Occupational Hazards - Taekook Style (Oneshot Collection)

Railway Hands

Jungkook remembers a time when he preferred the bus to the train and when he went out of his way to avoid buying a ticket to save money. He works in the city at a legal firm, a general dogs body as he studies and learns what he can because he wants to be a lawyer one day. Jungkook isn't well off, he shares a small apartment with his older brother and they manage. His brother is great, he's caring and protective, loving and supportive... but as Jungkook's guardian he is also responsible for ensuring their parents' wishes are upheld... which means that in six months time, Jungkook will be chosen a husband whether he likes it or not. The society dictates that the eldest male child will be married by 24 and the subsequent male children should be married by 21. There isn't a reason for it, nothing logical, just that this is a tradition that has been there for centuries and that's the way it is. Females have to be a minimum age of 18 to be wed and they get six months of courting before the wedding. Should the chosen couple really not gel... they can apply to have the union cancelled and the council will look into it, especially with exceptional circumstances. For the majority of people this way of living is accepted and adhered to, with most families seeing the positives and frowning upon those who rebel.

Jungkook is nearly 20 and time is rapidly running out. After many attempts by his parents to set him up with people, he moved cities to live with his brother in the vain hope that he would help. Jaehyun has helped by setting him up with lots of people and as relaxed as he has been about it... time is now rapidly disappearing and Jungkook's ability to choose is going to diminish very soon. So in six months he will have a partner chosen for him and his 6 month courtship will begin, with a wedding at the end of it, just before his 21st birthday.

Where public transport and his journey to work is concerned, the reason that he no longer chose to get the bus or dodge the purchase of a ticket on the train was simply because he had the hots for the ticket inspector. Jungkook sat in the same place in the same section of the train, more or less at the same time Monday through to Friday. He's convinced that it was love at first sight but no one else in his life is buying it, even his parents. Jaehyun is always saying he should have been on a date with him by now and he'd set him up with several of his friends in a bid to get him settled. Jungkook didn't really take to any of them though, there was always something not right, something he could use to say 'no thanks'. The last guy didn't hold him right and he was blonde. The guy before him would only fuck him from behind and that got boring. The one before that was keen to experience sex in public but only if his best mate could watch, which was just weird. The guys before that were a whole list of absolutely nots... one had a fascination with a rock band, one ate steak at 11pm every night, one would only kiss Jungkook when he was sitting in his lap, another one had a strange taste in cologne that made Jungkook feel queasy and then there was the guy who tried to fight Jaehyun, even after he knew that he was Jungkook's brother.

Jungkook's closest friend had just successfully completed the six month courtship with his boyfriend, Jaehyun had a beautiful wife, who he'd been with for years and so he was under considerable pressure to be a couple. The biggest problem he had was that he didn't even know the ticket inspector's name, he'd only said a couple of words to him and given him his best smile. Regardless of what people say, he is sure that the inspector is the one for him because other guys just haven't had this effect on him but he needs to up his game.

Jungkook unfastens a few buttons on his shirt and pretends to look out of the window as he hears the familiar voice asking people for their tickets. His body does this thing internally where it vibrates at a low frequency, like an anxiety that only seems to happen when he knows this guy is approaching. He knows that he probably looks awkward and idiotic because he hasn't made a move and just sits there grinning shyly... things must change.

"Ticket, please."

The velvety smooth, rich, dulcet tone perforated every pore of his skin and seeped into his system. Jungkook whipped his ticket out from his pocket and knows he isn't acting as cool as he had been five minutes ago.