Chapter Text
Act One
The Cottage
Nearly bored out of his mind, Taehyung's skipping through the holiday flats on Airbnb.
"What do you think about a small bungalow in Busan," Taehyung asks quietly, voice rumbling in his chest and therefore disturbing Jimin, who is reading a manwah on his phone, "At the beach, you know?!"
Jimin, who is his roommate, soulmate, his significant other, the man he loves in a very platonic way and currently sitting almost on top of Taehyung, ear pressed against his chest and probably sneakily listening to his heartbeat.
"I'm tired because of dancing, I need this now." Jimin had whined earlier, right after he fell down next to Taehyung, vanishing in a far too big blue hoodie, which Taehyung recognize as Namjoon's, and closed his eyes ostentatiously. The front door hadn't even completely closed, and during his fall, Jimin slipped out of his shoes. He let them fall to the floor with a dull sound and snuggled closer until the days stress left, and his shoulders lost all tension, sacking in relief.
"A bungalow in Busan?" Jimin snorts, turning to lie on his back and with his head on Taehyung's chest to look up to him. His phone slides into the small gap behind the cushions of the sofa, vanishing from the earth, and Taehyung wonders if his best friend will ever find it again. He is sure they lost at least seven socks, a hell lot of money, and Yoongi's favorite writing pen to the depth of the space under their couch.
"Aish." With an uncomfortably bent hand, Jimin tries to get the phone back while also looking up to Taehyung. He knows, since he is slouched on the couch so badly, he must have around five chins and nostrils as big and scary as black holes from this point of view, and still. It doesn't bother him that Jimin sees him like this. It's not like they haven't seen each other in far worse situations.
Taehyung still remembers that one night months ago, when Jimin ate something strange, probably the slightly older looking squid and wasn't able to leave the bathroom for hours. Besides, he there had this day, after Taehyung's ex ended the relationship and he just blubbered behind the couch with snot and tears all over his face, and Jimin had still kissed his cheeks and hold him close. There's nothing to be embarrassed about - nothing at all.
"If you want to go to Busan, we can stay with my parents." There is a bit too much mirth in Jimin's voice, and Taehyung knows his best friend's now making fun of his suggestion to go to Busan and to the beach and stay there for three weeks or until they are sick of each other. Which they will never be, Taehyung would bet everything on that - even his LOL figurine collection.
"It's just - the bungalow looked nice." He pouts, sighing loudly, and continues to scroll through the app, hopeful of finding one place they both liked and could rent for the upcoming holidays in less than three months.
A few days ago, in the middle of the night, Taehyung crawled into Jimin's bed after not being able to sleep again and watching too many travel vlogs on YouTube until wanderlust and yearning for his own adventures made him feel itchy, asking in the tiniest voice, "What are you going to do during the holidays?"
"What holidays?" Jimin murmured back, all exhausted and voice raw with sleep, blinking tiredly in the moonlight.
"The holidays after the semester," Taehyung answered him as he wanted to add a loud DUH, hooking his legs with Jimin's. His toe found it's way under the fabric of Jimin's sleeping pants, feeling heated skin and leg hair and the strong muscles of his dancer calves. It's something they started doing right after they met: curling up next to each other close enough to leave little to now space between their bodies, not even for the smallest breeze.
"That's in more than two months," Jimin groaned, shoving his shoulder into Taehyung's sides since he was so maliciously woken up.
"Ouch! Jimin-ah, I want to go somewhere with you!" Taehyung had whined quietly, pressing even closer until it felt like they were almost one person, fusing into one creation and molecules exchanged within their bodies, breathing the same air and heartbeats in sync. It's precisely like Taehyung loves it the most, "You and me going on a trip, what do you think?"
He knew Jimin wouldn't say no, wouldn't decline since the 78 days, 14 hours, and 39 minutes older guy loves Taehyung the most. Even more than his little brother Jihyung.
"Especially more than my brother Jihyunnie." Jimin had confessed one night after one too many sojus.
And like predicted, Jimin had only groaned once more, but nodded slightly, "Yeah, alright, you and me going on holidays. And now, get the fuck out of my bed and let me sleep in peace, you menace. I have rehearsals at 7 am."
Obviously, Taehyung didn't get out of Jimin's bed, but pressed his nose into the crook of the other's neck, toe still stroking the patch of skin on the dancer's leg and breathing deeply until sleep took over him.
Since that night, Taehyung tries to find the perfect place for their holidays. It isn't easy. They are both college students, both broke artists with delicate taste and a picky nature. They needed to start the search a place fitting for their needs early to even find anything remotely nice. Honestly, who would have thought finding a lovely accommodation for holidays would be this hard? The places Taehyung found so far are either too expensive or too far away or look like a hole-in-the-wall kinda place. And he doesn't want to sleep in a bed looking like it never ever met the careful hands of a cleaning lady, thank you very much.
"Let's go to London," Jimin says suddenly, grinning brightly when Taehyung looks over his screen down to him, raising his eyebrows questioning, "London? Like England's London?"
"Yeah, what kind of other London is there?" He replies, eyes vanishing into two small crescents, "It's a metropolis and pretty different than a Bungalow in Busan. Might be fun, right?"
To be entirely honest, Taehyung doesn't really understand what's so bad about a bungalow. Maybe not in Busan, since his friend is right, they could stay with Jimin's parents. Or crash at Jeongguk's old place, Jimin's little childhood friend and number one brat, who loves to make their lives a living hell - but a bungalow? Or a cottage? It kinda sounds nice to be completely alone, and taking care of each other, cooking, having a tiny space for themselves. He gets that Jimin might not want to be in solitude during his holidays, but he would be with Taehyung. What does he need more?
And staying in London? He shudders a little thinking about the city full of millions of people, skyscrapers, and too many nightclubs you can get lost in. It might have been interesting a few years ago when Taehyung came to Seoul for the very first time. Right after school, bright eyes, and innocent, ready to study art and photography. It had been something he wanted to experience back then - dancing in the neon lights of some clubs and tasting alcohol off the lips of strangers was a completely different feeling of freedom than he knew from back home in Daegu.
Yet, however, it doesn't make his lower belly ache with longing. He doesn't have the strict need to experience it anymore. He already did. He went to clubs until his feet ached, and the sky turned purple with the sun rising and dispel the moon for another day.
"How about a cottage?" He asks Jimin instead, typing it into the search box and scrolls through the accommodations popping up on his screen.
"Aren't cottages mainly in Great Britain?" Jimin retorts, and Taehyung shrugs his shoulder, opens some of them, looking through the pictures.
"Well, London is in Great Britain too."
"Really? I would never have thought," Jimin says, somewhat sarcastically, eyebrow raised, "Brat."
"How about this one?" Taehyung ignores him, turns his phone to show the cottage to Jimin, who chuckles, "As I said: Great Britain."
"So, that's a no then," They don't need a lot of words anymore. Taehyung always knows what his friend means with every single pitch in his voice or when the muscles in his face twitch lightly. It's not always annoyance or disagreement, but mostly it is.
"Sorry." Jimin only replies, finally getting his phone back out of the hollow space under the couch mattress and turns back to the manwah, lying closer to Taehyung's neck, nose pressed into the dip of his collarbones.
"It's alright." Taehyung whispers, wrapping his arms around Jimin to draw him even closer, "Not a cottage in Great Britain it is then."
"Thanks," Jimin replies, fingers flying over the screen of his phone, "What do you think, should we go to Jin-Hyung for dinner?"
"To Hyung?"
"Yeah, he asked if we wanted to come as well. Apparently, all the others will come and empty his fridge," Jimin answers, and his plump lips almost touch his warm skin under his jaw. Taehyung shivers a bit, goosebumps rising on his left arm.
"He didn't send me a message." He says instead of answering him, opening KakaoTalk, and looking through his friend's messages in case he missed it again. But there is nothing.
"Oh, Tae, you know how it is. The others always only text one of us."
That's oddly true, Taehyung realizes suddenly, lips forming a small pout on their own, "Still, do they even realise that we are individual people? They could ask us by ourselves and not always assume we decide together."
He rather feels Jimin's chuckle than hears it, a small vibration through the smaller body pressed against his, "Well, but it's true. We always decide together."
"Still," Taehyung says petulant, shrugging his shoulders, "Last time Namjoon actually asked me if we are dating."
This time he hears the deep, throaty laugh coming out of Jimin's mouth, "Yoongi-Hyung asked as the same. Funny, that they don't understand two gays can be close and only be friends."
Something in the deep of his belly jumps at to Jimin's words, something he doesn't want to name yet. So, Taehyung closes Seokjin's chat and opens the Airbnb app again.
"How about this one here?" He asks, once again showing Jimin a small holiday flat in South Thailand.
"Whatever you want, Taetae." Jimin whispers and his voice grows thick with sleep, warm breath tickles him on the sensitive skin of his neck, "Just - not too expensive."
The cottage he finds after returning home from Seokjin's dinner with full bellies is not expensive per se.
The house only costs a small amount of money, reasonable and totally fine.
It just sits in the middle of nowhere in France around 70 km away from the next bigger city, and the flights to France, as well as the long car drive to the cottage, are anything but cheap, and Taehyung is aware that Jimin will call him crazy if he shows him the place.
Nevertheless, Taehyung is in love. In love with the tiny stones of the small garden wall, uneven and in different shades of grey and brown, overgrown with dark green ivy and wildflowers.
He is in love with the crème white wooden door of the house and the red and pink flowers blooming on the wall and hanging from the roof. The kitchen is charming - old, and open with a view of the garden, and the biggest room in the cottage is something like an indoor garden with a big table. He is in love with the stream beside the cottage, a little bit hidden between the high grass and apple trees. He is in love with the tiny, green looking sleeping area, plants hanging all over the place, and making the room look like a place Pinterest witches would fall in love with.
He can almost taste the heavy scent of the summer air and red wine on his tongue after looking at the pictures and knows he has to go there.
"Jimin!" He shouts loudly and jumps out of his bed, ignoring that he misses one sock and is slithering on the wooden floor with his single clothes foot and almost falls while running out of his room and into Jimin's, "Jimin!"
His best friend has his head stuck in his jumper, sweatpants low on his hips, frantically trying to free himself from the strange strangulation. "What? Are you ok? Did something happen?"
His voice is muffled because of the fabric, and he turns toward Taehyung, almost slips as well, unable to see anything, while fighting the jumper for dear life.
The white shirt underneath riles up, and Taehyung can see a path of smooth skin, a belly button showing, and the waistband of Jimin's favourite pink boxers. He looks good. All taut skin over firm muscles and Taehyung feels his gut tighten at the view. He's not blind nor stupid. He knows his best friend looks amazing - fit dancer body and handsome face. Beautiful eyes and plush lips. Strong arms and thick thighs. He tires to ignore the warm feeling spreading in his body and steps to Jimin to help him end the fight against the jumper. Jimin's newly bubble gum pink coloured hair is completely dishevelled, and his chubby cheeks red with exertion and embarrassment.
"Did you put it into the dryer again?" Taehyung asks while taking the jumper to place it on Jimin's drawer at the other end of the room. Far away enough so it couldn't attack again.
"No, I didn't." Jimin pouts and sits on his bed, and Taehyung knows he is lying. The black jumper was a gift from his parents, and Jimin, who suffers from homesickness almost as bad as Taehyung, likes to wear it when he is stressed with the university courses, his job, or the extra studio sessions he does from time to time. It calms him, and therefore it is in use most of the time, and Jimin, impatient and not being able to wait for it to dry on its own, puts the jumper into the dryer after each washing more often than not.
It's not like Taehyung would ever judge him. He has a blanket his grandmother made him to hug each night tightly until sleep takes over him. Jumpers are much less embarrassing than snuggle blankets.
"Why were you shouting, anyway?" Jimin asks him, tearing him out of his thoughts, and Taehyung jumps onto the bed next to him, reaches for his phone, and pushes it into Jimin's chubby fingers.
"Look!" He says breathless, excitement always pushes all air out of his lungs, "The cottage."
With a frown, Jimin takes the phone and looks through the pictures, bottom lips sucked between his teeth, "It's cute."
"It's perfect!" Taehyung retorts, hands gesturing widely, "Imagine waking up there for three weeks."
"It's in France," Jimin says, and he sounds unimpressed, eyebrow raised slightly.
"I know. It's charming, right?"
"Tae, it's in France." Jimin repeats, looking at him expectantly, as if he waits for him to understand something essential, "That's too far away. We can't afford it."
"As if London would be less expensive." Taehyung grumbles, taking his phone back and flips through the pictures. He wants to go there. He wants to visit the garden, wants to stick his feet into the small stream, and feel some ladybugs crawling over his naked skin. He wants so much.
Normally, Taehyung isn't someone who wants things and actually acts on it, but this time? This time he wants so desperately, he almost whines, "I need to go there. It feels like this is a place where the magic happens. Like everything will change there."
Jimin snorts, only sounding a little bit sarcastic, "Like what?"
"Like - I don't know, Jimin," Taehyung sighs exaggerated and shrugs his shoulders. It feels like this is going to be his standard move whenever he doesn't know how to explain what he feels, "It's as if fairies live there, and they will magically fix everything."
It's not like there is anything to be fixed, right? Right! But still, something needs to be fixed, needs to change, and Taehyung knows deep inside him that this little cottage in France is the right place.
"Listen." He says, hands coming up to cup Jimin's cheek and squish them together, "I know the travel costs are going to be wild, but I'm going to figure something out. I really wanna go there."
Jimin's lips stick out, and he isn't really able to reply anything, finger curled around Taehyung's wrist and tugging until he lets go.
"Alright. If you want to, alright." He sounds defeated, and Taehyung beams at him.
"You won't regret it, I promise."
"As long as we are together, I don't care where we are going." Jimin says, smiling at him and pats his cheek, before getting off the bed again to reach for a fresh shirt, "Wanna stay and watch the new episode of Skam?"
"Hell yes," Taehyung whoops, pulling the single sock off his foot to throw it towards aggressive jumper and leans back on Jimin's pillow, breathing in deeply.
He doesn't know why, but Taehyung loves Jimin's bed and the soft, subtle scent washing over him whenever he lies down the best. It smells like cologne and sweet like strawberries, and Taehyung feels the most comfortable there.
When he came to Seoul, Taehyung didn't think he would ever meet someone like Jimin. He didn't expect his time as a student to turn out to be the best years of his life. He never expected to find someone so dear to him.
The first time he saw Jimin was right after he stepped into the main building of the university, the smaller man stood next to the blackboard, pinning a notice on it, asking for a roommate.
They started a conversation after he read the note, and Taehyung knew right away, he would move in with the boy from Busan, and they would be friends soon.
He didn't know they would be inseparable, and he would find a person knowing him better than he knows himself. He didn't expect destiny to be so kind and lead him to his soulmate at the age of nineteen. This had been three years ago, and now Taehyung couldn't imagine his life, his days without the other man.
Jimin falls down next to Taehyung, their shoulder brush while he busies himself with his laptop, grinning, "I think today we'll see Evan kissing Isak for the first time."
"Noooh, no spoilers." Taehyung whines, but laughs and shoves his shoulder into Jimin's, not moving away after.
He feels at home.
Surprisingly, Taehyung figures something out. He works double shifts, an apron around his small hips and hands getting rough and raw because of all the Frappuccinos and Americanos he's making in the coffee shop four blocks away.
On Monday and Wednesday nights, he gives art lessons to older people in the very same coffee shop he works, and on the weekends, he takes commissions for photo shootings or edits.
He studied all the booking websites until he figured out what was the right time and right site to book their flights and car - staying up late to stare intensely at his computer screen.
If he is being honest, Taehyung needs the holidays now more than ever, but he gets the money and pays for their flights. After double-checking if all their contacts are correct and with trembling fingers Taehyung clicks the button to pay for them and the rented car, tired eyes falling shut right after receiving the confirmation mails.
Actually, he is impressed with himself and his hard work. He had never done something like this, never worked so hard to archive something he wanted so much, but it felt like the right thing to do. And it's not like he doesn't like the extra work.
It makes him sleepy after a long day, and for the first time in years, he is able to fall asleep right after his head hits the pillow.
There is a light knock on the big window front, and when Taehyung looks up from the tables he tries to clean from acrylic paint and stains of charcoal, he sees Jimin waving tiredly at him.
It's almost past midnight on a Wednesday, and Taehyung knows his best friend stayed at the studio until now for rehearsals for the upcoming performance.
After each term, the dance students do a small performance, showing off their talent and abilities, and Jimin always takes it very seriously. More often than not, he stays too long in the bright dancing room to work until exhaustion knocks him out or Taehyung or Yoongi drags him out of the building and into his bed.
Wet sponge in one hand and fiddling with the keyring, Taehyung opens the door for his friend to step into the shop, smiling brightly, "You didn't need to fetch me."
Jimin walks past him and jumps up to sit on one of the counters, feet dangling in the air, "I know, but I came by anyway."
Taehyung tilts his head a bit, thankful his boss and the owner of the shop Sunmi went already home and doesn't see the man sitting on the counter, and replies, "Wanna eat some Hotteko later? We still have some in the kitchen."
He can see Jimin contemplating about it, loving the sweet snack, but then he shakes his head, "After the performance."
He sounds crestfallen about his own decision, and Taehyung decides to take them home anyway. Maybe the other will take a few bites, and that would be alright with him. The last three weeks before the end of the term, Jimin always loses too much weight, cheeks getting less chubby and cheekbones more prominent on his face, and Taehyung hates it. He often tries to get him to eat properly, takes him to Seokjin or Yoongi as often as possible since their two friends and hyungs are able to force nutritious food into the dancer, but it's still frustrating.
"How was your lesson today?" Jimin asks, smiling, and Taehyung groans a little bit.
He told his friend earlier that day that he intended to work on some anatomy lessons with his clients, which basically means a naked person in the middle of the room.
It's fascinating how giggly fifty-year-old women and men get the very moment a handsome person takes off their robe and stands naked in front of a dozen wannabe artists.
"It felt like I teach a class full of teenagers," Taehyung makes a face, trying to forget the smug grin Mrs Choi sent Mrs Kim when the model sat down and balls dangled between his legs, "It was very - well - insightful."
Jimin leans back on his hands, exposing his long throat and laughs out loud, "I can imagine. My mom did a course once, and she told us during dinner about the handsome model. I've never seen my father getting pale like that. Jealousy is such a funny thing."
"Yeah, it is." He says, scrubbing the next table to get rid of the dark blue paint, "By the way. Hobi-Hyung was here earlier, and he asked if we would like to meet up before we fly to France."
"Did he now?" Jimin asks, fishing for his phone, "He didn't ask me."
"They always only ask one of us, have you forgotten?" Taehyung grins, waggling with his eyebrows and tries to ignore the light fluttering of his heart, "It's because they think we are dating."
Jimin grumbles lowly, which sounds suspiciously like, 'As if' and leans on his knees, "When do they want to meet up?"
"After your performance, like last year."
It happened right from the start after their strange group of seven friends formed. They all go to Jimin's and Hoseok's performances and meet after either at Seokjin's flat or at Yoongi and Namjoon's place, eating, drinking, and celebrating being young and free and alive.
"We are a bunch of weirdos." Seokjin once said, looking at each of them, laughing his significant wind-shield-laughter, but he had been right, Taehyung thinks.
He knows Yoongi since his childhood, their mothers being childhood friends as well, and obviously, the older felt responsible for taking care of Taehyung the very same moment he stepped into the capital.
Namjoon is Yoongi's best friend and roommate, both of them sharing the same major, and being almost as close as Taehyung and Jimin. Hoseok is Jimin's senior and dance partner in the HipHop group, and Seokjin kinda stumbled into their group by accident, modeling for Taehyung's art class once. For Jeongguk, their youngest member and childhood friend of Jimin, it will be the first time celebrating with them at the end of the term.
"Sounds good, it will be fun, I think." Jimin says, grinning and then jumps down, clapping into his hands, "Get me a sponge, love, I'm going to help you. Wanna go home before the sun comes up again."
"Eager." Taehyung grins in return and throws the sponge towards his friend, who catches it without fail.
"Your boyfriend," Taemin, another dancer, and friend of Jimin, shouts over his shoulder when Taehyung approaches the backstage area after the performance, a big bouquet in his arms, like always.
The first time, it had been a joke between Taehyung and Jimin, but somehow he stuck to it, and now, Taehyung always takes incredible care to choose the most beautiful flowers for Jimin to make him feel like a star after his stage performances.
"Like in the movies." His friend had said when Taehyung gifted him his first bouquet, white roses, and light purple lilacs.
"Shut it, Hyung," Jimin shouts back, but peers around the corner, lips a beautiful pink and white and silver glitter still decorate his cheekbones. There is a tiny, warm smile on his lips, and he waves Taehyung closer, allows him to step into the room where he changes his clothes and gets rid of the make-up.
Without hesitation, Taehyung embraces him into a tight hug, ignores the slightly damp shoulders and the soft scent of hair products, and make-up, whispering, "You were amazing."
He really had been.
Jimin is always incredible on stage, every move precise and perfect, each flick of his wrists or the bow of his head the most elegant thing Taehyung has ever seen.
Most of the time, he isn't able to stop gaping at his best friend, following every movement, and although he watches Jimin perform, bending his body to music all the time, he's still in wonder like the very first time.
"Thanks, buttercup." Jimin mumbles and his sticky lips touch Taehyung's ear tenderly, sending a shiver down Taehyung's spine. He has to let go before. He doesn't know what might happen, so Taehyung leans away, grinning brightly at his friend.
He lays the bouquet gently into Jimin's arms. This time its all in yellow and white, sunflowers and gerberas, "This is for you, my star."
He hears a gagging sound behind them, and when he turns, he sees Yoongi and Hoseok leaning against one wall, waiting for them to finish their display of affection, and Jimin waves his hand absent-mindedly, "Don't listen, Taetae, they are just jealous."
Yoongi makes a deep sound in his throat, shaking his head a bit, and he looks like an angry cat, eyes all sharp angle, "Never."
"Are you ready?" Hoseok asks, stepping closer to take the bouquet out of Jimin's arm, indicating him to change clothes.
"Give me a moment." He only replies, reaches for the hem of his top, and starts to change his clothes. Being a dancer, always in the studio and around other people, Jimin isn't uncomfortable around them, changing into his own clothes, standing half-naked in the room to rub his eyes and cheeks with the pad full of make-up remover.
And Taehyung can't help but stare. He sees Jimin at least once a day without a shirt on, and still, his eyes find the strong body, roaming over it and taking him in entirely. He is just so attractive.
From the corner of his eyes, he can see Yoongi staring at him, staring him up and down, trying to figure something out, and Taehyung turns away to hide the embarrassment of him being caught while ogling his best friend's bare form. He ignores the strange feelings in his gut.
Only a few hours later, they all sit in Seokjin's living room, and Taehyung is sure he won't be able to eat ever again.
"I'm so full," Jimin whines next to him, head on Taehyung's shoulder, eyes dropping from time to time.
Jeongguk, on the other side, reaches over the table to get another bowl full of rice.
"It's sooo good." He says with a full mouth, earning a slap of Seokjin, who is still eating as well, chewing loudly, "Don't talk with your mouth full."
"You do it yourself!" Their maknae shouts back, and Taehyung is impressed he doesn't lose any content out of his mouth.
"I'm your elder, talk respectful, brat."
Jeongguk chews and swallows and then says with a cheeky glint in his eyes, "You also eat with your mouth full, Ajeossi!"
They are a weird bunch, all of them, Taehyung thinks Seokjin's words from years ago, and looks around. Namjoon sits on the floor, head leaning against the cushion of the couch and his eyes are closed. One hand rubs his full belly absently, and he kinda looks like his dog, RapMon.
Yoongi and Hoseok are in the kitchen to get more beer for them, and Taehyung can hear Hoseok's loud laughter echoing through the flat while Seokjin and Jeongguk bickering continues. Taehyung feels entirely content.
He is a social butterfly, his mother always says, and Taehyung thinks she's not entirely right, but also not entirely wrong about it. He likes to meet new people, that is true. But there are only a few he loves and cherishes so much, he wants to spend all his life with, and the six other guys around him are those people.
He can smell Jimin next to him, and he automatically buries his nose into his soft, pink hair, smiling.
"I gonna sleep here tonight," Jeongguk exclaims loudly, and Taehyung grins when he hears Seokjin's indignant shout, "You're certainly won't."
He will, all of them know. Their oldest isn't able to say no to Jeongguk, and they all know this. Especially Jeongguk, who grins, winks, and says, "I absolutely will. Make room in your bed before I sleep with my clothes in them."
"You wouldn't dare!"