#rockstar!jungkook
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heartless
â pairing: jeongguk x reader
â genre: toxic relationship, non-idol au, smut
â rating: nsfw
â words:Â 2.4k+
â note: love, love, love rockstar jk so here we are. based off this jk hairstyle and this era of jk style. also, a disclaimer, i do not own the picture of jeongguk used in my banner. happy reading further <3
â warnings: possessiveness, jealousy, penetration, unprotected sex (donât be silly, wrap your willy), toxic relationship, creampie, no aftercare, mean!jeongguk, praise kink (kinda), dumbification (very little), tattooed + pierced jkÂ
â summary: you accidentally run into your favourite rockstar.
Š gukvante âall rights reserved. reposting/modifying of any medium is not permitted.
It took less than ten minutes for Soojin to convince your friend group that you just had to go to some random club because her favourite band was performing. Soojin wasnât really your friend, more a friend of a friend.Â
You had met her through Ju-kyang and she was more than happy to have another girl join their friend group. Before joining, said friend group had a total of three girls and four guys â something Soojin was irrational annoyed about.Â
Soojin was quick to welcome you to the group, wanting to learn all about you and the life you were living at the time. She had specifically asked if there were any worthy men in your life and in that second there was a brief hesitation as you struggle to swallow the lump in your throat.
Fortunately, Soojin didnât pay much mind as she took the brief silence as an opening for her to start talking about a guy sheâs been pinning over for the longest of times. âHeâs in a band and heâs beyond dreamy,â she sighed.Â
Her words echoed in your mind, your eye twitching as all the oxygen in your lungs seemed to evaporate. âbut theyâre still super indie so I doubt you know them.â You let out a slow exhale in relief.Â
But atlas, the moment of relief was short lived and all the air was forcibly pulled from the depths of your lungs. âHis name is Jeongguk, itâs kinda clichĂŠ but heâs their lead vocalist.â She smiled, her eyes practically heart-shaped.Â
âSorry, I totally stole your thunder! You were about to tell me about a special someone?â Her head tilted slightly as her eyebrows raised.
After hearing the way she had spoken about Jeongguk, your Jeongguk, you couldnât possibly tell her about that âspecial someoneâ. Not only would it create unnecessary competitiveness but technically Jeongguk wasnât yours. He was just someone whoâd call you up for a quick fuck. But you couldnât help your feelings and it didnât stop the burning jealousy that had spread through every vein you had.
Instead you gave her a polite smile and gently shook your head. âActually, thereâs no one right now. But Iâm definitely open to meeting potentials.âÂ
You had to get over him, even if it meant using someone else like he used you. Soojin clapped her hands together, jumping in excitement talking about how she loves playing matchmaker.Â
That conversation was four months ago, youâre still not over Jeongguk and Soojin keeps setting you up with guys that canât compare. To be honest, Jeongguk wouldnât even be in the same building as the men she kept sending your way.Â
A deep sigh left your mouth as you looked over to Ju-kyang hoping she would give you an out. After she had realised that âSoojinâs Jeonggukâ and âyour Jeonggukâ was the same person, Ju-kyang devoted all her time in redirecting the conversation elsewhere whenever his name was mentioned. But this time âround all she had to offer was a sheepish smile and a small shrug.Â
âYou guys are taking way too long! Iâm gonna go ahead with Yoongi and Seo-jun.â Soojin all but screams up the stairs. âOkay! Weâll be there soon.â Itâs Ju-kyang answering as you sit on her bed staring at your reflection in the full length mirror.Â
Ju-kyangâs hand freezes as she catches sight of you in the reflection, she sighed closing her lip gloss before standing up straight. âI know you donât want to hear this, but I think it would be good for you to see him again.âÂ
Your head lifted, your expression turning sour. âWhat I mean is, I think itâs good because if you continue to just ignore his existence, you will never actually move on. So maybe seeing him and making peace with the situation will help.â She explained, offering a soft smile.Â
Your head fell once again, letting out another sigh, forcing your body to stand on shaky legs. Readjusting your outfit, you looked over to Ju-kyang with a hopeful smile. âMaybe youâre right. I would do anything to feel nothing at this point.âÂ
Ju-Kyang, you, Yuna, Jaehyun and Jimin showed up about fifteen minutes after Soojin and the other boys. âYou guys took way too long! You missed it!â Soojin shouted over the loud music.Â
A small smile seemed to form on your face, âGuess it wasnât meant to beâ. You say over your shoulder, throwing Ju-kyang a knowing look. She just shrugged her shoulders and followed Yuna to the bar.Â
It had been about twenty minutes since arriving at the club, youâre four shots deep and counting. Youâre about to reach for the fifth before feeling a gentle tap on your left shoulder. Youâre quick to turn your head.Â
âSorry to interrupt maâam but youâve been invited backstage.â A large man stood behind you, seemingly towering over the entire crowd. âBackstage? Invited? By who?â You asked confused, partially from the liquor and partly from the request. âBy Sooho, maâam.â Sooho? Is that one of the managers or something? Maybe itâs one of the friends of the band.Â
Turning back, you take the fifth shot of the night, slamming the empty glass on the counter. You let out another sigh and nod your head, almost to convince yourself. Cranking your neck as far as it can go, you squint while looking up at the large man. âSure, what could go wrong?â
It seems that God was indeed not on your side as you ate your words in an instant. What you had failed to realise was that Sooho was a bassist. More specifically, Jeonggukâs bassist. You stood in shock as you stared at Jeongguk who was seated on the couch backstage.Â
Legs spread wide, body relaxed against the soft pillows as two sets of hands roam over his chest from both sides. Jeonggukâs head lifted at the sound of footsteps approaching, he raised an eyebrow.
âWhat? You stalking me now?â He snickered, almost amused. âWhat? No. I was invited back here.â You clap-back making sure to put emphasis on the word âinvitedâ. Jeongguk chuckled, âSure. And who invited you exactly?âÂ
âI did.â A somewhat deep voice answered. Another tall, broad man stepped in to the light. Taking your hand, he placed a gentle kiss on your knuckles, giving you a sinfully sweet smile that sent a chill down your spine.Â
âI couldnât help but notice such a beauty in the crowd, like a diamond in the rough. You are truly breath-taking up close.â Sooho smiled again. Jeongguk let out a loud, obnoxious laugh. He stood up, all but pushing the two girls aside.Â
âDonât flatter yourself, she would never settle for someone like you. Youâre nowhere near her type, trust me.â He sighed, walking up to the two of you. Soohoâs expression turned sour immediately at his presence, he straightened his back and turned to look down at Jeongguk.Â
âWhat would you know? You know nothing about her.â Sooho snapped. Jeongguk smirked, his tongue pushing against his inner cheek. He huffed again.Â
âMe or him?â Jeongguk said staring straight at you, completely ignoring Sooho. âWhat?â Stunned, you really hoped that he wasnât asking what you thought he was asking.Â
âWho do want to fuck you tonight? Me or him?â Jeongguk repeated. Sooho turned to look at you, his smile dropped when he saw the look in your eyes.
âYou.â A whispered answer escaped your slightly chapped lips. Jeongguk smirked, letting out another chuckle before tilting his head and looking at Sooho. âThatâs what I thought. Come with me, pretty girl.âÂ
You spent months telling yourself this wouldnât happen, that you wouldnât fall into his trap again. So why were you following behind him like an obedient little puppy? Why was your heart racing as he lead you further and further backstage? Why was your pussy betraying you? A hot heat starting to spread throughout your chest while slick began to drip from between your thighs.
Loud slaps echoed through the thick air as Jeongguk drilled his thick cock into your sopping cunt. Moan after moan was forced from your lips from the position he had you in.Â
Your legs pushed all the way up with Jeonggukâs hands in the crook of your knees pushing until your kneecaps were pressing against the soft pillows of the couch he had you folded on.
âFuck, I always forget how wet you get,â Jeongguk grunted out. His hips speed up as your cunt continued to suck him in, a white ring forming around the base of his cock. âLook at you. Your pretty pussy is creaming.âÂ
You so badly wanted to deny it and say something mean back but every time your mouth opened, a loud moan of his name slipped out against your will. Jeongguk smirked, the pressure and power of each thrust increasing as he got more and more into it.Â
Jeongguk couldnât help it, feeling your pussy tightening and drenching his cock made his head spin. No matter how many girls heâd fucked and messed around with, no one compares to you, no pussy better than yours.Â
Jeongguk pushes his cock as deep as possible, coming to a complete stop. You let out a whine in protest, quick to move your hips to coax him into fucking you stupid once again.Â
Jeongguk titled his head back and sighed, your pussy clenched at the sight of his strong jaw, smooth neck and his built chest. He let out a breathy laugh, letting his head fall forward, his hair partially covering his pretty face.Â
He leaned down further until his nose was almost touching yours, âYou want a kiss, pretty girl?âÂ
Your eyes widened, Jeongguk never kissed you. No matter how much you begged him, he would always say that it was way too intimate. You were nodding your head before you could even fully comprehend what he had just said.Â
Lips parted in surprise and confusion, you looked up at him in disbelief. âI just need you to do one thing for me.â He smirked down at you as his lips grazed yours, his eyes finally meeting yours.Â
Running his tongue over his teeth, he watched intently as you laid there waiting for him like his perfect little whore. âI need you to tell me how good Iâm making you feel,â he paused, pushing his forehead against yours.Â
âand if youâre really good for me, Iâll even fill you up with my cum.â Your heart began racing, his words echoing in your head as he stared down at you. You were quick to nod your head in agreement but Jeongguk shook his head and tutted in response.Â
âUse your words.â
âPlease, fuck me Jeongguk. You know youâre the only one that can make me feel this good. Please!â You almost whined, desperately bucking your hips up while your pussy clenched around his hard cock.Â
Jeongguk let out a low groan, immediately dipping his head down to press his lips against yours. You lifted your head slightly, eager to feel him against every inch of your body. Jeongguk pulled his hips back again, pushing back in as far as he could.Â
You moaned as he began to fill you over and over again, allowing Jeongguk to slip his hot tongue in your mouth.Â
This time it was Jeongguk that moaned as your pussy swallowed his cock like heâs never seen before. He pulled back, a thin string of saliva connecting you.Â
âYouâre so pretty, baby. Love seeing that look on your face, love fuckinâ you stupid.â He slurred.Â
Another loud moan left your throat as he speed up, desperate to feel every part of your hot cunt. âI-I wanna cum on your cock s-so bad.â Jeongguk bit his lip, âYeah? You wanna cum for me?âÂ
Jeonggukâs hips were relentless, drilling his thick cock deeper and deeper. The tip of his cock hitting your cervix every time he bottomed out. Your pussy was absolutely gushing at this point, pussy juice coating his cock and part of his thighs.Â
âYour cock feels so good. Youâre so deep . . .â your words became increasingly slurred as he continued to abuse your poor cunny. Jeongguk pushed his lips against yours, moaning into your mouth.Â
Lifting your hips up, he began jackhammering into your pussy, reaching even deeper than you thought possible. The new position had him rubbing up against your g-spot, the pressure in your lower abdomen building rapidly.Â
ââm gonna cum!â You spat out, almost warning him.Â
âYouâre gonna do more than just cum, baby. Youâre gonna soak my cock even more like a good little girl, arenât you?â You nodded your head as fast as you could, your moans getting louder and more frequent.Â
A gargled shout of his name was all you could get out before your pussy began squirting all over his fat cock. Jeongguk groaned out your name as he continued to fuck you through your orgasm. âFuck â âm gonna fill your sweet pussy with my cum.â
He pressed his lips against yours as he bottomed out again, hot streams of cum began filling your pussy as a low groan rumbled from the depths of his chest. His breathing slowed as he pulled back, hovering over you.Â
âDonât forget who you belong to.â He warned, keeping eye contact. He pulled out completely, standing up while pulling his tight leather pants up.Â
âWhere are you going?â You said in a slight panic. Jeongguk looked back at you with a raised brow. âSecond set is about to start, need to get ready.âÂ
Jeongguk pulled his shirt over his broad shoulders, âYou should get going too, groupies arenât allowed to be here without the band members around.âÂ
Groupie? Anger ignited in your veins, âYouâre totally right! Since Iâm a groupie, I should get ready to welcome Sooho back from the stage.â You spat back.
Jeonggukâs head snapped to where you were now seated, using your dress to cover your nude body. âDo that and there will be trouble.â He growled out as he ripped the door open and walked out.Â
Just as you were walking out the room Jeongguk left you in, you heard the opening chords to their most popular song. Jeonggukâs nimble fingers working the electric guitar in the best way possible. Then came his almost sinful voice.
âNever need a bitch, Iâm what a bitch needs. Trynaâ find the one that can fix me.â
You sighed, you wouldnât be fixing him any time soon.Â
#jungkook#jungkook x reader#bts#btsarmy#jungkook smut#jeonjeongguk#jeongguk smut#bts smut#rockstar!jungkook#rockstar!jungkook x reader#bts au#non-idol au#bts x reader#sub!reader x dom!jungkook#sub!reader x bts
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sleepwalking â 1 | jjk
summary: due to unfortunate circumstances, you ended up managing your ex-boyfriendâs band. you thought youâve both made peace with it, but suddenly heâs very eager to prove to you that first love never dies.
pairing: jungkook x fem!reader
genre: rockstar!jungkook / exes to lovers / fluff / angst / smut (in later chapters)
warnings: explicit language, suggestive themes, SLOW BURN
words: 7.5k
chapter 1 âş when i open my eyes to the future, i can hear you say my name
There was virtually not a single person left on the entire fourth floor of the company building, despite it being a Monday afternoon. Normally, two other managers worked in offices adjacent to yours, so the noise in the hallways never settled below a pleasant hum: producers, promoters, and publicists â the three cursed Ps â shuffled in and out, heels clicking urgently against the marble floor.
This funeral silence was unusual, but you knew it was only a calm before the storm.
Rated Riot were going on their first-ever European tour in two days to promote their sophomore album â named aptly, âready, set, RIOTâ â and today was the final day of meetings. Evidently, the executives at Jett Records assumed that the band deserved to have a whole floor to themselves, so everyone else got a half-day, leaving you and the Floor Administrator, Rue, all by yourselves until the band got here.
This unsettling silence was exactly why you heard them arrive as soon as the door of the building opened four floors below. Rated Riot lived up to their name by making themselves heard before they were seen.
As soon as the sharp ding! of the elevator reached you in your officeâyour door was always open on meeting days, because the four members of one of the most promising rock bands in the world at the moment lacked any sense of directionâyou could immediately feel the atmosphere lighten, the previous silence long gone.
âRue! The apple of my eye!â Hoseok, the drummer and the de facto mood setter of Rated Riot, exclaimed as you listened to the familiar sounds of the band as they exited the elevator and, based on the repeated clicking of shoes in the lobby, momentarily got disoriented.
âAlways looking good, Rue!â Jungkook, the vocalist, as well as the new Golden Boy of Jett Records followed after.
âGood to see you again,â Taehyung, the always well-mannered bassist, said. Silence followed and you assumed he shook Rueâs hand.
âHello,â Yoongi, who was, technically, the guitarist of the band, but, really, played any instrument he could get his hands on, was the last to speak. Heâd always been very well-spoken in songwriting, but quieter and more careful in most everyday conversations.
âWelcome, guys,â Rue greeted them. You couldnât see any of them from where your office was located, but youâve been in a similar situation countless times before and you could imagine what was happening without needing to witness it first-hand.
Rue would stand up from her seat and point her right hand down the hallway, reminding themâyet againâthat they needed to walk down the hall and take a right turn. The members of Rated Riot, in turn, would walk down the hall. At least one of the four of them would turn left instead, causing a pause as the group gathered back together, exchanging confused glances. Then, they would turn back to Rueâwho would still be standing there, her right hand extended like a helpful Statue of Liberty. Theyâd laugh at themselves, nod at Rue, and take the correct turn.
If things were going well, theyâd find your office on first tryâtheyâd just need to find the open door and peer inside; your desk was right in front. More often than not, however, they stumbled around, knocking and chuckling to themselves as they continuously interrupted the offices of everyone else, but you.
They were special. Not just because they looked like loose ducklings, separated from the Mother Duck, whenever they entered the company building, but also because, in spite of their own lack of coordination, they still managed to get things done.
And they brightened the day of everyone they came across. Which was almost ironicâas you realised by watching the four of them enter your officeâconsidering the effortless rockstar aura that surrounded them.
Jungkook walked in first. That was typical because he usually did: sometimes because he was the only one who remembered where your office was, but usually because the other members offered him as a sacrificial lamb when they went knocking around every office on the floor in search of yours.
He was dressed in all-blackâalwaysâadorned with silver chains and necklaces that often gave you a start when you looked up, because he had a very specific way of entering the room: he seemed to make sure to position himself in just a way that the light, coming in from the window behind you, always reflected off his jewellery and momentarily blinded you.
Sure enough, you blinked, cringing into yourself as the brightness hit your eyes, and when you opened them again, he was already grinning.
âHi,â he said and the rest of the members followed in after himâa brighter palette of colours.
Even Yoongi, who was the only one who could have given Jungkook a run for his money if you had to count which one had more black items of clothing in their closet, was wearing a beige, loosely buttoned shirt.
Despite that, however, you could tell they were rock artists as soon as you looked at themâall tattoos, piercings, intense eye make-up behind sunglasses, and old band teesâand you stood up, excited to let them know that, finally, every last loose thread had been found and tightened. Theyâd get to introduce their artistry on a different continent, and youâd make sure itâd go smoothly.
âWeâre leaving for Prague tomorrow morning,â you told them once the five of you settled down at the round table in the back of your office. âSo, if you were planning a going away party, I strongly advise against it.â
âWe werenât,â Yoongi said, lifting his glass of lemon waterâthere was a jug on the tableâand giving you a reassuring look. âThis is the strongest drink Iâm having tonight.â
âThanks,â you said paradoxically enough, but being grateful when the members of the band you managed didnât get drunk before an important day was part of the job. âIâd also appreciate it ifââ
âHold on a second, though,â Jungkook interruptedâyouâd been anticipating it. âIâm going to a gig tonight, Reconnaissance are in town again. And thereâs obviously an after-partyââ
Despite Reconnaissance being, arguably, one of the most popular rock bands in the world right now, you were definite when you cut him off, âNo.â
ââso, Iâwait. No?â he paused. âI never miss their shows, you know that. And I donât get drunk easily. You know that, too.â
âThatâs why you drink so much,â you rebutted. The rest of the band members got their phones out, knowing well enough at this point that this would take a while. âAnd then I have to come get you out of trouble.â
âYou absolutely do not have to do that,â Jungkook insisted. âWeâve been through this.â
âHave we?â you argued. âBecause I keep telling you itâs my job to keep you from passing out in a dirty bar bathroom, but you donât care enough to hear me.â
âWell, youâre not very convincing. Whatâs the worst that can happen? Iâll wake up again.â
You were used to having this conversation with himâyouâve argued about this way before he became a singer and you ended up as his manager. And yet, the lax way he said this made you clench your fists.
Despite being mostly introverted, Jungkook did enjoy getting drinks with friends: even if said friends enjoyed his celebrity status more than they enjoyed the drinks.
âAnd if you donât?â you threatened. âRated Riotâs vocalist gets his stomach pumped. A catchy headline.â
âYeah, man,â Hoseok interjected, putting his phone screen down on the table and crossing his arms. âDoesnât go well with the vibe weâre going for. Donât get your stomach pumped.â
âFine, Iââ
âWhat he meant was, donât drink so much that youâd need your stomach pumped,â you clarified because Jungkook moonlighted as a Loophole Finder.
âI never have!â he insisted. âSeriously, you treat me like Iâm still nineteen. Have some faith.â
Out of the corner of your eye, you could see the other members of the group look up from their phones. The band had only formed a few years ago, so you were the only person in this room who knew what Jungkook was like when he was nineteen. You never spoke about it â that was likely why everyone was so curious.
In any case, Jungkook was wrong. You did have faithâthatâs why you spent so many of your off-duty nights driving down deserted streets to pick him up after his asshole friends convinced him it was a good idea to try the biker bar on the outskirts of town, and heâd gotten in an altercation with a burly redneck that was twice his size.
There was no time for that now, not when he was supposed to be on stage in Prague in three days.
âWell,â Taehyung spoke up. âI was thinking of going to the show as well. Not so much the after-party, I have better plans. But, uh, I could come, after all.â
You appreciated the offer, but you knew that these better plans involved him spending time with his girlfriend, Luna, who was going to join him for a few weeks of the European tour, but after that, the two of them were going to be apart for several months.
âYou donât have to go if you donât want to,â you said, not trying very much to hide the hopeful undertones in your voice. Jungkookâs friends felt intimidated by all the members of Rated Riot; theyâd be on their best behaviour if Taehyung was there.
âNo, I think it might be fun,â Taehyung said. You exhaled quietly and he could sense your gratitude without words. He turned to his younger bandmate. âShould we go together?â
Jungkook groaned and mumbled under his breath, ânot if I have to third-wheel again.â
âWhen have you ever third-wheeled anyone?â you asked rhetorically, but he was already opening his mouth to reply. Quickly, you added, âbe careful, is what Iâm saying, okay? I am complaining about having to pick you up from all kinds of holes, but if you need me to bring NDAs, I will bring them. So, ask.â
Jungkook rolled his eyes, but chose to stay quiet. He knew better now â the one time he did not make anyone sign a non-disclosure agreement after an impromptu, drunken busking session in New York, pictures of him, half-dressed and giving a lap dance to a random, equally as drunk, groupie, were on every rock page on Instagram. Accompanied with detailed retellings of how it came to happen, of course; all of them more ridiculous than the next. Your personal favourite story was that he was recruiting members for a sex cult.
âWeâll call you,â Taehyung gave you a nod, âif we have to.â
âPerfect,â you said, glancing at Jungkook again, even though expecting him to confirm that he, too, would call you if he had to, was wishful thinking.
Every time you reminded him how he needed to start going out with a less destructive crowd, heâd treat his phone like a poisonous snake â and heâd been doing that even before you became his manager. His friends seemed to get their pleasure fix from watching you arrive and rip him a new one, so they were the ones who called you most of the time, always laughing into their phones like true accomplices.
It was funny how Jungkook was the only one who passed out or got so wasted, he ended up on a ferry to Marthaâs Vineyard. His friends always walked away unscathed and, usually, only called you by the time they were back in their bedrooms â âwhen we left, he was ordering mint and honey daiquiris, you should probably go over there and check up on him.â
It was like they loved pushing him into danger and purposefully bringing the two of you together again, and Jungkook either didnât realise or didnât care anymore. Itâs been a while, after all.
You and Jungkook had been broken up for almost two years when you got the unbelievable offer to manage an up-and-coming rock band. This was over two years ago now and you were only twenty-four back then. Up until that point, you had worked as an assistant manager for various indie artists, so that offer was massive.
You figured the downside that your ex-boyfriend happened to be in this particular band was worth it, considering the huge leap in your career youâd make by accepting this job.
And, for the most part (excluding the first two months that were pure chaos of repressed feelings), you and Jungkook both made this work, drawing a strict line between your relationship before Rated Riot (back when he still had your phone number saved as âââ) and after he met you again as Rated Riotâs new manager (ironically, now your name on his phone was âââââ).
Youâve managed Rated Riot for almost exactly two years now, and if youâd asked the band â which you wouldnât, partially out of humbleness, but also because you were scared â youâd know that they loved working with you as much as you loved working with them. So, in the end, it all really had been worth it.
âCheck your emails for the descriptive itineraries,â you continued smoothly enough. The guys at the table put their phones down and returned their attention to you. âNow, who else is coming with us?â
Technically, the band wasnât supposed to bring anyone â the label was explicitly clear about that. They wanted the first European tour to go âwithout a hitchâ (meaning, without distractions), but you held a more liberal view here.
You didnât think loved ones coming on the road were a distraction; if anything, they were a firm support mechanism that made touring easier for the artists.
âI know Lunaâs staying until the Barcelona show, yeah?â you asked, double-checking the notes on your laptop.
Taehyung nodded, a small smile on his lips at the mention of the girl. âShe flies out the next day, yeah.â
âOkay. Who else?â
âWell, Sid and Jude are coming,â Jungkook spoke up and, after seeing your eyes roll back, added, quieter, âand Minjun isnât sure.â
The three musketeer-wannabes â Sid, Jude, and Minjun â were on speed dial on your work and personal phones, because if Rated Riot had a performance and the vocalist wasnât there, it was likely those three who were to blame. They were the only ones who knew Jungkook longer than you did, and they seemed to take pride in the fact that they had successfully been causing you headaches for seven years now.
âSid and Jude,â you repeated, âarenât worried theyâll lose their jobs if they travel to Europe abruptly?â
âNo, theyâre cool,â Jungkook shrugged, not catching the mockery in your voiceâboth Sid and Jude worked for their families, which really meant that they got paid to occasionally show up at the shareholdersâ meetings on behalf of their parents. âIâll text Minjun right now. Maybe heâll come when weâre in PolandâŚâ
âI needed confirmation by last week,â you reminded him. âAt the latest.â
He glanced at you from his phone and then went back to texting. âSo, whyâd you ask now?â
âTo double-check,â you said. âTheyâre going to have to book the hotels themselves. Or sleep on the street. Honestly, I donât reallyââ
âSo, uh,â Yoongi interrupted before another argument could begin, âhow many hotels this time?â
âPrague, Amsterdam, and Paris. And some nights in London, depending on our flight time,â you said with an apologetic smile. âBring your favourite blankets. Weâre living on buses for the next three months.â
None of them minded â if anything, you could see a little glitter in their eyes as they listened to you. Being on the road and having to sleep on the tour bus every night was an experience theyâd missed. They hadnât gone on an actual tour in almost a year â as someone who thrived on live performances, they had obviously missed this.
Really, youâve missed it, too. Rated Riot may have been a riot to look after as their manager â pun fully intended â especially on tour, but they were your riot to deal with.
You liked your job and the challenges that came with it, because, in the end, you overcame most of them: starting with your previous relationship with Jungkook (no one in the band had a problem with it, and the label miraculously seemed not to know about it) and ending with your relatively young age (Jungkook was the only one who had a problem with you being his age, but he had a problem with almost everything).
Hopefully, one day youâd manage to overcome the challenge that was getting Jungkook to open his eyes and realise that the people he surrounded himself with were more groupies than his friends. But all in due time.
âIf you have questions,â you said as the meeting approached itsâ conclusion, âgo right ahead.â
âWake-up calls,â Yoongi said. âAny possibility of arranging those?â
You smiled â this had been traditional practice ever since you started to work with them.
âIâll call,â you said and then remembered a particularly frustrating way in which this had backfired. You added, âand keep you on the phone until youâre out of bed.â
Back when you were an assistant manager to a different band, this had been your main task. And, you supposed, if Rated Riot had assistant managers, theyâd be the ones making wake-up calls, too â however, the band had only started to live up to their potential now. Before you booked the European tour for them, Jett Records thought they barely needed one manager to begin with.
Youâve made it this far. If the tour went well, maybe youâd get to expand your team as the band gained popularity.
Jungkook felt giddy the whole night. The Reconnaissance show with Taehyung and Luna was a lot of fun, as expectedâheâd seen the band five times before tonight, and they never failed to let him down.
When he arrived at the after-party, he was nearly vibrating with excitementâon top of everything, he was going on tour tomorrow and he knew he might lose his mind over itâand this was usually the time when he tended to get reckless.
He did drink a little too much to retain a completely sober mind, but he stayed true to his word and did not wander anywhere or caused anyâseriousâtrouble. You would have said thatâs because Sid and Jude werenât with him, but Jungkook was convinced it was because he simply had great self-control when he put his mind to it.
The only place he went to after the party was his familyâs house, so he could say goodbye to his grandma. She probably wouldnât even hear himâand if she would, then she probably wouldnât recognise himâbut he couldnât leave to Europe without saying goodbye to her.
He thought heâd take his Katana to the house, but then remembered immediately the last time he got on his motorcycle drunk â his grandma had, literally, smacked him on the back with a rolling pin, yelling about how careless he was. She didnât say that she hit him out of concern for his safetyâthat was obviousâand, instead, she focused on how hard heâd worked on restoring the bike after heâd bought it; his first purchase with the money that he made off Rated Riotâs music.
âDonât you want it to last?â she had said then. Sheâd been the only person who believed he could bring the bike to life, despite it not having a single properly functioning part, least of all the engine. âYou worked so hard on it. Do you want to wreck it in one night?â
Tonight, however, everyone in the house was asleep when he arrived. It was quiet, so he tried to be silent as he went up the stairs to her roomâand then knocked over a picture frame after his feet fumbled on the carpet in the hallway. But no one went out to check who was making the noiseâwhich was dangerous, he realised for a brief, semi-sober second; but the house had security, so he figured they were safe from outsidersâand he gently lowered the handle on his grandmaâs door, peering inside.
The room was painted in blue hues from the night light next to the bed where his grandma was sleeping. He approachedâreally trying to be quiet this timeâand carefully pulled her comforter up, so she wouldnât get cold, even though the room felt warm.
It was always warm here and Jungkook had to bite his lip when he realised how much he missed sitting here as a child while dozens of his cousins ran around the house and wreaked loud, childish havoc. How much he missed his grandma reading him booksânever childrenâs stories, he always insisted she read him the thickest, most boring books he could find on her shelves, just so he could stay in her room longer, listening to her soothing voice and feeling her comforting warmth.
Sniffling quietly, he leaned closer to her and brushed a strand of white hair from her face, listening to her soft breathing as she slept, unaware of his presence.
âIâll be back soon,â he promised in a whisper as he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. She didnât wake. âWe will talk again then.â
He knew heâd keep this promise even if she didnât hear it, even if she didnât remember. But leaving her room felt painful and he was far less excited now. The alcohol had begun to wear off and heaviness settled in his chest instead. This happened sometimes when he was left alone with his thoughts, especially after he visited his grandma.
He'd come back, he knew he would. But as he glanced at his grandmaâs sleeping frame one more timeâremembering how she hadnât called him by his name in months; not one glint of recognition in her eyes when sheâd see himâhe wondered if heâd have anyone to come back to.
Surprising exactly no one, Jungkook was the only one who did not answer your wake-up call the next morning. Having foreseen this, youâd already called Hoseok, Yoongi and Taehyung â in that order, because the first two took the longest to wake up, and by that time, Taehyung was already awake on his own â and only then attempted to reach the one remaining member.
Fifteen minutes later, you were already dressed and ready to drive over to his house and personally wake him up with an icy bath in bed. And just then, your phone rang â his name as the callerâs ID.
âLook whoââ
âOkay, okay,â Jungkookâs groggy voice cut you off before you could greet him with the appropriate sarcastic remark. âIâm awake. Halfway in the shower.â
âI donât hear running water.â
He responded with a groan first, then shuffling. You waited patiently, balancing the phone on your shoulder as you unlocked the door of your apartment. Finally, you could hear the water start running on the other end of the call.
âHappy?â Jungkook asked, always the brightest of all rays of sunshine in the morning.
âEcstatic,â you replied, equally as enthusiastically. âSending a car to pick you up in half an hour. Donât be late.â
âI can drive myselfââ
âNo driving when youâre hungover,â you said, not for the first time. âIn fact, donât even go near your Katana.â
He considered several ways to respond to you; first and foremost, defending his beloved, navy-coloured Suzuki Katana with a matte coating, custom-made leather seat covers, golden rims, purring engine, andâanyway. He ended up choosing to respond with a question, âhow do you know Iâm hungover?â
âIâve known you for almost ten years,â you replied. âIf you go out drinking the night before, youâll wake up hungover.â
âWell, how do you know I drank that much last niâ?â
âListen,â you cut him off, hoisting your suitcases over the threshold of your front door. You fixed your phone against your cheek and continued, âhow about you take that shower, and weâll resume this nice little Q&A at the airport?â
âNo,â he replied and, in a purposefully exaggerated breathy voice said, âI simply canât stop talking to you.â
âHanging up now.â
Jungkook laughed as he listened to the beep, indicating the end of the call. Putting his phone on the side of the sink, he took his shirt off and was about to continue undressing when his phone vibrated and nearly fell off the sink.
Scrambling to catch it, he smacked it against the cupboard and exhaled in relief when he saw that the screen hadnât cracked. He was expecting a text from you â a threat, in case heâd go back to bed â but it was actually Sid, asking for the time of his flight.
His friends were taking a separate flight out to Prague â they werenât happy about it and neither was he, but at least theyâd get to hang out in Europe eventually â and, obviously, they wanted to know what time theyâd meet up and where.
He double-checked the itinerary youâd emailed him, got confused about the time zone difference and texted Sid back.
âGonna be there the day before the show,â his text said, âjetlag. Sleep. Maybe beer? Catch u there.â
Sid was, of course, delighted to hear the mention of beer and Jungkook snickered to himself before he resumed undressing for his showerâknowing from experience that you wouldnât be above shipping him to Prague in the cargo section on the plane if he was late to the airport.
As it turned out, for the first time in his life, Jungkook was so terribly jet-lagged, that he did not feel like doing anything â not even drinking with friends â but sleeping.
He slept through the whole layover in Paris â and, consequently, through Taehyung and Lunaâs stories about the 5 minutes they got to spend in front of the Eiffel Tower before rushing back to the airport (never mind that it was about 2 AM) â as well as the flight to Prague.
He only woke up on the bus ride to the hotel when he felt something nudging his lips and opened his eyes to find an open bottle of Coca-Cola in your hands as you held it by his face.
âDid you justââ he started to say, but his voice sounded brittle, more a croak than a voice, really. He cleared his throat and tried again, âdid you just wake me up by making me sniff soda?â
âIt worked,â you replied, nudging the bottle at him again. âDrink. You need sugar. You didnât eat anything on the plane here.â
âI had that bagel on the flight to Paris,â he mumbled, but sat up properly and took the bottle from you.
âThat was a croissant,â you clarified. It was almost cute to see him barely awake. âAnd I warned you about flying with a hangover. You did this to yourself.â
âIâm fine,â he replied after taking a big gulp of coke. âNot sure which day it is, but other than that, Iâm perfect. Do you have anything for headaches?â
Snickering, you nodded. âYeah, give me a second.â
You went to fetch your carry-on bag and returned with ibuprofen, which allowed him to go back to sleep until you arrived at the hotel. The other members were also in and out of slumber, but that was their own fault. You and the other girls on this tour, which, really, only meant Lunaâ Taehyungâs girlfriendâand Maggieâthe tour photographerâhad planned ahead and taken sleeping pills as soon as the plane took off. Meanwhile, every man on this trip thought too much of himself.
By the time you arrived to the hotel and checked in, it was already lunchtime. If this had been your first time travelling with Rated Riot, you would have been beyond surprised to see what effect food had on them: they looked like they'd just returned from the most refreshing vacation in the Caribbean. Lively conversation and cheerful laughter echoed around the table â no one would have guessed that theyâd just spent over 13 hours on airplanes. Their recovery was nearly always miraculous.
And, naturally, since they were feeling better, they wanted to do something as soon as the first rehearsal was over. You had far too many things to do before the show tomorrow, so you couldnât babysit them â again, an assistant manager would have been life-saving â but you knew youâd still have to keep an eye on them.
Taehyung and Luna went sightseeing, but they were the sort who kept you updated on their adventures through pictures, which you were endlessly grateful for. There was never a reason to worry here; if you were a teacher who had to pretend not to have a favourite student, Taehyung would be the student you were pretending about.
Yoongi and Hoseok, initially, went to a record store together, but then split up â one of them returned to the hotel for a nap, and the other one went cafĂŠ-hopping. Those two were also fine â they usually took some members of the crew with them anyway, so you knew that in the worst-case scenario, youâd still have several people you could call to reach them.
Now Jungkook was going to meet up with Sid and Jude, both of whom had, most unfortunately, successfully landed in Prague. The Diabolical Duo would take him out drinking, you had no doubt about it â and this was where youâd have to step in with another warning. You werenât the angry mother, dragging her children by their ears, but you felt it necessary to remind Jungkook of what was at stake if he allowed his friends to be their usual, obnoxious selves tonight.
However, you didnât want to ask, so you had to figure out where to find them yourself. You didnât even have to use the seven years that youâve known them to deduce two logical, universal-for-all-assholes things: one, Jungkookâs friends wouldnât be nearly tired enough not to want to drink. Two, theyâd be too jet-lagged to look for their usual hole-in-the-wall spot that sold drinks. Therefore, theyâd have to settle for the bar of the hotel.
And when you exited the elevator on the ground floor later that night, your assumption was confirmed â you could hear their laughter from where you were standing in the lobby.
Youâd texted Jungkook as you arrived, hoping heâd leave his friends and come see you at the back of the bar for a minute, but unfortunately, Sid and Jude noticed you and waved you over with loud cheers.
Embarrassed as the people in booths around you began to turn to look, you swallowed and walked towards the front where Jungkook and his friends were sitting by the bar.
âWow, itâs been so long!â Jude exclaimed as you approached. In your opinion, it wasnât nearly long enough, but you only lifted the corners of your lips and did not comment.
âJungkook, a moment?â you said instead.
âLetâs get you a drink!â Sid suggested as though you hadnât spoken and extended a hand, clicking his fingers to get the bartenderâs attention. âHey! Can we get some Margaritas here?â
You cringed watching this, but, again, restrained yourself. They could behave like pricks all they wanted; it wasnât their reputation that you had to protect. Someone else would, hopefully, teach them a lesson.
âSure,â Jungkook said to you, sliding off the stool. He seemed sober enough to walk without any sort of waddling or stand without swaying, but you could tell by the relaxation behind his eyes, that he was already tipsy.
His friends patted him on the back and whistled as he followed you to a quieter spot in the back of the bar. He shook his head at themâbut had a grin on his face, and for that alone you wanted to punch him.
âCan I count on you to take it easy?â you asked, once the two of you were out of earshot. âNot because youâll make my job much harder if you donât, but because you have a rehearsal tomorrow at eight, and thatâs hard with the jet lag alone, but add a hangover into the mix, andââ
âIâll be fine,â he said, but youâve heard this song many times before. It was one of his top hits. âIâm actually tired, so I might have a few and then go straight to bed.â
âOkay,â you said, choosing to believe him, because that was easier than making him sign a contract, swearing not to wake up in a dumpster. âCan you text me when youâre back in your room? So I know youâre not lost somewhere in Prague with Dumb and Dumber.â
His lip twitched in an almost-smile at the nickname, but he resisted â a loyal friend, even if they didnât deserve it â and gave you a nod.
âFine,â he said. âIâll text you. And I wonât get lost.â
âOkayââ you started to say and then squinted your eyes at him, realizing. âI meant donât go wandering the city streets while drunk.â
He snorted and placed a hand on your left shoulder. Gazing into your eyes, he enunciated very dramatically, âI will not get into trouble. Promise.â
You pursed your lips. âYouâd better not.â
âI realise what that would mean, believe it or not,â he said, straightening. âTomorrow is an important day. Iâd never do anything to ruin it.â
âI know,â you said. âI trust you to make smart choices. I donât trust them.â
You pointed at the twosome by the bar â both of them watching you like you were the entertainment of the night â and Jungkook turned to look. Sid and Jude both immediately waved at him. Jungkook waved back and, when he looked at you again, he was smiling softly.
Clearly, he genuinely enjoyed hanging out with those two. Youâd never believe that there was anything about them that was bearableâlet alone enjoyableâso Jungkookâs weird attachment to them had to come from some sort of weird destructive force inside of him.
âIâll keep them in check,â he said and then, possibly prompted by the skeptical frown on your face, he felt the need to explain, âthey help me relax. If it werenât for them, Iâd probably be shaking from anxiety all the time. Kind of like you are.â
He winked as he said that last part, grinning at his own wit, but you rolled your eyes in response.
âGoodnight,â you said then. âDonât forget to text me.â
âAre you going to stay up late waiting for my text?â his tone was humorous and it stopped you from leaving.
âHopefully not,â you said, ignoring the flirty comment that was obviously meant to rattle your composure. âBut itâd do you well to remember that I can make life very difficult for you if you disobey me.â
He lifted his eyebrows at this, but did not lose the grin. âOh? Will I get punished if Iââ
âGoodnight, Jungkook,â you said againâlouderâand turned away.
You glanced over your shoulder when you reached the archway leading to the lobby and caught him watching you leaveâhe was still beaming, but he composed himself and nodded when he caught your eye. You nodded back.
Maybe he really would be fine tonight.
And, truly, Jungkook had meant what heâd said â he couldnât wait for tomorrow and there was nothing heâd do to ruin that. Not even if the smirking faces of his friends prompted him to laugh as soon as he returned to his seat by the bar.
âWhat do you want, assholes?â he asked, punching Jude on the shoulder as he walked past his friends. As soon as he sat down, leaving Sid in the middle, he took a big gulp of the beer heâd left waiting; only his third one tonight.
âWe donât want anything,â Jude said, still smirking. âWhat did she want? Another moral how youâre not being a good boy?â
Jungkook rolled his eyes. âNoââ
âI was always curious,â Sid interrupted. âWas she like that when you dated, too? You know, always in charge?â
Even before you and Jungkook had settled into a steady enough rhythm of working with each other, neither of you spoke to others about your relationship. Not while you were dating, and not after you broke up. So, all your friendsâreal friends and whoever the hell Sid and Jude wereâessentially knew nothing of your relationship.
And there was nothing heâd tell them now.
Itâs been four years since you broke upâplenty of time to move on. Not to mention, you were both (trying to be) professionals. There was no point to bring back the past; there never had been.
âWouldnât you like to know?â Jungkook teased, managing to keep the banter going without revealing how the question irked something inside him.
âI would. Thatâs why I asked,â Sid replied, laughing haughtily. A few heads turned his way. Sid sounded very much like an entitled heirâor an elephant high on heliumâwhen he laughed, especially when there was nothing funny going on. âI mean, you never talked about her to us. Was it getting rid of her that made you who you are today?â
Jude snorted, slapping Sid on the back in a half-supportive, half-warning manner. Jungkook knew that the level of your patience for his friends ranged from Sid (no patience) to Jude (case-by-case), to Minjun (bearable)âand he could see why.
âI didnât get rid of her,â he said, an edge to his voice. âWe broke up and moved on. Did you hear from Minjun?â
Sid laughed againâeven louder than before; the glasses behind the bar seemed to clatter.
âLook at him, trying to change the topic!â he wheezed, looking at Jude over his shoulder.
âLeave him be, man,â Jude said and nodded at Jungkook. âSo many girls around us and this dumbass is still hung up on your ex, huh?â
Jungkook finished his beer and held the liquid behind his cheeks for a second before swallowing. He caught the bartenderâs eye and lifted his empty glass, indicating a refill.
âI donât think Iâm the one whoâs hung up,â Sid said with a very knowing look in his eye.
Jungkook looked at him and raised his eyebrowsâsurprised and momentarily distracted from his drink. âWhat is that supposed to mean?â
âWell, you come to her as soon as she calls, like a puppy,â Sid replied. âSo, you tell me.â
âI have to come when she calls,â Jungkook defended. âSheâs my manager.â
âYeah, dumbass,â Jude said, slapping Sid on the back of the head this time. âSheâs his manager.â
Jungkook suddenly found himself smiling when he realised that youâd probably consider this the reason why Sid acted the way he did sometimes â permanent brain damage from Judeâs incessant slaps.
âWell, then someone,â Sid said, angrily accentuating the wordâthe anger was clearly directed at Jude, but the pronoun at Jungkook, âhas a fucking crush on their manager.â
âI donât have a crushââ
Sid spoke over him, âI bet you could never get her to go out with you again.â
Jungkook saw the bartender approach to pour him a drink and he heard Jude scoffing, but he could only blink, taken aback by what sounded like an accusation. Â âWhyâwhy would I evenâwhyââ
âOh, see, see?!â Sid screeched, turning to Jude with a triumphant expression. Jude gave him a pitiful lookâand looked about ready to give him a black eye, too. âHe knows Iâm right, itâs why heâs stuttering!â
âDude,â Jude said slowly. âYou are yelling.â
Jungkook cleared his throat, nodding at the bartender as a thank-you and then bringing his refilled glass to his lips. âAnd Iâm not stuttering.â
âYou so are, my man,â Sid taunted, patting Jungkook on the shoulder with so much force, the beer nearly spilled from the glass and from his mouth. âYour ass is so whipped, youâre going to be singing at her wedding to some random producer.â
Suddenly hyper-aware that there were several producers on tour with them right now, Jungkook put his drink down and straightened in his seat.
âIâm not fucking singing at weddings,â he said.
âNot yet,â Sid pointed out, grinning. He knew he'd gotten under his skin.
âOkay, come on now,â Jude interjected, leaning back in his seat to be able to see Jungkook. âYou promised youâd sing at my wedding.â
âAs if anyone would ever marry you,â came Sidâs snide.
âYou shut the fuck up,â Jude snarled, but there was no malice behind his bark. âI have more chances of marrying someone than he has of marrying his manager.â
âHeâoh, fuck!â Sid was about to argue, but then burst into laughterâso loud and thunderous again, that the bartender was forced to glance over at the security guards by the entrance to the bar. âThatâs good! Youâre so right!â
âBoth of you are fucking idiots,â Jungkook spoke. The edges of his vision were red. âI could get her to go out with me again if I wanted to.â
âOh, sure, sure,â Sid nodded, wiping invisible tears from his eyes. âBig talk.â
âJungkook, no offense, my dude,â Jude said, leaning forwards this time. âLet him have this one. Sid may be dumber than box of rocks, but heâs got a point here. Forget about her.â
Another insinuation that had Jungkook throwing his head back in frustration.
âThereâs nothing to forget!â he groaned. âWhat the fuck are you even talking about? I just fucking told you I moved on.â
âSo why are you getting all riled up, then?â Sid smirked, more and more satisfied with each curse that he provoked out of him.
Jungkook felt even angrier, because he was getting riled up, but he had a good reason for it. He enjoyed banter as much as the next person, but he did not enjoy mockery at his own expenseâespecially not the kind that involved you.
He snapped back, âbecause you donât know what the fuck youâre talking about.â
His friends snickered at this â convinced that his irritation only proved the point they were both making â and Jungkook clenched his jaw, annoyed.
âIf anything,â he added sharply as he picked his beer upâas if that could somehow distance him from this conversation, âitâs her whoâs still hung up on me.â
That was a cheap, childish defence, and everyone by the bar knew it.
âYeah, right!â Sid cried out, but resisted from laughing again. âWeâve heard her yell at you more times than we can count. You fucking wish she was still hung up on you.â
âOkay, to be fair, Sid can probably only count to five,â Jude addedâSid finally punched him on the shoulderâas he toyed with the paper umbrella on his fourth cocktail; the Margaritas theyâd ordered were long gone. âBut heâs right, you know? Youâd never get her to go out with you again.â
There was pity in Judeâs voiceâas if he felt sorry that Jungkook lived in denial, chasing after you and convincing himself that it was only a matter of time before youâd come back to him.
This made Jungkookâs temper vile, his face red, hot, and angry. He slammed his beer back on the table, forcing some of it to spill. âYes, I fucking would!â
Sid was hiccupping as he laughed.
âOkay, okay, listenâletâs make a proper bet,â he managed. He picked up a napkin from the bar top, then looked around for something to write on it withânot finding anything, he stood up from his seat and leaned over the bar, grabbing a pen before the bartender could notice. â$1000 says you canât get her to go on a date with you again.â
He glanced at Jude for approvalâJude shrugged.
âIâd suggest $500,â he said. âWe donât want to rob him blind.â
Jungkookâs face remained stoic, prideful.
âFine with me. But you have no idea what youâre getting yourselves into,â he bit.
âOh, thatâs right, heâs been awfully cocky about the whole thing, hasnât he?â Sid spoke, addressing his rhetorical question at the bar. He wrote something on the napkin and then lifted it to show the number â4000â to Jungkook. âHow about this: Jude and I each pay you $2000 if you win. But if you lose, you give us your Katana.â
Jungkook lifted his eyebrows, the sudden mention of his bike catching him off-guard. Sid came from old money, he could afford fifteen brand-new motorcycles with the change he found in his suitcase, probably.
âHow is that fair?â he asked. âDo you even know how much a Suzuki costs these days? Itâs not $4000, I can tell you that much.â
âWhy should you care?â Sid asked, his eyes glinting with mischief. âYou were so confident about winning the bet just a second ago. Scared youâll lose after all?â
In his defence, Jungkook did hesitate for half a moment. But there was a shit-eating grin on Sidâs mouth that he wanted to wipe off more than anything else, and he downed the rest of his beer in one big gulpâa showcase of his determination.
âNot at all,â he said then. He wasnât sure if he was lying as he said this, but he had no time to figure that out. He extended his hand at Sid. âGet your money ready.â
Here, he was putting up a front â this wasnât about the money at all. It was more a thing of pride; they were teasing him, purposefully making fun of himâand he wanted to prove them wrong, regardless if they were actually wrong.
Smirking, Sid shook his handâcementing the bet between all three of them, as Jude was busy finishing off his cocktailâand was about to say something when Jungkook jumped off his stool.
âHave to go now,â he said, always a show-off with his overly creative comebacks when he was tipsy. âMy horoscope predicts a date and a big fortune in my near future. Got to prepare.â
chapter title credits: sleep token, ârainâ
special shout-out & thank you to @eleni-cherie who delivered the much-appreciated kicks in the ass, so that i would keep writing. the odds were really against me, so if it weren't for you & our in-depth fanfic discussions, i definitely wouldn't even be writing this note right now, let alone finally starting this story đ
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CHAMPAGNE CONFETTI
SUMMARY: It was supposed to be a perfect night to spend with Jungkook and his mom, though you are nervous Jungkook helps you to calm down but after a few hours the things take a toll on you both .
PAIRINGS: FWB TO LOVERS (rockstar Jungkook x Reader)
WORD COUNT:2.1k
WARNINGS: AGNST, SMUT, FLUFF at the end kind of not really...? also Jungkook rides a bike, has a beef with his brother. Reader slaps Jungkook once .
SMUT WARNINGS: Unprotected sex, Fingering in elevator, oral m,f , missionary, cream pie as always, fingering, so many kisses, squirting, making a sex tape for like 2 minutes?
A/N: oh god 3D jungkook has an effect on me you guys I hope you enjoy this . As always please like, comment, follow and reblog sweet pies. <3
âI donât know Jungkook are you sure about it?â You ask nervous about the fact he had invited you to his mother's birthday party.Â
âIâm sure baby, please come. I'm sure she would love to have you there, also wanna have champagne confetti there?âHe said and you just know he wiggled his eyebrows.
âFine kook Iâll get ready. Can you come and pick me up, also Iâm always up for itâYou answer him chuckling right away.
âYeah, baby Iâll be there in a few get ready yeah baby, and great.â Saying goodbye, he hangs up.Â
Present
You get ready soon after his call doing a slight makeup, hair styled in wavy curls and wearing a new dress you saved for a special occasion the dress ends right above your knees.Â
There was a knock you heard while wearing your black heels. Opening the door, you meet with the site of Jungkook dressed in a suit his hair-sleeked blazer resting in his hands and a few buttons unbuttoned.Â
âHey pretty girl, you ready?â Jungkook whispered while extending his right hand, nodding at him you allow him to guide you to His bike. âHop on pretty girl,âhe says giving you a helmet. Make sure to not ruin your hair.Â
âHold on tight baby,â he says starting his bike, the speed of his bike fastened while you reach the venue safely âKook Iâm nervous what will she think about us,âyou say nervously while jungkook walks you into the elevatorâRelax she is gonna love you,âhe says huffing out a chuckle âIâm just stressed,â you say entering the lift and staying by the railing.Â
âCan I do something to make you relax baby?âJungkook says pressing his body to yours âJungkook you crazyâ you answer not believing him âCome on y/n weâre going 28, youâve got 25 floors to comeâ he heaved âfuck go for it, kookâ you say his fingers coming up to circle your clit rubbing them in eight shapes and inserting his fingers âcum babyâ he said while you whined âoh my god gonna cumâ you say slightly griping his blazer not wanting to ruin it.Â
âGonna cum jungkookâ you moaned yeahâs leaving your mouth soon cumming on his fingers and removing them he sucks on them âmm came so muchâ he teases you âShut up letâs goâYou kiss his cheeks.Â
While the elevator Dings and opens to the Room directly, holding his hands he guides you to meet his Mom woah she looks amazing you say loudly in your mind âHi, good evening Mrs. Jeon, Happy Birthdayâ you say a bit cheerful âOh hello dear and Thank you so muchâ she says hugging you both âSon make her comfortable all right?â She stated âYes Mom donât worryâJungkook exclaimed.Â
Now both you and jungkook and his mother were sitting on the sofa chatting about the new song he was going to release âHey Kook let her listen to the song you going to releaseâyou say excitedly â Yes here you go Momâhe smiled.Â
In the middle of the song buzzing he gladly told his mother to dance with him âOh Mom, I love youâ The room was completely filled with laughs and giggles while saw them happily dancing while his mother called you too âCome here honey, join usâ she says forwarding her right hand accepting it you both started dancing âoh twirl sweetie âshe says while Jungkook stood there looking at both of you with a wide grin.Â
âOh, looks like someone is having a great time over hereâThen there came someone whom Jungkook wished never to see. His older brother. While you squeaked a tiny âhiâ to him. Jungkook stopped the music looking at his mother âMom? You said it was going to be only us, didnât you?â He hounded âI said it because I knew if I told you he was going to come you wouldnât have come hereâ she said grabbing his arm âLeave Mom I donât wanna stayâ he said removing her hands, Jungkook eyes his brother âOh sheâs the new one kook? Good taste indeedâ his brother laughs âYou always bring someone new, you going to push her off too soon? Using her just for her body, right?âHe says with a whiskey glass in his hand âBaby get your purse we are leavingâ Jungkook warns âDid I get on your nerves, Kook, you had one girl, but it was too boring right? So two girls are cool for you?â Â His brother laughed away.Â
It happens really quickly Jungkook grabs the glass from which he was drinking and hits him luckily his brother misses it his mother yells âJungkook are you crazy?â She says raising her voice, never batting an eye he grabs you by your hand while you stand still scared ây/n get it together letâs goâ he growls.Â
Getting back to your senses you âJungkook are you fucking stupid? What would have happened if it would have fucking hit your brother?â You bombard him with questions only to receive a low groan âfuckâ.Â
Jungkook had it even with you asking him questions âY/n can you shut the fuck up, please?â He says pinning you to the elevator railing and grabbing your cheeks making your lips pout out. âBe quiet, can you? I know what I didâ Shutting you up you were scared to see Jungkook like this.
Exiting the elevator you follow Jungkook who is walking at a fast pace âJungkook waitâ you call out âWalk fast y/n we are going back to my placeâ he says handing you the helmet âJungkook no, you need to tell me first what the fuck happened up thereâ you exclaimed, oh boy that was his last straw âfuck y/n can you not stay calm for a fucking second I know what I did and who are you to ask me this stuff you're not my girlfriend and thatâs right I keep you for your body , and your acting as if you didnât knew I have many girls , you anyways will get boring â he exclaimed, hearing this made your blood boil you slap him across his face and leaving from there.Â
Tears run from your eyes, and you call for a taxi you go home crying, you and Jungkook were fuck buddies but staying with him didnât feel like you were just using your bodies, you went on dates, play dates with bam, showering together, hell you both have gotten so close to each other he has a fucking tattoo of your initials( âor maybe it was just an illusion, and it's just the initial letter of all his fucksâ) on his Adonis belt and the aftercare made you more than just fuck buddies.
Reaching home, you unlock the door and collapse on your knees you cry loudly when you hear a continuous ring of the bell and a loud banging noise. âOpen the door baby I know you in there, Iâm sorry baby, and I know I messed up listen to me, will you?â Jungkook banged harder and pushed open the door finally, instantly getting on his knees hugging you.
âBaby Iâm sorry I didnât mean that at all babyâ Jungkook said kissing your forehead you cried harder in his arms âThat really hurt Jungkook, you saying you use me just for your pleasure hurt me like shit I know thatâs the point of our deal but stillâ you speak in between the sobs. âI know baby Iâm sorry I really didnât mean it, you can yell at me, curse me, just donât leave meâ he says his face levelling yours while you slightly chuckle at him through tears.
You slightly peck his lips not intending on making it last longer, but Jungkook grabbed your chin and kissed you roughly the kiss soon turned into make out when he carefully takes you in his arms and kisses you.
He lays you down on your bed coming to kiss your neck leaving wet kisses and also sucking on few hickeys on his way down towards your pussy. Fuck you were already wet, his fingers soon finding your clit he groans âFuck baby wet already?â He says rubbing them over your panties. Going face to face he removes your panties whining when he sees your slick connecting a string to your panties.
âFuck Jungkook Iâm so wet need your fingers nowâ you grab onto his hair already whining âyeah baby? Moan my name I like it when you say itâ he smiles teasing is finger in your pink hole âmm put it inâ demanding he inserts one âwhat a sight y/nâ teasing you with his long fingers he fastens the speed hitting your g-spot making you moan loudly âkook right thereâ you say, âhere baby?â He asks making sure just to hit the spot right after.
The feeling of his fingers inside you was overwhelming âtoo muchâ you whine when his tongue comes to press kisses on your clit âno kook sensitiveâ you cry âNo y/n itâs never too much cum, pretty baby going to squirt?â He teases you knowing damn well Jungkook and his work with his fingers âcumming Jungkookâ you say while squirting all over his fingers âthatâs write made you a fucking messâ he growls.
Hovering over you his slick covered fingers make way in your mouth you suck like how suck his pretty cock removing his cloths his cock was now out of the boxers the tip swollen and red begging for attention when you slightly palm him.
Pushing him you were the one on top of him kissing him on the cheeks you make your way to his abs licking them and laying kisses all over them and pressing bunch of kisses on were your initials are tattooed âFuck kook they look so hot every-time I see themâ you moan now giving attention to his cock âtake it in your mouth baby "you palm him giving kitten licks on the tip and fastening your pace â oh shitâ Jungkook groans his head moving backwards because of pleasure while your left hand comes near his to choke him  while hand hands make a ponytail for you hair  Such a head pusher â fuck y/n, no baby going To cum inside youâ he says swatting your hands in few seconds .
âCome on sit up on the bed yeah show me that pussy again yes baby?â He says while youâre slightly confused while he goes and grabs his phone asking for your consent âcan I baby?â He asks while you verbally consent him âyeah go-ahead kookâ his fingers coming back to your pussy he slightly rubs in between your lips while you grab in his palm telling him to touch you there, and he angles his phone perfectly âoh yeah kookâ you murmur âmoan baby moanâ he praises you. Your pussy makes wet sloppy noises.
You grab on his hard on gently circling his tip. âNow want you inside kookâ you say grabbing his phone and throwing at the end of the bed âhm lay on your back come on ready for some real champagne and confetti? âHe asks giggling. Â âYeah, always ready for itâ Missionary his favourite
Jungkook rubs his swollen tip sliding them in your pussy lips to wet himself enough to not hurt you. âFuck such a tight fitâ mumbling he starts delivering rough thrusts while your pretty manicured nails claw on his shoulder, his fucking sliver necklace swinging in front of your face makes him look ten times hotter than he already is.
âFuck Jungkook, so bigâ you moan getting closer to your orgasm âkook cummingâ you say while he backs away to look at the creamy mess between you both the white ring of your slick makes him thrust back even further roughly âfuck y/n, love fucking your pussy, love you baby âin the heat of moment you say it back not minding while you both soon chase your orgasm.
He cums right after you pulling out to make a mess with his spilling cum pushing it inside. He backs away collapsing next to you while you hug with your legs tucked on his
âDid you mean what you said Jungkook because I meant what I saidâ you asked hoping he would mean it too âYes baby Iâve been in love with you like forever now but I was bit scared to admit itâ he says hugging you tightly.Â
âAnd about what happened in the door donât think about we usually never cross paths but yeah he did get on my nervesâ he explains so you would calm down about the matter âBut kook it would be really dangerous if it would hit him on the head,â you said worrying âyeah baby I know Iâll talk to mother tomorrow morning letâs sleep? I know you are tiredâ he tucks you down and kissed your lips.Â
Good night baby âŚ. Jungkook whispers slightly humming a tune good night Jungkook hugging out a breath. Jungkook is left there thinking all night about the events.
Taglist : @babybella337 , @jungk97kwife , @kimmingyuswifee .
#bts#jungkook#jungkook x reader#btsfanfic#bts fanfiction#bts smut#jeon jungkook#jungkook smut#bts jungkook#bts fanfic bts smut#Rockstar jungkook#bts fanfic
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the princess and the rockstar | jjk; masterlist
plot |Â No one expects the nation's favorite crown princess to be involved with an international rockstar.
genres |Â humor, fluff, angst, modern royalty!au, celebrity!au, established relationship!au
pairing |Â rockstar!jungkook x princess!reader
note |Â drabble series! everything listed didnât happen in order. below are the titles/prompts. changes may happen in the future. asks are always open.
main masterlist |Â spotify playlist
spotted! - the first time you and jungkook met.
taking chances - after taking your chances with Jungkook three months ago, you two cross paths again. this time, the rockstar takes risks to ask Zafiro's royal princess out.
can't take my eyes off you - Sweet September surprises their fans with their own rendition of the classic song.
her majesty - This is how the rumors began between a princess and a rockstar.
rebel princess - media loves to give anyone random labels, you don't mind.
backstage pass - your first date with this rockstar is nothing like your other.
bad for business - jungkook tries to get you off your busy life.
all the voicemails you sent before - with him touring with his band and you working for your country, jungkook always made sure to send you updates.
iykyk- what happened after calvin klein reveals their global brand ambassador.
tattooed heart -
(more drabbles to come)
taglist rules
THE PRINCESS AND THE ROCKSTAR TAGLIST
@heartjiminie @rbrm094 @rjsmochii @jjkreblog @sugaslittlekookies @saintsugar @thvlover7 @alpha-mommy69 @natalia-rmnva @coralmusicblaze @stupendouscookiehumanmug @namgoogieee @yoonjinhusbands @borahaeb1ch @lilliankoo @gxtwllsn @taechvita @snkyuv @canyon-lwt @hiii-priestess @jksgirlhere @razzletaffy @bbtsficrecs @jnk-pop @jjeonjjk7 @tokkiggukie @cuntessaiii @annoyingcolorfox @kooliv @jksgirlhere @razzletaffy @oopscoop @hani0407 @taebae19 @yunki-yunki-yunki
PERMANENT TAGLIST
@dunixxdâ @cixrosie @jksjx @embrace-themagic @buttvi @starbtslove @missseoulite @vanntaesworld @kenqki @imajinthis @stopeatread @seolaquotes @greyrain23 @chimchimmarie @petalsofink @jayhope88 @moonchild1 @laylasbunbunny @nikkiordonez12 @misshale21
#bts angst#bts humor#bts fluff#bts imagines#bts x reader#bts series#bts established relationship au#jungkook angst#jungkook fluff#jungkook imagine#jungkook drabble#jungkook x reader#jungkook series#rockstar jungkook#the princess and the rockstar jjk
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°.âŞď¸.⢠(:̲Ě
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) .°â .âĽď¸ đ¸ . °â boys & girls!
#aesthetic moodboard#messy moodboard#random moodboard#kpop moodboard#edgy moodboard#kpop girls#kpop girls moodboard#kpop messy icons#indie moodboard#kpop icons#grunge moodboard#grunge aesthetic#rockstar aesthetic#quackity icons#quackity#jungkook icons#yves#yves icons#yves loop#yves loona#damon albarn icons#damon albarn#black moodboard#emo moodboard#punk moodboard#soft moodboard#moodboard#alternative moodboard#kpop#punk aesthetic
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faith
a rock god drabble
jungkook drags you back to the convent after having some drinks.
â PAIRING: rockstar!jungkook x novice!reader
â GENRE: 80s au, angst, fluff, humour
â WORD COUNT: 1k
â WARNINGS: religious themes, drinking, swearing, referenced non-consensual sex
â AUTHOR'S NOTE: 16.3k wasn't enough for these two so they're back! i actually planned this for the main fic but bc i felt it was getting too long i discarded it. here it is though<3 it takes place sometime before that fateful mass...
1986
The cloister looked so beautiful at night with the moonlight raining down on the grass, the crickets singing, the columnsâ shadows dancing on the floor⌠Wait, how were they dancing if they were the columnsâ? Oh! That shadow was yours, and that one Jungkookâs.
You pointed at them, slurred, âTheyâre ours!â
Jungkook chuckled, âNothing gets past you, Sherlock. But keep your voice down and letâs go.â
He was dragging you by the hand through the convent, having previously dragged you from the car and before that from the venue where he performed hours ago. Jungkook had insisted you snuck out to see him again, and you had to say, this time the show had been nothing short of stellar.
âI think I tolerate your music better like this.â
âWhat, wasted?â
âLetâs go with merry.â
It was your first time getting drunk. The venue had stayed open after the concertâdrinks on the house for Bangtan since theyâd lured in so much clienteleâand when your face expressed hesitance Jungkook promised fun, that he wouldnât take a single sip to drunksit you and later drive you to the convent. Accepting had proved to be a good decision, even if right now you couldnât remember half of the night. The one clear thing in the mist of your mind was the seductive way that guitar player had eyed you through Rock God.
âY/N? Jungkook?â A voice made him halt and curse under his breath.
âIs it Father Jimin?â you asked in what youâd intended as a whisper. Jungkook shook his head, so you turned around to be met with Sister Daeun walking over, and started giggling at the fact that youâd confused her voice with the abbotâs. Obvious you were drunk, the shock on her face at the two of you being out of bed at such hour turned into outrage.
âWhat in Godâs name is going on?!â
You gasped. âOh my god, Iâve never thought about that... What is Godâs name?â
Jungkook wouldâve normally laughed, but this time led you to the stone base between the columns some footsteps away and had you sit, lean on one. âStay here,â he ordered calmly and you nodded, then watched him return to Sister Daeun. âI can explain, aunty.â
âHow can you possibly? You took her out and got her drunk!â
âSheâs fine, she just had a few drinks. I monitored.â
âHave you forgotten sheâs a novice? And what if it had been Father Jimin that woke up for a glass of milk and not me?â
âFather Jimin is not a glass of milk man.â Jungkook assured her, and you burst into giggles again.
âTell me the truth, Jungkook.â Sister Daeun hugged herself. âWhere were you taking her?â
âWell, to her cell. Where else would Iââ He saw in her eyes a glimpse of the apprehension she was trying to suppress, and it took him aback. âNice to know you think me capable of that. What, is it because I have tattoos? Because Iâm in a rock band? I guess I was fucking stupid to believe youâre any different to mum and dad.â
Half of Sister Daeun felt ashamed, but the other half jumped to argue, âI see you dragging a drunk girl in the dead of the night, what do you want me to think?â
âThat Iâm looking out for her!â Jungkook shouted without thinking, his voice echoing across the cloister. Sister Daeun closed her eyes and prayed he hadnât been as loud as to wake anyone up, but he didnât care, scoffed at the lack of a response. âIf you donât trust me, take her to her cell yourself, then.â
He turned to leave and with a sigh, his aunt held out a hand to you. âCome with me.â
âNo, I want JungkookâŚâ you whined like a kid, rushing to his side to curl your arms around his left one. Despite how mad he was, he didnât shake you off or snap at you, instead stopped walking not to pull you into tripping.
âY/NâŚâ It didnât take her long to realise separating you from Jungkook would take at least three nuns. âFine. But weâll have a word tomorrow.â
She left and Jungkook led you away, hands held softly but a tension lingering in the airâand not the fun one he so liked to summon. You wanted to make him feel better, but it was hard to think straight, and before you knew it you were entering your cell in pitch-black darkness.
âGoodnight,â he whispered once heâd found the bed by touch and helped you lie on it. You reached for his hand in time and pulled, forcing him to sit down.
âDonât go yetâŚâ
He chuckled lowly, âScared of the dark?â and you giggled again. Gosh, why was everything so funny when drunk? Well, if you thought about it, you always found Jungkook funny. Sometimes it seemed he went out of his way to make you laugh. He was so nice to you⌠âHey, YNâŚâ
âHuh?â
It was dark, but you didnât need light to see he was nervous. âListen, Iâm sorry about before. Maybe I shouldnât have pushed you to drink. Iâm not the best influenceâŚâ
You started playing with his hand. âYou didnât push me. I had lots of fun with you and Bangtan.â Especially when Hoseok and Taehyung kept insisting you sainted them, and you kept explaining that it was sadly not in your power to do so. âIâm glad you were watching over me, because I trust you.â
Jungkook didnât say anything else, just caressed your hands back. Only once youâd fallen asleep did he leave, the pain in his heart from earlier somewhat lessened.
Hopping into his bed, he thought it was crazy that you had that effect on him. Well⌠not so crazy. Heâd allowed you to have it, given it to you, the one person who seemed to have faith in him. It made him scoff, how ridiculously head over heels he was, and as he thought of that he finally drifted into sleep, a comfortable smile settled on his lips.
#bts au#jeon jungkook#jeon jungkook x reader#jungkook x reader#jungkook imagine#bts jungkook#jungkook angst#jungkook fluff#bts x reader#bts#bts fanfiction#bts scenarios#bangtan imagine#bts fic#jeon jungkook scenarios#bangtan#bts x you#jeongguk#rockstar jungkook
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đŠâ
đŞÂˇË ŕź:â§âË
#bts moodboard#bts#bts aesthetic#jungkook#jungkook aesthetic#jungkook moodboard#jeon jungkook#jeon jungguk#rockstar moodboard#rockstar aesthetic#y2k aesthetic#y2k moodboard#edgy moodboard#edgy aesthetic#soft moodboard#alternative moodboard#kpop moodboard#retro aesthetic#retro moodboard#đ
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đď¸ âËďš đŞ !! đş
#jungkook#jungkook aesthetic#jungkook grunge#kpop aesthetic#grunge aesthetic#grunge core#y2k aesthetic#edgy moodboard#jungkook edit#kpop moodboard#jungkook moodboard#grunge moodboard#messy moodboard#random moodboard#beige moodboard#jungkook icons#rockstar moodboard#rockstar jungkook#rockstar gf#kookie#bts moodboard#taehyung moodboard#jimin moodboard#green moodboard#grunge#yellow moodboard#grey moodboard#gray moodboard#park jimin#moodboard
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#liskook#liskook moodboard#bts#jungkook#jungkook icons#jungkook bios#jeon jungkoooook#jungkook moodboard#blackpink#lisa#lalisa manoban#lisa icons#lisa bios#lisa moodboard#rockstar moodboard#aesthetic moodboard#soft moodboard#messy moodboard#dark aesthetic#grunge moodboard#grunge aesthetic#dark moodboard
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#jungkook moodboard#moodboards#edgy moodboard#grunge moodboard#alternative moodboard#alternative#jungkook#rockstar aesthetic#aesthetic moodboard#brown moodboard#black moodboard#bts#bts moodboard#bts icons#bts layouts#kpop#kpop layouts#bangtan boys#jungkook icons#jungkook layouts#jungkook packs
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thereâs nothing like doing nothing with you
#bts#bts moodboard#bts jungkook icons#bts jungkook moodboard#jungkook#jeon jungkook#jungkook boyfriend material#jungkook rockstar#jeon jungkook aesthetic#jungkook tattoo#bts jungkook gifs#bts jungkook lq#jungkook lq#jungkook lq icons#namjoon#yoongi#jhope#seokjin#jimin#taehyung#jungkook packs#jungkook dark packs#jungkook dark moodboard#jungkook dark icons#bts jungkook#jungkook low quality icons#space aesthetic#outer space#music moodboard
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sleepwalking â 23 | jjk
pairing: jungkook x fem!reader
summary: due to unfortunate circumstances, you ended up managing your ex-boyfriendâs band. you thought youâve both made peace with it, but suddenly heâs very eager to prove to you that first love never dies.
genre: rockstar!jungkook / exes to lovers
warnings: explicit language, mentions of drugs (nothing graphic), descriptive SMUT (pet names and a sprinkle of worship included, beware), fluff and too much flirting to be allowed, some angst, SLOW BURN
words: 19.8k
read from the beginning â masterlist
chapter 23 âş in this open warfare, i won't fight fair, and in your waking moments, i will be there
The next morning, you and Jungkook took Minjun, Luna, and Maggie to a small restaurantâunreasonably far from your hotel in Londonâto have a late breakfast and to plot. The five of you were a lot more concerned with the latter, and the bacon and egg sandwiches on your plates were relegated to mere decoration.
You had already discussed your plan with Luna and Maggie over the phone last night, but you wanted to meet everyone in person to ensure you were all on the same page, and to inform Jungkook of his role (which was intentionally non-existent).
You believed that the fewer members of Rated Riot got tangled up in Sidâs slimy web, the lower the risk of collateral damage. Ideally, you would have left Jungkook out entirely. But his friendship with Sid made him a linchpin in the machinations of your schemeâhe would be the most affected if something went awry.
âThis plan relies heavily on the circumstances, I admit,â you said, while your friends feigned interest in their food to avoid the disapproving glances of the restaurant staff. âBut maybe that will work to our advantage because we will hardly have to do anything. We will draw the authoritiesâ attention to Sid, and thatâs it. Heâll do the rest himself.â
âYeah,â Minjun added as your primary accomplice in this scheme. He was busy trying to stop his napkins from blowing away in the fierce wind on the restaurantâs terrace. âAnd thatâs why we need Jude to let us into their hotel roomââ
âWait,â had become Jungkookâs new favourite word. He used it now, too. âAnd are we sure that Jude wonât change his mind?â
Maggie and Luna turned to you, mirroring Jungkookâs skepticism.
âWeâre not,â you admitted. You were aware of the risk, but time has never been more of the essence, and Jude was your best option. âWeâre not telling him too much and hoping for the best.â
âAnd to be honest,â Minjun added, âthe fact that she gave him that laundry list of shit to doââ
âWait,â Jungkook said again. âWhat list?â
You waved off his question, but Minjun answered on your behalf, clinging to this as if it was the only convincing evidence the five of you had against Jude changing his mind.
âLike, vitamins and stuff,â he explained. âTo ease his withdrawals. I donât know if he followed her instructions, but anyone could see how much it meant to him, just the fact that she cared enough. Maybe thatâll be what keeps him on our side, even though heâs back with Sid right now.â
Maggie wrinkled her nose in clear disapproval, although you knew she would have reacted the same way if sheâd seen Judeâher heart was bigger than her head, bless her.
âHeâs done nothing to deserve this from you,â she pointed out.
âYeah, heâyeah,â Jungkook agreed, the confidence in his voice wavering as he alternated between gratitude for your concern about Jude, and guilt for putting you in this position. âYou didnât have to help him.â
âHeâs really not doing well,â you said. âAnd donât think Iâm so kind, I acted largely out of my own self-interest. We need him for our plan.â
Jungkook recalled Judeâs sneezing, his shivers in forty-degree heat, and his nausea. All of his symptoms always came and went without warning, but the memory of someone going out of their way for him was likely to stay.
âOkay,â Jungkook acquiesced. âThatâsâletâs keep going.â
âWe wonât need to involve Jude every step of the way, though, right?â Luna clarified. âI mean, I assumed weâd mainly need him to get rid of whatever Sid has in his phone gallery.â
âYeah, but not justâweâre not just deleting the videos with Jungkook,â you said, glancing at Minjun, who had supported you wholeheartedly when you mentioned this part of the plan to him. He nodded now, too, encouraging you to explain. âWeâll delete everything he has in his Cloud storage and factory reset his phone. I doubt Sid had enough sense to back up his files to an external drive, so this will clear every copy of everything he has on there.â
Maggieâs eyes finally lit up with lively excitement, Luna nodded in agreement, and you felt a smile forming on your own lips, too.
Jungkook, on the other hand, appeared almost disappointed.
âW-we donât have to go through all of this just to delete those videos,â he said, fixing his gaze on his untouched cup of matcha latte; the artwork on the surface had begun to blur. âThose things happened. I did all of that shit, and Sid recorded it. Thatâs who I was back then, and maybe I shouldnât try toââ
You interrupted his wordsâthe ones youâd already heard beforeâwith a gentle touch of your hand over his restless fingers, and Jungkook stilled, turning to you.
âNo, those videos are not who you are. You are the one who decides who you are,â you reiterated once more and the table fell silent around you as if everyone had witnessed something they were not supposed to. âAnd if you want to leave those things in the past, you should be able to. Sid has no right to bring it up now.â
âBut if we lock Sid up,â he persisted, âthen maybe those videos wonât matter anyway.â
âHe could publish them,â Minjun countered. âHe sent them directly to you now, but he could post them publicly later. Iâm sure heâd find a way to do that even behind bars.â
Jungkook felt a rush of dizziness and he was very grateful that youâd pressed your hand on his. Minjun was right. Sid had done something like this before when heâd posted your picture; he clearly wasnât above making private matters public.
âWe would leave the videos be, let Sid have them, whatever,â you continued, reading the colour on his face, âbut he wants to use them against you. Heâs cutting them up to paint you as an irresponsible asshole. And youâre not an asshole, Jungkook.â
âYeah,â Minjun agreed. âAnd I talked to Jude about an hour ago. He sounded sober, which is shocking to me, but, anywayâSid has plans to go out tonight, so Jude should be able to do this tomorrow morning while Sidâs still passed out.â
The whole terrace of the restaurant seemed to hold its breath in anticipation as soon as he said that, the clink of cutlery and the muffled chatter around you growing tense.
Jungkook, even dizzier now, turned back to you once more. You gave him a small nod.
He took a breath and nodded back. âOkay. Alright. Fine. Letâs do it.â
âGood!â Maggie cheered from across the table. She turned to Jungkook, and you watched as her reassuring tone chased the last doubts from his eyes. âEven without those videos, we need to do this to get back at Sid. And I know this will do just that. Iâd be tearing my hair out if someone cleansed my Cloud.â
You noticed that Maggie was much more vigilant with her phone today, hardly letting it out of her sight. Sheâd improved her security measures and had to enter her passcode every time she wanted to reply to a text today, because the facial recognition struggled to recognise the wind in her hair. This was the reason she hadnât bothered with it before, but Sid had taught her a valuable lesson.
You gave your friend an agreeing nod and settled against the back of your chair.
Luna sat on your other side, leaning her elbows on the table, and she quickly noted the way Jungkookâs eyes widened when you pulled back, as if you had torn off a piece of his skin. She glanced at Maggie, who noticed nothing and kept checking the time on her phone as if she was late for another meeting to plan someoneâs arrest.
Somewhat disappointed, Luna turned back to you, her grin doubling in size to compensate for her lack of company in teasing you.
âOne big problem,â you said, focused on the intricacies of your plan and, therefore, unaware of your surroundings, âlies in our next steps. If we manage to get Sid arrested, he will likely weaponise his friendship with Jungkook. Heâll try to make it seem like theyâre as close as brothers, and if heâs going to jail for meth possession, then Jungkook is probably doing drugs, too.â
You pulled your phone out from your bag and allowed for the weight of your words to settle on the table like a heavy grey tablecloth while you opened your gallery.
âSo, this morning,â you continued, âMaggie and I put something together. This is a list of people who are banned from Rated Riotâs shows.â
You passed your phone to Luna first. She looked at the screen, nodded, and handed the phone to Maggie, who smiled to herself right awayâshe had designed the layout of the list and was very pleased with it.
By the time your phone reached Jungkook, he was already squirming in his chair. As he examined the list of names, displayed in bold white letters on a black background with a crumpled paper texture that Maggie had crafted and digitalised herself, he realised that the only name he recognised was Sidâs.
He looked up. âBut if you post thatâthatâsâisnât it supposed to be confidential?â
âI wonât post it,â you said. âWeâll leak it.â
âOh.â A gleam of affection suddenly sparkled in his eyes. He felt a little like heâd just met you for the first time, all over again. âCan we do that?
Maggie reached across the table, snatching your phone from Jungkookâs hand to see the picture of the list again. She scrutinised the names for a minute as if trying to uncover the social security numbers of the people listed.
âNo,â you replied. âBut Sid never played fair, so weâre simply levelling the playing field. The other names on the list are made up anyway. Theyâre generic enough to match someone on Facebook, but no one will know which person is on this list.â
âBut theyâll recognise Sid,â Maggie pointed out, squinting at your phone. âEven though heâs listed as Isidore here. Right?â
âThatâs him, yeah,â you confirmed. âAnd youâre right. Everyone will recognise Sid. Weâll leak this before he gets arrested, and anything he says after that will just be taken as blatant slander.â
Jungkook took another deep breath and glanced at your phone, which Maggie slid towards you across the table. It bumped against the corner of your empty water glass.
âWonât there be consequences if something else leaks?â he asked, his teeth grazing his bottom lip.
âYeah, I was thinking that, too,â you admitted. âBut then, Luna texted me a brilliant idea last night.â
You gestured towards your friend, and she continued.
âItâll be accidental,â she explained. âMaggie usually posts backstage pictures on her Instagram. She has almost as many followers as the main account of your band at this point. So, later today, she will post a new set of pictures, and this list of names will just happen to be visible in some shots. Just a coincidence, really. And then we hope that one of your fans will notice it, zoom in, catch Sidâs name, and share it.â
Jungkook looked down, nodding to himself. He realised that Sid stood little chance against the collective resolve of everyone at this table.
âThey will notice it,â he said. âI donât doubt it.â
âWeâll have to rely on them to spread this,â you added. âEven though this list isnât really something we need to hide. Itâs just, you know, sort of customary in the industry to keep your dirty laundry to yourself.â
âAlright,â Jungkook said, sensing the weight of everyoneâs gaze on him. He had the feeling that everyone was waiting for his final approval to move forward with this plan. âSo, uh, Maggie wonât get into trouble for posting it?â
âHmm?â Maggie looked up from her phone at the sound of her name. âOh. No. Iâm the photographer. As long as I get good shots, I never get in trouble. And this wouldnât be the first time Iâve taken a picture that reveals more than I intended.â
She gave you a sheepish look, and you shook your head, sensing where the guilt in her eyes stemmed from. Maggie knew that Sid was behind the chaos caused by the bathtub picture, but she still felt a gnawing sense of responsibility because she was the one who had taken the picture.
âAlright. You, uhâyou guys really put a lot of thought into this,â Jungkook remarked, looking at you first, then at your friends, and finally at Minjun on his other side. âIâm, uhâI-Iâm actually a little afraid of you.â
Luna and Minjun snickeredâMaggie was back on her phone, but she was smiling, tooâand their excitement made you feel much more optimistic.
âGood,â you said, reaching out to touch Jungkookâs hand again. He immediately turned his hand round and firmly clasped yoursâto ensure you wouldnât pull away this time. âSid should be, too.â
A tense silence settled over the table, punctuated by the subdued conversations on the terrace.
For the first time since you arrived at the restaurant, Jungkook finally took a sip of his coffee. It tasted bitter and lukewarm. You refrained from touching yours, but accepted a bite of Lunaâs tiramisu. Everyone else at the table seemed to remember simultaneously that they had ordered food when they got here.
âUh,â Maggie spoke up after a second, still chewing on the brown crust of her bacon and egg tart. âIs this a safe space for us to voice our, uh, concerns?â
You straightened in your seat, bracing yourself before sheâs even said anything. Jungkook sensed your growing anxiety and squeezed your hand.
âOf course,â you replied, keeping your voice steady.
âOkay.â Maggie swallowed and set down her fork after taking exactly one and a half bites. âWell, Iâm worried that Sid will say something provocative and one of us will end up getting arrested for assault.â
There was something absurdly comical in her questionâor the potential outcome it suggestedâand you could see Minjun quickly lower his head to conceal his broad smile.
Jungkook, meanwhile, was extremely pleased that no one turned to look at him, the person who had, more or less, already assaulted Sid before. It comforted him to know that everyone here would have loved to smack Sid upright in the head, too.
âThatâs a great point,â you said, clearing your throat. âIf he provokes youâwell, then you might have a legitimate reason to, uh, land a good punch. You probably wouldnât be held in custody too long for that. Thereâs no premeditation, you acted on impulse because of something he said.â
Minjun raised an eyebrow at you from across the table.
âI thought our focus was drug laws,â he said. âDid you research assault, too?â
âI researched assault laws the day I met Sid,â you deadpanned.
He snorted. âYeah, fair enough.â
âNot to mention, we can always argue itâs self-defence,â Luna added, prodding her sandwich with a toothpick as if it were a not-quite-dead bug. âSid is veryâletâs say, aggressive.â
âThatâs true,â Minjun agreed. âEspecially when heâs irritated.â
The energy around the table had increased considerably; everyone seemed to have something to say about possible reasons to hit Sid. Maggie was already listing five ways to throw a punch that would knock out your opponentâshe had a WikiHow article open and was illustrating it with enthusiastic demonstrations on Minjun.
You realised, quite suddenly, how happy you were to sit here with your friends. They were smart and cunning enough to rob a bank, escape a prison, and start a money laundering scheme all in a week, but they chose to be sweet and loving and a little vengeful instead. You felt almost giddy.
âHe wouldnât throw the first punch, though,â Jungkook interjected with a hint of frustrated sorrow. Maggie halted her research, retracting her fist from Minjunâs cheek. âHeâll just keep running his mouth until you strike him. And heâll make sure the provocation is very minimal.â
âWell, sure, but who at this table will attest to any of that?â Luna questioned, undeterred. âEveryone who witnessed Sid throwing the first punch, raise your hands.â
All of you raised your hands in perfect synchronisation, and Jungkook felt himself smile again.
He had never doubted the success of your plan, even if he doubted the details. But sitting here now, while all of you held your hands up, he was fully convinced that this meeting marked the beginning of the end for Sid.
âRight. Okay,â he said. âI like how this is looking.â
âMe too,â Maggie said, locking her phone and slouching in her chair. âI feel better now. Didnât want to spend the night at the police station.â
âYou wouldnât,â Luna assured her. âWeâd bail you out.â
She snickered. âThatâs good toââ
Jungkook suddenly jumped up in his chair, interrupting her.
âWhat about Sidâs bail?â he asked urgently. âCan heâcould he pay for his release?â
Everyone at the table turned to you once more. When you and Minjun did your research yesterday, your focus had quickly turned from penalties to potential loopholes that Sid might use with his money, so you understood their sudden concern.
âNo,â you said. âApparently, it doesnât work like that here. They would give him bail automatically; he wouldnât have to pay. But they need to charge him with a specific offence first, and they wonât know the exact charges until they know what, uh, substances he was carrying on him and keeping in his hotel roomâoh, and how much. Not to mention, bail may be denied if there is a risk that heâll commit further crimes. And we know Sid is violent. He will not sit idly in his little cell.â
âYeah,â Minjun agreed. âWeâre 95% sure he wonât be given bail.â
You nodded, grateful for his confidence.
âSo, we definitely wonât be in London by the time they charge him,â Maggie concluded, frowning. She regretted not ordering whiskey instead of espresso; alcohol helped her think.
âDefinitely not,â you confirmed. âOur plan concludes with Sidâs arrest, everything else is not our problem anymore. And weâre only participating in this as the staff of Rated Riot, so the only people who will have to speak to the police are those who will be present when they arrive at the venue tomorrow. So, ideally, only Luna, Mick, and me. Thatâs it. Thatâs as far as weâre getting involved.â
âWait,â Jungkook said. He understood the need for Mickâs presence and felt comforted that youâd have someone from security with you, but now he was worried about your friend. âWhy Luna?â
âWe need an additional witness to observe Sidâs erratic behaviour,â Luna explained. âWe thought itâd be better to have someone random, and not just your manager and head of security there.â
Jungkook kept his gaze on hers. âHow do you know heâll behave erratically?â
She gave him a look.
âRight.â He leaned back in his seat. âGood point. Okay.â
He already knew that the odds were good that Sid would try to provoke you tomorrow, but now he realised that even if Sid suddenly decided to be docile, it wouldnât matter. The five of you were tight as a gloveâSid could sit in a corner, purring and meowing, and you would all collectively claim that he was threatening you.
Finally, Jungkook realised that he had narrowly escaped something dreadful, and he felt very grateful to find himself at this table, and not on the other side of this plan.
âI, uhâthis isnât a concern exactly,â you said after a minute. âBut I have to say that a lot of this hinges on Sid trusting my word, and Iâmâwell, Iâm not sure if heâll care about anything I tell him.â
Minjun looked almost offended. He was the one who devised this strategy after you told him that you needed a way to quickly draw the attention of the authorities to Sid.
Why donât you call him? Minjun had suggested. And invite him to meet you.
You had thought heâd decided to go insane right before talking to you. But youâd kept your suspicions to yourself because, ultimately, calling Sid seemed like the only option. It felt unfair, however, not to mention your doubts now.
âActually, I agree,â Jungkook said, giving you a long look. âIâm not sure if Iâm comfortable with any of that. Youâll have to be alone in a room with Sid. And we canât be sure that he wonâtââ
âSid will care,â Minjun asserted, ignoring everything Jungkook had said. He kept his gaze on you, his certainty almost as intimidating as it was comforting. âMaybe not because he has feelings for you, but because youâre Jungkookâs girlfriend.â
Maggie looked up from her phone, surprised about the possibility of Sid having any feelings at all, and turned to Luna. The two of them finally exchanged the look that Luna had been waiting for.
âAnd youâre okay with doing this?â Jungkook asked you, his gaze flickering from your eyes to your lips. He was careful not to miss any hint of dishonesty.
âIâm okay if this actually works,â you said. âIf Sid shows up. If we get him arrested. Iâm willing to try this if youâre all sure that weâll succeed. And I wouldnât be all by myself anyway.â
âYeah, donât worry about that part,â Maggie said to Jungkook, rolling up her sleeves for emphasis. Technically, she wasnât supposed to be at the scene tomorrow, but she felt she had a personal debt to settle with Sid, so she would find a way to interfere if she had to. âI can fight.â
Jungkook looked at her in a way that was more amused than it was skepticalâMaggie was very small in size, but very big in energyâand she tried to flex her arms to prove her point.
âI believe you,â he said, a smile breaking through his uncertainty. âI just donât like that this will all be happening during our show. I wonât be there with you.â
âThatâs just the plan,â you said. âWe need to keep you away from him so that anything he says later wonât carry any weight. Heâs obsessed with you and he has problems, and youâve been distancing yourself from him for some time now. Weâll release an official statement about your, uh, separation once weâre done with him. And the leaked blacklist will back up our claims.â
A resigned acceptance clouded Jungkookâs features: he understood that this was the right decision, but he couldnât help feeling unhappy about it. However, although he would have typically complained and whined about thisâand you expected him toânow his posture was stoic.
You felt a little dispirited. You knew you wouldnât joke around much today, but Jungkookâs unusually serious demeanour emphasised the gravity of the situation even more.
âOkay,â Minjun said. âAny other concerns?â
You shifted your gaze to him.
âActually, I have another one,â you said. âIâm also worried about how this will affect your parents.â
The two girls beside you exchanged another glanceâyou hadnât explained Minjunâs familyâs dependence on Sidâs mother yet.
âIf Sidâs in prison?â Minjun asked, unperturbed. âWell, their stocks will probably drop, so it will be weird to throw a party. I think weâll celebrate quietly.â
You glanced at Jungkook, and he met your eye with an amused grin.
âYou sure youâre okay with this?â he asked Minjun then.
âAre you kidding?â Minjun looked optimistic and upbeat. He seemed ready to take on the world, and locking up Sid was just the first step. âWe should have done this years ago.â
Maggie suddenly slammed her palm on the table, forcing everyoneâs coffee cups to rattle against the plates.
âThatâs what Iâm talking about!â she exclaimed, and her excitement quickly spread to the rest of the table.
âI agree,â Luna added, much quieter. âBut maybe itâs time we headed out. The people at the next table are whispering and, uh, pointing at Jungkook.â
Jungkook raised his eyebrows and turned to you instead of looking around, his expression filled with a shocked wonder. He had only been recognised in public a handful of times since Rated Riot started out, and each instance had left an indelible mark on him.
You gave him a smile and a nod that spurred him out of his chair and towards the people at the neighbouring table, all of whom held their breaths when he stood up.
You glanced back at your friendsâall smiling as they watched Jungkook introduce himself and singlehandedly cut off the air supply of four different peopleâand you thought about how wonderful it would have been if you had met Maggie and Luna earlier. If Jungkook and Minjun had stopped entertaining Sidâs whims sooner. If you and Jungkook had never broken up at all.
Perhaps, you thought, there was an alternative universe where youâd known and loved these people your whole life. You felt very close to that universe now.
Just as you finished your breakfastâwhere the five of you consumed one cup of coffee and half a slice of tiramisu in totalâyou executed the first step of your plan and sent a text message to Sid. It was innocuous, just a conversational, âare you ever going to stop doing this?â but it was meant to serve as a subtle precursorâso as not to approach him out of the blue tomorrow.
Then, as the five of you exited the restaurant, Maggie got enthralled by the most gracious little corgi sitting at a table, and dragged Luna and Minjun (who looked like he was not sure what was happening) back inside to ask for pictures. You and Jungkook opted for a scenic route back to the hotel instead.
Although the day was overcast, the sky did not look particularly ominous, offering instead an unexpected serenity that you thought you could use to clear your thoughts.
Interestingly, fresh air was not what you really needed at all. It was his hand holding yours as you strolled past extravagant hotels and expensive restaurants near Hyde Park, weaving through crowds of rushing tourists and cranky locals.
You felt significantly lighter with your hand in his, but Jungkook still appeared troubled. The shadows on his face were far more pronounced than those in the sky.
âWhatâs on your mind?â you asked.
He let out a weary sigh as he met your gaze. He seemed overwhelmedâas though his head was trying very hard to grow twice as large to contain all his thoughts, while the rest of his body fought desperately to resist the growth.
âIâwell, I didnât want to say this in front of everyone,â he started slowly, âbut Iâm worried about you.â
âMe?â You frowned. âWhâbecause of Sid?â
âBecause youâre doing all of this on top of your other responsibilities,â he said. âI donât want you to burn out.â
Your expression visibly softened, but dark edges of guilt still coated the appreciation in your eyes. You felt disappointed in yourselfâfor letting it get so far that, over a week later, Jungkook still sometimes looked at you as though you might faint any second.
âThat wonât happen,â you replied, your tone gentle, but determined. âI promise. And Iâm not alone. I have so much help. And this wonâtâitâs just a few days. We deal with it tomorrow, and itâs over.â
âOkay. But what if itâs not?â he questioned then. âWeâre heading to Paris right after we, potentially, deal with Sid. And what if it doesnât work, and weâre not here to fix it?â
You had to admit, this same possibility had been weighing on your mind ever since Jude first mentioned the bags of drugs in Sidâs hotel room. However, as soon as you saw Jungkookâs solemn features, you found yourself resisting all these worries. You would figure it out, no matter what happened, just so he wouldnât have to worry about it anymore.
You shrugged nonchalantly. âThen it wonât work.â
âHeâll be furious,â Jungkook said. âEven more vindictive than before.â
âI know,â you replied. âBut no matter what he decides to do, we wonât back down, either.â
Jungkook frowned so deeply that several new wrinkles declared permanent residence between his brows. He dreaded the idea of spending a lifetime seeking revenge.
You sensed the reason for his apprehensionâyou wanted this over quickly, tooâand instinctively squeezed his hand.
âIâm with you,â you said, reaching for your phone to check if Sid had reacted to your text. âAnd I told you, Iâm not entirely convinced that this will work, either. I mean, here, look. Sid hasnât replied. But if this plan falls through, weâll come up with something else. Maybe somethingâwell, less grand.â
He glanced at your phone, toying with his lip ring between his teeth. The prospect of failure felt more daunting with each second that Sid remained free to do whatever he pleased.
Jungkook didnât want to do something else. He wanted this to work.
âMaybe he hasnât replied because Jude deleted everything,â he suggested, searching for a plausible explanation that aligned with your plan. âIncluding the texts.â
âNo, thatâs tomorrow,â you reminded him. He groaned. âWe needâSid needs to notice my texts first. Then we delete them. Iâll use a disposable SIM card tomorrow, so thereâs no trace that I ever contacted him.â
Jungkook felt like his head had already grown far too large for his body. He was a bit unsteady on his feet and clutched your hand tighter.
âRight,â he said. âOkay. Thatâyeah, no.â He lifted your intertwined hands to scratch something at his forehead. âMy head is spinning. I canât remember that much.â
You gave him a sympathetic nod. âThatâs fine.â
âIâm not saying that Iâd be too dumb to follow a plan like this,â he felt the need to insist.
âI didnât think that.â
âIâm just saying,â he continued. âThereâs a lot.â
You nodded in exaggerated agreement again. âMhmm.â
His eagerness to prove his intelligence to you was very endearing. But it was a little funny, too, and Jungkook stopped walking to study your expression more closely. After a moment, he came to an appalling conclusion.
âYou think Iâm dumb,â he said.
A wide smile finally broke out on your face. âI think youâre very pretty.â
âVery prâokay.â His expression shifted as you laughed, pulling on his hand to continue walking after an elderly couple gave you a rather well-deserved disapproving look for blocking their path. âPretty and dumb. Is that your type?â
âIt is,â you said, grinning. âThatâs why youâre the only boyfriend Iâve had.â
He raised his eyebrows and scoffed. âOhâwow. Wow. I am both very flattered and very offended.â
You chuckled, gently pushing his shoulder with yours. Jungkook shook his head and finally smiled, too. But right as he prepared to say something else, he ended up having to quickly yank your hand, pulling you into him and out of the way of an oncoming bicycle.
âShit,â you were breathless against his chest as the bike drove past, your hair whipping forcefully in the wind, âthank you.â
âPretty and dumb,â he said, allowing you to take a step away from him now that the danger has passed, âbut with great reflexes, huh?â
You laughed again, leaning into him when you did and successfully dissolving everything sharp and uncomfortable in his chest.
âI know youâre not dumb,â you said. âAnd letâs be realistic: Minjun and I had been simmering in the details of this plan for days. You just barely learned about it a few hours ago. Weâve got this. I wanted you to know what weâll do, but I donât want you to be involved at all.â
âYeah. Iâno, I justâŚâ he faltered, weighing his next words. The thought of everything that would happen tomorrow made his stomach feel very heavy. âI feel like youâre trying to protect me from Sid by keeping me out of this, and IâmâI donât know how that makes me feel.â
âWeâre not just keeping you out, weâre keeping the whole band out,â you said. âI want to protect all four of you. And if anything, youâre the only member who isnât entirely excluded. Does that⌠make it any better?â
Jungkook considered this for a moment.
âNot sure,â he said. âBecause Iâm still not participating.â
Exhaling softly, you looked around, searching for a quiet spot on the pavement where the two of you could step away from the crowd. Nearby, there were two traditional phone booths that tourists were gathered around, obstructing your view. Once you passed them, you noticed a parking meter right by the park gate that everyone seemed to avoid. You decided to pause there.
Jungkook glanced around before stopping in front of you, slightly unsettled by the large, dark green hedge covering the park fence, and all the bugs that emerged from itâbees, mostly. They all seemed very curious about him.
âOkay, look at it this way,â you began. âSid has known you and Minjun since you were kids. He knows all your weak points. He can predict exactly how you and Minjun will react in any situation. Sure, you took him off guard when you gave up your Katana, but he can still read you very well. He doesnât have that luxury with me, Luna, or Maggie. Heâs less certain about our reactions. Who else could do this if not us?â
âRight,â Jungkook murmured. âBut youâre still going out of your way for me, and I feelââ
âAnd why wouldnât I?â you interrupted. âI love you.â
He thought he died for just a second and it felt surprisingly nice: he could feel something soft and warm against his skinâthe phantom shivers of every time youâve touched him beforeâand he could taste a sweet, lingering flavour on his tongueâfrom every time he felt your mouth against his own.
He would never tire of hearing you say you loved him. The only downside was that his chest usually attempted to collapse in on itself right after that, leaving him speechless for anywhere from a minute to several days.
âNot to mention,â you continued while Jungkook fought against the haze in his mind and the bumblebees around his neck. âSid has long stopped at just you. With the videos and pictures heâs sending you, heâs threatening everyone on this tour. Anything that affects your reputation, affects the band and the staff, too. So, when you look at it like that, weâre really doing this for everyone.â
Finally, Jungkook managed to stop his thoughts from pulling him in every direction and anchored himself to this pavement right hereâwith you, and the persistent bugs, and the chattering of people as they walked past you.
He squeezed your hand that he had not let goânot now, and probably not ever, reallyâand exhaled.
âYeah, I get that,â he said. âBut I was the one who brought him here, and thatâsâI guess thatâs whatâs bothering me right now.â
âYou did bring him here,â you agreed.
âIâoh.â He looked up, his eyebrows knitting together. He had expected something else. An âI told you that was a shit decisionâ or a sarcastic âyeah, and thanks for thatââbut your kind expression did not change. âY-yeah. I did.â
âBut weâll get him out,â you said.
Jungkook held your hand and observed you, trying to process this while simultaneously trying to figure out what was it about him that attracted these British bees to him so much. It couldnât be his cologne, because you loved him far more than heâd allowed himself to believe. It couldnât be his clothes, either, because you were looking at him like you believed anything was possible in this world, and he thought it really was.
He realised that to you, he must have appeared as if he were struggling to interpret prehistoric cave wall paintings, and this process was causing him immense pain. He cleared his throat.
âYou donât blame me?â he asked.
âFor making a stupid decision?â you replied, and shrugged your shoulders after he nodded. âWouldnât be the first time.â
He pressed his lips together, his expression a mixture of incredulity and pure delight.
âOkay,â he said. âSure.â
You were smiling again, and he was a little too proud to admit how much your loving eyes and your great mood soothed his anxiety.
âAnd what would I gain from punishing you?â you added. âYouâve already seen through Sid. Youâve had enough. You learned your lesson. Youâre good.â
Jungkook felt his chest swell as though heâd swallowed the swarms of bees around him, and now theyâve built a cosy little home right on the hills of his heart.
âYou think so?â he asked, his eyes glistening.
âWhy do you look so excited?â you countered. âDo you have more dickhead friends I havenât met yet?â
He chuckled, waving his hand around his face. âCan I answer that inside the park? Iâm afraid these bees are in love with me.â
You had already noticed his struggle with the beesâit was hard not to, one was perched right on his shoulderâand you found your own apparent immunity to this new bee predicament especially entertaining.
âWant me to fight them for you?â you suggested.
âOh, in a battle of who loves me more?â he quipped, swatting vigorously at three stubborn bees that were particularly intrigued in his eyes.
âYeah,â you said. âWeâll all sting you at the same time, and whoever dies first, wins.â
He snorted. âThese are bumblebees. They donât die after they sting.â
âOh, so maybe we should just stay here,â you teased. âYou all seem to know quite a bit about each other already.â
He squinted at you, a smirk playing on his lips. âAre you jealous Iâve grown so close to these bees?â
âOf course. Theyâre all over you.â
âIâd rather have you all overââ
âPublic park!â you interjected hastily, cutting him off.
His laughter in response was unapologetic and infectiousâyou found yourself shaking your head to suppress a treacherous smile.
âDid you also research public indecency laws?â he asked, turning past the menacing, bee-infested hedge.
You followed him through the gates into the park, your fingers intertwined with his. The clouds above had thickened, and the wind had picked up, but there was nothing about this afternoon that Jungkook did not enjoy.
âActually, I did,â you replied. âBecause of that stunt you pulled in New York last year.â
Recognition flashed in his eyes for just a fleeting moment before he pursed his lips, distancing himself from the memory. A gentle breeze swept through the park, rustling leaves and carrying the scent of damp earth; it would rain soon.
âI donât remember,â he declared.
âReally?â you responded wryly. You both knew very well that he remembered. âNothing familiar to you about the busking that turned into half-naked dancing in the middle of the street?â
âNope,â he said. âDoesnât ring a bell.â
âThere was a lot more grinding than actual dancing, now that I think about it,â you pressed on. You noticed, through your peripherals, the way he scrunched his nose and furrowed his brows, evidently despising the memory he claimed he did not have. âSomeone had drawn a crown of thorns on your forehead. You had aâsort of a cloth wrapped around your waist, and nothing else. Almost everyone on the face of the earth accused you of being in a sex cult after those pictures came out.â
âI donât know anything about that,â he insisted. âThey must have confused me with someone else.â
âSure. They must have,â you relented, pouting your lips in mock-sympathy. âThere are plenty of people in sex cults out there.â
âExactly,â he replied, finally meeting your eyes.
Something about you bringing up this incidentââincidentsâ were a prominent category of his actions in his mindâreminded him of the videos Sid had sent him. However, with you, the feelings in his chest were vastly different.
You were playful. Lighthearted. Your love language was teasing the hell out of him.
Sid was venomous. Arrogant. Vile. His intentions were humiliation and destruction.
You were joking about a matter for which Jungkook undoubtedly owed you another apology. He could tell that you knew he would apologise eventually, but you were hopingâwith every jest, every tender smile, every affectionate bite you sent his wayâthat he would not plunge himself into self-loathing again.
He wouldnât. He had matured significantly since the day under discussion. He knew he had, even if it was easy to forget.
âIâm surprised how well you remember all that, actually,â he commented. âAre you secretly into sexual rituals?â
Your scoff returned his smile to his face.
âOh, absolutely,â you said. âI keep a picture of you from that day on my desk at home. I look at it every night before I fall asleep.â
Jungkook kicked a few dry, scattered leaves on the pavement. When he glanced back at you, his grin bordered on ridiculous.
âI am aware that youâre trying to mock me right now,â he said, âbut I feel obligated to inform you that Iâm taking absolutely everything you say as a compliment.â
You nodded sagely. âI would expect nothing less from you.â
âGood,â he replied. âPlease tell me more about how you look at pictures of me before you fall asleep every night.â
You tsked reproachfully at his grin.
âI take back what I said about you being smart,â you said. âYou are the biggest idiot Iâve met.â
âOh,â his face was jubilant, âbut that just means you love me that much more, right?â
You let out a deep sigh. âIâm afraid so.â
He felt the swarms of bees in his chest, and they were buzzing incessantlyâeager, restless, and yearning. They took every emotion he felt and spread them across his skin.
âI knew it,â he said, delighted by the look on your face. You were so captivating when you were trying to resist smiling; it was why he never stopped teasing you. âThis must be awful for you.â
âMmhm. It is,â you said. âYouâre like a disease.â
He nodded, attempting a formal tone. âHow bad is it?â
âChronic and untreatable, Iâm afraid.â
âOh, I am so sorry to hear that.â
âYeah, thank you.â
A deep, vibrant laughter finally erupted from his chest, and he stopped walking. Tugging on your linked hands, he drew you closer and wrapped his arms around your waist before you could say another word.
âI love you so much, you know that?â he whispered, his voice low against your neck. âItâs not even funny how much.â
He rocked gently on his feet with you in his arms, and you could not tell if the vibrations you felt came from his chest or yours.
âMore than the bees love you?â you asked, your hands sliding over his shoulders.
âMuch more than the bees love me.â
âOh, must be quite a lot, then.â
âIt is,â he said, chuckling hopelessly. âIt really fucking is.â
He tightened his already firm grip until he felt your deep exhale against the side of his neck. He held you and his heartbeat chased after yours while the bustling crowds, the rustling leaves, and the solemn park benches whispered incomprehensibly around you, their frustration about your public affection lost on you.
When he pulled away a minuteâor tenâlater, he realised that his cologne had brushed off on you. There was something wildly intoxicating about you smelling exactly like him, and he needed a minute to make the park stop spinning.
âI, umââ he started to say, but his voice broke. He cleared his throat, took your hand in his to continue down the park, and tried again. âJokes aside, I feelâI really appreciate what you do for me. What youâre doing to fix my shit right now, and what youâwhat youâve always done to fix my shit. I donât say that enough. Thank you. For taking care of Sid, too.â
You shook your head. You knew you couldnât tackle Sid aloneâprobably no one could.
âThis is a team effort,â you replied. âIf this works, you can bake us all a cake later.â
Jungkook no longer had even half of a doubt that this would work, one way or the other. And if heâd stayed with you longer, he would have easily started to believe that Rated Riot would be elected presidents, tooâone after the other.
âIâm not much of a baker,â he said.
âIâll help,â you offered.
âYour help,â he responded, his smile turning mischievous, âusually consists of walking around, eating chocolate sprinkles, and distracting me.â
It was your turn to look offended.
âIâm the only one who remembers how many eggs the recipe needs,â you retorted, dignified. âHow do I distract you?â
âHow can I remember the eggs when youâre dancing and singing around me?â he countered.
He noticed the way your chin quivered as you fought to maintain a serious expression.
âWell, thatâs on you,â you said. âAny skilled chef knows to keep their staff busy so they wouldnât have time to sing and dance. Also, donât play good songs when weâre in the kitchen.â
âAlright, weâll bake in silence,â he decided. âAnd youâll do everything while I sit and order you around.â
The corners of your lips finally curled into a smirk.
âThatâs interesting,â you said, your thumb lightly brushing over his as he swayed your hands. âSwitching up the dynamics.â
He glanced at you out of the corner of his eye, very intrigued by the insinuation in your words. âYou want me to order you around?â
âI meanâŚâ You shrugged. âIâd like to see you try.â
He stopped walking suddenly, right in the midst of a group of senior ladies, forcing a few of them to gasp and walk around him with very exaggerated expressions of disbelief as though theyâd never felt more wronged (there were a few obligatory comments about âkids these days,â too, of course).
Jungkook, undeterred, took a step to the right until he was standing in front of you.
âKiss me,â he said.
The demand in his tone caught you off guard, but you tried to blink away your surprise. âI didnât mean right nowââ
âKiss me,â he repeated more assertively.
You felt your stomach lighten and go for a little float inside you, like a loose helium-filled balloon.
âWe are in the middle of a busy park,â you said, looking around. âWeâre blockingââ
âKiss me,â he interrupted again, his voice firm but lively, âor I wonât move.â
You poked the inside of your cheek with your tongue, torn between amusement and apprehension as you battled his self-assured grin, while passersby shot disapproving glances at the two of you.
âSee, thereâs ordering people around,â you said, âand thereâs acting like a three-year-old.â
He simply shrugged, relentless. âI see no difference.â
âDo I sound like a toddler when I tell you to do things?â
âSometimes.â
His satisfied grin only gained prominence when you scoffed and looked away, rolling your eyes.
You questioned, sometimes, how you managed to put up with him for so long. But then you also questioned, much more often, how youâd survived without him at all.
âIf I were a teacher,â you said, âyouâd be in detention for disrupting everyoneâs day.â
âOh! And what would I have to do?â he teased, mischief gleaming proudly in his eyes. âWrite an essay on the importance of respecting authority?â
âThat might do you good, actually,â you retorted. âMaybe you should consider writing it anyway.â
He shrugged his shoulders and cocked his head to the side. âKiss me and Iâll do it.â
He looked so utterly unfazed that you did feel very compelled to lay your hands on him and do something.
He might have been one of the most exasperating people youâve met in your life, always ready to say something cheeky no matter what you told him, always causing trouble wherever he went, never letting you breathe in peace for just one second.
You were outrageously grateful to have found him.
âPeople are staring at us,â you said, but there was no conviction in your voice. âWe look like idiots.â
Jungkook admired your cautiousness, but he wanted you to let go of it. People would always stare; he just wanted you to kiss him.
âTheyâre staring because youâre defying authority,â he countered easily.
âJungkook, justââ
âOh, see?â he cut in, his tone triumphant. âMaybe you should be the one to write that essay.â
You groaned very demonstratively, but he saw the corners of your lips lift. Finally, you took a small step towards him and pressed your lips to his in a quick peck. He pulled you into him just as you attempted to pull away, and kissed you properly.
At last, the crowds disappeared, allowing you to dissolve in the warmth of his lips and come back to life with all the shivers that ran down your spine when he touched the back of your neck. You felt his smile and felt your own, too, when he brought his tongue over yours, deepening the kiss.
âYou are insufferable,â you managed to mumble between kisses, and the affection in your voice was impossible to mistake for something else.
âI love you,â he whispered in response, each word sweet and sugary against your lips.
You kissed him once moreâto soothe your racing heartâand then once more againâto soothe hisâbefore you pulled away, whispering back, âI love you.â
Jungkook only managed half of a pleased âIââ before he felt a few soft, cold droplets land on his forehead and both of his cheeks. He raised his head.
âIs it me, or is itââ
âYeah,â you confirmed, looking up at the angry clouds. âItâs raining.â
âDo youâshould we go inside?â he asked, looking around.
There was no specific âinsideâ anywhere close to the two of you, but you looked at him again and spotted something at the very edge of the park behind him, right across a busy bike lane.
âThereâs a little gazebo over there,â you suggested, pointing.
Jungkook turned around and seemed to have an epiphany when he noticed the crooked structure.
âIn theâin the park,â he mumbled to himself, feeling a little weak in the knees. He took your hand in his again. âLetâs go.â
He led you straight into the bicycle traffic as he crossed the road, causing a commotion and undoubtedly endangering everyoneâs livesâand not even realising it in his eagerness to get to the gazebo. You attempted to raise your hand in apology to the cyclists, but quickly realised that the smile on your face likely made the gesture seem mocking.
It occurred to you that you and Jungkook were being very disruptive today, very annoying, very much in everyoneâs faces about your relationship. And you realised, as he pulled you past the groups of people running from the rain, that you did not actually mind this all that much. Or at all.
There was a certain beauty in the unapologetic way that people in love behaved in publicâgrinning at their phones, kissing at bus stops, holding hands on narrow streets barely wide enough for one person. Running across the park in the rain and stumbling into every puddle possible.
When you and Jungkook finally reached the gazebo, you were both drenched and breathless. And you realised, belatedly, that it was not a suitable shelter at all: there were no railings or benches, the roof was not only crooked, but obviously decaying, and the rain splattered you if you got too close to the edge.
But youâd been here before: caught in the rain on your way to the restaurant for your first date seven years ago, seeking refuge under a much sturdier roof of a similar gazebo in an empty park, while the vividly green treesâalmost a rarity so late in Septemberâwhispered wearily from the heavy rain on their leaves.
Youâd been here before, and you did not want to go anywhere else.
âIâm starting to think,â you began, âthat thereâs something about us that attracts rain.â
Jungkook was thinking this very thought and laughed so heartily that the rain stopped for just a second, shamed into silence by a sound far more charming than the eager pitter-patter against the roof.
âYou think we could make some money out of it?â he joked, his eyes energetic. âMaybe add a little performance to it? Rain dance?â
âWe might have accidentally performed one already,â you said, stepping closer to the edge of the gazebo to watch the raindrops splash against the damp ground.
âYouâre right,â he agreed, taking your hand in his and guiding you to face him. âLet me see.â
He brought your hand to his chest and you watched, puzzled, as he closed his eyes and pretended to concentrate very hard on the sounds around him. People across the street screeched as they ran from the rain. A stubborn gull was screeching in the exact same way somewhere overhead.
Jungkook clutched your hand tighter and hummed. He was joking, clearly putting up a show, but you heard the faint sound of distant thunder, and the joy on his face turned luminous.
âI knew it!â he exclaimed as you laughed, and the rain, encouraged by your approval, began to pour even harder.
You watched him revel in this delightful coincidenceâor an elusive signâand allowed his radiant smile to bring back the memories that you had locked away in a box you didnât dare touch unless you were half-asleep.
It had been raining on your first date seven years ago, but it had also been raining when he suggested that date. Youâd felt invincible then, the only one staying dry in the whole world, as you nearly sprinted home from the party where heâd asked you out. You stumbled over the threshold of your dorm room, your shoes wet and slippery, and landed on your knees, shouting the news to your roommate, who was startled out of bed by your loud entrance.
This was the beginning of the happiness youâd felt almost every day since then. But this happiness came with a price: you would come to class and you could not rest, could not find it in yourself to calm down, until Jungkook arrived and took his usual seat behind you. You wouldnât even have to look, youâd always know he had come because youâd feel a sudden sense of peaceâand then youâd lock eyes with him across the room.
For years after this, even today, when you tried to find a period of your life where youâd felt the happiest, these were the moments that your mind returned to.
âWhat are you thinking?â Jungkook asked, brushing a damp strand of hair from your cheek and bringing your focus back to the rainy moment with his touch.
âItâitâs been seven years and now weâre back in the rain,â you replied, distracted by the lingering echo of the years that have passed outside this gazebo. âNothingâs changed.â
A faint smile danced on his lips.
âYeah. Nothing important has,â he agreed. âI still love you.â
You met his gaze, a little thrown off. âW-what do you mean, still? That was our first date seven years ago.â
âYeah,â he said, raising his eyebrows at the confusion on your face. âOh, did you think I asked you out right after I saw you? No, no. I spent a whole year absolutely fucking pining after you before I finally mustered the courage to ask you out.â
You assumed he might have liked you a little, based on the way heâd introduced himself to you. But you obviously didnât know about his alleged year-long pining that preceded your first date. And you werenât sure if you wanted to believe him, given your own year-long pining. It made little sense for the two of you to like each other for so long and not do anything about it.
On the other hand, considering the past few years, perhaps it made perfect sense.
Your heartbeat had sped up, so you argued childishly, âno, you didnât.â
âI did. Ask anyone,â he said, grinning. He wasnât as embarrassed about this as he used to beâand your surprise made it easier for him to admit everything. âI never knew how to love you quietly. But it still took me ages to talk to you even with everyoneâs encouragement. And that, uhâour first conversation didnât go very well.â
âWaitâwhat do you mean? It went very well,â you disagreed. âI remember everything you said word for word. âWe have Sociology together, I saw you sleeping in class, very cute by the way, the professor does not know how to shut up, have you seen that new Studio Ghibli film, I recently watched their classic with some friends, My Neighbour Jungkook, Iâm Totoro by the way, I thought maybeâwaitânoâââ
He interrupted you once your smile had grown dangerously wide. âDonât you dare make fun of me.â
âI would never!â you said through laughter. âI think I knew I was in it for life the moment you said all that.â
He had to look down because the bees inside him had multiplied, spreading rapidly to his head and his lungs and his stomach, and he was a little concerned that heâd start buzzing, too.
âNot one period, nothing,â you continued, a melancholic haze in your eyes. âJust commas and an endless stream of thought. You could have asked me to bury a body, I would have said yes.â
He smiled, but everything inside of him was turning upside down, returning to normal, then turning downside up.
Every time he remembered how he approached you seven years ago, he either felt a little uncomfortable or completely mortified. Heâd never thought youâd remember that day so well and with such fondness.
âBy the way,â you added when he did not speak, âyou did look a little like you were about to confess to accidentally murdering my roommate when you started to speak.â
This finally made him chuckle, and he felt his skin thaw from the frozen state of amazement. He remembered hoping that youâd forget all about what heâd said that day. Now he realised he had never felt more thrilled that you remembered.
âI know,â he said. âI was shaking.â
âYeah. I, umââ you trailed off, needing another minute. âI had a crush on you, too, actually. For a long while.â
His smile faded, replaced by a look of criminal disbelief. âYou did not.â
You recognised your own suspicion in his words and smiled. However, unlike Jungkook, who owned up to his stressful pining and memorable first impression, you did not feel ready to confess to your silent sulking quite as easily.
âI did,â you said. âBut you turned away every time I looked at you on campus, so I thought, oh, okay. That guy hates me for some reason. Nevermind.â
âI didnâI neverââ
âI actually made a playlist before we met,â you added quickly before you could change your mind. âAnd I, uh, kept updating it throughout our relationship.â
You did not look at him when you said this, so you missed the befuddled look on his face.
âA plâyou made a playlist?â he repeated, his thoughts momentarily derailed. He couldnât even hear the rain anymore. âAnd you never told me?â
âAnd I will continue to act like you donât know about it,â you said.
He was too ecstatic to care. He hadnât dared to imagine that he would have such a strong presence in your thoughts that you would create a playlist about himâfor him? (he thought he might faint)âbefore you even met.
âNo, b-but Iâm supposed to be the one making grand gestures in our relationship, and you have a playlist about me? Ab-about us?â he questioned, almost frantic. âIs itâwell, what songs are in it? About our relationship?â
You tried to put your words together, your slow, calculated breaths a stark contrast against his passionate energy. Another clap of thunder, unusually intense, rumbled in the sky.
âSort of,â you finally answered. You thought that a playlist did not come anywhere close to everything heâd done and attempted to do for you, but you still struggled to articulate yourself. âOr songs that we both liked. Songs that we listened to together. Songs that we discovered on roadtripsâjust, uh, stuff like that.â
He shook his head, every part of his skin itching with an unfathomable urge to hear these songs.
âYou have to let me listen to it,â he stated.
âNo,â you said, giving a determined shake of your head. âItâs enough that you know it exists.â
âI will absolutely never shut up about this,â he retorted, gesturing with his hands to emphasise his commitment to being annoying, âand I might end up telling more people.â
âI will kill you if I have to,â you warned.
âSo I will haunt you, then,â he returned. âIs it on Spotify?â
You narrowed your eyes. âItâs private.â
âI am not above pulling a Sid and stealing your phone,â he said, resolute.
You snorted despite yourself.
âOkay. Fine,â you said. âMaybe Iâll give you the link after.â
Jungkook waited for further clarification, but you decided youâd said enough.
He was confused. He no longer had any clear delineations of time in his lifeâever since he found you again, his whole life had shifted to âafter.â
âAfterâafter Sid?â he asked.
âAfter everything,â you replied, unintentionally ominous as your gaze wandered to the fragmented reflections of the clouds on the rain-soaked pavement. âAfter we leave London. After we deal with the label. After it stops fucking raining every time we go out together.â
Jungkook thought he could already see these things: the Parisian streets after youâve left Sid in London, the peace after youâve told the label about your relationship, the sun in the sky after the rain lost its courage to threaten you again.
âOkay,â he relented, his features softening. âIâll hold you to it.â
Your lips curved into a gentle smile. âI know you will.â
He hummed, stepping on a loose floorboard with the edge of his boot.
âNow, then,â he said, âtell me about this crush you supposedly had on me.â
âIt was a crush,â you insisted, your voice growing more fervent right away.
Jungkook smiled but tried to remain collected. He had decided it was better for his sanity not to believe you.
âI liked you ever since I saw you at that first freshman party,â you continued and he realised that he was absolutely, without a doubt not collected at all. âI spent that entire night scrolling through the list of people invited to this event on Facebook until I found your profile. But I didnât dare to send you a friend request, becauseâwell, you know. We hadnât talked or anything. I thought maybe youâre not interested.â
He thought his heart might stop because this freshman event was where he first saw youâand for every waking and sleeping moment since then, he had been interested.
âI noticed you around campus after that,â you continued. âAnd I would have talked to you first, I think. If you hadnât looked like you dreamed of my violent death every time you met my eye.â
He groaned, rubbing his eyes with the pillows of his palms.
âWell, obviously, I liked you too much to look at you and not glare,â he said, even though none of that was obvious. âI actually thought I developed some sort of an allergy right when I first saw you.â
You raised your eyebrows. âAn allergy?â
âYeah. Shortness of breath, just feeling hot all over, sweating profusely,â he elaborated, moving his hands away from his face to reveal his faint, nostalgic smile. âThat had never happened to me before. It was either the dust in the room or you. And there wasnât a lot of dust.â
You pursed your lips before your cheeks could stretch any further.
âI donât know,â you teased, âthey donât clean the building that well.â
âIt was you,â he stated firmly. âGot my breath catching in my throat. Gave me butterflies, made my heart raceâmade me feel all the things that people write embarrassing bubblegum pop songs about.â
You looked down to collect yourself before all the signals that your heart was sending to your brain could reflect on your face.
âCatchy songs, though,â you murmured.
âCatchy, sure,â he agreed, his tone wistful. âUntil all those things they sing about happen to you, and you feel like youâre drowning.â
You felt a little like you might drown just now as your heart pounded in your chest, angry at you for another wasted year.
âIâm really happy we finally ended up together,â he said. âSeven years ago, and today.â
You finally looked up at him and remembered all the times when you used to worry that you had already lived through your happiest moments, and any little joy youâd come across later would pale in comparison. You knew better now.
Jungkook was your happiest moment, and he was right here. Heâd always been right here.
âI love you,â you said, a little suffocated by the overwhelming warmth in your chest. âIâve loved you every day for all these years.â
He was smiling so widely that his lip ring dug into his stretched lips. He reached out to caress your cheek, resting his palm on the side of your face for a moment, his eyes bright and glittering.
He kissed you slowly, his bottom lip lingering between your lips while the rain washed the noise of the city away. He tasted love and longing on your tongue, and he had never in his life wished for the sunshine to stay away longer.
The rain listened. It had become a fundamental part of your present and a prophet of your future: the two of you were going to spend the rest of your lives listening to the rain and falling in love.
Since Rated Riot had a day off and the other members let you know where they were by bickering continuously in the groupchat, you and Jungkook locked yourselves in his hotel room when you returned.
You changed into dry clothes first, and then noticed that Sid still hadnât replied to your text. In case he really hadnât received it, you sent another oneâwith just question marksâhoping that heâd interpret your repeated messages as a sign of your desperation to talk to him.
You put your phone away and climbed back into bed. The sun had already set outside the window, casting faint, elongated shadows around you in the room. You and Jungkook listened to the music playing on his phone and returned to the snacks he had bought for your film night a few days earlier.
As the song switched to the latest Bad Omens collaboration, you closed your eyes to nod along, and he reached over to snatch a chocolate-covered cherry bonbon from you, causing a spark of static electricity to pass between you.
âSorry,â he said, chuckling after he heard you gasp. âItâs from the bees, I think. They must have somehow electrified me.â
âYeah, thatâs definitely something that bees can do,â you played along, sitting up on the bed and unwrapping another candy for him. âMaybe you should take an ice bath to avoid these after-effects.â
He accepted the candy with a grin. âNo. I like shocking you when I touch you.â
To be fair, he didnât need bees or electricity for thatâbut you decided not to point that out.
You realised how much peace you felt here: listening to music and eating sweets with him across the bed from you. You didnât think there was anything you still needed in life. Watching him close his eyes as the chocolate melted on his tongue, and hearing him hum with childlike delight as he swallowed, filled an emptiness inside of you that nothingâno trips abroad, no late-night drinks, no shopping sessionsâcould have filled.
This random moment in his hotel room was nothing at all, yet it was everything.
Suddenly, your phone buzzed, startling you both.
âSid?â Jungkook asked eagerly, letting the remaining chocolate melt slowly on his fingers while you reached for your phone.
âNo,â you replied, checking the screen. âItâs Maggie. She just posted the backstage pictures with our list.â
His expression tightened. âOh.â
âThereâs nothing from Sid,â you added.
Jungkook finally popped the rest of the candy into his mouth. He decidedâquite abruptlyâthat heâs had enough discussions about Sid and everything youâve been through because of him.
âYou know what we should do?â he asked, licking the remnants of the chocolate off his fingers. âWe should go to the sea after the tour ends.â
âOhâweâyeah?â you asked, stumbling over your words. You thought it was very unfair of him to ask you this while running his tongue over his fingers all in the same breath. âWeâbut we donât know when thatâll be.â
âWhenever,â he said with a shrug. âLetâs go.â
It took you half of a second to say âokay,â and he didnât think heâd ever learn how to stop his heart from soaring every time your agreement came so quickly, so easily.
To be honest, you didnât know why he even asked. It was fairly clear that there werenât many instances where you would have refused him.
However, your response still painted his features with every warm hue in existence, and he settled back on the bed, resting his head on the pillows and closing his eyes. As you watched him, you were forced to acknowledge one more time that witnessing him like this should have required an admission ticketâand a sign reading, âdo not touch the exhibit.â
âI feel like I have everything,â he said, unknowingly echoing every sentiment you felt. âI donât even care if Sid replies to you and if our plan works.â
You leaned against the pillows on the other side of the bed and turned to your side to face him. âYeah?â
âMmhmm,â he replied, a melodious hum in his tone. He opened his eyes to meet yours and placed his hand on the pillow beneath his head. âWeâreâyouâre here with me. The tour is going well, itâsâthatâs it. Thatâs my whole dream.â
He looked beautiful in an almost devastating way. He looked like every extravagant adjective that sounded made-up when you encountered it in writing for the first time: transfixing. Beguiling. Effulgent. Pulchritudinous.
You really wanted to touch the exhibit.
âDo you know how we formed Rated Riot?â he asked suddenly, distracting you.
You raised your eyebrows, then turned your gaze away. Jungkook realised you probably didnât understand where his question had come from, but you didnât ask him anything, so he did not explain.
Truthfully, you did not know the complete story behind how Rated Riot got together. You only knew what each of the boys was doing when they first met.
âI donât know much,â you admitted. âI know that Hoseok kicked things off.â
âYeah.â Jungkook nodded, then stopped. âOr maybe Namjoon, actually? Because Namjoon saw Hoseok at some gig that he went to. When he asked about his band, Hoseok gave him, like, fifteen business cards. But even though he filled in for all these bands, it was still only maybe one gig per week. Thatâs nothing. So, Namjoon told him heâs too talented for that shit. He said he needed his own band.â
You recalled Yoongi mentioning that Namjoon was the first producer that Rated Riot have worked with, but you hadnât realised this was before the band was even formed.
Suddenly, the broken air conditioner in the room whirred back to life, interrupting your thoughts.
âS-so, they started talking,â Jungkook said, momentarily distracted by the loud noise. âHoseok wanted to be independent, and Namjoon didnât push him to sign with Jett Records back then. He helped him. Unofficially, I guess. They found Taehyung very randomly at this one after-party for somebody at our labelâwell, our future label. Namjoon took Hoseok there to network, and Taehyung just happened to be there. No one knows why, but you know Taehyung. Heâs always going to be right where he needs to be.â
âYeah,â you said, nodding knowingly. Taehyung always seemed to find his way to the people and places meant for him.
âYeah, so he was at that party,â Jungkook continued, âand he overheard Namjoon and Hoseok discussing the plan for Hoseokâs band. They were saying that they needed a bassist first. And Taehyung just chimed in like, âI play bass.â Just out of the blue. Namjoon asked him who he was, and he introduced himself. Namjoon then asked what he was doing here, and Taehyung said, âIâll tell you if you let me join the bandââwhich he never did, by the way. We still donât know what he was doing at that party.â
You chuckled softly. Knowing Taehyung, nothing in this story surprised you, but you were still impressed by how quickly his energy captivated Hoseok and Namjoon.
âSo, they let him join?â you asked.
âNamjoon claims he auditioned for them first,â Jungkook said, clicking his lips questioningly. âBut one time when Hoseok was very drunk, he admitted that heâd felt desperate. Namjoon was busy and couldnât help him much, so Hoseok had to figure things out on his own. He said he called and invited Taehyung to join right away. He thought they could find a proper bassist later, and Taehyung could fill the spot for the time being. Funny.â
âOh,â you said. âBecause he hadnât heard him play yet?â
âYeah,â he confirmed. âHe hadnât seen Taehyung even holding a bass before. So, he had doubts. I guess I get that. Anyway. He invited Namjoon to their first rehearsal and Taehyung blew Namjoon the fuck away. Thatâs it. Hoseok said that after that, he was worried Namjoon would sign Taehyung and leave him behind. Not that Namjoon would do that, but uhâyeah. Taehyung was that good.â
âTheyâre both that good,â you said. âHoseok never acknowledges his own talent.â
âRight?â he nodded eagerly, turning to his side to look at you. There was a warm smile on your lips that Jungkook really enjoyed. âTheyâre both amazing.â
âSo, how do you come into the picture?â you asked.
He took a breath before answering.
âI saw Hoseok and Taehyung playing at this dive bar that Sid dragged me to,â he said.
Your eyebrows arched in surprise. âNo shit?â
âYeah,â he said, running his tongue over his lips. âHe said I was annoying and mopey, so he kept taking me to a new place every night. There were hardly any people at this bar that night. Taehyung was singing, but he sang, like, one verse, and then they launched into the longest instrumental break Iâve ever fucking heard. And it was incredible. Shit, IâIâm more into vocal music. But seeing Hoseok and Taehyung play togetherâthere was another guitarist with them, actually, I donât even know who it wasâanyway. It made me realise how powerful instrumental music can be on its own.â
A dreamy fog had descended upon his face, and only now did you realise that the air conditioner had stopped working again, seemingly calling it a day. You appreciated the silence and the way Jungkook looked when he played back the memories in his head, his eyes shimmering with the bright lights and the sounds of the bar that night.
âI didnât know that Sid met the other members before you joined the band,â you said.
âOh, yeah,â he replied. âHe also said he could be a better bassist than âthat guy.ââ
âHeâof course,â you groaned. âWait until Luna hears this. Sheâll take care of Sid for us on Taehyungâs behalf, I think.â
He nodded, snickering. âI bet. But Sid actually left the bar before they finished their set. I stayed back. After they wrapped up, I went up to Hoseok at the bar and told him how much I enjoyed their performance. Told him I was thinking of picking up drumsââ
He paused abruptly, noticing your surprise before you remembered him mentioning this to you.
âOh, was this when you and Sid were planning to start your own band?â you asked. You had assumed they were joking.
âYeah,â he replied, snickering. He had been joking, but he still found drummers to be effortlessly cool. âSo, Hoseok delivered the longest fucking speech about what his job was like. Donât ask him about it, by the way, or youâll have to sit through three hours of him making drum sounds. But anyway, I was pretty drunk by then, and I donât know, I guess I hummed along to some song that was playing or something.â
You nodded. Jungkook was almost always humming something.
âThen Hoseok said they needed a vocalist for their band,â he continued, âbecause Taehyung didnât want to do it. And he noticed me humming, so he jokingly asked if I happened to sing. I said sometimes, nothing serious. Everybody sings sometimes. He told me to sing something for him. I told him to get fucked, weâre in a bar.â Jungkook had to pause here to let you finish laughing. âAnd Hoseok just shrugged, like, âno oneâs at the mic, why not?ââ
âThat did it for you?â you asked.
He nodded. âThat fucking did it for me.â
You laughed again, knowing that he would never shy away from anything that resembled a challenge.
âWhat did you sing?â you asked.
Jungkook gave you a look. There was only one song that always lingered at the back of his mind. You could have guessed it, really, but you were a little frightened about its significance in this context.
âYouâyou sang Biffy Clyro?â Your throat was dry all of a sudden and useless questions continued to pour out of your dumbfounded chest. âAt that bar? In front of Hoseok? âM-Many of Horror?ââ
âOf course,â Jungkook said, as if there had never been any other song he could have chosen to perform that night, besides the one that followed you and him throughout your relationship. âItâit really fucked with me, though. We had just broken up maybe a month ago, so it was still fresh, you know? And this was my first time singing âMany of Horrorâ in public, on top of that. And I wasâI didnât do well. I think I missed half the lyrics in the last chorus because it was too much.â
He snickered lightly, trying to lessen the impact of his words. You felt frozen.
âI-I was standing there,â he continued, and you could almost see it, âhiccuping to the I still believe, itâs you and me âtil the end of time, while Hoseok just watched me, expressionless. And then I drank half the bar right after I got off stage.â
He sang the two lines of the song as he shared the story, his voice quiet and tender, and you thought you must have resembled Hoseok right nowâso lost in all the emotions brewing inside you that you did not immediately realise he had stopped speaking, and it might have been appropriate for you to reply.
âY-you still sounded great, though,â you managed. âObviously.â
âYeah, maybe four people clapped. Out of the ten or so at the bar,â he said, chuckling. âHoseok told me he had to make a call, told me to stay right where I was, and then he disappeared. He returned twenty minutes later with some dishevelled guy in a turtleneck with a little hole in the collar.â
You recognised the description. âNamjoon?â
âNamjoon,â Jungkook confirmed, the smile on his face matching the one hesitantly spreading on yours. âI was fucking wasted. They were saying I had to meet with them for rehearsals, they wanted to see how Iâd sound with them. And IâmâI couldnât fucking think straight. They were telling me they wanted me to join the band, and all I could think about was that you werenât here.â
The excitement in your eyes quickly turned into pain as a sharp twinge of longing pierced through your chest. It cut into every open crevice of your heart, reminding you of the way it had bled in those first few months after you broke upâeven on this particular day, while Jungkook was struggling to get himself together in the face of his future, and you were likely at home, tossing and turning in your bed because you did not know what to do with yourself.
âI wanted to tell you so badly,â Jungkook admitted, his eyes fixed on the bedsheets, his voice filled with incorrigible regret. âBut we werenât talking anymore. I thoughtâthere was this one moment where I thought, well, whatâs the point? Whatâs the use of joining this band if I canât even tell you about it? A-and they werenât even a full group when I met them anyway. It took about two more weeks for Yoongi to join.â
You made a conscious effort to swallow the lump in your throat, and shifted your focus to Yoongi to allow for the sudden ache in your chest to subside.
âYeah, uhâYoongi mentioned that he was the last to join,â you commented, hoping to steer the conversation back to a less emotionally charged topic. âHe used to play for a different band before, right?â
âYeah. Somnia,â Jungkook said. The name did not sound familiar to you. âThey werenâtâum, going anywhere. Thatâs a very blunt way to put it, but they were just stuck. And Yoongi and Namjoon go way back. So, Namjoon called him one day and lied that he was producing for this new, promising band in need of a permanent guitarist. Said they had a solid rhythm section, but their artistic direction needed some refinement.â
âAnd, uh,â your voice was a little lighter, âI assume they had a great vocalist, too?â
Jungkook smiled. âThey did, yeah. I was trying to be modest, but you brought it up.â
You snickered, offering a nonchalant shrug. âJust trying to help you out.â
âThanks,â he replied. âYeah. So, Yoongi was the last one to join. Heâdâhe has a lot more creative freedom with us than he had with Somnia, which still isnât a lot. But itâs something. And I think that was the main reason why he left them.â
âAnd they were okay with him leaving?â you asked.
Jungkook turned on his back and sighed.
âI assume they werenât,â he said, briefly glancing at the ceiling before turning to look at you. âThatâs why he doesnât talk much about it.â
âAh.â You nodded. âMakes sense.â
âYeah, but anyway, Yoongi joined and we were complete,â Jungkook continued. âWe released this one song, âKeep Quietâ as our first single, and I think it had maybe ten streams in total on Spotify, two from each of us and Namjoon. It wasnât great, but itâs our first song together, so itâsâyou know.â
Your smile was soft, patient. You knew that the members of the band did not have many fond memories of their first single. Taehyung had once admitted to you that if they hadnât felt so pressured to release something, they would have waited.
âItâs one of your mostly instrumental songs,â you said. âIt sounds great as the introductory track at your gigs.â
âYeah, but itâitâs not really the song that introduces us as a band,â Jungkook replied. ââHauntingâ is. We released it independently, too, a few months after that first song. Thatâokay, that was in June. Some time after that, this radio DJ that Yoongi knew played âHauntingâ on his radio show as a birthday gift to Yoongi. Namjoon and Christian Jettââ
âCJ, apparently,â you cut in.
âRight. CJ,â he repeated. âThey heard the song at some event. Apparently, CJ loved it, so Namjoon told him about us. When CJ found out we werenât signed to a label, he reached out to us. It took Taehyung and me three days to convince Yoongi and Hoseok to go to that meeting. They both had some shitty experiences with record labels in the past. But we persuaded them to at least show up. CJ had us perform âHauntingâ and âCursedâ for him, and he signed us on the spot. Well, after Yoongi finished negotiating with him about our contracts.â
Your heart started to race as if you had just realised how much the universe had to align, how many intricate coincidences had to happen to lead Jungkook to his band, and to bring the two of you to this moment in his hotel room.
âWe started working on our album,â he went on, âand about four months laterâin July, right?âthe record started to finally come together. Thatâs when CJ started to look for a manager for us.â
You took a breath and finished for him, âand reached out to me.â
âYeah,â he said. âAll CJ told us was that he found someone. He mentioned that this person was already working under the label and that the band they managed had recently broken up.â
You did not interrupt the silence that followed, because you thought that Jungkook had paused for a few seconds. But he stopped speaking altogether, waiting for you to share your perspective.
âI-I was, uh, Nickâs assistant at the time,â you said, realising what the silence was for. âWe were working with The Jungle Will Get You.â You turned to Jungkook and he shook his head. âYeah, they wereâthey werenât popular. And the members werenât really motivated, especially towards the end. They split up, eventually. Nick moved on to manage Reconnaissance, and I took on administrative tasks for various bands under the label. It was only for a few months, but I thought Iâd end up buried in endless piles of papers. So, when HR called me in to tell me about Rated Riot, I pretended to know exactly who you were to get that job.â
He was smiling next to you on the bed, lost in the memories that did not hurt anymore now that he shared them with you.
âI doubt even HR knew who we were,â he said, gazing up at the ceiling and clasping his hands on his stomach. âIâm justâIâm constantlyâI donât know. I canât wrap my head around the fact that it was you that they chose for us. I mean, youâre amazing, you could have worked with any band out there. But they picked you for us.â
You grappled with the same impossible coincidence.
âIâm thinking about that, too,â you said. âYou had so much potential and CJ... I wasnât sure if he even saw it when he reached out to me. Not to mention, you and I wereâwe were broken up for two years at that point?â
âA year and seven months,â Jungkook replied.
âRight,â you said, slightly out of breath from the precision of his answer.
He turned to face you. âDid you ever consider turning down that offer to work with us after you found out Iâm in the band?â
You exhaled what little oxygen you had left in your lungs. Youâd considered many things when you saw him again that day, and you realised now that you still hadnât fully grasped all the thoughts that had passed through your mind at the time.
âFor maybe half a second,â you said. âI was very confident that we could move on from our relationship.â
He grinned. âLook how well that worked out for us.â
âMhmm, right?â you agreed, meeting his gaze. âSo professional.â
He chuckled, intoxicated by your proximity and the peace he found in the knowledge that the universe had put in a good effort to lead you two here.
âI know thatâwell, it seems like everything just fell into place to get all of you together for Rated Riot,â you said. âBut it wasnât that easy for you guys, was it?â
âYeah, no, it definitely wasnât,â he agreed. âAfter Yoongi joined, we struggled to write one fucking original song for months. We thought the band was going nowhere.â
You could see the sadness in his eyes. âIt was that bad?â
âYeah. Everything we tried to work on was shit,â he said. âWe were getting drunk every night, trying to find something that could work as our proper first song, something that could really show what sort of a band we were. And nothing worked.â
âSo, what happened?â you asked.
âYou,â he answered simply.
Your brows creased. âHowâwhat do you mean?â
âNamjoon pushed us to release something authentic for our next single,â he began. âSomething that would be more Rated Riot, and less of what Rated-Riot-wanted-to-be, which was what we did for âKeep Quiet.â This next song had to be different. Better. And so, the other guys decided to kick my ass and force me to work. They knew I was writing something, but itâit wasnât anything serious. Not like what they write. You know I canât just create shit on the spot. My lyrics have to be about something that Iâve been through. And youâreâyou are every single meaningful experience that I have had in my life. The guysâthey wanted to use that. So, youâre sort of the main reason why Rated Riot are where they areâ
You exhaled slowly, your mind filled with thoughts just like it had been the first time you walked into Rated Riotâs meeting room and saw Jungkook thereâlooking only slightly different from the music video Luna had shown you before, and remarkably different from your memories.
âAnd thatâthis is why I brought this up now,â he said. âItâs all because of you. We broke up, and Sid dragged me to that bar to help me get over you. I sang our song to Hoseok, and he brought Namjoon to convince me to join the band. I wrote âHauntingâ about you, and CJ heard it and decided to sign us. We put out several albums, filled with songs Iâve ever written for you, and now weâre on this tour. If it werenât for you, I justâw-we wouldnât be here.â
You felt your skin prickle, the sensation quickly turning to a painful sting, and you looked away. Frankly, you did not believe that your influence was this significantânot even after Jungkook had told you that it was. These events seemed like an unbelievable sequence of coincidences that he decided to treat as signs, and you found that you couldnât breathe if you looked at them as signs, too.
You felt his eyes on you and only meant to glance at him very briefly, but he held your gaze for a few moments longer, watching as a shuddering breath passed your lips. Then he propped himself up on his elbows.
âIâm going to kiss you now,â he declared, the look in his eyes so final, so determined that you were almost afraid to move when you met his gaze. âAnd then Iâm not letting you go. I donât care if Sid texts.â
Your voice was very small. âI donât care, either.â
âFuck,â was more of an echo than a real whisper as his lips finally collided with yours. The kiss was deep and vehement and full of everything that had built up inside you over this day alone.
But then his tongue met yours and you realised that this day wasnât all that special. You could have kissed him at any point of any day, and you would have still felt overwhelmed and aching, and you would have needed him right at the tips of your fingers as much as ever.
He tasted like the chocolate-covered cherry bonbons that heâd bought you because they reminded him of the summer nights youâd spent together. He tasted like the sticky homemade candy that the two of you baked when there were no other sweets in your dorm room and you craved something, but refused to leave, refused to pull away. Like the moments on the balcony of his house after you snuck away from his cousins. Like the rainy walks to class when your hair would be sticking to your face, but you couldnât stop smiling, couldnât stop looking at each other.
All the thoughts that had been screaming at you for the past fifteen minutes suddenly quieted down as he leaned closer until he was hovering over you, one of his hands on the side of your face.
He felt shivers on the back of his neck when your tentative fingers found their way to his hair. He exhaled softly against your mouth and stilled momentarily when he heard your quiet whimper in response to his kiss, to his breathing, to him.
The room suddenly spun completely out of control around him.
He needed you so much and for such a long time that every time you were with him, every time you kissed him, he worried that he was dreaming again. So he kissed you harder, held onto you tighterânot wanting to find out if he was asleep, not wanting to wake up.
He unbuttoned your denim jacket without pulling away and slid it off your arms, holding the side of your neck with one of his hands. His kiss was so deep, so riveting that you felt your lungs give up, felt them pack up and leave, forcing you to breathe him instead.
His hands caressed your shoulders, finding the straps of your shirt and sliding them down your armsâand then stopping abruptly when he realised that you werenât wearing anything underneath.
Exhaling shakily, he pulled backâlightheaded and winded and completely obsessed with youâjust to look at you for a minute. There was a playful grin on his lips when he kissed you again.
You pulled away enough to ask, âwhat?â
âNothing,â he murmured in-between kisses, âyouâre fucking perfect. But I want this off.â
He pulled you closer and you instinctively bucked your hips off the bed, causing a momentary hitch in his breath. He lifted the hem of your shirt, pulling the material up and tracing the invisible symbols on your skin along your ribs, your chest, and your arms. Tossing your shirt aside without looking, he leaned back in, yearning for the feel of your lips on his again and accepting that he could not last one minute without you. Perhaps not even one second.
He felt your hand on his chest, trailing down to the edge of his black t-shirt and distracting him from the kiss with the softness of your touch. You lifted his shirt up to his chestâas far as it would go without breaking the kissâand felt him hiss at the cold sensation of your bare fingertips on his stomach.
âIâm sorrââ you began, but the second you pulled away to apologise, he leaned in to capture your lips in another kiss.
âNo.â His whispers were frenzied against your lips. You could have electrocuted him with your touch, sliced him into pieces with your fingers, and he would have thanked you for it. âNo. Youâd-donât apologise. Youâre perfect.â
He heard the way you cursed under your breathâunder his breath, tooâand he found it hard to inhale against the pressure in his stomach, against the tightness in his jeans. He was humming with near desperation when you pulled him closer, running your hands over his arms, your touch gentle enough to truly kill him.
He was frantic, eager to touch you, to feel your arms, your thighs, your chest, your neckâall of youâbefore someone interrupted you. Before his time with you ended. He knew he had the rest of his life to spend with you, but now he worried it still wouldnât be enough.
His tongue moved over yours, his kiss deep, rushing, dizzying. He did not need to look to find the button on your pants, unclasp it, and slide the rough material down your thighs, swallowing a moan when he felt you shivering under his touch.
He quickly pulled his own shirt over his head and tossed it aside before kissing you again, high on the sound of your lips smacking against each other. He shuddered when your hands unexpectedly met his on the belt of his jeans.
âLet me do it,â you asked in a whisperâbut he was wholeheartedly yours at that moment, and you didnât even have to ask.
âOkay,â he complied, allowing you to gently push him back onto the bed.
Closing his eyes, he savoured the newfound sweetness from your kiss on his tongue. He felt you shuffle closer to him on the bed and had to take a sharp breath when one of your hands slid down his abdomen to his jeans.
You leaned over to kiss him again, and he brokeâonly capable of lying idly for so longâreaching for you and caressing your shoulders and your arms. He made it almost impossible for you to keep doing what you were doing; unruly wildfires blazed everywhere he touched you.
Jungkook was determined not to break the kiss even as you undid his belt and unzipped his jeans. He thought he did well. But then he lifted his hips off the bed to help you pull his jeans off and you brushed your fingers over the bulge in his boxersâyour touch featherlight against the materialâand he was very nearly finished.
He whimpered lightly into the kiss, his breaths growing heavier, his hands growing greedier. You made sure to hold one of his hands in yours to prevent him from flipping you over on the bed, and he responded to that by cheating: he held onto you tighter and attempted to pull you closer every time he gently bit your bottom lip and you got distracted by the pleasant sting.
Finally, you managed to slide his boxers down his thighs, catching each of his heavy breaths on your tongue. You pulled back, and he was about to protest until he saw you throw one of your legs over his, straddling his hips.
He watched you slide your panties down your legs while hovering over his thighs and he wasnât sure how long ago heâd stopped blinking. Mesmerised by the sight, he didnât immediately rush to assist you in maintaining your balance as you lifted one knee off the bed.
Once he recovered enough to remember to inhale, he sat up and pulled you flush to his chest. You gasped in surprise when he hooked his fingers behind the waistband of your panties and slid them down your legs faster.
âI said let me do it,â you reminded him with a pout, and he kissed you instead of replying, too impatient to wait.
Your hands slipped down his chest and your hips bucked into his just barely, but he exhaled deeply, breaking the kiss. You used the moment while he was dazed to push him back into the pillows.
He fell back on the bed, knowing very well that heâd been in this position beforeâwith you on top of him, your fingers tracing over his length before finally wrapping around the baseâbut he still shivered, throwing his head back into the pillows. He still kept his eyes fixed on your face when you started to move your hand in gentle strokes, killing him a little more with each movement of your wrist.
âFuck,â he sighed. âAt least letâl-let me touch you.â
He phrased it like a request, but he did not mean it like one. You didnât resist when he reached for you, his hands travelling over your thighs, lingering on your lower back, squeezing your ass, and pulling your hips into his.
One of your hands had come to rest on his chest for support while you continued to stroke his length in deliberately slow, languid motions. You could feel him getting harder under your touch, and you closed your eyes, your teeth sinking into your lip.
He could not look away from you. He wanted to be the one to bite your lips, but he couldnât move close enough to you with your hands on him. He settled for exploring the skin on your hips, sliding his hands up and down your thighs. Soon, you felt the tips of his fingers brush lightly over your stomach and then descend lower to slip between your folds.
He exhaled deeply through his mouth when he felt how wet you were, and that was enough for himâhe would have found a way to hold you tightly against his chest even if you were across the world from him.
In a flash, he was sitting up, connecting your lips again and bringing his tongue over yours while he gathered the wetness between your folds with his thumb. Your grip on his length tightened instinctively, and Jungkook groaned, automatically applying more pressure to the sensitive bundle of nerves on your clitâjust enough to have you arch your back into him.
He felt you move faster, squeezing the base and speeding up until your fingers brushed over his tip. Trying to fight back a moan, he reflexively bucked his hips into your hand while two of his fingers teased your entrance, sliding over your wet folds in a teasing, tickling motion. You broke the kiss, sighing and dropping your head on his shoulder.
He didnât give you much time to catch your breathâyou didnât give him any of that, so he thought this was only fairâas he kissed along your jaw, gently sucking on a spot on the nape of your neck. His fingers continued stimulating your clit with a combination of light, fast circles and harder, slower strokes that he knew would make you break for him.
âF-fuck, wait,â you exhaled, grabbing his wrist to stop his movements. âI w-want you.â
âYou have me, my love,â he whispered back, running his tongue over the faint mark heâd left on the sensitive skin of your neck and humming, his tone gravelly and rasp, when you hissed at the feeling. âAll of me.â
You gripped his wrist tighter. âLie back.â
He didnât immediately obey, opting to use his only free handâthe one you couldnât hold, because you needed both hands to stop his determined fingers from drawing you any closer to the edgeâto squeeze your ass and pull your hips over his length instead.
âLie back,â you ordered again, your words firm, but breathless. It started a raging flame in his lower stomach, but he still resisted a little moreâkissing you again, sucking on your tongue, sliding his hands over your thighs, and nearly making you lose it before he finally leaned back against the pile of pillows.
Jungkook still thought he was doing fairly well, considering the burning on his skin and inside him, but watching you unwrap a condom package and slide the latex down his lengthâtorturously slowly, it seemed to him, to really test his limitsâhe thought he might lose it, after all.
You felt him jerk slightly in your hand, sensitive as you rolled the condom down his length, and your deep exhale blended with his sharp inhale. He locked the sound of your breathing somewhere deep in his mind, too focused on your touch to revel in it right now, but far too inspired by the response your body had to his to forget it altogether.
He bit his lip, his eyes locked on yours as you positioned yourself over his length. He was convinced that you were teasing him on purpose when you brought his tip closer to your entrance and then paused. He could already feel the wetness of your folds on him, and the second he lifted his hands to touch you, he was forced to let them drop in utter defeat when you finally slid his tip in.
âFuck,â he whispered, his eyes rolling back at the feeling of your tight, warm walls as you struggled to take all of him in at once, and stopped, most cruelly, halfway in.
You looked breathtaking on top of him and there wasnât a single coherent thought in his mind, so he couldnât offer to help you anymore, couldnât even guide you down on his length. He could barely stay still, biting his lip and clutching the sheets so he wouldnât ram his hips into yours.
âYouâll kill me,â he whispered in a strained voice when you lifted your hips again, sliding his length over your folds, but not slipping it back inside.
Finally, you lowered yourself on him again, taking all of him in, inch by inch, and a soft sigh escaped your lips before you could stop yourself. âO-oh.â
You had to suppress another whimper when your hips met his, the stretch of his length stinging pleasantly. He hissed at the feeling, his hands flying to your hips to keep you in place.
His touch reminded you of Amsterdam suddenly: of the way he had held you, the way he had felt after all these years.
You wanted him so much that it no longer felt like a simple wish. He felt like a necessity and you could not understand how youâd ever managed to go on with your day when he wasnât in the room with you.
You needed a moment to adjust to him and Jungkook watched you all through it. Even though he was barely able to keep his eyes open, he took in all of your reactions as the initial sting subsided and your hips twitched against his.
âFuck,â he whispered. âMove for me, love. Please?â
You sighed as his endearing wordsâand the loving lilt in his voiceâlit up your stomach and made you involuntarily clench around him. He groaned, digging his fingers into your hips. You had told him to lie back, but he wasnât sure how much longer he could obey.
Finally, you began to move and he threw his head back, swallowing hard at the feeling. You rotated your hips in slow circles, allowing his entire length to delicately rub the walls inside you, and he could not remember when heâd last felt you like this. He could not remember anything outside this room, and when you rested both of your hands on his chest for balance, he seemed to forget his own name, too.
âFuck,â was a soft, jagged breath that got caught in his throat as he watched you in the dimly lit room. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness enough to make out your silhouette, and he squeezed your ass tighter so he wouldnât immediately lose it at the sight.
You drew back all of a sudden, placing one hand on his chest and resting the other against the mattress, right by his arm. You pulled your bottom lip in with your teeth as you lifted your hips, then slowly lowered yourself on him again. It took you a moment to find your rhythm, and Jungkook parted his lips, inhaling sharply through clenched teeth every time your thighs met his.
You shifted your weight to your knees to increase the pace and he nearly choked on his breath when you placed your hands on his shoulders and bounced your hips against his, his length gliding against your velvety walls.
âY-youâoh, fuck. You look s-so beautiful,â he stammered, his hands travelling from your hips to your waist, then back down again.
Love and lust burned in his darkened eyes when he looked up at you, his hair falling in messy curls around his face. His chest rose and fell underneath you, the muscles on his abdomen tightening each time you sank down on him again.
You watched him like this and you changed your mind about describing him; an adjective that would fit him had not been invented yet.
You tried to respond to his words, but he suddenly lifted his hips off the bed to meet you halfway and knocked all breath out of your lungs, forcing a soft whine to pass your lips instead as you leaned into him, losing your balance.
It was starting to get too muchâhow deeply he reached inside of you, how tightly he held onto youâand Jungkook noticed it right away. Squeezing your hips, he adjusted his position by bending his knees for a better angle and bouncing you on his lap very slowly once, then twice, before pulling you into his chest and thrusting into you faster.
Curses and almost desperate whines fell from your lips, matching the rhythm of his skin slapping against yours. He knew he had hit your sweet spot when he felt your nails digging into his chest, when you tightened around him, when your strained breaths got louder, when your teeth grazed his collarboneâand he growled, gripping your hips tighter and trapping you against his chest with his other arm.
âJungkookââ you panted, barely able to speak, and the sound of his name on your lips ignited the room around him.
He grunted softly and flipped you both to your sides, pulling your back into his chest by wrapping his arms around your waist and chest, his grip firm, deliberately inescapable, but his fingers gentle as he teased your nipples. His thrusts were slower at this new angle, but now they were deep and hard. It was your increased breathing and louder, uncontrollable chants of his name that encouraged him to speed up.
âFuck,â he exhaled. And again, louder when you clenched around him, âf-fuck.â
This position allowed him to reach even deeper inside you and the way your walls sucked him in was as blissful as it was worrisomeâhe wanted this to last, and he didnât think it would. Not when he had you so close to him, inhaling the scent of your apple shampoo, peppering breathy kisses on the side of your neck, feeling the goosebumps that he brought to your skin when he caressed your nipples, and thinking he might actually explode every time your body jolted against his with each one of his thrusts.
He slid one of his hands down your navel and kept his palm right above your entrance for a distracted minute, feeling himself move in and out of you, and groaning into your shoulder before lowering his hand to your clit. You writhed against him as he rubbed on a soft, gummy spot there, bringing you dangerously close to your high.
âFuck, Jungkook,â you whimpered, almost helplessly clutching his arm that was wrapped around your chest. âIâmâs-so close.â
âIâm here, my love,â he whispered. âCome for me.â
Anything you were going to say died on your tongue when you felt his lips on your neck again. His fingers continued to massage the soft spot between your folds and your walls clenched and pulsated around him with each thrust of his hips. White clouds gathered on the edges of your vision and a low moan passed your lips as the knot in your stomach tightened.
Jungkook felt you tremble in his arms and pulled you into his chest harder. Keeping quiet had stopped being an option for you when he pressed on your clit with the pillows of his fingers, his hips continuously drilling into youâhe remembered the spot you liked, and he made sure to hit it every time. He felt you tighten again, so close to your peak, and he relished in your loud whimpers.
Pulling his lip ring in with his teeth, he held you tightly against him to maintain a steady pace, his strokes assured and calculated, to push you completely over the edge. He fell impossibly more in love with you when his name got caught in your throat with your breath.
âFuck, youâre so pretty,â he cooed as you writhed in his arms, coming down from your high. âS-so prettyâoh, fuck, my loveâwhen you come for me.â
The anticipation of his own climax soon caused his hips to start moving with a certain frenzy, and he pulled all the way out before plunging himself into you again and fully bottoming out.
âOh, fuck, fuck,â he grunted breathlessly, twitching inside of you.
His hips stilled completely and he cursed again, spilling himself into the condom. Groaning deeply, he drove his hips into yours instinctively, this way prolonging his pleasure and the time he spent watching you bite your lip in an attempt to stay quiet. He thought he heard you whisper a breathless I love you and he was convinced he came again just at the sound of it.
He buried his face into the crook of your neck and his voice cracked in the middle of his breathless chants, âfuck, I love you so muchâI-I love you so fucking muchââ
He still didnât release his grip on you, lifting his head to kiss your neck again, while the two of you tried to recover and accepted, eventually, that you probably never truly would.
âFuck,â he exhaled. Then, again, from the back of his throat, âfuck.â
You turned around as much as you could with his arms around you, and met his lips with your own, humming into the kiss and causing him to lose his sanity againâalthough, to be perfectly honest, he wasnât sure if heâd even regained it yet.
Your bodies remained locked in an almost desperate embrace for another minute, your lips moving leisurely against each other as your breaths mingled and the roomâbut not your heartsâquieted down.
Unfortunately, you had to strain your neck to kiss him from this position, and Jungkook ended up having to let go of you. He pulled out carefullyâthe gentle contact still making you hiss from sensitivityâand helped you roll to your other side to face him.
After pressing another kiss to your lips, he grabbed a stray pillow and placed it next to your head. He touched your chin gently, prompting you to lift your head so he could slide the pillow underneath.
You smiled at the unnecessary, but very appreciated gesture. âI love you.â
His chest contemplated bursting.
âI love you,â he replied. âSo much that I am notâI donât want you to leave this room. Or my bed, actually. I want to stay with you every second of every day, and Iâm okay if every court would qualify me as insane for that.â
You snickered into the pillow, your expression radiant. âI donât think youâre insane.â
He grinned and got up to discard the condom before climbing back into bed.
âAnd I want to stay, too,â you added, closing your eyes.
He pressed a kiss to your cheek as he got comfortable on the bed. âNot just tonight, but always?â
âOf course,â you whispered, your voice turning lighter, âbut I do have my own room.â
He settled in his spot next to you and draped an arm over your waist with a soft grunt. âFuck if I knew why.â
He pulled back slightly to see your laughter. You didnât seem like you were going to object or tell him that you should leave, but he still caressed your cheek, bringing his fingers over the smile lines by your lips that he had caused. His heart fought fiercely against his mind at the sight of them. He was almost ready to call Rated Riotâs next song âSmile Linesâ and just sigh dreamily into the microphone for five minutes while Yoongi played gentle piano chords in the background.
âI think you should stay with me everywhere we go,â he said, leaning in to connect your lips in a deep, lingering kiss. His voice was a whisper against your mouth, âso we could do this again. And again. And again.â
You broke the kissâand he would have been very upset about that, but you did that to laugh again, and he understandably forgot everything he was thinking of doing.
âYou have a show tomorrow,â you reminded him gently, your eyes warm.
He shrugged. âSo weâll have to take a break for a few hours.â
You pressed your lips together, trying to contain your smile to an appropriate level. âHmm.â
He rested his forehead against yours. âSounds good?â
âYou are messing with my head,â you whispered.
He grinned, pressing his lips to yours again. âI love you.â
You kissed him back but made sure to click your lips in feigned disapproval as you pulled away. âWhat did I just say?â
âYou messed with mine first,â he countered, his quiet laughter blending with the warmth of your kiss.
He had already stolen all air from your lungs, robbed your mind of every thought you possessed before him, and kept your heart hostageâand now he was beaming like he knew very well heâd done all that. Like he wasnât one bit sorry about ingraining himself in your life so much that it felt like you shared one soul, and it had stayed with him after you broke up: forcing him to suffer from the weight of it, while you searched for something missing inside you.
âI love you,â you said again. Your words were a whisper and they got lost on his tongue but found their way to his heart anyway.
Planting a few quick, butterfly kisses to your lips, he leaned back against the pillows, keeping his palm on the side of your face so he could rub gentle circles over your cheek with his thumb.
He loved you, and sometimes this love was all that he could think about.
Other times, however, the shadows in the room grew just a little darker.
âSid hasnât replied, huh?â he asked quietly, reluctantly.
You sighed, shaking your head. Your phone had been silent all night, and the more you tried to ignore the silence, the more noticeable it became.
âShould I text him?â he suggested. âTo poke the bear a little.â
You frowned and felt your stomach sinkâa feeling that Jungkook made even worse by pulling away from you and allowing for the brutal, cold air of the room to fill the space where his hand had been.
âWhat do you mean?â you asked, sitting up.
He rolled over to grab his phone from the nightstand.
You moved closer to be able to see the screen over his shoulder. You frowned the whole time, but it really did not take Jungkook more than a minute to compose a message that almost sparked an argument between the two of you.
After some relatively mild back and forthâconsisting of your annoyed, âI told you I want to keep you out of thisâ that was followed immediately by his melodramatic, âIâm doing this because I love youââthe two of you reached a compromise.
Look, his text to Sid read. I know youâve been texting my girlfriend. Stop. Letâs keep this shit between us.
This wasnât the full truth. After sending you a few mocking texts after he posted that picture to his Instagram, Sid hadnât texted you anything else. You werenât sure if this would even provoke a response, but Jungkook was convinced. He sent the text and pulled you back onto the pillows despite your protests.
âIâm sure itâll only be a few minutes,â he said. âUntil he texts you.â
Sure enough, he did.
Just as you lied down next to Jungkook, just as he intertwined your hands, his fingers toying with yours, just as you were about to forget your phone altogetherâjust then, the text finally came.
Your eyes widened, but Jungkook had the decency not to gloat. Instead, he wrapped his arms around you until the beating of your heart returned to a reasonable pace. Then he let you sit up again and reach for your phone.
Sidâs message read, âeager to talk to me now?:)â and you breathed out a sigh of relief as soon as you showed the text to Jungkook.
âAlright,â you said, content. You didnât even need to respond to him anymore, heâd already started the next step of your plan. âNow weâre good to go.â
Jungkook, smiled, nodding and extending his hand to pat the bed. You lied back down and he wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you closer to feel your skin against his again. His breathing was soft on your neck and you smiled back, finally losing yourself in the calming darkness of his room and the warmth of his touch.
For one blissful minute, you focused on his breathing and traced the edges of his tattoos, and felt as though nothing bad, nothing hurtful or upsetting had ever happened to either of you.
âWill we be okay, do you think?â you asked wearily. âTomorrow.â
He was taken aback by the question, you could tell from the way his breathing increased, but his response was quick and certain.
âWeâre already okay,â he said. âToday and tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and the dayââ
âI love you,â you interjected softly, successfully stopping him.
âThank you,â he said. âI would have kept going.â
You grinned. âI know you would have.â
He snickered, pulling you closer until you nestled your face into his neck and rested your hands on his chest, tapping, every now and then, to the beat of his heart.
âSleep,â he whispered. âFor a few hours, at least.â
You leaned your head back enough to press a gentle kiss on the corner of his lips instead of replying.
Jungkook hummed and melted into you, easing his grip to give you some space to breathe, but still remaining attached to you like he was a part of you and you were a part of him.
He could have stayed with you like this, he thought, for the rest of his life. And for at least a hundred more lives after that.
chapter title credits: sleep token, âgiveâ
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#jungkook x reader#jungkook smut#jungkook fluff#jungkook angst#jungkook fanfiction#jungkook x you#bts x reader#bts smut#bts reactions#bts imagines#bts scenarios#bts x you#bts fanfiction#jungkook fanfic#bts fanfic#bts fic#bts au#jungkook au#jeon jungkook x reader#jeon jungkook fanfiction#bts rockstar au#jungkook rockstar au
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I miss my girls...đŽâđ¨
#jennie#jennie blackpink#kim jennie#blackpink jennie#jennie kim#jisoo aesthetic#jisoo icons#jisoo lockscreens#jisoo lq#kpop bios#mona lisa#lisa rockstar#jisoo packs#taehyung wallpaper#taehyung headers#taehyung icons#kim taehyung#namjoon#bts jin#jungkook icons#yoongi#fypă#taylor swift#the weeknd
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Jeon jungkook mood board.
We don't pray for love, we just pray for cars. đď¸ @theweeknd`s Starboy â
Happy new year!! đ
#jungkook layouts#jungkook twitter layout#role play#rp help#jungkook rp#taegguk#taekook aesthetic#taekook icons#jungkook icons#taekook are boyfriends#taehyung and jungkook#jungkook twitter headers#jungkook theme#jungkook rockstar#jungkook moodboard#lq jungkook#jungkook lq#jungkook messy icons#jungkook instagram
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spotted | jjk
plot |Â This is how it started for the princess and the rockstar.
words |Â 3.8k
genres |Â fluff, modern royalty!au, celebrity!au
pairing |Â rockstar!jungkook x princess!reader
note |Â hi!! this is my first entry for this series and I'm so excited to write more about this pair in the future. let me know your thoughts! enjoy reading :)
main masterlist | drabble series
Royal Sisters, Princesses YN and Astrid Spotted Dancing at Sweet Septemberâs Concert
On Friday night, the princesses were snapped watching the rock band at Crystalline Stadium.
Following the closing of the Royal Games earlier that day, Princesses YN, 25, and Astrid, 19, were spotted attending another big event in the country: Sweet Septemberâs first Denim Jungle stop.
Fans of the rock band were stunned to see the two royalties in the said concert. Although the two sat in secluded seats in the stadium, they still attracted attention. Some concertgoers managed to capture pictures and short clips of the royalties enjoying the bandâs performanceâ mostly Princess Astrid.
The usual contrast between the royal sisters is evident during their presence. Princess Astrid sported a rock-themed outfit with her oversized black leather jacket, red graphic tank top, flare jeans, and platform boots. On the other hand, Princess YN stayed true to her classy fashion style, wearing a black and white-collared Prada dress and knee-high boots. Both princesses wore black sunglasses during the whole event. The youngest sang and danced along to Sweet Septemberâs tracks while the crown princess just nods her head to the beat.Â
Worry not! Princess Astrid made Princess YN jump and dance along with her during the bandâs performance of their hit song, My Fair Lady.
âYou two will have your own entrance and exit spots. Ronnie and Ben would accompany you two to the entrance and would meet you at the same gate after the concert.â
Your fatherâs trusty courtier, Eddie, guided you and your sister with what youâre supposed to do. There were rules you have to remember. Especially since Astrid practically begged your parents to not have bodyguards with her in this event. Your father only agreed to let her come if you come too, knowing that you rarely go out outside of your royal duties. But since you love your sister, you agreed to go even though you donât really listen to Astridâs types of music.
After the closing of Zafiroâs Royal Games earlier this day, your parents left for a conference in Scotland. That reason made you in charge of your younger sister. But since you two donât really live in a simple household, you are still looked after by your Royal Staff for your safety.
âIs that all, Uncle?â
Astrid already had her arms crossed as she asked that. Itâs been fifteen minutes since your car arrived in front of this secret entrance to the concert. But because of the Kingâs instructions, you and your sister are now itching in your seats to go.
Eddie smiled, noticing your sisterâs tone, âI know you are excited about this concert, Your Royal Highness. But His Majesty still has one last message⌠and this is a very important one so listen.â
Your sister is ready to let out an exaggerated sigh. You are ready to calm down her rising shoulders. But Eddie continued,
âPlease remind my lovely girls to enjoy the night amidst my tiring instructions. Take pictures and sing along. I would love to hear stories from them about this very important concertâ based on what my Astrid saidâ when I and my queen get back from our short trip to Scotland. Follow what your Uncle Eddie says.â
A small smile formed on your lips with that. Finally, Eddie lets you two go with your bodyguards until the gate. Then, Gerald, a nice concert staff, welcomed you into the venue and led you and your sister to your seats.
âOh, my god. I cannot believe Papa let us come here alone.â your sister said as she slipped the Xyloband into her wrist.
âI knowâŚâ your voice trailed off when you heard the people singing along to the song playing not too far away. You turned to the staff, âExcuse me, is the concert starting already?â
âNo, Maâam. Weâre just playing the bandâs music videos before they perform on stage. But they will be performing in a few minutes.â
You nodded with that. You went to concerts before, but not like this one. You liked jazz and classical music and would always try to go to concerts whenever you can. Those concerts are very much different than this bandâs.
âThese are your seats, Your Royal Highnesses,â Gerald spoke.
âThank you so much.â you and Astrid said as you walked to the two empty seats.
With that, the staff left you. The seats are not that close or far from the main stage and itâs in the center. For safety purposes, your father and the security team agreed to not put you two in the floor spots where you can see the band better. Still, Astrid finds these spots great.
You assumed your father pulled some strings to make this possible since you heard from Astrid that the tickets were sold out as soon as itâs started selling. It made you wonder whatâs good in Sweet September. You probably heard about them before, mainly because Astridâs a rock-music enthusiast, but you donât really know anything about them. Except that they recently worked with UNICEF for a campaign focused on cyberbullying. But you know nothing about their music.
âOh, look at that! Look at those signs!â
Your sister was laughing while she points her finger somewhere. Your eyes followed where she was pointing.
DEAR CARTER, IâM A DRUMMER TOO. LET ME ROCK YOU! ;)
I SOLD MY CAR FOR THIS
MARRY ME MINGYU
HAIL KING WOOSUNG
CAN YâALL BE MY VALENTINE <3
Among those aggressive signs, there is one that made your eyes stretch wide and look away.
JUNGKOOK LET ME PUT OIL ON YOUR ABS
What was that supposed to mean? You wanted to ask Astrid but she was already talking to another fan whoâs seating beside her. The said fan seemed surprised and delighted at the same time when she locked eyes with you for a second. You just smiled. As a highly-regarded crown princess, you know that they least expect you to show up in a rock concert next to them.
You then turned to your other side, where you immediately locked eyes with a lady who seemed a bit older than you. She instantly looked away and slowly looked back after a few seconds. She probably thought you were not looking at her anymore. But you are. And you can tell who she is by her awkward aura and stiff movements.
Part of showing respect to royalties, the public cannot talk to you until you speak with them first. So you decided to say something directly.
âDid the King hire you?â you asked her in a small whisper.
You donât Astrid to hear it. You want her to focus on the fact that she is free from your parentsâ overprotectiveness tonight. You can see the hesitation on her face but you can already tell that she is a secret security Eddie hired.
âItâs fine. I understand.â you gave her a reassuring smile. âPlease, enjoy the concert too.â
The woman nods and bows subtly. You turned away. Astrid already has new friends. Between you two, she definitely is the friendlier one. Itâs not like you are hostile. But she is just more carefree than you. Ever since you were a kid, you already followed the rules by the book. You know that you are in line for the throne and you need to be rightful for it. So you always try to be professional in your duties. You studied and work for your country.
âItâs a surprise to see you in here, Your Royal Highness.â one of Astridâs new friends said.
âPlease, just call me Astrid or you can add that princess title if youâre uncomfortable with calling me by name.â she quipped and they laughed. âActually, the King only let me come here when Princess YN agreed to accompany me.â
Her friendsâ mouths all formed into a small o. You waved at them, and they bow their heads. Suddenly, the lights slowly dimmed down and everyone began screamingâ including Astrid. To say that your sister is excited was an understatement. Itâs like she slept with a hanger in her mouth with how wide sheâs smiling. Your cheeks hurt for her. But youâre happy to see her happy.
Taps on the microphone can be heard before someone cleared their throat, building up everyoneâs excitement. You stood there, just listening to them and observing.
âEveryone, welcome to the denim jungle!â
Someone began playing a good riff on a bass guitar. The bandâs silhouette is recognizable on stage. In the first beat of the drum, the lights snapped open. There, your eyes directly spotted the lead vocalist.
Droplets of sweat made his skin feel gluey as he ran his hand through his damp dark hair. His plain form-fitting white top is almost useless with how it almost got transparent with his body. His chest heaves as he removes his earpiece.
âGreat show tonight, boys!â
A staff greeted them on their way down from the stage. After almost three hours of singing, playing with instruments, and interacting with the audience, Jungkook can finally feel relief in his body. With his throat feeling a little sore earlier, he was careful with it throughout the whole concert.
âOkay, letâs take a picture first!â a staff declared.
Jungkook, Carter, Mingyu, and Woosung lined up and posed for a couple of pictures that their staff would post later. After that, the four talked about their performance as they cool off.
âMy earpiece is a mess.â Woosung shared. âI cannot hear the drums well. I think it stopped working for a few seconds during Blue Skies.â
âOkay, we have extra of those. You can test your new one in your next rehearsals.â Tara, their manager, responded.
The others shared their thoughts for tonight. Jungkook just listened for the sake of his throat. When he felt it getting strained, he cleared his throat and reached for a bottle of water.
âHow are you feeling now?â Mingyu tapped his shoulder.
âThe same,â he answered shortly. âIt didnât feel better or worse than earlier.â
âWell, letâs go back to the hotel to let our Jungkook rest,â Carter replied.
The others agreed before standing up from the soft couch. Jungkook is already heading straight to their dressing room when Tara spoke.
âBy the way, you had very special guests tonight. It made tonightâs tag trend worldwide on Twitter.â
Being trending is not new with the group. Ever since they started the tour a month ago, they have been on various social media trend lists every other day. They also had bid celebrities and personalities as part of the audience before.
âWho? The king?â Mingyu joked, making the others chuckle.
Tara clicked her tongue, âEh, close. Itâs his daughters, the royal princesses.â
The boys stopped in their tracks. Even Jungkook froze. He did not even notice his members simultaneously turning their heads in his direction. As if they were waiting for him to say something. Instead, it was Tara who spoke again.
âMaybe we can meet them.â
All while the concert was happening, a fan who was also present in the event posted a stolen picture of you and Astrid. It led to your name and Astridâs trending. Fans were excited to see royalties in such an event.
@/rockjeykey: no one told me princess astrid is a fan
@/denimparty: SOMEONE TELL JUNGKOOK ABOUT THIS
@/CRAYONNO7: YOOOOO i was just a few seats next to them! THEY ARE SO NICE AND FUN I HAD SMALL TALKS WITH THEM PRINCESS YN SAID SHE LIKES MY BAND SHIRT
Replying to @/CRAYONNO7
- @/eunwoobass: ur so lucky!!!
@/ASTRIDLOML: iâd like to think yn is astridâs forever chaperone in events đ¤Ł
Replying to @/ASTRIDLOML
- @/crownprincessyn: haha going to a rock concert is not so yn đđ
@/multifandommyg: imagine having zafiroâs princesses as your fans
@/sweetmonthof9th: i want to see the boys' reactions đ
@/cartermatters: lolololol mingyu would be teasing the hell out of jkÂ
@/ZafiroRoyaltyNews: Princesses YN and Astrid attended Sweet Septemberâs concert after todayâs royal events! đ⨠#DenimJungleInZF [insert photos]
@/SweetSeptember_twt: Hey! Hey! Hey! Rubies are red. Sapphires are blue. You guys are a gem that is hard to find! A big đ to Zafiro. Thank you all for coming tonight! #DenimJungleInZF
âThank you so much!â
Your mouth felt dry. You lost track of how many times you gulped throughout the whole performance as your eyes focused on someone. You felt like in a hazeâ a very hot one.Â
Jungkook.
Thatâs his name, right? Whoever he is, he has the prettiest voice. You rarely listen to their genre of music but you managed to be entertained the whole time. But you donât know why. When you saw him in that white shirt after he removed his leather jacket on stage, your brain stopped working for seconds. Itâs probably because you didnât expect him to have that arm sleeve tattoo.Â
Itâs so pretty.
Heâs so pretty.
âOh! That was so much fun! Thank you so much for going here with me.â Astrid cut off your thoughts. âI know this isnât your type of music. So, I really appreciate you here with me.â
She jumped to hug you and you hugged her back, trying to cleanse off the thoughts in your mind. You just excuse your reaction now as a shock since this is your first rock concert. After saying goodbye to her friends, Astrid pulled you with her out of your seats. She continued talking to you about her excitement. You tried to listen but failed. You just remembered that lead singer playing with that guitar like his life depended on it. His fingers were smooth on playing that thing like heâs used toâ
âExcuse me! Excuse me! Princess YN! Princess Astrid!â
Again, you snapped out of your thoughts. Both you and Astrid turned your head back when you heard your names. The lady who was next to you during the concert is now wearing her security earpiece. She was probably following you two since you walked out but you didnât notice for obvious reason. She also looked at that someone who called for you.
That someone was also a concert staff. You read that card that she wears in her lanyard that says, MANAGER. She was almost out of breath when you stopped.
âOh, I apologize for the informalities, Your Royal Highnesses.â she tried to speak with her hands on her knees, to catch her breath. After some seconds, she continued, âI am Tara Montez, Sweet Septemberâs manager.â
âNice to meet you, Ms. Montez.â you smiled, offering your hand for a shake, which she accepted. Astrid also did the same thing.
âNice to meet you too, Princess YN and Princess Astrid. Thank you so much for being here!â You see Tara paused. âIt was totally unexpected and rare to see princesses at the bandâs concerts. Uhm⌠We were hoping the band could meet you. They are big fans of your country. It would be an honor for them to meet you two even just for a short time.â
Astrid audibly gasped. You looked at her and her eyes say it all. You can even see the sparkles in her eyes. You can also hear your bodyguard communicating through her wireless device. Youâre sure Eddie would definitely want you to walk out of the venue now but you know your sister would love the offer. Itâs a one-time thing.
So before your bodyguard can interfere, you answered.
âOf course.â
Back in the green room, Jungkook and the other members now showered and changed into their casual clothes. Carter and Woosung munched on the chips they saw on the table. Mingyu was giggling as he secretly takes a clip of Jungkook walking back and forth.
âWhat should we do?â he asked them, trying to keep his cool. But everyone can tell, heâs failing. He just never thought he would meet any royaltyâ you.
Out of distraction from the chips, Carter replied, âCurtsy?â
Before the others can laugh with that, the door opened and they immediately stood up straight. Carter and Woosung wiped their hands and even sanitized them. Mingyu wiggled his eyebrows at Jungkook. The latter gave him an annoyed look.
âAnd this is Sweet September.â Tara, who got in first, introduced them.
Jungkookâs heart almost stopped when he sees you entering with your small smile. Every photograph posted in the news and articles didnât give your beauty any justice as he found you more attractive now youâre in the same room as him. When you locked eyes with him, he swore his heart fluttered.
Following what Carter said, Jungkook was ready to curtsy when you spoke.
âOh⌠Uhm, we donât really do that here, Mister. Thatâs more of like the UKâs thing. A bow would be fine.â
Everyone in the room laughed except you, who tried to be professional. But you found it cute. Especially when you saw that tint of red forming across his cheeks.
âOhâ uhmâ My apologies, my queeâ princess.â
âItâs your royal highness, dumbass.â his bandmate whisper-shouted at the back.
Your sister scoffed, finding the lead vocalistâs mistake as funny. You looked at her sternly. She acted appropriately again. You looked back at the boys again, trying to break your sight away from Jungkook.
âThank you so much for coming to our country. Iâve never seen a crowd as energetic as that.â you began the conversation to break the ice. âItâs a surprise for me to hear our people here singing almost every song in your set. I just learned they are a big fan of your group.â
âHow about you, Your Royal Highness,â Jungkook asked. He doesnât know where heâs getting all this strength to talk to you. But he just knows that this might be his first and last.
You replied with the truth, âOhâ Iâ this is actually my first time listening to your music. Princess Astrid right here just invited me to go here with her.â
âSheâs more of a jazz fan.â Astrid shared and they nodded.
Before the conversation continues, your bodyguard spoke, âExcuse me. Madams. The Royal Staff is asking us to go out now.â
Woosung was quick to request when they heard that, âCan we take a picture with you, Royal Highnesses?â
âOf course!â
This time, Astrid replied with uncontained excitement. You stood in between the four members. Mingyu was supposed to be next to you but he pulled Jungkook to exchange places with him. Jungkook instantly smelled the sweet and flowery scent just by being next to you while you ignored that strange feeling in your stomach when you felt your arms touched.
âOkay, one⌠two⌠three!â
The band stood in line once again after that. You and Astrid shook hands with them in turns. You introduced yourselves and so they did too. Ever since you were a kid, when you began attending public royal events, you always followed the royal protocol. In every person you met, you would shake their hand while having good eye contact. Another part of the protocol is the public cannot physically touch you unless you initiated it first. So, you did. Â
The boys seemed surprised but showed their respect by bowing their heads while you shook hands with each of them. You just hoped your hand was not stone cold since you felt like it was since you stood in front of their lead vocalist. But when it comes to the last person in the line, Jungkook smoothly managed to kiss the back of your hand when you offer it for a handshake.
You were taken aback by the action. Not because he did it. But because it felt something else. The kiss was feather-like. It was light and brief. But you felt something electric run through your veins the moment his lips touched your skin. Your heart shivered. Then, it suddenly beat fast and youâre scared that everyone around you can hear it. You gulped as you made eye contact with him again.
âItâs an honor to meet you, Your Royal Highness,â his deep and slightly hoarse voice said. It made you feel things you donât know and you hate and like it at the same time. âIâve read a lot about you.â
You pursed your lips, âYou did?â
âYeah.â
You wanted to ask and know more about what he reads about you. But before you can say anything again,Â
âThe Royal Courtier is waiting, maâam.â the guard interrupted.
You tried not to show annoyance. But sighed.
âWell, we shall go. Our staff is waiting outside.â you smiled. âI hope you enjoy the rest of your stay here in our country. Congratulations on your concert.â
They bowed and you turned around with Astrid, ready to leave the room.
âWait!â Mingyu stopped you one more time. âIs there any way we can reach out to you and invite you girls again to our future events? E-mail? Phone number? Telephone number?â
Your sister was over the moon hearing that while you tried to hide the smirk forming on your lips. Jungkook knows what his friend is doing and he is somewhat thankful for Mingyu.
âThe only way to contact us is through Zafiroâs Royal Communication Office. I believe their e-mail and telephone numbers are on their websites.â you sounded like you were teasing. But you just honestly found their attempt funny. âOther than that, feel free to send us a letter through the mail.â
Of course, you would not give your personal number. Jungkook thought. Do you even have that? You probably have your own assistant who answered calls for you. It is known to almost everyone that even though every royalty in Zafiro has their own social media accounts, you just use them to share your duties and advocacies.
âAgain, it was nice meeting your band. We hope you come back to our country soon.â
You left the room, sharing knowing glances with your sister.
While on their way back to their hotel, Jungkook scrolls on his Instagram account. His notifications were on blast as usual. But something caught his attention when he almost exit the app.
97.sapphire is now following you!
His eyes squinted. He clicked on the account. It only has twelve followers and two posts. It follows nothing. The accountâs two posts are photos of artworks. One is a watercolor painting of a flower field during sunset. While the other is a detailed pencil drawing of what seemed like a coffee shop. Then, another notification popped out.
97.sapphire sent you a message.
Jungkook raised an eyebrow before he clicked on it. Without really expecting anything, he reads the message. As he go through the words, his eyebrow lowered while his lips formed into a smile.
let me know what do u want to read more about this pair! :) thank you so much for reading.
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THE PRINCESS AND THE ROCKSTAR TAGLIST
@heartjiminie @rbrm094 @rjsmochii @jjkreblog @sugaslittlekookies @saintsugar @thvlover7 @alpha-mommy69 @natalia-rmnva @coralmusicblaze @stupendouscookiehumanmug @namgoogieee @yoonjinhusbands @borahaeb1ch @lilliankoo @0rubyrose0
PERMANENT TAGLIST
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#bts humor#bts fluff#bts imagines#bts x reader#bts series#bts established relationship au#jungkook fluff#jungkook imagine#jungkook drabble#jungkook x reader#jungkook series#rockstar jungkook#the princess and the rockstar jjk#bts meet cute au
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