Archive of Our Own

“Are you sure you want to go?”

“Yes, of course! Stop badgering me,” ‘No, of course not, help me’. But frankly, it was getting embarrassing. He seriously regretted not having any friends his own age at this moment. They were about to head out to the hottest place in town and Jungkook was really regretting ever agreeing to this.

It was ridiculous because now that he was finally legal, and was permitted to enter the grown up places, he didn’t really want to go. At all. But, seeing as his adult friends were as mature as a five year-old, he had no choice. It was either suffer a night of dancing with strangers or suffer a lifetime of teasing from his so-called friends. 

“It’s okay if you want to wait another year or something,” Namjoon put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

“For the last time, I’m fine! I’m doing this; I’m not going to bail.” Jungkook shrugged the offending hand off, fixed his hair and made his way towards the door.

“It’s okay to be nervous! First times are rough!” Taehyung hugged him and playfully winked.

Once again he shrugged off his hyung’s advances, “Piss off.”

“They grow up so fast!” Jin added from where he was standing. He sighed dreamily and squished his own face. 

Jungkook growled silently and cursed all that is holy; he silently regretted ever agreeing to hang with these idiots. He was either going to commit suicide or kill all of them by the end of the evening. Not really, he still had to go to college in a couple of months.

“Last chance Kookie,” Jin said as he opened the door to the car and ushered everybody out.

“I’m fine, mom, I said I’ll do it and I will. Besides, we’re already here.” ‘Please let a bus hit me right now’, he thought as he stared at the illuminated street that shone in bright colors. He was nervous. Rationally, he knew he had nothing to worry about. Even if all the others get smashed, Jin will still be sober because he is the designated driver. It’s something, he sighed as his stomach clenched painfully.

It was eerily quiet outside the club; only faint murmurs of people waiting to get in could be heard. Jungkook wondered if this is what people did on a regular basis. He already knew he wouldn’t be doing this anytime soon. The stress was too much for his young mind. Not to mention the time it took him to pick out his outfit, even though his closet mostly consisted of plain t-shirts, plaid shirts, jeans and some boots. He ended up borrowing a somewhat decent looking shirt from Taehyung.

Said shirt was currently being clutched in his hand, they were next in line. Namjoon paid for the entrance and they were moving. The security guard eyed Jungkook warily but said nothing as Jin quickly pulled him along.

Suddenly he was hit full-blast with the sound of music blaring from all the speakers around the room. The room seemed to spin for a moment before he realized that it was only the lightshow. He clutched his ears for a moment and stopped walking.

He looked around and saw Namjoon mouthing something to him. He was probably speaking but the music was too loud for him to really hear anything else. The only way for him to hear anything aside from the music would be if he got really close to someone- which, hello, boundaries and personal space.

Jungkook shook his head as to say ‘No I freaking can’t hear any bloody thing you’re saying’. His response seemed to bring out a worried expression on Namjoon’s face.

Suddenly, he got an armful of Taehyung who was shouting in his ear, “He asked if you were okay!”

Ah, that makes sense; he nodded enthusiastically and shouted back at Taehyung, “Yes, I’m good! A bit overwhelmed!”

Namjoon and Jin seemed to relax a little at this and they smiled at him encouragingly.

The initial shock was starting to wear off as they entered deeper into the club. He was admiring the soundproofing in the place when Taehyung yanked him to his side to avoid a collision with some brightly dressed girl that was all over the place. He would have smiled gratefully at his friend but, somehow without him noticing, Taehyung had pulled him to the bar. Taehyung shoved a drink into his hand. Okay, it wasn’t like Taehyung never tried to get him to drink- but usually, Namjoon or Jin were there to stop Taehyung before things got out of hand. Unfortunately, the two oldest hyungs were nowhere to be seen.

Jungkook gulped, “Where are the other two?” He shouted at Tae again.

“Securing a table, come on drink up!” Taehyung clapped excitedly.

Jungkook eyed the drink, it looked like a shot drink but the glass was too large for it to be considered a shot. He was about to dink it when someone bumped him from the back and he dropped the entire glass because he was startled.

“Fudge,” He muttered, secretly thanking whoever it was that crashed into him.

Taehyung looked crestfallen. Be it because of the drink or the fact that Jungkook had yet again avoided drinking.

“There you two are!” Jin showed up unexpectedly and grabbed Jungkook’s arm. He looked at Jungkook, who was elated, then at Taehyung. He noticed the teen looking sadly at the floor. “What’s up with him?” He asked Jungkook.

“Someone bumped into me I dropped a drink, he’s acting like I dropped a baby or something.” Jungkook shrugged nonchalantly.

He could see the relief wash over Jin’s face. The elder tugged at the teen’s arm and Jungkook quickly grabbed his sad companion so he doesn’t get lost. Jin maneuvered them to a table in a far corner where there was somewhat less people- but still too many in Jungkook’s opinion.

“What took you so long?” Namjoon asked as he nodded his head slightly to the beat.

Jungkook winced as he looked up to see a speaker positioned directly above the hyung. ‘No wonder the table was free’ He thought to himself bitterly.

“Do you see how many people I had to make my way through; stop complaining. We’re lucky we made it here at all.” Jin glared subtly.

Namjoon held up his hands, “Sorry I asked. As my redemption- to you, Princess Jin, I will go get us some drinks.” He said cheekily.

Jungkook would bet his monthly allowance that Jin was blushing bright red at the moment. Lucky for him, it was too dark to tell.

Instead of gracing Namjoon with an answer, Jin waved a dismissive hand his way and turned to fret over the youngest. The other huffed but made his way towards one of the bars anyway.

The bass was strong, Jungkook could feel his lungs vibrating as he stood and swayed along with Jin and Tae. The latter had an arm draped over Jungkook’s shoulders unceremoniously and was singing loudly. Well, singing wasn’t exactly the right word for it. More like, growling or shouting the lyrics at the youngest.

Jungkook was about to ask him to stop politely (by kicking him in the shin) when Namjoon showed up and Taehyung practically ran over Jin in order to get to the booze.

“Slow down there, champ,” Namjoon quickly removed the beer bottle from the younger’s proximity. “Pace yourself; we don’t want a repeat of the last time, do we?”

Jungkook saw a look of horror cross Taehyung’s face as the teen nodded in agreement. ‘Huh, gonna have to ask him about that later’ he thought as he observed Namjoon mothering his friend. ‘Or would it be fathering since Jin was the mother?’ he thought idly.

He felt his arm being nudged and he looked to see Jin with a careful smile gracing his handsome face. He was holding a bottle in his outstretched hand. Jungkook squinted at the brown-haired hyung.

Jin rolled his eyes, “I trust you won’t go overboard tonight, Kookie?”

Jungkook took the bottle reluctantly and nodded, “My wallet doesn’t allow me to go overboard, don’t worry.” He smiled as Jin laughed loudly.

“Oh, and don’t accept drinks from strangers!” Jin shouted at him as Namjoon dragged him off to the dance floor with the words ‘This is my jam!’

Jungkook gulped and looked over to the person he was left with. Taehyung was sporting his boxy smile coupled with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

“Kim Taehyung, no.” Jungkook held up his hands as the other boy moved in.

“Oh come on Kookie, you don’t even know what I was gonna say.” The other pleaded.

“I know it’s nothing good. I’m a 100% sure it’s nothing good.” Kookie took a step back as Tae moved forward.

“Yah, golden boy, you need to relax and have fun. Nobody stays sober the first time they go out. You’ve barely touched any liquor in all your 18 years, my personal mission for tonight is to get you smashed beyond belief.” Taehyung got up into his personal bubble and shoved an accusing finger at his chest.

“Uh, I’d like to make it home alive. I still have my future ahead of me, don’t make me do this.” Jungkook pleaded.

“Jeon Jeongguk, are you scared by any chance?” Taehyung smiled as he used the boy’s full name.

“No, I’m not scared.” ‘Somebody help me,’ he cringed at how unconvincing he sounded to his own ears.

“Sure sounds to me like you’re scared, Kookie.” Taehyung dangled a wide glass filled with clear liquid in front of him. “It’s such a shame; I’ve always admired you for being so brave. Jeon Jeongguk, never the one to back away from a challenge” Taehyung moved his free hand above them in a wide arch for emphasis. “I was always so proud of you, never giving up no matter what.” Tae pretended to wipe away a tear. “But, I guess you are only human.” He shrugged nonchalantly.

‘That’s it, challenge accepted.’ Jungkook puffed out his chest. “Fine, you want your fearless friend back, you got him.” And with those words he took the glass from Taehyung’s hand and downed it at once. He suppressed the wince that was threatening to overtake his body as the liquid travelled down his throat with a slow burn.

Thus began the nightly escapades of Jeon Jeongguk.

Approximately an hour later found Taehyung watching as Jungkook danced the night away with strangers of both gender. His friend was beyond buzzed and thoroughly on his way to being wasted. He couldn’t help but feel a little bit proud. Taehyung himself was only slightly buzzed since priority number one was the mission of giving Kookie his first hangover. Which was not difficult at all since the younger’s tolerance for alcohol was very low. Just two glasses of hard liquor and a beer later the younger had dragged him to the dance floor. Taehyung laughed as someone made a grab for Jungkook’s hide and the younger elbowed the person in the ribs, giving them an unimpressed look.

His show was abruptly interrupted as someone gently took his hand and he was pulled into a solid chest. Taehyung looked up, startled. He was greeted by a warm smile and shimmering brown eyes. He smiled and nodded his hello to the guy with the heart-shaped grin. Tae soon lost all sight of Jungkook as he and the gorgeous stranger started dancing. 

Jungkook was having the time of his life. The room was spinning but it was so beautiful. He admired the flashing lights as he lolled his head back. He was immersed in the sea of people that jumped up and down while he stood still and closed his eyes for a moment.

‘I wonder where Tae is, maybe I shouldn’t have separated from him’ he thought briefly. He shrugged; his friend was probably here, somewhere. He opened his eyes and looked around, not really seeing anyone familiar- just bright colors and the spinning floor that took on the distorted shape of a chessboard with its checkered pattern. He decided to walk around a bit- or well, dance his way across the floor to another part of the room.

This proved to be more difficult than he thought as he kept being pulled in all directions. He managed to stumble his way to a clearing in front of the bathrooms. He glanced to the left and saw an interesting looking staircase that was illuminated by glowing paint, it immediately captured his attention. He was followed by the sound of some new pop song remix while he descended the stairs. The walls were checkered black and white like the floor above; he dragged his hand across the wallpaper to steady himself. The music from upstairs was fading and he was welcomed by a new beat, something distinctly more techno or electro with a hint of dubstep.

The staircase ended with a heavy looking door, there was a lady standing in front of it. Jungkook was too busy looking at the glowing lady with the luminous paint bottles in her hand so he almost tripped over a guy sitting at the bottom of the staircase. The guy seemed to be napping.

“Hello sugar, what brings you here?” The lady smiled at him, she looked older than him but not by much. He was too drunk to make any assumptions of her age.

“Well, I followed the white rabbit down the hole.” He giggled at his own reply.

The woman laughed melodically and nodded approvingly. “In that case, Alice, who am I to stop you from saving Wonderland?” She pulled out a paintbrush and dipped it in some red paint. “But, I will have to mark you up a little.”

Jungkook nodded enthusiastically and approached the lady. “Nothing too bad, I have to keep my pride. No flowers please,” He said.

She nodded again, “A simple ace by your eye and some stripes on your arms will suffice.” She began drawing two lines on his left bicep, one thicker and one thinner. They looked like some sort of a tribal thing, Jungkook thought briefly.  He hummed a random tune as he waited for her to finish. A few moments later she patted the back of his shoulder, “All done, have fun sweetie.”

He gave her a thumbs up and entered through the door. He was right, the door was heavy. He was assaulted by the sound of a heavy bass drop as he entered. ‘Now this is more like it’ he smiled gleefully. There were no flashing lasers, just a constant ultraviolet light that made the paint glow bright. It was a kaleidoscope of colors and random patterns.

He was pulled into the crowd by someone’s hand and he was pushed against the bar. He shook his head and looked at the bartender who was watching him expectantly with a slightly judgmental look behind her thick rimmed glasses.

“Um,” He cleared his throat and lowered the pitch of his voice, “What do you recommend?” He tried to sound as confident as possible.

The girl shot him an unamused look, “Milk, it’s good for your bones, kid.”

“Don’t be mean; tell the kid what we have to offer.” The other the taller bartender with the brown hair and a sunshine smile scolded the other girl. They didn’t look that much older than Jungkook was. He wondered if he could get a job bartending at a club like this.

“I don’t know, you already look trashed,” She sighed, “I’ll just make him a Jägerbomb.” And with that, Jungkook got his drink. He didn’t know what he expected, but he coughed slightly as he took a sip of the drink. He didn’t dare look at the arbiter behind the bar.

Taehyung was in slight panic mode. Understatement. He was in full blown panic mode. After he had gathered his wits from dancing with the amazingly nice and sweet stranger he went to look for Jungkook to make sure the younger was okay. He made three circles around the entire room and he couldn’t find the boy anywhere. Jin was going to kill him. Namjoon was going to revive him just so he could kill him again. He has lost their precious Kookie, his life was over.

That’s how Jin and Namjoon found him. Sitting on a stool at the bar, head in hands and muttering to himself.

“Tae, are you okay?” Jin reached out and lifted the boy’s head. He was greeted by wide and spooked eyes. “Oh no, what’s wrong?”

“I’m so sorry,” Taehyung groaned.

“Oh my god, Tae, where’s Kookie?” Namjoon grabbed the boy’s hand in a strong grip.

Down below, Kookie had finally finished his drink and regained his strength. It was time for more dancing, or well, energetic jumping and spastic hand movements.

He let himself be carried and pushed by the movement of the mass as he enjoyed the beat. He was carried all the way to a small stage and was placed under one of the two large speakers that hung on the wall. He was surrounded by a couple of girls and boys who were enthusiastically dancing against each other. He tried to look around and judge who was safe to dance with but it turned out not to matter at all since he soon found himself being pushed into a pair of strong arms.

He muttered an apology and looked up. The first thing he noticed is that the person holding him had green hair. The next thing he saw were the luminous whiskers drawn onto the guy’s face and a handprint on the side of his neck. Behind the cute whiskers he noticed a slightly grumpy look. The guy raised an eyebrow at Jungkook as the teen was still basically draped over his chest.

Jungkook quickly recollected himself and straightened up; he stuttered out another apology and looked up. He found himself having to look down because the guy was a head shorter than him. It was adorable, really.

“Do I have something on my face?” The guy asked, clearly annoyed.

“Well…” Jungkook grinned and made whiskers on his own face with his fingers.

The guy’s face softened and he rolled his eyes, “Right.” He placed a hand around Jungkook’s neck as the beat slowed down.

“Um…” Jungkook looked at the guy curiously.

“Might as well dance with me, since you’re already here.” The guy said boldly and grinned. Jungkook couldn’t help but be reminded of the Cheshire cat. They swayed and dipped together to the music until it changed back to something upbeat and they both began jumping with the rest of the crowd.

Maybe it was the music, maybe it was the alcohol but Jungkook soon found himself dancing very closely to the grumpy cat stranger who seemed keen on playing with his hair. To be fair, his hair was soft and he was proud of it.

His body was thrumming pleasantly as the shorter male plastered himself to his front. The situation got more heated with each song and each time the music slowed down. He found himself bending his knees slightly as the other fit neatly in between them. One moment they were dancing and the next the hand in his hair tightened and there was a mouth on his. The kiss was passionate and threatened to turn into a full blown make out session. Fortunately, the need for air was greater and they had to separate themselves soon. Both boys were panting. Jungkook grinned as the shorter male looked at him dazedly. 

The guy shook his head to get out of the haze. “Nice.” He mumbled and leaned his head onto Jungkook’s solid chest.

Jungkook laughed a little at the ridiculousness of the situation as the alcohol started to leave his system due to the adrenalin that was pumping through his veins instead. ‘Wait till Tae hears about this,’ He grinned to himself as they swayed. ‘Wait, oh no, he’s going to kill me.’ Jungkook snapped back abruptly and detached the person off of his chest.

“I am so sorry but I have to go!” He spoke hastily.

The man eyed him, “What’s the matter? Carriage turning into a pumpkin after 3 a.m. or something?”  

Jungkook laughed despite his situation, “No, nothing of sort. But I might turn into a dead body, I kinda escaped my friend and didn’t tell him where I went and oh god. I’m so dead, I gotta go!” He rambled out and gave the guy one last kiss.

“Find me, somehow.” The guy mumbled and shoved him in the direction of the exit. Jungkook nodded seriously and made his way back to the stairs.

When he exited the door, the lady was still there, leaned on the napping guy.

“Alice! Leaving already?” Her head snapped up as she chirped.

“Well, you know, time to wake up!” Jungkook threw back at her as he rushed up the stairs and into the crowd.

Once he was used to the flashing lights again, he rubbed his eyes and searched the mass of people. ‘Yeah, like I’m gonna see anything’ he sighed to himself and moved in between the dancing groups or couples swiftly. He tried to go back to the table where they started at the beginning of the night but he couldn’t exactly remember where the table was located.

Suddenly, he yelped as he felt a hand grab the back of his neck and heard a harsh yell in his ear.

“You are so dead,” The voice belonged to Namjoon, there was no doubt.

He looked over to see Taehyung in a similar situation as himself. Namjoon glared convincingly at both of them and they groaned in union.

‘At least I’m not drunk anymore,’ Jungkook struggled to walk as his hyung guided him forward.

He hadn’t realized how much he missed fresh air until they hit the street and he was assaulted by the early morning breeze.

Seokjin was already there; hand on his hip and a foot tapping impatiently on the pavement. His mother hen mode was on by the looks of things.

“You two are so dead, but we’ll talk about this tomorrow.” Jin grabbed Jungkook by the sleeve and dragged him to the car as Namjoon dragged Taehyung.

“Look, I’m sorry but it wasn’t Taehyung’s fault!” Jungkook tried but Jin just smacked the back of his head with his hand.

“Tomorrow! You reek of alcohol, both of you are staying at my place till you sober up. End of discussion.” Jin glared at the two younger boys who had their heads bowed in shame.

Jungkook was grateful that his poor mother wouldn’t have to witness what a mess he was. Sometimes he thanked god for Seokjin.

Jungkook woke up the next morning wishing he hadn’t been born into this cruel world. He woke up with a hangover unlike any other, not that he ever had a hangover to compare this one with. He figured it was as bad as it gets, anyway. But most important, he woke up because Seokjin was banging pots and pans together in the kitchen loudly as some form of retaliation.

He felt a hand hit him in the face and heard Taehyung groan in anguish.

“Jin, stop, please!” He shouted out weakly as Tae made another move to slap his face. “Get off,” He whined as the other boy rolled on top of him. After a few seconds of struggling, Taehyung had finally won and his freakishly strong arms held Jungkook in place as a pillow. “I hate you,” He mumbled to the boy that was currently snuggling him.

To make things worse he heard a sound of a camera go off. He looked up to see a grinning Namjoon with his phone pointed in their direction.

“Please tell me you took a selfie,” Jungkook hid his eyes in the crook of his elbow.

“Nope,” Namjoon’s smile got even wider. “Now get up, you have to eat and you both still stink.” The elder turned to walk out of the room.

“You’re not gonna help me?!” Jungkook shouted after him and motioned at the koala that was latched onto him like he was a eucalyptus tree. He heard a faint sounding ‘nah’ from the living room.

He sighed and braced himself for physical labor early in the morning. Except it was noon and his mother was going to kill him.

After a few more minutes of trying to throw Taehyung off, the older boy finally relented and loosened his grip enough for the younger to escape. With a victorious sound, Jungkook jumped out of bed. He immediately regretted his decision as a wave of dizziness hit him.

Taehyung laughed at him annoyingly, “Should have stayed in bed and kept me warm.” The boy hummed.

“Yeah well,” He said very intelligently and grabbed his throbbing head. Other than his head, everything was fine. Confidently, he decided to grace the two hyungs in the kitchen with his presence. As soon as he stepped foot into the room his stomach began to churn as he was assaulted by the smell of greasy food.

“Oh dear god, help,” He made a dash for the bathroom and got acquainted with the toilet bowl. He heaved but nothing came out, he couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not. Jin came in and patted his back slowly.

“Here,” He handed him a glass of water and some pills for the headache.

Jungkook accepted them gladly and downed the glass of water as fast as possible. “Thank you,” He murmured and slumped down on the edge of the bathtub. Jin was staring at him expectantly and Jungkook looked away in shame. “You told me so.”

“I told you so,” Jin repeated. He was shaking his head sadly and Jungkook couldn’t bring himself to look up and see the disappointment in his eyes.

“Now, enough moping around, you need to eat and I need to get you to your mother.” Jin grabbed his arm and hauled him up with surprising strength. Jungkook whined and leaned heavily onto his hyung.

When they got to the kitchen, Taehyung was already there and devouring most of the food.

“How can you eat that much,” Jungkook said as he sat down across from Tae.

“Unlike you, I have experiences with hangovers and I didn’t get smashed last night.” He said with a mouthful of food.

Jungkook grimaced and flicked a piece of bacon at the other teen, “Disgusting.”

“Hey, don’t play with food!” Jin scolded the black-haired boy.

Jungkook mumbled an apology and continued to eat slowly, focusing more on the eggs than the bacon. Taehyung saw his chance and stole all of it anyway.

They ate in silence for full five minutes until Jin demanded an explanation.

“Talk,” He said simply, he had his serious face on which meant he wasn’t in the mood for messing around. “Where, what, when and who?” He added after neither of the younger boys spoke.

Jungkook gulped rather loudly, “Well, it’s not Tae’s fault if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Oh please, it’s absolutely my fault. I should have known!” Taehyung dramatically wailed.

“Make up your mind,” Namjoon threw in casually as he leaned against the kitchen counter, sipping tea.

“Very helpful, Namjoon,” Jin glared at him and he pouted back.

“Uh, okay, maybe it was Tae’s fault a little. But don’t kill him!” Jungkook quickly rushed out the last part.

“I challenged him and of course our golden Jungkookie doesn’t back away from a challenge. One thing led to another and I lost him in the crowd.” Taehyung dropped his head to look at his hands sadly.

“It’s all hazy but I remember I went to the basement level, hence the florescent paint I’m still sporting, by the way.” Jungkook rubbed his bare bicep that had traces of red paint. “I remember a lady calling me Alice, a judgmental teen bartender and some German drink.” He rubbed his temples as he recalled the bitter taste of the drink. “I am never drinking again,” He sighed out.

“You say that now, but wait till my birthday. You’re quite the party animal, Kookie.” Taehyung waved a fork in his direction as he tried to ignore Jin’s deadly glare.

Jungkook stared at the green tablecloth that stood out from all the other black and white decorations (with some pink details, here and there) in Seokjin’s apartment. He felt an odd sense of déjà vu as the color stared back at him. Then it hit him. Like a mother effing sixteen wheeler.

“Oh my god,” He rushed out as his cheeks began to turn red. “Oh dear god,” He slammed his head against the offending green tablecloth.

“What? What is it?” Jin prompted the younger.

Jungkook shook his head, “Not telling.” He stated petulantly. He could feel his face burning; he felt it all the way down his neck and at the tip of his ears.

“Spit it out or you’re walking home.” Jin threatened.

He looked up and did his damndest to glare holes through his hyung. He then cautiously glanced at Taehyung. The other teen was looking at him with calculating eyes. That was a look Jungkook did not like at all. It meant Taehyung knew exactly what happened. And to this day, he didn’t know how the older boy did it. How he just, knew.

“Oh my god, Kookie, you didn’t!” Taehyung exclaimed happily and clapped.

Just as he thought, Taehyung already knew everything just by observing the younger. Jungkook returned to the table and cursed the green piece of cloth. Why was it green anyway?

“Will somebody fill me in?” Jin huffed angrily. Namjoon just silently handed him a mug of tea, trying to pacify the upset hyung.

“He totally made out with someone!” Taehyung excitedly giggled out.

“What?” The two oldest hyungs said in union and turned their gazes to Jungkook who was still hiding his face.

Jungkook willed the earth to open up and swallow him but the floor didn’t budge an inch. He looked up sheepishly with his best kicked puppy expression.

“Oh my god, you did.” Jin said, amazed while Namjoon tried hard not to burst out into laughter. “Kookie, was this your first kiss?!” He added.

“Can we, like, not?!” Jungkook was as red as the snapback that was carelessly thrown onto the coat hanger in the hall.

“It was,” Taehyung elaborated. “And I know what you’re thinking: yes, I am psychic.”

“Well, who was it?” Namjoon spoke up with curiosity, ignoring Tae’s self-satisfied comment.

“I don’t know his name,” Jungkook admitted bitterly. 

“So it is a he!” Jin suddenly raised his voice, “Jimin owes me 50 bucks.”

Namjoon and Taehyung laughed at the look of pure horror that crossed Kookie’s face. “I'm going home.” He stood up but Taehyung pulled him back down.

“Nuh-huh, we want to hear more.” The boy leaned his chin into the palm of his hand and expectantly looked at Jungkook. “Well, I do. Don’t really care about the married couple.” He pointed a thumb at the hyungs. Before the two started to protest, Taehyung held up a palm to stop them and pointed back at Jungkook. “Speak.”

“Um, as far as I remember- bear in mind, I don’t remember much,” He was totally lying, but the others needn’t know that, “We got pushed together by the crowd and we just started dancing. He had green hair, painted kitten whiskers on his face and he was shorter than me by a head. Oh, and he also looked slightly grumpy.” Jungkook thought about the mystery man some more. “He also looked older, but not a lot. Like, maybe two years.” He looked at the people in the room that were silently judging him. Jin was still looking at him like he expected more out of the story, some epic romance or something, Namjoon was laughing into his cup of tea quietly and Taehyung was tapping away on his phone.

This particular action caught his attention, “Tae… What are you doing?”

“Why, finding your boyfriend, of course.” He replied simply.

“What?” This seemed to be the key word of the day.

“It’s called Spotted, it’s a page on facebook. It lets you post anonymously about people they’ve seen and if anybody recognizes them, they tag them in the comments.” The older elaborated.

“So basically, you can stalk people openly?” Namjoon asked.

“Yeah but in a polite and totally non-creepy way!” Taehyung chirped.

“Tae, no!” Jungkook made a grab for the phone but the older teen dashed out of the chair before Jungkook could react.

“Too late, loverboy,” He said as he pressed post.

“You are a terrible friend and I hate you.” Jungkook crossed his arms over his chest. “What even did you write, you dork?!” He demanded.

“Yo, posting here on behalf of my best friend. He’s looking for a guy, codename grumpy cat, that he made out with last night in Silver Spoon. He had green hair, fluorescent kitten whiskers and was smokin’ hot. Please, if you know this person, tag him in the comments. My friend needs to get out of the house more, tbh. Xoxo.” Taehyung read out loud.

Jungkook froze with mortification, “I am going to murder you in your sleep, or, I'm not even going to wait. I’ll murder you right now!” Jungkook grabbed a fork off of the table and was getting ready to chuck it at Taehyung when Jin stopped him. The older locked his fingers around Jungkook’s wrist. He gently smacked the fork out of his hand then not so gently smacked Jungkook upside the head.

“Stop that! There will be no murdering in my apartment. I just had my carpet cleaned yesterday.” Jin complained. Ever the voice of reason, he continued: “Let’s look at the situation first. On one hand, Tae, you just eternally embarrassed Jungkook- then again, it was anonymous and only we will know. Well, we and the guy, if he even gets recognized. On the other hand, Jungkookie, you do need to get out more and since you hit it off with this stranger, maybe actually getting to know him would be good. Who knows what will happen in the future? Only time will tell, end of discussion. Now, get your stuff I’m driving you guys home.” Seokjin calmly listed off. He finished his tea and stood up to get the car keys.

The three remaining boys looked after the eldest in amazement.

“He’s a wonder,” Namjoon muttered silently, hoping the others didn’t hear him. Of course they did, but they had enough decency not to mention it as they moved to gather their things.

“Yah, just because Jin saved you, doesn’t mean you’re off the hook!” He bumped a bent over Taehyung with his hip, causing the boy to stumble and almost fall. Almost.

“Yeah, yeah. Just you wait! You’ll be thanking me later!” Taehyung called after him with a cheery cackle.

He was right. Well, partially, his mother only almost killed him. Since his track record was clean, after some excessive shouting and scolding he was let off with only a warning and a glare.

He heaved a sigh as he dropped down onto his bed. The warm and soft sea of blankets welcomed him with open arms. His head was still hurting even though he had taken some painkillers an hour ago. Never had he regretted his life choices more.

He felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He groaned and pulled it out of his (Seokjin’s) sweats.  It was a text from Taehyung, he whined mentally as nothing good could possibly cause Tae to text him after only seeing him 15 minutes ago.

‘Jungkookie check the post u can thnk me l8er’ Jungkook read the text and frowned.

The Spotted post, he ran a hand through his hair all the way to the nape of his neck; where he remembered a certain someone’s hand being the evening prior. He shuddered and reluctantly got up to get his laptop. He dropped back onto the bed with a heavy grunt.

Once the damn thing started up he logged into his account. He had several messages in his inbox but he opted to ignore those and went straight to the page. He was strangely nervous. What would this even mean? He couldn’t just message the guy saying: hey we made out last night and I thought it was super hot, wanna go get coffee? On second thought that didn’t sound as bad as he had originally thought.

He shook his head and scrolled down slightly to find Taehyung’s post. There were several comments. He cringed as he reread the original post, ‘Goddamn Taehyung’. He couldn’t bring himself to expand the comment section of the damn thing. He knew he was making a fuss about basically nothing but it felt like a big deal to him.

“Come on, Jeongguk, man up.” He puffed out his chest and clicked the button boldly. He closed his eyes like the coward he actually was and took a few deep breaths to calm down. He finally looked at the comments. Some of them were lame jokes, but mostly there were comments that had guys tagged in them. Jungkook clicked on the first one and frowned, the guy looked way too young to be the Grumpy cat stranger. He sighed and scrolled on. Then, there were a few comments that had the same name tagged over and over again. Some of the tags had the name accompanied by sly emojis or words of encouragement. Jungkook blushed deeply as he clicked on the tag.

Min Yoongi, the profile page read. Jungkook looked at the profile picture and turned even redder, if that was even possible at that point. The stranger, Yoongi, he corrected himself mentally, was stunning. His profile picture showed a wide, gummy smile that made him look like an angel.

“Wow, I am a teenage girl now, apparently.” He said to no one in particular, because he was alone in his room. 

The profile was locked so he couldn’t explore any further than what he saw at the moment. He noticed that they had a mutual friend, he hovered the cruiser over the thing and a picture popped up. Park Jimin. Jungkook groaned, if the orange-haired menace got a hold of this information he would never live it down.

He felt his phone ring, the familiar tune of Exid- Up and down. He fumbled with the covers to try and find where he had left it. He exclaimed in victory as he found the cursed thing under his pillow.

“What?” He answered the call, who even calls people on phones anymore?

“Oh Yoongi, I’ve been looking for you~” Taehyung mocked from the other side.

“Oh you bastard,” Jungkook growled loudly. “Piss off, why did you even call me? If it was to make fun of me then you can buzz off and chase some tail or something.”

“But it’s only 2 p.m.!” Taehyung laughed obnoxiously.

Jungkook could imagine his boxy grin widening with each passing minute. “Never stopped you before,” he grumbled.

“Did you even check his profile?” The other boy asked.

“I did, it’s locked.” Jungkook took the laptop off of his lap and placed it on his desk.

“So? Add him and voila, unlocked!” Taehyung pronounced the French word terribly.

“Yeah, not happening. He’s frie

nds with Jimin.” Jungkook sat down in his rotating chair and spun around.

“Ooh, now you have something in common, even better!” Taehyung kept egging him on.

“How is him knowing Park Jimin better? The brat’s a menace.” He grumbled as he remembered the innocent looking boy with hidden evil behind crescent shaped eyes.

“Yah, respect your hyung.” Taehyung said, not really being that serious about it.

“Respect, my good friend, is earned.” Jungkook spoke wisely.

Taehyung scoffed, “Still, you should add him. Message him, hit him up with some coffee, make out with him some more. One of these things is bound to work in your favor.” Taehyung then lowered his voice, “I'm betting it’s the last one.”  

Jungkook groaned in despair, “I hate you.”

“Love you too!” Taehyung shouted at him.

“This conversation was pointless!” Jungkook shouted back at him. The other boy just laughed and hung up.

The black-haired teen huffed and, once again, discarded his phone carelessly. He eyed the laptop and wheeled his chair back to the desk. He found himself on Yoongi’s profile page contemplating whether he should add him or not. 

He hit his head against the desk once before he went ‘screw it’ and pressed the add button. Immediately he pushed his chair away from the offending device like he had been burned.

“What have I done?” He whispered into the silent room.

Two hours had passed and Jungkook had yet to touch his laptop or phone. He was avoiding the devices like they had personally offended him. But, he knew he couldn’t go on like this forever. He had already done everything possible to pass the time. He finished a book he had started a few months back, helped his mother clean around the house and even organized his closet by color. By color.  

So he sat back at his desk and stared at his laptop. “I can do this,” He flipped the device open. “He was probably expecting it.” Jungkook continued to give himself a pep talk. “He did say ‘find me’, if I remember correctly.” The fact that the other had actually shown interest in Jungkook made him feel a little better.

But then that evil part of his brain spoke up again. ‘He must have been drunk’. Jungkook shook his head aggressively. He couldn’t think like that. “Come on, Jeongguk, stay positive.” He flailed his hands a little to shake off his nerves as the laptop exited sleep mode.

Taking a deep breath, he opened his facebook page. His heart almost stopped when he saw that he had one new notification. He was almost afraid to open said notification. Pushing his fears aside he clicked the thing and gasped (very dramatically, like in the movies).

Min Yoongi has accepted your friend request.  

If anybody ever asked him, he would have denied it till the day he dies- Jeon Jeongguk did not scream, and his mother did not rush up to check on him. He did not scream like a little girl (it was more infant-like).

“Jungkookie are you okay?” His mother asked, God bless her soul.

Jungkook was shaking slightly but he nodded, “I’m fine mom, stubbed my toe on the corner of the desk!” He lied through his teeth.

“If you say so, honey” God bless her time and time again, she left him alone to his squealing.

But.

‘But what now?’ He thought idly. He could always start a conversation with Yoongi. A moment of silence passed before he burst out laughing at the preposterous notion.

As he was angsting over his next move he hadn’t noticed that another notification had popped up. He spun his chair around several times, deep in thought, before coming to a halt once again. His eyes nearly fell out of their sockets (there’s an image) as he saw an unread message sitting in his inbox.

“Oh god, oh my god. Help.” He flailed around the room. ‘It couldn’t be him, there was no way in hell it can be him!’ Jungkook thought desperately.

-Well, I guess I can’t expect you to do everything so here it goes: s’up?

The message read. Jungkook laughed out loud, giddy with excitement. Yoongi made the first move and Jungkook was eternally grateful. But now the problem was answering. What does he say? Does he try to be funny? Does he try to be cute?

Before he could think of a reply, another message came.

-Ok, let me rephrase that- I had my tongue down your throat and it was nice, let’s get together and have some coffee. Preferably soon.

Jungkook choked on air. Scandalous! He coughed violently and slapped his chest a few times. Well that was very forward of him.

-You okay there?

Another message, Jungkook should really reply to the poor guy before he loses interest in the younger.

-Sorry, took me by surprise a little hah

He sent the message and immediately regretted his word phrasing. He quickly typed up a new one.

-Anyway, yeah I’d like to go out sometimes. When?

He wheezed a little as he waited for a reply.

-Two hours, meet me at the Starbucks near Silver Spoon, don’t be late

Jungkook jumped away from the desk with shaky legs. Oh god, he was doomed. This had escalated beyond his expectations. What even was this Yoongi guy?

-See you there

He replied hastily and moved to his closet. His organized wardrobe quickly became a wartime mess as he searched for what to wear. He feared for the worse, that he would have to call Taehyung for advice.

And as always, like the boy could read his mind, Jungkook’s phone rang annoyingly loud in the silent room.

“What?!” He hissed as he answered the phone.

“He accepted your request, I saw it.” Taehyung said creepily.

“Wow, yeah, and?” Jungkook tried to play it off, even if he knew he wouldn’t succeed.

“Talk to him! Unless you’re too chicken to do it.” Tae teased with a high pitched voice.

“Joke’s on you, I have a date in two hours!” Jungkook blurted out before he could stop himself. He facepalmed angrily and the smack resonated throughout the bedroom.

“You what?!” Taehyung screeched like a cat being dragged by its tail. “You actually initiated a conversation with him?” The boy sounded amazed.

Jungkook coughed awkwardly, “Not exactly, he started the conversation since I added him on facebook and actively sought him out.”

“You’re welcome!” He said in a sing-song voice. It sounded terribly smug to Jungkook’s ears. “Knowing you, and I do know you very well, you don’t know what to wear. I’d suggest wearing nothing but you wouldn’t like that suggestion and I suppose you’re going somewhere public. So, plaid shirt but buttoned up till the very last button and some black skinny jeans. Oh! And a beanie, you look adorable in them.” Taehyung rambled on, actually helpfully this time.

Jungkook found himself taking out the clothes as his friend spoke.

“Bring a co-” Tae started to say but Jungkook cut him off.

“And that’s the end of your helpfulness. Thank you for the contribution, I’ll let you know how it went. Bye.” He hung up before Taehyung would cause a permanent blush on his cheeks. He loved his best friend, but sometimes he was a handful. ‘At least he hadn’t suggested that black shirt with the see-through sleeves and back’ Jungkook thought back to the offending piece Tae had given him for his birthday a few days prior.

It was warm outside, still the beginning of September and he was glad he forwent wearing a jacket. The flannel was keeping him pleasantly warm along with the sun that still shone brightly. He closed his eyes to enjoy the warmth on his skin, feeling nice and cozy he made his way down the street to the bus stop.

He checked the time on his phone and concluded that he still had enough time to get there. He sat down onto the bench at the stop and looked around at the people walking up and down the street. Happy couples, people walking with their pets, children on roller blades. He briefly wondered if he still had his rollerblades at home and if they were still functioning.

Several minutes and the bus was still nowhere in sight even though it should have already been at the stop.  He sighed inwardly at the untrustworthy public transportation the town had to offer.

A loud ‘meow’ caught his attention. It was coming somewhere from the left. Jungkook got up from where he was seated and moved towards the sound. He followed the constant stream meows and found himself under a tall tree. He looked up and saw a small black kitten looking down at him with disgruntled green eyes.

“Hey there little guy, are you stuck?” He talked to the kitten and reached up with a hand. The cat cowered slightly back against the tree. “Hey, it’s okay! I'm not gonna hurt you,” forgetting all about his dignity in the face of such cute animal he let out a meow of his own.  He got onto his toes and reached both hands up to let the cat sniff at them. The little black fur-ball let out a content meow and rubbed its head against his fingers. Jungkook seized the opportunity and grabbed the kitten gently to bring it down. The cat struggled at first but settled down against his chest when he petted its back gently.

“There’s a good kitty,” He purred at the feline that purred back at him. Being so invested in saving the poor thing he had failed to notice the bus had arrived. He turned around to place the kitten onto the ground and caught sight of the buses taillights. He threw his head back with a groan, “For Christ’s sake!”

His loud exclamation caused a discontent growl from the cat that squirmed out of his hold hastily. He yelped as it scratched his hand slightly on the way off. Shaking his head, Jungkook took out his phone to check the time. “Still 20 minutes to get there, there go my plans on being early.”

He didn’t necessarily live very far, but he thought it would be nice to get there first. Sighing once again, Jungkook made his way towards the Starbucks on foot. He moved swiftly, avoiding colliding with anybody on the crowded sidewalk.

Just as he moved out of the way to let a woman with a stroller pass he crashed into someone else. If the screech was any indication, it was a woman. And if the sound of falling items said anything, he had knocked over a bag.  He cringed as the woman called out his name.

“Jeonggukkie!”

He turned around slowly and looked at the woman in question. His face fell when he realized it was his English teacher, “Ah, Mrs. Choi! I’m so sorry!” He hurriedly crouched down to gather her groceries that had fallen.

“It’s okay, really but watch out where you’re going next time!” She cheerfully said as she let him put the items back into the flimsy plastic bag.

“Sorry I’m-” in a hurry, was left unsaid as she started to talk about how she’s going back to work after her maternity leave last year.

“Ah yes, but I-” He tried again.

“Oh Jeonggukkie! You’re going off to college, but you’re so young!” She placed a hand on his head and ruffled his already messy hair.

“Well, I started school when I was 6 instead of 7 years old so yeah…” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, trying to come up with a way out of this.

“Oh, I can’t wait till my little baby grows up! I hope he’ll be as smart as you are, Jeonggukkie!” She pinched his cheek in an annoying way. Like there was a way of pinching one’s cheek that wasn’t annoying, to be honest.

“Ah yes, how’s the baby?” Jungkook asked as a diversion and removed her hand from his cheek. He hoped it wasn’t a mistake to ask.

“Oh my! I knew I was forgetting something!” She laughed and ran back inside the store. Jungkook was left outside waiting with a bag of groceries that weren’t his and time running out. He shifted on his feet nervously. (Not) Soon enough, Mrs. Choi exited the building with a carrier that held a baby. Jungkook gaped at her.

“Did you just-” He wanted to ask.

“Silly me!” She laughed, somewhat hysterically, “Well I must be going now!” She turned on her heels and marched over to a car.

Jungkook watched as she almost left the carrier and the baby on the roof before she started the car and drove away. Jungkook stared at her retreating car with an outstretched hand. “But, your groceries…” His voice trailed off.

He had ten minutes to get to the damn café as he marched on with his English teacher’s groceries still in hand. In hindsight he could have left them at the store, but he saw that he was going to be late and lost all sense of reason as he ran. Well, he didn’t run but he walked really fast.

He was still walking fast when someone extended a leg and tripped him and he dived into a pile of dead leaves head first. He quickly got up and shook off the leaves best that he could.

He turned around (ready to punch someone’s lights out) and saw two crescent shaped eyes and a menacing smile stare up at him.

“Jungkookie!”  The orange haired boy screamed at him.

“Oh god, not you too!” Jungkook shouted back at the shorter boy.

“Yah! Respect your hyung you brat!” The older shoved him back slightly.

“I said it once, and I’ll say it again: respect is earned, Jiminie.” He said with a slight mocking tone, especially while saying the nickname.

Jimin huffed out an annoyed sigh, “Where are you rushing to anyway?”

“You ask me that after you tripped me?!” Jungkook puffed out his chest angrily.

The other boy laughed innocently, “Hey can you blame me? You looked so trippable.”

“That’s not a word.”

“Whatever smarty pants, you gonna answer or nah?” Jimin pointed an accusing finger at him. He proceeded to use said finger to stick it into Jungkook’s chest.

“Nah,” Jungkook ignored the indignant squeak Jimin let out as he was shoved away.

“Wait!” Jimin made a grab for him. “Oh come on, it was just a prank.” The carrot top stepped in front of the black haired boy. “I'm sorry,” Jimin tried using his best puppy eyes.

Thankfully, Jungkook was a cat person. “Jeesh, just get out of the way I have places to be. Actually, be useful and take these.” He made a move to shove the groceries into Jimin’s hands.  Instead of accepting the bag, the other jus eyed it.

“Baby formula?” He squinted up at Jungkook. “Got something to tell me? Do I need to call Taehyung, or better: Seokjin?” Jimin questioned and continued to scan the bag, he snorted as he pulled out some skincare products for women. “Really?”

“Yes, really,” Jungkook (having lost his patience) took the products from Jimin and shoved them back into the bag. “I have a baby at home that needs attention and I care for my skin, now leave me alone.”  He gripped the bag and looked at the time on his phone. He was already 15 minutes late. The café was only two streets ahead, if he could only shake Jimin he’d be there in no time.

“Wow, can’t believe you never told me. And here I thought you were all innocent!” Jimin laughed obnoxiously.

“Jimin, I need to go.” He stressed with exaggerated hand movements. No, he did not flip him off, Jungkook was better than that.

“But where!?”  Jimin whined and bounced up and down in place like a petulant child.

“A date, I have a date. Happy now?!” Jungkook yelled, turning a few passing heads. He heard a faint good for you from one of the pedestrians.

“I’d have an easier time believing you had a baby.” Jimin snorted.

“That doesn’t make sense.” Jungkook groaned, exasperated.

“Your face doesn’t make sense!” Jimin stuck his tongue out at him, “And how can you go to your date looking like that?” The orange haired menace motioned to Jungkook.

He quirked an eyebrow and looked to the nearest shop window to check his reflection. He gasped at the state he was in. His hair was all over the place, full of pieces of leaves. His pants were dirty; there was black fur on his shirt and a bit of blood on his hand.

“I hate you,” He silently told the other boy. He breathed in through his nose to calm down. Silently he counted back from ten to gather himself before he turned to Jimin. “Goodbye, see you later.” He then made a break for it, running at full speed. He was followed by incoherent shouts from Jimin but he couldn’t care less.

He made it to the Starbucks in record time. He made an abrupt halt as he almost crashed into the person exiting the coffee shop.

“Sorry” He muttered and looked at the ground. The stranger grunted back. Jungkook’s head snapped up as he caught a flash of bright mint green. He grabbed the stranger by the wrist. The stranger looked back at him like he had offended his mother.

“Yoongi,” Jungkook let out a blinding smile.

Recognition crossed Yoongi’s face, followed by fondness and then annoyance. He broke free of Jungkook’s hold and crossed his arms over his chest. “Jeongguk I presume, you’re late.” He grumped.

“That’s me, but friends call me Jungkook so they can shorten it to Kookie.” He let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding and smiled sheepishly.

“Okay, but you’re still late. 30 minutes late.” Yoongi raised a, frankly intimidating, eyebrow. 

“I can explain!” Jungkook rushed out.

“Well then, please do.” Yoongi motioned with his hand towards the shop.

Jungkook hesitated, “I doubt they’ll let me in looking like this.” He coughed awkwardly and ran a hand through his hair.

“I thought that was a fashion statement.” Yoongi actually smiled at him.

Jungkook let out a short laugh and nodded his head towards the park he had passed down the street. “There’s a pond and its nice enough outside, shall we?” Yoongi nodded and they were off.

“So there was a cat, your English teacher with a baby and Park Jimin?” Yoongi’s mouth curved into a cute smile. It had taken way longer to explain his situation to the older than he had initially expected. The sun had already begun setting and it was getting chilly.

“Yes,” Jungkook breathed out. “Jimin tripped me and the cat scratched me, that’s why I’m a mess. And Mrs. Choi left these with me accidentally.” He held up the bag.

“That does sound like Jimin, but why didn’t you leave the groceries at the store?” Yoongi questioned.

“I was in a hurry!” Jungkook threw his hands up.

“Well, as long as you made it on time.” The green haired boy said with a sarcastic tone.

Jungkook blushed and looked away, “Sorry, again, not exactly my fault.”

“Well if you hadn’t helped the cat…” Yoongi trailed off.

“How can you not help a poor kitty that’s stuck in a tree?” He pouted.

“I'm more of a dog person,” The older shrugged casually.

Jungkook grabbed his wrist, “I’m sorry but this isn’t going to work.” He said with a false seriousness.

Yoongi grinned, showing his gums, and wiggled his hand until it slid to fit nicely into Jungkook’s. “Oh really, I think we could make it work.” He traced a thumb over the younger’s knuckles. “Compromise, get a hamster or something.”

Jungkook stared at their hands, transfixed. “I love hamsters,” he said dumbly and looked up to blind Yoongi with his best grin.

“Good, I like them as well.” Yoongi stared at him for a second before leaning in and pecking his cheek. “It’s getting late.” He stood up and in front of a still sitting Jungkook.

Jungkook hurriedly stood up, “Do I walk you home?”

Yoongi laughed and shook his head, “I don’t think you could handle the walk across town. You could, however, walk me to the bus stop.” He tugged at the younger’s hand.

They walked silently holding hands, and stood in the same comfortable silence waiting for the bus. Jungkook kept a watchful eye for his own bus that stopped across the street.

He felt Yoongi shuffle closer. He looked down at the shorter male and smiled fondly. Yoongi smiled back and used his free hand to pull him down into a kiss.

The older pulled away first. “I’ll text you.” Yoongi smiled.

“Really, text me?” Jungkook raised an eyebrow.

“By text I mean, I’ll message you on Facebook. Let’s be real, nobody texts anymore.” He laughed as Jungkook agreed eagerly. With one last brief kiss, Yoongi boarded the bus and the younger waved him off.

Jungkook smiled as he watched the bus leave. He fought to urge to skip across the street to his own stop. He made it just in time for the bus to arrive and he was on his way home. Happy with the way the day turned out, despite the mishaps and his anxious behavior. He grinned as he heard his phone messenger give a ping to let him know he had a message. ‘This was a start of something beautiful’, He thought and opened the message.