autumn leaves [jikook]

4

"Hit it harder, birthday boy! I can take it!" Jungkook laughed, struggling to hold the bag Jimin was punching with ridiculous force. He clenched his jaw at the sheer intensity of just holding the punching bag in place. His arms ached and his legs were shaking slightly, but out of pure stubbornness, he persevered.

Jimin was enjoying seeing Jungkook strain against his strength. The past couple of days he'd felt vulnerable around the younger, and didn't want him to think his big strong hyung had gone all soft.

He glanced up for a second to see Jungkook gritting his teeth, and Jimin purposely threw an especially powerful punch, making Jungkook grunt at the force. Jimin smiled to himself and stepped back, dripping in sweat and breathing heavily.

"Good set," Jungkook said, trying not to show how tired he was. "My go."

Both saturated and exhausted, Jungkook and Jimin made their way over to the treadmills where the rest of the group were chatting away, guzzling Gatorade and walking at lazy speeds. Hoseok was especially into it, telling a rather engaging story about his love life.

"And — I'm not kidding when I say this, it actually happened — he fucking slapped me! And I was like, what the fuck dude? and he said something along the lines of 'hurting you turns me on' in like, very poor Korean. But, a week later we still be smooshin' booties."

"Hobi... what the fuck." Jungkook was almost too shocked to laugh. Joon, Tae and Yoongi were in hysterics from Hoseok's story, struggling to keep their pace on the treadmills.

"Yah, I know! His name is Aaron, too. Wanky, right? Guess that's just how it be," Hoseok continued to make the others laugh uncontrollably, while Jimin and Jungkook exchanged slightly confused glances. "Also, hey birthday bitch! You gonna have a celebratory fuck tonight?"

"Nah, I'm just gonna study." Jimin laughed, getting an eye roll from Hoseok.

"If it was me, I'd have at least eight fuck boys lined up." The older scoffed, and a quiet sniggering could only be heard from Yoongi.

"Hobi, what ever happened to your dignity?" Jimin asked.

"She's gone — out the window," his laugh turned bitter and he shot Jimin a glare. "Just like your honourifics, apparently. Do you not respect me anymore, Jiminie?"

Jimin rolled his eyes. "I'm going to lift, anyone coming?" He took the towel from around his neck and wiped his face with it.

"Yeah, I've heard enough of Hyung's dating stories, I'll tag along." Namjoon jumped off the treadmill and walked over to the weights with Jimin, ignoring Hoseok's offended scoff.

Jungkook watched Jimin as he walked away, and the familiar admiration for the older male's body dominated his thoughts once again.

"JK, what are you looking at?" Tae asked innocently.

"Jimin's ass." Yoongi snickered, and as punishment was stabbed with a sharp glare from Jungkook.

"No! I-I was... I was looking at her." He pointed to a woman over by the weights stand that was doing push-ups with ease, not a drop of sweat on her pretty little face. He wasn't actually looking at her, but he just needed to cover up that he was, in fact, eyeing off Jimin's butt.

"Damn." Jin said, his cheeks flushed and his eyes wide.

"Jin, go talk to her!" Hobi put a hand on his shoulder. "You're hot enough to pick her up and you've been single for half a decade!"

"Bitch, ok... I'm doing it." Jin took a deep breath, jokingly kissed his biceps and waltzed over to the pretty lady. He introduced himself made small talk and, after a few minutes, the group watched from afar as the conversation was going splendidly.

"Looks as though she likes what she sees, only a matter of time before—"
"SHH! I'M TRYING TO LISTEN." Tae held a finger up to shush Yoongi, who looked miffed as the others tried to pick up on the conversation.

"...So, did you want to, um, get something to drink later?" Jin asked, still struggling to keep his composure and not reveal how clueless and confused he was.
She sweetly smiled and nodded, and the boys quietly danced in celebration, as their hyung had scored a date.

Jin smiled and exchanged numbers with the girl. "Meet up in about ten? I still have a few reps before I'm done."

"Yeah, sounds good," he replied. "I'll finish up as well and meet you back here."

Jin gave her one last smile before walking back to the treadmills. His friends cooed and cheered and he was happier than ever.

"Ah, Jin-hyung! What a legend!" Jungkook gave him a pat on the back and Tae squirted Gatorade into his mouth as a reward.

"Now, if you'll excuse me gentlemen, I have to make myself look cool for about ten minutes." He marched over to Jimin and Namjoon and began to lift, and the others cackled as he went completely red in the face moments after picking up a five kilo weight.

After chatting with the others for a little over an hour, Jungkook waved goodbye to his friends and caught the subway, every inch of his brain taken up by thoughts of Jimin.

What is with this? He asked himself, going through different answers in his head. Jungkook had always assumed he'd just never met the right girl, just slept with a few, no strings attached.

It sounded stupid when he thought about it, but he'd never liked any boys either — or had he? No, the only person he'd ever considered dating was Jimin... wait, what?

But that was harmless, because he always just brushed it off; it was just nothing, right? Telling himself it's just the human mind growing bored and twisting up one's thoughts for fun, that considering your friends as potential partners was just a weird, teenage hormonal sort of thing.

But one confusing thing was that, although he did have plenty of other friends growing up, he never thought of dating any of them but Jimin. Was that weird? The idea began to linger in his mind again, and this time he felt something different, something fluttery and addictive.
I . . . I like him?

Jimin was sitting in a rather odd but comfortable position on his bed, in his boxers, with the heater on full blast and some soft music playing. He was looking out the window, baffled by the fact that the Seoul night sky was clear for once, unlike his head, which was racing with emotions and busy shoving possibilities into the growing clouds that were his thoughts, making them bigger and meaner and harder to control.

He had come out to Jungkook as gay, and that eventually ended up being all fine, but another issue was bugging him to a point where he'd hardly slept the past couple of nights.

It had been a little while since the afternoon at the park, and Jimin began to worry that maybe he had developed a sort of crush. One that he never came to think of as possible, let alone real. The thought flew into his mind, and it struck him so hard he almost fell of the bed.
Jungkook?