"Stay with me," Jimin asked Jungkook after laying him down on the bed.

"I don't want to trouble you, please drop me home." Jungkook shook his head, smoldering his eyes as though the thought made him uncomfortable.

"You do realize that I am your personal driver. Don't you?" Jimin asked Jungkook, chuckling a little and trying to make his point and counter Jungkook's. The boy pouted. "And I have no problem being one." He caressed his hand over the boy's forehead.

Jungkook's heart pounded like a bird pecking at food. Jimin drew the duvet over him and Jungkook curled into it. "Sleep if you want, I will go wind up the party." Jimin took everything in his control to step backward instead of every tissue in his body was screaming to lean down and kiss the boy.

Jungkook nodded and closed his eyes after inhaling deeply.

**

The next morning, Jungkook woke up and found that he was in a familiar room, only alone. "Oh god! I didn't tell mom I'd stay over." He frantically began to find his phone but he couldn't. Where is Jimin Hyung?

Quickly, he ran down the stairs to find a very empty and extremely dirty house. "Ji-Jimin Hyung?!" He called in a panic. "JIMIN HYUNG?" He screamed louder and within a few seconds, a bare feet boy appeared from behind the closed door.

"Jungkook-ah..." Jimin croaked in his sleepy voice as he trudged towards the younger. "You are up early."

"My phone, I can't find my phone." Jungkook's brows were drawn together and the fear was dripping right through his eyes.

"Why do you need your phone, Jungkook-ah?" Jimin raked his hands through his hair and leisurely got away from Jungkook. "Who do you want to text when I am right here?" He groaned in his sleepy state.

Jungkook started following Jimin, trusting the latter that he'd know where his phone was. Jimin opened a drawer of the cabinet and took out a phone. "Here," he turned to see Jungkook sighing in relief. Just when Jungkook tried to hold the cellphone, Jimin pulled his hand back.

"Is it your boyfriend you want to text?"

"Hyung~" Jungkook whined and lunged at Jimin to grab what he wanted, but Jimin put his hand behind his back.

"Tell me first."

"I don't have a boyfriend," Jungkook growled in frustration.

"That's rude!" Jimin squinted his eyes, standing still. "Who am I then?"

"Hyung, please!" Jungkook grabbed Jimin's arm that was holding the phone and the older boy didn't struggle anymore, letting the younger have his way. "I didn't tell my mom about staying over. She is going to kill me." Jungkook intoned with a pout as he started to unlock the phone and walked away from Jimin.

"Relax!" Jimin plopped on the couch. "I already called her last night."

"You did?" Jungkook turned to look at Jimin and the boy nodded his head right before he patted the space beside him, indicating the younger to sit.

Jungkook still checked his phone to see if he had any angry texts from his mother, but he didn't. After he fell ill last to last year, he wasn't allowed to stay anywhere. His parents were overly possessive of him, wanting him to stay safe. When Jungkook was free from worry that he had no objection from his parents, he slumped beside Jimin.

"Hungry?" The older asked.

"Not yet," Jungkook pouted, looking around deliberately to dodge the eyes on him.

"Can you cook?" Jimin asked suddenly.

Jungkook perked up his brows with a proud brooding look. "No."

Jimin burst out chuckling. "Why is the look for then?"

"I don't know. Maybe because of the fact that I don't have to slave for you now. If I said I could cook, I am pretty sure you would've asked me to cook for you right now." Jungkook stifled a laugh right after.

Jimin beamed with a smile, poking his tongue to the corner of his lips. "Your mother said you could stay for another night if you want. I can teach you if you do."

"Oh," Jungkook looked at the vase kept on the table. "I think I will pass."

"Why?" Jimin asked, bearing more interest. "Don't you like spending time with me?"

"I do," Jungkook batted his eyes at Jimin. "But I hate doing house chores. My mother told me once to do my own laundry and my dad had replaced two washing machines since then, I broke them."

"If the situation was reversed, Jungkook... I would choose to stay with you, irrespective of if I'd have to do chores. You broke my heart." Jimin spoke with sincerity that Jungkook's smile slowly faded.

Jimin intently leaned closer and Jungkook stopped breathing. The older sniffed deeply and exhaled through his nose. "You reek. Go take shower and I will go slave for you in the kitchen." He stood right after with a smirk and spotted Jungkook sniffing his neck and armpits in the glass reflection.

"I smell fine, you stink!" Jungkook jabbed from behind and Jimin turned around so quickly that the boy immediately flinched his eyes closed. Jimin leisurely bent down, so close to Jungkook, slid his hand behind the boy's ass, and before the younger could jump, he realized he was encased from either side.

"I put my phone here somewhere," Jimin kept smirking as Jungkook's face turned red and he looked down, trying to keep his legs closed. The older's arm grazed Jungkook's clothed skin and he dug out his phone from the crack of the couch. "You are still here? Go shower!" Jimin scolded Jungkook right after, still encasing him.

Jungkook pushed Jimin. "I will if you leave me alone." He stomped his feet away with more weight in them than necessary while the older plopped down on the couch again, holding his stomach and laughing.

**

"You alright in there?" Jimin knocked on the bathroom door.

"Yup!" Jungkook answered. "Found your dirty magazines again."

"Why are you looking at them in there? Come out and let's do it together." Jimin enunciated, holding back his laughter.

The door suddenly opened and a long-faced Jungkook walked out. Jimin touched his chin. "I can teach you things, little baby. You just have to ask."

"I am not dirty like you. I was looking at it so I could blackmail you later," Jungkook clarified animatedly with his hand gesture and wide eyes. "I clicked the pictures too." He grinned sheepishly.

"So you are going to tell my parents now?" Jimin crossed his hands over his chest, face barren all of the sudden, and Jungkook's smile faded again. It made Jimin soft. Every time he feigned sadness, Jungkook also somehow turned gloomy. "Kidding, baby." He played with a wet lock of Jungkook's hair and tucked it behind his ear.

"You can't do shit to me." He added after turning around and smiling while Jungkook silently followed him out.

As they sat at the dining table, Jungkook beamed at the food. "I love English breakfast."

"I know, that's why I made it. Eat a lot." Jimin smiled softly.

"How did you learn cooking, Hyung?" Jungkook asked, picking up the cutlery and running it over the sunny side up, causing the silky yolk of the egg to jiggle and burst.

"I told you I don't like interference, right?" Jimin asked and Jungkook nodded. "I guess that's it. My parents are always traveling and I didn't want the maids in so I decided to learn myself."

Jungkook nodded while forking his sausage and biting the soft buttery meat with his teeth. "I feel you are not very close to your parents."

Jimin flashed a momentary smile and looked down. "I am not. I wish my parents were more like yours. But at least someone's parents' are capable of love."

"Don't say that, Hyung. I know that you might not feel like it, but no parent wants their child to suffer or feel neglected. Maybe their way of showing love is different. You should talk to them and I am sure they will listen."

"You don't know, Kook," Jimin's hands stopped for a moment. "They have all the money in the world but they won't pay for my college just because I don't want to become a business associate like them." Jimin never opened up about these things with Jungkook. Hoseok was the only one who was aware of it. But Jimin knew that Jungkook would keep their conversation secret. He trusted the boy.

"I am sorry," Jungkook pouted.

"It's okay," Jimin turned his tentative smile to a vibrant one. "I made it sound way more depressing than it actually is. This is life, Jungkook. I am quite used to it now anyway. Just one more year and I will be out of their hair for good."

Jungkook felt a knot in his neck. Every time he thought that they only had a year left together, he couldn't help but feel hopeless as though his world would stop spinning if Jimin left.

On some nights, he even considered asking his father to send him to the dance school too, but he wasn't as good as Jimin, and he knew it. Moreover, he couldn't see himself as a dancer in the future. So, he decided to spend as much time with Jimin as possible when he had a chance, like right now.

1 Mar 2022