I either think you are drunk or sick. Go to sleep, Jungkook.

This somehow seemed worse to the boy. He nearly died saying those words and not being acknowledged for it wasn't what he was willing to take.

No, I mean it. You are really pretty. I love your smile.

This was the limit that Jungkook dreamt of for his imaginary wilderness, but when he received a facetime pop-up from Jimin, he threw his phone to the pile of clothes in front of his wardrobe.

The plan to sneak out of the room was long forgotten and the other two boys only comforted Jungkook for the rest of the night.

**

"Can I go to and live with grandma for a week, mom?" Jungkook asked his mother who didn't respond. "Eomma?"

"No."

"Mom?"

"No."

"Eomoni, please!"

Mrs. Jeon stared at the boy. "I said no."

"Fine! I am not going to study then."

"Yeah? No study no car for you once you graduate." Mrs. Jeon clarified and picked the keys to her car. "When is Jimin coming?"

"Huh? Oh... I don't know."

"Drop me a message whenever you leave the house."

"But mom, there will be no one at the house. What if we get burgled? I think I should just stay at home and protect it."

"You can barely wash your own clothes, Jungkook. The security guards are there for protection. Just go with Jimin and come back before your curfew." The lady Jeon left the house after flinging her bad over her shoulder.

Jungkook sighed wryly. "I can't meet Jimin Hyung."

As he slumped against the couch, he was determined to cancel the study session. No sooner than he could send the long written text where he described how he cramped his feet muscles, Jimin's car honked. "Shit. Shit!"

Jimin waited in the car and a few minutes passed. He opened the chatbox to see the messages from the previous night. As much as he avoided texting Jungkook after last night, he had to do it now.

I am outside. Come out.

Jimin waited but there was no response. He could see Jungkook had seen the text that was long delivered.

Are you okay?

Yeah, no... I mean I have a little fever.

Jimin's brows drew together in concern. "Is this why Jungkook was behaving bizarrely last night?"

Okay... Did you take medicine?

Jimin decided he would just leave for now.

No, I am alone and mom is at work. I will once she is back.

What is going on Jungkook?

Nothing. I am fine... Just leave.

Do you have a fever or are you fine? Choose one.

I am coming in.

Wait! HYUNG NO!

hYUNG? HYUNG?

YOU THERE?

Jungkook curled up in the corner of his room after locking it from inside when he heard a knock. "HYUNG! PLEASE GO AWAY! I AM OKAY!"

"Then open the door," Jimin frowned exasperatedly.

"I don't want to!" He heard Jungkook's voice.

Jimin was so annoyed at this point and he really needed to see if the boy was really fine. "Jungkook, come out if you don't want me to climb through your window."

There was silence for a moment before Jungkook's red face appeared in front of him. The older boy hadn't the clue why was that. "Are you really okay?" He stepped into the room without being invited and his hand grabbed Jungkook by the chin to survey his face.

Jungkook's breath hitched. "I am, it was just hot in here."

"It's winter, Jungkook," Jimin reminded.

"Let's go to your place," Jungkook clumsily pushed Jimin's hand away and rushed to his changing room.

Jimin waited outside with a confused face and then it hit him. Jungkook was mortified because he sent those flirty texts last night. It made him blush all of a sudden.

When Jungkook appeared in a purple hoodie and blue jeans after a few minutes with his bag, Jimin didn't say much. Without looking at the younger one, he drove back home.

**

"What do you want to study?" Jimin asked, a little disoriented at the silence and still spinning with the whole situation.

"Physics?"

"Okay," Jimin brought an extra table for Jungkook so that they sat at a distance. Taking out their books, they made a list of chapters they would start revising.

Jungkook gazed at Jimin in between and he could clearly see the hysteria on his face. It made the boy realize one thing. It wasn't only him who had Jimin's effect on himself, he affected Jimin equally. The thought made him smile. "What are you grinning at?" Jimin asked flimsily.

"Nothing," Jungkook immediately shook his head defensively whilst they drank in the silence of an invisible connection.

As they continued to involve themselves more in books and less in each other's eyes, the environment shifted towards tranquility. An hour passed and Jungkook started feeling hungry. Albeit he wasn't shy of asking for food in Jimin's house now, he still hesitated. It was as though the older one realized it on cue. "Should we take a break? I am a bit hungry."

"Yeah, I am dying of hunger," Jungkook groaned and fell back on the bed, immediately pulling the duvet to cover his lower body in and cooing at the softness.

Jimin smiled, looking at the uncomplicated and cute demands of the boy. "Um, what do you want? My maids aren't in today. I can order pizza or if you are craving something else."

"Wait, why aren't your maids in? Do you live on your own in the big house?" Jungkook curiously asked, immediately sitting up.

"Yeah, my parents are mostly at work and I don't like any interference," Jungkook nodded as if thinking about it. He could never live alone in his big house. "So? Pizza? Or we can go out to eat."

"No, pizza is fine. Pineapple pizza," Jungkook grinned and Jimin contorted his face in revulsion.

"Pineapple pizza? You disgust me, Jeon Jungkook."

"Wae, wae?" The little pouty lips curled in defense to fight instantly. "We all have our tastes and choices. Don't be a judgemental prick."

The pout alone caused Jimin to want to poke Jungkook more or kiss the hell out of him. "Wait, what am I-?" Jimin shook his head.

"Don't move," Jimin inched closer to Jungkook and pulled out his wallet from under the duvet layers after holding the younger legs up by his thighs, and the boy remained steady like a mechanical doll being manhandled, with care. "I will come back after placing the order."

Jungkook nodded while batting his eyes innocently at the older. Jimin ran out of the room and plopped down on the couch on the ground floor of the living room, immediately calling his friend.

"Hoseok! I can't deal with it!" He yelled just as the other boy answered the call.

"You need to be a little bit more specific, Jimin-ah!" Hoseok chided.

"Why can't I stop thinking about him?" Jimin questioned honestly. Hoseok was the only one who got to see this expressive side of Jimin.

"Are we talking about Jungkook?"

"How do you know?"

"You like him more than you think you do. Don't you think so too? Why is this even a question?"

"I don't know, maybe something that has to do with how we beat each other blue. I have never felt like this for anyone, Hoseok. I think I am going crazy."

"Okay, breathe," Hoseok rolled his eyes. "And why do you have this epiphany at most random times of the day? I am was in the middle of the dance coaching."

"When he is not in front of me, I do everything to not have a conversation with myself about why and how does he make me feel so helpless, Hoseok. But I can't stop thinking about it when he is with me."

"Wait, are you guys together? Where the hell are you?"

"At my home, studying," Jimin said hurriedly. "That's not the point. The point is, I am becoming obsessed every day. I don't know how but it hurt me when I beat him. I thought about how must he be doing when he didn't come to school. When he chose to ignore me and sit beside Yoongi, I felt like shit. I don't even know how all of this happened and then the next thing I know, I want to protect him and I want him to like me. Where is this need to impress coming from? I don't even know if he likes me like that? I might just be a Hyung to him."

"Okay, Jimin-ah. Listen to me very carefully because I will not flunk my coaching for you over and over again." Hoseok came out of the dance studio wiping his sweat with a towel and stood by the balustrade of the complex building. "As I told you already, I will repeat it one more time. I think he likes you too. When you slept with whoever you slept with, he was clearly hurt. Why did you think he avoided you all those weeks?"

"I don't know, I was rude to him on many occasions on that trip," Jimin confessed guiltily.

"It's not that, you bonehead! If he wanted, he could never have talked to you. He doesn't care about those things. What really hurt him was that you slept with someone else. If you don't trust me, just go and ask him."

"What if he agrees? What then?"

"Then you apologize, Jimin. Tell him you like him and tell him sincerely. Make him believe that you will never do anything like that again."

"And- what if he says that he likes me back?"

"Then you date. Isn't it simple?" Hoseok asked in stupefaction.

"Not that simple." Jimin disconnected the call when he heard footsteps.

7 Feb 2022