Thread by @sillyhobi

pickpocket ◍ yoonkook text au

Jungkook is a pickpocket and one day, he steals Yoongi's phone.

warnings will be added as story progresses. for now, beware of lots of swearing.

this will be a semi-interactive au, because of this i cannot promise updates will be daily. thank you for reading, i hope you enjoy!

jungkook goes to big man for help

hoseok wants nothing to do with jungkook's problem

jungkook manages to convince hoseok to help him

his two most recent contacts

who should jungkook text?

FINAL RESULTS
741 of you voted.

47% thought Jungkook should text "Smartass"
53% thought Jungkook should text "Dumbass"

Jungkook will now text "Dumbass"
Will this person help Jungkook return the phone to Yoongi?

jungkook decides to text "dumbass"

it's really cool of jungkook to want to give the phone back

"dumbass" introduces himself

namjoon starts asking questions

namjoon wants to know why jungkook waited so long

jungkook texts hoseok because all of namjoon's questions are making him nervous

it's easy to lie when you're texting

hoseok explains it in a way jungkook understands

after gaining some confidence, jungkook responds to namjoon

namjoon isn't convinced by what jungkook is telling him

Jungkook knows Namjoon is suspicious of him. Now is your chance to help him...

Should Jungkook be honest and tell Namjoon the truth?
OR
Should Jungkook continue to lie and stay calm as Hoseok instructed?

Keep in mind your goal is to have Jungkook meet Yoongi. Also remember to keep Jungkook out of trouble.

730 of you voted.

50% wanted Jungkook to tell the truth.
50% wanted Jungkook to continue lying.

Your inability to make a choice has negatively affected Jungkook.

jungkook can't decide what to do and takes too long to respond to namjoon

You have one more chance to help Jungkook. He needs to decide!

Jungkook has finally made a decision. He will tell Namjoon the truth.

jungkook knows lying to namjoon is no use anymore

jungkook's personal reason for wanting to give the phone back

jungkook gives namjoon what he wants

why does yoongi call namjoon a dumbass? there must be a reason

namjoon wants to know more about jungkook and why he does what he does

when jungkook starts to lose hope

jungkook...hold on

this is namjoon's plan

Should Jungkook trust Namjoon and go through with his plan?

FINAL RESULTS
805 of you voted.

89% trusted Namjoon.
11% did not trust Namjoon.

Jungkook will follow Namjoon's plan and hope it goes well.

jungkook trusts namjoon

he's just a pickpocket with feelings

namjoon gets back to jungkook

jungkook texts hoseok to tell him what happened, hoseok is in a bad mood

jungkook didn't have any control

jungkook insists namjoon will help him

hoseok really has had enough

jungkook has lost big man

SPEED POLL

Hoseok has planted a seed of doubt in Jungkook's mind. Jungkook now wonders if Namjoon really did set him up or not.

Would you like to hack into Namjoon's computer?

You have decided to hack into Namjoon's computer.

Only you will be able to see these contents.

HACKING WAS SUCCESSFUL.

NAMJOON'S EMAILS TO YOONGI HAVE BEEN FOUND.

yoongi's response to namjoon's email

more emails are uncovered

namjoon's final email to yoongi

You hacked into Namjoon's computer and were able to read the emails Namjoon sent to Yoongi. Only you were able to see these files. You know more than Jungkook at this point.

jungkook is still upset and angry after his conversation with hoseok when he gets a text from master chim

jimin really wants to go pickpocket some crowds with jungkook

jungkook and jimin make a bet

Jungkook smirks at his phone screen, finding it amusing that Jimin thinks he can steal more. He quickly plugs in his phone, so it can charge, while he gets dressed to go out.

Sometimes, he and Jimin liked to go pickpocket the large crowds that gathered around street performers.

People were usually too focused on the performers to realize Jungkook had his hand in their purse or his fingers hovered over their back pocket to nab their wallet. Sometimes Jungkook liked to stand next to the person while he blatantly looked through whatever he just stole.

It was exhilarating. At any second, the person could turn their head and catch Jungkook in the act, but they never did because their eyes were glued on whoever was singing a ballad or covering a dance of their favorite idol group.

Jungkook loved the risk. The danger of it all made him so excited.

Jimin had been right, going out would definitely distract Jungkook. He dressed quickly in all black and tugged a black face mask over his nose and mouth. He unplugged his phone and left to go meet Jimin.

It doesn't take long for Jungkook to arrive at the usual spot that he and Jimin often meet up at. Jimin is already there, tapping his foot impatiently as Jungkook approaches.

"Took you long enough," Jimin smiles and slaps Jungkook on the back. "Let's go, man,"

With hands tucked in their pockets, masks pulled over the bottom half of their faces, and mischief in their eyes, Jungkook and Jimin walk further down the street towards the crowds up ahead.

"Wanna hit the same crowd or split up?" Jungkook nudges Jimin as they near a performer.

"This guy's got a pretty big crowd. You take this side and I'll circle around and get the other side," Jimin mumbles under his breath, examining the people gathered. Jungkook nods quickly and separates himself from Jimin, immersing himself into the crowd.

Jungkook lowers his head and pulls his hands out of his pockets. He looks around carefully, trying to decide who his first target should be. His eyes narrow in on a phone dangerously hanging out of a teenager's pocket. He moves smoothly through the crowd towards the girl.

It's an easy steal. He moves up next to her and swiftly takes the phone from her pocket. Jungkook keeps moving forward, pretending to want a closer look at the singer, and tucks the phone into his pocket. After a few minutes, Jungkook manages to get two more phones and a wallet.

He ends up bumping to Jimin somewhere in the middle of the crowd. They decide to walk away and check out their pickings. Jimin boasts one phone, a wallet, and two coin purses. Jungkook shows off his three phones and wallet.

"Fuck, we tied," Jimin sighs.

"Tied? What the fuck? Three phones are way more valuable than those stupid coin purses," Jungkook raises his eyebrow and stabs at the phones inside an inner jacket pocket.

"Are you saying you won? Hell nah," Jimin scoffs. "We tied. I got four things and you did too,"

"Can't admit defeat? You wanna go again?" Jungkook knows he won, but he also knows how butt hurt Jimin gets during these stupid bets, so he suggests they try another crowd.

"Not a crowd this time, let's do something harder," Jimin tugs his face mask under his chin.

"What do you have in mind?" Jungkook is up for the challenge. He's confident he can beat Jimin.

"Let's go solo. Find one person on their own and steal from them," Jimin smirks. He knows he's better at this than Jungkook because he can easily distract people.

Jungkook sighs and runs his tongue over his bottom teeth. Jimin's always had a certain charm that allowed him to distract people easily and pickpocket right in front of them, but Jungkook's never really mastered that art. He can't let Jimin know he's hesitant though.

"Okay,"

Jungkook and Jimin split up and head down different directions. Jungkook pulls on his face mask again and carefully observes potential victims. He turns the corner and can't believe his eyes. He's found just the right person.

A drunk guy.

Jungkook can tell the guy is drunk because he's stumbling down the road, blabbering nonsense, and his face is rosy red. Jungkook walks towards him and pulls his face mask off, a friendly smile fixed onto his face.

"Do you need some help?" he offers politely.

"Help? Why do I need help?" the drunk guy slurs and frowns.

"You seem to be having some trouble walking. Here, you can lean on me," Jungkook wraps his arm around the guy's waist, feeling the guy lean into Jungkook.

Jungkook can feel outline of a phone in his pocket.

"I don't need your help," but the drunk guy is clearly resting his weight on Jungkook.

"It's okay, sir. I can take you down to that bench so you can sit down," Jungkook answers, fingers skimming the edge of the drunk guy's pocket.

"Don't call me sir,"

"I'm probably not much older than you," the drunk guy lets his head fall softly against Jungkook's. Jungkook is strong, but he's struggling to get this guy down the street towards the bench. "Call me Taehyung, not sir,"

"Alright, Taehyung," Jungkook grimaces under the weight.

Jungkook is almost at the bench. He can feel the edge of the phone against his fingertips. He just needs to reach a little more around Taehyung's waist to get it. Jungkook squeezes Taehyung a little closer and starts to slowly pull out the phone between his forefinger and thumb.

Taehyung suddenly lets out a laugh, "Why are hugging me so tight for? You gotta crush on me? You wanna hold hands too?"

Taehyung looks down at his side and sees his phone in Jungkook's hand. His face suddenly turns dark. "What the fuck," his voice is low and rumbling.

Jungkook meets Taehyung's eyes for a split second before he firmly closes his hand around Taehyung's phone and shoves Taehyung off of him. He hears Taehyung cry out as he hits the ground and Jungkook bolts down the street, hearing Taehyung yelling after him.

His feet hit hard against the sidewalk and his heart beats faster than ever before. Jungkook is sure he can outrun Taehyung until he hears someone calling out "THIEF! HE STOLE MY FUCKING PHONE!" and heavy footsteps not far behind. Jungkook risks a look back and sees Taehyung.

Jungkook stumbles over a slightly raised stretch of sidewalk. He has a hard time regaining his balance and ends up falling, using his hands to break the fall. He can instantly feel the sting of scraped skin on his palms and he mentally sighs at the sound of cracking glass.

For a drunk guy, Taehyung moves impressively fast. He catches up to Jungkook in no time and leans over him, preventing Jungkook from getting up after having tripped. Taehyung grabs a fistful of Jungkook's shirt and pulls him up.

"You fucking asshole," Taehyung spits.

Jungkook stares right at Taehyung.

"Let go of me," Jungkook hisses through his teeth, trying to pry Taehyung's hands off of his shirt. When Taehyung doesn't loosen his grip, Jungkook has no other choice than to knee Taehyung in the stomach. Taehyung doubles over in pain and lets go of Jungkook.

The instant Taehyung lets go, Jungkook is running down the street, away from him. He drops the cracked phone somewhere along the way and turns sharply around another corner down a dark, narrow street. When he's confident he's lost Taehyung, Jungkook stops to catch his breath.

Everything went wrong way too quickly. Jungkook never expected for Taehyung to catch him stealing, much less go after him once he took the phone. Jungkook is angry at himself for fucking up so bad. He kicks a pile of cardboard boxes, sending them flying in the air.

Despite being frustrated and angry, Jungkook can't help but admit that he's also scared. That was such a close call. What if Taehyung had never let go of him and someone had called the police? What if Taehyung had beat up Jungkook? Jungkook never should have gone out tonight.

Jungkook decides to go back to his apartment. On his way home, he grabs the phones and wallet he stole earlier and tosses them into someone's garbage bin. Every so often, Jungkook takes a look back to make sure nobody is following him.

jimin wants to know where hell jungkook is

jungkook would probably steal from a sumo wrestler

jungkook's face mask

jungkook blames jimin

jimin will be there for jungkook

Jungkook sighs and shuts off his phone. He lets himself fall back onto his bed, fixing his gaze on the ceiling. He's trying to empty his mind. Too many things have happened tonight and he's overwhelmed.

A few minutes pass and Jungkook can feel his eyes drooping shut, exhaustion finally taking over. He can feel himself falling asleep when he hears the familiar sound of a text notification.

Jungkook groans and sits up to pick up his phone from the side table. He turns on the screen, momentarily blinded by the sudden light, and frowns when he sees he has no new text messages.

He hears another notification and sees Yoongi's phone screen light up.

Jungkook unlocks Yoongi's phone.

It's a message from Smartass.

SPEED POLL

Jungkook is confused. Why is Smartass texting Yoongi so late at night?

"Hm, I wonder what this guy wants," Jungkook mumbles, drowsy with sleep. He decides to reply to Smartass.

jungkook pretends to be yoongi

Jungkook can feel his body turn cold. He doesn't like where this story is going. It seems way too familiar to him. He feels his body become alert and he stares wide-eyed at the screen, waiting for Smartass to send more messages.

smartass continues his story

Jungkook's hands begin to tremble. He feels sick as he reads the incoming text messages. He's sure he knows who Smartass is. Smartass is Taehyung, the guy he tried to pickpocket only a few hours earlier. Turns out Taehyung is friends with Yoongi.

taehyung wants to go to the police and jungkook doesn't know how to stop him

Jungkook wants to yell. He wants to scream at Taehyung and tell him he can't go to the police. He wants to do so many things, but he can't. All he can do is text Taehyung back and hope Taehyung doesn't suspect Yoongi isn't the one responding.

an abrupt end to the conversation

Jungkook spends the next few minutes trying to figure out if he should send Taehyung another message or not. However, he wastes so much time thinking about it, it would seem weird if he did send another text. He grips the phone tightly in his hand, tears falling onto the screen.

Nothing seemed to be going right for Jungkook. Every decision he made only made his life more difficult. All he wanted to do was give Yoongi his damn phone back. How did all of this happen? Jungkook choked back a sob and dug his fist into his mattress.

Jungkook had to gain control over his own life. He took a deep breath and roughly rubbed away the tears in his eyes. He wasn't going to sit there and cry like a stupid child. He was going to own up to his mistakes and make all of this right again.

Jungkook grabs his own phone and puts in Namjoon's number, copying it off of the one Yoongi has in his contacts.

He hopes Namjoon is still awake.

jungkook texts namjoon

this is such a weird situation

namjoon finds out jungkook pickpocketed taehyung

jungkook is going to meet yoongi

jungkook feels better

Jungkook sighs as he reads Namjoon's last message to him. His heart feels lighter now that he knows Yoongi will know the truth about him and about what happened to his phone. His initial excitement to meet a hot guy had mostly disappeared. Now it was all about coming clean.

Jungkook quickly deletes the messages Taehyung sent to Yoongi's phone and shuts off the phone. He's going to try to get some sleep, so he can have a clear mind for tomorrow...the day he finally meets Yoongi.

Jungkook has trouble falling asleep.
Namjoon falls asleep on top of his assignments.
Jimin dozes off while watching a TV show.
Hoseok has been asleep for a few hours.

Taehyung isn't home.
Seokjin is online.
Yoongi wants his phone.

THE NEXT DAY

Jungkook is nervous. His palms are sweaty so he keeps rubbing them against his jeans and he keeps checking his phone to look at the time. Jungkook has been ready and pacing around his room for over an hour. Why can't time go by faster?

He'd already texted Namjoon beforehand to tell him what he was wearing so it would be easy for them to find each other at the cafe. Jungkook pats his back pocket for the millionth time to reassure himself that he had put Yoongi's phone there.

About 20 minutes before noon, Jungkook finally leaves his apartment and makes his way to the cafe. A million things are running through his mind as he makes his way to the cafe. He wonders mostly about what Yoongi will do when he sees Jungkook.

As far as he knows, Yoongi still thinks Jungkook only found his phone. Jungkook is scared to see how Yoongi will react when he learns his phone was stolen. Jungkook sighs and walks faster. Might as well just get this shit over with. Goodbye to any chances at being with Yoongi.

R Cafe looms in the distance. Jungkook waits to cross the street and jogs the rest of the way. He lets out a deep breath before walking into the cafe. Keep calm, he reminds himself. There are a lot of people in the cafe and Jungkook tries to guess who Namjoon and Yoongi could be.

Suddenly, a light-haired guy raises his hand and awkwardly waves at Jungkook as if he's not sure if that's the person he should be calling over or not. Jungkook's heart skips a beat and he can't seem to move for a second. That must be Namjoon, Jungkook thinks to himself.

Jungkook gulps and makes his way towards the light-haired guy.
"Uh, Namjoon?" he asks hesitantly.
The guy nods and smiles brightly, dimples appearing on his face, "Yeah, it's me,"
Jungkook shyly greets Namjoon and turns to look at the guy sitting next to Namjoon.

"Jungkook, this is Yoongi," Namjoon's eyes move back and forth between Jungkook and Yoongi. Jungkook tenses up and quickly greets Yoongi wordlessly. His mouth has gone completely dry. Yoongi is fucking breathtaking.

"Ah, so you're Jungkook? You're my fucking savior," Yoongi gets up from his seat and wraps his arms around Jungkook, bringing him in for a quick hug. Jungkook's body goes stiff and he doesn't think to hug Yoongi back until Yoongi lets go.

Namjoon can tell Jungkook is having a hard time, so he tries to be as accommodating as he can. "Jungkook, take a seat. You want something to drink? I'll buy,"

Jungkook clears his throat and takes a seat across from Namjoon. "Uh, I'm okay. Thanks though," he mutters.

Jungkook tries not to stare at Yoongi and keeps looking down at his hands in his lap or up at Namjoon. Before anyone can say anything else, Jungkook takes Yoongi's phone out of his back pocket and slides it across the table. "Here, I charged it,"

"My baby," Yoongi's eyes widen at the sight of his phone and he quickly takes it into his hands. He switches on the screen and unlocks it to look through its contents. "Thank you so much for finding and giving back my phone, Jungkook. I really owe you one,"

"No, you really don't," Jungkook answers, looking at Yoongi's hands instead of meeting his eyes. "This is the right thing to do. I don't deserve a prize or something like that,"

Namjoon looks at Jungkook nervously, biting his bottom lip.

"Aw, c'mon man. We could go out for some drinks or I can take you out to this really good restaurant I know," Yoongi flashes Jungkook a thumbs up and a gummy smile. "Where'd you find my phone anyway? I feel like it disappeared out of nowhere,"

Yoongi keeps looking through his phone as he waits for Jungkook to answer. "Hey wait," a slight frown appears on Yoongi's face. "Namjoon, you said Jungkook contacted you, right?"

Namjoon nods slowly, "Yeah,"

"How'd, um, how'd he do that if I have a passcode on my phone?" Yoongi stops scrolling through his phone and looks up at Jungkook. This time Jungkook doesn't shy away and meets Yoongi's eyes.

"I hacked into your phone," Jungkook answers bluntly.

Yoongi's face slowly falls until it is completely blank and free of any expression. "What?"

Jungkook takes a deep breath, "I didn't find your phone, Yoongi. I stole it. I took it right out of your pocket when you were distracted,"

Yoongi blinks several times and shakes his head, "I'm sorry? You stole my phone? You didn't just find it on the street?"

"No, I stole your phone and I was never going to give it back, but I am now," Jungkook looks away as he notices Yoongi's stare become hard and dark.

Namjoon looks like he's about to lose his mind, "Yoongi, look, Jungkook stole your phone, okay? But he's giving it back! That's what matters, yeah? Jungkook's a nice guy, I had a good conversation with him and-"

"Namjoon, shut the fuck up," Yoongi says quietly.

Yoongi leans over the table to get closer to Jungkook, "Why'd you steal my phone? Do you know how fucking anxious I was without it? You know how much stuff I have on here that could cost me my life if I lost it? If we weren't at a cafe, I would've cracked your skull by now,"

Now, Jungkook...he's scared of cops, he's scared of getting locked away, but what he isn't scared of is guys that make empty threats. He's been around people, like Seokjin, who always do what they say. But Yoongi? No, Yoongi's a softie. Just look through his phone.

Jungkook actually laughs, a quick, pleasant laugh and looks up at Yoongi. "Really? Would you really do that? I'd like to see you try,"

Namjoon is frantic, "Jungkook, what-"

Yoongi's hand moves fast, his fist closing around the collar of Jungkook's shirt.

"Listen, Yoongi," Jungkook doesn't try to pry Yoongi's hand off his shirt, "I'm giving you back your phone. There's really no reason to be mad. I'm giving it back because I regret what I did and I wanted to fix my mistake. I'm sorry, okay?" he says calmly.

Namjoon is looking around the cafe to see if anyone is watching them. He desperately tugs at Yoongi's elbow to get him to let go of Jungkook. "Yoongi, stop, let him go," Namjoon whispers under his breath.

Yoongi holds on to Jungkook a little longer before releasing his grip.

This time Yoongi turns to look at Namjoon. "Why the hell are you on his side? I should be beating you up," Yoongi punches Namjoon in the arm and slumps back in his chair, arms crossed.

"I'm on his side because Jungkook realized he made a mistake and he was honest to me,"

"I never would've set up this meeting if I didn't trust him," Namjoon rubs his arm to soothe the pain. "Look, Jungkook is genuinely sorry for what he did and he's giving your phone back, anyway. Aren't you happy about that?"

"I really am sorry, Yoongi," Jungkook adds quietly.

Yoongi bites the inside of his cheek and lets out a great big sigh, "I'm not actually mad. I'm just fucking surprised, okay? How often does your phone get lost and then you find out some punk actually stole it and then he has the balls to say it to your face?"

"Hm, not very often," Namjoon answers thoughtfully.

"It was a rhetorical question, dumbass," Yoongi rolls his eyes and sits up in his seat, "Okay, Jungkook, you're a little shit for having done this, but thanks for giving me back my phone. That was a smart move,"

Jungkook can tell the anger Yoongi had felt only minutes before is being replaced by relief. "I'm sorry to have caused you so much trouble," and he means it.

"Yeah, yeah," Yoongi slides his chair back and gets up, "I'm leaving now. I've got other things to do with my life,"

Jungkook watches Yoongi walk away, phone firmly held in his hand. Namjoon looks conflicted as he sees Yoongi getting further away and then looks at Jungkook sitting across from him.

"I should, uh, probably go with him," Namjoon explains and starts to get up from his seat.

"Yeah," Jungkook nods and then thinks of something suddenly, "Wait, Namjoon, did Taehyung ever say anything to you when he got home?"

Namjoon bites his lip again and shakes his head. "No, I fell asleep before Taehyung came home and when I woke up, he was gone again,"

Jungkook's brow creases. This whole situation with Taehyung is troublesome.

"I'll text you later if I get in touch with him, okay? And Jungkook, don't be discouraged by the way Yoongi reacted. Like I said, he can't hold a grudge forever,"

"Alright, thanks Namjoon," Jungkook smiles briefly and sighs when Namjoon walks away. He sits alone at the table for a few moments before getting up and leaving the cafe. Things with Yoongi had gone almost exactly as he had expected. At least it was over now.

Jungkook pulls out his phone from his pocket and checks to see if he has any text messages.

He does.

He has several missed calls and even more messages from Hoseok. But what strikes fear in Jungkook's heart is a text mesage from Seokjin.

jungkook checks the messages from hoseok first

Jungkook doesn't know how to react. For Hoseok to frantically message Jungkook like this means that something bad has happened.

"he needs to talk to you"

About what? Does Seokjin know about Yoongi? Jungkook can't breathe.

jungkook finally opens the message from seokjin

It's not about Yoongi. It's about Taehyung.

seokjin is disappointed

thank you seokjin

there's still hope

there better not be a next time

Jungkook hurries back to his place. The entire walk home he tries to keep his face hidden as much as he can. Jungkook feels like everyone is looking at him. He doesn't feel safe anymore.

jungkook texts hoseok back when he gets home

hoseok just wants to know what happened with seokjin

hoseok is worried about jungkook

big man is coming over

later in the day, namjoon texts jungkook

taehyung is a stubborn man

For the next several days, Jungkook doesn't leave his apartment. He watches the news constantly to see if more news stations are reporting about him, but it seems that only a few articles have been written and nobody is giving them much attention.

Jungkook nearly dies of boredrom having to lock himself up in his apartment all day. He plays videos games until the crack of dawn and constantly texts Hoseok to buy him food. Jimin comes over with pizza one day as a peace offering to Jungkook.

But although Jungkook is bored and lonely, he still won't leave, not even with a face mask on. He just can't risk it. He doesn't talk to Namjoon again during those days, so he doesn't know what Taehyung is up to and Jungkook spends time wondering about Yoongi as well.

It's in the afternoon of the fourth day of Jungkook's isolation period that he gets a text from an unknown number.

message from an unknown number

Jungkook stares at his phone for what feels like an eternity. Is he hallucinating? Is this some kind of joke? Why the hell would Yoongi be texting him? Jungkook's eyes are wide and his thumbs freeze over the keyboard as he tries to think of something to say.

the most awkward conversation ever

yoongi cuts the crap

telling the truth was a good idea

what yoongi wanted to ask all along

Do you want to go?

Jungkook reads Yoongi's messages over and over again. Yoongi. wants. to. take. him. out.

This HAS to be a fucking hallucination. Jungkook has been isolated for so long he's making up shit in his head. Jungkook decides to text back the possibly made-up Yoongi anyway.

they set the time and place

yoongi trusts namjoon's instinct

they look forward to seeing each other

Jungkook bites his fingernail and goes to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. He's supposed to stay hidden and not get caught by the police, but here he is accepting an invitation to go out and drink with Yoongi. He stands at the counter with the glass in his hand.

What is he doing? All of this happened because he saw Yoongi and just had to meet him somehow and here he is finally getting a "date" with the attractive guy he stole from, but he isn't all that excited. He knows he is putting his freedom on the line here.

Plus, alcohol is being involved and that is definitely not a good fucking idea. Jungkook gulps down the water and wipes his mouth afterward, heading to the bathroom to take a shower. He undresses and climbs into the shower.

Jungkook washes his hair without really focusing on what he's doing. All he can think about is Yoongi.

Yoongi forgave him. Yoongi invited him out. Jungkook is finally going to spend some time with Yoongi. But is it really worth it? What if someone recognizes him?

What if the police catch him? How is he going to explain that to Yoongi? Jungkook sighs and scrubs away the rest of the soap on his body. He can't believe he's actually going to go through with this. He hopes nothing bad happens tonight. Just please, not tonight.

It's 7:00 PM.

Jungkook looks at himself one more time in the mirror and straightens out his clothes. He's wearing a nice button-down shirt and some dark pants he doesn't think he's ever worn before. Jungkook messes with his hair and sighs, looking at himself with a sad expression.

He didn't tell anyone he was going out. If he did, he was sure there would be extreme resistance. Jungkook even went as far as to text Hoseok saying that he was going to take a long nap and to not bother him while he slept. Jungkook takes one last look and then walks away.

He tucks his phone in his pocket and opens the door to his apartment. He walks out, locking the door behind him, and makes his way out of the building. The bar Yoongi had recommended wasn't too far away. With a face mask on, Jungkook makes his way there.

He walks mostly down small streets and gazes at the ground, careful to not attract anyone's attention. Jungkook feels so self-conscious being out in public. He feels like at any second someone's going to point him out and yell to call the police.

He turns the corner and sees W Bar up ahead. The trip there was uneventful, just as Jungkook had hoped it would've gone. He walks up to the building and heads inside the bar. The atmosphere is warm and comfortable. People are chatting with friends, laughing and drinking happily.

Jungkook stands off to the side of the entrance and looks around for Yoongi, who had texted him only a few minutes earlier to say that he'd already arrived at the bar. Suddenly, Jungkook feels a hand on his arm. He turns his head quickly and makes eye contact with Yoongi.

"Hi Jungkook," Yoongi's hand slides off of Jungkook's arm and falls back to his side.

"Oh, hey," Jungkook is only slightly startled by Yoongi's sudden appearance. He remembers he has his face mask on and quickly takes it off, flashing Yoongi a small smile.

"I saved us a table down there, you want to go sit down?" Yoongi points towards the other side of the bar. Jungkook nods and follows closely behind Yoongi to the small table only big enough to seat the two of them.

"Have you been waiting long?" Jungkook asks politely.

Yoongi sits down in his chair, "No, I just got here like two minutes before you did,"

"Oh, okay," Jungkook nods his head and presses his lips together, unsure of what to say next. This is really awkward and besides, he's never really been the best at making conversation.

"How are you? Namjoon told me you kind of just disappeared after that day we met at the cafe," Yoongi clasps his hands over the table and looks at Jungkook.

"Oh, uh," Jungkook clears his throat, "I got kind of sick after that day...

...and I didn't really feel like talking to anyone," Jungkook nods to himself and has a hard time keeping eye contact with Yoongi.

"Oh, are you feeling better now?" Yoongi's brow creases a bit.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine," Jungkook waves it off quickly.

"That's good. It's kind of that time when everyone starts getting sick, so you have to be careful," Yoongi adds. "So, do you want to go get a drink? Everything's on my tonight," Yoongi smiles quickly and motions over to the bar.

"Okay, sure," Jungkook agrees.

Yoongi and Jungkook get up and walk over to the bar. They both get beers and take them back to their table. The conversation at the beginning is slow. They can't really find common ground and Jungkook can't focus long enough to make proper conversation.

At one point, when the conversation has really slowed down and they're at the brink of just sitting there, starting at each other awkwardly, Yoongi leans in over the table and lowers his voice just enough for only Jungkook to hear. "Jungkook, can I ask you something?"

"Um, okay," Jungkook answers hesitantly.

"Can you tell me more about you being a pickpocket? Like how does that work? Why do you do it?" and maybe it's because Jungkook's had a bit to drink, but he doesn't think there's anything wrong with telling Yoongi about himself.

"I guess it all kind of started when I was young. I remember going out with my mom one day and she got pickpocketed. It made her mad, but I was just really amazed. I thought to myself, how can someone just steal right under our noses and we didn't notice?

That's when I first learned about pickpockets. When I was in high school, I got into a lot of trouble. I'd get in trouble for not paying attention, for stealing from vending machines, for hiding the teacher's things. I just wanted to have fun. I couldn't sit through class.

I ended up dropping out and, um, to explain it briefly, I never had a good relationship with my parents and once I turned 18, they kicked me out of the house. That's when I really started relying on stealing to keep myself alive.

I met a guy that helped me out a lot and he taught me more about life than I had ever learned at school. You...you were just another regular person to me when I stole from you. I didn't think twice when I took your phone. I never think twice,"

Jungkook couldn't read the expression on Yoongi's face. Confusion? Sadness? Curiosity?

"If you never think twice, why'd you think twice about having stole my phone?" Yoongi squints at Jungkook and waits for his answer.

"Well, I-I just...I felt bad," Jungkook takes a drink from his beer and avoids looking directly at Yoongi.

"Bullshit. Why'd you really give it back?" Yoongi's voice is low and aggressive.

Jungkook can feel the heat rising to his face, "Yoongi, I-"

"Spit it out, Jungkook,"

"Fuck, Yoongi, I gave it back because I thought you were hot, okay? I saw your damn photos and I thought you were hot as hell and I just wanted to meet you. Is that what you wanted to hear?" Jungkook's ears are on fire.

"Oh,"

Yoongi licks his lips and leans back in his chair as he processes what Jungkook just said to him. "You," he points at Jungkook and then back at himself, "like me?"

"That's what I just said," Jungkook replies quietly.

"Oh," Yoongi is as expressionless as ever.

"That's, um, nice?" Yoongi tilts his head.

"Nice?"

"I'm flattered? I don't know what to say, Jungkook," Yoongi sighs. The blush on Jungkook's face must be deep red at this point. Way to go, he thinks to himself. Way to fucking go.

"You don't have to say anything. Let's just admit it, Yoongi. This shit is awkward as hell. Thanks for the drinks, but maybe I should go now. This isn't going all too well," Jungkook pulls out a few bills from his pocket and drops them on the table.

He gets up too fast and bangs his knee on the table. He curses under his breath and walks away, wanting to get as far away from Yoongi as possible. He takes long strides across the bar and makes it outside into the cool night. He feels instantly better in the cool air.

Without looking back, Jungkook walks down the dark street. Maybe he shouldn't have walked out on Yoongi like that, but he couldn't stand being in front of him. He was so embarrassed and he felt so uncomfortable. How he wished he and Yoongi had met under different circumstances.

Jungkook was about to turn down another street when he heard a familiar voice calling after him. "Jungkook! Hold on!" He turned around to see Yoongi making his way towards him. Jungkook found himself stopping in his place and waiting for Yoongi to catch up.

What he didn't expect was for Yoongi to grab his hand and hold it. He looked down at his hand in Yoongi's and watched as Yoongi placed the money he had left on the table into his palm. "I said I was going to buy tonight, didn't I?" Yoongi held Jungkook's hand in both of his.

"Jungkook, I don't want it to be awkward between us. I'm sorry I reacted like that. I was just surprised...I've never really had someone confess to me like that," Yoongi laughs quietly and lets go of Jungkook's hand. Jungkook doesn't like the absence of Yoongi's hand.

"Yoongi..." Jungkook begins to say.

"Can I take you somewhere else? I think we could really use something to eat right now," Yoongi looks up expectantly at Jungkook, a playful smile on his lips. Jungkook can't stop looking at Yoongi now. He really came back for him.

"Okay, I like that idea," Jungkook can feel himself smile back and this time it's quite genuine. So, him and Yoongi walk down the street, side by side and they talk. They talk about Yoongi's dog, they talk about Jungkook's favorite video games, and they talk about food they like.

It's a lot easier talking to Yoongi when they aren't in a stuffy bar and Jungkook can feel the fresh night air on his face. Their hands brush against each other a few times, but neither of them say anything about it and Jungkook can't help but smile secretly.

Yoongi takes Jungkook to eat lots of street food. They munch on snacks together and get to know each other. Jungkook learns Yoongi's studying to be a veterinarian. It was Yoongi's immense love for his dog that propelled him to further study animals because he wanted to help them.

Jungkook thinks Yoongi is really sweet and comical. Once they start feeling comfortable with each other, Jungkook notes that Yoongi likes to crack dumb jokes and talks a lot about things he interested in. If Jungkook were an animated character, he'd have heart eyes all night long

Time with Yoongi goes by way too quickly. Jungkook pulls out his phone to check the time and is surprised to see it's a little past 10 PM.

"Oh, wow, I didn't realize it was this late," he shows Yoongi his phone screen so he can see the time as well.

"Shit, it is pretty late," Yoongi sighs deeply. "I didn't realize so much time had passed. Ah, I should probably head home now,"

"Oh, that's true. I should go back home too," Jungkook scratches the back of his neck and looks at Yoongi.

"Yeah," Yoongi trails off and nudges Jungkook with his elbow, "But hey, next time you have to take me to your favorite restaurant, okay?" Yoongi smiles at Jungkook and takes a bite of the dessert he'd bought.

"Next time?"

"Yeah, you don't wanna go out with me again?"

Jungkook is flustered and he can feel his cheeks becoming warm, "Uh yeah, I do want to go out with you again,"

"Then that settles it, Jungkook. You've got my number, just text me, okay?" Jungkook nods and can't believe what he's hearing.

Jungkook is about to say something to Yoongi when a loud, booming voice calls out Yoongi's name, causing both Jungkook and Yoongi to spin around to see who it is.

"Min Yoongi! Hey man, didn't expect to see you out so late at night!"

"Oh, it's Taehyung,"

Jungkook's heart stops cold.

He recognizes Taehyung immediately. Taehyung, the guy that he assaulted, the guy that reported him to the police. Without a second thought, Jungkook pulls up his face mask to cover his face and stays a few steps behind Yoongi.

"What's up, Yoongi? What are you doing?" Taehyung pulls in Yoongi for a half hug and smiles a wide, bright smile, happy to have found his friend.

"Oh, I'm out with a friend," Yoongi looks for Jungkook next to him and frowns when he notices that Jungkook is far behind him.

Yoongi looks back at Jungkook and tilts his head as if asking why Jungkook is all the way back there. He motions for Jungkook to come up next to him, but Jungkook is reluctant. Very slowly, Jungkook walk forwards, keeping his head down, not letting Taehyung see his face.

"This is Jungkook," Yoongi introduces him to Taehyung when Jungkook is finally standing next to Yoongi.

"Oh, nice to meet you, Jungkook," Taehyung sticks his hand out for Jungkook to take. Jungkook stares at Taehyung's hand. His mind is going crazy.

He reaches out and shakes Taehyung's hand. He means to let go after a quick shake, but Taehyung doesn't loosen his grip. Instead, he walks forward, getting closer to Jungkook.

"Hey, why do you seem kind of familiar?" Jungkook stops trying to tug his hand away.

"Do you go to our school?" Taehyung bends his knees a bit so he can look at Jungkook's face, but Jungkook looks to the side, preventing Taehyung from getting a look.

"Um, no, he doesn't," Yoongi sounds confused. He's looking worriedly at Jungkook.

"Then why does it feel like I've seen you-" Taehyung stops abruptly and before Jungkook knows it, Taehyung is ripping off his face mask. "Oh my god," Taehyung and Jungkook are looking right at each other. "It's you, that fucker that assaulted me,"

Taehyung lunges at Jungkook, trying to grab onto his shirt, but Jungkook is already spinning on his heels and running down the street. He runs as fast as he can, feeling his thighs burn with the amount of power and speed he's forcing onto himself.

Jungkook just barely hears Yoongi calling after him. But he doesn't look back, he knows Taehyung is right behind him. Jungkook needs to outrun Taehyung, he can't let Taehyung catch up to him. Not like he did last time.

Jungkook races past food stands and is careful to not bump into anyone as he weaves through the people on the street. Behind him, he can hear people crying out in pain and assumes Taehyung is pushing people out of his way. Jungkook makes a sudden sharp turn down another street.

Not long after making the turn, Jungkook spots an open gate to someone's backyard. He heads towards the backyard and closes the black gate door behind him. He presses himself against the rock wall circling the yard and breathes hard. He hears a chain clinking.

"Fuck," Jungkook presses himself harder against the wall when a huge, brown dog rounds the corner of the house at full speed, barking at Jungkook. Jungkook winces as he sees the dog heading straight towards him. But he's saved last second, the chain on the dog is too short.

Jungkook doesn't move from the wall and keeps an eye on the dog that can't reach him, but keeps barking loudly. Jungkook waits for a while longer, at least long enough for Taehyung to have lost him. Slowly, he creeps along the wall and peeks out the gate. He can't see Taehyung.

"Bye, big guy," Jungkook says to the dog and leaves the backyard. Just in case Taehyung is still around, Jungkook takes a more difficult route to get back home. He moves fast and stays in the shadows, keeping an eye out for anyone that looks remotely like Taehyung.

By the time Jungkook makes it back to his apartment, he's completely out of breath and his body hurts so much. He drags himself up the stairs to his apartment and quietly lets himself inside. He slowly falls to the floor on his knees and starts to cry. He almost got caught.

Jungkook's phone vibrates with text notifications, but he can't bear to look at them. He lets his whole body fall onto the ground and he doesn't get up.

taehyung texts yoongi after trying to chase jungkook down

yoongi pretends to remember

yoongi finds taehyung annoying and can't help but defend jungkook

yoongi must be sleeping with jungkook, there's no other explanation

taehyung needs to get over it

falling in love with a criminal

"Fuck you," Yoongi whispers at his phone and decides not to text Taehyung back. He doesn't understand why he got so heated. All he knows is that he won't let Taehyung get to Jungkook. He will never let that happen.

after cooling down a bit, yoongi texts namjoon

namjoon wonders if jungkook got away

yoongi asks for namjoon's help

first of all, it wasn't a date

they text jungkook

but jungkook doesn't answer

For two days, Jungkook disappears. Nobody hears anything from him.

jimin texts hoseok to see if he knows anything about jungkook

hoseok is going to visit jungkook

It doesn't take long for Hoseok to get to Jungkook's apartment. When he gets to Jungkook's door, he lightly taps on it and calls Jungkook's name softly, "Hey Jungkook, you in there? Open the door,"

There is no response.

Hoseok sighs and knocks on Jungkook's door a little louder, "Hey, open the door, will you? Pause your stupid little game or something and let me inside," Hoseok calls out.

When he hears nothing from the other side of the door, Hoseok starts banging his fist against the door.

"Jungkook! Open the damn door!" He's nearly yelling. His knocking is relentless and he's sure one of Jungkook's neighbors will walk out into the hallway at any second and tell him to shut the fuck up or go away. "Hey!" Hoseok calls on more time.

The knob turns.

Slowly, the door to Jungkook's apartment opens. It's dark inside and Hoseok's eyes have trouble adjusting to the dim light as he makes his way inside. Jungkook closes the door and that's when Hoseok finally takes in Jungkook's appearance.

Jungkook has wrapped himself in a blanket, his puffy face barely poking out from underneath. It's hard to tell in the dark lighting, but Hoseok is sure Jungkook has dark circles that go on for miles and burning, red eyes. Hoseok notices a slight tremor in Jungkook's hand as well.

Hoseok takes it all in and is both horrified and saddened. Jungkook looks terrible.

"Oh, Jungkook," Hoseok steps forward, "Look at you. Are you okay?" Jungkook just stares at him with blank eyes. "Jungkook," Hoseok sighs and pulls in the younger boy for a hug.

He wraps his arms around Jungkook and feels Jungkook rest his forehead against Hoseok's shoulder. Hoseok pets the back of Jungkook's head and sighs again. They've never been ones to show physical affection to one another, but it was obvious Jungkook needed it.

"Jungkook, are you okay? Why haven't you contacted anyone? Jimin and I were really worried about you," Hoseok's voice is soft. He releases Jungkook from the hug and wraps his arm around Jungkook's shoulders instead, leading him to the couch.

They sit down on the small couch and Jungkook lets the blanket fall from around his head. He turns to look at Hoseok and Hoseok's heart clenches. He's never seen such an expression on Jungkook's face. He looks so terribly sad and scared.

"Hyung," Jungkook starts and tells Hoseok everything that happened with Yoongi and everything that happened with Taehyung. Hoseok can only sit next to Jungkook in silence and take it all in.

And once Jungkook is done telling his story, all they can really do is sit there in silence and take it all in. There's nothing Hoseok can do to help Jungkook. There's nothing Jungkook can do to help himself. They just sit there. In silence.

Until Jungkook's phone alerts him of a new text message.

From the only person Jungkook hasn't muted.

From Seokjin.

Jungkook gapes at his phone screen and doesn't say a word to Hoseok. Hoseok is confused and scoots closer to Jungkook, grabbing his hand so he can angle the screen towards him to read whatever Jungkook is so surprised by.

"Oh my god," Hoseok looks at Jungkook, wide-eyed.

"This is fucking amazing, Jungkook!" Hoseok shakes Jungkook's shoulders and beams. Jungkook, however, doesn't express any excitement and waves Hoseok off.

"Hold on, this is weird. Why'd the charges get dropped all of a sudden?" Hoseok slumps back into the couch and shrugs.

"What matters is that you're not in danger now, right?" Hoseok suggests and Jungkook just bites his bottom lip.

"Let me see if Seokjin knows anymore. Don't get too excited yet,"

go and have some fun, just don't get in trouble

"Look, Seokjin said you can go out in public now! C'mon, Jungkook, let's go out and fucking celebrate," Hoseok shakes Jungkook's shoulder as if to get him to wake up and become aware of reality. It is hard for Jungkook to accept it, but he finally agrees to go out with Hoseok.

Hoseok suggests they go hit up some restaurant and get something to eat, a "proper feast" as Hoseok puts it. "But first, can you go take a shower?" Hoseok leans away from Jungkook and coughs into his fist. Jungkook lifts his collar over his nose and takes a sniff.

"Good idea,"

After a quick shower, Jungkook and Hoseok are ready to head out. Hoseok lists off all the best restaurants and asks Jungkook where he wants to go, but Jungkook just shrugs and tells Hoseok to pick. Jungkook still feels self-conscious being out in public.

Being with Hoseok makes him feel a little better and once he sits down at a restaurant and gets something to eat, Jungkook feels like he's on top of the world. However, there is still one thing on his mind. He can't ignore the fact that Taehyung dropped the charges out of nowhere

He mentions this to Hoseok, who is contentedly stuffing his mouth with food, "Hoseok, why do you think Taehyung let me go? I'm positive he hates my ass,"

"Mm, how am I supposed to know?" Hoseok answers, although it's a little more garbled than this.

"Doesn't, uh, what was his name?" Hoseok waves his hand around as he tries to remember something, "Ah! Doesn't Yoongi know Taehyung? Why don't you just ask him if he knows something?"

"Yoongi? I haven't talked to him since that night," Jungkook says softly.

"Well, then now's your chance. Just text him and see what he says," Hoseok keeps eating and waits for Jungkook to text Yoongi.

a conversation that needs to happen in person

Note 1

Note 2

Note 3

Note 4

Note 5 - let's start from the beginning

Note 6 - a continuation

Note 7

Namjoon and Hoseok keep talking, but their conversation strays from what Hoseok had been talking about. After having learned much more than he had originally wanted to know, Namjoon decides to talk about other things that Hoseok may feel more comfortable talking about.

They end up ordering another ice cream and talking to each other until Jungkook sends Hoseok a message that he's going to walk home with Yoongi.

"Looks like we got ditched," Hoseok shows Namjoon the text and Namjoon shrugs.

"I don't mind," he says smiling at Hoseok.

Earlier in the evening, when Jungkook had seen Yoongi approaching, with Namjoon in tow, his heart had climbed up to this throat and he had found it difficult to breathe. Seeing Yoongi brought him so much joy, but at the same time it made him incredibly nervous.

Yoongi greeted him nonchalantly and when they had finally walked off together into the park, he had initially been very quiet. Jungkook had tried to think of something to say, but nothing seemed appropriate at the time. He didn't know what Yoongi was feeling.

Further into the park, Jungkook spotted a bench and asked Yoongi if he wanted to sit there and talk. Yoongi simply nodded and headed over to the bench. They sat next to each other, leaving a considerable amount of space between them. Jungkook was all too aware of the large space.

"Jungkook, do you know how worried I was about you? You couldn't send me one measly text saying you were still fucking alive? You just had to ignore everything I sent you?" that was the first thing Yoongi said to Jungkook, and Jungkook took it all in.

"Yoongi, I'm sorry I didn't let you know how I was. After what happened that night, I was too scared to face you. I was scared to know if you had found out about what had happened with Taehyung. And for some reason, I was sure you'd never want to see me again,"

"Well, you shouldn't have assumed that," Yoongi falls silent. Jungkook is staring down at his lap, but he knows Yoongi is looking at him. Jungkook knows he should say something, but he doesn't have time. Yoongi slides across the bench and wraps his arms around Jungkook.

Yoongi doesn't hug Jungkook for long. He lets him go after a few seconds, but he stays right next to Jungkook. He doesn't move down he bench. "Sorry, I just-"

"You don't have to explain yourself, it's okay," Jungkook can feel the heat creeping up onto his face.

"I guess, um, you want to know about Taehyung," Yoongi says after they sit in silence for a moment. Jungkook turns towards Yoongi and nods. That was really what he was curious about.

"Do you know what happened? Why did Taehyung drop the charges?"

"Because I made him," Jungkook frowns. Yoongi made Taehyung drop the charges?

"Are you serious?"

"Well, it was more like a team effort. Namjoon helped me convince Taehyung that it just wasn't worth it. That he was wasting his time trying to get you locked up,"

"And he listened to you?" Jungkook is surprised, but he's overjoyed as well.

"Of course. Well, I may have slightly intimidated him as well, but it worked out in the end. Namjoon also hit him with that philosophical shit that Taehyung hates. So..." Yoongi trails off.

"Why did you do that? Why did you help me?" Yoongi knew Jungkook would ask this question.

"You're hard to hate, Jungkook," is all Yoongi can muster.

Jungkook takes his time to respond, "Thank you, Yoongi. For helping me even though you didn't have to,"

There's a short pause.

Jungkook's cheeks are tinted pink.

"Yoongi, can I do something?" Yoongi turns to look at Jungkook and feels Jungkook's hands envelop his face. They're warm. He doesn't try to pull away.

Instead, he answers Jungkook, "What do you want to do?"

"Can I kiss you?"

"Sure," and Jungkook kisses him.

The kiss is brief, subtle, and honestly, a bit weird, but they both like it. Yoongi can't hide his lopsided smile when they pull away and he finds it so damn cute that Jungkook blushes so much.

"Hey, so when are we gonna go out again? It's your turn to buy,"

─ END OF MAIN STORY

─ EPILOGUE

Jungkook sits across from Seokjin, an untouched cup of hot coffee in front of him. He doesn't really like coffee, it is too bitter for his taste, but he can't refuse Seokjin's polite offer of something to drink. He should've asked for water instead.

Jungkook looks at Seokjin.

Seokjin's elbow rests on the kitchen table and his chin rests in his palm, "So, what did you have to tell me?" His voice is calm and neutral. Jungkook feels like Seokjin already knows what he's going to say, but he's sure this will be news to him.

"I stole a phone,"

"That's nothing new," Seokjin frowns, "You steal phones all the time. You're a pickpocket,"

"But this time," Jungkook pauses and prepares himself for the story he's going to have to tell, "I gave it back,"

Seokjin slowly closes his eyes and opens them again, "I'm sorry, what?"

It takes Jungkook a long time to go over everything that happened starting from the day he reached into Yoongi's pocket and stole his phone. He had to backtrack several times because he missed something that was vital to the story, and by the time he was finished...

...telling the story, Jungkook was sure he had confused Seokjin a lot more instead of properly explaining what had happened. Seokjin had a steady frown on his face the entire time, but it was a frown of concern and not anger. When Jungkook stopped talking, Seokjin's face relaxed.

"So, basically, in the end everything worked out?" Seokjin says after a moment of trying to put everything together in his mind. Jungkook thinks about Seokjin's question for a second.

"Well, yeah, I guess," Jungkook tilts his head.

"So, then, why does this concern me?"

Jungkook is at a loss of words. Why does this concern Seokjin? His mouth moves wordlessly as he tries to think of a reply.

"Jungkook, you know I'm not in charge of you or anything? You're an adult, you can do whatever you want with your life. I don't control you...

...I feel like even now you walk around on your tiptoes because you're afraid of messing up and making me angry. That whole thing with the assault charges, now that's a different story because there was a real threat there, but this? This is your life...

...You don't have to come to me to get my approval on every single thing you do. I know you might feel indebted to me or something, but you don't have to pay me back in any kind of way. I made a promise to myself a long time ago that I'd live a better life, that I would...

...distance myself from drugs and help as many people as I could, whether they were good or bad people. You stole a phone. You gave it back. You like that Yoongi guy, I get it. But I'm not your mom, don't think of me as one. Don't be scared of me...

...Thank you for sharing this with me and filling me in on your life. I hope you did this because you see me as your friend and not as your boss that you have to report to all the time,"

Jungkook is speechless.

In some ways, Jungkook had gone to Seokjin to seek his approval and to be reassured that Seokjin wasn't mad at him for everything he did. To hear Seokjin tell him that he didn't need to be afraid and that he could count on Seokjin as...

a friend from now on made Jungkook feel relieved. A heavy weight is gone from his chest and he can breathe a lot easier in that moment.

"I-I do think of you as a friend," Jungkook confesses and feels a smile grow on his face. He takes a sip of his now lukewarm coffee.

taehyung texts yoongi

yoongi can't make decisions for jungkook

yoongi tells jungkook about what taehyung wants

jungkook decides to meet with taehyung

Jungkook gets to R Cafe a little past 2 PM and is not surprised to see that Taehyung is already there, seated at a table with a nearly full iced coffee drink in front of him. Jungkook takes a deep breath before he walks towards Taehyung.

When Taehyung finally sees Jungkook, his eyes widen and seems flustered. He doesn't know what to do with his hands. Should he shake Jungkook's hand? Should he just bow instead? Taehyung ends up mimicking the simple nod that Jungkook does.

Taehyung is visibly more nervous than Jungkook. He licks his lips several times and doesn't know where to look. Jungkook is oddly calm in Taehyung's presence and is the first to speak, "So, what do you want?" there's a slight bitterness to his tone.

Taehyung has a hard time deciding what to say and finally settles with, "Jungkook, I'm sorry," It's easier getting straight to the point and Taehyung finds himself just rambling on about how sorry he is for reporting Jungkook to the police.

"Yoongi and Namjoon came to me and they sat me down and talked to me for a really long time. I was so stubborn at first, and I don't know why I held a grudge against you for so long. That's not like me. I just hope you can forgive me for what I did,"

"Taehyung, it's not all your fault. I was the one that shouldn't have tried stealing from you. I'm a criminal, I guess in some ways, this was going to happen one way or another,"

"Well, okay, but I totally exaggerated. I mean, all you have me was a bruise on my stomach...

I used to get in worse fights at school. I don't know why I was so insistent about getting you in trouble. Seriously, I'm sorry for what I did," Taehyung maintains eye contact with Jungkook. His eyes are sad.

"Taehyung, it's okay. Don't worry about it,"

Jungkook and Taehyung talk a little longer, coming to the conclusion that everything was going to be alright between them. Taehyung flashes Jungkook a large, boxy smile and reaches over the table pull Jungkook in for a hug. Jungkook laughs and pats Taehyung's back.

Special: The Lone Adventures of Park Jimin

jimin texts jungkook to see if he wants to hang out

jimin really needs some new friends

jimin sees if hoseok wants to hang out with him

let's hang out another time

─ TRUE END

(also btw, jungkook and yoongi start dating. jungkook stops pickpocketing because he wants to lead a better life and gets a job as a dishwasher at R Cafe 👍🏼 jungkook ends up moving in with yoongi...

...hoseok and namjoon start hanging out a lot and hoseok is really forward about how he feels about namjoon, but it takes namjoon a little while to catch on. it's okay though, they start dating eventually...

taehyung and jimin get to know each other thanks to yoongi and they become best buds. one time when they went drinking together, they ended up spending the night in jail for public intoxication, but it's all cool, it was just one night...

...and last but not least, jimin keeps crushing hard on seokjin. jimin thinks it's a secret, but he's pretty obvious when he's around seokjin and seokjin has an idea of what's going on. he plans to ask jimin out on a daytrip to the beach sometime later.)