Spectrophobia || Jikook

You're My Prince & I'm Your Rose

Only a few moments later, the largest lion doll was pushed out of the way at the top of the mountain, revealing the very source of Jimin's thoughts. The taller smiled down at him immediately, revealing a perfect set of pearly teeth.

Jungkook, who was his Little Prince.

"Hey, Jimin-ah!" Jungkook exclaimed as he made his way down. He held a small plastic bag tied with a purple ribbon in one hand.

Jimin sprung up on his feet and tackled the other with a strong burst of laughter, the two falling together on the soft bed of plushies underneath. His heart beat in lovely intervals - just for Jungkook.

"I missed you!"

Jungkook released a small cackle and ruffled the smaller's messy blonde hair. When they sat up, he placed the plastic bag in Jimin's hands and watched as the other blinked and pulled the string. Immediately, his eyes widened and glimmered in excitement. "Oh my - "

He looked up at Jungkook with the biggest smile ever outstretching his face. "Are these the cookies you said taste like heaven?!"

Jungkook chuckled. "Yep. I had Jin hyung make some for you just now, so they're freshly baked."

Caramel eyes sparkling, Jimin took a cookie and took a large bite into it. After chewing a bit, he hummed in delight and closed his eyes to savor the perfect, chocolate taste. The pastry was not too hard but not too soft either, the chocolate chips were a little more sweet than bitter while melting on his tongue, and the dough was nice and buttery. He was quick to demolish nearly half the bag, tiny crumbs decorating his lips as he sucked the chocolate off his fingers.

Jungkook watched with a smile adorning his face. He blinked when all of the sudden, a cookie was being pushed against his own lips, large caramel orbs staring up at him expectantly. He laughed and took the pastry in his mouth. Jimin giggled and laid back on the cushions to stare up at the sky-painted ceiling.

"Jin hyung really is amazing..." He says softly.

Jungkook felt his heart swell with pride and couldn't help but grin. "Yep, that's my hyung for you."

Jimin turned to stare up at him once more. "You're really lucky, Jungkook-ah... Your hyung must be so kind and gentle - like you."

Jungkook laughed and laid down right beside him. "Yeah, but don't get on his bad side. Sometimes, he acts worse than mom. Like, if I forget to fold my laundry or clean my room, he'll go all crazy and point fingers everywhere! And one time when I was eight, I walked into the house with mud on my shoes and he nearly fainted! It was funny and I got in a lot of trouble."

Jimin laughed with him and leaned closer so their faces were only centimeters apart. From here, he could see every lash on Jungkook's eyes and every beautiful imperfection decorating his skin. His eyes locked onto the tiny, barely noticeable scar on his left cheekbone and reached to trace it under his thumb. "Where'd you get this...?"

Jungkook hummed and held the small smile on his lips. "When I was little, I fought with my brother over who got to play first on the one computer we had at home. I think at some point he pushed me and I fell, cutting my face with a sharp edge on the table on the way. Of course, he was really sorry and bought me ice cream the next day."

"Oh? Jin hyung likes game too?"

"Yep, he still does. Honestly, even though he acts protective and a little motherly, he's still childish. He acts really tough for me, but in reality he has his own weaknesses and doubts. You see, he admit to me that he felt like a failure and that he was so untalented compared to others."

Jimin sat up quickly and shook his head in dismay. "No way! Your hyung is amazing! From what I've heard, he's an incredible cook and has the soul of angel. He's the total opposite of a failure, Jungkook-ah!."

Jungkook sighed. "I know. I told him myself, but I think something's keeping him down...like maybe that guy he said he fell in love with in college. He mentioned him to me once and I've never seen him so lovesick and sad at the same time..."

"Lovesick...?"

"Like when you're so in love with someone that you feel like your lungs are constricting and you can't breathe properly around them. The feeling's so intense that it's almost like a symptom to a disease. Your heart constantly beats for that person and pounds against your chest when you're around them."

Jimin nodded slowly and processed his words carefully in his head.

Lovesick? He placed his hand over his chest and felt the steady heartbeat inside gradually increase in tempo as he threw several glances at Jungkook. His fingers curled over the fabric as he swallowed the lump in his throat.

Do I love...Jungkook?

-

Jungkook didn't know what made him do it, but he couldn't stop his hand from reaching over to swipe the excess cookie crumbs off of Jimin's plump lips. He leaned in slowly while never looking away from the smaller's glazed irises.

He felt like the Little Prince. And Jimin was the rose that he was supposed to protect. Jimin was the single, delicate rose growing on his lonely planet. He wanted to build a glass globe around him to protect him from the harsh winds and danger. He loved him as much as the prince loved his precious rose.

Their lips connected, and their worlds collided in a mess of colors, dark with light, moon with sun, fire with ice. It felt perfect - like they were always meant for each other.

And eventually, the Little Prince would leave his rose alone and cold, unprotected, on his planet. He would leave feeling she was taking advantage over his kindness. She would be left alone to fend for herself while he went to explore the worlds beyond him.

But neither of them knew.