Low Stress: Puppy-Love (Jikook)

Chapter Two: Hello Again

With each step that Jungkook got closer to Hoseok's apartment, his adrenaline melted more and more into anxiety. His shaking hands turned from excitement into just that - shaking. His heart was hammering so hard that his chest physically hurt, and his head was pounding with white noise.

What exactly am I doing here?  He thought as he climbed up the stairs to Hoseok's place, spare key in hand.

Jungkook could still leave. Could run away from walking into Hoseok's cozy living room where he knew J.Cole's old albums would be playing off a vinyl, colorful lamps lighting up the space while his friends sprawled out on the floor with drinks in their hands. There was still time to run away.

But run to where, exactly? Back to Madison?

Park Jimin was Jungkook's friend. His best friend, actually. Or at least he was before last year when Jimin announced that he was leaving for Busan and neither boy contacted the other since. Things were weird in their friend group now. Hoseok, Yoongi, Jin, Namjoon, and even Taehyung could tell something had gone down between Jimin and Jungkook, but no one was quite willing to ask about it. So, their conflict had become a poisoned undercurrent to the group instead.

But Jungkook could act normal. Be normal around Jimin. He was going to make it all normal from now on - and that started with opening this stupid door in front of him. It loomed in front of him, the metal somehow stretching until it looked like a hedge Jungkook would have to climb. He shook his head, pulling out his phone and leaning against the wall as he grappled with the anxiety in his chest.

"Jungkook?" Madison's voice flooded over the call, she sounded panicked. "Jungkook, come back. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for things to escalate like that. I love you, just come back. I called my friends. They just don't understand you like I do."

Jungkook glanced back at Hoseok's door, the faint sound of Hoseok's storm of a laugh muffled behind it. He pictured his friends, sitting together and talking, and Jimin at the center of it quietly sipping on his drink while a grin spread across his face. Always observing, never missing a beat. The image felt so warm, so familiar, that it nearly knocked Jungkook's breath away.

Jungkook had to fix things with him, fix things with the group, and that started with Madison.

"It's over, Madison." He said over the phone. There was silence for a moment and Jungkook could feel how it evolved, how it took shape, over the phone call. Growing from confusion to a deep sadness and at last molding into that calm, white hot rage he was all too used to.

"You're just mad about tonight, Jungkook. Don't say extremes like that. Let's talk tomorrow when our emotions aren't running high-"

"-no. I'm serious this time. No talking it out or waiting for things to get better. I'm ending things between us. Honestly, we should have months ago. I know you feel the same way-"

"Don't tell me how to feel. I can't believe you, trying to break up with me over the phone-"

"-I'm not trying, I am breaking up. Madison, we're not healthy. You know that-"

"-Shut up. I'll call you tomorrow. You're just confused."

"Madison. You're not hearing me-"

"Is everything okay?" Jungkook heard as the door to his left swung open and a concerned Jung Hoseok stood in its frame. Jungkook was so caught up in the call that he hadn't noticed how quiet it had gotten on the other side of it. Hoseok was wearing a baggy matching set of orange sweats, a large pair of sunglasses holding his hair back from his eyes like a headband. Hoseok eyed the phone in Jungkook's hand with a protective frown. Jungkook just gave his friend a reassuring nod.