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It’s been half an hour or so after lunch and Jimin is humming to himself doing the dishes when he feels hands around his waist and a sharp chin on his shoulders.
“Jiminah”, his boyfriend whispers, engulfing him.
Jimin tries to wriggle out of his grasp. “Aish... what is it Jungkookie? Lemme wash the dishes! ”
“Do them later.” Jungkook tightens his grip, burying his face further into Jimin’s neck.
Jimin decides to give up struggling and tries to continue washing the dishes but had to soon give up as his boyfriend was getting handsy.
“Yah get off me!”
“No.”
“Aishhh this kid… lemme just wash my hands so that I can deal with you...”
“Deal with you huh… how can you say it like that that hyung?”
“Aigoo...this baby… just let me go for a sec...” Jimin says, calming down. Indignation washing away.
Jungkook complies. Jimin quickly washes up and pats his hand dry on their kitchen towel.
Jungkook has by now made himself comfortable on the kitchen island. Jimin walks up to him with a mock disapproving look “What is up, you big baby?”
The taller sits up and pulls him closer, trapping him in with his legs and bringing his arms around his neck.
“Aiee I just cleaned these counters lets go to the bedroom no?” Jimin says as he finds himself wrapping his arms around the other’s waist.
“What? Lol no. As if I would do it here. I’m the one cooking here remember?”
“Then what is this about?” Jimin pulls back a bit, looking up, curiously.
Jungkook leans back, takes his boyfriends face into his hands and then proceeds to stare at him like he’s the love of his life, which he is. You’d think that he’d get used to it after the 50th time but no, Jimin starts blushing soon and punches Jungkook playfully on his chest. “Jungkookssi say something no!” On receiving no response, Jimin tries to extricate himself from the hug, but the younger pulls him back and Jimin has to give in. How could he not?
Jungkook isn’t one for words, his actions usually convey all that he wants to say. He has always been like that. With all of the members, but especially with Jimin. It had taken Jungkook plenty of confusion, pining, nervousness and hyping himself up along with the support of his members to tell Jimin that he wanted to date him. The way he got flustered that day in the car when he finally did, still makes Jimin coo. It’s been around 3 years now, but Jungkook still finds it difficult to verbalise his feelings. It’s fine. Jungkook does have his moments and Jimin usually makes up for both of them. He hugs his boyfriend closer, wrapping his own arms tighter around him, inhaling his scent.
“Jiminie…” Jungkook starts slowly.
Jimin pulls back. He brings one hand to his boyfriend’s face, concerned. “What is it baby?”
“Remember when we did our series of “NOW” photoshoots?” Jimin blinks. What?
“Why so randomly?”
“Aigoo tell me no.”
“Yeah yeah, the first one was in Thailand, then um?”
“Sweden and then one in the US. You remember that one?” Jungkook prompts.
“Yeah I guess. We were all at that house in Chicago right? You were in that basketball player outfit and I was….” Jimin pauses to think.
“In them cute overalls.”
“Haha yes, so what about it?”
“Is that all you remember from that shoot?”
Oh no. He definitely remembers. He just doesn’t know why the younger is bringing it up. He actually looks sort of uncomfortable.
Jimin figures he should make the situation as light as possible. “Oh when you said you want me…haha yeah I do...that was hilarious.”
“Haha it wasn’t though.” Jungkook laughs wincing lightly, cocking his head to the side, his eyebrows furrowing.
“Aish that was a long time ago Jungkookie why are you even thinking about it?”
“No I just. See. According to what you’ve told me you liked me since 2014 right?”
“Yes...” Jimin says slowly trying to figure out what Jungkook was getting at.
“Okay and this was mid 2015. So while I was saying this to you… you liked me but you had to laugh it off when I was saying these things right?”
“Do we really need to talk about this?” Jimin sighs, his arms loosening around Jungkook, who takes his hands and places it back on his waist, pulling him closer.
“Yes we do! Now tell me… you had to laugh it off right?”
“Yeah yeah I guess.”
“And you thought I was joking.”
“Yeah you were.”
“Yeah but I wasn’t.”
Jimin blinks several times, stunned into silence.
While Jungkook knew about exactly when Jimin’s feelings had started and how it progressed, Jungkook himself hadn’t revealed his side of things to Jimin and the elder did not bother asking because it genuinely didn’t matter to him as long as Jungkook loved him in the present. He figured it must have been around five-six months before the actual asking-out happened, but if what he’s saying now is true then Jungkook had harboured feelings for almost a whole year before he told him and that realisation sort of took away his power of speech.
“Yeah. The night before the shoot, we had all just arrived and V hyung was so famished he slept off in front of the TV after you two were done goofing off and then you tucked him in and then went off to the kitchen to get some water for Yoongi hyung for his sore throat or something.”
“Baby what are you trying to say?”
“Aish… lemme talk you please be patient and listen…” Jungkook says brushing his partner’s hair back, lovingly.
“So I was just coming down to get some water for myself when I saw you doing all that and I thought what an actual angel on earth you were”. Jimin laughs. His eye smile lighting up his face. Jungkook couldn’t help but smile and take a deep breath before continuing.
“And then morning came and you were in those overalls and I was like fuck… he looks sooo cute my heart would burst. But then you started posing for the shoot and I saw you transform… like I’ve seen you transform for performances before. One minute you’re my Jimin and the next you’re this wild animal yanno.”
“Of course I do... have you seen you?”
“Please Jimin, I’m nothing compared to you but that’s not the point here, let me finish this first.”
“Aishh okay...” Jimin laughs locking his arms around Jungkook’s neck, sort of hanging off of it as muscular hands lock around his waist.
“Yeah so you were looking so good, I ran to grab my Camera and then started filming cos you were too stunning not to, and I just had to have you… your pictures and videos I mean…but then you kept goofing off and acting all cute and then switching to being a sexy monster and then back again and my brain was literally going crazy and that was when I actually realised that…no.. I really did need to have you. And before I knew it I was saying….”I want you”. And only after I said it, did I realise what I did and I was ready to panic, full-scale. But then… you laughed and that being my favourite sound in the world, made me feel better. I continued the recording and you kept transitioning from cute to sexy throughout the shoot and I said it again. But this time I knew it’d be fine because you were laughing it off. The third time I did it entirely on purpose just to make you laugh, but then you asked me to stop. So I did.” Jungkook pulls back to look at Jimin’s face.
Jimin stares back, still puzzled why Jungkook said all that he said “Babe what was the rea…”
“Yeah so that was when I finally realised that I wanted you but you laughed it off, which was good because I wouldn’t have known how to respond if you had taken me seriously. Anyways, I was just going through the videos of old summer package editions and other shoots to make a combined GCF edit for the 2021 version since we aren’t gonna be shooting for it. And I saw this and I remembered 18 year old Jungkook feeling really happy that day. So I ran over here to tell you that.”
Jimin blinks several times stunned into silence again.
There were only a handful of times in their relationship when Jimin didn’t have words. There was the time when Jungkook surprised him with breakfast for the first time. The time he revealed that the surprise birthday gift was a trip to Tokyo or when he handed him keys to their apartment on the morning of his birthday or when Jungkook literally sucked his ear in front of ARMY because he couldn’t not comfort the man he loved post their concert at the Rosebowl. The time he brought him the lump of snow during their Bon Voyage shoot in New Zealand was truly shocking. And most recently when he surprised him by driving him blindfolded all the way to Busan on the day before his birthday so he could celebrate it with his family. All of these moments stunned Jimin into a mute puppy-kitty with the roundest eyes. But nothing could top the first five seconds of unbelievable mortification (for Jungkook) filled silence before Jimin said yes to dating him. His look of surprise turned to one of pure joy and they had been together ever since. They did have their share of struggles… telling the company, navigating a new relationship while being band mates and best friends while simultaneously being in the public eye with all their interactions and words about each other and any other member analysed and examined in excruciating detail, including the said moment from their since then discontinued photoshoot package Now 3 from 2016, which their fans absolutely loved to bits. He used to find it often on the mentioned tweets back when he used twitter.
“Oh my god… my baby! You are sooo cute. How are you THIS cute!!?” Jimin says taking Jungkook’s face into his hands shaking it with adoration.
“Aish stop, I’m just telling you my feelings.” Jungkook brings Jimin’s hands down from his face while still holding onto them.
“Yeah but like from 5 years ago… that is adorable. And please don’t feel bad or anything. I told you I had this phase of trying to get over you. That didn’t work obviously… so I was just letting you do whatever you wanted and trying not to see too much into things while enjoying whatever attention you gave me. So that day was pretty great for me as well.”
“Ahaaa… that’s good then. Cos I have something to ask you.”
“Yeah sure…ask away.”
“What do you think… of….recreating that shoot?”
“Lol what? Me in overalls? I don’t think ARMY wants to see me like that anymore.”
“Hey we had that concert in Japan where you were wearing those overalls and ARMY loved it!”
“You mean you loved it.”
“Babe I know we use ARMY to refer to each other sometimes but we don’t have to do it at home no. ”
“I know I know but you loved me in it.”
“I love you in everything… “Jimin is just about to pinch his cheeks in adoration when he adds ”…and nothing.”
“Of course I should’ve known you would say that.” Jimin says, lightly punching his boyfriend’s chest which is getting way too bigger by the day.
“Can you blame me?” Jungkook asks as he tries to lift Jimin’s shirt up who pulls back, pushing the tickling hands away.
“Ohmygod this kid. Fine okay. ARMY did like me in the concert I guess…but I meant in photoshoots.”
“Please Seasons Greetings 2021 gonna give plenty of shock to ARMY so that’s not a reason at all...but like why even am I trying to convince you of this..cos no…it’s not for ARMY ...it’s for me.” Jungkook explains, his hands appealing with emphasis.
Jimin laughs but then realizes that his boyfriend isn’t joking.
“You serious?”
“As serious as I was when I said I wanted you.”
“So. Not serious.”
“Aishhh hyung I just told you I was!”
“But why Kkyu?”
Jungkook giggles at being called his favourite nickname, his grip firm around the elder’s waist.
“You know I love filming you and while I did have a good time that day I still remember feeling sad by the end of it because I knew…at least I thought I knew… that I would never be able to say those words to you. That at the end of the day, it was okay since it was a joke and it seemed funny but I couldn’t possibly ever dream of saying it to you seriously. But now…now I can say it. I don’t have to stop saying it. I don’t have to hide behind the facade of a joke when I say it... I want you and in some ways I got you. Yanno.” Jungkook’s doe eyes go wide as he tries to stress his point. If his words wouldn’t have melted Jimin, those eyes could. The man doesn’t say much, but when he does, he makes them count. God does Jimin love him.
“In some ways? In most ways Jungkookah!”
“That’s what! I’m the luckiest guy on the planet and I can’t believe I haven’t used my privilege of being around you all this time and not recorded you. I mean I take your pictures always but it’s been a while since I took a video of you! And especially with the pandemic and our schedules bunched up together and the rest of the time getting to do whatever we want… I should have done this months ago. But at least I thought of it now. So what say? You in?”
“You want me to wear those overalls, dye my hair orange and like what… bite into an apple and look at you sexily?”
At the mention of the orange hair, Jungkook stops. His mouth hanging open, unable to form words suddenly.
“I-I didn’t e-expect the orange hair part but like if-if you’re cool with it, then like yeah I mean I-"
Jimin couldn’t stop laughing seeing his boyfriend getting flustered. It’s been a while since he’d seen that face. Once in a while during concerts Jimin’s creative juices get flowing as he thinks of new ways to get Jungkook flustered on stage, but that avenue for teasing has been cut off for months so he’s definitely not letting this opportunity that presented itself to him go that easily.
“I was definitely joking and I didn’t expect you to ask me to dye it either but since it’s already getting you so worked up and since we don’t have any schedules for 2 more weeks, I am definitely doing the orange hair… so keep that engine running big boy. I’m in.”
Jungkook scrunches his nose thinking of the pleasure-pain cocktail he’s in for. But that soon turns to a smile as he leaps happily off the island remembering that he doesn’t really have to “control” himself, since he’ll still be getting Jimin all to himself for most of the next two weeks anyways. “Great…Now come.” he says lifting Jimin up with his arms under the elder’s thighs.
“I thought you were gonna let me wash dishes.” Jimin says, his hands automatically winding around his boyfriend’s neck.
“Nope. We’re going to the bedroom.”
“We just had food Jungkookie!”
“That was an hour ago, and no I wanna show you those clips. Let me show 18 year old Jungkook that he finally got what he wanted… to be with you.”
“I thought he wanted to be the biggest singer in the world.”
“Well that was me being way too ambitious. But to be honest, wanting to be with you was equally ambitious.”
“What nonsense.” Jimin chides, shaking his head, rubbing his favourite neck as its owner nudges open their bedroom door and walks in.
“Not nonsense. Facts. Now come.” He sets Jimin down near the bed and climbs onto the bed, pulling the laptop onto him, beckoning his boyfriend next to him.
Jimin starts crawling into bed and then stops by the laptop on Jungkook’s thighs. Jungkook pats the pillow next to him. “Sit sit.”
Jimin shakes his head and takes the laptop and places it on Jungkook’s other side.
“I thought I was gonna show...”
“Yeah yeah move” Jimin asks for space and then Jungkook realizes what he’s doing. Soon Jimin is comfortable between his legs, with his back to Jungkook‘s chest, his head right under Jungkook’s chin. He then takes the laptop and places it on himself.
“For the record, you already are the world’s greatest singer.”
“Aish Jiminssi I love you but please stop it.”
“No seriously, we all know you’re technically brilliant and you can easily pick up languages and sing it as fluently as if it were your own and your notes are always… “.His words get cut off as large hands cover his mouth. Jimin lets his tongue do the talking but Jungkook succeeds in keeping his hand in place until the biting starts, at which point he had to pull his hand off. “So, as I was saying… your notes are always sharp and you never crack. Baby I really do think you are the world’s greatest singer. ” Jimin says, earnestly looking up at his boyfriend, who’s trying to hide his smile behind mock annoyance.
“Aishhh okay whatever is gonna get you to shut up and watch this with me.”
“You do have other means of shutting me up you know.”
“Jiminah you need to decide whether you wanna do it or not cos you’ve been sending me a lot of mixed signals.”
“Aie no...I mean I’m sorry yes…but after this… let’s watch now”, Jimin chuckles, pulling Jungkook’s hands around him closer, settling in to watch.
Jimin feels an incredible fondness for their younger versions, as he watches them on a sofa, with Jimin leaning on Jungkook’s stomach and blushing at Jungkook’s kissy faces at the camera. He laughs at how adorable his younger self was. At how complicated yet so innocent he was. At how he found everything so amusing. At how he blushed at the smallest things Jungkook did. And then it dawns on him that he still does. Jungkook still manages to make him feel the same way he did when he was just this beautiful, kind and incredibly talented guy he had an impossible crush on. And now he’s his boyfriend and he’s here… with him.
Jungkook was with him.
That day had been one of Bangtan’s first shoot in the States. And now? Now, they’re so in demand they have to politely decline offers from places. Even in the midst of the pandemic their demand hasn’t diminished one bit and while he terribly misses ARMY he also realizes that he’s one of the very fortunate ones. Life has mostly been good to him. He shifts his head to the side to look up at his boyfriend who pauses the video and turns to him.
“What is it baby?”
Jimin leans up to give him a light kiss pulling back quickly to get back to the video.
“What was that for?” Jungkook asks, beaming.
“Just cause.” Jimin returns the smile, rubbing his boyfriend’s chin, turning back to the laptop to press play before he leans back and gets comfortable. Yes life has been good.