Nothings Gonna Hurt You Baby // jikook

twelve

Taehyung slurped the milkshake from his straw noisily as he sat in the passenger seat of Jungkook's car, his other hand fiddling with the dials of the radio. It was only a minute before Jungkook batted his hand away and set it to a pop station.

"You're gonna break my stereo, my aux already stopped working." He huffed, eyes focused on the road. They had just gotten back from shopping for Jimin's birthday and he couldn't help but at least feel a little bit insecure about whether or not he got him the right gift. The dainty blue bag seemed as if it was burning a whole into his backseat, the man debating turning around and returning it instantly after he bought it.

It was a thoughtful gift, one he hoped Jimin would like but it was also a risk.

"That's not my fault." Taehyung mumbled, mouth full of strawberry milkshake.

Jungkook's hands tightened around the steering wheel, stress and anxiety still bubbling up around him over his plan for tonight. He decided to go with the idea he thought of at Seokjin and Namjoon's house, it seemed like a safe bet but he couldn't shake the feeling of nervousness that came with planning an evening.

Taehyung seemed to sense this, all too tuned in to his friend's mood. He reached a large hand over to massage at the man's neck, the younger relaxing slightly under the tender affection.

"Did Yoongi-hyung agree to help you?" He asked.

"Yeah. He is out with Jimin all day today and told me where he hid Jimin's spare key."

"Then what are you nervous about? Everything is going to go according to plan, and even if it didn't I'm positive that Jimin would appreciate the effort you put in." Taehyung reassured, his voice sympathetic.

It was still new for Jungkook to be open with his worries to Taehyung, the only emotions he had shown him before being depression and neutrality. Of course the older man knew how sensitive he was secretly, but it was still a change. They both liked to think it was bringing them closer.

"I'm sure he'll be in a great mood too. It's his birthday so he's getting attention, which he loves, and he gets to find out that Yoongi had Iseul banned from Persona."

Jungkook jolted at that, nearly slamming on the breaks as they came to the red light and looked at Taehyung with wide eyes. His mouth was dropped open in shock, knuckles turning white where they gripped the steering wheel.

"What? Why?" He asked, voice going shrill.

Taehyung seemed startled by the outburst, his hands going to grab at the sides of the seat as they came to their abrupt stop and shrugged.

"He wouldn't tell me everything but I know part of it is how he treated you. Yoongi is super strict about making it a safe space for people to learn and it really upset him that Iseul was comfortable enough to treat you like that in front of so many employees." He explained.

Jungkook couldn't deny the way his cheeks heated up like that, feeling warm for a mere moment as he allowed himself to feel protected. Yoongi hadn't even said anything to him about the situation, he just stepped in where he could. While he was endlessly intimidating, he was also insanely kind. But he also felt bad for taking Iseul out of what he probably considered to be an important community to him. Jungkook shouldn't have been so sensitive, maybe if he hadn't lashed out and gotten in trouble then Iseul would still be allowed at the club.

"Don't feel bad." Taehyung expressed with a roll of his eyes, able to tell what was running through Jungkook' mind just by looking at the sudden anxiety built back onto his expression.