Chapter Text
Rain hit the balcony windows in soft, uneven taps while Park Jimin stood in the kitchen wearing one of Kim Taehyung’s sweaters and absolutely nothing else of Tae’s.
“Why are you dressed like a divorced father?” Tae asked from the couch.
Jimin looked down at himself.
Gray oversized knit sweater.
Black boxers.
Wine glass.
“…You lack artistic vision.”
“You look like you pay taxes angrily.”
Jimin flipped him off lazily before taking another sip of wine.
Their apartment in London was warm, dimly lit, and smelled vaguely like the pasta Tae had almost burned an hour ago. Outside, the city was soaked in cold November rain, blurry headlights glowing through the windows.
Jimin liked nights like this.
No work.
No club openings.
No photographers calling him.
Just silence and Tae complaining dramatically every ten minutes.
Then came the sound of struggling.
Loud struggling.
From the hallway outside their apartment.
A thud.
A muffled curse.
Another thud.
Tae muted the TV slowly.
The two of them stared at the front door.
“…Murder?” Tae suggested.
Jimin grinned immediately. “Hopefully.”
He padded toward the door barefoot, Tae following behind him purely for entertainment value. The moment Jimin opened it, cold hallway air rushed in—
—and there he was.
A guy stood outside apartment 4B surrounded by cardboard boxes and grocery bags, dark hair damp from the rain, black hoodie sticking slightly to broad shoulders.
Pretty.
Like offensively pretty.
He looked up at the sound of the door opening, eyes widening slightly.
At the same moment, one of the grocery bags ripped open entirely.
Oranges exploded across the hallway.
Silence.
Then Tae burst into laughter so violently he doubled over against the wall.
The stranger closed his eyes briefly like he was reconsidering every life decision that had brought him to this exact moment.
Jimin bit back a smile.
Barely.
“You okay there, neighbor?”
The guy looked up again, and Jimin noticed two things immediately:
One, he had huge eyes.
Two, he looked incredibly easy to fluster.
Dangerous combination.
“I’m fine,” the guy said quickly.
An orange rolled directly into Jimin’s foot.
Jimin bent to pick it up, then held it out. “You’re clearly thriving.”
The guy stared at him for half a second too long before taking the orange carefully.
“Thanks.”
Up close, he was even prettier.
Sharp jawline.
Lip ring.
Sleeves pushed up enough to show tattoos.
Oh.
Jimin suddenly understood why the universe had personally delivered this man into the hallway like a gift.
Before he could say anything else, another voice appeared from inside the apartment.
“Jungkook? Did you find the coffee?”
A woman stepped into the hallway.
Pretty too.
Soft-looking.
Comfortable around him in that long-term relationship kind of way.
Girlfriend.
Interesting.
Jungkook glanced back immediately. “Yeah, the bag broke.”
She noticed Jimin and Tae, then smiled politely.
“Oh! Hi. Sorry, we’re moving in today.”
Tae recovered from his laughing fit first, immediately switching into charming-social mode.
“New neighbors?” he asked. “We’re across the hall.”
Jimin leaned against the doorframe lazily, still watching Jungkook.
Jungkook avoided eye contact almost instantly.
Cute.
“I’m Tae,” Tae continued. “And this is Jimin.”
The girl smiled. “I’m Seoah.”
Jungkook nodded once. “Jungkook.”
Jimin repeated the name silently in his head.
Jungkook.
Fit him annoyingly well.
Tae was already helping Seoah pick up oranges because Tae had never met a social interaction he couldn’t aggressively involve himself in.
Jimin, meanwhile, stayed exactly where he was.
Watching.
Jungkook crouched to grab another fallen orange, sleeves pulling up farther over tattooed forearms.
Jimin spoke before thinking.
“Need help?”
Jungkook looked up cautiously.
“No, it’s okay.”
“Hm.” Jimin tilted his head. “You always this stubborn or just trying to impress your girlfriend?”
Seoah laughed instantly.
Jungkook did not.
Instead, the tips of his ears turned pink.
Oh, this was going to be fun.
Tae noticed too. Jimin could tell from the way his mouth twitched.
“Ignore him,” Tae said easily. “He flirts with literally everyone.”
Jimin grinned.
Jungkook visibly relaxed.
And for some reason—
that annoyed Jimin a little.
Weird.
Seoah smiled warmly. “You two should come over sometime after we unpack properly.”
“We absolutely will,” Tae answered before anyone else could speak.
Jimin finally crouched beside Jungkook to help gather the last few oranges.
Close enough now that he could smell rainwater and laundry detergent.
Jungkook went strangely still beside him.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Jimin held up the final orange between them.
“You dropped this too.”
Their fingers brushed briefly during the handoff.
Jungkook pulled away immediately.
Definitely interesting.
The apartment door behind them opened suddenly.
Min Yoongi stepped into the hallway holding takeout bags.
He took one look at:
* the boxes
* the oranges
* Jimin crouched suspiciously close to a pretty stranger
—and sighed deeply.
“No,” Yoongi said immediately.
Jimin blinked innocently. “No what?”
“You have that look.”
“What look?”
“The one that ruins people’s lives.”
Seoah snorted into laughter.
Jungkook looked horrified.
And Jimin—
Jimin smiled slowly.
Yeah.
This neighbor thing might actually be entertaining.
The official unpacking invitation happened three days later.
Which, according to Taehyung, meant:
“Free alcohol and access to hot neighbors.”
“It means being normal for one evening,” Yoongi corrected while taking off his shoes near the apartment door.
Tae scoffed. “Why would we start now?”
Jimin ignored both of them from where he stood in front of the hallway mirror fixing his rings.
“You’re doing too much,” Yoongi said immediately.
“I always do too much.”
“That’s literally the issue.”
Jimin grinned at his reflection.
Black long-sleeve.
Silver jewelry.
Soft blond hair pushed back carelessly.
Effortless in the extremely calculated way only Jimin could achieve.
Tae wandered over beside him and narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“You’re dressing like that for a neighbor gathering?”
Jimin looked offended. “This is casual.”
“You look like temptation in human form.”
“Thank you.”
“That was not a compliment.”
Jimin only laughed.
Because maybe—maybe—he was a little curious to see how Jungkook would react tonight.
Not in a serious way.
Never serious.
Just curiosity.
Mostly.
Apartment 4B smelled like candles and fresh takeout when they arrived.
The place was still half-unpacked, boxes stacked near walls, fairy lights hanging messily across the kitchen because apparently Seoah decorated at lightning speed.
“Sorry it’s chaotic,” Yoon Seoah said warmly while opening the door wider.
Behind her, Jungkook appeared carrying drinks from the kitchen.
And then paused.
Very briefly.
At the sight of Jimin.
Tiny reaction.
Easy to miss.
But Jimin noticed everything.
Interesting.
Tae absolutely noticed too because he elbowed Jimin hard enough to nearly dislocate a rib.
Jimin kicked him back immediately.
“Hi,” Seoah continued, oblivious. “Come in.”
The apartment filled quickly after that.
Because Tae and Jimin invited more people who lived in that same building, after checking it with Seoah and Jungkook.
Namjoon arrived with wine.
Hoseok brought desserts nobody asked for.
Seokjin immediately started criticizing Jungkook’s kitchen organization like he personally paid rent there.
Yoongi just brought himself, which was enough.
Within twenty minutes, the place felt loud and lived-in.
Jimin settled comfortably on the couch, one arm thrown over the back cushions while Seoah sat on the floor beside the coffee table talking to Hoseok.
Jungkook stayed mostly near the kitchen.
Avoiding him.
Which honestly only made this more entertaining.
Jimin accepted the beer Jungkook handed him without breaking eye contact.
“Thanks, neighbor.”
Jungkook nodded once. “Sure.”
Then immediately tried to walk away.
Jimin caught his wrist lightly.
Not enough to trap.
Just enough to stop.
Jungkook froze.
“Where are you going?” Jimin asked casually.
“The kitchen?”
“You live there or something?”
A few people laughed.
Jungkook gently pulled his wrist back. “Someone has to keep refilling drinks.”
“Oh,” Jimin said thoughtfully. “So you’re a provider.”
Jungkook stared at him.
Yoongi covered his face with one hand.
Seoah burst out laughing again.
“That’s exactly what I said when we started dating,” she told Jimin.
Jungkook looked like he wanted the earth to swallow him whole.
And there it was again—
That warmth in Jimin’s chest whenever Jungkook got flustered.
Cute.
Too cute.
Jungkook escaped back into the kitchen before Jimin could continue tormenting him.
Tae slid onto the couch beside Jimin immediately.
“You’re insane,” Tae whispered delightedly.
“He blushes so easily.”
“He’s fighting for his life.”
Jimin took a sip of beer lazily. “I’m being friendly.”
“You called him a provider in front of his girlfriend.”
“And?”
“And you sounded like you wanted him pregnant.”
Jimin choked on his drink.
Across the room, Jungkook glanced over at the noise automatically.
Their eyes met.
Jimin smiled.
Jungkook looked away first.
Again.
Oh, this was becoming addictive fast.
Later that night, the rain started again.
Most people drifted toward the balcony with drinks while music played quietly from a speaker somewhere in the apartment.
Jimin found himself alone briefly in the kitchen searching for more beer.
Then another body entered behind him.
Jungkook.
Of course.
Jimin leaned against the counter. “You keep running away from me.”
Jungkook opened the fridge without looking at him. “I’m not.”
“You are.”
“No, I’m helping.”
“With what?”
“The party?”
Jimin laughed softly.
Jungkook finally looked at him then, visibly wary already.
God.
It was genuinely unfair how easy he was to read.
Jimin stepped closer without thinking much about it.
Not enough to corner.
Just enough.
Jungkook immediately tensed.
“There,” Jimin said quietly. “That.”
“What?”
“That nervous thing you do around me.”
Jungkook frowned instantly. “I’m not nervous.”
“Mm.”
“You flirt with everyone.”
The sentence came out quick.
Automatic.
And something about it caught Jimin off guard.
Not because of the words.
Because of the tone.
Defensive.
Jimin tilted his head slowly.
“So you noticed?”
Jungkook looked like he regretted speaking immediately.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Before he could answer, Seoah walked into the kitchen.
“There you are,” she said to Jungkook naturally, slipping beside him easily. “Hobi wants help opening wine.”
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Not awkward exactly.
Just—
Reality returning.
Girlfriend.
Relationship.
Lines.
Jimin stepped back smoothly.
“Your boyfriend’s been abandoning guests all night,” he told Seoah.
She rolled her eyes fondly. “That’s just his personality.”
Jungkook grabbed the wine opener quickly. “I’ll help.”
And then he left almost suspiciously fast.
Seoah lingered behind for a second, smiling apologetically.
“He’s shy around new people.”
Jimin watched the doorway Jungkook disappeared through.
“No,” he said softly.
Jungkook wasn’t shy.
Shy people didn’t look at Jimin like they were trying not to touch fire.
And suddenly—
suddenly Jimin wanted to see exactly how close he could get before Jungkook burned.