Archive of Our Own

summer was coming to an end.

in a few days jungkook would wake up to the sound of his alarm blaring at seven in the morning, announcing it was time to get up and face the world with very minimal hours of sleep tucked in noticeably under his eyes.

jungkook wasn't very excited for that, however he was excited (even though he hated to admit) for jimin to finally arrive from his extensive trip to california. they hadn't seen each other face to face since the first week of summer, but through out the majority of summer they constantly texted and informed each other of what was happening in their vacation.

they were best friends, so of course jungkook missed him just a little. they always hung out together when they had the chance and made each other's day a little bit better by playing video games or just talking. it was weird for them not to be attached to the hip, so it was safe to say jungkook's summer without jimin was pretty fucking boring. he mopped around his house with four day old pajamas and ate cereal through out summer vacation. it definitely didn't help that the majority of his friends were busy with volunteering work or out of state.

even though it meant a couple days left of summer jungkook was impatiently waiting for jimin's arrival back from california. maybe finally he'd get out of his extreme boredom.

he continuously checked his phone for any text from jimin. at one point he considered driving over to his house and waiting there, but he knew jimin would never let that down.

so he waited for jimin to text him.

the day was nearing itself to eight at night with no text from his best friend. it was safe to assume that jimin was finally home, therefore he gambled the thought of texting first (he'd probably sound desperate to meet up, but at this point he had little to no dignity).

right when he was about to press send to his message a knock interrupted his actions. jungkook instantly hopped to his feet, heading straight to the door. he rushed down the stairs expecting to see his best friend. he ignored the little rush of excitement that settled itself deep in his stomach.

jungkook wasted no time opening the door, he didn't even peak through the hole (his mom would have been angry at him for not being cautious, but to be honest jungkook didn't really care).

when he finally opened the door he was greeted with someone he almost didn't recognize. he retaliated by moving a step backwards as he checked his best friend out with no shame.

jimin had a dazzling smile and suddenly jungkook felt self conscious of his choice of clothing (grey sweatpants and his superduperkyle t-shirt. jungkook get yourself together!).

"kookie!"

jungkook gave a forceful smile at his best friend. he was uncomfortably staring at jimin for quite some time.

his best friend definitely looked different from before. he grew a little taller and gained weight in all the right places (don't look at his thighs. don't look at his thighs. don't look--). he also managed to get a haircut, he left the justin bieber hairstyle and transitioned to parting his brown hair. his skin was a pigment darker than before, and it kind of glistened with the florescent lighting. jungkook was oddly entranced by his new appearance.

oh no, his best friend looked hot and it was weird to admit because jungkook knew he was straight. he had a few ex girlfriends as proof of his sexuality. he also had a tiny little folder in his computer filled with inappropriate videos of the opposite sex when he felt a little wild as evidence too. he knew he was straight.

he also knew that it was just downright disgusting to check out your best friend who you've known for nearly six years, and had never liked romantically before (ew. just thinking about liking jimin, the one who often snorted when laughing was enough for him to wrinkle his nose). but somehow jimin decided to become oddly attractive in jungkook's eyes for some reason, it was kind of pissing jungkook off. he was oddly terrified by this sudden change of emotions, he wasn't sure whether to be concerned or not.

anyways, right now was not the time to have a sexuality crisis (it was never the time to have a sexuality crisis when your parents believed a doctor could fix your sexuality).

his best friend stood there patiently waiting for jungkook to regain himself. and maybe just maybe have the decency to say something welcoming to his best friend whom he hadn't seen in years (it was just a few months but to both of them it felt like years apart).

jimin's grin didn't waver, not even when jungkook rudely gestured for him to step in. jungkook slapped himself in his mind for being so rude. to be fair though, he always had the habit of coming off impolite in the worst of times. he was positive jimin was used to his constipated social skills, so he didn't spare it any other thought.

"i was gonna text you, but surprising you is so much better," jimin let himself fall onto the leather sofa, as if he didn't leave for three months to los angeles. he made himself comfortable, like he was back at his place.

jungkook could almost taste the familiarity on the tip of his tongue, regulating memories of both of them before jimin left. he always had a feeling that everything would change right after jimin came back from california. maybe jimin would be a weird surfer guy who occasionally said "gnarly dude," and had a passion for in n out, or he'd come back sporting blond hair and maybe had an addiction towards weed (okay, now jungkook was going too far. was that even an average california white dude stereotype?). jungkook didn't expect jimin to come back looking like he belonged in one of taehyung's favorite korean pop bands.

jungkook quickly regained his composure and sat on the other side of the sofa from jimin. he awkwardly made eye contact with his best friend who smiled sweetly, probably glad to be home at last. the thought made jungkook's expression slightly soften.

jungkook looked away biting the inside of his cheek then saying, "you shoulda texted me."

he acknowledged jungkook's comment by shrugging. he then wiggled around until he could finally position himself comfortably. "how was your summer? you never told me anything," his whole attention was directly on jungkook.

it put the younger on edge knowing that jimin was patiently awaiting his answer. for the first time in what seemed like months he was strangely self conscious, not only of his choice of clothes, but of his looks. he hated to be that person, but he always thought he was the most attractive one out of the two. jimin was always the short sophomore (now junior), who had endearing chubby cheeks with black hair that often poked his eyes. he was a small nerd that caught the attention of cute small girls and senior boys (yes boys, jimin always blushed when a senior guy complimented him. jungkook always thought that was weird and screamed pedophilia).

"it was okay, i guess," jungkook shrugged lamely, "nothing interesting happened."

"was it because i wasn't here?" jimin playfully asked. he giggled and shifted closer to jungkook. he leaned his head on jungkook's shoulder. the younger instantly grew tense from the bold action, but then relaxed after remembering how affectionate jimin was.

jungkook rolled his eyes. he decided to ignore his comment, "what about you?"

"it was fun! i went to six flags, and disneyland. i was pretty much out all summer," jimin explained, "so much has happened you won't believe it!"

he then proceeded to list the interesting things that happened during his break. jungkook was only listening half of the time.

✨

school was only four days ahead. jungkook tried to shove the thought of school out of his mind every time it surfaced even a little. he wasn't excited for junior year, just thinking about college applications and sats made him want to curl into a ball and die.

what also made him feel the exact same way was jimin. not only would he not shut up about how amazing california was, but he adapted to wearing tight shorts.

jungkook often felt like a pervert for his eyes occasionally wondering down his oily tan legs. he told himself it was because he wasn't used to seeing jimin with shorts (not because they happened to be oddly appealing, and jungkook- for some reason- was trying to capture the image by memory).

he didn't convince himself though, not when his gaze lingered down at jimin's plump pink lips covered in strawberry ice cream. jimin let his tongue glide down his lips licking off the excessive ice cream. jimin happily continued his conversation while jungkook dazed off, completely entranced by his actions. he wondered whether he was doing it on purpose or not. probably not, jimin was as innocent as any soon-to-be junior could be. he still blushed at the mentions of sex.

he remembered the conversation, his group of friends had amongst themselves during lunch.

jungkook was resting his head on his hand lazily listening to hoseok ramble on about different topics until it switched to sexual relationships.

"she was a virgin, but i can guarantee you she didn't act like one," hoseok pointed at each and every boy in their group.

jungkook rolled his eyes at hoseok's immature behavior. he managed to notice jimin's uncomfortable shift at the topic. jungkook's interest suddenly perked. it was unbelievable how innocent jimin could be when it came to that stuff.

"man, one of these days you're gonna land a girl into a teen parent program for being a dumbass. then whatchu gonna do, huh?" jinyoung scowled at hoseok.

"i ain't gonna leave her side that's what i'mma do. fucked up that people leave them like that," hoseok clicked his tongue and threw jinyoung a glare, "besides i wasn't forced to take health for me not to learn to use a fucking condom."

jungkook watched as jimin awkwardly looked around the cafeteria, trying to distract himself. the younger found it amusing.

yoongi then snorted, "and here i thought your method was pulling out. condoms are like ninety-nine percent effective aren't they?"

it was hoseok's time to scowl, "why you guys talking like you're all virgins and disapprove of sex? you guys into 'abstinence' and putting your dick in your pants now? did i miss the memo?"

jimin squirmed in his seat, evidently uncomfortable, but not enough for their group to acknowledge. jungkook considered putting an end to the conversation, but decided against it for the pleasure of seeing jimin all tense and awkward.

jimin was so innocent it almost hurt jungkook's heart.

"kookie? kookie, are you listening?" jimin asked raising an eyebrow.

jungkook quickly snapped out of it. he realized his ice cream had started to melt in his hand.

he frowned, slightly embarrassed of being caught, "i was listening," jungkook mumbled. he wiped his hand covered in oreo ice cream. he then scrunched his nose in disgust. his hand felt sticky from the dessert, suddenly getting ice cream didn't seem such a good idea as before.

"are you okay?" jimin's voice was laced with concern. he licked his ice cream while holding eye contact with jungkook.

jungkook could have sworn it was on purpose. he uncomfortably shifted in his seat. he tried not to let his eyes wonder on jimin's mouth. he dropped his gaze and grumbled a curt "i'm fine."

"is it awkward that we haven't seen each other?" jimin sounded unsure of himself, like he just asked jungkook if he was pretty or not (he was, but jungkook wasn't ready to admit that).

jungkook could already imagine the thoughts running through jimin's brain, something like: "i should have never gone to the trip," and "i'm such a bad friend," and so on.

"no, i'm just distracted."

"i can always stop talking about california. we can talk about something else like have you seen your class schedule--?"

"let's not talk about school," jungkook rudely interrupted. he was already getting exhausted by this new change of topic.

jimin held a hand up in surrender, "okay, okay. have you been going to boxing?"

jungkook shrugged uninterested. he quickly licked at his dessert so it wouldn't melt down his hand again.

boxing had always been a huge hobby of his, but lately it'd been pretty boring. he'd excel on all his matches, resulting on everything feeling like a routine. he'd been boxing since he was thirteen, and he knew he was very good at it. he just needed a change, maybe an actual challenge.

"i start practicing next week."

"nice! you know how you always tell me to join something after school?" jimin asked, he bit into his ice cream cone not once looking up from the cone.

jungkook's eyebrow rose.

jimin was never one to enjoy any of the sports the school offered, so jungkook was curious as to what changed his mind. don't get him wrong though, jimin was athletic; he enjoyed dancing, and often had dancing competitions, but it was only during the summer. he was actually one of the best dancers in their school along with hoseok.

"what about it?" jungkook asked.

"i know this is going back to the california thing, but i was hanging out with my cousin and she's a cheerleader, and she started showing me some moves and i ended up liking it. i'm gonna join cheerleading this year!" jimin popped the last bit of ice cream cone into his mouth. he awaited jungkook's reaction with hopeful eyes.

jungkook abrubtly stopped himself from taking a lick of his dessert. a thousand thoughts flashed into his mind, but there was one that engraved itself onto his mind: jimin in a skirt. he knew it was a stupid (and gay! really gay, he should be panicking) thought, male cheerleaders were given pants not skirts, but it didn't stop from his brain imagining jimin in a mini skirt reciting chants with pompoms.

a blush creeped its way up the roses of his cheeks. it was a hot day, but the ice cream shop had a relatively cool temperature. it didn't stop from his body feeling extremely warm due to his peverted thoughts.

he tried to shove the thoughts away. it wasn't normal to think of your best friend that way, especially when they're the same sex as you! jungkook was straight. jungkook was straight. jungkook was—

"are you okay?" jimin asked in concern. he waved his hand in front of jungkook. he had a slight frown on his face. jimin looked a little crushed at jungkook's unexpected reaction.

jungkook quickly snapped out of his thoughts, "yeah, i was just shocked. are you sure you wanna do that?" jungkook looked unsure for jimin. he heard various people talk rudely about male cheerleaders, which was childish. he knew jimin couldn't handle even the slightest of criticism.

jimin furrowed his eyebrows, "is it a problem?" jimin's tone revealed he was ready to argue with jungkook if he disagreed with his decision.

"no!" jungkook answered hotly. he sighed to himself, "it's just shocking... i'm all up for you joining something after school, but why cheerleading?"

jimin blinked at him for a few seconds. he looked slightly offended, "my cousin showed me some moves and i liked it."

jungkook slowly nodded in awkwardness. he decided to finish his ice cream before responding. "nice," he lamely said.

jimin giggled at him, "i thought you were gonna try to convince me not to."

"nah."

in jungkook's opinion he wasn't that fond in jimin becoming a cheerleader, but to be fair when jungkook began boxing jimin wasn't fond of it either, jungkook continued anyways. he had a passion for punching a punching bag, and jimin wasn't going to stop him. jungkook could see the same determination he had in jimin's eyes. jungkook relaxed a bit, he was glad jimin finally found something he was a hundred percent positive in, even when jungkook was a little hesitant about it.

jungkook was weary of what people would say about jimin being a cheerleader, and typically people talking shit never bothered him. but when it came to jimin that was a different story. jungkook would fight anyone who was willing to talk shit about his best friend. this was a proven fact, back in freshmen year someone decided to insult jimin in front of jungkook. it ended with bruises on his body and face, but the guy he fought was way worse (all thanks to his skills in fighting).

that wasn't the only thing that bothered jungkook though. a little part of him didn't mind jimin becoming a cheerleader, it actually encouraged jimin, which was why it was a problem. jungkook was curious, would jimin do the splits? his thoughts trailed off to inappropriate areas that had him scrunching his nose and nearly gagging for being so disgusting, also it was just downright wrong to be thinking of your best friend like that.

jungkook was straight, but it was getting harder and harder to convince himself that he was, especially when he just thought of his best friend in a skirt. okay, so maybe he was a little gay? it's not like he wanted to date jimin or anything. he was simply a little curious! there was nothing wrong with thinking his best friend was attractive!

he huffed at his unbelievable disclosure.

jimin looked up with wide eyes, "did you say something?"

"no," jungkook quickly replied. he let his stare down, looking more suspicious than before.

jimin looked at jungkook in interest, "okay..." he let the word drag out longer than it should have. he seemed somewhat unconvinced.

jungkook frowned, searching for something to say, "you gonna do cheerleading competitions?"

jimin's face lit up in excitement, and jungkook tried not to gamble too much on the thought of making jimin excited. "i hope so! that would be really cool!"

jungkook acknowledged his reply by nodding his head in encouragement.

jungkook then randomly stood up from his chair, he wasn't sure where the conversation would go after that, so he decided to end it. he didn't have the energy to continue the conversation until jimin as a cheerleader was engraved into his mind.

he ignored the sudden alarm in his head that he was being an asshole again. who just stood up in the middle of a conversation? an asshole that's who.

he told himself he was always an asshole, and jimin should be used to it by now.

✨

the very last day of summer vacation came quicker than anticipated. it was a tradition to enjoy the last day outside instead of being stuck in bed. jimin made up this tradition due to jungkook having the habit staying home alone in his bedroom until someone finally dragged him out of his room, and into the sun where he could interact with people.

jimin was always one for outdoor activities such as camping, picnics, hiking, and basically anything that included the sun and unbearable weather. jungkook often wondered why jimin wasn't known in their school since he was extremely social and constantly volunteered in after school activities (and by that jungkook meant activities that weren't sport related, but more poster making for raising awareness on upcoming events happening in their school).

it was always a mystery, like how jungkook became popular when his social skills were as good as basically anything with no social skills. jungkook didn't like to admit it, but he always thought it was because he was slightly more attractive than soft, insecure jimin with black hair that often poked his eyes. that was jimin before california, so jungkook couldn't help but wonder how jimin would be treated now? would he still be the same old jimin who people never seemed to pay attention to? or would he finally get attention?

jungkook's mind trailed off to jackie, one of the popular girls at his school, he curiously asked himself if  jackie would finally learn jimin's name instead of calling him 'hey you.' would her interest perk at jimin's different appearance?

he also wondered if jimin would ever leave him over other friends, maybe better friends? he suddenly felt a slight squeeze in the bottom of his stomach at the thought of jimin ever leaving him. it was hard to let go of someone who you've been best friends with for such a long time.

jungkook decided to leave those thoughts for another time (or hopefully never think about them again). he decided to finally pay attention to jimin who had gotten up from his seat right beside him.

since the weather wasn't as intensely hot as it was last week both jungkook and jimin's family decided it was a great idea to have a party outside. this resulted in jimin inviting their friends over and a volleyball net situated in the park.

at first jungkook was a little weary of inviting their friends over to the party, because of their inappropriate language, but then he saw how excited jimin was to finally see his friends and suddenly all those worries dissolved (kind of, he was still worried about how he wasn't worried).

jungkook didn't even realize he was nodding to whatever jimin was talking about until his best friend stood in front of him with his hands on his hips, and a huge grin on his face. the wind blew warm air, causing jimin's hair to perk up in a silly way. jungkook was looking up at jimin from his position on the ground with amusement on his face, he was curious as to what he agreed to.

"what are you doing?" jungkook asked through the loud sounds of their friends playing volleyball. he decided to ignore their competitive game for jimin.

"did you really not hear what i said or are you just acting stupid?" jimin whined. he had a playful pout on his face.

"i heard what you said," jungkook quickly responded. a smile tugged the corners of his lips. he watched his best friend shift his weight to one leg.

jimin instantly knew he was lying, it was like a talent of his to detect lies from jungkook. it was truly a curse in jungkook's opinion.

jimin rolled his eyes, "just watch!"

jungkook raised an eyebrow in curiosity. he watched jimin inhale to get ready for whatever he was going to do. jimin then proceeded to prepare himself by bending, he then quickly did a back handspring, landing perfectly on his feet.

he looked at jungkook for approval.

jungkook was honestly impressed and proud to know jimin motivated himself to learn cheerleader moves.

"i liked that jimin," jungkook grinned.

jimin laughed, his eyes turning into the little half moons they had always turned into. it just felt different this time.

jimin sat down right beside jungkook, not leaving any room beside them, but he was used to jimin's craving for skinship so he didn't gamble on it too much.

he let himself relax beside jimin. he told himself that nothing had changed except for jimin's appearance, nothing had changed except for jimin's appearance, nothing had changed except for jimin's--

"hey, guys! come play instead of watching us," taehyung yelled with the volleyball in one hand and his other waving excitedly.

"i know we look good glistening in the sun, but daddy can't be the only one working here," hoseok said pointing at his sweating self.

yoongi scoffed from across the net. honestly, jungkook was surprised he could give an attitude when he looked so exhausted from volleyball. "even when there's kids around you can't control your freaking--" translation: fucking, "mouth."

"i'm sure the kids are okay with it, right jimin and jungkook?" hoseok asked with an innocent smile on his face. he knew very well yoongi didn't mean jungkook and jimin, but the toddlers bouncing around in the playground.

jungkook rolled his eyes. he got up from his seat, jimin quickly following behind. they both went on opposite teams.

the sun was burning the back of jungkook's head and back. he blamed himself for wearing his black internet t-shirt. he considered taking it off, but that would be weird.

"there you go," hoseok began, "now that's what daddy's talking about."

yoongi shot him a disgusted look.

tae laughed before serving the ball to the other side of the net (jungkook's side).

jungkook got ready as he saw the ball come right at him. he managed to get it to the other side. so far so good, however the thought didn't last long when his eyes managed to catch the exact time jimin's thighs flexed, because of those semi little shorts he was wearing. his brain shut down for a second, it was enough for him not to notice the volleyball yet again coming his way. once he did notice it was too late, the ball smacked him right on the face.

he was in such shock it managed to numb the pain by a little.

"kookie are you okay?" jimin asked. there was worry hidden in his tone. jungkook wanted to laugh out of embarrassment. is that what he got for eyeing his best friend like a pervert? if so, then he definitely deserved it.

yoongi managed to take a look at his face, "you'll be fine. just go sit down. you obviously can't play volleyball," yoongi frowned in annoyance.

jungkook wanted to protest but thought against it when he heard jimin agree with what yoongi said.

he also managed to hear, "guess a baby can't ever be equipped for a big man's job," from hoseok.

jungkook wanted to tell hoseok he wasn't funny, but jinyoung beat him to it.

he grumpily sat down in one of the empty spots in the table. everyone was either walking around the park or playing volleyball which left jungkook mostly alone.

he managed to get himself comfortable by enjoying a bag of chips and a soda. he watched the volleyball game, trying his very best not to let his eyes linger on jimin longer than they should.

he was so engrossed in his thoughts he didn't notice someone settling themselves right beside him, until of course they voiced themselves. "did they like shun you or something?"

"huh?" jungkook looked up to see the girl jinyoung had arrived with. he mentioned her name, but jungkook couldn't remember and honestly he didn't seem to care.

"did they shun you?"

"they kicked me out of the game," jungkook shrugged looking back at his friends still playing volleyball. he managed to catch the very moment jimin started to roar due to the energy he was emitting. jungkook playfully scoffed.

"were you really that bad that they had to kick you out?" she laughed.

jungkook looked back at her. he took the time to notice her pretty features. she had golden skin, and light brown curls bouncing on her shoulders. jungkook wasn't an idiot, he knew she was beautiful. "i guess so..." was all he could manage to say. he really wasn't interested in talking, even though she was attractive. yet she couldn't take the hint. they talked for the majority of their friends playing volleyball.

it reached to the point where the girl (whom to this day jungkook still couldn't remember her name) was rather close to jungkook. their thighs touched and she was brave enough to have a hand on his thigh.

jungkook thought it was rude to reject her at this point so he pretended it wasn't a big deal, instead he watched jimin clap for taehyung who helped their team win a point. he looked gorgeous, shinning with sweat and his white shirt sticking to his chest. he was interrupted from his thoughts when the girl squeezed his thigh. he glanced at her, trying to figure out her intention.

it dawned to him what she wanted from him. he was a little reluctant, but after seeing jimin look sinful he decided that maybe her intentions weren't that bad.

therefore he leaned in until they were centimeter away. she instantly closed the little space they had and melded their lips together into a warm kiss. it was like any other kiss jungkook had received, it was bland and had nothing special for jungkook to keep, but it did the job to settle him. he let his hand touch her cheek and bring her closer.

he told himself he liked girls. he told himself he was straight, and being gay was a one way ticket to the doctors.

he didn't notice the sudden change of atmosphere once jimin's eyes landed on jungkook.

✨

his alarm announced a new day, and jungkook absolutely dreaded the day. he laid in bed for a good five minutes wondering how hectic junior year was going to be. he wasn't anticipating the endless homework, or the constant talk about college applications. jungkook didn't like to think much about his future, considering he had nothing in mind on what he wanted to do in the future (all the things he wanted to do were things his parents would not approve of).

he groaned into his pillow like some teen in a high school movie (that probably starred a white actor who wasn't very excited for the first day of school and for the first time-- well okay not the first time because jungkook had groaned multiple times into his pillow-- in his life he could relate to a white kid).

he took another five minutes wondering if he could skip, but he knew jimin would be disappointed in him (and his parents of course, he didn't really care about them though).

after an hour and a half of slow actions and an irritable jungkook later he finally arrived to school.

surprisingly jimin had not texted him where he'd be, so jungkook couldn't look for him and compare schedules.

the very first thing that happened once jungkook arrived to his locker was a group of girls gathered around him. they greeted him in excitement, "how was your summer, jungkook?" one of them asked.

jungkook tried not to be bothered by how close they were to his personal space, "it was fine."

he managed to open his locker while the girls talked about how they missed him, "when's boxing season, jungkook?" there seemed to be a leader in the group who continuously asked for his attention.

"in a few days," he monotonously said. he really wasn't in the mood to socialize with girls (there was a little voice in his head that said: because of his crisis). it irritated him how energetic they seemed at eight in the morning.

after he finally warded them off, he peacefully arrived to his first period class. he noticed jimin sitting next to jackson, one of namjoon's close friends.

one look at jimin and jungkook instantly knew something was up. they weren't best friends for no reason. he could feel aggravation coming from jimin the moment they held eye contact and jimin broke it by looking away. there was no greeting, no curiousness on what classes they had together, no anything.

jungkook took a deep breath. he made his way to sit on the other side of jimin.

he frowned, trying to remember what he must of done to piss jimin off. did he say something offensive yesterday?

jungkook dug into his pocket in search of his phone. he noticed he didn't have any messages from jimin, so obviously he wasn't angry because jungkook didn't reply to him. so, what did he do?

he didn't want jimin to act salty around him, therefore he decided to apologize for whatever he did after class ended.

throughout the whole period he wondered what he must have done to anger jimin.

the whole class period was wasted introducing each other and explaining the class syllabus. jungkook was glad the teacher didn't assign any homework.

the bell rang and jimin sprung up, "wait, jimin!" jungkook almost yelled it out. jimin slowed down, then he stopped next the exit. he patiently waited for jungkook to put his papers into his backpack.

once they were both out of class and into the crowded halls, "is there something wrong?" jungkook asked

jimin looked up at jungkook. he seemed to be examining jungkook, before sighing, "no, nothing."

"are you mad at me?"

"no, i was just being stupid. forget about it," jimin mumbled. he proceeded to walk, jungkook was following right behind, "what's your schedule?"

while jungkook took his folded schedule from his pocket he saw a senior walk in front of them with a cocky smirk on his face. he bumped into jimin. he said a sorry, and evidentially laid his hand on jimin's ass, squeezing it. jimin jumped away from the hand in discomfort.

"what the fuck!" jungkook growled. he smacked the guys arm out of the way ready to kick his ass.

the senior quickly left the scene with a grin on his face.

jungkook was just about to follow the senior, however jimin reached for his wrist, "it's okay, jungkook," he clearly looked bothered and humiliated.

this made jungkook even more furious, "he just fucking harassed you!" he yelled loudly enough to cause attention.

there was a slight blush of embarrassment on the apples of jimin's cheeks, "i know," he wasn't looking jungkook in the eye.

suddenly it dawned to jungkook, why jimin wasn't shocked or angry, "this has happened before?" his voice was now softer. he had a strong feeling to protect jimin, prevent it all from happening again. he didn't want anyone to land a hand on jimin. a little voice in his head said 'i wonder why?'

"second time today," jimin finally looked up with a tight smile.

jungkook's hands turned into fists, he was so fucking pissed. "why didn't you do anything?" he asked through gritted teeth. the only thing holding him back from beating the shit out of the grabby senior was the uncomfortable state jimin was in.

jimin stared at jungkook for quite a few moments, trying to gauge his thoughts, "because it doesn't matter."

jungkook was indignant at the harassment along with jimin's reaction. he took a deep breath trying to calm himself, he knew if he didn't then jimin wouldn't be too happy at the results. he was just so shocked that someone would dare to be so bold for a laugh. jungkook just didn't understand how people could be so rude.

the need to protect jimin grew stronger. he realized how vulnerable and naive jimin was, he'd let even the most evil person go. he just never understood why jimin was so forgiving. the elder always said because he couldn't hold a grudge for long. they were exact opposites.

his thoughts were interrupted by the bell ringing, it signaled one more minute until class started.

"let me see your schedule," jimin put a hand out. jungkook gave him the paper.

it took two periods before jungkook finally had a class with jimin.

he headed to spanish class already exhausted. he was so ready to go home and play video games.

he reached spanish class with two minutes to spare. he saw jimin sitting in the back with a guy he'd seen before but never bothered to learn his name.

jimin acknowledged him by waving, "jungkook! this is bobby," he introduced them. it was obvious he was excited.

jungkook gave a nod as a greeting. he was always awkward in first impressions. bobby gave him a small smile before directing himself to jimin. jungkook could sense something was going on between the two, it irked jungkook for some reason (he knew the reason why, but he wouldn't let himself admit it). he tried to ignore the two, he really didn't want to know what was going on with the two (read: he really, really wanted to know). therefore he didn't (read: tried not to) eavesdrop on their conversation.

the rest of the period went uneventfully (if you don't count the conversation going on between bobby and jimin). the teacher requested them to say at least one word they knew in spanish to each other at the end of class.

jimin looked at both jungkook and bobby, "hola, como estas?" he seemed satisfied. he was always an overachiever.

"bien," jungkook responded with not much amusement.

bobby, however did seem amused, "bonito," he said lightly jabbing his finger onto jimin's arm. jungkook felt like he was missing something by the way jimin grinned at bobby with a slight blush on his face.

jungkook didn't want to jump to any assumptions though (but he almost did).

✨

"c'mon, jeon! faster than that! harder!" his coach encouraged. he held onto the punching bag as jungkook let out puffs of breath out. he jabbed multiple times until he hit it with a fast cross, he then proceeded to end it with a jab. his coach gave a proud cackle, "now that's the jeon i know! keep going, we ain't done yet."

he kept going for another three minutes until he was sure his arms were going to fall off from exhaustion. he continued punching though.

finally when the bell rang signaling the three minutes were up, jungkook jumped around the bag in order to catch his breath. he let out deep pants. he could feel his shirt stick to his skin and the sweat matte his hair onto his forehead and slowly trickle down his temple.

"move with the bag jeon. remember, keep your hands up as much as possible." jungkook resisted the urge to roll his eyes. he wasn't sure why the coach even bothered to say it. "i know you've heard this a thousand times, but you always gotta remember. you're doing good, but there's always a lot to learn, son."

the coach pat his back while jungkook took a big gulp of water from his bottle. he decided not to answer him, but acknowledge it by grunting. it was his way of bidding goodbye to his coach as he disappeared into his office right across the gym.

he left jungkook alone in the gym. jungkook took a few minutes to finally collect himself. he quickly glanced at his phone that was discarded on the bench. he noticed a text from jimin.

he was never so interested in what jimin had to tell him, but the quick swipe right to reveal the message told him otherwise now. he sat down and read the text he received from his best friend.

jimin 7:48pm
come have dinner with us!

he then sent an address close to jungkook's gym.

jungkook wondered who 'us' was, he assumed it was their friends. he really couldn't say no, jimin knew jungkook had nothing to do. he really didn't feel like disappointing jimin.

he hurried to the mexican restaurant to find his friends sitting right in the middle.

jimin instantly caught his eye and waved him over.

jungkook resisted the urge to smile. jimin just looked so ridiculous waving his hand in order to catch his attention.

he sat across jimin. he noticed an empty chair right beside his best friend, and he wondered who else came. he assumed all his friends would be there, he was surprised to see only jimin.

"how was practice?" jimin asked. he took sips of his horchata and looked up at jungkook.

"it was okay," jungkook shrugged. there wasn't anything excited to tell jimin, however for some reason he felt like he needed to say something to catch jimin's interest. it terrified him.

"well, i ordered you tacos. you owe me like five dollars. you're welcome," jimin smiled sweetly.

jungkook couldn't help but melt. right when he was about to reply a very familiar guy approached their table, and settled himself right next to jimin. bobby comfortably wrapped an arm around jimin's shoulder in a playful yet oddly territorial way.

jungkook clenched his jaw and tried not to make a scene. he wanted to ask bobby what his deal was. what made him so confident to share skinship with jimin?

he told himself he was being unreasonable. there was no explanation why he felt threatened.

(his mind had quite a few explanations actually, but he shoved them in the back of his mind, or at least tried.

his mind told him:

1. no one had ever tried to steal his best friend away from him. he wasn't saying that bobby was trying to steal him away, but it was possible.

2. he was jealous. j. e. a. l. o. u. s. jealous! there was no way he could disregard it! it was shocking to know that someone-- or maybe he was reading too much into it-- had an interest in his best friend like maybe, possibly, probably, definitely jungkook. like totally jungkook, but that was a thought for another day.)

bobby gave him a small nod as a greeting. jungkook decided to just stare at him. he hoped bobby got the message that jungkook didn't like him at all.

bobby chose to ignore jungkook and turn his attention to jimin.

jimin's face lit up in excitement, "cheerleader try outs are soon!"

bobby rose an eyebrow, "you wanna be in the cheer team?"

"yeah..." jimin looked at bobby for a reaction. he wanted reassurance.

jungkook could have sworn bobby was thinking the exact same thing: jimin in a skirt. jungkook didn't want to jump into any assumption, but bobby's shocked and distant look on his face was enough evidence.

"you're gonna cheer at my games, 'minie?" bobby smirked.

the response elicited a blush on jimin. it was so noticeable that he covered his face with his hands. bobby let out a loud laugh.

jungkook felt like he was intruding on their conversation. he oddly felt like the third wheel, and it was a feeling jungkook wasn't very fond of nor used to. he asked himself when it was appropriate to jump in the conversation.

after jimin calmed himself down, he finally mustered, "i have to cheer at your games! it's not like i have a choice!"

bobby grinned nice and wide, "even if you had to choose, you'd still willingly do it."

this once again triggered a blush on jimin. jungkook felt so uncomfortable, he wondered why he was even there in the first place.

finally (jungkook was so glad), jimin heard their number being called. he rushed to the counter to retrieve their food.

in those few minutes jimin left the table, there was an excruciating silence between jungkook and bobby. both boys clashed personality wise, as it was obvious they both were alphas with a subtle interest for jimin.

once jimin arrived with the food, bobby casually threw an arm around jimin's shoulder. jungkook tried not to be bothered by it, but every time he had a conversation with jimin his eyes would wonder onto the arm wrapped around his shoulder.

after an hour of awkwardness, bobby finally left, and jungkook could breathe in peace.

since jimin and jungkook's neighborhood wasn't very far from the restaurant they decided to walk home together.

later, jimin had an idea to sleep over at jungkook's. the younger should have really denied jimin, but he never really learned to say no to his best friend.

so that's how they ended up sharing a bed, even though jungkook offered sleeping on the floor.

("why are you gonna sleep on the floor when there's plenty of space on the bed?" jimin asked.

jungkook resisted the urge to yell, 'because i'm having a sexuality crisis!')

there was nearly a foot of space between the two, however jungkook could clearly hear jimin's gentle breathing.

jungkook felt so stiff, he knew instantly he wouldn't be able to sleep that night. so he opted on staring up at the ceiling, imagining weird shapes through the darkness.

"kookie?" jimin whispered. he shifted a little towards the younger.

jungkook wondered if he could pretend to be asleep, "yeah?" but he couldn't.

"do you like kissing random girls?"

he froze in confusion, "w-what?"

"do you like kissing random girls?" jimin repeated himself.

"why do you ask?"

there was a small amiable silence between the two as jungkook awaited an answer. there was so many things running through jungkook's mind.

"because you always do it."

jungkook took a while to scramble for something to say, "well, yeah," he lamely said, "i do it 'cause i like it."

"'cause you like kissing girls, or 'cause you like kissing people?" jimin was now facing jungkook. he looked incredibly intrigued.

jungkook felt just a little nervous. how was he supposed to answer that? he took yet another moment to gather his thoughts. was jimin implying that he knew about his problem?

girls.

he liked girls. only girls.

"girls?" he answered in a tone that sounded unsure.

jimin stared at jungkook for what felt like forever, before answering with, "aren't you scared that you'll hurt them?"

jungkook scrunched his nose in confusion, "what do you mean?"

"i've seen you kiss a girl and never remember her name. aren't you scared that they'll like-- i don't know-- fall in love?"

"fall in love?" jungkook repeated stupidly, "why would they do that?"

jimin's breathing hitched a little. it was hardly noticeable, however jungkook managed to catch it. "nevermind," he said quickly. he shifted so his back was to jungkook's, "goodnight kookie...."

there was a silence that ached to be filled.

after a few hours of staring up at the ceiling, wondering what could have possibly possessed jimin to ask those weird questions, he took a look at jimin. he was now facing him with slightly opened lips.

jungkook moved a strand of hair that was right in the middle of jimin's forehead.

then, he took a closer look at his best friend. he could count every individual eyelash, and he had a sudden urge too. he felt like a total creep just staring at his friend peacefully sleep, but there was just something about him that made jungkook continue watching him.

at this point, jungkook couldn't even deny he was gay (but denying was one of jungkook's many talents). the way his eyes laid themselves down at jimin's lips with a desire to meld his own lips onto the sleeping boy was a huge sign.

oh god....

maybe jungkook wasn't straight.

maybe he was jiminsexual?

the thought of taking a dick up his ass didn't sound pleasant, so he definitely wasn't gay! besides, he'd seen his dick, and he could tell you that dicks were not pretty at all! they were weirdly shaped and just weird to look at all around.

so... yeah... jungkook wasn't gay, he could just tell when someone was attractive or not ( a little voice in his mind asked "but what about you having the urge to kiss jimin? how do you explain that?").

he thought about his parents, how they would disapprove of him for ever liking someone of the same sex. he thought about the lectures he'd have to listen to. he thought about his mom crying, because she would never be able to have grandchildren. he thought about his mom blaming herself for not "raising" him right. most importantly, he thought about experiencing happiness. he thought about being comfortable in his own skin, and being able to kiss someone without feeling like he needed to prove himself, and without feeling like maybe by the 121st kiss he'd experience something worth treasuring.

he thought about kissing jimin, just once, just to know how it felt.

his heart pounded against his chest. doubt crept itself down the nape of his neck. what if jimin woke up and was disgusted? he never wondered if jimin was straight or not.

the need to feel jimin's lips on his was stronger than the doubt.

he did it without much of a thought.

his best friends lips were soft against his, and maybe he remembered, because jimin was someone special to him, platonic or not.

he didn't need 121 kisses to treasure this.

✨

a month passed, bobby regularly appeared in their group during lunch. he seemed to settle in quite nicely, except namjoon, jin, and of course jungkook didn't really like him. jungkook was curious why namjoon and jin didn't like bobby, however he never asked them.

jungkook, though, had a reason for not liking bobby.

after jungkook awkwardly kissed jimin while he was asleep, they went into a rough patch. jungkook couldn't bring himself to talk to jimin due to his actions. he felt guilty, how could he take advantage of his best friend like that? how could he go and kiss him without consent? especially when jungkook didn't even know if he was gay or not! he felt anxious, which led to distance, and confusion in jimin's side. they still occasionally talked though.

jungkook could see how hurt jimin was, it left an unsettling feeling in the bottom of his stomach.

their relationship was complicated.

bobby sensed the bumpy road between the two and decided to settle himself right between them. he took jimin, and they instantly become the closest thing to 'best friends.'

jungkook tried not to be upset, but he figured it was some type of karma for what he did. it still didn't stop him from disliking bobby. besides, he had other reasons for not liking him.

he had a list.

1. his hand was always weirdly hovering jimin's ass.

2. he looked at jimin like a challenge. a naive looking challenge, whom he could possibly manipulate, or something.

3. he was a football player.

c'mon, who trusts football players these days?

4. bobby once said iggy azalea wasn't that bad of a rapper.

who even says that? people who have bad music taste that's who.

just overall, jungkook didn't like the dude. he especially didn't like how he constantly reminded everyone jimin was his own personal cheerleader.

he remembered hoseok pursing his lips in displeasure and saying, "we get it, you have a cheerleader kink."

even though it wasn't directed to him, jungkook felt like it was. therefore he was slightly offended, but laughed if off, because hoseok looked weirded out.

he was also oddly jealous? the thought of jimin cheering for him while he boxed really didn't sound like such a bad idea. he could see why bobby looked all smug. he suddenly wished he was a football player just so he could hear jimin encourage him to win.

bobby's aggravating reminder of jimin being a cheerleader was frequent now, due to a football game just around the corner.

jimin looked slightly nervous as bobby continued talking about the game.

jungkook could tell he needed someone to reassure him everything was okay. jungkook wasn't sure if he was one to uplift jimin, yet he still stopped him after lunch.

jimin looked up at jungkook in shock. they really hadn't had a face to face conversation in nearly a month. he could sense the anxiousness jimin was emitting. jungkook's stomach coiled in guilt.

"hey," jungkook said.

jimin awkwardly had a tight smile, he tried to relax. "what's up?"

"you nervous for the game?"

jimin paused at this. jimin's eyes searched his for a little while. he then visibly relaxed by giving a sigh, "yes. i'm so nervous. what if I mess up? what if i'm really bad?"

"doubt it, you've been practicing-- or at least that's what you've told us," jungkook shrugged, "you'll do good. you've always done good in your dance performances, this'll be the same," jimin didn't look that sure, "i heard the cheerleader captain talk about how you're good. if the captain ain't worried, you probably shouldn't be either."

jimin's eyes almost sparkled at the small praise, "really?"

jungkook nodded, he tried to hold back the small smile that threatened to show.

jimin's eyes turned into small half moons on his face. he grinned bright enough to almost blind jungkook, "thank you, kookie!" he playfully slapped jungkook's side as a friendly gesture.

it told jungkook everything was okay between them, he should stop worrying, and start talking to his best friend.

jungkook smiled just as big as jimin did. relief slipped through the wrinkles of his skin, hearing the high pitched giggle jimin let out was something jungkook could never get sick of.

the football game arrived quite quickly. jungkook made sure he had nothing to do that day so he could be there for jimin (even though all their friends were gonna be there, jimin always made it clear that he wanted jungkook to be there too).

everything had gotten back to normal between the two. jungkook was so glad, yet he still felt like he was walking on eggshells every time he fell behind jimin and his eyes lingered just a little too long on his bottom. he couldn't help but think he was going to mess up soon, and ruin their friendship yet again.

the game was scheduled on a day where the weather was a little chilly with a slight sprinkle of rain here and there. it was natural weather for the state they lived in, so jungkook was pretty immune. he was sure everybody else was too.

the light rain stopped around the time the cheerleaders were ready to cheer for the football team.

"there's jimin!" hoseok yelled pointing directly at the cheerleader.

jimin looked tense amongst the string of girls. he was one out of four guys who were cheerleaders. all of them were quite tall, except for jimin. he looked small, and a little vulnerable. jungkook couldn't help but smile a bit.

hoseok and taehyung whooped and yelled for jimin to do his best.

jimin finally spotted them smack in the middle of the crowds of people sitting on the bleachers. jimin waved at all of them with a grin on his face. his eyes laid on jungkook.

jungkook gave a toothy grin back along with two thumbs up.

he didn't know it was possible, but jimin's beam seemed to grow bigger.

the performance went smoothly. if jimin messed up, jungkook couldn't tell.

through out the game the cheerleaders would scream encouragement to the football players.

at one point he could have sworn he saw jimin blow a kiss at bobby, but he wasn't sure. either way that didn't stop from his stomach feeling hot.

the game ended and fortunately for their school, they won. hoseok and taehyung were a screaming mess. jungkook looked above the heads of people to see bobby tightly hug jimin.

what he didn't see was the kiss they shared.

the three boys patiently waited for jimin in front of their school, so they could celebrate by eating out. they waited for what seemed like forever. the crowd was starting to lessen little by little. soon enough there were only a handful of people hanging outside the school.

at that point jungkook couldn't wait any longer.  hoseok and taehyung were preoccupied with the rest of their friends. they all talked about the game and the future ones to come.

jungkook however wasn't listened, instead he was convinced he hadn't seen bobby or jimin come out, so he was weighing his options: patiently wait or check out what was going on.

he chose the latter. he quickly excused himself from the group, and headed straight the locker room where he assumed jimin was (and maybe hopefully just jimin, because the thought of him being alone with bobby just didn't settle well with him).

with a deep sigh he pushed the heavy locker room door.

he expected to hear some sort of movement happening around the locker room, however all he could detect was the aggravating hum coming from one of the dim lights.

jungkook stepped in, letting the door slam behind him. as if on cue he heard a small gasp coming from the end of the locker room. the sound led jungkook to a very shocking sight.

he could have sworn his heart skipped a beat, dropped to his stomach and sizzled into pure disappointment.

(boxing to jungkook was a regular routine. he had lost count of how many matches he has had. through out those matches he learned how to keep his mind quiet, and to let his body do the work and his mind go on auto-pilot.

boxing was the only time his mind diminished into nothing.)

his brain shut down right there and then. in instinct he let his feet drag him away from the locker room, and far away from jimin's giggles.

the image etched his brain like a permanent tattoo.

he harshly pushed the doors of the school, resulting in the attention of his friends.

"is jimin there?" taehyung asked.

"no," jungkook didn't hesitate.

"what?" hoseok looked offended, "i told him to wait for us!"

jungkook shrugged, uninterested. he looked ahead to indicate he was done with the conversation. he headed straight to his car without a single goodbye.

he just needed to be alone for a second.

"are you going home?" taehyung yelled from across the parking lot.

"yeah," he replied.

✨

for the majority of the weekend jungkook ended up coped up in bed. his phone was on silent. he didn't make an effort to check for any unread messages from his friends. he had no motivation to do anything. he knew he needed to practice for his fight coming up in a few days, but his limbs felt heavy.

he knew the image of jimin's lips against bobby's would interfere.

and at that point he realized he was maybe gay-- or bisexual?

who even knew.

he was panicking. what would he tell his parents? they always imagined jungkook having a wife, not a husband. they always wanted jungkook to have children of his own, not adopted.

oh. my. god. he liked his best friend park jimin. you know, the dork, the one who was a cheerleader, had big thighs, eye-smiles, often poured the cereal then milk like a weirdo. who knew he would have a giant crush on a weirdo.

"i'm fucked," jungkook whispered to himself. "fuck! fuck! fuck, fuck, fuck!"

✨

the energy jungkook usually felt before a fight had dulled down significantly, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to guess why.

his coach was extremely disappointed that instead of practicing like he was ordered to, he spent most of his time on netflix watching the get down (he felt like zeke in the first episode). however his coach still gave a few words of encouragement and held faith on his best boxer.

"you got this, kid. don't be fucking around, focus and it'll be done before you know it," jungkook felt a double meaning in his words, but before he could understand it he was pushed into the ring to meet his opponent.

he quickly took a look at the audience, not expecting to see all of his friends, not expecting to see jimin.

he was right beside tae. he had a tight awkward smile, as if unsure whether he should be there or not. jungkook was glad he was.

jungkook let out a sigh. he felt more determined than before.

his coach pat his shoulder before letting go of him. jungkook hopped to his feet to bump gloves with the opponent.

he felt jimin's eyes jab the side of his body. nervousness weighed him down, it was something that he rarely felt during fights.

the bell rang indicating the start.

jungkook jabbed to get the feeling of his opponent. he then figured out a rhythm and started throwing more punches and swiftly dodging the ones from his opponent.

he could hear his friends yell out his name in excitement. he was actually surprised they even remembered it was today. the thrill of encouragement coursed through his veins, having someone other than your coach yell your name was something he wanted to treasure for a long time.

once he was on his last round his coach massaged his shoulders, "you're doing good, jeon! one more round, one more round!" he yelled.

jungkook was exhuasted, and ready to hit the ground and sleep. his opponent was a little better than the other boxers he's fought, so it was definitely a challenge. it was a reminder of why he loved boxing so much.

once the bell rang, he gave it his all with limited energy.

at one point his opponent managed to sneak in a few crosses and uppercuts to his face. he could feel the bruises forming. he couldn't help but think, maybe this is the game i lose? but as if on cue he heard high pitched voice jimin scream, "kookie, you got this!" he could hear the 'i know you do' from his tone.

as cheesy as it sounded, losing, at that point, didn't seem like an option.

once the game ended he felt a small streak of blood trickle his left cheek, but he paid it no mind. his coach laughed loudly, "i knew you could do it," he threw a small towel on his head and ruffled his sweaty hair.

jungkook didn't pay him much mind. instead he took giant gulps of breath while staring at jimin, who was right across the gym.

they took a few moments gazing at each other with blank faces before someone interrupted their line of vision.

jungkook looked up at the ceiling, now focusing on breathing.

jungkook exited the locker room with his sports bag on his shoulder. he looked around the crowd of people outside. he managed to catch a glimpse of taehyung's head. he headed towards tae, but before he could involve himself in his circle of friends someone held onto his wrist.

he looked back with an expression of disgust. he hated when someone touched him, however he noticed it was jimin. his face softened up.

"jungkook," was all jimin managed to say.

jungkook rose an eyebrow, "yeah?"

"can i stay at your house today?"

it was odd that he asked, considering they hadn't talked a lot those passed days. he considered saying no and leaving it like that, but jungkook could never deny jimin, so he agreed.

jungkook gave his friends a quick goodbye (hoseok hugged him for so long; jungkook was starting to wonder if he was crying). they all congratulated him, and even offered to take him out to eat. he declined though, saying he was too tired to go out. which was true.

jimin and jungkook headed home in a slight awkward silence. jimin looked out the window, not once glancing at jungkook.

when home jimin finally said something, "your cuts are bleeding."

jungkook touched one of his cuts only to be met with the wetness of blood. jungkook never even noticed the trail of red on his cheeks. jimin ordered him to sit down. he then left jungkook's room probably searching for the little kit jungkook always had to treat the cuts from boxing.

this reminded jungkook of the past, and how jimin would treat his wounds and often grimace through it. he never failed to show his dislike for boxing. 

jimin came back with the kit, "sit down and let me disinfect it."

jungkook obeyed. he sat on the edge of the bed and patiently waited for jimin to start.

jimin sat beside him. first he let out a sigh before cleaning the streaks of blood on his face.

"does it hurt?" jimin curiously asked.

"not really. i'm used to it," he shrugged.

jimin didn't respond, instead he continued cleaning the wounds. it was silent for a few moments before jungkook started to wonder if he was still with bobby. it didn't hurt to ask, "you still with bobby?"

his best friend froze, "you saw us didn't you?" he was referring to the locker room situation.

"yeah."

jimin got up from his seat, and quickly looked through the kit for more alcohol. while his back was to jungkook's he responded, "no, not anymore."

jungkook shifted. he tried to hide his curiosity, but failed, "why?"

it was quiet yet again, as if jimin was trying to search for an answer. when he finally found what he wanted he settled back where he was sitting right next to jungkook.

"it just didn't work out."

that wasn't the answer jungkook was looking for, but he took it anyways. he let jimin clean his wounds. his breath fanned jungkook's face. if jungkook moved any closer he'd be able to mold their lips together into a kiss. he tried to restrain himself though, instead he let his hands turn into fists and his nails dig into his palms. it was his way of grounding himself.

jimin expressions seemed to be on the verge of anxiousness. he bit his lip and shuffled around every once in a while.

it was starting to put jungkook on edge. he could tell jimin had something to say by the way he occasionally sighed.

jungkook felt his body shake. he unraveled abruptly. "i have to tell you something," he blurted out.

jimin stopped his actions and stared at jungkook, "okay," he let the word drag on a little. he sounded unsure. maybe a little scared too.

jungkook wasn't even sure what he wanted to tell him. there were so many things on his mind like the skin on skin contact between their thighs, the strawberry and vanilla scent jimin emitted because his mom always enjoyed baths and body work, how badly he wanted to be able to reach for jimin's waist and bring him to his lap, and how badly he wanted to confess and spill every single detail he felt through out the months.

there was too much happening in his brain. he wasn't sure where to start, so he scrambled and said the one thing that kept crossing his mind. he didn't even think about it (fuck it).

"i wanna be yours."

jimin froze. his eyes never left jungkook's own. he searched for answers as if convinced jungkook was lying.

"why?"

"because i--"

"it doesn't make sense that you've always sworn on your sexuality and made me think that i was just wasting my time liking someone who was straight. you've stopped talking to me for some random ass reason and now you tell me you wanna be with me?" jimin looked bitter. he sighed, then meekly said, "i'm tired."

jungkook winced, "i know i haven't been a great friend, but i like you a lot," he swallowed an awkward lump stuck inside his throat. he was never good with words, so he struggled to find the ones to express himself. he slowly snaked a hand down jimin's shoulder. his fingers swiped the melanin skin until he finally reached his hand.

he heard a sharp intake of breath come from jimin's mouth, and it was like he knew jimin waited years for this to happened. jimin watched him go from one girl to another. he waited longer than jungkook ever did.

jungkook laced their fingers together. he let his thumb caress jimin's hand in comfort.

"i'm an idiot," jungkook confessed.

jimin burst into giggles. jungkook was awestruck; he was sure he had heart eyes.

jimin stared at their hands joined together.

jungkook nearly broke into cold sweat.

"yeah, you are."