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The holidays are a grand time to be in Seoul. The city is adorned with twinkling lights draped on trees, storefronts with brilliant displays that draw in eyes from near and far. Sidewalks are peppered with couples and families, bright smiles and gifts in hand ready to be wrapped. Capitalism is truly living its best life. And if you’re lucky, maybe you’re not so lonely during the most wonderful time of year. Jimin — well, he doesn’t exactly have a significant other aside from the steady presence of his French press. Family is another matter altogether; Busan is a long way from Seoul, and he’d rather enjoy the holidays rather than listen to his parents bicker for hours on end.
Things are also a little different this year. Since he graduated college, he’s moved out of the dorms into his own apartment. While most of his friends are living with their partners (traitors) or old roommates, Jimin had to search for one all on his own. He ended up on some sort of forum, making a post to ask if anyone would be interested in sharing a cozy two-bedroom near the business district. In hindsight, it probably was a bad idea; he could’ve ended up with a serial killer, or a psychopath.
Though, his roommate now, he can’t say for sure that the man is neither of those.
Kim Taehyung responded precisely two days after Jimin began agonizing over the fact that his post wasn’t getting any traction. Who knew finding a roommate in one of the busiest cities in the world would be so difficult? Jimin learned that Taehyung is the same age as him and he’s also a working man. After one meeting to ensure that Taehyung wasn’t some sort of catfish, he figured that the man had the makings of a decent roommate.
It’s hard to describe Kim Taehyung. The man is quiet and broody, dark hair on the longer end so much so that it curls around his neck. He’s always dressed in an extremely baggy set of clothes — tees, pressed shirts, slacks, or sweats, you name it. He works from home so, most days, he’s holed up in his room and doesn’t leave except to pick up his delivered food from the door, or take bathroom breaks. In fact, Jimin doesn’t think he’s ever seen him leave the apartment, which he shouldn’t care about, but it is mildly concerning. The man keeps to himself for the most part. He tidies up his messes and keeps the common spaces clean. He doesn’t nag Jimin for bringing friends over until late hours, nor does he scold Jimin for accidentally leaving dirty dishes in the sink overnight.
Overall, the man is a good roommate and Jimin can’t complain.
The only run-ins they have are when they meet in the kitchen for breakfast. While Jimin spends at least an hour chipping away at his avocado toast (one luxury he affords himself), Taehyung usually only drops by to make coffee. Those five minutes are spent in either comfortable silence or small talk.
It would be a lie to say that he’s not the least bit curious about Taehyung. Jimin’s always been drawn to the mysterious, quiet types. Something about Taehyung’s inscrutability is almost thrilling, like an enigma to be solved. But, he’s also not the sort of person to pry, so he leaves the man be.
The Christmas season is a little different though. It makes Jimin softer, makes him more empathetic. He doesn’t like this part of himself, especially when it allows him to make questionable decisions. Like now.
It’s just him and Taehyung again for breakfast. He had a good breakfast, so he’s warm and toasty (ha ha). It makes him… happy. And when he’s happy, he gets inquisitive to say the least. It makes him want to know things.
“Do you have any plans for Christmas?” Jimin starts, sipping on his tea as Taehyung leans against the counter, waiting for his coffee to brew. The only sound that fills the air is the whirring of the coffee machine and the knock of cold wind against their cracked window.
Taehyung seems as surprised as he is to hear the question. They never stray from the “are you working today?” or “do we need to buy more toilet paper?” A more personal question is out of character on both their parts.
Today, Taehyung is wearing an oversized hoodie that falls to his thighs and a pair of plaid pajama pants with spots of red stains. His hair is as unruly as always, covering his eyes and twisting atop his cheeks.
“Um, no plans,” Taehyung says, shoulders stiff.
Jimin doesn’t know what prompts him to do what he does next — perhaps the ghost of Christmas past, or it’s the holiday anti-Scrooge in him that can’t leave someone alone in the most festive time of year. He asks, “Do you want to hang out with me and my friends?”
His roommate jerks up at that and Jimin catches a glimpse of his eyes.
Chocolate. Warm. They light up into a hazel sort of shade. They’re pretty, he notes to himself. Taehyung seems to spend more than enough time mulling it over, teeth chewing on his bottom lip. The longer Taehyung takes to consider the offer, the more anxious Jimin gets. He’s just extended an invitation to his roommate who may or may not be a serial killer. Or a psychopath. Or a general weirdo.
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Jimin blurts out, feeling the back of his neck heat up. He doesn’t know what came over him, inviting someone who’s practically a stranger. But you don’t want him to only be a stranger to you, a voice in the back of his mind says. He doesn’t trust that voice, mentally swatting it away. “Figured I’d ask because it’s Christmas, and nobody should be alone during the holidays.”
“Right,” Taehyung clears his throat then. “Sure, if it’s not an intrusion. That would be nice.”
Jimin feels flame lick up his skin again, cheeks most likely beet red at this point. “Sounds good. I’ll, um, text you the details? It’ll be a small group and we’ll mainly be drinking and playing games. They’re a bunch of idiots, you’ve probably heard some of them around here before.”
“Is it Hoseok?”
He blinks. “Oh, do you know him?”
Taehyung ducks a little, seemingly embarrassed. It’s a little cute. Jimin can see the faint shade of pink on the man’s tan skin. “N-no, I’ve just heard you yell his name before.”
“Right, sorry,” Jimin adds sheepishly, “I know we’re a little rowdy. Feel free to tell us to shut up whenever we get too annoying.”
“No, I don’t mind it. Silence can be too loud sometimes.”
Jimin agrees.
They leave the conversation at that and, a week before Christmas, Jimin shoots Taehyung a text to tell him where they’re meeting up. He’s rushing from work, already late because his boss decided it was a good time to give him a lecture on why he thinks raises are bullshit. What a timely reminder to start looking for a new job. He’s stumbling past Hoseok’s security guard with toes frozen from the brisk wind outside and rushes up the stairs, knuckles soon rapping against the wooden door. He can already hear music from inside, his friends’ laughter carrying through the surface.
When the door swings open, he finds Hoseok already flushed — no doubt from the beer in his hand. The man has always been a lightweight. “Jimin baby! You’ve made it in one piece. I thought the corporate cog finally ground you up.”
Jimin scowls right back at him. “Speak for yourself, accountant.”
“Touché.”
Hoseok leads him in and he’s unsurprised to find everyone there already. What does catch his eye though, is the stranger whose back is turned towards him as they speak to Jeongguk. He can only see a tall, lean figure and dark hair twisted into a knot on his head. Jimin doesn’t recall him, maybe it’s one of Hoseok’s new dance friends.
However, when the man turns around, Jimin feels himself stagger back a little.
Those eyes. The familiar warmth.
The man’s hair is semi-pulled up into a messy bun, his curled bangs still framing his face. He may as well be a stranger. Gone are the clothes that drape over his knees. The guy before him stands in a neat-enough outfit, one that Jimin didn’t even think he could own.
“Taehyung?”
Hoseok responds just as Taehyung opens his mouth. “You never told us how cool your roommate is!” Jimin would have, had he actually known. “Taehyung is a hacker, how cool is that?”
“I’m not,” Taehyung tinges red and, this time, Jimin can see the color clearly. He’s almost… pretty. With pink lips and this gorgeously symmetrical face, he looks like the kind of man Jimin would probably flirt with at a bar. He’s definitely not the mysterious, dark roommate he keeps telling his friends about. Taehyung clears his throat, “Hoseok-ssi is exaggerating. I work in cybersecurity, but I do not hack anyone. For legal reasons, I have to make that abundantly clear.”
Hoseok’s cackle rings in the background but Jimin’s too busy drinking in Taehyung’s deep voice. He’s always known his voice was on the raspier side, but he always pinned it as a morning thing. Now, his deep baritone is clear and crisp, sending shivers down Jimin’s spine. How unexpected.
“I told you to relax with me!” Hoseok claps Taehyung on the back, sloshing the man’s drink around in his cup as he hurtles forward. “None of that. Call me hyung.”
Taehyung blushes again. Jimin finds it cute.
The rest of the night is spent with quick introductions across his friend group. Taehyung blends in rather quickly, albeit still with an air of awkwardness. They play games and toss back drinks, Namjoon attempts to make a cocktail while Seokjin cleans up the result. Jeongguk obliterates Hoseok's very drunk attempt at Mariokart, while Yoongi laughs maniacally at them. Jimin? Jimin is content. It may be the wine talking, but he’s pleased in this moment. He’s surrounded by people he loves, what more can he ask for?
Taehyung is seated next to him, wordlessly observing his surroundings. Jimin can’t help but watch him from the corner of his eye, how the man’s lips quirk up whenever Seokjin gets a little aggressive or how his eyes almost glimmer when he sees Jeongguk throwing his arms around Yoongi. He’s about to open his mouth, spark a long overdue conversation, when Hoseok jumps up.
“Alright, time for Secret Santa!”
Jimin groans. He dreads gifts, it’s not his strong suit.
Before he can internally pity himself more, Taehyung pipes up. “Um, sorry, I didn’t know we were doing this so I didn’t bring anything.” He’s red to the tips of his ears, clearly embarrassed by the situation.
Cursing under his breath, Jimin sighs. “Sorry, that was my bad. I completely forgot to tell you about it. We’re deciding on it randomly now anyway so don’t worry about it.”
Hoseok nods, scooping up Taehyung’s hands in his reassuringly. Jimin’s stomach swoops with an uncomfortable feeling. “Don’t fret your pretty little head over it! Unless, you want to offer your hacking services for Christmas? I know a certain boss who I would love to gift a computer virus.”
That pulls a laugh out of Taehyung and the sound is delightful. He laughs from his belly, a deep chuckle paired with a soft grin that has his eyes crinkling in the corners. Jimin’s heart squeezes for some reason. He thinks he can get used to this Taehyung. He wants to see more of this Taehyung.
And maybe one day, he’ll be the one to put that smile on his face.
The rest of the night is rather uneventful. Jimin ends up getting a toilet plunger from Yoongi and Jimin is officially crowned Not The Worst Gift Giver of the friend group. With Hoseok’s place being a short walk away from their own home, Jimin and Taehyung walk side by side once the night comes to an end, close enough to be considered acquaintances but far enough for an inch of distance between them.
“How was it?” Jimin clears his throat. “My friends and that party.”
Taehyung nods, burying his nose deeper into his scarf but Jimin can still see his puffed up cheeks. “They’re great. You have good friends.”
Jimin beams. “That’s good to hear. You’re free to hang out with us whenever they’re around, you know? They really like you. Especially Hoseok, pretty sure he was going to beg you to be his roommate instead.”
“I do make a terrific cup of coffee.”
“Yeah?” Jimin grins. “You never made me one before.”
“You always drink tea in the morning with your toast, didn’t think you were a coffee type of guy.”
“Fair point, but if you were to make an extra cup in the morning, I don’t think I’d say no.”
Taehyung chuckles. “Duly noted.”
It turns out that the two have a lot in common. Taehyung is a lot more open than Jimin expected once he begins talking. On top of sharing love for the same artists and video games, they realize that their journeys might have intersected at some point before. Originally from Daegu, he had thought all his future held was a farm. High school introduced him to computers and, for an introvert like him, it was one way to keep him busy without forcing him to interact with strangers too much. His skills got him a scholarship to SNU, Jimin’s college.
“I can’t believe our paths never crossed.”
“Doubt a cool business major like you would notice a computer nerd like me,” Taehyung teases. Jimin will soon find himself on the receiving end of that a lot, Taehyung’s teasing that is. It’ll be a foreign but welcome change.
“Well, you’re a pretty cute computer nerd so—” Jimin bites his tongue but it’s too late and the words are out of his mouth.
He whirls around to find that Taehyung’s eyes have widened for a split second before he breaks into a laugh and — oh. There’s that delightful sound again. He feels a fluttering in his stomach and pegs it on the lingering alcohol in his veins.
What Jimin doesn’t expect is for that night to change everything. Taehyung stays a few extra minutes in the kitchen the first two days before he begins joining Jimin altogether for breakfast. Jimin starts toasting four slices of bread instead of two and stocks up on Taehyung’s preferred strawberry jam. Taehyung prepares an extra mug of coffee on mornings Jimin shows up dreading the day ahead and remembers to add two spoonfuls of sugar just the way Jimin likes it.
It’s not just the early hours either. When Jimin comes home after a late day at work, he finds Taehyung on the couch, still chipping away on his laptop. He pokes fun at him, asking him which government official he’s hacking this time, and Taehyung flails, reminding him that there are ears everywhere. Jimin learns of his roommate’s favorite conspiracy theories and enjoys attempting to debunk them mainly because it really riles Taehyung up. While the guy seemed mellow before, he’s clearly passionate about alien life currently coexisting on earth with humans.
The apartment, which has always only been a place to come back to, feels a little warmer, a little more like home. Jimin indulges in the sight of Taehyung set up in their tiny living room, attention half on his overtime work and the remaining half on the show Jimin’s laughing to. Some nights, Jimin finds himself being gently shaken awake and he opens his eyes with a crick in his neck. When he straightens, he realizes that he had fallen asleep on Taehyung’s shoulder. Apologies tumble from his lips but Taehyung brushes them off goodnaturedly, saying that Jimin owes him next time to be his personal pillow.
Jimin doesn’t mind that idea in the least.
When actual Christmas rolls around and Jimin’s friends plan a potluck dinner, Taehyung is an automatic addition to the list of invitees. Sadly for them, Mother Nature has other plans and the two are now snowed into the apartment with bags of French fries (so sue them, neither can cook).
Jimin grunts, glaring at the blizzard outside. “Well, time to make the best of the situation.”
“Shitty Christmas movies, fries, and soju?”
Kim Taehyung is his soulmate and nobody can tell him otherwise. Where has he been all of Jimin’s life?
They end up sitting on the floor, fingers coated in grease and empty soju bottles tipped over around them. There’s some Netflix movie playing on the screen but Jimin’s too buzzed to care. Instead, he opts to look at Taehyung’s ever changing expressions.
His face is illuminated by the screen in the dark room, highlighting the pretty slope of his nose and how his lips form an almost rectangular shape when he laughs. His hair — Taehyung’s started wearing it back a lot more now. Jimin thinks it’s because he mentioned once how much better he looks like that, but he doesn’t want to get his hopes up. Loose strands still brush against his skin and they look so… touchable.
“Is there something on my face?”
At this point, Jimin’s already propped up his head on his palm, elbow on the couch behind them. His entire body is fully turned to face Taehyung. Little needs to be said but Jimin loses all sense of shame when he’s even the slightest bit inebriated. “No, you’re just pretty.”
Taehyung’s lips form an o, cheeks pink. “You tell everyone that when you’re drunk?”
“Only when I mean it.” Jimin hums, hand extending now to twirl the curl around his finger. “Your hair is so long, why don’t you cut it?”
“Do you like it shorter?”
He breathes out again, tilting his head. No matter what his hair looks like, Taehyung will always look good. Jimin always thought he had a preference for short cuts, but this man has proven him wrong. “Think you’ll look good in anything, but I like this. Makes your hair easy to play with.”
The corners of Taehyung’s lips quirk up. “You think about playing with my hair?”
“All the time,” he lets slip.
“You flirt with all your roommates?”
“Only the pretty ones,” Jimin retorts with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Taehyung seems equally amused by his roommate’s behavior but finds himself leaning closer. Jimin rubs the strands between his fingertips, letting them slide away. His fingers barely graze his cheek, drifting down along his jaw. Taehyung lets Jimin’s hands roam across his features, finger tracing down to the tip of his nose and along the curve of his lips. They’re so soft, so tantalizing. Jimin doesn’t know if he’s ever seen lips so kissable. He wonders if Taehyung kisses a lot of people. The thought stirs an ugly feeling in his belly, one he chooses to ignore as he scoots closer to the man.
He can practically feel Taehyung’s whispers ghosting his skin, warm against the cool air. He’s so close, his hand sliding up Taehyung’s thigh. The man’s breath hitches in his throat, Jimin only inches closer.
When their lips first touch, it’s as if the world slows down. The snowstorm that blankets Seoul in white pauses, the television flickering in front of them freezes. It all happens in slow motion. Jimin thought that this only happened in the movies, but time has stopped for them.
The kiss tastes of salt and artificial grape. But there’s nowhere else Jimin would rather be. Their mouths move together in sync, slotting and shifting as their noses bump. The proximity has Jimin shrugging off his jacket, his heart hammering against his ribs. He wants more, more. He can’t get enough of Taehyung’s lips and the way his long fingers thread in Jimin’s hair. Taehyung tugs lightly, pulling a moan from Jimin. He doesn’t know how long they stay that way, connected, until he opens his eyes slightly and finds himself on Taehyung’s lap, straddling him.
Taehyung’s long lashes brush against his cheeks. His eyes shine, a reflection of what little moonlight filters into their apartment. Taehyung’s body is warm against his, Jimin’s fingers having snuck underneath the fabric of his shirt to touch the plush skin. Taehyung’s own hands, big hands, hold his waist, squeezing when he’s looking straight into Jimin’s eyes.
The man looks ethereal, like a dream that Jimin never knew he had.
But it’s at the exact same moment it dawns on him what a stupid mistake he’s made. This is Taehyung, his roommate. The last thing he wants to do is create confusion and problems by mixing these interpersonal relationships. Taehyung’s role has always been the ‘roommate’, but it’s also changed to ‘friend’ and ‘breakfast buddy’. He’s Jimin’s barista in the mornings and pillow at night. He’s the sunlight that bathes his dreary days with warmth and the cooling touch whenever his rage sends him spiraling.
Jimin doesn’t know how long Taehyung’s been under his skin, or when it happened. He doesn’t mind it, but there’s still a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that reminds him to be careful. To not risk anything, especially not their arrangement with the apartment.
Taehyung was a stranger. Was is the key word.
He swallows thickly and he knows that Taehyung can see the gears moving in his mind. His roommate lets him have his space though, lets his mind sink in with the realizations he’s having. What Jimin does next is what changes everything between them again.
“I should head to bed,” he murmurs quietly, voice weighed down by the implication of what they’ve done tonight. “Think my boss wants me to work tomorrow.” It’s a blatant lie. Nobody works the day after Christmas, everyone having taken the day off to be with their loved ones.
Jimin knows that Taehyung knows that.
Still, Taehyung doesn’t say anything, just nods and releases his grip on Jimin’s smaller frame. Jimin finds the loss of his touch a sudden chill, but clambers to his feet anyway. He gives Taehyung one last look where he’s seated on the floor. His face glows before the television screen, but Jimin likes to think he imagined the flicker of hurt he sees pass across Taehyung’s eyes. With a small wave, Jimin disappears into his bedroom and chooses to bury himself in his own pillow for the night.
Somehow, it doesn’t feel as comfortable as Taehyung’s shoulder.
Jimin sleeps in the following morning to purposely avoid facing Taehyung. It’s childish of him. He’s a grown man who can have a completely understandable conversation about making out with your roommate. Well, he should be able to at least. He drags his feet into the kitchen at ten, two hours past his usual arrival time. Surprisingly, he finds Taehyung sitting there with a cup of coffee in hand.
There are shadows underneath his eyes and his hair has returned to its disheveled state. Whereas Jimin thought it made him look gloomy before, he finds it soft now. Especially since he knows how those locks feel on his fingertips.
Taehyung looks up when he hears Jimin enter, hand raising to push his hair away from his face. It’s a dangerous act, Jimin likes it too much when his face is revealed. It’s a pretty face after all, one he kissed last night.
“Good morning,” Taehyung breaks the silence, voice gravelly with remnants of slumber.
“Morning,” Jimin returns, heading straight to get himself a cup of coffee. He thinks he needs to be awake for the conversation to come. It’s clear Taehyung wants to talk. The man never sticks around with his coffee, always leaving once his cup is ready, but things have changed. Now, Taehyung spends his morning indulging in Jimin’s whining about work.
When Jimin settles across the small dining table from him, Taehyung is the first to speak up. “Do you want to talk about what happened last night?”
No, but I have to. “Sure.”
Taehyung waits to see if Jimin would continue. His mind travels back to the previous evening. Jimin was the one who initiated the kiss, the one who actively climbed onto Taehyung’s lap to tangle himself further into the man. He’s the one who should be explaining himself. Alas, the words die in his throat and he can’t bring it in him to come up with the right things to say.
“It’s fine if it was a one time thing,” Taehyung clears his throat and Jimin’s heart sinks slightly. “We were both drunk and it was Christmas and we feel lonelier during this time of year.”
Jimin wasn’t that drunk though. His lips are still tingling from the kiss and he remembers every breath he took, every gasp that rose from his throat. He clearly recalls the way Taehyung’s body was pressed up against his, how nice his hands felt on his torso. He can still feel the gentle squeeze of Taehyung’s fingers on his skin.
“Yeah,” is all he manages to muster up.
“If you want, we can blame the soju for it,” Taehyung continues with a laugh, trying to ease the heaviness in the air. Jimin doesn’t know why it kind of stings when he mentions that. If you want. He knows Taehyung is putting the ball in his court, to change the narrative if he wishes to. However, he can’t bring himself to do it, because he doesn’t really know how he would adjust it.
Jimin only hums his agreement and that’s perhaps his second mistake this holiday season.
The next few days are a little tense and understandably so. Taehyung gets pulled to work and, instead of setting up shop in the living room like he usually does to keep Jimin company, he goes back to working behind closed doors. He can’t blame him because, the first couple of days he does sit outside, Jimin opts for his own bedroom. He streams crappy movies on his small laptop screen and his laugh to the comedic scenes doesn’t sound as good when it’s not in chorus with Taehyung’s. He’s not ready to face his roommate just yet.
It’s why it surprises him when Taehyung asks him if he has any plans to celebrate the new year at breakfast on the morning of the 31st. It feels like the tables have turned on him. “Not really, no. Why?”
“I was going to go up to the rooftop to watch fireworks. If you didn’t have anything going on, I wanted to see if you’d like to join me.”
Jimin’s heart skips a beat. A faint blush dusts his cheeks. “That would be nice.”
The scene almost feels like déjà vu.
“Alright, great. I’ll prepare a thermos of hot chocolate. Mini marshmallows too?”
His lips quirk up in the first genuine smile in a while. “You know me so well.”
They spend the day separately and Jimin wastes most of his time anxiously pacing around the room. It’s a casual thing, he knows that, but he still wants to look nice. He swaps out sweaters to find the perfect one, settling on a beige one that flatters his neckline. He tries on various colors of winter coats to see which would complement his skin well and would be visible enough in the dark. He adorns his fingers with rings that would glimmer in the face of the fireworks and waxes back his hair to give it that suave look.
He curses when he realizes he’s acting as if this is a date. Taehyung never mentioned it as such.
In the last half hour before midnight, when he steps out and sees Taehyung with his hair pulled back, looking more like he did during that pre-Christmas party, he feels a little better about his outfit choice. At least it’s not just him that’s putting in effort.
They climb up the rusty ladder to their dingy rooftop, bringing folded chairs with them to prop up. Taehyung pops open a thermos that immediately releases steam, carrying a waft of chocolate goodness into the air. He pours Jimin a cup and floods it with a blanket of marshmallows. Taehyung truly is his other half.
There’s muted cheering from the street below them, probably drunk college kids partying it up before the real celebration begins. There’s a liveliness in the atmosphere that leaves Jimin somewhat jittery, excitement thrumming through his veins. He also maybe has a little more energy since he’s seated next to Taehyung, close enough that he doesn’t feel like they’re strangers anymore. They haven’t been for a while now after all.
“How’ve you been?” Jimin begins their conversation this time.
“Busy, but good. How about you?”
Jimin cocks an eyebrow in playful mockery. “Busy? During the holiday season?”
“Apparently my boss is as bad as yours. Kind of sucks to be working during my birthday but duty calls.”
Jimin whips around at that. “Birthday?”
Taehyung stiffens, realizing what he’s just revealed to Jimin. With one hand still wrapped around his cup, he lifts the other one to scratch the back of his ear. A nervous tick. “Ah, yeah, it was my birthday yesterday.”
“Shit,” Jimin curses, “I’m sorry I missed it. You should’ve told me.”
The other man doesn’t say anything but Jimin knows what he’s thinking. It’s not as if they’re on speaking terms. They’re also not exactly friends. It’s an awkward topic to broach when the lines and their roles are blurry.
“It’s no big deal,” Taehyung shrugs.
“Did you celebrate at all?”
He hums. “Called my family. They sent me a cake.” That explains the mysteriously large box in their fridge. “Replied to messages from friends and spent the rest of the day grinding.”
Jimin’s heart squeezes. He probably could’ve made it special, could’ve thrown him a surprise. He wants Taehyung to feel at home with him too, but he’s clearly failed if Taehyung didn’t even feel comfortable enough to tell him it was his birthday. Maybe next year, he thinks. Yeah, next year works.
Before he can suggest it though, his roommate speaks up again.
“I’ve been thinking,” Taehyung begins. “In the new year, I’ll find a new place to live.”
Jimin’s heart sinks. His entire body whirling around to face him, eyes wide. “Why?”
He turns to Jimin then, face illuminated by the faint glow of the moon. There’s a weak smile painted on his lips, a barely there indication of his comfort. “You’ve been tiptoeing around me ever since the kiss, Jimin. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. It’s all good, I’ve probably saved up enough for a studio and—”
“No!” Jimin halts him, grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket. Taehyung looks shaken by the act, eyes blown wide and his lips parting. “I mean, no. You don’t make me uncomfortable,” he continues, releasing his grip and trying to piece together a coherent sentence in his mind. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you think that way. I’m just — I don’t really know how to act around you now.”
“And that’s fine. We’re roommates, we’re not supposed to be making out after scarfing down a disgusting amount of junk food,” Taehyung laughs in an attempt to lighten the mood. He bumps their shoulders and Jimin’s heart squeezes again.
We could be though. We could be roommates and friends and lovers. We could be everything even if we started from nothing. The thoughts hit him like a freight train and he doesn’t really know how to voice it. Instead, he opens and closes his mouth like a fool.
“Don’t feel bad. I promise it’s not a big deal and I think I’ll be okay with living alone.”
“You shouldn’t be alone though,” Jimin mutters. “Who’s going to pull you out of your cave if I’m not around?”
Taehyung’s lips quirk up. Beneath them, they can hear the countdown begin.
10
“I’ll find my way. Don’t worry about me, Park Jimin.”
9
Jimin inhales sharply. “But what if I want to?”
8
Taehyung’s lips part.
7
“What if I want to worry about you? What if I want to bring you everywhere with me?”
6
“Jimin—”
5
“What if I want to kiss you?”
4
He hears Taehyung’s small gasp this time, the small white puff forming in the chilly air. Jimin scoots closer.
3
“Would that be okay?”
2
Taehyung huffs a laugh. “More than okay.”
1
Jimin closes the distance between them. Taehyung’s lips are cold and they taste of chocolate, sweeter than the first time. His gloved hands tug him closer until their warmths are mingling.
Fireworks explode in the distance, coloring the dark skies with a smattering of neon lines, but Jimin only sees Taehyung. He sees him in that green hoodie that keeps him warm on winter mornings, he sees the golden glint in his brown eyes when the sun hits him just right. Jimin imagines the red stains on his pajama pants, a familiar imperfection in the perfect scene. He sees the blue light of the television and the white stars against an obsidian sky. He sees the world in full color when he’s with Taehyung. And he likes that a lot.
“So what does this make us?” Taehyung asks breathlessly once they part.
Jimin feels the same way, out of breath but heart full. He already misses Taehyung’s lips on his. “Roommates. Boyfriends. Roommates that kiss. I don’t really care. I just like you.”
Taehyung chuckles again. “I feel like we’re going to get along just fine, Park Jimin.”
Maybe it’s the holiday season, but Jimin definitely agrees. They’re going to be just fine.