Death Drive

xix. At New Levels

After a long-winded night of sex, and love, and borderline annoyance, these six boys had three different stories.

Taehyung and Jimin wanted a next step.
A year and a half of casual dating, hookups, and a flimsy secretive relationship gone rogue—all things to describe their lifestyle, and none more fulfilling than the rest.

"I think we should get a place together," Taehyung requested of Jimin, who laid sweaty and panting on top of him.

"Yeah," Jimin replied, winded, "That would be really cool."

"I'm serious, I hope you know that."

"I can tell that you are," Jimin said, "And I never denied it."

"I just feel like I've made you think that we need to be a secret—and we don't need to be one anymore, okay?" Taehyung reassured.

"I'm glad. I can't wait to be home, so that we can go on formal dates, and not just sit at each other's houses and make out," Jimin confessed.

"Is there a problem with making out?"

"Of course not!" Jimin laughed, "I just know that it'll be nice to do things like ice skate, and see movies, and to to amusement parks—interchangeably with making out, of course."

"That sounds just ducky," Taehyung said, blowing cool air onto Jimin's scalp, "You're just ducky."

"What are you, an old lady?"

"Oh, shut up."

★

Yoongi and Hoseok were the same as before: naive, in love, in the honeymoon phase—consisting of exactly what Taehyung and Jimin were trying to separate themselves from.

"That was beautiful," Yoongi sighed, laying on the cold cement roof, and staring up at the stars, intertwining and toying Hoseok's fingers with his own.

"You were beautiful," Hoseok replied, raising Yoongi's hand to his lips and kissing it softly.

"Round two?"

"Absolutely."

★

Jin and Jungkook were different: much different.

"What are we?" Jungkook asked the night after the one that they shared, standing idly on Jin's doorstep after taking a cab home with him after the long flight home.

"What do you mean?" Jin replied.

"I mean, what's next for us?" Jungkook persisted.

"I don't know," Jin would shrug, "And I'm sorry if this was a step back for your getting over me."

"Believe me," Jungkook said, "It was. But I don't mind that at all."

"I'm going to die," Jin said blankly, "I don't want this to be harder for you then it already is."

"It won't be," Jungkook said reassuringly, and honestly. Jin did not believe him, but Jungkook was being truthful. No amount of sex would make this any harder or easier. No amount of sex would dull the pain he'd feel seeing Jin in a hospital gown.

"And you're sure?" Jin asked.

"As long as the sun shines somewhere on earth, this will not be detrimental to me," Jungkook replied sternly.