“So you're leaving in a week.”

Jimin looked up from his book, hands still absentmindedly the soft fur of the sleeping tabby on his lap. His mother leaned against the kitchen counter, wiping her wet hands on her apron. A few days ago she’d insisted that Jimin come to visit, and considering he hadn’t heard from her in the two months he'd been preparing for the spring festival, he wasn't allowed to say no.

“Ya.” He answered, smiling at the quiet purr he received from the half asleep cat. The air around the house smelt of pastries and Jimin sighed, having missed the homey surrounding.

“You excited?” His mother asked, a fond look on her face. Jimin dug his teeth into his bottom lips. Excited? Yes. Nervous? Definitely. His mother, noticing his expression, laughed.

“Don't worry, you'll do fine. I've seen you dance sweetie. If anyone can win it's you.”

Jimin chuckled.

“Let's hope so.” He answered.

“Oh yeah! I forgot to ask.” His mother suddenly piped up.

“Your last performance, how was it? You spent two months on it, must have been big.”

Jimin froze, the cat below him sending him a disapproving glare at the sudden absence of petting.

“It was okay.” He mumbled, gluing his gaze onto his book. The last thing he needed was to be reminded about that performance. About him.

“Is that so? That's good” The other woman chirped, not catching the look of discomfort on her son's face.

“I’m glad you're enjoying what you're doing. You're looking a lot less stressed.” She added as an afterthought. Jimin smiled, or at least tried to.

“Ya…” He mumbled.

“Wow it's getting late.” The other woman continued, eyes landing on the clock across the room.

“You have to catch the train back to Seoul in about an hour right?”

Jimin nodded, dropping his book onto the coffee table. He gently lifted the cat off his lap, placing it gently on the ground before getting up. The said cat proceeded to latch onto his feet and his mother giggled.

“He missed you.” She joked and Jimin smiled, picking up the feline.

“Is that so Joonie? did you miss me?” He cooed and the cat purred.

“You should visit more often Jimin. It gets lonely over here you know, especially with your dad being busy with his business.”

Jimin sighed.

“Ya. I know.”

……………

The sun hung low in the sky, casting a soft orange glow over the practically deserted station. Jimin sighed, wishing he'd taken an earlier train- at this rate he wouldn't be getting back to Seoul till really late. The station was as quiet as it was empty and Jimin didn't like it one bit. It was at times like this that his mind often wandered off on its own…

I didn't ask you to actually fall in love

Jimin internally groaned. Almost three weeks had passed since the night of the performance, yet Mrs. Han’s words were still permanently drilled into his head. Each time he was alone he'd hear her voice and would yet again be reminded of the performance. Of Jungkook. Jimin shivered just thinking about the other dancer.

For the first few days after the night of the performance, Jungkook had tried to get to him, but Jimin had purposely evaded all the calls and texts. His chat room was still loaded with various “Jimin are you okay?” and “did I do something wrong?” texts, but as guilty as Jimin felt, he couldn't bring himself to answer them.

The unmistakable sound of the train pulling to a stop in front of him was enough to pull Jimin out of his thoughts. He shook his head. He should be worrying about the upcoming ACD competitions, not Jungkook. However, even as Jimin settled into one of the countless seats of the train, all he could think of were firm hands on his hips, bright lights and soft melodies about real people…

Jimin flushed, running a hand through his hair.

This needed to stop.

………………

Jimin was barely awake when the train pulled into the station. In fact, were it not for the small tap that the man beside him had given him on the shoulder, he might have missed the stop.

He yawned, breathing in the cool night air of the station. He'd have to take two more buses from here to get to his apartment and frankly, he didn't feel like it. In his sleepy condition, he walked over to the bus stop, eyeing the only bus that was currently there. He recognized the bus almost immediately, having seen it pass by H-corps studios during his various practices at the said studio.

It was late, nearing 11 pm and Jimin was well aware that there'd probably be no one in the studio at this time. Yet, as if in a trance, he found himself walking over to the bus, his brain only registering what he was doing as he walked down the rows of empty seats. Before he could change his mind, the familiar hiss of the bus door closing could be heard and he cursed silently. Due to his tired state of mind and little resolve, he took a seat, leaning his head against the cool glass and letting his mind travel.

For the past three weeks it had always been a bad idea to let his mind go off on its own, considering his thoughts always traveled backed to one thing...scratch that, one person. However, surprisingly the thoughts that plagued his mind weren't ones of the the raven haired dancer he'd grown so fond of, but rather the fast approaching ACD competitions that he'd be leaving for in a couple days. He pursed his lips, wondering if he was ready for it. Mrs. Hans had said he was ready, his mother had said he'd be fine….Jungkook...would he think?

You're one of the best dancers I know.

Jimin blushed, remembering the compliment he'd received from Jungkook the day they'd made up. He groaned, internally chastising himself for letting the younger invade his thoughts yet again. He pushed the said thoughts away, letting his eyes focus on the unfolding city scenery beyond the window. By now he could recognize the turns of the road and was certain, by the amount of times he'd had to drive down it, that the studio was getting nearer. As if to prove his point, the bus took a turn and Jimin’s breath hitched a little when he was suddenly faced with a looming building that was all too familiar.

He hadn't been to H-corps in three weeks and he'd be lying if he’d said the building wasn't doing weird things to him. He wasn't sure why he didn't just watch the building pass by, but rather stopped the bus just in time to get off in front of it.

The street was empty, the only source of light coming from nearby streetlights and opened shops. He walked over to the large glass double doors, eyebrows furrowing when he spotted the lights of the lobby still on. He was aware that on rare occasions when important performances were nearing, the studio would be opened till late, as long as an authorized personnel was still in the building- like during his two weeks practicing with Jungkook, Mrs.Han had given them keys to the studio and they’d been permitted to stay till much later.

Perhaps now would have been a good time to turn back, but Jimin pushed through the doors anyways. He was aware that he probably wouldn't be coming back here before he left for the competition, and since the ACDs lasted for a minimum of two months, who knew when he'd see the studio again? So with that thought in mind, he walked further into the building, eyeing the security cameras that were spread out across the studio. The surrounding area was relatively safe in terms of where the building was located, so security wasn't really that big of an issue.

It was somewhat comforting, walking through the studio halls again. He could see that the lights were still on in some studios and he guessed that some sort of performance must have been approaching. His lips turned up unconsciously as his mind traveled to the nights he'd spent here practicing for the spring festival, and suddenly his feet were moving on their own, searching out the familiar room he'd spent two months in.

The lights were off in the studio, but for some reason the door was ajar.  Jimin pushed it open, flicking the lights on and letting out a small sigh at the familiar room. Everything was just as he remembered and a part of him was tempted to plug in his phone to the sound system and freestyle a little bit. He ventured deeper into the room, too lost in his own mind to notice the quiet set of footsteps that seemed to be approaching.

“Jimin?”

Jimin froze. He knew that voice.

Jimin didn't turn around, instead raising his gaze to the mirror where he could easily see the same raven haired dancer that had plagued his thoughts for so long now.

“Jungkook…” His voice was barely a whisper.

Jungkook gaped at him, as if he wasn't quite sure whether he was seeing things or not. The dancer was dressed in grey sweats and a plain black tank top that showcased his sculpted muscles in a way that definitely didn't drive Jimin crazy. His hair was matted to his forehead with sweat, and judging by the noticeable rise and fall of his chest,  he'd probably been dancing. In summary, Jungkook looked just as great as he always did and Jimin was starting to hate himself for deciding to come here.

“Jimin” Jungkook repeated, breaking him out of his thoughts. Jimin pursed his lips, letting out probably the lamest reply he could muster.

“Hey…”

……………….

 

This. .

“When are you leaving?” Jungkook asked, taking a swig from his glass of water. Jimin looked down at his fingers intertwined neatly on his lap.

“In a week.” He answered, gaze traveling to the untouched bowl of noodles in front of him.

After bumping into Jungkook at the studio, neither had been sure what to say and as a result, had ended up in an awkward exchange of silence. Eventually Jungkook had grown tired of the silence first and had spoke up.

“I just finished practice.” He'd said.

“I think we should talk.”

So here they were. Talking. In a small restaurant. Alone.

“Cool. You excited?” Jungkook replied, his voice laced with an awkward tone. Jimin pursed his lips. For some reason Jungkook hadn't brought up all the calls and texts that Jimin had ignored and he wasn't sure how to feel about it.

“Ya.” He simply answered and Jungkook scratched the back of his head, another silence falling between them. Jimin huffed. He hated that things were so awkward now all because he was too much of a coward to face Jungkook.

“Jungkook.”

“Jimin.”

Both men paused after their simultaneous outburst and Jimin chuckled nervously.

“You go first.” He insisted and Jungkook visibly gulped, looking away.

“Why did you leave that night?” He began and Jimin froze.

“And why didn't you answer any of my calls?"

Jimin pursed his lips, mind racing as he searched for an excuse.

“I wasn't feeling well that night.” He answered, using the same lie he'd used with Mrs. Han. Jungkook didn't answer at first, expression blank.

“And the calls?” He finally spoke, turning his attention back to his bowl of noodles that was almost halfway done already. Jimin bit his bottom lip, a habit that he'd taken to doing when he was nervous. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to respond to the question, but he sure as hell wasn't willing to tell Jungkook the truth.

“I..I've not really been in the mood to talk to anyone these days.” He mumbled instead.

“I know it sounds dumb, but with the ACD coming up I've just been a little out of it and well, I get like that when I'm out of it..” He wasn't exactly lying, there had been a lot of other people he'd chosen to ignore with the stress of ACD’s looming, Jungkook wasn't one of those people, but he was willing to use this as an excuse. He looked up, a part of him hoping that the other had really bought it.

Jungkook’s expression was unreadable at first, until finally, a small sigh left his lips.

“So I didn't do anything wrong?” He asked, leaning back against his chair. Jimin shook his head furiously.

“No, no you definitely didn't.  I just..I don't know, I'm really sorry for ignoring your calls.” He answered. Jungkook threw his head back, running a hand through his hair.

“God jimin..don't scare me like that, I thought we'd somehow gone back to square one with you hating my .” He mumbled and Jimin muttered a small ‘ sorry.’

Suddenly Jungkook sat up, expression morphing into something Jimin could only deduce as concern.

“Do you always do that? Shut yourself off from everyone when you're stressed?” He asked, and since it wasn't a lie, Jimin shrugged.

“I guess.” He answered, and Jungkook’s frown deepened. He shook his head.

“That's not a good way to handle stress.” He stated, eyes boring into Jimin with an intensity that the other man still wasn't used to.

“No, I guess it's not.” Jimin answered, choosing to avert his gaze from Jungkook’s piercing one.

“You're leaving in a week right?” Jungkook continued, pulling something out of his back pocket. Recognizing the item as a wallet, Jimin opened his mouth to protest, but wasn't given the chance.

“I'll be busy for the rest of this week and next week, so I don't think we'll be speaking till ACD is in session.” Jungkook cut him off, pulling out the amount of money Jimin knew covered them both.

“But since we still have today..” He got up, placing the money on the table, before suddenly grabbing his backpack with one hand and Jimin's hand with the other.

“Ya!” Jimin exclaimed as he was suddenly being dragged out the restaurant, his protest being ignored as Jungkook addressed the cashier by a simple “money's on the table” as they passed by.

“Ya Jungkook! What are you doing?” He asked again once they were outside. Jungkook grinned, pulling him to the nearest bus stop.

“Showing you how I relieve stress.”

………………

 

If Jimin had been expecting anything, it definitely hadn't been this.

He'd been confused when Jungkook had suddenly stopped the bus by a construction site, and despite having passed this location countless times, Jimin hadn't even been aware that a stop existed there. His confusion had only grown when Jungkook led them past the site, further away from the lights of the city and into an expanse of barren land that held nothing but dirt.

“What the hell Jungkook?” Jimin whispered, afraid that in the emptiness of the expanse, the whole world could hear them.

By now the rest of the city were only specks of light in the distance, and the only sounds that could be heard were the  occasional sound of a car driving by in the distance, and the shuffle of dirt underneath their feet. Jungkook stopped suddenly, and Jimin all but walked into him.

“Here would do.” The taller announced and Jimin scoffed.

“Jungkook are you out of your mind? Do you know where we are? Are we even allowed to be here?” He hissed and Jungkook shrugged, the darkness of the night making it hard for Jimin to clearly see his face.

Suddenly Jungkook was crouching to zip open his backpack and Jimin watched, curious, as he brought out what appeared to be a small set of bluetooth speakers.

“You know I wouldn't make you do anything if I wasn't sure it was fine.” He began, pulling out his phone. In a matter of seconds, a song that Jimin didn't recognize was seeping out into the air.

“Jungkook we're outside at night time, should you be playing your music?” He whispered, looking around as if expecting to find someone watching them.

“It's fine, we're too far out for anyone to hear or see us.” Jungkook answered, standing up while bobbing his head slowly to the music. Jimin watched, frown eventually turning into a barely contained smile as he watched the other suddenly start pulling out ridiculous dance moves. He snorted at a particularly stupid looking spin.

“What are you doing?” He asked, and Jungkook grinned, face suddenly morphing into an overly exaggerated sultry expression.

“Join me?” He asked and Jimin had to hold himself back from laughing.

“Dude you look stupid.” He joked, letting Jungkook pull him into an awkward spin.

“Do you mean good stupid, or bad stupid?” Jungkook asked and Jimin chuckled.

“I don't think there's such a thing as good stupid.” He answered, immediately adding

“So this is your idea of relieving stress..”

Jungkook nodded, raising a brow.

“Yup. Is it working?” He asked, and Jimin was about to make a snarky remark when suddenly hands were wrapping around his midsection, and before he could complain, were spinning him around at a pace he'd rather not have to feel.

“Ya!! Jungkook!” He exclaimed, hands clasping around Jungkook’s arms in an attempt to have a grip on something in case he fell. But of course Jungkook only spun him faster.

“Jungkook stop or I'll throw up on you.” He threatened and finally the other slowed down, eventually coming to a stop. Jimin stumbled as he gained his footing, swaying a bit as he steadied himself. His eyes narrowed, and he glared at Jungkook, the taller immediately getting the message and darting off at a speed that should not be possible. Not that it discouraged Jimin from running after him anyways.

“Didn't your mother teach you to respect your elders?!” He yelled after him, having already forgotten his fear of being heard by the city. Jungkook’s chuckle could be heard even with the large gap he'd created between them.

“I'm sorry, I could have sworn you were still in middle school!” He called back and Jimin let out an offended gasp he knew the other wouldn't hear.

“Ya! You brat!”

The chase continued for what seemed like forever, and by the time Jimin eventually caught up to Jungkook- a fact he knew was purely due to the other letting him- he was much too tired to do anything but lightly smack him on the shoulder.

“You're a you know that?” He gasped out, and Jungkook laughed, breathing just as heavily as the other.

“Still stressed?” He asked, plopping onto the ground, and while usually Jimin would hate the idea of sitting on dirt, he followed, much too exhausted to be bothered.

“Ya, but for a new reason that in one word, would be Jungkook.” He heaved, delighted in the fake “ouch” that he received from the other.

No words were exchanged after that,  and they were left in their own tranquil world of dirt, distant city lights, car zooms, and quiet music streaming from forgotten speakers.

“Hey.”

Jimin looked up when their silence was eventually broken by Jungkook, who now lay splayed on his back.

“Hmm?” He hummed in response, looking down to find the taller staring up at him. His gaze held a new kind of intensity, one that made Jimin’s insides twist with someone dreadfully warm.

“Did you really leave that night because you weren't feeling well?” He asked and Jimin froze. He looked away, eyes now locked on the city lights in the distance.

“Ya.” He answered, and after some internal debating, asked.

“Why? Is there another reason you wish I'd left for?” He asked, a part of him unsure whether he really wanted an answer or not.

“Maybe.” Jungkook whispered and Jimin felt his breath hitch. He turned, wanting to see Jungkook’s expression, unsure if he'd really heard right, but Jungkook was already standing, dusting his feet off as he spoke.

“We should head back. It's really late now.”

Jimin nodded slowly, the other man's words muffled by the loud thumping in his chest. For a moment he thought Jungkook could hear too, part of him wished he would. But Jungkook simply began walking away, back to the forgotten speakers and the distant city lights.

Jimin wasn't really sure he'd heard right.

……………..

 

Jimin gasped. To say he was excited would have be an understatement.

“It's so niiice” He all but squealed, eyes grazing over the exquisite suite in which he’d been booked as a contestant for the competition. The bellhop who’d escorted him to his room merely kept on his welcoming smile, clearly unfazed by his reaction.

“We hope you enjoy your stay” He stated professionally, placing down all of Jimin’s luggage by the doors. With a couple more heartfelt praises and thanks, and a tip of course, the other male finally let the bellhop leave, plopping onto the huge bed once he was alone. The actual competition did not begin for another three days, hoping to give the competitors time to familiarize with each other, as they shared a building. With a deep sigh Jimin could only wish that they’d at least be decent people. The last thing he needed were competitors.

………………

 

Luckily, Jimin’s prayers were answered. While he had to admit, some of the other contestants did look rather intense, none of them gave off terrible vibes, he found the group a lot more comfortable than he’d assumed. While he didn’t explicitly interact with any of them on the three day prep period, he found out much later after the welcome performances that they all seemed polite for the most part.

The welcome rounds were not part of the competition itself, but did in fact play a vital role for the event. Each contestant was expected to have one of their old numbers chosen and re performed at their appointed time in the 4 days welcome period. It was a live event, so this not only allowed the judges to pick out their favorites, but the public as well (which was vital since the public played a huge role in the semi finals).

For Jimin the choice for his performance had seemed obvious. He’d picked out the routine he’d done on his first ever national competition he did at the age of 16, an old Chinese ballad on hope. It was back then that his self confidence had really spiked up, and his passion renewed. It was a long time ago, so compared to now the routine was rather simple. Filled with excitement and anticipation for the event that was to come, and urged on by the inspiring lyrics of the song, he’d executed the simple routine in a way that the judges claimed had “brightened their day”. After the performance each candidate was to justify the reason they chose that piece, and upon spilling out his childhood ambitions and experiences to the judges, he immediately became a favorite.

There were other favorites amongst the crowd as well, two particularly, approached Jimin, and he quickly managed to befriend. Taemin was someone the judges had claimed bore a lot of similarities, and while he’d immediately spotted him out as a huge competitor, the smiley male and him had hit it off decently. However, his relationship with Taemin got nowhere as close as it did to the other male, Hoseok. While Jimin could easily pinpoint some suspicion and cautiousness in Taemin, Hoseok on the other hand was nothing short of a bright and free soul. Having welcomed everyone personally with a wonderful smile and a crap ton of good lucks, Hoseok’s energy and innocent friendliness was the most comforting thing Jimin had seen. Befriending the other male immediately, the two became somewhat inseparable. Despite the fact that he was a favorite- his energy immediately made the judges fond- Jimin could see that Hoseok held no intentions other than doing his best and having a great competition, and for that Jimin was extremely grateful.

Of course Jungkook hadn’t been too excited to hear about his rapid befriendings, not that Jimin blamed him, he could tell the other was extremely cautious about rivalry in competitions of such scale. They had kept in contact since day 1, and despite the amount of money they were losing from all the international calls, the long hour evening calls of Jimin filling the other male in on the inside details of the competition became routine. Of course Jungkook was still keeping up with the live broadcasts of the event back in Korea despite his busy schedule, but they both were well aware that at this point they needed each other’s support more than anything- Jimin especially. Despite his long speech on being suspicious of other contestants during competitions, as well as his extensive research through google and various social media on both Taemin and Hoseok, Jungkook finally somewhat agreed- although quite begrudgingly- that it was good that Jimin made some friends.

All in all, the welcome period had gone by smoothly, and after 2 days of rest, the competition was fully on its way.

.............
 

Getting to the semi finals was a breeze. Well perhaps that was an overstatement. It wasn’t exactly all fun and games, there were definitely some difficulties here and there, but Jimin had to admit, with all the public support he was getting, he might have lowered his guard. Still. Lowered guard or not, no one had expected it.

“Jimin what happened??”

“Honey talk to me..”

“You let your guard down”

Staring down at the different texts on his phone, the first from Jungkook, the second his mother, and the last Mrs. Han, Jimin bit back another sob. How could he have let this happen?

Of course he’d practiced, perhaps not as often as he could have amidst all the sightseeing and fan signings. But it definitely had not warranted a fall. A ing fall. In front of thousands of people, four esteemed judges, and a set of the best dancers all around the globe.

Of course he’d been disqualified.

His phone had been ringing non stop since the chilling announcement had been made. His fans were chaotic, his newly made friends confused, and he...well...He was wrecked. Of course Jungkook’s calls were the most constant and urgent. He hadn't picked up any of them yet. He wasn't ready.

“Jimin I swear to god pick up”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it…”

“Please”

With every passing day since his disqualification (three days now) Jimin read over the younger’s texts, both the old and the newer ones. Each time he’d debate on answering them, on calling back, but it never happened. He knew for a fact that there was no way he’d be able to speak to the other without having another breakdown like the one he’d had the night the announcement was made.

But he should have known better. Jungkook had always been full of surprises.

The sound of a knock resonating through the room was one that took him by surprise. The only people who could have gained entrance to the suite without having called from the lobby were the other contestants in the suite. It wasn’t unusual, after all everyone had given him some time after he’d remained silent towards all their attempts at consolidation, perhaps they were there to try again.

Quickly washing his face and giving himself a light pat on the cheeks, Jimin headed to the door, taking in a deep breath as he imaged just what he’d say to them. “I’m fine, don’t worry. There’s always next year”. Ya, that should do. Just as his fingers brushed the doorknob, his phone went off, the device still within the clutches of his small fingers as it vibrated with a low hum. Jimin didn’t need to look down to know who was calling. With a small sigh he ignored the sound and opened the door, lips already forming a small forced smile as his gaze moved up. “Hel-”

Jungkook had always been full of surprises.

One solid minute. It took a solid minute of heavy silence and intense eye contact before either of them said anything. Jimin could hear the quiet rings from the other’s phone which was propped against his ear, his own phone vibrating violently in his hand. He didn’t know what to think. He was here. Jungkook was here. In Japan. To see him. What? Why? Who does that? How the can someone be so-

“Jimin..”

Jimin didn’t answer, swollen bloodshot eyes still widened in surprise as he took in the other’s presence.

“Jimin?”

“Jimin omg-”

Jimin didn’t know he was crying, not until he was gently pushed back into his room, not until the door closed with a quiet clack and suddenly warm arms were wrapped around him. . He should have picked up those calls.

..............

 

Jungkook’s presence had been exactly what he’d needed. Sure he’d been scared of being a crying mess in front of the other, but how stupid, he’d forgotten just how sweet the younger was. The whole day Jimin had cried, face buried into Jungkook’s broad shoulders. He was sure it was a mess, the obvious splotches of wetness on the other male's white shirt was all the confirmation he needed. Yet Jungkook didn’t mind. He didn’t utter a single word of complaint, but merely whispered words of reassurance, even made him lunch (ramen of course, but it was still something) and a cup of hot chocolate. How could someone be so perfect? By the end of the day Jimin didn’t have a single tear left in him. Who knew crying could be so exhausting. In the end all he could do was remain snuggled up against Jungkook as he’d been the whole day- usually he’d be embarrassed, but right now he needed it.

“You didn’t really come all the way to Japan just to see me right?”

Jimin had to ask. He figured as much but he could hardly believe it. Just thinking about it made him blush.

“You weren’t picking up. I was worried” It was the answer he’d expected, but still...it made him feel warm..

“Sorry..”

“It’s alright. I understand”

...............

 

He had dreaded facing Mrs. Han. He knew the time would come eventually, but he definitely had not been looking forward to it.

The day came two days after Jungkook showed up. The other had been helping him pack and pretty much hadn’t left his side since he came. This time Jimin had been a lot more ready for visitors, after all he’d been getting a lot of them recently after he’d calmed down with Jungkook’s help.

When he opened the door Mrs. Han immediately walked in, not even giving him the time to process her random appearance. With dread, the fact that she’d just walked into his room finally clicked.

“Mrs. H-”

“Jimin” She began without letting him speak, walking further into the room, her back turned to him.

“While I am aware that this must be a difficult time for you, it is necessary that you- oh” Gaze landing on Jungkook’s figure as the other male walked out of Jimin’s rooms with his packed bags, Mrs. Han herself looked surprised.

“Jungkook. You’re here?”

Jungkook chuckled nervously, and with silence as her only answer, she sent them both a knowing look before continuing.

“Well even better. I’d put those back if I were you” She said, tone commanding as usual as she gestured towards the bags.

“I’d like to believe that Jimin isn’t going anywhere. Not until the competition is over of course”

Both Jungkook and Jimin exchanged a confused look. What did she mean? Thankfully she continued to explain herself.

“If you’ve all paid attention to past competitions, you’d know that in random years they have resurrection rounds. I’m sure you know what those are. They occur at randomly predetermined years, and a contestant, based on public voting is resurrected for the final. Now like I said, predetermined, so whether or not one is happening this year, we can’t be sure. However, I looked through all the past competitions and noticed a pattern. At least three years of interval and at most five years, that seems to be the trend for when they have these resurrections. Since it’s been four years since the last resurrection round, I’d say you have a solid chance.”

Jimin wasn’t sure how to reply. He’d totally forgotten about those. He had a chance. All hope wasn’t lost yet..this was-

“This is great!” Jungkook voiced out his own thoughts before he could.

“Jimin you can still win!” Dropping the bags and hurrying over to Jimin’s side, Jungkook all but lifted him off the ground. Flushing as he noticed Mrs. Han roll her eyes, Jimin patted the other’s shoulder, a small sigh of relief escaping him as his feet hit the ground again.

“If there is a resurrection round it’ll be announced publicly either tomorrow or in two days. Until then keep yours things here. You wouldn’t wanna have to make a trip back from Korea. But still. Don’t cancel your flight just in case” Mrs. Han advised, her hair for once was left hanging down her shoulders. It was weird seeing her like this. She seemed softer..almost like a mother.  A mother. Crap. He had to call his mom.

“ I have to call my mom” It was a random announcement that neither of the other had been expecting, but they merely nodded.

“I’ll be heading off then” Mrs, Han added, turning to leave.

“Wait” Jimin quickly stopped her, the older lady raising a brow as he turned around.

“Thank you.”

Mrs, Han scoffed, but he could have sworn he could see a hint of a smile.

“Don’t let your guard down again.”

And with that she was gone.

..............

 

Mrs. Han had been correct. Two days later a resurrection round had been announced and voting had begun instantly. Jungkook hadn’t left the competition site, stalking the voting process as if it were his life. He swore the guy would have voted a million times if he could. As for Jimin, he’d called his mother. The poor woman had been worried sick. After countless apologies, listening to lectures, and being cooed and babied by his worried mother, they were on good terms again. It felt nice, everything felt good again. It was nice.

Of course he’d won the vote, no one had doubted that he would. He’d been getting congratulations even before the winner was announced. Even when the announcement was made, Jimin could hardly believe it. He was still in the competition. After all that sobbing he was still going to be a finalist. Despite everything, even his excitement could not compare to Jungkook’s. The guy acted as if he’d won the lottery or something, Jimin found it absolutely adorable. Of course he still didn’t expect the other to walk in one day with a bag of alcohol. But then again, Jungkook had always been full of surprises.

“How’s my finalist doing~” Jimin looked up from the bag he was currently unpacking, a confused look on his face as his eyes landed on the bag.

“Are those-” Jungkook answered before he could finish.

“Of course they are, we’ve gotta celebrate!” plopping the drinks onto the table, he wiggled his brows. Jimin sighed, already aware that he couldn’t refuse.

“Fine. But just a little”

“And do you know what the er said??? He said my moves were sloppy! Like- dude couldn’t even do a proper twirl and had the ballsss to call me sloppy-” Jimin slurred, giggling at the overly exaggerated look of disgust Jungkook sent his way. Taking another swig of his bottle of vodka, another fit of giggles left his lips.

“Aish, some people need to just disappear-” Jungkook slurred back, flopping onto the bed beside Jimin. Jimin snorted.

“You sound like a killler~” He responded, swaying slightly to the side, his cheeks flushed a light pink. Jungkook grinned, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“I’ll be anything for you baby~”

Smacking the other lightly across the chest, Jimin burst into another fit of giggles.

“Staaph. You’re so grosss” Laughing lightly, he meant to lean back against the other, but since Jungkook happened to be leaning back at the moment too, he ended up falling back onto his chest. Being too lazy to move off, he merely turned around, laying beside the other so their shoulders touched. Jungkook didn’t reply and a comfortable silence fell between them, the quietness bringing back a cascade of memories in Jimin’s mind. Weird, Jungkook seemed to be in all of them.

“Thank you”

The thanks was a mere whisper, one that would not have been heard were it not for the immense silence. Jungkook turned to face Jimin, at the exact time the other chose to do the same. Jimin’s breath caught in his throat, up close the younger looked even better. Jungkook seemed just as stunned, and slowly he nodded.

“Anytime”

The word barely registered in Jimin’s mind, and he gulped, lips parting as his eyes fell to those soft looking lips. Jungkook seemed to have noticed the action as his tongue slowly darted out to his lips. . All he had to do was lean in and..

“We should go to sleep..” Jimin wasn’t sure why he said that. Suddenly he was feeling a lot more sober. His heart was thrumming loudly and dang did that disappointed look on Jungkook’s face hurt.

“Ya. You’re right. Night Jimin”

With that they both turned around, a newly created tension hanging over the room. With words unspoken, Jimin turned back around, hands wrapping around the younger’s middle. Jungkook froze at first, but slowly turned around as well, his own arms finding their way around the shorter. Since Jungkook came they’d been sharing a bed, but other than the night Jimin cried his eyes out, they hadn’t been this close. Jimin knew he could definitely get used to this. Jungkook was warm.

.............
 

Jimin’s comeback had set the competition into full gear. The tension between contestants had spiked up with his sudden return, and with the finals finally here, everyone seemed a mixture of nervous and excited. Everyone knew the routine. There were two rounds in the final. The first was the performance round, and the second the solo. The performances were going to be held in a month, and as usual the contestants were going to be given a theme. Their job was to perform as a main dancer in a choreography involving more than one person. Contestants were allowed to form groups with other contestants or from other outside dancers, but of course were marked individually on skill, but together for choreography and visual appearance. The theme was only given after all performing groups were solidified. On the first day after final opening ceremonies, Jimin had about 4 of the 8 finalists approach him in hopes of pairing up or forming a group, but of course he refused. He had something else in me.

“Oi. Pair up with me”

The question had come off casually from his lips as he threw a jar of sandwich spread to Jungkook. Jungkook, who easily caught it, merely snickered.

“I thought you’d never ask~” And that was it, Jungkook went back to making his sandwich and Jimin to scrolling his instagram feed.

But of course things weren’t gonna be that easy.

“Well will you look at that”

Staring in horror at the T.V screen in the lobby, Jimin’s lips parted, the teasing undertone underneath Mrs. Han’s words only worsening the situation. A small noise Jimin could not make sense of escaped Jungkook’s lips from beside him, and he swore.

On pretty much every person’s screen in the area were the block letters scribbled on the ACD website’s front page.

"Final’s Performance Theme: Lust”

 

 

 

A/N

*awkwardly shuffles in*

*Cough* so....ummmm

Ya'll wanted a sequel for Dragon....

SOoooooo here's the thing. I started writing it and....it kinda turned into a chaptered fic...whooooppssss

XD I blame yall for getting my creative juices flowin-

Anyways in the summer Imma be working on "Our Story", this new chaptered fic that ya'll just created, and one other story from my older collection. 

BUt that aside! here's part two of that three shot! comments are appreciated~