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It was when Taehyung spit Coke all over himself and Jimin, both sharing a blanket and watching the newest episode of their drama.
Taehyung flung himself to apologize, sputtering “Sorry oh Jimin- oh my god, but did you see that slap? It was like all the force of Yoongi-hyung when he is woken in one hand and I couldn’t control my spit glands- and - oh my god Jimin- your face - I can’t-” and the rest was lost in laughter.
Jimin couldn’t figure out what was so funny about his soda-soaked and highly offended expression... but felt it disappear watching Taehyung turn into a pile of giggling goo on his lap. The younger boy had turned his face into his stomach and he could feel the vibrations of each choked laugh and felt himself shaking along with it.
It was only when he snorted that Taehyung turned his teary-eyed red face to stare up at Jimin and confirm he wasn’t mad. Jimin’s eye-smile definitely didn’t seem mad and it took Jimin a good twenty seconds to realize he was the only one still laughing.
He looked down and felt his giggle catch in his throat at the fond look his best friend was giving him. Like he was perfect or in love or something else ridiculous. Tae didn’t stop either, even when Jimin cleared his throat.
“Jimin, do you ever wonder what life would be like if we hadn’t met?”
Jimin felt his throat tighten, and he loosely grabbed at Taehyung’s sweater to distract himself. Taehyung just held his gaze at Jimin’s overheated face. “Tae we are in the same group, of course-”
“No Jimin, like- what if we had never become best friends? I don’t feel like I’d survive. You’re just always there. Even when I’m mad at you I just want to talk to you. It’s so weird how comfortable you are to me. It’s like we are...oh shit this sounds so cheesy...like brothers that- ”
Jimin gripped Taehyung’s sweater tighter. “Tae, I love you.”
Taehyung lifted his hands exasperatedly. “Yeah, yeah- that’s what I’m saying like we could actually be brothers - we should probably get checked-”
“No Tae, I love you.”
“Minnie I love you too but I’m trying to say something really sappy can you let me finish-”
“Taehyung. I. Love. You. Like...not a brother.”
Taehyung’s eyes widened a bit and his bottom lip opened and closed like it was repeating Jimin’s words just to be sure. “You...like not a brother….like...oh.”
Taehyung looked away.
“Oh?” Jimin could feel his fingers shaking in their fabric confines, he hadn’t even noticed how much he twisted Taehyung’s shirt into his hands.
“I mean, yeah, oh. I uh...wow...are you sure?” Taehyung lifted himself slowly from Jimin’s lap and turned his body to face him.
“Oh my god forget I said anything. I just was so confused because we’re always cuddling, and that one time you kissed my cheek, and we always compliment each other, and I think sometimes you look at me like I look at you. I just think about you sometimes when I’m going to sleep and one time I thought about you and realized I really really like you and I’m sorry and-”
Taehyung’s hand clasped over the babbling boy’s mouth and drew him into his side. “Stop. You don’t need to be sorry.”
Jimin realized that his hot cheeks were also damp, and move Taehyung’s hand to scrub at his tear-streaked face. “I do- I just ruined everything!”
His scrubbing was stopped when the taller boy buried him further into his chest and started rubbing his back. “Hey no. You didn’t ruin anything. I just need to think. This is, uh, I’m glad this information has come up it’s very...enlightening.”
Jimin moaned into his shirt “Oh god…...enlightening?”
“Yeah, but no need to cry. I’m not judging you at all. I don’t really know if I love you like that or if I am just really bromanced by you, but I pretty much feel everything you just said towards you...so that’s a good start? We could just try this out and see how it goes?”
Jimin sniffled and brought his head back to look into his best friend’s eyes, “See how it goes? Do you realized what that means?”
Taehyung shifted underneath him uncomfortably, “Uh well I mean, dating isn’t much different then what we do now...so why not? I like happy Jimin so I’m willing to try.”
Jimin gave a harsh laugh, “Kim Taehyung you are unbelievable".
Turns out Taehyung was right, dating isn’t really that much different from what they were already doing.
Even the other members didn’t mention anything when their late-night-movie cuddle sessions turned into anytime-near-each-other cuddle sessions. Everyone just assumed Taehyung or Jimin was feeling a little needy.
When Hoseok asked why Taehyung only slept in Jimin’s bed now, Jimin just slapped a hand over his boyfriend’s mouth and mumbled something about nightmares. They began holding hands and were surprised at how easy it was to get away with, and wondered why they hadn’t started earlier.
When they rode in the back of the car with a sleeping Namjoon beside them, Jimin was overwhelmed with how warm and kind Taehyung had been all day, and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. Taehyung merely flinched, but was quick to give a reassuring squeeze to his best friend’s hand - to let him know it had been alright. And when they exited the car, Taehyung held an arm across the seat to block Jimin from getting out before the other members left.
When the last one was free from the car, Jimin turned to whine at Taehyung but was instantly shut up by a warm hand on his cheek and soft lips on his own. Taehyung leaned back, making sure the kiss was chaste, and checked for healthy vital signs in his best friend’s face.
Jimin was sure his face was red enough to stop traffic but tried to nod cooly and get out of the car like his insides weren’t quivering. He ended up with a foot caught on the car seat and a boyfriend holding his waist, so just bailed on all attempts at manliness and melted into his embrace.
“That was okay right?” Taehyung mumbled behind him as they both slid out of the car.
“Yeah, absolutely.” Then that boxy grin shined and Jimin took everything about being okay back.
“Good, I kind of liked it too.”
Soon light kisses became a normal thing for them, and after a few questioning looks, normal for the other members too.
They were gaming and mid-light kiss when Jungkook slammed their bedroom door open and sat beside them nonchalantly, grabbing his own controller and joining into their game smoothly. They played a few rounds and during one of the lobby waits Jungkook shoved Taehyung in the shoulder.
“Ow! What was that for?” Taehyung grumbled, rubbing as his abused arm.
Jungkook smirked and gave him a raised eyebrow, “Oh nothing Mr.Playboy, I just heard the news is all.”
Jimin gave an embarrassed smile, “It’s not really news....”
Jungkook laughed and winked at Jimin, “Yeah you’re right, especially with the way she declared it on national television.”
Jimin looked as confused as Taehyung and just listened as the taller boy beside him clarified, “Huh? Who? Why don’t I know?”
Jungkook looked at him incredulously, “You know - AOA’s Seolhyun saying you were the hottest actor this year? Talking about how she’d love to go on a date with you?”
Taehyung squeaked, “Seol-Seolhyun?! But she is so pretty! How in the world did she see me?”
Jungkook giggled and Jimin sunk into the pillows as much as he could, “I don’t know but every guy in the world right now is wishing they were you with how much she goes on about you!”
They continued to joke about Taehyung’s new womanizing status and Jimin felt himself become numb, and by the time Jungkook had left to go to sleep and Taehyung had crawled beside him in bed, he could feel the hot tears in his eyes.
He thought Taehyung had fallen asleep by the soft breath on the back of his neck , and let himself sob into his hand a bit.
“Jimin?” a deep voice grumbled out from behind him. Jimin passed a quick hand over his face as the other boy turned him over to face him. “Hey...were you crying?”
Jimin gave a small laugh, “What? No, I was just trying to sleep.”
Taehyung pouted and pulled him a bit closer to peck him on one of his cheeks. “Oh is that why your face is damp?” he mumbled into the skin, “Seriously, you know you can tell me if something is wrong right?”
Jimin let out a shaky breath and avoided Taehyung’s concerned eyes. “I’m just….worried you’re not happy.”
Taehyung gave a hard frown, “Why wouldn’t I be happy?”
Jimin finally met his eyes with watery ones, “Well, I feel like you’re just going along with this because I want it-”
“Jimin, I want this too.”
“Yeah but you could be dating people like Seolhyung”
“But I’m dating you.”
“But she’s beautiful.”
“So are you.”
“But she’s a girl.”
Taehyung sat up suddenly, pulling the smaller boy up with him, and looked at him seriously, “Jimin why in the world are you worried about that?”
Jimin worried his bottom lip between his teeth, trying to stall time to translate his thoughts, “Because you’re not gay?”
Taehyung stared at him for a second before bursting into a deep laugh and rolling over onto his back.
Jimin blushed as an angry Hoseok stormed from his bed out of the room mumbling something about “fucking lovebird late night chats” and “quiet couch”.
“Taehyung hush! Don’t laugh! I’m serious!” He pouted and felt his lip quiver and fresh tears pool in his eyes.
Taehyung sprung back up and grabbed his hands, giggling, “Oh no, no no, Jimin don’t cry. I’m just laughing because you said I wasn’t gay and we’re dating….boys.”
Jimin huffed, “Well that doesn’t mean anything! you’re just trying to make me happy.”
Taehyung played with his fingers and pulled at his wrists to draw him in closer, “Then why do I do this?” and leaned in to press a small kiss to his the cheek.
Jimin glared, not giving up on his argument, “Obviously because you know I like it, and you’re a really good friend.”
Taehyung looked at him in consideration before giving a sly smile, “Okay….then why do I do this?” He drew Jimin into his lap, positioning both of the smaller boy’s legs around him, and gave him a controlled kiss on the lips.
Jimin was pouting still, “Taehyung stop, it’s just because I like it.”
Taehyung gave a fake offended gasp, “Then why don’t you ask me what I like?”
Jimin’s eyes widened and he squeaked, “What you like?”
Taehyung smirked and leaned back to let the other boy breathe, “Yeah, we keep talking about what you like, but we never talk about me.”
Jimin decided to bite the bait, “Okay...what do you like?”
Taehyung’s smile reminded Jimin of a cat that caught the canary, and instantly regretted this whole line of conversation. “Well…” The taller boy drawled, “I like you.”
He pressed closer to Jimin’s chest for emphasis, “I like how easily you fit into my arms.”
“I like how tender and kind you are to everyone, even me when I annoy you.”
Jimin gasped as a hand slid up his forearm, “I like how I could spend all day looking at you and just talking to you and not get bored.”
Jimin felt himself nodding in denial but had already lost the ability to respond.
“I like how you’re so humble that you don’t think I like you even when we’ve been dating for two months and I’d rather lose in Mario Kart than miss the opportunity to give your pretty lips a kiss.”
Jimin decided he was losing the ability to breathe too, as the other boy pressed closer with every pronouncement,
“I like how you’re my best friend but you're also the person that I want to have in my bed every night.”
Jimin shivered as the next words were mumbled beside his ear, “And I’d really like it, if you let me prove to you that I’m really really gay for you.”
Jimin was pretty sure his body would short circuit between the blood rushing to his face and the blood rushing south. He simpered under Taehyung’s heated gaze, “Well, if-if you really would like that then I guess it’s okay.”
Taehyung chuckled as he leaned in to kiss him, confidently licking his lip slowly, before drawing back quickly with a concerned look and sputtering, “Oh my god I can’t believe I fucked that up, I was supposed to say how I would also really like to hear I love you from you, and then you’d say it and I’d say it back but I messed up, fuck.”
Jimin processed his words before bursting into a giggle fit and hugging his boyfriend around his neck, “Kim Taehyung,” He choked on a laugh, “you are unbelievable!”
Taehyung groaned and covered his face with his hand, “I know, I know!”
Jimin gasped for air and tried to stop shaking as he drew the other boy to look at him, “And I love you.” he assured between giggles.
Taehyung grinned as he confessed, “I love you too.” before trying to swallow the other boy’s amusement with his own lips. “Now this is the part where I make a move on you and finally touch your gorgeous butt.”
Jimin sighed with a fond smile as the other boy pressed him into the bed, “Yeah that sounds okay too.”