Stopping at Jungkook’s place was surprisingly fast. Since they left the school and the boy asked for a stop by at his home, so he could actually pack something with him and not hogging Seokjin’s clothes, up to the moment when they arrived to the small house Jungkook disappeared in, Seokjin was able only to check half of his mails and the boy was back with a bag, jumping over the fence with ease.

He changed from his school uniform at least – which was even more curious how he actually managed to change and pack in such short time – and looked maybe even a tad younger than before, especially with the cap on his head.

“What’s with your face?” he greeted Seokjin with a grin and threw the bag on the back seat while he sat in the front one, next to him. “Like what you see?”

Seokjin repressed the urge to roll his eyes, because he should have expected it. He contemplated to tell him he look like a high schooler in this, but thought better of it and let the comment slide without reaction.

“Just expected you to take longer,” he responded simply and started up the car. There was no one at the door waving Jungkook off or anything when he glanced there, expecting his mother at least. She was not even looking out of the window to check. He found it strange, since it was already half past seven. Could she work this late? “Explaining your mother why are you leaving for a weekend or something.”

“She’s not home,” Jungkook explained casually, answering Seokjin silent question. “It’s Friday, so she’s probably at Aunt Jihyo’s place. Shinae likes to play with her kid, so it’s beneficial.”

“Beneficial,” Seokjin repeated with a chuckle, the tenseness lessening. He could imagine Jungkook’s mother saying that, even though he didn’t really know her. He saw her once or twice during the year, but only like a passing glimpse, but never talked to her. “Alright then.”

“Can we stop by somewhere to eat?” Jungkook halted him from taking a turn and Seokjin blinked in confusion.

“You haven’t eaten yet?” he asked probably a little dumbly. He wasn’t even sure what he had at home to eat, so there was grocery shopping on the list too, but the first thing that came to his mind was that Jungkook haven’t even eaten his lunch properly.

“Well, not in the last four hours,” the dark brown hair boy replied casually, like it was no big deal, and Seokjin quietly nodded. Well, alright, so another issue to deal with – having Jungkook properly fed every day.

I should make a list…

“Alright,” Seokjin just said, more to himself than to the boy, and pulled over. Several possible restaurants flew through his mind as he tried mentally visualize the shortest way to them from here, until he felt a quick touch on his forearm from the boy.

“I know just the place,” Jungkook chimed in and pointed at the turn that was slowly approaching. “Just take it to the left and to the end of the block, yeah?”

Seokjin really didn’t have the strength to ask any question, so he obeyed and let the car go at the destination until they stopped at the fast food restaurant. Naturally. He wondered if youngsters actually considered a normal restaurant food as a possibility where to feed themselves, or if the fast food was the only viable option for them – out of fashion, probably.

“Here?” he gave the boy a dubious look. They could go somewhere… healthier, maybe? He always avoided junk food, for some unexplained reason it never really occurred to him to eat it. But since Jungkook’s shiny eyes gave him the answer without words, he just sighed and parked the car at the free spot, following his younger companion to the restaurant.

He barely noticed Jungkook ordering something and suddenly he was being pulled to a free table where they sat facing each other like on a first date. Just some cheesy music was missing and maybe a candle. He felt out of place sitting there in his suit, especially when he was surrounded by people far younger than him. The place was small and probably a little overrun, but not that bad for a frequently visited place. It was almost full, so he assumed the food was probably worth something. If not the right nutrition.

“We could have ordered take outs?” he offered while glancing around. Nobody really paid them attention, which was a small miracle. He still thought of them as a strange pair at the best.

“We could have,” the delinquent shrugged, looking somewhat pleased with himself, although Seokjin couldn’t really find out why. It wasn’t like he tricked him into something bad, or won some of their arguments – it actually reminded him of something normal for a change, like a peaceful hanging out. What was he so happy about? After today’s morning he expected him to be gruff and probably still angry, because their argument was nasty and Seokjin had overdone it there.

It was enough that he couldn’t stop mauling over it the whole day, completely ignoring the meeting they had that even Hoseok called him on it, since his expression was apparently dreamy. He didn’t really believe that guy, but he agreed he wasn’t paying enough attention.

Or not at all.

It wasn’t like he wanted to punish the boy – it wasn’t his fault Seokjin was such a damn light sleeper and so unused to somebody next to him. He got ahead of himself – they probably should have started with the separate rooms at first, but when he brought him to his own bedroom, it was already too late to back out of it. It was probably something like a dare, and he refused to lose when Jungkook called him on it.

What a childish thing to say.

But, of course, he was unable to explain it calmly to Jungkook the next day, so they quarrelled like two dogs and it completely blew the true essence of this arrangement – they were supposed to calm the bond down. This way they probably agitated it more than they should have and paid the price – even Seokjin had to admit he felt rather sluggish, and not just because he hadn’t slept. The mark was acting up the whole day too, only calming down now, in Jungkook’s presence.

“It’s a test, you see,” Jungkook’s voice interrupted his thoughts and he quickly shook them off. He tended to space out terribly today, but this was definitely for the lack of sleep so his mind was slipping.

“A test?” he asked quietly and the second he did a waitress appeared, bringing them their food. “Oh, I am not even hungry, you shouldn’t have-.”

“That’s the test,” Jungkook pointed at the tray where an enormous burger laid, surrounded by French fries and a salad. It looked appealing, he had to admit, just not really his forte.

“The food is?” he glanced up at the boy and Jungkook nodded – he seemed rather curious, eyes searching and shoulders a little tense like he was nervous about it. “I don’t really fancy this kind of…”

“Yeah, I figured you don’t,” the dark brown hair boy smirked. “But I just want you to try. Once, you don’t need to finish it. Just try it.”

To what point, he wanted to ask, but then again – it was just food. It wasn’t supposed to poison him, hopefully. So he gulped down the remark and nodded, inspecting the portion for a second and then tasting it carefully.

“Ah,” he blinked in surprise. It was actually pretty good. “It’s really good?” he'd questioning himself.

“It really is,” Jungkook chuckled, watching Seokjin carefully. “I mean, this is an Old Timer, it’s not the regular burger. And it’s not like people don’t like it, they just prefer a different ones I guess. But I love it. Thought you may too, since, you know, soulmates.”

“Curious,” Seokjin commented in wonder. He was right, the more he ate, the more he liked it – and he would never go for it by himself. Such thought of them being actually with the same tastes got him thinking – it opened so many possibilities and drew them closer, somehow.

“Coffee?” Jungkook asked and Seokjin didn’t even think when he answered with black.

“Same,” the boy hummed. “How about tea?”

“I don’t really fancy fruity ones, more like the classic types,” Seokjin answered with a shrug. “No milk though. I never really liked it.”

“Yeah, it even looks gross,” Jungkook grinned and finally started eating. There was something really pleased about him and Seokjin wondered if this simple revelation made him genuinely happy or if there was something more.

“You look happy,” he commented a little lamely. It sounded more like an accusation and he didn’t know why. He didn’t mean to call him out for it, it was a good thing he smiled in Seokjin’s presence. If Seokjin wanted to be completely honest, lately he disliked any quarrel they had, and any frown that came his way.

“Yeah?” The boy’s eyes were somehow brighter. Black? Or brown? He wasn’t entirely sure with the right colour. Maybe it was a mix? They're sparkling.

“Somehow,” Seokjin mumbled, reaching for another bite to hide the nervousness and to stop himself from staring. He didn’t want to breach the subject, not until they were home, but now there was no way out. He knew talking about it was inevitable.

“Hmm,” he heard the boy hum. “Kinda, probably. Almost gave up on you.” Jungkook confessed.

“Oh?” Seokjin glanced back up, meeting the boy’s gaze. It stung a bit and he didn’t like it. He really had to be a ty person this morning – and the more he was reminded of it, the more he despised himself for it.

“Well, thought you wouldn’t show up and so. Tried to find you the whole day, but it seemed like you were avoiding me,” Jungkook pointed out and there was something a little accusing in his voice. He had the right though, Seokjin should have told him about the meeting. He knew it beforehand, but somehow he didn’t find it relevant to inform him. “So I got a little fed up.”

“There was a meeting in another building,” Seokjin  said as calmly as he could. He didn’t want him to think he was trying to avoid him, because he didn’t. Jungkook probably wouldn’t believe it, but Seokjin regretted his bad behaviour right the moment he lost Jungkook from his sight at school, that he basically started it and let him go on his way with a knowledge Seokjin was angry and pretty nasty about it. The anger burned down fast and in the end he felt rather lame for it.

“Yeah, I know there was,” the boy said matter-of-factly. “But I learned pretty late about it, so.”

“Sorry,” Seokjin said quietly. He wanted to apologize for the whole day, and finally saying the word was somehow liberating, but not enough. Jungkook just nodded, looking back to his food, and Seokjin felt an urge to reach out and do something – to squeeze his hand or maybe just brush through his hair, and it got him momentarily dumbstruck.

Yesterday must have torn down other barriers than just his acceptance – like he was suddenly used to touching him. If they weren’t here, in the restaurant, he would already initiate contact without the second thought – that wasn’t considered normal just two days ago. And yet, somehow, it seemed like the right thing to do – and what was more interesting – a desired one.

Is this the bond’s doing?

“Phone number would be great,” the boy piped suddenly. “I have no way to reach you, it’s kinda lame, you gotta admit. We could have continued barking at each other via texts, imagine how awesome would that be.”

Sarcasm noted, Seokjin thought.

“I don’t really think it would be awesome,” Seokjin mumbled and reached for the phone to shake off the strange thoughts – or maybe not strange, since this was what they were supposed to be – just unexpected. “This morning was…”

“Let me,” Jungkook gesticulated towards him and Seokjin handed him the phone without a second thought. Once it was in his hand, it occurred to him it was probably not the best idea he ever had, especially when Jungkook snorted the moment he got it.

“Without comments,” he advised him sternly and Jungkook grinned, but actually kept his opinion to himself while he fiddled with the small device. It wasn’t even so bad – it was a normal smartphone, Seokjin wasn’t that old fashioned. But there were millions of possibilities of what could make the brown hair boy so amused, and he rather let it be, not inquiring further.

“This morning ,” the boy said after a moment of silence and fiddling with the phone. “But you know that.”

“I apologize,” Seokjin tried again to quiet down the poisonous beast of guilt inside of him. Why no words actually helped? “It was rather uncalled for.”

“No ,” Jungkook glanced at him minutely, his eyes sharp. “But fine. I joined the bark fest, so I’m sorry too. Not so sorry for the rest when I got banished from the bedroom though.”

“Jungkook---,”

“I get it,” the dark brown hair boy shrugged, but didn’t look at him. Seokjin was pretty sure it was just an act. “Stepping out of a comfort zone .”

“It does.”

“But you said few more tries should get rid of the habit,” another notion and Seokjin  stopped dead in his tracks. you? "Like, it’s normal you are not used to it, but avoiding it completely won’t help.”

“you?” he repeated the name and Jungkook finally looked at him again.

“Duh,” he motioned vaguely. “The lit teacher?”

“You talked about it with your literature teacher?” he couldn’t hide the bitter tone in his voice. Wasn’t this personal? Not to mention – was he hanging out with another teacher, making the Minah incident repeated itself? Was he really so damn irresponsible?

“Yeah, sort of,” Jungkook shrugged like it was no big deal. “you is a fan of soul bonds, she knows s.”

“Your literature teacher,” Seokjin repeated coldly, trying to emphasize on the sole point of his mood drop. Jungkook just hummed, then three seconds of nothing passed, until it probably got to him and he quickly looked up.

“Not like that!” he yelped and then pinched the bridge of his nose. “God, Seokjin.”

“Well, sorry for knowing about your record with female professors in the school,” Seokjin uttered coldly, his appetite dropping.

“She’s my friend,” Jungkook sighed, an evident frustration apparent. “Like, I know her for years. I can’t help she decided to pursue her Hermione Granger dream and started teaching like a colossal nerd.”

For some reason it didn’t really help and Seokjin only shook his head.

“I mean it, she’s like a sister,” Jungkook insisted. “I'm not telling her anything bad, I swear this was just a genuine inquiry, since she’s smart and stuff.”

“I’m sure,” Seokjin huffed. He couldn’t get rid of the bitter taste in his mouth no matter how hard he tried. He saw her twice, probably, since she started working in the school, and he never really caught any concrete vibe out of her, except of the fact she had been very young. And now this? Not telling anything bad, as if Seokjin believed that. It was enough their soul bond was a hot topic in the whole school; they didn’t need to know the damn details of it too!

“Are you jealous?”

That simple question stopped him dead in his tracks.

Jealous?

“Why’d you be so mad otherwise?” Jungkook continued quietly. “‘Cause you think I had been dabbling with her behind your back?”

“Just drop it,” Seokjin bit out grudgingly. Jealous. What a crazy thought. Completely unrelated, completely stupid. Completely… possible. Was it possible? For ’s sake, he wasn’t seventeen anymore.

A minute of silence engulfed them, interrupted only by the buzzing of other people’s conversations, and Seokjin didn’t have the courage to look up. He nibbled in his food to keep his hands busy, until his phone appeared his field of vision.

“There, all done,” Jungkook announced and waited until Seokjin took the device. Before he could even check it for possible pranks set in there, its screen lit up with a received image. He opened it rather hesitantly, expecting the worse since he was sure it came from Jungkook, and for five seconds there was a photo of their food and Seokjin stared at it with a raised eyebrow until it disappeared.

“First unhealthy food?” he repeated the text in confusion and Jungkook hummed in agreement while putting his own phone to the side.

“Gotta make it memorable, eh?” he pointed out cheekily. “I'm using Snapchat. It’s an app by the way. Don’t worry, it won’t do anything bad, it’s just for pictures.”

“I give up,” Seokjin let out a defeated sigh and rather finished his food without any further comments. There was no winning with the boy anyway.

*****

There were several things Jungkook couldn’t help but notice within the behaviour Seokjin presented. He wasn’t sure if Seokjin was even aware, but his face was a perfect indication of his emotions at times, when he didn’t catch himself fast enough – and that played into Jungkook’s cards perfectly. Even today’s jealous streak first showed up in Seokjin’s expression before it went straight into the voice, giving him out completely before he was able to switch back to his cold-hearted exterior.

Fine, mentioning you was a bad move and Jungkook didn’t do it on purpose. But at least he learned another new thing about his soulmate which was definitely closely connected to another observation he made – touching.

Seokjin was touching him a lot. Jungkook was pretty sure it was unintentional and done somehow automatically, but it was there and frequent. A simple touch on the small of his back when he was walking next to him, a brush of his hand over Jungkook’s shoulder or an elbow, a quick press of sides when they were close. Each and every touch was fleeting and over a bit too fast, but Jungkook  noticed them immediately and started to reciprocate, waiting for Seokjin to realize it was normal and he could do that whenever he wanted to.

All in all – they were starting to get comfortable around each other and Jungkook counted it as a win. Maybe even that made Jungkook bolder and probably kind of impatient too, since touches were cool and nice and fine, but how about kissing being in order without needing to be reminded of it? And then maybe a bit more than kissing, maybe making out sounded good too – and well, yes, it did sound good, pretty awesome actually, no matter how it should have been a taboo for him, especially with Seokjin being a teacher.

And since making out was just a small step from an actual , that could be on the list pretty soon as well, because hey, they weren’t kids, neither of them, so they both knew how it went, right?

And Jungkook couldn’t deny the fact he had been slightly curious about Seokjin’s performance in bed, sue him. He was a good kisser, that was a fact, and usually people who knew how to handle the beginning were pretty much skilled in the rest too, and since the night they slept together, Jungkook had those thoughts constantly on his mind.

“Haven’t your mother taught you good manners?” Seokjin’s voice interrupted his thoughts and Jungkook realized he had been staring into the wall for about five minutes since they got home and into the kitchen and he hopped on the kitchen desk while Seokjin had been making tea. It was almost domestic how Jungkook felt at ease when visiting the house for the second time only, like he was welcomed even after the unhappy morning. Especially when Seokjin took his bag and carried it upstairs without even asking, and then returning back several minutes later in a lot more homey clothes and not his suit.

In which Jungkook stares at him in awe. He's hot! And you can be blamed for not staring --- and the boy looked away when the older guy gazes back.

Since they were going to spend the whole weekend together, Jungkook really thought this whole thing was going perfectly so far. He expected several hiccups along the way – as it always went with them and different opinions – but he was ready to smooth it immediately, so they would finally fall into rhythm that should define them both.

“Waste of time,” he finally responded with a grin and perched on his higher spot like a curious bird. “Is there one for me?”

“No, since good manners are waste of time,” Seokjin brushed him off simply, but the corner of his mouth was curled upwards and it made Jungkook smirk. He was standing close to the spot Jungkook  was sitting at and with every other turn to get more things or return the ones he didn’t need, it seemed like he always got a bit more closer until Jungkook  was able to touch him without needing to move too much.

Seokjin didn’t even flinch or froze when Jungkook leaned over, resting his chin on his shoulder, and calmly continued with his ministrations until he had both cups prepared and only poured hot water into them, sending a delicious smell through the kitchen.

“Are you going to drink two cups at once?” Jungkook in a low voice and Seokjin  chuckled while putting down the kettle. Both cups were black and quite simple, but they were matching and Jungkook found that strangely endearing.

“Maybe,” Seokjin answered nonchalantly. “I’m quite thirsty.”

“Are you now,” the boy leered and when Seokjin glanced at him, it wasn’t difficult at all to just reach a bit further and kiss him. He heard an appraising hum and then there was a hand on his cheek, only resting gently while Seokjin’s lips moved over his in a slow pace. Jungkook could feel the nails scraping softly in his hair how Seokjin’s grip moved to the back of Jungkook's head, and yeah, that was nice, very, very nice. Not rushed, not too needy, just… pleasant. Seokjin was cooperating without any negative movement and for a while it really felt like something they were doing daily with joy – just a calm, happy kiss from the togetherness.

“Aren’t you over quota now?” Seokjin asked when he pulled away a fraction, but his hand remained on the spot, caressing like it was completely normal. His eyes were half-lidded and Jungkook would even say dreamy, but then again, this was Kim Seokjin, so maybe he was just indulging him while finding his own little something in it.

The touches were pretty nice though and for a while Jungkook wished it would go a little lower, over the mark to see what would happen. He still had a feeling it would definitely start something, he just wasn’t sure what, and quite frankly he still shield from it too before he would try to touch Seokjin’s mark first.

“Not at all,” he smiled, closing the gap again and even tugging at Seokjin's elbow he curled his fingers around, positioning him right between his thighs so neither of them needed to strain their necks. Seokjin went easily, even tilting his head to the side so they could kiss better and it was a question of time before one of his hands fell on Jungkook's leg where he grabbed him and pulled closer to the edge, pressing them together.

The kiss turned filthy sooner than Jungkook expected and suddenly he was gasping for air but refusing to let go while into Seokjin's mouth, his hips instinctively rolling against him, only to be stilled by an unforgiving pressure that held him down. It made him groan, especially when Seokjin let go again, interrupting the kiss stubbornly.

“Jin,” the dark brown hair boy whined unhappily by the current events, not letting go of his elbow and his soulmate shook his head.

“Just slow down,” he said a bit too calmly for Jungkook's tastes, like it didn’t affect him anyhow even though Jungkook had been panting like an old . “We don’t want you to bleed again, do we.”

“I feel fine,” Jungkook uttered stubbornly and pulled with more strength. “Please.”

At first it seemed like Seokjin was going to deny him once more, his face carefully blank, but then he stepped back and took Jungkook's face to his hands and pressed their lips together once more. It elicited a soft hum from the boy, even though the kiss wasn’t as wild as the previous one, more like gentle and careful, and when Seokjin was slowly caressing Jungkook's cheeks with his thumbs, the boy decided he didn’t care about the pace, this was great.

***

“Why are you always telling me to slow down?”

It was probably a weird question and a little out of a blue, since Seokjin blinked in surprise and the movement of his hand over the boy’s back stopped. They were nestled in the living room with Jungkook snuggled to Seokjin's side while watching news on TV, and apart from the fact it had been fairly easy to get Seokjin here and snuggle to him, there wasn’t anything more than what happened in the kitchen.

The kisses were nice and they spent probably long at it since the tea got cold, but other than that – strictly PG. Every time Jungkook tried to move it under the belt, Seokjin stopped him, slowing him down, and Jungkook didn’t understand why. There was a pretty apparent fact Seokjin didn’t mind. No matter how their normal conversations went, the intimate side – as much as they managed to get intimate – was mutual.

The touches were lingering when they were kissing, gentle and caressing, even exploring, and as much as Seokjin acted all above this, he had a soft spot for having his lips bitten lightly and nails dragged over the sensitive skin on the back of his neck. They were small things, but Jungkook memorized each and every of them.

“Slow down?” Seokjin repeated, his voice a little sleepy. Jungkook thought he dozed off for a while there, since the movement on his back stilled about half an hour ago, but then it resumed again and he thought it was because he accidentally moved too much it woke the man up.

“Yeah, when we are kissing?” Jungkook responded while looking up, noticing the confusion in Seokjin's eyes that slowly morphed into an understanding.

“I thought it was you who told me to do my research,” Seokjin chuckled and the movement of his hand resumed once more. Jungkook felt his toes curl at that.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he mumbled and more felt than saw Seokjin shrug, his body moving along.

“It means overdoing it while the bond is settling down is bad,” came an answer. “Such as your nosebleed. I thought it would make you look it up as well.”

“Overdoing it,” Jungkook snorted and let out a sigh. “So let put us aside. When you have two people like super in love and all that jazz, they realize they are soulmates and then suddenly can’t get it on?”

“For their own sake,” Seokjin said calmly. “It saps a lot of energy, you get tired easily.”

“Yeah, that’s what Professor Yoongi said,” Jungkook remembered with a huff. His PE teacher noted something about getting tired fast, especially when doing what he thought Jungkook had been doing with his soulmate before he realized it was Seokjin.

“He has an experience with that,” Seokjin hummed in agreement. “He and Jimin had a rough start as well, but managed to get through it.”

“Yeah, only you are the drama queen,” Jungkook  snorted and wasn’t even surprised when Seokjin pinched his side in a reprimand. “But it was just kissing. That’s not really… overdoing it.”

“Apparently it is,” Seokjin's hand didn’t move anymore, but only rested on Jungkook's shoulder now. It was a pleasant weight and gave out addicting warmth he curled under happily.

“Not today though,” the boy pointed out in a quiet voice.

“Not today,” Seokjin agreed and sigh. “It’s… surprisingly easy.”

“What?” Jungkook glanced back up at him. “Kissing?”

A nod.

“That’s not rocket science, Seokjin,” it made Jungkook laugh a little. Kissing was like, a basic thing for a relationship. And not even a relationship, it was just something you didn’t need a label for – you liked somebody, you kissed them, to try it out, to have fun, to show love, it never really mattered.

A kiss wasn’t that big deal in overall.

“I disagree,” the older man surprised him, so he sat straight to see his face better and Seokjin's hand slid down, resting on Jungkook's thigh like he didn’t want to break contact. “I think kissing is a very intimate and personal thing.”

“Is it?” the delinquent cocked his head to the side in curiosity. “You mean you wouldn’t kiss somebody just because life is short?”

“No,” Seokjin said simply. “Call me old fashioned, but kissing is something I’m not comfortable with until I like the person.”

Silence fell.

Jungkook watched him for a while, waiting for him to add something, but when nothing came, he leaned over to Seokjin and brushed their lips together.

“Old fashioned suits you,” he whispered to his lips and nipped on them a little, eliciting a sharp inhale at first, but then Seokjin slid arms around the boy’s torso and pulled him forward, onto his lap. The kiss was languid and a little different that the others and Jungkook wondered why. Because Seokjin basically admitted he liked him? That was why his heart was pounding so madly, why the touches burned more than usual, why the mark pulsed with life?

He couldn’t care less at that moment, not at the surge of massive energy that made him fist Seokjin's shirt and press into him more, tongue curling, teeth clashing, and it was like Déjà vu from the previous day, making out on the couch with the urgency and heat rising. He could feel Seokjin's hands under his shirt, contacting the bare skin on his back, and it was more, suddenly a lot more and less safe at the same time. It was wet and slick and a little out of control, and suddenly Jungkook felt the drain, the burning pain on the back of his neck tearing down his defences like paper.

He gasped, interrupting the kiss with a hitch of his breath, and Seokjin was staring at him with pupils blown wide and chest heaving.

“Slow down,” Jungkook wheezed with a weak laugh. “ing hell. You demon.”

Seokjin barked out a laugh and Jungkook thought it was going to be alright.

They were going to be alright.

….

It was bad.

Seokjin couldn’t point a finger at the exact moment when it turned into an unstoppable avalanche, but the last kiss was bad and he let himself slip without even thinking about it. Hell, he probably lost it in the kitchen already; craving for more contact like something possessed him and perfectly denied his own words of slowing down, since suddenly it was Jungkook who had to stop him, out of breath and ruffled and looking like . His lips were red and bruised, eyes almost too dark and breath hitching and it took Seokjin a moment before he realized it wasn’t him anymore, he was never like this before, never this out of control.

The burning on his wrist was on board of painful and he knew it was wrong to push it, but he still ignored it in the living room like there were curtains over his consciousness, completely taken apart by the sheer proximity and pleasure that was stronger than the rest. He was slowly coming undone by every next kiss Jungkook initiated, dropping his defenses lower and lower with touches he reciprocated almost too eagerly, and it had to stop or they were going to blew it whole.

The mark wasn’t a joke. The rules weren’t there just to be broken. The whole thing had to be taken seriously and had to stay under control. He was an adult in all this – at least by his age – so there should be enough common sense to draw the line.

“At this rate,” Jungkook interrupted his thoughts with a deep breath, his body shaking slightly. “We are never going to get to the second base, for ’s sake.”

Seokjin could feel the drowsiness pulling at his mind as well, his body heavy, but in a spasm at the same time, his hands refusing to let go of Jungkook's sides. It was almost carnal, like his brain couldn’t really comprehend but the body knew, and he wasn’t sure what to do with such situation.

He let the boy lean down on him, snuggling to his chest like a little bunny, and the burning somehow lessened – like the contact was good, but without any vigorous effort to eat each other faces.

What’s wrong with me anyway? I should be the one stopping him, not the other way around.

“Sleep?” Jungkook asked, muffled against his shirt, and seemed like all the strength left him completely. “I swear this make out sessions are evil. Hot. But evil.”

Seokjin couldn’t help but chuckle at it. The make out sessions were bad, really, for both of them, and yet they always ended up there anyway, like disobedient pair of children. And Seokjin, against all his previous resolutions, just went along with it, letting Jungkook sway him this easily without any means to stop him.

“How long is it going to be so damn lame?” another question from the boy and he felt him moving a little, searching for more comfortable position. He was like a kitten, or a puppy, relishing the warmth, and Seokjin found himself responding to it by relaxing into the touch.

“I think it’s pretty much about how we are going to treat it,” he said with a sigh. “So far we are not really good at it.”

“And I think we are pretty much perfect at it,” Jungkook opposed with a snort. “I mean, you give me more strength and I’d have you in a minute.”

“Jungkook,” the older groaned, closing his eyes in shame. There was an evident will from both of their sides – but he would never think Jungkook  would admit it so easily.

Seokjin remembered very well their initial antipathy, even after they bonded – first the noticeable age difference, then the simple fact they were pretty much enemies, and in the end that the attraction wasn’t there. Then something changed, apparently, and Seokjin thought there wouldn’t be a problem with them being intimate – after some time that is – and suddenly Jungkook was telling him in a straightforward tone he would do it in a blink of an eye?

“What?” another movement, probably when Jungkook was trying to sit back up, but failed. “Were you expecting it to stay PG forever?”

No, he would say. But it was like admitting he thought about it, that he imagined Jungkook like that, maybe even under him, writhing and repeating his name, and that… that would be bad. He would never live it down.

“I guess not,” he decided to lessen the impact somehow, thankful his body was drained as well, not able to really act up while the boy had been sitting on top of him like a heavyweight. “But…”

“It’s fine,” he felt Jungkook shrug. “You still have time, since a dumb kiss is able to make us invalids anyway. would probably kill us or something.”

. It was a pretty normal thing in a relationship – and yes, they were in a relationship already, like it or not. It wasn’t a proper dating – hell, he probably should do something about it, wasn’t dating mandatory? – but they were already tip toeing around each other like they should, kissing at times, sleeping together. They knew they belonged to each other, even though it was hard to swallow at the beginning – probably still was, at least for Seokjin.

Jungkook seemed pretty alright with it, which was probably thank to his generation upbringing, open minded and easily adapted. Seokjin still had issues with it – the practical side at least, despite the fact he tend to get lost in the intimacy without problems.

He thought it would be more difficult than that. But in afterthought – if it was, the fate wouldn’t decide they were soulmates, right? There had to be at least something.

“Just saying I’d totally go for it if I could,” the boy noted, chuckling a little, and finally managed to lift himself up enough to watch Seokjin's face. “Just don’t freak out, yeah?”

“Why would I,” Seokjin mumbled, trying to regain his balance. “It would be worse if either of us felt the opposite.”

“So you feel the same,” of course the boy caught up at the worst thing he could. “Oh my God, oh man, what should I do with you? First, you admit you like me, and then you admit you’d bang me if you had a chance…”

“Oh please,” Seokjin rolled his eyes at the cheeky attitude that returned in full force. “Don’t fancy yourself, kid.”

“You fancy me enough,” Jungkook grinned and for a second Seokjin thought he was going down for a kiss, since his eyes fell on Seokjin's lips, but then the boy stopped himself and huffed. “This . Do you feel as bad as me?”

“Tired?” Seokjin tilted his head to the side and Jungkook nodded mutely, his eyes half lidded and somewhat hazy. He seemed to be in worse condition than Seokjin for some reason though, like he could handle a lot less than him.

“Could it be because I’ve… you know,” Jungkook whispered and dropped his head back on Seokjin's shoulder, sighing quietly. “Kissed her?”

“Today?” Seokjin raised an eyebrow and forced himself to stay calm. No way he would… right?

“No, dumbo,” rude but surprisingly calming answer came. “That one time. We shouted at each other 'cause of it.”

“Ah.”

“Maybe it’s still ing me up?” an idea came and the boy sounded rather uncomfortable. “Because you seem tired, fine, but like… less. And you always have enough strength to move me around after and everything.”

“I don’t know,” Seokjin answered in all honesty. Maybe he really should swallow his pride and ask Jimin or Yoongi about it.  

“Maybe the mark is like… punishing me or something,” Jungkook suggested and his hands gently slid down from Seokjin's shoulders to wind around his torso. “Since every time we kiss like that it starts to burn like .”

“Mine does too,” Seokjin confessed hesitantly. “Burns a lot when it happens.”

“Maybe we are broken,” the boy laughed, but there was a bitter tone to it. “Maybe it’s ‘cause fate hates me with this .”

“Why would it?” Seokjin let his hands roam over Jungkook's back in a comforting manner. “Aren’t you the happy lot?”

“We,” his soul mate piped and it made Seokjin smile. Who would have thought Jungkook had such a soft side to him? He was so huggable at this point, and warm and meek.

“And I dunno. It’s just… I’ve been so ing scared when it started,” he heard Jungkook mumble and it sobered him up immediately. Scared? Well, Seokjin knew there was this issue with him being a stubborn and refusing it – could it be so scary for the boy?

“The broken bond?” he asked uneasily and heard his soulmate hum.

“It’s so nasty,” Jungkook whispered. “So ing painful. I thought I was going to end up the same way as mum did. When you said to ignore it, I just… I couldn’t handle the .”

At that point Seokjin was genuinely so apathetic he thought ignoring it would be the best outcome for both of them. The twenty years old brat versus nearly forty years old bitter patron? That was destined to fail, no matter how hard the fate was trying to push it. Seokjin was sure of it – especially after all those experiences with the boy, the troublemaker, the insufferable kid. A sudden soulmate, the black mark, the burn, the pain, the shock – it made him sick instead of happy and he lashed out.

At times he still felt like doing so, like stopping it, because it would be easier, but no matter how convenient it sounded, he just couldn’t now. He couldn’t hurt Jungkook more than he did, because it would be the most loathsome thing ever and he would never, ever forgive himself. As much as the kid was insufferable when he wanted to, he was his.

Seokjin wanted him to be that way, no matter how scary it was.

“I’m sorry,” he breathed out tiredly. “It was impulsive and irresponsible. When it happened, I was angry enough to ditch it whole. It had been… a challenge.”

“Yeah,” the boy chimed.

“I’d never let you go through a broken bond though,” Seokjin assured him a little more insistently. “It would maybe take me longer if you didn’t push it, but… I’d never do that.”

No response, but Jungkook's grip tightened. Seokjin didn’t say anything more, since no words could really cut it. He wasn’t even sure what to say – he knew what was wrong and what was desirable, and he was sure they were on the right path to the proper side of all this. But the worry Jungkook expressed… it was a serious matter, he had to agree. He knew Yoongi said not to overdo it, but it had been several days already and there had been literally no change.

“When dad died,” Jungkook’s voice interrupted the silence and sounded almost too quiet to hear. “My mom went bonkers. She completely lost it. I thought she was a goner for sure.”

Seokjin didn’t even know Jungkook's father was dead. He never really asked or searched for it – although he remembered Jungkook talking about the boyfriend of his mum who now was in jail for being abusive. But he never even thought she was with somebody else because her husband died.

“I was four,” another notion. “I don’t remember it as clearly, but I spent most of the time with Namjoon, because she couldn’t handle herself, so they put her into a mental hospital for a while. Toned her down. The broken bond absolutely trashed her.”

“Oh,” Seokjin let out in a sudden revelation. So his parents were soulmates – that was where the fear from the broken bond came from. Seokjin always wondered why it scared the boy so much, but if he lived through it, it made perfect sense.

Seokjin never felt worse for almost imposing it on him again, but this time in a much more awful form. Living through it personally – it would probably send him – well, both of them – to the same place his mother had been at.

“That’s also why I was so ing mad at you,” this time Jungkook's voice was slightly stronger and he even managed to sit back up, staring at Seokjin with a frown. “You were so against it, like I was some kind of trash you never wanted. Let me tell you – I never really wanted it either, alright? I never wanted to have a soulmate, ‘cause it .”

Seokjin blinked, but no response came to him. There was something raw about the boy, vulnerable and open, like he was telling him something very secret and a little dark.

“Everyone's like yay, congrats, you happy lot, and it’s just so ridiculous,” the boy uttered coldly and really, Seokjin never knew? He always seemed like actually wanting it. This… was unexpected. “They don’t know, you see? They know ing none. Broken bond , refused bond , not fancying your soulmate .”

“Jungkook…”

“And you made it even worse, you utter bastard, just so you know,” a push into his chest came as a surprise, even though it didn’t hurt at all. But Jungkook seemed genuinely angry and the sudden change of atmosphere was almost suffocating.

“You’d never let me go through a refused bond – well, after how ing long? It wouldn’t be a week, would it. Months? Years? For ing ever? So you could live responsibility-free until nothing matters?”

“That’s not fair,” Seokjin stopped the rant with a deep breath. “I’ve told you why-,”

“Fair,” he watched the boy bark a laugh and rub the back of his neck over the mark like it was bugging him terribly. “You know what’s not fair? Me doing all the ing work around this . Initiating everything. Because you wouldn’t do a single .”

“I brought you here,” Seokjin opposed tensely, his mind reeling. It wasn’t right, Jungkook wasn’t the only one who… or… was he? No, definitely not. Today was different; Seokjin could sense it inside of him. Different, his initiative, his leadership. Saying this to him wasn’t right.

“You want a ing award for that?” a snort came and Jungkook looked peevish. “One night together and you were thrashing around like a freaking kid, backing up from the arrangement because it wasn’t up to your forte without even trying!”

“That’s enough,” Seokjin caught Jungkook's wrists, stilling him. “You’re tired and you need sleep. Arguing over these matters won’t help.”

“No, that’s because you don’t want to hear it,” the brown hair boy hissed. “Let go of me.”

“No.”

“Let go!” Jungkook growls.

Seokjin didn’t really know why he actually released the hold, but then Jungkook was off his lap and rushing through the living room like hurricane and Seokjin almost couldn’t catch up with him. Where did he get all this energy? He was ready to sleep just moments ago.

“What are you doing?” Seokjin demanded to know when he saw the boy reaching for his jacket like a stubborn idiot and then bending down for his shoes.

“Going home,” he informed Seokjin in a stern voice. “This and I don’t want to deal with it.”

“Jungkook, calm down,” Seokjin reached out, but the frustrated boy avoided the touch with a snarl. A pang of hurt blossomed in Seokjin's chest and it was so odd, it muted him thoroughly, giving Jungkook an opening to actually flip him off and leave the house with a loud bang of the doors.

The mark pulsed like fire branded to his skin. His body refused to move. Suddenly a voice barging into his messy thought and Hoseok’s voice roaring inside his head.

"I heard soul bond could make someone super sensitive."

“God.” Seokjin mutter helplessly, feeling worried swelling inside him. He admit it.

They aren't okay.

……………………

Wow...I've been gone for too long, huh? Sorry.

Promise there's reason for it like going to hospital or so.

Btw, to be continued.  ;))))))