"Wow, that's... intense."
Kiha frowns while he takes a sip of his hellish black double espresso. Despite the softness of the criticism and worry in his words after you just told him about your relationship with Jungkook, they hit you hard and you attempt to sip on your latte. Instead, your teeth are gnawing on the paper rim of the cup, head spinning with what the young man just said.
Kiha notices and lowers his cup with a sigh. "You know I'm not telling you it's all bad", he hums warmly. "If the two of you love each other, that's the only thing you need to know. Just..." He fumbles around with his fingers, and the way his posture suddenly seems reserved makes you think he probably has his experiences and only wants the best for you.
"Be careful, okay? Love can burn you, too."
The uncomfortable lump in your throat vanishes and a smile forms on your face. "I'll be careful."
Kiha nods, but before he can say anything else, his phone vibrates on the desk and he inches it towards him with a flick of his finger. "It's Joon", he comments, ending the call with a quick tap on the red button. "I think he's waiting for me outside."
You pull your jacket from the backrest of your chair. "Let's go then", you say. Kiha looks up. "Is it okay?"
You chuckle. "Sure. We don't want to leave you boyfriend waiting, right?"
The blonde doesn't seem convinced, but he gives you a grateful smile. "Okay."
When you leave the mall you met up at, Kiha immediately walks towards a tall young man with dark blonde hair. He's wearing black glasses and a dark grey, long coat over a light beige turtleneck pullover. Kiha's boyfriend is taller than even Jungkook, and Kiha has to stretch to reach his lips for a quick kiss.
"This is my friend", he then turns to introduce you. Namjoon's, as his full name is, dark eyes rest on your figure as you shortly bow. "Nice to meet you, I'm Y/N", you say, and after a second, his lips form a reserved smile. "Nice to meet you." You can see how he rests his hand in Kiha's back and from the way the barkeeper leans against the taller man, you figure Namjoon is the jealous type. It almost makes you chuckle, but you hide it with another short bow.
"I think I should get going as well", you mumble. "My boyfriend is waiting for me."
Namjoon's straight expression softens a bit when you mention you're in a relationship. "It was nice to meet you", he now says with a short nod towards you. "Get home safely."
Kiha rips his back from his boyfriend's touch and gives you a hug. "Be careful", he says, worry still lacing his voice. "And, as I told you... Don't get into something you don't want to get into."
Namjoon watches quietly as you hug your friend back and agree to keep him updated, then the two vanish in the crowd and you make your way to the subway.
"Welcome home." Jungkook is lazily leaning against the doorframe of his apartment when the elevator doors open in front of you, greeting you with a smile. He's in his usual grey sweatpants and a black, loose tshirt; it's his day off from practice and as it seems, he's making the most of it.
His lips are chaste against yours when he greets you. He smells like laundry detergent, warm milk with honey and Jungkook, and you nuzzle your face into his neck when he hugs you. "Hey love", he mumbles and presses his lips onto your head before he pulls you inside and closes the door.
"Did you have fun?" Jungkook is leaning against the kitchen counter, propped up on his hands, and watches you change into something more comfortable that you pull out of your bag. "It was nice", you reply, unsure about what else to say, and your boyfriend frowns.
"Did something happen?", he asks, reading your mind all too easily, and you sigh while you pull your hair out of your oversized sweater and put it up into a high ponytail.
"Nothing", you murmur, stepping up to him. He pulls you to his chest, wraps his arms around you and rests his chin on your head. His hum runs through your bones. "Just something Kiha said."
"Kiha?", he repeats. "What was it about?"
You take a tiny step back to be able to look at his face. He seems confused and worried, and it makes your heart clench.
"Just something about..." For a second, you contemplate lying, but decide against it. You and Jungkook have always been honest to each other.
"He seemed a little worried how obsessed we are with each other, frankly", you finally press with a weak smile. A small shock wave runs through Jungkook's body, but he doesn't let go of you and there's no sign of anger in his face. Instead, he locks his hands behind your back. "I see."
There's anxious silence for a while, only interrupted by your panicking heart, and then Jungkook sighs and pecks your forehead. "Don't worry", he mumbles. "I'm not mad."
A huge boulder falls from your shoulders, but you still look up to Jungkook to confirm he's being honest. "What are you thinking?"
He smiles. "Nothing. Or actually..." There's a short pause, then his shoulders relax. "I've been thinking the same thing as Kiha... A few times." He hesitates. "Not that it's a bad thing. I love you, and I wouldn't change this for anything." His thumb teases against your cheek, making you lean into his palm, and his expression softens. "But he's right when he says it's a bit worrying how quickly we're falling. Don't you think?"
It takes a while before you can muster a weak nod. Jungkook hums.
"I never believed in soulmates", he says. "That's why sometimes... This is just so intense. It's like nothing I've ever felt before. It's like you're the one missing puzzle piece to my life." The expression on his face seems almost pained – or scared? "Sometimes I worry it may fall apart because of that."
"Not if I can prevent it", you burst out, and a quiet laugh shakes Jungkook's body. "You're too sweet", he murmurs and kisses your temple. "But I think there are some things that we can't control."
You rest your head against his chest. There's a lump in your throat again, but this time, it doesn't stem from a feeling of overwhelming love for the young man in front of you. Your voice is trembling when you speak up again.
"Do you want to take a break?"
The words alone make your chest cramp up. You can't imagine not being with him, and it hurts to even think about it.
Jungkook's muscles stiffen, and when you look up, his jaw is tightening. "I can't do that", he says quietly. His eyes are burning with uncontained emotion. "I couldn't stay away from you. It's scary how impossible it seems."
He lowers his head, nose nudging yours, a silent plead for you to lift your face and let him kiss you. Your body feels stiff, but Jungkook doesn't waver. A quiet, dissatisfied grumble escapes his lips and you can't help but sling your arms around his neck, pressing yourself against him when your lips finally meet and his scent washes over you and erases the anxiety from your mind.
Your body is aching for his touch and your heart is aching for his presence. But "Love can burn too" suddenly resonates within your head and before you know it, your hands fly to Jungkook's chest and you force yourself out of his grip and away from his lips that are searching for your skin as if you're his oxygen, his drug, the only thing he lives on.
You stumble back a few steps when Jungkook's arms snap open under the pressure you put on his grip. The young man is staring at you with eyes widened in shock, chest heaving with his labored breath. "What was that", he rasps and his voice sounds broken with the fact alone that you felt the need to get away from him. "Why did you...?"
His expression is pure disbelief and betrayal, and a silent sob slips past your lips at the sight.
"I love you too much", you whisper, and suddenly there's tears in your eyes and the storm of emotions trying to fit in your ribcage explodes into a splattering mess. You slip down the wall and hug your legs, curling into a ball as if that could shut out Kiha's voice that's still echoing in your head.
Jungkook is frozen to his spot. His fingers are twitching to reach for you, hug you and tell you everything's going to be okay, but there are tears burning in his eyes too and his chest is painfully tight. He lowers his head, bangs falling into his face and shielding you from his glance. Before he can pull himself together, his fist bangs onto the kitchen counter.
"Fuck!"
-
Across the city, a tall blonde man is looking at is boyfriend in shock.
"You told her what?", he asks, and Kiha flinches when his boyfriend's deep voice vibrates with both anger and disbelief. "I felt like she's already drowning", he defends himself. "I'm a branded child! I was just worried."
Namjoon sighs heavily and runs his fingers through his hair, falling back onto the couple's couch. "Kiha", he says, suddenly sounding tired. "You do recall what we were like during our first couple months of dating, right?"
The barkeeper grits his teeth. Namjoon opens his eyes again and locks them with the smaller male. "Look, babe, I'm not saying you did something wrong", he then adds. His voice is calm and he reaches for Kiha's hand, pulling him closer. "And you're right – technically." He shakes his head as his boyfriend sits down next to him. "But they've been dating for a few weeks only."
Kiha lowers his head. He knows Namjoon is right, and suddenly a rush of guilt fills his veins. "Do you think I messed it up?", he asks, voice shaking, and Namjoon pulls his figure against his broad shoulder. "No chance of knowing", he replies briefly. His expression softens a bit.
"We can only imagine what they are going through right now."
Kiha stiffens the slightest bit and Namjoon massages circles into his neck to calm him down.
"All depends on how determined they are."
-
Half an hour later, your body has stopped trembling and you dare to raise your glance the tiniest bit. Jungkook is still there, but his body is tense and he isn't looking at you.
Quietly, you shuffle to your feet and carefully walk up to him. His aura is intimidating to say the least, but he doesn't move and you know he would never do anything to hurt you.
You step up in front of him. His hair is hiding his eyes and you raise your hands to wipe the strands out of his face, but before you can touch him, his fingers clasp around your wrists – softly and without aggression. "Don't", he says tonelessly and finally lifts his glance to look at you.
The lump in your throat grows to an uncomfortably strangling size at the expression on his face, something between grief and disappointment, but the emptiness in his eyes his even worse. You bite your lip, grateful for at least the touch of his hands around your arms. "I'm so sorry", you whisper, voice breaking away, and his lips twitch.
"I know."
I've done it, you think, and the lump almost makes you gag. I've lost him.
Silence fills the space between you and him and after you've braced yourself, you attempt to pull your wrists out of his grip and leave.
Jungkook's fingers tighten the tiniest bit around your arm and when you look back at him, his expression has softened. "I'm sorry too", he mumbles.
Your legs almost give out beneath you when he lets go of your wrists and immediately raises his right hand to rub over your cheek, wiping the last tears off your skin. "I never wanted to see you cry", he adds, his voice is rough as if he's still struggling to speak, but there's a familiar spark of warmth in his dark-chocolate-eyes.
The lump dissolves so quickly it almost makes you cough.
"I never wanted to see you like this either", you admit and try a weak smile. Jungkook returns it, and the relief you feel at his lips curling upwards the smallest bit makes you dizzy.
Ten minutes later, you're still standing in the kitchen. By now, Jungkook's arms are softly engulfing you again, and you have yours wrapped around his middle. The apartment is silent, but it's not the anxious kind you've experienced before.
"That was scary", you mumble against Jungkook's warm chest, and he hums. "It was." You can feel he has something on his mind, so you nudge him with your nose. "What is it? Tell me."
Jungkook's chin finds a rest on your head. "I'm just wondering if we should do something about it", he mumbles. His voice resonates through your whole body and your grip around him tightens, causing him to chuckle. "What? You like my voice?"
A simple nod is the reply and he kisses the top of your head before he returns to his previous position.
"But what do you think?", he asks after a few more minutes. "Should we do something about it?"
"I don't want to be away from you." Your voice is quiet and muffled into Jungkook's shirt, but he heard you all too well. A shivering breath escapes his mouth.
"Me neither, princess."
"Kiha said, love can burn you too." The words are even quieter this time.
Jungkook hums. "We should be careful not to burn ourselves."
The tension between the two of you explodes when you lift your head and Jungkook already knows what you're up to. His fingers slide into your hair and he softly pulls on it, making you gasp and lean your head back into his grip. A second later, his lips are on yours, burning hot fever, and you sling your arms around his neck to be even closer to him.
Your mouths melt against and into each other again and again before he pulls back, panting heavily and leaving you seeing stars.
"I love you so goddamn much", he chokes out, and you nod, brimming with the happiness that his touch brings to you. It's as if you're coming down from a high.
"I love you too."
Jungkook kisses your forehead, your temple, the little spot between your eyebrows. His hand reaches for yours and he intertwines his fingers with yours, and it's then you know the storm is over.
"Let's get some dinner. I'm starving."
The two of you eat in front of the tv, self-made spaghetti and meatballs. Jungkook polishes his plate within a few minutes and gets up to get himself seconds, leaving you on the couch.
The itch you feel whenever Jungkook isn't physically close to you is irritating. It makes you unconcentrated, and the longer he's away, the more your thoughts drift towards him, his laugh, his scent, his hands...
"I'm back."
Your boyfriend leans over the backrest of the couch and nuzzles his face against your cheek. "Missed me?"
You snuggle back and watch as he swings himself over the backrest and plops down next to you. "I actually did", you then admit and he pauses in his movements and looks up.
"Really?"
Instead of replying, you blush and avert your eyes elsewhere, rolling up another fork of spaghetti.
Jungkook hums. "Look at me."
You shake your head and lift the fork to your mouth.
He hums a second time. "Princess. Look at me."
His voice has you weak and you finally lift your glance. His eyes stare back into yours and his lips curl into a soft smirk.
"I feel the same, you know."
The heat rises to your face before you can help it, and Jungkook snickers when he sees you redden. "Cute."
You grab the pillow next to you and throw it at him. He catches it just before it lands in his food and glares at you.
"Serves you right", you mumble and stuff a meatball into your mouth. Jungkook laughs, but this time, it's warm and loving and not a tease at all.
"God, you make my heart dance like crazy."