"Woah, guys, calm down! If y'all didn't start biting each other's head off, that'd be great, thank you very much," Hoseok said before Jungkook could respond.

"It's him!" you huffed angrily, pointing at the butt in front of you.

"It's her!" he said at the same time, pointing at you. You both stopped, glaring at each other.

You could see Namjoon looking between the two of you in your peripherals and could almost hear the gears in his head turning. "Okayy... you two, you aren't six anymore, so let's try not to act like it. Kook, can you get us some cold drinks? I'm thirsty. And Jimin, can you show Y/N to her room? Thanks."

"Let's go, Choco Pie," Jimin said, putting a hand on your shoulder and guiding you away from the room. You reluctantly agreed, but since you were the most badass and mature person on the planet, you stuck your tongue out at Jungkook over your shoulder.

"Here we are," he said after a few seconds of walking and opened a door.

A ceiling fan with wooden blades turned lazily on the ceiling, and the attached light cast a warm white glow around the spacious room. Jimin walked over to the bed and threw the open the curtains behind it, sunlight immediately flooding the room through the nearly floor-to-ceiling window. A desk, a nightstand, and a wardrobe sat in their respective places, and a simple-looking door leading who-knows-where was tucked away in a corner.

"This was my old room, but now I'm sharing with Hobi so you could have it," Jimin said.

"Aww, that's so sweet of you. It must've taken you hours to get all of your trash out. Poor Hoseok."

"Shush. The closest bathroom is down the hall, but you can go through Kook's room if you're that lazy."

"That's the door to its room?" you groaned, making a face. Suddenly, the room didn't look so pretty anymore.

He shrugged. "Yeah? Don't look at me, I didn't design the house. You'll have to explore the rest of the house yourself since I'm too lazy to explain it all to you. That might take a little while. Hope you like it because this is where you're gonna stay for the next six months. Maybe even after, if you think that we're mentally secure."

"Mm. Probably not gonna- wait, WHAT?!!"

"What do you mean, what?"

"I'll be staying in this room? In the same house? With YOU guys??"

"Why do you sound so disgusted...? But yes. Big Hit can't throw around 7.4 billion won every time somebody moves in, you know."

"That's a lot. But you... you guys are... a-are BOYS! A-a-and I'm not!"

"What are you afraid of? That we'll have cooties?"

"Well, why would the planet have gender-separated bathrooms?"

"Eh. But unless you want to live in a shack, this is the best we can give you."

You sighed resignedly and stared at the door leading to its room. "Can I at least change rooms?"

Jimin came over and gave you a side hug. "If you're still sad-"

You pushed him away. "I just don't wanna be near it."

He glanced at the door, then back to you. "Well, since you're like that... we still have to work, and we can't change rooms just because you don't like a door. You can lock it, if you want."

"Ugh, fine." You grimaced and immediately went to lock the door.

"Kookie's an okay guy now, Y/N," Jimin called across the room. "I didn't really like him after what happened, and I think he liked me even less. But through the years, we'd gotten to know and love each other like brothers, and he's actually pretty cool."

You went back over to his side of the room and sat on the edge of the cloud-like bed. "That's literally the second to last thing I want to hear right now."

"What's the last?"

"That it still likes me, but that's absolutely impossible, seeing that it's the one that shit on our relationship in the first place," you chuckled darkly.

"It's not healthy to carry grudges, Choco Pie. If you'd gotten to re-know him, you'd see that's he's matured. And you guys used to date, so he can't be-"

"A monster?" you finished for him, raising an eyebrow. "Huh. Say that again, slowly, and actually think. Think about what you just said, and what happened then."

Jimin sighed and ran a hand through his cherry-red hair. "Stubborn as always. Well, have it your way. But you guys are going to have to semi-get along if the house is going to be intact at the end of your contract."

You scowled but didn't reply. He took the hint.

"Well, your suitcase is still where you left it. Your driver will know where the nearest store is if you run out of anything. Have fun." Then he walked out of the room.

You sighed and flopped back onto the ultra-plush bed, staring at the ceiling. How were you going to survive these next few months? Staying with your brother might be a bit fun, and the other guys seemed okay. The house was a lot more than okay, but- ugh! He always had to ruin everything, didn't he?

Well, you just had to tough it out. Like Jimin said: semi-get along. You were sure you could get along just fine with the other boys, though. You'll just have to be super careful not to do anything rash while you were at it.

Because this house was a full-on buffet.

——

Your stomach demanded you to give it something now in a very loud voice.

You had spent the entire evening surfing the web on your phone and snacking from your backpack stash. Unfortunately, the snacks seemed to have disappeared into thin air, and your stomach was well aware of that fact.

You sighed and looked at the clock on the wall. Dinner time. Yes! But, like, also no. Yes, because you could eat a horse, and no, because you had no appetite for him. You didn't want to lay eyes that disgustingly gorgeous face for the rest of your life.

Your stomach screamed in protest.

"Ugh, fine," you said. You swept the blanket to clear away the crumbs and picked up the wrappers, dropping them in the bin on your way out. Um... which way to the kitchen?

You were too proud to ask for help, so you just wandered around until you found the kitchen. Seokjin was at the stove, making something that made your stomach growl in anticipation.

You tried to peer over his shoulder, but they were too wide and high for you, so you just settled with watching beside him.

"Hey, Y/N," he said without looking up from the pan. Wow, these guys were that comfortable around you already? "Are you hungry?"

Your stomach answered before you could open your mouth.

He laughed. "Well, I'm kinda lazy today, so it's just fried rice and some veggies."

"Sounds good. When do you think you'll finish?" You fought to keep from drooling into the pan.

"In about five minutes. Can you call the boys in? They're in the living room," Seokjin asked. "That way," he added and pointed, noticing your confusion.

You nodded and walked in the direction that he showed you. After a little while, you found them all sitting in a huge, high-ceilinged living room. Taehyung and Hoseok had controllers in their hands and were concentrating on a to-die-for TV, while the rest of the boys were perched on the large couch, screaming over one another.

You cleared your throat. Nobody so much as glanced your way. You cleared it louder. No reaction. Your eyebrows scrunched together.

"EVERYONE!"

Their heads turned immediately.

"Oh, hi, Y/N," Hoseok spoke up first. "Did you want to have a turn?"

You rolled your eyes. "Seokjin said it's time for dinner."

"Dinner!" "Yeah!" "Let's gooo!" They abandoned the game and scrambled over one another to get to the kitchen, whooping like they were schoolkids and school bell just rang.

You chuckled and followed them, trying to find your way back by the smell that was beginning to waft through the apartment. You got there just as Seokjin set a large plate of steaming fried rice on the table.

"There's an empty seat over there, Y/N," Seokjin said as you entered, pointing to a seat with a green froggy oven mitt. You followed it and pursed your lips. You didn't want to sit there.

"Can I bring some to my room?" you asked, barely succeeding in keeping a grimace off of your face.

"Y/N!" Seokjin gasped, dramatically clutching at his heart. "That hurt."

You smiled a bit with one side of your mouth. Even though you knew he was thickly spreading on the exaggeration, you still didn't want to be any more of a bother, so you walked slowly to the chair and sat down.

Woah, how did it get so cold in here? Oh, wait, that was just Jeon Jungkook's cold shoulder in your face. Haha. You inched a little closer to the right of your chair, farther away from, you know. You kept your eyes on the food, your spoon, the flower designs on the tablecloth. Anywhere but him.

Your stomach warned you softly that if you didn't eat something soon, you might digest yourself from the inside. Not wanting to be eaten, you spooned some rice into your bowl and practically inhaled the stuff. Ohmygah, you'd never tasted anything better. Or maybe you were just hungry. Whichever the case, it was good. You piled more food in your plate and stuffed yourself until you couldn't swallow another spoonful. Ahh. That's better. You patted your mouth with a napkin and sighed contentedly.

"Still the same vacuum cleaner, hm?"

You blinked slowly, staring straight ahead. "What did you just call me?"

You could see him put his hands in the air in mock surrender in your peripherals. "Woah, calm down. Everyone called you that back in high school and you didn't say anything."

"It's not high school anymore, Jeon," you hissed, narrowing your eyes but still refusing to turn your head. "And you, of all people, shouldn't be using nicknames for me."

"Why not? Jimin uses nicknames for you all the time. "Why can't I?"

"Well, let's see." You began to list the reasons on your fingers. "Number one, Chim's my brother and you aren't. Number two, Chim didn't dump me in front of the entire grade, while on the freaking stage at freaking PROM, and you did." You had to bite your lip to stop yourself from throwing a punch at his face because the memory just hurt that much. "And number three, Chim isn't a monster, and you are. So there."

He took a deep breath. "I've changed since then. If you'd just give me a cha-"

"Give you a chance to what?" You whipped around, seething. "To pretend to like me just to tear me up again? To rip my soul until it's beyond repair? Does it give you a kick to break people like that?"

He said nothing.

"Unless you can prove that you have a heart, there'll be no more second chances with me," you said in a low voice, standing up. Nobody seemed to notice your conversation with him, but Seokjin looked up when you stood.

"Y/N! You're gonna miss dessert. I ordered some bingsu (flavored shaved ice with sweet toppings, can't describe how good it is search it up) because why not, and it's supposed to arrive soon."

"No thanks, I'm stuffed," you said, even though it was one of your favorite treats. "I'm gonna go to my room."

"I didn't do anything!" You heard the maknae protest as you walked out of the room. You rolled your eyes to that.

----

You looked up from your phone when a rustling interrupted the silence. A hand was poked through the slightly open door, shaking a package of... choco pies.

"Come in, Chim," you sighed and looked back at your phone.

He came in and sat next to you on the bed.

"Tsk tsk. It hasn't even been a full day and you and Kookie have already fought. At dinner, too!"

"Well, sorry, but you should try sitting next to a guy who calls you a vacuum cleaner."

"Wow, you guys are more immature than I thought."

You scoffed. "You're only two years older."

"But I'm older by twenty years in mental maturity. Here, eat these before I do." He held the wrapped treat out.

"Nah, I'm full."

Jimin raised an eyebrow. "No, you're not. Not for these. They're choco pies, for goodness sake!"

"I think I'm good."

"I think otherwise."

He ripped open the package (ignoring your yelp of protest) and held it under your nose. "Mmm, soo good..."

You rolled your eyes and grabbed the snack cake with your mouth.

"Hey! You almost bit my finger off," he said, sticking out his lower lip.

"Mmhmrgmm" was all you could say.

"How you manage to still look relatively fit, I dunno."

"Mm. Mm mrmhm m hmm?"

"What?

You swallowed. "So why are you here? Not just to bring me snacks, I know."

He sighed. "Choco Pie, you've got to try to deal with-"

"Okay, okay, I get the message. Now, shoo." You made a shooing motion to emphasize your point.

"Really! We're trying to keep a positive mood here, and we can't afford to have a damper."

"So... so you're saying I should leave?" you asked in a small voice, looking up at him.

"Nonono!" Jimin covered his face with his hands. "My gosh, don't start getting sensitive on me! All that I'm trying to say is to try not to, how should I say this, ruin the mood? When we're having dinner, don't, like, try to rip each other apart, at least not at the table. Jin hyung got dessert and everything and you just waltzed out of the room without a second glance..."

Dang, this guy sure knew how to make you feel guilty. "Okay, I'll try to behave next time," you said, feeling like you were in early elementary school and your mom was yelling at you for breaking one of those little porcelain figurines she collects.

"Ah, good Choco Pie." Jimin smiled and patted your head.

"I'm not- ughh." He had already left before you could finish your sentence.

You licked the chocolate off the corner of your lip and sighed.

How were you going to survive the next half year?