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The unpleasantly cold winter air gnaws at Jimin's skin and makes him wrap the scarf tighter around his neck to protect himself from the biting cold. Jimin shivers as the wind penetrates his pores and his bones. He rocks nervously on his feet and his cheeks turn pink, waiting at the entrance of the yoga studio.

He shakily exhales warm air and watches as it rises in little puffs of white. The aerial yoga session has done him good today and distracted him from what's to come. Jimin never thought he'd be able to persuade Jeongguk, Jin's mysterious and intimidating alpha brother, to go out with him for the benefit of both of them.

After the shock of seeing Jin and Yoongi kiss, a wave of despair swept over Jimin and the idea of fake dating seemed like a lifeline to him. Even though he has no idea what the result will be from today's conversation with Jeongguk, he can't help but feel a sense of hope.

"Sorry, I'm late," a deep voice suddenly sounds behind Jimin, making him spin around. "I popped into a bakery to get something."

Jeongguk approaches him with a thickly lined winter jacket and a brown paper bag in his hand, which he holds up. Jimin studies him, hands sinking deeper into the warm pockets of his jacket. Jeongguk's shy, seemingly composed smile hints at a flicker of nervousness. Jimin appreciates the small gesture of getting something sweet but keeps his thoughts to himself, unsure how to deal with the stark contrast to his usually reserved nature.

Jeongguk is only a few minutes late for their meeting, having texted him beforehand that he would be a little late. Therefore, it's not a big deal for Jimin.

Not wanting to prolong the awkward silence, Jimin clears his throat and returns his smile. His gaze then flickers down to the brown paper bag in Jeongguk's hand, examining and pondering what might be in there.

Curiosity takes hold of him, and Jimin can't resist asking what's inside the bag.

"It's fine," Jimin assures, nodding to the street that leads to his home. The Christmas decorations have already been taken down except for a few strings of tree lights illuminating the streets in the dark. People hurry home from work into the comfort and warmth of their homes. Because even though it's already January, it's still lousy cold. If his jacket hadn't pockets, his fingers would already be red and aching from the cold. "Let's go to my dorm already. My flatmate isn't there for the weekend."

When Jimin thinks about it, he doesn't know what he thought when he invited Jeongguk over. They're not particularly close, and the alpha has never been to his place before. In his time living in this city, the only alpha he's ever brought to his home has been Jin, but that's because Jimin knows and trusts him. Yet, it's the best place to talk privately and minimise the risk of someone from the university hearing us.

Silence settles over them as they walk towards the dorm. From the corner of his eye, Jimin realises that the cold is also getting to Jeongguk. He adjusts the zip of his jacket and pulls it up until he can hide his mouth behind it.

"So... what did you buy at the bakery?"

"Nothing big," Jeongguk replies, shrugging his shoulders and showing Jimin what's in the paper bag. "Just a little snack. I thought we could share."

Jimin looks inside and lo and behold. The paper bag contains two freshly baked cinnamon buns. His heart soars and the smell of the cinnamon makes his mouth water. Amazing.

"Yummy," Jimin brightens. "That's sweet of you."

"No big deal. I just wanted to return the favour for the ice cream you made me the other day."

Lips parting, Jimin's chest fills with unfamiliar warmth. He feels touched and doesn't know how to react. The only thought that runs through his head because of his growling stomach—sue him, aerial yoga makes hungry—is to move up a gear to devour the cinnamon bun. Jimin looks forward again to avoid snatching the bag from his hand and walks faster. He hears Jeongguk laughing amusedly in the background before he catches up with him.

When they arrive at his flat, Jimin takes off his shoes and jacket and heads for the kitchen, where he immediately takes out two plates. He places them on the counter and makes an impatient, grasping motion with his fingers towards the bag that Jeongguk is still holding while he takes off his boots. The anticipation in Jimin's eyes must shine brightly, a faint grin tugging at the corners of Jeongguk's mouth.

Jeongguk comes to a halt next to him and hands him the paper bag. Jimin places a cinnamon bun on Jeongguk's plate before taking a bite of his own, moaning with delight into the lukewarm dough. Jeongguk couldn't have bought a better pastry.

He is overjoyed that Jeongguk went to the effort to get them.

"You have a penchant for cinnamon buns. Is that possible?" Jeongguk comments curiously, and only then does Jimin realise that the alpha hasn't taken his eyes off him. Jimin blushes. He feels like he has been caught out.

"They're so delicious," he mumbles in a hushed voice through a mouthful of pastry, licking his lip content and satisfied. "Cinnamon buns are just something special. They always make me happy, especially on a cold day like today."

Jimin overlooks Jeongguk's shy smile. He is too busy savouring the last few bites of the cinnamon bun and allowing the favour to unfold on his tongue until an awkward silence falls, and he realises how rude that was. The tips of his ears turn red.

"About the fake dating..." Jimin begins and clears his throat, thinking cutting to the chase is best. "Your message seemed a bit... you seemed to be against it the last time we saw each other before Christmas. Why did you agree to it now?"

"I didn't want to agree," Jeongguk admits, voice raspy and eyes fixed on the plate. "But I've been dealing with a lot of unwanted attention lately, and I think this might help me protect myself. It got so bad at Christmas that I didn't know what to do."

"...Can I ask what more has happened? If we're going to do this, I need to know what I'm getting into."

"You already kind of know about the hit-ons from other students. Last month it got worse before Christmas. There were presents in my locker recently. The highlight, however, was when I blocked a pushy person after a few text messages, and they contacted me again via another social media platform."

Jimin's eyes widen, and his stomach turns in disgust. What the hell... He had no idea Jeongguk was going through this. Jeongguk's outer shell makes you think he's someone who can handle anything, but he's also just a human with feelings and vulnerabilities.

"I had no idea it was this bad," Jimin says sincerely, his heart filling with compassion. He appreciates Jeongguk's honesty, hoping that he can help him.

Jeongguk shrugs his shoulders and licks his lip. "It's just been a bit overwhelming lately," he admits. "I think that's why this fake dating arrangement might help me. Maybe if they see me with someone else, they'll leave me alone."

Jimin nods in understanding. No one deserves to be harassed like this. He can see why Jeongguk is interested in the arrangement and agrees to the whole thing. Seeing someone with someone else by their side would definitely stop unwanted attention.

"I agree with you," Jimin states firmly and turns round to the kitchen cupboard. He takes out two glasses, fills them with water and hands one to Jeongguk. "It could cause them to let go. But it could also make them jealous."

"Aren't they being pushy already? I have hope that they will keep their distance from me, despite whatever they feel then. I made up my mind and want to try, otherwise I'll regret not having done anything about it."

"Okay, whatever you say," Jimin mutters and prepares himself a hot cup of tea. He stares into the cup for a moment and realises that they really are going to do this. Jimin is going to date someone, and his best friend's brother of all people, to distract himself. Will that go well? He continues, "What are the ground rules? We should set clear boundaries about what we're comfortable with."

"I think we should be clear that this is just an agreement," remarks Jeongguk in a low voice. "We're not really together. It's fake and we're just pretending so that people leave me alone, you get more distance from Jin and because he thinks we're dating." Jeongguk mutters quietly: "It's so immoral."

Jimin doesn't know why his heart constricts when Jeongguk lightly says how fake everything is and will be. Still, a small part of him wants them to get to know each other better and become friends.

"I want to make sure we are on the same page. I think we could hold hands and pick each other up from university. Nothing too serious," Jimin comments and continues, "I also don't think we necessarily have to kiss to make it believable. A kiss on the cheek might be enough for now."

"That sounds good. I'm open to hugs too. What about scenting?"

"Scenting?" Jimin asks, puzzled. "I... I don't know. It's a bit intimate, isn't it?"

"Yes," Jeongguk admits, smiling with his lips pressed together. "But it would make our fake relationship seem more convincing, especially in university or when... Jin is around."

Jimin is silent for a moment, his mind racing. He knows scenting is a sign of a deep connection and bond, and he's unsure if he's ready for that. But then he thinks about the unwanted attention Jeongguk is getting and how this fake date could help him escape it.

Jimin takes a deep breath and glimpses at Jeongguk. He can't deny that Jeongguk's argument is valid. If their fake relationship is to be believable, they need to show some signs of affection.

"Okay," Jimin finally says. "We can scent each other."

"Great, then we should start with this fake dating thing as soon as possible." Jeongguk lifts a finger to his neck and scratches it sheepishly. "I'm afraid if we wait too long, we won't be believable and the person that hides behind a social media account might overstep another boundary."

"What do you mean?" Jimin asks, biting his lip.

"This person could potentially approach me if they don't see me in a relationship with someone."

As much as Jimin would like to reply to this, he can't. He finds himself speechless because no matter what sentence he forms in his mind, it all sounds wrong, which Jeongguk seems to have picked up on. Jimin feels terrible.

"I'm sorry, I just want it to stop," Jeongguk apologises, his expression softening. Seeing him like this, Jimin concludes he must feel on the edge and desperate. A pang of sympathy strikes Jimin's heart.

"Don't apologise."

Jimin shakes his head, offering a deep sigh and thoughtful expression. His eyes narrow as he tries to think of how to start with the arrangement and how to help Jeongguk. "Do you use any social media account? The one the person messaged you on? We could start with posting a couple-y aesthetic pic."

"I rarely use it. What did you have in mind?"

"How about taking one of those sickly but cute couple aesthetic pictures like on Pinterest?"

Jeongguk hums, his expression noticeably lighter. "Sounds good. Are you thinking of a pose with our hands forming a heart?"

"This... Or we can just hold hands. I have a string of lights hanging in my room, and we could hold hands in front of it. Let's do that and take the photo now so you can post it. Maybe with a sappy description like 'you're my everything', or 'I can't go a day without you'." Jimin clears his throat and becomes more shy the next second. He has no clue how he suddenly comes up with something like that and even suggests Jeongguk to post it. "I'm not sure. I've never posted anything like this."

But he wishes he could do that. The idea of loving someone so deeply and showing it makes his stomach tingle.

"No, it's- it's good. Let's do that."

Jeongguk follows Jimin into his bedroom, filled with bookshelves that stretch from the floor to the ceiling. Green tendril plants hanging down from the shelf and strings of lights cast a warm, inviting glow over the space. Only then does Jimin realise that he didn't think this through. Why does he have to act so quickly before thinking things through?

His room, which normally smells only of peonies and rarely of dark chocolate when Jin is there, is now permeated by the scent of soft caramel, warm and buttery, like in a bakery. Jimin has to admit that the scent bothers him the least. The presence of the alpha in his privacy zone, with a bed and a nest spread out less than two metres away, makes him nervous and squirm. Why did Jeongguk follow him just like that?

"Give me your phone, please."

While Jeongguk takes it out of his trouser pocket, Jimin places one of his plants on a lower shelf and places the fairy lights over the books to create an idyllic illusion. Just one or two photos, and they can leave the room again, he says to himself.

Jeongguk shuffles closer and hands him his device. Jimin swallows nervously as he feels Jeongguk's hand brush against his skin, their fingers interlocking, before he lifts them. Jimin takes note of how their hands fit perfectly. Jeongguk's hand feels warm and firm, unlike what he expected. He feels a strange sense of calm come over him.

As their eyes lock, a flicker of an emotion he can't quite decipher dances across his gaze.

Jimin gently takes Jeongguk's phone from his hand, his touch lingering for a fleeting moment. He takes a few photos, the camera making clicking noises, capturing their hands interlocked.

Handing the phone back to Jeongguk, Jimin watches him closely, pursing his lips. The alpha lets loose of their hand holding and scrolls through the photos, his eyes slightly softening.

"I think this will be enough to convince people," Jeongguk comments in a light voice as he looks at the photos. "They are actually fantastic."

Jimin's heart leaps with joy. He was worried Jeongguk might not like them. "I'm glad you like them. Why don't you post one now?" he quietly suggests, his hands feeling sweaty.

"Okay." Jeongguk gives him a reassuring smile and opens his social media app. He uploads the photo with the caption: "I can't go a day without you."

A wave of anticipation washes over Jimin as the photo appears on Jeongguk's Instagram feed. Not many people follow him, and neither does he have many pictures, five at most (but who's counting?). One of the followers has to be the person who messaged him. Will that person then drop the messaging?

Jimin can't help but observe the extent to which Jeongguk has opened up to him. In his eyes, he's no longer the intimidating and distant alpha he used to be when they first met.

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A/N: What did you think of this chapter? 🥺 things seem to get serious now...

What do you imagine their first fake date like? 🤭🤭

What do you imagine their chemistry will be like once they openly fake date?