By: @abuden

The subject of Jungkook's infatuation, that's who he is—Park Jimin.

Jungkook remembers the first day they met—when Jimin had been bawling at the playground, all bundled up in his sweater and overalls. He'd been so cute and so upset that it had awoken some sort of dormant instinct in him—the need to protect and care for that little boy.

He was good for Taehyung in those early days. Taehyung has ADHD and he used to be all over the place. The teachers would line up just to speak to his mom with a laundry list of complaints when it was time to pick Taehyung up from school. He has his meds to keep him focused now, but back then, Jimin's gentle nature and calm countenance was the only reason Taehyung hadn't exploded on himself.

Jimin smoothened Taehyung's edges, and in fact, he still does. Sometimes when Jungkook thinks of them now, he wonders if they've ever gone further than the boundaries of friendship. They're so familiar with each other, so compassionate, almost like they have a sixth sense for what either of them feels or thinks. It's hard not to see them as partners, even though it riles something up in him—a darkness that makes him clench his fists and grind his teeth.

Over time, Jungkook's fondness for him has only grown stronger. Jimin ignites feelings in him, feelings that he's never bothered with before—jealousy, concern, possessiveness. They have him in a clutch, ruling over his thoughts and emotions. Unbeknownst to Jimin, Jungkook is completely at his mercy.

When he's in bed in his dorm room, with his snoring roommate for company, Jungkook stalks Taehyung's photos on Facebook, zooming in on one Park Jimin. He thinks back to the tiny Jimin in the playground who held so much trust and faith in him, who looked at him in wonder. And Jungkook thinks about how he found Park Jimin first.

💕

Jungkook's teen years had passed in a flash. He remembers playing with Taehyung and Jimin occasionally, but school was hectic, and Jungkook was on the football team. He didn't have time to roll in the mud and go to the arcade every time they pestered him to.

He had homework to do, practice to attend, and girls to hook up with. That later turned into girls and guys, but Jungkook was a busy bee nonetheless.

He's still playing football in university while concurrently pursuing a degree in Economics. It's tough shit. Half the time he wants to die from the workload. But he loves what he does so much that he can't give up. His mom worries that he's working himself to the bone. Maybe he is, but his mom isn't in university to see it in person, and what she doesn't see, she doesn't know.

As it happens, Jungkook doesn't go home for two years. Granted, Tae, his mom and his dad have visited him on campus. They've even spent several nights in the city, Jungkook excitedly showing them the little nooks and crannies he's begun to call his own.

But it's two years that he hasn't been home, and two years since he's properly seen Jimin.

And boy, have those two years made a world of difference.

He used to want to kiss Jimin. Now he wants to fuck him stupid.

💕

It's when he picks Taehyung up from school that he sees Jimin in person and his eyes nearly bug out. The pictures are gorgeous but they don't do him justice. His hair is dyed a deep russet—not quite brown, and not nearly red enough. It brings out the blush on his cheeks, sets his skin aglow. He's yapping away to Taehyung, the same he's always been and Jungkook feels a smile beginning to make its way through.

He doesn't think Jimin can see him yet. And he's driving his dad's car so he's doubly unnoticeable. Jimin was always so reserved around him, from what Jungkook used to remember. A skittish little thing, but always stealing glances. Seeing him next to Taehyung like this makes Jungkook want to steal him away. So that Jungkook can watch him talk and smile all day long.

When they're close enough, Jungkook can see the way Jimin's bag straps pull his shirt taut around his chest. He sits in his car and traces the shape of Jimin's calves and his Converse clad feet. There's a red string tied around his wrist, identical to the one bound on Taehyung's wrist as well. His sleeves rise up while he gestures wildly with his arms, as does the hem of his shirt.

There's something about watching him like this, shielded from outside scrutiny, that sets off an explosion of butterflies in his belly. It makes Jungkook feel like a peeping tom. He should be embarrassed with himself but he's not. He only feels like he's being teased. The groan he lets out makes it all the more illicit.

Taehyung waves and Jimin turns around, walking down the street in the opposite direction. Jungkook almost wants to step out and offer a ride but he holds himself back. Jimin's already made some ground and calling him back would only cause a scene.

Taehyung throws open the passenger door next to Jungkook and swings himself in. It's supposed to be a surprise. No one but his dad knew that he was coming back. His mom's been hinting not so discreetly that she's going to disown him if he doesn't come home soon. So right after the last paper of his semester finals, he packed up his bag and zipped it out of uni.

It was a long ride but he had Namjoon for company. He's probably still sleeping in Jungkook's bed. He'd been up late trying to get a head start on one of his assignments. They're both economic majors and they somehow have most of their lectures and classes scheduled together.

Namjoon's a cool dude. He's got a shit ton of weed and he's always willing to share, and he's pretty damn smart. Jungkook's the type to work hard for an A, whereas Namjoon's the type to spend the entire night debating Plato and acing test after test.

Namjoon's parents are away on holiday, touring Europe or something, and when Jungkook mentioned going home, Namjoon asked if he could come with. It wasn't that big a deal, his house is spacious and his dad was more than happy to accommodate Jungkook's friend.

Taehyung's going off a mile a minute, talking about some party he's been invited to. Jungkook doesn't think he's even noticed him yet. He laughs and that finally gets Taehyung's attention. He nearly knocks his head on the dashboard, whipping around in a double take. He's gawking at Jungkook, and then he lunges across the centre console in an attempt to hug him.

Jungkook gets a mouthful of Taehyung's hair, all shaggy and floppy, and he pulls his little brother close. He's missed him like crazy. When he was away at university, it didn't really register how much he missed home but once he's out of that focused mind-set, it hits him hard, like it does now.

"Surprise!" He says, voice muffled as he speaks into Taehyung's shoulder.

"Oh my god, Jungkook!!! When did you get back? Oh my god—oh my god. It's been literally ages!!" Taehyung gushes, settling back into his own seat and fastening his seatbelt into place.

"Just a couple of hours ago." Jungkook answers, starting the engine so that they can get the hell out of the school grounds. Honestly, the one thing Jungkook doesn't miss is how jam packed the traffic is during school pick up and drop off hours.

"Am I the only who got the surprise? Does everyone know already?"

Jungkook chuckles. "It was a surprise for mom too. Dad was the only one who knew."

Taehyung keeps glancing at him, grinning like a loon. Jungkook can't help but grin back. They used to be tight. But with school and everything else going on around him, Jungkook's priorities had changed, and consequently, Taehyung took a backseat. But things are currently a lot better for him. That initial haze of figuring out his course of life has now passed. He's already starting to look up career options.

"Jungkook, I really missed you," Taehyung says after moment of silence.

"Me too Taehyung, me too. How've you been? Doing okay in school? Look at you all grown up now. You've even gotten taller."

Taehyung huffs. "Not as tall as you though. I'll never be as tall as you."

"Hey, never say never." Objectively, Jungkook's got a couple more inches on Taehyung who's already hit his growth spurt. It's truly unlikely that he'll be taller than Jungkook. "I'll get you heels for your birthday," Jungkook jokes.

"Ha! I'll pass them on to Jimin, he probably needs them more than me."

Jungkook chokes and coughs into his hand. "What?" His voice is all strangled and wispy. But the image of Jimin in heels has his heart hammering in his ribcage. Jimin in nothing but heels.

Jesus.

"Oh yeah, you haven't seen him in years, have you? He's tiny. Some of the girls in class are taller than him, but don't tell him I told you that, it's kind of a sore topic for him."

Jungkook wrangles a groan from making its way out of his throat.

But Taehyung carries on, as if Jungkook isn't in turmoil next to him. "And he's pretty familiar with heels anyway. He dances in them sometimes. What are they called? Kitten heels? Kitty heels? You know, the type that dancers use. Last year they had this showcase and it was such a cool idea. All the girls wore suits and bowler hats while all the guys wore heels and fancy makeup and wigs. It was the coolest dance ever, like literally. I think I might have a video somewhere at home."

Jungkook feels a twinge go down his spine all the way to his cock. He wants to step on the accelerator and push the limits of what he can and cannot do. He wants to lock himself in his room and pull his cock out to jerk off fast and hard. And he wants to see Jimin in that video and come all over himself. It's such a strong intense feeling that Jungkook almost blows his load there and then.

"Oh yeah?" Jungkook asks.

"Mmm," Taehyung says. "They got second place but whatever, he's still the best dancer to me."

Jungkook can see the veins in his arms bulging as he navigates the steering wheel. He can imagine those arms enveloping Jimin's body as he dances privately for him. And it takes everything in Jungkook to hold himself together.

Taehyung hops onto another topic, talking about a Maths competition he's won. Jungkook's used to Taehyung being like this. Even though the Adderall makes him less impulsive and more attentive, Taehyung still has a hyperactive mind and can segue from one line of thought into the next without notice. 

It gives Jungkook time to cool down. Taehyung's distraction is Jungkook's saving grace. He's honestly so fucked if this kind of harmless conversation can already get him going. He has half a mind to blurt out his feelings and act on them, consequences be damned.

💕

Namjoon's a bit of a playboy. Not that Jungkook can comment on it since he used to hook up every other day. Those days are behind him now that he keeps thinking about one person in particular, but Namjoon doesn't believe in liking only one person—nor even one person at a time. His a bit of a rogue in that sense, always breaking hearts left, right and centre.

And he knows about Jungkook's predicament. Secrets somehow tumble out when they're both high. He teases Jungkook about it, calls him a little lovesick puppy. Jungkook may very well be lovesick. It takes a lot of self control not to run home just to see Jimin and throw him against a wall. He's so entangled in his own fantasies, of being make-belief boyfriends that he's driving himself insane.

Namjoon doesn't get why Jungkook doesn't just do as he wants. The thing is, Jungkook can't approach Jimin because he's still only seventeen. And Jungkook's already twenty one. Namjoon calls it bullshit, arguing that not all states have the same age of consent anyway. He even suggests that Jungkook drive over the state lines and fuck him there since Jungkook is so fixated on it.

It's tempting. But Jungkook wants to do right by Jimin. He wants to ask him out when Jimin's no longer a minor. He wants to hold his hand in public without being persecuted. And he wants to kiss him whenever he feels like it.

Namjoon calls him a fool, and Jungkook agrees. Now that he's home without distractions and responsibilities weighing him down, his patience is starting to wear thin and his hunger is growing exponentially.

💕

During dinner, Taehyung is asking for permission to go to a party. Their mom is grilling him about who would be there and more importantly, what would be there. Taehyung is obviously lying through his teeth when he says it's just a small friendly get-together. But she buys it and gives him the green light. 

Jungkook knows the place. When he was Taehyung's age, he had a group of friends he was close with. Jin was one of them. It's his house that Taehyung's talking about. A family home or rather, a family mansion. Jin's family comes from old money and they've lived in the same place for generations. They all live together—uncles, cousins, grandparents and all.

If Jin's relations are even a little like him, that party is going to be wild. 

He hasn't heard from Jin in a long time and decides to give him a call after dinner, just for the fun of it. To his surprise, Jin's at home too. It's hard to catch him on a break, he's always flying from one city to another, attending fashion galas and walking the runway. Out of all his friends, Jin's probably the most successful, and not by luck either. His mom thinks he's a workaholic, but Jin puts him to shame.

They spend a few minutes catching up, trading stories and general updates.

"Yo, so my brother's been talking about a party, what's all this about then?" Jungkook asks.

"Ah, that? It's Miyoung's friend Katie. She's having her birthday bash, I think. Miyoung offered to host and Katie jumped on it. Why?"

"Nah, just curious. My brother was talking about it. Hey, so when are you heading back?" Jungkook leans back into his bean bag. Namjoon's on his bed, laptop in hand and glancing at him every so often. Probably because he's got Jin on speaker phone and Namjoon can hear every single thing they're saying.

"The day after the party actually. I have a gig in New York. I mean, it's supposed to be a couple of days later but they had some scheduling issues. Some idiot double booked the photographer so now everything's a mess."

"Shit, that really sucks, Jin. I was hoping we could meet up and stuff. My friend from uni is here too."

"Who? Namjoon?"

Namjoon looks up in surprise at his name coming through the phone. Jungkook shrugs. With how much time they spend together, it sometimes feels like Namjoon is his only friend, well, enough of a friend that he talks about him to his other friends.

"Yeap."

"Alright, tell you what. We'll meet up at this party. The kids can have their fun and we'll just find a corner to ourselves. There'll be alcohol and all. Just bring yourselves. I'll even call up our old friends, might as well have a mini reunion while we're at it. Cool?"

Jungkook glances at Namjoon, who nods his head in agreement. "Cool, cool. We'll be there. Catch you later then!"

"Alright, see you then."

The line disconnects and Jungkook stands up, shaking off the pins and needles in his legs. "You sure you're okay with this?"

Namjoon grins, dimples deepening. "Course I'm sure. I need to meet this Jin dude too, right? I hope you've been saying good stuff about me Kook."

Jungkook snorts, reaching for the doorknob. "Good stuff, my ass."

He pads over to his brother's room. The door is half open and Jungkook knocks, leaning against the frame with his hands shoved into the pockets of his sweatpants.

Taehyung's working on something. He's got about ten tabs open on his computer, headphones around his neck but with music blasting so loudly that even Jungkook can recognise the tune of Gorillaz's Feel Good several feet away. 

"Hey," Taehyung lifts his head and cranes his neck. "What's up?"

"That party you were talking about—I'll be going too. Jin's back home and we're going to meet up then. Namjoon's coming too."

"Oh really? Sweet! Can we catch a ride?"

"We?" Jungkook narrows his eyes in confusion.

"Me and Jimin, duh."

Jungkook flounders for a moment. Of course Jimin would be going, he and Taehyung are practically attached at the hip. It just sort of slipped him mind. He must take too long to answer because Taehyung then says, "That won't be a problem right? Why do you have that look on your face?"

Jungkook shakes his head to rid himself of the daze he's caught in. He feels heated, and a little dizzy at the thought of seeing Jimin so soon.

Taehyung frowns at him, tilting his head to the side like he's pondering something. Jungkook straightens his shoulders and huffs a breath. "Yeah, sure, of course it's fine."

Taehyung gapes at him, realisation dawning his features and Jungkook almost wants to flee the room. He feels ridiculous for wanting to run away from his own brother.

"No," Jungkook says immediately. "Whatever you're thinking, the answer is no. Absolutely not."

Taehyung stands up in a rush, pushing his chair back. He strides forward but is jerked to a halt by the cord attached to his headphones around his neck. Ripping them off in haste, he flings them carelessly and Jungkook watches as the headphones balance precariously at the edge of the desk.

Taehyung practically runs across the room and drags Jungkook in by his wrist, slamming the door shut.

"You like him!" Taehyung pokes at Jungkook's chest. He sounds victorious.

Jungkook swipes his hand away and scrunches his nose. "No, I don't."

"Yes, you do. I know you do. You really really do. You like Jimin."

Jungkook doesn't know why Taehyung sounds so happy about it. It's not like it's something to celebrate. He's quick to cover Taehyung's mouth with the palm of his hand. "Oh god, do you want to yell that any louder? Announce it to our neighbours?!"

Taehyung is saying something, but it all sounds like mush. He seems to have a fair amount to let out, and Jungkook relents, releasing his hand. "Softly," he warns.

"I don't know why we're whispering but so what? You like him! This is great, honestly, my best friend and my brother. Hey, if you break his heart I'll...—burn your guitar."

Jungkook scoffs. "No you won't. Mom and dad gifted it to me."

"Okay, maybe I won't. But I'll find something else to do. Mark my words."

"Shut up, it's not happening anyway. You don't have to do anything."

Taehyung drags him to his bed and flounces onto it, pulling Jungkook to lie down beside him. "Why not?"

Jungkook sighs. He can't believe he's confessing to Taehyung, of all people. "Because he's a minor, Taehyung. It's just not right."

"Yeah but his birthday's like in a month. A couple of weeks don't matter much."

Jungkook is honestly starting to feel the same. Jimin is nearly eighteen. It's not like they have any sort of power imbalance or anything detrimental influencing their could-be relationship. Jungkook is still only a university student, still grappling with life choices and is just desperately weak for Jimin.

But the longer he thinks about it, the deeper into the rabbit hole he goes. And it's just too much for him to handle right now.

He sits up and throws a pillow at Taehyung. "Yeah well, whatever. Don't say a word to him Taehyung, or I swear to god—"

"Or what?" Taehyung swats the pillow away. "Look at us, going back and forth, fighting to protect our darling Jimin. Oh, how romantic," he