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They don't fit together. At least not at the start. They're different. Enough that they naturally orbit away from each other. He sticks close to Taehyung and Hoseok. And Jin keeps himself around Jungkook and Namjoon. Yoongi just exists, barely touching either group, a sort of a perpetually tired middle ground. It's like a high school cliché. The nerdy kid falling for the gorgeous cheerleader. Except Jimin is not smart enough to be a nerd.
He’s happy to watch from the outside.
He's walking past the bathroom on his way to the kitchen for a late-night snack when he hears the water running. He pauses. The door is slightly ajar. The light is off. Did someone forget to turn the water off? He pushes the door open and switches the light on. The shower is running and under it- Jimin freezes. Someone fully clothed is crouched under the water, head bent and shoulders shaking. Those shoulders… Jin hyung?
He steps closer. Jin doesn't move, doesn't turn. Jimin's eyes flicker to the shower handle. It's turned all the way to cold. Jimin sucks in a breath. He jumps forward and pushes the tap closed. The water stops and he looks down at Jin, ignoring his feet soaking in freezing water.
"Jin hyung?"
Jin flinches and buries his face in his soaked jeans.
Jimin crouches down.
Jin is shivering.
"Jin hyung, why? What's wrong?"
Jimin reaches out and tentatively touches Jin's arm. So cold.
"Hyung, you'll catch a cold!"
He jumps to his feet, runs over to the towel rack and grabs a towel. He rushes back to Jin's side.
"I'm going to dry your hair, hyung," he says and when Jin doesn't reject him, he gently starts to dry Jin's hair with the towel. He does his best with Jin's hair and dries Jin's neck but Jin's clothes are still wet. Jimin can feel the tremors wracking Jin’s body as he tries make Jin less wet.
"Hyung, you have to- we need to change your clothes."
Jimin touches Jin's face, his palm warm against the cold skin of Jin's cheek. Jin's eyes are closed.
"Can I help you, hyung?"
Jin's head dips a fraction, which Jimin takes for assent. He guides Jin over to the toilet. He closes the lid and sits Jin down on it. He tugs at Jin's shirt. It's the pretty one that he'd worn to the recording earlier today. Jin raises his arms helpfully and Jimin pulls off the wet shirt. Jimin puts the towel over him and starts rubbing off the water.
He dries the wide shoulders, the long arms and the firm chest and abdomen and-
"Are you shy, Jimin-ah?"
Jimin startles at Jin's voice.
Jin isn't looking at him, instead his gaze is fixed on the floor tiles.
"Hyung, what's wrong?"
Jin sighs.
"Maybe I can help, hyung. Or if you want, I'll get Namjoon hyung-"
"No!" Jin cries, reaching out, damp fingers clasping over Jimin's forearm.
"I'm sorry, hyung."
Jin looks up at him, strands of almost dry hair fall onto his face. Jimin's fingers itch to brush them back.
"Do you think I shouldn't have made it, Jimin?"
"Made it where, hyung?"
Jin lets go of his arm and turns his face away.
"BTS."
Jimin stares at Jin in shock.
"What the hell, hyung?" He cries. "Of course I don't think that! No one thinks that!"
Jin laughs. A terrible, bitter sound Jimin had never heard him make before.
"Of course they do, Jimin. And sometimes they make sure to let me know how much they don't want me in this group," Jin says, softly, almost as though he's about to break into tears.
Jimin drops to his knees before him.
"I want you, hyung-" Jin looks at him with wide eyes, "I want you in this group. I want you beside me every day. I want to dance with you and sing with you and laugh with you. Jin hyung-" he takes both of Jin's hands in his own. "I can't imagine BTS without you. I don't want a BTS without you. I love you, hyung."
Jin's eyes are shining.
"Thank you, Jimin-ah."
Jimin surges forward, and wraps his arms around Jin.
"I'm always on your side, hyung."
"Jimin is mine!" Jin claims, wrapping both arms around him and holding him tightly. The others laugh.
"What about me, hyung?" Taehyung protests.
Jimin pokes his tongue out at him and turns around in Jin's arms. They'd been practising choreo and just taken a break. Jin is wearing a hairband to hold his hair back. A few strands have escaped their hold and Jimin carefully tucks them back under the bright blue band. Jin smiles at him fondly.
"You're mine too, hyung," he says shyly.
Jin's smile widens and he leans into kiss him on the cheek.
"Awww, young love," Hoseok coos in the background.
He feels himself going red and ducks his face. He hears Jin chuckling.
"You're cute, Jiminie."
He shakes his head.
"Let's get back to practise, guys," Namjoon calls in the background.
He lifts his head, meets Jin's smiling eyes, kisses him lightningly fast on the nose and darts away to his starting position.
He looks for Jin in the mirror. He bursts into laughter when Jin grins at him and blows him an extravagant kiss. When the music starts, he is still laughing.
Jungkook comes over and sits on the couch arm.
"Don't wake him up," Jimin tells him, checking on Jin who had fallen asleep in his lap.
"You know he sleeps like the dead," Jungkook tells him with a shrug. Jimin makes a face, making Jungkook laugh silently.
For a moment they both focus on the TV, the late-night football friendly between South Korea and Japan.
"Jimin hyung."
Jimin look up at Jungkook. Jungkook's eyes are on Jin.
"Yeah, Kook?"
"Is Jin hyung happy?"
For a moment, Jimin's mind travels back to that night, months ago. Finding Jin, almost frozen under the shower.
"What do you think, Jungkook?"
Jungkook lifts his eyes and looks up at him.
"I think you make him happy, Jimin hyung."
Jimin smiles.
"I think you make him happy too, Kook."
Jungkook looks down at Jin.
"I saw you, that night you found him in the shower. I heard what you said to him-" Jimin stares at Jungkook in shock. "Thank you, hyung. I think he stayed because of you." Jungkook's dark eyes are serious but they soften when he looks at him. "I think he stayed for you, hyung."
"Kook-"
Jungkook jumps to his feet and grins at him with a shrug.
"You're such a softie, hyung."
Jimin blinks at Jungkook's retreating back before looking down at Jin's sleeping face. He runs his fingers through the dark hair. He knows the colour is going to change soon with their comeback imminent. Jin hums and opens his eyes blearily.
His hands curl up in Jimin's sweater.
"Hey, hyung."
Jin smiles.
"Hey, Minnie."
Jimin's heart swells with the fondness in Jin's voice.
"Do you want to go sleep on the bed?"
Jin's eyes fall shut.
"Nah, I'm happy here."
He laughs softly.
“Come on, hyung.” He manages to coax Jin on to his feet and guide him to the bedroom. Yoongi’s bed is empty. He must still be at the studio. He pulls the covers back and lowers Jin on to the bed. Jin curls up with a hum. Jimin spends a moment looking down at him, finally feeling as though he can stop waiting to be woken up.
“Min-ah,” Jin says without opening his eyes.
“Yeah, hyung?”
In answer, Jin shifts back on the bed. Jimin stares at the space dumfounded. He’d never- they’d never-
Jin’s eyes open just a little.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to.”
Jimin exhales.
“I want to, hyung.”
Jin falls asleep first, holding on to Jimin’s hand. He stays awake and watches Jin’s profile by the dim light from the street lights outside. He’s awake when Yoongi comes in. He hears the pause before the door closes quietly and soft feet pad over the floor boards. He listens as Yoongi slips under the covers of his bed. He smiles to himself and lets his eyes fall shut.
"Hyung."
Jin shifts but doesn't turn. Jimin notices the way his fingers clench on the railing. He walks over. It's a rare day, a day off. A day off when they actually get to stay home and watch the sun sweep across the sky. To hear the sounds of the city, the people and the cars and the innate sounds of Seoul, surround them. They are the only ones home. Jungkook and Taehyung had gone home. The rapper line had gone off to the studio to work on some secret project they've been set on. They all know it's Hobi's mix tape but they let the rappers pretend that it's a secret.
Jimin would have gone home. But. Jin is here.
"Hyung."
"What are we, Jimin-ah?" Jin asks suddenly.
"Bangtan, hyung."
He sees Jin's lips curve up.
"I mean us, Jimin. You and me."
Jimin stills.
Jin looks at him, his dark hair falls over his forehead. He looks so beautiful. He looks like a dream. A dream that he has always chased after. One that is so close, he thinks he can reach out to touch it. To hold it and keep it.
"You're nice to everyone and everyone loves you. But I -"
"Hyung, what the hell?" He cries, the world tilting a little. "The way I'm with you, you think I'm like that with everybody?"
Jin reaches for him but Jimin backs away.
"Is that what you think of me?" He asks in a whisper.
"I'm scared," Jin says, letting Jimin have his space. "I'm scared, Jimin-ah"
He remembers the way Jin had reached for his hand last night. How their fingers had twined together and the small smile on Jin’s face as he fell asleep.
"Hyung, I've been in love with you since before you knew I existed."
He steps forward. He takes Jin's hand and steps into his space. "Don't be scared, hyung."
He rises up on his toes and kisses Jin on the lips. "I won't let go of your hand."
Jin's eyes fill with tears and he brushes at his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt.
"I don't think I deserve you, Jimin-ah."
Jimin threads his fingers through Jin's dark hair.
"You're my dream come true, hyung," he whispers against Jin's lips.
Jin shivers. Jimin kisses him.
He stops waiting.
***