off limits | jakehoon

15

As February gave way to March, the tension that had once hung over Jake and Sunghoon like a storm cloud had finally lifted. It hadn’t been easy there were still moments of awkwardness and hurt feelings that needed time to heal but they’d worked through it together. Each day brought them a little closer to the comfort they used to share, and by the time midterms rolled around, they’d settled into a rhythm that felt right again.

Their friends noticed the shift too. Heeseung, the one who helped with the jakehoon figh, had remarked one day during lunch, “You two look like you’ve found your groove again its good to see.”

Jimin, who was sitting next to Minjeong and playing with her girlfriend’s hair absentmindedly, smiled at the couple across the table. “We were getting worried there for a minute, but I’m glad you guys worked things out”

Minjeong nodded in agreement, leaning into Jimin’s side. “communication is key, right? you guys are stronger now”

Jake squeezed Sunghoon’s hand under the table, sharing a small, knowing smile with him. “Yeah, we are thanks, guys”

Sunghoon chuckled, nudging Jake playfully. “and I guess I should thank you for not throwing me out when I stormed off that night.”

Jake rolled his eyes fondly. “As if I could ever throw you out. You’d just end up coming back and demanding I cook for you.” Jake jokes

Sunghoon smirked, squeezing Jake’s hand back. “Damn right I would and for the record, you’re getting better at it”

Jungwon, who had been listening with a grin, couldn’t help but jump in. “See? Everything’s back to normal. Jake’s cooking, Sunghoon’s demanding things, and all is right with the world.”

Jay, sitting next to Jungwon with an arm casually draped around the back of his chair, raised an eyebrow. “normal? You mean disgustingly lovey-dovey, right? it’s like you two are in your own little world again”

Jimin laughed, reaching across the table to high five Jay. “Tell me about it but then again, look at us.” She leaned in to kiss Minjeong on the cheek, earning an exaggerated groan from Sunoo, who was sitting next to Ni-ki.

“Ugh, can we stop with the PDA for like, five minutes?” Sunoo teased, though there was no real bite to his words.

Ni-ki, who had grown closer to Sunoo over the past few weeks, smirked and nudged Sunoo with his elbow. “Says the guy who literally fell asleep on me during study group yesterday.”

Sunoo’s eyes widened in mock offense. “That was a one time thing! and it was comfortable, okay?”

“Sure it was” Ni-ki replied, grinning. “and I didn’t mind, by the way.”

Heeseung raised an eyebrow at the exchange, glancing between Sunoo and Ni-ki with a curious look. “was the instagram picture not a prank then?”

Sunoo’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink, and he quickly looked away, but Ni-ki, ever the bold one, simply shrugged. “what can I say? the kid’s growing on me”

The table erupted into a mix of laughter and playful teasing, with Jungwon clapping Ni-ki on the back and Jimin giving Sunoo an exaggerated wink. Even Jay, who usually enjoyed teasing everyone, looked genuinely happy for them.

“Well, well,” Jake said, grinning at Sunoo and Ni-ki. “looks like we’re not the only ones in our honeymoon phase”

Sunoo groaned, burying his face in his hands. “can we please talk about something else before this gets too embarrassing?”

Minjeong laughed, patting Sunoo on the back. “Fine, fine but seriously, you two are cute”

The conversation shifted to midterms after that, with everyone lamenting the stress and exhaustion that had taken over their lives for the past two weeks. Jungwon, who had nearly pulled an all-nighter studying for his economics exam, looked particularly worn out.