Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

soundtrack: friends, bts

If you were to ask anyone that knew Jimin or Taehyung, they would say that they are best friends, each other’s everything, soulmates even.

Jimin and Taehyung would agree.

Since they were too young to remember, the pair have stuck by each other like peas in a pod, the title of best friend was simply too lacking to describe a bond as beautiful and strong as theirs. From elementary through to high school, they laughed together, played together, cried together and held each other together through it all.

The reason why these two were brought together was simply fate (if you believe in all that stuff) as their mothers were friends since before they had been born.

Mrs Park and Mrs Kim were good friends from when they met at a book club they attended whilst each of them was pregnant with the now Jimin and Tae. Mrs Park gave both to a beautiful baby boy named Jimin on October the 13th 1995, and 78 days later, Mrs Kim also gave birth to a lovely boy named Taehyung.

Legend has it that Taehyung was meant to be born 3 days later than his actual birthday, but this time it absolutely was fate, the red string pulled him out sooner, in the last few hours of 1995 just so they could end up as same-aged friends and edged the two closer together.

Despite growing up and playing together all the time, their parents expected that when they reached kindergarten or even elementary school, they would probably grow apart a bit, seeing as there would be much opportunity to meet new kids to play with and become friends with.

They were wrong.

Whilst they both did make many new friends, Jimin and Taehyung were inseparable, a bond like no other, causing everyone from the kids, teacher and other parents to affectionately be known to them as JiminandTaehyung.

Along the way, Mrs Kim had 2 more kids, giving Taehyung a baby brother and a baby sister. And Mrs Park too had another child, gifting Jimin with a younger brother.

Jimin and Taehyung got along like a house on fire so it would make sense when they were just as attentive and loving to their siblings and each other's younger siblings as they were between themselves.

There really was never a lack of love in the little boys hearts'.

-----------------------

Growing up was a haze of school, homework, playing, the days and seasons blurring.

With freezing winters came ice skating, snowball fights, hot chocolate and cuddling under blankets watching christmas movies.

With warm summers, came ice-lolly sticky hands, soft smiles and even warmer hugs.

And of course, as ever, through it all they were with each other.

-----------------------

“Yah Jimin-ah! Come here and let's play please” whined Taehyung. It was their 2nd year of middle school and Jimin (13) had grown to taking school very seriously, whilst Taehyung (also 13), despite being very smart, still remained the carefree playful kid of youth.

Jimin relied on Taehyung to bring that side of him out nowadays, for with Tae, everything was so effortless.

“Not right now Tae, I still have 12 more questions to do, Mr Lee said I need to practice getting better at fractions. Have you even looked at the homework?” Jimin replied whilst keeping his eyes on his work, without even glancing at Tae, he knew though that the younger would be wearing an adorable pout on his face whilst showcasing the biggest puppy eyes, even a single glance would break Jimin's resolve, he was weak like that.

The duo were sat in Taehyung’s room, both heading over to the younger’s house straight after school ended. There was really no need to inform either of their parents about their whereabouts. Where Jimin was Taehyung was and vice versa, which more often than not, turned out to be one of 3 options, the Kim’s House, the Park’s house or the local park.

Jimin was sat at Taehyung’s desk facing the window, the sky fading to soft blues and purples as the sun set. The younger was laying down on his bed with his head facing Jimin, wearing a discontented expression on his usually smiling face.

“Ugh, does it even matter, Minnie pleaaaasseeee. I promise I’ll do it later if you come play with me now” he whined.

“Or, you could do it with me now and we'll both be done and we can play for as long as we like without having to worry”.

“I can't believe you Park Jimin, who in the world would rather do homework than to play with their best friend. But you're the most stubborn person there is, there's no winning with you” huffed Taehyung, there's no way the younger would've left Jimin alone and there was basically no chance that Jimin would agree to play before getting his work done, even at his young age he was responsible like that, so really it came as no spurprise that Taehyung would abandon trying to convince Jimin and just accepted to doing the work first.

Jimin looked at the younger with the most fond expression, his eye smile illuminating his whole face. “What a baby, I know you love me really, Taetae”.

“Of course I do, now let's get this over and done with”.

To anyone with eyes, it was clear to see it was Jimin that was wrong in that sense, they were both weak for each other, each had the other wrapped tightly around his pinky finger.

-----------------------

“Yah Taetae, we’re watching Harry Potter for movie night right? I asked eomma to get you that strawberry ice cream and some strawberries too”

Taehyung paused his mindless doodling and looked up. Jimin was sat on top of the kitchen counter, swinging his legs and looking at Taehyung. Taehyung got up from the dining table he was sat and rushed over to the older.

“Really?? You actually got it for me? But our mums always say it's so expensive and so bad for us” He rushed out quickly.

“That’s because it is more expensive than the usual Melona or Subak but we always get that so I convinced her to get this for us, especially since you love it so much, dummy. Plus I’m pretty sure it's very unhealthy, it's insanely sweet there's no way that that's natural.” huffed Jimin.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!!” Taehyung squealed while pulling Jimin down and wrapping him up in a warm hug. “Mini I love you, you're my favourite always!”

Jimin giggled, wrapping his arms around the younger and squeezing gently. “Of course Taetae, what kind of best friend would i be if I did beg eomma to get it for us, eh? Plus she secretly loves spoiling you, you know that”. Jimin giggled at the pure joy radiating off of his best friend, it's strange seeing how happy Taehyung was made him just as happy, if not more. “And I love you too puppy, now come on let’s watch, I'll grab the snacks, you go put the movie in!”

“Yes sir!” smiled Taehyung.

------------------

The last year of middle school saw Jimin (15) struck with a most unfortunate happening, his beloved calico Meonji died. The cat was of old age, it’s death being inevitable, and yet it hit him hard. Jimin had always been a kind soul, empathetic and loving without a fault so it was understandable how the death had really affected him.

Taehyung (15) was incorrigible in his love and attention to Jimin as ever but most in particular after the incident.

He was the one who requested that Meonji had a proper funeral and even said a few words. Despite being heartbroken, Jimin was so thankful and appreciative of the younger for all he did to make him feel better. For Jimin, that was when he knew.

He knew for sure that he would have nothing to fear, no matter what, because Taehyung would always be by his side to make it all okay.

--------------

Soon after that time, came high school.

It was Jimin and Taehyung’s newest challenge.

Both boys had always been well liked by students and teachers alike, with their sweet, easy going natures and kind manners, there was simply no reason not to get along with them.

As a result they both had many friends, most of which were mutual. But as was expected, whilst they had shared almost everything in life together, growing up had meant they both found interests that weren’t mutual. For Jimin (16) it was Dance.

The older had simply fallen head over heels for it and from halfway through middle school, he pursued it like he was going to dedicate his life to it, high school meant that he was pursuing it more seriously, joining dance clubs and participating in tournaments.

Taehyung (16), had felt a bit sad at first, that it had been stealing Jimin away from their precious time together but after seeing how happy it made Jimin, how was he to feel anything but happy for him.

Taehyung was his loudest and most passionate supporter at any of Jimin’s dance events.

Besides, Taehyung knew really that there was no way Jimin would ever leave his side, he simply loved him too much.

Taehyung had also found his passions with the music department. He picked up a knack for playing the saxophone.

Jimin too, attended every single performance no matter how small or big his best friend’s part was.

While they spent a little less time with each other, they opted for quality over quantity, with them spending most evenings and weekends with each other.

-----------------

Taehyung walked in and let out a soft sigh, closing the front door softly. He knew there would be anyone at home right now. His mother had taken his brother to the dentist and his dad would be at the supermarket with his sister buying groceries.

He kicked off his shoes and climbed the stairs lethargically, it had been one of those days today. He lost his keychain (his favourite, the one Jimin had got him from their family trip to Osaka last summer), dropped half of his lunch, smashed his phone, forgotten his maths textbook and not done his biology homework. It wasn't Taehyung’s favourite thing to be shouted at twice in a row by the Maths and Biology teacher on basically an empty stomach.

To make it worse, he hadn’t seen Jimin all day aside from their walk to school where he dropped the other off at his locker. Jimin had an important exam last lesson followed by dance practise so he spent his lunch and the library and rushed off as soon as school ended. Today was also one of those days where none of their classes aligned so taehyung didn't even have the opportunity of chatting to him during class.

It wasn’t like he didn't have anyone to hang out with, rather it was the opposite, Taehyung had many friends, he like Jimin has always been well liked, he sweet personality and stunning good looks attracted many to be his friend.  He hung out with some of them from the music department during lunch, conversation came easy between the group of them whilst they relaxed and enjoyed their food.

But still, they weren't Jimin. They couldn't offer the easy comfort Jimin could, without even having to say a word.

The events of today had left him with a throbbing headache, which he slowly massaged as he laid down on his bed. He ran his fingers through his straight black hair and tugged softly. 

Taehyung yawned and closed his eyes, a short nap couldn’t hurt right?

A hand brushing through his hair and an even softer voice wakes him up. “Taehyung-ah, time to get up sleepyhead, we have to have dinner.” He scrunched up his nose and stretched and mumbled drowsily “Jimin-ah?”

Jimin sat down beside the sleepy boy and smiled lightly. “It’s half 7 Taetae, everyone’s downstairs already, let's go eat. Poor baby you must have been really tired. How was your day?” he said softly.

Taehyung sat up slowly and blinked the sleep awake, he turned slightly and rested his head on Jimin’s shoulder, his arms encircling Jimin’s and gripped it towards his chest. He sighed,” Jimin-ah today was awful, I had such a bad day. I lost my keychain, you know the one you got me from Osaka, I dropped most of my lunch when I tripped, which also led to me smashing my phone and I got screamed at in both Maths and Biology when I forgot the textbook and I didnt do the homework. Plus you were so busy the whole day i didnt get to see you at all. So yeah today was the worst, so you better gimme some good cuddles tonight, you are staying right?”

“Oh Taehyungie. I'm so sorry baby that you had such a terrible day, and of course I’m staying. I need my Taetae cuddles too, I’ll make it all better I promise you. How about we put on some One Piece today, huh? Will that cheer my baby up?” Jimin cooed, fondness oozing from every atom of his being.

He really did feel bad that Taehyung seemed to have such a shitty day but between paying attention in class, studying for his big test during lunch and running through the choreo straight after school at dance practise, he's had not a single minute to breathe. So as soon as practise was over, Jimin headed over straight to Taehyung’s to finally relax and just be. He had just walked through the door, no need to knock, he was practically a member of the Kim household, slipped his shoes off and greeted Taehyung’s family before rushing up to the younger’s room.

It was there he found him, still dressed in school uniform, laying haphazardly on the bed with one hand hanging off the edge.

It was moments like these Jimin loved, he was so lucky to be one of the few people that got to see Taehyung like this, all soft and sleepy, no front put on, just Taehyung in his rawest form, whenever he wanted.

And he wanted so bad.

But above all, he would never ever do anything to possibly jeopardize the friendship so instead of walking up to Taehyung and kissing him awake as he so wished, he went for the more subtle, platonic approach of simply shaking him awake and carding through his hair.

“That would be ‘mazing Minnie, but maybe we can do that tomorrow, I just wanna eat and go back to sleep now. Come on, let's go eat first and then we have all the time we want to relax.” Taehyung said as he stood up stretching. He crouched down slightly to grab Jimin’s hand and led both of them out and down into the dining room.

“Taehyungie, Jiminie, sit down, sit down, there’s some kalguksu for you both.” Taehyung’s mother called out to them kindly. “We’re all going up to bed, it's been a long day, remember to tidy up after you finish eating boys”

“Will do Eomoni” they both said.

Taehyung’s younger siblings said their good nights and ran up the stairs following Mrs Kim, Taehyung's father also joined them saying “Boys, eat up, be good and get to bed soon" on his way up.

Jimin smiled, mumbling out an okay, whilst walking over and sitting down, Taehyung pulled out the chair right next to him and sat down too. He reached for the pot of Kalguksu and scooped out 2 portions for both himself and Taehyung.

“Mmmn how was your day anyway, it had to have been better than mine” Taehyung said, scooping a mouthful and chewing lazily.

“Well I guess it wasn’t as bad as yours, it was just a bit intense today and obviously boring. Practice went well though, everyone turned up on time and even Hyunwoo the kid that was off sick for a week came back so we got to run through the choreo all together and it was actually alright, I mean there were a few missteps here and there but on the whole I feel like we're almost ready for the showcase next month. And you know the test I was revising for during lunch, I think it went well, I did as much as I could to prepare for it so I’m satisfied”.

The atmosphere was calm, the only sound aside from their conversations being the sound of crickets and passing cars on the road outside. It was that easy kind of ambience they always had when they were together, the overhead light was the only source of light, with all the others turned off when Taehyung’s parents headed up, creating a feeling of a safe bubble they could exist in.

“That’s nice, I know you guys will ace it anyways, you always do, and Jimin-ah, you know you’re super smart and you study really well, I can guarantee there's no way you’ll get less than 85%. You should try for class president next year Min, I think you’d suit it so well.”

“Yeah maybe, it would look good for university applications wouldn’t it? I’ll think about it later, it's not like we don't have plenty of time.” Jimin found himself thinking about the future more often these days, he was so excited to leave this town and head for Seoul, to pursue his dreams and really make a life for himself. He imagined going to the same university as Taehyung, sharing a dorm with him so they can finally live together. He envisioned library study dates, late night parties, and early morning saturday pancakes. He had built up quite the perfect dream world in his head, he often stopped himself from saying too much or asking too much about Taehyung's plans, in fear that they won't be the same as his. That's the kind of pain that Jimin most definitely would't be able to handle, at least not right now.

“Yeah, we have a whole term left and summer for you to decide, there's no rush. I haven't even thought about university yet, it seems so far away. But wait, if you haven’t had a break at all, does that mean this is the only thing you’ve eaten today?” Taehyung's eyes narrowed looking towards the smaller boy.

Jimin flushed lightly, he wasn't expecting to be caught out. Besides he really did have a busy day. “No! I promise I had other stuff to eat!”

Taehyung countered, “Oh yeah? Like what?”.

“Well, I had a banana for breakfast, and I had a protein bar on my way to practise.” The older listed, thinking he'd have more evidence, trailing off when he realised he really hadn't ate much at all.

Taehyung sighed sharply. “Yah Park Jimin! This is your first meal of the day, that's so bad. You're gonna run yourself into the ground working this hard.”

“Taehyung-ah it's fine, i just had a super busy day you know how it gets sometimes, I promise i will eat normally tomorrow. Alright? You happy now?”

“Not particularly but it's gonna have to do” Taehyung huffed, he reached over to grab Jimin’s bowl and spooned another generous helping of kalguksu for him, “Have some more now.”

Jimin rolled his eyes and carried on eating.

Their dinner lasted a little while longer, with them just chatting more about the random events of the day, from Mr Yu’s hideous tie in English class that completely distracted from whatever he was teaching today, to the cute puppies that were being walked just outside the studio that melted everyone's hearts.

They slowly finished their meal and tidied up languidly, the effect of a good meal making them very sleepy. Taehyung yawned and stretched, grabbing Jimin’s hand once more and leading them upstairs to his bedroom. The pair got changed into pyjamas and did their nighttime routine before slipping under Taehyung’s covers facing each other.

“Good night Taehyungie, sweet dreams.” Jimin whispered looking at the younger. The moonlight shone from the window above the desk, softly illuminating their surrounding. Taehyung had already shut his eyes and wriggled into a comfortable position, with his hands optop of the pillow supporting his head. Jimin's eyes trailed all over the younger's handsome face, in particular pausing at his splatter of moles.

Wow. He looked angelic.

How beautiful, he thought.

Jimin was a goner.

There was simply no hope for him now.

A few locks of hair slipped into his eyes that Jimin slowly brushed away.

Taehyung sighed contentedly and mumbled “Night Jiminie”, before drifting off to dream world.

Jimin smiled and closed his eyes too, slowing his breathing until darkness enveloped him too.

Chapter Text

soundtrack: 10k hours, jhené aiko

“Large flat white, double shot of espresso for Jimin!” 

Jimin perked his head up and made his way over to the counter and grabbed his drink, taking a few sachets of brown sugar and a stirrer before making his way through the small throng of people, waiting for their drinks to be made before starting their early morning commute. 

If Seoul lacked anything it certainly wasn't the masses of office workers needing their early morning caffeine injection before starting their day. 

From the pavements to the subways the city was full of people like them, like Jimin, working long hours in an office job, trying ever so hard to climb the corporate ladder. 

Unlike most of them though, Jimin had really made something of himself. 

Studying a 4 year degree at Seoul National University was no simple feat, and Jimin as always had been an outstanding student, beating out all other applicants when it came to looking for a job after graduation. And it helped that Jimin had both the personality and cherubic features of an angel, his character references were stellar, with all praising him for his dogged work ethic, unfaultering kindness and incredible smarts. 

Safe to say Jimin has always been well liked. 

This led to him securing a job at one of the most coveted businesses in all of Asia, let alone Korea. His hard work for the past 2 years meant he kept getting promoted higher and higher, earning a well sought-after managerial position at his young age, an even better salary and all sorts of benefits people could only dream of. 

But as always, it wasn’t all it cracked up to be. Moving to the big city of Seoul for university and work meant he hardly ever got time to see family and his childhood friends, losing touch with almost all of them. 

It also meant long hours of consistent hard work that didn't allow him to make as many friends as he once had during school, there simply was no time for him to make time to let more people come into his life. 

And when it comes to his love life, well that was in a sorry state too. Over the years since starting university, there have been a few girls and a few guys but nothing permanent, the relationships barely progressed with how busy Jimin was. 

He hardly had the time to sleep, let alone go on dates and spend time with his partners. It was either that or Jimin just never felt too strongly about any of them. 

Don’t get him wrong, there were a few he liked a lot, and really did feel upset when it didn't work out but there was none where he really felt like he was in love. Maybe it was partly due to Jimin jinxing it for himself but he didn't really believe in that type of love, not anymore. And definitely not right now.

Jimin was shaken out of his thoughts by a loud honk on the road. It was a morning like any other, cars passed by as the morning sun slowly rose up the sky highlighting the whole city. He made his way down the street towards where he had parked his car, sipping his coffee slowly, smiling at the ajumma selling yogurt in a stand.

He got in his car and drove to work, body working on autopilot to lead him to the building he spends most of his time at for the last 2 years. He parked, grabbing his briefcase and made his way in. For the last few days he's been bringing extra documents, contracts and files to work on in the evenings, the company was about to go into a new deal and Jimin was taking the lead on the project. Whilst there was a very little chance the deal wouldn't go the way they were expecting, Jimin was taking no chances, being too much of a perfectionist was bothersome at times. He knows he's the type that enjoys working but lately it feels as though all he does is work, the little free time he does get is passed by him falling asleep on the sofa with the occasional can of beer, watching whatever new show that came out on Netflix but only half paying attention.

He made it to his office, placed his things down on the desk and turned on his computer.

“Jimin-ssi, just a reminder, you have a meeting with the Lees at 10.30.” Jieun poked her head round as she partially opened the office door, she was one of the many 3rd year interns his company hires. For them, they get a chance at some work experience and potentially glowing references from a reputable company and the company gets the chance to scout potential employees as well as cheap labour.

“Ah yes, thank you Jieun, I reviewed the documents over the last few days and there didn’t seem to be any problems so hopefully it’ll go smoothly. Did we get a response from the Tokyo branch about the tenders for the Clement takeover?” 

Jimin sat down at his desk, glancing at the younger before his eyes going straight to his overflowing inbox despite him doing his absolute best to clear it every day before leaving work.

Jieun came into the office and placed a small pastry, neatly wrapped in napkins before replying. “Yes they said they are currently undecided as of now but they'll arrange a meeting this afternoon and have an answer for you by the end of business today. By the way, Sunghoon brought pastries in for everyone today after he got that raise so I grabbed you one too.”

Jimin looked up and smiled kindly, “Thank you Jieun, I’ll eat it soon.”

“No worries Jimin-ssi, I’ll see you later.” She left, closing the door softly behind her.

Hours went by with Jimin hard at work, stopping only momentarily when Jieun dropped in his lunch. He ordered his usual Kimchi fried rice and tonkatsu from the small restaurant a few minutes away, he was about to tuck in when his phone buzzed.

He pulled his phone out to see Hoseok, one of his old childhood friends, had texted him. Hoseok had been the one to contact him most frequently, especially after the both had moved to Seoul for university and work afterwards, he took his role in being a hyung very seriously. He was someone that always has been and always will be a dear friend to him.

Hoseok hyung: 

Jiminah are you free tonight? Let's grab dinner and a drink!!

1.58pm 

Hoseok hyung: 

Everyone else apart from Seokjin hyung can make it, hyung has a meeting and isn't sure if it's going to overrun or not so he’ll let us know later.

1.58pm 

Hoseok hyung:

Please come Jiminie, it's been too long since we all caught up :(

1.59pm 

Jimin:

Hmm I’m not sure hyung, we’ve got that important deal soon and there’s a lot to do.

1.59pm 

Jimin smiled, it's true that there was a lot of work to be done but he missed his hyungs too much to pass up on this, however, there’s nothing wrong with pretending not to go just to see how much his hyung how much he missed him and how much he’s willing to grovel.

Hoseok hyung:

Yah Jiminah, does hyung have to come to the office to drag you out by the ears because I will do that!!! :<

2.00pm 

Hoseok hyung:

You have to come Jiminiee, we miss you too much :(

2.01pm 

Jimin:

:D of course I am hyungie, I miss you all too, I just wanted to tease you a little. Usual place?

2.01pm 

Hoseok hyung:

You’re lucky you’re cute, brat. Yes usual place, how’s 7.30?

2.02pm 

Jimin:

Perfect, see you soon hyung.

2.02pm 

The rest of the day went by in a whirl with Jimin genuinely excited to see his friends and before he knew it, he was outside the restaurant walking in, eyes landing on his dear friends, talking animatedly to each other and laughing heartily at some story his Hoseok hyung was saying.

Jimin had met Hoseok when he first started to dance, he had been a nice and friendly hyung to learn from and introduced the kid Jimin to the others in the club. Jimin had seen him around school before as he was just in the year above, Taehyung also had been in some sort of school club with him so Jimin had heard a bit about him here and there. They practised a lot out of hours together with Hoseok helping Jimin a lot in the beginning from refining his technique etc leading them to become closer, and especially with Hoseok’s sunny personality it's no wonder they became closer. Occasionally Hoseok hung out with Jimin and Taehyung, and ended up witnessing the the most. Over the years, Hoseok had become one of his closest friends, a trusted confidant and also probably the person he was most in contact with. He was also the one that introduced Jimin and Taehyung to his close same aged friend Namjoon who also became a part of their group

Namjoon also went to the same school as the rest of them, he had a far reaching reputation of being the smartest, and on top of that a very easy going personality. He and Jimin had gotten to know each other when Namjoon tutored him in english whenever he was having trouble. Out of the 2 of them, Taehyung had gotten along with Namjoon a tiny bit more than Jimin did, not that Jimin didn't enjoy Namjoons company too but Namjoon was the perfect complementary personality for deep conversations about the complex and often obscure thoughts Taehyung had that Jimin would never be able to keep up with. Taehyung always did have a childlike curiosity, an itch that would only be scratched through conversations like the ones they had, and even then, not permanently, he had always needed more.

The others had joined in a somewhat similar way, Seokjin lived a few doors down and was a family friend. Over the years Jimin had grown to see the handsome face of the eldest at countless celebrations of birthdays, anniversaries and graduations and was definitely the one Jimin hung out with teh most during those times. And slowly but surely, they had gotten along well, with Seokjin almost immediately taking Jimin under his wing as a dongsaeng.

Yoongi was Taehyung’s cousin, he joined the group when he moved up for university and work. He once had felt like an enigma to Jimin, only to find out he was just shy, his cool facade needed only patience and loving to melt into the sweet Yoongi hyung they all knew and loved. He was always a steady presence, someone Jimin could questionably rely on and ask anything of. He always did his absolute best to take care of his friends.

Jeongguk was a junior at their school and joined the dance team shortly after Jimin, Jimin took on the role of a hyung and helped him out. Much like Hoseok hyung had done a few years prior, Jimin introduced him, coached him and even fed him when he was being too cute to resist. Out of all of them, Jeongguk had probably changed the most, the sweet yet shy boy gaining a bit more confidence and assurance as he became more comfortable in his own skin, really trying his best to find his own happiness. His body may have bulked out a bit, arms littered with tattoos as ears with piercings but inside he was still the baby of the group that everyone loved to coddle and spoil with their affection.

Jimin sighed, his eyes losing their edge as they softened evening thinking about his friends. He strode towards the table, a huge grin growing on his face at the sight of his friends all laughing and enjoying themselves.

They all perked up cheering, “Jiminah! Jimin hyungie!”

Immediately he was smothered by a hug from Hoseok and Jungkook, one of either side of him. 

“Hi hyungs, hi Jeonggukie! It's been ages, how are you all doing?”

The huge smile never left his face as he went around and hugged Namjoon, Seokjin and Yoongi before being pulled down to sit on the seat next to Hoseok, opposite to Yoongi.

“We missed you so much our Jiminie, let's order the food first and then we can catch up properly.”

The rest of the night was spent with joyous laughter, stories and plentiful food. This is how Jimin knew that these were his people, the ones that'll be there for him through thick and thin, and it was such a comfort to realise how he felt tons lighter after spending some quality time with them.

Through conversations Jimin caught up with how everyone's lives had been going, what's new and what's changed, he learned that Namjoon had been promoted at his workplace after his continued amazing performance. Yoongi had adopted another cat, an adorable fuzzball named Euni, he was so smitten with the cat that he couldn't stop pulling his phone out to shove pictures of the kitten in the others’ faces. Jeongguk had made things official with the girl he was seeing and was now in a committed relationship. Seokjin was about to buy an apartment in Hongdae with the money he had been saving up and from the investments he had made in the last year or so. And Hoseok was about to move to a new bigger, fancier dance studio, his profits had been so good lately due to all those glowing reviews of what a great instructor he was that he was able to expand. Jimin’s heart swelled with pride and happiness at hearing all the wonderful things going on in his friends' lives. He thought this often, that these people really do deserve the best in all situations.

It was all going great until just as they were paying the bill, about to leave, the conversation turned somehow when Yoongi first moved to their area from Daegu. About how the first time he met the rest of them was when Taehyung invited Yoongi to eat with everyone in his first week moving to their area.

The laughter quickly pattered out, the air turning awkward and stilted at the mention of Taehyung. 

It was no secret how Jimin and Taehyung’s friendship ended up fizzling out after Taehyung had chosen to go to university in America. While they had remained firm in the belief nothing would change, the whispered promises and stolen kisses shared under the blanket making him think that they would simply just wait for each other, but clearly that was no longer the case for Taehyung. The first couple of years was fine, they missed each other but managed to make it by taking to each other, spending every minute together whenever Taehyung was back but slowly more and more calls went missed, texts unanswered, and the shock on what Taehyung had done when he came back for the summer of 3rd year was too much for Jimin to bear and it was the final nail in the coffin for them. They no longer talked, messaged, bumped into each other or anything of the sort, they were fully out of each other's lives. 

It hurt all too much for Jimin to think about even now.

The hyungs were still friends with Taehyung but they were all aware that Taehyung and Jimin were no longer in contact, let alone as close as they used to be. The group had taken a silent oath to mention Taehyung in the presence of Jimin as little as possible to spare him the pain.

Jimin knew what they were doing and as much as he wanted to be childish and get angry, he knew that it was probably a good thing they were protecting him, it didn't soothe the ache but it made it hurt a little less, because theres no denying until  Park Jimin draws his last breath, he will always love and be in love with Kim Taehyung wholeheartedly.

He supposes thats where a lot of the anger and hurt comes from, not only had Taehyund abandoned him, he ruined what was left of his heart for anyone else. There was no hope for him left.

Jimin chuckled softly, in an attempt to dispel the awkward air. “Yeah hyung I remember that day, we almost missed lunch that day becuase Taehyung and I woke up so late, how awkward would it have been for you if you had to meet our friends without us there.”

Yoongi smiled softly, grateful for the gesture and quickly changed the subject, “Yeah but luckily you two showed up. Now who wants a lift home?”.

They all hugged once more and said their goodbyes, with promises of meeting again soon and parted ways.

As Jimin got in his car and drove back home, he couldn’t help but to think about those memories of that day again, when he felt like he was looking at his soulmate with brand new eyes, before everything fell apart soon after.

-------------------------------------------------------

-THEN- 

Taehyung awoke the next morning with the sun in his eyes, streaming lazily through the window, reminding him he forgot to close the curtains last night. He closed his eyes once more whilst rubbing them lightly to rid them of sleep and stretched, similar to a lazy cat.

Opening his eyes once more he turned his body to the side, away from the window and the beaming sunlight, landing on the sleeping figure of his best friend.

Jimin had a tendency to sleep lightly but recently due to how busy they’ve both been, it's all too easy to just slip into a heavy dreamless sleep, the hours between head hitting the pillow to the unwanted intrusion of the alarm flying by in the blink of an eye. It's not too uncommon these days to feel as though they slept for mere seconds, even though the clock clearly shows them they got at least 7 hours of sleep.

Taehyung watched as Jimin slowly blinked himself awake, greeting him with a soft, sleep warmed smile. 

“What time is it?” Jimin rumbled in his gravelly early morning voice, it had been so many years of them sleeping together, and quite a few years for Taehyung to come to terms with his feelings for the older, but nothing could prepare him for how soft and cute Jimin was in the mornings. His stomach fluttered with butterflies when hearing Jimin’s raspy tone. Taehyung loved mornings like these, when they could both wake up unhurriedly, stretching lazily in the morning sun. He loved the domesticity of the rountine that soon followed after waking up.

Depending on who woke up first, usually Taehyung, one of them would shower and use the bathroom followed by the other, whilst the first would head down into the kitchen to make a tea for Taehyung and a coffee for Jimin.  He would wait for the other to come down, both enjoying their drinks in a comfortable silence. They would then decide what to eat for breakfast, Taehyung’s favourite being pancakes while Jimin preferred a hearty kimchi jiggae and rice. Some days they’d settle for a simple assortment of cereal, toast and jam, other days they’d forgo even that and head out to eat, simply wanting to be in each other's company for as long as possible. 

If Taehyung had to admit, he loved the days where they make something at home the most, there's a simple kind of happiness to be found in helping Jimin make whatever dish, eating together and then tidying up together. Followed by collapsing on the sofa, watching a few episodes of anime until the other had to leave. It was safe, warm and utterly comfortable, being wrapped up in a bubble of only them two, only Jimin and Taehyung.

Just the thought of having those mornings after sleepovers made Taehyung sigh happily.

Taehyung grinned lightly, raising his arms and yelling out in a long exaggerated stretch. “I dunno, I woke up just now too. I’m gonna guess it's around 11, thank god today’s a school holiday for us because we definitely wouldn’t have made it. What are you feeling for breakfast Jiminah?”

“Mmh can we stick with cereal for today, I have absolutely no energy or patience to cook anything. I just realised your brother and sister will have gone to school still cuz their’s isn't closed is it? I forgot it's a friday, and not the weekend, no wonder it's so quiet and your mum hasn’t yet barged in to wake us up for sleeping this late.” Jimin chuckled, rolling around in the covers.

Taehyung’s heart grew 3 sizes at the adorable sight of Jimin wrapping the covers around, turning into a big burrito.

“Yeah, let's do that. Are we still on for lunch with the hyungs later today?”

Jimin yawned before replying, “Of course we are, we haven’t seen them properly in a while, remember when I had lunch with Hobi hyung, Seokjin hyung and Jeonggukie last week? I think that was the last I saw them and I don’t remember the last time I saw Namjoon hyung, he's been so busy lately studying so hard. You went to that book fair with him didn’t you?”

“Yeah, probably 2 weeks ago, we went to that little cafe you like, by the dance studio.” Taehyung stretched and ruffled his hair lightly, eyes still fixated on the cute sight of his soulmate.

“Mmmh yeah I do love it there, apparently they have a new pastry menu, we should go try it I know how much you like the strawberry cheesecake they do. But yeah it'll be nice to see everyone all together again.”

“Come on then let's get ready and eat breakfast, its almost lunchtime anyways. By the way, I told Yoongi hyung to join us, I thought it would be a good chance for him to meet everyone, especially since I dont know when well be able to meet all together next, everyone is so busy all the time. ”

“Ah really? That's a great idea Taehyungie, I’m sure Yoongi hyung will get along with everyone really well. It's annoying how as we get older everyone just gets their own lives and becomes busy all the time, if only we could just hang out whenever and just have fun. How nice would that be, eh?” Jimin ranted cutely whilst he stretched. “Okay then, let's go, we can't be late and leave poor Yoongi hyung by himself with all these people he's never met”. Jimin smiled cheekily at Taehyung before jumping on his back, “Onwards my steed!” Their giggles filled the cozy silence of the house as Taehyung piggybacked towards the kitchen and their breakfast.

--------------------------------------------------------

-NOW-

Jimin arrived at the parking of his apartment, racing towards the inside to avoid the icy winds, eager to get into bed and pass out. It had been a long day, not necessarily tough but he still felt drained, memories of the past being drudged up not helping his exhaustion in the slightest.

As soon as he entered the apartment, he changed into his oldest and softest pair of pyjamas, in an ideal world he would have showered but sleep waited for no one as he closed his eyes and drifted off, dreams of boxy smiles and fluffy hair following him into the subconsciousness.