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“Jungkook! This is Jimin! Jimin, Jungkook!” Taehyung introduces them excitedly.
Jungkook’s eyes meet Jimin’s and internally start panicking. In all their late night to early morning chats, their facetimes, their dates, their post-coital cuddles, him and Jimin had never spoken about a cover story if they met outside of the little world they’d created for themselves.
Jimin’s eyes are wide and he gives Jungkook a very subtle head shake.
“Jimin-ssi” Jungkook says, his voice gravely as he’s somehow lost his breath.
“Jungkook-ssi” Jimin breathes with a little laugh, holding out his hand for a shake, “You can call me hyung”
Jungkook grabs his hand a little harder than he intended, “Jimin-ssi” He says, eyes narrowed as he sees Jimin’s eyes laughing back at him.
“I’m surprised you knew he was younger!” Taehyung chuckles next to them. Oh shit, he’s still here Jungkook thinks, quickly dropping Jimin’s hand and turning towards him.
“Oh how could I not! He may be tall” Jimin pouts, “but he has young eyes, even childish, one might say.” Jimin’s smile is so big, his voice so warm.
Jungkook narrows his eyes at him once more, “One might”
“Mmmkay.” Taehyung says, looking slightly frantic like someone who has just introduced two friends only to find they don’t like each other, “Should we get going?”
“Sure” Jungkook says with a smile and jumps into the driver’s seat of his Jeep.
“I got DJ!” Taehyung yells.
Jungkook smiles as he adjusts the mirror to see Jimin in the backseat, making himself comfortable on the blankets that and Jungkook had made a bed out of during their spontaneous camping trip over the weekend. Well, if filling your front seat with snacks and fucking in a car for two nights can be considered camping. Fuck, Jungkook is so whipped for him, since he’s met him he’s been fucking whipped for him.
Jungkook had met Jimin on Grider. Something about a bad breakup and half a bottle of vodka on his kitchen floor had brought out some previously unrealized bisexual urge that drunk Jungkook decided he needed to satiate. When he woke in the morning to find Jimin had responded to drunk Jungkook complimenting his ass and jaw line he’d instantly apologized, but they’d actually managed to keep in touch. The longer they talked, the more Jungkook wanted to meet. They’re first date had been a casual coffee that turned into a walk in the park that turned into dinner that turned into Netflix and Chill with an emphasis on the Netflix because honestly, how are you going to ignore Stranger Things? They’d met up again and again, getting progressively more serious until both of them were dropping hints that they had deleted Grinder completely.
Jungkook seemed to smoothly transition into accepting that he liked men (or at least Jimin) and was starting to work on how to come out when Jimin officially asked him out. Obviously he’d said yes, cue ‘camping trip’ and laughing at one another when they accidentally set off the car alarm and the horn cause Jimin was too impatient to get in the backseat and needed sex with his boyfriend right then.
But official or not, no one knew that they were off the market. In fact, no one knew either of them were interested in men at all seeing as Jungkook had only recently figured out his attractions and Jimin had a long history of just kind of going along with what other people said. Coming out is scary enough, but coming out and then having the awkward conversation with your best friends of ‘yes, I’m gay and always have been I just never told you because…’ because what? Jimin had gone over it in his head over and over. He’d been friends with Taehyung since he could crawl. What was he going to tell him?
Jimin is looking at Jungkook through the rearview mirror with a soft smile. Yes, they’d lied. But it was a lie that one day they would right. And this way they could even make Taehyung feel good in saying that he’d been the reason that they’d ended up together! It could be perfect!
Jungkook turns the key in the ignition and the car fires up, “Waiting for pairing” the Bluetooth says and both Jimin and Jungkook snicker when Taehyung sighs, “Aren’t we all?”
But a moment later the speaker says, “Paired”
“Turn your Bluetooth off! I’m DJ!” Taehyung pouts and Jungkook smiles and tries to turn his phone on only to see the thing is long dead.
Taehyung’s staring at the little screen on the car, eyebrows knit together and it suddenly feels like everything is moving in slow motion when Jungkook notices Jimin in the backseat, frantically screwing with his phone to shut it off.
“Ahh, must be my brothers’ phone!” Jungkook says loudly, throwing the car into gear and hoping that Jimin’s phone will disconnect at a proper-feeling time as they drive away.
“Waiting for pairing” The voice says and Jungkook breathes a sigh of relief. That seemed like a good distance; that seemed believable.
But Taehyung is staring at him. Staring at him in a way that says that nothing good is going to come of this.
“Why did you lie?” Taehyung growls, turning his eyes to the backseat now.
“Wh-what? My brother and I share the-“
“Jungkook, the little screen says what type of phone it’s connected to. You and your brother swear by LG and I have an Iphone, but the little screen said Samsung. Not to mention your entire family is out of the house. The only person with a Samsung is Jimin and trust me when I say that I know my platonic Soulmates little number since he’s paired with my car all the time. But why is he paired to yours?”
Taehyungs voice is low. Low and calm and Jungkook is shaking.
“Maybe it just automatically-“ Jimin starts, only to be stopped by The Look™ from Taehyung.
There’s another tense moment before Taehyung sighs and settles into his seat, “I don’t care if you guys are friends, ok? I just don’t understand why you would lie to me.”
Jungkook hits a red light and stares into the rearview at his gorgeous boyfriend, trying to have a conversation without actually having it.
The look of desperation in Jimin’s eyes starts to fade into one of resignation. He nods and he and Jungkook manage to both speak at the same time. “I’m gay,” “I’m bi” they say respectively, biting their lower lips to stifle the little laugh that they’d timed that without meaning to.
Taehyung blinks. First at Jungkook, then he slowly turns to Jimin. He doesn’t say anything for a long time, but when Jungkook hears a sniffle he desperately wants to pull over, but he’s on the highway now.
“Did… did you think I wouldn’t accept you?” Taehyung whispers to the backseat.
“Oh God, Tae, no! I just-“
“Minie, I love you! I love you no matter what! Don’t you know that?”
“Of course, Tae, I didn’t mean to hide it I just-“
“Just what!? Thought I wouldn’t want you as my platonic soulmate anymore? God, Minie” He sniffles, whipping his tears with a sleeve.
Jungkook can’t see Jimin in the mirror now. He’s assuming he’s moved forward to comfort Taehyung and quickly takes the next off-ramp to try and find a place to park.
“It just never seemed like the right time to tell you” Jimin whispers.
“But we share everything” Taehyungs voice breaks and Jungkook’s own eyes are watering now too.
“Taehyung, I love you. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”
Jungkook finally finds a space and pulls the car in, halting it and pulling the parking break up before turning to his friends.
“Wait- why are you two telling me now? Why did you both tell me right-“
“He’s my boyfriend” Jungkook and Jimin echo each other and Jungkook turns back to look at his boyfriend.
Jimin lets out a little giggle and wipes a stray tear from Jungkook’s cheek.
“I said it first” Jimin mouths and Jungkook rolls his eyes with an over-dramatic sigh.
“What the fuck!?” Taehyung yells, startling the lovers who’d seemingly lost track of time again. “You-wha-whe-how- how did you meet!?” Taehyung settles on.
Jungkook and Jimin look at each other again before shrugging and turning back to their confused friend.
“Well… I was bored one night and had, you know, heard of Grinder so…” Jimin starts.
“So that’s why you wouldn’t let me put my finger print on your phone!” Taehyung says accusingly, “I thought you just had a shit load of nudes or something.”
“Well…” Jungkook starts and Jimin smacks his chest, “Kidding, only kidding” Jungkook’s arms next to his head in a display of innocence.
“So… you just started banging and decided to get together?”
Jimin shakes his head, “No, no, we went on a few dates first”
“Mmm, coffee” Jungkook says, “And the arcade”
“The amusement park!” Jimin says excitedly.
“Ahh, yes” Jungkook smile is huge, “And I won you that teddy bear”
“So that’s where that came from” Taehyung says thoughtfully. “Has Hobi met him?”
Jimin shakes his head, “He’s been at Yoongi’s or the studio so much that it’s never been an issue”
“So… I’m the first to know?” Taehyung asks.
Jungkook and Jimin both nod.
“Good. At least that” Taehyung turns back towards the front, seemingly only just noticing that they’d stopped, “I thought we were going to the beach?”
“You know Kookie, he’s such a crier” Jimin giggles.
Jungkook mocks an angry face back at him.
“Well, I think we should go to the beach now” Taehyung says, still looking a little put out by his friends’ secret relationship.
“Uh, would it be ok if I give my boyfriend a kiss first?” Jungkook asks tentatively.
Taehyung looks at him, mouth wide, “Shit, you guys really weren’t kidding were you.”
They look at each other, then back to their friend, “Why would we?” They ask in unison.
“Creepy. Would you make out already so we can go?” Taehyung says, but this time Jungkook can hear something in his voice that sounds suspiciously like fondness.
“Will do” Jungkook says quietly before turning back to give his gorgeous, sweet, amazing boyfriend a quick peck.
The rest of the day is spent running around in the sand and maybe also trying to get Taehyung to stop talking to children cause even though they know he’s well intentioned, some of the parents look like they have some doubts. Jungkook keeps Jimin tucked close to him, reveling in the warmth and freedom as they whisper plans about how they’re going to introduce the other to their other friends and Jimin even makes a hint about his parents upcoming summer party. Jungkook feels happy and tingly and warm all over when he pulls Jimin in for yet another kiss, their lips pressed together while both are carved into smiles for all the things yet to come.