Chapter Text
Inspiration for this story please check out the pictures. Please do not repost/edit any of her art. All art in this story is owned by Taeyhngs and is her sole property.
Taehyung
It was all very natural, very normal when it all changed (even though it all stayed the same). They wake up, Jimin first. They have breakfast, waffles with butter and syrup for Taehyung and plain for Jimin. They go to class and meet for lunch, and Jimin goes to practice and Taehyung goes to the library to catch up on what he’d missed in class because he’d been distracted (by thoughts of Jimin). He was lost in his textbook trying to solve a problem he’s sure the professor had done in class.
He jumps, the tap on the shoulder startling him.
“Jimin.” He smiles.
“You ready? Or do you need some more time?”
“Nah, I’m good. We can go. How was practice?”
“It was good, just long and I need a shower, like stat.”
“Yup, you do.” Taehyung laughs when Jimin pretends to be hurt.
And the butterflies are flapping their tiny wings in his stomach and it tickles, and he feels giddy, and there is nothing missing.
Jimin
The walk home is mostly quiet. Jimin has too many thoughts in his head, and his brain feel like a hamster on a wheel going around in circles, trying to figure out how to voice all the things he wants to say. Things he wants to say to Taehyung, but is afraid to. He steals a glance. Taehyung is beautiful, he’s always been beautiful, his profile reminds Jimin of a photo he’d seen once on a school trip to an art gallery, which makes sense because to him Taehyung is like a rare painting - exquisite and priceless.
Taehyung starts talking about his day, and how boring class was, and Jimin loves the normalness of it all. This is his favorite part of the day -- the walk home, listening to Taehyung talk. Should I like the sound of his voice this much? It doesn’t matter, not really, he loves these moments when it’s just them and everything else disappears. In these brief interludes, he can reflect and enjoy the things he’s often too busy to appreciate. Like the way Taehyung’s hair looks in the light of the setting sun, the rays playing with the strands making some look like spun gold, while giving others a reddish hue.
He smiles.
He’s staring and he knows it, held captive by the way Taehyung’s lips look as they move forming words and sentences, and the melodic sound of the statements as they escape his lips and enter Jimin’s ear. He’s staring and he should stop, but he can’t, he likes the way the corner of Taehyung’s eyes crinkle when he smiles, and the way his eyes sparkle when he’s excited.
Jimin’s staring.
He’s done this before, lots of times stared at Taehyung like there’s nothing else in the world that he’d rather look at, as though Taehyung is the sun and he’s the moon absorbing Taehyung’s beautiful, effervescent light.
Jimin’s staring.
And he’s done this before, lots of times listened as Taehyung speaks drowning in a sea of letters and words and sounds. Where everything Taehyung says is what he wants to hear, and every statement is a miracle coming to life.
He’s staring.
Normally he’s fast enough.
Normally he’s stealthy enough.
Normally he doesn’t get caught.
But this time…
This time, Taehyung moves too swiftly, turning without warning, and when their eyes meet Jimin knows he’s been caught.
And he can feel it the heat pooling, overflowing like too much water in a cup, build and rising from his neck to his cheek. He can feel it burning brightly on his cheeks, it can’t be helped.
He’s been caught.
Taehyung
It was all so normal when it all changed. Walking home, as they always do. Taehyung chattering and Jimin staring. Only, this time, when their eyes meet, Taehyung looks back.
He smiles.
“You’re blushing.” Taehyung smiles wider.
“Am not.” Jimin flushes even more.
“You’re like an overripe strawberry, you’re so red right now.” Taehyung pokes at Jimin’s cheek.
“Am not.”
“You should upgrade your vocab, ‘am not’ is sooo yesterday.”
He’s teasing and he knows it, but he saw it, Jimin staring at him like he’s the only thing he wants to look at, ever. And his heart is beating at a million miles per second, and he’s giddy and nervous, and he’s teasing, because Jimin is staring.
“It’s beautiful, though… you – blushing. It’s beautiful, reminds me of, of – I don’t know, something beautiful.”
Jimin laughs.
He continues, because Jimin laughs (that’s a good sign, right?). He continues, because he’s ready, he’d kept his promise and lived with his eyes open and he saw it, the moment everything changed, the moment his eyes met Jimin’s and the world stood still.
“Hyung.” Jimin looks up. “Hyung.” He wants Jimin to reply.
“Yeah?” Jimin’s voice cracks.
“You were staring, right? At me, I mean, you were staring, right?” And his speech partner is right, he really isn’t good at speaking.
Jimin is redder, and Taehyung wonders how that’s even possible.
“Mmm.”
“Because? I mean, well… Uhm, why?” Why the hell is this so hard? Taehyung wonders, he says billions and trillions of words per day, per second sometimes, why is this so fucking hard?
“Why?” Jimin’s eyes are wide and terror-filled and Taehyung reaches out on instinct, and Jimin’s breath hitches.
Jimin skin is soft, like Taehyung imagines a cloud would feel.
“Yes, why?”
Jimin
Well fuck, this wasn’t part of the plan. He wasn’t supposed to get caught, he’d been doing this for years, years. Taehyung never noticed before, never saw before, so what happened, how’d I get caught?
Why, Taehyung wants to know why, Jimin wonders if the truth will be too much. He’s never lied to Taehyung and avoiding an answer will be impossible, Taehyung looks determined. So, he follows up with a question of his own.
“What do you want the answer to be?”
“The truth,” Taehyung’s voice is quiet and serious, and fuck!
The truth?
Okay.
“I’m always staring Tae. I can’t help it. You’re beautiful, and I can’t help it.” It’s the best explanation he can give, because Taehyung is staring right now – the look feels familiar, Jimin knows that look, he invented it.
“Why?” Taehyung stops and they are directly in front of each other, eye to eye. “Why?”
Why?
“Because. Because,” Jimin sighs, “because I’ve loved you since the day I learned the true meaning of the word. Because when I’m sad looking at you makes me happy. Because you shine like the sun and even though it burns to look at you I can’t stop. All of that, all those reasons and so much more. That’s why.”
“Okay.” Taehyung takes a step forward. Jimin inhales.
“I thought you hated that word?” Jimin chokes out. (Taehyung is too damn close.)
“I do.”
Taehyung takes another step forward.
“You do?” He feels Taehyung’s breath coasting over his face, he’s so close.
“I do.” Now there is no space, they’re nose to nose (well mostly, Taehyung’s taller). “Jimin-ah – hyung, can I… Is it, may I…” Taehyung’s voice is like melted sugar, hot chocolate, honey - both dangerous and sweet.
Jimin knows what the question is, he knows, and his insides burn bright with unbridled happiness, because he knows. So he answers, or he would have.
“Oka-”
Taehyung’s lips are soft as they swallow his words. It’s everything Jimin had imagined and so far beyond his wildest dreams. It builds slowly, shining a light on all his dark places, waking up all that had fallen asleep in him. The kiss is filled with morning waffles and late nights watching anime with Taehyung’s head on his lap. It’s sweet and soft and perfect.
When Taehyung’s hand falls from Jimin’s arm to his waist, pulling him closer, the kiss becomes charged and hungry. Now the feeling of Taehyung’s lips on his own isn’t enough, but it’s too much at the same time. Jimin feels like he’s going to explode like a grenade with the pin pulled out. His insides are buzzing and each swipe of Taehyung tongue against his own adds more current to his volatile emotions. He’s drowning.
Taehyung
It’s perfect, the kiss. He’d kissed Jungkook millions of times, but it never felt like this. Like everything he loved about life and the world kissing him back. Like happiness dipped in chocolate, like puppies, lizards, and lions and… everything.
And Taehyung realizes (not for the first time), nothing is missing.
They break the kiss (apparently breathing is a necessity) but stay standing close, nose to nose.
Jimin finally gets to say it. “Okay.”
Taehyung laughs.
They continue the walk home hand in hand. Taehyung doesn’t speak. But the silence isn’t weird, it isn’t awkward, it’s peaceful, serene, and comfortable.
“Hyung…”
This time, Jimin answers immediately.
“Mmm?”
“I’m always staring too.”
It’s normal, the day it all changed and stayed the same.
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