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Tough times required creative solutions, at least that was what Kim Taehyung liked to believe. He always found some way around his problems; be that enclosing deadlines or broken kitchen furniture (he had wrapped his lonely chair in one and a half rolls of duct tape and it still collapsed). Or a global pandemic that threatened not only the well being of humanity but more importantly Taehyung’s best friend time.
After their term had ended, he had returned to his hometown in the less busy – Jimin would say utterly boring – part of the country and had enjoyed the beginnings of spring for all it was worth. It had been three weeks of bliss and home-cooked food as he laid in his bed until 2pm and played video games until the sun rose. Honestly, not too different from his life during term but for once there was no voice in the back of his mind – Jimin – that reminded him of the paper that had been due last Thursday.
But as he returned to his lone apartment a few days before classes he had missed his best friend for three whole weeks and there was very little that would keep him from seeing his short but sometimes frightening bestie. It just wasn’t the same to have dinner knowing that Jimin wouldn’t knock on his door for an impromptu movie night or dragging him to go to that karaoke bar that hadn’t kicked them out yet.
Now though, as the apocalypse came upon them and Taehyung stared at his cup ramen with an especially solemn look, he vowed to come up with a plan. A foolproof one at that. Easier said than done of course.
He had ruled out most of the options that sprung to his mind since he didn’t have an underground bunker at his disposal, neither enough money to bribe the police into letting him into Jimin’s dorm. Everything was on lockdown and only close relatives – and Taehyung counted himself as Jimin’s most important relative-not-related-by-blood, thank you very much – and couples were allowed to meet.
And even though it was vital for his mental wellbeing to see Jimin as soon as possible, preferably cuddle the hell out of him with a blanket and a hot cocoa, this wouldn’t be enough to let him into the building. After all they were just friends and thus not dependent on each other’s company. But he wasn’t Kim Taehyung, physics major and semi-professional problem solver (see his resume for more information), to be stopped by semantics.
So, when he left the house the next morning had a plan to get into the building without drawing more attention than usual (read: a moderate amount). He knew what had to be done and he was more than willing to engage in several outraged discussions if that would get him to see his best friend.
And of course, he didn’t tell Jimin about it since he’d try to talk him out of it as always even though he missed Taehyung just as much. If he knew what he had planned, Jimin might object because it they’d be lying to the guards and the police and everyone basically. But it was for the greater good and Taehyung would stop at very little to have a movie night with his best friend.
It would be way more fun too if Jimin didn’t know.
Taehyung had texted him this morning like usual, sending him pictures of penguins and his somewhat clean kitchen to show that he was not drowning in trash this very moment.
When the dorm complex came into view his fingers twitched and he had repeated the script he had come up with over and over. The whole entrance was covered in barrier tape, similar to the time when a handful of freshman had tried to turn the dorm into a crime scene on Halloween, but instead of a supposed corpse – that was shivering on the cold floor and not at all convincing – there sat a phone booth-like counter. The woman regarded Taehyung critically as he approached, his smile strained under his face mask, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“I want to visit someone.” He linked his hands behind his back and his fingers fiddled with the back of his jacket. The woman stared him down and he could see her narrowed eyes and downturned mouth through the layers of glass and fabric.
“Only relatives are allowed to visit.”
“It’s my boyfriend, Park Jimin in B312. Please Ma’am you can call and tell him that Kim Taehyung, his boyfriend”, he made a dramatic pause and waited until the woman nodded,” is here to see him.” He tried to look miserable. And honestly he didn’t have to try hard because he felt a little miserable as they waited for the call to connect.
“There is a Kim Taehyung here to see you, Mr. Park.”
“TaeTae is here? Can he hear me? Hey, Tae is that why you wouldn’t answer the phone when I tried to call you half an hour ago?” The woman rose her eyebrow at Taehyung while he grinned and took a step closer to the booth.
“Chim, I’m sorry but I missed you so much that I couldn’t stay away any longer. Will you come down to pick me up?”
“I missed you too, Tae. Don’t leave me hanging like that next time. I’ll be down in a minute.” The call ended and Taehyung had no doubt that the woman was convinced of their supposed relationship. A success on all levels and Taehyung almost pat himself on the back for this brilliant coup.
The guard put the phone down without another comment and regarded him with silent judgment. He hadn’t expected her to be happy about the situation but if he and Jimin were boyfriends there was nothing she could legally do to keep them apart. And he would fight for their rights if necessary.
He could see Jimin exit the building and sprint towards the gate in his pajama pants and one of Taehyung’s sweaters, his face mask so loose that it almost slipped of his nose as he jumped into Taehyung’s arms.
“TaeTae, I missed you so much.” It was very difficult for Taehyung to not keep Jimin squished to his front and hold him for like the next two months, but the woman looked as if she was a moment away from spraying them both with disinfectant.
“Missed you too”, he said and pried Jimin off. They stood shoulder to shoulder, Jimin linking their hands and swaying them around a little.
“I need you to fill in your contact details here, Mr. Kim, then you’re free to go in with your boyfriend.” Taehyung nodded and did not stare at Jimin, whose open mouth was conveniently covered by his face mask. He filled in the form and put it into the folder at the front.
“ Have a nice day,” he said and waved at the guard as he dragged Jimin off to the building.
He didn’t let go off Jimin’s hand until they were in his room, both plopping down on the bed.
“ Did she say boyfriend?” Taehyung nodded but didn’t look at his bestie beside him.
“ I really missed you, Chim. And that’s the only way they would have let me inside.” He pouted and put on his best puppy eyes. Jimin could never be mad at him for long, no matter what he did. Not even when he fried his laptop with all his lecture notes on it when he tried to boost the processor speed so they could play Overwatch together.
“You could have told me at least.” Jimin laid back on the mattress and patted the space beside him.
“Where’s the fun in that?” A hand grabbed the back of Taehyung’s shirt and pulled him down on the covers. He didn’t waste any time to throw his limbs over his best friend and treat him like his favorite cuddle thing. Jimin was his favorite cuddle thing and Taehyung was severely deprived.
“So what did I miss while I was away?” Jimin yawned a little and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands.
“Nothing much. It feels like nothing is happening right now. Not even the first years are out and about.” Jimin had way too much watching the hussle in front of his window as the freshmen played another weird drinking game or build a fort out of cardboard boxes. A fun topic for a paper, Jimin joked and Taehyung agreed. “ Academically Induced Decline in Intellect: A Study of the Student Body” would be a catchy title and Taehyung pretended to not see the notes and growing word document Jimin worked on from time to time.
But now everyone in the dorm was staying inside or at their parent’s homes and for the first time ever the dorm was quiet before 3am. Jimin had sent him a picture of a spot-clean kitchen too.
They spent noon and the early afternoon lounging around, both half asleep on each other. Taehyung wasn’t particularly tired at the moment – he had slept a round eleven hours – but there was nothing else to do in that moment. He didn’t want to do anything else really, now that he had his best friend, and they could just lie down and know that the other one was right there.
He had been a little anxious about being shut off from his friend when he had come back. Seoul was a metropolis and there was so much to see and do, even now, but he needed Jimin . The whole world was boring without Jimin.
It didn’t feel like anything had changed now that they were pro-forma boyfriends for the moment but Taehyung hadn’t expected any changes. They were closer than most best friends and they had been mistaken for a couple more times than he can count which never bothered him. He wasn’t strictly gay or straight or something like that and ever since he moved to Seoul and started university with Jimin he never felt the need to find that someone special. He already had him right there.
They made some kimchi fried rice in the deserted kitchen, put on a movie that was neither too scary - for Jimin’s sake – nor too trashy to watch while sober. Jimin slept on his shoulder as a row of cars exploded with fascinating synchronicity and Taehyung maneuvered them both under the covers before he too fell asleep.
They had spent nights like this before of course but it all felt a little different now that they were boyfriend and boyfriend – just in semantics, Taehyung reminded himself. He had his arms wrapped around Jimin who in turn laid half on top of him. The blanket had been kicked across the room but he didn’t have the heart to get up and wake his best friend. Especially not when he looked so cute with his cheek smushed against Taehyung’s shoulder.
When Jimin woke he was disoriented but delighted to see his bestie and decided it was time for a movie brunch-gone-blanket-burrito and Taehyung did not object. Two ghibli movies and one discussion about Totoro’s real intentions later they went outside for a breath of fresh air. He thought about briefing Jimin on how to be act like they were in a relationship but he knew it wasn’t necessary. It was obvious that they both loved each other, if on a different level than boyfriends did.
They linked hands as always and Jimin smiled at him until his eyes were crescents and Taehyung giggled as they passed the guard in the entrance.
The streets were empty like the day before, single figures hurrying across the sidewalk interspersed by a few couples on a leisurely stroll like they were. Jimin dragged him forward and they soon entered the nearby park. It was warm for the end of March, the flowers were in full bloom and the trees green in the sidelines. Overall a perfect afternoon a nd they took their time to wander around the little pond in the middle, stopping to look at the gigantic goldfish in the middle and the first tiny waterlilies.
It seemed like just another day out with Jimin, but at the same time it felt different. Like the few weeks apart had shifted something and now they didn’t fit together like before. Maybe it was the crisis on the horizon or the fact that Taehyung couldn’t see his friends face. Things shouldn’t have changed because they were as good as they were going to get. He saw little room for improvement in their little sphere and a change in title shouldn’t really make a difference to them. He didn’t even know why he was so hung up about all of this. The quarantine and the stress and everything at the moment probably. That had to be it.
“You alright, Tae?” Jimin looked up at him with his big eyes that could sneak right past any objections he ever had. Jimin’s head was still leaned on his shoulder and their feet brushed under the wooden bench.
“Just sad. It’s so different now, I don’t know what to say really.” Jimin nodded and sat up straight. Taehyung mourned the loss of contact but didn’t show it.
“I know how you’re feeling. Everything is up in the air and we don’t know what’s going on. But TaeTae I’m so glad you’re here now. I don’t know what I would do without you here and I’d do anything so we can be together right now. Even if it means pretending to be boyfriends or whatever.” He smiled, wide and sweet but it stung. Something about the way Jimin referred to their arrangement hurt and it shouldn’t. They were just friends and this was all pretend and once this all was over they’d go back to their usual platonic soulmate-thing and this wouldn’t be more than a funny side note. The time they had pretended to be together so they could hang out in the middle of a pandemic. Everyone would say that it was such a Taehyung and Jimin thing to do.
“It’ll be fine, Tae.” Jimin almost crawled in his lap to hug him and he pulled him tight and buried his nose in his shoulder.
“This will be over in no time. And then we’re gonna go to the cinema and watch that movie you’ve been dying to watch. And go watch the panda cubs in the zoo, I’m sure they will have grown a lot and it’s always so fun to watch them. I’ll take you out for coffee and cake and pizza and everything.” Jimin giggled into his ear and rubbed circles into his back. Taehyung swallowed and didn’t answer. He knew that if he were to open his mouth he wouldn’t be able to hold back tears.
They held each other for a few minutes, just enough time so it didn’t feel like the world was falling apart around them any longer. Taehyung pulled a tissue from his pocket and blew his nose why Jimin wiped a stray tear from his cheek.
“Okay?”
“Yeah.” Jimin ran a hand through his hair and kissed him on the cheek before he got up.
“Let’s go back, yeah?”
“ Whatever you want, Chim.”
It would have been perfect to stay in Jimin’s little dorm room for the rest of their lives. Well, maybe not the rest of their lives but the foreseeable future sounded about right. They spent another two days watching that series they both had wanted to see for two years, cooking bare-bones meals with whatever they found in the back of Jimin’s cupboards and enjoyed the time they had.
But on the third day Taehyung was craving his PC and fresh clothes – he had only one pair of pants at Jimin’s – and even his potted plant that sat on his windowsill and was sure to die if he didn’t return soon.
“Why don’t we just stay at yours then? We have more space and a big sofa and you can take care of Francis just fine.” There was really nothing he could say against this. He wanted to stay together and make sure that Jimin was there and healthy and not sulking in his room all alone, but after spending the last seventy plus hours in a vague state of stress and confusion, Taehyung needed some alone time. Just to digest and think for a while.
But on the other hand he didn’t want to leave and not be allowed back inside or have them locked up or whatever was bound to happen next. He could suffer through a clogged mind, if it meant making sure that Jimin stayed right where he was needed the most – by Taehyung’s side.
Jimin squeezed his most important belongings into a large backpack and they were out the door in the early afternoon. It was raining non-stop so they hurried to the station and huddled under one umbrella as they walked.
A police men walked up to them and Jimin’s hand tightened in his but he wouldn’t be able to tell that they weren’t a real couple. Hell, in that moment even Taehyung struggled to tell the difference.
He chided them for being outside in the rain and took their temperature for good measure, Jimin hiding half behind Taehyung until they were let go. They hurried into the carriage and hugged throughout the ride, walking the ten minutes to Taehyung’s one and a half room apartment shoulder to shoulder with linked hands as always . His own little crisis had been enough to take his mind of other things for the moment but reality came rushing in like an unwanted relative showing up to a party – an image of his aunt in all her grumpy glory came to his mind.
Taehyung ushered Jimin into the shower while he threw their clothes in the dryer and put on the kettle for some tea. Once his friend returned with a towel around his neck, dressed in one of his shirts, Taehyung decided it was high time to take a long, pondering shower so he could maybe figure out what the hell was going on with him. Or rather how he could fix what was going on in that moment because he knew. He didn’t want to but he was moving from denial onto something even more painful: longing. Which is something he should not feel about his best friend in the entire world. Especially not if he was in the room next door with their fluffy blanket and a chamomile tea because that was the only tea Jimin ever drank no matter how often Taehyung had tried to get him addicted to green tea.
Taehyung turned down the water and toweled off quickly. Jimin didn’t mention that it had taken him almost an hour and Taehyung cuddled into his side without another word. They cooked and ate in near silence but neither of them seemed keen on striking up conversation. It wasn’t unusual for them to just enjoy each other’s company for the moment. No words needed, Jimin joked, t hey had their soulmate powers to know how the other was feeling.
“TaeTae, you wanna talk about it?” Jimin hugged him from behind and got on his tiptoes to lie his chin on Taehyung’s shoulder. Speaking of soulmate mind-reading-whatever-you-want-to-call-it powers.
“Not yet. I gotta think some more, but don’t worry, Chim.”
“Whatever it is, you know that I could never be mad at you for anything right. I love you, TaeTae and I will always love you.” Jimin framed his face with his hands to make sure that Taehyung understood.
“I know, Chim. I love you, too.”
“I brought your favorite chips. You up for the newest Avengers movie and a some quality cuddling?” Taehyung nodded, trying to ignore the confusing buzz he felt when Jimin looked at him like that. Why was he suddenly reacting like this? Nothing had changed. There were still the same, right? Even when Taehyung wasn’t they – Tae and Chim, the unstoppable soulmate duo – were still the same. They had to be.
The movie was fast paced and colorful and just what he needed after a day of trying to figure out how to not crush on his best friend. Jimin stared at the screen with rapt attention, laughed at the right jokes. And he knew what he was getting himself into when said Captain America was so much better than Iron Man because he knew that Taehyung would jump in to defend his favorite hero, who deserved better.
“How can you think that this overly inflated prick is better than a man with an actual brain. Seriously Chim, I don’t get why you like him so much. He’s all muscle and dumb decisions because he doesn’t think.” Jimin bumped into his shoulders and didn’t comment on his outbreak. He didn’t hide his smile and neither could Taehyung.
They crawled into Taehyung’s single bed, a tight fit as always but Jimin didn’t mind. His head rested on Taehyung’s chest and he was out like a light as soon as Taehyung pulled the covers up to his shoulders, Jimin only a mop of hair peaking out from beneath the blanket. Taehyung drew circles on his back, wide awake because he couldn’t ever sleep when there was something on his mind. Once he worried, he couldn’t stop until he had talked it out with Jimin and maybe found his solution .
He knew he’d have to talk about this soon and that there wasn’t that much he could do about this on his own. Jimin would push him to talk sooner or later and he wouldn’t lie to him. Never ever. But talking would mean that Jimin knew and if he knew he would act differently and not hug him anymore or be more careful around Taehyung and maybe not be his best friend anymore. It wasn’t like he was suddenly lusting after Jimin but he wanted more of what they had. To hold hands – even though they did that all the time – and cuddle more with Jimin – he was lying on top of him in his bed – and maybe kiss him good night and good morning and all throughout the day. But then everything would change and Taehyung loved being Jimin’s platonic bestie. And even if they did change he didn’t know what was going to happen between them
Jimin was the more promiscuous one of the two but that wasn’t hard when compared to Taehyung’s lackluster love life. Neither of them had been in a serious relationship for ages – ever since they had gotten closer, his mind provided completely out of place. But their degrees were challenging and too time consuming to sustain a healthy relationship. Beside theirs of course.
Taehyung didn’t sleep a wink, too busy running the same few facts through his mind over and over again until Jimin moved against his neck and left behind a trail of drool. Which was incredibly endearing in Taehyung’s humble opinion .
He nudged the nose away from his pulse point and maneuvered the sleeping man onto his side.
“Chim, you’re drooling all over me,” he said with a fondness that he always reserved for Jimin.
“ So what if I am?” Jimin didn’t open his eyes but wiped at his cheek to get the remaining wetness off.
“ I’m not your personal bib, Chim.” His friend scowled a little but didn’t answer. Sleep still held him tight and he probably couldn’t wrap his head around whatever he had said. Those first few minutes after waking up where Jimin was still out of it were one of Taehyung’s favorite Jimin modes. Right on top beside all of the other ones.
“ I’m always drooling all over you, TaeTae and you never complain.”
“Wait, what’s that supposed to mean?” Taehyung sat up and Jimin’s head landed on the mattress. It was enough to wake him up a little more.
“Exactly what I said.” Jimin looked him in the eyes and Taehyung knew he was supposed to get something right now. His friend always looked at him like that when he didn’t understand what was being said, even though he should.
Another few beats passed between them in the gears in Taehyung’s mind were turning too fast and he still couldn’t form a coherent thought. It was too late – or too early? – and at a certain point his brain just surrendered and let him deal with whatever shit he had gotten himself into.
“I don’t get it, Chim. I’m sorry, I couldn’t sleep and I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.” He started talking faster and faster and his voice got quieter as he went on. Jimin straddled his lap and sat up so they were face to face before he continued speaking. His hands on Taehyung’s shoulders were enough to ground him in the moment.
“It means that I love you, Tae, in every way possible and that I’ve been content to wait and see what happens. And I think that whatever you’ve got on your mind might be the solution to both of our problems.”
“What do you mean?” Jimin looked at him for another second before he dove in for a kiss. Not a peck or a forehead kiss or anything, but the real thing. Smack on his lips as he waited for Taehyung to react.
Taehyung, too shell-shocked to do anything but gape like a fish with Jimin’s lips on his – holy shit – didn’t move . It lasted a few seconds before Jimin leaned back and lowered his eyes. He was blushing, Taehyung could tell from the way his breathing changed and how he turned away so he couldn’t see in the dark .
“I’m sorry Tae, I just thought that - and then you started that whole boyfriend thing and I don’t know. I shouldn’t have assumed, I’m sorry.” Jimin moved to climb off the bed but Taehyung’s arms tightened around him and he stopped.
“You love me, Chim?” His voice was light and too hopeful in the dark room but he couldn’t help it.
“So much. You can’t even imagine how much I missed you when you were away and how I felt when you showed up at the gate and demanded to see me because we were boyfriends.” Jimin moved a little closer and tucked his head under Taehyung’s chin.
“I hoped so much that you meant it or that you would see me the way I saw you. Don’t get me wrong I wouldn’t trade our friendship for anything but knowing that there could be more is just...” Jimin trailed off but Taehyung understood. He understood too well and a wave of sadness crested in his stomach as he thought about how long Jimin had been feeling like this. How many times he had thought about this and never made a move.
“I want more, Chim. Whatever that means but I want it with you.”
“Then we’ll have whatever-that-means for as long as we want to. I don’t care if you call me boyfriend or soulmate or best friend or whatever. Hell, we could get married and I wouldn’t care because what matters is us and not the name other people give us.” Taehyung chuckled and his eyes filled with tears. After all this worrying and what-not, all he needed was Jimin telling him that none of this mattered as long as they had each other.
“I don’t think we can get married at the moment. All the registers are closed.” Jimin grinned and placed a peck on his nose.
“We can do that whenever. Or never, depending on how we feel about this. But what counts is that you love me and I love you and that’s all we need.”
“It’s hard to believe that it can really be that easy, Chim.”
“But you make everything easy. Cuddling, experimental physics or movie nights. Everything we ever did was easy and this will just be an upgrade from what we’ve had so far. We’ve unlocked the next level.” Jimin giggled and Taehyung pulled him closer even though that was barely possible.
“It’s too late for lame jokes, really.”
“Shut up, I’m trying to make you feel better. Now kiss me you idiot and then we can go back to sleep and start our new lives as non-platonic soulmates first thing in the morning.”
“There’s nothing I’d rather do, Chim.” Taehyung grinned as he kissed Jimin once again, this time fully present and able to enjoy the slide of their lips and the faint taste of honey chips.
When they pulled away Jimin laid down on his chest again and they fell asleep together, Jimin’s head a comforting weight against his chest.
Come morning things would change, maybe, but Taehyung knew that they were still soulmates and best friends for life and so in love with each other it was hard to believe sometimes. Still Tae and Chim and nothing could ever change that.