#bangtan: pg 13

[justbelievinginmagic]

the dragon-blood chronicles ⎯ part 1: the spark.

pairing: namjoon x reader series summary: There are tales about dragon-blood men ruling over the kingdom of Bangtan for centuries; old myths that Crown-Prince Seokjin and second-born Prince Namjoon heard while growing up. Stories about bullet-proof, fire-breathing serpetine creatures with the ability to shift into human form and dominate the land with an iron fist. It was a fable of power, but just that - a fable. Dragon-blood folk have been gone for centuries. But when Prince Namjoon get sent away from the Palace at a young age for unruly behavior, things being to change in the kingdom as a war beings to brew, causing eight magical fates to intertwine. glimpse: Namjoon was the second born. The useless prince. The back-up. Forgotten and locked in a tower of a far-off castle, he brewed in his uncontrollable frustration at his fate... until a spark ignites that changes the path of the kingdom. warnings/tags: This is a repost of an older oneshot inspired by the song, we are bulletproof pt. 2 i wrote! i've updated it a bit to loop into the larger story and just to follow the way i write now! ive added about 2.5k new content so if you liked the og give this one a look! PG-13, Romance, Fantasy/Royalty AU, bad family dynamics, possessive & protective Namjoon, dragons, unspoken love, illness. word count: 7.1 k -> next chapter series masterlist

Heavy was the crown on the head of a king.

Namjoon wouldn’t know about that though – even if he wanted to know what the hefty load of a kingdom on his shoulders felt like, he would never have it. He was, after all, the second born. A spare prince. A back-up king. Second to the throne, third in life of the royal family.

The king, naturally, was first. First to enter a room, first to eat their meals (after a servant tested it for poison, of course.) But after him, it was Seokjin.

From birth, Seokjin was first for everything. First to be taught, first to eat, first to be tended to, first to be trained at swordsmanship. Namjoon was quick to learn that as he hobbled around the halls of the palace as a youngster. He was ignored among the royal family – seemingly weaker, smaller than his older brother when born. He made the queen quite sick during her pregnancy. When born, Namjoon was prone to illness as a child. An annoyance, a drain on the kingdom’s resources.

He still tried to follow after his older brother.  Seokjin, eldest by three years, tried when he could to be a good bother. He loved the idea of a younger brother, wanting to be the best of friends. He wanted to play Knights and Fiends with him; he wanted to teach him how to read and write; he wanted them to go on fishing trips like he read about in his fairytale books. The older brother played with his little brother only to have the sounds of his nanny calling to him distract him.

“Come along, Prince Seokjin. You have your classes. Leave him alone.”

He hated it, but complied with a frown towards Namjoon and a sad wave.

Namjoon, at the mere age of seven, couldn’t help but begin to try to gain attention. He wanted attention. He wanted to have all the attention that his brother had. He began to do what a child does when upset. Tantruming. Pleading for attention through misaction or disobedience. He’d throw his food to the ground at dinners, arms crossing over his little chest. He’d interrupt classes with cries of ‘this isn’t fair’. He’d fight as his nanny dragged him away from Seokjin, screaming. It grew to such a state – even with Seokjin’s quiet scold of pleadings - “Namjoonie, you’re going to get into trouble; please stop” – that the royal family acted.

That was when he learned he wasn’t loved.

Not like Seokjin. Never like Seokjin.

Namjoon was cast aside. Thrown into a tower at another castle. He was stole in the night – taken in a carriage and awoke in this new place. Alone.

His family didn’t love him. No, they didn’t. The little boy cried and cried.  

Namjoon was utterly alone now; all in the name that he couldn’t “distract the crown prince from his duties.” He was cared for enough to know that he was still a prince. Given the finest of things – silver, gold, and silken treasures to keep him content. A collection of maids and servants were there to feed and care for him and a table of knights were there to protect him. He was carefully watched over from a distance. Sadness ate a child and few cared. Few knew what to do when the little boy slammed his door and hid in the tower. The prince fell into a lonely state.

The knights protecting him looked at him as a stranger – an isolated boy, a spare – even if he strived to learn to study weaponry. He tried to join them on their practice range once; he was turned away.

“Your Highness!” there was a cry from a nanny. “You have no need to learn such a skill.”

No, he didn’t he sulked. He didn’t need to learn anything apparently. After all, the second prince had no need to learn of knightly duties, nor fighting, nor war, nor kingly duties. His brother had learned though; at the old castle, Seokjin beamed and preened about his lessons with swordmastery. But Namjoon didn’t need to know it. Because, in the end, Namjoon wasn’t the prince headed to the crown.

The Second.

He was the second.

What did that even mean? If he wasn’t a King, if he wasn’t a Knight, if he wasn’t seen as a worthy Prince either… what was he?

Namjoon learned – like most things in his life – he would have to adapt. He would watch things from afar, learning from high up in his windowed tower. Mimicking the motions the knights made, the strikes of the blade against his bedpost (instead of a training dummy) left deep grooves into the fine wood.

The servants gossiped about his anger issues and how he destroyed things. A monster of a prince.

Namjoon’s focus grew on things he could do without the roadblocks put up by the servants and the royal family. He couldn’t study metalsmith with the knights. But he could study wordsmiths.

Besides his tall tower room, he was granted access to the library. He threw himself into his studies – he learned charts for sailing, war strategy, language, public speaking, trade, and folklore. He’d learn to be king – even if he wouldn’t be one.

When a nanny asked what he was reading, he’d learn to lie a white lie. Just a fantasy book.

After all, wasn’t all of this a fantasy? What was a Prince to do when he wasn’t a Prince?

At first, he envied his brother. He used to think he hated him. Hated him for everything Namjoon couldn’t be. Namjoon fueled himself on that hate in the early years of his isolation – studying with spite on his tongue. Writing curses towards his brother in the sidelines of books. He knew his brother had all the highest advisors and scholars telling him this… and he knew Seokjin didn’t listen. Seokjin wasn’t a good student, in a traditional sense. He liked stories, and most of the history and war tactics the youngest Prince read about was not a good story.

Until he received a letter from his brother.

I don’t know where to turn. I’ve missed you, brother. I feel so lost. I don’t think I’m meant for this. I don’t think I’m meant to be King.

The words were scratched out over and over, as if even writing what was beneath was forbidden.

Father expects so much – expects me to talk with a booming voice. He wants me to be like our ancestors.

Namjoon knew what Seokjin was referring to – even if it had been years since he’d been by his older brother’s side or heard the tales of their family line. Everyone knew the stories of the dragon bloods. How they were creatures that could shapeshift into reptilian beasts that flew. Powerful myths. How they took the throne with ease and led with wisdom beyond this realm. How their royal bloodline supposedly came from them.

It was a story, a folklore. But it was still used to rally the people. The kingdom was strong, strong like a dragon.

Seokjin wrote to Namjoon for advice. And though he thought he despised the crown prince, he replied. At first because Namjoon’s nanny urged him to – “it’d be rude to not reply to the future King, my prince” – but soon he wrote to ease his brother’s worries. He was an aid in running the kingdom even at his young age.

He liked that.

He’d write advice for his brother, sending flocks of pigeons with letters. Books were his escape. And soon, so were you.

He was sixteen when he found you when he was looking for a novel in the library. It was early in the morning; the dew had barely settled on the grasslands. Namjoon stumbled down the stone steps into the grand library, sleepy eyed and still in his fine-tailored pajamas. It took him far too long to notice you. It was only when you let out the smallest giggle. His head snapped to the sound, and he saw you for the first time. A servant’s daughter dressed in worn dark browns and creams; an apron sat dirtied around your waist; it was clear you weren’t where you were supposed to be. Engrossed in a book, your eyes taking in gulps of words even if you stumbled over the larger ones – a finger resting over the word that seemed too complicated to pronounce let alone understand.

And instead of anger, instead of a tantrum, perhaps due to his isolation, he felt… kinship.

You liked to read like he did. You were like him. Alone in the place. He hadn’t seen someone his age before this, he was so used to the older figures rushing around. But you… you were like him. Even if you were dressed poorly.

“Excuse me?” His voice was now a rumbling deep thing with the brink of teenagerhood, deeper even more when dusted with the throes of sleep.

It startled you, slamming the book shut with a puff of dust from the old thing. Your gaze settled on the fine clothes – finer than you had ever seen – and a fear clung to your bones.

The worst-case scenarios tumbled through your head. You would be sent away. You’d be beheaded. Your family would suffer. Your eyes would be plucked out. He was an angry boy – you had heard the rumors and here you were trespassing. In the royal library. His royal library.

“My prince,” you stumbled to your feet, bowing your head. “I’m sorry – please forgive me.”

No, no, no he didn’t want this. He didn’t want fear or babbling or… to lose a possible friend. He had never seen someone in the library. It was his private library, too grand for a single soul to occupy. It wouldn’t hurt… to share. It felt like nails down a chalkboard, like someone was taking his to from him. Why was that so hard to concede to that? Sharing.

Still, he bit down on his tongue.

“No, please. It’s okay,” he tried to soothe.

His hands outstretched to touch your shoulder as if to urge you out of your bow. You shuddered under his touch as if he’d strike you. “It’s okay. Really.”

His voice, deep and warm, lacked the fire of anger. It was more like a hearth, bumbling with embers.

“What… what are you reading?”

“What… what am I reading?” you repeated, incredulous. Baffled.

He offered a small smile, cheeks red as he nodded slowly. He was so unused to this. So used to the nannies who were frightened of him or the tired old maids who didn’t want to put in the effort to care for him truly.

He tried to make himself look smaller, that’d help right? You were so much smaller than him already he noticed. He nodded again.

“It’s… it’s a fairytale, you probably wouldn’t like it,” she insisted.

“I like reading,” he said simply. “Tell me about it? Please.”

You licked your lips, eying him up and down before nodding softly. It wasn’t a beheading. It wasn’t a violent tantrum. In fact, he looked kind of sweet, bashful, as his sleepy face broke into a grin and he settled down next to the spot you were previously sitting.

Day by day, you’d meet in the early morning light of the majestic library. In that time, he’d hear what you were reading; even insisting on you reading the words aloud. He’d correct you where he could. Never did his corrections make you feel ashamed or stupid. He was surprisingly gentle with his words you noticed.

Your mornings – when you were meant to be preparing his breakfast - were spent reading beside the young prince. Eventually, when you got scolded so much, it made you cry and you were trembling in your shoes to miss a shift – he changed your schedule. While in the early morn you’d share your books, by mid-morning, he shared with you the books he loved – philosophy, folklore, science - while you rushed to make his breakfast in the grand kitchen. He’d lean against the cutting counter and stare as you whisked eggs and kneaded dough.  

It was sometimes difficult to be around him. The Prince was a handsome man. His hair was long for his age, curling up at the nape of his neck. You wondered if he cut it himself. Most servants were warned of his unruly temper and childish tantrums; they avoided him the best they could and it was easy with how much he stayed in his tower. He was violent… That was why he was sent away – at least, the rumors spoke of that.

The prince you grew to know wasn’t an angry person. No, he smiled with a softness, his cheeks squishing to reveal dimples. He listened as you spoke about things in your life– from the novels you had read and loved to the flowers you liked in the gardens to the work you loathed to do. (He had laughed when you mentioned you disliked when he requested bacon for the splatters of oil always burned your arms; he promised he’d request bacon less for your sake. He hadn’t requested it since.)

Namjoon enjoyed your company. You were his friend. His only friend.

He hadn’t had a friend before.

He cared for you, watched, and aided you when he could. He didn’t want you to suffer or feel alone. You were the only other teenager so far outside the kingdom’s town. It must’ve been lonely. He couldn’t imagine you hurting or else his heart felt like it’d burn up.

Even as he felt stirrings of things within him as the years went by, he focused on what you needed. A love that was selfless wasn’t second-nature to him. It was an effort. He didn’t want to be greedy and lose you. He grew fond of you beside him. His fingers intertwined with yours as you walked through the gardens, shyly at first, before it happened every time afterwards. Your hand in his was cool to the touch; he hoped you weren’t cold. He gifted you a pretty cloak a few weeks later, one that was the same shade as your favorite flower.

You leaned towards him when you read together. Sometimes your cheek was so close he could feel their warm. His lips would tingle and he couldn’t read the manuscript in his hands. All he could focus on was how pretty your skin was… how your cheeks were a reddish pink and your lips… oh your lips were so tantalizingly close for him to press a kiss to them. He swallowed down this love, keeping you close to him but guarded from himself.

Perhaps it was anxiety – the consequence of being friendless for so long. He was bashful, fearful. Him – fearful it made him want to shake his head at his foolishness. He ached to wrap you into his embrace, to shower you in kisses, to allow you to lay in his bed. But he settled for now, the softness of your friendship was a comfort. Your hand against his was still enough to get his heart racing. His love festered in his chest with the inability to grow further – if only he could speak of his fondness.

He claimed he’d try again tomorrow – and the next day – and the next.

However, as his love grew into a mess of tangled vines, an illness began to fester and choke him as well.

It had occurred when he turned twenty. At the stroke of midnight, you had knocked onto his bedroom door.

“Joonie!” Your voice chimed as he opened the door. Dressed in his pajamas, it should be improper but you had seen him in them many times before – you met him in them. His face lit up at the sight of the cake – his birthday cake. It was decorated with edible flowers from the garden and a gentle blue frosting.

“Happy Birthday!”

“Y/N,” he exclaimed. “This is beautiful – all for me?”

You giggled and he smiled wide enough his dimples peeked at you.

“Yes, your Highness,” you chuckled. “Don’t eat it all or you’ll get a stomach ache.”

“I won’t… aren’t you tired?” he asked watching you blink slow and steady like a cat.

“A bit; I wish I could stay awake longer but I wanted to be the first person to see you and wish you a happy birthday.” You claimed.

He wanted to press kisses all over your face; he wish you knew that you were sweeter than this cake. That you’d be the only one to wish him a true happy birthday. Instead, he simply place the cake aside on a desk and hugged you close.

“Thank you. I love it.” You.

You hummed happily. “I’m happy. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Not too early,” he promised. “I’ll take breakfast later, okay? Prince’s orders. Sleep in a bit.”

It was sweet. Even on his birthday he was treating you. You smiled up at him, squeezing his hand fondly.

“As you command it, oh mighty prince. But other than that, we will spend the whole day together.”

That sounded like a dream. With the door shutting behind you, he felt a giddy rush course through him. His skin warmed and his stomach filled with butterflies. Looking over at the cake, he took his finger and swiped at the frosting, tasting it. But the mere taste of the sugar felt like curdled milk in his stomach. Namjoon frowned. That didn’t make sense. Your treats were always so good. He loved this cake recipe in particular – you made it every birthday since you became friends.

Perhaps it was his excitement. His face already felt clammy. His hand shaky. Sleep claimed him quick, his cake left untouched.

He awoke in the morning to a fever, his skin burning hot.

“Stay away, Y/N,” he had called out when you insisted on helping him. A cool rag to his forehead, sweat trickled down his temple.

“You’re burning up, Joonie” you had murmured, swiping his hair aside. Once, you’d shake in your boots imagining touching the prince like this, but after your friendship grew through the years. You had stopped referring to him as your prince and simply as Namjoon, and later even Joonie – something he had smiled warmly at.

“Don’t want you to get sick,” he continued as you lifted a goblet of water to his lips.

“Shh.” You hushed as you let him sip the fresh water. It didn’t ease the fire in his veins. “You’re the one sick on your birthday.”

Namjoon’s fever didn’t break for days. It felt like his muscles were combusting, aching, and burning. No doctor had the answer. The royal family even came to visit – fearing the worse for the bedridden prince.

“Namjoonie, you better get well.” It was a light threat from Seokjin as he sat on the bedside of his younger brother. It wasn’t much of a threat when Seokjin sniffled and raised a handkerchief to his eyes.  “What would I do without your aid if you left? I’d be waiting for your letters daily.”

You worked on with a watchful eye. Wringing cool rose-water from a rag to place on Namjoon’s forehead as the crown prince held onto his brother’s hand. You couldn’t decide if the first-born prince was being genuine. You noticed other things though. The way the plump lips of Seokjin were bitten raw. The trembling broad shoulders. There was a quiet to Seokjin, a timidness even if he was built and grown as a Prince; he wasn’t built to be a King. Even a servant girl could see that.

It was as interesting as it was fearful.

There was a night when he refused to let you into his bed chamber. The large clanking of a goblet hitting the tiled floors echoed, and you had rushed to the door with his name on your tongue.

“Don’t enter,” his voice was pained.

“Namjoon, what’s wrong?” you asked.

“I’m fine, I’m fine!” he sounded pained, his voice coming through gritted teeth.

Clanking and shattering objects came from within the room. You did not cease your calling. Servants whispered and gossiped about the prince having a temper tantrum in his weakened state. Some things never change.

The next morning, Namjoon’s fever broke finally. And you nearly cried of relief.

“You scared me so much,” you scolded the prince as you clung to his hand. His arms wrapped around you tight, pulling you closer and closer until you were in the bed with him. Surprised by not frightened, you remained in his arms. They trembled with a weakness, from the sickness you assumed, but they didn’t let you shift in his embrace. He held you close and breathed you in. You smelled of home. Of everything he cared for. The smell of food cooking on a hearth, of indigo flowers planted in the garden, of the vanilla hidden in old books. He trembled under your hug, but he pressed his lips to your hair, something you don’t miss. Fondness bloom in your chest like a flower.

“What happened yesterday?” you murmured, curiously.

You knew it wasn’t a temper tantrum. He didn’t do that. It wasn’t Namjoon.

He breathed out shakily. He felt… different. His skin felt tight to his bones; his muscles remained tense like a suit of armor forged into his own flesh – but he didn’t feel unwell. The fire that had burned through him had settled into a steady flow of embers through his veins. A comforting warmth, a harness-able power.

“I-I don’t know,” he lied as he held you closer.

After the illness, Namjoon held himself differently. He was taller, broader. He almost reminded you of Seokjin’s naturally wide shoulders – except Namjoon’s frame was different. More muscular, beefier.

He could lift you now, carrying you to your quarters ( which had moved to the castle, per his request ) when you fell asleep reading beside the prince. He was eating more – but maybe you simply forgot his appetite after suffering under the illness for so long. He’s moved into training again – now outside the tower he called his living quarters – something you knew he had liked to do after years of friendship.

He was different but the same. He almost seemed more at peace as he greeted you in the kitchens with a friendly kiss to your cheek.

He was bolder. Happier.

Different but good.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” he wrapped his arms around you.

It was a welcome change; Namjoon had begun to hug you closer, wrap his arms around you more and more now. Your hand moved to rest against his intertwined arms.

“Good morning, Joon.” His chin rested on your shoulder, watching as you made his plate (and yours at his request – he loved eating breakfast with you.)

“You’re in a good mood,” you commented.

“I received a letter from my brother.” he didn’t speak of Seokjin with ill-will; he had spoken of the king with a tone of discontent – detested affection - before.

“He wants me to be his Advisor.” He revealed. He sounded excited, happy. “Officially.” He turned to rest his cheek fully on your shoulder, rubbing his cheek against your servant garb. “Father is preparing to shift things around, giving Seokjin more power in decision-making.”

Which Namjoon knew Seokjin hated.

“You have worked hard. You’ll finally be able to show off that big brain of yours in front of the court,” you added as you continued to slice the apple for your individual porridges.

“Finally,” he sighed against you. Things were looking up.

He dragged his cheek against your shoulder once more before hugging you close. As he pulled away, his fingers swiped an apple slice from the tray.

“Your Highness,” you scolded, making him chuckle out as he pressed another fond kiss to your cheek.

It left tingling warmth in its wake.

You couldn’t seem to rest despite yawns tumbling from your lips. Restlessness clung to your bones, making you stand from your bed. Your gaze peered out the high window to look into the night sky.  The tower room that Namjoon insisted on you having as you tended to him while he was ill was grand. It was larger than your homestead, draped in finery that you had been fearful to use. There was even a balcony to look out into the night sky – which you used now. Namjoon hadn’t asked for anything in return, simply saying he adored your company. He wanted you here. He had been kind to you; sweeter than ever.

The very thought of the prince made your heart race. Letting out a girlish giggle, your eyes continued to stargaze. Arms draping over the baluster, you pressed your cheek to the cool stonework. There were many stars you could name; Namjoon particularly enjoyed astronomy. You were naming each one you could.

There was the Chamaeleon, Corona Borealis, Lepus, Lupus, and the Dragon.  Your eyes drooped sleepily when something caught your gaze. There was flicker against the midnight skies like a shadow dancing across the stars. The shape made you shudder, your eyes widening like saucers.

It looked like a dragon flying high in the sky.

You blink, blink, blinked.

It was gone. No, you know what you saw. You saw the impossible.

“What are you reading, Y/N?” Namjoon asked after catching you in the halls of the palace, curled in an alcove he knew you favored.

“Folklore,” you commented.

He noted your sleepy eyes; lavender painted your under-eye area. His brows pursed – even if you continued reading with interest.

“What’s caught your attention, sweet one?” he chuckled softly before his fingers tucked stray hairs away from your face. Fingers grazed your skin fondly. You looked up at the gentility. He lips pursed into a frown. “You look like you’ve been up all night; were you reading by candlelight again?”

Your face didn’t lighten up like he loved. It made his stomach churn a bit. His brows pursed. He was far too easy to read like your favorite book.

You tried to comfort him, shaking your head. Your cheek pressed into his large, hot hand reassuringly.

“No, no; I just – Namjoon –, “ you started a sentence, pausing in your words.

Licking your lips, your tired mind caught up to your train of thought and you had to pause.

Everyone knew the tale of the dragon bloods. Creatures who could transform at will – fire breathed into their souls, powerful and greedy but wise. They took over the throne from an evil ruler; then they ruled with wisdom for decades. It was a tall-tale you were told since childhood. But… it was just a story. How could you have seen one? And why did it strike such fear in your heart for Namjoon and the royal family? Was it an omen? Was he in danger?

Your breathing shuddered.

You couldn’t tell him. He’d find you crazy.

Your gaze shifted from his kind umber eyes to the book beneath her fingertips.

“I’ve just been engrossed in this story,” you said quietly.

It wasn’t quite a lie.

He frowned, but brushed a thumb over your cheek soft. He didn’t like you keep things from him. But he’d let you for now.

“Seokjin-hyung truly doesn’t know how to rule; what did he do during all those lessons? He knows nothing!” Namjoon lamented, flopping down beside you in the grassy riverside. It was a heavy thud of his body against the vegetation.  

“Be careful,” you commented at his violent action yet he didn’t even grunt from the action.

“I would’ve loved lessons on trade routes,” he sighed out, frustratedly. His hands trailed over the wild indigo tousling in the wind.  He watched the petals pass through his fingers before huffing again.

“I know, Joonie, but you learned regardless. That’s resilience.”

He hummed out an agreement. His gaze shifted from the weeds beside his head to focus on you. You were reading again. A sight he loved. He loved when you were focused, immersed in something more. It was like he could see your brain working, see the imagination flickering behind your beautiful eyes.

The leather-covered book bore the same “History of Fae & Other Creatures” title. You’ve been reading it for more than a week now. It made his curiosity spike.

“What are you so intrigued about, sweetheart?” He leaned up on his forearms, gazing up at you with flower petals and leaves clinging to his long hair.

You let out a soft chuckle at the sight, reaching out to pluck the remnants away. Why were you nervous to tell him? Would he laugh at you? He hadn’t before. You knew your fears were foolish – a Dragon wasn’t coming to destroy his family line – and him. That was… not set in reality. Its been something you’ve ruminated on night after night as you laid in your cushy bed. You could’ve seen something totally real that night – a strange bird or a kite or a very solid looking cloud that moved really fast. Right?

Fiddling with the corner of the worn page, you hemmed and hawed. Namjoon waited patiently. Smiling up at you. He’s never been cruel or mean. Surely, he’d just tell you saw nothing. That it was the sleepiness. Reassure you. He fiddled with the fabric of your dress – a new one he had made for you of indigo blue.

“I just – I’ve been thinking of dragons recently,” you finally said, turning the page.

Namjoon paused, his smile freezing. His dimples weren’t showing as the smile faded into a confused frown.

“Dragons?” he asked again. Namjoon’s blood felt hot.

“I—you’ll think I’m silly,” you said, shaking your head – your gaze hadn’t left the page. “I thought I saw one the other night. I was tired though. Maybe I just was – I don’t know, day-dreaming.”

“Maybe,” Namjoon supplied.

He felt hot.

He’d tell them soon. He promised.

Namjoon’s face was grim as he sat in the rocky carriage. Stuck in the royal attire he often disregard around the palace, his limbs felt tight and itchy; his fine silver crown atop perfectly styled locks. His hair had been cut, by your hand at the insistence of the maids and caretakers. He was a Prince not some long-haired pirate! He felt wrong. Everything felt wrong. He was stuck in a carriage far away from you and only taking him further and further away by the second. It left him worrying. A pit growing in his stomach as the carriage shuttered against the rocky path.

Even if he hadn’t spoken his love to you, you hadn’t rejected his affections. His soft kisses to your cheek, his embraces where his hands remained respectfully at your waist, or his affectionate nicknames. It was more than friendship, surely you knew that. You weren’t dumb. You were the smartest woman he’d met. It was one of the many things he loved about you.

He felt anxiety creep up at the thought of the castle unprotected by him. You were unprotected. It made the fire splutter and splatter like lava within his soul.

But he had a duty – not to his father, but Seokjin.

It’ll be okay. You’ll be okay.

The castle was a day’s journey, one that he handled as gracefully as one could. Soon enough, he was back in his childhood home – yet it felt unlike the true home he left behind. Bereft figures, dull colors of dark blacks decorated the halls. Sobs filled the streets.

After all, the King was dead.

Seokjin was going to be crowned – and soon.

It was the night after the funeral. Seokjin had barged his way into Namjoon’s quarters – a forgotten childhood bedroom. Everything had been left where Namjoon had place it. His dragon stuffed animal sat on the window’s ledge, looking out.

At least it has been, before Seokjin had picked it up and fiddled with it. Squeezing it, tossing it between his large palms, hugging it.

“I can’t do this, Joonie,” Seokjin hyperventilated.

“What are you talking about, hyung?” Namjoon tried to understand.

“The crown,” he blurted out. “The ceremonies. The ruling. The laws. The court. I’m not—I can’t. I’m not – built for this.”

Seokjin was trembling; his fingers digging into the stuffed animal harshly. His lips were bitten red, bleeding.

“You’ve grown up learning for this,” Namjoon countered, disbelievingly. “Its your-“

“I don’t care!” Seokjin cried out. “I—I never wanted the crown. I never—I can’t handle the pressures; Father, before he passed, he knew – he knew. He said if the crown failed in my hands that I’d go to hell. That I’d be cursed to be outcasted. History rewritten. He called me weak – he called me-“ Seokjin was sobbing. Namjoon had never seen his brother cry before.

“I don’t know what to do. You do.”

You know how to rule.

“Help me, Joonie. Please. Please I revoke my crown. I revoke it. I revoke it to you.”

There was a jostling outside your balcony, waking you with a start.  A grand wind pounded on the glass panels ferociously, rattling and creaking them violently. Your eyes flashed open and you looked about bewildered.

There had been no wind when you fell asleep. Especially not so violent.

“What is going on?” Your fear made you jump, holding the covers to your form as if that could protect you.

You saw no clouds nor tells of rain or wind last night. But now, it was almost like your window frame was trembling from the force outside.

Standing to look, what you saw nearly made you faint. There, outside your window – perched awkwardly on your stone balcony’s balusters – was a dragon. Larger than you by an incredible amount. Its form wasn’t even at its grandest; you could see its body was curling inwards; its large clawed paws were shifting underneath it as it balanced, almost similar to a cat. Its wings were outstretched wide, the width of them taking up the length of many men. It didn’t look threatening; there was no fire or brimstone. Instead, it almost looked clumsy. It was far too large for the foundation beneath itself. The stonework gave a horrible groan, loud and bellowing from the creature’s weight.  

A scream was on your lips, aching to tear out of your throat – but before you could, you saw before your very eyes the dragon begin to tremble and shrink until… there was no dragon there anymore. No, it was just Namjoon.

Namjoon was on your balcony.

Rippling muscles shuddering as he stumbled off of the stone baluster and towards you a wild look in his eyes.

“Y/N,” you could hear him even with your balcony window shut – however, not for long, as you promptly fainted.

He was a dragon.

“Darling,” you could hear a soft croon. “Oh, my sweet girl.”

Your head ached, but you could still recognize that voice anywhere. It was the same voice that had read you countless novels in the field of flowers by the gardens.

“Joon?” you queried in your drowsiness.

Blinking your eyes, you look up to see him, clad in his royal attire – the very attire he had left in – sitting beside you in your quarters.

“I’m so sorry,” he pleaded, rushing to press kisses to your knuckles. His crowned head bowing towards you in regret.

He hadn’t thought about how it could startle you – all he could think was he had to return home. Had to discuss things with you – his only friend, his love, his confidant.

“I—I, did—I had the strangest dream,” you murmur out. “You were a—” Your gaze traveled to the window, now open to where you had seen the creature perched in your dreams. Only to see the shattered stonework. The broken balusters laid messily in front of the gargoyles.

“A dragon,” Namjoon supplied, quietly. Almost bashfully like that morning you met.

Your eyes drifted back to him. His umber eyes were fiery, even if they were glancing away almost boyishly shy.

“What?” you asked quiet. “Namjoon, what?”

He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing a bit. His head tilted downwards. All the fire of a dragon he had – but its courage he still lacked, he scolded himself.

He lacked when it came to you; selfishly afraid and yearning to protect and shield you away from him.

“I’m a dragon blood. I-I learned about it a few months ago,” he said. “After my illness, I had these abilities. These powers…”

You stared at him; partial awe, partial fear, partial confusion, and partial betrayal painted your features.

Before you slapped at his shoulder, angrily.

“You—” You nearly curse at him, anger peaking.

His hands went to capture yours before you could slap at him again. Firm but not painful, his grasp was one of desperation as his brows crinkled in despair.

“I know; I know. I didn’t tell you. How would you have reacted?” he rambled on. “You would’ve thought me mad; you would’ve left me alone. You would’ve never spoken to me.”

His fear was laid out in a rush– you leaving him.

“I couldn’t bear that.” he whispered ardently.

“So, you lied!” you bitterly exclaimed. Your hands – now curled into childish fists – couldn’t shift in his grasp. He was strong.

“You never asked!” Namjoon countered smiling awkwardly. Your glare shut him up, his mouth opening and closing as his eyes shut. “That doesn’t matter I know. You can be angry later, please. I have news from the kingdom. I need you!”

A Dragon never needed anyone. But he needed her. He always would.

“Seokjin is going to revoke the crown – and I’ll be crowned king.” He said out in a flurry.

Once again, as if a bomb was dropped on you, your mouth dropped open.

“He’s revoking the crown?”

Namjoon nodded, almost excitedly. You could see flames dance in his eyes – had that always happened?

“This is horrible!” you murmured out, fear written in your face.

Nightmares of disasters flickered through your mind. Namjoon and Seokjin being killed in an uprising. Namjoon being prevented taking the throne. Seokjin lying to cause Namjoon’s death. So many worst-case scenarios flickered through your mind. Your mind was an expert at plotting the worse. Even if the dragon you saw was him – it could be a warning. He could be a warning of worse things to come.

“Darling?” Namjoon asked, his voice gentle as he saw your outburst – your fear and disapproval were the opposite of what he predicted.

“Seokjin doesn’t want the crown,” Namjoon reassured, hands leaving your wrists to cup your face. Tilting it his way to watch your mind rush faster and faster. He licked his lips as he saw your mouth shuddered.

“If you do this, Namjoon, the kingdom will be in uproar; they will fight against a shift in power – even if it’s as peaceful as your brother granting you the throne.” You countered. “It’s signing a war declaration.”

He let out a huff of a growl, smoke tumbling from his nose. His impatience bubbled up. He didn’t like being told that he couldn’t do something; he never had.

The smoke shocked you, but somehow not enough to scare you. It was just… new.

“I don’t want a war,” you said looking at him with a look he hadn’t seen before. Desperation and yearning. Longing. It was complex and somber and… soulful. He felt like he saw your soul for a moment. And it was scared for him. You didn’t want him harmed or put into harm’s way in any way. “And I don’t want you fighting in it.”

Want. Want. Want.

Namjoon wanted too. He wanted so much over the years. He had wanted his family’s love. He didn’t receive it. He wanted to learn. He was given road block after road block. He wanted you, all of you. And he forbade himself.

He wanted the throne. He wanted what he deserved. He wanted respect. Your breath left in a soft huff of a sigh. You pushed yourself up to sit higher on your bed, closer in his embrace, his hands sliding to your jaw to accommodate.

“I don’t want you getting hurt, Joonie.”

His fiery gaze eased a bit at your words. You were precious. Kind-hearted, gentle. His only true friend. His. And as a dragon blood, he was greedy. You were a treasure he didn’t know he hoarded. Until now.

“I don’t fear anything anymore. At least nothing like that.” he commented softly. “Not after the change.” He shifted from the floor to your bed, his tall form towered over you, but you didn’t feel discomfort as he embraced you. His thumb caressed over the soft supple skin of your cheeks, lovingly. “Why should a monster fear anything he can devour?”

You think if someone else had said those words a shiver would go down your spine. But it was Kim Namjoon. The very Namjoon who you’ve known for so many years. Namjoon – the prince who didn’t tattle on you – a servant girl – when you were avoiding work. Namjoon – who learned botany because you said you loved the wild indigos you found on the path between the castle and your homestead. Namjoon – who would sit beside you and point at the words you couldn’t decipher from old folklore scripts and ramble on and on about the history of them. Namjoon – the man who would grab your hand and sneak down to the river’s shores to skip stones with you. Namjoon - who had pressed soft kisses to your forehead when you fell asleep beside him in the grand library. Namjoon – who gently took your hand in between his as he confessed how much you meant to him beside the hearth of the fireplace.

Namjoon – the son of the Dragon, the inheritor of the flame – the rightful heir of the kingdom as a dragon blood.

It felt like two separate people – but even now, when his hand slid to your jaw – you could see both sides of him. The powerful being and the gentle giant. He would fight to protect you. And you knew deep down you would fight to protect him.

“Don’t be afraid,” he murmured lowly. “Of me, of a war.” He clarified. “What I am now – what awoke within me - is bulletproof, darling; I will not fail us. I will protect you and my kingdom.” And with that, he leant down, cupping your cheeks, and kissed your lips for the first time.  

You swore you could taste fire-smoke and ash on his lips.

[leavescrown]

Ship: Jikook

Rating: PG-13

The lure of a beautiful young man singing outside makes Jungkook leave a boring meeting and join him.

[star-my]

berserk tiger - iv. impulsion

Pairing: Min Yoongi x Kim Seo-ah (OC)

Rating: PG-13

WC: 1.6k

CW: sibling shenanigans (Jinah extorts Yoongi semi-seriously), lack of boundaries between characters, Miran may (not-so-)secretly be a voyeur? (Jin is Shocked)

A/N: No beta so feel free to point out typos or give concrit. Compliments are always nice. Moodboard photos are taken from Pinterest, edit is mine. This part is inspired by @sabiekay <3

| Series Masterlist & Description | Masterlist | Ao3 |

Taglist (open): @bangtan-famiglia-net @bangtanwritershq @kayleefriedchicken @veronawrites

Seo-ah knocked on Yoongi’s office door, poking her head in when he greeted her. “I’m back.”

He nodded. “Did you have a good time?”

She grinned, thinking of what she’d left in her closet. “I did. Miran is really fun to be around.”

Yoongi’s eyebrow raised. “Good, maybe now that I have a wife, that’ll keep her out of my hair.”

With that cryptic comment, he returned to his work. Taking the silent dismissal for what it was, Seo-ah closed the door silently and returned to her, no their, room. She had a closet to organize.

~~~

Jinah immediately tracked Seo-ah down when she returned from school, plopping onto the tufted bench in the middle of the closet with a sigh. “How was your day, unnie?”

“It was good, I went shopping with a new friend and then I’ve been putting my things away. How was yours?”

“Same as usual,” she shrugged, pulling a candy out of her pocket and popping it into her mouth. “Want one?”

Seo-ah refused the offer, not wanting to get her new things sticky before she’d even worn them. 

“You should go study, Jinah. It’s almost time for your exams.”

With a belaboured sigh, her sister got up, though she lingered at the doorway. “What’s that?”

Seo-ah glanced down at the item in her arms, a smirk tugging at her lips. “It’s a wedding present from me to Yoongi. Don’t you think it suits him?”

Jinah cocked her head at the fabric Seo-ah held up. Nodding, she agreed. “You must tell me what he says about that.”

“Okay, as long as you study,” Seo-ah insisted.

Rolling her eyes, Jinah left, leaving the door open behind her.

“I left you a snack in the fridge!” Seo-ah called after.

She continued her folding and sorting, down to the last bag now. 

A cough behind her made her turn to see Yoongi standing in the doorway. “I thought I should let you know that dinner is almost ready. Uh, I’ll leave you to–”

His gaze flicked down to what she’d paused folding, then back up to her eyes.

Willing herself not to get flustered, as she remembered that she was putting away a rather scandalously lacy lingerie set Miran had forced her to buy, she simply nodded. “Thank you, I’ll be there in a minute. I’ll be settled and ready to cook tomorrow.”

“You don’t have to–”

“I like to,” she insisted, turning to hang the lingerie in the darkest depths of her half of the closet.

“Alright. Do you mind if I join you sometimes? I like to cook as well.”

She smiled at him. “Of course not, it’s your kitchen. There’s plenty of space so we shouldn’t worry about getting in each other’s way.”

He nodded silently and left just as silently, leaving her to stare after him curiously.

~~~

The meal was fairly quiet, though Jinah did her best to contribute conversation. 

“How would you feel about hosting a welcome dinner so my closest employees can meet you and Jinah?” Yoongi suddenly asked, setting down his chopsticks.

Seo-ah blinked. “That sounds fine. When were you thinking?”

“Hm, would next Thursday work for you?”

“That sounds fine. You know I never have a packed social calendar,” she grinned. 

“And what about the first of next month, we reveal our relationship to the public? Quietly, but just something to show off my beautiful wife and let them know that I’m a taken man now?”

Jinah cooed. “You’re earning more and more Husband Approval Points, oppa. Keep it up!”

Yoongi glanced at Seo-ah, who tried to hide her smile behind her water glass. “Thank you?”

“When you reach one thousand HA Points, I may consider forgiving you for not letting me know you were dating my sister until after you were married,” Jinah informed him.

“Jinah–” began Seo-ah, but Yoongi raised his hand, shushing her. 

“How many Husband Approval Points do I have at the moment?”

“Five.”

He tsked. “How do I gain these points?”

“Being good to Seo-ah. I will also add two points for every ten thousand won you give me.”

“Jinah!” scolded Seo-ah, now truly shocked. “That is very out of line for you to say!”

“I respect your hustle,” Yoongi told Jinah seriously, fishing his wallet out of his pants. He handed three 5,000 won bills to her waiting hand. “15,000 won, equal to five Husband Approval Points, correct? That brings me up to ten points, or one percent approved of.”

Jinah nodded. “You’re smart. I knew I liked you.”

Seo-ah kicked Yoongi’s foot under the table, making him look at her and her frown. “Don’t encourage her extortion, Yoon.”

He stared at her.

Clearing her throat at the sudden tension in the air, Jinah spoke up. “It’s May twentieth now, which gives Yoongi-oppa approximately six and a half months to reach one thousand points by the end of the year. Care to make any bets on if he’ll make it?”

Yoongi tore his eyes away from Seo-ah to face her sister. “That sounds very arbitrary, especially if you plan on being in charge of the betting and point-awarding. What’s to stop you from rigging it? I think I’d better call my financial advisor here so we can settle this clearly.”

Seo-ah kicked his foot again, harder. “There’s no need to disturb Seokjin and Miran this late, Yoongi. Jinah, no betting, and no bribing Yoongi. You don’t need to disturb him.”

Jinah tsked but settled down, winking at Yoongi when she thought Seo-ah didn’t notice.

~~~

Yoongi’s head poked around the closet door to their bedroom, his sudden appearance in her peripheral vision making her turn. 

His deadpan face made her blink in confusion for a moment before she remembered what she’d left on his shelves.

Ah. He’d found it. “You found my present?” she smirked.

He stepped out of the closet fully, revealing the cat-print pyjamas she’d bought under Miran’s urging after they giggled about his feline-ness that morning. Stifling a giggle as she took in the look, she managed, “They look very nice…they really suit you.”

“It would be rude not to wear them when you took such care to get them for me,” he excused himself, sliding into bed and hiding the view under the covers.

She snickered again, joining him and turning out the lights. Miran would be so happy to hear how their prank had turned out.

~~~

Kim Seokjin and Miran’s house

“Babe, you have to leave early to meet Yoongi at the office for that meeting this morning, right?”

Jin turned from fixing his hair in the mirror to his wife, a little puzzled at the non-sequitur.

“I’m going to leave in half an hour, why?”

“Why don’t you carpool today and go pick him up? I’ll go with you, I want to visit Seo-ah.”

Jin shrugged in acquiescence. “Alright, I can leave in five instead. You’re getting close to his wife fast, aren’t you?”

Miran’s head emerged from the dress she pulled on, arms patting down the creases. “I guess so. It’s nice to have someone who understands what it’s like being married to a mobster.”

“Jagiya…we don’t know what she knows, yet. Please don’t get too attached until we know what Yoongi is doing.”

“I know, I know,” she bumped him out of the way to brush her mascara on. “It’s still nice to make new friends, though!”

Jin let them into Yoongi’s house with his key and passcode, surprised at how dark and quiet it still was. He headed to the kitchen to make some tea, expecting Miran to be right behind him.

Of course, his nosy wife was not, instead tiptoeing down the hallway to Yoongi’s room.

Jin followed her reluctantly, wondering at her invasion of privacy while also knowing that Yoongi had to be up and ready to leave soon.

“Aren’t you even going to knock?” he whispered in Miran’s ear as she wrapped her fingers around the handle. 

“Shh, I want to see something,” she hissed back.

Jin gasped. “Since when was my innocent Miran-ie a voyeur?!”

She elbowed him back with a glare. “Not that, Jin. Seo-ah got him cat pyjamas and I need to see if he’s wearing them. There’s no way he’ll wear them unless he’s actually in love with her.”

Now Jin’s curiosity was aroused, and against his mature adult brain’s warnings, he followed his impulsive teenage brain’s idea instead.

~~~

Yoongi and Seo-ah’s house

Seo-ah blinked her eyes open, feeling surprisingly rested. Where was she? Oh, yes, her new husband’s bed. He was awake already, looking at her for who knows how long. She blushed, reaching up to pat her bedhead down. 

“How long were you awake?”

“Not long.”

His already sensual voice was even worse better in the morning, she found out, feeling something when he spoke. 

“So, about last night…”

She hummed, closing her eyes, still too asleep to remember.

“You called me Yoon.”

Her eyes flew open. “Sorry, was that inappropriate?”

He shook his head, one arm emerging from the covers to pat her still-mussed hair down. “I haven’t been called Yoon in years. It was nice to hear. Nicknames really sell the act, too, don’t you think?”

“You’re right…yeobo.”

His eyes crinkled at her teasing advance.

“Glad you agree, jagiya.”

A scratch at the door made Yoongi turn, eyes narrowing. 

“Would that be your sister?”

Seo-ah shrugged in confusion. “Jinah?”

A loud yelp sounded from outside, and Seo-ah rushed out of bed. Yoongi halted her at the door, putting his arm in front of her and quietly wrapping his hand around the knob and turning. 

He yanked it open to reveal Jinah holding one of his nice kitchen knives in the air, pointed at his second and his second’s wife, who were directly outside the door.

“What is going on?”

[bangtanwritershq]

BangtanWritersHQ Presents: “Never Know Peace" Masterlist

For August 2023, we assembled a masterlist collection of fics to showcase Bangtan featuring enemies to lovers, angst, and other related themes! There are many different AUs, genres, and pairings featured! So, if you're in the mood for all things angsty and brutal, this masterlist is for you!

Browse at your leisure and ENJOY!

KEY:

🔞 - nsfw (mature themes) ✅ - sfw (no warnings) 💖 - smut ⚠️ - other warnings

SET UP - emojis: Title (if link is to another platform) | Author [parts] pairings, genre/aus, rating, word count

🔞💖⚠️ Curse of The Serpent | @colormepurplex2 [2/2] Pairing: Perseus!Namjoon x Medusa!Jimin AU Type: Gods & Monsters, Greek Mythology | smut, angst, mild fluff Rating: MA WC: 12,046

🔞💖⚠️ I Put A Spell On You | @colormepurplex2 [2/2] Pairing: Demon!Jimin x Witch!Reader / Vampire!Jungkook x Witch!Reader AU Type: Vampires/Demons/Witches, Friends to Enemies | smut, angst Rating: MA WC: 9,257

🔞💖⚠️ Make You Mine | @colormepurplex2 [2/2] Pairing: Alpha!Jungkook x Omega!Reader AU Type: A/B/O, E2L, Fated Soulmates | angst, smut, mild fluff Rating: MA WC: 11,231

🔞💖⚠️ Bite Me | @downbad4yoongi [1/1] Pairing: Vampire!Jimin x VampireHunter!Jungkook AU Type: E2L, Supernatural/Paranormal | angst, smut, violence Rating: MA WC: 4,740

🔞💖⚠️ Seeds | @downbad4yoongi [2/2] Pairing: Hades!Hoseok x Persephone!Yoongi AU Type: Modern Greek Mythology, S2L | smut, angst Rating: MA WC: 7,902

🔞💖⚠️ BTW, ily | @hisunshiine [1/1] Pairing: TATMIFB!kim namjoon x TATMIFB!reader AU Type: Opportunities, Firsts | smut, angst Rating: MA WC: 6,393

🔞💖⚠️ Eternal Night | @hisunshiine [1/1] Pairing: Royal!Tae x Royal!OC AU Type: Vampires, Royalty, Unrequited Love | smut, angst Rating: MA WC: 4,768

🔞⚠️ Happier | @hisunshiine [1/1] Pairing: Yoongi x Reader AU Type: Lovers to Exes Rating: PG-13 WC: 845

🔞💖⚠️ College Nights, Diner Fights | @hisunshiine [1/1] Pairing: waiter!jungkook x waitress!reader AU Type: Diner, E2L | angst, smut, fluff Rating: MA WC: 9,664

🔞💖⚠️ Till Death Do Us Part | @colormepurplex2 [4/4] Pairing: Hitman Yoongi x Kidnapped f.Reader AU Type: Mafia/Arranged Marriage, E2L | angst, smut, fluff Rating: MA WC: 41,132

🔞💖⚠️ Blood Bride | @colormepurplex2 [2/2] Pairing: vampire!Yoongi x human!f.Reader AU Type: Vampire, S2L, Accidental Marriage | angst, smut Rating: MA WC: 9,756

🔞💖⚠️ The Stars In His Eyes...The Hate In Your Heart | @colormepurplex2 [2/2] Pairing: Hoseok x f.Reader AU Type: E2L/Brother’s Best Friend | angst, smut, fluff Rating: MA WC: 18,085

All stories copywritten of the specified author. The authors provided consent for their stories to the network to be shared by submitting their stories. Stories posted in the order of submission to the event.

[here2bbtstrash]

the weekend is upon us..... so as promised...... it is time for............

✨💐🌸☁️ bangtan soft hours ☁️🌸💐✨

anddddd just like last time, i've got a little prompt for you 💖

if you could do one (sfw!) activity with one member (or subunit!) of bangtan: who are you with & what are you doing?

my example: i want to go to a whiskey tasting with yoonkook 🤭 yoongi would probably be familiar with most of what we try, given his refined palette and big-ass brain. he'll point out the different tasting notes and flavor profiles, and mutter quietly whenever he disagrees with the liquor expert's assessments of the various offerings, which is often. me and jungkook will be the adult children who don't know jack shit (getit), but we'll thoroughly enjoy getting shitfaceded, going KHHHHHHHH after trying the really strong ones and wondering how tf yoongi can stomach them neat without so much as a grimace 🥴

couple ground rules to keep things fun and easier on me:

☁️ pls send these in as asks! (aka don't reblog/comment on this post) ☁️ you're welcome to make your submissions as simple or detailed as you like, but please be mindful that we're purposefully keeping things soft/sfw this time (let's say like, PG-13 max? can hint at stuff but no detailed descriptions..... that's what last month's game was for 🤣) ☁️ you can submit multiple asks if you've got multiple things in mind! in fact, i prefer that you not string multiple activities together in one ask - so if you wanna hit up a museum with joon and go see a lady gaga concert with taehyung, send those in as two separate asks!!! ☁️ reminder that i am just one human who is feeling extra small and tired bc she had a long fucking workweek, SO i may not be able to answer every single submission i get - but i'm gonna try my best! ☁️ we'll play this game intermittently over the weekend, and my goal is to wrap up by sunday evening at the latest 💕

that's all - i hope ur excited to play 🥲 now go forth and be soft!! 🌸

[bangtan-famiglia-net]

Fic Formatting

(Tumblr)

Title/Banner

Pairing (use 'x' or '/' for romantic relationships, '&' for platonic relationships. e.g. 'Park Jimin x OFC', 'Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung' if it has TaeKook, 'Kim Namjoon & Y/N')

Word Count (rounding is acceptable)

AU/Genre (Mafia/Gang AU, Dystopian AU, Fluff, Smut, Angst)

Rating (G, PG-13, T/PG-15, M, E)

CW/TWs (e.g. blood, threats of violence, murder by [insert BTS member], kissing, oral sex (F & M), PiV sex)

(Keep Reading)

All CWs must be listed above the 'keep reading' break. Any NSFW or warned-for content must stay beneath the break.

Works with 500+ words must have a 'keep reading' break at or before 200 words in.

Any beta readers must be acknowledged somewhere in the post (ideally in the prefacing information, but at the end is also acceptable).

Tag the network in the first 10 tags of the fic (and/or tag the handle @bangtan-famiglia-net).

The above format can be listed in any order you please.

(Ao3)

Follow Ao3's required fields and fill them in correctly. Use tags (Mafia AU) and CW tags appropriately (Blood, Gore, Violence, Murder, Smut, Vaginal Fingering, Blow Jobs) etc.

Use the BangtanFamigliaNet tag. If the work is part of a Net-hosted event, follow the event's tagging guidelines and add the work to the correct collection.

Credit your beta(s) if you used them.

If works are not tagged and warned for appropriately and the bangtanfamiglianet tag is used, the Bosses will have a sit-down and decide what action to take. Refusal to comply with tagging formatting multiple times will result in the Family losing a member.

You can tag and warn as you like on your fics as long as you do not use the bangtanfamiglianet tag.

[goopeculiar]

The Mark of an Educated Mind namjoon-centric (namjoon/seokjin), PG-13, 6908 words. At three o'clock in the morning after he'd been working for ten hours straight and everything he touched came out wrong and all his words were stilted and clumsy and all his music was rough and tangled... for some ungodly reason Kim Namjoon opened up a new browser window, typed bangtan sonyeondan fan fiction into the search bar, and then (god) hit enter.

[aricastmblr]

13 de Mayo Jimin & Jungkook  -  지민&정국

*150513 지민&정국

(https://youtu.be/Ln6Cx0B62oM)

*No.1 BTS CONGRATULATIONS! 방탄소년단 1위 축하!! 160512

(https://youtu.be/iywVxrcZ9zw)

*오늘 기다려주셔서 와주셔서 응원해주셔서 힘나게 해주셔서 너무 고마워요 정말 많이 보고싶었어요 우리 컴백 많이 기대해주세요 JIMIN 꾹

Muchas gracias por esperarme hoy y por animarme. Realmente te extrañé mucho Por favor, espere nuestro regreso. JIMIN 꾹 Kkuk

(https://twitter.com/BTS_twt/status/995349182691950592?s=20)

*I was so happy..       JIMIN  Jk      Yo estaba tan feliz.. JIMIN Jk  

(https://twitter.com/BTS_twt/status/1127809765160230912?s=20)

*BTS LOVE YOURSELF SPEAK YOURSELF FINAL IN SEOUL - Ending VCR

*[BANGTAN BOMB] Jung Kook's Art Class - BTS (방탄소년단) 13 mayo 2020

(https://youtu.be/zbSYc62O-pg)

9 8 6 5 4 años de este live fotos y vídeo de jimin jungkook de mayo de diferentes años

13 de Mayo Jimin & Jungkook  -  지민&정국

*150513 지민&정국

https://youtu.be/Ln6Cx0B62oM

*No.1 BTS CONGRATULATIONS! 방탄소년단 1위 축하!! 160512

https://youtu.be/iywVxrcZ9zw

*오늘 기다려주셔서 와주셔서 응원해주셔서 힘나게 해주셔서 너무 고마워요 정말 많이 보고싶었어요 우리 컴백 많이 기대해주세요 JIMIN  꾹 

Muchas gracias por esperarme hoy y por animarme. Realmente te extrañé mucho Por favor, espere nuestro regreso.  JIMIN  꾹 Kkuk

https://twitter.com/BTS_twt/status/995349182691950592?s=20

*I was so happy..       JIMIN  Jk     Yo estaba tan feliz.. JIMIN Jk  

https://twitter.com/BTS_twt/status/1127809765160230912?s=20

*BTS LOVE YOURSELF SPEAK YOURSELF FINAL IN SEOUL - Ending VCR

*[BANGTAN BOMB] Jung Kook’s Art Class - BTS (방탄소년단) 13 mayo 2020

https://youtu.be/zbSYc62O-pg

[kpopfanficrecs]

this summer’s crazy, man

title: this summer’s crazy, man author: cyphers fandom: bangtan/bts pairing(s): jimin/jungkook, implied!jin/rm, implied!j-hope/v rating: pg-13 length: oneshot (4,200>) summary: jungkook is cool, calm, and confident, and jimin is sick of it. high school dance crew au.

[bangtanficarchive]

2022 Halloween Fanfiction Collection

Helllloo again!

Welcome everyone to Bangtan Fic Archive's 2022 spooky Halloween fanfiction collection!!!! We are thrilled to have this master post again! Once again spooky season has arrived and we all know what that means; spooky fanfictions!

This is a master post compiled of horror, supernatural, and fantasy content for your enjoyment! Check them out below and don't forget to give the author some love!

Enjoy!

BTS OT7

Spooked by @alpacaparkaseok →You + all 7 members of BTS visiting a haunted house. What could go wrong? | PG | fluff | horror | humor |

Kim Namjoon

Ensnared by @jamaisjoons →Dragged out by your friends the week before halloween, you hunt down the elusive slenderman. However, none of them know, he’s much closer to you than they think. | M | smut | horror |

Fear - You're My Tear by @springalwayscomes →Cursed and condemned, he couldn’t do anything else but take lives and souls away, killing them with their deepest fear. With her though, it didn’t seem to work. Was she even scared of something? | M | horror |

Kim Seokjin

The Chanting Man by @springalwayscomes →Stopping the car in the middle of a foggy road on Halloween’s night is creepy. Even a shadow standing in the middle of it is creepy, let alone if the shadow turns out to be incredibly beautiful, slides into your car humming a creepy tune and asks you to guide him home. | PG-13 | horror |

Little Red by @lily-blue →The classic story of a girl who pays a visit to her grandma in her red cloak with an itsy-bitsy twist in roles a.k.a. the big bad wolf isn’t that scary anymore. | PG-13 | angst | violence | horror |

In The Woods Somewhere by @7ndipity →A camping trip with your boyfriend takes an unsettling turn when you can't shake the feeling of being watched | PG-13 | angst | horror | violence |

Min Yoongi

The Hunt by @thedarkfactory →"Want To Know Why I Love Playing In The Dark?” | PG-13 | horror | angst |

Scarecrow by @bubmyg →You’re going to keep telling yourself (and Yoongi) that the maze is targeted towards literal children or the one where yoongi growls at a fake scarecrow. | PG | fluff | humor |

DreamCatcher by @jimlingss →When your dreams are more or less nightmares, monsters inside your head that eat you alive, it seems like the only person who can help you is Min Yoongi, professional dream chaser. | PG-13 | angst | horror | fluff |

What the Water Gave Us by @hobivore →What was supposed to be a quiet Tuesday night in the middle of a hectic week is ruined by the sudden arrival of a strange man. | M | angst | horror |

Jung Hoseok

"If This Movie Is Scary, I'm Breaking Up With You" by @joheun-saram →Hoseok loses a bet and now has to endure watching your favorite horror movie. | PG-13 | fluff | horror | humor |

Potions and Poisons by @jjungkookislife →Reviving your memories last Hallows Eve was just the beginning for you and your warlock husband. You’ve quite settled in nicely to your life as his wife and even found a town where you won’t have to fear for your lives. Everything just seems to be falling into place while you simmer in marital bliss. However, your magic still needs some fine tuning… | M | smut |

Park Jimin

Blessing and a Curse by @btsmosphere →You are the unlukiest person you know. Park Jimin seems to be the exception to the rule. But when strange dreams start haunting you, Jimin begins to piece together the events that have followed you your whole life… | PG-13 | fluff | angst | romance | humor |

The Cave Dweller by @girl8890 →It started out as a curiosity, then you met a being that took up your interest altogether. You’ve always been the type of person to comfort those who are lonely, you just didn’t expect your new found friend to be a cave monster. A monster that teaches you tricks of magic, and you eventually teach him your own dirty tricks. | M | smut | angst | horror |

Lovely Demons by @kpopfanfictrash →As penance for a crime committed long, long ago, the Witch Council banished you to the feared Tholoss forest. Your sentence was one hundred thousand days of solitude – or death, whichever came first. Your only hope of salvation comes from the demon names routinely sent your way; creatures who escape the inner circles of Hell and pose a threat to the mortal realms. For each demon you kill, days are removed from your sentence. For years you’ve existed, biding your time, until one morning you receive a name which throws your entire world into chaos: the name of Park Jimin, High Prince of Hell himself. | M | smut | violence | angst | fluff |

Kim Taehyung

Visitation of a Lover by @flowesona →It just so happened that through death that they would be brought together. | PG-13 | angst | horror | violence |

Reset Character by @almostkoo →Oc gets dared by friends to spend the night in a supposedly “haunted” mansion that used to belong to a upcoming actor in the 70’s, Kim Taehyung, oc comes face to face with the spector himself and has questions about the broken veil. | PG-13 | angst | horror | fluff |

Jeon Jeongguk

What, Are You Scared? by @honeytae →You vowed a long time ago to stay away from scary movies… | PG-13 | fluff | horror | romance |

Virgin Sacrifice by @girl8890 →Since the day you were born, your parents prepared you for your sacrifice. The whole village knew, and with that everyone stayed away from you. Thinking even just looking at you would make the demon in waiting mad. The demon that has been praying on you since birth, but not for what you expected. | M | smut | horror |

Deal by @jeonstudios →What do you do when your teenage brother’s cancer is too far gone? well, you summon a cocky crossroad demon to make a deal; your life for Taehyung’s. | M | smut | angst | horror | violence | fluff |

House of Cards by @cyberdva →A vacation by the shore with a break from constant labor was all a young couple could dream of and when that time finally presented itself it was exactly what they pounced for. A tiny community on the edge of a coastline caught the attention of a young idol and his hidden lover, yet the all but homey atmosphere chipped away at an alarming rate past their arrival. Small happenings caught the eye of the sharp-witted woman, more and more occurrences kept shoving chilling encounters her way. Something was brewing and with the faith of next to no one it was in her hands to keep the life of her dearest at bay along with the force of a menacing spirit having ties to hundreds of myths, it might just be too late. Was it time for a final goodbye? | PG-13 | fluff | horror | angst |

Bangtan Fic Archive does not own any of the fanfictions or photos featured in this post. All rights reserved to their original creators.

[btsrunmylife]

All works here are my own and are not to be copied, translated, or claimed by anyone else. I only post here and on AO3. If you see my work posted anywhere else, please let me know so I can take legal action.

All of my writing is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, meaning it is illegal to claim, alter, or profit off my work without written permission.

Furthermore, please be aware that all explicit content on this blog was written by an adult for adults and is not to be read by minors. 🔞

Thank you and please enjoy my stories. ✌ 💜

╭──────༺♡༻──────╮         Drabbles | SMAUs ╰──────༺♡༻──────╯

In the Dog House (Explicit | Neighbor AU | 4.6k)  🔞

You truly, truly hate your neighbor. He’s loud, distracting, and he spoils your dog. What will happen when you finally confront him???

Cooking Class (PG | Cooking AU | 3.1k)

Realizing how little you actually know about the one thing needed for survival, you decide to take a cooking class. One of the other students catches your eye, not necessarily because he’s attractive (although, he is), but because he clearly already knows what he’s doing. And that…really isn’t fair.

+Bonus: “The Date” (Explicit, 6.2k)  🔞

Slippery Slopes (Explicit | YoonMin x f!Reader | 3.7k) 🔞

This is a canon divergent spin-off of “Call Me Naïve,” speculating what could have happened if things had been different. If different choices had been made, if Jimin had decided to meddle a bit more, and if…well, YoonMinMay were canon.

Illicit Affairs (Explicit | crackfic, Undercover AU | 6.9k)  🔞

A request | Yoongi x plus-size reader

When you were first put on assignment with Min Yoongi to take down one of the city’s most notorious criminals, you never thought it’d lead you here: following him to a remote inn and pretending to be newlyweds. Specifically, newlyweds that are all over each other. It’s difficult, at first, to pretend to be that into one another. But...what happens when you stop...pretending?

End the Distance (PG | Established Relationship | 1.4k)

A request | Yoongi has been away on tour and the distance becomes too much.  This is Yoongi doing his best to win you back after the breakup.

Catastrophe (PG, Meet Cute, 1.5k)

Prompt. You find a cat wandering the streets and decide to bring it home. Later, you notice a “missing cat” poster and decide to return the cat to its owner.

An Invite (PG-13, Meet Cute, 1.6k)

Prompt. Your roommate is being particularly loud tonight, so you decide to go sit in the hallway and wait it out, only to get noticed by one of your neighbors.

Taste so Sweet (Explicit | Threesome FFM | 6.6k)  🔞

An excerpt of Invisible String. Yoongi is helping you experience something new, something you’ve always wanted to try. All you wanted to do was kiss a girl. You should have known it would be so much more than you imagined.

If Walls Could Talk (Explicit, Ghost Hunting AU, 4.1k)  🔞

You’re part of a web series of paranormal investigators that take cases from clients who believe their homes are haunted. While working in such close proximity, it’s only natural for some of you to gravitate toward one another -- whether it be for stress relief or more.

Coming soon!

Only Me, Only You (PG-13 | Namjoon x f!oc | 8.5k~)

This is a canon adjacent spin-off of “Call Me Naïve”. When Nabi first started at Bangtan Publishing, she was nervous. A new job, new faces, new rules to follow and a lot to learn. To her relief, people are much more welcoming than she expected, especially the cute Junior Editor (later turned Senior Editor), Kim Namjoon, who takes it upon himself to make sure she gets settled in properly. Over the years of her employment, he doesn’t stop there, always checking in, always making sure she feels included and welcome, and always being as sweet as possible. There’s just one question on everyone’s minds…will he ever actually admit to his crush of almost three years???

Sexy Feeling (Explicit | Established Relationship | 1.2k)

Your boyfriend wanted your day to start off on a positive note...

Slippery Slopes (Explicit | YoonMin x f!Reader | 3.7k) 🔞

This is a canon divergent spin-off of “Call Me Naïve,” speculating what could have happened if things had been different. If different choices had been made, if Jimin had decided to meddle a bit more, and if…well, YoonMinMay were canon.

Bitter & Sweet (PG-13 | Married Parents AU | 3.2k)

A request. | Sometimes the biggest obstacles are the ones that just need to be talked about.

He is Love (PG-15 | F2L AU | 42.2k)

You haven’t seen Jungkook since you were kids. The way you remember him, he was a shy, scrawny boy who was afraid to talk to girls. Except you. You were always the exception and he made sure to let you know that. Running into him years later, now that he’s secured a job as a personal trainer, is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because he introduces you to a life you never had. A curse because your entire life gets turned upside down and all you can do is watch as it falls to your feet.

Gasoline (PG-13 | Criminal AU | 11.8k)

Part of the Seven Tales Collab. Based on 2022 Season’s Greetings.

He’s gotten used to the sound of gunshots, to the sound of tires squealing in the dead of night. Used to fearing for his life one moment and tipping his head back in victorious laughter the next. He lives his life on the edge, thrives in the heat of the moment -- addicted to the challenge of thinking on his feet. But he’s never taken a job he can’t complete. He lives his life on the road and relatively alone, the only constant in his life the chaos. The chaos...and now you.

Cause & Effect (Explicit | S2L | 6.4k) 🔞

A request |  He didn’t take his friends seriously when they told him to stay away from you. Frankly, he didn’t care. Little did he know what a mess things would turn out to be. Or a fic based on the song “I Heard You’re Married” by The Weeknd.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat (Explicit, Roommate/Noona AU, 3.5k)

A request | Jeon “I’m too lazy to wash myself” Jungkook

Feels Like Home (PG-13 | Werewolf & University AU | WIP)

Emotional Support Werewolves. You never thought you’d hear those words in the same sentence. As a beta yourself, it should be insulting. It would be if it weren’t for the fact the Bangtan pack provides these services to other werewolves separated from their packs. Your refusal to take advantage of such services only lasts until one difficult night in particular, where being separated from your parents’ pack is too hard to handle on your own. Who knew your roommate’s insistence would eventually win you over?

© btsrunmylife

[taeyohonic]

control. (1)

summary: min yoongi has everything: fame, respect, money, and his manager. and the idol will do anything to keep these things.

pairing: idol!min yoongi x fem.manager!reader

warnings: yandere tendency, submissive/passive reader, mean min yoongi, “dark”/unrealistic version of bighit, alternative timeline (bighit has a board, bv season 4 is set after the grammy nom,... stuff like that.)

ratings: dunno; there is smut planned for later chapters, but this one is most likely pg-13

words: 1000

links: next  [masterlist]

info: these are short chapters (drabble style). if you want to be tagged in future chapters, just leave a comment! lower case letters intended.

at first, they used you to pressure min yoongi. you were just a small manager assistant, not even the head of his management team. but the way the new idol looked at you was enough to make the higher ups smirk in secret glee. to have a young man like yoongi so… devoted to an unimportant employee in their company provided them with much needed leverage.

the rapper would turn to you the second you stepped into a room, be it on set, in a conference room or a backstage area. as soon as you were in his reach, the idol would do anything to get you closer. normally, relationships like these were frowned upon in the industry.

but min yoongi wasn’t known to be the easiest trainee, often unmotivated and cold towards his instructors. like many others he’d be thrown out of the agency if it weren’t for his unchallenged talent. he spent less than one third of the time in the practice room – and even then his most favorite position was lying on the floor with his eyes closed. still, he danced without flaws during performances, making the dance line green with envy.

and this is not mentioning his unreal ability to write heartfelt, heartbroken and heartclenching lyrics on the back of empty coffee cups and the receipts of said caffeine treats. even well-established songwriters contacted the agency to get a helping hand from a little teenager.

nobody from the board would like to admit it, but that consulting money saved them from their first year slump, making them financially liquid. not even kim taehyung’s side modeling could rival yoongi’s value to the company.

so, you were like their shiny bargaining chip; they dangled you in front of the young idol and he would be attentive and eager. it didn’t matter that you felt uncomfortable under the hot stares, not only from yoongi but the other boys and employees as well. you were still in university – the assistant job only a side gig to glam up your resume.

you weren’t asked when you suddenly weren’t tasked with coffee runs but instead sat in on important meetings, held a fan to yoongi’s damp neck during shootings and ironed his crumbled shirts before a performance.

min yoongi didn’t change his personality just because of you – no, he was still the aloof idol who would leave questions unanswered and refused to update his social media accounts. but that didn’t mean he didn’t reserve his limited patience for you. it didn’t mean that he didn’t share his protein bar with you after a long day of driving from location to location.

**

nowadays, bangtan held themselves high, their fame outshining many established kpop groups. even the president had invited them countless times to the blue house. their discography was decorated with famous stars overseas. they even had to put an end to the fan gifts because the presents became too expensive.

with their rising power came a shift in yoongi’s behavior – there was no more pressuring a grammy nominated superstar.

“what do you mean with ‘no’?” the head of management asked.

“i said no i will not do the bon voyage segment,” yoongi says coolly, not even looking at his manager. the atmosphere in the conference room is tense, even the good hearted hoseok is frowning at his member. this meeting was meant as a formality. the vocal line had already signed their respective contracts this morning. only the rap line was left, having moved their meeting to the afternoon to accommodate namjoon’s recording session.

they have done bon voyage annually; apart from the hawaiian heat, hoseok thought yoongi enjoyed the paid vacations. why is the rapper rejecting the contract in front of them so easily?

“wh-what is the issue with this segment, yoongi-ssi?” his manager questions, as if reading hoseok’s inner thoughts.

but his hyung doesn’t look up from his coffee cup. you had handed it to him first thing in the morning. right before you had to run to your lecture. the last year of university is upon you, making you more stressed and less flexible. still, you found time to give him his morning coffee. but now you are not here and he doesn’t care for your absence.

both hoseok and namjoon muster their colleague with interest. this level of unsympathetic behavior is unusual – even for yoongi.

namjoon tries to find a flaw in their contract. he as well as the others had read it over yesterday with his lawyers. the pay was phenomenal, the destination reclusive and the timetable favorable. with haste eyes the leader scans his document again, a thought crossing his mind. they wouldn’t, would they?

“mr. yang, where is ____-nim’s name?” namjoon asks the manager in front of him. yoongi hides his smirk behind his cup. his leader does know him quite well.

the front of managers looks uncomfortable as the head – mr. yang – clears his throat.

“she won’t be able to join us, namjoon-ssi. he- her classes won’t allow the three-week absence,” he explains with a slight stutter when yoongi huffs at his answer.

“can’t she hand in a compensational work for the missed classes?” hoseok asks. yoongi is slightly touched by his bandmates’ comments. his attitude has changed in the last months. if they can’t fulfill his wishes, then he won’t bargain. yoongi is too old for this.

“he- her professor declined th-e o-offer,” another manager says, frightened as the cold rapper begins to pack the folders with the unsigned contract into his bag. for him, this meeting is over.

“as do i,” yoongi answers before getting up. there is no dirt on his suit, still he takes to time to brush off the nonexistent lint from his shoulders.

yoongi walks out of the meeting with only a slight nod at his bandmates. with the closed door behind him, he breathes deeply, looking at his watch. you should be finished with your seminar any minute now. his steps quicken just thinking about you being back in the building soon.

**

yoongi wakes up the next morning to a revised contract in his mailbox. the idol scrolls with sleepy fingers to page twelve and smirks at the rewritten paragraph. so, he will get to enjoy the new zealand snow after all.

__

this has no point. i’m sorry. i’ve had a “bad” dream about this scenario and couldn’t let it go. i’d love to hear from you! love, dana

[leavescrown]

Fandom: BTS, Stray (Stray is a game and provides the background. Focus is on Jikook).

Pairing: Jikook

Rating: PG-13

Jungkook hasn't met many humans in his life, so when he hears the robots of the Slums are doting on a newcomer, he goes to meet him. Turns out that Jimin can make him feel things he had never felt before.

I think this is one of the most romantic stories I have ever written, so I hope you like it :)

[star-my]

berserk tiger - i. inception

Pairing: Min Yoongi x Kim Seo-ah (OC)

Rating: PG-13

WC: 1.7k

CW: mentions of stalking, threatening

A/N: I have very little plotted out for this series. It's gonna be random and sometimes I'll post non-chronological pieces. No beta so feel free to point out typos or give concrit. Compliments are always nice. Moodboard photos are taken from Pinterest, edit is mine.

| Series Masterlist & Description | Masterlist | Ao3 |

Taglist (open): @bangtan-famiglia-net @bangtanwritershq

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap tap.

Tap tap tap.

Tap tap tap tap tap.

The quick tempo of his footsteps sped up even more as she glanced behind her. He was gaining on her quickly. Practically running, she ducked around the corner, coming face-to-face with a man in black.

Gasping out a quick apology, she made the executive decision to ignore the stranger danger signs blaring in her mind. She was in enough danger from non-strangers as it was–besides, most crimes, especially violent ones against women, were committed by people the victim knew and were close to. Statistically, she was safer with this random guy she’d found all in black in a dark alley where no one else was around…wow, she wasn’t safe anywhere, was she?

Ignoring everything but the fact that so far Random Guy hadn’t pulled a knife on her, she cleared her throat and widened her eyes pleadingly, begging him to play along.

“Babe, I was waiting ages for you! What took you so long to come get me?” she exclaimed, taking his hand in hers, unwilling though he was.

He stepped out of the alley into the street and saw who she was running from. His gaze flicked down to her, then back at him. 

His grip tightened on her hand. 

A black car came gliding to a stop at the curb in front of them, and a man in a black suit climbed out of the driver’s seat to open the rear passenger door.

Random Guy handed her in with the grace of one born into a chaebol family, then closed the door and turned to face her pursuer.

She glanced through the smoked glass to see what was going on, surprised that she could barely hear any noise through the car.

The driver flashed a bright smile at her through the glass, blocking her view. Wow, he was really pretty.

The smile disappeared and he opened the door, letting Random Guy get in. She scooched over, tugging the hem of her dress down, aware she didn’t look her best at the moment. The interior light showed his gelled hair, soft features, onyx-sharp eyes, and a faded scar running down the right side of his face.

He studied her silently in return, making her uncomfortably aware of her wind-blown hair falling out of her braid, the perspiration beading on her body, and her rumpled clothes.

Putting a bright smile on her lips regardless, she extended her hand to him. “I appreciate your helping me get away from him. I sincerely thank you.”

He shook her hand, his large one dwarfing hers, his long fingers cool and clean. “You’re welcome. What is your name?”

“Oh, right. Kim Seo-ah.”

“Min Yoongi,” said the man just as his driver got in at the wheel. He threw him a startled look, glancing between her and her rescuer with an unreadable expression on his face.

The car started with a barely-there hum, and Min Yoongi turned to her again.

“Could you tell me what was happening back there?”

She glanced down, smoothing her hem more carefully than it called for. “He’s my little sister’s ex-boyfriend, Lee Geum. He created debts in her name and decided that we needed to placate him; he thinks he’s some hotshot yakuza or something, like he’s playing at being Agust D or something,” she laughed shortly. “He’s been following me home from the pawnshop where I work for the past few weeks, trying to intimidate me into giving him our money and following me to see our new living arrangements. I’ve managed to lose him so far, but today he started getting closer and closer and I saw him with a knife in his pocket. It was a blessing that you were there.”

He hummed, uninterested. “How many men does he have working for him that he thinks he’s the next Agust D?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe twenty or thirty? He’s not a good leader.”

Min Yoongi coughed. 

“Have you gone to the police and asked for their help to deal with the issue?”

“I don’t know if you noticed, Mr Min, but this part of town isn’t exactly the most protected place. We’re all too poor to require any real guarding. What valuables could we possibly have? And I did try the police, when he threatened my sister, but they didn’t care.”

The driver clicked his tongue disappointedly.

“What if someone was able to do something about it?”

“Like what?” Seo-ah glanced at him curiously.

“Sent evidence of his crimes to the police or something. Do you think that maybe they’d take you seriously and do something about it then?”

“Maybe,” she admitted dubiously.

“Are you any good at acting?”

She glanced at him suspiciously. “I’d say I’m decent. Why?”

He simply flattened his mouth into what she suspected was a half-smile but could have been a grimace. She took the hint and dropped her line of questioning.

With a gasp she realized that the car had stopped outside of a luxurious villa in Seongbuk-dong. 

The driver opened her door, extending his hand to her. She gingerly took it, stepping out onto the pebbled drive as she took in her gated surroundings. 

Min Yoongi’s warmth alerted her to his presence behind her.

“Er…”

“Come with me.” He took her elbow gently, leading her into the house, past a man in a suit like the driver’s, but looking considerably more dangerous. 

Min Yoongi led her to the kitchen, putting a kettle on to boil for tea and pulling out two cups.

He paused, hand on a cupboard door as he glanced back at her. “Would you prefer something a little bit stronger?”

“I’m alright with tea. Thank you. May I ask why I’m here?”

“Because I’d like to talk to you.”

“Without asking for my permission?” she raised an eyebrow, dropping the formal tone.

He raised one back at her impropriety.

“You essentially kidnap me, I don’t have to add honorifics,” she shrugged, hoping to cover up the unsettling thought she’d been struck by, that she’d traded the devil she knew for the one she didn’t.

“I apologize. Would you like to join me for tea at my home?”

“I’d prefer to have you to mine as a thank you, but given your look–” she waved a hand at his suit–”and my home, this is the better option. I’d be delighted to join you, thank you for asking.”

He gave her another inscrutable, curious look as he poured the tea. “You’re welcome.”

She perched, feeling only slightly awkward and out of place, on the white leather seats at his marble island, gratefully taking the cup he handed her.

He stood across from her, his own cup in hand. 

“So, from what I’ve gathered from you, is that you’re the head of a low-income household, you’re in financial difficulty, your dongsaeng’s ex is threatening trouble, and there’s not much happening to address these issues.”

She swallowed a sip of the hot tea, feeling like the words had burned hotter than her tongue now was. That was her situation, but somehow the cold way he had laid out those facts threatened to tear down the defensive walls she’d built.

“Yes, that is the state of things,” she said quietly, already feeling the fuzz on her tongue from the tea burn.

“How much debt did the ex leave you?”

She swallowed another sip. “About thirteen million won.”

As expected of a man who lived in this area, he didn’t bat an eye.

“I have a proposal for you, then.”

She nodded.

“I will help you pay off your debts and take care of this ex, and in return you will enter a contractual marriage with me for five years.”

Seo-ah coughed, expelling the tea from her windpipe that she’d inhaled in shock. “You want me to do what?”

“Marry me. For five years. What do you say?”

“Why do you need a wife? You look fairly young, you’re rich and hot and appear to be influential.”

He smirked at her list of his traits. “Business reasons. There are some things I cannot tell you until you have signed the contract, if you so agree. I’ve been looking for the right wife for a while now, and I think you’ll be splendid.”

“Could I have a copy of this contract so I know what’s expected?”

Min Yoongi pulled his cell phone out and pressed a button. “I need the papers in the kitchen.”

A minute later footsteps sounded in the hallway, then a man in a suit jogged into the kitchen, carrying a small briefcase in hand. He paused as he took in the scene, then handed the briefcase off to Min Yoongi.

He opened the briefcase and pulled out a sheaf of papers, rifling through them to collect a handful that he handed off to  her.

She flipped through them, reading the surprisingly simple legal jargon. It looked aboveboard. 

She was getting desperate: some creditors were already hounding her enough without Geum’s pressure, Jinah would be needing to pay for her schooling, plus the usual living expenses…Well, she could use this stroke of luck that had fallen into her lap. She was well aware that this contract, though it sounded fair, would likely end in Min Yoongi’s favour, but she would cross that bridge when she came to it. He was the best option at the present time and she would not borrow trouble from her future self.

“I’ll do it,” she declared.

The man who’d brought the briefcase handed her a pen, the clicking of the end sounding loud in the suddenly supernaturally still kitchen.

She signed her name with a flourish, watching the black ink seep into the paper. Min Yoongi took the pen from her and slid the papers from under her arm, scrawling his signature quickly and handing them to the man.

“The registration will come through in a couple days. Would you like to stay here until then?” he asked courteously.

She shook her head. “I appreciate your offer, and this opportunity, but I need to get back to my sister. I don’t like leaving her alone in our area, especially with her ex around.”

“Alright, I’ll get Hoseok to take you back. Thank you for signing this.”

She swallowed, mouth suddenly dry despite the two cups of tea she’d drunk.

[aredheadedmess]

Good Day || KNJ

Summary: One day, it'll be a good day, forever.

Pairing: Namjoon x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 5k

Genre: Fluff, Angst, Non-Idol AU, Slight Slow Burn, Slightly Suggestive

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: mention of champagne, pregnancy and allusion to possible abortion, making out, idk if there's anything else. it's really just a lot of fluff

Notes: This fic is part of the Bangtan On Replay event hosted by @btsgoldnetwork! I had fun writing this, and I hope you enjoy it! I wish I got this out a little sooner, but I'm happy on how it turned out.

Masterlist

You remember the first time you met him. The bright smile he had on his face after defeating your brother in a round of Mario Kart the first time he was at your home only made you more curious. The dimples in his round cheeks deepend as he taunted your older brother, dancing around his deflated form sitting on the floor in front of the couch. You stood watching curiously at the interaction.

The moment he stood between your brother and the tv, his eyes caught your figure in the doorway. He gave you a small wave. At that, your brother turned around to see you standing there, whining out your name with a pout on his face. Even over the sound of the game playing in the background you heard him sigh.

He turned the sound down before pointing at you.

“Namjoon, this is my bratty younger sister, Y/N,” he said in a bored tone.

“Hey! I’m not bratty!”

He stuck his tongue out at you. Which you gave back. Namjoon laughed at your antics, still wearing a silly smile on his cheeks. He raised up the controller, as if he were about to toss it to you.

“Wanna join?”

You gasped. With wide, sparkling eyes, you turned to your brother. Of course you were going to ask him. You had just interrupted their play time and he didn’t seem very pleased while introducing you to the new friend.

“Can I?”

“I guess. Just don’t eat any of my snacks,” he huffed lightly. Settling back into his place with his back against the couch, he reached for the remote again to turn the volume back up. “I’m gonna warn ya right now, Joon. Y/N’s pretty good.”

Namjoon would often come over. Whether it be for your brother and his weekly hang out time, or for them to stay up all night finishing the joint project that was due that very morning.

Tonight was no different. With the upcoming winter break, there were tests and projects due very quickly. After five years of being friends and project partners you would have thought that they would have learned their lesson. But, just like before, Namjoon had come over with the guise of playing games and a sleepover with your brother. You weren’t sure if your parents had ever caught on to their procrastination, but if the tired looks and glitter-covered hands told you anything, you’re sure they knew very well.

You shared a wall with your brother’s room, and unfortunately for you, it wasn’t very thick. So when you wake up to the loud voices trying to be hush, you knew you wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep that easily. So instead, you threw your covers off your body, pulled yourself up from bed, and slipped out of your room and into the one next door. Two pairs of eyes stared up at you in horror in fear that you were either one of your parents.

“What’s going on,” you yawn. “You guys woke me up.”

Letting out a sigh of relief, your brother turned to glare at his best friend.

“Namjoon won’t let me draw dragons on our poster.”

Throwing his hands in the air, Namjoon looks at you in desperation.

“They don’t even make sense with our topic!” 

“Uh, yeah they do.” Your brother crosses his arms in front of his chest. He leans in closer to Namjoon. “This is history. Dragons are in a lot of old stories.”

“Just because they’re in a lot of stories doesn’t mean that they’re relevant to what we have to present about!”

Your face scrunches at the volume that the two are bickering in. You shush them, reaching out to cover your brother’s mouth before he has a chance to shout out another argument. When he licks your hand, you pull it back and wipe it on his face before he has a chance to move away.

“Keep it down. You don’t want mom or dad to wake up do you?”

He scoffs and points his thumb towards the other boy in the room.

“You’re just lucky you don’t have to deal with his dumb logic everyday.”

“What do you mean? She has to deal with you as a brother everyday.”

Your brother pinches Namjoon’s thigh, leading them into another—this time quieter—argument. You sigh, rubbing your hand against your face before stepping back towards the door.

“I’m going back to bed. You guys are too much to deal with right now.”

You’re not sure if either of them even heard or saw you leave, but you don’t care about that right now. As you carefully shuffle back into your own room, your tired eyes meet your bed. But you can’t sleep now. You’re not sure why tonight is any different, it’s not like you’ve never been woken up by your brother in the middle of the night. Most of the time it’s because he’s up gaming, even though he shouldn’t be.

Deciding that trying to fall back asleep isn’t going to be worth your time, you pull a book off your shelf and sit on your bed. You wrap your comforter around you and snuggle in. You can still hear the faint complaints between the two boys as you begin to read, and it did distract you at first. But the longer you focused on the book, the less you noticed about your surroundings.

Your heart pounds in your chest at the light knock that eventually comes from your door. Slowly, you set the book down, glancing at the clock. It’s been almost an hour since you started reading. You get up from your bed, pulling the comforter along with you. Quietly opening the door, you are met with Namjoon fiddling with his fingers.

“Hey.”

His voice is soft. He is definitely a lot calmer than what you heard earlier.

“Hi?”

“You’re brother’s already asleep,” he mutters. “I was going to get some water when I saw that you had your light on, so I thought I’d come apologize for waking you up.”

A sheepish smile takes over his face, dimples out on display. You send him a soft smile of your own. Leaning up against your door, you let out a huff of laughter.

“Ah, yeah. It’s no big deal. He wakes me up in the middle of the night often enough that it doesn’t really bug me all the time. Plus if you remember, it’s not the first time you both have woken me up by your bickering.” You glance back into your room, towards the open book laying on your bed. “Although, tonight I can’t really fall back asleep.”

Namjoon hums, pulling your attention back to him. His face scrunches up in thought before returning the smile to his face.

“I think I remember seeing some tea in the kitchen. Want me to make you some?”

“Sure.”

It’s quiet between the two of you for a minute. You’re not sure if you should start making conversation with Namjoon, or if he’d rather sit in silence as you wait for the water to heat up. He must have seen your thoughts as if they were tattooed on your forehead, though, as he initiates a quiet conversation with you.

The two of you talk about everything between school and your social lives, and the late night thoughts that keep you both awake. There was never a dull moment as you sat in your kitchen with your brother’s best friend.

Namjoon laughs as quietly as possible after you finish telling him about your class’s shenanigans. And in that moment, you don’t think you’ve ever felt the way you did. Maybe it was the idea that your brother wasn’t around, so you didn’t have to hear his nagging about you taking his best friend away from him. Or maybe it was because you knew that you’ve felt that Namjoon was more than just your brother’s best friend for some time, and that this moment—sitting at the breakfast bar with his thigh grazing yours every so often as he twists on his chair—was much more intimate than other times you’ve shared a space together.

Picking up your mug as you shake the thoughts out of your head, you hum in satisfaction. If there was one thing you knew, Namjoon knew how to brew the tea just right.

“You know,” he speaks softly. “I thought it’d be weird to hang out with my best friend’s little sibling.”

“I don’t think it’s weird,” you mumble against your mug.

Namjoon turns to you. His eyebrow is raised in confusion as his mug is held in midair.

“What?”

You shake your head.

“Nothing.”

“Well…” he hums. He raises his mug to his lips, whispering out before taking another sip. “I think you’re cool.”

You turn away from his gaze with a shy smile. Does he know what he’s doing to your heart?

Namjoon finishes his drink before you, but waits until you're done, taking both of your mugs to the sink. He turns back to face you, gesturing to the stairs where you both make your way back up to your room as quietly as possible. You step into your room. Before you can manage to close your door, Namjoon catches your wrist to stop you. You turn your attention to him.

“Goodnight, Y/N. See you tomorrow?”

His head tilts as he asks the question. You nod, giving him a sweet but tired smile.

“Yeah. Goodnight, Joon.”

“Y/N?”

Your eyes widen. Sniffling quietly, you rub your face to get rid of the stray tears and runny nose.

Namjoon comes running around the corner you managed to hide yourself behind. You should have known that he would have seen you run past him in an attempt to get away from your brother.

“Yeah?”

You curse yourself. Your voice sounds so hoarse.

“Are you okay?”

Namjoon kneels in front of you, his head tilted and eyebrows furrowed in worry. You can’t make eye contact with him unless you want to start apologizing for making him so worried when he shouldn’t be. He’s your brother’s friend. Not yours.

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, cause you look like you’ve been crying.”

“No I wasn’t,” you mumble.

He raises an eyebrow at you, leaning in a little closer.

“Are you sure?”

“No…”

He sighs lightly. Namjoon shifts so he sits on the gravel beside you. The warmth radiating from him is comforting, so you lean into him a little more, testing the waters before fully committing to resting your head against his shoulder. He throws an arm around your shoulders.

“You can tell me anything, yeah? I’ll listen.”

“It’s nothing really,” you sigh. “Just my stupid brother picking a fight with me infront of his so called friends.”

“Oh?”

You finally glance up at him. Even from the position you’re in, Namjoon is watching you carefully. He smiles as you catch his eyes.

“I just really look up to him, ya know? But when he goes and says the things he said, I feel like I’m nothing to him.”

Namjoon hums, tugging you closer.

“He’ll come around. I’m sure of it. I never really liked those people anyways.”

“You think so?”

“If I have anything to do with it, I know so,” he chuckles.

You push away from him as much as possible, but his hold on you keeps you close. Shaking your head, you give him a tight-lipped smile.

“You don’t have to do anything. I’ll get over it at some point.”

“That’s the problem though,” Namjoon states. His voice is stern, and it sends a kaleidoscope of butterflies to your stomach. You’ve seen how protective he can get about the people he cares about. And now knowing that you are a part of that small group has you overly happy. “You shouldn’t have to get over it, that’s your brother. It would be different if it was a friend.”

“Why are you so nice to me?”

You stare into his eyes. It takes a moment for Namjoon to say anything, and for that moment, you reconsider if you ever even meant anything to him. He is your brother’s best friend. And you are just his bratty little sister.

“I consider you.. my friend. Why wouldn’t I be nice to you?”

It’s almost as if something shifts between the two of you. One moment, you are surprised to hear that what you’ve been thinking about is true. The next, you find yourself leaning in a little closer. You can feel his breath hit your face. You thank your lucky stars that he doesn’t seem uncomfortable with the limited space between your faces, and lean in even closer.

“Joon? Where’d ya go?”

Namjoon groans. Curse your brother’s bad timing. Namjoon was in your brother’s sight when you passed by him earlier. Of course he’d go looking for him.

“I’ve gotta get going,” he sighs. “Your brother’s buying bowling passes for us and I promised I’d go. Not that I’d be great at it anyways. You’ve got my number though. I’m always free to talk, or do something to get stuff off your mind.”

Reluctantly, you settle back into your original position with your back against the brick wall behind you. Namjoon offers a bright smile as he stands up. He keeps his eyes trained on you until he makes it around the corner once more.

What would have happened if your brother didn’t interrupt?

Getting a text at midnight wasn't something you expected. But getting a text from Namjoon at midnight was even less expected. You thought that he'd be asleep right now, considering he has a big exam in the morning—one that will determine his future—and he likes to get a good amount of sleep before tests.

Reaching for your phone, you open up your messages. His text is vague, making you much more curious that maybe you should be.

Meet me at the park. I want to show you something.

Your eyes scan the playground when you get to the park. Namjoon is sitting on the swingset, gently swinging. Even in the dark of the night, you can see the satisfied smile resting on his face. As you make your way closer to him, he glances in your direction, seemingly hearing your footsteps. You smile and wave.

“What did you want to show me?”

Namjoon takes your hand, pulling you towards the other side of the park.

“Come with me.”

He brushes past the taller shrubbery, pushing branches out of your way. 

“We gotta be quiet.”

Stepping out into a smaller open area, your eyes widen. Hidden away from the main park area is a garden area with a small gazebo centered between the bushes and trees. Fireflies light up the space, helping you guide your way to the gazebo. Namjoon pulls you to sit beside him, watching as the fireflies dance around you. You’re speechless.

“Oh wow. Joon, this is incredible.”

You glance at him only to find him already looking at you. You give him a warm smile, which he gladly returns.

A quiet rustle in one of the trees brings your attention away from him. You watch as a pair of squirrels climb up to one of the branches before snuggling up together.

“Maybe that could be us one day,” Namjoon mumbles.

You turn to him with a slightly surprised look.

“What are you saying?”

“Y/N, I like you.”

He smiles gently. Waiting patiently for your reaction, he stares at you with a sparkle in his eye. You sit still for a moment, trying to process what he had just said. Is he lying? Is this a set up? It was too good to be true. You begin to look around your surroundings for any sign of your brother or a hidden camera.

“My brother put you up to this, didn’t he? I’m being pranked right now, right?”

He knows that you’ve liked Namjoon for a while now. It’s one of the main reasons why he hasn’t let you be around them as often when they hang out. And one of the main reasons why he would always pick a fight with you. He wasn’t very happy when he had seen the way you looked at him after he had given you a birthday present a couple years back. The gift wasn’t anything super special, just your favorite candy and a little handmade card with ‘Happy Birthday Y/N’ scrawled across the paper. But the way he had remembered what you liked and gave it to you without a reminder of it being your birthday made your heart warm. Your brother knew then and there that you saw his best friend as something other than a friend or acquaintance.

Taking your hands in his, Namjoon leans over to get your gaze back to him. 

“No. I really do like you, Y/N. I have for a long time now.”

“Oh,” you whisper. “Well, I’m glad then. Cause I have too.”

Dimples. Probably one of your favorite features of his. The smile that takes over his face lets them have their time to shine once again, and you have to refrain from poking them.

Namjoon squeezes your hands, dropping his gaze to them.

“Prom’s coming up. Would you want to go with me?”

“What about my brother?” you question.

You’re sure he’d be livid if he saw you and Namjoon together at one of the most special—at least according to many of your classmates—dances of the year. All dressed up for each other, holding you close as you sway to the questionable music on the gymnasium floor.

“He’s been saying that he won’t go cause it seems like a dumb idea to spend a crap ton of money for just one night in a sweaty room with a bunch of horny teenage couples.”

“Well, when it’s put that way…”

You cringe at the picture his words put in your head. Sweaty teens mosh pitting with several couples trying to make out while hiding from the chaperones was not the sight you wanted to see.

“So, no dance?” he pouts slightly.

“No!-- I mean, I’d love to go with you! Just as long as we stay out of the main crowds.”

Namjoon chuckles, pulling you into his arms to watch the fireflies again.

“Fine by me.”

You push him away enough to whisper against his lips.

“What if he comes back soon?”

Namjoon leans back in to give you another kiss, speaking in between each one.

“He won’t. With his girlfriend. Don’t worry.”

You sigh into the kiss. Wrapping your arms around his neck to pull him in closer, your hands find their way into his hair. Namjoon smiles against your lips. His hands—which had been settled on either side of you to prop his upper body up above you—slowly make a home on your waist. He pushes your shirt up slightly to make contact with your skin. Your lower bodies are flush against each other, legs tangled as you make out on your bed.

There was nothing sensual or sexual to your actions. You both felt that it was better to take things slowly, especially when you decided to hide your relationship with Namjoon from your brother. It wasn’t that you didn’t want him to know, but neither of you found the right timing to tell him the truth. He was with his own girlfriend most of the time anyways.

Your door creaks open. Namjoon quickly throws himself off of you, startled by the sudden entrance. Your brother bores his gaze into both you and Namjoon.

“I thought you were with your cousin.”

Namjoon stutters, frantically trying to compose himself after being caught in such a vulnerable position.

“I can explain.”

“No.” Your brother is seething. “Get out.”

Namjoon gets up from your bed, making his way to his best friend. He approaches him carefully, as if he is trying to tame a wild lion.

“Dude-”

“Don’t ‘dude’ me! My best friend was feelin’ up my sister!” He gestures towards you. “Who knows what you would have done if I didn’t interrupt?”

Your brows furrow. Standing up from your bed, you point at him accusingly.

“B/N, it’s not like that!” you yell.

He doesn’t say anything as he shoves Namjoon out of your room. Before he shut the door behind him, he turns back to face you.

“You should be glad that it was me and not mom or dad,” he growls out, slamming your door behind him.

You can’t believe him. You were trying to enjoy a nice home cooked meal together for your anniversary, and he drops the biggest bombshell on you.

“You told him?!”

Namjoon stares at you incredulously.

“What did you want me to do?”

“Uh, I don’t know… Maybe let me tell my own brother on my own time?”

He tosses his utensils on his plate, throwing his hands up dramatically. You watch in disbelief as he pushes himself away from the table to argue with you.

“He barely even accepted the fact that we’ve been dating for a couple years now—behind his back may I remind you—and you expect me to just not tell my best friend that my girlfriend is carrying my child?”

“That’s exactly what I expected!” Your fist hits the table, making you quietly hiss out in pain. “This wasn’t even planned, and I don’t even know if I can handle having a kid right now! I’m still going through college, Namjoon!”

“So you’re saying that this was a mistake?” he asks.

“Of course it was a mistake!”

His angry facade drops for a split second. Enough for you to see the disappointment on his face. You don’t let your guard down, too angry with him to think about what you’re truly saying. It isn’t until he stands from his chair, presses his lips together in a thin line, nods once, and makes his way towards the front door, that you realize what you said.

“Wait! Joon–”

Before you can get up from the table, he shoves his shoes on his feet and walks out the door, closing it softly behind him. You messed up.

Eyes swollen, you hold your legs against your chest. The movie playing on the tv does nothing to distract you from your racing thoughts. Were you done? Was this the final straw that breaks your five year long relationship?

It had been hours since you last saw Namjoon. Despite the anger that ran through your blood at dinner, you worried about him. He had never walked out on you like this before, and he didn’t even take his phone or keys with him. Usually after your petty arguments, Namjoon or you would step into another room to take a breather before ultimately coming back together to talk things through better. But the fact that he was outside, in the middle of the night, walking the streets of the new city you moved to, you weren’t sure if he’d come back.

Finally, another hour or two later, the door swings open. You watch as Namjoon walks quietly back into the house, possibly not to disturb you if you somehow managed to fall asleep. You sniff, catching his attention.

“I didn’t think you’d be back,” you mutter, turning off the tv.

“I live here, don’t I?”

He makes his way into the living room. He settles himself into the cushions on the other side of the couch you were on. You give him a moment to get a little more comfortable—if that was even possible with how much tension there was between the two of you—before speaking up.

“Look, about earlier–”

“You don’t have to say anything,” he interrupts. He leans his elbows against his knees, keeping his eyes trained on the carpet beneath his feet. “I get it. You’re the one carrying the baby, so you can ultimately decide what you want to do. And I should have said something to you before going to your brother.”

You shift your position to match his. Rubbing your hands against your face, you sigh.

“No. That’s not what I was going to say. I just– I’m scared, Joon,” you whisper. “We didn’t plan for this to happen and now that this is happening, that I’m growing a life as a result of us being a little reckless, I don’t know how we’ll do it. I’m still in school and you just graduated. We still have so much ahead of us. But I don’t want to lose this baby.” Glancing up from the ground, you look over to where Namjoon is sitting. His body is still in the same position, but his head is turned to face you. “I don’t want to lose you. And you telling my brother just made me realize how real our situation is. I wanted to make sure that we were going to go through with this before going to him. I don’t want him to see me as his little sister who somehow seduced his best friend into being in a relationship with her and now he can’t get out of it because there’s now an unplanned addition into the mix.”

Your eyes begin to tear up at the thought of your brother berating you for becoming pregnant without proper financial or physical protection. Who’s to say that Namjoon wouldn’t get up and leave you any chance he got?

When you look back towards Namjoon, you let the tears fall. He looks at you with so much love and understanding that it’s much too overwhelming. When he notices you crying, he doesn’t hesitate to open his arms and turn his whole body towards you.

“Come here.”

You throw yourself into his arms and he pulls you as close as physically possible. He lets you cry it out for a few moments as he caresses your hair, rocking the both of you gently.

 “You won’t lose me,” he murmurs. “And I’ll do whatever it takes to not lose the baby. I’ve got a few interviews lined up the next few weeks that will hopefully get me into my career. And then I’ll be making enough for the three of us to live comfortably. You don’t have to work if you don’t want to. And your brother,” he paused for a second. “He isn’t the stupid high school boy that he was. I’m sorry that I didn’t talk to you before going to him. But do you want to know what he told me?”

You hum, moving your head to meet his gaze.

“He told me that he was glad that I am the one taking care of you. Especially when he couldn’t or didn’t while growing up. He said that it was shocking at first, just because he found out so suddenly that day, but he knew that we would eventually recognize our feelings for each other.”

You press your face into the crook of his neck. Namjoon shifts the both of you so that you lay on top of him. One hand brushes through your hair while the other caresses your waist. Your own hand finds Namjoon’s waist, pushing up his shirt to make contact with the skin of his stomach. Your thumb rubs circles against him.

“Have I ever told you how much I love you?”

“You don’t have to,” Namjoon chuckles. “I can see it everyday.”

Pop!

The cork flies out the bottle, landing among the crowd. Namjoon sheepishly laughs as he gets a playful yell of his name from his cousin, where the cork landed.

Carefully he pours you a glass of champagne before filling up his own flute. You raise your glass, clinking it with his before downing the drink. The sound of the shutter from the photographer you hired can be heard amongst the chatter between guests. You’re sure that they got a good picture that you’ll search for later.

“I would like to raise a toast to the two people I love the most.” Your brother’s voice booms over the crowd, catching everyone’s attention. “My little sister and my best friend. I am so happy to see that they are still going strong after so many years. They’ve had their ups and downs, but I can see it when I look at them that no matter what happens, they will be able to figure it out. To the happy couple! And maybe you can bring me back another niece or nephew after the honeymoon!”

Laughter rings out amongst your friends and family. You glare at your brother playfully, sticking your tongue out at him. He laughs, returning the favor, before making his way back to your family’s table.

The night is filled with dancing and partying. You couldn’t have imagined a more perfect wedding for the two of you. Seeing your friends and family happily join in on the activities of the night makes your heart flutter with joy. This was the moment you’ve waited for for such a long time. Being able to marry your best friend and the love of your life was something you only dreamed about. But ever since falling in love with Namjoon, you knew that your dreams would come true one day.

As you’re talking to a couple of the guests that linger at the end of the reception, thanking them for coming, Namjoon slips his hand into yours. You glance at him, watching as he nods towards the photo backdrop you had set up for wedding pictures. Wishing your guests a good rest of the night, you follow Namjoon’s lead.

A whine has you turning to see your son in your mother’s arms. He reaches out to you and you coo at the sight.

“Seungjin, are you ready?”

His giggles fill the room as you take him from her arms and move over to the backdrop where your husband is waiting and watching you lovingly. As you step up beside him, the photographer readies their camera. Namjoon’s arm wraps around your waist, pulling you closer. He looks into your eyes, smiling, dimples on show.

“I love you,” he whispers.

“I love you.”

Seungjin whines in your arms and you chuckle. You look down to find his lips in a tiny pout.

“And we love you, too.”

He smiles, showing his own dimples, as you kiss his chubby cheek.

You wouldn’t have it any other way.

Taglist: @seajae @sugainmybowl @fluffyjjkk

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[eternally-writing]

Christmas, I love you | pjm

Pairing: Jimin x reader

Genre: fluff, angst

Rating: PG-13

Theme: friends to lovers, college!au, holiday!au

Warnings: light swearing

Word count: 17k (my longest fic EVER!)

This gift was created through @bangtansecretsanta​​ for @pjmsdior​​! Surprise! I’m Noel, your Bangtan Secret Santa. Isa, I hope you love this fic!

“He’s still asleep, isn’t he” Jimin groans as he shows up at your door at 7:45. He doesn’t phrase it as a question, since he thinks he probably already knows the answer.  

If you sprint, the 3 of you will make it to your morning chemistry lab on time. But judging by the fact that Taehyung is still bundled underneath the covers in his room and refusing to move, it’s unlikely that any of you will make it there at all today. 

“You’re telling me that you’ve put up with this for more than 20 years now?” Jimin questions, his arms outstretched and pointing towards Taehyung’s door. His snores fill the entire apartment, and you can’t help but chuckle at the disgusted look on Jimin’s face. 

You have put up with it for more than 20 years now. At first, it was forced. The cliche of “our moms are best friends and got pregnant at the same time and live in the houses next door to one another” was how you first met Taehyung. Your mom decided that instead of daycare, you would spend your days at Taehyung’s with his grandma. It became very very apparent to you at first that you and Taehyung were not going to get along. He wanted to paint all day while you wanted to spend your days running around outside. But somewhere along the lines, you and Taehyung became inseparable. Maybe it’s because of the fact that you’ve gone to the same school since Kindergarten, or because of that one time that Taehyung offered you his ice cream cone when you dropped yours and cried at the playground. 

That made it a no brainer to choose to live with him during college instead of in a cramped, overpriced dorm room. It wasn’t too much of an adjustment - you went from having to walk a minute to Taehyung’s family home, say hi to his mom to the kitchen, and then go drag him out of bed to now just having to walk a couple steps and drag him out of bed. Efficiency, you chime in your head when you think about the extra sleep you get to have now.

You were all about the college experience - parties, football games, mixers, but you figured it was probably best to skip the whole “try to find a roommate you like and then realize that you hate them and scramble to find a new place.” 

“20 long years, it feels like sometimes” you mutter as you roll your eyes in frustration. You don’t even wait to ask Jimin if he wants to come inside, instead just opting to open the door wider so he can enter. He quickly takes up his regular morning position sitting at your kitchen table, watching as you turn the coffee pot on for him. 

“One day we should just leave without him, yknow. Professor Min is going to fail us at some point if we keep missing lab.” 

Jimin’s not as used to Taehyung’s morning antics as you are. They first met last year in an introductory English class and were instantly attached at the hip after a group project. When they’re too drunk and someone mentions Shakespeare they launch into a dramatic retelling of the Macbeth (Jimin plays at least 3 rolls at once). 

It’s 8:10 now, and all hope of making it to the lab is gone. Even if you leave now, there’s no way that you’ll have enough time to finish the reaction and get a final product. 

You instead pull out one of the only two meals you can make. The sound of the dry pasta shaking catches Jimin’s attention away from his phone. 

“It’s a little early for processed cheese, Y/N” Jimin jokes. He still gets up to help you boil the water, though. 

You and Jimin talk about your weekend plans - skateboarding for him, a good book for you.  The chatter continues while you both work together to make your comfort meal. 

“Kraft Dinner, mmm” are the first words that come out of Taehyung’s mouth when he steps out of his room.

Without coordination, you and Jimin both reach for the barely cooked noodles and throw them at the late riser. 

Once he apologizes for making you all miss lab AGAIN and promises it won’t happen again (spoiler alert: it will), you assign Taehyung to sauce duty and send him away. 

“What’s everyone’s plan for Christmas” Taehyung says in between a thank you he whispers to you as he grabs a bowl for food. 

You know Taehyung is just dying to tell you both the details of  his family’s upcoming Hawai’i vacation, so you graciously ask him what his plans are once you tell them that you’ll be spending it the same as usual with your family. However, instead of going on about the luau he’s planning to go to, surprisingly still talks about you.

“Y/N is very particular about her Christmas plans” Taehyung says with his mouthful. You groan and reach over to squish his cheeks. Your cheeks turn red as you start to babble about how it’s just your favorite holiday. You weren’t particular, you just like to celebrate - a difference you made very clear. 

“It’s gonna be a good Christmas, my horoscope told me so” Taehyung proclaims. He’s a true Capricorn. 

You and Jimin throw more macaroni at him. 

“I’ll give you the door code, Jimin will probably still be asleep so he won’t notice if you slip in and out” Taehyung reassures you over the phone. 

You’re outside Jimin’s door, silent as a ninja while Taehyung walks you through how to get into the older boy’s apartment. You forgot your wallet at Jimin’s, and if you had any hopes of buying groceries today you needed to grab it before you got too comfortable on the couch and decided that instant ramen was a nutritious enough meal. The snow falling outside only decreased your motivation to shop, but Taehyung bribes you over the phone with a movie marathon once you come home if you buy some microwave popcorn. 

The 10 years of dance training you had came in handy as you tiptoed your way through the kitchen, sneaking around like a spy while you looked for the small pink wallet. You had the shaving cream piled high in your hands as the mop of black hair came into your vision. Jimin had his back to you and was mid pouring milk into what looked like coffee. You manage to walk all the way up to him without him noticing your presence. Your wallet is right beside him, so you figure it’s best to tap him on the shoulder to let him know that you’re there. 

“Hey J- AH!” You shouted jumping back once the figure turned around. 

Instead of being met with the angry look of Park Jimin, there was another black-haired boy who stood in front of you with an equally scared look on his face.

He also screamed once he took in the fact that you were not Park Jimin, and that a girl had somehow sneaked into their apartment presumably only to murder them. 

“Who are you? This is Park Jimin’s apartment!” You interrogated pointedly with a finger to the intruder’s chest. Your chest was rising heavily with your anger as your nostrils flared.

The person’s already large eyes widened as he sputtered before retaliating at your words. “You’re asking me that?? I should be asking you that!! I live here” He emphasized, waving his arms around frantically in exasperation. 

The back and forth squabble continued endlessly, each of you becoming more read in the face as the conversation carried on. Arms were flailing around while the coffee on the counter cooled to room temperature. 

“JIMIN - who is this??” You both scream from the kitchen towards the closed door of Jimin’s bedroom. You’re holding a wooden spoon as a defense against the stranger while he’s armed with the spoon he was stirring his coffee with. If someone were to see you, they’d probably think that you were a couple of children play fighting. 

In true Jimin fashion, he saunters out lazily in sweatpants and a black t-shirt. His wolverine-reminiscent hair and the way that he is rubbing his eyes give away the fact that he most likely just rolled out of bed. Jimin only managed a couple steps out of his room before the sight in front of him took the words out of his mouth. 

His brain may be slow to start working in the mornings, but he could easily piece together what happened based on the way both of you looked like you had steam coming out of your ears. Both of you were giving Jimin a look that silently said who the fuck is this psycho?? And the more Jimin realized what was going on, the more that laughter seemed to bubble up inside him. He tried his best to hold it in till his cheeks were also turning red to match yours, but once he started laughing, he just couldn’t stop. 

At the sight of Jimin finding joy in your misery, you huffed and put your hands on your hips, the taller man beside you also stomping his foot in irritation. You each called out his name irritatingly while Jimin was still doubled over in laughter. 

“Y/N, I see you’ve met my brother Jungkook” Jimin finally said between bouts of laughter, grinning from ear to ear. 

You aren’t kidding when you tell Jimin that Jungkook is giving him a run for his money in the friend department.

At first you were nervous. You were never one to dwell on first impressions, but when your first impression is what happened with Jungkook (ie. you yelling at him for being in his own apartment), you couldn’t help but feel that things started off on a bad note. 

As it turns out, Jungkook was a freshman at your college too - he was living in the first year dorms, but when they had to evacuate everyone because of a termite infestation he figured it was easiest to mooch off his older brother and live in Jimin’s apartment. When Jungkook told the story, Jimin tried to look annoyed, especially as he complained about how Jungkook kept him up all night with his gaming and how he owns way too many pairs of shoes which clutter up his doorway. But you can see in the way that he looks at him that Jimin is really glad to spend time with his younger brother. 

You and Jungkook quickly got along because of your shared love for teasing Jimin. Anytime you came over Jungkook would tell the best childhood stories of Jimin’s adventures. Turns out, Jimin had gone through many phases - he wanted to be an astronaut, a rock band singer, and chef, and a fashion designer all before age 10. When Jungkook shows you the photo of Jimin with pink streaks in his hair you can’t help but double over laughing while Jimin grumbles about how he could definitely pull that look off now.  

Jungkook was also a nursing major, you two had lots to chat about there as well. “You’re the best” Jungkook praises when you tell him all the professors to avoid and where to buy second hand scrubs for clinicians so you’re not breaking the bank of the University’s branded FIGS sets. You found yourself at Jimin’s place more and more - study sessions with Jungkook turning into movie nights with the 3 of you or Mario kart competitions that you could never win. 

“Listen to your hyung, Jungkook. I want my best friend back!!” Jimin whines with his arms crossed from the doorway of his younger brother’s room. He puts on his best pouty face as he watches you two be completely engrossed in a game of Overwatch. Jungkook doesn’t acknowledge his brother, choosing to give him the middle finger for interrupting him in what Jimin knows is an important part of the game, You, on the other hand, turn and give him a pouty look that says “I’m sorry” while gesturing with your hands that it’ll only be another 5 minutes. He still stands in the doorway as he waits, his eyes obviously focused on the ticking of the watch on his wrists. 

“Best friend, huh?” You tease after you’re done, your mind still stuck on Jimin’s last words. “Do I get to call Taehyung and let him know that he’s being replaced?” You grin with your headset still over your ears as you turn to look at him.

Jimin shoots you a bashful smile, it’s only once you reply that he’s one of your best friends too that he lets out a laugh. 

“Sleep more than you study, study more than you party, party as much as possible”. Taehyung yells into your closed bedroom door. ‘

You groan as you hear Taehyung repeat his mantra over and over while he pregames in the living room. He has a couple friends over and there’s a basketball game playing on the TV, but the only voices you can pick out are his, Jimin’s and Jungkook’s. 

Once you hear them start to organize themselves into UBER’s, you hear Taehyung knock on your bedroom door.

“I’m not coming with you, Tae!” You already predicted his question and decided to save him the trouble of wasting a question. 

Taehyung shakes his head as he places his hands on his hips before walking over to you. He’s quick to shut the screen of your laptop to get your full attention. 

“Tae, I was working on my research paper.” You groan, trying to pry the screen open from under his hold. 

“Bullshit, Y/N. You can’t convince me that you weren’t watching just watching Modern Family again” 

Your face turns red at his words. Of course Taehyung knows you well enough to know what you’re doing. You counter that you just want a quiet night in - your comfort TV show, some ramen, a hot chocolate maybe ( not at the same time, of course). 

“Y’know, it’s a holiday party” Taehyung chides as he flaunts a tinsel ribbon around his neck.

“It’s November 1st” you reply dryly, your eyebrows raised. You loved the holiday but it felt like a little overkill that at the first sight of colder weather everything turned festive. Taehyung can see that you’re not going to back down from your cozy night in plans that easily, but he’s just as stubborn as you are.

“Besides, this is the first time we’re not going to be spending Christmas together”

Damn it, he knows how to get to you. 

You and Taehyung had spent Christmas together for as long as you could remember. When you were 5, you cried when Taehyung broke the barbie doll you had been begging for Santa to get you only minutes after you opened the present. He felt indebted to you until you were seven and broke the Beyblade he was playing with, so you were at least even on that front. Christmas without Taehyung would just not be Christmas at all, so when he told you that his family has planned to go to Hawaii while yours was staying home, it did break both of your hearts a little. 

“And there’s that dress you bought at the mall with Jimin and I that you still haven’t gotten a chance to wear, and your next exam isn’t for 2 weeks , AND….” Taehyung continues. The list goes on and on as Taehyung pleads his case. He looks a lot more like a lawyer than a fine arts student right now, but either way, Taehyung is extremely persuasive. He even pulls out the dress from your closet, showing you the way the glitter shines in the light. You still remember the day you bought it. 

“It’s too much right?” You asked, stepping out of the change room. You rub your hands down the fabric to try to get it to stay in one place, and the way you refuse to look up from the floor shows how nervous you are. 

Taehyung has an eye for fashion so he’s a common companion to your shopping trips. He gets up to walk a circle around you, making comments about the way the red tone of the dress makes your skin pop. Jimin however, only came along because it was too cold outside to do anything else. He’s still frozen in his seat, a look that you can only assume is boredom paints his expression while he scrolls aimlessly on his phone.

“It looks great Y/N, it seriously fits you like a glove.” Taehyung goes on to talk about how the style of dress is timeless and will work for formal and casual occasions. “Jimin, what do you think?” 

Your eyes now turn to the black-haired boy on the couch. You notice that his jaw is slightly open and he’s not blankly staring into the distance, he’s staring at you. His pupils are dilated but instead of his eyes scanning over your figure, they’re glued straight on your own face, your eyes meeting each other’s.

“It’s - really good. It’s beautiful, Y/N” Jimin says softly. 

The memory of the dress shopping experience made you smile. Taehyung fists pumps in victory as you take the dress from his hold. 

“Fine, but you’re gonna need to hand me 2 shots to catch up to you” you huff as you shove him out of your room so you can change. 

The fall air brings a chill on your skin as you sit on the back porch of the party house. The clamour of parties is always fun in moderation, but after losing 4 games of beer pong in a row to Jimin and Jungkook, you decide that it’s probably best to step away from the antics for a bit if you wanted to be able to stand up straight at the end of the night. You hate to prove Taehyung right, but you’re happy he dragged you here. 

There’s not a single other person outside, and for a second you wonder if you’re not allowed to be out here. You can’t be bothered to care - it’s not like you dangling your feet over the edge of the porch is causing any damage. 

“You’re going to catch a cold” a voice calls out to you.  You can’t see his face yet, but you already know who it is. 

“Here comes the beer pong champ” you joke as you swirl the drink in your hand. As soon as November 1st passed, Seonghwa had decided that regular jungle juice now needed to be replaced with “festive” jungle juice. The peppermint liqueur mixed with tequila left an uncomfortably bitter taste in your mouth, something Jimin could spot from a mile away as he made his way to you outside. 

“C’mon, let’s switch” Jimin volunteered as he plucked the red solo cup out of your hands and replaced it with his own, nudging your shoulder in the process as he sat down next to you. He drank yours with ease, but you let out a more disgusted groan as you took a sip of Jimin’s cup. 

“Eggnog, really Jimin? This stuff is gross” you emphasize with a shake of your head. 

“It’s actually eggnog with extra rum, Y/N, I’m a man with class” Jimin joked with a flourish as he took his cup back from you. He also peels off the jacket he’s wearing, laying it gently around your bare shoulders to keep you warm. Jimin loves the dress, but he knows it’s not worth you catching a cold over.

For a while, you and Jimin just sit in silence. It’s peaceful though, comforting even. You both take sips of your drink, staring at the all too large yard while wondering how the hell Seonghwa and Hongjoong could afford the rent on this place as a couple of college kids. The sound of Taehyung’s laughter somehow still hits your ears even though he’s in the basement playing beer pong, and the dissonance of the bass pounding through the wood of the porch with the peace of the outdoors brings a certain harmony to the space. 

“Are you ever scared?” Jimin whispers. 

You turn to look at him - he hasn’t moved a muscle, still swirling his eggnog in a solo cup. 

“Scared of what?” 

“The present, the future, what life is gonna be like 20 years from now. Hell - I don’t have a clue about what I’m gonna do when college is done. I don’t even think I have a dream for what I want to be in the future.”

Jimin sighed when he realized his small explanation had turned into almost a full blown tangent. You can tell by the look on his face that this is completely serious to him, that he’s not just making small talk party conversations. 

“When Taehyung first introduced me to you and you showed up 5 minutes early to the first time we met at that cafe, I knew you were organized. And then I saw the running grocery shopping list you keep on your fridge in the apartment, and then I realized you were super organized. “ Jimin paused to look over at you. “So you, miss organized, I am sure you have a plan for everything.”

You took a larger gulp of your red liquid courage before replying to the starry-eyed boy beside you. 

“I, um, I may be organized, but that’s in everything except the future. Literally in my first week of college I figured out that I wanted to end up working in film and TV as a videographer” 

“But you’re - “

“A nursing major, I know” you said with a half-hearted chuckle. You continued on after a bated breath. 

You wrung your palms on your jeans as you stared back out into the distance. “So yeah - even though I know what I want, it’s scary to think of chasing my dreams.”

For a moment, the bass of the party music took over the silence between you both. It seems that Seonghwa busted out the karaoke machine since an all too festive performance of Gee by Girls Generation was taking place, Taehyun and Soobin making the entire party fall victim to their charms.

“You’re great  - I mean you’d be a great videographer Y/N, you should do it” Jimin said sincerely as he looked you in your eyes. You give him a soft smile of acknowledgment before turning back to the vast sky in front of you. 

You were always jealous of the stars. They knew exactly what they had to do and did the exact same thing every day. They shine every night until they burn out and they’re done. It would be nice, in some ways, to wake up each day and know exactly what you’re going to do. But the truth is, you have no clue. But as you look over at Jimin, who is now trying to convince you that the random cluster of stars in front of you is Ursa Major, you’re glad that he has no clue either. 

You steal a sip of Jimin’s eggnog again. It still tastes disgusting. 

You read the words across your screen twice before letting out a shriek that had Taehyung flying into your bedroom. 

“Are you okay?!” Taehyung shrieked as he saw you hunched over in your bed, your face frozen in disbelief. 

“I can’t - I can’t go home Tae” you muttered, trying to keep your voice steady and keep your tears at bay.

“You can’t go home? Oh, you can’t go home” Taehyung thinks out loud as he pieces together the meaning of your words. “Oh Y/N…” Taehyung whispered as he takes a seat on the edge of your bed. “What happened?”

You took a shakier breath as you turned the computer screen towards him. The news article on the screen showed the blizzard that happened overnight in your hometown, making the roads untouchable for at least the next weekend. There was no way you could make it home for Christmas. Messages from your family group chat are lighting up the top right corner as your family is also dealing with the news of you not being able to get home at the same time.

“Parks of living in a small town I guess” you whimpered as a few tears escaped your eyes. Soon, you couldn’t stop the waterfall from your eyes. It felt silly, there were so many bigger problems in the world, but going home for Christmas meant everything to you. No matter what happened each year, how busy everyone was, how far away everyone was, every member of your family made it home for Christmas each year. Except for you this year, apparently. Thinking of how you were going to break the news to your mom made it feel like your heart was breaking all over again. 

“Can I drive you? Book you a flight? Anything really?” Taehyung questioned, feeling his own heart breaking at the sight of his best friend being so upset. Taehyung would’ve been in the same predicament as you if his family hadn’t decided to take a family trip to Hawaii for Christmas this year. “I’ll stay if you want me to” Taehyung adds. 

You shook your head at him, explaining how unless teleporting was actually possible, there was no way that you could make your way into the town at all. It was like fate was playing cruel tricks on you - you would usually already be in your childhood bedroom by now, but your finals ended later than usual, leaving you with no option but to drive down at the last possible moment before Christmas. It was a frustrating end to a frustrating year - it felt perfectly in line with the rest of your year that Christmas wouldn’t work out for you too.

“I’m really sorry, Y/N” Taehyung said as he looked at you. You let yourself be enveloped in his hug for a moment as you nod into his chest, telling him he has nothing to be sorry for.

“We’re really sorry too, Y/N” two voices called out to you from the doorway. 

Jimin and Jungkook stand watching you from the entryway, PS5 controllers in their hands that are obvious remnants of a gaming marathon they were having with Taehyung in the living room. You didn’t even realize that the brothers were there. 

The controllers are quickly thrown to the side as you invite the boys into your room. Taehyung quickly becomes the butt of the joke as Jungkook and Jimin starts telling you about the stupid mistakes he made while he was playing Super Smash Bros. They let you pick something to watch to get your mind off of things, which is rare given the chokehold that Taehyung has on the remote. 

It’s Doom at Your Service that you end up settling on. Jungkook has never watched it with you three so it’s up to you to catch him up on what he’s missed in the kdrama so far. His eyes are wide as he takes in the twists and turns of the storyline.

“I’m so lucky to be with my 4 favorite boys” you say sincerely as you eat the microwave popcorn that Jimin made for you all. Slowly the gears in each of the boys’ heads start to turn as they do the mental math and realize there’s only 3 of them sitting on the couch, looking around for the 4th boy in question.

“yeah, you, Jimin, Jungkook, and Seo In-Guk” you joke with a smile as you point to the handsome boy on TV.

Jungkook throws a piece of popcorn at your face when you can’t stop laughing.

December 25th usually had a little more flair in your life. Usually, once the clock struck 12 wrapping paper would be flying around your living room, your parents following diligently with a garbage bag as they watched you open gifts with your extended family. 

Instead, you watched as the clock hit 00:00 under your covers. You took in the silence in your bedroom as you realized just how lonely you were. If you closed your eyes tight enough you could almost imagine your family bursting through your front door, but you knew it was nothing more than a figment of your imagination. A frown started to take residence on your face as the reality of your situation started to settle in. 

“Merry Christmas, Y/N” you whispered to yourself as you stared outside the window.

You could’ve slept all day, and with the way that the sunlight was streaming in from your bedroom window, it was very likely that you slept through at least part of it. If you had more notice that you were going to be staying in the apartment, you would have at least bought yourself a pity gift, a microwave turkey dinner for one, anything really. 

A crash from outside your door made you shake. Great, as if being in the apartment on Christmas wasn’t bad enough, having someone breaking into your house was definitely the icing on the cake. You armed yourself with the scariest thing you had in your room (a curling iron) and began to tiptoe out of the room. You took a couple deep breaths before wedging the door open so you could peer into the living area. 

The view that you had made you accidentally drop your curling iron to the ground in surprise. 

“Merry Christmas?” Jimin chuckled, rubbing at his forearms nervously.  You gasped as you took in the room around you. 

The room had been covered in twinkly Christmas lights from head to toe. There were stockings hung from the wall, tinsel all around, and a gorgeous mini Christmas tree covered in ornaments. 

And of course, the man who did it all stood in the middle, a Christmas sweater that said “Santa Claws” with a cat on it adorning his chest. Jimin had the cutest reindeer ears on his head, but you couldn’t take your eyes off the gigantic smile on his face. He raised his eyebrows playfully as his eyes gestured to the matching sweater in his hand that said “Santa paws” with a dog on it, presumably for you. 

You were truly struck speechless, but you had no idea how to express this in words. Nobody, ever, had done something like this for you. Your eyes glimmered with tears as you looked at Jimin. 

“Jimin, I - , I don’t even know what to say.” 

The glowing boy took a step towards you. 

“I know it's not the handmade ornaments you have at home but…” Jimin sheepishly stared down at his wiggling toes while waiting for your response. 

You couldn’t stop a couple of tears from escaping from your eyes as you said “it’s perfect”. 

“Are you… crying? I didn’t mean to make you cry - oh my god I’m sorry Y/N.”  You could hear the panic in Jimin’s voice as he watched you start to break down.

Elf playing on the TV, cookies on the table, a star on top of a tree that does not seem like it would fit through your apartment door: Jimin had somehow created your own Christmas wonderland, and it was everything that you didn’t know you needed. You have no clue how Jimin even found out exactly what your Christmas celebrations were like (the answer, he texted Taehyung to find out, but they would never let you find that out). 

“Happy tears, Chim. Really happy tears” you mentioned with a smile painted across your face, the nickname flowing freely from your lips. 

Jimin gives you a moment to wander around the space, making sure to chime in with all the details on the decorations he chose. When you find out that Jimin called Taehyung to ask whether you would like red or gold ornaments better and Taehyung promptly told Jimin to fuck off because it was 4am in Hawaii time and you would like either of them, you laugh but also swoon over Jimin’s consideration.  It’s only once you make your way to the kitchen that Jimin explains your first activity of the night - the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies are laid out on the counter and Jimin is sharing his very special recipe with you in return for having you help in the kitchen.

“I thought you had a flight home last night?” You say inquisitively as you pick at the cookie dough that was on the counter. You’re sure eating raw cookie batter wasn’t exactly the help that Jimin seemed to have in mind when he planned to do this with you, but he doesn’t seem to mind as he’s focused on rolling out the dough, 

Jimin froze for a second before he uttered his reply. “They canceled my flight because of the weather.” Jimin gestured to the scene outside your window with the snow fluttering around outside.  “It was triple the price to rebook a new last minute flight and I was only planning to be there for 2 days anyways so it just wasn’t worth it anymore, my parents understood.”

You nodded in understanding as you handed him another spoonful of cookie dough to put on the baking tray. He’s lying, at least partially, but you don’t notice as you’re too caught up in the Christmas glee. The truth was that the look on your face when you realized you were going to be spending Christmas alone haunted Jimin, and coupled with the fact that his family wasn’t big on celebrating and he could move his flight home to be for his mom’s birthday instead, it seemed more than logical for him to do so. 

Jimin sings as he starts to preheat the oven. It’s a habit he picked up from his mom, who always belts a tune while she sings around the kitchen. It’s usually more of a small hum, a mumble that other people can't hear, but with the way Jimin gets caught up in the Christmas glee he accidentally starts to belt out some adlibs to All I want for Christmas is you. 

“What are you staring at?” Jimin wonders, watching the zoned out look on your face. 

“Your voice - it’s um, it’s really nice” You blush as you make the delicate confessions, the redness on your cheeks giving away your embarrassment. 

Jimin smiled, crinkling his eyes as he stared at you. He mumbled a small thank you. Compliments were few and far between in your friend group (you chose to show the love through well placed humor instead), so the comment brought even more joy to Jimin’s face. 

Much to your delight, Jimin kept singing as he worked next to you on the cookies. You smiled at the way his eyebrows furrowed in concentration while he used a tree-shaped cookie cutter that you didn’t even know that you owned. You and Jimin had quickly fallen into a very domestic routine - It was a sharp change from how you were planning on spending your Christmas just mere hours earlier. 

All of a sudden, a cloud of white obscures your vision. As the powder landed on your face, you purse your lips to get the taste of it off of your tongue. You cough and sputter as you look at the boy across from you.

“I had to knock you out of your daydream somehow.” Jimin said as he clapped his hands off, sending more dust clouds out to the air. 

“Oh you’re on, Park Jimin.”

You grabbed the nearest container of flour to you and immediately began your counter attacks on the fluffy haired boy across from you. 

The kitchen is filled with laughter as you and Jimin make a mess of your kitchen. He chases you around the small space, flour flying everywhere. Flour turns to sugar, and then sugar turns to milk, and at some point you and Jimin both end up with the entirety of the cookie ingredients on you.  You both only decide to call a truce once you and Jimin realize that you are the ones who will have to clean up the mess and that the cookies you have in the oven currently are going to burn. 

As the night was beginning to take over, the clock showed you how Christmas was beginning to slip away from you. You wished that you could freeze time and stay in this moment forever.

“I also had one more surprise for you” Jimin says as he approaches you on the couch. You’re happy to be able to see his black hair again as he emerges looking much cleaner than he was like a few minutes ago. However, Jimin looks more nervous, his hands tucked behind his back as he waddles over. You clue in on the fact that Jimin’s holding a gift behind his back and your face immediately gives away your reaction.

 “Oh my gosh you really don’t have to Jimin, I feel so bad that you’ve done so much and I don’t have anything for you.” You almost sound like you’re scolding him for how much he’s doing with the raised tone in your voice. 

“I hope you’ll like it, Y/N”  is all he replies with. 

He’s carrying a box covered in snowman wrapping paper, and while he tells you to close your eyes, he plops the box down in your arms and tells you to open it .  The tag on it still reads “from Jimin, to Y/N”. Jimin seems to be vibrating as he sits next to you and watches the way you peel the wrapping paper back. 

It’s gorgeous. You twirl it in between your fingers to admire the way it glows in the sunlight. The gift reminds you of Jimin - it’s radiant and filled with hope and dreams.

“It’s a film camera because… you’re going to be a great videographer one day, Y/N” Jimin explains. The necklace you’re holding has a film camera charm on it. It’s an Arri Alexa 65, specifically the one that you explained to Jimin is your favorite film camera that they use in Hollywood movies that you hope you get to use one day. It was a small detail, something that you barely remember telling him at that party - but the fact that he still remembers that makes your heart swell. 

“Put it on for me?” You ask, holding out the clasp for him. Jimin quickly nods as he takes the chain from your fingers. It’s only once you sweep your hair to the side is Jimin astutely aware of how close he is to you while putting on the necklace.  He fumbles with the clasp once he gets it around your neck. He can see the way that the hairs on the back of the neck have risen too, and it makes him feel a little more comfortable that he’s not the only one feeling this way.

“It’s beautiful, Jimin.” You whisper as you look down at the pendant. 

“Yeah, really beautiful,” Jimin says as he looks at you. 

And then the air shifts. Like Jimin’s been burned, he quickly moves his hands away from you. “Anyways… eggnog for me, hot chocolate for the lady?” Jimin asks as he jumps off the couch with an extra hop in his step. He’s almost rushing away from you like you’re a burning building as he makes his way to the kitchen. You barely catch his actions as your mind is still fuzzy from Jimin’s closeness to you. You twirl the necklace around your fingers as you watch Jimin carry the two steaming mugs towards you. He had already set up your couch with blankets and a collection of holiday DVD’s, which made it easy for you to settle in while you waited for him. You were already cozy on the couch, so you simply pat the spot next to you for Jimin to join you.

“Drinking hot cocoa by the fireplace, right?” He whispers as he plays a YouTube channel that shows crackling firewood on the screen. 

You nod as you open your arms for him for a hug. It says all the ‘thank you’s” that you can’t put into words. You hope he can tell how thankful you are through the way you’re squeezing him tightly, only murmuring a small thank you into his chest. 

“I’m really sorry you couldn’t be home for Christmas, Y/N” Jimin whispered sincerely as he looked into your eyes. You both were no more than inches away from each other now. It would be so easy to just close that gap, cross that line from friends to more than that. You could feel Jimin’s breath fanning onto your face. The tension starts to build as you see Jimin’s eyes flutter between your eyes and your lips. It’s the perfect moment, arguably. Time seems to have stopped as you both stay frozen in that moment. All that needed to happen was for one of you to take the leap, show some courage and close the gap.

You couldn’t, at least not today. If you were going to do this - it wasn’t going to be on a whim. You were going to think this through, and think really hard. You and Jimin savored your closeness, nobody wanted to break eye contact first. The familiar warm feeling in your stomach started to creep up again. 

You whispered your reply back to him. “It’s okay, Jimin. This is… amazing” you said with wonder in your eyes as you admired your surroundings yet again. “But I’m sorry you’re didn’t get to go home for Christmas either”

Jimin pulled you closer into his chest; he whispers his last words just quietly enough so you barely catch them.  The almost kiss definitely weighs heavy on both of you as you sit in the silence of the holiday music for a moment. 

“I don’t know, this kinda feels like home too.”

You fall asleep right there, with your head on Jimin’s chest. 

You wake up feeling so much lighter. All you needed was a good night’s sleep to reflect on just how magical yesterday was. Park Jimin turned your apartment into a winter wonderland for you. You’ve been dreaming your whole life of having a boy who would do something like that for you, and here he was right in front of you? You want to tell him right now, tell him everything about how you feel, how you should’ve kissed him last night. 

It’s only when you start to get caught up in how you’ll tell him that you realize that it’s quiet, almost too quiet. You’re in your bedroom, back tucked under your sheets. You’re not still on the couch where Jimin’s heartbeat lulled you to sleep. When you start to adjust to your surroundings, you sit up with a jolt, hands gripping the sheets trying to find a warm body next to you. Except it’s cold. There’s not even a wrinkle where there should be someone else. For a second, you think that all of yesterday was a dream. The logical explanation is that you slept for 24 hours and Christmas ceased to exist. Everything looks the exact same as how it was when you went to sleep, except for one thing. 

There’s a note on your bedside table. It’s written on a scrap piece of paper that you can only imagine came from the pile of thrown out lab reports that you still have to bring down to the recycling center. The chicken scratch writing of it clearly shows you that Jimin was its author. 

Had to head out early. Hope you grab some good boxing day deals! 

Okay, so at least you didn’t imagine spending the day with Jimin. Still, the note leaves an ugly feeling in your stomach. Jimin has slept over before, it’s not out of the ordinary, but he usually would wake one of you before he leaves. You settle on sending him a quick text. He’s a quick responder, so it should put your mind at ease. 

You: hey! You disappeared quick - everything ok? Thanks again for yesterday 😊❤️

With that, you get up on your day. When you step out in to the living room, it looks untouched. The tree is gone, the wrapping paper trail you and Jimin had created from his gift nowhere to be found. The hot cocoa mugs are washed, the tinsel is gone. 

It’s like Christmas never happened. 

The silver chain around your neck is the only memory you have of the day. It’s still around your neck. You twirl the charm that lays on your chest between your fingers as you walk around the space. It helps you calm your breathing as you think about what’s happened. Your mind instantly goes to calling Taehyung and explaining what happened, but his last instagram post of him laying on the beach with the caption “most relaxed person ever” makes you think twice. He deserves a break, and you have no reason to freak out. Instead, you push the crazy thoughts away and try to keep going through your day, buying groceries, organizing your closet. 

Your phone stays silent the rest of the day. The message you sent to Jimin isn’t read, let alone replied too. It’s odd, and it makes your phone feel heavy every time you pick it up. 

It’s just one day, Y/N, no need to freak out, you think to yourself at the end of the night. 

But soon one day turns into two days, which turns into seven days, and you’re faced with the distinct possibility that  Park Jimin is ghosting you.

At one point, your worry that Jimin isn’t answering morphs into concern for his health. It builds until you decide that it’s worth bothering Taehyung on his vacation, even though the picture he sent of you drinking a tequila sunrise makes you think twice.  You’re tempted to wander down to his apartment, knock on his door just to see if he’s around. You also think about asking Jungkook, sending him a quick text. He’s at home with his family though, and you don’t want to accidentally cause his family to worry for Jimin for no reason.

You: have you heard from Jimin lately?

Taehyung answers quickly.

Tae: yea, he wished me happy new year

It creates an empty feeling in your chest when you read Taehyung’s response. So Jimin isn’t ignoring everyone, he’s just ignoring you. 

The problem is that you can’t figure out why. 

It’s embarrassing how much of an effect that Jimin has on you. The fact that he left you without a trace seems to weigh heavier on you each day. It’s shameful and you know. You shouldn’t care that much - Jimin wasn’t your boyfriend, there was no reason for you to feel like you had something more with him. 

The note Jimin left you is the last thing that you have of him. The writing seems to be burned into your bedside table now since you haven’t had the heart to move it since Christmas. The more you read it, the more angry it makes you. The note is like something you would send to coworkers when you clock out early, not something you’d say to a girl you almost kissed mere hours before. 

Taehyung is shocked when he comes back from break. He knew Jimin’s plan and was expecting you to be bursting at the seams with joy while recounting the story to him the moment he got in the door. Instead, all Taehyung is met with is silence - the apartment looks wildly untouched, except for the empty cup noodles stacked in the garbage. When he asks you how your break was, all you mutter is “don’t wanna talk about it” 

You’ll give him credit, Taehyung does try his best to support you. He’s known you long enough to know that “it’s all gonna be okay” won’t work for you. He doesn’t pretend to understand how you feel - after all, he was the one who was currently studying for his dream. Instead, he silently comes in and picks up your laundry, having it clean and folded on your untouched desk before you can even wake up from your 4pm nap. He still asks every time he leaves the house if you want to join him, and he doesn’t let the smile fall from his eyes every single time you say no. He sits with you every night on the edge of your bed to tell you about his day despite your consistently flat reactions. Most of all, Taehyung opens the curtains every morning in your room without fail. Even when you won’t say a word to him and simply bury your face further into your comforter, Taehyung lets the light in. Or maybe, he simply is your light.

You don’t notice how hard this probably is on him too. His two best friends in the world are falling apart and he doesn’t know how to fix it. Hell, it might’ve been his meddling that got you both into this situation in the first place. He doesn’t know whether he has to pick sides, whether supporting one of you irrevocably means you’re betraying the other. He cooks for you while ordering delivery for Jimin, goes over to Jimin’s apartment when you’re asleep to check on him, texts you both throughout the day to make sure you’ve eaten meals. Taehyung has one body but his heart wants to be in two places at once. Of course, the people he’d come to for advice about something like this are you and Jimin, and that only rubs salt in the wound for him. 

Just like Taehyung’s struggling, you are too. The new semester doesn’t bring the fresh start that you’re hoping for. Everything still feels old, tired. Your holiday break slump has now morphed into a winter semester slump. 

The one thing you’re thankful for is that you never have to cross paths with Jimin. Well, almost never. Morality and ethics was the last class you’d ever expect to see Jimin in, but it looks like the campus-wide gossip about the class being an easy A got to him as well. It feels ironic that he’s taking the course at all -  to you, it seems like the morally correct thing to do would be to not fall off the face of the earth as soon as something mildly romantic happens with your best friend, but hey what do you know. You can’t hide the vindication you feel when Professor Kwong says something you agree with during class, knowing that Jimin is getting the same lecture. 

The other 99% of the time though, you like to pretend that the dark cloud that is Park Jimin doesn’t exist. You always show up to class only at the minute it begins and bolt out the minute the professor stops talking, leaving no time for any unwelcome small talk opportunities. You sit in the same corner seat at the back of the lecture hall - the chair is partially broken and it looks like it could give out any minute, but the risk is worth it since it hides you from the rest of the class. 

You try to not think about Jimin, let alone look at him during class. Out of sight, out of mind, you repeat to yourself as you take your seat each week. There is still that small part of you that itches to find out how he’s doing, but you can’t bring yourself to look for him amongst the crowd of students. You’ve thought about it and you don’t even know what you’d want to see: if he was happy and normal, that would only add salt to your wound, but if he looked even half as bad as you did, you wouldn’t feel great either. You’d come to the conclusion that finding Jimin would only make things worse. If he wanted to talk to you, he would have weeks ago instead of leaving without a trace. After all, you were only reciprocating his behavior. 

For once, the weather seemed to be showing mercy on you. For the first week of January, you felt like you were living in an icebox (also in part due to you and Taehyung forgetting to pay your utilities bill on time). You had to wear what felt like 1000 layers to go to walk to your classes and then had to immediately shed them the minute you stepped foot into your lecture hall. 

The days continued on: wake up, shower (maybe), go to class (maybe), come home, lay in bed, sleep, and repeat. 

They were all the same until you accidentally broke your routine one day - stopping at the campus coffee shop before coming home since you felt like you could barely keep your eyes open. 

The small coffee shop hadn’t changed much since the last time you were here in freshman year. There were still chips in the wood tables from drunk college students who came in way too late after parties, paintings from the arts students on the wall, and the menu had not changed one bit. If you had a regular drink, if it could even count as that since you’d only been here a handful of times, it would definitely be a hot chocolate. But today, it felt like the words on the menu were taunting you. Hot chocolate reminded you of the handsome way Jimin looked when he carried a mug of it towards you on Christmas day, just moments after you two almost kissed. Note to self: don’t let a boy make you your favorite drink if they’re not gonna stick around. You settle for a green tea instead, hoping the calming effects will somewhat work on you. 

Side quest aside, you begin to head back on your regular, routine route. Instantly, your mind flashes back to Taehyung and the piles of laundry he leaves clean by your closet. The least you could do for him was buy him a coffee to repay him. Before the guilt could permeate you too badly, your feet quickly turned you around back to the coffee shop. 

In your determination you miss the ice hidden underneath the snow. You gasp as you brace yourself for the impact, hands reach out to break your fall. However, instead of being met with the cold ground, your head crashes into a warm chest and a pair of arms darted out around you to save you from an untimely death. You were quick to try to scramble back up to your feet and avoid an icy fall, mumbling your apologies as you gained your balance again. Once you noticed who was standing in front of you, it left you speechless. 

Jungkook. 

You feel ashamed that you had forgotten about him a little bit. Jungkook was only collateral in whatever happened between you and Jimin, and he was suffering because of it. 

More than being with Jimin, you forgot about all the time you spent with Jungkook. Had he passed that economics test you helped him study for? Did he ever ask out that girl from his chem lab? What about that annoying Overwatch player he was fighting with online? You couldn’t decide how you felt about Jimin yet, but you most definitely missed Jungkook. 

You and Jungkook breeze through the pleasantries - how the weather is, what exams you have coming up, tv show plot twists. Jungkook doesn’t ask you how you’re doing, and for that, you’re grateful. He can probably tell anyways. If he notices the way that your hair is tied up in a messy bun (a truly messy, not even cute messy bun), the sweatpants you’re wearing even though you frequently said you’d only be caught dead wearing sweatpants out of the house, he doesn’t say anything. But his eyes give everything away. They’re laced with your least favorite emotion: pity. 

You try not to look him in the eyes not only for this reason, but also because he’s the spitting image of his brother. Even though it’s not his fault, it still hurts to look at Jungkook. He’s not identical to his brother in the slightest, but when he smiles all you can see is Jimin’s crooked tooth smile. He’s definitely stolen some of Jimin’s mannerisms too - he fidgets with the rings on his fingers and shifts his weight from side to side like a strand of seaweed at the bottom of the ocean. It’s funny to think that when you first met him you didn’t recognize the striking similarities. Jungkook interrupted your thoughts before you could ruminate any further. 

“Did I - Did I do something, Y/N?”

Oh, Jungkook. He couldn’t have been farther from the truth in his statement. 

“No, it’s just Jimin and I aren’t… great right now to say the least”. You run the back of your neck in awkwardness, something you picked up from the boy across from you. The cool winter breeze makes you shiver while you wait for Jungkook’s response.

Jungkook shakes his head. “No, I know that” he declares. He is firm in his statement, and he says it like it's a well-known fact.

 “I know you and Jimin aren’t talking” Jungkook looks extra thoughtful as he pauses and chooses his next words. “I guess, I just thought you and I were friends too Y/N”. 

 If your heart wasn’t broken before, it is definitely shattered now.

Jungkook’s eyes are cloudy as he looks back up at you. You can’t tell what he’s feeling - it could be sadness, frustration, resentment, or it could be a combination of all three, since that’s what you’re feeling right now. 

You want to Jungkook all of it. How your heart is broken, how everything was so good and then turned so bad, so fast. But you stop yourself. He already knows, or at least he already knows enough. You’ve been so busy blaming Jimin for leaving, caught up in your own emotions, that you forgot that time isn’t frozen for others like Jungkook. They’re living, and you should be too. 

A thoughtful expression returns to Jungkook’s face - you can practically hear the gears turning in his head before he speaks. 

“I know my brother, and he can be a lot. And he’s bad at saying sorry sometimes - actually, I don’t think I’ve ever heard him say sorry.” Jungkook says with a chuckle. “But he cares a lot, always, even if he doesn’t show it.” 

And Jungkook’s words bring tears to your eyes. And you want to believe him so badly. You know Jungkook would never lie to you - but your mind still flashes back to Jimin. Your wounds are still raw - you still haven’t forgotten that empty feeling of waking up alone.

And so you’ll tell Jungkook that it’ll take time. That you need some time to stop feeling so hurt. He understands, or at least he nods as if he does. Jungkook manages to convince you to hang out with him a little longer, catch him up on everything he’s missed. It starts to feel like old times as he tells you about new video games he bought and the awful lab protocols he had to learn last week. He asks about how you’re doing but doesn’t pry too much, accepting your vague answers and sidesteps when it comes to touchy subjects. Jungkook knows exactly what to say to carry the conversation, even throwing in a few compliments here and there for you. 

“You know Y/N, the thing that inspired me the most about you were always determined to do whatever you put your mind to. I remember that day you walked circles around the apartment to meet your step goal and beat Taehyung, or that time that you stayed up all night perfecting your art project painting once that rude girl in your class said that hers was better than yours. You’re dedicated, almost stubborn maybe too because of it” he laughs.

Jungkook continues on, his hands still flying around as he tells the extravagant story about an Overwatch player he saw online last night. You nod at all the right places, making sure to show Jungkook that you really do care. 

 “Anyways, this classics course that I’m taking as an option is such as bore. The professor is like 80 years old and she talks at the speed of a turtle. I swear it took her 5 minutes just to say the quote “you are only confined by the walls you build yourself.””

Jungkook keeps talking after saying that, but you stay stuck on those words.

You are confined only by the walls you build yourself. 

You are living in walls, whether they’re ones you built yourself or ones that Jimin made before he left, you’re not sure, but the quote resonates with the way you’re going through life right now. It’s a stretch to say that you’re living - you’re going through the same routine each day, the one that you built around the walls that are holding you back. And so, you decided to break down those walls and start living again.

You don’t want to start small, you don’t know how long your bout of courage is going to last, and you’re not going to waste it on something like cleaning your room or going to the gym. You want to stare down the beast, and you’re going to.. 

Welcome to the Vancouver Film School Application Portal! To begin your application, click “apply” in the bottom left position of the screen. 

You take a deep breath in, clutching at the necklace on your chest. The boy who gave it to you may not be in your life anymore, but the charm still holds your dreams in it. You look as if you’re poking a bear as you dart out one finger to hit the “Apply button”, one eye closed and the rest of your face in a tight grimace.

Luckily, the first step seems like the hardest. At least after you’ve paid the application fee you figure that it’s best to at least fill it out and give it a try, it’d be a waste of your money otherwise. You try not to think too much as you go through the application. If you stop and ruminate on what you’re doing, you may realize the insanity of it all.

You’re quick to commemorate the moment that you hit submit and receive your application confirmation email. It’s a raw selfie which captures the moment in its entirety - your eyes are tired from staring at your computer screen too long, your hair has obviously been neglected in a messy bun for quite a while, and the white light from your computer creates an egregious color balance in the photo. Regardless, your bright smile still shines through in the picture, and it’s the first thing that Jungkook comments on when you send him the photo. It’s only after you send it that you realize that Jungkook has no idea that you even wanted to go to film school and is probably very confused about your message, but before you can send a follow up clarifying message to him he already sent another response. 

Jungkook: I’m so proud of you, Y/N. 

You don’t end up getting to clean your room or do a workout today. It turns out writing a personal statement,, refreshing your resume, and creating a demo reel and script was especially exhausting when you haven’t done anything intense for weeks. But you’re proud of yourself. Tomorrow will be better. 

You’re on an upward trajectory for a while. It starts with picking up reading again, then helping Taehyung with cooking dinner. You start spending more time in the living room that cooped up in the 4 walls of your bedroom, even joining a yoga class. Taehyung had been waiting to finish watching Doom at Your Service with you, so you both binge the last couple episodes together over a bowl of popcorn. 

Jimin remains as “He who must not be named”. He’s not completely erased from your life, you can hear Taehyung talking on the phone sometimes to who you can only presume to be Jimin, and when you FaceTime Jungkook to help him with his intro to nursing course you can hear him sing in the bathroom. Regardless, you still don’t talk about him and the rest of your friends never talk about him either. If Jimin is ever hanging out with Taehyung or Jungkook, which you know they are, you’re glad you don’t have to hear about it. It’s sad to think about sometimes, how your friend group was severed. But you can’t dwell on the feelings too long before you start to feel angry again. 

You hurry past Taehyung to your bedroom when you get home from your afternoon lecture. An email with the subject line of  “Vancouver Film School Application Status Updated” has been sitting in your inbox for the last half of your biochemistry lecture and it is driving you crazy. 

You take a couple deep breaths before clicking on the email. In just a few moments, your entire life could change. You could be packing up and moving to a whole new city, studying for your dream job and pursuing your passions. The nervousness in your chest soon started to mix with feelings of wonder and excitement. This email has new beginnings that you want, no, that you need right now. 

Dear Y/N L/N, 

Thank you for applying to Vancouver Film School. We regret to inform you that…

Your brain shuts off as you read the second sentence. You blink twice and refresh the page as if it would change the outcome. As if your fate wasn’t sealed the minute you handed in that application and couldn’t be altered.

After a few moments, you try to read through the rest of the email. As much as the disappointment is washing over you, there’s still that small glimmer of hope that the email still goes on to explain how great you are and how they want you in the program. After all, what are humans if not overly optimistic? 

The tears start falling and they don’t stop. At least not for a while. It’s hard in moments like this to not overanalyze everything you’ve ever done leading up to this moment. Your chest tightens until the only noises you can make out are small whines between your sobs. You rubbed the heel of your palm against your chest in an attempt to repair your broken heart. 

Fuck film school. Fuck boys who convince you that you’re good enough to chase your dreams of going to film school and then screw you over. Fuck everything, basically. 

The days seem to blend into nothingness after that. 

You did it, you took the leap and you fell. Hard. You didn’t know what you were supposed to do afterwards - try again? Let it go? Things quickly start to lose meaning. By filling out the film school application you had let go of the love you had for nursing, which made coming to your classes each day an absolute torture. You drag your heels when coming to your lectures, barely take any notes, and only hand in assignments on time because the idea of your parents finding out about your failures is the only thing more scary than the failure itself. 

When you step into Professor Kwong’s class on Monday morning, he’s already writing on the whiteboard. There’s a tense atmosphere to the space, people are already buried nose-first into their books and class hasn’t even started yet. It’s only when you look at the board which now reads “Exam start time 8:00, end time: 9:20” that your eyes widen. Shit. You curse as you rummage through your bag to open up your planner, only to see that the pages are completely blank as of a couple weeks ago. It’s too late now to run away and apply for a sick deferral since the proctors have already seen you, so you have no choice but to sit down in the alphabetically-ordered seating chart. At least your last name is nowhere close to “Park”.

A,B,C,D. You may not know much about ethics right now, but you do know about math, and there’s a 25 percent that you’ll guess correct on a question. If you can manage to knock out one option, that ups your odds to 33 percent. It’s an educated guess as you make your way through the exam, and the lack of critical thinking taking place that lets you flip the exam papers way faster than others. Your mentally thanking yourself for aceing the papers in this course, since you know that even if you tank this exam it won’t drag you down too badly. 

 “People who finish exams fast are one of two things: really stupid, or really frickin smart” Taehyung had declared after one of your exams in your freshman year. As you got up to hand in your paper after only 23 minutes had passed of the 80 minute exam, it was abundantly clear to you which one of the two you were. The chair lets out an ugly screech as you gather your things, and you can see a couple eyes in the lecture room flutter around to find the source of the disturbance. You’re now acutely aware of the way you look, no makeup, messy messy bun, clothes that most likely have a stain since they haven’t been washed in at least a couple weeks. You almost wish that you could sit back down, no, crawl under the desk and hide there until the time was up. You shut your eyes and let out a curse under your breath as you make your way to the front to hand in your exam. You’re like a horse with blinders on, focused only on your task you reaching the finish line. If you see the glaring looks that you imagine you’re receiving as you walk through the rows, there’s a chance that you would lose it right then and there. You don’t look your professor in the eye as you hand him your exam, and the moment he says you’re good to go, you dart out of the room as if you’re flexing a burning building. 

You don’t notice the pair of eyes watching you as you leave the lecture hall. 

jimin: hey, did something happen to Y/N? She looked off at the ethics midterm today.

On god, if Taehyung was rich, he might’ve squeezed his phone so hard that it broke. But no Taehyung wasn’t rich, he was a broke college student who definitely could not afford a new phone, so he instead takes out his frustrations by yelling to the sky. He loves his best friend, but he is being an absolute idiot if he can’t put together the pieces about why you may not be doing so great right now. Taehyung has been very careful not to push too hard, to never ask Jimin for too many details. Jimin doesn’t share anything other than he’s not talking to you right now, and Taehyung tries to respect that boundary without prying too much about what happened. But right now, the ignorance in Jimin’s words is driving Taehyung mad, and he can’t help but let it out. 

tae is typing…

tae: dude… you broke her, literally. I’ve never seen her like this and I don’t know what to do. So yeah, something happened, and that something was YOU, jimin. You’re both being stubborn idiots at this point since you obviously need to talk to each other and I can’t be the middle man between you guys anymore. Figure this out on your own. 

Taehyung’s finger hovered over the send button. He wanted so badly to let it all out. He’s tired of this. Tired of acting like a defense lawyer on trial protecting both of you from each other. But even though he feels like garbage, he knows that you both probably feel infinitely worse. Jimin has always been there for him - he never says “i told you so” when Taehyung comes home upset because of a girl that was no good from the beginning, he still comes to make sure Taehyung is awake for 8am CHEM lab, even though it makes him late, and whenever Taehyung needs him, even when it’s in the middle of the night, Jimin is always there for him. Taehyung will always feel extremely indebted to Jimin, and getting mad at him over text was no way to repay him. 

When he retypes his message, the first word is all that is retained from the original. It’s not perfect, but it’s as much as he can muster. 

tae : dude… i don’t know. Ask her yourself if you care.

Jimin never replies.

Taehyung goes to 6pm pilates alone today.

He still asks you before he leaves and reminds you to eat the dinner he left you in the fridge. He’s a little more sullen than usual. He’s tired, so he’s praying that Pilates brings some sort of energy release. 

You may not notice the extent of Taehyung’s emotions as he leaves the apartment, but you do notice him bumbling around the apartment a bit more than usual. He forgets his keys more often than not, so when there’s a loud pounding at the door, it’s most likely that Taehyung has yet again forgotten to check his pocket for his gym membership before going to class AND he forgot his key. 

“Tae next time I may just let you stay out there “ you started as you groaned, not even looking him in the eye. Well, you were looking someone in the eye. But it was the last person you expected.

“Jimin”, you breathed out, releasing some of the tightness that was building up in your chest.

“Yea… um, not Taehyung” he says quietly while shifting his weight from side to side, clearly nervous. 

Jimin doesn’t wait for you to reply before he speaks again. After all, there’s a high chance that you could slam the door in his face at any second. 

“Can we-”

The word “we” brings up a bitter taste in Jimin's mouth. There is no “we” existing between the two of you anymore, and he did nothing if not make that crystal clear by not speaking to you for the past 4 weeks. It’s a tough pill to swallow for Jimin to admit that his faults, and he curses himself for being off to such a bad start.

Jimin chooses his words more carefully the next time he opens his mouth. 

“can you and I talk, please?”

You can hear the pleading in voice, and the tears that you’ve been trying to keep at bay since the moment you saw him are starting to flood your eyes. You snap them shut and take a deep breath, thinking of Jungkook’s words before you speak again. 

“There’s nothing to talk about, Jimin.” 

An air of silence lays over the room for far too long. You’re proud of yourself - there are no tears, no voice cracks, no shaky hands. The Y/N from a couple months ago would’ve been a sobbing puddle by now. But you’re strong, stronger than you ever realized you were, and that brings a sense of comfort to you. 

When the silence lingers for far too long, you make the move to start shutting your apartment door, and for a second, you think you’re actually going to be able to. This is it, the final moments. 

“5 minutes, that’s all I ask Y/N. please” 

You can’t see his face as it stays laser focused on the floor, but you can see Jimin’s desperation in the way that his fingers clench even tighter around the door frame. Jimin is most definitely going to get a splinter from his actions, but that doesn’t stop him. He scratches his fingers across the peeling paint on your door, making the only sounds that seem to fill the empty space. 

“If -” Jimin starts before he has to stop and take a deep breath. 

“If you want me to leave after 5 minutes, I will. You’ll never see me again. And I know I don’t even deserve that much time. But please, Y/N, please. 5 minutes.” 

Then Jimin looks up. He doesn’t know if this is the last he’ll see of you, and if it is, he wants to make sure that he gets to take you in one last time. 

It’s at this moment that you realize that Park Jimin is crying. The tears are steadily flowing from his eyes like a dam has broken, yet he makes no move to try and stop himself. It’s not pretty in the slightest - his eyes are bloodshot, there’s snot pooling between his nose and his cupid’s bow, and his body seems to jerk with every sob that runs through his body. The Jimin from a couple months ago never would’ve been so open with his emotions like this. You see now that just like how you’ve changed, Jimin has changed too. 

And that’s enough for your resolve to weaken. You’re still strong, but you’re not strong enough to close the door anymore. Instead, you open it silently, taking a step out of the way for Jimin to enter. 

JImin has never been more of a stranger in your apartment. He’s bundled in winter gear from head to toe, but even once he takes off his winter parka it still feels like the air is suffocating him. He’s haunted by the memories of all the moments he spent in your apartment. Instead of throwing his shoes off in a corner and teasing you with his smelly socks until you finally push him away between your bouts of laughter, he places them in a neat line beside your doormat. 

He looks around to see if anything’s changed. There’s still that chip on the wall from the time you decided to play with a frisbee in the living room, the stain on the rug from last time Jimin was here and spilled eggnog. 

“Um, you can sit on the couch.” You say stoically from the kitchen, gesturing to the sofa as if Jimin hadn’t bellyflopped on it at least 50 times before. 

Jimin silently took his regular place on your couch, sitting a little more formally than he would usually. He naturally started wringing his hands together, creating a cacophony of sounds that only added to the tension in the room. 

You silently placed a glass of water down on the coffee table. Jimin was a guest in your home, a guest in your life really, and you were making that abundantly clear. Along with the water you place a box of tissues on the wooden table. Even though you and Jimin were not on friendly terms, your heart wasn’t so cold that you would let the man sob without a tissue.

Only once you sit down on the armchair beside the couch, do you really take a look at Jimin. At first you shift around uncomfortably - the chair you’re on is rarely used as you all usually opt to cram around the couch instead. The way the chair crinkles whenever your body weight shifts only adds to the tension in the room. In another world Jimin would’ve laughed about the sounds and beatboxed over it to make some ridiculous song, and you would only make more noise as you kept laughing at the boy. Instead, now you’re only met with silence. 

“It’s pink” you whisper once you take in the figure across from you. 

You’re referring to Jimin’s new hair color. You can see it more clearly now that he’s taken off his hoodie. The highlighter pink of his hair is a stark contrast to the way that the rest of his dull appearance. You suppress the urge to run your hand through his hair as you watch him sit perched on your sofa. 

“Yeah… just wanted a change, I guess” He runs his hands through his hair to avoid meeting your gaze. 

It’s extremely awkward as you both sit across from each other. You stay silent for the most part - if Jimin wanted to say something to you, you would let him. He looks overwhelmed as he chews his bottom lip between his teeth in worry, so you can’t help but help him out a little. 

“What’s that paper?” You ask, motioning to the white square that sticks out from his jacket pocket. 

It’s as if that prompts Jimin of what he’s here to do, because he instantly reaches for the paper and pulls it out to hand it to you.

“I, um, was hoping you would read this” 

Jimin hands a stack of papers in your direction. You can see the MLA formatted title page on the top and it instantly has you seeing red. The audacity of Park Jimin to beg to come into your place under the premise of forgiveness and then ask you to proofread his schoolwork. Your jaw is clenching so tightly you can barely get out your next words. 

“You’re seriously asking me to read your papers? Wow, Park Jimin. You are really something else. I - “ Your nostrils are flaring as you rage at him. You’re about to storm out of your own apartment with how mad you are at him, desperate to get away from him as fast you can.

“No - , no Y/N, please. I already handed this in, it already got marked. I just - I just want you to read it.” Jimin dares to move closer to you, his hand barely outstretched enough to almost reach your hand across the armrest. 

You take a few moments to ponder it. And then you begrudgingly snatch the papers from his hands. 

Park Jimin 

Seoul National University 

ETH 210: Ethics and Morality

Topic 3 Paper 

You know Jimin’s telling the truth. You wrote the same paper a couple weeks ago for the same class. “Write about one ethical principle and how it applies in real life.”  You wrote a kick-ass paper about autonomy in the medical system. Jimin, however, seemed to take a different approach. 

Nonmaleficence is one of the most basic ethical principles there is. “Do no harm”, we are taught from a young age. In fact, I remember my own mother teaching me this when I was a toddler. I’d always taken it very seriously - I even went through the trouble of returning $1 to the local police station when I found it lying on the street. 

My whole life, I’ve tried not to harm others, but recently I hurt someone who I care about a lot. The problem is, I didn’t realize it until afterwards. I was selfish and I was confused. There’s this girl, and she means everything to me. I didn’t know how much I needed her until I didn’t have her in my life anymore. The worst thing is that I thought I was doing the right thing - I didn’t feel good enough for her. She deserves the world and I don’t know if I can give that to her. I was scared that I would ruin everything by expressing my feelings, so I left everything. 

While trying to do no harm, I ended up harming everyone I cared about. The girl I can't’ stop thinking about, my best friend, and even my own brother. I turned into a shell of who I was and I was too stubborn to admit my mistakes, at least until now. 

It’s a thick stack of paper. The essay continues - Jimin explains all the things he did wrong, all the things he felt. The words on the page are Jimin’s heart beared out onto a piece of paper. 

Jimin sits there as he watches you read all 8 pages. With every second that passes by where you don’t say anything, Jimin starts to regret his decision more and more. Maybe it would’ve made more sense for him to just show you the first and last page instead. You didn’t need to read the entire paper with it’s 20 sources. It’s when he can see your eyes reach the bottom of the last page that he starts to really lose his mind. Your eyes aren’t focused on him in the slightest, but if they were you would see the way that his hands are trembling. Jimin tries to calm himself by wringing his hands around his neck. 

“I, uh, I got a B minus on that paper actually, Professor Kwong said that I “failed to address the prompt”” Jimin says with air quotes. It’s the first normal sounding thing that’s come out of his mouth the entire time that he’s been here. The silence starts to feel a little less heavy afterwards and it gives Jimin a bit of hope. 

“This is silly, Jimin. You know that, right?” You look him dead in the eyes as you speak. 

You do a decent job keeping a poker face, at least enough that Jimin can’t tell what you think. Jimin feels so incredibly silly - you’re right, what was he thinking? It was a stupid idea. If he can’t even express his feelings out loud, what is he doing by trying to hand them to you on a piece of paper? He starts to stand up from the couch when you catch him at his wrist. 

“It’s silly because we’re friends, Jimin. Actually, we’re best friends, and best friends don’t disappear overnight and only leave a note.” You hold the papers in your hands tightly as you say your next words “

“ I was running from my own feelings. It’s cliche and it’s cheesy, but I was worried about what it would do to our friendship if I said anything. I know I can’t live without you Y/N, the last 4 weeks have definitely taught me that, so if I can only have you as a friend I’m okay with that. I know I’m barely deserving of having you as a friend now because of how I treated you.” 

It feels so honest. Jimin is the most sincere. You can  tell that it’s a little rehearsed, like he probably practiced it in his bathroom mirror at home before showing you makes your heart swell a little bit. 

“You kinda say it in here, but if you want this, you’re gonna have to say it” you say seriously as you look him in the eye, waving the paper around. There’s no way that there 

“I like you Y/N, I really do.” He says. He doesn’t whisper it. He even says he’ll yell it from the rooftops if you want him to. But this is more than enough for you.

“I like you too, Park Jimin” 

The sounds of keys hitting the floor wakes you from your slumber. 

It’s Jimin - last night must have been too good to be true. You curse yourself for being so foolish, for thinking that people really can change. That once things are broken they can be fixed. He must be trying to make a break for it before you wake up, not even bothering to say goodbye. Your heart starts to sink into the pit of your stomach. 

But as you try to get off the couch, you realize that your pillow right now is Park Jimin, so there’s no way that he’s sneaking out of your apartment. He’s still deep in his slumber, the remnants of last night still present through the tear stains on his cheeks, but he’s here. 

There’s only one other person with the key to your apartment. 

The culprit is Taehyung, and he’s wide-eyed, mouth gaping open in surprise. Anyone who saw his expression would think that Taehyung saw a ghost, and in some ways, he thinks he has. He doesn’t blink once, for fear that once he closes his eyes the scene in front of him will disappear.

“Hey, you remembered your keys this time,” you say as you start to wiggle out of Jimin’s hold. In the time that you said that sentence you’ve looked Taehyung in the eyes more than you have in the last couple weeks combined. There’s a new glow, a certain freshness to your face. The weariness that has plagued your face for so long isn’t there anymore. Taehyung releases a breath he didn’t know he was holding when he saw the way you looked. 

And then he sobs. 

Kim Taehyung is now a ball on the ground, head buried between his knees and the sounds of his cries racket around the apartment. It’s a cry of relief. Now that he sees that you’re okay, Taehyung can finally let himself go. 

“Oh, Taehyung” you murmur, making your way over to him in the entryway. You circle your arms  around him and bring him into your hold, rubbing your arms on his back. He shakes as he sobs, but his hands grip and the fabric of the shirt you’re wearing. He’s been your rock for so long, and right now, you get to be Taehyung’s rock for him. Seeing your best friend fall apart makes you want to cry, but you don’t. This is Taehyung’s moment and you want him to have it - it’s what he deserves. You blink away your tears by looking up at the popcorn ceiling.

“I missed you” is all Taehyung murmurs into your chest as he sobs. He doesn’t even know if his words are comprehensible between his tears, but you hear him loud and clear. Even though you’ve technically been around this whole time, you get it. And you missed him too. 

Jimin silently creeps up on you both. He lays a hand on Taehyung’s shoulder and gives it a rub to alert him to his presence. Taehyung still feels like he’s dreaming when he sees both of you smiling in the same room. He’s happy to see Jimin like this too. Jimin sinks down to floor level to steal Taehyung into a side hug. You still keep holding Taehyung’s hand though - you want to make sure he’s still there. 

The boys nod at each other and do some complicated handshakes - there’s fist bumps and spins and some animal noises that sound especially funny when considering the fact that both of them are now crying. It ends with Jimin pulling Taehyung into a tight hug. They don’t seem to say many words to each other, but they communicate their feelings in a way that only they understand. 

“Are you guys okay?” Taehyung asks once he pulls himself together, wiping off the last of his tears. Taehyung thinks he already knows the answer, but he wants to, no, he needs to hear it from you. He wants to make sure that this is real.

You and Jimin look at each other simultaneously. 

“We’re… really good, Tae” you both chime, a smile gracing your faces that gives away everything anyways. 

It’s not a perfect answer, but that’s enough for Taehyung. He doesn’t ask any more questions - whether you were dating or just friends, everything else could wait. He just got his two best friends back, and he was going to enjoy it .

The three of you cook breakfast together that morning. Taehyung is just glad he doesn’t have to order delivery anymore. 

It starts awkwardly, which is to be expected when you go from friends, to not talking at all, to friends who are dating, but you and Jimin never give up. It’s different now - you talk to each other when you’re scared, ask questions instead of assuming things. It’s difficult, learning how to love each other, but it’s also fun.You both mess up every once in a while, Jimin buying you flowers you’re allergic to, you accidentally interrupting one of his weekly gym sessions when you drop by for a surprise visit. It’s imperfect, it’s messy, but it’s perfectly you and Jimin. 

When you put your keys down on your entryway table and yell for Jimin, you gasp when you’re met with complete darkness when a pair of hands cover your eyes. 

“Don’t worry, it’s me,” the voice whispers in your ear. Even though he doesn’t say his name, you know that Jimin is the one behind you. He asks you how your day is while in the same position, and he laughs when you refuse to answer until you can see daylight again. 

‘If your hair isn’t pink anymore I’m going to be really upset, so I really hope the surprise isn’t that” you confess once Jimin admits that he has a surprise for you. Since you still can’t see, you miss the blush that coats Jimin’s cheek. He makes a mental note to himself to head to his hairdresser to touch up his roots next week. 

This moment, being trapped in Jimin’s hold as he tells you funny jokes, feels like being young and in love. Being naive and making mistakes. You and Jimin are going to be awkward, you’re going to argue, but you’re going to do it all with love. 

When Jimin finally unveils the scene in front of you for you, you let out a gasp that paralleled the one you let out a month ago. 

“I really missed spending New Year’s with you” Jimin says with a shy smile on his face. 

Jimin missed no details in his set up. Giant balloons spelling out the year are in front of you along with a banner that says “Happy new year”, gold and silver balloons floating around the room along with a host of other decorations that Jimin could find at a discount. 

The most perfect part of it all is the section of the wall titled “The Best Parts of the Year”. Underneath it are photos of you together throughout the year - parties, study sessions, pranks, 8am CHEM lab.  As you run your fingers on each photo, it takes you right back to all the special moments. 

“That’s when I feel in love with you, yknow” 

Jimin says it so casually, like it’s not the first time he’s saying those 3 special words to you. That somehow makes it even more special - like it’s so understood, so ingrained. Jimin loves you - he’s loved you for a long time and he plans on doing it for a lot longer. Once you see the photo he’s pointing to, it does leave you feeling a little puzzled. 

“But that photo is from that chemistry lab we had to make up on a Friday night when Taehyung slept in. We weren’t together back then.”

“ I know. But I just knew it then, when I was eating cereal in this living room, that I wanted you to be a part of my life for a long time, Y/N”

Despite all the amazing decor, you can’t help but look at the handsome man in front of you. His pink hair perfectly matches a flashy rhinestoned jacket that he’s wearing, but the best part of it is the way that he looks at you. But he’s glowing - it’s pitch black outside but Jimin is like your own sun, lighting up your life.

Wow, he really couldn’t get anymore perfect. 

“I know, but I’m going to keep trying to outdo myself.” Jimin jokes while he walks towards you and kisses your cheek. “For the record, I think you’re perfect too. And it’s cute when you talk out loud”. Jimin pinches your cheeks which are already turning red at his words. You plop on a cheesy happy new year headband on Jimin’s head before spinning him away towards the two champagne glasses which sit on your coffee table.

And then, you recreate all the missed memories - selfies with tacky New Years glasses, karaoke, a YouTube recording of the NYC ball drop. The twinkly lights he reused from Christmas are a welcome addition to the space as a reminder of the magic of spending holidays with Jimin. 

Jimin kisses you when the clock strikes midnight and it’s all the fireworks you’ll ever need. You giggle like a schoolgirl when Jimin pulls away from you. 

“What? I can’t kiss my girlfriend?” Jimin says, a cheeky smile painting his lips as he looks down at you. Your faces stay inches away from each other when you blush from his words.

“Your girlfriend?” You tease as you loop your arms around his neck. The two of you sway side to side with glee to the imaginary music that is filling the room.

“Mhm, my girlfriend” Jimin emphasizes as he peppers more kisses on your face. “Saying that never gets old.”

“II love you, Jimin” you whisper, foreheads pressed against one another. It’s scary to admit, but saying it out loud is exciting. It feels like there’s magic in the air as you watch Jimin’s face light up at your words. 

“I love you too, Y/N” 

And even though it’s not the true start of the new year, it definitely is the start of a new chapter.