Archive of Our Own

Park Jimin has been Kim Taehyung’s first for many things in life. He was right by Taehyung’s side, ready to hold his hand, for the big events in life, and his presence was never missing in the smaller ones either – even the ones that are meaningless to some but which Taehyung strongly believes he will remember for the rest of his life.

He likes to think that all moments, simple or fleeting as they may seem, carry great beauty and significance. He also likes to think that the ones he shares with Jimin are even more beautiful and more significant, simply because his best friend was there with him to turn something seemingly trivial into a cherished memory.

Jimin was the first person Taehyung ever called his best friend, and Taehyung feels more than certain that Jimin will be the only one he ever deems fit for such a title, too. That piece of knowledge, that realisation, is not necessarily a novel one. He has felt this way ever since the time Jimin was assigned the empty seat next to him in history class on the very first day of their last year of high school and Taehyung had fast become enamoured with his new neighbour’s thick Busan accent.

That day, Taehyung learned that Jimin was a diligent student when the former turned to his left to whisper something in his soon-to-be friend’s ear. He does not recall what he had been aching to tell Jimin – most likely a lame joke of sorts that he had come up with on the spot – but he remembers all too well how the older boy shushed him with a short, pink-tipped finger pressed against plush, rosy lips. He remembers how Jimin pointed to his notebook, which was filled with hastily scribbled notes and one or two small drawings on the margins that had clearly been created without much thought or attention but which left Taehyung thoroughly impressed by Jimin’s artistic abilities nevertheless.

From that first day forward, talking during class was ruled out. But every school day during lunchtime, Taehyung would listen with great interest to Jimin’s stories of the beaches at his old home and the calming effect of the dazzling blue ocean. Jimin would in turn ask him question after question about Daegu, wanting to learn anything and everything there was to know about his new home through Taehyung’s thoughtful eyes and colourful stories.

Taehyung’s mother once commented on her observation that her son no longer slept through his alarm or had to rush through his morning routine to get to school in time. Instead, he had begun to wake up every morning with a grin on his face and an uncharacteristically large amount of excitement to start the day. On Wednesdays and Fridays, he had even stopped complaining about his 8 AM science class, a subject which he had loathed for years.

Because how could Taehyung ever be apprehensive about any time he got to spend with Jimin, even if that involved being at a nightmarish place that forced him to understand all the components of an electrical circuit or balance dozens of chemical equations without as much as a five-minute break?

Even the sound of the school bell that indicated the end of their final class was no longer a signal that made Taehyung sigh in relief at the prospect of being able to stuff his books in his bag and run home to his extensive collection of games. Instead, its piercing ring now made his shoulders sag and the corners of his mouth turn downwards at the realisation that he would have to say goodbye to Jimin sooner than he would have liked.

On most days, he offered to walk Jimin home, even if doing so doubled the time and distance it took to get to his own house. Tired limbs and shoulders that ached from having to carry a heavy backpack around town had both proven to be a hundred percent worth it when he was rewarded with twenty more minutes of Jimin time and a bright smile and warm hug from the boy himself before the older slipped into his house at his mother’s call.

Even after they said their farewells for the day, they would find ways to challenge the temporary finality of the word ‘goodbye’. They would talk nearly every day – which meant every single one that did not precede an exam day – until Jimin would announce he was getting tired and should try to get some sleep. While Taehyung would crawl into bed at the same time as his friend, he never closed his eyes immediately.

Revelling in the warmth provided by his fluffy duvet and the chequered quilt his grandmother knitted him one Christmas, he would mentally paint pretty pictures that made his body feel even warmer – and his heart more cosy – than the hot water bottle at his footboard did.

In his mind, Jimin and he walked hand-in-hand along one of the beaches his friend had described to him in great detail. Sounds of ocean waves lapping the shore and birds chirping in the distance filled Taehyung’s ears every night since the day he first met Jimin, and he could almost feel the slight burn of the luminous summer sun against his skin.

At some point, exhaustion would start to take over, and his eyes would eventually flutter shut. Daydreams would turn into actual dreams, the vast majority of which still featured his new friend. Weeks, then months passed, and at some point ‘new friend’ turned into ‘best friend’ in such a natural way that Taehyung never stopped even a millisecond to think about that transformation.

Jimin has been his best friend ever since.

Jimin was Taehyung’s first roommate, too, if one neglected to count the two months he was supposed to spend in Seokjin and Hoseok’s apartment the first summer after he graduated from high school to ‘get used to being away from home’ (his mother’s words, not his).

It had sounded like the perfect summer, one he got to spend with two of his most cherished friends. They spent their afternoons roaming around the city and visiting the best spots on campus, and in the evenings they would try out different restaurants and stuff their mouths and bellies to their heart’s content. At night, the large and comfortable couch in their living room served as Taehyung’s bed.

In the end, Taehyung only made it halfway through, for the walls in the apartment had been much too thin, and the sounds produced by the couple in the other room late at night much too loud for him to get any semblance of rest. By the end of the month, he could only wish to unlearn all of the things he had involuntarily learned about his two friends, and he called his mother to let her know he was coming home early.

Jimin was thus the first person he lived with for longer than just one month. They shared their first dorm in university and eventually moved out to find a slightly larger space for themselves. No discussion needed to be had or questions raised about whether or not they would still be living together afterwards. Neither wanted to imagine a future home without the other in it.

In addition to being his first and only best friend and roommate, Jimin was also the first person Taehyung came out to.

It happened about halfway through their first year of college. They had been enjoying a quiet, peaceful night in their shared dorm when the sentence that had been flashing through Taehyung’s mind at an increasing frequency as of late finally pushed past his lips in between small talk and bites of the jjajangmyeon Yoongi had brought over earlier that day along with a message telling both of them to eat well.

‘’I know,’’ Jimin whispered back to him after Taehyung had softly said: Min-ah, I think I’m gay.

Taehyung’s eyes widened in shock as he turned to face his best friend and took in Jimin’s comforting, encouraging smile. He allowed himself some time to process those two words before speaking again.

‘’What do you mean, ‘you know’?’’

Taehyung had only recently come to the realisation himself, after years of not giving anything related to sexuality or his non-existent love life any thought.

‘’Well,’’ Jimin began his reply, reaching for Taehyung’s trembling hands and clasping them tightly and safely in his own warm ones, ‘’it was a little obvious, baby. I mean, you watch Train to Busan quite literally all the time. I think you’ve watched it twice this week alone, and it’s only Thursday!’’

‘’So?’’ Taehyung asked, in desperate need of a clarification of the point Jimin was trying to make by bringing up a movie seemingly at random. Yes, he admitted he had been watching it a lot lately. But how did his choice of entertainment relate in any way to him being gay?

‘’Taetae, my love, you hate horror movies. Seeing blood makes you nauseous, you are terrified of stress-inducing scenes because of the loud music, and you once told me the scariest nightmare you’ve ever had involved us having to run from a horde of zombies that were chasing us in an abandoned parking lot. I know the only reason you watch that movie is so you can drool over Gong Yoo.’’

A nervous giggle slipped past Taehyung’s lips without his control.

‘’That,’’ he protested, pulling his hands free from Jimin’s tight grasp and waving both in the air to emphasise his next words, ‘’is simply untrue.’’

He crossed his arms before continuing, this time in a lower voice,

‘’I also watch it for the guy in the very tight T shirt who does everything to protect his partner and their unborn child.’’

Which, admittedly, he then realised does not really make him the epitome of heterosexuality, either.

Jimin collapsed onto Taehyung’s freshly-made bed in a fit of uncontrollable giggles, but Taehyung did not have it in him to scold his friend for messing up his sheets and dirtying them with the jeans he had worn all day in class. Not when he looked so adorable and so at home in Taehyung’s space. Not when the kicks of Jimin’s feet as he rolled over laughing matched the rapidly quickening beat of Taehyung’s heart.

‘’You have no right to judge me,’’ Taehyung told him instead, after a few moments had passed.

‘’I’ve seen you ogling tight-shirt guy too, as well as his undoubtedly stunning wife.’’

‘’Oh, Taehyung-ah,’’ Jimin said, finally having gained some semblance of control over his laughter and sounding a bit more serious now.

‘’I neither could nor would judge you for anything. Ever,’’ he promised.

He took hold of Taehyung’s hands once more, pulling them gently towards himself and leaning down to drop featherlight kisses against each of his knuckles. Each soft touch of his lips made goosebumps erupt on the skin of Taehyung’s arms and cold shivers run down his spine, and each touch was accompanied by a handful of kind words that made Taehyung’s heart soar.

‘’I love you, my dearest baby bear.’’

Kiss.

‘’I’ll always support you and be here for you.’’

Another kiss.

‘’Thank you for trusting me.’’

And then.

A final kiss, a last gesture of unconditional love and support pressed against Taehyung’s forehead. Taehyung had never felt so warm.

Taehyung’s first kiss – kiss on the lips, that is – was another experience he shared with Jimin. Asking his friend for something other than the quick pecks on the cheeks or softer, less hurried ones to the tips of their noses that they usually exchanged without much thought had been a tad awkward. In fact, it had taken Taehyung days to work up the courage to do so.

Jimin agreed to be Taehyung’s first kiss without much questioning. He could tell this was something of great importance to Taehyung, and he wanted to make the experience as positive as he could.

The kiss itself was a little awkward and a lot clumsy. The first time their lips met, so had their teeth, due to the combination of Taehyung’s eagerness and nerves. Taehyung immediately retreated at the unexpected touch, certain he had ruined the moment before they even got the chance to do much of anything. Jimin talked to him with that type of gentle reassurance that Taehyung would not find in anyone else, and eventually he managed to convince him to give it one more try with the promise that they could stop at any point if he was not feeling entirely comfortable.

Their second attempt was not devoid of any nerves or uneasiness, either. Taehyung felt more self-conscious than he ever had; he was unsure if he should say something – anything, really – during their kiss, and he had not a single clue of where to put his hands. They patted each other’s butts at least once a day as their paths crossed on the way from the kitchen to the living area or in between classes, but sliding his hands down to cup his best friend’s plump ass in such an intimate moment felt a little too much right now, and he feared such an action might cross any unspoken boundaries between the two of them.

He had seen people caress their partner’s cheeks or touch the back of their necks while kissing, but he was all too aware of how clammy and shaky his hands were right that moment. Touching Jimin’s face was out of the question then, too, so he kept his hands stiffly by his side, his fingers curled into loose fists.

Jimin, who was not much more experienced than him when it came to kissing, guided Taehyung through the motions with kind words and a complete lack of judgment. It took some time, but eventually the younger’s anxiousness made way for feelings of pleasure and warmth, and by the time their lips had disconnected, Taehyung did not know if his breathlessness was a consequence of the lack of oxygen or if it was his proximity to his best friend that made breathing somewhat of a struggle right then.

Just like that, an experience that Taehyung had been dreading a little if he was honest with himself, had turned into something he could look back on with a smile on his face and a large dose of fondness. All thanks to Jimin.

Jimin was not only Taehyung’s first kiss: he was also the first person he ever had sex with. The first time they slept together took place about a year after the kiss.

Each time one of Taehyung’s friends talked about their sexual escapades, every time he overheard someone’s rather spicy plans for the coming weekend, he could not help but wonder if he was somehow missing out on something others seemed to value greatly.

It was just… He had never dedicated all that much time to creating sexual fantasies in his mind, nor had he ever felt the desire to have such fantasies transform into reality. When he occasionally went clubbing with a handful of his friends, he never considered going up to a handsome stranger to flirt with them a little and maybe take them home for the night. He preferred indulging in some casual small talk with vague acquaintances that felt more like strangers, and sticking by Jimin and his other friends’ side for the rest of the night. He did not think there was anyone he could have more fun with anyway. He did not think there was anyone he would rather go home with, than with his best friend.

Listening to the experiences of his peers sometimes made him feel uneasy. Not because he judged them for having casual hook-ups or enjoying them, far from it; he believed that everyone should have as much or as little sex or as many one-night-stands as they pleased, provided that all activities partaken in were safe and consensual, of course.

He just hated it a little that he felt like an outsider, that he had no stories to share with them and that he inadvertently ended up being excluded from several conversations that way. And while he did not really want to make such a story for himself, at times he kind of wished he knew what this wonderful experience was that had so many people talking about it. But there just were not that many people he could see himself wanting to experience it with. Or more specifically, there was only one person he could see himself longing to be that intimate with.

Jimin was the first and the only person he felt comfortable and safe enough with to allow them to see him, hear him, and touch him in such a vulnerable, exposed state.

Like their first kiss, their first time having sex was a bit awkward at first. The apples of their cheeks and the tips of their ears glowed bright red as they looked away while the other was ridding themselves of their clothes. They had seen the other in nearly every state of dress and undress there existed over the years, and no clothes would be involved in any activities they would be doing for the next hour or so, yet Taehyung still felt shy when Jimin unfastened his belt, and Jimin averted his eyes when Taehyung shrugged off his blouse.

Jimin’s trembling hands caressed Taehyung with care and left goosebumps in the wake of their touch. He pressed sweet, soothing kisses against Taehyung’s lower back as he took his time to slowly open the younger up. By the time Taehyung was ready to take anything Jimin was willing to offer him, most of the nerves had left his body and were replaced by thoughts of how beautiful Jimin looked hovering over him. An actual, real-life angel that had descended from the heavens to make Taehyung feel protected and loved always.

Jimin was the first person he felt comfortable enough to have sex with and, after that night, he had also become the first person Taehyung liked to indulge in such intimacy with, something he had not considered possible prior to their night together.

Jimin was his first proper crush too, the first that he went to bed hoping to dream of and the first he woke up excited to see later in the day. The one that made him feel giddy and at peace all at once, and the one that made him pray to the stars for there to be more hours in the day so he could talk to his love a little longer and spend more time in his affectionate embrace.

Jimin was the first person he fell in love with, too, and the first person he confessed his love for. He was so many of his firsts, and Taehyung felt immensely grateful to have such an amazing person by his side for the majority of his life so far.

Taehyung knows he was not Jimin’s first for every one of those experiences. He knows Jimin had a best friend prior to him back home in Busan, one that he still keeps in touch with from time to time. And while Jimin liked to occasionally tease him about that very fact, his comments were always made in a light-hearted manner, and the remark that he had to leave Busan to meet his person always followed right after.

And while Taehyung might have been the first human being Jimin confided in about his sexuality, Jimin has steadfastly claimed that he first came out to his pet bunny at age fourteen.

On numerous occasions, Taehyung protested that it does not count because a bunny and a human being are two different species, but Jimin never failed to refute his boyfriend’s wide variety of arguments.

‘’I told her before I told you! And she nuzzled my cheek immediately after so she totally understood what I was trying to say,’’ would his retort always come shortly after.

At that point, Taehyung would no longer see the point in coming up with a counterargument. Why would he focus so hard on technicalities when he could instead picture the adorable image of teenage Jimin gently petting his bunny’s soft fur while he mustered the courage to speak to her what had been on his mind and weighing heavily on his heart?

Taehyung is aware that he was not Jimin’s first kiss either; he knows that honour goes to a girl named Hyori, whom Jimin had met on a field trip to a plum farm which her father owned. They shared a shy, hesitant kiss that had lasted less than five seconds underneath one of the flowering plum trees. Taehyung does not mind that he was not Jimin’s first, not as long as he can kiss that cherry blossom smile everyday for the rest of their lives.

Even if he was not Jimin’s first for all things in life, he is more than happy to be able to experience all of these things with him now.

Jimin. The first person he called his best friend, and later his boyfriend as well.

Tonight, he wonders whether Jimin is the first person he can call his husband, too.

-

‘’Taehyung-ah?’’ Jimin asks, his words soft yet powerful enough to effectively break the comfortable silence that had hung in the room for a handful of minutes already. The peaceful quiet of the moonlit room in a world that has gone silent and dark as the rather late hour of 2 AM steadily approaches could not have been a starker contrast to the whirlwind of thoughts wreaking havoc in Jimin’s mind.

His brain feels like one of those stormy evenings in late November, on which one could hear the wind howl even from the safe confines of their own home and would think twice about stepping outside into puddles of rain and marching to the threatening beat of thunder roaring overhead. A tempestuous autumn evening, yes, no description seems a better description of his current peaceless state of mind. A tempestuous autumn evening on a cloudless, calm spring night that has wrapped the city in a bubble of comfortable silence.

While Jimin softly addresses his boyfriend, his gaze remains fixed on the bright screen of his laptop in front of them until a painful sting develops in his eyes as a result of the harsh light. Too nervous to meet Taehyung’s eyes as he speaks his name with the usual fondness mixed with a novel hint of anxiousness, Jimin tries to direct his attention to the pair of characters in front of him instead. It is to no avail, his mind too occupied to really notice the several photos of the main characters’ wedding that take up the better part of the screen alongside the ending credits.

The first photo, one of the happy couple holding hands as they exchange heartfelt vows, fails to register with him, despite the fact that Jimin would usually have eaten up a scene with such a heavy dose of love and unadulterated joy. He would have made a comment or two about the bride’s simple yet elegant gown, or caught himself looking at his own boyfriend much like how the bride’s soon-to-be husband gazes at her with tear-filled eyes and a besotted smile. Lovesick and utterly devoted.

When the image on the screen is replaced by another one, he does not take in any detail of the new picture that flashes in front of them for a brief moment, depicting the first kiss shared between the newlyweds. The subsequent close-up of their hands clasped together – their ring fingers now adorned with matching golden bands – does not capture his attention or make his heart skip a beat the way it would have on practically any other night, either.

It is strange, in a way, his lack of focus on the scenes unfolding in front of him, for the specific marriage-related events of the episode of a show he could hardly remember the name of are exactly what led to his tumultuous thoughts. Then again, it is not the first time such topics have crossed his mind.

Taehyung hums to signal he is listening. His head rests on Jimin’s lap and his eyes are closed as he revels in the feeling of Jimin’s restless yet gentle fingers playing with a few strands of curly hair that have slipped out of the loose bun he fashioned earlier in the night.

For the past couple of hours, they have been trading lazy kisses and small bits of conversation in bed in between watching a drama Hoseok had been recommending them – pestering, perhaps, would describe their friend’s incessant pushing better – to watch for weeks now. Fatigue is finally catching up to Taehyung after hours of trying to keep up with the twists and turns of the drama’s intricate plot and remember the names of the many characters appearing on their screen. Jimin’s gentle ministrations have slowly but surely been nudging him closer toward the edge of sleep.

As Taehyung suppresses a yawn, Jimin wonders if now is the right time to bring up the question that has been popping up at an ever-increasing, almost alarming frequency as of late. His boyfriend is clearly tired, and Jimin cannot help but feel a bit guilty at the prospect of keeping him awake any longer and depriving him of the sleep he seems to be in desperate need of.

However, Jimin reasons with himself, he does not know if he will find himself in this position again at some point in the future: finally in possession of the courage he has been seeking to bring up the subject that has been front and centre in so many of his Taehyung-related thoughts the past couple of months.

He tries to shake off the remaining guilt and the smudge of hesitance that stains his will to begin a conversation they have not engaged in before, and he lets the individual words that comprise the question he is about to voice out loud fall in the correct order and race through his mind once more. He licks his lips as though it is possible to taste the words there, to see how they feel before he lets them out into the world, before they echo off the bedroom walls and he has reached the point of no return and can no longer take them back.

Then, finally, they tumble from his lips in a rush.

‘’Do you think you ever want to get married?’’

Taehyung slowly cracks one eye open at the unexpected inquiry. Instantly, he feels more awake than he had mere seconds ago, when he had still been toeing the tightrope between consciousness and the place that still showed him happy, love-filled pictures of the beach almost every single night. Some people require caffeine to awaken their half-asleep brain, others need daylight; what apparently does the trick for Taehyung’s mind is a good ol’ question regarding his thoughts on marriage.

While they have known each other for a good portion of their lives and dated for a substantial amount of time already, there are several things that have simply not come up in conversations yet. And the topic of marriage, which has only featured in a handful of casual discussions they had during their teenage years, has somehow never found its way into their adult talks. Until tonight, that is.

Jimin’s question, posed seemingly out of the blue, truthfully takes Taehyung by surprise a little. He wonders if it is a spontaneous one that maybe sparked from the beautiful fictional wedding that had just occurred right before their eyes, or if Jimin has been pondering it for a while now. Taehyung supposes that just because they have not been discussing marriage together, that does not mean Jimin has not spent time thinking about it on his own.

‘’Do you think you ever want to get married?’’ he asks Jimin in lieu of a reply, quirking one eyebrow at his boyfriend.

Jimin’s fingers halt their movements in Taehyung’s hair, maybe at the lack of an answer from Taehyung or maybe at the surprise of having his own question thrown right back at him.

Taehyung half-expects Jimin to tell him to answer first. It was his question in the first place, after all. But instead, Jimin blurts out,

‘’No.’’

Jimin’s eyes widen not even a nanosecond after the singular word has left his mouth, his pink lips remaining stuck in that surprised O shape, as though he has caught himself off guard by his immediate answer.

He lets his hand drop from Taehyung’s dark curls and onto the crumpled white sheets draped over their legs. Taehyung instantly finds himself yearning for the lost contact, instinctively leaning down the slightest bit as if to chase Jimin’s warm and comforting touch.

His eyes are both fully open now, devoid of any sleepiness, and he looks up to meet Jimin’s. His boyfriend’s gaze, on the other hand, is focused to their right. Taehyung is unsure of what the older is looking so intently at. He figures it could be one of the many miniature cracks in the wall next to the window or perhaps the city lights beyond their home. Mostly, he thinks Jimin is trying to look at anything that is not him, and that makes his heart clench a little.

Wrinkles have appeared on Jimin’s forehead, the result of a frown so deep that it causes Taehyung to worry a painful headache will develop not too long from now. He desires to smooth those wrinkles over, to kiss that frown away with lips that are lonely in the absence of the feeling of Jimin’s soft, plush ones showering them with love.

He can see Jimin’s hands shake and wonders if he feels nervous, an assumption that is soon reinforced by the observation that Jimin is gnawing at his bottom lip again and the way the blanket moves at the other end of their bed – a tell-tale sign that Jimin’s feet are restless like how they always are whenever something has clouded his mind with worries.

The thought that Jimin could be nervous to talk to him about this makes Taehyung’s heart sink to the pit of his stomach. He wants – no, he needs – to make sure Jimin knows there is nothing, not a single topic, that he cannot discuss in this home.

‘’No?’’ Taehyung asks, repeating Jimin’s own response as a gentle prompt for the latter to continue sharing his thoughts on the matter if he wishes to do so. His tone carries no disappointment or judgment, the question laced with only the faintest hint of surprise that has slipped in despite his attempts to conceal any and all feelings he has regarding Jimin’s answer.

He feels uncertain whether or not Jimin wants some physical distance between them right now, but the knowledge that even the subtlest of touches does wonders to ground the older and make him feel more at ease, is eventually what makes Taehyung reach out and wrap one of his hands around Jimin’s wrist. With a tenderness he reserves exclusively for the sole bearer of his heart, he strokes the soft, supple skin underneath his thumb.

‘’Um,’’ begins Jimin with his eyes still trained on the sheets.

The sound is followed by more silence. Taehyung waits patiently for Jimin to either continue or express his wish to continue this conversation on another day.

Eventually, Jimin opens his mouth again.

‘’I said ‘no’ because I don’t think I ever want to get married.’’

He bites his lip, as if there is a lot more he has to say on the topic than just that single sentence. He looks a bit conflicted, too, almost as though he feels like he should talk right this instant. As though he owes Taehyung some kind of explanation but is unsure of how to offer one.

When no more words follow despite Jimin’s visible want to continue his answer, Taehyung simply says,

‘’Okay.’’

Jimin’s head turns instantly. He finally meets his boyfriend’s gaze.

‘’Okay?’’ he repeats questioningly.

‘’You aren’t even going to ask me why I don’t want to get married?’’

Although tonight is the first time Jimin has broached this topic with Taehyung in recent years, he has had this very conversation, this talk about plans or desires to get married and his own lack thereof, with a handful of different people before tonight.

His friends, his parents, one nosy aunt at a family celebration a couple of months ago when Taehyung could sadly not join, and even one ex-boyfriend of his – all of them have asked him at some point when he would be ready to tie the knot as though it were some end goal he must be barrelling towards with great enthusiasm and vigour.

On some of those occasions, their inquiry had barely been a question at all, rather a less-than-subtle nudge in the direction of the answer they wished to hear, followed by a snarky comment about his ongoing bachelor status. His retorts about not understanding why him getting married is so important to the other person were steadfastly waved away with a palm in the air, a pat to the back, and a forced chuckle or two.

Such pointless conversations always ended in the other party telling Jimin he was being ridiculous and of course he should want to wear a silver or gold band around his fourth finger one day, no matter how much Jimin had tried to explain himself to them. No explanation ever seemed good enough, not when the people around him had already decided on a future for him without taking his opinion into consideration.

Surely he would entertain such ideas more when he grew older and found the right person who would make him reconsider, he was even told one time. The way that comment, made by an uncle of his that had consumed a couple of glasses too many that evening, seemed to imply that Taehyung was simply not the right person for him, made Jimin want to knock the stupid grin off the drunkard’s face, family relations and propriety be damned. He refrained from giving into his urges, of course, but he announced his departure not long after the hurtful words were spoken. He was glad to return to the comfortable and soothing warmth of Taehyung’s embrace a few hours later.

The two of them settled into bed at the relatively early hour of 10 PM, wrapping themselves around the other beneath soft sheets. Taehyung succumbed to exhaustion not more than fifteen minutes after the last goodnight’s kiss had been traded between the pair, but Jimin struggled to get any sleep that night.

He felt restless with the harsh and insistent words of distant relatives and vague acquaintances playing and replaying in his mind. Even though he did not care much about their opinions, least of all when they took into question the validity or worth of his relationship with Taehyung, he began to wonder whether maybe his views on marriage were indeed strange. If there was something wrong with the way he felt.

After all, was getting married not one of those things you were supposed to do? One of those milestones many people reach at some point in their life and celebrate with various festivities? The most important day in one’s life, even?

As an avid lover of nearly any and all movies and TV shows in the romantic comedy genre, he had seen his fair share of heartfelt proposals and tear-inducing marriage ceremonies take place on the screen. The majority of the media he consumed most certainly had not offered any counterarguments to the idea that the only right way to profess your love was to get down on one knee with a shiny ring in a velvet box and a question for the other person to be yours for the rest of their life.

He has dated a grand total of three people in his life. Despite his shortest relationship lasting only eleven days and four hours, and despite it having occurred when he was merely fifteen years old, none of the three occasions on which he announced to his family members he was seeing someone had come unaccompanied by unwanted questions and pressure-laden remarks.

It felt like everyone, from his very own family and some friends outside of his direct circle, to complete strangers playing characters he watched on their tiny TV, has told him that the way he feels about marriage was strange and unwelcome.

That makes Taehyung’s reaction both unprecedented and unexpected.

‘’You don’t have to explain yourself. Not to me,’’ Taehyung tells him, sincerity dripping off every word that possesses some kind of magical power to make the frown lines on Jimin’s forehead slowly disappear.

‘’I am sure you have your reasons for not wanting to get married,’’ he continues.

And even if you don’t have any, that is completely fine too, he adds in his mind.

‘’If you feel comfortable enough and want to share those with me, I am more than happy to listen. But I don’t want you to feel like you owe me some kind of explanation for the things you want or don’t want in life.’’

Taehyung emphasises his statement with a gentle squeeze to Jimin’s hand, the restlessness of which has slowly diminished over the course of Taehyung’s response.

Jimin worries at his lower lip as he ponders what to say, the flesh beneath his teeth a bit sore. Taehyung lifts his other hand, the one that is currently unoccupied, to lightly and carefully pull the flesh free from the pressure. He pushes himself up a little until he is close enough to press a quick peck to Jimin’s freshly-bitten, reddened lower lip. It makes Jimin smile a little despite his lingering nerves.

If Jimin is honest with himself, he kind of does want to share his reasons. He has never been able to freely talk about them without having to fear scrutiny from his partner in conversation. Knowing Taehyung will listen without judgment or a list of counterarguments at the ready to prove him wrong, makes him want to open up to someone about this very topic for once.

And so he does.

‘’I just feel like the entire concept is outdated. Don’t get me wrong,’’ he says, holding his palm up in the air, ‘’if one of our friends were to announce their engagement tomorrow, I would be thrilled for them and be the first one to congratulate them and race to the store to get them wine, or a fridge, or whatever else I think would make a nice wedding gift.’’

He can already feel himself heated, so he takes a few seconds to take a deep breath and remind himself that he can speak slowly, that no one is going to interrupt him with their own views or reasons of why his opinion needs to undergo some serious changes.

‘’Everyone always says that getting married is one of the most important passages of your life and your wedding day is supposed to be the most magical day you’ll ever experience. It is supposed to be a special moment, a lifelong promise between people who love each other deeply. But then…’’

He reaches out to push a lock of hair that has fallen in front of his eyes behind his ear at the same time as Taehyung does. Jimin offers him a small but genuine smile the moment their hands touch and lets Taehyung carefully remove the stray strand before he goes on.

‘’Then how come so many other people get a say in it? Why is it that others try to determine whom you choose to share your life with, or how many people you can give your heart to? If it really is a celebration of a profound, unconditional love between people like I’ve often been told it is, then why does it come with all these terms and conditions?

‘’The if’s, the when’s, the how’s. All of those are things other people want to have a say in, when it is none of their business at all. It is just is not fair.’’

His hand returns to its earlier home on top of the soft bun that contains the messy mop of curls on Taehyung’s head, and he twirls one of the loose locks around his pointer finger. Taehyung melts back into the familiar touch and feels a sense of relief upon noticing that the hand gently petting him no longer trembles. The goosebumps on Jimin’s arms have long disappeared, too, and the blanket no longer moves at the end of the bed.

‘’Besides,’’ Jimin finishes in a much softer tone, with a smile lighting up his delicate features, ‘’I don’t need a piece of paper or a ring to show that I am committed to someone. I want to show it through my actions and through my words. I want to show it through hard work and understanding. Through gentleness and compassion. Every single day for the rest of my life and whatever lives that may come after this one ends.’’

Taehyung smiles dazzlingly up at him, cheeks bunched up due to the wide stretch of his mouth.

‘’That’s very… That’s very you of you.’’

Jimin chuckles fondly at his boyfriend’s choice of words.

‘’Always so incredibly eloquent, my sweet baby bear.’’

He gently moves a strand of hair away from where it has fallen in front of Taehyung’s eyes and tucks it behind one of the two large ears he loves so much, the ones that no longer seem as large anymore with the way Taehyung has grown into his features over the years.

Jimin used to think Taehyung was mesmerising. Those big ears, his messy hair that he liked to dye orange during the winter months to ‘bring some of autumn’s warm colours into the new year’, that red snapback that completed all of his outfits even if the colours clashed, simply because he could not go without it…

Jimin loved it all.

Now, looking at his boyfriend many years later, he still finds him just as mesmerising. Perhaps even more now that he can look at him unabashedly with stars in his eyes and a blush coating his cheeks.

Kind of like how Taehyung is looking at him right now, as he struggles to come up with a response. Taehyung thinks his speechlessness probably does little to refute Jimin’s teasing comment. Instead of continuing his futile search for words, he gifts his boyfriend another smile, which the older is more than happy to be on the receiving end of.

Tongue-tied is something Taehyung has often found himself being at the sight of Jimin’s eyes forming luminous half-moons, and the small dimples appearing in his cheeks. He wonders if he will ever get used to it.

Perhaps one could argue that Taehyung is slightly biased, but he truly believes there is no smile more beautiful or radiant than his best friend’s. The knowledge that he is one of the privileged few who gets to take in such beauty every day makes him swell up with pride and leaves him feeling the slightest bit of guilt at once. He often jokes that Jimin’s beauty should be immortalised on a canvas with the richest, most colourful of paints and the most delicate of brush strokes, and then put in a museum for the whole world to admire. Yet, he cannot help but feel a bit possessive, and happy that Jimin is all for him to admire.

While Taehyung does not think his own hands could ever suffice in doing his boyfriend’s handsome looks and charm justice, their bedroom is littered with canvases in various states of completion, that are an ode to the crinkles that appear by Jimin’s eyes whenever he smiles and that cherry blossom mouth Taehyung can never resist the urge to kiss.

‘’Well, what about you, baby?’’

At the sound of Jimin’s voice, Taehyung shakes his head to snap himself out of the deep, Jimin-induced trance he has found himself lost in.

‘’What about me?’’

‘’Do you want to get married?’’ Jimin clarifies.

He looks at Taehyung expectantly, with what can maybe be interpreted as a hint of nervousness in his eyes.

Taehyung needs a minute to gather his thoughts, to choose the right words to formulate the right sentences that will encapsulate exactly that what he feels regarding the subject. Jimin, as he always does, waits patiently for Taehyung to do so.

‘’I don’t know,’’ Taehyung replies eventually, as honestly as he possibly can because lying is one thing Jimin and he vowed to never do. He knows a straightforward ‘no’ might be seen as the desired answer, but he also knows that Jimin does not want him to speak anything but the truth.

‘’I kind of always figured I’d get married eventually. I mean, it is all we see and hear when we are young. We are taught by the people around us, by pretty much every single piece of media, that we grow up, we finish school, get a job and a partner, then get married. It always seemed so straightforward, so pre-determined. I don’t think I gave it much thought back then, if I am being honest here.’’

Jimin nods along to the sentiments that describe to near perfection the all-too-familiar things he has witnessed and felt himself.

‘’Well, have you, recently?’’ he asks Taehyung. ‘’Given it thought, I mean.’’

Taehyung bites his lip in thought.

‘’Just a little. I prefer to live in the here and now so I never think that much about the future, but I have had thoughts about the possibility of us getting married before.’’

A brief pause. And then:

‘’I don’t think I need to get married.’’

Jimin’s hand stills again, only for a fleeting moment, before continuing to caress his boyfriend’s hair.

‘’But would you want to?’’

Taehyung shrugs as he plays with the fingers of Jimin’s left hand. He softly strokes Jimin’s endearing pinkie with his thumb and pointer finger, giving it that extra bit of attention as always because he is just that extra bit fond of its small size and the bright pink colour of its tip. The two of them might have grown a lot throughout the years, physically as well as mentally, but Jimin’s pinky finger has always stayed the exact same. Somehow, that has been an immense source of comfort on days where Taehyung felt as though everything in life was moving way too fast for him to adjust to even the smallest, most insignificant of changes.

He laces their fingers together but not before pressing his lips against the smallest digit, once and then another time.

‘’Not necessarily. I mean, I wouldn’t be opposed to getting married. But it is not something I would one hundred percent want either.

‘’Truthfully, I just want to be with my person. And if they wanted to get married, I would get down on one knee immediately and be so damn nervous I’d place the ring on the wrong finger or not get a single word out from the speech I’d spent hours rehearsing in my head. But like you said, I don’t need a marriage certificate or a wedding band to prove or solidify my commitment. I just want you next to me for the rest of our lives.’’

The change from ‘my person’ to ‘you’ has not gone unnoticed by Jimin, and he feels his heart pick up its pace. It registers with him at the exact same time Taehyung realises what he just said.

Although they have known each other for a significant part of their lives now, they have only been dating for a relatively small part of it. Their eighteen-month anniversary is coming up soon, and while they are no stranger to terms of affection and exchanges of I love you’s, Taehyung worries the words he has just spoken were a little too much too fast.

‘’Shit. Min, I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry,’’ he starts to ramble with zero control of the words that come out of his mouth or the speed at which they go.

‘’I mean, I did mean it. I mean all of it. But it was not my intention to actually say that out loud. I know we are still so young and we haven’t even been together that long if you think about it-‘’

Jimin interrupts him with a squeeze of his hand and the soft press of his lips against Taehyung’s rapidly moving ones.

He chuckles at the look of bewilderment present on Taehyung’s face when he slowly pulls away.

‘’Tae, it’s fine. No need to worry your gorgeous head over this. I actually really like that you said that.’’

‘’You do?’’

The question is followed by a loud, prolonged sigh in relief.

Jimin nods, smiling.

‘’Of course I do. I want you next to me always, too. You’re my person, baby. My soulmate, red string of fate and all of that. Together in this life and all the ones that may follow.’’

The words come easily to him. He has always known he wants Taehyung by his side, whether that would be as his friend, his boyfriend, or his soulmate. But just how lovely would it be to be able to be together with him in all of those ways, with all of those titles even if no title is adequate enough to convey the love shared in a once-in-a-lifetime bond as special as theirs?

Taehyung cannot stop himself from letting out a loud giggle. No sound has ever been more endearing to Jimin. Fuck, he is just so in love with the man sat right next to him, there is not a single doubt in his mind about that. He just needs to know one thing for certain.

‘’But Taetae, my sweetheart, are you sure? I know you love weddings. When we got that invitation to your co-worker’s wedding, you did a happy dance around the room for ten minutes straight. You cry at proposal scenes in movies. When you started following those piano tutorials online, the wedding march was the first song you wanted to learn. I don’t want to keep you from doing something that is important to you.’’

Taehyung finally lets go of Jimin’s hand, and Jimin would find himself longing for the missing touch if not for the fact that Taehyung immediately graces another part of him with that warmth. He cups Jimin’s cheeks, as he whispers,

‘’You know what is important to me?’’

Jimin shakes his head slowly. Had he been posed that very same question on any other day, he could have easily thought of several handfuls of things that are important to Taehyung. Their friends and their family. Music. Painting. Ordering cold cucumber soup for breakfast on Sundays. Taking photographs of the first wildflowers that sprout from the frozen earth at the commencement of spring, lured by the first rays of sunshine and the promise of hopeful beginnings.

However, looking into Taehyung’s deep brown eyes, Jimin temporarily forgets all of those things and finds himself at a loss for an answer.

‘’It’s you, silly,’’ Taehyung answers for him. ‘’Of course it’s you. Like you said earlier, I am your soulmate. And you are mine.’’

In this peaceful bubble they have created for themselves on this cloudless, calm spring night Jimin can hear the butterflies that have taken permanent residence in his belly from the day he first met Kim Taehyung flap their wings loudly and with abandon. It sounds like a storm is brewing outside but he thinks that is just the thunderous beating of his own heart. At last, his mind is as cloudless as the skies outside as he basks in the warmth of his very own sun smiling brightly at him.

‘’I am yours,’’ he confirms.

-

The next weekend, they find themselves in a similar position, cuddled up to each other underneath warm sheets with their eyes focused on the laptop balanced on Jimin’s thighs.

Hoseok has provided them with yet another drama recommendation, and once again the word ‘recommendation’ does not suffice to convey how much time the man spent the past week pushing the couple to watch what he referred to as his ‘favourite show of all time’, apparently surpassing the last dozen of favourite shows of all time.

It was only 9 PM when they settled into bed to start the first episode. It is a little – or rather, a lot – earlier than what they are used to, but both of them have had an absolutely exhausting week so their first priority for the weekend is to satisfy the desperate craving for sleep they have had for the past four days already.

A selection of Choco Pies Taehyung picked up on his way home from work lie unopened on their duvet-covered laps. He purchased all of Jimin’s favourite flavours to have for dessert, despite his wallet’s repeated complaints that he should not be spending as much when he already dropped 70,000 won on takeout to surprise Jimin with all of his favourite dishes and side-dishes, too.

What can he say? He simply abided by the one personal rule he lives by: if it is for Jimin, it is worth it.

It has been almost a week since their late-night conversation about marriage, and the word soulmate is whispered into each other’s ears, pressed in kisses against each other’s skin, or expressed with fingers intertwined and hearts beating in sync on a nearly hourly basis still. Truthfully, neither of them thinks they will ever get tired of addressing the other with a term filled with such love and significance. When the first episode of the show comes to an end, Taehyung thinks the time has come for him to show Jimin as much. He hits pause on the next episode, which has automatically started to play.

‘’I got you something. Well, us. I got us something. But if I’m honest, I’m a little nervous about showing you.’’

They ate most of their food at the dinner table, but a few cartons and plates had made their way into their bedroom. Most are now devoid of food, save for the odd crumb or morsel here and there, and the wine glasses on their nightstands are now equally empty after having been filled and re-filled a handful of times over the course of the evening. Not wanting to cause any of the plates to tumble off the bed and spill what little contents are left on their floor, and to avoid bumping into his bedside table and knocking the fragile glass off, Taehyung navigates out of the bed with great caution and makes his way toward their shared closet.

Jimin watches from his comfortable position in their bed with a half-eaten Choco Pie in his hands as Taehyung rummages around the bottom drawer that holds all of his socks. In the process, three pairs of dark grey socks get thrown to the floor along with an usually colourful pair that depicts smiling crab and shrimp. The words fruits de mer are stitched along the bottom in bright blue, a gift from Namjoon when he returned from his trip to the south of France two summers ago.

‘’No need to be nervous, baby. It’s just me.’’

Taehyung turns around to face him.

‘’Never just you, Min-ah.’’

He wishes he could plant a kiss against Jimin’s cheek where a deep, lovely shade of bashfulness blooms. Taehyung feels a surge of pride at the knowledge that, even after having been around each other for so many years in so many ways, he still possesses the power to affect Jimin like this.

‘’You’re everything to me.’’

Jimin opens and closes his mouth again without any words coming out.

‘’It seemed like you wanted to say something,’’ Taehyung tells him, slipping the item he had been looking for into the pocket of his sweatpants.

Jimin smiles at him, remnants of his previous shyness present still in the way he bites his lips and in the rosiness of his cheeks.

‘’I guess I couldn’t find the words,’’ he replies with love and sincerity ringing through every word and turning Taehyung’s brain into a pile of mush.

‘’You made me a little speechless, baby.’’

Both of them seem to be struggling with that a lot as of late.

Taehyung raises both eyebrows in playful faux-surprise as he slips back into their warm bed. Jimin can practically hear the various teasing remarks crossing Taehyung’s mind as he tries to decide on which to say out loud, each comment likely even more dirty in nature than the ones that preceded it.

Before his boyfriend can open his mouth to speak, Jimin reaches out to cover his lips.

‘’Don’t you dare ruin the moment,’’ Jimin warns him with strictness in his voice and mirth in his eyes.

The smile on his face disappears instantly when he feels wetness coat the palm that rests over Taehyung’s mouth. He lets out a loud yelp and immediately retracts his moist hand.

‘’Ew, Kim Taehyung! You did not just lick my hand,’’ Jimin exclaims, more than aware of the fact that his best friend did, indeed, just lick his hand.

Taehyung wiggles his eyebrows at him.

‘’Did that do anything for you?’’

Jimin lets out a loud groan and rolls his eyes theatrically.

‘’You’re impossible, you know that? And disgusting. You are impossibly disgusting.’’

He pulls Taehyung closer by the hem of his T shirt and makes a big show of wiping his hand on the lavender-coloured fabric, pulling all kinds of faces in the process to show his distaste.

Taehyung laughs along as Jimin dissolves into a fit of giggles and buries his smile in the crook of Taehyung’s neck. On a simple night like this, Jimin cannot help but feel a little bit overwhelmed with happiness. His boyfriend’s skin feels warm against his own, and he just wants to stay in this room, this position, this little world they have created for themselves forever.

However, all of a sudden, he remembers Taehyung wanted to show him something. Something that made him nervous. Something that had led to the wetness on his hand that he was more fond of than disgusted by and the feeling of butterflies swarming his belly. He schools his expression into something a bit more serious, a touch more gentle and encouraging, and he hopes that Taehyung still feels comfortable enough to share whatever it is that he wanted to share.

‘’Baby bear,’’ Jimin reminds him, ‘’wasn’t there something you wanted to show me?’’

Taehyung’s eyes widen for a split second, as if the question catches him off guard. It makes Jimin chuckle. Leave it to his darling boyfriend to completely forget about something that occurred mere minutes ago.

‘’Right,’’ comes Taehyung’s reply slowly and drawn out. ‘’There was.’’

His hand find its way to the pocket of his pants once again, and after a few seconds of searching Taehyung procures a navy-coloured velvet box with a brand name engraved that Jimin does not recognise.

The older man lets out a soundless gasp at the sight. Before Taehyung can begin to talk, countless options for what he is about to say next have already raced through Jimin’s mind. His eyes flit between the small box and Taehyung’s shiny eyes, and he cannot seem to understand what explanation lies in either of them.

‘’So, um…’’

Taehyung wants to scold himself for only being able to say those two meaningless sounds. Always so incredibly eloquent, he thinks to himself a bit bitterly. The voice in mind does not speak nearly as gently to him as Jimin did, so he tries to extend to himself the same kindness his boyfriend would offer if he was able to hear his sometimes hurtful thoughts. So, he gives himself a few seconds to think about what he wants to say, for all the things he has practiced in his mind ever since he went home with the little velvet box for the first time have now completely slipped his mind.

Jimin looks about as nervous as Taehyung feels, which is what makes the latter start to talk. Jimin is the most patient person he knows; Taehyung knows he would wait for him forever if that is what it would take. But Taehyung does not want him to feel anxious, so musters all the courage he has and racks his brain for all of the things he planned to tell Jimin.

‘’A week ago, you asked me if I ever want to get married. I asked you the same and you said no, you do not want to get married. And even though you did not owe me an explanation of any kind, you still shared your thoughts on the matter with me, and I want to express my gratitude for that.’’

He reaches out to take Jimin’s hand in his own.

‘’You said you do not need a piece of paper or a ring to show your commitment to someone. You want to show it through your actions and your words. I fell in love with you years ago, but I think hearing you say those things made me fall in love with you all over again.

‘’Truthfully, I think I have fallen for you about a million times already. I fell in love with you that night we got a little drunk and danced until the early hours in the kitchen. You let out the loudest laugh I have ever heard when I tripped and landed on the floor ass-first, and as much as I wanted to curse at you, all I could think was that I wished for every night to be as joyous as that one.

‘’I fell in love with you that week Yoongi-hyung asked us to watch his dog because he would be out of town to visit an aunt of his. You looked so cute trying to teach Holly to shake your hand and I remember you feeding him treats regardless of whether he failed or not. I loved our family for the week, and I might get side-tracked here, but should we get a dog?’’

He shakes his head to remind himself to get back to the main topic. Right before he resumes his speech, he thinks he hears Jimin whisper softly,

‘’And a cat.’’

‘’And a cat,’’ Taehyung repeats in confirmation with a smile on his face.

‘’I fall in love with you when I wake up in the middle of the night and cannot fall asleep again because you snore so damn much. It is so annoying and kind of insane how loud you are, but every time I can’t be anything other than happy because you are resting well.

‘’I fall in love with you when you steal the last bite of my fried rice, and I fall even deeper when you purposely save the last bite of your own food for me and let me pretend to steal it from you as revenge.

‘’I fall in love with you every time you magically seem to be able to tell when I am feeling anxious and you gently drag me out of the house for a walk to clear my mind and offer me words of comfort. And a cup of hot chocolate and a slice of strawberry pie.

‘’Honestly, if I kept summing up all of the times I fall for you, I think I will busy for the rest of my life.’’

He chuckles and thinks to himself that a lifetime used to reminisce all of the times he realised once again who his heart beats for, would be a lifetime well spent. But making new memories with Jimin, and falling in love with him over and over again, sounds even more lovely.

‘’Last week, you said I’m your soulmate.’’

He holds out the velvet box for Jimin to take it.

‘’Please open it.’’

He waits patiently for Jimin to take it but the older makes no move to do so. He nervously looks down at the dark blue material.

‘’Taehyung,’’ he stutters out. ‘’Everything you just said… It was so beautiful. I feel so grateful for every word, truly. No one has ever made me feel as loved or as cherished as you do. You are my best friend, my safe place. The love of my life. But…

‘’I told you I don’t–‘’

‘’Open it, please,’’ Taehyung tells him softly. ‘’It is nothing bad, I promise.’’

It would be a lie to say that the nerves have left Jimin’s body completely, that there is not a part of him that fears the possible contents of the box Taehyung now places carefully into his hands. But he trusts Taehyung more than his own fears or the nagging voice in his head, so he slowly lifts the lid.

Against the velvet interior of the box lie two drawstring bracelets. The scarlet colour of the delicate strings contrasts beautifully with the dark colour of the box. The tiny silver pendants that hang from the red cord glint in the dim light emanating from the paused screen of the laptop, a moon for one bracelet and a star for the other.

‘’You said I’m your soulmate,’’ Taehyung says, ‘’and that left such an impact on me that I wondered if there was a way to immortalise such a wonderful sentiment.’’

He plucks one of the two bracelets out of the box, the one with the moon pendant, and fastens it carefully around Jimin’s wrist. Without needing to be asked, Jimin does the same for Taehyung.

‘’I love you,’’ Jimin tells him. ‘’Thank you for the most beautiful gift.’’

After a short pause, he adds:

‘’For a second I thought you were going to propose to me.’’

Taehyung shakes his head.

‘’I’m sorry I made you worried, my angel. I know how you think about marriage and I would never want to do anything to invalidate your feelings or pressure you to do something when your heart is not in it.’’

He smiles as he suddenly remembers something. His hand returns to his pocket.

‘’I did, however, get you a ring. Not to ask for your hand in marriage, but because you like jewellery and I wanted to give you something that makes you happy. I saw it when I went to the store to pick up these bracelets and instantly fell in love with it.’’

‘’Taehyung-ah,’’ Jimin says as he allows Taehyung to slide the silver band on his pinkie finger. He admires the small moon-shaped gem that compliments the night sky of the red strings of fate wrapped around their wrists.

‘’You make me happy. I do not need anything else. This ring you gave me is absolutely beautiful, but you know all I need to be happy is to have my best friend by my side, right?’’

Hearing that makes said best friend’s heart flutter.

‘’You make me happy, too,’’ Taehyung replies sincerely. ‘’And I’d like for this ring to be a promise between us. But not to have some grand wedding in a few seasons’ time or to stand at the altar saying these same things in front of a hundred other people.

‘’I want this ring to be a promise that this lovely pinkie will always stay the same,’’ Taehyung finishes with a tender kiss pressed against the tiny finger he adores so much.

And to promise that like your pinkie, between us, everything will always stay the same.

Jimin decides that his pinkie has been the centre of attention for long enough now and gives Taehyung’s mouth something else to be occupied by as he pulls the younger man closer and crashes their lips together.

Several empty plates tumble from the bed and the couple themselves nearly topple over from the force of the kiss as well, yet neither of the two men can find it in themselves to care.

Before they slipped underneath the covers to start their TV marathon that came to an end a bit too soon for it to be considered a marathon still, they closed the curtains and shut the rest of the world out of their little bubble for the night. The dark clouds that rolled in over the course of the evening are shrouded from their view by a thick layer of fabric. In the far distance, Jimin thinks he can hear the thunder roar, the beginnings of an unforecast storm. The pitter-patter of raindrops against their bedroom window fills his ears like the loveliest melody.

He smiles.

His brain feels like one of those unseasonably warm days in late autumn that feel like the most welcome surprise, where the sun shines its brilliant light openly and generously against the dazzling backdrop of a cloudless, ocean blue sky. An unseasonably warm November day on a tempestuous spring evening. That is what Jimin’s mind feels like, with his arms wrapped around his favourite person and the red string of fate connecting their two hearts – and their two pinkies – forever.

Taehyung smiles back at him and presses another loving kiss against Jimin’s waiting lips.

Park Jimin has been Kim Taehyung’s first for many things in life. He was his first crush, first boyfriend, and the first – and only – love of his life.

Taehyung does not care that Jimin will not be the first person he calls his husband. Soulmate, he thinks, sounds a lot nicer to him anyway.