Chapter Text
“Happy birthday baby.” Jeongguk exclaims, embracing his boyfriend Jimin on his 21st birthday. He places a birthday cake in front of Jimin, then makes his way to the other side. Jimin smiles as he stands up to pull Jeongguk in closer. He tilts his head and presses his lips onto Jeongguk’s.
“Thank you, my love.” Jimin softly responds, barely leaving Jeongguk’s lips. He lets out a sigh and rests his head on the palms of his hands. He slightly pouts while looking down at the black and white cake Jeongguk had gotten for him, realizing what turning 21 meant.
This was the year he found his colour, the colour that only he would share with his soulmate. Jimin dreaded this year because it would mean he’d have to wait sometime for Jeongguk’s 21st birthday, which isn’t for another couple years. He knew this would mean for the next 2 years, he wouldn’t know whether or not his boyfriend of 2 years was his soulmate or not. Anxiety began flooding his mind, tingling his fingertips as his heartbeat picked up pace. He did his best to put his best face forward but the dread leaked out through his expressions.
“Jimin?” Jeongguk asks with a worried look masking his face. He places his hand on Jimin’s wrist, slowly caressing his arm with his thumb. He gives a slight smile, attempting to figure out what’s clouding the birthday boy’s mind.
Jimin looks up, letting out a soft smile. “It’s nothing, I just can’t wait for your birthday!” Jimin lets out a small laugh, hoping it would mask the fear the statement had lying underneath.
Jeongguk sighs, kissing the tip of his nose. He makes an attempt to comfort his concerns. “We don’t have to worry about that for a couple more years, okay? Let’s just focus on what’s happening now and be with each other now.” He sighed, getting up to get some plates from Jimin’s kitchen.
Jeongguk was worried, but not as worried as Jimin. He cared about him too much to let his mind wonder like that, even if it's the last thing on Jeongguk’s. He always preferred to enjoy the moment, leave the future for later. Each day was the start of a new page for him, what tomorrow might bring will be dealt with when it happens. He found it hard to fully understand the uncertainty Jimin was feeling, especially when the issue could be dealt with in another couple years. He tried his best, he wanted to understand Jimin.
A vibrating feeling occurs in Jeongguk’s pant pocket. He opens his phone and sees a text from his long time best friend, Kim Taehyung. He opens his chat and begins texting about his boyfriend’s birthday
KTH
Hey!
Happy birthday to your
Jimin-ssi ~
What’d you guys do?
JJK
Hey hyung!
I’ll send him the wishes
Eh nothing exciting
He’s still worried bout the colours
T_T
I wish he’d let it go already
KTH
Hey cut him some slack!
He’s allowed to be worried
I mean
What if you guys aren’t soulmates?
JJK
Well…
Jeongguk hesitates to continue his message. What is he saying? He knew he cared for Jimin more than anything, he wouldn’t be with him if he didn’t. That’s what made it harder for Jeongguk to understand. Isn’t it just a stupid colour? Why has it been so hard for him to understand the importance of having the same colour?
KTH
Well?
Jk…
What’s going on?
Jeongguk takes a big sigh, shaking his head. He knew he wanted to be with Jimin, more than anything. All this soulmate talk was filling his mind with doubt. He looks back at Jimin watching youtube videos in the living room and smiles. That’s his boyfriend, soulmate or not.
JJK
Well I don’t care
If he’s my soulmate or not
That’s my person, yknow?
KTH
I’m glad you think that way
You better hope Jimin does too…
If he’s this worried, you should
be careful !
Jeongguk knew that Taehyung was right. Jimin feeling this troubled about whether or not they’re soulmates could be a deal breaker for him. He didn’t want anything to happen to them if he can’t see the same colour.
“You’re take a long time just for plates!” Jimin teases, shaking his head as he locks his gaze onto Jeongguk.
Jeongguk smiles, taking his eyes off his phone to meet Jimin’s eyes. “Yeah, yeah I’m coming. Taehyung-hyung wishes you a happy birthday.” He informs Jimin as he slightly waves his phone in his hand.
Jimin lets out a chuckle, “Should I call and thank him? That’s really nice of him to wish me.” Jimin begins texting Taehyung a sweet thank you for the birthday wishes.
Jeongguk grabs the plates and makes his way back to the living room. He sits himself beside Jimin and begins cutting slices into the cake. He begins asking the unavoidable question. “What colour is it?”
Jimin freezes up. His face drops as he clears his throat. He looks up and tells Jeongguk with a straight face, “It’s purple. The colour is purple. I found out through this video, it felt easier this way.” Jimin pulls out the youtube video he was watching, a video of someone explaining what each colour could mean.
Jeongguk knew that the colours you see really had no alternative meaning, these were just conspiracy theories that have been circulating around for years. He found the video ridiculous, but didn’t want to hurt Jimin’s feelings. He attempted to look interested, the best way he could.
Jimin began explaining what he had learned from the video. “See, if you see purple then that means your soulmate is actually your best friend or someone your heart is attached to. I feel a little better after watching this.” He grabs Jeongguk’s hands softly, letting his thumb trace the shape of his fingers. He smirks, shifting his eyes down to their hands. “That means if we both see purple, then we would definitely be made for each other. You’re like my best friend and someone my heart is attached to, Jeon Jeongguk.” He leans in to bury his face into his shoulder, letting out a soft hum. He finally felt peace for the first time today, wanting to share the same calm energy with his beloved.
Jeongguk sighed in relief, realizing how serene Jimin had become. He wraps his arms around him, squeezing him into a warm embrace. That’s all he wanted, for Jimin to live in the moment with peace in mind for the future. He rests his cheek on the top of Jimin’s head and reassures him, “Let’s just live in the moment babe. Enjoy each other every second we can, okay?” He presses his lips onto Jimin’s head, smirking slightly after kissing him.
Jimin slightly nods, letting out a small yawn. He rubs his eyes and raises his head to meet Jeongguk’s gaze.
Jeongguk softly chuckles, looking down to meet his gaze. “Sleepy baby?” He asks as he squeezes him in closer. He rubs his hand on Jimin’s arm, getting him to melt away in his arms.
Jimin nodded again, this time adding. “Yeah, can we head to bed now?” He looks up with puppy-like eyes paired with a slight pout.
Jeongguk jokingly adds “That means no birthday sex, huh?” He lets out a hearty laugh as Jimin playfully slaps his arm. He lets out a sigh and nods his head. They both head to bed, with Jeongguk leading the sleepy Jimin.
Jeongguk waits for Jimin to fall asleep before pulling his phone out again. He begins texting Taehyung again, needing someone to share his worries with.
JJK
Hey Hyung,
Are you awake?
I need to talk to someone
Jeongguk doesn’t hear a notification for another 20 minutes, quickly opening the chat the second he does.
KTH
Yeah I’m up.
Sorry I was in the middle
of something
If you catch my drift ㅋㅋㅋ
JJK
Yeah
Like I wanna hear about
you maturbating, right?
KTH
Jeon Jeongguk !
How forward of you
If you really wanna know…
JJK
I know you can’t see
but I literally gagged
Nasty ass ㅜ_ㅜ
KTH
I know you love it
Anyways
Whats up?
JJK
I need a favour
KTH
Okay…
What do you need?
JJK
You see your colour in 2 months right?
KTH
Are you new?
Of course I do
… Why?
Where are you going with this?
JJK
Shut up and listen hyung ㅜ_ㅜ
When you do,
Can you tell me first what the
colour is?
KTH
Bold of you to assume
I already wouldn’t
But if it makes you feel that much better,
then sure
JJK
Perfect
Thanks Hyung :-)
You got Jimin’s text right?
KTH
Yeah
It was kinda cute…
Just thanking me
and we talked a little
JJK
Oh?
Talked about what?
KTH
Relax Jeongguk
We didn’t talk about you ㅋㅋ
Just asked how his day was
and he asked the same
Talked about that colour video
he saw
JJK
You’re annoying
Anyways!
That video was and is stupid
Colours don’t mean anything, right?
KTH
Eh, not sure I can agree
I’d like to think that each
colour has their own little
meaning too!
Makes it more fun to look
forward to
Jeongguk sits back, shaking his head at the response. He stood by his opinion on the video and concept, no colour had any special meaning. We see the colour we see because that’s how the brain works, that’s all. He ends up falling asleep instead of responding to the text, cuddling up next to Jimin for the night.
—
2 months later
Jeongguk looks at the date on his phone, December 30th. It was a day he had been longing for, to know Taehyung’s colour. He pulls out his phone and begins to text his best friend about his colour.
JJK
Hey hyung!
Happy birthday :-)
Are you ready to reveal
your colour to your one
and only bestest friend?
No response. Jeongguk didn’t want to blow up Taehyung’s phone, especially if he was busy celebrating. Taehyung had always been a player, smooth with both guys and girls. Never one for serious relationships, no one ever knew if he was alone or with someone he’s trying to fuck. Since it’s his birthday, he had already assumed that Taehyung would be trying to celebrate his birthday the best way he could, meaningless hookups.
Jimin walks into the room, welcoming himself into Jeongguk’s line of vision. He stands in front of him, waiting for Jeongguk to notice.
Jeongguk smiles as he puts his phone away, placing his hands on Jimin’s waist. He pulls him in closer, lightly pressing the tips of their noses onto each other. He lets the tension linger before pressing a kiss into Jimin’s lips. He can feel the smile forming from his boyfriend’s face, unintentionally following his direction.
Jimin looks up at Jeongguk, moving his hair out of his face while humming a small tune. He begins his thought, “If you’re trying to get a hold of Taehyung, you got no luck. He’s spending the day drinking and fucking. I called him earlier to wish him…” Jimin laughs and jokingly shivers before continuing his sentence. “Kinda wish I didn’t. Didn’t need to hear that much panting from Taehyung.” They both jokingly gag at each other, grossed out at the thought of Taehyung spending the day trying to fuck anything that moves.
Jimin laughs, holding Jeongguk’s face with the palm of his hand. He lovingly looks in his eyes and suggests, “Tell you what, since we both ended our work days early how about we watch some movies and then we can have some fun tonight?” He winks at the end of his sentence, hoping that Jeongguk would get the hint.
Excitement fulfilled Jeongguk’s entire body. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling from ear to ear as each word left Jimin’s mouth. He happily nods, kissing Jimin passionately.
Jimin laughs, shaking his head. “Let me change out of my outside clothes into some sweats. You do the same and let’s start our evening together.” Jimin shifts his eyes up and down, smirking at what he sees. Jeongguk snickers and does the same, shifting his eyes from his lips to his chest. They knew they wanted each other, more than anything.
Suddenly, Jeongguk’s phone goes off. It was a text from Taehyung. He opened his phone to an off-character message.
KTH
Listen…
I know I said I’d tell you
But I need to wait
At least until your 21st
Confused, Jeongguk’s inner alarms started going off. How could he respond to something like this? He knew if Taehyung was acting himself, then he wouldn’t care about telling him the colour. Ideas and reasons begin to fill Jeongguk’s mind, hoping he could find an excuse for Taehyung. Could he not see a colour? Did he not have a soulmate? Maybe his colour is just ugly? He snickers at that thought. He begins replying back, hoping to get some answers.
JJK
Hyung…
That’s two years away ㅜㅡㅜ
Why that long?
Everything okay?
Once again, no response. Jeongguk began to worry. This really isn’t like Taehyung to be so mysterious about anything. He was an open book, what you see is what you get and what he says is what he means. On top of that, it’s also not like him to act so sporadically when texting. Especially if the conversation was an important one. Jeongguk knew that he had his reasons and hoped for the best. Even so, why is he acting this way?
Jimin comes back wearing a baggy black hoodie and adidas joggers. He noticed the worried look that Jeongguk was wearing and walked up to him. “Baby is everything okay?” He asks as he places his hand on his arm.
Jeongguk quickly put his phone away and nodded. He nervously chuckled and explained, “Ah it’s just Taehyung-hyung. It’s not like him to disappear on me like this, especially when I text him about his colour.” He ruffles his hair out of nervousness, putting his other hand in his jean pocket.
Jimin moves his hand from his face to take his other hand out of his jean pocket. Interlocking his fingers, he begins comforting Jeongguk. “Jeongguk… he’ll reply when he can. I’m sure he’s just out celebrating his day the best way he can. Don’t stress so much about it okay? I’m sure he’ll tell you soon.” He kisses his cheek as he finishes his thought. He begins lightly pulling his arm towards the couch.
Jeongguk lets out a deep sigh and attempts to force out a smirk. Jimin returns the smirk, gesturing to join him on the couch. As they make their way onto the couch, they begin to play a movie from their On Demand box. Just as Jimin’s picking the movie, Jeongguk can feel a vibration in his pocket. He takes out his phone and sees a notification from Taehyung. He anxiously opens the message and tries one last time for Taehyung to confess his colour.
KTH
Just trust me, please?
JJK
Hyung…
This isn’t like you.
Tell me what’s happening.
Is it that you don’t have one?
KTH
I wish that was the case
But no…
I do have one
JJK
Why are you so
scared of telling me?
I’m not gonna judge if it’s ugly!
KTH
Jk…
I don’t know how to say this
Jeongguk’s heart begins to beat through his throat. His eyes began widening as he watched the text bubble continue. What could Taehyung be so afraid of? His hands begin to sweat, forcing him to subtly rub them on his legs. He feels the vibration again, Taehyung responded.
KTH
I’m sorry
JJK
Taehyung-hyung
you’re scaring me…
What is your colour?
KTH
Purple.
My colour is purple.
Jeongguk’s heart dropped. He couldn’t believe what he read. Purple? The same purple as his loving boyfriend? How could this happen? Jeongguk felt a wave of emotions hit his chest as he read that final text from Taehyung. His best friend shares the same colour as Jimin. He refused to believe it, refusing to let Jimin believe it more. Overwhelmed, he didn’t know what to say. All he knew was that he wasn’t going to let Jimin go, no matter what. That was his person, his partner. He cared about him too much to let him go so easily. Impulsively, he begins typing a reply to Taehyung.
JJK
Promise me something
Promise on our friendship
KTH
Yeah of course
Anything you want
JJK
If Jimin asks you about your colour,
Lie.
Tell him it’s pink, blue, anything
other than fucking purple.
KTH
Jeongguk…
Won’t he find out?
JJK
No, I’ll make sure of it
KTH
Jeongguk…
do you think multiple people can
share the same colour?
Maybe you’ll also get purple!
That text hit him like a ton of breaks. What if Jeongguk didn’t get purple like Taehyung and Jimin? Where does that leave him in between this mess? Shock overloaded his system, barely being able to pay attention to anything else around him. He wanted to think of ideas upon ideas as to how to get him to see purple. At this point, his colour absolutely needed to be purple. He attempts to collect his thoughts and feelings before replying back to Taehyung. He felt betrayed, even if it wasn’t anyone’s fault. It wasn’t anyone's fault, you can't pick your colour. Jeongguk couldn’t help but feel betrayed by everyone. Taehyung, Jimin, the universe all stabbed him in the back tonight. He texts back, hoping to soften the blow.
JJK
We’ll find out in 2 years
Now won’t we?
Jeongguk tried his hardest not to sound out of the ordinary, composed. He knew his philosophy was to live in the moment and let tomorrow be another day’s problem. Why was it so hard to follow it this time? He wanted to plan everything up until his 21st birthday, ensuring that Jimin won’t let the colours affect their relationship. They cared for each other, it was comfortable, Jeongguk knew that. He closed his phone for the rest of the night and tried his hardest to enjoy the night with Jimin.
—
2 years later
Jeongguk couldn’t be any more anxious than he is today. September 1st, his 21st birthday. Today was the day he found out what his colour is, praying to also get the same purple as his boyfriend.
Jimin comes into the kitchen with a small cake with a candle on top as he sings happy birthday. He walks up to Jeongguk and holds the cake in front of his face. He smiles and wishes him a happy birthday again. “Make a wish baby, you never know it might come true!”
Jeongguk playfully scoffs, shaking his head slightly while smiling at how excited Jimin is. He knew that Jimin’s excitement was the same reason as his anxiety, the colour reveal. Jimin was sure that their colours would be the same, cementing the fact that they’re truly soulmates. Jeongguk blows out the candle, kissing the tip of Jimin’s nose. He smiles, happy to just be celebrating his day with his loving boyfriend. Jimin places the cake onto the table and makes his way into the kitchen for plates and cutlery.
Jeongguk feels a vibration once again coming from
his phone, it was Taehyung. He had been distancing himself since he found out his colour reveal. He has accepted that it isn’t his fault, so why can’t he help but feel angry at him? Taehyung wouldn’t do anything to purposely hurt Jeongguk, but he couldn’t help but feel betrayed the minute he saw what colour he had. He looked at his phone and realized something that ruined his mood.
The colour of his phone is red. He’s never seen the colour of his phone before today. It was finally revealed, his colour is red. Heartbroken, he didn’t know how to accept this news. Why did it have to be red? Why couldn’t he just have a stupid purple phone? He tries to hide his face from Jimin, realizing that he was most likely visibly upset. He announces to Jimin, “Babe if you need me, I’m in the bathroom okay?” He rushes into the bathroom and locks the door behind him. He sits at the edge of the bathroom tub and opens his text messages with Taehyung.
KTH
Hey Jeongguk!
Happy birthday man :-)
Hope you’re doing well…
Miss you.
Jeongguk’s eyes begin to water. Why did things have to be this way? He can’t lose his Jimin, he simply can’t. He wishes he had Taehyung’s eyes, wishing he had the ability to see purple, wishing everything had turned out differently. Impulsively, he messaged back Taehyung with an idea in mind.
JJK
Hey Hyung…
I know we haven’t
spoken much since
your birthday, but I could
really use your help here.
Meet me outside at the park
near mine and Jimin’s apartment?
KTH
Yeah, of course man!
I’ll see you in 15.
Jeongguk splashes his face with cold water before leaving the bathroom. He peaks into the kitchen and announces to Jimin, “Babe… I’m meeting Taehyung to talk about something important. He can’t come in because he’s on his way to somewhere but he’s stopping by outside. I’ll be back in a bit.” Jeongguk quickly makes his way to the door before he could hear Jimin’s response.
Sitting on the bench in front of the park, he looks around to see if Taehyung would be coming. He sees him heading towards the bench from the left side of the park, indicating that he’s coming straight from home. Still overwhelmed by everything that’s happened in the last hour, he stays seated on the bench while looking down at his shoes. Taehyung quietly sits beside him, waiting for him to acknowledge his entrance.
“Hey JK, you look good!” Taehyung compliments, trying to lighten the mood. He clears his throat and looks back down to his shoes as well. He begins asking Jeongguk, “So… what did you need help with?” They both shift their eyes onto one another, unaware of how the other might react.
“My colour’s red. Not purple, fucking red.” Jeongguk proclaims, squeezing his hands into fists. Both of them know he won’t use them, but Taehyung can’t help but slightly flinch when he notices his hands. He’s never seen Jeongguk this angry before, especially over something he used to think was dumb. He continues his train of thought, “I can’t lose Jimin. I care about him too much to let him go.” He clears his throat, wiping his watery eyes. He sniffles his noses before finally finishing his idea, “This is where you come in. I need you to be my eyes. Hang out with us more often, help me convince Jimin that purple is my colour too.”
Taehyung, confused, scrunched his eyebrows into a puzzled look. He questions the plan that Jeongguk had proposed, “wait so you want me to hang out with you and Jimin so he can think you have the same colour? Isn’t that like lying? Are you sure you wanna do this?” He made sure that Jeongguk realized what he was asking for and what being caught could mean. They both knew that there was nothing Jimin hated more than lying. He always treasured the truth, no matter how brutal it is. Taehyung wanted to ask so he could remind him that lying to Jimin could come at a hefty price.
Without missing a beat, Jeongguk kisses his teeth and turns his head. “What part of I’m not losing my boyfriend did you not understand?!” He angrily repeats. He takes a deep breath in, blowing out the air through his nose. He apologizes for raising his voice, continuing his thoughts. “I’m sorry, it’s just I don’t want this to end. Not like this.”
Taehyung nods, but hesitates before responding to Jeongguk’s request. “If we do this, he never finds out right? I’m worried about you here…” Taehyung nervously looks down at his hands while he twiddles his thumbs.
Jeongguk nods in agreement, Jimin will never find out about this plan. He would do anything and everything in his power to keep this a secret from Jimin, no matter what it cost. He puts his hand out for a handshake and asks Taehyung, “do we have a plan? Will you help an old best friend out?”
Taehyung deeply sighs, meeting his handshake. The plan has been made official, Taehyung will be Jeongguk’s eyes.