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“hey, careful there!”
one moment the towering cartons in his arms are blocking his vision, rosy cheeks peeping out from behind those cardboard boxes, the next thing he knows, the heavy one on top is lifted by bronzed arms and a smile akin to the sun.
he's tall, dark and extremely handsome- especially in that slightly long mousy brown bangs and undercut, that sheer baby blue long sleeves with the ribbon to complement those clavicles. his visuals are absolutely stunning.
“hey,” his new neighbour repeats again, shaking the fringe out of his eyes, “i'm taehyung, your new neighbour- nice to meet you!” the rectangular grin is blinding, and wow, look at that nose and pretty eyelashes and-
“you alright?” taehyung asks, and jimin coughs in embarrassment- god, he's been staring- “h-hello, i'm jimin, i just moved here.” that was so lame, park jimin. way to go to impress this greek god standing before you.
“i can tell,” taehyung laughs in response, using his free hand to gesture to the van that had just left a few moments ago. how does he even carry that heavy ass carton with only one hand?! “do you lift?” he asks again, and boy does he feel like facepalming. his neighbour is surely gonna steer clear from him from now on.
(the chuckle from his neighbour is like, totally not the cutest thing ever, and he's so not crushing on him. definitely not love at first sight.)
“i live with my brother jeonggukie next door, and yes, he drags me to the gym sometimes, that exercise freak,” the lopsided smile seriously has jimin swooning, and the gentlemanly arm holding his door open for him to enter first has his heart set on fire. “if you need anything i'll be next door, okay, jiminnie?” he says, waving with those cute sleeves, ultimate boyfriend material, before gently dropping the carton at the doorstep.
“have a nice day!”
more like he's going to have the best life from now on. thank you jesus.
the subsequent encounters make jimin go crazy: when he takes out the trash and sees taehyung coming back from work, blinding smile even though he's exhausted, when they happen to collect the mail at the same time, tend to the flowers in their little gardens. given that they're both born in the same year, it must be affinity- and taehyung’s just like this big cuddly teddy bear jimin wants to hug forever. hold his hand, leap into his arms, kiss his forehead;
he wants to tell taehyung how he feels- desperate for the affection to be mutual- but in order to make sure this relationship is going to be a successful one, he needs to find out more than just what aesthetic he has on his huge instagram following, how he sounds like, the way his hair bounces when he walks, the songs he jams to.
then he realises that he not only has one neighbour- he has two. there's jeon jeongguk, taehyung’s step brother that lives next door too. jeongguk's a pretty shy creature, who often dresses in the basics of black and white, always giving jimin a quick nod or tiny wave whenever they cross paths. he's pretty cute too, jimin rationalises, but obviously tae’s wayyyyy cuter.
but he's on his operation: cop taehyung’s heart, so if jeongguk's introverted jimin's making sure he spills everything, screams, whatever- okay, wait, did that sound wrong?- but anyway, he's making sure jeongguk divulges everything he needs to know to get taehyung. whatever it takes.
there are five rings to a successful relationship, they say.
01. the doorbell rings.
“excuse me, jeonggukie?”
a sleepy, doe-eyed boy shuffles over to open the door, running a hand through his bedhead, only to be greeted full force by a living soft angel from next door, fluffy hair combed neatly and looking so beguiling in stripes. he immediately stiffens, a little too early on a saturday morning to register why his adorable neighbour is at his doorstep- at goddamn 7:30am in the morning.
rise and grind, jeongguk.
“u-uh, give me five minutes and uh, please come in,” he incoherently mumbles as he ushers jimin in, only to scramble up the stairs to throw on another of his 24 white shirts instead of the thin crumpled one on his chest, and wash up. by wash up, he means brushing his teeth and splashing his face with ice cold water repeatedly to wake up. and that also includes spraying some of that mild eau de toilette taehyung leaves in the bathroom to make him smell a little more attractive.
he comes down the stairs, finding jimin by the living room mirror with all their childhood photos, cooing at how adorable they look. more specifically, the ones with taehyung.
“those were when hyung first went to the beach, and that was when he won first place for speech and drama,” jeongguk adds dryly, his words coming out somewhat colder than he intended, awkwardly coughed out so as not to startle jimin. there's just something in the way jimin traced his finger over baby taehyung’s cheeks and floofy hair in the photos that make him feel a little sick, something sour churning in his gut.
the latter pads over to the kitchen counter, where jeongguk pours them each a glass of apple juice, and starts to pour milk into a bowl before adding the cereal. jimin makes a face, as jeongguk slices some apples to go with it, who even pours milk first?! “want some?” jeongguk rasps, morning voice husky and it only makes jimin think of taehyung’s deep tenor, when he should be considering how attractive the other brother sounds, in jeongguk's honest opinion.
“you guys drink a lot of milk, huh,” jimin wonders aloud, noticing the cartons and plastic containers used to store cold water as an effort to be environmentally friendly. the younger boy chews through his breakfast, slightly flushed due to the fact that the house is empty save for jimin and himself and that just… feels so oddly domestic somehow. but he dismisses it as the sunlight filtering the kitchen hitting him at the correct angles. yeah. must be the uv ray's heat.
“hey, jeonggukie… i've met you two for a while, and i think i- that i may like someone you know quite well?” jimin whispers, as jeongguk looks up from his bowl of cereal, eyes widened, heart rate picking up. he sees jimin fidgeting in his seat, playing with the rings on his fingers, the hem of his shirt, ankles hooked. a part of him should have known this was coming, a part of him just wishfully hoped he was wrong.
“o-oh yeah? who is it, hyung? it's obviously not me, right?” he forcedly laughs, trying to ease up the knots of tension forming as they converse, tries to cover up for him dropping his spoon on the cold floor with a piercing tang. tries to swallow down his pride and supress whatever he feels- which is irrelevant to jimin anyway.
“of course not, silly!” jimin giggles, undetecting, high pitched laugh bouncing off the lonely walls as he smacks jeongguk's arm at his ‘joke’ playfully, painfully unaware. jeongguk swallows it all. it's a blessing, actually, for jimin to think this way- he'd be so sad if he ever found out how jeongguk felt in this very instant, and he'd probably bear that burden on his heart for a long time. it's okay, jeongguk tells himself, you're going to be alright.
“i really like your brother… i think i might be in love with taehyungie.”
the way jimin looks up at him, with those sparkly eyes full of hope, as if jeongguk were his saving grace- in spite of all the half chewed cornflakes and apples in his mouth- as if jeongguk were the answers to all his questions; and he is, quite literally. if jimin's happy, i'm happy.
“obviously i knew that,” jeongguk says, shaking his head under jimin's keen, observing eyes, forcing a tight-lipped smile. “you two'd look really good together,” the smile of jimin's face is enough to tell him he's delivered the most convincing speech in the world, is enough to get him to the gym to spend the entire day to distract himself from how tight his chest feels, how heavy the words are in his mouth. if he exhausts himself till his limit, then maybe he'll still be able to fall asleep, carry on with his life. maybe.
he's thankful jimin can't hear the internal deflation, the sinking feeling numbing his being, the crushing of his quiet desires all going down with 52 hertz whale noises. so low jimin can never hear. shall never know. and if jimin's mission was to get to know more about his brother, then his mission was to deliver.
jimin would probably make the best brother-in-law, right?
it's no surprise to jimin when he realises that taehyung’s a part-time model and actor in the making, currently signed and undertaking deportment classes to be the new face of gucci's next spring/summer collection. although both of them are born in the same year (‘95z), taehyung had performed exceptionally well in academics and aesthetics, so he managed to jump two grades and was immediately signed after graduating, to a bigshot company for his stunning visuals and unprecedented talent.
jimin's fallen quite easily, like any other of his growing fanbase, for the gentlemanly charm, dashing personality. the only difference is that taehyung's brother, jeongguk himself, likes him instead.
there's this thing called exploitation, jeongguk knows, and he comforts himself by saying that hey, he isn't exactly taking advantage of jimin's vulnerable position here- jimin willingly came to him for help, and helping he is. it's just that the information of taehyung's little habits and inklings and likings of twenty odd years need a little more time to release, and jeongguk's decelerating as much as he can, to spend more time with jimin, before he runs out of quirks to reveal. runs out of luck to pull off this whole pretence.
02 his heart rings
they've set a date to go down to that small cafe down the street, where they've set up a stipulated timing every alternate day or so to meet up, outside of jeongguk's graphic design major and jimin's dance practices. frankly, jeongguk's heart soars, knowing this is the perfect plot he's set up, intricately woven under the pretext of jeongguk pretending to be taehyung, since they're supposedly similar and all that.
“hyung likes taking lots of pictures, so i think you should be prepared and find like, five of your angles instead of just one, to be safe,” jeongguk begins, as they wait for the food to arrive.
without further ado, jimin whips out his phone and goes on to snow, and god knows how he manoeuvres that damned front cam to look all triumphant when he shows jeongguk the end result of him looking so freaking adorable with those cat ear filters and hearts, and what are those rosebud lips and cheeks?
“jeonggukie~ selfie time~” jimin beams, and jeongguk automatically goes for the peace sign and a rigid smile, which softens the moment jimin speaks again. “yeah, we look good!” he chirps, as he saves it or something, and jeongguk glows a little, not because of the filters or the sun, but because jimin said that they looked good. he knows jimin means the photo, but still. a guy can dream, right?
(the statement should've been “we look good together,”)
jimin's just come back from a hectic dance schedule, head rested snugly on his folded arms on the table. and jeongguk doesn't know why, but he instinctively reaches out to caress that soft inky hair, and jimin almost mewls when he perks up, an expression of confusion. jeongguk's been caught.
“uh, tae-hyungie likes doing that,” he deadpans, throwing in a nonchalant shrug, like it's the most natural thing to say after you've just stroked the boy-you-have-a-crush-on’s hair, and that boy might become your future brother-in-law one day. no condemnation at all.
but jimin does the next most oblivious thing in the entire fudging world. he smiles. cheeks bunched up all pink, “i see, please continue touching my hair then, jeonggukie!”
(jeongguk wants to die on the spot.)
“jimin hyung…. are you dieting again?”
“...”
the elder looks guilty, hands clasped between his thighs as he sips on plain water through a straw. “jeonggukie… you know i don't like the fat on my cheeks, and i have to maintain my abs and-”
but i like you like this! i like you the way you are! why can't you just see how beautiful you are? why isn't it enough if i say you are enough?
“t-tae… i think hyungie would prefer you like that,” jeongguk lies, when he thinks about what taehyung had told him when he brought up jimin.
“you think so?”
it makes his heart hurt, the way jimin literally bounces up in his seat whenever he hears his brother's name, so eager and voracious, and when it comes to jeongguk he sometimes loses focus, eyes insipid, squirms. a diamond that stops glimmering. but the moment jeongguk mentions that model in the making- jimin glows. he feels something bitter deep in the pits of his stomach, something simmering with quiet rage, mild envy;
“yeah. now eat.”
the tone of his voice has dulled considerably, but jimin pays no heed, devouring the takoyaki jeongguk's ordered for him (jeongguk doesn't even know how he registered this correctly as one of jimin's favourite food) and smiling at him like he's tasted the rainbow and sunshine and some clouds and stars too.
“careful, don't choke,” he says, refilling jimin's glass of water with his own, handing over some paper napkins for him to clean his mouth.
“how would taetae have done it?” he teases, and immediately the free hand balls into a fist, jimin, you're really asking for it, and jeongguk tenderly wipes off the stray mayonnaise and sauce at the corner of his lip, making jimin glow a pretty pink hue.
beat that, taehyung.
(“hyungie… what do you think of jimin? you know, our new neighbour?”
“guk-ah, stop being obvious with those lovesick puppy eyes- i honestly think he's perfect for you. older brother taehyung approves of this ship.”)
while he was looking for his old fujifilm camera, jeongguk chances upon one of taehyung's old snapbacks- and so he brings it to jimin, plopping it onto his floofy black hair, the faint smell of strawberry shampoo still lingering in the air.
“how do i look!”
and jeongguk's learnt his lesson this time- he takes out his phone and takes a candid of jimin adjusting his bangs, before showing it to the model of the photo himself. jimin looks like an innocent lost pup, cheeks like little cherry blossoms.
“delete it! i look gross…”
all he gets in return is a shit-eating grin.
“nah, not today, jiminnie hyung,”
and then there's this thing of jeongguk always snaking behind him and backhugging hi. initially it had shocked jimin, being sensitive and ticklish at the sides, but somehow he got accustomed fast, and jeongguk takes it in his stride. emboldened, he brazenly rests his chin on jimin's hand (it's a taehyung thing), links pinkies with him under the table (in case taehyung doesn't want to go public so soon), teases him about his height (again, a tall people thing), pokes his cheeks and calls him cute for no reason at all (this one’s probably everyone within a 1m radius of jimin's existence).
jimin endures it all, and jeongguk gets more brazen.
“hyung, give me your hand,” jeongguk says without looking over, when they walk down the pavements, “my hands are warm, don't worry.”
“o-okay?”
jeongguk takes it and shoves it into his leather jacket pocket, both of their hands, and jimin's giving him that puzzled face again. “hyung, i'm helping you- i'm holding your hand so you don't get lost.”
“... jeonggukie? um, including the two of us, there's like only four people on the street.” jimin challenges, feeling his face heat up. jeongguk's face is heating up even faster, though.
“well i mean, hyung would've done the same,” he childishly (read: bitterly) retorts, and jimin shuts up.
(jeongguk's hand does feel kinda nice. and kinda warm.)
“jiminnie hyung, sunrise or sunset?”
“of course sunsets!”
“yeah. um, tae-hyungie likes sunsets too- you wanna, maybe go see one later? i know this spot by the lake that has the perfect view,”
he's lying. they've always been polar opposites when it came to things like this- taehyung dresses in vibrant colours, floral prints, gucci, lanvin, givenchy; while he dresses in basics, black and white predominantly, h&m, topshop, stussy. taehyung's always preferred the day, jeongguk the night. he likes socializing, parties, people- jeongguk prefers to be away from the spotlight, prefers his own bedroom, drawing, listening to music.
needless to say, taehyung's always preferred the sunrise. it's jeongguk who's always loved watching the sunset from his room since he was a kid.
jeongguk suggests he start calling jimin cute things- this time, they're in a tea house connecting to a small bookshop that sells manga- which is true, taehyung adores bestowing people with fancy titles impromptu. he laughs while recounting that taehyung had just called him his ‘magical five star seasoning midnight instant ramen prince’ since jeongguk had cooked for him when he was whining for supper last night. and now he would like to do that with jimin- not as jeongguk but as taehyung, of course.
“so… i should call you- i mean, him- things like… my teeny tiny baby prince?” jimin blinks, so freaking beautiful and jeongguk doesn't know how to respond to that, he'd rather be called that for the rest of his life. so he nudges the cup of tea closer to jimin's sleeved hands, baby pink and white stripes today, and arranges the milk and syrup and sugar cubes all in one line to justify the lack of a response.
jimin takes a sip of the tea, their fingers brushing, and jeongguk jolts back like he's been electric-shocked. “yeah. and i would- i mean, he would- call you something like precious pink manggae fairy? i don't know… i'm guessing things like rice cakes, angel face, jjokkomi, honeybun sugarplum… also maybe minget? because you're so small and cute and all-” jeongguk teases, until he stops halfway.
“i'm not tiny~!” jimin exclaims, pouty and semi brooding, when the menu comes down hard on caramel hair. he's always had a head of steel, wrestled with dogs his size as a kid, fought death before; but the loud thud when jimin playfully smacks his head does nothing but exacerbate how painful it is, by about twenty times.
“o-oh my god,” jimin gasps, shellshocked when both of them freeze in the aftermath of that boop on the head with the menu. without any hesitation he scrambles to the other side of the couch and kneels by jeongguk's side, softly whispering apologies and caressing his hair gently where he had hit not-so-gently. “i'm so sorry, gukkie,” jimin mumbles, and he sounds like he's going to cry. “does it hurt?” he sniffs, appalled at his irrational actions- what was he even thinking, hurting jeonggukie like this!
“no, i'm fine, jiminnie hyung- it's nothing,” jeongguk soothes, using his hands to catch the small of jimin's back as the latter balances on his knees to press a mochi cheek against his head. he gives jimin a bright smile amidst the dull throbbing at the crown of his head, and jimin plunks down next to him pouting, holding his face in his tiny hands, “gukkie, was it so bad you've gone a little mad? it was so loud- i swear if it hurts, tell hyung, i'll make it up to you okay?”
i've gone mad for you a long time ago, jimin. it was loud but you know what's louder? my heart racing whenever i see you. feel you. touch you. it hurts, hyung, but i don't think something like this you could make up to me so easily- i love you hyung, i like you so much, but why don't you see me that way too?
“okay, it does hurt a little,” jeongguk pretends, wincing as jimin pats his head. the elder looks so guilt laden and upset with his rude demeanour, so he settles for propping himself in jeongguk's lap, nimbly resting on jeongguk's shoulder as he delicately lets his fingers skim past soft brown tufts, nuzzling into jeongguk's neck, seeking acceptance. (of his apology, of course.) and jeongguk relishes in the close proximity he could never have, thinks his brother must have been a saint in his past life to deserve this beautiful, ethereal creature on his lap; pretends it hurts just to guilt trip jimin a little more, have him safe in his arms a little longer.
it's a terrible feeling, all this unrequited pining and hopeless crushing. just dreadful.
2.5 the doorbell rings, again
“hey jeonggukie! i went to the convenience store and saw this really cute packet of milk and i remembered that you guys drink lots of milk, so i bought it for-” i bought it for you, jimin wants to complete, but somehow the sentence stops there, so jeongguk takes over and sleepily replies. it takes jimin a moment to realise he had walked all the way thinking of one person and his hand, and oh- he's even worn some sweet smelling musk just to ring the doorbell? just to see who open the door?
(in his heart of hearts, he knows taehyung's schedule- he knows he has some partnership with burberry today.)
“i got it, thanks hyung, i'll pass it to tae when he comes back from the shoot.” his voice is lacklustre, initially happy upon seeing jimin first thing in the morning, but who was he, to even think he stood a chance? yes, he's going to drink the milk anyway and although taehyung's got the world in his hands, people falling at his feet (which he rightfully deserves, jeongguk begrudgingly concedes) jeongguk's only asking for one thing.
he's just asking for jimin's smile. for jimin to be happy. is that too much to ask for?
03. a telephone ring
“hey, hyung? i thought of a really good way for you to confess to tae.”
it's 4 o'clock in the morning, and jeongguk just wants to speed up the entire process, move on, get over and done with making jimin his brother's fiancé, get someone else to cope with the heartache. neither of them question why the other’s up so early, it just happens.
“oh yeah? let's hear about it,” jimin groggily replies, and good lord, why does jimin's morning voice sound so raspy and seductive?
speaking faster so that jimin doesn't have a chance to rebutt him with that sexy voice, jeongguk goes in full throttle about how taehyung always goes down to the bookstore to grab their monthly haikyuu!! manga issue, and that he'll be there this sunday too- and all jimin has to do is bring his favourite cake and say how much he likes him. “it's going to be perfect,” jeongguk reiterates, but neither party sounds particularly convinced.
“okay,” jimin whispers back, when jeongguk tells him all hushed that actually there's one last thing he needs to educate jimin about, before he's good to go.
about what, he doesn't say.
then they don't talk anymore.
04. suffe(ring)
that was monday, and now it's friday.
a thousand and one outcomes play in his head the night before, as he foresees what is going to come the moment he utters that sentence- and whatever happens, so be it. it's sort of reassuring to know jimin will probably be his first and last, and that alone is enough for jeongguk to have the courage to say those fateful words aloud. how shameless.
"taetae hyung likes it when you lick into his mouth when you kiss him so uh, like, c'mere," jeongguk motions, and jimin looks up at him, like under a spell, moves towards where he beckons. those calloused and nail bitten fingers deftly tilt his jaw upwards before their lips collide, and to jeongguk, it feels like all his dreams and 11:11 wishes have come to past. like the universe has collided and presented him with the most celestial of gifts, like lady luck had finally shone upon him after all that tough love.
“-likes it when you kiss him like this…” and jeongguk gently kisses him on the lips, skilfully navigating their orifices to nip slightly at jimin's plush lower lip, before the elder goes all crimson and breathless. so, so breathtakingly beautiful.
“oh... i see,” jimin replies slowly, looking down at his sneakers, using the back of his hand to wipe away the moisture by his lips, jeongguk showing no emotion on the outside- but honestly he's panicking at how haphazard and careless this is, how absurd and selfish; even if they are in a deserted area of the nearby park, it still feels like he's instigating something sinful. wrong. indecent. he feels like he's degrading and deflowering something untouchable and intangible- and yet all his morals are stripped down and heavily influenced, intoxicated on this thing called park jimin.
“t-then i need to practice,” jimin swallows, eyes alluring, tempting as he shuffles forward, only to trip on his laces and fall forward into jeongguk's solid chest. both their pupils are dilated, and if he hasn't noticed by now, jimin fits perfectly in his lanky arms as they drape across his waist.
“pardon?”
“i said,” jimin huffs in embarrassment, “i need to practice.”
it falls silent between them, save for the birds chirping and leaves rustling in the wind, and jeongguk takes the sacred time to pick out some feathers, dust and tiny leaves that cocoon their way into jimin's hair. “so much lint,” jeongguk mumbles under his breath, and jimin starts fidgeting.
“i was rolling on my bed yesterday. i couldn't sleep.”
jeongguk's blushing till the tips of his ears and jimin's getting all bashful with rubescent cheeks in full flare. it's getting harder to breathe. rolling? what the heck. he's so cute what even-
they're just inches apart, breaths mingling, heat radiating- and he kisses jeongguk back. whether it's testosterone going on overdrive, impulse, the adrenaline rush, the thrill of getting caught- he does it anyway, before his brain can reason it out. he melts like a puddle of chocolate fondue with every stroke of his cheekbone, firm grip of the jaw. jimin's the strawberries and marshmallows on the stick, and jeongguk's the chocolate fountain coating him with sticky sweetness oozing with every inch of skin he touches, setsit on wildfire.
jeongguk's getting so into it, both of them pliant and desirous and in a daze, jeongguk so full of his love until jimin pushes him off, panting.
love me, hyung- love me.
they both can't breathe.
“s-sorry hyung i uh, i got carried away. i- sorry." jeongguk's the one with streaks of guilt and morose regret evident on his countenance, but jimin pays no heed, meeting the meek apology with an oblivious disregard, as though jeongguk hadn't uttered a single word.
“i was good, wasn't i?” jimin smugly announces, looking as happy and accomplished and excited as a walking ball of sunshine can look. jeongguk doesn't answer. so that was all it was? a test trial so that he knows how to please taehyung? he started this mess, yes, but is jimin now just taking him for a ride? but anyway. the free trial is over and jimin's probably not going to buy it.
“praise me, i did well, right?”
what the fuck. how much more oblivious or adorable can you get? you stupid cute little rice cake.
“... you're a good kisser, jiminnie hyung. the best.”
the day jeongguk's been dreading his entire life has come.
jimin goes to the manga store, hair mussed to create that effortlessly windswept look, looking gorgeous as ever in his velvet and satin. he's holding a box of milk angel food cake, as jeongguk has recommended, patiently waiting since he's nervous and 45 minutes early.
but the box in his hands feels heavy- what's going to happen after the grand finale? who would he dress up for? who would he look forward to call him cute and sing full of his praise? who would interlace their warm manly hands on a ‘dating simulation’ with him? who would look at him with soft doe eyes and then look away shy and embarrassed when caught? who would randomly touch his cheeks or temple or forehead just because ‘you suddenly looked very pretty’? who would protect him in crowded places, put him first when traffic was heavy and it was dangerous? who would always put him first, give him the umbrella and just use his hoodie when it was pouring-
3:30pm is when he gets jolted out of his reverie- the minute jeon jeongguk comes barging in, to their prearranged meeting spot holding another box of a similar design.
“g-gukkie? i thought we were meeting tomorrow? i mean-! taehyung could come any moment and-”
“-hyung, listen.”
jeongguk's voice is scratchy and hoarse, like he's been crying the entire day and night and is his body's caved in. he's thrown on a random black hoodie over a slipshod, tardy white shirt, with sweats and disheveled hair.
he comes in after running all the way, breathless- as he always is for jimin.
“i-i'm so sorry i lied, i- tae’s lactose intolerant, so all this while i'm the one drinking all the milk and i- i just couldn't help it! and i just wanted to say that- i lied because i'm fucking in love with you and it's not fair how you like him so much, you know? it could've been me, jimin- i was the one who saw you when you moved in and struggled with the cartons; i could have been the one but i was skyping my professor and i couldn't leave but- i-! it should've been me you fell for-” the words tumble out of his mouth, an overflow of heartfelt melancholy, an unrelentless enduring, transient flow of overwhelming love and suppressed affection.
the correct cake box is thrust into jimin's hands, jeongguk's milk cake so hurriedly snatched the handle breaks off, the way jeongguk wishes he could cut his ties with jimin, tear off all his heartstrings in one pull.
he leaves with eyes moistening and shoulders slumped- as it always ends after every meeting with jimin;
he runs off after exchanging the cake boxes, tears in his eyes and jimin is absolutely floored at the sudden turn of events. just what on earth is happening?! he stands there, rooted to the ground, for a good minute to process the lingering confession, wire everything together.
then it hits him like a shit ton of bricks, and he runs.
he knows their usual spot by the vintage swings in the park- remembers all jeongguk's shortcuts, the paths he prefers, the song he likes to whistle to the birds. and he spots jeongguk curled into a ball at the corner, all huddled up with knees tucked in, sobbing by the bushes, sees him dab harshly at his eyes, body shaking.
“jeon jeonggukie!” jimin yells, and the frightened child weakly tries to make a break for it, but jimin's already careening at full force towards him, such that he catches jeongguk by the waist and tackles him onto the soft grass with wild flowers. jeongguk instinctively cups the back of his head and his back so he doesn't get hurt; but still has his glassy eyes trained nowhere in particular, as they collapse with jimin atop of his chest, his glittery wet eyes just not transfixed on him- as they always were.
jimin lovingly holds his face, such that their eyes meet, and the bubble bursts, tears start gushing out from his eyes, but all jeongguk gives him is a sad, sad smile as he uses a thumb to wipe off every teardrop, gently dabbing to dry the little streaks of pearls with his hoodie sleeve. how can anyone be such a pretty crier? and jimin scrubs at his unsightly face, puffy and swollen from the outburst- but jeongguk hiccups back and rocks him back and forth soothingly, humming unknown melodies that occasionally waver when he fights back a sob.
“hurts,” jeongguk croaks, and jimin looks up, “i'm… i hurt you, jeonggukie.” he says, shaking his head. “angel food cake was your favourite, wasn't it,” a pause. “i'm sorry for hurting you, i- i'll do anything for you to forgive me! i- i was an idiot for being shallow and-”
“shhhhh,” is all jeongguk whispers, pulling jimin into his embrace to muffle all the apologies. “nothing hurts as much as seeing you cry.” the small figure in his lap starts snivelling, gripping tightly at his hoodie as he continues, “i wanted the best for you, y’know? so i just… kinda hoped to get you two together faster so i could move on, but i guess i couldn't,”
there's a nervous false laugh on jeongguk’s side as he tries to play it cool, but the tears won't stop on jimin's part. “hey, baby fairy. stop crying- how are you going to meet tae like that?” what's even going on anymore?
“i- i’d rather be with you-”
jeongguk frowns. that's not how it's supposed to go..? jimin smells like freshly baked vanilla cupcakes and cinnamon sprinkles, and he doesn't want to let go even if he says otherwise to make the elder feel better.
“hyung- jiminnie, listen… i- i’m sorry for being greedy and wanting you to myself- all this while i pretended… taehyungie doesn't like people to touch his hair, b-but i do. and he likes hugging people head on but i'm s-shy, so i come from behind a-and hyung likes green lately, i’m the one who likes red and black; and i'm sorry for being… so selfish and jealous and i just needed to do it so i would accept it when you guys got together but-”
he doesn't even know he's started crying again as he stutters and stumbles over his words. “i swear the rest are true! h-he does call me cheesy, cute things and he does love strawberries too! and yes to hand holding as well-”
jimin just shushes him, his turn to wipe away jeongguk's tears and kisses him square on the lips- and jeongguk melts on the spot, melts in his mouth like cotton candy because jimin tastes so sweet and he's so sorry for being so bitter and salty and dishonest and he just kisses back so earnestly, cupping jimin's jaw with the most delicate of touches he can muster and then he suddenly pulls apart, after feeling a small jolt of electricity, a spark fizzling out.
"hyung, it's me, jeongguk- i'm not, i'm not-" but the words get stuck and fade away, as they latch onto his throat, dry.
“i-i know. you're jeon jeongguk. my big baby with an even bigger heart. and today, i give mine to you.”
when they go on their first official date, as park jimin and jeon jeongguk, jimin decides to dress up for him. he wears jeongguk's favourite timberlands, knowing jeongguks 'ideal type'. he pairs it with horn rimmed glasses, a wine red crop top, ripped skinny jeans. when jeongguk rings the doorbell, to pick him up (with flowers, baby’s breath) he gets hauled back in, until jeongguk’s fished out a leather jacket and doused it in his cologne and ordered jimin to wear it over.
“i don't want people staring at what's mine,” he had sulked, and jimin had felt himself swooning.
even if his hands are used to holding jeongguk’s, his feet aren't used to these boots- unsurprisingly, he gets blisters, but he braces the pain, not wanting to ruin their first official date. he starts walking awkwardly, and when jeongguk asks in concern, he dismisses it and waves it off.
“jimin, why are you limping when we haven't even done anything freaky in bed yet?”
“jeon! jeong! guk!”
“stop hitting me- i'm kidding! but seriously though, hyung, are your feet alright?”
“yeah! of course it is… i guess i'm just tired-”
alas, jeongguk doesn't buy it, so he picks jimin up bridal style, and sets him on the seat by a fountain, going down on one knee and slowly unlacing and easing off the boots.
"guk-ah, yah, you might get your hands dirty- i'll do it myse-"
only to reveal ugly bright red blisters on jimin's cute little feet, which jeongguk's awfully soft for.
"what the hell hyung, this is definitely not okay," jeongguk grumbles, before yelling to give him ten minutes before he jogs off, leaving jimin kicking his feet in the air. he comes back with a packet of band aids and cream and a new pair of shoes (with insoles, since he's a considerate boyfriend), and jimin can feel the moistening of his eyes, close to tears- he's never felt this pampered or loved before.
"i've never been treated like a prince before but you really don't have to-"
"but i want to."
jimin chews on his bottom lip asethe cliche scene unfolds before him, jeongguk patching him up, blowing on the wound as he slathers the antiseptic, holds jimin's hand in case it hurts. "you weren't treated as a prince before because i was fated to spoil you like a princess," he winks, and jeongguk's done tying the laces, looking up satisfied, with jimin blushing so hard jeongguk has to ask if he's okay again, the coral pink rapidly transitioning to a deep scarlet.
“y-you looked like you were proposing...."
and an idea goes off in jeongguk’s mind.
"hyung your favourite colour is still blue right?"
"... yes?"
"okay, 5 minutes!"
jeongguk comes back panting (after 4 minutes and 17 seconds, yes he was counting). "hyung... hyung," he nudges, breathless, down on one knee again. "will you-" he pauses to catch his breath and he gives the brightest smile ever, a smile only reserved for jimin. "hyung you literally and genuinely," and he halts a little to catch his breath, "took my breath away, will you be mine?"
he takes out the small faux sapphire ring he ran to buy, from an accessory store, immediately yanking off the price tag and wrapping in front of jimin, who bursts into laughter.
“god jeonggukie~” and jeongguk leaps into jimin's arms, "i love you so much, gukkie~"
"no, i love you more hyung- look i ran for you and i noticed that you wear rings on every finger except for the fourth on the left hand, so i'm taking that,” jeongguk mumbles, fitting it on perfectly, and jimin just kisses him senseless and all their fingers get interlocked and interweaved into each other's hair.
“but i was born first-”
"shut up and kiss me... i loved you first."
(05. engagement ring)