Work Text:
Jungkook felt light and serene. Spring break was there and he was finally able to go back to Busan and visit his family after god knows how long. He was happy in his childhood home, being pampered by his mom and spending time doing absolutely nothing. The weather was amazing, the cold winter finally over and some warmer weeks of spring lightening up the atmosphere. Cherry blossom season was finally there: the cherry blossom tree at the park near his house was in flower and it put a smile on his face every day when he opened up the blinds.
On the third day of his vacation, his mother convinced him to take a break from playing video games and to go and check out the cherry blossom festival. He hadn’t completely gone mad yet, so he decided to wait the evening, so at least the day visitors would be gone.
He usually went with his brother and father (his mom never the biggest fan of crowds), but this time he had to go alone; his father was abroad for work and his brother wasn’t in uni anymore so he wasn’t home for spring break.
Busan looked amazing. Even the walk to the festival itself was nice, seeing a cherry blossom tree every once in a while, and every time, there was a group of people at its feet, waiting patiently for their turn to take pictures: human beings were so predictable.
When he got to the entrance, he saw to his dismay (but not surprise), that it was still very crowded. Children laughing and screaming, people buying sweets from the street vendors and taking pictures.
He started walking down the main road, cooing internally at the cute children running around and enjoying the sight. It was breath-taking: the soft pink blossoms, contrasting with the brown of the bridge and the green of the weed growing at the bottom of the river. Sunset was also close, giving the road an even pinker light.
Then, he heard a voice of an angel calling his name. “Jungkookie?”
He looked around; a bit confused by all the people surrounding him. Then he found him. A blinding smile, sweet eyes and… pink hair. It only took a second for him to melt in a smile of his own and start dancing around the crowd to get to the other man.
“Jimin!” he said when he was finally standing in front of the shorter man. Before he could realize it, he felt soft hands on his back and arms around his shoulders and was surrounded by a sweet perfume. He hugged Jimin back and tried to stop himself from inhaling (or sniffing, you chose how to describe it) the other’s scent.
“how have you been hyung?” he asked when they retrieved from the hug.
“oh, well! I am teaching dance to kids now” Jimin said smiling. “what about you?”
“I am in uni, studying videography”
Jimin smiled even more at that. “that’s so cool!”
Jungkook smiled back, a bit awkward and overwhelmed by the crowd. A few seconds of silence followed.
Then Jimin asked “It’s a bit crowded, do you want to find somewhere a bit quieter so we can catch up?”
The youngest smiled, relieved that his hyung suggested it. he could barely hear him over the noise. He nodded and followed the other through the crowd of people. It was a bit awkward, neither of them really talked, not that it would even be possible with the incredible crowd, but still. When they glanced at each other they smiled, and then looked away. After a few minutes they turned right and got into a smaller road, with smaller trees and fewer people.
“so” Jungkook cleared his voice. “you’re still friend with Taehyung hyung I suppose”
Jimin laughed, sounding sweet and happy. “of course. TaeTae just majored in theatre, he’s been doing well.”
“do you still live together in Seoul?”
“yes, we’ve moved out of the dorms during the second year and had real luck with our apartment, so I don’t think we’ll leave it anytime soon”
Jungkook smiled. When they were younger he was kind of jealous of Jimin and Taehyung’s relationship. He met them in high school, when Jungkook was just 15 and they were 17. Jimin was his math tutor and they got really along, so he was introduced to tTehyung. Not that he didn’t know of them. There wasn’t a single person in their high school who didn’t know about those two. Jimin was the smartest of his class, danced like a feather and was kind to everyone (even small cranky freshmen with big noses), and Taehyung was just… unique. besides his good looks and extravagant style, he was also extremely smart in what he was interested in. And they were together. Always. But Jungkook was slowly becoming part of their exclusive group (or duo), was invited to have lunch with them, to study with them at the library, to go to their sleepovers. He knew that they had a special bond, (“soulmates”, they used to call themselves”), and it was fine for him. Jungkook was so happy, finally having really close friends he could rely on, and not only classmates he played sports with. They were older, always doting on him (even if sometimes it got annoying) and guiding him. Obviously, he was a bit jealous, because it’s simply impossible not to want that kind of bond with someone, but they were great friends.
When they graduated and moved to Seoul, Jungkook was heartbroken. His two favourite people were gone, and he was alone. They tried to keep in touch, but the younger was bitter and immature, and just couldn’t handle it anymore. They saw each other one more time after they left, the day before Christmas. Jungkook was awkward, he felt like he was third-wheeling, especially when they started talking about the small group of friends they made in Seoul. He had cut the evening short, saying that his mother wanted him to come home, and when a few days later they told him that they would spend Taehyung’s birthday in Seoul (and invited him to tag along) he threw the gift he had bought in the trash and stopped answering their texts.
Looking back, Jungkook was ashamed of his behaviour. He was petty and jealous, and he definitely shouldn’t have ghosted his two best friends of two years.
He was relieved that Jimin wasn’t angry at him, and that it wasn’t awkward (well, it was a bit awkward, but that was mostly because of him).
“but tell me about you, you’ve changed so much I barely recognized you” Jimin brought him out of his thoughts.
Jungkook laughed. “Well, I would hope so. It’s been 4 years” he said teasingly. “well, I’ve finished high school, it wasn’t a great experience but I’ve survived. I went to uni, as I said, I am studying photography and yeah…I’ve met some really cool hyungs” he added, not wanting Jimin to think that he had no friends (he spent 2 years with no real friend and liked to flex his friend group).
He glanced at Jimin, who was smiling fondly. “do you still live at home?” he asked.
Jungkook chuckled, a bit confused. “that would be quite hard, as I moved to Seoul two years ago”.
“What!? You’re in Seoul too?” Jimin asked, shocked.
“Yeah, I’ve moved two years and half ago, I am at Sungkyunkwan University” Jungkook turned his head and laughed at the other’s gaping mouth. “why are you so shocked!”
“i don’t know” Jimin admitted. “ I just… every time I thought about you, I pictured you in Busan, i don’t know why, looking back I remember you wanting to apply to universities in Seoul, but I guess I couldn’t imagine you living so near me” he said, sounding a bit vulnerable.
“Hey” Jungkook playfully said “don’t worry about it, it’s been a long time, I get it”
The older smiled, serious expression finally gone. “Let’s sit down for a while” he then said, hinting with his head towards the empty bench near the small bridge. They sat down, and Jungkook remembered something.
“I heard about your father hyung” he said. “how is he?”
Jimin’s smile faltered for the first time since the conversation started. “he’s… okay. It was really hard, I was in Seoul when it happened and hearing your father had a heart attack… it was terrible. It was also during my finals, so I had to study on the train and could only stay one day, then my dad literally forced me to go back to Seoul” he chuckled. “but he’s okay now, just watching his diet”
“I’m glad to hear that” Jungkook said. “I’ve always loved your father”
Jimin smiled at him. “I remember, he doted you so much. He liked you even more than Taehyung”
“that’s because Taehyung used to bring you back completely drunk and threw up on your doormat once, I was the boy that followed you anywhere” the younger laughed.
The other busted into a fit of giggles, falling onto Jungkook’s side and throwing his head back. Jungkook had to put a hand on his back to not let him fall behind.
“that’s true” he said while catching his breath. “and you were my innocent little friend with big doed eyes”
“Well, I don’t think he’ll like me now as well” the younger said.
Jimin looked at him, confused. “why do you say that?”
“Oh” Jungkook lifted the sleeve of his jacket, showing his tatted forearm. “parents don’t really love tattoos do they?”
The other gasped, raising his hand to move his arm and see the tattoos better. “they’re so cool! Wow, how long have you had those?” he asked in awe.
“I’ve started getting them since I moved to Seoul. Spent every single coin I had that I didn’t need for food or rent” he laughed. “Not a really smart financial decision, but I love them”
“they look really good Jungkookie” Jimin said, with a soft smile. “And my father would like you even if you have tattoos, you know he’s not that conservative” he giggled. “he absolutely loves my pink hair, shows pictures of it at the ajummas at work and defends me when someone critiques it”
Jimin’s father had always been a cool man in Jungkook’s opinion. Their home was always open for everyone, a warm meal always ready. The older was right, he wasn’t as conservative as most men his age, always supportive of his son’s love for dance, sexuality and expression. There was something about him, so warm and comforting, something that Jungkook would never forget.
So he chuckled. “you’re right, he’s not. And, your hair, it looks great. I remember you’ve always wanted to try dying it” he adds.
Jimin smiled. “thank you, Taehyung convinced me once I got hired at my job, and the kids went crazy, they love it” he laughed.
A few seconds of silence, then the older cleared his voice. “we should talk about what happened, shouldn’t we?” he asked, cautious.
Jungkook nodded, taking a big breath before starting to talk. “Looking back, it was stupid” then he adds “I was stupid, but you know, I’ve never had such close friends before, and I guess I was jealous that you were moving on and didn’t need me anymore. We were growing more distant, we talked once a week if we were lucky, and I just…” he glanced at Jimin, who was looking at him intensely, then he turned his eyes back to his feet, where he had been looking the whole time. “I didn’t want our friendship to become shallow like the ones I had before I guess” he shrugged his head “I preferred to lose you once and for all than to do it gradually”. He exhaled, feeling a bit lighter. “it’s stupid, i know, and I’m sorry”
He felt a hand on his shoulder, and Jimin looked at him with such a sweet expression, he couldn’t help but smile back. “It’s not stupid Jungkookie. I mean, it hurt a lot back then, but I know that it wasn’t easy for you back then, and I’m sorry you felt that way. I totally forgive you, and I’m sure Tae will too.”
Of course. Of course, Park Jimin would forgive him in a heartbeat. He’s always been too kind, too generous with people who didn’t deserve it. Jungkook felt like he didn’t deserve it.
“thank you hyung” he smiled. Then he puts a hand on his chest and laughs. “god, this thing has been on the back of my mind for years, I feel better now that I’ve apologized.”
Jimin smiled too, shuffling a bit closer to him. Their thighs were now touching. “I’m happy you feel better. And, just so you know, we weren’t outgrowing you. I mean yes, we were experiencing new things and maturing quickly, but you were still our best friend.” He said, now with teary eyes. “you were still my Jungkookie” he added, laughing a bit before looking at him with a soft smile.
“I’m sorry” Jungkook said, not knowing what to answer at that, and feeling even more like a shithead.
The older shakes his head, before saying. “I’m not saying that to make you feel worse, as I said I forgive you, but I want you to know that we, I didn’t feel that way at all.”
“Okay” Jungkook whispered.
“so” said Jimin while clearing his voice and shuffling on the bench, fixing his sweatshirt. “tell me about your cool hyungs, I want to know who took my place” he teased.
The younger threw his head back laughing. “none could ever replace you hyung, you must know that” and it was the truth. “but yeah, I met Hoseok hyung because we were roommates on my first year, he dances like you, but he does hip hop.” He giggled. “he even convinced me to take some classes with him, and turns out, I don’t totally suck”
Jimin gasps, offended. “I’VE ASKED YOU TO TAKE A CLASS WITH ME LIKE A THOUSAND TIMES!”. He said.
Jungkook laughed. “I know, but you did contemporary dance, and it’s not really my thing, even less when I was a cranky teenager.”
The older hummed. “Okay, I’ll let it slide, but when we’re back to Seoul we’re taking a class together” he affirmed.
The younger’s heart jumped inside his chest. Hearing Jimin talking like that, like they’ll keep in touch even once back in Seoul made him feel a certain way.
So he nodded “I can’t wait”.
“good” smiled Jimin. “now, what about Hoseok, other than he took my place as the cool dance hyung?”
“ah yeah, we were roommates the first year of university, and got really along, so he introduced me to Seokjin hyung, who basically adopted me” he laughed. “I think I went to have dinner at his place almost four times a week during first year. Then he introduced me to Namjoon hyung, who at the time was just a friend of his, but now they’ve been together for 2 years” Jungkook said fondly.
He omits the part in which the first time he met Namjoon, he basically had an existential crisis. His hyung was just so cool. He was incredibly smart, always ready to talk about whatever philosophical debate, but also reliable and silly, when he wanted to. Jungkook felt so shy every time he was around him, and for about a month he could barely talk to him without making a fool out of himself. When he talked to Hoseok about how he felt, and his hyung asked him if he had a crush on him, the younger had a mental breakdown. Did he like Namjoon? Did he like men? Looking back, he had always had silly crush on girls, always too shy to do anything about it. He never had to do anything about it, he excelled in most sports and ran faster than anyone in his year: that seemed enough for girls in elementary school, and surprisingly even in high school. Jungkook was always on the school’s sport team, and he excelled at everything he tried.
That seemed to make up for his shy attitude, and it built him a reputation as a cool and mysterious dude. It was kind of ridiculous actually. But then, at 19, he had never had girlfriend (if Minsoo in middle school didn’t count: they were together for a week and Jungkook hid from her every time he saw her in the hallway), and was absolutely confused about his sexuality.
So he started thinking, about the moment where Gyuri asked him out. She was the coolest girl in his class, definitely the smartest and funniest.
They were working at a project together at the library, and as they were saying goodbye, she asked him out. He said yes, obviously, and they started going out. It was nice, she was nice. They were together for a month, in which Jungkook lost his virginity and many other firsts. Then, Jungkook realized he missed Jimin; granted, they still saw each other every day at school and during the weekends, but now that he went on dates with Gyuri he couldn’t join his hyungs for their late trips to the convenience store. So he tried making plans with Jimin and Taehyung, spending less time with his girlfriend, who one day sat him down and asked him what was wrong. He was shocked, he thought their relationship was going pretty well, but then she asked him if he had feelings for Jimin, and he was baffled. He obviously denied, saying that it was ridiculous. She then told him that you were supposed to want to spend more time with your significant other than with your best friends, and that if he didn’t feel that way, then he probably didn’t really like her.
Jungkook didn’t know what to respond to that, because maybe she was right. Their relationship ended that night, but Gyuri was evidently much more mature than him and she agreed to stay friends.
But for 20-year-old Jungkook, it was much clearer: he did like Jimin, but he wasn’t ready to face what that meant at the time.
After a few months of knowing Namjoon, the crush went away, and turned into admiration. But at least Jungkook now knew a bit more about himself.
“that’s really nice Jungkookie” said the older with a smile. “I’m so happy you have a great people to support you”
--------
They talked for a while. The sun was now hiding behind the mountain, tinting everything of pink. Some of the cherry blossoms were starting to fall down, dancing a bit in the air before gracefully landing on the ground. Jungkook couldn’t tear his eyes away from Jimin. With the sunset light, and the atmosphere… he looked unreal honestly. He had always looked good, but it was obvious that he had bloomed and found himself since they last saw each other. His skin was glowing, tan, healthy and smooth, and his eyes… Jimin had always been very expressive, but as he hadn’t seen him in a while Jungkook couldn’t help but stare in admiration at the other’s eye smile.
And that hair. He was pretty sure the older would look like a model even bald, but that hair really did his beauty justice.
But Jungkook was well aware, it wasn’t just the other’s beauty. It was his aura, his way of moving, the gentleness in his way of talking. It was just Jimin, he was amazing and such a cutie, and Jungkook couldn’t remember how he could have gone so long without seeing him.
When he noticed that he had been spending a few minutes just staring at the other and not listening to a word he was saying and that Jimin was silent, he shook his head lightly, trying to bring himself out of his thoughts.
“how is Taehyung doing?” he asked, hoping that the older hadn’t noticed his absence.
At that, Jimin lit up. “he’s been doing really well. He’s working at a cafe until his acting career really picks up, but he’s done a few commercials, and I have no doubt he’ll land some important role soon!”
“does he still force you to go to parties with him?” Jungkook asked, remembering their high school years.
Jimin laughed. “I guess. There was a phase when we got to Seoul where I was the one who wanted to go out and get drunk every weekend, you know, the excitement of the big city. But once I noticed I went a little overboard I stopped for a while, focusing on my studies.” He said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “but Taehyung is still the social butterfly he was before, so we still go out sometimes. Oh, but he got a boyfriend!” he got excited.
“Oh my god, never thought I would live to see the day Kim Taehyung would get a boyfriend!” laughed Jungkook.
“Hey!” Jimin obviously defended his soulmate. “he wasn’t that bad!”
The younger scoffed. “he was absolutely oblivious! Literally half of our high school had a crush on him and he never noticed! He kept talking about the last person he had made out with that poor girl who had a crush on him since kindergarten!”
“well…” Jimin couldn’t say anything to that. “that’s true.. and I would like to say that he got better, but he did the same with Yoongi until he got his shit together” he giggled.
“Yoongi, the boyfriend?” asked Jungkook.
“Yes, I met him at uni for a project, he produced the song for my performance, we really got along so I introduced him to Tae. It was funny, he looked so cool and mysterious when he was talking to me, and two minutes with Tae and he was blushing and squirming on his seat. He was a goner from the first second.” He said fondly.
Jungkook could imagine that. Taehyung had always had the power to make blush the most intimidating people. Jimin too. “And Tae never noticed?”
“of course not! I obviously told him as soon as Yoongi-hyung had left, but he didn’t believe me. They spent two years pining over each other and talking to me, until our graduation night, they were both so drunk they ended up confessing to each other” Jimni laughed. “it was a mess, but they’re the best couple I’ve ever seen” “but now I have to third wheel all the time, it’s a bit sad” he pouted.
At that, Jungkook lit up. “so… no boyfriend?” he asked, crossing imaginary fingers in his head.
“Oh, no” and Jungkook hoped it wasn’t the reflection of the peachy light that the sunset was gifting them that he could see on the other’s cheeks. Jimin cleared his voice. “no boyfriend, no”. He then smiled and turned towards the youngest, asking
“what about you? Any…” he looked a bit hesitant “one?”
Oh. Jungkook was obviously very stupid, because he hadn’t realized that the Jimin would ask him the same thing. He felt his cheeks burning.
“No” he said, hating how awkward his voice sounded. “I’ve never been in a serious relationship, so…” he wanted to punch himself in the face. Hard. Why did he say that? He didn’t want Jimin to see him as a baby anymore, didn’t want him to think that he was immature.
Jimin brought him out of his thoughts. “No worries Jungkookie, you know i won’t judge you for that” he bumped his shoulder with a smile.
“I know hyung” the younger said. And it was the truth. Jimin had always been the last person ever to judge people.
a few seconds of silence followed. Jimin cleared his voice and fidgeted a bit with his fingers before speaking up.
“you know….” He said, before exhaling a bit shakily. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you this, it’s been so long” he laughed. “I guess I just wanted to take it off my chest and put it out there”.
“remember when you had your 18th birthday?”
Jungkook nodded.
“you were going out with Gyuri at the time. but you decided to spend your birthday with us, to drink for the first time with us. I was so happy and giddy before you came over, and I couldn’t understand why.” Jimin laughed once more, now looking at the few petals of cherry blossom that had already fallen down. “I remember that I couldn’t get my hair right, and after I played with it so much it became oily and I had to wash it again.” He giggles. “and I remember thinking “why am I acting like this? It’s just Jungkook and Taehyung, they’ve seen me in much worse state”. Then you came over, and you had your first drink, and you were such a sloppy drinker” he laughed fondly. “we put you to bed, and we laid next to you. You started cuddling me from behind, snuggling on my neck and whispering nonsense. And my heart felt like it was going to explode. It was that moment that I realized that I really liked you.”
Jungkook was speechless. “what?” he asked. “you’re kidding me right?”
The other looked a bit offended. “of course not”
“then why didn’t you say anything?”
Jimin laughed. “Jungkook, you were in a relationship. And after you two broke up you were a bit weird with me, I just couldn’t bring myself to tell you, I didn’t want to put our friendship at stake. I am not saying you were immature, but you were young, and I didn’t want to risk it.” He said.
The younger shook his head. “No, I get it.” He brought a hand to rub his face. “I’m just shocked honestly” he chuckled. “do you want to know why i got a bit distant after the breakup?” he asked. If Jimin had been so vulnerable with him, he felt it was unfair not to return the favour.
The other nodded.
“when i was with Gyuri i realized that I preferred spending time with you and Taehyung than with her. And I told her, that you two were my best friends and that you were always going to be my priority.” he glanced towards Jimin and noticed his stare. He laughed. “don’t look at me like that, I know that it was wrong now, but at that time I didn’t. anyway, after I told her that, she asked me if I liked you. Honestly, it took me really by surprise, I had never thought about it. So I said it wasn’t true, and in my head, it wasn’t. But I noticed how much time we used to spend together, and how touchy we were with each other. And that scared me so much, because if she could notice, anyone could have. And i wasn’t ready to face that, I couldn’t even think about the possibility of being not straight without having a panic attack. So I just put it in the back of my head and tried never thinking about it again, and at the same time, trying to put a bit of physical distance between us so that people wouldn’t bring up things I didn’t know about myself.”
“Jungkook…. I had no idea you were going through that. I am sorry, it must have been horrible.” Said Jimin, rubbing one of his small hands on the other’s arm. “and I get that, I know that when I met you it seemed like I had already figured it all out, but that wasn’t the truth. It comes with a lot of thoughts for all of us”. He added.
Jungkook nodded. “I know that now. During my gay crisis I thought about those years a lot and I accepted that I liked you.” He laughed. There, he had said it. To Jimin, who was looking at him like he had grown three heads.
“you liked me back?” he asked, unconvinced.
Jungkook laughed, even if a bit shy. “yes. I really didn’t know back then, but looking back it’s pretty obvious.” He said, squirming on his seat.
“Oh” Jimin said. “that’s… okay”
“okay?” the younger laughed at that answer.
“well, excuse me if I don’t know what to say when I find out that my historical crush likes me back!” Jimin affirmed. Then his eyes widened when he realized what he had just said. “liked me!” he rushed to add. “my historical crush used to like me back”.
Jungkook panicked for a few seconds. Did he really want to put himself out there? He had never been a confident person, especially for things like that. But what did he have to lose? They hadn’t spoken for years, and even if Jimin wouldn’t say yes they could still go back to being friends. So closed his eyes for a second, trying to calm himself down before saying “I still like you hyung”
Jimin froze. “we haven’t spoken in years Jungkookie…” he said, but he didn’t look very convinced. “I’ve changed a lot, you might not like the person I’ve become”. He was almost pouting.
Jungkook gave him a once over. That, he was good at. “I like what I see” he said with a smirk.
The older busted laughing and slapped his arm. “I’m talking about my personality, you pig.” He giggled. “See, you’re not my sweet innocent Jungkookie anymore, I might not like you either” he said teasingly.
“you’re right” admitted the younger. “we’ve both changed a lot and might not like each other anymore.”
Jimin’s eyes widened, once again. He looked disappointed, even if the other was agreeing with him. “right…” he said, not knowing what was supposed to happen now.
After a few seconds of silence, Jungkook broke the tension with a teasing smirk on his face.
“So, Jimin-ssi, I would like to get to know you better, would you like to go on a date with me?”