#taehyung masterlist | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

kooktrash · 7 months ago

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⋆.˚✮ kooktrash masterlist ✮˚.⋆

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latest work: infrunami | jeon jungkook [ nov 2024 ]

welcome to my new and improved masterlist!

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──★ … coming soon

──★ the eros project

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ [ s | a ] dating show ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

you didn’t expect to actually fall for someone in a reality dating show. Then Kim Taehyung came along and you had to battle between your feelings and what this show was actually about.

──★ rewriting love

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ [ s | a ] webtoon ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

when a mysterious blackout traps you inside the world of a webtoon you certainly believe it’s one big cruel joke.

──★ lover’s revenge

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ 13.4k | s | a | rockstar ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

you dated Taehyung before he made it big, so it was easy to assume he’d forgotten all about you. but for the past two years you’ve been his muse even after your split. a forbidden love that never faded.

──★ tunnel vision

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ 13.4k | s | f | college/barista ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

you’ve just gotten yourself a job working with the campus crush, kim taehyung. he’s quiet and brooding but everyone is obsessed with him including your best friend. what do you when she asks for your help in dating him when he’s catching feelings for you instead? he’s supposed to notice her but he’s got tunnel vision when it comes to you.

──★ electra heart

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ 13k | s | f | fake dating ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

♡ just dumped by his cheating ex girlfriend, taehyung seeks help from the campus primadonna to make his ex jealous. y/n is spoiled, mean and filthy rich—everything his ex loathed. what happens when the two form a pretend relationship that leaves their hearts in great turmoil? welcome to the life of electra heart ♡

──★ love and rivalry

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ 17.3k | s | f | e2l/college ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

kim taehyung is neither friend or foe, he’s more of an annoying fly always near creating chaos in your life. now he’s buzzing on about his new crush and begging for your help in exchange for his help with yours. like an idiot you agree though you signed up more than you can chew. just great.

──★ all you want

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ 13.1k |s | a | arranged dating/high society ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

in the world of high society finding your future partner took a lot of preparation. kim taehyung is one of the most sought out bachelors and he’s been roped on a blind date with Y/n, a spoiled rich girl not used to being told no. what happens when the two clash?

──★ his special secret

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆12.5k | s | a | college professor ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

you’re an art student who has recently broken up with your cheating ex boyfriend. he’s your art professor recovering from a divorce just a year ago. what happens when your relationship goes beyond that of a professor and his college student?

his special secret ||

──★ something about him

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ 16.6k | s | a | yandere coworker ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

kim taehyung is nothing more than a man who works in the same office as you. he’s kind, charming, and unbelievably attractive but there’s just one downside to him. something feels off about the way he acts toward you and you’re not sure what but you know it has something to do with his little obsession with you. he acts strange at times, sometimes a little too lost in his own world, and changes his mood so fast you get whiplash trying to keep up.

you should feel scared or concerned but there’s just something about him that makes you ignore all the warning bells that go off in your head.

──★ the art of obsession

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ 17.4K | s | a | dark academia ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

in a world of painters and poets, there were two college students looking for the right sort of inspiration. through devotion in your craft, you find yourself drawn to kim taehyung—a grad student painter who’s everything you’ve ever looked for in a character. his walk, his form of speech, his art, it all captivated you to the point where you wanted to recreate him in words and you begin to realize how similar the two of you really are. you share a sort of obsession in your work that seems like only each other could understand and he invites you into his world of oil paints and charcoals in hopes of drawing you on paper.

──★ lace and luxury

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ 13.6k | s | sugar daddy ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

Money, Money, Money, must be funny in the rich man’s world. At least that’s how you feel working day and night to make end’s meet and still never having enough. Out of nowhere you get roped into a give and take relationship with a very powerful fashion designer who shows you the way into a life of luxury and lingerie. You’ve become his muse and in exchange he’s become your source of pleasure and riches. It’s a rich man’s world and you’re living in it.

──★ between roommates

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ s | a | roommates ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

you’ve got a crush on kim namjoon. Namjoon being jungkook’s friend, jungkook being your roommate. things get complicated somewhere down the line that leaves him regretting pushing you toward his own friend when he wants you just as bad. as roommates he knows you shouldn’t, but damn did he really want you.

──★ your power

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ s | a | ceo ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

the new boss at your company is hot, tatted, young, and you seem to be just his type

──★ bunny adventures

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ s | a | hybrid ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

you had absolutely no intentions of ever owning a hybrid until jungkook came along. a mistreated, misunderstood rabbit hybrid who’d only ever wanted was to be treated like an equal.

──★ my dear friend

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ s | f | f2l ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

just friends? keep telling yourself that, you and Jungkook have always danced on the line of friendship and something more but lately you’ve struggled being able to tell where you guys stand.

──★ depend on me

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ 13.1k | s | a | hybrid ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

you’re so used to letting Jungkook do everything for you. he babies you almost and you’re both constantly reminded of the strangeness in your friendship. you’ve always loved him but he can’t see you as anything but the little bunny girl he used to protect. you change his mind

──★ never again

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ 14.8k | s | a | neighbors ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

jeon jungkook is just your nosy neighbor who can’t seem to be anything less than a selfish, heart breaking, prick in your eyes. yet somehow he manages to wiggle his way into your life but is it enough for him to change your mind or will he prove your judgements right?

──★ the act of falling

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ 14.4k | s | a | fwb ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

what was supposed to be a meaningless fling has turned into much more before you both realized you were falling. now all you can do is hope that all the challenges you’ve faced are worth something.

──★ campus affairs

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ 11.9k | f | s | f2l ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

you transferred to a new college during second semester and you didn’t expect much excitement out for. that’s until jungkook came along and what had struggled to be a friendship was becoming so much more.

──★ fighting heart

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ 15k | a | f | s ] boxer jk ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

never living a life of luxury, Jungkook does what he has to do to make ends-meet. right now that means fighting in underground clubs, getting beat black and blue until he wins. he knows there’s a better life out there for him but he never let himself think about it. until you came along and suddenly a weight is being lifted off his shoulders letting you through his guarded walls. you’re everything he needed and you make him want to fight for more.

──★ guys my age

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ 9.5k | s | dilf jk ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

a summer spent at your friend’s place wasn’t something to be anything to look forward to. her hot, young dad would seem to change that for you when you decide a game of teasing would suffice your boredom. you got more than you bargained for when you realize he’s not a fan of games.

──★ ditto

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ 12.9k | s | a | established relationship ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

you’ve got everything you need right now, amazing boyfriend, amazing job, amazing friends, but when you receive life changing news you’re not sure how to bring it up to your boyfriend. your indecisiveness and failure to be open with him puts a huge toll on your relationship and he just wants to know that if he continues to love and walk the same path as you, you’ll do the same and ditto.

──★ romantic dreams

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ 23.9k | s | a | yandere jk ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

he’s always dreamt of finding his soulmate in some romantic way, bells ringing, birds chirping, maybe even a shine of light over their head. he never imagined to find them living next door to him with absolutely no clue to the extent of the growing infatuation he has toward you until it’s a little too late. hypnotized by your entire existence he finds his dreams and delusions of love to be a little too intense for anyone to bare.

──★ seven days to love

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ 14.2k | s | f | coworker jk ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

jeon jungkook is nothing but your obnoxious new coworker who can’t seem to get the hint that you’re not interested. he’s loud, clumsy, and a bit of a player who knows his way with girls. what started off as an immediate physical attraction toward you quickly changed to a full blown crush that jungkook just can’t seem to let go. for seven days the two of you must work together alone at the store and each day jungkook takes as a chance to get you to notice him.

──★ cool with you

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ 14.6k | s | f | neighbor jk ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

your break up from kim taehyung sent you spiraling into what felt like a midlife crisis of tear stained cheeks and tubs of half eaten ice cream with a broken heart. after finding out that your neighbor, jeon jungkook, was eavesdropping on your meltdowns and came to find out that your ex was his old friend, he found himself wanting to comfort you. he knew the kind of guy Taehyung was and he didn’t want to see you beat yourself up over a guy who wasn’t worth it so in the end he helped you through it and was unable to ignore the growing attraction you felt toward each other.

──★ limerence

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ 17.8k | s | a | ex!jk ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

a recent discovery of old VCR tapes takes you down a rabbit hole of self-pity, remembering what you once had and how it all went down the drain over youthful mistakes. suddenly, you find yourself playing back the old tapes of the best relationship you’ve ever had and all you can think about is how to get it back—if you could get it back

──★ million dollar darling

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆19.7k | s | rich!jk ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

jeon jungkook is well aware of how privileged he is to have been born into the life he was given. it was glamorous and influential yet close-knit and suffocating, something he thought he wanted to escape from. a trip back home to the circle of wealth and snottiness for his best friend’s million dollar wedding has reminded him of all the reasons why he wanted to leave in the first place… and all the reasons he should stay — the main one being you, the spoiled rich girl he knew was utterly perfect for him.

──★ lost and found

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ 18.7k | s | friend’s ex boyfriend ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

your college years have never been something you dwelled on for too long. you didn’t want to think of all the chances you lost and that’s why when the guy you had a crush on moves back to town, you try not to let it affect you again. but then he brings up old memories that didn’t go the way you thought they had and you’re thrown for a loop. you’re stuck between finding something new with him and falling back into old habits of never standing up for yourself. it probably doesn’t help that he dated your best friend, where everything seemed to go wrong.

──★ tempest

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ 31.2k | s | yandere boyfriend ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

you’ve always considered your life to be more mundane than you would like to admit. it was a constant cycle of the same things over and over again that when you meet jeon jungkook at a bar, of all places, you didn’t expect to see just how much he would change your life and those around you. he’s got an air of mystery around him with his charming good looks and a violent past that you slowly begun to unravel when it feels like everything is going perfect.

──★ ukiyo

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ 17.7k | s | f | summer romance ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

it’s the start of summer and there’s nothing better than dipping your toes in the sand and falling for a local boy who plays beach volleyball in his free time. he’s charming in a way you’ve never seen and you seem to understand each other better than one could imagine. both stuck in an awkward time of self discovery, you try to live in the moment and forget about your worries till they become too hard to ignore.

──★ effortlessly yours

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ 16.9k | s | f | ceo x part timer ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

in an effort to catch a break from the people around him, jungkook stumbles into a bar on the other side of town and meets you—the one serving his drinks. things happen quite effortlessly between you and before you knew it, you’ve welcomed him to change your life for the better.

──★ infrunami

․ ∘ ⊹ ✰ ┆ 18.7k | s | f | friends to lovers ┆ ✰ ⊹ ∘ .

you’ve made great friends throughout the years but none like jeon jungkook. he’s there for you when you need him and although at times when things get complicated between your feelings and thoughts… there’s one thing for certain. you both have been wasting time acting like there’s nothing between you.

SERIES

──★ summer bummer baby

HIATUS

──★ love lies

HIATUS

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gard3nias · 1 month ago

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16| «It's Daphne»

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wc: 11.30k

date: 19/10/2024

mdi // masterlist // playlist

—Now playing: Maniac - from “Flashdance” by Michael Sembello ✫

As the bikes were placed aside, their bodies lit up with warm colours reflecting the lights peaking through the house's windows.

Once Asher had chained his bicycle properly, Cleo linked her arm with Daphne’s and they all proceeded to the open front door a few feet away. Nick and James were commenting on the looks of the building—wasn’t their first time there but one could never help it. Asher agreed with their opinions just as Cleo simply listened. Daphne wasn’t doing either of them. Whenever she indulged in an activity like this, she never could muster enough energy or have enough time or concentration to formulate a coherent sentence. Her eyes were as greedy as her brain and they wanted to see more just as her brain wanted to know more, store as many pictures as possible.

The bright complexion of the house reflected against her brown leather jacket. The glitters on Cleo’s eyelids copied the brilliance of the glimmer in Daphne’s milk-chocolate eyes.

The further they went, the heavier the music resounded and the faster their eardrums vibrated. No one was at the entrance like there was at the gate.

The wooden door leading inside was broadly open, giving way into the hallway. On each side were slim and tall windows and flower pots. A few steps led up to the entry and soon Daphne was within the walls of the enormous building.

If anyone were to negatively judge her for moving from the city to the countryside considering it a downgrade, she would’ve full-heartedly laughed in their face. Downgrade? She’d never seen something like this there or, at least, if she did, it was most likely a museum or a tourist attraction. Funny.

They came a quarter to seven, just a little before everyone would head outside to the backyard for dinner. They didn’t think they were late but were proven wrong when they walked in and noticed how many people were present.

“Holy shit, man. Jungkook never fails to deliver.” Nick chuckled after moments of silence—Daphne surely wasn’t the only one stunned. Before the boy could turn around to comment further with his friends, a voice, or better, two voices, interrupted him.

“Welcome!” they sang in unison. The five friends looked to their right and found Jimin and Jungkook approaching them. With a smile from all, they replied and shook hands, compliments flying left and right. When Jungkook moved to shake hands with Daphne, it seemed like he wanted it to linger as if he was shaking hands with a sneaky rival he had to examine and be wary of. His warm hands held hers just as his eyes stayed on hers. She didn’t suspect a thing though. She smiled, shaking her head a little to get some hair out of her face.

Before their handshake came to an end, Jungkook thought to himself that her looks that night would certainly snap some necks out of place and he made a mental note to be ready to help Taehyung get his neck back in place when that would happen.

His little exchange with Daphne was the polar opposite of the one with Cleo who he almost lifted off the ground as they hugged, gaining a little side glance from Jimin, another subject in his life that believed he saw Cleo as more than a friend.

After telling them where they could keep their belongings, notifying them of when dinner would be and welcoming them one last time, the two friends took their leave.

“I’m really liking this,” James chuckled as they proceeded to the living room. They didn’t know he wasn’t referring to the general vibe of the party but to the three girls that walked past them.

Just like it was at Margot’s sixteenth birthday, the heart of the party was in the parlour. The attendees weren’t overdressed or underdressed and the five friends blended in perfectly. Daphne recognised only a handful of the students from her walks in the hallways at school and she mentally complimented their fits, briefly staring if they looked extra gorgeous.

Without wasting any time, Nick advised they’d have a little drink before dinner and, meeting no one’s objection, he led the way to the little bar on the living room’s right. As they did so, they caught the attention of a few students among which was Taehyung. He’d recognised the group immediately but before he could check if Daphne was present, Avyanna called for him to quickly help her outside. Mentally sighing and rolling his eyes, he obliged and rushed behind her, easily catching up despite how fast she tried to be in heels.

The fifteen minutes before dinner time flew by between words in conversations and lyrics. With a little announcement from Jungkook, the front door was closed and the back doors were opened, welcoming the guests to the long table in the backyard by the well-lit pool. Some of the guests focused on admiring the view before their eyes, others appreciated the effort put into the preparations while others like Cleo rushed to take their spot at the table.

With her hand clasped around Nick’s and Daphne’s, the five friends sat approximately close to the centre. James sat next to Nick and Asher next to Daphne. It was a matter of seconds before the people around them settled down too.

Daphne placed her phone next to her plate on the table and chuckled when she saw Cleo adjusting her skirt, looking a bit frustrated but she froze when, lifting her head, she saw, aligned with James and in front of her, Taehyung settling down on his chair. In order, next to him, and in front of her, were Jimin, Jungkook, Avyanna and, at last, Adrielle.

All of a sudden, she didn’t know where to place her focus, whether on the person making her heart migrate from her chest to her ears or his stunning friends serving looks instead of food. She eventually decided to check herself one last time with her phone, wanting to look good at least. Taehyung noticed that when he saw her look into her cellphone and adjust her hair.

She might have seen that as a refinement process, but he believed it was unnecessary. Can you perfect what’s already perfect? Gold can’t get any more gold, can it? If she could read his mind, her cheeks would’ve become darker than the warm light from the mansion behind her, complementary to the shade of the sky above their heads.

Once everyone was well put, Adrielle got up to begin her speech. Only at that moment did Taehyung’s attention leave Daphne: he wanted to listen to his friend and see how she would perform since he knew all the work behind composing the speech—he was always there when she was working on it asking him for tips.

“Good evening everyone,” she began. “First of all, I want to thank all of you for coming. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t be here in a moment like this… dressed like this and behaving like this,” she gestured to her friends with a smile spread across her face.

Before proceeding, she took a deep breath and all her friends saw through that. Avyanna acted upon it and rubbed her leg from underneath the table to ease the nerves. From the other side of the table, Daphne smiled at her, mentally complimenting the girl for her guts because, knowing how anxious she gets, she herself would never be able to be in the same position and perform as well.

She didn’t notice that her subtle smile remained throughout the full speech. Didn’t know that it broke Taehyung’s attention from his friend right at the moment he decided to glance in her direction. The smile was so little but he was enchanted, bewitched by her beauty. Many thoughts ran through his mind as he admired her. Her eyes were glowing, the waves in her hair shined with the light around her and whenever the smile widened and swelled her cheeks, his heart would grow in his chest and skip a beat.

She was fucking unreal. Her beauty was mystical, eloped reality. To him, no Greek god or goddess could stand a match. She’d make the next Aphrodite. Maybe the first. The original. The doer. She’d be Daphne but instead of turning into a plant, she’d be an angelic flower, an exceptional type, with myths and legends surrounding it: whoever has it in their garden or stumbles across it will reach a stage of enlightenment and they’d discover the real beauty which would lead them to see the world from a different light, a brighter one. Nothing on Earth would be able to come close to her comeliness, not even a thousand light-years away. She was out of this world. A planet from a universe of its own and his dream would be reaching it.

He almost jumped on his seat when everyone started clapping as the speech came to an end and he had to blink wondering how everything happened so fast.

“Again, thank you all and we hope you’ll enjoy the dinner. Bon Appetit.”

—Now playing: Miss Independent by Ne-Yo ✫

She couldn’t see it nor hear it but Daphne felt like there was someone if not her clone, standing right next to her patting her shoulder and complimenting her for making the right choice. Daphne decided that Margot’s sixteenth birthday party would not scar her ideas of parties forever and her clone—or whatever—was glad about that. Glad that the seventeen-year-old wavy-haired girl eating at the long table came to the party in the first place and allowed herself to have a good time breaking free the shackles of anxiety at least for the night.

Next to her, her curly-headed friend couldn’t keep her mouth busy on one thing at a time, bouncing back and forth between eating, laughing and talking.

She’d dared Daphne to act all fancy so they would see who would nail it the most at the end of the dinner but she was already slacking: whenever Nick or Jungkook would make a joke, she’d happily laugh, no thoughts in her head, not even a little reminder that food was in her mouth. She’d realise it only a split second later and slap her mouth closed.

Daphne believed she was doing this to sabotage her because it was tough for her not to burst into a guffaw for the genuine fear in her friend’s eyes.

Cleo had serious trouble with having thoughts in her mind. Liked to live life for the moment and as it presented itself. What could occupy her mind came from the present—or the past—but never the future—unless she was at a volleyball match.

Daphne was her polar opposite. Having to deal with anxiety, she was very familiar with the unfunny activity of overthinking. If anyone were to ask her when the last time she pondered too much on something was, she probably wouldn’t be able to answer. The first response that could pop into her mind would be “physics” but she feared it would be wrong because there’s a high chance she’d thought too much about something after that—something smaller but surely something.

Soon, Cleo’s mind was clouded with James, Jungkook and Nick’s jokes which got better with each spoonful of food she put in her mouth. A joke would come from one of the boys and she’d be struggling between laughing because of it, because of how goofy her friends look or sound when they laugh—especially the dramatic Jungkook sitting across from her—and because she was very close to choking on her food.

On the other end, Daphne’s mind welcomed different thoughts. The little dare was nowhere to be found nor was physics or anything she could have spent more than two minutes thinking about that day. The boy sitting on the other side of the table occupied each and every thought in her head and watched her as if she were an Oscar-winning movie. Worse of it all, she couldn’t whole-heartedly make such a conclusion because she didn’t know if he was looking at her and wondering why she was looking at him but she tried to push the scary thought to the back of her mind and, hopefully, make it leave completely.

Their eyes had met multiple times, too many times for Daphne’s liking. She compared it to that one moment you shared too much eye contact with one random kid in class.

She’d move her eyes on the plate, carefully watch as she cut herself a piece of meat, took it with her fork and brought it into her mouth. Occasionally, whenever she swallowed, she would grab her glass of water and stare into nothingness as she drank from it. The same pattern was followed when she’d grab the napkin to clean her mouth. Everything was done while trying to come off as unbothered and not awkward.

At that moment what she needed, who she needed—and she didn’t know—wasn’t her clone anymore but more like Taehyung’s, a voice that would tell her to calm down, would let her know that there was nothing for her to be worried about and that she shouldn’t let Anxiety in despite the insisting knocks.

It seemed to Daphne that they were sharing too many glances but that was possible only because he was the one instigating everything.

He would look in her direction, admire and let all the little details that brought her to life revive his bored and sleepy mind. He would play a thousand different scenarios in his head about all the ways he could approach her that night and, when she’d look in his direction, he’d look at her more intently as if trying to send the message.

He’d be lying if he said that his heart didn’t skip beats—yes, multiple ones—whenever she looked at him for more than a second and a half.

Obviously, she wasn’t getting the message, probably due to connection problems or simple errors because he could see in her eyes all the stages of panic she walked through whenever she abruptly interrupted the eye contact. He’d have to call for some maintenance work to be done to the connection and his device because nowhere in heaven, earth and even hell would he go on having obstacles keeping him away from someone he likes this much.

He still hasn’t got the chance to look at her outfit yet. Had seen her face—marvelled at it basically—and her makeup. She didn’t look nice. More. She looked like a painting, a sculpture representing a Greek goddess. He believed she’d found the colours that compliment her the best. Brown was her go-to every day but a part of him was sure she’d nail red and green as well, but he was happy with the warm glow brightening his eyes because he couldn’t look elsewhere but at her.

Her hair was on point, as always, and he loved it. They looked soft, bouncy and the waves followed a smooth path similar to a spatula running on some paint.They continued onto her shoulders and down to her back but he couldn’t see them nor her shoulders since she had her jacket on.

When he looked at her, he was convinced she was the definition of art, multiple drawings combined together to make the final result—impressionism to another level: her hair resembles the wavy markings of hills in valleys; her eyes collected every single existing galaxy, discovered and undiscovered; multiple paint brushes would bring her skin to life and her surroundings would lack any type of detail and structure, losing every single meaning around her outstanding presence and overshadowing glow. She’d be painted with the pursuit of perfection of renaissance artists and the attention to the light of impressionist artists—everything to try and recreate the glimmer radiating from her and the faultlessness of her essence.

She would be the number one model for every single artistic era. Intriguing and fascinating to study and, again, try to replicate on paper, a way to encapsulate her presence in time so the coming generations would know that such a masterpiece existed and walked the earth. It would remind everyone that such glamour never dies—it could kill the spectator but never itself. For now, he was the number one fan sitting in the centre of the front row so he could catch everything from any and every existent corner. Would he die? He didn’t know but if he would, he’d be glad to have died because of her.

“What’s in store for the rest of the night? Like what have you prepared for the party?” Cleo’s plate was already empty just as the ones of many since the first half of the night was rolling closer to its end. Jungkook’s plate had been emptied multiple times: first, it contained his share, then some leftovers from Adrielle, Avyanna and Daphne who he didn’t know ate little because she was drinking water nonstop to ease the overbearing heat bubbling within her guts. The butterflies were causing too much movement and movement caused heat. Her stomach was like a boiling pot.

“Fun.” He simply stated, emptying another glass of water. “Fun?” and he nodded, reconfirming his words.

“Can’t spoil anything, sorry,” A smirk altered his facial expression before he got up. Cleo looked at Daphne and her eyebrows wiggled. “You ready?” her eyes were speaking to Daphne’s and the girl smiled, emptying her glass of water. They lingered on Cleo for a bit long before moving to Nick and James for no reason, apparently. The real motive was the stunning human being who, after spending his time looking at her more than at his food, had got up to catch up with his friend. Unbothered was what Daphne tried to come off as—“I ain’t looking at you… totally”— but he didn’t know nor care—she could be sleeping or doing the most straining activity on earth and he’d still look at her as if she was a model on the runway or a highly-anticipated movie at its premiere.

Her little act had to abruptly come to an end when menservants came to start collecting the plates and clearing the table. Her eyebrows retreated from her eyes as she watched. When Avyanna described the party on the community blog, she didn’t know it’d be this serious.

A little smile rose on her face as she commented about it in a whisper to Asher’s ear who’d been sitting next to her without uttering a word throughout the dinner—he probably did but she would never know since she could barely pay attention to herself.

As the servants did their thing, Jungkook came back outside and announced the beginning of the night and, like a flock of pigeons going after pieces of bread, the guests headed inside.

The noise rose, excited voices heard from left to right but soon music shot through the speakers and overshadowed them.

—Now playing: 1-800-hot-n-fun by LE SSERAFIM ✫

Among these now hidden voices was Cleo’s who called for Daphne to follow her after telling the boys where they were going. Daphne didn’t hear her but, as they made their way through the already thick crowd inside, she came in closer and explained .

“We’ve got to drop our bags and jackets else we won’t be able to have fun!” Cleo’s smile shone as bright as her eyes in the warm lighting of the rustic house. As explained to them before, they could keep their things in a room on the right on the ground floor, a room Daphne obviously didn’t know her way to but Cleo seemed to be familiar with the place so she simply followed her lead.

When they got there, they found company. Other girls were changing their shoes from heels to comfier ones, some were adjusting their makeup in the mirror hanging on the left wall while others were keeping their stuff just as Daphne and Cleo. Daphne didn’t bring any extra pair of shoes because the boots she had were very comfortable while, on the other end, Cleo shuffled out of her heels and slipped into a pair of black All-Stars. Since her skirt was long, her feet were barely ever in view so she didn’t give fucks.

While her friend handled her things, Daphne checked herself in the mirror. She didn’t move up close but remained at the door and shyly posed from afar and behind the figure of a girl adjusting her makeup. Now that she looked at herself, her cheeks warmed up for the umpteenth time that evening. Her face was crowned by the wavy pattern of her curtain bangs and her hair proceeded down to mid her back working as a cover to the backless top she had on. As for the bottoms, she wore the same low-rise pants Cleo had bought her the other day and she couldn’t say she wasn’t looking good. She just hoped it looked good enough to have a certain pair of eyes transfixed on her. Oh if only she knew.

“Okay, let’s go— Wait— How do I look?” Cleo adjusted her hair quickly and, with one hand on her waist and the other hitting the peace sign, she posed waiting for her friend’s reply which didn’t come late, “Stunning, darling.” After a smile and giggles, the two girls were out of there and heading back to the living room where the music was banging louder than before.

Daphne’s hand was clasped in Cleo’s as they walked back. On their way there, they walked past Adrielle and Avyanna who were giggling and rushing upstairs. The two girls didn’t notice Daphne and Cleo, too engrossed in their laughter and trying not to trip and fall in the visibly uncomfortable pair of heels they both wore. Daphne’s eyes marvelled at them, at their looks. Adrielle’s hair appeared golden thanks to the reflection of the lights and she discovered that Avyanna’s was actually dark brown and not purely black.

While the brunette was dressed in a black and white dress similar to one Daphne had seen a celebrity rock at the Met Gala, Adrielle’s outfit was composed of more things: a low-waisted pleated grey skirt for bottoms and an off-shoulder black long-sleeve as a top, giving way for the necklace sitting around her neck; her hair was held back out of her face by a white hair band and her feet were first in white socks and then in a pair of pointy black heels. She looked straight out of Gossip Girl. Formal and still fabulous.

Her looks seemed to have set Daphne in a little state of trance that she didn’t notice when they’d made it back to their friends who returned to drinking, having fun reading the names of the cocktails and guessing which one would taste the best.

Daphne’s head looked up to the blackboard hung above the counter filled with different names and cute little doodles here and there. She too wondered what each of them would taste like since the names barely said anything about the ingredients but soon her friends decided that their goal for the night was getting wasted so why not drink every single one and widen their horizons?

They all ordered the same thing so they’d actually drink every single one listed. Its name was funny, too difficult for Daphne to try and pronounce, but the taste was the opposite. As long as Daphne was concerned she’d pass on it any day. Asher’s face mirrored her thoughts.

“Not the best, is it?” Cleo asked face scrunched a bit at the taste as she looked for answers in Daphne’s eyes. Her friend shook her head bringing the drink in front of her face to look at the possible ingredients it was made with. Nick’s face showed pure disgust as he pushed the glass away from him.

“Nah, man. What the fuck is this? It’s so strong and tastes horrible on top of it. Not even the worst of break-ups could have me drinking something like this.” Cleo chuckled before bringing the glass back to her lips.

“You still drinking it?” Daphne asked, surprised painted in her orbits. Cleo nodded, refusing to let anything go to waste and as she drank it, James watched her with his face contorting the more she went on.

“You can’t waste it.” The power of the drink outweighed Cleo’s voice as she spoke and cleared her voice.

“It’s deleting her voice, it can’t be good,” was the only reply she got from James. Asher laughed before starting to sip on his, having the same idea as Cleo.

—Now playing: The Way I Are by Timbaland, Keri Hilson, D.O.E. ✫

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Nick and James spoke in unison when Daphne joined the train of self-harming people. “This shit’s horrible—”

“But you can’t let it go to waste. Come on,” Asher hissed before going back to drinking, head bopping to the beat of the new song playing from the speakers. Cleo was soon moving as well, expressing happiness one moment and then disgust the next whenever she’d sip on the drink.

“What’s its name again?” Nick squinted his eyes and read the blackboard, “Who chose this shit?” he asked another question.

“Aren’t we following the order? It’s the first on the list.”

“I think we should take turns choosing a random one,” he suggested before taking the tiniest sip from the drink and cringing at the pungent taste hitting his tongue.

“Nope, absolutely not. You’re just looking for someone to blame if the next drink taste like shit again,” Cleo objected before downing the last drops of the drink and urging her friends to do the same. “Come on, guys. This is fun—”

“Fun?!”

“You mean ‘disgusting’.”

“Come on. All in one go,” she urged more, nodding at Daphne whose glass was already half empty since she was impatient to get rid of it as soon as possible.

Nick and James sulked around like grumpy kids before complying and after Cleo counted to three, they all downed the drinks. Daphne and Asher in one go while Nick and James had to swallow a couple of times to empty their cups. Once they were done, their heads dropped back down and their faces contorted in the most genuine display of dislike and disgust, James’s face the most as he looked like he’d drank a squash of fresh lemons.

Daphne laughed and after the boys recollected themselves, they went back to the counter and ordered the next on the list. This one again had an incomprehensible name but, since Daphne wasn’t used to drinking, she didn’t know if already that single glass of whatever the fuck was getting to her brain. Besides, it was pretty strong and drinking didn’t need to be a habit for one to claim such.

Unlike their first, this one was sweeter, too sweet according to Asher and perfect for the remaining four. It seemed to have fueled their energy to the max, especially Cleo’s who emptied her cup in milliseconds and dragged Daphne to the dance floor. The boys immediately finished theirs and joined them.

—Now playing: Pon De Replay by Rihanna ✫

Before they even made it there, Cleo’s body was already moving to the music along the ones of the numerous people on the dancefloor. The oldest people in the house, outside from the servants and the guards, were probably nineteen and the youngest could be sixteen-year-olds waiting for their seventeenth birthday to hit, being born in autumn or winter, so the dances weren’t too extraordinary—depending on the person. Some couples were already going at it, acting like they were the only ones in the room. Some simply jumped at the beat while little groups of friends, such as Daphne’s, happily and carefreely danced to the music, arms in the air and hips snapping left to right.

Once she’d reached the centre of the floor, Cleo finally turned around, raised her hands and started dancing. Her lack of awkwardness and shyness gradually pushed Daphne to ease her nerves and join her in the groove. The moves started lowkey, moving from subtle to bolder movements and soon her arms were in the air too. Head, turning left and right with her hair following along.

Earlier that evening when she was getting dressed, she feared the backless top would cause her to feel too cold considering the season and the weather but, without her knowledge, the room had got so hot that the top felt too much, as thick as a wool sweater.

“Hey everybody!” a loud voice spoke through a microphone and the speakers and the dancers momentarily interrupted their groove to look in the direction of the DJ where they found a boy, probably their age if not slightly older, with headphones around his neck and his set in front of him which he was already operating.

“I hope you’re all having a great time!” he yelled, arm in the air as he spoke. “I’ll play some club classics and I want whoever knows the lyrics to sing along. Hey, y’all drinking there, come have some fun!” The instructions were clear and, in a few moments, the dancefloor got a bit tighter as more people joined.

—Now playing: Lose My Breath by Destiny’s Child ✫

As soon as the beat dropped, the crowd screamed in joy. Arms in the air and voices loud and clear as they all sang along, distorted and out of tone when the notes went higher. Daphne noticed, her true facial expression slipping through before she even realized it. Cleo mirrored her as they laughed and went back to singing along.

In a matter of seconds, they felt like they were back in Cleo’s living room dancing and singing to ABBA, giving each other lines, trying as if to impress each other and sometimes moving in sync as well. Their little bubble burst when Nick and James started dancing in sync next to them. Their moves were satisfying to watch and soon more people joined in and copied them, Daphne, Cleo, Asher and the guests, giving the DJ a very nice view to observe.

“Eh! Eh! Eh!” The crowd exclaimed in unison as it moved, the beat of the music replaced the one of their hearts and the flow, the one in their veins.

The DJ was soon bopping to everything, not bothering to hide the wide smile on his face. He placed a hand on his headphones while the other rushed to mix a few things because the song was soon coming to an end and he had to connect the next one right after. As he did all this, Avyanna climbed up the steps to meet him on the platform. Her outfit was completely different: she wore a space blue lacy tank top that revealed her black bra underneath and, as bottoms, she had a low-waisted mini jean skirt. The heel of her boots clicked on the platform as she took a spot next to the DJ, a microphone soon in her hand.

This was her unofficial role at parties: if she wasn’t shoving her tongue down someone’s throat or shoving drink down hers, she’d be up on the platform next to whoever was the DJ hyping up the crowd. She’d lost count of how many DJs—girls or boys—that she’d made out with or had a one-time thing with. The boy with the headphones next to her wasn’t a stranger but a regular at Jungkook’s parties. Through his parties, the two had become not just employer and employee but close friends. He went by the name Nathan and, sadly for her, he wasn’t looking in her direction.

He obviously knew her and knew what she wanted, but he wasn't interested in casual encounters, even though he seemed to lead her on. This made her realize that he wasn't looking for just a one-time thing but it didn't bother her because she wanted more as well. If only he didn't live in a town away, she would have flirted with him even outside of this context, which could send the wrong message. That night, she wanted to clear up any misunderstandings and finally shoot her shot and hit the centre.

He didn’t budge when she got up and next to him because she was just as good as she looked at entertaining. Work-wise, they made a great team.

“Next song coming up!” he yelled at her through the loud music. She briefly looked at him, smiled, got the message and went into character.

This song was a most at every party Nathan went to because it was one of Avyanna’s favourites and the fuel necessary to fill her tank and have her going crazy. Just as it happens every time, she would start singing along to the lyrics with her movements matching the climaxing flow of the first verse.

On the dance floor, Cleo and Daphne were in their element, acting as if they were in "High School Musical" or on opposing cheerleading teams. Avyanna was dancing with Nathan, and just as the beat dropped, they started jumping along with the crowd. Their energy spread to the people on the dance floor, creating a scene reminiscent of the finale of "Mamma Mia!" when the floor bursts open and water sprays everywhere.

—Now playing: Dangerous by Kardinal Offishall, Akon ✫

The party was in full swing. Within thirty minutes of the second half of the night, the guests were scattered all over the place. Some were on the dancefloor like Daphne and her friends, some were making out in the various corners of the room, and others were outside in the backyard.

Taehyung and Adrielle were at the bar, enjoying their drinks. Avyanna, the other only female in her friend group, was very close with the blondie. They had known each other, along with Jimin, Jungkook, and Taehyung, since before kindergarten. The little circle remained her only friend group, as she had no real friends outside of it.

Besides Avyanna, Taehyung was her closest friend whom she could rely on. The sight of the brunette dancing and grinding against the DJ on the platform was sometimes too much for her, especially at that moment. Avyanna's twin brother in spirit was Jungkook, as they got along very well and had many things in common. Jimin was similar to Taehyung in a way, although he leaned closer to Avyanna and Jungkook's madness.

The black-haired boy sitting next to her was the only person left who matched her vibe and didn’t make her seem a boring person but, while she was busy looking at how Avyanna was trying to shoot her shot again with Nathan, Taehyung’s eyes searched in vain for Daphne amidst the crowd. He thought it was funny how desperate he was to talk to her that night because no matter how much time one could give him to think about it, he’d still not come up with the perfect way to approach her.

His third glass of the night hit the counter as he licked his lips and stretched out a bit on the chair. Adrielle had finished just one and was sipping on her second which he could predict she’d never finish. To fill up the void of silence between them, he commented on Avyanna who was basically put up a full show for them… again that year.

“Will she ever understand that he doesn’t look at her the way she looks at him?” he spoke. Since the bar was a bit away from the dancefloor, he didn’t have to scream at the top of his lungs for her to hear him. Adrielle chuckled, sipped from her drink a little and replied with a strong “Nope”.

“She wants to take him out literally,”

“Really?”

“Mm-hmm. She doesn’t like the fact that they get to see each other only at parties when she’s basically her worst. She’s had only one drink so far so if you find her downing more later and getting drunk, just know that things didn’t go as planned.” The two chuckled as they continued watching. Adrielle thought about her friend while Taehyung hoped that wouldn’t happen to him instead.

—Now playing: It’s ok I’m ok by Tate McRae ✫

Daphne and Cleo had lost track of time or of how many songs they’d danced and sang along to. The only thing they were sure to know was that the room had gone very hot despite the back door being left wide open. As they exited and went to the backyard, they felt like it was summer all over again and they’d just been hit with the fresh air of air conditioners in the shopping mall after escaping the sky-scraping temperatures outside.

Daphne took a huge breath in and her body thanked her for it. Cleo did the same before they burst into laughs and commented on how they were basically cooking themselves inside so they decided to have a little walk around the pool to go back to having a normal body temperature. When their bodies got used to the chilly weather of a late October night, they ran back inside—wool sweater where!

Their pace was regular as they headed towards the dance floor but they were called back by their friends who were hanging out in the kitchen, drinks in their hands. The girls joined them as Cleo asked Nick what drink he was having.

“Y’all need to go outside for a bit and take some fresh air,”

“Yeah, it’s hella hot in here and you don’t even know.”

“Nowhere in hell. I saw a lot of cute girls by the bar and once I’m done with this drink, I’m going in to shoot my shot.” James's drink was back at his lips after he spoke. This time around, Daphne was able to control her facial expression but she was internally side-eyeing firstly James and then Asher. Maybe she had wrong suspicions because, as far as she’s concerned, never would she think of, let alone say, something like that in front of who she likes more than a friend. As if reading her mind, Asher inched closer and passed her his drink, allowing them to share glances that held heavy words behind them. Daphne sipped on it and, from her body language, he could tell that they had the same thought in their head but this wasn’t noticed by the other three. Cleo was busy asking Nick about his drink while James seemed out of it, out of the group as he looked at the bar from the door opening of the kitchen.

Asher stood next to Daphne and saw as her cheeks swelled in a subtle smile at the awkwardness he felt in the room with them. She turned to face him and they communicated with their eyes before simultaneously looking at their three friends where, again, James seemed to be third-wheeling.

Moments after, James left the room with Nick tailing behind him and Daphne struggled to hide her expressions, wondering what Nick would have to do with James knowing what the latter’s intentions were. Asher cleared his throat next to her and after taking another sip from the drink, she handed the glass back to him.

“How is it going?” Cleo’s smile proved to them that she was rather unaware of everything or if she wasn’t, she was an amazing actress. The question she formulated was addressed to Asher who quickly swallowed the sip of drink he took before replying and soon they were having a nice conversation. The awkwardness from before left with the boys.

What came into the kitchen next was chaos… along with the J duo: Jungkook and Jimin, the latter was visibly tipsy if not fully drunk.

“Hello there!” Jungkook exclaimed as his arm fell around Cleo’s shoulders. Jimin, in the meantime, stretched his hand forward for a handshake but he was so messed up he almost fell while doing it.

“Damn, you really went easy with it, didn’t you?” Asher’s sarcasm struck in as he dropped his drink to hold the boy. Daphne didn’t utter a word, her face spoke for her and she stretched to take Asher’s drink which was the best one she’d tasted that night. When Asher answered her question regarding the name, Jimin seemed to have come back to his senses and talked about how the drink was amazing. Didn’t take Daphne even mere seconds to guess that it was what had him reach such a state.

Beside her, Cleo and Jungkook were having a little conversation about the party, how the dinner went and how everything was going at the moment. When Daphne’s attention caught a few words from it, she butted in asking about how long it took the boy to prepare everything. Jungkook barely had the time to finish processing his answer in his head before Jimin almost screamed that he was the one who took care of the catering, claiming credit before his friend could say anything.

Jungkook rolled his eyes and proceeded, “ I started like… maybe a week or two ago.”

“Initially I wanted to invite the whole school but we made the calculations and the house isn’t able to contain everyone. It’s already hot as it is now—”

“Shut up! That wasn’t the reason! You just didn’t want to take responsibility if some 10th graders fucked up the party by doing something stupid—”

“Which is a reasonable motive. I’m a pretty irresponsible person myself and I’m eighteen. When I was fourteen, I did crazy stuff and, honestly, it scared me to think that maybe someone as crazy as I was or even more—which would be impossible—would be out there and waiting to place responsibility for their stupidity on me. Me? Take a good look at me. I’m not fit for shit like that. I can barely stand my little brother let alone a stranger!” The dramatic side of Jungkook’s personality soon kicked in and they were all laughing, including wasted Jimin.

“Well, for being the irresponsible teenager you claim to be, you handled it well,” Daphne commented. Asher’s drink was already halfway finished in her hands.

Jimin mimicked her voice in a squeaky tone before objecting, “Don’t let his looks fool you. You don’t know half of it and besides, when it comes to hosting parties he always seems responsible. He be talking about the 10th graders as if he doesn’t act the same way at other parties himself at his current big fat age—”

“Okay, okay. We get it, you’re drunk as fuck.” As the two friends bickered, Cleo, Asher and Daphne laughed at them, especially at Jimin who tried not to slur his speech.

“Anyway, is Avyanna dating the DJ?” Cleo’s head nudged towards the culprits who were at the bar having a drink together. Jungkook looked in their direction, Jimin included but he was holding onto Asher so he wouldn’t trip and fall since he had to stretch a bit to see through the door.

“Don’t really know, honestly. She’s very interested and that’s all I know.”

It was only when Jimin asked for Jungkook to get to the bathroom that the group was separated and Daphne, Cleo and Asher went looking for their friends. Again, Cleo was leading the way and because of the music, she couldn’t hear what Asher and Daphne talked about.

“Well, I guess James doesn't like her like that,” Daphne spoke first, arms linked with the boy so she wouldn’t get lost. Asher smirked before replying, “I don’t really know. He’s weird tonight.”

“Maybe he’s sick and tired of third-wheeling or Cleo’s lack of response. I don’t know, I’m just guessing.” Another chuckle from the boy who, as he’d stated, didn’t know what everything was about. He couldn’t be hallucinating when he believed that James had something for Cleo and that was proven when, barely a month into their friendship, Daphne voiced her suspicions to him. It meant that he was not seeing wrong and James’s crush is indeed obvious but his behaviour that night threw everything in the air.

—Now playing: Genie In a Bottle by Christina Aguilera ✫

Their little gossip was interrupted when they found the two boys playing ping-pong in a corner of the living room. Nick and James are always very easy to find in a crowd: first, they are often the tallest in the room and second, they are very loud. Exactly, whenever they saw their opponent miss their shot after the ball bounced, they’d start screaming and howling. Strangers would think they were drunk and probably be right but it wouldn’t be surprising if they weren’t.

Cleo was the first to reach over and the first person she approached, not surprisingly, was Nick who was playing the ball and showing his joy by howling in Cleo’s smiling face. Asher and Daphne’s gossip, long gone by the time they were next to James. Coincidentally they’d arrived right when the match ended which explained their friends’ excessive joy.

The heat in the room had reached crazy heights for James as he shook his loose shirt to blow himself some fresh air. Daphne and Asher could see it from the hair strands sticking to his forehead.

“It’s hella hot in here,” Asher agreed at James’s unspoken comment and as if they’d read each other’s minds, they left to where Daphne supposed was the backyard. She followed them with her eyes for a little while before turning around and meeting Cleo and Nick serving their first shot against the same team that lost to him and James.

She could only watch as her friends played and celebrated each point they scored. She stood beside the ping-pong table with her arms crossed and eyes moving from left to right as though she were watching Cleo play volleyball. Whenever her friends’ scored, they would drop their rackets on the table, high-fived each other and scream in each other’s faces as if they were playing American football and had to hype each other up, all this before turning around and sipping from one of the numerous drinks James and Nick had ordered before starting their first game.

Daphne would smile, laugh sometimes, but it was a matter of time before she got bored. Cleo and Nick’s opponent had a familiar face to Daphne. She’d probably seen them at school in the hallways but she could tell that Cleo and Nick’s joy was pissing them off, especially because they were numerous points away from catching up. Exactly, proving her suspicions, when the match came to an end, they bitterly threw their rackets on the table causing a loud bang that startled her.

“Salty bitches!” Cleo exclaimed, giggling with Nick as Daphne scolded her with a glare. When her eyes landed on the friend, Daphne realised she was drunk.

“You can’t be saying shit like that,” she spoke, arms losing from their previous position. Cleo blew raspberries in her opponents’ direction before turning around to high-five Nick and drink some more.

After audibly swallowing the last drops in his glass, Nick called in for Daphne to play to which she replied with a blank stare, looking back and forth between him and the empty spot on the opposite. “I have no one to team up with,” she spoke before crossing her arms again. As if he was listening to their conversation, a third voice chirped in, offering to play with her.

The owner was behind Daphne so she couldn’t see them but when she heard Cleo pronounce a very familiar name it seemed her surroundings fell into an immense silence that muffled the sounds coming from the speakers and all the guests present.

“Hey, Taehyung!” Cleo waved at him and he winked back, taking his spot opposite her. Daphne quickly came to her senses and went to her spot opposite Nick and next to him.

He smelled so heavenly, she thought to herself, it overshadowed the smell of sweat and alcohol that lingered in the hot air. His presence was thick and couldn’t go unnoticed, at least not to her.

“First serve goes to the losers!” Nick hit the ball into their court. “Losers? We haven’t even started.” The immense silence from before came back as if it had excused itself to the bathroom before. Now, other than overshadowing the music and the chit-chattering around her, it greatly highlighted Taehyung, especially his voice, as he replied to Nick. She glanced at him. He wasn’t looking at her but challenging Nick with eyes, a smirk across his pretty face. Daphne hoped her friends would believe the room was getting too hot when her cheeks would catch warmer shades. She totally was not blushing right now—totally.

He had kept his jacket somewhere else and didn’t have it, giving way for Daphne to check him out as sneakily as she could. Every little detail was taken care of: no wrinkles in view but rather the straight line on his pants implied they were ironed properly; a nice watch around his wrist and a few rings on his fingers; he didn’t do anything to his hair, leaving them natural just as she loved them; the button-up he wore exposed a bit of his chest and the moccasins on his feet were the final touch needed to finish the outfit. He looked so good she felt weak in the knees because she desperately wanted to tell him, scream it at him.

Taehyung served the first shot into the game and Nick replied, sending it over to Daphne who hit back towards Cleo. Her friend was hopping on the other side of the table and vivaciously hitting the ball whenever it came in her direction. Her vivacious energy was the perfect contrast to Daphne’s who seemed poised out of free will but she was just trying to impress the beautiful boy playing beside her. The last thing she wanted was to be the reason they lost, especially against Cleo and Nick who will remind them about it forever—oh if only she knew that Taehyung wouldn’t give a fuck. The reason he was playing at all was so he could find an excuse to present himself and talk to her. The ping-pong match was just a means to an end.

A great side of her wanted to stop playing, lean on the table and look at him. Admire, admire and admire—the new hobby sitting on her list after reading, writing, daydreaming about him and happily hopping around her room with her dogs whenever she felt butterflies from the imagination.

On the other end, admiring her was his new pass time, at the top of his list and he liked to engage in it whenever he could just like he was doing seconds before asking to play with her.

After dinner, he was finally able to find her when she walked inside from the backyard. Was he stunned? Bamboozled? Charmed? Immediately obsessed? He couldn’t choose—most likely all. She walked right past him with her friend and his eyes followed her better than a police car tailing an overspeeding one. He didn’t know that she was hiding that top under the jacket and if she looked good before, she was stunning—literally—now.

She really knew how to dress to get a certain reaction from people but, as far as he was concerned, she could dress in a goofy overall and his jaw would still be scraping the floor, her beauty blinding him from feeling any sort of pain.

Since that moment, he couldn't take his eyes off her. He sat in a corner of the room, planning all different ways to approach her, waiting for the perfect moment to say 'hi'. He observed as she chatted with her friends, when Jimin and Jungkook joined them, and when they eventually left. Then, James and Nick departed, and she went to play ping-pong. When the other players left after losing, he felt grateful for the opportunity to finally step in. And that was how he ended up playing ping-pong with the girl he had a massive crush on, even though they had never spoken before.

He hit the ball harder into the opposing court, catching the drunk opponent unaware and Nick missed his shot. Daphne looked at him as a beautiful grin grew on his face, eyes still challenging Nick’s and racket spinning in his hand. She wanted to turn the other side and scream into her hand because of how attractive she found him but before she could even think of when to do so, his attention moved to her and he complimented her, lifting a hand so they could high-five. She fought so hard through her shyness—Achilles would be jealous—and high-fived him back, struggling as well to stop thinking about the fact that their hands just met.

Nick serves the next shot, the game restarts and, after hitting back, Daphne quickly moves her hair to one side to allow some air to hit her heck and possibly help her body leave sizzling temperatures. Taehyung saw her, without knowing why she did it. He just knew she looked heavenly. He had to mentally facepalm himself when he failed to reply to Cleo’s shot, being too distracted by the living definition of beauty standing next to him.

Nick and Cleo began to shout and howl joyfully as if they hadn’t scored their first point. They were so loud that he chuckled as he fanned his shirt for some air. Anyone looking in from the outside would think the room was simply reaching elevated temperatures. He was struggling with keeping his composure next to his crush: he really wanted to drop the racket, extend his hand to present himself and confess his love to her but things don’t work like that.

Daphne laughed at her friends as they blew raspberries in their direction and let their competitive side come out as usual. This game was dumb to her. If it weren’t for the handsome subject next to her, this moment would have lasted maybe a day in her memory before vanishing.

—Now playing: Wicked Game by Chris Isaak ✫

That night, Daphne had acknowledged that Cleo wasn’t as good as Nick with alcohol and it was proven when, in the middle of the match, she called for her since she felt like throwing up.

Daphne also learned that if Taehyung was in the same room as her, a drunken Cleo was never to be around her because she’d just fuck up their chance of talking and she couldn’t lie and say she didn’t want to stay back but what are friends for if not for helping each other out?

Daphne believed that Nick was most likely putting up an act back there to match Cleo’s energy because he seemed maybe tipsy when he made it to them in the bathroom with a glass filled with water and fully sobered up when he showed enough patience to keep up with Cleo’s little tantrums. Daphne was surprised, watching in a corner as he basically did everything. Seeing her like that, Nick told her she could go and that he would have taken it from there. At first, Daphne wanted to object, convinced he wasn’t in the right state to take care of Cleo but he reassured her and promised he’d phone her if he needed anything.

So, a bit reluctant, she eventually left the bathroom and went to the backyard to cool down after grabbing her jacket. It surprised her to see that the dance floor was still packed with people and she wondered how they weren’t tired. Eventually concluded that the alcohol in their system worked as fuel.

Outside, people hung around the pool, some sat at the now-empty long table while others stood in a corner smoking or using their phones. Amongst the latter, she found Taehyung.

She swung the jacket around her shoulders without properly putting it on and walked up to him. Her arms were back to being crossed to protect her body from receiving the cold breeze from the front.

“Hey.” Her voice came out tiny as she greeted him and caught his attention. Instantly the phone slipped into the pocket of his jacket and a smile on his face.

“Hey.” He greeted back with a tone of voice that perfectly contrasted hers. The grin from before was back on, one hand remained in his pocket with his phone while the other one held his smoking cigarette.

“We didn’t have the chance to present ourselves because—”

“Cleo is super drunk. Yeah, it was hilarious,” he chuckled, eyes wandering from her eyes to every other feature of her face. Was it the pool or the lights in the backyard that reflected in his eyes and had them sparkling? The stars are too far away to shine that much in his eyes. She didn’t know the answer to the question but she just knew it made him look so good she could scream and jump into the water.

“What’s even more hilarious is that Nick isn’t drunk, at least from what I deduced. He’s the one helping her right now.” A smile rose on her face and she fought very little to hide it.

“My name’s Taehyung.” His hand was now out of his pocket and put out for a shake.

“It’s Daphne.” They shook hands and smiled at each other. He didn’t know she was extremely shy at that moment just as she was unaware he was internally celebrating the moment.

“Wanna, I don’t know, take a walk around? You can trust me. I know my way around so you have nothing to worry about,” he offered, needing a bit more privacy and a way to hide from his friends because he feared they’d call for his attention right when he wanted it the least.

“Sure.”

Taehyung led the way, proceeding on his left towards the wide garden Jungkook’s house had to offer. He was barely three steps in before he turned around to see if she was following him, with the intention of slowing down so they could walk side by side.

“You’re new here, ain’t you?” he started the conversation. She remained silent and nodded before talking about the move with a smile across her face. “I used to live in the city but now I’m neighbours with my grandparents.”

“Do you like it better here or do you miss the city?”

“Love it here. I can meet my grandparents whenever I want to, I have a marvellous garden where I can read and have natural silence to go with it. I used to come here on holidays when I was little so it also holds memories.”

“Oh, so it’s not your first time.” He watched her attentively when she spoke. Loved to see how she expressed her happiness on her pretty face. Loved to see her smile. Oh, her smile. He couldn’t help but smile back.

“Nope. I still have the same bedroom from ten years ago and my lovely old dogs welcome me every time I step foot at home,” she chuckled as she spoke, looking up at him.

“How many dogs?”

“Two. My grandparents adopted them when I was eleven and I met them a handful of times on holidays. Now they’re basically my roommates.”

Taehyung laughed before talking about his dog to reply to her. “I have just a dog and I think it’s more than enough. Don’t take it wrongly, he’s amazingly adorable but he can be a handful sometimes especially during summer holidays when it wakes me up as soon as the tiniest ray of light makes its way in the sky.”

After leaving the backyard, they ambled along a stone path that cut through the grass. Their way was lit by the lamppost placed along the way. The compound was vast. On their left was the immense building while, on the farther right, was the garage in front of which parked cars reflected in the light.

“Still happens?”

“Yeah… and I hate it because for this party here, and for the campaign as a whole, I kept going to bed late so… you guess it.” Daphne chuckled and he didn’t know that in the little moment of silence, she was connecting all those days without him in the bus as probably related to the campaign, remembering how boring it was not having him there despite never speaking to him. it ‘s just his presence, something so simple, that could have her going in shambles.

“The party was great. I would never be able to take on such a huge responsibility. I’d fear I missed something or shit.”

Taehyung nodded multiple times as he drew a little from the cigarette and blew the smoke out. “I feared that too but, you see Jungkook, he’d mastered the task of planning and organising parties so he’s so experienced and you can’t miss a thing when you work with him.”

“Yeah, he told me about it a little before. Said he was scared of inviting 10th graders and stuff so he had to restrict the age range.” Taehyung chuckled, recalling the memory and replied, “I’d be scared too. He’s all about fun and the last thing he’d want at his celebrations is a party-pooper.”

The two teenagers walked almost in sync side by side, Daphne with her arms crossed and Taehyung with one hand in his pocket and a cigarette in the other. The little space between them was the only thing that made them seem like strangers despite the way they were orbiting closer to each other.

“Reminds me of my friends.”

“Oh, yeah. Nick and James can get wild when they want,”

“And I probably don’t even know half of it because I met them on the first day of school. The sole reason I know them at all is because of Cleo,”

“You didn’t meet Cleo on the first day of school as well?”

“No, no. We’re neighbours and I have known her since when I was a child. She’s the friend I had whenever I came here on holiday. It was very lovely to see that she was so excited to have me back for good the day I moved here.”

There was a huge sense of comfort she found in the conversation. Maybe it was Taehyung, maybe she was still tipsy or maybe it was the weather but she spoke to him as if he knew her somehow. Perhaps it was the feeling of family that the town exuded. She talked about her friends very openly because he knew them, even better than she did, and it removed a lot of barriers between them, the kind of barriers that strangers often face.

“Yeah, well, every friend group in this town has been formed since childhood. We have only one school for each type so once you meet in kindergarten, you’ll go on together till the last day of high school.” His words added to the pre-existing sense of comfort within her.

“So you know Jungkook since kindergarten?”

“My friends? I have known them since even before that. Our parents are close so…”

Daphne nodded in acknowledgement and wondered how good it must feel to know someone for such a long time. They could be considered a sibling at that point.

“You smoke?” Taehyung asked her if she wanted to take a few draws. She was not a smoker, at least not as he was. He always smoked at least a cigarette a day and it was always in the morning before catching the bus. Worse was when he was stressed but that was not to be talked about at that moment.

Daphne, on the other hand, smokes only occasionally. She doesn’t own packs of cigarettes nor does she buy them at all. The few times she smoked were at parties to which she was dragged by Margot back in the city. Nonetheless, she agreed and took the cigarette from him to add more fire to the one burning in her stomach at the thought of smoking his cigarette.

“No, I don’t really. I did a few times but I never feel the need to. Smoke only at parties basically.”

She took a few draws from it before handing it back and, as she did so, they shared eye contact which she immediately broke to avoid blushing in his face. How would she be able to excuse that? Smoke doesn’t cause red cheeks. He simply ran his tongue on his lower lip before bringing the cigarette to his mouth.

She was feeling so shy and yet she didn’t want this to ever end and if she could have, she would’ve told her friends just that. “Go on without me. I’m living in my dreams”.

She was so lost in her crush’s galaxy-like eyes and comforting presence that she didn’t check her phone to which Asher had sent a text about their friends’ state: Cleo was very drunk, Nick was exhausted and James advised they went home. She’d read it only before tucking herself to bed later that night.

The walk was interrupted when they made it all the way to the front of the house where, by the gates, her friends were getting settled on their bikes.

“There she is!” Nick pointed at her while she remained confused. “Hurry up! We have your purse. We gotta go home because Cleo’s so wasted and has thrown up multiple times!” James exclaimed the words so Daphne could hear him since she still wasn’t at the gates.

“Oh. I guess I have to leave,” she began, properly wearing her jacket, “It was very nice talking to you.” For the first time that night, she was fully face-to-face with him, neck slightly bent backwards to look at him. His eyes peaked through the curtains of his wavy hair as he brought the cigarette to his mouth, kept eye-contact with her, inhaled and blew the smoke out on his left. Did he know or did he not? This was too much for her but she fought through and kept the eye-contact, hoping that the shy lights around them wouldn’t show her crimson red cheeks.

“Yeah, I had a good time too. I guess we’ll see each other in school.” He was smoking and yet his voice sounded like honey to her eyes. Daphne’s brain momentarily froze at his words. It wouldn’t end there, thank goodness.

With a nod, she replied, “Yeah. See ya and have a good night.” And after waving, she scurried away.

Taehyung didn't go inside just yet and remained still with both hands in his pockets and the cigarette between his lips as he watched her catch up with her friends. He chuckled at the way they quarrelled about who’d ride the bike. Proudly smiled when he saw Daphne climb a bike, a happily screaming James standing behind her, and ride out of the compound, leaving Asher, Nick and Cleo behind. The latter was so drunk that they feared she wouldn’t be able to stay still on the bike so Nick offered to give her a piggyback ride.

Once they were settled, Cleo on Nick’s back and Asher on his bike, they finally left at the same moment Taehyung discarded his cigarette.

Only when they were fully out of view did he smile before heading back to where he was, happy he’d accomplished what he wanted that night. His hands were both in his pockets as he walked. Just like that, the party wasn’t just another party he went to. It was the party and it called for celebrations.

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hobicakess · 5 months ago

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Wonderful World — JJK One-Shot Series

SUMMARY: The world had gone to shit just like many had theorized. The living was not only fighting the dead, but they were also fighting against themselves and each other. Jeon Jungkook has been in the field by himself for months, living off of scraps, his own rules of survival, and barely enough water. Along the way, he finds a ditzy girl spoiled girl ironically Princess and her crusty white dog. He understood they'd be a handful, but he was Jeon Jungkook, and he could handle anything.

RATING: 18+ (im not the momma you are in control of what you consume.)

PAIRING: Jeon Jungkook x Bimbo!reader

CONTENT WARNING: apocalypse!au, gore, blood, ditzy!reader, angst, slow burn, eventual established relationship, jungkook is sighing every three seconds, eventual smut, crusty white dog (yes that's a warning), minor character death, named reader, corrupt dystopian society, meanie jungkook, princess is just a girl, more to be added AUTHORS NOTE: i am back in my zombie apocolyse era!!!! this is heavily inspired by zombie land because i love it sososo much. the post for this story will be in shorts pushing 1k- 3k? words and my ask box is always open to request and thoughts for this series. If you are new to my blog welcome hottie! be sure to check out my other works, you"ll love it over here xxx

Jungkook had strict rules.

Four sips of water a day, only eat when his stomach is cramped to the point of when he couldn't walk, never sleep over an hour, don't let anyone in. He didn't need extra weight slowing him down from his destination. Was he being hard on himself? Maybe. Since losing his group in an unexpected ambush all those months ago he couldn't bring himself to be softer on his habits even if he had more than enough resources to keep him alive and breathing for the year. He was guilty, and angry. Angry at himself and angry at the world for what it had come too. Despite his personal angst Jungkook refused to die holding onto the hope he would finally reunite with his six soulmates.

Another unspoken rule of his was to never walk upon the main roads. Stay away from those maniacs dressed in military clothes and those who drove military trucks. So he stuck to the shadows, camouflage into the trees with stealthy movements. Quick and quiet, never stay in one place longer than two days. He's been in here for at least a day spending that time securing the area and everything around it before he could properly set up his base in the abandoned thrift store he found. Hopefully he could get as much rest as a person could during the end of the world. As he tracked back to his base swiftly moving through the tree-line with the new finds he managed to scavenge. He stopped when he heard a squeal that didn't sound like the parasites that took over the world. Peeking through the green he saw a woman. A frown taking over his handsome features as his eyes rake her clothing.

A tiny pink cropped tank top, tight denim shorts that had jeweled pockets, ripped black fishnets and wedged heels that threw him off more than the unethical outfit. On her back was a clear backpack and inside was a tiny sleeping dog who was unaware of the life or death circumstances their owner happened to be in. Surrounding her were geeks groaning and growling, taking swipes at her. Their only objective is to eat,eat, eat.

Jungkook didn’t deal with other people, for obvious reasons but he was still the selfless Jeon Jungkook who couldn’t turn his back on anyone, especially a woman clearly in need of his help. So he quickly jumped from the trees, holding onto his crow bar tightly and as he approached the woman and the group of zombies.

Until she screeched, "You broke my nail" pulling out a knife from her thigh garter taking down all four of the dead. Breathing heavily she blew a curl from her face as she turned, jumping at the sight of Jungkook's large frame looming over her with his crowbar up as if he was ready to attack her. She squeaks gathering herself into a tiny fighting position as she points her knife at him and he notices the handle was decorated with a dark skinned hello kitty print.

��You’re literally so sexy. I’d let you kill me as long as I’m in a chokehold.” Her big brown eyes trailed to his beefy tattooed and tanned arms causing his eyebrows to shoot up in surprise. Clearing his throat he put his weapon down turning on his thick soled heels back into the ditch disappearing into the greenery. She wasn’t in any danger anymore so he wasn’t needed.

“You know it’s not very nice to leave a lady unattended in the middle of a road especially during an apco-" he was quick to grab her, shoving her down against the tree trunk. He smacked against her mouth, as a group of military men began to drive along the side of the road closest to them. His eyes met her wide ones as she blinked her wispy lashes at him. His gaze trails over the freckles that danced over her button nose, and cheeks, slight blood splatter caked there along with her forehead. She giggles quickly as he removes his hand from her mouth revealing a bright and pearly smile.

"Kinky." his lip curls in annoyance as he turns his back on her again.

“You can’t just leave us! Me and Minnie are great company.” He stopped walking when he heard the name of her dog minnie. Who's been surprisingly quiet through the whole ordeal. Looking over his shoulder at her, he then shaking his head, he continued on taking longer steps.

“Okay I get it silent and boarding, dark and mysterious, tall, tanned, and handsome.She rambled on scurrying behind him.

“Whew you know what hulk- ACK!” a thud echoed through the trees making him turn seeing her fallen to her knees in mud. She sniffles as she tries to stand on her feet, failing miserably only getting her hands dirty in the process.

"They leave me all alone, take my stuff, then I break a freaking nail because of those nasty freaks, now I'm covered in mud following around an avenger who doesn't even. . ."

She's fully sobbing now, fat tears falling down her chubby cheeks as she gives up moving. "Just strike me downnnn"

Again his selfless heart was aching as he winced. He grumbles as he stomps towards her reaching his own hand out for her to take, after all this he couldn't find it in himself to just leave her not now. She sniffles as she looks up at him, then stares at his hand. With another pretty smile she takes it, letting him pull her upright, allowing her to rub her muddy hands on his black tank top with a defeated sigh.

“Thanks Thor.”

Huffing he began walking again this time slower so she wouldn't lose him. As he gets to the brick wall that seperates the forest from the store. She stares up at it and swallows hard. “How are we gonna get up there?”

Rolling his eyes Jungkook pulls his backpack off of his back, throwing it over the wall. He reaches towards her and she gasp, “You are not throwing my precious Minnie over that wall!” Stepping back from him a pout set on her lips. He shrugs and begins to climb up, leaving her there to watch as he disappears over the wall. Pouting and huffing, she removes her backpack from her back, strapping it in the front just in case she falls on her ass. “I'm way too pretty for this”

Scaling the wall she walked along it ignoring Hulks loud huffs and tapping of his boots. That's when she found a hole there big enough for her to fit through happily making her way through.

Jungkook might just leave her there on the other side of the wall. Hopefully she'll use whatever's there in her brain to find her way over the wall with her crusty white dog who he wished he could sleep like. He jumps at the tap on his shoulder turning to her standing behind him hands behind her back as she gave him a closed lip smile puffing the apples of her cheeks rocking back and forth on her wedges. “Guess what hulky.”

He raises a pierced eyebrow as she points in the direction she came from. “Found a hole in the wall!! You didn't even have to climb over silly.”

The happiness in her face fell as Jungkooks face hardened. Storming over to the said hold, cursing. He could have sworn he sweep the whole perimeter. How could this have gotten under his nose? He turns back to you standing pouty and confused. Since the first time meeting him Jungkook opens his mouth to speak.

“Good job princess” his voice deep and hoarse from not using it for months.

"OMG how'd you know my name" She smiles practically bouncing on her feet from the praise and his attention, twirling on a piece of her hair like a school girl with a crush. Shaking his head he turned back to fix the wall.

Inside of the thrift store, Jungkook listened quietly to her ramble about her love for thrifting and how she would rather thrift than online shop. Then he watched her get teary eyed again over not being able to online shop anymore. “It's just not fair!!! Like I was living the most barbie dream girl life, ya know?”

Accepting the tissue he handed to her staring at the sleeping dog in her lap. “Then bam the Internet shuts off, then boom my freaking neighbor tries to eat me.”

“Like I'm just a girl! I'm not fit for this at all.” Blowing her nose into the tissues finishing her tantrum while Jungkook debated on what to say. “I watched you knife four geeks by yourself, I think you're doing pretty good.”

“ Really?”

“Really?”

She giggles sniffing, as she held out her hand. “I’m Princess Marie sorry for the late introduction ‘s very rude.

Clasping his hand into hers, “Jeon Jungkook. Don't worry about it too much.”

His gaze drifted to her bloody broken nail.

“Let's clean this up, kay?”

Eagerly she nodded dark curls bouncing.

“Mmkay kookie”

Jungkook wouldn't admit it out loud but being in the presence of another human being that wasn't trying to kill him was nice. He knew that princess and her crusty dog would be a handful but he was willing to deal with it. Plus he missed being called by his favorite nickname.

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