Date: November 9th
Time: 7:45pm
Location: Work
Mood: Whip-whiplash
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"Guess what!"

Y/n's boss and Jimin's cousin skipped over to where the two were positioned on either side of the front counter, two open cans of root beer between them.

It seemed this was their new custom of sorts during break time. Soda and light conversation with his back always turned her way. Never anything deep or too personal. Mostly their talks consisted of their day and the weather.

The older woman clapped once and laced her fingers together before bringing the interlocked hands to her chest.

"I sold this place! You're both out of a job." The tone was a bright, cheerful one, leading the other two to doubt her words.

"W-what do you mean?" Y/n questioned, her heart sinking. This was the only place she ever saw Jimin. Without it...

"Ah," she nodded, as though realizing that this wasn't exactly good news for them. "The coffee shop next door wanted to expand and made an offer. I barely keep this place open anyway so-"

"NO!" Both women startled as Jimin's voice boomed. "Why! WHY? You can't do that!" One hand motioned from him to his mate as he gave his cousin a pointed look. "YOU CAN'T!"

"Yah!" she snapped. "Watch your tone, young man! This is my business and I'll handle it as I please!" The stern expression morphed into a relaxed one as she set her sights on Y/n. "But for you, Yoon-ssi, since you've been with me for so long I'll be adding on a bonus to your final check. And I'll give you a good recommendation if you need it, dear."

Flushing at the unexpected gesture, she began to thank her before Jimin, still upset, cut her off.

"Thank-"

"Noonaaa!" he whined, his lips coming out to pout cutely. "What am I supposed to do?"

"I'll give you a recommendation too, but since we're family I doubt it'll hold any weight."

"I MEANT about Red!" he motioned to a stunned Y/n once again. "This is the only place I see her!"

Color flooded her face but Y/n couldn't look away from him. She had an inkling that he might like her back, but wasn't this hard proof? Of course it was, but that stubborn inch of doubt lingered.

His cousin rolled her eyes. "Then ask her out for a date already! You never know," she winked in Y/n's direction, "she might like you back."

All the ants on earth weigh as much as all the humans.

Sloths can hold their breath for longer than dolphins can.

You can hear a blue whale's heartbeat up to two miles (4km) away.

All of those facts she needed to stay calm were there but all were wiped out at the extra loud thought: 'AM I THAT OBVIOUS?'

Rejection. Now it was bound to happen. Throwing it all out there like that out of nowhere was too much. Jimin would laugh at her and insist otherwise. That inch was stretching into a mile within seconds.

She barely registered when he shifted so that she was completely blocked from view, his voice a low growl. "Stop it. You're going to embarrass her. Y/n is my friend and you aren't allowed to make her feel bad."

One side of her dropped at the F word he'd just uttered. Friend. She didn't think of him that way. She thought of him as a man. Someone that could potentially be more, if she ever found the nerve to confront him with those feelings. But on the other side, friend felt...comfortable. It was nice to hear that he thought of her as someone close enough to call friend. Honestly if she stood back and looked at it objectively she might describe him the same way. Being friends first and then progressing into more was a possibility. Just as being friends and getting stuck in that zone was another realistic route this could take.

Conflicted. That was the emotion she settled on.

Their boss sighed. "I didn't mean to. But you're right. I'm sorry, Y/n." Despite the apology, Jimin didn't budge from his spot. "And sorry for the short notice, kids."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, did I not say?" she pondered. "Today is your last day."

"YAH!" Jimin exploded once again, but this time there was a very real anger present.

Seeming to sense just that, his cousin decided to leave before he blew a gasket. Her cousin had a temper no one wanted to see twice. Many a leg had been crushed by his thicc ass.

"Yeah, so...bye!"

A snarl was sent her way as she raced out of the door to 'safety'.

The next moment the only sound between them was Jimin's huffing and the soft ruffling of his hand constantly moving through his hair. A serious debate raged in his mind on if he should chase her down and sit on her car's hood. He'd only done that once when he was kid and it left a small dent and a big weight of guilt. He'd felt so bad, he had hugged the car and apologized to it.

Stop thinking with your ass and get to problem solving.

Wise words from a wise wolf.

"Jimin, it's ok." Y/n said in the same comforting tone she would use on her little sister when needed. "D-don't be angry."

He turned for a quick glance at her. Like a spell had been cast on him, his nerves settled down, wolf relaxed and temper fizzled out. When his cousin had said something that would definitely embarrass her, his ears tingled harshly and the smell of rosemary overpowered her usually salty and sweet scent. The knowledge that she had become scared alarmed him and had his wolf's hackles raised. What had she been afraid of? He couldn't say and that bothered him. Y/n was always shy and embarrassed, but that had never been enough to make her frightened. What had triggered that reaction?

Maybe........no. Never mind.

But for now, he had a bigger question to answer. How was he going to keep working on this relationship when there was no possibility for interaction with her? Work was the only place he could come and not look like a stalker.

This job was his favorite time of day. The first thing he thought about when he woke up. The one thing he looked forward to all day. Now, gone. It would be a lie to say that he wasn't feeling extremely resentful towards his cousin right now. This felt like a betrayal of sorts on her part. It wasn't and she had every right to do what she wanted with her business. But right now it felt better to remain angry at her than to think reasonably.

Raspberries. Why did he smell raspberries? Curiously Jimin sniffed the air, discovering quickly that it was coming from his mate. Immediately he turned to his wolf to inquire about what this meant, but was met with silence for a full minute before he responded.

I don't want to say. You might act like Jimin and go overboard.

Unfair. He only went overboard a few hundred times.

A few thousand when it has to do with her.

Gritting his teeth, he conceded. That didn't mean that he didn't hate how his wolf was always right. But not telling him what it meant wasn't fair. Envy flared at his inner self. The wolf got to feel what she felt and understood her better. Jimin wouldn't get to experience that until she allowed him to mark her.

Why don't you use your eyes?

The answer to that was simple and obvious. If he looked too much, Y/n would become uncomfortable. And Jimin was going to make damn sure that he wouldn't backtrack on all the improvement he'd made. Not only that, but his red's comfort came first and foremost. The day she had cried because of his actions haunted him. Still, with as much discrepancy as he could, he peered over his shoulder at his mate.

The sight he was met with shocked him.

"J-Ji-Jimin." Voice a quiet whisper, her trembling hands were outstretched, both offering a small, rectangular object. Eyes were downcast, face and neck a darker red than he had ever seen them go. At first he was puzzled by the sight. Then it clicked. Her phone. She was handing over her phone, a blank contact page open before him.

Then it really hit home.

She wanted his number.

Y/n wanted his number. His mate wanted his number She was asking for his number because she wanted to keep in contact. Somehow, she wasn't afraid of his creepy ass self!

The initial reaction that he was inclined to relent to, was to dance like a crazy person and scream so the whole country would know what had just happened to him. Elation filled him to the point that his skin tingled and an unrestrained grin broke out on his face faster than you could say watermelon jams. But why would you say that.

Rather than scaring the living crap out of her, he snatched the phone and the long held back, very unmanly squeal left his lips, followed by a, "RED YOU CAN HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANT!"

Chill. He was completely relaxed and handling this with restrained enthusiasm.

...now go back and read that in a sarcastic tone.

Surprised, she lifted her shocked gaze up to his just as he slapped his own phone into her still outstretched palm.

"Yours too. Please?" he couldn't see a thing. That's how hard he was beaming. And that's exactly how he missed the matching smile reflected back at him.

Withdrawing into their own respective bubbles, the both of them set to doing as requested.

Jimin wondered. How many hearts should he put next to his name?

FORGET THAT, CHANGE YOUR NAME! IT'S TOO MUCH!

On the other hand, Y/n wondered if she was being too impersonal with her own contact name. Probably. But it was better to be safe than sorry.

By the time both phones were back where they started, their owners were both flushing a bright red. The two were irrevocably happy, though one hid that emotion better than the other. Irrationally, Y/n didn't want to express how thrilled she was with the situation because Jimin might notice and want to take it away. Or maybe it would make her look desperate for attention. The way she thought was skewed and below the surface, she knew that. But most importantly, she had to guard herself.

That didn't mean she wasn't elated—ridiculously so. Obtaining his number didn't mean much, but it was a spot of hope on her gloomy horizon.

Currently centered in that horizon was a growing problem. No job. No money. And university cost a lot of it. This occupation did not nearly cover the entirety of it's bill, but it helped more than not. The last thing she wanted was to put more strain on her parents financially.

So her mind changed directions from Jimin to finding work. As stressful as it could be, looking for a job was an easier puzzle for her to solve. Although, when added in the fact that she had to find work with little to no socializing, the task became more complicated.

Setting her mind to task, she unlocked her phone, but then nearly dropped the device at the sight that greeted her.

In addition to adding his number, Jimin took the initiative to changing her lock screen as well. Eyes squinted closed with the force of his toothy grin, his hair carelessly swept back but a few strands still making their way to his forehead. It was unfair how cute he was. But he wasn't just smiling. What he was really doing was attacking her.

It should have upset her. But really she wanted him to continue his assault. Or...something.

A shutter sound brought her attention back to the man of her thoughts. This time taking a photo of the two cans of soda on the counter. At her questioning look, he spoke up.

"We shared this," his teeth sank into his bottom lip and he swayed from side to side while staring dreamily at his phone. "I have to commit it to memory."

"You!" Without thought the exclamation flew out of her, the heat in her face feeling as if it were spreading throughout the entirety of her body. "You—I—you-" she spluttered pathetically, her mouth exclaimed the words before her brain even consciously thought of them: "Sto-stop attacking me!"

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Bonus scene

<>Red<>

Break time was now both Y/n and Jimin's favorite time of the day. The conversations were always light and simple, the beverages always carbonated.

One leg crossed over the other as he lent against the counter, he toyed with the aluminum tab at the top of the can in his hand. "What's your favorite color?"

It was the beginning of one very important mission of his. Find out everything about her. Likes and dislikes, past and present. Each part of her was important, and he had to know all of it.

"Green. No," she paused before backtracking. "Yellow," she said softly. "No one l-likes yellow. Someone should."

"Huh?"

"I said yellow."

"But you said green first." he pointed out.

"Yes, b-but yellow is...lonely."

"It is?" he carefully inquired.

"Mm. Not a lot of people like yellow, so I will."

Almost able to hear the blush lighting up her face, he had to hold himself back from turning around and squeezing her to death. She was absurdly adorable. The way she chose yellow so that wouldn't be lonely was borderline childish, but in an innocent, cute way that he could never fault her on.

"What-what's yours?" she asked.

He smiled. "It used to be blue."

"Used to be?"

"Yep. But now it's red."

—
Edited 7/25/22