Were Dripping In It

We’re Dripping In It

Chapter 9: Begin

When the storm of emotion had passed from their hard conversation, Namjoon and Jungkook made themselves more comfortable across the couch. Jungkook held no hesitation as he laid himself against Namjoon’s side and started fiddling with the small buttons on the man’s white shirt.

It took a moment before Namjoon wrapped his arm around Jungkook’s shoulders and laid a hand on his arm. Then began to slowly run his fingers through Jungkook’s long hair while he asked all his questions about Namjoon’s hidden empire.

“Is anyone else I know evolved in this?” He asks, his head tilted against Namjoon’s chest to look at his face. Basking in the feeling of the man’s fingers running through his hair.

Namjoon chuckles, “Unfortunately most of the people you know are, given enough time we probably would have met under very different circumstances.”

Jungkook raised his head in shock, “Yoongi-hyung?”

“He’s my Second in Command.”

“Taehyung-hyung?”

“He’s the best hacker in the entire underground. If he wasn’t so attached to us, I’d have a hard time keeping the other companies away from him.”

“Surely Hobi-hyung isn’t involved.”

Namjoon nodded solemnly, “I’m afraid so, he’s our main trainer for new recruits. He puts everyone through the wringer, both on and off the dance floor. He’s also the best tracker in the business.”

“Jimin-hyung?” Jungkook asked hesitantly, groaning at Namjoon’s nod and thumping his head on the man’s chest.

“He’s our best scout, no one can get information from rival companies like he can.” Namjoon hummed, chuckling at Jungkook’s groan.

Jungkook lifted his head, “Then what is he doing at my campus? What? You send your best scout to get a contemporary dance degree for funsies?”

Namjoon chuckled and shook his head, “No, we got intel that one of the college professors at your school is an escaped operative from the company that killed your father. We may have taken over Seoul but there’s still a few stragglers that escaped the carnage. Jimin was sent to find him and gather information before we took him down.”

“And you thought posing him as a dance student would be the best course of action?” Jungkook asks incredulously, scrunching his brows. “Why not a computer major or a math major or something like that?”

Namjoon shrugs, “I didn’t choose his major, I just gave him the parameters of the mission. He must have seen some logic in the choice, or just wanted to have some fun while he was there.”

“What a life he leads to be able to go to college for fun,” Jungkook muses with a pout, making Namjoon laugh and pat his head consolingly.

“You have no idea how many times I nearly burst out laughing when one of your hyungs shot me a look over your shoulder.” Namjoon chuckles, running his fingers through his hair again. “I don’t know how they were able to keep the secret from you, they are not subtle at all.”

“Don’t make me feel worse about being the only one out of the loop?” He moans before joining Namjoon’s laughter at his childish whining. “What did Jin-hyung do when he was with you?”

“He was the best marksman we’ve ever had and an even better escape artist. If he hadn’t disappeared, he would’ve been in my Inner Circle and trained my men.” Namjoon says, a wistful pride in his voice. “It’s extremely fortunate that you made friends with my entire Inner Circle, before meeting me. They are twice as protective of you than they are of me. Yoongi-hyung gave me quite the earful when he learned I was meeting you. I’m just glad I didn’t get the shovel talk from Tae,” he shivered at the thought, making Jungkook giggle.

“That’s because Tae knows you won’t do anything, Namjoon-ah.” The pair looked up to see Yoongi standing in the doorway with his arms crossed, a deadpan look on his face. “He doesn’t need to give you the shovel talk, he’ll just get his shovel the day you truly fuck up.”

Namjoon gulped audibly, “Good to know, hyung.”

“The pair of you seriously,” Jungkook sassed, sitting up as Yoongi made his way across the room and sat down in an armchair. “I am not a child you know.”

“No, you are our child,” Yoongi countered, pouring himself a glass of whiskey, waving off Namjoon’s protests to pour it for him. Yoongi’s eyes dance over the small injuries on Jungkook’s face and wrists, then down to the medical box on the coffee table. He breathes a sigh of relief, “Good work Namjoon, on getting Jungkook-ah so quickly, I did not want to call on Tae just yet. He would have torn that place apart, I assume Joon has given you his self-deprecating speech about our line of work.”

“Asian mafia and cause of my father’s death, yes.” Jungkook said with a nod, grinning as he heard Namjoon choke on air.

Yoongi choked on his whiskey and stared at the pair with wide eyes, “Excuse me?”

“Jungkook is the second son of Jang-ssi,” Namjoon explains, pouring himself a glass of whiskey as well. “Seokjin is his older brother.”

“Ah, so your Jin-hyung is that Jeon Seokjin, guess we’ll never be completely rid of the bastard now,” Yoongi chuckles. “He’s not gonna be happy about this development.”

Namjoon groaned at the thought and took a sip of his whiskey, he offered one to Jungkook who shook his head. “How long do I have till he storms my doorstep to steal you back?”

“Jin-hyung is traveling at the moment, after our mother passed away last year he said he wanted to see a bit of the world before settling down somewhere.” Jungkook informed him, smirking at Namjoon’s sigh of relief. “I think he said he was in Morocco when we last talked on the phone.”

Yoongi and Namjoon both froze mid-sip of their whiskeys, looked at each other then at Jungkook, who eyed them both in confusion.

“You don’t think…” Namjoon started but cut off at Yoongi’s nod and groaned loudly, swallowing down his whiskey in one go. “Damn that man.”

“What?” Jungkook asked, looking back and forth between the pair of them.

“You tell him, I need something stronger.” Namjoon groaned, waving at Yoongi as he stood and walked over to his liquor cabinet and began sorting through the bottles of aged whiskey.

Yoongi sighed as he places his glass down on the table and starts to refill it before leveling a look at Jungkook, “Has Joon told you which territories in South Korea we operate in?”

Jungkook shakes his head, side eyeing Namjoon as he tosses back another shot of whiskey at the liquor cabinet without even flinching.

“We currently mainly operate within Seoul, but we also control Ilsan, Busan, Gangwon, Icheon, N. Gyeongsang, and Daegu. We also have contacts outside of Korea but no territories, mostly contracts with outside companies that sell and trade stock with us exclusively. One of those trades is in Morocco. Has Seokjin mentioned any other locations that he’s been to? How long has he been gone?” Yoongi asks, swirling his glass of whiskey in his hand.

“He only left last week, he only told me when he landed but he didn’t mention where else he was going to go.” Jungkook answered, the pieces were starting to form in his mind of where Yoongi was going with this.

“Good,” Yoongi nodded. “Then we haven’t been compromised yet, he probably hasn’t even started whatever he’s planned. What I’m guessing is that Seokjin went to Morocco with the purpose of shutting down our contact there. For what reason I could only guess, but we need to put a stop to it as soon as we can.”

“And by that you mean…” Jungkook eyed his hyung up and down to ascertain what he planned to do with his brother.

“Find him and bring him back here,” Namjoon interjected, returning to his seat next to Jungkook. “Alive, preferably in handcuffs.”

“I wouldn’t harm your hyung on purpose, Jungkook,” Yoongi said gently, running a hand through his blonde hair. “The man was irritating to no end, but in the loosest terms he was our friend. We’ll have less success with him not pulling a gun on us.”

“Why do you think he’s wanting to compromise your overseas contacts?” Jungkook asked, grasping for a reason why his brother would be over there in the first place.

Yoongi shrugged, “Seokjin was a vengeful motherfucker, perhaps he’s still not forgiven Joon for what happened to his, and your, father. And now wants to slowly dismantle his empire from the outside.”

“That doesn’t make any sense, it’s been years, no one can hold a grudge for that long.” Namjoon groaned, rubbing his face. “Please tell me that your mother didn’t die in a company related incident, Jungkook.”

Jungkook shook his head, “No, she had cancer. Stage four brain cancer, the doctors caught it too late but she passed peacefully in her sleep.”

Namjoon muttered a quiet ‘thank god’ before realizing what he just said and started profusely apologizing to Jungkook, who just laughed at the poor man and patted his shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it, babe, I’m glad you didn’t inadvertently cause another one of my parents' deaths either.” Jungkook chuckled as Namjoon blanched at him.

Yoongi chuckled, “Keeps you on your toes, doesn’t he Joon?”

“You have no idea,” Namjoon sighed happily, gazing adoringly at Jungkook before turning to his Second in Command. “We should start with contacting the Saharan Conduit and inform them to be on the lookout for Seokjin but not to engage. I’m sure they’ve had eyes on him as soon as he landed there.”

Yoongi nodded and pulled out his phone, “Should I call the rest of our boys as well?”

“Might as well, the sooner we deal with this the better. He’s already been there a week, that’s long enough in my opinion.” Namjoon sighed, pulling his suit jacket off and placing it behind him before rolling up his white suit shirt sleeves, exposing his firm honeyed forearms for Jungkook to ogle. “Hopefully we won’t have to go and get him ourselves.”

As soon as Taehyung entered the office, he was in front of Jungkook taking the younger man’s face in his hands as he inspected the red mark on it then gasping at the rope burns on his wrists.

“What the hell happened to my baby!” He exclaimed, his eyes turning deadly as he looked at Namjoon.

“I didn’t do it!” Namjoon yells at once, raising his hands in surrender, his eyes wide and fearful as he rushes to explain. “The Stray Kids Gang got a hold of him, I went and got him out.”

Taehyung fixes his eyes on Yoongi, “I want them disbanded by tomorrow. Our little experiment with them is over, they're lucky I’m not asking for their heads.”

Yoongi nods and steps over from his chair and places a hand on his husband’s shoulder, ignoring Jungkook’s whine at being babied by his hyung. “Namjoon-ah put ointment on them already, they’ll heal up in no time.”

Taehyung nods at his husband’s reassurance, taking a seat next to Jungkook on the couch, holding tightly to one of his hands. Yoongi sits on the arm of the couch next to Taehyung and runs a soothing hand through his husband’s hair. Jungkook squeezes his hyung’s hand in reassurance, reminding him silently that he’s safe.

Jimin and Hobi take seats across the couch, pulling their chairs closer to create a more intimate circle. They all look to Namjoon to start and the man clears his throat before speaking.

“Thank you all for coming at such short notice and late in the night,” He began gently. “A situation has been brought to our attention that needs immediate resolution. Jeon Seokjin has been in Morocco for the last nine days, near the Saharan Conduit. The objective is to bring him back to Korea alive and relatively unharmed.”

Groans sounded through the room at the mention of Seokjin’s name, Hobi got to his feet and grabbed himself a glass of whiskey before sitting back down. Taehyung glanced over at Yoongi and the two of them had a silent conversation with their eyes before turning back to the rest of the men.

“Has he been in contact with any of their members?” Jimin asked, the only one not to have a strong reaction to Seokjin’s name. Leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, his fingers intertwined under his chin as he gazed at Namjoon.

“No,” Yoongi answered, placing his phone on the coffee table for them to look at the messages he’s been sending. “Our contact said that Seokjin has made no move to speak with any of their members, even the ones that are undercover. Somehow he’s been able to evade all of their forces over the past nine days, but they have eyes on him. That’s all they have.”

“So, he’s rusty or he’s playing with them about his movements.” Hobi observed, tapping his chin in thought. “Do we know what his objective is?”

Namjoon shook his head, “We only have guesses at this point. According to our contact, Seokjin has made no demands or moves against their company, as of yet. They’ve only kept an eye on him because his name is on their records.”

“Are the Saharans making any demands on his capture?” Hobi asked, glancing down at the phone on the table but not picking it up.

“Yes,” Yoongi sighed. “They want an additional supply of one hundred kilos of Ecstasy in trade. As well as a member of the Inner Circle to deliver it to their doorstep and escort Seokjin off their hands.”

No sounds of protests were made to their demands, Namjoon simply sat forward and placed his chin in his hand as he thought over it. He looked over at Hobi, who nodded at the silent question in his leader’s eyes.

“Very well,” Namjoon sighed, leaning back with his arm across the back of the couch behind Jungkook’s shoulders. “Hoseok will be on point and deliver their demands, once they offer proof that they’ve apprehended Seokjin and have him under lock and key, unharmed. I want to make it clear to them that they lose ten kilos for every cut, scrap, or bruise they inflict on him. He’s going to put up a fight, but I don’t want him bleeding on my carpets when he comes.”

“And if they kill him?” Yoongi asks, glancing at Jungkook’s tense body. He reaches a hand around Taehyung to pat Jungkook’s shoulder lightly.

“Then they get the same fate as the Seoul Empire, be sure to remind them what happened to them when they crossed us.” Namjoon said coldly, receiving a nod from everyone around the room.

“Jungkook,” the room froze as Namjoon turned to the man sitting beside him. “Do you have anything to add or any questions?”

Jungkook looked as shocked as anyone to be addressed in such a serious matter. “Me?” He squeaked.

Namjoon nodded gently, a small smile on his face, “He is your brother after all, you more than anyone should be involved in bringing him home.”

“Oh,” Jungkook breathed, “If my brother is as good as you are alluding to, what is your backup plan for if he escapes and running loose in Morocco? At the moment we have the element of surprise, that’ll change after the Saharans confront him.”

Namjoon nodded in approval and hums from his other hyungs around the room made Jungkook blush from the praise.

“That’s why we are sending Hobi to deliver the goods,” Namjoon explains. “As the best tracker in our unit, he’ll be able to find him in less than 24 hours, even if Seokjin had a five day head start. Taehyung will be on point here at base to give detailed instructions as they’re needed. Cameras are the way of the world after all and Hobi will be taking our unmanned drones with him. This isn’t our first manhunt.”

Jungkook nodded, “Who's going to be the backup for Hobi-hyung in case he runs into trouble? I have a feeling that my brother is going to expect that you’ll send him first.”

“Without knowing the level of their skill sets, who would you suggest going as backup?” Yoongi asks, his expression open to whatever Jungkook had to say. It overwhelmed him a bit, to be so trusted with something so important as their lives.

“Jimin-hyung,” Jungkook answers after a moment and he gets nods of approval for it, even from the man himself who smirks in delight.

“Good choice, Seokjin has never met Jimin. He joined shortly after Seokjin left, so anything that Jimin does will catch him off guard.” Namjoon says proudly, placing a hand on the back of Jungkook’s neck and giving it a gentle squeeze. He smirks as he feels Jungkook’s small excited shudder under his hand before dropping it. “Any more questions or concerns? From anyone?”

Namjoon looks at each member of his Inner Circle as they give him gentle shakes of the head, no one protests their current plans.

“Very well then, get some rest, we’ll start tomorrow. The guest rooms have been prepared for you.” Namjoon says standing to his feet and offering his hand to Jungkook, smiling widely when the younger man takes it without hesitation.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, kiddos!” Jimin teases as Namjoon leads him out of the office and down the hall. A loud smack sounds in the room. “Ow, Hobi, that hurt!”

“Shut up Jimin, stop teasing Kookie.” Hobi grumbles, an indigent yelp is heard in reply.

“Hobi do we need to have another talk about laying your hands on Jiminie?” Taehyung asks sweetly, Jungkook could almost hear Hobi’s gulp before he was led out of ear shot as Namjoon tugs him further through the house.

Jungkook barely registers the long hallways filled with doors and wide windows that look out into the night sky. The adrenaline from the day is slowly starting to wear off and leaving him feeling sleepy as Namjoon’s warm hand guides him. They came to the end of the hallway with two matching doors on either side of a window nook. Namjoon opens the right door and gestures for Jungkook to enter.

The room is modest, but barren of character, the walls a warm cream with white drapes over the windows. The bed sits in the middle of the room and has an earthy green comforter on it. The only light eliminating the room are the two Tiffany lamps on either side of the bed. But all Jungkook cares about is how comfortable that bed looks right now.

“I know you must be dying to go to sleep, but could you give me a moment to grab you some clean clothes.” Namjoon says softly then points to the door to the right side of the bed, “That’s the bathroom, feel free to wash up. I’ll place the clothes on the bed. My room is right across from yours, if you need me don’t hesitate to knock.”

“Thank you Namjoon,” Jungkook whispered, turning to face the man in the doorway. “Thank you for everything.”

Namjoon smiles, his dimples popping beautifully on his face, “Of course, sweetheart, it's the least I could do.” Jungkook opened his mouth to protest but Namjoon held a hand up to stop him. “I’m sure you can argue with me all night long, but it's been a long day and you need rest. We can continue this in the morning.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Jungkook swore, making Namjoon roll his eyes and mutter ‘I’m sure you will’ under his breath as he closed the door behind him.

Jungkook chuckled under his breath and made his way to the bathroom, he switched the light on and blinked in shock at the size of the room. There was a double sink, a free standing claw tub under a low window, and a glass enclosed shower. Jungkook whistles quietly at the white marble throughout the room, before turning on the shower. He stripped himself of his dirty clothes, dumping them in a pile before stepping into the warm water.

The tension in his shoulders instantly begins to melt as a heated blast of water hits his skin. He tilts his head to allow his hair to get thoroughly soaked, allowing the water to run down his face. He tries not to let the memories of the day run through his head as he washes himself from top to bottom, but the little reminders on his body keep it close to the forefront.

The rope burns on his wrists, the stinging of his cheek, and the slight burn in his nose from the chemical he had breathed in that knocked him out. His hands shake slightly as he remembers the harsh rope against his skin. The sound of dripping water that was in the background of the dank room. The scrapping of metal as Bangchan dragged the cork-board across the room. And those pictures, all those intimate moments between him and Namjoon, that had shaken him the most.

The memories weren’t exactly tainted, now that he knew someone had been watching him but he felt as if, even now, there was nowhere safe for him. He tries to shake the thought away as he turned off the water and stepped into the steaming bathroom.

Of course he was safe here, he reasoned to himself, this was Namjoon’s house, no one would dare enter without his knowledge. He ran a towel through his hair, repeating to himself that he was safe, safe in Namjoon’s home.

He kept the mantra going in his mind as he wrapped a towel around his waist and pulled a new toothbrush from under the sink. He stares at himself in the mirror as he rapidly scrubs his teeth, eyeing the faintly red mark on his cheek. He hoped the ointment Namjoon put on it would keep it from bruising too much.

His reflection in the mirror also showed how much he needed a good night’s sleep. There were dark purple bags under his eyes, too many nights of late studying on top of his performances at D-Town. And his skin was paler under the warm lighting.

He stepped out of the bathroom, towel still around his waist, to see a pair of sweatpants, a large t-shirt, and a clean pair of boxers on the bed. Jungkook’s stomach bubbled with warmth at Namjoon’s simple gesture, he pulled the clothes onto his body and was instantly covered in the man’s familiar scent. He placed the towel back in the bathroom, switched off all the lights, and slipped into the bed.

There was no clock to watch the minutes tick by in the room, all he could stare at was the dark canopy above him. Even with the heaviness behind his eyelids and the softness of the mattress just coaxing him into sleep, he couldn’t. He tossed and turned trying to make himself fall asleep.

Finally he huffed, sat straight up, and threw the covers off. He swung his legs off the bed, debating back and forth as he made his way towards the door. It opened without a sound and he looked out into the dimly lit hall. Namjoon’s door was slightly ajar, spilling a beam of light from inside out onto the floor. He stared at it for a moment, took a deep breath then walked towards it and knocked lightly on the door frame.

“Come in, Jungkook-ah,” Namjoon called softly.

Jungkook nodded to himself and pushed the door open, the room was everything and nothing like he was expecting. There was a record player under the window with piles of vinyls leaning against the stand and on the window seat. There were bookshelves lining almost every wall from floor to ceiling, covered in books of all sizes and colors. And plants, there were all sorts of little plants all throughout the room.

The bed, large with a dark green comforter, mirrored the spot from Jungkook’s room. Namjoon sat atop the bed, nearest the door, now dressed in loose sweats and a t-shirt with a book in hand and dark rimmed glasses on his face. He looked at Jungkook in question as he entered the room.

“Couldn’t sleep,” Jungkook explained, rubbing his arm nervously. “Could I…”

Namjoon patted the spot next to him on the bed wordlessly and Jungkook wasted no time crossing the room and burying himself under the covers next to him. He scooted as close as he dared to where Namjoon was sitting, already feeling much better in the man’s presence.

“Worried about your brother?” Namjoon asked, still flicking through his book slowly.

Jungkook shook his head, he wanted to tell Namjoon what exactly was bothering him but the words just wouldn’t come out. Namjoon blinked for a moment then set his book aside, pulling his glasses off as well and set them on top of the hard cover. He reached over and ran a hand through Jungkook’s damp hair.

“That warehouse really shook you up didn’t it, little one.” Namjoon guessed softly, exhaling gruffly at Jungkook’s nod.

“It was… it was the photographs that really bothered me.” He whispered, swallowing back the lump that was building in his throat.

Namjoon hummed in realization, “That bothered me as well, does it help to know that the man who took them will never be able to hold a camera in his life again?”

Jungkook grimaced at the implied image but nodded, “It does, oddly enough.”

Namjoon hummed, “How can I help you sleep, little one?”

“Can you… can you just… hold me, please?” Jungkook whispered, clutching the sheet tightly in his fists.

“Oh sweetheart, you never have to beg me for that.” Namjoon soothed, immediately moving to lay down next to Jungkook and pull him into his arms. “There we go, just let me be your strength for right now, you can let go. It’s just us here, just you and me.”

Namjoon’s soothing words broke the dam within Jungkook, he broke into wracking sobs and clutched onto Namjoon’s shirt like a lifeline. Namjoon’s arms were tight around his body and he stroked his hair as the tears flowed down his cheeks.

The last thing that Jungkook remembered before he fell into an exhaustive sleep was Namjoon’s plush lips pressing against his forehead and a whisper of ‘Sleep now baby, I’ve got you’.

We’re Dripping In It

Prologue: Magic Shop

The day Jeon Jungkook’s life turned completely upside down, he was running late for class. He had no thoughts in his head beyond his pounding feet on the concrete streets of Seoul. He turned down an alleyway, hoping that it would cut through the rows of buildings faster. The scene he stumbled upon froze him in his tracks.

It should have made Jungkook run, it should make him scream in fear. The sight of blood should at least make him a bit queasy, but he feels none of these things. He barely feels any surprise as the towering man glares at him over his whimpering victim.

He was late, bloody knuckles and whimpering cries be damned, he was late.

“May I pass?” He asked, gesturing to the street just beyond the dark alley. “I’m late for class.”

The glaring man’s face twists in confusion, he stares down at Jungkook for a moment, probably taking in his paint splattered jeans, rumpled t-shirt, and beaten black backpack. Jungkook doesn’t shift on his feet as the man’s dark eyes scrutinize him. He simply waits to see if he will be free to attend his photography class today or if he’ll be joining the whimpering man on the cold asphalt.

“Why aren’t you wearing a jacket?”

Jungkook jerks at the man’s question, his voice is much deeper than he had expected.

“Ah.. forgot, I was in a rush.” He explains, feeling thoroughly chastised when the man clicks his tongue in response.

The man tosses his victim to the ground and takes two long, sure strides towards Jungkook. In one swoop he takes off his large leather jacket and places it around Jungkook’s shoulders.

“But you’ll get cold,” Jungkook protests, as the man zips the jacket up for him. This seems to amuse the man because he simply chuckles as he backs away.

“Don’t worry about me, little one, I won’t be out for much longer. Run along to class now.” He says in a low tone, before giving a swift kick to his crawling victim before he gets too far.

Jungkook gives a hasty bow and quiet ‘thank you’ before continuing his way through the alley, slipping his arms through the jacket as he walks. It’s still warm from the man’s body heat and there’s a scent to it that makes Jungkook want to burrow into the collar. He denies himself the pleasure and keeps his steady pace towards the main road leaving the groaning sounds behind him.

Once his feet hit the sun kissed pavement, his mind returns to the urgency of getting to class. He frantically looks for a familiar street before choosing the right direction to head in. The university campus is only five blocks away and he books it, taking no notice of the passing cars or pedestrians until he’s huffing up the steps towards the Visual Arts wing.

Jimin is typing furiously on his phone at the entrance and glares at Jungkook when he throws the doors open.

“You almost made me late! Why weren’t you answering your phone?” He demands as he huffs to catch up to Jungkook’s steady stride towards their class.

“Forgot to charge it last night.” Jungkook answers as they slide into the room and take their seats. The bell rings for attendance and Jungkook gives a great sigh of relief to have made it in time.

“Where did you get that jacket? I’ve never seen you wear that one.” Jimin whispers to him as assignments are passed out by the TA and the professor starts his lecture on camera lighting.

Jungkook is so deep in his frantic notes that he barely registers Jimin’s question, he blinks in thought for a moment before replying, “Ran into a dude on my way to class, I forgot my jacket and he gave me his. Said he didn’t want me to be cold.”

“Oooohhh,” Jimin whistles lowly, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. “Was he hot? Did you get his number?”

Jungkook’s mind fills with the man’s tall build. The way his broad shoulders had filled the black turtleneck he had been wearing. His handsome face that Jungkok could only glimpse in the shadowed alleyway and his dark alluring dragon-like eyes.

The unbidden image of the man he had under him; beaten, bruised, and bleeding, comes to the forefront of his mind. He tries to shake the image as he replies to Jimin’s question, “Couldn’t really tell, it was kinda dark and happened so fast. So no, I didn’t get his number.”

“Shame,” Jimin sighs and thankfully drops the subject.

Jungkook has less success driving the mysterious man out of his head for the remainder of class. When the bell rings he jolts in his seat in surprise making Jimin cackle in delight.

“Come on, lover boy, let’s go bother Hobi-hyung at his dance studio.” Jimin teases as he drags him from his chair, ignoring his groans of protest.

“Why are you making me third wheel your flirting attempts with hyung?” Jungkook moaned but was ignored as Jimin kept his fast pace towards the dance studio across campus. He sighed in resignation and mentally hoped he wouldn’t miss his evening class because of Jimin-hyung’s dick.

Hoseok and Jimin were so wrapped up in their flirting that they didn’t even notice Jungkook slip out the door. He sat in his mandatory BioChem lecture wondering for the millionth time why it was a required credit for a Visual Arts major.

After an hour and a half of droning on and on, Professor Chan finally released them into the night. The stars twinkled above Jungkook’s head as he walked across the empty campus green. His breath fluttered in front of him as he digs his hands into the borrowed jacket. It keeps him warm for the entirety of his walk to his apartment.

Jungkook glances down the alleyway as he passes, not surprised to find it empty under the lamplight. He shuffles away still reeling slightly from the scene he had stumbled upon that morning. He bounds up the stone steps of his complex and tries not to cough at the strong smells of cigarettes and weed as he makes his way down the hallways to his apartment door.

The dingy room flutters under the harsh yellow lighting, the aging building quakes under his feet with the movement of the nearby subway. Jungkook barely takes notice of either of these, a common occurrence in the single room apartment he could afford near the campus. He places his backpack on the lone chair and fishes around in his cupboard for anything that resembles food.

A single packet of Jin Ramen is all that's left and he bemoans the lack of funds in his bank account for a grocery run. He prepares the ramen with practice ease then sits down at his shaky table with it. With the hot ramen set on the table, he begins working on the loads of homework between mouthfuls of noodles. Taking more care than usual as he ate to avoid any drops getting on the leather jacket.

The apartment is cold, almost as cold as the outside streets, he reasoned that’s why he kept the jacket on even now. But with his bed calling to him hours later he couldn’t put it off any longer. He slips the jacket off, shivering as the cold air hits his bare skin, and places it on the back of his chair.

He quells the urge to poke around through the jacket as he gets ready for bed, even though there’s no place in the tiny apartment that he can’t see it dangling. It seemed to mock him as he slipped on a long sleeve shirt and thick sweatpants from his portable wardrobe and as he stood in his half bathroom brushing his teeth. It’s only when he’s sitting on his mattress, the only decent piece of furniture in his whole apartment, that he gives into the curiosity and pulls it onto his lap.

Even though he knows the front two pockets are empty, he checks them anyway. There’s not even a hint of lint in them. Opening the jacket up he checks the inside pockets, expecting them to also be empty, but is pleasantly surprised to find a small notebook in the right side pocket. Setting it aside he checks for any other clues to the owner of it. Other than a little ‘RM’ in delicate white stitching on the inner neck of the jacket there’s nothing.

He sets the jacket back on his chair and picks up the small notebook, it’s also black leather and frayed around the edges. Taking a deep breath Jungkook tries to mentally prepare himself for the possible contents inside as he opens it. And it’s nothing that he’s expecting.

The handwriting is neat, if a bit scratchy and rushed as if the man was hurrying to write the words that came to his mind. At first Jungkook thinks they’re small poems, but the more he reads, he realizes that they’re song lyrics. Beautiful songs, full of emotions and meaning. There’s vague scratches throughout the pages to take or add words.

When Jungkook finally reaches the blank pages, it’s nearly completely full, he’s left feeling very confused about its owner. Of this mysterious RM. The man he met in that alley this morning and the man who wrote these words seemed to be worlds apart.

Jungkook has a hard time meshing the two together as he sets the notebook safely back inside of its pocket and tries to go to sleep. But the ghost of the man haunts him in his tossing and turning, his soft deep voice chases him into his dreams.

We’re Dripping In It

Chapter 3: Your Eyes Tell

Jungkook groans as he returns to the waking world, burying his head onto his pillow to block the sunlight. He shuffles a bit to get further into the blanket, making a noise of confusion when he feels a soft t-shirt brush against his skin. He blinks as he looks down to see a dark black band-tee instead of the low cut white one and he can feel his bare legs brushing against the sheets. One of his hyungs must have gotten out of his stage clothes after he fell asleep.

He groans in embarrassment at the memory of Namjoon carrying him to bed, smacking his forehead and muttering ‘I’m such an idiot’ under his breath. He should have known better than to drink alcohol straight after a performance, it always made him sleepy.

Sunlight pours out of the window, eliminating the room in a warm glow as he sits up running a hand through his ruffled hair. Smacking his lips he looks around and spots two notes sitting on the bed side table. Scrunching his brow he picks up the first note.

Kookie!

You did so great last night! So proud of you! Yoongles and I just headed out for some grocery shopping. Help yourself to any food in the fridge. Please stay over for dinner too! Hobi-hyung and Jiminie will be joining us tonight as well.

Love,

Tae

Jungkook chuckled at Taehyung’s rushed note, full of the man’s excited personality. He set the note down and picked up the second one, he was instantly more alert to the address written inside.

Little one,

Truly still very amazed by your performance last night. Your hyungs were very proud of you and I am as well. I hope we can see more of each other.

XXX call or text me at any time, I’ll always have time for you.

Namjoon

Jungkook felt a flutter in his gut as he read the note and saw the number written at the end. He forced himself to at least get some coffee before pulling out his phone to send a message to Namjoon. He started off with a simple ‘Good morning’ and a thank you for attending his performance last night and for the drink they shared. Jungkook felt a pang that he couldn’t say ‘thank you’ taking him safely to his hyungs last night, but he really didn’t want to embarrass himself further. The reply came almost instantly and his hot mug of coffee was abandoned for their back and forth conversation.

Yoongi and Taehyung returned home, laden with groceries in their arms, to find Jungkook giggling on their couch with his phone in hand.

“Glad to see that you’re making the most of your day off,” Yoongi commented lightly as he passed. Taehyung bolted to the kitchen and threw his bags down on the counter, ignoring Yoongi’s yelp of protest, and threw himself on the couch next to Jungkook.

“Who are you texting, Kookie? You’re blushing like a little virgin over there,” He teased, trying to snatch the phone from Jungkook’s hands to see the messages.

“No one, hyung, no one!” Jungkook squeaked, clutching the phone tight to his chest and burrowing himself into the couch away from Taehyung’s grabby hands.

“That doesn’t seem like no one!” He sang, trying to tickle Jungkook's sides to make him vulnerable and drop his phone. He did not succeed because a foot pressed hard against his chest, shoving him to the other side of the couch.

“Alright, you two! Knock it off!” Yoongi called from the kitchen, as the rough housing started to gravitate off of his couch. “Come and help hyung put these groceries away!”

“Coming!” Taehyung and Jungkook yelled together, but not before giving each other one last shove as they entered the kitchen.

“I married a child,” Yoongi bemoaned with a sigh, watching the pair with fond eyes.

While Taehyung and Yoongi started their usual playful bickering, Jungkook weaved around them placing the groceries they sporadically handed him into their cupboards. They continue their discussion even after everything is put away and Jungkook has gravitated back to the couch and powered up their video game console.

He ran through two matches on Overwatch before Taehyung plopped down next to him and demanded they play Mario Kart together. The hours ticked by as they played round after round. Jungkook mainly winning and Taehyung cackling when he finally did manage a win, until the sounds of Yoongi’s cooking filled the air.

“Hobi and Jimin will be here soon, so get off that game!” Yoongi called from the kitchen, just as a knock at the door to their apartment sounded through the room.

“I got it hyung!” Jungkook called, tossing his controller at Taehyung and leaping towards the door.

“JK!!!!” Hobi burst out as the door swung open, his arms held out for a hug.

“J-HOPE!” Jungkook replied by throwing his arms around his friend and ushering him inside.

“What am I?! Chopped liver?!” Jimin yelped indignantly at being left in the doorway.

“Close the door behind you Jimin-hyung!” Jungkook hollered back, laughing at his squawk of protest. Jimin grumbled under his breath as he entered the apartment and closed the door behind him.

Taehyung rose from his spot on the floor and went over to greet Jimin, pulling him in for a tight hug and kissing the side of his head. Jimin wraps his arms around Taehyung’s waist and buries his head into his chest. The pair have a brief whispered conversation before pulling away from each other and following Hobi and Jungkook into the kitchen.

“All you hooligans better help set up the table, since I married a useless mess of a husband that won’t even help me in the kitchen!” Yoongi barked as the four of them entered his space.

“You didn’t say you needed help Yoongles,” Taehyung squawked in protest and flittered over to Yoongi’s side to help him finish their dinner.

Hobi and Jimin went straight for the china cabinet and began pulling out the dishes from inside. Jungkook busied himself with the utensils and goblets, teetering behind Jimin as he placed the plates down.

By the time they finished setting up the table, Yoongi and Taehyung were bringing out the plates of food. Conversation flowed over the passing of dishes and pouring of drinks. Yoongi only began to dig in after seeing the angry scowl on Jungkook’s face, knowing like they all did that it meant that he really liked the food.

“Are we going to be seeing another JK performance anytime soon?” Jimin asked with an eyebrow wiggle, he yelped when Hobi smacked his arm.

“He just performed last night, what more do you want from the boy?” Hobi hissed, ignoring Jimin’s protest of ‘this is an abusive relationship’ with an eye roll. “Hyung is very proud of you, Jungkook-ah. You did very well last night, you’ve earned your rest.”

“Thank you hyung!” Jungkook cheered, raising his glass of beer to him.

“Truly Jungkook, everyone in that club was very impressed with you. If you had stayed out longer, instead of running off to the VIP section, you would’ve heard the cheers for an encore.” Yoongi teased with a sly smile.

Jimin sat up in interest, “You went up to the VIP section, Kook? Why? Did you have a hot date?”

Jungkook ducked his head away from the prying eyes of his hyungs but nodded shyly. The table chuckled as they spied the blush blooming on Jungkook’s face and the pout growing on his lips for being teased. Jungkook tugged at his earlobes in embarrassment as his hyungs cooed at him.

“Is that who you’ve been texting all day?” Taehyung cooed, pointing excitedly at Jungkook’s phone on the table.

He nodded again and took a sip of his beer, “He’s nice, I invited him to come to the show the day before. I wasn’t expecting him to reserve time in the VIP section.”

“I hope you at least got a name,” Jimin teased, poking the boy’s ribs.

“Of course I did,” Jungkook scoffed, batting Jimin’s hand away. “His name is Namjoon, I didn’t get a family name.”

Yoongi shrugged, “Some people are private like that, I’m sure he has his reasons. He’s been to our club before, good customer. Never had any complaints about him from staff.”

“I wonder why I’ve never seen him before then?” Jungkook wondered out loud.

“He usually came on the days you weren’t on shift,” Yoongi explained with a shrug as he raised his whiskey to his lips. “He’s more of a morning person anyway.”

There seemed to be a bit of a private joke in that phrase, which Jungkook doesn’t understand but he’s distracted by Jimin and Taehyung’s teasing remarks before he can look too closely at it. They spent the rest of the night trying to whittle out any information they could from him about Namjoon, while Yoongi and Hobi huddled at the end of the table deep in conversation.

When Jimin and Taehyung couldn’t gather any more from Jungkook, they dragged him into the living room and powered up the games again. They sat huddled on the floor in front of the TV, periodically elbowing each other’s sides as they kicked each other off the map in the game. While Yoongi and Hobi sat themselves down on the couch behind them.

After they played their tenth round of Mario Kart, Yoongi clapped his hands to get their attention.

“Alright kiddos, time for bed!” He teased, chuckling at their groans of protest. “Pretty sure at least two of you have classes tomorrow, need to get plenty of rest for it. Hobi, Jimin-ah, you’re free to use our empty apartments downstairs. The renters moved out last week, but they’re fully furnished if you don’t want to make the journey home tonight.”

Yoongi waved off any of their protests, stole Hobi and Jimin’s car keys, and told Taehyung to show them to the apartments for the night.

“You like having us over, don’t you hyung.” Jungkook teased as he helped the older man clean up the piles of dishes from dinner.

“What makes you say that, Jungkook-ah?” Yoongi dismisses with a dry look that makes Jungkook chuckle.

“Hey! That’s my job, sho sho, you know the rules of this house.” Taehyung protested, batting Jungkook away from the sink and taking over the dishwashing. “You have class in the morning, go get some sleep.”

“Night hyungs!” Jungkook called over his shoulder as he headed back to the guest room.

“Night Kookie!” Taehyung coos back, smacking Yoongi’s shoulder when the man says a simple ‘goodnight’ before trying to leave Taehyung to do the dishes alone. “Come back here, Yoons. I helped you cook, now help me clean.”

“I did most of the cooking,” Yoongi protests. “You only helped after I called you out on playing video games.”

Jungkook chuckled to himself as he shut the door on the couple’s banter. He checked his text messages as he snuggled down into the covers, Namjoon’s parting message made his heart flutter.

‘Hope you had a good dinner with your hyungs. Sleep well, little one.’

He fell asleep with a smile on his face with the gentle murmur of his hyung’s washing dishes in the background.

If you can’t think of anything to say about a fic, writers also like to know:

- what time it is

- how long you’ve been reading

- how many chapters you’ve covered in the last 24 hours

- what you were late for because you were reading

- the woeful few hours you have left to sleep

- the emotional outbreaks you’re experiencing

- the inappropriate place you’re having said outbreak

- the general public’s reaction to your outbreak

- how much phone battery you have left

Nobody else may care, but I realized today that I’m coming near the end of a fic that I’ve spent almost an entire year on. The series for this fic is far from over but the fic itself, the thing that started everything, is nearing its end.

It’s a bittersweet feeling.

I’ll be happy to complete such a long project and be able to move onto other new projects, but I’ll miss it too. Never thought I’d get to this point.

I hope the readers I’ve accumulated along the way will like to follow me for the rest of the journey.

I laughed every time I had to edit, also laughed a lot while writing this scene. Mainly because I imagined Namjoon protesting in a very whiny voice 😂

Writers! Show us your humor through your fanfics!

Reblog with your response!