"Knock, knock."

Jungkook has been so deep in his process of creating a guide track that the foreign sound which seems completely out of place and has randomly slipped between the beat breaks nearly jolts him off of his seat. Pressing the pause button and pulling off his headphones, Jungkook turns on his chair to look at the door, finding Namjoon leaning in the doorway while smirking at him.

"Oh, you're here!" Jungkook exclaims excitedly as he jumps up to his feet. "Sorry, I didn't hear you coming in."

Namjoon pushes off against the doorway and steps into the studio, shutting the door behind him to block all the noises from outside. "I tried to be subtle so I wouldn't interrupt you when you're working," he says with a shrug. "Sorry for surprising you."

Jungkook quickly waves him off. "No, it's all good. Come in. Take a seat."

Taking the extra seat next to his friend, Namjoon looks over to the monitor screen where Jungkook's latest composition is shown. "So—how are your new tracks progressing so far?"

"Slow, but I think I have a few materials that I can show you soon," Jungkook shyly answers him while rubbing the back of his head. He turns just as Namjoon is getting comfortable in his seat. It has been a while for the two of them to have some time to hang out together like this and Jungkook has to admit that it makes him feel good to see his friend again.

Right after the engagement party, Namjoon had suddenly become busy with piles of work while Jungkook had been busy helping you settle in at the apartment and finding ideas for his music at the same time. Then, a few days later, before Jungkook ever had the chance to see Namjoon in person, the man had already left on a business trip which later turned into a short vacation when he went to spend Christmas with his family.

For some reason, having Namjoon around helps settle Jungkook's wariness about his work a little, knowing that he would have someone to share his thoughts and ideas and ask some advice from which may help him. Not that his other colleague hadn't provided him with much help at all. It doesn't matter if Namjoon had set up a whole team to help Jungkook with his music, it just feels more reassuring when Jungkook shares these things with someone who he is more familiar with. Having known Namjoon for years, Jungkook feels like he can rely on him much better. Even the years that had past while they lost contact with each other didn't matter much when they just easily reconnected the moment they met each other again, giving Jungkook more faith in his friend as they are working together.

"When did you get back from your trip?" Jungkook asks Namjoon, trying to make a conversation while he tweaks his devices to pull up and save the latest composition which he has been working on.

Namjoon hums as he seems to calculate the days he had spent back in Seoul. "The day before yesterday. But I decided to stay home for an extra day and get some needed rest," he says, not looking towards Jungkook but somewhere far in the distance instead. As if he is lost inside his head for a moment.

In this silence, Jungkook keeps his gaze on his friend to take a good look at him. For the first time in his life, Jungkook finds himself looking at Namjoon in a new light. For years, he had looked up to his friend and senior so much that the man had always seemed so bright in his eyes, so full of confidence and hope that Jungkook had always aimed to be just as inspiring as Namjoon has ever been. But as the man sits there beside him with his unfocused eyes looking anywhere but him, Namjoon only seems hollow, as if there is something about him that is amiss, imperfect, incomplete.

Before Jungkook can find any explanation as to why his friend would be looking so lost, the look on Namjoon's face is suddenly gone with a blink and is quickly masked with a smile when he adds, "I never knew I needed that little break. I've been on the move for so long that I didn't realise how much I needed to have some time where I could focus completely on myself."

Shaking the questions lingering inside his head, Jungkook returns his smile. "I'm glad to know that you managed to take a break. You've always been so busy," Jungkook says, nodding while looking awfully thoughtful for a brief moment. "I haven't had a chance to fully thank you again—you know, with everything you've done. For this—" he says, waving his hand at his computer, "Not only have you given me the chance to work on my music more seriously, you've also given me the new project, and then you even helped me out with the party."

Jungkook breathes a long sigh before he continues, "You didn't even have to get yourself involved in my personal matter, but you did anyway. Things got so hectic right away after that week and then you went out on your trip that I never got the chance to talk to you privately about it."

Scoffing lightly, Namjoon only shakes his head and waves it off. "Please, I told you that it's no big deal. I always love to help when I can," he says, still keeping the smile on his face that doesn't seem to reach his eyes. A beat of silence falls once again, as if a random thought comes across Namjoon's mind, before he straightens up and nods his chin towards Jungkook's computer, changing the topic as he focuses on Jungkook's work. "Show me what you have so far."

Hoping to help brighten his friend's mood and give a positive distraction to whatever it is that seems to be bothering Namjoon's thoughts at the moment, Jungkook quickly switches into his productive mode, showing off the unfinished and still completely raw tracks that he had been working on while Namjoon had been away. The pride brewing inside Jungkook's chest comes stronger as praises after praises come out of Namjoon, then he feels even more accomplished as he watches how his friend's eyes grow brighter as he becomes more interested and more invested in helping him finish these tracks, throwing ideas here and there and sharing some helpful input to fill in wherever Jungkook has been having trouble in.

Time slips past them once they get too deep into working and neither makes any decision to stop until many hours later, when their heads begin spinning and hunger sinks in on both of them. They take their needed break by enjoying the snacks and simple meal that Namjoon had delivered to them before they would go on their way to end their day. The conversation they share between each bite of their food is filled with talks about work, music, and some of the things that Jungkook is still learning about the company and most specifically this studio he has been working at.

"So, are you going to stay late to work here tonight?" Namjoon asks him after their conversation grows idle nearing the end of their mealtime, and Jungkook quickly shakes his head.

"I promised my girl—I mean, fiancé, that I would pick her up at her sister's place. She also mentioned that her sister is cooking dinner for us tonight so we could spend some time together and unwind at her place," Jungkook pauses for a moment and laughs. "Maybe I shouldn't eat too much of this tteok-bokki if I don't want to get too full before having the actual dinner."

Jungkook has his head shaking while chuckling to himself, missing out on how Namjoon flinches as he hears Jungkook mentioning about seeing you tonight. He has been avoiding the topic of the engagement party, not wanting to hear anything that Jungkook has to say about you. But now that the bridge is crossed, curiosity comes pricking on Namjoon's mind, making his skin bristle with anxiety, the thought of you and the memory of that night are finally occupying his head again the way they have been ever since the engagement party and for the most time he spent away to gather himself and clear his mind.

Clearing his throat, Namjoon forces a stiff smile to his face and tries to act calm when he starts another conversation, steering things onto the more personal stuff this time when he can no longer fight against his own curiosity. "I realise now that I've never got a chance to ask since we both had gotten too busy. How's everything going now after you got engaged? You guys live together, right?" Namjoon stops for a moment, trying to understand the rush of emotions that he is suddenly feeling when he tries to know more about you and Jungkook—the sadness, jealousy, anger, all mixed into one—while trying to rein in his curiosity before it gets too much that he would end up revealing himself too soon.

It is already so overwhelming, this sudden interest he has in Jungkook's love life that he shares with you, when Namjoon had never been so interested or too curious to know anything about it at all before.

But perhaps finding out that the person your friend is engaged to is none other than your soulmate would be enough to change you as much, Namjoon thinks to himself, cursing inwardly at the irony of the circumstances he finds himself in.

To his absolute disdain, he looks up only to see Jungkook beaming with bliss when the boy is obviously thinking about you. And Namjoon is quite surprised when he feels an unfamiliar pang in his chest from seeing it.

"Yeah, she moved in right the moment she got back. We've been pretty busy with her settling in, unpacking and decorating the place to make things comfortable for her since I didn't exactly do much to tidy the place up when I first moved in," Jungkook begins to share, oblivious to the emotions he is stirring inside his friend's chest. "Things are going—" Jungkook sighs, still wearing a dreamy look on his face when he continues, "Great. Really great. Though I think things are only slowly sinking in that we're actually engaged and that things seem to be moving really quickly that we haven't figured out what's our next move would be."

Namjoon merely nods as he has nothing to add or say to comment on Jungkook's reply, though he absently lifts a hand to his chest when the twinge he keeps feeling around his heart and ribs seems to twist deeper. "I remember that you said—" he tries to speak, struggling not to choke on his words when he is starting to have trouble breathing. "About your situation with your fiancé. I don't recall you ever telling me exactly how the two of you actually met, only that you came across after losing both your soulmates. When did it happen? You said it was back in college?"

Jungkook lifts his hand to mess with his hair and rubs the back of his head, the odd habit that he has when he is flustered or embarrassed about something. Yet he still wears the same smile on his face as he thinks back about the memory of how he first met you, the smile which is filled with gratitude and fondness.

The smile which draws the knife in Namjoon's heart to bury itself deeper.

"I have to be honest with you and say that pretty much a lot of the part from that night was a blur. At the very least, everything that happened until the moment I stumbled upon her at our frat house," Jungkook finally reveals with a soft voice, while Namjoon feels an invisible fist punching at his chest.

"Our—frat house?"

"Oh, right. I didn't tell you this part," Jungkook nervously says with a shy chuckle. "Our house was having a party that night. I can't remember what it was for, but it was way more crowded than it used to. Things got so busy that I don't remember ever seeing you, but I think it was right before your graduation day," Jungkook continues to tell his story while Namjoon continues to feel sick in the stomach. "Anyway, she was supposed to meet her soulmate that night, according to her timer. Which she eventually did. But just like what I had told you before, all she got from him was the words of rejection."

Namjoon's head is spinning, but he forces himself to continue to listen no matter how painful his chest feels.

"She was drunk when she bumped into me. And that's when I felt it. I was—for the lack of a better word—drawn to her like a moth to a flame," Jungkook admits with a pair of glassy eyes looking far away into the past. "I didn't want to leave her side all night. I didn't want to leave her alone and all I wanted to do was to keep her safe. I didn't let her drink away her pain any longer after the moment I realised that she was hurting and had kept her dancing with me so she would start to sober up."

Jungkook pauses, smiling to himself before adding, "When I woke up the next morning with her in my arm, I just knew. I knew. She was the one. It doesn't matter what the universe had written for us, I wanted to be with her. I wanted to love her for as long as she would let me or for as long as life allows us to be together."

Namjoon cannot take it anymore. Things suddenly begin to fall into place and he is starting to understand what had actually happened. He finally understands why Fate seems to be twisting his path and why he feels like the joke of the universe. He tries to remember ever seeing you at the night of that party—the party where he had gotten drunk enough to spill out those words to his best friend, spouting nonsense as he rejected the notion given by the universe for him to meet you—but he has no recollection ever seeing your face at all.

But the same cannot be said on your part, when it is obvious that the 'rejection' he had rambled on had eventually reached you, that it had broken your heart, and by proxy, pushed you into Jungkook's arms at the very same night.

Trying to control his breath and to get himself together before he would crumble in front of Jungkook, avoiding the need to explain himself without pulling his friend out of his blissful stage, Namjoon lifts his left hand and brushes his fingers through his hair. Closing his eyes, he tries to focus on his breathing—breathe in, breathe out—while pushing the thoughts out of his head and stopping himself from trying to analyse everything at that very moment so he can get a grip. He does so until he calms down, just in time for his friend to snap out of his reverie and for him to straighten up from his slump.

Jungkook looks up just then, catching the tail end of the pull on Namjoon's sleeve and capturing a glimpse of red petals peeking from underneath its hem. A breath is caught in Jungkook's throat. He may not be able to have a clear sight of it, not enough to confirm that the red is actually a part of a bigger image or what kind of image it represents, but he knows enough that it is a certain flower tattoo. The kind of tattoo that had once been absent from Namjoon's wrist.

"Namjoon—bro," Jungkook absently calls out his friend. "Is that a flower tattoo I'm seeing? Or did you give yourself a massive tattoo on your skin for some reason while you were off on vacation?"

Namjoon's eyes grow wide, then an incredulous laugh slips out of him. "You think I'd give myself a tattoo just for the fun of it?" he jokingly asks, though he suddenly thinks about it for a moment and says, "I probably should've thought of that. But no, this is—I didn't give myself this thing."

It takes a moment for his answer to sink in, but Jungkook nearly jumps out of his seat when it finally dawns on him. "You met your soulmate!" he cheerfully states. "When did this happen? How did I not know anything about this?" he rambles on every single question that comes to mind, before a sudden realisation comes to his mind. "Wait—is that why you took the break?"

Namjoon presses his lips together, trying to decide just how much he is going to share. "Actually, it was the night of your proposal—" he absently let it slip, before he quickly jumps to answer, "You're right, it's partly the reason why I decided to take a break, but not for the reason you might be thinking right now."

Jungkook frowns. "Then—what happened?"

With a sigh, Namjoon only shakes his head. "It wasn't meant to be. I should have expected it," is all that Namjoon can say without revealing too much, not entirely sure if it would be alright to say anything more when it clears that you haven't said a thing to the boy. "I decided to take some time off so I could be alone with my thoughts, accept fate, maybe reflect on myself before I can move on."

Jungkook only falls silent as he simply cannot understand it, but he decides to stop questioning it. He had felt it odd for a moment that Namjoon suddenly has a spark of interest about his situation with you, but after hearing what had happened between Namjoon and his soulmate, he figures that his friend might have needed someone else's experience to compare with so he can find some hope in his darkest time of life.

There is something about this new revelation that makes Jungkook feel uncomfortable deep down, but he brushes the feelings off, noting to himself that maybe this would be the right time for him to return the favour and help his friend to move on. The same way he did back then when he had to face what the universe had put him through.

"If you ever need someone to talk to, I'll be here to listen," Jungkook offers Namjoon, drawing his attention. "I might not be able to completely understand what you're dealing with or how you're feeling right now, and I might not be able to help make things better. But I can be a friend who can listen and give a shoulder to hold onto if you ever need one."

Namjoon lifts his head, surprised at what Jungkook is offering him. But he puts a smile on his face anyway and nods.

Oh, the fucking irony of it all.

The bed rocks underneath your weight, almost as intensely as you have been feeling your entire world rocking out of balance. The only difference is that right at this moment, the motions are only stealing your uneasiness away, replacing it with bliss instead of making you feel as if you are about to crumble into broken pieces.

Jungkook leans more onto you, pushing his cock deeper as he thrusts his hips, burying himself inside your warmth as he continues to make love to you, as he embraces you with his love and the steady pace of his thrusts.

Making love to Jungkook has always managed to strengthen the bond between you, to make you feel just how real the love you share with each other truly is. You can feel his emotions, to feel the steady beat of the heart that he carries in his sleeves, and to join him with your own beating heart as he moves his hands down your body, touching everywhere that counts.

His lips roll against yours to drown out the sound of your moans as he continues to pound his cock steadily against the depth of your cunt, pushing against the spots that would be enough to make you feel bliss, to draw your cries of pleasure, and to send you over to the tremors of your climax.

And then he unlatches his kiss, only to press his lips down the column of your throat. His soft grunts fall onto your skin with each thrust he gives you, his voice grows deeper as he increases his rapid pace, thrusting faster and deeper until you can feel the first tremors of your orgasm rising, building up to its peak, then your feel his hand gently moving down your arm, brushing gently until he captures your hand in his and entwines your fingers together in a claiming hold.

As he tightens his grip on your hand, your whole body reacts with a subtle flinch. Your entire skin jumps upon contact to a shiver. Jungkook may have missed it as he continues to roll his hips, sliding his cock in and out of you with a slight tremble in his breath, but it draws your body to grow still beneath him while your mind wanders off into nothingness, taking away the blissful pleasure Jungkook has been giving you.

But this is Jungkook. Ever so aware of your moods, Jungkook pulls back and looks closely at your face when he feels you withdrawing from him.

"What's the matter, baby? You seem so far away," Jungkook whispers against your lips, drawing your attention back to him and you blink your glossy eyes to focus on his face.

"It's nothing. Perhaps I'm just tired. I didn't get a chance to rest before I had to watch baby Gyeoul," the lie simply slips out of your lips, and Jungkook's thrusts begin to slow down, almost coming to a halt.

"She's lucky to have her aunt keeping her company," he absently whispers, "Do you think—"

"What?"

When Jungkook shakes his head, his movements have come to halt, and both his hips and yours simply become still while remaining in your union. "Nothing. Just thinking," he says, sighing deeply as he looks into your eyes. "Do you want to have some rest? I don't want to force you into anything if you're too tired."

His offer surprises you just as much as it pinches at your chest. You look up to him, barely hiding the guilt that you feel for suddenly feeling detached. You blame it at yourself for keeping a secret as big as this, as the guilt is beginning to claw at your heart from within. You blame it at your sister for bringing it up the past two nights that you had spent at her home, to have her questioning you over and over again, "Have you not told Jungkook about this yet? If you haven't then, when?"

You swallow thickly as you remember answering your sister with, "Not yet. I'm not ready. I need to be ready."

But to each time you are reminded that you have a big secret to hold and to share with your lover, you are also reminded of your sister's warning, "Then do it soon, before it's too late."

Blinking these memories away, you consider for a moment to just spill it out. But the glint of hope in Jungkook's eyes quickly changes your mind, and you promise yourself, 'Soon,' as you wrap your arms around his neck to pull him back down to you so you can press your lips on his. "I'm fine. I missed you so much. I don't want to stop now."

"Are you sure? We could—"

"No, please don't stop," you whisper against his lips, cutting him off with a kiss. Any hesitance that he may have had disappears instantly as he is caught in the kiss that only grows deeper, and deeper, more desperate as you seek clarity by having him breathe away all these thoughts about your soulmate. The very same soulmate who had once twisted your life around only to return just when you had thought you had your entire life and future figured out, sending everything into a downward spiral with little to no chance for you to hold your ground.

"Keep making love to me, Jungkook," you breathe out to him as you begin to push your hips upward, beckoning him to continue moving.

Keep touching me so I can feel you.

Your words seem to send him into a trance, and he begins to roll his hips, moving in and out of you slowly and steadily until he finally finds his rhythm once again. With a grunt, he finds his peace inside you, quickly setting the rush of pleasure in both of your bodies to come back alive.

A gasp slips out of your mouth as he pushes his cock deeper, rousing the jolt of pleasure that knocks the air out of your chest. "I need you so bad, Jungkook," you plead out for him as you run your hands down his spine, finding a gentle hold on the globes of his ass, his firm muscles contracting against your palms as he begins to thrust faster.

Help me erase this feeling and make me feel only you.

"Fuck me harder," you beg him, crying out louder when he increases his pace, growing faster just as he pushes harder, sending the whole bed rocking beneath you together with your moving bodies.

Make love to me. Make me believe again.

A sharp cry comes out of his lips just as his body trembles against you, warning you with the first signs of his orgasm rolling in. "I love you, baby," he says to you between the pleasured groans coming out of his lips, and he continues to thrust, to push, to pound his cock into its completion when you feel him stiffening and expanding against your walls before the first twitch of his cock pushes you forward, falling freely into your climax.

"I love you, Jungkook. Always," you cry out as you succumb to your release, surrendering to the rush of your orgasm that is taking you down under its intense current until it becomes the only thing you feel, allowing everything else to fade in its wake.

In the height of your bliss, you find the bond between your hearts and quickly reach out to him. Your hands come around him, grasping at his back to hold on against the tremors running through your body, while you can feel your soul grasping out into nothingness, trying to reach out to an invisible knot that appears inside you just as another man's face comes visible in your mind when you close your eyes.