Great things are done by a series of small things brought together. - Vincent Van Gogh

 

 

JULY 19

     Running was Seokjin's new coping mechanism, this last week he would rise at 5 AM every day and run the boundaries of their property. Sometimes he would stop and welcome the rising sun and bask in its warm glow... therapeutic was one word for his new hobby, especially on brisk mornings when the wind stung his face. The best thing was that it made him feel like he could conquer the world... or on most days, just escape the mental drain.

     Seokjin grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, the room was alive with the aroma of mixed berries and vanilla teasing his nostrils. He peeked into the oven, spying two mouth-watering pies, drooling at the sight. Hoseok marched into the kitchen as the timer dinged.

     "Do not even think of touching my pies," Hoseok shooed him away and grabbed his oven mitts, "These are for dinner."

     "Whatever they are, I want three of them," Seokjin watched as Hoseok removed them from the oven and set them on a cooling rack.

     "Left out the blueberries because I know you hate them."

     "You're too good to me."

     "By the way, it's your turn to cook dinner tonight," Hoseok reminded him, throwing the mitts aside.

      "Yeah, I already have it planned out," Seokjin took a sip of water, "Who's on rotation for today?"

     "I haven't checked the schedule, Jimin put it on random to avoid any fights," Hoseok laughed.

     The new thing in the house was sharing the workloads, especially kitchen duty because cooking and cleaning up was too much for just one person. So every night, there would be a cook, a helper, and two on cleaning duty. There were four 'chefs' in the house, the ones that could cook or wanted to learn. Namjoon was banned from this job because he had ruined a whole pot roast, accidentally sliced his fingers no less than twelve times, and managed to oversalt every single vegetable side he had made, which was a grand total of three. The cooks also helped with assisting, like a sous chef; cutting vegetables or preparing side dishes, whatever needed to be done. The rest of them were the cleaner-uppers; washing dishes, and setting and clearing the table.

     Hoseok walked over to the schedule on the wall and located today's date, "Oh ."

     "What?"

     Jungkook. Jungkook would be today's sous chef, and Hoseok pondered if he should warn Seokjin or just let it be a surprise, less dreading that way, "Umm, well, not sure if this is a good thing or bad thing-"

     "Just spit it out," Seokjin walked over to the list and looked, himself, "Oh ."

    "Maybe someone can trade?"

    I need to be able to learn to work with him, for the sake of the pack. "It's fine, I may lose half my sanity, but I need to be around him at some point."

    "Have we moved on to acceptance?" Hoseok felt like Seokjin had already endured the toughest of the seven signs of grief.

     "Jungkook is a good helper, so this will go fast," Seokjin hoped.

      "I mean whatever you have to tell yourself," Hoseok patted him on the shoulder and then went back to his pies.

     Jimin waltzed in, a grin on his mouth as he set down his laptop on the counter and opened it.

     "Good morning?" Hoseok leaned against the counter.

     "What is that -eating grin about?"

     "The ultimate prank," Jimin turned his laptop towards them and the witch squinted to try to make out what it was.

     "These pranks are getting out of hand, I bit into one of your mayonnaise-filled donuts a couple days ago," Seokjin complained, "and the wasabi gum, not funny."

     Jimin laughed, "The small ones are the most genius."

     "and who the hell put white gelatin into the milk carton because that was evil," Seokjin whined.

     Beomgyu walked into the kitchen, stopping at the schedule, his smile faded, "Oh man I have clean up duty?"

     "Yeah, you could use a good cleaning up," Jimin smiled, shutting his laptop.

     "Yeah, whatever," Beomgyu grabbed a blood bag, giving Seokjin the once over, "Yoongi is looking for you."

     "Where is he?"

    "Garage."

 

     Yoongi was laying on top of the hood of his Bentley parked in the driveway, sunglasses covering his eyes, staring up at the clear blue sky. Seokjin peered up at the sky, it was so bright, he felt like he was going to sneeze.

     "Hey," Seokjin stopped, spotting a bandage-covered arm, "Did you have an accident?"

     "Had to do blood today," Yoongi sat up, "Don't have to go back for another month."

     "Did it hurt?"

     "When I fell from heaven?"

      "Ha, funny."

    "Nah," Yoongi fished a pill bottle out of his pocket as he slid down off the car," I thought vampires could heal anything," He shook the pill bottle, "A vampire on medication is funny, eh?"

     "I mean, better than dead?"

     "True," Yoongi threw the pill bottle into his car, "Do you have plans today?"

    "Just dinner duty tonight. You have something in mind?"

     "Wanted to hit up one of my dad's properties, it's abandoned."

     "I'm game," Seokjin glanced at his watch, "We have some time."

     Yoongi threw Seokjin his keys, "We're picking up Hyunjin."

     "Don't you want to drive your own car?"

     Yoongi opened the passenger side door, "You know I prefer night driving."

     "I mean yeah, but this car is too sick to let the sun vex you out of driving it."

     "It's okay because the look in your eyes when your speeding down the highway is more than enough enjoyment for me."

 

      Seokjin collected Hyunjin and the three of them zoomed off on a quick road trip. The town was only about forty minutes away, but it might as well have been to a new planet, the shift in scenery was like night and day. The once bustling burg was now just a habitat for rodents and stray cats.

      "So what god-forsaken apocalypse happened here?" Hyunjin's head was plastered to the window, glaring at the derelict ruins that were overtaken by underbrush and vines.

     "Neglect," Seokjin turned down a road.

     More of the same, houses and shops devastated by time.

     "Why did this place just die?" Hyunjin knew there had to be a terrible story, by the looks of it, something attacked it and took chunks of it away.

     "Interesting story really," Yoongi spotted the building atop the hill, "There."

     The building was by itself up a steep dirt road that was once paved, but now potholes gave way to plants and earth. A few good storms had taken away most of the evidence of man and replaced it with the invasiveness of nature.

 

      The building itself, however, seemed out of place for something long abandoned, showing scant signs of damage other than busted windows that had since been boarded up from the inside.

     "What is this place?" Hyunjin peered up at the moderate white stone building, the sign that used to sit above the door was dangling, surrounded by vines it was doubtful that nature produced.

     "Old sanitarium according to public record," Yoongi pulled some of the vines away from the door, revealing that the bottom half of the door was missing.

     "Yikes," Seokjin stopped, a quiver in his stomach alerting him that something was off.

     "Human or supernatural?" Hyunjin noticed the holes in the windows were circular like they had been busted by a dozen rocks or baseballs hurled all at once, the boards made it impossible to see inside.

     "According to Abram, both." Yoongi pushed open the door, "The clinically insane made good lab rats and no one protested that all of the patients died because no one cared about 'the crazies' back then."

     "Your dad owned this?"

     "He acquired it ten years after it was shut down," Yoongi explained, "the owner went mad and well, let's just say it was a famous massacre."

     "Oh, sordid," Hyunjin picked up a toy car that was discarded in the overgrown grass, "So I am guessing that's why the town is gone?"

     "Yeah, between the monsters spilling out and the good doctor's wrath, only three people made it out alive."

     Hyunjin followed the other two into the main hall, aside from the same vines covering the walls in sporadic patches, it was clean.

     "Are we sure it's abandoned?" Seokjin scanned behind the counter, two busted monitors and some patient folders with spewing papers were the only things he saw.

     "I'm not sure of anything," Yoongi peered through the window of the office door to their left, "Everything looks a little too neat."

     "What are we looking for?" Hyunjin joined him at the door, giving the room the once over.

     "Existential joy," Yoongi turned the handle and pushed it open, scaring several pigeons who flew out past them and off down the hall.

     "Holy crap," Hyunjin plastered himself to the wall, hand over heart.

     "Ooh, we frighten easily," Yoongi snickered, walking inside.

     A desk was pushed against the wall, littered with tiny bones, probably of the same variety that just flew from the room.

     Hyunjin snagged a pigeon skull and studied it before dropping it back on the desk, "Something is eating the birds."

     "Probably a cat, we did see a whole colony of them earlier."

     Hyunjin took note that there were no spots of blood anywhere, he took a whiff of the air, "no carcasses just bones, no cat I know eats this cleanly."

 

     Seokjin decided to go down the opposite hallway, shuffling through some rogue leaves that probably blew in from the broken front door. He his flashlight and shined it down the darkened corridor, there were exactly ten doors, and every single one of them was closed. Seokjin could still feel the fear as each of them were slaughtered in their rooms, the doctor would then turn and close the door, trapping their souls inside forever. This is a ghost hunter's wet dream.

      He cleared the spider webs that covered the entrance to the first room, and turned the handle, locked. He padded across the hall, stepping over the sizable scurrying spider that made its way into a hole in the baseboard to hide. The door handle for the second room was missing, so he just pushed it open and peeked his head inside, there was nothing except for two tipped-over beds and a ripped slipper. 

     "Did you guys find anything?" Seokjin yelled off down the hall as he entered the third room, seeing nothing but more beds and some old blood spots.

     "Nada," Yoongi called back, "pretty boring."

     Seokjin huffed, boring is good.

     It wasn't boring for long though, as soon as Seokjin stepped out of the room, he encountered a shadowy entity at the end of the corridor. The entity darted into the stairwell and Seokjin drew his gun. It's probably just a squatter, Seokjin, you are overreacting. He carefully stepped down the stairs to the basement level, gun ready. Shining his flashlight ahead to try to locate the thing, but all that greeted him was an unnerving dark and a dankness that sat on his skin like wax. He shivered as his goosebumps popped up for a hello.

     "No squatter would live in this." 

     Oh, a calamity shall befall those that trespass the lair of the damned.

     He checked the first two rooms, nothing but dripping water that tapped the concrete... edging his nerves into anxiety territory, aka the willies if you will. The third room was the morgue and the smell hit his nose the second he reached for the handle.

       "Ugh,"  his nose scrunched, nothing quite like the smell of death.

      A skeletal corpse was lying on the slab in the middle, bits of flesh still hanging off its bones. It looked freshly killed and torn apart, a sustaining meal to keep something alive. But why is there no blood? A bang came from one of the body freezers and he turned quick, gun aimed.

     "I have a gun, you best leave-"

      Another bang. He his lips, anticipating a scuffle as he inched closer. He tugged the first door open, shining his light inside, but the tray was empty. He shut it and tore open the second freezer, also empty.

     *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* The wall shook from the force. Seokjin jumped, dropping the flashlight which rolled across the slanted floor before coming to a stop, casting its light on the adjacent wall like a spotlight.

      "Listen, we won't call the police if you just leave now," Seokjin yelled. Police, yeah right, I would sooner eat you than deal with the cops.

      Another bang sounded and he turned to the last freezer, as he grabbed the handle to pull, the door flew open and the shadow entity knocked the gun from Seokjin's hand as it whooshed past, turned, then scrambled back into the box. Seokjin turned to run, but the entity grabbed him from behind. Seokjin clutched the sides of the freezer, holding on for dear life as the thing yanked harder, pulling his head and shoulders inside.

       "Yoooongi!" Seokjin screamed at the top of his lungs, as the thing wrenched Seokjin's upper body, he lost his grip and it dragged in the rest of him. Seokjin screamed out as it zipped past him and out of the freezer, slamming the door. He struck the door with his feet, trying to bust out, putting deep dents in the steel.

     The thumping was muffled in the room, by no means would Yoongi or Hyunjin be able to hear it.

     "Yoongi!" He pounded the roof of the metal box that was barely bigger than the size of his own body.

     The creature screeched outside the door and Seokjin threw his hands to his ears, it was like razors were being scraped across the metal. 

      "Aghhh," he screamed, drowning out the shrill wail, causing the creature to back away from the door.

     My phone. He plucked it from his pocket and dialed Yoongi's number.

     "Where are you?"

     "Downstairs, morgue, I'm not alone."

      A screech sounded out from Yoongi's side of the phone and then it went dead.

     "Yoongi?"

     . He kicked at the steel door, but it would not budge. Between the claustrophobia setting in and Yoongi being in trouble, his adrenalin jumpstarted his transformation. He growled out as moments later his beast form kicked at the door, harder until the thing burst off its hinges and flew across the room.

     The entity screamed out at him as it transformed into an opaque shape, rising from the floor like a shadow come to life. It sliced Seokjin down the cheek, leaving four deep slashes under his thick fur. Seokjin growled out, pelting it with an obscene amount of saliva as he pulled the embalming slab from the foundation and heaved it towards the thing, cadaverous remains and all.

 

     Upstairs, Yoongi and Hyunjin were fighting off two of their own. The creatures like to use their elongated razor-like claws to slash, Hyunjin had already been nearly gutted, the slashes in his chest and stomach were deep and bleeding. Yoongi flashed across the room, swinging his own claws, going right through them... they had an ability that every time he was to make contact it turned back to its shadow form.

     ", they have to have a weakness," Yoongi sprinted across the room and the entity swooped him up, throwing him into the boarded window. He fell to the floor, covering his head as the cracked board plummeted, bringing shards of glass with it. The sunlight hit the shadow and it screeched out, veering away from the light.

     Sunlight!

     "Shut the door, don't let it escape," Yoongi yelled as he turned to the windows. Hyunjin bolted to the door, closing it, ducking the claws that came his way as the creature instead, shredded the wood.

      Yoongi began pulling the nailed boards away and letting the sunlight penetrate the room, the creatures screeched out ear-piercing noises that made Hyunjin his palms to his ears.

      "Obstructionum sonus," Hyunjin whispered to himself, the spell to block sound.

     Yoongi reached the last board, pulling it away as one of the creatures tackled him and delivered claws, Yoongi threw up his arm to block his face as the thing swiped and slashed, leaving painful gashes on his forearm. He grabbed its wrists, pushing it upward so that its face and torso were in the direct sunlight. It was an instant bonfire, for its flesh caught fire. It writhed in pain, shrieking at the top of its lungs...

     The second creature tried to make it to the other, its skin sizzling more and more the closer it got, bursting into a blaze of searing flames that scorched the ceiling.

     Yoongi pushed the charred entity from his body and rolled over to stand.

     "What are these things?" Hyunjin kicked at the heap of ashes, plugging his nose, the cooked flesh smell was enough to make him lose his breakfast. Blech.

     "I don't know, but Seokjin is in the basement, no sunlight," Yoongi ran toward the door and out down the hallway, flashing down to the basement.

 

     "Seokjin?" Yoongi yelled as Hyunjin joined him, both of them checking the two other rooms before witnessing the entity being blasted out of the morgue and hitting the wall.

     Seokjin emerged, his beastly form a mess of matted bloody fur.

     "Hey, shadow boy," Yoongi dashed over to grab the entity and pull it away, making it turn to shadow as Yoongi flew back up the stairs, the thing on his tail.

     Hyunjin went to Seokjin as the hybrid collapsed to his knees, turning back to human and slumping over.

     "Are you okay?" Hyunjin grabbed his arm to keep him from falling over.

     "Yeah, it just stings," Seokjin grabbed his midsection, "Where's Yoongi?"

     The screeches were heard from above and moments later, Yoongi appeared back in front of them.

     "I never want to see one of those again," Yoongi leaned against the wall, catching his breath.

     "How did you kill it?"

     "Sunlight," Yoongi exhaled, everything stunk like death and it felt like his nose hairs were singeing from the particles floating around.

     "Are they vampires?"

     "If they are, none like I ever seen," Yoongi shuddered.

     "Are they all dead?" Hyunjin helped Seokjin up.

     "I hope so."

 

     "A grim soul," Taehyung held up the baggie full of ashes that Yoongi had brought back, "These make great gunpowder."

     "What the is a grim soul?" Yoongi flinched as Hoseok wiped down his wounds.

     "It's what happens to vampires when they give in to the blood lust and lose their souls."

     Taehyung tossed the baggie aside and grabbed the balm tin from Hoseok, turning to Seokjin, "You sir, are a holy mess."

     "Just get on with it," Seokjin removed his shirt, throwing it aside.

     "My god, where do I begin," Taehyung spied no less than fifteen sets of slash marks across Seokjin's torso and arms. He leaned in to look at the one down his cheek, "This might scar."

     "Is Hyunjin okay?" Hoseok asked, wrapping Yoongi's arm.

      "Think this might take a few days to heal," Taehyung winced at the sight.

     "He looks about the same as us," Yoongi felt dizzy, grabbing onto the side of the lab table, "I need to feed and I don't mean a blood bag."

     "I'll call Beomgyu, he can take you to the feeding bank."

     "Hurry," Yoongi grabbed ahold of Hoseok's shoulder, "Tell him to grab the Bentley."

 

      Seokjin collected the steaks from the fridge, tonight he would be preparing some cast iron ribeye with garlic mushrooms, he saw it while scrolling his phone for beef recipes, because damn if a nice beautiful steak didn't make him want to celebrate life. He glanced up at the clock, Jungkook was five minutes late and he wondered if the younger had decided to bail on his duties. Seokjin decided he would go with the 'make everything feel like it's normal again' approach, treat this like an 'any other day situation'.

      "Oh well, guess it's just you and me," Seokjin sniffed the beef, it was heaven on a plate.

     Jungkook stopped at the doorway, watching Seokjin place the steak on the cutting board and grab the oil, salt, and pepper. He nearly gasped when he saw that the elder's arms were bandaged and there were gashes across his cheek, "What the hell happened to you?"

     Seokjin turned to Jungkook as he programmed the stove to 425 degrees, "Cut myself shaving."

     "Was the razor possessed?" Jungkook walked over, rolling up his sleeves.

     "Protesting the god-awful onyx stubble," Seokjin handed him a bowl of cleaned mushrooms.

      "I hope you beat the out of it," Jungkook grabbed a knife from the butcher block and cooking gloves from the box.

     "Something like that," Seokjin began to brush the steak with the oil.

     "What are we making?" Jungkook snatched up a second cutting board.

     Seokjin pulled the recipe up on his phone and propped it up against the wall so they both could see it.

     "Nice choice," he read off the ingredients and then turned to nab several mushrooms from the bowl.

     "Just have to adjust for the number of people, sans the blood brothers because they are feeding."

      "So six of us?"

     Seokjin did a quick count in his head and nodded, "Yeah."

     Jungkook eyeballed Seokjin's facial wounds, the gashes were definitely claw marks, "Why aren't they healed?"

     "You'd have to ask Tae what a grim soul is," Seokjin grabbed the wine from the counter, slipped a claw in, and popped the cork, "Wine?"

     "Sure," Jungkook began to cut mushrooms as Seokjin grabbed two wine flutes and poured some for the both of them.

     "I think the garlic is in the pantry," Seokjin handed Jungkook the glass and then took a sip of his own.

     Jungkook gulped down some of the wine, "Fruity."

     Seokjin grinned, Jungkook always did like a good merlot.

     "What do you think we should have for sides?" Seokjin set the glass down and set the meat on the hot cast iron skillet, searing it.

     "I say we go easy and have a salad."

     "I like the way you think," Seokjin couldn't help but smell the younger's scent as he reached across him to grab the tongs, "new cologne?"

     "Yeah, trying something different," Jungkook took another sip of wine.

     "It's nice, it suits you." Seokjin forgot for a moment that they weren't together, "sorry."

     "For what?"

      "I forget sometimes," Seokjin turned back to the stove, alleviate the awkwardness, Seokjin, "Do we have tomatoes for the salad?"

     "I'll check," Jungkook set down his knife and went to the fridge, he pulled out two tomatoes, "Two left."

     "Oh perfect," Seokjin took them from him to inspect them, "Slice them so they unchill faster."

     "Can do," Jungkook took them back, setting them on the cutting board, "It's okay, by the way."

     Seokjin stared at him, eyebrows raised.

     "I want us to stop being awkward and angry," Jungkook grabbed a serrated knife, "I don't want you to be sad."

     "It would be nice, but I don't think that's possible," Seokjin flipped the steaks, "for now, I'll work on the awkward."

    Jungkook could feel the sudden chill in the air.

     "Why haven't you tried breaking your bond?"

     "Because I don't ever want to know what it feels like to not have you in my heart," Seokjin turned away, blinking to stop the approaching tear.

      Jungkook poured himself another glass, filling it to the brim, he felt like he could chug the whole bottle at this point.

     "I would settle for you not hating me, but at the very least, being in the same room and having a decent conversation is enough."

     "I don't..." Jungkook didn't know if he should say it, "I don't hate you, I hate what you did."

     "Hey look, progress already," Seokjin joked, taking a pronounced swig from the bottle.

     Jungkook grinned.

 

      The wine helped lessen any tenseness as they joked around for a good ten minutes while continuing preparations for the meal.

     Jungkook tossed the salad, reaching for the bag of croutons that Seokjin found in the pantry, "Half a bag?"

     "Yeah, but taste one first just in case they're stale."

     Jungkook popped a crouton into his mouth, "Still crunchy."

     Seokjin took the skillet from the oven and placed it down, grabbing the bowl of mushrooms and garlic that Jungkook had already cooked.

     "No wait, it says to add butter and then put in a tent for 10 minutes," Jungkook held up Seokjin's phone.

     "A tent?" Seokjin had finished off the bottle of wine and was bordering on tipsy. Combined with his injuries, everything was a bit fuzzy.

     "A tinfoil tent," Jungkook laughed, "Maybe you should sit down."

     "No, I'm good," Seokjin nabbed the tin foil from the drawer, tearing off a sheet that was long enough to cover a cow.

     "Not a tent for you, a tent for the steak," Jungkoook shook his head, giggling.

 

     Seokjin understood what Shakespeare meant by sweet sorrow. Cooking dinner with Jungkook felt so much like old times, even the younger seemed to be forgetting they weren't married anymore... or maybe it had something to do with the wine.

     ...Or maybe you're just imagining this.

     "Should I call everyone down?" Jungkook nicked a second bottle of wine.

     "Yeah, probably." Seokjin held out his glass, "Unless you want to just consume all this ourselves."

     Jungkook smirked, popping the cork, "I don't think I could eat all this."

     "I think tonight, I could," Seokjin grinned, "my appetite hasn't been that great lately."

     "You?" Jungkook filled Seokjin's glass, "The guy that could eat a whole deer by himself?"

     Seokjin shrugged, sipping some wine, "I guess I just miss you too much."

     "I miss you too," Jungkook whispered into his glass as he took another sip.

     "What?" Seokjin knew he couldn't have imagined that.

     "Okay, so since Beomgyu isn't here, it's just me to set the table, we want formal or every day?" Jimin stopped short when he saw the two of them staring at each other, "Oh, am I interrupting?"

     "No," Jungkook turned to the salad, adding the croutons, "I'd say every day, with salad bowls."

     "Okay," Jimin reached around Seokjin to grab the cutlery, "Smells amazing."

     "Oh, and wine glasses," Seokjin insisted, toasting the air, "This is great."

     "Think you've had a bit too much already?"

     "Nope," Seokjin glanced at Jungkook, "Think it has a hallucinogen mixed in, 'cause this be altering reality."

      "Isn't that a bad thing?"

      "No way, I haven't felt this great in a long time," Seokjin pouted, "My life hasn't been so great up 'til now."

      "No kidding," Jimin exchanged glances with Jungkook and mouthed, "Is he okay?"

     "Yeah, he's great," Jungkook winked.

     "Greaaaat!" Jimin grabbed the bottle and read the label, taking it and the glasses into the dining room.

      Seokjin untented the steak, sniffing in the delightful aroma that wafted off of it.

     "That is, wow," Jungkook was practically drooling.

      Jimin returned to the room to grab the cutlery and napkins, "Do I just set the dressing on the table?"

     "Yeah, ranch for me," Seokjin took a plate from the stack and began to dish up the meat, topping it with the mushrooms.

      Jungkook stole a piece of mushroom and stuffed it in his mouth, "This is divine."

     "It was the wine," Seokjin smirked, "and your perfect slicing skills."

     "My skills aside, you've outdone yourself."

 

      Dinner went rather quick, everyone had scarfed down the meal, commenting on it being the "best they had ever had." or something to that effect.

     "You're going to give me an ego," Seokjin bowed his head, "but thank you. Jungkook deserves most of the credit."

     "Nah, all I did was cut mushrooms and toss a salad," Jungkook held up his wine glass, "You made the perfect sear."

     I meant because it was nice cooking with you, it made me feel alive again. Seokjin sighed, after they were done eating, this moment would be over forever. Maybe he needed to down another half bottle of wine and restore his tipsiness, the food consumption had sobered him up a little too much.

     "Oh, I made mixed berry pie for dessert, hope everyone still has room," Hoseok glided into the kitchen.

     "We could all play a game?" Taehyung suggested, "we haven't done a game night in over a year."

     "That's 'cause last time we did, you flipped the table." Jimin reminded.

     "It was an accident," Taehyung grimaced, "I dove for my game piece-"

     "and took out the whole damn table," Jimin laughed.

     "To be fair, I did accidentally knock half the pieces off the board rolling for my turn," Namjoon stated.

     Hoseok returned with the pie and some plates, setting everything down in the middle, "It's a new recipe, so let me know."

     "You have a knack for causing chaos with everyday items," Jimin teased.

     "Between losing stuff or breaking it, I don't know which one is worse," Taehyung chuckled.

     "Genius has its quirks," Namjoon declared.

     "I'll drink to that!" Seokjin toasted his leader, finishing off the rest of his glass.

     "Does that hurt still?" Hoseok handed the first piece of pie to Seokjin, motioning toward his face.

     "Stings like a ," Seokjin sniffed the pie, "Why does everything smell so damn great tonight."

     "You need a new word," Jimin took the second slice.

      Jungkook couldn't take his eyes off the elder, enjoying the smile that didn't leave his mouth.

     "So Kookie," Taehyung started as he grabbed his piece of the pie.

     "Don't call me that-" Jungkook did not want anyone other than Seokjin to refer to him as Kookie.

     "Oh sorry," Taehyung took a bite of the pie, "See any good movies lately?"

     "Huh?" Jungkook was confused.

     Taehyung looked at the phone that was sitting on the table next to the younger, giving it a wide eye, "Been thinking about going to see one-"

     "No clue, I don't watch TV," Jungkook discreetly palmed his phone, bringing it down below the table to read the text that Taehyung sent moments prior.

     You're staring at him again.

     Junkook exchanged a quickened glance with his best friend, typing back: Don't worry about it.

     "I have been trying to get you to go watch that new horror film with me, but you refuse," Jimin crossed his arms, pouting.

     "We can go later if you want," Taehyung glanced at his message.

     "I'm afraid I'm going to have to take my slice and go," Namjoon grabbed his plate from Hoseok and stood, "I have a conference call in five."

     "Boooo," Taehyung and Jimin jeered.

     Namjoon smiled, "Yeah, I know, all work and no play."

     "Good having you for a couple minutes, "Hoseok added as Namjoon left the dining room.

     Is something going on with you two? Taehyung sent.

     "What time does the movie start?" Hoseok asked, "I might want to come with."

     "8:30, but if you go, you can't scream," Jimin warned, "You almost got us kicked out of the last one."

     I don't know what you mean. Jungkook typed out and sent.

     "That's in twenty minutes," Taehyung looked at his watch, "You still have clean up."

     "You guys can go, I can clean up," Seokjin announced.

     "You can barely walk," Jimin shook his head.

     "I'll help him," Jungkook butted in.

     The three of them looked at Seokjin and Jungkook like some sort of miracle had happened.

     "It's not that big a deal," Jungkook swore, feeling everyone's eyes on him.

     "Yeah, okay," Jimin wasn't about to announce his suspicions.

     "Then we should get ready," Hoseok said to them and they all nodded.

     "Don't get any ideas," Jungkook protested as the three of them grabbed their plates and left the room like it was on fire.

      "What just happened?" Seokjin pushed away the pie.

     "How many fingers am I holding up?" Jungkook held up three fingers.

     "Three," Seokjin answered before Jungkook switched to four, "Four."

     "What's my name?"

     "Kooki-" Seokjin slipped, "Sorry, Ju-Jungkook."

     "How many syllables is that?"

     "What?" Seokjin was confused by the question, staring up at the ceiling as the gears in his brain turned, "Two."

     "Good, you're not too drunk," Jungkook stood and grabbed his plate, and began to pile together the rest of the dirty dishes.

     "For what?"

     "For anything," Jungkook flashed him a scandalous smile before heading into the kitchen.

     "I know I didn't just hallucinate that," Seokjin stood and gathered some dishes, dropping several forks, "."

     He nabbed them and then floated off to the kitchen, intent on finding out what was on the younger's mind.

      Beomgyu was cutting himself a slice of pie when he walked in.

     "Hey," Seokjin waved, setting the stuff down in the sink.

     "Yo," Beomgyu went and sat at the table.

     "Everything ok?"

     "Yeah, Yoongi is resting, said you could stop by if you wanted."

     "Where's Jungkook?"

     "Said he had to throw up and left to go back home, I guess."

      Throw up? Jungkook didn't look like he was sick. "Hey since you have cleanup duty, do you mind?"

     Beomgyu made a displeased face, but nodded, "Sure."

 

      Seokjin held up his hand to knock on Jungkook's door, "What are you doing?" You've just come to see if he is okay, don't talk yourself out of this.

     He knocked.

     It was a good fifteen seconds before the door opened, Jungkook jerked his head back, surprised, "Seokjin?"

     "Are you okay?"

     "Yeah, figured the night was over," Jungkook leaned against the jamb.

     "Beomgyu said you were sick-"

     "Yoongi's home, thought you'd want to go see him."

     "I'll go in the morning," Seokjin was positive they had had a moment tonight, several even, but he wouldn't dare bring that up, "Are you sure you're okay?"

     "Yeah, probably just gonna go to the bar."

     "Oh," Seokjin looked down, "Of course." You're the epitome of dumb, Seokjin. There wasn't a goddamn thing happening between you.

     "I should get ready then," Jungkook hesitated for a moment, "Unless you need something?"

     "Please don't go to the bar tonight," Seokjin blurted.

     "Why?"

     Yeah, why, Seokjin? "You've drunk a lot tonight, I worry that something might happen."

     "If you have something else in mind, I am open to suggestions," Jungkook bit his lip, wetting them.

     "I think I have definitely drank too much because that just sounded like-"

     Before Seokjin could finish, Jungkook had him pinned to the door, exploring his mouth with his own. He was paralyzed by shock, his brain ceasing to work.

     Jungkook looked at him, "Have you forgotten how to kiss me?"

     "I... I'm drea-dreaming?" Seokjin stuttered.

     "I mean maybe," Jungkook pulled him inside, shutting the door, "Just go with it?"

     Seokjin forgot how to breathe for a moment, "Is this a joke?"

     "Nope," Jungkook grinned, pulling him over to the sofa, taking Seokjin's hands and placing them around his waist, "Guess you forgot how to do this?"

     "I didn't forget," Seokjin pushed him down onto the sofa, and straddled his lap.

     "Then shut up and show me," Jungkook began to Seokjin's button down.

     This is real, this is real, this is real. Seokjin chanted to himself, Jungkook was right here, ready and willing... and there he sat, motionless like a lump of clay.

     "I understand you're probably in shock," Jungkook cupped his face, pullin