Frozen Grapes | KSJ ✔

.twelve.

The final ring of the bell extends into the silence and when I'm positive my dad is gone, I rush over to the pantry. Seokjin is curled into a ball against the wall, hidden in the shadows of the unlighted room. A soft laugh escapes my lips at the sight and I take a seat next to him. 

"Is he gone?" Seokjin asks quietly. 

I grin. "I wouldn't be here if he wasn't." 

He doesn't respond. Instead, his eyes flutter shut and his head tilts to rest on my shoulder. I stare down at him, unsure of how to act. "I'm so tired," he says quietly. 

"Shouldn't this be the other way around? You're the one with broad shoulders." 

Seokjin's frame shakes as he laughs and he lifts his head. "Do you really want to try that badly? Go ahead." He punches his shoulder once. "This can be your birthday gift." 

I roll my eyes and stand back up. "If you can only think up of gifts on this level then I'm grateful you didn't know today was my birthday. Imagine how worse the situation would be with expectation." 

Seokjin extends a hand, silently asking to be helped up. I firmly grip onto him, but a shocked cry escapes me when he pulls on me hard. I collapse onto a chest and feel hands grab onto my hips before being thrown in the air and over Seokjin's shoulder. 

"Kim Seokjin-ssi! If you don't put me down, I swear to God-" 

"You'll what? Will you talk down to me?" Seokjin threatens with a laugh. 

I'm seriously considering the idea. "Seokjin-ssi," I warn again, although he and I both know there isn't much I can really use to threaten him. 

"Why don't you wish to be put down?" 

My head feels heavy as more blood rushes to it when I laugh. "Nice try. Now put me down." I hate the fact that I have to use the formal endings with the command, making it seem less imposing and assertive. 

Still, I feel air around me move once again when I'm brought back down. Sure hands dig into my hips as Seokjin sets me down on a countertop. Black splotches dot my vision and I wait for them to disappear. A smile is etched into my face and my chest is moving with each hard breath. 

Seokjin just continues laughing, amused at his own stunt. Both of his hands grip onto the edge of the countertop I'm sitting on top of, one hand on either side of me, and he grins up at me with a gleam in his eyes. I can no longer tell if my racing heart is from his close proximity or because I was still out of breath from his prank. The sweet scent emitting from him makes my head spin. 

"I think I deserve another wish after that." 

Seokjin turns his head to the side to laugh. I swallow a gasp, his side profile and beauty shocking me every time. "I'm already your genie, Love. I think it would be unfair of you to continue wishing for wishes." 

When he turns his head to look back at me, I stare down into his eyes, trapped in the charismatic sparkle held inside. "It's what the smarter people would do, right? Wishing for more wishes. At least I'm not asking you to fall in love with me." The moment the impulsive words leave my mouth, I'm instantly filled with regret. 

When Seokjin's lips lift into the smirk I was expecting, I drop my gaze, unable to look him in the eye any longer. "Fall in love with you? Would you like that, Hana?" 

I shake my head. "It's against the rules." 

A hot breath fans my ear as Seokjin's lips chuckle next to me. "I'm not exactly known for following the rules, Love." 

My entire body shudders involuntarily and I can't help the small gasp that escapes. I was tired of him having such an effect on me. Lifting my head, I turn to look at Seokjin. And then freeze. I hadn't expected him to be so close. Seokjin's eyes search mine, only centimeters away, heavy and clear. He raises his eyebrows, either questioning or challenging. "Do you want to fall in love with me?" The question is bold and it tumbles out in a whisper. 

Seokjin's smirk grows, amused with my comeback. "Are you sure you want an answer to that question?" 

I square my shoulders and stare him dead in the eye. "Do you even know your own answer?" 

At that, Seokjin's lips pull back to flash a set of teeth: an exhilarated smile. "I see you learned how to play." He takes a step back and I grasp at the opportunity to finally breathe. "That's fine, I'll admit to my defeat this time. Although I must say, Love, you're getting better at this." 

I hop off the counter. "I learn from the best," I say, my tone sassy. 

"Glad you can acknowledge that." Suddenly, he's directly in front of me again. One second, he's standing meters away, and within the next blink, his hand is on my neck, thumb tracing my jaw. "Although I've never seen a student transcend a teacher." My breathing has picked up again and I blink fast, still trying to clear my head. Fingers glide from my jawline to my collarbones and I swallow hard. "These look worse than last time. Are you sure you're okay?" 

What? It takes a second for me to understand that he's talking about my violin hickeys. I nod stiffly, the movement restricted and tight. Seokjin's eyes lift from my neck up to me and I swallow again, the sound caused by the movement obvious to the both of us. 

"Is it bad that I'm jealous of a violin?" 

I let out a soft breath. "Are you sure you want an answer to that question?" 

Seokjin's head turns to the side as he laughs and my lips lift in a triumphant smirk. Once again, he takes a step back and allows me to breathe. "You're making this quite amusing, Love. Careful. Sometimes that can be more dangerous." 

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, well, I'm not exactly known for following the rules." I tilt my head from side to side as I mock him. 

Seokjin grins down at me. "What in the world am I supposed to do with you?" 

"Deal with me," I say simply. "Not too hard." 

Seokjin just shakes his head. I grab the frozen grapes still left on the ground and place them on the countertop for easier access. 

"How have you been for the past month? Other than terribly missing me of course." 

I shake my head. "We always talk about me. We never talk about you." 

Seokjin laughs and reaches for a grape. "You never ask the right questions." 

I shake my head again. "Wrong. You always dodge them. Why?" 

Seokjin shrugs. "That's a question only I will know the answer to." 

"Not if I use my wish." 

His eyes snap up to mine. "You wouldn't." 

The reaction makes me laugh. "Oh, but I would. What is your story, Kim Seokjin-ssi? Who are you? Tell me. That is my first wish."