ETERNAL | namjoon ✔️

𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗.

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𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗.

⤜ ✮ ⤞

   

Namjoon huffed in frustration. He'd been walking around for forty five minutes now without any luck.

"Hyung," Jimin called from across the shop. "Do you think Hobi-hyung would want some new headphones?"

Namjoon shrugged. "If it'll drown out the sounds of whatever you get up to in your room, I'm sure he'd love them."

Jimin eyed him wryly. "Okay, out with it."

Namjoon looked at him blankly. "Out with what?"

Jimin smirked. "You know what. You've been off with me ever since she arrived."

Namjoon's stomach sank. He had, over the last week, realised that his anger at Jimin was largely misdirected. When he was irritable or stressed, Jimin was the one he tended to blame - because it was easy to direct his frustrations at the band member who flirted with his beautiful, dream-haunting roommate.

"Jimin, I'm sorry," he sighed. "I don't know what's wrong with me lately."

"I do," Jimin replied. "You're under pressure from the fans to fix the army bombs, you're trying to write and record while also feeling like there might not be any point if the issue doesn't get resolved, and you're trying to juggle all of that alongside a mind-blowing connection with a certain woman who fell from the sky a few weeks ago, and now can't leave your side. Oh, and to top it all off, I won't stop flirting with her."

Namjoon blanched. "Yeah, that about sums it up, I guess."

"Look," Jimin said, moving closer so that no one in the shop could overhear. "If it's bothering you that much, I can back off. I mean, she's beautiful, hyung... but anyone can see that she only has eyes for you."

Namjoon scoffed. "Don't be an idiot, Jiminie, the girl goes red every time you wink at her."

"Yeah, and then she stops listening to anything I'm saying, because you've done something drastic, like, I don't know, entered the room, or looked in her direction," Jimin retorted, rolling his eyes. "Come on, hyung. You're supposed to be the smart one here."

Namjoon was rooted to the spot in confusion as Jimin moved away, examining a different pair of headphones. "What about these ones for Hobi-hyung?"

"Wait," Namjoon said desperately. "What are you trying to say?"

Jimin smirked, picking up the headphones. "If you have to ask, hyung, you probably aren't ready to know yet," he said with a wink, heading for the checkout.

Namjoon followed, not ready to let this go just yet. "Jiminie."

Jimin stopped, turning to him. "Hyung, she thinks the world of you. She thinks you are the best thing since ramyeon, you're the sun moon and stars, the whole universe. Do I need to go on? She worships you. And yes, I think she probably does love all of us, in our own ways. But none of us compare to you in her eyes. Haven't you noticed, that even with all of her new clothes, she still wants to wear yours? Don't you ever stop to think why that is?"

Namjoon watched in silence, stunned, as Jimin paid for the headphones, not moving until he had finished. He couldn't speak, trying to process what Jimin was saying.

"If there's one thing I know for sure," Jimin continued, "it's that I don't want her to leave, hyung. I know it's causing all sorts of problems for you and for PD-nim, and that's probably selfish of me, but I can't imagine our house without her. And if you feel the same way - you should stop ignoring her, and just tell her."

He was right. Jimin, the flirty little mischief-maker that he had been grumbling about for weeks, was entirely and completely right.

"Jimin," he said in a low voice, looking anywhere but at his bandmate. "I... I don't know how. I don't... know how to talk to her about this."

It felt strange to admit this to his dongsaeng, but Jimin did not look fazed. Instead, he just smiled a wickedly brilliant grin.

"Don't worry, hyung," he said. "I have an idea."

   

⤜ ✮ ⤞

      

"Did you have fun?" Namjoon asked her, as they made their way back to the car. He seemed much more relaxed than he had when they had arrived.

She nodded, confused at his sudden change in demeanour. From her experience, Jimin normally stressed him out, so it was odd to see him so happy after spending an hour with him.

"Did you find everything you needed?" he pressed.

She glanced at him, but he still wouldn't meet her eye. She sighed. Some things haven't changed.

"No," she admitted honestly. "I... I'm still looking for something. But I think I might know where to find it, Joonie."

And at her use of the new nickname, it finally happened.

His eyes travelled down and met hers.

After days of avoidance, this felt like a light at the end of the tunnel. She gazed into his beautiful chocolate irises, admiring the light that still shone in them from their bond.

"I-" he began, stuttering slightly. Am I making him this nervous?

"I... am glad to hear it," he finished eventually, only breaking eye contact to open the car door for her, and help her inside. The feel of his warm hand in hers made her heart sing.

As she climbed into the car, she smiled. Jungkook climbed in next to her, and Jimin on the other side.

"Hey noona," Jimin greeted. "Good trip?"

She smiled, grinning at Jungkook. "Yeah... I think this is gonna be a good Christmas, right Kookie?"

Jungkook grinned his bunny smile back. "Oh yeah. A great Christmas."

"You two," Jimin tutted, shaking his head. "So mysterious. They're like partners in crime, huh, Namjoon hyung?"

And, to her great surprise, in the view of the central mirror, Namjoon smiled. A big, beautiful, dimpled smile.

She reciprocated it in kind, glancing out of the window to avoid blushing too much, when she spotted something.

A man, dressed all in black, was watching the car as it pulled out of the parking lot. At first, she thought nothing of it - after all, he might have recognised the boys. But then she looked again, and realised why it unsettled her.

Because this man looked very, very familiar.

   

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