"That's... that's not love, Jungkook. That's -" Obsession. Unhealthy and toxic and he knew all of the reasons why it was wrong.
"No." It was like the force of a tornado hitting him then, as Jungkook stood so suddenly, twisted around and faced him, bed dipping under his weight. "I fucking love you, Seokjin. There is no one else on this entire earth that has ever made me feel love. Only you." There were hands, cupping either side of his face, palms so gentle and soft, thumbs slowly stroking beneath each eye as the first tears began to fall. "That night when you asked me what our truth was, that was when I realized it. That I belong to you. That I am yours, Seokjin."
"Mine." It was the only thing that he could get to come out. The only thing that could push past all of the hurt that was exploding from deep within his chest. Jungkook was his. Jungkook loved him. And all of this was awful. It was terrible and horrible.
Yet he loved him still.
"Yours." It came out as a whisper, and he hiccuped as lips pressed against his cheek, the left and then the right kissing away trails of salty tears. "And you're mine."
"Yes." That was the one fundamental truth that would never change. He had been Jungkook's since the very first moment. "Yours."
"You are my one and only love, Seokjin. I promise, I am going to take care of you."
"No one else?" It felt almost foolish, asking now. But he felt so incredibly foolish for so many things.
"No one else." He shouldn't believe it. Was entirely aware of all of the reasons why. Knew what he should be doing instead.
But as he leaned in and those lips pressed against his own, he knew their truth. Felt it so deep within his heart that nothing could ever remove it.
He was Jungkook's.
And Jungkook was his.
That was the beginning and end of everything.
...
"I don't even know your last name." It came as a hushed whisper, hours later when they were laying under the fall of pale moon light, hands clasped between them, foreheads pressed together as their skin cooled in the chilled night air.
"Jeon." It was soft reply, and he felt something inside of him shift.
"Mine is Kim." There was so much they didn't know about one another. And he mentally began to go down that list he had started so long ago. "How old are you?"
"Twenty four." It sounded almost amused, and he realized that he hadn't been that far off with his guesses. "What about you baby?"
"Twenty three. There's only a year between us." But Jungkook had this aura surrounding him that spoke of maturity. It radiated in everything he did. In the way he carried himself. In the way he spoke. "What do you do?"
"I run the flower shop I helped my parents open a couple of years ago." Which honestly made entirely too much sense.
"So that thing about the flowers was just an excuse."
"We don't usually carry white ones, so I had special ordered them. Turns out one of the girls didn't get the memo that they were for me and sold them."
"You special ordered me flowers?" It was impossible to keep the amazement from seeping into his voice. "That's -"
"So romantic? I was trying to win back the love of my life. I had to pull out all the stops."
"It felt like I was dying without you." Even after transforming everything within his life, it still felt so empty. Like something was missing that nothing else would ever replace.
"I'm right here, babe. I promise, from now on it's just you and me." Every single word that came from Jungkook's lips was like a salve being applied directly to the wounds that laced his heart. Deep cuts and tears that he was both the cause and the cure of.
"What about Jimin?" There was the distinct feeling that he wasn't going to stop. That they weren't going to be rid of him. And he wanted to try and find some part of him that could blame the other. But he just couldn't.
"I'll take care of it, babe." Which was exactly what Taehyung had said. And Hoseok. But it didn't really seem like the message was getting across.
"What did he say? At the end. When you threw your phone."
"Seokjin." It was a warning. And he had never once pushed up against them.
"Jungkook. You can tell me. It's alright." Not until now.
"He said you wouldn't want me if you knew the way I was before. So he threatened to tell you." Threatened to break them apart. Threatened to try and take Seokjin from him.
"I still want you." Every single part of him still wanted Jungkook. Desperately. It was like they were engrained within each other's very DNA. Like there was no way to pry them apart without do irreparable damage to them both.
Without ending them both.
"I love you so fucking much, Seokjin." Jungkook's love was like an infection.
"I love you too, Jungkook. So much." And Seokjin's was like a cure.
And right now.
At this moment.
The cure had won.
...
Author's Note: BEFORE YOU ALL COME FOR ME, I never said it wouldn't get worse before it got better.
