Commitment

Commitment

Summary: Everything seems to be going perfect in your life. Your boyfriend Jungkook is more than you could have dreamed of and there’s been a break in the case that could define your career — one of the members of the most elusive mafia, The Devils has been captured. Heading down to the precinct you couldn’t shake the overwhelming feeling: Was everything too good to be true?

A/N: This Au has been sitting inside my WIPs for far too long. I decided to publish it and see if there was anyone willing to go on another Mafia!Jungkook trip with me. So, I’m sending this out to see how the reception goes. Much love, Jenn. Headers made by @firefly-graphics

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Genre: Mafia!Jungkook, Detective Reader, enemies to lovers, mutual pining

Warnings: mentions of fingering, sexual content, and violent settings

It was close to two in the morning when you’d got the call. You knew without having to look at the caller ID that it was your Chief. Something had forced his hand enough to call you to bring your ass back to the station. What you hadn’t prepared for were the words that greeted your gruff hello: “We got one of the sons’ a bitches.”

It was hard to miss the victory in his tone, and it was enough to spur you out of bed. Your feet hurrying towards the discarded uniform of slacks and button down from the previous day. You weren’t worried about jumping into a shower or putting on a wrinkle-free outfit to try and impress. For the first time in over a year you had a solid lead.

Being the youngest detective on the force, it left the heavy burden of having to prove your worth. The better part of your career being plagued by this case. You were a junior detective, promoted to lead strictly due to the unfortunate event the previous detective was found floating in the Han river.There’d been the wasted man hours on leads that fell through or witnesses that either went missing or completely refused to talk. The ones who turned up in missing persons’ cases usually wound up being found in trash bags scattered at city dumps. Your least favorite experience was finding a couple who’d disappeared only to be found crushed inside their car in a junkyard. Eventually, with so much loss and not enough wins, the entire station began to fall into a gloom of always being one step behind.

All you’d come to know about this Kingpin, Kim Namjoon, and his Devils’ over the years were that there were seven of them. One of the seven being the Kingpin himself, while the other six served a purpose. A well oiled machine with all of them holding specific jobs and nicknames. It took months and months for you to find out the name of the Kingpin himself. And in those months of searching that dragged on into years, the bodies and carnage of robbed banks, penthouse scuffles, and plays for power continued to haunt you.

After all this time you finally had one of the bastards.

The thought rang heavy in your mind as you hopped into your boots. Your fingers frantically struggled to tie up the laces. Even though there were more important things to worry about, you couldn’t help but glance one last time at your bed.

Jungkook hadn’t come home last night.

Ever since you’d met him, Jungkook appeared to be just as busy as you were. Both of you receive calls at odd hours that sometimes force you to excuse yourself from breakfast or dinner. Or the late night phone calls that had you leaving the bed with hurried kisses and promises to be back as soon as possible.

What you knew most about his work was that a majority of it required him to do a lot of night work. Your relationship was still relatively new - with your one-year anniversary coming up in just a couple weeks. It should’ve sent off alarms how quickly everything seemed to happen between you, but from the moment you’d met him Jungkook had you completely enamored.

You were never one for one-night stands. Even when your day was pure nightmare fuel, you’d never allow yourself the temptation of losing yourself in a total stranger. No, instead you found yourself losing yourself to the bottle. The night you’d met Jungkook had been a complete accident. The earlier hours of the day had left you wanting the comfort of your bed and a personal pint of Half Baked Ben & Jerry’s. The only reason you’d agreed to go out was because your friend had pleaded; reminding you it was her birthday.

The day ended up being one of the worst you’d experienced in a while. Your shift started with the basic petty crimes until you’d received one of the many calls you were learning to hate. Namjoon’s Devils’ had left a trail of carnage so widespread inside a building it encapsulated almost five floors. It wasn’t just a knife fight that happened in those halls. It was a shitty Andy Warhol painting of bullets trapped in grungy wallpaper. The carpet a fucked up Picasso of blood-stains that were still so fresh when you’d arrived with the others it was still wet; squishing under every footstep. Forensics was not pleased when they’d arrived.

After walking through that madhouse anyone would’ve deserved a drink. You especially. You were trying to do just that when your wait at the bar began to turn from a simple ten minute wait to nearing thirty. Your fingers began to tap out an inpatient tune, like annoying elevator music while you prayed the bartender would notice you soon. Your tunnel vision caused you to stop paying attention to everything around you. You were so damn fixated on getting that drink you hadn’t noticed the body that slid up to the left you. It wasn’t until you got the feeling someone was staring that you finally looked around to see if you could find out who. Your eyes were not disappointed.

One arm rested coolly against the bar. Not for actual support but for style. The pose allowed him to lean his body towards you just enough that it wouldn’t be invasive, but let him stay close. When you turned to finally give him your attention, like he desperately seemed to want, it took what self-control you had left to keep your jaw from falling.

His hair was long; the front barely grazing the middle of his cheeks while the back went further. His hair was a literal mullet. It should’ve looked ridiculous, but Jungkook was far from that. He was breathtaking.

You weren’t ashamed to admit it then or even now. The minute you’d locked eyes with him you realized it wasn’t a coincidence he came to stand beside you. You knew you should look away. You’d been staring at him too long now for it to be considered a fleeting glance. But your eyes were enjoying the sinful way the suit hugged against his body. When your eyes finally made their way back up the fine lines of his suit, you were greeted by a knowing smirk that, for a split second, made you forget how to breathe.

You weren’t entirely sure how you could pretend you weren’t affected by him in the slightest. His face was all sharp angles that were showcased perfectly by the curve of his jaw, and barely softened by doe shaped eyes. But even that softness was eaten by an eyebrow piercing that accentuated his brow that was currently raised in question. The smirk that lifted his lips matched the heat in his eyes as he shamelessly let you watch his eyes roam over your body.

You tried to focus on anything else in the space between you and somehow found yourself noticing a brush of a mole underneath his bottom lip. Its placement felt ludicrous due to its cuteness. Here this guy was giving you, “Fuck me,” eyes that were countered by soft touches that were scattered all over his face. It left him teetering between mind blowingly gorgeous and boyishly handsome all at once.

The expensive fabric of his charcoal gray suit strained against the muscles in his arms as he raised it up to flag down the bartender. Your eyes took in the length of his fingers and your body shivered as you imagined them sliding up your dress. Your cheeks heated with a blush you hoped he didn’t notice as you imagined those same fingers making their way between your thighs. Your mindly shamelessly began to wonder if was the kind of man that liked to tease - to prolong every ounce of pleasure - or did he just take what he wanted?

You were more than aware of how the black shirt underneath, just like the jacket, showcased a sculpted chest. He radiated sex appeal and power and you wanted nothing more than to be engulfed.

With the flick of his fingers the bartender appeared like magic. His question of, “What would you like?” sounded desperate to please as he waited for Jungkook’s instruction. Jungkook himself didn’t glance once in his direction. His attention was wholly focused on you.

“Give the lady whatever she’d like.”

Now that you had the attention of the bartender you couldn’t seem to remember what you’d wanted to order. You weren’t even sure if you wanted a drink anymore. Not when he was standing there looking at your mouth like he planned to either fuck it or kiss it.

“Does that include you?”

You expected there to be a hint of shock. Or maybe he’d take offense to your boldness. What you’d ended up receiving in return was that devilish smirk he wore like a second skin. It spread like wildfire farther up his face; lighting up his eyes to look like the big bad wolf as they roamed hungrily over your body. A silent prayer formed on your lips that he would close that distance and touch you. Your house could’ve been made of fucking cement and you would’ve held your door open to allow him to sink his teeth in your skin.

“Sorry. I’m no longer on the menu.”

You did your best to hide your disappointment at his dismissal by giving the bartender your attention.

“I’ll take a rum and coke.”

You refused to turn back to him. To let yourself be flustered farther by some ridiculously good-looking man who’d basically told you he was taken. God, but he didn’t make it easy. It didn’t matter if you’d decided not to look at him. You could feel his eyes staring daggers into you, itching along your spin, while you slid a twenty in exchange for your drink across the bar. Were you imagining things or did he get closer?

When you moved to step away from the bar, you finally gave him your attention. A glass raised half way to thank him for the drink.

“Thanks for the help.”

You tipped your glass and started to make your way back to your friend's booth. In the short amount of time you’d been standing at the bar wasting time just to get one drink the place had filled up. Instead of it being a straight shot back to the booth, you found yourself asking people to excuse you with your precious drink held above your head. If you spilled it there was a strong indication there’d be some cursing and, possibly, a few tears.

Your imagination began to wander into naughty places as you made your way across the floor. You didn’t like being grabbed when you danced on the floor, but you imagined what it would be like if it was him you felt. His hand at your waist, stopping you from moving farther from him, with his body shamelessly pressed tightly against you. The hand he’d secured at your waist being used to move your hips in unison with him to the next DJ requested song.

The tension between you two wasn’t something you’d imagined. You’d plainly stated your interest and he seemed receptive, but…

You couldn’t stop yourself from glancing back over your shoulder. Just like at the bar you’d felt his eyes follow you without mercy as you made your weak attempt to cross the floor.The dancing bodies around you should’ve provided you ample cover. Or that’s what you believed, but when you glanced over your shoulder you found those intense doe eyes fixated on you. His lean frame was still pressed into the exact spot you’d left him at the bar. Even from where you stood, you easily mapped out the teasing curve of his lips.

In that instant you really did feel like Little Red trapped under the insatiable gaze of a predator who threatened to swallow you whole. Even though your heart began to thunder wildly in your chest you couldn’t deny that it was all from the thrill of being hunted. For a moment, you forgot to worry about your drink and the high possibility of it spilling. You were rooted there to the floor, pulse hammering, and waiting.

“Hey Y/N!” You could barely register her words, but when Eun Hyun touched your arm it jolted you back to reality. “You good?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.”

“Did you get lost? Or has something caught the attention of that cop brain of yours?”

Her voice dripped heavy with teasing as she scanned the bouncing heads around you. She knew, somewhere in the sea of bodies, someone in there had turned you into a walking puddle. You gave her your best care-free smile and slid your arm around her waist. Your hips knocking against hers playfully to direct her back towards the table.

“I’m off duty tonight.”

You practically had to yell the words in her ear. If it wasn’t for the music being ear shatteringly loud, you would’ve worried about her eardrum. Your response sent her head back to rest against your shoulder and gazing over in your direction. Her laughter caused her eyes to crease into half moons.

The rest of the night you spent surrounded by Eun Hyun and her friends. You didn’t find yourself trying to find your mystery bar guy or wondered if he was somewhere watching you from a shadowed booth. You flung yourself into the girls night; your body gyrating and dancing to the throbbing bass of the music. Your mouth greedily knocking back every drink and every shot offered up by the next round from the bar. This was your night to unwind and you planned to take advantage of every minute.

When it was time for everyone to head home - and you being you - you hailed a cab for each of the girls. Eun Hyun decided at the last minute that instead of riding with you, she’d catch a ride with another girlfriend. The two of them believed that their girls' night didn’t have to end there at the bar, but somewhere still open that allowed them to be full of sin. They asked if you wanted to join, but you knew you couldn’t. As much as you loved living in the illusion of freedom, in the back of your mind, you knew the dark underbelly that was your home would be calling you bright and early. You didn’t need a massive hangover to join you during a homicide investigation.

Once the last of the girls’ was securely inside a cab you started waving for your own. You were usually a cautious person - came with the territory - so why you weren’t at that moment always surprised you. You’d thought about the second time you’d run into each other a lot. Why Jungkook never peaked your radar. The answer was a simple one: you never saw him coming.

You’d just stepped off the curb to open the back door of the cab when a suited arm beat you to it.

“Excuse me-“

The rest of your words died off the moment you looked up. He was just there. His arm holding the taxi idle, and keeping you captive between him and its backseat. Besides a coy glint of a challenge inside big doe eyes, you weren’t sure what game he was getting at. There was one thing you knew for certain. Years of intuition telling you the prize he was after was you.

“Get in.”

His voice was heady in its demand. The roughness of his words coated your skin in a heavy desire that left your body eager to follow orders. Too bad your legs seemed to turn to jelly by the way he stepped inside your space; his body easily overtaking your orbit. Eclipsing yours until you realized too late you were holding your breath waiting with anticipation for his next move. His dominance was on display in every inch of him. Particularly, in the way he moved. It could've been mistaken for confidence - he certainly wasn’t lacking in the department - but it was more than that. Jungkook commanded the universe to observe him and take awe of being in his presence.

A modern day Narcissus with all the power of Zeus.

Your body wanted to obey. Drunk you, however, wanted to be difficult. The stubborn side of you flared to the surface and made its own demand. “I didn’t realize we were sharing,” you replied, your words purred from your lips.

His response came in the form of actions. His hand that had held open the taxi’s door was now holding onto your arm and ushering you inside the cab. The hard length of his frame followed closely behind you to make sure you were getting in. If you turned to get out of the way you would just run smack into his chest.

“Hey! What the hell are you doing?!”

You moved your body across the backseat until you were on the opposite side. Your back pressed firmly against the door. You turned to face him, watching as his frame followed in behind you and closed the door all in one smooth motion. His hand came down to pat a few times on the drivers chair as he directed him to an address that was definitely not yours.

A small part of you wanted to blurt out that you were a detective. See if it was enough to make his bravado wilt and followed up with messy attempts at an apology. The other part of you, one you later blamed on being drunk, just wanted to see what the rest of the night held in store. The hold Jungkook had previously had on your arm was now gone, but the heat from his touch remained.

The taxi lurched forward. It’s pace quickly sped up while the driver became comfortable with the information given from his gps. The middle-aged man gave you both a brief glance from his rear-view mirror. His thoughts deciding already the two of you were nothing but strangers heading home for a midnight fuck. He wasn’t far off, except-

You weren’t sure what you expected when you glanced back at the man beside you. A hundred possibilities with a hundred different ways to address them flew through your mind. Every single one of them dying before they were ever born on your lips when you found deep honeyed eyes seeing - not looking - in your direction.

“It’s a bit cocky to assume I want to go home with you.”

Your voice didn’t betray that your heart leapt into your throat. Your pulse sparks pure lightning through your veins, struggling, to keep a trepid tongue from running over your lips. His eyes flashed with a wickedness that was matched only by his smile. A curl of lips that you desperately wanted to feel pressed between your folds.

“You asked if I was on the menu, remember?”

“Asking if someone is included with a drink doesn’t automatically mean, ‘fuck me.’”

The drivers’ eyes peeled back up to glance in the rear view. It was subtle, but there.

Your harsh choice of words earned you a quirked eyebrow. His piercing glinted briefly by passing streetlights making him look ethereal. Sinful. This time your tongue did dart out to wet your lips and his eyes hungrily followed.

“No, it doesn’t. Looking for me while you should be enjoying your friends does come off that way, though.”

Your body went rigid with embarrassment. He’d noticed you as your eyes eagerly searched every face in the crowd. You’d searched, hoping, you’d find him, and yet you never once saw him. You’d even said a tiny prayer to the universe that maybe you'd run into him on the way back to the bar or pressed against his body on the dance floor. All these moments…

But he took notice of your desire and planned to use it to his full advantage.

“Come here.”

The demand was back. His voice practically dripped it along your skin. A silken promise to bring you to your knees and keep you there. You were eager to see if his words matched his actions. Without making him have to ask twice, you slide over to him. Your body filling up what little space you’d made until you were a breathe away.

The darkness of his eyes lightened for a moment. His pleasure at you obeying orders sent a spark through him. His hand came up a moment later with his index tracing the edges of your jaw until it cupped right below your chin. He used your obedience to his advantage and tipped your chin up to look up.

His eyes roamed the expanse of your face. A lazy thumb moved along the edge of your lip. The action was simple, and yet your breath was caught in your lungs. Hypnotized and waiting, eagerly, for his next move.

He must have noticed the heat in your eyes. The way you swallowed heavier around words of pleading that left your body wanton and trembling to be touched. A smirk ticked the corners of his mouth as he brought his lips closer to yours. Close enough he could’ve breathed you to him if he wanted. Instead, Jungkook faltered half way. Eyes dancing with mischief as his whispered words of, “Good girl,” painted themselves against your lips.

You bit the side of your cheek. A weak attempt to fight the convulsion to respond like a brat. You wanted to nudge him, something - anything - to make him take back his words. Even though his voice caressed along your skin, making it ache to sin.

His thumb was tracing slowly against your lips. His eyes holding yours hostage; demanding you to meet him with the same intensity. This was how Jungkook chose to watch you unravel at his touch. It would stay like this with every touch of his hands or when his cock was buried deep inside you. He came to life as you unraveled underneath him. Devouring every last hitch in your breathing with a hungry mouth and coaxing hands.

This is how he chose to watch you that night, in the backseat of that cab, as your breath caught in your throat. Your body curving to press closer to him with your thighs parting just enough to give him access. A smirk tilted the corner of his mouth as his head tilted closer to you.

“You’re such a good girl for me.”

Jungkook’s breath caressed the words along your lips just before he claimed your mouth with his. The kiss only meant to silence you as his fingers moved past the thin lace covering your pussy. His fingers pushing past your folds and plunging deep inside you.

Your body responded instantly to his touch. Your body arched to be closer; chest pressed up against him as your hand found a perch at the nape of his neck. You wanted to stay quiet. You were in the backseat of a cab for fucks sake, but Jungkook wasn’t giving you an option for dignity.

His fingers set to work on guiding themselves deeper inside you. Each thrust from his wrist sent a moan panting against his lips. Your hips shamelessly working in time with each thrust from his wrists. The palm of his hand cupped your pussy as he added another finger, stretching you wider for him.

A squelching noise was beginning to fill the small cab. Jungkook’s hand now coated and slick with your juices as you rode the high he was sending you on.

You weren’t like this. You were a detective. A woman who didn’t consider being fingered in the backseat of a cab a good time. Your common sense was raging at you to pull away from his kiss. To pull on his wrist and remove his fingers from between your legs, but the feral part of you told common sense to fuck off.

A secret part of you loved the way he unraveled you in that backseat. His tongue diving between your lips to caress across yours. The kiss at first was nothing but intensity: fierce and no doubt leaving your lips swollen. But as Jungkook continued to bring you close and closer to your orgasm it began to change. His lips still refused to let yours go. Your moans and gasps were forced to be pressed against his mouth as you panted for air. The kiss grew into its own sensual being. No longer was it fast and brutal. His tongue now moved languidly over yours, as if tasting every inch of you he could find.

You no longer cared that the cabbie was probably watching. Well aware that Jungkook’s fingers changed tactics and were now curving up into your g-spot. Your hands were frantically trying to remove his clothes; desperate to get home so you could have him inside you. You didn’t have to pull away from Jungkook’s lips to know he was smiling.

He couldn’t hold you to him any longer when the pleasure spread into your belly and blossomed in a burst of stars. You came for him - moaning prayers of ‘oh fuck,” - and head bumping against the window. You came while Jungkook continued to work your orgasm until your legs quivered uncontrollably. His pupils blown out with lust while he watched you come undone at his touch.

You couldn’t remember getting out of the cab at his apartment. You could only remember once you were inside, bodies were colliding against the wall of the hallway in a frenzy to remove clothes. Something broke on your ascent to the bedroom and you almost tripped trying to take off your heels.

All you did remember was the feeling of Jungkook on top of you. The tip of his cock pressing against your opening before he fully sheathed himself inside you. Your pussy struggling to accommodate his length and the sweet pain of his cock stretching you, working your cunt to take every last inch of him. Jungkook fucked you hard enough you felt him in your crevice. Your body trembling as pain and pleasure meddled together until it was sending you over the brink. Even when you got on top, hips working him with each thrust, Jungkook still took control. His hands on your waist going at the pace he wanted, and it was always too deep - too much - and left you screaming out his name in worship.

When you woke up you weren’t surprised by the massive headache you’d obtained from drinking half the bar. Jungkook silently laying beside you, deep in sleep, had been a huge surprise.You weren’t good at the whole next morning, ‘where do we go from here?’ sort of thing.

You were steeling yourself for the awkward moments when he woke up. For when you would tell him it was a one time thing and no relationship was going to happen. Ever. Of course, it wasn’t what happened at all. The moment Jungkook woke up his, “Good morning,” came in the form of a grunt. His body rolling you over and pushing himself inside.

You weren’t sure how a relationship happened. At first, you pretended it was strictly for the sex. A way to blow off steam from long work hours and the horrors of finding the Devils’ leftovers. But somehow his staying over only until morning turned into staying for breakfast. It traveled from breakfast in the house to breakfast at diners and dinners at restaurants. Eventually, Jungkook stopped leaving all together from your apartment, because it was now one you shared.

There were times you tried to deny that you could afford to fall in love, especially with him. While you were sure over the course of months you’d told him small and big things about yourself, Jungkook remained a mystery. The moments when he told you about his day or himself were rare and raw. As if he were afraid to come apart at the seams of the man he’d built only to be seen as weak.

Glancing over at Jungkook’s empty side of the bed, you tried to keep the dread from growing. You tried to shove it down as you climbed inside the elevator, your fingers pressing for the lobby. Jungkook never told you exactly what he did for a living. You just knew it kept him up at odd hours and sometimes - rarely - he would be kept out at night.

You weren’t going to allow yourself to be consumed with worry that he wasn’t home. Your Chief called with big news and with any luck, it was one of your leads that led to this arrest. All the worry that began to brew inside you quickly dissipated and excitement took its place.

Two years. Two long - nightmarish - years and finally you had something tangible. You had one of the bastards who helped terrorize this city and every resident inside it. The thought you could finally get some reasoning for the carnage Namjoon and his men had caused made you practically giddy.

The drive down to the station was done in a daze. You were positive no red lights were run, but you couldn’t say with certainty you didn’t speed. You dashed up to the back door of the precinct and squeezed past an officer who was on his way out.

He mumbled a hello, but you couldn’t respond. Your mind was focused on reaching the third floor where the man was being held. Your legs quickly found the staircase and took each one two at a time. Your body jolted forward as you came to the third-floor landing, and you broke into a jog.

The Chief was standing near the end of the corridor. His hands crossed with a Manila folder with everything that the department was able to gather on whoever was inside. When he caught sight of you, he pushed himself off of the wall taking lumbering steps in your direction. A hand already extending out the file for you to grab from him the minute you were within arm's reach.

“Finally. I thought with something like this you would’ve gotten here faster.”

“Hello to you too, Chief,” you snapped back. You weren’t too worried about him. Your attention was on the folder now in your hands. Your thumb running along the edge to help flip it open. “Can you debrief me on what we know for now?”

His large body made it hard to walk side-by-side in the hallway, forcing you to walk a little behind him.

“It’s all there in front of you: read it,” he huffed.

“It’s difficult to walk and read at the same time. Stop being an ass and just tell me.”

“Fine. We caught him in the act so to speak. He’d just finished paying a jeweler who we suspected was helping launder diamonds for Namjoon out of the country. Not sure exactly what happened, but from what we gathered at the scene, whatever's been going on between Namjoon and the jeweler must have been one hell of a disagreement.” The two of you stopped in front of the interrogation room at the very end of the hall. Your body was tingling with the desire to go inside. “When we showed up the jeweler and his works were already dead, and he was leaving with the suitcase through the back door. Surprised the hair out of the newbie when he met him at the door.”

The big man let out a chuckle that sounded more like a cough: throaty and from the chest. Chief was really in a good mood, you noticed.

“You say he, sir. We got a name?”

“Sure, as fuck do: Jeon Jungkook. Namjoon’s enforcer and right-hand man.”

You were vaguely aware that his mouth was still moving. He was talking, making words, and yet you heard none of it. The sickening feeling you felt earlier looking at the empty side of his bed came back. This time you physically had to fight your body from being sick. The urge to release the late dinner you had before bed was creeping dangerously close to the surface.

You were struggling to focus on his frame. Barely able to register the Chief was looking at you with worry. His lips formed words you were sure asking if you were okay but you waved him off. With the file still in your hand, you placed your hands on your hips. The movement forcing your dark trench coat to flare out around you like a cap.

In. Out. Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

He was talking to you still; throwing questions at you on repeat and the only questions you wanted answers too lied within the room to your right. You didn’t give him warning that you were leaving. You just walked up to the interrogation room door, your hand reaching out for the handle.

Whether you were ready for what greeted you on the other side of the door - you weren’t sure. You made a silent prayer to anyone listening for it not to be him on the other side of the door. You would’ve given anything for it to be anyone else. Anything.

With a shaky hand you turned the knob of the door and stepped inside.

Your back was against the headboard of the bed. All the pillows that had been lost to the floor during sex were now back. Each one hugging to your shape as Jungkook tried to invade the pillow cocoon you’d made by resting his head in your lap.

He’d let out another frustrated sigh and you couldn’t keep the smile off your face. Jungkook hated your pillow obsession.

“I swear, I come home only to find another pillow added to the bed.”

“Or, hear me out, you just think you see another one.”

“I’ve actually started counting,” he admitted. His eyes edged up to look up at you through his lashes. Your fingers that’d been playing in his sweaty hair came to a halt. Just so you could do your best to hold his stare - looking as innocent as possible. “Today when I left the house we had ten pillows and now we have eleven. How does that happen?”

“Magic.”

You smiled brightly down at him before placing a kiss down on his forehead. You went to move back up when Jungkook stopped you. His body lifting up from your lap to meet you halfway to press his lips to yours. It was a chaste kiss. Chaste compared to how you usually kissed and as brief as it was your body reacted to him instantly.

You’d learned early on in your relationship it didn’t matter if you were having a bad day. If you were angry at the world, him, or frustrated with work. Jungkook was able to combat your sadness with just his presence alone. In moments where he smiled so big it crinkled his nose and the times you’d find him dancing shirtless in the kitchen while making breakfast. Even through the soft moments you shared, Jungkook chose to remain an enigma.

Jungkook released his hold on your lips to fall back into your lap. He turned until a cheek rested on your thigh giving him a good enough view to look out your bedroom window. The dying light of the day painting the window seal in hazy oranges and reds.

“This feels like magic.”

He spoke softly into the soft skin of your thigh. Jungkook brought a lazy hand to your calf and began to lightly move his fingers up and down. Your face became hot and you weren’t sure why you were trying to hide it when he wasn’t even looking. He was too busy, lost in the darkness of his own thoughts to know you were watching him and the way the sunset lit up every inch of his features. You traced the flowers on his sleeve in an attempt to calm the frenzy of your heart.

“What flower is this?”

The minute your words left your lips, you wished you could take them back. Jungkook turned away from the window to briefly glance at his arm. Already knowing exactly what flower you meant.

“It’s my birth flower. A tiger flower.”

“It’s a beautiful flower.”

“It is, but I didn’t get it for that. I got it for its meaning.”

You waited for him to continue. The room swelled with silence as you resumed running your fingers through his hair, but Jungkook’s attention was turned back towards the window.

“What’s it mean?”

He didn’t respond right away. The only way you knew he heard you was the soft tilt of his head. His eyes glancing at you from the side. You weren’t trying to pressure him. You just wanted him to know you were willing to wait and listen.

“It means, ‘Love me.’”

Each word hit you in the chest making you think, for just a moment, your heart was breaking. Jungkook’s voice told you more than he probably meant too.

Your fingers completely stopped their movement through his hair and moved down to take hold of his chin. Gently, you tilted his head up by his chin and waited for his eyes to meet yours before you spoke.

“If it counts for anything, I love you, Jungkook.”

Stepping inside the room you were greeted with the immediate sight of him. He hadn’t turned to look at you yet. His hands held together on the cool steel table. His wrists bound with cuffs that were attached to the metal ring at the edge closest to him.

He was dressed neatly in all black. From his long jacket that sat draped along the back of his chair to the high turtleneck that decorated his torso. In the breakdown of what had been taken in for evidence, you noticed they’d listed black leather gloves that he was currently missing.

You found your bearings and finally took that final step forward. Your feet carrying you around the table to the only chair available inside the room. It was then that Jungkook’s eyes flicked through the slights in his hair and you were finally able to see the light splatter of blood that was speckled across his cheek.

That was when it hit home that this was real. This moment, inside this very room, where your axis was tipping and your world was violently shifting. He didn’t have the decency to look away; to be ashamed.

No. A part of you always knew that the darkness that you assumed haunted Jungkook wasn’t out of sadness. An inkling of something much more sinister lurked underneath his surface, but you overlooked it. Pretended it wasn’t there all because you broke your own rules. You didn’t keep your guard up and if you had, Jungkook had silently removed every wall you’d been able to build.

Jungkook acknowledged your presence with a smirk and all that anguish you felt at his betrayal was instantly replaced with rage.

“There’s my good girl.”

“Don’t call me that.”

You hated the way he used your pet name. You hated it more with the way your body betrayed you with your core aching to be touched. Jungkook usually called you that when he had your legs spread out on your kitchen counter; eating your pussy for breakfast. Or bent over the couch with him buried to the hilt inside you, pounding at a brutal pace, with a belt around your throat and his hand controlling the pressure.

Jungkook’s response at your request was a sickening chuckle. You wanted to vault over the table between you. Grab a hold of him and shake him, scream in his face, demanding why? What was the purpose of all those months? Did he know who you were that night at the bar? Was this nothing but a game to him?

The smug look on his face made you want to go feral. The betrayal and hurt were warring inside your gut fighting for dominance. Each one knocking the air from your lungs like a punch. Jungkook leaned forward placing his elbows on the table and used them to get to the middle. His eyes were wild as he searched your face. No doubt reading the split second it took for you to hide the emotions you felt.

“Why? Do you not want them to know that we’ve been fucking? How I came home to you almost every night after I committed crimes you could never catch me for.”

And there it was. The truth you were dreading.

How many times had he come home to the bed you shared after he murdered someone? After threatening someone’s life or burning down a business? Came home to help you make dinner and he’d just taken laundered money or helped run one of Namjoon’s brothels.

You dropped his folder with a thud on the table. You had to fold your arms across your middle just so you didn’t actually reach over the table and strangle him. He would love that. See you lose control just to prove his point.

“You seem to be focusing on the wrong things, Jungkook. You seem a bit bitter that you got caught.”

The eerie smile dropped off his face as he snarled, “They got lucky.”

“Or you were just cocky,” you shot back. “And that cockiness cost you.”

“I wouldn’t be talking about cock-y anything right now, sweetheart.”

“How about we cut the shit and get straight to it, hmm? You aren’t going anywhere, Jungkook. You’ve been apprehended and you will never, ever, see the light of day again.”

The smug smile returned as his head cocked to the side. Clearly, you were more amusing than anything else to him.

“You’re soooo angry that I was under your nose this whole time. You had suspicions, but you chose to ignore them.”

You tried to swallow past your heart that was now clamoring in your throat. The scream that had been building was threatening to break free. You were struggling to remain emotionless. From the look on Jungkook’s face, you were failing miserably. You knew what he was going to say and you didn’t want to hear it. Didn’t want something you’d told him in the moment to be used against you like the fool you felt you were.

“We both know why you ignored them, y/n. It’s because you lo-“

“If you finish that sentence I promise you I’ll punch your teeth down your throat.”

His reply came in the form of a wide toothy grin that lit his entire face up. The idea excited him and made him look psychotically attractive with the dried blood on his cheeks.

“You won’t get the chance even if I did.”

“What are you talking about?” You snapped.

He just answered you with that wicked smile. You were getting tired of the games. Your thoughts working on how to get past all the personal to the real matter at hand. You were considering how to work around it when the alarms in the room began to go off.

The alarm was shrill and pulsing. The sound hammered over and over inside your skull until you were sure it was going to explode. You glanced back at the two-way mirror and then to the door. You expected at any minute for someone to come barreling in to ask about what Jungkook said or to tell you the alarm was a false alarm. You were willing to bet it was until you started hearing shouting further down the hall. The sounds of running feet and jingling keys crept through the door.

You wanted to call and ask what was going on, but you hadn’t grabbed a radio and when the shouting got louder you found yourself back on your feet.

“Did you really think Namjoon and the other Devils’ wouldn’t come for me?”

Jungkook spoke to you like he was scolding a child. Your mouth snapped open, ready to retaliate, when the sound of an explosion sounded all around you. The alarms in the building were blaring like crazy. The next explosion sounded in the building and your arms shot up protectively to cover your head and neck.

The sounds of screams were now pounding in your ears. Matching the scrambling boots and shouts to find cover. You dropped your arms down from your head and looked around. Outside was pure chaos, but nothing had touched inside the interrogation room yet. Which only meant one thing.

“They don’t know which room you’re in.”

Your words were soft. Spoken mostly as a verbal thought. The realization of it had you scrambling out of your chair. Your hands digging for the cuff keys Chief had dropped inside your pocket before you entered.

You had resolved to never get this close to him again. You wanted to pretend that being so near would cause your skin to crawl, but it was too soon. Everything is still fresh and open. Jungkook may have betrayed you in more ways than your brain could possibly fathom at this point. But the only thing your body felt, being this close to him, was desire.

“What are you doing?”

Jungkook was staring up at you with amusement. His gaze set on your face and no doubt finding the humor in the way your jaw clenched at having to press this close up against him.

“If they don’t know what room that means I have a chance to take you somewhere else. Somewhere safe.”

“You’re freeing me?” One eyebrow curled up towards his hairline. The amusement was still heavy in his tone, but underneath was he…hopeful?

A snort of laughter was your only reply as you continued to work on the chain that held his cuffs in place.

“No, Jungkook, I'm not freeing you. I’m making sure you end up where you belong.”

“And where is that, exactly?” He snapped.

The amusement had fallen from him and was replaced with the look of someone deadly. Someone you didn’t know. The change was swift and almost had you taking a step back from him. This was the real Jungkook. The enforcer, Chief called him. Looking at him you couldn’t agree with a more fitting title for the fierce man that looked up at you.

“In prison.”

You weren’t sure how you found the courage to reply or to meet the fury in his eyes. The second your words registered you watched a spark ignite in his eyes and a snarl bare his teeth. This time your body did give a jolt in surprise. You went to move back from him, but Jungkook’s hands were on your arms gripping you right. Refusing to let go.

“No. I belong with you and you belong with me.”

You were shaking your head struggling to free yourself from having to hear him. His words cut deep and dug into your soul. How stupid of him to not realize it didn’t matter how you felt. How he felt. You knew who he was now and nothing could change that. Nothing should be able to change that.

“No,” you gasped.

You didn’t know when you started crying. All you knew was that your eyes were stinging with unshed tears. As much as you fought to hold them in, you knew it was just a matter of time before you lost.

“Yes! You know it as much as I do. All these months we’ve been together. Deep down, in your gut, you knew all along who I was.”

“That’s impossible! I’m not fuckin psychic!”

“No. You’re a detective and a good one at that. You’re not dumb, y/n.” You were shaking your head vigorously like it would be enough to drown out every word he spoke. The grip on your arms felt constricting and yet, you didn’t pull away. “We belong together. You know it.”

The rage at his words, or yourself for allowing him to talk and for you to listen, was building up. You were going to scream. It felt like you were going to open your mouth to do so when another explosion went off.

This one was closer than the others. Close enough that it shattered the glass off the two-way mirror and sent it flying like shrapnel into the room. You were still stunned by the explosion, your body stuck in shock, but Jungkook was already moving.

A hand reached out to grab the edge of the interrogation table. He flipped it over with ease and grabbed you just as another explosion sounded. He didn’t grab you quick enough. You didn’t have to touch your head right away to know it was bleeding. You’d felt the debris of something - a chunk of concrete, plywood, or glass - hit the backside of your head. Your vision was now doubled and cloudy. The words being said around you sounded like they were speaking through cotton balls.

Vaguely, you became aware that there were other men in the room now. All of them dressed in black with decorated hockey masks that sat on top of ski masks. One of them was bending down, bolt cutters in his hands, and made quick work of Jungkook’s cuffs just as Namjoon entered the room.

He walked through the hole the explosion created, framed by billowing smoke and flames. Namjoon appeared completely untouched. Exactly like the Devil himself.

You tried to go for your side arm but someone stopped you. A boot kicking you back that was met with a savage snarl as Jungkook launched himself at your attacker. The darkness around your vision was winning. No matter what you told yourself, you weren’t going to be able to fight passing out. Your eyes fluttered over to the sight of Jungkook. His fist had wrapped his handcuffs around his knuckles and was smashing repeatedly into the mask of the man who’d kicked you.

“That’s enough, Jungkook.” Namjoon’s baritone was rich and deep. It didn’t surprise you that it went with one of the most notorious mob king’s that ever resided in this city. “We need to leave. Now. We’ll talk about your lack of tact when we get home.”

“I’m not leaving without her.”

Namjoon turned to him. His eyes followed as Jungkook threw down the bloodstained cuffs and moved towards you. You wanted to say something - tried to say something - but all that came out was mumble words and a whimper.

“You know you can’t bring her, Jungkook.”

“I’ll say this one more time, Joon. I’m not leaving here. Not without her.”

Irritation rippled across Namjoon’s features and his jaw clenched tight. You could tell he was thinking with his eyes roaming down to look you over. Finally noticing the state that you were in. His tongue rolled around in his cheek before he looked back at Jungkook. His frustration only made his forehead crease further.

“Fuck it. Hurry up and grab her.”

Jungkook didn’t even wait for Namjoon to finish his sentence. He pushed the tossed over table farther away making it easier for him to move down and scoop you up into his arms. The sudden movement caused your world to spin and it wouldn’t stop. Squinting your eyes you nestled your forehead against his shoulder trying to make your head stop spinning. It wasn’t working.

A whimper escaped you as Jungkook started moving forward. The crumbling department was only something you were able to imagine as you refused to look. No matter how hard you shut your eyes, however, it wouldn’t stop the sounds of men yelling for backup and others in pain. The pops of bullets leaving the chambers and the clamoring of feet to escape.

“I’ve got you, my love,” Jungkook hummed against your cheek. “I’ve always got you.”

If you were stronger you would’ve clamored out of his arms and moved away. You would spit curses at him and inform him that he was delusional. You would never be his any longer, but before the blackness overtook you a tiny voice reminded you that you were a liar.

You would always be his.

Pairing: Reader / Jungkook, Reader / Taehyung (past relationship, friends to lovers to friends)

Genre: College!au, fluff, angst, supernatural drama, smut, friends to lovers, emotional trauma, hurt/comfort

Length: 9, 203k words

Warnings: language, episodes of anxiety, panic attacks, sexual themes in later chapters.

Summary: Living in a world full of things only you have the ability to see, growing up with Jungkook has been your island amidst the chaos. But when your best friend makes an impossible request, your friendship is fractured, and your sudden decision to cut ties and move abroad changes everything. Three years later, Jungkook is thriving at university as he begins his junior year. He’s a star athlete, member of a popular fraternity, and every girl’s ideal boyfriend. He tells himself that he’s long forgotten you and the friendship he never had a chance to mend – that is, until you show up on campus as a transfer student with new friends in tow. It’s been three years, and everything has changed, but the biggest change is you. Your new found determination to use your abilities to help the ghosts you used to live in fear of, no matter how dangerous it might be, makes Jungkook fear he’ll lose you before he has a chance to fix what he broke. College AU.

Disclaimer: Just for funsies, I don’t believe in real-life shipping. But I like to write, and I like fandom, so here we are. Please do not duplicate this work or repost anywhere else without permission.

Tag List: @ggukkieland @jikooksgirl19 @waves-and-woods @kookiesbreaky @koochiekoo @monvieesdaebak @kb-bangtanenthusiast @mwitsmejk @justvibingsblog @gerigonzalezme

I hope I remembered all the people who asked to be tagged (and got the tags right.) If you’d like to be tagged for updates, let me know.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

Chapter 3

“You ready to go?”

You turned to see Taehyung leaning in your doorway. He was wearing flared jeans and a green paisley silk button-down shirt. The open butterfly collar revealed a vintage Chanel gold medallion, and he’d added light green sunglasses to complete his retro look.

Taehyung had picked out your outfit – a short, cream-colored wrap dress with an abstract floral design and long flared sleeves. Knee high rust red boots and pin straight hair completed the look, and for once you felt like a match to his fashionable appearance.

You held up a finger as you opened your jewelry box, looking for the vintage garnet drop earrings you’d found to complement the outfit. You slid them in, moving your hair back to admire how they dangled and caught the light.

“Okay, I’m ready,” you said, turning to find him behind you.

“Almost,” he said, pulling a small box out of his pocket.

“Tae,” you said reprovingly as he opened the box and took out a ring. The antique gold setting was beautiful – an oval opal surrounded by a halo of garnets – and it looked perfect when he slid it onto your right ring finger.

“Now you’re ready,” he said, looking pleased as he stood back to check your appearance.

You raised a brow. “When did you even have time to shop for this?” Taehyung’s little surprise gifts were something to which you’d become accustomed over the last few years, and your attempts to discourage him were usually ignored.

He shrugged and as always, his sheepish grin disarmed you. You reached up and adjusted his collar.

“You look like you’re ready for a Vogue shoot,” you said, smiling back. “The poor girls at this party won’t know what hit them.”

“That’s why I have you to protect me,” he replied.

It was Friday, the final weekend before classes started, and the welcoming activities had ramped up in the last week. You and Taehyung had attended some of them and declined others, but you’d committed to the biggest events of the weekend – tonight’s Musical Eras mixer and tomorrow’s Movie Night on the Quad.

The mixer was being held at the Kappa fraternity house, something that had almost made you reconsider attending because you were certain to run into Jungkook again as you had for the last week. While your anger had cooled, you still felt that knot of anxiety in your stomach whenever you saw him, wondering if he’d still be angry or if he’d just pretend you didn’t exist.

So far, his attitude fell somewhere in the middle – when he saw you and Taehyung together at the supermarket, he tried to hide his reaction, but the little muscle ticking away in his jaw was a dead giveaway. A couple of days later, you saw him in the park while you were walking Yeontan and for once, he didn’t look big mad at the sight of you. You were alone and had considered trying to talk to him, but he was with friends. Not wanting to invite public rejection, you waved at the group and hurried away, noticing the little wrinkle between his brows as he watched you go.

Jin, Jimin and Jimin’s girlfriend, Ayeong, had all been by the house a couple of times. Sera had also visited with her mother, accepting Taehyung’s offer of a house tour since Sera’s mother was interested in how the historical home had been renovated. Jungkook was noticeably absent, though Jin seemed certain that he’d eventually come around.

You weren’t so certain of that. In all the years you’d been friends with Jungkook, you’d never seen him so deeply upset with another person. If someone upset him, he might avoid that person for a while, but he always got over it, and you’d never seen him blow up at anyone the way he had with you.

You always thought you knew him better than anyone, and he you, but now you had to acknowledge the reality of this situation – three years had passed, and the truth was, you didn’t know this Jungkook. Worse, he didn’t know you either and you had no one to blame for that but yourself.

________________

Stepping into the Kappa house was like stepping back in time. The large house had several rooms downstairs, each of which reflected a different decade of music, and everyone had taken their costumes just as seriously. You laughed when Jimin and Ayeong met you out front dressed as Sonny and Cher.

“Very nice,” you said, gesturing to Ayeong’s dress.

“Thanks, I love yours too.”

Thought it was still early, the party was already a crush of people circulating between the rooms. Younger guys, probably freshmen, circulated with drinks on trays which they offered to guests.

“Pledges?” Taehyung asked Jimin as he took a beer.

Jimin nodded. “They have to put in an hour according to a schedule and then they’re free to party. That’s as close to hazing as we get here.”

When Jimin offered you a glass of wine, you shook your head. “I don’t really drink much when I’m…” you paused, unsure how to finish the sentence without being weird. “When I’m out.”

You could see that Jimin understood what you meant. “Got it. We have a dry bar too if you want to call it that.”

Ayeong linked arms with you. “I’ll show her. I’m not really in the mood to drink either.”

The dry bar turned out to be pretty impressive, with lots of juice, sparkling water, club soda, and even different types of fruit. You settled for club soda with a splash of raspberry juice and slices of lemon while Ayeong created a tropical drink.

“I know Jungkook is being… well, difficult. But I just want you to know that Jimin is so happy you’re back,” Ayeong said. “He said you were all friends since kindergarten.”

“Jimin was always one of the sweetest people at our school,” you replied. “It was really easy to be his friend.”

“Not much has changed then,” Ayeong laughed. “What about Jungkook? Jimin says he wasn’t always such a fuckboy.”

You choked on a sip of your drink. “Jungkook is a fuckboy?”

“Well, a nice one? I think he only hooks up with girls who want the same kind of no-strings fun, so there’s never any drama related to it. He’s not the type to get serious though, which is why I’ve told Erin she needs to move on from her crush.”

Fuckboy Jungkook wasn’t something you could really imagine, nor did you want to. You chose not to think too closely about why it bothered you so much.

But once you spotted him across the room talking to a group of girls, you couldn’t shake that image from your mind. He looked good. Really, really good. He was dressed in tight red pants, a black silk button down, and he’d completed his Michael Jackson Thriller homage with a red leather jacket trimmed in black. When he laughed at something one of the girls said and then pressed his lips together, his dimples appeared.

“I’m surprised Jungkook is wearing a costume – he almost never does,” Ayeong commented.

“He kind of stopped wearing them by the time we were in high school,” you said. “But this kind of party, plus a Thriller homage, is pretty on brand for him.”

“Oh, that’s who he’s supposed to be! I’m really bad at guessing all of these costumes.”

You and Taehyung stuck with Jimin and Ayeong, who introduced you to people you hadn’t met yet. Everyone was welcoming, but two hours in you were starting to feel a little overwhelmed by the crowds and the noise. There was also the fact that ever since Jungkook became aware of your presence, you’d felt his eyes on you. You’d hoped his neutral response to you at the park was progress, but you could feel his judgmental stare like a brand.

Every time you glanced over at him, his impassive expression was contradicted by some blazing emotion in his eyes. You reminded yourself that you’d known this would probably be a struggle – that Jungkook would likely be angry with you for leaving. Emmie had even said that no one mentioned your name to him anymore.

You’d just underestimated how much it would hurt.

___________________

Jungkook almost skipped Movie Night on the Quad because he was in a foul mood after the Musical Eras mixer. Seeing you there with Taehyung in your matching costumes had made him inexplicably angry, something Jin called him out on.

“Shouldn’t we be glad that she has good people in her life?” Jin asked him when he stomped around the kitchen the next day, slamming cabinets as he fixed a late breakfast.

“He’s right,” Jimin said. “Plus you know that she and Taehyung aren’t together, right?”

That made him pause. “They look like they’re together.” Fucking matching costumes and all, he thought viciously.

“They dated, but Ayeong said y/n told her it’s been a while since they were together like that. At least six months or so.”

“Who the hell follows their ex-girlfriend to another country? And buys a house?”

“If you took the time to get to know Taehyung, you’d understand that he feels like y/n saved his life. He’s committed to helping her with the ghost hunting because of that, but he also genuinely cares about her. So do Namjoon and Chloe,” Jin said. “They’re all good people.”

“Whatever,” Jungkook muttered, shoving cereal into his mouth.

“Forget it, Jin. He won’t admit the real problem, and we all know his anger default setting when it comes to y/n is because of that.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Jungkook demanded.

“You’re jealous. You’ve always been jealous of anyone that got close to y/n,” Jimin replied calmly. He crossed his arms and sat back in his chair.

Jungkook grit his teeth. “I’m not jealous.”

“Really? So every time a guy expressed interest in dating her back in high school, and you very pointedly warned them all off, that was you just being what? A good friend?” Jimin rolled his eyes.

“Who? Like Lucas? You’re damn right I warned him off. He didn’t deserve her.”

“What about me?” Jimin asked, a challenge in his tone. “I told you that I liked her our sophomore year, and you shot down that idea so fast I was afraid if I pursued it, it would actually ruin our friendship.”

Jungkook stared at him, shifting uncomfortably. “Because you weren’t serious about it.”

“Says who? I was dead serious, Jungkook, and you know it. For that matter, I think even Lucas was serious about liking her. He never said a word about her that wasn’t totally respectful.”

“Yeah, because he knew I would beat his ass,” Jungkook replied irritably.

“You’re right – everybody knew that. Why do you think people steered clear of her? Why do you think Grace hated her so much? I told you that Grace wasn’t as nice as you thought she was, but you still held tight to y/n with one hand while you chased after her. And I figured it was just a matter of time until you realized how you really felt about y/n, so I let it go. But damn, Jungkook, you need to stop getting mad and let her explain why she left.”

No one spoke for a moment. Then Jungkook asked, “Has she told you why?”

“I asked her,” Jin said. “But I think she’s waiting to talk to you first.”

Jungkook tried not to think about what Jimin said, but now that he was here on the quad, and you were just a few feet away, it was all he could think about. Jealousy.

He couldn’t deny he hated seeing how close you were to Taehyung. The way the other man touched you, or kept a protective arm around you, pissed him off. The way you smiled at him made him even angrier. Still, beneath the anger was something else – a yearning for the way things had been. No one had ever understood him the way you did, and he missed that connection with you.

It was his fault you left. That little voice in the back of his head kept reminding him that you weren’t the only one to blame for this vast distance between you now. He kind of understood why you’d left, but he didn’t know why it had taken you so long to return.

He kept stealing glances at you rather than watching the movie playing on the large screen set up on the quad. You’d been to the concession stand, and he wasn’t surprised to see you eating gummy bears since that had always been your favorite movie snack.

You looked pretty. Your hair was a little longer now than it had been in high school and fell in gentle waves around your shoulders. You wore another floaty little summer dress, the kind you had always liked, small feet encased in comfortable flat sandals. You and Taehyung had joined Jimin, Ayeong, Erin and Jin on a large blanket towards the front of the crowd.

Stubbornly, Jungkook had opted to sit with some of his friends from the baseball team. He was still close enough to watch you – to hear your voice – to just observe you while his mind sorted through his confusing thoughts and emotions. You had glanced over at him a few times, as if feeling his eyes on you, a silent question in your own. And somehow, he knew that you understood that he needed some time.

At the intermission between films, you went with Ayeong and Erin to the bathroom. Jungkook got tacos from a nearby food truck and when he returned, he noticed that you were the only one missing from the group. A few minutes later, Taehyung was frowning at his phone after making a call that had gone unanswered.

“I’m going to go check on her,” he heard the other man say as he stood up.

Jungkook hesitated for a few seconds before following him. Taehyung had his phone to his ear again, though again there seemed to be no answer.

“What’s wrong?” Jungkook asked as he caught up to him.

Taehyung turned and scowled at him. Then he sighed. “Ayeong said she stayed back because she got a call from her mom that she needed to answer. Maybe it’s nothing, but she’s been gone for almost twenty minutes, so I just want to make sure nothing happened.”

Jungkook nodded and then they were silent as they walked around the buildings that were still open. The campus was well lit, so it was easy to see the faces of people walking to the dorms or back to the quad. When they didn’t see you anywhere, Taehyung made another call.

“Chloe, I need you to ping y/n’s location and send it to my phone.” He listened for a minute. “Maybe nothing but I can’t find her and I don’t know – I’m getting a weird feeling. Okay, thanks.”

Taehyung’s unease was contagious, and Jungkook shifted from one foot to the other as they waited. Then Taehyung’s phone vibrated, and he studied his screen for a moment before gesturing for Jungkook to follow him. After walking for a few minutes, Jungkook realized they were heading towards a park where students often had lunch or relaxed between classes.

And there you were, a ghostly figure swaying in the moonlight as you hummed a strange tune.

“Fuck.” Taehyung started running.

Jungkook was right behind him. When he reached you, he tried to take your arm to turn you towards them, but Taehyung stopped him.

“Don’t,” he said, a note of warning in his tone. “She’s in a sort of fugue state, and it’s safer if she comes out of it herself.”

Rather than argue, Jungkook walked around to face you, but froze when he saw that your eyes were unfocused, and almost… glowing? It was clear that you didn’t see him, though he was standing right in front of you.

Jungkook’s heart was pounding now. “How do we make her do that?”

“There’s something else here,” Taehyung explained. “It probably tried to communicate with her. Sometimes, if she lets her guard down, or if the spirit is especially powerful, she gets sort of… pulled to the other side. It’s usually because they’re trying to show her something.”

Swallowing hard, Jungkook nodded. “Okay. How do we make her come out of it?”

“We can’t make her, and if we try, it can cause severe shock. She’ll already be in a state of shock when she comes to on her own, so we have to be careful. I’m going to go get the car. You wait here with her and just keep talking to her, okay?”

“Can I touch her hands?”

“Carefully,” Taehyung said. “Don’t pull her or shake her, and don’t try to make her move.”

“Okay.” After Taehyung left, Jungkook pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Jin, I need you to come to the park right now. The one behind the science building.”

You were still humming and swaying when Jungkook reached out to touch your hand. There was no response, so he carefully took both your hands in his.

“Jesus, your hands are freezing,” he said quietly. “You never dress right for being out at night. You know that you get cold even when it’s not that cold, right?”

He squeezed your hands in an attempt to warm them up. There was no response from you, your eyes still fixed on something he couldn’t see.

“You need to come back now,” he finally said. “I know something else is here, telling you that you need to listen to them and their problems, but you don’t need to stay there, okay? I’m here now, and I know I’ve been mad at you, but I’m not mad anymore. I’m just worried. So, I need you to listen to me now and come back, y/n.”

You shifted slightly, and your eyelids drooped. He thought he felt the faintest twitch of your fingers.

“That’s good. Come back to me.”

“Jungkook?” Your voice was barely above a whisper.

“I’m here,” he answered. He squeezed your hands again, and a wave of relief swept through him when you suddenly stumbled against him.

“Cold,” you whispered against his shoulder.

Jungkook pulled you in tight against his body and wrapped his arms around you. “I know. You’re okay now.”

You leaned heavily against him, shivering violently now. He kept talking to you as he saw both Jin and Taehyung pulling up to the park.

Taehyung reached for one of your hands, which hung loosely at your sides. “She came out of it?”

Jungkook nodded. “I think she heard me talking to her.”

“What happened?” Jin asked, looking concerned. “Is she okay?”

“She will be,” Taehyung answered. “But she’ll need fluids, at the very least, and we’ll have to keep an eye on her tonight. Her blood pressure and blood sugar always drop after one of these incidents.”

Jungkook remembered how you’d been the night of the library fire. That had been the most terrifying night of his life - getting the call from Jimin and then watching over your unconscious form. You’d been so cold and still, and he’d felt guilty for not being there to protect you.

But he was here now. He helped Taehyung move you into the back of the SUV, sliding in after you. He heard Jin say he’d follow behind and then the door closed as he pulled you close again. You were still shivering, but the way you occasionally murmured his name reassured him that you were more aware of your surroundings than you seemed to be.

When they arrived at Taehyung’s house, Namjoon and Chloe met them outside. Ignoring them, Jungkook slid out of the car and carefully lifted you out. He carried you inside and followed the others up the stairs to your bedroom, where Namjoon had already set up an IV pole. He laid you carefully on the bed.

“Jungkook,” you murmured again, though your eyes remained closed.

“I’m here,” he reassured you.

“Jungkook,” you said again. “Cold.”

“She wants your hoodie,” Taehyung said as Namjoon got the IV bag ready. He moved to the dresser opposite the bed, opened the bottom drawer, and pulled out a black hoodie which Jungkook recognized as one he’d let you wear pretty often in high school.

Taehyung handed it to him wordlessly, and Jungkook helped you sit up so he could slide your arms into the hoodie. You relaxed almost immediately, breathing evening out, and Jungkook let you settle against him rather than back against the pillows.

You winced when Namjoon slid the needle into one of the veins in your left hand, and Jungkook tightened his arms around you. “It’s okay.” He swallowed hard, feeling unbalanced as he watched the other man secure the IV while Chloe checked your temperature and blood pressure. Then Namjoon pricked your finger to check your blood sugar.

“How is she?” Jungkook finally asked.

“Her blood sugar and blood pressure are both low, which is to be expected,” Namjoon answered. “But she’s a lot calmer than she usually is, probably because you’re here.”

Jungkook hesitated but then asked, “Does she always do this?” When Chloe raised a questioning brow, he added, “Say my name, or ask for me, I mean.”

“Always.” Taehyung leveled him with a look. “She never forgot you, if that’s what you’ve been thinking all this time. I knew your name before she ever even told me about you because when something like this happens? She wants you with her.”

Jin had been hovering near the doorway as they got you settled. Now he sat on the end of the bed and asked, “What the hell happened, exactly?”

Taehyung pulled one of the armchairs closer to the bed as he explained it to Jin. “She’s gotten so much better about blocking their energy that it doesn’t happen very often anymore – not like it did a couple of years ago.”

Jungkook dropped his chin to rest against the top of your head. He didn’t like to think about it – about you being cold and scared and traumatized, asking for him when he wasn’t there. What had he been doing when you were going through that? The guilt he felt was a hot, choking weight in his throat.

He didn’t let you go when Namjoon changed the IV bag and checked your vitals again.

“I don’t think she’ll need to go to the hospital,” Namjoon said. “Her blood sugar is up, and so is her blood pressure. I know she never wants to eat or drink when she wakes up, but we’ll have to push her…”

“I’ll do it,” Jungkook said. “She’ll do it for me.”

“Are you okay?” Jin asked him with a frown. “You’re really tense.”

Jungkook made a conscious effort to relax his shoulders and took a breath. “I’m fine.” He wasn’t fine – not even a little bit. But there would be time to think about that later.

Namjoon and Chloe left the room, and Jin followed after asking where the bathroom was, leaving Jungkook and Taehyung alone in the room.

“She and I aren’t together anymore.” Taehyung was the first to break the silence. “We had a really long talk about us – about everything, really. She said that she felt like we loved each other but weren’t in lovewith each other. And maybe she was right about that. I understand what she means, anyway. But the thing is…”

Jungkook waited for him to continue.

“I do love her,” Taehyung finally said. “She came back here to answer all of her what ifs, and you’re a big one. But if you don’t love her enough to take the bad with the good, I’m asking you to make that clear to her and let her move on.”

Jungkook didn’t say anything, and after a moment, Taehyung stood up and left the room. He tried not to feel resentful towards the other man, but it was hard. He resented the fact that he’d been the one you’d turned to for the past three years. He knew it was foolish, and petty, and he wasn’t exactly angry about it anymore. He wasn’t angry with you. He just hated that those three years away from each other existed at all.

He thought Jimin was right. He was jealous, and he needed to figure out what that meant.

You woke up about an hour later, and then Jungkook was busy coaxing you to sip juice and nibble the dry crackers Chloe brought. You wrinkled your nose at him, but you didn’t argue, and you didn’t question why he was there. Namjoon finally determined that you were stable, and he removed the IV. Jungkook stayed until you fell asleep again, still wearing his hoodie.

________________

The first week of classes passed quickly. You were settling into campus life more easily than expected, aided by Sera, who shared a literature class with you. Jungkook was also in the class as he’d put it off the previous year.

When study groups were formed after the second class, you ended up in the same group with Jungkook and Sera. You kept sneaking glances at Jungkook in the library that afternoon, wondering where you stood now. He didn’t seem angry anymore, but he was distant. He kept his baseball cap on, pulled low enough to hide his eyes and his expression. You resisted the urge to push him to talk to you, sensing that he was working through things in his own way. For now, it was enough to know that he wasn’t mad anymore.

You shifted in the library chair, eyes on your laptop, trying to ignore the menstrual cramps that had begun that morning. They sometimes made you feel sick, and you made a note on your calendar to call the women’s clinic that Sera used. You’d almost skipped today’s study group, but you were discussing ideas for the group project due mid-semester, and you hadn’t wanted to miss an opportunity to see Jungkook.

You shifted again and sighed, rubbing the line between your brows. You looked up when Jungkook left the table. He was gone for ten minutes and when he returned, he dropped a small pharmacy bag on your books and set a cup of hot tea in front of you.

A peek into the bag showed a hot pack and some painkillers, and something warm blossomed in your chest. This was the type of thing he’d done for you before, for years. It made you remember that first time. You were twelve and horribly embarrassed by your body’s changes. When you’d left school sick one afternoon and then refused to see Jungkook, he’d climbed up the tree outside your window and nearly fell trying to get into your room.

You’d confessed the problem, cheeks hot, and then he’d been a little embarrassed too. But after that, he went home and spent the evening reading about menstrual cycles and how to help with cramps, and he’d shared his research with you. You didn’t tell him that you already knew most of it because as embarrassing as it was, it was somehow easier to talk to him than your mom, and it was nice to know that he cared enough to do it.

He still cares, you thought. You glanced over at him, and your eyes met his dark ones for a brief moment before he focused on his tablet again.

Some of the weight you’d carried since your return lightened because for the first time, you were sure that you and he would get past this. It might take time, and you suspected there were some hard conversations in your future. But you were still in his heart as much as he was in yours.

When you left the library, Jungkook fell into step beside you. You were quiet as you walked to the car, waiting for him to speak first.

“Jin and Jimin are throwing a birthday party for me,” he finally said. “It’s tomorrow night – just some people at the house, nothing too big. I thought you might want to come.”

Tamping down the surge of elation that rushed through you, you took a breath and nodded. “Sure, it sounds fun.”

“Our moms are coming on Saturday,” he added. “I guess your mom called you about that.”

“Yes. She’s bringing the twins, and I think we’re all supposed to go to lunch.” You pressed your lips together and then said, “Taehyung’s mom will be here this weekend, too. She wanted to see how the house turned out, and she wants to meet my family, so they’ll both come to lunch.”

You relaxed when he just nodded at that without saying anything. He and Taehyung seemed to have reached an accord of sorts since the night you’d fallen prey to a stronger-than-usual spirit. They might never be besties, but they were civil and no longer glared at each other. You’d count that as a win.

________________

When you walked into Jungkook’s house the next day, you sensed the presence immediately – a dark, low-level spirit, but one that was weakened. You followed Jin inside and paused at a door to the left of the hallway off the living room.

“What room is this?” You gestured to the door, raising a curious brow.

“It goes down to the basement,” Jin replied. “We were thinking of putting another bedroom down there, or maybe a game room, but it needs some work first.”

“It does,” you agreed. “Starting with getting rid of the ghost inhabiting it.”

He looked startled. “There’s a ghost down there? How do you know?”

“I can feel it,” you said. You touched the door knob but then hesitated. “I can deal with it, but I should probably call Namjoon and Chloe, just to be safe.”

Jimin arrived home just after Namjoon and Chloe began setting up their equipment, and he watched, skeptical, as you got the things ready which you would take down to the basement.

“Uh, I don’t know, y/n. Maybe we should wait for Jungkook.”

You looked over at Jimin. “I don’t think he’d let me do this. He’s still stuck in the past, where I was scared of everything and he made it his job to get between me and… well, everything, really. I need to show him that our relationship doesn’t hinge on him protecting me anymore. The only way we can move forward is if he sees that our friendship can be healthy and balanced.”

“He’s going to be really pissed off when he gets here and sees this though.” Jimin grimaced and shook his head. “Fine, I get it, but you need to be ready to deal with him when he blows up.”

“I can handle Jungkook.” And you could now – you were sure of it.

When the equipment was set up, you put on the headset which also held a small camera and a microphone. Additionally, you wore two patches on your chest and the modified smartwatch which Chloe could use to monitor your vital signs. You made sure your two protective amulets were in your pocket and hefted a bag which contained small electrical discs and salt before making your way to the basement door.

You flipped on the lights at the top of the stairs but weren’t surprised when the lights flickered like a bad horror movie.

Getting ready for me, aren’t you? You walked down a few steps and then turned to pour some of the salt out in a thick, straight line along the steps. Just above that line, you set down one of the electrical discs, which would emit low-level pulses of energy.

“What’s that for?” Jin asked as he and Jimin watched you.

“The reason the ghost escaped down here is because of the talismans Jungkook hung upstairs. They were strong enough to make the ghost keep its distance, but not strong enough to banish the ghost altogether. Once the ghost realizes I’m a threat, it could escape upstairs, and this will prevent that.”

When you glanced up and saw the look on Jin’s face, you hurried to reassure him. “Look, I promise I actually know what I’m doing here. This ghost isn’t even particularly strong. I’ve banished more than a hundred ghosts like this one, at least, in the last couple of years.”

You gave them one more reassuring nod before you continued down the stairs. The space was open but since there were no windows, and the lights were still flickering due to the interference from the ghost’s own electrical energy, it was a dark space. You could see a small kitchenette on one side of the room, and an open door on the other side led to a bathroom. Boxes stacked against one wall were full of sports equipment, books, and miscellaneous things you assumed the three roommates hadn’t gotten around to unpacking yet.

You dropped a couple of electrical discs around the perimeters of the room as you waited for the ghost to show itself. You could feel its energy building, so it wouldn’t be long now. Gripping the bag of salt, you poured it out into a large half circle, leaving one part open to allow the ghost to come inside with you, at which point you’d be able to cut it off.

Then you waited. After several minutes of silence, you heard Jin call from the open door. “Is everything okay down there? Maybe I should come down too.”

You sighed. “Jin, you’re scaring it away. Close the door and go watch from the monitor with Joon and Chloe, okay?”

Jimin cleared his throat nervously. “But…”

“Go – both of you.”

There was a moment of silence before you heard the door close. As soon as it did, the lights flickered out completely, the room now lit only by the light on your headset.

“There you are,” you murmured as you saw the shadows shifting near the bathroom. “Come out and talk to me.”

The shadow shifted again and then suddenly, it was right outside the salt circle – a female spirit with eyes as dark as pitch and a pinched mouth, long hair hanging in inky ropes down her back. She wore an old-fashioned dress – you dated it to the late nineteenth century – but no shoes.

You kept your tone conversational as you spoke to her. “Did you live here?” You knew the house wasn’t old enough, but it was likely built in the same place where other homes had once been. Ghosts often stayed in the same area, even when old buildings were torn down and new ones built.

She opened her mouth and screamed at you, her cold breath carrying the stench of fish. You fought back your gag reflex. “Lovely. What’s your name?” You didn’t offer your own name – a rookie mistake you’d made before you realized that the more a spirit knew about you, the more they could latch onto you.

She screamed again and darted toward you, getting right in your face. You turned, edging around the circle so that you could use your foot to shift the salt and close it. Suddenly, she reached for you and you gasped as she gripped your throat and lifted you.

Don’t panic. You reached into your pocket and just as your fingers found the Taoist jade amulet, you heard a crashing sound from the door, followed by someone racing down the stairs.

You barely had time to brace yourself before Jungkook slammed into you and fell to the floor, turning his body so he took the brunt of the impact. Before you could catch your breath, he rolled on top of you. When he grunted, you looked over his shoulder to see that the ghost had thrown herself into him, and he’d actually felt it. When she raised one hand, long nails curled into claws, you pushed Jungkook off of you and sat up.

You held up the amulet and said the words Mr. Lu had taught you, feeling your power curl up and flow through the amulet, which helped you direct it towards the ghost. She screamed as the tendrils of light wrapped around her form, and she pulled away from you. You followed, still chanting, and when she changed direction to come for you again, you were ready. You kicked out, hitting her squarely in the middle, never stopping the chant or your concentration on holding her with your power.

The glittering bands of light drew tighter, and suddenly she blew apart, her energy scattering into nothingness. Your ears rang in the silence that followed, and you drew in several deep breaths as you braced your hands on your knees. Finally, you looked over your shoulder to see Jungkook standing behind you, staring.

“Are you okay?” You asked, reaching for his arm to turn him slightly. You ran a hand down his back. “She hit you pretty hard.”

“What the fuck,” he breathed out, staring at you. “What the fuck just happened?”

“I banished her,” you said simply.

“Where? To the other world?”

“No. She’s completely gone. She had descended into complete darkness. There was no communicating with her. If I had banished her to the other world, it’s likely she would have found her way back here at some point, and if she grew strong enough? She could hurt someone.”

“So you can kill ghosts? Or I don’t know – I know they’re already dead, but they just… cease to exist?”

You held up the amulet. “This amulet absorbs their dark energy, basically. It helps me direct my power, and then when they disintegrate, the amulet absorbs the darkness. After enough time passes, I perform a cleansing ritual to help rid the amulet of that darkness. It works better when I keep everything in balance.”

Jungkook stared at it and then back at you. Then he covered his face with his hands and took a deep breath, muttering something to himself that you couldn’t quite hear.

You bit your lip, wondering if he was about to blow, as Jimin had predicted. Instead, he walked past you and up the stairs. You followed, where you found Jin examining the door now hanging crookedly, two of its hinges broken.

Jin shook his head at Jungkook. “This door opens in, not out. You didn’t have to break it.”

“He broke the door?” You looked at Jungkook in surprise, who scowled back at you.

“It’s not the sturdiest door in the world, but I’m surprised he was able to break it like this.” Jin looked over at you. “Are you okay?”

You gave him a thumbs up. “No more ghostie either. I’ll help you set up new talismans to keep any new ones away. This town is lousy with them. They’re kind of everywhere.”

You went to check in with Namjoon and Chloe, who were reviewing the recording. “Pretty straightforward,” you told them. You heard Jungkook snort behind you.

“That was wild,” Jimin said, looking at you in amazement. “Like, I couldn’t see it, but I saw this light burst out of you, and I saw a shadow maybe? Crazy.”

“I told you – I’ve learned a lot over the last three years.” You looked at Jungkook again, trying to read his mood, but it was difficult. He was obviously listening as you talked about the ghost with Namjoon and Chloe, but he didn’t ask any questions. He did, however, lean forward to watch the video as you pointed out where the ghost was, what was happening, and your individual experience with what happened.

“Why did she have fish breath?” Jimin asked.

“Well, I say fish breath, but it was more of a rotten scent that was vaguely fishy? Dark entities often have a weird smell, at least to me. Sometimes Taehyung can smell it too. The darker they are, the more foul the odor they’re exuding.”

“Did you smell anything?” Jin asked Jungkook, who shook his head.

“I felt it though,” Jungkook said quietly. “When the ghost hit me, I felt it, and I felt the cold.”

“She was drawing on big energy reserves at that point,” you said, “so a lot of times, when ghosts do that, regular people will be able to see, hear or even feel them.”

Namjoon and Chloe accepted Jin’s invitation to stay for dinner and Jungkook went outside with Jimin to get the grill going. Soon, the smell of roasting meat drifted in from outside as you sat at the kitchen table with Chloe, who was helping you get the talismans ready.

You bit your lip as you concentrated on drawing the last one and then murmured the words that helped you seal the talisman with your power. Jungkook paused behind you at one point, watching you do it, before he took another plate of meat out of the fridge and headed outside with it.

“He was pretty upset when he came in and realized what was happening earlier,” Chloe said as she helped you hang the talismans at strategic locations around the house. You hid them as best you could but made a mental note to pick up some pictures they could hang to hide the most visible ones.

“I know,” you replied. “I figured he would be, but he needed to see it to believe it. If we’d waited for him, he would have been arguing with me or interfering with what I was doing downstairs.”

“I’ve never seen anyone move that fast,” Chloe said. “Dude vaulted the chair and broke the door down about 5 seconds after he figured out what he was looking at on the screen.”

“He’s… impulsive.” And protective, you thought.

Soon, the house was filled with people – some from the fraternity, others from Jungkook’s team, and a few Jin knew from the drama department.

“This is like, Jungkook’s first birthday party,” Sera said when she arrived. “He always said he wasn’t into birthday parties.”

You felt another little stab of guilt at her words; you hated to think you had ruined that for him. Of course, you hadn’t been one to celebrate birthdays in the past three years either, though Taehyung usually got you a gift and a cake despite your protests.

You walked Namjoon and Chloe outside after they ate, and when you returned, Jin was bringing out a cake. “Happy 21st,” he said as he set it down on the table.

Jungkook hesitated to blow out the candles and when he looked up at you, you knew it was because you had always done it together. You raised your brows, a silent question in your eyes. At his tentative nod, you joined him at the table.

“There we go,” Jin said approvingly as he put his arms around both of you. “Make your wishes and blow.”

You didn’t have to think about your wish because it was the same one you’d thought of for the past three years. When you met Jungkook’s eyes and he quirked his brow, you smiled and then you blew out the candles together.

Alcohol flowed freely after that, and though Jungkook still wasn’t exactly talking to you, you felt his eyes tracking you around the room, as if he always knew where you were and who you were talking to. You were nursing a mixed drink when Jimin suddenly announced it was truth or dare time. A collective groan was his response from half the crowd, though a lot of people were into the idea.

“Is this high school?” Sera complained as she took a seat in the circle.

You joined her, noting Jungkook’s position directly across from you. And when Jimin went first, making sure the spinning bottle pointed directly to you, you weren’t surprised by what he did next.

“I default to the birthday boy,” Jimin said, sitting back smugly.

You waited for Jungkook to speak and after a few moments, he asked, “Truth or dare?”

You let out the breath you didn’t realize you were holding and said, “Truth.”

He nodded. “Why did you really leave?”

Surprised that he had come right out with that question, here, in front of everyone, you hesitated. You’d known he would eventually ask – you just weren’t expecting it to be so public. The tension between you was noticeable, to everyone, and silence fell over the group as they realized something serious was happening.

Your heart was racing, and your palms felt damp. Still, you knew that you needed to be honest if you were going to close the distance between you. You met his eyes. “I left because I was angry.”

The hurt look flashed across his expression so quickly, you would have missed it if you didn’t know him so well. The tension broke when he stood up and walked out the front door to stand on the porch.

Jimin nodded towards the door. “Go talk to him. Work it out.”

You closed the door behind you as you stepped out onto the porch, not wanting an audience. Jungkook was sitting on the steps. You could hear the murmur of voices from people who were in the backyard. You waited to see if Jungkook would speak first, but he just sat quietly, looking at the sun setting over the horizon to the left. When a fine drizzle started falling, you leaned forward, hugging your knees.

“I was angry and jealous,” you finally said. “I’m not proud of it, and it’s not the only reason, but it is the reason I went to the lake that night. And it’s the reason I called my uncle and made plans to leave.”

“I knew I made you angry,” he finally said. “I’m sorry I yelled at you that day, and I hated myself for throwing Grace in your face like that. Like anything was your fault.”

“It wasn’t just that I was angry with you,” you explained. “I was angry with myself too, for being so weak. I didn’t like hearing what you had to say, or the way you said it, but some of it was the truth. I was holding you back.”

“You weren’t…”

“Yes, I was. We both know I was, Jungkook. You should have had the choice to pick this school without worrying about me.”

“And so you took the choice away from me,” he shot back, turning to look at you. “You said I should have had the choice, but you took that from me when you left.”

You stared at him. “I didn’t want you to have to worry about me.”

“Do you really think my senior year was carefree because you left? How could you think that, y/n? I worried about you every fucking day because I was scared for you. I worried about something happening to you, and I wouldn’t be there to help you.” He pushed his hands through his hair, a move that signaled his frustration. “Do you really think that I had no choice before you left? I was looking at other colleges – ones where I thought you’d be safer. This isn’t the only university where I could get a scholarship, or where I could study film and production.”

“But there was Grace, too. And even if it wasn’t her, I knew there would be other girlfriends, or whatever. You’d get married one day, and I needed to learn to be independent.”

He snorted, his tongue pushing against his cheek. “Oh, okay. So you blew up our lives to leave me open for my future wife? Bullshit, y/n.”

Now you were angry. “It’s not bullshit! I was… in the way. I felt like that at home, all the time, and I couldn’t bear to start feeling that way with you, too. So yes, I was jealous, I guess, and sad, and mad, and scared, and a whole lot of other things I didn’t even figure out until later. I was a mess, and I didn’t want to drag you down with me. So, I left.”

“Without giving me a choice,” he said. “Don’t you realize why I was factoring you into my choices? Because I never asked Grace what her college plans were. Not even once. But you? You were always in my plan. I never would have left without you, and if I could have stopped you from leaving, I would have. It wasn’t about pitying you, either, or whatever other bullshit you came up with. I was sad that day in your room. And yeah, maybe I was frustrated in some ways. I was mostly mad at Grace for arguing with me about you, and I never blamed you for her being jealous. That day, all those frustrations just spilled out, and then I was embarrassed about it. It wasn’t just you – I wanted to be alone for a while, before baseball camp. Then, when I was there, I regretted not talking to you before I left.”

“I’m sorry,” you said quietly. “I guess I didn’t look at it that way – like I was taking the choice from you. I thought, in the long run, it might be easier for you if I left, I guess.”

“Then why come back?”

“Because I missed you,” you admitted. You felt the burn of tears in your eyes and took a breath. “Every day.”

You scooted closer to him, half expecting him to move away from you. But he didn’t – he just looked at you, his brown eyes glossy with tears he was also holding back. When you put your arms around him and laid your head on his shoulder, he suddenly shifted and wrapped his arms around you.

You took a shuddering breath, and then another, fighting back the tears. “I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he finally whispered. He turned his head, pressing his face against your neck. “God, I missed you so much.”

You stayed like this for a while, until the rain began falling in earnest, carrying the scent of grass and flowers with it. It was comforting and reminded you of summer showers in Nana’s garden, when you and Jungkook had sat on the porch, or when you had taken your shoes off and jumped in the puddles.

“Good day for puddle jumping,” you both said, and then laughed.

Jungkook hugged you closer for a moment, sniffing your hair. “You still smell the same,” he said, sounding happy about that.

“I haven’t changed my shampoo or body wash,” you admitted, pulling back to smile at him. He’d been the one to pick out those scents for you in high school. Though you didn’t say it, you could see that he understood why you’d never changed them. Scent was important to him – it always had been – and he often associated memory with scents. You’d wanted him to remember you as he always had.

Jungkook stood up and then took your hand to pull you up as well. “Come on, I want to get drunk now. I’m officially 21, and it’s allowed.”

You laughed. “Like that ever stopped you before. I still remember hauling your drunk ass home from Jimin’s that night you had beer for the first time.”

Jungkook did get drunk, but he was a happy drunk. The others had abandoned truth or dare after you went outside, but Jungkook joined in playing video games, and he sang when someone put in a karaoke DVD. Jimin pulled him into a Little Mix dance with Ayeong at one point, and you fell over laughing at their sexy girl dance moves, which Jungkook imitated shamelessly.

By midnight, most people had left, though a few hung around as Jin put in a horror movie that you and Jungkook had chosen to watch. Jimin looked at you incredulously as you both laughed at the ghosts onscreen, but you shrugged at him as you said, “This kind of thing just isn’t that scary.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Jungkook this happy,” Ayeong said quietly. She sat with Jimin, Sera, Erin and Jin on the large sofa, while you and Jungkook were on Jungkook’s leather beanbag.

Jimin noted how Jungkook was sprawled across your lap like a puppy as he laughed at something onscreen, and your fingers carded through his hair in a soothing gesture.

“The happiest I’ve ever seen Jungkook, or the saddest, or the angriest? It was always because of y/n,” Jimin told her. “He’s been different since she left, and now, he’s got a piece of his heart back. Trust me, you’ll see a totally different side to him now that she’s here.”

You were falling asleep by the time the move was over. You opened your eyes drowsily and checked the time. “I should go.”

“No,” Jungkook said. He also looked tired as he pulled you up. “You can sleep here. It’s late anyway.”

“I mean, I guess I could take the couch,” you said. Sera and Erin were gathering their things, though it looked like Ayeong was planning to stay with Jimin.

“No, in my room,” Jungkook said stubbornly.

Sera wiggled her brows at you, obviously fighting back a laugh, and you blushed. “Jungkook, we haven’t shared a bed since we were like, twelve. The couch is fine.”

But drunk Jungkook would not be swayed, and you found yourself pulled out of the room. When you passed Jin in the hallway, he closed his eyes and said, “I pretend I do not see it.”

“Oh my god,” you muttered, your face on fire now as Jungkook pulled you into his room. “Jungkook, they’re getting the wrong idea….”

“I don’t care,” he said. “I just got you back, and I don’t want you to leave yet.”

In the bathroom, he let you use his face wash, and he pulled an extra toothbrush out of a drawer. He picked up a brush and started brushing your hair as you brushed your teeth, and you made a concerted effort not to meet his eyes in the large mirror. You had some unscented face moisturizer in your bag, which you used now, and Jungkook sniffed it before using some as well.

He left the bathroom for a minute and returned with a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. “These are Ayeong’s – she leaves extra stuff in Jimin’s room and said you could borrow them.”

You changed quickly and when you exited the bathroom, he had changed as well. From a mini fridge in the corner, he pulled out two bottles of water and quickly downed one before passing you the other. Then he guided you to the bed and tucked you in before climbing in behind you.

When Jungkook wrapped one arm around you and buried his face in your hair, you jumped. Would you even be able to sleep like this? You weren’t sure.

“Shhh,” he murmured sleepily. “You think too much. Go to sleep.”

You shifted a bit, getting more comfortable. When you rested your hand on his at your stomach, he linked your fingers together. He was warm, and safe. He feels like home, you thought as you finally relaxed into sleep.

Hi guys! If you're still reading, I hope you enjoyed it. I'll post again next week since I made this update longer. I finished the whole story so I'll just kinda tweak it here and there, post 2 more parts and it'll be done. Thanks for reading :)

Babysitting gone wrong

Author : purrfectfae

Pairing : babysitter! Jungkook × brat! Reader

Warnings ⚠️: fingering, protective sex, manhandling, pussy slapping, kissing.

Published date : 26 Mar, 2022

Keep reading

hate you + love you | mlist.

⤑ a collection of occurrences where you and jungkook can’t seem to stay away from one another 

pairing: jeon jungkook x female reader

genre/au: on and off, angst, smut

warnings/content: depictions of unhealthy/toxic relationships, emotional manipulation, explicit sexual content, alcohol and drug use, a lot of sleeping around, they’re both confusing and bad for each other, additional warnings will be added in each scenario

status: upcoming 

taglist: open | general taglist form

hate you: when he asked for a space (soon)

love you: when you just couldn’t let him go

hate you: when he does whatever he wants

love you: when he said he misses you

hate you: when you’re being indecisive

love you: when…

FAQ

how long is this series?

i will be writing this as i go (no outline) so i can’t tell you

when will you update?

no schedule but i’m currently not writing NSFW until Holy Week is over

is this an interactive series?

sort of yes. feel free to send something you want from the couple here if it doesn’t go against their characters or any elements of the entire story and i will try to include it

the whole series is based on the song of the same name by Cheat Codes & AJ Mitchell

© all rights reserved. ressjeon 2022.

-Never Not-

Pairing: Boxer!Jungkook x Fem Reader

Genre: Angst, Unrequited Romance, Smut

Warnings: Explicit language, explicit consensual sexual content, there is definitely porn, but also a tiny bit of plot if you squint; lots of angst, emotional manipulation (sort of), unrequited love, giving up, just buckle up ok? It’s kinda depressing 😭

Summary: All Jungkook ever wanted was your love. He knows you don’t love him back, but that’s never stopped him from trying to give you the world.

Requested By: Anonymous

You wander around the party looking for your target, just to get a glimpse of him, of Yoongi. Your friends said he’d be here tonight so you glammed yourself up, took the time to meticulously curl your hair, even followed a makeup tutorial to the letter. If you played your cards right, maybe it could be more than a glimpse. If you give him just the right look, say the right things, maybe he’d take you home, maybe he’d ask you out…maybe he’d take you away from this shithole of a town. Away from the things, and the people who kept you here.

You go from room to room dodging party goers who are already tipsy and shrug off their attempts at small talk.

“…JK really took that guy out tonight!”

“…glad I put my money on Jeon!”

“…Hey Y/N, where’s Jungkook?!”

On your third pass around the unfamiliar house you decide to give up. Clearly Yoongi isn’t here. Clearly tonight was a waste, you could’ve been home re-watching The Office for the 900th time, in comfortable clothes and no makeup.

In fact, that’s what you’re about to do, so you turn sharply around into the kitchen to B-line for the back door but you bump shoulders painfully with, yep, Yoongi.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry,” he smiles apologetically, his drink having splashed onto your arm.

“It’s okay, no harm done,” you blot your beer splattered arm on the sides of your jeans.

“Hey you look really familiar…I definitely know you,” he squints a bit and you beam. He remembers you?

“Yes, well, kind of - we went to the same high school. You were in grade 12 though, when I was just coming in. I think we had an elective together but we sat in opposite corners of the room,” you recount shyly, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear.

“Right! No, I remember,” he nods, “what’s your name again?”

“It’s Y/N, and you’re Yoongi. I have a good memory,” you say softly.

“Yeah? I remember you being awfully cute,” he smiles. You try to hide your own smile but just end up bashfully staring at your shoes.

“What about now, hm? Am I still cute?” you flirt.

“I’d say much more than cute,” he grins. “So what are you up to nowadays? Are you in uni still?”

You heat up a bit with embarrassment, “Uh, no. I never went. It’s just…I planned to but I kinda got stuck helping my dad with his gym.”

“Oh yeah…it’s the gym downtown right?”

“Yep, that’s the one.”

“Cool, you guys have put out some pretty wicked boxers, right?” he asks, sipping the last of his beer.

“Mmhmm, yep,” you answer shortly, you’re not getting into this discussion. No fucking way. “You want another beer? I could go get you one?”

“Oh, sure, that’s nice of you,” he nods, “if you want grab one for yourself, maybe we could find somewhere quiet to catch up, yeah? Unless you were looking for your boyfriend or something?”

“I don’t have a boyfriend,” you say quickly, “So…Yeah,” you bite your lip, “I’d really like that.”

“I think I’d like it too,” he grins, and you don’t miss the way his eyes dart across your form. Boom, got’em.

“Okay, I’ll be right back.”

You practically skip into the kitchen, a giddy grin on your face. You dig around the giant cooler of ice looking for the brand of beer he had, finally finding a couple at the bottom.

You’re about to cross the kitchen threshold when you hear your name come out of someone’s mouth.

“Y/N? Yeah we went to school together. She grew up good,” you hear Yoongi reply to the unseen individual and you press your lips together in a smile.

“Dude you need to grab a beer and run far, far away from that one.”

Uh. The fuck?

“She seems nice enough?” Yoongi comes to your defense. Yeah! Damn straight!

“Not about being nice, that’s Jungkooks girl.”

“As in Jungkook Jeon? The boxer?” you hear the alarm in his voice. No! No, no, no!

“The very one.”

“Wait…she said she didn’t have a boyfriend…”

I don’t! I don’t!

“I don’t know if they’re actually together,” the stranger says, “doesn’t matter though. That’s his girl, and it’s not going to stop him from marching in here and beating the living shit out of anyone who even looks at her longer than two seconds. Heard he’s been looking all over town for her tonight after his match.”

“Shit,” Yoongi hisses, “hey thanks man. I’m going to head out then, may as well, I’m only in town a few more days anyway.”

“Right, no use spending them in the hospital.”

“No kidding, good seeing you!”

You peer around the corner and watch, heart broken, as Yoongi waves himself out of the opposite side of the house. Not even bothering to bid you goodbye. There goes the crush you’ve had since you were 15, the man you daydream about. He was interested, he wanted to catch up…he checked you out! Now he’s gone, the entire interaction may as well have been a stupid dream you just woke up from when it was starting to get good.

You twist the cap off your beer and shotgun it.

“Damn, want a shot to chase that with?” someone calls out and slides you a very robust shot of…tequila? You shrug and shoot it back, just in time for your eyes to start prickling with tears.

You push your way out of the back door, the spring air is still chilly at night and you wrap your arms around yourself.

You’ll never not be attached to Jungkook. Every time you make an attempt to put space between the two of you, there’s always something waiting to push you right back together. It’s suffocating, you’re suffocating and no one gives a shit. No one even sees you because Jungkook is always right on top. A cloak you’re forced to wear and everyone just makes you feel guilty for wanting to shimmy out of.

You should’ve expected it, when you see his shiny black pickup pull into the driveway. You knew he wouldn’t take long to find you, fuck, in this town there’s only so many places you could even be. There’s certainly nowhere to hide.

“Y/N?” he calls as he hops out of the truck.

“I won! Where were you?” he asks as he closes the distance between the two of you. You quickly swipe at the tears staining your cheeks, but not fast enough.

“Y/N? Baby?” he twists you around to confirm what he thought, “hey, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” you sniff.

He glances at the house, “Did someone say something to you? Did someone fucking touch you? I’ll fucking kill-,”

“Stop it,” you sigh, “you know damn fucking well no one did anything to me. People are terrified of you.”

“Uh, okay? Sorry for your constant safety I guess?”

“Shut up…” you whisper, “just…just take me home.” You walk quietly to his truck and pull yourself up into the passenger seat.

The truck is eerily quiet as you rest your forehead against the window, watching the too familiar streets pass in a blur.

“Did you talk to him?” Jungkook asks quietly, you can barely hear him.

“What?”

“Yoongi Min, that’s why you look like that tonight right? You look so pretty tonight,” he continues quietly, “I heard some guys talking about him coming back to town. I may have been hit in the head a lot Y/N, but I’m not stupid.”

You wince at the hurt in his voice, a fresh set of tears surfacing. Why does he fucking do this? Why does he do this to you? It’s not fair.

“I didn’t see him and I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you lie.

A new kind of quiet erupts in the truck. Both of you aware you’re lying. Jungkook keeps driving, silently, until he pulls into your apartments lot.

“Why?”

That’s all he says. It’s a loaded question, but you’re not sure what exactly it’s loaded with. Why are you lying? Why did you get dressed up? Why what?

“What are you talking about?”

“Why don’t you love me?” he asks, and you realize he’s crying. You turn your head away because you can’t stand to look at him.

“Let’s not do this, not tonight Kookie,” you rub at your forehead, it’s starting to throb with the shot you took at the party.

“Do you know what I would give to have you get dressed up like this for me? Do you know how it hurts when I win, and then I look out into the crowd - always looking for you, always praying that you’ll be looking back, proud of me - but you’re never there Y/N.”

“I’ve been to a billion of your matches,” you remind him defensively.

He sniffles, “You never want to be there. Your dad makes you, because he wants us to be together.”

“There’s not a single person in this town who doesn’t want us to be together,” you scoff.

“Then let’s just be together! Fuck! Why do you hate me so god damn much?” he raises his voice a bit.

“I don’t hate you Jungkook, I hate what it would mean.”

“I don’t understand what that means,” he sighs.

“It will mean that I’ve finally accepted my fate. It means I’m never getting out of here. It means I’m going to just be another boxers wife, just like my mother - who finally up and ran away in the middle of the night, leaving us all behind because she couldn’t take it anymore! Is that what you want?” you snap at him. “Is that really the life you want?!”

“I won’t let that happen! Don’t you get I would do anything to make you happy? Don’t you see that I would give you the world if you’d just let me? If you just asked! Why do you think I get my ass knocked around? Huh? I’m going to make it Y/N. I’m going to be the fucking best, and I’ll take you with me everywhere I go.”

“Do you know how many times I’ve heard that Jungkook? Do you have any idea how many fighters have said that? It’s not that simple and I’m not staking my future on an empty promise, from a man who could get KO’d next week right outta his career, a man I don’t even…”

You whip your head toward him. You’ve never seen him look so wounded and it cuts you, deep.

“Finish it,” he cries, “go ahead, a man you don’t even what?”

Love.

“Kookie…”

“Say it!”

“No…I won’t say it,” you reach out for his hand, and a sob escapes his lips when you squeeze it.

You sit there for several moments listening to him cry. If only he knew how you’ve tried, you’ve tried to love him. Once upon a time you even had yourself convinced you do. You care about him, you do want to see him happy - you just can’t get past the fact that the only thing he seems to want is you. It scares you, it’s a pattern you’ve seen a million times - most recently between your own parents.

If you choose him then you’ll marry him. You’ll watch him get knocked around the ring, you’ll watch him win and lose. You’ll get pregnant, you’ll grasp at straws to make ends meet. Then eventually, after he gets knocked down one too many times by the fighters just getting started, he’ll have to give up, and he’ll take over your fathers ownership of the gym.

He’ll train the next up and comer, desperately trying to live out his dream. You’ll watch him suffer through it, maybe he’ll even hit the bottle, just like your dad. But what of you? Well, you’ll disappear in the mountains of bills and expenses in the office of the gym, just like your mother did. You’ll explain to the kids why their dad is always at the gym and never home. You’ll beg him to choose something else, anything else. You’ll beg him to get you out of here but he won’t because he can’t let go. You see it in his eyes every time you look at him, he loves you - you’ve known it for years - but he loves the ring more and he’ll never let either of you go.

He’ll never let you go, and even if he did, you’ve got no where to run. You’ve got no real identity - you’re Y/N, the girl who grew up in a boxing ring cheering her dad on. Boxing is all you know, it’s where what little money you have comes from because you’re already working under all the receipts and expenses in the tiny beige office that smells like sweat and broken dreams. You’re already there, so what does it matter?

You squeeze his hand again, “Why don’t you come up?” you say.

Maybe it’s the fact that you watched Yoongi walk out of the party without so much as a goodbye, maybe it was the fact that every single person associates you with Jungkook already, maybe it was the tequila - doesn’t matter. You’re tired, and it’s time to just give up. You knew it was going to happen sooner or later…why fight any longer? You’re not the boxer.

“You mean…” he sniffles as his eyes dart up to yours.

“Yeah, I do. Come on,” you open the door and hop out, he does the same seconds after.

You lay your keys on the counter then turn to face him. He looks lost.

You’ve had sex with him before, a handful of times. In fact he’s the only person you’ve ever had sex with. Which just makes it all the more inevitable.

You pull your tight little tee shirt off, toss it on the couch. He gulps down some nervousness and stares at your breasts, so you help him out and remove your bra as well.

“Y/N…we don’t have to do this, not after all that…”

You just continue removing clothes until you stand, naked, before him.

“Come fuck me Jungkook,” you say, thankful that he doesn’t seem to hear the resignation in your voice, “I won’t ask twice.”

You walk toward him and grab his hands, pulling one toward a breast and the other against your cunt.

“Don’t you want it?” you mutter against his lips before sucking the bottom into your mouth.

He moans against you, and in spite of your heart, your pussy gushes at the noises he makes.

“That’s what I thought.”

Your tongues tangle with one another, your arms wrap around his neck and you stand on your toes while he fingers you. You whimper, your fingers falling back down to pull his tight sweater off. He’s bruised up, bad, and you can tell he had a close call with whoever he fought earlier. Nothing too big though, there’s a suspicious cut on his eyebrow but you don’t have time to inspect it. He pulls you up and around him like you’re nothing, walks you into the bedroom where you land on your mattress with a soft thud.

He spreads your thighs and kneels between them, playing with your clit while he licks and sucks the inside of your thigh. You twist his hair around your fingers and pull his face towards your sex.

“Eat me out,” you whisper breathlessly and he grants your wish. “Yes, just like that,” you hold his hair tightly, press his mouth against your dripping slit while you grind on his wet tongue. He’s moaning against your cunt and the vibrations send you reeling. “Keep going, don’t stop…”

He pushes your thighs up further and stiffens his tongue, spearing your tight hole with it as your hips buck against him, his nose buried in your slick.

“Ohfuckohfuckohfuck,” you groan through clenched teeth, “my clit, put your tongue on my clit, please,” you beg.

He relaxes a bit and circles your clit softly with the flat of his tongue. You spread your legs as wide as they’ll go, grinding against him, letting yourself get lost in the wet noises and his soft moans. You hold him steady, a hand on either side of his head when he starts lightly flicking, and your whole body shudders in rhythmic spasms as you come on his lips.

“Put your cock in me, fuck me, want more,” you pant as your head falls back into the bed.

“Okay, yeah,” he responds, hopping around to get his pants and underwear off.

He’s going to stretch you out, his cock is thick and throbbing and you pull him into you, kissing your own wetness right off his mouth.

“Oh god,” he cries as he pushes into you, he holds your thigh up high against his hips.

“That’s it,” you encourage softly, “go deeper.”

He heeds your request and snaps his hips harder, you both gasp.

“Shit, that’s so fucking good,” he muses, forehead pressed against yours. He’s rocking into you hard and fast, you can feel yourself building up to another release.

“How does it feel?” you whisper.

“Feels so good,” he whines, “so wet and tight, so fucking good baby. Feels like home,” he adds.

“Yeah…yeah,” you agree, though it’s a drastically different meaning for you.

He sits up on his knees, pulls your legs over his shoulders and fucks into you hard. That does it, you hold it in as long as you can, but its too much and you come just as soon as you feel him release himself against your cervix.

“Jungkook!” you cry out his name as he slowly thrusts into you a few more times, letting you spasm and clench around him, milking him back into softness.

When it’s done, and your guilt has been minimized, you wash up. Clean the makeup off your face and slip into a gym shirt and a pair of oversized sweats. Then you go get the first aid kit.

“It’s not that bad,” he assures you as he swats at your hand.

“Stop,” you say gently, “it’ll open back up in your sleep if you don’t get a bandage on it.”

You meticulously swirl some ointment over the scrape on his brow you noticed earlier, then clean the edges up. You open up the steristrip and place it over the wound.

“Am I sleeping here?” he widens his eyes suspiciously.

“Yeah, you are.”

He sets the kit on your nightstand and pulls you into him, kissing you deeply. You make yourself small and let him spoon you, but his breathing evens out and deepens within minutes, signaling he’s already asleep.

This is fine, you think. It’s okay, it could be worse. It could be worse.

T H E E N D

Endnotes:

1. Hey anon! I hope this satisfies your angsty, unrequited, trapped request. I wasn’t too sure about this one but once I got to writing it I actually really had fun. So, I hope you like it.

2. Why am I cranking these fics out like I have no life? Oh, it’s because I have no life and if you can keep a secret: I’ve had A LOT of downtime at work. Could I fill that time with a mundane task that doesn’t actually need to be done but would make me an exemplary employee? Yeah. But they don’t pay me enough and they’re never going to soooo. Here we are.

break up with your boyfriend: the universe

⏤ pairing: fuckboy!jungkook x female reader

⏤ rating: 18+

⏤ genre: history student!oc, art student!jungkook, college au, strangers to friends to lovers, fluff, angst, and smut

⏤ tag list: everyone tagged in break up with your boyfriend will automatically be tagged & if you want to be added, please let me know ✨

↳ break up with your boyfriend (13k) 

jungkook, the campus fuckboy, has decided to make you his next victim, but you’re far from being like any of his previous hookups. you’re not single. you’re actually in a very long-term relationship with baekhyun, the man you consider the love of your life. but it’s for sure something that won’t stop jungkook. he wants you, and he’s going to do absolutely everything to have you, even falling in love.

↳ city 

jungkook shows you how beautiful the city is at night, and let’s just say that it aroused the two of you.