ANCIENT | SEQUEL TO YOUTH | JJK

this feeling

"Is the pizza in Italy good?" Haneul asks, holding a paper up to a post for Jeongguk to staple the flyer picturing Namjoon to it. It had taken him a few lamp posts to get used to using a stapler, or the "attachment contraption" as he had initially called it, but now he was a seasoned pro at using a stapler. He and Haneul had been making laps around the area Namjoon had been taken putting up pictures and catching up. It felt so good finally talking to Jeongguk without any hostility in return, and Jeongguk hadn't had anyone to talk to at all for the past months, so it was refreshing.

"It's so good. I don't even think there's a word to adequately express how good it is." He says, and Haneul chuckles at him. Now that he isn't so intent on shutting everyone out, she can see that he hasn't changed all that much. He still uses his dated way of speaking and his naivety peeks through his wisdom every now and then. God, she has missed this.

"Amazing? Delicious? Superb?" She asks, attempting to give him words to use to describe the Italian pizza, but Jeongguk shakes his head.

"All true, but not good enough words." He says, and a sly grin appears on her face. He feels the familiar yet foreign elephants rampaging in his stomach, one of Haneul's side effects on him.

"How about...orgasmic?" She says, knowing exactly what to say to make him blush. Jeongguk, suave as ever, chokes down a gasp as his cheeks warm up and a shy smile grows on his lips. He averts his eyes timidly. They've had sex many times, but he doesn't think he'll ever quite get used to sex being brought up so casually.

"That would suffice." He says softly, and Haneul laughs, reaching over to interlace her fingers with his. Jeongguk involuntarily lets out a sigh of contentment, and Haneul smiles to herself. The feeling of her lithe surgeon's fingers clasping his own calloused farmer's hands makes him feel complete. They fall into a silence that encapsulates them like a warm weighted blanket, heavy but comfortable. They staple another flyer to a post before Haneul speaks again.

"So, the Italian food is good...what about the Italian girls?" Haneul asks, glancing up at Jeongguk to gauge his reaction. He raises his eyebrows and looks down at her in question.

"What about the Italian girls?" He asks, and she sighs.

"Well, when you left, I assumed it was because you didn't want me anymore. So...I couldn't help but wonder if you found someone else. I know now that's not why you left, but still. Any Italian girls? Or guys?" She says, not daring to look back up again.

"You remember when I went back to Seoul and left you in Busan?" He asks, and Haneul feels her heart sink. She nods, because of course she remembers. How could she forget almost losing Jeongguk? The thought makes her heart hurt. "When I thought about doing things with other people in Italy...I couldn't stop thinking about how I felt when I saw you with Wooseok, and I couldn't go through with anything." He says, and Haneul looks up at him then. He smiles a bit, squeezing her hand. "You've still got me wrapped around your finger, no matter where in the world I'm at."

"You're cheesy. Ew." She mumbles shyly, hiding her blushing cheeks behind her curtain of black hair. Jeongguk furrows his eyebrows in confusion.

"Ew? I thought you liked cheese." Jeongguk questions, and Haneul grins.

"It's an expression, Gukkie. I do love cheese, and you." She says, heart filled with a light and airy feeling that puts a skip in her step. Jeongguk smiles, a little embarrassed at his lack of knowledge.

"I love you, too." He replies, loving the way it rolls off his tongue so naturally. "Can I ask you something that might be difficult to answer?" Jeongguk blurts out, unable to hold it in any longer.

"Of course. Anything." She says, and he bites the inside of his cheek nervously.

"I hate to ask, but it's been eating at me...what happened between you and Hoseok while I was gone?" He asks, and Haneul exhales heavily, biting her lip. "I won't be upset, no matter what, I'm just...curious, I suppose." 

"Well, you remember what happened with Wooseok in Busan?" She says, and Jeongguk grimaces, a yes. She brings his hand to her lips and kisses the back of it sweetly, soothingly. "Hoseok and I are in the same vein as that. Being with him feels like being with you, in some ways. In your mannerisms and humor and morals. Spending time with him made me feel closer to you, and I think spending time with me did the same thing for him. But anything further than friendship...it felt wrong. Anyone other than you feels wrong." 

Jeongguk lets out a breath of relief that he didn't realize he was holding. As much as his feelings would not have changed if Hoseok and Haneul had been more than friends, he really did not want to have that conversation with Hoseok. "Okay, that's good. I'm glad he was there for you when I was not. If anyone were to be there, I would like it to be him."

They continue to walk around until they run out of flyers, talking and laughing and feeling happier than they have been in a while. When they were around each other, it made all of their problems go away. All of the fear and anxiety about Namjoon and Taehyung went away, and was replaced by a hope and a steady belief that they were within reach, that they would save them and everything would go back to the way it was.

They could both get used to this feeling--completeness, safety, warmth. 

"Should we head back?" Haneul asks, and Jeongguk sighs. He knows he has to mend things with everyone else, but he has a feeling they won't be as understanding as Haneul. Seokjin shouldn't be too hard to apologize to, but Yoongi is who he's most worried about. Jeongguk doesn't blame him--he can still see the remnants of bruises on Yoongi's face and neck from his own fists.

"We should..." Jeongguk says, but the way he trails off leaves Haneul questioning.

"But?"

"But I kind of want to just be alone with you." He says honestly, pulling her closer to him by the hand he's holding onto. She squeaks in surprise as she bumps into his chest, and he laughs a little bit. He brushes her satin black strands of hair behind her ear, and she fiddles with the hem of his shirt.

"Yeah? Why's that?" She teases him, and he smirks, tugging a little on the bunch of hair he,s playing with.

"I have my reasons." He says, wiggling his brows at her goofily. Just as she's leaning onto her tip toes to kiss him, her phone starts vibrating in her pocket. Connecting eyes knowingly, they both groan, but know she has to answer it. She fishes it out of her bag, answers and brings it to her ear.

"Hey, Yoongi." She greets the caller. There's a brief pause from Haneul as Yoongi talks. Suddenly, Haneul's Jeongguk induced smile is wiped off of her face. Jeongguk subconsciously moves to put a comforting hand on the small of her back. He can tell just from the look on her face that whatever Yoongi had to say wasn't good. "What? Are you sure?" She asks, voice wavering. Another pause. "No, God, no--we'll be right there." She says before hanging up. 

"What is it, darling?" Jeongguk asks, and Haneul inhales shakily. In fact, all of her is trembling violently, and Jeongguk has to take the phone from her quaking fingers before she drops it. "What's wrong?"

"They took him." She chokes out, tears falling as quickly as they gathered in her pretty eyes. "My grandmother has Hoseok." 

hi everyone...hope you liked the little bit of fluff before I dropped that bomb eeeeeek

i'll try to update soon!! love u all & stay safe.