The Bet - Masters of Puppetry » Jikook

스물셋

Part Twenty-Three
"You're all I've ever wanted."
     
        
"So, um, about your visit?," Jungkook tried to strike up the conversation the two men were very much terrified of. Meanwhile, they were taking a leisurely stroll along the coast like they had planned. To avoid any kind of skinship, they maintained appropriate safety distance at all times.

Being exes was so weird, the younger noticed with a frown. Everything was carefully considered, it seemed almost mechanical. You had to think thoroughly about every word you say and question every move you make. It was pretty tiring.

When Jimin answered, both were solely staring down at their own feet, "Yes, about that... To be honest, Kookie, these past weeks have been brutal without you. I couldn't even bring myself to get out of bed up until a week ago. Also, I'm certain I've gained a few pounds since I've hardly eaten anything but ice cream. I just... I've really missed you, you know?" The blond spoke calmly, a very soft expression on his face as he finally looked up at the other who met his gaze.

"I've missed you, too," Jungkook conceded after having stopped his walking. He was surprised by the other's statement, and utterly soft for Jimin as well. He took the elder's hand in his carefully as if it was fragile as glass, lacing their fingers together.

Right then and there, Jungkook had hope that they could work things out again, that things didn't have to be so, so strange between them anymore.

"I came by because I wanted to ask you whether you could imagine giving us a second chance," the elder explained quietly while watching the other rub the back of his hand with his thumb. It were small gestures like these that made Jimin's heart flutter like it had never done before. Not even with Yoongi, and that certainly meant something.

"Why didn't you?"

"Why didn't you?"

"Touché," the brunet replied with an amused grin playing around his lips. "But I mean I did try to call you."

"Yeah, I know. You left me about a hundred voicemails," Jimin remembered. There was a sweet smile on his face which made Jungkook's heart beat a little faster. "You never actually told me you wanted me back, though. All you did was apologize and tell me that I was right to break up with you, so I assumed you thought it had probably been for the best."

"I did," Jungkook admitted. "But I still wanted you back. After all, I told you several times that I wouldn't give up on us."

"And although I never picked up the phone, you did not even once think about going back to my place? To convince me? To show me that you really mean it?"

The brunet shrugged his shoulders. "No, I did, but I guess I was afraid you'd reject me."

"See? It's not so easy," Jimin proved his point, never taking his eyes off the younger male. "Rejection is scary. And when I stopped by your apartment, that Taehyung walked out the door, all disheveled with bed hair and his shirt was buttoned up the wrong way, I-"

"Wait," Jungkook stopped the other's talking. "You don't think I slept with him, do you?"

"I don't know what to think, to be honest, but I really shouldn't care at this point. We're broken up, so you have every right to-"

"I didn't," the younger interrupted Jimin once again to clarify his relationship to the silver-haired man. "Tae and I are only friends. We were eating dinner when he spilled wine all over himself. I had to give him a new shirt. Taehyung can be quite rattled sometimes. It really wouldn't surprise me if he buttoned it up the wrong way."

"That doesn't explain the hair, though." Jimin laughed quietly, making it seem like a little joke but, in reality, he was fairly curious. What was the deal between those two?

Were they hooking up?

"I- I don't know what was up with his hair! And I honestly don't give a shit," Jungkook got louder all of a sudden, which made the blond a little more suspicious. "Jimin, I swear, all that matters to me is you. You're all I've ever wanted. Please, I just want to call you mine again. Life is terribly fucked up without you in it."

Jimin wasn't sure if he should believe him.

Jungkook was so good at pretending. So, so good at fooling the blond-haired.

Jimin wasn't able to forget that.

"Are you lying to me right now?," Jimin asked straightforwardly, wondering why the other was flying off the handle when he apparently had nothing to hide.

"What? No," Jungkook responded in a stern but slightly confused tone, eyebrows furrowed as he looked deep into the elder's eyes.

Jimin took a step forward, so that their noses were touching lightly, intimidating the other on purpose. "Why are you so nervous then?"

Jungkook sighed. "Because I've never had to vindicate myself like this before," he answered genuinely, a soft look on his face as he lowered his head in defeat. "I never cared about what other people might think of me. I never felt bad when I lied and didn't care when someone didn't believe me, although I was saying the truth for once. But everything is different now. I'm done screwing around. I care about you... I care about this." Jungkook pointed to Jimin, then to himself and then back to the blond again, meaning their connection.

"I care about this," the younger continued as he put his open palm on the other's heart, alluding to Jimin's feelings. The last thing he wanted was to hurt him. "And I care about this... So, so much," he spoke almost inaudibly before caressing the elder's cheek in the most loving way he knew, and gently placed his lips on Jimin's plump ones.

The kiss was soft and slow, non-demanding but passionate. It was everything both had lingered after ever since Jimin had walked out the younger's door.

But Jimin knew Jungkook was lying.

Why didn't he just tell him? Jimin had made it more than clear that it wasn't a big deal if Jungkook had done anything with someone else. They weren't together after all, not anymore at least. The elder merely wanted to know. That's it. No bearing grudges.

It broke his heart to know that after everything, and although that was the reason they had split in the first place, the brunet was still willing to deceive him.

The problem was that Jimin failed to stand up for himself, like always. Instead, he let it slide, accepted Jungkook's brazen lies even if it meant it was killing him inside, because it also meant he got to hold the younger a little longer.

Just a little.

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