Work Text:
Jungkook walked up a hill (not very steep, but still, a hill), carrying a brown teddy bear on his hip that was about half his size.
When he made it to the top of the hill, he paused to take a breath. He shifted the bear to piggy back position and continued on, his panting calm by the time he rounded the corner and into a narrow alleyway.
Jimin sat in front of his unmade bed with his guitar in his arms, strumming badly and singing sloppily without a care in the world. It was finally a day to himself, a day off, a self-care day.
He belted out an off-key note (just because he could) but was cut off by a heavy vibration. His phone beside him lit up with a text notification and a smile spread when he’d discovered who it was. And maybe a little bit of a squeal, but no one will ever get him to admit that.
Kookie: Are you home?
Me: Yep, why?
Kookie: Come out then, I’m in front of your house
The last incoming message made Jimin’s insides heat up. He pushed up his thick frame glasses and read the message again. He basically dropped his guitar when he crawled to look out his window.
Jimin kept his head low but raised his head enough to look down into the dingy alleyway. There Jungkook was, hugging a bear to his chest as he scrolled through his phone. God, he looked so cute.
Jimin fully stood. His face morphed into an expression of panic and he pulled at his hair while pacing. He was so not ready to face the outside world. He’d planned on being a hermit today. Ignore the sun, bang at his neighbor’s walls for being too loud, all those irritating things old people do. He’d plan on being an old person today. It had to be the worst time to surprise him.
He ran to his closet and threw the door open to find three hangers and an empty hamper. His eyes widened in abosolute horror as he turned his head to his clothes, spread and hanging and dripping wet. Jungkook had to have seen this coming. The words from a familiar song came to mind, “Is this your love game?” He came at the worst possible time.
Jungkook and Jimin had been on three official dates in total in the span of about a month and a half, but it was exclusive, and oh man, he sounded way more of a teenage girl than when Taehyung had said that to him. It was still at the point in their relationship where Jimin still had to ‘dress to impress’ as Tae had put it.
He and Jungkook had very different schedules. There wasn’t enough time in between jobs and classes and homework to see each other often, resulting in the standstill in their relationship in such a long period of time, leading to a feeling of pull and pull between the two.
He’d found that when he was free for the second half of a day, Jungkook was on his way to his second class. Or when Jungkook had off from his shift in the morning, Jimin picked up a morning shift when he found himself free from homework that morning because he’d finished it the night before. Or the one time they’d agree to meet after a full week of tests for a movie or food but both ended up falling asleep, only to wake up hours later and text apologize to each other. (Jimin saved the message of Jungkook saying that if they were both gonna sleep anyway then they should’ve napped together at least.)
Still, they find time to text each other in between shifts and classes and text books. Except, apparently, today Jungkook had decided to surprise him. There weren’t any texts from him until literally one minute ago, leading to the current crisis Jimin was in, wallowing as he desperately clung onto the bars of the rack where his wet clothes were hanging. He matched an outfit in haste and ran to his bathroom.
Jungkook was crouching with the teddy bear still in his arms, his chin resting on top of its head. Jimin didn’t respond to his last text but he’d just assumed that he was getting ready. Minutes have passed since, so it’s okay to text him again, right?
Jimin was drying his clothes with his hair dryer when he received another message.
Kookie: Are you ready yet??
Jimin felt his panic reach his fingertips.
Me: I’ll be out quickly…!!!!!!!!!
Jimin changed into his clothes, still slightly damp but not wet enough to uncomfortably stick to his skin or get him sick. Good enough for him to go out in it (and walking and being in the sun is gonna dry him up anyway).
Jungkook stood straight when he received the message. Of course Jimin would need time to get ready. He did surprise him and all. He shifted the teddy to look at him. “Yeah. Be patient.” He told the bear and knocked its nose, knowing it couldn’t respond.
Jimin was on his way out the door, like literally one foot out the door when he caught sight of himself in his mirror.
Yes, a mirror by the doorway for last-minute checks before he leaves his house.
And yet he doesn’t know whether it’s a gift or a curse when he sees his reflection. His face was swollen and his hair stuck up at all angles and directions. Remnants of his nap from earlier, right after he’d finished eating. What a rookie mistake, he tells himself.
Jimin slammed the door shut and ran back to his desk. He has an instant cream just for moments like these. He picked up a round container and thought he must be running out. It felt lighter than usual.
His hands started shaking as he let out a high pitch whine as the realization hit him. He tore off the lid only to find an empty container and checked his other products. He picked up the next closest thing to find that that, too, was empty. He went through every product on his desk to find it was all gone.
His panic settled a bit when he came across a sample packet of lotion he received from the guy trying to get you to make eye contact with him at the mall so he can sell you stuff.
Jungkook was stood above the bear, the bear was sat up against the wall on the ground. They stood facing each other like a standoff between a cowboy and an outlaw.
He swears he can hear the English-Western accent come from the bear saying, “We’re not so different, you and I.” Jungkook leveled himself to the bear’s size as much as he can (he’s pretty much a walking beanstalk) and death glares the bear. Insulted by what the voice his own brain projected onto the bear said to him, he knocked the bear’s nose again, harder this time and responded aloud, “Quiet, you.” and redirected his attention back to Jimin’s window.
He shouldn’t rush Jimin. He was the one who showed up at his doorstep/alleyway and asked him to come out. Jimin could’ve been doing something important. He types a quick message to Jimin and looks up to his window. There doesn’t seems to be much movement going on behind it.
Would face lotion really even do anything? Especially one he got from some sleezy guy with too much grease in his hair in some dingy mall, a sample, nonetheless too? An incoming message interrupted his interrogation of the tiny packet in his hand.
Kookie: Is now a bad time? Should I leave?
Jimin fumed at the question posed. Yes, now is absolutely a bad time. No, you are not leaving. What are you playing at?
Me: Don’t leave, I’ll be right out! (With two heart emojis for good measure)
Jimin opened up the packet and applied it all over his face, giving himself a few slaps as well to get the blood flowing.
He grabbed his necessities and headed for the door. Right when he laid his hand on the doorknob, he felt a deep rumble in his stomach, not so much painful as it was just gurgling. The tremor moved up his chest and lodged itself at his windpipe. Jimin opened up his throat and let out a deep, powerful burp (a total 8.5, at least) that made him backtrack.
Images of himself scarfing down some stinky takeout dish before his nap like he hadn’t eaten in days flashed in his head as he tasted what he ate on his tongue once more.
He initiated the standard breath test (the one where you breathe into your hand and then smell it like that) and then made a face at nothing in particular. To really test the intensity of the smell, he rubbed his finger against his front teeth and brought it up to his nose, face morphed into disgust as he threw his stuff down and ran to his bathroom to brush his teeth.
Jungkook had the bear in his arms again. It was a cute little guy. He looked up at Jimin’s window again, still little activity from what he can see, which is almost nothing aside the little shapes that lined the ledge behind the milky frosted windows.
He looked down at the bear a little disappointedly. He set the bear down again.
Jimin was checking his teeth for anything stuck in between when his phone lit up again.
Kookie: It’s been a while
He pursed his lips a bit as he grabbed his stuff. There was no need to respond since he’s was already out the door and downstairs but when he stepped out of his building, there was no Jungkook. Just a teddy bear that seemed to be a little more than half his size sat against the fence. He crouched down to sit face to face with it and pulled out his phone to ask where Jungkook went when he received another message.
Kookie: You seem busy these days
Kookie: …..
Jimin stood up in his spot and looked past the short fences and the tall buildings behind them. He took a breath in and sighed deeply. The sun casted shadows onto his building and he heard birds chirping away.
He picked up the bear at the armpits and held it at arm’s length. Jimin pouted at the bear. The bear’s head lulled to the side. Jimin mirrored it and let his head drop slightly to the side.
Park Jimin was now convinced there was more to Jeon Jungkook that meets the eye. There is no way that Doe Eyes would be cute enough to leave this gift behind with a cryptic text all like, ‘Oh, you seem busy these days.’ Get out of my face, Jeon Jungkook.
Jimin found himself scowling at the bear against his body. In his little rant, he’d made his way into the hallway of his building again. Without thinking, he turned around and whirled the bear out the door and back into the alleyway, but as soon as the bear was out of his grip he regretted ever letting it out of his arms. He ran back outside and picked the bear up, dusting all the dirt off the bear.
Jimin stomped back inside and back into his room.