Love Story Short | Jikook/Kookmin

Chapter 6

[A/N: It's here, yes it's here, yes yes yes it's finally here! Have fun reading!]

"So, how was America like?"

Jungkook could be the slightest surprised at the face of the question but they talked about any and everything the past afternoon-extending-to-night that they spent together after Jungkook's tattoo: eating in Jimin's balcony, lounging on his cozy sofa, and at the moment, laying on his soft carpet, watching the ceiling illuminated by dim night lamps at the corners of the room. 

Each is a different color, painting the ceiling in mellow rainbows. A soft pop music is playing somewhere in the background, matching the atmosphere perfectly. Jungkook's chest surges in the air at the sound of Jimin's silly jokes from time to time but is otherwise steady, lulled and just... content. He doesn't know how they ended up laying on the floor but he is enjoying it.

"It was an eye-opening experience," he says, blinking slow. 

"How?"

Jungkook takes a deep breath, and the breath takes him few years down the memory lane. He is flooded by good feelings immediately, as to top off the serenity surrounding his soul. Maybe it's about being in Jimin's cute and organized home, or in his presence without watching every word coming out of his mouth, suppressing every spark illuminating his heart.

Jimin makes sour faces but he isn't a judgmental ass. Jungkook was the judgmental ass in this story, when he thinks about it, which he is working on right now so there should be a problem with admitting just how much fun he had away from his stressful life in Korea (and Jimin).

"You already knew I was going there for Masters, right?"

"Wasn't aware that you were doing anything on Marketing."

Jungkook chuckles at the witty statement. "Right. It was a last minute diversion. I was feeling kind of... uh, bold? There I was in a brand new country inundated by brand new opportunities and for a while I wanted to be someone different. Don't laugh, but... I thought of it like dating myself."

His head lols to the side when he notices Jimin giggling lazily. 

"What? I made no promises," says the man in a teasing fashion. He doesn't make an effort to stare away even after Jungkook has watched him enough to be considered uncomfortable under the social umbrella.

Jungkook smiles, lets himself smile, because man does it feel nice to be able to stare at Jimin without worrying about being obvious. It feels nice, too, to be stared back at with the same level of comfort, without pressing decisions to be made about it having to mean something — no. They just can, and they just maybe will, and it's fucking okay.

"You think it's lame?"

"It got you where you are. It was a pleasure to meet the person you have become, Jungkook."

Heat is rising to Jungkook's cheeks.

"Thank you," he simply says, because he doesn't think he could have explained how much those words mean to him anyway.

Now they are both smiling. 

"So then you decided to stick to Business? You liked the program?" Jimin asks. 

"I did, very much. That's why I decided to stick with that area work-wise. But I was missing Korea so much, so I did all my job hunting here after turning back."

Jimin hums.

"Was that all about America though? Just studies? Was your self-dating life that boring?"