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If anyone asked Seokjin who his crush was, his usual default answer was always "Brad Pitt".
No one took the answer too seriously. Seokin had a penchant for jokes, even those at his own expense, and was also known to everyone around him as being exceedingly private.
So when it came to actually knowing what his preference or sexuality was, no one really knew. Nor did anyone really know of his dating life, present or past.
Taehyung wasn't particularly curious. Sure he had something of a crush on Seokjin, but he was still just a teenager. Young, hormonal, and honestly didn't have a lot of interactions with people outside the company and other trainees. So no one could really blame him for being infatuated with his pretty hyung.
He's also sure he wasn't the only one. Seokjin was good looking to the point he could even put girls to shame. Had a sinfully thin waist and lusciously plump naturally pink lips. And the fact that he was kind and a good cook would have any young man around him fall for him hook, line, and sinker.
He's pretty sure this was the reason why the eventually dubbed 'maknae line' practically followed Seokjin around like a gaggle of new born ducklings.
Jungkook was practically attached to Seokjin's side. Doted on as the youngest. An attachment made practically on the first day they met like imprinting. It was obvious there was a certain fondness there specially reserved for the young boy.
Jimin and him were not far behind however, and as much as Seokjin whined, he doted on them too. Fed them, comforted them, and even scolded them as needed.
Despite having been the youngest in his family, taking care of the younger members practically came second nature to Seokjin after he joined the company and he'd proudly took up the role of the eldest hyung. Something Namjoon (and by extension, Yoongi and even Hoseok) appreciated.
Namjoon was the leader, but was also just a young man himself. So being able to divide these responsibilities across the hyung line eased a lot of the would be tension and burden. And so while the other three focused on music, dance steps, and Bangtan as a whole, Seokjin took up the responsibility of 'team mom'. A nickname he despised, but did have a ring of truth to it.
One of the best things about Seokjin essentially being in charge of them though is the fact that they could get away with nearly anything with him.
Sure he would scold them for not doing dishes after he'd already toiled all evening cooking for them. Or how he'd remind them to use honorifics when they started speaking too casually to him. But Seokjin just made it so easy. It was easy to joke and tease with him. It was easy to rope him into whatever mischief they got up to next. It was even easy to get him to bend a few rules sometimes, especially knowing that even their mild-mannered hyung was also like to do things his own way.
And so it was with this in mind that Jimin had stated he wanted to try alcohol for the first time, practically begging Seokjin to buy it for him, saying that it wasn't long now until he was of legal age anyway.
Grudgingly enough, Seokjin acquiesced and bought a bottle of soju, on the condition that they drink it together in the privacy of their dorm and that no one was to know of this.
But of course, if Jimin was there, the rest of the maknae's were not far behind. And so it happened that the four of them were sitting around their cramped living space, sharing one bottle of soju between them.
Jungkook had only been allowed one small sip by Seokjin, then promptly scolded when he'd asked for another.
Taehyung had one small shot himself, being older, but found the taste offensive enough that he declined further participation, coughing and making a face as everyone chuckled.
And so most of the bottle was consumed between Jimin and Seokjin, while Taehyung and Jungkook were satisfied to just spectate.
Jimin, having never drunk before was becoming increasingly loud, and so Seokjin took it upon himself to drink most of the beverage to discourage Jimin from drinking more than he could handle.
It started off innocently enough. They made jokes. They sang loudly while blasting music from their phones. The youngest two getting drunk just off the atmosphere. Everything was more or less normal and not that different to their usual shenanigans. Just with alcohol this time.
And that did spell the difference when Jimin, feeling bold in his drunkenness, lifted up from his seat and plopped down into Seokjin's lap with his arms around his neck.
"Yah! Jimin-ah! You're heavy!" And though he was protesting and grimacing, he wasn't really pushing the younger away and Jimin continued to giggle.
It was a funny enough scene that Taehyung and Jungkook joined in the laughter.
But then Jimin suddenly stopped his giggling, and grabbed Seokjin by the face, squishing his cheeks.
"Aigoo! Isn't our Jin-hyung just so pretty? I bet you if Brad Pitt ever met you he actually might fall for you!"
This roused another round of laughter from the younger two.
"What nonsense are you talking about!?" Seokjin whines as he tries to pry Jimin's hands off his face. The elder hated it when other's touched his face, but they did it anyway.
"I'm just saying, hyung. With a face like this, you could have any man you wanted." Jimin said, finally letting go, but continuing to sit in his hyung's lap.
"Or woman!" Jungkook piped up innocently, his bunny smile on display.
Jimin just turned to them coyly. "I said what I said."
"Hey. Let's not assume anything about hyung when he's right there." Taehyung suddenly felt himself say, always quick to defend Seokjin.
This made Jimin turn back to Seokjin and all eyes turn to their hyung.
Seokjin's face was flushed, whether it was from the alcohol or the attention, they couldn't be sure. When all he uttered was a confused "What?", they figured it was definitely the alcohol.
Getting another mischievous glint in his eye, Jimin began;
"So tell us hyung, what is your ideal partner like?"
"Partner?"
"You know. What kind of person would you be interested in? Romantically!"
Seokjin was definitely drunk as he looked to be contemplating this long and hard.
Taehyung almost felt like he should stop this. He'd never been curious and he feels like he's better off not knowing. But his lack of curiosity only seemed to stem for as far as Seokjin wasn't willing to share. Now, with the real possibility of their hyung actually divulging such a thing, he found a growing need to know.
"Well, I dunno... Girls are pretty and all... But I think guys are... better?" Seokjin spoke, his voice dulled by alcohol, speaking honestly of such matters for the first time.
Taehyung had to hold back a sigh of relief hearing that his hyung seems to have a preference for men. Not that he thought he had a shot but... Didn't this mean he had a shot?
Jungkook and Jimin had surprisingly gone quiet, suddenly very invested in the topic.
"What kind of guys?" Jungkook asked slowly, clearly curious himself.
At this Seokjin exhaled dreamily, and Taehyung felt a tightness in his stomach in anticipation.
"Well, someone good looking for one."
Yeah, Taehyung knew he was good looking.
"Manly."
He could be manly.
“Tall.”
He was still growing.
"Hm. Muscular maybe? Not a must but definitely a bonus."
They work out. Sure he was still a gangly teen now, but he'll get there.
"Oh. He definitely needs to know how to cook!"
He... could learn.
"And since I feel like I'm constantly surrounded by brats, I think I'd prefer someone older. Or at least my age."
He... uh—
"Would be nice to be the one taken care of sometimes, you know." And Seokjin finished off with a sigh, leaning his head on Jimin's shoulder.
"Aww... Our poor hyungie. I'm sure you'll find your dream man one day." Jimin coos, and begins to cradle Seokjin's head in his arms despite still sitting in his lap.
Seokjin protests that it's making him dizzy, and Jungkook bursts into another bout of laughter.
And all three begin to bicker and laugh, not noticing the inner turmoil and devastation within Taehyung.
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