Neighbor!Jungkook x Reader - Fluff (with a hot second of angst?)

Words - 4,005

Hot. Hot hot hot hot hot. The word becomes a constant stream of thought the second your eyes open to the already too bright sunlight flooding through gaps in your blinds. The action of cringing away from the stinging light preoccupies you momentarily, so it takes another few moments for you to register the suffocating heat of the bedroom that woke you up in the first place. It takes another few moments of fighting with your blanket before you’re finally able to free yourself from the sticky heat trapped between the cloth and your body.

The relief of kicking away your comforter is so lovely you want to cry, but still, the uncomfortable wetness of your sweaty shirt sticking to the damp sheets beneath you is driving you insane.

Holy hell when did it get so hot?

Days ago it was a comfortably cool 68 degrees, but then the thermometer began a terrible crawl upward until it reached a smug 95 degrees, the temperature that now greets you when you check the weather on your phone.

You toss the device to your side with a groan, already dreading the inevitable increase in temperature as the sun climbs higher in the sky. It’s only nine a.m. after all, plenty of time for that 95 to grow. You wipe your now sweaty palms on the sheets beneath you as you raise your legs straight up in the air, trying to let the sweat behind your knees dry in the faint breeze falling lazily from your ceiling fan, but the bed has grown even warmer than it had been while you were asleep and you can’t stand it any longer.

So, of course, the obvious next step is to unceremoniously roll yourself over the edge of the bed and onto the floor where you are met by blissfully cool hardwood.

After several desperate moments spent clinging to the chilled floor, you manage to climb to your feet. Immediately you start flapping your shirt in an attempt to ease some of the sticky heat still clinging to your back and stomach.

God, it’s hot.

Entering your living room nearly makes you cry. Even after leaving the windows open all night in an attempt to draw in some of the cool reprieve the moonlit hours bring, it is noticeably warmer in comparison to your bedroom.

You exhale a soft growl of disappointment before making a beeline to the floor beside your coffee table where you spend a few blissful minutes sitting directly in front of the small box fan you managed to swipe from the girls one floor down who moved out last week. You practically hug the fan until most of your sweat has dried and you are able to try thinking straight.

It’s still hot as Hades, but at least now you’re not dripping sweat.

In an attempt to chase away the heat that seems to be melting you from the outside in, you grab a glass from the kitchen and impatiently fill it to the brim with ice cubes and water.

You try to chug it, almost choke on an ice cube, abandon the murderous cup on the counter, and move to the bathroom.

As much as you despise cold water when you bathe, at the moment you can’t think of anything that sounds more inviting than being drenched head to toe in ice water.

The air conditioning in the entire apartment complex had been on the fritz for a while, but of course it had to kick the bucket the day - the day - before the biggest heatwave in your area in nearly five years.

Most tenants recently moved out for the summer, with the majority of them being college students moving back home or small families who were simply ready to ditch the sweltering box of bricks. You were very close to joining the college student exodus, but plans changed and now you are (mostly) content with the 800 sq. ft. you call your own.

Or at least… you were. Now you are just very hot. And sweaty.

You have the tub pouring out water at its coldest setting and you’re just about to let your shorts fall to meet your tank top on the ground so you can finally escape the heat. But, just before they reach your knees, you hear a loud ‘knock, knock, knock’ from your front door.

You freeze and look regretfully between the inviting ice water and your half discarded clothing before sighing heavily, throwing your clothes back on and stomping to the front door.

“What is it?” you demand of the mystery visitor before the door swings fully open. Your instant annoyance at the stranger is uncharacteristic, but it is too damn hot for common courtesy.

“Hello to you too, Y/N.” an annoyingly familiar voice reaches your ears a split-second before your eyes land on the face that goes with it.

Of course he would show up today of all days.

It’s Jungkook - your across the hall neighbor who earned the title ‘bane of your existence’ almost immediately upon his arrival two semesters ago.

Annoyingly handsome and full of all the arrogance that comes with knowing it, Jungkook is the perfect combination of sweet, memely computer nerd and torturously gorgeous muscle freak. In short, Jeon Jungkook is hot and dorky to an extreme - perfect in nearly every way. And you’re maybe – just a little, teeny tiny bit – in love with him.

You didn’t mean to develop a crush on him two weeks after he moved in – heck, you did everything in your power to avoid it – but then the laundry incident happened and you knew you were a goner.

It was two a.m. on a Sunday night. No one else was supposed to be awake. You put off your laundry a week too long and were stuck with the choice of either wearing your only remaining clean clothes – pajamas with cartoon puppies all over – to your ten a.m. class the next day, or lugging all your laundry down three flights of stairs. You chose the stairs.

Unfortunately, the puppy pajamas really were your only clean clothing, which is why you waited until two in the morning to do laundry. Surely no one else would be awake, right?

Wrong.

Not only was someone else awake, but that someone else just happened to be your extremely hot new neighbor that everything in the building with a pulse had been drooling over since day one.

And not only was it extremely embarrassing to walk up next to a beautiful stranger in old puppy strewn pj’s, but it was also extremely distracting because said beautiful stranger was shirtless at the time.

To your surprise, you ended up having a very pleasant conversation with the half man, who, you quickly realized, was a gigantic nerd much too cute for his own good. He was everything you had ever wanted: easy on the eyes, polite, kind, dorky, athletic.

It was awful.

A huge reason you even decided to move into this slightly out-of-the-way apartment building was because you wanted to get away from distractions. The program for your major is definitely no walk in the park and, with your junior year quickly approaching, you don’t have any time for distractions. Even muscly distractions with adorable bunny teeth.

Thank god for Jungkook’s one fault: he’s cocky. He was so sweet that night in the laundry room because he is shy around new people, but once he warms up to someone he is an absolute pain in the .

Or so you keep telling yourself.

“What are you doing here, Jungkook? I’m busy.” you say with hands on the door, ready to slam it in his face at the first chance you get.

“Well aren’t you cheery this morning.” Jungkook replies, grinning despite the hostility in your tone.

“It is ten o'clock in the morning and it is 100 degrees outside, I don’t understand how anyone could be cheery.” you grit out, trying to not let your eyes linger too long on the sight of Jungkook’s white t-shirt clinging with sweat to his stupid, overly toned body.

“Which is exactly why I’m here.” Jungkook’s smug grin only continues to grow.

“Jungkook, it is too hot for me to deal with your nonsense. I have a tub of ice water waiting for me, so you either need to start making sense or leave me the hell alone.”

“Ooh, you were about to take an ice bath? Care for some company?” despite the teasing shine in his eyes, you feel your cheeks go hot.

“No, thank you. The ice bath is meant to be relaxing, and if you’re anywhere in the vicinity it will be the opposite.” you flash him a smile full of lots of teeth and little humor. Judging by Jungkook’s resulting laughter, it has the opposite effect of what you intend.

“Well, as fun as standing here sweating my off with you is, I really do have a reason for bothering you.” he leans in closer like he has a secret to share, “I have a/c. And popsicles.”

Your mouth falls, “What? How could you possibly have a/c? The whole building is out!”

Jungkook holds a finger to his smiling lips, “Shh, it’s a secret. One I am oh so graciously choosing to share with you. You’re welcome.”

Jungkook’s smirk has an undesirable effect on your heartbeat, but you ignore this particular fact and flip your flustered stammering into skepticism. “Is this some kind of ploy to lure me into your apartment so you can force me to play your weird video games with you again?”

Jungkook’s hand flies over his heart with mock-offense, “You dare accuse me of trying to trick you? I can assure you, my dear Y/N, I came here with nothing but the purest intentions of saving my neighbor from heat . That… and all of my friends went to the beach without me and I’m lonely.”

You scoff at the words “purest intentions,” but your witty retort falls short when you hear the mumbled tail-end of his words. “What? Did you just say your friends went to the beach without you?”

Jungkook nods.

“Those sound like kind of ty friends…”

“Oh no! You see, it’s just because of a misunderstanding.” Jungkook assures, waving his hands. “We all thought I was going to have to work today, but today was also the only day everyone else had off, so I told them it was fine to go without me. But this morning I got a call that the power is out where I work so I have the day off. But my friends had already left by then. Now I’m bored and… and you’re really the only other person I know that’s in the area. So I thought… that maybe… you would want to – I don’t know – hang out? Or something?” By the time he stops speaking you can almost swear Jungkook is starting to blush. But… you’ve never seen Jungkook blush before. You didn’t think the boy had an ounce of shame in his entire body. But here you are – with a blushing, almost shy, Jungkook at your doorstep asking, almost begging, you to hang out with him.

How can you possibly say no?

You curse every being alive while you stare into his huge brown puppy eyes. Why. Why oh why does Jungkook have to be so darn adorable. You can never say no to him, not when he is being a cocky jerk and definitely not when he is being a blushy floof ball on your doorstep.

You cover your eyes with your hand and sigh heavily, knowing you’ll regret this eventually. “Well… I suppose my ice bath could wait a little while.” You uncover your eyes just in time to see Jungkook’s face light up.

'He really is a puppy,’ you think, 'what have I done?’

“But!” you add, before Jungkook can get too excited, “Just so we’re clear: I’m only coming over for the a/c. And the popsicles.”

Jungkook practically bounces out of his sandals while he watches you disappear into your bedroom to change. When you reemerge in a clean pair of shorts and a t-shirt, Jungkook beams at you and leads the way to his own apartment across the hall.

“After you.” he says with a chivalrous sweep of his arm before following you into the apartment and shutting the door behind him.

“It’s just a window a/c unit so it isn’t as nice as what you’re used to, but I’m sure it’s a thousand times better than the current hellish state of your apartment. Seriously, it felt like I was roasting in there.”

“Tell me about it.” you sigh, sinking down into one of Jungkook’s soft leather chairs right in front of a fan. He wasn’t lying about the a/c unit being small, but it’s a huge improvement over your place.

You are quite content with the idea of sitting there forever and hogging the fan, but when you feel Jungkook’s gaze, you twist around to raise a brow at him.

“Uh, sorry. I don’t mean to stare… you just…” he chuckles, “got comfortable fast.”

You would’ve felt embarrassed if it didn’t feel so absolutely wonderful to get out of the suffocating heat you’ve dealt with for the past few days. “You’ve been holding out on me, Jeon. I was dying across the hall.”

Jungkook rubs the back of his neck, “Yeah, sorry about that. I guess I could’ve asked you to come over as soon as the building’s a/c went out.” He takes a few steps closer and plops down on the couch across from your chair, “But can you really blame me? You never seem very pleased when I show up at your doorstep.”

Your mouth opens and closes, but you can’t think of a decent reply. “Uh… yeah. Sorry about that.”

Jungkook’s easy grin is back, “It’s fine. At least we’re actually having a real conversation now.”

A few seconds pass, in a silence that contradicts his statement, before Jungkook abruptly stands and disappears behind the wall that separates the living room and what you assume is the kitchen.

There is the sound of a fridge opening and closing and then Jungkook is standing before you with two popsicles in his hands. One he stretches out for you to take, the other he pops in his mouth.

“Oh! Thank you.” You mumble, not used to such hospitality from your mock-enemy of the past ten months or so.

Jungkook must start to feel the same awkward heaviness, because he just grunts a vague reply. Instead of sitting again, Jungkook walks around you to stand in front of a large bookshelf filled with everything from Xbox games, to movies, to board games, to rows upon rows of CDs. Though, funny enough, there are no actual books in sight.

“Well, Y/N, if we’re going to spend the day together we should at least have fun. See anything you like?”

You almost laugh out loud when you register the first thought that enters your brain at Jungkook’s words. What a loaded question. ‘See anything you like?’ The mischievous part of your mind begs you to blurt out, ‘Well, you, for starters.’ But the other 98% of your brain screams how much of a bad idea that is.

So instead you cover the would-be laugh by biting off a chunk of popsicle. You savor the tongue-numbing sensation of the flavored ice in your mouth while you walk to Jungkook’s side, your eyes scanning the shelves.

You can feel his eyes follow your movements, but you ignore him (and the heat that gathers in your cheeks under his stare). “What about this?” you ask, selecting a video game with a vaguely familiar title and an interesting looking cover. You turn your head and catch Jungkook’s eyebrows raised expression.

“What? Do you not like this one?”

Jungkook shakes his head suddenly, “No! No, that’s actually one of my favorite games. It’s just… I thought you didn’t like video games?”

You your head to the side, “Hmm? No, I actually really like most video games. Why would you think I don’t like them?”

“Well, that one night after the Halloween party you-“

You sigh, cutting him off before he can remind you about more of that embarrassing night. “I didn’t actually leave because I didn’t like the video game, Jungkook.”

His eyes widen with first surprise and then understanding and then his expression falls. “Oh.” There is a pause, “So… you left because of me then?”

Now it’s your eyes widening. “What?” your startled tone then softens, “No, no Jungkook that isn’t-“

But he cuts you off with a sigh, “I knew you didn’t like me very much, but I guess I didn’t realize how much you want to avoid me. Sorry I didn’t take the hint.”

The broken-hearted expression on his face and sudden sullen tone takes you by surprise. Before you can even think to stop him he is already walking away, moving further into the apartment.

“Feel free to hang around for a while for the air conditioning; I’ll be in my room.”

You stand there holding the game and the quickly melting popsicle, dumbfounded and a little hurt when the sound of his bedroom door shutting reaches your ears.

‘What the hell?’

You roll your eyes at his reaction. If he had only let you explain, this awkwardness could have been avoided, but, alas, you now have to brace yourself for something you thought you would never do.

“Jungkook.” you aren’t sure if your voice or your knocking can be heard over the music playing on the other side of the door so you try again, louder this time.

“Jungkook! Please open the door, I need to explain.” This time you are sure he hears you, but instead of the door opening the only reaction you get is the invitation of silence that comes when the music disappears.

“Really? You’re not going to open the door?”

“I’m listening if you have something to say.”

“Ugh. Jungkook…” you trail off, deciding that now isn’t the time to start an argument, “Okay, fine. I can work with this.

“Jungkook… I didn’t leave that night because of the video game, but I also didn’t leave because of you. At least… not in the way you’re thinking.”

You sigh, resting your forehead against the cool wooden surface of his door. Well, this isn’t the way you pictured spending your afternoon. But you suppose this conversation has been a long time coming. You knew that night would come back to bite you in the eventually.

Your memory of the whole thing, in all honesty, is a fuzzy mess. One too many cups of spiced cider had left you a smidge past tipsy, which is never a good thing around Jungkook.

The Halloween party had been held by one of Jungkook’s friends who also lives in the building, but you barely know him. His name is Hosik or J-something… you can’t remember, but the point is that you only went to the party because one of your friends somehow convinced you that a Halloween party full of strangers would be the perfect setting to finally confess your little crush on Jungkook.

Needless to say, things didn’t go quite as planned.

“Jungkook, you remember the game everyone was playing that night, right? I don’t even remember what it was called.”

“It’s some dumb game that Hoseok made up, but yeah I remember.” Jungkook finally responds from behind the door, sounding closer this time.

Oh, right, Hoseok was the name of the host.

“I remember you were too dizzy to play. And I remember we ended up leaving the party so you could rest at my apartment because you left your keys with your friend. Your friend who left you alone.” Jungkook bites out the last few words.

You cringe at the reminder, “Yeah, well there was supposed to be a reason for that.”

“What reason could there possibly be for your friend to just abandon you in the middle of a party where you didn’t know anyone?” yeah, Jungkook definitely sounds upset.

You cringe even more, your eyes closing as you work up your courage. You can’t believe you are admitting to this but… “Well… there was one other person I know at the party that night. And my friend left me alone, because the ‘plan’ was for me to leave with someone other than my friend.”

“What the hell is that supposed to-“ Jungkook stops, “Oh.”

You would laugh at his shock if you weren’t so mortified. “Yeah.”

“So you… I mean… you were supposed to…” Jungkook struggles to find his words.

You are suddenly very thankful that the door is there to separate the two of you as the burning embarrassment heats your face all the way to your ears.

You take a deep breath, “Okay, this wasn’t on my agenda today, but it.

“Jungkook, I’ve had a crush on you for a long time. Pretty much since the moment you moved into this godforsaken apartment building. And that night I was supposed to buck up and confess, but I chickened out because I was terrified – hell I still am. I was going to say something when we went back to your apartment, but I was too tipsy to think straight and you were so nice when you offered to let me stay and play video games until a sobered up a bit… I just couldn’t bring myself to say it.”

You let out a nervous breath, “but then… but then I finally won a round of that stupidracing game and I got so excited that I hugged you and by then I was sober enough to be embarrassed and I don’t know I just panicked and told you I hated the game and ran out and basically I think I’m kind of in love you a little bit so if you could open the door and make me feel a little less stupid I would really, really appreciate it.” You can barely understand the jumbled rush of words pouring out of your own mouth and you seriously doubt that Jungkook can, so it seems like a miracle when the bedroom door actually opens.

“Y/N… did you – the person who is willing to shout from the rooftops that I’m the most annoying person to walk planet earth – just say that you’re in love with me?” you pray that the tiny grin playing on the edges of his lips isn’t just your hopeful imagination.

“Yes?” you manage to get out through a wince.

But you don’t have time to judge Jungkook’s reaction properly, because suddenly your feet aren’t on the ground and arms are around your waist and the only thought that manages to cut through the confused fog in your mind is ‘wow Jungkook smells really nice up close.’

“Um… so would I be wrong to assume that this means you like me too?”

“Can I join you for that ice bath now?”

“What? Of course not!”

“Then there’s your answer” Jungkook’s replies, flashing you a teasing grin before barely brushing your forehead with his lips.

When he pulls away you both retreat into shyness, not knowing what the next move should be, but any attempts at further conversation are interrupted by a loud clanking sound from the living room.

A quick investigation leads to the discovery that Jungkook’s ancient air conditioner finally kicked the bucket.

“Well, crap.” Jungkook says, after slamming his palm against the side of the unit a few times with no effect. “There goes the one thing that was keeping us from dying.”

Silence hangs in the air for a few moments.

“Well, there’s no reason to stay here and suffer… ice cream?”

Jungkook turns and looks thoughtful for a moment, “Sure! But…”

“But…?” you prompt.

“Can this count as our first date?”

A/N *This is a mess. The ending went a different direction than I originally planned and idk if I’m 100% satisfied with it, but I wanted to post at least one more thing before I start college because I’m not sure how long it will be until I can write again. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this~ Happy August everyone!