Duality |Postlude| Jikook/Kookmin

Chapter 9

Jungkook

"Jungkook, I'm about to pull over and you're going to go in the backseat if you don't stop." Jimin swats my hand away.

I grab his hand and hold it. "I love you."

His brown eyes glance at me and he smiles. "I love you too."

"Did you gain strength?"

He blinks, continuing to drive. "What?"

"When Yoongi told you that he loves you, you said it gave you strength."

Jimin bursts out laughing. "You jealous piece of shit. I love you."

I blush. "I'm not jealous. Just... y'know... curious."

His hand leaves mine to play with my ear. "You are my strength. Being able to keep in contact with you and visit made my time away from Korea bearable. Yes, I enjoyed getting to study what I wanted, but I felt like an outsider. But you and I, we click. So I always feel at ease and in place with you."

Smiling, I move my face to kiss his hand. "I agree. When I'm with you, I don't feel like being someone else. Being Jungkook is enough for you. It always has been enough for you. You loved me when I didn't even love myself. I think you've been one of the best influences in my life. Even if I don't say anything or show it, I'm always watching you."

Jimin is flustered by my words and doesn't know how to respond. He steals glances at me between driving until we reach the apartment parking. Once the car is off, Jimin leans in and kisses me.

We walk to our apartment hand-in-hand as I carry the bags for tonight's home date in my other hand. Jimin's steps are light and his expression is bright. When we reach the door, he quickly unlocks it with his key and holds the door open for me.

"Tonight is going to be so much fun, Jiminie," I explain. "I can't believe I got you to agree to sundaes for dinner."

He laughs. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm definitely only eating salads tomorrow to make up for it."

"I'll eat them with you." I wrap my arms around him.

"Your salad will be like three times the size of mine. Your body is so thick!"

Giggling, I pull out all the sundae ingredients. "You seem to like it."

"Mhm. You're my big strong man." Jimin stands behind me and snakes his hands underneath my shirt. "Muscle bunny."

I smile widely and lean into him. "You could work out with me, keep me company so I don't miss you."

"Kookie, I don't know if I can keep up."

"Just having you around will be enough. We don't have to do the same exercises." I make his sundae before mine.

Jimin kisses the nape of my neck. "Okay, baby."

I turn around and pick him up easily and kiss him back before setting him down. "Here's your ice cream, babe."

We sit on the couch to watch YouTube try not to laugh compilations with food, alcohol, and Lala. Neither of us are good at it. When we manage to not laugh at a clip, we always seem to make eye contact, that alone sending us over the edge.

Giving up on the challenge aspect, I focus on finishing my dinner. I mix the ice cream around until it's about the consistency of soft serve, letting out a huff of accomplishment.

"What was the point of making yours look so pretty if you were going to mix it all up into a nasty looking mess?" Jimin scoffs.

I put my spoon to his lips and feed him. "It tastes good though."