pro-rider⁷

Jungkook realized that two americanos on an empty stomach had been a catastrophic decision after he ordered the third. He also realized that arriving thirty minutes early had somehow made everything infinitely worse for his peace of mind.

He’d convinced himself it was practical at first. He convinced himself everything needed to be perfect before you arrived. Maybe there could be traffic on the way— even though he wasn’t driving and the café was ten minutes walking from his dorm— he still couldn’t be late to the hangout. Or maybe he wouldn’t be able to find a seat— even though the place was empty most of the time at that hour… There could be a lot of issues that could show up out of nowhere so he needed to be the first to arrive to solve them… He also needed some time to look normal and not rushing in sweat like a psychopath.

All perfectly reasonable excuses until he found himself sitting alone by the window, staring at the café door while every muscle in his body slowly tightened with each passing minute.

Jungkook was going insane.

10:42 a.m

It had been only 10 minutes and you weren’t supposed to be there until eleven. Eighteen more minutes to go.

“…Fuck.” The word slipped out under his breath as he dragged both hands down his face.

This was a mistake. A massive, irreversible, life-ending mistake.

Jungkook thought how he should’ve stayed behind a screen forever. Texting was easy for him when it was with you. It let him delete things before sending them. Texting let him think before speaking to you. Texting didn’t involve making eye contact with the prettiest girl he’d ever met while pretending he hadn’t spent the better part of two years quietly orbiting your existence like a haunted fucking satellite.

His leg bounced uncontrollably beneath the table. Maybe he could leave.

Actually… Yeah. That felt right.

Jungkook stood and walked all the way to the café door, hand already pushing against the handle before he stopped.

What the fuck was he gonna text?

No. He couldn’t just pretend he couldn’t make it. Would that hurt your feeling? He didn’t want to hurt your feelings. He was the one who had the idea to hangout. He needed to be brave.

Jungkook sighed heavily, turned around, and walked back inside. The barista looked up at him with mild concern as he reclaimed the exact same chair he’d abandoned less than twenty seconds ago. But the girl didn’t say anything… especially since it was the third time he had done the same.

Five minutes later he’d convinced himself leaving actually made much more sense this time.

He got up again and finally made it outside. Jungkook walked half the block before stopping. “Jesus fucking Christ.” He rubbed his face so aggressively it almost hurt before spinning on his heel and marching straight back.

This time the same barista caught him before he’d even sat down. “Dude, are you sure you want this americano?”

“Yes,” Jungkook said frustrated. “And please add another shot.”

By 10:55 his hands were shaking just enough to piss him off. He stared at them while asking for another americano. He was definitely going to die before you even had the chance to say hi.

Which, honestly, it was probably better for him.

His phone buzzed and Jungkook grabbed it so quickly he almost dropped it.

the loml: two minutes away

Jungkook’s heartbeat stopped as another message appeared almost instantly.

the loml: what r u wearing

the loml: wait

the loml: that was lowkey nasty

the loml: what r u wearing babygirl?🤤

Despite his nerves, a laugh escaped him.

Jungkook: idiot (message not sent)

Jungkook: black hoodie (message not sent)

Jungkook: hoodie (message not sent)

Jungkook: IM LITERALLT WEARING THE WORST OUTFIT EVER OMG (message not sent)

Jungkook: the hottest outfit ever (message not sent)

His thumbs hovered uselessly over the keyboard while his brain started screaming loud enough to drown out the music playing through the café speakers— Shit. He couldn’t even properly send a text now. How was he supposed to talk to you face to face?

No, no, no. He couldn’t.

It was ridiculous. He’d survived perfectly fine without doing this… He could still leave. Right now. He could show up with some lie. He got an emergency, maybe food poisoning or he was suddenly arrested. Yeah, he could just invent a lie, he couldn’t stay. God, no. Jungkook was sure he wouldn’t be able to talk to you. He would just be so embarrassing you would never want to talk to him again.

Yeah, fuck no.

His chair scraped quietly against the floor as he stood, slipping his phone into his pocket before he could overthink it anymore. That was it, he was leaving. He’d apologize later. You’d probably be too busy being obsessed over his best friend to even care.

He took exactly one step before the bell above the café door chimed. Instinctively, his head turned.

You stepped inside.

Holy fucking shit.

You weren’t looking around yet. Your eyes stayed glued to your phone as you typed something, a strand of hair falling across your face before you tucked it absentmindedly behind your ear. His phone buzzed in his pocket but he didn’t pay any mind.

You looked… God. You looked exactly like you always did.

He’d spent two years noticing you between breaks, across hallways, sitting outside buildings with headphones on, laughing with those three idiots you called friends. He knew the shape of your smile from impossible distances because he still remembered it from close. Knew the way you’d throw your head back when you laughed too hard. Knew you gestured with both hands when you talked, like every sentence required visual aids.

But standing ten feet away after such a long time, you suddenly felt… real.

Not campus real. Not “girl I secretly look at during lunch breaks” real. Not ‘girl crush I’ve been dreaming about’. Real enough to walk over, real enough to say his name and real enough to realize he was just some random guy you probably wouldn’t even like.

Jungkook pulse lurched. He looked away so fast it almost gave him whiplash.

Nop. Absolutely fucking not.

If he didn’t look at you and if you didn’t see him maybe he could still pretend—

“Black americano for Jungkook.”

Ah, fuck.

He tried to ignore it, looking to the other side of the place. The barista’s voice cut cleanly through the café. “Jungkook?”

Couldn’t she take a fucking hint?.

He slowly lifted his head. The barista was looking directly at him, cup already in hand, moving it like she was waiting for him to hurry up as if she had any other clients waiting in line when the place was empty. Jungkook thought about all the bad reviews he was going to leave her as he walk closer to the counter.

“…Thanks.”

He reached for it automatically, almost cringing at the motion. Movement flickered in the corner of his vision. You had looked up and, finally, your eyes met his.

Jungkook was going to pass out.

He saw you frown. Your gaze dropped briefly to the coffee cup in his hand, then back to his face and then back to your phone. You did that three times, maybe too confused he was actually the guy you had been talking too. Jungkook couldn’t tell. Were you imagining someone better looking than him?

Yeah, he was definitely ending his shit tonight.

Jungkook felt every single organ inside his body shut down in perfect synchronization when you started walking closer to him.

“Oh my God.” You stopped right in front of him, a little too close, blinking twice before a huge grin spread across your face. “No way.” Jungkook forgot how breathing worked. “Jungkook?”

He nodded once. “Yeah.”

Your smile somehow got even wider. “What the fuck?” You laughed, looking him up and down with complete shamelessness. “Oh my God.”

He managed the world’s weakest laugh. “Hi.”

“I did not picture you like this.”

“No?”

“No!” You pointed at him as if that explained everything. “I had this whole image.”

“I’m scared.”

“It was completely different.”

He chuckled shyly. “Care to share?”

“I thought you were gonna be…” You tilted your head thoughtfully. “I don’t know… glasses and shit.”

“Glasses and shit?”

“Yeah, you know— disney nerd cast.”

“I— what the hell does that even mean?” He frowned confused, amused by your brain and how actually much of an extrovert you were. Really similar to the way you text, really blunt. “And I do wear glasses, just to read and play video games.”

“Well, I kinda was right then.” You gestured vaguely toward him. “But I don’t know I was lowkey picturing you like Robbie from Victorious

Jungkook looked genuinely offended. “Should I— is that an insult or…?”

“Not really. He was cute to me.” You shrugged before nodding approvingly, looking at him again closely this time.

Jungkook was sure his heart was about to jump out of his chest any minute. His face started getting hot. Oh god, he was blushing. “What?”

“You actually look…” You squinted dramatically. “Like a stereotypical bad boy from a cheap magazine”

Jungkook blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Well, the tattoos and the piercings. The whole…” You motioned vaguely toward his black hoodie and rings, “…whatever aesthetic you’ve got going on. I bet you only wear black.”

“Of course not! I… I own other colors.” He stuttered.

“That wasn’t convincing.”

“I literally do.”

“Mhm.” You smiled. “You’re like a bad-boy from Pinterest.”

For the first time all morning, Jungkook laughed out loud. He couldn’t help it, you were so openly cute and funny, it just made the whole thing easier for him. He wasn’t dying of anxiety anymore and he now could be just himself. He was now only nervous to prove to you he was definitely as cool as you were.

“Let’s sit.”

You laughed to yourself before walking next to him to the table, finally dropping into the chair across from Jungkook, setting your bag on the floor and pushing a few loose strands of hair behind your ear. “This is so weird.”

“It is.”

“I’ve been talking to you every day for like… what? Weeks?”

“A little over.”

“And I’ve just been making up your face this whole time,” You sighed. “Now look at us. Internet friends to real friends.”

“Only few people can make that happen,” he said sarcastically.

“Well, I’m definitely glad you’re not an eighty year old man. That was my worst befriended experience ever.”

“That sounds like— Wait, what do you mea—”

“Ugh, I want a coffee too.” You pointed at him triumphantly before reaching across the table to steal the untouched americano sitting in front of him. “Can I have this? It seems you had a lot of… those.” You looked around the table, noticing his other three americanos. “Were you hanging out with your friends before?”

“Those are mine.”

“Why were you drinking so much coffe? You’re gonna have a heart attack.”

Jungkook blinked, moving uncomfortably in his seat. “Uhm… Well, I got here early,” He said, a bit shy.

“How early?”

“Early.”

“Jungkook.”

“…Thirty minutes.”

Why was he saying this to you? Jungkook couldn’t shut up. His mouth was just being too honest with you. He needed to stop.

You stared incredulous at him. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not.”

“No fucking way.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly finding the tabletop incredibly interesting. “I wanted to make sure I got a seat.”

“You got here thirty minutes early for a coffee shop?”

“Yeah.”

“You absolute loser.”

“I know.”

“No, like…” You giggled this this time, shaking your head. “That’s actually adorable.”

Adorable. Jungkook was going to think about that word together with those giggles for the next six to eight years.

Instead of answering, he picked at the cardboard sleeve around one of his empty coffee cup, hoping you wouldn’t notice that his ears had immediately betrayed him.

But, of course you noticed. “Oh my God. You’re blushing?”

“I’m not.”

“You literally are.”

“It’s warm in here.”

“They have AC.”

“They barely have it on!”

You leaned across the table, narrowing your eyes at him with exaggerated suspicion. “You’re actually shy.”

“I’m not shy.”

“You are.”

“You’re just too easygoing!”

You laughed again, smiling like it was a compliment. “You’re cute, Jungkook.”

Okay, he was definitely going to pass out.

“Shut up.”

You leaned back in your chair, still looking at him with obvious curiosity. “So…” you said, tapping your nails on the table. “What about you?”

Jungkook looked at you a little confused. “What?”

“What did you think I’d look like?”

He let out a quiet “oh,” buying himself a second. There were about a hundred honest answers sitting at the tip of his tongue, all of which would get him escorted out of the café if he accidentally said them out loud.

“I thought you’d be taller.”

You looked down at yourself. “Rude!.”

“I’m kidding.”

“Mhm.”

“I actually didn’t think of anything.”

“Liar,” you accused him.

“I’m serious.”

“You had to imagine something.”

He pretended to think about it for another second before smiling. “I imagined you’d look like someone who talks way too much. I was completely right.”

You gasped dramatically. “Excuse you?”

“I was right,” he said again.

“I’ve known you in person for thirty seconds.”

“You’ve been talking for twenty-nine of them.”

“I was being welcoming!.”

“Well, you really are. For sure.”

You laughed, pointing at him. “Okay… I’ll give you that one.”

Jungkook shrugged innocently. “I like that, you’re too friendly.” He tilted his head slightly. “I wasn’t expecting you to smile this much.”

You looked at him a little taken aback. “What?”

“You smile a lot,” he repeated himself. Jungkook remember you used to laugh a lot too, at everything. He liked that, he also was dying to let you know that for a long time, he liked your smile.

“I do?”

“Yeah.”

You frowned in genuine confusion, almost as if you’d never noticed. “I didn’t know… Is that bad?”

“No,” his answer came easily this time, and too fast he had to cleared his throat before composing himself. “I think it’s nice.”

There wasn’t anything loaded behind it, nor did he intend there to be. It came out sounding exactly how he’d meant it, honest enough to be a compliment, casual enough that it didn’t linger in the air to make you uncomfortable.

You smiled again, this time more relaxed. “Well now I’m self-conscious.”

“You smiled while saying that.”

“Fuck.”

“I rest my case.”

You rolled your eyes. “I’ve decided I don’t like you.”

“That was fast.”

“I had big expectations.”

“And I shattered them?”

“You did.”

“Ugh, I’ll never recover from this.” Jungkook said sarcastically. He could tell you liked a good banter.

“I hope you don’t.”

A comfortable silence settled between you two before Jungkook glanced at you again. There was a brief lull in the conversation, not uncomfortable in the slightest, just long enough for you to look at him again with a small crease forming between your brows.

“Can I say something weird?”

“Always.”

“I have this weird feeling we’ve met before.” Jungkook’s heart kicked so violently against his ribs that he almost threw up right there. “I swear you look so familiar.”.

Jungkook tried to keep his expression neutral, lifting one shoulder in a casual shrug despite suddenly becoming hyperaware of every inch of his body. “I was actually thinking the same thing.”

“Were you?”

“Yeah.”

“I feel like…” You squinted at him before talking a pause, eyes narrowing. “Wait—”

Jungkook held his breath as your eyes widened. His pulse immediately doubled. Did you remember? Did you remember the project? Did you actually know him?

You remembered those afternoons in the editing room arguing over the stupid assignment while you painted foam props and laughed at every stupid joke he’d made just because you laughed at everything? Did you remembered sharing cheap vending machine coffee because you’d both been too broke to buy anything else? Did you remembered sitting shoulder to shoulder on the floor of the studio at class trying to finish everything before the deadline because you lost too much time joking around?

You remembered him?

“You remember?.”

“Yes! I knew it!” You pointed at him so suddenly that he almost flinched. “You!”

He smiled before he could stop himself. “Yeah?”

“You almost fucking killed me!”

“I did— What?”

“You almost made me eat shit outside the music building.”

The smile stayed on his face for exactly one more second before it twitched. “Come again?”

“A couple weeks ago!” you said, a little too frantic. You leaned farther over the table, completely invested now. “You came flying around the corner in the hallways of the music building, smashed into me so hard I nearly ate concrete, looked me dead in the eyes and then just…” You made a dramatic gesture with both hands. “…walked away! How rude!”

Silence settled between you two for a couple of seconds. You weren’t really angry, it was obvious. But Jungkook’s brain still had quietly folded in on itself. You clearly didn’t remember and it was obvious you wouldn’t, he wasn’t that important in your life. You wouldn’t remember a simpler project and the hours you spent together in class, it had been too long ago. You just remembered him as the asshole who’d accidentally shoulder-checked you outside a building and disappeared without apologizing.

And he remember that too, he had been too nervous when he noticed he run over you, disappearing without properly apologizing. Clearly you would remember something like that— wasn’t the same day you got Chan’s numbers? Probably why you remembered every detail about it.

Jungkook closed his eyes for a second, scrunching his nose before letting out a defeated laugh.

“That doesn’t sound like me.”

“Dude—”

“Okay, okay,” he lifted his hands, defeated. “ my defense… I was carrying a lot of stuff.”

“No, you were carrying one backpack. I remember because I wanted to hit you with it,” you narrowed your eyes, clearly not bothered but trying to annoy him.

“Totally fair,” he nodded.

“You didn’t even say sorry properly.”

“I was going to.”

“No, you weren’t.”

“I thought about it really hard.”

“Wow. Thank God I can hear thoughts.”

“I assumed you could.”

“How?”

“Well, we declared we were each other best friends then, right? You should clearly know what I was thinking.” He said obvious, pointing at you like you were at fault.

You snorted, clearly entertained. “I didn’t know you were the guy I was talking to!.”

“Then whose fault is this really?”

“Still yours!,” you laughed at loud and Jungkook smiled at that.

He had made you laugh. A win.

He groaned, faking to be annoyed and already accepting defeat. “Okay… You’re right. I’m sorry about that, I was probably having an off day.”

You looked at him for a second before nodding, still looking bright. “I guess I can forgive you. We all have days like that.”

“You’re so thoughtful,” he said jokingly.

“That’s one of my best qualities,” you shrugged like it wasn’t a big thing. “So, tell me best friend, what is your major?”

The conversation slipped into place so naturally that Jungkook almost forgot how terrified he’d been ten minutes earlier. Every time you spoke, you somehow left him with three different ways to answer, and before he realized it you were already teasing each other as though you’d been meeting for coffee every Tuesday instead of hiding behind phone screens for weeks.

Neither of you realized you had stopped being strangers. The disappointment of you not remembering the project lingered only briefly before it was buried beneath another banter and another topic of conversation. And by the time the hours passed, Jungkook noticed he’d stopped rehearsing his replies entirely. He was just… talking, and somehow that felt far less terrifying than everything he’d imagined over the past few weeks.

didn’t even chuckle with this one but their meet up was enough okay bye!! made that robbie joke before someone sent me the victorious ask so now u understand why i was crazy excited. also, yayy she forgot about chan. okkayyy see you in 2 months!!

Jungkook realized that two americanos on an empty stomach had been a catastrophic decision after he ordered the third. He also realized that arriving thirty minutes early had somehow made everything infinitely worse for his peace of mind.

He’d convinced himself it was practical at first. He convinced himself everything needed to be perfect before you arrived. Maybe there could be traffic on the way— even though he wasn’t driving and the café was ten minutes walking from his dorm— he still couldn’t be late to the hangout. Or maybe he wouldn’t be able to find a seat— even though the place was empty most of the time at that hour… There could be a lot of issues that could show up out of nowhere so he needed to be the first to arrive to solve them… He also needed some time to look normal and not rushing in sweat like a psychopath.

All perfectly reasonable excuses until he found himself sitting alone by the window, staring at the café door while every muscle in his body slowly tightened with each passing minute.

Jungkook was going insane.

10:42 a.m

It had been only 10 minutes and you weren’t supposed to be there until eleven. Eighteen more minutes to go.

“…Fuck.” The word slipped out under his breath as he dragged both hands down his face.

This was a mistake. A massive, irreversible, life-ending mistake.

Jungkook thought how he should’ve stayed behind a screen forever. Texting was easy for him when it was with you. It let him delete things before sending them. Texting let him think before speaking to you. Texting didn’t involve making eye contact with the prettiest girl he’d ever met while pretending he hadn’t spent the better part of two years quietly orbiting your existence like a haunted fucking satellite.

His leg bounced uncontrollably beneath the table. Maybe he could leave.

Actually… Yeah. That felt right.

Jungkook stood and walked all the way to the café door, hand already pushing against the handle before he stopped.

What the fuck was he gonna text?

No. He couldn’t just pretend he couldn’t make it. Would that hurt your feeling? He didn’t want to hurt your feelings. He was the one who had the idea to hangout. He needed to be brave.

Jungkook sighed heavily, turned around, and walked back inside. The barista looked up at him with mild concern as he reclaimed the exact same chair he’d abandoned less than twenty seconds ago. But the girl didn’t say anything… especially since it was the third time he had done the same.

Five minutes later he’d convinced himself leaving actually made much more sense this time.

He got up again and finally made it outside. Jungkook walked half the block before stopping. “Jesus fucking Christ.” He rubbed his face so aggressively it almost hurt before spinning on his heel and marching straight back.

This time the same barista caught him before he’d even sat down. “Dude, are you sure you want this americano?”

“Yes,” Jungkook said frustrated. “And please add another shot.”

By 10:55 his hands were shaking just enough to piss him off. He stared at them while asking for another americano. He was definitely going to die before you even had the chance to say hi.

Which, honestly, it was probably better for him.

His phone buzzed and Jungkook grabbed it so quickly he almost dropped it.

the loml: two minutes away

Jungkook’s heartbeat stopped as another message appeared almost instantly.

the loml: what r u wearing

the loml: wait

the loml: that was lowkey nasty

the loml: what r u wearing babygirl?🤤

Despite his nerves, a laugh escaped him.

Jungkook: idiot (message not sent)

Jungkook: black hoodie (message not sent)

Jungkook: hoodie (message not sent)

Jungkook: IM LITERALLT WEARING THE WORST OUTFIT EVER OMG (message not sent)

Jungkook: the hottest outfit ever (message not sent)

His thumbs hovered uselessly over the keyboard while his brain started screaming loud enough to drown out the music playing through the café speakers— Shit. He couldn’t even properly send a text now. How was he supposed to talk to you face to face?

No, no, no. He couldn’t.

It was ridiculous. He’d survived perfectly fine without doing this… He could still leave. Right now. He could show up with some lie. He got an emergency, maybe food poisoning or he was suddenly arrested. Yeah, he could just invent a lie, he couldn’t stay. God, no. Jungkook was sure he wouldn’t be able to talk to you. He would just be so embarrassing you would never want to talk to him again.

Yeah, fuck no.

His chair scraped quietly against the floor as he stood, slipping his phone into his pocket before he could overthink it anymore. That was it, he was leaving. He’d apologize later. You’d probably be too busy being obsessed over his best friend to even care.

He took exactly one step before the bell above the café door chimed. Instinctively, his head turned.

You stepped inside.

Holy fucking shit.

You weren’t looking around yet. Your eyes stayed glued to your phone as you typed something, a strand of hair falling across your face before you tucked it absentmindedly behind your ear. His phone buzzed in his pocket but he didn’t pay any mind.

You looked… God. You looked exactly like you always did.

He’d spent two years noticing you between breaks, across hallways, sitting outside buildings with headphones on, laughing with those three idiots you called friends. He knew the shape of your smile from impossible distances because he still remembered it from close. Knew the way you’d throw your head back when you laughed too hard. Knew you gestured with both hands when you talked, like every sentence required visual aids.

But standing ten feet away after such a long time, you suddenly felt… real.

Not campus real. Not “girl I secretly look at during lunch breaks” real. Not ‘girl crush I’ve been dreaming about’. Real enough to walk over, real enough to say his name and real enough to realize he was just some random guy you probably wouldn’t even like.

Jungkook pulse lurched. He looked away so fast it almost gave him whiplash.

Nop. Absolutely fucking not.

If he didn’t look at you and if you didn’t see him maybe he could still pretend—

“Black americano for Jungkook.”

Ah, fuck.

He tried to ignore it, looking to the other side of the place. The barista’s voice cut cleanly through the café. “Jungkook?”

Couldn’t she take a fucking hint?.

He slowly lifted his head. The barista was looking directly at him, cup already in hand, moving it like she was waiting for him to hurry up as if she had any other clients waiting in line when the place was empty. Jungkook thought about all the bad reviews he was going to leave her as he walk closer to the counter.

“…Thanks.”

He reached for it automatically, almost cringing at the motion. Movement flickered in the corner of his vision. You had looked up and, finally, your eyes met his.

Jungkook was going to pass out.

He saw you frown. Your gaze dropped briefly to the coffee cup in his hand, then back to his face and then back to your phone. You did that three times, maybe too confused he was actually the guy you had been talking too. Jungkook couldn’t tell. Were you imagining someone better looking than him?

Yeah, he was definitely ending his shit tonight.

Jungkook felt every single organ inside his body shut down in perfect synchronization when you started walking closer to him.

“Oh my God.” You stopped right in front of him, a little too close, blinking twice before a huge grin spread across your face. “No way.” Jungkook forgot how breathing worked. “Jungkook?”

He nodded once. “Yeah.”

Your smile somehow got even wider. “What the fuck?” You laughed, looking him up and down with complete shamelessness. “Oh my God.”

He managed the world’s weakest laugh. “Hi.”

“I did not picture you like this.”

“No?”

“No!” You pointed at him as if that explained everything. “I had this whole image.”

“I’m scared.”

“It was completely different.”

He chuckled shyly. “Care to share?”

“I thought you were gonna be…” You tilted your head thoughtfully. “I don’t know… glasses and shit.”

“Glasses and shit?”

“Yeah, you know— disney nerd cast.”

“I— what the hell does that even mean?” He frowned confused, amused by your brain and how actually much of an extrovert you were. Really similar to the way you text, really blunt. “And I do wear glasses, just to read and play video games.”

“Well, I kinda was right then.” You gestured vaguely toward him. “But I don’t know I was lowkey picturing you like Robbie from Victorious

Jungkook looked genuinely offended. “Should I— is that an insult or…?”

“Not really. He was cute to me.” You shrugged before nodding approvingly, looking at him again closely this time.

Jungkook was sure his heart was about to jump out of his chest any minute. His face started getting hot. Oh god, he was blushing. “What?”

“You actually look…” You squinted dramatically. “Like a stereotypical bad boy from a cheap magazine”

Jungkook blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Well, the tattoos and the piercings. The whole…” You motioned vaguely toward his black hoodie and rings, “…whatever aesthetic you’ve got going on. I bet you only wear black.”

“Of course not! I… I own other colors.” He stuttered.

“That wasn’t convincing.”

“I literally do.”

“Mhm.” You smiled. “You’re like a bad-boy from Pinterest.”

For the first time all morning, Jungkook laughed out loud. He couldn’t help it, you were so openly cute and funny, it just made the whole thing easier for him. He wasn’t dying of anxiety anymore and he now could be just himself. He was now only nervous to prove to you he was definitely as cool as you were.

“Let’s sit.”

You laughed to yourself before walking next to him to the table, finally dropping into the chair across from Jungkook, setting your bag on the floor and pushing a few loose strands of hair behind your ear. “This is so weird.”

“It is.”

“I’ve been talking to you every day for like… what? Weeks?”

“A little over.”

“And I’ve just been making up your face this whole time,” You sighed. “Now look at us. Internet friends to real friends.”

“Only few people can make that happen,” he said sarcastically.

“Well, I’m definitely glad you’re not an eighty year old man. That was my worst befriended experience ever.”

“That sounds like— Wait, what do you mea—”

“Ugh, I want a coffee too.” You pointed at him triumphantly before reaching across the table to steal the untouched americano sitting in front of him. “Can I have this? It seems you had a lot of… those.” You looked around the table, noticing his other three americanos. “Were you hanging out with your friends before?”

“Those are mine.”

“Why were you drinking so much coffe? You’re gonna have a heart attack.”

Jungkook blinked, moving uncomfortably in his seat. “Uhm… Well, I got here early,” He said, a bit shy.

“How early?”

“Early.”

“Jungkook.”

“…Thirty minutes.”

Why was he saying this to you? Jungkook couldn’t shut up. His mouth was just being too honest with you. He needed to stop.

You stared incredulous at him. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not.”

“No fucking way.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly finding the tabletop incredibly interesting. “I wanted to make sure I got a seat.”

“You got here thirty minutes early for a coffee shop?”

“Yeah.”

“You absolute loser.”

“I know.”

“No, like…” You giggled this this time, shaking your head. “That’s actually adorable.”

Adorable. Jungkook was going to think about that word together with those giggles for the next six to eight years.

Instead of answering, he picked at the cardboard sleeve around one of his empty coffee cup, hoping you wouldn’t notice that his ears had immediately betrayed him.

But, of course you noticed. “Oh my God. You’re blushing?”

“I’m not.”

“You literally are.”

“It’s warm in here.”

“They have AC.”

“They barely have it on!”

You leaned across the table, narrowing your eyes at him with exaggerated suspicion. “You’re actually shy.”

“I’m not shy.”

“You are.”

“You’re just too easygoing!”

You laughed again, smiling like it was a compliment. “You’re cute, Jungkook.”

Okay, he was definitely going to pass out.

“Shut up.”

You leaned back in your chair, still looking at him with obvious curiosity. “So…” you said, tapping your nails on the table. “What about you?”

Jungkook looked at you a little confused. “What?”

“What did you think I’d look like?”

He let out a quiet “oh,” buying himself a second. There were about a hundred honest answers sitting at the tip of his tongue, all of which would get him escorted out of the café if he accidentally said them out loud.

“I thought you’d be taller.”

You looked down at yourself. “Rude!.”

“I’m kidding.”

“Mhm.”

“I actually didn’t think of anything.”

“Liar,” you accused him.

“I’m serious.”

“You had to imagine something.”

He pretended to think about it for another second before smiling. “I imagined you’d look like someone who talks way too much. I was completely right.”

You gasped dramatically. “Excuse you?”

“I was right,” he said again.

“I’ve known you in person for thirty seconds.”

“You’ve been talking for twenty-nine of them.”

“I was being welcoming!.”

“Well, you really are. For sure.”

You laughed, pointing at him. “Okay… I’ll give you that one.”

Jungkook shrugged innocently. “I like that, you’re too friendly.” He tilted his head slightly. “I wasn’t expecting you to smile this much.”

You looked at him a little taken aback. “What?”

“You smile a lot,” he repeated himself. Jungkook remember you used to laugh a lot too, at everything. He liked that, he also was dying to let you know that for a long time, he liked your smile.

“I do?”

“Yeah.”

You frowned in genuine confusion, almost as if you’d never noticed. “I didn’t know… Is that bad?”

“No,” his answer came easily this time, and too fast he had to cleared his throat before composing himself. “I think it’s nice.”

There wasn’t anything loaded behind it, nor did he intend there to be. It came out sounding exactly how he’d meant it, honest enough to be a compliment, casual enough that it didn’t linger in the air to make you uncomfortable.

You smiled again, this time more relaxed. “Well now I’m self-conscious.”

“You smiled while saying that.”

“Fuck.”

“I rest my case.”

You rolled your eyes. “I’ve decided I don’t like you.”

“That was fast.”

“I had big expectations.”

“And I shattered them?”

“You did.”

“Ugh, I’ll never recover from this.” Jungkook said sarcastically. He could tell you liked a good banter.

“I hope you don’t.”

A comfortable silence settled between you two before Jungkook glanced at you again. There was a brief lull in the conversation, not uncomfortable in the slightest, just long enough for you to look at him again with a small crease forming between your brows.

“Can I say something weird?”

“Always.”

“I have this weird feeling we’ve met before.” Jungkook’s heart kicked so violently against his ribs that he almost threw up right there. “I swear you look so familiar.”.

Jungkook tried to keep his expression neutral, lifting one shoulder in a casual shrug despite suddenly becoming hyperaware of every inch of his body. “I was actually thinking the same thing.”

“Were you?”

“Yeah.”

“I feel like…” You squinted at him before talking a pause, eyes narrowing. “Wait—”

Jungkook held his breath as your eyes widened. His pulse immediately doubled. Did you remember? Did you remember the project? Did you actually know him?

You remembered those afternoons in the editing room arguing over the stupid assignment while you painted foam props and laughed at every stupid joke he’d made just because you laughed at everything? Did you remembered sharing cheap vending machine coffee because you’d both been too broke to buy anything else? Did you remembered sitting shoulder to shoulder on the floor of the studio at class trying to finish everything before the deadline because you lost too much time joking around?

You remembered him?

“You remember?.”

“Yes! I knew it!” You pointed at him so suddenly that he almost flinched. “You!”

He smiled before he could stop himself. “Yeah?”

“You almost fucking killed me!”

“I did— What?”

“You almost made me eat shit outside the music building.”

The smile stayed on his face for exactly one more second before it twitched. “Come again?”

“A couple weeks ago!” you said, a little too frantic. You leaned farther over the table, completely invested now. “You came flying around the corner in the hallways of the music building, smashed into me so hard I nearly ate concrete, looked me dead in the eyes and then just…” You made a dramatic gesture with both hands. “…walked away! How rude!”

Silence settled between you two for a couple of seconds. You weren’t really angry, it was obvious. But Jungkook’s brain still had quietly folded in on itself. You clearly didn’t remember and it was obvious you wouldn’t, he wasn’t that important in your life. You wouldn’t remember a simpler project and the hours you spent together in class, it had been too long ago. You just remembered him as the asshole who’d accidentally shoulder-checked you outside a building and disappeared without apologizing.

And he remember that too, he had been too nervous when he noticed he run over you, disappearing without properly apologizing. Clearly you would remember something like that— wasn’t the same day you got Chan’s numbers? Probably why you remembered every detail about it.

Jungkook closed his eyes for a second, scrunching his nose before letting out a defeated laugh.

“That doesn’t sound like me.”

“Dude—”

“Okay, okay,” he lifted his hands, defeated. “ my defense… I was carrying a lot of stuff.”

“No, you were carrying one backpack. I remember because I wanted to hit you with it,” you narrowed your eyes, clearly not bothered but trying to annoy him.

“Totally fair,” he nodded.

“You didn’t even say sorry properly.”

“I was going to.”

“No, you weren’t.”

“I thought about it really hard.”

“Wow. Thank God I can hear thoughts.”

“I assumed you could.”

“How?”

“Well, we declared we were each other best friends then, right? You should clearly know what I was thinking.” He said obvious, pointing at you like you were at fault.

You snorted, clearly entertained. “I didn’t know you were the guy I was talking to!.”

“Then whose fault is this really?”

“Still yours!,” you laughed at loud and Jungkook smiled at that.

He had made you laugh. A win.

He groaned, faking to be annoyed and already accepting defeat. “Okay… You’re right. I’m sorry about that, I was probably having an off day.”

You looked at him for a second before nodding, still looking bright. “I guess I can forgive you. We all have days like that.”

“You’re so thoughtful,” he said jokingly.

“That’s one of my best qualities,” you shrugged like it wasn’t a big thing. “So, tell me best friend, what is your major?”

The conversation slipped into place so naturally that Jungkook almost forgot how terrified he’d been ten minutes earlier. Every time you spoke, you somehow left him with three different ways to answer, and before he realized it you were already teasing each other as though you’d been meeting for coffee every Tuesday instead of hiding behind phone screens for weeks.

Neither of you realized you had stopped being strangers. The disappointment of you not remembering the project lingered only briefly before it was buried beneath another banter and another topic of conversation. And by the time the hours passed, Jungkook noticed he’d stopped rehearsing his replies entirely. He was just… talking, and somehow that felt far less terrifying than everything he’d imagined over the past few weeks.

didn’t even chuckle with this one but their meet up was enough okay bye!! made that robbie joke before someone sent me the victorious ask so now u understand why i was crazy excited. also, yayy she forgot about chan. okkayyy see you in 2 months!!

Jungkook realized that two americanos on an empty stomach had been a catastrophic decision after he ordered the third. He also realized that arriving thirty minutes early had somehow made everything infinitely worse for his peace of mind.

He’d convinced himself it was practical at first. He convinced himself everything needed to be perfect before you arrived. Maybe there could be traffic on the way— even though he wasn’t driving and the café was ten minutes walking from his dorm— he still couldn’t be late to the hangout. Or maybe he wouldn’t be able to find a seat— even though the place was empty most of the time at that hour… There could be a lot of issues that could show up out of nowhere so he needed to be the first to arrive to solve them… He also needed some time to look normal and not rushing in sweat like a psychopath.

All perfectly reasonable excuses until he found himself sitting alone by the window, staring at the café door while every muscle in his body slowly tightened with each passing minute.

Jungkook was going insane.

10:42 a.m

It had been only 10 minutes and you weren’t supposed to be there until eleven. Eighteen more minutes to go.

“…Fuck.” The word slipped out under his breath as he dragged both hands down his face.

This was a mistake. A massive, irreversible, life-ending mistake.

Jungkook thought how he should’ve stayed behind a screen forever. Texting was easy for him when it was with you. It let him delete things before sending them. Texting let him think before speaking to you. Texting didn’t involve making eye contact with the prettiest girl he’d ever met while pretending he hadn’t spent the better part of two years quietly orbiting your existence like a haunted fucking satellite.

His leg bounced uncontrollably beneath the table. Maybe he could leave.

Actually… Yeah. That felt right.

Jungkook stood and walked all the way to the café door, hand already pushing against the handle before he stopped.

What the fuck was he gonna text?

No. He couldn’t just pretend he couldn’t make it. Would that hurt your feeling? He didn’t want to hurt your feelings. He was the one who had the idea to hangout. He needed to be brave.

Jungkook sighed heavily, turned around, and walked back inside. The barista looked up at him with mild concern as he reclaimed the exact same chair he’d abandoned less than twenty seconds ago. But the girl didn’t say anything… especially since it was the third time he had done the same.

Five minutes later he’d convinced himself leaving actually made much more sense this time.

He got up again and finally made it outside. Jungkook walked half the block before stopping. “Jesus fucking Christ.” He rubbed his face so aggressively it almost hurt before spinning on his heel and marching straight back.

This time the same barista caught him before he’d even sat down. “Dude, are you sure you want this americano?”

“Yes,” Jungkook said frustrated. “And please add another shot.”

By 10:55 his hands were shaking just enough to piss him off. He stared at them while asking for another americano. He was definitely going to die before you even had the chance to say hi.

Which, honestly, it was probably better for him.

His phone buzzed and Jungkook grabbed it so quickly he almost dropped it.

the loml: two minutes away

Jungkook’s heartbeat stopped as another message appeared almost instantly.

the loml: what r u wearing

the loml: wait

the loml: that was lowkey nasty

the loml: what r u wearing babygirl?🤤

Despite his nerves, a laugh escaped him.

Jungkook: idiot (message not sent)

Jungkook: black hoodie (message not sent)

Jungkook: hoodie (message not sent)

Jungkook: IM LITERALLT WEARING THE WORST OUTFIT EVER OMG (message not sent)

Jungkook: the hottest outfit ever (message not sent)

His thumbs hovered uselessly over the keyboard while his brain started screaming loud enough to drown out the music playing through the café speakers— Shit. He couldn’t even properly send a text now. How was he supposed to talk to you face to face?

No, no, no. He couldn’t.

It was ridiculous. He’d survived perfectly fine without doing this… He could still leave. Right now. He could show up with some lie. He got an emergency, maybe food poisoning or he was suddenly arrested. Yeah, he could just invent a lie, he couldn’t stay. God, no. Jungkook was sure he wouldn’t be able to talk to you. He would just be so embarrassing you would never want to talk to him again.

Yeah, fuck no.

His chair scraped quietly against the floor as he stood, slipping his phone into his pocket before he could overthink it anymore. That was it, he was leaving. He’d apologize later. You’d probably be too busy being obsessed over his best friend to even care.

He took exactly one step before the bell above the café door chimed. Instinctively, his head turned.

You stepped inside.

Holy fucking shit.

You weren’t looking around yet. Your eyes stayed glued to your phone as you typed something, a strand of hair falling across your face before you tucked it absentmindedly behind your ear. His phone buzzed in his pocket but he didn’t pay any mind.

You looked… God. You looked exactly like you always did.

He’d spent two years noticing you between breaks, across hallways, sitting outside buildings with headphones on, laughing with those three idiots you called friends. He knew the shape of your smile from impossible distances because he still remembered it from close. Knew the way you’d throw your head back when you laughed too hard. Knew you gestured with both hands when you talked, like every sentence required visual aids.

But standing ten feet away after such a long time, you suddenly felt… real.

Not campus real. Not “girl I secretly look at during lunch breaks” real. Not ‘girl crush I’ve been dreaming about’. Real enough to walk over, real enough to say his name and real enough to realize he was just some random guy you probably wouldn’t even like.

Jungkook pulse lurched. He looked away so fast it almost gave him whiplash.

Nop. Absolutely fucking not.

If he didn’t look at you and if you didn’t see him maybe he could still pretend—

“Black americano for Jungkook.”

Ah, fuck.

He tried to ignore it, looking to the other side of the place. The barista’s voice cut cleanly through the café. “Jungkook?”

Couldn’t she take a fucking hint?.

He slowly lifted his head. The barista was looking directly at him, cup already in hand, moving it like she was waiting for him to hurry up as if she had any other clients waiting in line when the place was empty. Jungkook thought about all the bad reviews he was going to leave her as he walk closer to the counter.

“…Thanks.”

He reached for it automatically, almost cringing at the motion. Movement flickered in the corner of his vision. You had looked up and, finally, your eyes met his.

Jungkook was going to pass out.

He saw you frown. Your gaze dropped briefly to the coffee cup in his hand, then back to his face and then back to your phone. You did that three times, maybe too confused he was actually the guy you had been talking too. Jungkook couldn’t tell. Were you imagining someone better looking than him?

Yeah, he was definitely ending his shit tonight.

Jungkook felt every single organ inside his body shut down in perfect synchronization when you started walking closer to him.

“Oh my God.” You stopped right in front of him, a little too close, blinking twice before a huge grin spread across your face. “No way.” Jungkook forgot how breathing worked. “Jungkook?”

He nodded once. “Yeah.”

Your smile somehow got even wider. “What the fuck?” You laughed, looking him up and down with complete shamelessness. “Oh my God.”

He managed the world’s weakest laugh. “Hi.”

“I did not picture you like this.”

“No?”

“No!” You pointed at him as if that explained everything. “I had this whole image.”

“I’m scared.”

“It was completely different.”

He chuckled shyly. “Care to share?”

“I thought you were gonna be…” You tilted your head thoughtfully. “I don’t know… glasses and shit.”

“Glasses and shit?”

“Yeah, you know— disney nerd cast.”

“I— what the hell does that even mean?” He frowned confused, amused by your brain and how actually much of an extrovert you were. Really similar to the way you text, really blunt. “And I do wear glasses, just to read and play video games.”

“Well, I kinda was right then.” You gestured vaguely toward him. “But I don’t know I was lowkey picturing you like Robbie from Victorious

Jungkook looked genuinely offended. “Should I— is that an insult or…?”

“Not really. He was cute to me.” You shrugged before nodding approvingly, looking at him again closely this time.

Jungkook was sure his heart was about to jump out of his chest any minute. His face started getting hot. Oh god, he was blushing. “What?”

“You actually look…” You squinted dramatically. “Like a stereotypical bad boy from a cheap magazine”

Jungkook blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Well, the tattoos and the piercings. The whole…” You motioned vaguely toward his black hoodie and rings, “…whatever aesthetic you’ve got going on. I bet you only wear black.”

“Of course not! I… I own other colors.” He stuttered.

“That wasn’t convincing.”

“I literally do.”

“Mhm.” You smiled. “You’re like a bad-boy from Pinterest.”

For the first time all morning, Jungkook laughed out loud. He couldn’t help it, you were so openly cute and funny, it just made the whole thing easier for him. He wasn’t dying of anxiety anymore and he now could be just himself. He was now only nervous to prove to you he was definitely as cool as you were.

“Let’s sit.”

You laughed to yourself before walking next to him to the table, finally dropping into the chair across from Jungkook, setting your bag on the floor and pushing a few loose strands of hair behind your ear. “This is so weird.”

“It is.”

“I’ve been talking to you every day for like… what? Weeks?”

“A little over.”

“And I’ve just been making up your face this whole time,” You sighed. “Now look at us. Internet friends to real friends.”

“Only few people can make that happen,” he said sarcastically.

“Well, I’m definitely glad you’re not an eighty year old man. That was my worst befriended experience ever.”

“That sounds like— Wait, what do you mea—”

“Ugh, I want a coffee too.” You pointed at him triumphantly before reaching across the table to steal the untouched americano sitting in front of him. “Can I have this? It seems you had a lot of… those.” You looked around the table, noticing his other three americanos. “Were you hanging out with your friends before?”

“Those are mine.”

“Why were you drinking so much coffe? You’re gonna have a heart attack.”

Jungkook blinked, moving uncomfortably in his seat. “Uhm… Well, I got here early,” He said, a bit shy.

“How early?”

“Early.”

“Jungkook.”

“…Thirty minutes.”

Why was he saying this to you? Jungkook couldn’t shut up. His mouth was just being too honest with you. He needed to stop.

You stared incredulous at him. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not.”

“No fucking way.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly finding the tabletop incredibly interesting. “I wanted to make sure I got a seat.”

“You got here thirty minutes early for a coffee shop?”

“Yeah.”

“You absolute loser.”

“I know.”

“No, like…” You giggled this this time, shaking your head. “That’s actually adorable.”

Adorable. Jungkook was going to think about that word together with those giggles for the next six to eight years.

Instead of answering, he picked at the cardboard sleeve around one of his empty coffee cup, hoping you wouldn’t notice that his ears had immediately betrayed him.

But, of course you noticed. “Oh my God. You’re blushing?”

“I’m not.”

“You literally are.”

“It’s warm in here.”

“They have AC.”

“They barely have it on!”

You leaned across the table, narrowing your eyes at him with exaggerated suspicion. “You’re actually shy.”

“I’m not shy.”

“You are.”

“You’re just too easygoing!”

You laughed again, smiling like it was a compliment. “You’re cute, Jungkook.”

Okay, he was definitely going to pass out.

“Shut up.”

You leaned back in your chair, still looking at him with obvious curiosity. “So…” you said, tapping your nails on the table. “What about you?”

Jungkook looked at you a little confused. “What?”

“What did you think I’d look like?”

He let out a quiet “oh,” buying himself a second. There were about a hundred honest answers sitting at the tip of his tongue, all of which would get him escorted out of the café if he accidentally said them out loud.

“I thought you’d be taller.”

You looked down at yourself. “Rude!.”

“I’m kidding.”

“Mhm.”

“I actually didn’t think of anything.”

“Liar,” you accused him.

“I’m serious.”

“You had to imagine something.”

He pretended to think about it for another second before smiling. “I imagined you’d look like someone who talks way too much. I was completely right.”

You gasped dramatically. “Excuse you?”

“I was right,” he said again.

“I’ve known you in person for thirty seconds.”

“You’ve been talking for twenty-nine of them.”

“I was being welcoming!.”

“Well, you really are. For sure.”

You laughed, pointing at him. “Okay… I’ll give you that one.”

Jungkook shrugged innocently. “I like that, you’re too friendly.” He tilted his head slightly. “I wasn’t expecting you to smile this much.”

You looked at him a little taken aback. “What?”

“You smile a lot,” he repeated himself. Jungkook remember you used to laugh a lot too, at everything. He liked that, he also was dying to let you know that for a long time, he liked your smile.

“I do?”

“Yeah.”

You frowned in genuine confusion, almost as if you’d never noticed. “I didn’t know… Is that bad?”

“No,” his answer came easily this time, and too fast he had to cleared his throat before composing himself. “I think it’s nice.”

There wasn’t anything loaded behind it, nor did he intend there to be. It came out sounding exactly how he’d meant it, honest enough to be a compliment, casual enough that it didn’t linger in the air to make you uncomfortable.

You smiled again, this time more relaxed. “Well now I’m self-conscious.”

“You smiled while saying that.”

“Fuck.”

“I rest my case.”

You rolled your eyes. “I’ve decided I don’t like you.”

“That was fast.”

“I had big expectations.”

“And I shattered them?”

“You did.”

“Ugh, I’ll never recover from this.” Jungkook said sarcastically. He could tell you liked a good banter.

“I hope you don’t.”

A comfortable silence settled between you two before Jungkook glanced at you again. There was a brief lull in the conversation, not uncomfortable in the slightest, just long enough for you to look at him again with a small crease forming between your brows.

“Can I say something weird?”

“Always.”

“I have this weird feeling we’ve met before.” Jungkook’s heart kicked so violently against his ribs that he almost threw up right there. “I swear you look so familiar.”.

Jungkook tried to keep his expression neutral, lifting one shoulder in a casual shrug despite suddenly becoming hyperaware of every inch of his body. “I was actually thinking the same thing.”

“Were you?”

“Yeah.”

“I feel like…” You squinted at him before talking a pause, eyes narrowing. “Wait—”

Jungkook held his breath as your eyes widened. His pulse immediately doubled. Did you remember? Did you remember the project? Did you actually know him?

You remembered those afternoons in the editing room arguing over the stupid assignment while you painted foam props and laughed at every stupid joke he’d made just because you laughed at everything? Did you remembered sharing cheap vending machine coffee because you’d both been too broke to buy anything else? Did you remembered sitting shoulder to shoulder on the floor of the studio at class trying to finish everything before the deadline because you lost too much time joking around?

You remembered him?

“You remember?.”

“Yes! I knew it!” You pointed at him so suddenly that he almost flinched. “You!”

He smiled before he could stop himself. “Yeah?”

“You almost fucking killed me!”

“I did— What?”

“You almost made me eat shit outside the music building.”

The smile stayed on his face for exactly one more second before it twitched. “Come again?”

“A couple weeks ago!” you said, a little too frantic. You leaned farther over the table, completely invested now. “You came flying around the corner in the hallways of the music building, smashed into me so hard I nearly ate concrete, looked me dead in the eyes and then just…” You made a dramatic gesture with both hands. “…walked away! How rude!”

Silence settled between you two for a couple of seconds. You weren’t really angry, it was obvious. But Jungkook’s brain still had quietly folded in on itself. You clearly didn’t remember and it was obvious you wouldn’t, he wasn’t that important in your life. You wouldn’t remember a simpler project and the hours you spent together in class, it had been too long ago. You just remembered him as the asshole who’d accidentally shoulder-checked you outside a building and disappeared without apologizing.

And he remember that too, he had been too nervous when he noticed he run over you, disappearing without properly apologizing. Clearly you would remember something like that— wasn’t the same day you got Chan’s numbers? Probably why you remembered every detail about it.

Jungkook closed his eyes for a second, scrunching his nose before letting out a defeated laugh.

“That doesn’t sound like me.”

“Dude—”

“Okay, okay,” he lifted his hands, defeated. “ my defense… I was carrying a lot of stuff.”

“No, you were carrying one backpack. I remember because I wanted to hit you with it,” you narrowed your eyes, clearly not bothered but trying to annoy him.

“Totally fair,” he nodded.

“You didn’t even say sorry properly.”

“I was going to.”

“No, you weren’t.”

“I thought about it really hard.”

“Wow. Thank God I can hear thoughts.”

“I assumed you could.”

“How?”

“Well, we declared we were each other best friends then, right? You should clearly know what I was thinking.” He said obvious, pointing at you like you were at fault.

You snorted, clearly entertained. “I didn’t know you were the guy I was talking to!.”

“Then whose fault is this really?”

“Still yours!,” you laughed at loud and Jungkook smiled at that.

He had made you laugh. A win.

He groaned, faking to be annoyed and already accepting defeat. “Okay… You’re right. I’m sorry about that, I was probably having an off day.”

You looked at him for a second before nodding, still looking bright. “I guess I can forgive you. We all have days like that.”

“You’re so thoughtful,” he said jokingly.

“That’s one of my best qualities,” you shrugged like it wasn’t a big thing. “So, tell me best friend, what is your major?”

The conversation slipped into place so naturally that Jungkook almost forgot how terrified he’d been ten minutes earlier. Every time you spoke, you somehow left him with three different ways to answer, and before he realized it you were already teasing each other as though you’d been meeting for coffee every Tuesday instead of hiding behind phone screens for weeks.

Neither of you realized you had stopped being strangers. The disappointment of you not remembering the project lingered only briefly before it was buried beneath another banter and another topic of conversation. And by the time the hours passed, Jungkook noticed he’d stopped rehearsing his replies entirely. He was just… talking, and somehow that felt far less terrifying than everything he’d imagined over the past few weeks.

didn’t even chuckle with this one but their meet up was enough okay bye!! made that robbie joke before someone sent me the victorious ask so now u understand why i was crazy excited. also, yayy she forgot about chan. okkayyy see you in 2 months!!