Chapter Text
Daegu
Valentine's Day
Seokjin rests his elbows on the frame of an open window, surveying the winter spectacle unfolding below. The air sparkles with effervescent energy as hundreds of neighbors spill in and out of the open store fronts, snacking on dak-kkochi and bindaetteok, and sipping hot tea. The sweet scents of fresh-baked pastries mingle with the peppery aromas of steamed dumplings, giving the street the feeling of a winter carnival.
The neighborhood is an older one, lovingly tended by families and shopkeepers who occupy the block. Four apartment buildings stack across from each other, forming a closed side street, at the end of which rests a playground glistening beneath a dusting of snow. Orange lanterns hang like earthbound moons from bare branches of ginkgo trees, shedding golden light into the faces of the guests.
Music pours from a sound system Yoongi and Namjoon helped set up in the coffee house. It’s a blend of kpop and trot songs that manages to appeal to everyone, from the oldest grandparent to the tiniest child. Couples dance in the street, children playing tag among them, though they quickly return to the games Taehyung’s parents set up in the arcade.
Seokjin spies his nieces among them, Yeongmi in her fairy wings, Nayeong clutching the narwhal he brought her from Busan. As they pass beneath his window, they slide to a halt and squeal hello before disappearing back inside.
Seokjin reaches for his hot chocolate. “Taehyung-ah,” he calls over his shoulder, “When you said your parents were hopelessly sappy romantics and that this Valentine’s celebration was traditionally a big deal, I have to say—”
“—Hm?” Taehyung slides his arms around Seokjin’s waist and rests his head on his shoulder.
“That was an undersell,” Seokjin murmurs, turning to kiss him.
Taehyung melts against him. “Most men I’ve dated thought this was all too much.”
Feeling bold, Seokjin grips his free hand into the waistband of Taehyung’s pants. “Most men you’ve dated are fools,” he purrs. “And, for the record, what Jimin told me was untrue. He said you probably don’t bite, but… you definitely do.”
Taehyung nips playfully at Seokjin’s ear. “I’ll eat you up,” he hums.
“Again?” Seokjin teases.
Taehyung flashes him a grin. In six weeks of dating, they’ve divided their time between Busan and Seoul, taking things at their own pace. Then last week – without plan or expectation – Seokjin stayed at Taehyung’s. What progressed between them unfolded naturally, starting with playful banter over dinner and ending with candlelit confessions in Taehyung’s bed.
Even now, Seokjin’s baffled at the difference a conversation makes: How the simple act of talking each other through their desires can lead to the deepest, most meaningful connection of their lives.
It’s unearthed in them an undiscovered hunger, something they want to savor and explore.
At the same time, they feel no urgency. There’s comfort in it, security; something Seokjin always craved but never believed existed beyond the pages of a romance.
“I’m so glad it’s now,” Taehyung says.
“So glad it’s now,” Seokjin echoes, his face warming with a smile that is beginning to feel both welcome and familiar.
“May I?” Taehyung asks, eying Seokjin’s hot chocolate.
“Of course,” he says, still grinning. Taehyung takes the cup and sips, releasing an appreciative moan. “My halmeoni’s secret recipe,” he tells Seokjin. “She uses chili powder.”
“Unexpected,” Seokjin smiles. “Must run in the family.”
“Spicy and sweet,” Taehyung tells him. “Like me.”
“And you grew up with this,” Seokjin says, gesturing to the party below. “Every year, people coming together to celebrate love.”
“Cheesy, right?”
“I love it,” Seokjin says. “And I love you.”
Taehyung’s breath catches. “Wait.” He blinks. “Did you say you love me?”
“Yes,” Seokjin says. “I feel as though I loved you before I even met you. Since then, the feeling’s only grown and I can’t wait to know more. I needed to figure some things out, and I did. I wanted to be happier, and I am. I’m ready to know you, all of you, my lovely, wonderful Kim Taehyung.”
“I love you, Kim Seokjin,” Taehyung says, pressing his mouth with a kiss. “I love you, too.”
Because their eyes are closed as they kiss, they do not see the sleek, grey limo as it rolls up to the curb. Nor do they see Park Jimin step from it, dressed in his pearly tuxedo with flashy heart-shaped cufflinks. He meets the driver on the passenger’s side, and as he opens the door, he asks, “Well, you ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” Jieun singsongs as she reaches for Jimin’s hand. He helps her slide into a glitter-encrusted wheelchair the driver has collected from the trunk. She takes her place, looking all regal in her faux-mink coat and diamond tiara. Jimin escorts her to the sidewalk where they are greeted by a bevy of enthusiastic fans waving skating programs and posters of Jieun.
Eyes stinging, he greets Suzy and Hoseok as they emerge from the limo to join Jimin on the street.
“Our newspaper man Kim Seokjin came through with the press, didn’t he?” Suzy enthuses. “They absolutely love seeing her.”
“She loves it, too,” Hoseok observes, watching as teenage girls and their moms throng around Jieun, asking for autographs and photos.
Jimin sniffles, but then straightens as people who recognize him begin to drift their way. “Everyone deserves a comeback, right? Another fabulous idea from my amazing PA.” He takes a step forward to greet his fans, as Suzy turns to Hoseok.
“My ideas really are the best,” she says.
Hoseok spins her, making her squeak, and as he dips her for a kiss, he says, “I could not agree more.”
Then comes a sound of someone tapping on a live mic, followed by the booming voice of Yoongi. “Hello, hello,” he says, “And Happy Valentine’s Day. We would like to start with special thanks to the Kims—” he gestures from the stage to Taehyung’s parents, who are still slow-dancing in the street “—for bringing us all together in a celebration of love. Also we'd like to welcome Park Jieun, our gorgeous guest of honor, and her annoying baby brother, Park Jimin, who was late for a change, but I guess we can forgive him just this once.”
Jimin blows kisses to the crowd, basking in the glow of the attention.
“Due to butt-numbing cold,” Yoongi goes on, “we are moving Jieun into the arcade, where we have set up a special screening of her world championship performance, followed by One Spring Day, which is the closest thing to romance Bangtan Studios can offer… for now. However, it is my great pleasure to announce that my husband, the distinguished, talented, and gloriously-sexy Kim Namjoon—” Yoongi gestures with the mic to Namjoon, who blushes bright fuchsia, “—is currently working on an adaptation of the beloved classic, All of My Life.”
The assembled crowd sends up a cheer and Yoongi responds with the grin of a sated feline.
“Now, let’s everyone get back to the party, and remember,” Yoongi says, striking his famous Gloss pose, “Stay gold.” The audience erupts into cheers as Yoongi steps from the stage into the arms of his husband.
“We’re going inside now?” Jieun asks Jimin as he guides her chair to the crosswalk. The crowd parts to let them through, and Jimin takes the moment to appraise his sister’s mood. She’d been anxious at first at the idea of meeting her fans after so long in what she called hiding. But her eyes are bright despite her chattering teeth and a nose chapped pink from the cold.
“If you’re ready,” he tells her. “There’s someone I want you to meet.”
“The mysterious Jeon Jungkook,” Jieun teases.
“Yah, I can hide nothing from you,” Jimin moans, and Jieun gives Suzy a wink.
When Jungkook appears on the opposite side of the crosswalk, Jimin’s knees go weak. He stands in a pool of lamplight, his girls on either side of him, each one holding his hand. Jungkook’s face lights up when he sees Jimin, and they cross to meet, and Jimin will always, always remember how Jungkook knelt beside Jieun in the snow so he could give her a hug.
Then it’s as though everything happens at once. Taehyung is there, with Seokjin beside him, and Yeongmi, shrieking with glee, springs into her uncle’s arms. Nayeong tugs Jimin’s sleeve, and as he turns to her, she offers him her narwhal to hug. He crouches to pull them both into his embrace.
“Narwhal squad,” she whispers, and they both do the pointy-finger-horn, which has over the last few weeks become their thing.
Then Suzy and Hoseok are there, and so is Namjoon and Yoongi, and for a moment, they stand there in the frosty crosswalk, marveling at the blissful good fortune that has gathered them all to this place.
“Look at this,” Seokjin says. “All us magical misfits have finally found our home.”
Then after a beat Yoongi goes, “That’s fantastic and all, but I’m freezing off my cajones—”
“—Aaaand he killed it,” Namjoon groans.
“Of course, Gloss always kills it,” Hoseok says.
“Someone had to say it,” Yoongi grumbles, but they’re laughing as they join the crowd already assembled in the bakery. Taehyung and Seokjin drift to the back, Yeongmi still in Seokjin’s arms.
“Magical misfits, huh?” Taehyung asks.
“Definitely me,” Seokjin says. “And definitely you.”
“And me,” Yeongmi sings as she squiggles down from Seokjin’s arms to join the others up front.
Taehyung slips an arm around Seokjin’s waist. His voice low and husky, he goes, “You should kiss me, my parents are watching.”
“Oh really?” Seokjin laughs. He glances over to see the Kims outside the bakery window, bundled up against the cold, beaming wildly and obviously watching.
“They’re happy for me,” Taehyung says. He waves; they wave back.
“I’m happy for me too,” Seokjin says. “Happy for us.” And as he leans in to kiss him, he cannot believe how brilliantly happy they get to be.