Dark Matter | JJK

10. Family

It was only when he stopped before the front door of his house, Petra standing close behind him, that Jungkook considered retracing his steps and taking her to a restaurant nearby, instead of having her see the eternal mess that was his shared two-storeyed apartment and giving her a potential heart attack.

But then they'd come too far for him to back out now without seeming suspicious, so he muttered screw it and rang the door bell.

Seokjin's windshield laughter split the silent air in two.

He face-palmed himself. What in fresh hell were they thinking while changing the doorbell tune to that?

He reluctantly turned to Petra, who was trying but miserably failing to conceal her amusement, a gentle laugh sputtering from her lips.

"What was that?"

Jungkook sighed with resignation. "You'll know, soon."

"Back from your afternoon walk already, Kookie –?"

Jimin halted in his motion of opening the door, the mirth slipping off his face when he saw the girl standing awkwardly behind Jungkook. He exchanged quick glances with the boy, who looked at him pointedly. In less than a milisecond, Jimin flashed a dazzling white smile at her.

"Oh," he said, arching one fine eyebrow, "you must be Jungkook's friend Petra. I'm Jimin."

How does he know? Only Tae hyung knew she was coming.

Jimin brushed a hand through his silver hair before extending the other to Petra. She looked briefly at Jungkook, who stared blankly as she placed her hand in Jimin's and he gently guided her inside.

He wondered if he would ever be as effortlessly fluid as his housemates when it came to the ladies.

When he stepped inside after Jimin and Petra, he was surprised to see how neat and tidy the apartment was – the cleanest it had ever been in the history of his three years of living there. There was no Yoongi sitting slumped on the living room couch, arguing with Seokjin as he yelled at him for trashing the shoe rack; no Taehyung ordering Namjoon to stop messing with his latest collection of Van Gogh customized porcelain coffee mugs. Jimin wasn't standing by the fridge complaining about who ate his remaining slice of pizza from last night and Hoseok wasn't belting out the theme song of SpongeBob SquarePants in the shower.

Taehyung, that sly bastard.

The apartment was deadly silent until Jin appeared from the kitchen, his arms laden with countless bottles of cold water. He looked up at the party at the door just as he reached the table, his plump lips stretching into an amicable smile.

"Ah, looks like the much-awaited guest of the evening is here."

Standing by the door, Jungkook could see Petra's tense shoulders visibly relax as the others sauntered in from different rooms and introduced themselves – Hoseok spreading his arms out and shouting welcome, welcome in a sing-song voice; Yoongi, although looking disinterested and tired as ever, sending a thumbs-up her way and his eyes crinkling as he smiled softly; Taehyung rounding the table with his crescent eyes and gorgeous boxy grin, guiding Petra to the couch with a gentle hand on her back.

Jimin spotted him standing by the door, alone and quiet. "Do we have to invite you in as well?" he asked, quirking his brows.

Jungkook did not hide his eye roll, smiled, and went to sit on the couch next to Yoongi. He watched as Petra looked from Hoseok to Taehyung, who sat on either sides of her, listening attentively to whatever they were happily yapping away about.