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Out of everything that had gone wrong in his life, Jimin never thought that things would lead him here of all places.
Here is snuggled between two other bodies, Jimin's heart yearning to reach out, to touch, even though he really shouldn't.
Here is pressed back against Taehyung's chest, curled on his side and facing a still sleeping Hoseok, who really does smile in his sleep.
Here is being in the middle of (literally) an honest to god couple , these people who have been together for so long that their names don't sound right if they're not mushed together.
HoseokandTaehyung .
TaehyungandHoseok.
There's no HoseokandJimin or TaehyungandJimin, no matter how much Jimin wishes there was. There hasn't been Jiminand anyone since he last dated Yoongi, so it's been a while.
It's not like Jimin hasn't tried , is the thing. He's tried, he's tried really hard, but it seems like everyone that he tries to get with already has someone or just plain isn't interested.
Take Taehyung, for example.
- Six months prior-
Jimin had met Taehyung on an ordinary day, back when Jimin's hair had been Robin's egg blue, a few weeks into when he stopped going by The Last Epiphany . To put it bluntly, Jimin had been sweaty and miserable, he'd just started cleaning up the mess left by his group of rambunctious five year olds when the doors opened and someone was escorted inside.
It had been nearly a year since Jimin had last seen the older Mrs. Kim, since her grandchildren had graduated out of Jimin's teaching and had headed off to some school in Gangnam's district. Seeing her now makes Jimin smile, no matter how sweaty and irritable he feels. He quickly wraps up the last ribbon, drops it in the prop box, and walks over to her, dipping his head.
“It's so good to see you again, Mrs. Kim.” Jimin admits, trying to keep himself professional. The smile on his face feels much more real now that she's glaring at him with little to no heat behind it.
“She lets you get away with calling her that?” A low amused voice questions, startling Jimin enough that he jumps, clasping a hand over his much too quickly beating heart.
There's a man that Jimin hadn't noticed before, though he isn't sure how he hadn't noticed him, because the man practically commands attention. He's tall, taller than Jimin by a few inches it seems like, wearing a leather jacket and a scoop neck shirt underneath that shows off prominent collarbones and a subtle hint of tattoos. All that put together would usually make Jimin a little intimidated, but the guy is smiling, boxy and happy, and Jimin feels himself relax and smile back. It helps that the guy is also beautiful.
“No I do not let him get away with calling me that.” Mrs. Kim lifts her nose and sniffs the air disdainfully, looking both amused and disappointed at Jimin. “Park Jimin, what did I say about using my real name? What did I say to call me?”
“Sorry, Halmeoni.” Jimin finally pulls his eyes away from the guy and looks over at Mrs. Kim with a grin. “What brings you by today?”
“This does.” Mrs. Kim grunts, tugging the man's arm and practically shoving him into Jimin. “This is Kim Taehyung, he needs a job. You still have that opening for help with your classes, right? Taehyung-ah loves kids, Jimin-ah. He'll work hard.”
“ Halmeoni .” Taehyung groans, taking a small step away from Jimin so they weren't standing so close together. “Why are you trying to pimp me out like this?”
“Honey, you need a job, Hoseok-ah can only do so much.” Mrs. Kim mumbles. Jimin doesn't think he was supposed to hear, not with the way Taehyung looks crestfallen and so utterly sad. Neither of them speak again, and Jimin feels like he's going to crawl out of his skin with how tense everything is and how badly he wants to help.
“How about a deal?” Jimin finds himself asking, causing the both of them to stare at him confusedly. “What if I let Taehyung-ssi shadow me for the afternoon and we can discuss more together after class.”
Taehyung's mouth drops open, his eyes widen and he can't seem to stop gaping at Jimin in disbelief. Mrs. Kim however, looks much too pleased with herself.
“Well, I think that sounds like a wonderful idea, don't you , Taehyung-ah?” Mrs. Kim doesn't even try to hold back her smirk while Taehyung continues staring at Jimin, though he does offer a nod.
Mrs. Kim heads off to the front office to fill out information for Taehyung just in case everything goes well, and Jimin fills Taehyung in about his students, how he runs his classes, and what Taehyung could do to help. It seems like no time at all passes for the kids to start arriving, and Jimin immediately sees what Mrs. Kim meant by Taehyung being good with children.
He's hands on, good at avoiding or aiding a child during a tantrum when they fall or can't remember a dance move, and he never stops smiling. It's like seeing Taehyung in action makes Jimin feel more energized, and by the time the class is over, even some of the parents who stuck around to watch commended Taehyung on his problem solving skills and abilities to make the kids feel at home.
The minute the last student has left, Taehyung sighs happily and starts walking around the room, picking up tambourines, feather boas, anything he comes across. Jimin watches him clean and hum, while he wipes down the dance mats so he doesn't have to do it twice tomorrow morning.
“How'd you like it?” Jimin calls from across the room, unable to stop his own grin when Taehyung sends a smile his way. He's in so much trouble.
“God, Jimin-ssi. I never want to leave.” Taehyung sighs dreamily, heading over to the small sink in the corner to wash his hands. “The kids were wonderful, I had so much fun.”
Jimin has to make a decision. Jimin had made a decision from the first time he saw Taehyung pick up little Beomgyu and walk him through a dance move.
“So you're going to come back tomorrow then, right?” Jimin teases, jumping from the sound of clattering behind him. When he turns, Taehyung is walking towards him, unusually serious.
“You actually want to hire me?” Taehyung looks like he doesn't believe it, gestures to himself and then gestures at Jimin, who is basically dressed at Taehyung's polar opposite in soft black leggings and a long green sweater that falls mid thigh.
“You actually want to work here?” Jimin shoots right back, quirking an eyebrow and smirking when Taehyung seems a little caught off guard. “Look, I'm not going to make you work here or anything. You were really good with the kids, and you're not half bad at dancing, yourself. I'd like to have you here if you want to be here.”
Taehyung grinned, reaching a hand out for Jimin to shake. “I would love to work here with you.”
It was the beginning of the end.
Taehyung was there every single day besides weekends when they were only open for six hours in the morning on Saturdays, and Jimin started to feel something while being around him.
They went to lunch nearly every day, grabbed coffees together, and slowly the hole of leaving Seokjin and Yoongi to try and repair their dying shop was filled with boxy smiles, too sweet coffees, and inside jokes. He was happy to be with Taehyung.
Then Jimin met Hoseok.
He'd seen him around sometimes, Hoseok would often pick Taehyung up a few nights a week so they could go back to their apartment together, but he didn't really meet him until about a month after Taehyung started working there.
Taehyung had been busy, was up on the second floor helping another instructor who had been left on her own with fifteen five year olds when Hoseok stopped by at lunchtime, peeking his head into Jimin's room and frowning.
“Are you looking for Taehyung-ah?” Jimin called from the corner, where he'd collapsed into a child's sized beanbag chair and couldn't be bothered to get out. “I'm sorry, Hoseok-ssi. Taehyung-ah is busy upstairs helping Hyuna-Noona with fifteen kids.”
“ Fifteen.” Hoseok shudders, and Jimin agrees with him from his little corner of the room. It takes a second for Hoseok to step fully into the room, but he heads immediately for Jimin when he does. “Jimin, right? This is going to sound weird, but Taehyung-ah talks about you so much that I feel like you should just skip the politeness and just call me Hyung.”
“Taehyung-ah talks about you so much that I feel like I should call you Hyung.” Jimin teases, laughing when Hoseok does. He wriggles for a moment, and sighs when his muscles ache when he tries to get out of the chair. He's been pushing himself lately, trying too hard to stay on top of everything.
“Are you- are you stuck in that chair?” Hoseok asks, shaking his head in disbelief. Jimin nods, relaxing back against the chair like he had been earlier. If he was stuck then he didn't need to move. Besides, he was mostly comfortable.
“Yeah, this is my life now.” Jimin closes his eyes for a second and lets himself go limp. A choked laugh from Hoseok has him opening his eyes again, and he jolts a little when he finds Hoseok's hand is right in front of him.
“I'll help you up, Jimin-ah. No one should be stuck in a beanbag chair.” Hoseok's still laughing when Jimin grabs his hand and is hauled to his feet. “There, much better.”
“Thanks, Hyung.” Jimin laughs, kicks the beanbag chair back under the desk and starts heading for the door. “Want me to let Taehyung-ah know you're here?”
“Nah, I have the rest of the day off and wanted to surprise him for lunch is all.” Hoseok shrugs and his smile falls a little, and it's then that Jimin notices just how tired Hoseok looks.
“What a coincidence.” Jimin chirps, making his way to the schedule on the wall. He crosses off Taehyung's name for his afternoon schedule, immensely regretting his decision, but it's already done. “It looks like Taehyung is going to have the afternoon off after this. You guys should be able to hang out.”
“Wait, Jimin-ah, are you sure?” Hoseok looks so concerned that it's stupidly endearing, and Jimin feels something familiar in his chest tighten.
He already has a huge crush on Taehyung, he doesn't need to have one on his roommate too.
“It'll be hard, I'm honestly used to having Taehyung-ah around now, and he's a massive help.” Jimin likes being honest, but still finds himself shrugging. “But he's going to be exhausted once he's done upstairs, and I don't want to push more kids onto him after he wasn't scheduled to be upstairs in the first place.”
“That's really kind of you.” Hoseok murmurs, looking at Jimin like he's trying to figure him out. Jimin looks right back, notices a similar looking leather jacket to Taehyung's and a little moon tattoo behind one of Hoseok's ears when he looks away. Jimin wonders how long it's been since someone was actually kind to them.
From what Taehyung said, it has been a long time.
“He's a really good person, he makes it easy it be kind.” Jimin shrugs, grabbing equipment to get ready for his class, setting them out at different points of the room. Hoseok offers his help, and they end up talking the entire hour until Taehyung walks through the door looking wearily happy until he catches sight of Hoseok.
“Hyung!” Taehyung lights up like he's just been re energized, zooms across the room and slams into Hoseok, wrapping his arms around him. Jimin is just about to tell then that they seem like really good friends when Hoseok cups Taehyung's face gently and presses their lips together.
Jimin's vision wobbles for a minute, he blinks slowly, and figures that they must have forgotten that he was standing right there considering Hoseok presses more kisses against Taehyung. It makes sense now that he thinks about it, how Taehyung talked about Hoseok more than his other friends, how he literally told Jimin that they've been together for nearly three years.
God, three years and here he's been, buying Taehyung coffee and wishing they'd been dates, how awful of a person does that make him? Especially since he'd just spent the last hour low-key flirting with Hoseok.
“Oh my god.” Jimin whispers, disappointed in himself, hiding his face in his hands. The soft kissing noises have stopped, the room is silent until-
“Jiminie?”
Jimin lifts his head and meets the eyes of a very red faced Taehyung and Hoseok. He blinks at them a few times, clearing his throat and offering a small smile. “Yeah, Taehyungie?”
“Do you hate me now?”
The question catches Jimin off guard, makes his skin prickle uncomfortably and his blood boil before he realizes that he never told Taehyung that he's dated guys before.He heads for the two of them, still wrapped up in each other and grins as widely as he can.
“Do you remember me telling you about my Hyung, Yoongi?” Jimin asks Taehyung, waiting until he nods to continue speaking. “We dated for two years, Taehyung-ah. This won't ever bother me.”
The two of them sag with blatant relief, and it's the first, but far from the last, time that Jimin is pulled into a hug between the two of them.
Things change, after that.
Once Taehyung and Hoseok know that Jimin isn't only okay with them being together but that he's like them , they starts hanging out as a group. They introduce Jimin to Jungkook and Namjoon, and soon they're all piled together in Namjoon's apartment when they all have days off. It doesn't help Jimin's crush on Taehyung, or the one he has on Hoseok, but it's not like he’ll act on it.
The day that Jungkook knocks over Seokjin's cookies and comes home in tears, it's Jimin that tells Namjoon about the Friday peanut butter oatmeal cookies tradition. Jimin watches them bake, and when Jungkook comes back talking about the shorter baker and how pretty and nice he is, Jimin smiles.
- Now-
It all lead to where Jimin is now, stuck between a rock and a hard place, between Taehyung and Hoseok. He doesn't know what to do, doesn't know how to get over these stupid crushes he has, but he has to try. That's all there is to it.
--
This was without a doubt, the worst idea that Jimin has had in a long time, and he has a lot of bad ideas.
He'd decided to go on a date to try and get rid of all these stupid feelings he has for his very taken friends, and at first the guy he went out with had been great. Jiho was wonderful, funny, attractive, except for one major issue. He would act sweet with Jimin when they were alone, but whenever someone walked by, he'd fall back on calling Jimin “Bro” and “My Dude” and it eventually stopped feeling like a date and more like a hassle.
Jiho had tried to kiss him at the end of it, but Jimin politely told him that they weren't a good fit, and Jiho had left with little fuss.
It was still kind of sad that Jimin's first date since Yoongi went up in smoke. It's that reason alone that has him heading for Hoseok and Taehyung's apartment instead of going back to his single room a few streets away. He knocks on the door and gets tugged inside excitedly, the two of them practically demanding that Jimin tell him about his date, so he does.
By the end of it, he's the middle bit of a Taehyung/Jimin/Hoseok sandwich, and he can't find it in himself to complain. This is what he wants, to feel as safe in someone's arms as he does right now, to know that he can be himself and not have to worry about putting up walls. Is it so much to ask that he wants to feel as loved as he does wrapped up in Taehyung and Hoseok? Why shouldn't Jimin deserve the kind of love that they have?
He doesn't realize that he's started to cry until Hoseok shushes him and pulls tissues out of nowhere and wipes off Jimin's face. Taehyung's arms are strong, wrapped around Jimin's slender waist, and they talk softly to him while he cries, until he exhausts himself and falls asleep.
--
Jimin wakes up with his back pressed against Hoseok's chest, Hoseok's legs caging him in. Hoseok is leaner than Taehyung, it's easy for him to tell who's arms he's in without opening his eyes. Jimin hums quietly, snuggles back into Hoseok and smiles when Hoseok's arms tighten around him before he relaxes again. It takes a few more minutes for Jimin to pull himself away, to distance himself and open his eyes.
Taehyung is there, an oddly serious look on his face that Jimin hasn't ever seen before. Jimin knows that he's blushing, knows that Taehyung was probably awake to see Jimin press back against Hoseok, and he's suddenly mortified.
“Jimin.” Taehyung murmurs softly, so he doesn't wake his boyfriend. “I think we need to talk.”
Jimin just kind of freezes for a second before shaking his head, his heart threatening to beat right out of his chest. “I don't think that we do, actually.”
“Jimin-ah,” Taehyung behind, sounding exasperated and borderline frustrated, “I can't just ignore this anymore.”
This is it. This is everything that Jimin has been trying to avoid, and it's all because he was stupid enough to come here last night in the first place. There's a lump in his throat and pressure in his eyes when Jimin pries himself out of Hoseok's arms and away from Taehyung. He doesn't speak when Hoseok startles awake and asks Taehyung what the hell is happening when he spots Jimin grabbing his things and heading for the door.
“Jimin, don't leave.” Hoseok pleads, confusion and worry clear on his face. “Whatever happened, we can just talk about it, I promise.”
“I'm sorry.” It's all Jimin can think of to say, and it's underwhelming for them all. He doesn't stop from heading to the door, doesn't stop himself from leaving. Jimin's so tempted to go upstairs and talk to Yoongi about everything, but he can't stand being in this building for another second. Jimin heads home to the silence, the isolation his apartment offers. He sinks into his bed and tries not to think about the fact that he just ruined everything.
--
They don't talk for days , which might not seem like much, but since Jimin's been spending every waking hour with Taehyung and Hoseok, it means a hell of a lot. He's lonely, guilty, and come Monday morning, he ends up calling out of work.
It's irresponsible, but he must sound as bad as he feels because Hyuna doesn't even give him any shit for it like she usually does. As he hangs up with her, there's a knock on his door that makes Jimin tense up, but he peers through the eyehole anyways. It's Yoongi, for whatever reason, but Jimin is just so relieved to see him.
“Hyung,” Jimin breathes, pulling the door open with the smallest of smiles. “How did you know I'd need you today?”
“I didn't.” Yoongi grumbles, pushing past Jimin into the apartment without asking. He pushes his own phone into Jimin's hands, raises a brow and looks severely disappointed. “Do you mind telling me what that's all about?”
There's a text on Yoongi's phone from Taehyung that reads simply: How do I get Jimin to stop ignoring me?
“Oh.” Jimin's stomach drops, the guilt setting in even worse than it had been before. “I didn't want to drag you into this, Hyung.”
“What exactly is this, Jimin-ah?” Yoongi puts his hands in his pockets, hunches his shoulders and frowns at Jimin. “I thought you guys were getting close.”
Yoongi had been to the apartment a few times when Jimin had already been hanging out with Taehyung and Hoseok. Yoongi never said anything, had just looked at Jimin a certain way the first time he saw them all smushed together on the couch.
“Yeah, well I let myself get too close to them, Hyung. You know what happens then.” Jimin doesn't mean to sound bitter, but the realization settles into Yoongi's face before he nods.
“So, you have a crush on Taehyung and what, you decided ignoring him was the best course of action?”
“Yes and no.” Jimin shrugs, heading into the kitchen to get himself and Yoongi some drinks. “It's not just a crush on Taehyung.”
“What, you mean that you fell in love with him?” Yoongi asks incredulously, his eyes wide. “Jiminie, they're going to celebrate three years of being together next week.”
“No, Hyung. It's not just a crush on Taehyung.” Jimin reiterates, shaking his head while his cheeks flush red. “It's also a crush on Hoseok. ”
For a minute, the kitchen is full of silence while Yoongi figures out what to say and Jimin places drinks in front of him. Yoongi keeps opening and shutting his mouth like he wants to say something, his frustration evident on his face before he finally makes himself talk.
“You fucking moron.” Yoongi grits out, grabbing the glass of juice and guzzling it down. He looks manic almost, eyes dark and wide.
“Wow, don't hold back Hyung, Jesus.” Jimin hisses back at him, wrapping his hand tighter around his glass. “Not like I'm already hating myself for this or anything.”
“No, that right there is why you're a goddamn idiot.” Yoongi reaches over, jabbing Jimin in the shoulder. “You're sitting here moping and avoiding your two best friends- don't give me that look, you know they're your best friends- because you think, what? That they'll throw you to the side if they found out you caught feelings? Don't you trust them at all?”
“I trust them with my life , Yoongi.” Jimin growls, narrowing his eyes at his Hyung who glares right back at him. “I trust them with everything.”
“Everything except your heart, apparently.” It hits exactly as Yoongi planned it to, below the belt and a direct kill. Yoongi must see something break on Jimin's face because he takes a deep breath and calms himself down before talking again. “Jiminie, they love you. I don't know if they're in love with you, but they love you. Doesn't that mean something?”
“It means everythin g, that's why I'm so scared.” Jimin admits, his voice cracking. Yoongi stands, pulls Jimin into a tight hug and pets through his hair. “I don't know what to do.”
“Stop torturing yourself and text them back, they're freaking out. You've got to be honest, isn't that your whole thing?” Yoongi teases softly, squeezing Jimin as tight as he can.
“Being an adult sucks .” Jimin laughs, ignoring the way his face is wet when he pulls back from Yoongi, grinning. “I want a refund.”
“Don't we all, Jiminie. Don't we all.”
--
The next day, Jimin goes to work, fully prepared to talk to Taehyung and apologize for running and explain why he did. What he's not prepared for is a red eyed Taehyung to practically corner him the minute Jimin gets into his room. Jimin squeaks, backs up into the wall and watches Taehyung come closer.
“Please don't ignore us anymore,” Taehyung begs, his eyes wide and sad. He doesn't touch Jimin, just takes a few steps closer once Jimin presses himself against the wall. “I can't take it anymore, please stop.”
Jimin blinks, opens his mouth to try and explain why he hasn't been talking to them, but finds himself blinking back tears. Taehyung looks sad , like he hasn't been sleeping well, and Jimin knows it's his fault.
“Sorry, Taehyung-ah I'm so sorry.” He whispers, watching while the tension bleeds out of Taehyung. He approaches Jimin slowly, until they're close enough to touch and then he lunges, pulling Jimin flush against himself and holding on as tightly as possible. Jimin has no other choice but to hold onto Taehyung just as hard.
“I hated not being able to talk to you. Hobi-Hyung and I hated that you ran away from us, why did you run?” Taehyung pulls himself back from clinging to Jimin, and he looks as confused as he sounds.
“Can we not talk about this at work?” Jimin pleads, his eyes wide and slightly panicked. He's still not sure how he's going to explain why he left to Taehyung, or why he pressed back into Hoseok. “I'll talk with you about it after, but not right now.”
Taehyung frowns, but nods his agreement anyways, moving back from Jimin to set up the room while Jimin takes a few steadying breaths in the corner.
Things even out a little when the kids arrive and continue to do so as the day passes. Come lunchtime, it's like they never had a disagreement at all. Taehyung's jokes still have Jimin bending over and cackling loudly, and when Hoseok drops in and sees them smiling and leaning against each other, Jimin pulls him into a hug and apologizes to him too. They makes plans for after work since Taehyung and Jimin both have the next day off, and Hoseok makes a quick phone call before telling them that he'll have the day off too.
It feels a little like a date, Jimin thinks, a date with Taehyung and with Hoseok. Together. He wonders why he hasn't thought of that before. It had always been a mental choice of one or the other, even though he had feelings for both of them. What if that's the answer to his problem?
--
Jimin is nervous walking into Taehyung and Hoseok’s apartment building. It's weird, he's got a bag of clothes slung over his shoulder, his pillow under his arm, and he feels a little bit like a child again, getting ready for a sleepover. They'd asked Jimin to bring this stuff though, but told him that they already had a toothbrush for him so he didn't need to bring one himself.
He pauses outside of their door, takes a deep breath and knocks, pushing it open when Hoseok yells to just let himself in since he knows the code for the lock anyways. It's easy to kick his shoes off inside, to make his way to the living room and grin down at Taehyung with Hoseok curled up in his lap. Jimin pats Taehyung's head, pokes Hoseok's cheek and heads off to their guest room to put his stuff down.
“Jiminie, what are you doing?” Hoseok calls, brows furrowed with confusion. He keeps looking at the guest room door and back at Jimin, shaking his head a little. “You can just put your stuff in our room.”
Jimin pauses with his hand on the handle of the guest room, his heartbeat starting to beat faster. That's a weird request, isn't it? “You want me to stay in your room with you guys?”
“Minnie, you always stay in our room with us when you sleep here.” Taehyung rolls his eyes fondly, leaning down to press a kiss to Hoseok's forehead. “Nothing's changed.”
Not yet , Jimin thinks, biting hard on his bottom lip to keep himself from saying it out loud. Nothing's changed yet.
“Okay.” He says instead, turning around and heading across the hall, pushing the door open and setting his clothes on top of Taehyung's bureau. Jimin tosses his pillow on the bed in between the other two pillows already there. It's like they saved a spot for him, placed him right in the middle of them. It still doesn't make any sense.
Jimin takes a second to breathe, inhaling deeply and holding it for a few minutes before exhaling just as slow. Once he feels a little less shaken, he grabs his clothes bag and pulls on the huge shirt and sweats he brought for comfort clothes and heads back to the living room.
“So that's where my shirt went.” Taehyung chuckles softly, patting the other side of him on the couch for Jimin to sit down. He does, with his face on fire from embarrassment.
“And my sweatpants.” Hoseok snickers, leaning over and squeezing Jimin's thigh gently. “You can keep them, Jiminie. They look better on you anyways.”
“Doubt it.” Jimin mumbles mostly to himself, but Taehyung clearly hears if his own giggling is anything to go by. It's easier after that, to curl into Taehyung's warmth and sag against him when he drapes an arm over Jimin's shoulder to drag him closer. He feels like he could fall asleep right here, nestled and warm, Hoseok on Taehyung's other side in the same position as Jimin.
Jimin could get used to this.
And that's exactly why he quickly pulls himself away, even though Hoseok and Taehyung both look over at him in concern.
“It was hurting my back.” Jimin winces at the lie, but they must take it as a pained movement because both Taehyung and Hoseok start to fret over him.
He needs to say something, the whole reason he's even here is to say something, not to bask in Hoseok and Taehyung's affection.
“I have something to say and I don't think you're going to like it.” Jimin blurts instead of asking them to talk like he'd originally planned. “If you could just let me say it and get it over with then that would be fantastic, because if I don't say something now then I don't think I ever will.”
They look at each other, the color draining from Hoseok's face while Taehyung tries and fails not to look nervous.
“Go ahead,” Hoseok offers, trying to smile even though it comes out a grimace instead.
“So the thing is.” Jimin pauses, takes a few deep breaths, pulling himself up to stand and hovers in front of them both. Yoongi was right, Jimin is sure that they won't hate him because of his crushes on them, but he doesn't want anything to change, either. But he can't not tell them, that would be selfish and cruel.
“The thing is,” Jimin continues, offering them a weak smile. “That I've gotten myself into a situation. You see, I met this guy, and he's beautiful and kind, talented, and I find out that he's dating someone. That guy is also ridiculously beautiful and kind, and now I'm stuck here with huge crushes on the both of them. The both of you.”
Out of the two of them, Hoseok looks the most surprised, Taehyung looks a little bit thoughtful, but neither of them speak.
“I wasn't going to say anything about it,” Jimin admits, watching the way Taehyung frowns and Hoseok shakes his head, confused. “I didn't want to ruin what you two have or make you hate me, but the other morning when Taehyung-ah caught me cuddling up to Hoseok-Hyung, I freaked out and ran away and ended up hurting you guys anyways.”
They're still quiet, still staring at Jimin though their features have relaxed into something vague that he can't put a name to. It makes him shiver a little, to see then both so quiet when Jimin has quite literally risked their friendship to be honest with them.
“Can you please just say something?” Jimin isn't too proud to admit that he's begging, he'd take anything, even them asking him to leave. He wouldn't like it, would probably cry and have to call Yoongi, but he'd still do it.
“I thought he was catching on. You said he was catching on.” Hoseok finally speaks, raising an eyebrow and turning towards Taehyung, crossing his arms over his chest. “Does this look like he's caught on, Kim Taehyung?”
“Oh come on , Hyung!” Taehyung huffs, crossing his own arms over himself and pouting. “I could have sworn he understood the morning I told him that we needed to talk.”
Jimin flinches, hunching in on himself, and Hoseok notices because he notices everything.
“You said we need to talk to him?” Hoseok practically demands, throwing his hands up in the air to show just how exasperated he is. “That's basically the equivalent of 'We're breaking up’. Has dating me taught you nothing?”
“But we did need to talk.” Taehyung is full on pouting now, sinking into the couch and turning away from Hoseok. “Dating you has taught me a lot of things, Hyung.”
“Taehyung-ah, don't tell someone that you need to talk to them and then let them run away, okay? How would you feel if I said that to you?” Hoseok sighs, reaching over and running a hand down Taehyung's arm. It's gentle and sweet, and for the first time in a long time, Jimin feels like he's intruding. Before he can flinch and head for the guest room, Hoseok turns to Jimin and smiles gently. “We should have that talk though.”
“Can you put it bluntly please? I don't think I can handle the suspense.” Jimin's mostly joking, but the shaking of his hands proves that it isn't all a joke.
“You want the blunt version?” Taehyung asks, linking his fingers with Hoseok and scooting back up to sit straight. When Jimin nods, Taehyung grins. “Okay. I was really hoping that you had a crush on us.”
Out of all the scenarios that Jimin thought could happen tonight, this sure as hell wasn't one. He sits back down, facing Hoseok and Taehyung head on. “Wait, what?”
“Well, it would have made it awkward to ask you on a date if you weren't interested in both of us.” Hoseok explains, leaning back against the couch, looking as comfortable as he always does. In fact, he's smiling and that throws Jimin off.
“I don't think I understand.” Jimin admits softly, frowning down at his lap. He startles when a gentle hand tips his chin up so he's looking right into Hoseok's face. Hoseok is smiling with that same smile he usually saves for Taehyung, the one that shows off his dimples and Jimin sucks in a breath.
“We want you here.” Hoseok explains gently, looking Jimin right in the eyes. There's blatant honesty on his face and Taehyung's when Jimin flicks his eyes to him as well. “We've talked about it for a while now, and we want you to be a part of us , you know?”
“What Hyung is trying to say is that we want to date you, if you want to date us. Both of us.” Taehyung offers, sliding close and draping a loose arm around Jimin's waist that he could easily pull out of. He doesn't pull away though, just cautiously leans against Taehyung.
“You're serious?” Jimin can't help but ask, because this kind of stuff doesn't just happen to him. He doesn't get things like this, the happy endings.
“So fucking serious.” Hoseok agrees, nodding his head and stroking over Jimin's cheek with his thumb. “As long as you're okay with it, we're serious.”
Jimin's mind just kind of blanks.
He lets himself sink into gentle touches, closing his eyes and tries to picture a future with both Hoseok and Taehyung. Jimin can see it all too easily, he's always been able to see it too easily, that's what the problem was. Now that it turns out not to be a problem, Jimin feels a little foolish for running away.
“Yoongi-Hyung was right.” Jimin sighs, sinking against Taehyung, reaching a hand up to rest against Hoseok's. He closes his eyes and just feels , ignoring the way his heart is racing. “Of course I want to be with you both, but.. I was really stupid to run away, wasn't I?”
“A little.” Taehyung agrees, grunting when Jimin elbows him in the ribs, none too gently. Hoseok snickers, leans down to catch Taehyung's lips against his own before turning to Jimin and raising a brow.
Jimin simply looks back, and when Hoseok ducks down and presses a kiss to his cheek, Jimin can't help the way he smiles. When Taehyung leans over and does the same, Jimin tosses his head back and laughs, giddily. He's tugged between them, right in the middle of Taehyung and Hoseok on the couch where they curl up against him like they always have. Jimin isn't sure why he's never noticed it before.
A part of him still feels a little in disbelief, like this is all a dream even though he knows it's not. Another part of him worries that they'll get tired of him soon, but Jimin doesn't honestly see that happening any time soon.
He's brought out of his thoughts first by Hoseok, who links their hands together and snuggles down against Jimin's shoulder, and then by Taehyung who also takes his hand, but who tugs Jimin so he's pillowed on Taehyung instead. They work together, they fit together, all three of them do. Jimin thinks it'll be hard, that their relationship is bound to have ups and downs, fights and failures, but nestled in between these two men, Jimin feels like they could conquer anything that gets thrown their way.
Later, his back pressed flush to Taehyung, his forehead pressed against Hoseok's, and an amalgamation of limbs between them, Jimin only has one thought running through his head past the contentment. He could get used to this.
And this time, he won't be running away.