In Front Of You - Jikook

-thirty-

a/n: This chapter will have a lot of time jumps, just warning in case there would be any confusion.

Jungkook stirred awake by the faint pop sound, a notification from his phone. Rolling to his side, he took a peek and there it was, making him even more awake.

It's Jiminie's birthday

He smiled to himself and starts ringing the birthday boy, knowing that he'd be awake and getting ready for his shift now. The first try was understandable, however, the next three was getting pathetic and embarrassing, so the younger stopped and left him a message.

Hey Hyung! It's your birthday! I want to greet you through a call but you seem to be busy. I'll just see you at Heavenly Cream and celebrate your day with you. See you soon :)

As he hit send, another notification pops up. Shit, that word rung in his thoughts. The scheduled workday slipped out of his mind, forgetting about the busy, long day it'll be, especially with that special party tonight. 'Maybe I can just hang out with him as much as possible. I want to spend the day with him though.' Jungkook thought to himself, disappointed with the unfortunate timing. There's nothing much he can do so he got up and got ready. After all, a long day needs an early start.

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After waiting patiently for the store to open, he hurriedly obtains a few mini gifts for the other, like a small teddy bear, some balloons, a few chocolates and a mason jar with a heart on it. They didn't feel like the perfect gifts for Jungkook but he still bought them to make sure. When he came up to the checkout, the lady that looked like she was in her 60s smiled brightly upon the items in front of her. "A late Valentines for your girlfriend?" she teased, scanning everything but looked up to see a blushing and shy brunette. "H-he's not my boyfriend...and it's his birthday." The habit of him clutching on his shirt came back when he swiped his card, feeling flustered by the assumption. The lady chuckled, putting all the gifts in a bag but leaned forward, a wave of calmness radiated from her as she handed him the bag, "Well he's lucky to have you caring for him to come to this store at 6 am and picking out gifts for his birthday. He's definitely special.", "To be honest, I haven't found the perfect gift for him. I want to surprise him but something feels missing..." He frowned, grateful for the bag of items however, what he said is true, something is missing and he can't point out what. The lady stared at him for a while until she beams, "Hey sir, does he like music?". This made him look up and returned the eye contact, remembering the times when Jimin would love to dance or sing a small song during morning preparations and nightly clean-ups. Jungkook nodded and asked, "Have any suggestions?". She beckoned him to come to the back with her, showing him a piece of the gift, "How about this?"

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If his smile could be the sun, it would be as blinding as the sunlight during their first summer day. Jungkook practically skipped on the way to the cafe, holding the adorably wrapped gift box with the stuffed toy, chocolate and the special item. The balloon strings were tightly wrapped around the box, acting like a cute little bow. The mason jar on the other hand so that he can quickly just hand it to Jimin, the thought of sweet, rich coffee for him made his heart warm. The photographer silently thanked the lady in that store for helping him with the gift and the wrapping, she was a massive help for this day.

As he arrived at Heavenly Cream, the warmth and smell immediately surrounded him, he slightly cursed as he can see how this morning was already busy for them. Spotting the two workers, he came up to them, showing them the presents and greeting them brightly, "Good morning Jin-hyung, Hoseok-hyung. It's already busy this morning huh?"

The redhead gave him his usual, cheerful grin - the happiness shining through him that it hurts even being around it "Gooood Morning Jungkookie! Yeah, it is but it's good for the cafe isn't it? I can see you already have your gifts for Jiminie ready, I haven't even greeted him today!" He laughed as he said that, serving drinks to person after person. Jin followed suit as he prepared the food, "Neither have I," he joined in the laughter "I can probably just stop by any shop and get something quick there." "Count me in, are you coming with us to Jimin's place after this shift?" Hoseok asked.

"Wait he isn't working today?" Jungkook replied with another question, the two baristas shaking their heads simultaneously "We get day-offs for our birthdays, though knowing Jimin, he'd prefer working than staying at home." Hiding his dismay, he just breathed heavily and gave them another smile, "I'll just go to his place and drop these off, I wanted to celebrate his birthday with him but I have work today." Jin looked at him, his gaze knowing yet he managed to pull off a bright front "I'm sure Jimin would understand."

With that, the photographer left the heavenly place, the outside feeling as cold as he feels in his heart. It feels like he was chasing Jimin, something he's never done before, and he wonders why now?

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Mindlessly, Jungkook was biting his lip hard. Ringing the doorbell for the 10th time, a nervous pang in his chest hits him once again. "Where is he?" The question lingering in his mind every time his shaking finger pressed down on the doorbell. He checked his phone and not a single message or call from the older male as if he completely disappeared. His car was there and his house completely sealed, everything was there except for him.

The phone in his jeans' pocket vibrated, startling him for a second. He looked at it instantly, hoping it was finally Jimin but disappointingly, it was only Taehyung.

We have a meeting in 20 minutes, it's to discuss the party later on and your publicity. See you there x

As he turned off his screen, he let out a sigh and looked back at the door in front of him. The house felt colder and colder without the presence of Jimin. The longing starts setting in again, his past dread coming back from not being able to talk to him. Jungkook just misses the bubbly smile whenever Jimin sees him and his warm hugs during sleepovers and his silent looks while he serves the tables around Jungkook. He only misses the hearty laughter when the older teases him and those puffy cheeks when he pouts and the way he gently takes his hands when he's pulling on his tops again.

He also misses the feeling of his lips on his, not only the feeling there but the heart-thumping, the slow motion and those cliche butterflies.

But he didn't list that one part, instead, he pushes it way behind his head and focused on the little things that he misses the most. The photographer hadn't realized that every time Jimin disappears from his daily life, he's been with Taehyung the whole time. Almost like filling in that gap that is certainly not for him. He's grown fonder of his boss but he didn't want to think of anything romantic with him, after all, he couldn't even bring himself to put a label on what he feels about Jimin.

But alas, even the heated breeze seems to push him away from the area. 11 a.m, with the clouds blocking the sun's glory and darkening the environment, the weather matched with Jungkook's undeniable disappointment as he starts heading towards the main street. There was nothing else he could do but leave, leaving the gifts on the front porch of Jimin's house, along with the questioning heart he needed to be reassured of. 

a/n: Been posting longer chapters lately to make up the large gaps of time between updates. I'm really trying to finish this book by the end of this year and it's slightly difficult if I keep writing at 2 am.  I hope everyone's still enjoying this book and please don't hesitate to point out differences from my old and new writing styles.