LET THE
RIVER RUN
( part 2 )
WORD COUNT 4.3k (jesus)
OVERVIEW "what does love mean to you?" / jimin and jeongguk have lived together for a month, and jimin's finally realising his feelings
PLAYLIST euphoria / jeongguk, serendipity / jimin
∆
LIVING WITH JEONGGUK has become normality for jimin in the past month, the now raven haired boy feeling relaxed around the younger. he's finally making money, working at a local supermarket and paying jeongguk a bit of money towards rent (the younger refused profusely at first, but jimin insisted).
the two are easy housemates now, who both care for hyoseol—when they can't, wonwoo and mingyu are more than happy to—, cook, although takeout has become a habit, clean the apartment and make sure that the other is rested. jimin works a few hours a day, while jeongguk's on a 5:00PM to 12:00AM shift, meaning they spend time together when they wake up and when jimin gets back at three o'clock, and at weekends; jimin constantly makes sure that jeongguk rests, even if the younger insists he's fine, that he sleeps while jimin's out and hyoseol's napping.
it's a sunday when jimin is making toast and jam for hyoseol—who's finally eating solids—and jeongguk is singing a stupid version of aladdin's i can show you the world to the baby, hyoseol on his shoulders, that jimin realises how fucking happy he is. a warmth fills his chest as he watches his dongsaeng mess around, watches jeongguk's pierced lips spread into a bunny like grin, watches the way his son beams and pulls at jeongguk's pink hair. jimin thinks of how jeongguk's truly saved him, in a way, helped him and given him a home when they didn't even know each other. he leans against the counter with a fond smile on his face and a yellow bubbling warmth in his chest; wow. he's really happy.
"what're you smiling at, hyung?" jeongguk asks, a lopsided grin on his gorgeous features as he places hyoseol into his highchair, booping his nose. jimin just laughs.
"nuthin'—i just feel really glad i met you," he admits, and jeongguk seems to light up, eyes sparkling. "thank you for everything, gukie."
the younger blushes at the nickname, a pink hue spreading across his nose and cheeks, smiling. "it's nothing, really, hyung—"
"—nothing my ass!" jimin says, looking jeongguk in the eyes. "seriously, you've done more for me in a month than jongin did for years, okay? you're a lifesaver—literally. i would've ended up on the streets without you."
jeongguk smiles softly, about to respond when jimin's phone starts to ring in the other room. jimin looks over to the noise, and back to jeongguk. "i'll feed hyo." the younger promises, and the ravennete goes to respond to the phone call.
INCOMING FACETIME: taehyung 🌺
jimin taps the green answer button, and his best friend, tanned and smiling, pops up onscreen. jimin picks up the phone as taehyung begins to speak, very loud.
"jiminie! you haven't called in forever! i got back from mum 'nd dad's yesterday, god it's been hectic. how are you?"
jimin sits down on his bed, smiling softly. "i'm... alright. great, actually," he sits up against the headboard, legs crossed. taehyung's dressed in a big hoodie, his blonde mullet a mess upon his head, and his new lip piercing glints in the light. "i dumped jongin."
"gasp! word?" taehyung says over dramatically, falling back onto what jimin assumes is his couch. jimin nods. "oh my god, that's so good jiminie! but where are you and hyo living? seokjin's?"
jimin shakes his head. "nuh uh. it's a long story... um, one of jongin's customer's friends, guk, he was at the apartment when i was breaking up with jongin, and he shushed hyo back to sleep when he woke. long story short, i live with him now."
taehyung raises a plucked eyebrow, dubious. "dude... that's hella sketch, you sure you're alright? he isn't some junkie?"
jimin laughs. "his name's jeon jeongguk, he's twenty and works as a tattoo artist, he likes banana milk which is weird. he's really good with kids, comes from a family of four where he's the black sheep, he's obsessed with something called boku no hero academia and haikyuu—"
"okay, okay, i don't need his life story, darling," taehyung laughs deeply, smiling. "you're doing okay, though? he takes care of you?"
"yeah. he makes me happy, taetae," jimin smiles, and taehyung smiles back. "anyway! how are yeontan and hyungwon?"
the two talk for thirty minutes, and make plans for taehyung to come over—in fact, jimin might ask jeongguk if he can invite all his friends over for a get-together, maybe with a few glasses of wine and a movie. jimin, truthfully, misses his best friends, as he hadn't seen the boys much since jongin started doing all the drug stuff, and he feels bad for that. he'll talk to jeongguk about it.
as he walks to the kitchen, his phone rings again, this time from yoongi, and he answers as he walks in. yoongi's face pops up, pixelated onscreen, lips painted red and glossy and eyes bright. "jiminie! where have you been?"
jeongguk looks up at the voice, passing jimin a plate of toast and a cup of coffee. "well, i've moved, yoongi-hyung. jongin is history."
yoongi fistpumps the air a bit too excitedly, and jimin notices how his shoulder length black hair is tied up in a messy bun on his head, a pen stabbed through it. "yay!" he says, smiling widely. "you finally ditched him, thank god. where are you living? how is hyoseol?"
jimin glances over at jeongguk and hyoseol, the baby happily chomping down on his toast with his gums and jeongguk smiling, meeting jimin's gaze. "i'm living with a new friend, yoon-hyung. c'mere, guk."
yoongi cocks an eyebrow, image blurring as he settles his phone down on the desk in his studio, crosslegged on his office chair. jeongguk stands crouched next to jimin, smiling softly. "hi."
"okay, no rudeness meant, but who the fuck are you?"
jimin bursts into laughter, covering his mouth with his hand. "don't mind yoongi hyung, jeongguk, he's just like that."
jeongguk laughs, grinning. "i'm jeongguk, jimin's housemate. you're his friend, right? he mentioned you."
"best friend," yoongi corrects nonchalantly, filing his nails with a blasé expression, before looking up. "diminie, how's hyo?"
jimin switches the camera around, showing hyoseol with jam all over his face and a wide smile. yoongi coos, squishing his cheeks with his hands. "aww! cutie's eating solids!"
jimin and jeongguk laugh fondly, before jimin switches the camera back. "how's seokjin, hyung? and have you heard from namjoon and hoseok?"
"seokjin's opened his restaurant and it's doing really well right now, and namjoon and hoseok are working underground as MC's and DJ's," yoongi says, running his fingers through his hair. "everyone's pretty good right now."
"your friends are MC's? woah!" jeongguk's eyes widen in astonishment, smiling widely. "that's so cool."
yoongi chuckles. "well, diminie, text me an address and we'll come round soon, yeah? i've got work to do."
"bye hyung!" jimin says, putting his phone down. jeongguk laughs and goes to wipe off hyoseol's face, the baby squealing excitedly when guk picks him up and puts him on his shoulders. jimin's phone buzzes, and he checks it—he'll turn it off for the rest of the day—, seeing a text from yoongi. he clicks on the notification to view it.
yoon-hyung 🍑
—are you and that guk guy dating? you look veryVERY domestic.
—if u are that's GREAT bc jongin was an asshole & u deserve better !! jeongguk looks at u w love diminie i can totes see it
jimin laughs quietly, before finishing up his breakfast, stretching his arms up above his head. jeongguk places hyoseol down with his toys and goes to find a shirt, jimin looking at his latest tattoo as he walks down the corridor; his shoulder blades are covered in a watercolour of two silhouettes kissing, one golden and the other black, a starry sky behind them. it's really pretty, and hurt a lot—jimin was there when they finished it off, and the younger had been biting back tears the whole time.
as jimin reminisces on that, yoongi's text surfaces to mind, making him chew his lip. did he and jeongguk really look like a couple? he supposes they are quite domestic, seeing as they live together, take care of a baby, go grocery shopping together, have movie nights, argue over who's cooking dinner— oh. shit. jimin's face turns pink as he realises he and jeongguk truly resemble a married couple, albeit having only known each other for a month. wow. he giggles, trying to remove the thought from his mind. one bit lingers though; jeongguk looks at him with love? the fuck does that mean?
yoongi-hyung watches too many dramas, jimin decides, standing up and walking to the living room, sinking into the plush black sofa. jeongguk's apartment was quite lavish—tattoo artists, jimin discovered, are loaded—and very nicely decorated, the whole place painted in cool colours. it really felt like a home.
hyoseol reaches for his dad, gurgling something reminiscent of 'dada', and jimin picks him up, kissing his forehead. hyoseol settles on jimin's chest, breathing slowly. he'll fall asleep there. jeongguk reenters the room, dressed in a flannel shirt and sweats, smiling at the sight of jimin and his son. "hey, hyung, i was thinking, do you wanna invite your friends over at some point? yoongi seemed like he wanted to come, and taehyung is welcome to—jeez, anyone can come, it's fine by me."
jimin nods with a smile, bouncing his knee. "yeah, i'd love to! yoongi-hyung and his boyfriend are like my honorary parents, so they'd definitely wanna check your place out," jeongguk chuckles at that. "'nd taehyung wants to come to. i'll invite hobi and namjoon, buy some wine, ask mingyu to take care of hyo, and we're sorted."
jeongguk nods with a smile. "alright, sounds nice," he yawns and settles onto the couch with jimin, grabbing the remote and switching the tv to netflix. "you wanna sleepy series day?"
"uh huh," jimin nods, noticing that hyoseol is, in fact, awake, and reaching for jeongguk. "oh, he wants you." he passes the baby over, and hyoseol smiles happily, mumbling something.
"wait, what did you say lil guy?" jeongguk asks, eyebrow cocked. hyoseol mumbles again, before saying it clearer.
"g-gukguk."
jimin gasps loudly, looking at jeongguk with wide eyes. "his first world!" he says, starry eyed and excited. "oh my god, hyoseol! your first word!"
"gukguk, gukguk." hyoseol buries his head in jeongguk's chest. the younger has the biggest smile on his face, looking euphoric. hyoseol's pronunciation is a little off, so 'gukguk' comes out 'gukgok', but it's clearly jeongguk's name. jimin clutches at his chest, the domestic thing coming back to him; his son's first word is the boy he's known for a month. he and jeongguk smile at each other, before turning their attention to the tv.
"crazy rich asians?"
"hell yeah."
∆
THREE GLASSES OF RED wine into monday night, and jimin starts to cry uncontrollably. hyoseol's in bed, sleeping sound, whilst the ravenette bawls his eyes out; usually, this'd be because he watched titanic whilst a bit too tipsy, but this time it's different.
jimin's crying and he doesn't know why. tears run down his face, and he's reminded of all the nights where this'd start, and his father would tell him to man the fuck up and to stop being such a fucking disappointment, and then with jongin, who jimin had seen as a comforting presence—that was his subconscious way of dealing with his daddy issues—, who would ask jimin what the fuck was wrong and jimin would scream i don't fucking know, tears running uncontrollably down his soft peachy cheeks. he curls up into a ball on the couch, his chest aching as the triggering memories come back. hyoseol's mum screaming at him that he had to take responsibility for his own fucking actions, how he was selfish, choosing himself over another fucking life. everything just fucking hurt.
he doesn't hear the door, doesn't hear jeongguk get back early from work because it was slow at the studio, doesn't hear the panicked footsteps and the 'fuck', the 'jiminie-hyung what happened?''s, doesn't see the worried look. he only feels jeongguk take his hands from his eyes, looking into them with all seriousness.
"jimin, jimin, look at me. you're okay. breathe," he's soothing, sweet, holding jimin's hands softly. "whatever was troubling you, let it all out, okay? i'm here."
and then he's pulling him into a hug and jimin clings to him like a fucking lifeline, hands fisted in the fabric of his hoodie and eyes clenched shut. jeongguk holds him dearly, like jongin did at the start of their relationship, and the ravenette sobs, heavy, into jeongguk's shoulder, wanting nothing more than just someone to hold. jeongguk whispers sweet nothing's into his ear, stroking his back.
"jimin, jimin," he soothes, until the older boy's stopped crying so hard. "you okay?"
jimin shakes his head, but he knows he will be okay soon. "i-i need to go to bed," he says, head hazy and eyes glassy, palms sweaty. "u-uh... jeongguk, c-could you sleep w-with m-me? i j-just... i need someone to hold me."
jeongguk's starry eyes widen, but he nods, smiling fondly. "okay, hyung. cmon, we can sleep in my bed."
he puts an arm around jimin and they walk to his room, jimin's eyes widening at the scent of jeongguk that hits him like a baseball bat. manly, strong cologne, washing powder, and incense, maybe a bit of sweat, they make jimin's head reel even more. he sits on jeongguk's ridiculously comfy bed, watching as the younger changes his jeans for loose shorts and a vest top, tattoos stark in the dim light.
"pictures last longer," jeongguk giggles when jimin stares intently at the tattoo on his arm, an intricate rose design. "cmon, into bed."
jimin's being stupidly submissive for someone who's a dad, but he feels sad and just needs someone to hold him and make him feel okay. jeongguk big-spoons him, an arm around his waist and chin on his shoulder, breath ticking jimin's jaw. the older relaxes visibly, feeling safely caged in jeongguk's strong form, and he starts to cry again, because fuck—
he thinks he loves this boy.
"hey," jeongguk whispers in his ear, wiping a tear from jimin's cheek tenderly. "hey, hey, no more crying."
"s-sorry," jimin stammers, curling in on himself and letting jeongguk wipe away the tears. "i-i dunno what ha-happened."
"s'alright," jeongguk mumbles, throwing his leg over jimin's and properly hugging him close. "everyone gets sad. it happens. my last roommate was a manic depressive, jimin, so it's completely fine. you ever get like that again, you call me straight away, okay?"
"mmhm," jimin says tiredly, wondering how he ended up with this sweet guy—except he didn't. they're just friends, but jimin doesn't love his friends the way he loves jeongguk. "t-thank you, jeongguk."
"it's no big deal," jeongguk says, and jimin knows he's got that lopsided grin on. "g'night, hyung."
"night."
the next night, jeongguk brings home some pretty boy and fucks him.
jimin frowns as the mattress squeaking from the adjacent room continues, his heart shattering a little more with each breathy moan from the boy and each grunt from jeongguk. he sighs and stares at the same page of the book he's been trying to read for twenty minutes, but everything's too distracting. he loves jeongguk; this is still new for him. he's in a shock adjustment period, that's what he's calling it. he hasn't liked a boy for a good while.
and who better to go to for boy trouble at 11:00PM than his favourite hyung, yoongi?
—yoongi-hyung?
—please tell me you're awake
—diminie! what can i do for u
—even if it is 11pm n my husband is glaring at me
—well
—there's this boy
—🚨🚨 OOF HERE WE GO LADS JIMINIE'S GOT A CRUSH 🚨🚨
—whomst've?
—um well
—it's jeongguk
—FUCKIN CALLED IT
—okay so what's the problem he clearly loves the shit outta you
—he's fucking a stranger in the next room over, hyung
—n i kinda got depressive yesterday n we fell asleep together
—oh god what a douche
—mmkay imma get a glass of wine 2 seconds
—ok so he's banging someone rn ?? w/ u and hyoseol in the house???
—yeah .. surprised the baby's even asleep
—okay... so tell me more abt the depressive thing?
—well i was drinking wine n just started crying n that triggered stuff abt dad which triggered jongin n that triggered hyoseols mum n i just couldn't stop
—guk came home early from work n just held me n i asked him if he could sleep w me and hold me and he did
—it was nice
—oof
—okay so that's when u realised you had feelings 4him?
—correct
—oh boy, diminie... okay so consider:
—mayb he has feelings 4U2 but he dsnt want to ruin ur wonderful friendship/wants 2 keep his Playa™😎💸😥💪 status n so he's fucking this dude to ignore his feelings
—"classic man", says seokjin, a man
—um... isn't that a bit too drama/tv show like?
—hi it's seokjin i can't believe i'm saying this but he is SO RIGHT
—yoongi again n maybe but doesn't it sound plausible?
—but jeongguk isn't some manly man mcman, he's just... guk
—stupid starry eyed guk w the cutest bunny smile whose name was my kid's first word
—oh dear, you really love him, don't you?
—yeah... i think i do
—fuck what do i do!?
—go out for dinner and talk about it. jin and i did that with our first fight/argument thing and it really works, trust me.
—okay!! thanks hyung 💖
jimin sighs and crawls under the covers, as the noises next door have stopped, and he might be able to sleep. but worries plague his mind when he tries, worries of jeongguk not truly loving him back; it sits on his chest like a phantom and he curls up and tries to fight it but it won't go away. he was stupid to think jeongguk would return his feelings in the first place, wasn't he? he's so fucking unlovable, that's what jongin used to say—too difficult, too clingy, too self-conscious. the list goes on.
jimin cries himself to sleep. little does he know, jeongguk does the same one room over.
the next morning is tense, jimin not making jeongguk breakfast like he usually does, just making himself a coffee and leaving. he's going to figure this out on his own while doing his boring shift at the hi-mart down the street. the grey uniform shirt he's required to wear crinkles like paper as he walks, his mind spinning with what on earth he should do.
if jeongguk liked jimin, would he really sleep with someone else? of course, he'd told jimin that he didn't do relationships, that they were too much work—maybe he really doesn't want jimin. this makes jimin's heart smash like glass as he walks into the hi-mart, giving his coworkers a forced smile. the girl from the cashier over, mina, gives him a small wave, and he nods politely, feeling his phone buzz in his pocket.
jeongguk 🌙
—jimin? you left before i woke up, is everything okay?
—text me when you can... i hope you have a good day at work!
jimin's lips settle into a thin line as he reads over the texts, putting the phone away and sighing. mina offers him some bubblegum, and he takes a stick, the artificial grape flavour bursting in his mouth. "what's up, jimin? you don't look so good." the black haired girl looks at him with expectant eyes. he sighs again.
"uh, guy trouble, i guest you could say," jimin laughs, slightly bitter, sweeping his hair from his face. "my roommate, he's, um... i'm kinda in love with him, and i don't think he's interested."
"i've been there," mina grimaces, sitting up on the little desk the cashier stations have, pulling out a bottle of nail varnish. "so, what makes you think that?"
"he slept with a guy last night," jimin shrugs, watching as she paints her nails kook-a-mango orange. "i only just realised my feelings for him—he's just such a sweetheart, and i can't not love him."
mina nods, blowing a bubble. "well, i say fuck it and tell him—he's never gonna know otherwise."
jimin gnaws on his lip nervously. mina's right, he supposes, but just the idea of confessing to jeongguk is nerve racking. if the younger truly doesn't return his feelings, what will they do? they'll continue living together with a tight air of awkwardness constantly surrounding them. he sighs; guess he'll just have to bite the bullet and tell him. he thanks mina and takes out his phone to text jeongguk.
—sorry i left without telling you. do you want to go out for dinner tonight? i can ask mingyu to look after hyoseol, and i know this really nice grill restaurant
jeongguk responds not five minutes later, bringing a smile to jimin's face.
—sounds great! the tattoo shop is closed today, it's my boss' anniversary, so we can go out around seven!
—looking forward to it!
jimin sighs with a shy smile on his lips. god, this is going to be hard.
∆
THE RESTAURANT JIMIN chose is small, pretty, and you can reserve private booths where you cook your own meat, which is exactly what he did. he's even dressed up for the night, in a striped sweater and tight jeans, a little bit of smoky eye makeup on his lids and the smallest amount of gloss on his lips. jeongguk's in a flannel and jeans, but he still looks gorgeous. he always does.
"wow, this is neat," jeongguk smiles, sitting down opposite jimin in the little booth, a grill built into the table between them. "ah, we can grill our own? i've always wanted to try that!"
jimin smiles, his nerves going haywire, not just butterflies but the whole zoo parading around his stomach. he gulps a little, trying to focus on other things—those being jeongguk's bunny smile. "yeah, it's cool. seokjin and yoongi-hyung bought me here once, for their anniversary. yoongi almost set fire to his hair."
jeongguk chuckles, smiling so that his eyes crinkle up at the corners. "are you doing okay, hyung? you seemed... off today, if you don't mind me saying."
jimin shrugs, avoiding eye contact. jeongguk tilts his head like a curious cat. something seems to click, and his eyes widen. "is it because i bought that guy back last night!? oh fuck, hyung, i was so drunk, i'm so sorry! i promised myself i wouldn't do that while you and hyoseol were here, damn. i can't even—"
"it's not that, jeongguk," jimin says, although that is part of his problem. he digs his nails into his palm, closing his eyes and breathing deep. "it's something else, yeah? don't worry about it." as jimin says that, his stomach twists.
they grill steak and pork together, accompanied by kimchi spinach and big plates of salad, the two drinking a little bit of soju, but not enough so that they feel intoxicated. they talk, sharing funny stories from jimin's friends, horrifying stories from jeongguk's tattoo parlour, tales of highschool mistakes and funny ex-partners. jimin's laughing about jeongguk's ex-girlfriend who threw a cream pie at him after he suggested a threesome as a joke when the reminder that he's here to confess hits him. jeongguk looks so beautiful under the golden glowing bulbs of the vintage lights, his earrings and piercings glinting silver, his eyes so shiny and his lips so beautifully pretty and pink. he looks like a dream, chuckling softly, catching jimin's eye.
he takes jimin's hand that's on the table, rubbing his thumb over the smaller's fingers, making jimin's heart spasm slightly. "jimin-hyung," he says, and jimin gets hung up on the way jeongguk says his name, how good it feels to hear his familiar busan lilt they share drawling the two syllables. "i've got something to confess."
jimin's heart rate speeds up like lightning as jeongguk starts looking flustered, focused on the way his thumb strokes across jimin's skin and leaves an electrifying tingle behind. jeongguk gulps, sticking his tongue into his cheek out of habit.
"u-um... fuck," jeongguk sighs out, biting his lip. "how about you tell me what you wanted to say, and i say what i need to as well?"
"at the same time?"
jeongguk nods. "on three?"
they both nod. one... two... three:
"i like you."
jimin's heart stops in his chest, and he let's out a breath he hadn't know he was holding. he and jeongguk stare at each other, eyes starry and shocked. "y-you—oh my god!" jeongguk's smiling so hard his face might crack in half, and he's laughing, and that catches onto jimin, both of the busan boys laughing like it's the best day of their lives.
"i can't believe it," jimin says, between laughs. "i was so fucking nervous, guk, oh my god."
"i know! jesus christ," jeongguk smiles widely. "n-now we've said that... can i kiss you?"
jimin's face goes pink, but he nods, and so jeongguk leans over the (thankfully turned off) grill and connects their lips. jimin's chest warms; jeongguk's lips taste like cien milk & honey lip balm, and they're warm and soft, perfect against jimin's. they're both pink cheeked, holding hands over the table, when jeongguk asks,
"jimin, do you want to be my boyfriend—rather than my roommate, that is."
jimin giggles, giddy. "of course, you nerd."
∆
210818
Y'ALL !! I FUCKING LOVE THIS AU SO M U C H AJSHSJSHJSSJ
also who else is FREAKING OUT over the answer tracklist???? serendipity full ver???? i've got high hopes for IDOL & the trivia songs aaaaa
💞
—jace