Archive of Our Own ^beta

***

“Why are you glued to your phone? Did Namjoon-ssi post again?”

Jungkook chooses to ignore Jimin’s comment and doesn’t look up from his phone. He doesn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that Cypher indeed posted a picture and that Jungkook has been staring at Namjoon’s dimple, illuminated by the light shining through the car window, for the last five minutes. It’s not his fault that Namjoon is the most beautiful being on this planet.

“You do know I can tell it’s to do with him just from that reaction, right?” Jimin asks. Jungkook knows, without looking at him, that he’s rolling his eyes.

Luckily, Jungkook is saved from having to reply when Seokjin comes in through the open door, looking refreshed. He’s probably coming straight from the cafeteria upstairs, whereas Jungkook and Jimin opted to work out during their break.

“Manager wants to talk to us before we start the afternoon scrims session,” he says in a cheery tone of voice that Jungkook absolutely does not like because it usually implies something is about to happen which is a delight for Seokjin but torture for everyone else.

“Oh no,” Jimin bemoans, voicing Jungkook’s thoughts out loud. “Do you think he scheduled in scrims for the night?”

“Only one way to find out,” Seokjin sing-songs. He leads Jungkook and Jimin to the elevator, and together, they ride up to the seventh floor where Taehyung and Sanghyeok are already in one of the offices, facing their manager.

“It’s just us?” Jungkook asks quietly as he sits down next to Taehyung. Taehyung nods.

Once they’ve all made themselves comfortable, their manager claps his hands together.

“I know this is not our usual meeting time, but I thought you guys would not want to wait until tomorrow to hear this.” With those words, their manager gives them a knowing look. Jungkook is ninety percent sure that look translates to I’ve seen you goofing around too much this week, so how about extra scrims every night for the next ten days?

He truly could never have imagined what comes out of their manager’s mouth next.

“Cypher’s management has reached out to me. They asked if you would participate in a Run Cypher episode.”

Jungkook feels frozen in place, his heart beating out of his chest. Is he still breathing? Is this even reality or is he lying in bed, dreaming up this unrealistic scenario? He wouldn’t put it past his subconscious.

“Cypher?” Sanghyeok asks, incredulous. “As in the rap group Cypher?”

“Yes,” their manager nods. “It’ll be a gaming related episode, but you’ll hear about the details tomorrow morning. Okay?”

“Okay,” Jimin says loudly and with a big grin on his face.

“You guys should go ahead and get some individual practice done.” Without waiting for a reply, their manager turns around, leaving behind a stunned Jungkook, who is questioning his entire existence.

He surely would’ve remained in the same position for the next two hours if it weren’t for his team members. It only takes a second before Taehyung nudges him with his elbow.

“You doing alright there?” Jungkook can practically hear the grin in his words.

“Fine,” Jungkook manages to get out. Then, after a short moment of silence: “This is real life, right?”

Immediately, he hears laughter to his right, which is what finally wakes him from his trance. He frowns as he sees Sanghyeok giggling and Seokjin slapping his thigh, laughing loudly.

“Hey. Why are you laughing?” he asks, even though he knows exactly why they’re laughing.

“You should’ve seen your face,” Jimin giggles, “when manager-nim said that we’d film with Cypher. It looked like your soul left your body.”

“I– it did not,” Jungkook splutters. Sure, he might have thought he was having a lucid dream for a few seconds there, but he doesn’t think it was that obvious.

“Jungkook’s dream is finally coming true,” Taehyung says, a hand on his heart. “They grow up so fast.”

“He’s finally meeting the love of his life,” Sanghyeok adds cheekily. They all know exactly how much Jungkook likes Cypher, and one member in particular. Still, Jungkook doesn’t want to give them the satisfaction of being right.

“Whatever,” he says and gets up, determinedly striding out of the room and to their practice rooms. Thankfully, the others don’t follow immediately, and by the time they do, Jungkook’s already so immersed in practice that he doesn’t hear their giggles. He concentrates on the game, occasionally acknowledging comments but skillfully ignoring the ones that comment on the blush on his cheeks.

It’s only when he’s lying in bed, much, much later, that he fully realises what has happened.

He will meet Cypher.

The group that he’s been following since their debut. The group whose music he’s listening to whenever he has the chance. The group whose lyrics and words have given him strength to pursue his dream of being a professional gamer, of believing in himself and his skills.

But most importantly, he will meet Namjoon. Kim Namjoon.

The man who made him realise that he is bisexual and whom he has had a crush on since the first time he saw him perform in a grainy, 360p YouTube video. The man who makes his heart beat faster whenever he thinks of him, makes him believe that peaceful mornings on which the love of your life brings you breakfast in bed and afternoons filled with laughter and soft kisses truly exist.

Kim Namjoon makes him believe in true love, in the possibility of bells ringing when they finally meet for the first time.

Of course, Jungkook knows that he is crushing on the persona Namjoon portrays for their fans and the outside world. In reality, Jungkook has no idea what Namjoon actually is like, if what he shows on Cypher Cam and Season’s Greetings and Summer Packages is the true Namjoon. But he cannot fathom that the rapper, spitting out harsh words, is faking his other, more private side. The way he is endearingly clumsy but so careful when it comes to his collection of various plants. The way he becomes so immersed in reading, his eyebrows furrowing with how concentrated he is, blocking out everything happening around him. The way he smiles so softly whenever Yoongi and Hoseok are being silly or the way he breaks out into a huge smile, dimples popping, whenever he sees a cute dog.

That is the Namjoon that Jungkook selfishly wants to know more of, wants to see with his own eyes, wants to touch.

So yeah, Jungkook is totally screwed.

***

***

Jungkook doesn’t think he’s ever been this nervous. Not even when he had his first tournament, wide-eyed and still a little naive about life as a pro gamer. Back then, he’d still been a little too focused on himself and not the team. But he learned quickly that his skills alone wouldn’t bring them any wins. It was the team work that did.

Team work, in this instance, won’t do him any good. Even though he’s surrounded by his team – Jimin and Taehyung are sitting behind him in their team van, whispering in the way they do when they’re planning a prank, while Sanghyeok and Seokjin are next to him, talking about something Jungkook doesn’t have the mental capacity to listen to right now – they can’t help with his fast-beating heart or the way his hands are sweating.

It doesn’t help that he was hardly able to catch a minute of sleep the night before. Whatever he did, thoughts about Namjoon plagued his mind. He can’t wait to meet him, to finally see him, even if it is just this once. It makes him giddy. But at the same time, he feels like maybe it is a bad idea. What if he idolises Namjoon too much, puts too many expectations on him that Namjoon would never be able to meet? Wouldn’t it just disappoint Jungkook?

It’s with those thoughts swirling through his head that they arrive at the filming site. They’re ushered inside and into the green room, so that they can be equipped with mics and name tags. Somehow, this calms him a little bit. It’s familiar in a way, though very different from the preparations before a game. But if there’s one thing Jungkook has learnt from being a pro gamer it’s how to calm down before an important match. Sure, Jungkook has a lot of trust in his abilities – they haven’t won that many championships just through sheer luck – but not losing your calm in a game, even if it’s not going well, is essential. But as they’re sitting down to eat before filming the episode, he quickly realises that won’t work in this case.

They won’t even meet Cypher beforehand. The first time they will see each other will be on camera, and Jungkook doesn’t think he can school his features into indifference or at least harmless excitement when he finally sees Namjoon. He already sees himself fainting on camera and wouldn’t that be embarrassing.

The nerves really hit him when they’re walking on set. They can hear Cypher already. Hoseok is starting to introduce them but it’s all white noise to Jungkook. He’s so nervous, he practically shoves Sanghyeok in front of him, who, strangely enough, also seems a little bit nervous. It’s then that he catches his first glimpse of them.

Cypher are standing in front of a gaming set-up with just enough chairs to fit all of them. They can’t see T1 since they’ve been led in at the side and are waiting behind some monitors, but Jungkook has the perfect view of the three rappers. He can see Taehyung, Jimin and Seokjin check if they have anything in their teeth from the corner of his eye, but it’s like his gaze is drawn to Cypher. All three of them are wearing Fila clothing and Namjoon is clad in an almost white tracksuit, his hair a faded blue. He’s stunning.

It feels surreal to finally see him in person and Jungkook is pretty sure he’s having an out of body experience.

Just then, Hoseok shouts, “Let’s welcome the T1 players!”

There’s a second in which Jungkook doesn’t move but then Jimin gently nudges him from behind, urging him to move. He stumbles after Sanghyeok, glad to not end up right next to Yoongi. It would make him even more nervous than he is.

After Cypher are done clapping and welcoming them, Hoseok asks them to introduce themselves. Jungkook is strangely hyper-aware of everyone looking at him after Sanghyeok’s introduced himself as T1’s ADC.

“Hello, I’m JK, or Jungkook, T1’s top-laner,” Jungkook manages to get out without stuttering. The ensuing enthusiastic shouts of JK! make him smile automatically. Of course, he knew that Cypher can be really loud and that they are appreciative of their guests, but experiencing it firsthand is something else entirely. It calms some of the nervousness in Jungkook.

After everyone’s done introducing themselves – with Seokjin making a typical joke out of his – the Run staff start to explain what the episode will entail. First, they’ll play a warm-up game before splitting into two groups and then playing various games against each other.

They settle down on the stools provided for them. Since Hoseok is the one sitting on the far left, he starts with saying his name, then it’s Namjoon and Yoongi until it’s the T1 teams’ turn. Jungkook feels more comfortable with each second, especially when he sees Hoseok’s enthusiasm. He’s constantly smiling and giving comments. At least until the game actually starts and he has to pay attention as he’s once again the first one to start.

“Jin two,” he says while clapping in rhythm with everyone else.

“Jin, Jin,” Seokjin chants, a grin on his face. “RM three.”

Jungkook can see Hoseok laughing but Namjoon is serious, looking towards the camera. “RM, RM, RM. JK four.”

Jungkook is so focused on watching Namjoon’s reaction that it takes him a second to realise his name was called. He almost misses his cue, managing to stutter, “J-JK, JK,” before breaking into laughter.

Thankfully, that is what finally pulls Jungkook out of his nervousness. Of course, he’s a bit jittery considering the members of his favourite band are sitting in close proximity. But if he thinks about it rationally, they are simply human beings, too. And it’s not like they are the only famous ones. After all, Worlds 2024 amassed millions of viewers across the globe and T1 has won five times, the most out of every team.

Still, all of these facts don’t save Jungkook from the heat rushing to his face when he catches Namjoon grinning broadly at him, his dimple visible. Automatically, Jungkook hides his ears behind his hands but he can’t stop giggling at himself. Usually, he would be at least a little bit annoyed at losing so soon but it’s absolutely worth it for the way Namjoon is looking at him.

It’s only when he’s told to turn around because he lost that Jungkook finally looks away. He still peeks at the others playing the rest of the game until there are just Sanghyeok and Taehyung left. Jungkook’s not surprised; they are almost as competitive as he is.

“We will decide the teams now,” the director lets them know. Another staff member comes forward with a cup in which there are several slips of paper. “There will be two teams of four.”

“Let’s open them together,” Hoseok says.

They each draw a slip of paper, starting with Seokjin on the far right. It’s not long until everyone is ready and on a cue from Yoongi, who, in Jungkook’s opinion, is quite energetic today too, they all open the papers.

Jungkook’s says A and when he looks towards Sanghyeok, he sees the same on his slip of paper.

“Who’s in group A?” Namjoon asks loudly over Yoongi and Hoseok screaming once they’ve realised they’re in the same group.

Jungkook looks back down at the big A staring at him. He’s absolutely screwed once again.

***

***

As Jungkook’s luck – or perhaps bad luck in some people’s eyes – would have it, he sits down in the first seat he sees, and Namjoon chooses the one right beside him. At first, they don’t speak to each other, too focused on the make-up noonas touching up some concealer here and there and one fixing Namjoon’s blue hair.

It’s only when they’re gone that Namjoon leans over towards Jungkook, completely putting Jungkook out of commission with the softest smile he has ever seen on Namjoon’s face.

“I’m a big fan,” Namjoon whispers with a dimpled smile, as if it’s a secret. Jungkook anticipates the just kidding or a playful grin, but it never follows. He feels like he’s in free fall. He doesn’t know if Namjoon meant that he’s a big fan of T1 or just Jungkook, but honestly, it doesn’t make a difference. Either way, he knew of Jungkook before, has potentially watched some of their matches, maybe even some of their YouTube content. Which means that he has probably seen Jungkook gush about Cypher at least once.

Jungkook wants to simply vanish into thin air, he’s so embarrassed.

Namjoon doesn’t even seem to realise the impact of his words. He just continues to smile and then turns to the pc in front of him, trying to figure out how the game controls work. Jungkook is too distracted to tell him that he just needs the WASD keys and the mouse.

The first game they play is What the box, but Jungkook feels like in some sort of trance. He’s acutely aware of Namjoon next to him, of him shouting and laughing, giving his best like winning really matters.

Jungkook can’t believe he is sitting next to Namjoon. Next to his crush. His crush who said that he is a big fan. Jungkook doesn’t know how he hasn’t simply fainted. Then again, he’s not in a K-Drama and this is reality.

At some point, Jungkook realises he’s been too silent for too long and all at once, the sounds around him come rushing at him. He hears the others yelling at each other, each team fighting to win this round.

Jungkook hopes his silence wasn’t too obvious and that it would be interpreted as him focusing on the game. Yet, in his mind he can already see all of the tweets the fans will make about this. They are always too attentive to miss anything.

Unfortunately, team A loses the first round. Jungkook groans as he sees the score and realises how badly he was playing. He’s not only let down his team but has also been way too absent-minded considering this is a Run Cypher episode. He decides to pay attention to what’s happening. So what if Kim Namjoon is sitting next to him, his eyebrows cutely furrowed, biting on his bottom lip as he is focusing on the game. Yep, Jungkook can totally ignore that.

The next round starts and Jungkook gives his best. If there’s one thing he’s good at apart from LoL, it’s games like these. He quickly spots the boxes of the other team and eliminates them. For some reason, he hits Hoseok particularly often.

“Jungkook-ah!” he suddenly hears from the row behind him right after he’s killed Jimin’s box. He turns to look at Seokjin, who loudly yells his name once again. “Let’s win this!”

When Jungkook looks back to the screen, his box has been destroyed by Taehyung.

“Hyung,” he whines. “Stop distracting me.”

“Distracting?” Seokjin yells, as if Jungkook wouldn’t be able to hear him otherwise. “Yah! I’m supporting you, brat!”

Namjoon laughs next to him. “That’s what your support looks like, hyung?”

“Yah!” Seokjin yells back, but he can’t help but laugh too.

This playful bickering is familiar to Jungkook. Of course, it doesn’t happen in professional settings. Though Seokjin loves bickering – especially with Jungkook – they’d never go so far as to do it during an important match. But when they’re streaming or working out? It’s just how they talk to each other. It helps Jungkook to be more open and he starts talking with the others, making comments here and there and complaining about Yoongi going after him the entire game.

Somehow, they still manage to win that round and so they play another one and Jungkook finally feels more comfortable. Maybe even because it’s Namjoon who’s sitting next to him and keeps complaining cutely, muttering “Come on, come on,” and whining about Taehyung killing him again.

By some miracle – probably in the form of Sanghyeok if Jungkook’s being honest – they win the last round by one point.

Immediately, everyone breaks out into cheers. Well, everyone except Team B.

Namjoon turns to Jungkook but before he can even open his mouth, Jungkook begins to speak. “You did well, hyung. Congrats.”

Namjoon’s pretty eyes widen. In surprise or excitement, Jungkook can’t tell. Then he smiles.

“Thanks, you too,” he says. “I mean, obviously– you’re– you’re a pro gamer after all.”

Now it’s Jungkook’s turn to be surprised. He can see the blush high on Namjoon’s cheeks, his dimple, the way he ducks his head, as if he’s embarrassed. It’s in that moment that Jungkook truly realises that he’s not the only one who’s been star-struck. (Which very much makes sense considering Namjoon said he was a big fan but Jungkook doesn’t think his mind can actually handle that fact.)

Jungkook can’t help but giggle. “That I am,” he says cheekily and anticipates Namjoon’s subsequent smile.

They take a short break before the next game. They’ve already been filming for over an hour but Jungkook is only now starting to feel really hyped about the rest of the episode. It’s this feeling which he usually gets before a game that makes the following words come out of his mouth: “I’ve watched a lot of your content.”

Namjoon looks up from his phone. “Oh, really?”

Jungkook nods. He’s not sure if he should reveal how much of a fan he actually is but he supposes he won’t be able to hide it anyway.

“I’ve watched Run Cypher,” he confesses. “And some of your YouTube videos.”

“Oh,” Namjoon says, “which one’s your favourite Run episode?”

Jungkook rubs the back of his neck. He wants to say that all of them are his favourite but he has a feeling if he says that, Seokjin will forever tease him about it and it’s not like he’s not overhearing their conversation from his position. And even if he wasn’t, the camera pointed at them would make sure he’d hear about it eventually. He would never let Jungkook live it down.

“The one with the dogs.” It's quite an old episode but Jungkook will never forget the way Namjoon played with the dogs. It was too adorable.

“Oh, so you’ve really seen a lot of them,” Namjoon says, mostly to himself. “I thought you just meant some of the newer episodes.”

Jungkook shakes his head with a smile. But before he can reply, Namjoon continues. Which is probably for the best considering Jungkook was about to start gushing about Run Cypher.

“I’ve also seen some of your content. I always like watching your YouTube videos during breaks. Your voice is quite calming.”

“Oh?” Jungkook just manages to get out.

“I’m not really a gaming person so I don’t understand much of what’s going on. But… I like the way you play. Actually, Yoongi’s always on my case for watching your videos while knowing nothing about LoL,” he says, adding a hearty “haha” after a second, betraying his nervousness.

“Really?” Jungkook asks quietly. He can’t quite believe what Namjoon is saying.

“Yeah,” Namjoon replies genuinely, a smile on his face. “By the way, I really enjoyed that stream when you played Outlast 2.”

Jungkook chokes on the water he was just drinking. Namjoon gently hits his back as he keeps coughing.

Namjoon watched his Outlast 2 stream. The stream in which he continuously made references to Cypher, clearly showing that he is a fan especially of Namjoon.

“You okay?” Namjoon asks, and Jungkook would almost think he’s concerned but then he spots the corners of Namjoon’s mouth turn up slightly.

Jungkook nods quickly, still coughing a little bit. He can see Seokjin laughing from the corner of his eye.

As Namjoon rubs his back when he gets his coughing under control, Jungkook thinks that maybe it’s not so bad that Namjoon saw that stream. At least it seems like they are both aware that they knew of each other before. And maybe it’s just Jungkook’s imagination but it feels like Namjoon is – although Jungkook can’t believe he’s even thinking this – somehow flirting with him.

***

***

It doesn’t take long until they continue filming. The director explains that the next game will be Gang Beasts. Since Jungkook has seen every Run Cypher episode – some even more than once (okay, every single one more than once) – he knows that Cypher has played it before. He doesn’t think anyone of T1 has though, but it’s not like it matters. After all, they’re playing to have fun and to entertain an audience, not to win a trophy.

He can hear Yoongi and Hoseok on the other side confidently say that they’ll have to show the T1 members how to play since neither Taehyung nor Jimin had even heard of Gang Beasts before. Interestingly, Namjoon does not do the same, even though Jungkook’s sure he’d jump on such an opportunity in order to make their guests more comfortable by making fun of themselves.

“We’re professionals in this game,” Hoseok boasts confidently, even though Jungkook has seen him lose most games they played. Actually, come to think of it, Namjoon was surprisingly good in their gaming episode and even more so in Gang Beasts.

It’s surprising, then, when Namjoon leans over to Jungkook. First, he looks at Jungkook’s screen, where he’s making his little figure throw his arms up, and then at Jungkook himself.

“What are the controls?” he asks. “I can’t figure out how to punch.”

“You use the mouse for punching.”

“And the rest? Can you show me?” Namjoon leans back slightly, as if he’s making space for Jungkook to physically show him which keys to hit on his keyboard.

“Uh, sure.” Jungkook rolls a bit closer with his chair. This close, he can smell Namjoon’s aftershave. Though he personally prefers more flowery scents for himself since he’s quite sensitive to smells, he can’t help but scoot a tiny bit closer. Namjoon’s scent is quite pleasant and doesn’t irritate his nose at all.

“You can use space to jump,” Jungkook says and unnecessarily points towards the space key. He knows it’s a little bit stupid but Namjoon wouldn’t have asked him to show him the controls if he weren’t at least flirting a little bit. And well, Jungkook can’t really miss that opportunity, now can he?

“You can grab with your mouse, and if you hold shift while using your mouse, you can lift someone.”

“Okay, thanks.” Namjoon’s deep voice sends shivers through his body.

When Jungkook turns to him, ready to tell him that it was no problem, he realises he’s much, much closer than he thought. It’s not like in the movies, where the protagonist turns and is nose to nose with their love interest, but Jungkook’s close enough that he can feel Namjoon’s body heat.

Thankfully, Jungkook is saved from replying by the director announcing the start of the game.

Jungkook doesn’t know what he would’ve said if they hadn’t been interrupted.

***

***

Jungkook has always been competitive. There’s a reason he’s part of T1, after all. But he doesn’t think he’s ever been as competitive than in this moment. So maybe it’s because of Namjoon. Maybe, he just wants to show his best side in front of Namjoon. Show him that he can win.

And maybe, Jungkook just wants Namjoon to look at him again with that cute dimpled smile when he congratulates Jungkook on winning. Sue him, he likes Namjoon’s undivided attention.

Unfortunately though, it’s not going too well.

Although Jungkook really concentrates, tries to throw the others off the map and protect himself by grabbing onto anything in his reach, he fails. Taehyung and Hoseok are unexpectedly good at the game, working well together and throwing off the other team members one by one. Namjoon is the first to go.

There is lots of shouting and many groans and half swearing coming from Seokjin, but amongst the chaos of the game, Namjoon turns to Jungkook, who is hanging onto the edge of the rink for dear life.

“Go, go, go, Jungkook-ah!” Namjoon exclaims and Jungkook feels so hot with Namjoon’s attention on him that his finger slips and his character on screen lets go, instantly failing.

“Noo,” Jungkook bemoans. When he turns towards Namjoon, he’s smiling cutely at Jungkook.

“You did so well!” Namjoon tells him, even though Jungkook knows he didn’t. Yet, the way Namjoon said it sounded so genuine and in that moment, Jungkook realises something. Namjoon doesn’t care if Jungkook wins. All he is focused on is having fun. Sure, winning helps with that, but in the end, Namjoon is neither a professional player nor as competitive as Jungkook.

Unsurprisingly, they lose the first round. Seokjin just wasn’t able to win against the combined forces of Hoseok and Taehyung.

“Who’s playing the next round?” Namjoon asks and Seokjin immediately shouts “me” in reply, already focusing on the lobby and making his character throw up his arms.

“I’ll sit this one out,” Jungkook says, even though his fingers are itching to get back onto the keyboard and mouse.

“Are you sure?” Namjoon looks at him with wide eyes. “You’re so much better at this than I am.”

“Hyung,” Jungkook starts, “I’m really not. You go ahead.”

Namjoon eagerly turns towards his screen and though his grip on the mouse is somewhat clumsy, Jungkook knows he’s made the right choice. Just watching Namjoon play, having the time of his life, makes Jungkook’s heart beat faster.

Namjoon switches between swearing, shouting and his eyes lighting up in joy as he’s fighting so hard to have his little character survive, and even though he eventually loses, the way he laughs makes Jungkook want to give him the world.

***

***

After their spectacular loss in Gang Beasts, they play one last game: Fall Guys. Jungkook is familiar with this game because he has played it a few times with friends. It’s fun and, as it turns out, Team A is weirdly good at it. Though some of that might just be beginner’s luck.

Namjoon, unlike in Gang Beasts, is doing really well, bringing them in at least one win against Yoongi and Jimin, who both fail to cross the finish line in time, handing them an automatic win on a silver platter.

Of course, this game, too, results in lots of shouting, especially since it’s two against two and there’s always two others cheering on in the background. Jungkook doesn’t think he’s had this much fun in a long time, especially when Namjoon turns towards him, whooping about winning.

Before they film the ending segment, there’s another short break. By this point, it has been about four hours since they first got here and Jungkook should be exhausted. But every time he looks at Namjoon, new energy courses through his veins, his heart beating faster.

As the staff set up the chairs and tables with food, Namjoon joins Jungkook where he’s leaning against one of the desks.

“That was fun,” Namjoon starts, smiling at him with that dimpled smile again that makes Jungkook’s legs feel weak.

“It was,” Jungkook agrees. His fingers find the hem of his shirt and instantly start picking at it. Why does he still feel so incredibly shy in front of Namjoon?

“You were really good,” Namjoon adds after a few seconds of silence, clearly wanting to make conversation.

Jungkook just shrugs, pretending like hearing those words from Namjoon don’t make his hands sweaty and butterflies erupt in his stomach.

“No, really.”

“Thank you,” Jungkook murmurs. He swipes his fringe out of his eye and when he looks up at Namjoon, Namjoon’s gaze is already trained on him, making Jungkook feel hot all over.

Namjoon’s gaze is so intense, so magnetising that Jungkook can’t help but shift a little closer to him, their jackets brushing. For a moment, he forgets where he is, that there are at least five cameras pointed in their direction, that he’s T1 Jeon Jungkook and Cypher’s Kim Namjoon is standing next to him.

Right now, they are only Jungkook and Namjoon, whose blue hair really compliments his complexion, who has the cutest dimples and the sweetest smile and who just said Jungkook is cute.

Wait. What?

“W-what?” Jungkook stutters.

“I said, it’s so cute how shy you get when you get complimented,” Namjoon repeats quietly but confidently, his eyes creasing with how hard he’s grinning.

Jungkook just blinks at him, frozen in place.

Namjoon thinks he’s cute? Or was he just making fun of Jungkook? But that smile on his face…

Before Jungkook can form any more thoughts or retort, the director tells them that filming is about to continue and Jungkook somewhat mechanically stalks to his designated seat, feeling like he is in the wrong film.

It doesn’t help that a second later, Namjoon sits down next to him.

***

***

There are four tables in front of them and of course Jungkook is seated at one with Namjoon after Namjoon just called him cute and Jungkook awkwardly forgot every word in his vocabulary.

On the table, there are drinks and food, more specifically chicken wings. Usually, Jungkook would have a hard time resisting those but right now, he’s acutely aware of Namjoon next to him.

“Oh, that looks good,” Namjoon comments off-handedly and then shrugs out of his jacket, revealing his tanned arms. Jungkook feels like he’s about to die from overexposure.

Never in his life did he think he’d ever get this close to Namjoon. But at the same time, he also never thought he’d feel so comfortable and nervous around Namjoon. Butterflies keep wreaking havoc in his stomach and make his heart beat faster, but Namjoon also radiates a certain calmness that makes Jungkook feel safe, makes him want to hug Namjoon and never let go.

Their time together is almost over. Maybe it’s time for him to make a move so that Namjoon won’t ever forget him.

“Y-you look good,” Jungkook whispers, awkwardly stumbling over his words and praying to God that no one heard that. Or that the mics picked it up.

Namjoon’s eyes go wide but then his cheeks bunch up in a smile, a blush slowly colouring his face.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” he laughs, winking clumsily at Jungkook, sending heat right through Jungkook’s body from head to toe.

From beside him, Jungkook hears Yoongi groan and he’s instantly reminded that other people can, in fact, listen to their conversation and that there are still cameras pointed at them.

Jungkook can feel heat rise to his cheeks and he ducks his head, trying to hide how flustered he is. If Namjoon’s chuckle is anything to go by, he’s not very successful.

Thankfully, he’s saved from making awkward conversation by the director announcing the start of filming.

The ending segment is brief. Everyone says a few words about the episodes – how much they enjoyed it, what they think about the other team – and then they end with Run Cypher’s slogan. That and the fact that he detects a little something going on between Taehyung and Yoongi puts Jungkook’s mind at ease.

And maybe it even makes Jungkook bold enough – once the cameras are turned off – to pick up a piece of the chicken and offer it to Namjoon.

“Hyung,” he says as cutely as possible, his heart racing as he reaches out with his chopsticks, picking up a piece and holding it in Namjoon’s direction.

Jeon Jungkook never shares food, simply because he lives with four other guys who love stealing his food. But for Namjoon he can make an exception.

Namjoon, who was just about to take a swig of the Chilsung cider, blinks at him, his eyes wide. Then, instead of drinking like he clearly wanted to, he sets the bottle down and slowly leans forward, his eyes trained on Jungkook the entire time. Jungkook’s heart almost explodes when Namjoon’s full lips wrap around the chicken.

A crumb is stuck to the corner of Namjoon’s mouth and without thinking about it, Jungkook reaches out and promptly knocks over the open bottle of cider, the contents splashing all over Namjoon’s pants.

“Oh God,” Jungkook just says in horror, his gaze stuck on Namjoon’s very see-through white pants.

***

***

“Hyung, I’m so sorry.”

“Seriously, it’s okay,” Namjoon reassures him with a smile. He had to go backstage to change into a different pair of pants.

Jungkook had been more than happy staying where he was, but both Seokjin and Yoongi encouraged him to follow and apologise. And because Jungkook is a huge fan and would never think of ignoring what the great Min Yoongi has to say, he followed. He’s sure that Seokjin would love to take some credit for what happens next, but Jungkook will never give him that satisfaction.

“It happens,” Namjoon adds with a shrug. “It has certainly happened to me more times than I can count.”

Jungkook guesses that’s true. From what Jungkook knows about him, Namjoon is quite clumsy. In fact, his clumsiness is often joked about by Yoongi and Hoseok.

“Still, I feel bad.” Jungkook shuffles on the spot, looking down at his feet. “You didn’t even get to enjoy the food.”

At the sudden silence that spreads in the room, Jungkook looks up, worry sitting on his chest, only to find Namjoon looking at him already. His gaze is so intent that Jungkook feels frozen in place.

“But I did enjoy it,” Namjoon says, his voice low. It sends a shiver through Jungkook’s body.

Namjoon steps closer to him. So close that Jungkook can smell whatever aftershave or perfume Namjoon’s used today. He smells amazing.

“Before I forget,” Namjoon starts, then suddenly scratches at his neck and averts his gaze. He fishes his phone out of his pocket and holds it out to Jungkook. “Would you give me your number?”

DId Namjoon seriously just ask for his number? Or has Jungkook been dreaming since yesterday? Maybe he fell asleep during his late-nights practice sessions and has been making this whole thing up. That’s the only way to explain what is happening right now.

“Sorry, was that too forward? I mean, you don’t have to,” Namjoon rambles, “obviously. I mean, you– you’re really famous, so I understand.”

He lowers his hand holding the phone and is about to slip it back into his pocket when Jungkook comes back to himself. His hand shoots out and grasps Namjoon’s wrist to stop him.

“I’d love to,” he murmurs.

Through his grip on Namjoon’s wrists, he can feel Namjoon’s pulse beat faster.

***

“Did something happen back there?” Jimin twists back in his seat to look at Jungkook sitting in the back of the car and wriggles his eyebrows at him.

“Nothing happened,” Jungkook replies but turns so that Jimin won’t be able to see that he’s not exactly telling the truth. Maybe he just wants to keep this to himself for just a little while. And maybe he just doesn’t want to get teased for the next ten days straight. He already gets teased enough for being Namjoon’s No. 1 fan on a regular basis.

“You do know that you’re a terrible liar, right?” Jimin grins at him.

Damn it. There’s no use in hiding it now.

“Did you… kiss?” Seokjin snickers from the front.

Next to Jungkook, Sanghyeok just sighs and takes out his headphones, jamming them in so he can be blissfully unaware of the next half an hour of conversation. Jungkook kind of wishes he could do the same.

“Noo,” Jungkook whines. “Nothing happened. He just…”

Jungkook pauses, feeling his phone weigh heavily in his pocket, wishing it to vibrate with an incoming text. Namjoon never gave him his number, so Jungkook has no choice but to wait.

“Gave me his number,” he finishes lamely, looking down at his hands.

“Aww,” Seokjin coos. “Our Jungkookie’s growing up so fast.”

“Oh, shut up,” Jungkook spits back without heat. Then he remembers the glances between Hoseok and Jimin and starts grinning.

Immediately, Jimin’s face falls. It’s like he knows exactly what Jungkook’s thinking.

“If I remember correctly,” Jungkook says smugly, “didn’t Hoseok-hyung say that you helped him so much in the ending segment?”

“That was just– He–” Jimin splutters.

Taehyung’s eyes go wide. “Wait, wait, wait. When–”

“Don’t you dare start.” Jimin waggles a finger at him. “I saw exactly what was going on between you and Yoongi-hyung.”

“That’s not–”

Jungkook leans back in his seat, smiling to himself. From the corner of his eyes, he catches sight of Seokjin approvingly nodding at him. Even though Jungkook is sure Seokjin will make fun of his crush on Namjoon the first chance he’ll get, Jungkook also knows that Seokjin is never one to pass on an opportunity to be mischievous. And right now, Taehyung and Jimin are giving him the perfect opportunity, which means Jungkook can relax into his seat and daydream about Namjoon’s dimpled smile and his mint-coloured hair.

It’s much, much later, when Jungkook’s already in bed, on the brink of sleep, that his phone vibrates on his nightstand.

Instantly, he’s wide awake, fumbling for his phone and almost dropping it twice before he finally manages to unlock the screen, the brightness blinding him for a moment. He turns down the screen brightness and spots the notification sitting on top.

It’s a message from an unknown number but Jungkook instantly knows who it’s from. He taps the screen so hastily that he accidentally opens another notification first from which he immediately exits to tap on the message.

Hi, it’s Namjoon. I hope I’m not waking you up by texting this late. Idk what your schedule is

His heart beats like crazy.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I had a nice time today and I hope you did too. Maybe we can repeat it someday?

I mean, without the others

Or the cameras and staff etc

Sorry, rambling.

I hope you’re doing well

Namjoon

Oh, already said that. Pls ignore

Jungkook turns and shoves his face into his pillow and squeals. If everything before hadn’t already confirmed it, this certainly does. Namjoon is the cutest person on this planet and Jungkook can’t wait to see him again.

After he’s calmed down somewhat, he picks up his phone and starts typing.

hi hyung

***

Jungkook is on cloud nine. Ever since he texted Namjoon back, Namjoon has been sending him messages every day. Often, Jungkook wakes up to a good morning message and when he finally gets out of bed after trying to keep his squealing to a minimum, it feels like he’s walking on clouds.

It doesn’t even bother him anymore when the others make a teasing comment about him.

“Does anyone else feel like the third wheel?” Jimin asks playfully when Jungkook’s phone dings and he hastily fishes it out of his pocket.

Okay, maybe it bothers him a little bit.

What are you up to?

But just reading Namjoon’s texts make up for the teasing. After all, it’s better to be teased and have Namjoon’s text than to just be teased and have no texts from a cute boy.

having lunch, Jungkook texts back. He takes a photo of his tray – which honestly tastes better than it looks – and sends it. you?

It takes a while for Namjoon to reply. Jungkook continues eating but keeps throwing glances at his phone, waiting for it to light up with a reply. When it finally does, he’s just stuffed some rice into his mouth. He fumbles with his phone until he manages to unlock it, promptly choking on the rice.

In the studio

Bored

Jungkook’s eyes water from how hard he’s coughing. Sanghyeok silently hands him a glass of water while Seokjin is laughing his ass off about the look on Jungkook’s face.

“Oh my god,” Jungkook whispers once he’s stopped coughing, his voice rough. “This can’t be real.”

“Let me see,” Jimin says from across the table and makes grabby hands for Jungkook’s phone. As quickly as he can, Jungkook clutches it to his chest. Absolutely no one else but him will get to see that photo.

At least Jungkook hopes that Namjoon only sent it to him.

What should he reply with? Also a selfie? Or would that be weird? How do people usually reply to this sort of thing?

“You know,” Taehyung startles him out of his thoughts, “usually people try to flirt with the person they like.”

“What?” Did he just say all of that out loud or is Taehyung a mind reader?

With his spoon, Taehyung gestures towards Jungkook’s phone. “I’ve seen how you text him.” He picks up some kimchi with a shrug. “And I think you should do some more flirting.”

Flirting. Yeah, maybe he should be doing more of that. He’s done it once, so he can definitely do it again.

“Sure. Thanks.” He gives Taehyung a short but grateful smile and turns back towards his phone.

We could be bored toge–

No, that sounds lame.

What are you working on?

Not flirty at all, though Jungkook is really interested in Namjoon’s work. There’s a reason he’s a big fan of Cypher.

I know a solution for that ;)

Too flirty? Yeah, too flirty.

Jungkook’s just about to erase what he’s just typed when Seokjin reaches over and presses send. Jungkook sees his life flash before his eyes when the message is read immediately.

“Hyung!” he shouts, drawing the attention of half of the employees in the cafeteria to them. “Why?!”

“It’s not that complicated, Jungkookie,” Seokjin shrugs, unfazed by Jungkook’s yelling. “And you were taking too long.”

“But I– I wasn’t going to send that and now you’ve sent that and now I look like a complete idiot who’s only out for one thing.” The words stream out of Jungkook like a waterfall.

“Oh my god,” he moans, burying his face in his hands. He never wants to emerge again.

“Seemed to work though,” Jimin comments.

“What?”

“Yeah, listen to this: Yeah? What’s that?” Jimin says at the same time as Taehyung goes: “He’s clearly flirting back.”

Jungkook looks up and sees Jimin holding his phone, reading Namjoon’s message.

“That’s it?” Jungkook grabs his phone back and there it is.

Yeah? What’s that?

He takes a deep breath. Namjoon doesn’t hate him. Namjoon wants to flirt with him. Oh, Jungkook is absolutely going to die. There is just no way he can survive this.

At the end of the day, Jungkook may be shy and he may also be afraid of scaring Namjoon off. But he also desperately wants to get to know Namjoon, spend time with him and potentially be more than just T1’s Jungkook to him. Maybe he could be Namjoon’s Jungkook one day. So he gathers all his courage and starts typing.

a date, with me

***

***

It’s cold when Jungkook steps out of the car. It’s the beginning of December and winter has finally set in, bringing the temperature down to below 10 degrees. It’s chilly enough to justify wearing a coat but not as uncomfortably freezing as it gets later in the month.

When Jungkook turns, he spots Namjoon sitting on a bench. Unlike Jungkook, he’s not wearing a coat but a jean jacket with lining. He looks cute, huggable. Jungkook can’t wait to talk to him.

But before he can say anything, Namjoon’s already caught sight of him. He visibly perks up, a smile lighting up his face. Jungkook’s insides melt a little.

“Hey,” Namjoon greets him, getting up.

“Hi,” Jungkook replies, suddenly shy. He tugs a strand of hair behind his ear. “Have you been waiting long?”

They decided to meet somewhat out of Seoul to escape the business of the city. Here, there’s less of a chance that someone will spot them, though Jungkook suspects it will happen anyway. Cypher has fans all over the world.

“Nah.”

There’s an awkward moment where neither of them quite knows what to do next. Should Jungkook just go for it and hug Namjoon? Or would that be too much? They have been texting a lot but that doesn’t mean that Namjoon appreciates hugging or that he wants to hug Jungkook.

Jungkook hesitates so much that he just stays quiet, an awkward atmosphere building between them. He opens his mouth to say something, anything, but nothing comes out. Namjoon truly makes him speechless.

Namjoon clears his throat. “Well… Should we?”

“Yes,” Jungkook nods hastily, glad that Namjoon saved him from embarrassing himself. If the silence had gone on for any longer, he for sure would’ve said something awkward.

“There’s this café close by,” Namjoon starts as they walk along the path right next to the lake. Even though the weather has become grey and all of the trees have lost their leaves, the scenery is beautiful. If it weren’t for the high-rise apartment buildings in the distance, Jungkook could almost pretend they were in the countryside. It helps that not a lot of people are around on a weekday morning. Just a few older people are walking their dogs.

“It has some good reviews and it looks cute. They have these bunny-shaped desserts. I thought maybe we could sit down there and have a coffee?”

“Sounds good,” Jungkook replies, stuffing his hands in his coat’s pockets. “Let me guess, you’re the type to drink Iced Americano even in winter?”

Namjoon snorts at that. He throws Jungkook a side glance. “How did you know?”

“I– Well.” It’s not like Jungkook can say that he watches all of Cypher’s behind footage and vlogs though he thinks Namjoon already suspects it. “Doesn’t almost everyone?”

Namjoon smiles at him as if he knows that that’s not what Jungkook was thinking. “I guess so.”

Jungkook stuffs his hands into his coat’s pockets and throws a side glance at Namjoon. The tip of his nose has gotten a little bit red due to the cold and he looks absolutely adorable. Jungkook wishes he could hold his hand and press a kiss to Namjoon’s cheek.

“What about you?” Namjoon suddenly asks.

“Hm?”

“What’s your preferred drink?”

“Oh,” Jungkook says. “Iced Americano.”

Namjoon grins teasingly but Jungkook can tell it’s not in a mean way. “I see.”

“Honestly,” Jungkook starts, looking out at the lake and then back to Namjoon, “I usually prefer sweeter drinks. But Iced Americanos are way cheaper and I needed to cut down on sugar, so I got used to drinking Iced Americanos.”

“Cut down on sugar? You? You look perfect.” Namjoon blurts out, his eyes going wide.

Immediately after the words are out in the open, Namjoon blushes, his ears getting red. Jungkook is pretty sure that Namjoon did not mean to say that last part.

“Ah, well. A lot of effort goes into maintaining this perfect body,” Jungkook jokes, his heart beating out of his chest. He’s not sure how the words even came out without any stuttering but he knows for sure that that’s all the flirting he’s going to be physically able to do today. And even that took tremendous courage.

“I can imagine,” Namjoon half-whispers, his gaze getting caught on Jungkook’s chest, even though there’s not much to see considering he’s wearing a sweater.

If Namjoon keeps going like that, Jungkook is pretty sure he’s not going to survive this day.

***

***

“Let me,” Namjoon says as Jungkook stands in front of the cake and dessert display, contemplating if he’d rather have the chocolate or vanilla flavoured bunny dessert.

“Hm?” He turns towards Namjoon, who is just dressed in his t-shirt and cardigan. He took off his jacket earlier when they had chosen their seats and left it hanging over the back of his chair.

“I want to treat you,” Namjoon clarifies. “And if you don’t mind, we can share one of those?” He gestures towards the desserts.

“Oh, s-sure, thank you,” Jungkook just manages to get out, feeling hot all over at the thought of sharing something with Namjoon. He usually doesn’t like sharing food – Seokjin stealing his ramen and chips in the middle of the night because they supposedly taste better doesn’t count – but sharing a dessert with Namjoon? The thought of it seems so intimate and makes Jungkook feel giddy.

“So, what do you want?”

“Oh, um,” Jungkook turns towards the display again. “The chocolate one if that’s okay with you? And a café latte.”

“No Americano?” Namjoon asks jokingly, that cute dimpled smile on his face again.

“I guess it’s time to try something new for once,” Jungkook tries to flirt back, his cheeks feeling hot. Now that it’s just the two of them, without any cameras or co-workers or staff, talking to Namjoon feels so much more exhilarating but it also makes Jungkook a lot more nervous.

He shuffles on the spot as he waits for Namjoon to order, and once he’s done, they head upstairs to their table. They chose one right in front of the big glass windows giving sight to the lake and the surrounding park. It’s a stunning view of nature and would probably be even more fantastic during spring or autumn. But right now, Jungkook’s gaze is only drawn to Namjoon and he can’t help but look at Namjoon’s side profile while Namjoon’s busy admiring the scenery.

His hair looks soft to the touch, despite having been bleached, and a lone silver earring dangles from Namjoon’s earlobe, a contrast to the nine piercings Jungkook has, not counting the ones on his eyebrow and lip. Jungkook wonders if Namjoon chose the earrings or if they’d been recommended by his stylists and he’s been wearing them ever since.

Jungkook’s gaze wanders to Namjoon’s nose. It’s a lot smaller than Jungkook’s, which is so adorable that Jungkook wants to poke it. Maybe one day he’d be lucky enough to touch it without second thought. Not to mention his full lips, which drive Jungkook absolutely crazy. He just knows that they would feel like pillows.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Namjoon says.

“Yes, very beautiful,” Jungkook murmurs back, his gaze still trained on Namjoon. He doesn’t miss it when Namjoon’s eyes flit to him and do a double take. Yet, Namjoon doesn’t comment on the fact that Jungkook clearly was not talking about the scenery. Instead, he fumbles with the buzzer in his hand.

It doesn’t take long until it buzzes, signalling that their order is ready to be picked up. Quickly, Jungkook snatches it out of Namjoon’s hand. “I’ll get it.”

Before Namjoon can protest, Jungkook’s already gotten up. He makes his way back downstairs, his heart beating wildly. It’s a silly thought considering they are both aware that this is a date, but Jungkook doesn’t think he can pretend he doesn’t have a big, fat crush on Namjoon. And that thought alone makes him feel so nervous that he just knows he’s going to trip over his own tongue. But then again, Namjoon seemed to like it before.

When Jungkook makes it back, tray in hand, Namjoon is exactly where he left him. A smile tugs at the corners of his mouth when he spots Jungkook.

“Hi,” Jungkook breathes as he puts the tray down, some of the latte sloshing over the edge of the cup from the force with which Jungkook sets down the tray.

“Hey yourself,” Namjoon replies and Jungkook almost dies at the sight of his dimples. “Thank you.”

Namjoon grabs his Iced Americano, which Jungkook honestly wishes he had right now considering how hot he’s feeling, and then sets down the latte and dessert in front of Jungkook after pushing the tray to the side.

“So,” Namjoon says, sipping on his coffee. “What do you do when you’re not gaming?”

“Oh.” Jungkook didn’t know what kind of question Namjoon would ask but he didn’t really expect it to be this one. He tugs at his hair and laughs awkwardly. “Um… Where do I start?”

“That many hobbies?” Namjoon asks, raising his eyebrows.

“I, well, I just like trying new things?”

Jungkook is called the Golden One of T1 because of his ability to succeed no matter what new thing he tries. In reality, Jungkook is simply a perfectionist and gets sucked into whatever he’s currently focused on. Sanghyeok often jokes that Jungkook has ADHD but Jungkook’s never really looked into it.

“That’s nice,” Namjoon comments and Jungkook can tell that he really means it. “Care to tell me about them?”

“Sure, I–” Jungkook starts but is cut short by Namjoon picking up the fork, cutting off a small piece of the dessert and holding it out to Jungkook.

For a few seconds, Jungkook can only stare at him with wide eyes. Then, he shakes himself out of his trance and slowly leans forward, keeping eye contact with Namjoon all the way. His lips close around the fork and the delicious taste of chocolate cake melts on his tongue.

“There you go,” Namjoon murmurs, intently looking at Jungkook.

Jungkook almost chokes on the dessert, but Namjoon simply grins at him innocently, as if he has no idea what kind of effect he has on Jungkook.

Jungkook is pretty sure that this man is going to be the death of him.

***

***

Jungkook shoves his hands into his pocket to warm them as soon as they step outside. They’ve been sitting in the warm café for so long that the cold is biting, especially where his skin is exposed. Even his cosy coat suddenly doesn’t feel like enough protection from it.

Namjoon isn’t as bothered by the sudden cold. He just rubs his hands together and then lets them hang by his side, turning to Jungkook with a smile.

“Shall we?”

Jungkook nods quickly. Although he doesn’t want this date to end, he also wants to walk some more with Namjoon, to have his presence beside him and continue their conversation.

“So,” Jungkook starts, quickly falling into place next to Namjoon, “on a scale of one to ten, how would you rate that Americano?”

Namjoon hums and purses his lips. “What’s one?”

Jungkook thinks for a second, acutely aware of how cold his nose is getting, which means it will start running soon. “Hm, this is the worst thing I’ve ever put into my mouth and I want to vomit?”

“Oh,” Namjoon replies, scrunching his nose. He puts on a thinking face for a moment. “I guess then it has to be a solid ten.”

“Ten? Why a ten?”

Namjoon turns to look at him. “Well, it was quite a nice Americano. Certainly not as bitter as those cheap ones you get everywhere.”

He pauses for a moment, looking down at his feet as they continue walking slowly.

“And I guess the fact that I had it with you makes it the best coffee I’ve ever had.”

Jungkook’s heart skips a beat and he almost stops in his tracks but forces his feet to keep going. Suddenly, he feels way too hot in his coat and when he takes his hands out of his pockets, they shake a little. Somehow, he manages to unzip his coat.

“I see,” he croaks, his mouth dry. Even as he’s saying it, he knows that it’s the lamest answer he could give but his mind is completely blank except for the sentence Namjoon just said repeating itself non-stop.

The fact that I had it with you makes it the best coffee I’ve ever had. The best coffee I’ve ever had. With you.

Thankfully, a nearby flock of ducks chooses that exact moment to make itself heard. They instantly catch Namjoon’s attention, whose eyes go big. Without hesitation, he steers Jungkook off the path and near the bank of the lake.

“Woah,” he breathes, so focused on the ducks that he almost steps in a puddle of dirty water. Jungkook is quick enough to gently grab his arm and guide him away from it.

It’s endearing how Namjoon makes sure not to step too close to the ducks to scare them away. Instead, he crouches down and makes some sounds that are probably supposed to attract the ducks but in actuality do nothing to draw the ducks’ attention. They do sound adorable though.

After a few failed attempts, Namjoon turns to look up at Jungkook, whose heart still hasn’t calmed down from Namjoon’s flirting and is now in even more turmoil because of how insanely cute Namjoon is.

“Cute, right?” Namjoon asks him, and he looks so happy that Jungkook can’t stop himself.

“Will you go on another date with me?” he blurts out, the words falling out of his mouth like dominoes.

“Oh.”

Namjoon’s clearly taken aback, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open.

He’s taken aback and not replying and Jungkook was clearly too much with his huge, unmistakable crush on Namjoon and now he’s ruined everything.

Namjoon straightens up, their height difference more obvious like this. He opens his mouth to reply but Jungkook can’t take it anymore.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to,” he rambles, “I mean, you probably have better things to do, like making music, and anyway–”

“Jungkook.” Namjoon stops him, gently laying his hand on Jungkook’s arm. Instantly, Jungkook’s gaze laser-focuses on it and how intimate the gesture feels. He completely misses how a soft smile lights up Namjoon’s face.

“I would love to go on another date with you,” Namjoon murmurs.

“Wait. What?”

“I had a really good time,” Namjoon says, taking his hand off of Jungkook and scratching at his neck. There’s some colour on his cheeks that wasn’t there before. “And I want to get to know you better.”

Jungkook blinks slowly. It feels like he’s trapped in a dream and about to witness the part where he wakes up and realises none of this ever actually happened.

“Really?”

Namjoon smiles cutely, his dimples appearing. “Yes, really.”

“Oh.” Jungkook’s heart is beating so fast that he’s sure he’s going to develop heart problems if Namjoon continues being so cute.

“You didn’t think I would say yes?” Namjoon teases him lightly.

“Well,” Jungkook just says. It’s true but he’s already embarrassed enough to admit it. He had an amazing time with Namjoon and sure, Namjoon’s been flirting with him a lot. But somehow, there was still a little sliver of doubt at the back of his mind that Namjoon was genuinely interested in someone like Jungkook.

“If it helps,” Namjoon starts, shuffling his feet a little, “I wasn’t sure you would even go on a date with me to begin with.”

“Seriously?”

“I mean,” Namjoon gestures at himself, “All I do is make music and read. And you always have so many things going on and–”

Namjoon’s about to continue, but Jungkook can’t have Namjoon doubting himself for even one second.

“You’re amazing,” he blurts out, and Namjoon’s eyes widen. “Seriously, you’re so amazing. I really admire the way you are able to express yourself in your lyrics. Your ability to put your ideas into words is something I wish I had as well. And I like that we’re not the same. I like that you’re well-read and that your interests are different. You’re a great conversation partner.”

“Oh, I–” Namjoon stops, simply looking at Jungkook for a few seconds. “I didn’t think about it like that.”

“And I’ve admired you for so long. I hope it’s not too weird but filming that Run Cypher episode with you was literally a dream come true.”

At that, Namjoon chuckles and shakes his head. “It’s funny you say that because it’s the same for me.”

Jungkook’s heart skips a beat. Again. “God, if you keep going like that, you’re going to give me heart problems,” he blurts out without thinking about it.

At first, Namjoon looks shocked, but then he starts laughing, hearty hahas coming out of him that Jungkook has only experienced in Cypher vlogs before. The fact that he finally gets to see it in person conjures a smile on Jungkook's face. Unfortunately for Namjoon, it also scares away the ducks, who flee back into the water while quacking.

“You’re funny,” he says when he’s finally stopped laughing. “How could I not like someone like that?”

“Oh, well.” Jungkook fidgets with the zipper of his jacket, heat crawling to his cheeks. But he forces himself to keep looking at Namjoon, to take in the way Namjoon’s gaze softens, how adorable he looks in his jacket and sweater combination.

“Let’s take a picture together,” Namjoon says suddenly, taking Jungkook off guard.

Still, he nods. Although both of them have long enough arms to take selfies, Namjoon asks an older man who is passing by to take a picture of them. He doesn’t seem to recognise them, which Jungkook is grateful for.

It simultaneously feels unfamiliar and comfortable to get close to Namjoon. But it’s Namjoon who gently leans his head against Jungkook’s, catching Jungkook off guard. Later, when Jungkook looks at the photo, he can tell that it surprised him how comfortable Namjoon felt getting close to him when he normally doesn’t even show much skinship with Yoongi or Hoseok.

Still, it’s a nice picture. More than nice, actually. Namjoon is smiling brightly, his dimples showing and his eyes shining. He looks happy. Happy to be next to Jungkook, happy to have spent time with him.

To this day, it is Jungkook’s favourite picture of them. The sight of it brings back memories of how fast his heart was beating whenever Namjoon leaned close to him or flirted with him. Of how smitten Namjoon was even back then and how Jungkook wore a smile on his face for days after their first date, getting teased endlessly by his teammates. But it was more than worth it.

It’s a memory Jungkook will cherish forever.

***