Jeon Jungkook was a coward.

He was a foolish foolish coward.

He was too scared to express how he really felt, too afraid to show how much he loved and missed the shorter boy. And maybe that was the reason why it all ended up like this.

With Jungkook running and cowering away from his feelings, frightened of what could be.

And this had to change.

All of this had to change, because he can’t keep hiding, and frankly, he can’t stay away from Jimin.  He doesn’t want to.

And so, with a heavy mind, and a heavier heart, he decides to listen to Jin for once.

He’d finally face his feelings instead of running away from them.

And he’d finally  confess to Jimin.

~•~

He got off the bench, and went to where Jimin and Yoongi was still talking.

“Jimin hyung..”, Jungkook calls out, causing both Jimin and Yoongi to turn and look at him.

“Yeah..?”, Jimin says, raising his eyebrows at the boy who looked at anywhere else but at Jimin.

“Can we talk?”, Jungkook says, rubbing the nape of his neck (it was a nervous habit of his).

Jimin’s eyes widened ever-so-slightly at that, but he regained his posture soon enough. He turned around to face the taller boy properly and said, “Yeah, sure. What is it Jungkook?”.

Jungkook internally scowled at that. He liked it better when Jimin called him Kookie (Jimin didn’t need to know that though).

“Uh..can we talk..in like..private?”, he says slowly, eyeing Yoongi in fear of the boy bursting at him. But all he did was glare.

Jimin coughs in surprise and says “S-sure” . He blushed lightly as he followed Jungkook with timid steps. ( He was glad it was nighttime, or else Jungkook would’ve seen the crimson red tint of his cheeks.)

They stood under what seemed to be the biggest tree of the forest park, Jungkook leaned against the tree and sighed. He didn’t know what to say or how to say it. He at communicating and expressing. But he had the will to at least try. For Jimin, he’d try.

“So…”, Jimin drawled out after a while of thick silence, “What is it?”, he asked, worrying on his bottom lip. And Jungkook thought he looked ethereal under the moonlight. Jungkook felt his throat go dry, “I..”, he started but stopped himself again, Oh my god he actually is actually doing this, he’s going to confess to Park ing Jimin, holy .

“Look, I don’t have forever to wait, either you tell me whatever it is or I’m leaving-”, Jimin said coldly but was interfered by Jungkook.

“I think I like you.”, he said in a quiet murmur, looking at the older boy with earnest eyes. Jimin sputtered at that, he chuckled, “W-what?”, he said, not believing his ears.

Jungkook meekly shook his head, No, he didn’t just think he liked Jimin, “No..I know I like you, Jimin”, he said daintily, almost faintly.

Jimin still didn’t believe his ears. Shell shocked, he just stared at the taller boy, who looked back at him with so much fondness, he almost believed his words. He chuckled airily, looking down to will away the tears b in his eyes. “You don’t mean that, Jungkook-ah”, he said vulnerably. And Jungkook looked so crestfallen.

You don’t mean it, so please stop acting like you do.

“I do mean it, Jimin. ”, Jungkook said sternly. “Hell, I might as well even be in love with you I-”

Jimin downright laughed at that, and it wasn’t the sweet, airy laugh of his, it was dark and bitter. “Stop it, Jungkook”, he said, glowering at the younger boy. “I’m not-”, Jungkook tried to say but was interrupted by Jimin, yet again.

“Look, if you think it’s funny, for you to be mocking me like this, then it’s not.”, Jimin said and turned to walk away. Jungkook deftly grabbed at the older’s wrist, “Please, just hear me out, hyung”, Jungkook said.

Jimin abruptly pulled his hand away from the younger’s hold, “And why the hell do you think I would listen to you?! Why the  would I want to believe anything that you say? How do you expect me to ‘hear you out’ when all you do is ignore me and mock me as if I’m the plague!”, Jimin said and looked at the boy dejectedly, his eyes felt red and his heart stung.

He wouldn’t let Jungkook have his ways like he did before.

“I’m sorry.”, Jungkook rasped out, his eyes spoke of guilt and shame. Guilt for hurting the sweet  fluffball of sunshine, and Shame for being so stupid, mean and ignorant.

He didn’t know what else to say, “I..love you.”, he said yet again, sounding raw and miserable.

Jimin physically flinched at that, “You don’t mean that. You don’t mean that!”, he said aloud, as if he’s trying to convince himself more than the one he was talking to. “I do-”, Jungkook tried replying but Jimin spoke again, “No! You don’t.”, Jimin laughed that bitter laugh again, “You don’t even know what it’s like to be in love Jungkook!”, he said.

Jungkook felt his heart ache.

“How are you so sure that you’re in love with me?! Or is this one of your stupid pranks again huh?!”,Jimin croaked out, on the verge of tears.

“I..”, Jungkook tried to say, but no words came out. He didn’t know what to say.

“You’re right”, he said, looking up at the starry sky, blinking away the tears. “I don’t know what it’s like to fall in love Jimin.”, he smiled tightly.

“And so I’m clueless as right  now and I messed things up.”, he continued, “but I’m trying, Jimin.”, he looked back at Jimin. “Doesn’t that count as something..?”, he asked softly, his voice cracking.

When he saw that Jimin wasn’t saying anything, he spoke again, “I really do love you, Jimin”, he said. “I love you..And I’m sorry it took me so long to figure it out.”, his throat was constricting.

“Well then I guess it took you too long, Jungkook-ah”, Jimin smiled sourly at the taller boy. “I’m done chasing after you, and I’m done arguing with you.”, he continued, “I’m-”, Jungkook tried speaking but a certain someone interrupted him. Min Yoongi.

“Why are you guys taking so long?”, he came and wrapped his arms around Jimin’s waist. Jungkook had to look away before it burned his chest. “Nothing, we’re done here”,Jimin said sternly, glowering at Jungkook.

“Let’s go babe”, Yoongi said.

Jungkook’s heart ached. Oh.

So this is what he meant by it being too late huh?, he thought as he looked at the couple walking away from him. He hadn’t noticed the lone tear falling down his cheek till they were out of sight.

He lost Jimin, Jungkook chuckled bitterly at his own thoughts. And it all dawned on him, clashed down on him like a ing tidal wave, Jungkook lost something that wasn’t even his to begin with.

-*-

Jimin’s heart was thumping hard as he walked away from the taller boy, “ ity ing ”, he murmured on. Jeon ing Jungkook, the bratty, cocky bastard who’d always act cold just confessed to him, Park Jimin, the annoying boy who Jungkook “hated”. And Jimin still didn’t believe it, he couldn’t believe it. How could he when one second, the boy was blabbering rude profanities and saying heartfelt words in the other? He really didn’t know with that boy.

Once he and Yoongi walked far away from where Jungkook was, Yoongi pulled his hand away from Jimin’s waist. Jimin turned to face Yoongi with wide eyes, “J-jungkook he..”, Jimin tried to say.

“I know..I heard”, Yoongi interrupted with a smirk plastered on his face. But Jimin paid no heed to that, “Oh my god, I was so rude to him I shoulg go and a-”, Jimin said and tried to go back but Yoongi stopped him. “No, don’t.”, he said, “He thinks we’re together”.

Jimin scowled at that, “What..why would he..?”, he asked but answered his own question when he thought back to what happened minutes ago. He walked away from Jungkook with Yoongi,holding him by his side.

Oh damn. “Oh good Lord”, he drawled out and turned back around to go to the boy but Yoongi  grabbed him by the arm, “I told you don’t, he thinks we-”, Yoongi said but was interrupted by Jimin. “That’s exactly my point! He thinks we’re..dating and we’re not and he..he’s probably misunderstanding all this and he”, Jimin blabbered on.

“Exactly.”, Yoongi said. Jimin frowned and raised his eyebrows at that. What? “You’re going too easy on him, Jiminie.  Make him fight for it.”, he said. And if Jimin was confused before, he was more than perplexed now. “What do you mean?”, he asked.

Yoongi sighed exasperatedly and said, “Look, if he thinks that we’re  a couple, and if he loves you, he’d try to make you his, and he’d fight for it.”. It sort of made sense now, but Jimin still disagreed, “But he already told me that he l-oves me”, he said but his voice cracked, he can never get used to associating that word with Jungkook.

“He already told you he loves you-”, Yoongi said, “-but he’s got to prove it.”