Chapter Text
[Jin to Jimin and Jungkook]
[Jin]: Good morning :-)
[Jin]: I'm wondering if the two of you have a day where you’re both off this upcoming week?
[Jin]: I believe we’ve reached the point where getting Taehyung-ah out of the house is crucial, so I’d like to take him on an overnight trip to his favorite spa, but I think he would enjoy it far more if the two of you could come as well.
[Jin]: I’d like to leave in the evening and then spend a good portion of the next day at the spa. We probably won't get back until late if he feels up to dinner and perhaps some retail therapy.
[JK]: that sounds awesome
[JK]: ill get a copy of my schedule one sec
[JK]: Attachment: CAP8091.jpg
[JK]: anything line up jiminie
[Jimin]: I only have Tuesday and Thursday off (´;︵;`)
[JK]: would either of those days work jin hyung
[Jin]: Either one would work, but it’s okay if you can’t get it off.
[JK]: hold on seulgi ssi is right here
[JK]: lemme ask her to switch
[Jin]: If that's too much trouble, we could also plan for one of you to join us slightly later.
[Jimin]: It’s okay. Seulgi-ssi owes me a favor so I’m sure she’ll say yes （。＾▽＾）
[Jimin]: If it will help TaeTae feel better we definitely want to go
[Jin]: I'm curious why she owes you a favor. Is it something you can share?
[Jimin]: I’m baking the cupcakes for her baby shower
[Jin]: Oh, I didn’t realize you did events Jimin-ah :-D
[Jimin]: I mean I don’t usually. The shower just came up the other day while I was waiting for Kookie to get off work and she asked if I would bake for it
[Jimin]: Everyone there has been so nice to Kookie and me. It feels good to be able to do something in return (´｡• ᵕ •｡`)
[Jin]: That’s so sweet.
[Jin]: When is the shower?
[Jimin]: Next weekend. I’ll probably be baking most of that Friday since she needs about a hundred of them
[Jin]: Oh, that's quite a lot. Do you have everything you need to make them? How about transporting them? :-)
[Jimin]: Oh shoot I hadn’t thought about how I was gonna get them there yet (;●_●)
[Jimin]: I’m sure I can come up with something by then
[Jin]: I may have something at Borahae that could help. I’ll take a look tomorrow morning and let you know what I find.
[Jimin]: Thank you hyung
[Jin]: No problem at all :-)
[JK]: she said yes to thursday
[Jin]: Excellent. I’ll get everything booked right away.
[Jin]: We would leave Wednesday evening. You are both free to come with then if you like, or I can have a ride arranged for Thursday morning and you can meet us there.
[Jimin]: I get off work at 4:00 Wednesday. Would I have time to come home and shower quick or is that too late?
[Jin]: We’ll pick you two up at 5:00?
[Jimin]: That works （。＾▽＾）
[Jin]: Perfect. I’ll get us in somewhere special for dinner that night.
[JK]: thanks for inviting us hyung
[Jin]: Thank you both for agreeing to come. Taehyung-ah will be so excited :-)
~
They have a few days until their trip with Jin and Taehyung, and Jimin has plenty to do before then. He has work, classes, and homework – a full schedule really. He and Jungkook go out for dinner with Namjoon and Hoseok Sunday evening, and then once Jungkook goes to bed Jimin spends a couple of hours on a video call with Yoongi while they both work, making occasional conversation. They cap off the call with a Midnight Snack and talking about their days before both heading off to bed in the early hours of the morning.
Taehyung comes over on Monday morning and it’s obvious he’s still feeling terrible, even if he tries to act more cheerful. There’s not even one spark of mischief in his eye the entire morning (though he does eagerly accept Jungkook’s offer of cuddles and bad TV when Jimin has to leave for class).
All this is to say that between everything he has on his plate right now and trying to help Taehyung feel better, Jimin’s mind should be plenty occupied. And it is, but not by any of that – well, maybe some of that, but not enough.
No, what’s really got his mind going now is just one completely stupid little thing he noticed and can’t seem to let go of.
It was just last week, when he and Jungkook were visiting the house. They were in the kitchen having lunch with Taehyung and trying to cheer him up when Hoseok arrived home from doing some work. He’d smiled when he saw the three of them and immediately headed over to give Taehyung a big hug and a kiss, then the same with Jungkook, but then when it came to Jimin…
Hoseok still smiled at him just as warm as he had with the others, but he approached more slowly and reached out to rest a hand on Jimin’s shoulder rather than dive in for a kiss like he had with Taehyung and Jungkook. Jimin still got a kiss, but only after he tilted his head and puckered his lips in invitation.
Since then, he’s replayed that moment hundreds of times in his mind. It’s not like it's the first time one of the hyungs has treated him differently, so why is it bothering him now all of a sudden? He's not mad or anything. He knows why things are different with him, why everyone is so careful all of the time – but there's this tiny nagging thought in the back of his mind that maybe that's not all. It's just…
Why wouldn't the pack want to get close to Jungkook like that? He's so incredibly open and easygoing, naturally talented and engaging, just incredible in basically every way. While Jimin shrinks under too much attention, Jungkook glows just like Taehyung – like an omega should when their alpha is taking care of them.
Once it's in his head, he can't stop seeing it.
On Tuesday, Yoongi drops by. He’s got a couple of parts for Jungkook’s computer that the two of them plan to install together (some upgrade or another apparently). Jimin has a mountain of homework to get done, so he won’t spend a lot of time with them today, but that’s okay. Yoongi and him do a lot of video calls when they’re up late at night, so it’s not like they haven’t talked in a while or anything. Besides, he appreciates the fact that Yoongi seems to adore teaching Jungkook about computers so much. It’s really cute to see them working together.
Jimin hears the front door while he’s in the bedroom getting dressed after a shower, but Jungkook is already out in the living room, so he doesn’t worry about trying to answer it. (Yoongi has a key, but he prefers to knock instead – something about not intruding.)
Once he’s dressed, he makes his way down the hall and finds Jungkook backed into one of the kitchen counters, being thoroughly kissed by Yoongi, who has one hand gripping at Jungkook’s hip and the other tangled in his hair. Neither of them notice him right away, and Jimin can’t keep a smile from forming on his face. He loves seeing Jungkook like this, pressed up against one of the alphas and smelling like pretty orange blossoms. Yoongi’s own cinnamon scent is sweet and content too, and Jimin feels an ache in his gut that reminds him how he hasn’t been scented by Yoongi in days.
Jungkook notices him first, slowly turning away from the kiss to give Jimin a lopsided grin. “Hey, hyung,” he says, reaching out to beckon Jimin closer.
“Min-ah, there you are,” Yoongi says, letting go of Jungkook’s hip to reach out for him as well.
He goes to them right away. They look so welcoming pressed against one another and calling him to join, all lazy smiles and warmth. They pull him into their embrace. Jungkook plants a kiss on the top of his head and Yoongi’s lips press against his temple, then his cheek.
And that’s all.
When Jungkook breaks away a minute later to unplug his computer, Yoongi gives Jimin one last squeeze and pulls back to ask how his day has been so far.
It’s not bad. Yoongi doesn’t seem unhappy to see him. Everything is fine. It’s just that whatever this is, it’s a far cry from being backed into the counter and kissed like Jungkook was, and it makes a cold wave of… something swell in his lungs. Disappointment? Worry? Self consciousness?
Longing?
Does he want that?
Keeping the feeling out of his scent is easy enough. Letting it go… not so much.
Yoongi seems happy to see him, and Jimin knows the alpha likes him. Yoongi isn’t the type to sit on video calls several nights a week with someone he doesn’t want to talk to, and they’ve gotten close over these last few months. Plus it’s not like the two of them haven’t kissed plenty of times by now.
He knows he could ask. If he really does want them to treat him like they treat Jungkook (and he's kind of really starting to think he does), then he has to talk about it. The only problem is that he knows that there would be parts of it that would be hard at first. He could get used to it. He's pretty sure he wants to get used to it – but he would need help…
They're already helping him with so much that he can't possibly ask for more without doing something to earn it first, so he's just… stuck. Can't stop noticing all the little things that make him wish that he could have them too, but also can't make himself ask. It's pointless. A waste of time to think about.
So why can't he stop?
Needless to say, by the time Wednesday comes Jimin is more than ready for a brief vacation, and hopefully for an opportunity to clear his head. It also gives him a chance to focus his attention on helping Taehyung feel better, which sounds infinitely more rewarding than running his brain in circles about this stupid thought he can't let go of.
*******
Jungkook spends the whole week excited. Jin-hyung texts them some information about where they’re going and it looks so nice. It’s the same sort of fancy spa his mom would book for herself when she needed to relax. Usually she would go alone, but there were a couple times she made it a family affair, which meant that Jungkook begged until Jimin was allowed to come too – partially because they hated being separated and partly because Jungkook knew it was the sort of thing Jimin would love.
It’s been years since they’ve been anywhere like this. He can’t wait to try out the sauna, and Jin said he booked each of them an hour-long massage too. A lot of the other stuff isn’t all that exciting to him, but if there’s a chance it will cheer Taehyung up, Jungkook will gladly sit through a mani-pedi or whatever overly complicated facial they recommend. Plus, even if he isn’t interested, he still gets to see three of his mates being pampered like he knows they deserve.
He’s so lucky.
Jimin isn’t too excited earlier in the week. It seems like there's something on his mind, but Jungkook's casual questions go unanswered for now. That's okay though. Sometimes Jimin needs time to process things before he's ready to talk about them, and it's hard for Jungkook to judge when he does the same thing sometimes. He'll follow up after their trip.
At least by the time they’re packing together Wednesday morning, Jimin has started to perk up a bit. He gets a big smile on his face as he talks about how he can’t wait to try out one of the mineral baths, and how pretty the building looks in the pictures online.
“Do you think I should bother bringing my Switch?” Jimin asks, standing over his suitcase with his head quirked to one side.
“Might as well.” Jungkook steps up behind Jimin and wraps his arms around his shoulders, nosing at Jimin’s scent gland and pressing his lips to the skin. “Depending on what Jin-hyung has planned tonight, we might have time to kill in the room.”
Jimin sighs in contentment and tips his head to give Jungkook more room. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Plus, TaeTae likes to see you using the Switch he got you.”
“Oh, that’s a good point. I should wear some of the jewelry he’s bought me too – not enough to be obvious. Just a couple of things.”
Jungkook hums, so content to be wrapped around his mate and breathing in the smell of warm vanilla that he almost feels like he could float away. “Should wear the choker he got you last month. He liked that one on you a lot.”
It’s an understatement, really. When Jimin had first come out wearing the choker – a thin, soft black band with little silver moons dotted along it – both Jungkook and Taehyung’s eyes had gone wide. He still remembers how fast Taehyung’s maple scent had gone sweet at the sight, and he’s sure his own scent spiked just as much. It wasn’t fair, Jimin looking that good when neither of them could do anything about it at the–
“You sure it was just him who liked it?” Jimin asks, clearly teasing.
“Not my fault you’re hot,” Jungkook mumbles. “Jin-hyung hasn’t seen it on you yet either.”
Jimin does wear the choker. It’s a bit of a rush when he gets home from work, but Jungkook has everything ready by the door so all Jimin needs to do is shower and get dressed. In the end, they don’t even have to keep Jin and Taehyung waiting when they come to pick them up, rushing down the stairs with enthusiasm and heading straight for the black SUV parked out front.
Taehyung greets them as soon as they open the door, wearing a little half smile and looking like he’s probably feeling awake enough not to need a nap anytime soon. It’s a definite improvement, but still a far cry from his usual energy level. His scent is still muted too – more sugar than anything else.
So Jungkook launches at him. If Taehyung still doesn’t have energy, Jungkook will just have to have enough for both of them.
Jin’s hello from the front of the vehicle is almost entirely drowned out by the squeal that Taehyung lets out as he’s tackled against the back seat. Jungkook calls a greeting over his shoulder in return and then focuses all of his energy on wrestling Taehyung into the middle seat and planting several big kisses over his cheeks, nose, and forehead.
“Missed you, hyung,” Jungkook says once they both begin to settle into place.
“You just saw me a couple of days ago.”
“Yeah, and I missed you the whole time since then. Did you miss me, TaeTae?”
Taehyung rolls his eyes even as his face cracks into a slightly more genuine looking smile. “Yeah, I missed you too, you big dork. Now buckle up so we can go. I’m starving and we have like an hour long drive.”
“Getting your appetite back?” Jimin asks, buckling his own seat belt and leaning over to kiss Taehyung before settling against him. “That’s a good sign.”
“Yeah, a little I guess.”
“It’s a very good sign,” Jin says from the passenger seat. “I hope the two of you are hungry as well.”
Jungkook’s eyes drift to the front of the car and he recognizes the white blonde hair and broad build of the man in the driver’s seat immediately. “Wonho-ssi, you’re coming with us?”
Wonho meets Jungkook’s eyes in the rear view mirror and smiles. “I won’t have much to secure with the two of you gone tonight – and besides, Seokjin-ssi hates driving.”
“I may have booked him a massage as well,” Jin says with a wink.
“That was unnecessary.”
“We will have to agree to disagree.”
“Did you see pictures of the gym online, Wonho-ssi?” Jungkook asks. “It looks super nice. Will you come workout with me in the morning?”
Wonho agrees and Jin-hyung offers to come along as well. It will be fun to get a chance to get to know Wonho a little better, plus Jungkook has been curious what his workouts are like for months. They’ve texted and talked about it some, but now he’ll get to see firsthand how Wonho manages to look like that.
Jimin and Taehyung are both uninterested in the gym, but Jin pulls up a listing of other amenities and offerings for the two of them to look over. At the first mention of yoga, Taehyung perks up a little and Jimin jumps on it immediately, reading out all of their options until they settle on trying flying yoga. Jungkook has to look up a picture because he’s never heard of that before. It looks a little weird, but Taehyung and Jimin seem excited about it so that’s more than enough for him.
The ride to their destination is mostly eaten up by discussion about their plans for the following day. The morning is pretty solidly booked with spa activities, then lunch, and then off to do some shopping if they (mostly Taehyung) feel up to it. Eventually Taehyung does notice Jimin's choice in jewelry, and it makes a tiny little smile crack across his face as he compliments the choker, which has Jin-hyung looking back from the front seat to deepen Jimin's blush by doing the same.
Dinner is awesome. It’s a whole five course ordeal that leaves even Jungkook feeling stuffed by the end of it. (He tries to ask Wonho to come with them, but he is adamant about watching the car.) Jin and Jungkook put Taehyung in between them at the table and take turns getting him to try different dishes. His appetite does seem to be back at least a little – and the attention clearly doesn’t hurt either.
It’s one of the things Jungkook has come to like most about him.
Taehyung likes attention and he doesn’t try to hide it. He doesn’t really try to hide much at all actually, almost always wearing his feelings right out in the open and never being shy about asking for things he wants. He’s inspiring in a lot of ways. It makes Jungkook feel like he can do anything he wants as long as Taehyung is there with him. Even more so if Jimin is there too. Having the three of them together makes him feel truly unstoppable.
For now though, the only thing he really wants to do is help Taehyung feel better.
Jimin refuses to stand for Wonho missing dinner and manages to get a to-go container with minimal fuss. He fills it neatly with samples from every course and then passes it to Wonho when they get back into the vehicle.
“You didn’t have to do that, Jimin-ssi,” Wonho says. “I could have grabbed something after I dropped you all off.”
“Well, now you don’t have to. Consider it a thank you for looking out for us.”
Wonho thinks about this for a moment before probably deciding to pick his battles and giving a slow nod. (The right choice. When Jimin decides to be stubborn about something petty, there's no winning.) “Alright. In that case, thank you very much. I’ll enjoy it I’m sure.”
It’s only about a ten minute car ride from the restaurant to where they’re staying, and the building is every bit as pretty as it looked in the pictures, especially bathed in twilight. The area is surrounded by trees grown tall and thick enough to hide the highway from view, and a bunch of other plants too. There's even some he's pretty sure he's never seen before, so he's excited to get a closer look at them.
Jungkook rushes to dig his camera out of his suitcase and grab a couple of photos before they head inside. He's sure Namjoon-hyung would love to see all the plants too.
The whole place is built up against a cliff that towers over one side, with what looks like an expansive garden area towards the back. There’s the sound of rushing water off in the distance, so Jungkook is betting there’s a waterfall somewhere along the back side of the property (probably somewhere along the cliff), but he can’t see it from here. Still, the whole location is picture perfect and he eagerly snaps dozens of photos using a few different settings. There’s not enough time to be picky as the light fades, so he takes a lot just to be sure some are worth keeping.
There aren’t too many cars in the lot, but then again this place is apparently pretty exclusive – and they did come in the middle of the week. At least it gives him plenty of room to work with.
The composition of the first few photos is good, but a little boring. If he runs to the far end of the parking lot, he can avoid getting any cars in the shot. It’s a bit of shame he didn’t bring his tripod to take some longer exposure shots in this pretty lighting, but then again if he gets down on the ground he can keep the camera stable enough for at least a bit longer, not to mention changing up the composition and capturing the actual scale of the cliff rising–
“Jungkookie?” Taehyung’s voice snaps him back to reality. Jungkook is basically on his belly in the corner of the parking lot, camera aimed up at the building, when he turns to find Taehyung crouched down barely a foot away and gently asking, “Will you take a couple of me and Jiminie too?”
It’s not his usual energetic and demanding way of requesting attention, but it’s still a request and Jungkook leaps off the ground at the chance to fulfill it. “Of course, hyung. Did you guys have something specific in mind?”
Taehyung shakes his head. “Nah, just something fun to remember this by.”
“Okay, we can take some fun ones. I do charge a slight fee for my services though,” Jungkook says, puckering his lips through a smile.
Taehyung huffs out a tiny laugh, but does lean down to kiss him. After that, they spend little time taking silly pictures of the four of them. (Wonho even agrees to take a few of all of them together, handling Jungkook’s camera with the utmost care.) Some of Taehyung’s smiles still look forced, but Jungkook is certain he catches a couple of moments of real joy on his face before they exhaust the last of the twilight and head inside.
*******
Taehyung has spent the last few weeks being babied and doted on by each and every one of his mates, and he’d love to say that it's helped but it doesn’t feel like he’s doing any better. Then again, he can’t always trust his own brain when it comes to these things. Every time things get like this, it just feeds him never ending loops of reasoning about how pointless everything is.
He’s put in so much effort toward getting better, and for what? All for one little downswing to take him completely out of the game and launch him right back into that familiar bleak and colorless world he spent so many years just barely managing to survive in? What a waste – of his time and of Jin-hyung’s, the one who has put the most effort into helping him not feel this way all the time anymore. And what does he have to show for it? Nothing. Or at least it feels that way.
But he keeps trying.
He agrees to the spa day even though staying in bed sounds better. He lets Jin talk him through all of their options and does his best to offer input, and when they all stop for dinner, he tries everything that’s put in front of him. He watches Jin trying all the new dishes too, and attempts to appreciate his mate’s joy in lieu of the paltry amount he can summon up in himself. (It helps a little. Seeing Jin happy always does.) Once they arrive at the resort, he even smiles for pictures with Jimin and the others, doing his best to try and fake the joy until it becomes real.
It only half works, but he has to keep trying. It doesn’t get better if he doesn’t try.
Jin says he’s improving. It doesn’t feel that way most of the time, but they’ve been through this enough times that he knows his mate is usually right in his assessments. Taehyung trusts him.
Their suite really is nice. It’s the same as the one he and Jin got the last time they came here, though they’ve made a few minor changes to the decor since then. It offers them a small dining area, a living room, bathroom, and two bedrooms.
Admittedly he does actually feel a little better once they’ve all had a chance to settle in and Jimin hooks his Switch up so they can play games together. The couch easily seats the four of them, and Taehyung is happy to be pressed in close between Jimin and Jin. Even if he isn’t feeling his best, it’s still nice to spend time with his mates like this. Plus banding together to try and beat Jungkook on even a single Mario Kart track is the most fun he’s had in weeks, even though they fail miserably most of the time.
Unfortunately, his energy levels are still excruciatingly low, and he finds himself slumping against Jin’s side after only an hour or so.
“Are you ready to lie down, darling?” Jin asks after they conclude another race where Jungkook manages to beat the three of them.
Taehyung frowns. It’s too early for sleep but he’s just so damn tired. “I don’t wanna go to bed yet, but I’m too tired to do anything. You guys can keep playing if you want. I’ll just watch.”
“I kind of wanted to get the pictures off my camera anyways,” Jungkook says, setting down his controller. “I’m hoping I got a couple of good ones I can send to Namjoon-hyung.”
Jimin leans over to rest his head on Tae’s shoulder. “If you want, we could change into our pajamas and go lay down together in the bedroom?”
“It’s too early for you to go to bed,” Taehyung huffs. This is so frustrating. He wants to spend time with his mates but everything feels bad and nothing is going to help and he wants to cry and–
“What if I play Zelda for you?” Jimin asks. “You can watch for as long as you want, and when you’re ready to sleep we’ll already be in bed.”
Oh that… That actually sounds kind of nice.
“Okay,” he agrees. “I’ll go get changed.”
Even getting changed into his pajamas feels like it takes every ounce of strength he has, but what else is new lately? He debates brushing his teeth, but he kind of wants something sweet – maybe ice cream. It’s only been a couple of hours since the huge meal they had, but this is the first time he’s craved a food in weeks. The thought of asking for anything kind of makes him want to sleep for a month instead, but ‘desires are progress’ is a mantra Jin-hyung has drilled into his head so hard that he knows he should try to communicate what he wants.
Ugh.
Taehyung drags himself back out into the main area of the suite and finds all three of them (with Jimin already in his pajamas too) huddled around Jungkook’s laptop at the kitchen table. He walks right up behind Jin and basically wraps himself around the beta, arms circling his middle.
Jin tries to stand up straight and turn to face him, but Tae just squeezes tighter and stays latched onto his back. “Are you alright, darling? Do you need anything?” Jin asks, hands coming to rest over Taehyung’s.
“Don’t need it but I…” Taehyung lets out a little sigh and buries his face against Jin’s back.
Jungkook turns away from his laptop and leans back to make eye contact with Tae. “Is there something you want, hyung? Or are you just looking for Jiminie?” he asks, reaching out to touch Taehyung’s shoulder with a big warm smile.
Jungkook is always ready for food so…
“Are you hungry, Jungkookie?”
“I could eat. What are you thinking?”
“I think I want ice cream,” Tae admits quietly, feeling like a burden for even bringing it up. Damn it, now he feels like crying again. He hates this, hates feeling one step away from tears at any moment, even if feeling things again is supposed to be a good sign for him.
Why do all the good signs have to feel so hard?
Before he can start crying, Jungkook stands up and joins in on his hug with Jin, pressing right against Taehyung’s back and wrapping his arms around the both of them. “I’ll eat ice cream with you, hyung.”
“Yeah, me too,” Jimin says, giving him a soft smile. “I bet there’s places that deliver here.”
“I know there are,” Jin confirms. “If you let me go and get my phone, we’ll get you anything you want, love. You know it’s a good sign if you’re–”
“I know,” Tae groans, pressing his forehead into Jin’s back for another couple of seconds before finally letting him go. “It just doesn’t feel good.”
Now that he’s been freed, Jin is quick to turn around and take Tae’s face in his hands, leaning in and giving a soft kiss to each one of his cheeks, his forehead, and finally his lips. “Thank you for telling us what you want,” he says, thumb rubbing at Taehyung’s cheekbone, and that familiar fond look on his face. “You’ve done very well and you certainly deserve ice cream for your efforts. Is there a specific kind you’re craving?”
Damn it. He hasn’t thought that far ahead. “Umm… Something rich with lots of toppings. Chocolate sounds good, I think.”
Jin nods. “I can do that. Do you want to eat it in bed with Jimin-ah?”
“Yes please.”
Jimin asks Jungkook to order him something good and then takes Tae’s hand to lead him into the bedroom. The curtains are shut, leaving just the warm glow of one of the bedside lamps illuminating the room, and Jimin’s Switch is already lying at the center of the huge bed, plugged in with Breath Of The Wild paused on the screen.
The two of them pile up pillows against the headboard and cuddle close together without another word, and Taehyung can feel himself relaxing already. Between the warmth of Jimin’s body against his, the low lighting, and the quiet sounds of the game, it’s easy to let the tension just bleed out of him and stop thinking so much.
He’s just starting to feel drowsy when Jin-hyung knocks gently on the bedroom door and brings them their ice cream, lingering just long enough to lean in for a kiss from each of them. After that he heads back out to go hang out with Jungkook.
The ice cream is exactly what Taehyung wanted, and it wakes him right up. His is chocolate and full of tons of different chunks of brownie, chocolate chips, strips of caramel, and crisp bits of cookie that crunch between his teeth. It’s perfect. In sharp contrast, Jimin’s ice cream is a pretty pink color, covered in whipped cream and drizzles of strawberry sauce, then sprinkled with berries. He lets Tae try and it’s every bit as light and fruity as it looks.
Taehyung takes his time enjoying his ice cream, but he still finishes quite a bit before Jimin, who’s only really eating when he takes tiny breaks from the game.
“Want me to play for you so you can eat?” Taehyung offers.
“Do you want to?”
He considers for a moment before nodding and reaching out for the Switch. “Yeah, I’ll grind out some cooking for you if you want?”
“Sure. Thanks, TaeTae.”
Taehyung cooks up a bunch of potions and food in game while Jimin eats his ice cream, answering the occasional question about what kind of items he wants. Then once he’s finished his ice cream, Tae gives him the Switch back.
Instead of playing right away, Jimin sets it down on the nightstand and turns toward him instead. “I’m really glad you’re here,” Jimin says softly, cuddling up against Tae. “We don’t have to talk if you don’t want, but I just wanna be close for a minute.”
“You okay, Jiminie?” Taehyung wraps his arms around Jimin, nosing at his hair. He doesn’t smell distressed – not like that means anything when it comes to Jimin – but it’s still a habit to check.
“Yeah, I’m good – really good right now actually. I know you aren’t feeling so great, but it still always makes me feel better to spend time with you.”
“Were you not feeling good before?”
Jimin shrugs in his arms. “Just a little stressed this week – nothing to worry about. Work and school, you know how it is. I’m looking forward to tomorrow. It’s been a long time since I’ve been somewhere like this.”
“Do you wanna talk about it?”
“Nah, it’s fine. Wasn’t really anything interesting.”
Taehyung doubts that, but still he doesn’t want to push – doesn’t want to risk losing whatever this is. Not when he finally feels kind of good. His belly is pleasantly full and Jimin is warm against him, voice low and sweet. He thinks he could listen to Jimin talk for hours sometimes.
“Tell me about the last time you went somewhere like this?” Tae prompts, sliding down so he and Jimin can lie face to face, foreheads pressed together.
Jimin gives a pretty little smile, eyes crinkling at the corners before he lets them slip closed for a few seconds. “Sure. The last time was with Jungkook’s mom. I’d already presented but Kookie hadn’t yet, so we were still kind of young. It was some resort in China, a massive wooden cabin in the mountains with tons of hiking paths and outdoor activities to keep Kookie happy when he couldn’t stand sitting still any longer. We were there for a few days and I think he must have averaged like ten or twenty miles of hiking a day. His security detail got their workout in, that’s for sure.”
Jimin must know what Taehyung needs because he just keeps talking, first about the resort and then about other trips Jungkook’s mom took them on together. Tae half listens, letting Jimin’s voice lull him closer and closer toward sleep with every moment.
~~
When Taehyung wakes up the next morning, he’s tucked against Jimin’s chest with Jungkook pressed against his back, breathing warm little puffs of air into his hair. He can smell Jin-hyung close by too, and when he cracks his eyes open he can see the top of his head poking out from where he’s spooned up against Jimin’s back.
Everything is warm and safe, bathed in the pretty glow of morning sunlight (someone must have opened the curtains – probably Jin-hyung), and Tae thinks this is maybe the best he’s felt in a long time. There’s nothing heavy in his chest, just the four of them here together. The only thing that could make this better is if his alphas were here too. Still the prospect of a whole day at the spa sounds nice, so he supposes he can wait to see all of his mates until a little later.
He’s in no rush to get up, so instead he just lies there and enjoys it until the others begin to stir.
Jungkook wakes up first, immediately pulling Taehyung closer and pressing soft kisses into his hair. Jimin stirs briefly at the movement but it’s nowhere near enough to wake him up – in fact, he sleeps through all of them eventually getting up.
The three of them start getting ready and let Jimin have a little extra sleep while they order breakfast, and Jungkook calls Wonho to see when they’re heading to the gym. From the sounds of it, Wonho is already prepared to go, so when the food arrives, Jungkook starts eating right away so he doesn’t keep Wonho waiting any longer than necessary.
Jin is in no rush, offering to meet up with them later since he’s really excited at the idea of getting to wake Jimin up.
Jungkook stuffs his face at light speed and is already gone when Jin steps back out of the bedroom carrying Jimin, his arms wrapped loosely around Jin’s neck. Both of their scents are warm and so, so inviting that Taehyung scoots closer as soon as they sit down. Jimin’s eyes are just barely cracked open, but he still smiles when he sees Tae, slow and sweet and so goddamn pretty.
When Jin attempts to put him down, Jimin makes a tiny little whine and wraps his arms tighter around the beta’s neck, and the wave of sweet mint scent is a dead giveaway of just how much this pleases Jin.
“Not ready to be let go just yet, darling?” Jin coos, nosing at Jimin’s hair before planting a gentle kiss on top of his head.
“S’too early,” Jimin mumbles. “Jus’ gimme a minute.”
Taehyung isn’t sure if it’s because Jimin is still half asleep, or if it’s because it’s just the three of them with no alphas, but for once Jimin allows them to dote on him without a fuss. Jin cards fingers through his hair while Tae feeds him bites of breakfast, little chunks of fruit and torn off pieces of croissant that he eagerly accepts, giving Taehyung more of those warm little smiles like he’s hung the moon.
The whole morning has been a relief, but this…
He loves this.
Everyone has been looking after him for weeks now, but this is the first time he's really gotten to take care of anyone else in that time, and he hasn't seen Jimin this accepting of being doted on since his heat. Tae wants more of this, wants to put Jimin back to bed and feed him the rest of breakfast there, wants to cuddle him until he’s ready to get up and then maybe brush his hair and pick out his clothes and–
He wants Jimin needy – not because he's in heat, but because he trusts them to take care of him like this.
Unfortunately, they have plans for the morning, and Jimin remembers this too, eventually asking for the time and conceding that he may actually need to get up and get dressed. Tae should do the same, and Jin-hyung has a workout to get to – assuming he hasn’t missed the whole thing already. For now, Taehyung packs away his desire to baby Jimin and focuses on preparing for the rest of the day.
Jimin blushes while he thanks them for breakfast, accepting a kiss from each of them before excusing himself to go get dressed.
As soon as he heads to the bedroom, Jin turns to Taehyung with a grin. “Well that was unexpected. How are you feeling, love?”
Taehyung pauses for a moment at the question, because he doesn't want to jump the gun but… he’s pretty sure he might actually feel better. “I think… I think I feel good, hyung.”
Jin’s smile gets even wider, going all the way up to his eyes. “I’m so glad to hear that. Does that mean you’re feeling up to the rest of our plans for today?”
“Yeah, I’m ready. I just…” Tae debates explaining his feelings to Jin, but the sound of movement from the bedroom reminds him that they really don’t have a lot of time right now. Either way, it's not like wanting to take care of Jimin is all that new, so it probably won't even be news to Jin-hyung.
“You just…?” Jin prompts.
Maybe just the short version.
“I'm glad we got to spend this time with Jiminie like that. Just kind of… wish it wasn't over so soon.”
Jin-hyung lets out a short little laugh at that. “You and me both, darling, though I'm sure it won't be our last chance to fuss over him – especially if you tell him how much you liked it.”
The thought of doing this again someday soon perks Tae right back up, a smile tugging at his mouth. “Yeah, I'll explain to him when I get the chance.”