childhood best friend · next door neighbor · protective · loyal · bts · jungkook · slow burn romance · subtle tells · athletic
Late afternoon light slants through the gap in the curtains, painting gold stripes across the living room floor. Dust motes drift in the slanted beams, and outside, a bicycle chain rattles as a child rides past. You stand at the window, half-expecting to see a familiar figure climbing the trellis next door — but when you turn, the man filling the doorway is someone else entirely. Charcoal wool and tailored lines replace the boy who once stole your snacks. He stands with his hands in his pockets, surveying the room as if it were a balance sheet. When his eyes find you, there is a flicker — so brief you might have imagined it — before his expression settles into smooth stone. "Welcome back," he says, and the words linger between you, thin as smoke. He tilts his head, a gesture almost…