FALLING FOR YOU | KM [✓]°

23. First Love

jungkook leaned forward, ignoring every small protest that slipped from jimin's trembling lips. with gentle but determined hands, he pulled the smaller man onto his lap, settling him carefully between his thighs. then he cupped both of jimin's wet cheeks, thumbs brushing away the fresh tears that kept falling. his touch was soft, reverent, nothing like the selfish hunger jimin feared.

"i love you," jungkook whispered, voice thick and raw. "i love you so much."

his dark eyes stayed locked on jimin's, unwavering, pleading for belief. he needed jimin to see it—to really see it—this time.

"you're my first love," he continued, voice cracking slightly. "i know you're doubting every word coming out of my mouth right now. i know i broke your trust. but this heart… it only beats for you now. it hurts because i hurt you, but i fell for you too. hard. at first, yes, i thought about using your body. i was selfish, stupid, blind. but as time passed, as i really saw you—your kindness, your laughter, the way you looked at me like i was worth something—i fell. deeper than i ever thought possible."

tears began rolling down jungkook's own cheeks now, silent at first, then faster. he didn't try to hide them.

"i tried to deny it," he admitted, voice shaking. "i kept telling myself it was just attraction, just physical want. i was too stubborn, too arrogant to accept that someone like you could make me feel this way. but the day you confessed to me… the day you looked at me with those honest, shining eyes and said you loved me… that was it. i knew i felt the same. i was a fool to keep denying my own heart—my own husband."

jimin stared at him, wide-eyed. even through the blur of his own tears, he could see it—the sincerity shining in jungkook's gaze. the taller man's eyes were red-rimmed, glassy with emotion, but they held nothing but truth. no lies. no tricks. just raw, aching love.

"are you sure?" jimin asked, voice small and hesitant, barely above a whisper. "are you sure you love me… and you're not just making a fool out of me again?"

the question hung heavy between them. funny, heartbreakingly funny, how desperately he had once wanted to hear those three words from jungkook's lips. how he had dreamed of this moment. and now that it was here, fear still clung to him like ice around his heart. one mistake—one confession—had cracked that trust so deeply.

jungkook's tears fell harder. he shook his head slowly.

"of course i love you," he said, voice fierce despite the sobs catching in his throat. "my heart knows. my soul knows. you mean everything to me, jimin. you're my heartbeat, baby. my light in the darkest days. my dream. my reason. a fool like me—who never believed in love, who laughed at the idea—has fallen so completely for you. it started the moment i saw you walking toward me on our wedding day. but this stubborn, arrogant mind of mine ruined it. i destroyed the most precious thing in my life with my own hands."

he leaned closer, forehead almost touching jimin's, voice breaking completely now.

"i'm sorry. i'm so fucking sorry. i'm a grown man, and i did something so stupid, so cruel. please… forgive me. please accept my feelings. i don't deserve it, but i'm begging you."

the dam inside jimin broke. he couldn't watch jungkook cry like this—couldn't bear the sight of his strong, proud husband crumbling in front of him, tears streaming endlessly, shoulders shaking with quiet sobs. this was his jungkook. his only love. the man who had held him through nightmares, who had kissed his forehead in the middle of the night just to make sure he was still there.

without another word, jimin surged forward and wrapped his arms tightly around jungkook's neck, burying his face in the crook of his shoulder. jungkook's arms came around him instantly, crushing him close, as if afraid he would disappear if he let go even a little.