Work Text:
You could feel the bass under your feet – the music was loud, the crowd was even louder, and you were lost in the lights, the rhythm and the movements around you. It wasn’t your first time in a club (and it certainly wouldn’t be your last), and your intention was to soak up all the energy that you could find in this room. It had been a long week, an even longer year, and you would not let this night go to waste.
“Shots?” your friend yelled over the music, and you shook your head, nodding at her to go off to the bar. She gave you a thumbs up, squeezing your hand before starting to ease her way through the bodies moving around you. You tossed your hands up into the air, letting your body sway to the beat once more, yelling along to the chorus of the song, ‘COME TO MA CITY!’
You’d only been in Seoul for a month, but you’d never experienced anything like it – the underground scene was insane compared to your little country bumpkin town. Dancers, rappers, and singers from all over were doing the same thing you were – practicing by day, living it up by night. You were also studying, but that was beside the point. As far as you knew, you were in Seoul to earn your independence, to learn how to live.
You felt two hands wrap around your hips, and you didn’t immediately push them away, instead moving back towards the figure. Your back pressed close to the person’s long torso, your hands resting on top of theirs. You could feel their breath on the back of your neck, and they smelled of a strange combination of soju and peppermint (it was close enough to Christmas, the owner had probably been sucking on a candy cane or two throughout the night). Your bodies moved in sync to the music, only pausing when you broke apart playfully, turning so you could see who these slim fingers belonged to.
The boy was tall, lanky, and had the most ridiculous cowboy hat on his head that hid most of his face. You could see the playful smile spreading across his features as you pulled away however, and it was hard for you not to grin in response. A small circle had formed around you two, a couple people yelling as it became clear that you weren’t going to let this boy dance with you without proving himself. The music suddenly cut, and your heads shot up in unison. You raised your hands up, trying to grab the DJ’s attention, but he’d already seen you and knew exactly how you moved. He waved off your protests and began to prepare a different track. You froze as you listened to the softer beats, the way it almost sounded like an acapella group.
You grinned widely, your feet moving before you could think while the boy stepped back, watching you work. Your hands rose then fell together, your feet always following the four count beat, dragging, lifting, and hitting the floor lightly. This continued a little longer until suddenly the music paused… And then the words ‘CALL ME BABY’ echoed into the room. You chuckled, your body moving to steps that had practically become muscle memory – hands up, down, wicked smirk, run your hand through your hair… And start.
The boy was clearly impressed, nodding along as you body rolled your way through the chorus, even adding in a few of your own improvisations. Soon enough though, he was raising his hand, stepping forward, and the music cut. You glanced up in shock, unable to believe that this boy would have the audacity to cut you off in the middle of your dance, but that grin was enough to make you understand that this kid didn’t mind playing dirty.
The DJ clearly knew him well too, and rolled his eyes as he set up the next song. Your eyebrows shot up as suddenly he began snapping, hand raised high above his head, and it took everything you had not to start laughing as he began to move his body languidly to the new song, girls around you shrieking (whether it was with laughter or amazement, you still weren’t quite sure).
It was only once he reached the chorus, the word ‘something’ now bouncing around the club (you weren’t sure when top 40 hits had become a part of their playlist, but you were certainly grateful for it now) that you realized how magnetic this kid’s dancing was. The way his hands moved was entrancing – motions that should have been awkward like that half squat, half bend thing were seductive when he did it. You would have been jealous if you weren’t so attracted to the way his body moved.
Suddenly the music cut again, and you let out a yell, turning towards the DJ who shook his head in response, starting up another song, motioning for the two of you to dance together. You listened intently to the first words, a smile exploding across your face: “Hm, eoseo wa – bangtaneun cheoeumji?” Nobody could beat you at this – hands down, this was your most technical dance memorized to date, and you were beyond proud of it. Spinning to face your competitor, you let out a laugh, prepared to leave him in the dust – until he raised his head, and your baby blues met his dark chocolate eyes.
You were frozen as the kid with the dark hair and the wicked smirk walked towards you, singing along to the words: “Ayo ladies and gentlemen… Jungbiga dwaettdamyeon bureulge yeah… Ttaan nyeoseokdeulgwaneun dareuge… Nae seutaillo nae nae nae nae seutaillo ayo!”
You don’t know where you found the courage, but you stepped up towards him in the next verse, mouthing along to Jimin’s part, lightly shoving his chest in retaliation as you looked him in the eyes. The boy raised his eyebrows, almost as if he were questioning your intelligence in doing that, the two of you circling in and around each other. Finally the music paused, and you both grinned (though it was starting to seem less out of malice and more out of excitement), suddenly screaming together: “NAN JOM JJEOREO!” After that all you could sense was the music coursing through your veins, this peppermint and soju boy dancing alongside you, the two of you moving in near perfect synchronization. Jumping back as you pumped your fist, you felt your foot touch his, and you glanced back, your eyes locking one more time. He could see the electricity in your gaze, you could feel the fire from his.
It felt like you’d been dancing for a lifetime when the song finally faded out into something slower, the two of you stopping as the crowd cheered around you. You swallowed hard as you stared at each other, nerves making your stomach twist. You suddenly took off for the bar, determined to get the strongest drink you find in order to quell this suddenly burst of anxiety. “Soju,” you asked the bartender breathlessly, fingers tapping the counter to the music as you tried to process what had just happened.
When you felt a hand on your shoulder, you turned, assuming it would be your friend. You were pretty damn wrong as you stared into those dark brown eyes, the nerves slamming into you once more. “You know – I’ve never met someone…”
“Who could keep up with your moves?” You regretted the words the second they left your mouth, and you giggled nervously, already horrified with how this was going. Taking off his cowboy hat, you watched as Jungkook ran a hand through his hair, nervously chewing on his lip.
“… I was gonna say with eyes as beautifully blue as yours, but that works too,” he admitted, and if your face wasn’t already red at this point, you were pretty sure that it was quickly turning that color.
“Th-thank you, oppa,” you managed, focusing on the bartender in the distance, trying to figure out how on earth you could save this situation. Jungkook did it for you, waving down the bartender.
“Soju for me too – and hers is on me,” he added, passing some cash off to the bartender, who returned much more quickly with two shots. Turning towards you, he clinked your glasses together, offering you a much more timid smile than before. “Here’s to more dancing…?” It was phrased as a question, his hesitance showing in how slowly he asked.
You raised the glasses to your mouths, quickly draining them, and you hissed at the burn down your throat while you considered his offer. “I… Think I’d be okay with that,” you finally answered, smiling at the way his eyes suddenly seemed to brighten. Maybe your baby blue eyes were unique, but you’d give anything in the world to see those dark eyes of his always stay that bright.