hotel_omelas | 022619. jimin & taehyung.

WINTER.
February 26, 2019.

WHO jimin & taehyung
WHAT reassurances

WHERE jimin's house
TIMELINE cycle 1

JIMIN They have this down to a science by now, a careful orchestration involving text notifications and Jimin tip-toeing down the hallway to silently unlock the front door, Taehyung on the other side with his shoes already off.

Just like always, they never make a sound as Jimin tugs Taehyung into his bedroom, grinning as he turns to face him once the door's closed, pushing up onto his toes just a little to press a kiss to Taehyung's lips.

"Hi," he says, ignoring the ball of nerves in his stomach as he lifts one of Taehyung's hands to press another kiss to his fingers. "Aish," he giggles then. "You're cold!"

TAEHYUNG This is his favorite way to spend his night these days; a quiet room with he and Jimin snug in the middle of it together. So, it's hard for Taehyung to imagine a situation, if one existed, where an invitation to spend the night with Jimin would make him anxious. But there's a handful, and apparently knowing that they should talk? Is probably one of them.

But Jimin hadn't seemed upset in text, and he seems happy now, so whatever it is, probably can't be all that bad. It's easier here, with Jimin in front of him, to put worries about this being something Bad in the back of his mind.

He leans down to meet Jimin for the kiss, one arm sliding around his waist, wiggling his fingers while they're kissed. "So warm me up!" He laughs, giving Jimin one more kiss on the lips before he pulls back, wagging his eyebrows playfully as he pulls off his jacket and drops to the bed, arms spread. "Come here! Unless this is a super serious talk and you catfished me here."

JIMIN Jimin doesn't step too far away as Taehyung slips out of his jacket, grinning as he eagerly steps in close again, wrapping his arms tight around Taehyung's middle and pressing a kiss to his jaw before bumping their noses.

"It's only catfishing if you don't my true identity, isn't it?" he says, his voice teasing. He pulls in a breath then because this already feels better, just having Taehyung in his arms. It makes him more confident that he hasn't been reading Taehyung wrong this whole time, assures him that they really are okay despite how complicated everything is now.

But he still needs to be sure.

So he steps back again, but only a little, eyes still locked on Taehyung. "If I ask you something do you promise you'll answer me honestly? Even if you think it might hurt me?"

TAEHYUNG "Yah, Jimin-ah," Taehyung balks at him for a moment, even as he keeps himself entangled with Jimin, "when have I ever not been honest with you, hm? I don't lie to my soulmate."

It's not so much that he's actually offended, that he thinks that Jimin thinks he would lie, so much as something about the notion of it is inconceivable to him. Taehyung and Jimin have been close forever - before the label soulmates, before they touched and kissed and loved. Taehyung knew, the moment he saw Jimin, he likes to think, that he was someone good.

"I would never hurt you." He leans up, kisses Jimin's forehead.

JIMIN It’s a question Jimin already knows the answer to, of course; he’d known before he’d ever asked. But it feels good to hear it anyway, to have the assurance. It washes over him, warm and soothing as Taehyung presses a kiss to his forehead.

He keeps his hands on Taehyung’s sides, squeezing gently. “Okay,” he says, eyes locked on Taehyung’s as he lets out a breath. “Good. That’s good.” He smiles again, a little more nervous this time even as he idly sips his hands beneath Taehyung’s shirt to touch his bare sides.

“Are you happy?” he finally manages, gently tugging Taehyung closer. “With, like. With me dating both you and Hobi? Is it really okay?”

TAEHYUNG "Am I-" Taehyung pulls back enough to give Jimin a skeptical look, eyebrow raised, mouth comically twisted into something like disbelief. "Chim, I told you. I want you happy."

And that's true. There are few things in life that make Taehyung as happy as seeing Jimin smile, as knowing that his sweet heart is content, because Jimin tries so hard to make that happen for everyone else. He guesses that he gets it - technically - why he shouldn't be happy. Jealousy, and monogamy, and all that shit. But he doesn't see Jimin any less, and he knows Jimin loves him just the same.

So why would he mind?

"And as long as you're happy..." he nods, decisively.

JIMIN Again, Jimin lets out a quiet breath, relieved that he hasn't been reading Taehyung wrong his whole time. He keeps one hand tucked under Taehyung's shirt and reaches up to touch Taehyung's jaw with the other.

"I am happy," he says, completely incapable of holding back his smile as he leans up to press a kiss to Taehyung's lips. "I'm so, so happy. You're incredible." He steals another kiss, bumps their noses again. "Hoseok-ah's worried though, I think. He's afraid you're upset with him. Are you?"

And, again, Jimin thinks he already knows the answer, but he has to check. He needs to make sure.

TAEHYUNG "See? So then I'm perfectly happy, too." He doesn't miss the way Jimin exhales, though, how the tension seems to leave his shoulders, just a little, when Taehyung answers. Jimin's kiss is yet more confirmation that this has been weighing on him, the kiss feeling like relief, and he smiles, resting his forehead to Jimin's for a moment.

The next question throws him completely, though, and he pulls back, a frown at the corners of his mouth. "Upset at him? For - for being with you? Of course I'm not, it's what you wanted. Didn't we talk about it?"

JIMIN “We did,” he says, this time relieved more by the tone of Taehyung’s voice than his words. There isn’t even a hint of him only saying what he thinks Jimin wants to hear, sounds utterly sincere in his surprise and Jimin’s lips twitch into another grin.

He has no idea what he ever did to deserve any of this, how many orphaned kittens he must have saved in a past life, but he’ll stop being so so grateful.

“You’re incredible,” he says then, smoothing Taehyung’s cheek with his fingers before leaning in for another kiss. “You promise you’ll tell me if you ever start feeling differently, right? If you ever want anything to change? You won’t hold it in.”

TAEHYUNG "Mm, I'm only incredible because I love you and you, Park Jimin, are worth my best self." He grins, cheesily, but the words are no less true. He kisses him once, twice, a third time, and then the fourth, he lets it linger, less playful, soft and sweet, a little serious, even, his expression the same when he pulls back.

"Aish," he says with a click of his tongue, disapproving but fond at the same time. "I never hold anything in with you, Jimin-ah, okay? I promise. And I wouldn't for something as important as this, either. But it's not going to change either, okay?"

It's hard to explain, why it doesn't bother him, why Jimin loving someone else doesn't hurt, or bother him, or strike him as strange. Jungkook doesn't seem to understand the idea of loving more than one person, and Taehyung doesn't understand how love can only belong to one person. "As long as you're happy."

JIMIN Each kiss is slower than the one before it, the last one lingering as Jimin trails his fingers down the side of Taehyung’s neck and he melts into a quiet sigh. The sound Taehyung makes with his tongue makes him laugh and he ducks his forehead to Taehyung’s cheek before pulling into a tight, warm hug.

“I am,” he says, nuzzling lower to kiss at Taehyung’s neck and then nose along his collar, arms snug around Taehyung’s waist. “I’m so happy. You make me so, so happy.” He presses a kiss to Taehyung’s skin then, lingering as he smiles against him for a moment.

“How did I get so lucky to have a soulmate like you, hmm?” he asks then, lifting his head up, still smiling. “Almost doesn’t seem fair.”

CODE BY TESSISAMESS