Jungkook POV

Jungkook didn't know he could feel so elated from being practically frozen, lifting huge balls of snow, and essentially just being a slave.

Yet here he was, after spending over an hour toiling away for a girl he hardly knew, yet he was the happiest he had been in a long time. But anxiety quickly overtook his joy as he and Chaeyoung stepped into his house. An unruly sight greeted the pair; Jungkook, only being accustomed to having Jimin over, hadn't bothered to clean up. While Chaeyoung's house had been so pristine and organized, his was a pigsty. He just now realized the stupidity in his rash decision to invite her over.

That decision was so sudden and unplanned; even he was surprised at the words that had come out of his mouth.

"Do you want to come over to my house for hot chocolate?"

Not only was it the lamest invitation he could have come up with, he didn't know actually know how to make hot chocolate either. However, he'd been acting recklessly. The thought of not seeing his neighbor/ coworker had made him act desperately. What was he doing, acting like they were best pals? He'd thought he was better than that; better than letting his emotions get the best of him. Better than letting himself believe that a brief moment of shared happiness meant that there was a spark between them.

He was an idiot. But right now, he was an idiot who needed to fix the mess he'd gotten himself into.

"Um. I don't really have people come over to often, so yeah... I don't really clean up all that often. I'm sorry for being so inconsiderate." He bowed his head, waiting for Chaeyoung to walk out, or at least criticize him for being able to live in an area that looked like a tornado hit it.

Instead, she surprised him by plopping herself onto the nearest sofa, kicking her legs up onto the table like she owned the place. Which was somewhat reasonable, as their houses were exact replicas of each other's- excluding the mess. "Hey, I'm just here for some hot chocolate. Not to be an interior designer." She scrunched her nose as she glanced at her surroundings. "Though it could use some work."

Jungkook stuck out his tongue at her before making his way into the kitchen, which thankfully was a lot more organized. But this was only because he usually just bought takeout whenever he was hungry, and was too lazy to buy groceries. However, he did have the necessities to make hot chocolate, which he was eternally grateful for. He would have been infinitely more embarassed if he had to go out and buy the ingredients.

He retrieved a container of cocoa powder he got as a gift from Jimin, an unopened carton of milk, whipped cream, and a jar of sugar. He wasn't too sure about what to do next, but if the name of the drink was anything like making it, it should be easy.

After a few minutes of doing what he thought was right, primarily based off smell, he had two passable cups of hot chocolate.

He went back into the living room carrying the two cups, though his grip was awkward on the cup in his injured hand. After evading boxes and oddly placed tables, he successfully took a seat on the couch. He found Chaeyoung in the same position, apparently not having moved an inch. He carefully handed one recently microwaved cup to her.

"Careful, it's hot." 

"Thanks, mom," she replied lightheartedly, holding out her cup for a cheers.

After the clink of the porcelain cups, Jungkook found himself hesitating, as if waiting for her reaction first. However, he caught himself before it could become too awkward. "Well, bon apetite." He took a sip of his creation, and to his surprise, it wasn't half-bad.

*

Chaeyoung POV

She had had concerns when she was waiting for Jungkook to come back from the kitchen, mostly pertaining to the high possibilities of having a flashback. If they were to socialize at all,,, there were so many triggers and so many possibilities. This wasn't like building a snowman, where the only chatter was from their teeth. But now... there was so much room for error. 

And so many chances for Jungkook to see how broken she really was.

As she lifted the cup to her lips, the scent filled her nostrils, and she was reminded, for some reason, of home. Not her physical home; such a sweet, pleasant smell would never remind her of so dismal a place like her childhood house. The aroma didn't remind her of her current living space either. Instead, she was reminded of love and warmth and comfort; the way a home was supposed to feel like.

The first sip tasted amazing, though most of the flavor was just from a crap-ton of sugar and milk and whipped cream. Yet, something about the overexcessive amount of sweeteners complimented the bitterness of the chocolate nicely.

"This is really good!" she said, but Jungkook's eyebrows raised incredulously. 'I'm serious!" she added.

"You don't have to sugarcoat it," he responded. "I'm open to constructive criticism here."

"There's nothing wrong with it. At least for me. I like sweet things."

Jungkook nodded, though he didn't look all that convinced. He got up suddenly, causing her to almost spill her drink. He put his down, and gestured for her to do the same with hers. "Want me to hang up your jacket?" he asked, taking his off while he spoke.

"I'm fine," she replied, not wanting to sound like a picky houseguest.

"But my couch isn't," Jungkook joked, but Chaeyoung was able to recognize his natural need to be a gentleman. She stripped off her jacket, revealing the two sweaters underneath. "You're not gonna take those off?" Jungkook inquired, nodding at the layers.

Chaeyoung feigned reluctance, though she was relieved to be free from the constraints of her layers. Carrying the bundle of wet jackets, Jungkook strolled off to what she presumed was the closet, based off the layout of her own house. When he came back, she noticed something she hadn't before, when he had been almost completely submerged by clothes.

"You're soaking," she noted, which was a complete understatement. Jungkook was indeed, drenched with water; probably a mixture of melted snow and sweat. His white T-shirt was sticking tightly against his skin, allowing her to see through it. Thankfully, she was able to get enough function in her brain to look away before she started drooling

"I'm fine," he stated simply, oblivious to her stares, about to take a seat.

"But your couch won't be," she mocked his words from earlier. "Seriously, though. You don't look comfortable dripping wet. I don't mind waiting."

Jungkook nodded, though it looked hard for him to leave her alone. Was he distrustful of her? Of course he is, she reprimanded herself. You're just a stranger to him. Nothing more, nothing less. Of course he wouldn't trust you all by yourself.

As Jungkook started to walk to his room, Chaeyoung got up as well. "On second thought, I need to use the bathroom." she said loudly, as Jungkook, with his long legs, was out of sight.

"You know the way," he called back, though he sounded far away; probably already in his room changing. 

Chaeyoung took her time in walking to the bathroom, mostly because she wanted to take in as much of her surroundings as possible. Despite the outstanding clutter in the living room, the kitchen was tidy, and looked almost unused, except for the ingredients of the hot chocolate left on the countertop. Adjacent to the kitchen was the dining area, which contained a small table with two chairs. Again, this area of the house looked stainless, as if Jungkook didn't bother to eat.

She strolled past the area, and passed a room that, in her own house, she used as a storage space. However, Jungkook had turned this area into an indoor gym, which did not surprise her in any way, seeing how fit Jungkook was. The room was decked out with a pull-up bar, a punching bag almost the same height as her, a treadmill, a weights set, dumbells, and countless more machines she didn't have a name for.

Deciding that Jungkook would find it weird if she wasn't finished with her business by now, she opened the door to the bathroom.

...Or what would have been the bathroom if she was in her house.

The room she had stumbled into, however, was in fact Jungkook's bedroom. To be precise, it was a shirtless Jungkook's bedroom.

Her brain was not in control of her body, which was only able to stand frozen in place, gawking at the specimen in front of her. Her eyes scanned him from top to bottom in an instant, thought it seemed like she'd been there long enough enough for her to memorize every single detail: the broad shoulders, the strong, muscular arms, his perfect, lean abdomen that displayed a mesmerizing six-pack, the V-line that trailed down below the waistband of his pants, the droplet of water that trailed its way down from his neck, all the way down his torso, and out of sight.

Never in her life had she so desperately wanted to become a droplet of water.

*

Jungkook POV

His instinctive reaction had been to cover his body, like an insecure teenage boy. But seeing as Chaeyoung was blatantly gawking at him, he decided to take pride in himself f