sober | j.jk

21 ‣ five stars

"I like you, Nine."

It takes you a couple of seconds to process the phrase that so casually left his lips. Four syllables that you've been wanting to hear so badly, yet had absolutely no mental preparation for. His charming eyes never leave your face. He looks so serene, like he'd only told you his favorite color and asked what was yours in return. "What?" Is all you can get out. You'd heard him clearly. Everything leading up to the statement leaves its meaning pretty clear. So why ask 'what?'

"I." Jungkook pushes off the cold countertop, speaking slowly but firmly. Your heart rate starts picking up the closer he gets to you. "Like." His voice is low, eyes dark and piercing. "You." Jungkook stops right next to you, body angled while yours faces forward. You can't look at him. You feel the uncomfortable warmth plaguing your cheeks again—tenfold. It's impossible for him not to see this reaction. "What? Now you're shy?" Jungkook tries to meet your eyes. If it's one thing he knows, it is that you always respond to that tone.

"I knew you were madly in love with me."

"Who said anything about love?" Jungkook chuckles, smiling when your eyes finally meet his. "I said like."

"Oh, well," you move away from him, feeling the proximity becoming a little too intimate for your current comfort, "in that case, I can't do anything for you." Jungkook furrows his eyebrows. You shrug, popping open another bottle. You feel much too sober all of a sudden. "I need a guy who's madly in love with me. Madly. I'm talking obsessed." You have no way of seeing the irony in your joke. If only you knew, he thinks. Well, his subconscious thinks. He would never admit to mad love. He barely admitted to 'like.'

"That is a shame, huh?" Jungkook grins, tilting his head in a way that almost turns your knees to Jello. He tends to have that effect on you sometimes. It's incredibly annoying. "What are we gonna do about that, Nine?" He raises his eyebrows. You twist your lips and shrug. "We're already here." Jungkook reminds you, motioning at his surroundings. "And lucky for you, I'm a much simpler person. I don't ask for much. I'd settle for an 'I like you, too.'"

"Ooh." You giggle. "That's... hm." You wag your finger at him like an old nanny. "I don't know about that, bud."

"What? You don't like me?" Jungkook acts offended.

"No."

"Hm." Jungkook nods, lips pursed as he walks toward you again. There goes your stupid fucking heat rate. You know you lied, it doesn't have to remind you—much less him. "That's real interesting, Nine." He never takes his eyes off of you. He loves the high he's on. Loves that after spitting the words out he can't care enough to let any inhibitions win. Loves that you're so nervous right now. Loves that he took a leap and landed perfectly. "It's disappointing, too. I was really hoping you did like me. Even just a little."

"Sorry to disappoint." Your voice comes out softer than you'd like. He shakes his head, telling you with his smile that he doesn't believe you. Not one bit. You express a brief look of confusion before snapping back to your senses. "What?" You ask, failing to realize that you'd already shot yourself in the foot. The two milliseconds you broke character were enough for him to completely read you. "If you want me to lie to you, it comes at a price." You add casually. Oh, he loves this.

"Lie to me, then." Jungkook grins.

"The payment comes first, sir." You refuse to let your nervousness seep out into the tangible world. You will not implode because of a few prepossessingly bold words and a smile so handsome you're slowly forgetting everything he's done. You've come too far. "The bigger the lie, the pricier it gets." You add, fighting the impossibly strong pull of his eyes. He's so close you can smell the faint, fruity scent of alcohol off of his lips. Jungkook shrugs, leaning on the counter.