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“It’s nice that you two are still so close.”
Mother always says this when she comes to watch Jungkook’s competitions and sees Jimin there once again, on the sidelines with other spectators as Jungkook competes for first place on the slopes.
He doesn’t have the heart to correct her. See, Jimin and him used to be close. But they lost touch around the time Jimin turned twenty, leaving teenager Jungkook behind. Now Jimin’s just a winter sports reporter, and Jungkook is just a semi-pro snowboarder with something to prove.
They only talk when they have to.
That spark of friendship faded long ago.
“Hey.” The voice comes as soon as Jungkook exits a bathroom stall. It’s Jimin, who he keeps running into. This must be the third time in less than twenty-four hours. “Ready for tomorrow?”
Jungkook shrugs, turning on the tap. “Yeah, I guess.”
“You’ll spare me an interview after you win, won’t you?”
If Jungkook wins. He doesn’t know whether to glow from the assumption or be perturbed by it. “Yeah, ‘course. Anything for my favourite reporter.”
He shouldn’t have said that. Tried to cover up the awkwardness with a joke and now it’s even more awkward, because Jimin raises a perfect eyebrow his way. “Oh? Favourite, huh? Don’t I feel special.”
“Childhood friend privileges, I guess.”
Jungkook needs to put masking tape over his mouth. He cannot be trusted to speak.
“Cute,” Jimin says, eyes surprisingly soft.
“Whatever.” Jungkook wipes his hands after washing them. “Gotta go. Bye.”
“Hey—” Jimin’s hand shoots out. It looks small on Jungkook’s thick jacket. He pulls back almost immediately. “Sorry. Tomorrow… Um… Good luck. You’ll win. I know you will.”
It’s the most genuine thing Jungkook has heard from the reporter’s mouth in years and it does something to his insides. He mutters a quick “thanks” and then escapes from there.
He needs some fresh air.
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As Jimin predicted, Jungkook wins. His parents take him out to dinner to celebrate, and it’s there that Jimin corners him, notebook in hand. He’s got that same fluffy hat on his head, puffy jacket almost swallowing him whole.
If Jungkook wasn’t so tired from the competition, he might think Jimin was cute.
His parents tell him to hang out with him. They don’t seem to get that Jimin’s just a reporter looking for a story. They’re not friends anymore.
They haven’t been in a long time.
But his parents are gone before he can stop them, and it’s just him and Jimin in the lodge dining area, the fireplace crackling nearby.
Jimin purses his lips. “Shall we?”
Jungkook sighs. “Fine.”
It’s only when they’re seated on a couch near the fireplace that Jimin takes off his jacket. He sets it aside and flips open his notebook.
Here we go again.
At some point, he must get bored, no? Jungkook tells him the same things every time. There’s never anything new to add.
“I’m still twenty-five,” Jungkook says before Jimin can open his mouth. “And yeah, I dyed the tips of my hair but I guess you can see that. I do like it. I think I’ll keep it for a while.”
Jimin gives him a toothless smile. “You remember my questions from before.”
“Hard to forget.”
“Because I’m so unforgettable?”
“Because you ask the same ones every time.”
Jimin bites his lip, hand flat on top of the notebook. There’s something in his eyes Jungkook can’t quite define. “I knew you were still twenty-five. Wouldn’t have asked that one again.”
“Ah. Okay.”
“Your birthday’s not till September.”
“You did your research.”
Jimin blinks, looking down. “Sure.”
It’s silent, which is weird because usually Jimin fires questions at him at a rapid pace and the interview goes by in the blink of an eye. Now he says nothing.
“Did you maybe… want to know how I felt about today’s win?” Jungkook asks.
“Y- Yeah.” Jimin grips his pen tighter, and Jungkook speaks, giving the same generic response he always does. He’s not sure why Jimin bothers to interview him at this point, why he takes the time to scribble the words on paper.
“That’s pretty much it,” Jungkook says when he’s done.
Jimin hums, not looking up from his notes for a second, two, three. When he does finally meet his gaze, he shuts the notebook too. Jungkook thinks that’ll be the end of that.
But then Jimin says, “What if I have more questions for you, off the record?”
“Why?”
“What do you mean, why?”
“What would be the point in asking anything off the record?”
“Because I want to?” Jimin says it like it’s obvious.
“Okay, but why?” Jungkook doesn’t mean to sound mean but this is ridiculous. Is Jimin just trying to get an inside scoop on him? Is that what this is? He says it’s off the record but tomorrow will there be some headline out about him in some scandal?
Not that he has anything scandalous happening in his life, but still.
What could Jimin want, when he’s done nothing but use his name to advance his career?
Jimin doesn’t answer his question, just peers at him curiously before asking, “You dating anyone?”
Jungkook stands. He knew it. Jimin’s fishing for something and he’s not about to let his personal life known, even if it’s only to the people in the world of winter sports. “I have to go.”
Jimin blinks, standing with him. “So soon?”
“It’s been a long day.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“I don’t want to answer your question.”
“Off the record,” Jimin says again, as if that will make a difference.
“I’ll see you at the next competition.”
“Jungkook—”
“What, Jimin, what?” For all his insistence that he doesn’t have any grudges against Jimin, he sure feels something against him right now. Because Jimin’s the one who left him all those years ago and never kept in touch. He’s the one who got too busy to deal with young, dumb Jungkookie.
“There’s a running joke at the magazine I work at,” Jimin blurts.
He looks small in his fluffy hat. Or maybe that’s just Jungkook’s impression because it’s not often they stand face to face like this. He doesn’t even know when he grew taller than the other.
The words catch up to Jungkook a second later. “What?”
“That I talk to you the most but I’ve never actually written an article about you.”
Hasn’t he?
Wait.
Jungkook tries to think back, but he never actually read what Jimin wrote, thought it would be too hard, thinking how once upon a time that man was a boy who he would’ve loved to hold hands with someday.
“I miss you,” Jimin says, then shrugs like it doesn’t matter; like he’s pretending it doesn’t matter.
“What are you… Why are you…”
“Didn’t think I had a right to talk to you after I left you. I know it was my fault we grew distant. I let time pass and then it was too late.”
Well. He’s not wrong. But suddenly Jungkook can’t help but think how he could have reached out too. Sure, he had at first, a few times until it felt like something had faded, but he chose to give up too.
“This gave me an excuse,” Jimin says, lifting his notebook. His expression is crestfallen. “It’s too late though, isn’t it?”
What does that even mean?
All this time, Jungkook thought Jimin was using their old friendship to help his career. The fact he might have other reasons for talking to him hadn’t even crossed his mind. Jimin covered it up well.
And Jungkook wanted an excuse to hate him.
Too late?
What does that mean, if they’re both here right now?
No, he wants to say.
It’s not too late.
But it sounds cheesy in his head, and he’s not quite ready to be that way with Jimin yet.
That doesn’t mean he doesn’t hope one day he will be.
“I don’t know about too late,” Jungkook says now, tentatively, “but I could use some hot chocolate? If you’d like to join me for some.”
Jimin starts to smile. “You did always love hot chocolate.”
“So did you. You liked to steal my marshmallows.”
“You remember.”
“I couldn’t forget you if I tried.”
Cheesy. Fuck it. He wants to be cheesy with Jimin, starting right now. Jungkook returns the smile.
“For the record, it’s not too late,” he says.
“No?”
“No.”
“I’m glad.” Jimin giggles. He looks beautiful in the firelight; Jungkook can’t stop looking. “Let’s go get that hot chocolate for you, Jungkookie.”
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When all is said and done, perhaps Jungkook should have noticed that Jimin wanted more than just an interview with him. But like he said to him that night they really reconnected, it’s not too late.
They prove it years down the line, where they’ve grown closer, and Jungkook has finally managed to hold that boy’s hand, among other things.
“Off the record,” Jimin says one of the many evenings they spend together in the house that they both own, “I love you.”
Jungkook nuzzles against Jimin’s hair. “I love you too.”