Frenemies//Jikook (DISCONTINUED)

7.

                 [[ First Meeting ]]

______________________________________

It's been a day since Jimin's first official confrontation with Jungkook, and the blonde has been thinking about what the other had said all day.

He has so many questions he wanted to ask, but the hostility in the younger male's actions and words yesterday told him that he wasn't going to get any answers if he asked him directly.

So, he goes to the first person that crosses his mind.

---***---

Jimin knocks on the door firmly before waiting patiently for a response. A clear "come in," reaches his ears, so he slowly turns the doorknob and enters the office.

"Oh, Jimin, it's you," Namjoon smiles warmly from his desk, an adorable dimple appearing as he gestures the shorter male to sit. "How can I help you?"

Jimin almost snorts at how formal the leader's question sounds, but he manages to hold himself back. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something, if it's not too much trouble for you."

Namjoon quirks an eyebrow before his smile falters slightly. "You want to ask me something regarding Jungkook, don't you?"

HoLy FvCk can everyone like, read my mind or something--?!
Jimin nods dumbly, completely mindblown by how intuitive his teammates are.

Namjoon's eyes soften and he shakes his head."If you want to know about Jungkookie's past, I'm afraid I can't tell you. That choice is for him to decide."

Jimin leans forward desperately, not wanting to accept defeat so easily.

"Namjoon hyung," He pauses, wracking his brain for something that he can actually use as a question to find out more about Jungkook.

It's at that moment he remembers Taehyung's words from his first day at work:
"Namjoon hyung found him a few years ago."

Praising the Gods above for jogging his memory, he looks into the older male's eyes and says, "Tell me how you met Jungkook."

The leader's eyes widen in surprise, taken aback by the sudden request, but he can't hold back the ghost of a smile that graces his face.

Jimin is smart. If you come face to face with an obstacle that seems unpassable, think outside the box.

"You think fast, I'll give you that," Namjoon says, giving the other a nod of acknowledgement. "I'll tell you about how I met him, but as for the rest, you're going to have to gain Jungkook's trust on your own."

_____________________________________

Four years ago...

"Hey, watch where you're going!!"

Namjoon shakes his head, shaking off the pain from the hard impact of the collision with the drunk man in front of him.

"Sorry, my bad." The then 18 year old apologized, patting the guy's arm awkwardly before walking past him.

At least, he tried to.

A rough grip on his arm forcefully halted his movements and turned him around.

"Hey," He started to say, "I'm not looking for any trouble—"

"Take this, you fucking punk!"

Namjoon's head snapped to the side as he accepted a powerful punch to the jaw. He grabbed his jaw as pain exploded all over his mind, and his mind went blank.

"That's what you get for bumping into me, fucker! Do you know who I am?!"

Seeing no response from the young boy in front of him, he glowered, mouth stretching into an ugly snarl.

"Have you suddenly turned deaf–?"

"Oh," Namjoon said softly, like a distant thought just crossed his mind as he turned his head back to face the drunk man, brown hair falling delicately over his eyes.

His blank face turned into a sneer, usually warm eyes darkening into something more deadly as he cracked his fists.

"You shouldn't have done that."

---****---

Namjoon brought his foot down on the man's hand, enjoying the agonized scream that escaped the latter's throat as it broke with a sickening crunch.

"There," The brown haired male said in satisfaction, removing his foot to inspect the masterpiece he'd left on the man. "That should teach you a lesson."

The sound of a can hitting the tarred street caught his attention, making him turn around in  heartbeat.

Namjoon's eyes landed on a boy who was staring at him in horror, face expressing what could only be said as indescribable fear.

A grey, worn out shirt clung loosely to his body, badly stained with God even knows what. Black shoes protected his feet, although not for any longer, judging by the hole forming in the sole of both shoes. Greasy, raven black hair covered his eyes, almost reaching the tip of his nose.

"I-I'm so," The boy had spluttered in a panicked frenzy, taking a few steps back to increase the distance between them. "I didn't mean to see anything,"

Namjoon's lips turned into a thin line as he strided towards the boy, only causing the other to back up even faster, tightly holding on to the items he had in his arms.

Unfortunately, the panic must have somehow affected his stability, because in that moment, the boy tripped over his own two feet, unceremoniously landing on his ass, items in his hands flying right out of his hands and landing a few meters away before rolling like a wheel.

"Please, please," The boy had whimpered frantically, hands coming up in a pathetic attempt to shield his face as soon as Namjoon had stopped; right in front of him. "I won't tell anyone about this. Please don't hurt me."

Now that they're standing in such a close distance, Namjoon can see the cuts and bruises that decorate the boy's face and arms, some are healing, while others were still fresh and open.

Without much thought, almost like it was an instinctive action, the 18 year old leaned down and reached out a hand, aiming for the other's face, intending to push the hair away from his eyes.

He stopped when he noticed the other flinching away, eyes squeezed shut, as if mentally preparing himself to be hit.

"Hey," He said instead, offering a hand to help the boy up."What's your name?"

The said boy had hesitantly opened his eyes and accepted Namjoon's help, lifting himself to his feet and immediately distancing himself from the other.

"Jungkook," He murmured softly, as if uttering the name alone pained him.

"My name's Jeon Jungkook."