The Jeon Jungkook Boyfriend Experience | Jikook

Butterflies and Dilemmas

Thankfully, the rest of the group move on from focusing their attentions on Jungkook and Jimin. Yoongi, as it turns out, only suggested bowling because he's good at it. They split the group into two; Jimin, Jungkook, Hoseok and Yoongi in one team, and Seokjin, Taehyung and Namjoon in the other.

"You look so stupid," Jungkook laughs when Jimin waddles up to the lane, carrying the ball in his hands.

"If this is what I gotta do to get a strike, then so be it!" Jimin shouts back.

"Your technique isn't even that helpful."

"Hey, don't question the technique," Yoongi smacks him. "It works."

"For you, maybe," Jungkook replies. "For Jimin? He just looks like an idiot."

"Is that any way to talk about your boyfriend?" Hoseok scolds him with a laugh.

Jimin swings his arms back to throw the ball.

"It's okay, he's my idiot."

He throws the ball wrong, and it hits the gutter almost immediately after it lands, and Jimin watches as it pathetically rolls away from him, and as Jungkook starts cackling behind him. He turns around and grumbles as he watches Jungkook crack up. He walks back in shame, sits down next to Jungkook, and punches his arm. "Hey. Stop laughing at me."

"But it was so funny," he sits upright and casually puts an arm around Jimin. "I'll show you how to throw it right when it's your turn, next."

"No thanks, I don't want your help," Jimin sulks and shrugs Jungkook's arm off him.

Jungkook's arm slips down from Jimin's shoulders, but he keeps his hand on the small of Jimin's back. "Don't you want a good score, at least once? Your friends over there are destroying us. "

"Hm," Jimin purses his lips and looks away from Jungkook, and over to where Seokjin is up and throwing his ball while Namjoon stands behind him, his hands on Jin's arms, helping him. It feels like cheating, and Jimin would normally absolutely be against cheating unless he's the one cheating, but right now it feels like it doesn't really matter. He looks back at Jungkook who's sitting next to him, a hand on his back, leaning in towards him like Jimin's the most important person in the room. "Fine. You can help me. But only because I want to win."

Jungkook smiles at him. His face is close – really close, so much so that his eyes flicker between Jungkook's eyes before he looks away.

He swallows, hard. And waits patiently for his turn to go up.

Because when he does go up, Jungkook comes along with him. He stands behind Jimin and circles his arms around him, clasping Jimin's wrists. He's saying some stuff, Jimin's isn't really sure what – though he suspects it's about the ball and about bowling and about the pins lined up ahead. Then, he's angling Jimin's body just a little bit with his chest pressed to Jimin's back, and just like that, the ball is rolling down the lane. It knocks over eight pins. Jungkook lets go of Jimin to high-five him.

"Now, if we keep this up, we'll beat them. I know it."

"R-right."

They go to sit down. Jungkook plops down on the seat close to Jimin and doesn't seem to notice the way their thighs are pressing together, like Jimin does, or the way he leans in towards Jimin like he's drawn to him. Jimin wishes that he didn't notice it, either.

And for the rest of the game, Jungkook goes up with Jimin to help him, and each time Jimin scores well even if he isn't paying attention to the game at all.

In the end, they don't win. Namjoon's talent and assistance to Seokjin and Taehyung pulls them through, and they decide that as a punishment they'll pay for everything when they go out to eat. Yoongi finds a small restaurant, and they spend the rest of the night eating grilled meat, drinking beer and talking about anything that comes to mind.

It feels almost natural. Like they'd all been friends for a long time, like the way Jungkook sits just a little closer to him wasn't born out of his consciousness that the two of them are only pretending to be together. It almost feels natural, and Jimin has to remind himself that none of it is real whenever Jungkook looks over at him and smiles widely, just so that he doesn't get carried away. He tries his best, he really does. But when it's time to leave and the group splits ways, Jungkook sticks by Jimin's side.

"What are you doing?" he asks lightly.

"What does it look like? I'm walking you home," Jungkook replies casually as they walk together on the sidewalk under the yellow streetlamps.

"You don't have to," Jimin says quietly. "Our friends aren't around to watch."

Jungkook looks at him and doesn't say anything for a brief moment. "I don't mind. We're already halfway back to your flat."

Jimin doesn't say anything else to that. They walk together, silently, until they reach Jimin's front door, and Jungkook pushes his hands into his pockets. "Thanks," Jimin tells him as he takes his keys out of his pocket.

"Yeah," Jungkook replies nonchalantly. "Surprisingly, I had fun tonight."

"What's so surprising about that?"

"I mean, I've literally never before in my life been forced into a friendship before. Or a relationship. Whatever. I didn't expect it would be fun at any point."

"I'm a very fun person. You're welcome."

Jungkook snorts. "As if you're doing me a favor."

"Well, you know me. Always trying to help. I love putting out good energy into the world, you know? And if that means letting you see what it's like to date me, then so be it."

There's a funny look on Jungkook's face that Jimin's too tired and a little bit too tipsy to read. "Don't get it twisted, you're the one having The Jeon Jungkook Boyfriend Experience. Not that I willingly gave it to you. You kind of stole it."

Jimin sighs. "Will you ever stop complaining about that?"

"Nope."

"I bought you food. Twice."

"I can't be bought with food, my dear boyfriend."

"Then tell me what you want in return."

"I'm still thinking about it. I gotta make sure it's something good."

"Don't go overboard. I'm not rich, remember?"

Jungkook leans forward and taps the face of Jimin's watch. "Then where did this Rolex come from?"

Jimin covers his watch with his hand and holds it near his chest. "My parents. It was a gift for getting into uni. Where did yours come from?"

"Birthday present."

It's a couple's watch, Jimin knows that – and up until now that meant nothing to him, because he was single and his watch came from his parents, so it meant nothing to him up until now – but Jungkook's watch was a birthday present and Jimin doesn't know who from.

Which means that Jimin had not thought about the possibility that Jungkook wasn't single, up until now. He could've had a boyfriend or a girlfriend already – someone who was okay with him pretending to date Jimin in front of his friends, or someone who didn't even go to this university and would never find out – and Jimin would've never known if he didn't connect the dots by himself.

He looks back at Jungkook. He doesn't say anything because he doesn't have the right to. They're not dating for real, after all, and Jungkook isn't his.

"I'll get going, then," Jungkook says after a moment. "I'll see you around."

And just like that, he's gone. They go back to being nothing once again.