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Everything fell back into place so fast. Jungkook would more often than not find himself in Iris' apartment, in her kitchen cooking something. Recipes for her to try, stealing kisses between them. Iris forcing him to study and him being more than willing to do so if she sat in his lap while doing it.
They never tried to draw lines anywhere despite Jungkook's desperation to do so. He had sworn off all other girls, turned them down the moment they even glanced at him. His days were filled with, "not interested", "no thanks", "I'm good" at girls old and new looking to see if he was down to "hang out"
"Why?" One particularly bold girl asked. She had been somewhat regular in Jungkook's college life. She had boyfriends between her and Jungkook's escapades and he cared for none of them but he refused to do anything with her while she was in a relationship. All along, she was looking for a relationship in him.
"Because, I'm already preoccupied. I've got to cook dinner for my wi- for someone special to me. It was great being friends with you but we really shouldn't talk anymore." Jungkook left it at that and walked away. Dropped there and he never gave it a second thought. Never gave any of the girls he's spent time with a second thought. They all seemed to pale in comparison to Iris.
Jungkook and Iris hadn't talked about that night when he cried on her lap. Iris hadn't tried to get him to talk about it, figured she shouldn't meddle and if he wanted to tell her about it, he would. The only real clue he gave her was that he had just come back from his mother's house.
To mention his mother, he hadn't talked to her since that night either. She was probably too concerned with Hanjae to even try and patch things up with Jungkook. It was always his job to do such things. But wasn't his job to text and call her every time she made him feel less than, made him feel small. So he didn't reach out to her even though he was worried about his things that she was probably having someone move out right now.
But he wanted to apologize. He wanted to make things right between them because he couldn't stand the idea of his mother hating him or thinking he hated her. She was his mother above all things and his job was to love her. After all she's done for him, wasn't it owed?
But why should the stability of their relationship be constructed on the back of Jungkook's heavy lifting and his constant guilt and shame knowing his mother is disappointed in him? Why should it be built on his sadness, his anger, and his suppression of all emotions?
"What'cha thinking about?" Iris nudged him. They were trying to study and she had gone on a long tangent about physics ending with her looking at him to ensure he was paying attention only to find him completely spaced out, lips parted, eyes blow wide and absolutely vacant.
Jungkook blinked once, twice, then looked at her. The him she knew returned once more, without stress or worry and a smile on his face. "Just about how pretty you are." But Iris knew better now. "If you gotta talk about anything, I have two perfectly functioning ears." Iris was never one to pry so she'd offer support and leave it at that.
