linger | JIKOOK |

.1

Soft giggles filled the room, floating in the air and painting everything with warm shades of happiness. 

Jimin had his hands full of ebony locks, his eyes forming pretty crescents as the younger kept tickling him. 

They had no time for that, he knew, yet that moment, that brief, stolen moment between the two of them felt more important than anything else waiting for them outside that room.

Things had been hectic for the past couple of months, everything had been a hurried rush towards their goal, towards the achievement of that one simple thing and everything else had ended up losing the highest spot on their own priorities' list.

Those had undeniably changed, not completely, yet that shift had been there, and it was impossible to ignore it.
In a way it was like that every time: comebacks became their first and only priority and it was a reality they all had long since welcomed and accepted.

Yet that one comeback had felt different. 

Falling back into that once familiar routine had been harder and giving up on moments like that one had felt like a bigger loss than what it truly was.

So maybe they were in a hurry in that moment, the members waiting for them in the practice room, complaints ready to be let out, but Jimin felt selfish enough to linger in that moment a bit longer. 

To protect their bubble for more than just few seconds.

Jeongguk shifted his hands, feather like touch gifting him shivers and body shaking with giggles. 

-Gguk…- it was meant to be a scolding remark but came out as a breathless word, broken up by another fit of giggles that bubbled up in his throat as the younger kept torturing his sides.

He curled his hands a bit tighter, pulling slightly, feeling the silky strands shift and escape his hold, but the younger did not stop.

Jimin tried to take in a deep breath, something to make him calm down long enough to look down at the other. It somehow worked, yet, as he looked down, he forgot all his means, breath stuck in his throat for a long instant. 
Jeongguk was looking up at him, forehead on display and expressive eyebrows forrowing questioningly.

The older felt at loss of words, something in the boy looking up at him stealing his breath away. 

It wasn't his appearance, that wasn't the prettiest the boy had been, but something in his shining eyes and scrunching up nose had Jimin's heart skip a beat.

He realized once more how much he loved the younger. It wasn't the burning and devouring kind of feeling that restlessly and unstoppably took over, no, it was warm and cozy and had long since settled in him, carving its own spot into the depths of his heart and making him complete. 

Loving Jeongguk wasn't hard, didn't require much from his behalf, no pain nor hurt. It was warm and safe and felt utterly right to every cell in his body.

Sure they too had had their fair share of countless fights and tears rolling down their cheeks, yet every one of those hurtful moments subdued when compared to all good they both got from each other. It was like pieces of a puzzle finally matching, everything in him recognized Jeongguk as the most fitting being to his own self and it felt undeniably right to have him there by his side.