Low Stress: Bite Me (Jikook)

Chapter Sixteen: The End of Us

The Korean barbecue place Jungkook and Jimin had taken their friends to was small but cozy - and it bustled with energy. Euphoria's lights flashed across the street where bar goers walked in and out of the club's front doors and the light of the bar's sign cast their faces in colorful hues. The whole street was packed with small restaurants, pubs, and bars, drawing university students to it like moths to a flame.

Half the people in the restaurant were groups that either scattered from said clubs or who were prepping to go into them. Jungkook knew Jimin liked the place because of that; it made it great for people watching. The restaurant owner was currently busy yelling at his son who was a rather buff waiter that had accidentally brought a group the wrong meat. Smoke centered each table, filling the space with the smell of grilled meat while customers clanked beer glasses like they were clapping along to the low hum of music playing from the old stereo.

Jungkook smiled, drawing a beer of his own to his lips and soaked in the image of his boyfriend' laughing at the story Hoseok was in the middle of. The older vampire had his elbows on the table, body turned towards Seokjin as he shared the time he traveled to New York for the New Year's Eve ball drop - only to end up on TV himself. An influencer had pulled him into an interview for some big American network and Hoseok was so nervous during it that he misunderstood her asking if he had a new year's kiss planned as her asking to kiss him.

The half empty beer glass tapped the table as Jungkook set it down, eyeing the tattoos on his fingers. Jimin leaned against the arm Jungkook had draped over Jimin's seat causing Jungkook to grin. The laughter of their friends sounded like a gentle buzz in Jungkook's ears. He pulled on the piercing in his lip with his tongue, wondering if Jimin always looked so flushed when he drank. His cheeks were dewy, eyes bright. Jimin had always been beautiful, Jungkook thought, but it was an entirely wild thought to know he didn't have to admire from afar anymore.

Seokjin laughed and leaned back in his chair, wide shoulders hitting his feeder's arm. Namjoon cracked a smile, sipping his beer before launching into a story of Taehyung's usual drunk antics at feeding sprees - the car keys and bodyguard a favorite. Yoongi flicked up a brow in interest as he took a small strip of meat from the table's grill and placed it on Taehyung's plate nonchalantly.

"Once!" Taehyung whined as he ate the food Yoongi gave him. "I only tried to trade your keys once. Usually I trade my body."

Yoongi flicked Taehyung on the nose for that and Taehyung swore. Namjoon snorted across the table.

Jungkook was surprised their friends were getting along so well. The spree was supposed to start hours ago but since the last round of meat and beers, no one made a move to end the conversation. Having all danced around each other this past half year, it was strangely comforting to finally hang out. Less like two groups meshing and more like filling a gap none of them realized existed.

"Well, when I first met Seokjin," Namjoon started and Seokjin gave him a warning look. "He told me he was the manager of this luxury store I broke some sunglasses at. Said I'd have to pay thousands of dollars to replace them if I didn't get dinner with him."

"That's not how Seokjin tells this story." Taehyung said.

"What! You're saying that like I coerced you!" Seokjin swatted Namjoon's arm and his feeder kissed his cheek which made Seokjin blush and purse his lips.

"It was such an outrageous lie looking back on it. But I thought dinner with this crazy manager was better paying for those glasses. The funny part is that after we grabbed dinner, Jin and I got drunk at this bar and in the bar he pulls out these plastic yellow sunglasses - which were cheap as hell and pointy as fuck - and made us film a music video in them."