Better || One

better || one

summary: jimin is your best friend and you wouldn’t want it any other way. or so you thought.

word count: 6,983

genre: bestfriend!jimin, college!au, bestfriends to lovers!au - fluff/slow burn angst

The first time it happens, you don’t think anything of it. Neither does he.

The hour train ride to Seoul from Incheon wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be. You were seated towards the front exit and all the passengers seemed silent and tired. All you could hear were the sounds of the wind going against the train as you stared outside the window with your face pressed against the glass, admiring the blue sky along with all the cars and buildings.

You were about to close your eyes and drift off to go into a short slumber before the train came to a sudden halt, making you become fully awake. You shook your head, got up and rolled your metallic suitcase on the ground while pulling your phone out of your green hoodie to text your cousin, Taehyung that you safely arrived and asked where he was at.

At this time, you had recently turned seventeen, quietly grieving over the passing of your mother, but four months after her loss, you were forced to pack up everything that can fit in your suitcase to live with your aunt and her family as your father worked abroad, not wanting you to live that same lifestyle.

Your phone buzzed causing you to snap out of your thoughts. To your surprise, he was calling you which wasn’t something he would do often. He would always decline your calls and would just text you back right away. He was one of those people who didn’t want to use their voice over the phone. Not only that, but people couldn’t tell if he was being idiotic or was joking when he asked bizarre questions.

Sliding your thumb to answer his call, you put the phone up to your left ear and stood on the tip of your toes to see if he was nearby. “Hey, where are you? Are you even here?”

“I’m nearby your terminal.” You tried to scan the crowd for your cousin, but it was difficult when everyone was rushing to get on or off the train. “I’m by the posters in the back next to a really short blond dude.” You hear someone in the background get offended as you look far in the back, trying to identify Taehyung and the blond person who he said was next to him. “I think I see you! Do you see me waving?”

Taehyung waved at you and beckoned you to come over his direction as quickly as possible. You ended the call and groaned as you headed towards his way, knowing he wasn’t going to walk towards you. He would have gone to where you were at, but he decided not to go and let you roll your silver suitcase to him and his friend.

“Hey.” You greeted him with a small hug, not wanting to make him uncomfortable in front of the blond boy he was next to. “How are you? How was the train ride? Any problems getting here? Was everything alright? When’s the last time you’ve ate? Are you tired?”

“Besides the fact that my father forced me to move from everything I know and live here, I’m feeling alright. I could go for some of your mom’s rice cakes right now.” He rolled his eyes at you as you pulled away from his hug. His blond friend was staring at you, not knowing what to say or how to even introduce himself. You sighed and nudged Taehyung. “Did you think someone completely stole my identity and appearance or did you just happened to forget what your favorite cousin looked like?”

“Of course not. I just needed to make sure that was you! Besides, you changed your appearance!” He scoffed, trying to make himself sound believable. It had been four months since he had last seen you, and the only thing that was different was that your hair was now longer and you were a little bit taller, but those things weren’t noticeable. It wasn’t like you completely dyed your hair another color and changed the way you dressed. “But god, that would have been super awkward if that had been someone else.”

“Thanks for remembering what I look like when I did nothing,” you deadpanned and looked down at your suitcase. It wasn’t that heavy, but you wanted to complain to give him a hard time. “And thanks for helping me get this. You’re an amazing cousin.”

“You have useful arms and legs that function too!” He argued, getting all agitated. “In my defense, you saw me first and came to my direction before I could go over to where you were.”

“That’s totally what happened.” You chucked as Taehyung’s friend was still staring at you. Compared to Taehyung, he wasn’t that much shorter, perhaps three centimeters shorter, but you weren’t surprised he was being teased and taunted about it. Unlike Taehyung who was wearing all black sweats, he was wearing a vibrant yellow flannel and ripped blue jeans with dark converse. You were actually impressed with his sense of style. “Hi, I’m Y/N.”

“Jimin,” he said with a small smile on his face and pulled his left hand out. Smiling at his small gesture, you reached out and firmly shook his warm hand, examining his soft facial features. “Taehyung’s friend. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

You suppressed a gasp coming out of your mouth once your hand made contact with his. For two seconds, you held onto his hand, feeling a tingly sensation. By the look of his face, you could tell he felt it too and was startled. You hastily let go of his hand and reached to grab the cold handle of the carry-on. “Shall we get going?”

“Right.” Taehyung agreed, grabbing the car keys out of his pocket of his black hoodie. He started walking ahead while you and Jimin walked behind him, side by side. With the corner of your eye, you see Jimin slow down, so you would be able to walk by his side. “The car is nearby, so you don’t have to drag it around much longer.”

You didn’t understand the reason why Taehyung brought his friend to come pick you up. The only reason you could think of on why he brought Jimin here was that ever since your mother’s funeral, everything was not the same with Taehyung. Having a conversation with him was now awkward and silent because all he can think about is saying sorry that your mom died, and that reason was absolutely pathetic. He knew you hated the pity, but that was the only thing he could feel for you.

Everything with him used to be effortless. Although he lived an hour away, he was one of your best friends that you talked to on a daily basis. Of course, he would often tease you like an older brother would do, but he still knew how to be serious and would always try to comfort you whenever needed and you would do the same. But after the funeral, he started to become more worried about you and stopped texting you because he was afraid he would say the wrong things and upset you. He knew you didn’t want to hear any sympathy, so he didn’t say anything at all, and you missed the cousin who would always make you laugh and would ask about your day.

“Here, let me take that. You’ve had a long trip.” He took your suitcase away from you and held it behind him as the three of you wait for the valet. “You know, Taehyung has told me a lot about you.”

“Is that so?” You raised your eyebrows at Taehyung, hoping he didn’t mention anything to make you seem like you were a horrible, embarrassing person. “If it’s anything of what I think it is, It’s definitely not true and probably about himself.”

Jimin laughed at your comment, somehow making you feel a bit at ease with him. He looked at you causing his smile to grow bigger. “Don’t worry, they’re all good things, I can promise you that.”

“Oh really?” You saw Taehyung look back to raise his eyebrows at his friend, giving a look of confusion as he gave the valet his car ticket. Jimin looked back at him, giving the same look. You bit your lower lip and tried not to laugh once you realize that Jimin was just trying to start a conversation with you, but he didn’t know what to say.  “Is that so? What things has he said?”

“Well, actually.” Jimin nervously laughed and used his free hand to scratch the back of his neck, trying to think of something to make up on the spot. He was cute, sweet and had the most squishable cheeks you’ve had ever seen. His presence was actually tolerable, understanding why Taehyung brought Jimin instead of the other friends you’ve met before. “I thought that would make you feel a bit more comfortable if I said that, but obviously that plan backfired on my part.”

“Hey.” Taehyung saw a genuine smile on your face, something he hasn’t seen for a long time. The last time he saw that from you was five months ago when the doctors had told you that your mother’s health was improving. He watched how Jimin smiled back at you. “Thanks for trying, Jimin. It means a lot, truly.”

And it really did. You appreciated the fact that he didn’t mention or ask you why you were moving here and tried to make you feel relieved about everything. He was trying to make you at home even though he didn’t even know a single thing about you. For all he knew, you could have been a serial killer, yet he tried his best to make conversation. You liked the fact that he was making an effort to talk to you simply because he wanted to, not because he was forced to.

It seemed like there wasn’t a day when you could go without someone being sorry towards you because of your mom, and it hurt. Of course, you didn’t want to forget about your mom, but you didn’t want someone to remind you constantly about your loss. And you were glad Jimin was shying away from that topic.

The valet quickly brought the car over and quickly went to grab your suitcase out of Jimin’s hand to put into the trunk of the car. “Alright now, everything’s all settled and ready. Drive safe.”

“Roger that, Sir Kimberly Kim.” Your eyes widen as you heard Jimin say the same thing to the valet. You turned your head to Jimin as you get in the front seat of the car. He was staring back at you with a hint of happiness twinkling in his eyes. “No way!”

“No, no, no,” Taehyung repeatedly said, shaking his head at the situation. “This cannot be happening. You guys can’t possibly watch that same crap show he finds funny. I can barely stand him saying those catchphrases.”

There was an old show on the kids’ network that would show these two teen best friends who were both polar opposites. They would argue all the time, but at the end, they solved ridiculous crimes together. It was a show your mother introduced you to at a young age while growing up, and you were absolutely hooked by the first episode where you knew all the catchphrases said in the show. The network hardly showed the re-runs of the show anymore and would show it only on the weekends in the middle of the night, so you were surprised that Jimin somehow knew about it too.

Jimin threw his head back and laughed before looking back into your eyes he found alluring. “I have a feeling we’re going to be great at torturing him.”

“Yeah.” You smiled happily, something you haven’t done in a while and resisted the urge to touch his squishable cheeks. “You have no idea.”

“Gosh, please don’t be one of those couples that make-out in front of me too,” Taehyung teased earning a slap from you and Jimin. “Hey! I’m just saying I wouldn’t be surprised if you guys ever get together at this point.”

The second time it happens, you were both getting more accustomed to each other, and you rolled your eyes because he did too.

Taehyung was running late.

It had been six months since you moved in, and he still wasn’t used to you, living here. For example, there were times when he forgot to take you home from school and times when he had long sport practices, so you had to patiently wait two hours (without a single complaint) for him to be done. There were also times when you had to walk two miles home because he would leave early and would forget to come back to pick you up.

He had texted you that he had forgotten that his sports practice was going to be way longer than usual due to team dinner that night. He sent another text to you saying he had just texted Jimin who was now going back to school to pick you up and that he would make it up to you, something he had said the last six times he forgot about you.

You were more okay with Jimin taking you home, but you couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous since this would be the first time you and Jimin were going to be alone without Taehyung. Over the last six months of you living here, you and Jimin had become good friends, but it never had gotten to the point where the two of you spent time alone. It wasn’t that you were uncomfortable with him, but you were afraid he would be timid with you and not talk at all. You just assumed he talked to you because your cousin was there with you.

“Sorry you had to come back and get me,” you said as you got in the passenger seat of his car. As you put your seat-belt on, he smiled at you. “I’m really fine with waiting for Taehyung. You didn’t have to do this.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing really. How was your day?” He asked as he started driving and moving his head to the beat of the music playing on the radio. “Did anything new happen?”

“Well, do you remember Hye?” You look all over his car as it was your first time being in it. Jimin’s car was very spacious since he kept his car clean and tidy. There was no papers or trash lying around, and all his CDs were stacked in alphabetical order in the CD compartment next to the passenger seat. It was practically like riding in a new car from the car dealership. “The one I told you and Tae?”

Jimin scrunched his nose and gave you a quick glance before looking back at the road. You noticed that he stopped bobbing his head and clenched the steering wheel. Taehyung had told you that Jimin didn’t really drive much especially with people. You thought it was because he was probably a terrible driver and people always criticized him, but he was actually focused and careful driver, unlike Taehyung who sometimes get road rage over the littlest things and would stop abruptly and pump his brakes all the time to irritate you. “The one who admitted to liking you, like, a week ago?”

“Yeah, his feelings obviously changed today.” You grimaced and bit your lower lip in hesistation. “I feel so bad!”

“Come on, it can’t be that bad. What did you do?”

“I kind of might have accidentally knocked him out in gym really hard in front of the whole class.” The words fumbled out of your mouth quickly.

“You didn’t!” He laughed, congratulating you as if what you did was an accomplishment to be proud of. His melodious laugh was contagious and caused you to start laughing as well. “I can’t believe you actually managed to do that!”

“I didn’t even know I can throw that hard, but, I mean, you would expect him to catch the ball or to move instead of letting it hit his face. I know it was my fault, but I mean, no one would stand there and do nothing if a fast ball was heading towards your face.” Jimin was still laughing, wanting to clap and high five you, but he didn’t take his hand off the wheel. “Hey! It’s not funny.”

“It actually is.” He shook his head and now tapped the tips of his fingers on the wheel, matching the steady tempo of the song. “Gosh, I wish I could have been there to see it.”

“You wish you were there to see me destroy Hye’s pride or wish you saw the girl’s volleyball team practice in their shorts and spandex?” You joked, stifling your laughter as Jimin rolled his eyes and ignored your comment. “I thought you didn’t like driving.”

“I don’t.” He took a quick glance at you before looking back onto the road. “I only drive to school and then to home. After my license expires, I don’t think I’m going to drive anymore and just have other people drive me around. Honestly, driving is scary for me.”

Understanding his point of view, you nodded and tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear. Jimin was a cautious person, and you respected that. There wasn’t anything else you could think of to talk about, so you decided to go with small talk. “How was your day?”

“It was good but probably not as great as yours.” You rolled your eyes at him as he makes a left turn when he should have made a right. “The highlight of my day is actually this conversation.”

“Where are we going?” You asked as he took another left. He was driving down a busy street and slowed down onto a busy street. “I live in the opposite direction, you know?”

“You don’t mind getting some ice cream, do you?” He was starting to slow down even more. “Sorry, I should have asked. But do you mind? It’ll be my treat.”

“That’s really nice of you, but you don’t have to do that. It’s really fine.” You look at the time in the car. “Besides, I don’t want to bother you and waste your time when you could be studying or something.”

“No, I want to,” he said, escalating to a complete stop to the curb. “I want to hang out with you. It’s actually nice having it just the two of us.”

If you had known Jimin was going to be this assertive with you, you would have offered to spend more time with him alone. It seemed like your talks with Jimin seemed endless and were just full of laughter and smiles from the both of you. Sometimes he’d be like that when it was the three of you, but you learned he was more extroverted when it was just the two of you.

You and Jimin both get out of the car, eagerly rushing to get inside. There were some strangers on the sidewalk giving you strange looks as you entered the shop, looking at every inch of the place in awe. “Wow.”

To your left, there was a gift shop with a bunch of ice cream related souvenirs and apparel. The whole shop had round tables all around, all waiting to be filled. There were stairs that lead to the upper level of the building. The upper level seemed like a more relaxed area where there were some high tables along with couches. You wanted to go upstairs and look out towards the window, but you decide not to say anything and followed Jimin. “It’s pretty fancy for a regular ice cream shop. Don’t you think?”

“A tad bit.” Jimin shrugged his shoulders. He sat down on the stool and gestured for you to sit down next to him. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and put it on the granite counter as you wait to be helped. “You haven’t been here before?”

“I never knew such a place like this existed.” Now looking up at the scintillating chandelier that hung above your head, you shook your head. “I can’t believe I’m just coming here now.”

“You make it seem like it’s Paris or something.” You rolled your eyes at his comment. “I thought Tae would have brought you here now. This used to be his favorite place to eat ice cream.” He bit the inside of his cheek, not knowing if you had heard what happened.

“What changed?”

“He slept with the owner’s daughter a few months back. I think it was right before you came here.” He explained awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. “That didn’t end well, obviously.”

“Makes perfect sense.” You nodded in agreement, being nonchalant about what he told you. “Don’t worry, I know all about Tae and his way with girls. It’s kind of disgusting, but I’m cool with it, so no need to act like it doesn’t exist.”

“Thank goodness,” Jimin muttered out as the short shop attendant finally noticed you both and gave a list of options available. “I just didn’t know if you knew.”

Looking down at the menu, Jimin smiled to himself, watching your eyes move as you try to read the whole thing quickly. He watched your eyebrows scrunched together as you try to find a flavor you wanted. “Do you know what you want to order?”

“There’s too many options. I’ll just have whatever you’re getting.” You turned your head and see Jimin raising his eyebrows at you. “What? Is something wrong?”

“What if I just get a vanilla cone for the both of us?” You wrinkled your nose in disgust, hoping he didn’t. To you, vanilla was a bland flavor that you couldn’t stand. Ice cream was supposed to be sweet and colorful, you thought.

“Last time I checked, you’re not that kind of bland guy to get Vanilla.” He chuckled at your comment. “Now, hurry up and order.”

“Are you sure that’s okay?” Jimin always asked you this question quite frequently. It was like he had to ask you permission to do something just in case he was afraid you wouldn’t approve.

“You ask me that a lot.” A smile on his face grew bigger once he saw you bite down on your lower lip, trying to stifle a giggle. “But it’s totally fine. I like all of them honestly and I probably couldn’t choose one.” You raised an eyebrow at him. “What’s with that stupid grin on your face?”

“You’re counting on me to be the decisive one?” He teased, winking at you. “I didn’t know you hold so much faith in me for picking the perfect and tasteful ice creams.”

“I swear, Jimin, if you put a crappy one, the ice cream will not be going down my mouth instead it’ll go down your pants,” you threatened, but Jimin knew you wouldn’t do that. He knew your bark was much worse than your bite.

“Wow, I didn’t know you were that cold. Perhaps I should just order all of them then and see which ones you do like? Will that make you more decisive about ice cream flavors?”

You were going continue the playful banter between the two of you, but you couldn’t respond when the short store attendant had finally come.

“Is the lovely couple ready to order?” The short store attendant exclaimed, waiting for Jimin to order for the both of you. He shortly paused, rolled his eyes, and then returned to his normal self, ordering two scoops of cotton candy ice cream.

It happens for the third time, and Jimin was unfazed and laughed.

As Taehyung was getting busier with his sports practices, you started to become closer with Jimin where hanging out with him after school had become a new routine. Instead of waiting for Taehyung after school, Jimin would find you in the crowded halls after your last class and would take you home, so the two of you would just spend time together there. Jimin didn’t mind if the two of you were just doing homework or watching dramas, he just wanted to spend time with you in any way possible.

For the first few days, Taehyung’s parents found it awkward were that he was there with you instead of their son. They were actually confused that he didn’t come to play video games, but he had came to study and talk to you. It wasn’t a big deal, but his parents made it into one when your aunt had asked Taehyung if he was okay with the two of you one night after dinner when everyone was dismissed and it was his turn to wash the dishes.

You were in your room, having your back leaned against the white wooden door as you listened to every word of their conversation through the thin walls. “You want me to what? I’m not going to tell Jimin to stop coming over here. That’s absolutely insane! He would go ballistic. Why would I do that?”

“We just find it strange that he’s here with Y/N after school instead of you,” you heard your aunt say to Taehyung. She finished washing the glass dishes and talked her son as he was drying the plates with the paper towels. “I mean, he’s your best friend.”

“He’s also hers,” he replied without no hesitation in his voice. “I’m perfectly okay with this because this is harmless Jimin we’re talking about. Jimin, the boy that played dolls with my younger sister. Not only that, but he makes her happy, and that’s what your sister would have wanted for her own daughter. You should focus on that and want that too, especially with what she has been through this year.”

After that day, his parents slowly realized that he was right. They noticed how the two of you were always laughing happily although you two were just in the living room, finishing homework on the long coffee table. They noticed how you were finally smiling more often and were starting to socialize with people, finally opening up since the move. They had been thinking about if this would affect their son’s happiness when they should have focused on yours.

About two months later, Jimin noticed how you weren’t at school one day. He thought you were home with some sickness and were going to return the next day, feeling better, but he then noticed you and Taehyung weren’t there the next day, and that next day had suddenly become a week.

“Where did you and Y/N go?” Jimin asked Taehyung once he returned to school the following week. They were both in library during their free period, sitting silently at one of the round wooden tables in the back of the room. Jimin was pretending to read a book he had randomly picked up from the rack while Taehyung was doing all the homework he had missed without muttering a single complaint or question. “You guys didn’t answer any of my calls or voicemails. Did you guys forget how to pick a phone call?”

“Don’t worry about it. We were at home and were just fine.” Taehyung tediously focused on his math homework. “The answer to this problem is nine, right? I don’t have my calculator out to check.”  

“Why were you guys at home? Is she at home now? Or is she in class?” Jimin asked in a hushed voice, ignoring Taehyung’s question concerning his maths assignment. “What happened? Is she okay? Are you okay? Did your charger break?”

“I’m going to take that as a yes.” Taehyung picked up his pencil from the table and started writing the problem down on his white lined sheet of paper.  “We’re both perfectly okay. Like I said, don’t worry about it.”

“Why is she home again?” Jimin was worried about you. He didn’t like the tight feeling in his chest when he thought of the horrible scenarios on why you were gone. Had he done something wrong? Why weren’t you answering any of his calls? Were you okay?

“She just misses her mom a lot.” Taehyung wanted to smack his best friend once he saw the confused expression on his face. He grabbed his math textbook and threw it to Jimin who moved to the side to avoid getting hit. The students and librarian gave him a nasty glare and then continued to ignore him and Jimin.

“What was that for?” He asked, trying not to raise his voice in the library.

“It’s been a year since her mom died, idiot.”

Jimin skipped the rest of his afternoon classes and drove to your house after he got a lengthy lecture from Taehyung about how to be a better friend. He knocked on the front door and waited approximately five minutes for you to open the door. He stood outside with a box of cotton candy ice cream and two spoons in his hand. A smile appeared on his face once he saw you. He stared at how your hair was all tangled up and how you had the darkest bags around your eyes, showing you hadn’t slept for about a week. You stood there, wearing your white baggy sweats and bunny slippers with a heavy, green blanket wrapped around you, watching him stare at you. “Let’s talk.”

And the two of you did. Jimin saw the stacks of movies on the coffee table and picked the old version of the Lorax to put in the DVD player. He had a soft smile on his face once he turned around to see you already opening the ice cream he brought. You shared and wrapped the blanket around him, not wanting him to be cold. He talked throughout the entire movie, trying to make you smile and laugh but all you did was sat there, reading the subtitles on the screen and silently listened to all his thoughts.

“My mom loved this movie.” You put the empty box of ice cream down and gulped down whatever was in your throat. Although you and Jimin were close, this was the first time you were talking about your mom. “My dad actually hated it, but he would always watch it with her just to see her all happy and laugh. I was scared to watch it because I thought I would freak out, but I’m glad you were here and talked throughout the whole thing.”

“Of course.” You closed your eyes and leaned your head on his right shoulder as he put his arm around you. His thumb was rubbing the side of your arm in small circles, comforting you. “What was she like?”

“You would have liked her a lot.” He nodded. “She was really funny and laughed way too hard and too much at her own jokes even though they were terrible. And she cursed a lot, but she was still philosophical and appreciative about everything and everyone.” You kept your eyes closed, not wanting to let any water fall from your eyes. You can still hear her voice and picture her face perfectly even though it’s been a year. “She’s a lot like Taehyung actually. We both looked up to her.”

“Was your dad here last week?” Just like your mom, Jimin had never heard you talk about your dad. He actually never heard you talk about your past life and friends from your other town. It seemed like he knew everything about you except where you had came from. The only thing he knew was that he worked abroad.

“Yes.” It was your first time talking about your parents after the move, and it hurt. Taehyung actually had tried to get you to cry and shout about your dad, mom and the move, but you kept your feelings bottled up. You didn’t want anyone hearing about your burdens, but a year had passed, and everything was finally let out. “He came to take me visit my mother’s grave and asked me how I was doing here. He left last night.”

“What does he do?”

“He’s an important executive for this fancy organization. My father used to work for the headquarters here, but started working abroad after my mother got sick to earn more money for her medical bills. I thought he would return to working here, but instead, he worked more and more far away from me.” Trying not to cry, you took a deep breath. You didn’t realize it would be so easy to tell Jimin how you felt and wished you had done it sooner. “I always wondered why he didn’t want to take me and why he wanted me to live here. I wonder if I did something wrong. Perhaps, I would remind him of my mother, but it still hurt that he had left me all alone when I thought we would grieve together. I had to do it all alone.”

Unlike your cousin who would tell you things like ‘everything is going to be okay,’ Jimin didn’t. He listened to you, and that was all you needed. It wasn’t someone would pity and comfort you, but someone who would only listen and that was the comforting you needed. “I’m so glad I met you, Jimin. Thank you for coming into my life.”

You felt your legs intertwined with Jimin’s under the blanket as you slowly drift off to sleep. Jimin’s hand softly untangled strands of your hair, not wanting to disturb you. He kissed the top of your head as he held you tighter. “Sleep well.”

The front door handle rattled for a bit before it was opened. Taehyung’s mom came through the door and took off her black heels. She was about to head to the kitchen to set the groceries down that were in her hand, but she noticed Jimin on the couch with you.

“I hope you don’t mind me being here,” he said quietly. He loved Taehyung’s parents, but he felt awkward to be there after that one night you called him and ranted to him all night about how they didn’t like him here with you. “I was worried about Y/N and wanted to cheer her up a little. I can leave now if you’d like.”

“It’s perfectly fine, Jimin.” She looked down at your sleepy face and chuckled once she saw the corners of your lips was smeared with ice cream. She was trying to get you to sleep for the longest time this week and was relieved to know you eventually fell asleep. “I don’t know what you did, but she’s finally sleeping, and I’m thankful for that. I’m glad both of you have each other even though it’s a little young.”

“I’m sorry?” He heard what she said, but he needed her to repeat it again. Did Taehyung’s parents think you and Jimin were exclusive? Was that the reason why they weren’t fond of him coming over when Taehyung wasn’t home? “What was that?”

“Aren’t you two together?” She emphasized the word together and Jimin laughed at her mistake. He didn’t think it was funny, but he was unfazed and laughed because he didn’t know how to react to her comment. “We just assumed since you spent a lot of time with her after school. I’m sorry.”

“I love her. I really do,” he said, staring at your face as you peacefully slept. This wasn’t the first time he had seen you asleep. There were multiple timers where you accidentally would fall asleep when you were watching them play video games. He admired the way you looked when you were sleeping, and he smiled. “But just not like that.”

From that moment on, that’s what he told everyone when they asked if the two of you were dating or together. He would throw his head back, smile and tell them he liked you platonically.

It’s been six years since the move, and you and Jimin were practically inseparable. Jimin was now sharing a dorm with Taehyung while you lived nearby on your own. The three of you were attending the same university, finishing up your last year together.  

It was Friday night, and Hoseok insisted everyone to go to the nearby club to dance and drink. The boys were on the crowded dance floor, dancing and continuously hitting on girls while you and your close friend, Tiffany were at the bar, enjoying your cocktails.

Tiffany was your exact polar opposite. She was raised by two moms in Daegu and spent a lot of her nights partying and socializing with different types of people. While growing up, she played volleyball and the viola and didn’t really have any male friends up until now after you had introduced her to yours. You met her when she took a seat next to you in your public speaking class and would always laugh at the sarcastic remarks she’d made about the professor under her breath. Although she was completely different from you, the two of you became great friends after being partners for a project.

“Be honest with me.” You nodded and started drinking your drink as the music started to get louder. Your favorite thing about her was that she was blunt and always got straight to the point. It was one of the few traits you both shared. “So there hasn’t been a time you’ve thought about sleeping with Jimin?”

Spitting out your drink, you looked at her as if she was crazy. Within the three years you’ve known Tiffany, she was one of the few people that didn’t ask you if you were with Jimin, and you were quite thankful for that. In fact, when you introduced Jimin to her, she had asked for your permission to go out with him as a joke. “You’re kidding, right? He’s Jimin, my best friend! Nothing more, nothing less!”

“Come on!” She threw her head back and laughed. “I’m obviously not the first person who thought about this. Be honest! Have you ever thought about him in that way?”

“Are we actually having this conversation right now? This is completely disgusting!” She gave you a death glare as you rolled your eyes and set the glass on the bar counter. “I mean, no. Not really. There are times when I find him attractive, but that’s the closest thing I’ve thought about him in the way you’re thinking about.”

“You cannot be serious!” She shouted, not caring if the people around her heard the conversation. “You’re telling me that you and Jimin have known each other for years and never kissed or anything?! Not even accidentally when the two of you are drunk and gazing into each other’s eyes at three in the morning? Not even a dirty dream?”

“Never!” You laughed, ignoring your racing heartbeat. It wasn’t a big deal, and you never thought it was. It was actually quite a shock to you when she finally brought the topic up because you had hoped this conversation would never happen between the two of you. “Besides, even if I did have a crush on him, I honestly don’t think I would do anything.”

“You are completely insane, like, please tell me how we’re friends!” You laughed and turned your head to Jimin. He was bending down to whisper something into a short blonde girl’s ear, probably asking her to dance with him or was giving her an invitation to his dorm. “He’s so attractive and would protect you against anything in the world, but you wouldn’t do anything.”

Biting your lower lip, you nodded. “That’s right.”

“Even if the two of you liked each other, you wouldn’t do anything at all?”

“I don’t think so.” You shrugged your shoulders once again. “For many good reasons.”

“Like what?” She scoffed and took a sip of her drink. “And don’t give me any bullshit answers! Give me actual practical and logical answers.”

“One, he would never like me.” All the girls Jimin went out with were all bubbly and knew how to continue a conversation with other people while you only talked to your friend group and would barely interact with other people. They also had to play a sport, while you never bothered playing anything and dedicated your time on studying or working. “I’m pretty sure he sees me as a sister he’s never had.”

Tiffany stared at you for a few seconds and shook her head. “I feel like I’m friends with Stevie Wonder right now. You are truly blind if you cannot see the way Jimin looks at you!”

Ignoring her, you continued, “Two, if I ever gain those feelings, I rather be close to him and be his friend than to ruin everything. I would be hurt if he didn’t reciprocate those kinds of feelings. He’s my best friend, and I am thankful for that. Him being in my life is all I need.”

You turned your head, and she looked at what you were staring at. She watched as Jimin got turned down by the blonde and stared at you as you stared back at him with amusement in your eyes. Even in the most crowded rooms, your eyes would find a way to meet his, and Tiffany can tell that you two were somehow having a conversation with your eyes. “You guys are literally having eye sex right now, and you’re telling me there’s nothing going between you and Jimin?!”

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you.” And that’s what you told everyone because you thought your platonic feelings for your best friend would never change, but it slowly did before you could even realize it yourself.

whenever they talk about I NEED U 😭

BTS Summer Package in K O R E A

Just wanted to let you know that I love too young. 🥺 It’s so fluffy and makes me so soft. 💕✨🌻☺️

thank you 🥺💖 i love u

i love too young so much when are we getting a second part?💓💓

thank you for reading! ♥ i think i’m going to release another fic called “dive” and then update better first then too young? 

too young || one

summary: you meet jungkook, a single parent who keeps forgetting to pick up his daughter from school

word count: 2,387

genre: parent!au, single dad!jungkook fluff/slow burn 

It was an hour after school ended when the most precious and cutest little girl knocked on your office door. She was tiny, shorter than your office desk. Her light brown hair was styled into low pigtail braids, and there was a big red flower in her hair that matched the red dress she had on. Her navy blue light up shoes were just as bright as her shining hazel eyes. “Hi, my name is Jules. Can you call Jungkook to pick me up?”

The smile on your face disappeared when she tells has been waiting outside for an hour to go home. You gave her some water and let her play with a Rubik's cube as you try to contact her parent, Jungkook. He wasn’t picking up, so you decide to look at her emergency contacts. You were surprised to see six other people listed on her file as family friends and were even more amazed that none of them were girls. It looked like she only had male figures in her life. You had never seen a support system as large as well.

When you dialed Jin, he picked up on the first ring. As soon as you mentioned Jules not being picked up from school, he quickly mumbled that he’ll be on his way as fast as he could and thanked you. He hung up, and you looked at Jules who put the toy down on your desk. “Jin will be coming.”

“Uncle Jin?” You nodded with a small smile on your face, and she smiled back. “He bought me these shoes for Christmas last year! They light up when I move.”  

After you called Jin, you and Jules went outside to sit on the school bench in front of the curb. She was quietly humming to herself and could not sit still. She constantly swung her feet and moved her head side to side. "Sweetie, do you know where your dad is?” 

“Jungkook? He works a lot, but he loves me a lot too.” 

“Does this happen a lot?”

“Does what happen a lot?” She scrunched her nose in confusion. 

“Has he ever left you here before?”

Before she could answer, a black SUV pulled up. The car came to a stop, and a tall male with dark brown hair and broad shoulders came out of the driver seat. “Uncle Jin!” 

Jules ran towards Jin where he bent down quickly to give her a big hug. He asked her about her day and complimented her shoes while fixing some strands of her hair. “Do they still light up?” 

He stood up to stomp both his feet, acting as if his brown leather shoes were the ones that could light up. Jules laughed and jumped to show Jin her shoes, and to you, that was like hearing and seeing the most pure thing ever. 

“Hi, I am so sorry! I hope I didn’t make you stay here for her,” he apologized to you as he held Jules’s hand and opened the backdoor to put Jules in the car seat. “If I had known Jungkook couldn’t pick her up, I would have done it as soon school was over.” 

“I couldn’t get a hold of him, so I apologized if I bothered you.” He buckled her seat belt and closed the door. “Is there something I have to worry about? Like will this happen again? I would just hate for her to wait again all alone.” 

“I will make sure that Jungkook picks her up the next time.” Again, he apologized. “I think he’s just stuck at traffic or work. He’s still new to all of this.” 

You raised your eyebrows. “New at what? Being a parent? For being responsible for his daughter? To remember she needs to go home after school?”

Jin opened his mouth to say something, but instead, he released a tired sigh. “If it happens again, please do call me or Jimin. He should also be in the emergency contacts. The rest of the contacts live out of town.”

“Thank you, but I really hope we do not have to call three different people to make sure Jules is able to go home.”

___

The next week, Jules knocked on your door again but this time, her hair was styled into two dutch braids. Her baby pink hair ties matched her pink skirt while her blue shirt matched with her shoes. She sat down and pulled the game, connect four out of her light purple backpack that had small white unicorns all over it. “I’ll be red.”

Her file was still on your desk, so you opened it and dialed Jungkook’s number on your cellphone. You put your phone up to your ear, and as it rang, you got up and placed the yellow piece in the center. Jules stared at the one piece for a while before placing her red piece on top of yours. 

When it went straight to voicemail, you immediately called Jin’s number and then placed another yellow piece to the left. It automatically went straight to voicemail as well, and you looked down at Jimin’s number. 

“Is Uncle Jin coming?” She asked as she put a red piece on top of yours again. “He always beats me at this game.” 

“I think Jimin is picking you up today,” you said with the slight annoyance in your tone of voice. “Does he play this game as well?”

“Not good.” She smiled. “I beat Jimin at this game a lot.”

“I love that energy. Remember to keep that,” you said right before Jimin picked up. You placed a yellow piece to the right this time, making three in a row; it doesn’t matter where the next game piece goes because you won either way. “Hello? I am calling about Jules. She hasn’t gotten picked up from school yet, and I was wondering if you would be able to since I cannot contact Jungkook or Jin at this time.” 

Just like Jin, Jimin said he’ll be here as quickly as he could, thanked you and hung up. 

“How old are you?”

Jules put the red piece on the left side before realizing she lost. She took out all the pieces and prepared to set up for another game. “Six! How old are you?”

“Not six.” You smiled and let her go first. She copied your strategy and placed her red piece in the middle. You follow her lead and let her win to see the excitement on her face. “Nice job.” 

“I like to win.” 

“I do too.” 

After two games, you held Jules’s hand and walked her to towards the blond man that was walking towards the building. He was shorter than Jin, but still tall compared to you. “Jules!”

“Uncle Jimin!” It was literally déjà vu. The same thing happened last week except with a different person. She ran towards him, and the man bent down to give her a hug. He rubbed her back, and he pulled back to look at her face. “Do you want to play connect four later?” 

“Sure thing! I made your favorite soup today too, so you can eat that later.” She clapped and jumped up and down excitedly, showing off her light up shoes. “Hey! Those aren’t the shoes I bought you!”

“Yeah because Uncle Jin gave me shoes that light up! See!” She kept jumping up and down. “Do you see?”

“Yes I do!” He put his hand on her shoulders to make her stop. “Are you dizzy? Are you okay?” She nodded. “Go to the car, kiddo. I’ll meet you there.” 

“Bye teacher!” She shouted as she started running towards the blue SUV in the parking lot. “I’ll come back to school tomorrow!”

“Thanks for letting me know that she was here.” He had a soft voice, and you can tell that he felt bad that this had to happened. “It really means a lot.”  

“That is my job as principal,” you remarked. “Teaching and taking care of all the students.” 

“Right,” he agreed. “Look, before you make any assumptions, Jungkook does take care of Jules. I mean, she’s happy, is fed, goes to school and everything. It’s just that he’s struggling with his job right now that’s not letting him out to pick Jules up.”

“And they don’t let him contact any of her six emergency contacts to pick her up?” You crossed your arms. You were always a happy and soft-hearted person, and you hated making someone feel bad. “I know it’s not your fault, but the thing is school ends the same time like it always does. He should know that by now.”

“He really does try to find someone to take her home.” 

“I suppose I trust your word.”

____

A few days later, Jules was back in your office again, but this time, she brought a deck of playing cards. Her hair was put into a single french braid, and she was wearing white dress with a blue denim jacket that matches her white converse. “Do you have any fives?” 

“Go fish.” She picked a card from the deck and sat up straight to try to peek over your cards. “Are you cheating?” 

“No!” She laughed and looked down at her cards. “Can you at least give me a hint of what you have?” 

“Do you have any twos?” You used the same playful tone as she did, and she laughed while handing you a card. “What about fours?”

“Goldfish,” she replied. You thought that it was cute, that she always insisted to say goldfish instead of go fish. “Who’s coming today? Should I guess? Should I be scared?” 

“Jin is coming.” You put the cards faced down on the table. “Are you close to Uncle Jin?” 

“Well, I see him a lot because he picks me up, you know?” You nodded. “I also see Uncle Jimin and Uncle Hobi a lot because of my cousins, Hye and Lia. They’re six years old like me.” 

“Do you have any more cousins?” 

“Does this mean I win if you quit?” You laughed and nodded as she happily picked up the cards. She put a rubber band around the deck and put them in smallest pocket of her backpack. “I have Suzy and Min, but they’re babies. And Alex is too old.”

“Do you know what your dad does to not pick you up?” Your conversation was interrupted when you see Jin by your door, ready to knock. “You ready to go, Jules?”

“Yes!” She got out of her chair and waved goodbye to you as she went towards Jin.

He slightly covered her ears. “I can promise you that Jungkook isn’t a drug dealer or anything. He’s a good parent, and good parents do make mistakes here and there.”

“Another time, I will have to meet with him myself,” you warned him before he went out the door. 

“I will make sure he gets that message.”

___

He did not get the message. 

Although you liked spending time and playing games with Jules, you still had to call Jin and Jimin four more times to pick her up. Finally, you personally called Jungkook’s work place and asked the secretary to give him the message that he will have to meet you right before school ended. 

A young man with a black fancy suit knocked on your office door. His dark chocolate hair was all fluffy and wavy; you couldn’t tell if he styled it like that or if it was naturally that messy. He had the most alluring brown eyes you had ever seen. “Hi.”

“You must be Jeon Jungkook. Please sit down.” You pointed to the chair right in front of your desk. “How are you? You seem tired.”

“I am,” he replied softly as he took a seat and put his hand out to shake yours. “But I don’t think we’re here to talk about how tired I am. We’re here to talk about Jules.” 

“Yes, well, do you know what day it is?” You asked. 

“Yes?” He blatantly said. “It’s the first day of October.”

“That means last month I had to call you and your family more than six times to pick up Jules just so she can go home.” He released a disappointed sigh. “That number should be zero, not ten. She should have transportation ready for her whether it is you who is picking her up or family friends.” 

“I know,” he said formally and looked down at his hands in his lap. “I will do better this time and make sure it does not happen again. I’m sorry to inconvenience you.” 

“Do you understand the responsibility of making sure she is safe and picked up from school? Because from your track record right now, it doesn’t seem like it.”

“Do you work the same hours everyday?” He asked. “Because I actually don’t. I  work at a company thirty minutes away from here. Sometimes I work from three in the afternoon to seven in the evening, and other days, I work eighteen hours,” he explained. Just by the sound of his voice, you could tell he was overworked, tired and hurt. “There were days I didn’t even see Jules. I stepped down from my position two months ago, and yesterday was my last day.”

“I didn’t know that.” You struggled to speak. “I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be. You didn’t know,” he replied with a small smile on his face, but you could tell he forced it. “Knowing that would not work with Jules’s schedule, I gave up what I loved because parents have to sacrifice for their kids. I’ll be working more flexible hours and from now on, you don’t have to worry if she gets home, because she will be getting picked up by me.”  

You gave him a small smile and nodded. “I’m glad to hear that.” 

“I appreciate you for spending time with her instead of turning her away. She’s real thankful for it, for everything.” You chuckled at his comment. “Is there anything else that you wanted to talk about?” 

“That is all, thank you.” You thought that was the last time you would see him, but the next thing you knew, you saw Jules in your office the next day, waiting to go home.