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The beginning of the end comes on a spring day. The sun rises and sets behind clouds while the wind blows carelessly the fresh smell that comes from the growing grass. Time goes by with regular occurrences and the day stretches out enough for Namjoon to spend half of it preparing for what is no longer avoidable.
Jimin comes to him an hour before dinner. His timing perfect because Hoseok is never home around that time and Jungkook, the shoulder Namjoon leans on when he is hurt, is too preoccupied with his workout to even consider leaving the basement. At the same time he is a room away from Namjoon if he is needed, so under all the hate, anger, and pain Namjoon feels when he opens the entrance door to find Jimin looking at him with mirroring emotions, Namjoon feels that familiar fondness, love and gratitude surface alongside the feeling of nostalgia that has made home of his heart for the past weeks.
They don't say much, the tension in the room being enough to communicate the lasting dismay that has settled among them. They don't argue, every argument already settled the moment they gave up and stopped trying. They don't apologize, no sorry being capable of meaning anything. They don’t back down, their stubbornness always in tune and unbreakable once they are facing each other.
They don’t say goodbye.
Namjoon shrugs when the conversations comes to an end and Jimin gives him a tight smile before leaving with no other word, closing the door on a relationship that lasted eight years before it came crumbling down in months filled with miscommunication and disinterest.
On a spring day, Namjoon and Jimin break up.
-o-
Jimin is the typical definition of a broke university student. His bank account currently holds eleven dollars even though pay day was four days ago. He has fruits on his desk and a few frozen meals in his mini fridge meant to last him the whole week. His credit card still needs to be paid off and he hasn’t finished buying all the books for his classes. Things would be a lot gloomier if Jimin couldn’t rest on the fact that school is in fact paid for and he doesn’t owe anyone money.
He is only three months away from finishing his fifth and final year. Stress has settled in his day to day thoughts of what comes next. He has close to fifty work application websites bookmarked for when he has secured his degree. Half his dorm holds boxes that are filled with his things for when it's time to move. He is more than ready to start that new chapter in his life.
Truthfully, two years ago, when his marks were at their lowest and in his life misfortune came followed by misfortune after misfortune, Jimin had almost given everything up. He is happy he didn’t. He is glad he found that strength his friends and family so eagerly lectured him about. There is nothing more satisfying than looking back to your lowest point and seeing just how far you have actually come.
His finances are the only current concerning problem he loses sleep over. He knows he has an actual problem with his addiction to online shopping and that maybe he should stop paying for monthly subscriptions to things. However, as long as he has some food, Jimin always ends up dismissing these problems. He lives pay check by pay check and that is why he now faces a bigger problem.
His mother is getting re-married. In Cancun. In six days.
Jimin cannot afford that. He told his mom so five weeks ago when she had suggested a destination wedding. Yet like always, his mom has dismissed his words. She is also a very sentimental and stubborn woman so Jimin can't not go. She will be devastated and forever hold it against him.
Jimin groans into his pillow every morning as the wedding day approaches and he has yet to buy his ticket. He has been waiting for last minute deals the past three weeks and now, not only is there no deals at all, prices have gone up.
He is completely screwed.
Yet one night, as he was stressing over the wedding, a possible solution presented itself when Jimin accidentally clicked the group tab in the airline's website.
"No." is the answer he gets the moment he shares his finding.
Jimin pouts before putting his hands together to once again beg the two people in front of him to change their mind.
"No." Yoongi and Seokjin echo without looking up from their books.
Jimin bangs his head on the desk before he sighs and tries again, "Cancun." He says, "for a week. The vacation we always wanted."
"I don’t recall ever wanting that." Seokjin says.
Yoongi hums, "I hate the heat."
"Do it for me?" Jimin pleas.
Yoongi finally looks up from his book and frowns, "are we even invited to the wedding?"
No, is the answer. "Yes." Jimin lies.
"We are not." Seokjin answers instead, "Jimin's mom called me to apologize for not inviting me."
"She called you for that?" Jimin groans, "why would she do that?"
"She is a sweet and honest woman." Seokjin argues, glancing at him with a raised eyebrow, "I'm guessing that’s something she didn’t pass on to you."
"Guys please!" Jimin whines, close to throwing a tantrum.
Yoongi and Seokjin blink at him, "no."
And that’s that.
Except. Except it's not because Jimin knows how to play dirty and Yoongi and Seokjin have been his friends for more than half his life so he figures they can't actually hate him no matter what he does.
Jimin buys the tickets. A group of three deal. He maxes out his credit card right after transferring those remaining eleven dollars from his debit. He calls his mom, tells her Yoongi and Seokjin really, really, really want to come and when that doesn't work he starts listing all the times they were there for him when she wasn’t and well, Jimin does play dirty but guilt is not an option right now.
His mom adds them to the wedding and Jimin uses an old gift card he received on his birthday and the feelings of a girl from his class to buy a wedding gift from a clearance store with employee discount. He does feel horrible about that but he does wait for her shift to end and he does take her out for dinner, so he sleeps that night free of guilt.
When he wakes up to Yoongi's piercing glare, he is too startled to even think of guilt. "You told my boss to give me a week leave!?" Yoongi shouts and Jimin lets him because he definitely deserves that, "are you insane!?"
Jimin doesn’t get the chance to defend himself because Seokjin bolts in with a similar expression on his face. He is dressed for the day and he is holding a bag that usually has breakfast from Jimin's favourite restaurant. Jimin thinks about the idea of food but when he catches sight of the phone in Seokjin's other hand he knows that he wont be getting his pancakes or biscuits any time soon. "Park Jimin! What did you do?" Or ever.
He bought the tickets, he tells them. They don’t have to pay him back, he tells them. He was really desperate, he tells them. "Sorry?"
Yoongi and Seokjin are mad. They say nothing else to Jimin for the rest of the day. The next day Seokjin doesn't pick him up from class like he usually does and Yoongi doesn’t offer him to come over to eat his food and watch a movie.
The day after that and also a day and a half before the flight, Yoongi e-transfers him the money for his ticket. Seokjin gives him the cash later that night when they meet up to do laundry.
They are still angry at him and Jimin deserves that but when the day passes and Seokjin drives them to the airport, Jimin tries to think of a million reasons as to why he did the right thing.
Of course he is full of bullshit and he spends the whole flight wallowing in self pity before the guilt finally hits.
-o-
The wedding has been pushed back. That’s the first thing his mom tells him when they arrive to the hotel. It's been pushed back only a day because her fiancé’s nephew couldn't find an earlier flight. Jimin thinks about throwing a fit but he quickly reasons this is for the better.
He has two days and a half to get Seokjin and Yoongi to forgive him and since his mom managed to upgrade their room to a deluxe suit, their glares have already soften.
It's during dinner time that Yoongi runs his hand through Jimin's hair and Seokjin offers Jimin that last bit of steak on his plate. After that Jimin honestly apologizes and Seokjin finally gives him the lecture he was expecting. Yoongi tells him he knows about what he did to Mina and he has Jimin close to tears with how disappointed he looks. But they forgive him, they say and then they drag him to a bar and proceed to order every drink on the menu.
Jimin wakes up with a stomach ache but still manages to think this is not too bad.
He spends the whole morning with his mom. She is not in charge of anything for the wedding so he has absolutely nothing to do but drag Jimin to the spa. She gushes about her fiancé for most of the time and Jimin is partly disgusted but mostly happy for her. Her eyes sparkle in a way Jimin hasn’t seen since that family vacation they took to Dubai when she forced everyone on a shopping spree.
Actually, Jimin is not quite sure he has ever seen his mom this happy. That really warms his heart. But then his mom does what all moms do and ruins the mood by prying.
"Have you talked to Namjoon?" It's been four months since anyone has mentioned his name around him. Jimin was not expecting this so he goes completely silent. "Have you patched things up?" She carries on, "dear, it's been a long time."
It's been six months. Half a year. Hardly a long time. "Mom." Jimin warns but like always, his mom ignores him.
"I just think it's about time you fix things. I was talking to his mom--"
"You were what!?"
"--and she thinks the same way. In the end you were both being quite silly." She clicks her tongue, "I think this break was necessary but try to talk it over this week, okay?"
Every goddamn pool in the hotel is heated. The ocean is warm. Jimin has to go to his hotel room to run a cold shower to get the fire in his veins to cool off.
He can't fucking believe it.
He had stared at his mother with wide eyes, his mouth open like a gaping fish. He had asked her to repeat herself and when she had, Jimin had nearly lost it.
The anger he feels is unexplainable. The confused state of his mind is disorientating. The dread and pain he feels in his heart is tearing him to pieces. It's been six months and just the thought of seeing Namjoon again is causing him a mental breakdown.
Yoongi finds him laying on his bed in just a bathrobe a few hours later. "Seokjin and I bumped into Jungkook this morning." He says and Jimin thinks of-fucking-course before he realizes what that means and he groans.
"Seokjin?" Jimin asks and Yoongi shrugs.
"He ran away. Jungkook chased after him. You know, the usual."
Jimin hums as he pulls Yoongi down on the bed with him. Yoongi rests his head on Jimin's arm as they both look up at the ceiling. They lay in silence for a bit until Jimin breaks it; "Hoseok is most likely here as well."
"And Namjoon."
Jimin winces, "my mom invited him. Them. I don’t know. But she told me she invited Namjoon and I just--" he cuts himself off to swallow back harsh words, "I just don't understand why he would actually come."
Yoongi turns to face Jimin. His eyes study him before he extends his hand to pat his head, "don’t think about it."
"Hyung," Jimin groans because he can't be serious.
"I'm serious. Thinking about it won't do anything but make you anxious. If you see him then you see him. Deal with it when it happens."
"It's not that easy." Jimin argues, "you are telling me your mind isn’t thinking of a million possible scenarios of an encounter with Hoseok?"
Yoongi closes his eyes and Jimin looks at him sadly. "No," he says and Jimin is about to call bullshit but Yoongi continues; "no because i've already spent the past few months figuring out what I would say to him if I ever saw him again."
"And whats that?"
Jimin doesn’t expect Yoongi to answer. Yoongi has always kept quite about his relationship with Hoseok. In fact, the only thing Jimin knows about those two is that there was a night, there was tears and then there was pieces of broken hearts. He is not even sure relationship is the right term he should be using.
"Forget it." Yoongi finally says and the conversation dies out.
They fall asleep and Jimin regrets it because he wakes up with his bathrobe almost completely off. He has a hard on that is pressed against Yoongi's thigh and Yoongi's saliva is all over his arm.
Jimin groans before he makes his way to the washroom, leaving Yoongi snoring deep in his sleep. When he finally comes out, he spots Seokjin smoking a cigarette out in the balcony.
He is shirtless allowing Jimin to see the hickeys and bruises covering his torso. He doesn't say anything and instead waits for Seokjin to speak first. "This was your stupid idea."
"My stupid idea did not involve this." Jimin remarks eyeing Seokjin's body. Seokjin doesn’t get embarrassed, he is kind of shameless like that.
"Jungkook is still a fucking shit."
Jimin snorts, "shit at fucking, you mean."
Seokjin laughs, "this is going to be one hell of a week."
Jimin hates to agree.
-o-
Yoongi sees Hoseok for the first time in three months when he takes a walk by the beach.
Hoseok is surfing by himself with no lifeguard or person around. He is wearing his swimming trunks and he is using that stupid surfboard he bought himself on his birthday last year. Yoongi sees him fall five times and those five times he nearly loses his hair pulling at it as he waits for Hoseok to emerge from the water.
He is an idiot. He is such a fucking idiot, Yoongi thinks as he takes a seat and stay watching him.
When the sun starts to set, Hoseok finally comes back to the shore and he spots Yoongi instantly. He makes his way to him and Yoongi tries to ignore looking at him even though the view is tempting. Hoseok sticks his surfboard on the sand next to Yoongi and then he sits right next to him, managing to get some water and sand on Yoongi in the process.
Yoongi doesn’t complain because he knows all that will do is start the conversation in a way that Hoseok can take control by joking and dismissing any serious topic. He stays silent instead, watching the sky change to beautiful orange, yellow and purple colours.
Hoseok breathes in next to him and Yoongi closes his eyes to control his thoughts before Hoseok starts speaking. "I didn’t know you would be here."
"Surprise."
"Or Seokjin for that matter. We only expected to run into Jimin." And that angers Yoongi because what were they planning? If Jimin had come to this trip alone he would have easily been overpowered. Hoseok must see what Yoongi is thinking because he is quick to add; "not that there is anything wrong with you guys being here. It's just that... none of us expect this."
"Disappointed?"
"I am a little angry at Seokjin for what he did to Jungkook."
"You clearly haven’t seen Seokjin's back."
Hoseok sighs, "that’s not what I meant."
"Jungkook is a big boy, he can handle himself."
"He is your brother." Hoseok snaps and Yoongi smirks, glad that he managed to get Hoseok to lose it first.
"Seokjin has been more of a brother to me than Jungkook will ever be."
"Yoongi." Hoseok warns and Yoongi hates himself for letting his heart skip a beat at the sound of his name coming from Hoseok's mouth.
"Whatever is happening between those two is none of my business." Yoongi states through clenched teeth.
Hoseok looks away from him, muttering; "typical," and Yoongi shoots him a glare.
"What do you want me to do?"
Hoseok keeps eye contact with him, "Talk to Seokjin! Talk to Jungkook! They are going to destroy each other! You have to fix this. Fix everything. Yoongi, you have no idea how much Jungkook craves for your attention!"
"Do you?" Yoongi asks and Hoseok stutters;
"W-what?"
"Crave for my attention?" Yoongi extends a hand to keep Hoseok's face in place. He doesn't let Hoseok look away but even so Hoseok tries his hardest to avoid Yoongi's eyes. Yoongi doesn't mind, it gives him the chance to examine Hoseok's face, to study the changes from the last time he saw him.
Its been three months and Hoseok's face is fuller and his hair is longer. His skin is clear and his eyes don’t hold those purple bruises he used to always carry. His lips are also not as swollen as Yoongi remembers them but there is still time to fix that.
"Yoongi," Hoseok whispers, finally getting the courage to look him in the eye, "please don't."
Yoongi lets go and turns to face the ocean again, "how's Namjoon?"
"How's Jimin?"
Yoongi sighs, "this isn't going to end well."
"Namjoon wont do anything to upset Jimin." Hoseok offers but Yoongi laughs, shaking his head.
"He already broke his heart, what else is left to upset him?"
"You can't blame this all on Namjoon. Jimin played a part in breaking him too."
Yoongi lets the breeze pass in silence and then he agrees, "they are both idiots."
Hoseok shivers next to him and then hugs his knees tightly to his chest, "we all are."
-o-
The wedding is beautiful. Jimin is almost brought to tears by how happy his mother looks. His brother gives her away and Jimin finally gets to see the man she will spend the rest of her life with and he is happy that he holds his mom with the respect she deserves.
The ceremony is short and the reception is even shorter. The happy couple wants to enjoy the day touring the island and who are the guest to prevent them from getting what they want. Most of the guest stay behind but without the married couple it doesn’t really feel like a wedding reception.
Jimin spends a great amount of time talking to his brother before he spots Namjoon and makes a run for it.
He spent every moment before the wedding in his room, hoping to avoid Namjoon for as long as possible. Seokjin and Yoongi didn’t bother attempting to get him out since they've been in a similar soar mood. But Jimin knows running into his ex was inevitable.
Namjoon catches up to him in the elevator.
They ride in silence and when they reach Jimin's floor they both get off and stand facing each other in silence until the elevator dings, signalling it has left.
"Jimin," Namjoon starts and Jimin wishes his feet would move becausee there is not an inch of his body that’s ready for this encounter.
"Hi." He says and Namjoon smiles at him.
"How have you been?" Terrible. Good. "I-- uhm, congrats, on your mom." Namjoon scratches the back of his neck as he struggles to find the right words, "I know how much her happiness means to you."
Jimin wants to laugh, "she is happy you came."
Namjoon swallows, "I.. I didn’t want to make this hard, I- I just couldn’t say no?"
And Jimin nods because he has had time to think and Jimin cant be mad at his mom for inviting Namjoon. Not when he was calling her mom not even a year ago. "It's fine."
Jimin says, "I'm glad you came."
It's a lie but Namjoon doesn't call him out on it. He never does. "I-" he hesitates, "I want to talk to you."
"We are talking right now." Jimin deadpans and Namjoon offers him a tight smile.
"How does tomorrow sound? After lunch?"
"Namjoon, I don't think--"
"Please."
Jimin feels that word collide with his self control and so he agrees. Namjoon leaves then and Jimin watches him choose to take the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator.
When he finally makes it to his room, Jimin starts thinking about spring.
-o-
Jungkook always finds himself being pushed hard against a wall before he lets all his defences down.
Seokjin never gives him time to talk, think, breathe. Everything is always so intense. But who is Jungkook to demand a change? Who is he to take control? To ask for a second so he can collect his thoughts?
Jungkook lets Seokjin rip his clothes. He lets Seokjin bruise his skin. He lets Seokjin kiss every bit of skin he wants. Jungkook cries out when Seokjin intends him to. Jungkook moans when Seokjin gives him what his body craves. Jungkook whimpers when he hears Seokjin whisper those deadly words to him.
Seokjin thrusts quick and hard when Jungkook gets mouthy and when Jungkook cries out words of endearment Seokjin holds him close and stares right into his eyes before he kisses those sweet nothings away.
Jungkook can't let him go after that. He holds on tightly to Seokjin's waist and places his head between his neck and shoulder when they fall into his bed together. Jungkook breathes in the smell of Seokjin's skin as he lets him run a finger down his spine.
"I missed you." Jungkook says because it's true.
"Don’t." Seokjin orders but Jungkook holds him tighter as he leaves open kisses all over his neck. "Jungkook." Seokjin's voice is pained but that doesn't stop him.
"God, I missed you." He says again and Seokjin feels their hearts beating so close to each other and completely in sync.
Seokjin rolls them over with ease. He pushes Jungkook's hair from his face before he is reaching for his leg to push it aside.
Seokjin takes him again. This time every thrust is slower, every kiss is rougher. Tears threaten to spill from both their eyes as silence fills the room. They don’t say anything, their actions speaking louder than any words.
When Jungkook comes, Seokjin's name is a soft whisper from his lips.
-o-
The fall of Jimin and Namjoon's relationship began five months before they officially broke up.
It boils down to a misunderstanding, they all know that. Namjoon hadn’t cheated on Jimin. That boy was nothing but a stranger, a friend of a friend. He had been desperate and upset. He found Namjoon's room in the darkness of his high.
When Jimin had found them asleep together, fully clothed and many inches apart, the thought of Namjoon being a cheater had never crossed his mind.
Except.
Namjoon had been so angry. He had screamed at the boy, he had fought with his friend and Jimin had watched stunned and confused but he let it go, deciding that there was no need for him to understand.
But then the boy came back and Namjoon grew distant and Jimin just couldn’t understand.
Jungkook and Seokjin's friendship broke apart then because Jungkook knew that boy, he called him friend and then he called him lover. Namjoon accepted that relationship, regardless of the problems that boy's presence caused and Seokjin resented him forcing his friendship with Jimin to strain.
That’s when Yoongi's indifference for his younger brother grew to hate.
Namjoon and Jimin fought the hardest when Jimin began refusing to spend time with that boy. He just couldn’t understand where he came from, what he wanted, what he meant to any of them. And Namjoon—Namjoon cared for him, Jimin soon realized and so the jealousy began.
When Hoseok came back from studying abroad, he was a mystery. Him and Jungkook fought a lot. Sometimes the fights got physical and then Jungkook finally broke and Seokjin pieced him back together in the darkness of his room.
It was dirty, it was rough, it was a mistake.
Jungkook became the cheater and so the relationship with the boy came to an end. Namjoon and Jungkook stayed friends and Jimin comforted Seokjin while Seokjin allowed Jimin to vent whenever Namjoon wouldn’t talk, wouldn’t apologize, wouldn’t even try.
Little things kept adding up and suddenly Jimin and Namjoon couldn’t be in a room together without wanting to fight. Problems kept adding up and no solutions were ever found. Seokjin and Jungkook grew toxic to one another and the pressure of keeping friendships kept pushing Namjoon and Jimin apart.
Yoongi and Hoseok were the last straw.
And so Jimin ended things. Jungkook and Yoongi fought while Seokjin packed his things and disappeared. Hoseok stayed in the shadows, not once reaching for a helping hand.
Months passed.
They moved on.
Jimin didn’t see Namjoon. Jimin didn’t see Jungkook. Jimin didn’t see Hoseok and so the spring ends and the summer starts and everything changes.
Yet.
He is in Cancun now, on an early morning watching the people gather in the banquet hall to have breakfast, and Jimin sees him. The one that started this mess.
Kim Taehyung.
-o-
When Taehyung and Hoseok met, they were young and foolish and so broken. Their families had always been scum in their eyes, the term love seemed like garbage when anyone would mention their parents. They had some of the brightest smiles but deep inside, what connected the two, was pain.
Hoseok was abandoned and Taehyung was abused.
It made sense that they would reach for each other for comfort. When they first fell in bed together the word love was never mentioned yet when they broke apart, Taehyung was the first to claim having those feelings.
Hoseok accepted his love but life had other plans and he left, leaving Taehyung a name and phone number for a time of need.
Taehyung calls Namjoon the first time the police catch him.
Namjoon is brutally honest with his harsh words but Taehyung accepts them. He accepts his friendship, he accepts his help. But then Taehyung turned Seventeen and a week later his father beat his younger brother so hard he was hospitalized for three weeks. Once his brother was no longer in danger, Taehyung ran and ran and ran and he couldn’t stop running.
Namjoon didn’t see him for five years.
Then he returned.
-o-
When Yoongi and Hoseok had their first kiss, Yoongi was the one to push Hoseok away and claim it was a mistake before attempting to run away.
Hoseok grabs onto him, keeping him in place. "You fucking kissed me!" Hoseok explodes, his face red as he corners Yoongi against the door of his apartment, "and now you want to call this a mistake?"
Yoongi doesn’t back down but he hesitates with his next few words. "What are you and Jungkook?" He asks and Hoseok frowns;
"What?" He asks, the confusion evident in his tone.
"Whats your relationship with my brother?" Yoongi spits out the word brother but Hoseok ignores that. Instead he stares at Yoongi completely shocked as he tries to process what Yoongi is hinting at.
"What?" He says again and Yoongi sees red.
"You come back from Sweeden, you fucking go straight to see him for a week and then when I finally see you, you are sporting a black eye because you fought with him?" Yoongi explains and Hoseok can't figure out why any of that could possibly make Yoongi assume him and Jungkook have some sort of relationship. "You keep fighting with him. You keep seeing him. What the fuck is going on?"
Why do you care, Hoseok wants to ask but he knows that will only cause Yoongi to anger and push him away. He swallows back any nasty remark and then in a gentle tone he says; "I'm not interested in your brother, Yoongi."
"That’s not what I asked--"
"It's complicated." Hoseok adds, "we are friends but right now its complicated." Yoongi stays silent and Hoseok can tell he is not happy with that answer but that’s all he can offer. He leans in closer then, and Yoongi's eyes widen. "Yoongi, did you mean what you said?" Hoseok asks before glancing at his lips, Yoongi bites them. "Was it a mistake?"
No. Yoongi thinks. Hoseok doesn’t wait for a reply. He kisses him with force, immediately wrapping his arms around Yoongi's waist and Yoongi accepts the kiss and lets his hands hold Hoseok's face as close to him as possible.
They kiss for what seems hours and they make the mistake of not talking afterwards.
-o-
"He is the nephew of your mom's husband." Namjoon explains when he catches Jimin staring at Taehyun from their spot in the garden. "He was invited before any of us."
Jimin's jaw is clenched, "why do I have to keep seeing him everywhere? Why is he always around?"
"Taehyung is not...” Namjoon trails off when Jimin shoots him a glare, "Jimin," Namjoon sighs, "you don’t even know him."
"I don’t need to know him." Jimin hisses, "I know enough of what he has done."
"You know nothing." Namjoon responds and Jimin stands up and leaves because this is oh so typical. Namjoon is always on his side. He is always defending him. Nothing has changed. "Jimin!" Namjoon calls out, chasing after him.
Jimin tries to ignore him but Namjoon once again catches up to him, "just leave me alone!" Jimin shouts but Namjoon grabs on to his arm, forcing him to stop and face him.
"We need to talk." Namjoon tries and Jimin scowls.
"About what?" Jimin shouts, "we have nothing to talk about! You and me are done. We have been for the past six months. You never tried to talk to me then, so why now?"
"I didn’t want to talk to you then." Namjoon admits and Jimin's heart hurts, "I needed time to think. We both did."
"Just let it go." Jimin pleas, "it's done, we are done, there is nothing to talk about."
"Jimin--" Namjoon starts but is interrupted with the appearance of the boy Jimin hates the most In the world.
"Hyung," Kim Taehyung calls out and both Jimin and Namjoon freeze, both for different reasons.
"Tae," Namjoon says, reaching to touch the boys forehead as he is clearly burning up.
Jimin ignores the stupid nickname in favour of taking a good look at Taehyung.
His pupils are huge. That’s the most noticeable thing apart from his messy clothes and the sweat covering his entire body. The shake in his hand becomes apparent when he tries to push Namjoon's hand away and suddenly, suddenly the Kim Taehyung standing in front of Jimin is not a Kim Taehyung he has ever seen.
"Where is Hoseok?" Namjoon asks and Taehyung struggles to answer. "Jungkook?"
"With that handsome guy." Taehyung finally manages to say. Seokjin, Jimin thinks.
"We need to get you to your room." Namjoon says but Taehyung is no longer paying attention to him. His eyes are now on Jimin and Jimin feels at a loss.
Jimin has only ever truly interacted with Taehyung four or five times. Each time Jimin had been angry except for the first time when he had simply been confused and concerned.
Taehyun, in Jimin's eyes, was nothing but a spoiled delinquent with an attitude problem. He always talked back. He was always rude. He never apologized or said thank you. And he most definitely never offered Jimin anything but a scowl.
Yet now, Taehyung is looking at him with tired eyes, his lips in a thin line but he looks closer to a smile than a scowl. "Jimin," he mumbles and then a little louder, "Jiminie hyung."
Jimin stills and Namjoon curses.
That’s when Hoseok comes running towards them. "Taehyung!" Hoseok shouts before he is grabbing onto Taehyung's face, examining every inch of his body, "are you okay?" He asks as he gently massages Taehyung's neck. "What happened?"
The last question is directed to Namjoon who instantly replies; "I don’t know! He wanted to walk around and take pictures of the resort! I told him I needed to talk to Jimin but that it would only take a few minutes, next thing I know he is just...” Namjoon trails off, gesturing at Taehyung state with his hands, "I don't know."
"Hoseok hyung," Taehyung calls out to him and Jimin is taken a back at how broken he sounds and at how Hoseok turns to look at him with eyes that are filled with something Jimin could only describe as love. "It hurts," he says and Jimin doesn’t know what hurts but he believes the pain in his tone.
"Lets go." Hoseok says placing one of Taehyung's arms over his shoulder. Namjoon is quick to take the other one and soon enough the three of them are walking away, leaving Jimin behind.
Namjoon turns to look at him before the elevator doors close. He mouths a "sorry" and "later." Jimin takes one last look at Taehyung and doesn't have the heart to be mad at Namjoon.
He is just confused.
-o-
"Why did you do it?" Taehyung asks Jungkook as they sit together at a bench in their favourite park.
Jungkook wont stop crying. "Taehyung, I didn't mean to. I never wanted to hurt you. It was a mistake. I wasn't thinking! Seokjin was just--" he cuts himself off as his throat starts to clog.
Taehyung looks at him sadly, "I know why you cheated." He says and Jungkook opens his mouth to defend himself but Taehyung continues before he can let a word out, "what I want to know is why you lied to yourself about your feelings."
Jungkook is left speechless and so Taehyung continues.
"You never loved me. I am your friend and that’s how you always saw me. I saw a little more in you, but," Taehyung rubs at his eyes, "but your heart already belonged to someone else."
"That's not--"
"No matter how much you say you hate him. Or how much he claims to not want you, it's so obvious." Taehyung concludes, "you guys are meant to be."
"Tae--"
"Don’t give up, okay?"
-o-
Yoongi made the mistake of allowing Seokjin to use him for comfort.
Seokjin had been drunk out of his mind and so confused, so hurt, so pained that Yoongi had stripped like he had ordered and Seokjin had taken how much he wanted.
It meant nothing because Seokjin and Yoongi had never seen each other as anything but friends. Yet it meant everything because Yoongi had also used Seokjin to get back at a brother he had resented since birth.
Everyone found out. Of course everyone found out.
Yoongi doesn’t know what happened between Seokjin and Jungkook after that, he doesn’t really care if neither of them want to tell him anything. Seokjin doesn’t hate him, Jungkook feels the same towards him as always.
What changes is his relationship with Hoseok.
Hoseok had come to his apartment. Angry and in tears and Yoongi had been so stupid to play the defensive game. "We are not even dating!" He had shouted at one point, which is true. They never agreed to date. Yoongi had poured all his love that night he had kissed Hoseok but he had never asked him for anything.
Neither had Hoseok but—
"I thought it was clear." Hoseok had whispered, "I thought my feelings and my intentions for you were clear."
They were. Yoongi should have said and then he should have apologized and then he should have begged for Hoseok to take him back.
I love you. He should have said. Please stay, he should have begged.
Instead Yoongi had said "I guess they weren't." And Hoseok had walked out of the apartment without another word.
Yoongi did not deserve him anyways.
-o-
Jimin doesn’t see Namjoon, or Hoseok, or Jungkook, or Taehyung for the rest of the week. The resort is big enough and Jimin assumes staying in his room for the most part helps. He regrets the fact that every penny he had was spent on this trip but Jimin tries to think about his mother's happiness and decides that it was worth it.
Seokjin spends most of his time with Jungkook and neither Jimin or Yoongi have the heart to do anything about it. They know what their doing, its obvious in the destructive nature of their relationship.
Whatever they have going on wont last past this trip.
Yoongi and Seokjin fight over it one night but at the end Seokjin wins the argument because Yoongi has never cared about his brother so why is he starting now? And if Yoongi truly cared about Seokjin he would let him do what makes him happy.
Yoongi is angry for most of the last few days of the week and it's in the very last day that he encounters Hoseok once again but this time they don’t say anything to each other. Hoseok is too preoccupied in keeping Taehyung in his arms to bother starting a conversation.
I deserve this. Yoongi tells himself yet he can't help the pain and anger he feels.
Namjoon sees Jimin before the boy leaves the resort. He watches him from afar. His tanned skin, his soft hair, his tight smile.
Namjoon forces himself to stay put though his body Is literally shaking with the desire to run up to him. Jimin clearly didn’t want to speak to him, so Namjoon should be understanding and leave him alone.
What does he have to lose anyways?
He already lost it all on a spring day.