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"You really broke up with Minseok?" Jungkook asked Jimin and they sat sipping iced coffees in the shade of a large tree. They looked out over a green field of grass in the park. Patches of people were spread out here and there enjoying the early summer sun.
"Yeah." Jimin smiled, barely, like the muscles in his face had forgotten how. "I really did."
"Why? Er- why now?" Jungkook corrected. "The guy's a jerk but you've been with him almost a year."
"Ten months, three weeks and two days." Jimin rubbed his face. "I didn't realize how bad it had gotten till I really looked at it."
Jungkook was quiet for a moment. "It was pretty bad. We're all worried about you."
"I've ditched that loser for good, so no need to worry." Jimin put a reassuring hand on Jungkook’s shoulder. "I'm fine."
Jungkook gave him a level look. "Are you?"
Jimin withdrew his hand slowly and ruffled his hair. "No. Not really. Not yet. But I will be."
Jungkook nodded.
They sat in silence for a bit, until their sips of coffee turned into noisy slurps.
"You never really answered," Jungkook said eventually.
Jimin raised his eyebrows. "Hm?"
"What… um, what… what made you break up with him?"
"Oh." Jimin thought for a moment. "It was a lot of things really, seeing Taehyung and Yoongi so happy together, realizing how unhappy I was. I realized at some point I had let him control everything in my life, when I could see my friends, what I wore to work. I was always worried about his happiness but he never seemed to care about mine. And when I finally saw that and was able to see an undistorted view of our relationship, I knew I didn't want to be miserable any more."
There was quiet for a moment then Jungkook sniffled.
"Jeon Jungkook, are you crying?" Jimin asked, shocked.
He quickly wiped his eyes. "No. Well, maybe. Just a little. We've been so worried."
Jimin put an arm over Jungkook's shoulders. "Aren't you the one supposed to be comforting me?"
Jungkook tucked himself closer to Jimin. "I know, I'm sorry."
"It’s okay." Jimin ran his hand through Jungkook's hair, feeling the soft curls. He moved his arm to squeeze Jungkook once before letting his hand drift lower to his waist.
Jungkook stiffened. The contact felt more intimate this way.
"There’s another reason I realized I didn't want to be with Minseok." Jimin said softly.
"Yeah?"
"I realized there was someone else I wanted to be with. Someone I should have seen a long time ago."
Jungkook pulled away to look at Jimin's face, confusion and hope in his eyes. "Who?"
"You, silly."
Gently, Jimin reached out to touch the side of Jungkook’s face. He could feel Jungkook trembling but he didn't pull away. Slowly, Jimin brought their lips together.
Jungkook made a soft high noise in the back of his throat but when Jimin moved his lips against Jungkook's, he responded. His hand came up to grip the front of Jimin's shirt, pulling them closer. And though Jimin had started it, Jungkook was the one who deepened it, licking his way into Jimin's willing mouth and sucking gently on his top lip.
Jimin had kissed his fair share of boys but something with Jungkook just felt different. It was easy and exciting all at once.
Too soon Jungkook pulled away. "Jimin." His voice was wrecked. "We shouldn't do this. It's not-'' he continued quickly, "it's not that I don't want to…" He bit his lip and exhaled through his nose. "I really really want to. But… I don't want to be a rebound. I don't want you to jump from a terrible relationship and then expect everything to be perfect with us and then be disappointed when it's not. Because it won't be. No relationship is but- we could still be-"
"I know." Jimin cut him off before he could work himself up more. He pecked him quickly on the lips and smiled. He turned away to look over the field again. "I'm going abroad. I talked to my boss. The training was still available, remember the one that Minseok made me turn down?"
"That's great!! I was so mad at him for that. You were so excited."
Jimin nodded. "I still am. It's six months long. I'm hoping it gives me a chance to relearn myself. And when I come back, if we are both still interested we can figure out what's between us."
Jungkook pouted. "Why did you kiss me now if you were gonna make me wait six months to do it again?"
"Six months isn't that long," Jimin chided. "Aren't you happy for me?"
Jungkook's head snapped up. "Of course I am. It's just-"
Jimin reached out to tug a strand of Jungkook's hair. "Then shush." He leaned in and pecked Jungkook on the lips again, grinning. "Besides, nothing says we can't kiss some more before I leave."