#vmin
Fake dating AU where Taehyung wins 2 tickets to a couple's cruise trip & Jimin agrees to be his plus one.

The only catch is, it's being filmed & Jimin & Taehyung have to do their best to make their faux relationship look as real & as romantic as possible.

(no homo tho).

> slow updates!!! i have finals!! I shouldn't even be doing this i hate myself i should have deactivated last week
> friends to lovers, fake dating, slow burn, all the tropes !!
> vmin +/- side ships maybe
> pls do NOT reply to this thread :(

> the plot https://mobile.twitter.com/vmxn__/status/1111934285131452419

In all honesty, Taehyung had forgotten about the whole thing. He'd been drunk when he'd sent out the lottery text, following three cans of beer and half a box of pizza. It wasn't serious. He doesn't even have a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. Or anyone, really.

He'd been watching TV at the time, some show about an idiosyncratic, charity-bestowing cruise ship that paid for romantic getaways for troubled couples.

"DIAL 888-100-CRUIS-A-THON, AND WIN A TRIP TO THE BAHAMAS FOR YOURSELF AND A LOVED ONE"

It wasn't serious.

Now, two months later, Taehyung stares at the blaring, bolded,

'CONGRATULATIONS
YOU ARE GOING TO THE BAHAMAS!'

text spelled out over a white document sheet, laid flat out over the kitchen counter. The words stare up at him from amidst varying bills and coupons and he squints.

Fair. Nice. Cool. Taehyung's never won anything. In fact, he's got such shitty luck, he's impressed if he wins at a game of rock-papers-scissors.

Maybe it's a hoax? But there are cruise tickets and a confirmation hotline number at the bottom of the page.

Fair. Nice. Cool.

But four months later, Taehyung is still single, and giving these tickets up feels almost like a crime. Who was he to say no to a free trip to the Bahamas when the Lord had thrown the favour right in the middle of Taehyung's lap?

Maybe he'd just go alone. No big deal.

['For more information regarding the filming contract, please refer to the FAQ page on our website.']

It's small, miniscule fine print, and Taehyung only notices it belatedly. There's no way he could show up alone. They were expecting to see a couple.

Vaguely, he wonders how things are handled within the show's parameters when a couple has broken up or gotten a divorce. Did they still go? Did they fake it for the cameras?

Footsteps sound behind him and Taehyung looks up, stills at the sight of his best friend and roommate.

Jimin is still half asleep, exam-time stress having pressed purple and red into the space beneath his eyelids. He looks crusty and unattractive and Taehyung almost makes a face as Jimin chews, open mouthed, around a mouthful of cereal.

And then it hits him.

The tickets.
The partner.
Those just-divorced couples faking it for the cameras on another segment on TLC.

The words leave him before he can think. "Do you want to go to the Bahamas with me as my boyfriend?"

Jimin inhales in the fruit loops, chokes on the dry grain, & coughs.

"What the fuck."

Taehyung blinks and waits patiently as Jimin finishes coughing. The tickets dangle between his fingers delicately, hip cocked to the side and leaning against the kitchen counter.

And then, Jimin finally calms down, and repeats,

"What the fuck."

"Remember that show where that girl had to get a stoma bag put in, and her boyfriend got them a cruise trip and proposed to her on the deck?" Taehyung begins.

"And she looked like she wanted to say 'no'? Yeah, what about that show?" Jimin asks, wary.

"They sent me tickets," Taehyung explains.

Jimin stares at him like he's got two heads.

"I don't have a boyfriend," Taehyung says, like that helps the situation. Like it explains why he's got two free tickets to the Bahamas in his hand. He pauses then adds, "Or a girlfriend."

"So," Jimin starts, words slow as molasses as he puts the puzzle pieces together. "You want me to be the fake boyfriend?"

A pause.

"Slash girlfriend?"

Taehyung slowly shrugs, like he hadn't been the one to suggest it himself.

"If you want to be," Taehyung says, coy.

Jimin stares at him until he's squinting through him. "/You/ asked /me/. What d'you mean, if /I/ want to be?"

Taehyung shrugs again, dismissive. He looks away and feigns a look of thoughtfulness. "Just...you know."

Jimin mentally palms his own face. He looks close to refusing.

He looks like he's about to say no, but Taehyung's always wanted to go to the Bahamas. He panics. "It doesn't have to be /gay/! All we have to do is like, hold hands and stuff. Feed each other stuff off of our plates. The usual. Look, it's all stuff we already do."

Jimin sighs.

"It'll be fun," Taehyung says, holding the tickets up. He waves them around, like he's enticing Jimin with them.

And really, Jimin can't ever really be stoic for too long. He's got too much of a soft spot for the younger male, has too much of a liking for role play & traveling.

"Oh, alright." He gives in. It's almost too easy. He's almost too easy. He hates it.

Taehyung beams, throws himself at Jimin & suffocates him in his arms. "We'll need a story," he says, conspiracy lacing his voice.

"A story?" Jimin's voice is muffled against Taehyung's hoodie.

"Yeah, like the girl with the stoma bag," Taehyung pipes up. "Shows like that love sob stories and tragic romances."

Jimin snorts loudly at that, falling heavily against Taehyung's chest. He has to get back to studying, but this is welcomed procrastination.

"'m not getting a stoma bag for you, that's for sure," Jimin mutters, pushing the younger away gently.

Taehyung looks affronted. So maybe there /were/ things Jimin could refuse when it came to Taehyung; the realisation feels almost foreign.

It's not until another two weeks that the ship is scheduled to sail.

They're only mildly late (of course, they are) because of Jimin (of-fucking-course), but the filming crew are welcoming, if not a little surprised at their newest couple being a male-male couple.

It had taken a couple of days, but Jimin had come around and adjusted to the idea, eager to pull off their little fake-dating stint.

If they're being honest, maybe Jimin is a little too excited, a little too eager.

(He'd even gone and gotten matching shirts made for them.

"If lost, return to Jimin."
"Hi, I'm Jimin.")

And now, standing at the dock in their 'If Lost,' and 'I'm Jimin,' shirts, Taehyung hastens to grab the elder's hand, clumsy & fumbling as he slips his fingers through Jimin's. His palms are sweaty from the heat & from the lie they were going to have to live for the next 10 days.

Jimin looks cool as a cucumer beside him. He'd gotten his own shirt cut out into a sleeveless tank, cotton and airy, while Taehyung's was a full sleeved polyester blend.

It's almost like a subtle jab, a hidden punishment for dragging Jimin into all of this in the first place.

Squinting from underneath his exaggerated straw sun-hat, Jimin seeks out the alleged hosts of the show, impatient to get out of the sun and onto the ship, preferably somewhere enclosed.

"You're sure this is legit, right?" Jimin asks, for perhaps the umpteenth time.

"Yeah."

Later, when they've filmed their intros for the show (tragic backstory included), it takes only a single episode of getting lost on board before they find their room.

It's spacious, the space littered with floral arrangements & rose petals on the less-than-queen-sized-mattress.

And it's then that it finally seems to hit, the reality of their charade.

The bath tub is out in the open, decorated with an absurd amount of roses. The shower stall is not at all privy to the eyes, exposed glass doors standing in proud view of the bed.

The bed.
Just. One. Bed.

"I don't mind taking the bed if you take the tub," Jimin says, the first to break the silence. His following laughter is a little forced, awkward.

(Here's the catch. Maybe Jimin's been crushing on Taehyung since eighth grade.

Maybe all of this was a bad, bad idea.)

"As if," Taehyung scoffs,unaware of Jimin's internal dilemma. He makes a beeline for the bed, jumping onto the mattress & makes the petals disperse & rain down to the floor. Jimin hates the brief thought that crosses his mind, of how Taehyung looks pretty with petals in his hair.

Instead, Jimin rolls his eyes & shrugs off his back pack, letting it fall to the ground before he makes his way over to the bed. It takes only a momentary pause before he jumps, tackles Taehyung against the sheets & attempts to wrestle his way into victory & ownership of the bed.

[several hours later, that night]
.
.
.

"Could you PLEASE stop moving so much and hogging the blankets?!"

Jimin's conflicted.

"God, I love this place," Taehyung says, sighing dreamily. He's laid back, arms and legs spread eagle on the bed, sleepy satiety settled over his featured. "I haven't slept that well in months."

Jimin casts him a withering, sidelong glance. He hasn't slept a wink.

Later, when they're out on the deck, and Jimin's got on his favourite pair of khaki, short-shorts and a white button-up, he forgets for a moment that he and Taehyung are playing pretend.

The on-board life guard is cute, & maybe bisexual. His name is Seokjin, & Jimin is staring.

So Jimin stares at Seokjin, a ruby red cocktail in his hands, and Taehyung stares at Jimin, cranberry juice in his own.

They're only pretending; it's not like he and Jimin are actually dating, but Taehyung frowns a little anyway. For the act, of course. To make it believable.

There's a sudden eruption of conversation, like a dam's been opened into a hell of cameramen and other such crew members, and Taehyung remembers that they're supposed to be acting.

And that's really the only reason he takes Jimin's hand & pulls him far, far away from That Guy.

"So, how did you two meet?"

The host is bright eyed (in the way that a lot of people on television are, faux bright with a hint of deathly despair laced along the water lines of their eyes), and she's got the sort of Pan-Am smile that makes Jimin feel queasy.

"Would you believe me if I'd said we've known each other since we were babies?" Taehyung answers, grinning. And this, this isn't an act. He loves this story, loves talking about how he & Jimin have always been neighbouring stars circling the same planet, sharing the same orbit.

And Jimin finds it in himself to tear his eyes away from the Pan-Am smile and the Colgate teeth, gaze softening as he glances up at Taehyung, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"That's true," he says. "Taehyung and I were introduced to one another in the cradle."

"Friends, best friends, then lovers?" The host laughs, smile widening. Her hairline is stretched taut, pulled back into an almost uncomfortable looking ponytail. "Who asked whom out first then?" She presses, wrist hanging & smile intrusive, seeking gossip. "Who confessed first?"

They blink, smiles pulled as taut as her hair.

"Oh," starts Taehyung.

"Ah," Jimin continues.

An awkward beat of silence follows, before,

"He did," they both answer in unison, falter, and then laugh, awkward and forced as she gives them a puzzled smile.

"Well," Jimin says, scrambling to salvage their mistake. They hadn't come up with a story for this yet. He racks his mind for a good one & tries to amend the error. "He did," he says, gesturing towards Taehyung.

Taehyung's hand finds Jimin's thigh under the table & pinches it.

Jimin ignores the sting and presses onward with his fictional account of the past, leaning forward over the table with a smile. "He was such a darling about it too," he says, eyes twinkling. "Said he couldn't live without me & I said, 'Silly, I'm right here.'"

Taehyung squints.

"And then he said, /no/. He said he lives because I exist, 'Because /you/ exist, Jimin-ah,' and he told me he was in love with me," Jimin sighs, dreamy & full of shit, lying through his teeth as he smiles gently & props his chin up in the cradle of his palm, elbow on the table.

Taehyung sputters internally.

He'd done no such thing. He had far more pride than that. He resists the urge to sock Jimin in the face.

The little bastard was a great actor though, Taehyung would give him that.

Later, Taehyung corners Jimin.

"You are so full of shit," he says, jabbing a finger against Jimin's chest. "First of all, I would never confess to you like that. I have more /class/. Second of all, we need to go through our story /together/. This is /our/ bullshit."

Jimin laughs. "Oh, yeah? How would you confess to me, then?" His voice is teasing and his smile is playful, but Taehyung freezes and his finger falters against the firmness of Jimin's chest.

Taehyung scoffs, indignant (and a little pink). "Just. Not like That."

A pause.

"And that's just /if/ I'd confess to you," Taehyung adds on. Like he doesn't want to be misunderstood. Like he wouldn't ever confess his undying love for Jimin.

Of course not. The fuck.

Somehow, soon, (and neither of them know when or how or why) it almost becomes a game of sorts, borders on competition as the two of them try to one-up each other in front of the crew and the host and the cameras.

What starts with Jimin's faux story about Taehyung's confession soon gives way to Taehyung holding doors open for Jimin & resting his hand low on Jimin's back, protective & affectionate.

And then Jimin's booping Taehyung on the nose, laughing with his face pressed to his chest.

He's carding his fingers through Taehyung's hair & Taehyung is doing that thing where he stares for too long, smiles a little too softly.

It spirals out of control when Jimin playfully holds a fry between his teeth, offers it out to Taehyung over shared milkshakes 2 days later.

He's just /there/, cheeky smile and button nose and bright eyes, a single bite of a potato sliver caught between his teeth, and Taehyung falls for the trap, like a fish to bait, and he leans in, bites into the other end and gets too close and suddenly, it's all a little too real.

There's nothing more dense than these two but a concrete wall.

(they kith, they ignore. silly, silly.)

Later, when they're taking a break from the cameras again, sitting together during the sunset hours between the afternoon and twilight filming schedules, Jimin leans over the railings of the ship, stretches his arms out until it looks like his fingers are skimming over ocean.

"Tete," he starts, looking out at the horizon where the sun meets water and makes it glimmer with diamonds.

Taehyung looks over, smiling lightly. "Hmm?"

"Remember that one summer?" Jimin asks. He keeps his eyes averted from the other. "Why'd you kiss me back?"

Taehyung blinks; his smile falters. He goes quiet for a moment but it seems as though the silence ends up stretching for too long & Jimin laughs. It's forced.

"Never mind," Jimin says, bringing a hand up to rub at the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'm gonna head to the game room.

He looks uncomfortable and embarrassed and Taehyung wants to get rid of the unsure hesitance in Jimin's eyes, but he doesn't know how to.

Instead, he nods and watches Jimin go.

Afterwards, when they've filmed the end of their third night, when the crew is gone & the cameras have been stowed. Jimin breaks away from Taehyung for what Taehyung assumes is space & Taehyung tells himself it isn't bitter envy he feels at the sight of Jimin with somebody else.

He's not jealous. He really isn't.

Except that Jimin hasn't spoken to him alone for hours & yet Jimin is right there, some ten-odd meters away, sipping at a cocktail while perched atop a barstool. He looks pretty (like always), and the bartender seems interested (like always).

Taehyung catches the bartender mouthing, 'it's on the house,' as he slides over another glass, and Taehyung swears that the smile that lights up Jimin's face doesn't make his inner green eyed monster rear its head.

Jimin doesn't show up at their room that night until after dawn. Taehyung pretends to be asleep, like he hasn't been awake the whole night, like he hasn't been wondering what Jimin's been doing and whom he was with.

Jimin's quiet as he gets into bed & Taehyung rolls over.

The next day, their act feels forced.

That fact alone is a bit jarring. Taehyung realises how easy it had been up until now, pretending they were dating. And reality sucks, hits like a bitch because suddenly, Taehyung finds himself wishing it wasn't an act.

Contrary to popular belief:

(Or, it's not even been four hours apart but Taehyung is already having withdrawal symptoms. He tells himself it's definitely not because Jimin had left him to go play table hockey with Seokjin, The Life Guard.)

oblivious? mayhaps.

They take a break from filming for the rest of the day, and Jimin seems to take that as a cue to take a break from Taehyung.

And frankly, Taehyung misses him.

The beginnings of a cold have aching along his temples & Taehyung really, Really misses him.

He's worse when he's sick; he's clingier. Where Jimin goes out on deck for dolphin watching, Taehyung stays in for once, curled up in bed with memories teasing beneath his eyelids.

long nights, daydreams
sugar & smoke rings, i've been a fool
but strawberries & cigarettes always taste like you

[1/2]

remember when you taught me fate
said it'd all be worth the wait
like that night in the back of the cab
when your fingers walked in my hand;

always leave me wanting more
i can't shake my hunger for
strawberries & cigarettes
always taste like you


[2/2]

"Thought you quit."

Jimin blinks and turns around. The setting sun looks like a halo around him.

How fitting, Taehyung thinks.

Jimin smiles and shrugs; it's careless, but he tosses his half burned cigarette off the side of the railing, letting the flames drown in the sea.

"I did," Jimin says, turning around and leaning against the railing. He shrugs again. It's simple.

Taehyung chuckles softly, hands deep in the pockets of his pants as he walks up to Jimin's side, finding purchase against the railings as well. "Stressed?" He asks.

Jimin shakes his head, turning to face the front once more so that he and Taehyung were both looking out at the ocean. Their shoulders touch as they stand side by side.

"Not really," he says. "Just bored."

Taehyung snorts softly at that, shifts a little closer. "Makes sense."

They fall quiet for a bit before Jimin turns to look at Taehyung, smiling small. "Feeling better? You looked a bit off earlier."

Taehyung's lashes flitter a little and his lips press together. He pauses and then smiles, nodding once. "Yeah. I'm okay. Just a bit of a cold."

Jimin hums, lips pushing out into a small, sympathetic pout. "You should've stayed in bed."

"And left you out here by yourself?" Taehyung says, smiling lightly as he finally looks over at the other. "Like a loser? Nah. A little cold never hurt anyone."

"Uh huh." Jimin grins.

The sentiment is appreciated though. Jimin nudges his shoulder against Taehyung's, playful & gentle.

Taehyung breathes out a chuckle under his breath. They stand together for a while; Taehyung's pinky finger nudges forward, catches against Jimin's & holds on as the sun sinks.

"Let's dance."

The invitation is so sudden that Jimin almost laughs aloud.

"What?" Jimin grins, cocking his head to the side as he looks up at Taehyung.

The sun's already set long ago, fairylights taking its place and lighting the deck up with whites and yellows.

"Dance. Let's do it," Taehyung says, finally tearing his eyes away from the horizon to look down at Jimin. He grins, shrugs.

The music is distant, playing a floor below them; it's live, played by the ship's own band of performers for the guest diners every evening between 6-9.

If Jimin feels bewildered, he doesn't show it, instead just looking pleasantly surprised. He laughs & takes a step away from the railing, & then another, extending a hand out in invitation.

Taehyung smiles & pushes away from the railing. He slips his hand into Jimin's.

déjà vu.

lost time.

Things don't escalate the way Taehyung thinks they would & they lie awake late into the early morning, shoulder to shoulder.

Their clothes lay discarded on the floor but that's about it. What had begun with heated touches and heavy kisses had rapidly spiraled into just cuddles.

"What does this mean?" Jimin asks, after a while. He's quiet, like he's scared Taehyung's only doing this for laughs.

Taehyung glances over and bites his lower lip. "Whatever you want it to mean."

"What if what I want isn't the same as what you want?" Jimin wonders aloud, brows pulling together.

"What do you want?" Taehyung asks, turning to look at the other properly.

Jimin hesitates.

Taehyung begins to get the wrong idea.

"It doesn't have to mean anything," Taehyung adds, in a bit of a rush. Maybe that's what Jimin was worried about--about possible labels, about a shift in their current dynamics.

Taehyung thinks he wouldn't mind labels, wouldn't mind calling Jimin his boyfriend, but...

"Oh."

Jimin frowns, confused. Did Taehyung not want this to mean anything? Had he misinterpreted things?

"I mean," Jimin starts. "Oh. I guess."

Taehyung feels his stomach sink.

Jimin feels his heart settle beneath the floorboards underneath the bed.

Both of them remain oblivious.

It's a little awkward, after that.

The charade is kept up, and sometimes, Jimin will rest a hand atop Taehyung's thigh while the cameras are rolling, and Taehyung will feed Jimin bits of dessert from his own plate and no one really suspects a thing.

And just like that, it's all over.

The cruise begins to wrap up, they've got a little over just two nights left on board, and Taehyung is beginning to grow listless with the urge to find proper closure.

Jimin on the other hand, seems to be avoiding him as much as he can.

"Jimin?"

Jimin looks up from where he's packing his things into his bag. He looks tired; Taehyung assumes it's because neither of them have been sleeping all too well the past nights. Something about getting off the ship in another 4 hours feels a lot like missed opportunities.

"Can we talk?"

Why did things keep turning out like this?

Jimin seems to feel similarly because he sighs wearily and hesitates. "About what?"

"About the other night," Taehyung says. His fingers nervously pick at the hem of his hoodie, tugging at a loose thread or two.

"What about it?" Jimin looks wary, cautious.

Taehyung fidgets in place and shifts his weight from one foot to the other. "Just," he starts, struggling for words. There's a long pause and then he shrugs, deflating visibly with a sigh. "Nothing."

"Okay."

"Yeah."

Later that night, when they've left the ship & its memories behind, Jimin & Taehyung find themselves face to face once more in the cozy confines of their shared kitchen, sitting on opposite ends of their small, square table. They've got 2 mugs of hot cocoa & silence between them.

This is how they did things. When things started to get too much, too suffocating, there was nothing a one-to-one conversation and midnight hot cocoa couldn't fix.

Taehyung's mug is more whipped cream than hot chocolate, & he takes a sip, gaze studying Jimin's features quietly.

"Why did you kiss me?" Jimin asks finally. He feels a sense of deja vu asking the question, and Taehyung shifts uneasily in his chair, put on the spot.

"I wanted to," Taehyung says. The floor is cold against his bare feet and it makes his toes curl.

"Why?" Jimin frowns.

"Same reason you did back then," Taehyung says. A defensive frown pulls his brows together as well.

His answer makes Jimin falter. The latter blinks, looking at Taehyung with something close to disbelief.

"And what reason do you think that would be?" Jimin asks after a pause.

Taehyung presses his lips together thinly, jaw tense. His foot taps against the floor, nervous. His heart seems to follow a similar, rapid rhythm as he opens his mouth and says, "You like me."

Jimin freezes, hands gripping the mug tight.

"You've liked me for a while. Right?"

"How long?" Jimin asks, voice quiet.

Taehyung frowns, confused.

"How long have you known?" Jimin asks. He's trembling a little and Taehyung wonders if he's angry.

Taehyung opens his mouth, hesitating. "I-- It was just--"

"You knew," Jimin says, face hot with embarrassment. He looks upset. "And you still kissed me? And then told me it didn't have to mean anything?"

Oh. Oh, fuck. This isn't how Taehyung had wanted things to go.

He shakes his head, lost for words. "No," he whispers. "No, Jimin."

"What?" Jimin scowls, standing up. The chair legs squeak loudly against the floor. "Did you think it'd be okay? Because I liked you? That you'd get something out of it and I'd go along with it? Because I liked you?!"

Taehyung stares up at him, stunned. He shakes his head.

"Then 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵?!" Jimin snaps. "Why would you go and--"

"𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰𝘰!" Taehyung yells, cuts Jimin's words off and startles himself with his own outburst. His voice comes out too loud, too frantic, and Jimin falters, takes a step back in disbelief.

Jimin stares at him like he doesn't understand, like he's got two puzzle pieces in his hands that are identical in shape and refuse to fit together. It makes no sense. "What." It's more of a statement than a question, and Taehyung takes in a deep breath.

"I like you."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you," Taehyung says, words dropping in volume. His hands fold over the table, heart racing in his ears. "I kept trying to tell you, but you just."

Jimin still looks like he doesn't understand, like he's not sure if he's entirely awake.

"Since when?" Jimin asks finally, when he finds his voice again. His voice is small, still unsure, like Taehyung's going to double over laughing and tell him he's joking.

"Since," Taehyung starts, shoulders coming up in a shrug. He looks down at his hands. "Always, I guess."

Jimin stays quiet for a few moments, trying to get his mind to wrap around the new revelation. "Really?"

Taehyung bites his bottom lip & nods, keeps his gaze lowered to where the pad of his index finger traces over the wood of the table.

"Look at me," Jimin says, voice soft.

Taehyung hesitates; Jimin repeats himself: "Tete. Look at me."

At that, Taehyung lifts his gaze, looking up at Jimin with a quiet sort of shy reservedness in his eyes.

Jimin's mouth quirks up at the corner, just a little. "We're idiots, huh?"

Taehyung smiles slightly. "Mm."

"Now what?" Taehyung asks, after a longer stretch of silence passes. In hindsight, all of it seems a little silly. All that worry for nothing.

Jimin takes in a shaky breath and lets it out in a chuckling huff, bringing a hand up to rub at the back of his neck. "I don't know."

"Are we good?" Taehyung asks. It's a trivial question. Jimin laughs a little, quiet, soft.

"Yeah, we're good, you goof," he says, smiling faintly.

"Are we gonna do that thing?" Taehyung asks, smiling softly.

"What thing?"

"That thing where you and I can now say we're probably gonna spend the rest of forever together?" Taehyung continues, eyes hopeful.

Jimin stares at him, quiet happiness glowing warm inside his chest. "Idiot. We'd have done that regardless," he says, ears turning pink.

"Can we do it as boyfriends?" Taehyung continues, a bit bolder than he was moments ago.

"Are you asking me to be your boyfriend, or are you suggesting that it's an option to consider?" Jimin throws back, giddiness making his eyes twinkle.

"Depends," says Taehyung. "If I asked you to be my boyfriend, would you say 'yes'?"

Jimin presses his lips together thinly, tries to conceal the smile threatening to push at his cheeks. "Why don't you try and find out?"

"Will you go out with me?" Taehyung asks, heart pulsing loudly behind his ear drums.

"I'd go anywhere with you," Jimin answers, smile fond.

"Don't play," Taehyung says, pouting a little. "You know what I mean. Will you...be my boyfriend?"

"I think we're a little old for this."

At this point, Jimin's just being a shit. "Sounds very middle school, does it not? 'Will you be by boyfriend?'" His smile is playful, eyes teasing, and Taehyung makes a face.

"You really can't not make fun of me, huh?" Taehyung snorts, watching as Jimin rounds the table.

Jimin shakes his head, smiling cheekily as he makes his way over, closing in on the younger. "Wouldn't be us if I didn't laugh at you trying to ask me out, would it?"

Taehyung tips his chin up defiantly, fighting a smile. "Why don't you show me how it's done, then?"

"Maybe I should," Jimin murmurs, feet coming to a halt as he steps up right until he's mere centimeters away from Taehyung. He's a little nervous, and Taehyung can tell by the way Jimin's hands are a little clammy as they find the latter's, grasping Taehyung's hands in his own.

"Taehyung," Jimin starts, both of Taehyung's hands in both of his own. Taehyung's mouth twitches up and he breathes out a closed lip giggle, giddy, as Jimin takes in a deep breath.

"This isn't a proposal," Taehyung teases.

"Oh, hush," Jimin chides, squeezing his hands.

Taehyung grins. Jimin tugs him close, closer & lower, 'til the tips of their noses are brushing together & he can practically feel Taehyung's smile.

"Will you spend the rest of forever with me, as not just-my-best-friend?" Jimin asks & Taehyung laughs aloud.

"Are you serious?"

"That's horrible. I did it better," Taehyung says, snorting.

"You know what," Jimin starts, only for Taehyung to cut him off.

"How about you shut up and kiss me?" Taehyung suggests, leaning his weight onto Jimin as he brings his arms around the elder's shoulders.

"How about I drop you?" Jimin scoffs.

(Nonetheless, his arms find their way down to Taehyung's sides, hands at the curve of his slim waist as he holds him closecloseclose.)

"Maybe you should; that way you'll see how I've fallen for you," Taehyung jokes, expression solemn.

Jimin groans at that, conceals the reluctant laugh that escapes him at the shitty joke by pressing his mouth to Taehyung's.

Their lips slot together easily and Jimin swallows Taehyung's giggles, nipping at his bottom lip to quieten him playfully.

"What are we?" Taehyung asks, some days later, when they're both wrapped up in one another under the sweet, sticky heat of the summer.

Jimin looks down at him, where Taehyung is nestled in against his bare chest, the TV playing reruns of Desperate Housewives.

"We can be anything we want to be," Jimin says, after a moment's thought. His fingers card through the younger's hair, push his messy fringe back, and pinch at the tip of his ear.

"You think so?" Taehyung asks, looking pensive. He tips his head back to look at him.

"Definitely," Jimin says, firm. However, it still catches him off guard when Taehyung peers up at him silently and then asks:

"Can we be married?"

And they've only been sort-of-a-thing for maybe-two-weeks, but it's been so long coming that nothing about his question feels odd.

"I think we definitely could be," Jimin says after a while, slow and measured. "No one ever said we can't be."

"I think we should be married, then," says Taehyung, shifting and turning to face the ceiling. "Not now, but..."

"Eventually?"

"Yeah."

"Are we really boyfriends?" The question is a bit silly, a little naïve, and Jimin laughs.

"Isn't that what we'd agreed on?"

"I'unno, you just said, 'something more than best friends'," Taehyung muses, lips pushing into a pout around his words and rounded vowels.

"Does it really matter?" Jimin asks, laughing.

"Maybe," says Taehyung. "Maybe the next time my mom phones up, I can tell her I'm bringing my boyfriend over for Chuseok."

Jimin looks a little taken aback by that but the smile that graces his features is sunshine personified.

"I guess that makes us boyfriends, then," Jimin teases, smiling fondly.

"Boyfriends-almost-husbands," Taehyung amends, sober and straight faced.

"Boyfriends-almost-husbands," Jimin echoes, affirmative.

"Y'know what?" Taehyung says, after another few minutes pass in silence.

Indulgent, Jimin smiles & lifts a brow. "What?"

"You haven't kissed me in roughly seven hours, I'm feeling a little dehydrated," Taehyung notes, brows furrowing. "Tempted to give you a bad review on Y*lp."

"Oh, no," Jimin whines, pouting. "Not the reviews. I'll have you know, I'm a steady 4.5 to 5 out of 5 on most days, I won't let you knock that average down."

"I dunno, man," Taehyung says, sighing wistfully as he looks up at the other boy. "I'm willing to reconsider for a kiss."

"This sounds a little like bribery," Jimin points out, sounding pensive.

"Honey, the capitalist core of this world relies on bribery. You're not special," Taehyung quips & sticks his tongue out playfully. "Now are you going to kiss me or am I going to have to ask for a refund?"

[brb yALL]