ICE CREAM [ completed ]

Sixty-Five

From the high penthouse balcony, the city stretches for miles below me. I press my hands against the cool railing and soak in the winter air.

I can hear parties from the other buildings -- music and laughter of people enjoying the fresh beginning of the new year, and on the other roofs in the expensive part of the city I can see people dancing with their friends. Fireworks crash in the distance as well, erupting over the water and bridges that separate parts of the city from each other. 

It's peaceful and surreal.

I feel Jungkook wrap his arms around me from behind.

"It's a brand new year," he says to me quietly and nuzzles his face into the crook of my neck. I smile contently feeling his presence engulf me like a blanket.

"I feel like I'm dreaming," I say back.

"It's a good thing. You are so close to reaching your dreams,"

I hum at his soft comfort and press my head back against his shoulder. We stand there for several minutes watching the remnants of the fireworks. It's freezing in January and we snuggle closer together. We only head back inside when our fingertips are numb and our lips are shivering.

Inside Namjoon's penthouse is a completely different scene.

There are still so many people inside that it's difficult to even maneuver. Half of the guests are passed out in random places on the floor and furniture, not even having the energy to make it several minutes after midnight without collapsing. We navigate to the kitchen where Namjoon and Jin are cooking a very drunken version of boxed macaroni and cheese.

"You have to scrape out the butter like this!" Jin takes Namjoon's hand as they sway back and forth in a fit of giggles, and he attempts to help him with the substance.

"That's too much!" Namjoon rejects with a whine.

"You can never have too much butter!"

"You are going to kill me with sodium!"

They are bickering in an extremely adorable way. Jungkook and I slide onto hightop bar stools at the kitchen island and grab two more drinks for ourselves.

"Yoongi, tell Jin hyung not to mix hot sauce in with the mac and cheese until after it cooks," Namjoon says to me once Jin starts grabbing condiments from the mass array that he had pulled from the cabinets. 

"You guys just do whatever it is your doing," I tell him with a laugh. I like this side of Namjoon. Over the last few months, he's calmed down in terms of seriousness and being so intense looking all the time. It's moments like these where I think that Namjoon isn't so shady, and that he isn't a terrible guy that just wants a big cut of money at the end of all this.

Jungkook slides his hand on my thigh as we watch the arguing couple. 

Eventually the mac and cheese concoction is presented to us. I'm buzzed enough to eat it, though I probably wouldn't have otherwise.

While the party dies down and people start to leave the penthouse, Namjoon ducks away periodically to say goodbye. I pay the other people no mind and munch on my food. I don't care about them.

Jin blows on his mac and cheese before shoving a ridiculous spoon full in his mouth. He groans in satisfaction as if it's the best thing he's ever eaten. "He's always trying to tell me how to cook. Why doesn't he just stick to what he's good at?"

"And what's that?" Jungkook is chewing rapidly. He'll eat anything.

"Oh you know, making me feel incredible bliss for hours at a time," Jin flutters his lashes and it's so evident he is head over heels for Namjoon. It's like he's living in a fairy tale.

"Good for you!" Jungkook nods sportively and continues to eat.

"Yeah, nothing like how Yoongi used to do things to me, but those days are passed," Jin then says in his drunkenness. I lean across the island and smack him in the arm.

"Shut the fuck up, hyung! We don't need to talk about that!" I say embarrassingly and it only eggs Jin on.

"Oh come on. Jungkook knows we all used to mess around. He doesn't care, right?" Jin is acting prissy and it's clear he's in the mood to embarrass me.

"It doesn't bother me. You and Yoongi hyung literally fucked my best friend like three weeks before we became a couple so...what can you do?" Jungkook shrugs but he's smiling in a cheeky way at me, and it makes Jin feel even more victorious.

"Now, don't get me wrong," Jin starts, and as he talks he's swaying his spoon around in the air. A piece of macaroni flies from onto the counter. Namjoon comes back at the perfect moment. I feel my cheeks get red and I groan obnoxiously. "Yoongi is an amazing top. He gets really into it and his face gets all red,"

Jin starts impersonating me physically and I go to throw my spoon at him again, but Jungkook snatches it away before I can do damage. They start laughing and I bury my hands in my face.

"Can we not," I mumble against my palms.

"The issue with Yoongi is that he has no stamina. He gets tired easily,"

"How long did you guys fuck around?" Jungkook asks. He's looking at me but I'm pretending like I don't exist. And I especially do not want to see the look on Namjoon's face while we have this stupid conversation. The last thing I need is for the crazy side of Namjoon to make an appearance after he realizes what Jin and I used to do together.

"Mostly throughout high school. We didn't like each other like that but we both knew we were pretty gay. So we became friends and the experimenting just sort of came along with that," Jin shrugs nonchalantly. It's so easy for him to talk about that kind of stuff. Meanwhile, I find the conversation to be vomit worthy.

I steal a glance at Jungkook who is clearly enjoying me being shy. He shoves another spoonful in his mouth and chews obnoxiously.

"Anyway, it was nice to have a fuck buddy that just so happened to be  your best friend,"

"You don't need that anymore though," Namjoon puts his arm across Jin's shoulders and pulls him closer. They make cute noises at each other and it's gross.

"Yeah, besides...Yoongi hyung doesn't top with me, so I don't have to worry about his stamina, just mine," Jungkook chimes in with a wink.

Jin spits out his food and starts to choke. "I'm sorry, what??"

Namjoon pats him on the back. Jungkook dies of laughter.

I slam my head on the counter.

It's a brand new year.