Date posted on AFF: 2017. 01.25

Summary: 

The rule to their friendship is whatever belongs to him is automatically hers and vice versa. It used to be a disadvantage to him before but then one day, he figures that the rule is indeed one thing that can benefit him the most.

»»————-　♡　————-««

"If you want to be my friend, you have to follow one rule."

Jungkook huffs. He's new to the neighborhood and he needs a friend. Whatever the rule is, it shouldn't be hard to follow, he thinks. "Okay."

"It's simple! What's yours is mine and what's mine is yours. Deal?"

Jungkook thinks of his toys. Well, he doesn't have a lot of toys anyway and his mom has said to him many times that sharing is caring. Seven year old Jungkook nods his head firmly. "Okay, deal."

*

Chaeyoung excitedly shows him her tree house built by her father last year located in their backyard.

"Now that you are my friend, this tree house is yours too! Feel free to come up here whenever you want, Jungkook," Chaeyoung beams at him.

He returns the smile but wider as he tilts his head up, looking at the large tree house in awe. He has never been in a tree house before. He's always wanted one, but his father told him that a tree house would be a waste of energy to build and he can just hang out in the house.

He hesitates to climb up the ladder, looking back and forth between his new friend and the huge tree house. Chaeyoung seems to notice and she steps closer towards him with her teddy bear hugged close to her body.

"Are you afraid?" she asks. "Don't be. It's not that high."

Jungkook shakes his head. "I'm not afraid of heights."

"Then?"

He looks back at the tree house and thinks if he's allowed to go up there. Of course, Chaeyoung has told him that the tree house is his too now but he might get into trouble if his mother knows.

"My mom will scold me," Jungkook says. "She doesn't like it if I disturb someone else's toys or –"

His hand is grabbed by Chaeyoung before he could finish his sentence, her hand tightens as she pulls him and runs.

"Where are we going?" he asks in confusion.

She doesn't answer and they keep on running until they stop in front of their mothers who are busy talking to each other. She lets his hand go and approaches his mother, pulls her shirt to grab attention and Jungkook's eyes widen as he watches Chaeyoung whispering to his mother.

His mother furrows her brows and when Chaeyoung pulls back and his mother stands up straight again, the woman turns to him and a slow, genuine smile is displayed on her face. "Go ahead, Jungkook," his mother says, nodding her head to where the tree house is located.

He has known Chaeyoung for less than an hour but he feels like their friendship is going to last long.

*

Chaeyoung is such a lovable person and Jungkook will never want someone else to replace her as his best friend. But, of course, there are times when she annoys him the most, and most of the time, it's because of that rule she made.

They are in the tree house, each with their own coloring books and with their own set of color pencils.

There are times when Jungkook hates the idea of sharing and today is that one of those times. He finally gets a new set of color pencils after the old set has been stolen in school by the bullies. Jungkook doesn't care if Chaeyoung wants to try his color pencils but it doesn't mean that she gets to use them first before him. They're new and Jungkook wants to use them all before he lets her try it.

So when Chaeyoung grabs the pink one and colors her book with it without his permission, Jungkook snaps at her.

"That's mine, Chaeyoung!"

Chaeyoung is surprised for a second before she laughs. "What's yours is mine too, Jungkook. And what's mine is yours."

Jungkook swats her hand that's holding the pencil. "That doesn't mean you can use it first!"

Her eyes are wide in shock as she stares at him and he can see that she's trying to hold herself from crying but he doesn't care. There's limit to everything, including the stupid rule she has made and she needs to know that.

"What would you feel if I use your book even though you haven't written anything in it?" he asks angrily at her.

"I..." she pauses, blinks a few times as a sad frown takes over her cheerful expression. "I don't mind."

Jungkook grits his teeth and grabs her coloring book and throws it out the window. Chaeyoung gasps, stares at him in shock and cries silently. He glares at her and climbs down the ladder in hurry, and runs back home.

Hours later after dinner, there's a knock on their house's door and it's Chaeyoung's mother.

"Chaeyoung doesn't want to leave the tree house up until now. Can you help me get her, Jungkook?" her mother asks him with a worried expression.

Guilt washes over him and he is embarrassed to face her again but it's impossible to say no to her mother. Besides, his own mother pushes him out of the house and tells him to see Chaeyoung and tell her to go down.

Jungkook sees her coloring book on the ground and he picks it up slowly. Swallowing the thick lump and embarrassment down his throat, he climbs up and sees her curling in the corner, facing the wall. He hears sniffs and hiccups. Slowly, he approaches her figure on the floor and sits behind her.

"Chaeyoung," he begins and she is quick to turn around to face him.

He knows that she's been crying but he doesn't expect to see her face to be so wet and red.

"I'm sorry, Jungkook," she says through her sobs. "I'll buy you a new one, I promise. But please don't hate me."

He totally doesn't expect that and it makes him feel even bad for what he did. Slowly, Jungkook shakes his head as he looks down. "I'm sorry for throwing your book. And for getting angry."

Chaeyoung rubs her eyes with her wrists. "Do you hate me?"

He looks at her tears-filled eyes and shakes his head as he tells her the truth. "No. I am still angry but I don't hate you."

"Are you going to stop being my friend?"

No one has ever cared about him leaving before. The appreciation he feels when he hears that question makes the anger he had for her fade and a slow smile forms on his lips. "No."

Chaeyoung throws herself into him, hugging him tightly and says, "I don't want you to ever leave me, Jungkook."

*

Jungkook lost his father at the age of 13. Compared to his older brother, Jungkook isn't that close to his late father. But that does not mean that he is not as sad as them. He has been craving for his father's attention since before, since he was still little, and now that he's gone, they might think that he's going to be happier. They're wrong, though. With the loss of his father, it makes him feel emptier than before because he can never get the chance to get equal attention and love anymore.

Once, he told himself that one day he will be able to make his father love him as much as he loved his brother. Turns out that that day never comes and will never come at all.

He sits by himself in the tree house when everyone else is giving their attention to his mother and brother, giving them their sympathy towards his father's loss as if he is adopted and does not deserve their sympathy at all. Well, sure, Jungkook does not like sympathy but he can't help but feel sad that when he needs sympathy and attention, when he needs people to tell him that they are there for him too, he doesn't get what he deserved. It's almost as if he is not his father's son.

He hears sound of someone coming up and he knows that it is Chaeyoung.

She enters the tree house and sits next to him. She was the first person to say her sorry for his father's loss. She was the one and only person who gave him the attention, in fact.

Chaeyoung doesn't say anything for a long time but holds his hand and squeezes it. Jungkook squeezes back, he squeezes tighter and he feels that he can't breathe when he forces himself not to let out any tears. Pain is felt in his chest as it tightens along with his throat.

"It's okay to cry, Kookie."

And he finally lets it happen. He cries and even chokes on his sob.

Chaeyoung puts her arm around his shoulder and squeezes. He turns to place his forehead on her shoulder and he continues to cry, arms now wrapping her slim waist. He feels her caressing his head softly and patting his back, rubbing it gently.

Jungkook cries for a long time and her shirt has been soaked with his tears. When he finally stops and pulls back, she helps him wipe his dampened face.

"I know that he is irreplaceable," she says softly. "And I'm not trying to replace him. You know, sometimes there are things that boys want to talk to men, so if you ever need it one day, you can talk to my dad. My dad is your dad too. Okay?"

Jungkook bites his lower lip and nods slowly. "Thanks, Rosie."

She smiles. "What's mine is yours, what's yours is mine. Remember?"

After a long day, finally Jungkook is able to smile even for a little bit. "Everyone, everything and anything?"

With a nod, she answers, "Everyone, everything and anything."

*

Jungkook is sixteen when he realizes that he, perhaps, has feelings for his best friend. Sure, he loves her as a friend but as time goes by, he might as well sees her and loves her more than that.

When Chaeyoung had her heart broken for the first time, he made it his responsibility to beat the guy who stole her heart and broke it into pieces. When she was heartbroken for the second time, similar thing happened and he vows that there will be no third time. He will try his best to prevent it from happening.

Chaeyoung tells him that she likes one guy, two years older than them and that the guy seems to be into her too. And a couple of days later, she tells him that she gets the title 'girlfriend' again.

And so on her first date with her third boyfriend, he follows her from behind and joins the couple without any hesitation, walking in between Chaeyoung and her new boyfriend, Jimin.

Surprised, she pulls him a few steps away and asks, "What are you doing?!"

Jungkook sends her a long look, tongue pushing against his cheek before he glances at Jimin who's standing awkwardly, staring at them. He glares for a second, but smiles a fake smile the next.

"Rosie, you're forgetting something. What's yours is mine. What's mine is yours. Everyone, everything and anything."

Chaeyoung furrows her brows and scoffs. "Are you telling me –"

He points at the other guy. "What's wrong with me wanting him to be my boyfriend too?" he says aloud, making sure Jimin hears every word clearly. "Don't we share everything?"

She pushes him away, calling him crazy and takes Jimin to run away with her.

He goes to her room that night and she chases him away but he manages to tell her that Park Jimin is not someone who she wants to date.

Two days later, they split up.

In the tree house, she meets him and tells him about it. Jungkook expects her to weep because that would be normal but then she laughs and tells him that he was right about Jimin.

"He really thinks that you're gay," she says. "And he tells me that he hates gay people."

"So you dump him because of that?"

She smiles. "Yeah. If he hates gay people, then he's going to hate my brother. And I don't want to date someone like that. Someone who will hate my loved ones."

Jungkook smiles and nods, relieved.

"Thank you," she says and rests her head on his shoulder. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

He looks at her softly and tucks her hair behind her ear. "I'll do anything to protect you, Rosie. Even if that means doing something stupid," he chuckles. Deep down, he hopes that she can read between the lines.

*

Jungkook isn't a fan of love stories but he has watched more romance movies for a teenage boy his age since he always finds himself accompanying Chaeyoung to watch those movies. It has come to the point where they no longer feel awkward with each other when some scenes that would be awkward to watch come up.

Chaeyoung sighs with a smile when the actor kisses the love interest and Jungkook snorts.

"He's not that good compared to the vampire guy," Jungkook comments and she scoffs at him.

"Shut up Jeon Kookie, he's probably a thousand times better than you."

Jungkook rolls his eyes playfully at her and makes a face to which she responds with a laugh.

While still watching the movie, he asks, "Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to kiss yourself?"

Chaeyoung hits the pause button and scrunches her face up. "No. That's just impossible."

He sighs at her. "Why do you think it's impossible? It is possible, Ro."

She looks up at the ceiling, humming as she gives it a thought. "Nah," she finally says. "Impossible. Unless you have a clone, then okay, I'll agree that it's possible."

He lets out a snort. "You don't need a clone to be able to do that."

She gives him a confused look. "Then how? Kiss your reflection in the mirror?" she laughs.

He turns to look at her completely, and stares at her long. "No," he shakes his head. "You just..." He trails off and lightly bites his lower lip before he leans forward and presses his lips onto hers.

He kisses her for a few seconds before she pushes him away and stares at him with wide eyes. "Jungkook –"

"I wanted to know what it feels like to kiss myself."

She blinks a few times. Her eyes are still wide and her brows are knitted. "But you – kissed me."

Jungkook licks his lips and stares at her lips as he says, "What's yours is mine. And what's mine is yours." He looks at her eyes and swallows. "Your lips are my lips too, and I kissed what's mine."

"J-Jungkook –"

He focuses on her lips again and leans his head closer again but this time, his hand lifts to cup her cheek. When she doesn't move or protest, he closes the gap between them again and kisses her tenderly, long and deep. When they separate, they are both breathless.

Her eyes are still closed when she asks, "What does that mean, Kookie?"

Jungkook brushes his thumb against the soft skin of her cheek. "It means that my heart... it's completely yours with hope that your heart will be completely mine someday in the future." He asks her to open her eyes and tells her to look at him and she obeys. "I love you, Rosie. More than I can say and more than you'll ever imagine."

Chaeyoung looks down for a while and chuckles and sniffs at the same time. "What took you so long?" she murmurs. "This," she points at her chest where the heart hides, "has been yours since the beginning."