feel like that, Jungkookie?” the way Hoseok says it with so much care and, maybe love , makes Jungkook’s heart ache even harder.

“Because it was a disaster because I missed the beat and- Now you have new stalkers because I said this gig would be a good idea and- I know you regret welcoming me in the band and-”

“Woah, Kookie, breath!” Hoseok interrupts him. “No one blames you for anything that happened today! Those kids were messing up our stage, of course we would be affected. And being there was a group decision, you didn’t push us to something we didn’t want to do. And, please, we would never regret having you with us. We all are the happiest since you joined us, Kookie. We can’t even imagine Zero O’clock without you.”

“We all love you, Jungkook”, Taehyung says from his seat.

Even if Jungkook’s mind refuses to believe this, Jungkook’s heart decides he will trust his hyungs. At least for now. He just keeps quiet and cuddles with Hoseok as much as he can. The drive is silent, the only thing that can be heard is their breaths, the songs that Hoseok quietly hums in his ear.

Jungkook quietly plays with Hoseok fingers, thinking about how delicate his hyung is. Even if Hoseok is not much shorter than him, his hyung is always so small and delicate. Often Jungkook has the urge to bring him closer, to protect him, to have him. It’s hard, to be in love with six people. Jungkook envies his hyungs for making this look so easy. 

“What’s on your mind, Kookie?” Hoseok whispers, but Jungkook is sure that Taehyung can still hear them.

“You”, Jungkook answers honestly. “You’re very pretty, hyung.”

“You are very pretty, too”, Hoseok gets away from Jungkook’s hand only to start playing with his hair. It feels good. Jungkook wonders if this is the feeling of being loved by his hyung. “We love you.”

When they arrive, Taehyung and Hoseok walk Jungkook to the door. Taehyung holds Jungkook’s face, delicately but firmly, and brings their foreheads together. For the third time in the night, Jungkook hears another “we love you” before Taehyung kisses the tip of his nose.

Jungkook is greeted by a smiley Taehyun when he enters home, who immediately jumps on him, asking “how was it, Jungkook-hyung? How was your show?”

Before Jungkook can say anything, all the mixed feelings inside his head come to surface, and the tears finally start to fall, wetting his cheeks quickly. 

“Hyung?” Taehyun sounds worried, running to him and hugging him. “Hyung, what happened?”

“Nothing. Or everything. I don’t know, I-” Jungkook takes a deep breath. “I’ll be ok. I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound fine.”

“But I’ll be”, Jungkook tries to take another deep breath. It’s been a crazy night, filled with much more feelings than Jungkook can handle. He just needs to get some long night of sleep. “Can I sleep with you today, Taehyun-ah?”

“Always, hyung.”

***

The good thing that comes from that terrible experience is that they get more gigs. Always just like that: some graduation party, something that a small company is hosting, the biggest one being a college graduation. Their social media page gains more followers, there’s a group of girls that are always commenting, asking when they’ll be able to see them live again, but that’s it. Nothing huge, but still better than nothing.

What really matters to Jungkook is how they all are impossibly close now.

It was already reality, his hyungs were in a relationship after all, but now it almost feels like Jungkook is also part of that. He is not, he knows that. But sometimes it’s the way Yoongi silently sits by his side and holds his hand. It’s the way Taehyung and Jimin clings to Jungkook’s back, kisses his cheeks. Or when Hoseok brings Jungkook to his lap and lets Jungkook bury his nose on his hyung’s neck because Hoseok has the best smell. Maybe it’s the way Seokjin and Jungkook easily bicker with each other all the time, but Seokjin is always spoiling Jungkook, bringing him food, massaging his neck and arms. Honestly, is probably how Namjoon is always there, smiling at Jungkook, making him laughing and always reassuring about how important Jungkook is to Zero O’clock . All those small moments make Jungkook almost feel like he’s a real part of their relationship, as if Jungkook is the seventh part of their lives, because seven is such a better number than six.

Jeon Jungkook is a big romantic, and he’s sure that he’s completely in love with his six hyungs.

That’s why Jungkook ends up asking Namjoon to meet him in the practice room thirty minutes before practice starts. Namjoon doesn’t even question, just agrees to meet their maknae. Of course, when he arrives, Yoongi and Taehyung are already there. Jungkook feels disappointed, and it probably shows on his face, because Namjoon asks him to go to the side room.

The side room is a sort of studio, a little one, with little equipment. It’s the same since Jungkook joined Zero O’clock , a small place that they rent and use to follow their passion. Jungkook loves it here. It’s already a very important part of his life. Namjoon closes the door, and soon it’s only them inside the small studio.

“So, what is going on?” Namjoon looks peaceful. It’s funny how he almost always looks like a nice long walk in nature.

“I… I’m not as good at it as you are, but…” Jungkook takes a deep breath. He’s very nervous about showing his feelings. It’s always hard, he’s not that expressive when it’s about feelings. He takes his phone, typing quickly. “It’s just an idea, ok? But I thought that maybe if you could help me to make it better, maybe we… Maybe we can play it. One day.”

Namjoon frowns slightly when he takes Jungkook’s phone, eyes running through the screen with interest. Jungkook’s heart beats fast, praying to any god that is listening to him that Namjoon likes the lyrics Jungkook wrote to Love Is Not Over .

It’s quiet for a while, Namjoon’s focus on the phone while Jungkook taps his foot on the floor, a nervous rhythm that has nothing to do with the moment, with the songs he’s showing. But he can’t help his anxiety. This is a song filled with Jungkook’s own feelings, all the love and fear and want and pain he feels whenever he’s with his hyungs, with those people Jungkook loves so much but don’t love him back. A song filled with so many wishes, coming from a heart that, even though it’s broken, still beats fast.

Jungkook’s love language is music, and this is his confession.

“Jungkook”, Namjoon looks at him, eyebrows lifted. “This is so good.”

“Really?” Jungkook feels nervous even though Namjoon sounds so serious. “Do you really think that?”

“I know that, Jungkookie. This is so damn good, I’m speechless.”

“You don’t have- I know it’s not as good as yours or Yoongi’s or even Hoseok’s songs, but-”

“You’re very talented”, Namjoon cuts him off. “I mean, sure, there’s one or two things we can work on, but it’s already so fucking good. It’s beautiful and so raw. I bet it comes from deep down, doesn’t it?”

Jungkook swallows dry. Namjoon’s gaze is too intense on him, almost making Jungkook shrink on his own skin. “I- Yeah. A little. My feelings are, a bit there. You know. Do you- Ah, do you think the others will like it?”

“They will love it, Jungkook”, oddly, Namjoon gets closer to him. Very much close. Too close for comfort. “Who do you want to love you, Jungkook?”

“Uh…” Jungkook can’t help but look right at Namjoon’s eyes. His hyung is so close to him. Even if their bodies aren’t touching, Jungkook can feel Namjoon’s body heat. “I… Just, no one in particular. Or maybe a few someones, but.”

When Namjoon touches Jungkook’s face, all Jungkook can do is to freeze. And while Namjoon gets even closer, when Jungkook can feel their breaths against each other, all Jungkook can do is hope . Because he might be crazy right now, but Jungkook is sure that Namjoon is going to kiss him.

And, jesus , how much Jungkook hopes he does.

“Hey, you two, gather around, we-” the door opening makes Jungkook jump, even if Namjoon doesn’t even move. Seokjin look at them, bites his lower lip. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“You didn’t-” Jungkook tries to deny because that’s the obvious thing to do.

“You could’ve waited one minute, hyung”, Namjoon rolls his eyes. “Only one.”

“I’m sorry, Joonie. But, well, I really need to talk to the entire band. Do you guys want to finish, or…?”

“No!” Jungkook says quickly. “We are going!”

Like the coward he is, Jungkook runs as far from Namjoon as he can; which is not very far, the practice room is not that big. He sits by Yoongi’s side, snuggling against Yoongi and refusing to look at Namjoon’s direction. Jungkook can’t believe he was so close to kissing Namjoon. He can’t believe how much he wanted it to happen. What would have happened if Seokjin didn’t walk on them?

Shyly, Jungkook turns his head a little, finally looking at Namjoon and finding his hyung staring at him, pondering something. Jungkook immediately lowers his head. It’s better if he just doesn’t look at him again.

“Now that we’re all here… I have some news. Big news”, Seokjin says, gathering everyone’s attention. “ Great big news.”

“Are you pregnant?” Jimin laughs, followed by Taehyung.

“You didn’t succeed on that yet, baby”, Seokjin sticks his tongue out to Jimin. “But, seriously. I got us the best, biggest gig of our lives. Until this day, at least.”

“What? Are we playing in a bigger college?” Yoongi frowns.

“Something like that, yes”, Seokjin rolls his eyes when all of them start whining. “Let me talk, you bunch of brats.”

“Go on, grandpa.”

“Anyway. SNU, KAIST and POSTECH are having a tech competition or whatever, and next month it’s the grand finale. They’ll have like a big ceremony, I didn’t get all the details, but the point is: they contacted us to play at the closing party.”

“Are you fucking real?” Jungkook almost falls when Yoongi jumps, but they all are starting to scream now. 

“Yes, I’m fucking real. We are playing for over three hundred people!”

It’s insane to think that three of the biggest Korea's university are inviting them to play as the closing act of some event. Jungkook just blinks, trying to absorb the news while they all celebrate, Hoseok and Jimin starting a funny dance at the center. They never played for a big audience, the biggest one being about one hundred people. It’s insane, just imagine a stage with so many people just watching them.

“Now, calm down a little”, Seokjin says, but the smile on his face shows clearly that he is as happy as all the others. “Let’s talk business.”

“Oh, yes, we need to choose the playlist. How long is it?”

“We’ll play for one hour, then they’ll have a DJ.”

They start talking about all the details, plans, playlist. Jungkook keeps mostly quiet, letting his hyungs take the lead, just dreaming about being on a big stage, with people that are actually their fans. Jungkook dreams about how happy their hyungs would be.

***

It’s more than three hundred people. It’s more than four hundred. Maybe it’s more than five hundred. There’s a lot of people here, too many people. They’re all backstage and Jungkook is just watching how many young adults are reunited in front of their stages, and his heart is beating fast because this is big . Bigger than he ever dreamed about being one day. 

It would be easier, maybe, if he knew that those people are all their fans, but it’s not the case. They’re just a bunch of tired young adults who want to vent a little, to dance and jump to some good music - but what if Zero O’clock is not good enough for them? 

They are good , Jungkook is very much aware of this. Zero O’clock is good, and they could be the best Korean band if they had a chance. But even though Jungkook is one hundred percent sure of this, he can’t help but feel nervous when he’s about to be on the biggest stage of his life.

“Hey”, a hand touches his lower back, and when he turns he sees Seokjin. “You look anxious. Everything alright?”

“Yeah, just”, Jungkook twirls the drumstick between his fingers. “a little nervous. It’s big.”

“Bigger than we’re used to, sure.” Seokjin shrugs. “But nothing we can’t handle.”

“Yeah” Jungkook repeats, still feeling anxious. He remembers their first performance together, when Jugnkook made a fool of himself, and swallows dry.

“We’re with you, Jungkook. You have nothing to worry about.”

And turns out Seokjin is right.

Jungkook really has nothing to worry about: the gig is an absolute success. It’s not the easiest job, being the drummer and being in the back during the entire presentation, barely being able to really see the audience, but Jungkook can feel the cheers, he can see people jumping. He swears to god he can even see people singing their music. Probably someone who knows them from social media, but it doesn’t matter. People are singing their songs with them. It’s the closest to having a fan that Jungkook has ever been.

When Jungkook leaves the drums, so he can hold hyung’s hands to thank the audience, people are asking for an encore, happy, satisfied. Or maybe it’s just how Jungkook feels when they get down the stage and the DJ takes their place. His heart is racing like crazy and everything feels a little fuzzy. His head is spinning a little, joy running all over him.

“We did it!” once they're backstage, Seokjin and Namjoon run to them, hugging one by one. “My babies!” Seokjin says for each one of them, giving a chaste kiss to each lip.

They’re all talking over each other, the excitement flooding all the seven of them. Jungkook wants to jump, scream, and also kiss everyone, but he settles by just laughing and hugging whoever hugs him.

“It was so amazing, hyung!” Jungkook says happily when it’s his turn to be hugged by Seokjin. “You were right, there was really nothing to wor-”

Jungkook freezes with the feeling of Seokjin’s lips over his.

Just as he did with all the others, Seokjin gives Jungkook a chaste kiss. Lips full, the right amount of wet, feels incredible. Still, Jungkook is completely frozen. This can’t be real. It’s not possible that things are going this good at Jungkook’s night. He just didn’t have the best gig of his life and now is being kissed by one of the people he’s in love with.

And, supposing that this is real and Jungkook just didn’t start to suddenly hallucinate, what does this even mean? Why would Seokjin suddenly kiss Jungkook? Because it would not be possible that Seokjin has an interest in Jungkook, at least not the same way Jungkook interested in him, for sure. His hyungs already have each other, the most perfect boyfriends anyone could dream about, why would any of them just have any interest in Jungkook, of all people?

“Jin-hyung”, there’s a whisper that Jungkook doesn’t know where it’s coming from. He feels really confused. “Shit, you broke him…”

“Jungkookie?” Seokjin is holding Jungkook’s face delicately. “Kookie, can you look at me, please?”

Jungkook tries to focus his vision, looking at Seokjin’s eyes. They’re very beautiful eyes, Jungkook likes his eyes a lot. When he drops his vision and looks at Seokjin’s lips, Jungkook remembers the feeling of them against his own, how good it felt to kiss Seokjin, even though Jungkook was frozen for the entire thing.

“I need to go home”, is the only pathetic thing that Jungkook gets to say, feeling his heart break when Seokjin’s expressions drop.

“Of course, I can-”

“We’ll take him home, hyung”, Taehyung says, and soon Jungkook feels a hand on his shoulders, bringing him along, away from Seokjin. Jungkook doesn’t want to be far from Seokjin, but his head seems too fuzzy to say this out loud.

When Jungkook realizes, he’s in the back seat of Hoseok’s and Taehyung’s car. Once again, Taehyung is behind the steering wheel, but this time Hoseok is sitting in the passenger seat. They’re probably just trying to give Jungkook some space, but it’s a bummer. Jungkook really wishes he was inside Hoseok’s arms again. 

The ride is made in complete silence. They don’t talk, don’t listen to music, nothing. Jungkook thinks about making some joke ( “so you are the official damage control?” ) but something tells him his humor will not be appreciated now. Also, now that Seokjin is not so close, Jungkook can think straight ( “ha” , his humor kicks in). He can think about how he liked it so much and wants to kiss Seokjin again. So much more. So much deeper.

He wants to ask Hoseok and Taehyung if they know why the kiss happened, if it could mean something for Seokjin. For all of them. But the car stops and Jungkook jumps with a goodbye, entering his house with heart beating faster than ever.

“Jungkook-hyung!” Taehyun, as he always does after Jungkook has a gig, is jumping on him, excited to hear all about how his night was. “How was the concert? Beomgyu said he was there and that you-”

“Jin-hyung kissed me”, is what Jungkook says, what matters the most for him right now.

Taehyun's eyes go giant, “what?!” he screams. “Tell me everything!”

Jungkook does. From the moment on backstage to the moment when Seokjin held his face and kissed him with his soft lips, how amazing it felt, how Jungkook hopes he can do this again. Soon.

“Hyung, please, don’t tell me you freaked out and came home”, is what Taehyun, who knows him too well, frowns, and when all Jungkook can do is look guilty, Taehyun rolls his eyes. “Why do you always do that?!” 

“I don’t know!” Jungkook cries, hiding his face behind his hands. “Do you think they’ll hate me? Oh my god, I can’t live with them hating me, I love them too much!”

“Stop freaking out!” a hard slap on his arm makes Jungkook look at Taehyun again. His dongsaeng looks like he’s having fun. Traitor. “Just talk to them. One of them kissed you. Maybe they’re as in love with you as you are with them.”

Jungkook just hopes his dongsaeng is right.

***

Their next band practice is three days after the kiss, and during this time, the group chat Jungkook has with his hyungs is very… normal. Nothing out of the ordinary. Still, it feels like there’s some kind of tension in the air, one that makes Jungkook unsure about what is waiting for him when he opens the door to the practice room.

All of his six hyungs are already there, a very unusual thing to happen. They’re all sitting between the couch and the puffs, talking in a hushed tone. When Jungkook enters, the entire room goes silent, and six pairs of eyes stare at Jungkook. Not suspicious at all.

“Hi, hyungs”, Jungkook says while putting his backpack on the floor, next to the cabinet.

“Hey, Kookie”, is Hoseok who answers. Everyone is still staring at Jungkook. “Can you come here for a minute?”

He was going there anyway, Jungkook thinks while he walks. Namjoon opens a seat for him right by his side on the couch, and Jungkook feels his heart racing faster when he sits. All eyes are still on him. Jungkook is not an idiot, he knows what his hyungs probably want to talk about. He’s excited, because he hopes this will turn out fine. For the past three days, Taehyun convinced Jungkook that soon enough he’ll have six perfect boyfriends.

If he is wrong, Jungkook thinks he won’t be able to live with the rejection.

“So…” Jungkook says, uncertain. “What happened?”

“We wanted to talk to you about what happened after our gig”, of course it is Seokjin who talks. “When I kissed you.”

“I see. It was good, right?”

“I know I shouldn- wait, what?” the excuse was probably ready on the top of Seokjin’s tongue. Maybe he rehearsed. It’s almost funny, to see all his hyungs look so confused.

“I mean…” Jungkook is trying too hard to sound confident, but he’s still so afraid to be rejected. It’s just hard to believe that the most perfect men he ever met would fall for him. “I liked it. But I can understand if you didn’t. Sorry.”

“You liked it?” Hoseok frowns. “Kookie, you freaked out.”

“Well, I didn’t expect it!” Jungkook feels the need to defend himself. “It came out of nowhere, I was confused! There were too many feelings to handle, ok?” There’s a minute of silence that, for Jungkook, it’s filled with worries and doubts. He asks himself where the confident Jungkook went. “I… Did it mean… Something? For you, hyung?” Jungkook looks specifically at Seokjin, shiny eyes filled with a strange mix of fear and hope.

“Of course it did, Jungkookie”, Seokjin seems to melt under Jungkook’s puppy eyes. “It does . What did it mean to you ?”

“I-” Jungkook swallows dry, staring at his own lap. The time has come for him to finally confess out loud, and he knows he has to do it now, but he can’t look at his hyungs. Not now, not when there’s still a chance he’ll be rejected for all the six of them, despite everything Taehyun kept repeating. “I like you, hyungs. I really, really like all of you. Too much, maybe. I liked the kiss, and I wanted more.”

“Jungkookie”, a hand touches his chin, and Jungkook is forced to meet Namjoon’s eyes, with his beautiful and comforting smile. “We like you too.”

It shouldn’t be a surprise, not with all the signals. Obviously , his hyungs like him back. Still, Jungkook’s eyes are filled with joy and his heart starts beating too fast inside his chest. “Really?” is all he says, his voice sounding too emotional for his own good.

“Really, baby”, Hoseok is the one answering, and when Jungkook turns to look at him, Taehyung is attached to his side, smiling so big at Jungkook that he feels the urge to run to him and bury himself inside Taehyung’s arms. “We know it can be too much, that there’s nothing conventional about our relationship, but all six of us are in love with you, Kookie, and we would really like it if you were our boyfriend.”

Love .

Jungkook squirms, happily, and starts giggling like crazy. He hears all his hyung laughing at him, but he can’t even bother to be embarrassed right now. He’s just so incredibly happy, with everyone around him, saying that they love him. It’s the best feeling in the world.

“Is that a yes?” Yoongi asks, laughing and looking at Jungkook with such a gummy smile, so adorable. Jungkook wants to kiss him. Will kiss him, any moment now.

“Yes!” Jungkook says, holding Namjoon’s hands, the closest to him. “I want this so much! I love all of you, and I just- I’m so happy, I want to-”

Namjoon is clearly a menace. He takes advantage of being holding Jungkook’s hand just to bring him closer, whispering “you own me something” before kissing Jungkook’s lips. No restraints, no fear, no hesitation. Namjoon’s mouth is pressing hard against Jungkook’s, stealing his breath in a delirious, delicious kiss. A kiss that goes deeper and deeper as Namjoon pulls Jungkook over his lap, as Namjoon grabs hard on Jungkook’s waist and licks inside his mouth. So deep that Jungkook’s entire body lights up with excitement, and he forgets about the world around him.

Until someone loudly clears their throat.

“As good of a view as this is…” Jimin says. It’s Jimin laughing while Jungkook whines and hides his face against Namjoon’s neck, a little ashamed of how he was already letting himself get lost on his lips. “Maybe we should take this a little slower for now.”

Jungkook just groans, agreeing, hearing all his six boyfriends laughing.

***

They do not take it slow.

Hoseok scolds them all for the lack of practice that day.

***

Dinner at Seokjin's house is always a big event. It’s just the second that Jungkook goes as their official boyfriend, and Jungkook feels completely beaten because he spent the night at Jimin’s, so they didn’t get any sleep at all, and to make things worse, Jungkook spent the entire day trying to finish a last minute task from his boss. But even if he’s so tired, when Taehyung opens the door and greets him with a tight hug, Jungkook feels reinvigorated.

Everybody is already there, Seokjin and Yoongi finishing the food with Hoseok’s help, and soon Jungkook is in the kitchen with them, helping with the last details. They all sit on a table for six - with a new added chair that makes them cozy. They all laugh and talk a lot during the entire dinner, and after everyone is full and happy, they move to the living room, some of them sitting on the floor, the others sitting on the couch and armchairs.

Jungkook settles for the floor, bringing Hoseok to his lap, where he can bury his face on his hyung’s neck and smell him. Hoseok has the best scent in the world, Jungkook loves the intoxicated feeling he gets when he can be this close to him.

“So, I know you all love eating my food”, Seokjin starts after some good minutes of them discussing if white chocolate is, indeed, chocolate. “But I have something else to tell you all. Something… big. For Zero O’clock .”

Everyone stops and goes completely silent, all attention on Seokjin. Whenever Seokjin says it’s important or big for them, he’s very much right. The last time was the gig for the closing ceremony at the universities. Since then, they played more at some universities, some company parties, things like that, but not really that big again. Not until now, at least.

“What will happen this time?”

“Remember that we played at s company party one week ago?” Seokjin waits for all of them to agree before continuing. “That day, one guy came to talk to me about a contract proposition.”

“What?!” Hoseok jumps, hitting his head hard on Jungkook’s chin. “Oh fuck, baby, sorry!”

“It’s fine”, Jungkook swears he can see stars because of the pain. “What do you mean by contract, Jin-hyung?”

“This guy called Bang Sihyuk contacted me this week to say that he loved our ‘show’, that he has an agency, and he thinks that we could be part of their team.”

There’s a long pause before Jimin makes the question that is on Jungkook’s head: “Which agency?”

“Big Hit Entertainment.”

Yoongi is fast, taking his phone and searching for the agency. They all watch as Yoongi does this, except for Seokjin. Seokjin is suddenly very concerned about some loose thread on his pants. Jungkook narrows his eyes, and even before Yoongi snorts out loud, Jungkook already knows that, whatever he found out about this Big Hit Entertainment place, it can’t be that good.

“They’re basically broken”, Yoongi rolls his eyes, and they all groan. “They don’t have any bands, the ones they had just didn’t work. They have one solo singer that is also not that famous. For what I’m reading, this company will close in, like, one year. Maximum.”

“And you said it would be something big, hyung…”

“It is!” Seokjin frowns. “It’s the first time in our lives that someone shows any interest past a gig, that someone wants to sign a contract with us! We’ve been in this band for more than four years, maybe we could finally take this seriously.”

“Hyung, they are broken ”, Yoongi bites his lower lip. “How is this a big opportunity for us?”

“Sihyuk-ssi, he seems to know what he is talking about”, Seokjin is all serious now, and everybody just listens carefully. Jungkook brings Hoseok close to him again, snuggling against his hyung’s back, trying to absorb what is being said. “And they are not broken, Yoongi-ah. Sure, they’re not some SM or YG that is flowing with money and giving Korea one new band each month, but… I promise, I wouldn’t be telling you this if I thought that it was a scheme or a waste of our time.”

“What exactly did he talk about the contract, Jin?” Namjoon asks, as serious as Seokjin.

“When he approached me, he asked if we had any recorded songs, so I sent him some. Then he called back, and said the lyrics and the production are very well-made, that with the right support, the right team and investment, we could become big. Maybe we could be with all the other bands on awards shows one day. Can you imagine us at the same stage that Big Bang once was?”

“That sounds like a dream…” Taehyung and Jimin speak exactly at the same time.

“Maybe it can become reality”, Seokjin sighs. “I can send you the contract, and you all can read and talk about what you think, if you wanna change anything, if you really think it’s not a good idea. Sihyuk-ssi even suggested we all meet him to talk about it, to discuss changes.”

They all get completely silent. Jungkook feels really confused. He understands why his hyungs are not just blindly jumping on the opportunity. Jungkook has been on Zero O’clock for ten months now, but he feels like this band is everything to him. His honest thought is to say yes, let’s take this chance! They could maybe have an album. A full album, with music videos, with a physical version. It could be their dreams becoming reality.

It could also go all wrong. They could lose their freedom, their real jobs. They could disband, everything could go to shit. And the most important thing…

“Did you tell him, hyung? About us seven?” Jungkook is the one breaking the silence. “Does he know that we’re boyfriends?”

“Yes, I didn’t think it would be right to hide something so important.”

“And he accepted?” Jungkook can’t contain his shock.

“He surely thought it was different , I’ll tell you that. But he said, if we can balance work and relationship, and not let one interfere with the other, it’s not a problem for him. But… not everyone should know about this.”

“So we would have to hide our relationship. Great.”

“You honestly expected something different, Hoseok-ah?” an uncomfortable silence fills the room. When Jungkook thinks about it, Sihyuk’s reaction was probably the best realistic scenario.

“I think we should do it”, Namjoon says, to everyone’s shock. “The meeting with him, I mean. Just to listen to what he has to say, and to say our thoughts.”

“I’m still not sure”, Yoongi stops biting his lower lip and sighs. “But I agree to a meeting. What about all of you?”

Everybody else agrees, even if nobody looks really sure about it. Seokjin opens a big smile and gets up from his seat.

“I’ll tell him we’ll have a meeting next Tuesday. I’ll also send the contract to our group chat, make sure you all read and highlight whatever you wish to discuss. Oh, just one thing that maybe you won’t like, but is unchallengeable: we’ll have to change the band’s name to BTS”, Seokjin leaves the living room like he just told them the sky is blue.

“What?!” Namjoon and Hoseok get up at once, running after Seokjin.

Jubngkook hates that. BTS is a silly name, Zero O’clock is perfect. They have been Zero O’clock for a long, long time, why would they change their names? Jungkook hates BTS. Fucking boring name.

“I’ll make a song called Zero O’clock just to throw a tantrum”, Taehyung pouts, receiving a kiss from Jimin.

“Hey”, Yoongi pokes Jungkook’s side, sitting next to him and throwing him a worried look. “How do you feel about this?”

“I don’t know”, Jungkook frowns. “It’s so sudden? I mean, I trust Jin-hyung, if he’s willing to give it a shot, I think that’s what we should do. But I get worried, so many things could go wrong…”

“Yeah…” the way Yoongi looks a little lost, a little hopeful, a lot confused. It’s like looking in a mirror. “But it also could go right. What if we actually succeed, Kookie? Can you imagine us, with our own solo show? With fans that are there for us , listening to us because they really like our music?”

Jungkook can’t hold the silly smile on his face while he rests his head on Yoongi’s shoulder. It’s too crazy for him, imagining a future where he has fans, where he is just like the bands he always sees on TV, receiving awards, performing, receiving daesangs. God, could they ever get a daesang one day? Is this even being realistic?

But also, so many things could go wrong. Many more things could go wrong, if he’s being honest. People could just not care about them, other bands could not receive them well. The company could really break. There are too many variables in this equation for Jungkook to not feel a little afraid about what the future will bring.

“Oh, and just so you know”, Hoseok appears in the living room again. “BTS is short for Bangtan Sonyeondan.”

Taehyung and Jimin get up and start talking at the same time, screaming their complaints, and Jungkook just laughs, getting closer to Yoongi and closing his eyes.

Too many things could go wrong. Some things could go right. But all that matters is, whatever happens, Jungkook has his hyungs.

Whatever happens, they will always be seven.

Seven is the right number.