sober | j.jk

21 ‣ five stars

"You name it, I'll pay it."

You almost say something crazy. Before you can visibly react to the stupid little brain cell who couldn't bite her silly little fucking tongue somewhere amidst the chaos in your not-so-sober mind, you pick up your bottle and take another swift sip. All the while Jungkook watches you intently. What could you possibly ask of him? You've set yourself up perfectly. All you need is the final request. Homework? Absolutely not. That's better left in your own hands. Money? Meh. Actually—

"What do you want from me, Nine?" Jungkook asks lowly. Your nose scrunches as you ponder, still not looking in his direction. He finds this particularly cute. Is that a little bead of sweat he spots on your forehead? Oh, this is priceless. "Or was it all a bluff?" He asks. "It was definitely a bluff, I can see it in your face." Jungkook pushes his agenda playfully. "You can't think of anything because it wouldn't be a lie to begin with. See, I got you. I'm right aren't I, Nine?"

"You know what?" You start giving in to the alcohol. It's easier this way. "I'll just lie to you for free. I'll be kind." You smile, casually turning to hop up and sit on the counter. It's only now that you face him, siphoning some of his annoyingly addictive confidence. "I'll make it nice and sweet for you, too. For the extra customer service stars." Jungkook pushes off his forearms and stands straight, leveling with your eyes a bit better. "I suppose," you start, "I like you too, Jeon."

The witty response dies on Jungkook's lips; he's too busy smiling like a dummy to add to your bid. You smile back, eventually breaking into a burst of flustered laughter with him while you both look away with a crimson hue underlying your cheeks. "I give it four stars," Jungkook tells you. The sudden depth in his eyes makes your smile slightly dim. The silent question mark hidden in the tilt of your head prompts him to speak again. "Wanna know how to make it five?"

"Five's default."

"Not without a kiss."

Oh.

"That was cheesy." You try your hardest to keep your expression neutral.

"I know." Jungkook breaks neutrality first, eyes smiling with the ghost of a laugh threatening to emerge from its grave once again. "But did it work?"

You look at him without answering, pride melting into his sweet, genuine gaze. You really wish you could tell him it didn't work, not at all, not in his wildest, most poetic dreams, but you'd be telling the biggest lie of your life—a lie you wouldn't even be able to make seem the slightest bit believable. He'd done it. He'd killed all the dragons and made it out of all the deep dark forests alive. He found his way past all your stubbornest defenses. "Yeah." You sigh. "It worked."

Jungkook adjusts his stance on the countertop, planting his palms next to your thighs, sort of caging you in as he leans into you slowly but with purpose. Your whole body goes a little tense with anticipation, contemplating whether you should listen to that little voice in your head telling you to bring your hand up to his face or run it through his perfect hair. "You smell so fucking good." He mumbles under his breath, faltering just a couple of inches from your lips.

The confident young man suddenly finds himself completely helpless. You think back to everything that's led up to this. Every word you heard, every action you witnessed—every single unpleasant thing you've had to do and undergo just to be here with him like this. And now you also find yourself stuck in your own stupid helplessness. There are a thousand reasons why you should stop this. Why you should just end the night here and go back to campus. A thousand.

Screw it.

You cup your hands over his cheeks, bringing his deepened eyes to meet yours directly while your heart rate inevitably skyrockets again. Screw it. You know what you need to know, but a feeling embodying this type of depth is not one to ignore so easily. You hate it. Or maybe you love it. It's too thin of a damn line. Screw it. "You're the worst." You mumble back, watching as something in his gaze shifts while feeling under your fingertips how his jaw tenses.