Low Stress: Puppy-Love (Jikook)

Chapter Ten: Everything is Good and Great

Jungkook's heart stopped. For a second it felt like he was transported into a dream. He watched as his hand cupped Jimin's cheek, watched how he shook as he pulled Jimin closer, kissing him deeper. Jungkook was drunk off of each push and pull of their lips. How many times had he thought of doing this? Of Jimin pressed so close to him? Of Jimin responding. Of Jimin kissing him back.

The kiss deepened and Jimin put a hand over Jungkook's heart as he shifted to straddle him without breaking the kiss. It was turning hungry - whatever this was. Their hearts were pounding at the same rate, neither boy ready to pull back. It was like a taunt rubber band was suddenly let loose and Jungkook could think of nothing else expect for Jimin. How strong Jimin had gotten. How warm his body was when it was pressed so close to his. How toned his thighs were, how soft his lips felt, how good he smelled.

Jungkook's hands went to Jimin's hips, his thumb digging just into the waist band of his jeans while his palm rested against his waist. The whole thing was so outside the realm of possibility that Jungkook's mind struggled to keep up with the reality of it. That there he was, laying on an abandoned stage, kissing the boy he was in love with.

Jimin pushed his hips down and his hand cupped the side of Jungkook's neck. The touch was gentle, caring and careful in a way that contradicted the heat of the kiss. Jungkook let out a breathless sound and a smile grew against Jungkook's lips from Jimin. Jimin closed his eyes closed and Jungkook's own followed with a flutter. He moved his hands up Jimin's back under his shirt, digging into him enough to add pressure without any pain. Jimin gasped, arching slightly into it.

"Jimin." Jungkook said breathlessly.

He'd thought of this moment countless times: from a teenager fever-dream to an adult romance. He'd wanted to kiss Jimin since the first time he'd met him. Back when they were both kids and Jimin cried when Taehyung teased him for having no jams. A joke that genuinely made no sense, and yet this beautiful, older kid on the playground, buddled up his sweater, started to just absolutely wail because of it. That was when Jungkook decided he'd do everything in his power to become friends with Jimin so he could kiss those tears away the way his grandma used to.

That innocent love changed in tone slightly as they entered middle school. Jungkook would think of kissing Jimin's lips instead of his cheek while they played video games side-by-side. He'd blush when their shoulders touched and would have to scoot back an inch. Their friend group widened that year. He didn't feel that way with any of their other friends; it confused him.

Then high school hit and Jungkook watched Jimin dance for the first time at the school's senior performance. He'd never seen someone do exactly what they were put on earth to do before, and it left him breathless. He used to daydream of buying Jimin flowers so that when Jimin bowed to the crowd, he would find him in the audience and smile the smile that made his eyes disappear into crescent moons. Thought how he'd run to him and Jungkook would do something cheesy like lift him in the air and kiss him.

Then college hit and Jungkook could finally identify the feeling he had when he saw Jimin. That feeling that was always there, the one that pulled him towards his orbit. He had a crush on him. He wanted him. Wanted to be with him and make him laugh and watch him dance and the fantasies started to grow and grow in his head about how Jimin would react if he told him about it.

Those daydreams were where he'd lived for years. He'd shut the fantasies off a year ago when reality hit. Who was he to force Jimin to live up to this romanticized version of his friend in his head? This image he'd built of them together since before he realized he was doing it?

It'd been a year since the last time he'd even entertained the daydream of kissing Jimin, but an equal time had past since the last time they hung out together one-on-one. Maybe it was okay for Jungkook to be selfish again, just this once, and lose himself in the daydream. Expect that this time it felt so vivid, so real. It broke Jungkook's heart and filled it at the same time, like the sun breaking through the creaks of the theater's ceiling was the same as this feeling spilling from his chest. An old ache and new joy clashing with each other.