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「𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬」
⠀ ≖ ⠀ ⠀
traffic was light that sunday afternoon. at this point people have already gone home after church or barely even woken by the time noon came around on their clocks. jungkooks wrist dangled over the wheel while he drove, his other tearing off a piece of the croissant from his mini breakfast for the road.
he was usually good at being prepared for work, a pair of jeans in the backseat and some fingers combing through his hair made the ravenette ready in a few minutes after pulling into a parking space outside the club.
"i'm really not surprised to see you here so early." namjoon said once his bartender came walking in through the front doors. they didn't open for several hours, but that didn't stop the other male from showing up and pouring himself a drink before a long shift doing the same for so many others.
"you say that every time hyung." jungkook said. he walked around the counter to the back, picking off a bottle from the shelf and letting the rust colored liquid spill into the first glass he saw that didn't seem dirty.
namjoon made a face at that, not understand how the younger could stand such a bitter taste early in the day. "is that a croissant?" he asked instead, pointing to the little pastry in jungkooks hand.
"mhm." he hummed, tearing off another bit and shoving it into his mouth.
"i got them!" another voice came shouting through the main area of the club. it was jin, holding a jar of olives in his arm and a smile on his face while he walked up to his boyfriend. "you should order some more, there only three left and i'd add on some limes on there and the little rubber things that go under the chair legs." jin said, setting the jar on the bar counter for the bartender, taking out the crumbled paper from his back pocket with inventory items.
"alright i can give seunie a call down at the warehouse." namjoon said, looking over his boyfriends shoulder at the list.
jungkook took the jar of olives and tucked them away under the counter of the bar for when he would need them later tonight. namjoon took the list and headed down the hallway to where his office was, leaving the other two in the main room.
"what's up kook." jin sat down onto one of the stools and took the youngers drink, sipping from it and scrunching his nose once the bitterness landed on his buds.
"not much." jungkook leaned against the back counter, folding his arms over his chest. "your friends an asshole, you know that right?"
instead of being scrunched up from the taste of the liquor, his face was now scrunched in confusion at that. "uh come again?" jin asked. jungkook rose an eyebrow, as if the confusion here shouldn't have existed at all. it was pretty evident what he was referring to.
"you have your moments too." jin said.
"at least i'm an asshole to people that deserve it." jungkook tossed back just as quick, only seeing the older shrug at that.
jin slid the glass back over, standing now and not seemingly content with the current atmosphere that developed. "if you hate it so much, actually do something about it." jin started to say, "instead of sitting here whining about it." the older left now, fallowing the same steps of his boyfriends down the hall.
jungkook thought of that for a moment, a tiny second — and then the bitterness was on his tongue again.
there wasn't anything he could actually do. taehyung made it pretty clear where he wanted their relationship to stand, or lack there of. jungkook finished what was left in the glass and left it on the counter, only taking a second to check the time and feel a swirl in his stomach at the time he had before his shift.
it wasn't enough, not nearly enough.
the ravenette chewed on his bottom lip, and then pulled out his pen to scribble a note to his boss. namjoon wouldn't get it, but his boyfriend certainly would.
jungkook kind of wished he could have seen jin's face when they saw that note later on, sticking to the bar counter next to an empty class and no one standing behind cleaning the others ones left out.
"uh," namjoon had picked up the slip of paper and read it a few time, then looking sideways at his boyfriend who could only shake his head in defeat at that.
⠀ ⠀ i'm actually doing something about it tonight, jin hyung said he'd cover my shift.
— jk ⠀
jin chuckled a bit and took the paper, folding it neatly and sliding it into his back pocket. "clever boy." he said, looking over at namjoon and seeing him raise an eyebrow. "don't worry about it babe, i got it." jin said, kissing the mans cheek. namjoon knew better than to question much, so he nodded and turned on his heels, "no free drinks tonight!" was all he told the older, knowing jin's tendencies.
it was cute, the way they knew each other like that. namjoon trusted his love enough to let him do as he wished, and he trusted him enough to not give away free drinks to himself while he worked. it was like that with everything, whether the older was trusting the other male to grocery shop, and not come home with only snacks.
jungkook wished to have something like that one day, much like the majority of people wishing for the same thing. it was on his mind while he drove, his day going backwards as he followed the same roads that he was just leaving earlier that day.
he had to shove those things away, keep them far back and not considering those things a possibility with the person he was going to see. it didn't matter that jungkook secretly knew he wished it could work, the thought of the known rejection making a fist form in his chest, heavy and crushing.
taehyung was too good to pass up. if jungkook couldn't have the boy like that, he'd take what he could get. if taehyung wanted him around, only to later want someone else more — jungkook was okay with that, because a little bit of the boys heart was better than none.
the feeling grew for him, and jungkook ignored it even more while it tried to take over. he wouldn't let it, none when it would hurt more later when there was no going back.
jungkook considered driving past his house, to keep going and not come back and save himself from the pain that would come for being the second choice every time — but he pulled over, parking on the side of the street and stepping out soon after. he walked up the driveway, each flutter in his stomach getting worse with each step, knowing the pretty one was somewhere inside, sitting listening to some dumb pop song or watching a sitcom with his best friend or helping his mom do some chores.
he let it die. those butterflies falling to the pit of his stomach to suffocate under the frost of the end of his spring fantasy. this was reality, and it was cold and unforgiving. jungkook knocked, feeling numb to the feeling inside him, but he'd smile, and taehyung would believe him and have a good time tonight.
that's all that mattered, if taehyung was happy tonight and every day after — no matter who that ended up being, jungkook would be okay.
