Verge | BTS Oneshots | ongoing

House of Cards but in the Bathroom (Jungkook)

Music enters the bathroom from beneath the door, walls shaking softly with the bass of the song.

The sultry vibe hints that people are moving into a slower rhythm of dance, the drinks finally setting in over the crowd. It was bound to either coerce people into a slow grind or make out session.

And yet here I am, in the downstairs bathroom, staring at the text bubble on my screen appearing and disappearing. 

Liza had somehow convinced me to crawl out of bed, change into one of her clubbing dresses and join her at the opening of new club downtown.

I agreed purely because I would go insane if I had to be alone with my thoughts in my apartment.

Daniel and I had broken up over a week ago, but he still dominated my every thought, my every action.

Even now.

I was pathetic, abandoning Liza halfway through the event, just to answer a call from him.

He wanted me to come over, to have one last time where I was in his arms for the night, one last time for him to make me feel alive again.

It was tempting. So tempting that my finger was hovering centimeters above the Lyft app on my home screen.

But I knew she would kill me. For crawling back to him. For leaving her. For being the weak little Chloe he’d always known. For proving just how much control he had over me.

“No way, no way, no way, falling.”

My phone began to vibrate again, the caller ID still adorned with hearts and love eyes.

Just as I go to answer, the door of the bathroom slams open and a man rushes inside, quickly closing the door after him. Shocked, I stare wide eyed in the mirror, unable to even speak.

He leans against the door, eyes closed, panting as if he just ran a marathon. His hair is long, a black mop of tresses that land well below his eyes, almost touching the top of his cheeks. His cheekbones are high and smooth easily flowing to his jawline which is curved just enough to be soft. His nose is a perfectly sloped button, his pink lips parted to expose only his top row of teeth, dimple like dents stretching the skin beside his them. 

He is gorgeous.

Even when his eyes flutter open, widening in the reflection of the mirror as he realizes he is not alone.

His vocal cords seem to come alive before my own, "S-sorry! I didn't know it was occupied."
He straightens up, fingers still coiled around the knob, "I-I'll see myself out."

For some reason, I shake my head. "No, I need to get back out there anyways. My friend is all alone," I explain, but neither of us move.

We just study each other in the mirror.

"Why are you here?" We ask in unison, both breaking into awkward smiles after.

"Ladies first," he says after a beat and I roll my eyes playfully.

I think for a moment before answering, "I wanted to be alone."

My phone vibrates against the counter causing my eyes to flicker from the stranger's, the same haunting caller ID appearing. 

But I don't feel the urge to answer. "Your turn," I remind the raven haired male, looking back into the mirror to see his eyes also focused on my phone.

"Same here," he replies with a shrug. "Clubs aren't my scene."

"What is your scene?"

"The movie theater."

I raise a brow, "You'd rather be at the movies right now?"

"It's better than a cramped bathroom or sweaty dance floor."

A snort falls from my lips before I can catch it and I feel myself flush, eyes darting to anywhere but his amused ones in the mirror. 

"What is your scene?" He asks, hand releasing the knob, as he shifts his weight to lean on the door with his shoulder.

I pretend to think, finger thoughtfully tapping my lip, "My bed."

This time he laughs, the sound effortless and comforting. 

I smile into the mirror, unsure why my heart swells with the knowledge that I caused that angelic noise. 

"Right now, in front of my eyes, everything without you / Is a terribly pitch-black darkness."

The stranger's eyes drop back to my phone, the vibrations competing with the melody of the song faintly seeping into the bathroom. "You gonna answer that?" He asks, lips quirked up on one side.

I join his stare, the heart emojis pulling at my fingertips as I go to pick up the phone. "I shouldn't," I whisper more to myself than him.

"Why not?"

"Because... I need to be strong," I admit, clicking the power button once to make the screen go black. 

When I look back up to the mirror, I notice that his eyes remind me of endless pools of dark chocolate. "Ex?" He says, his concern palpable in that one word alone. I feel less alone, as if he knows my pain in that instant.

I nod soundlessly.

There's a long pause where I allow myself to get lost in those eyes of his. Then he extends his palm, "Do you mind?"

My phone vibrates in my hand again. The screen lights up again. He's calling again.

"Mind what?" I force myself to keep my attention on the stranger instead.

"If I help... It's easier to be strong when someone helps you."

For some reason, I find my arm moving back to place the phone in his hand, eyes never leaving his. 

He swipes his finger across the screen as he lifts the phone to his ear, voice cool and calm, "Hello?" His eyes sparkle with a glint of something I can't identify, his mouth transforming to a smirk of sorts. "She's busy right now... Jeongguk... I actually would rather not. She'll be unavailable until she tells me otherwise... No... Not unless you want to end up in a hospital."

My eyebrows furrow at his statement, but his smirk never falters, his eye contact relentless. "Don't call again. I'd hate to break your heart twice," with that he removes the phone from his ear, hangs up then clicks a few more buttons before returning the phone to my still open palm.

"I blocked him. He's a douche."

I can't help but laugh in shock and agreement. 

"We won’t work in the end / Even so, I keep hoping."

Jeongguk just grins, a dazzling smile that I just know is the center of the universe. "Well... I should let you get back to your friend," he then steps away from the door, hand going back to the knob. "It was nice meeting you...?"

"Chloe."

"Chloe," he pulls the door open, the muted music now streaming freely inside. "Pretty name."

"Slow down the time / Please stay for a little more oh."

Just as one foot steps through the door frame, I manage to blurt out, "Thank you! I-I... don't think I could've done that without... you, Jeongguk."

He freezes, and I turn to properly see him with my own eyes. When his dark chocolate hues meet my eyes this time, I'm hit in a new way. They're even more breathtaking up close. I reduce our distance, both of our bodies pressed in the doorway, as we study one another.

"Do you... wanna catch a movie after this? Or any day?" He asks after what feels like eternity passes.

I don't fight the flirty smile that stretches my lips, "Is that a date?"

"Only if you're ready for one."

"Being strong is easier when someone helps you," I remind him happily. 

"So yes?"

"Yes... Can I have your number?"