Bargain (Not Met) (JungHope)

Interlude - Party

Jungkook giggled, something like nervousness lilting his tone. "Thanks. You look, uh, tipsy, hyung."

"Haven't eaten yet. Was waiting for you..." He reached his hand out and barely managed to stop himself from intertwining his fingers with Jungkook's. He turned away and walked briskly toward the kitchen, shouting over his shoulder, "Come on! I'll introduce you to everyone!"

Seokjin was found hoarding several snacks in the corner of the kitchen, and Hoseok offered Jungkook a faint "that's Seokjin-hyung" before raiding the fridge for something palatable. He approached Seokjin and Jungkook's meet-and-greet session with cheese and bread in his hands.

"You really don't remember me?" Seokjin said, something remarkably close to a pout on his lips.

Jungkook's eyes flickered between Seokjin and Hoseok, a helpless look within his wavering pupils. "Uh, no?"

"It's no use, hyung," Hoseok said around a mouthful of cheese. "He's completely forgotten. Someone fucked up bad."

Seokjin groaned exasperatedly, eyes rolling and everything. "Damned demons. Can't count on them for shit."

"Hear, hear." Hoseok raised his glass before downing it. When he lowered it, he met Jungkook's concerned gaze. "Don't worry about it, Kook," he said with a hiccup. "We're working on it."

"You're working on it," Seokjin insisted. "I don't want to deal with your demonology bullshit anymore."

"Uh," Jungkook said, off-kilter and awkward. "Should I be...worried?"

"No," both Seokjin and Hoseok say.

Seokjin turned toward Hoseok with a raised brow. "But you should be. How long's it been? Three months now? Aren't you being a little slow with your pining?"

"I'm not pining." Hoseok slammed his glass onto the counter and fixed Seokjin with a glare, but his sobriety was slashed, and he probably looked every bit as smashed as he felt because Seokjin just burst out laughing. "Let's go," Hoseok muttered as he trudged out the kitchen with Jungkook in tow.

"You're not gonna meet Namjoon until midnight!" Hoseok shouted over the music, the sound of people making merry, the New Year's program somebody decided to blast through the television's speakers.

"What!" he heard Jungkook shout back, a good foot away, and he tutted as he reached through the crowd that had formed around them to tug Jungkook by the wrist.

"I said," Hoseok repeated, looking up slightly to meet Jungkook's close—far too close—eyes, "Namjoon's a no-show until midnight."

"Oh." The response sounded like it was punched out of Jungkook, breathless and hazed. His gaze lingered on Hoseok for a moment, tongue flicking out between his lips before saying, "We—do you want to go? Get some fresh air?"

Hoseok blinked up at him, momentarily startled and, admittedly, slow-witted with the alcohol still heavy on his mind. "Yeah," he said after a moment, head nodding along to the song's bass that played around them. "Yeah, let's go."

Jungkook decided to take the lead because the heat and rhythm of the bodies surrounding them started to make Hoseok's head foggy and body wobbly. They emerged from the front door relatively unscathed and drifted toward the front yard, occupied by a few loiters and introverted party-goers.

Hoseok collapsed into the frost-studded grass and wheezed when the frozen earth collided with his back. He patted the spot next to him as he stared up at Jungkook. "Join me."

There was a moment of hesitation, but Jungkook complied with Hoseok's request and lay beside him. They stared up at the cloudy sky that was alight with holiday lights and early fireworks alike.

"Hyung," Jungkook said, startling Hoseok from his silent marveling. He turned toward Jungkook and hummed in prompt. "I... You seem to be familiar with me."

"Not to you?" Hoseok already knew the answer, but the hope was still there.

"I mean, I feel a sense of deja vu with you sometimes, but not much else."

Hoseok sighed as he turned back toward the sky, stretching his body across the lawn and Jungkook's chest. "Would you believe me if I told you?"

"Told me what?"

"That I knew you."

Jungkook snorted. "Of course you know me, hyung. We've known each other for—"

"A decade."

Hoseok felt Jungkook's body jolt underneath his arm.

"Well, technically, four years, since we forgot about each other for a while. Oh, wait, I guess it would be only a year now that you don't remember me again." Hoseok sighed wistfully. "Why'd you have to get involved with a demon, Kook? It's made our lives hell."

Jungkook sat up, and Hoseok's gaze drifted toward his towered figure. "You're...you're serious, aren't you?" Jungkook said, and Hoseok was just glad his tone wasn't scathing.

"You joined my dance crew ten years ago, admired me, wanted my attention, got into a deal with a demon to get my attention, accidentally fell in love with me, got turned into a demon as punishment, later struck a deal with me, and then we got into a world of trouble." Hoseok heaved his torso from the ground and flicked his finger against Jungkook's forehead. "I won't talk about the details because it still hurts and I want you to use that brain of yours for once."

Jungkook looked mildly offended by Hoseok's comment, but otherwise, he seemed every bit as perplexed as Hoseok would have expected him to be.

Hoseok sighed, disheartened. "I knew it was no use..."

He stood from the ground and stumbled back into the house, accepting the champagne glass passed his way.

A/N - next chapter's the last one :,)