Work Text:
Taehyung has just finished uploading another rough sketch of an OC to his Tumblr account when he gets the message.
Taetae im at your door please let me in i know youre awake i have dinner <3 <3 <3. It’s from Seokjin and it’s 1:24 am and how the hell does Seokjin know he’s still up?
That thought is forgotten the second he opens the front door of his apartment and Seokjin is standing in front of him with a smile on his lips and a plastic bag of takeaway that smells absolutely heavenly. With his free hand, he brushes aside a few strands of Taehyung’s fringe and presses a kiss to his forehead.
“Hey Tae. We’ll eat this and then sleep, okay? It’s Thai food from that place along the road.”
He holds out the bag and Taehyung takes it from him gratefully, already going to place it on the kitchen table. Seokjin joins him after taking his shoes and coat off and Taehyung waits for him to sit down before snuggling into his lap, gently nuzzling his cheek.
“Thanks Jinnie. Will you sleep over-- sleep here?”
Seokjin holds a steaming curry-filled pastry up to Taehyung’s lips.
“Of course. Now eat up, sweetheart.”
Seokjin feeds them both in silence, listening to Taehyung’s cheerful and stuttered babbling between mouthfuls. Then once he’s run out of things to say Seokjin leans down to press a kiss against his lips.
“Let’s go to sleep now. You look exhausted.”
Taehyung nods dazedly and licks the remnants of soy sauce and Seokjin’s lip gloss from his lips.
“Carry me?”
Seokjin doesn’t need to say anything, just lifts him into his arms and walks down the hallway to the bedroom. Taehyung is already asleep by the time they get there.
Seokjin’s ringtone wakes them both up the next morning. Taehyung groans and rolls over, stuffing their pillow over his head once Seokjin has got up to answer it.
“Hey, Minnie. Yeah, I’m at Tae’s place… no, no he’s fine… yes, you did wake us up. He’s giving me the death glare now… I’m sure he’d love that! Bye Minnie, I’ll see you then. Love you.” then he hangs up and Taehyung makes grabby hands at him and honestly, who is Seokjin to refuse? They end up sleeping again until midday when Taehyung wakes up with a start and jolts Seokjin awake and--
“Commission! I need-- before tomorrow-- finish it before--!” he goes to get out of bed but Seokjin stops him with a hand around his wrist.
“Tae, it’s okay, you can do it later. There’s plenty of time. Just… stay here a little longer?” it’s no use really. Taehyung is just about as stubborn as they come.
“No, no, need to finish it.”
Seokjin watches him gather one of the blankets off their bed, wrap it around his shoulders, reboot his graphic pad and set to work drawing again.
It’s another half hour before Taehyung complains in broken syllables about a crick in his neck and shuffles back over to the bed, settling into Seokjin’s warm embrace.
“Is Jiminnie-- for-- coming over here for… Jinnie?”
Seokjin nods, then smiles as Taehyung traces a delicate pattern onto his cheek with one finger.
“Yeah, Minnie’s coming over for lunch. He should be here soon.”
They snooze for a little longer, until footsteps and melodic humming echo down the front hall.
“I brought food!” Jimin calls out and Seokjin can hear him set it down on the kitchen counter.
“Come on Tae, we should go join Minnie.”
Jimin greets them both with a warm, affectionate kiss on the lips and a “Good morning, sleeping beauties.” Taehyung flaps both hands around by his collarbones and spins one circle on the spot.
“Morning good morning Jiminnie!”
Jimin gently tangles a hand into his hair and pulls him in for another kiss. Seokjin watches them fondly as he unpacks the Tupperware filled with warm cakes and savoury pastries from the bag Jimin brought, setting it all out onto plates.
“Did you make these, Minnie?” he asks. Jimin pulls away from Taehyung’s lips and nods.
“Yeah. Yoongi came over and helped me.”
Seokjin hums appreciatively.
“They look absolutely divine.” then “‘Kay, that’s enough making out. We have lunch to eat and plans to make.”
Taehyung groans and wraps both arms around Jimin’s waist.
He sits on the older boy’s lap for the entirety of their meal.
“Anything you two want to do today? We have the entire day free. Well, the entire afternoon.”
Jimin giggles and stuffs another mouthful of a warm almond croissant into Taehyung’s mouth.
“Serves you two right for getting up so late. But I guess we could go to the mall? Sound good?”
Taehyung nods and hums around his mouthful, tapping the fingers of his right hand together rhythmically.
“I guess that’s a yes then! Is it cold out there?”
Jimin brings a cup of hot chocolate to his lips, takes a sip, and places it back down on the table.
“My car said 12 degrees.” he says, “Celsius. So yeah, It’s pretty cold.”
“It’ll be nice and warm in the mall, then. I hope. Also, Minnie’s driving.”
“Hey, what? I don’t wanna drive!” Jimin whines and pouts and-- Seokjin’s resolve is considerably weak in the face of such adorable persuasion.
“Fine, fine, I’ll drive. Unless Tae wants to?”
Taehyung pulls a face and shakes his head, munching on a piece of raspberry and white chocolate muffin.
“Guess I’ll have to then. We’re taking your car though Minnie.”
Taehyung fetches coats and hoodies from the front hall and rugs them all up nice and snug, and laces up his old Timberlands while waiting for the other two. Jimin had insisted on them keeping the rest of the cakes, so Seokjin had busied himself with putting them all back into containers in the refrigerator.
Seokjin sits in the driver’s seat of Jimin’s car and turns the radio on, then switches it immediately to play music. Jimin sits with Taehyung in the backseat and they giggle and kiss and play I Spy and Taehyung feels so bubbly and euphoric that his sentences become all broken and confused and nonsensical so Jimin switches over to sign language. But Taehyung doesn’t like signing so the two of them end up kissing softly and humming along to the music playing from the speakers in the front of the car instead. Seokjin suspects that Taehyung maybe has a slight thing for how soft and pillowy Jimin’s lips are.
“By the way, how’s Yoongi?” he asks. There’s a slight lull in the traffic, so he can drive without having all his attention on the road.
“He’s great! I think his therapy sessions are working, even if he refuses to admit it.”
“Cognitive behavioural therapy.” Taehyung adds and taps one finger against the high of his cheekbone. Jimin nods and smooths out the tousled mess that is Taehyung’s hair.
“Yeah, CBT. I think it’s the most effective therapy he’s had.”
Seokjin hums in affirmation.
“His depression did get pretty bad.”
“His current psychiatrist says he’s bipolar, actually.”
Taehyung nods and squints his eyes up until he can only see through two tiny slits.
“Wouldn’t be-- not surprised.”
“The treatment’s definitely working, though. He’s on Antipsychotics and an SSRI too.”
“Poor guy, really.” Seokjin says, and it’s more to himself than anything. Taehyung still nods.
The mall is fairly busy once they arrive. Taehyung fits his headphones over his ears and gratefully takes the chew necklace Jimin hands to him.
“Who has the credit card?” Seokjin asks once they’re wandering past a row of colourful shops. Jimin retrieves his wallet from where it’s buried in the very bottom of his bag and holds the card up victoriously.
“I got it!”
Seokjin smiles and brings him in for a kiss.
“Good boy.”
Jimin may or may not blush at the pet name.
The first store they go into is the grocery store. Taehyung decides part way through a mini-monologue about Scandinavian history and Vikings that he really really needs to eat a nectarine. So Seokjin buys him a bag of nectarines and hands them all one each, paired with a sloppy kiss to the cheek that Jimin whines about for at least ten minutes. Seokjin knows he secretly loves it.
In CottonOn they run into Namjoon with Jungkook tucked into his side, just as he always is, so they all browse the shop together. Then Jimin finds a shirt he likes and drags Seokjin into the changing room with him, leaving Taehyung to entertain the other two. He can see just as they round a corner that he’s already snuggled up into Namjoon’s other side, and that Jungkook is signing something to him with the speed and vigour that only someone who’s non-verbal possesses. He’ll be fine.
As soon as they enter the dressing room Jimin rids himself of his hoodie and t-shirt and tries on the new one. It’s a black cropped shirt with a rose embroidered in white thread over the left breast, a little big on his slim frame but he looks beautiful and Seokjin makes sure he conveys that.
“Does it look good?” Jimin asks, scrutinising himself in the mirror. Seokjin answers him with a hand around his waist and a kiss to the lips and “You look… stunning. I’ll buy it for you.”
Jimin snorts out a laugh.
“That would sound much hotter if we didn’t share a credit card.”
Seokjin chuckles and kisses down Jimin’s neck, coming to a stop next to his collarbone.
“Still. D’you want it?”
“Yeah.”
So they buy the shirt and find Namjoon, Jungkook and Taehyung outside the shop afterwards.
“We’re gonna go now.” Namjoon says, hitching the two bags up further on his shoulder. “Kookie’s getting tired and I have an assignment I need to hand in next week.”
Seokjin nods and gives him a kiss on the cheek goodbye. Jungkook picks at a patch of acne on his forehead and leans up on tiptoes to peck Jimin and Taehyung on the forehead.
Bye Hyungs, he signs and smiles, but doesn’t retract his hand from where he’s picking at his skin so Namjoon gently pries his fingers away and gives him a Tangle to play with instead. There’s a little trickle of blood on his forehead that Namjoon wipes off with his sleeve.
Then they’re gone and Jimin wants to go to The Body Shop so him, Seokjin, and Taehyung walk to the other side of the mall and take two escalators up. Seokjin is afraid of escalators so Taehyung lets him tuck his face into his neck while they ride them.
Jimin buys Honeysuckle and Jasmine hand soap, chocolate scented conditioner and various other items that neither Seokjin nor Taehyung can identify for their lives but that are apparently good for your skin.
By the time they’re finished picking out earrings for each other in the expensive jewellery store, bought a copious amount of sweets and chocolate from Big W and browsed through sale items in Factorie, Taehyung is feeling decidedly overwhelmed.
“Home-- can we, please--” he stutters out and cringes because his speech is always much worse when he’s feeling like this. Seokjin, like the absolute angel he is, understands just fine.
“Of course. Hey Minnie, we’re gonna go home now, okay?”
Jimin nods and gently ruffles the hair at the back of Taehyung’s head.
“I’ve bought some bath bombs we can use when we get home.” he says and Taehyung nods in approval.
The entire trip home is spent in near silence. Jimin drives this time and plays his Soft Songs For When Taetae Is Overwhelmed <3 playlist and Seokjin sits with Taehyung and the bag of nectarines in the backseat.
When they get back to Taehyung’s house, Jimin runs a hot bath and lights scented candles in the bathroom and turns all the lights out. He can hear the whir of the rangehood and Seokjin singing and cooking pesto pasta for an early dinner in the kitchen, and Taehyung snoring softly in the next room. These are the sounds of home and they’re nice and he feels happy so he smiles stupidly at his reflection in the bathwater.
He wakes Taehyung up with soft kisses pressed all over his face.
“Wake up, baby. I ran your bath.” Jimin whispers and Taehyung rubs his eyes then gazes up at him, bleary and cute and Jimin is in love.
Once they’re both stripped of their clothing and basking in the hot water Jimin reaches for the bath bomb placed on the edge of the sink. It’s pink and blue and sparkly and fizzes when it hits the water. Taehyung flaps his hands excitedly and splashes water all over both of them.
“‘S pretty cool huh?”
“Yes-- cool, wanna-- show Jinnie. Can we?”
Jimin calls Seokjin through from the kitchen and he appears around the door, squinting slightly in the change of lighting.
“Hey, babies. Whoa, is that one of the bath bombs you bought today?” Jimin nods, and Seokjin walks over to kneel by the bath. “Oh, these candles smell really good.”
“Yeah, they do. They’re lemongrass and… something else nice. Can’t remember”
“Ginger.” Taehyung finishes for him, “Lemongrass and ginger.”
Seokjin takes his apron off and hangs it on the doorknob.
“Can you pass the soap?” Jimin asks him, “It’s on the rack in the shower.”
“Where? Oh, yeah, I got it. Want me to wash you?”
Jimin and Taehyung nod enthusiastically and Seokjin kisses them both on the forehead, putting the soap down on the edge of the bath and squirting an industrial quantity of lavender scented shampoo into the open palm of his hand.
Once they’re both washed and dried and wrapped up snug in hoodies and blankets, Seokjin serves dinner and Jimin puts his Domestic Bfs UwU playlist on through the speaker in the corner of the living room. Taehyung takes his graphic pad and laptop to the table and continues art commissions, and Jimin and Seokjin decide to stay at his place for the night.
“I’ll drive you to speech therapy tomorrow morning as well.” Jimin says and Taehyung nods.
“Thanks Jiminnie.”
“No problem baby.”
Later on, when they’re tucked under the blankets of Taehyung’s double bed and he’s finished the commission and Seokjin has showered, Jimin speaks up.
“I love you two.” he says. It’s four words whispered into the darkness and he’s not even sure if anyone else is still awake but hey, it’s the thought that counts. He can always tell them again in the morning.
“Love you too Minnie.” it’s Seokjin and he leans over Taehyung to share a kiss with him just as the youngest of the three stirs.
“Mmh, love you too.”
Jimin laughs, breathy and quiet but euphoric.
“Saps.”