"will you stay by my side. will you promise me. if I let go of your hand, you'll fly away and break.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

you're just like a butterfly. from afar, I steal glances; if we touch hands, will I lose you?"

—

Jungkook's home at the dance studio has become home for the rest of his idiotic friends.

It's turned into the boys' hang out place. Jungkook isn't complaining because it's amusing to watch Hoseok be a dance teacher and deal with those who annoy him, Jin is the oldest yet the weirdest. It feels nice to have a proper group of friends and Jungkook is overjoyed.

Jungkook sits on a chair that twirls around in the echoey, massive dance studio with wooden floors. There's mirror walls which Jin loves, the boys' junk including their bags all over the floor, bottles of water and cans of coke. There's more than enough space, Hoseok was nice enough to let them mess around in one of the biggest rooms of his building.

Jungkook places both arms on either side of his chair, ready to watch Hoseok and Jimin dance so he switches on the music.

Gi give it to me.

Money, honor, whatever it may be bring it to me.

Fame flashlight.

Gi give it to me (gi give it to me)

I don't mind whatever it may be so bring it to me.

They finish after a few minutes and Jin stands up. "YAH." He shouts and it echoes. Jungkook claps with a small smile on his face and Taehyung shoves the two boys away, grabbing a microphone and busting out random sounds.

Jimin says nothing, a blank look on his face as he pushes away his pink hair and his attention is immediately on his phone again.

Jimin has been on his phone most of the time. He's not telling them who he's been texting, brushing them off casually but they're all very intrusive so they try to take sneaky glances over his shoulder.

The blanched door makes a beep sound and Hoseok says ah before walking to the locked door.

"You invited someone?" Jin asks and waits for the door to open.

Please be Elianna.

"Yeah." Hoseok replies and opens the door. Namjoon walks in with a smile on his face. He greets Hoseok, thanks him for inviting him and they share a handshake.

Jungkook is slightly disappointed but Namjoon's presence is more than welcoming. Jungkook admires his fashion sense (don't tell Taehyung) the baggy jeans, the beige jacket and the turtleneck. His shoes seem to be bigger than Hoseok's which is the amusing surprise.

Namjoon greets Jimin with a hug first as they start to talk. The height difference is cute.

"Who invited him?" Jin shoots glares at the boys surrounded.

"I did. He's a good guy hyung." Hoseok pushes his shoulder which Jin wasn't expecting so he tumbles a few steps away, losing his balance.

A fast hour passes and they're all spending time together, dancing, making jokes, talking, it's a welcoming atmosphere.

Jungkook leans against the wall with his hands in his pockets. He watches as Namjoon walks over to Jin who's on his phone, clueless.

"Ah Jin!" Namjoon beams. His hands are in the pockets of his big jacket and he shifts his weight from foot to the other. He's trying to appear chill but he's clearly anxious.

Jin is caught by surprise, he jumps and shoves his phone away, a nervous wreck. "Hi." He manages to get out of his mouth.

Namjoon pats his shoulder. Jungkook bites his lip to stop himself from laughing at how Jin freezes at his first loves touch. "We should catch up. We haven't talked in forever man."

Jin nods. "We should."

Jimin hums and his side bumps into Jungkook. "Are you sure it was Jin who was in love with Namjoon?" He asks with a smile.

Jungkook's smile matches Jimin's as they watch the scene unfold. "It seems like it's the other way around now." He states.

—

Jungkook walked home with Taehyung in the rain. Neither of them had an umbrella. Jungkook was agitated and wet, he ranted to Taehyung and had a go at him.

"You always want to walk!" Jungkook has started angrily.

"So what? It's not my fault it's raining." Taehyung argued back.

"We should've just got a ride but nooooo, we have to walk."

"I didn't tell you to come with me. You should've got a ride then, who told you to walk with me? I'm fine walking in the rain all by myself."

"We're going to get sick."

"So be it. You're so fucking annoying when it's raining. You're drenched from head to toe."

"You're so annoying for wanting to walk and you're drenched too, look at your flipping hair."

"At least I'm stronger than you-"

"Shut up. We both know that's not true. Can you walk faster? It's raining so fucking much. Taehyung, oh god, TAE don't jump in that fucking puddle I'm going to-"

On their long walk home in the rain, Jungkook noticed the girl from the supermarket, Valeria. Dark skirt, sweatshirt and khaki coat. She had an umbrella (Jungkook felt jealous) with cartoon rainbows on it and she was walking in the opposite direction. He wanted her to look up so he could smile at her but she didn't, she never looked up from the ground, adrift in her own world. Despite the horrendous weather, he really wanted to smile at her.

"Call me later asshole." Taehyung said to his best friend and gave him a forceful wet hug.

"Tae! I feel disgusting, you call me you fucker."

So now Jungkook is finally home and when he looks out of the window, the rain has stopped and the sun is shining. "Fuck you." He mumbles under his breath.

Jungkook has a much needed shower which makes him feel lazy. He hurries with getting changed into a fresh pair of sweatpants, but instead of wearing another white shirt, he goes for a pale blue button up. He slips on his dirty trainers, grabs a zipped hoodie just in case and leaves the house, hoping his hair dries quickly.

Jungkook fishes out his phone and calls Elianna.

E: hello

Jk: I'm outside now

E: that fast? Didn't you just get out of the studio? That was fast

Jungkook hears the sound of Elianna unlocking the door.

E: Jungkook!

Jungkook grins.

Jk: yeah I'm still on my way. I stopped at the park to take a picture of a puppy for Tae. What are you doing?

E: trying to get rid of the boy from my apartment

Silence.

E: I'm joking! Did you really think I had a boy over?

Jk: I don't know

E: no trust me. You're the only boy I want over so hurry up

Jk: okay now I'm actually here

Jungkook stands in front of Elianna's front door. He's picking her up from her apartment since they made plans to go to the library.

Elianna opens the door and Jungkook let's out a deep breath, he's always so affected by her entire presence. She's simply standing in front of him, looking beautiful as always and Jungkook thinks about how he's in a way .. lucky. He's lucky to have met her.

Out of the seven billion people in the world, he got to meet her.

"Come in." She smiles and opens the door wider. "I don't think you've ever been to my apartment."

Jungkook steps inside with his hands in his pockets and he takes in his surroundings. Blank white walls, a soft couch, a TV placed in front of it, a wooden table holding piles of books and paper and a wide window showing the view from the top of the building. "Not inside, no." He nods and turns around.

Elianna hums, her palms resting on the kitchen counter as her eyes stay looking down. She's dressed in a jumper dress that's way too big for her. Her hair is over her shoulders, rolling down in murky waves. Her face is bare, her eyelashes long and she looks amazing. She looks warm and so damn cuddly.

Jungkook can't help but stare because he wishes he could greet her like a boyfriend would. Like wrap his arms around her from behind, nuzzle his head into her neck whilst tickling her skin with his messy hair just so she can laugh, kiss her bare shoulder, call her baby, lift her up and kiss her so passionately that it leaves them both craving for more. But he can't ... he fucking can't.

"Do you want something to drink? I'm going to make tea."

"Yeah."

—

Elianna walks over to Jungkook with her hands wrapped around the mug of coffee she had made for him. She stands in front of him, giving it to him with a small smile.

He takes the green coloured mug from her hands carefully before placing it down on the table. Then he moves his hands to the back of Elianna's thighs, rubbing, indicating that he wants her closer.

Elianna obliges of course. She bends her knees, straddling him. They shiver at the feeling of them both making contact. Her arms wrap around his neck, his soft warm skin under her palms and she pushes herself closer. Jungkook lets out a raspy moan by accident when she rubs against him.

"Elianna." Jungkook whispers under his breath, his lips grazing her neck as she closes her eyes.

"Mhm?" She asks and tilts her neck. The grip of her arms around his neck tightens and he slides his hands across her hips.

Jungkook squeezes each side of her before kissing, biting and licking all the way to her lips. Their lips meet in a passionate mess. Elianna's hands wind themselves into his short dark strands, tugging the ends but her actions feel soft.

She traces parts of him with ease, slowly but gently. The back of her hand caressing his cheek, her lips dragging across his jawline, her hands falling down his broad chest, across his shoulders. And he does the same. Like when he's holding her in his arms, kissing her, playing with her hair or admiring her like she's the best thing in his life.

All Jungkook's thoughts about Elianna being gentle are faded away when, somehow his body is beneath hers on the couch. 

Elianna straddles him, rocking her hips against his, their hands tightly intertwined. She leans down to kiss him and their tongues collide as they start to make out.

Jungkook's palm rests on the back of her neck as he feels her body press against his entirely. The hotness, the lust, the messy emotions are all in their atmosphere.

Jungkook lifts up her shirt, caressing the skin of her stomach and pressing a kiss to her hip bone.

"Are we going to ever end up going to the library then?" Jungkook asks, a smirk threatening to appear on his lips when he hears Elianna's sharp intake of breath.

—

Elianna walks beside Jungkook, their sides knocking into each other. He wants to hold her hand, claim her as his in public but he isn't sure Elianna would like that. "Let's go to the one in town, not at university."

"Yeah. Let's go." Jungkook replies- not bothered with how they spend time together, the fact that she's the one he's spending time with makes his whole day better.

Jungkook wraps his arm around her shoulder, ready for her to push it off but she doesn't ...

For ten seconds.

When they get to the library, Elianna walks ahead and makes her way to the book filled shelves. It's quiet (of course) and not busy.

Elianna's attention is focused on the shelves, he's never seen her so involved with education and it's a lovely side to her. She analyses every book that she may possibly need, flipping the pages, reading the back. She bends down to look at the ones at the bottom and asks Jungkook to reach the ones at the top. She starts to create a pile of books.

"Which one?" Jungkook asks when he stands next to her. He looks at the row of books.

He's in a playful mood which is why his hand reaches into the back of Elianna's jumper. It catches her by surprise because goosebumps form on her back, where Jungkook's hand runs across her skin.

"Uh, that one, red cover." She replies in a mumble but doesn't step away.

Jungkook grabs the book with one hand, his other still up her jumper and he steps closer. He can sense her nervousness, it's a contrast from when he first met her. His hand wraps around her waist, inside her jumper, his hand resting on her bare stomach and his front pressing against her back.

Elianna leans into him and hugs his arms with a smile.

The couple sit on the carpet of the library with books around them. A few were linked to their degree but most were novels.

Jungkook is surprised when Elianna breaks the silence that had formed between them with a genuine, meaningful question. "You think we'll always know each other somehow ... like no matter what our fate decides for us."

Jungkook's answer is immediately yes. Fate isn't always nice, it's unexpected. Like how fate brought them together in a way that he would've never imagined, hooking up. But he's glad. He doesn't know what life has in store for them, it's scary but he wishes it's something that keeps them a part of each other's life. He doesn't want to lose her just yet.

"Always El."

"Always." She answers, looking away from his brown eyes.

"Always." Jungkook repeats.

Elianna groans, shooting him a glare. "Oh don't start." She says.

Jungkook's brows furrow. "What?"

"Listen, yeah, my last boyfriend was obsessed with the fault in our stars." And Jungkook smiles, engaged with her story. "Like obsessed. He would always, ALWAYS mention the, maybe okay will be our always. Like over fucking everything. We'd be out for dinner and he'd pay, he'll be like okay? And I was like okay and then he smiles like a freak and was like maybe okay will be our always. Over everything!" And it's so funny to see her react.

Jungkook starts to laugh. "It's a good movie though."

"It is." Elianna confirms, her hands holding a book open. "It shows you how unfair life is. You find your perfect person out of nowhere and then they're just teared out of your life just like that."

Elianna clicks her fingers.

Fast and quick, you don't see it because it happens too fast. Just like life, death and love.

"It makes me think of my dad." Jungkook mentions, suddenly his mood changes.

"Me too. I don't know how they do it." Elianna nods. It's true. They carry on with everyday life, daily routines taking over them, trying not to think about how their significant other is no longer present. How they're forced to live a life without them. How they don't get to come home from work to tell them about their day, how they don't get to hear their voice over the phone anymore even if it's full of irritation or anger, how they can't lie beside each other, how they can't see their smile physically and maybe it defeats them internally. But they keep it together externally.

Jungkook has a lot of respect for those individuals who are suffering with lost loved ones.

"I guess they just have to get used to it with time. My dad is a true inspiration, he's done so much, he's my avenger." Jungkook says, a deep breath leaving him.

Jungkook suddenly feels overwhelmed and wants to send a message to his dad saying I love you. But he hasn't said those three words in years. Knowing himself, he knows he'd back out anyway.

Jungkook meets Elianna's staring eyes. "Do you think your mom is proud of you?"

"I don't know. She went out of my life for good .. a few years ago. Divorced my dad, left us, the kids but I know the answer that you expect me to say is no but it's actually a yes. I think so." Elianna licks her lips. "I always put my family first before everything and I do all I can. I care so so much even though sometimes I don't know how to show it."

Elianna thinks, her mind drifting elsewhere. "I think she would've liked me to help dad and be there for everyone so yes. I don't really know or talk to her. Also, my mom was no saint, she was just like me so if she could say she was proud of herself then I think so can I."

Jungkook nods, a hm leaving him. "You should be proud of yourself." And then he sighs. "I don't think my mom would be proud of me because I'm not doing what I want out of life, career wise." He admits. The only person he's ever talked about this with is Taehyung.

"No?" Elianna is curious and surprised, she wasn't expecting that to be the reason why his mom wouldn't be proud of him. "What is it that you want?"

"I want to have like a bookstore." He laughs and continues.

"So a book store like a small cafe .. but I chose to go university because it's the easier option, plus a job and a good future is guaranteed, and where is the money going to come from you know?"

Elianna uncrosses her legs and gives him a stern look. "Is a good future actually guaranteed though? I think you should do it but I understand. When you have enough money, how much you think you need ... do it." And her voice is laced with certainty, it makes Jungkook feel confident.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe yeah will be our always." Jungkook smirks. Elianna looks lost in her thoughts.

"I don't know about that but I think you'll be my always."

And it takes Jungkook's breath away.

—

choosing a gif was so hard smh

I could make a book based on his gifs

can julinna stay soft happy cute together forever

sigh

I hope you're all well. comment and start a convo with me- how are you, how was your day ??

thank you for all that ya'll do. can't wait for you to see more of julinna and what's coming next ...

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don't forget to check out my BTS fanfics called Accidental Group Chat and Love Maze yay

thanks for reading

A.