“Crooked grins, sly hands, and a dangerous voice” - idk
This wasn’t a normal situation, spending the night out with your crush’s… somethingand then waking up with the borderline stranger in a hotel room . The intimacy Anastasia felt when Yoongi had looked up at her with his head in her lap, kept circulating in her mind. Now she was in the back of an uber with him, neither of them all that willing to separate as their fingers lay interlaced in the empty seat between them.
No matter how much she wracked her brain, she couldn’t come up with a reason why it all felt so natural. What reality was she living in that staying beside Yoongi felt more comfortable than going home to Jungkook?
Anastasia rested her head back against the leather seat, exhausted from all the overthinking she’d done the past week. As if on cue, Yoongi let go of her hand and nudged her head with his fingers. “You think too much”
She glared, “I could be thinking important things”
He sighed, “Are you?”
“What’s the measure of importance? It’s all relative. To each their own. If I’m thinking about it a lot, it must be important. Who are y—” Yoongi leaned over and grabbed her by the back of the neck, pulling her in close to press his lips against hers.
“You think too much,” he repeated, resting his head back against the headrest.
What?
How was she supposed to stop thinking when he goes and does things like that? How was that supposed to help clear her thoughts? It most certainly did not help. At least she thought it hadn’t helped until they pulled into her apartment complex and she realized she’d been too busy blushing and replaying the feeling of his lips on hers to think about much else.
Everything outside looked normal. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected to happen, but nothingwasn’t it. Why did she feel a little disappointed that Jungkook wasn’t waiting around for her? At the same time, she was relieved to have more time to completely accept and get over everything.
Through all the thinking, she didn’t notice Yoongi unbuckling her seatbelt and helping her out of the car.
What would Jungkook think about the relationship that had developed between her and Yoongi? How was she going to tell Jungkook when she wasn’t even sure what was going on herself?
Realizing suddenly that she was still holding Yoongi’s hand, she yanked hers back and sped off towards the cement stairs.
Grinning, Yoongi caught up and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, leaning in. “What’s wrong, jagiya?”
Ducking away, her head swiveled wildly, looking for witnesses. It was impulsive but the closer they got to her front door, the more guilty she felt. Had she even done anything wrong? Regardless, she needed to figure out what was going on between her and Yoongi before Jungkook found out.
“Stop it!” She hissed.
Yoongi didn’t protest, a lazy smile still on his lips as he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked on.
“Hey, wait!” She grabbed his sleeve. “Don’t…don’t tell Jungkook please”
He looked back, the picture of innocence, “tell him what?” His expression morphed into something darker as he stepped back into her space, “we didn’t do anything worth telling,” and with that he pecked her lips and jogged off up the stairs, leaving a gobsmacked Anastasia at the bottom of them.
When she eventually got into her apartment, the place felt cold and unlived in . Still, it was nice to be alone for a while, change into some clean clothes and finally do something with her hair. It was refreshing and by the time Jungkook showed up on her doorstep an hour later, she was in a much better mood.
Stepping to the side, she let him in. “Before you apologize, I already forgive you so let’s not make it a thing, yeah?”
As if expecting that response from her, a grin broke out and he wrapped her up in a hug. Lifting her off the ground, he wiggled back and forth and she held her breath to stop the unattractive wheeze.
“Did you have fun? Yoongi said you had fun,” Jungkook asked excitedly, setting her down.
Anastasia narrowed her gaze, unsure how much the little shit told Jungkook. “I didn’t realize I was so stressed. School, social life…the kitchen burning down was a catalyst”
Jungkook’s shoulder’s dropped slightly in obvious pity. She hated that look.
“Well, what’d you guys do to blow off steam?” The question seemed innocent enough, but she couldn’t help but be suspicious.
“We went drinking, I can’t remember most of it,” She lied. Her memory had mostly returned by breakfast.
There was a short pause from Jungkook, followed by the slightest narrowing of eyes before he smiled and pulled her down to the couch. She laughed, not fighting him.
Leaning back into his chest with a sigh, she asked. “What am I supposed to do about my kitchen?”
“Oh!” Jungkook jumped, like he’d just remembered something and cupped her cheeks, “Hobi-hyung is talking to the landlord right now, I promise we’ll do our best to make sure you still have a place to stay at the end of the month. I’m really sorry,” the way he bit his lip drew attention to the ring pierced through it and she couldn’t help but stare.
Hobi-hyung? We? She’d heard him call Hoseok that before, but what did any of them have to do with the situation? How could Hoseok help?
“He’s talking to the landlord?” She echoed. He nodded but didn’t elaborate.
“Um, alright,” She muttered, shuffling off the couch. “You’re paying for my food for the foreseeable future, by the way”
He laughed.
Grabbing her backpack, she settled down in front of the coffee table to do some homework. All her morning and afternoon classes had come and gone, but she still had one evening class she needed to make. It was a couple of hours away, though, so she spent the time doing homework as Jungkook sang quietly to himself behind her while scrolling through social media.
Stretching with a groan, she announced “I need to get ready to go”
Jungkook maneuvered until he was hanging off the couch with his head on her shoulder. “Skip? I wanna hang out with you”
Anastasia snorted. “I’m gonna fail because of you”
“You already missed your day classes, just stay”
“Jungkook, I can’t just willy nilly skip classes, earlier was a special case, but I shouldn’t purposefullyfail”
He pulled back with a huff, “You haven’t been spending time with me at all . You already missed the whole day, it’s oneday!”
“I spent the other day with you! I’m not trying to ignore you, we’ve both been busy”
“I would drop everything if you asked me to,” He crossed his arms.
“You’re being very selfish right now”
He guffawed, “I’m selfish because I want to spend some time with my best friend? I’m asking for oneclass on a day you’ve skipped all your others”
Anastasia didn’t know what to say. Jungkook looked so hurt, had she really been neglectful?
“Kook…” She trailed and Jungkook slumped at her expression.
“I’m sorry if I’m being too needy, you can go to class,” He sighed downtrodden, laying back down to face the back of the couch.
Guilt ripped at her chest.
“I can miss a day,” she folded, crawling behind him to hug him close. “I didn’t realize you were feeling this way”
He didn’t respond so she got up and encouraged him to roll over and look at her. “Forgive me?”
He stared for a moment before nodding.
“What do you want to do?” She continued.
Jungkook shrugged, arms snaking around her waist. “Anything you want, I just want to be around you.” Anastasia’s heart warmed.
“Should we go see a movie, then? We haven’t done that in forever”
Jungkook nodded, stretching back and she could hear some of his joints crack. “Let’s go~”
***
The pair walked in silence through the dark night, leaving the restaurant they’d visited after the theater. The area was still pretty populated despite the late hour, but not uncomfortably so. It was a youthful atmosphere like everyone was enjoying the little things without the stress of society.
Anastasia giggled into Jungkook’s shoulder as they tripped over each other while trying to weave their legs while walking. “You’re so clumsy,” She accused.
He rolled his eyes and nudged her off him, deciding not to correct her. “You’re dumb”
She couldn’t help the massive smile, lacing her arm in his. What did they look like to others? Did they look like a couple? She blushed at the thought. Wishful thinking, Taz.
Coming up to his car, a man leaning against the hood of the expensive vehicle with two women flirting with him, caused them to slow to a stop.
Jungkook snorted.
“Nice car, man” He complimented, the joke lost on all but Anastasia, who bit her lip to hide her smile.
“Thanks, man, it’s about time I upgraded, though” The man replied, standing up straighter at the sight of the other male. Anastasia held back an eye roll.
Amusement oozed from Jungkook. “Is that so? She looks like a beast, what’s under the hood?”
The man didn’t stutter, throwing out words that sounded like he was describing the powers of a pokemon.
“Come on, man, let’s hear her!” At this point, the other women seemed to be catching on to the situation a little bit, but the man remained oblivious.
“Nah, maybe next time,” He shook his head, beginning to look a little aggravated.
“Awe man, I really wanted to see you try and start the car without the key,” Jungkook sighed, feigning disappointment, “Next time”
The man spluttered, having the audacity to look offended. “What makes you think I don’t have the key?”
Jungkook smirked darkly, “The fact that I have it”
The man’s face dropped, eyes flashing around nervously. “What are you talking about?”
Everyone but Jungkook jumped when the engine suddenly roared to life, Jungkook hitting the remote start in his pocket.
The drive home was filled with giggles.
“Where is everyone?” She asked, plopping onto his couch. He shrugged noncommittal, rolling over the back of the couch and on top of her.
“Oof, did you gain weight?” She wheezed, wiggling so most of his weight was on the cushion.
He whined, “are you calling me fat?”
“Your abs cannot be argued —are you feeling okay?”
He pulled back from where he was cuddling into her, looking confused. “I’m fine?”
Booping his nose, she forced herself to move away. If she stayed pressed up next to him much longer, he’d notice how fast her heart was beating. “Ah, just clingy then?”
He clutched his chest, aghast. “I just love you”
It felt like she’d been hit with lightning. Please don’t say it like that, like you mean it the way I wish you did. She thought desperately, giving him her best smile.
Saved by the bell, her phone dinged with a message notification.
“Who is it?” Jungkook asked curiously, peeking over her shoulder as she pulled out her phone.
“Bee, I mean Beatrice. Do you remember her from high school? I met her again when I was studying with Namjoon,” She turned to see him thinking about it.
“Mm, I only remember you from high school.” He concluded.
She laughed and read the text.
Bee- yeah so I got her number we’re meeting up next friday
Anastasia grinned and began typing. omg i knew it! Yall were giving fuck-me eyes the whole time
Bee- shut up! we were not…
“Bee met this girl, a waitress, so pretty,” She explained to Jungkook who had his chin perched on her shoulder.
“Who’s pretty?” Anastasia jerked violently at Hoseok’s sudden appearance behind the couch.
“Beatrice’s girlfriend,” Jungkook filled in flatly.
Hoseok made a face, plopping down so Anastasia was between them, and peeked over at her phone screen. “Who’s Beatrice?”
Her jaw dropped, “You met her!”
Hoseok thought about it for a second before shrugging. A small smile grew on her lips at his exaggerated facial expressions. Cute.
“You really don’t remember? She was the one we went to lunch with”
Hoseok smirked, “You’re so pretty, how could I notice anyone else?”
Rolling her eyes, she bit her lip to hide her smile. “Don’t lie, you just didn’t care to remember”
Hoseok broke out into giggles, drawing the attention of the other boys that were making their way into the apartment. Jimin came around the couch, wordlessly curling into Jungkook’s side, who leaned back to give him more space.
Arms curled around her shoulders and she turned to see Yoongi. “Can I stay at yours? It’s too cramped with all of us here,” Yoongi’s deep vibrato rumbled as he embraced her over the back of the couch.
Weren’t they rich? “Why not a hotel?”
Yoongi pulled back, “I spent my cash on you”
Right, I owe him. He wouldn’t try something, though, would he? He’d become awfully brave…but also he didn’t do anything when she was dumb drunk…
“Okay,” she caved.
“Oh, I’ll take you up on that too”
“Me too!”
“My home is not an Airbnb!”
“But you do have a spare bedroom,” Jimin smirked, “I can pay to stay over if you want”
Anastasia was about to respond, but Hoseok butted in. “I thought you didn’t like Beatrice?”
She tilted her head, “What made you think that?”
“Namjoon said you were agitated when she interrupted you guys and since she was making those faces at you, it made sense,” he elaborated casually, glancing over at Namjoon and Seokjin who were conversing quietly in Korean.
“She was making faces?” She tried to wrack her brain.
Jimin sat up, “You didn’t notice?” She shook her head and there was a moment of silence before they all moved on.
“I don’t remember falling in love with you, I just remember holding your hand realizing how much it was going to hurt when I would have to let it go” - Unknown
***
“Taz!” Jungkook exclaimed frantically.
“Jungkook? What’s wrong?”
The three men all turned their attention her way.
“Put it on speaker,” Hoseok demanded, grabbing her phone and doing it for her.
“-what happened! I just-I left to use the bathroom for like 2 seconds! That’s it!” Jungkook trailed off, Korean tumbling out of his mouth in what she knew was panicked curses.
“Hey, it’s okay, just tell me what happened. You’re okay,” She consoled, doing her best to bring his attention back to her.
“I won’t be after I tell you what happened,” He mumbled.
She paused. “…What the hell did you do, Kook?”
“I maybe, sorta, kinda…lit…your kitchen on fire?”
“You did what?”
“It was an accident, I swear!” He exclaimed and Anastasia could hear Jimin and Hoseok snickering behind her.
“Sh!” She snapped, making them flinch.
Turning back to her phone she asked, “are you fucking with me right now?”
“No”
She pinched the bridge of her nose, “Okay, so, how did you manage…that?”
“I was making food and I didn’t see the kitchen towel by the stove and I just left for a second to use the bathroom and when I came back….there were a lot of flames”
She hung up, rushing to the bathrooms, making it all the way into the hallway before slumping into the wall. She slid to the floor, clutching her mouth as she fought off the rising urge to puke.
She was going to be evicted, she was going to have to pay for repairs, she wouldn’t have a place to stay.
She flinched violently when a hand landed softly on her shoulder. “Don’t touch me.”
“Maybe it’s not that bad,” Jimin murmured, crouching beside her.
She could feel the tears welling but nodded nonetheless. They stayed there for a while, Jimin affectionately brushing her hair back behind her ear and rubbing her back.
“Come on, let’s go,” He hummed a minute or two later, encouraging her to stand up. “Hoseok, take-” Jimin hesitated, not remembering Beatrice’s name, “-Anastasia’s friend back, we’re gonna get a car.”
Anastasia didn’t have it in her to argue, so she just weakly said goodbye to her new friend and followed Jimin out.
It was a pretty busy area so there was a plethora of transportation available, Jimin quickly flagging someone down. He helped her in, sliding in right after, and told the driver her address.
***
The hoards of policemen and firefighters outside when the cab pulled up threatened to send Anastasia over the edge again, but Jimin was quick to comfortingly wrap his arms around her. She couldn’t fathom why she felt so safe when not even a half-hour ago she wanted the ground to swallow her whole every time he so much as glanced her way.
“Taz!” She was tackled the second she stepped out.
“Get off.” She wasn’t stable enough to put any emotion into her voice.
Jungkook flinched back, not expecting her cold demeanour.
“Taz?” He murmured cupping her cheeks but she shrugged him off.
If she paid him attention, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stop herself from doing something she might later regret.
Nervously, she approached her apartment, her heart clenching uncomfortably at her roastedkitchen.
“Excuse me, Miss Lloyd?” She turned at the sound of her last name, coming face to face with the landlord.
***
Breach of contract. Evicted.
Anastasia sat on the corner of her mattress with her head in her hands. What was she going to do? Where would she go? So many thoughts swirled around until she couldn’t understand them anymore.
With a heavy sigh, she got up to take a shower. There was no way she would be able to sleep, so after the shower, she zoned out to a crappy tv show.
The next time she looked at the clock it was 4 am. She had class at 8 am.
Shutting her laptop and tossing it to the other side of the bed, she scooted down and rolled onto her side. She was so frustrated, too frustrated to sleep, so she tossed and turned until the sun began to rise.
The day continued in a blur and luckily no one came over to try and talk. She thought she might combust if Jungkook or one of his friends came over and hounded her for attention.
She had been left alone the whole day, so she was startled when a familiar hooded figure was leaning against her door when she came home from her evening class.
“Yoongi?”
He imperceptibly titled his head as his one visible eye met hers.
“What are you doing here?”
“Do you wanna get out of here?”
“Excuse me?”
“Jungkook, Hoseok, and Jimin are all in your apartment right now,” He said in his lazy drawl.
Anastasia glanced at the door, hesitating. “Okay”
She wanted to get away if only just for a little while, she didn’t want to be responsible and in charge of her future. She wanted to be free to run away.
The two made it all the way back down the stairs and around the corner before Anastasia started hyperventilating and had to sit down with her head between her knees.
Breach of contract. Evicted. The words repeated over and over until her head spun. Relaxing her head back against the wall, she closed her eyes.
Time passed unacknowledged until she eventually calmed down, and when she opened her eyes again, Yoongi stood beside her. His dark hair was almost completely covering his eyes and he had a black mask covering the rest of his face, but his silhouette was somehow comforting.
Holding her hand out, she silently asked for him to help her up.
There was a beat of silence before he cautiously pulled his hand from his jean pocket and gripped hers, pulling her up with more force than expected. Unprepared, she stumbled into his chest.
“Payback?” She snickered, deranged, into his chest.
What had gotten into her? Was she really that desperate that she’d run off with someone she’d just met? Someone that didn’t even like her?
Maybe so, but running off with him felt more favorable than facing her anger towards Jungkook and the weight of homelessness and responsibility.
And so they ran, hand in hand, away.Neither of them seemed to have a destination in mind, only away. When she looked back, his eyes were as blank as ever, but there was humor in them.
Taking a chance, they sprinted across the too-busy-to-be-jaywalking street and kept running until they could no longer see the dreaded apartment building. Multiple times they saved each other from hitting people until they eventually slowed to a stop, clutching their sides, laughter bubbling up inside.
Somewhere along the way, Yoongi had removed his mask and suddenly Anastasia was struck by his beauty. The sun was setting, complementing his expression with a beautiful pinkish-orange hue. He wasn’t quite laughing, but there was a grin on his lips that she’d never seen before.
Slowly, their smiles faded as they stared at each other, not saying anything. Anastasia furrowed her brow, what was this feeling?
“Come on,” She nudged, motioning to the taxi that rolled to a stop a little ways away.
There was an elderly woman inside the cab and Yoongi gingerly helped her out as Anastasia slipped in through the other side.
They drove in silence for around thirty minutes before they got to the more tightly populated part of the city, filled with little boutiques and tourist attractions.
“Here’s fine!” She called, startling the driver a little. Yoongi had his mask up again, but Anastasia thought she saw his cheeks lift and so she grinned back at him.
She felt good, happy.Nothing mattered at that moment.
Yoongi slipped the driver some cash and they both tumbled out of the vehicle, small giggles leaving her lips.
The foot traffic was considerably heavier there and, not wanting to lose Yoongi in the crowd, she laced her fingers with his. Or maybe she just wanted to hold someone’s hand.
Spotting what had prompted her to tell the driver to stop, she tugged gently on Yoongi’s hand and began making her way to the entrance. It was a small bar that she’d never been to but had always intended to visit
A little bell chimed the moment they stepped in and Yoongi pulled his mask down to rest under his chin, looking around. The place was beginning to fill up, but there was space by the bar for them to sit.
Grinning, she turned to Yoongi, “Let’s drink.”
That was how the night continued on, filled with alcohol and reckless decisions. As the hours passed, they ended up at a club, Anastasia dancing freely while Yoongi watched from the bar. She was still in the cropped t-shirt and jeans she wore to class, not nearly club-appropriate attire, but she didn’t care. For once she didn’t care.
“Yoongi! Yoongi!” She stumbled over, almost too drunk to stand.
“Yes, jagi?” He hadn’t drunk nearly as much as her and if she was a little soberer, she would have noticed the mirth in his expression.
“I had a th—I had a thought,” she giggled, leaning heavily into his side.
“Oh? What was your thought?” He humored.
She cupped her hand over her mouth like it was a secret, then proceeded to say loud enough for everyone around them to hear, “What if we got a hotel room? I don’t want to go home~” she whined.
Yoongi quirked an eyebrow but didn’t argue, the intoxicated woman reminding him of Jungkook and Jimin when they drank.
“Whatever you want,” He agreed easily, standing up and placing a hand on her back to guide her to the exit, making sure he grabbed her bag that he’d been watching.
Anastasia bounced to the music as they moved, her head bobbing offbeat.
…..
Let’s drink. Anastasia should’ve known that nothing good ever followed those words.
Where was she? Minimal light was shining through the cracks in the closed drapes, but she could still clearly see the room she was in. It was clean and empty of anything personal, just a dresser, a mirror, a small bench, and the bed. A very large bed at that.
She winced at the taste in her mouth, her tongue feeling like it was glued to the roof of her mouth. The pounding in her head was irritating, but not intolerable.
Rolling over deeper into the covers, she contemplated her life choices. She couldn’t remember most of what had happened the night before, the last thing she remembered was bar-hopping with Yoongi.
I’m never drinking again. She thought, her breath catching when the bedroom door suddenly clicked open. Please be Yoongi, please be Yoongi.
She held her breath as they clumsily plopped onto the bed, rolled closer, and wrapped an arm around her waist. She risked a glance down, closing her eyes in relief when she recognized the ring and bracelets adorning the hand.
Why was he hugging her? What happened last night?
“You scared the shit out of me,” She sighed, pulling away.
Yoongi didn’t fight her, letting out a muffled hum, his face pressed into the bed.
“Where are we?” She grimaced at the taste in her mouth, somewhat regretting opening it.
He let out an annoyed sigh and shifted to lay on his back.
“A hotel room.” He deadpanned.
“Did…did we do something?” She sat up, biting her lip nervously, her eyes not missing the opportunity to appreciate his good looks.
His hair was messily strewn over his closed eyes, his face a little pink from having just woken up.
He cracked one eye open, unexpectedly sitting up too, the proximity making their noses brush. “Why? Do you want something to have happened?” There was a mischievous glint in his eye, his minty fresh breath fanning across her lips.
She pulled back, self-conscious about her own breath and her heart beating too fast at their proximity.
“I have to use the bathroom!” She blurted, stumbling out of the bed.
The pressure in her head got exponentially worse at the sudden movement and she had to wait a second for the pain to ebb away.
“You good, jagi?”
“I’m —what did you just call me? ” She’d heard Jungkook call her that a few times before, but he’d always made it seem like it was a slip of the tongue. Yoongi had definitely just said it with intention.
“Ja-gi-ya.” He enunciated, slow and mocking.
She huffed, “What does that mean?”
“It means your breath stinks. Go brush your teeth, I’ll order breakfast.” He smirked, rolling off the bed and leaving the room.
Anastasia narrowed her gaze, glaring at the door he’d just exited out of before scoffing and stalking off to the bathroom.
She might’ve felt more comfortable with him, but he was now proving to be an ass.
Sitting on the marble countertop was an unopened toothbrush and some toothpaste placed next to a second, used toothbrush. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered when he got toothbrushes and toothpaste, but she was more concerned with her missing memories of the previous night to give it much attention.
With her mouth full of sudsy paste, Yoongi walked in.
“What do you want?” He asked. He was the one that walked in, why was he asking her what shewanted?
She realized he meant breakfast.
Thinking about it, she spit and rinsed, almost choking when Yoongi carefully tucked a stray hair behind her ear before she spits on it.
“Thanks,” She muttered shyly, wiping her mouth.
He nodded in dismissal, “So?”
“Oh, um, anything is fine.”
He frowned but didn’t argue, closing the door in her face.
“Eggs and bacon!” She called out the first thing that came to mind, suddenly concerned that he was upset with her. Her shoulders drooped when there was no response.
Shaking it off, she turned back to the mirror and cringed at her reflection. Her hair was an actual rat’s nest and her complexion was worse for wear with mascara smudged around her eyes.
She tried to finger comb her hair as she slipped out of the bathroom, but quickly gave up and put it in a bun. Now that she was awake, it was clear they were in a hotel suite. She didn’t even want to think about the money Yoongi had spent just because she hadn’t wanted to go home. She had money on her but she couldn’t recall paying for anything.
How much did a room like this even cost? She wondered fleetingly. Oh no, and all the drinks!
She groaned into her hands, how was she supposed to pay him back?
Following the sound of Yoongi’s low voice, she found him on a couch with the phone the hotel provided pressed to his ear.
Noticing her in the doorway, he hung up and beckoned her over.
“They said it will be 15 minutes. How’s the head?” He asked, mocking her alcohol consumption the night before. As if she needed the reminder.
“It’s fine.” She snapped, cheeks red, “What time is it? And where are my shoes?”
He vaguely motioned to the end of the couch, his eyes not leaving her as she stalked around to find them lined up beside his own with her socks neatly tucked inside.
“Are you usually this grumpy in the morning, or is it just the hangover?” She glanced up in time to catch him brushing his hair out of his eyes and the arrogance in that simple action was infuriating.
“Are you flirting or just trying to piss me off?” She accused, hoping for somekind of reaction, be it irritation or, better yet, embarrassment.
He shrugged, noncommittal.
Scoffing, she plopped down onto the couch, as far from him as humanly possible.
Anastasia knew she didn’t have the right to be annoyed with him, he hadtaken care of her the whole night but she still was. A lot of it stemmed from her own embarrassment and she begrudgingly had to be thankful that he seemed to realize this as well.
A comfortable silence ensued, him scrolling through his phone and her staring absently out the window. The view was incredible, an oceanfront. There were tourist families already on the beach, their children running around delightedly.
When the table of food was wheeled in, Yoongi unpacked everything and handed her a plate full of food. Sitting down beside him on the couch in front of the trolley, she unraveled the napkin-wrapped utensils and prepared to eat.
“Do you want my bacon?” She offered.
He shook his head, “You eat.”
She winced, “I-I don’t actually like bacon…”
He squinted at her for a moment, probably trying to decide if she was mentally challenged or something. She avoided his glare, nibbling on a slice of apple.
The food was consumed pretty quickly, not much conversation made, and after they were done, Anastasia slipped away to take a shower, washing off the night before.
When she stepped out of the bathroom, half an hour later, she found Yoongi sitting in the bed, arms crossed and eyes closed. Perfectly poised yet still relaxed, how’d he do it?
Was he asleep? She couldn’t tell.
Deciding not to risk it, she tiptoed out of the room.
“Stay in here.”
Jumping at the sound of his voice, she squeaked, “Huh? Okay”
Walking over to the other side of the bed, she crawled in, careful not to jostle him too much. She squeaked again when he suddenly leaned over to rest his head in her lap. “What are you doing?”
He shifted his body so it was better aligned, “Getting comfortable”
***
Anastasia grit her teeth as Yoongi’s phone vibrated for what felt like the hundredth time and he still hadn’t shown anysign of getting up and checking who it was.
Noticing her glare, he rolled his eyes and sat up to check. Nodding, he turned to her, “It’s Jungkook. He’s worried about you.”
Her face dropped and she brought her knees to her chest. Inside her head was a mess of anger, guilt, and embarrassment. She had an audience for her life falling apart! How did one handle that? And then she’d just run off? What had she been thinking?!
She groaned and dragged her hands down her face.
If she was being honest, she was ready to forgive Jungkook, but she was notready to face the embarrassment. The walk of shame had a whole new meaning to her.
With Yoongi it was becoming comfortable, everything else could be forgotten. She just wanted to stay with him and perfect the feeling.
Sniffling, she mumbled, “I guess we should head back and face reality, huh?”
His lips twitched, “I’m not in a hurry.”
“I think he’s been stewing in guilt long enough,” She disagreed.
Yoongi stretched his arms over his head and nodded, “Whatever you want, jagiya”
She huffed at the nickname and got up to gather all her things, which wasn’t much, just her shoes and socks.
He’s so annoying, she thought.
After checking out, they decided to walk somewhere less popular to try and get a ride. Yoongi was prepared this time and had called an uber.
Walking out of the hotel, Anastasia was suddenly plowed into, sending her and the other person straight to the ground.
Yoongi immediately helped her up, glaring at the perpetrator. It was a man, around their age. His face was hidden by the blue hoodie he wore, but Anastasia instantly got a sick feeling in her gut.
“My bad,” The man mumbled, jogging off.
“Asshole,” she huffed, nudging Yoongi to continue walking.
The bed bounced violently when Anastasia dove face-first onto it, letting out a guttural groan into her pillow.
“What happened?”
Whipping around, she seethed quietly, “I told you to fucking wake them up!”
Jungkook stared at her glassy-eyed, his face puffy from sleep, and the creases of the pillowcase imprinted on his cheek.
“…What?”
She shoved her face back into her pillow and let out a drawn-out whine. All she wanted was to curl up and die so she would never have to face Jungkook’s too-attractive friends ever again.
“Taz,” He prompted clumsily in his still drowsy state.
“No~” She cried, refusing to lift her head.
“Anastasia.”
“I elbowed Jimin in the dick, okay?” She snapped, knowing he would find out anyway. It was probably better that he heard her side of the story first.
“You-…what?” If he wasn’t confused before, he sure as hell was now.
“I’m never leaving this room again.” She realized, ignoring the baffled man beside her.
“Taz”
“He hates me”
“Taz.”
“Everyone closest to you hates me, Ihate me”
“Anastasia!”
“Jungkook, I’m gonna move away and I’m never coming back, okay?” She ended, looking at him with teary eyes.
He rolled his. “You’re such a drama queen, no one hates you”
She guffawed, “Says you! I’m positive the six men on the other side of that door have opposing opinions”
He furrowed his brow, “Why would you think that?”
“Because! How could I not think that?! I’m pretty sure they all blame me for you not going back to Korea and I mean, are they even wrong? Am I the reason you didn’t go back to your family?”
“Stop, woah. Taz, no one hates you or blames you. I’m my own person, I make my own choices and they know that. They also know you’re not the only reason I stayed.”
Made his own choices? Not the only reason he stayed? Things in his story weren’t lining up — he was saying one thing but she’d livedanother. The Jungkook she grew up with wasn’t the Jungkook he was around the others. He was unrecognizable, easier to rile up, but more secure in the way he spoke. He never had much interest in other people, but now it was like he had no interest in anything.He’d stopped making choices, letting everyone else do what they wanted.
She’d never seen that in him before, he’d always been stubborn and fiercely possessive, but with his hyungs, he was softer. He shared without a second thought, let them into his space without flinching, and gave up his authority like he never cared in the first place. He acted like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders with their presence and she couldn’t help but think…was this the real Jungkook? He sure seemedhappier and more at ease, but…she couldn’t understand the change.
He made his own choices? She couldn’t trust that, anymore. The seven of them operated like a couple with 50 years of marriage under their belt. It was without effort, efficient, and most definitely notindependent. They were a match.
She knew she had no right to feel so heartbroken, but the past couple of days had been like slowly losing a lover.
Two days and she could already see the cracks in the painting of her future. She was never going to make it with Jungkook because he already belonged to someone else.
“Yoongi still hates me. And Jimin, there’s no way he doesn’t hate me, I just….” She couldn’t get the words out because it didn’t really matter.
But…she still wanted to fight. Because Jungkook loved her, he did.
“Yoongi-hyung doesn’t hate you and Jimin can be petty, but he doesn’t hate you either,” Jungkook assured.
“You can’t know that,” She argued.
“I know them.”
There was no room left for argument so she decided to agree to disagree. Fine, it was fine, she would just have to work harder at getting everyone to like her. Once they liked her, they wouldn’t try to steal Jungkook away.
“Come on, you have a study date with Namjoonie-hyung today, get up,” Jungkook reminded, snuggling back into the covers.
Right.
**
Since she didn’t plan on going anywhere, she dressed comfy in a lavender tracksuit Jungkook had bought her once so they could match. She rarely wore it, deeming it a bit matchy-matchy, but today she wanted to look put together. Deciding to forego any makeup she’d later have the displeasure of taking off, she exited her room, still a little unsure of what to expect.
“I searched online and it looks like there’s a nice park not too far, let’s go there”
Public? He wanted to go out in public? Where people would see them together? Normally she wouldn’t have given it a second thought, because really, who cares? But the fact that it was Namjoon, tall, sexy, unrealistically attractive Namjoonwho was accompanying her, changed everything.
The memory of what those girls thought of her last time she was seen with them flashed through her mind and she grimaced. She didn’t need a part two. Was this an inferiority complex she was developing?
“You sure you don’t want to just stay here?” She asked, hoping he would see the desperation in her eyes and have pity.
“No, we should go somewhere the others won’t feel tempted to follow and interrupt” She slouched at his blunt words.
“Kay…” She sniffed, staring longingly at her kitchen table.
He rolled his eyes at her antics, “Go eat something, I’ll be back in a bit”
In the time it took for her to make herself something to eat, Namjoon had gotten changed into a matching yellow tracksuit.
Anastasia almost choked on her omelet and she could feel her ears turn pink. What was he thinking? They were going to look like a couple!
Deciding not to comment on it, she instead offered him some food before cleaning up.
Up until then, she’d successfully dodged Jimin, though she had a feeling he wasn’t trying all that hard to interact with her, either. He, Seokjin, and Hoseok had all gone back to Jungkook’s before Jungkook and her had even finished their conversation and although she hadn’t checked, she suspected that along with Jungkook, Taehyung and Yoongi were still asleep.
Under any other circumstances, she would never have left strange men alone in her home, but with Jungkook being there and them being the people he trusted most…she felt that it was somewhat safe to leave them unattended for a while. That saying, she was also piss poor so it wasn’t like she owned anything those aristocrats would bother stealing.
“You know where the park is, yes?” Namjoon broke through her thoughts as they trotted down the stairs to the ground floor.
She rolled her eyes, huffing, “of course”
If she had been looking, she would’ve seen the smirk on his face. “Lead the way”
It was a good long walk to the park, most of it spent in silence, leaving Anastasia enough opportunity to study him. Something seemed to be agitating him, she noticed, his gaze flickering around nonstop like he was on the run. Did he not want people to see them together?
She could understand if that was the case, so far her presence has only caused drama.
When they got to the park, a nice wide open space, the calm atmosphere rapidly relieved her of anxiety as they settled at a table and bench that overlooked the beach. It wasn’t until he sat next to her and leaned in to read what she was setting out before them that she realized just how good he smelled.
She inwardly groaned. How was she supposed to not think of this man as more than Jungkook’s best friend when he 1. Looked like a Greek god 2. Smelled divine, and 3. Had the biggest brain of anyone she’d ever met.
Still, she sent him a shy smile in hopes of hiding her internal battle.
The day following carried on quickly and she was astonished by how much more things made sense when he explained them. He was unexpectedly patient, even at the times her brain just wouldn’t comprehend what he was trying to explain.
“Want to take a break?” He asked after her third brain fart in a row.
She bit my lip, unsure. “Can we?” Truth be told, she really needed one after four hours of non-stop studying.
“Yes. Pack up, I’ll get a ride and then we’ll go eat,” He stated, grabbing his phone off the table and stepping away.
She wasn’t exactly sure what he had in mind. Her thoughts were that they would just walk around and stretch their legs, but it was clear he had different expectations. Not that she was going to argue, though, not when he’d been kind enough to help her.
“He said he’d pick us up,” He announced, again coming to sit next to me.
“Who?”
“Hoseok,” he elaborated, not looking up from his phone. He was sitting close enough and in such a way that she could easily see what was on the screen, but out of respect and slight disinterest, she turned her attention elsewhere.
“Ah”
Silence ensued and as the time passed, her gaze slowly drifted down to his phone, the youtube video he was watching catching her attention. It wasn’t until her name was called that she noticed she’d been leaning into him for a better view or that he had angled his phone so she could see.
“Tasia!” She jerked back, searching for who had called her.
Anastasia instantly recognized the woman walking towards them, a friendly acquaintance from high school.
“Bea! Hey!” She greeted, returning the somewhat awkward hug she’s been pulled into.
Standing back upright, the woman helped herself to the seat across from them and her gaze understandably wandered over to the man sitting beside Anastasia, who was much more interested in his phone than her. He’d actually angled himself away, looking the most unapproachable she’d seen him.
That didn’t deter the woman. “Who’s this?” she wiggled her eyebrows at Anastasia, who had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. The woman was acting like they were in grade school and Anastasia was sitting next to her crush.
She wasn’t too far off on the “crush” part though.
“This is my friend Namjoon,” at the sound of his name, his eyes trailed up to meet her’s, “Namjoon, this is Beatrice”
For the first time, Namjoon looked at her. He didn’t say anything, just stared. It was like he was waiting for her to do something worthwhile to pay him back for the attention he was giving her. Anastasia squirmed in her seat. Why was he being so rude?
“Anyway, how are you? Do you live around here?” She changed the subject in an attempt to make Beatrice more comfortable. She already knew the answer, she’d seen her around campus before, but for the sake of breaking the ice, she pretended she didn’t.
“I do! I go to school here. What about you?”
“I’m going to school here too, we actually came here to study,” Anastasia explained, trying to bring Namjoon into the conversation.
Beatrice grinned, “A study date? What’s your major?”
“I’m a psychology major,” She answered, opting to ignore the first part.
“Oh, so you’re learning to read minds?” Beatrice laughed with a nudge.
Anastasia didn’t know whether or not she was being serious, so she took the safe bet and just laughed.
“Nothing that cool. Though if they ever give telepathy classes, I’ll be the first in line,” she assured, the strained interaction already taking its toll on her energy reserves. Jungkook usually took care of most interactions with people she didn’t know well, so she was out of practice.
“So what’s your-” she was cut off by Namjoon.
“Yeah?” They both turned to see his phone pressed to his ear.
“At the tables…okay…yeah,” With that he hung up, shoving his phone into his pocket.
Returning her attention to Beatrice, she smiled apologetically.
“Hoseok is waiting,” Namjoon announced before she could get a word out, flicking at her ponytail to keep her attention.
“Oh, okay”
“I’ll walk you guys to the parking lot! I need to get some food anyway, I’m starving” Beatrice groaned, rubbing her belly.
A part of Anastasia admired her confidence. Even after being stared down, she was still making the effort to interact with them.
On a whim, Anastasia offered, “We’re headed out to eat right now, too, wanna come?”
Beatrice visibly brightened up at the offer, “Yeah! Where are we going?”
“Um…” Anastasia glanced at Namjoon for guidance, but he ignored her, grabbed her bag, and walked away.
“Oh! Guess we’re going then!” Beatrice laughed and they both got up quickly to catch up with him.
Anastasia wanted to call him out, tell him that his legs were almost twice as long as theirs, but she knew he wouldn’t appreciate being told off in public. She didn’t even know him well enough to tell him off in private.
At the pace he set, they got to the front parking lot in record time, and leaning against the hood of a grey Charger was Hoseok accompanied by the very last person Anastasia wanted to see — Jimin.
Out of reflex, she grabbed the back of Namjoon’s hoodie, who looked back curiously, “What?”
“Uh, n-nothing,” she shook her head, letting go.
Jimin spotted them first, coming to meet them halfway, then in a very lazy fashion bumped into Namjoon in what vaguely resembled a hug.
“Anastasia~” Hoseok singsonged in a way that felt somewhat mocking, “you brought a friend”
“I-uh-yeah. This is my friend Beatrice,” She introduced, stiffening when Hoseok threw his arm around her shoulders the same way he had the night before. Goosebumps traveled across her skin as she recalled his hot breath fanning across her neck.
“Hello, Beatrice”
Anastasia couldn’t see his face anymore, but from the saccharine tone he used, she knew he was smirking at the other woman.
“Hello!” Beatrice squeaked, clearly not immune to his charm either.
“Will you be joining us?” Now it was Jimin, who’d come to rest against Hoseok. Again, Anastasia couldn’t really see his face, but by the way Beatrice was fidgeting and blushing, she knew she was getting his bedroom eyes full force.
“I mean, Tasia?” She looked at Anastasia desperately, as if she would be any help.
“Anastasia invited her” Namjoon didn’t even try to hide his displeasure.
“How exciting,” Hoseok didn’t exactly sound as thrilled by the news as his words implied, but he didn’t lose his friendly tone.
“Let’s go eat!” Anastasia blurted, lurching away from Hoseok and grabbing Beatrice by the wrist, marching off towards the car.
She knew there were only five seats in the car, but it wasn’t until she actually climbed in and scooched to the middle seat that she understood just how tight a fit it was going to be. Beatrice was on the curvier side, which just meant that she took up as much space as the boys did, leaving a little more than a foot of room in the middle for Anastasia to sit.
And of course, of course, Jimin was the one that climbed in next to her. She should have expected it, he was the smallest of the three men, but she was afraid. He didn’t lookangry, but being pressed flush against her probably wasn’t what he wanted either. The last thing she needed was to give him another reason to dislike her.
“You’re on my seatbelt,” Beatrice whispered, nudging her thigh.
“Oh, sorry” Anastasia murmured, scooting over and consequently bumping into Jimin. She was too scared to see his reaction so she just waited patiently before moving away again.
I have to buckle myself. She realized, awkwardly twisting back to reach for her own seatbelt, freezing when a hand came to rest over hers.
“Lemme help” he murmured and she probably wouldn’t have heard him if he wasn’t leaning in so close.
“Okay!” She squeaked, wrenching her hand back. He didn’t exactly laugh, but the huff of air he let out and the smug grin on his lips told her enough.
The back of his hand glided across her abdomen as he pulled the seatbelt out and around. She bit her lip and averted her eyes to the roof of the car. Was this man bipolar? Suddenly Taehyung’s face popped up in her brain and she grimaced. Those two were eerily similar.
Glancing over at Beatrice, she wondered what she thought of the whole situation. Was Anastasia the only one that thought this wasn’t ordinary? However, Beatrice wasn’t paying attention, too busy watching Namjoon out the window.
Hoseok could be heard through the open passenger door as Namjoon climbed in, the two discussing something in Korean. If she had to guess, she’d say it was lunch plans.
She almost laughed when in the middle of Hoseok’s sentence, Namjoon whipped out his phone and started typing, hoping that Beatrice would see that and not feel bad about being ignored earlier.
“Where are we going?” She spoke up, relaxing slightly when Jimin leaned into the window and away from her, closing his eyes.
Hoseok ducked down so she could see his face and gave her a smile, “Namjoon is getting the directions”
Anastasia nodded and smiled back. It was hard not to get caught up in him, his smile was so contagious and…bright.
When he moved away and his figure walked around the hood of the car, Beatrice whispered in her ear.
“I can’t decide if he’s hot or cute,” Anastasia couldn’t help the giggle that bubbled up because she’d had the same thought.
The drive was pretty funny, with Namjoon not paying as close attention to the directions as he should have been, leading to them making more than one U-turn. Throughout, Anastasia did her best to get to know Beatrice more. She didn’t really have any friends in the city and if they were going to the same school, it would be easy to catch up.
She discovered the two of them actually had a lot in common, from their music tastes to their food preferences. She could see herself becoming close with the other.
Half an hour passed before Hoseok finally pulled into an open space on the street, a little ways down from where Anastasia knew there to be an upscale restaurant.
She was feeling a bit nervous for her bank account, but she had a feeling Beatrice felt the same way so at least she wasn’t alone. She was confused though, didn’t they need a reservation to eat there? There was no way they got one on such short notice on a busy Saturday afternoon.
Maybe that was better because then they’d be forced to eat somewhere else. Somewhere cheaper.
Turning to unbuckle herself, she let out a hiss when her skull came in contact with Jimin’s, who’d leaned in to do the same.
“Sorry,” She winced, rubbing her head.
“It’s okay,” he murmured, putting a ring-clad hand to his own head.
Biting her lip anxiously, she ungracefully shuffled out of the car after Beatrice, who caught her after almost tripping on the curb.
“Falling for me already?” She winked, to which Anastasia rolled her eyes and grinned.
With the five of them now gathered, they made their way towards the restaurant’s front doors. There was a lot of hustle and bustle on the streets, people enjoying their Saturday to the fullest and although she probably shouldn’t have even been surprised by that point, Anastasia’s eyes still went wide when Hoseok put a protective arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.
The cool air that surrounded them the moment they walked through the doors was a welcomed change. The standard of interior design, though, had her chewing on the inside of her cheek. It was reallyfancy. The moment you stepped into the well-lit entrance there was beautiful gold latticing on the walls and a warm brown podium about ten feet deep into the room. Anastasia immediately felt sorely underdressed.
Namjoon took the lead, strolling up to the podium where an employee stood, ready to check customers in. Although he looked misplaced in his casual attire, he somehow still held his own against the beautiful decor. He fit right in.
The man behind the podium, whose name tag read Jeremy, had short, quaffed bleach-blonde hair that stood out nicely against his elegant black uniform. He looked Namjoon up and down, no doubt judging his clothing, but the suspicion and judgment quickly left his eyes when he took in Jimin and Hoseok. The two were clearly wearing designer clothing and expensive jewelry — Hoseok’s big gold watch was hard to miss. He barely spared Beatrice and her a glance before he refocused on Namjoon.
“Hello! Do you have a reservation?” Zach’s tone was considerably brighter than expected.
Anastasia winced at the question. She was right, they needed a reservation to get in.
“Hoseok Jung” Namjoon’s voice commanded.
Anastasia’s brows shot up and she pulled away to look at Hoseok.
“I know people,” He hummed with a smirk.
Her curiosity wasn’t exactly sated, but she would wait until we were at least seated before she started asking more questions.
Zach looked more shocked than Anastasia did at the sound of Hoseok’s name and she could see the panic in his eyes as he sputtered a little bit with his response, “You’re-of course! Your table is right over here,” He bowed, ushering them around the beautiful island wall leading to the rest of the restaurant.
Anastasia didn’t know why she was expecting a low-lit, sultry vibe, but they were greeted with a bright, spacious room filled with soft chatter and laughter. There were modern chandeliers hanging over the bigger tables and the decor about the room was impeccable. It felt strangely welcoming.
Zach led their small group to one of the tables in the center. It was a bigger table that could seat twice as many people than they had but she wasn’t going to ask.
Hoseok absentmindedly pulled out her chair before taking the seat next to her and engaging Namjoon in conversation, both of them ignoring Zach completely. Beside her, she noticed Jimin pull Beatrice’s seat out for her too and watched as she flushed pink. Jimin gave Anastasia a knowing smirk and went to sit beside Namjoon who was across from them.
They were all sitting fairly centered at the table, empty seats on both sides of and for some reason that made the table seem not as big as it had before.
“Your waiter will be right with you,” Zach notified, looking a little miffed but bowed in departure nonetheless.
Anastasia made sure to give him a kind smile, “Thanks, Zach.”
At her words, both Namjoon and Hoseok cut off whatever they were saying, turning their attention to her.
Her eyes widened. What?
“You look good today,” Hoseok commented after a moment and she scoffed lightly. They both knew she looked like a hot mess.
The questioning stare she got in return had her questioning his sanity, though.
Not long after, a beautiful woman approached and it took Anastasia a moment to realize she was their waitress.
“Good afternoon,” The woman smiled and even Anastasia couldn’t help but be enchanted. “I’m Terrance, I’ll be your waitress today,” the gentle smile never left her face as she carefully passed out the menus.
“Thanks” Anastasia murmured, her mouth making a small ‘o’ at the way Terrance eyed Beatrice.
“Of course! May we start you off with something to drink?” She grinned, her eyes continuously flickering back to an oblivious Beatrice as she waited for our responses. Anastasia couldn’t help the smirk that grew on her lips as she looked down and fiddled with the utensils that were beautifully wrapped in a cloth napkin.
“Just water,” Namjoon answered dismissively, probably more oblivious than even Beatrice.
“Water for me too, what about you Bee?” Anastasia prompted. She knew from high school that Beatrice played both sides.
She looked so flustered when agreeing that just water was fine that Anastasia had to reconsider, maybe Beatrice wasn’t as clueless as she’d pegged.
Suddenly Anastasia got a rush of excitement at the thought of the two but squashed it down, catching Jimin’s gaze. He was relaxed back into his chair, legs crossed with an arm slung lazily over the back of Namjoon’s chair. He raised an eyebrow at her, a smirk playing on his lips.
Her breath hitched at the sight, trying desperately not to get caught up in him. Luckily Hoseok saved her when he lightly nudged her arm.
“Hey, I don’t have your number,” he huffed, as if for some reason that was herfault.
“My number?”
“Yeah,” he nodded, waving up his expensive phone that was displaying his contact list.
“Twenty-eight hundred contacts?! Would you be able to find it even if you did?” She guffawed, tearing her eyes away from his screen to look at him.
He just grinned, pressed on the screen a few times, and held it back out for her. The recognizable “ Create new contact” page was now open.
She bit her lip, contemplating. Did she really want to give her number to him? Her nerves were shot enough as it were, morecontact with them didn’t really seem like the best idea for her health.
Her decision not to give in was steadfast, but the moment he smiled at her, her brain forgot all logic and she found herself entering her number on autopilot.
His smile grew and from that alone she couldn’t even find it in herself to regret it.
“So how did you guys all meet?” Beatrice asked suddenly, probably feeling like the odd man out and Anastasia suddenly realized she hadn’t introduced anyone after Namjoon.
“Oh! Um, do you remember Jungkook? From high school?” She started.
“Of course!” Beatrice’s eyes lit up, “are you guys still friends? I remember that by graduation you two were basically connected at the hip.”
Anastasia laughed at the memories. Looking back, she could see how funny their relationship might’ve seemed to the other kids. After all, it was usually afterhigh school that people made those close connections.
“They moved in together” Jimin spoke up with a smugness before Anastasia had a chance to confirm Jungkook’s and her’s ongoing friendship status. Beatrice’s eyes grew comically and she whipped her head around to look at Anastasia for confirmation.
“No! No. We did not” She quickly corrected, holding her hands up as if to stop the other’s thoughts. “And that’s not even the point. Point is, Hoseok, Jimin, and Namjoon all grew up with him” she continued, pointing at each man respectively.
“Oh really? What was he like growing up?” Beatrice asked what Anastasia had been wanting to know for a while.
The three stopped to think about it for a moment.
“Irreplaceable.” Jimin eventually surmised to which the other two nodded.
Anastasia was about to coo at the statement, but Namjoon butt in.
“Woah, hey, careful! What are you trying to do, eyeball it from the ceiling?”
Everyone turned to see what he was talking about and Anastasia had to roll her lips together to stop from laughing at the sight that greeted them. A young boy had been pouring water into glasses and Namjoon had a point, the kid was pouring from pretty high up.
The boy looked a little confused but apologized anyway and all was forgotten, the afternoon carrying on seamlessly after that.
That is until Anastasia got a phone call. Pulling out her phone, she glanced noncommittal at the caller ID, a smile unknowingly stretching across her face at Jungkook’s name.
“Excuse me, I have to take this,” she mumbled, turning away, “Hello?”
“Taz!”
____________
Okay guys/ladies/everyone! What do you think?! hehe
Also, are all the links lining up okay? Tumblr is a little confusing, but I think everything is in order haha
“Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?” - L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
When she’d gone back into the living room, she found that there was still a free spot on the 3 seater couch, Namjoon, Seokjin, and Jimin all sitting on the floor with Taehyung on the armrest, leaning into Jungkook’s side. But the free seat was between Jungkook and Yoongi and if Yoongi wasupset, she didn’t want to make it worse by sitting next to him. So she opted to sit on the floor and lean back against Jungkook’s legs and made a mental note to apologize to Yoongi the next day.
She didn’t even get the chance to settle all the way down before Hoseok called out to everyone to come and eat. Since when was he the host? She felt a little embarrassed about slacking. She didn’t have to like them to be polite, her parents raised her better, she should’ve been the one handing out the food.
Taehyung was the first up, practically vaulting off Jungkook as he darted to the table and Jimin wasn’t far behind, followed closely by the others. Only Seokjin and her didn’t immediately move, taking their time to get up. He offered her a hand to help her up and she gave a shy ‘thanks’ in return.
The rest of dinner passed with low energy and minimal talking, and what was said was in Korean, bringing an odd sense of relief to her as she was left to her own thoughts. The peace continued until they eventually migrated back to the couch to watch movies, somehow fitting five people on the couch, leaving Taehyung, Namjoon, and her to sit on the floor. Jungkook had offered her his seat, but she’d declined in favor of having more space on the floor.
Although the earlier tension with Taehyung had been somewhat relieved, she was still cautious as she lowered herself to the floor next to him, using Jungkook’s knee as an aid. After cozying up against Jungkook’s legs again, she was pleased to find that there was still a happy 30 centimeters of space between her shoulder and Taehyung’s.
He must have noticed the hesitance and all her nervous glances, because he smirked flirtatiously, the same smirk she’d noticed on Jimin’s lips a few times — like they had a secret that no one else was in on. Her face burned at the thought.
“You don’t have any classes tomorrow, right?” Junkook asked randomly when Yoongi got up to pick out a movie, pulling her from her thoughts.
“Uh, no, I don’t, but I have a lot of homework to get done so I’m gonna spend my day doing that,” She answered, shooting down any plans he might’ve wanted to make, proud that she hadn’t stuttered with the attention now on her.
He hummed, pouting a bit, “Are you still having trouble with your thesis?”
Her face dropped and her jaw clenched because partially, yes,shewas still having trouble, but mostly because Jungkook had no filter and had just blabbed to everyone that she was struggling with her schoolwork.
“You know, Namjoon is really smart, he could help you,” Hoseok offered, butting in.
Nammjoon looked up from his phone at the sound of his name. “Huh?” There were some snickers at the irony.
‘Really smart’, how smart could the guy be? He was like her age and college wasn’t a know-all situation, there were so many different majors and so much more to learn.
“Nothing, really, it’s—”
“Tasia was wondering if you could help her with her thesis,” Taehyung cut her off.
“Wha—” She whipped around to stare at him in disbelief. He just grinned innocently.
“Okay,” came Namjoon’s reply and she turned back, not really expecting him to have agreed, not really wantinghim to have agreed. On top of him being intimidating and unapproachable, she was worried she’d just be humoring him the whole time because he wouldn’t actuallybe of any help.
“No, honestly, you’d have to have taken the class to be able to help. I mean, I’min the class and I barely understand how to do it,” she waved off.
“Which class is it for?”
“Psychological Statistics”
He was quiet for a second before nodding, “I can help.”
“I just said—”
“I’ve taken the class,” he interrupted, sparking some irritation in her for being cut off again, but it was overshadowed by her surprise.
“You’ve taken the class?”
He nodded, “I got my Master’s in Psychology two years ago”
The nonchalant way he had said it made that tidbit of information seem like it wasn’t a big deal, but it most definitely was.
“I’m sorry, what?” Was he actually a lot older than he looked? She wondered.
“Yeah! Joonie has a bunch of degrees. Business, Finance, Psychology, Mathematics,” Hoseok bragged proudly.
Anastasia felt like her brain was going to explode. How?Who could have that many degrees when they didn’t look anywhere nearold enough to have gone to school for the amount of time it would require?
“He…what?” She could barely get the words out.
“He’s got a sexy brain,” Seokjin threw in with a chuckle and she got the feeling she’d missed some inside joke.
“So, if you want, I can help,” Namjoon offered, recentering the topic and ducking his head so their eyes could meet.
Her face flushed at the eye contact, but she nodded nonetheless.
Damn, he’s really attractive. She couldn’t help but think as her eyes scanned over his face. His blemish-free skin had a healthy golden glow, his lips were full and pink, and his eyes.She felt a confusing combination of trapped and at home while looking into his eyes.
“If you wouldn’t mind…” She trailed, almost scared that if she accepted his help, he’d be annoyed and grow to dislike her as well. He’d been fairly unproblematic, she didn’t want to push the boundaries of what he would put up with.
She wasn’t stupid, she’d noticed the change in behavior they all had towards her, but she’d be willing to bet money that it had more to do with Jungkook’s earlier ‘if you want to be in my life, you need to accept that she’s a part of it’ comment than it had to do with the kindness of their hearts. People just weren’t like that.
“I don’t mind”
“While you’re at it, Namjoon-hyung, help her with the rest of her homework. The faster she gets it done, the sooner we can hang out” Jungkook said, leaning down to wrap his arms around her shoulder. It felt more like an insincere chokehold than a hug, but she welcomed his touch nonetheless.
“Since when did you need me around to hang out with your friends? Besides, what about yourhomework, Kook? Have you done it?” She turned her head up, glaring at him suspiciously.
“I always do my homework, Taz,” Jungkook smirked, flicking her nose with his finger.
She couldn’t help the fierce blush that appeared on her face and once again she was reminded how truly and utterly whippedshe was for the man.
“Whatever,” She grumbled, pulling his arms away and shifting her weight so she was facing completely towards the TV.
“And we don’t needyou there to have fun, it’s just morefun when you’re there” he finished. She hadn’t missed the ‘we’, but she did ignore it.
And so it was settled, Namjoon would be over, bright and early the next morning to help her with her homework.
Why did it feel like these men were trying to get comfortable in her life? Anastasia had a lot of questions, but no idea how to voice them. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to.
Time passed and she soon found herself becoming fully engrossed in the movie that played on the telly. It was an old Chinese one that she’d never seen before and it had deeply captured her attention, which was probably the reason she didn’t notice when Taehyung fell asleep, his head slowly coming to rest on her shoulder. When she did realize, her stomach dropped as she panicked. She knew he likely wasn’t snuggled into her of his own volition, but that thought was of little consolation.
Looking around for some help, she came to find that most of them were asleep too. She couldn’t see Jungkook directly behind her, but Hoseok, Yoongi, Namjoon, and Jin all had their eyes closed and Jimin, who’d gotten up earlier to get water and opted for the floor when he’d returned, was now laying down, also passed out.
In a moment of weakness, her eyes trailed down to where his shirt had ridden up ever so slightly, highlighting his slim, fit waist.
Her attention came hurtling back to Taehyung when he looped his arm around hers and snuggled closer, her heart beginning to thump loudly in her ears. She felt faint, unsure what to do.
It didn’t help that he smelled so good, the perfect mix of shower gel and fresh cotton. Panicking, she nudged him awake and the second she did, she regretted it. But it was too late and his eyes slowly blinked open to stare up at her.
It took him a moment to become coherent and pull away, but his movements were still sluggish and he didn’t fall back asleep like Jungkook usually did. Instead, he watched her as she got up to turn off the TV and quietly gather up all the dishes on the coffee table before heading off to the kitchen.
With the way he was staring, she half expected him to get up and follow her, but he didn’t, leaving her to clean up in peace.
“I’ll help”
Maybe she’d spoken too soon, because, ten minutes later, she almost dropped a plate into the soapy water when he appeared out of thin air beside her.
“Taehyung?”
“Anastasia.” She bit back a shiver at the way her name sounded with his deep baritone.
“You scared me.” She accused with a scowl.
“I’m sorry,” he looked anything but sorry. In fact, he was most definitely amused. “I’m really good at washing dishes,” He continued, coming closer and submerging his hands into the soapy water as well.
“O-okay” She squeaked because honestly what else could she say? He already had his hands on a sponge.
She was pleased to find, as they continued washing in silence, that he wasn’t there to bother her and he didn’t break the silence until the kitchen was completely clean.
“I really am sorry”
“Huh?”
“For my behavior,” he continued, “I was angry, but it was wrong of me to take it out on you”
She was having a hard time processing. Why another apology? She’d already said that she forgave him, had he noticed her reluctance?
“So,” he paused, taking her hands in his, “I’m sorry for being intentionally rude to you”
Was this even the same person? Why all of a sudden did his apology seem genuine?
Don’t fall for it , that little voice of common sense whispered. She kept having to remind herself that he was a con artist and his sweet, innocent smile was nothing but a play to get something out of her.
But what, though? The million-dollar question.
“I forgive you,” She croaked out, the oxygen leaving her lungs as the most beautiful smile appeared on his face. How could someone be that beautiful?
All these mixed signals, but they could still make her heart race. If only it would get the memo that these men were off-limits.
There was no recovering from Taehyung’s disarming good looks, but she could pretend. And she did, patting his shoulder awkwardly and leaving to the living room.
Now what to do with them.She was honestly surprised that none of them had woken up, but when she’d mentioned it, Taehyung had assured that they could sleep through a tornado. That begged the question of what they’d had to sleep through before for them to be such solid sleepers.
Regardless, there was still the problem of the six men asleep in her apartment. She couldn’t just let them stay,she was a woman living alone!
She bit her lip, should she wake them? Well, she’d haveto wake them if she really had a problem with them sleeping over. The real question was wouldshe wake them?
Taehyung must have noticed the distress on her face because he offered to wake them.
Before she could think it through, her hand shot out and gripped his wrist, “No, don’t”
He looked back questioningly, but she didn’t have an explanation. It was just one night…
“They look so tired, is it okay to wake them?” She finally whispered out, suddenly feeling the need to be quiet even though they’d just been banging around in the kitchen minutes prior.
An odd look passed over Taehyung’s face but it was gone before she could place it.
“Where do you all sleep at Jungkook’s, anyway? He only has one guest room?” This question had been gnawing at her for a while.
He didn’t hesitate, “Three in Jungkook-ah’s, two in the guest and two on the couch”
“Threein Kook’s?” She couldn’t imagine. He only had a queen bed (he’d wanted to buy a bigger one but it wouldn’t fit in the room), how had they been able to fit three grown men comfortably?
Although looking at them all curled awkwardly around each other, maybe comfort wasn’t a necessity for them to sleep.
“Yeah, Jin-hyung, Hoseok-hyung, and Yoongi-hyung. Jimin and I took the guest bed and Namjoon-hyung and Jungkookie took the couches”
“Jungkook took the couch?” She was becoming more and more convinced that the Jungkook she knew and the Jungkook they knew were two different people. The Jungkook she knew wouldn’t even sharehis bed with any of his friends, much less give it up entirely. In fact, if he could avoid it, he wouldn’t have his friends over at his place at all. The Jungkook she knew was territorial and a bit selfish, always wanting to be the best at everything he did. And he was.
She didn’t notice Taehyung’s gaze, too caught up in her own mind.
“Anastasia?”
“Mm?” She hummed, tearing her eyes away from Jungkook’s form on the couch.
“Where should I sleep?”
She was confused, “Take advantage of the empty apartment next door and get a good night’s sleep”
He slouched into a pout, “But it’s lonely, don’t you have a guest room too?”
“A guest room will be less lonely?” She asked skeptically. She supposed she could understand how sleeping alone in an apartment when you were used to having people around you would be lonely, but he was a grown man. He couldn’t tough it out for one night?
Don’t find him cute, don’t find him cute, don’t find him cute. She repeated to herself as he nodded at her with wide, hopeful eyes.
“Can’t promise it’s very fresh, I haven’t aired it out in a hot minute” She warned, caving in. It was just one night.
“That’s okay, I’ll sleep with the window open” He shrugged and she rolled her eyes, showing him to the guest room.
She flinched back into the wall when Yoongi slipped into the room after him. He was so quiet, she hadn’t even noticed him following them. How long had he been awake for? Was he ever asleep?
When the door shut, her shoulders slumped. This was exhausting.
Doing one last sweep of the apartment, routinely checking the locks, and turning off the lights, she made her way to her own room and changed into a pair of pajamas. After a quick trip to the bathroom to wash up, she climbed into bed and forced herself to relax. She had a full day of studying with Namjoon tomorrow and it would do her well to get a good, restful sleep or at least the illusion of it.
***
“Turn that shit off,” A deep voice growled in her ear the next morning, effectively pulling her from unconsciousness. Patting blindly around her bedside table, she did as told and shut off the blaring alarm coming from her phone.
“Kook, get off,” She grunted, slapping Jungkook’s arm impatiently after she’d attempted to roll onto her back but the arm firmly wrapped around her waist restricted the movement.
He groaned and rolled away, falling right back to sleep. When had he even come into her room?
She usually didn’t let him sleep in her bed, having set that boundary a long time ago for the safety of her heart, but she couldn’t exactly blame him for choosing her bed over sharing a couch with multiple people and she was grateful that he didn’t go back to his own apartment and leave her alone with a bunch of strange men.
Still, she feigned annoyance at his presence with a huff and climbed out of bed, stumbling over to her closet to pick out a change of clothes.
Tip-toeing to her door, clothes in hand, she carefully opened it and peeked her head out, taking a second to listen for any sign of life. She grinned, pleased when everyone appeared to still be sleeping before stepping out and darting to the bathroom.
After closing and locking the door as quietly as possible, she turned towards the shower and winced, turning it on and praying that the noise wouldn’t disturb anyone.
She was in and out of the shower in record time, speedily drying off and throwing on the change of clothes. Being naked, even with a locked door between them, when there were 7 gorgeous men in her apartment was nerve-wracking.
This time when she opened the door, she was positive that someone would be awake, but when she peeked into the living room, everyone was still asleep.
The night before they’d looked peaceful and even somewhat cute, but with the light shining through the window, now illuminating the room in a gentle golden glow, the sleeping figures held a darker edge to them. Like a knife catching the sunlight.
Namjoon shifted and she flinched back, scared he would wake up and catch her staring. Would they still be personable when they woke? It was hard to imagine when they looked threatening even in their sleep.
A shiver went down her spine, but it wasn’t entirely from fear and in a moment of horror, she realized she likedthe thrill. They felt dangerous but in a controlled way. They were confident and subtle, strong but lean, and she was such a fucking cliche.
Knowing she’d been standing there watching them sleep for far too long, she spun around and headed back to her room, intending to confront Jungkook. He’d know how to handle the situation.
“Psst! Kook!” She hissed, jabbing his shoulder none too kindly, “Wake up!”
His eyes didn’t want to open, but slowly they did as he licked his dry lips. When his gaze eventually focused on her, his mouth stretched into her favorite smile. Why’d he have to look at her like that? How could he not know what that did to her?
“Hey, baby,” She jerked back at his morning voice, despite having heard it a thousand times before.
“Get up, you have to wake everyone,” It took everything in her not to melt when he addressed her like that, but when he frowned and pulled away, curling into the blankets, she wished she’d never opened her mouth.
“You do it,” he grumbled.
“Jungkook, I can’t, they’re your friends, not mine!” She insisted, shaking him again.
He barely turned to look back, “I don’t wanna. It’s okay to wake them, they won’t mind if you wake them” his words were becoming progressively more garbled.
“Jungkook!” She resisted stomping her feet lest she anger the downstairs neighbors.
He didn’t respond, tempting her to act on violent impulses. But she wouldn’t, she would never try to hurt him.
So she ended up where she started, standing before a group of sleeping men, not sure if she was anxious or excited. She didn’t even like them, so why was her stomach in knots and her heart beating as if she’d just brushed hands with her crush for the first time?
Forcing herself to relax her shoulders and take a deep breath, she eyed the possible candidates. There was absolutely no way she was going to wake up Hoseok or Jimin, and Namjoon was far too intimidating, which left…Seokjin.
He wasn’t particularly inviting, (none of them were), but he also hadn’t done anything to offend her. She wasn’t feeling particularly enthusiastic about undoubtedly ruining any good feelings he had for her by waking him up, but her only other option was Taehyung and he was with Yoongi who she was still terrified of and if she accidentally woke him up too, it would only make everything that much worse.
Biting her lip, she accepted her fate and carefully stepped over a sleeping Jimin on the floor and crouched in front of Seokjin, not wanting him to find her looming over him when he woke. From that position, however, she wasn’t able to reach his broad shoulders without running the risk of falling into his lap, so she very, verygently patted his thigh and called his name.
The man woke up as if he’d never been asleep, his head raising as his eyes opened easily. The only tell-tale sign that he’d actually been sleeping was the slight puffiness around his eyes and the blank stare he gave like his brain was still catching up.
“Hi,” she whispered with a small wave, still crouched.
“Hi,” he responded, his voice low and raspy as he turned his head to take in Hoseok next to him and Namjoon on the floor. His gaze came back her way but didn’t stay long as he focused on Jimin’s figure behind her.
“I was hoping you might help me wake them up?” Initially, she had planned on making him wake them up on his own, it wasn’t that big of a task, but she already felt bad for waking him up.
He nodded, taking her in for real now that he was a little more awake.
“Your hair is wet,” he murmured so quietly that she almost missed it, reaching out to feel it between his fingers.
“I just took a shower,” she explained, tensing at the closeness.
“You look pretty,” he concluded, not giving her a chance to reply before he slapped Hoseok’s shoulder, who jumped.
The action startled her and she lost her already precarious balance, which would have been fine except Seokjin tried to grab her hand in an attempt to catch her but only managed to make her lose her footing entirely and go sprawling back…on top of a sleeping Jimin.
The said victim cried out, curling into a ball with his hands over his crotch that had just been elbowed.
She couldn’t get off him fast enough.
“Oh no! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to! Are you okay?” Her hands fluttered uselessly over him, not sure what to do to make things better. She’d never stuck around after nailing a guy in the jewels, so she wasn’t exactly sure what the proper protocol was or if there even wasa protocol. Was there a way to lessen the pain or did he just have to wait it out?
A little voice in the back of her mind made the comment that that was his karma for kissing her without permission.
“Fuck off!” He growled and she quickly pulled back, not expecting his tone even though she should’ve. She could hear Seokjin and Hoseok snickering behind her and her humiliation grew.
“I’m so sorry” She murmured one last time before standing up and dashing to her room, fully prepared to never leave it again.
“Better never means better for everyone. It always means worse for some.” - Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
***
Jimin pushed past, darting towards the noise, Anastasia not far behind. Jimin seemed to have a much better grasp on the situation than she did, as the argument was in Korean, but Jungkook sounded distressed. His tone was unlike other fights he’d gotten into, the usual malice absent. Instead, he sounded exasperated and desperate.
Rounding the corner, he and Taehyung came into view, both standing in the center of the room, face to face. Things were getting more heated, she could tell by their body language. Jungkook was losing his patience, flexing his fists like he was itching to punch something and Taehyung didn’t look like he was faring any better.
Jimin came around to Taehyung’s side but stayed far enough back that his presence wouldn’t be taken as a challenge to Jungkook.
Anastasia couldn’t understand why the other three men in the room didn’t seem concerned. Yoongi was on the couch looking like he’d rather be anywhere else, Namjoon had his nose in a book while he snacked on something crispy, and Hoseok was in the recliner, carefully watching the two arguing. She’d seen Jungkook get angry enough times to know this wouldescalate into something physical if Taehyung didn’t back down, and Taehyung didn’t seem like the type to let things go easily. Did no one care?
Whatever Jungkook sneered next was the catalyst and Taehyung surged forward, losing his cool completely.
“No! Stop!” She screeched, wrapping her arms around Jungkook as Jimin pulled Taehyung back. She didn’t actually have the strength to hold Jungkook back if he decided to attack, but she hugged him tight nonetheless.
Looking down at her, he met her gaze, but his expression didn’t soften like she’d hoped it would, in fact, the sight of her seemed to make him angrier.
Turning back to Taehyung, he hissed, “If you want to be in my life, you need to accept that she’s a part of it!”
Anastasia squeezed her eyes shut at the information, guilt curling uncomfortably in her chest. They’d been arguing over her.
She heard Taehyung growl angrily and storm off and when she opened her eyes again, Jimin was missing too.
Seokjin, who’d been silently watching from the hall sighed, shooting Jungkook a disappointed frown.
In response, Jungkook scoffed and pulled Anastasia closer, like a security blanket. The notion wasn’t lost on anyone in the room as their eyes narrowed in on them.
“Let me go,” she murmured, not wanting to cause any more problems. Everything was so confusing and she just wanted some time alone to sort through her thoughts.
At her words, Jungkook clenched his jaw and did as she asked.
“The same goes for the rest of you,” He grumbled, leading Anastasia out of the apartment.
***
*Jungkook*
Jungkook walked Anastasia back to her place, apologizing for everyone’s behavior, and eventually leaving her with the promise of bringing her food after he talked with his brothers.
“Don’t get into a fight, okay? You’re all too good looking to risk a black eye over something so stupid,” she huffed.
He frowned, “You’re not something stupid.”
She rolled her eyes, “Just promise me”
“I promise.” He laughed quietly, kissing her cheek in farewell.
His smile dropped the moment he was out of her apartment, dreading the conversation to come. He was used to people taking care of things for him, being the middle man was never his strong suit.
Running a hand nervously through his hair, he bit at his lips as he came to a stop in front of his hyungs. “We need to talk.”
“Jungkook-ah, we know,” Namjoon murmured in Korean, uncharacteristically submissive.
A wave of guilt rolled through Jungkook at Namjoon’s tone. No, they didn’t know. Jungkook hadn’t meant his words earlier, he’d said them out of anger. Anger that one of the most important people to him had hurt someone that he loved. Anger that he was put in a position where he had to defend her againstthem.
“We’ll be nice, make her like us,” Hoseok assured, almost desperately.
“Yeah! Just now at her school, Jimin defended her,” Jungkook’s eyebrows rose at Seokjin’s words.
Jimindefended her? It was unlike Jimin to start a fight over someone, generally opting to quietly get even than risk his reputation.
“How?”
“Someone was saying something about her not being worth your attention, so Jimin went up and kissed her,” Seokjin explained.
“Hekissedher?!”Jungkook could feel his heart rate spiking.
Jimin kissed her?! Anastasia wasn’t like that! She wouldn’t want to be Jimin’s andhis. Jimin shared everything, they allshared everything. ‘What’s mine is yours’ was a given between them all, includingsignificant others.
Jungkook clutched his hair in panic and began to pace back and forth.
Jimin was going to ruin everything! He’d held himself back from coming on to her for years because he knew she wouldn’t be okay with being with all of them. But she was still someone he needed in his life and so shecouldnot find out this way because if she did, she would leave.
“You can’t do this! Not with her.” Jungkook begged.
“You’rewith her and we’re one. How can she be yours and not ours too?” Yoongi hid the pain in his voice well. The others nodded in agreement.
“No!”
They shrunk back.
“No?”Hoseok repeated, doing a much worse job at hiding his hurt than Yoongi.
“No. She’d never accept us like that and I can’t risk losing her,” Jungkook finalized.
“So it’s her? Again?” Jungkook turned to see Jimin, Taehyung standing behind him with a clenched jaw and fists.
Jungkook’s shoulders dropped at the sight of tears welling in Jimin’s eyes.
“No, I don’t have her. Wedon’t have her. I never wanted her just for me, so I never tried to make her mine” He admitted, looking everyone over before returning to Jimin and Taehyung.
“…I love her though,” Jungkook stepped forward, wiping Jimin’s cheek with his thumb, “just like I love you”
“Then we’ll convince her,” Yoongi said with conviction.
“Don’t let us forget that the causes of human action are usually immeasurably more complex and varied than our subsequent explanations of them” - Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Idiot
**
She was so whipped. Whipped!One little doe-eyed look from Jungkook and she was lapping at his fingertips like a neglected puppy. Even though she was now over the prior day’s incident, she still had pride, dammit!
She needed to grow a backbone because the man didn’t needto control every aspect of her life. She’d gone out to breakfast with them, suffering through the awkward tension, just for Jungkook. Could he seriously not feel how…strained their interactions were?
Huffing, she stepped into the steamy shower. And she just stood there, letting the water wash over her as she recalled the events that happened only thirty minutes before.
Jungkook had left to use the bathroom, leaving her alone with Jimin and Taehyung. All morning she’d kept noticing how the pair moved like one seamless mechanism. The way they’d addressed her was no different.
“Are you in love with him?” Taehyung had caught her off guard with the question.
“Huh?” She’d felt her cheeks begin to flush. “No, we’re just friends,” she’d argued defensively, well aware that she was not helping her case at all.
It still hurt to say the words, though. She didn’t want to be ‘just friends’ with Jungkook.
Taehyung had rolled his eyes as if to say; I know. She grimaced at the damage that did to her pride.
“You’re more than just friends,” he’d hissed the words venomously, leaning back into his chair with crossed his arms.
Flushing in embarrassment, she’d tried to figure out what he meant by that and why it warranted such a strong reaction.
“Yes,” Jimin had agreed quietly, somehow looking even less pleased than Taehyung had, “We wouldn’t be here if you were.”
Here? We? What had he meant? The restaurant? The country? She’d racked her brain for a response because really, what was she supposed to say to that? She’d wanted to save face, but she didn’t want to make a scene.
“Jungkook is…someone very special to me,” she’d said slowly, choosing her words carefully, “and I know he wants us to get along, and I’m trying, but I don’t…I don’t think I understand… where you’re coming from.”
Taehyung had scoffed, “What we’re saying is that Jungkook would be in Korea right now if you weren’t someone he was unwilling to lose.”
And suddenly, like an epiphany, things had begun to make sense. They thought Jungkook hadn’t gone home because of her.
But that wasn’t the reason. Right?
Now, by herself in the shower, she wasn’t so sure. She remembered all the times Jungkook used to talk about moving back to Korea, lightheartedly joking about how his probation was up. He’d tried for months to convince her to move with him, showing pictures of all his favorite places and activities. The pictures had been beautiful, but it was beyond her imagination. She didn’t belong.
After repeatedly arguing over the topic, Jungkook had eventually let it go. In her memories, she referred to the time after as ‘The Great Depression’. The weeks following, he’d been stressed and cranky, until she overheard an argument he had with someone in Korean over the phone, and his world after that seemed to just…fall apart. He’d stopped leaving his apartment altogether, she’d had to basically force him to eat, and his showering schedule was…few and far between.
He’d stopped going home to Korea after that and was honestly just never the same. He was quicker to anger, regularly getting into fights, and no matter how much she’d asked about it, he never gave her a straight answer. Eventually, she’d just stopped asking.
Sighing and wiping a wet hand down her face, she tried to identify the panic she felt. Thoughts tumbled around in her brain as she finished her shower and got ready for her Saturday lecture.
Stepping out into the living room, she was met unexpectedly with Yoongi and Namjoon’s presence.
She furrowed her brow, had they entered her home without permission?
Jungkook stepped out of the bathroom ten seconds later and answered that question.
“I didn’t give you a key so that you could let strangers into my apartment, Kook,” she grumbled, maneuvering to put her shoes on.
“We were all gonna hang out, but you have class, so we thought we’d take you first,” Jungkook explained, completely unbothered as he peaked over Namjoon’s shoulder to see what he was doing on his phone.
Anastasia rolled her eyes. He’dclearly gotten over his guilt for ambushing her the day before.
“Well, I’m leaving,” She announced, not waiting as she waltzed out the door.
As expected, footsteps soon followed.
The walk to the campus was nothing if not eventful. Jungkook on his own tended to attract a fair amount of attention from the youth, his beauty lost only on the blind, but the attention was then amplified by three. She’d thought that more would be swayed by Yoongi’s ever-present glare or Namjoon’s general presence, but that had not been the case. At least five people, all of whom she was certain she’d never met before, greeted Jungkook and her like old friends, asking who their company was. Although this sort of greeting had been common when they’d first moved to the city, Jungkook’s obvious disinterest in everyone had curbed the attention. The presence of Yoongi and Namjoon had seemingly revamped the people’s interest. The campus was small, but it wasn’t thatsmall, certainly not small enough for everyone to know who Jungkook was. No, they were all just nosy people that didn’t know how to mind their own business.
Attractive foreigners would always be a selling point, it seemed.
Namjoon, like Jungkook, spoke English fluently, without an accent, but Yoongi didn’t really speak. His body language didn’t once invite a conversation, expertly avoiding every individual that set their sights on him.
Eventually, they came to a stop before the doors of her first lecture, Jungkook’s arms wrapped around her shoulders and his chin resting on her head, apparently not ready to let her go yet.
“You’re heavy,” was all she said, adamant about ignoring the flutter of her heart.
“It’s boring when you have class,” he complained but backed away.
And Yoongi and Namjoon look utterly bored, so go entertain them. She thought, eyeing the way Namjoon scrolled through his phone with a blank face and Yoongi picked at the skin around his nails.
“I’m sure you’ll survive,” she insisted, slipping past the heavy door without another look back. It was all she could do before she started cooing over her best friend’s cute pout.
Of course, he wouldn’t let her have the last word because he poked his head in and called, much too loudly, “Love you! Have a good day at school, sweetie!”
Anastasia’s face burned in embarrassment when everyone already in their seats looked up. She ducked her head down and rushed to the closest desk, not looking up again until the lecture started.
She was going to kill Jungkook.
***
The three-hour lecture went by quicker than it ever had before, but of course it did on the one day she was dreading it ending. It felt like the clock on the wall was slowly counting down to her demise. Why? Because Jungkook had texted her an hour in that Seokjin and Jimin were going to pick her up.
She was okay with Seokjin, even though she didn’t need anyoneto walk her home, but Jimin? Of all people? He and Taehyung hated her!
She waited until everyone but a few stragglers and the professor had left before she slowly, very slowly, packed up her things. Maybe the two would think she’d left already, that they’d missed her. It was rude, yes, but she would make something up to Jungkook later, like she had to ask her professor some things or that some kid needed help.
Her fingers stilled when she overheard Jungkook’s name.
“I think they were his friends,” A girl giggled.
Looking over, Anastasia recognized one as a girl she’d gone to high school with but didn’t know by name. She was tall and most definitely a bottle blonde, but it complemented her face shape and skin tone well. Her friend, on the other hand, was without a doubt a natural redhead, her long gorgeous red locks reminding Anastasia of princess Merida.
“Of course they were Jungkook’s friends, there’s no way they’d be there for Ana,” they laughed and Anastasia had to admit that the words stung a little. Rationally, she knew it was the truth but that didn’t mean she wanted it thrown in her face, even if she was certain the girls had no idea she was sitting barely ten feet away.
“I still don’t understand how she’s managed to keep Jungkook around for so long, I mean he’s got the body of a god and the personality of every dream guy and she’sshort with a bad fashion sense,” they giggled, sending another arrow through her self-esteem.
Couldn’t they just shut up?
She shifted the old button-up she wore (the same one Jungkook had worn to their high school graduation) on her shoulders, trying to hold back the tears that welled up.
Staring out the window, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, she told herself that they would leave any second now and she would be free to escape.
“Jungkook’s just hung up on her because they dated in high school, guess he still doesn’t realize that he could do better”
What? Was that what people thought?
“Babe”
Anastasia jumped so hard at the unexpected voice next to her that she hit her knee on the underside of the desk.
“Ouch!” She hissed quietly, doing a double-take when she realized it was Jimin who’d spoken.
Doing her best to ignore how ethereal he looked in his deep white v-neck tee and skinny jeans, she spoke up, “You’re here!”
She held back a wince at how high and squeaky her voice sounded.
He furrowed his brow, eyes shifting to the knee she had cradled to her chest, “Are you okay?”
Doing a quick once over of the room, uncertain why he was acting so caring, she realized that they had the attention of everyone in the room. That’s why.
“Uh, yeah, sorry, I was just packing up my stuff,” She excused, shoving her notebook and pens carelessly into her bag.
She didn’t realize how close he was because she almost bumped her nose into his chest when she stood.
“Oh!” She gasped, taking a step back.
She didn’t get far, though, because, after a quick glance over her shoulder, he cupped her cheeks and connected their lips.
The world came to a slow stop the moment his pillow lips touched hers. She couldn’t push him away, couldn’t think. But she didn’t kiss him back either, her hands planted, unmoving on his shoulders. His lips were big and soft against hers, his tongue cheekily darting out to taste her lower lip. When he finally pulled back, she let out a shallow breath
“What was that?” She whispered, afraid to move.
“A lesson,” he murmured back, their lips a centimeter from touching
“For who?”
Jimin didn’t respond with anything more than a mischievous smile and grabbed her hand, walking her to the back exit of the room.
Anastasia caught the shocked gaze of the two women, just before the door closed behind her.
Turning her attention forward, Jimin brought her to a stop before Seokjin, who was leant against the wall outside the exit.
“Quite the show,” he commented, almost uncaringly.
Jimin grinned, “You saw?”
Seokjin nodded as he pushed himself off the wall, grabbed her bag from her free hand, and walked away.
Jimin giggled and dropped her hand in favor of catching up to the older.
Still in a daze, Anastasia followed, her mind racing with more thoughts than she could sort through on the walk home. Seokjin and Jimin conversed quietly in Korean the entire way, only falling into a comfortable silence a block from her apartment building.
She followed them numbly up the steps and into Jungkook’s home, only coming out of her stupor when she heard the yelling.
I decided to stop tagging people because it’s just a lot of stress for me to keep on top of and I have a lot on my plate. I write for fun, so I’m going to focus on having fun.
HEy guys….sorry it took so long. I was on some meds that had me super anxious and for a while, I was convinced anyone who read something I wrote would hate me.
“The ‘you’ I used to know is gone and the 'me’ you used to know is gone” - Agust D, Dear My Friend
**
After Jungkook left, slowly like a shunned puppy, Anastasia crashed onto the couch with a hiccuped sigh, emotionally drained. Time passed, unacknowledged, as she mapped out images in the paint on her ceiling until her lids began to droop. Before she knew it, she was asleep.
Hours must have passed, because when she opened her eyes next, her body now half off the couch with her feet in the air, it was dark. She checked the time on her phone with a groan, wincing at the brightness.
9:38 PM it read. Still groggy and uncoordinated, she rolled off the couch with a thump. She stayed face down in the rug for a moment before slowly raising herself up, blurry eyes searching the room. For what, she wasn’t sure.
Her stomach decided her next move as it gurgled angrily at not being fed.
She nodded in agreement with her stomach. Food.
Rising clumsily to her feet, she barely escaped face planting again after tripping over her own toes and stood still for a moment with her arms out and eyes wide, waiting for her brain to catch up. Nodding a second later, she took a careful step out from behind the coffee table and relaxed once she trusted she wouldn’t fall victim to her own clumsiness.
Focusing back on the task at hand, she turned her attention to what to eat. She didn’t feel like cooking and going to a restaurant seemed far too big a feat, so pizza it would have to be. Making a mental checklist of what she needed to bring, she began grabbing things.
Phone, wallet, keys, jacket…she checked off as she went about grabbing the items. And shoes, she ended, dropping all the collected items onto a heap on the floor as she bent down to slip on some shoes.
Finally walking out the front door, she awkwardly shuffled into the jacket. It wasn’t all that cold outside, in fact, there was a pleasant, warm breeze blowing through her hair, but something about a coat made her feel safer. A feeling akin to hiding from the monsters under a blanket as a child.
Jogging down the steps, she hurried towards her destination. The pizza parlour that she had in mind wasn’t too far from the apartment complex, maybe a fifteen-minute walk, but there were a lot of deep alleyways and daunting buildings along the way.
Not long after she crossed the street and headed down the road, she felt eyes on her. She could feel them raking over her skin — following her — and it had her skin prickling and her hair standing on end as she contemplated just turning back. Instead, she pulled her jacket closer and gripped her phone tight, picking up her pace to just short of a jog.
She kept up the pace for a couple of minutes, but the feeling of being watched never faded. Unsure if it was just paranoia, she paused and looked around, searching the streets for anything suspicious.
Coming up empty, she huffed, “You’re so paranoid, Taz.”
However, even after double and triple-checking her surroundings, the feeling didn’t go away. Every crime show she’d ever seen was coming to mind and horrifying possibilities manifested themselves in her head. She was going to end up cut up and dumped in the ocean!
A few more minutes passed before she swallowed her pride and unlocked her phone to dial the only person she knew would make her feel safe. Cautiously moving forward, she waited impatiently for him to answer.
“Hello?” Her shoulders involuntarily relaxed at the sound of his soft voice.
“Jungkook, I—" What was she supposed to say? That she got scared of her own shadow? Her own thoughts? She hadn’t thought this through.
She squinted and covered her eyes when a passing car’s headlights shone right into them.
"Are you outside?" He must’ve heard, she thought.
"I was just going to get some pizza,” She explained, lowering her hand as the car turned the corner, not sure why she felt like she’d done something wrong or that she needed to defend herself.
“Alone?”
“Jungkook, I’m not a child,” she scoffed, kicking a loose pebble.
“Then why are you calling me?”
Her face dropped — he had her there.
“That’s beside the point.”
He hummed, unconvinced.
“Nevermind, I’m fine. Thanks for picking up.” She ended the call, trying to convince herself that the butterflies in her stomach were just her body reminding her she was hungry.
“This is getting out of hand,” She mumbled, so pathetically in love with him.
“You're disappointed with him,” She uselessly reminded herself.
The minutes passed as she carried on, too lost in her thoughts to notice the vehicle creeping up beside her or the man climbing out.
When his hand landed stiffly on her shoulder, she screamed and almost dropped to the ground in fright. Whipping around to face him, she recognized him.
“Seokjin?” She squeaked, her heart beating too fast in her chest.
The man in question stood still, hand slowly lowering back to his side.
“What…you scared me,” she scrambled, straightening out the wrinkles in her shirt as if that would make her seem more presentable. She was doing her best not to look affected or embarrassed by her reaction.
But what was he doing there? Had he been following her?
When he still didn’t say anything, she cleared her throat and began nervously tapping her thigh.
“Are you…Did Jungkook ask you to find me?” It was the only reason she could come up with to explain his presence. Other than kidnapping her, of course, but she didn’t honestly feel like she was in any danger, now. He’d been so intimidating earlier, but now, in the dark of the night, he felt…normal. He was just like any other young adult and he’d given her no actual reason to fear him.
He shrugged, turning his back to her, and headed towards a parked car. Was she meant to follow?
When he looked at her and nodded towards the passenger seat, she took that as her answer and hopped into action.
Climbing into the car, her bum sliding easy on the fancy leather seats, she admired the interior. From the outside, the car looked…average. New, but nothing that would catch the eye. The interior, on the other hand, was beautiful and sleek with a large screen on the dash showing the time and temperature. Everything was lit up, too — the dash, the overhead lights, there was even a soft glow coming from under the seats that illuminated the floor space.
When Seokjin shifted into drive, everything dimmed and the headlights lit up what felt like miles of road. Anastasia felt like she was in a sci-fi movie.
She’d never really been into cars or kept up with the next up-and-coming models, but the car felt expensive. She knew Jungkook liked to drive, but that was the extent of her interest in cars — watching Jungkook drive.
Although she hated to admit it, Seokjin was handsome. One hand on the wheel, the other resting lazily on the center divider, there was a beautiful nonchalance about the way he held himself.
“Where to?” He finally spoke, jerking her out of her staring.
“Huh?”
***
Sitting across from possibly the most gorgeous man she’d ever met, in a crowded, run-down pizzeria, was not how Anastasia had pictured her night going. The fact that he was also her best friend’s family, a family she had no idea existed that same morning, made everything all the more surreal.
But there she was, eating pizza.
There hadn’t been much conversation up until that point, neither of them having much to say. Surprisingly, it was the staring from the other customers that made her the most uncomfortable, not the lack of communication.
“How long have you known Jungkook?” Seokjin eventually asked as they left, not much later. He hadn’t admitted to it, but she was willing to bet that the stares made him uncomfortable too.
Surprised by the question, or more so the cold and uninviting tone with which it was asked, she raised her eyebrows. It was a stark contrast to the warmth that was usually associated with the question.
“Uh, since senior year, high school,” she provided nonetheless.
He nodded, checking the street for cars before they both made their way across to where his vehicle was parked.
“How’d you meet?” He asked once they were both seated in the warm vehicle. Why did he have the temperature set so high? She fleetingly wondered.
Thinking back to Jungkook’s and her’s meeting, she grinned. He had been known as the reclusive new kid, but she’d never actually interacted with him until about one or two months into the new year. Their first interaction had been when he’d walked out into the parking lot, not paying attention enough to notice the oncoming vehicle. Anastasia had grabbed his waist and yanked him back before he got hit, sending them both toppling to the ground. She’d busted her elbow and his hands were pretty scraped up, but overall, they’d both walked away with minimal injuries.
She remembered the first time she’d ever heard his voice, soft and angelic. Looking back, she probably should have expected it, after all, his appearance had been just as soft and sweet, but she remembered being surprised nonetheless.
“I tackled him,” she replied, an unconscious smile playing on her lips.
“Tackled him?” Seokjin sounded bewildered, even if his face didn’t show it.
“Yeah, he was on the phone with someone and wasn’t watching where he was going. Walked right out in front of a car,” She explained, reminiscing old memories.
“You were watching him?”
Anastasia hesitated, unsure how to respond to that. Should she be embarrassed?
“Uh, I guess. Never really thought about it,” She admitted. He nodded.
The rest of the drive was in silence.
***
Anastasia woke up the next morning feeling anxious and it took her a second to remember why — she had to face Jungkook.
After a full night’s sleep and her night out with Seokjin, she felt a little embarrassed about how she’d reacted to everything. Yes, he hadn’t told her about his friends, but it also had nothing to do with her. It wasn’t news that he didn’t like her around his friends and she’d accepted that. Or at least she thought she had. He was possessive and protective, always shooing others away when they tried to approach her — and she’d let him. Why the sudden change on her part? It wasn’t his fault that she all of a sudden wasn’t okay with it.
He was flaky and a recluse, but he was loyal and she knew he loved her. Even if only as a friend. She shouldn’t have taken it so personally and acted like a shunned girlfriend. She wasn’t his girlfriend.
Sighing deeply, she rolled onto her back and stared blankly at the ceiling. How should she approach him? On second thought, he’d probably come to her when he was ready.
Dragging her feet, she headed to the bathroom, freshening up before thinking about breakfast. However, just as she made her way into the kitchen, her doorbell rang.
Glancing at the clock, she furrowed her brow. Jungkook wouldn’t be up for another four hours at least, so who was at the door?
Approaching it as quietly as possible, she peeked out the peephole.
It was Jungkook and he was accompanied by two others — Taehyung and…Jimin, if she remembered correctly.
Eyes wide, she dashed back to the bathroom, checking herself in the mirror. Her hair was a mess and she still had her pajamas on, but at least she’d brushed her teeth.
Throwing on a hoodie to hide the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra ( she threw up the hood too, for good measure), she ran back to the door.
“Jungkook!” She greeted, probably a little too animatedly.
“Why did it take you so long to answer? Your alarm goes off at 7:00, it’s 7:30,” He started off as he invited himself inside, eyes scanning her apartment.
She rolled her eyes and stepped back, letting his entourage in as well.
“What, I’m not allowed to sleep in?” She argued. He tongued his cheek but didn’t argue.
When he didn’t immediately tell her why he was there, she raised her brows questioningly.
“Why are you up so early?” She countered.
“Oh, right, ” He seemed to jerk back to reality, “Jiminie-hyung and Taehyungie-hyung wanted to get food and I-I wanted—, I thought—, Do you want to come?” He stuttered, not meeting her gaze.
He was always so back and forth between bad-boy and innocent, she should’ve been used to it by now. Still, without fail, it made her heart race and her cheeks flush.
Hello! This is the rewritten version on MYKL! I’ve worked very hard and am eager to share! A few things have changed, like the POV, but I have also altered the events to better fit the flow of the story. Please enjoy!
“I don’t want to love you. I want to be free, I want to be me. But when I shut my eyes, all I see is you” - d.j.
***
Sweat dripped down the side of Anastasia’s face as she trudged up the stairs, her body feeling too heavy from the heat.
“Why is it so hot?!” She complained to herself, hitting the tip of her boot against the rusty steel step in an attempt to dislodge the tiny rock stuck under the ball of her foot.
The day up until that point had been exhaustingly long, filled with back-to-back classes and faceless people. When you’re younger, college is advertised as a new, free world with endless possibilities, when in reality it was just more homework, only now you paid for it. But at least she was almost inside where it was air-conditioned — things wouldn’t feel so bad after cooling down. Probably.
Reaching her front door, she fumbled with the keys to unlock it. The navy blue door was old with an even older lock which often stuck, needing a heavy hand and a specific angle to release. An annoying trait initially, but had since become muscle memory.
A gentle cool surrounded her as she stepped through the door and she let out a small breath of relief. Tossing her keys onto the small table next to the door and dropping her bag beside the shoe rack, she toed off her shoes. There was always a small pleasure in taking off the heavy boots that she never bothered to lace up all the way. She smiled, her feet finally getting a chance to breathe,but the smile quickly dissipated when she turned to face her living room. Dishes covered her coffee table, blankets and pillows were strewn across the floor, and — was that a shirt tossed across the back of the couch?
Jungkook.
It wasn’t unusual for her best friend and long-time crush to come over unannounced while she was gone; he was very introverted. Sharing a space without the other present was his way of feeling close without leaving his comfort zone. Normally, it wasn’t an issue, but every now and then he’d leave her place completely trashed. The two had gotten neighboring apartments straight out of high school four years ago — he had his own apartment to trash.
Initially, Anastasia was skeptical about more or less living together. Jungkook came from money, while Anastasia was barely middle class. Finding a place they both liked and could afford in the city just hadn’t sounded very realistic. However, contrary to what she’d assumed, he’d made the process very simple by agreeing to every place he was shown until they eventually landed in a humble apartment complex within walking distance of their college campus.
All the accumulated stress and annoyance from the week suddenly flared up as she stormed back out of her apartment barefoot and stomped her way over to her best friend’s door. Anastasia wasn’t in the mood to be patient with him today.
Pounding angrily, she waited for him to answer and the longer he took, the angrier she got. She knew he didn’t have a schedule today, he had no excuse for being a dick. As soon as she heard the door unlock, she burst through, stopping herself from spitefully knocking his things over and making a mess in hishome.
“Jungkook! Are you seriously incapable of respecting other—oh!” She stumbled back into the wall, almost tripping over a pair of shoes because the person with his hand on the doorknob was most definitely not Jungkook. Instead, a tall man with dark, curly hair falling into his eyes stood in his place. It was unsettling how beautiful he was, standing like he owned the air she breathed.
“Don’t let me stop you,” He smirked, closing the door with a small flick of his wrist as he brushed past her.
She had to take a minute to gather her thoughts and convince herself what happened had happened. She narrowed her gaze at the wall, fighting down her irritation so as not to overreact and make a scene. Just who the hell did he think he was?
As she slowly stalked into the main room, she knew she’d made the right choice to stay calm when she came face to face with two more men that had the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. An instinct deep inside cautioned danger.
The one that had opened the door was thin and a bit lanky, but there was something so intimidating about the way he met her gaze from across the room. It felt like a dare for her to do something — Anastasia had to look away.
The second man, who had yet to look up from his phone, had the majority of his face concealed by his hood. The arrogance with which he’d positioned himself with an arm along the back of the couch and his legs spread wide, put her on edge.
The last one, dressed head to toe in black, was reclined back into the couch and appeared to be asleep. Still, there was a poised aspect to his posture, like he was ready if anything happened. He wasn’t doing anything special, but something about him…Anastasia wasn’t sure she wanted to get acquainted.
Swallowing the lump of fear from being alone with three strange men, she forced herself to ask, cautiously, “Where’s Jungkook?”
The beautiful one with fluffy hair sighed and plopped down onto the couch, resting his head back onto the arm of the one on his phone. “Jungkookie is getting food.”
Their blatant disinterest in her offered the tiniest bit of solace, leaving her feeling less like she was about to become a victim of a heinous crime at one wrong move. Deciding it was the safest option, she backed up into the hall and quietly left the apartment. She would wait for Jungkook outside, in the public eye.
Paranoia had her back inside the safety of the walls of her apartment.
She didn’t feel so angry about the mess, anymore, more worried and admittedly curious about the men she could now afford to admit were attractive. Even the one sleeping was attractive, who’s attractive when they sleep?
Jungkook is. Her brain unhelpfully supplied.
Shifting her attention to cleaning the mess Jungkook had left, she piled up the dishes on the table and took them to the kitchen. As she soaped up a sponge, her mind wandered back to the three men. What if Jungkook didn’t know them, or worse, was on bad terms with them? It was very unlike Jungkook to let people into his personal space, much less leave them unattended. Did this mean they were close or did it mean he was being threatened? They wouldn’t attack Jungkook in his own home, would they? No, they were Korean too, she could tell by the familiar accent Jungkook had long since lost. They must be friends, or maybe cousins visiting. But if so, why hadn’t Jungkook mentioned anything? Given her a heads up? Did he not know they were going to show up? That meant they weren’t close, right? So he was in danger?
She gnawed on her lower lip, going back and forth, contemplating what to do.
Once the dishes were dry and put away, she took out her phone and dialed her best friend. The longer it rang for, the more anxious she became until finally, he picked up.
“Hello?” The moment his gentle tone came through the speaker, her shoulders relaxed.
“Hey, you okay?” She ought to start there.
He laughed softly, “What? So suddenly? Are youokay?”
“There’s just…” She didn’t know how best to approach the subject, “There are people in your apartment,” she whispered.
He was quiet for a moment, “Oh yeah, did you…meet them?”
She frowned. That wasn’t the reaction she’d been expecting.
“Briefly,” she admitted, hearing someone call his name through the phone.
He stuttered, trying to split his attention between her and whoever had called him.
“Taz, I have to go, food is ready. I’m on my way back now,” He rushed and shuffling could be heard. She imagined him shoving his phone between his shoulder and ear, accepting bags of takeout.
Her frown deepened, “Is it safe?”
The phone let out a small beep, signaling the person on the other end had ended the call. Anastasia pulled the device away from her ear and stared at it questioningly. Jungkook was never so flippant, his insouciant attitude rarely ever directed towards her. What was going on?
She wasn’t exactly hurt by his actions, but there was admittedly a bit of irritation present.
Tapping a finger against her jean-clad thigh, she debated her next move. She didn’t often feel nosey or curious about other people’s business — even Jungkook’s — but this particular situation had her burning with curiosity. She’d never met any of Jungkook’s friends or family from Korea, and she wanted to.
Jungkook’s past had always been a bit of a mystery. When she first noticed him back in high school, he’d been an aloof kid, sitting quietly in the back of class while diligently taking notes. Of course, being the attractive, foreign new kid that seemed to have no interest in anyone around him, everyone vied for his attention. After somewhat serendipitously befriending him, she learned he lived with a sponsor family, so even after 5 years of friendship, she’d never met his family. He never even talked about his family, always growing visibly uncomfortable and fidgety when asked about his personal life. Eventually, years of new memories together caused the curiosity to fade into the background.
Now that long-dormant curiosity was rearing its ugly head again.
Decidedly, Anastasia slipped on her shoes and exited her home. She would wait for him on the stairs, after all.
She knew it might seem like an ambush, but the desire to know beat any guilt to the side. He knew everything about her, it was about time he gave a little back.
It didn’t take long, no more than ten minutes, before she heard his familiar bell-like laugh from the small parking area around the corner. It was followed by indistinct chatter, the teasing tone the only comprehensible sound.
Waiting in silence for Jungkook to come into view, she prepared herself to meet more of his friends. How many more were there? Two at least.
When he rounded the corner laughing, someone riding on his back with their face nuzzled into his neck, Anastasia’s eyes widened. Had she taken a wrong turn on the way home and ended up in the twilight zone? The day just kept getting weirder.
As far as she’d witnessed, Jungkook didn’t like people in his space and always kept a polite distance between himself and others. She’d thought herself special for being accepted into his personal space, but obviously not.
He hadn’t noticed her yet, still a little ways away from the stairs and too preoccupied conversing with a second stranger to notice her form through the metal railing. The one Jungkook spoke with was beautiful in a way that was difficult to describe. Every feature on him was sharp and defined, from his jawline to his broad shoulders, and even his knees. And yet there was something so soft about him, something so untouched and pristine.
She had to remind herself to breathe.
An adorable noise left Jungkook when he saw her on the steps, his mouth making a tiny ‘o’.
“Taz!” He greeted her warmly, her favorite smile on his lips and if she hadn’t known him for so long, she wouldn’t have noticed the nervous shift in his eyes.
“Hey Kook,” She returned with the same warmth, even though she wasn’t exactly in a warm mood. She never did have any control when it came to her best friend.
The man on his back dropped down, almost completely out of sight behind Jungkook.
Jungkook stepped away and grabbed both the men he was with, shoving them forward to the base of the steps. They stumbled, grabbing onto each other in an attempt not to trip and fall, and the taller of the two whipped around to glare at Jungkook, who giggled nervously.
“Who are you?”
Anastasia shifted her focus to the shortest of the three, but hesitated in answering, waiting for Jungkook. When he noticed her gaze, he promptly motioned for the taller man to turn back to her.
“This is Anastasia, Taz, these are some people I want you to meet,” Jungkook filled in, shifting anxiously, but she could tell from his body language that her reaction was the one he was afraid of.
“Hello,” She greeted them, doing her best to conceal the raging feelings inside behind a friendly facade.
They both bowed and voiced their greetings, an action she had half expected after knowing Jungkook for so long.
“I’m Jimin,” The shortest of the three introduced, keeping his heavily accessorized hands to himself, opting for a nod instead.
Following his lead, the second kept his hands in his pockets, also nodding. “Seokjin.”
Making an effort for Jungkook’s sake, though she really wasn’t any more comfortable around these two than she was around the three inside, she smiled, “Nice to meet you, I’m Anastasia.”
“Namjoon is still in the car, he had a phone call, and…you’ve met the others?” Jungkook added, coming forward to meet Anastasia halfway as she descended the stairs.
“Namjoon?” She repeated, “And not really.”
“Oh, okay, I’ll introduce you,” He grinned.
Taking a deep breath, she changed the subject, “Where’s the food?”
His eyes widened comically, “The food!”
He turned and dashed back to the parking lot.
Jimin watched him jog out of sight before slipping his hands into his pockets and casually slipping past her, up the stairs. She turned to follow him with her eyes, observing the way he freely entered Jungkook’s apartment.
Turning back, she found Seokjin leaning comfortably against the steel banister. Was he waiting for Jungkook?
“So, um, how long have you known Jungkook for?” She’d never been good at small talk.
His lips twitched as if to hold back a smirk, “A while.”
Anastasia pursed her lips and nodded, she’d figured as much.
Footsteps stole both their attention and the sight of the man that rounded the corner had her reeling. He was closely followed by an unbothered Jungkook, but Anastasia couldn’t help the urge of fight or flight. She hadn’t thought it possible, but this man’s intimidation blew the others out of the water. His walk, his expression, his confidence…he had the kind of aura one might associate with the Godfather or old money.
He didn’t even seem to notice her as he passed her on the stairs, taking them two at a time as Seokjin followed closely, his hands never having left his pockets.
Jungkook smiled, nodding for her to follow as well. She wasn’t sure she wanted answers anymore, after all, ignorance is bliss, right?
“How much did you buy?! Let me help,” It wasn’t up for debate, but Jungkook just laughed and spun around to dodge her hands, jogging up the steps with all four food bags.
“Careful! You’ll crush the food!” She scolded, making him hesitate and look down.
“They’re fine.” He concluded, continuing up the stairs. She quickly overtook him, determined to at least open the door.
He snickered, scrunching his nose up adorably and she wiggled her eyebrows in return, feeling a twinge of reassurance from the familiar dynamic.
Slipping through the doorway after him, she made sure the door was securely shut before cautiously following. When she rounded the corner, Jungkook had just barely set the bags onto the coffee table before multiple pairs of hands shot out towards the food.
“Sit down,” Jungkook motioned to the couch behind him, the same couch that only had one seat available between two of his friends.
Hesitating, a sudden, overwhelming urge to run enveloped her. She felt so out of place, like the awkward kid at a house party or the only friend without a significant other.
“Uh, actually Kook, I have a lot of homework I need to get done,” She excused, backing up.
“No,” Jungkook denied, wrapping an arm around her waist to stop her from leaving.
She scoffed, “What do you mean ‘no’?”
“I said what I said.” He concluded, pushing her onto the couch and turning back to the food.
She stared incredulously at his back for a moment before meeting the eyes of the sleeping man in all black. Uh oh, had she woken him?
“Hey, how you doin’?” She waved with an obviously forced smile. Much to her relief, he cracked one in return (albeit a more amused one) and rested his head back against the couch, leaving her to spend the next few seconds wondering how someone’s teeth could be cute.
Jumping slightly, a little startled when Jungkook squeezed himself between them, she accepted the plate of food he held out. When she shifted to the side to give him more room, she accidentally bumped into the man on her other side.
The irritated and somewhat disgusted glare she received was uncalled for, confirming what she’d suspected — her presence was unwanted. It was so obvious, why was Jungkook insisting she stay? Was the tension in the room all in her head?
For the first time, she wanted Jungkook’s possessive behavior. She wished he would stake a claim like he usually did and then send her on her merry way. She wanted to leave.
Looking about the room, she tried to come up with an actual reason to leave. A reason more acceptable than just feeling like it. Consequently, she accidentally met gazes with Seokin. He was studying her, that much she could tell, and suddenly she came to the realization that Jungkook might be more important to him than she’d initially assumed.
She couldn’t help but wonder why that didn’t make her feel any better — shouldn’t him caring about who Jungkook kept in company warm her heart? Instead, she felt her blood run cold like she should be cautious of the consequences of being around.
Keeping her distance from Jungkook’s friends felt like the safest option for the time being, but of course, Jungkook had to make that more difficult.
“So you met Seokjin and Jimin, that’s Namjoon, and this is Yoongi, Hoseok, and Taehyung,” Jungkook introduced, pointing to each individual character.
Normally, the second a name left someone’s mouth it was forgotten, but there was no way she could forget them this time. The atmosphere was the closest she’d ever felt to a life or death situation, every moment was being ingrained. She also couldn’t stop her gaze from returning to Namjoon. She felt like a frightened bird keeping an eye on a predator, even when the predator seemed to have little to no interest in her.
“Hello, I’m Anastasia. You’re all Jungkook’s friends?” She was running on survival mode, trying to keep the peace by being as polite as she knew how.
Jungkook nodded, “They’re my brothers.”
Now that got her attention.
“One more time?”
“Not biologically, but we were raised together,” He continued, oblivious to the tension filling the room as he happily munched on his food.
Anastasia felt like she was spiraling. She was Alice and this was Wonderland because nothing made sense. The confusion and anxiety were only just overshadowed by the hurt she felt. She’d always assumed that Jungkook never spoke about his family because he wasn’t on good terms with them, but that was clearly not the case here.
He just hadn’t wanted to share with her and so for the first time since they’d become friends, Anastasia felt alienated. She didn’t belong in his world, or more accurately, she wasn’t welcome.
Following the hurt came thinly veiled anger. He didn’t have enough respect for her to even give her a heads up that his brothers were in town? Fine, she wouldn’t waste her energy playing along.
“I’m leaving.” She stood, stepping around Taehyung’s legs, and headed for the exit.
“What? Taz, wait,” Jungkook spoke through a mouth full of food and got up to follow her.
Not wanting to lose her cool in front of a room full of strangers, she ignored him and left.
She barely made it out the door before Jungkook reached her.
“Hey, whoa, what’s up? I know it’s a bit of a surprise, but—”
“You’re right, it was a surprise. You didn’t even have the decency to let me know you had family in town. That’s not even the bare minimum, though, no the least you could do was let me know they existed in the first place!” She snapped, roughly shoving her door open, having just enough self-control not to let it slam against the wall.
“Jagi, wait, I didn’t mean to, I didn’t know they were coming! Hey, hey, hey,” Jungkook gently grabbed her wrist, trying to dissuade her from storming off to her room where he wouldn’t follow.
“You even trashed my place, you know? I yelled at one of them thinking it was you, do you know how fucking mortified I am? Do you even care?”
Jungkook opened and closed his mouth, not knowing what to say.
She sighed, pinching her nose. As much as she wanted to solve things with him, understand what was going on in his head, she wasn’t calm enough and Jungkook had guests to get back to.
“Nevermind. Get out, we’ll talk about this later.”
