Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Don’t forget your sunscreen,” Seokjin calls out as he sorts through his suitcase, taking out the folded t-shirts. Namjoon’s suitcase is beside his, contents half-strewn out onto the sheets in an abstract imitation of a Pollock painting. Seokjin dutifully but lovingly begins to sort through them on Namjoon’s behalf, smoothing out the wrinkles in the crumpled sleeves.

“Did I pack it?” comes Namjoon’s muffled call from the bathroom, over the sound of running water. 

Seokjin frowns, unzipping the side pockets of the suitcase. He finds a half-eaten granola bar, a tube of chapstick, and a pair of sunglasses he isn’t entirely sure Namjoon has ever worn. He pushes them to the side to join the rest of the mess, searching for the missing sunscreen.

“I told you to bring it,” Seokjin murmurs. There’s the sound of footsteps behind him and then the sound of the door opening as Namjoon steps into the room. He leans over his belongings, wiping white toothpaste foam from his lips as he shakes his dripping hair away from his face like some kind of oversized puppy.

“I might have forgotten,” Namjoon says sheepishly, looking at Seokjin through overgrown bangs. When he pushes his hair back, the water droplets flick onto Seokjin’s skin, reminding him a little of a golden retriever, just with less grace. He watches with amusement as Namjoon stumbles over the edge of the carpet and makes a panicked sound over the toothbrush jammed in his mouth. 

“You’re not using mine, it was sixty dollars,” Seokjin warns. Holding his swimming trunks up to his waist, he sighs and tosses them to the side, beginning to strip in the middle of their hotel bedroom. The air conditioning is frigid against his thighs, making goosebumps rise on his skin.

“S’okay, I don’t need it,” Namjoon mutters back, spitting into the sink and rinsing his mouth.

“You do. Don’t try to tell me you don’t. You cook like a lobster in the sun.”

Namjoon just shrugs at him innocently, pulling up the hem of his suspiciously damp shirt and tossing it onto the increasing pile of mess on the bed. After almost eight years of marriage, nudity has become more comfortable than erotic between them, and any shyness Seokjin’s had about stripping down in front of Namjoon has long faded. Still, he can’t resist squeezing Namjoon’s ass when he walks by him to stand in front of the mirror, smirking at the flustered look that takes over his husband’s features.

“You look good,” Namjoon says, wrapping his arms around his waist from behind as Seokjin adjusts the elastic of his swim trunks until they’re flush against his hips. Seokjin can feel the warmth of Namjoon’s bare skin through his shirt, molten and hot. It sends a warm current through Seokjin’s body.

“Really?” he muses, leaning back into his husband’s embrace. Namjoon hums into Seokjin’s neck. “You don’t think we look too much like two dads on vacation?”

Namjoon chuckles, deep and husky. “No. What does that even look like?”

“Leather sandals, car keys hanging from your belt, and a pair of Oakleys on your forehead?”

“It’s a good way to make sure you never lose your keys,” Namjoon defends himself, but pointedly doesn’t acknowledge his sandals. “Aren’t dads hot these days anyway?”

“Sometimes it’s nice to look young,” Seokjin says, gently stepping out of Namjoon’s arms to reach for his socks. He won’t deny that Namjoon’s dilf-y quality is part of what attracted him. “Gonna be a lot of college kids at the beach now that it’s summer vacation for them.”

“You look younger than they do,” Namjoon insists. It’s flattery, but Seokjin blushes anyway.

Like the worn, leather seat of a bicycle, their dynamic had softened around the edges over time, sanding away the parts that were vulnerable or delicate. The exhilarating rush of the beginning had moulded into focusing on companionship, and with companionship, he’d gained someone he knew better than anyone else. 

He sees it most when he’s helping Namjoon get ready for the beach  — swiping moisturizer down his back where he can’t reach and combing back his hair in the way he likes but doesn’t know how to do on his own no matter how many times Seokjin tells him. He’s Namjoon’s partner in every aspect of the word. It’s an invigorating feeling.

The two of them had made the yearly trip back to California to spend a week with their friends before the season was over, but they always come a day early to have it to themselves, appreciating the comfort of their own company more and more with each year. 

“Do you think the college kids will make the beach too busy?” Namjoon worries. In the back of his mind, Seokjin wonders when college students became kids to them. 

“I hope not,” Seokjin says, grabbing his bag for the beach and throwing it over his shoulder. His chest feels warm watching Namjoon struggle into a fitted t-shirt, the fabric stretching taut over his pecs. He lets himself stare instead of offering to help because he enjoys the view. “But we normally go later in August when the rush has died down. If it’s too crowded we can always come back later.”

“Let’s grab breakfast first, I haven’t eaten.”

Seokjin nods, walking to the door in the hope that it’ll compel Namjoon to move faster. “I don’t think we’ve ever woken up in time for the hotel breakfast buffet.”

Namjoon just smiles at him, his cheeks filling with his grin. He leans in and pecks Seokjin on the mouth, flicking off the light in the room. “Sleep is too good, and the breakfast tastes better when you pay for it.”

Belatedly, Seokjin realizes he’s the only one with his wallet and Namjoon is leaving the room empty-handed, but he just smiles because the kiss made him tingly and follows Namjoon down through the elevator to the lobby, pulling out the directions on his phone when he sees Namjoon making a wrong turn down the road. 

Seokjin offers to grab them both burgers, but Namjoon gets distracted by the street lined with tacky shops aimed at tourists, so he gives into Namjoon’s begging and walks the two of them down the tourist strip, weaving through the sea of tanned, shimmering bodies and the smell of suntan lotion. It’s peak LA summer, and the glamour of the city shimmers in the heat, making the asphalt ripple in front of their eyes. The air stings with salt and smog, but the glitter of the water’s surface softens the artificial brilliance of the boardwalk. 

When Seokjin’s shirt begins to get sticky with sweat and his nose tinges pink with the beginnings of sunburn he lowers his sunglasses over his eyes, squinting through the yellow haze of sunlight at the flickering neon lights that buzz suffocating heat even during the day. Namjoon pleads for an ice cream, so Seokjin holds two melting chocolate cones in his hand as his husband collects seashells along the edge of the boardwalk, ignoring the sticky sugar that runs over his fingers. He bites his tongue when Namjoon doesn’t wipe the sand from his hands before taking his ice cream, licking the melted chocolate from the waffle cone.

“Thanks, babe,” he mumbles, wandering across the sand towards the water. Seokjin aches to feel it on his legs even though he knows it’ll feel just as icky as the city air.

It turns out Namjoon was right because the beach is flooded with tourists — mostly teenagers — spread out under umbrellas or on beach towels. Long tanned legs and skimpy bathing suits are scattered along the edge of the water, and Seokjin has to duck to dodge a volleyball tossed in his direction. It’s overwhelming and disorienting in classic LA fashion, but Seokjin has lived in big cities too long to be intimidated by it.

“They have cheeseburgers here,” Namjoon says, his mouth gaping as they pass a small stall with a line-up of at least twenty people. Smiling, Seokjin rests a hand on the small of Namjoon’s back and guides him along, his feet already burning on top of the sand.

“I asked you if you wanted them earlier,” Seokjin comments. “You ignored me.”

“I didn’t want them earlier,” Namjoon says.

Seokjin hums. “Well, if it isn’t the consequences of your own actions.”

Namjoon ignores him, tugging his arm as he points at something directly into a beam of sunlight. “Jin, there’s a store that sells souvenirs!”

Seokjin sighs, exasperated. “We’ve been here every summer for almost a decade. What would we need a souvenir for? Getting a souvenir for visiting LA is like getting a souvenir from your dentist.”

“Don’t you wanna send Yoongi a postcard?”

“He’ll throw it out,” Seokjin chuckles but stops anyway so Namjoon can get a better look at the store. It’s a small red shack that looks like it used to sell surfing equipment, the old logo still visible underneath the fresh coat of paint. The door is left ajar, which makes him think there probably isn’t air conditioning. He really hopes Namjoon doesn’t make him go in.

“No, he won’t,” Namjoon argues. “He’s lying if he told you he does. I know he keeps them all in his desk drawer. He likes them.”

“You wanna go inside?” Please say no .

Namjoon looks at him pleadingly. “Just for a minute.”

Distantly, Seokjin wonders when he stopped being able to resist Namjoon’s begging but just nods silently, letting Namjoon lead the way into the store. The floorboards creak under their feet and the humidity is thick enough to make Seokjin’s hair stick to his neck in the worst kind of way, but he tries not to think about it as he steps further inside. He wipes the sweat from the sides of his face, letting his eyes adjust to the dim lighting of the building.

Everything about it screams tourist; from the shelves lined with cheap stuffed toys to the overpriced t-shirts hanging on the wall. Seokjin picks up a small glass figurine of a dolphin covered with dust, quickly disguising his expression when he sees the price. He places it back down gently, looking around for his husband before he gets lost in the store without him.

“What are you hoping to find?” Seokjin asks, watching Namjoon sort through a bin of colourful plastic rings. 

“I don’t know, I always just end up leaving with just a postcard anyway,” Namjoon admits, his eyebrows furrowing. 

Seokjin looks away in disinterest, picking up a small glass bottle. “They sell jars of sand here. You could take it home and put a plant in it.”

Namjoon looks over curiously. “Are there plants that grow in sand?”

“Shouldn’t you know?” 

“What do I look like, the plant expert to you?”

“I’d hope so, with how much I spend on your bonsai collection each year,” Seokjin quips back. “What about your seashells? You could put those in a jar instead.” He looks down pointedly at the bulge at the side of Namjoon’s sea-shell filled pockets he knows must be completely filled with sand. He tries not to think about how much of it will end up in bed with them.

The bickering comes easy — a natural back and forth that the two of them slip into without thinking. They stand beside each other, elbows brushing lightly as they look through the small figurines and tacky decor on the table. The store is filled with the quiet hum of the pop coolers behind them and the drone of the ceiling fan above. Seokjin picks up a squishy koala toy and holds it up to Namjoon an inch from his nose.

“Here, get this. It’s you.”

Namjoon grins and searches through the bin for something, pulling out a different plush toy. “Here’s one for you. We can match.”

Seokjin squints at it. “A rat?”

Namjoon falters, looking down at the toy in his hand. “What? No. It’s like, a hamster. A mouse.”

“Oh, so a fancy rat, then,” Seokjin says, pretending to look angry.

“Can I help you two with anything?” comes a bored, monotone voice from behind them. Seokjin flinches, and Namjoon nearly drops the jar of sand, almost shattering it into a thousand little expensive pieces. Seokjin dies a little inside because he knows he would’ve had to pay for it if Namjoon broke it. He turns around to come face to face with an annoyed-looking kid with a nametag on — the only evidence he works there since, on instinct, Seokjin would assume he’s too young to be working in a place like this. 

“We’re just looking,” Seokjin says politely, offering a tight smile. 

The kid raises an eyebrow, his tongue pressed into his inner cheek. Seokjin can see the movement, subtle and irritated.“Right, well if you need anything let me know,” he says in a tone that suggests he’d really rather they didn’t. He points at the jar of sand in Namjoon’s hand.  “Maybe don’t pick those up unless you plan to buy them. I don’t really wanna sweep up broken glass if you drop it.”

Wow, okay, Seokjin thinks, taken-aback. He resists biting back with something snarky, instead checking the employee out, taking in long, dark hair, styled in front of his eyes in beach waves that look too perfect to be natural. 

The kid’s skin is darkened a warm shade of honey from the sun, and when Seokjin lowers his eyes he can make out lines of dark tattoos running up the boy’s right arm. His tan contrasts with the bright white of his shirt — a cropped lifeguard’s jersey cut so low at the neck Seokjin can see his chest. The kid stretches, adjusting the elastic of his shorts that hug against his thighs. 

“Your boss lets you go to work dressed in that?” Seokjin says before he can stop himself, and the boy’s eyes darken. Seokjin’s eyes only have a moment to flicker down to see soft abs and the sparkle of a belly button piercing before the kid opens his mouth again.

“Yeah, what about it?” the kid snips, looking at Seokjin challengingly. “Wanna call him and ask? I can give you his number if you want.”

Stunned silent, Seokjin doesn’t have a response, but the kid doesn’t seem to be looking for one because he looks over at Namjoon, who has coloured pink with embarrassment, carefully setting the jar back down. Seokjin doesn’t miss the way Jungkook gives Namjoon an appraising once-over, his eyes dragging up his body until they make eye contact, his lips tugging up into a sly smirk. The hostility melts away from his face and he takes a step closer, startling Namjoon into backing up clumsily into the shelf behind him.

“Do you need help with anything?” the kid asks, interest sparkling in his big eyes. 

“No, I’m just browsing,” Namjoon says quietly. “Like we said.”

“I’ll be at the front if you have any questions,” the kid says to Namjoon sweetly, so much different from the way he’d just spoken to Seokjin. “I can also gift wrap anything you buy. I’m pretty good at it.”

Namjoon flounders. “I don’t doubt that,” he stutters. It’s already easily the most painful interaction Seokjin has watched him have in weeks.

“My name is Jungkook by the way,” the kid smiles, sliding his hand into his pockets. It looks cocky and arrogant, but Jungkook must know it looks good on him. “Not that there’s anyone else working here, I guess.” He doesn’t look at Seokjin.

“Thanks,” Namjoon says, but it comes out sounding like a question. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Jungkook just gives him a lazy grin and walks away, grabbing one of the candies off the shelf as he circles back to the cash register. Seokjin stares at his back as he leaves, too speechless to think of doing anything else because what the hell was that?

“Fuck, I think you just got hit on,” Seokjin says when Jungkook is gone, still too worked up from the exchange to move. “Badly, but he tried.”

Namjoon looks confused. “Really? You think so?”

Seokjin thinks he’s joking at first so he laughs, then his smile quickly disappears when he sees that Namjoon is serious. “Didn’t you see the way he talked to you compared to me? He was definitely into you.”

“I’m a little old for him I think,” Namjoon laughs, looking flustered. “But it’s flattering. I don’t think he meant anything by it though.”

“It would be cute if he wasn’t an asshole,” Seokjin says flatly. “I don’t think he knows you’re married.”

“I think he’s the youngest person to ever hit on me,” Namjoon laughs, but secretly looks pleased. 

“Don’t look too happy about it,” Seokjin teases. He smacks Namjoon’s back playfully, but inside he prickles a little.

He knows Namjoon is too oblivious to pick up on when he’s being flirted with so his denial doesn’t have any implications to it, but Jungkook had a way of getting under Seokjin’s skin with just a few words. The way he looked at Seokjin was meaningful — his large, round eyes glittering with something mischievous as he looked at them both like they were all playing a game. 

Seokjin has never been a jealous person, and maybe it’s his stinging pride after being talked down to by someone half his age, but he suddenly feels possessive over Namjoon — wanting to flaunt him over the kid who looked so eager to have his chance. It’s cruel and childish maybe, but Seokjin feels bitter.

Namjoon eventually picks out a stack of postcards for Yoongi and an ugly ornament of a crab, and Seokjin tries not to let his irritation show on his face when they approach Jungkook sitting with his feet up on the counter, a cherry sucker hanging out of his mouth. He’s on his phone as they approach, a video playing loudly through the speaker, but his face lights up when he sees Namjoon. He swings his feet down to the floor and stands and leans forward until his bare stomach is pressed against the edge of the cash register, his messy hair falling in front of his eyes. The piercing in his belly button shimmers, drawing Seokjin’s eyes to the small stud.

“You found everything okay?” Jungkook asks Namjoon, tossing his cracked phone carelessly beside the lottery tickets. He licks up the length of the candy before tucking it into his cheek, picking up the stack of postcards. Seokjin notices he has tattoos on his hands, too. 

“Yes,” Namjoon says. “Could I get these wrapped, actually?”

Jungkook nods, looking pleased. Seokjin’s eyes narrow. “Do you have a colour in mind? This is my favourite part of my job.”

Suddenly the room feels stifling, and Seokjin can’t wait to get outside even if there’s no reprieve from the heat on the shoreline. There’s something about the store that’s unbearable, the back of his neck prickling uncomfortably with sweat. 

“Do you have silver? Or green?”

When Jungkook pulls the sucker out of his mouth, his lips are swollen. He licks them slowly, noticing Seokjin’s gaze. He smirks again. “Yeah. Lemme get it for you.” Seokjin expects him to leave the room and step into the back, so he’s disappointed when Jungkook pulls a roll of wrapping paper out from under the checkout counter, dropping it onto the counter. “I can do ribbon, too.”

“Sure, that’d be great,” Namjoon says, and Seokjin dies a little inside.

“Are you staying here long?” Jungkook asks, tucking a lock of hair behind his ear. Two matching silver swords dangle from his lobes and a small silver hoop hangs from his helix. 

“Seokjin and I are staying here for a week,” Namjoon says.

Jungkook looks up. “Seokjin?”

“Me,” Seokjin says, fixing Jungkook with a glare. His husband, he wants to add.

“Oh,” Jungkook says, shrugging it off, and Seokjin really begins to get annoyed that Jungkook doesn’t look the least put-off. “I’m here for two months because I live in the city. I actually kind of hate the beach because the water is dirty here and everyone just leaves their trash on the sand, but I get free ice cream for working here and my boss doesn’t give a shit what I do, so it’s not bad,” he explains. “I don’t think there’s anything that he’d fire me for, except maybe stealing.”

Namjoon laughs awkwardly, but Jungkook doesn’t look put off, only encouraged.

“Are you in college?” Seokjin asks. A subtle jab at Jungkook’s age.

Jungkook doesn’t look at him when he answers. “Yeah, I’m in my final year for music. It’s cool. I like doing freelance stuff on the side better, though.”

“You’re twenty-two?” Namjoon asks.

Jungkook shrugs. “Yeah. Do I look older?”

“Younger, actually,” Seokjin says just to annoy him, and it works because Jungkook narrows his eyes.

“I was gonna say you looked twenty-five, but now I guess I’ll be honest and say you look closer to thirty,” Jungkook says rudely.

“You’d be right to say that,” Seokjin snaps back, watching the way Jungkook’s eyes grow rounder for a moment before he masks his expression again. “I’m thirty, he’s twenty-eight.”

“Oh,” Jungkook breathes, looking between them. He doesn’t look put off, just stunned. “I didn’t expect that. You look good for your age. Really good.” Seokjin would be flattered if Jungkook wasn’t just looking at Namjoon when he said it.

“Twenty-eight isn’t old,” Namjoon says, his cheeks tinging pink. 

“It’s not,” Jungkook agrees, his voice laced with something suggestive. He takes his time wrapping the ornament, folding the paper neatly. Seokjin is bitter when he realizes Jungkook was being honest when he said he was good at it. 

“Still, I think… I’m a little too old for you,” Namjoon says gently, rubbing the back of his head shyly. 

“I don’t think so,” Jungkook says, not looking at all discouraged. “We’re both adults, aren’t we?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Namjoon gently declines.

“Why not?” Jungkook whines, shameless. He looks surprised by Namjoon’s rejection, like he was sure he was going to get a yes.

“He’s married,” Seokjin butts in, feeling satisfied when he sees the shock colour Jungkook’s face. “To me.”

“Oh,” Jungkook says softly. He glances down at Namjoon’s ring finger like he’s seeing it for the first time, swallowing at the sight of the thin silver band. Seokjin almost feels a little guilty when he sees Jungkook’s crestfallen expression until he remembers who he’s feeling bad for.

He makes a point to flash his matching band when he takes the wrapped ornament from Jungkook just to be an asshole, smiling smugly. “Sorry about that.”

Jungkook shakes away the look of disappointment, looking at Seokjin properly for the first time with something sharp in his eyes. He glances back down at the wedding rings for a moment before his eyes find their way back to Seokjin’s face. “I see. Married...”

“How much do I owe you?” Seokjin asks, swiftly sliding his credit card out of his wallet and tapping it against the counter to get Jungkook’s attention.

“Forty dollars even,” he says without looking at the prices, and Seokjin takes pride in seeing him look so flustered. But then, like it never happened, he’s back to looking arrogant. 

“Come back soon,” he says when the payment goes through, his voice dripping with syrup. Seokjin can’t tell which one of them Jungkook’s talking to, and he can’t keep back his astonishment when he hears the words. “We have really good ice-cream.”

Before Seokjin can say something nasty, Namjoon picks up the postcards and guides him out through the door, ignoring the cheerful goodbye Jungkook calls out after them. 

♥

“Namjoon got hit on by a teenager,” Seokjin says to Jimin when he passes him a beer, leaning back in his chair. The sun is a hazy smoulder against a bright blue sky, warming the rippling gold sand under their feet. Seokjin kicks off his sandals, digging his toes into the soft ground as he stretches out his legs. A few hours have passed since their visit to the souvenir shop, and Seokjin and Namjoon eventually ended up finding their friends tucked into a corner of the beach away from the other tourists.

Namjoon takes a seat beside him, his thighs a delicious sight when his shorts slide up his legs. He spreads them wider, soft muscle spilling out at the sides when he leans forward to grab a can of pop out of the cooler, drawing Seokjin’s eyes in. He feels charged after what happened with Jungkook. On edge. 

“Really?” Jimin asks, turning around to give them a bewildered look. 

Namjoon rolls his eyes good-naturedly. “No, he was twenty-two. He thought we were younger than we were. And single.”

“He thought you were single,” Seokjin corrects.

Jimin laughs as he pulls his shirt up and over his head, tossing it down onto his beach towel. “Was he cute?”

“He was a kid,” Seokjin frowns.

“Aren’t you flattered?” Jimin asks. “It means you still look like you’re in college.”

“That’s what I tried to say,” Namjoon agrees. He leans back, taking a long sip. “I bet he was embarrassed when he found out I’m actually married.”

“He didn’t look all that discouraged once he saw our rings,” Seokjin says darkly, chugging his beer a bit too quickly. “If anything, he looked even more interested.”

Hoseok approaches them, his arms full of snacks. He lets them fall to the ground at his feet, pulling Seokjin and Namjoon into a hug even though they’re both sitting down, narrowly causing Seokjin to drop his drink. The reunion isn’t as dramatic because Hoseok had spent his entire flight asking Seokjin over text message how to make a margarita from scratch. “Glad to see you two could make it.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Seokjin says blandly, with forced enthusiasm, even though he likes their yearly trips to the beach more than he’d ever be willing to admit. “This is home now.”

The annual beach vacations had become something of a habit, even before Seokjin got married and integrated a shy, anxious Namjoon into their straggly little group. It started out as a one-off thing — Seokjin, Hoseok, and Jimin had spent a week in a cheap hotel near the boardwalk as students wanting to taste freedom, and it had quickly become the thing Seokjin looked forward to most at the end of the season, even if he’s long outgrown the rundown hotels and greasy truck foods San Diego has to offer.

“That’s really depressing,” Hoseok laughs. “What’s worse is that I’m thinking of buying a house out here.”

Seokjin raises a beer to toast him. “That’s what I’m saying. This place has a charm to it.”

Hoseok pushes his hair back, sun-tanned and gorgeous in a white button-down and denim shorts. He’d grown his hair out more — a mop of silky, dark hair across his broad forehead. 

“Anyway, what were you saying about Namjoon getting hit on?” Hoseok asks, dabbing sunscreen onto his cheeks. 

Seokjin rolls his eyes. “A student working at a gift shop thought Namjoon was his soulmate.”

Hoseok hums. “Namjoon has always given off dilf vibes. Maybe he just wanted a father figure.”

“Fuck off,” Namjoon groans.

“Did you let him down easy?” Jimin asks. “That had to have been devastating. Bet he had wedding flowers picked out and everything.”

“He’ll survive,” Seokjin says unsympathetically. 

Hoseok laughs. “Anyway, I may have brought someone along with me this year. Well, he brought himself because he moved to the city this year. I was too nice to say no because he looked so excited to come.”

Seokjin raises his eyebrows. “Is he staying with us?”

Hoseok winces. “He might tag along a little if that’s okay. I can tell him to get lost if you want.”

“Is he nice?” Namjoon asks.

“He’s cute,” Hoseok smiles, which isn’t a yes. “He used to get into a bit of trouble when he was a teenager but now all he cares about is school. You’ll like him, he reminds me of Seokjin when he was younger.”

“Cool,” Seokjin shrugs, having no idea what that means or if it’s a compliment. He reaches for the bag of pretzels because empty calories are better than nothing. “When do we meet him?”

“He’ll be here in a few minutes, he’s just waiting to get off of his shift at work,” Hoseok explains. “He works the morning shift so he has the afternoon free.”

“Awesome,” Seokjin says, though inside he doesn’t really care. He’d be more annoyed, but Hoseok has a habit of bringing along strays. “C’mere, Joon. Lemme get your back with the sunscreen before you go in the water,” he says, digging through his bag for the bottle, even though he’d warned Namjoon that he wouldn’t share any of his own. 

Obediently, Namjoon stands, scuffling across the sand to sit down cross-legged in front of him. He lets Seokjin pull his shirt up and off, revealing an expanse of soft, honey skin. The sight makes Seokjin’s mouth go a little dry, and he’s hit with the sudden urge to touch . He warms the sun lotion in his hand before swiping it across Namjoon’s lower back, working the cream into his skin.

Being the only married couple in the group, Seokjin has always acted carefully about his chemistry with Namjoon, even if Jimin and Hoseok didn’t do the same. Approaching his thirties, Jimin still DJs at nightclubs and dates loosely and freely, while Hoseok doesn’t date at all aside from his hook-ups, but Seokjin has always thought there is something private about being married. Something he isn’t supposed to show everyone else.

He wonders sometimes if he’d transitioned too quickly into adulthood and lost the part of himself that lets him be reckless and uninhibited in the way that his friends are. 

“What are we doing today?” Seokjin asks, dropping a kiss onto Namjoon’s shoulder when Jimin and Hoseok aren’t looking. Despite his thoughts, he knows he made the right choice  — he just wishes there was some way he could have both. But that would be being greedy, wouldn’t it?

“I’m still jet-lagged, so probably just swimming and playing catch-up. If we’re lucky we can even have a fire here when it gets dark,” Hoseok says, waving to someone across the beach.

“Sounds good,” Seokjin says, pulling away his hands now that Namjoon’s back is covered in a translucent, white sheen. He wipes them on the sides of his shorts even though he knows it’ll stain. 

“Oh, there he is,” Hoseok says happily, waving his arm in the air. 

“Hi, Hoseok,” comes a breathless call from across the beach. Seokjin doesn’t bother to look up, shaking sand out of his hair as he digs through his bag for his sunglasses. 

“JK!” Hoseok yells back. “Come here and meet my friends.”

JK sounds out of breath when he finally reaches their group, and Seokjin finally looks up when Hoseok wraps an arm around his shoulder, jostling him. 

“Seokjin, this is my cousin I was telling you about. Jungkook, this is Seokjin.”

“Sorry I took so long, the person who works the shift after me was late,” Jungkook says with a laugh, his eyes still focused on Hoseok. Seokjin stares dumbly for a moment, calibrating before the realization sets in that Hoseok’s cousin is the same kid who hit on his husband in front of him. It takes him a minute because he doesn’t quite believe the universe would do something so awful to him.

Perilous mistake, he realizes. 

“Jungkook,” Seokjin says flatly, which is still a thousand times more enthusiastic than he feels.

Jungkook’s eyes widen imperceptibly when his gaze meets his. “Oh,” he says eloquently, faltering. Seokjin would be amused if he wasn’t also wearing the same expression.

Hoseok looks between them. “You two know each other?”

“Jungkook is the kid I was telling you about earlier,” Seokjin says with a dazzling smile, offering his hand out for Jungkook to shake. Jungkook is too stunned to refuse, offering Seokjin probably the weakest, most awkward handshake he’s had in his life. “Small world, isn’t it?”

Hoseok’s face is blank for a second, then his expression twists into anger.

“Jungkook? That was you? What were you doing hitting on a married man twice your age?” he scolds, gently smacking the back of Jungkook’s hair. Jungkook has the decency to at least look guilty, wincing and rubbing his head where Hoseok hit.

“I didn’t know he was married…” Jungkook whines, squirming away when Hoseok goes in to grab him.

“So if he wasn’t, the fact that he’s almost thirty makes it better?”

“Ah, I didn’t think he was that old,” Jungkook says shyly, his cheeks going red. “He looked younger.”

“You’re hopeless,” Hoseok says, shaking his head. Then he turns to Seokjin, apologetic. “I’m sorry my despicable cousin tried to ruin the sanctity of your marriage. I’d say he’s sorry he did it, but that would probably be a lie so I won’t bother.”

“Hyung,” Jungkook protests quietly but gets ignored.

Seokjin wants to say something snarky, but he knows better than to be bitter when Hoseok is around. “It’s fine,” he says, even if it’s really not. “It happens.” Does it?

Hoseok looks relieved and Jungkook just looks flustered. Seokjin notices that he’s still dressed in his work clothes, sweaty and damp from the heat. When Jungkook goes to wipe his forehead, he uses the edge of his shirt, drawing Seokjin’s eyes to the alluring curve of his waist. He swallows, forcing himself to look away.

“Is it really okay, Seokjin hyung?” Jungkook asks innocently, and Seokjin tries not to flinch at the friendly title. It feels disrespectful coming out of Jungkook’s mouth, even when it’s supposed to be polite.

“Sure,” he says easily, standing up to find Namjoon before Jungkook gets to him first. “You’re young — you didn’t know any better.” The snide quip doesn’t go unnoticed, and Jungkook’s eyes narrow with annoyance just long enough for Seokjin to catch it. Then, the look disappears and Jungkook goes back to wearing his over-confident smirk, sitting down on one of the coolers. He rests his elbows on his thighs as he opens a can of soda, shaking his head at Hoseok’s offer of a beer.

“Cool,” is all he says.

“No boyfriend this summer?” Hoseok asks, and Seokjin is thankful for the change of topic. 

“Nope,” Jungkook says, popping the p. “No girlfriend, either. I’m a little young for that, aren’t I?”

“At twenty-two?” Hoseok asks doubtfully.

Jungkook shrugs with a sleazy grin. “I don’t want to get tied to one person. Not in the summer, anyway.”

“I was twenty-two when I married Namjoon,” Seokjin says pointedly, even though he’s not sure what he’s trying to prove.

“Eight years is a long time,” Jungkook says thoughtfully. 

Seokjin blinks. “It is.”

“I think I’d get bored after eight years of marriage,” Jungkook muses, tilting his head.

Seokjin tightens his grip on his beer. “I didn’t.”

“Jin,” Namjoon says from behind him, resting a hand on his shoulder. Seokjin tenses for a moment, before he remembers to relax. “I found a good spot for swimming. It’s away from the crowds if you wanna go. Oh! Hello.”

Seokjin watches as Jungkook’s expression goes a bit starry-eyed. “Hello,” he echoes, his mouth falling open.

“You again. How did you end up over here?” Namjoon asks, perplexed. He looks between Jungkook and Seokjin, like he expects to find the answer floating between them. 

Jungkook gives him a lazy smile, gesturing over to Hoseok, mischief replacing his infatuation. “I’m his cousin,” he says, like that explains everything.

“I see,” Namjoon says awkwardly. “Well, nice to meet you again, I suppose.”

Jungkook just nods dreamily, and Seokjin feels his eye twitch.

“Can I call you hyung?” Jungkook asks, standing up like he’s planning to follow them to go swimming. He chugs the rest of his soda, crumpling the can loudly in his hand. 

Namjoon looks at Seokjin pleadingly, silently asking for help, but Seokjin is too busy glaring daggers into the side of Jungkook’s face.

“Sure, I guess,” Namjoon shrugs. He turns to Seokjin. “Wanna come? I’m dying to cool off.”

“I can come too,” Jungkook offers, digging his toe into the sand. “I’m not doing anything.”

“Yes you are. Jungkook, come help me with the chairs,” Hoseok calls, stealing Jungkook’s attention. 

“ Why? ” Jungkook whines. He looks annoyed but jogs over to help his cousin anyway, not without throwing a grin and a peace sign over his shoulder back at the two of them. Little seems to truly stick to him — everything slides off and away like it doesn’t affect him at all. Seokjin wonders if he was like that too, when he was in college.

Probably not. He’s never met anyone like Jungkook before.

“Wanna go?” Namjoon asks questioningly, staring at Seokjin like he’s trying to read something on his face. Seokjin quickly masks his expression, not wanting to be caught thinking about Hoseok’s cousin. 

“Sure, he agrees with a sigh, suddenly feeling very tired. Maybe he’s more jet-lagged than he thought. “Let’s go.”

He comforts himself with the reassurance that Jungkook probably won’t stick around longer than a day or so, even with his adoration for Namjoon.

♥

Jungkook does not, in fact, go away after the first day like Seokjin hoped he would. Instead, he’s taken to lounging around his group of friends shirtless — tattoo sleeve on full display and legs spread wide in sweatpants that hug his thighs obscenely. When Seokjin and Namjoon got back from swimming, Jungkook had spent the day at the beach eating their food and showing Hoseok how to catch a fish with his bare hands, then followed them back to Jimin’s apartment without waiting for the invitation to have dinner with them. Now, a day later, he sits on the couch in the living room of Jimin’s apartment again, crunching loudly on a bag of salt and vinegar chips he stole out of the pantry.

Despite his free-loading tendencies, both Jimin and Hoseok dote on him, giving in to Jungkook’s puppy eyes when he asks for money for food or a change of clothes. Jimin finds the kid cute, but Seokjin doesn’t think there’s anything cute about the way Jungkook purposely wears his towel low on his hips after a shower and does his workouts in the living room when Seokjin is watching TV.

It’s only been one day, but Jungkook has made it a point to speak to Seokjin as much as possible, even when Namjoon isn’t around to see it. Seokjin expected Jungkook to be withdrawn or embarrassed after their poor first impressions, but if anything it seemed to encourage Jungkook more, even when Namjoon isn’t there to witness it.

Namjoon, thankfully, seems to be oblivious to it. On the other hand, it makes Seokjin anxious because it means he’s the one noticing Jungkook instead. To acknowledge Jungkook at all feels wrong, even when the kid has made every effort to be noticed.

“Hyung, can you pass me the remote?” Jungkook says, patting vaguely in Seokjin’s direction. He lounges back against the leather, tapping his fingers against the remote. Seokjin doesn’t recognize the show he’s watching, but the sound carries to the kitchen, a constant reminder that Jungkook is there with him.

“I don’t know where it is,” he says flatly, unmoving from where he stands in front of the sink, chopping fruit. He brings the knife down harshly, the metal echoing against the cutting board. He doesn’t really need to be doing it, but he’d do anything to avoid sitting beside Jungkook on the couch.

“Can you find it for me?” Jungkook yells over the TV. 

“I’m busy,” Seokjin says sharply.

“Nevermind, I found it,” Jungkook mumbles. 

The group had gathered for a night of drinking and swimming down at the beach after nightfall. Namjoon had gone for a walk through the building’s gardens while Hoseok and Jimin had made a run down to the grocery store to pick up liquor, leaving Jungkook and Seokjin alone in Jimin’s flat. The silence had quickly become stifling, then it became unbearable when Jungkook filled it with his talking.

“Did you ever go to parties when you were in college?” Jungkook asks, pausing the show he was playing loudly on the TV to focus his attention on Seokjin.

“Yes.”

“Really? You don’t look like the type,” Jungkook laughs.

Seokjin can’t keep the scowl off of his face. What’s wrong with this kid? “What do I look like?”

Jungkook’s grin turns cheeky. “Old. Boring.”

“Yeah? That’s why you’re hanging out with us instead of your friends?” Seokjin retorts. 

“Oh, I didn’t mean Hoseok and Jimin. I just meant you,” Jungkook says airily. He chews another mouthful of chips, brushing crumbs off of his lap. “Have you ever gone surfing?”

“No,” Seokjin replies bluntly.

Jungkook sighs. “Might go this year. Never too late to learn. Maybe Jimin will pay for me.”

“Wouldn’t doubt it,” Seokjin mumbles.

Jungkook looks like he wants to say something again, but Seokjin quickly cuts him off by turning on the tap at the sink to drown out his words. He spares Jungkook one last withering look before it goes quiet again and Seokjin is allowed to finish cutting the fruit in silence. In some ways the silence is worse because then he’s left with his thoughts that are irritatingly also about Jungkook.

An hour can’t pass quickly enough before the front door slams open and Namjoon enters the room, looking between the two of them curiously like he can feel the tension in the room, Jimin and Hoseok trailing behind him.

Innocently, like the conversation never happened, Jungkook gives Namjoon a wave before turning back towards the TV, finally relaxing against the cushion to watch his show. 

Namjoon looks between them, frowning. “How was it alone with Jungkook for awhile?”

The two of them have always been honest with each other, but Seokjin decides it’s not worth telling the truth to Namjoon this time, so he gives his husband a reassuring smile and laces their fingers together. “Never better.” Then he turns to Jimin. “What did you guys pick up?”

“Just alcohol. We can mix the drinks before we walk down to the beach so that we don’t have to make them when we’re there,” Jimin explains, dropping the bags in his arms onto the counter.

“Sure,” Seokjin agrees easily. “I finished cutting up the fruit, anyway.”

Namjoon rubs Seokjin’s back when he squeezes past him to walk to the refrigerator, pulling out a can of ginger ale. Seokjin watches him drink, feeling a foreign heat bloom in the pit of his stomach when he sees the way Namjoon’s throat bobs with each swallow, his shirt pulled tight over his chest. After their first night off the plane yesterday, the two of them had gone to bed without having sex, too exhausted to think of anything other than sleep, but now Seokjin feels on edge in a way he doesn’t normally feel, wishing at that moment he was alone with Namjoon so he could press him up against the fridge and touch him. 

“Excuse me,” Jungkook suddenly murmurs beside his ear, his bare hips brushing against Seokjin’s back. Seokjin feels goosebumps rise on his arms from the contact, feeling like he’s been caught in his thoughts. 

Jungkook leans against the counter and picks up a wedge of lime in his hand, dipping it in the jar of sugar before biting into the sour fruit. It should be gross, really, but Jungkook has an infuriating way of making everything look sexy.

“Mm, these are good,” he mumbles, closing his eyes as he sucks. He grins mischievously, licking the sugar crystals off his lips like he knows how it looks. Seokjin feels filthy for finding it sensual — the way his tongue glides over his skin, leaving it glossy and wet. The heat in his stomach returns, only guiltier. He watches Jungkook take another bite, sucking softly at the rind with hooded eyes until it’s clean.

“Aren’t they too sour?” Hoseok frowns.

Jungkook shakes his head, making his overgrown bangs fall into his eyes. Seokjin wonders how he manages to see with them. “They’re sweet when you dip them in sugar.”

“How are you liking your classes, Jungkookie?” Jimin asks, unscrewing the lid of a bottle of Grey Goose and peach schnapps. Jungkook watches him interestedly, though Seokjin notices the difference in the way Jungkook stares at them compared to him and Namjoon — the way his sweetness comes out more genuine and his eyes carry a different shine. He wonders why he’s the exception.

“They’re whatever,” Jungkook shrugs. “I can’t wait to be finished with them. I already have an apprenticeship at a small music studio lined up anyway.”

“That’s good,” Hoseok says happily, pulling Jungkook into a side-hug. Jungkook squirms out of his grip. “What do they want you to do there?”

Jungkook steals another wedge of lime before Hoseok can stop him. “Mostly secretary kind of stuff, but if they like me they’ll let me help in mixing beats. I’m also allowed to use the studio for my own music, whenever it’s not booked.” He tries to look disinterested, but Seokjin can tell he’s secretly pleased.

“My little cousin is all grown up, isn’t he?” Hoseok says with a smile. “I’m happy for you.”

Jungkook just shrugs shyly again, hiding his face behind his hair.

“Namjoon works as a music producer,” Hoseok says. “He could probably help you out. Teach you some stuff.”

Namjoon flushes under the sudden attention. “Oh, I don’t know if Jungkook would want me to be his mentor.”

Jungkook looks up, suddenly starry-eyed. “I would. I’d really like that.”

“Maybe Jungkook could do some part-time work for you as well,” Jimin suggests. “To fill out his resume.”

“You’d do that, hyung?” Jungkook asks, shy and cute.

“I could look into it,” Namjoon shrugs.

Looking perky again, Jungkook grins, hooking his chin on Jimin’s shoulder as he pours orange juice into a pitcher. He makes eye contact with Seokjin as he speaks, his expression coy. “Where do you work, Seokjin hyung?”

“What?” Seokjin asks numbly.

Jungkook hums, popping a cherry into his mouth. Seokjin sees the way the juice stains his tongue a wine-red, spreading over his lips. It’s like Jungkook moves his tongue intentionally slower when he catches Seokjin looking. Seokjin hates that it’s not the first time he’s caught him. “Do you work in the music industry, too?”

He shakes his head. “I work in real estate.”

Jungkook loses interest, peering closely at what Jimin’s pouring into a pitcher. Seokjin unsuccessfully tries not to let it bother him. “Put orange slices.”

“Oranges don’t go in this,” Jimin frowns.

“Put them anyway,” Jungkook insists. “They look pretty.”

He seems to remember Seokjin is there because he looks up again, biting his lip. “Jimin’s really good at making drinks.”

“I know,” Seokjin says.

Jungkook nods, taking a slice of orange out of the pitcher. “Have you ever had sex on the beach, Seokjin hyung?”

“What?” Seokjin asks sharply, feeling his cheeks warm.

“Don’t be a brat,” Hoseok scolds, whacking Jungkook’s arm.

“The drink,” Jungkook clarifies, looking satisfied by his reaction. “Jimin’s making it. Have you ever had it?”

“No,” Seokjin replies humorlessly, embarrassed and angry that he’d reacted exactly as Jungkook wanted him to. 

Jungkook smiles lazily, rolling his head on his shoulders. He steps back, the dark lines of his tattoos glassy with sweat. “It’s really good. You should try it one time. Peach schnapps, vodka, and orange juice”

“Go get dressed,” Jimin says, rolling his eyes. He smacks Jungkook’s ass when he passes him, heading towards Jimin’s bedroom. 

“Ah, hurts, hyung,” Jungkook whines, pretending to wince, but he giggles when he shuts the bedroom door behind him.

It’s quiet for a moment, the hum of the ceiling fan buzzing in Seokjin’s ears, then Jimin speaks.

“Wow, you weren’t joking. He’s uh, really taken to you two, huh,” he says meaningfully, twisting the cap on the bottle before tossing it into his beach tote. 

“Me?” Seokjin asks. “I don’t think so.”

“He likes Namjoon for sure,” Hoseok says. “Want me to talk to him about it?”

“No,” Namjoon says before Seokjin can answer for him. “Let him be. It’s an innocent crush. Maybe even less than that. He said himself that he’s not looking to date anyone.”

“Yeah, but you guys are married,” Jimin says. “Jungkook should really know better. I don’t know why he’s acting like this.”

“He’s a kid,” Hoseok says, but he still looks doubtful as he says it. “He’ll get over it. Let me know if he goes too far, I’ll make him stop.”

Seokjin stays quiet throughout the conversation. He tries to shake off the emotions as he finishes packing for the beach, tossing a few more beers than he’d normally plan on drinking into his bag. An itchy, uncomfortable feeling begins to grow under his skin. He can’t explain it, so he blames it on Jungkook. 

Namjoon looks like he wants to say something to him, but must decide not to because he simply hands Seokjin his shoes and kisses his cheek soothingly, running his hands through his hair. 

If Jungkook is watching when Namjoon does it, then Seokjin chooses not to notice. Seokjin notices him silently putting on his shoes and backpack as he follows them out the door and to the elevator.

The beach is vacant when they arrive — the sun beginning to fall behind a shield of sticky red and gold clouds. The water ripples crimson, lapping up against the shore to stain the sand a rosey pink. Seokjin breathes in the crisp, salty smell of the ocean, the wind combing the scent of it through his hair until it’s messy and tangled. A few scattered tourists’ conversations carry from the boardwalk, the sound of their laughter light and happy over the wind.

Jimin finds a secluded beach behind a wall of palm trees and sits down on the sun-warmed sand, stretching out his legs with a sigh. Hoseok gets up to find driftwood for a fire while Seokjin and Namjoon spread out a blanket, grabbing themselves each a seltzer.

Jungkook has been unusually quiet, staring off at the water a couple meters away from the group. He lays down on his back, staring up at the sky where the moon is beginning to come into focus, filling the sky with a milky glow. Seokjin catches himself staring and quickly averts his eyes before he’s caught.

“Let’s get drunk,” Hoseok says happily, swallowing back a bottle of peach soju. He flops down beside Jungkook, ruffling his hair. “Let’s be young like Jungkook tonight.”

“I don’t want to help you guys back to the apartment when you’re too drunk to walk,” Jungkook grumbles, but he accepts a bottle for himself. “Let’s go skinny dipping.”

“Fuck that,” Hoseok laughs. “No way.”

“Chicken,” Jungkook grins. “I bet Jimin would do it with me.”

“What would I do?” Jimin asks, tossing an armful of wood down onto the sand. He lights it with an igniter, watching the flames lick up the sides of the logs.

“Get naked in the ocean with me,” Jungkook says, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Nice try,” Jimin says. “Get me drunk first and then I’ll consider.”

Seokjin loses himself somewhere between his third and fourth bottle of seltzer and then switches over to vodka shots, wanting to build the floaty feeling past being tipsy. Namjoon is more laid-back — only on his second beer — but a kiss to his neck and a bit of coaxing from Seokjin has him drinking more than he normally would’ve. Seokjin notices him starting to sway when he tries to stand up to get himself a bag of chips, stumbling cutely on the sand.

“Oh…” Namjoon says with an embarrassed laugh. 

“Sit down, I’ll get it for you,” Jungkook says. Easily into his sixth shot, the alcohol has made him more subdued and relaxed, flushing his chest and cheeks pink. “What kind?”

“The party mix,” Namjoon says. He thanks Jungkook quietly when he hands it to him.

“Let’s play a game,” Jimin says, uncrossing his legs to toss another piece of driftwood into the fire. The flames lick at the air, the smoke making Seokjin’s eyes burn. “What do we play?”

“Should we do ice-breakers since Jungkook is here?” Hoseok asks, leaning back on his elbows. 

“What kind?” Namjoon asks, wrapping an arm around Seokjin’s shoulder. Seokjin leans into it, closing his eyes. The warmth of the fire feels nice against his cheeks in contrast to the cool air coming off of the water. It’s easier to let his guard down around Jungkook when he’s drunk, laughing easily at his jokes and letting himself smile.

“We could play Never Have I Ever,” Jungkook suggests. 

“God, it’s been at least ten years since I’ve played that,” Jimin laughs. “Okay, whatever, let’s play. If you’ve done something someone says, you take a shot of soju.”

“Jungkook will lose,” Hoseok snickers.

Jungkook just grins, looking confident. “I’ll go first. Never have I ever gotten married.”

“Fuck you,” Seokjin says eloquently, but takes his shot. “That was a cheap move.” It burns going down his throat and he winces. Namjoon does the same, quickly chasing it with a mouthful of soda.

Jungkook shrugs. “Cheap shots aren’t off-limits.”

“That’s awful,” he mutters, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.

“My turn,” Jimin announces, holding up his hand. “Never have I ever had sex in public.”

“I told you that as a secret,” Jungkook whines, covering his mouth with one hand. “It was one time!”

Namjoon furrows his brows. “You had sex in public? Did you get caught?”

Jungkook just shrugs and doesn’t answer, taking his shot. Seokjin’s chest fills with heat.

“I’ll go next,” Hoseok says. “Never have I ever hit on someone that was married.”

“Stop picking on me, I’m already gonna be wasted,” Jungkook laughs, taking another shot, but he looks secretly pleased to be getting the attention.

Seokjin looks at Jungkook thoughtfully. The drinks make him uninhibited. Curious. “My turn.” He thinks for a moment as he plays with the sand, swirling it between his fingers. “Never have I ever hooked up with a stranger.”

There’s a pause, then Jungkook and Jimin both take a shot. Seokjin doesn’t know why he wanted to know the answer, but now that he does, the heat in his stomach dips lower, spreading to his feet.

A few rounds later, he’s beginning to feel properly drunk. He and Namjoon only drank one more shot each, but Jungkook had easily drunk another four or five. Instead of looking embarrassed, Jungkook just giggles, preening under the attention. Seokjin feels the heat in his stomach turn to a smoulder and he places a hand on Namjoon’s thigh, rubbing softly.

“Jungkook is a bit of a slut,” Hoseok teases, squeezing the back of Jungkook’s neck.

“No!” Jungkook tries to argue, but he hiccups and dissolves into giggles again. “I’m not, I promise!”

He kind of is though, Seokjin thinks, and he feels a little spark of jealousy because he’d never been that carefree when he was in college. He’d been too shy — too focused on his studies to think about letting loose the way he saw his roommates doing. Now that he’s older, he can’t help but feel envious that he missed out. Seokjin is the kind of college student everyone would have wanted to be and Seokjin would have hated back then, but now he feels no different from anyone else.

“Last round,” Jimin says, taking Seokjin out of his thoughts. “Before you throw up.”

“Ah, it’s my turn,” Jungkook says, pushing himself until he’s sitting upright. Even though he can barely hold himself up, his eyes sparkle brightly. “Never have I ever had a threesome!”

No one takes a shot.

“You guys have never had a threesome before?” Jungkook asks, sounding shocked.

“I almost had one,” Hoseok confesses. “Two girls at a party were willing to hook up but I chickened out.”

Jimin looks contemplative. “I think I’ve just never had the opportunity.”

“What about you guys?” Jungkook asks Namjoon and Seokjin, looking at them with a strange intensity that makes Seokjin squirm. 

“What?” Namjoon asks.

“You’ve been married for eight years. You’ve never had a threesome? Or wanted one?”

“No,” Namjoon says, sounding unsure. “Is that something married couples normally do?”

“Sometimes,” Jungkook says. “A lot of people are into it.”

“Are you?” Seokjin asks challengingly, searching Jungkook’s expression for anything that might give his intentions away.

Jungkook doesn’t shy away from his gaze and even seems to bask in it. He meets Seokjin’s eyes when he speaks, tilting his chin up invitingly. “I’ve always wanted to try it. Don’t you?”

Oh, Seokjin thinks, the realization setting it. It’s an ugly feeling. Now he understands.

“Really?” Jimin asks. “What kind? Two girls? Two guys? One of each?”

Seokjin wonders how he didn’t pick up on it sooner — the way Jungkook talks to both of them, always wanting to rile him up. The way that finding out Namjoon was married didn’t deter him at all but just made him seem to want him more. Jungkook wants a threesome with them, or at least — he’s willing to have one if that’s what it took to have Namjoon.

“I don’t care,” Jungkook says, sounding dazed as he talks about it. “I just… really want to try it. At least once.”

Or, worse, Jungkook just wants them as an experiment. To scratch an itch so he could say he’d done it with a married couple. The two of them had always been private and reserved about their relationship. Unintrusive. Seokjin wonders if that’s the problem — Jungkook sees their dynamic as something vulnerable rather than as a sign of their closeness.

The thought makes Seokjin want Jungkook to overhear him and Namjoon in the bedroom tonight when they go back to Jimin’s instead of their hotel — just so he'd be forced to listen to Seokjin have the man he wants. He wonders if Jungkook would be depraved enough to touch himself to the sounds through the wall. If he’d like it instead of getting jealous.

Seokjin considers Jungkook for a moment, tasting his words before he speaks them. “If you had to choose between two girls or two guys, who would you pick?” He looks at Jungkook carefully while he waits for him to answer, brushing his thumb over the rim of the bottle. He knows Jungkook’s answer before he even speaks, but he waits for it anyway, placing his hand back on Namjoon’s thigh, the movement causing Jungkook’s eyes to flicker down. Seokjin begins to move his hand slowly, squeezing when he gets close to Namjoon’s knee.

“Two guys,” Jungkook says easily without hesitation, leaning back onto his elbows. He looks at Seokjin as he says it, no ounce of shame behind his eyes. They flicker with something dark.

Bingo.

Chapter Text

Seokjn thinks about the way Jungkook had looked at him and the weight behind his words on the walk back to Jimin’s apartment. Of course marriage hadn’t discouraged Jungkook — he wanted Namjoon in spite of it. The fact that Namjoon was off-limits wouldn’t matter if Seokjin was there too, even if Seokjin wasn’t the one he wanted. He wonders how he missed it at first. 

Jealousy, anger, and anxiety flare up inside him, the alcohol exacerbating it until it swirls into a thick, dark cloud that seeps under his skin. He sneaks a look at Jungkook and sees him clinging to Jimin’s side, tripping over his feet as he walks towards the road. Despite Jungkook’s tendency to stare, he misses Seokjin’s eyes on him, giggling drunkenly when Jimin smacks him lightly on the back.

The receptionist gives them all a dirty look when they enter the lobby and crowd into the elevator. Jungkook slumps against the mirrored wall behind him, looking up at the ceiling with dazed eyes. He leans heavily to the side, his shoulder brushing against Namjoon. His clothes are covered with sand and he smells like the sea when he adjusts the collar of his shirt. Namjoon shifts, causing Jungkook to press deeper into his side. 

“So sleepy,” Jungkook murmurs, his lips pouting out when he speaks. He blinks blearily, wiping a smudge of dirt from his cheek carelessly. “Drank too much.”

“You can stand,” Seokjin says emotionlessly, tugging Jungkook’s sleeve until he’s upright instead of leaning on Namjoon. Jungkook stumbles with a whine, bumping into Seokjin instead but he doesn’t protest. Seokjin ignores the warmth of Jungkook’s skin through his shirt. 

“Be gentle with him,” Jimin teases, his cheeks flushed red from alcohol. He fumbles with the buttons of the elevator, using one hand to keep himself steady. Hoseok quietly pets Jungkook’s hair, causing him to butt his head into his hand like a cat. 

When they reach the top floor and step into the foyer of Jimin’s apartment, Jimin gestures towards the bedrooms. Jungkook trails in behind them, yawning. 

“Just stay the night, it’s too late to go home. Namjoon and Seokjin can get the guest bedroom, Hoseok and I can take my bedroom, and Jungkook can have the pull-out couch,” Jimin says, kicking off his shoes at the door. His belongings become a pile on top of the counter that Seokjin adds his own stuff to, too tired to think about organizing it. 

“Sounds good,” Jungkook mumbles sleepily, shaking the rest of the sand out of his hair and shoes onto the floor. He chugs a glass of water over the sink and then splashes the rest of it over his face, drying it down with the edge of his t-shirt. “I don’t care where I sleep.” He sways a little where he stands, cheeks puffy and pink from drinking. 

Seokjin nods, mumbling goodnight to Hoseok and Jimin before heading into the guest room. He locks the door behind him and Namjoon, flicking on the lights before he begins to strip out of his clothes. 

Jungkook’s charged looks had left Seokjin riled up and angry, and when Namjoon lays down beside him in bed, Seokjin reaches under the blankets and slides his hand up Namjoon’s thigh, coaxing a surprised gasp out of him. He feels insatiable and desperate to touch, so he waits for Namjoon’s shaky nod of encouragement before he grips the waistband of his underwear and pulls them down to expose his cock. 

“Are you sure?” Namjoon whispers, his voice hesitant even when he thrusts his hips up into Seokjin’s hand. “We’re in someone else’s house.”

Seokjin nods, kissing Namjoon’s neck. He doesn’t know how to say that the reason he wants it so bad is that someone could be listening. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it all day.”

Namjoon makes a needy sound which Seokjin swallows up with a kiss, pinning him against the mattress. He gets hard easily — begging for it as soon as Seokjin’s hand wraps around him. The darker part of Seokjin’s mind hopes that it’s Jungkook who overhears his husband’s whines, so he makes sure that when he rolls his hips against Namjoon the headboard knocks against the wall. Then, when he’s close, Seokjin bites down hard on his neck, hoping to leave bruises.

It doesn’t take long for Namjoon to cum — hot and sticky all over Seokjin’s hand. It’s filthy but Seokjin likes it, letting himself fall heavily onto the pillow with a sigh as he licks Namjoon’s cum from his palm, grinning when Namjoon lets out a strangled moan of pleasure at the sight. It satiates the possessiveness inside of him for now, even if he knows it will awaken as soon as he sees Jungkook again in the morning. 

“Good?” he asks, rolling over onto his side to make room for Namjoon to face him.

“Fuck,” is all Namjoon says with a shaky laugh, leaning in to kiss him. “I can’t believe we did that. Want me to do you, now?”

“Next time,” Seokjin promises, kissing his cheek. He feels floaty and sleepy now that he’s left his mark on Namjoon. “Too tired now.”

In the morning, the smell of sex still lingers between the sheets and in the air, so Seokjin stands, still naked from the waist down, to open the windows of the apartment. Warm summer air gushes into the room, sticky with humidity and the smell of the beach. It feels nice on his skin, even if it makes sweat bead on his chest and neck. Namjoon rolls over sleepily to hide from the sunlight as Seokjin begins to pick up their clothes from the night before. 

“Sleep well?” Seokjin asks, leaning against the wall. The blanket is low enough that he can see the red marks on Namjoon’s neck dipping under his collar and he feels a warm wave of arousal and satisfaction. He grabs a V-neck from Namjoon’s suitcase and tosses it onto the bed. 

“Yeah,” Namjoon says, his voice thick with sleep. He turns until he’s laying on his back, his arm covering his eyes. “I feel gross, though.”

“Here, get dressed when you’re ready,” Seokjin says, tugging a pair of shorts on. “I’ll go shower first so it’s empty when you’re up.”

Namjoon just tosses him a sleepy thumbs up, his legs bunched up in the blankets.

The kitchen is empty when Seokjin steps out into the hallway. He can hear the sounds of the city through the walls as he makes himself a cup of coffee in Jimin’s kitchen, leaning against the refrigerator while the warm smell of coffee fills the room. He pours it into a mug in the cast of the sunlight through the floor-length windows, bathing the kitchen in a warm glow. Before he leaves, he grabs a banana out of the bowl, tossing it in the air as he carries his cup of coffee over to the balcony to sit outside. 

When he opens the door, he finds Jungkook sitting in one of the chairs with his eyes closed, a half-smoked joint in his hand. He must have heard the sound of the door, but he doesn’t react, his eyes still closed even as Seokjin steps outside. 

“Didn’t take you for being an early bird,” Seokjin muses, a little annoyed to have his peace disturbed, even if Jungkook was the one to wake up first. He takes a sip of his coffee and tries to get comfortable, peeling the banana in his hand.

“I wake up early after a night of drinking,” Jungkook shrugs. His eyes blink open slowly, his eyelashes a dark smear across his cheeks. He’d look good with eyeliner, probably, but Seokjin won’t think about that. 

Seokjin eyes the joint in Jungkook’s hand meaningfully. “Already? Isn’t it like 8 am?”

Jungkook shrugs with a grin, kicking his feet up onto the railing. He’s shirtless again, in a pair of black shorts with flames running up the sides. His hair is tangled and unkept, but it still manages to look intentional when he runs his hands through it. He smells fresh like he showered, but it did nothing to tame his appearance. “Never too early. Want a hit?”

Seokjin shakes his head. “I haven’t done that since college.”

Jungkook laughs. “When was that? Ten years ago? Live a little, hyung.”

“Run out of clean shirts?” Seokjin snaps back.

Jungkook looks at him innocently, unbothered. “If I say yes will you let me borrow one of yours?” He sounds too cheerful as he says it, so Seokjin knows it isn’t a joke.

Seokjin ignores Jungkook and breaks off a piece of the fruit. The sweetness contrasts with the bitterness of the coffee and gives him something to focus on instead of thinking of a response. He’d forgotten how easily Jungkook was capable of getting under his skin when he wanted to, and the conversation about the threesome last night has been feeling warm and tense. He’s wondering if Jungkook is still thinking about it too. 

“I should ask why you’re awake,” Jungkook says, inhaling off the end of the joint. When Seokjin looks over, he can see the blurry smile on his face and the red tint of his eyes. He blows the cloud of smoke in Seokjin’s direction — on purpose of course. Seokjin’s gaze flickers down when Jungkook toys with the string of his pants. It’s distracting. “Sounds like you had a late night last night.”

Seokjin plays dumb. “What is that supposed to mean?” Memories of him and Namjoon under his sheets from last night come back and Seokjin feels a heat creep up to his cheeks, not expecting to be called out directly. His mistake, for thinking Jungkook wouldn’t be bold enough. 

Jungkook tilts his head a little, grinning. “I don’t know. You tell me.”

Seokjin pops another piece of banana into his mouth. “Why were you listening?” He makes the question come out accusatory, even if Jungkook listening was what he wanted. 

Jungkook stands up to lean over the barrier, watching the people on the boardwalk below. It’s so high up that Seokjin can feel the wind rustling his hair, misty and cool from the ocean. 

“Why wouldn’t I?” There’s no guilt on Jungkook’s face when he looks at him. “It was hot.”

Seokjin swallows, dazed when Jungkook takes another drag off the joint in his hand.

“Sure you don’t want a hit?” Jungkook asks, like he can tell where Seokjin is staring. He licks his lips slowly, chapped and red from chewing them. The skunky smell of weed clings to his skin when he leans in closer, holding his arm out to Seokjin. It mixes with the smell of fabric softener on his clothes, heady and sweet.

“I shouldn’t,” Seokjin says weakly. He feels his breathing slow, even though his heartbeat picks up in his chest. 

“Suit yourself then,” Jungkook says easily. He moves even closer, grabbing a piece of banana from Seokjin’s lap without asking. Seokjin stiffens at the warmth of Jungkook’s fingers when they brush against his thigh. They linger for a moment before pulling back. Jungkook smiles cutely as he takes a bite, like he knows it made Seokjin tense. 

“My mouth always gets dry after I smoke,” he says by means of explanation. Then he gets distracted by something inside the apartment. “Oh, hi hyung!”

Seokjin angles his head to see where Jungkook is looking and spots Namjoon washing his hands in front of the sink, looking shy as he covers his neck with one hand. Seokjin’s stomach burns when he sees the way Jungkook has immediately noticed the hickies, his smile growing as he slips through the door to join Namjoon in the kitchen. He wonders how he ever thought that leaving marks on Namjoon’s neck would discourage Jungkook. 

Jungkook isn’t subtle about the way he licks his lips when he gets a better look at the bruises, leaning forward until his stomach is flush with the counter. Then, he looks at Seokjin with the same expression, realization dawning in his eyes. Seokjin’s skin prickles.

“Guess I was right that it was a late night for you two,” Jungkook smirks, grabbing a glass from the dishrack to fill with water. He looks at Namjoon meaningfully when he drinks, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. 

“Oh. Well,” Namjoon says embarrassedly, tugging on the collar of the V-neck Seokjin picked out for him, which does little to hide the marks. “I’m sorry, did we keep you up?” Seokjin can see the mark of his teeth left behind in the bruises and the way Jungkook stares openly at them, rubbing the waistband of his shorts. His hands dip under the elastic for the moment, then brush through his hair again. 

Jungkook hums. “Yeah, but I don’t mind.” He puts his empty glass in the sink. “Will you be going down to the beach today?”

“Why?” Seokjin asks. He forgot to drink the rest of his coffee and he can feel it getting cold in his hand.

Jungkook shrugs. “I was thinking of going clubbing. Then maybe skinny dipping. If you guys want to come with us.”

“Us?” Namjoon asked.

“Me, Jimin, and Hoseok,” Jungkook corrects. 

Namjoon laughs a little awkwardly. “Wouldn’t they have just invited us themselves?”

“Maybe,” Jungkook says evasively. “But if I ask you, then you know that I want you to come, too.”

Seokjin should really put a stop to this, but there’s something about the challenge in Jungkook’s eyes that tempts him. He tries not to think about how that’s exactly what Jungkook wants. 

“We don’t really go clubbing,” Seokjin says.

“Lame,” Jungkook says, pushing off of the counter and walking towards the washroom. “Maybe Jimin will change your mind.” He doesn’t wait for their reply before the door slams behind him and Seokjin hears the sound of the water running in the shower.

♥️

The club is tucked at the end of an alleyway in downtown LA. Seokjin feels out of place amongst the college students standing near the doorway of a blacked-out building. Jungkook leads the group through the narrow corridor between the buildings, turning to the side to avoid smacking into a group of laughing girls. The entrance is a painted door that blends into the wall and a bouncer checks their IDs at the door, giving a hard look to Seokjin and Namjoon in particular.

Jimin and Hoseok’s coaxing led to him and Namjoon agreeing to go out for the night to a secret nightclub hidden behind the commercial strip taken over by tourists. The streets are noisy and the air smells like grease and sugar. It’s nostalgic in a way that makes Seokjin think of carnivals and the glamour of the city he fell for when he was younger, before he got used to it. 

Seokjin had only gone clubbing once or twice in his early 20s and hated it, but this club is nothing like what he’s used to.

“You guys will love this place!” Jungkook shouts over the pounding bass already beginning to creep through the walls. Seokjin feels it under his skin as they walk down a set of wooden stairs that creak under their weight dangerously. He lowers his head to avoid hitting the wooden beams above and he’s feeling a little dizzy already. He hadn’t wanted to come, but missing out didn’t feel like an option — not when Jungkook’s jabs about his age still sting. 

Seokjin follows him through a dark hallway to the dance floor, blinking to adjust his eyes to the light. Namjoon stumbles in closely behind him with Jimin and Hoseok, who look in their element already — laughing and spreading out into the room like they’re itching to move. This club is all the more secretive and salacious than what he’s seen before and it shows in the way people crowd closer together, wearing less and dancing more. The room is full enough for Seokjin to feel a bit claustrophobic, and it causes him to bump into Jungkook, who just laughs and steps away.

“Do you guys wanna get drinks first?” he asks, staring brightly at the bar with wide eyes. 

“Okay,” Seokjin says easily because it’s easier than thinking about dancing. There’s a steady, repetitive techno beat playing through the club in tune with the flashing lights, and it’s making him feel woozy. Jimin and Hoseok are more enthusiastic with their ‘yes’, each throwing an arm over Jungkook’s shoulders.

Jungkook looks behind his shoulder as he leads them to the bartender, like he’s expecting Seokjin not to follow. Seokjin feels like he’s being beckoned when he walks behind them, drawn into the moment by the music wrapping around his ears. 

A mean-looking girl in red lipstick and a low-cut top meets them at the counter, spotting them even at the crowded bar as she pours a bright-coloured drink into a glass. She’s friendly when she speaks to Jungkook though, leaning forward until her elbows rest on the counter. 

“What?” she yells over the music when he speaks to her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. 

“10 tequila shots!” Jungkook yells back, holding up his fingers. The girl nods, turning around to make the drinks.

If Seokjin had thought it was dangerous seeing him shirtless, it was nothing compared to seeing him dressed up for a night out. Jungkook is curvy and lithe in a pair of black leather pants and a zebra print button-down undone far enough for Seokjin to see the curve of his chest. When he reaches to grab the shots, the movement tugs the shirt free from where it was tucked into his pants, exposing a sliver of skin and the sparkle of his piercing. He grins at Seokjin when they make eye-contact, like he can tell he was checking him out.

“Here,” the girl says coldly when she’s done, pushing the shots forward on the counter. The tequila teeters against the rim from the motion. 

“Two each, drink them fast,” Jungkook says, pushing them towards Seokjin. His fingers are decorated in thick, silver rings to match the hoops in his ears. When he tilts his head, his bangs fall long and messy in front of eyes, smudged with kohl. “You didn’t eat anything earlier right?”

“No,” Namjoon says. “Just breakfast but that was hours ago.”

“Good,” Jungkook smiles. “The alcohol will hit you faster then.” He leans back against the bar as he grabs one of the shots for himself. He tosses it back without flinching, licking his lips after he swallows. Jimin and Hoseok copy him with the same grace, reaching for their second. Jungkook raises an eyebrow when he sees that neither Namjoon or Seokjin have touched theirs.

“You better not waste them,” Jungkook says, rolling his eyes. “I mean, I can drink six at once if you don’t want them, but then I’m gonna be finished for the night.”

Seokjin hesitantly takes one of the shots for himself and closes his eyes as he drinks. It goes down hard, burning when he swallows as the heat spreads to his chest. He feels Jungkook’s eyes on him the entire time, then sees them shift to Namjoon when he opens his eyes. 

Namjoon chokes when he tries to swallow the tequila, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. 

“Shit, that tastes awful,” he says, wincing. “Worse than I remember.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jungkook says, but his mouth quirks up. “The first one is always the hardest.” Then, without a pause, he drinks his second, slamming the glass down on the counter when he’s done. 

Seokjin tries not to think about it when he takes his second shot, putting it down a bit too forcefully. He wishes he had something to chase it with, but apparently Jungkook is sadistic to no surprise. 

“Cool, you’re done. Are you ready to dance now?” Jungkook asks.

“Already?” Namjoon asks tentatively. “We just got here.”

“Come onto the dance floor with us, it’ll be fun,” Jimin urges. “No one will touch you if you’re with us.”

Seokjin nods after a moment, letting himself get tugged towards the edge of the room and Namjoon follows in his shadow. It feels safer on the outskirts, and the people he passes feel faceless as he weaves between them. Two shots won’t even be enough to get him buzzed, but he feels fuzzier around the edges anyway, letting himself laugh when he almost bumps into a stranger heading towards the stage.

“You’ll have so much fun, trust me,” Hoseok promises, pushing Seokjin by his shoulders where other people are dancing. “Plus, you have Namjoon. Jimin and I have no one so it’s harder for us. Jungkook is Jungkook so he’ll have no trouble.”

Even though Seokjin has Namjoon, it’s hard not to focus on Jungkook. He moves smoothly even when he’s just talking, playing with his long hair and the collar of his open shirt. He looks relaxed and comfortable as he begins to move to the music, tilting his head back. His smile grows when Jimin wraps an arm around his waist, pulling them flush together. The friction makes Jungkook’s shirt crease, exposing more of his chest.  Seokjin tries not to stare and fails.

“You know,” Hoseok murmurs to him. “You and Namjoon could always try dancing with Jungkook tonight.”

“What?” Seokjin says sharply, feeling caught. “Why would we do that?”

Hoseok shrugs. “I dunno. It could be fun, maybe.” His response is infuriatingly ambiguous, like he wants Seokjin to figure something out himself. Then, he moves away to go dance, leaving Seokjin alone with his thoughts.  

Seokjin feels out of his element even with Namjoon at his side. He starts to sway his hips, moving gently with the music because he doesn’t know what else to do. Namjoon mirrors him, coming closer until the two of them are in each other’s space. He’s struck with the thought that he’s never truly danced with his husband before, even at their wedding. Namjoon had always brushed it off, saying he was too uncoordinated to be on a dance floor and Seokjin didn’t have enough interest in it to push it.

But it’s fun, Seokjin thinks, to let loose and think of nothing. The music is repetitive and mind-numbing and good in a way he wouldn’t like anywhere except here. As he works up the courage to move more, he thinks it would be nice to have another shot or two to loosen himself up more. 

“It’s fun, right?” Namjoon asks, sounding a bit breathless next to Seokjin’s ear. “We never do stuff like this.”

“It’s nice,” he agrees, because saying anything more would feel too much like giving Jungkook credit for the idea. 

He looks over Namjoon’s shoulder and sees Jimin dancing with Hoseok, the two of them close enough for their chests to touch. They’ve always been close, but there’s something about the way they’re dancing that looks intimate. The boundaries between them seem to have fallen away and when Jimin turns around to press his back into Hoseok’s chest, Seokjin feels too hot to keep watching.

After a while he gets thirsty and whispers in Namjoon’s ear that he’s going to get them each a drink, but there’s something about the atmosphere that makes him want to get close, so when he leans in he lets his chest bump into Namjoon’s until they’re almost in an embrace. Namjoon just nods dazedly, trailing beside him to the bar, his presence heavy and warm behind Seokjin as they walk. They each get something cheap and strong that burns as it goes down, and Jungkook must have been right because it’s easier this time than it was before. 

Another twenty minutes of dancing has Seokjin beginning to feel drunk, and when he tries to look up at Namjoon, he stumbles, the dizziness pleasant and light. 

He sees Jungkook next. He’s dancing with a girl, far enough apart that it looks casual and fun. Jungkook steps closer when the girl says something to him beside his ear that makes him smile, resting a tattooed hand on her waist. She pulls out something that looks like a vape from the pocket of her skirt and takes a hit off of it before passing it to Jungkook, who takes a long draw. Jungkook gives her a thumbs-up as he hands it back, then spots Seokjin. He begins to walk over, blowing out a cloud of smoke in his exhale.

“Is that allowed in here?” Seokjin asks, trying not to focus on the sheen of sweat beading on Jungkook’s chest. Jungkook chuckles, and Seokjin notices his breath smells like cotton candy.  

“Why? You gonna get me in trouble?” Jungkook asks, pulling up the edge of his shirt to wipe the sweat on his forehead. He looks at Namjoon unabashedly. “Wow, you look hot.”

Namjoon wheezes out a nervous laugh, rubbing his chest self-consciously. “Thanks, I guess.”

Jungkook’s eyes flit over to Seokjin, checking him out. “Don’t look so pissed. You look hot too, don’t worry.”

Seokjin wonders why the words make something simmer in his chest that doesn’t feel the same as jealousy.

“Why aren’t you two dancing?” Jungkook asks, stepping closer. Seokjin really wishes he wouldn’t do that.

“What do you mean? We are,” Seokjin says defensively. He trips a little when he takes a step forward, feeling the room sway around him. 

Jungkook rolls his eyes. “Not like that. You’re dancing like you’re friends. You have to dance like you’re into each other.”

Seokjin just frowns, too distracted by the buzz in his head to protest. Jungkook takes his silence as an invitation and comes closer, resting a hand on Seokjin’s arm, angling him to face Namjoon. 

“I can show you. If you want,” Jungkook offers, light and gentle. Seokjin can smell his cologne when he’s still close — heady and masculine, mixed with the smell of the beach he never managed to wash off. It still clings to his skin and his clothes when he leans in to press Seokjin further into Namjoon’s side, his hand a warm and soft pressure. 

“Show me what?” Seokjin asks warily but doesn’t push Jungkook away.

Jungkook grins. “How to dance. The way people are supposed to dance at a club.”

Namjoon looks at Seokjin nervously like he expects a reaction from him but Seokjin is too dazed to think of one. He doesn’t respond when Jungkook angles him to face Namjoon, pushing him lightly into his chest. Hands rest on Seokjin’s waist to guide him into Namjoon’s embrace and Seokjin should feel weird about it but the feeling of contact on his body feels incredible and he kind of likes having someone squeezing his waist like that, even if it’s Jungkook.

“Don’t be scared,” Jungkook giggles when he feels Seokjin tense. “It’s just me.”

That’s the problem, Seokjin thinks. Jungkook is what scares him.

“Don’t be afraid to touch him,” Jungkook says to Namjoon, his voice beside Seokjin’s ear. Seokjin wonders how close Jungkook is behind him. “Pull him in close.”

Namjoon obeys helplessly, his arms coming out automatically to wrap around Seokjin. Seokjin can feel the shape of him pressing into his chest and the tangle of their thighs. It feels promiscuous to do this in front of someone else — especially Jungkook — but Jungkook just looks pleased, taking his hand away.

“Dance like that,” Jungkook instructs. “That’s better.”

It’s different to dance when there’s so much contact, and Seokjin can feel the brush of Namjoon’s thigh between his legs when he rolls his hips. He hears the shudder of Namjoon’s breath next to his ear and feels the curl of his fingers against the waistband of his pants in an attempt to give himself something to grip onto. Seokjin knows Jungkook is still watching — he can feel the drag of his eyes up his body to his face. If Jungkook was shy about it maybe it would be better, but he watches like he wants Seokjin to catch him staring. He never stops staring.

“So cool,” Jungkook says like he’s in awe. Seokjin feels a hand on his waist again and then Jungkook is beside him, dancing to the music. “Isn’t it fun?”

“Yeah,” Namjoon agrees, smiling at him, and Jungkook looks so completely starstruck by the expression that he falters before he remembers to smile back. Seokjin’s heart stutters at the sight against his will and he tries to bury the emotion under the sensations of Namjoon’s body against his. He slides his hands up Namjoon’s chest, warm and thick, and rolls his hips forward into Namjoon’s, eliciting a soft moan next to his ear. 

Jungkook must have liked that sound because it feels like he’s gotten even closer than before, soft fingers tracing up Seokjin’s side and around his hips. The touch is always light and fleeting, like Jungkook is afraid to get greedy with his hands even though he’s insatiable with his eyes. He touches like he knows Seokjin could change his mind and push him away if he was careless enough to overstep. 

“You two are so…” Jungkook mumbles, almost too quiet to be heard over the music.

A hand tangles in Seokjin’s hair, softly petting. Seokjin almost thinks it’s Namjoon at first if it wasn’t for the fact that his were already on his waist.

“Does it feel good?” Jungkook murmurs. 

“Yes,” Namjoon says, so easy with the answer. Honesty is dangerous with Jungkook, and Namjoon always gives him what he wants.

“You two should kiss,” Jungkook breathes. 

“What?” Seokjin asks, his voice sharp, and Jungkook whines in protest, tightening his fingers in Seokjin’s hair.

“Please,” Jungkook says, cheeks flushed and eyes glossy. He looks almost hungry now, like he wants to fill up on whatever he can gain from seeing Namjoon and Seokjin together. Seokjin thinks that if he were to say yes it would only encourage Jungkook more. He knows he should refuse. Pull back maybe, or tell Jungkook to back away. 

He doesn’t.

Namjoon is staring at Seokjin strangely, though, his eyes hooded and dark. Seokjin doesn’t have time to think about what it could mean before Namjoon kisses him, open-mouthed and hot. It catches Seokjin off guard and he has to grip onto Namjoon’s shoulders to keep from falling backward. He didn’t expect him to want to kiss in front of Jungkook, let alone initiate it. 

 Namjoon’s hands are bruising on his waist and his lips are eager as he leads the kiss. Seokjin thinks he hears Jungkook sigh, or maybe it’s himself when Namjoon licks into his mouth, taking every inch of him like he’s claiming him. It’s aggressive and obscene, and Seokjin only feels dirtier when Jungkook's hand slips up underneath his shirt to rub at the base of his spine. He’s never had two people touching him at once and it almost feels like too much.

Then, Jungkook’s hand is pushing gently at the back of his head again, forcing the kiss deeper, and Seokjin moans into Namjoon’s mouth. There’s something erotic about the idea of Jungkook making himself look at what he can’t have.

It should feel wrong, maybe, to get so turned on from kissing in front of someone else, but Jungkook seems to be just as into it by the way he scratches his nails along the waistband of Seokjin’s jeans, slow and teasing. Seokjin’s stomach flexes at the proximity to his cock, tensing and burning hot. He wonders if he’s touching Namjoon too. If he’s getting greedier with his touches or trying to take what isn’t his. 

When Seokjin tries to part to see, Namjoon nips at his lower lip, dragging his hands up to cup Seokjin’s face to keep him from separating. His lips are wet and slick from the kiss, and Namjoon is messy and unabashed when he licks the saliva from them. Jungkook must be able to see their tongues from where he’s standing, and Seokjin dares to open his eyes to peek and catches him staring right at him instead of Namjoon, mouth parted and cheeks flushed pink. 

Seokjin pushes Namjoon’s head down to his neck, letting him pepper kisses up the column of his throat, gasping when he feels the sting of teeth. It feels like payback for the hickies he left on Namjoon the night before, and Seokjin feels the pressure when Namjoon sucks — marking him up the way Seokjin had done to him. Jungkook’s eyes shift to follow the path of Namjoon’s mouth, his small pink tongue flicking out into the corner of his mouth.

“Voyeur,” Seokjin says snidely, and Jungkook’s eyes flutter like the words turn him on more. 

“Ah…” Jungkook laughs guiltily. “Not usually.” He licks his lips. He seems to do it a lot. 

“Are you hard?” Seokjin asks bluntly, glancing his eyes down at Jungkook’s crotch. He can’t tell in the dark, but Jungkook squirms. His pants are so tight that Seokjin can see the outline of his muscle and the shape of his thighs where the fabric hugs it. He takes Jungkook’s silence as a yes.

“That’s kind of gross, you know,” Seokjin says, just to be mean. The pants must be uncomfortable against Jungkook’s cock. “You don’t have any shame, do you?”

Jungkook exhales and at the same time Namjoon relents, pulling back to stare at Seokjin’s face. Namjoon’s lips are red and swollen, the indent of Seokjin’s teeth left behind in the soft skin. Namjoon wipes the cling of saliva away with the back of his hand, his eyes unfocused. Jungkook's eyes are trained on every movement.

Seokjin wonders which part of it Jungkook liked the most — he wonders why Jungkook liked it at all. He shouldn’t have, and Seokjin shouldn’t have liked making him watch.

“Come with me to the beach later,” Jungkook asks, almost begging. His coy act seems to have dropped a little, desperation filling in its place. “Please.”

“Why?” Namjoon asks, the words coming out in an exhale as he comes down from the kiss. He exchanges a glance with Seokjin, something heavy settling in his eyes. 

“I want to go swimming with you,” Jungkook explains. “I asked earlier, but you didn’t give me an answer.”

“Why should we say yes?” Seokjin asks coldly. He takes a step back to create distance between him and Jungkook and he feels the difference immediately, a coolness settling over his skin. 

Jungkook whines again. “Just say yes. I’ll make it worth your time.”

Seokjin hates him, but for some reason, he can’t say no. He wonders if Namjoon feels the same way. Would he be angry if he did? He looks at him and finds him staring back, desire still simmering in his expression. He doesn’t answer Jungkook’s question, but the itch to give in shows in his body language by the way his hands curl and his chest still heaves with his arousal. It comes off of him in waves and Seokjin has never seen his husband look so worked up. 

“Okay,” Seokjin agrees, and Jungkook looks relieved, his shoulders slumping as he smiles. “We’ll be there.”

♥️

Seokjin and Namjoon leave the club an hour later after a few more drinks, guided to the beach by a tipsy Jungkook. It’s a strip of sand on the other side of the boardwalk, stretching along the curve of the coastline. Jungkook giggles, tripping over his feet on the sand as he walks towards the water. Seokjin forces himself not to be concerned when he tumbles to the ground, rolling and laughing. 

“What about Jimin and Hoseok?” Seokjin calls out. The air feels nice on his warm skin and he stretches, letting the wind tussle his hair. He pats his pockets for his wallet and keys and feels the stickiness of his makeup beginning to smudge around his eyes. 

“Don’t worry about them,” Jungkook says dismissively. “Let’s go in,” he says excitedly, lifting the hem of his shirt up and over his head. He tosses it in the air and reaches for the button on his pants, undoing it with clumsy hands. 

“It’s late and cold,” Seokjin protests. He shivers, rubbing his arms.  “And you’re drunk. You could drown.”

Jungkook shakes his head stubbornly, kicking his pants off until he’s just in his underwear, looking up at Seokjin with a pleased grin. Anyone else would shy away from the attention, but Jungkook only basks in it. “It’s shallow for at least half a mile out and I’m not drunk enough to slip up. Just come in for a bit.”

Namjoon stands beside Seokjin, burrowing his feet in the sand. It feels stupid to be here now that they’ve actually come, the edge of alcohol not enough to dull the feeling of shame that comes from realizing he’s given into what Jungkook wants.

“It could be fun,” Namjoon tries, rubbing Seokjin’s arm encouragingly. He doesn’t look eager, but he looks a bit curious, like he wants to see if Jungkook is telling the truth about how much they’ll like it. 

“See? Listen to Namjoon. It’ll be fun, I promise!” Jungkook insists. “I didn’t invite you guys here to stand on the beach. I wanna swim.”

As if to make a point, Jungkook wades into the water, splashing noisily. The night is quiet and the water is slow and lazy as it laps at the shore. The dark sky blends into the horizon, rippling the surface with the light of the moon. “It’s still warm.”

“I don’t have a change of clothes,” Seokjin argues, watching Jungkook lower himself to his knees in the water. Jungkook leans his head back onto the surface, his hair fanning out long and black around him. “Neither do you.”

“You care about me getting cold?” Jungkook asks, throwing him a playful smirk. “That’s cute.”

“Now I hope you slip,” Seokjin scowls. “Maybe we should go back. This was a stupid idea.”

“Ah, you’re so mean to him,” Namjoon teases. “Look how excited he is.”

“No!” Jungkook whines. “Please come in, I’m sorry for antagonizing you. Come on, you’re already here. Just for a little bit.”

“Who taught you to beg so much?” Seokjin asks, stepping closer to the edge of the water. 

“Do you like it?” Jungkook asks excitedly. “I can do it more.”

“Please don’t,” Seokjin grimaces.

“You’re not cold?” Namjoon asks skeptically, eyeing Jungkook’s bare, wet torso. His skin is a warm, golden colour even in the moonlight, sparkling droplets of water rolling down his chest. 

“Come find out,” Jungkook coaxes, his voice turning soft and sweet when it’s directed at Namjoon. Then, he suddenly kicks his leg out, splashing water onto the front of Seokjin’s shirt. Seokjin holds back a curse at the feeling of the water seeping into the fabric. 

Seokjin remembers that this is all just a game to Jungkook — a test to see how long it will take before he or Namjoon break. Namjoon is who he really wants and Seokjin is just part of the package. It’s Namjoon he wants to swim with, not Seokjin.

Keeping that in mind, Seokjin begins to strip, carefully unbuttoning his shirt. He tries not to feel embarrassed when Jungkook’s eyes immediately go to the sliver of skin as his shirt parts to reveal his stomach. All Jungkook seems to do is stare. 

“You’re coming in?” Jungkook asks, sounding surprised.

“Mhm,” Seokjin says simply, tossing his shirt a bit too aggressively on the sand. “Why not, right? As you said, it’s warm.”

“Are you coming in too, Namjoon hyung?” Jungkook asks eagerly.

“O-okay,” Namjoon agrees with a stutter, beginning to undress. He looks at Seokjin like he’s trying to read him, but Seokjin is careful to keep his face impassive. 

When Seokjin is just in his underwear he begins to lower himself into the ocean, closing his eyes as the cold water rises up his legs. It feels like prickles of ice when it soaks into his underwear and even worse when it touches his stomach, but Jungkook seems like he’s over the moon, looking between the two of them like he can’t believe they said yes. 

“See? Isn’t it nice?” Jungkook says happily, playing with the water. He swirls his hands through the surface, cupping it before letting it trickle through his palms. “Aren’t you glad you came in?”

“I’m freezing,” Namjoon laughs sheepishly. 

“You’ll get used to it,” Jungkook reassures. Seokjin can see the waistband of his underwear peeking up over the water and the shape of his bulge where the fabric clings wetly to it. He swallows, looking away. As if to punish him for the thought, Jungkook suddenly drags his fingers through the water, drenching Seokjin in another small wave.

This time Seokjin does swear. “Fuck,” he says. “Stop that.”

“My boxers are sticking to my thighs,” Namjoon says, scrunching his nose.

Jungkook perks up. “Just take them off then,” he says easily.

“Nice try,” Namjoon laughs, light-hearted and sweet. He gives into Jungkook easier without much fight but still seems to maintain his distance, careful not to overstep. 

“Ah, you’re no fun,” Jungkook complains. “I could’ve taken mine off too if that makes you feel better.”

“It wouldn’t,” Seokjin says.

Jungkook shrugs. “Then take yours off with him. It’s called skinny dipping. People do it all the time.”

“I don’t think I want to do that,” Namjoon says shyly.

Jungkook looks unbothered as he shrugs. “Suit yourself. I’m taking mine off.” He reaches under the water in front of them and tugs his underwear down, wringing out the water from the fabric when he brings them to the surface. It’s too dark to see under the surface, but Seokjin can see a smear of dark hair against the skin that was covered by his waistband before, and the indent of his hips. Jungkook drapes his boxers over his shoulders with a giggle, his nose and eyes scrunching up with a laugh.

“Does it feel weird?” Namjoon asks curiously. Seokjin doesn’t miss the way he checks Jungkook out, and Jungkook seems to notice it too because he subtly tilts his body to give him a better look. 

He shakes his head. “It feels good. Like… free. It’s different.”

The knowledge that Jungkook is nude in front of him makes Seokjin hyper-aware of every movement he makes, shivering at the anticipation of feeling bare skin against him if Jungkook were to shift just a little closer. His cock is bare beside him, somewhere between Jungkook’s legs underwater, if Seokjin were to look down. 

“Do you wanna see what it’s like?” Jungkook asks, a lilt of encouragement in his words. Seokjin does a double-take at the words, thinking somehow that Jungkook has caught onto what he’s thinking, but Jungkook just tilts his head to the side innocently, brushing his bangs out of his face with a dripping hand. Jungkook is wet all over, the surface of his skin glistening when he moves. 

“What?” Seokjin asks, his mouth feeling dry.

“Skinny-dipping,” Jungkook clarifies with a smirk but there’s a glimmer in his eye Seokjin doesn’t trust.

Namjoon licks his lips, considering. “I don’t know… it could be kind of fun, right?” 

“You wanna try it?” Seokjin asks, surprised.

Namjoon nods, a little hesitantly. “Yeah. Jungkook hyped it up.”

“Go for it,” Seokjin shrugs. He copies his husband when he begins to strip, the rush of water cold against his cock when he’s completely naked. It makes him nervous, even if he knows his lower body will be covered by the dark water, but Jungkook is right in that there’s a certain kind of freedom that comes with it. There’s also a rush of adrenaline from the taboo of it, even if there’s no one else at the beach at this hour. Maybe that’s part of it though — the idea that they’re completely alone. 

“Feels good, right?” Jungkook asks lowly. He scratches his stomach mindlessly with his hand, brushing over the silver piercing on his belly button.

“Kind of,” Namjoon admits. “But still a little weird.”

“Because you’re a prude,” Jungkook teases. 

“Is this what kids do nowadays?” Seokjin asks, just to be a dick. It doesn’t have the desired effect though, because Jungkook just smiles peacefully, pushing back in the water, making it ripple out around him. 

“Not a kid,” Jungkook says pointedly, the implication heavy in his words.

“What is it you’re hoping for?” Seokjin asks, crossing his arms. The water should be freezing, but he suddenly feels very warm when Jungkook moves back towards him, his eyes heavy with intention. He knows he’s already gone too far by getting naked in the ocean with Hoseok’s college-age cousin he doesn’t even like, but Jungkook just looks pleased, like he expected this outcome from the start. Maybe he did and maybe Seokjin isn’t as clever as he thought he was. “You invited us out here. You got what you wanted.”

“I think you know what I want,” Jungkook says simply. He shakes out his wet hair, giggling when it splatters on Namjoon and Seokjin’s bare skin. “And why I invited you both to the beach.”

“I don’t,” Namjoon says quietly. “Is there something I should know?”

Jungkook shrugs. “Seokjin knows.”

Seokjin does know. He thinks of the threesome and the conversation the night before that they had over the fire. He might have been stupid to think that Jungkook would give up so easily — that jealousy would put him off instead of making him want Namjoon more. Seokjin shouldn’t entertain it, but the prickling heat in his stomach is back and he thinks about what it would be like to give Jungkook what he wanted, even just as a punishment. Giving him the chance with Namjoon that he so badly wants while still being in control. A position of power that Jungkook will never have. 

“Will you let me have it?” Jungkook asks innocently. His eyes are pretty when they sparkle with the reflection of the city lights. His hair glimmers with water and his lips are dark and red from biting them when he rests a hand on Seokjin’s arm, gently squeezing. He touches Namjoon too, and Seokjin doesn’t try to stop it. Jungkook’s hand curls gently around Namjoon’s hip, curious and gentle. 

“Have what?” Namjoon asks, his chest sucking in at the sensation.

 Seokjin wonders how he missed Namjoon’s guilty attraction to Jungkook, too. He sees it now in the way that Namjoon’s cheek tint pink and his fingers dig into his thighs to keep from reacting to the warm ghost of Jungkook’s hand against his skin. A helpless, shameful attraction that he can’t help. Seokjin should be angry maybe, but all he feels is curiosity.

Would Namjoon want it, too?

“Seokjin will tell you,” Jungkook says evasively, taking his hand away. “If he wants to.”

The tide must be beginning to pull back, because Seokjin can see more skin than he remembers, the dark patch of hair below Jungkook’s stomach so close. He wonders what’s wrong with him for feeling this way towards someone other than his husband. He hates Jungkook, but he can’t help but get sucked into the appeal of pinning him down into his bedsheets and leaving marks behind on his skin. 

Lots of couples have threesomes, he reasons with himself. He just didn’t think he’d ever be one of them. He’d thought that he and Namjoon were completely in tune with each other and too satisfied to ever want one. But it’s not the absence of something in their relationship that makes him want it, he’s realizing. It’s the desire for even more. The satisfaction of putting Jungkook in his place. Jungkook could have Namjoon in bed, but never anywhere else.

“We should go back,” Jungkook announces softly, like he’s said everything he wants to say. He takes his wet boxers from around his neck and slips them back on under the water, slowly and purposefully. It must be uncomfortable, but neither of them had thought this far. Seokjin watches him walk back to shore, gathering up his dry clothes from the sand. He dries himself off with his shirt, tossing it around his neck, then struggles into his jeans, the fabric clinging to his legs.

Seokjin is slow to follow, and Namjoon even slower. It’s silent as they get dressed and Seokjin feels the heaviness of the alcohol hitting him harder when he’s back on the sand. The ocean sobered him, but the dizziness still lingers as they walk back to their hotel, leaving Jungkook to go home. 

The streets are almost empty at this hour, and the hotel lobby is empty too when they enter, the buzz of the room card loud in the hallway. They drip water onto the carpet as they walk in, dumping their belongings on the bed. 

“I feel like shit,” Seokjin announces to the room, grabbing a towel for each of them. 

“I… what did Jungkook mean when he said you knew what he wanted?” Namjoon asks shyly, sitting on the edge of the mattress. He looks vulnerable and nervous, and Seokjin wonders if he’s been carrying shame for his attraction to Jungkook. If he worries Seokjin will be mad.

Seokjin considers his response for a moment before replying, before deciding to be honest. “He wants a threesome with us,” he says plainly, letting the words settle heavily in the air between them.

“Ah, really?” Namjoon asks, rubbing the back of his head. He looks flustered, like he wasn’t expecting that answer. “Are you sure?”

“He hasn’t exactly been subtle,” Seokjin laughs, walking over to their suitcases to find a change of clothes. He tosses Namjoon a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. “You haven’t noticed?”

“I noticed his flirting, I just didn’t think…”

“He’d want to act on it anyway?” Seokjin finishes for him.

Namjoon nods.

“The threesome is his way of having both,” Seokjin shrugs. The dry clothes feel heavenly on his skin when he lays down beside Namjoon, playing with the wedding ring on his husband’s finger. 

“Well, obviously we can’t say yes,” Namjoon says quietly, looking at Seokjin with wide eyes.

“We can’t?” Seokjin asks carefully, searching Namjoon’s expression for a reaction. 

“I…” Namjoon trails off, faltering. “Would you… want to say yes? You’d consider it?”

“When he touched you, I saw the way you reacted to it,” Seokjin comments. “You liked it.”

Namjoon’s expression falls, looking devastated. “I’m sorry. I promise I didn’t mean to.”

Seokjin shakes his head. “I’m not mad at you for it. I felt it, too. He’s...”

Namjoon closes his eyes, wincing. “Hot. He’s really hot.”

Seokjin hums. “And he wants it so much.”

“But we’re together. He’s not part of us,” Namjoon says confusedly. He lies down so that he’s facing Seokjin, wrapping an arm around his waist. His fingers drum gently on Seokjin’s hipbone, comforting. 

“He doesn’t have to be,” Seokjin explains. “If you wanna fuck him that’s not the same as wanting him in our relationship.”

“You hate him.”

“I do,” Seokjin agrees, and he feels a familiar flare of anger rise inside of him at the memory of Jungkook’s snide remarks towards him. Maybe it doesn’t make sense for him to be okay with it if he hates Jungkook, but if anything it makes him want it more. 

“It could get messy,” Namjoon says quietly. “What if one of us gets jealous?”

“You want it?” Seokjin asks.

Namjoon takes a deep breath before burying his head into Seokjin’s neck. “I got so hard underwater when he was naked I thought for sure you were going to see it.” He lets out an exasperated laugh, like he can’t believe his own words. 

Seokjin throws his head back when he laughs, feeling surprisingly okay with Namjoon’s confession. He pets his husband’s hair softly, running his fingers through the strands. “You’re allowed to want it.”

“Do you?” Namjoon asks shyly, his breath tickling Seokjin’s skin. “Want him, I mean.”

“Yeah,” he admits to the ceiling, feeling a sense of relief in confessing it. “You’re right — he’s fucking hot.”

“Don’t ever let him hear that, it’ll go to his head,” Namjoon jokes. There’s a lightness in his tone now that he can see he and Seokjin are on the same page. 

“I can’t stand him but I wanna…” Seokjin can’t finish his sentence. 

“Yeah, I get it,” Namjoon nods. “He’s a lot.”

“Is this going to be a bad idea?”

Namjoon turns his head to look at him. “Is it?”

“I don’t know,” Seokjin sighs. “I kind of want to say yes, though.”

“Try it once to see how we like it?”

“Kind of want it just to make him submit to me,” Seokjin snorts. “Fucking brat.”

“He looks like he’d be into that, actually,” Namjoon points out. “If the way he tries to rile you up on purpose means anything.”

Seokjin laughs softly, pushing the thought away. Tiredness wraps around the edges and he feels himself beginning to fall asleep. “So we’re doing this?”

Namjoon’s eyes widen. “I guess we are.”

Seokjin’s heart begins to pound faster from the anticipation of it. “When do we do it?”

“Tomorrow?” Namjoon asks hesitantly. “It’ll have to be before our vacation ends.”

“Fuck,” Seokjin curses. “I mean we’ll probably have to talk about it a little more before, but…”

“Yeah,” Namjoon agrees, and Seokjin can hear the arousal in his tone. He’s never seen his husband get so affected before. “How do we tell him? Do we just like, come right out with it?”

“Would be more fun to seduce him, don’t you think?” Seokjin asks, flicking Namjoon’s chin. “Make him confused and turned on.”

“You’re mean,” Namjoon laughs, but Seokjin can feel his hardness against him, throbbing and hot. 

“You know I’m gonna be mean to him,” Seokjin says nonchalantly. He scoots down until his mouth is at Namjoon’s cock and presses a kiss to his stomach to tease. “You’d like to see me discipline him, wouldn’t you?”

“Y-yeah,” Namjoon gasps, spreading to legs to make room for Seokjin between them when he begins to pull his boxers down. 

Seokjin smirks, thinking of how it’ll be Jungkook in Namjoon’s place soon, whining and pleading for more. He likes the idea of humiliating him — getting revenge for the way Jungkook has made him feel since he met him. 

Seokjin has what Jungkook wants, after all.

“Good. Now be quiet, you don’t want the people in the next room to hear us,” he murmurs before taking Namjoon’s cock into his mouth. 

He ends the night thrumming with the excitement of the threesome, wondering why the idea of fucking someone he hates so much makes him feel so turned on.

Then again, he’s never met anyone like Jungkook before.

Chapter Text

There's a charge between Seokjin and Namjoon now that they know what they want. It makes Seokjin feel warmer, more eager. For once, he actually looks forward to seeing Jungkook, feeling like the power dynamic has shifted in his favour. He thinks about it as he holds his phone to his ear, playing with the waistband of his pants, stretched out along the hotel couch. His feet dig into the armrest, the satin soft against his skin.

"Can you two go over to Jungkook's apartment today?" Jimin asks from the other end, his voice distant like he's away from the speaker as he's speaking.

"Why?" Seokjin asks, holding his phone between his ear and his shoulder as he plays with the chessboard Namjoon left out, fiddling with one of the pieces boredly. 

"He needs help putting up a shelf. He doesn't know how and neither do I," Jimin explains.

Seokjin snickers. "Really? Doesn't it come with directions?"

"He's twenty-three," is Jimin's defence. "He can barely pay his phone bill."

"Jesus," Seokjin says, but secretly he finds it a little funny. He remembers that that used to be him until he moved in with Namjoon and realized he needed to keep two people alive, not just himself. "What makes you think we know how?"

"Namjoon looks like he can build a shelf," Jimin says, and Seokjin can practically hear him shrug from the other end. "Maybe he can do it."

"Sure, whatever," Seokjin says, signalling to Namjoon from across the room. Namjoon looks up from his book, pushing up his glasses to look at Seokjin curiously. It's a good look on him, especially since Namjoon isn't aware of how sexy it is.

"What?" he mouths, setting the book down.

"You're wanted for your shelf-building skills," Seokjin tells him. 

"Oh," Namjoon says thoughtfully, leaning forward. He's dressed only in a sleeveless shirt and a pair of boxers, which ride up on his thighs when he moves. The angle makes the shirt press taut against his chest, accentuating the dip between his pecs. He's been working out more lately, and it's made him fill in more than usual.

"When do you need us to stop by?" Seokjin asks, shifting so that one of his legs is pushed up against his chest, resting his chin on his knee.

"Mmm… around six, maybe? Jungkook sleeps in late and takes a while to clean himself up."

"Yeah, we can do that," Seokjin says, glancing at the clock. It's just past three, and a warm cast of light shines through the hotel window, bathing the floorboards in yellow. He feels a warm tingle in his stomach at the idea of being alone in Jungkook's apartment with him after dark.

"Cool," Jimin says cheerfully. "He'll be expecting you."

Seokjin says his goodbyes and hangs up, looking at Namjoon as soon as the phone goes dead. The two of them sit in silence for a moment, then Namjoon speaks first. 

"Do we just show up?" he asks a little nervously, scratching his cheek. His eyebrows furrow when he's thinking.

"I guess," Seokjin says. 

They get ready in the crowded bathroom together, with Namjoon looking over Seokjin's shoulder to see in the mirror as he brushes his teeth. It feels so domestic and comfortable that Seokjin almost forgets that they've agreed to try and coax Jungkook into bed with them. It's an almost out-of-body feeling, and when he looks at Namjoon's reflection he sees the same nervousness in his eyes.

"Are we gonna…?" Namjoon asks him carefully through the mouthful of toothpaste. Seokjin feels the warmth of him against his back, comforting and broad. 

"Do you want to try tonight?" Seokjin asks him quietly, like he's afraid someone will overhear.

"Do you?" Namjoon counters back. 

Seokjin places a hand on his chest, thick and sturdy. "I'm down for it. If you are."

"Should we bring anything?" Namjoon asks. 

"Do you think we should? Is it too presumptuous of us?"

Namjoon snorts. "I'll feel really stupid about it if he ends up brushing us off. What if he thinks we're too old for him?"

"He seems to be confident about what he wants," Seokjin says. "If he changes his mind then we forget about it. We'll never see him again."

"Imagine the brutal walk of shame back to our car."

Seokjin can't keep back his laugh, hitting Namjoon's chest. "It feels weird, I don't know. Like, shouldn't I feel stronger about this?"

"Like what?" Namjoon asks curiously.

"I don't know," he says honestly. "Angry? Jealous?"

"Do you want to feel that way?"

"No," Seokjin says sincerely. "But threesomes always seem to end badly. Will that happen to us if he says yes?"

Namjoon shakes his head. "I don't think so. And even if it does, we'll work it out." He leans down and captures Seokjin's lips in a sweet, slow kiss. Seokjin is too caught off guard to close his eyes, but he melts into it once he realizes what's happening. 

Namjoon pulls back to rinse his mouth, spitting out his toothpaste in the sink. When he's done, he turns to Seokjin with a shy smile, the front of his shirt damp from the water. "You ready?"

Jungkook's apartment ends up being in one of the poorer parts of LA, separate from the rest of downtown. Seokjin struggles to find parking and has to walk a quarter-mile once he finds a spot to get to the address. It's a crumbling, red brick building with a bar built on the ground floor. The two of them need to walk through the restaurant to get to the staircase that leads up to the apartments, and Seokjin has to grip onto the wooden staircase tightly as he walks up the slanted steps. 

There are two doors at the top of the staircase, each with the apartment number spray-painted onto the front. Jungkook's flat — number 201 — is to the left, and in front of the door is a floor mat and says GO AWAY in dark lettering. Seokjin stifles a smile at the decoration and hesitantly reaches up a hand to knock. 

"Wow… what a place," Namjoon says thoughtfully, holding a small toolbox in his arms. He looks around the hallway curiously, squinting through the dim lighting. 

"He's a student," Seokjin says as a means of explanation. They hear shuffling from behind the door, as well as Jungkook's low voice telling something to get back before it swings open and they're greeted with a disgruntled Jungkook holding back a large, black dog. 

"Get back, Bam! Hoseok, you should've told me you were coming over," Jungkook whines, managing to get the dog back behind a small white gate Seokjin usually only sees used for toddlers. He wonders how it manages to keep back a dog half his height. "I haven't had time to get ready."

"We're not Hoseok," Namjoon says shyly, rubbing the back of his head.

Jungkook looks up in surprise, his jaw dropping a bit comically. He looks like he wasn't expecting guests by the way he's only wearing a pair of shorts that end mid-thigh and dark socks. His hair is messy like he just rolled out of bed and his cheeks are pink from the mid-summer heat. Seokjin glances down to see his piercing before he can stop himself, eyeing the little pink heart that's replaced his normal silver stud. 

"Am I in trouble?" Jungkook asks, looking a bit sheepish. He runs his fingers through his hair in a half-hearted attempt to smooth it down, looking uncharacteristically shy. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Jimin said you needed help building a shelf," Namjoon says, shaking the toolbox in his hand. 

"Oh," Jungkook says, biting his lower lip. "I do, but I didn't know you guys were coming. You can come in, I guess." Seokjin isn’t surprised that Jimin would lie, so he just sighs and decides not to think about why he chose to.

Jungkook steps to the side to let them through, pointing to a rubber shoe mat thrown haphazardly into the corner. Seokjin diligently begins to take off his shoes, resting them neatly next to the pile of worn sneakers and sandals. 

"If I knew you were coming I would have cleaned up," Jungkook says, brushing his hand over his chest like he's self-conscious of being so bare. "Uhm, it's a little messy."

"That's fine," Seokjin says. He kneels down to pet Jungkook's dog, who wiggles around their feet excitedly. "Who is this?"

"Oh, it's my dog," Jungkook says. "Bam. He's friendly, don't worry."

"Hi Bam," Namjoon coos, getting down on his knees to give the dog a kiss.

"Do you guys want anything to drink? It's really hot today and my AC is broken right now, so…" Jungkook asks, looking a bit high-strung with nerves.

"Please," Namjoon says with a friendly smile, and Jungkook seems to relax, going a little starry-eyed. 

He leads them over to his fridge, pointing to a few bottles pushed to the back. The fridge is a little small, so the three of them have to lean down to look. "I have water, beer, and Coke if you guys want that. Oh, I also have vodka but I guess it's too early for that."

Aside from the drinks, there's only an almost-empty jug of milk, a container of what looks like boiled eggs, and a container of fat-free yogurt. It's very college student, but Jungkook doesn't seem to be embarrassed by it as he grabs an apple from a bowl on his counter, taking a bite. 

"Sorry I don't have more," he says. "Usually I just drink whatever."

"'S fine," Seokjin mumbles, reaching for one of the cans of Coke while Namjoon grabs the pitcher of water. Jungkook is all smiles as he grabs a cheap plastic cup from his cupboard and hands it to him, and Seokjin stares when their fingers brush. Namjoon doesn't pull back, and Jungkook looks a little pleased.

"It's probably not as nice as you're used to," Jungkook shrugs, unashamed of his living space. He sits up on the counter, swinging his legs lazily. "But I'm a college student, so,"

"I get it," Namjoon says with a little laugh, taking a sip of his water. "I was once one, too,"

"Yeah, but you look like you'd stay in some luxurious student dorm or something," Jungkook says, scrunching his nose.

"Are there such things?" Seokjin asks a little doubtfully. 

"I dunno," Jungkook says, hopping off the counter. He tosses his half-eaten apple in the trash can and stretches, the muscles on his back flexing with the movement. Seokjin wonders how much of the golden skin is natural, and how much of it is tan from working on the beach all summer. Either way, it looks good on him, Seokjin reluctantly admits. He forces his eyes away when Jungkook grabs a shirt from on top of one of the kitchen chairs and slides it over his head, tugging it down to his hips.

"Where's the shelf?" Namjoon asks.

"Huh?" Jungkook asks, then seems to remember. "It's in my room. It's still in the box. I opened it but couldn't figure out the instructions."

"No problem," Namjoon says brightly, and if Seokjin doesn't know better he'd never think his plan was to seduce Jungkook into bed with him. "Wanna show us to it?"

"Yeah sure," Jungkook says distractedly, ruffling the hair on the back of his head as he turns and leads them through the cramped apartment. It's clean but shabby, with only a few pieces of haphazardly placed furniture around the room. There's a living room built into the kitchen, a washroom, and what must be Jungkook's bedroom in the wall opposite the front door. Jungkook turns the knob and steps inside, revealing his room.

"Don't mind the mess," he says as he steps to the side to let them through.

The room isn't messy, but there's a distinct boy quality to it that Seokjin recognizes from every frat bedroom he's been in. The bed is dressed in messy blue sheets, the walls are covered in rock band posters, and the nightstand is cluttered with junk. A TV is hoisted on the wall, playing a cartoon on mute, and underneath it is a light green bong beside a crystal ashtray. Seokjin can smell the faint tones of something earthy and heady in the air, mixed with fabric softener and cologne. 

Jungkook sits on the edge of his mattress, pointing to a white box on the ground surrounded by crinkled plastic wrap. "Everything should be in there. I don't know if there's anything else you need to build it."

"I brought extra stuff anyway," Namjoon explains, kneeling onto the floor to take a better look. Jungkook watches Namjoon more than he watches what he's doing, staring openly at his face while he flips through the manual. Seokjin is guilty of watching Jungkook, taking in his every expression. 

"You're good at building stuff?" Jungkook asks a little too excitedly.

"I know a little," Namjoon says bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck. 

Jungkook looks at Seokjin then, something wicked forming in his eyes. "Are you any good at this sort of thing, Seokjin-hyung?"

Seokjin's neck prickles with annoyance already, tensing up. "Not really, why?"

"Then why'd you come?" Jungkook asks innocently.

Seokjin nods towards Jungkook's nightstand, where a bottle of lotion and tissues sits out unabashedly. "Because I'm the one who drove. You just jerk off in the open, or something? Too lazy to put it away?"

"I get ashy," Jungkook says easily, tilting his head back. "You should use lotion every night, hyung."

"Ashy on your dick?" Seokjin jabs.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"It says it's supposed to include four brackets, but I'm not seeing them," Namjoon says to himself quietly, ignoring their bickering. 

"I can check to see if maybe they fell out," Jungkook offers immediately, leaning in closer so that his chin is hovering over Namjoon's shoulder. "I opened the box in the kitchen."

"I brought some of my own, it's okay," Namjoon says. He turns his head to look at Jungkook as he speaks, and their noses almost knock together. Jungkook makes no move to pull back, his eyes flickering down to look at Namjoon's lips for a moment before they return to making eye contact.

"If you're sure," Jungkook says simply, his voice sweet and melodic. Seokjin wonders where he gets the guts to flirt with Namjoon so openly in front of him. But then maybe he shouldn't care since they plan to give Jungkook exactly what he wants anyway. He probably shouldn’t fight with him. 

"Let me see," Seokjin says suddenly, standing up. He walks over to the two of them and stands between, resting one hand lightly on Jungkook's waist for balance. Jungkook's skin is warm, even through his shirt. Seokjin wonders if his heart is racing. 

"Mm?" Jungkook asks, a little surprised sound. He doesn't pull away, but Seokjin can see that he's startled by the touch. Jungkook looks conflicted, but he seems to decide to let it be and turns back to watch what Namjoon is doing, leaning in almost imperceptibly closer to Seokjin's touch. 

Interesting. 

Very little of Jungkook is soft, even if the shape of his chest and thighs through his clothes makes it look like he would be. Seokjin squeezes lightly just to see and is surprised by the ungiving, firm muscle underneath his hand. He slowly traces his fingers down to Jungkook's hip to grip instead and feels the way Jungkook stiffens underneath him momentarily before relaxing. 

He smells a little sweeter this close, too. Faintly of Coke and chapstick instead of the boyish smell Seokjin expected, like aftershave or Axe. But then again, Jungkook doesn't seem like that kind of guy to begin with, so maybe it shouldn't come as a shock. 

"Ah, I found them," Namjoon announces, holding up the little metal pieces. Seokjin doesn't know what they are. "The instructions make it seem fairly easy to put together. We pretty much just screw it to the wall."

"You're the expert," Jungkook shrugs, pulling back when Namjoon moves to stand. The movement causes him to back up into Seokjin's chest and Jungkook stumbles a little to catch his balance before quickly stepping away. Seokjin doesn't know if to be satisfied or offended.

"Where do you want it?" Namjoon asks, glancing around the room. Seokjin mirrors him, his eyes catching on Nine Inch Nails and KMFDM posters before wandering back to Jungkook. 

"Over here," Jungkook says, leading them to an empty space on the crowded wall. "I'm not really supposed to put these up, but I don't think my landlord will care. I want to put CDs on it."

"Gotcha," Namjoon says with a little smile. "Okay, hold it level for me while I drill the holes."

Jungkook holds the shelf obediently while Namjoon digs through his toolbox for the drill. When he finds it, he steps behind Jungkook and leans over him, his breath ghosting across the back of his neck. Seokjin is surprised by the forwardness, and Namjoon must be shy about it too since his cheeks look a little pink from this angle. It must be out of his comfort zone to initiate flirting with someone else. Even when they first met Namjoon never made the first move. 

Part of the fun of this is just seeing Namjoon's dynamic with Jungkook — the shy, unsure way he fumbles around him. Seokjin knows what it's like when Namjoon's horny, and knows what it's like when he wants. What he's never seen until now, however, is that attraction directed at someone else. 

Jungkook squeaks a little, his hands shaking and causing the shelf to go unsteady. Seokjin smirks.

"Careful," Namjoon chastises softly. "We don't want it to be crooked." He places his hands over Jungkook's and guides them back into position. 

"Sorry," Jungkook says meekly, looking like he's not quite sure what to think. He seems to embrace it though and looks over the moon from the contact when Namjoon's chest is finally flush with his back. 

Seokjin leans against the wall as he watches him, feeling a strange satisfaction from seeing them together. Admittedly they look good, and Seokjin knows it's nothing serious — nothing more than physical attraction between the two of them. It doesn't translate to jealousy because Seokjin knows that Namjoon is his, so he lets himself wonder how they'd look in bed together. If that awkward shyness would be present there, too. 

Jungkook looks at him then, and he seems to be searching Seokjin's eyes for something. Seokjin is careful not to let his thoughts show on his face, and Jungkook must be conflicted by what he sees because he looks away quickly, watching Namjoon finish drilling the holes. Seokjin expects him to make a biting comment — something to rub in about the way Namjoon is so close to him, but it doesn't come. 

The shelf goes up easily and Jungkook looks excited when he sees it finished, running to grab a box of CDs from his closet. He holds a few of them up to show Namjoon, the fronts a little scuffed and worn from heavy use. Still, the way he holds them is gentle. 

"These are my favourites," Jungkook says happily, leaning in closer until their shoulders bump. "I've been collecting them for years."

"I can tell," Namjoon says with a smile that shows his dimples and Jungkook's mouth parts, his eyes going a little hazy. "I think it's cool when people have a collection they're really passionate about."

"You have dimples," he mumbles. Seokjin is reminded then that Jungkook's attraction is solely for Namjoon, and his fuzzy feelings go back to a mix of annoyance and angry arousal.

"Yes," Namjoon laughs. "I've had them this whole time."

Jungkook frowns. "I never noticed."

"Probably because you weren't looking for them."

Jungkook looks away indignantly as he begins to carefully line up his CDs on his new shelf. He looks proud when it's done, and turns to them both with a big smile. It makes him look younger. Softer around the edges.

"Thank you for helping me, hyung. Do you want to order food or something…? You don't have to go yet," he says, almost a little desperately.

"We'll stay," Seokjin says, deciding to take advantage of the opportunity. "We can have a few beers before going home."

"Aren't you driving?" Namjoon asks.

Seokjin shrugs. "It's not too far. We can bus back if we need to."

"Yeah?" Jungkook asks, looking between them. "You'll stay?"

"Why not?" Seokjin shrugs. "We have nothing else to do."

The kitchen is cramped with just the three of them and they spread out around the small table as Jungkook grabs a few beers from the fridge. He flicks the metal cap off of it and chugs half of it, already looking more relaxed when he sits down with them. Namjoon isn't big into beer and neither is Seokjin, but it tastes better in the sweltering apartment with nothing but a rotating table fan to combat the heat. 

"S' good," Jungkook says with a sigh. "Sorry if it tastes cheap, it's all I can afford."

"It's fine," Namjoon reassures him. "Beer is beer."

"I don't know about that," Jungkook laughs, but seems to accept Namjoon's words. 

The kitchen is a small wooden table squeezed between the cabinets, surrounded by mismatched chairs with peeling upholstery. There's a dog bowl a foot away from Seokjin's feet and a hamper full of laundry Jungkook must be planning to wash. It's lived-in and comfortable, even if it's too small for the three of them.

"You like rock music?" Seokjin asks to make conversation.

"Yeah," Jungkook says, running his finger along the neck of the bottle. "Alternative rock, mostly."

"It's too loud for me," Seokjin says mindlessly. "My dad used to listen to it a lot." 

"Your dad rocks," Jungkook says, swirling the beer around before he takes a sip. "What do you listen to, jazz?" he asks snidely.

"Pop music actually," Seokjin retorts. "Namjoon is the one who listens to jazz."

"Jazz can be cool," Jungkook quickly rectifies with a smile, but swiftly kicks Seokjin underneath the table where Namjoon won't see it. Seokjin hisses in pain, reaching down to rub his ankle. Fucker. 

Still, he wants to get Jungkook in bed with him, not fight with him, so he innocently slides his foot closer to Jungkook's underneath the table while Namjoon talks about one of the artists he listens to. Jungkook is too busy hanging onto every word to notice, and when Seokjin's foot finally nudges his, his eyes flicker over to him momentarily with suspicion like he's expecting to fight. 

Seokjin carefully avoids his gaze, looking down at the label on the cheap beer he's drinking. Namjoon was generous to say it tasted fine, but Seokjin doesn't share that same sentiment. He'd rather distract himself with something else. 

"Have you heard of Chet Baker?" Namjoon asks, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table.

Jungkook shakes his head silently and Seokjin takes the opportunity to move his foot a little closer so that it rubs against Jungkook's bare ankle. Jungkook jolts a little and Seokjin hears his knee bump the underside of the table. It causes their drinks to wobble and Jungkook has the decency to look a little ashamed — a look that Seokjin really, really likes on him. 

"Uhm," Jungkook says eloquently. "Do you like him?"

"He's great. I can give you one of his CDs if you like," Namjoon offers while Jungkook looks like he doesn't know what to do, staring at Seokjin less subtly this time. Seokjin gives nothing away in his expression as he brushes his foot softly over Jungkook's skin. The touch is too tame to be sensual, but there's an unwritten intention there that Jungkook doesn't seem to miss, he just doesn't know how to read it. Seokjin wonders how long it will take for him to figure it out. 

"I'd love that," Jungkook breathes, and Seokjin can tell he's begun to bounce his leg with nerves. Just to tease him further he lets his leg wander a little higher, touching Jungkook's calf. 

"Awesome," Namjoon smiles, standing up with his beer. "Is it alright if I grab another?" he asks politely, motioning towards the fridge.

Jungkook nods. Namjoon squeezes his shoulder as he walks by the back of his chair and Jungkook looks a little woozy, slumping forward. Then, he gives Seokjin a scathing glare, opening his mouth like he wants to say something. 

Namjoon beats him to it. "We could order pizza if you want," he says. "I'll pay."

"Would you do that, hyung?" Jungkook asks hopefully, and the change in expression irritates Seokjin so much he punishes Jungkook by lifting his leg and pressing his foot against Jungkook's cock through his shorts. Anything he was going to say quickly evaporates as he shudders out a sigh, gripping Seokjin's ankle tightly to keep him from pressing harder.

Seokjin is surprised to find that Jungkook is already half-hard against his thigh and he wonders how long he was hiding that under the table. He kind of wants to scold Jungkook for it — kind of wants to make him harder. He chooses the latter.

Namjoon doesn't pay them any attention as he grabs his cell phone out of his pocket and begins to dial the number. Jungkook looks like he's two seconds away from moaning and Seokjin can feel the way he steadily lengthens and thickens underneath his foot. It really doesn't take much and Seokjin would be embarrassed if he was that easy, and Jungkook looks like he's feeling every ounce of that shame. 

"What do you guys want?" Namjoon asks, leaning against the fridge. From this angle, he can see Jungkook's face and Seokjin knows he's picked up on the fact that something is happening under the table. 

"Joon will get you anything," Seokjin says sweetly, stepping down harder and Jungkook shudders out a sigh, rutting softly into the touch. Seokjin can feel the shift of his hips, the way he gently rolls them into his touch to get friction.

"Uhm. Meat lover's please," Jungkook manages to croak out. "Or anything. I don't care."

Namjoon hums, waiting for the phone to ring. "What about wings? Garlic bread?"

"Sure," Jungkook says quickly, wincing when Seokjin steps down in a way that hurts. Anything."

"I'd like wings," Seokjin says casually, taking a sip of his beer. There's a flush spreading down Jungkook's neck and the room is beginning to feel even warmer. Sweltering. "What's your favourite sauce, Jungkook?"

"Hot," Jungkook says, his eyes growing lidded. "I mean, spicy. As spicy as possible."

"Are you a masochist or something?" Namjoon teases, smiling in a way that shows his dimples again. Seokjin feels Jungkook's cock twitch under his foot. 

"Get the wings breaded and spicy," Seokjin says. "And garlic bread with cheese. We can all share a large meat lover's."

"Okay," Namjoon says, turning to step into the other room to take the call.

Jungkook exhales heavily when Namjoon leaves, and he looks at Seokjin with flushed cheeks.

"Hyung… what…" he says, shifting his hips subtly like he still wants to get closer. Like he wants Seokjin to do more. He doesn't let go of Seokjin's ankle even when he alleviates the pressure off of his cock. 

"You were hard under the table this whole time?" Seokjin asks with a mean little laugh, dragging his foot across the shape of the head of Jungkook's cock. Jungkook can't keep back his moan this time, closing his eyes. 

"Not the whole time," Jungkook denies.

"No? Just when Namjoon was talking to you about his music?"

"Shut up," Jungkook moans, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his neck. He looks wrecked and he's barely been touched. "Hyung, why…"

Seokjin takes his foot away without warning, elegantly tucking it back under his chair. Jungkook groans in disappointment, slumping forward.

"That's nasty," he says meanly. "Getting hard in front of my husband like that."

"Ugh," Jungkook says quietly, taking a sip of his forgotten beer like he hopes it will ground him. "It wasn't him, it was—"

Whatever he planned to say is forgotten because Namjoon returns to the room at the moment. "I ordered it. It should be here within an hour."

"Cool," Seokjin says brightly. "We could watch a movie."

"Jungkook looks a bit hot," Namjoon teases, petting the back of Jungkook's neck where his hair is damp with sweat. Jungkook looks like he could cum from that stimulation alone. 

"Yeah," Jungkook says weakly, his shoulders slumping in like he's embarrassed. "I might go wash my face with cold water to cool off."

"No cold shower, too?" Seokjin asks, just to antagonize him.

Jungkook looks away, blushing instead of giving a clever retort like Seokjin expected. "Ah... no."

He flees before anyone else can get a word in and Namjoon watches Jungkook's retreating back for a moment before looking back at Seokjin, the question clear in his eyes. Seokjin snickers.

"Jungkook got hard under the table while you were talking to him," he explains casually, downing the rest of his beer. It won't be enough to make him woozy, but he wants to stay sober tonight anyway.

"Really?" Namjoon asks, getting a bit shy with disbelief. He keeps his voice low so that Jungkook won't hear. "From just that?"

Seokjin shrugs. "He really wants you."

"Should I touch him?" Namjoon asks carefully, like he's afraid of overstepping boundaries. 

"Do it," Seokjin laughs. "I stepped on his cock under the table and he loved it. Mess with him a little." Maybe he should have discussed that with Namjoon before he did it, but he doesn't seem to be bothered by the confession, just surprised.

"Okay," Namjoon says, sounding a little dazed. He looks over when Jungkook steps out of the washroom, looking with interest at the water droplets clinging to his chin and neck, which he wipes away with the back of his hand. Jungkook hesitates a little when he approaches Seokjin and Namjoon, and Seokjin is disappointed by the fact that his shirt covers the front of his shorts. He wonders if he's still hard. 

"Want a beer before we watch a movie?" Seokjin asks, moving to stand in front of the fridge. "Something to tie you off before the food gets here?"

"Okay," Jungkook says, hovering behind him. When Seokjin turns out their chests nearly bump and Jungkook takes a step back, looking up at Seokjin nervously. He knocks into the cupboard and his eyes widen when Seokjin moves into his space, pressing the cold bottle into his hand. Seokjin can feel the difference in their height better at this proximity, and he's a little smug to see that he has about an inch on Jungkook. Jungkook swallows, his eyelashes fluttering. Seokjin doesn't wait for his thanks before he moves past him to the living room.

The couch is crowded with the three of them, and Seokjin has to squeeze all the way against the armrest to fit. Namjoon takes the other end, leaving space for Jungkook between them. Jungkook leans a little closer to Namjoon, their arms brushing together.

Jungkook looks good even when he's doing nothing, the remnants of his teenage years still showing in his messy, unkempt appearance and the bright sparkle in his eyes, blended with the unmistakable manliness of his early 20s. Even the way he crushes on Namjoon is juvenile — a bit infatuated, a bit innocent despite all the dirty things he must want to do to him. Jungkook is insufferable, but Seokjin can deal with that. 

A few days ago he never would've thought he'd be sitting down watching a movie with Jungkook, and even Jungkook seems to be a little unsure about the shift in Seokjin's friendliness, but he seems to decide not to question it as he flips through the movies on Netflix, searching for something to watch. 

"What kind of movies do you like to watch, Jungkook?" Namjoon asks, turning to look at him. The movement makes Namjoon's knee bump against Jungkook's bare thigh, and Seokjin doesn't miss the way Jungkook glances down at the contact. 

"Mm, horror movies are cool," Jungkook says, swallowing. "And action. Anything cool."

"You can pick whatever you like," Seokjin says, uncharacteristically kind. "I like romance movies."

"Really?" Jungkook asks, looking at Seokjin with disgust. Seokjin immediately rethinks his kindness.

"So do I," Namjoon laughs lightly.

"Whatever you want, hyung," Jungkook quickly corrects, sending Namjoon a sweet smile. As punishment, Seokjin slides a hand up Jungkook's thigh and pinches the soft skin where his shorts ride up. Jungkook makes a muffled sound, quickly covering Seokjin's hand with his own. It's warm.

"Pick anything," Seokjin reminds him, flattening out his hand to cup Jungkook's thigh. Namjoon catches on to what he's doing and cautiously rests a hand on Jungkook's shoulder, running his thumb over the bare skin revealed where his sleeve slides down his arm.

"Uh," Jungkook falters, looking between them, then at the TV. "Okay." He seems to choose something without thinking, or maybe Seokjin just wasn't looking, but the movie isn't what he came for anyway. The opening credits begin to play, and a far-away, faded look forms in Jungkook's eyes as he leans back against the couch to stare at the TV. 

Seokjin sneaks glances at Namjoon when Jungkook won't notice instead of watching the movie. Namjoon's wedding ring reflects the light of the screen when it brightens, making the metal shimmer, and he thinks it must be wrong to find it hot that his husband's ring is touching another man, touching Jungkook. He wonders if Jungkook has noticed the press of metal into his skin. If he knows the implications behind it.

It would be really hot, he thinks, to see him kiss Namjoon. To see Namjoon cup Jungkook's jaw with the hand he wears his ring on and seals their lips together. Fuck, what's wrong with him? 

The movie Jungkook picked isn't a romance, but it starts with a sex scene anyway, and Seokjin gets a bit warmer as the sounds of sex spill through the speakers. When Jungkook's legs shift Seokjin notices it, squeezing his hand a little bit lighter where it never left, making him squirm. He's really feeling the lack of AC now, his shirt beginning to cling to his back where he leans against the couch.

"Ah," Jungkook hisses quietly, balancing his beer carefully in one hand as he runs the other over Seokjin's hand. He looks at him curiously, a clear question in his eyes. The sound makes something darker swirl in Seokjin's head — the thought of putting Jungkook in his place and pinning him down for being such a brat to him all the time. 

"Sorry," Seokjin says insincerely, soothing the area before letting go, moving his hand down to Jungkook's knee. 

"For cheap beer, that stuff was good," Namjoon says with a soft smile.

"Oh, really?" Jungkook giggles, looking pleased. "I was worried you wouldn't like it."

"No, it was great," Namjoon reassures him. "I'd get another but I don't want to get up."

"Oh, you can have some of mine," Jungkook offers a little too eagerly, holding the bottle out.

"Thank you," Namjoon says thankfully, gently wrapping his hand around Jungkook's where it grips the bottle instead of taking it and guiding it to his mouth. He drinks slowly, his throat bobbing with the movement and Jungkook watches, transfixed. Seokjin sees him lick his bottom lip, shifting his legs again. Seokjin wonders if he's starting to get hard again. To test the theory, he rests his hand on the small of Jungkook's back. Unsurprisingly, Jungkook jolts a little, making Namjoon choke. 

"Fuck, sorry," Jungkook apologizes, sounding a little spaced-out.

"It's okay," Namjoon says, laughing as he wipes the spilled beer from his lips. Jungkook looks like he wants to kiss him. Seokjin might let him.

There's the sound of kissing still coming from the TV and Seokjin's heartbeat is racing fast in his chest. Absent-mindedly, he drags his fingers along the hem of Jungkook's shirt and when he accidentally touches bare skin he holds his breath. Jungkook stills.

The doorbell rings and Seokjin snatches his hand back.

"I'll get it," Namjoon announces, getting up without another glance. Seokjin wonders how he can look so unaffected and it gives him whiplash. Jungkook doesn't speak to him while Namjoon is gone, looking blushy and restless as he watches the movie. The kiss scene passes and with it the tension between them.

Namjoon comes back a minute later with the two pizzas and wings in his arm. He rests it gently on the coffee table in front of them. "Where do you keep your plates?"

"In the cupboard above the sink," Jungkook says, eyeing the food hungrily. "Thank you for paying, hyung."

"It's no worries," Namjoon says brightly. He even loads Jungkook's plate for him, and Seokjin has half a mind to tell him not to be too nice to the kid in case he gets spoiled. 

"This is really nice," Jungkook giggles, tucking his knees up to his chest. He drinks the rest of his beer with his food, looking happy and relaxed. "It's so good." He looks at Namjoon with wide eyes again, a little too hopefully. 

"Thanks for paying, baby," Seokjin murmurs, placing his hand on Jungkook's shoulder to use as leverage to lean closer and kiss Namjoon softly. Namjoon hums against his lips, returning the kiss. It's slow and gentle, and close enough for Jungkook to hear the quiet sounds of their mouths. They normally never kiss in front of friends, but this time Seokjin wants Jungkook to see . 

"Oh," Jungkook says quietly. 

Seokjin presses his hand harder into Jungkook's skin, running his tongue along Namjoon's bottom lip when he pulls away. Jungkook exhales audibly, his breath fanning across Seokjin's cheek. When Seokjin glances at him, he sees desire in his eyes. 

"It's no worries," Namjoon says faintly. Seokjin squeezes Jungkook's shoulder, feeling him shiver.

"Do you have anyone you're into?" Seokjin asks Jungkook. "Anyone you're exclusive to?"

"No," Jungkook says wistfully. "You know that I mostly just fuck around…"

"You just want Joon, right?" Seokjin asks knowingly.

Jungkook squirms a little. "Yeah..."

"You can kiss him you know," he says casually, taking delight in the shock that colours Jungkook's features. "If you want to."

"Huh?" Jungkook asks, looking caught, quickly switching his gaze to Namjoon.

"You were staring. It's what you've wanted, right?" Seokjin asks. "The chance to kiss him?"

"Really?" Jungkook asks, like he didn't expect to actually get the opportunity. He's almost a bit scared when he looks at Namjoon questioningly.

"Yeah," Namjoon agrees. "You can."

"A kiss?" Jungkook asks, just to be sure. 

"Yes," Seokjin reassures.

Jungkook swallows, considering. Then, he seems to decide that he wants because he slowly begins to leave in closer, shifting so that his chest is almost bumping into Namjoon's. He's almost innocent with how he rests his hands on Namjoon's arms, squeezing his biceps appreciatively. He stares like he's seeing Namjoon for the first time, drinking in every detail. Namjoon is patient and waits for him to finish, waiting for Jungkook to kiss him. If Seokjin doesn't know better, he'd think it looked almost romantic.

"You want to, right?" Seokjin asks lowly, running his hand up the middle of Jungkook's spine.

"Yeah," he says shakily. "You're not going to change your mind, right? Or beat me up?"

"I promise I won't," Seokjin swears. "It would be kind of hot to see you two kiss. And you haven't been subtle in asking."

"Hoseok almost killed me," Jungkook laughs breathily. "He cussed me out so bad when I went back to his apartment the day I met you. Told me I should leave you two alone, but…"

"You didn't though," Seokjin points out. He hated it at first, but now he gets turned on by Jungkook's impulsiveness. His lack of self-control. The way he pines for Namjoon so openly, encouraging Seokjin to scold him for it.

"It was worth it," Jungkook giggles, not an ounce of shame in his voice. Namjoon smiles back, curling an arm around his waist. Jungkook sighs, shifting closer. 

"Are you gonna kiss me?" Namjoon asks.

"It feels weird," Jungkook giggles. "Like it's a trap."

"I promise it's not," Namjoon smiles back. He rests a hand on Jungkook's jaw, rubbing the soft skin. 

Slowly, Jungkook leans in. He stares at Namjoon's face before he kisses him, blinking softly as he scans up and down his face like he's seeing him for the first time. Seokjin expected Jungkook to be hungry and desperate — eager in the way younger guys usually are when they get something they want, but Jungkook is gentle when he clumsily slots his lips against Namjoon's, sliding his hands up to cup his face. 

Seokjin sighs at the sight, feeling something warm and dangerous pool in his stomach because fuck it's a lot hotter than it seemed in his head. There's something about seeing the broadness of Namjoon next to all of the thick muscle of Jungkook, their chests bumping together when they tilt their heads just right. The needy sounds Jungkook makes into Namjoon's mouth, pulling him closer like he's desperate while Namjoon melts into it, letting himself be kissed hungrily. Jungkook takes the lead of the kiss, but there's no dominance behind it — just need. 

"Is it good?" Seokjin asks, fisting a hand in Jungkook's hair as he kisses him. "Everything you imagined in your head?" The sound of their lips together is wet and sticky, the drag of skin suggestive as Jungkook moves to get closer, almost hovering over Namjoon's lap. Once Jungkook seems to accept that what he's having is real he takes advantage of it, taking more and more like he's waiting to be told to stop. 

"Yes," he gasps, breaking apart for a moment before pressing hungry kisses to Namjoon's jaw. Namjoon leans his head back pliantly, allowing access to all his skin. He cups the back of Jungkook's head to pull his lips in closer, sighing at the feeling of the kisses across his neck. 

Seokjin worried he'd be jealous or angry, but all he wants is to see them do more. To see both of them fall apart. 

Carefully, he rests his hands on either side of Jungkook's tiny, tiny waist and guides him to sit properly on Namjoon's lap. He feels the muscles flex under his hands as Jungkook cautiously lowers himself down, and it must feel good because the both of them moan softly, their lips breaking apart to catch their breath.

Before pulling away, Jungkook ducks his head into Namjoon's neck, kissing a spot above his collarbone. Namjoon hums, pleased, but it melts into a hiss when Jungkook bites down hard, sucking at the skin until it comes away dark red with a bruise. Jungkook grins, brushing his thumb over the hickey covered in a thin sheen of spit. 

"Sorry," Jungkook says disingenuously, leaning back. "I probably should have asked first."

Namjoon looks just as much of a wreck as Jungkook does, his cheeks flushed and his chest heaving. He touches the hickey shyly, light pink dusting across his cheeks. Seokjin should be mad maybe — Jungkook marked his husband without asking, but Seokjin feels all of that anger pool down towards his cock instead of his head. 

"How was it?" Seokjin asks both of them instead of acknowledging it, his eyes still on the bruise. 

Jungkook adjusts his hips instead of answering, pushing back his hair. 

"Jungkook is a good kisser," Namjoon says, dragging his hands up Jungkook's thick chest. Jungkook preens.

"Do I have to stop?" Jungkook asks, looking at Seokjin for permission. Seokjin wonders if he'd disobey him and kiss Namjoon anyway if he said no. He almost tests the theory. 

"Keep going," he says simply. 

Jungkook sighs gratefully as he tilts his head to kiss Namjoon again without questioning it. He doesn't bother to hide the way his tongue licks against Namjoon's, messy and wet. It's like he wants Seokjin to see it — wants to see the way he stakes a claim on his husband now that he's been given the permission. 

He'd been on the receiving end of Namjoon's arousal more times than he can count — has fucked him and had him inside him, and still, it feels completely different to see Namjoon like this from the outside, watching someone else turn him on and make him feel good. Without thinking, Seokjin gently pushes them closer together, watching their lips press together again while they kiss open-mouthed.

"You two look so good together," Seokjin muses. "Does Jungkook feel good on top of you?"

"Yes," Namjoon gasps, his big hands splaying out against Jungkook's back. It makes Jungkook look small. Seokjin likes the look of it. 

Jungkook moves to kiss Namjoon's neck again, his hair shorter in the back where it's buzzed closer to his neck. Seokjin brushes the strands teasingly, smirking when Jungkook shivers. 

"How many nights did you think about this?" Seokjin asks, his voice a murmur as he ghosts his fingertips along Jungkook's neck. Jungkook makes a soft, pleased sound, his kisses loud and wet against Namjoon's skin. Seokjin wonders if he'll be bold enough to bite down and leave another mark. He wonders why he wants Jungkook to try. 

"What else do you want?" he asks, leaning in closer until he can feel the warmth of Jungkook against his skin. "If you could have it."

Jungkook breaks the kiss, a thin trail of spit clinging between their lips. Namjoon looks just as dazed, the two of them licking their swollen, red lips as they catch their breaths. It's a sight. 

"Uh," Jungkook says, looking like he's struggling to catch up with his own thoughts. "Mm."

"What?" Seokjin asks, gently tucking a strand of hair behind Jungkook's blush-tinged ear. It's invigorating seeing Jungkook so hesitant — so unsure. Like Seokjin finally has something over him. 

Jungkook's expression turns devious, his shyness disappearing. "Is this a cuck-holding thing for you? You like watching your husband with another man?"

Seokjin feels his annoyance flare. "What?"

Jungkook grins at him, his eyes sparkling. "Most men don't like having their partner touched by someone else… How come you like it? Not that I mind."

"What makes you think I'll just be watching?" Seokjin asks sharply, playing with the hem of Jungkook's shirt. Jungkook's eyes shift down to see, torn between staring at Seokjin's hand or his eyes. 

Jungkook falters.

"Did I tell you to stop?" Seokjin retorts.

"Oh," Jungkook says softly, glancing down at Seokjin's lips. He stares for a moment, contemplating, and Seokjin gets the crazy thought that Jungkook might be considering kissing him, but then Jungkook quickly looks away and focuses his attention back onto Namjoon. After all, why would Jungkook want to kiss him?

"Didn't you want a threesome?" Seokjin asks, dragging his fingers up into the longer, softer parts of Jungkook's hair. He grips the locks gently, tugging only slightly.

"Ah," Jungkook moans quietly, letting his head be angled backwards. "Fuck, are you offering?"

"Maybe," Namjoon says ambiguously. "Would you be interested if we were?"

"Did you plan this?" Jungkook asks instead, almost disbelievingly. 

"A little," Seokjin says simply. "No pressure if you don't want it."

Jungkook shudders again, burying his face in Namjoon's neck. "Fuck, I really want it."

"How do you want it?" Namjoon asks.

"In my bed?" Jungkook asks cautiously, looking between them. "It's the only one. Unless you want the couch…"

"Let's do it in your bed," Seokjin decides, leaning over Jungkook's shoulder to kiss his husband again. Namjoon melts into it, and Seokjin places his hands on Jungkook's shoulders to use as leverage to deepen the kiss, pressing even closer. His chest becomes flush with Jungkook's back and Jungkook trembles against him, his heartbeat racing under Seokjin's fingers. Jungkook squirms a little, which pushes him back into Seokjin's arms as he kisses Namjoon hungrily, hoping Jungkook can see the movement of his tongue.

"Oh," Jungkook sighs. "Wow."

Seokjin feels Jungkook's breath ghost across his cheek and a phantom hand brushes down his arm hesitantly. Then, a pair of lips press against the corner of his mouth, kissing both him and Namjoon softly from the side. The kiss is almost shy — more of a peck than anything. Seokjin is surprised that Jungkook would kiss them both, but also a little pleased. He pulls back to let Jungkook kiss Namjoon again, noting that Jungkook looks a little disappointed that their kiss ended so soon. Maybe he's more of a voyeur than Seokjin thought.

"Do you have condoms and lube?" he asks him. "We brought some anyway, but if you have your own…"

"Yeah," Jungkook nods quickly. "Lots. And I'm clean."

"Okay, let's go," Seokjin says airily, pulling away to stand up. Namjoon copies him just as quickly, leaving Jungkook stumbling and confused on the couch. 

"Okay," Jungkook agrees, recalibrating for a moment before walking over to his bedroom. He looks a bit shaky and excited when he walks, struggling with the doorknob for a moment before opening it. It's a little awkward, but Jungkook doesn't look like he's noticed it. 

"There are some rules, though," Seokjin says as he takes a seat beside Namjoon on the bed. Jungkook looks at him warily, waiting. "If either I or Namjoon say stop, the entire thing is called off. The same goes if you change your mind and don't want it anymore. If there's anything you're not okay with now, tell us."

Jungkook shakes his head, shutting the door behind them. He snickers a little at their serious tone, making Seokjin feel stupid. "Do whatever you want to me, I don't care."

"Yeah?" Seokjin says, feeling something churn inside his stomach at the implication. "As for our limits, you can touch as much as you want without asking, but if either Namjoon or I feel disrespected as a couple we'll end it."

"Ah, I'm a little disrespectful though," Jungkook teases, lifting his shirt up and over his head. He's already pink from arousal, a pretty colour that spreads all the way down to the V in his hips. "You know that."

Seokjin tries not to let it rile him up. "You know what I mean."

"And if I am?" Jungkook asks, tantalizingly. He pushes down his shorts shamelessly until he's just in his boxers — tiny things that hug his thighs obscenely. Seokjin can see the outline of his half-hard dick through the thin fabric. "Will you punish me?"

"We'll leave," Seokjin says coldly, deciding to keep his clothes on for now. 

"That's no fun," Jungkook whines, flopping on his back on the mattress, making the bed frame shake. "I like to get a little mouthy."

"What else do you like?" Namjoon asks lowly, placing a hand on Jungkook's flushed, bare chest. Jungkook turns towards him, grinning. 

"I wanna fuck you in front of your husband," Jungkook says casually. "And I want him to watch."

"Yeah?" Namjoon asks, his voice coming out strained.

Jungkook lifts himself up and leans in closer to Namjoon, cupping his cheek with one hand. Seokjin watches the exchange closely, saying nothing. 

"And I want to fuck you better than he can," Jungkook says sweetly. "I bet I can do it better."

This right here is the kind of disrespect Seokjin was talking about, but for some reason it burns good and he hums, stepping closer so that he's within reach of them both. 

"You really think your cock is that good?" Seokjin goads, gripping the back of Jungkook's hair. "When you're so inexperienced?"

"I'm not inexperienced," Jungkook whines.

"No?" Seokjin asks mockingly. "Prove it, then. Fuck my husband." He helps himself to Jungkook's nightstand drawers, raising an eyebrow at the rolling papers and bag of weed at the bottom next to the travel-sized bottle of lube and condoms. He tosses them on the bed and takes in their stares as he waits for them to make the next move. 

"Ah, can I?" Jungkook asks eagerly, a little cautiously. 

"How do you want him?" Seokjin asks. "On his back? His knees? On your lap?"

Jungkook shudders, his cock visibly twitching in his tight boxers. Seokjin kind of wants to rip them off.

"Do you even think you could give it to him the way he wants?" Seokjin jeers, tapping Jungkook's cheek lightly. The skin is soft and flushed dark from his arousal and his eyes flutter from the touch.

"Can you?" Jungkook asks, something mischievous glittering in his eyes. "Otherwise why would he want me?"

"What makes you think he wants you? Maybe this is all for me,” Seokjin says easily, curling a hand around Jungkook’s waist to pull him in closer. 

Jungkook's throat bobs and he glances down at Seokjin's crotch, like he's looking for some indication that he's hard. His expression dims a little when Seokjin's loose-fitting clothes give nothing away.

"How do you want him?" Seokjin repeats.

"His knees," Jungkook says without hesitation. He looks out of breath. 

"Okay," Namjoon says, beginning to lift his shirt up and over his head. Jungkook stares open-mouthed at all the golden, rippling skin with awe, looking like he wants to reach out and touch. He moves into position without waiting to be told to, and Jungkook stares in awe.

"Do you want to prep him?" Seokjin asks, placing a hand on the back of Jungkook's neck as he watches Namjoon undress. "Do you even know how?"

"I know how," Jungkook insists, sounding a little shivery and timid from Seokjin's degrading tone. Maybe they should talk about it before they go any further, but the hooded look in Jungkook's eyes suggests that he really doesn't mind. Maybe he even likes it. 

"Do it, then," Seokjin says, tossing the bottle of lube into Jungkook's lap. Jungkook stares down at it dumbly before picking it up, moving in between Namjoon's spread legs. Namjoon has his back to Jungkook, and all the smooth, rounded muscle is on display, wearing only his boxers.

"You can take them off," Namjoon says softly, leaning forward onto his elbows. He's bigger than Jungkook for sure, and Jungkook seems to be enamoured by the size difference, even with Namjoon under him. He takes his time running his hands up Namjoon's bare thighs to grip the elastic band of his boxers. He pulls them down slowly, his breath hitching softly at the nakedness and the curve of his ass. When his cock comes free, it hangs heavy and hard between his legs. Jungkook licks his lips at the sight.

Jungkook uncaps the bottle and pours the lube onto his fingers with hands that look almost shaky. Seokjin moves behind him, stopping when his chest almost touches his back. Jungkook seems to sense his presence and stiffens, and Seokjin moves his arms so that they're spreading Namjoon's ass apart, revealing the dark rim of his hole.

"Doesn't he look good?" Seokjin asks, smirking at the goosebumps that rise on Jungkook's arms. 

"Mm," Jungkook says, tracing his finger lightly around Namjoon's rim. 

"Between you and me," Seokjin says against his ear, resisting the urge to lean in and nip. "Namjoon is a bit of a slut."

It feels good to be close to Jungkook like this and Seokjin enjoys the way the promise of sex has made Jungkook softer around the edges, less antagonizing. Feeling a little drunk off of arousal himself, he carelessly presses a soft, lingering kiss to the curve of Jungkook's neck as he begins to sink his fingers into Namjoon. Jungkook moans, a soft, uninhibited sound. 

"Oh," he says, his eyelashes fluttering. He tilts his neck to the side, silently inviting Seokjin to do it more. 

Seokjin presses his lips there again. Then again, drinking in each soft sound Jungkook makes. The sounds of the kisses made the sound of Jungkook's fingers going in and out of Namjoon even more obscene, slick and wet as he thrusts them.

Namjoon sighs with pleasure, rocking back against Jungkook in a silent request for more. He tends to be quieter than Seokjin in bed, but he gets whinier and needier when he wants it. "Please," he begs, a pretty and soft sound.

"Does he feel good around you?" Seokjin asks against Jungkook's ear. 

"So good," Jungkook nods, sounding a little blissed out, like he's forgotten to be a brat. He adds a second finger, gasping at the stretch around them. 

"He's usually noisier for me," he smirks, delighting in Jungkook's annoyed reaction, wanting to rile him up a little again. "Maybe you're not doing it right."

Namjoon doesn't deny it, which only aggravates Jungkook more. 

"I'll do it better then," Jungkook tells Namjoon, changing the angle of his fingers so that they curve up in a way that makes Namjoon cry out, shuddering against the sheets. "Let me make it the best for you," he says cockily, a spark igniting in his eyes.

"S' good," Namjoon slurs, giving Jungkook a delicious view of the dip of his back when he arches. "Fuck."

"I'm not sure," Jungkook says, his voice almost a whisper. "Seokjin says you're noisier for him, so I think I can do better."

The shift between soft and hard in Jungkook's demeanour gives Seokjin whiplash — like just the mention of Namjoon makes him bratty again, when just a kiss to his neck makes him turn soft and obedient. 

It doesn't take long for Jungkook to add a third finger, and when he does Namjoon squeezes the sheets, huffing out a breath. 

"Maybe when you're done with Namjoon, you'll let me have a turn with you," Seokjin murmurs against Jungkook's hair, expecting it to get a rise out of him. He doesn't know if Jungkook bottoms — if he'd want to have sex with Seokjin at all — so he's surprised when Jungkook groans, slumping back against him like he's suddenly boneless. 

"Oh?" Seokjin asks, surprise in his tone. "You like that idea?"

"Are you serious?" Jungkook asks, a little desperately. 

"Maybe," Seokjin says ambiguously, letting his eyes drag down Jungkook's body to his small, small waist. He kind of likes the idea of pinning Jungkook down and fucking him until he's speechless. Until all the brattiness is drained out of him. "Wasn't going to at first, but…"

If he's going to let Jungkook fuck his husband, it's only fair that he gets to have a taste of Jungkook too, right?

Jungkook pants, drawing his fingers out of Namjoon with a lewd sound. He wipes them on his boxers and squeezes his cock through the fabric like he's trying to keep himself from cumming. Seokjin can't deny he likes the sight of it — seeing Jungkook so turned on and desperate even when he tries to hide it. 

"Hurry," Namjoon whines, and Jungkook shivers, ripping open the condom packet with shaking hands and sliding it down his dripping cock. It curves up towards his belly, brushing against the pretty flash of metal above his belly button Seokjin can't get enough of. He really likes the look of the piercing now that he's horny and he has to resist reaching out to touch to see if it's as warm as the rest of him. 

"Are you gonna watch?" Jungkook asks as he lines his cock up with Namjoon's rim. The head pushes against his hole, not quite enough pressure to sink in. He gives Seokjin a teasing grin, grinding his hips up slightly between Namjoon's ass. It's slick and shiny with lube, and maybe Namjoon's thighs are even a little wet with it. Seokjin wants to see. 

"Maybe," Seokjin smiles. "Go ahead. Show me how well you'll fuck him."

"If you're too tired to fuck when I'm done, I'll go again," Jungkook says innocently, looking up at Seokjin through his long bangs. 

Seokjin grins, the jab not bothering him as much as it normally would. He runs his finger along Jungkook's bottom lip, feeling his exhale against his skin. "If I get that tired, maybe I'll ask to use your mouth instead." 

Jungkook looks away with a shudder as he begins to push inside, sighing at the sensation. Seokjin watches it all happen — the flex of his abs as he restrains himself from thrusting in all at once, the bead of sweat on his forehead in the sweltering room, and the flush from sex spreading down his body. Everything about Jungkook looks delicious and he kind of wants to devour him. 

Namjoon moans unabashedly, the sound almost pornographic as he slumps down under Jungkook until his cheek is pressed into the pillow. Seokjin knows Namjoon isn't above playing up his sounds to rub Jungkook's ego — he does it to him, too. 

Jungkook takes advantage of the angle and leans his body over top of him, placing a palm on either side of him to better snap his hips against Namjoon's ass. Seokjin can already tell that Jungkook fucks dirty and hard before it's even started, the slap almost obscene over the sound of his pants.

"Fuck, so tight around me," Jungkook moans, his head rolling back on his shoulders. It exposes the dusting of pink colour around his collarbones, damp with sweat. "Are you sure Seokjin even fucks you?'

"Does he?" Namjoon asks coyly.

Seokjin curls a hand in Jungkook's hair and tugs it gently as a warning — not meant to hurt, just tease, but Jungkook gasps and his hips stutter.

"Oh?" Seokjin smirks, dragging his hand down Jungkook's arm, squeezing his bicep. 

Jungkook doesn't answer, instead closing his eyes as he slows his thrusts, drawing out the pleasure. Seokjin's eyes fall to the movement of his cock in and out of Namjoon's hole, still wet with lube that drips down when he pulls out. Namjoon is gorgeous spread out underneath him, inching his thighs wider each time Jungkook's hips meet his ass, making it easier for Jungkook to get deeper. 

Namjoon just whines, pushing back against him. Seokjin is surprised by how easily he melts into it, easy and eager for it. But then again Namjoon had been doting on Jungkook from the start — it wouldn't make sense for now to be any different. He likes to indulge him. Seokjin wonders just how much of his attraction Namjoon kept hidden — filthy and shameful.

"My cock is definitely bigger than yours though," Seokjin hums, beginning to push down his pants just enough to get his cock out. 

Jungkook isn't subtle about the way he looks, his eyes widening. It hangs heavy and hot between Seokjin's legs and he taps it against Namjoon's lips, nudging him to open. Namjoon parts his lips obediently, letting him inside. Seokjin moans as he sinks in where it's warmer and wetter.

"Fuck him good for me," Seokjin says, hearing his own voice go raspier with pleasure. Namjoon's hair is too short to grip, so he cups his cheek again, feeling the slide of his cock through the velvety skin. "The harder you fuck him the better it feels for me."

Jungkook whines, obediently picking up the pace of his thrusts. Namjoon groans around Seokjin's cock, taking it like it's nothing. Only Seokjin knew how docile and pliant Namjoon got in bed until now, and Jungkook seems to be overwhelmed from experiencing it himself. 

"You wanted to have him too, didn't you?" Seokjin asks. "You wanted me to share, and now you get to feel what he's like around you."

"I love it," Jungkook sighs. He pulls out to look at Namjoon's puffy rim and his mouth parts at the sight of the lube that spills out, creamy and white. He runs his thumb through it before pressing it back inside, Namjoon's hole sucking in his fingers. 

"Harder," Namjoon begs in his low, sex-laced voice when he lets Seokjin's cock fall out of his mouth for a moment. "Why'd you pull out?" he whines.

Jungkook doesn't waste time thrusting in again, this time faster and harder like he's chasing his orgasm. It's selfish in a juvenile way Seokjin expects from him, but he won't let Jungkook do it after all his pleading for this opportunity.

"Make Namjoon cum before you do," he says as he runs his finger along Namjoon's bottom lip, taking in his watery, hooded eyes. His cock throbs in Namjoon's mouth, everything fuzzy and warm.

"H-how?" Jungkook stutters, staring at Seokjin a bit too intensely.

"What do you mean how?" Seokjin says maybe a little harshly, but Jungkook just flushes harder. "Touch his cock. Do it properly."

"Like this," Namjoon instructs when Seokjin lets him breathe again, gently grabbing Jungkook's wrist and guiding it between his legs, the kindness in his voice a contrast to the meanness in Seokjin's. Jungkook seems like he doesn't know what to think but mindlessly obeys, the movement of his wrist obvious where he must be jerking Namjoon off. 

"Good," Namjoon moans, fisting the cheeks. "I'm close."

"Yeah? Is Jungkook being good?" Seokjin asks, tapping his cock against Namjoon's cheek to get him to open up again. 

"Ah," Jungkook moans. "I'm gonna cum."

"Who would've thought being called a good boy would do it for you," Seokjin teases, delighted by how the nastier his tone gets, the more unravelled Jungkook looks. 

"Fuck," Namjoon shudders when Jungkook's cock hits a spot inside of him that makes him shaky. Seokjin can see the strain in his thick biceps when he tries to hold himself up, his veins more visible down towards his wrists. It shouldn't be hot to see Namjoon this wrecked under someone smaller than him, but it turns him on anyway. 

What's even better, however, is the way Namjoon is so easy for it — slutty and open for Jungkook without shame. Seokjin expected him to be more reserved maybe, or hesitant to be vocal because it's another man, but Namjoon begs for it noisily. Maybe he was more attracted to Jungkook than he let on, and that's something that makes Seokjin feel dangerously close to cumming too — the idea of Namjoon having that guilty horny feeling for a college student when he's already married. Not that Seokjin doesn't feel it, too. 

"So fucking pretty," Jungkook groans, and Seokjin isn't surprised that he likes dirty talk when everything that comes out of his mouth is filthy. "You feel so good around my cock. So fucking good for me."

"Please," Namjoon begs sweetly, his thighs shaking from the force of Jungkook's thrust. As hard as Jungkook fucks, he's still excruciatingly gentle as he sweeps his hand down Namjoon's waist, gently petting. He looks to Seokjin for approval or even something else he can't read, his cheeks pink and his hair long and sweaty. He looks good sweaty, especially when he's having sex. 

"So slutty," Seokjin murmurs, slipping his cock out of Namjoon's mouth. It's so wet that it drips, a messy trail of spit falling down Namjoon's chin. He doesn't even seem to notice that it's there he's so out of it. "Wanting cock from someone else." 

"Bet you'd let Namjoon fuck you, too," he comments off-handedly, and that's enough for Jungkook's hips to stutter and his stomach to tighten. "You're as easy as he is. You wanna fuck him, Joon?"

"Y-yeah," Namjoon stutters, sinking down closer to the mattress. "Fuck, I'm gonna cum."

"Ah," Jungkook moans, overwhelmed. He quickens his wrist when it's moving between Namjoon's legs, and Namjoon shudders before he gasps and cums all over the sheets.

"Oh, wow," Jungkook sighs, closing his eyes at what must be the feeling of Namjoon tightening around him. He doesn't open them until Namjoon is finished cumming, wet and sticky all over Jungkook's fingers. Jungkook looks exhausted, but he still leans over Namjoon's body to press a kiss to the back of his neck, an action that's too sweet for the circumstances. 

"Fuck," Namjoon curses, collapsing onto the mattress, which brings Jungkook down onto him, his cock still inside. 

Seokjin hums, resting a hand on his bare hip. Jungkook shivers, overwhelmed. 

"Are you gonna…?" Jungkook asks, his voice pitching a little higher.

"Mm, do you want me to?" Seokjin asks. 

"I…" Jungkook flounders, making no move to push Seokjin away. "You'd fuck me?"

Seokjin snorts, a little confused by Jungkook's shyness. "Yeah, but if you're not into it you can say so. Joon can just suck me off or something." He reminds himself that Jungkook only wanted this for Namjoon, and it might be weird for him to touch Seokjin, too.

"Okay," Jungkook says, pulling out of Namjoon with a hiss, his cock still red and throbbing. He pulls the wet condom off with a slick sound, tossing it into the wastebasket beside the bed. Namjoon hums, rolling onto his back to catch his breath. "Finger me."

"Are you sure?" Seokjin asks.

Jungkook glances at him over his shoulder, grinning. "Are you scared you won't last long enough to fuck me?"

"No," Seokjin says simply, sliding his hand up to Jungkook's neck and bending him over sharply on the bed without warning so that he's balanced on his hands and knees. Jungkook gasps, squirming under him but showing no signs of wanting him to stop. "But maybe you'll be too loose to be good for me. How many college boys have you run through before meeting us?"

"It's not—" Jungkook insists, gasping when Seokjin runs a finger over his hole. He drags it through the trail of cum spilled on Jungkook's thighs from when Namjoon came, intending to use it as lube for now. "I haven't."

"No?" Seokjin asks mockingly. "Are you sure?"

Jungkook hums, squeezing around Seokjin when he presses a finger slowly to the knuckle.

"Relax," he hisses, tapping the side of Jungkook's ass lightly as a warning. Jungkook hiccups with a moan, clenching even more. "What about during the summer so far? How many boys have you given yourself to?"

"Just girls," Jungkook insists. "Four.... no, five."

"In just a month?" Namjoon asks, resting a hand on Jungkook's chest. Jungkook sucks in a breath.

"See? Easy," Seokjin chuckles, smiling when Jungkook begins to relax around him, velvety and warm. He can't wait to sink his cock inside. 

"Mm," Jungkook whines but doesn't protest. "You played so hard to get. You don't know how much I jerked off the last few days."

"Because you're mouthy," Seokjin scolds, smacking Jungkook's ass again. Jungkook moans quietly, going limp. "Why would we let a brat into bed with us?"

"Are you gonna punish me?" Jungkook asks deliriously, maybe a little excitedly. 

"Maybe," he says. "But not if you like it." He slips a hand under Jungkook's stomach to run his fingers over the small piece of metal he knows is hooked through his skin there. Seokjin scratches his nail lightly over the piercing, feeling the shape of the heart. "Kind of want to cum on this when I'm done. Is it healed?"

Jungkook nods, his hair fanned out on the bed around him. "I've had it for years."

"Oh? When did you get it?" Seokjin asks as he adds a second finger, surprised by just how tight Jungkook is. 

"When I was sixteen," Jungkook says. "It was my second, after my ears."

"Troublemaker. Bet your parents hated it," Namjoon laughs, leaning in to press a lazy kiss to the side of Jungkook's mouth, coaxing him into making out. Seokjin knows that Namjoon likes to kiss after sex.

"They did," Jungkook giggles, but it turns into a moan when Seokjin thrusts his fingers in harder. "But I did a lot worse things before the belly button piercing."

"You should tell me about them," Namjoon says, and Jungkook looks at him with a smile.

"Yeah?" he asks. It's too domestic, so Seokjin distracts Jungkook by touching his legs, marvelling at the smooth, soft muscle. Thick like Joon's. Jungkook trembles underneath him. 

"Or I could cum on your face," Seokjin hums. "Kind of like the idea of that better."

Jungkook pushes back against his fingers, silently asking for more at the same time he cranes his neck to kiss Namjoon's mouth, blissed out and eager.

"Fucking unfair how hot you are," Seokjin growls, dragging Jungkook closer by digging his hands into his thighs. Jungkook gasps when Seokjin spanks him properly this time, the sound echoing in the bedroom. 

"Oh, fuck," Jungkook gasps.

"Not surprised you like pain," Seokjin muses. "All your tattoos and piercings. Pain slut."

"Just a bit of a slut in general," Jungkook laughs, but it's breathy. "I want it now." He says it so sweetly, it's hard to say no. 

"You're too tight," Seokjin says, slipping in a third finger. Jungkook is so tight around him it almost hurts, and he wonders just how that tightness would feel around his cock. 

"Isn't that good?" Jungkook whines. "Hurry, you're so slow."

"I'm too big to fit in your hole like this," Seokjin murmurs, scissoring his fingers in a way that makes Jungkook shake. "It'll hurt for both of us."

"I like the burn," Jungkook insists. "And besides, I don't think your cock will be too much for me." The underlying insult isn't missed, even if Seokjin knows Jungkook is completely bullshitting him.

"You think?" Seokjin asks, gripping the base of his cock and guiding it against Jungkook's hole. He stops to pour lube across the length of it, letting it drip down the sides. "I won't be gentle then."

"Yeah," Jungkook sighs, squirming when he feels the head press teasingly against his rim. 

"You like it rough, then?" Seokjin asks, dragging his cock down to Jungkook's balls, heavy and tight from how aroused he is. He squeezes them lightly, smirking when Jungkook shakes. 

"It's so fucking hot when you get mad at me," Jungkook confesses, gripping the sheets tightly. "I got so hard at the table today I thought I was going to cum right there."

Seokjin is caught off guard by the confession. He knew Jungkook must have got something out of riling him up — the form of degradation that came with their bickering, but he didn't know it was like this.

"Yeah? You like knowing you've pissed me off?" Seokjin asks as he slowly sinks in, groaning at the sensation. "That I was angry after the first time I met you? Homewrecker."

"You wanted me too though," Jungkook protests. "Is it really homewrecking if you want me there?"

Seokjin shuts him up with a sharp thrust, knocking the breath out of him. Jungkook gives into pleasure easily, letting himself get used and fucked how Seokjin pleases. It doesn't take long for him to submit completely, rocked forward with each hard thrust. 

"I like to make you mad on purpose," Jungkook giggles. "Sometimes I don't even want Namjoon, I just want to make you angry."

"Fuck you," Seokjin hisses.

"Yeah," Jungkook moans. "Please do." He kisses Namjoon again to show off, the hickey on Namjoon's collarbones darkening to a pretty purple. It won't fade for at least a few days. "I really want Namjoon, though."

"Oh," Namjoon sighs, reciprocating eagerly. He's slow and soft now that he's come down from his orgasm, still wet between his thighs from cum. Jungkook ducks his head between them and licks at where it's spilled, dragging his tongue across the firm muscle. 

"Mine," Jungkook mumbles, biting down on the side of Namjoon's neck to suck another hickey above the last one. Seokjin doesn't stop him, watching the way his tongue licks over the fresh bite to soothe the pain. 

It's only then that Seokjin remembers he didn't put on a condom. Jungkook didn't seem to forget, though.

"Cum inside," Jungkook gasps. "I wanna feel it."

"Don't want to," Seokjin brushes him off. 

"Why?” Jungkook whines petulantly. 

"Didn't you say you like to be punished?" Seokjin asks. "This is your punishment." He reaches under Jungkook's body to pinch one of his nipples, enjoying the way Jungkook moans before he can stop himself. 

"Mm, I like being spanked," Jungkook says coyly, his voice hiccuping when Seokjin's hips angle in a way that makes him see stars. "I like that punishment better."

Seokjin indulges him with a sharp slap to his thigh. Jungkook squeezes around him, his cock bobbing and dripping all over the sheets. Messy.

"Get on your back," Seokjin orders, tapping Jungkook's hip.

"Too lazy," Jungkook dismisses, closing his eyes. "Just finish in this position."

"Wasn't asking," Seokjin says lightly, pulling out to guide Jungkook over. Jungkook squeaks but spreads his legs without being told once he's on his back to let Seokjin between them.

"Oh," Jungkook sighs, sucking in a breath when Seokjin's cock slips in at the new angle. "Feels deep."

"See? You should listen to me," Seokjin chides, tapping Jungkook's cheek again. He begins to move his hips at a pace more slow and satisfying, building up his orgasm. 

"Touch my cock," Jungkook whines.

"Touch it yourself," Seokjin dismisses, feeling himself getting closer.

"So mean," Jungkook complains. "Ugh."

Seokjin pulls out when he feels his orgasm coming and aims his cock at Jungkook's face, jerking off swiftly. It doesn't take long for him to cum, and when he does it's all of Jungkook's face, the cum dripping down his nose and cheeks. Jungkook barely remembers to close his eyes.

"Hey…" he says, his cheeks darkening with a blush. "Hm…"

"Looks good," Seokjin says, brushing a thumb through the trail of cum, wiping it on Jungkook's bottom lip.

Jungkook comes a few seconds later with a gasp, coating himself in even more cum. He's wet and sticky all over, claimed by Seokjin. 

There's a few seconds of silence where none of them speak, and then Jungkook is wrapping a hand around the back of his neck without warning and pulling him in for an open-mouthed kiss. It's intimate and deep, and Seokjin regrets not talking about boundaries a little more before they started because Jungkook kisses like he wants to devour him. Seokjin is surprised by how quickly he gives in and kisses back, his head blissfully empty. Then, Jungkook slows down, and his tongue becomes more gentle when it licks against his, coaxing him into something more romantic. 

They part with a wet sound, and Jungkook looks dazed and blissed when he studies Seokjin's face. He looks satisfied and maybe even a little dreamy. It's a look Seokjin has never seen directed at him before, only at Namjoon. Then, he presses his lips gently to the base of Seokjin's throat and Seokjin knows what he's planning to do before he even does it. He hisses at the sting of pain but lets Jungkook leave his mark until he's satisfied.

Jungkook looks pleased when he's done. "There. Now you match."

"What?" Seokjin asks, breathless.

Jungkook twists his body to reach for Namjoon, pulling him down to kiss, too. Seokjin watches it — the tangle of their tongues and the glossiness of their lips as it becomes messy and passionate. Seokjin wouldn't expect Jungkook to be one for kisses after hook-ups, but then again he doesn't know that much about Jungkook. 

Jungkook looks timid when they break apart, looking between them like he's torn between kissing them again or making them kiss each other. "It was good…" he says softly.

"You were good to me," Namjoon says genuinely, making Jungkook's face light up. "It felt good."

With the high of sex coming down, Seokjin is too dazed to think of anything to say.

"Can you grab me a tissue from my nightstand?" Jungkook asks him uncharacteristically shyly, rubbing his arm.

Seokjin wordlessly does, tossing it onto Jungkook's chest. Jungkook wipes his face down, then throws the tissue into the garbage. He groans, stretching out.

"Do you wanna smoke with me for a bit?" Jungkook asks. "It feels so good after sex."

"You offer this to all of your hookups?" Seokjin asks.

Jungkook just shrugs, his blush darkening a little. 

"Sure," Namjoon says, settling in closer beside him. He tangles his legs with Jungkook's, pulling the sheets over the top of them both. "I haven't gotten high in forever."

Jungkook is acting weird, but Seokjin chooses not to think too deeply about it. He just watches as Jungkook rolls a joint using the weed in his dresser with nimble hands and lights it, taking a deep inhale before passing it to Seokin, letting their fingers brush. When he exhales, Seokjin feels the smoke fan across his face.

"I feel so good," Jungkook laughs. "Floaty. I don't know."

"Yeah?" Namjoon asks, taking the joint from Seokjin after he takes a draw. "You liked it right?"

"Fuck yeah," Jungkook nods. "I just… don't normally bottom. It felt really good."

"What?" Seokjin asks sharply.

Jungkook shrugs again. "It's not a big deal. I wanted to do it."

"How many times have you bottomed before?" Seokjin asks, afraid of the answer.

"Just once," Jungkook says easily, like it's nothing. “You made it good, though. Thanks.”

And you trusted me? he thinks in disbelief. He wants to get angry, maybe scold Jungkook for not telling him, but then he decides it isn't worth it. 

"You guys can sleep over," Jungkook says, looking a little stoned already. "If you want. I mean, we haven’t finished the food yet…”

"Really?" Namjoon asks. "You don't mind?"

"Stay," Jungkook says, resting his hand on top of Namjoon's. "It'll be fun."

Seokjin thinks this is probably a bad idea, the three of them sitting here spending time together after what was supposed to be a meaningless hook-up to blow off steam before they go home from vacation. Jungkook had gotten what he wanted — had finally fucked Namjoon and satisfied that craving, so why is he sitting here offering them weed and a place to stay? 

But Seokjin had never been very good at making decisions, and he feels sleepy and good-natured after an orgasm so he says yes, nodding. "Okay, I'll stay the night." He hopes it won't be a mistake to say yes. He hopes that Jungkook won't get the wrong idea — that it's anything more than a hook-up.

"Okay," Jungkook echoes, sounding relieved. It's a strange look on him. Then, he leans in to kiss Seokjin again and Seokjin lets him, completely helpless to say no. 

Chapter Text

Seokjin wakes up to a soft, heavy pressure against his chest. There’s warm sunshine casting across his face, and the sheets are sweaty and tangled around his legs. He opens his eyes to the sight of Jungkook curled towards him, his face tucked into Seokjin’s neck. His hair, long and black, fans out across the pillow, shifting as he breathes slowly. The room still smells faintly heady of weed and sex, and suddenly feeling suffocated — Seokjin turns away from him. 

He’s still naked from the night before, and when he sits up to hang his legs over the side of the bed his thighs are sticky in a way that makes him feel gross. Quietly, he begins to pick his clothes up off the floor, glancing behind him to look at the way Namjoon sleeps with an arm curled over Jungkook’s bare waist, pulling him back against him. The position is intimate, and something about it looks natural, like his body had instinctively moved closer to Jungkook’s in his sleep. It leaves Seokjin with an emotion he can’t describe, so, wanting to fight it down, he leaves Jungkook’s bedroom and stumbles into the kitchen to breathe. 

It’s in poor taste, maybe, to make coffee without asking in an almost-stranger’s home, but Seokjin doesn’t doubt Jungkook would do the same if he were visiting Seokjin’s place. Besides, can he call Jungkook a stranger by now when he’s slept with him and shared his husband with him? It feels like a lie to consider Jungkook one when there’s so much more between them than that by now. 

He begins to make a mug of coffee at the counter, watching the machine gurgle and hiss as it heats up. He’s a little amazed Jungkook even has the appliance, Jungkook striking him more as the type to have an energy drink for breakfast than an espresso. But, there’s still a lot he doesn’t know about Jungkook. 

Running a hand along his neck, Seokjin traces over the hickey Jungkook left on him the night before, causing heat to stir in his stomach. It feels like a crossed boundary between them, or maybe it should feel that way, to have a symbol of being claimed on his neck when he doesn’t belong to Jungkook. Touching it brings back the sensations of the night before — the kissing, the touching, the sex. Seokjin doesn’t know why it doesn’t bother him more. Maybe it’s that he expected that kind of juvenile possessiveness from Jungkook — a clumsy hook-up that got too caught up in it all.

Still, it doesn’t feel right to call Jungkook a hook-up either. But what else is he?

Seokjin drinks his coffee on Jungkook’s balcony — smaller and more cramped than Jimin’s. The view is shitty from here, but it reminds Seokjin of the first place he rented after he moved out from his parents’ house. It’s nostalgic in a way, even if he hadn’t been living in California at the time. It scares him that he can see some of himself in Jungkook, even if he’s not that person anymore. Sometimes it’s like he’s looking back into his own eyes when he sees Jungkook.

“Hyung?” comes a sleepy mumble from behind him. Seokjin turns around to see Jungkook in a pair of boxers, rubbing his eyes sleepily. “What time is it?”

“A little past seven,” Seokjin says, watching Jungkook’s face scrunch up in a frown. His cheeks are puffy from sleep and from rubbing on the sheets. “You’re up early.”

“Ugh,” is Jungkook’s only reply as he leans over to check the fridge, grabbing a can of soda. He’s shirtless, his skin tinged red from the heat and darkened with scratches from the night before. Seokjin can’t tell if they belong to him or Namjoon. Seokjin wants to make a biting remark about the soda, maybe even something snarky, but the words get stuck in his throat. 

It’s awkward, which makes Seokjin feel antsy because he’s not good at fixing things once they become that way. He can smell Namjoon’s cologne on Jungkook from where he’s standing, and it makes spit pool on his tongue, aching to get closer. Jungkook’s hair is still tousled from sleep and his face is pink, which he massages with one hand as he leans against the counter, tilting his head back. 

“You didn’t wake me up,” Jungkook whines, pouting slightly.

Seokjin doesn’t know what to say to that, so he changes the subject. “Is Namjoon awake?”

Jungkook nods. “He wants to sleep a little longer though. ‘S early.”

“Ah, okay.”

Jungkook just hums, taking a sip of his drink. He smooths his hair back, his eyes on Seokjin the entire time.

“Do you mind if I make something to eat…?” Seokjin asks, gesturing at the fridge. The room feels warmer with Jungkook in it, a hot, sticky anxiety building under Seokjin’s skin. Jungkook nods, stepping aside.

“Let me make you something,” Jungkook offers, seeming to wake up, then. It’s the last thing Seokjin expected him to say, and it catches him off guard. 

“Why?” Seokjin asks, stunned.

Jungkook shrugs, giving him a cute, half-smile. “Because I want to. I can cook a little.”

Seokjin doesn’t understand why he’d offer — not when Namjoon isn’t around to see it, but Jungkook seems to be softer around the edges this morning. Sweeter. Seokjin can’t read him.“Okay,” he caves, glancing down at the kitchen table because he suddenly feels slightly nauseous. “Thanks.”

Jungkook hums, grabbing the carton of eggs, some sandwich meat, and a block of cheese from the fridge. “It’s easier just for me to do it anyway.”

“I could’ve just had leftover pizza,” Seokjin argues, even though the pizza from last night is sitting on the table, cold.

“It’s fine,” Jungkook says, and Seokjin tries not to think too hard about what the gesture means. He takes another sip of his coffee, watching Jungkook hover above the stove. 

Kindness from Jungkook feels strange, and Seokjin half-expects there to be a cruel punch-line at the end of it or something witty and mean to smooth it out. But it never comes, and Seokjin is forced to consider that Jungkook might just take good care of the people he sleeps with. Then, he wonders how many people have been in his place before him. He doesn’t know why that thought makes him feel strange. 

“How much longer are you on vacation?” Jungkook asks as he cracks an egg over a pan, tossing the shell into a bowl. 

Seokjin is surprised by the question, not expecting Jungkook to be much for small-talk. But he decides to indulge him. “Just another few days. Why?”

Seokjin can’t see Jungkook’s expression from this angle, but he hears him hum. “Just wondering.”

“Gonna miss me?” Seokjin asks teasingly, purposely leaving out Namjoon’s name. It’s probably self-deprecating to set himself up like this, knowing how Jungkook could respond. 

Jungkook doesn’t answer the question, but his cheeks tinge a little pink and he smiles. “Will you miss me?” he asks playfully, creeping up behind him. Seokjin feels Jungkook’s chin on his shoulder, the way his breath tickles his neck. Then, he feels the sting of teeth when Jungkook lips his earlobe, teasing. “Gonna think about me when I’m gone?” It’s meant to rile him up, but it just makes Seokjin feel like liquid.

“Yeah,” he says without thinking, feeling his cheeks heat up in the way they do only when he’s embarrassed. He lowers his face to stare into his cup of coffee, wondering why he said it. It should feel like a lie, since it is, isn’t it? What is there to miss about Jungkook?

“Yeah?” Jungkook asks, sounding pleased. He grins as he begins slicing the meat on a cutting board, a rosy flush darkening his neck. 

Seokjin stands to place his empty mug of coffee in the sink, his anxiety thickening. He shouldn’t feel like this when he’s been much closer to Jungkook already, but he feels a prickling nervousness that wasn’t there before, like he isn’t sure where they stand. He hasn’t felt like this since college when he met Namjoon.  

“You wanna go out on the balcony and smoke with me when this is done?” Jungkook asks, scraping the meat into the pan where it sizzles with the egg. 

“What?” Seokjin asks, confused by the offer.

Jungkook smiles at him, boyish and sweet. “It’ll be fun.”

“What’s in it for me?” Seokjin asks, playing along.

“Me,” Jungkook jokes. “Don’t tell me you’re too old for things like that, hyung.”

Seokjin’s anxiety morphs into annoyance. It’s a small, meaningless comment — one that Seokjin would normally have a snarky remark to quip back with — but it just reminds him of the way Jungkook sees him. The way his age is always there between them. Frowning, he doesn’t reply, turning around to walk into Jungkook’s bedroom to wake Namjoon up.

“Ah, don’t be like that,” Jungkook mumbles like he can sense the change in Seokjin’s mood, curling a hand around the back of his neck before he can turn away. Seokjin is about to push his hand away but Jungkook pins him to the counter before he can think to, lacing their fingers together. All Seokjin can think is the warmth of the bare skin against him and then —

He’s being kissed. 

Seokjin freezes as Jungkook works his mouth against his, slow and deep. He should push him away, but he’s too stunned to think when Jungkook nips on his lower lip almost innocently before exhaling against his cheek, dragging him in closer by the hip until their bodies are flush together. His touch is salacious and dirty, but his kiss is gentle, almost like an apology. Jungkook could almost be naked by how little he’s wearing, and Seokjin feels every inch of him against his body as he gets kissed, tasting the sugary Coke on Jungkook’s tongue and the mint of his chapstick.

“Kiss back,” Jungkook whines, giving Seokjin’s lips a teasing lick. Seokjin feels heat gather in his stomach from the affection and he reluctantly rests a hand on Jungkook’s bare waist where his skin is molten hot, too stunned to kiss Jungkook back but too frozen to pull away. They’re definitely crossing boundaries now, but Seokjin has realized he’s nothing but not weak to Jungkook, so Jungkook deepens the kiss when Seokjin won’t, with the way he licks into Seokjin’s mouth wet and hot.

Jungkook lets out the softest sigh, letting his back hit the fridge and bringing Seokjin with him, pulling him into an embrace before he can stop it. The kiss is lazy and slow like Jungkook is in no rush — so much different from the night before. Feeling so much skin like this is dizzying, and Seokjin has to stop to breathe before he loses his thoughts altogether, resting his forehead against the cool metal of the fridge. 

Even if he was able to keep himself from kissing back, Seokjin isn’t able to keep himself from touching, letting his hand splay out across the soft, firm muscle of Jungkook’s bare stomach. When his fingers feel the metal of his piercing, he drags his nail across the stud, feeling Jungkook shiver at the contact. Then, he presses harder, wanting to hear more of Jungkook’s sweet noises.

“Oh,” he sighs, threading his fingers through Seokjin’s hair as he kisses along his neck. Seokjin wonders, faintly, if Jungkook is playing with him, and the small, self-deprecating part of himself hates that he’s fallen so easily into it without resistance. Maybe he’s weaker for Jungkook than he thought. 

“Am I interrupting something?” Namjoon asks, his voice thick with sleep from behind them. Seokjin feels a hand brush down his back soothingly as Namjoon reaches beside them for a mug. 

Ah, Namjoon was there, Seokjin realizes, pulling away with mortification. That’s why Jungkook kissed him. He wonders what Namjoon thinks of him for letting it happen — if he’s angry. It should have been easy to push Jungkook away. He should have done it with no hesitation, and yet it had almost felt impossible. 

“You’re awake,” Jungkook grins, looking up at Namjoon with starry eyes. His lips shine from the kiss, dark and pink. Namjoon’s eyes trace over them.

“Was I supposed to sleep in later?” Namjoon says teasingly, flicking Jungkook’s stomach as he walks past him. It turns out it doesn’t matter what Namjoon thinks though, because Jungkook pulls Namjoon in for a kiss, too  — a soft press of their mouths together before he pulls away, something dark burning in his eyes. Namjoon doesn’t protest it.

“Oh,” he says, looking surprised. “What’s this?”

“How do you like your eggs in the morning, hyung?” Jungkook asks, licking his lips. His tone is suggestive as he leans against the stove, tilting his head back to reveal soft, milky skin.

“You’re making breakfast for us?” Namjoon asks, surprise evident in his tone. 

“Yeah, but all I have are eggs,” he explains, his flirtiness instantly melting into bashfulness.

“How sweet of you,” Namjoon says, and Seokjin thinks it sounds genuine. 

Jungkook just grins, which makes his eyes sparkle.

Seokjin sits at the kitchen table, feeling weak in the knees, and Namjoon sits beside him, looking unfazed. He shares a smile with Jungkook, who watches the two of them from his position at the stove, his elbows resting on the counter. 

“I feel awkward,” Jungkook admits. “I usually don’t bring people back to my place.”

“We’re the exception?” Namjoon asks, leaning his head against his hand. His eyes are soft and gentle, looking more at ease than Seokjin feels. Seokjin wonders how it’s so easy for him.

Jungkook nods, looking shy. 

In a way, Seokjin envies the reserved but sweet way Jungkook and Namjoon interact. Namjoon has a way of doting on Jungkook with just his words and attention, and Jungkook seems to bask in it, clinging onto every piece he’s offered. Seokjin doesn’t blame him — it’s hard not to feel affected by it, and Seokjin wishes he could do that with Jungkook the way Namjoon can. 

He wonders if, had he been able to do that, would he and Jungkook have gotten along better from the start? It would be nice, he thinks, to have the relationship with Jungkook everyone else seems to have. He doesn’t understand why he’s the exception.

And that must be where some of his bitterness comes from. Not Jungkook’s character — but rather his own inability to connect with him. He doesn’t like feeling left out. 

Seokjin isn’t hungry when Jungkook sets down a plate for him, but he forces himself to eat. He’s miserable to admit that it’s good, even for a college student like Jungkook who probably doesn’t have many life skills yet. He hates that it makes him feel cared for when none of Jungkook’s feelings are meant for him. 

“It’s delicious, Jungkook,” Namjoon praises, and Jungkook seems to melt at that.

“Ah, really?” he asks, looking bashful. “Thank you, hyung.”

Seokjin just swallows the food in his mouth, looking down at his plate as he tries to stomach the emotions he can’t understand. 

“What are you guys doing after this?” Jungkook asks curiously, even a bit eagerly. 

“We’ll probably go back home, right Joon?” Seokjin asks, glancing over at Namjoon who seems a bit surprised, but nods.

“We can do that,” he says.

Jungkook seems to deflate a little at that. “You’re going back?” he asks, his smile faltering. 

Seokjin swallows his bitterness with his next bite. “We don’t really have any reason to stay longer, right?”

“Ah.” Jungkook sighs, shoulders slumping. “Okay.”

Namjoon looks at Seokjin questioningly, but Seokjin can’t bring himself to look back. He feels like he’s doing something wrong by leaving, but it shouldn’t feel that way, should it? Isn’t leaving what they’re supposed to do? 

“Want me to grab your things from the bedroom?” Namjoon offers softly, like he can sense Seokjin’s inner turmoil. 

“I’ll grab it,” Jungkook offers quietly, standing up, and it just makes Seokjin even more confused. 

He stands to put on his shoes in a daze, and when Jungkook hands him his phone, it’s with a sweet little smile, cocking his head. He’d gotten dressed when he was in his room, putting on an oversized black t-shirt and baggy shorts that wrinkle slightly around the seams like he didn’t fold it properly before putting it away. It feels like Seokjin’s looking at him for the first time — all of the cockiness and brattiness melting away to just a regular boy in his 20s. 

Just Jungkook. 

“Thanks,” Seokjin says emotionlessly, tucking the phone into his pocket. Namjoon shifts beside him, his hand on the door. 

“Thanks for coming by to help with the shelf,” Jungkook says sweetly, looking perkier than he had a few minutes before. The change in emotion startles Seokjin and he wonders if he imagined Jungkook’s disappointment earlier. “And for the sex.”

Seokjin chokes and Namjoon reddens. 

“You have my number,” he reminds them, like there’s a chance Seokjin could ever forget. “You can call me again if you want, before you go home…” There’s a tinge of something hopeful in his breath when he speaks, letting the words linger. “I had a lot of fun.” He pauses like he’s considering going for a kiss again, but ultimately decides not to.

Seokjin mumbles out a goodbye when he steps out into the hallway, and Jungkook waves at the two of them with a smile as they walk down the steps, waiting until they’re down the staircase before he closes the door. The air feels stifling, and Seokjin feels like his breath is coming out too short.

The walk back to their car is quiet, and sweat beads on the back of his neck by the time he sits down on the hot leather seats, feeling his skin stick to the fabric. Namjoon rolls down the windows, fitting a pair of dark sunglasses over his eyes. 

“How are you feeling?” he asks, a tinge of concern in his voice that he carefully tries to mask, but not well enough that Seokjin doesn’t notice.

“I don’t know,” he admits. He wishes he did.

“Jungkook was sweet,” Namjoon says conservationally, backing up out of his parking spot to get to the road. 

“Was he?” Seokjin asks doubtfully. Maybe to Namjoon, he was, but it never felt like much of Jungkook’s sweetness was reserved for him. 

Is he bitter over that?

“Did it seem like he wasn’t?” Namjoon asks curiously.

“Come on, you know he likes to get a rise out of me,” Seokjin says, looking at the side of Namjoon’s face. “All of this was just because he wanted you.”

“Is that what you think?” Namjoon asks, and he sounds truly surprised by that. It makes Seokjin reconsider.

“What do you mean?” he asks meekly.

“You had a threesome with a guy just because he has a crush on me? Why do I have trouble believing that?” Namjoon asks with a little laugh, scratching his cheek as he drives. “If I sensed that this was all just a favour for me I wouldn’t have said yes.”

“What are you saying?”

“It’s okay to admit you’re attracted to him,” Namjoon says, no ounce of doubt in his voice as he taps his fingers on the steering wheel. “To admit that you wanted him, too.”

“Of course he’s attractive,” Seokjin shrugs, looking down into his lap. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say he was.”

“If it were just about his looks that would be one thing,” Namjoon muses. “You pass a hundred good-looking men a day and never think twice about bringing them into bed with us. You’re attracted to Jungkook. There’s more to it than just his looks, and that’s okay.”

Seokjin has nothing to say to that.

Namjoon isn’t deterred by his silence. “Is it so hard to believe that he’s attracted to you, too? If it were just me he wanted, would he have made such an effort to make sure he caught your attention? It wasn’t me he kissed first this morning.”

“I don’t know why he did that,” Seokjin mumbles. “I thought it was because you were watching.”

Namjoon laughs. “He was already deep into kissing you long before I walked in the room. He likes you more than you realize, Seok. Think about it.”

But Seokjin can’t. As much as he tries, he can’t seem to wrap his head around the idea that Jungkook would want him, and he knows that in itself is worth unpacking, but he doesn’t know that he has the capacity to. 

“Why wouldn’t he like you?” Namjoon asks. It’s a horrible, daunting question that Seokjin doesn’t want to think about. “What’s there not to like?” He looks at Seokjin curiously then, his eyes searching for something that Seokjin isn’t even sure is inside him. 

What’s there not to like?

Seokjin can think of a few things. It’s the reminder he gets each time he looks into Jungkook’s eyes, telling him that he’s not as young as he used to be — that he didn’t get to be young in his 20s in the way that Jungkook gets to be. And in spite of that, he still sees himself in Jungkook’s eyes, and that’s what scares him. He could’ve been Jungkook had he made the effort. If he’d wanted to.

“You know when you were younger and you’d play outside at recess with the other kids?” Namjoon asks. “And you’d get a crush on a girl in your class, but you were too shy to tell her how you felt, so you’d steal her hat or whatever, and she’d get so angry at you, but it was worth it because she paid attention to you?”

“Yeah,” Seokjin nods.

“Jungkook never grew out of that,” Namjoon chuckles. “He never learned that it wasn’t the way to win someone’s heart.”

“Jungkook’s a nice kid,” Namjoon adds, content to let Seokjin leave him in silence when he doesn’t get a response. He pulls into a drive-thru to get them something to drink, and he doesn’t need to wait for Seokjin’s order because he knows it already. 

Seokjin watches him with emotion stirring in his chest, feeling a mixture of fondness and sadness. He knows Namjoon’s trying to say something heavier in his words, but he still can’t wrap his head around it. 

Still, he smiles when Namjoon hands his coffee to him, appreciating the simple gesture because it’s routine. As he drinks it, he tries to get past the block that keeps him from seeing the whole picture, using it as an excuse to avoid conversation for now. The drive home is long and quiet, and Seokjin uses it to think about Jungkook, but mostly himself. That, he decides, is probably what he needs to think about the most. 

♥️

“Let’s have a party in your hotel room before you guys go back,” Jimin suggests, flopping onto Seokjin’s bed in a star-fish position. For once he came alone instead of with Hoseok, and Seokjin sits next to him while Namjoon sorts through photos on his laptop, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. 

“I don’t want you guys wrecking the room, I have to pay for this,” Seokjin says, but the words come out playful. “What’s there even to do in here?”

Jimin shrugs. “It’s a nice view. You have a hot tub. There’s a pool.”

Seokjin rolls his eyes. “Is it really that great?”

“Yes,” Jimin says without hesitation. 

“Fine,” Seokjin caves. “I’ll go buy us booze.”

“You gonna bring Jungkook over?” Jimin immediately asks, lifting his head up to raise an eyebrow at Seokjin.

Seokjin gives him a confused look, a warm, funny feeling taking over at the mention of Jungkook. He hadn’t texted either of them after that day, and while it has been only a little over a day since he left Jungkook’s apartment, Seokjin feels a strange shift in his chest thinking about the silence and what it could mean. Underneath it is the beginnings of guilt, knowing he has something to do with it.

“Should I invite him?” he asks carefully.

“Of course, why wouldn’t you?” Jimin asks, almost suspiciously. “He’s part of the group.”

“I don’t know,” Seokjin says, trying to keep the tension out of his voice that only surfaces when Jungkook’s brought up.

Jimin rolls his eyes. “It’s obvious you and Joon have a weird thing with him. Just, fuck it out or something. Bring him into bed with you guys.”

There’s a tense silence after Jimin speaks, which makes him look between them with alarm. 

Namjoon flushes. “We uh, kind of already did that.”

Jimin’s eyes widen. “No way.”

Seokjin nods, grimacing. Namjoon wears a matching blush, his hands freezing where he was typing on his laptop.

“Does Hoseok know?”

Seokjin cringes at the thought, knowing Hoseok probably won’t be thrilled they defiled his baby cousin. Not that Jungkook seems to be capable of being defiled. 

“No,” Seokjin admits. “It was a spontaneous thing.” Was it really? “Please don’t tell him.”

Jimin raises an eyebrow, but he nods. “I won’t. That’s between you guys and Jungkook, nobody else.”

“Thank you,” Namjoon murmurs gratefully.

“But shit,” Jimin hisses, looking between them both. “What was it like?’

“It was good,” Namjoon says shyly. Seokjin doesn’t trust himself to speak. “He made it good for us.”

“But now it’s awkward,” Jimin says knowingly. “Was it just a hook-up? Or were you two looking to make him…”

“Just a hook-up,” Seokjin says. “Jungkook had been hinting that he wanted a threesome, so we did it. Now it’s done, there’s nothing else.”

“Ah,” Jimin says, sounding disappointed. “You three would’ve looked cute together. He’d probably say yes if you asked, he seemed really smitten by you two.” He words too casually like he doesn’t know the weight behind them, the implications of it. 

“I—” Namjoon stutters, then coughs into his fist, looking shy. Seokjin looks at him strangely, surprised by the reaction. The way Namjoon’s cheeks dust pink. “I don’t know about that.”

“Invite him to the party,” Jimin insists. “You guys are acting weird about it, which means you either need to talk to each other about it or him. Maybe even both.”

Deep down, Seokjin knows that Jimin is right. 

“Okay,” he decides. “I’ll invite him.”

Jimin grins. “You should be the one to call him, Seokjin. He’d probably really like that.”

Seokjin frowns, thinking that’s probably not true, but if Namjoon is the one to do it then Jungkook might get the wrong idea, so he nods. But what would the wrong idea even be? the quieter voice inside of him asks. 

The question sticks with him for a while, lingering up until Jimin leaves to pick up Hoseok. When Jimin is gone and it’s just him and Namjoon, Seokjin reluctantly fishes out his phone from his pocket, staring down at the dark screen. He hesitates, glancing up at the chair Namjoon was sitting in to find it empty. He hears the sound of running water from the bathroom, telling him that Namjoon is taking a shower. With a sigh, he opens his messaging app instead, chickening out. He doesn’t have the courage to call.

Seokjin

Hey, Joon and I are having a party before we head back home. You wanna come?

Jungkook

I’m being personally invited?

Seokjin can feel the smirk through the text, and it makes him immediately regret listening to Jimin. He can practically see Jungkook’s shit-eating grin through his screen, so he decides to leave the message on seen, not dignifying him with a response.

Jungkook

You didn’t text me yesterday :( but okay, I’ll come since I wouldn’t want to let you down

Seokjin frowns at his screen, wondering why it would matter to Jungkook whether or not he texted him. Over text, it’s impossible to read how genuine Jungkook’s tone is. Namjoon, he’d understand, but Jungkook doesn’t want to let him down? He decides not to acknowledge it.

Seokjin

Bring your own booze. It’s at 9

Jungkook

Don’t be like that. I’ll be there, don’t worry ;*

Seokjin sighs when he closes his screen, leaning his head against the wall. He hears the running water in the bathroom stop, and Namjoon walks out, towel-drying his hair absent-mindedly. Seokjin watches him sit down on the edge of his bed, moving a stack of books to the side. 

“Namjoon?” he asks, wondering if he’s going to regret asking his question.

Namjoon looks up, blinking owlishly at him. “Yeah?”

What do you think about what Jimin said today? he wants to ask, but the words don’t come out. What do you think about when Jimin asked if Jungkook would join us? Our relationship? Questions that he thinks about without meaning to, questions he didn’t realize he wanted the answer to. 

“Do you wanna come with me to buy alcohol?” he asks instead, grabbing the car keys off the dresser. “Or do you wanna hang back and get ready?”

“I’ll stay in case one of the guys shows up early,” Namjoon says. “But text me if you need my help with anything,” he adds, giving Seokjin a comforting nod like he knows he needs it.

Seokjin sighs, patting his pockets to make sure he has his wallet. “Okay, I’ll be back.”

The walk gives him a chance to clear his mind and he didn’t anticipate how much he’d appreciate being alone until he was. His thoughts drift back to Jungkook without wanting to — the sounds of his breaths when he was under Seokjin, and the redness of his mouth, his cheeks, his neck. Seokjin shudders when he thinks of the way Jungkook had melted under the two of them, his kisses needy and desperate instead of punishing and demanding the way Seokjin expected. It was almost like he was giving himself up to them, and that’s a thought Seokjin doesn’t know what to make of. 

It was easier to hate Jungkook when there weren’t any layers to him — when he was just a college student hitting on his husband. Seeing him vulnerable, having the knowledge that he’d bottom for Seokjin without much experience just because he was young and trusting unsettles him, and Seokjin almost wishes he didn’t know. He wishes he didn’t know because it forces him to reconsider what he thinks of Jungkook. 

He knows he’s really fucked when he realizes he’s hard as he’s picking out a wine for their party — turned on from the thoughts of Jungkook’s breathy, whiny voice in his ear. He hates himself because he knows he’d give into Jungkook again without hesitation, that one night in bed with him wouldn’t be enough to sate him. It makes him miserable, then, and he’s filled with shame when he faces the cashier, keeping his head low as the man rings up his purchase.

When he returns, Jimin and Hoseok have already arrived, sitting by the open window sharing a cigarette where the wind will blow the smoke outside. Seokjin drops his bags of groceries onto the floor, stretching to ease the stiffness out of his back before leaning down to kiss Namjoon’s cheek. Namjoon hums, leaning into it. Seokjin feels guilty.

“The troublemaker hasn’t arrived yet,” Namjoon tells him. “But apparently he told Jimin he’d be here soon.”

“Cool,” Seokjin says, even though inside he feels anything but. 

He dresses up more than he normally would for a night like this. It’s supposed to be casual, but he styles his hair and puts on cologne anyway, taking out his nicest shirt from his suitcase. He doesn’t have a reason for why he does it, though he knows it must be Jungkook. Maybe it’s to look younger to match the energy Jungkook brings to the room, or maybe it’s in a weak attempt to gain Jungkook’s approval, wanting his attention on him in a way that’s flattering. Either way, he sees a younger version of himself in the mirror when he takes a step back, and with a sigh, he leaves the washroom to go see the others.

“Don’t get drunk tonight,” Seokjin warns when he sees Hoseok opening a can of beer. 

“No fun allowed,” Jimin heckles, but he reaches for a can of soda instead to appease him. 

Seokjin turns on the TV to create background noise, none of them paying attention to the show that’s playing in the background. He grabs a handful of chips and shoves them in his mouth to distract himself from his thoughts as he tidies the bed, feeling the need to keep busy to calm his nerves. He shouldn’t be nervous — it’s just Jungkook — but Jungkook doesn’t feel like just Jungkook anymore. Not after he brought him into bed with him and Namjoon. 

Jimin grabs his phone when he hears it ding and he glances down at the screen, taking a sip of his drink. “Jungkook’s here. He wants someone to meet him outside, he’s carrying stuff.”

“Who wants to go meet him?” Seokjin asks, his heart rate picking up. He wipes his hands on the sides of his pants, feeling on edge. He already knows inevitably that it will be him. 

“You’re already standing, just go do it,” Jimin says dismissively. 

Seokjin knows better than to argue, so he nods, walking over to the door to unlock it. He doesn’t see Jungkook immediately when he steps out into the hallway, so he closes the door behind him, crossing his arms as he waits.

Jungkook’s head pops out around the corner a minute later, and when he sees Seokjin he smiles. He’s dressed nicer than Seokjin’s used to seeing, wearing a white button-down with the sleeves pushed up to reveal his tattoos and sinewy, thick arms. He smells nice, too, like something sweet and fruity. In his arms are a bottle of wine and a bag full of take-out, which he holds up as an offering to a baffled Seokjin, who takes it hesitantly. 

“Wow,” is all Seokjin says, feeling speechless.

“I look that good?” Jungkook asks, giving Seokjin a cheeky grin. 

“The food,” Seokjin deadpans, gesturing to the bag in his hands.

“You’re so mean to me,” Jungkook whines, deflating a little. Then, he perks back up. “It’s Chinese food. I’m broke, but I figured it’s the least I could do.”

“Thanks,” Seokjin says because he doesn’t know what else. “Wanna come inside?”

Jungkook hesitates, his eyes lingering on Seokjin’s face like there’s something else he wants to say. The air feels tense between them, and it feels like Jungkook’s sizing him up. Waiting for something. Seokjin wonders if he’s thinking about last night.

He looks good, Seokjin begrudgingly admits, his shirt hugging his chest in all the right ways. He lets himself stare when Jungkook passes him with a nod, opening the door without waiting for Seokjin to do it for him. He doesn’t know why he expected something else.

“Hi, Jungkookie,” Jimin says warmly, standing up to pull Jungkook into a tight hug. Jungkook giggles, leaning into it fully to wrap his arms around Jimin’s waist. Like that, the tension evaporates, and Seokjin wonders if he imagined it. 

“Hi,” he says, tucking his face into Jimin’s neck. Hoseok pries Jungkook away a moment later to hug him too, and Jungkook lets himself get manhandled into the embrace. “I missed you guys.”

“It’s only been a few days, you freeloader,” Hoseok teases.

“Not a freeloader,” Jungkook protests. “I brought food and alcohol.”

“Oh? You brought wine instead of coolers? Have someone you’re trying to impress?” Jimin asks, studying the label. “You can’t even afford groceries, how did you pay for this?”

“I sweet-talked the old lady who works the cash,” Jungkook says, kicking off his shoes by the door. “She thinks I’m cute.”

“Her vision must be going,” Hoseok jokes, ruffling his little cousin’s hair. Jungkook swats him.

“No hi for me?” Namjoon asks from where he’s sitting on the bed, legs spread slightly as he leans back onto his hands. Jungkook looks him up and down as he bites his lip, his cheeks dusting pink. Okay fine, he’s a little cute, Seokjin admits. 

“Hi, hyung,” Jungkook says softly.

“That shirt looks good on you,” Namjoon says, and Jungkook brightens at that, turning almost bashful. 

“Yeah?” he asks, looking pleased. “Thank you.”

Seokjin’s tongue feels like sandpaper in his mouth, wondering if the tension between them is as obvious to everyone else as it is to him. “Do we have paper plates for the food?” he asks.

Jungkook’s smile drops as he turns to Seokjin. “There’s already some in the bag, I have that covered.”

“Ah, great,” Seokjins says, pushing the coffee table to the middle of the floor for them to sit around. “Thanks, Jungkook.”

Jungkook smiles slightly, setting the bag of food down. Seokjin reaches for a plate from the bag, but Jungkook stops him. “I can get that for you, don’t worry. What do you want?”

Seokjin falters. “Just… a little bit of everything, I guess.”

“Sure,” he says, setting down the containers of food. 

Feeling unsure, Seokjin sits down on the floor, waiting for the others to join him. It’s different without the usual bickering between him and Jungkook, and he wonders if anyone has noticed things have shifted. Now, it’s harder to read Jungkook, and the uneasiness almost makes Seokjin wish Jungkook was still trying to get under his skin. 

He should still be annoyed with Jungkook, shouldn’t he? Or has he run out of excuses?

Jungkook sits between him and Namjoon, folding his legs underneath himself as he leans over his plate. Seokjin doesn’t look at him as he eats, staring down at his feet as he chews. He lets his friends fill in the conversation instead of speaking, listening to their voices as they talk about the food, Jungkook chiming in every once in a while with his input. Eventually, Jimin opens the bottle of wine Jungkook brought, pouring them each a glass in the small, styrofoam cups Jungkook managed to smuggle out of the restaurant. It’s weird but it’s comfortable, and Seokjin feels himself relax the longer he eats, letting himself enjoy his friends’ company. 

“So Seokjin,” Hoseok asks, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Which day do you head back again?”

“Two days from now,” he says, feeling weird about saying it out loud. Like it’s something he should keep private. “We have an evening flight our last day.”

“Where are you guys from?” Jungkook asks, and Seokjin realizes then that Jungkook doesn’t actually know much about them personally — only what he’d observed of him and Namjoon by watching. It’s a weird feeling.

“Massachusetts,” Seokjin says. “Same as Jimin and Hoseok.”

Jungkook nods, looking like he expected that answer. “So am I. I visit Hoseok when I go home between semesters because his mom lives close to mine,” he says, almost shyly. “

“Don’t be awkward,” Jimin hisses, playfully hitting the back of Jungkook’s head. Jungkook laughs shyly and ducks, hiding his cheeks behind his hand. Seokjin feels out of touch, like he’s missing something everyone else is in on. 

“Do you like California better?” Namjoon asks because he’s always been better at small-talk amongst the two of them. 

Nodding, Jungkook bites another piece of chicken. “It’s nice, but it’s never the same as home. I guess home will always feel like where my family is.”

“It’s the same for us, too, I think,” Namjoon says. “Seokjin and I start to miss it by the end of our vacation.”

Jungkook looks between them, dragging his chopsticks through his rice absentmindedly. His face turns passive and unreadable. “What will you do when you get back?”

Seokjin shrugs. “Go back to work. Namjoon only has the week booked off, and I have clients back in the city.”

Jungkook nods again. “When I’m done my final semester, I’ll probably go back home, too. There are more opportunities in LA, but I miss my mom. And you know, my friends back home, too.”

“I hope it all works out for you,” Namjoon says, and Jungkook smiles, like that wasn’t quite what he was hoping to hear. 

“Are you gonna be sad to go back to Massachusetts?” Jimin asks, and he says it like he’s insinuating something, but Seokjin doesn’t know what it is. 

“What do you mean?” Seokjin asks carefully, swallowing his food. 

“Ah, hyung…” Jungkook protests, shaking off Jimin’s hand when he goes to massage his shoulders. 

“I think this little one here will miss you,” Jimin teases, ruffling Jungkook’s hair. “Maybe he even wants to come back with you guys.”

Namjoon laughs awkwardly. This is bad, Namjoon isn’t usually the awkward one between them.

“Stop it,” Jungkook mumbles, flushing redder than Seokjin’s ever seen him. This is worse. 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Seokjin says, playing it off with a laugh. “Jungkook’s probably excited to see me go back home.”

Jungkook doesn’t say anything to that, and there’s an uncomfortable silence for a moment that’s broken by Hoseok getting up to refill his glass. Jimin lets go of Jungkook’s shoulders and leans back, rubbing his hands on his thighs. 

“So, does anyone need more to drink?” he asks, and Seokjin shakes his head, suddenly not feeling hungry. He sensed he’s said something wrong, but he doesn’t understand how he’s fallen so behind in just a few days. He doesn’t know what he isn’t getting. 

Namjoon attempts to fix the mood by offering Jungkook something off his plate, and Jungkook shyly but eagerly opens his mouth to let Namjoon feed him. The gesture is fond and sweet, and Seokjin is hit with a stab of jealousy knowing that Jungkook would never let him do that to him. 

“Thank you, hyung,” Jungkook says, smiling so big with full cheeks that Seokjin’s heart stutters in his chest. For one aching moment, Seokjin wishes he could do something like that without being shut down.

That’s what he wants, isn’t it? 

Subconsciously, he knows he’s started to find Jungkook a little too cute, warming up a little too much to the idea of keeping him around, as much as he doesn’t want to acknowledge it. Jungkook gets under his skin, but he’s also funny and charming in a way Seokjin is drawn to. He sees how well he gets along with his husband — how Namjoon has taken to him in his quiet, restrained way. It’s unfair that Namjoon gets to receive all of it, while Seokjin is the unfortunate roadblock between them. 

The realization frightens Seokjin, and he puts down his chopsticks as he’s forced to face the fact that he likes Jungkook more than he should. He feels sick because of his own feelings, and his breath starts to come out in short, rushed breaths. He stands up quickly, nearly knocking his drink over.

“You okay?” Jimin asks, shooting him a look of concern.

“Headache,” Seokjin lies, swiftly walking over to the washroom and locking the door behind him before anyone can question him. Then, he sits down on the toilet seat and buries his head in his hands with a groan, dragging his hands down his face. 

How pathetic is he to get a crush on a fling he and his husband had? he asks himself, feeling a wave of shame roll over him. Feelings for the boy who goes out of his way to antagonize Seokjin, probably knowing all along that Seokjin is weak for him. 

Does Jungkook think he’s a joke?

He knows in reality that there are only two days before he’ll never see Jungkook again, and everything that’s happened will be put behind them. But, for two torturous days, and the rest of his life to follow, he’ll be thinking about how even just for a moment — he pined for Jungkook. Someone other than Namjoon. Would Namjoon even forgive him for something like this?

Worst of all, Seokjin knows that Namjoon would. Good, sweet Namjoon would forgive him and sit down to talk with him about it, eager to reason Seokjin’s feelings when Seokjin isn’t willing to do it himself — the way he’s always done. 

Seokjin stands on shaky legs and washes his face with cold water in the sink, trying to extinguish the heat that burns under his skin. He feels like he’s betrayed Namjoon, but more importantly, himself. As small as the crush is, he let it go this far, and that was his mistake.

He exits the washroom a few minutes later, reluctantly joining the others who are too deep in conversation to notice his flushed cheeks and shaking hands. He avoids looking at Jungkook, who glances at him briefly before going back to saying something to Hoseok. Namjoon rubs Seokjin’s back soothingly, sensing his distress, and Seokjin does his best not to flinch.

“You wanna talk about it later?” Namjoon mumbles in his ear when no one is looking.

“It’s nothing,” Seokjin lies, not quite ready for that conversation. Whether Namjoon believes him or not, Seokjin doesn’t know, but Namjoon lets it drop, anyway. 

“Can you pass the chicken?” Hoseok asks him, and Seokjin nods before wordlessly handing it over, feeling numbness spread down to his feet. 

What’s even worse is, Jungkook represents everything that Seokjin wanted when he was younger. His boldness, his beauty, and his headstrong approach to life. There’s a mix of jealousy and admiration that Seokjin feels for him, and he thinks it manifested into bitterness to see it once again out of his reach. And a small part of him, microscopic and hidden away, worries that maybe, just maybe, that Namjoon will see those traits in Jungkook, too, and long for them. 

I’d pick Namjoon over me, too, Seokjin thinks bitterly, lowering his head when he sees Jungkook shoot Namjoon a starry look. 

“I’m gonna go out on the balcony to smoke,” Jungkook announces, getting up with a grin. “Anyone want to join me?”

Seokjin knows that he shouldn’t — that he should keep to himself in case he risks saying something tonight that ruins everything. His feelings right now are dangerous and confusing, and being loose-lipped from wine could damage this night beyond repair.

Still, he gravitates towards Jungkook, like he’s being sucked into a self-destructive black hole, unable to resist.

“I will,” Seokjin says without thinking, standing up before his legs have the chance to resist it. He doesn’t even smoke — never started the habit — but he feels drawn to Jungkook as much as he wants to stay as far away from him as possible. 

“I only have my vape,” Jungkook warns, like he expects Seokjin to say no. Maybe he’s even a little wary, like he knows Seokjin has another motive for agreeing, even if Seokjin isn’t aware of what it is himself, yet. Why is he always the last person to understand his own feelings?  

“It’s fine,” Seokjin says, even though he’s never used one before. He has no interest in starting the habit, but it’s too late to back out.

The air is cool on their skin when they open the doors, and Seokjin feels hidden away from the rest of the group when Jungkook shuts the door behind them. Then, it’s just the two of them, standing on the balcony that overlooks the city below. The wind is stronger up here, and Seokjin can hear the roar of the cars even at this height. Shivering, he looks at Jungkook who pulls out a small vape from his pocket.

“I didn’t know you smoked,” Seokjin comments. He remembers seeing Jungkook take a hit off someone’s vape at the club, but he thought that it was just something he did in the moment. 

“I don’t,” Jungkook says, avoiding his eyes. “Only sometimes. When I’m stressed.” He takes a pull off the end and blows out the smoke, letting it fizzle away in the night air. Seokjin expected something fruity maybe, like mango or grape, but it just smells like mint. Maybe it wasn’t chapstick Seokjin tasted on Jungkook but rather his vape.

“You’re stressed?” Seokjin chuckles. “About what?’

Jungkook shrugs, handing the vape to him. Their hands brush, and Jungkook’s skin is warm. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Seokjin parrots back, copying what he saw Jungkook do when he inhales off the end. It burns the back of his throat and makes him want to cough, but he forces himself to keep his face neutral. 

“It’s nothing,” Jungkook says dismissively, his face darkening slightly. He looks torn between taking a step closer to Seokjin or a step back but eventually decides to stay where he is, resting his elbows on the railing. Seokjin feels the tension from earlier returns, smouldering and warm, and it makes Seokjin itch to do something crazy, like kiss him. He doesn’t.

“Everything felt stressful to me when I was younger,” Seokjin says, unsure what to say. Unsure if Jungkook wants comfort or to let the topic drop. It’s hard to comfort someone when you don’t know what’s wrong. He wonders if it’s about Namjoon. 

“You make the age jokes too easy for me, hyung,” Jungkook says, giving Seokjin a slight smile. 

“I’ve heard them all,” Seokjin says dryly. 

“Are you sure? I’m very creative.”

Seokjin lets himself chuckle at that, sensing Jungkook’s being playful instead of biting for a change. It feels good. More like friendly teasing. 

“What is work like for you, hyung?” Jungkook asks, taking the vape back. Seokjin feels a pleasant rush from the nicotine and he lets himself relax, staring at the side of Jungkook’s face. He looks beautiful at night, the city lights shining in his eyes and across the shimmer of his lips when he licks them. His dark hair ruffles in the breeze, brushing across his cheeks.

Jungkook dares to move closer until their arms brush and Seokjin lets him, allowing himself to stare at Jungkook’s face up close. When Jungkook exhales, Seokjin feels it across his skin, feathery and light. He could easily give into kissing him again. 

“It’s work,” Seokjin says, pleasantly surprised that Jungkook would ask. “Sometimes it can get depressing though to show gorgeous houses to rich people. I get envious of them, wishing it were me.”

“Do you have a house?” Jungkook asks curiously.

Seokjin shakes his head. “Namjoon and I share an apartment, but we’re saving for a down-payment on a house. We were uh, looking at houses this year. We’re hoping to start going to open houses by the winter.”

“I’m jealous,” Jungkook says with a little laugh. “Must be weird though, being a real estate agent that has to buy a house for themselves. You know how it works.”

Seokjin smiles. “That’s true. I guess it’s a little weird.”

“Does Namjoon make a lot of money as a music producer?” Jungkook asks, and Seokjin tries not to deflate a little at the change in subject, even if he loves talking about his husband. For a moment, it felt nice to be the one Jungkook was interested in talking about. 

“He makes good money,” Seokjin says. “It’s not as glamorous as it is for some producers who work with A-list singers all the time. Joon isn’t like that. He does a lot of work with businesses that need music for advertisements and small-scale movies. Occasionally he works with singers, but he does a lot of freelance work so he goes where the demand is.”

“Does he make more than you?” Jungkook asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Not yet,” Seokjin says. “Maybe one day, if he ever gets a deal with a major record label.”

“That’d be cool,” Jungkook hums. “I want to do that.”

“I bought him the speaker set-up he uses now,” Seokjin explains. “Since I make more money. He was upset that I spent all that money on him, but I didn’t want all of the money he made to go right back into his work. I wanted him to be able to keep some for himself.”

“I can see now why he likes you so much,” Jungkook says.

“What do you mean?” Seokjin asks, turning to look at him.

Jungkook smirks. “From Namjoon’s perspective, he has someone with lots of money willing to shower him with gifts. Are you sure he really minded? I’d like you too if you bought me stuff like that.”

Seokjin feels his heart shrink a little at that, and he doesn’t know what to say, closing in on himself. The comment wasn’t said with ill intent, but the words had crossed Jungkook’s mind, joke or not. The implication that Namjoon might like him for his money wasn’t missed. The I’d like you too floats around Seokjin’s head, making him uneasy. The meaning behind that is even worse.

Frowning, he stares over the balcony at the city below, watching the cars race by. “If that’s the case, then I guess you’ll never stand a chance. If you think money is what Namjoon wants, then you have nothing to offer.” The words come out more biting than he intended, but he’s stinging with hurt and vulnerability, and Jungkook’s words had hit a nerve he didn’t know he had. 

“Ah,” Jungkook says, sucking in a breath like he wants to say something more. Then, he chuckles breathily and says nothing. It’s the first time he hasn’t had a comeback for him.

Seokjin can see the hurt flicker across Jungkook’s face, and part of him wants to say something crueller — ask Jungkook did you really think you would’ve had a chance with him anyway? 

But the softer part of him wants to ask instead, what about me? If you got what you wanted and Namjoon said yes, what would happen to me?

Those are the questions he really wanted to ask. 

“I’m getting cold, I’m going inside,” Seokjin says, chickening out of the conversation now that it’s too fractured to repair. Jungkook just nods silently, lowering his head so that his face covers his expression. Seokjin is thankful he can’t see it. 

Goosebumps crawl up his arm even when he’s back inside the warmth of the hotel, and by the time he sits down, he’s shivering. Namjoon pulls him into his chest, tucking his chin on top of his head.

“Went bad?” he asks.

“Just typical Jungkook,” Seokjin says, and Namjoon hums knowingly. 

The rest of the night drags by, and Seokjin tries to forget about the horrible interaction with Jungkook on the balcony and fails. He gets tipsy off of Jungkook’s wine, and each time he tastes it he thinks of what it was like to have him underneath him, tasting his mouth and his body. With those feelings comes self-deprecation, and old, buried insecurities that slowly resurface after years. Jungkook has a way of evoking them. 

Jimin and Hoseok announce that they’re leaving when it’s already three a.m, and Seokjin nods, climbing to his feet on unsteady legs to show them to the door. The air feels spacey and thick, and he feels like he’s in a trance when he watches Jungkook gather his stuff slowly, like he’s reluctant to leave.

He’d been quiet the whole night after their talk on the balcony, and Seokjin felt bad despite the way Jungkook had hurt him, knowing he’s the reason Jungkook is being that way. At the end of the day, Jungkook is still inexperienced in love, and Seokjin should have known better than to take a jab at his feelings for Namjoon. 

Jimin and Hoseok step out into a hallway, stumbling drunkenly as they hold onto each other, carrying the leftover take-out with them. It’s Jungkook that seems the soberest amongst them, his eyes shiny but clear when he nods to them, lingering in the doorway.

“Thanks for having me over,” Jungkook says. “I didn’t expect to be invited.”

“You’re always welcome to spend time with us, Jungkook,” Namjoon says warmly, leaning against the doorframe. His expression is gentle and soft and Jungkook seems to get sucked into it, gazing into his eyes with something unspoken. Seokjin knows that Jungkook wishes at that moment he could pull Namjoon in for a hug or a kiss, but he must have been able to restrain himself because he just smiles politely.

Then, his smile becomes weaker. “You’re really leaving in two days?”

Namjoon nods, looking sad. “But we’ll be back next summer. Maybe we’ll even see each other sooner.”

Jungkook nods, but he looks nervous. He bites his lower lip, thinking as he looks between the two of them. “I’ll miss you.”

Seokjin’s heart aches a little more at that, feeling left out.

“We’ll miss you, too,” Namjoon says softly. “Come on, don’t look so down.”

Jungkook smiles at that, hiding his face shyly. “I just…”

“Just what?”

Jungkook whines, frustrated. His eyes widen, and he looks between Namjoon and Seokjin like he’s fighting something inside of him. Words he wants to say. In the end, he decides to say nothing, because he wraps a hand around Namjoon’s neck and kisses him on the mouth, sealing their lips together. It isn’t sensual or deep — nothing like the kinds of kisses they’d shared in Jungkook’s bed or the one in the kitchen, but Seokjin can feel the intensity behind it from where he’s standing. 

For some reason, he doesn’t stop Jungkook. The kiss is over too soon for Namjoon to reciprocate, but it leaves the two of them breathless.

When Jungkook pulls back, his eyes are wide and his chest is heaving despite the kiss only being seconds. Then, he turns to Seokjin and pulls him in for a kiss, too, exhaling sharply when their lips meet. Seokjin almost loses his balance from the force of it, placing his hands on Jungkook’s hips to keep himself from falling backwards into the room. Jungkook’s skin burns where he touches, a flickering flame under Seokjin’s fingertips that threatens to burn. 

Before the kiss can turn deeper, gently, Seokjin pushes Jungkook away, too hurt from their conversation on the balcony to let it happen. Jungkook looks dazed and confused when their lips part, like he wants to try again but Seokjin’s hands prevent him from getting closer. He doesn’t know what Jungkook’s trying to do by kissing him, but he can’t take it.

“That’s not…” Seokjin says quietly. “Let’s not.”

Jungkook withers, and Seokjin doesn’t know why. “Okay,” he whispers, his expression tormented.

“We’ll see you later,” Namjoon says softly, trying to remedy the situation. He must know something happened, but he carefully keeps either of them from noticing.

“Text me before your flight,” Jungkook says like it’s a compromise to himself. Like it’s not what he really wants, but like he’ll take what he can get. “Please.”

“Okay,” Seokjin promises, staring down at Jungkook’s lips where they’re shiny and wet from the kiss. 

Jungkook nods, satisfied. He looks between them one more time with something like longing, and then he flees without a goodbye, leaving them both stunned. It’s the most characteristic Jungkook goodbye, and Seokjin doesn’t know how he expected anything less. 

It’s Namjoon who closes the door first, still rubbing his lips with his fingers as he slides the lock into place. His face is pensive as he slowly walks over the bed and sits down, sinking into the mattress. Seokjin doesn’t usually see him look so conflicted, and it makes him uneasy.

Lips still tingly from the kiss and heart reeling from the words Jungkook said to him, Seokjin slumps down on the bed beside Namjoon, resting his elbows on his knees so that he’s hunched forward. The kiss took away the last bit of resolve he had left, and everything begins to spill out.

“I… I think I like Jungkook,” Seokjin confesses. There’s a silence where neither of them says anything, then Namjoon looks at him hesitantly.

“Oh,” he says simply. Seokjin’s heart breaks. “Okay.”

“Is that all you have to say to that?” Seokjin asks, not risking looking up yet.

Namjoon hums. “I mean, I sensed something there between the two of you. I wasn’t sure what it was and it felt wrong to analyze it. I figured if it were significant enough you’d tell me, and you did.”

“I’m sorry,” Seokjin mumbles.

“Why are you sorry? You can’t help something like that.”

Seokjin winces, too scared to look up. “My feelings for you haven’t changed. If anything, they’ve gotten stronger, so I don’t understand why I feel like this towards Jungkook too, and I know if I let it happen, the feelings would grow stronger. Do you understand what I mean?”

Namjoon hums, his voice carefully void of any emotion. “I think so.”

“I’d never do anything to jeopardize our relationship… but I’m disappointed in myself for feeling this way,” Seokjin confesses. “Should I be able to control it better?”

Namjoon rubs the back of his neck, no ounce of anger or disappointment in his touch. He doesn’t even hesitate. “After years of marriage, is it really so scary to think that you might one day be attracted to someone other than me? You said it yourself — you wouldn’t hurt our relationship for him. You still love me, don’t you? So, why are you scared?”

Seokjin sighs. “I’m disappointed with myself. Not just for being attracted to someone else, but for it to be him of all people.”

“Him?” Namjoon asks, confused.

“Someone cooler than me. Funnier. Hotter. Everything I would’ve killed to be when I was younger,” Seokjin explains, feeling the full weight of his guilt when he confesses it out loud for the first time. He dares to look at Namjoon and sees that his expression is calm, with a thin sheet of concern hidden behind it. 

“Don’t you think Jungkook thinks that way about you, too?” Namjoon asks.

“What?” Seokjin whispers.

“I’m sure Jungkook is envious of your maturity and the way you conduct your life. Sure, he’s funny and hot and cool, but there’s more value to a person than that. He’s not everything that can be good in a person, just like how you’re not missing the only things that make a person good,” Namjoon explains.

Seokjin chuckles, but it’s bitter. “I don’t think Jungkook envies me the way I envy him. Maybe he envies me for being married to you, but that’s it.”

“Then you’re not paying attention,” Namjoon teases, flicking Seokjin’s chin. “He looks at you a lot, you know. I thought you knew.”

“Don’t joke about that,” Seokjin huffs, but he feels some of the tension in his shoulders release, even if he doesn’t quite believe Namjoon’s words.

“Why wouldn’t he?” Namjoon asks, tilting Seokjin’s chin so that he’s forced to make eye contact with him. “You’re gorgeous, witty, and smart. You have your life together, you take care of the people you meet, and you offer something stable. Is that not anyone’s dream man?”

Seokjin feels his eyes burn.

“Would it make you feel better if I also told you that I was attracted to Jungkook? That I felt the same way towards him that you do?” Namjoon asks, his turn to look vulnerable. He giggles shyly, his cheeks turning pink.

“What?” Seokjin asks, feeling numb. 

Namjoon grins. “I don’t know. I just thought he was really sweet when we first met him. I find him cute, and that blossomed into something more, I think.”

Seokjin’s chest feels tight. “You don’t… want to leave me for him, do you?”

Namjoon rolls his eyes, squishing Seokjin’s cheeks together with his hands. “Of course not. Just like you, my love for our marriage hasn’t diminished at all. But it’s natural to feel attraction to other people. It’s what you do with those feelings that decide if you should feel guilty for them.”

“Then what do we do now?” Seokjin asks, looking down at his lap. “We’ve slept with him, kissed him, and brought him into our lives. And in less than two days he’ll be gone.”

“Is that not what you want?” Namjoon asks, curious.

“I don’t know what I want,” Seokjin decides. “And I’m scared that two days isn’t long enough for me to realize what I want.”

Namjoon stays silent.

“What do you want?” Seokjin asks, almost afraid of the answer. 

“Me?”

Seokjin nods. 

Namjoon thinks for a moment. “I want what makes you happy,” he decides, sounding sure of himself. It both comforts Seokjin and makes him feel worse.

“And what if that’s what I wanted, too?” Seokjin asks. “To make you happy? What then?”

Namjoon considers that. “Then, I’d say that maybe it would be good for you — for us — to see Jungkook one more time before we go back home.”

“Invite him back to our hotel?” Seokjin asks, surprised.

Namjoon shrugs. “It’ll be in our own territory, rather than his. It might make you feel more relaxed. You know what else I’d suggest?”

“What?” Seokjin mumbles, suddenly feeling exhausted from everything that’s happened.

“Text him tonight. Make sure he got home safe. Something happened between you two, didn’t it?”

Seokjin nods. “He… made a comment about me. About us.”

Namjoon frowns. “What did he say?”

“It was about my income,” Seokjin says, embarrassed to say it out loud. “He said he understood then why you stay with me.”

Namjoon’s expression turns troubled.  “I think he says those things not because he wants to hurt you, but because he wants your attention.”

Seokjin laughs, shaking his head. He stands up to pull back the covers of his bed, too tired to think about showering or taking off his make-up tonight. As he begins to undress, he speaks. “Why would he want my attention?”

Namjoon mirrors him, taking off his clothes until he’s just in his boxers. “Come on, don’t be silly.”

“No, really,” Seokjin insists. 

“Ah, Seokjin,” Namjoon says with a little laugh, turning off the lamp on the nightstand. “Go text Jungkook. Don’t worry about anything else for now.”

Seokjin obliges even though he doesn’t want to, grabbing his phone and clicking on Jungkook’s name. It’s still open from earlier when he’d texted him to bring alcohol, the handful of messages between them looking empty and hollow. It takes Seokjin a minute to work up the courage to text him, and when he does he’s surprised that Jungkook reads it almost immediately. 

Seokjin

Let me know if you got home safe.

Jungkook

I did. Don’t tell me you were worried about me, were you?

The tone is playful and flirty the way Jungkook’s previous texts were — nothing like the way he’d looked right before he’d gone home. It’s harder to read Jungkook over text, impossible to tell whether he’s joking or being sincere. Seokjin wants to read the texts as a joke, but a part of him questions if Jungkook really does want to know if he was worried.

He chickens out of answering, and he watches Jungkook’s text bubble pop up, disappear, then pop up again. Jungkook eventually sends a message, but it makes Seokjin feel worse.

Jungkook

Sorry. Have a good night, hyung.

The sorry stands out to him, making Seokjin wonder if it’s in response to what happened on the balcony rather than his text. Despite that, Seokjin can’t bring himself to say anything to rectify it. Restless and uneasy, he doesn’t reply to that text either, turning over so that he can’t see his phone screen before he tries to sleep. It’s the easy way out, maybe, but Seokjin isn’t always as mature as Namjoon likes to give him credit for.

♥️

Be the bigger person, is what Seokjin tells himself the next morning as he gets ready, washing off the residue of last night in the shower. He spends too long under the hot water, staring at the fogged glass as he rinses the soap off his body. He woke up before Namjoon to have the silence, wanting to be alone with his thoughts after spending the last few days running from them, but now that he’s left alone with his thoughts he hates it, wanting nothing more than to run away.

He thought he knew everything there was to know about love. He thought that love was his marriage — the years he’d spent and cultivated with Namjoon until they were woven into each other like an old piece of well-loved, worn cloth. Love to him was something solid and committed that you carve out of an unforgiving piece of wood. It’s brutal, it’s finicky, but with hard work — you can end up with something beautiful.

Then, there was Jungkook, who was spontaneous and wild. An unpredictable, dangerous flame that licks at the glass of its jar and wants to grow. Seokjin had always thought that kind of passionate, unexpected attraction was juvenile and temporary. Something you feel in your teens and grow out of when you realize later that it wasn’t really love at all.

And yet, at the age of thirty, Seokjin finds himself feeling that kind of attraction for the first time. To actually feel it is so much different than seeing it happen to someone else. He couldn’t understand it before, just like how he couldn’t understand Jungkook’s fearlessness in going after Namjoon in vain, but now he thinks he gets it a little now, and that’s what’s terrifying. He’s realizing just how all-encompassing it is.

But to be told he’s allowed to feel this way means so much more. To know that Namjoon feels that attraction, too, makes Seokjin feel vulnerable and safe in his feelings. Giving into the feelings is so much easier than hiding them, but so much more mortifying. 

He turns off the water and steps out of the shower, reaching for the towel folded on the sink. He glances at his phone and sees the screen lit up, Jungkook’s caller ID showing on the phone. Seokjin picks up, forgetting to speak when he answers.

“Seokjin?” Jungkook asks from the other end.

“Yeah?” Seokjin says, feeling his hand sweat where it grips his phone.

“Can I come over?”

The question surprises Seokjin, but deep down he knew it was coming. Jungkook must’ve thought of them as soon as he’d woken up since Seokjin hadn’t been awake for long. Of course, last night wouldn’t be the last of it. The longing wasn’t one-sided, and Jungkook was just as agonized by his feelings as Seokjin. His hands are shaking slightly when he speaks.

“When do you want to come by?” he manages to say, feeling as breathless as Jungkook sounds.

“Now?” Jungkook asks, hesitant. Nervous.

“Okay,” Seokjin breathes. “I’ll let Joon know.”

Jungkook hangs up without a goodbye, leaving Seokjin confused and anxious. He wakes Namjoon up by gently shaking his shoulder, mumbling that Jungkook’s coming over when he rouses. He walks away to open the curtains, letting the light stain the carpets.

“He’s coming?” Namjoon says blearily, rubbing his eyes. 

Seokjin hums. “He texted me first.”

“Did he say when?”

“Now,” Seokjin says. “He’ll probably get here within the hour. I don’t know how he’s getting here, but…”

“I’ll get ready, then.”

Seokjin wonders if maybe this meeting is a mistake — if letting Jungkook come over after confessing to each other that they’re attracted to him could make everything worse. He knows, realistically, that he’d never do anything Namjoon wouldn’t want, but what if Namjoon wants it, too? Then what? 

There isn’t time for breakfast, but Seokjin finds that he isn’t hungry, anyway. He brushes his hair, makes their bed, and moves through the rest of his morning routine in a quiet numbness that feels all too much like he’s avoiding his feelings again. His thoughts in the shower had felt like enough, and now all he wants to do is run again. 

Eventually, there’s a knock at the door, and when Namjoon looks at him, Seokjin knows that he’s the one meant to answer. Taking a deep breath, he walks over to the door, swinging it open slowly.

“Hi,” Jungkook says, sounding out of breath. He looks like he’s just gotten out of bed and his hair is a mess from the wind, wrapping around his pink cheeks. He looks messy in a way that Seokjin always thought looked good on him, like it was part of his look and intentional. The two of them stare at each other in silence for a moment, before Seokjin speaks.

“You wanna come in?” he asks because he doesn’t know what else to say.

Jungkook nods, his hair bobbing with the movement. “Yes. Yes, please.” He sounds frazzled and nervous, which is uncharacteristic of him, but then again, what does Seokjin really know about him?

Jungkook steps into the hotel room, looking around like he’s seeing it for the first time. Maybe it looks different to him, to see it in the daytime when their other friends aren’t there. Seokjin has always thought that there’s something personal about seeing someone’s living space.

Namjoon stands by the window, offering a wave to Jungkook when he sees them. They’re all at an awkward distance from each other, and it makes it hard for Jungkook to decide who to acknowledge first. Eventually, he speaks to the wall instead when he can’t choose who to face.

“It smells like you guys in here,” is what he says, and it’s the last thing Seokjin expected him to say.

“Us?” Seokjin asks. “What does that mean?”

“Soft, warm,” Jungkook shrugs. He sits down on the edge of the bed without waiting to be offered, but Seokjin can still sense that he’s anxious. 

Namjoon creeps over to Jungkook’s side and sits down beside him, placing a hand on his arm. Seokjin mirrors him, but he isn’t brave enough to touch Jungkook so he curls his fist around the bedsheet instead, wishing he had more courage.

“So, you guys leave tomorrow,” Jungkook says, looking up at them with a forlorn expression.

“Yeah,” Namjoon says, like he’s guilty about it. Maybe he is. 

Jungkook exhales. “Are you excited?”

“Is anyone ever excited to end their vacation?” Seokjin asks, trying for a joke. 

“I’m pissed that I met you two,” Jungkook says, closing his eyes in frustration.

“What?” Namjoon asks. “Why?”

“I’ll miss you when you’re gone,” Jungkook mumbles, turning shy. “I don’t want you to go.”

Seokjin knew that Jungkook would be sad about Namjoon leaving, but hearing it makes him ache inside, knowing that Jungkook’s heart is probably breaking inside, even if it’s not anything close to love yet. He feels bad for him and ashamed of the way he knows how he’s feeling. 

“You’ll miss me too, right?” Jungkook asks, looking hopeful. Then, he hides his insecurity under a playful smile, rubbing a hand over his chest. 

“We’ll miss you,” Namjoon says sincerely — too sincere for what this is. Seokjin swallows, feeling his stomach churn because he wants to say it too. 

“Really?” Jungkook asks, perking up a little. He sits up, placing a careful hand on Namjoon’s arm to pull him in closer. Namjoon moves without resistance, and Seokjin is surprised to see Jungkook do the same to him. Jungkook’s hand is warm and Seokjin feels the heat spread through his body.

“Of course,” Namjoon reassures him, making Jungkook’s smile grow bigger. 

“Hoseok warned me about you two, you know,” Jungkook says.

“Us?” Seokjin asks.

Jungkook nods. “He said I’d just cause you trouble. He told me to stay away. But I don’t think he realized how much trouble you’d cause me. You’re all I can think about, you know that?”

“Jungkook…” Namjoon tries to say. 

“I’m trouble for you too, right?” Jungkook asks knowingly. “Admit it.”

“You are,” Namjoon says honestly. 

The confession doesn’t make Jungkook look triumphant. He just looks at peace, like the words appease a part of him Seokjin doesn't know about. He sighs, tightening his grip on Seokjin's arm. 

“Can I have a kiss?” he asks, almost murmuring the words. “Before you guys leave again. One last time.”

“What?” Seokjin asks, surprised.

Jungkook turns bashful. “Don’t you want to? If we know we’re both bad for each other, then what’s the harm in a kiss? At least let me have this.”

This is a bad idea, Seokjin knows, but he’s been on the cusp of his emotions for the last few days, confused and wanting. He knows that Namjoon wants it too, and when he looks up Namjoon is staring back at him with thinly veiled want and nervousness — a mix that suggests he would take the opportunity if Seokjin granted it to him. 

Seokjin wants to say yes. 

“Don’t think too much,” Jungkook whispers. He’s a bad influence on them both. He’ll be the ruin of Seokjin. “Just kiss me,” he says, reaching a hand up to cup Seokjin’s cheek. It’s unfair that he goes after Seokjin first, like he knows he’s the one he needs to break. “Please.”

“Jungkook…” Seokjin says, letting his eyes flicker down to Jungkook’s lips, soft and warm. He aches to feel them again, even if he shouldn’t.

“Please,” Jungkook whispers again, letting his breath ghost across Seokjin’s mouth. He asks so nicely, he thinks. 

“Okay,” Seokjin says quietly, giving in. “One kiss.” He knew from the start that he would, but Jungkook likes to play this game with him. Jungkook probably knew he’d give in from the first day he met him. He wonders how pathetic that makes him. 

The kiss is deep and slow, so much different in the daytime when Seokjin is still hazy from sleep and there’s nothing he can blame his choices on but himself. He exhales sharply when he feels Jungkook’s lips against his, soft and sweet like the rest of him. It’s hard not to give in when Jungkook is so gentle about it, coaxing Seokjin to lean against him. It’s a contrast to the rest of him, and even the way he dips his tongue into Seokjon’s mouth is shy, almost a tease.

Wanting more now that he’s allowed himself to have this, Seokjin pulls Jungkook closer by his waist until Jungkook is half on top of him, a warm, heavy weight in his lap. Jungkook responds with a sigh, kissing him harder like the action spurred him on. He grabs Seokjin’s wrist and guides it to his waist, whining when Seokjin presses his hand into the soft skin, squeezing. Jungkook is responsive to every touch, urging him with soft, little sounds that go straight to the pit of Seokjin’s stomach.

If it’s their last kiss, then Seokjin will indulge himself.

Namjoon must have done something because Seokjin hears Jungkook respond to it, letting out a shaky little moan before pulling away to look. Seokjin opens his eyes to see Namjoon leaning in to kiss Jungkook while keeping him firmly pressed in between them. 

“Hyung,” Jungkook pants against his mouth, his tongue filthy and wet when he kisses. “Take me back with you. I don’t want you to leave.”

“Jungkook…” Namjoon says, attempting to break the kiss to speak, but Jungkook swallows his words before he can, gripping Namjoon’s hair hard. 

“Please,” Jungkook begs. “Don’t say no.” He whines, blindly reaching behind him for Seokjin, grabbing his arm to pull him closer until it’s the three of them together, panting and out of breath.

“What is it you want?” Seokjin asks, bewildered by Jungkook’s sudden demand.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Jungkook laughs breathily, almost crazed as he traces over the mostly faded hickey he left on the side of Seokjin’s neck. It stings when he presses his thumb in, but Seokjin likes it. “I want you both. I’ve wanted it from the start.”

“Jungkook…” Seokjin protests, head reeling from the meaning behind his words. The things conveyed in just those words.

“What is it you want specifically?” Namjoon asks, dragging his fingers down Jungkook’s back. Jungkook shivers, closing his eyes. 

“Your relationship. Everything. I want to be a part of it,” Jungkook confesses. “I think I’ll go crazy if you go home without me. I was going to let you two go, but now I don’t think that I can.”

Of all things Seokjin expected Jungkook to ask for, this wasn’t one of them. It should make Seokjin uneasy, but it’s just another reminder of the inexperienced passion behind Jungkook’s feelings — the way he throws himself headfirst into everything. It makes something almost like hope flicker in his chest. 

“Us?” Seokjin asks. “Me?”

Jungkook nods eagerly. “Of course you. Why wouldn’t it be you?”

Seokjin is stunned by that, not knowing what to say.

Why wouldn’t it be you?

Seokjin doesn’t have an answer. 

Taking his silence as rejection, Jungkook whines, grabbing Seokjin’s wrists. “Don’t tell me you’re still mad at me for yesterday. I’m sorry, hyung. Please don’t be mad, I was just playing with you. I know you’re mad but I didn’t mean it.”

It’s almost like there’s a different person before him than the Jungkook Seokjin knew before. A Jungkook that wants him — that likes him the same way he feels for him, maybe even more. It’s difficult to believe. Namjoon had told him Jungkook liked him, but he has trouble accepting it even when the words come from Jungkook’s mouth.

“Oh, baby, what is it you’re asking for?” Namjoon asks, squeezing Jungkook’s waist. “A relationship is serious. That’s three people. We’ve… never done that before. We’ve never even discussed it.”

Jungkook looks like he wants to whine, but he holds it back, losing some of his bravado when his shoulders slump. “I know. It’s not realistic. I’ve never done it before either. I just…”

Namjoon hums, tucking a piece of hair behind Jungkook’s ear. Jungkook looks like he doesn’t know whether he wants to lean into it or cry. 

“All three of us?” Seokjin asks. “That’s what you want? That’s… equal, you know.”

Jungkook nods. “I know. Of course, it would be equal. Or well, my feelings for you are equal. I don’t know how you feel about me, I guess I should have asked. You don’t need to say anything if you don’t like me back. Please don’t,” he mumbles quickly, shrinking into himself more.

My feelings for you are equal, echoes in Seokjin’s head. It feels like another one of Jungkook’s cruel jokes, but Seokjin can tell when he stares into his eyes, wide and vulnerable, that he’s serious. Jungkook likes him back — likes them both. It’s the biggest catharsis Seokjin could ever hope for, and yet all he can do is stare in shock.

“You like me?” Seokjin asks, disbelieving.

Jungkook looks at Seokjin like he’s crazy, then he laughs. “I don’t think I’ve ever liked someone as much as I like you.”

“I thought you hated me,” Seokjin admits. “I thought… all of this was just Namjoon. I didn’t think I had anything to do with it.”

“That’s what you thought?” Jungkook asks, and he sounds a bit heartbroken at that. “I liked teasing you because it was hot to see your reaction, not because I didn’t like you. You’d get pissed off at me and look at me in that way… and it just, ugh,” Jungkook says, hanging his head. “It’s always been the two of you, just in different ways. Namjoon makes me feel safe, but you… make me feel like I’m on fire. I love it.”

“I like you too,” Seokjin says, his mouth feeling like it’s filled with cotton. “Namjoon likes you, too. We both do.”

Seokjin doesn’t know how he’s supposed to feel now that he knows Jungkook likes him, but he knows that he feels relief. Relief to know that his feelings weren’t one-sided and relief to know that his quiet, secret longing for them to be three wasn’t exclusive to him. It feels like he’s a part of them now — that the connection wasn’t just between Namjoon and Jungkook. That was what he wanted most of all. 

He doesn’t feel so alone anymore, but more than that he feels like he’s been given a chance at something he didn’t think he’d have before. He doesn’t know what to do with the opportunity. What does this mean for them? What’s going to happen now? The sadness he felt seemed like it was for forever, and to see it lift with just a confession feels almost unreal, like it’s happening to someone else instead of him.

For now, Jungkook is just a crush, but it feels like everything for Jungkook to like him back — to know that Jungkook sees him for him, rather than an obstacle keeping him from someone he wanted more. 

He wanted to be wanted.

Jungkook looks up at Namjoon hopefully. “Yeah?”

“I do,” Namjoon admits, steady and sure. “But there’s more to this than all of us liking each other. It’s one thing to feel attraction, it’s another to want to do something about it.”

“Then let’s do something about it,” Jungkook says, a bit desperately. “Why does it have to end here? You feel something for me.” He takes Namjoon’s hand and pulls it down to touch his thigh, but it isn’t sexual. Seokjin watches Namjoon squeeze.

“How would that work, Jungkook?” Namjoon asks, but the question is genuine, not mocking. “There’s the distance between us. It’s one thing for there to be distance between two people, but there’s three of us, and Seokjin and I live together. You’d be the only one left out, it’s not fair.”

“Wait for me,” Jungkook urges. “I’ll come to visit on my breaks, and once I graduate I’ll come back to stay permanently.”

Namjoon shakes his head. “I can’t let you change your life just for us. We’ve only known each other a week.”

“Then let’s take it day by day. I planned to come home anyway. I’d do it for myself, too,” Jungkook says. “If it doesn’t work out, then we don’t need to keep trying.”

Seokjin knows he should say no. Despite how much he wants it, it’s such a risk. It’s too dangerous, and yet Namjoon looks at him with something that looks like hope, like he wishes Seokjin will say yes so he doesn’t have to. Namjoon wants it too, he realizes, despite everything that could go wrong. Jungkook wants it, even though he’s young and could have anyone else. 

“Please,” Jungkook murmurs, leaning down to capture Namjoon’s lips in a kiss. They fit together easily, Jungkook’s body moving forward to press against Namjoon’s chest. Namjoon loops his arms around him without hesitance to kiss back eagerly, sliding his hand up Jungkook’s back to grip his hair. The two of them sigh, and Seokjin thinks that this is what he wants. He doesn’t want to let Jungkook go yet. 

In other ways, Jungkook’s good for him. He fills the spaces where Seokjin misses pieces of himself — small, inconspicuous cracks that began to show once he met him. He hadn’t thought about his own insecurities in years, and yet he’s spent more time reflecting on it in the last few days than he has his whole life. 

Jungkook could be good for them, he thinks, even if the voice in his head is unreasonable. For Namjoon, too, whose heart is soft and sweet and has so much love to give. He could use someone fiery like Jungkook to evoke passion in him and make him a little more reckless. It’s not that Jungkook is filling a space in their relationship that was empty, but rather making something that was good even better.  

If it works out.

Jungkook pulls away to kiss Seokjin, moaning unabashedly against his mouth when Seokjin pulls him closer by his hips. He snakes his hand around to trace along the waistband of Jungkook’s jeans, feeling the heat of his bare skin where his shirt rides up. He’d been warned that Jungkook is trouble, but he hadn’t realized just how bad it would be. 

He likes it a little too much.

“Okay,” Seokjin breathes against his mouth, feeling himself turn to liquid under Jungkook’s touches. He’s high on his happiness, his head buzzing. It’s like Jungkook’s confession had opened the flood-gates inside of him, and now everything is pouring out. “We can give it a try. If you want.”

“Really?” Jungkook asks. 

Namjoon nods from behind him, even though Jungkook can’t see it. “If that’s what you want, we want it, too.”

“Fuck, how did I get so lucky,” Jungkook breathes, placing a hand on each of their cheeks like he’s looking at them for the first time. “Take me out on a date before you leave. Fuck, just anything. Give me something before you go. I’ll even pay.”

“What?” Seokjin laughs, feeling a weight off his chest to be able to laugh freely without misunderstanding between them. Without worrying about how Jungkook feels for him.

“We’ll take it a day at a time,” Namjoon says, looking how he can’t quite believe what’s happening himself. “We’ll text and FaceTime every day and when we have free time we’ll fly out to visit you if you like. You set the pace. Baby steps.”

 If Seokjin asked him a week ago if he thought they’d ever bring a third into their relationship, Namjoon would have laughed at him. Although it isn’t official yet — the idea that one day it could be, sets Seokjin afire with want. He really wants it to work out. He wants to prove that it’s possible — that it’s not just a disaster waiting to happen from the start.

“We’ll get to know each other properly,” Jungkook promises. “The right way.”

Seokjin can’t believe they’re actually doing this. It’s spontaneous and irrational maybe, to bring a boy into their marriage after a one-night stand, but he knows there won’t be another person like Jungkook after this. 

“Now we’ll miss you even more,” Seokjin says, daring to lean down and press a kiss to Jungkook’s cheek. The gesture is sweet, but he’s been aching to show affection unabashed and it feels good to finally do it. 

“Don’t remind me,” Jungkook whines, blushing pink where Seokjin’s lips touched. 

A comfortable silence falls between them. After the rush of emotions, it feels good to say nothing, and Seokjin lets himself close his eyes while Jungkook lies against him. Jungkook puts his legs in Namjoon’s lap, beckoning him forward, and the three of them sit there for a few minutes, the reality of their future setting in. 

Seokjin would have thought something like this would take more communication. Fights, maybe, or weeks of arguing and a crumbling relationship. He realizes he didn’t know much about it until now at all. He didn’t realize how easy it could be if it feels right. If it doesn’t work out, then it doesn’t work out. He and Namjoon will bounce back, just like they always have.  

Then he thinks of how Jungkook ended up getting his way after all. He’d wanted Namjoon from day one, and he’d finally gotten his wish. The thought makes him chuckle, causing Jungkook to look up. 

“What?” Jungkook asks, suspicious.

“I’m just thinking how when I first met you, I thought you were a homewrecker,” Seokjin says, flicking Jungkook’s forehead. Jungkook whines. “And here I am now welcoming you with open arms.” 

“‘M not,” Jungkook protests. “I wanted you, too!”

“I know that now,” Seokjin reassures him. “It’s just… it’s funny how wrong I was about that. About everything.” But he knows he never would have seen it on his own. He was his own road-block in seeing it, his own insecurities preventing him from seeing the big picture. Now, he’s just happy as much as he’s nervous about the future, wanting to hold onto that euphoria a little longer.

“That could make a sexy roleplay,” Namjoon jokes, playing with the hem of Jungkook’s jeans. Jungkook melts into it, his eyes soft and filled with affection. 

“Wanna try it?” he asks, raising an eyebrow. The seriousness of their conversation doesn’t stop him from brightening up at the promise of sex, and it’s so typical of him that it makes Seokjin laugh.

“One last time before we leave?” Seokjin asks.

Jungkook laughs. “Whatever weird kink you want, I’m down for it.” He pulls away to stand up, grabbing his shirt to pull it off. He makes a show of tossing it on the floor before rolling over on his back, grinning up at them. “S’ too hot,”

“Is it hot, or are you just trying to send a signal?” Namjoon asks. It’s too serious of a time for sex, but Jungkook has always been persuasive.

“You tell me,” Jungkook says, crawling into Namjoon’s lap as he speaks, pushing him down onto his back. Seokjin watches him straddle Namjoon, thick thighs on either side of his stomach.

“I don’t know. Maybe you’ll have to show me,” Namjoon smirks, closing his eyes when Jungkook comes down to kiss him, only this time it’s softer, slower. Like Jungkook is trying to make it last. 

Yeah, Seokjin thinks, getting up to move closer to them. He could really get used to this.