Chapter Text
Taehyung has always loved Christmas, and not just because it’s around his birthday.
He loves the lights that spring up everywhere, the peppermint hot chocolate from his favorite café, the same silly holiday movies he watches year after year and the snow that lightly covers the skeletons of trees. The addition of Jimin has just made him love those things even more, especially when Jimin looks so adorable in his puffy coat and huge lilac scarf that hides half of his face.
“God, you’re so cute,” Taehyung says, pulling down Jimin’s scarf just enough that he can plant a kiss on Jimin’s nose, “Please stop distracting me before I slip and crack my skull on this damn ice.”
Jimin laughs, holding onto Taehyung’s forearms tightly as they skate around the rink. “It’s not my fault you’re too focused on my face instead of staying on your feet.”
“Oh, it definitely is.”
“So, do you want me to leave you stranded? I could skate this entire thing around three times before you’ve even done one round.”
“Is that a challenge?”
“No, you’d definitely fall on your head if I left you alone.” Jimin smirks, presses their foreheads together and whispers, “And I happen to like your head quite a lot.”
For once Taehyung is glad for the cold weather nipping at his cheeks because otherwise Jimin would notice the way Taehyung’s face flushes. Yeah, he loves Christmas.
Things have been going well between them. Since the showcase, Taehyung has had a lot more time on his hands, which means more time for rest and a lot more time for cute impromptu dates. Like ice skating on a random Wednesday evening or rummaging around thrift shops or a movie night that ends up with them barely even watching the screen and then tangling their bodies together under Jimin’s or Taehyung’s blankets.
It’s nice, simple, comfortable. And though they still bicker about small things like which K-pop group is the best (Jimin votes TWICE, but Taehyung will always have a soft spot for Girl’s Generation) or who gets to eat the last dumpling (they always end up sharing it in the end), loving Jimin is easy.
A routine really starts to shape up after a month since the showcase.
More often than not, they wake up together morning either at Jimin’s or Taehyung’s place. Jimin makes breakfast while Taehyung makes a coffee for Jimin and a tea for himself. Then they eat and watch a show or just chat about their days to come before Jimin goes to work and Taehyung makes final adjustments for his classes. Sometimes they have lunch, almost every day they have dinner together. When the workday is over, they go on their little dates or hang out with Hoseok and Jungkook or wind down in their own apartments with the comfort of having the other person behind the wall.
The love shows through the little things. Like in the way Jimin always brings left overs from Sugar Sounds or in the way Taehyung can always tell when Jimin has had a hard day just from the way his shoulders slump slightly. And, as Jungkook and Hoseok have pointed out several times, it’s in the gentle touches and in the way they always look at each other even in a crowded room.
They don’t need to talk about anything to hang out. They can simply do their own things in the presence of each other. Not that that wasn’t the case before. Everything has just fallen more into place and Taehyung has a feeling that everything will continue to do so.
“You wanna get hot chocolate?” Jimin finally asks after Taehyung has fallen on his ass for the twentieth time.
“Fuck yes.” Taehyung exhales, holding onto Jimin’s hands as he struggles getting up. Every inch of him is freezing. “Let’s go.”
Jimin laughs and they start skating towards the exit. Once they’ve gotten the skates off, they go into a small café across the street, so small that it’s easily misses if one isn’t looking for it. That’s probably why it’s almost empty and why they don’t have to wait more than a few minutes to get their drinks.
They sit down in a secluded booth in the back, the warm glow of Christmas lights the only light above them. Jimin cozies into Taehyung’s side immediately and sighs content when he takes a sip of his peppermint hot chocolate.
“This is the best part of the holidays for sure,” Jimin says and lets Taehyung wipe of whipped cream away from his top lip.
Taehyung hums in agreement, even though in his opinion the best part of the holidays isn’t the hot chocolate or string lights anymore because having Jimin cozying into him at every possible moment easily beats that. No competition there.
---
Performing was something Taehyung though he’d miss after the showcase, but really, he hasn’t. Not much at least. Sometimes, when he sees or hears about others performing on big stages, he feels a bit wistful, but not because he wants to do it himself. He simply misses his own time on stage, often goes back to look at videos of his past performances to try and catch that feeling of being on stage again.
Whenever that happens, Jimin is always ready to offer a performance slot at Sugar Sounds or Hoseok will work extra hard to book the quartet some gigs. Seokjin has also kept up on his promise to have Taehyung do a gig at one of his restaurants, but Taehyung hasn’t taken up on that offer yet.
Those things have been enough. Performing in front of seven customers at Sugar Sounds has been enough. Playing in front of wedding guests or fancy birthday parties with the quartet has been enough. He’s even considering doing some busking. Not only for the money, though that wouldn’t hurt, but because every bit of time in the spotlight makes him feel a little better about his decision.
Once again, like with Jimin, it’s the small things that seem a lot more important than the big things. And Taehyung doesn’t regret giving up something so big that made him feel nothing now that he’s realized the simple things matter more to him.
Playing with his friends. Playing the songs he actually wants to and when he wants to. It’s a lot better than what he was doing before.
And then there’s the new job.
A month after the showcase, Im Hajoon, one of Yerim’s colleagues, had called Taehyung and offered him a job as a teacher in his new project to help unprivileged kids to get music lessons.
It had come out of nowhere, but Taehyung had immediately accepted the offer and ever since then, Taehyung has been teaching at community centers and library music rooms and anywhere else they could book a room for him and a few students at a time.
He still teaches a few of his old students, but now it’s mostly the kids and teenagers who come from foster care or don’t have enough money or are sick in some way. The project provides them with instruments and Taehyung’s teaching without cost.
“Hey, how are you guys today?” Taehyung asks as the siblings he has been teaching for a few weeks now step inside the community center's practice room.
The younger of the two, Macy, is clutching her sister’s sleeve while hiding behind her. She still hasn’t warmed up to Taehyung fully yet, but at least she gives a little wave when Taehyung smiles down at her. Maeve on the other hand, almost makes Taehyung topple over when she runs towards him and hugs her little arms around Taehyung’s stomach. Macy steps away when Taehyung hugs Maeve back and Taehyung makes sure not to touch her, already knowing she wouldn’t like it.
He doesn’t know a lot about their past, only that they’re eight and six years old, they’ve been in the foster care system for a year and moved around more times than he can count on one hand.
It takes a long time for kids coming from those backgrounds to trust people, so Taehyung was a little surprised when Maeve had already gotten attached to him after their first lesson. With Macy, it took two weeks for her to even look Taehyung in the eye and her sister did most of the speaking during their first few lessons. It’s okay though, Taehyung isn’t in any rush to get her to open up. He’s just glad Macy is brave enough to pick up her loaned instrument without having to hold Maeve’s hand anymore.
Teaching like this is even more rewarding than stepping on stage or winning some plaque. Seeing a smile for the first time from a kid who entered the room with a scared look in their eyes or having a teen who was labeled as trouble opening up about their past is more important to Taehyung than anything he has ever achieved before. Even more important than the showcase.
Only a few months ago, not performing felt like the end of the world. Now it feels like a chapter in Taehyung’s life that ended at just the right time. He can look back at that time fondly, not only with regret. All the bad doesn’t weigh out the wonderful anymore. They blend together to create a simple snapshot of the time Taehyung thought would never end. He’ll carry it with him into the future where he’ll make more snapshots and put them all in a box inside his chest that he doesn’t have to lock.
Jimin will be there, so will his friends and family and the kids he helps. Music and his violin will be there too, not any less bright than they were before he left it all behind. If anything, they’ll be even brighter. Shining.
---
The holidays pass with more hot chocolate and Christmas movie nights spent in candlelight. Hoseok and Jungkook come over on the eve and stay all way to the morning. Jimin gifts Taehyung with so much handmade knit wear that Taehyung will probably never have to shop for new scarfs or mittens or beanies again and Taehyung tries his best at helping with the cooking, though he mostly focuses on the plating and curating the best Christmas music playlist ever.
By the new year, things with Hoseok and especially Jungkook have gone back to the way they were before the fight with Jimin. They don’t look at him with distrust anymore, like Taehyung is someone they should watch out for in case he breaks Jimin’s heart. He thinks they might have even grown closer.
“Okay no, I’m not playing with you anymore,” Taehyung says, throwing the game controller on the pillow beside him, “You’re cheating!”
Jungkook laughs, swinging his arms along to the music as the ranking shows up on the screen, showing Jungkook ranked at number one and Taehyung at fourth. “You’re just a sore loser.”
“I told you Tae, it’s no use,” Hoseok says from the floor where he is laying on his back and staring at the ceiling after losing to Jungkook six times in a row, “Kook’s too good at this.”
“You all just need to get better,” Jungkook says, poking his tongue out at Hoseok who simply rolls his eyes in defeat, “Jimin, come on! You’re next.”
Somewhere in the kitchen, Jimin lets out a heavy sigh before he appears in the living room with his shoulders already slumped. “It’s not fair! Can’t I play against Hoseok instead?”
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying I’m bad?” Hoseok finally sits up, mouth hanging as he looks at Jimin.
“I didn’t say that.”
“Well, you implied it.”
“Can we just get on with it?” Jungkook interrupts, already exiting the ranking page to start a new game, “Also, it’s totally fair. Winner gets to keep playing. It’s in the rules.”
“I think the rules should be revised. You know, since I wasn’t present when they were made,” Taehyung mumbles, slipping off the couch so that Jimin can take his place.
Hoseok crawls to sit next to him and taps his knee a few times. “Just give it up. He’d probably end up making the rules even worse than they are now.”
Jungkook, who is sitting just above Hoseok on the couch, gently flicks the back of Hoseok’s head. “Yeah, because you can never say no to me.”
“Unfortunately,” Hoseok says, and for a moment Taehyung swears he sees stars hidden in Hoseok’s eyes. There’s a silent pause between them as they look at each other like Taehyung and Jimin aren’t even in the room. “You’re still annoying, though.”
When Taehyung turns his head enough to look at Jimin, he finds him staring back at the pair as well, small smile stretching on his lips.
Recently, things between Hoseok and Jungkook have seemed to shift. Just a little. Slowly. They seem freer around each other, like all the tension from before has started to loosen and they’ve finally realized what everyone around them have known for months, years, now.
Taehyung isn’t exactly sure what has made the shift happen and to his knowledge they haven’t officially started dating or even kissed for that matter. Or they have, but they just haven’t told Taehyung and Jimin yet.
Nothing in their usual behavior has changed, really. They’re still touchy, finding ways to make contact everywhere they go whether it’s by Hoseok holding onto Jungkook’s wrist or Jungkook sitting so close to Hoseok that they’re practically squished against each other. They still bring up each other in conversation when the other isn’t around, always telling stories about the simple things that happen in their shared apartment. Jungkook helping Hoseok to build a new desk. Hoseok making sure there are snacks and a litany of self-care products available at all times.
There’s just something different about the way they look at each other, something that Taehyung can’t and probably will never name because it’s shared only between Hoseok and Jungkook. He does wonder if he and Jimin share something like that too, if people look at them and see love exchanged in simple glances and gentle touches.
Maybe nothing has shifted between Hoseok and Jungkook. They love each other, just like they always have. The only difference is that neither of them are scared of it anymore.
---
On one morning in February, Taehyung receives a text from Jimin. I’m sick. Stupid flu season. And that completely sends Taehyung into action mode.
Throughout they’re dating, neither of them has been sick enough to actually need caring for. And maybe Jimin doesn’t really need a basket full of gifts, a get well soon balloon or constant cuddles, but Taehyung is sure as hell going to give him that.
“You’re being so dramatic,” Jimin says, eyeing the pink balloon and basket filled to the brim with snacks, face masks, bath bombs and every single other thing Taehyung saw in the store and though that Jimin would like, “It’s just the flu.”
Taehyung huffs and shakes his head as he extends the basket towards Jimin to take, “I’m simply doing my duty. Can you please let me inside?”
“I don’t want to get you sick too,” Jimin says, standing in the doorway and blocking Taehyung’s path inside his apartment. His nose and cheeks are red and he has a blue blanket thrown around his shoulders.
“I really don’t care.”
“Well, I do.”
Taehyung rolls his eyes and pushes the basket to Jimin’s chest when he has yet to accept it. “Are you really going to deny my help when I just spent two hours in the store buying all this? Are you going to break my heart like that?”
Finally, a smile rises on Jimin’s face, but he looks down at the basket to try and hide it. Not that it works. If anything, Jimin only seems to smile more when he sees the lilac teddy bear nestled in the corner of the basket.
Jimin sighs, mutters, “So dramatic,” and opens the door enough to let Taehyung inside, “Fine, but I’m not cuddling you today. I’m probably contagious as hell.”
Jimin’s words go out the window five minutes later, when Taehyung practically forces his way into Jimin’s bed so he can snuggle as close to him as possible. Jimin doesn’t appear to care anymore, though, as he wordlessly lets Taehyung’s arms pull him to his chest.
“Your feet are so cold,” Taehyung whines, pulling his legs back to avoid touching Jimin’s feet.
“You force me to cuddle and then you complain about my feet being cold? Really?” Jimin says, feigning annoyance when his voice sounds more amused than actually annoyed. He then proceeds to poke Taehyung’s shin with his freezing toes.
Taehyung yelps, twisting around so hard that he nearly falls of the bed. Jimin laughs and leans over to pull him back from the edge.
“Is this what I get for taking care of you?” Taehyung asks, pouting as Jimin pulls him back into his arms.
“I still didn’t ask you to do any of this,” Jimin reminds him, looking away to avoid eye contact. Taehyung was just joking, but something in Jimin’s tone makes it seem serious.
Taehyung snuggles closer and places a kiss in the crook of Jimin’s neck. “You don’t need to ask me to do these things, you know. You’d do it for me too.”
“Yeah, I would.” Jimin hums, kissing Taehyung’s forehead.
After that they continue to cuddle while watching Jimin’s comfort show of choice, Haikyuu, which happens to be one of Taehyung’s comfort shows as well. So, they spend a few hours watching as the characters practice and play matches and go through growth in their arcs together.
Once the sun has set, Jimin quietly asks Taehyung to draw them a bath.
“Which bath bomb do you want?” Taehyung asks, sitting on the edge of the tub as warm water slowly fills it. He has the box of them in his hands and he gently rolls them around to see them sparkle in the candlelight. “There’s a lavender one and a vanilla and mango and-”
“Do the lavender,” Jimin says, still blanket wrapped around his shoulders as he leans against the sink.
Taehyung does as told, picking up the lilac ball and dropping it into the water. It starts fizzling immediately, painting the clear water in different shades of purple as the scent of lavender fills the air.
Jimin sighs happily and walks over to the tub. He dips his fingers into the water and inhales deeply. “Thank you.”
“For what?” Taehyung asks, copying Jimin and letting his fingers dance under the water. He searches for Jimin’s fingers, and when he finds them, intertwines them together.
Jimin is quiet for a moment, slowly swaying their submerged hands around so that the different shades of purple mix into one solid color of wisteria flowers. “Aside from my parents, I don’t think I’ve ever had someone taking care of me when I’m sick. The people I’ve dated usually just came to see me after the worst part was over when I wasn’t a snotty mess.”
“Really?” Taehyung feels like punching something. Instead, he squeezes Jimin’s fingers tighter, lifts them from the water and brings them to his lips. “You know, I’d take care of you even if you were coughing all over me or wiping your snot on my favorite sweater.”
That makes Jimin laugh, just a little. He’s avoiding eye contact, watching Taehyung’s mouth that’s planting gentle kisses all over his fingers and wrist. “Yeah, I know. I’ve already done that today, haven’t I?”
“You have, but it’s okay,” Taehyung says, lifting his free hand up to caress Jimin’s cheek, “It’s worth it.”
Once again, Jimin falls silent. Jimin should really get in the tub already, before the water starts to turn cold, but neither of them makes a move to rise. “I don’t want to get you sick, but I really want to kiss you right now.”
“I think that’s already too late,” Taehyung says, smiling a little when Jimin leans forward to hide his face in Taehyung’s chest. Taehyung combs his fingers through Jimin’s messy, tangled hair. “You can kiss me.”
Jimin pulls away from Taehyung’s chest and looks down at their entangled fingers. Taehyung doesn’t wait for Jimin to make the move, too impatient himself, so he lifts Jimin’s chin and leans in.
Taehyung slots their lips together and gives Jimin’s bottom lip a gentle nip when Jimin hesitates for a second and that’s all it takes for Jimin to melt in his arms.
It’s not easy to try and fit both of their limbs into the small tub, but they manage it. Taehyung leans against the porcelain while Jimin’s back presses up against Taehyung’s chest. Jimin has to pull his knees up, Taehyung’s legs wrapping around Jimin while his knees poke out from under the water's surface.
Jimin closes his eyes and takes in slow steady breaths as Taehyung starts massaging shampoo into Jimin’s scalp. It seems to take every last bit of energy in Jimin to not fall asleep right there. Taehyung doesn’t mind though. He’d carry Jimin to bed, tuck him in a mound of blankets, get a glass of water and meds for when he wakes up.
Taehyung would do it all, over and over again, even if it meant getting snot on his sweater and catching whatever sickness Jimin had. At least then they could be sick together without worrying about infecting each other again.
Love has always been a hard thing to describe. Taehyung has loved many people, but all of them have been so different that trying to simply describe what love feels like is impossible.
In the past he has tried to put it into words and into the music he played. None of those could ever even come close to describing the love he feels for Jimin though. The warm feeling in his chest when he looks at Jimin’s focused expression, traces of flour on his face, as he tries to perfect a recipe. How, when Taehyung is the first to wake up in the morning, he could spend hours simply watching Jimin sleep soundly with his cheeks squished against the pillows.
Maybe one day he’ll be able to describe it, maybe he’ll write the world's most beautiful love song. But for now, Taehyung drains the water and helps a sleepy Jimin step out of the tub. He wraps a soft towel around him and goes to fetch freshly cleaned clothes. He ruffles Jimin’s hair with the towel, smiles softly at the way Jimin scrunches up his nose when the damp strands fall back on his forehead. He helps Jimin dress, slipping on the oversized t-shirt with fading letters and a print of a violin that Taehyung got at a competition years ago. He lets Jimin lean on him when they slowly walk over to Jimin’s bed and snuggles up close when they get there.
Taehyung can’t put the feeling of love into words, or even into music, but that’s okay. It’s enough to simply feel it. It’s enough to have Jimin here, so close that Taehyung can hear his calm breathing as he falls asleep. It’s enough to get to wake up next to him tomorrow and the day after that. He hopes that he’ll get to feel this forever.
---
Jimin pops out a question in April. Well, it’s not really a question, more like a thought. Something Taehyung had been thinking about for a few months as well. It still takes him off guard though.
“I think we should move in together.”
Taehyung stares at Jimin for a few seconds, the words running in circles inside his head while his heartrate picks up in interest. Move in together? With Jimin? Being able to share a space and coffee mugs and a closet that finally completely blends their clothes together?
“You still with me?” Jimin asks, a slight frown on his face when Taehyung doesn’t react, “Of course we don’t have to if that’s not something you want. I just thought with rent prices and the fact that we basically already live together and...yeah I don’t know. Maybe it’s too soon.”
“No, no!” Taehyung says, the words bursting out immediately when he sees Jimin look down at his hands and shake his head.
“No as in let’s not move in together or no it’s not too soon?” Jimin starts to nervously wring his hands together and like on instinct, Taehyung takes them into his.
“The second one,” Taehyung says, laughing when the frown leaves Jimin’s face, his shoulders relaxing with a sigh, “Obviously the second one.”
Jimin laughs too, especially when Taehyung hugs him so hard that it probably cuts off Jimin’s breathing for a moment. When he pulls back, he steals Jimin’s breath one more time with a kiss that he hopes will translate all the love Taehyung feels for Jimin without having to say anything.
“Are you sure?” Jimin asks, their foreheads pressed together, “I mean, we can talk about it more before deciding for sure.”
They should talk, and they will, but Taehyung has never been surer about a decision before. Just the thought of merging their lives together even more than they already are makes every cell in his body tingle with excitement and a giddy feeling that has him floating.
“I want nothing more, Park Jimin.”
They spend the rest of the evening talking and decide that rather than finding a new place, Taehyung will just move into Jimin’s apartment. It’s the easiest choice, because despite living there for a shorter time, Jimin has way more stuff than Taehyung and his place is in a better condition anyway.
That night they clear out Jimin’s closet to make space for Taehyung before he transfers all his clothes inside it. He brings his mugs and the pothos plant that Jimin has promised to try bringing back to life. His violin gets a place next to Jimin’s cello.
Everything falls into place naturally after that.
More nights are spent talking and planning about how to fit everything in Jimin’s small apartment, what to keep and what to donate. They end up buying a new bookshelf that they fill up with books and knickknacks. All of their pictures are gathered and form a gallery wall above their bed.
Hoseok and Jungkook help Jimin clear the space to make room for Taehyung. Seokjin and Namjoon help pack his things into boxes and carry them across the small space between their doors. On the official move in day, Seokjin teaches Jungkook one of the recipes from his restaurant and they cook a huge dinner for them all. Hoseok and Namjoon bond over their shared love of hip-hop as they blast their playlists so loud that the first thing Jimin and Taehyung will probably have to deal with is a noise complaint from Mrs. Wilson.
The whole day, Lyra follows Taehyung around wherever he goes. She curls up on the couch and observes all the people moving around, picking up and emptying boxes and moving furniture around to fit the new bookshelves better. In the evening she jumps in one of the boxes and stays there for the rest of the night, making Jimin snap about a hundred pictures of her.
Once everything is in place, he calls Yoongi. He gives a tour of the apartment, all of Jimin’s and Taehyung’s stuff blended together to make something that finally feels like home in a way that his own apartment never did.
Walls filled with art and pictures, colorful throw pillows and blankets on the sofa and on their bed. Candles burning on the windowsill, a pride flag pinned onto their fridge with a magnet, plants in every corner and hanging from the ceiling next to the living room window. Soft music mixing with the sound of laughter. All of his friends and his partner, gathered around the coffee table and sharing food that tastes like Daegu.
It’s a scene that he thought would only appear in movies and in words on page. A scene he only last year though he’d never see.
Jimin looks at him, joy in the creases of his smile. “Welcome home.”
And to think it all started with a bag of sugar.