Sometime in the middle of the night, Jimin wakes up when Jungkook climbs into the bed next to him, cautiously. He groans and slides down further into the bed, squeezing his eyes shut.

" Shit, Min, sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up," Jungkook whispers.

" Do you need anything?"

" No. Just cold," he mumbles back.

Jungkook rolls over instantly, wrapping his arms around him.

" Sleep."

" Mmk."

And he does.

Jimin doesn't wake up fully until around 10 o'clock the next morning, and he feels impressively better. He doesn't see Jungkook anywhere; assuming he went to work, Jimin jumps in the shower and brushes his teeth four times over, trying to permanently erase the sick from his body.

He wanders into the kitchen and snorts when he sees the mess on the counter. Jungkook is constantly teasing him that he's the sloppy one, but the current state of this kitchen would beg to differ. Jimin grabs his phone and takes pictures of it. For future reference, obviously.

That's when he sees a text from Jungkook on his phone. All it says is: I have Link, don't worry.

Jimin scratches his jaw. He hadn't even noticed that Link had gone.

" You're a bad Dad," he says out loud to no one. " Didn't even realise you're son was missing."

He makes himself a slice of dry toast, his stomach still a little unsure, and sits down with it on the couch. Jungkook left the TV on before he left for work (with Link, apparently) and he sinks further into the cushions, finally comfortable for the first time in over a day.

Jimin is dozing off when he hears a door slam from the driveway. He perks up, wondering if Jungkook took another half day. He has the words Are you seriously crazy? On the tip of his tongue, ready, for when Jungkook walks in, but his thoughts die as soon as Jungkook makes his way through the front door.

He's a disaster. He's still wearing the jogging bottoms he had on last night for bed, his hair is pushed back by one of Jimin's athletic hairbands, and the look in his eyes is absolutely crazed.

" Jungkook, fuck, are you okay?" Jimin gets up off the couch, immediately making his way over to Jungkook.

Jungkook shakes his head. " No. No, today was the worst morning. I'm so sorry."

" What's wrong...should I panic?"

Jungkook sucks in his cheeks and looks up at the ceiling. " Okay, let me start this off by saying Link is going to be okay."

Jimin freezes. " So, I should panic."

" I called out of work this morning because I wanted to stay with you just incase you still felt like shit and I knew you hadn't eaten all day so I wanted to make you homemade chicken noodle soup and I was in the process of doing that this morning which is why everything is such a mess and Min."

Jimin scrunches his face up, completely confused still, and grabs Jungkook's hands. " Babe, relax. Take a breath. What happened to Link?"

Jungkook squeezes his eyes shut and then opens them again. " I left all the stuff for the soup on the counter and I went to check on you and then I went to the bathroom and by the time I came back, Link had eaten the entire chicken. Like, an entire raw chicken. Bones and all."

Jimin fries to hide his smile. He knows where Jungkook is going with this story. " I'm assuming Link is at the vet?"

Jungkook nods quickly. " I was so afraid he was gonna die. He ate, I don't know, seven pounds of raw chicken. But I couldn't wake you, so I brought him myself and the vet gave him vomit inducing stuff and I was sitting in the waiting room hysterically laughing because both of you were puking and the entire thing was so ridiculous and I almost killed your dog. Your Tyler dog. And Min, I'm so fucking sorry. He's gonna be okay, they told me. But they wanted to keep him in for a while and we can go back and get him tonight. Min..."

Jimin thinks Jungkook might generally cry. He yanks him down for a hug, Jungkook's arms wrapping around him instinctively, his chin tucking over Jimin's shoulder. He means to tell Jungkook that he doesn't blame him, that it's not his fault. Instead, what comes out is.

" Jungkook, I'm so fucking in love with you."

Jungkook jolts back immediately.

" Wait, what?"

It's not as scary, saying this for the first time, as he thought it would be. He hasn't told anyone outside of family and friends that he's loved them since Tyler died, but he's been thinking it for weeks, unsure if it was true, unsure of when or how to say it.

Now is the time, he thinks, shrugging, smiling. And now he's sure of it, sure of Jungkook.

Only now is it completely obvious that they've been purposely avoiding saying I love you to one another, something they've been saying for years. How did he manage to wait so long to say it? He feels like he can breath properly for the first time in years.

" Kook, you took time out of work to take care of me, make me homemade fucking soup, and when you accidentally poisoned my dog..." He pauses to hold back a laugh. " You took him to the vet without a second thought. You're the most caring, selfless person I've ever known. I love you for all of this and for a thousand other reasons...Christ, how could I not be in love with you? Honestly. I'd be crazy not to be."

Jungkook's smile is positively radiant, his cheeks pink. " Do you think you're still contagious?" he asks, his voice wavering.

" If I say yes, will that stop you from kissing me, anyway?"

" Probably not."

" Okay, good."

Jungkook moves quickly, capturing Jimin in a bruising kiss, holding Jimin's face in his hands, and Jimin kisses back just as fiercely. It feels freeing to tell someone how much he loves them after so many years of not doing so. To tell Jungkook.

Jungkook pulls away, his eyes blazing.

" Do you know how much I love you?" he asks breathlessly.

Jimin nods with a smile. He does. He knows.