So this famous Kim Seokjin guy works in an astronomy lab by the ocean that’s located in an observatory on top of a forest covered hill.

The morning before your departure, Jungkook had come and picked you up at your quaint little apartment, a suggestion he brought up the day before, because “it would be much more convenient than meeting up at lab and leaving from there” (or so he had worded it). Your thoughts had been chaotic the night before; keeping you awake into the late hours and pulling you away from sound slumber. Would tomorrow bring new answers or would it lead to finding out things that you might be better off not knowing?

By 7am, you were almost two tired to feel nervous when you saw him pull up to the driveway in his black Audi SUV. Your morning routine had all been a blur, but as soon as you open the door to the passengers side all the traces of drowsiness vanishes when Jungkook greets you with a smile that makes the world come alive. He was dressed casually once again, which shouldn't be surprising because that’s how he’s always dressed outside of lab. But his oversized white t-shirt and distressed black jeans, brings you back into another dimension, almost quite literally too.

“I know it’s early, but the drive is going to take about four hours,” He says, with his eyes focused on the road. You can’t help but notice the way the veins in his arms pop out ever so slightly, as he holds the steering wheel with one hand, expertly maneuvering the vehicle as he drives.

“Oh it’s fine, I’m used to it” You reply lightheartedly, hoping he doesn’t hear the tiredness entangled in your voice. It’s true that you were indeed used to getting up at the early hours of dawn, you have four years of college to thank for that, but even the pending doom of having an exam the next day wasn’t enough to keep you awake as much as you had been last night.

Perhaps it was just the fact that the two of you were outside of lab, but he seemed different today, more relaxed and less professional (and no, not just because of his attire). It made you wonder what he might be thinking about, or if he had been just as restless as you had the night before.

The road trip was filled with small talk and occasional silences that were both natural and comforting. At one point, Jungkook’s eyes leave the road for a moment to look over at you, his brown doe eyes glimmering from the sunlight reflecting off of the rearview mirror and hair ruffling from salty breeze filtering through the open window, it’s a look that makes you realize just being with him now was more than enough, so you cast away the thoughts that had kept you up all night.

The observatory was a building that clearly displayed countless years of history in its weather worn walls, but despite its age being up there and the evident need for remodeling, it was nonetheless awe-inspiring. Its rounded dome peaked out above the trees and overgrown vegetation, overlooking the calm water from a cliff that juts out towards the sea. As the two of you approach the base of the building, you realize it’s much taller up close, rising up from the ground and opening up to the clear blue sky.

“I could smell a couple of love birds from a mile away” You hear a voice echo throughout the dimly lit and overly cluttered base chamber, as you follow closely behind Jungkook who’s eyes are wide, filled with curiosity, and scanning the room, much like the way yours was too. You weren’t sure if that was the voice of Kim Seokjin, and you were trying to convince yourself that the comment was not directed at you and Jungkook, but all of that bites the dust as you see a tall male wearing a white lab coat walk out from behind one of the storage shelves.

“Good morning, Dr. Kim Seokjin, I’m Jeon Jungkook” Jungkook says as he walks over and offers a handshake in greeting.

“Ah yes, the famous MD-PhD neurosurgeon. I’ve heard much about you.” Seokjin accepts the handshake, and continues to not so subtly examine Jungkook from head to toe while occasionally glancing over at you. “I see you’ve come to discuss some topics of research in my field. Or have you come to seek love advice?” Seokjin smirks a little, making you question whether this really is the well-respected physicist that Jungkook has come to admire because this guy seems to be a little too wacky for your taste.

Jungkook clears his throat brushing off the awkwardness brought on by the not so funny dad joke. “Yes, as I’ve expressed earlier, I think your theory could potentially tie into what I’m working on now in my lab.” Jungkook pauses as he watches Seokjin turn and walk over to his desk, which is just a wooded table top covered with books, gadgets, and other unknown objects, it was situated by a set of large glass windows facing the ocean. An arrangement that makes it obvious he likes to enjoy the breathtaking view as he works on whatever new theory his mind is conjuring up at the time. Seokjin signals for Jungkook to have a seat, which Jungkook does obediently, mind probably still swirling with thoughts about how to begin the discussion. “In your recently published paper you stated that theories from quantum mechanics suggest that there are an infinite number of universes out there; just based on the way subatomic particles behave. I was wondering if those universes are completely invisible to us, or if there is a possibility of traversing between them.” Jungkook says as he’s seated across from the physicist.

You had just been casually looking at the objects on the shelves, minding your own business, not wanting to interrupt or get in the way, but you ears perk up at his last sentence. Was Jungkook slowly remembering? Is that why he asked you to come today? The excitement and curiosity builds, but you sternly remind yourself not to get your hopes up too high.

Seokjin chuckles, a response that startles you as the light vibration from his laugh spreads through the room. “I see you’re caught up in the fact that physical laws dictate our perception of the universe.”

“Do they not?” The uncertainty in Jungkook’s voice is more noticeable than you had ever witnessed before. He falls silent, as Seokjin leans back in his chair and crosses his arms.

“Oh, but Dr. Jeon, have you ever considered the idea that our consciousness is not governed by the laws of physics and perhaps that’s why it has never been properly explained.” Seokjin says rather confidently, and it’s the first time your witnessing Jungkook confused by another scientist’s theory. “The fact that consciousness itself is above any limitations in the physical world?”

He sits there, not responding to what the older scientist has just proposed, but seemingly deep in thought. You watch as his eyebrows furrow, and he avoids direct eye contact with the physicist. None of what Seokjin was saying was making any sense to you, but you didn’t think anyone had the power to confuse Jungkook, especially not when it comes to theories of consciousness since that’s always been his forte.

“I may not be an expert neuroscientist like you, but I’ve spent years investigating theories.” Seokjin proceeds. “However, I would’ve never believed the brain has the power to choose which universe to consciously perceive if I hadn’t met him.”

Him? Don’t tell me he’s going to talk about some sort of divine entity…

You look at Seokjin, waiting for him to explain whom this “him” is, hoping that the next thing that come out of his mouth will not cause him to lose credibility in your mind because this guy has certainly left a crazy scientist sort of impression on you so far. You notice the evident fondness in his eyes as he’s clearly recalling an old memory.

“Whenever people ask me why I chose to be an astronomer, I always tell them it’s because I liked looking at stars as a child, but the true reason is because I met a man named Kim Namjoon” Seokjin says in a nostalgic voice.

Kim Namjoon…

The images flash before your eyes. You vaguely recall an empty library and a young professor looking at you from behind a pair of old fashioned spectacles.

“I got really sick one year, when I was five. The doctors didn’t think I would make it and I fell into some sort of coma that lasted for a week or so, and that’s the first time I saw him.” You hear Seokjin’s voice, but it sounds muffled and far away. You feel a bit dizzy and sway a little on your feet, unable to find anything near you to grab onto to maintain balance.

“Y/N, are you ok?” Before you know it, Jungkook is by your side, supporting you so that you don’t fall over. You nod, reassuring Jungkook that you feel fine.

“I don’t want to make this all cheesy and say that it was love at first sight, but that boy was really something” Seokjin is so caught up in his thoughts that he momentarily forgets his surroundings and seems to be lost in his own world of thoughts. “He was extremely intelligent, tall, and had the cutest dimples when he smiled. And boy did he smile a lot.”

“So you’re telling me, you were able to perceive someone in another universe?” You hear Jungkook ask. He’s still standing next to you, holding onto your shoulders even though you had pretty much recovered from your dizzy spell moments ago.

“Newton ended up believing in god because he wasn’t able to explain everything in the universe, as did Einstein when he died without having figured out how to connect quantum mechanics and general relativity after spending the last years of his life researching it. Is it so hard for you to accept the idea of soulmates, Dr. Jeon? ”

Again, Jungkook doesn’t respond. He probably has too many conflicting thoughts swirling around his brain to come up with a composed response, and it was clear that Seokjin’s theories have really hit home.

“The minds of soulmates use their conscious perception to defy the limiting laws of the universe or the boundaries between universes in order to reach each other.” Seokjin finally says.

“What about universes that have different timelines?” You find yourself blurting out before your brain could approve of the action.

Seokjin chuckles again. “Time isn’t linear, everything is happening at once,” He explains. “That’s how people seamlessly traverse between parallel universes, or more accurately how their brains switch from perceiving one universe to perceiving another.” He pauses before making a last comment. “It’s almost like we don’t see reality as it is, but instead we see it how we want to. On a certain level of course, these decisions are obviously not perfectly unaffected by the universe itself, but it goes to show how powerful our brains are or can be. ”

It was all starting to come together, albeit still very difficult to wrap your head around, but everything was at least beginning to make some sense.

“So he was right?” You whip your head around to look at Jungkook who has spoken up after being silent for so long. He laughs and shakes his head. “My professor in grad school.” He explains. “He told me that space-time is not the nature of reality, and that they are more like your desktop computer, and objects in the world are icons on that desktop, hiding the true reality of the universe via this interface we see before our eyes.” He chuckles again. “Made no sense to me at the time, but now….” He shakes his head, still smiling and not really looking at either you or Seokjin.

There goes anything that was starting to make sense. You think to yourself as you hear the words leaves Jungkook’s mouth and mentally sigh.

Suddenly a loud roar of thunder crackles through momentary silence, which makes you almost jump out of your skin. You look over and notice that the previously clear sky is now covered in dark grey clouds. The conversation had caused the three of you to lose track of time, a glance at the old clock hanging on the wall revealed that it was already 4:00 in the afternoon.

“Looks like you two better get going before it starts pouring.” Seokjin says as he looks out the window. The wind was kicking up and you could see the trees swaying from the strong gust, with the sea in the background, dark waves rippling across its surface.

“Thank you, Dr. Kim, I appreciate it” Jungkook says, before the two of you walk out of the observatory.

The rain begins slowly, with just a few sprinkles carried by the wind hitting your face, but it quickly, almost violently begins to downpour. The sound of raindrops hitting the leaves drowns out any hope of having a normal conversation to bring any closure to the information that Seokjin has provided. Jungkook is walking in front of you, not too far ahead, but far enough that you can’t see his expression and that’s when you start to feel a bit of frustration building up in the pit of your stomach. Was he just going to leave it at that? Is he just going to go back to lab and not ever explain why he dragged you along or why he constantly confuses you with all of these theories that you clearly aren’t able to fully understand?

“Jungkook, why did you bring me here today?” You finally lose that last bit of control, bottled up emotions finally breaking free like the stormy weather you were currently amidst. The pouring rain must’ve given you some sort of magical courage to ask, because that question had been looming there all day, like the elephant in the room that no one seems to want to address.

He stops in his tracks, and slowly turns around, taking a few steps towards you, doe eyes unreadable, dark hair wet and sticking to his forehead.

The next thing you know, his lips are crashing against yours and it’s almost as if someone hit a pause button on the world, and universes decided to stop the flow of time for what feels like an eternity because Jungkook’s lips are softer than the way you used to imagine clouds to be and sweeter than your favorite childhood candy, they move gracefully, conveying endless flower fields of desire and affection. The scent of his cologne mixed with the warmth of his body and the relentless rain, washes away every last doubt that makes you ask questions like will he ever feel the same way about me again? And is it possible for us to be together?

Jungkook’s eyes always emanated light, like a window to his soul or some gateway to heaven, but when he finally pulls away, you can’t tell if it’s the rain or if he’s crying because your own tears are too overwhelming.

“Because I need you,” He whispers, as he pulls you in for a warm embrace.

You don’t know how long he stands there holding you in his arms, but you don’t care because you never want that moment to end. You slowly wrap your arms around him and bury your face into the familiar crevice of his chest, an irreplaceable safety net that only he was ever able to provide for you.

…

“But Jimin and Taehyung….” You trail off, not knowing why they seem to feel like they’ve lived through several lifetimes together. You were sitting in the car now, drying off your hair with a towel that Jungkook happened to have stored away in his truck.

“Dreams only last seconds, but when your in them, doesn’t it feel like days or much longer? I think it’s similar to that. ” Jungkook says, as he drives down the mountain. The rain is starting to subside, and the clouds are clearing up. He drives down to the beach; knowing that the worst of the storm has passed and probably not wanting to head back to the city just yet.

Sitting next to him in the wet sand, and gazing at the large body of water in whose surface has now calmed to its resting state, brings back another memory, one that makes your heart race and clench at the same time. Blue waves are splashing gently against the shore, stopping just before receding back into the deep ocean. You look towards the horizon, basking in the salty breeze whose flavor is now tinted ever so slightly with the fresh smell of rain, waiting for a rainbow to appear in the sky that is speckled with only a few grey clouds.

“The feelings are still there, even though they may lack the depth and clarity that full consciousness allows for.” Jungkook says, after taking a deep breath. He turns away from the sky that’s pouring light and faces you.

And you think that he’s preparing to apologize, and that the next thing that comes out of his mouth will be something along the lines of he’s sorry for not being able to remember and that he wishes he could, but what he actually says is something that you don’t think you’ll ever forget, even if you get Alzheimer’s when your 70 or 60 or earlier, even if the end of the world comes before then, and even when you’re lying in your grave and all the neuron’s in your brain are biologically pronounced dead.

“It doesn’t even matter, because I fell in love with you anyways.” Jungkook reaches over and caresses your cheek with his hand, tracing the curve of your jawline and wiping the tear that has slid down your cheek with his thumb. “And it doesn’t matter where you are, because even if I don’t remember you, I will still love you. In this world where our eyelids will one day find their infinite darkness, I will still love you. And when the vast amounts of multiverses revert back to nothingness, I will still love you. ” He leans in, and kisses you, delicately cupping your face in both of his hands, so gentle as if you would shatter under too much force. “We were able to meet even when our chances of doing so defied all odds. Out of all the infinite number of possible collisions of particles in this vast multiverse, we found each other because soulmates are people whose minds choose the same universe to meet in and to fall in love.” His nose is still gently brushing yours as he whispers those words, eyes closed and soft hands still cupping your face.

When a long sentimental moment passes and he finally pulls away, you open your eyes. Looking at him through the tears threatening to blur your vision, he was still beautiful in every way you remember, in every way your mind decides to etch his very being into your heart, a kind of beauty that emanates from his soul, the tender warmth that’s always there no matter what universe.

“Our time may be limited, but it’s more than enough.” He says, making you realize that having a limit on the amount of time you could spend with each other, will make you wholeheartedly appreciate the moments you saw the sparkle in his eyes and the endearing smile on his face more than anything else. “This moment right now is the only one that truly matters.”

And because saying “I love you” doesn’t feel like it’s enough to express what you’re feeling, because those simple words could never be enough to describe how you feel about Jeon Jungkook, you smile and hold his hand, gripping him firmly as to never let go. You think of Jimin and Taehyung, Hoseok and Yoongi, and even Namjoon and Seokjin, no matter how or in which universe their minds decide to meet, they all have their own stories where they convey their love, love that transcends physical matter and goes on to last for an eternity.

“Jungkook, I want to tell you a story…” You say, smiling as you gaze at his face and the setting sun in the background. There were dark purple clouds with shiny white peaks, and the canvas that was the sky was a gradient from navy to bright blue, drifting to yellow, orange, red and pink.

“Whenever you’re ready”

You smile.

“It’s called ‘Our First and Last’”

.......

Well that's it! Hope the ending answered most of your questions and wasn't too confusing. I'm still working on developing stories like these, so hopefully I'll get better at it :)  Thanks for reading, subscribing and commenting!