Since the moment they decided to stop talking and Seokjin left the house to smoke to calm himself a bit, something changed.

A baby on his doorstep, what a comical parable.  There was something eerily accurate in it, at least with Jungkook's explanation, and Seokjin wondered what exactly made him more scared of it all - or probably not even scared, just… unsure - if the fact he had to take care of it from now on, or that he had no idea how to.

How he stood in the gradually dimming sunshine and the smoke was slowly filling his lungs, all those events washed over him like a tsunami, closing in and finally making at least a little sense. Yes, he was alone for so long the initial reaction of having somebody destined to be with him until he died was uncomfortable at the best. But the fate wasn’t making mistakes, its choices were true and rightful, and even though it didn’t feel like the case with them, there had to be something worth in it.

Not to mention Jungkook was surprisingly mature for his age when he decided not to stress Seokjin with his pretentious bull. And when he forgot about the situation with Minah – which still stung for some reason.

May have kissed, seriously.

He sighed and dropped the cigarette on the ground, stepping on it with a slight frown. Well, if it bothered him so much, he had to do something about it, hadn’t he. Although if it was Jungkook’s conscious decision, he was powerless to stop him anyway, except, maybe to give him an earful for it.

And for many other things. He didn’t want to hear tomorrow gossip in the school about the lover’s quarrel or something similar to it, since Jungkook decided to call him out in front of the whole class.

Seriously, why did they even make those rules when neither of them followed them?

“You stink.”

Seokjin blinked, watching the dark brown haired boy with his arms crossed in the hallway when the older guy entered the house. He looked like a judge, his features rather sharp by the play of the light and shadow.

“Like smoke.”

“That’s what cigarettes do,” he reminded him calmly and closed the door behind him with a soft click.

“Then stop smoking,” a revolutionary idea that made Seokjin bark out a laugh while he took off his shoes.

“What now, is that one of the new rules we don’t follow?” he couldn’t stop himself from nagging him about it, no matter how he tried not to. “I haven’t smoked in front of you; I thought that was the deal.”

“Yeah,” Jungkook shrugged, but wrinkled his nose anyway. ”But you still stink.”

“I’ll tell you when I want you to act like my mother,” Seokjin smirked and passed the boy. He stopped paying attention to the smell of the cigarettes – and nobody made a big deal out of it before either. If he smoked two or three cigarettes per day it was a lot, so there wasn’t much to complain about. “What’s with you and the cigarettes anyway? Here I thought kids these days always smoked to be more in.”

“Yeah, maybe like twenty years ago,” Jungkook snorted, and his voice was still close, so he followed him to the living room, it seemed. When Seokjin sat on the couch, the boy hopped next to him like it was completely normal – and hey, soulmates! It was. Probably.

Better get used to it.

Seokjin the TV with a sideway glance, and when Jungkook only made himself comfortable – judging from how he crossed his legs on the couch and buried deep into the cushions – he was sure this was their final destination.

“I hate it,” he heard the boy mumble suddenly and it took him a moment before he understood what he had been referring to, but then it occurred to him the topic of smoking hadn’t changed.

“Smoking?” he asked just to be sure and Jungkook hummed.

“Our flat always smelled like smoke when In Sung was there,” Jungkook’s voice was lower now, like he was telling him something darker and unwanted. “In Sung was my mum’s boyfriend.”

“I see,” Seokjin piped. “A heavy smoker I take it?”

“Average, let’s say,” the boy said quietly. “But it reeked there with it all the time, even when the baby was there.”

“A baby?”

“My sis,” he elaborated and Seokjin realized he knew nothing of him. All this time he thought there was a connection between him and Namjoon, although they didn’t bear the same surname. Having a sister or living with his mother and her boyfriend – that wasn’t something he got familiar with.

“The point is, he was a ing bastard,” his tone suddenly changed into an angry one. “All this he had been doing… I just can’t stand the smell. It reminds me of him and it .”

I see, Seokjin wanted to say, but it felt like a lame compensation of hearing something so personal.

“He’s… not living there anymore?” he asked instead with a morbid curiosity, even though the topic wasn’t a pleasant one. But once Jungkook started to talk, the sudden need to know more was stronger than him.

“Nah,” the delinquent grumbled. “In jail now. er. He deserved it.”

“In jail,” Seokjin repeated, dumbstruck. “Did he…?”

“Told ya, he was a bastard. Keeping my mum in check, beating her up,” the answer almost took all the breath from Seokjin’s lungs. “Took care of him. But it took time, we should have acted sooner, not let him control us like freaking dogs.”

There was a hesitant touch on Jungkook’s neck, how the boy reached for it for a second, as if in memory. Seokjin didn’t like the gesture. And the more when he knew he left the mark there as well.

“How about now? With your mother and your sister?” he rather asked to shake off the guilt. It wasn’t like he did it on purpose – he held him there because he needed to calm him down, and he was pissed off so he didn’t even think where he was touching. Not to mention expecting to leave a soul mark.

“They’re fine,” Jungkook’s voice softened again. “Living just three of us, but fine.”

“I see.”

“What, feel sorry for me already?” Jungkook was now looking at him with a smirk and it made Seokjin roll his eyes. If this was a lie as well, he was going to bite him for sure.

“I haven’t said I’m sorry,” he told him for the good measure, frowning a little, and Jungkook let out a dramatic sigh.

“Yeah, insensitive prick.”

“What-!”

“I’m just kidding, geez, stop taking everything so seriously,” the boy barked out a laugh and nudged him with his shoulder. It felt strange, such innocent contact – he wasn’t used to have him this close and acting all domestic, sitting there with striped socks and still in a school uniform.

It must have been the uniform that made it so weird.

“What about the headmaster?” he asked as if in the afterthought. There had to be at least something – no way Namjoon would pardon everything the boy had done if there wasn’t any connection.

“What about him?” Jungkook raised an eyebrow and for a moment Seokjin wasn’t sure how to even ask him about it. Everything sounded terribly nosy or overly caring, and there wasn’t really place for any of those nonsenses.

“Aren’t you related as well?” he chose the least offending possibility and Jungkook shook his head.

“Not by blood at least,” he elaborated when Seokjin hummed. “But he’s sorta like my uncle or somethin’. Knew my dad and mum. When mum lost it, he was the only person I had.”

Lost it?

He wanted to ask, somehow, but when Jungkook shouted "Iron Man!" at the TV, Seokjin rather remained quiet and tried not to laugh.

***

It was something about a bankruptcy when Seokjin stirred back into the land of living and realized the TV had been the only light illuminating his living room, while he rested sprawled on the couch. The news was dealing with something political and he wondered what he had been watching before he fell asleep here like a sack of potatoes.

He rubbed his eyes and sat straight to stretch a bit, until he more felt than heard a soft thump that sounded behind him. At that point he finally noticed he wasn’t in the room alone, but Jungkook was now getting back up with sleepy expression and apparently zero sense of what just happened, before he ended up behind Seokjin’s back.

He must have been sleeping on my shoulder or something…

He wasn’t entirely sure how exactly he managed to doze off after the rollercoaster Jungkook started once he got excited over the man of Iron, but somehow both of them apparently gave up and just fell asleep.

“What time is it?” he heard Jungkook asking in a quiet voice when he was scrambling back to a sitting position, not phased even a little by the location of his sleep, or his companion. Seokjin glanced at the clock, still a little dizzy from the nap, and before he could look back and tell him, Jungkook was suddenly straddling his thighs with a lazy smile on his lips. Seokjin’s hands immediately shot up to stabilize him and it seemed like Jungkook just made himself overly comfortable sitting there.

“What now?” Seokjin sighed, the heavy weight of the boy on top of him pinning him down.

“I haven’t got the kiss,” the boy told him and he looked so pleased with himself that he reminded Seokjin of a cat that just got his milk. “And I’m really, really tired.”

“You just slept.”

“Stop arguing,” the rebellion kid pointed at him with a serious expression. “Come on.”

“We really have to talk about your bossy attitude,” Seokjin gave him an evil eye but realized his hands were still gripping the boy’s sides and he quickly let go.

“Hey, this gotta be functional somehow,” Jungkook wriggled as if in revenge and Seokjin hissed at him and gripped him once more to still him. This really wasn’t the best time or the position. “What are you so scared of?”

“Scared?” Seokjin repeated the word incredulously and tried to ignore how Jungkook’s fingers started to tug at his hair. “I’m not scared. I just don’t think this is the right time to-,”

“Snog?”

“Your bluntness astounds me.”

“There is always time for snogging,” Jungkook ignored his notion with a grin and his hands fell on Seokjin’s shoulders, resting there obediently. “And quite frankly we haven’t even snogged yet. No tongue or anything. I was afraid it may cause you a heart-attack, so I waited.”

“How considerate of you,” Seokjin couldn’t stop the eye roll, because really, he just had to say that.

“But since we got some of the facts right today, I think you’re about to be ready,” another grin and Seokjin couldn’t help but laugh. There he was several hours ago wanting to strangle this boy at the best and suddenly they were talking about snogging? And here he thought life-changing events took time.

“Oh man, you can laugh,” Jungkook commented with wide eyes. “I thought you never do 'cause your face might crack.”

”Very funny.”

“No, but really, you never did!” the grip on his shoulders disappeared how Jungkook started to gesticulate. “You were scowling and growling and well, fine, I saw you smile once, but that could have been just my imagination, because I have a lot of it.”

“Are you done?” Seokjin tilted his head to the side, eyeing him warily, and the dark brown haired boy took a deep breath and nodded.

“Yeah, just a little excited you’re an actual human being and not a robot.”

“A robot?” Seokjin quirked an eyebrow. “Seriously, you’re talking nonsense. Are you still asleep?”

“I might be,” there was a sudden revelation on Jungkook’s face and the older wasn’t sure he wanted to hear it. All that hopping on his lap really didn’t help and he was far from done as it seemed.

“Maybe I’m dreaming and you actually never really laughed!”

“Well, that would be sad, wouldn’t it,” Seokjin with a smirk because it came easily, and he probably shouldn’t have, since Jungkook’s lips curved into another smile, but this time much more sly than before.

“Very, very sad,” he purred like a cat and his hand returned back on Seokjin’s shoulders. “So. Are you going to freak out if I kiss you?”

“I don’t freak out, thank you very much,” Seokjin uttered dryly. What did he think Seokjin was? A teenager that had never been kissed? A pure ? He seriously didn’t even know what he was playing there with – and if Seokjin would decide to play along, the tables would turn so fast he wouldn’t be able to stop it.

“I mean a real kiss,” Jungkook ignored his jab easily. “Not a bye mum peck. A kiss. With tongue.”

“Are you going to throw diagrams on me too?” Seokjin shook his head. “Or maybe you should draw it.”

“Sassy,” Jungkook snorted and his thumbs touched the skin on Seokjin’s neck. It was far too warmer than he expected it to be, like it was a burning another mark there. “I'mma just telling you, 'cause then you could rage I was too cheeky again and throw me out.”

“It was me who brought you here,” Seokjin opposed calmly. He wondered where all this inner equilibrium came from – Jungkook was basically telling him he was going to snog him like a e – it would make him unreasonably angry just a day ago.

“Touché,” the boy shrugged. “'Cause you were jelly.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Jealous,” another grin. “Of Minah.”

Her name made his eyes narrow and Jungkook only laughed harder at him, as if it was proving his point.

Jealous? He was just mad. Because here he thought it was his fault of making the boy sick and everything, and in the end it was just him alone who decided to stick his tongue down and then suffer. If this ought to happen again, he would definitely-

“Oh god, I can hear your wheels turning how you’re trying to justify it in your head,” Jungkook groaned and re-seated a little closer, that little bugger. “You do, don’t you? Trying to explain it somehow, like that you were just angry or somethin’ that I made myself sick?”

Seokjin had to stop himself from gaping at the boy, his mind short-circuiting.

“How did you-,”

“Know what you were thinking?” a smug smile appeared on the boy’s lips. “Oh dear. You’re easy to read. Like seriously. Too ing easy.”

“That’s not-mfffh!”

Words and thoughts equally got cut off when Jungkook decided he didn’t want to hear the rest and dived in, capturing Seokjin’s mouth quickly. It was short and not even a little like the warning, but when the boy pulled away, he was grinning again, even though a little breathlessly.

“Kissing now,” he whispered to Seokjin’s lips. “Just so you know.”

Well, it was hard to overlook it, wasn’t it.

***

Jungkook wasn’t entirely sure why exactly he decided it was the right time to put some French practice in motion, but since it all felt more like an instinct rather than a plan, he just went along with it – and quite honestly just waited for the first sign of struggle.

There was none. Seokjin just sat there, held him down, his face a bit too calm for a situation like this, and even basically challenged him to cut the crap and do it.

Diagrams or drawings, really, how sassy this guy could be, Jungkook had no idea.

So here they were, kissing soundly, because there was nothing standing in a way, and Seokjin probably realized it wasn’t that bad, or maybe Jungkook just pushed his buttons enough for him to give in.

Either way it was ing worth it, since yeah, he could kiss pretty good – at first hesitated a little, but when Jungkook pushed more, he responded in kind, opening his mouth slightly to let Jungkook in, and man, it was hotter than hell right from the start when their tongues touched.

An adult kiss, Jungkook would probably say if he hadn’t been so dazed by the sheer knowledge Seokjin let him lead it. He wasn’t trying to overpower him; he was just taking, softly and calmly, tilting his head up for better access for the kiss, although stopping Jungkook from rushing it. The boy could tell how Seokjin was delicately controlling the pace with almost too gentle languid movements of his mouth – not even holding him anyhow; it was like he just presented himself for taking without any resistance, and it was kind of overwhelming.

The pleasant heat was spreading through Jungkook’s body like a gentle fire that wasn’t hurting. It was quiet and pawing on his consciousness almost too tenderly to notice, the proper connection that tried to establish itself – the bond, Jungkook named for himself in his mind. The more he was concentrating on it, the more he didn’t want to end the kiss and his body was searching for closer contact and the more his mark burned like a demanding serpent. His hands were pulling at Seokjin's shirt, trying to get the annoying layer of useless clothing off to gain more skin, until there was the breaking point where Seokjin stopped him and broke the kiss off.

“Wait, no no no,” Jungkook chased his lips with a whine, but Seokjin deluded him, his hands suddenly gripping his arms and pushing him further from him, building up a barrier between them.

“Jungkook,” he called his name in a reprimand and it was enough for his soul mate to return to reality, stilling his struggling body with force. Was it over? It couldn’t be over. “Calm down.”

“ it,” Jungkook took a deep breath, and then another one, but his heart refused to stop pounding. There was no way he could leave the warmth now, no ing way he would let him go, he was so damn close he could feel it-

“Let me,” he demanded breathlessly. “Don’t tell me you didn’t feel it.”

“I feel like you’re losing control,” Seokjin’s voice was firm and a little stern, and it felt like cold shower. “Get a grip. Breathe a little.”

Jungkook noticed his hands clutching Seokjin’s shoulders in a death grip, unable to let go. No way. No way. His body was thrumming with energy and impatience and holding it in was almost on board of painful.

“Now, let go of my shoulders, slowly,” Seokjin was talking again and the request made Jungkook’s blood boil with anger. Denied? Denied again?  “Please.”

Another deep breath. It almost hurt to do so, like his fingers refused to cooperate. He couldn’t say no to that request, even when he really wanted to.

“Good boy.”

“Shut up,” he growled and there was a small smile on Seokjin's lips, like he was proud on himself or something, and it seriously pissed him off. He tried to move away, but the grip on his right hip stopped him.

“Hold still,” the older man mumbled and reached for his face, touching the boy's upper lip gently, and then backing up with red fingers. Before Jungkook could ask what the was going on, he reached sideways for a tissue and offered it to him.

“Wipe away the blood,” he said quietly and when Jungkook tried it, it came out bloody like somebody just clocked him one into his nose. Since when the ing nosebleed started? No wonder Seokjin wanted him to stop, for ’s sake.

“What the-,”

“I guess the excitement was a bit too much,” Seokjin had the nerve to chuckle and his grip eased off. Well, at least it probably started after they broke off the kiss, since there was no blood anywhere on Seokjin’s face, thank god. “You should get some sleep.”

“Oh maaaan,” Jungkook groaned and slumped over Seokjin’s body as if all the strength got sapped from him again. “That freakin’ .”

“Mhmm.”

“Don’t sound so relieved,” he grumbled and heard Seokjin chuckle. His body felt like he hadn’t slept for ages. Wasn’t it all ready to go just a minute earlier? He was a little light headed.

“Sorry,” the older man apologized, but there was no sorry in the tone at all. More like he was making fun of him, that damn er.

And the mood was so good too.

“Come on, let’s get you to the bed,” there was an evident try to dislodge him, but Jungkook just shook his head and buried his face to the crook of Seokjin’s neck.

“Jungkook."

“I swear I can’t move my body at all,” he mumbled into his skin, hearing him sigh. It wasn’t even a lie; he was just so damn tired. Damn greedy mark, taking it all for itself, he was sure. Feeding like a goddamn parasite.

“Really now.”

“A kiss might help,” the dark brown haired boy offered an easy, pleasant solution, but the huff Seokjin let out denied that request immediately.

“A kiss made your nose bleed,” he added just for a good measure and Jungkook huffed too.

“A side effect,” he argued back, but Seokjin didn’t really react, until they suddenly moved and Jungkook yelped and held tighter when he got lifted in the air as Seokjin stood up, still holding him. Jungkook could only lock his legs around Seokjin’s hips to stay put when the man started walking like Jungkook weighted , and made few dissatisfied noises for the manhandling.

“You’re surprisingly light,” the remark came, because hey, why not. It was like Seokjin decided to be funny just to make the delinquent angry.

Which he probably did.

“I didn’t get lunch,” Jungkook uttered dryly, and really, why was he feeling so damn tired instead of pumped up? It was like the energy disappeared like ghost when they parted, and no matter how close was now, it just wasn’t enough. “Did you at least like it?”

“The fact you didn’t get lunch?” Seokjin opposed, pretty sure knowing very well what was Jungkook asking about. “No, I don’t really like that. I know you’re tiny, but you seemed to be heavier for some reason, trying to play it tough all the time.”

“Rude,” Jungkook pulled at his hair shortly to show him he didn’t like being teased. It didn’t work. “I’m not tiny.”

“You’re a little tiny.” Seokjin teased gently.

“You’re just overgrown.”

Seokjin's laughter was a surprisingly pleasant sound, a little rumbly and deep, but Jungkook found himself liking it. It was a good thing – he couldn’t imagine not liking his soulmate’s sign of joy.

Wow. Something really had changed when they talked this afternoon – Seokjin would never let him to be so close and even kiss him without trying to snap his neck or something. Or maybe biting. He expected a little biting at first, to be honest.

He propped his chin on Seokjin’s shoulder, watching the house moving around them how Seokjin carried him through the corridor to the stairs. The place was warm looking, a little old fashioned, maybe. Lots of display-cases with amazing big winged butterflies were gracing the walls – all kinds of them, pinned down. Was it his work? Or did he get them as a gift? A hobby, maybe?

“You really do enjoy pinning things down, don’t you,” he nagged him with a smirk and Seokjin made a soft noise. It was probably a yes. Maybe they could work on pinning down at some point too – quite frankly Jungkook hadn’t been opposed to the idea at all. Which was strange, really, since he never thought of this guy that way before.

Guess the soul bond changed a lot of things. Or maybe just showed lots of possibilities he hadn’t seen before. He wondered if Seokjin thought about it too – especially after the kiss.

It was a damn good kiss. Surprisingly good, soft and sort of gentle, like a careful exploration, checking the borders and reactions. And well, yeah, Jungkook did lose his control about halfway, but he was pretty sure it was just an adrenaline rush, or the bond’s surge of energy that made him overexcited until the mark took it all.

Damn, his nose bled like that maybe in the third grade the last time. Otherwise it was only because somebody punched him and he punched back. He had lots of those.

“I liked it,” he whispered like his brain refused to admit it out loud. Not that the volume of his voice had an effect when his mouth basically was right next to Seokjin’s ear. He would hear him anyway. He wasn’t surprised he didn’t get any answer though – the good thing remained, Seokjin didn’t drop him.

At least not until they reached one of the doors his carrier opened carefully and by some magic even the light without letting go of Jungkook, revealing they were in a bedroom with a nicely big looking bed.

“Classy,” the boy commented, glancing around the room with a whistle. “Are you secretly a Viscount or a Duke or something? Where are the big chandeliers? Where are the manservants?”

“I hid them, so you wouldn’t feel awkward,” Seokjin retorted back easily and Jungkook choked back a laugh. He was ing joking, no damn way! Jungkook probably lost consciousness and this was only a dream or something. Or maybe Seokjin knocked him out when he tried to kiss him.

No way was this really Kim Seokjin talking.

“Who are you and what did you do with my soulmate?” he pulled away enough so he would see Seokjin's face and the man raised an eyebrow and his hands suddenly let go, making Jungkook yelp once more, but only because he landed on his .

“Ah. Here you are,” he grumbled from the floor unhappily, earning a snort. And there he was hoping they were on the same page, finally.

“I’ll bring something for you to change into,” Seokjin ignored his note profusely and turned around to leave.

“Smart move,” Jungkook mumbled, but he doubted Seokjin heard him anymore. His uniform was probably a little off putting.

He looked around quietly, scanning throughly every corner of the place. The room was darker than he was used to at home, a dark purple covering the walls with heavy brown curtains reaching the floor and hiding the whole opposite wall. The big bed took majority of the room, otherwise there was just one small wardrobe and a tiny table Jungkook considered a playground for Shinae, since it looked like the one she owned and played tea party at. He kind of hoped Seokjin didn’t play such games anymore.

But who knew. He could have been into all kinds of weird .

The floor was soft with furry black carpet that Jungkook didn’t even mind sitting there until Seokjin emerged again with pile of clothes in his arms. When he got a dubious look when he was given the clothes, he had to admit he should have at least moved it to the bed.

“I take it that it’s your playground here?” he nodded towards the bed when Seokjin smiled softly, eyes softened. He seemed a little different – softer, maybe, less strict.

“It’s my house,” Seokjin responded with a shrug and Jungkook rolled his eyes. Jerk.

“Your bedroom I mean,” he elaborated, since his companion apparently didn’t mean to play along. “This one.”

“Yes.”

“And I’m going to sleep here?” the boy inquired, pulling the shirt off his shoulders and reached for the spare one Seokjin brought. It was apparently a baseball dress and that didn’t look like Seokjin’s style at all. He checked the back, but there was only a number and no name.

“On the floor? If you insist,” Seokjin walked past him and Jungkook hmphed while pulling the shirt over his head. It was slightly big but kind of soft and comfy. It didn’t really smell of anything, no matter how hard he sniffed to find out.

Oh well. Too proper I guess.

“In your bed, smartass,” he stuck his tongue at Seokjin because he goddamn could and well, fine, he deserved that concrete eye roll.

“Well, yes,” the older man answered anyway, even though a bit exasperated. “Or it wouldn’t really have the effect, would it.”

“That’s my man.”

“You’ll be good," a warning tone and Jungkook grinned.

“I’m always good,” he responded cheekily and started fighting with his belt. Seokjin even brought him sweatpants – how diligent of him.

“Sleeping,” Seokjin added rather grudgingly and Jungkook gasped with a faked shock.

“I can’t promise such a thing,” he retorted dramatically, but when Seokjin remained unimpressed, he just sighed and gave out a tiny nod.

“I can barely lift a finger; I’m seriously not having enough strength to attack you anyhow.”

“How reassuring.”

“I'mma a hugger tho,” he warned him out of habit, more or less. “Or a kicker.”

“That kind of excludes each other,” Seokjin pointed out and sat down on other side of the bed while he was unlocking his watch. It was, probably, a little awkward to be here with him now, in such proximity, getting ready to bed. “You’re either a hugger, or you kick.”

“Depends on the day before,” Jungkook shrugged and pulled on the sweatpants, trying not to think there was a reason for him to be nervous. Ugh, long trousers. There had to be a model career in Seokjin's life somewhere, with so damn long legs. “A nice day means hugging. A bad day means kicking.”

“Charming,” Seokjin uttered dryly and it made Jungkook chuckle.

“Guess it’s going to be a surprise for you today,” he climbed on top of the bed with a huff, his body begging for a good night sleep he barely recognized himself. “'Cause at first I really wanted to kick you in the shin. The second half of the day was a loooot better though.”

“Was it now,” Seokjin’s lips curled up like he was amused and for a moment, Jungkook thought he had enough strength to show him how good it was, – and could have been – but once Seokjin threw a blanket over him, it was a question of seconds before he fell asleep like a dead.

………………………

Hahaha. Later. To be continued.