Work Text:
Jimin received the video file from Taehyung the day after the man, who had been his best friend for the last four years of college, left for a semester in Paris. Taehyung had told him it was a romantic comedy and it was named “Confession”.
Jimin was continuing on doing ballet at Y-city, while Taehyung went to learn classical painting in France. They had joked about him getting scouted by a modelling agency over there and becoming world famous.
He would miss him terribly, but Jimin felt it was best for Taehyung to explore the world. The man seemed to be unhappy and perhaps a new environment, especially in the city of romance, would help.
Jimin decided he would watch the video after he finished his maths homework. He was taking a minor in pure mathematics, his plan once he was too old to dance was to be a maths professor.
Finally he was ready to watch, curled up on the couch with a can of coke, a bowl of popcorn and his favourite blanket. He had applied his favourite face mask, because why waste a chance to take care of his skin?
When he pressed play there was dramatic music and then, instead of credits or a title screen there was Taehyung sitting in a computer chair dressed in a white t-shirt and a backwards cap on his head managing to look as handsome as ever.
Jimin’s stomach cramped and then filled with butterflies.
He hit pause.
A video message, from Taehyung… titled confessions. Dare he hope?
No, don't be silly, he chided himself. Taehyung had said it was a romantic comedy, but maybe it was just the man telling him he didn’t plan to come back.
Jimin’s fingers felt strangely numb as he pressed the play button.
“Jimin. How are you? Are you wrapped up in your striped blanket?” Taehyung asked, and he paused.
Jimin giggled and nodded, “Yes I am.”
“Yes, I thought so. And how many times do I have to tell you not to drink so much coke?”
Jimin blushed, and took a sneaky sip. Ah… Taehyung knew him so well… was it his fault he was in love?
“I scold you and you take a sip!” Taehyung chided him and Jimin felt tears prick his eyes. Was he really going to be gone for three months? And now maybe longer?
“I miss you,” Jimin sighed.
“I miss you too,” Taehyung said and Jimin was shocked and paused the video. That was .. was he really so predictable?
Jimin drew in a shake breath and started to video again.
“Don’t worry, that is all I got. Taehyung said, “from now on I am going to talk and say things that might not be so funny and maybe it won’t resonate with you, but promise me at least to watch it all. It really isn’t that long…”
It was seven minutes in all actually.
Taehyung held out his pinky to the screen and Jimin nodded, touched his own pinky to his screen and made a mental pinky promise to watch it all.
“I left because I fell in love with someone and before you get dramatic, that someone is you. I didn’t know how to tell you … so, like a coward, I made this video and then left.”
Jimin paused the video, rewound it and played it again.
No, he wasn’t hallucinating… Kim Taehyung said he was in love with him.
“He loves me?” Jimin whispered out loud and then even louder, “HE LOVES ME?”
The mix of emotions was almost too much to handle. Jimin was shaking. It was during the day in France and Taehyung was likely in class so he shouldn’t disturb him, but how… how could he just...
“And he just left?!”
Jimin was livid. He knew though he was not in any better position... After all, he had been in love with Taehyung for the last three months at least and hadn’t said anything either.
“No wonder you titled this a romantic comedy, you jerk! Do you expect me to fly to Paris after you?! Well I’m broke!” Jimin thundered at his frozen face on the screen.
Jimin took a steadying breath. A part of him didn’t care what else the handsome jerk had to say, but he made a pinky promise and he took those seriously.
“You’re angry I know,” came the familiar deep voice, “But I cherish our friendship so much I didn’t want to spoil it … but here I am potentially ruining it anyway. I hope I can fall out of love with you while I am away and -”
Jimin threw a cushion at his face and belatedly remembered it was his laptop. Luckily it just wobbled and didn’t fall.
That was it, to fuck with this video.
He picked up his phone. He called using Facetime to save his minutes.
It rang and rang and finally Taehyung answered. The boy looked fresh faced and handsome, he was wearing a purple beret and a pair of orange sunglasses. Ugly on anyone else, on him it looked catwalk ready.
“Jimin... I know you didn’t finish the video,” Taehyung said, “Go and-”
“I love you too dumb ass, what now?”
There was silence after Taehyung choked on the rest of whatever he was planning to say.
He was outside in a park and he sat down next to a tree and took off his shades.
“Jimin, are you serious?” Taehyung whispered.
“Yes, you big idiot, yes,” Jimin told him and he felt choked up, “and how dare you look fabulous while I have on this face mask.”
“You’re beautiful no matter what you are doing or wearing,” Taehyung told him and the tone of voice he used was already more intimate than Jimin was used to. It settled deep into his bones.
“Oh God… we’re in love with each other…” Jimin exclaimed, “all this time I could have been choking on your big penis, instead I’ve been alone.”
Taehyung sighed, “Jeez, way to make this into a bad B movie.”
Jimin shrugged.
“Have you been scouted yet?” Jimin asked.
“Yes, but I haven’t responded…” Taehyung told him and Jimin's mouth dropped open.
“Wow, I hate you so much right now. How dare you go off and have a fabulous future without me…"
“If you had watched to the end of the video…” Taehyung sighed.
“Fine! I’ll watch it now with you here.”
“Uh… or I could tell you?” Taehyung suggested.
“No, I don't want seven years of bad luck,” Jimin said and Taehyung smiled indulgently.
“Oh you’re so adorable, really. I miss you so much.”
Jimin didn’t respond, instead he started the video.
“If by some miracle you managed to fall in love with me, and it lines up that I am still in love with you … Spoiler alert: I don’t think I will ever get over you, Park Jimin. You are one of a kind: sexy, beautiful, loving, talented, gracious and most of all, patient.”
“Only patient sometimes,” Jimin mumbled. He was beet red from all of the praising.
“I found a fellowship here for ballet, I submitted your last semester test and you have an open audition. Their semesters run differently to ours so.. You can come up and test for it. All the information is an email that I will send tomorrow.”
Jimin's eyes were wet.
“You want me in Paris?” Jimin whispered to Taehyung.
The Tae on his laptop was talking again though so the phone Tae didn’t answer right away.
"I guess that is all. Here is a song that makes me think of you: It's ‘Moon and Back’ by Alice. K.”
He started to sing and Taehyung groaned in embarrassment.
“You can cut it off, it's the last bit.”
“Shush before I end the call... Let me listen,” Jimin chided him and Taehyung pinned his lips together and blushed.
The part that stuck out to Jimin the most was the chorus and hearing it the last time he cried a little.
[Chorus]
Baby, to the Moon and back
I will love you more than that
When your skies are grey, and your whole world is shaking
To the Moon and back
I'll love you more than that
To the Moon and back
I'll love you more than that
The video ended.
“Don’t cry, please Baby. Not when I am too far away to hold you,” Taehyung pleaded with him, he had his face right up to the screen like he was really yearning to be there.
“And whose fault it is you’re not here,” Jimin sniffled and Taehyung pouted.
“You didn’t confess either,” Taehyung reminded him and Jimin acknowledged that he was right.
“So... you want me to uproot my life to come to Paris to try to get into a school to TRY to see if this love affair between us will prosper?” Jimin asked him.
“It’s a big ask,” Taehyung acknowledged, “But I'll pay for everything… I got extra in my student loan for this..”
Jimin sighed to himself. No wonder he called it a romantic comedy…
Am I foolish enough to give this a shot? Will it work out in my favour?
Long story short: He was. And it did.