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Seokjin sometimes wonders if specialising in illusion magic was actually a good idea. On one hand, it’s a respectable field of study, and their powers are of great use to most magic users. Illusionists can set up high-grade glamours, charm almost any item with invisibility, and create frightening realistic illusions of everything and anything they can think of.
On the other hand, humans have no need for any of these. It’s a shame, really, because that’s who Seokjin lives among. Other magic users tell him that he’s better off with them, and wonder what business he has with humans, anyway.
“I make things sparkle for them sometimes.” Is his go-to answer. “They love that stuff.”
It’s not stable work, though. He’s usually the most employed during special days, when small businesses want to do a little extra something to add a bit of oomph to make them stand out.
That’s not to say he doesn’t have any work at all, because there are a few regulars he can trust to call on him frequently. Like Sweeter Than Sweet — which is the name of a bakery a few blocks away from his place. It's a tiny place, and run by three people only, and they usually pay him in free cupcakes. Seokjin usually charges actual money for his services, but he thinks their cupcakes are worth more than any amount they could ever give him. They’re also his nicest clients, so whenever he goes out for the day, he always swings by their store first.
It’s a quaint little place, with white washed walls, large windows, and a door that looks exactly like an ivy trellis. There’s no actual ivy on it, the whole thing is an illusion, so it never needs to be taken care of. Seokjin just checks up on it everyday to see if it’s still visible, and if it’s starting to look transparent in places, he puts a charm on it again.
It looks perfectly alright today, so he pushes the door aside, and walks in. Business seems to be booming as the whole space is crawling with people waiting to pick up their morning coffee. He can see two of the owners, Taehyung and Jimin manning the counter as they pack up orders. Since they're busy now, Seokjin makes his way to the only empty table at the back of the store, and waits until the crowd has dissipated a bit.
He gets bored waiting, and he conjures up a phantasm of a small rabbit to hop around his table. It leaps over Seokjin’s fingers, nibbles at him, and stretches periodically. It’s so realistic that he has to fight the urge to pat it, so he adds some glitter around it to remind himself that it isn’t corporeal.
The rabbit distracts him a little too well, which is why when he hears a voice say, “Hey, hyung,” he gets surprised. Seokjin looks up, and sees Jungkook softly smiling down at him. He’s the third and final pillar that’s keeping this place alive, and arguably the most important one since he’s in charge of most of the baking (he also happens to be Seokjin’s most favourite thing about this place — as good as the food is, and as lovely as the decor might be, nothing compares to Jungkook’s shy little smiles and the twinkle in his eyes when he’s excited. He’ll never admit it out loud, though).
“Looks like you had a busy day.” Seokjin says, as he eyes the apron Jungkook’s wearing, which is currently caked with flour. There’s also quite a bit of it on his cheek, and Seokjin has to fight the urge to wipe it off for him. Instead, he uses his foot to slowly push out the chair opposite to him. “Why don’t you take a seat?”
Jungkook sits down, and his shoulders slump. “Thanks.” He looks down at the little rabbit, and holds out his hand. The rabbit perks up, hops to his palm, and nestles in there. The smile on his face widens fractionally.
“What brings you here? I haven’t seen you out of the kitchen in a while.” Seokjin points out. It’s true — Jungkook rarely comes out, and the only way to see him is to actually go into the back.
“Um, actually, Taehyung and Jimin hyung told me to do this.” He answers, ducking his head down. “They don’t like seeing you wait all alone, and said I should come out and keep you company. Maybe you’ll be less lonely. Um, I’m not sure if I’m the best person for it, though.”
“Oh, no, no, don't say that, you’re perfect!” Seokjin blurts out, and immediately gets embarrassed. “I meant that I like spending time with you a lot.”
“You do? Why?”
Because you’re cute, funny, smart, and— “No particular reason, y’know. I just do.”
Seokjin definitely sounds like an idiot, but at least Jungkook seems pleased with the answer. “Oh, thanks, hyung. That’s very kind of you.”
“Aish, it’s nothing. Now, tell me, what’s going on with you? It’s been a while since I’ve heard from you.”
“Um…” He looks down at the little rabbit napping on his hand, but doesn’t answer for a long time. Finally, he says, “Nothing much, actually. Same old, same old. Valentine’s is coming up, though, so I need to start working on some special desserts for that, but that’s about it. What about you, hyung?”
“Oh, it’s Valentine’s soon? Awesome!” Seokjin pumps his fists. “I love Valentine’s!”
Jungkook tilts his head to the side. “Really? I didn’t expect that. Unless you have someone to spend it with…”
“What? Nah, I don’t have anyone like that.”
“Oh, I— uh—” He’s a sputtering mess, and Seokjin puts him out of his misery by interrupting him.
“Hey, hey, I get it, you don’t expect single people to be excited about the day for celebrating romantic love. Truth is, I’m excited because I’m going to get so much work! Every store is going to want Valentine-themed decor, and they’re all going to ask me! Perks of being the only illusionist in the city.”
“I— I see, right, you meant it like that.” Jungkook laughs awkwardly. “My bad, I’m sorry.”
“No worries.” He assures him. “I’m not mad.” If anything, it’s kind of cute to see him get so flustered over the prospect of Seokjin having someone for Valentine’s. He doesn’t want to call it jealousy but… whatever it doesn’t matter now. Jungkook looks nervous, so he changes the topic. “What are you all planning for your decor, though?”
“Oh, that’s something hyungs know, not me. I asked, and they said it’s a surprise.”
“And with good reason too!”
Seokjin doesn’t have to look behind him to know who it is. “Aye, Taehyung, what are you planning this time?”
Taehyung walks forward so he's in Seokjin’s line of vision, and he has a massive grin plastered on his face. He grabs a chair from an empty table, and sits on it backwards.
“Listen,” he starts, and Seokjin knows he’s in for a ride. Taehyung is so full of fun ideas that it’s always a joy to hear him rant. “What’s something everyone associates with Valentine’s?”
“Um,” Seokjin furrows his brows as he tries to think of what Taehyung wants to hear. “Hearts?”
“Well yes, but not quite what I was looking for. Jungkook, got ideas?”
“Red roses?”
“Good answer, but no. I was actually thinking of a deity. Tiny, cherubic, shoots arrows — does that ring a bell?”
“You mean Cupid?” Seokjin asks. Oh, what the hell is this boy up to this time.
“I would’ve said Eros, but that’s just because I was more of a Greek myth kid, never cared much for the Roman interpretation, but yes! Cupid! So all I have to ask is,” he leans in closer as if he’s about to share some ground-breaking news, “how well can you make a realistic flying baby?”
“Does the baby need to shoot arrows?”
“Obviously! How are people going to know who it is then?” He shakes his head. “It would be super cool if the tips were shaped like hearts and exploded in sparkles whenever it hit something. That part was Jimin’s idea, not mine.” He points back at his boyfriend, who’s working the counter alone. The number of customers has dwindled significantly, so he’s handling everything all by himself, and even manages to wave at the Seokjin.
“I should be able to do it, but it’ll take me some time to perfect everything. I might have to drop by often while I work on it.”
“No problems! You’re always welcome here anytime of the day! Even after closing time if that’s what you need. Isn’t that right, Jungkook?”
When he doesn’t answer, Seokjin looks at him, and sees that he’s got his entire attention on the rabbit on his palm. He observes Jungkook, sees the way coos at it, and how his eyes crinkle as he smiles whenever it rolls over, or does a little skip.
They let him do it for a long while. Finally, Taehyung asks, “You like that little critter, don’t you?”
“Huh?” Jungkook makes a confused little noise. “Oh, I’m sorry I got distracted by it. Did any of you say anything?”
Taehyung bursts into laughter, and Seokjin looks at him fondly. He’s so adorable, god.
Jungkook looks like he’s freaking out over their reaction, so Seokjin steps in, “It wasn’t that important, don’t worry. But I was also going to ask you if you liked your little rabbit buddy. I just conjured it up because I was bored, but if you want, I can charm a bracelet with it so you can call on it whenever you want.”
His eyes widen. “You’d do that for me?!”
“Well, why not? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you happy before.”
“Oh, that’ll be awesome, hyung. Um, thanks.” Jungkook gulps. “T—take your time with it, though. No rush.”
“Eh, it won’t take more than two minutes to do, don’t sweat it. And now back to business,” Seokjin turns back to Taehyung. “When do you want your Cupid illusion?”
“Any time before Valentine’s, so you have like a week to work on it. Is that fine?”
“Hm…” Seokjin doesn’t know how many places are going to commission him, but they don’t usually have such complicated orders, so those shouldn’t take too long to finish. “Yeah, I can do that.”
“Alright, pleasure doing business with you!” Taehyung shakes his hand.
“Right back at you. But I have to go now, I’ve got a long day ahead of me.”
“Aw, I thought you’d stay a bit longer! I’m sorry to see you go.”
Seokjin’s gaze flicks to Jungkook to see his reaction. He’s not saying anything, but there’s a sadness in his eyes that breaks his heart.
“I didn’t want to go yet but… I’ll be back tomorrow, okay? Might be a bit late, but I’ll be here.”
Taehyung nods, while Jungkook’s eyes soften slightly. That’s all the confirmation Seokjin needs, so he gets to his feet, and waves goodbye.
On his way out, he stops at the counter, where Jimin is pouting.
“I can’t believe you’re leaving already!” He whines.
“You do know I’m here every single day?”
“I know! But…” he huffs. “Whatever, I have your cupcake right here.” He brings out a regular looking vanilla cupcake topped with white frosting and red cherries. “It’s a Jungkook special — he’s been working on a cherry cheesecake filling cupcake for Valentine’s, and this is his fifth prototype. He’s not completely happy with it yet, but he still wanted you to try it.”
“He did?” Seokjin glances back at Jungkook. “Awww, that’s so nice of him. Tell him I said thank you.”
“I will! See you later, hyung.”
Seokjin leaves the store, and takes a bite out of the cupcake. It tastes immaculate, just as expected from Jungkook.
He stands on the pavement for a while to really enjoy the soft cheesecake filling, and lets out a hum of approval. Seokjin figured he probably looks weird doing this, so he begins to stroll down the street, and hopes that one day Jungkook can learn to believe in him as much as Seokjin believes in him.
Seokjin’s second stop of the day is In Bloom — which is the flower shop his best friend Namjoon runs along with his other two best friends, Yoongi and Hoseok. Namjoon specialised in nature magic, so it makes sense for him to start a business related to plants.
It makes a little less sense for a mind reader like Hoseok and a divination witch like Yoongi to also work alongside him, but their human customer base isn’t aware of that, and neither do they use their powers on them, so it’s fine.
When he walks in, it’s a lot more obvious that Valentine’s is in the air, because Namjoon is taking an order from a customer, while Yoongi and Hoseok are right next to him, wrapping up bouquets of red roses. All three of them are too preoccupied to notice Seokjin, so he idles near the doorway until any one of them spots him.
It ends up being Namjoon, who sees him after the customer leaves, and hollers, “Hyung! You’re here! Hey, hey, hey,” he calls for Yoongi and Hoseok. “Seokjin hyung’s here!”
Hoseok looks up from his work to beam at him, while Yoongi keeps working on the bouquet silently. Seokjin goes up to them at the counter, and leans on it. “Joonie, Hopie, Yoongichi, hey. How’s it going for you all? Is the Valentine’s rush starting to hit you?”
“Bit by bit.” Namjoon says. “It’s not too bad yet, but in a couple of days…” He groans. “I don’t even want to think about it.”
“Aish, I’m sorry, guys. I’ll keep you in my thoughts and prayers.”
Yoongi decides this is the best moment to speak up. “I appreciate that, but you’d do us a lot more good if you helped out.”
“You do realise I’ll probably end up breaking half the flowers if you make me touch any.”
Namjoon shudders when he says that. “Please don’t ever say that again! Also, it’s not like you’re free either — isn’t your little decoration business in full swing?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say full swing.” Seokjin says. “It’s not like, Christmas, y’know? But uh-huh I am kinda busy. Especially with what they requested for me from Sweeter Than Sweet.”
“Ah, you went there today.” Hoseok grins as he ties a bow on his bouquet, and props it up on the shelf behind him. He looks deeply into Seokjin’s eyes and perks up. “Oh my god, you talked to Jungkook today! How cute! You’re so whipped for him, please.”
Namjoon snorts, Yoongi’s lips quiver as he tries to hold back a laugh. Damn mind readers and their big mouths.
“C’mon guys, grow up!” Seokjin shakes his head. “It’s nothing to giggle about.”
“On the contrary, it’s the perfect thing to giggle about.” Namjoon counters. “When’re you gonna ask the poor thing out?”
“Do you have to ask me this every single time?” He grumbles. “Look, I’ve told you this before: I’m not even sure if he likes me back that way. Things are going to be so awkward if I confess to him, and he doesn’t have the same feelings. It’s going to ruin my friendship with him, as well as with Taehyung and Jimin. I just don’t think it’s worth the trouble. We’re better like this.”
Yoongi sighs deeply, and looks up from his work to make eye contact with Seokjin. Yoongi never makes eye contact, so he knows that he’s about to say something very serious right now.
“Seokjin hyung,” he starts. “What I’m going to say now will sound harsh, but I say this with all the love in my heart: you’re the biggest fucking idiot I’ve ever met in my entire life.”
Or he could just say that instead. “Gee, thanks, Yoongichi.”
“No, no, listen to me! I’ve been to Sweeter Than Sweet before, and I’ve seen the way he looks at you — his eyes literally sparkle. The boy’s head over heels in love with you. I don’t need to be a mind reader like Seokie to see it.”
“But I can tell even without my powers.” Hoseok confirms. “It’s obvious he’s obsessed with you. I only saw him once, and he spent the whole time staring at you, and thinking about how hot you are. I tell you this every time but you never listen!”
It’s true, they have this conversation every single time Seokjin meets with Jungkook, but it doesn’t kill the apprehension inside him. His mind is filled with thoughts of what if, what if, what if—
Namjoon catches on to his apprehension. “I can see you’re still worried. What is it, hyung?”
“It’s like…” he plays with the hem of his shirt as he speaks. “I don’t actually spend a whole lot of time with him. When I go to the bakery, it’s usually Taehyung and Jimin I talk to. Jungkook’s usually on the sidelines, and we kinda watch each other from afar. I’m just worried that if I do get closer with him, he might not really like me.”
“Ack, hyung, you don’t have to start dating him right now! It’s too fast anyway. You should ease into it, take it one day at a time. How about you get lunch with him some time, or watch a movie? It doesn’t have to be some super grand gesture, it can be a little thing, and maybe it’ll blossom into something bigger soon.”
“Y’know,” Yoongi chips in, “if you time it right, you might actually have yourself a date for Valentine’s. Despite being a capitalist trap and all, I know how much you like the day and have always wanted to have someone to spend it with, and why not start now?”
“That does sound pretty good.” Seokjin muses, as he imagines Jungkook holding his hand, and resting his head on his shoulder. Maybe Seokjin would give him a little peck on his head too, and perhaps they could kiss, and maybe—
Hoseok gives a disgusted look. “Ugh, can you please not imagine all that in my face?”
“Don’t eavesdrop on my thoughts!”
“You think too loud!”
“There’s no need to say it all out, though.”
“…sorry. Do you want me to make it up for you?”
Seokjin thinks about what he promised Jungkook, and he mentally shouts out the thought, Hopie, can you make me a bracelet? The ones you make are so cute, and I really want to give Jungkook an enchanted one!
“Ouch, that hurt,” Hoseok recoils. “But sure, I’ll do it. Namjoon-ah, can I get a short break so I can make Seokjin hyung a bracelet?”
“And can I get a short break to watch him make it?” Yoongi asks.
Namjoon looks between the two of them, and looks at the bouquets on the shelf behind them. “You’ve worked really hard all day… sure, take a break. No longer than thirty minutes please.”
“Thank you, Joonie!” Seokjin pats his cheek. “You’re the best, love you!”
“Alright, alright, please go now, they’ve still got a lot of work left.”
“What’d I say?” Yoongi drawls. “It’s all capitalism everywhere you go.”
The bracelet that Hoseok whips up is adorable. It’s a combination of black and white beads, with a few cupcake and rabbit charms on it. Seokjin has it tucked inside his shirt pocket, and listens to the soft jingle of it as he continues his stroll down. Usually he’d go home now, and get some rest, but he’s got too much on his plate today for that.
He spends the entire day out meeting with some usual clients, seeing if they need him (and they all say yes, which is a pain). The more painful part is that most of them want their decor up today, even though there’s still a full week left until Valentine’s, but whatever. Money is money, and god knows he’s in dire need of it.
Seokjin expected to have a long day ahead of him, but what he hadn’t expected was the amount of work he would have to do. Turns out, no one is content anymore with basic decor, and so he ended up having to create elaborate illusions for way too many stores — there were definitely more clients, but he lost track after number eleven.
By the time he gets home, it’s already past 10pm, and he’s absolutely drained. Seokjin does not want to see anything in the shades of red and pink, any more roses, and certainly no more hearts. He’s had enough of Valentine-themed decor, and all he wants is for this whole thing to be over.
He decides to dive headfirst into bed, and winces in pain because there’s something stabbing his chest. It’s where the pocket of his shirt is so he reaches into it, and pulls out the bracelet Hoseok made. He sighs, and looks down at it lovingly. Jungkook will love this, won’t he? As he turns it over in his hand, he wonders if he still has enough energy to enchant it.
Well, wouldn’t hurt to try.
It’s a pretty low-level spell, but it’s still painful. He breaks into a sweat as he drags out his magic from the dredges of his supply. One choked whine, and the bracelet glows silver for a brief moment, then fades away. With the last of his energy, he wills for a bunny to hop out, and it appears on his hand, in the centre of the bracelet.
Contended, he smiles down at it, and collapses.
When Seokjin wakes up, he’s still gripping the bracelet in his hand. As he unfurls his hand, he sees that the inside of his palm is red and dented from all the beads and charms. He pockets the bracelet, and looks back at his hand, trying to figure out how long he’s slept. Considering how deep the dents are, he’s probably been knocked out for a while. It’s bright out, and he remembers going to bed at night, so it’s just the next day, right?
And yet, when he turns on his phone, he sees that it isn’t the next day, but rather two more days have passed.
Ah, shit.
Good thing he was done with most of his work, because most of his clients haven’t disturbed him so far. The only notifications he has are mostly from Taehyung and Jimin. Namjoon and Hoseok called him a handful of times, with a text from Yoongi asking if he’s recovering from a major magic drain. At least they understand him. Meanwhile, Taehyung and Jimin have called him over a hundred times combined. Yikes.
Seokjin scrolls through his missed calls, and is disappointed when he doesn’t see Jungkook anywhere. He doesn't want to admit he’s disappointed but…
It’s not that important now, he doesn’t have time to mourn that, so he gets started on his last commission, which is the Cupid illusion for Sweeter Than Sweet. Seokjin cracks his neck, and slides off of bed. He rummages under his bed, and finds a plain cardboard box that he can charm to make a rough version of the illusion with the most basic working mechanisms.
Since his magic has been fully restored, he finishes working on it faster than he expected to. In fact, the whole thing goes up so fast that he decides to push himself further, and just finish up the whole project because why not? He’s probably not going to have this much energy in a long while, so might as well get it over with.
Within fifteen minutes, he’s done with the entire thing — normally he’d spend an hour or two, but he’s just brimming with magic now. He’s too hyped to even do a test run, or change his clothes, which means he grabs the box, and rushes out to the bakery. It's only when he’s already halfway there that he remembers he should've checked the time before leaving, but it’s still sunny outside, so the shop is probably still open.
When he arrives there, the door isn’t locked yet, but the windows are shuttered from inside, which probably means they’re just closing up. He barges in, and sees that’s exactly what’s happening as Taehyung is sitting at the cash register counting up their earnings for the day, Jimin is putting all the chairs upside down on the table, while Jungkook is nowhere to be seen.
Both of them look up from their work when Seokjin enters, and it makes Taehyung stare at him in shock, while Jimin drops the chair he was holding. It crashes to the floor with a loud bang, and a beat later, the door that leads in the kitchen opens.
Jungkook walks in, looking at Jimin all worried. He catches his gaze, follows his line of vision and…
He gives Seokjin a look so gentle, that he just wants to run up to Jungkook, take his face into his hands, and kiss him all over. His eyes are large and sparkly, and maybe even a little misty.
“Hey,” Seokjin whispers so low, he’s not sure if he’ll hear him. “It’s me, I’m here.”
Taehyung does apparently, because he exclaims, “Hyung, where the hell were you? You weren’t picking up any of our calls — we thought something bad had happened.”
“No, no, nothing happened, exactly. I was just sleeping.”
“For two days?!”
“I was drained! Magical exhaustion is nothing like regular exhaustion, I don’t think I can explain it.”
“Well,” Jimin eyes him up and down. “As long as you’re alright now, hyung.”
“I am! I even got to work on your little Cupid!” He holds up the box to show it off. “Wanna take a look?”
Taehyung puts the money back in the cash register, and Jimin starts putting the chairs upright at the table he was standing at, which he takes as a yes. Once all the chairs have been fixed, he puts the box on top, and sits. The other three sit next to him — Taehyung on his left, Jimin on his right. Since there’s just four chairs at this table, Jungkook sits opposite to him. Now that Seokjin’s closer, he can see that his eyes are glazed over, and he doesn’t look like he’s exactly looking at anything.
“Hey, are you okay?” He asks softly.
“He’s… not.” Jimin sighs, and shakes his head. “Jungkook hasn’t been speaking since yesterday morning. He was freaking out over you not picking up your calls, and just… yeah.”
“Oh god.” Seokjin touches the side of Jungkook’s face. “Hey, it’s me, your Seokjin hyung. I’m here now, and I’m alright. Just overexerted myself, and needed to recuperate. You get that, don’t you?”
Jungkook doesn’t say a word, and it makes him want to cry. But maybe he just needs a bit more time, so Seokjin puts down his hand, and focuses on the box instead. He waves his hand over the top, and it summons a cartoon Cupid figure wearing a little toga, holding a bow and has a quiver of arrows strapped to the back, with little white wings fluttering around it. It’s roughly about the size of a two-year old, but he thought it would look creepy if he had a realistic child floating around, so he made something that looked a lot more like an animated model.
He thinks it’s adorable, and judging by the way Taehyung and Jimin coo at it, they think the same too. Jungkook is staring up at it blankly, but there’s a hint of a smile floating on his lips, and that’s the best he can probably muster right now.
“Watch this.” Seokjin waves his hand again, and the Cupid aims at the ceiling. Just as Jimin requested, the arrow flies a short distance, and explodes into hearts.
“Oh, that’s so pretty!” Jimin claps. “Thanks, hyung, this is perfect!”
“I still want to work on it a little bit, add a few features here and there, which is why I’m not installing it here yet.” Usually when he wants to make a decor at least semi-permanent, he binds the charm to a piece of bolted-down furniture. “I’d like to take a day or two to see if I can improve it, but if I can’t, I’ll just set it as it is the day before Valentine’s. Is that fine?”
“That’s awesome.” Taehyung says. “I can’t wait to see what else you might add to it.”
Jungkook nods to show his approval, and that’s all Seokjin needs.
He does one last arm wave to retract the Cupid, and picks up the box. “I’ll see you guys soon — I think I’ll just go now, and leave you to close up.”
Just as he turns around to go, he feels someone grab his forearm. He looks back, and sees it’s Jungkook, staring up at him with sad, sad eyes. His lips are quivering, and Seokjin can see that he’s trying to form words.
“What is it, Jungkook?” He asks him mildly. “It’s fine, take your time. I’ll wait for you.”
His eyes start to clear slowly, and his mouth looks like it’s getting closer and closer to actually saying something. After a few moments of fumbling, he finally whispers: “Stay.”
Shit, shit, shit . Tears spring to Seokjin’s eyes, and he drops the box to engulf Jungkook in a hug. “I’ll stay.” He whispers back. “I’m not leaving you, okay? In fact,” Seokjin pulls away, and asks, “are you free today?”
“Mhm, yeah. Why?”
“Well, I’m free too, so I was thinking we could hang out for the rest of the day. Just vibe around the city, get some food. How’s that sound?”
“G—good. Please stay. Need to… clean up. In the back.” Jungkook still sounds like he’s having a hard time getting all his words out, but Seokjin can see that he’s trying his best. He pats Jungkook’s cheek and sits on the floor so that Jimin can put all the chairs up on the tables.
Seokjin pulls the fallen box to his lap, and as he watches Jungkook retreat into the back, Jimin says, “Thanks for talking to him. He goes quiet like this a lot more often than you’d think, and it hurts to watch him suffer. I’m glad you helped him out, and I’m sure he appreciates it too.”
“How often is it?” Seokjin asks.
Taehyung answers this. “Depends, really. Generally it happens once every week, but those are really brief, and he gets over them really fast. It’s stressful times like these when it happens a lot more, and he has a hard time snapping out of it, like what you saw today. He tries to stay away from people during these times because not everyone gets it.”
Did he think Seokjin wouldn’t understand it, either? Or maybe there’s something more to it that he doesn’t know yet — whatever it is, he’s going to understand.
A few minutes later, Jungkook emerges from the kitchen, and for once he isn’t wearing his apron. Jimin and Taehyung are still not done, and Jimin tells them, “Don’t wait for us, just go. We’ll lock up the store.”
Jungkook nods at them, and looks up at Seokjin. “We’re going now?” He’s speaking properly again, that’s amazing.
“Yeah, we go now, come on.” He wraps an arm around Jungkook’s shoulders, and leads him out. One slight problem: Seokjin has zero plans. Crap.
Jungkook eyes Seokjin’s box, and asks, “You’ll keep that the whole time?”
“What? Nah, I think I’ll just leave it at home—” and just as he says it, a lightbulb goes off in his head. He’s just figured out their first location of the day. “Oh, you don’t know where I live, do you?”
“No.”
“Well, you’re about to find out now. Come on!”
“You live this close to the bakery?!” Jungkook yells when they stop in front of his apartment. “I have to drive thirty minutes everyday, and you’re just a ten minute walk away.”
Wouldn’t hurt you to move in here with me if you wanted to save time. Seokjin thinks.
“Huh?” Jungkook frowns up at him, and shit he just said that out loud didn’t he?
“Ah fuck.” Seokjin can feel his ears starting to burn. “I, um, uh—”
“You’re cute, hyung.” He smiles softly. “Besides, I don’t think I can move into a place without seeing the inside first.”
It takes him a good five minutes to understand what Jungkook means, and when he gets it, he can swear his ears have caught fire from how warm they are because what the hell? Is it possible that he’s flirting with Seokjin? Is this what’s happening? He’d never expected to be hit on by Jungkook of all people, not with those innocent eyes, and cute bunny smile, but here he is.
“Uh— um— I—” Seokjin sputters for a long while, until he gets his bearings. He shakes his head, and laughs nervously. “Sorry, that caught me off guard, hah. Come on in.”
He’s kind of embarrassed to bring Jungkook to his place, but if he really does love Seokjin, maybe he’ll be able to look past its flaws. They go up the stairs, until they’re on the third floor, and they walk down to the end of a long hallway. He unlocks the door for them, and lets Jungkook step in first.
“Cute place you got here.” He says.
Cute is one way to describe it — cramped would be a better word. It’s a little studio apartment that’s just one tiny room with a single bed, a small table and a chair, a kitchenette, and has a door that leads to the even tinier bathroom. It’s a little suffocating for Seokjin alone, and with Jungkook there’s even less spapce.
“Glad you think that.” Seokjin sighs. “I wish I could afford a better place but… yeah. I don’t hate it though, it’s suited me over the years. I mean, I’ve been living alone the whole time, not like I need a bigger space.”
“What’re you going to do when you’re not alone anymore?”
“Then I suppose I’ll consider looking for a new place.”
“Makes sense, like look at this thing. There’s no way two people can fit here. Like,” Jungkook lies down on the bed with his limbs outstretched, and he takes up the whole area.
Seokjin has to look away, because the view in front of him is burning his face up again. “Yeah, horrible for two people. Um…” He ducks down to slide the box under the bed, and says, “Alright, I kept the box we can go out now!”
He expects Jungkook to get up, and maybe give recommendations for places he wants to go, but he just whines, “But, hyung, I don’t really wanna go out.”
Seokjin peeks up to make eye contact with him. “Wait, what?”
“I’m not much of an outdoors person, actually. I’m more of a homebody — I like staying home and just chilling like this. Can we do this, hyung? Please.”
“I…”
“Hyung…” Jungkook narrows his pretty doe eyes, and Seokjin wonders if he’s secretly been a magic user all this while, and specialised in the seduction. The way he’s looking at him is unholy, and it takes all his strength to stop leaning in and kissing him right here right now.
“W—we can do that too. That’s… fine.” He answers, staring down at Jungkook’s lips.
“Yay,” his mouth curls into a smile.
“So, uh, h—have you had lunch yet?”
“Oh, no, not yet, I didn’t get time. I usually get it with my hyungs after we get off work.”
And Seokjin hasn’t eaten in two days so he’s starving. Match made in heaven. “Alright, then, sit tight and I’ll make something for us. Is there anything you’re craving in particular?”
“Not really.”
“Great, because the only thing I have here is ramyeon, so that’s what you're getting.”
“I love ramyeon!” Jungkook claps in joy.
“Really? I thought you only ate cupcakes.” Seokjin says as he gets to his feet to get started on their food.
As he takes out three packets of ramyeon from the cabinets above the stove, Jungkook explains, “I don’t only eat cupcakes. I actually don’t eat them much at all.”
“You don’t?”
“No.” He admits. “I just eat the ones I make.”
Seokjin boils some water in the biggest pot he has, and says, “I get that. You’re so good at making cupcakes, I don’t think I can ever enjoy anyone else’s.”
“You flatter me, hyung.”
“Just telling you the truth.” He gets out his chopping board to start cutting up some veggies, and remembers, “Oh, I was going to ask you: how’s your Valentine’s special cupcake coming along? I ate the version Jimin gave me, and it was so good!”
“If you thought that was good, just wait till you see what it’s like now.”
“Seriously?” Seokjin turns back to stare at Jungkook.
“Yeah.” He smirks, and god he’s so beautiful it hurts to even look at him. “It’s way better now, trust me. You wanna try them before Valentine’s? Even the hyungs haven’t had a taste yet.”
“Sure.” The water’s boiled enough, so Seokjin can finally put the ramyeon and vegetables with the seasonings. He lets everything cook together, and turns his attention back to Jungkook. He’s sitting propped up on one arm now, and there’s a sliver of space on the bed now, so Seokjin takes a seat there. He debates for a moment if he should lean against Jungkook, but they probably aren’t that close yet, so refrains from it. Maybe soon.
“You know what’s the biggest change I made?”
“What is it?”
“The outside is chocolate flavoured.” He answers, his eyes shining with excitement. “Goes so well with the cherry cheesecake now.”
“That sounds amazing, I need to try it out soon.”
“I actually have a batch at home, you know. We could go and get them after we have our ramyeon.”
“Wait, I thought you didn’t want to go out today.” Seokjin teases him. “What’s all this now?”
“I said I didn’t want to go out.” He clarifies. “Not that I had any problem going home.”
“Please, you’re just making excuses now.”
“All I’m hearing is that you don’t want to try the cupcakes.” Jungkook pouts.
“Hey, hey slow down.” Seokjin laughs nervously. “You know that’s not what I mean! Of course I want them.”
“Hm, that’s what I thought.”
What a self-assured smile he’s got. If it was anyone other than Jungkook, he would’ve been so annoyed, but the only thing he wants to do now is kiss him.
Okay, slow your roll, Seokjinnie . He reprimands himself. That’s enough wondering for today. Either shut up, or just make your move.
Hoseok would be so proud of him if he were here now.
“You wanna go check on the ramyeon?” Jungkook reminds him.
“So you want me to go?” Seokjin says with mock pain. “I am hurt. From the bottom of my soul.”
“I just don’t want to eat soggy ramyeon, hyung, please.” He grabs the hem of his shirt. “I’ll cry if it’s soggy. You don’t want to make me cry.”
That’s all it takes for him to sober up, and scramble to his feet. “I’m checking on it, wait!”
Thank god Jungkook spoke up when he did, because the ramyeon hasn’t gone soft yet, but it’s on the verge of it. Seokjin carries the pot over to the table, and places it on top of a table mat. He sets two bowls, two pairs of chopsticks and two spoons for them.
“Lunch is served,” he says, pulling out the chair. “Sit here, Jungkook.”
“Where will you sit, hyung?” He asks as he gets to his feet.
Seokjin looks around, and decides that the best spot is just on the table, so he can be right next to Jungkook.
“You’re so funny, hyung.” He giggles.
No, you’re probably just in love. Seokjin thinks. And that’s fine, because so am I .
“You’re so silly sometimes.” Is what he says out loud. “Try the ramyeon, Jungkook. Tell me what you think.”
He picks some up with his chopsticks, and takes a bite. His eyebrows furrow as he chews, and he says “Oh, this is amazing, hyung!”
“I knew you’d say that.”
Jungkook nods, and keeps shovelling more in his mouth, not even bothering to put it in his bowl first. Seokjin watches him eat up, and even though he’s starving, his hunger feels satiated just watching him enjoy it.
A few more bites later, he looks up at Seokjin, guilt etched on his face. “Sorry.” He apologises, and draws back.
“Ah, no worries. If anything, I took that as a compliment.”
They finish off the rest of the ramyeon in silence — or at least as silent as you can be when slurping up ramyeon. When Jungkook is done, he leans back, and burps. “That was one hell of a meal. Thanks hyung, I don’t think I’ve said it enough.”
“You don’t have to say it, I know.” Seokjin pats his cheek. “Wanna go for dessert now?”
“I’d love that, but I don’t think I can move too much.”
He glances down at the floor, and smiles. “What if I told you there was a way we could get there without barely moving?”
“Huh? What’re you talking about?” Jungkook turns to the side to see what Seokjin is looking at. It’s a fluffy pink rug that would be normal sized in a regular house, but here it’s almost like a carpet.
“Jungkook, have you ever ridden a magic rug?”
“I’m sorry, what? Is that rug actually magical?”
“It is.” Seokjin pushes himself off the table, and picks it. “This baby is packed with spells. It’s dustproof, can fly anywhere, and the best part is that we’ll be completely invisible to the outside world while we’re on it.”
“Really?”
“Yep, look.” He “dusts” it off, which he doesn’t need to because it never collects any, and when he lets go of it, it’s floating in midair. Seokjin gets up on his bed to clamber on it, and holds out his hand for Jungkook. “Come on, I can show you the world.”
He takes Seokjin’s hand, and lets him hoist him up. “A whole new world, hyung?”
“Yeah. Well actually, no. It’s the exact same world, just from ten feet above usual.”
Jungkook laughs out loud. “I love the sound of that. Let’s go, then.”
Despite being so convenient, Seokjin doesn’t take the magic rug out that much. He tells everyone it’s because he wants to stay healthy, and get more exercise by walking everywhere, but the truth is that he’s the one who charmed it with the glamour spell that keeps him invisible from the rest of the world while he’s on it. The more he takes it out, the weaker it'll get, and right now, it’s at least two rides away from starting to wear off, which is unacceptable. All spells on the rug work the same way, but he can get those fixed by other magic users. Meanwhile, Seokjin is the only person in a hundred mile radius who can put a decent glamour on it. Besides, he’s already tired of fixing with same spell on others’ magic rugs, and can’t be bothered anymore.
Jungkook is worth all that trouble, though.
They’re cruising above all the cars stuck in traffic, the people rushing on the pavements, and he’s absolutely elated by it. He’s laying stomach-first, and has his hands dangling down. They’re pretty far up enough that he won’t touch anything by accident, but Seokjin still raises them a few inches just for his own peace of mind.
“We’re so high up, hyung!” Jungkook exclaims kicking his feet. “Oh, this is so fun! Why didn’t I know about this before?”
“I usually forget about it.” He lies. “You like it, huh?”
“Like? I love it! Can we please do this again sometime?”
Seokjin thinks about all the enchantments on it wearing off slowly. “Sure, we can.”
“Weee!” Jungkook flails his arms, and Seokjin wishes he could keep that smile of his saved forever.
“Glad you’re having fun, but please make sure we’re going in the right direction.” He’d gotten Jungkook to give the rug his address so that it could fly them there on autopilot, but there’s a slight chance that they might go off track a bit, or take some unnecessary detours.
“Yeah, we’re fine.” He says, not even bothering to look up, his entire attention fixed on the cars below.
Seokjin is so endeared by him, it’s sickening. Why’s Jungkook so damn adorable all the time? If he could see his cheeks now, he would be pinching them now.
A while later, the rug slows to a stop, and Seokjin looks at the building they’ve stopped at. “Woah, is this where you live?”
Jungkook looks up, and nods. “Oh yeah, this is it.”
“Holy shit, it’s huge.” He blurts out. It looks like one of those swanky places only people with at least ten digits in their bank accounts can afford. Is baking really that profitable, or is there something more?
He seems to hear Seokjin’s unsaid question, and says, “Um, my parents actually pay for it, aha. They really wanted me to move to the city and live by myself. This was the only way they could convince me.”
“W—woah.”
“Yeah, uh,” he laughs awkwardly. “I sound so spoiled now, don’t I?”
Seokjin chokes on his words. “No, I—”
“It’s no big deal if you think that, I am spoiled.” Jungkook shakes his head. “Whatever, I just wanna go in.”
Sure, that’s fine. Seokjin takes the rug into a back alleyway, and keeps it tucked under his arm as they go inside.
“Couldn't you just go inside on it?” Jungkook asks.
“Is your building crawling with cameras and people?”
“Well, they’d catch us appearing out of thin air. Do you want that?”
“No, no, that doesn’t sound good.”
“So we just get off beforehand.”
Seokjin is confident as he marches in with his carpet, and ignores everyone staring at him. He keeps his cool until they make it into the elevator, where Jungkook fishes out a keycard and slides it into a slot below the buttons. He hits the one labelled PH, and Seokjin stares at him.
“You live in the penthouse suite?!” He gasps.
“Told you I was spoiled.”
Seokjin is too bewildered to say anything, and keeps staring at him, even when the doors of the lift open up.
“We’re here.” Jungkook whispers.
“Hnngh?” He snaps out of his daze. “Oh right, okay.” He gets the rug to float inside, and looks around in amazement. The apartment is gigantic — the living room alone is twice the size of Seokjin’s whole place.
“This is so cool.” He tells Jungkook. “I can see why you called yourself a homebody now, I’d never leave my house if it looked like this.”
It gets a ghost of a smile out of him, and Seokjin loves it.
“You’re so cute, Jungkook. Now, could you lead us to the kitchen? My hands are going numb.”
“Oh, yeah, sure. It’s just up ahead.”
They walk for almost what feels like half a mile, before stopping in the biggest kitchen Seokjin has ever seen. The entire counter is probably the size of his bed, and that’s why he sets his carpet on there exactly. It looks nice, so he hoists himself up there as well.
“You like it?” Jungkook asks.
“Oh, yeah, definitely. I feel so tall!” Seokjin sits up straight to prove his point. They’re still eye-level, but Jungkook pretends not to see it.
“You’re so tall, damn.” He smirks.
“Thanks.”
“Alright, lemme get your cupcake, it’s in the fridge.” Jungkook tells him as he walks over towards two fridges standing side by side.
“Really? Which one?”
“Hyung!”
“Why do you need so many fridges?” Seokjin asks.
“It’s because I have a lot of food!” Jungkook insists, and opens the door to one of them. It’s full to the brim, and Seokjin can only wonder how he manages to eat all that. He takes out an airtight container, and takes out a cupcake. It looks exactly the same as the one Jimin gave him, but this one looks like it’s chocolate-flavoured, just like Jungkook had promised.
He hands Seokjin the cupcake, and he takes a big bite of it. He takes his time to really savour the taste. The combination of the cheesecake filling and the chocolate from the cupcake is so amazing that he has to close his eyes to properly enjoy it. Jungkook definitely has some kind of magic inside him, because this is unreal.
Seokjin opens his eyes again, and sees that Jungkook’s face is a lot closer to his, and he’s looking somewhere near Seokjin’s mouth.
“You’ve got a bit of frosting over there, hyung.” Jungkook mutters, and reaches out to wipe it off the side of his mouth with his thumb. Seokjin stares as he lifts his thumb up to his lips, and slowly licks it off.
What the absolute fuck.
Jungkook keeps eye contact with him the entire time, and Seokjin’s heart is racing so fast, he can’t think straight. It’s the perfect time to make his move, isn’t it? Their proximity, this tension that’s so thick it’s suffocating… when are they going to have a moment like this again?
It plays out slowly just like a movie: their eyes shut slowly, they lean in closer and closer—
—and then Seokjin’s phone rings.
The ringtone itself has never bothered him before, but when he sees how hard Jungkook flinches, he starts cursing whoever it is on the other side. Seokjin looks at the caller ID, sees it’s a client, so he takes a deep breath to calm his tone, and answers, “Hello?”
“Ah, Seokjin-ssi, we need you right now, there’s an emergency.”
He looks up at Jungkook, who has an expression that’s a mix of sadness and betrayal. “An emergency? How important is it?”
“Very important. One of my workers threw away the furniture you bound the illusion to, and now it’s gone. We need you here as soon as possible.”
In all honesty, it doesn’t sound like that much of an emergency, considering the fact that it’s not Valentine’s yet, and they can go for a while without their decorations but Seokjin doesn’t have a lot of clients, and he can’t afford to lose any.
“I’ll… be there in a bit.” He answers, and he can see Jungkook’s eyes grow sorrowful.
Seokjin puts down his phone, and starts, “I’m sorry, but I have to—”
“Don’t apologise.” Jungkook whispers. “You can go, I get it. Duty calls.”
Duty calls indeed. Seokjin wants to say fuck you to them, but… “I’ll try to be back soon.”
Jungkook doesn’t say anything, just stares blankly at him, and Seokjin is reminded once again of how he was at the bakery not too long ago.
“I’m sorry,” he says again. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
And with that, he unrolls the rugm climbs onto it, and flies off, and out of the apartment.
The whole way down, Seokjin can’t shake Jungkook’s face from his mind, and how heartbroken he looked.
He will make this up for him, even if it’s the last thing he does.
Seokjin is in a shitty mood when he arrives at the restaurant that called him, but tries to make sure that it’s not too obvious. When he’s done, he reminds the owner that he did have an overtime clause in their contract, which means he would be charging them well over his usual budget. Since he did everything from scratch, they actually paid him nearly twice of what he originally worked for.
Normally, he’d be elated by this, but right now, all he feels is bitterness because he can’t stop thinking about how hurt Jungkook was.
It’s even worse because the rug started glitching while he was on his way home, so he had to walk the rest of the path on foot, and he’s even more pissed now.
When Seokjin gets home, the first thing he does is text Jungkook.
Me
just got off work
hope you’re feeling better
do you want me to come over now?
Today, 6:13pm
He doesn’t get a reply back in the next five minutes, and starts to clean up, which doesn’t take very long. Exhaustion crashes over him, so he decides to take a small nap, and hopes that when he wakes up, Jungkook has a reply for him.
His small nap ends up becoming full-fledged sleep. When he’s up, it’s just past midnight, and he has many, many texts from Jungkook
Sweeter Than Sweet Jungkook
hi hyung
im fine i think
no need to come over it’s fine
Yesterday, 9:01pm
Sweeter Than Sweet Jungkook
[unsent a message]
[unsent a message]
[unsent a message]
[unsent a message]
[unsent a message]
[unsent a message]
[unsent a message]
[unsent a message]
[unsent a message]
[unsent a message]
[unsent a message]
Yesterday, 9:12pm
Sweeter Than Sweet Jungkook
ignore those idk what came over me
hope ur doing fine hyung
Yesterday, 10:13pm
What the hell? Seokjin is concerned because there’s no way Jungkook is alright. He debates if he should call him up, but there’s a chance he isn’t speaking again, so he texts him.
Me
hey are you alright
do you want to talk about it?
it’s fine if you don’t want to
Today, 12:04am
Sweeter Than Sweet Jungkook
hyung ur here
i’m alright now dw ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡
cried a little
ate a whole tub of ice cream
cried a little longer
talked to tae + jm hyungs
cried a lot more after that
that helped im not crying anymore now
but im still sad
i miss you so much hyung (Ｔ＿Ｔ)
pls be back tmrw i wanna see u
Today, 12:06am
Me
awww
sorry i wasn’t there when you needed me
Today, 12:06am
Sweeter Than Sweet Jungkook
ur here now
thats all that matters (〃ω〃)
Today, 12:07am
Me
oh?
you’re too nice
i’m not even doing anything
Today, 12:07am
Sweeter Than Sweet Jungkook
you dont have to
i just like talking to you
Today, 12:08am
Me
cute
i like talking to you too
especially today you were amazing
i’ve never seen that side of you before
it was so awesome
i want to see you like that more often
Today, 12:08am
Sweeter Than Sweet Jungkook
thanks hyung (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)
i was getting tired of being all meek n shy around u
this what im actually like
it felt nice being able to speak my mind
and not panicking the whole time
thanks for accepting me like this (＞人＜;)
Today, 12:10am
Seokjin can see his typing speech bubble appearing and disappearing. He waits for a couple of minutes but no texts yet. Maybe Jungkook’s still looking for the words to say, so he lets him collect his thoughts, and puts his phone down while he gets ready for bed.
Thirty minutes later, after he’s taken a bath, finished his nighttime skincare routine, and changed into his pyjamas. He’s about to turn in to sleep, and checks his phone just before he actually goes to sleep. There’s two texts from Jungkook:
Sweeter Than Sweet Jungkook
stay safe hyung
see you soon
Today, 12:30am
Somehow, he feels like that’s not what he wanted to say, but whatever. Seokjin reacts to his message with a heart, and puts his phone down.
When he wakes up the next morning, Seokjin has an epiphany. He had a weird dream involving a hoard of cupids, fire-breathing crocodiles and a sentient pineapple.
His dreams are very weird.
But he did see something that he can add to his illusion. It’s not a major addition, but it’s an amazing one. He knows that Taehyung, Jimin, and Jungkook — especially Jungkook — would love it.
Seokjin brushes his teeth with one hand, and uses the other to work on the spell. This is going to be so cool, he’s bursting at the seams as he thinks about it.
He takes his time with it, making sure that every detail is absolutely perfect. Seokjin makes sure to do at least five test runs before he’s convinced that there’s nothing wrong with it. Once he’s happy with it, he checks the time, and sees it’s almost 3pm.
Which means they’re about to close up any moment.
Ah fuck.
He gets ready in a hurry, and as he pulls his jeans on, he notices the charmed bracelet he got made for Jungkook. Shit, right he hasn’t given it to him yet. Seokjin puts his pants on properly, and quickly pockets it. Once he has a nice shirt on, he grabs the box, and bolts out.
He’s fuelled by pure adrenaline, and instead of his usual ten minutes, it only takes five. Seokjin allows himself a beat to sigh in relief when he sees the door isn’t locked, and pushes it open.
Jimin and Taehyung are sweeping up the store, while Jungkook is nowhere to be seen. The two of them look up to see who entered, and they pause.
“Hyung?!” Jimin exclaims.
“Oh my god, you’re here.” Taehyung grins. “Let me get Jungkook — Jungkook-ah! Look who’s here!”
The back door swings open, and Jungkook walks out, looking like the most gorgeous thing on the planet. He’s scowling at Taehyung, and looks like he’s about to cuss him out, but then he turns to the side to look at Seokjin, and—
“Hyung,” he breathes out. “You made it.”
“Of course I did.” Seokjin walks up to a table, and sets the box on top of it. “I made a promise didn’t I? Now gather over here, all of you. I want to show you the finalised version of the illusion, and I think you’ll like it.”
Jimin and Taehyung drop their brooms, and they join Jungkook as they scamper over to the table Seokjin is standing at. The three of them huddle together with Jimin and Taehyung on either side and Jungkook in the middle, their eyes wide with anticipation.
Seokjin is delighted to see how enthusiastic they are about this, and he taps the top of the box to summon the Cupid. It looks the same as before, but they still let out a chorus of wow’s. How cute.
“It’s almost the same as before, I just gave it one new feature. You can choose to remove it if you want, but I just wanted to give you a little demo.” He does a circular motion with his hand, so that the Cupid flies behind him, and hovers in the air, waiting for the next command. Seokjin snaps his fingers, which prompts the Cupid to load up its arrow, aim it at his back, and release.
The arrow “hits” Seokjin, and he stumbles forward for dramatic effect. He’s not hurt because the arrow isn’t real — it’s just an illusion of one — but it still elicits a gasp from the three of them.
“Oh, Cupid got me,” he fake-groans, and looks up into Jungkook’s eyes. “And it looks like I’ve just seen the love of my life.”
“H—hyung…”
Seokjin’s finally doing this. He can’t believe it, but after all this while, here he is. “I’ve always been in love with you, Jungkook. From the first time I saw you — do you remember that day? It was raining outside, and I ducked in here for some shelter. The store was having a slow day, so all three of you were in here. When I came in, you were the first one I saw, and it was like the world stopped. You were like the most beautiful, most perfect person I’d ever seen, and one look was all I needed to be completely gone for you. It was stupid, because I didn’t believe in love at first sight, or even love at all. There was actually a time when I thought it was just a surface-level attraction. But then days, weeks, months passed where I couldn’t stop thinking about you, when I craved some alone time with you because I wanted to get to know you better… it was love, it just had to be.
“I never voiced any of those thoughts out loud, though. Maybe it was because I was nervous, maybe I was scared you would say no, maybe it was something. But after the day we had yesterday… we’re meant to be together, I just know it. My heart calls out to yours, and I know yours does too.” Seokjin pauses to catch his breath, and continues. “I’ve said a lot of things, but I haven’t said the actual thing yet. Jeon Jungkook, will you be my Valentine?”
For a moment, he doesn’t say anything, and just stares at Jungkook. In that moment, Seokjin starts to panic — shit, did he actually misunderstand everything all this while? Is Jungkook actually not in love with him? Also he was so caught up with his grand confession that he’d completely forgotten about the fact that Taehyung and Jimin are standing right here. What if they banish him from the store forever because he made Jungkook uncomfortable. He braces himself for any reaction he might have.
And then Jungkook lurches towards him, and engulfs him in a big hug.
Seokjin closes his arms around his shoulders, and squeezes him tight. He looks up to see Taehyung is giving him a thumbs-up, and Jimin mouths, thank you.
He smiles at them, but then he realises that his shirt is wet, so he pulls Jungkook back, and sees he’s crying.
“Oh, baby, why are you crying?” Seokjin asks, wiping his face with the back of his hand.
Jungkook doesn’t answer, and lets the tears stream down. He sniffs loudly, and his mouth keeps opening and closing silently.
“Having a hard time with words now?”
He gives a tight nod, and bursts into more tears. It hurts Seokjin to see him bawling like this, and so he rubs Jungkook’s back to try and soothe him. Taehyung and Jimin join in a bit later, and pat his shoulders to help him out. It takes a good two minutes for him to calm down, and five more until he can talk again.
The first thing he says when he regains his speech is, “I love you, too, hyung.” His voice is low and croaky from all the crying. “I’ve been dying to tell you too, but I never managed to do it. T—thank you for saying something first. I don’t think anything would ever happen between us if you didn’t do this.”
“So you can flirt like a pro, but this is where you get stuck?” Seokjin teases him. “How adorable.”
“Stop it!” He gets shy. “You’re embarrassing me in front of my friends.”
“Jungkook, please,” Taehyung rolls his eyes. “I knew you during your emo phase in middle school. There’s nothing you can do in front of me that will shock me more than that.”
“Hyung!”
“C’mon, Tae,” Jimin tugs his boyfriend’s arm. “Let’s give these two some space.”
“But—”
Taehyung gets dragged off towards the front door, and Jimin says, “Call us when you’re done, we’ll come back to help you close up!” And then they’re out.
Jungkook rubs at his nose. “So it’s just us now.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“Do you… want to pick up where we left off from tomorrow?”
“God, yes.” Seokjin answers a little too quickly. “I haven’t stopped thinking about it since then.”
“Me neither, hyung.” He whispers hoarsely.
Just like last time, their eyes close, and they lean in closer. But this time, their lips meet, and shit, it’s everything Seokjin could dream of. His lips are soft, and a little uneven but he loves them because they're Jungkook’s lips. Seokjin tilts his head to the side to deepen the kiss, and grabs Jungkook’s waist to pull him against Seokjin until there’s barely an inch of space between them. Jungkook apparently doesn’t think they’re close enough, and hooks a leg over Seokjin's hip.
“Hey, hey, slow down, baby.” He mutters in between kisses.
“Can’t keep up with me hyung?” Jungkook asks, and he’s very obviously smirking against his mouth. “Should’ve warned you that I’m not very easy to handle.”
“You challenging me?”
“Maybe I am.”
“Fuck, that’s hot.” Seokjin groans, and dives in to kiss him back twice as hard as last time.
They probably would’ve spent forever kissing if Jimin and Taehyung hadn’t come back and interrupted them.
“How are you still at it?” Jimin asks incredulously. “Even Taehyung and I don’t kiss this long.”
“And we can kiss for a very long time.” Taehyung confirms.
Apparently that’s what Jungkook needs to break it, because he pulls away, and says, “Alright, we’re definitely doing too much if these two are calling us out.”
“Hey!” Taehyung scowls. “We’re not that bad!”
“Nah we are.” Jimin says off-handedly. “But anyway, are you two done over here? This is a business establishment, you know, not your personal make out spot. If you want to keep going, find a different place.”
“Hey, hyung,” Jungkook tugs the hem of Seokjin’s shirt. “You wanna come over to my place for part two?”
“Sure.”
“Not now.” Taehyung puts a hand on Jungkook’s shoulder. “I hate being the cockblocker, but could you please help us close up first? You’re free to do whatever you want after that.”
“It’s fine,” Seokjin strokes the back of his hair. “I get it. Duty calls. Besides, I should get my work over with. Can I set the illusion up now? I’ll be quick.” He looks at Jimin and Taehyung for confirmation, which they give him.
“Go ahead,” Jimin points up at one of the light fixtures hanging above. “Bind it there.”
Seokjin gets to work, and does the spell as fast as possible without compromising on the quality. Ten minutes later, he’s got an automated Cupid illusion flying around the store, shooting arrows that sometimes turn into hearts, and sometimes sticks itself in random people.
“Love the new feature, hyung.” Taehyung says. “But you know what customers are like. They’ll probably think they’re actually being shot, and that’s not something I can deal with.”
“You want me to remove it, then?”
“Hurts me to say this, but I guess, yeah. We still think it’s cute!”
“Aish, no hard feelings.” Seokjin chuckles. “I’ll have it done.”
Five more minutes, and he’s complete with everything.
“Great job, hyung.” Jimin claps. “You can go wait outside now, Jungkook will join you soon.”
Seokjin leaves the store, and hangs out just outside the door. The ivy trellis looks like it’s fading slightly, so he gives the illusion a little touch up. Normally, he wouldn’t spend his energy on something so trivial, but he’s just so giddy and in love that he just has to.
He asked Jungkook out, he said yes, and they kissed.
Or at least Seokjin thinks he said yes, because all he did was give him a hug and cry. He’s going to have to ask for clarification soon.
A couple of minutes later, Jungkook opens the door, and giggles when he looks at Seokjin.
“I can’t believe it, I can finally call you my boyfriend.”
Well that settles it.
Jungkook hands him a cupcake, says, “It’s for you. Eat up, hyung.”
“Oh, what flavour is it?” He asks, turning it around.
“It’s a matcha cupcake with azuki red bean buttercream.”
“How extra.” Seokjin gives him a little half smile, and bites the cupcake. “It’s super good, though.”
“Are you even surprised anymore?”
“Not at all.” He nibbles into the frosting, and gives a little hum of pleasure.
“Hey, you’ve got some frosting on your lips.” Jungkook points out. “Want me to get that for you?”
Seokjin expects him to wipe it off like last time, but instead he swoops in for a kiss. Jungkook holds his neck for support, and slides his tongue into his mouth.
Oh, okay, then.
Instinctively, Seokjin grabs his wrist with his free hand, and leans more into the kiss. They go at it for a short while, and the first thing Jungkook says after they break it off is, “Man, my cupcakes taste phenomenal like this.”
“You mean after I put it in my mouth where it’s coated with my saliva?”
“Hyung! You make me sound so gross!”
“Maybe if you didn’t talk so gross.” He murmurs, and takes one last bite before throwing the cupcake wrapper in the trash. “Mhm, amazing. You’re so good at this.”
“I’m good at a lot of things.” Jungkook winks. “Wanna see?”
A smile blooms to Seokjin’s face instantly, and he tugs Jungkook’s wrist so he shows the way, but then he remembers something important.
“Oh my god, I can’t believe I forgot!” He slaps his forehead, and digs into his jeans pocket. Seokjin curls his fingers around the bracelet to keep it hidden, and slips it onto Jungkook’s wrist. “Look, I charmed your little rabbit buddy here, and now you can call it whenever you want. Just tap it once, and it should appear.”
“Hyung…” he does as he’s told, and the little rabbit pops out on his palm. “Thank you, this means so much to me.”
His voice sounds shaky, so Seokjin asks him, “Hey, are you crying?”
“N—no.” He stammers, tears welling up in his eyes. “Okay, maybe a little bit.”
“Cute.” Seokjin gives him a peck on his cheek. “Let’s get these tears cleaned up, and we can go home for round two. How’s that sound.”
Jungkook nods, and wipes his eyes. “Alright, hyung. Sounds good.”
Seokjin ends up staying there until dinner. They finish up at around 10, and as Jungkook clears up the table, he says, “I think I’ll call it a night.”
“So soon?”
“I wake up at 5 every morning hyung. Why do you think we close by 3?”
“Oh.” Seokjin’s shoulders slump. “But I wanted to stay the night.”
“Some other time.” Jungkook presses a kiss to his temple. “I promise, okay? I’ll make some time for you.”
“Alright, baby.” He sighs. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Take care, stay safe.”
Seokjin kisses his boyfriend one last time tonight, and lets him lead him to the lift. As he goes down, he sighs at his reflection in the mirrored walls. He’s so in love with Jungkook, it makes him look stupid, and that’s all he’s ever wanted in life.
The next day, he visits In Bloom right after their lunch break ends. It’s been a while since he dropped by, so when he walks in, he’s met with mixed reactions. Hoseok looks like he’s about to collapse, Namjoon is confused, and Yoongi just seems relieved he’s still alive.
“Hyung!” Namjoon blinks. “You’re here! I thought something bad happened to you.”
“It did.” Seokjin says solemnly. “Had a major magic drain, I passed out for two days.”
“You were gone for longer than that, though.” Yoongi frowns.
“Just one extra day! I had some work to do — you guys aren’t the only busy people around. But I feel guilty for bailing so I wanted to make it up for you. How about some cupcakes from Sweeter Than Sweet? It’s on me.”
“They don’t even charge you for it, but free food is free food.” He gets to his feet, and looks at Namjoon and Hoseok. “C’mon guys, I want dessert.”
“Yes!” Seokjin pumps his fist, and leads them towards the bakery. It’s almost 2, so it’s mostly empty now. There’s a couple of customers, and Taehyung is packing up some food for them, while Jimin and Jungkook are lounging at one of the tables.
“Hyung!” Jimin beams, and looks at everyone behind him. “I see your friends are here. Hey Yoongi, hey Hoseok — oh who’s that?”
“I’m Namjoon.” He waves. “Hi.”
The customers leave, and Taehyung leans against the counter. “Hey, Namjoon, gosh, you’re so pretty.” He twirls his hair as he says it. “Where has Seokjin been hiding you all this while?”
Seokjin glances at Jimin, and sees that he’s fluttering his lashes dramatically at Namjoon. These two are impossible. Namjoon seems befuddled by this sudden attention, but he doesn’t seem to hate it entirely.
“Oh—oh, I just don’t eat desserts very often, so I never came here.” He stutters, and glances at the rows of treats on display. “I think I might start now, though.”
“Ah, we lost Joonie to them.” Seokjin shakes his head. “Whatever. Jungkook, since you’re the only sane one here, why don’t you get some cupcakes for my friends here? Get the best ones you have.”
“We’re almost sold out now, but I think I can find something for them. Hold, please.” He gets up from his seat, and shoves past Taehyung so he can rummage through their display, and see what they have left. He picks up three cupcakes and puts them on different plates. “Alright, I have a peach moscato cupcake, this one is strawberry champagne, and that’s cherry coke.”
“Cherry coke?” Yoongi eyes it apprehensively.
“Tastes better than it sounds, trust me.”
“I’ll try it!” Hoseok reaches out, and grabs it. He eats half of it in one go, and his eyes light up. “Oh, Yoongi, this is so good! Here—” He holds it up for Yoongi, who takes a careful bite out of it.
“Wow, damn, it’s actually not that bad.”
“That’s amazing coming from Yoongi.” Seokjin explains.
“Shut it. They’re going to think I’m an asshole.” He rolls his eyes, and dives for the strawberry champagne one. “This is great too! Seokie, try it.” He lets Hoseok get a taste, and his immediate reaction is to clap. They devour the cupcakes in one go, and look at the peach moscato forlornly.
“C’mon, I can guarantee you it’s going to be good.” Jungkook assures.
“No, no, it’s not that.” Hoseok sighs. “I wanted to keep that for Namjoon—” he looks to his side, where Namjoon was standing not too long ago. “Wait, where is he?”
The four of them do a quick visual sweep, and see him sitting at a table in the darkest corner of the store, with Taehyung and Jimin on either side of him. None of them have any idea when they slipped past, but right now, the two of them are tittering softly, and rubbing his arms. Namjoon laughs nervously, but he’s also allowing them to touch him like that, and maybe even leaning into it.
“Well, he seems preoccupied.” Yoongi comments.
“You can have the cupcake if you want, it’s fine.” Jungkook pushes the plate in their direction. “Seokjin hyung has done a lot for us, and he’s definitely worth more than three cupcakes.”
“Thank you!” Hoseok grabs the cupcake, breaks it in half, and gives one side to Yoongi, while he scarves the other down.
Jungkook’s eyes shine with joy. “You two are so nice, I wish Seokjin hyung would appreciate it with half the enthusiasm you have.”
“Oh, you don’t think I appreciate you enough?” Seokjin raises an eyebrow.
“No,” Jungkook saunters from the back, and stands in front of Seokjin. “I don’t think you do.”
“Really? How’s this for appreciation?” Without another word, he seizes the front of Jungkook’s shirt, and yanks him towards himself so that they’re kissing. Seokjin curls his fingers around his jawline, and pulls him even closer. Jungkook’s hands ghost at the hem of his shirt, and Seokjin would probably let him go further if they weren’t in public.
And on that note, he stops the kiss just to look at Yoongi and Hoseok’s reaction. Both of their jaws are hanging open, and neither of them can say anything.
Namjoon is the one to make the obnoxiously loud comment of, “You’re dating?!” from behind, which makes Seokjin and Jungkook burst out laughing.
“Yeah, we are.” Seokjin confirms, holding his boyfriend's waist.
“Man, the one time I try not to listen to your thoughts and this is what I get hit with.” Hoseok screams. “We didn’t see you for three days! And you were passed out for two of them. When did this happen?”
“The third day.” Jungkook answers, and laughs like it’s the funniest joke in the world.
“This is why we can’t take our eyes off of you for more than one day. We look away, and boom, you have a boyfriend.”
“We looked away from Namjoon for five minutes and he has two boyfriends.” Seokjin points out.
“They’re not my boyfriends!” He protests. “Yet.”
“Just give it a few minutes.” Jimin says in a sing-song. “We’re getting there.”
“Uh-huh.” Yoongi looks absolutely horrified by them, so he turns his attention back to Jungkook and Seokjin. “Anyway, would you like to enlighten us on how you two happened?”
“It was pretty simple.” Seokjin points up at the Cupid flying above. “I had a little help from my friend up there. Got it to shoot me a little arrow, and I was pouring my heart out.”
“Is it going to shoot an arrow at me now?” Hoseok asks nervously.
“…yeah I see what Taehyung and Jimin meant about customers being scared of that.”
“Hey, lay off of Seokie!” Yoongi says protectively. “He’s just scared of everything.”
“I am—” Hoseok starts to agree, but then he thinks about it a little longer. "Wait, what ?”
“I’m sorry, but it’s true. It’s a flying baby, it’s so cute! An obvious product of capitalism, but a cute one nonetheless. How can you be scared of it?”
Hoseok pouts at Yoongi, and it earns him a kiss on the nose. Jungkook touches his charm bracelet, which makes the bunny pop out, and hop over his shoulder. He glances back at his friends with Namjoon, and then at Seokjin.
“Hyung, hyung,” he breathes out. “It’s I know it's not even Valentine’s yet, but the love in the air… can you feel it?”
“Yeah,” Seokjin looks at Jungkook, and kisses the corner of his mouth. “I feel it, baby.”