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Kim Taehyung hates Christmas.

It’s a waste of time; a capitalist scheme created to take advantage of the fools who fall under the spell of business’s commercialized holiday spirit. That, and it annoys him to no end. Christmas serves as nothing more than a painful reminder of his own shortcomings, and he has no doubt that this holiday season will bring the same feelings of dread, discomfort, and loneliness that they always do.

Rockin around the Christmas tree

Let the Christmas spirit ring

Later we’ll have some—

Taehyung all but slams his hand into the power button on his car radio, a groan of distaste rumbling deep in his chest as he slumps further down into his seat. He’s having one of those ‘would it really be that bad if I just drove off the road right now?’ moments, but he resists the urge, fingers tightening around the cool material of his leather steering wheel. Snow-covered trees blur in his peripheral vision as he makes his way down the familiar highway—but he isn’t happy to see them. It means he’s going home .

Kim Taehyung hates going home for Christmas. Any other time of the year, visiting his mother at his childhood home is a pleasant ordeal, and something he generally looks forward to. But during the holidays, Taehyung prefers to keep to himself. It’s less painful that way.

In all honesty, he wouldn’t have gone home this year if it wasn’t for his boss’s annoying insistence that he was overworking himself. He wholeheartedly believes that his mother had something to do with his boss’s decision. She has a knack for inserting herself into any and every situation regarding her son, and as much as Taehyung loves her, he can’t help his sour mood as he recalls the conversation that landed him here.

“You wanted to see me, Namjoon?” Taehyung asks as he knocks on the door frame to the chic office, eyebrow raised in question as he peeks his head into the room.

Namjoon nods with a small smile before gesturing to the leather chair on the opposite end of his desk. “Please, take a seat.”

Taehyung follows his instructions wordlessly, sitting in silence as Namjoon leans forward on his elbows to look at his employee with a raised brow. 

“Tell me, Taehyung,” Namjoon asks, “Are you happy?”

“I—I’m sorry, what?” Taehyung marvels, eyes comically wide as he stares at his boss in confusion. 

“You heard me. Are you happy?”

Taehyung gulps. “I… why wouldn’t I be?”

Namjoon exhales slowly, almost as if he’s disappointed in Taehyung’s answer. “Are you going home for Christmas?”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” Taehyung answers honestly, a hint of bitterness in his voice, “There isn’t much for me there this time of year. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to get ahead on some of my work—”

“I don’t think so.”

Taehyung blinks. “What?”

“You’re going home tomorrow,” Namjoon orders, “And you aren’t allowed to do any work for me or the company while you’re there.”

 “You—You can’t do that,” Taehyung glares, pointing an accusing finger at Namjoon, “You can’t just fire me for no reason.”

“I’m not firing you.” Namjoon sounds exhausted, his fingers rubbing circles into his temples. “I’m just worried about you, alright? We’ve been working together for years now, Taehyung. I care about you as both an employee and a friend. The way you’re living your life right now isn’t healthy, and you need some time away from work. If forcing you to go home is the only way to get you to take a break, then so be it.”

“What are you even talking about?” Taehyung argues, “I’m doing just fine. I work harder than anybody else in this department, my coworkers respect me, and I have more than enough money to—”

“I have all of those things as well, but I also have a family , Taehyung,” the older man interrupts, shifting in his chair so he’s leaning over the desk. His expression is painted with the colors of pity, sadness and worry when he meets Taehyung’s gaze imploringly. “I have a wife and a newborn baby. I call my mother once a week, and I visit my sister and nephew as often as I can. I care about my position at the company, yes, but there are more important things to life than money and prestige. I don’t think you realize that.” 

Taehyung glowers, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach as Namjoon continues. 

“Tell me, Taehyung—what good is it to be the richest man in the cemetery if there is nobody there to visit your grave?”

Taehyung is startled out of his thoughts by the sound of his ringtone, the shrill noise doing nothing to settle the nearly overwhelming ocean of emotions surging through him at the memory of Namjoon’s words. Deep down, Taehyung knows his boss was right—but he’ll never admit it.

After taking a moment to collect himself, Taehyung presses the small phone icon button on his steering wheel with a sigh. “Hello?”

“You took an awfully long time to pick up your phone, young man.” The corners of Taehyung’s mouth quirk up at the sound of his mother’s chastising voice. “It’s not polite to leave your mother waiting, you know.”

“Sorry Mom,” he exhales, flipping the right turn signal on with a click as he approaches a familiar red light. “Did you need something?”

His mother hums in thought. “How close are you to home?”

“I’m only about half an hour away now. Why? Did you forget to get bread at the store again? I told you you should start making a list before you leave the house—”

“No, I didn’t forget the bread ,” she sighs, “Although I was hoping you could grab something else for me on your way here.”

“Sure thing, mom,” Taehyung smiles, “What is it?”

“You’re not going to be happy about it.”

Taehyung rolls his eyes. “Unless you’re asking me to go get a Christmas tree or something like that, I’m sure I’ll be just fine.”

His mom is silent. Taehyung inhales sharply.

“Taehyung—”

“ No .” His knuckles are white around the steering wheel, anxiety practically pouring off of him in waves as he struggles not to crash his car. “You know how much I hate those places.”

“Taehyung, you’re an adult now. Could you please just set your personal vendetta against Christmas aside for an hour? I’m getting too old to go by myself, and it’d be quicker for you to just stop by on your way home. The one I usually go to is only a few minutes out of your way. You don’t have to be best friends with them, alright? Just do your best to make it out of there without causing anybody to cry. You have a habit of doing that.”

“But—”

“You’ll survive. I’ll see you in a little while!” she chirps before hanging up.

Taehyung lets out a groan of anger, allowing himself to wallow in self-pity for a moment or two until the light ahead of him turns green. Just get the tree and leave , he thinks to himself, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Just get the tree and leave.

⋆⋆⋆

Just getting the tree and leaving is, apparently, much easier said than done. Taehyung knew he’d hate it here—he’s always hated Christmas tree farms—but he’d underestimated just how much the atmosphere would upset him. 

Colorful Christmas lights decorate the light poles lining the long and winding drive, the soft glow doing its part in illuminating the sign reading Evergreen Tree Farm . Small crystalline flakes of soft white snow have begun to float down from the sky, and despite the sickness brewing in Taehyung’s stomach from the sight of so many giggling children and candy-cane decorations, the steady snowfall brings him a slight feeling of ease. 

He’s always loved the snow.

His tires crunch against gravel as he pulls his truck into a vacant spot, the light snowfall already sticking to the ground. It’s surprisingly easy to find one—from what he can remember as a kid, finding parking at these places was usually a nightmare. It’s the very beginning of December, too; shouldn’t this place be bustling with life?

Taehyung shakes his head. It doesn’t matter , he reminds himself as he jumps out of the driver’s seat and onto the snow-covered gravel below, taking the time to adjust the collars of his trenchcoat so they block the chilly wind, just get the tree and leave.

“Hello!”

Taehyung looks up to face the cheery voice before him, eyebrows raising incrementally as he takes in an easygoing smile and twinkling eyes. “Good evening.”

“What can I do for you today?” The man asks, his cheeks tinted pink from the chilly air.

Taehyung exhales slowly. “I’m here to buy a tree.”

“Well, you’re in the right place,” He beams, “Feel free to take a look around. When you find one you like, just come grab me and I’ll get you all taken care of, alright? My name is Jimin; don’t be afraid to holler if you need anything.”

Taehyung nods curtly and turns to walk away before he can say another word.

A thin layer of soft white snow crunches beneath his shoes as he floats through the rows of trees on the property, occasionally having to dodge running children with a slightly annoyed huff. Laughter and love dance in the air around him, but it only serves to worsen his mood; every family here is only deluding themselves into thinking a silly little trip to the Christmas tree farm will do something to improve their holiday cheer back at home. 

News flash: twinkling lights and the scent of pine trees won’t fix your relationship with your daughter, David . And the charm of the living tree will fade once it starts shedding all over your Christmas floor and the needles clog the hose on your super-expensive vacuum.

Okay, maybe he’s projecting a little. He just really hates Christmas tree farms.

In all honesty, he’s a little surprised by how… sad the farm looks. Despite the gleeful children and overall feeling of holiday cheer permeating the air, there are far fewer people than he would’ve expected to be at a place as classically Christmas as this little farm is, and if he looks close enough he can see where little improvements need to be made around the farm. 

A few of the lights on the colorful strands strung above his head are cracked or broken, and the arrows on the directional signs could definitely use a fresh layer of paint. But something inside of him is able to appreciate the raw authenticity of it. 

It’s almost like the little imperfections make the place more real ; more relatable to a person burned by the harsh realities of a family who simply doesn’t care. 

But that’s an issue for another day. Taehyung is here to buy a damn Christmas tree for his sweet and kind (albeit moderately invasive) mother, not to relive his childhood trauma. 

It doesn’t take Taehyung long to find a tree that he deems suitable for his mother’s home. After a few minutes of perusing his options, he settles on a robust forest green tree, the top of the monstrous thing reaching well over eight feet tall. His mother has always preferred extravagant trees—it’s almost as if she thought a bigger tree would help fill the hole in their hearts that a certain someone should have occupied during the holiday season. 

Taehyung shakes away the thoughts with a sour expression. Just get the tree and leave , he repeats to himself, Don’t think about him right now. It’ll only make you more upset. Allowing himself a few moments to compose himself, he makes a mental note of where the tree is located before leaving to search for Jimin.

It doesn’t take too long for the tree to be bundled up and thrown into the bed of Taehyung’s truck. Jimin is all smiles and exaggerated hand motions as he leads Taehyung to the small cabin once the tree is sufficiently secured, his excited chatter occupying the silence that threatens to hang over the two of them like a blanket.

“We have a small ornament collection inside, too, if you’re interested—”

“Just the tree is fine. Thank you.”

Jimin’s easygoing smile falters a bit at Taehyung’s interruption. “T-That’s alright! I’ll go ahead and get you all checked out, then.” 

Jimin holds open the door for Taehyung as they enter the small cabin to the right of the gravel parking lot. It smells like fresh wood and Christmas candles, and as Taehyung waits for him to ready the register, he takes note of the display showcasing a handful of handmade ornaments just a few feet to his left. They look painstakingly detailed; delicate golden swirls intertwine with themselves to form a beautifully intricate pattern against a velvety red background, the minuscule variations between the different ornaments showcasing the artist’s ability to express their creativity in order to create a final result that’s simultaneously unique and uniform.

“How would you like to pay—”

“Card.” Taehyung’s already extending his hand out to Jimin as he speaks, and judging by the look on the employee’s face, Taehyung assumes that it’s all he can do to not snatch the shiny black card balanced between his carefully manicured nails. He doesn’t really care.

Taehyung hears the door open behind him while he watches Jimin insert the card into the chip reader. The sound of boots stomping on the small carpet by the doorway rattles through the small building before the footsteps make their way around Taehyung’s right, his eyes scanning over the stranger once they enter his field of vision.

“Hey, sweetheart,” a man who Taehyung assumes to be Jimin’s coworker murmurs while situating himself beside him at the register. He pulls off his wooly mittens in two swift motions, his nose and cheeks tinted pink as he flashes Jimin a sweet heart-shaped smile. “Need any help?”

“I’ve got it, Hoseokie.” Jimin’s smile softens upon seeing him, though his brow furrows when he notices the tenseness underlying Jimin’s expression. “Just finishing this transaction up. Could you grab a gift bag for me?”

Taehyung taps his foot impatiently as Jimin taps the small screen before him a few times, letting out an annoyed huff of air as the coworker—apparently named Hoseok—places a small green paper bag on the counter. He notices Hoseok giving him an odd look at the impatient sound, but he can’t be bothered to do anything except level him with a cool stare.

“Thank you,” Jimin smiles at Hoseok before bending down to grab something while the small black machine processes Taehyung’s card. The card reader beeps a few times, the shrill sound grating against Taehyung’s ears as Jimin ignores it in favor of searching for something beneath the desk. Taehyung knows he didn’t purchase anything besides the tree so he’s clueless as to what he could possibly be searching for, and he’s itching to get out of the cabin and back home.

“I’m sorry, how long is this going to take?” Taehyung asks, allowing his irritation to seep into his tone.

Across the counter, Hoseok crosses his arms with a frown. “Hold your horses, alright? Let him do his job—”

“It’s fine, Seok,” Jimin interrupts, placing a mysterious object into the paper bag before sliding it across the counter towards Taehyung. He isn’t sure exactly what it was because Jimin had wrapped it in red tissue paper, but it was in the shape of a sphere, the object probably big enough to fit in the palm of his hand.

“Would you like your receipt?” Taehyung shakes his head no. Jimin hums and hands his card back to him. “Alright. Thanks for stopping by, and have a very Merry Christmas.” 

Taehyung opens his mouth to question what’s inside of the green gift bag, but Jimin begins to speak as if he already knew what he was going to ask. 

“It’s a gift.” Jimin’s voice holds none of the excitement or cheer from earlier in the night when he first greeted Taehyung by his truck as he regards him with a bitter smile. “I hope it helps.”

Jimin turns away to talk to his coworker before Taehyung can ask what he meant by help , and frankly, he doesn’t really care. He simply shakes his head in a disbelieving manner before taking the bag from the countertop and exiting the small shop in silence. 

⋆⋆⋆

Jimin and Hoseok love Christmas.

It’s a beautiful time of the year; holiday music dances through the speakers around their property and festive lights twinkle against the stars in the sky, the cheery sight equally as responsible for the warm feeling in Jimin’s chest that his fresh hot chocolate is. That, and the fact that he gets to spend so much time in the snow with his husband.

Hoseok is everything that is good in the world. He’s patient and kind; gentle and caring. He’s the most loyal person Jimin has ever met, and he balances his rationality with his empathy impressively well, allowing him to rope in Jimin’s wild dreams without crushing them altogether. He nurtures his deepest desires while remaining steadfast in his ability to see a situation as it is. 

He also happens to be very protective of the things—and the people—who he loves.

“You really shouldn’t let people talk to you that way.”

Jimin has never liked when Hoseok frowns; it’s far too dreary of an expression to be resting on his normally cheerful face, the downturned corners of his mouth too heavy to fit what he describes as his “life vibe.” So rather than reply to his statement right away, Jimin raises a hand to cup his cheek, allowing his thumb to brush lightly across the corner of his lips and the apple of his cheek.

“We need every customer we can get, Seok,” he exhales, “It doesn’t matter if they’re rude to me or not. Business is business.”

“But—”

“Hobi.” Jimin’s voice is softer this time. The sound of his name falling from Jimin’s lips is so delicate that Hoseok fears it may break, the vulnerability and fear soaking the two syllables until they’re infused with the very essence of his inner turmoil. They serve as both a warning and a cry for help, and no matter how he feels about the situation, he recognizes that Jimin is on the cusp of a breakdown.

And so for now, he sighs deeply, putting what he’d really like to say on a shelf and focusing on being gentle with his words. “I just… I hate that it has to be this way.”

“I know.” Jimin looks away. “I don’t like it either. But we don’t really have much of a choice, do we?”

Hoseok knows that there’s another option—he knows Jimin knows it too—but now isn’t the time to push him, so he simply leaves the words unspoken and changes the subject. “So, what do you think that guy’s problem was?”

Jimin shrugs and shuffles closer to Hoseok so he can wrap his arms around his torso, finding comfort in the steady beating of the older man’s heart against his ear and the feeling of his arms holding him tight. “‘M not sure. Maybe he just needed some Christmas cheer.”

Hoseok chuckles softly. “Is that why you gave him that little gift?”

“Mhm,” Jimin concedes, “Who knows. Maybe it’ll bring him a little joy when he least expects it.”

“Yeah,” he agrees quietly, his large hand rubbing warm circles into Jimin’s back, “Maybe it will.”

⋆⋆⋆

Snow crunches beneath Taehyung’s tires as he pulls into the familiar driveway. He’s never particularly loved the way that the large house looms over him, the size of it too large to be totally normal but too small to be called a mansion. Nevertheless, it’s home, and no matter how old he grows or how far he travels, there’s always something nice about being able to come back to his roots—he just prefers if his hometown visits don’t happen during the holiday season.

Cold winter air nips at his nose and cheeks when he hops out of the driver’s seat and slams the door behind him, his large trench coat not quite thick enough to keep him toasty in the chilly night air. He barely has the chance to round the front of his truck before he’s being wrapped in a warm hug; a surprised noise escapes him before he wraps his arms around the smaller human hugging him to death, their grip so tight that he thinks he may crack a rib.

“Mom,” he wheezes, giving her arms a light squeeze, “Can’t. Breathe.”

She releases him a few moments later, her eyes sparkling with mirth. He can’t help but notice that her teasing smirk resembles that of his own as she begins her customary rapid-fire interview. “How was the drive? Did you get me a tree-like I asked? I hope you chose one that will properly fill out the corner of the living room, you know how I feel about trees that are too small—”

“Mom, don’t worry,” he interrupts her with a smile, “The drive was fine. And yes, I got your tree. I’m sure that you’ll find it to be more than satisfactory.” As he continues to speak, however, he begins to realize that there’s someone missing. “Where’s dad?”

Her expression falters, a sadness he recognizes all too well now shining in her eyes. “He’s at work.”

Taehyung’s jaw tightens as his mother’s smaller hand reaches out to clasp his. It gives his own hand a comforting squeeze before tugging on it gently, an unspoken gesture asking him to follow her inside before he can get too lost in his own thoughts. He complies without resistance.

Taehyung answers all of his mother’s most pressing questions in front of the fireplace with a small smile, unsure of how much time actually passes before the tree somehow ends up inside for them to begin decorating. Boxes filled with tinsel, ornaments, and other decorative pieces are scattered about the spacious living room, and despite his mother practically vibrating with anticipation to tear into the collection of Christmas goods, he finds that he simply feels numb.

It’s an improvement—after all, feeling nothing at all is better than feeling angry and empty.

Although he doesn’t care too much for decorating, he agrees to help his mother without complaint, knowing that being able to spend time with him like this means the world to her. He isn’t around all that much anymore, and he knows she gets lonely.

“So,” his mother begins carefully as she hangs a snowman ornament from a branch, “Namjoon called me the other day. He said he had some concerns.”

Taehyung freezes as a feeling of dread pools in his stomach at the mention of his boss. His mother has always liked to meddle with his personal affairs, and her need to insert herself into his life combined with Namjoon’s protective nature never bode well for him. 

“Oh?” He asks, trying to keep his voice relatively smooth despite the tightness in his throat. “Did he, now?”

His mother hums pensively, “He doesn’t think you’re taking very good care of yourself, Tae. He says that you’ve lost yourself in your job and don’t know how to separate your work life from your social life, and to be honest, I don’t disagree with him.”

“Mom…” Taehyung warns. He doesn’t want to have this conversation right now—or ever, really.

“I’m worried about you, Taehyung. I really am.” Her eyes are filled with sadness when she looks at him, the look so pained he can almost physically feel her sorrow. “The way you’re living right now isn’t healthy.”

He tongues the inside of his cheek. “I’m doing just fine.”

She shakes her head like she doesn’t believe him. “I got you a job.”

“You—I’m sorry, what ?” Taehyung marvels, his previously crossed arms falling to his side. “Mom, I have a job. I don’t need another one, nor do I have time for it—”

“I worked everything out with Namjoon,” she interrupts, “He thinks this is a great idea. You need the break, Tae. It hurts me to see you like this.” Taehyung says nothing, so she continues. “The job is simple enough—well, if you could even call it that. You won’t be getting paid, so—”

“Wait, wait, wait,” he shakes his head, “You want me to take time off of work to be a fucking intern ?”

“You won’t be an intern,” she snaps back at him, “You’ll be volunteering . The people there could really use your help, especially with your experience in marketing. It’ll be good for you, Tae.”

“I can’t fucking believe this,” he laments as he drags his hand across his face, “Why do you feel the need to insert yourself into every aspect of my life?”

“Because if you stay on this path, you’re going to end up just like your father, Taehyung!” Her voice is pleading, eyes brimming with unshed tears. 

Taehyung’s blood runs cold, his eyes widening for a moment before they narrow into an affronted glare. “I am nothing like him.” 

He doesn’t wait for a reply before storming off, ignoring the call of his name echoing through the room behind him as he stomps away. His feet carry him up the stairs and down the hallway by habit, and in the blink of an eye, he’s slamming the door of his childhood bedroom behind him like an angry teenager, chest heaving as he tries to calm himself down.

Taehyung knows that his mother only means well. He knows that her actions are driven by love, and she only does whatever she thinks is best for him. But that doesn’t mean he’s happy about her actions.

So he settles for floating around his room, long fingers trailing across the spines of superhero comics and old young adult novels that managed to captivate him once upon a time. He can feel a heavy blanket of nostalgia settle over him as he takes a seat at the small desk beneath his window, trinkets of all shapes and sizes decorating the worn wooden surface.

Taehyung almost feels like he’s gazing into a past life when he opens the middle drawer with a squeak and begins to sift through the assortment of papers inside. Old homework assignments, abandoned journal entries, and elementary school artwork fill the drawer to the brim. He can faintly remember a time when these slips of paper were important in his life—monumental, even—but now, they’re nothing more than ghosts of his past. 

One particular drawing near the bottom of the drawer makes his heart stutter in his chest. The lines are messy and the flowers are nearly as tall as the three people who stand on the solid block of green taking up the lower third of the page; it’s as perfect as any drawing born from a young mind and a tiny fist can be. 

It’s the words smattered across the page that steal the air from Taehyung’s lungs.

Mommy, Daddy, and Me

The stick figures’ arms are connected by little blobs that Taehyung can only assume are hands, a myriad of pink and purple hearts surrounding the happy little family. He hates that he’s trying not to cry while looking at the crudely drawn people; hates that the tears begin to slip down his cheeks and onto the paper that’s shaking like a leaf in his unsteady hands before he can get a grip on his emotions.

He hates that this picture represents the dream of a little boy that will never come true.

Taehyung can’t change the past, and he already knows what his future will hold. His job is important to him—a small part of him still thinks that his father will miraculously change overnight if he’s successful enough—and the amount of time he’s allotted towards achieving his goals simply doesn’t leave time to have a family of his own.

Wiping away the wetness from his tear-soaked cheeks, Taehyung slips the drawing back into the drawer and slams it shut a little harder than he should, causing the trinkets atop the wood to sway dangerously. 

His mother is wrong.

Taehyung isn’t going to be like his father, but not because of some miraculous change of heart—it’s because he won’t have a family to disappoint to begin with.

⋆⋆⋆

Jimin has never particularly loved warm weather. He much prefers cold air and a plethora of layers, relishing the way his nose turns pink and his fingers begin to tingle when he spends a few too many minutes out in the chilly winter air. Snowflakes flutter down outside the window to his left, the small specks blurring together to make a flurry of white that fills his heart with contentment.

The cold simply suits him better—although a little warmth is nice sometimes.

“Hobi?”

Jimin’s head is resting on Hoseok’s chest as he traces indiscernible shapes over the cotton of the latter’s t-shirt. Hoseok’s legs are tangled with his and his arms are wrapped around Jimin’s protectively, the sound of his heartbeat against the younger man’s ear mixing with the chatter from the movie playing on the television just a few feet away.

The second his name falls from Jimin’s lips, Hoseok leans down to press a kiss to the top of his head, his arms giving Jimin a loving squeeze. “Hmm?”

Jimin gulps. “Do you—do you think think the farm will be okay?”

Jimin feels Hoseok’s slow exhale just as much as he hears it, sadness weighing heavy on the elder’s heart as he ponders on how to respond. He knows that this is about more than the farm; knows Jimin well enough to realize what he’s really asking. Will we be okay?

“I don’t know,” Hoseok whispers, wishing so badly that he could say the words that would dry the tears forming in Jimin’s eyes but knowing that he can’t without lying. 

Despite Jimin’s valiant attempt to act strong in his presence, Hoseok knows how hard this has been on him. It’s been hard on Hoseok, too. This farm is their life; it means everything to both of them, and he isn’t sure how Jimin would cope with losing it. He isn’t sure he could cope with losing it.

But he might have to. And no matter what, Hoseok will be there for him through it all, just like he always has been.

It all began when Jimin was four and Hoseok was seven. Hoseok’s family moved into the house just down the street, his cheery smile and bright eyes lighting up Jimin’s world in an instant. The two of them were the only children in the small neighborhood that stood on the outskirts of town, resulting in a near-instant friendship, despite the small age difference.

From that point on, he and Hoseok were attached at the hip. No matter how big or how small, the two of them were present for nearly every coming of age milestone the other experienced, not wanting to miss even the smallest details as they walked through life together.

They graduated kindergarten and elementary school three years apart, standing and cheering in the audience at the back of the cafeteria while the other stood proudly at the front. They shared a locker for one year in middle school, and when Jimin entered his sophomore year of high school, Hoseok was there for his first kiss—because he was Jimin’s first kiss.

Hoseok was there when Jimin’s grandmother died. Jimin was a high school junior at the time. It pained his mother too much to visit the farm after it happened—though she allowed him to continue going to see the snowy, memory-filled place as often as he liked. 

When he and Hoseok were seniors in college, Jimin’s family had settled on selling the farm since they couldn’t keep up with it—but the two of them took over the abandoned farm as it was on its last legs and revived it. It was reborn into the place of their dreams; it carried the nostalgia of years spent side by side with Jimin’s grandmother, but it also transformed into a place that was solely his and Hoseok’s, their shared love for the farm turning it into something only the both of them could create.

Jimin is broken out of his peaceful reverie by the sound of Hoseok’s phone ringing. The latter shrugs lightly before bringing the device up to his ear, eyes brightening in recognition of whoever was on the other end of the line. 

Jimin waits anxiously as Hoseok holds a hushed conversation with the person, murmuring a “Let me talk to him about it,” before pulling the phone away and covering the end with his hand.

Hoseok quickly explains the situation to Jimin: Mrs. Kim, a friendly woman from across town who also happens to be a very loyal customer seems to have caught word of the farm’s struggles. She firmly believes that the magical Christmas tree farm deserves to remain in business for as long as she has a say in it, and she knows that it may not change a lot, but she has a son who would be able to start volunteering at the farm during the week and help them with whatever they need.

“What do you think?” Hoseok asks, brow creased as he considers the pros and cons of the situation.

“I… I say we give it a try,” Jimin replies, voice slow and deliberate. “What other choice do we have?”

⋆⋆⋆

Taehyung is most certainly not a happy camper when he pulls into Evergreen Tree Farm for the second time in 24 hours. 

He wasn’t planning on going along with his mother’s plan for him to “volunteer,” but when she threatened to get Namjoon involved, he knew that he didn’t have any other choice. Namjoon wouldn’t fire him, but he’d definitely give Taehyung an earful about it—and there is no worse feeling than disappointing Namjoon.

So, when his alarm went off at 7:15 AM, he rolled out of bed and onto the floor with an undignified thump , allowing himself to sulk on the hardwood floors for approximately five minutes before forcing himself to get up and ready for the day ahead. (He may or may not have slammed the door on the way out like a petulant teenager, but he was angry, alright?)

Despite the steaming cup of hot chocolate he’d downed on the way to the farm, his mood is still less than desirable when he steps out of his truck and walks up to the small cabin that he’d been in just last night. He’s not ready to face Jimin and who he assumes was his husband; his cheerful attitude was nearly too much for Taehyung’s agitated mind to handle the first time he met him, so he isn’t sure how he’s supposed to work with him for the rest of the month.

Deep down, Taehyung knows that his true annoyance wasn’t really with Jimin—he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Taehyung is sure that if he’d met him in another setting, his bright smile and chipper attitude would’ve been nothing short of charming, but alas, his quirks are mere annoyances to Taehyung in his already irritated state. 

It’s only for a month , he reminds himself as he knocks on the slightly faded wooden door, You don’t have to be friends with them. Just do what they ask you to and it’ll be over before you know it.

And then the door opens.

⋆⋆⋆

To say that Jimin is surprised when he opens the door to see the rude (yet admittedly handsome) stranger from the night before standing on his shop’s front porch would be an understatement.

“H-Hi,” Jimin stammers awkwardly, brows knit in slight confusion, “Can I, uh, help you?”

“Kim Taehyung,” the man before him states cooly, “I’m here to… volunteer .”

Something in Jimin’s stomach twists at the way Taehyung almost sneers the last word of his sentence, but he shakes it off, an enlightened look lifting his brows into a pleasantly surprised expression. “Oh! Please, come on inside,” he smiles, opening the door for Taehyung to follow him into the shop before raising his voice slightly. “Hobi! Mr. Kim is here, come and introduce yourself!”

His husband’s head pops out of the side room only a few moments later, a bright smile painting his lips as he excitedly bounds over to him and Taehyung.

“Mr. Kim, this is my husband, Hoseok,” Jimin introduces with a grin.

Hoseok’s cheery smile falters when he realizes that the tall, dark, and handsome stranger is the same arrogant man from the night before, but he’s polite nonetheless. “Thanks for coming out,” he extends a hand for Taehyung to shake, “We really appreciate the help.”

“You can save your thanks for my mother,” Taehyung says flatly, neglecting to elaborate on the statement that sounds a little too bitter to be intended as a joke.

Hoseok clears his throat. “Jimin, can I talk to you for a moment?”

Jimin throws an apologetic smile Taehyung’s way before obliging, following Hoseok until they’re standing out of earshot behind the counter. 

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Hoseok asks, his brow knit in concern, “I know we need the help, but he really doesn’t look like he wants to be here. What if he ends up causing more trouble than it’s worth?”

“I know that he makes you nervous, but I trust Mrs. Kim’s judgment,” Jimin insists, allowing his gaze to flicker over to where Taehyung is carefully observing their ornament collection, “Let’s just give him a chance, alright? I’m sure it won’t take too long for him to warm up to us. Maybe he’s just bad at first impressions.”

Jimin knows that Taehyung seems a little rough around the edges, but something tells him that there’s more to him than meets the eye. Maybe he really is a cold businessman who’s rude to strangers for no other reason than he can be—or maybe, he’s a guarded soul in need of a little extra love. They won’t know until they at least try to crack his hard exterior.

Hoseok sighs, reaching out to give Jimin’s hand a gentle squeeze before acquising. “Fine. But I still don’t have a good feeling about this.”

“I’ll handle him,” Jimin smiles, “Just leave it to me.”

⋆⋆⋆

Kim Taehyung really doesn’t want to be here; that much is obvious. No matter how many smiles Jimin sends his way, he’s met with a disinterested stare time and time again, a feeling of desperation creeping up his spine as the day flies by and he makes little to no progress with Taehyung.

Jimin knows that realistically, it’s going to take more than a few hours and one too many dad jokes to break through Taehyung’s metaphorical walls, but that doesn’t stop him from feeling a little discouraged when the coldness of his attitude seems to rival the below freezing temperature of the winter air. 

Jimin is normally pretty good at holding a conversation with anyone, but trying to pull information out of Taehyung is almost like pulling teeth, his disinterested persona doing nothing to aid him in the icebreaker category. 

When he asked Taehyung if he was particularly interested in doing anything specific to help out, the volunteer simply shrugged, saying that he’d probably dislike any job Jimin gave him. Hoseok gave him a pointed look after that one, but he’d ignored it and invited Taehyung on an official tour of the property with the hopes that it’d give him a better idea of what he could do to help out. 

“So,” Jimin speaks up as they walk through the rows of trees, breath blowing past his lips in frosty white puffs, “It must’ve been quite an experience growing up with the infamous Mrs. Kim as a mother. She’s quite the character.”

“She is.” Taehyung’s answer is short, but Jimin can hear a tinge of fondness seeping into the edges of his voice—a detail that makes his heart a little warmer.

“She’s one of our most loyal customers,” Jimin smiles softly, “If I’d known you were her son, I would’ve given you a family discount, you know.” 

Taehyung says nothing in response, but he doesn’t scoff, either, so Jimin doesn't think he’s too annoyed with his attempts at a somewhat pleasant conversation. He’ll take what he can get. 

“Have you ever—”

“I’m sorry. Could we please cut the small talk?”

He stands corrected. 

“Y-Yeah. Sorry.” A small pang of hurt stings uncomfortably in Jimin’s chest, but he awkwardly shrugs it away. 

“Thanks.”

The rest of the tour is silent save Jimin’s occasional explanations. But even then, his words are meek and his gaze is downcast, the upward turn of his lips tight and unnatural. Taehyung still seems indifferent despite it all.

Taehyung’s aloof persona cracks when they approach Hoseok and a few customers. The elder seems to be struggling to get them to make the purchase, a slightly defeated energy emitting from his body language as he interacts with the uninterested couple.

“Hello,” Taehyung interrupts smoothly, sticking out a hand for the couple to take turns shaking, “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Kim Taehyung; are you folks looking to buy a tree?”

The couple immediately shifts their attention to him and his bright, boxy smile—a sight that practically steals the breath from Jimin’s lungs. He’s never seen him smile before. Hoseok seems to be sharing the same thoughts as him, because when he glances over at his husband, he’s staring at Taehyung in near-awe, mouth slightly agape as he observes the interaction from the sidelines.

Jimin swears that not even a minute has passed before Taehyung is suddenly turning to him, a spark of pride twinkling in his deep brown eyes as he regards Jimin with a raised brow. “My new friends here would like to purchase that tree over there,” he smiles, voice as deep as rolling thunder and smooth as silk, “Would you mind getting them checked out?”

Jimin is too shocked to say much else, giving him a small nod before turning to the couple and smiling warmly. “O-Of course. Come with me.”

⋆⋆⋆

“So,” Jimin breaches the silence that’s settled in the shop, “You… have a knack for selling stuff.”

Taehyung shrugs. “I’m a small business marketing specialist. Knowing how to appeal to potential buyers is kind of my job.”

“Well, you’re pretty good at it,” Jimin smiles. “I think that you’ll be a huge help around here if your focus is working with our customers. It beats doing the manual labor, and you won’t have to get here as early in the morning—although we will have to teach you how to use the register.” He pauses. “That is, if you’re still interested in continuing to help.”

Taehyung is silent for a few moments, his expression aloof as he mulls over the proposition. “I’ll do it.”

Jimin can’t hide the look of relief that flashes across his face, shoulders sagging as a grateful laugh falls from his lips. “Thank you, Mr. Kim,” he smiles, “I know that this was your mother’s idea, but I promise we’ll make your time here worthwhile.”

Hoseok nods as he wraps an arm around Jimin’s shoulders. “Thank you. We… we really appreciate it.”

Taehyung stares at the two of them for a few moments before checking the watch on his wrist. His impassive look doesn’t shift as he sighs and shoves his hands into his coat pockets, digging out the keys to his truck and gesturing toward the exit. “I’ll be back at the same time tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, Mr. Kim!” Jimin calls out cheerfully. The only response he gets is the sound of the door shutting behind the mysterious businessman.

⋆⋆⋆

“Santa ate all of the cookies that we made for him! He must’ve really liked them,” a young boy excitedly informs his classmate, an elated grin plastered to his face.

“Really? There were still a few cookies left on the plate we left him when my sister and I woke up on Christmas morning,” his friend frowns, “Maybe he didn’t like them as much.”

“He probably just wasn’t hungry enough, Minjun,” a third boy interjects, “Maybe he was full after eating all of Beomseok’s cookies.”

“Yeah! My mom and I made a lot of cookies, and my tummy hurts after I eat too many, so maybe he didn’t want his tummy to hurt too,” Beomseok reasons, “I bet your cookies were really good!”

Minjun perks up at his friends’ comforting words, a bright smile replacing his previous frown. “My dad helped me make them, and he’s really good at cooking, so you’re probably right!”

As the boys continue to chatter about the gifts they got from Santa Claus and the various sledding adventures they embarked on with their families, Taehyung stands frozen at his cubby just a few feet away, trying to quell the longing currently swelling in his small chest. 

He wishes that his dad would bake Christmas cookies with him. His mom usually helps, but this year she was ill on Christmas Eve and wasn’t feeling well enough to move around the house, and she said that he was too young to bake them himself. 

As soon as he hears the familiar sound of tires crunching against snow in the driveway, Taehyung bolts out of his room and down the stairs to wait excitedly at the door, practically bouncing as he waits for his father to come in the front door. It doesn’t take long for the doorknob to begin to jiggle, the door swinging open to reveal the middle-aged man only moments later.

“Dad!” Taehyung cheers, wrapping his arms around his father’s torso as soon as the door is shut behind him, “You’re home!”

The older man gives Taehyung’s hair a short ruffle before peeling his arms away from his waist. “Aren’t you a little old to be acting like this, Taehyung? You’ll be turning eight in less than a week.”

Taehyung pouts. “Jus’ missed you, dad. That’s all.”

His father sighs as he hangs his jacket and hat on the coat stand to his right. “I know, kiddo. How’s mom feeling?”

“She’s still in bed,” Taehyung frowns, “But she says that with a good night’s sleep she’ll feel good enough to open presents tomorrow!”

The older man hums. “You should go ahead and go to bed soon too, Taehyung. It’s getting close to your bedtime.”

“But we haven’t made any cookies for Santa Claus!” Taehyung pouts, reaching up to tug on his dad’s sleeve, “If we don’t make any cookies, Santa might get upset and leave me coal instead of presents. What if his feelings get hurt?”

“I’m sure Santa will be just fine,” his father comments absentmindedly as he opens his phone to check on his notifications.

“Will… will you help me make them?” Taehyung asks, giving his father’s sleeve a small tug, “I know mommy usually helps, but she says I’m not old enough to make them myself, so I need you to help me.”

“I can’t tonight, Taehyung,” his father sighs, “I have too much work to do.”

Taehyung can feel teardrops gathering in his eyes, the droplets threatening to spill over as he gives his dad the saddest look he can muster. “Please? We always leave cookies out for Santa Claus, and I—”

“I said no.” His father’s voice is much tighter than it was before, thinly veiled frustration apparent in his tone. “Now go to bed.”

Taehyung feels the first few tears slip down his cheeks, though he hastily wipes them away with the sleeve of his sweater. “B-But dad, Santa, he—he’ll be upset if we don’t—”

“Kim Taehyung,” his father glowers down at him, “I did not raise a crybaby. You need to grow up. Big kids don’t cry over Santa Claus and cookies.”

“You guys should grow up.”

Beomseok, Minjun, and Donghyun all turn to look at Taehyung with varying confused expressions. 

“Huh?” Minjun tilts his head, “What do you mean, Tae?”

“Big kids don’t get upset about Santa Claus,” Taehyung frowns, “You should grow up.”

“We are big kids,” Minjun frowns, “You’re just being a meanie.”

“Am not .”

“Are too.”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

“I’m not being a meanie!” Taehyung yells, “You guys are just babies who still believe in Santa Claus.”

“Kim Taehyung!” The teacher reprimands, having approached the small group of boys as soon as she heard raised voices from across the classroom, “Is that how we speak to our friends?”

Taehyung crosses his arms and glares at Minjun. “He started it.”

“It doesn’t matter who started it,” she scolds gently before gesturing towards the door. “I’m ending it. Come on. Let’s go have a chat with Principal Bang.”

⋆⋆⋆

“Good morning, Mr. Kim!” Jimin greets cheerily when Taehyung steps out of his truck.

A gentle early-morning snowfall has already begun. Small ice crystals float down to land amongst his fluffy chocolate curls and stick to the coarse fabric of his trenchcoat, the sight slightly softening his usually intimidating image. 

Taehyung simply nods in his direction before brushing past him. Jimin tries not to let the disappointment bring him down—Taehyung has been here every day for nearly a week, and he’s yet to say more than a few words to him at a time. No matter how hard he tries to crack his hard outer shell, almost all attempts at a real conversation are quickly shut down by the man’s vague answers, and Jimin considers himself lucky if he gets an actual sentence in response.

But despite his clear disinterest in entertaining any sort of friendship between himself, Jimin, and Hoseok, his presence on the farm has truly been helpful. In the short week he’s been here, Taehyung’s proven himself to be very good at his job (Jimin is pretty sure he could be a whole lot better if he actually cared , but he digresses). With Taehyung being able to handle a hefty portion of the customers who roll through the farm, his attitude surprisingly charming as he does so, Jimin and Hoseok are able to focus on things that they weren’t able to in the past, like repainting faded signs and repairing old fences.

Not only that, but Taehyung’s assistance (however reluctant) has allowed the couple to breathe a little easier. They love the farm, they really do—it’s their pride and joy—but running a business with only two people has taken a toll on a person, whether they’d like to admit it or not. He and Hoseok made it work, but being able to step back and let someone else do a little work has allowed Jimin to realize just how hard the two of them were working to keep the farm afloat on their own.

Hoseok is still wary of Taehyung—the way the younger man treats Jimin rubs him the wrong way—but Jimin continues to implore him to give the businessman a chance. He’s always been more trusting than his husband; it’s just in his nature to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but something tells him that there’s more than meets the eye to Taehyung.

Hoseok says that he’s being too optimistic, but Jimin knows that he’s just worried. Worried that he’ll get too invested and end up hurt in the end; worried that he’ll give too much of himself to a total stranger out of the goodness of your his. 

But something in his gut is telling him that behind the mask of cold indifference he wears so confidently, Taehyung is hiding a gentle soul with a heart that just needs a little love—and Jimin’s gut is never wrong.

⋆⋆⋆

It’s only a few days later when Jimin finds himself sitting on the front steps of the shop’s wooden porch, a warm cup of hot chocolate cradled between his frosty fingertips. Hoseok is off somewhere doing some end-of-the-day jobs around the farm, and while Jimin should probably be doing some necessary cleanup inside the shop right now, he can’t bring himself to stand up and do it .

It’s been a long day, and he wants nothing more than to just sit here and finish his hot chocolate in peace.

“You’ve got it good, Hazel,” he sighs, reaching out to gently scratch behind the goldendoodle’s fluffy ears, “All you have to do is sit there and look cute. I’d take that over dealing with the general public any day.”

Hazel simply nuzzles her head back into his hand, tail thumping happily against the porch as he gives the chestnut-colored puppy the attention she craves. She’s about a month shy of being a year old now, and Jimin can’t believe she’s gotten so big in just eleven months. Trying to picture the sixty-pound dog as the tiny puppy she used to be is nearly impossible.

She’s just begun to settle down for a nap when her head suddenly perks up, Jimin’s hand falling back to his lap when she immediately takes off running towards a familiar figure approaching the shop.

“Hazel!” he calls out, exasperation clear in his tone, “Leave Mr. Kim alone! He doesn’t want your muddy paws all over his nice pants, you little rat.”

Something in Jimin’s heart flutters when Taehyung simply smiles down at the excited puppy, one of his large hands coming down to ruffle the wavy fur on top of her head. Despite Taehyung having been at the farm daily for the past two weeks, Hazel has the same elated reaction every time he says hello to her, nearly bulldozing anyone who gets in the way of her and her new best friend when she runs to greet him.

Jimin is worried that Taehyung will get annoyed at some point or another—but much to his relief, Taehyung’s fondness for the overexcited puppy seems endless. He might even go as far as to say they’ve bonded over the businessman’s short time at the farm; he seems to like the canine far more than he likes Jimin or Hoseok, if the grin he sports every time he sees her says anything. 

“It’s alright,” Taehyung smiles softly. A small laugh falls from his lips when Hazel pushes her snout into the palm of his hand before giving it a happy lick when he momentarily stops scratching her ears. “I don’t mind.”

“I think you’re her favorite now,” Jimin says lightheartedly, “If you aren’t careful, she might hop up into the cab of your truck and ride home with you one day.”

“I don’t think I’d mind that either,” Taehyung smiles, giving Hazel a few more pets before making his way toward you. “What’re you drinking?”

Jimin stares at him for a few moments before shaking his head and clearing his throat. “Uh, it’s hot chocolate. I’m not much of a coffee person.”

Taehyung hums. “Me neither.”

Jimin can’t hide the surprised expression clearly showing on his face. He has no idea where Taehyung’s sudden talkativeness came from; as far as Jimin knows, nothing too eventful happened over the course of the day that would’ve incited a sudden change of heart. But Taehyung is really, actually talking to him, and he isn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“Do you… do you want me to make you some?” Jimin asks slowly, nodding towards the shop behind him. “It’s nothing fancy; just the powder kind you mix in with milk.”

Taehyung halts his petting, Hazel letting out a discontented ruff at the sudden absence of fingers behind her ears. “I… I don’t want to be a bother,” he murmurs.

“It’s really no problem,” Jimin assures him, already standing up and turning to face the door. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Just shout if Hazel gets to be too much.” He doesn’t wait to hear Taehyung’s response before heading inside, the door shutting with a soft click behind him. 

It doesn’t take Jimin too long to make the warm, chocolatey drink. The spoon clinks quietly against the edges of the mug in his hands as he swirls it around, carefully mixing the powder into the warm milk until all of it has dissolved. 

The mug itself is white with the words “#1 Doodle Dad” stamped across the front in a funky rainbow font, a graphic of a smiling goldendoodle printed neatly beneath the title. Jimin had gotten it for Hoseok for his birthday, and he thought it’d be fitting for Taehyung considering his and Hazel’s close-knit relationship.

He isn’t sure where Taehyung’s new attitude came from. It’s so opposite of every emotion that he’s shown towards him and Hoseok so far. But Jimin is more than happy about the fact that Taehyung seems to finally be opening up to him—and he’s loving the lively personality that he seems to have been hiding up until now.

When Jimin steps out back out onto the porch, Taehyung is cooing at the happy goldendoodle, hands teasingly ruffling up the fur around her ears before booping the end of her snout gently. She playfully nips at his hands as he does so, eliciting a gentle laugh from the normally stoic man. 

“Bon appetit,” Jimin announces, handing the mug to Taehyung before plopping down on the porch beside him. 

Taehyung murmurs a soft thank you before bringing the mug to his lips. A hum of contentment escapes him after he takes a sip of the steaming drink, eyes crinkling at the corners when he pulls away from the mug and notices the words on the front.

“‘#1 Doodle dad?’” he asks with a smile.

“Thought it was fitting, all things considered,” Jimin explains with a light chuckle, “Like I said, I think you’re Hazel’s favorite now.”

Taehyung smiles down at the puppy with a softness in his gaze that melts Jimin’s heart as silence settles over the two of them. Unlike the tense, anxious quiet that usually arises from Taehyung’s lack of speaking, this silence is comfortable . It almost feels natural for Jimin to be sharing this delicate moment with him, and he’s scared that if he makes too loud of a sound, he’ll ruin it.

But that’s alright. He’s perfectly content to simply sit here and sip his hot chocolate beside Taehyung.

As the minutes pass by and Hazel slowly falls asleep with her head laid across Taehyung’s lap, Jimin begins to wonder if the hot chocolate is what has thawed his normally ice-cold heart. Or maybe he’s just a dog person. Jimin supposes it could be both. 

“So…” Taehyung breaks the silence with a murmur, taking another sip of his hot chocolate before continuing. “How did all of this come to be?”

A wave of warm nostalgia washes over Jimin as he recalls the roots of his beloved farm. “I inherited it from my grandmother. It was her pride and joy. My parents were on the verge of selling it when she passed, but I convinced them to keep it around for Hoseok and I to take over when we were old enough.”

“Oh?” Taehyung quirks a brow, “You grew up together?”

“Yeah.” Jimin can’t help the smile that graces his lips at Taehyung’s question, years of magic and mischief shared with his husband flashing before his eyes. “I’ve known him since I was, what, seven years old? I can’t remember my life without him in it.”

“Ah.” Taehyung shifts his grip on his mug. “The two of you… you work well together. He cares for you a lot.”

“I would hope so. We’ve been married for quite some time now,” Jimin laughs and gives Taehyung what he hopes is a reassuring look when he notices his distant gaze. “Don’t worry; he’ll warm up to you eventually. He’s just a bit protective at first.” Jimin chooses to omit the fact that the protectiveness is partly caused by Taehyung's less than stellar first impression, but he has a feeling that Taehyung is already aware of that fact.

“If you insist.” Taehyung looks off into the distance, allowing silence to hang between the two of them before Jimin takes the initiative to continue the conversation.

“So, what about you?” Jimin questions lightly, “What inspired you to become the talented small business marketing specialist that you are today?”

Taehyung chuckles—though Jimin can hear the underlying bitterness to his tone. “My father, I suppose.”

“Ah, I see.” Jimin pauses. “Was he a businessman like you?”

Taehyung tongues the inside of his cheek, his fingers going white where he grips the mug tightly in his hands. “Yeah. He was.”

“Ah, so it runs in the family,” Jimin smiles jovially, “Does the cool, aloof, no-nonsense demeanor happen to run in the family as well?”

Jimin only means it as a well-intended joke, but Taehyung visibly tenses as soon as he utters the words, a scowl marring the younger’s elegant features. The change in his demeanor doesn’t go unnoticed by Jimin, and a wave of panic washes over him at the realization that he may have taken the teasing too far.

“I-I’m sorry,” Jimin apologizes, “I shouldn’t have joked like that. I-It’s not my place to pry.”

Taehyung simply shakes his head, setting his mug down harshly onto the wooden porch before standing abruptly. “I should get going. My mother will be expecting me.”

“Mr. Kim, I—”

“Goodnight.”

Taehyung is already walking away when Jimin finally stands up, a noise of protest falls from his lips as he does so. But before he can start to follow Taehyung, a large hand plants itself on his shoulder, Hoseok’s concerned face appearing in his line of vision when Jimin glances backward.

“Jimin?” Hoseok asks in confusion, gaze glancing between his husband and Taehyung’s retreating figure, “What happened?” 

Jimin says nothing in response, watching in silence as Taehyung’s truck begins to move down the driveway. The sound of tires crunching over gravel grates horribly against his ears.

“Jimin…” Hoseok interrupts with a frown. His thumbs come up to wipe away the tears on Jimin’s cheeks that he didn’t even know he was spilling.

“I messed it all up, Hobi,” he sniffles. “He finally opened up, and I—I fucked it up. I made a stupid joke that I shouldn’t have made and h-he’s never coming back.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Hoseok soothes, brushing a strand of hair behind Jimin’s ear. “He probably just needs some space.”

Jimin glances at where Taehyung’s truck is disappearing from sight onto the open road, regret pooling in his stomach as he recalls the cold look on Taehyung’s face when he walked away from him. 

Jimin can only hope Hoseok is right.

⋆⋆⋆

It’s been a while since Taehyung has cried, and he’ll be damned if he cries tonight. 

Steam rises up from the floor of his shower as hot water splashes against his bare skin. He allows the spray to soak him to the bone, hands furiously scrubbing in an attempt to cleanse himself of unwanted feelings brewing just beneath the surface. Feelings of loneliness, regret, and longing, all mixed into one tangled up mess deep inside his heart—all because of Jimin and Hoseok.

A new fracture in his resolve forms with every hopeful smile and cheery laugh they send his way, and that terrifies him. He can’t let himself get close; can’t let himself open his heart to two strangers who will inevitably mistreat it. No matter how kind they seem to be, he knows the truth: when it comes down to it, all people are the same, and nobody has ever—or will ever—be able to accept him for who he truly is.

Kim Taehyung simply wasn’t made to be loved, and he embraced that a long, long time ago.

But despite the knowledge that he was born to be an outsider, he can’t help but want to open up to them. Something inside of him yearns to be understood, and they manage to disarm all of his defenses with a single smile, the bright sight enough to nearly break the cool facade he so carefully wears around everyone else.

With every day he spends at the farm, he finds it increasingly harder to act as if Jimin and Hoseok’s presences irk him. The truth is that the two of them manage to make him feel comfortable—comfortable enough for him to let his guard down when he least expects it.

When Hazel came bounding up to him earlier this evening and he saw Jimin sitting there with a gentle smile, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to hold himself back. No amount of doubt could stop him from indulging in the hesitant, yet sincere conversation, and it was nice . It was nice being able to show Jimin a bit of his true self—something that he’s been so careful to conceal from the world for so long.

But all of that shattered when Jimin mentioned him .

The mention of his father and his cold, cold demeanor had washed over him like a bucket of ice water, a harsh reminder that Taehyung isn’t deserving of Jimin’s kindness and that he’s gotten far too comfortable in his presence. Taehyung doesn’t need anyone else, and he’s terrified that if he allows himself to grow attached to Jimin or Hoseok, that will change. It’s safer for him to stay inside his little box.

He knows that it causes him to come off as cold and unapproachable, but he stopped caring a long time ago. Strangers’ opinions don’t matter—and everyone is a stranger if he refuses to allow them a place inside his heart. Taehyung has a habit of keeping everyone at a distance, and even though it gets lonely sometimes, he firmly believes that being lonely is better than being broken .

But the more that Taehyung tells himself that, the more he begins to question whether or not those two things are really all that different.

No matter how many times he tells himself that he’s better off alone, he can’t rid himself of the mental image of Hoseok’s concerned face earlier tonight. The worry that was shining in his eyes when he saw how distressed Jimin was… it spoke volumes of how much he cared for Jimin, and something about it hits a little too close to home for Taehyung. He doesn’t have anyone around to worry for him in that way. His mother and Namjoon care about him, yes—but it just isn’t the same. 

Jimin and Hoseok have someone there to pick them up when they get knocked down, but when Taehyung loses his balance, he’s forced to push himself off of the grass with his own two arms. Whereas they have someone that will help them learn how to fly, Taehyung is destined to live a life stuck on the ground.

⋆⋆⋆

When Taehyung shows up at the farm the next morning, he tries to ignore the shocked look on Jimin’s face. He doesn’t like the guilt that comes with it. He shouldn’t feel guilty; after all, he did nothing wrong. So why does he feel so bad about seeing Jimin so clearly distressed over him?

Things are even tenser than they were when he first arrived at the farm—and that’s saying something, considering how rude he’d initially been. Up until last night, Jimin was still friendly and bold when talking to Taehyung, never allowing his silence to deter him from trying to become his friend. 

But now, it’s like Jimin is walking on eggshells around him.

The only thing Jimin has said to Taehyung all day was a surprised ‘ Good morning ,’ and even then his voice still held a tinge of apprehension. He noticeably tensed up when Taehyung brushed past him without a reply, and he hasn’t said anything to him since then, going as far as to break eye contact and worriedly shuffle away any time Taehyung gets too close.

“Have a nice day.” Taehyung hands a receipt to a customer over the counter with a tight smile, no real happiness behind his words.

Taehyung should be happy that Jimin is giving him space. After all, it’s what he wanted to begin with. So why doesn’t he feel any of the satisfaction from the solitude that he’d originally craved?

Something inside of him feels saddened by the absence of Jimin’s bright and cheery presence. No matter how hard he tries to enjoy the silence that has been gifted to him, he can’t help but miss the sound of Jimin’s idle chatter following him wherever he went. Without it, the farm feels… foreign. Wrong . And that terrifies him.

Taehyung shouldn’t be missing the sound of Jimin’s laugh or the sight of his smile, yet he is—and that only serves to solidify his fears from the night before. He’s growing too comfortable around Jimin and Hoseok; too complacent in the kindness and comfort they so willingly give to him despite his cold attitude. 

Overwhelmed by the realization that he’s starting to actually enjoy their company, Taehyung all but staggers out of the shop into the chilly winter air, only to bump into something—no, someone— as soon as he’s out of the door.

“Oh!” Jimin exclaims in surprise, stumbling backward in an attempt to regain his balance, “Mr. Kim, I didn’t even see you there!”

Taehyung stands frozen in place, staring at him with wide eyes as Jimin’s flicker over his figure.

“Are you alright?” Jimin asks hesitantly, “My apologies, I should’ve looked where I was going—”

“Jimin!” His sentence is interrupted by the sound of Hoseok calling his name. The older man is standing across the parking lot beside a stranger in a suit, brow furrowed as he attempts to grab Jimin’s attention.

Jimin turns back to Taehyung with an apologetic smile. “I-I think he needs me over there. Sorry again, Mr. Kim.”

Jimin is already making his way over to Hoseok before Taehyung can finish collecting himself. Entranced, Taehyung stands on the porch and watches as Jimin introduces himself to the man in the suit, unable to rip his eyes away from the scene ahead of him for some reason he can’t explain. 

Jimin’s blindingly bright smile makes an appearance as he shakes the man's hand—only for it to slowly fade when the man begins to speak to him. Taehyung’s heart begins to beat a little faster when the crease in Hoseok’s brow deepens, Jimin’s own expression twisting into one of displeasure.

The conversation lasts for what can’t be more than five minutes before the man is saying his goodbyes and getting back into his car. Taehyung has never seen Jimin look more upset in all of his time at the farm—nor has he ever seen Hoseok look so… conflicted .  Hoseok is anxiously glancing between Jimin and the car that the man just climbed into as his husband speaks animatedly before him.

When Jimin goes silent for a moment and Hoseok bites his lip nervously, Taehyung can only assume the former asked a question—one that Hoseok doesn’t quite know how to answer. The silence drags on for a beat too long, and he notices Jimin’s shoulders visibly sag, almost as if the lack of response from his husband has taken a physical toll on him.

Hoseok murmurs something softly a moment later, guilt shimmering in his eyes. Jimin clearly isn’t pleased by whatever he said, because as soon as the words leave his lips Jimin’s face is hardening into a mask of indignation, immediately shaking off the comforting hand his husband attempts to place on his shoulder.

Jimin snaps something at Hoseok before turning and storming off, leaving him standing in the parking lot with his hand outstretched towards Jimin.

Taehyung doesn’t think Jimin even notices him when he storms past the younger man to enter the shop—but he does manage to catch what he’s muttering under his breath before he slams the door behind him.

“I can’t believe he’s actually considering it.”

⋆⋆⋆

Jimin doesn’t say good morning to Taehyung when he arrives at the farm the next day.

It’s almost as if he doesn’t even register Taehyung’s presence, a permanent frown marring his features as he floats around the farm like a ghost. Taehyung doesn’t hear a single word from him all day—not even a peep—and although he didn’t say much to him yesterday, either, something is different this time.

Before, Jimin’s silence was born from a mixture of guilt and fear of overstepping; but now, it’s just… cold . It’s like he’s looking, but not really seeing when his eyes do land on Taehyung, and while the businessman used to be able to gauge Jimin’s attitude easily due to his transparent nature, Taehyung now finds that he has absolutely no clue what’s occupying Jimin’s mind.

He hates it.

It won’t leave the back of Taehyung’s mind as Jimin continues to ignore him throughout the day. Irritation bubbles up within his chest when Jimin stalks past him once again as if he doesn’t exist, leaving him standing dumbfounded among the rows of trees filling the snowy expanse of the farm. 

He isn’t sure exactly why it bothers him so much; after all, he’s fairly sure that Jimin’s conversation with Hoseok and that mysterious man is what soured the elder’s mood, so Taehyung can’t possibly be responsible for his dampened spirits. Maybe that is the reason for his annoyance with Jimin’s seemingly self-inflicted silent treatment. Taehyung knows he hasn’t done anything wrong—so why is Jimin treating him coldly? 

“I’m sorry—How long am I going to have to wait here for someone to assist me?”

Taehyung’s head swivels to where a woman is standing just a few feet away, arms tucked across her chest in displeasure as she levels him with an agitated gaze. 

“My apologies, ma’am.” Taehyung plasters a charming smile on his face, swallowing the smart remark threatening to claw its way up and out of his throat. He’s already feeling shitty; the last thing he needs is to deal with an even shittier Karen. He can already hear her asking to see his manager. “What can I help you with?”

“I’d like to buy a tree ,” she huffs, clearly annoyed by the fact that Taehyung had the audacity to ask such a silly question. “How much would one cost?”

“Our trees average around $78,” he explains with a tight smile, “Though it depends on the size. Our larger ones tend to be a bit more expensive.”

“I saw an ad saying they were on sale for $65 right now,” the lady explains as she crosses her arms.

“Oh?” Taehyung’s brow furrows in thought. “I’m sorry, I don’t know of any sales happening here at the moment. There’s another tree farm in the next town over; the advertisement may have been from there instead.”

Her eyes narrow, irritation flashing across her features. “I’m sure that it was for this farm. Can you not double-check?”

“Do you have the advertisement with you?”

She falters. “N-No, but I saw it in the paper yesterday morning.”

“Then I’m sorry, ma’am, but there’s nothing I can do,” he explains, hoping that by some miracle she’ll accept his statement without much more complaint.

“I already told you, I saw it in the paper!” Her voice is growing louder by the second, the piercing sound grating against Taehyung’s ears. “Are you insinuating that I’m lying ?”

Taehyung withholds a sigh, trying to gather the last bit of his patience. It’s already been stretched far too thin throughout the day. “Not at all. I’m simply stating that I can’t give you any sort of discounts without approval or proof. I don’t have the authority to do so, and the pricing of our products is out of my hands.”

“The trees here aren’t even worth that much,” she scoffs, “Even the discounted price of $65 would be a stretch.”

Something inside of Taehyung snaps at the insinuation that the farm is anything less than impressive, and the brazen remark slips out before he can bite his tongue. “Ah. Well, nobody is forcing you to shop here, and we certainly don’t need business from entitled individuals who were never taught basic human decency. Feel free to see yourself out.” 

The woman’s face shows an expression that is positively scandalized , her jaw dropping to the ground as she stares at Taehyung in shock. “Oh my god! I can't believe you're saying this to a paying customer, what kind of place do you run here? Where is your manager?”

“I don’t have a manager,” he crosses his arms, “Like I said, learn some manners or get lost—”

“ Taehyung !” Jimin’s angry voice cuts off the end of his sentence as he stalks towards Taehyung, a look of disbelief flashing across his features before he comes to a stop and turns to face the woman. 

All Taehyung can think about is that this is the first time Jimin has called him by his name.

“I sincerely apologize for his behavior, ma’am,” Jimin smiles apologetically.

“I don’t,” Taehyung mutters under his breath, annoyance flaring up inside of him when Jimin shoots him a dirty look.

“You know, having such volatile employees reflects very poorly on your establishment,” the lady sneers, “I could sue you for emotional damages, you know. I feel very unsafe in this environment right now; you’re lucky I haven’t called the police. I'll never shop here again!”

“Then why are you still here?”

Taehyung isn’t sure why he’s continuing to worsen the situation when Jimin is clearly so upset with his actions. Maybe it’s because he’s finally getting to release all of the pent up frustration that’s been accumulating for the past 48 hours—that, and he really hates this lady.

He’s never seen Jimin look so angry . 

The woman’s jaw nearly drops to the floor, her outrage showing clearly on her face. “I am appalled by the treatment I’ve received while on this property. You’ll be getting a very nasty Yelp review as soon as I’m home.”

Before either of them can say another word, the woman is already stomping away, angrily muttering to herself as she departs from the farm.

“What the hell was that about?” Jimin seethes, turning to face Taehyung with an expression of incredulity, “You can’t just yell at customers whenever you feel like it!”

“She deserved it,” Taehyung says simply. He can feel the anger bubbling up inside of him as Jimin speaks—an attempt to hide the wave of shame and embarrassment growing in his chest. 

“It doesn’t matter if she deserved it or not,” Jimin cries out, “She’s still a customer!”

Taehyung rolls his eyes. “I’m not being paid to do this. I have every right to defend myself if someone is being an asshole, customer or not.”

“I understand that this may not be your ideal way to spend your Christmas break, but—”

Taehyung scoffs, “ That’s the understatement of the year—”

“Will you let me finish ?” Jimin nearly shouts, eyes shining with wetness that wasn’t previously there,“I know that you may want to be doing other things, but we need your help. I’m not asking you to love it—I’m just asking you to… to try .” Jimin sniffles, wiping away the tears that are beginning to slip down his cheeks despite his best efforts to keep them at bay. “I tried—really tried, Mr. Kim—to see the best in you; to believe that you really do have a warm heart beyond that wall of ice you hide behind. But maybe Hoseok was right. Maybe you’re more trouble than it’s worth.”

Taehyung is shocked into silence, his heartbeat racing in his chest as he absorbs everything Jimin’s just thrown at him. All of the anger and irritation that Taehyung has been feeling up until now has dissipated, a hollow feeling filling his chest when he realizes what Jimin’s tears truly mean. What Taehyung had mistaken earlier for anger—it was a defense mechanism; a pufferfish emotion to hide what Jimin was really feeling inside.

Broken .

“Jimin? What’s wrong?”

Taehyung’s gaze immediately lands on Hoseok’s concerned features, an icy feeling that he recognizes as fear washing over him when the older man’s gaze lands on him. Hoseok narrows his eyes in something akin to accusation, worriedly glancing between Jimin’s crying form and Taehyung’s shocked expression.

“I hope you find your happiness,” Jimin murmurs, choosing to ignore Hoseok’s question, “But if you’re convinced that volunteering here will only bring you misery, I’m not going to stop you from leaving.” He pauses. “You know, you’re a great man, Mr. Kim. Maybe one day you’ll be a good one.” 

Before Taehyung can even react, Jimin is turning on his heel and storming towards the cabin, Hoseok hot on his heels after flashing Taehyung one final, indiscernible glance. Taehyung isn’t sure what compels him to follow them—but he finds himself sitting on their porch nevertheless, sitting there motionless as he allows the silence to swallow him whole.

Until the silence is broken.

Muffled arguing filters through the thin walls of the cabin; as the voices raise in pitch, they become more clear—clear enough for Taehyung to be able to discern some of the sentences as they escape past the panes of glass in the windows above.

“We’re going to lose everything if we keep this place open!”

“I don’t care! Hoseok, this place—it’s our dream . It’s been our dream since we were kids. I won’t give up on it that easily!”

“Do you think I’m happy about the situation at hand? Because I’m not. This hurts me too, Jimin! I don’t want to give up the farm, but I’m not going to sit here and lie to myself, and I’m definitely not going to let us run our lives into the ground because we held onto something that’s slipping through our fingertips for a moment too long.”

A few beats of silence pass.

“This farm is all I have left of her, Hoseok.”

“I know. I’m sorry, Jimin. I wish things were different—you don’t know how badly I do—but we can’t keep going on like this. Unless something changes dramatically over the next few weeks, we’re going to have to sell. There’s no way around it.” Another beat of silence. “I love you. I’m sorry.”

It’s been a long time since Taehyung felt true guilt; the kind that fills his lungs with shame like water and all but drowns him in the sea of remorse that threatens to pull him under. It’s the kind of guilt that’s nearly enough to bring tears to his eyes—a feeling that’s only emphasized when he feels a wet snout nosing at the back of his hand where it lays on his lap.

“Not now, Hazel,” he croaks, the pleading look in her eyes sparking a fresh pang of contrition in his chest. 

It only takes another nudge from her snout for him to relent and thread his fingers through the wavy fur on top of her head. The steady motion of scratching behind her ears is enough to keep him grounded as he drowns in his jumbled mess of emotions, the strings so messily intertwined that he isn’t sure he’ll ever be able to untangle them.

⋆⋆⋆

Jimin has always admired Hoseok’s ability to be firm when needed. Admired his ability to tell it how it is without being too harsh; his ability to rip off a band-aid without causing too much of a sting.

But sometimes, he really does wish Hoseok would just lie to him. Some truths are too painful to bear, no matter how gently they’re delivered.

Lying about the fate of the farm is far easier than facing the truth—the truth that it’s dying . All it would take for the business to collapse is a single gust of wind, and unluckily for the two of them, the breeze has been much more powerful as of recent than in years past.

“We just need more time,” Jimin had argued with him, “If we could just—just improve our sales a little bit, it’d be enough to keep us afloat until the season passes.”

“And what then, Jimin?” he’d replied sadly, “What do we do when the snow melts away and the Christmas glow fades? A few weeks of better sales isn’t enough to keep us going. We need to completely rework how this place is run, but we don’t have the time—or money—to do that. I think it’s time to let go.”

Deep down, Jimin knew Hoseok was right; he still knows he’s right. But he doesn’t want to admit that. He wants to clutch onto the remnants of his childhood dream for as long as possible, because if he loses the yearly joy of wrapping himself up in the comfort of the gentle snowfall and scent of pine trees, Jimin will be losing a part of his soul. 

Jimin slept on the couch that night. It wasn’t nearly as warm as his bed with Hoseok, and he found himself shivering even as he drifted off into the dream world. An extra blanket was tucked around his body when he woke up this morning, and he has your suspicions that the man poking guiltily at his pancakes across from him is the one responsible.

Uncomfortable silence permeates the air as the two of them eat together. It’s not Hoseok’s fault. He’s just doing what he thinks is best for Jimin, and he’s probably in the right. But that knowledge does nothing to remedy the ache in Jimin’s heart that rears its head every time he thinks about the fate of the farm.

Not only that, but the situation with Taehyung has been weighing heavily on his mind as well. Their relationship with him had been improving —but now, it’s six feet under the ground for reasons Jimin doesn’t understand.

Well, he supposes he knows why he feels this way—the argument yesterday is more than enough explanation for his lingering unease—but he doesn’t understand why the argument had to occur in the first place, nor does he understand why Taehyung is so adamant on being miserable here.

Jimin has always been good at reading people, and despite the walls that Taehyung keeps around his heart, Jimin knows he was starting to finally open up to them before everything began to crumble. If Taehyung just… tried to let himself enjoy his time here, maybe the story would be different right now. But he seems to have his heart set on the idea that this farm is nothing if not an insult to his existence and a thorn in his side no matter what Jimin says or does.

It crushes him. He’s done everything in your power to make Taehyung feel welcomed, and it wasn’t enough. Isn’t enough. Maybe it never was to begin with.

“I’m sorry.”

Jimin raises his eyes to meet Hoseok’s gaze, watching him carefully as his husband anxiously fiddles with the handle of his coffee mug. 

“I care about the farm. You know I do.” Hoseok exhales slowly. “But I’m just… I’m trying to be realistic, you know? I’m sorry if it came off as harsh or callous. I just want you to see the situation for how it is.” He reaches out to intertwine his fingers with Jimin’s across the table. Jimin lets him. “I’m going to do everything in my power to keep this place open, alright? I promise. I’m not giving up that easily. But we have to be prepared to do what’s needed if things take a turn for the worse.”

Jimin nods slowly. Hoseok isn’t the villain here, and it’s unfair of him to be treating him like he is. The only way they can get through this is if they do it together. “I understand. I know it’s not your intention to hurt me, and I’m sorry for acting as if you don’t care. I know that this is hurting you too.”

The corners of Hoseok’s mouth quirk upward into a melancholy smile. “We’ll make it through this, Jimin. One step at a time.”

⋆⋆⋆

The feeling of dread pooling in Jimin’s stomach intensifies with every passing minute. It’s nearly half an hour past opening time, and Taehyung has yet to arrive at the farm.

Hoseok takes notice of the frown on Jimin’s face when he crosses paths with him, flashing him a reassuring smile. “Maybe he’s just running late?”

Jimin shakes his head. “He’s never late.”

And he’s right. As much as Taehyung acted like he hated being at the farm, he’s always been punctual. He’d show up at the same time every morning without fail—even if it was with a frown—and for him to be more than half an hour late? The implication is clear.

“He isn’t coming back.” The words are painful for Jimin to think and even more painful for him to say, yet he isn’t necessarily surprised by this outcome of events. Jimin did give Taehyung the clearance to disappear at the end of their argument, and he should’ve known Taehyung would take it. Maybe this was his goal all along.

“We don’t know that,” Hoseok reasons, “Surely Mrs. Kim would’ve contacted us if he’d decided to quit. Have you tried calling him?”

“No. Should I?”

Hoseok shrugs. “It wouldn’t hurt to try.”

Jimin’s heartbeat races as he pulls up Taehyung’s contact on his phone, fingers trembling from what he hopes is the cold when he finally presses the call button. It rings three times, four times, five times until—it goes to voicemail.

“You’ve reached Kim Taehyung. Please leave a message and I’ll get back to you.”

At the tone, please record your message. 

Should he hang up? Or should he leave a voicemail?

When you have finished recording, you may hang up or press one for more options.

Oh god. What is he even going to say ? No, it’s best if he just hangs up—

Beep!

Too late.

“U-Uh…” Jimin stutters, his heart just about ready to crawl up his throat as he scrambles to collect his thoughts into a coherent message. “This, uh, this is Jung Jimin, in case you don’t have my number in your contacts.” Or if he’s already deleted it . “I just wanted to… to apologize for what happened last night. It was unprofessional of me to explode at you like that, and I’m sorry.” Jimin takes a deep breath. “I hope that you’ll continue to spend your time with us here at the farm.”

The voicemail machine cuts Jimin off before he can add anything else to his message. Hoseok gives him a questioning look when he pulls the phone away from his ear with a sigh, gaze saddening when Jimin gives him a small shake of his head.

“Give him a little more time, okay?” Hoseok reassures, “You never know what might happen. Maybe he got a flat?”

Jimin is just about to tell Hoseok that no, he’s pretty sure Taehyung is gone for good , when he sees an all too familiar figure approaching the two of them from over his husband’s shoulder.

“Mr. Kim?” Jimin blurts out in surprise, causing Hoseok to turn over his shoulder to see the man in question. He’s approaching them with an apprehensive smile, two to-go coffee cups in his hands. 

“Good morning,” Taehyung greets them nervously, voice as smooth and rich as dark chocolate, “I-I’m sorry I’m late. I wanted to get you guys some coffee and hot chocolate as an apology for yesterday, but the line at Atlas’ was really long so it set me back a lot later than I planned—”

“Taehyung,” Hoseok stops him, trying (and failing) to suppress the smile tugging at his lips, “Thank you.”

“We’re just happy that you… that you came back,” Jimin murmurs, his heart all but bursting with warmth.

Taehyung’s gaze flickers down to his shoes. “Can’t get rid of me that easily, you know.”

“I’m glad,” Hoseok beams, “Hazel would miss you too much if you ever disappeared on us.”

The businessman chuckles at that. “Where is my favorite goldendoodle?”

⋆⋆⋆

Something about Taehyung is different, Jimin thinks to himself.

He’s always been good at selling trees during his time on the farm. Even though Jimin knew Taehyung may have been a bit stubborn, and he could tell that he was only really doing the bare minimum—his bare minimum was very impressive.

But today, it seems like… like he’s really trying. Taehyung’s welcoming smiles are far more genuine than Jimin has ever seen them, and his eyes sparkle with a warmth that would put anyone at ease. He talks animatedly to the customers he interacts with, and even throws Jimin a shy grin when he catches his eye—a complete 180 from the stoic persona he’d been employing over the past few weeks.

If Jimin didn’t know any better, he’d think that Taehyung was a completely different person. Maybe he swapped places with his secret identical twin? It doesn’t seem likely, considering the fact that Hazel has been practically glued to his side all day. She’d definitely be able to tell the difference between her best buddy and an imposter.

So Jimin is left with no choice but to ponder the fact that, yes , this bright and energetic person is the Kim Taehyung he met a few weeks ago. He isn't sure what caused Taehyung’s change of heart, but he’s infinitely thankful for it. Jimin feels like he’s starting to see who Taehyung really is behind the walls he built around his heart.

Maybe that’s why he feels so emotional when Hoseok informs them of the number of trees sold today.

“Really?” Jimin nearly whispers, “T-That’s more than we’ve sold in weeks .”

“I wouldn’t joke about something like this,” Hoseok reassures him, eyes still wide with shock, “If we keep this up…”

Hoseok trails off meaningfully, tears of happiness welling up until they overflow and slip down Jimin’s cheeks when he turns to face Taehyung. The man is looking at him with an unreadable expression, his eyes uncharacteristically soft as he takes in Jimin’s emotional state.

Before Taehyung has the chance to say anything, Jimin is wrapping his arms around his torso and pulling him into a tight embrace, giving him a tight squeeze as he stands there frozen in shock. His arms hover uncertainly around Jimin’s body, but Jimin is already pulling away with an embarrassed blush before Taehyung can return his hug.

“I-I’m sorry,” Jimin apologizes, casting his gaze to the ground, “That… that was inappropriate of me.”

“It’s, uh,” Taehyung murmurs, “It’s alright. Really.”

“Your help around here really means the world to us, Mr. Kim. We wouldn’t be selling nearly as much without you.” Jimin’s eyes flicker over to meet Hoseok’s warm ones. “The farm… it’s not doing very well. We thought we might have to—to sell it soon if things didn’t start picking up. But after tonight…”

Hoseok wraps an arm around Jimin’s shoulders and meets Taehyung’s gaze. “We’re not in the clear yet,” he explains, although the hopeful smile tugging at his lips says otherwise, “But it’s a good start. Thank you, Mr. Kim.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” Taehyung frowns, “I apologize for not doing my best sooner. You’re both incredibly kind people, and I’ve been nothing but cold to you during my time here. I’ll do better in the future.” His lips quirk up into a shy smile. “Also—you can call me Taehyung, if you’d like. Friends shouldn’t call each other by their last names, right?”

⋆⋆⋆

Even as the week progresses, Jimin still can’t quite get over the shock of seeing Taehyung so… content. He’s still somewhat reserved—that seems to just be a part of his personality rather than his attitude—but there’s an underlying warmth to his words when he speaks; a sparkle in his eyes that wasn’t there before.

He seems like he’s finally letting his real self shine through.

Jimin can see it in the way Taehyung gives him shy, yet genuine smiles when they cross paths. He can see it in the way Taehyung teases Hazel playfully in his free time, and he can see it in the way he regards Hoseok with a delicate mixture of both admiration and respect—something that your husband seems to be returning in full force now that Taehyung has begun to redeem himself.

Things on the farm definitely aren’t perfect. But they’re starting to feel happy again, and to say that Jimin is relieved would be a gross understatement.

Taehyung’s change in attitude isn’t the only thing that’s been lifting Jimin’s spirits, though. The farm’s annual Christmas celebration is coming up next week, and he’s beside himself with excitement. It’s by far his favorite festivity during the holidays. 

Seeing the old barn on the edge of the property decorated for the occasion and filled with the people who he and Hoseok hold closest to their hearts is nothing short of magical, and it’s by far one of his favorite nights of the year. 

“Should we invite Taehyung to the celebration this year?” Jimin asks abruptly, looking up at where Hoseok is cooking in the kitchen from his seat at the cozy kitchen table. “I just… I think it’d be a sweet gesture, you know? He’s finally starting to enjoy himself around us, and I think it’d be nice to have him there.”

Hoseok shrugs. “I can’t think of any reason why we shouldn’t. I can ask him when he gets here today; I was planning on inviting him out to drinks with me and the guys tomorrow night anyways.”

“Oooh,” Jimin coos, leaning forward to prop his chin up in the palm of his hand, “Taking him out to meet the boys? That’s a pretty big deal. It seems like he’s really growing on you, Hobi.”

Hoseok expertly flips a pancake with the sparkly pink spatula Jimin’s mother gifted the elder for his birthday last year. “You know, he’s actually pretty nice to be around now that he’s loosened up a bit. You were right.”

“I always am,” Jimin winks, prompting his husband to roll his eyes in exasperation. “But in all seriousness, I’m really glad that the two of you are getting along well.”

“It’s starting to feel like he belongs here, isn’t it?” Hoseok sighs, stacking the last pancake onto a large plate before drizzling the pile with syrup.

“It is,” Jimin nods, “It’s different than it was before, but… it’s not a bad change. I like having him around.”

“Me too.” Hoseok sets a plate of pancakes on the table for Jimin before shuffling over to take his own seat across from him. “I just might miss him when he goes back to the city.”

Jimin takes a bite of his food. “I wonder if he’ll miss us too, ya know?”

“I’m sure he will, in his own way,” Hoseok hums. “I think we’ve grown on him more than he’d like to admit—Hazel especially.”

Jimin laughs at that. “God, she’s gonna be so heartbroken when January comes around. That poor dog.”

“She just might leave with him at this point,” Hoseok jokes, looking over to where the puppy is taking a nap in the morning sunlight pouring through the front room window just a few feet away.  “They’re basically attached at the hip.”

“Who knows? Maybe she’ll manage to somehow charm him into staying with us year-round,” Jimin jokes, picturing the pitiful look Hazel will give Taehyung when he inevitably parts ways with the farm in a few weeks.

Hoseok laughs, the heart shape smile on his face brighter than Jimin has seen in it a while. “I suppose that wouldn’t be so bad, would it?”

“No,” Jimin beams, “I suppose it wouldn’t.”

⋆⋆⋆

When Taehyung was approached by Hoseok this morning, he wasn’t sure what to expect. A ‘good morning’, maybe—but definitely not an invitation to meet his friends and family .  

Taehyung knows that he’s been much more… open over the past week than he has for the rest of his time previously spent here, and he can tell that Hoseok has begun to embrace the idea of them becoming friends, but an invitation to hang out with his friends? And an invitation to meet his (and Jimin’s) family ?

The meaning behind the gesture doesn’t escape him, and Taehyung can’t help but realize just how much Hoseok has seemed to open up to him. Taehyung knew that Hoseok didn’t trust him from the get-go—not that he blamed him for it. But ever since Taehyung decided to allow himself to be more genuine, Hoseok has seemingly returned the favor, pouring a little more of himself into Taehyung every time the younger man shared another part of his true personality. Taehyung finds that he already respects Hoseok more than he’s respected most people in his life—though he tries to ignore the feelings of fondness that seem to be settling in alongside it.

But despite all of that, Taehyung never expected to be introduced to their world outside of the farm. He’s too shocked to speak.

“It’s alright if you’re too busy,” Hoseok reassures Taehyung with a friendly smile when he’s silent for a beat too long, “The offer is there if you want to take it; just let me know, alright? I don’t want you to feel pressured into saying yes.”

“No, no,” Taehyung waves his hands around, “I-I’d love to meet your friends. And your, uh, your family. Sorry. I was just a little caught off guard by the invitation, I guess.”

“Really?” Hoseok beams at Taehyung, a happy glimmer shining in his eye. “Ah, Jimin is going to be beside himself with excitement when I tell him. Hazel too.” He pauses. “Do you mind if she comes along with us tonight? The bar is dog-friendly, and the guys absolutely adore her—plus, she loves the attention. ”

A warm, fuzzy feeling begins to blossom in Taehyung’s chest. Hearing that his presence means that much to the three of them is enough to make his skin tingle with a feeling he doesn’t feel very keen on exploring. “I don’t mind at all.”

“You hear that, Hazel?” Hoseok grins down at the puppy circling his feet, “You get to see your buddies tonight! And Taehyung is coming with us!”

Hazel barks happily up at Hoseok, panting happily when he reaches down to ruffle the fur on top of her head. Taehyung laughs a genuine laugh; one that bubbles up in his chest and spills past his lips before he can hold it in. Hoseok looks up at him with bright eyes and a heart-shaped smile, and Taehyung ignores the butterflies in his stomach.

⋆⋆⋆

When Taehyung arrives at the bar that evening, Hoseok is standing outside with Hazel, a grin stretching across his face when he spots Taehyung. He must sense Taehyung’s growing nerves, because he offers him Hazel’s leash with a reassuring smile, having picked up on just how much the energetic puppy seems to put the younger man at ease.

The bar isn’t empty, but it isn’t too crowded, either. Hoseok weaves through the maze of standing height tables and tipsy customers with ease before sliding into a booth near the corner of the room and patting the spot beside him invitingly. Taehyung wordlessly slips into the empty space, Hazel already nosing her snout into the lap of one of the strangers across the table.

“Hello sweet girl!” The young man coos, chestnut brown hair flopping over his eyes as he shakes his head adoringly at the goldendoodle and sinks his fingers into her coat, “I’ve missed you so much! Oh my goodness, look at how cute you are! Who’s the prettiest doggie in the whole wide world? You are!”

Hazel’s tail swings dangerously fast behind her as she basks in the praise, her tongue poking out to lap happily at the man’s hand. He giggles and gives her a few more scratches before Hoseok clears his throat with a smile.

“Taehyung, these are my friends Jungkook,”—the man who’d greeted Hazel enthusiastically waves—“and Yoongi.” A man with bleach blonde hair gives Taehyung a friendly nod. “I’ve known them since high school. They can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but they’re pretty good company when they’re not being total idiots.”

“We’re his best friends,” Jungkook clarifies cheerily, “And it’s actually the other way around. I don’t think you realize how annoying you can be sometimes, Seok.”

“He’s not wrong,” Yoongi mumbles, taking a sip of his drink. Hoseok looks positively scandalized. 

“It really be your own friends, huh?” Hoseok laments, sighing dramatically before turning and pointing at Taehyung with a warning finger. “Don’t fall for their tricks, Taehyung. They’re just trying to turn you against me.”

“Hey! I would never do that!” Jungkook protests, looking down at the dog whose attention has now shifted back to Taehyung. “Isn’t that right, Hazel?” 

The puppy’s ears perk up at the sound of her name, but she continues to press her head into Taehyung’s hand, begging for scratches. 

“Hey! I thought I was her favorite!” Jungkook pouts.

“Sorry to disappoint, Jungkook, but I don’t think anyone will ever surpass Taehyung in her eyes.” Hoseok nudges Taehyung’s shoulder with his own, and Tae swears his heart skips a beat. “She doesn’t even like Jimin this much.”

Taehyung feels an odd sort of pride at the statement, a sheepish giggle crawling its way out of him at Jungkook’s crestfallen expression.

The night passes by far more quickly than Taehyung would’ve preferred for it to. Although he’d been a little bit tense and nearly silent when he and Hoseok first arrived, he found that Yoongi and Jungkook managed to dispel any nerves he might’ve had within ten minutes of exchanging greetings. 

Yoongi’s humor is dry and sarcastic and he protests violently every time Jungkook wraps him up into a side hug (or, more threateningly, a headlock), but his gummy smile is soft enough to show that he doesn’t truly mind the rough affection. Jungkook is mischievous and teasing and a little too cocky for his own good, but his sparkling doe eyes and youthful energy captivate Taehyung like no other, and he makes Taehyung laugh so hard his stomach hurts more than once throughout the night.

Hoseok clearly loves them; adoration sparkles in his eyes when he looks at them, and they so obviously mean the world to him in every way even as he berates them for teasing him. Taehyung finds that he can’t help but love them too.

For most of Taehyung’s life, he’s struggled to maintain friendships. Most people write him off as callous and cold upon first meeting him, and the people who do end up sticking around are only there for his money. He definitely wouldn’t describe his coworkers as being his friends, either—they’re always flashing Taehyung forced smiles, using their empty words to hide the fact that they’re lurking in the shadows, waiting for Taehyung to slip up so they can swoop in and take his place.

The only person he would call his friend is Namjoon. Namjoon genuinely cares about him, and despite being his superior at work, he’s always made an effort to let Taehyung know that he can lean on him, even going as far as to invite him to dinner with his family from time to time. His wife Susanna is still one of the kindest people Taehyung has ever met, and whenever he visits, she and Namjoon never fail to make him feel like he’s right at home. They just seem to radiate kindness like that.

But sitting here in this bar with Hoseok, Jungkook and Yoongi, Taehyung is starting to realize that this is what it feels like to have real friends. Friends who make him laugh so hard he cries; friends who choose to stick around because they like to spend time with him, not because they want something from him. 

Being around the three boys is easy. It’s fun , and as the night flies by, Taehyung finds himself growing more and more attached to the idea of seeing them again. There is no judgement here—just laughter, drinking, and an overwhelming feeling of belonging . He could get used to this. 

“What do you think, Taehyung?”

Taehyung is startled out of his thoughts by Yoongi’s questioning voice, the blonde’s eyebrow quirked playfully while Jungkook stares at him expectantly. Taehyung opens his mouth to ask Yoongi to clarify, but Hoseok speaks up before he can say a word.

“Aw, come on,” Hoseok laughs, throwing an arm around Taehyung’s shoulders, “Leave Tae out of it, man. You’re gonna scare him away with your weird sex questions and then he’ll never come back to hang out with us again.”

Yoongi rolls his eyes. Jungkook laughs. All Taehyung can focus on is the feeling of Hoseok’s arm around him; the sound of Hoseok calling him Tae echoing in his mind as he sits there in the older man’s half-embrace. And when Hoseok turns to look at him with a blindingly bright smile, Taehyung hopes that nobody can see the blush dusting his cheeks in the dim light of the bar.

⋆⋆⋆

The long-awaited Christmas celebration arrives in the blink of an eye. Jimin is practically vibrating with excitement all day long, tittering happy hellos and flashing sparkling smiles to everyone he sees as he floats around the farm. 

Hoseok seems to be in higher spirits than usual, too. Ever since introducing Taehyung to his friends, he’s started to showcase more of his bright, sunshine-y persona around the latter, and it’s truly come out in spirit of the coming evening’s festivities. Taehyung doesn’t think he’s seen Hoseok without a smile on his face all day.

Before, it might’ve put Taehyung in a bad mood—but now, he can’t help but feel the excitement begin to rub off on him, an eager buzz brewing beneath the surface of his skin.

The tingling feeling follows him around throughout the day, reaching a peak when he pulls his truck into an empty spot in the gravel lot for the second time today after having gone home for dinner and a change of clothes. He steps out of the car after a mini-pep talk, pulling his white woolen mittens over his cold fingers while trying to calm the storm of nerves brewing in his chest. 

He’d forgotten to inquire as to what the dress code for tonight was before he went home for the evening, leaving him to stare hopelessly at his wardrobe after conveniently forgetting how to dress himself about an hour ago. Should he dress business? Business-casual? Casual-business? Cool uncle? Or should he dress like David, the wealthy businessman father who only knows how to show his children affection through monetary means and awkward shoulder pats? 

At that point, he’d groaned very loudly in frustration, running a large hand down the side of his face while staring at his pathetic, nearly naked reflection in the mirror. He couldn’t exactly show up in his boxers, so he was going to have to figure out something .

In the end, he’d settled on a white ribbed turtleneck tucked into a pair of pale brown plaid pants, a wooly brown trench coat—a much softer option than the intimidating black one he usually wears—and a thick beige scarf that draped warmly around his neck and over his shoulders. 

As he walks through the brisk night air, he’s glad he decided on the warm ensemble, sticking his gloved hands into his coat pockets for extra warmth. He can hear the familiar sounds of a gathering of people as he nears the barn; golden light peeks out through the cracks in the old wood, and the low notes of familiar holiday carols float gently through the air.

When he finally sets foot inside the large red building, the sight before him nearly steals his breath away. It’s beautiful ; sparkling lights are strung delicately across the beams on the roof of the barn, their twinkling light illuminating the festivities below. Along the sides of the barn are tables full of food and cider, a few tables and benches lining the empty space beside them. The middle of the barn is void of any furniture; instead, it’s filled with people dancing to the music, laughing as they twirl and sway amongst each other. 

“Taehyung?” 

A gentle, familiar voice breaks Taehyung out of his stupor, Jimin’s eyes glittering with happiness behind the wide rims of a pair of glasses when Taehyung turns to face him. “You came!”

“Of course I did,” Taehyung smiles, “You’ve all been so excited about this; I couldn’t just skip it.”

Jimin beams up at Taehyung for a few moments before his gaze drops down to his outfit, eyes widening just slightly as he takes in the younger’s appearance. Taehyung gulps uncomfortably, wondering if he made the wrong decision when picking out his clothing after all. 

“Sorry, I wasn’t sure what everyone else would be wearing so I just put on—”

“No! No,” Jimin interrupts him, a faint blush dotting his cheeks as he waves his hands around frantically, “There’s nothing wrong with your outfit at all; I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. You just, uh, you look great. It’s… it’s very you .”

“Ah,” Taehyung mumbles. “Thank you.”

Silence, and then—

“Taetae!”

Taehyung turns to see a very excited Jungkook running in his direction, bunny teeth on full display as he jogs up to him. Hoseok is trailing just a few feet behind, grinning widely while shaking his head in exasperation.

“Dude, you look so cute! You’re, like, a giant teddy bear. I bet you’d give really great hugs right now.” Jungkook wiggles his eyebrows and opens his arms wide.

“Hello to you too, Jungkook,” Taehyung deadpans. 

The younger man pouts, “Aw, come on, Tae! Just one hug. Pleaseeee ...”

Taehyung looks helplessly over at Jimin and Hoseok, but it’s clear he’s out of luck when Jimin begins to giggle softly while Hoseok shrugs and comments, “You do look pretty snuggly.”

Jungkook cheers and rushes forward, wrapping Taehyung’s reluctant arms around him when the elder refuses to do so himself. Jungkook gives him a tight squeeze while Taehyung shoots Jimin and Hoseok daggers with his gaze over the younger man’s shoulder.

As the night carries on, Taehyung keeps himself warm with a cup full of hot cider while he introduces himself to Jimin and Hoseok’s family and friends, a feeling of contentment settling somewhere deep in his chest. It’s like someone has wrapped him up in a warm, cozy blanket; he feels so homely and pleasant and safe that he isn’t sure he ever wants this night to end.

Maybe holiday cheer is a real thing after all. 

But despite the merry atmosphere in the barn, Taehyung can’t help but feel a pang of… something , as he watches Jimin and Hoseok from afar. The two of them are dancing amongst the small crowd of people, their eyes focused solely on each other as they sway to the beat of the music. It’s overwhelmingly obvious how deeply in love they are. If Taehyung was jealous—which he most definitely is not —he isn’t sure which of them he’d even be jealous of.

At some point in the night, Yoongi finds Taehyung standing alone and takes it upon himself to immediately change that. “Hey there, tiger.”

Yoongi’s voice is deep and rumbling, and Taehyung tries not to smile at the fact that he sounds a little bit like a grandpa. “Hey, Yoongi.”

He takes a sip of his cider and nudges Taehyung’s shoulder gently. “You enjoying yourself?”

Taehyung lets out a bubbling laugh. “I am, actually. Surprisingly.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Yoongi smiles, then pauses. “You seem happy. When you’re around them.”

Taehyung immediately knows who ‘them’ is referring to, and he hopes that the cider he’s consuming is a good enough excuse for the light flush on his cheeks. “I guess you could say that. They’ve just helped bring me out of my shell a little, I guess. That’s all.”

Yoongi hums. “Ah. I see.”

Much to Taehyung’s relief, they slip back into a comfortable small talk soon enough. Yoongi tells him the story of the time Jungkook put a fake skeleton in the back of Hoseok’s car, causing the latter to actually wet himself in fear, and Taehyung finds that the growing sense of unease he’d previously felt dissipating into the familiar, toasty feeling from earlier.

When Jimin and Hoseok reappear by Taehyung’s side, the end of the night is drawing near; children are growing sleepy in their parents' arms as the adults exchange goodbyes and promises to keep in touch. Taehyung watches idly as guest after guest expresses their thanks to the hosts, their tired yet content smiles more than enough to make all of this worth it to Jimin and Hoseok.

It isn’t until the last guest is gone that they lead Taehyung to a cozy bench in the corner of the barn. An array of festive pillows brighten up the appearance of the worn wood, and when they sit down, they leave a space for Taehyung in the middle.

“Did you have a good time tonight?” Jimin asks with a kind smile, gesturing for him to take the seat between them.

“I had a great time,” Taehyung emphasizes, casting his gaze down to his lap once he’s seated. “I can’t thank you enough for inviting me. It… it really means a lot.” Taehyung can feel tears welling up in his eyes, threatening to spill down his cheeks as his throat tightens painfully. Is he seriously about to cry right now?

Jimin and Hoseok must pick up on Taehyung’s emotions because they immediately mold themselves to his sides. Jimin’s arm loops through Taehyung’s and his head rests on his shoulder while Hoseok’s hand rubs soothing circles into his back, the other free hand resting comfortingly on Taehyung’s bicep. 

It’s enough to make the dam burst.

Hot, traitorous tears carve a path down Taehyung’s cheeks before dripping off of his chin and into his lap, his shoulders shaking slightly as he attempts to keep his sobs inside. 

“I-I’m sorry,” Taehyung mumbles, trying and failing to keep his voice steady, “I just… I’ve never felt this… warm before.” He exhales. “I haven’t always hated Christmas, you know? I used to get so excited for Santa to visit. My mom would help me decorate cookies, and we’d write my letters to Santa together. She’d even make homemade ‘reindeer food’ for me to sprinkle out on the lawn on Christmas Eve,” he lets out a small, breathless laugh, “I always complained that reindeers don’t land on the front yard; they land on the roof. But she still made it for me every year, and I still sprinkled it all over the yard every time she did.”

Taehyung wipes a few of the tears away with a gloved hand. “I think I started dreading the holiday when I got old enough to notice my dad’s, well, absence in my life. He was a businessman; he worked long hours early in the morning and late at night. Always traveling. He was never home for long enough to spend time with me, and when he was he’d lock himself up in his office and tell me to get lost, basically. He’s never told me that he’s proud of me. Sometimes I wonder if he’s forgotten that I even exist.” 

He sniffles. “Anyways, I got to the age where I started to realize that Christmas without him wasn’t… normal, I guess. He’d give me money and gifts and go the whole nine yards in terms of grandeur, but the only thing I really wanted was for him to actually be there. All the other kids would come back from Christmas break talking about how their whole family made snow angels together, or how their dads helped them build the RC car they got as a gift. But my dad wasn’t around for that. He always worked on Christmas, which just left me and my mom to do it alone.” He sighs. “It’s not that I’m not grateful for her. She gave me so much love, you know. Even when I didn’t deserve it. I lashed out a lot as a teenager; said some things I probably shouldn’t have to her. But she never stopped showing me she cares about me.”

Taehyung wipes the drying tears off of his cheeks. “But that doesn’t negate the fact that my dad was basically nonexistent. I grew to resent the holidays, because everyone markets it as this special time for families to come together and bond with each other, and I never really had that.” He exhales slowly. “As much as I love my mother, hearing that I’m cared about from her is very different from being treated kindly by people who aren’t really required to be nice to me, you know? And tonight was the first night in a very, very long time that I’ve felt like… like I belong. Like I matter . So, thank you.”

Hoseok and Jimin are silent for a moment, taking a moment to soak in everything Taehyung just let out. Way to overshare , Taehyung thinks numbly, mentally cursing himself for putting a damper on the previously cheery evening.

“You do matter, Tae.” Hoseok is the first to speak up, his voice deep and soothing as he continues to rub circles into Taehyung’s back. “You’ve always mattered. The only difference now is that you have us here to remind you of it.”

Jimin nods against his shoulder. “I’m sorry about your dad. I can’t imagine how much the holidays must have sucked, seeing everyone around you getting the ‘classic’ experience that you never had.” He gives Taehyung’s arm a gentle squeeze. “But like Hobi said, we’re here to remind you that you’re important and you’re loved. We really care about you, you know that?” 

Taehyung gulps. “Y-Yeah. I do.”

“Good.” Taehyung can hear the smile in Jimin’s voice. “You don’t have to go through life alone, Taehyung. Your worth as a person isn’t determined by your father or your past, nor is it determined by strangers’ opinions of you. Don’t get me wrong, you do a great job of scaring people away when you feel like it—” Taehyung lets out a small laugh at the comment while Jimin smiles, “—but once you let down your walls, people can see just how caring, considerate, and kind you are. Hoseok and I sure do.”

“Being here… It’s really done a lot for me,” Taehyung says slowly, like he’s still trying to formulate the right words in his mind, “I know that you two always thank me for helping you out, but you’ve both done so much more for me. Thank you.”

Hoseok beams at him, eyes sparkling with unshed tears. “Don’t make me get all sentimental, Tae. I’m really gonna miss you when you go back to the city. You’ll have to keep in touch with us, alright?”

Taehyung is caught off guard by the pit of dread forming in his stomach at the thought of leaving this place in a few weeks, but it’s easy enough to ignore when his new friends have him wrapped up in their arms so tightly.

“Don’t worry,” Taehyung assures them, doing his best not to let his voice shake. “I will.”

⋆⋆⋆

It’s been a very long time since Taehyung has gone sledding. 

He’s fairly sure the last time was when he was still in elementary school. There was a large hill just a few blocks over from his house, and his mother had offered to take him, watching him with bright eyes and a warm smile as he slid down the steep slope over and over again. After that, he entered his middle school years and began to fancy himself much too old to participate in childish activities like sledding. 

Yet here he is, standing at the top of a very steep hill in his mid-twenties with a sled at his feet. Snowflakes are floating in the chilly winter air, the frosty flakes decorating his black winter coat before melting into small droplets of water. Jimin’s nose and cheeks are tinged a dusty pink as he stands alongside him, practically vibrating with excitement as his eyes dart between the sled and the crest of the hill just a few feet away. 

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Taehyung remarks with a playful sigh, trying (and failing) to hide his smile upon seeing Jimin’s sparkling eyes flicker up to meet his own. 

“It’s gonna be so much fun, Tae!” Jimin beams, “You can go first. I’ll give you a nice big push for extra momentum.”

“I’m not sure that’ll be necessary,” Taehyung laughs. “I haven’t done this in a very long time, so go easy on me, alright?”

Jimin nods enthusiastically, shuffling eagerly in the snow as he watches Taehyung lower himself into the sled. It’s nothing special; just a red plastic toboggan with a flimsy white rope tied to the front. When Taehyung plops himself down near the back of it, he finds that his legs have to bend at an uncomfortable angle to fit inside the plastic rectangle, causing Jimin to giggle at his predicament.

“What?” Taehyung inquires, a hint of laughter twinging the edges of his words, “Is my struggle funny to you, Jimin?”

“Sorry! It’s just that you look kinda cute all squished up like that,” Jimin laughs, covering his cheeky smile with a gloved hand when Taehyung shoots him a glare. Taehyung hopes that Jimin writes off his blush as being caused by the nip in the air rather than his teasing comment.

“Yeah, yeah,” Taehyung deadpans, “Laugh all you want. Let’s see what you have to say after seeing my kickass sledding tricks.”

“I thought you said you haven’t done this in a while,” Jimin points out playfully, “Weren’t your exact words ‘go easy on me’ ?”

Taehyung shrugs, readjusting his grip on the thin white rope in his hands. “Maybe so. But I take it back.”

“Hmm,” Jimin hums, “Alright then. Let’s see what you’ve got, Tae.”

Taehyung furrows his brow in determination, his serious demeanor directly contrasting the tiny energy that he gives off once he begins to scoot towards the edge of the hill with small, powerful jerks of his upper body. He hears Jimin hold in another laugh at the sight of his scooting, and he narrows his eyes at the elder over his shoulder in retaliation.

Once Taehyung is at the edge, he begins to mutter something along the lines of “here goes nothing” before cutting off with a surprised yelp when Jimin’s hands make contact with his shoulders and shove .

Taehyung’s sled goes flying down the hill at a much faster pace than he originally expected, trees and show rushing past him in a blur as he grips the rope on the sled for dear life. The wind bites at his exposed skin relentlessly as he flies down the slope, but his scream of terror soon turns into a shout of glee, adrenaline taking over and making his stomach do somersaults.

Near the bottom of the hill, however, tragedy strikes. His sled catches on a patch of particularly rough snow and the sled is suddenly very far away from him, his body becoming airborne for a few terrifying moments before fluffy white snow cushions his fall.

A low groan falls from his lips; he can hear Jimin’s tinkling laughter floating down from the top of the hill, and he lifts his head out of the snow to glare up at him and shout a very betrayed sounding “Traitor! That was sabotage!” before standing up sullenly and dusting himself off.

Taehyung trudges back up the hill with a pout, and it’s only once he arrives at the top that Jimin crosses his arms and looks pointedly back down at the bottom of the slope over Taehyung’s shoulder.

“Forgetting something?”

He turns to follow Jimin’s gaze. “What would I be forgetting—oh. Dammit.”

Sitting at the bottom of the hill is Taehyung’s red toboggan, the bright color mocking him from where it lays in the snow.

“Am I gonna have to walk all the way back down there to get that?” Taehyung frowns, “I’m pretty sure I’m gonna fall and break something if I try to get back down this hill using my legs.”

Jimin laughs at his downturned face, gesturing towards the green sled at his own feet. “We can just ride down together using mine. I’ll show you how it’s really done.”

Jimin is already clambering down to sit in the front section of the toboggan, and Taehyung is following without a second thought, too focused on coming up with a smart retort to his teasing to realize just how intimate this position would be until it’s too late to back out without making things uncomfortable.

His legs encase Jimin completely, the smaller man’s back pressed close to Taehyung’s chest as the two of them try to fit into the small toboggan. Taehyung’s arms have to wrap around Jimin’s torso to grab a hold of the white string at the front of the sled, and when he closes his fingers around the string, he realizes that Jimin’s fingers are merely inches away from his own as he does the same.

“Ready?” Jimin asks him happily, seemingly oblivious to Taehyung’s tense state. 

“Y-Yeah,” he swallows thickly, hoping Jimin can’t feel how his heart is threatening to beat right out of his chest. 

“Let’s get it,” Jimin grins before throwing his weight forward in a manner that’s almost violent, a loud cheer erupting from him as soon as the sled begins to take off down the slippery slope. With the combined weight of both of them, the sled goes even faster than it had when Taehyung was alone—so fast that Taehyung thinks they may accidentally break the sound barrier. 

Thankfully, the sled doesn’t produce any sonic booms on the way down the hill—although it does begin to turn sideways as they near the foot of the slope. It’s with mounting dread that Taehyung realizes the sled is definitely going to throw them both over the edge.

Taehyung’s premonition comes true mere moments later, the edge of the toboggan catching on a small pile of snow causing them to tumble over the side together. They land with a soft oomph in the pillowy snow, and when Taehyung manages to gather his bearings, he realizes two very important things:

1. Two gloved hands that coincidentally belong to Taehyung are placed on either side of Jimin’s head, Taehyung’s body framing the elder’s as Jimin stares up at him with wide eyes from atop the blanket of snow beneath them.
2. Jimin’s mouth is parted in surprise, and Taehyung really wants to kiss him.

Time has suspended around the two of them, Taehyung’s gaze flickering between Jimin’s eyes and lips with a yearning that nearly steals his breath away. Jimin’s lips look so soft and pink and pillowy, and Taehyung wonders what they’d taste like.

But the spell is broken when an image of Hoseok’s smiling face flashes in his mind. 

Hoseok . Jimin’s husband. Married.

Taehyung rips himself away from Jimin like he’s been burned, cheeks flushing with embarrassment as his lungs slowly fill with a viscous, syrupy mixture of guilt and shame. It’s too much to even attempt to make eye contact with Jimin; Taehyung can’t imagine what must be going through his mind right now.

Jimin is married —to someone Taehyung already fears he’s begun to develop romantic feelings for, just to make matters more complicated. Jimin and Hoseok are off-limits. Taehyung is ashamed that he even came close to jeopardizing their relationship because he got too caught up in Jimin’s starry eyes.

It’s a little pathetic that the two people Taehyung cares for have already found a partner in each other.

“Taehyung—”

He tenses at the sound of his name coming from Jimin’s lips, the elder’s voice nearly unrecognizable with the tone it’s taken on. Taehyung has never heard Jimin say his name like that before. He’s too overwhelmed to try to dissect what emotion it’s attempting to convey, but he’s fairly sure he never wants to hear it again.

“We should probably head back now,” Taehyung interrupts, still refusing to meet Jimin’s gaze. “Hoseok will be waiting.”

⋆⋆⋆

“I’ve been thinking,” Jimin announces after setting his fork down on the plate in his lap with a clink . 

Some Hallmark movie he can’t quite remember the name of is playing on the television; not that he has to pay much attention to it to have a vague understanding of the plot, anyway. Most of these movies seem to follow the same general storyline—a cold, heartless rich man ends up finding the spirit of Christmas all thanks to a quirky, yet charming stranger.

Sounds a little unrealistic, if someone were to ask him. But they’re entertaining nonetheless.

“About?” Hoseok is sitting just a couch cushion away, his own plate balanced precariously on his knee when he tears his eyes away from the screen. He seems to have been much more invested in the holiday flick than Jimin.

“Taehyung,” Jimin sighs. “I just… Christmas is only two days away. Right?”

“Right.” Hoseok seems to understand the sentiment in Jimin’s voice. He gives his husband a knowing smile, almost like he can already tell what he’s about to say. 

Jimin picks at the frayed edges of the blanket laying over his lap. “I’ve just been thinking, and… he hasn’t had a real Christmas in years. At least, that’s the way he made it sound in the car the other day.”

During the awkward car ride back to the farm after the sledding incident, Jimin managed to pull the information from Taehyung with a fair amount of effort. Taehyung had explained that although his mother celebrated with him as a kid, once he became an adult, the tradition sort of faded out, and his Christmas mornings were treated just like any normal day, alone in his apartment. 

“Are you wanting to invite him to spend Christmas with us?” Hoseok asks softly, reaching out to give the space above Jimin’s knee a comforting squeeze. 

“Yeah,” Jimin chews on his bottom lip, “I want him to have a happy Christmas. Even if this whole thing is only temporary, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to help make him happy, you know? I just don’t think I could actually enjoy myself on Christmas day knowing that he’s somewhere out there spending it alone.”

Hoseok nods in understanding, his gaze incredibly soft as he soaks in Jimin’s words. “I get where you’re coming from. It wouldn’t feel right.”

Jimin nods. “He really has wormed his way into our hearts, hasn’t he?” He asks, shuffling a bit so he can wrap his arms around Hoseok’s bicep and rest his head on his shoulder. 

“He has,” Hoseok agrees, his hand reaching over to rub soothing circles into Jimin’s thigh. “It’ll be nice to have him here for Christmas. He makes the farm feel even more like home than it did before, I think. And I didn’t even know that was possible.”

Jimin hums in agreement. “We should get him a stocking. Fill it with lots of his favorite candy. I wonder if he likes gummy bears? Or maybe that really fancy chocolate—”

“Alright, alright,” Hoseok interrupts, “Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves here. He hasn’t even said yes—”

“Oh! Maybe he’d like a fancy new tie. Well, I guess that isn’t the best stocking stuffer, actually. What about…”

⋆⋆⋆

Taehyung has never really minded awkward silences.

After all, his overall demeanor has the unfortunate consequence of creating uncomfortable bouts of quiet at random times, so he’s grown used to the pesky feelings that come along with them. Thick, tension-filled air and unspoken questions resting on the tip of his tongue are simply something he’s become accustomed to, and they rarely bother him anymore.

The car ride home after sledding was one of the very few instances that it did bother him. His skin had prickled uncomfortably for the tense few minutes of self-inflicted silence, heart threatening to beat out of his chest as he tried to battle the urge to blurt out whatever was on his mind; anything to break the uncomfortable quiet that had left him stranded on an island, left to drown in the sea of his own frantic thoughts. 

But Jimin had shattered the silence then like it meant nothing to him. He’d pushed past the layers of tension practically suffocating them in the car and extended an olive branch to Taehyung with a flash of his smile as if everything was okay—much like he’s doing now.

When Taehyung showed up at the farm this morning, he’d been expecting another awkward sense of restlessness to occupy his chest. But it hadn’t. Instead, his heart began to glow with a warm, fuzzy feeling at the sight of Jimin’s cheesy smile and Hoseok’s enthusiastic ‘good morning’ , unsure what to make of the mixed signals his heart and brain were sending back and forth.

Jimin had immediately snatched Taehyung up and whisked him away to an old shed by the barn, the wooden doors creaking ominously as he pried them open with a little more struggle than he’d anticipated. When Taehyung questioned what he was doing, Jimin had responded with a simple ‘looking for something.’

So now, Taehyung is sifting through towers of boxes and an alarming amount of dust beside him, unsure as to what he’s looking for because Jimin oh-so-helpfully refused to elaborate. He’s starting to question whether or not Jimin even knows what he’s looking for himself.

“Uh… is it this?” Taehyung asks, pulling a very old and very creepy looking wooden snowman out of a box.

Jimin grimaces. “No. Not sure where that even came from. I think it’d scare away our customers, though.”

Taehyung shrugs and puts it back inside its box before moving on to a new dusty container. When he flips the lid open, he’s met with the sight of what must be a million Christmas lights, their strings impossibly tangled where they’ve been shoved haphazardly into the box. 

“What about these?”

Jimin peeks over Taehyung’s head to view the contents within the container, a bright smile lighting up his features when his eyes land on the lights. “Yes! Those are perfect! Help me carry the box out there; we can hang them up over by the house.”

“Isn’t your house already decorated?” Taehyung asks with a raised eyebrow. Jimin rolls his eyes.

“Kim Taehyung,” he explains exasperatedly, “You can never have enough Christmas lights. Really, I thought I raised you better than this.”

Taehyung goes to argue, but Jimin simply crosses his arms and gives a pointed look at the box by Taehyung’s feet, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips when the businessman huffs and bends down to pick it up. Jimin skips over to the door of the shed and holds it open with a sparkling grin that causes Taehyung to nearly lose his grip on the box when he walks past him and out into the cold.

Ten minutes pass by and Taehyung finds himself balancing precariously on the second-to-top rung of a rusty metal ladder, arms stretched high as they secure another string of lights in place along the roof. Jimin is standing a few feet below him, one arm cradling a bundle of used lights while the other holds the ladder steady.

“So,” Jimin speaks up, feeding Taehyung another four feet of the string of Christmas lights, “Hoseok and I were talking about you.”

A knot of apprehension begins to form in Taehyung's throat. He swallows it down with an audible gulp. “Ah. Decided to finally kick me out?”

He hears Jimin’s tinkling laugh floating up through the air to greet his ears, and he feels himself relax infinitesimally. So it isn’t a bad ‘we were talking about you’ . Good to know.

“Quite the opposite, actually,” Jimin reassures him. “We were wondering if you’d like to spend Christmas with us.”

Taehyung nearly falls off his ladder.

Jimin yelps in surprise, dropping the lights in his hand to tightly grasp the sides of the ladder in an attempt to steady it. 

“You okay?” He asks worriedly.

Taehyung nods. “Y-Yeah. Totally fine. Just, uh, lost my balance.”

It’s silent for a few moments, the weight of the invitation weighing heavily on Taehyung’s mind. He’s pretty sure that he would love to be here for Christmas; to feel the holiday magic that everyone talks about so much for the first time since he was eight years old. 

But he also knows that it’ll only make his next Christmas that much more lonely, because even though Jimin and Hoseok are inviting him this year, he doubts they’ll want him here every year. He isn’t sure he can handle getting a taste of that kind of happiness, only for it to be ripped away from him with the cold breeze of the new year.

“I… I don’t want to be a bother,” Taehyung settles on carefully, words quiet and fragile as they slip past his lips, “It would be wrong of me to intrude.”

“You wouldn’t be intruding, Taehyung. Really.” Jimin’s brow is furrowed in determination. “We want you to be there with us.”

Taehyung exhales. He thinks it over. Considers his options. And when he takes a look down at Jimin’s pleading face, his resolve crumbles, a defeated smile taking over his features. “Alright. If it’s really okay with you guys.”

Jimin’s face breaks out into a delighted beam, eyes glittering with a happiness that fills Taehyung’s heart to the brim with cozy contentment. 

One day won’t kill me, Taehyung reasons to himself, Just one day. Then everything will go back to normal.

The thing is, Taehyung isn’t so sure that ‘normal’ is something he necessarily wants to return to.

⋆⋆⋆

Everything comes crumbling down later that evening.

Taehyung is climbing into his truck when he realizes that his gloves aren’t in his pocket. He grumbles a bit as he searches the cab of his truck for the missing articles, only to let out a quiet noise of realization upon remembering that he left them somewhere on the porch when he went to help string the lights.

He begins the trek back towards the cozy cabin home, hands tucked snugly into the pockets of his coat along the way there. A small smile finds its way onto his face when the building enters his vision and he spots the lights he helped string earlier in the day, the memory of Jimin’s excited chirping and Hoseok’s appreciative gaze once they were secured along the roof sparking happiness in his chest.

As he approaches the cabin, he spots his gloves sitting on the porch beneath the windowsill. He steps up onto the elevated surface and bends down to grab them when the sound of voices causes him to freeze in place. Unlike the last time he was in this position, Jimin and Hoseok aren’t yelling; on the contrary, they’re actually talking quite softly. They must be sitting in the window seat just beyond the glass for Taehyung to be able to hear the conversation so clearly.

“...Taehyung.”

His eyebrows shoot up in surprise at the sound of his name. They’re talking about him ?

“I know how this is going to sound, but… well…” 

Taehyung can imagine the sound of Hoseok holding his breath as he debates on how to continue his sentence; his own stomach is doing nervous flips.

“What if… what if Taehyung stayed with us for longer?”

Silence.

His heart skips a beat.

“I... I’ve been, uh, thinking the same thing, I think.”

Jimin’s voice is clearly shaking even as it's muffled by the wood, and Taehyung can feel an odd tingling sensation prickling at his skin. He shouldn’t keep listening; this conversation obviously isn’t meant for him to hear.

But he can’t bring himself to walk away.

“What do we do?” He hears Hoseok ask.

“I don’t know. But…  he needs to know how we feel. Even if he doesn’t feel the same way, I’d never forgive myself if we didn’t at least try.”

He feels a wave of panic begin to rise in his chest, the feeling thick and suffocating when it fills his lungs as the conversation continues. 

Jimin and Hoseok like him. Both of them.

The world turns upside down as Taehyung tries to keep himself grounded, the conversation continuing on quietly without pause in the background. The soft murmuring is the only thing keeping him tethered to reality as he struggles to make sense of his own emotions.

He should be happy. He should be ecstatic , really—after all, the two people he’s fallen in love with developed feelings for just indirectly confessed their feelings for him. But instead he feels panicked, trapped , the thought of letting Jimin and Hoseok into his heart in the most intimate way too overwhelmingly terrifying to even fathom.

His gloves lay abandoned on the porch beneath the window when he takes off back down the path to his truck.

It feels oddly reminiscent of the last time he overheard a conversation not meant for his ears; except this time, he’s not frozen in place—he’s running in fear.

⋆⋆⋆

Hoseok has always enjoyed shopping for Christmas gifts. He loves being able to find something that reminds him of someone he loves, and loves being able to see their face as they open the gift even more. 

There’s something so special about being able to give back to those who he cherishes the most in a physical way. He’ll never grow tired of shopping for gifts and wrapping presents, both in and out of the holiday season.

He and Jimin are navigating through the crowded mall amongst the other shoppers frantically buying last-minute gifts, doing their best to look for something to get Taehyung on such short notice. They both agreed that they wanted it to be meaningful. Taehyung hasn’t had a true Christmas in years , and they’re determined to make it as special as possible for him. 

There’s also the matter of their shared feelings for him.

Hoseok never could’ve seen it coming. He’d barely tolerated Taehyung when the businessman first showed up, but now, just the thought of him leaving for good was enough to make him a nervous wreck. The farm has always felt like home, and his marriage with Jimin has never been stronger—but Taehyung fits into the picture like a missing puzzle piece; he occupies an empty space that neither of them were aware of until it was suddenly filled.

Things were okay before Taehyung showed up, he thinks, but they will never be the same if he leaves.

“You okay?”

Hoseok is shaken out of his thoughts by Jimin’s gentle voice, his brow creased in concern as he looks up at the taller man. 

“Yeah,” Hoseok exhales, “Just… thinking about things. I want his gift to be perfect.”

Jimin flashes Hoseok an understanding look, reaching up to give his arm a comforting squeeze. “It’ll all work out in the end, Hobi. I’m sure we’ll find something soon enough; he’ll appreciate whatever we get him.”

Hoseok nods, feeling the knot in his stomach unravel just a little bit at Jimin’s consoling words. “You’re right. I think I’m just stressed about… you know. What happens after.”

“I am too.” Jimin’s eyes are sympathetic, and Hoseok can see some of his own nerves reflected in his husband’s gaze. “But whatever happens, happens. We’ll talk to him about how we feel tomorrow and go from there, alright?” Hoseok agrees with a small nod and Jimin adjusts his hand so they can intertwine their fingers. “Come on; let’s find his gift. There’s no point in worrying about things that we can’t control.”

⋆⋆⋆

It was near the end of their outing when something in a window display caught Hoseok’s eye. He pointed it out with a hopeful smile, and Jimin’s eyes immediately lit up when they landed on the potential gift, a gleeful exclamation falling from his lips. 

It was perfect, and they were walking out of the store with the gift in a brown paper bag just ten minutes later, hearts beating excitedly in their chests as they climbed into the car and made the drive back to the farm.

“I can’t wait to wrap it,” Jimin grins, boots crunching in the snow as he walks through the yard beside Hoseok. “He’s going to love it. You have a great eye, Hobi.”

“I pride myself on being a great gift-giver,” Hoseok laughs, watching as Jimin climbs up the steps to the porch. “You already knew that. It’s why you always ask me for help when you need to get someone something.”

“I just like having a second opinion, alright?” Jimin pouts as he stomps the snow from his boots. “Don’t get too—wait, what’s that?”

Hoseok’s gaze shifts from Jimin’s face to where he’s looking, his own brow furrowing when he spots a white slip of paper taped to the front door. Jimin takes a few steps forward before plucking it from the wood and holding it between his thumb and index finger as he reads it slowly.

Hoseok takes a few steps forward to read the note over his shoulder. The letters are scribbled hastily across the blank page—it was clearly written with an overwhelming amount of emotion, the frantic demeanor of the author translating clearly in the looping scrawl. 

Hoseok and Jimin,

I’ve decided to spend Christmas at home this year, and I won’t be returning to the farm before I leave for the city. I feel as if it’s best for all of us if I keep my distance.

Please refrain from contacting me; it will only make things more complicated than need be.

Thank you for allowing me to spend the past few weeks alongside you. You have shown me kindness I will not easily forget.

I’m sorry.

Kim Taehyung

The couple’s eyes meet at the same time after reading the note, tears glistening in Jimin’s eyes as Hoseok pulls him into a tight hug.

Neither of them have any words to share for comfort, unsure as to if there even is anything they can really say in a situation like this. Instead, they stand on their porch in the freezing cold, clutching each other like a lifeline as they wonder in silent unison what went wrong.

⋆⋆⋆

Taehyung has been successful at holding his tears back this far. He didn’t cry when he clumsily scrambled back into the cab of his truck, nor did he cry as he was driving home a little too quickly on the snowy streets. He didn’t cry when he walked through the front door of his house, didn’t cry when he flung himself onto his childhood bed, and he didn’t cry when his mother followed him and managed to pull a messy summary of the last few weeks out of him.

But the second she wraps her arms around him, squeezing him into a warm, cozy, comforting hug—the floodgates open. 

Tears flow freely down his face as he sobs into her embrace, one of her hands rubbing soothing circles into his back while the other cards gently through his hair. She shushes him quietly and hums words of encouragement until the barrage of tears slow to a trickle and his sobs turn to sniffles.

“Oh, Tae,” she murmurs tenderly, using her thumbs to wipe away the last few teardrops staining his cheeks. “It’ll turn out alright. I promise.”

“I-It can’t, ” Taehyung replies miserably, “I left them a note. I’m not going back—they won’t want me back.”

His mother hums in response, brushing a few stray hairs away from his forehead. “Why can’t you?” She asks, “I’m sure that they would welcome you with open arms, Tae. They seem to truly care about you.”

He shakes his head. “W-Work. I can’t just—just quit my job, but I can’t be with them and live in the city. I’d have to give up everything.”

“But would you really be losing all that much?” Taehyung makes a face at the rhetorical question, but she gives his arm a squeeze before he can reply. “Just listen to me for a minute. Are you happy right now, Taehyung?”

He slowly shakes his head no. “But I… I think I was getting there. Before, with Jimin and Hoseok. At the farm.”

“I’ve been able to tell,” his mother sighs deeply. “So why are you turning your back on what makes you happiest and running towards something that’s only done the opposite?”

“It’s not that simple, Mom,” Taehyung retorts exasperatedly. “Decisions like that aren’t made that easily—”

“I’ll make it easy, then,” she interrupts. “Taehyung, would you give up your life for your job?” 

He looks at his mother with wide eyes, like the question is absurd. “I wouldn’t die for it.” 

“That’s not what I asked.” 

Taehyung’s stomach sinks, and his silence seems to be enough of an answer for her. She looks at him with a sympathetic gaze while the weight of his realization fully sinks in.

“What if it doesn’t work out? What do I have to go back to?” His voice is quiet and shaky and vulnerable when he speaks up after a few moments of silence.

“If something unexpected happens, you pick yourself up and keep on walking,” she smiles. “You can’t hold yourself back from loving others and living your life to the fullest because of your fears. Protecting yourself so fiercely… it does more harm than good, Taehyung. You may feel as if you’re preventing a potential heartbreak, which may be true, but the deepest joys in our lives are found in the relations we form with others; the memories they make while they stand alongside us. Just because they aren’t there to see the end of the movie doesn’t mean they didn’t make a contribution to the plot, and every story has its ups and downs. It’s up to you to decide whose names will appear when the credits roll at the end—but the last thing you want is an empty audience at the premiere.” 

She gives his hand a gentle squeeze. “You don’t have to go through life alone, Taehyung. There are some risks that are worth taking.” 

A few more tears slip down Taehyung’s cheeks, and she raises her free hand to brush them away. “I’ve noticed how happy you’ve been since you let yourself open up to them. What you have is special. You deserve to be with people who love you just as much as you love them.” She stands up from the bed, leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead before urging him gently, “Don’t let them go. You’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

She moves to exit the room and Taehyung doesn’t stop her. The door shuts behind her with a soft click , and just like that, Taehyung is left alone with his own thoughts in a suffocating silence.

He simply sits and stares at his hands for a while—he isn't sure how long it is until he finally shifts his gaze to flicker around his room. It jumps from item to item, unsure of what he’s looking for until his eyes suddenly land on a green paper bag in the corner of the room.

Taehyung’s brow furrows in confusion until realization dawns on him—it’s the gift bag Jimin gave him the night they met. He never opened it.

Slowly but surely, he makes his way over to the gift, sitting cross-legged on the hardwood floors before pulling it into his lap. His fingers close around a red sphere of tissue paper when he sticks his hand into the bag, heart pounding against his ribcage as he pulls the mystery item out of the bag.

The tissue paper crinkles as he gingerly unwraps the gift. When the paper finally falls away, he immediately recognizes the item as being one of their hand-painted ornaments, the painstakingly detailed swirls of gold that dance across the velvety red background shimmering in the moonlight.

Taehyung has already cried enough tears to sate the Nile tonight; he didn’t think it was physically possible for him to shed any more. But when a small slip of paper flutters out from behind the ornament to land on the ground before him, he finds himself sniffling quietly as he reads the words written in what is undeniably Jimin’s penmanship.

“May you find yourself surrounded by those who matter the most this holiday season.”

He has a decision to make, and he doesn’t think it’s all that complicated anymore.

⋆⋆⋆

As a child, Christmas morning was one of the most exciting days of the year. Waking up to a pile of presents under the tree and a plate of half-eaten cookies by the fireplace never ceased to put an exhilarated smile on Jimin’s face, and although he’d eventually grown out of believing in the magical man who flew around the world delivering gifts in one night, the magic of Christmas morning never truly faded.

Christmas mornings with Hoseok are tender and warm. They’re cozy and filled with so much love that Jimin feels as if his heart is being wrapped up in a big, fuzzy hug, and he always seems to find himself glued to his husband’s side throughout the day. Hoseok claims that he turns into a snuggle monster the second his eyes flutter open on the morning of the twenty-fifth, and Jimin finds that he can never really deny it; something about the holiday spirit makes him feel the need to burrow into Hoseok’s warmth, hold him close and never let go.

But this Christmas is different.

When Jimin wakes up beside Hoseok, there’s an ache in his chest that he knows Hoseok feels just as strongly, the warmth from his partner’s arms taking the edge off of the pain but failing to fill the gaping hole in his heart.

It takes them a while to finally slink out of bed and into the kitchen. Staying true to tradition, Jimin’s arms remain wrapped around Hoseok’s torso the entire time, a small comfort amidst the heartbreak they both feel so clearly. Hoseok sips on his coffee while he waits for the milk for the younger’s hot chocolate to heat in the microwave, sinking into the feeling of Jimin’s arms holding him close and his cheek pressed against his shoulder. 

This is supposed to be one of the most joyful days of the year. It’s supposed to be soaked with love and hope and all the warm, cozy feelings that a good snuggle by the fireplace brings about—but neither of them can get over the fact that Taehyung was supposed to be here. He was supposed to be sharing these gentle moments with them; supposed to be filling the empty space in their hearts that’s carved out in the shape of him.

But he’s not here. He disappeared without a word, the only explanation given vaguely scribbled onto a piece of worn paper taped to their front door. Neither of them can think of a single moment that would’ve caused Taehyung to change his mind so suddenly, and while they can’t seem to think of anything that either of them have done wrong, the uncertainty of it all is eating them both up on the inside. 

It hurts, and if Jimin thinks too much about it he fears he may start crying again.

Hoseok is mixing the chocolate powder into Jimin’s drink, spoon clinking against the mug when a knock on the door startles both of them out of their thoughts. Jimin’s eyes widen and Hoseok turns to look at him with an equally confused expression.

“Is that…” Jimin starts, allowing his sentence to trail off meaningfully. Hoseok swallows.

“I’ll answer it,” he says slowly. Jimin allows his arms to fall back to his sides but trails closely behind as Hoseok makes his way to the door, opening it after only a moment's hesitation.

The wooden door swings open to reveal a very nervous looking Taehyung. A sheepish smile plays out on his worry-bitten lips, a gift wrapped in candy-cane paper under one arm and a box of cinnamon rolls balanced in the other. His gaze flickers nervously between Jimin and Hoseok as they stare at him in disbelief.

“Can I come in?”

⋆⋆⋆

“I… think I owe you an apology.” Taehyung’s gaze is trained on the mug in his hands as he speaks, his fingers fiddling nervously with the handle.

“Maybe,” Hoseok replies, “But I think an explanation would be better.”

Jimin nods. “We’re not angry, Taehyung. We just want to know what happened. Why you left that note on our doorstep and made it sound like you were leaving for good.”

“I was going to,” Taehyung grimaces, as if the thought alone is enough to cause him pain. “But I changed my mind.”

“Was it something we did?” Hoseok asks slowly; carefully. 

Taehyung shakes his head fervently. “ No , no—you guys haven’t done anything wrong. I just…” he pauses, biting his lip anxiously. “I don’t really know where to start. It’s kind of a lot.”

“We have time,” Jimin smiles reassuringly. “Start wherever you think the story begins.”

So he does. He empties out the contents of his heart and bares his soul as he recounts his life for the past few months, stuttering his way through a difficult and messy explanation of his feelings and fears. It’s hard—he’s never opened up to someone in a manner this intimate before—but Jimin and Hoseok give him sympathetic gazes and encouraging smiles throughout it all, allowing Taehyung to explain things at his own pace.

“I’m sorry,” is what Taehyung finishes with, head hanging low in shame. “I’m sorry I put you through such an emotional rollercoaster. If I could go back and do it differently, I would. I understand if you don’t want to forgive me, or if you want me to… to leave.”

“Hey, hey,” Jimin comforts, reaching out to lay his hand on top of Taehyung’s. “You’re being way too hard on yourself, Taehyung. We obviously would’ve preferred it if you’d communicated with us before running off, but like I said before—we aren’t angry, just relieved.”

“But that note—”

“Scared us half to death, yes,” Hoseok smiles gently, “But it was only one night of fear, and you’re here now. That’s what matters.”

Taehyung lets out a shuddering breath. “I-I’m still sorry, though. Even if you don’t think an apology is needed, I still want to give one.” He pauses for a moment. “I, um, got you guys something, if you want it. As a gift. It was pretty last minute, so I’m not sure that you’ll like it, but… well, I tried.”

“I’m sure we’ll love it,” Jimin smiles. “We got you something too. You can open yours first, since you’re our special guest.”

Taehyung nods and follows them over to the tree. He sits cross legged on the ground across from both of them as Hoseok sifts through the stack of presents to find what Taehyung assumes is his, catching the box between his hands when Hoseok slides it across the floor towards him.

“Go on; open it!” Hoseok grins.

Taehyung’s heart beats wildly as he rips open the paper covering the box. Beneath the wrapping is a plain brown box, and when his fingers gently pull away the cardboard flaps, he feels a wave of fresh tears pricking at his eyes upon recognizing the gift inside.

“You guys…” he whispers, delicately shifting the gift in his hands to get a better look at it. It’s a red toy truck—strikingly similar to the one he used to play with all the time as a child. He lost it one year when he took it on a family vacation and left it in a hotel room by accident, and his parents never got him another one, but he vividly remembers the toy being his favorite for years until it was lost. “I… how did you know?”

Hoseok smiles sheepishly. “You mentioned it briefly when we were out with Yoongi and Jungkook. I know it probably isn’t the same as the one you had as a kid, but...”

“It’s perfect,” Taehyung whispers, looking up at Hoseok and Jimin with glassy eyes. He’s not lying; he’s never received a gift more heartfelt in his life, and he says as much out loud.

“We’re so happy you like it, Tae,” Jimin beams. “You deserve to be given things that mean something to you. Christmas is about the sentiment, not the material value.”

The two of them share a few more gentle words with Taehyung before moving on to open the gift that he brought with him. He watches nervously as Hoseok flips the red envelope over and tears the seal off at an agonizingly slow pace, holding his breath when he pulls out the letter stuffed inside.

Jimin and Hoseok’s eyes dance over the words in tandem, Taehyung’s heart pounding against his ribcage as he scans their facial expressions for any reaction to the words he’s written. Both of them are looking more than a little emotional as the words sink in, and he knows that they’ve read the three most important words in the note when they both gasp in unison.

I love you .

“Really?” Jimin asks with teary eyes, “This isn’t a prank, right? You’re serious?”

“I wouldn’t joke about something like this,” Taehyung affirms. “I’ve never been more serious in my life.”

“Oh, Tae,” Hoseok laughs, the sound a little choked by the emotion in his voice. “We love you too.”

The moments following the confession happen in somewhat of a blur. All Taehyung knows is that Hoseok’s lips are suddenly being pressed against his, a noise of surprise escaping the younger man before he melts into the warmth of Hoseok’s embrace. The kiss is desperate, all of the stress of the last twenty-four hours melting away as their lips slide against each other. Hoseok kisses Taehyung like he’ll disappear the second they part ways—like he wants to hold on tight and never let go. It feels like years later when Hoseok pulls away with flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes, shifting over to make room for Jimin.

Unlike the desperation and urgency of Hoseok’s kiss, Jimin’s lips are gentle and soothing when he leans over to capture Taehyung’s, moving against his own languidly as he savors the way Jimin tastes and the way he feels pressed against him. Jimin’s hands smooth up his shoulders to tangle in the strands of his fluffy black hair while Taehyung squeezes his hips tenderly; Jimin kisses him like he has all the time in the world to do so—and he does.

When they finally break apart, Taehyung can feel the blush warming his cheeks, surprised laughter falling from his lips when he notices the elated smiles on both Hoseok and Jimin’s faces.

“T-There should be, um, something else in the e-envelope,” is what Taehyung settles on saying, too dizzy to come up with anything else in response to what just happened.

Hoseok’s brow creases and he sticks his fingers back into the envelope before pulling out a thin slip of white paper, his eyes widening when he sees the numbers printed neatly in the corner. Jimin leans over to take a look for himself, his expression mirroring Hoseok’s moments later when he sees the amount of money written on the check.

“Taehyung…” Hoseok murmurs, “We… we can’t accept this. You know that.”

Taehyung shakes his head. “It should be enough to keep the farm running until we can rework some things and get it back on its feet. Please, take it. I wouldn’t be offering it if I didn’t have the means to.”

Taehyung lets out an oomph when Jimin throws his arms around his neck and pulls him into a bone-crushing hug. He can feel a wetness where Jimin’s face is pressed into the crook of his neck, and Taehyung’s arms come up to wrap around his shaking form, encompassing Hoseok as well when he manages to snuggle his way into the embrace. 

“T-This is i-insane, Tae,” Jimin weeps, “I-I don’t k-know h-how to th-thank you.”

“You’ve given me something worth loving,” Taehyung replies softly. “That’s more than enough for me.”

⋆⋆⋆

The day after Christmas is usually filled with somewhat of an empty feeling. The magic of the holiday fades overnight, taking much of the warmth alongside it and leaving Jimin with a vacancy in his heart that seems to be unfillable. It’s not that the day is sad , exactly—it just feels… dull, in comparison to what Christmas day usually brings. 

But this year, the twenty-sixth of December feels much warmer than usual.

Taehyung fits into his and Hoseok’s life like a missing puzzle piece. His laughter dances through the air and his smiles light up the room, the last bits of the barriers around his heart finally melting away to let them inside. They find that it’s quite homely inside of Taehyung’s warm, gentle soul, his arms never failing to wrap snugly around the two of them in the most protective, yet tender way. They cherish every touch, every laugh and every eye-crinkling smile from Taehyung, hearts nearly bursting at the seams with the shared love they both feel for him.

Their little family feels whole again. It’s not that they were missing something before, necessarily; they simply found someone who managed to make a space for himself in their hearts and occupied it in the most effortlessly fulfilling way.

“Whatcha thinking about?”

Jimin looks up from his spot on the couch to see Taehyung smiling down at him gently, Hoseok’s expression mirroring the younger man’s from where he stands beside him holding a thick, woven blanket. They make quick work of snuggling into the sofa on either side of Jimin, pulling the blanket over him while he snuggles up to Taehyung’s side and Hoseok wraps himself around his back.

“How much I love you two,” Jimin hums, moving to intertwine his fingers with Taehyung’s. “How happy I am that you’re staying with us instead of going back to the city; that you’re going to help us revive the farm.”

Hoseok’s arm wraps around his torso to give him a tender squeeze, and Taehyung shifts so his lips are a hair's breadth away from Jimin’s ear, soft puffs of warm air tickling the shell of it when he speaks.

“We’re going to encounter some struggles along the way,” Taehyung murmurs softly, pressing his lips to Jimin’s temple so gently that his heart skips a beat or two. “It’s not going to be easy.”

“I know,” Jimin sighs, giving Taehyung’s hand a gentle squeeze as it cradles his tenderly, “Nothing worthwhile is.”

⋆⋆⋆

Taehyung calls Namjoon later that week and informs him solemnly that he’ll be stepping down from his position at the company. It’s a bit of a bittersweet moment; although Taehyung is excited to jump headfirst into his journey with his new lovers, he truly enjoyed Namjoon’s company. His boss was a good friend to him—and the only one he had for a long, long time.

He’s worried that Namjoon may feel hurt by his seemingly spur-of-the-moment decision, but thankfully, he expresses his happiness that Taehyung is finally walking on a path that he chose because he felt like he belonged there, not because he felt like he had to be there. Namjoon tells Taehyung that he’ll have to come out and visit the ladder sometime, and Taehyung is more than happy to agree. 

“I’ll miss having you around, Taehyung. Take care of yourself, alright? And let me know if you ever need anything. I’m only a call away,” Are the words Namjoon murmurs right before the call ends; Taehyung can hear the somber smile playing out on the older man’s lips, and he can’t help but mirror the expression on the other end of the line.

It’s only two days later when Taehyung opens the cabin door to see his mother standing on the front porch, grinning from ear to ear. She’s practically vibrating with excitement when she wraps him into a bone-crushing hug and begins to fuss over him—though she immediately abandons that as soon as she lays eyes on Jimin and Hoseok.

She immediately begins to rattle off about how happy she is that her little Taehyungie has found such incredible people to spend the rest of his life with, grasping their hands in hers while her gaze flickers excitedly between the two of them. Taehyung tries not to blush at her overexcited chattering—it’s more than a little embarrassing—but Hoseok and Jimin don’t seem to mind one bit.

She stays for breakfast—and lunch— and dinner, and Taehyung doesn’t think she stops asking questions even once throughout the entire day. But eventually, she takes her leave, gifting Jimin and Hoseok kisses on the cheek before tugging Taehyung out to the front porch after her. 

“Kim Taehyung,” she says seriously, pointing an accusing finger at him. “Those are two of the most wonderful people I have ever met. Do not fuck this up for yourself.”

“Mom!” Taehyung whisper-yells in surprise, but she cuts him off with a shh , her expression melting into one of pure joy.

“I’m just happy for you, Tae,” she smiles before wrapping him up into another hug, “I can see how much they care about you. They make you happy, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted for you.”

He smiles reassuringly. There’s no way he’s ever letting any of this go; after all, this is where he was meant to be all along.

⋆⋆⋆

Telling Yoongi and Jungkook about the news is an ordeal that’s far more… chaotic, than his mother’s visit. The two boys simply share knowing looks before bursting out laughing, much to Taehyung and Hoseok’s confusion. 

Once they manage to catch their breaths, Yoongi murmurs a quiet “About damn time,” while Jungkook cheers far too loudly for the atmosphere of the restaurant they’re in, claiming that he knew that the three of them would end up together all along. Taehyung blushes fiercely while Hoseok smacks Jungkook in an effort to chastise him, fussing over them in an attempt to hide his own embarrassment. 

Despite the blood rushing to his cheeks and his weak protests against their friends’ teasing, knowing that they support and love them despite the slightly unorthodox arrangement fills his heart with warmth—a warmth that dissipates momentarily when a certain doe-eyed boy pelts him in the face with a french fry to grab his attention. 

⋆⋆⋆

When Jimin takes the time to finally sit Taehyung down and properly introduce him to his best friend, Kim Seokjin, the man is bright, bubbly and overwhelmingly kind, and Taehyung finds that he isn’t particularly surprised that he and Jimin are so close.

The pair practically illuminate the corner of the coffee shop they’re occupying, their radiant souls somehow shining even brighter as they sit beside each other. Kindness, love and acceptance seem to pour off of Seokjin in waves, his beautiful smile growing even wider and a cheery laugh falling from his lips when Taehyung and Jimin tell him the news. Seokjin says he couldn’t be happier for the three of them, and when he reaches out to squeeze their hands approvingly, Taehyung has never felt more welcomed.

⋆⋆⋆

Taehyung’s birthday rolls around sooner rather than later. Having experienced one too many boring parties with unimportant people at forgettable venues, Taehyung decides that this year, he’d rather stay in as opposed to going out to celebrate. Jimin and Hoseok suggest a simple game night with some close friends—an idea that Taehyung admittedly loves the sound of.

Seokjin greets him with a warm hug and a bright smile when he arrives, wishing him a happy birthday before slipping into the house to place his gift on the kitchen counter. Jungkook and Yoongi’s arrival is a little bit louder and a lot more chaotic. When Taehyung opens the door to let them in, Jungkook immediately wrestles him into a headlock while Yoongi slides a pointed birthday hat onto his head, allowing the strap to snap against his jaw with a giggle.

“Happy birthday, Taetae!” Jungkook cheers, jostling Taehyung around like a ragdoll while the older man weakly protests. “You’re getting so old now. The years really fly by, don’t they…”

“You’ve only known him for a month,” Yoongi deadpans and reaches up to flick Jungkook’s forehead, causing him to release Taehyung with a pained yelp. “Happy birthday, Tae.”

The night passes by in the blink of an eye; laughter fills the homey cabin as the group sits cross-legged around the coffee table and plays game after game. At one point, Jungkook is chasing Hazel around the house frantically, begging her to drop the hand of Uno cards she snatched right out of his grasp. When he finally manages to reclaim his lost cards, he sits down at the table with a pout, glaring at anyone who dares to laugh at his misfortune.

And when the time finally comes for the guests to take their leave, Taehyung finds himself close to tears. He’s never had a birthday like this; a birthday where the people gathered around him to celebrate are there because they want to celebrate him . Hoseok picks up on Taehyung’s misty eyes, asking him quietly if everything is alright. 

Taehyung smiles and nods.

Life is good, and he has a feeling it’s only going to get better.

⋆⋆⋆

[One Year Later]

Kim Taehyung used to hate Christmas.

To him it was a waste of time; a capitalist scheme created to take advantage of the fools who fall under the spell of business’s commercialized holiday spirit. Christmas served as nothing more than a painful reminder of his own shortcomings, and he had no doubt that every holiday season would bring the same feelings of dread, discomfort, and loneliness that they always did.

And then he met Jimin and Hoseok.

Jimin who had the most gentle, caring soul he’d ever encountered. Jimin who looked past his barbed wire fences and nasty remarks to see the broken soul inside; a soul who simply needed to be loved. And Hoseok—Hoseok whose smile shines brighter than the sun, who showed him that allowing himself to love others is not a sign of weakness, but one of strength.

As it turns out, the walls he’d spent so long building tall and strong around himself to protect his heart were only made of glass. Hoseok and Jimin saw through what Taehyung once believed to be concrete walls like they were transparent, peering into his soul to see him for who he truly was, as if they were simply looking out their front window. 

All it took was a touch from their fingertips for those walls to shatter. 

The thin glass splintered into a million pieces at Taehyung’s feet, dangerously sharp shards surrounding him defensively. But Hoseok and Jimin didn’t mind. They navigated carefully through the debris to reach Taehyung, slowly and without complaint. And when they finally reached him at the center of his own mind—terrified, alone, and in the dark—they simply wrapped him in their warm embrace and allowed their radiant souls to light his way home.

Taehyung used to hate Christmas, but that was before he found something worth loving. And maybe—just maybe—that isn’t such a bad thing after all.

So here he is, standing at the edge of the farm with a smile. It’s vibrant with life; the twinkling lights shine down upon the children laughing and playing in the snow, families of all kinds filling what once were empty rows between tall green trees. Unlike when he first visited the farm a little over a year ago, the air is now buzzing with cheer and excitement—an accomplishment that took months of hard work and more than a few nights of stress-induced tears to achieve—and Taehyung finds that he couldn’t be prouder to be standing where he is.

This is what Christmas is supposed to feel like.

A wet snout is suddenly nudging at Taehyung’s hand, his eyes lighting up when he sees his favorite goldendoodle staring up at him with wide eyes and a wagging tail. Hazel has somehow managed to grow even bigger than when he first met her, and when he crouches down to wrap his arms around her, he can’t help but nuzzle into her thick fur with a contented smile. 

“You’re still my favorite, Hazel,” Taehyung teases happily, leaning back to ruffle up the fur around the dog’s ears and head. “Don’t tell Jimin or Hobi that I said that, though.”

“Don’t tell us what?”

The aforementioned pair are walking hand in hand, sporting matching red beanies as they approach Taehyun with bright smiles.

“That the two of you look silly wearing those hats,” Taehyung grins, laughing at the way Hoseok’s mouth drops open in fake shock while Jimin’s lips jut out into a sullen pout.

“You’re just jealous,” Jimin retorts. “Maybe you wouldn’t be such a grinch if you put on yours and matched with us.”

Taehyung snorts at that. “It doesn’t fit my vibe! I’m not sacrificing my tall, dark and handsome appearance for the sake of wearing matching couples beanies.”

They both make varying sounds of protest, though the pair immediately drops the irritated act when Taehyung opens his arms and for them to settle beneath into a warm hug. Hoseok is nearly as tall as him, but he manages to nestle his head beneath Taehyung’s chin all the same, and the younger man feels a surge of adoration rush through him at the sight of his two lovers wrapped up in his embrace.

There are many things that remain uncertain, and the future is never set in stone. Anything and everything could change at a moment’s notice, and though that used to terrify Taehyung, he’s begun to realize that there’s a certain beauty in the unpredictableness of life. Every new day is an adventure; one that the three of them are ready to tackle together.

Taehyung doesn't know what he may feel tomorrow, in a month, or even years from now. But he doesn’t need to know, and he doesn’t have to fear it, either.

What matters is that now, at this moment, Taehyung can say that he is—without a doubt— happy . 

//

Taehyung ends up wearing the matching couple's beanie. He complains the whole time, but Jimin and Hoseok know that he secretly loves it—just like he loves them.