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“I’m not sick. I’m fabulous.”
Jimin is roused from his nap by the sound of Jin’s hacking coughs and Hoseok’s unhappy protests wafting down the hall. He’s curled up on the sofa in their dressing room, while a music video set (and the rest of world) lies outside. This is their world today. They’ve all been a little off lately – bad weather, hectic schedules, a flu making its way through the group, etc. – but Jin has the worst of it today. He’s come down with a dreadful cough and they’ve all been wincing at the sound of it for two days straight. To put it bluntly, he’s sick.
Not that he’ll admit it.
Jimin is starting to suspect that it’s not even a pride thing. Jin just really, really, really hates cough syrup.
Jimin can hear Jin hacking now, while Hobi frets around him and sporadically calls out to Yoongi. As soon as the coughing fit is over, Hobi’s nagging starts up again. “Please, hyung. It’s just cough syrup! It’ll help. You could barely breathe last night. Yoongi-hyung, a little help, please?”
There’s a dismissive grunt from Yoongi and a sigh from Hoseok. Jin rasps smugly, “Yoongi supports me in my resistance of the devil’s elixir.”
“Right. Okay.” There’s a pause. Jimin listens intently. Hobi doesn’t get stubborn often, but when he does, he gets stubborn.
There’s another pause, then something bangs against the wall and Jin lets out an offended little gasp. “Unhand me!” he hollers in that weird, dramatic tone that he uses when even he himself probably isn’t sure whether he’s being serious or taking the piss. Jimin snorts. Hoseok is stronger than Jin on Jin’s good days. Jin doesn’t stand a chance.
Then, “Hoseok, let go!” It’s the Upset Voice. Shit. “Can you please just respect my wishes here? I don’t want any cough syrup. It’s none of your business. I’m your hyung.” Jin huffs and barges into the dressing room, where Jimin has absolutely no chance of resuming his nap.
Jimin sits up, ready to soothe his hyung. But as soon as the door swings closed, Jin’s laughing.
Jimin frowns. “Hyung, what the heck?”
Jin dumps himself on the sofa next to Jimin. “That should get them off my case for a bit.”
Jimin’s jaw drops open. “You’re terrible.”
“Cough syrup is terrible.”
The door opens and Hobi’s head pokes through. “Hyung, I’m sorry,” he says miserably. “Will you at least get some rest until your next scene?”
Jin smiles sweetly. “Yeah. Sorry I snapped at you. I’m kind of loopy today, I guess. I’ll just nap with Jiminnie for a bit.”
Hobi smiles, visibly relieved. Jin makes a show of snuggling down next to Jimin, somehow fitting his tall body underneath the mess of blankets. He nods off quickly.
Hoseok hands Jimin a bottle of cough syrup and a wad of money. “Make him drink it, please.”
As soon as Hoseok’s gone, Jin’s eyes peek open. Sneaky little bastard. “Nope,” is all he says before he pokes his tongue at Jimin and ducks underneath the covers.
Jimin sighs. It’s going to be a long day.
-
There’s one group scene after lunch and then Jimin and Jin are back to the blanket nest. Jimin chomps on his noodles while Jin picks unhappily at a slice of cheese. “I wish I had my appetite right now,” Jin sighs. “I love film set food.”
Jimin laughs. “You love all food. Anyway, you’re being totally unfair, you know.”
Jin swipes a noodle from Jimin. “How so?”
“You know that when any of us are sick you’re practically bouncing around in panic. We all rest and take medicine to show you that we’re trying to get better. But you won’t take any cough syrup even though you’ve been dreadful for days.”
Jin wrinkles his nose. “First of all, I’m fabulous. Secondly, I’m sorry about the cough syrup thing, but I’ll take anything else. Painkillers? Gimme. Sleep? Gimme. Vitamin C? Gimme –”
Jin does a little frog hop to emphasise each ‘gimme’ and it’s so out of the blue that Jimin can’t help but laugh. “Enough! You’re such – you’re so – you’re just... not like any other hyung that I’ve met.”
Jin blinks. He leans forward. His cheeks are flushed and Jimin’s not sure whether it’s from the fever or not. Jimin would be unhappy about being this close but he already had this flu last week, he’s still immune and – and is there any other reason why someone would be unhappy about being this close to Jin? Jimin’s not sure. He sure as heck doesn’t mind.
“How so?” Jin breathes.
Jimin’s flushing too, now. “You’re just... unique and you’re, like, this really confusing mixture of playful and mature? I don’t think anyone has you figured out. But sometimes you seem like you have everything figured out. I can’t – I can’t tell if you’re really that confident or if you’re just bluffing. And you’re so embarrassing but you don’t even care. And you’re nice, like, really, really nice and I was so relieved when I joined BTS and met you because I knew at least one person would look out for me. I just wish you’d listen a bit more when we’re trying to look out for you.”
Jin’s eyes are shining. They’re so deep and dark that Jimin feels helpless against their tide. His honey voice is low as he murmurs, “I didn’t know you noticed me so much.”
Jimin feels daring. “Well, I do.”
Jin smiles warmly, like a breath of summer air. “Jimin, can I tell you something?”
Jimin nods. “What?”
“Yoinck.” Something slips out of Jimin’s pocket. Jin springs to his feet and darts away.
Jimin blinks. “Yoinck?” He looks down at his pocket and – oh. That fucker.
Jin stole the bottle of cough syrup.
Yoinck indeed.
-
Jimin tears down the hallway after Jin, who lets out raspy cackles and how the fuck is a person with a fever so fast? Jin isn’t even this fast when he’s healthy. Jimin is never hyung-sitting ever again.
They dash past Yoongi, who doesn’t even look up. They pass Namjoon, who compliments Jimin’s jumper.
Jimin stops. He really likes this jumper. “Thanks, hyung.”
“You’re welcome. Uh, Jimin?”
“Yup?”
“Aren’t you chasing somebody?”
“Oh. Yeah!” Jimin bows quickly and sprints after Jin again.
Jin rounds a corner and Jimin slides around it a split second after him. He catches Jin by the arm.
Taehyung and Jungkook are walking in their direction, unaware of Jimin’s current struggle. Jin takes a shuddery breath and calls out, “Tae! Catch!”
It’s as weak as a kitten but it manages to get Taehyung’s attention. Jin throws the bottle of cough syrup and in an act of pure comradery Taehyung leaps up and catches it. Neither of the two youngest have a clue what’s going on, but Tae can sniff out mischief from a mile away and when he senses mischief, he joins in. The boy lets out a pleased giggle, turns on his heel and runs.
Jin is whooping. “The window!” he calls. “Throw it out the window!”
“No!” Jimin cries in response. He grabs Jin firmly. “Jungkookie! Stop Taehyung!”
Jungkook knows when business means business. Needing no further instruction, he crash-tackles Taehyung to the floor in three seconds flat.
As Taehyung lies groaning, Jungkook pries the bottle of cough syrup from his hands. It is, miraculously, intact. He hands it over to Jimin. “Did you need this?”
Victory. Jimin nods, thanking him. “Jin-hyung was trying to get rid of it. But he really needs to drink some. Help me out?”
Jungkook holds Jin gently, both of them sitting on the floor while Jimin unscrews the cap-slash-measuring-cup and pours out a small dosage. Jin seems to have resigned himself to his fate at last. He complains feebly while Jimin lifts the measuring cup to his lips. When the cup reaches his lips, Jin freezes.
He looks at Jimin in panic. “I can’t. Please. It’s so gross.”
Jungkook snorts. “Are you crying?”
Jimin chuckles. “Hyung, it’s really not that bad.”
Jin sniffs. “It is that bad! I don’t want any. Please.” He coughs. “I feel better.” He launches into a coughing fit. Jimin doesn’t really feel triumphant now. He just feels bad.
Jimin rubs Jin’s shoulder. “It’ll be over so fast. We can have some really nice food afterwards.”
Jin looks up hopefully. “Pad Thai?”
“Sure.”
Jin grimaces, his pulsing thrumming rapidly as Jimin pushes the cough syrup to his mouth and helps him drink. Jin swallows once and then sputters on the next mouthful, bits of syrup going down his chin.
“Come on,” Jimin says kindly. “Just a little bit more.”
Jin swallows obediently. Then he sits up straighter, leans forward and presses his lips against Jimin’s.
Jungkook almost chokes on air. “What.”
Jimin almost chokes literally. It’s barely a kiss, because Jin is pushing putrid-tasting cough syrup from his mouth into Jimin’s. Jimin sputters, spitting out the disgusting liquid and jumping as it splashes on his shirt. “Hyung?!” Jimin gasps, unable to fathom this.
Jin sits back, looking absurdly smug for somebody with sticky syrup on his chin. He wipes his face. “I told you it tastes bad.”
There’s a moment of absolute silence. Then Taehyung, who’s been sprawled on the carpet and watching them the entire time, bursts out laughing. “Jiminnie-hyung, he got you so good,” Taehyung cheers.
Then they’re all laughing. Cough syrup ends up in Taehyung’s hair and Jungkook shouts when someone pours it down the back of his pants. They’ve got another scene to shoot in twenty minutes. Shit. Jimin grabs Jin without thinking and pulls him in for a revenge kiss. Shit.
Except Jin’s blinking and laughing and he doesn’t seem to mind.
Yoongi – the only person who hasn’t been hit by the flu yet – rounds the corner and stops in his tracks when he sees them. His gaze flits from Jin’s and Jimin’s sticky red faces to Taehyung’s hair to Jungkook’s ruined clothes. He steps slowly back. “All of you just stay the heck away from me.”