#bts fuff

Kim Seokjin had a bad day. Well, bad was an understatement to you or me. The criteria of a bad would be getting late to work, forgetting your lunch, and that report that was due Friday was due by the end of the day. But if you think that is a bad day well then this was worse. If I had to label it for you readers then I would call this very bad.

It was unpleasant, as no one would wish to have a day like this. It was distressing, there was truly something about it that made Seokjin uneasy. It was vapid, so very dull, and unchallenging. So if your bad day is labeled bad then this was a very-unpleasant-distressing-vapid-bad day.

The events of this very-unpleasant-distressing-vapid-bad day are not only unimportant to the story of which I am telling you but also too upsetting to repeat and honestly, Seokjin would rather it wasn’t brought up again, work was work, but the home was a place free of the boss and duties and pants. Where he didn’t have to smile or apologize while getting abused because he was right and no one would listen.

So for the sake of Seokjin’s very-unpleasant-distressing-vapid-bad day, I will leave the events up to you dear reader, conjure the most horrifying deadlines and boring lectures in your mind and let’s move on to the present and more pressing matters. 

Seokjin relieved himself of his bag, coat, and shoes at the door, waiting at least till the living room to dispose of his work pants. He was free from the stifling attire he associated with the stresses of his work. Promptly flopping on the living room couch in a manner one might liken to the cetacean surfacing behavior of both whales and dolphins. 

After executing the perfect side breach Seokjin wiggled into the comforts of the cushions until he found a spot deemed comfortable enough to waste the next few hours on mind-numbing televised entertainment. 

His comforts and distractions were unhelpful and he pulled a cushion from beside his form and promptly smacked himself in the face repeatedly with it. 

I know what you are thinking and no there was no apparent reason for this behavior, no parasitic bugs crawling in his brain misfiring nerves nor was there any madness growing ill in his mind. He was as the young and hip kids were saying nowadays ‘doing it for the vine’. Which for those unfamiliar with this phrase, it means… Well, I suppose it means doing it for growth because vines are a plant that grows? Or, at least that is my interpretation and who is narrating the book here you or me? 

We are getting off track dear reader Jin’s day however unpleasant, distressing, and vapid of a bad day it was, would continue to metaphorically suck if we do not fix it. 

How about you start by greeting him just say the lines written using your own name and I am sure you can turn his day around. But you have to say it out loud, in a whisper, or at least mouth your lines silently, like those people who sometimes do when they try to remember something. They look at their watch and recite their appointment time or their next stop on the train. Yes, you must commit dear reader, otherwise, Jin will become sad, or think you are a ventriloquist. Let me set the scene. 

Seokjin, laid there still incredibly exasperated trying to relax his mind, when his partner that’s you, my dear reader, walked in carrying a few bags of groceries. 

Your smile faded at the tormented expression on his face, “Kim Seokjin, how was your day?”

“It was fine” he pulled himself to his feet and forced a smile, a smile most seen in customer service. Seokjin took the bags from your hands, always trying to prove himself useful which he honestly didn’t have to. You knew how hard he worked for you already, and you never ceased to show him gratitude and affection. 

“I can tell you are lying to me, you know I can see it in your eyes,” you decided to call his bluff. 

I thought for a moment we were in a somber play, do you always speak so monotonously. Perhaps say your lines with a bit of feeling, walk around your room and act this out or at least let your mind wander. I promise no one will care if you look silly, but your face might turn red. 

“I don’t know what you mean, I just had a long day but I am glad to be home?” He said not turning to face you, his shoulders were tense and his hands were shaking a little. 

“Jin please look at me and tell me what’s wrong?” you knew it was getting worse usually no matter how bad his day got he would eventually just let it go but today it only lingered and festered. 

“I want to quit.” He said, tears streaming down his face. “I can’t be there anymore?”

“Hey, Jin, listen to me, you don’t ever have to stay in a job which you do not enjoy. If it brings you this much sorrow it isn’t worth keeping.” You said pulling his head onto your shoulder wrapped his arms around your waist and —stop blushing! Wait till the end of the scene— sobbed into your sweater. “I support you if you want to leave but for now I have a better idea.”

You guided him to the couch, a bag of snacks in hand and as you sat sideways on the couch you softly patted the space in front of you. He sat with total complaince and laid back against your chest letting you cuddle him, feeding him ice cream and his favourite crackers until the tears subsided. 

Almost half the tub of ice cream had been devoured before he was reduced to a few sniffles here and there. Pressing kisses to his crown, you continued to hold him because it was warm, because he deserved unconditional love and comfort in this scary moment it was a big decision to leave one's job.  

“I love you!” 

Wait I didn’t tell you to say that how did you—

“Seokjin you are kind and selfless putting others before yourself. You even thought to hide your sadness so as not to bring me down. But we share this burden. You are talented, a tremendous cook and you work so hard, at home at work even in your hobbies. You are the funniest guy I know and I love when you laugh because it makes my heart flutter. I know it is scary to think you are losing your job but I will be there for you, physically, emotionally, financially. You are my worldwide handsome.”

Seokjin turned to face you wiping at his damp eyes, —excuse me this is my story since when did I tell you you could take over— you grabbed his cheeks and pulled him forward into a kiss that tasted like a boysenberry swirl ice cream.

“Yeah I-what are you doing!” Jin’s hand falls delicately to your wrist, removing your finger from its position between half clenched teeth. Your pupils rest in dilation, scandalized by his sudden action, icing still clinging to skin. “Keep your filthy hands away from my icing.”

“Filth-excuse you, sir, but these hands smell like a winter breeze.” You tut, snatching your wrist for a job with half satisfaction. You step past Jin, hand running the length of his broad shoulder as you take in festive shapes, dough perfectly rounding at the limbs of faceless gingerbread and sugar cookies begging to be topped. “Ooooh, can we ice now?”

“A child is what you are, my dear.” His words are a chuckle, chin against your crown and hands settling about the counter on either side of you. He’s stained with the stench of dough unbaked, flower caked to snug material with the hopes to forgo a permanent stain. “But no, we can’t.”

“Why not?” The words are soft, the tick of the timer thrumming in the background. You suddenly realize the heat of layer aplenty, the blaze of the roaring oven filling the kitchen with ready warmth. You wiggle your way from Jin’s grip, jacket shrugged from shoulders and unceremoniously tossed aside. 

“We have to let them cool a bit first. I just took them out before you walked in,” He explains, a smile fond upon his face at the witness of your antics. 

You sigh, hand extended for Jin, his brow raised in silent question. You don’t offer explanation, only urge him forward, turning on your heel at the acceptance of your outstretched limb. You journey towards the living room, an early gift of vinyl resting in the heavily decorated corner. 

You don’t fight a warmth that gnaws at the sight of your stalkings decked above the festive hearth, the precise stitching of your names into thick material an aesthetic appealing to your festive soul. You leave Jin firmly planted in the room’s center, feet covering a rug recently purchased to draw together a room overflowing with stylized comfort. 

You quickly shuffle records, pulling the most recently purchased, anniversary happily close to the winter season. The traction of vinyl is followed by the delicious hum of rich tune, your body easily floating back to where Jin awaits. 

“Let’s dance,” You don’t miss the immediate heating of tanned cheeks, Jin never one for such physical spontaneity. It’s a quality that always sends you careening further into the depths of love, a man humble with no need. 

You’re well aware that he’s not altogether with acts of the physical, dancing low on hobbies of choice, but you also know that he loves the intimacy of dancing with you. It’s a rare occurrence, the drift of a melody through your shared space, bodies molded in a steady rhythm. It’s the convincing that takes the most work.

“Ah, you know I can’t.”

“I’m not asking you to do Swan Lake, just hold me.” You offer yourself, hugging his middle with unwavering strength. You’re alone for a moment, the heat of his hands floating unsure before you. It’s a slow settling, the feel of his loosening frame bringing a smile to your face. 

The movement is simple, a loose sway to a sweeping carol, the scent of cookies and the company of the man you love enough to soothe you into easing slumber. You’re aware of the steady stream of affection placed atop your head, the warmth of breath pulling you deeper into unintentional hypnotics. 

“I love you,” Jin murmurs, face still buried and your ear muffled in the fabric of his apron. 

“Love you more,” You counter, the song fading out, your legs ready for another go around the tiny space. You’re just moving to adjust the broken track when a resounding chime catches the perk of your ears. “Is that…?

You thought about ignoring Jiwon brother’s words and not searching for Jungkook, but it was something that haunted you in your sleep.

Lying awake in your small dorm room wasn’t the same as lying awake in your comfortable bed in your own apartment. There were no city lights reflecting, no cool breeze slipping through your window, the ceiling wasn’t the same, the quietness wasn’t the same. It didn’t feel like home.

But it didn’t stop you from lying awake in bed, thinking – something that hadn’t happened to you since you had decided to focus on your degree.

You couldn’t just ignore everything that had happened the previous week and carry on with your routine. You wanted, but you couldn’t.

You wondered where he had been, what had he been doing all that time. Jiwon’s brother told you he had disappeared, that he wasn’t fighting anymore. You wondered if he was alright.

You clenched your teeth as you turned around, the sheets suffocating you as you tried to hide beneath them.

It hurt to worry about him like that after all, but it was something that came natural to you, something that you couldn’t choose. Embracing it was the best thing you could do if you didn’t want to drive yourself crazy.

So you let your mind wander. You let yourself wonder what he was doing, or what he was planning to do. You let yourself wonder if he was doing alright, if he missed you just as much as you missed him, or if he hated himself as much as you hated him too. You let yourself wander to that night at your apartment and those words: “I can’t love you”.

You shook your head and pulled the covers away from your body.

“Stop being stupid, Y/N,” you growled, decisively standing on your feet and marching towards your small wardrobe. You opened its doors, searching for something easy to throw on.

You were going to search for him, tell him what Jiwon’s brother had told you and finally move on. You would follow Jiwon brother’s advice and finish your degree, work until you had enough money to buy your own apartment, a place you could fully call your own. You would lead a normal life and maybe, one day, you would fall in love again. Life was that, after all, crossing all the chuckholes life put in your path, surviving and turning the page. Carrying on.

You were strong. You were going to carry on with your life, no matter how big the chuckhole was or how unforgettable.

You hated sulking, you hated feeling sad and down, you hated feeling dizzy from all the thinking and wondering. Even more when the cause of all that was someone that long ago let you know you didn’t mean as much to him as he did to you.

After washing your face and dressing yourself in something comfortable but something that wouldn’t stick out in the place you were going to, you exited your dorm building.

The taxi left you in the door of the club, and you sighed, flashbacks assaulting your mind just like you had feared they would.

You thought you would never step a foot inside that place ever again, but yet, there you were, crossing its doors and flinching at how loud the music was.

It was the only place you thought Jungkook could be on a Friday night. It was Sungho’s territory, which meant he had it covered with his men and Mr. Kang would stay away from it unless he wanted something big that would drag the attention of half the city and its police department. The boys and Evey would probably be there too, and you would have also been there if you hadn’t chosen to stay out of all that shit.

The lights blinded you as you made your way through the crowd.

Once inside, you had no idea where Jungkook could be. That was, if he was there at all.

If you were lucky, you would find him, tell him what you wanted to tell him, and you would be out of that place before midnight. If you were lucky –

But you weren’t.

“Y/N?!” you heard a high-pitched voice say from behind you. “Y/N is that you?!”

A hand placed itself on your shoulder and you turned around, not ready to face you best friend who you had been trying to avoid for the past two months.

“Y/N! Oh my god! It’s you!” Evey said happily, engulfing you in a tight hug.

“H-Hey,” you stuttered, cursing on the inside.

She grabbed you by the shoulders and pulled you away from her so she could have a look at you.

“What are you doing here?”

“I… Err… It’s nice seeing you too!” you tried to divert the topic.

She let go of you, turning serious.

“Don’t do that, not to me,” she crossed her arms over her chest. “Don’t try to avoid my questions. I haven’t seen you in two months and now you’re here? What the fuck, Y/N, tell me what’s going on.”

You sighed. It was unfair to her, you couldn’t even imagine how confused she must have been. You suddenly stopped hanging out with the group, avoiding her calls and only talking with her via text once a week to ask her how she was doing with her thesis. She deserved an explanation.

“I’m looking for Jungkook, is he in here?” you asked.

Her face went blank and her eyes turned cold. You were suddenly overcome with a wave of fear.

“Why are you looking for Jungkook?” she asked, eyes narrowed.

“It’s a long story.”

She scoffed. “Everything’s a long story for you lately, isn’t it? You’ve been avoiding me for two months and you come here looking for… Jungkook?”

You pressed a hand against your forehead. You should win Worst Friend of the Year Award or something. She had nothing to do with your problems, yet, you had cut her out of your life.

“I wish I could tell you Evey… But I can’t right now. All I can do is hope that you believe me and forgive me for being the worst friend again and again, and maybe someday, when everything’s said and done, you’ll understand everything.”

She stared into your eyes. She had always been able to read you like an open book, and you hoped that time wasn’t any different. You needed her to know you were telling the truth.

“You know something I don’t,” she said. “And I don’t know what it is, but I do know that Taehyung and Jungkook are involved in it too. I’ve heard the same I can’t tell you too many times lately.”

“Trust me Evey, please.”

You pleaded her with your eyes. You were willing to sacrifice your friendship if it meant keeping the promise you made Taehyung and not telling her about the drugs or all the shit Taehyung and Jungkook were involved in.

“I trust you Y/N, I always would. But, do you trust me?”

“Of course I trust you!” you exclaimed, grabbing her hands. You were desperate for her to believe you. “I would tell you in a heartbeat if I knew you wouldn’t be at risk, but I can’t. Gosh, I let you drag me inside the underground fighting world, of course I trust you.”

She chuckled. “You’re right.”

“When everything’s over, everything will be back to how it was, I promise you.”

“I just miss you,” she pouted, eyes glassy. “You left me alone with those assholes.”

She threw herself at you and engulfed you in another hug. This time, you hugged her back.

“You can forgive everything I’ve done to you but that, I wouldn’t forgive it either.”

You both laughed and broke the hug.

“Alright, but promise me that when whatever this shit is, ends, we’ll be back to how we were, with our Pizza Planet nights and our movie marathons.”

“I promise you,” you nodded, tightening the grip you had on her hands.

“Great!” she smiled. “The boys and I are in the private booth upstairs, do you want to join us?”

“I’d love to but… I can’t,” you winced at your words. You hated that fucking I can’t. “Do you know if Jungkook’s here?”

“Yeah, I saw him earlier speaking with Tae,” she said, frowning. “I hadn’t seen him in a while. He disappeared, just like you. Stopped hanging out with us, showing up at the fights… We’re worried about him. Does this have to do with the both of you?”

“W-what?” you stuttered. “No! Of course – “

“If he hurt you in any way that made you feel as if you couldn’t be with us anymore I’ll fucking strangle him –“

“Stop, stop, stop,” you laughed. “This has nothing to do with Jungkook and I, Evey.”

“Are you still together, then?”

“No, we’ve never been together,” you said, shaking your head.

She rolled her eyes. “God damn it, Y/N, not together as in a couple, but you were –“

“No, not anymore.”

“Alright, alright,” she said, massaging her temples. “I haven’t had a proper talk with you since the end of Christmas Holidays nearly. Can you please explain to me what’s going on? The last thing I know, you were going to confess to him.”

“Another long story,” you said, and her features hardened once again. “I’m sorry, I just don’t have time tonight. I’ll tell you, I promise. Just tell me where Jungkook is.”

“Upstairs, at the owner’s office I think.”

“Okay, thank you Evey,” you smiled.

“You won’t stay with us afterwards?” she asked.

“No, I gotta go back to the dorms before midnight.”

“Hmm, true, you live at the dorms now. Whoa, there’s so many things that have changed…”

You nodded.

“How about we see each other next Friday? Our graduation is on Sunday, so we can hang out and talk about our outfits.”

She hugged you and you swore you could hear her cry in your ear.

“Yeah! That’s the kind of plan one has with her best friend! I missed you!”

“I missed you too! But I can’t say the same of your hugs!”

She laughed and punched you in the arm as she broke the hug.

“What a bitch,” she scoffed. “Anyways, go do whatever shady shit you have to do and talk to me when you arrive to your dorm. You better keep your promise about next Friday.”

You started walking away from her, towards the stairs that led upstairs.

She was pointing at you with her finger.

“I will! Don’t drink too much, Evey! We have to submit out thesis on Monday!”

She waved at you and you disappeared up the stairs. Too many memories assaulted your mind, but you tried to push the aside. When you walked past the bathrooms of the second floor and its small corridor, you pushed aside the memories of Jungkook in his turtleneck, pushing you against the wall and whispering hotly in your ear. When you walked through the corridor that lead to the main office and its bathroom, you pushed aside the memories of Jungkook dragging you inside and giving you a taste of how he could make you feel.

You pushed all the memories aside until you were standing in front of the owner’s office door.

What could Jungkook be doing up there?

Knocking once on the door, you grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. To your surprise, it wasn’t locked, and you easily opened the heavy door.

The lights inside were on, three people turning around to look at you.

“You can’t enter here, close the door,” one of them told you.

You opened the door even more, awkwardly. If Jungkook wasn’t there, you would just ask them if they knew where he was.

But before you could open your mouth, your eyes landed on the same man you were searching for. He was staring at you, eyes wide and mouth agape in a shocked expression. He was clearly not expecting you there.

“Did you hear me? You can’t – “ the same man repeated, it looked as if he was running out of patience.

“Shut up, Minho,” Jungkook said, interrupting the man. “I know her.”

You straightened your back and cleared your thoughts, you had come to find Jungkook and talk to him, you were going to do just that. Your eyes scanned the three men briefly. By Jungkook’s side, there was Sungho, staring at you with a careful expression, and sitting on the chair behind the desk, there was the Minho guy. You had never seen him before, you guessed he was the owner of the club.

“Err…” you cleared your throat. “I wanted to talk to Jungkook for a bit.”

“We’re busy, girl,” Minho scoffed.

“I can see that, but I just want to talk to him for a bit.”

Minho opened his mouth again, clearly upset about your response, but Jungkook stopped him, placing a hand on his chest as he plopped off the desk in which he had been sitting.

“Give me ten minutes, alright?” Jungkook said, walking towards the door of the office. Towards you.

“Jungkook, we need to sort everything out, this can’t –“ Sungho started to say, the first time you had seen him talking that night.

He didn’t say anything to you.

“I’ll be right back, for fucks sake,” Jungkook growled. “C’mon,” he said to you, motioning you to go out with his head.

You silently walked out of the room and waited for him to do the same, closing the door behind him.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” he asked brusquely.

You clenched your teeth. The last thing you needed was for him to act like an asshole with you after all.

“Don’t you dare talk to me like that,” you growled. “I’m not one of your businessmen.”

He sighed, combing a hand through his hair. It had grown a lot, covering the entirety of his forehead and nearly his eyes too.

“What are you doing here?” he repeated, this time, in a softer tone.

You looked around you, the bathroom door coming into sight. You motioned him to follow you there with a nod of your head.

You tried not to think too much about what happened in that bathroom as you enter it, followed closely by Jungkook. The last time you had been there, it had been a much different situation; you on top of the bathroom sink, forehead pressed against the cold mirror as Jungkook held you in place from behind you, a tight grip on your hair stopping you from moving.

“Y/N, can you please answer me and tell me what you’re doing here?”

You snapped out of your thoughts and turned around to look at him.

“You can’t fight the final match of the Wrestling Competition.”

Jungkook blinked a few times, taken aback by your words.

“W-what? What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that you can’t fight the final match, you can’t fight against Jiwon,” you said, shaking your head.

“And why is that?”

You bit your lower lip, wondering if you should tell him about the encounter with Jiwon’s brother or not.

“I can’t exactly tell you why, I just have a bad feeling. Just… Grab your mother and go away from this city.”

Jungkook scoffed, sarcasm dripping from his lips. “Alright, so you disappear for two months and only come back to tell me I can’t fight the final match because you have a bad feeling and that I should grab my mother and run away? I’m so confused right now.”

He hid his face behind his hands, caressing his temples with his fingers.

“You say it as if you weren’t the one who told me to stay away from you. I’ve been doing just that, living my life like a normal person for once.”

“I’m not in the mood for that, Y/N,” he said, narrowing his eyes.

“Have you ever been? Anyways,” you shrugged. “I just told you everything I wanted to tell you. Now I’ll go,” you said, reaching for the door.

“Wait,” he told you, grabbing your arm and forcing you to look at him. “I need some explanation. Now you appear and tell me all this? Why? You could be living your normal life right now but instead you’re here. Why don’t you want me to fight that match?”

“Because Jiwon is going to play dirty, I know, it’s a trap,” you said. “You can’t go to that match, and I’m afraid Taehyung can’t go either. It’s the perfect time for Mr. Kang to get you and Taehyung.”

Jungkook narrowed his eyes. “I already took that into account, and Sungho did too, that’s why he will have all his men prepared for the worst.”

“So you know what will happen and are willing to take the risk anyway?”

“And what do you want me to do? Run away like a coward?”

“No,” you said, gritting your teeth. “Act like a mature person for once and do what’s best. Forget about honor and all those shits, we’re talking about your life and the life of the ones you love here. You’ll put everything at risk because you don’t want to be seen as a coward? Because you don’t want to lose your title of best underground fighter? Bullshit.”

“It’s none of your business.”

You sharply pushed your arm away from his grip, glaring at him.

“No, it’s not,” you said. You knew the life of his mother or his friends shouldn’t matter to you, but somehow it did. It was unfair that, just because he wanted to make a bad decision, other people would have to pay for it.

You took a deep breath, staring at him. When did all go wrong? You were a normal student, with a normal life. Yeah, you struggled a bit to pay rent and that’s why you accepted Evey’s offer of working at the wrestling matches, but all this? The drugs, the violence, the fear, the threats… It all belonged to some episode of CSI Miami, not your life.

“That’s all?” he asked, seeing you weren’t talking.

You glared at him. He was being so passive aggressive to you, it was not fair that he treated you like that.

“Yeah, that’s all. I already told you what I wanted to tell you, now it’s up to you.”

“Cool.”

“Cool.”

You stood there, both breathing heavily. You didn’t want to be the first one to tear their eyes away, but you had to be. So, you did, and after looking at him one last time, you turned around and exited the bathroom.

He didn’t follow you. You hadn’t expected him to.

. . .

Mondays were always the worst.

The city was in a rush, traffic was horrible, and people were always in a bad mood. The hospital was always crowded, people that had been out of the city during the weekend, returning to the city and going to the hospital if they felt bad. It was funny, how during the weekend no one had issues but they all appeared on Monday.

To sum up: Mondays sucked.

And when it was the last Monday of your degree, it sucked even more.

You had to hand your thesis on Friday, and your graduation would be on Sunday. Less than a week to finish your studies and you were more nervous than ever.

When your shift finished at the hospital, you rushed to the changing rooms and changed into your clothes, grabbing your backpack and everything you would need to go to the library. You would only be there an hour or so, not wanting to arrive home too late.

Since Jiwon brother’s visit, you didn’t like walking home too late.

Your thesis was almost done, you only needed to reread it a few times, correct any mistakes… Done.

By the time you finished, it was already ten pm.

You cursed under your breath as you got off the bus. The walk from the bus stop to your dorm building wasn’t long, but the streets were deserted and not even cars passed by.

Holding tighter the bag of take out you had bought on your way home, you began walking.

No music, no distractions, just your five senses and you.

Maybe you were being paranoid after all, but you didn’t want to risk anything. Did Jiwon’s brother know you had already spoken to Jungkook? Did he know you had told him the complete opposite of what he had told you to say?

It was just… They were insisting too much, they wanted Jungkook to fight that match too much… It gave you a bad feeling. They hadn’t seen him in months, the only way of getting him out of his hiding place was that match, and they knew it.

Without your music or your phone, you had hoped you would be more alert of everything that surrounded you, but deep in thought, you didn’t realize there were some footsteps behind you.

And when you realized, it was too late, for they sounded too close to you.

Your heart started beating wildly inside your chest, and you cursed yourself internally. Your mind started tracing some plan. If it was Jiwon’s brother, you would surprise him before he could surprise you.

Without even looking back, you started walking faster until a small park came into view.

You weren’t far from your building now, but if you just ran, you were sure he would catch you first.

As your pace fastened, you stopped hearing the footsteps. Great, he wasn’t suspecting anything.

Trying to calm your breaths, you placed your bag of take out and your backpack on the ground and hid behind a tree.

You had done it before, you had knocked that boy down, you could do it again. You just had to –

Before you could continue with your self-motivation speech, the footsteps approached and a shadow appeared right in front of you.

Growling, you threw yourself at the shadow and pushed him as you interlaced one of your legs with one of his. The boy gasped in surprise and stumbled frontwards. You passed one of your arms around your neck, so its Adam’s apple was pressing against the inner side of your elbow.

Pushing him again, you let him fall onto the ground, following the movement with your body and letting him drag you to the ground too.

With a howl of pain coming out of his lips, you both landed on the ground, your body bouncing on his as you cushioned the fall with his body.

“Thought you would surprise me again, huh?” you growled, breathless, on his ear. “Well, you should have known better.”

“Fuck, y-yeah I should have remembered you don’t like surprises.”

You frowned. The voice didn’t sound as deep as Jiwon brother’s did. Wait a minute...

You retrieved your arm from around the boy’s neck and you pushed yourself up until you were sitting on his back, your hands pressing on the expanse of it.

He wasn’t as broad and big as Jiwon’s brother either. And if he didn’t look or sound like Jiwon’s brother it meant that… He wasn’t Jiwon’s brother!

You grabbed a handful of his dark, wavy hair and forced him to turn his neck until one of his cheeks was pressed against the pavement and the other was in full display for you to see.

You had already suspected who he was when you had heard his voice, but now that you were seeing his side profile, that big round nose, his furrowed brows, the crinkles that formed by his eyes as he grimaced in pain…

“Jungkook?” you breathed, letting go of his hair and standing up quickly, moving away from him.

He just growled in response and pulled his head away from the ground, pained expression on his face.

“Fuck Jungkook,” you said, rushing to help him until he was standing on his feet. “What were you doing following me?”

“I wanted to talk to you, had been waiting for you at the bus stop but when you got off the bus you started walking really fast and I didn’t want to run to you and scare you, so I was planning to follow you until you stopped walking.”

“And you thought following me across an empty street would be a good idea?” you scoffed. You watched him shake the ground dirt from the front of his t-shirt. “I nearly had a heart attack when I heard footsteps behind me, you could have shouted my name.”

“Yeah, as if you wouldn’t have started running as soon as you saw me.”

You rolled your eyes.

“Anyways, you always knock people down when they walk behind you or what? I could have just been another student going back to their dorm.”

You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose.

“Fuck… I know, I just…” you stopped yourself before you told him about Jiwon’s brother. The last thing you needed, was for him to act so worried and all. “It’s not cool following someone at half past ten pm, alright? And how did you know where I live now?”

Jungkook scratched the back of his neck. You wanted to be angry at him. The other day he had treated you so poorly and now he was acting all innocent.

“I went to your apartment, but there is a married couple living there now, so I called –“

“Don’t finish, I already know who told you…” you growled. “If you don’t say her name, my want to kill her won’t rise too much.”

“She didn’t want to tell me, I swear, but… I begged her a bit.”

“You? Begging? That’s new.”

“Why did you move from your apartment? You liked it a lot.”

You shrugged, grabbing your things from the ground.

“I didn’t have the money to pay for it anymore, so I moved to the campus dorms that come free with the scholarship I got last year.”

“Ah…” he nodded. “You’re not working right now?”

“Yeah, at a bookstore, but they don’t pay me enough to live on my own.”

He nodded again, understanding.

“Why are you here?”

“Wanted to talk to you,” Jungkook sighed, playing with the strands of hair that fell over his forehead. He was really letting his hair grow. “Apologize for the other day, I behaved like an asshole.”

You crossed your arms over your chest.

“I’m a bit used to you behaving like an asshole with me, to be honest.”

He narrowed his eyes at you, but softened his gaze once he realized he had no right to play the ‘staring contest’ with you in that moment.

“Can’t you just accept my apology?”

“If you wanted to just apologize, you would have texted me.”

“It’s difficult when you have my contact blocked,” he scoffed.

You smiled sarcastically. “Oh right, I had forgotten about that.”

Jungkook looked a bit desperate, your behavior pissing him off. You smirked. Good, he deserved it.

“I know I deserve it, but can you stop with all this passive-aggressive sarcasm? My head is starting to hurt.”

“None of my business, I guess,” you shrugged, starting to walk towards your dorm building.

A sense of satisfaction was filling your body. You had knocked Jungkook down, literally, thrown him to the ground and squished his face against the pavement with all your force – we’re talking about an underground fighter here, and you had knocked him down. What a queen; we stan. And now, you were acting like a real, class A bitch with him and giving him everything he deserved. That night you would sleep better than when you were five and your mother made you drink a lukewarm glass of milk before going to bed.

You walked a bit ahead of him, ignoring the calls of your name that fell from his lips.

Just when you arrived to the door of your dorm building, he grabbed your upper arm and stopped you from grabbing your keys. He turned you around, face scrunched up in anger.

“Do you forgive me or not?” he asked, like a ten-year-old boy.

You frowned, pulling your arm away from his grip.

“What the fuck, Jungkook? Are you high again or what? The last time you followed me home you were, so…”

You inspected him, trying to catch a glimpse of his pupils and his eyes in the dim light of the street.

He took a step back, running away from your scrutinizing eyes.

“What? No, I’m not high,” he protested, pushing your shoulders so you would stop trying to smell him. “I just wanted to apologize, is that so weird?”

“Yeah, it is, I would have found it more normal if you had been high.”

He rolled his eyes. “Well, I’m not. Now, do you forgive me or not?”

You scoffed. “I don’t know, I don’t care if I forgive you or not.”

“But I do.”

You were the one who rolled their eyes then.

“Too late to care, don’t you think?” you scoffed, finally inserting your keys in the lock and opening the door to your building lobby.

“Is it that difficult to give me a proper answer?”

“Is it really all that matters to you right now? The fact that I forgive you or not for how you treated me like shit last Friday, like you had done thousands of times before?” you spat, now equally as angry and frustrated as him.

Without realizing it, you were both in the elevator, you pressing the button to the fifth floor with all your strength.

“And what the fuck are you doing in my elevator?!” you raised your voice, pointing at him.

“I don’t know! I’m just following you until you start answering my questions properly!”

“Well!” you said, lifting your arms in the air. “Welcome to my world of unanswered questions!”

Jungkook growled, exasperated, and you just stood there, arms crossed waiting for the elevator to arrive at your floor. When the ‘ding’ sounded, indicating that you had arrived to the fifth floor and the doors opened, you got out of the elevator as if someone had burnt your ass.

In a rush, you grabbed back your keys and opened the door to your dorm room.

“Y/N, for fucks sake,” Jungkook protested behind you.

You walked inside your room, ready to slam the door in his face – luckily you would catch his nose in between the door and the doorframe – but he was fast and he put his foot in between the door and the doorframe so you couldn’t close it.

“Move your foot away.”

“No.”

“Alright, I’ll have to break it,” you said, pressing on the door with all your strength.

Jungkook gasped in pain and pushed the door back. You could be quick and witty, but you weren’t as strong as him.

As if he was just pushing a piece of paper, he moved the door until he was standing at the other side of it, right in front of you. He closed the door behind him and you growled.

“You’re acting like a kid,” he spat.

“You were the one who started acting like a kid, coming here to ask me to forgive you,” you scoffed. “Pff.”

“I didn’t only come here to ask you to forgive me for how I treated you the other day, I was about to tell you, but you’re not listening to me today,” he said, he sounded frustrated. You opened your mouth to say something, but he lifted a finger, signaling you to stop. “Before you can say that I was the one who never listened to you, let me speak.”

You scowled at him and let your bag of take out on top of your desk. You switched the light on and started setting all your things in their respective places.

“You asked me not to fight the final match,” he kept talking. “Told me it was none of your business, but insisted anyway. Why?”

“I already told you…”

“No, you didn’t tell me. And having a bad feeling is not enough.”

You rolled your eyes but you kept silent, placing your laptop on top of your desk and leaving the backpack on the floor.

“Why?”

You closed your eyes.

“Answer me, please. Why don’t you want me to fight? Why don’t you want Jiwon to hurt me? It’s what I deserve.”

“You deserve it, yeah,” you whispered.

“Leave your pride and all those shits aside, Y/N,” Jungkook walked closer to you. “Stop playing the tough one and just tell me why.”

You snapped, turning around and pushing him until he was stumbling backwards. He had no right to come back and mess with your head once again.

“Are you telling me to stop playing the tough one? You?” you scoffed. “Go and try to play these games with other person, it doesn’t work with me anymore! You’re asking a question again and again that you know the answer of! Why! Why! Well, because unlike you I care! I do care about you! And you know it! You’ve always known it! So stop asking because you know that I asked you not to fight because I care about you and I don’t want anyone to hurt you!”

Saying all that felt like a liberation, but you couldn’t help but blush at opening yourself so widely to him, at showing him all your feelings just so he could toy with them once again.

In the span of a second, Jungkook’s hands cupped your face and he smashed his lips against yours. It was brusque and quick, but enough to ignite fireworks inside your tummy.

You pressed your hands with strength against his chest and pushed him away, your hand unconsciously lifting up to slap his cheek with all your force.

“Don’t you dare,” you said through clenched teeth. “Get out of my fucking room.”

He took another step closer to you, trying to get a hold of you once again, but you backed away from him.

“I still care about you, too.”

“Bullshit. You never cared.”

“I cared way too much.”

“Well, you had a funny way of showing it.”

“I’ve always had.”

You nostrils flared as you stared at him.

“Is too late to tell me you care, Jungkook, I’ve moved on, carried on with my life.”

“Don’t, please,” he pleaded, placing his hands back on your cheeks.

You pushed them away from you, grabbing his wrists.

“Don’t touch me.”

He winced at your words and at the venom laced in his words.

“Y/N –“

“No,” you interrupted him. “You don’t get to tell me you can’t love me and tell me to stay away from you and then appear back as if nothing had happened.”

“I’m sorry I hurt you.”

You fought against him, trying to get away from him.

“No.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“No, Jungkook.”

“Please, I need you to forgive me,” he sounded desperate.

“You can’t mess with me like this,” you cried. “I don’t deserve it.”

“I know, forgive me please.”

You fought, trying to pull your wrist away from his strong hands, but he didn’t let go of you. He should have fought for you long ago, not now. He didn’t deserve it, didn’t deserve you after all. What had happened to the ‘I can’t love you’? To the ‘you should stay away from me’? Your head was hurting and you wanted to scream.

He pulled you closer to him until his forehead was pressed against yours.

“No…” you whispered, your voice suddenly so low and fragile that you didn’t even recognize it as yours.

“I can’t live knowing I hurt you so bad,” he whispered back. “It’s killing me, the memory of how you looked at me after I told you I couldn’t love you.”

“Let go of me, I don’t need you to remind me of the fact that you can’t love me,” you tried to pull away from him, but he had you pressed against the door of your wardrobe.

“I can’t love you, I don’t deserve someone like you and you don’t deserve someone like me, someone who can’t promise anything, who can’t give you a certain future. You don’t deserve to be put in danger just because I fell in love with you,” he said in a rush. “I can’t love you, shouldn’t love you, but I do.”

You paused for some seconds, staring into his eyes.

Tears began forming in your eyes and a shiver ran down your spine.

“If that’s true, you should have told me that night instead of just telling me ‘I can’t love you’ and making me feel unlovable.”

“Would you have let me go if I had told you that I love you?”

“Yeah?”

“No,” he shook his head. “You’re too good to do that, you wouldn’t have.”

“Stop, don’t say things you will later regret.”

“It’s what I didn’t tell you and what I didn’t do what haunts me every night, that’s the only thing I’ll ever regret.”

You moved your wrists once again, but not even making force, just wanting to move and try to make you believe that you didn’t like what he was telling you, that you didn’t believe it.

“But I did it because I had to protect you,” he sighed. “It killed me, knowing that Taehyung had told you about Mr. Kang and all the business and had put you in danger like that. It killed me, to think that someone could hurt you because of me. I would have died if something bad happened to you. I wanted to kill Tae for choosing me instead of you. It was so unfair.”

He caressed your cheek with his thumb.

“I had to push you away from me, so you were safe, so they thought you were anyone to me and they would leave you alone.”

“And what about that night at your apartment, after Christmas Holidays when I met your mother? I didn’t know about the drugs and everything and you still rejected me.”

“I was scared, so scared.”

“It isn’t enough for me, Jungkook, those explanations are not valid to me. You could have told me, and I would have understood instead of hurt.”

“I know, I know…” he closed his eyes. “Every time I’ve loved someone, I’ve hurt them. I’ve hurt my mother, I’ve hurt my friends, I’ve hurt Tae countless times, Tae who is like a brother to me. And you had that shine in your eyes… That strength inside you and that passion and strong character… And I didn’t want to ruin that, I didn’t want to stare into your eyes and see them dull one day,” he caressed the soft skin underneath your eyes. “And look at you, so sad because of me.”

“I’m not sad, I’m just angry,” you protested. He caressed your skin once again and you trembled. “Maybe a bit sad too.”

“See? I’m not good for you. You deserve someone who will let you grow, not someone like me.”

“That’s for me to decide, isn’t it? How was I going to decide if you never gave me the options in the first place. It’s up to me if I’m willing to risk being hurt or not, it’s up to me if I want to be with some delinquent asshole or with a first-class lawyer. It’s up to me.”

Jungkook shook his head.

“If I had told you how scared I am to open up to someone and give them the power of destroying me, would you have stayed?”

“Probably I would have insulted you and told you how stupid you are because we all are afraid of being vulnerable, that it’s part of life, and then, yeah, I would have stayed.”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“I’m so stupid.”

“You’re just a boy who doesn’t know healthy love, who has never seen pure and true love. It’s normal that you are scared of it, because you only know the bad kind of love.”

You brought your hands up to his, grabbing then and lowering them.

“Why are you here now telling me everything I needed to hear five months ago? You clearly still think the same.”

“Because right now I’m being selfish… And I’m just thinking of how you make me feel and how much I want to be with you.”

“If I’m being honest, I don’t know if I can forget everything you’ve done to me. You’ve hurt me, Jungkook.”

“I know, and I’ll understand…” he opened his eyes and stared at you. Did his eyes look glossy?

“I don’t want to let you in just so you can go away once again.”

“I can’t promise you anything, I can’t promise you I’ll stay.”

You clicked your tongue inside your mouth, turning your head around, trying to escape from him. From the sight of him, from his scent, from his sparkling eyes.

But if there was one thing you liked, really liked, about Jungkook was his sincerity. Maybe he was brusque, rude, sometimes too realistic borderline harsh, but he was not a liar. He had never promised you anything, had never promised you love and long walks across a beautiful park, movie nights or fun dates. He had never promised anything and yet, you had been willing to stay by his side.

Could you stay by his side once again even though he couldn’t promise you he would stay?

He grabbed your chin delicately in between his fingers, making you stare at him.

He searched your eyes with his, chasing your stare.

Slowly, he leaned closer to you until his nose was caressing yours and you could feel his breaths on your skin.

“Do you forgive me?” he breathed.

You swallowed. Of course you forgave him, but you wouldn’t forget.

You placed your hands on his chest softly, feeling the soft material of his worn-out t-shirt. Beneath it, his skin waited for you, warm and soft.

He leaned closer, lips barely grazing your upper lip.

You closed your eyes tightly.

“Huh?” he murmured.

“Don’t do this, Jungkook,” you whispered, pressing on his chest. You didn’t know if you pressed so softly because you actually didn’t want to push him away or because you simply didn’t have enough strength. “Don’t do this to me.”

He caressed your lips with his once again, hands caressing your cheeks.

“Just tell me to go away and I will, forever,” he breathed. “Just tell me, and you’ll never see me again.”

You closed your eyes even tighter.

“You can’t do this to me.”

Another caress. And other. And other.

You didn’t know how much you would be able to take before your whole body gave in and you let yourself drown in him once again.

Your hands traveled upwards until they were caressing his neck and intertwining themselves behind it, fingertips playing with the strands on the back of his head.

“Tell me.”

“I forgive you, Jungkook,” you finally said, a long whisper leaving your lips along those words.

In a swift motion, Jungkook pressed his lips against yours. He didn’t move, and nor did you. You just stayed there, in the dim lights of your room, your hands on his neck, his on your cheeks. Hearts beating to the same rhythm, lungs breathing the same air.

You wished you were in your old apartment, bathing in the moonlight that seeped through the windows, shining under the city lights, and glowing and shinning.

But in there, in that small dark room, you didn’t need the moonlight nor did you need the city lights to shine. You just needed each other.

Two young lovers making the most out of their last moments together. Enjoying their dawn before the dusk came. Enjoying their own light before it disappeared behind the cruelty of this world. They say you never forget your first love, and in that moment, you were sure you would never forget Jeon Jungkook. You had always wondered why, why people said that. But in that moment, as Jungkook kissed you, you got a glimpse of it.

Because you don’t need to worry about forgetting someone if you have them by your side for the rest of your life.

And that it’s the truth about first loves.

They’re ephemeral, like falling stars. Brief yet intense. They’re something you only experience once in life, so precious and special because they have an expiration date. They end, they come crashing down like waves against the rocks of the mountains that surround the sea. They leave and never come back. If they didn’t, if they stayed there to get corrupted by life and reality and the passing of time, becoming dull and boring, they wouldn’t be first loves and they wouldn’t be something people are afraid of forgetting about.

You were sure Jungkook was your first love, but you didn’t want to think about what those two words implied.

You just kept kissing him.

He pressed you further against the door of your wardrobe, hands falling from your cheeks and landing on your lower back, pressing your bodies impossibly closer.

He was hungry, hungry of you and everything that came with you. From the small bites your teeth gave his lower lip, to the moans that escaped from your lips and that he swallowed like a thirsty man.

His tongue played with yours and you let it, like you had let it a thousand times before.

Kissing Jungkook felt like getting lost in a maze. Uncertain, exciting and a bit scary.

You broke the kiss, taking deep breaths of hair as he hid his face in the crook of his neck, placing kisses all over the side of it.

“But don’t get too excited,” you finally gasped, in between erratic breaths. “I always forgive but never forget.”

“Resentful, huh?”

You combed your fingers through his hair and grabbed a handful of it, pushing his face away from your neck.

“I swear to God,” you spat. “If you ever make me feel like that again, I’ll chop your dick off.”

“I won’t be of any use for you anymore.”

“That’s exactly the reason why,” you smirked. “But I’m being honest, I hate feeling so lost. If you make me feel like that again –“

He shut you up with another kiss.

His hands slid down the curve of your ass, giving it a tight squeeze before traveling south, towards the back of your thighs. In a quick movement, he lifted you up and made you put your legs around his waist, back still pressed against the wardrobe.

He pushed further into you, rolling his hips against your core.

You let go of his lips and moaned loudly. Fuck your dormmates, fuck everything honestly.

“Fuck, how I missed that sound,” he breathed in your ear.

You grabbed his neck with more force and pushed your hips back against his, desperate for any friction. Your whole body was on fire, and you could already feel the material of your panties sticking to your skin.

He hid his face in the crook of your neck once again, one of his favorite places in the world. In there, he felt as if he wasn’t Venom, some boy who only knew how to beat people down, hurt them and take pride of it. In there, he was Jungkook, a boy who could feel something besides pain. Who could feel you and him. Who could breathe properly.

He pulled away from your wardrobe door and threw you on your small bed without any contemplations.

You laughed a bit, bouncing on your bed as he kneeled on the bed in between your legs.

“This reminds me of the first day we hung out.”

“What? The fact that I’m about to eat you out?” he frowned. “If I remember correctly, I didn’t eat you out until –“

You sat yourself up and grabbed the collar of his t-shirt.

“Shut up. The bounces, silly,” you scoffed.

“Ah,” he said, raising a brow. Of course he had known, he just loved teasing you. “That…”

You punched his chest and he grabbed your wrist, stopping you from landing a second punch.

He forced you to lie down again and smirked down at you.

“We could repeat some time.”

You frowned. “You? Going to Just Jump once again?” you asked. “Where is the real Jungkook and who are you?”

He leaned closer to you until he was speaking right before your mouth.

“He’s right in front of you.”

Then, he dived for your lips once again. He grabbed both of your wrists, your hands were back to playing with his hair and it was driving him crazy, and he placed them above your head, pinning them down to the mattress.

With his free hand, he grabbed the hem of your t-shirt and started riling it up, leaving warm spots all over your skin.

It was almost magical, how Jungkook, with just the stroke of his fingers could make you feel like that.

He kept assaulting you with his hungry kisses as he bunched up your t-shirt and unclasped your bra with any sort of decorum.

You moaned, feeling his cold fingertips on the soft skin of your breasts. He pinched, caressed, rounded, did everything he wanted with your skin. You felt your nipples hardening, pressing against the material of the bra that was still covering them.

Jungkook pulled away, a string of saliva still connecting his lips to yours.

He stared at you before both hands were on your t-shirt.

“Can I take this off?” he asked.

You arched a brow. “Since when do you ask for my permission when it comes to taking my clothes off?”

He gulped down.

“I don’t want to make you do anything you don’t want to… You said that –“

“Hey,” you said, bringing a hand to his face. “If I didn’t want this, you would already be hanging from my window.”

Jungkook chuckled.

“I want this,” you nodded.

“I want this too.”

Then, you helped him take your shirt and bra off.

As soon as the pieces of garment were off, his lips latched onto your nipples. You caressed his hair as you observed him kissing your skin, licking and softly biting it.

You moaned when he placed his teeth around your hardened nipple and bit rather harshly, throwing your head back as you closed your eyes in delight.

You could feel the wetness of his tongue working on both breasts, then starting to trail down your abdomen until it reached the hem of your jeans.

He unbuttoned them without wasting time and slid them down your legs, kicking off your sneakers in the process.

“You have no idea how much I want to taste you right now.”

You blushed at his words, biting your lower lip and focusing on his face once again. Your skin glowed in the dim light of the room where he had placed his kisses, trails of his saliva looking like a small map all around your body.

“You want me to taste you, baby?” he asked, looking up at you as his hands played with your panties.

“Yeah,” you nodded, teeth still sunk in your lower lip.

He smirked.

“Did you miss my touch?” his eyes pierced yours as he pressed the pads of his fingers against your covered clit.

You moaned softly.

“A lot,” you purred.

“A lot?” he smirked.

“A whole fucking lot,” you smirked back.

A smile escaped his lips, his tough façade crumbling a bit.

He shook his head and focused on moving the material of your panties aside to observe you. He traced the shape of your core with his fingers, adding more pressure to those spots that needed more pressure. Fuck, he really knew what he was doing to you.

“Hmm…” you moaned when his fingers encircled your entrance.

You couldn’t keep your eyes away from him and his movements, wanting to record everything with your eyes and keep it in your brain.

At your words, he looked up at you and, as he stared at you, he introduced a finger in you.

You gasped as he retreated back his finger and added one more. His movements were slow, as if he too, wanted to keep that moment with him forever.

His fingers traced patterns inside you, curling and uncurling as you moaned and became a mess. Jungkook placed his free hand on your abdomen to stop you from moving, you hadn’t even realized you had started wiggling your hips.

Humming, he dove in and placed a soft kiss on top of your clit. The next time he came closer to it, it was to place an open-mouthed kiss to it, licking it with his tongue afterwards.

After that, it all became a blur to you, a blur of pure bliss and lust.

He was eating you out slowly and sensually, when he usually was passionate and quick. It was killing you, the knots in your abdomen tying and untying with each movement of his tongue and his fingers. You wanted him so badly.

You felt the hand he had placed on your abdomen disappear, and moments later you heard the sound of a zipper.

You opened your eyes to watch him pull his length out of his jeans and starting to pump himself. It was pure sin the scene you were watching. You could feel him moan against your core as he pleased you and himself at the same time, his eyes closing each time his fist reached the head of his dick.

You could feel all the blood in your body rushing to your tummy, and, as you threw your head back in pleasure, you felt yourself unraveling underneath Jungkook’s touch.

You gripped his hair tightly and every muscle in your body clenched as you came undone. Teeth gritted, eyes closed and head resting on the sheets, you let out moans of his name, profanities you weren’t even thinking about.

He kept licking you and caressing you as you came down of your high. His moans became louder too, the sight of you cumming at his touch nearly sending him on the edge. You orgasming was a vision that accompanied him in his best dreams.

“Fuck,” he chuckled, lifting himself up and observing you.

He gave one last lick of your core to clean your juices and then, patted it lightly, making you spasm.

“Ah,” you pouted. “Don’t do that.”

He smirked, doing it once again. Overstimulation shook your body and you spasmed once again.

Pushing his hands away from you, you kneeled on the bed.

“You have too many clothes on,” you mumbled, hands playing with the hem of his t-shirt.

He just smiled at you and let you take the piece of garment off.

Your eyes traced his chest and abdomen, a piece of art not even Michelangelo could have sculpted in the finest marble. Your hands came up to his chest, softly letting them fall down towards his abdomen, caressing his hardened nipples and the soft trail of hair that went down his belly button.

You saw his scar on the left side of his abdomen, the one you had sewed up.

Your fingers traced the rosy skin, feeling rougher than the rest. You still remember that night and the dark feeling of losing him. Your chest constricts at the thought.

He grabbed your chin and lifted your head softly, making you look at him.

“I never thanked you for that,” he mumbled. “Or for any of the other times you took care of me.”

You shook your head.

“There’s no need to,” you said. “I would do it all over again.”

He leaned closer and kissed you hoping you could feel everything you had once made you feel. It was a rough kiss, teeth clashing and lip biting. But he was just like that, rough around the edges, soft in the spot he had for you.

Your hand found his dick and started caressing it up and down. It felt hot and heavy against your palm, sticky in precum.

Without parting your lips, you dragged his jeans down until they were pooling around his knees. He broke the kiss so he could stand from the bed and take the rest of his clothes off.

There, the both of you naked, was when it all felt real, when you both felt real.

“I want you to ride me tonight,” he mumbled, lips caressing yours.

Without giving you time to answer, he grabbed your hips and spun you around, lying himself on the bed on his back.

You placed your hands on his chest, trying not to fall heavily on top of him.

You bit your lip, seeing the desire in his eyes.

Passing one of your legs to the other side of his hips, you straddled him and let your lower half rest on his lower abdomen.

You started moving your hips, feeling his cock brushing against your lower lips.

He hummed in delight, head resting on the pillows and eyes never leaving you.

With each stroke of his cock against your clit, you let out a soft moan, breath rolling off your lips in what was music to Jungkook’s ears. The moment felt so intimate, the sky could have fallen on top of you and neither of you would have cared. You both were on top of the world, untouchables, the starts shinning for you, the constellations aligning for you. No matter what happened in the end, you both had that moment.

You grabbed the base of his cock and lifted yourself up a bit, aligning the tip with your entrance.

“Wait,” he murmured. “I don’t have any condoms,” he said, placing one of his hands on your wrist to stop you.

“I’m on the pill.”

He arched his brows.

“Are you sure you wanna do that?”

You nodded. “I’m clean, you?”

“I’m clean too.”

Then, you smiled at him and sunk yourself down on him, his length filling you up deliciously. He swore he could see the stars shinning in the ceiling of your room in that moment, making your skin glow.

He had never felt you like that, so raw and real around him, warm and welcoming. He felt at home. For the first time in years, since his father started being abusive, since he started being so filled with anger he didn’t enjoy the world anymore, he felt at home.

He closed his eyes, hands caressing your hips as you moved. You were soft, had always been so soft to him, even with your snarky remarks and sarcasm. He didn’t want to let go of you again, couldn’t do it.

He could feel your soft hands all over his chest, his abdomen, on his scar, on his collarbones and cheeks. You were tracing his skin just like you traced a map, but you remembered every curve, every angle.

When he opened his eyes once again, you were already looking at him, and he felt as if he could cum inside you at any moment.

He lifted his hips and placed his heels on the bed. Hands holding you in place, he started ramming his length inside you.

Not having expected the sudden change, you fell on top of his, breasts pressed against his chest and head falling to the crook of his neck.

You encircled his neck and closed your eyes, his hands caressing your back as he kept slamming in and out of you.

That was Jungkook’s way of making you feel, so overwhelmed you felt as if you were running out of breath.

“J-Jungkook,” you stuttered in his ear.

He growled, pressing you tighter against him.

He increased his pace, making you hold on tighter to him. You were clenching your teeth, moaning loudly, gasping for air. You were desperate.

“Wait, wait,” he panted, suddenly stopping his ministrations. “Don’t cum yet.”

You let him do whatever he pleased with your body. He sat on the bed, back resting against the headboard as he sat you on top of him.

“I want to see your pretty face as you cum, watch those big eyes,” he said, sounding out of breath as he caressed your cheek.

You smirked. “Who are you and what have you done with Jungkook?”

“No, the question is: what have you done with Jungkook?”

You laughed and started moving once again, the warmth that had started dissipating from your tummy, coming back once again.

You took advantage of the position to caress his face, trace every single feature on it. From the mole under his lower lip, to the thick eyebrows that adorned his eyes, to the tip of his big nose.

As the warmth felt stronger, your movements became quicker.

“That’s fuck yourself on my cock, baby,” he growled, eyes lost on the movements of your breasts. He grabbed your neck and held you tightly in place as he moved his hips at the same rhythm you moved yours.

Lost in the depths of his black, starry eyes, you came, walls clenching around his dick as you howled like a desperate wolf.

It felt so intense you thought you were going to pass out, room spinning as Jungkook helped you ride your orgasm.

When you started wincing form overstimulation, you pushed yourself up and laid before him, taking his dick coated in your juices in your mouth.

He sighed at the sight, and collected your hair into a ponytail so he could watch your face.

“I wish I could take a picture of this and keep it with me forever.”

You blinked up at him, bobbing your head up and down.

You relaxed your throat around him, taking him deeper and deeper until you could feel him against the back of your throat, heavy and warm.

“Y/N, I’m going to cum,” he mumbled.

You just nodded, encircling your lips against him with more strength.

His gasps became desperate and soon, warm spurts of hot liquid shot down your throat. You received them with a content hum and milked him until he couldn’t take it anymore.

He pulled out of your mouth and grabbed your chin. You sat up in front of him and opened your mouth for him to see his semen inside your mouth.

He growled, inserting his thumb in your mouth to stop the milky liquid from falling down your chin.

“What have you done to me?” he whispered as you swallowed everything, licking his thumb happily. “I’m crazy for you.”

You smiled and got his thumb out of your mouth, placing a soft kiss on top of it before showing Jungkook your empty mouth.

“Fuck,” he growled. “Come here.”

He laid back on the bed, dragging you with him so your side was resting on his.

He kissed you, tongue clashing against your own and tasting himself on you. You stayed like that, kissing while you waited for your breaths to clam down.

Again, the sky could fall on top of you, a meteorite could destroy the Earth, and none of you would have given a single fuck.

You placed your head on his chest and started drawing patterns all over his skin with your fingers.

“Please, don’t be mad at me,” you suddenly said.

He tensed a bit, his arms encircling your body in a comforting way.

“Why would I be?”

You lifted yourself up on one shoulder, eyes fixed on his.

“Just… Don’t be mad.”

He frowned but nodded in the end. “I won’t, what happens?” he traced your left cheek with his thumb, his palm holding the side of you face.

“A week ago, as I was walking towards the dorm, after finishing my shift at the hospital… I came across Jiwon’s brother.”

Jungkook tensed beneath you, hands grabbing your skin tighter.

“What?” he said, voice high-pitched. “You came across him?”

You averted your eyes. “He… He followed me and assaulted me.”

“He did what?!” he said, raising his voice.

He tried standing up from his lying position but you didn’t let him.

“You promised me you wouldn’t get angry, remember?”

“He hurt you?!” he said through clenched teeth. “What did he do to you? I’m gonna kill that son of a –“

“He didn’t hurt me,” you interrupted him, trying to calm himself with your soft voice. “I defended myself, but he wasn’t there to hurt me.”

“He touched you? If he touched a single strand of hair I swear to God –“

“Jungkook please, calm down, he didn’t hurt me, alright?”

You pointed at your body, showing him you were perfectly fine.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Why haven’t you told me until now?”

“Because I knew how you would react and that’s the last thing we need right now.”

“How can you expect me not to react this way? That asshole followed you when you were alone and vulnerable and –“

“He wanted to tell me where you were,” you said, ignoring his words.

“I’m also going to kill Taehyung for getting you involved in this shit. What would happen if I do the same with Evey, huh? Would he like it. But then again, this is also my fault, see? It’s all my fault, if I didn’t involve you with me, then –“

“Can you stop, please? This is no one’s fault. I chose accepting the job at the wrestling fights, I chose getting involved with you, I chose answering Taehyung’s call when you needed me… I chose this, okay? It’s no one’s fault.”

He averted his eyes away from yours. You could feel his quick heartbeat and his rapid breaths.

“Please, listen to me, I’m not telling you this to get revenge on Jiwon’s brother or anything like that. I don’t want you to be mad at him or feel as if you put me in danger. I’m telling you this because you need to know why I don’t want you to fight the final match.”

He was still avoiding your eyes, but you grabbed both of his cheeks and forced him to look at you.

“He told me they were looking for you, that, if you didn’t fight that final match, they would get the people you loved the most.”

“Those…” he growled, biting his tongue before he could curse in a thousand different languages.

“They wouldn’t be insisting so much if they weren’t planning something. I think Jiwon isn’t going to play fair, I think he will hurt you.”

“But, if I don’t go, it will be worst. They will follow me… They will follow you or my mother or…” his voice broke at the end.

“Fighting and putting your life in risk is not the only way out,” you whispered.

“I’d rather let them kill me that have them touch you or my mother.”

“Don’t say that, don’t be stupid,” you said, shaking your head. “You can always go to the police, tell them about the fights and Mr. Kang and Sungho.”

“Police won’t get involved in something like that.”

“Not unless they’re sure they’ll get Mr. Kang or Sungho, or both.”

Jungkook frowned. “What are you trying to tell me? That I should work with the police? Like a rat? They will get me too.”

“Yeah, but you will be safe.”

“You know what happens to rats in jail?”

“If you reach an agreement with them, I’m sure they’ll offer you protection.”

“This is not a movie, Y/N…”

“Who else can do that, then? You know both Mr. Kang and Sungho, you know their hiddin places, their contacts… You know everything. You can help police get them, that way you’ll be able to live safely and free of any threats, problems… The people that surround you will be free too.”

He stared at the ceiling.

“I don’t know… It can go wrong… There are people in the police department that work for both Mr. Kang or Sungho.”

“Just think about it, talk with Taehyung… Do things right,” you pleaded him, bringing your face closer to his. “I just want you to be free for once, live a normal life for once. Maybe we’ll be able to move to another city, buy a small apartment, adopt a cute puppy…”

He thought about it. He thought about visiting apartments with you, hand on your waist as you both excitedly discussed where the shelves with all your Marvel movies and merchandising would go. He thought about waking up every morning to the sight of you, not weight on top of his shoulders, no chains around his heart. He thought about being able to walk freely down the streets with you, going to a place like Just Jump once again and then having four cheese pizza for dinner. It all sounded like a dream to him.

He had never been completely free, had never experienced life to the fullest.

Ever since he had been ten, he had thought he was his best self when he was on top of a ring, undefeated and tough, fists always before him. He was strong and powerful and no one dared to mess with him. He had built a tall façade that no one would be able to destroy, protecting him from the world.

But now, lying there with you on his arms, he realized he had never been his best self, that he had never experienced life freely. He had been an animal, caged his entire time. Now, he wanted, he longed, to be free. He realized, he was only his best self when he was with you because you made him feel free.

Maybe it would all be worth it. To take the risk. To choose something that wasn’t violence and power for once.

➳ seokjin

he smiled as he heard the door open, looking over you. he helped you study all night long for the exam you just got results on. “soooo how’d you do?” he smiled at you. as soon as your eyes met with his you felt guilt spread through your chest. he took time out of his busy schedule to help you with your stressful studying. you let your hang low before answering. “i failed,” you tried not to cry about your grades but you wanted to succeed. “oh baby,” he quickly hugged you. “it’s okay! i already know you’ll do amazing on the next one, we can study more, okay?” he smiled comfortingly as you held onto him, letting a few tears fall as he pulled away from the hug to wipe your tears. “it’s okay,” you nodded into his chest before he brought you to the couch where the two of you spent the rest of the night in each others arms.

➳ yoongi

he sat at his desk, working on music but also anxiously waiting for you. he knew how much this exam meant for you and the fact that you were receiving the scores today made him nervous. he tapped his foot as he heard the door open and he smiled at you, until he saw the sad look on your face and he quickly made his way over. “it didn’t go well, did it?” you shook your head and flopped down on the couch. he looked at you and smiled softly. “exams mean nothing, deep down you’re better than all of those kids and most of that information will never be used in real life. just know that i love you and that i know you’ll accomplish amazing things,” you teared up a little as you listened to him then sat up and gave him a hug. “i love you too yoongi,” he smiled and fixed your hair. “now what should we do tonight to cheer you up?” you thought then looked up at him. “movie night?” he nodded and smiled. “pick out the movies, i’ll order us some food,”

➳ hoseok

he sat in his studio at work, going over pieces with namjoon. he smiled as the two of him talked for a while. his phone would buzz here and there but he’d ignore it until he realized it was a call he was receiving rather than a few text messages. he read that you were the caller, he heard you crying on the other end of the line as his heart ached. “honey? what happened? are you okay? do i need to come get you?” you sniffed and took a deep breath. “i failed my exam hobi, why am i so stupid?” he quickly grabbed his stuff before responding. “you are not stupid, do not ever think that, i’m on my way home now sweetheart,” he talked with you all the way home and as he bought snacks for you at the store. he entered and smiled softly as he embraced you in a tight hug and left a kiss on the top of your head. “i love you, okay? you’re not stupid, don’t think that for a second,” he cupped your face as he wiped your tears then left a kiss on your forehead. he showed you the bag of treats in his hand. “i got you all your favorites,”

➳ namjoon

he cleaned up the house as he placed a few gifts on the coffee table for you. you’ve studied hard the past few weeks for the exam you took a few days ago. namjoon was positive that you would pass, you were one of the smartest people in his eyes. he hummed as he cleaned then heard the front door creak and turned to see you and gave you a huge bear hug. “congrats! i’m so proud of you,” you held onto him and started to cry. he cocked his head then looked at you, realizing what happened. “oh baby, i’m so sorry. i love you so much and i don’t want you think this has an affect on anything.” he smiled softly and rubbed your back. “you’re still the smartest person i know,” you smiled softly and started to calm down. your eyes met with all of the things namjoon got you and he rubbed the back of his neck. “i’m sorry about all of this,” you shrugged. “was this because you thought i’d pass?” you looked at everything then at him. he nodded slightly “buuut we can still enjoy it, come over here before the food gets cold.”

➳ jimin

he hummed as he was in the kitchen making your favorite meal, he still remembers how stressful exams could be and wanted to make you feel better, no matter if you passed or failed. jimin was ready with both outcomes, he had ice cream and cuddles ready then prepared even more ice cream and cuddles if you didn’t get the results that you wanted. he heard the door open and smiled, “helloooo,” he had a melodious tone. he watched you mumbled a hello and walked to your room, changing into more comfortable clothes. he put dinner on plates and watched you come back out. “i’ll assume you didn’t get the best results,” he fixed your hair as you fought back sarcasm then nodded. “yeah, i failed, not even close to passing, i don’t understand how i could be so stupid!” he quickly hugged you. “you are not stupid, not one bit, now, let’s eat and cuddle a lot. i’ll make up for a stupid teacher who probably doesn’t know how to grade.” you smiled softly at his comment about your teacher and enjoyed his company for the rest of the night.

➳ taehyung

he lounged around the house waiting for you to come home. he had tissues ready just in case things didn’t go as planned. he helped you as much as he could but he never made you feel bad about grades. when you walked in you sighed and took a deep breath and placed the exam on the coffee table. “i don’t understand, this makes no sense to me, i studied everything and i somehow failed,” you sniffed as taehyung put his arm around you. “don’t worry babe, these grades aren’t the biggest thing in the world, look where i am now, it wasn’t because of some math exam but my true talents and that’s what matters,” he cupped your face as you sniffed. “i still don’t want to fail tae, i worked hard,” he nodded. “i know, and i know how frustrating it is but there will always be another opportunity,” he kissed your cheek as a soft smile spread on your face. “see that’s what i like to see,” he tickled your side a little as he smiled. “i love you no matter what, you’re always going to succeed,” he kissed you gently.

➳ jungkook

he helped you study as much as he could, not wanting to see you struggle. it brought back the stress of school to him as he went over possible exam questions. he stopped thinking as he heard the front door open, your eyes glossy as he already knew you just cried. “baby, it’s okay, grades aren’t everything, okay?” you sniffed. “i just worked so hard this whole week, i had you help me too and all i did is fail, i hate school, i hate exams,” you took a deep breath as you started to cry again and he dried your tears. “i know, i thought the same, just know you’re almost done,” you wiped your nose with the back of your hand. “it feels like there’s never an end,” he nodded and listened as you complained. he played with your hair and cuddled you. “i’m sorry, i ranted,” he shook his head and smiled softly. “never be sorry, all i want you to know and ti remember is that i’m proud of everything you’ve done and that i love you dearly,” you smiled softly as he kissed your temple. “how about we get some comfort food?”

It had been thanks to the calm and rational presence of his parents that he’d come to his senses, finally breaking down in his mother’s arms. He’d been surprisingly upbeat and cheerful about the whole pregnancy thing, and Eun-byeol was easily the light of his life. But he hadn’t realised that he’d built a pretty facade made of colourful sticks and ribbons, and that it took just the slightest movement of the earth to bring it all crashing down.

A talk with them had resulted in him applying for part time degrees instead of the full time like all his fellow high-schoolers. While his parents were willing to help him to a degree, they were not willing to let Jimin drop college out of his plans altogether, but neither did they have the time or money to support both their son and their granddaughter.

So he’d had to take up a job at his local supermarket, stacking shelves during his free time in order to bring in enough money to cover his college expenses and Eun-byeol’s needs. He would attend his classes dilligently, arranging his work around them while taking online classes when possible.

There had been many nights when he’d sat on his bed with a cranky child nestled in his arms as he tried to soothe her to sleep while also writing out papers or making study notes. He’d expected his social life to vanish when it had all begun, and yet his friends had proven him wrong time and time again.

Jimin’s best friend, Taehyung, had eschewed college in favour of apprenticing at a tattoo parlour where he’d met Jungkook. The high school dropout had a sweet demeanour and didn’t mind it when Jimin came to catch up with Tae, letting Eun-byeol play and colour in his tattoos with some non-permanent markers.

At college, he’d met Namjoon when he’d been required to take extra tutoring and the older boy had stepped up to teach Jimin. It had been a little bit of a stress to find someone who had been willing, as Jimin had been honest about not being able to stay at college to get the tutoring.

Instead, Namjoon had had to tutor him in Jimin’s living room while he became an impromtu babysitter. Eun-byeol had become particularly enamoured with him, poking the deep dimples in his cheeks whenever she got chance once she was old enough.

Hoseok had become a friend when Jimin’s parents had encouraged him to sign up to some dance classes at college. He’d been an incredibly gifted dancer in high school, with dreams of taking it on as a career. That had stalled once Eun-byeol arrived, but they wanted their son to have at least one physical outlet for the stress he experienced.

And so every Tuesday evening, Jimin made sure that he had neither any college classes nor shifts for two hours and he danced. He danced like his life hadn’t become derailed and sometimes, he would even pretend that he was living his dream life.

It was always broken however, whenever he’d turn around and see Hoseok sat with Eun-byeol in his lap as she would giggle and play with his fingers. Once she realised that daddy was looking at her, a squeal of excitement would be released and she would toddle her way over on unsteady legs.

The sight of his baby girl so excited for him always made his heart burst with warmth and fill with a sheer well of love that he wasn’t sure he’d ever reach the bottom of. And any thoughts or fantasies about an alternative life would vanish as he’d kneel down and wrap his arms around her tiny, fragile body and be embraced in turn.

His life had taken a turn, and it had become harder than he’d expected, yet he would never give Eun-byeol up. Jimin was oddly content with what he had. Parents who were supportive, friends who didn’t abandon him once they realised he came with a tiny little girl in tow, a slowly progressing college degree and most importantly, a little girl who looked at him like he’d put all the stars in the night sky for her personally.

No, he couldn’t be too angry with fate.

-

Watching intently as Eun-byeol climbs carefully off the bus, Jimin follows before crouching down to adjust her white cardigan. His little six-year-old girl had decided that she was going to dress herself lately, leading to the odd combination of lime green leggings, a blue skirt, yellow shirt and a white cardigan.

He’d had to bite his lip so hard to make sure he didn’t laugh out loud at her choices and instead had given her encouraging comments. If there was one thing Jimin didn’t want to do, it was destroy her confidence so young.

Therefore, she could wear whatever she wanted as long as she was actually wearing her clothes. And honestly, it didn’t look the worst and she was happy, therefore he was happy.

Running his fingers through her fringe affectionately, he gives her a big smile which she immediately responds with. His friends always found it adorable that she’d gained his smile, her eyes creasing to the point she almost couldn’t see like him and it always made his heart thud lovingly.

“Let’s go. Remember to be polite Eun-byeol, Uncle Taehyung and Uncle Jungkook are still working and it could be dangerous okay?” He warns her sternly, taking her hand as they begin to walk down the sidewalk. She lets out a murmur of acknowledgement, wide eyes looking into each storefront they passed.

It’d made him a little sad when he’d been in college, knowing that he couldn’t buy her all the toys that she wanted so badly and instead relying on his parents. Jimin had had to carefully budget out his money, putting aside savings for her college fund while buying his own necessary books and so forth.

But that could change now. He could, hopefully, finally give her the life that he believed she deserved.

The sight of the colourful sign that advertised the tattoo studio that his best friend worked at was soon visible and Eun-byeol immediately recognised it too, bouncing with each step. Jimin let out a chuckle at her vibrating excitement and let go of her hand, watching as she sprinted the short distance to the door.

She was a good girl though, and didn’t enter until he’d caught up with her. Pushing open the door, the low sound of rock music playing through the hidden speakers filled the air while the buzzing of tattoo guns fills the remaining empty space.

The loud laugh of Jungkook reverberates through one of the sectioned off rooms, separated by walls with a curtain on each as a door. Jimin knew that each tattoo artist designed their curtains to suit their personality, and each room was decorated however that artist wanted.

Still, Eun-byeol is gone and before Jimin can even say anything, she’s darting through Jungkook’s curtain. He cringes, hoping that Jungkook isn’t with a client but lets out a relieved sigh when he hears the usual cheer from his daughter.

She’s half in love with Jungkook or something and Jimin is beyond thankful that everyone at this studio is as chill as him. Taehyung had come here when he was 18 and had graduated to being a full time tattoo artist three years ago, deciding that college was not for him.

Jungkook was two years younger than Jimin and Taehyung, yet he’d already started his apprenticeship when Tae had joined. He hadn’t been allowed to actually tattoo anyone until he was 18, but he’d proven to be a popular artist who also ran a side job of photography alongside Tae.

Sometimes Jimin felt a little jealous of the two for having their lives sorted out so young, whereas Jimin was still scrambling to get an idea of what to to do with himself. He’d had to give up his dreams of being a dancer and had instead take a degree with a major in sports therapy and a minor in nutrition.

Still, he was proud of his best friend for wanting something and going for it, even when his parents had disapproved. And now, he was going to reap the benefits of his friendship with the two.

Hearing the sound of Eun-byeol laughing, Taehyung soon appeared in the hallway with an excited smile. The younger man had been upset for Jimin when he’d found out about his ex’s pregnancy, but ecstatic when Eun-byeol was born. He really loved kids, and absolutely doted on Jimin’s daughter.

Catching sight of Jimin though, the red headed man broke out into his familiar boxy grin as he let out a loud yell and walked over, arms outstretched for a hug. Laughing, Jimin hugged him back tightly as Taehyung squeezed him to the point he almost couldn’t breath.

“Jiminie!!! Our college grad has finally come to grace us with a visit!” He teases, pulling back and chuckling as Jimin’s cheeks flush pink. “I’m kidding. Congrats man, seriously. I know you worked hard for that. Have you got any interviews or anything? Why are you here?”

“Well...you said that once I graduated that I should get a tattoo to commemorate it. So...here I am. I’m scheduled and everything.” Jimin points at the computer that sits at the empty reception desk, causing Taehyung’s eyes to grow almost comically wide.

“Oh shit! I didn’t even look. You’re not on my schedule I don’t think?” He heads over and sits at the desk, shifting the mouse and leaning forward while squinting. Jimin leans on the barrier that gives the desk some privacy and smiles fondly as he watches his best friend.

He’s known Taehyung since they were 5, when they’d met during playtime and Taehyung had been knocked over by a bully. Jimin had spent five minutes consoling the crying boy before becoming fast friends once they’d started playing and had never looked back.

Taehyung was the whimsical to Jimin’s groundedness, the dreams to his reality and he wasn’t really sure what he would have done without him. Over the last few years, Taehyung’s tan skin had slowly become more and more colourful with bright and vivid tattoos scrolling their way up his arms.

He was now at the point where he had two full sleeves and a series of tattoos on his chest, the tips just visible at the edge of his shirt. Two lip rings also sat on either side of his mouth, which he chewed when he was feeling emotional and a whole multitude of rings adorned his ears.

Jimin idly wondered sometimes whether it was necessary to be absolutely covered in tattoos to be a tattoo artist, but he guessed it probably came with the territory. It fascinated Eun-byeol anyway, causing him great amusement when she tried to tattoo Jimin with her non-permanent markers.

A few taps of the keyboard and Taehyung is humming, resting his chin on a hand adorned with rings before he glances up at Jimin. “You’re not on my schedule, or Jungkook’s. You’re actually on Y/N’s. She’s pretty new but good, I swear. I wouldn’t let me bestie get tattooed by anyone else!”

“Oh, okay. I want that design that you did for me ages ago...if you still have it?” Jimin drags his fingers through his dark hair, a habit he’d picked up in high school and had never gotten rid of. He watches quietly as Taehyung’s eyes widen before he’s soon following behind his tall, broad shouldered friend to his work area.

Tae’s curtain is some abstract art that he’d spray painted one evening while over at Jimin’s, the fumes possibly getting both of them accidentally high. It was pretty, even if Jimin had no idea what was going on in it. But then again, he wasn’t an artist.

Inside Taehyung work area is the station he works at, full of ink and the tattooing gun that was currently silent, along with the black leather chair that many people had sat in while having their skin inked. It smelt like vanilla inside, and Jimin knew it was because of the air freshener that Taehyung used.

Might not seem very rock n roll, but Tae liked the scent and thought it was clean and calming. He never had any complaints from customers, so it probably worked. Otherwise, the walls were covered in replica paintings from some of Taehyung’s favourite artists while the shelves were filled with pop culture toys and figurines.

Leaning against the doorway, Jimin watched quietly as Taehyung rifled through his multiple binders, throwing them onto the floor while he sat cross legged and flicked through them. “I put it in one of these. Which is helpful, I know.” He looks up with a sardonic expression, causing Jimin to laugh.

Sitting down next to his best friend, Jimin grabs one of the binders and begins to browse through them. These were Taehyung’s holy bible’s of tattooing, where all his sketches and drawings went. Sometimes people weren’t feeling very inspired by the drawings on the walls outside, and so instead he would let them look through these.

The two look through them together, binder after binder ending up stacked one on top of the other while they make casual comments to each other not only about the drawings but also life. It was nice, Jimin thought to himself, hanging out with Tae like this and feeling like they were 18 again and just talking crap.

His thoughts are broken though by the high pitched bubble of laughter from further down, the sound soft, light and full of a happiness that made his heart clench tightly in a swelling of love and affection. Taehyung watched him quietly with a smile, pushing his ridiculous looking glasses up his nose.

“You know, I love kids and I’m fully aware that I’m not ready for them yet. But watching the way you react to her makes me want one now.” He muses, making a soft noise of triumph as he finds the sheet with the drawing he’d made for Jimin long ago.

Jimin takes the drawing for him and looks down at it slightly reverently, running his fingertips along the outline. “What do you mean?” He asks absentmindedly, already looking out the door.

“You get this smile on your face, I can’t describe it properly. It’s just like...happiness and pride and love all mixed together when you look at her or hear her. I don’t think I can really explain it as I’ve not experienced it.” Taehyung says as he stands up, leading Jimin back out.

The two of them stand at the entrance to Jungkook’s work area, his own curtain an ode to the mighty Avengers while his space was just dominated by pop culture. Eun-byeol is sat next to Jungkook on a stool, as still as a statue watching Jungkook carefully while his hands move the tattooing gun over his client.

You’re already exceptionally tattooed with your arms covered in colourful Disney designs that merge into one another and dance through scenes he recognises. A white vest top lets him see the watercolour style tattoos that grace your chest, and he finds it almost fascinating to consider tattoos graceful.

He’s used to the bluntness of Taehyung’s and Jungkook’s, vibrant and colourful to the degree that it was almost in your face. Yours, however, are almost tasteful and pretty.

Frowning slightly as Eun-byeol leans even closer, accidentally knocking Jungkook’s free arm, Jimin walks in and rests a hand on his daughter’s head. “Eun-byeol, remember what I said! Be careful!”

Jungkook looks up at Jimin’s words, surprise written all over his face at the interruption before he glances down to the little girl by his side with a bunny smile. “Oh, it’s fine. She’s not doing any harm, I didn’t even notice her in honesty.”

Jimin flushes slightly as he looks at you, bowing his head. “I’m sorry if you’re uncomfortable with my daughter here. I can take her out?” He offers with an awkward smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

You look from him to Eun-byeol with a quirked brow before a smile takes over. “Oh wow, yeah I can see it now. You’re right Jungkook, they do look so similar.” Jungkook grins at that, nodding his head while he wipes away the excess ink before sitting back and tugging off his black gloves.

“Told you. Spitting image, just in little girl form. It’s almost weird right?” He laughs, running a hand through his hair and completely messing up the dark strands. Jimin looks between the two of you with a frown, wondering why you both seem overly familiar with each other.

You couldn’t be dating, unless Taehyung had suddenly become acceptable to polyamory.

Upon seeing Jimin’s confused expression, Taehyung lets out a giggle as he crouches in front of Eun-byeol and makes funny faces at her. “This is your tattoo artist for today. She started the other month if you remember me telling you?”

Almost immediately Jimin’s mouth turns into a little ‘o’ and the reasoning behind the closeness of Jungkook and you becomes apparent. His cheeks burn red with embarrassment, causing him to cough and look around awkwardly.

“Sorry. I forgot and just...yeah.” He looks down at Eun-byeol as she stands next to you, running her little fingers over your colourful tattoos with an awed gasp. Looking up at him, he groans internally as he sees those pretty eyes turn big and puppy like.

“Daddy, can I get a tattoo?” She asks, lips pouting adorably and body shifting into a slightly begging position. Looking up at the ceiling, he lets out a deep exhale as he tries hard to ignore the expression his daughter is giving him.

She’d worked out when she was only three years old what expressions worked on Jimin to make him give her whatever she wanted. It was hard, and he’d had to gain an iron like will to say no to her.

As much as he liked to spoil her, he had to draw lines somewhere. And letting your six year old daughter get tattooed was a firm line.

“Eun-byeol. You’re six sweetie, way too young. Ask me again in twelve years and I might give you a different answer.” Who was he kidding? In twelve years time, he’d probably have to fight Jungkook and Taehyung away when they want the honour of giving her her first tattoo.

She gives him the most adorable pout that has him internally ‘awwing’ at her, but externally all he does is grin. Eun-byeol is at the age where she doesn’t like her daddy doing stuff like that, getting all embarrassed and ignoring him in public.

He didn’t like her ignoring him though, even if it was just a fit of childish emotions. While part of him remained amused, another part worried for the future years when she’d likely turn on him in her teenage angst.

Still, he crouched down next to her and gently pulled her hand away from your arm with a soft smile to you. “How about you ask Uncle Jungkook if he can make pretty pictures for you to colour in?”

She gasps immediately, beautiful brown eyes going wide and his heart swells at the sight of her excitement. Turning those big eyes on Jungkook, Jimin watches as the young man practically melts at the sight of those puppy eyes being focused on him like laser beams.

He doesn’t even resist, grabbing his sketch pad and pulling out a black Sharpie pen from the pot of markers he keeps on the little desk near him. “Come on then princess. Let’s make a comic, yeah? What do you think the plot should be? A princess getting saved from a dragon...or a princess saving the prince from a dragon?”

Jimin laughs softly as he stands back up, looking back at Tae who watches his partner with a fond smile. You stand up from the chair and place a hand on Jungkook’s shoulder, whispering your thanks into his ear before heading out of his work area.

Turning to him, you gesture for Jimin to follow you as you head over to the work area alongside Taehyung’s. The curtain here has been painted with gothic styled Disney princesses, which Jimin is glad that Eun-byeol didn’t see as she’d have wanted to take it home and put it on her bedroom wall.

She was firmly in a Disney phase, and he’d had to enlist the help of both his tattoo artist friends to create a mural of Disney characters on one wall while painting the other three walls solid colours of pink, yellow and white.

It was cute looking, and he had no doubt that she’d probably love it for the next year or two until she decided she liked something else. Jimin was just personally glad that she’d gotten over her Peppa Pig phase.

He actually liked Disney films, unlike the talking pig programme.

Inside the area, he found himself in slight awe at just how damn pretty and aesthetic everything was. Fairy lights were strung up around the small space while a cute Totoro inspired lamp sat on your desk. Pokemon plushies sat in the corner alongside Pusheen and Ryan while the walls had been painted to appear like an enchanted forest.

“Wow.” He said without even meaning to, eyes looking up at the elegant light that fit in with everything else in the workspace. It was quite possibly one of the most beautiful spaces he’d seen, and he was already getting ideas for Eun-byeol’s room in the future.

“Yeah, it’s the best work area huh? Y/N went all out in here. Kind of jealous.” Taehyung laughed, standing just outside with one arm against the doorway. Jimin nods slowly before he sits on the chair that you direct him to, watching as you look over the tattoo design with curiosity.

“This is nice Tae, I think it’ll look good.” You muse quietly, lifting it up to look at Jimin with a raised brow. Smiling at him suddenly, you reach out with one hand and he takes it firmly, enjoying the way your skin is oddly smooth against his. He was expecting it to be rough for some reason.

“I’m Y/N, as they said. I believe I need to treat you well otherwise Tae will sabotage my room correct?” You tease with a mischievous smile, eyes glinting as you look at the tall man who holds his hands out.

“Hey, I’m just saying. Treat him very well. This is his graduation present! My boy finally graduated college!” Taehyung’s signature boxy smile appears again before he’s pushing his red hair out of his face and saying his goodbyes, exiting as he hears someone come in through the front door.

The tiny space is quiet for a moment and Jimin just watches you, finally taking in your features now that you’re both alone. You’re pretty, very pretty with makeup that tells him you probably have a very steady hand. Helpful, when being a tattoo artist.

He idly wonders if he’ll need to learn how to do makeup for Eun-byeol before his eyes wander back to the colourful works of art on your own skin. “I like your tattoos. They’re very nice.” Jimin says without even realising, cheeks flushing a soft pink once his softly spoken words register.

Smiling at him, you thank him before gesturing to his body. “Where am I putting this?”

For a moment he freezes, before remembering where he was going to have it placed. Once more, his cheeks redden with embarrassment and he wonders if it’s a dumb place to have a tattoo. “Errr, on my chest. Over...my...you know.” He stutters over the words and Jimin wants to slap himself, wondering why he’s suddenly so shy about it.

Probably because he thought he’d be getting tattooed by Taehyung or Jungkook, who’ve seen him shirtless countless times and not an incredibly pretty woman with an astonishing workspace that lets him know you have a whimsical and kind nature and who also has incredibly beautiful hands.

Why was he thinking about your hands?

Oh, because he was staring at them as you photocopy the design and print it out onto thin paper, hands reaching for a pen.

“Okay, shirt off then please. I’ll position it for you and you can let me know if it’s acceptable for you, then if it is we can start?” You say methodically, not a hint of interest in him and he almost pouts. Shaking his head, he mentally tells himself to chill out.

Tugging off his shirt, he folds it carefully and places it to the side before sitting in front of you with fidgeting hands. Maybe it’s because he hasn’t got laid in the last year. He was too busy for that, and now suddenly he had free time.

Well, he would have free time once he got a full time job. His evenings would hopefully finally be free for him to spend more time with Eun-byeol, and he wondered if it was pathetic that he was oddly excited for that.

You lean forward and place the sheet against his chest, the touch of your fingers against him causing him to shiver slightly and he prays to anyone who is listening that he won’t get an accidental boner or something.

“Is this good?” You lift up a mirror and let him see the position, giving him a sweet smile when he gives his nod of acknowledgement. As you begin to transfer the tattoo to his skin, ready for you to actually begin the tattoo itself, you start to talk to him.

“So...why this tattoo then?” Once it’s transferred, he approves it again before laying back on the chair and listening to the tattoo gun start up while you snap on black gloves. It’s oddly attractive, and he’s rueing his wild hormones right now.

Swallowing thickly, he licks his plush lips before letting his head drop back against the leather of the chair. “Erm, it’s one Taehyung drew up ages ago. He thought it was too girly but...I like it. It’s err...it’s for my daughter.”

Humming quietly, he watches as you dip the gun into black ink before resting a hand against his chest, letting him know that it might hurt a little. He nods and winces slightly at the sting once you begin to tattoo, letting out a deep breath slowly.

“It’s pretty thought. Is there a specific reason for the stars?” The tattoo that Taehyung had drawn years ago was an elegant heart, only half of it was made up of shining, tiny stars while the other half was just a swooping outline of a heart. It was simple, and probably feminine to most guys but he’d felt a strong response to it immediately.

“Yeah. Her name means silver star and erm, she’s the most important thing in my life and at the risk of sounding super cheesy, she’s my heart. She’s what keeps me going even when things get tough. So...I vowed that once I finally graduated, I’d get the tattoo for her over my heart so she’ll always know that she’s permanently there.” You can’t help the quiet ‘aww’ that leaves your throat and he smiles at it slightly.

“That’s adorable. Seriously. At the risk of me prying, why are you only just graduating? I’m guessing you’re the same age as Taehyung so, did you defer or something?” He can hear the confusion in your voice and presumes there’s also probably the bubbling question of ‘why do you have a daughter so young?”.

It’s a common question he gets, though he’s thankfully got over any annoyance he used to have towards it.

“I had to go part time, so it took me longer than it would’ve done normally. Erm, I had Eun-byeol when I was only 18 and...I mean.” He struggles suddenly, wondering if he should suddenly spill this out to you even though he’s known you all of ten minutes. Jimin normally doesn’t go into the reasoning behind his late graduation, but he figures you’ll probably find out bits anyway working here so you may as well know.

“Eun-byeol’s mom left us when she was a baby and it kinda threw my life plans...actually no it detonated my life plans. I’d already shifted them for her arrival, but I couldn’t go to college full time when I became her sole parent. So I did it part time, and I worked in between classes. Taehyung and Jungkook have done a lot of babysitting.” He jokes, lips turning up into a grin that has you smiling despite the frown of concentration on your face.

“That’s nice of them. But...well I don’t want to comment on your life. I think you’ve done well and congratulations on finally graduating. And Eun-byeol is a sweetheart. She’s very polite you know. Came barrelling in shouting for Jungkook but as soon as she saw me she apologised and asked if she could stay. I’ve not spent long with her, but I think you’ve probably done good.” You say the words casually, completely unaware of how much it means to him.

Almost immediately, pride swells up in his chest at how good his daughter had been with a stranger and the fact that she’d been polite enough to have her manners commented on. It also makes his eyes fill and he has to look away, blinking rapidly in embarrassment.

There were a lot of people who thought Jimin had made a mistake, keeping the baby with his ex. There had been even more people who’d thought Jimin would make a terrible dad, and had lamented the fact he’d become a single dad.

It always got him a little emotional when people complimented his parenting skills and told him how good his daughter was as a result.

He coughs deeply before licking his lips. “Thanks. That...I try. She’s a good kid. I don’t think I could wish for better.” Jimin looked down at his the tattoo so far, smiling to himself. “I hope she knows how much I love her.”

You giggle at that, the sound soft and gentle like the water that bubbles throw his mom’s fountain in the garden and he finds himself relaxing at it, just watching the way tiny micro-expressions dance across your face as you work.

“Oh I think she does. And I hope you know how much she loves you. I think every other word out of her mouth was ‘daddy’.” Your eyes flick up to him while you work, head not moving and he has to let out a shaky exhale at how sexy he finds that look. What’s wrong with him?

“Well...it’s just me and her. I mean, I still live with my parents but...you get what I mean.” Nodding slowly, you let out a hum as you finish up, wiping away the excess ink and he looks down in surprise that it’s already done. It wasn’t exactly the most intricate tattoo in the world but he’d been under the illusion that it would take longer.

Maybe it’s just because Taehyung talks so much that he thought that.

“Okay, you’re all done. Look okay?” The mirror is shown to him again and he looks over it with a smile, nodding appreciatively. You give him a reciprocative smile before you go through the proceedings following a tattoo, telling him what he should do to make sure his tattoo remains healthy.

He listens eagerly, eyes scanning over the length of your body whenever you turn before diverting his gaze when you turn around. Only he misses the cues the last time and ends up catching your eyes from where his own had been focused on your ass.

Almost immediately he swallows before looking down, redness spreading over his face and neck at being caught. For god’s sake, you’re Taehyung and Jungkook’s work colleague. Seriously, is he this hard up to get laid? He hadn’t even thought about it, but apparently his sub conscious had been.

You say nothing though, a tiny smirk kicking the corner of your lips before your eyes drag down his unclothed chest and stomach when he’s not looking. Reaching for his shirt, Jimin tugs it back over while wincing slightly at the sting of his freshly inked skin before smoothing over any wrinkles.

Anything that might be said vanishes though when Taehyung suddenly appears again, a bright smile on his face as he leans against the entrance casually. “All done? Go well? No pain right?” The questions pepper Jimin immediately and he sighs with a nod.

“Yeah, went fine. Y/N is very good.” Jimin smiles at her almost shyly, eyes flickering over before skittering away. Taehyung watches the almost awkward interaction between the two with a tiny frown before his face opens up with realisation.

“Cool, come on and we’ll grab princess. I think Jungkook’s drawn her like...an entire comic by now.” The red haired man chuckles before disappearing, causing Jimin to be left in the small area with just you.

Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, he lets out a slightly strained laugh before giving a tiny bow of his head. “Thanks for doing this. I really appreciate it.”

You laugh lightly as you follow him out, heading out to the reception area where Jungkook has Eun-byeol on his back while she shrieks out a giggle. “It’s fine. It’s my job. I always like tattooing when there’s a reason for them and not just because they want something dumb. Not that there’s anything wrong with that you know.”

Nodding, he heads over to his daughter and grins broadly at her excited face. She spots him immediately and holds her arms out to him, revealing the childish drawings she’d evidently decided to do on her arms. Jimin can’t help but give a slightly disapproving look to Jungkook, his face going sheepish as he shrugs.

“Daddy! Uncle Jungkook says you got a tattoo? Can I see?” She asks with excitement, dropping to the floor carefully before running over and grasping his wrist tightly. Jimin looks down at his little girl with a smile, shaking his head apologetically.

“Not right now, it’s got to be covered up because it’s a little sore. When it’s okay, I’ll let you see okay?” He says, causing her lips to jut out in a tiny pout. He’s certainly not letting her get her way this time though.

“Anyway, we’ve got to go home now. Grandma is making your favourite, budae-jjigae.” He entices, knowing that it’s her favourite meal at the moment. She seems to go through phases with food lately, and right now she’ll only accept vegetables if it’s in other things such as stews and such.

Sure enough, her eyes light up with excitement and she lets out a squeal. “Can Uncle Taehyung and Uncle Jungkook come too?” She asks, running back over and standing between them while she grasps their hands. He looks at the two with exasperation, only to note their equally pouting and pleading expressions.

His mom’s cooking is perhaps a little bit famous amongst his friends, and he sighs quietly as he pulls out his phone. As he unlocks it and prepares to call his mom, he suddenly pauses and looks over at you slightly awkwardly.

“Errm...do you want to come too? I don’t want you to feel left out.” He knew that he was the last client of the day, so it felt a little rude to exclude you so openly. Your arms cross over, causing your chest to push out slightly and he has to look away quickly before he accidentally gives himself away but he’s unaware of the smirk Taehyung gives.

Before you can even say anything, he blurts out. “She would love to. Don’t argue, you know as well as me that you’d just be going home to eat ramyeon in front of the television. Netflix can wait, you need to try Jimin’s mom’s food. It’s to die for.”

Jimin watching quietly as you pause, hesitation flickering over your face before you look over at him. Your eyes meet across the room, and he’s not even sure what he’s thinking but his eyes must be pleading as you let out a tiny sigh and nod. “Okay, sure. If it’s not imposing...thanks.”

He says nothing, simply nodding his head in response and giving a tiny smile before calling his mom to let her know about the new visitors.

-

The dinner at home was only slightly awkward, with his mom cooing over Jungkook and Taehyung as usual. He was pretty sure that his mom considered Taehyung to be a second son given how much time he spent over at the house during high school.

It also pleased her that Tae hadn’t abandoned him when Eun-byeol was born, and had continued to be a presence in not only Jimin’s life but had been active in Eun-byeol’s too. She was awfully protective of his little girl, and Jimin was thankful to have parents who had been as accepting as his had been.

Jungkook had become a fourth son when they’d met him, and Jimin was half convinced his mother was actually in love with him or something. Every time she saw him, she’d comment on how much of a handsome young man he was growing into, squeezing his cheeks and admiring his physique that seemed to continuously build up.

It actually kind of amused him as Jungkook would always go red in the face, licking his lips and mumbling his thanks to her. He’d been worried that Jungkook felt awkward about it, until Taehyung had let slip one slightly drunken night that Jungkook had the biggest crush on his mom.

That had been slightly horrifying to find out, but it had quickly evolved into pure amusement at the younger man’s awkwardness around her. There was quite evidently nothing going to happen there, with Jimin’s mom being happily married and Jungkook content with Taehyung but it was still funny.

Sure enough, their arrival home had resulted in Eun-byeol shrieking her hello’s before running down the hallway to find her grandmother. All four of them had kicked off their shoes and Jimin had found a spare pair of house shoes for you to wear before he’d directed everyone into the wide and spacious living room.

It was his childhood home, and he was glad to still be able to to live here. His younger brother had moved out in his second year of college, opting to stay where he was instead of coming home. It had meant that they’d been able to turn his room into Eun-byeol’s room, allowing his little girl to have her own space instead of sharing a room with her dad.

Everyone got situated around the area with Taehyung sitting on the couch with Jungkook on the floor between his legs, you sat next to him while Jimin had his usual armchair free. Before he could even say anything though, Eun-byeol ran back into the room with his mom following closely after her with a tray of drinks in her hands.

Immediately Jimin was up, taking the tray from her with a grateful smile while he handed out the drinks to everyone. The peppermint tea went to Taehyung while Jungkook had a glass of banana milk, matching Eun-byeol’s own glass. A cup of green tea went to you, Jimin tried to ignore the jolt of electricity he felt when your hands brushed, while he had a cup of perfectly coloured coffee.

“TaeTae, it’s been so long!” His mom coos, moving forward and cupping his face in her hands. He gives her a sweet smile, eyes creasing as his cheeks lift in a happy smile while he tilts his head for her to look over him. “Oh, you look so handsome with red hair. It makes your skin glow.”

He preens slightly at that, causing Jimin to chuff out a laugh as he holds his cup to his mouth. She moves onto Jungkook then, leaning down to pat his cheeks. “You’re getting thin Jungkook. Are you eating well?” Motherly concern is evident in her voice and he watches Jungkook’s eyes get a little starry while he nods.

“Yes, I’m just working out a bit more. Losing all that baby fat finally.” He laughs, running a hand over his cheeks almost self-consciously. She continues to look at him for a moment seriously before nodding and letting him go, patting his head lightly before turning her attention to you.

Brows rising, she looks you over and Jimin suddenly feels a moment of anxiety take over. She’s always been fine with tattoos, it’s kind of hard not to with Taehyung and Jungkook, but he’s never brought a girl home since his ex and he’s definitely never brought a tattooed girl home.

Jimin’s standing by the fireplace as he watches you stand up suddenly, hands twisting nervously while you give a small bow to her and introduce yourself. His mom is quiet as she scans you head to toe and Jimin feels the need to say something.

Placing his cup on the table, he moves forward and gives his mom a sweet smile. “She’s the one who did my tattoo today. It’s good mom, I think you’ll like it. Aren’t her tattoos cool? I think Eun-byeol is in love with them because they’re all Disney.”

At his words, his daughter runs over to the box of toys that they keep in the living room. She’s supposed to keep it tidy for everyone else, and he even has a chart on the fridge to monitor her good behaviour or if she does chores. For every one she does, she’s supposed to get a sticker and once she’s reached 50 stickers, she gets a toy.

Looking around the living room though, he grimaces when he sees the mess that’s thrown about the floor. Dolls are strewn under the glass coffee table while a pile of books is tipped haphazardly on top of the table itself. Fancy dress clothing lies in a pile next to the television and he quietly begins to clean up, ears heating at how messy it is.

Groaning quietly, he watches as she pulls out her Disney dolls before running back over to you. “Eun-byeol,” He whispers exasperatedly. “You’ve already got dolls out.”

She ignores him though and climbs up onto your lap when you sit back down, thrusting Belle and Mulan into your face. They’re her favourite princesses, although she’s particularly partial to Moana as well.

He was well versed in ‘You’re Welcome’ by now.

Still, it was better than when she was in her Frozen phase. If he had to hear Do You Wanna Build A Snowman one more time…

You don’t complain though, instead welcoming her onto your lap with a shy glance towards Jimin to make sure it’s okay. He gives a small nod as he picks up his daughter’s mess, putting it all away under the watchful gaze of his mom.

Any conversation that his mom and you might have dies as you focus your attention on his daughter as she chatters away happily and shows off her dolls. He watches closely as your arm wraps around her tiny waist, keeping her steady while you smile and make all the appropriate noises at all the right places.

And it makes his heart feel funny.

Frowning slightly, he rubs at his chest before dragging his gaze away, dropping the lid of the box before heading into the kitchen. The smell of the jjigae is stronger in here and his stomach growls in hunger, but he just stands at the counter and stares out at the small garden that’s fenced in out front.

It’s with a painful swallow that he realises the reason he feels so strange watching you with his daughter. As much as he tries to provide for her and make sure she’s happy, Eun-byeol has been surrounded by men almost her entire life. The only female presence she ever has in her personal life is his mom, or Taehyung’s mom.

To see a woman his own age, the age her own mom would be, holding her and engaging with her makes him feel a multitude of emotions that he can’t describe or explain properly. But it makes him think, makes him wonder.

He doesn’t notice that his mom and Tae have come into the room until he feels a hand against his shoulder. Jumping slightly, he looks back and sees the welcoming comfort of his mom’s face. She smiles at him softly and he notes Taehyung giving him an equally reassuring smile as well.

“Are you okay? You looked a little...spooked in there.” She asks him comfortingly, hand stroking soothingly and he sighs quietly, letting his head drop forward and looking out through his dark fringe.

“I’m okay. I just...I don’t know.” Neither of them say anything for a moment before his mom pulls away, going over to the jjigae and giving it a stir with a knowing smile.

“She’s very pretty Jimin. And she’s got lovely manners.” She says lightly, her tone far too neutral to actually be innocent. He leans back against the counter and crosses his arms protectively, wincing slightly at the sting of his new tattoo.

Taehyung does the same opposite him, smirking at his best friend as he looks out through those god awful glasses. “She is isn’t she? We’ve been working with her for a little while now. Lovely girl and really talented. Single too. And she loves kids.”

Jimin looks at him dryly before looking at his mother with a raised brow. “You are not being even slightly subtle here, you know that?” He sighs out, shaking his head before going into the cupboards and grabbing the placemats. Gesturing to where the plates are kept, he indicates for Taehyung to start helping him as they both set the table.

“We’re not trying to be subtle Jimin. In fact, we’re trying to be as unsubtle as possible actually. I saw the way you were looking at her at the studio, not to mention the way she was looking at you. She obviously likes Eun-byeol...it might be worth giving it a try.” Taehyung says casually, keeping his voice low enough so that it won’t drift out to the living room.

Not that it matters, as he can already hear Moana blaring out from the surround sound system. He can’t help but chuckle when he hears Jungkook start singing along with Eun-byeol, his voice almost as soft and light as his daughters.

“He’s right Jiminie. And I’m not saying that because I think Eun-byeol needs a mother, you know that I think you’re doing fine on your own. But because I think you need that kind of relationship in your life. It’s been over six years darling, I think you can let yourself open up to someone.” His mom says, coming over as she begins to place bowls of banchan around the table.

Jimin says nothing for a moment, lowering his head as he places the cutlery. “I don’t know. I mean, I’ve just finished college and now I need to find a job and you know Eun-byeol-” He gets cut off by Taehyung though.

“Exactly. You’ve finished college and are going to get a full time job. That means that you’re going to have free time. Free time that you could use to maybe have a relationship. She’s a good person Jimin. I wouldn’t suggest this and try to hook you up if she wasn’t. I think you should at least try maybe.” He says.

Jimin bites at his lip and shrugs, unsure of how to respond. He doesn’t get to say anything more though as his mom calls out to the house and brings over the bubbling pot of jjigae, placing it down in the middle of the table.

He’s soon busy with setting Eun-byeol up, placing a towel over her lap to get any spills she might make while putting the food she asks for on her plate. She’s getting to the age where she starting to want to do this herself now, but he still wants to do it for as long as she’ll let him.

Given he’s so busy with his daughter, he doesn’t notice the fond smile you’re giving him from across the table but the others do. He also doesn’t notice the conspiratorial looks that get thrown around between them.

“So Y/N, are you the same age as Jimin and Taehyung? How did you get into tattooing?” His mom asks, causing Jimin to freeze before he shifts his gaze to her, eyes narrowing in a glare. You pause, jerking away from watching him to look at the older woman, taking in her short black hair that’s streaked with strands of grey.

He can’t help but be interested in what you say, ears metaphorically perking up as he waits to hear the response. Dammit, he shouldn’t let them win but he can’t help it. You’re pretty and interesting and you treat his daughter well. He’s a simple man nowadays.

“Oh, yeah I think so. At least, Tae said I am. I was born February though. And I always liked drawing and that kind of stuff. I went to art school for two years but dropped out when I realised it wasn’t for me. Took up an apprenticeship at my local tattoo studio and then joined Tae and Jungkook’s a few months ago.” You say with a smile, slurping a spoonful of jjigae and letting out a pleased sound as the taste hits your tongue.

“Ooooh, you’re older than them both then. Taehyung just slipped into the year, he’s the very end of December. My Jiminie here is an October baby.” His mom gushes with a bright smile, face lighting up and Jimin has to roll his eyes to prevent himself from saying anything out loud.

Eun-byeol interrupts the conversation suddenly, butting in with her childlike innocence. “I’m an October baby too. Daddy’s birthday is five days before mine!” She says with a grin before carefully taking a piece of kimchi between her chopsticks. He watches carefully to make sure she’s okay with it before taking a piece of bacon from the pot and stuffing it into his mouth.

“Oh really? That’s so cute. Do you and your daddy have joint birthday parties then?” You ask with a bright smile, eyes lighting up as you focus solely on his daughter. He wants to groan at how beautiful you look and frankly, he also wants to whine at the fact you’re hitting all the points that turn him on nowadays.

There’s just something about being nice and welcoming to his daughter that really gets him.

“No, daddy doesn’t really do anything for his birthday. He says that it’s my birthday week and that’s what’s important.” He flushes at the look you give him then, but he’s not really sure what to say. Jimin hasn’t felt like celebrating his own birthday in recent years, instead focusing his time and attention onto Eun-byeol.

You lean forward and give her a small smile before stage whispering. “I think maybe this year, you should plan a party for your daddy. He might like that.” You finish with a wink before looking back at him with a smile that turns into a smirk at his raised brow.

Almost immediately Eun-byeol is gasping before her head is nodding, a serious look on her face that makes him want to laugh. “Yeah! Grandma, can we make a party for daddy? We can bake cakes for him. Daddy likes chocolate cake.” She informs you with an informative nod and Jimin really can’t stop himself from laughing.

Taehyung is giggling too and he leans forward as well, causing his daughter to look over. “Sounds great princess. We’ll help you right?” He elbows Jungkook who nods, eyes wide as his cheeks puff with food.

The sight makes everyone laugh while Taehyung aw’s, leaning over to press a soft kiss against one of those puffy cheeks. Almost immediately, said cheek turns pink as Jungkook looks down at the table and Jimin smiles at them both.

Looking back he catches eyes with you and there’s what can only be described as a moment that passes between the two of you. It’s not caught by anyone else, but he feels oddly buoyant and excited as he looks back down at his plate, grasping his glass of water and taking a big gulp.

The rest of the meal passes by much the same, with casual and easy banter flowing between everyone and inquisitive questions from his mom. By the time it’s over, Jimin knows a wealth of information about you, including that you moved here from the next city over and your parents only live a half hour car journey away.

He also knows that you were a studious person in high school, something he can relate to, and that you were contemplating going back to college and doing night classes in business management. It was apparently your dream to perhaps own your own tattoo studio, something which devolved into fervent discussions with Taehyung and Jungkook who had the same dream.

Jimin had the impression that one day in the future, he’d be going into a tattoo studio that was owned by all three of them. Honestly, he thought they’d make pretty good business owners.

He also found out that you had no pets and no siblings, with your parents unable to conceive anymore. Given you’d only just moved here, you hadn’t had time to get any pets but were contemplating perhaps getting a cat.

Which just set off an entire conversation with Eun-byeol, who was pretty desperate to get a dog. The apologetic grimace you’d sent Jimin once you’d realised it was a topic that came up frequently had amused him, even if he’d had to distract his daughter from the idea of a puppy.

There was plenty of other stuff he found out during the meal, even once they’d scraped every inch of their plates and bowls clean and simply sat there with full stomachs, in a blissful food coma from his mom’s phenomenal cooking.

He wished he could say that he could cook as well as her, but he’d be lying. Jimin wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to leave his mom’s house purely based on her cooking alone. It was blissful.

You had the same opinion it seemed, asking if you could get the recipe for the jjigae you’d just eaten while also telling her some of your own twists on your favourite recipes. He’d sat back with Eun-byeol napping in his lap as he watched his mother and you talk animatedly, unaware of the satisfied smirk Taehyung was giving him from across the table.

It was only when night had finally fallen that his guests decided to make a move and made motions of leaving. Eun-byeol had been transferred to the sofa for now, fast asleep and Jimin knew that he’d regret that decision to let her sleep later on in the night. But for now, he just let her as she obviously needed it.

Taehyung and Jungkook offered to drive you back to your place, so he watched as they hugged his mom and gave him a quick hug before heading out to their car. You were saying your own goodbyes to his mom before she left, patting his arm with raised brows that were giving him a forceful silent message while she told him that she’d start to sort Eun-byeol out for the night.

He exhaled deeply once left alone with you, giving you a shy smile while his hand came up to run through his hair. “Thanks again, for the tattoo today. And for coming here. It was nice. And thanks for playing with Eun-byeol. I really appreciate it.”

Wow, he was just amazing at social interactions. There was no wonder he had a non-existent line of women for him.

You smile at him, pretty lips turning up in an expression that makes his stomach flutter with a thousand tiny butterflies. “Can I get your number?” He blurts out suddenly before cringing, covering half of his face with his palm as he looks anywhere but your bright eyes.

A soft peal of laughter escapes you and he watches with fascination as your body shakes with the movement. He’d be offended that you were laughing at him, except that your hand is pressed reassuringly to his bicep.

It feels like his entire body’s awareness is centred firmly on where your warm palm presses to his skin and his mouth feels dry.

“Okay Jimin,” You take his phone when he offers it and he watches your elegant fingers tap at the screen, your own phone chiming as you text yourself. Handing it back, you give him a slightly mischievous smile. “Text me okay? And...I’d like to take you for coffee if you’d let me one day. Either on your own or with Eun-byeol, I’m not bothered.”

He’s left stunned at your words, jaw dropping as he gapes and his eyes are probably comically wide. Jimin was just expecting to get your number and then probably spend a day or two agonising about whether you’d actually want him to text.

He didn’t expect you to be so forward about it all.

“Erm, yeah. Sure. Just...text me when. I’d like that. Alone. I think I’d like that alone. I don’t do much on my own anymore and I haven’t really done anything with a girl alone in a while,” His rambling words penetrate his mind and he backpedals mentally. “I don’t mean like that. I’ve definitely been with a girl alone in that kind of way. Well okay, maybe not recently. But still, I have. I mean...in a non-sexual way. I haven’t…”

He sighs deeply, weariness in every fibre of his body at how badly he’s fucking this up. It’s to be expected though. “Sorry. Sorry. In case you can’t tell, my last dating experience was when I was a horny teenager. And that produced Eun-byeol...not that I’m saying we’re dating. Or that we should. That’s totally up to you. Christ.”

Jimin would like to punch himself in the face now thanks.

You watch him fall over himself with amusement painted over every inch of your face, body posture relaxed. As he continues to castigate himself mentally, you simply give him a cheery smile that lights his body up before lifting up on your toes and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Jimin is pretty sure his mind has shorted out as he feels the soft petals of your lips brush against the skin of his cheek, body heating and icing over simultaneously. Eyes wide, he remains frozen as you move away slowly, heading over to the car with a tiny smile.

“I’m not exactly saying no, Park Jimin. I’ll text you.” Is all you say with a wave before climbing into the backseat of Jungkook’s car. All Jimin can do is stand there and watch as the taillights get further and further away before he slowly presses his hand to his cheek.

Oh.

-

Jimin really thought that you wouldn’t respond to his texts, or text him, given how bizarre his behaviour had been that night. But he was pleased to find that he was wrong, and when he texted you the next day you’d responded almost immediately.

The coffee date you’d asked him to go on had ended up just being the two of you, and Jimin had never felt more awkward or stressed in his life. He just didn’t know how to date anymore, and he particularly didn’t know how to do adult dating.

Yet you’d been calm and accepting of him the whole time. Giving him reassuring pats and not minding at all when his conversations about himself soon meandered onto conversations about his daughter. Instead, you’d asked him out on a second date, this time to the movies.

For the first time in a while, Jimin finally felt like all of his peers. Just a normal guy, going on dates with a girl he liked. And who seemed to like him back, if the continuous dates and constant messaging were any indication.

He never forgot about Eun-byeol though, how could he possibly forget about her, but he also got to just be...Park Jimin for once. It was nice, but he found himself feeling a little guilty as the months passed by.

The relationship between him and you was moving at a glacial pace at best, and by that he meant the glaciers still attached to Antarctica. But still...it’s nice and it’s moving at a pace that is acceptable to both him and Eun-byeol.

It’s odd for him though. On the one hand, a quiet yearning bubbles in his stomach for what his friends have and to try and embrace even a tiny part of what might be considered a normal life for a 24 year old guy.

But on the other hand, a large part of him wants to retreat behind the bubble of safety that his heart had thrown up years ago. That bubble protected the feelings that had been shredded by his ex when she’d left, and it firmly held Eun-byeol safe from harm.

Dating with a child had the potential to be really hard, because it wasn’t only himself that he was opening up to pain and hurt. If Eun-byeol became attached, then it could be devastating for her emotionally if things ended badly. And the last thing Jimin ever wanted to do, was to hurt his baby girl.

Which was why he’d remained firmly disinterested in dating throughout the years, despite the occasional pining his heart did for the intimacy of a relationship. Not just the sex, because he’d had careful one night stands to satisfy his urges, but the quiet knitting together of two people’s lives and personalities until it felt he couldn’t tell where he began and they ended.

He missed quiet conversations in the darkness of night, hidden under covers while wrapped up with each other. He missed laughter and stolen kisses on the couch while watching movies or the subtle glances caught when out with friends.

He missed having someone to tell his deepest, most intimate thoughts to with the knowledge that they would hold them close while reciprocating. Because as much as he loved Eun-byeol, he knew that it wasn’t healthy for him to remain so isolated and focused on her.

Not only was it bad for him, but he worried that he might be accidentally negatively influencing Eun-byeol against positive and healthy relationships. He was already floundering with the knowledge that she only had one parent and while he logically knew that many people grew up happy and healthy with a single parent, it still made him feel like a bad dad.

His friends had laughed at first when he’d asked all their sisters and moms to show him how to style girl’s hair; giggling at him when he practiced with curling irons or spent forever plaiting hair even though Eun-byeol’s hair wasn’t even long enough.

It was only when he’d blown up on them in anger that they’d realised his reasons for doing so. Jimin had pointed out that he was a guy who had never even considered how women did their hair before, just like them. But he now had a little girl who had no mommy. That meant he had to learn how to plait her hair prettily if she asked, or to know how to curl her hair so he could show her when she grew older and became more independent.

It wasn’t something he thought should be specifically for just mothers to know anyway, but he’d wanted to at least have the knowledge in case she asked. Because his own mother had raised two boys and had always had hair short enough to never need the knowledge.

Jimin just didn’t want his daughter to feel like something was missing, even if it meant his friend’s laughed at him for doing things people thought a guy shouldn’t do.

Besides, he was a pretty great hair stylist if he said so himself and one of his favourite things was watching Eun-byeol’s face light up when she saw how he’d done her hair that morning. He liked doing the intricate stuff, and it always made her look so cute.

His world had broken apart from the earthquake his ex had caused when she left, and he’d spent so long carefully paving over the cracks and fractures in a desperate attempt to make Eun-byeol’s life happy and carefree.

The arrival of you was causing that carefully constructed world to shift and rumble in ways that scared him. He had a feeling that your presence in his life would either strengthen that world, or there was the possibility of you causing it to collapse with a simple flick of your fingers.

Jimin wasn’t entirely sure he knew what he wanted to be honest. All he knew for a fact was that Eun-byeol had to be safe and happy. That was the most important thing. He just hadn’t figured out whether you would make that happen.

Even if you did seem to adore his daughter.

The dates between just him and you had made it clear that you liked each other, and he’d ever so slowly and carefully begun introducing you more seriously to Eun-byeol. It was simple things at first, bringing her along to dinner or going on a date bowling and bringing his daughter along.

He was cautious about many things, but his main concerns were that you both liked and treated his daughter with respect and love. But he also wanted to get a gauge on how Eun-byeol felt at the idea of having another woman in his life.

Jimin wasn’t dumb, he knew that some kids resented having to share their parents attention and he’d been Eun-byeol’s entire world for her whole life. Letting someone else into her world was probably fine and easy for her, but acknowledging that someone else was coming into his world might be hard.

And he didn’t want Eun-byeol to feel pushed out or unhappy, or that he didn’t love her anymore. But at the same time, he didn’t want Eun-byeol to feel like she had the right to be mean or selfish just because she was feeling a little unsteady.

From the months of slowly dating, neither of you putting a label on what was happening, Jimin had come to the realisation that he really, really liked you. A lot. Maybe even the bigger L word. And he had slowly begun to carefully imagine a potential future with you.

A future that included Eun-byeol, with dates turning into comfortable days together and play times turning into you picking Eun-byeol up from school. He was genuinely considering letting you into his life in a way that could potentially leave a path of devastation in your wake if you decided to opt out, and he’d begun to consider that perhaps it was worth it.

He’d spent the day with both Eun-byeol and you today, all three of you going to an amusement park. It had been fun and he had lots of beautiful photographs to treasure the memories, including the one he’d spent the last five minutes staring at when he should have been watching Big Hero 6.

A random staff member had offered to take a photo, believing you all to be a family, and Jimin had been too awkward to correct her. So instead, he had a sweet picture that he couldn’t stop looking at.

You’d worn plain jeans and white shirt with a denim jacket over the top and white sneakers on your feet. He was in dark ripped jeans, a simple white shirt and the black leather jacket that his parents had got him for his high school graduation over his shoulders with a navy beanie on his hair. Eun-byeol was resting in his arm, legs around his side, inbetween both you and him with white leggings, denim shorts and a yellow shirt while her hair was in a pretty side plait.

He couldn’t stop staring, because it looked like a family picture. Something that a mom and dad would post onto their social media. It looked normal, and it was the first time he’d ever had someone in the picture with Eun-byeol that wasn’t one of his male friends.

And he liked it. He really liked it. In fact, Jimin wanted to take more pictures like this. Looking like a little family unit of happiness.

Which was why he knew he had to finally broach the subject and gauge Eun-byeol’s opinion on him dating officially. Because it was important for him to get her opinion, while making it clear to her that it was something her daddy wanted. And he didn’t want much from her.

“Hey, little star. I’ve got a question for you.” He asks, putting his phone down on the arm of the sofa and waiting until she looks at him. She’s currently half laid on him, with her head and shoulders resting against a pillow on his lap while the rest of her body is curled up on the couch.

Eun-byeol is slow to react, blinking sleepily up at him with those beautiful wide eyes that make him weak with parental love. He smiles sweetly at her, running his fingers through her hair slowly and just admiring the beautiful little girl he’d helped to make.

He was the luckiest guy.

“Do you like Y/N?” He asks simply, wondering if perhaps there’s like...a guide book on how to do this. It’s not every day people have to ask if their kid is okay with them dating and having a relationship.

She nods slowly, a smile so similar to his own spreading and taking up half of her face. “She’s nice daddy. And so pretty, like a princess. I want to be like her when I grow up. With pretty tattoos.”

He chuckles quietly, letting his fingertips brush through her hair and untangling a few knots from her glossy locks. “That’s good, that’s nice. She likes you too. Do you like spending time with her?”

Jimin figures he should go slowly with this, ease into the questioning.

“Yeah, she’s cool. And she likes Disney. When we go to her house next, she said I can play Pokemon on her Switch! Can I do that daddy?” Her own question is innocent and childlike, and he rues for a moment that fact that she’s always growing.

Nodding, he smiles. “Yeah, you can do that little star,” Jimin goes quiet for a moment, wondering how to tackle it before just plowing ahead. “Daddy likes her too. He likes her a lot you know. She makes him smile and laugh. Makes him feel all funny and warm when he thinks about her or talks to her.”

She’s quiet, just looking up at him and he feels guilty for a moment that his attention is being diverted away from her partially. It’s stupid, and he knows that he can’t spend his life catering to his daughter. He needs to live too.

“I think she likes daddy too. What do you think about that?” There’s nothing for a moment, and icy fear grips his heart as he wonders if perhaps she’ll put her foot down on it. It makes him feel a little sick to think about it, as the sad fact is that even if he’s not happy, he’ll have to acknowledge her feelings.

“Do you love Y/N?” Jimin almost sputters at that, his eyes going wide as he wonders how she’d managed to make that leap. “Grandma says you love her, but you don’t know it yet. You should ask her to be your girlfriend daddy. I think she’d like that.” Eun-byeol whispers the last part, giving him an exaggerated wink and he’s left momentarily thrown.

When did his daughter get so old and wise? It was hard to believe that in only a month’s time, she was going to be seven already.

“I don’t...I don’t know yet. I like her. And we’ll see. I mean...do you really think she’d like to be my girlfriend?” The question is quiet and confused, causing him to shake his head. Why is he asking his kid daughter for dating advice?? “Anyway, if I do ask her that. It means that she’s going to be around more. And in our life more. Are you okay with that?”

She stays quiet for a moment before shifting around, facing the television again with a shrug of her slim shoulders. “I’m okay with it daddy. She makes you happy. I like you happy.”

Jimin is glad she isn’t looking at him, as he has to push his tongue in his cheek while he blinks rapidly to stop the tears that suddenly appear. His daughter has always been a dream to raise and he often wonders how he’d got so lucky.

He doesn’t care about her whining complaints as he gathers her up in his arms, squeezing her tightly while burying his face into his hair and just inhaling the calming and comforting scent of her. He’d never asked for her, but he’d never regret her. The light of his life. Her complaints soon turn into soft giggles as he starts to tickle her, grinning at her shrieking laughter.

Jimin has his parents approval, his friends approval and most importantly, his daughter’s approval. Now all he needs to do is find out if you’re willing to accept him and his daughter in the way he hopes you will.

-

It’s a week later that he finally manages to organise a date between just you and him. His mom and dad agree to babysit Eun-byeol for the night, and he can’t stop his laughs as he gets ready in his room while Eun-byeol practically bounces around with excitement.

“Are you gonna get down on one knee?” She asks, eyes wide and shining with wonder. He chuckles at her, looking at her in the mirror while he styles his hair. It’s not even like he’s taking you anywhere nice, just to a restaurant and then back to yours for a movie or something.

That’s not what’s got his stomach fluttering though, but the fact that it’s the first time he’s staying the night at yours. He’d always come home, or you’d gone home at the end of your dates. He felt like a high schooler going to prom.

Not that he knew what that was like, as he’d ended up unable to go to prom but still. He imagined the sentiment was the same.

“That’s when you want to get married, little star. I’m not proposing to her tonight.” Jimin moves over to sit next to her on his bed, looking at her with expectation while he lifts his hands in a way that shows off his outfit. “Does daddy look good?”

He was wearing plain black skinny jeans and a white button up shirt, the top buttons remaining undone. His black hair is styled swept away from his forehead in what his mom likes to tease him as his ‘prince hair’.

Eun-byeol stands up and looks him over with a serious look, eyes looking over every part of him before she nods her approval. “You look han...handsome daddy. Like a Disney prince.” She struggles for a moment over the word but gets through it confidently, causing his heart to swell with pride.

Giving her a matching smile, he slides off the bed and kneels before her. She’s getting tall, and he’s surprised to find that she’s almost the same height as him when he’s knelt down. It makes him a little sad, and he wishes he could have her as his little girl forever. She wasn’t going to be this adorable much longer he reckoned.

Moving forward, he wraps his arms around her small body and hugs her tightly to him, resting his chin on her shoulder while closing his eyes. She wraps her own arms around his chest as best as she can, managing to link her arms together around his slim frame.

“Daddy loves you so much, you know that? You’re the best thing daddy has ever done.” He’s oddly emotional and keeps his eyes firmly closed, trying not to cry as he holds his daughter so close. She giggles lightly, body vibrating and he can’t stop the way his lips spread into a smile at the beautiful sound in his ears.

“I love you too daddy.” She whispers directly into his ear, causing him to wince from the shiver she causes from being too close. He hates when people do that.

“Hey, wanna see how much daddy loves you?” He says lowly, pulling back and resting his hands on her shoulders. Eun-byeol’s face is immediately inquisitive and he grins, remembering that he’d never shown her his tattoo.

Unbuttoning his shirt just enough, he pulls it down so that she can see the black ink over his chest. Almost immediately she’s letting out ‘ooh’-ing noises, fingertips tracing over the outline with a surprisingly gentle touch.

“It’s pretty daddy.” She says, voice quiet and light. Jimin smiles at her and nods.

“It’s for you. This is where your heart is in your body, and the shape of it is a heart too. You see these little stars on it? That’s for you too. Your name means silver star, and I got this so that you can know that you’re the most important thing in my life. You’re my heart and my little star, so I got this tattoo over my actual heart so that you know I’ll always love you, okay? Daddy will always love you. No matter what.” She’s smiling at his words, eyes focused on the star before she gives him the sweetest expression that he just wants to capture and hold forever.

“I know daddy. I love you too.” Without a word, she wraps her arms around his neck tightly once more and he lets her with a deep sigh, truly happy with his life. He never expected Eun-byeol, but he’d never go back and change his decisions.

“Okay then, let’s go downstairs. I’ve got to go soon.” Jimin stands back up and heads downstairs, flushing at the the teasing words of his parents as he pulls on his boots. “Yeah, yeah. Be good for your grandma and grandad Eun-byeol; they’ll let me know if you’re not.”

She smiles at him from the doorway as he starts the engine of his parents car, waving at him when he does the same for her. The drive to the restaurant is nerve wracking, and he wonders if he should have just picked you up.

You’d told him not though, instead wanting to make your way to the restaurant while he’d take you home after. It had taken everything in him to just agree, but he wouldn’t take your independence from you.

The restaurant is somewhere that you’d picked, claiming that it had the best Japanese food you’d found in the city so far. He’d have to take your word for it, as he’s never really been out to many places to eat. Too busy studying or working.

But with his new job, he not only had free time but also spare money. It was a wild concept that he was still getting used to, which was why he’d offered to pay for the meal tonight. It was exciting, acting like one of his friends.

You were already seated in the restaurant, a nice pair of black jeans to match his and a flowy white top made of material that he’d long ago learned was chiffon that let him see tantalising glimpses of the tattoos he’d grown to love. He’d learnt all sorts of random crap like clothing material names since becoming a single dad.

Laughing, he pressed a kiss to your cheek before sitting down and gesturing between you both. “We’re matching.” You look at your own clothes and then his before grinning, hand covering your mouth as you laugh.

“You look good Jimin. Very handsome.” You smile, taking a sip of the water the waiter had brought you earlier. Jimin smiles and takes a sip of his own, looking over the menu with an amused smile.

“Why thank you, my daughter said so too.” The rest of the dinner passes much like your other dates, with the conversation quick and easy. It was one of the things he loved about you, how content and happy you made him feel while putting him at ease.

Despite the original intentions of him asking you out tonight, he doesn’t feel any moment is the right time to propose the question to you. In fact, he’s almost a little desperate by the time the meal is over and he’s paying for everything.

The drive to yours isn’t any better, and he’s starting to get a little antsy about it all. He can’t go home and tell everyone that he’d chickened out of it. They’d never let him live it down. But he just can’t find the right way to tell you his feelings, to let you know that he likes you far more than a friend, or even someone who is just dating.

He wants you to be part of his life, and he doesn’t know how to ask that.

Because he’s not just asking you to be part of his life, but also Eun-byeol’s. And that’s a lot to ask of someone.

“Are you okay? You’ve been a little tense tonight.” You ask when you both enter your apartment, the entryway familiar to him as he toes off his boots. He chokes on his words though, wondering how to respond in a way that doesn’t make him seem like an idiot or like he’s trying too hard.

“I’m fine. Just...work you know.” He cringes behind your back, wishing that he could just get the words out. But he hasn’t done this since he was 17 for god’s sake. He’s beyond rusty, and he’s sure that he read the signs right but what if he was wrong?

What if the stolen kisses and hidden hugs, quiet cuddles and wanting glances were just because you wanted something quick and easy?

He didn’t want quick and easy now. He wanted long, he wanted to have a life that included you now and Jimin just couldn’t figure out how to ask for that.

“Jimin, sweetheart. Are you sure you’re okay? I mean, you were pretty adamant on making this an official date tonight and you went to some lengths to look great and take me somewhere nice. I kind of feel like I’m missing out on something and I don’t know what?” You sound confused and when you turn around after flicking on the lamp in your living room, he can see the tiny frown between your brows.

He goes to speak but the words are stuck in his throat, choking there. Just ask her dammit. Ask her to be your girlfriend!

Instead, he moves forward and cups your face between his hands, thumbs running over the soft skin of your cheeks slowly before he dips his head. Okay, so he’s chickening out right now but he can’t find it in himself to care as your lips are gentle against his own, so perfect that he feels calmness take over his body.

Sliding his tongue along the seam of your lips, a quiet groan leaves him as you open up for him so willingly, hands stroking up his waist before wrapping around his neck. He didn’t intend for this tonight, but now that he’s started kissing you he’s not sure that he can stop.

The hard length between his legs tells him that he doesn’t want to stop either, and he can’t even attempt to stop himself as he grinds his hips against yours slowly. Your response is immediate, a soft moan leaving the depths of your throat while you reciprocate the movement almost agonisingly slowly.

“Jimin...do you want this?” You ask when you pull away, lips swollen and glistening from the kiss and he watches with hunger. He doesn’t even realise that he’s nodding his head slowly, eyes focused on the sinful sight of your pink tongue flicking out and licking away the residue he’d left.

“Bedroom.” Is all you say, taking his hand and walking quickly over to the closed door. Inside is a sight he’s never seen, your bed taking up most of the space and looking enticingly empty. He’s pretty positive that you’d look perfect on that bed.

Leaning down, he captures your lips once more while slowly tugging your shirt up until you have to pull away again, allowing him to slip it over your shoulders and throw it somewhere in the recesses of your room. The sight before him has him letting out a tiny whine, the erection in his jeans straining almost painfully at the sight of your white lace bra that conceals the sight of those beautiful breasts.

The colourful tattoos spread over your chest and down your stomach, the flat planes toned and his hands itch to touch them. He wants to lick along every outline if you gave him the chance.

Instead, his hands slip behind your back, unhooking your bra in a move that is still practised, if slightly rusty. You respond by unbuttoning his own shirt, revealing the equally flat planes of his own chest and the defined ridges of his abdomen.

“My god, you’re so attractive.” You whisper quietly, leaning forward to kiss at his chest in soft, almost featherlight touches that have him gasping and shuddering. Jimin wishes he could take his time with you, he really does but he’s selfish and needy tonight.

“I’m really sorry sweetheart. I’d normally spend way longer on you, but I haven’t had sex in a year and a half and holy shit you’re beautiful and I need you right now.” He practically whines, dipping his head to capture your lips in a deep kiss, tongues playing together as he unbuttons your jeans and pushes them down your hips.

Despite his words, he slowly crouches down as he peels off both your underwear and jeans, mouth pressing at any part of your skin he can reach in messy, wet kisses. It has you shivering and shuddering under his touch as you step out of your clothing, a deep and guttural moan leaving your mouth as he dips his tongue into the newly exposed area between your legs.

“I thought...you weren’t going slow?” You gasp out, hands gripping at his hair as his tongue licks along you from your entrance to the bundle of nerves that he sucks into his mouth. For a few moments he doesn’t respond, simply running his hands up and down your thighs while his tongue works at your clit, nose pressing against your pubic bone while he watches you intently with each flick of the wet muscle.

The sight must be arousing, as he can taste more of your liquid essence coating his tongue as he eats you with a desperate need. With a final suck, enveloping the little bundle in his plush lips and tugging gently, he pulls away with a grin before pressing a kiss to your mound with a wink.

His chin feels wet and slick, causing him to wipe at it with the back of his hand before licking it clean. “You taste great, you know that?” He whispers, voice husky and dark with lust.

Moaning, your head drops back as you shuffle backwards to the bed, falling onto the surface and scrambling up until your head hits the pillows. “Fucking hell Jimin, come here you demon.” You hiss at him, eyes laughing despite the intensity of your words.

He grins in response and unbuckles his belt, slowly pulling it off before peeling his jeans and boxers down his legs. His length bounces free and it’s with a casual move that he grasps the firm shaft, gripping the bottom firmly before slowly stroking himself to the tip and back down.

The movement feels good, and the moan that leaves his mouth lets you know it, but it feels even better seeing the desire in your eyes as you watch his hand firmly. Smirking, he continues on for a few more moments, thumb rubbing over the slit at the end of his tip and smearing pre-cum over himself.

“Condom.” He whispers to himself, pausing suddenly and grasping his wallet in his jeans. The sound of foil ripping echoes in the room as he rolls the latex down himself before climbing on the bed, watching you intently as he crawls over you.

Jimin admires you for a moment, taking in the beautiful sight of you laid before him and grins slowly. “You are so, unbelievably beautiful. You know that?” He whispers before lowering his head and taking your lips in his own. The kiss is almost languid, tongues dancing lazily together and Jimin can’t help the bursting feeling of emotion in his heart at just how right this all feels.

“You’re pretty good too Jimin,” You whisper once he pulls away, running your fingers along the muscles of his back. Shifting slightly, you wrap your legs around his hips and try to encourage him, lifting your hips and whimpering out as his cock rubs against your clit slowly.

The glide of him against the heat of you makes him moan out softly, eyes closing and he just lets himself grind against you. “Jimin, please.” Your needy groan infiltrates his ears and he moves just enough, hand moving down to press the tip of him against your entrance before he’s slowly breeching.

You’re more than wet enough for him, the slipperiness of you allowing him to slide into you with an ease that has both him and you letting out a guttural moan that feels like it comes from the bottom of his chest.

“Oh holy shit.” He pants out, eyes scrunching closed as he nestles fully inside you, hips pressed together and he has to let his forehead drop against your shoulder at the overwhelming sensation. Gasping out, he takes the time to suck open mouthed kisses into your colourful skin as a distraction, likely producing bruising rosettes underneath the beautiful ink.

It causes you to moan softly, body wriggling under him and your internal muscles squeezing his length in a way that has him choking. “Oh fuck, don’t do that. I’ll come way too quick.” He begs, which only means that you do it again teasingly till he’s biting at your shoulder in response.

Slowly, his hips begin to move of their own accord, needing the friction that your tight and wet warmth will provide him and he can’t help the soft pants that leave his mouth. You feel so freaking good, and there’s this overwhelming emotion taking over his body as he thrusts into you, foreign and yet something that he wants to embrace and nurture at the same time.

“Oh god Jimin, right there. Faster.” You gasp out, hands scratching down his back to grasp at the firm flesh of his ass in an attempt to encourage him to speed up. He acknowledges your request and thrusts faster, hips snapping forwards and backwards in a steady rhythm that causes slick noises to echo in the quiet room while the satisfying sound of skin against skin is the only other soundtrack.

Before he can even say anything, you move one of your hands between your legs and begin to rub at your clit, the slick flesh swollen with need and the pleasure it causes you has you clenching around his cock like a damn vice. Almost immediately he’s groaning out, the tightening in his stomach propelling him along even faster until he’s letting out tiny, high pitched whines involuntarily.

You must be able to sense the rapid oncoming of his orgasm, faster than normal due to the extended period of celibacy he’d experienced, and focus on your own pleasure until you’re bucking underneath him, muscles tightening and convulsing in ways that has him choking out while you let out the prettiest moans he’s ever heard.

“Oh Jesus fucking Christ.” He whines out and he can’t stop it, he can’t control the orgasm that hits him like a freight train. His entire body locks up and he pushes into you firmly, resting his forehead against your shoulder while his cock twitches inside you as he cums into the condom. A long, breathy whine leaves his throat as he orgasms and you coax him through it, panting from your own orgasm that’s left you almost boneless underneath him.

Jimin struggles not to collapse against you in the aftermath, sluggishly rolling over and taking off the condom, throwing it into the bin you keep by your bed. The room feels almost oppressively hot, and he gasps out for breaths while he stares at the white ceiling.

You roll over onto your side, resting your head against his shoulder and he lets his head loll to the side to look at you with a soft smile. “That was good.” You whisper, pressing a kiss to his shoulder and he smiles at the tired but content look in your eyes.

“That was phenomenal. Though a bit fast. Too fast. I’ll do better next time.” He promises, leaning his head forwards to capture your lips in a sweet kiss. You let out a satisfied hum before dropping your head back against his shoulder, cuddling closer as he moves his arm to wrap around you.

“Even if it was fast, it was still good.” You say before you both fall quiet, simply catching your breaths and enjoying the companionable silence that fills the air. Jimin likes this, the fact that he doesn’t feel the need to fill the dead air with noise.

He can enjoy the silence when he’s with you, and it makes him bite his lip as he wonders how to broach the subject he’d initially intended to when he’d asked you out tonight. Only you interrupt the quietness with a question he’d never expected to hear from you, causing his brows to raise.

“Do you resent her mom?” You ask quietly, tracing your fingers over the black outline of Jimin’s tattoo. “I mean, I know it’s a weird question to ask after what we’ve just done but, I’m just curious I guess. I can’t even imagine how much it must have hurt you.”

He doesn’t answer for a moment, contemplating his next words carefully. He’s not surprised you want to know as most people want to know about this aspect of his life. If there’s one thing Jimin had learnt over the years, it’s that people expect him to resent his ex for abandoning Eun-byeol and him.

Sighing deeply, he rests his cheek against your head and contemplates what to say for a moment. “A little. But I don’t let Eun-byeol see that. And I never will.”

You shift at that, sitting up slightly on an elbow to give him a confused expression that makes him want to just hold you tight and kiss away any concerns you may have. “Why not? I mean, not that you should. But...she left you and Eun-byeol. Abandoned you both to go have a life while relegating you to being stuck with a baby.”

Running his fingers through his sweaty hair, Jimin stays quiet. “Guys do it to girls all the time. And...I am. I’m mad at her for giving up so easily. I don’t know how she found it in herself to abandon Eun-byeol, as I’d do anything for my daughter. I’d kill for her, I’d die for her. So to know she just...doesn’t feel that? That she’s out there right now, living a life without knowing the beautiful happiness that is our daughter? That hurts.”

He swallows thickly, looking up at the ceiling while he plays with your fingers that rest on his chest almost absentmindedly. “But I try not to let it show. I don’t want Eun-byeol to grow up hating her mom. I mean...she already has to cope with the knowledge that her mom didn’t love her enough to stay. I don’t want to feed into any negative feelings. She should know that I love her, and that her mom just wasn’t ready to be a mom.”

You’re frowning at him and he knows that you’re trying to understand, that you’re trying so hard but you’re just not getting it. He doesn’t hold it against you, as it’s hard for him to understand too. Giving you a soft smile, he leans forward and presses a gentle kiss to your lips.

“One day...her mom might come back and decide she wants to be in Eun-byeol’s life. If I had my way, then I’d make sure she never sees her again. I don’t see how she can abandon my baby girl through all the hard parts and then waltz in for the good. But that’s not my decision to make for Eun-byeol. That has to be her. So I don’t want to make her think negatively in case it impacts a possible future relationship with her mom. I want her to have that option.” He finishes, cupping your cheek and watching the tiny micro-expressions that flitter over your face with amusement.

Smiling at him, you lean forward and press the tiniest kiss to his nose. “You’re a wonderful man Park Jimin, you know that? Hard working, handsome, kind and a phenomenal father. How on earth did I ever manage to come across you?”

He laughs loudly at that, eyes creasing until he can barely even see which in turn causes you to giggle at him. “Well, see. My daughter and I come as a package deal. And usually people meet me first and my daughter second. You did it the other way round and didn’t run away like everyone else so...how could I let you go?”

Curling into the warmth of his side, he feels you smiling against his neck at his light teasing. Running his hand along your side, he pulls you tighter until he’s pressing kisses to your head. “I think I love you.” He whispers before he’s even realised, causing you to stiffen slightly in his arms.

Pulling away, you look at him wide eyes that are full of emotions he can’t recognise and he’s suddenly panicking. He hasn’t said those words to anyone other than Eun-byeol since his ex had left him. And this is certainly not how he expected to ask you to be his girlfriend.

Ask you to be his girlfriend, wait a month or so and then tell you he loves you. That was the right way to do things. But then again, when has Jimin ever done anything the right way in his life so far?

But instead of running away, your lips slowly turn up at the corners until he’s witnessing a full blown smile that makes his heart thump. He watches until he’s almost cross-eyed as you get closer, before your lips are pressed to his own and Jimin is practically melting at the feel of your soft skin against his own.

The two of you kiss slowly, his tongue sliding into your mouth unhurriedly and exploring with an ease that makes his stomach fizz with an excitement that’s nothing like the sensual feelings he’d felt earlier. It’s a few minutes later that you finally pull away from him, pressing one final kiss to him and he’s watching as you lick at the swollen flesh with a smirk.

“I think I could love you too Park Jimin. You and your beautiful little girl, if you’d consider possibly letting me into your little family.” Jimin watches you quietly for a moment, almost eyeing you to establish if you’re being truthful or not, even if that was what he was going to ask you earlier anyway.

You say nothing, understanding that this a turning point in the casual dating you’ve been doing for the past few months. Jimin had been going to ask you this anyway, but with it out in the open he’s suddenly nervous and unsure.

He knows that if he accepts your request, which was secretly his request, then his and Eun-byeol’s tiny world will be rocked in ways it never has before and that it has the potential to be devastating.

But it also has the potential to be beautiful, and he doesn’t see how he can deny himself happiness any longer. Which is why he’s nodding shyly, his smile almost reluctant. “I was going to ask you that earlier, it was the reason for the whole date but I’m obviously a coward.”

Your smile is immediate and huge, excitement causing you to let out a tiny squeal till he’s laughing softly. Tugging you into his arms, he holds you tightly to his chest and hopes that you can’t feel the racing of his heart or the shaking of his arms.

“But like...we take it slow yeah? Eun-byeol knows I like you and she’s given me permission to date you. But I’m not sure if she understands the difference between the concept of me dating and the actual reality of it? She’s only six and I’ve been her worl-” You cut off his rambling with a finger to his lips, smile softening your face until he’s simply staring at you with lovesick eyes.

“I get it Jimin. I’m not expecting her to start calling me mommy immediately. Or ever. We take everything as slow as you and Eun-byeol need okay? I’m happy to wait for you, as long as you’re happy to wait for me.”

Jimin watches you for a moment, quiet as his eyes scan over your face to try and detect if you’re just saying this because he’d asked. But he sees seriousness in every pore, and an expression that makes his heart twist and thump in ways it hasn’t done for years.

“Okay. Okay...yeah. Yeah, we’re...we’re gonna do this.” Your response is simply to smile before you press your lips to his once more. He lets you, fully enjoying the feel of you against him, while a strange mix of happiness and anticipation floods his veins at the frightening yet exciting life that has opened up to him now.