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"Nervous?"

Jeongguk's voice sounds more airily and quieter than it usually does as he leans in closer to him in the lift. The fact that they are alone in the lift and Jeongguk is whispering as if other people are present perplexes him. Jimin's brows draw together as he adjusts the dark blue beret hat on his head, glancing at Jeongguk, who has his hair parted in the middle, hair strands covering his eyebrow piercing.

The drummer is dressed in a grey knitted jumper, a silver necklace, cloth pants, and layered chunky black sneakers. Like this, Jeongguk appears truly elegant and while Jeongguk embodies dark colours, Jimin embodies lighter colours with his peach-coloured hair, blue denim jacket and a purple striped top that Jeongguk bought for him yesterday, completing his look with a silver moon pendant on his necklace.

"A little," Jimin whispers back and darts his gaze back in front of him to the metal doors as the lift's familiar ping sounds. His cheeks turn pink as he realises he has been looking at Jeongguk for longer than he should have.

Following closely behind him, Jeongguk steps out of the lift first, and they are immediately greeted by loud music Jimin hasn't noticed before. They walk down the corridor until they finally reach a large black door, Jeongguk opens it. He slips in and holds it open for Jimin, who gasps upon seeing the room illuminated by laser lights. Only now, as he begins to grind his teeth, does he realise how nervous he is.

Jimin was aware that the team wasn't exactly small but seeing the room filled with people drinking or dancing, if not both, perplexes him. His gaze wanders over the various people out the window, and he quickly realises they must be on the company's top floor. Jimin can see individual buildings of Seoul through the reflecting window panes further away. Having never been to a party like this, he is a little overwhelmed by the situation and gets lost in his thoughts. Was it the right decision to accept Jeongguk's offer?

Meanwhile, Jeongguk has wandered off a few metres away from Jimin without him noticing. Jeongguk is about to return to Jimin with two cups of water, hoping it would calm him down, when a familiar voice stops him. Just then, the music changes to a slower song, making it possible to hear the other.

"Jeongguk, there you are!" Minsu exclaims over the music and approaches him, closely followed by Youngjin, who Minsu pulls on his grey designer suit sleeve. "Why haven't you answered any of our messages? Haven't you seen them?"

Jeongguk tilts his head. "What messages?"

Minsu shakes his head and sighs disappointedly while supporting his hands on his hips. "That answers my question. You didn't answer us if you were coming, and the manager asked us too. What stopped you from answering earlier?"

Jeongguk thinks for a moment, wondering if he was really not on his phone. He recalls looking up momentarily before they left his penthouse, but he saw no messages on display. They must have texted him on the way, however, he didn't notice because he was chatting with Jimin. He's sure that must be it.

He's about to reply when Youngjin suddenly clears his throat, opens his lips but says nothing, and allows his gaze to wander off into the distance once more. The lines between his brows deepen as he appears to concentrate on something. He returns his gaze to Minsu, who is still scolding Jeongguk.

"What's so important to interrupt me?" Minsu looks at him with a pinched expression before his eyes slide down to his olive green jumper, which Youngjin has been gently tugging on to draw attention to himself. When Youngjin sees the expression of pure annoyance, he lets go almost instantly. "Don't you want to know why he ignored our messages?"

"I think I know why Jeongguk didn't reply to us." Without further explanation, Youngjin vaguely points his head to someone standing a few steps behind Jeongguk, appearing a little lost near the entryway.

"Wait... is that the famous Jimin?"

Minsu must have said it loud enough for Jimin to hear, who therefore turns his head towards them, startled and with widened eyes.

Jimin appears flustered at first under the laser lights until he seems to realise what's happening, and his facial expression morphs into a shy expression. He seems hesitant as he approaches the trio and hides behind Jeongguk when he reaches them.

His cheeks flush when a soft 'hello' passes his pink lips, fingers subconsciously fidgeting with the fabric of Jeongguk's grey knitted jumper. It makes him slightly relaxed, knowing it's only Minsu and Youngjin. Jimin was curious and desperate to meet them as they are a part of Jeongguk's life, and now he is too shy to talk to them? Somehow, getting to know them seemed easier to him as a red panda...

"You really are Jimin, aren't you?"

Youngjin's question doesn't quite reach him through the change of song to a louder one, and Jimin can only guess what the other is saying by lip-reading. He nods anyway and shuffles closer to Jeongguk, who looks up at him and looks concerned. Jimin ignores him initially; he is still too overwhelmed and nervous that he feels safe only with Jeongguk.

Only when Jeongguk hands him a cup and asks him if everything is alright does Jimin look at him and murmur as he takes the cup from him, "Thank you."

Longingly, Jimin takes a sip as if he hasn't had anything to drink all day. His throat feels dry from the nervousness that has his body buzzing.

"There's really no need to be nervous around us." Minsu chuckles as he assures Jimin and beams at him. "It's just us, and we already know each other- Well... in a way, and we can't wait to get to know you better. We're glad you agreed to meet us."

As the party is still getting underway, the music is becoming more upbeat and bassier. More lights are being turned on, and the lasers' motions are becoming faster. Unbeknown to Jimin, his ears twitch ever so slightly, but Jungkook notices the slight movement under his hat.

"How about we go and sit down for a while?" Jeongguk suggests loudly and points his head to the empty table on the other side of the room. Jimin smiles softly and nods to Jungkook. The others also eagerly agree, seeing the opportunity for a better conversation once the music changes again.

"Let me just grab a drink," Youngjin says and walks back to the table with the drinks and snacks, leaving the others who are already making their way through the crowd to the table. Jimin moves his hand to grip the hem of Jeongguk's shirt again, not wanting to lose Jeongguk between dancing people.

They get to the table just in time as someone else is making their way to sit down, but when the other man sees it's Jeongguk, he slows down and looks for another place to sit. Jeongguk thanks him politely, recalling that a nervous hybrid is holding onto his jumper. Seeing what kind of state Jimin's in, he wonders if this is his first party, and he's just not used to more people in the room or if he's just nervous about meeting his bandmates.

"Better?" Jeongguk asks as they sit down. He watches Jimin nod, taking another sip and placing the plastic cup on the table. Somehow he can't stop staring at Jimin with the beret on his head and his eyes curling into crescents. Jeongguk's gaze is immediately drawn to Jimin's pink lips, which he licks with his tongue and makes them appear shinier. Do they feel as soft as they look? Do they taste as sweet as they look?

"I have to admit you're very pretty. I like your hair colour," Minsu speaks up and snaps Jeongguk out of his thoughts. He feels his heart skip a beat, realising what has just gone through his mind. Jeongguk knows that Jimin is attractive in his human form, but is he even allowed to think about him like that? It's been only a few days since Jimin shifted, and it's not like he hasn't been attracted to other people before.

Jeongguk would blame the alcohol, but since he hasn't drunk anything but water, it makes him feel uneasy. He has no clue why he's making such a fuss about it. Maybe it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, and he just needs to get out for a minute to clear his head. So much has occurred in the last few days that everything seems surreal.

"Thank you," Jimin says humbly, and his face turns red, clearly taken by surprise by the compliment. He notices Youngjin approaching from the corner of his eye and, not knowing what else to say, chooses to concentrate on him instead until he takes a seat opposite him. Jimin's words about being bashful are confirmed and reflected in his actions as he awkwardly takes the cup in his palms and turns it as if he's going to zone out.

"Anyways, even if it's a little late, this is Minsu, and this is Youngjin. Minsu, Youngjin, this is Jimin or Min," Jeongguk says, scratching the back of his head and clearing his throat. This atmosphere reminds him of the times when they went to the club. It's been a while since they went, but Jeongguk doesn't feel like going since he met Jimin, to be precise. It's just a funny coincidence that Jimin met him for the second time the last time he returned from there.

"There's something I'm curious about. Be honest..." Minsu leans forward, completely ignoring what Jeongguk has said. "What's it like living with Jeongguk? Is he as quiet as he is with us?"

"No, he isn't." Jimin shakes his head and giggles, remembering the jokes Jeongguk made yesterday. He proudly adds, "He's funny. His jokes make me smile."

This makes Minsu raise an eyebrow and look at Jeongguk, scrunching his nose in amusement. Youngjin also has a similar expression on his face, tempting Jeongguk to mouth a sharp 'Don't'.

"Glad to hear it," Minsu grins and continues, "Seems like he warmed up to you quickly. Tell me, are you from the city or the countryside, if I may ask?"

"Where I was born and lived before?" Minsu nods, and so Jimin answers, "I was born and raised in the countryside before I came to the city."

"What a coincidence! Youngjin also grew up in the countryside," Minsu gushes excitedly and leans forward over the table. "Let's see what else we have in common. This is so exciting!"

Jeongguk scrunches his nose and decides this is a good opportunity to speak up. Will Jimin be fine alone? "I'm going to the bathroom quickly. Will you be fine here... or maybe I shouldn't go."

He is torn between going and leaving Jimin alone, but Youngjin assures him that he is in good hands, and they will take care of him. With a confident smile from Jimin, he gets off the chair and goes to the bathroom.

Once there, he walks to the sink, washes his hands and looks in the mirror with an uncertain look. He chews nervously on his bottom lip as Jimin's attractive face flashes through his mind. His button nose, his pink plush lips and his chocolate brown eyes, thinking about them makes him run his fingers through his hair.

What the hell is wrong with him? They're not even friends yet, and he's thinking about his lips, something friends don't do. He panics, thinking he might be reading too much into it, so he pushes the thoughts into the deepest corner of his mind and tells himself that he must be a little off today. Just because someone is attractive doesn't mean his brain has to torture him by projecting Jimin in his head.

Jeongguk leans back against the sink and shakes his head, hoping to put an end to it all. Lost in his thoughts, he runs into someone on the way back and apologises. It jolts him out of his thoughts before he is back in the room where the after party is taking place. Don't think about it. Think about something else.

Jeongguk's thoughts are quickly replaced by a faint but bubbling heat in his stomach as he approaches the table. He pauses. His bandmates are now sitting next to Jimin, laughing together about something. His lips tighten into a thin line and his eyes narrow as he watches them continue their conversation, subconsciously noticing that the heat intensifies.

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A/N: if there's anyone looking for writing tips/a beta reader, take a look into the book "beta reader" 💗