Archive of Our Own ^beta

Jungkook always wondered why Taehyung disappeared two hours every day during their one hour break from work. 

It wasn’t that he was jealous of his boss letting Taehyung be late. First, Taehyung never slacked at work, even with one hour less than Jungkook and Hoseok. Second, their boss wouldn’t have given him the time if it wasn’t important. Third, Jungkook knew him enough after two years working together to know Taehyung wasn’t a reckless person. 

There had to be a reason. 

“Hey, hyung.” Jungkook greeted when his friend sat down in front of the computer next to him. They were beyond formalities after the older arrived at Jungkook and Hoseok’s apartment, drunk, in the middle of the night and dressed in only pijamas, not even a coat. That happened a year before. 

“Kook-ah, hey.” His voice was fucked up and Jungkook instantly dragged his eyes over his sharp features. 

Taehyung looked… troubled. 

Jungkook’s curiosity was being more annoying than usual, mainly because Taehyung had skipped one day and a half of work without warning his friends. Hoseok even said he tried calling him but there was no answer. And then the black haired mysterious male was arriving with bags under his tired eyes and a concerning amount of worry that seemed to have found a perfect place of attachment in his black eyes. 

Maybe he stared for too long because the other looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. 

“Is everything alright, Jungkook?”

There was something unavoidably intimidating about Kim Taehyung. 

Jungkook didn’t know how to feel or react most of the time and even Hoseok ended up stuttering sometimes. And both could have reacted either because of Taehyung’s whole aura or his insane beauty, but one always helped the other so there wasn’t any difference. At least Jungkook could actually have a conversation after one year, because when he first arrived at the company, Hoseok had to nudge him awake in 90% of their interactions. 

“Um” he scratched his nape. He was really worried about Taehyung’s health, though, no amount of intimidation would change that. “You know how good you look most of the time, right? Like, flawless but not really, perfectly imperfect!”

Taehyung chuckled and Jungkook sighed with a small smile. At least the conversation started well. But when wouldn’t it be when the older was so easy to talk to?

“What is it, Jeon? Spit it out, I don’t bite… usually.”

Damn it. 

“You don’t look so good right now, hyung. You look…” Jungkook hummed thoughtfully, looking for the words. 

“Like a truck drove over me and I was picked up and thrown in the trash just to end up as a cloth to wash dishes in some horrible restaurant that definitely did not approve the sanitation rules?”

Jungkook coughed once before clearing his throat, immediately panicking. 

He did mean that but he didn’t want it to be so harsh. 

“I feel like that.” Taehyung added, turning back to the black screen of his computer. “Life is certainly something, wouldn’t you agree?” He smiled, and his expression was filled with so much sorrow that Jungkook was afraid to ask what had happened. “What comes easily, doesn’t last long in most cases, and what lasts… is so hard to get, Kook.” He rested his head over the desk. “So. Damn. Hard.”

Now, Taehyung wasn’t an extrovert, not as Hoseok was, so he wouldn’t be very open about his feelings, and he wasn’t as introverted as Jungkook neither, so he didn’t have a hard time when needing to actually express something to others. He would explain thoroughly, until he felt like he was understood.

However, he always seemed to be more happy than not and seeing him so worn down was itching Jungkook, wanting to erase what was making his hyung so troubled. 

“What is it, hyung?” 

Taehyung smiled when he finally looked up at Jungkook.

“Come with me to the rooftop, Jungkookie.” 

And just like that, he dragged the younger until they were away from any other ears, not caring about how their boss could throw them out in a blink because of it. 

“How long have you known Hoseok-hyung?”

That confused him. “He has been with him since I was a kid, probably remembers more than I do.” 

“You see… I have this friend.”

Taehyung and Jimin met when they were kids, both chubby and still waddling from side to side, full of wonder and amazed by most things around them. 

One summer, Jimin’s father was filming their trip to Daegu, the camera focused on little happy Jimin, who was babbling nonsense to the camera, explaining in the most confusing way what they were about to do, his dad laughing lowly and explaining more clearly that they decided to go strawberry picking in one of his friend’s family farm. 

Taehyung had been running away from what he saw as a hungry beast that could swallow him whole— a dog. 

The distracted black haired baby soon crashed into little Jimin, both screeching and falling hard in the dirt. 

“Son!” Two deep voices yelled at the same time, one behind the camera and other from afar. 

Taehyung’s father was running to them and Jimin’s dad decided to scare the dog away, just in case it would hurt both kids. 

Like the small beans they were, as soon as they stopped rolling over the floor, silence remained for two seconds before both began crying loudly, making their fathers groan simultaneously. 

“I’m terribly sorry, the dog and Taehyung— they don’t really get along. Thank you for scaring the little beast away.”

After picking up their sons, the camera stopped recording. It was a memory that Taehyung saw every once in a while when he felt too overwhelmed by everything. He just found Jimin the cutest little thing ever and his heart would swell with affection. 

Both parents took the kids to Taehyung’s dad’s truck and used the aid kit to clean and bandage the scratches both kids had due to the rocky road. 

“No no, stings!” Jimin cried out when the cotton soaked in antibiotic cleaning liquid touched his first scratch. 

Next to them, Taehyung was pouting while his dad did the same, mostly because he used to fall so constantly that he had gotten used to it with time. Jimin’s father smiled sheepishly when his son wailed. 

“He’s not usually a yeller.” He said in an apologetic tone when Taehyung flinched due to one of Jimin’s loud complaints. 

“It’s alright, Taehyung was just like him before.” The other adult chuckled and looked at his son, bopping his nose. “Why don’t you help him, son?”

Taehyung’s scratches were already treated, so he nodded and crawled to the other side of the truck’s plate, where Jimin was. Taking a seat next to him, he intertwined their hands. 

“Strong!” He exclaimed. “Strong, Jiminie!”

Jimin had surprisingly quiet down as soon as Taehyung touched him, turning with curious eyes to him. Sniffling, little Jimin nodded.

Older Jimin had asked him what he was trying to do, and Taehyung was so flustered that he almost didn’t find in himself the will to explain that his father had told him that by holding hands, he could share his strength to be able to bear the light sting. 

After their crash, everything flowed naturally. 

“TaeTae! TaeTae!” Jimin was screaming later in the evening when he and Taehyung were playing running around the strawberries farm. 

“MinMin!” Taehyung was screaming back, jumping and trying to catch a glimpse of Jimin, even if both were too small to look over the plants. 

They ended up sharing the rest of Jimin’s short trip and every other week their parents would travel between Daegu and Busan just so their kids could play with each other. 

There was something so incredibly pure in their friendships that not even their parents dared to break it. 

“Do you know Park Jimin?” 

Jungkook’s eyes were about to pop out of his face. 

“As in, the heir of the Park family? The son of the prime minister?” 

“Basically, South Korea’s unofficial, but very official, prince.” Taehyung nodded, looking at the city. “He’s my Jimin.”

He wasn’t even drinking something, why was Jungkook choking?!

“You— your Jimin?!” He asked, jaw dropping to the netherworld. “What— Hyung, what are you talking about?”

Taehyung and Jimin grew up always being present in each other’s lives.

No one really understood why, because they didn’t see each other constantly. The adults surrounding them let them enjoy their younger years joking around and, without an effort, both began to need each other more than just silly occasional friends. 

They were just kids! They felt happy around the other and that’s the only thing that mattered back then. There were no restrictions, responsibilities or expectations.

After some years knowing each other, Jimin’s mother died from cancer, a painfully slow process that the Park family went through during a whole year.

And Jimin was deeply affected by it.

The older stopped eating during the year, too worried and overwhelmed by his mother’s vital force vanishing. His dad changed and became harsher, too blinded by pain to notice how much he was hurting his son. After she died, the man wanted to prove himself and make Jimin the best of the best. Make your mother’s efforts worth it , he explained while he left a book next to Jimin’s untouched breakfast. Let’s start with your grades.

“I read about his mother’s death anniversary, is—”

“In a week, yes. It’s public since everyone seemed to love her… she was a magnificent woman, always elegant and carrying a natural ease with her everywhere she went.” He chuckled. “Jimin… he reminds me of her sometimes.”

Taehyung helped Jimin escape his house for a whole month after Jimin’s first admission to the hospital and helped him to slowly get back to eating healthily, just a little push to start to work with. It was hard and they both cried a lot, but they knew Jimin had to get out of his house, where his dad was working non-stop and didn’t seem to want his son to take a break. 

“My dad is going to kill me.” Jimin mumbled one night from his place by the window of their hidden cottage in a place only they knew of, in the middle of nowhere. 

“He won’t.” Taehyung answered from the coffee table a few feet away. “You are still sending all your school assignments and practicing calligraphy and dance— the only difference is that you are happier here.”

Jimin had looked back at him with a chuckle. Both were nervous of what Jimin’s father would do, but they knew what they wanted, and that it would cost them something once they were back. 

Taehyung was reading a book while drinking some tea, Jimin’s study material next to his cup, organized to start with another round of studying just in a few minutes. 

The older walked to him and carefully hugged his neck from behind, sighing. Taehyung smiled while reading. 

“What is it, Jimin-ah?”

“I’m not happier because of the place, Tae.” Jimin mumbled in his ear, making him chuckle. “I’m happy because you’re here with me, the place would feel empty without you.” 

Maybe having their little get away being teenagers wasn’t the most logical idea when Jimin’s father was becoming more powerful with each passing day, but somehow they managed to stay hidden by the end of the month. Taehyung was scared the man would send someone looking for them, staying up until late and watching the windows like someone would burst inside at any moment, but silently letting Jimin stay worry-free so he could really take a break. That month wasn’t the most relaxing month, but it was worth it seeing Jimin happy. 

“Maybe I should just stay with you all the time, then.” Taehyung joked, trying to hide how that idea felt so right that it hurt.

“My father would never let me.” Jimin sighed, resting his head against the other’s. “But I’d love to. We could have that dog you have always wanted.”

That made Taehyung smile sadly, longing for something he knew was impossible. 

He knew what would happen when they went back to Busan. Jimin’s father would forbid his son to see Taehyung and there wouldn’t be more opportunities for them to be together in the years to come, not until they both went to Seoul once they finished high school. 

And that was hoping for a lot, because by then who knew how powerful would have his father become. 

“Would you draw us?” Taehyung asked, despite feeling his heart shattering. “I can only agree if you promise to draw us together, I’d never allow myself to live peacefully if I don’t get one of your amazing drawings every two months!”

Jimin laughed while letting go of Taehyung’s neck and sitting next to him, shaking his head. 

“I’d never dare to cause you so much distress! I promise, every two months, i’ll draw you something.”

To wish. To hope. It hurt every single time and Taehyung knew he was up for a heartbreak every time he allowed himself to daydream about an easier way for them to be with each other. 

“Min-ah, we both are terrible at cooking, what would we do?”

“Learn to cook, you idiot.” 

Taehyung whined. “But I hate cooking!”

“You are better than me! I barely have time to do so, little Tae, would you cook for me?”

The younger sighed when the older pouted. 

His heart ached every time he witnessed how Jimin was always busy. Study, lessons, assignments, hobbies, social events and dinners with his father’s coworkers and high society. It was required of him to be perfect, a son to be proud of, to brag about. 

“I’d do a lot of things for you, Jimin-ah.”

For a second, Jimin froze. They were close to each other and they had been like that for years, but they would always manage to make the other have heart attacks with how much they truly cared and loved each other.

Jimin knew better than to comment on it. It was a silent agreement, enjoy what they could have and bask in it with affection and returned love. 

Taehyung’s eyes remained on Jimin for a few more seconds, enjoying the smile he produced and the faint red cheeks that made his whole face impossibly prettier.

Jungkook watched as Taehyung sat down on the floor, sighing. 

“There are so many things that I’d love to change in our lives right now.” He confessed, looking up at the sky. His voice was strained and Jungkook knew his friend was holding back the tear. “There are so many things I want to give him, Kook-ah.”

Sitting down next to him, Jungkook intertwined their hands. He knew nothing would make Taehyung feel any better after years of what seemed like an impossible relationship, years of longing and seeing Jimin from afar, knowing well how they felt towards each other but without having the chance to do something about it.

And Park Jimin was a well-known bachelor. He was known as Seoul’s diamond, always surrounded by luxury, daughters and sons of the highest of the high, expensive clothing, amazing cars. As far as Jungkook knew, the guy was the epitome of royalty. There surely was nothing Jimin couldn’t get if he asked for it, the world would bend down at his feet if he wanted to.

Taehyung chuckled bitterly. “But what could someone like me possibly give to such a gorgeous figure? How would I be enough for such a royal?”

Jimin always made sure Taehyung was alright, if his family had any problems and if they needed something. He had helped them in ways that made Taehyung want to cry, laugh, hug and hit Jimin, all at the same time. He did so much for Taehyung that the younger didn’t even understand how he got such a wonderful angel in his life. A beautiful angel surrounded by unfairness.

Taehyung always fought an inner battle with himself when the feeling of not being enough for Jimin striked. He fought too many battles with himself along the way of being close to Jimin.

What if someone saw them together in the restaurant? By then, Jimin’s father sent someone to pick up Taehyung in a fancy car instead of letting his father’s truck take him. It was a rule to eat inside their house, where they could have peace without noisy journalists and camera flashes— Taehyung knew better. The man wasn’t worried about their comfort. Hide so they don’t see you with my son. And Taehyung began to fear being seen with Jimin, what if seeing him with Taehyung made others think they could mess with Jimin’s reputation? He knew Jimin didn’t want the oh so precious reputation and attention, but he didn’t have much of a choice.

Could he really hug Jimin when they said goodbye after visiting? They always walked to the door, dreading the last few minutes of Taehyung’s visit. Jimin would grab his hand tightly until the chauffeur opened the door for Taehyung, and just then the older would hug his friend like they wouldn’t be seeing each other again. Then Jimin’s father required of them to bid their goodbyes inside the house and Taehyung to walk alone to the car, where he would turn around before closing the door and share a painfully adoring gaze with Jimin, who would wait with the door open until the car was no longer in sight. 

When the month came to an end, Taehyung went with Jimin back to Busan. 

“I’m scared, Tae-ah.” Jimin whispered in his ear when Taehyung hugged him… knowing there wouldn’t be a chance to do so in the near future. 

Jimin was trying to keep himself from tearing up, Taehyung could feel it in his bones even when he was not looking at him. 

Both became really good at hiding their emotions from prying eyes. In order to be always perfect, no one could see Jimin slacking. And in order to be Jimin’s friend, Taehyung had to. No one could know how heartbroken they were, that was a secret just for each other. And it’s because of that, that only they could see each other’s truest color, they wouldn’t be able to hide their emotions from one another even if they wanted to. 

“I love you.” Taehyung whispered, squeezing the life out of Jimin. 

He always wished he had done something more that evening when they arrived at Jimin's house. Maybe leave after punching Jimin’s father or buy some eggs and throw them in the man’s car. But he wasn’t a violent person to begin with, and Jimin could pay for anything Taehyung did against his father. 

Jimin’s father was waiting for them when they arrived. The people working for the man had seen them entering Busan, and everyone, even the guards, were ready to greet them. After sending Jimin away, asking him with an awfully calm voice if he would wait for him in his office, he turned to the younger.

Taehyung smiled at Jimin once more, and Jimin had to turn away and leave hurriedly when he wasn’t able to keep holding the tears. They knew what was going to happen, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. 

“Goodbye, Taehyung.”

“Goodbye, Jimin.”

Jimin’s father seemed happy, more than Taehyung had ever seen him being since his wife’s death. It took a minute for Taehyung to understand why. 

“You got what you wanted.” He spoke, his voice thankfully steady, deep and neutral. 

The man wanted to find a reason to keep Taehyung away from Jimin.

“You are a nice boy, still young, your family needs you now more than my son does, he’s fine, has everything he could ask for— your family do not.”

Taehyung would have been triggered for such a low blow if he wasn’t already expecting a comment about his family and status since long ago. It was just a matter of time for Jimin’s father to lose any sense of respect. 

“You are destroying him. Your son is suffering because of you.”

“He’ll be alright as long as he follows my words, kid.” His voice became harsher. “We will be on top of society, his mother would be proud seeing his shine.”

“The prize of your greed, power and prestigium, is your son. His mother would be horrified and ashamed of you.”

He knew he would fuck up even before saying it. But if that was going to be the last time in front of Jimin’s father, he had nothing else to lose.. 

“Get him out of my sight.” 

The guards waiting by the door grabbed him by his arms and threw him out, making him land on his knees and scratch his palms. The aching in his hands wouldn’t compare to the aching rooted in his soul. 

And even then, he didn’t care about being hurt, he could only think about Jimin. Was he alright? Would his father feel satisfied with getting Taehyung out of their lives? Or would he lash out on Jimin too? 

The older was the one always patiently listening to Jungkook ranting about his life, friends, coworkers and their boss. Always supporting his friends with everything they needed, going as far as joining Hoseok in a pottery class or Jungkook in a boxing class.

Taehyung was so in tune with his emotions that Jungkook would have never thought that there was something draining him that much. He never asked for support, not because he wanted to hide everything and deal with it on his own, just because he often forgot that he needed to ease his own emotional baggage too. 

“His dad has so much power.” Taehyung sighed, defeated. He rested his back against the rail of the rooftop, shaking his head. “It was easy for him to keep me away, and I was so afraid of how much power he had gained the next few months that I stayed away, too afraid of how my family or Jimin could suffer.”

For a few seconds, Taehyung said nothing, spacing out and caught in the memory of his teenage years. Jungkook decided to join the silence and let him figure out what he wanted to say next. 

They managed to talk every other day, but sometimes they would even stay weeks without being able to contact each other. 

Getting used to the lack of daily communications had taken a toll on the younger’s mental health that no one had expected. Slowly but surely, he looked like he was falling numb. The days had blurred and time seemed to be a forgotten concept. 

“You need to go out, summer at the Kim’s will be a good thing.” His grandma did everything to get him out of the house. “I heard they got a new puppy!”

He really wanted to hug his grandma for all her efforts, but his arms felt heavy— everything did, even his heart. He had never been so painfully aware of every limp in his body and how easier it had been before to just stand up, or just stay awake. Staying asleep and inside his grandma’s house just seemed the best and he didn’t understand how Seoul’s lousy nature would help, living with people he hadn’t seen in months. 

But in the end, he had to get out or his grandma would kill him, she even promised they would go to the strawberry farm if he managed to stay at Kim's place for the whole summer. 

He did. Seoul did help, and he just had to know that his grandma was never wrong. 

That summer, she died. 

And everything was so quick— he felt so lost.

He went back to Daegu the same day the hospital called him, the son of Seoul’s Kim family went with him and stayed by his side while he took care of every legal matter and, two weeks later, he was officially living in Seoul. The older Kim didn’t let him stay back there alone after he had a breakdown when he gave up on trying to contact Jimin. 

The need to hear Jimin’s voice and see him was stronger than ever and at some point Taehyung felt like he was falling again, which gave even more reason to move out of Daegu— or for his friend to drag him out. 

He had lost his parents and his grandma, and Jimin’s presence was slowly fading away. 

A few days after he was settled in an apartment —sharing it with the other Kim— Jimin finally was able to reach out to him. 

Arriving at midnight to their apartment. 

“I’m so sorry.” Jimin whispered before jumping on Taehyung, hugging him. 

The last time they got to hug each other…

Taehyung’s whole body started shaking as soon as Jimin touched him. Tears welled up in his eyes, his head began throbbing and he started hyperventilating. 

Around four in the morning, when they were cuddling in Taehyung’s bed, Jimin had explained he was supposed to go to a conference two days after his arrival and he almost had a stroke when he was notified about grandma’s death, and as he was always keeping tabs on Taehyung, he knew his friend had moved to Seoul. He waited for his guards to fall asleep and ran all the way from the hotel to the apartment after he talked with Seoul’s Kim family, since they knew him because he and Taehyung went back to the strawberry farm they owned, several times. 

“You have to go back, Jiminie.” Taehyung whispered with his eyes closed. 

Jimin was embracing him tighty, afraid of letting go.

“I’ll come here more often.” He promised. “My dad was offered an important position and we are moving too. We’ll be in the same city, it shouldn’t be hard, right?”

And even if Taehyung knew there was a small probability for them to see each other more often, he couldn’t crush Jimin’s wishes, because even against everything, he was wishing the same. 

“I’ll be happy to be closer, pretty Mochi.” He mumbled, smiling. “But don’t get in trouble for me, alright?” 

“But—”

Taehyung opened his eyes and looked at him, immediately feeling nervous because Jimin seemed to have been staring at him all along. 

“Who knows what he could do if you did, I don’t want to see you suffering, Min. It breaks my heart.”

Jimin smiled, sadness evident in every inch of his face. He cupped Taehyung’s face and brushed their noses. 

“I love you, Kim Taehyung. I promise I’ll be fine.”

The younger backed away a few centimeters to check Jimin out, assessing his general appearance. 

“Healthy.” Taehyung muttered. “You’re taking care of yourself, right? You look stunning.”

Jimin didn’t have make-up on, his hair was sticking out in different directions, his eyes showed how tired he was —probably because of his exhausting schedule between social appearances and all his lessons—, he was wearing old sweatpants and one hoodie that Taehyung was almost sure it used to be his and there was one pimple on his cheek.

“I am taking care of myself.” Jimin confirmed, engulfing Taehyung in another bone crushing hug. “You, on the other hand…”

Oh how he wished to just skip that part. He was getting better, it had been just over two months since he was in a pit of despair and he still had a lot to work on, but… he was getting there. 

“A little bird told me it has been a difficult summer.”

Little bird his ass. Taehyung wanted to choke his roommate for snitching. 

“Do you want to talk about it? I’m all ears, TaeTae.”

And so, they spend the rest of the morning talking and catching up on the most important aspects of their lives. Taehyung cheered when Jimin mentioned he finally convinced his dad to let him study what he wanted and Jimin made Taehyung promise to send him a video of him playing the saxophone. The promise of a drawing every two months was mentioned and Jimin promised to start with it even if they weren’t living together, and even if Taehyung didn’t want to impose and tried to convince Jimin to not to focus on something so silly, he turned into mush. 

Jimin was everything he could have asked for. 

Jungkook’s chest felt unnaturally constricted at that point in the story.

Jimin was a remarkable heir, he had studied music and made his own discography not so long ago. He knew how to dance, sing, compose and, outside of the music industry, the guy knew fencing, drawing, painting, tennis— Jungkook was too scared to know more, even if he had his own fair share of hobbies. 

He wondered how many of those things Jimin truly loved. Of course, music was his choice, but what about the rest?

“His father made him do everything that wasn’t music.” Taehyung mumbled, tapping Jungkook’s knuckles with the fingers of his other hand. “He does like some things now, but none was his own choice.”

“He’s really good at everything.”

Taehyung chuckled, nodding. “He is amazingly talented, you two would get along just fine. He likes to go to the gym until unholy hours too, you know?”

Jungkook smiled, mentally following Taehyung’s tapping. 

“So insanely talented, Jungkookie.” The older couldn’t help but to sound like a lovesick fool. “There’s not an alternative universe where I would be worthy of such a magnificent human.”

The younger frowned, shaking his head. 

“Hyung, I know you have been overthinking it for years, but now I’m here and I’m sorry to tell you that you have been living in a lie. You are amazing too.”

Taehyung smiled in disbelief. “What are you saying, Jungkook?”

Jungkook grabbed his other hand and squeezed. By holding hands, he could share his strength , was it?

“Tae, you have so many skills lining up! You paint too! Know how to draw, check! Dancing, check, scuba diving— Scuba diving, hyung! What even? You know basketball and you love swimming, you can even beat my ass in a race— and I trained since I was a kid— check, check, check!” Jungkook inhaled as much air as he possibly could. “And I don’t know you enough but I’m sure you have more things that makes you insanely amazing too, and if you don’t feel enough for him, let me tell you he would be—”

Taehyung chuckled when Jungkook stopped suddenly, the older watching as the famous doe eyes grew impossibly bigger and his jaw dropped once more. 

“You—” Jungkook huffed a laugh. “Kim Taehyung, are you trying to impress Jimin?”

The older shrugged, looking at the sky. “That isn’t important.”

“And even with everything you do, you don’t feel like you could match him?”

Jungkook knew everyone felt like they weren't giving their one hundred percent efforts, he had felt it before and was sure he would feel it again. But that didn’t stop him from looking at Taehyung like the other had said something outrageous. 

But Taehyung shook his head. “Everything I do, I do it for me. I truly enjoy learning everything and I’m happy with what I do.” He tilted his head to the side, defeated. “I just can’t be with him no matter what I do, Jungkookie.”

The closer you are to what your heart desires, the more you yearn for it. 

So painfully close and yet so unbearably away. 

Taehyung and Jimin studied in the same place once high school was over. The first day, during a free period, Taehyung saw Jimin eating lunch with several well-known royals. 

His hair was neatly styled, his face was breathtakingly beautiful, his clothes were perfectly worn and definitely fashionable, suiting him like they were specially handmade for him —which was most likely the case—, his hands had several thin shiny rings and, as he ran a hand through his hair out of habit, Taehyung saw some dangling earrings in both ears. 

The guy was the centre of attention and that made Taehyung smile. That was Jimin. Everyone liked him because he would never make someone uncomfortable, naturally charming everyone in the first two minutes of any conversation. 

When he was about to move, not really knowing if going to Jimin was a great idea, a man way too familiar stood in front of him, and Taehyung felt threatened immediately. 

One of Jimin’s guards. 

“Mr. Park would like you to stay away from his son.” The guard spoke with a straight face and a robotic dead voice. “He understands you are a citizen and therefore you have legal right to study where you please, but don’t forget that the prime minister wants his son to excel in everything and there can’t be any distractions.”

How Jimin’s father knew about them studying in the same university was beyond him, but an uneasiness began crawling under his skin. He didn’t like feeling like someone was watching him, and the man seemed to be utterly aware of where he was and what he was doing. 

“What is that supposed to mean?” He snarled, frowning. 

“Distractions are removed, Mr. Kim, permanently. Your scholarship could get lost in the system one of these days and no one would care.”

The guard’s eyes changed when Taehyung gave a step back out of shock. He shouldn’t have been so surprised, he knew that. Changing his name and moving out of the country suddenly became an option in the back of his mind.

Just how powerful could one prime minister be? There was no way that every string the man pulled was legal. Taehyung just knew that if someone dug deep enough, they would find irrefutable proof that the minister abused his power, not just with young adults but with higher ranks too. 

And for god’s sake, threatening Taehyung just because he wasn’t suited to be Jimin’s friend in his eyes?

“Listen, kid, I've known you both since you were kids.” The guard cleared his throat. “I know Mr. Park wouldn’t want to see that you were not able to study due to his father.”

The truth was hitting Taehyung like he was a piñata. He couldn’t do that to Jimin, the older was not at fault for his father’s actions. He never was and never will. 

“Can you tell him?” Taehyung asked, looking down. “Tell Jimin we can’t be seen together here, so he doesn’t try to look for me.”

In cue, Jimin’s cheery voice came from behind the guard. “Taehyung-ah!”

Taehyung gasped before looking back and the guard, ready to plead if he needed to. 

“I’ll tell him.”

And with that, Taehyung ran away, stopping when he finally was out of the building. His free period was an hour long, his apartment was thankfully just a few minutes away and his roommate would be cooking lunch by then. He didn’t want to stay there. He knew Jimin would run after him as soon as he heard the news of their new restriction.

There were so many things separating them, Jimin’s dad being the biggest thing, and honestly, if Jimin got mad at him for running away, he would understand. If he had the strength to fight, he would, but all he felt was broken. 

Broken because he didn’t have any family left, because his part-time job sucked, his roommate was basically taking care of him and he felt like he wasn’t doing enough, with how much he was getting paid everything was impossible to buy or pay anything, so he couldn’t even help a lot with their roommates agreement. 

He was still having breakdowns and moments where not even photography seemed something he wanted to do, the hopelessness, the loss of interest, the poor appetite, the lack of sleep— he was trying so hard to make something right, stay on track and healthy, and that itself was exhausting. No matter how much he tried, everything felt like a superficial attempt to fix how much he was hurting inside. And being constantly reminded that he was not suitable to be close to the one person he wanted, was fucking him up.

Jungkook frowned. “He’s wrong.” 

Taehyung chuckled, nodding, and Jungkook felt relieved. It seemed that his hyung had been very emotionally unstable when he was younger, but the younger was glad that he knew that nothing that Jimin’s father thought was right. 

It was a bitter relief, because Taehyung was still hurting and now Jungkook was thinking back to some moments since they knew him that he hadn’t noticed before. The quietness whenever they were walking pass Jimin’s neighbourhood every once in a while when they wanted to go to Hoseok’s favorite restaurant, how he disappeared when the TV was on and in Junkook’s favorite gossip channel —in which Jimin appeared every single time with other big news or scandals—, but somehow always was updated in everything, that time when he basically begged Jungkook to come with him to a fancy dance exhibit with exclusive invitation, where the only ones present were royals, the multiple drawing that had arrived to the office for him every two months, that would get him distracted the whole day at work.

“His father got me fired from my first work after college.”

“He what?!” Jungkook shouted, tightening the grip in their hands. 

Taehyung flinched because of it and the younger took a deep breath, mumbling an apology afterwards. 

The memory seemed to be painful, because the next breath coming from the older was shaky and his eyes filled with tears. 

It was a few months after he started working for the first time, he had been doing extremely well and everything was as calm as it could be. Jimin had found a way of calling him for an old spear phone just a few weeks back and they had been talking every night. Much to his satisfaction, he had managed to move out of the shared apartment and moved down the corridor, to his one. 

Everything was going well.

“What do you mean with I'm not going? ” Jimin asked, groaning afterwards, while Taehyung walked around the kitchen, making strawberry cake.

The younger sighed. “Min, parties are most definitely not in my priorities, I have reports to deliver in a week, and you know I’m horribly awkward in crowds, my brain short circuits.”

The company was hosting a party and two more companies were invited, everyone was excited about it and said the parties were always great, an amazing way to keep the healthy competition and avoid hard feelings that could appear if one had more recognition than the other one at any given moment.

Jimin snorted. “You are amazing, what are you talking about?”

“You are just biased, Jiminie.”

“Even if I just met you, I’d be crazy if I didn’t talk with you, you are someone easy to talk to— you are beautiful.”

Taehyung felt the hot tingles in his cheeks and almost dropped the pink frosting. Jimin just couldn’t say things like that without warning, otherwise he would die from a heatwave. Somehow, it felt like the last part wasn’t needed and Jimin just wanted to say it, but if he started to think of Jimin calling him beautiful just because, he would actually go to his house and snatch him out of the Wicked Warlock of the West— his father.

He sighed, immediately hoping he didn’t sighed like a lovesick fool. 

“Fine, I’ll go.” he muttered, starting to frost the cake.

“That’s what I like to hear.” Jimin beamed, giggling happily and making Taehyung’s heart flip several times in a row. “Why are you making a cake, though?”

“The Kim family wants to make a surprise party for their son. I offered to make a cake, and since they loved the oreo one, they agreed. There's not much I can buy for him, and the only thing that came in my mind, his boyfriend already got it— along with some ridiculously sweet self-made poem and flowers. Where do people even get so many flowers, Min?”

Jimin laughed, and Taehyung knew he was amused. The older was used to fancy gifts and decorations, of course he would have seen many flower bouquets, any since and with every type of flower. 

“Do you want to see from where, Tae-ah?”

The amusement in his voice made Taehyung roll his eyes. “I’d love to, sure.”

The next few weeks went by faster than Taehyung could register and soon he was sulking because the next day he would have to attend the party.

Something was telling him that Jimin just didn’t want him to stay home. They had  talked about it during one of their millions conversations, the older made Taehyung promise to take more care of himself and enjoy more of the outside, to live and not lock himself up at every chance he could. 

He felt so much better after he started to go out for walks or to eat out after class with some friends and then with coworkers. So maybe it wouldn’t be bad, he wouldn’t avoid that party, unlike he did with the two previous ones. It just seemed a huge step being in a crowded party when all he ever did was hang out after work with less people— he was overwhelming himself already, and it wasn’t even the day of the party.

When he arrived on the right floor in the apartment building, a ravenet with broad shoulders was waiting for him by the door, leaning on the wall and with a smirk plastered in his face. Taehyung didn’t like that smirk, he already felt threatened.

“Not that I mind having someone waiting for me, you know?” Taehyung frowned. “But, what are you doing waiting for me like a creep, hyung?”

Kim family’s mighty heir, Kim Seokjn, in all his glory. And as handsomely striking that the older was, Taehyung just wanted to go inside, leave the heavy bags with food in the kitchen for further organizing and take a long shower.

“I know you missed me.” 

Seokjin was— damn, Taehyung just didn’t think there was a way to describe what Kim Seokjin was to him. The older helped him out during everything, he was his roommate, the one taking care of him relentlessly and always making sure he wasn’t losing himself again. 

Taehyung did miss him, of course he did. 

“You were gone for too long.” Taehyung smiled. “Two weeks without you coming uninvited to my apartment is the beginning of a boring life.”

Seokjin clicked his tongue, rolling his eyes. “Shut up and give those bags, would you?”

Taehyung chuckled, watching satisfied as the olders’s ears turned red. He gave him the bags and opened the door, waiting for Seokjin to enter before closing it again. He stayed behind just a few seconds, his muscles relaxing and his mind easing. With his friend back from his birthday trip, even his own apartment felt more like a home. 

He was definitely not suited to be left alone for too long and he didn’t know how to feel about it.

“Make me another cake, Taehyung-ah.” Seokjin was already eating one slice of the strawberry cake leftover he had in the fridge. “You got so much better at it than me, it’s disconcerting, I was the one that taught you how to make it.”

Taehyung was about to respond when a sweet scent filled his nose, one that he hadn’t noticed when he first went inside his apartment because, well, his apartment always smelt like flowers, he liked it that way. It wasn’t the subtle faint scent, it was stronger.

He looked in the living room direction for a few seconds before looking back at Seokjin, who was smirking again with his phone out and raised in front of his face, the cake forgotten on the counter.

“You are smirking aga— are you filming me?” When Seokjin nodded, Taehyung’s breathing picked up. “Oh god, what did you do?”

He ran to his living room, feeling like his heart was in his throat. Seokjin was capable of everything and since Taehyung’s place was unofficially his too, he was often making changes to everything— or he could burn down something Taehyung refused to change and make it change it. Of course, that hadn’t happened, but that didn’t mean Seokjin wasn’t capable of it.

However, when he went inside the room, he forgot how to breathe.

Taehyung’s living room was completely covered in flower arrangements. Over the shelves, the armchairs, the couch, the shelves, the coffee table, even on the floor. 

“Do you want to see from where, Tae-ah?”  

“Oh my god, Jimin.” He whispered, covering his mouth. 

Park Jimin was insane, Taehyung came to that conclusion a few years back and it shouldn’t surprise him that he bought a lot of flowers and left a business card of the company that made the arrangements over the flowers that were on the coffee table.

“Now you know, TaeTae.”

That was Jimin’s voice.

When Taehyung turned around, Jimin at least had the decency to smile sheepishly.

“Hi, Taehyungie, long time no— Tae! ”

Taehyung had ran towards him, hugging him like his life depended on it and spinning him in the air, both laughing like idiots. They hadn’t seen each other in over a month and the surprise, even if the flowers would be a pain in the ass to clean, along with Jimin in his apartment, made his whole December, Christmas and New Year. 

“I missed you so much.” Jimin whispered when Taehyung stopped spinning.

Taehyung didn’t want to let him go.

Seokjin left after an hour of catching up with both, promising to be there when Taehyung arrived from the party. They spent the rest of the evening talking, laughing, playing games, Taehyung tried to get Jimin to help him make dinner but the older burned the food in the first five minute so Taehyung ended up cooking while Jimin told him all about the gossip between the royals— things so scandalous that he probably shouldn’t know or he could get killed.

The dinner was served, eaten and enjoyed, Jimin praised his marvelous cooking skills and rather sooner than later, they had to say goodbye. 

Taehyung promised himself to stop asking how Jimin was escaping before the process of the escapades would make him even more worried.

The next day, he felt great. Jimin always helped him to be at ease, no matter what had happened. His morning was perfect, everything went ridiculously well. He even got a message from Seokjin’s boyfriend telling him that he was invited to his studio, and the younger really loved spending time with him, talking and drinking.

The party was certainly amazing, the social affairs team went all out and everyone was happily chatting away the evening.

“Mr. Kim”

He had been talking with some women from one of the other two companies when someone called his name, so he exhuxed himself and turned around, expecting to see someone from his company, since he wasn’t that known because he refused to go to the previous parties.

“Fuck.” He whispered when he finally saw the person behind him.

Mr. Park’s most trusted guard, the one that was recently assigned to be around Jimin permanently, the one that told him the threatening news of the possibility of being expelled back in college.

That man was starting to be a part of his nightmares.

“If you were so kind to follow me.”

Taehyung knew he didn’t have a choice. He couldn’t even try to know why they needed to be alone because the guard was getting enough attention from the coworkers asking politely. They walked for two minutes and ended up hiding in the filing room, where, much to Taehyung despair, Mr. Park was waiting.

“Look at you.” Mr. Park sneered. “You surely have grown, boy. Not living to others’ expenses now, getting just enough money to at least buy your own food, eh?”

Swallowing hard, Taehyung tried to remain calm. He was not a little kid anymore, he was stronger and more confident than before, he was not someone that would let other people kick him and treat him like he was nothing. 

And still, he had to control himself and hold back the need to ask what the fuck was that Mr. Park wanted from him to go as far as personally visiting Taehyung’s job.

“My son still doesn’t understand how far my power and will goes.”

Taehyung frowned at the mention of Jimin. 

Jimin was always so careful when he went out to do anything related to Taehyung, always planning weeks ahead, always making plan A, B and C in case something went wrong during the process.

“I know my son sent those filthy flowers to your horrible apartment.” 

If only hitting that old man to erase that smirk of his face was something he could do without having to face probably death itself, Taehyung would have felt a little less overwhelmed by rage. 

After several years, Taehyung knew that Mr. Park wouldn’t touch Jimin— his son was already Seoul’s diamond, after all. Ruining Taehyung’s day seemed to be more entertaining.

“You don’t seem to understand, do you?” Mr. Park sighed, shaking his head. “Stop trying to get to him, stop trying to seduce him, he doesn’t deserve you, not a low-life like you.”

Well, that was new. Seduce Jimin? Taehyung could barely talk with people, how was he supposed to flirt, or even worse, seduce? 

Mr. Park seemed pleased with himself, like he understood everything and knew exactly how to end it. 

“If you want money, then I’ll give you money and you can move on and look for it somewhere else.”

Taehyung had been in a fair share of verbal fights, he avoided physical fights because they seemed pointless and never ended up fixing something, just making it worse. He had been called harsh words, he knew how to not let them sink now. 

But that man was saying he was trying to be with Jimin because he wanted money and that was the most stupid thing he had ever listened. They had known each other since they were babies, before the Park family was even known outside their neighbourhood, in what universe would that be out of selfish reasons?

Taehyung felt like the rubber band of his patience finally busted and he saw red. The next thing he could process, the guard’s heavy punch had thrown him against the wall and Mr. Park had a bleeding nose. 

“You stupid kid!” Mr. Park roared, holding his nose with inevitable tears in his eyes. “You dare to hit me? Do you have any idea of what I could do to you?”

The guard seized him up against the wall and Mr. Park groaned, walking to him and tilting his head forwards, just a few inches away from Taehyung’s face.

“Not watching as you rot in jail wouldn’t be as fun as being able to watch as your life is destroyed, Kim.” He whispered and, despite the obvious pain he was feeling, he chuckled darkly. “I will ruin you, everything you know, your job, your apartment, that horrid car— everything you have, I will take it away. I planned the beginning of your destruction yesterday when I found out what my useless son did, but now it will be so much more delightful.”

The guard backed a few steps from the wall and threw a last punch in his jaw that made the back of his head hit the wall. He fell straight to the ground with blurry eyes and his consciousness slipping away slowly. 

The door opened and Taehyung saw two more guards walking inside of the filing room. His heart stopped for a few seconds when he noticed their uniforms. 

The company’s security was working with Mr. Park.

“You will say you found him trying to steal the files.” The man spoke with a handkerchief on his nose. “We have planted some copies on his computer, tell him you found them there because you got an anonymous report on him— my men will deal with every legal matter.”

That day, Taehyung was discreetly dragged out of the building and sent home by Mr. Park’s men, avoiding the matter to go public, as he wanted. The younger woke up when they arrived at the front of the apartment building, where the men with him threw him out of the van and drove away, disappearing into the night. With a heavy heart and feeling his head throbbing, he walked straight to the elevator, not daring to look at the receptionist. 

He didn’t want to see anyone else but Seokjin. 

The overpowering feeling of hopelessness crawling under his skin, to lay down and not move for hours, the crushing need to scream something— anything— everything he had inside of his mind, but the unwillingness to even say a simple hello and rather stay completely silent for the rest of his life because, why would it matter ?

His job was gone, all his coworkers would know sooner or later the lie and of course they would believe it so he wouldn’t be able to call them again, all the bad things they would think and say of him and how they would think all he ever did was manipulate them to get what he wanted— maybe it was for the better to change his phone number, just in case.

It was at midnight when Taehyung knocked on his apartment’s door. 

It was midnight when Seokjin opened the door with eager excited eyes, waiting for Taehyung to tell him all about his fun evening.

“I need a break, hyungie.” He whispered when Seokjin gasped. Before I break.

“Mr. Kim will see you now, Mr. Jeon.”

Jungkook walked quickly inside Seokjin’s office, going directly to the chair and taking as much air as his lungs let him.

“Taehyung told me about Jimin.”

Seokjin stopped typing on his computer and remained staring at the screen for a few seconds, processing.

“Taehy— he did what?” Seokjin asked, smiling so hard that Jungkook feared his cheeks would break.

It seemed wiser to stay quiet. 

“That idiot, I told him not to.” The older mumbled and then sighed, turning to look at Jungkook. “I want you to know that I’m still his boss, he gets the same amount of work as anyone and—”

“I know.” Jungkook interrupted, smiling to try to ease the older. “I’m not here to call you out, Seokjin-hyung, I understand.”

When Seokjin realized Jungkook was not there as an employee, he cleared his throat and then relaxed in his chair.

“I just don’t want someone to think he doesn’t deserve to be here because he got this job because of me. I’m sorry, Jungkook-ah. Why are you here then?”

Jungkook cleared his throat. “Hyung told me to speak with you in case I had questions.”

“Why?”

“He went home early yesterday and… He hasn’t come today.”

Seokjin’s entire behavior changed, he straightened his back, fixed his hair while standing up and walked with a firm pace to the door.

“Hyung! Where are you going?” Jungkook asked, hurrying behind him.

“I’m going out, cancel everything.” Seokjin talked while passing by his assistant. “Jungkook, did he mention all that happened to him, how he felt back in those days?”

The younger frowned and began walking as firmly as Sokjin, matching his steps and his worried features. “You don’t want him to be alone.”

They went inside the elevator and Seokjin pressed the last button, to the parking lot. Just when the elevator door closed, the older looked back at Jungkook.

“We have an agreement— we being Taehyung’s friends and Taehyung himself. Some people are made for dealing with their own stuff and figuring themselves out on their own, our Taehyungie is not one of those.”

Jungkook decided that if there was a moment to ask questions, it had to be before arriving at Taehyung's apartment. 

“His two hours during break are related to Jimin?”

Seokjin sighed, defeated. “Jimin found a way to see each other in a dog café where his guard can’t go inside because he’s allergic to dogs. It takes Taehyung a while to get there walking and then managing to go inside without being seen, even if they had perfectioned the art of disguise by now.”

A small smile flashed in his face before the frown went back and Jungkook concluded that the place suited the pair if Seokjin was so amused by it, enough to ease his worry just a bit.

“As far as Mr. Park knows, Taehyung is afraid of dogs because that’s what he saw when they were kids… he’s an idiot, my god.”

Jungkook snorted, shaking his head. He truly despised the man.

Seokjin got his phone out and began tapping away. “I’m asking Hoseok to buy dumplings and bring them to Taehyung’s place— he said he trusted you both and that he wanted to tell you, I wasn’t expecting it this soon though. You’ll have to update Hoseok, understood?”

After nodding, the elevator opened and both went to Seokjin’s car. And in less than a minute, they were already on the road, the older tapping anxiously the steering wheel.

“You have taken care of him.” Jungkook commented and Seokjin hummed, letting him know he was listening. “Everything that happened, you were with him— what happened after the Primer Minister got him fired?”

Noting good judging by the white knuckles, Jungkook guessed.

“Mr. Park managed to make the apartment building throw him out and when he tried to look for any other partially good work, everything was refused, so he started working part-time again. Being able to work and have his own things meant a lot to him and going back to struggle destroyed his will.” He breathed in and the younger clearly saw how he was trying to remain controlled. “He was on autopilot for a while, not really caring how the world moved around him. Jimin stopped trying to get to him and he did the same, for a while.”

“Did it work, then? Mr. Park won.”

Seokjin shook his head. “Taehyung recovered, he… has a ridiculous strong core, even when he has been through literal hell, he always manages to come back. He was down for… a torturous time, yeah, but he went looking for Jimin once he started going out of his room again.”

“You are an idiot.” was the first thing Taehyung uttered when he came face to face with Jimin.

They were in one of the trillion parties Jimin attended from one of his previous fellow students, just a small get together to remember a few years back. He didn’t have any guards with him, all waiting outside because the party was expensive enough to keep unwanted company out. No one from lower status would dare going in.

No one except a very angry Taehyung.

Jimin was stunned for two seconds before frowning, dragging Taehyung away from the prying eyes in the kitchen and taking him to the empty garden, since the chill breeze seemed to keep everyone inside. The mansion was huge and, in one side, the garden had a small coffee table with some chairs surrounded by many tall bushes and trees, giving them some privacy.

“What are you doing here?” Jimin asked, letting go of his hand.

Well, ouch .

“Oh, I got invited, you know— what the fuck do you think I’m doing, Park Jimin?”

“You can’t be here, you need to leave.”

Taehyung gasped and his chest tightened. He had to remind himself that Jimin was just trying to avoid more disasters like Taehyung’s job fiasco and not that he was tired of everything that Taehyung meant. He hoped not.

He started going out not less than a week ago and going inside of the party was a torture, too many drunk people too close to each other, leaving poor space to go through and making him almost have a panic attack if it wasn’t because in that exact moment he found Jimin.

It was too soon and his mind was still overthinking everything.

It wasn’t the moment. He trusted in Jimin with his life, he wouldn’t send him away just like that. His eyes were looking everywhere except Taehyung, his hands were in the pockets of his jacket and his right foot was subtly hitting the floor non-stop.

“I’m not here to pretend, Jimin.” His voice went down with every word, anger subsiding. “You can’t do that with me and you know it.”

Jimin sighed, crunching down and covering his face. 

“I can’t look at you, Tae, not after what I did.”

Even if nothing was his fault, Taehyung knew Jimiin would be blaming himself. He always did. As Taehyung always fought with himself with what they could or couldn’t do, Jimin always fought himself with what could happen to him, and if everything they did, everything Taehyung suffered, was truly worth it.

Taehyung smiled, sitting in front of Jimin. 

“You look beautiful tonight, you know?”

“Tae…” Jimin mumbled, letting his hands fall off his face, but still looking down. “Now it’s not the time for that.”

“Every time is perfect, Jiminie. You look fabulous.”

Sighing, the older nodded. “Thank you, Tae… you look amazing too.”

Taehyung hummed, titling his head backwards to watch the sky. Jimin wouldn’t deny Taehyung’s compliments, and wouldn’t miss the chance compliment him back— even if Taehyung looked anything but amazing, he had bag under his eyes, eyes that felt like closing at any moment due to the lack of proper rest and he knew he was as pale as a ghost because Seokjin lectured him once more before going out to the party.

“I said no pretend, Jimin-ah. I know I look horrible.”

The reaction was instant. Jimin’s head snapped up with a deep frown, eye firing up and opening his mouth to fight Taehyung. The younger smiled, taking him by surprise and leaving him with his mouth opened.

“I love you.” Taehyung blurted out when Jimin’s eyes started diverting from him.

Jimin choked on air and looked at him with wide eyes. Taehyung just nodded, waiting for the other’s reaction. He needed to get his point across. He didn’t blame Jimin, he didn’t want Jimin out of his life. So if Jimin wanted him to leave, the older would have to ignore him, stand up and leave, because Taehyung wasn’t leaving without a fight.

Jimin just began tearing up,escalating quickly from silent tears to hard sobs. 

Taehyung wondered for how long Jimin had been bottling up everything. It was what the older did after so many years hiding his emotions from his father, forgetting he was even bottling up in the first place and unstoppably breaking down when he finally had too much. 

Sighing, Taehyung opened his arms. “Don’t be stubborn and hug me, please.”

Jimin sighed, defeated, and let Taehyung embrace him after crawling closer to him, hiding his face in the younger’s neck. 

“You were so happy about your work.” Jimin’s voice wavered and he sobbed once more before being able to speak. “Having your apartment— I couldn’t stop him, Tae-ah, and I tried!” 

Taehyung hummed, resting his head in Jimin’s, and running his hand up and down the older’s back. “Yes, I’m leaving with Seokjinnie-hyung again, but now I have a bit saved up until I find something better. I will find something, Jiminie.”

After leaving a peck in Taehyung’s skin, Jimin settled better in his lap, both legs straddling the other’s hips. 

“I don’t want to see you suffering, Taehyung.”

“I’m holding on.” The younger flashed a smile at him while circling Jimin’s waist and bringing him closer. “I will get somewhere your father can’t touch me. For my mental health, mostly, and for us, of course. Then your pretty little head won’t have to worry about it.”

Jimin chuckled, nodding. “And I will find somewhere to be with you, I won’t rest until I do.”

Taehyung scowled. “Don’t do that. Rest. Take care of yourself.”

Rolling his eyes, the older nodded. Then, he smiled, cupping Taehyung’s face. 

“You are amazing, Taehyung-ah, gorgeous.”

“Jimin-ah!” Taehyung whined, turning pink, and Jimin snickered, squeezing his cheeks.

“The prettiest!”

“Hush!”

Once the bickering stopped, Jimin’s laugh died down into a loving sigh, eyes scrutinizing Taehyung’s face like he wanted to engrave it in his mind. When Taehyung opened his mouth to complain about it— just because his chest was about to burst— the older leaned in and kissed his forehead, the touch lingering for eternal blissful seconds. 

“I love you, Kim Taehyung.”

Jungkook followed Seokjin inside the gloomy apartment. The curtains were covering every window and a music could be heard from somewhere inside, probably Taehyung’s room, but it was muffled by the walls. 

“My boyfriend is coming later.” Seokjin muttered, closing the door behind them. “He wants to be with Taehyung.”

The younger looked back at him, not knowing what to say. A day ago he didn’t know anything about Taehyung and Jimin. After knowing their story and how Seokjin played a part in it, he felt like he was entering unknown waters, completely lost

“Taehyungie did say you had a boyfriend, but I didn’t think he was so close with him.”

They walked to the kitchen, Jungkook following the older and then sitting in one of the stools the small kitchen island had around, while Seokjin started bringing out food and cookware. 

It wasn’t until everything was ready that Seokjin looked back at Jungkook, his hand on the kitchen island. 

“He didn’t mention who my boyfriend is?” 

“No.”

The older scowled. “Well, that hurts. I don’t get him, the need to hide that my sweet bean is one of his best friends— after me, of course.” 

Jungkook frowned, confused, while Seokjin continued ranting about how he would always brag about friends like them, while starting to cook. Even though his boss was always approachable and had cultivated a nice friendship with Jungkook, the younger was seeing another part of him after the older knew Taehyung had told him about his story. 

“I’m not hiding him.” 

Both men jumped, startled, when Taehyung’s husky voice interrupted Seokjin. The male looked very emotionally exhausted, making Jungkook curse when he remembered that Taehyung had looked horribly troubled the day they went to the rooftop. His hyung never mentioned what had happened that day. 

Seokjin’s piercing eyes scanned the younger’s appearance. “Have you eaten yet?” 

“I was about to.” And what should have sounded like a statement sounded more like a question. 

“Instant noodles won't do.”

Taehyung displayed a tight smile, like he was trying to fight the distressing emotions inside of him. 

“Aren’t you going to fire me after not going to work?”

Rolling his eyes, Seokjin diverted his focus to the food. He seemed to be making a lot, and Jungkook wondered if he was going to feed the whole building. 

“Hyung is coming?” Taehyung asked, taking a step out of the kitchen, like he wanted to go back to his room. He sounded hopeful about Seokjin’s boyfriend, a hint of curious excitement taking over his neutral voice. 

“He is.” 

Taehyung looked down, sighing, and Jungkook could almost feel all the troubling emotions that were probably on the verge of making him combust. It was obvious he didn’t know how to feel, the excitement and sadness fighting inside of him. 

“Is he… bringing his guitar?” 

Seokjin’s hands twitched while holding a spoon and a frying pan and the cookware fell to the stove from his low height, the clattering of the clash making Taehyung flinch. 

“I think so.” 

Taehyung pursed his lips and finally looked at Jungkook, who was frowning. Seeing that Taehyung was still trying to remain as calm as possible was something that tugged his heart. If just his hyung’s eyes weren’t holding so much pain, his breathing wasn’t irregular and his smile could last more than three seconds... Now that Jungkook knew everything, Taehyung didn’t have to hold back, and so many genuine reactions were making his throat close up. 

“Hobi-hyung is bringing dumplings.” Jungkook blurted out, the lump in his throat already affecting his voice. 

Seeing Taehyung so lost was making a terrible need to cry grow inside of Jungkook. 

“What time is it, then?” Taehyung tilted his head to the side, looking at the ground again. “I think I’ve been in bed too long, I wanted breakfast?” 

Seokjin hummed, setting up a teapot. “Lunch, Tae. It’s lunchtime.”

With a sigh, Taehyung nodded, starting to walk out of the kitchen. 

“I’ll be in my room.”

Jungkook watched him leave, his eyes filling with tears. It was overwhelming to witness it, how hard Taehyung was trying to stay focused, to interact with them, his fingers tapping his sides, a rhythm that had begun to increase the more he was out of his room. 

“Don’t panic.” Seokjin turned to him with a small smile. “I know it feels like it’s too much. If you want to breath it out, you can always go, he will understand— he always does.”

For some reason, the idea of leaving felt like the worst thing he could do. His stomach was twisting just by thinking about it. Cleaning his tears and shaking his head, Jungkook was about to refute, but the apartment's door opened. 

“They’re here.” Seokjin turned his head to the direction of the short corridor. 

Hoseok came in first, his eyes falling immediately in Jungkook and frowning. 

“Were you crying? What happened?” 

The sudden attention and more than evident worry made Jungkook’s cheeks burn, almost forgetting how to breathe when Hoseok cupped his face. 

“I’m alright, hyung.” He mumbled, smiling lightly and brushing the hair in Hoseok’s forehead. “Please don’t worry, I’ll update you in a bit.”

Hesitant, hoseok let go of his face. “Promise?”

“Absolutely.” 

“Those two dating?”

Jungkook snapped his head in the foreign voice, his heart sinking to his feet. 

Next to his boss and intertwining hands with him, was a shorter guy, black hair and a cap on, a guitar firmly held in his other hand. 

Seokjin’s boyfriend was Min Yoongi, Jimin’s newest friend according to tv gossip and a genius, CEO of another discography— one that was leading the industry and a strong competition to Jimin. Since Jungkook saw the news, he thought one of them had befriended the other with ill intentions. Since Jimin looked like a sweetheart, Jungkook was betting Yoongi. 

Now he was standing right in front of him. And he had asked if Hoseok and him were dating. 

“See? That’s the reaction I like.” Seokjin nodded, satisfied.

“Shock?” Hoseok asked, eyeing worriedly at Jungkook’s expression. 

“More like having a stroke.” Yoongi scoffed, shaking his head and looking back at his boyfriend. “I’ll be with Taehyungie, scream when food is ready, love.”

After pecking Seokjin’s lips, the man left the kitchen and Jungkook felt his heart beating again. 

“Min Yoongi is your boyfriend.” 

“Pretty amazing, right?” Seokjin smiled, going back to cooking. “I’ll finish this while you help Hoseok to understand everything, Jk.”

Right. He had to do that. Jungkook wasn’t sure of his ability to tell the story without finally crying or yelling profanities against a certain prime minister. 

“Come, Jungkookie.” Hoseok grabbed his hand. “I’m getting worried about all the secrecy, is something wrong with Tae?”

Jungkook intertwined their hands properly and let the older lead the way to the living room, not letting go even when they were seated on the couch. Hoseok did bring him more security. 

Taking a deep breath, Jungkook prepared himself. Jung Hoseok was very, very , protective of his friends. 

“You won’t like what I’m about to tell you.”

“Did he worry?” Taehyung asked Yoongi after being in his room together for half an hour. 

The CEO was currently looking at Jimin’s drawings on the walls and Taehyung was reading the music sheets of Yoongi’s newest work in progress. Taehyung’s love for music was greater than he let others know. In addition to saxophone, the younger knew piano, the basics of drums and several annoying melodies in flute that he used with the solid purpose of annoying Yoongi every time he was at the older’s studio. 

His latest love was the guitar, but he was only using it as his way of musical therapy, to help him clear his mind and refocus. Yoongi was helping him, playing it too until Taehyung had asked-- or more like, demanded to see his new compositions.

“Of course he did.” Yoongi answered, walking towards the bed. “Five minutes after you didn’t appear at the café, he called me.”

“I wanted to go.”

Sighed, the older sat down next to him. “I know, bub. He is not thinking otherwise, he’s just worried about you.”

Taehyung hummed, lazily playing some accords. A frown appeared in his face a few seconds later and his bottom lip got caught up between his teeth.

“Does he think I’m overreacting?” He muttered, his eyes refusing to leave the music sheets.

“Hey, hey, no , don’t do that.” Yoongi grabbed his shoulder and carefully turned their bodies so they were facing each other. He looked worried, and Taehyung’s heart hurt for making him worry so much. “Emotional exhaustion comes in many different ways, Tae-ah. You are not overreacting.”

The younger looked into the other eyes, trying to gather all his control to speak without his voice breaking.

He knew Jimin couldn’t be his as long as his father was the prime minister, it was too dangerous. It was clear Jimin was one of the most public figures in the city and if anything happened to him, hell would rise-- but they had gotten to a point where they weren’t sure if the horrible man would hurt Taehyung, a nobody, to an irreversible level.

But even having to love each other from afar, they never thought about searching for love with someone else, somehow they never needed to say it to know.

Jimin’s heart would always belong to Taehyung and Taehyung’s would always belong to Jimin.

“Mr. Park doesn’t even remember what love is.” Yoongi scowled. “He shouldn’t be doing this, everything he has done is wrong and messed up.”

Taehyung breathed in, long and thankfully steady. “He is making Jimin marry someone, hyung.”

“Taehyung, please talk to me” Jimin pleaded, his voice wavering and his eyes filled with tears.

He wants me to marry . That’s what Jimin had said, looking so intensely into his eyes that Taehyung wondered if the older could see his soul shattering.

“Yeah.” He answered, blinking rapidly. “I... heard you, Jimin-ah.”

He should have seen it coming. It wasn’t surprising that Mr. Park wanted to take more of Jimin’s free will, and since his son was already creating his independent life, the chances for the man to do so were slowly decreasing.

Taehyung still hoped, he always did. He still expected to be able to have each other. He still wanted to share his life with Jimin, be with him without all the stupid restriction they had grown to. 

What could someone like him do? He needed something that wouldn’t destroy anyone, physically or emotionally, in the process. He still needed to have a life, an apartment and a job. His friends being whiplashed by his own problems was something he knew he wouldn’t allow to happen nor be able to take. He knew Mr. Park could mess with Seokjin and Yoongi’s lives if he wanted to torture Taehyung.

Jimin fumbled with his car keys, his eyes drilling holes in Taehyung’s face. “I don’t want to marry anyone else.”

The younger’s heart broke hearing Jimin’s desperate tone. 

Park Jimin was one of the most amazing and truthful people Taehyung knew, there was no other like him. Jimin never bragged about money, hated that Mr. Park made their whole lives turn around royal society, loved to have quiet walks in the evening and loud parties with his friends. Jimin was everything good in Taehyung’s eyes, even the bad parts. 

The older had embraced every flaw he could have and turned them into strength to hold on during all his life. Even his insecurities seemed to be there with the main goal of strengthening him. It was so incredibly gratifying that Taehyung couldn’t help to feel like the world lost its balance seeing Jimin about to go down.

He grabbed Jimin's hands, making him drop the keys on the table. 

There were so many thoughts passing through his mind in the moment, so many things he wanted to say, the both heartbreaking and exhilarating I don’t want to marry anyone else repeating non-stop, the billions of things he wanted to do, from crying his frustration out of his body to go to Mr. Park’s office and throw him out of the window— and Jimin.

All his memories rushing by, from beautiful ones to the ones that hurt the most. 

When Jimin learned to drive his bike on his own, taking Taehyung to the strawberry farm, for the first time without their parents. Taehyung buying him ice cream every evening for two weeks after losing a bet with him and the horrible stomach ache the older had due to that horrible idea. Their first fight, their first trip together, the month they ran away from Busan, the day they arrived. 

Jimin smiling and his eyes becoming crescents, snickering, giggling and laughing so much he had trouble breathing. Jimin whining, yelling, sighing with desperation, sadness, tiredness, love.

Love.

Everything ended up at the same place in his head. It didn’t matter if whatever he remembered was amazingly happy or horribly sad. 

Jimin was love.

Taehyung was in love with him.

He wanted to comfort him, tell him Taehyung would never leave him —even if he was bound to stay away forever— but just when he was about to speak, Jimin’s guard barged in, covering his nose and mouth with a handkerchief, surely looking for Jimin but first looking down, alarmed, at the dogs that had come to greet him. 

With a low shriek and alerts clouding his mind, Taehyung scurried behind the counter, where the owner, a nice guy they had come to befriend after months of being daily customers, looked down at him for a few seconds before the guard began coughing and wheezing.

“Mr. Park, your father wants you back in the house for your first wife candidate.”

“ Wife candidate? Bitch, please” Yoongi growled while pacing around Taehyung’s bed. “Someone needs to punch that man in the face like you did back then.”

“Hyung.” Taehyung muttered, rolling his eyes.

He really wanted to punch Mr. Park, though.

Yoongi huffed, sitting down in front of the younger and taking his hand. “If we weren’t in the line, would you do something?”

Taehyung’s breath hitched and his hands squeezed Yoongi’s.

“I’m serious.” The CEO added, frowning. “What if we wanted to help you?”

“I can’t— no, hyung, what if he tries to ruin you?”

Rolling his eyes, the older pulled Taehyung to step out of his bed, almost making him fall flat on the floor but thankfully keeping him steady. Without a word, he dragged Taehyung out of the room and to the living room, where Seokjin and Jungkook seemed to be trying to calm Hoseok down.

“Hyungie!” Yoongi called, making Seokjin almost break his neck with how fast he turned his head.

“Yes, dear?”

“Tell him we want to help.” he basically ordered, pulling Taehyung in front of him.

Hoseok raised his arms to the roof, groaning. “That’s what I’m talking about!”

Jungkook smacked Hoseok’s arms, making him hiss, and Seokjin waked closer to his boyfriend and his best friend.

“Taehyungie, hear me out.” 

“Hyung, you can’t—”

Seokjin glared at him and raised his hand with one finger up, making Taehyung shut up and cover his mouth. 

“Don’t interrupt me, Taehyungie, your hyungs are about to make some statements.”

“Our boss is cool.” Hoseok tried to whisper behind the oldest.

“Hobi!” Jungkook hissed and another smack, joined but Hoseok’s ouch , was heard.

Seokjin cleared his throat, placing his hands over Taehyung’s shoulders.

“I know you worry about us, I get it because I worry about Jimin and you just as much. I have seen you both grow up, Tae-ah. I know your pain, your struggle, your secrets and I’ve been there for your accomplishments as you have been in mine. We are not just now thinking about helping you, we have been talking about it for a long time, making plans to secure my company and Yoongi’s discography— Mr. Park won’t touch us, I promise. He won’t be able to, no matter how much he tries.”

“Taking down the nation’s prime minister won’t be easy, and we won’t let you nor Jimin get hurt during this.” Yoongi stood beside his boyfriend. “We’ll take him down, and I don’t care if I have to wake up at unholy hours just to see him rot in jail— that man needs to be gone, Taehyung-ah. For you, for Jimin and for all the people under his manipulative hands.”

When Taehyung was about to pass out, Hoseok and Jungkook appeared next to Seokjin, the youngest intertwining his hand with Taehyung’s.

“We will help too, hyung.” He smiled, nodding. “You trust us, right?”

Taehyung realized just how much he truly loved each of them. He didn’t even think he could feel so much more, but there it was. His chest was swelling with an overwhelming level of appreciation for the four stupidly amazing guys standing in front of him.

He knew his answer as much as he knew the fear settling in the pit of his stomach.

“I do.” 

He did. They were about to put themselves in danger, attacking the prime minister when no one else would, a man with power they couldn’t even visualize. And Taehyung knew, that when there was a seemingly end of Mr. Park’s influence, the man would completely wipe that limit and stretch it further. 

Hoseok nodded, satisfied. “I’ll finish the food.”

Yoongi and Jungkook followed him to the kitchen, the actual chef staying behind without even blinking at the mention of his food being manipulated.

Instead, he hugged Taehyung. 

The younger immediately became smaller, his arms rounding Seokjin and his face hiding in it, feeling a whole lot relaxed. 

“We’ll always be with you, Taehyung. And I have faith in this, in us. We’ll push through until that pathetic excuse of a prime minister gets what he deserves.”

For the first time in what felt like ages, Taehyung huffed a laugh, his smile going painfully wide.

“Alright, hyung.”