The Meaning of Family: The Collections

The Last Time Jungkook was Single at the New Year

Request:
"Whatever happened to Mingyu?"

Notes:
Title says it all

Ages of the Characters:
Jin - 42
Namjoon - 41
Yoongi - 24
Hoseok - 23
Jimin - 22
Taehyung - 22
Mingyu - 20
Jungkook - 20

Jungkook was attempting to sabotage Jimin as they played Mario Kart during their family's New Year's Eve party when his phone started ringing on the coffee table. "Mingyu!" He shouted excitedly, dropping his controller and willingly losing the race so he could answer his boyfriend's video call. "Hi, baby!" He greeted, already moving towards the kitchen where it would be quieter so they could talk.

"Hi, Jungkook." Mingyu greeted, but Jungkook was too happy to be seeing his boyfriend's face to notice that he didn't seem to share in his glee. Mingyu had gone to Spain for the semester for a film program as an exchange student, meaning Jungkook hadn't gotten to see him other than regular facetime calls since that summer when Mingyu had surprised him with a week-long visit before he'd left for Europe. "Happy New Year!"

"You too!" Jungkook smiled brightly at his phone screen. "I miss you so much! I can't wait until you're back in a couple weeks. God, I've missed hugging and kissing and having sex with you."

Mingyu chuckled, rubbing his neck almost nervously. "Yeah...about that..." Jungkook's smile faltered, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion as his boyfriend obviously struggled with finding the words to say. "I'm not coming back in a few weeks."

"Oh..."

"Yeah, I decided to keep with the extended program and stay a bit longer."

Jungkook nodded in understanding. "That makes sense. You keep talking about how beautiful Madrid is and how much you love it there." He took a deep breath and put a smile back on his face. "So, when does the extended program end? When do you think you'll be back?"

Mingyu hesitated to respond again, and that made it harder for Jungkook to keep a smile on his face. "Actually, I'm not sure if I will be coming back to LSU." He let out a quiet sigh. "I just feel like I'm getting so much more from being here, and they have such amazing film and art history programs here. And I've been doing a lot of thinking, and I believe that transferring here completely is what's best for me at this time."

"Yeah," Jungkook nodded again, trying to seem happy for his boyfriend despite how much he missed him. "I get that. You should definitely do whatever you feel is best for you." He put another smile on his face, hoping it would show Mingyu that he truly did want to support him in whatever he did.

"Thank you, Jungkook," Mingyu said just as Jungkook heard his dad calling for everyone to gather around so they could count down to the new year. "But I wouldn't be a good boyfriend if I didn't also think about what's best for you in this."

"What do you mean?" Jungkook asked as his family started counting down in the living room. "Hang on..." He muttered as he crossed the kitchen towards the back door so he could go outside and hear Mingyu better.

Mingyu was already explaining himself, but Jungkook was only able to catch snippets of what he said over his family's yelling. "I don't know if I'll stay in Spain forever...Europe really resonates with me...you want to move back home after graduation...I couldn't make you..." Jungkook made it outside just as his family got to the last three seconds before midnight and heard the last thing he'd been expecting to hear during that time. "Which is why I feel like we should break up."

The 20-year-old felt like he'd just been punched in the gut with the way he stopped breathing, staring at his boyfriend--or ex-boyfriend now. "Oh..." Jungkook bit his lips as his eyes started to sting a bit. "Yeah...okay..."

"I'm so sorry Jungkook." Mingyu said, and he actually seemed to be sincere in his tone and from the expression on his face. "I do love you and hurting you is the last thing I want to do, but I just can't string you along when I know in my heart that in a couple of years down the road it probably will just not work anymore."

Jungkook nodded again, blinking rapidly to try to stave off the tears wanting to come out. "Yeah, no, I understand. That makes sense."

Mingyu frowned as a few tears slipped down Jungkook's cheeks, his own eyes glistening. "Please don't cry. I can't stand seeing you cry, especially when it's because of me."

The 20-year-old let out a small sigh of exasperation. "Trust me, I'm really trying not to." He brought his free hand up to wipe the tears away, but more just replaced them. "But you were my first date, my first boyfriend, my first time, so it's inevitably gonna hurt." He put his hand over his face when he saw a tear fall down Mingyu's cheek, knowing that seeing him cry would just make him cry harder. "But I do really understand. Why you're breaking up with me now." He assured Mingyu, sniffling quietly. "And I'm sure that once I'm passed the heartbroken stage, that I'll be extremely grateful that we didn't drag this out longer." Mingyu gave him a small nod, wiping his own tears away. "Good luck in Spain and wherever else life takes you."

Mingyu quietly thanked him. "Good luck with your art."

Jungkook managed a small smile before he ended the call, letting out a sigh. He stayed outside until he got too cold to stand it. "There you are!" Seokjin exclaimed as he cleaned up the food from the party. "I was wondering where you'd snuck off too."

"I was just outside talking to Mingyu." Jungkook said quietly, wrapping his arms around himself as he shivered, and not just from the temperature outside. Seokjin asked how Mingyu was, and Jungkook bit his lip. "He's fine...we broke up."

Seokjin immediately halted in his cleaning and turned to his youngest son. "I'm so sorry, Kookie." He said, hesitantly pulling him into a hug just in case Jungkook didn't want it and pushed him away. "I know you really liked him."

Jungkook nodded as he nuzzled into his dad's neck, accepting the comforting warmth of his hug. "I did...but life is taking us in different directions." He pulled back from the hug, Seokjin looking at him in worry. "I'll be okay, Dad. Eventually."

"I know you will." He ran a comforting hand through Jungkook's hair. "But until then you're gonna have to settle for me and some hot chocolate to get you through this." The 42-year-old immediately began bustling around the kitchen to gather the ingredients for the warm beverage. "Why don't you go see if your brothers and dad want some too?"

"Thanks, Dad." Jungkook said quietly before going off to make the hot chocolate announcement.