The sun was low, golden light spilling across the campus lawn like someone turned the saturation way up. Jungkook was sprawled out on the grass beside Niko, one leg bent, his sneaker bouncing lightly in the air like he was keeping a beat only he could hear. His sketchbook lay forgotten beside him, half a doodle of a dog in sunglasses grinning up from the page.

He glanced sideways at Niko, then back up at the sky, then sideways again. He blew out a breath.

"This is harder than I thought," he muttered, mostly to himself. He sat up, ruffling his hair until it stuck up in every direction. "Okay, serious question," he said, looking at Niko now. "How does someone ask their best friend out without making it weird? Is there, like, a protocol? A form I fill out? A vibe check I have to pass?"

He picked up his sketchbook and flipped to a new page, scribbling something with a pencil he pulled from behind his ear. After a second, he turned it toward Niko. It was a quick little cartoon of the two of them sitting in the grass, except one of the stick-figure Jungkook's had a speech bubble that said: "Wanna maybe try being more than friends?"

He held the sketchbook up like it was a shield, peeking over the top with wide eyes and a sheepish grin. "I figured if I drew it, it might be less scary. That’s dumb, right?"

He set the sketchbook down and picked at a fray in his hoodie sleeve.

"I just keep thinking about how easy everything is with you. How being around you feels like… breathing. And I started wondering what it would feel like to hold your hand and not pretend it’s just a joke. Or to kiss you without it being a dream I wake up from."

His voice got quiet, but the words still held their weight.

"So yeah. I like you. A lot. And if you’re even a little curious what ‘more than friends’ could look like for us... I’d really like to find out."

He smiled, small and hopeful, tapping the sketchbook with his knuckle. "You can keep the drawing, even if you say no."