Chapter Text
Jungkook sighed, leaning across the front desk and tugging his already-stretched-out sleeves over his hands as he curled up on himself, shrimp-like on the dark chestnut wood. Most of the desk was taken up by a half-finished order sheet and the register, but part of it was left open for his own personal computer due to half-laid plans of editing the website today, which he hadn’t bothered to get around to. It was a quiet day in the bookshop and there were still hours left until closing time. In the meantime, he had already dusted and rearranged the browsed titles back into where they belonged. The smell of the books was comforting to the rabbit, whose nose twitched a little in appreciation even as his eyes shut. It had taken him a long time to really set up the store, even with his family’s support, and he was generally doing much better for himself these days, now that he was out of the red. But springtime usually ended up being a quieter period for his sales - most people were eager to leave books behind and step out into the warm weather, after all. They were getting out of school, they were preparing gardens and sports. Once that had been him, too. Before he presented, Jungkook had been involved in almost every sport available to him at school. He had been only too eager to wander around his neighborhood as a youngster, letting out his energy in any way he could.
The spring had been colder than expected thus far, and a late-wintry rain pattered gently against the large windows that faced the street. Someone walked past the door, the movement and the muffled sound of footfalls drawing the rabbit’s eyes open. All he could see was a plaid trench coat and a huge yellow umbrella as the unseen someone trodded on by. A long, white tail seemed to droop behind them, thick and sticking together in wet little clumps. Jungkook sighed again.
Though days like this were normally quite welcome, in recent years they had begun feeling very lonely. His fluffy black tail flicked to and fro a little, a self-soothing gesture he did without thinking about it. He turned back to his laptop screen, scrolling through a list of mods newly released for one of his favorite video games - Stardew Valley. The farming simulator had been another aspect of his habit-dependent life, but at least in the game he could meet new people, he could see the fruits of his (digital) labors, and he could win someone’s heart if he gave them enough of the right gifts. Life was simpler, in the Valley. But after reaching Perfection on his third game, he was looking to try something new.
One optional mod was called Hybrid Expansion Pack, and he clicked on it in half-curiosity. It increased the amount of hybrid types your farmer avatar could be by 100+, including varieties of rabbits. Maybe he could play with the right colors for once, he vaguely wondered, as the bell above the bookshop door rang out cheerily. He peered around the computer, seeing two college-aged guys walking in, laughing at something one of them had just said. Jungkook felt himself curl further back behind the desk; it was a leopard hybrid and some kind of bird hybrid - a hawk, perhaps, he thought as his stomach dropped. The two made their way through the store with loud voices that disrupted the previous quiet, guffawing at something a potential mate at some club had said to them. He did his best to ignore them, returning to the details of the mod.
It would be easier to meet someone if there was a community like in the Valley. Maybe somewhere with less predators and more prey like himself. It wasn’t that he hated predator hybrids - it was more like he felt on uneven footing on most of them, and he had no idea how to look them in the eye and not look like prey. He had been told since childhood that his large, expressive eyes gave everything away, that they made him appear sensitive and vulnerable. As he had grown older, Jungkook had learned to avoid eye contact if he could help it.
A lot of predators demanded eye contact, though, even on a first date, or when a potential mate was caught leaving a confession note in their locker. Jungkook felt himself flush despite the years between his bolder self and his present - just because someone was pretty didn’t mean they would be nice; quite the contrary.
“Dude, where did that napkin go? I just had it,” mumbled the leopard hybrid as they wandered past the front desk, the hawk trailing his claw-like fingernails against the spines of the books and making Jungkook cringe.
He pushed his round-framed glasses up on his nose and frowned into the computer, though he was now too hyper-aware of the predators’ closeness to read the description of the additional villagers added to the Hybrid Expansion Pack. The pair of them circled back through the shelves, talking about some ‘hot number’ and the leopard growled a little in frustration at being unable to find what he was looking for. Eventually, they decided to return to where they had been last, and they walked out of the bookstore without acknowledging Jungkook once. He breathed a little sigh of relief and downloaded the expansion pack. There was also going to be another update to the co-op system in Stardew, so he went to read that description. He had never had a chance to play the multiplayer version, though it had been added years ago by now, But it would have been fun. He tried to imagine it, someone wanting to spend that many hours in a row with him, planting parsnips and raising chickens in a virtual world. It made him smile. The door rang a few more times as he waited for the download to finish, and one of them smiled and walked up to the counter - a hamster hybrid girl who placed a book of beginner gardening down in front of him.
“Find everything okay?” he asked, scanning the book with a little smile. She nodded, waiting patiently for him to read out the total before she laid her card on the counter.
“By the way, I found this on the floor in the back?” she held out in her small hands a crumpled napkin with a series of numbers on it.
“Oh, thanks.” Jungkook’s brows crumpled a little, picking it up and looking at it before setting it underneath his monitor. “I’ll see if anyone comes in looking for it. Good luck with your gardening.”
She nodded, bowing her tawny head once before she left, her cheeks extra-rounded in a wide smile that Jungkook nearly missed as he stared curiously at what he had realized was someone’s phone number. Likely this was the thing the leopard hybrid had forgotten - some hookup number he got in a club. What was it like, he wondered, to have a random stranger give you their personal number? What was it like to have that kind of boldness, or that kind of sexual attraction to someone you didn’t even know? He fumbled with the napkin, holding it in his hands even when he answered a call that came in asking for the store’s hours, if they carried a certain university textbook, and at what prices. He held onto the note even when he went into the back for a moment to find the requested book, placing it just underneath the front desk with a sticky note on it of the customer’s given name. They would be by to pick it up in the morning.
He was still holding it as he booted up Stardew Valley. Because it was rare for people to come into the shop in its final hour, he could usually do as he liked.
Perhaps he did it because it had been a slow, rainy, chilly day. Maybe it was because Jungkook had been a little jealous of the predator hybrids and their random hookups, something so common that they could drop the napkin so carelessly. He pocketed the number, and made an impulsive decision - although he was not sure if it was a combination of these possible reasons or something else - if the predators didn’t come back to the shop by closing time, he would keep the number for himself.
If some clumsy and loud predators could match up so easily, then why couldn’t he even find just a friend to play a stupid game with? It didn’t seem fair. So even though there were thirty minutes left before closing, Jungkook ended up adding the phone number into his contact list, hovering over the text box for NAME.
The store was in its near-silent moments - rain humming, his laptop fan whining, and nothing and no one else. He just wanted someone to talk to, was all it was. So he typed in ‘FRIEND’ into the name slot, and stared at the new conversation screen. His ears twitched where they lay flat against his neck, his tail flickering back, forth, back, forth.
JK: Hello
He sent the message before he could stop himself, and immediately his heartbeat started to skyrocket. Why was he doing this? There was no way that someone would randomly start up a conversation with a random person like that, it was just—
The ding of the message being read, then three dots on the bottom of the screen indicating that the person was typing back. Jungkook stood up, unable to keep his nervous energy in a still body. He started pacing back and forth through the aisles, chewing on the cuff of his sweater.
FRIEND: Hello. ;)
“Oh my god,” Jungkook hissed aloud. He practically threw his phone onto the register, staring at it as though it was on fire. This was stupid. He was so stupid ..
Another ding, and Jungkook froze. Tentatively, he stepped forward, and looked down at the new message.
FRIEND: Who is this?
Jungkook bit his lip. Should he tell the truth? Or perhaps this was an opportunity, a chance to bring back the bolder, more carefree version of himself before creepy assholes had ruined the simplest of things.
“Just…” he wrote, then deleted it. “Well, you see…” He deleted the message again, sighing. It took him a full minute to decide on something suitable, and then sent it before he could think anymore about it.
JK: I’m JK. Who is this?
The little dots appeared again. Jungkook’s heart couldn’t take staring at it and waiting, holding his breath the whole time, so he rushed up and turned the OPEN sign over to CLOSED, and locked up the front, rushing through turning down the front window blinds. His hands were shaky and clumsy. By the time he returned to his phone, there were a few messages waiting for him.
FRIEND: JK? What is that? Just Kidding? Jumping Kick?
FRIEND: I don’t know any Justin Kimchi. Did we touch tips at the bar last night or something? You don’t have to play so mysterious, if I gave you my number we must have talked.
FRIEND: Oh my GOD unless you’re a stalker or something??
JK: I’m not a stalker. Someone dropped your phone number in my shop today.
FRIEND:… So you just took it and texted me?
JK: ..Yes.
FRIEND: .. You’re a weird one, Justice Key.
FRIEND: I’m a fan of weird. ;)
Jungkook couldn’t help but snort a little, scrunching up his nose. He pocketed his phone, forcing himself to finish closing out the shop. His own apartment was on the floor just above, so after locking the front and back entrances and counting the change in the register, he turned off the last of the lights and walked up the narrow flight of stairs in the back room, stopping to set his laptop on the creaky dining table. Nerve-wracking as it was, it was fun. Jungkook rushed through a shower, smiling broadly to himself as he scrubbed off the day’s dust and leather-smells. Now in the safety of his own apartment, he could put on lotions and brush out the shaggy fur on his ears, could sing out loud as much as he wanted, and didn’t have to worry about what his facial expressions said. He put on some loose-fitting pajama pants and put his sweater back on over his still slightly damp chest. He hopped the last few steps toward the kitchen side of the studio apartment, a little excited that the random person had actually responded. They probably wouldn’t message again, but it had been nice to hear from someone new.
He had some leftovers from the night before and a salad he had gotten during his lunch break, so he laid those out and sat down to eat before he let himself load up Stardew Valley. The familiar, upbeat music rang out of his speakers as he blindly shoved food into his mouth, filling up both cheeks and chewing contemplatively as he started up a new farm. He always took his time creating the perfect character, and with the new mods applied, it would take extra time. When a ding resounded, he stared at the phone in surprise. It had been an hour or so since he had messaged, surely they hadn’t messaged back? It was probably a notification for some dumb app updating. But when he picked it up, more messages had come in.
FRIEND: .. Wait, so you really weren’t messaging for a hookup?
FRIEND: Why would you message someone randomly like that? Is this some kinda prank?
Jungkook’s fingers hesitated over the keyboard.
JK: I wondered if someone would reply, and you did.
JK: Do you get hookup messages a lot, then?
FRIEND: You obviously have NOT seen my face.
JK: Obviously not. LOL
FRIEND: Guess you really aren’t a stalker or from the bar, then.
JK: Sorry, I guess I was just lonely and wanted someone to talk to.
FRIEND: Pretty sure there’s an app for that.
Jungkook frowned.
JK: Maybe, but making friends on an app is... dangerous.
FRIEND: And texting random numbers is safe?
JK: Well, you don’t have to know any of my information, do you?
FRIEND: I know your name is.. Jason Krum.
JK: LOL
FRIEND: But seriously, making friends can be hard, however or wherever you do it. I get nervous all the time, and I embarrass myself. But if I take all that embarrassment together, it can be turned into confidence.
JK: That doesn’t make any sense.
JK: How do you embarrass yourself? Give concrete examples. I won’t understand if you don’t give all the details and I promise I won’t screenshot it.
FRIEND: How disrespectful. Am I talking to a child?
JK: No, I’m an adult!FRIEND: When is your birth year? I’ll go first and tell you mine is 92.
JK: I don’t have to answer your questions.
FRIEND: Fine, then. Keep your secrets.
JK: But I am younger than you…should I call you noona or hyung?
FRIEND: I just talked about touching tips earlier, you would think that you’d be a little more of a detective than that.
His face flushed. Hyung it was, then. That also answered some questions about his orientation. They kept bantering back and forth in little quips or musings, not discussing much of any substance. Jungkook finally allowed that he was born in 97, and Friend called him a baby. But still, he kept replying. Eventually, he said his work was getting busy so he would have to message him later. Apparently he worked the graveyard shift, as Jungkook looked up and noticed that it was nearly eleven o’clock. He hadn’t even started his Stardew Valley game - his laptop had gone to sleep, the character creation screen still sitting there, completely forgotten despite that it had been his only real plans for the night. Instead, he had talked with Seokjin for hours.
And all he wanted to do was to keep talking.
JK: Okay, I know you’re at work. But I just wanted to say thanks for putting up with me and messaging me back. I realized I didn’t even get around to playing my game, I was having so much fun. You’re very easy to talk to, hyung. Anyways, I might go get ready for bed now, since I have to get up kinda early. But have a good night, Friend-hyung.
JK: Is it lame to call you Friend? God I wish I could delete texts.
He forced himself to put the phone down, closing his computer down and cleaning up his dishes. Within a few minutes he was going through his usual routine of brushing his teeth and getting undressed. He plugged his phone in but kept it in his hand out of habit, slipping between the thick comforters of his bed and nuzzling in against a lump of blankets he always hugged to sleep.
Dreams had started to sweep over him like thick waves when his phone light turned on, showing that he had received a text.
FRIEND: It’s not lame. It’s cute. Sorry I’m on a five-minute break.
FRIEND: And thanks. I had fun, too. Sleep well, JK.
It could have been sent just to pacify Jungkook and get him to leave the mysterious Friend alone, but somehow it didn’t feel like that to the bunny hybrid. The words made him smile uncontrollably, giggling and wriggling under the blankets in happiness. He had someone to talk to, someone outside his usual circle. And they had fun, too, and had even called him cute without even knowing what he looked like or that he was a rabbit hybrid. It was a rare and flattering instance, even if it was embarrassing. But what had he said about embarrassment? To turn it all into confidence?
He would try, he decided, cradling the phone to his chest as his mouth closed over a bit of comforter and nibbled at it mindlessly as he fell asleep.
Drool dribbled out of one side of his mouth when he awoke, the world outside of his little blanket nest altogether too bright and way too cold. He groaned, blearily checking for the time. His eyes glazed over the eight o’clock hour but more riveting was a photo that Friend had sent him while he slept. It was a photo of the sunrise, colorful and with the silhouette of buildings and electrical poles in the foreground.
FRIEND: Good morning to you, good night to me. There’s frost on the ground.
Jungkook beamed. It had been sent almost three hours earlier, and he hoped the frost had been melted by now, as all the beautiful colors the Friend had seen were already now replaced with a dull yellow-white of a proper morning sky. He went through his usual routine, still eating his toast as he opened the bookshop. It was even colder downstairs, and he shivered his way into another oversized sweater, this time grey and knit loosely in thick angora and merino. It was one of the softest things he had ever owned, and the tickle of it against his skin was a comfort as he sat behind the desk and booted up the register. He drew up the blinds, the sunlight pouring in. A few people milled past on the street, and in the spaces where the buildings still cast shadows, traces of white frost still lingered like bits of paint. Jungkook watched each person walking by for a good hour, sipping his coffee and wondering if any of them might be his new Friend. It was unlikely, since he was probably in bed by now.
The door rang, his first customer of the day was the one that had placed a hold on a textbook. Jungkook greeted with a smile, though he still couldn’t look the tiger hybrid in the eye. The man thanked him in a deep but warm voice, and wished him a good day before leaving. Jungkook unlocked and relocked his phone, trying to think of something clever or interesting to send back to his Friend, but nothing came to mind, so he opted not to disturb him.
He was so enveloped in trying to think of a topic that the ringing of the bell surprised him and made him look up in mild surprise. There stood Yoongi, shivering as he shuffled inside the shop.
“Morning,” he managed in a gravelly voice. He was a cat hybrid, which technically made him a predator - but Yoongi was hardly like the large, loud, and intimidating predators that usually blundered their way into the shop. He was a cat , and spent most of his days working toward the next warm spot and catnap he could take there. Jungkook had known Yoongi since they were kids, neighbors on a bit of a rough street, and he had only seen Yoongi get threatening when boundaries were crossed or someone started it first. Then, he was quick and dangerous, and often had gotten wounded in defending Jungkook from fights when he had been too small to fight back. A thick scarf was around his neck that nearly came up to his narrow, slow-blinking eyes. He leaned up on the counter, his own coffee oozing steam as he considered Jungkook.
“Morning, Yoongi!”
The man took a long sip of his black coffee, then pursed his lips together. “You look particularly happy today. What, did you have sex?”
Jungkook’s eyes blew wide, and he groaned as his face flushed against his will. “ Yoongi! No!”
“You should have sex. Not like, right now. I just mean in general.” He took another nonchalant sip. “So if you didn’t do anything slutty, why do you look like you’re glowing today? Yesterday you were the very definition of ennui .”
“On-what?”
“ Ennui ,” he flapped his hand as if everyone was privy to this intel. “Boredom, listlessness, a lack of spirit. You’ve been in a bit of a slump this last winter, but it’s hardly spring-enough weather yet to take you out of a funk. So what happened?”
“Nothing,” Jungkook mumbled, but he was clearly trying to bite at his lips to hide a beaming smile. “Just.. I think I’ve met someone new, and it’s a little exciting, I guess.”
Yoongi’s eyebrows went up. “Someone came into the shop?”
“No, no,” Jungkook glanced at the doorway, as though the leopard from yesterday was going to charge right in and demand Friend’s number back. “Not exactly. We kinda just met. We met virtually, I guess.”
The eyebrows now dropped down into a furrow. “So you did do something slutty. Cybersex, really?”
“Yoongi, no . Shut the fuck up, no one calls it cybersex anymore anyways.”
“So? Give me the details. Is he handsome? Can he cook? What kind of hybrid is he?”
Jungkook wiped at the counter with the sleeve of his sweater. “Um.. I don’t know.”
Yoongi narrowed his eyes, took a very loud sip of his coffee, and pulled a chair over to sit behind the register next to Jungkook.
“What about his name? Where does he work? Does he live here locally?”
“Uh, I think he lives locally. The area code is the same as mine..” Jungkook was flailing, thinking hard to remember if he had learned anything normal people learned about each other when first talking.
“Okay, so that’s the most vague way to know that. What do you know?”
Jungkook opened his phone, scrolling through their conversation and smiling a little to himself. “Um.. He’s funny, he works late hours.. He’s kind of a dork? And he’s a little older than me. We didn’t talk that much last night. I just randomly texted his number when I found it on this napkin someone left in the shop.”
Yoongi blinked at him once, then twice, then let out a sigh that seemed to move his entire body with the force of it. He rubbed the bridge of his nose between two long, masculine fingers.
“Kookie,” he started slowly, “Bun. My sweet little boy.”
“Don’t talk to me like I’m five,” protested Jungkook with a pout.
“I am allowed to when you are being particularly naïve. You just texted a random hookup number? You’re probably sexting with a scammer or a creep. At the very best you’re messaging with someone who sleeps around enough that people are dropping their numbers wherever. Jungkook, you should not be texting him.”
“I can do whatever I want,” Jungkook snapped back, feeling bristly. The fur of his ears stood a little on end as they folded back against the nape of his neck. He turned to face the front door.
“I’m an adult. And he’s been really nice, and we’re not sexting. Look.” He held up the phone triumphantly, showing off the photo of the sunrise. Before he could protest, Yoongi snatched the phone from his hands and stared at the photo, then flicked out of it to scroll and glance through their messages.
“Hey, those are private!” Reaching out to take the phone back, Jungkook fought against the cat hybrid until he had overpowered Yoongi and wrestling it out of his hands. “Hyung! You almost texted him by accident.”
“Still seems awful suspicious,” Yoongi allowed, which was the closest to an ‘okay, fine’ as he would get from the surly man, who leaned back against his chair and frowned into his coffee. “Just be careful.”
“Of course I’m being careful. We haven’t even shared anything personal.”
“I noticed that,” Yoongi snorted. “Anyways, how has the shop been? Are you still free tonight for dinner and a movie?”
Jungkook nodded. “Yeah, sorry about bailing last time. I guess I should have kept better track of my heat symptoms.”
“That’s okay, as long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters. And you’ve always been a little lax about taking care of yourself.”
“I am not,” Jungkook frowned down at his computer screen. “Your coffee’s done now, so you should go get to work. Looks like two more orders came in today.”
Yoongi sighed, “An artist’s work is never done, it seems.” He picked up his empty coffee cup and slumped toward the back room. Part of the reason the bookstore had been able to make it past those first few years where most independent businesses failed was due to Yoongi running his book-rebinding and repair business out of the same building Jungkook worked and lived in. He paid cheaply for the rent, but it had helped Jungkook through a few really rough periods before he had become more established. Gradually in all ways but on paper they were business partners. Yoongi didn’t like to see people when he was working, so being mostly online worked best for him, and Jungkook helped spread word about his services and helped him with packaging orders from time to time. In exchange, he held down the fort in the bookshop on days when Jungkook needed to go out or take a day off. His parents had been confused and concerned when they first found out about the arrangement, but it worked well for the two of them. Eventually the legal situation had gotten more official and documented, and continued, allowing them both a lot more freedom.
And even if Yoongi had not been a childhood friend, Jungkook believed Yoongi was exceptionally good at his work. It was so satisfying to watch him carefully stitch or glue the pages together, and Jungkook had half his personal library decorated in Yoongi’s unique artistic style, letting him have creative freedom.
He had even convinced Yoongi to record his process and post them online so that others could admire the care and expertise. There were few views at the moment, but Jungkook was hopeful that more people would commission him. Yoongi had only agreed to let Jungkook film his hands and the materials themselves, arguing that his face was not the point of book-binding, but even so there had been a few thirsty comments talking about his long, masculine fingers as they worked. Just wait until they heard his voice when he talked about the process - Jungkook had a new video of Yoongi answering questions to upload later today.
The sound of Yoongi’s music and the smell of linen being starched was a welcome backdrop to Jungkook’s day. It was nice to not be alone in the bookshop, though he never admitted it aloud to his friend.
Jungkook sat quietly and finished his drink, the morning lull slowly moving in. He finally pulled out his phone, took a deep breath, and went to text his Friend again.
JK: Morning to you, and thanks for the pretty photo! What kind of job do you have that gives you such late hours? I work pretty solidly from nine to five, so I can’t imagine. At least if it’s slow enough I can play video games at the front desk, though it has to be something pause-able."
He hesitated, biting his bottom lip.
JK: I’ve also been wondering.. Are you a predator or prey?
JK: I guess talking to my coworker just reminded me of how different things like dating and sex can be for prey or predator animals. Sometimes it feels like two very different worlds. Like how I got your phone number. I’m pretty sure it was a leopard hybrid who dropped it. Is it that easy to just walk up to someone you don’t know and end up giving your number out like that? Isn’t that terrifying? Maybe I just overthink things. It’s not that I don’t want to reach out to people, it’s just that getting the guts to be the first to engage makes me wish the ground would swallow me whole. I don’t know how my coworker handles it. I just wish someone would reach out to me in interest first, I guess. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about whether or not they are actually interested in getting to know me or if I’m just being annoying.
JK: Sorry for rambling, Friend-hyung. I guess I should have another cup of coffee before I start blurting out my thoughts. I hope you have a good sleep today?
Jungkook was thankfully distracted from continuing his one-sided letter to his unknown Friend when the bell rang out, and a small family shuffled inside the bookshop, cooing at how cozy it was inside. They were all brimming with questions for him and requests on certain titles or editions. He was busy for the rest of the morning, one customer filing in after the other right through the lunch hour. When he had a chance to slip into the back for a bite to eat while Yoongi manned the desk for him, he checked and saw no reply - but he supposed that was to be expected, Friend had only gone to sleep a few hours before. Still he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. He read through his lunch break, then came out to find Yoongi bent over the desk, leaning in to inspect a book that a customer was smiling down at. He noticed Jungkook hovering behind him, then wrapped up his discussion with the customer, handing over his card and wishing the meerkat hybrid luck with something.
“I’m headed out for a bit,” he said as Jungkook stepped into his spot behind the desk, already picking up his large jacket and starting to wrap his scarf several times around his pale neck. “Got to pick up a few things. Need anything while I’m out?”
He shook his head. The afternoon would be a lot quieter, and he would be alright until closing. The bell rang again as Yoongi walked out into a sunny day, and Jungkook opened his laptop. He started up Stardew Valley, and managed to make a new character over the next hour. There were a lot more clothing options and colors for the hybrids than in the base game. Now “JK” the rabbit with the black ears was starting his first day on his grandfather’s old farm on Spring 1. There was a lot of clearing that had to be done, but after planting his starting bag of parsnips, Jungkook opted instead to run to town to try and say hello to each villager for his first mission.
He was chasing down Sebastian just before he went into his room, the elusive little bastard, when his phone lit up with a new message. Pausing, he stared at the preview of the message, seeing the word FRIEND. He suddenly started to scrabble nervously for his phone.
FRIEND: Sounds relaxing, but a little too boring for me in the long run. I like the flexibility of hours - I’m a bartender, though usually I don’t have the graveyard shift. A friend of mine is short-staffed at the club they work at so I’m pitching in for a few weeks, is all.
FRIEND: Predator or prey? Does it really matter?
FRIEND: There’s another side to the whole hookup culture, too, you know. We’re all looking to feel good and not be lonely, but you can be in a room full of people and still feel isolated and abandoned. And there’s a lot of assumptions that come with the territory. You’re just not allowed to show your lack of confidence, because that’s when people drop you.
FRIEND: As someone who obviously gave out his number, you know. It’s not so simple. People assume I’m extremely experienced, and yeah, I guess sexually I am fairly experienced. But that doesn’t mean I’m immune to feeling rejected or ignored. In fact, I’d say most of the time being attractive means that everyone assumes my personality is bad or that I’m out of some ‘league.’
FRIEND: And AS someone who talks to a lot of people everyday, I suggest you just keep trying it, until someone clicks. Especially if you find yourself wishing they would make the first move.
FRIEND: ...
FRIEND: Okay I don’t know why I’m telling you this, and don’t tell a soul, but the truth is.. I’ve had sex, but I’ve never actually been asked out on a date. Because even with hookups, there’s not much more to it than that. And sometimes that’s great, and exactly what you need. But sometimes I wish...
FRIEND: Anyways, that’s not the point. Just... try not to let fear drive your life. It’s too short as it is. Everyone gets hurt and feels lonely sometimes. And good luck. I hope you find what you’re looking for.
Jungkook felt the sting of tears pricking at the corners of his eyes, but he blinked them away, sniffing thickly and wiping his nose on the edge of his sweater.
JK: Thanks. I hope you do, too. You deserve someone to take you on a date.
The reply flew back in so fast it surprised him.
FRIEND: You don’t even know me, Stalker Jumpy-Killer.
He couldn’t resist a crooked grin, chuckling a little to himself. And despite his fears of being brushed off, despite the loneliness of the shop pressing in on him, Jungkook felt safe and brave enough to ask another question that had been tickling at the back of his mind.
JK: Do you play video games?
His fingers punched the send button as if he was detonating a bomb, whipping back and holding his breath.
FRIEND: So you are a stalker!!
JK: ??
FRIEND: I’m literally playing Harvest Moon right now, you creep.
JK: How was I supposed to know that? Haha. But god, Harvest Moon is so good. A classic.
FRIEND: Ah, I see you are a man of culture as well.
JK: Yeah, but if you like Harvest Moon, you should try Stardew Valley. I’ve been obsessed with it for the last year. It’s a lot like the original Harvest Moon but they’ve got an online co-op for it now.
FRIEND: Sounds cool. We should play together sometimes and you can show me how it works.
Jungkook swallowed, biting his bottom lip and closing his eyes. Yes!
JK: Sounds great! If you’re free Sunday night we can exchange our gamer tags?
FRIEND: You’re on like it’s Donkey Kong, John Klint.
By the time Yoongi came back to the shop, it was an hour from closing. Jungkook had only had one or two customers mill through and browse before leaving without a word. In the meantime, he had spent most of the day talking to Friend, and Yoongi must have been able to easily tell from the look on Jungkook’s face, for he set down a box of strawberries in front of the rabbit and narrowed his eyes.
“Slutty bun,” he teased. “Pick a movie for tonight. I’ll be in the back if you need anything.”
“Thanks, hyung,” Jungkook chuckled, eagerly reaching in and popping a strawberry into his mouth.
“Wash those off first, you heathen,” called back the cat, not even turning around but still hearing the laughter as his workshop door thudded shut.