Chapter Text
serendipity: finding something good without looking for it.
“Daddy! Daddy!”
Nari is running out of her kindergarten, her legs waddling over to Jimin as fast as she can.
Jimin is quick to catch his daughter, picking her up and spinning her around until she’s giggling breathlessly. She wraps her tiny legs around Jimin’s frame and buries into him, hugging him as if they have been separated for a lifetime.
It has only been three months since Nari started her kindergarten classes but it still feels as torturous as the first time. Jimin had cried at the doorstep of the class, unwilling to let go of her hand, whereas Nari was excited and overjoyed with the prospect of going to school. The whole week Jimin had cried, in the security of his own personal space, as he realised Nari is getting older. One day, she’ll no longer depend on him.
“Hey, darling,” Jimin murmurs. He kisses her forehead, smoothing out her static hair. “How was your day?”
“It was good, daddy! I did paintings!” She looks to Namjoon, Seokjin and Hoseok, her face brightening. “Uncles! Hello!”
Namjoon was present with his husband, Seokjin. The three of them greet her, Hoseok kissing her cheek.
“You look so pretty today, Nari,” Hoseok compliments her. He fiddles with the red bow that is messily holding her hair back and out of her face.
“Daddy did it for me,” she says with a giggle.
Nari is a free-spirited four-year old. Usually toddlers are a handful and difficult to manage but Nari was so easy. She hardly throws a tantrum. Her temperament is calm and collected, her attitude years off her age. Nari is mature and well spoken, developing extremely well for her age.
It makes Jimin proud knowing he has had the privilege to raise and nurture a well-behaved girl all on his own.
Well, except alternative weekends where she stays at her mother’s begrudgingly.
“M’tired daddy.” Her words slur as she complains, resting her head on Jimin’s shoulder.
The new schedule at kindergarten has been challenging for Nari to adapt to. It forces her to stay awake and active for longer, effectively cutting into her nap times that used to be a rigid routine. By the time Jimin picks her up from class, she is depleted and can only stay awake for two more hours before she demands to be put to sleep.
“Shall we go home, hm?” He suggests.
Nari nods tiredly. “Yes, please.”
He turns to his friends, offering a tight smile. “Will you stay for dinner?” He ignores the almost desperate plead in his voice, hoping they pick up on it without Jimin having to spell it out.
Namjoon does, because he has a sympathetic glint in his eyes and a sad smile. “Of course, Jimin.”
It makes him feel sick. Jimin doesn’t enjoy pity, especially from his three best friends but he can no longer successfully hide that he is struggling. He has been feeling lonely and craving genuine attention and affection lately. It doesn’t help that Namjoon is tied to the hip with his husband, the two of them inseparable and unknowingly rubbing in Jimin’s face how successful their marriage is.
Being a single father is isolating. Jimin feels like there is nobody in the world he can relate to and talk to. He tried to join parenting groups but they’re usually unwelcoming, acidic single mothers who aren’t willing to include another man in their close-knit communities.
Jimin attempted other resorts: pouring his energy into his online business as a freelance writer, spending more time with Namjoon and Hoseok, taking Nari out more frequently to the park, talking to his mother and visiting his home. But no matter what he did, there was still a gaping hole in his chest. It’s suffocating and consuming, leaving Jimin feeling like he could die from this.
“If you’re busy, you don’t need to,” Jimin says, trying to sound dismissive.
“We’re not,” Hoseok assures. “We kept the evening free.”
“Great.” He clenches his jaw, ignoring the clench of his heart. He hates feeling needy.
They take public transport back to Jimin’s neighbourhood, climbing up a flight of stairs before they reach his apartment. Seokjin bids his farewell there, living just a few blocks down, claiming he had to get home early for tomorrow’s early morning shift. Jimin lets them Namjoon and Hoseok in, immediately ordering takeaway for dinner.
They eat their food on the couch with Nari curled up on Jimin’s lap, her head resting on his chest. Jimin feeds her bites of the grilled chicken as they focus on the TV, watching Nari’s favourite movie that Jimin has practically memorised the lines of.
It doesn’t take long before Nari is slowly falling asleep, her eyes drifting close with the movie serving as background noise. Jimin watches over her fondly, kissing her forehead and keeping her snug against him.
Namjoon is watching them quietly as he says, “Go put her to bed, love.”
Jimin hums. “I’ll be back in a minute,” he promises, picking Nari up and taking her to her bedroom.
Nari’s bedroom is decorated similar to a typical four-year old girl’s taste. The walls are painted pink and they’re covered with posters of her favourite Disney movies. Her furniture is white, selected by her biological mother as a gift to her. The entirety of her bed is taken up by plushies, purchased by various people.
Nari’s nighttime routine is simple. Most days, she is too tired to stay up and falls asleep as soon as she gets into her bed. Other days, she’ll demand some attention from Jimin that he readily supplies to her. He treasures nighttimes with his daughter, considers it their most valuable time.
He undresses Nari, putting her in her sleeping clothes, before joining her in bed.
“Goodnight, Nari,” Jimin murmurs, kissing her forehead.
Nari’s eyes are already fluttering shut, her body curling around Jimin’s for security. “Night. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Jimin’s compelled to stay in bed with her for at least twenty minutes, watching over his daughter.
He still remembers the day Nari was born, has been cemented into his mind. It has been a jubilant occasion. His mother had been present in the hospital with him, coaching Jangmi through her labour.
Jangmi’s labour had lasted almost over twenty-four hours. There was complications involved, leaving her incapable of having an epidural and rendering her bed crippled with intense pain. Even the gas and air hadn’t helped. Jimin remembers feeling completely helpless, pathetic to the core of his existence, to be unable to help his wife. Jangmi was incredibly irritable towards Jimin, scorning him.
When Nari was finally born, Jimin had been mesmerised. He held her later than night when Jangmi had fallen asleep, knocked right out, and Nari was sleeping against his chest.
The love he felt growing within him, in the pit of his stomach, was more intense than anything he had experienced before.
Jimin had always been overly involved in Nari’s life, more than Jangmi.
Jangmi had never considered the extent of responsibility that came with being a mother, had decided that she was not made for it. Jimin practically raised Nari on his own whilst Jangmi returned to work.
When Jangmi returned home from work, a year since Nari’s birth, with divorce papers — Jimin didn’t have it in him to act surprised.
“You’re not happy, are you?” He had questioned, looking between the wad of documents on the dining table and his daughter in his arms, reliant on him. Sleeping. Without an idea in the world.
Jangmi had shook her head and said, “Not for a long time.”
Jimin would cross to the other side of the earth to protect Nari. He would lay down his life if it meant Nari could live another healthy, happy day.
Fondness threatens to explode from him as he whispers another quiet goodnight to Nari before getting off the bed, returning to his friends downstairs.
Namjoon and Hoseok have a strange gleam in their eyes. Namjoon even has the nerve to seem… ashamed, a twisted apologetic smile on his face. Jimin picked up on the energy as soon as he came back into the living room, cutting straight to the chase.
“What did you do?” He demands to know.
Hoseok’s quick to retaliate, pointing right at Namjoon. “It’s him! All him!”
“Hey!” Namjoon scowls.
“I swear, it was him!”
Jimin crosses his arms disapprovingly, bracing himself. “What did you both do?”
“I…” Namjoon is begging for forgiveness with his expression, pulling out of his phone. “You seem lonely lately.”
Great. Fantastic. They pity me, they definitely do.
Jimin maintains a straight face. “I’m not.”
“You are.”
They resume eye contact before Jimin sighs, his bottom lip jutting out in an upset pout. “It’s normal. It’s growing pains, I spent my life looking after Nari rather than myself. I’m allowed to feel lonely.”
“And we’re here for you, all the time!” Hoseok interrupts.
“But!” Namjoon continues. “Well… we set you up on a date.”
Jimin pauses, narrowing his eyes as realisation slowly drips into him… a date? He doesn’t remember the last time he had even looked at another person twice with romantic interest, let alone a date. He hasn’t bothered to delve into the world after his divorce with Jangmi.
“What?”
“There’s a new dating site and well, we signed you up for fu—-”
“You, what?” Jimin whisper-yells, cautious of his daughter sleeping in the next room. “You did what?”
Hoseok holds his hands up in surrender. “We just thought it’d be good for you.”
Jimin wants to be annoyed but no offence is taken. He’s more touched than his friends had realised his loneliness had reached the extent of wanting to give him help, anyway they could.
“I don’t know if I wanna date,” Jimin confesses.
“I don’t think the guy does either,” Namjoon says. “We’ve been talking and well. Yeah. He seems like he’s just looking for a date, just for fun. If it works out, it does and if not, he’s fine.”
Jimin frowns. “Who is he?”
“It’s a blind date!” Hoseok grins playfully. “You won’t know what he looks like until you get there.”
“I. Well.” He pouts. “What’s his name?”
“Kim Taehyung. 26, like you. He fits the criteria, I promise.”
It still doesn’t sit right with Jimin. He hasn’t thought about himself and dating in a long time that now that he’s thrown into such a situation, he isn’t sure how to react.
“Well…” He sighs. “Has he seen pictures of me?”
“Of course! He kept saying you have a nice ass until we eventually told him we’re your friends, and it’s a blind date.”
Jimin’s eyes widen comically, mouth hanging open. “What photos did you pick!” He says, scandalised. Knowing his friends, they had probably gone for the photographs that he had taken off to show his figure to his friends. They were never meant for the public eye.
He lurches at them, wanting to steal the phone off Namjoon’s. Jimin is much smaller though so Namjoon pulls the man into his lap, laughing as he holds the phone away from him.
“You ass!” Jimin grumbles.
Hoseok is laughing, out of breath, as he hugs Jimin from behind. He’s sandwiched between Namjoon and Hoseok and he relaxes, the initial rush of exhilaration and shock rushing out of him and replaced with… adoration.
“Thank you,” is all what Jimin murmurs in the end.
Namjoon nestles into him. “We love you and we want you to be happy, that’s all.”
“You do make me happy. You two, that’s all I’ll ever need.”
Namjoon and Hoseok decide to stay over. They build a fort in the living room like children, using Nari’s spare bedsheets and holding them up with chairs. They cuddle, the three of them not knowing personal space, and fall asleep peacefully together.
------------------------------
Jimin is underdressed.
He stands in the waiting area of the address for the sushi restaurant he had been given. He just hadn’t expected it to be this… fancy. The restaurant is on the 39th floor, offering unparalleled, breathtaking views of Seoul. There is floor-to-ceiling glass windows, creating a magical experience.
Jimin, on the other hand, is wearing a loose fitted top and black jeans. He suspects there’s a dress code considering the suits and tight dresses that customers are wearing.
Jimin is also consumed with nerves. He hasn’t been on a date in four years. He hasn’t gotten laid in longer, ever since Jangmi had gotten pregnant. He is rusty and inexperienced and he feels too old to be going on blind dates. He has passed the age, now a responsible and mature adult that needed to focus on his daughter rather than fretting over dates.
This is also the first night he has been separated from Nari for a while. He spends all evenings with her, it is customary and being without her is causing waves of panic to wash over him.
Calm down, Jimin coaches himself. It’s fine.
“Jimin?” A gentle, but deep, voice draws him out of his spiralling thoughts.
Jimin looks up to follow the voice… only for his stomach to drop at the sight of the man.
The man is… beautiful, the kind of beauty that boys wish to be and girls want to be with. He’s tall and slim. He has toned arms and a small waist. He has immaculately symmetrical features, angular face with a sharp jawline.
The most striking feature is his eyes, though. A double-lid and a monolid, big and round, with a burning intensity behind them as if he can stare right through your soul. Jimin is pulled into a trance by them, powerlessly gawking at them. Jimin could drown in them.
He is wearing a patterned top, a clashing patterned blazer — somehow pulling it off in a way that shouldn’t be legal, and tight jeans.
“Y-yes?” He stutters.
Taehyung is amused, dripping into his tone when he replies, “I’m Taehyung. I believe you’re my blind date.”
“I am.” At least he’s gained some courage.
Taehyung is shamelessly checking Jimin out, not even trying to hide his wandering eyes. They make eye contact again and Jimin is tempted to shrink under the gaze, feeling like the man is chewing him up.
“You’re very beautiful,” Taehyung compliments. “Even hotter than the pictures.”
Jimin flushes, a deep red glowing on his cheeks. “Thank you. So are you.”
Taehyung offers a hand to the man and he takes it, still shy. Taehyung squeezes Jimin’s hand to prompt the initial nerves to wash away, simply listing his name to the waiter, as they are led to a table right by the window. It is open, supplying an impressive view of the city.
Taehyung pulls out his Olympus camera. It looks beaten down and worn out, the body of the camera has scratches all over it. He takes a few pictures of the high rise buildings in Seoul, snapping with practice, before turning his attention back to Jimin.
“Sorry. I couldn’t help it.”
Jimin waves a hand in dismissal. “I haven’t done this in a while. I’m out of practice,” he confesses, already offering an apology in case he ruins this and comes off like an awkward fool.
“It’s okay. I don’t do dates, either.”
It’s ominous but Jimin doesn’t ask the man to expand, wondering if it’s a little too personal for the first date.
“Let’s order, yeah?” Taehyung speaks again before Jimin can think of a reply, handing over the menu.
His eyes nearly bulge out at the prices, choking back his surprise. He knows that Namjoon had prepared this date, chosen the person and this venue. Had Namjoon forgotten Jimin was tight on money since he has opened his online business, still establishing a name for himself?
“I’ll get the sashimi set and edamame,” Jimin opts for eventually.
“Nice. I’m gonna have the California roll set,” Taehyung says, flagging down the waiter.
Sitting in front of the stranger, Jimin can’t help but mentally note down everything about the man. He’s enthralled by how confidently Taehyung speaks to the waiter, his friendly tone coming off as charming.
They’ve only been acquainted for less than thirty minutes but Jimin can confirm he’s attracted to Taehyung.
“What would you like for drinks, Jimin?”
He snaps out of his thoughts. “Beer, please.”
“Nice. I’ll have a glass of tap water.”
Once the waiter has taken their order, Jimin asks, “Not an alcohol guy?”
Taehyung shrugs, nose wrinkling in distaste at the mention. “Not really. The first time I tried alcohol, I was in Germany on holiday. It was this really strong German beer. It tasted like piss.”
“Beer is good!” Jimin defends.
“Questionable, babe.”
Jimin doesn’t blink twice at the pet name, just accepting it because it feels good.
“You had the wrong choice of drinks,” Jimin tries to convince the man. “You need to try the right drinks.”
“Yeah?” Taehyung tilts his head to the side. “You’ll show me them?”
The smooth talking, without a stutter, from Taehyung makes Jimin pause. He opens his mouth and then closes it before smiling.
“If you’d like me to.”
“If you’re not busy tonight, we could go to a bar,” he suggests.
A warning bell rings off in his head about Nari but he knows she’s spending the night at Namjoon’s apartment. She’s safe and she trusts Namjoon, sometimes even prefers being with him over Jimin. Tonight is his night, reserved just for him. He should flirt, he should banter with Taehyung, because it may be the only night he gets the chance to be liberated.
Once their food is delivered, they have already settled into a comfortable back-and-forth conversation. There is not a moment of awkwardness.
“So, how come you were on the dating app?” Jimin questions, his curiosity eating him alive.
Taehyung swallows over the bite of food. “Um, well. I was bored. I thought, why not?”
He giggles. “You ended up with me, unfortunate.”
“Nah. I definitely won. You’re beautiful.”
Heat rises in his face again and he has to look away, rolling his eyes. “Sweet talker.”
“It’s true! You are! Better than the photos, really.”
“Oh, shut up!” Jimin playfully kicks him under the table, barely harder than a tap which Taehyung returns back to him.
“I knew I wasn’t talking to you. Your friend, Namjoon, was very honest right from the beginning.”
He groans at the reminder, covering his face with a hand in humiliation. “They’re such protective friends, I’m sorry. They thought I needed to go back on a date and yeah… I didn’t even know what you looked like before I came here!”
Taehyung smirks. “Do I meet the expectations?”
Oh, so they’re flirting. This is flirting… this is okay, Jimin thinks. He may be unfamiliar with this but Taehyung makes it feel easy.
“You do,” Jimin boldly declares, the beer giving him a boost of confidence.
“Are you interested in dating, yourself?”
He shrugs, taking another sip of alcohol. “I haven’t thought about it lately, at least for a while.” He swallows. “I’m divorced. I haven’t been able to put myself back out there since.”
The impish grin is wiped clear off Taehyung’s face. “I… shit, I’m sorry.”
“They didn’t tell you that part, huh?”
“No… I’m sorry.”
Jimin shakes his head. “It’s been three years. I’m over it,” he assures, offering a tight smile. “I’m not really into dating unless it’s organic, just naturally happens instead of me trying to make it work, you know?”
“I get you. I’m the same,” he promises.
And just like that, the conversation drifts easily between them. They always have something to say, not spending a moment quiet. Jimin has never had such an effortless connection with somebody besides Namjoon and Hoseok and it’s thrilling to interact with someone new.
“So, what do you do for a living?” Taehyung asks.
“I’m self-employed, I work from home as a freelance writer.”
“Oh!” He’s dazed. “I definitely didn’t expect that.”
“What did you expect?”
“I don’t know, something outgoing. Maybe dancing?”
Jimin barks out a laugh, smiling. When he was younger, he had liked dancing and had even considered taking the route into the idol industry. However, he had just gotten married and Jangmi was pregnant not long after. It was bittersweet, torn up as he gave up on dancing for family.
Now, he has an online business so he can spend more time with Nari.
“Nope. Just a writer,” Jimin confirms. “You?”
“Guess.”
“Guess?” Jimin repeats with another hearty laugh. He takes this opportunity to scan over Taehyung, properly checking him out. There’s a suggestive glint in his eyes, making it obvious that this was more than just guessing his career. Taehyung must’ve realised because his irises darken, his Adam’s apple moving where he swallows hard. “You seem preppy,” he decides. “Something… different, not a corporate job.”
“Really? Nice.”
“Something laid back.”
A wry smile tugs at his lips. “I’m an art curator.”
“Oh.” His mind goes blank, desperately scanning through his knowledge but it remains blanks. “... What’s that? Sorry to ask.”
“Well. I manage Seoul National Art Gallery,” he explains, so casually like that isn’t a big deal.
“Wow.”
The art gallery is prestigious, ornate and stores hundreds of historical Korean artists who have been marked down for their talent. It is decorated beautifully, marble pillars and white aesthetic running through it. To manage such a place would be such a privilege.
“Mm.” Taehyung’s smile is humble. “I manage the art pieces and the exhibitions. I also mentor groups of school children, leading talks and guides around the gallery. I’m also an artist myself.”
Taehyung keeps ticking the boxes in Jimin’s head: handsome, a gentleman, creative, thoughtful, good at words, charming.
Jimin is so attracted to him. He wants to get on his knees for him.
He’s startled by the realisation of his thoughts. He doesn’t know when he had looked at a man and simply wanted him, but there’s lust growing in him and he just wants Taehyung.
“That’s hot,” Jimin blurts out.
His eyes bulge, squeaking out the end of his sentence, and face heating.
Taehyung, on the other hand, is just amused. He smirks. “Oh, yeah? Tell me, what else is hot about me, Jimin?”
They had spent another hour at the restaurant, sharing dessert between the two of them, before Taehyung had paid for the bill. Much to Jimin’s dismay as he had demanded they’d go half but Taehyung promised Jimin can pay for the drinks to make it even.
They take a short train ride into Itaewon and find a discrete bar, located in the basement under two flights of stairs.
The bar is questionably shoddy. The small place is dark and there’s loud music playing, dominating over the conversations. They sit at the bar as Jimin orders them rounds of shots.
Taehyung doesn’t like it. He chokes on the substance, frowning as it burns.
“What the fuck is that?” He complains.
Jimin grins, downing another shot easily. “Tequila.”
“It’s disgusting!” He is like an irked child, pouting. “Gimme sweeter stuff.”
They rotate through some drinks. Jimin orders a cocktail, that Taehyung doesn’t like either and laments that it’s too strong. They have more shots that Taehyung criticises, but takes nevertheless. They end up with vodka lemonade.
“I like this!” Taehyung says, consuming one glass. Then another.
An hour and a half later, Taehyung has drank more alcohol than he could handle. He’s a lightweight, his words slurring and much more carefree than he was before. Any sign of nerves he may have had — which was rare, considering how confident he is
— has been replaced completely.
This Taehyung, head spinning from alcohol and intoxicated, is affectionate and touchy. His hand is resting on Jimin’s thigh, leaning in so his hot breath fans over Jimin’s neck, all regard to personal space is forgotten. The proximity between them is making the air between them thick with tension.
Jimin doesn’t mind, though. The heavy weight of his hand is turning Jimin on, squirming in his chair. He hasn’t had sex in so long that physical contact, as simple as this, is turning him desperate.
It’s when Taehyung’s lips are lingering on his neck, hungry for more that Jimin says it.
“Can we go back to your apartment?”
As soon as the door of Taehyung’s apartment closes behind him, the man has Jimin caged against the wall and they’re kissing.
The kiss is soft as Jimin processes what is happening. This stranger, this beautiful creature, is kissing him. His first kiss after years.
Jimin’s hand rests on Taehyung’s forearm, squeezing in a quiet encouragement to spur him on. The pace changes up quickly after that with the kiss deepening. Jimin’s hand reaches up to twist in Taehyung’s hair, tugging roughly down and relishing with how Taehyung gasps, Jimin.
That goes straight to his dick and God, he wants Taehyung.
Taehyung’s hand is travelling over his body, resting dangerously close to his ass as he grips. The kiss is passionate as Taehyung licks into his tongue, asking for permission, before it meets in a dirty, messy kiss. They’re exchanging saliva as Jimin moans against his mouth, rutting his hips down on Taehyung.
The friction is delicious, making him horny for more.
“S-Shit,” Taehyung whimpers.
“Bottom or top?”
“Both.”
“Fuck me tonight, then,” Jimin practically begs, not paying attention to his high and needy voice. All fucks to give are gone, interchanged with want, want, want.
“Are you sure?”
In response, Jimin pulls his hair harder. “Positive.”
Their kiss is broken apart so Taehyung can focus on Jimin’s neck once again. He takes his time, his lips wandering over the skin. He doesn’t hesitate to suck a mark into Jimin’s pale skin, rough with his teeth as he experimentally sucks on the skin, intending to leave a dark bruise.
Jimin moans breathily, his hand tangling deeper into his hair and yanking on it.
Taehyung is in no rush. He luxuriously sucks on the skin until he’s satisfied, smoothing it over with a lick. He pulls back, a cocky grin sprawled across his face as he observes the hickey.
“Looks good.”
“God. Just. Shut up,” Jimin whispers. “Fuck me.”
“Demanding, much?”
“Shut up.” He grits out, pulling Taehyung’s head to the side.
They’re kissing again, tangled up in each other, as they stumble into Taehyung’s bedroom.
Jimin barely pays attention to the unkempt room, noticing some art supplies scattered across the floor and an unfinished canvas of a breathtaking painting. He will focus on it later. Right now, his dick is speaking ahead of his mind.
He yelps when he steps on paint, still wet. “The fuck!”
“Sorry!” Taehyung laughs into his mouth, kissing him again. “I didn’t know I’d have a cute boy in my apartment tonight, I would’ve cleaned up.”
“Less talking, more kissing.”
“Yes, sir.”
They undress each other and Jimin has to stop, taking in Taehyung’s naked body. He’s astonished. The boy takes care of himself, no doubt, but not excessively. He has a toned and lean body. His stomach is flat but he’s well built and well, he has the best ass.
“Shit.”
Taehyung’s lip tugs upwards. “Like it?”
“Shit, yeah. Let me ride you.”
Jimin’s already half hard but when Taehyung’s hand touches over him and strokes him, he swears he could come right there and then. His own hand has served him well over the last few years but nothing compares to the euphoria that is Taehyung’s hand working over him.
“T-Tae…” He moans.
“You’re so beautiful,” Taehyung murmurs, still kissing him. “Come sit on my dick.”
Taehyung retrieves a bottle of lube and a condom from the bedside table, laying Jimin out underneath him. His own cock is fully hard but he neglects it, focusing his energy entirely on Jimin.
Jimin wraps his legs around Taehyung’s torso, trapping the man over him as they kiss. His lips are beginning to feel numb but he’s consumed with how addicting Taehyung tastes, whining as he licks into his mouth. He attempts to rut up, gaining some relief on his cock, but Taehyung pins him down to the mattress.
“Patience, baby,” Taehyung says.
He opens the lube bottle, drizzling it generously over his fingers. He lifts Jimin’s leg up onto his shoulder, sucking in a breath at the sight of Jimin’s plump ass.
“How long has it been since you’ve bottomed?” Taehyung queries, his finger grazing over Jimin’s hole. It clenches, wanting the finger inside him.
“A while,” he admits. “But I use toys.”
“Okay.” Taehyung continues to tease him, not pushing it, but just rubbing the finger over him until desperation crawls through Jimin and he’s not opposed to beg.
“Please,” he whispers.
“Please, what?”
“C’mon, open me up. Let me ride your big dick.”
“Since you’ve asked so nicely,” Taehyung teases.
He luxuriously opens Jimin up, in no apparent hurry even as Jimin leaks pre-come all over his stomach. Jimin’s tight as a vice around Taehyung’s finger, still not able to relax with three fingers deep. It burns a little but Taehyung is patient, pushing past the stubborn wall of muscle to open him up.
When Jimin adjusts, he’s washed over with blinding pleasure and he’s ready. He’s so so ready.
Their positions switch up and Jimin’s on top now, his hand splayed over Taehyung’s chest. His mouth practically water as he observes the size of Taehyung’s cock, wondering whether he can even take the man’s width.
“It’s okay. I’ll bottom next time,” Taehyung says. A little too fast.
The implication of his words hang heavy and Taehyung looks embarrassed, ready to retract his words.
Jimin chooses to ignore them instead. He sinks down on Taehyung’s cock instead, mouth hanging open from the delicious stretch. It does hurt… momentarily a lot, but eventually fading out. He slowly takes every inch and there’s stars in his vision, left dumbfounded.
“S-Shit.”
Jimin is whimpering. Taehyung’s hand is on his waist, squeezing him in encouragement as Jimin starts to bounce on his cock.
“So good, Jimin,” Taehyung groans, digging his heels into the mattress to resist the urge to fuck back up into him.
Jimin draws a sharp breath in, sweaty and needy despite the fact that he’s nearly completely taken Taehyung in.
“Fuck me.”
Taehyung obliges. He lets Jimin go at his own pace before eventually rocking back. The sensation makes Jimin delirious, his head hazy and his thighs shaking from the ache of rocking back and forth on Taehyung’s cock. Jimin keeps a steady pace but Taehyung eventually becomes impatient.
He flips Jimin over and underneath him and when Jimin gives the go ahead, he slips into Jimin in one fluid motion.
“Fuck,” Jimin hisses out. He clutches the bedsheets, knuckles white from the grip. “Fuck me. Please, Tae.”
Taehyung’s thrusts are slow but deep, the angle making them hit right up against Jimin’s prostate. Jimin is speechless, choked out moans falling from him as Taehyung continues to fuck into him. The thrusts are practised and he hurls into Jimin, purposely extracting whimpers from him.
“So beautiful,” Taehyung praises. “So gorgeous. The best body. So tight.”
“Need to come!” Jimin gasps out.
“Let it go, baby. Let me see you come.”
Taehyung’s spare hand reaches down to stroke Jimin at the same time and it isn’t long until they’re both coming at the same time, riding off the intense climax.
Jimin’s orgasm practically makes him blank out, his eyes opening a minute later at the substance on his stomach. Much to his surprise, Taehyung leans down and licks up the come.
He kisses Jimin, letting him taste himself and Jimin groans.
“Shit,” Jimin says a minute later, as an afterthought.
Taehyung is lethargic as he drops into the mattress next to Jimin. “It’s late,” he murmurs. “Just sleep here. We’ll talk in the morning?” He suggests.
Jimin is tempted to reject the offer. He doesn’t want to say and he definitely does not want to talk about this. It was a good fuck. There is not much to discuss but the thought of leaving during the early hours of the morning is not appealing.
So, he obeys.
And eventually falls asleep with Taehyung.
——————-
Taehyung is disappointed when he wakes up and there’s not a sign of Jimin anywhere, almost like last night was a dream.
It might as well have been.
Jimin was dreamy, a little jarring that somebody could be so attractive and not even be aware of his own power. He was charming. With alcohol in his system, Jimin loosened up and unleashed a flirtatious, exciting side to him.
Taehyung had really wanted to keep talking to him but he’s gone.
He grumbles, falling back into his pillow with dismay. There’s a crumbled piece of paper on the pillow case next to him where Jimin had slept. Taehyung picks it up, his heart race picking up.
Gotta go. My number: ###-###-#####
Oh. Taehyung hadn’t expected that but he suspects their date had gone successfully well if Jimin had even given his number though he was in a rush to leave.
Hope blossoms in him.
When Taehyung’s finished with his first group of high school students, giving a speech about Van Gogh’s tragic life and the fame he accumulated after his death to dull, uninterested faces, he’s grateful for his break.
His second group is due in an hour, the same talk will be repeated.
Taehyung appreciates Van Gogh. The man was overrated but his art remains timelessly beautiful, worthy of the decades of marvelling over. Each piece holds an intricate story behind it that Taehyung is honoured to talk about.
But talking to students who are forced to be at the gallery as opposed wanting to, it really kills his enthusiasm.
Jungkook slides into the chair next to him. They have been best friends since childhood, the young boy following him into his workplace as a cashier at the gallery’s gift store for part-time work during studying.
“You got laid!” Jungkook declares loudly, poking at the prominent mark on Taehyung’s collarbones.
“Shut up!” He hisses back with narrowed, dangerous eyes.
The reminder of the hickey makes goosebumps break out on his voice. The memory of Jimin’s lips hovering over his, leaving a piece of himself onto Taehyung’s skin, cementing it into him. Jimin and his plump lips.
“Who was it?” Jungkook says. “Was it Jihun?”
“What? No! I wouldn’t sleep with my colleagues!”
“You don't sleep around, at all!” He frowns, never letting Taehyung forget that he’s married to his job and this gallery, often spending overtime here and doing more hours than required. “So, Who was it?”
“Nobody you know.”
“Yoongi hyung and I have been placing bets all morning.”
“Jesus Christ,” Taehyung murmurs with a roll of his eyes. “Of course you two have.”
“You sure it’s not someone from work? I’ve seen you eyeing up the other manager.”
Taehyung wrinkles his nose in disgust. “Kook, he’s like… 20 years older than me.”
“And he’s rich. So why not?”
“You’re repulsive,” he says, though tenderness pokes through his voice as he swats at Jungkook.
“It’s none of your business.”
Jungkook pouts, doe eyes staring into him with a quiet plead. “I wanna know! Is it something serious? Are you cuffed?”
“I’m not cuffed,” he huffs. “I don’t know. I only met him last night.”
“And you fucked?”
“Yup.” Taehyung pops the ‘p’, cringing at the internal embarrassment when he remembers he had mentioned next time to Jimin. There must be a next time, right? Considering Jimin left his number for him.
Jungkook is smug. “I won the bet!”
“Oh, fuck’s sake! Stop betting on my love life!”
“Non-existent more like. You’ve never been in a serious relationship.”
He frowns. He pulls apart the sandwich he had purchased, overpriced and not even appealing in the slightest with how stale the bread is.
“I know.”
“You’re always at work, it’s not healthy.”
“I know.”
“This may be good for you,” Jungkook says. His voice had dropped an octave, now full of genuine concern. Taehyung has gotten so lucky he has a best friend like Jungkook, never giving him a day feeling lonely. “You should embrace it and go for it.”
Taehyung smiles, pulling the boy into a side hug. “Thanks, Kook. I’ll see how it goes.”
——————
It takes some courage, a day later, after a pep talk from Yoongi and Jungkook and a bottle of grape soju, before he messages Jimin.
Taehyung: Hi
Is this Jimin?
It’s taehyung. The blind date
He has to distract himself before he thinks into overdrive whether he’s making a mistake. He’s inexperienced.
Taehyung cleans his apartment instead. It’s a small, but homely, place in Mapo-gu. It is on the pricier side but Taehyung has been able to afford it through his job role, accumulating a decent amount of wealth.
There is a painting he has been working on for months now, but unable to complete it. Maybe Taehyung is lacking the muse or just doesn’t have the energy. It’s a half finished piece, splashes of yellow and pink, with the back of a person. Taehyung isn’t sure what he was aiming for and he despises seeing it. It lacks… passion, lacks Taehyung’s sentiment.
It’s an hour half when he gets a response, picking up his phone.
Jimin: hey. Of course I remember you
How’re you?
Taehyung’s heart skips a beat. He had been anticipating this reply, making the nerves scatter all over as he replies embarrassingly quickly.
Taehyung: I’m good
Would you like to meet again?
Well, damn. Straight to the point, he had been so eager he even forgot to redirect the question back to Jimin and enquiry if he’s okay as well.
Jimin: lol, you’re cute
Can we meet for coffee? We should talk
That doesn’t sound promising but Taehyung doesn’t want to read into it, not until he receives confirmation of what the talk is about. Taehyung hasn’t dated for a while but he’s willing to make sacrifices for Jimin if necessary, break his own rules.
Taehyung: name a place and time I’ll be there
-----------------
The coffee shop they choose is in Hongdae, not far from Taehyung’s apartment.
Jimin is already seated inside. He’s on his own, in the far corner with his iced espresso. Taehyung’s nose wrinkles at the thought of the distasteful drink, putting in an order for milk chocolate milkshake, before he takes his seat opposite to Jimin.
Jimin’s dressed as casual as their blind date but he’s pulling it off exceptionally well.
He has a red checkered shirt, tucked into jeans along with dress shoes. He has the bare minimum makeup defining his features, shiny lip gloss on his lips that make them look more plump. Mostly, though, Jimin looks drained as if he has been spending nights awake. Maybe his business has been busier than usual, Taehyung suspects.
“Good afternoon,” Jimin smiles. He smiles with his eyes, crinkling up, and his mouth widening. It’s kind of beautiful, Taehyung feels like he’s in a trance as he stares helplessly. “I hope I didn’t disturb you.”
He waves a hand in dismissal. He might’ve taken a day off work just for this, dedicating it to Jimin. His boss was more than happy to give it to him, claiming he’s a workaholic and has annual leaves untouched.
“You didn’t,” he assures. Taehyung squirms in his seat, their last meeting’s events scanning through his mind. It’s almost hard to believe he had this man in bed, undressed, moaning for him. “How’ve you been, Jimin?”
“Okay. Tired,” the man confesses. He looks tired, too. “Yourself?”
“Busy, to be honest.”
“I bet. Your work sounds hectic.” Jimin’s eye lingers on the fading mark on Taehyung’s collarbone. He has made no attempt to conceal it, out in the open through his unbuttoned shirt.
Taehyung smirks when he realises Jimin is looking at it but pretending to ignore it.
“It is.” He thanks the barista when his milkshake is delivered, stirring the straw in the thick substance. “Is your online business picking up?”
“Mm. Apparently so.”
There’s no conviction in his voice. Taehyung just sips at the straw, lips wrapped around his straw, whilst staring right at Jimin. There is no innocence behind the act.
The last time they had fucked, he had stated that he wanted Jimin to fuck him.
Taehyung is usually the bottom, not inclined to switch. He likes it when the control is taken away from him, forced into a headspace of submission. He is always in charge of his life: at work as a manager, in the family as the eldest sibling, and there is nothing more rousing when he can do something but take it.
Jimin clears his throat, irises shimmering under the lighting of the shop. “We should talk… about this.”
“Yeah.”
Taehyung is usually not a commitment man. He just hasn’t been able to afford the time to do a date, or more. He doesn’t think he’d be opposed to it when it comes to Jimin. They hardly know each other but their connection is effortless, their sexual chemistry is off the scales — it wouldn’t be so bad to take it seriously, get to know each other whilst dating, right?
He doesn’t want to lay his heart out to Jimin, however. They’re still strangers essentially and he refuses to face humiliating rejection.
“I don’t do relationships,” is what Jimin says.
Taehyung freezes. Okay, so not what he expected. He’s a fool.
“Okay…”
“I’m busy,” he continues with an apologetic smile. “And I got divorced 3 years ago. It’s terrifying for me to jump back into something… with implications, and commitments.”
“I understand.” He does, he’s the same but he thought Jimin could be different. Apparently not.
Jimin must sense his crestfallen expression because his hand is reaching out to hold Taehyung’s across the table, delicately offering a squeeze.
“But,” he whispers. “I like our sex… I haven’t had fun like that in a while, Taehyung. I haven’t been reckless. I’ve been a hermit since my divorce, trapped indoors and doing nothing. This online business is affecting me, too.” He speaks honestly. “I’m lonely… like all the time, hence why my friends put me up to this blind date.”
“Oh.”
“Do you ever feel lonely, Tae?”
Taehyung ponders over the question. He has a close-knit group of friends. He has been able to retain contact with his high school friends, they usually hang out every other weekend whenever they’re free from their schedules. They go for drinks and on bike rides where they spent their formative years.
Then there’s Yoongi and Jungkook. He has known Jungkook since he was a baby, their mothers forcing them to grow up together. Yoongi he had met at work and watched him start to date Jungkook, now a happy couple.
“I don’t know,” he answers when a minute passes. “I have good friends.”
“I do, too,” Jimin interrupts. “But at the end of the day, I’m left feeling… alone.”
“I don’t want to be your solution to loneliness.”
“O-oh, no!” Jimin’s eyes widen. “I have my own solutions. I’m just explaining, Tae. Our night was good to me and well… I wouldn’t mind just fucking around sometimes? Me and you?”
Oh… oh.
Jimin wants to keep seeing him for sex. No strings attached.
Taehyung’s mouth is dry and the offer is overwhelmingly tempted. “What does that mean?”
“No commitments. We have sex when we’re free and want to, become friends because I’d really like to get to know you. You’re so interesting. If we get bored or don’t want to continue, the sex stops and the friendship continues.”
“No strings attached?” Taehyung asks.
“Absolutely none,” Jimin promises.
“Do I get to bottom next time?”
Jimin barks out a laugh in surprise at his candid question, glancing around the coffee shop in case anybody was nearby. “Sure, baby. Whatever you want.”
And well, Taehyung just can’t refuse the deal. Not when it’s laid out in front of him and it all makes sense, there’s no hidden surprises that could break him.
So, he nods and says, “Sure.”
They’re back in Taehyung’s apartment after the coffee is finished.
Clothes are strewn off across the floor and Jimin is on his lap on the couch, kissing him senselessly.
It’s all passionate and teeth clashing, not a moment to slow down. Taehyung’s head is spinning at the pace, both of them moving like they’re hungry and have been starving for months. Taehyung’s hand grips Jimin’s waist, stilling him as he slows down the kiss, licking into the man’s mouth. They grind dirtily on each other as they kiss.
Jimin’s jeans have a tent on them, his cock growing and desperate for more. Taehyung is being reduced to a mess, has never felt so drunk whilst sober over the taste of Jimin’s lips.
They’re so far gone that they don’t have it within them to move to the bedroom, remaining out in the living room.
Taehyung sinks to his knees, parting Jimin’s legs who sits on the couch. Jimin curses under his breath, his fingers tangling into the man’s hair and guiding him closer to his crotch.
“You’re so sexy, Taehyung,” Jimin murmurs in praise.
Taehyung unbuckles his jeans, pulling down the belt and jeans. His mouth waters at the sight of Jimin’s cock, half hard and he wants the man inside his mouth.
He kisses down Jimin’s shaft, more concerned with drawing out high whimpers from Jimin’s mouth. It’s working. The man is growing impatient, his fingers tightening in Taehyung’s hair in a slight warning. Taehyung pays no attention to it, though, moving at his own time.
“C’mon.”
“Shush.”
“Brat,” Jimin whispers.
Taehyung takes the head of the cock into his mouth, suckling on the sensitive area.
Jimin reacts immediately, cursing under his breath as he bucks his hips up. He’s beautiful like this, all drawn out and body rigid from anticipation. There’s sweat rolling down his forehead, his bare chest exposed under the dimmed lighting of Taehyung’s apartment.
He wants to make Jimin feel good. He wants to be good for Jimin, wants the man to show what his dominant side is and take him apart.
When he gets an irritable tug in his hair, he decides to take Jimin down into his mouth.
It’s not a hard fit but Jimin’s wide, filling out his mouth. He moans around the size in his mouth, eyes glancing up to Jimin through his lashes. Jimin closes his eyes, letting the pleasure wash over him.
Taehyung gets to work immediately. He sucks him all the way down, licking the underside of Jimin’s cock as he comes back up. He bops his head up and down until his mouth aches, fondling with Jimin’s balls with his spare hand.
Jimin is far gone already, garbling out nonsensical words as he controls Taehyung’s movements with the hand in his hair.
“Can I--” Jimin’s words are stuttered out, groaning. “Can I fuck your mouth?”
Taehyung pulls off the cock, a string of spit attached from his swollen lips to Jimin’s fully hard, leaking cock. He nods and says, “Please.”
Jimin guides him back and this time, there’s no wasting time. He holds Taehyung still as he ruts his hips back into the man’s mouth, relentlessly chasing his orgasm. He moves carefully at first but when he realises Taehyung is encouraging him to go faster, he keeps going.
Taehyung chokes and his eyes tear up but he doesn’t budge, wanting to be good.
When Jimin is close to his orgasm, he quickly pulls off. “Wanna come when I’m fucking you.”
Taehyung smirks. His own cock is neglected, hasn’t even touched it once, but it’s leaking pre-come.
Jimin reaches down to grasp it in his hand, slowly thumbing over the slit. He’s giving Taehyung the bare minimum touch, a smirk present on his lips. “Can you come untouched, Tae?”
Oh. A spark inside him, his stomach tightening. “I - I don’t know.”
“Can you try for me?”
“Oh. Y-yeah.”
“C’mon. Where’s your lube, condoms?”
“In my bedroom.”
“Wanna get fucked on the couch?” Jimin laughs. “Okay. I’ll be back.”
Taehyung has repositioned himself, bent over the couch with his ass on display. He works hard on his figure and he knows it pays off when Jimin approaches again, a gasp ripping out of him at the sight of Taehyung.
“Fuck, Tae,” he whispers.
It happens all too quickly from there. Jimin is extremely turned on and he doesn’t bother drawing out the moment any longer.
He lubes up his fingers and opens Taehyung up, impatiently. He starts with one finger and ends with three, stretching him out and scissoring him until he’s met with lack of resistance. He keeps a heavy hand on Taehyung’s back, forcing his face into the couch as he fucks the fingers into him. He crooks them inside, massaging Taehyung’s prostate.
“J-Jimin.”
“You like that, hm?” Jimin asks, prodding them against the bundle of nerves.
“Please!”
“Can you come just like this?”
“No,” he says adamantly. His head is still pushed into the couch, mind swimming and hazy from the pleasure. He groans. “I need your cock. Want your cock inside, please. Cock.”
“Desperate, much.”
“Mhm. Please.”
“I got you,” Jimin promises.
He pulls his fingers out, rolling the condom onto his cock as he slicks it up with lube. Once he gets the second go-ahead and consent from Taehyung, he slowly starts to push into Taehyung.
The size is much bigger than his fingers so Taehyung tenses up initially, not adjusted to the size.
Jimin notices and he slows down, rubbing Taehyung’s back soothingly. Once Taehyung nods again, he starts to sink down again.
When Taehyung’s adjusted to his cock, Jimin shows him no mercy. He hammers into Taehyung repeatedly, lifting one of Taehyung’s legs up on the leg of the couch. The position forces Taehyung to stretch his body out, a dull ache in his limbs from it, but it feels good. Like this, each time Jimin fucks into him, he feels it deeper.
Taehyung’s begging. In the cloud of his own arousal, he hasn’t realised he’s doing that.
“Jimin, please, please. I wanna come!” He’s practically screaming.
Jimin doesn’t slow down even for a minute. His thrusts are precise and smooth, repeatedly hitting Taehyung’s prostate.
Taehyung’s rutting his hips back desperately, rolling down to take Jimin down and meet back in the thrusts. The combined pleasure, the thrusts making his cock rub against the surface of his couch and giving him friction, is enough for his mind to be numb.
“Gonna come!” Taehyung warns.
“Before me?” Jimin is amused, to say the least. “Come, then, doll.”
Doll. That’s enough for him and Taehyung is reaching his climax, a consuming high as he comes all over himself. His mind blanks out as he comes down and the oversensitivity drags as Jimin continues to fuck him.
It’s not long before Jimin’s pulling, throwing off the condom and coming all over Taehyung’s ass.
“Shit,” Jimin hisses as he comes, streaks of come painting Taehyung. “Now, that’s art.”
Taehyung giggles, a tight coil in the pit of his stomach at the thought of Jimin’s come all over him.
It takes a few minutes before he stands up straight again, legs wobbly and unable to support himself. Jimin cleans him up and leads him into the bedroom, laying him down to recover from the orgasm.
“I’m calling off this arrangement if you refuse to cuddle me after sex,” Taehyung warns. Through all the playful side, he means this. This is a hard limit. “I need it after sex, okay? I can’t be alone.”
Jimin is standing at the foot of his bed, his face melting into understanding and fondness.
“Of course, Tae,” he promises. He crawls into bed after Taehyung and pulls the man into his chest.
This is awfully comfortable. Something Taehyung can get used to. He buries his head into Jimin’s chest, breathing in the smell of cologne mixed with scent and sex. He likes it.
They end up taking a nap together like that.
---------------
The sex happens again and again.
They have sex out on Taehyung’s balcony, a view of Seoul underneath them as Taehyung fucked into Jimin shamelessly, giving his neighbours a show. They have sex in Taehyung’s bedroom, Taehyung laid out underneath him as Jimin fucks him desperately. They have sex over Taehyung’s kitchen counter. They christen every part of Taehyung’s apartment.
And he realises, a month or so after their arrangement, he doesn’t even know where Jimin lives.
The sex is always at Taehyung’s apartment.
-----------
“So, you’re planning on never telling him about Nari?” Hoseok deadpans, unimpressed.
There’s a hard frown on his face. He’s disapproving.
Jimin feels like he’s being drilled underneath his hyung’s stare and he has to look away. He’s waiting for Nari to finish her breakfast so he can take her to kindergarten. He’s grateful that Taehyung’s neighbourhood is not near Jimin’s, the chances of them running into each other are low.
Nari is happily eating away, kicking her legs, unaware to Hoseok’s fury.
“Why should I?” Jimin eventually asks.
The topic of Nari hadn’t arisen during their blind date and when they had sex, Jimin thought it wasn’t appropriate to bring up his daughter. As they continued to see each other, he realised he didn’t have to tell Taehyung anything. Jimin’s daughter is his personal life that he wants to guard, protect away from any potential evil, and Taehyung is temporary.
A temporary fuck buddy.
There’s no need to complicate the situation by announcing his daughter.
Hoseok, on the other hand, is close to throwing a temper fit. He crosses his arms, levelling Jimin with a seriously questionable look.
“You’re lying about something serious, a huge part of your life.”
“I’m not lying!” Jimin excuses himself, furrowing his brows. His hand reaches out to run through Nari’s tangled hair, smiling to himself at the sight of his girl. “I’m purposely keeping information away from him that he doesn’t need to know, hyung. It’s none of his business.”
“You’re doing the thing together!” He censors the words for Nari’s sake.
Jimin shrugs. “It’s nothing serious.”
“You’re seriously telling me it’s no strings attached, even after a month?”
Jimin raises a brow. “Yes? I have no feelings for him.”
“You’re spending practically all spare time with him!”
“Because! We’re good friends?” He’s bewildered by Hoseok’s onset of heavy questions, full of implications.
Jimin doesn’t like Taehyung. They vibe well together, like two peas in a pod that were ultimately going to meet in this world. It was inevitable. They’re good friends. When they’re not having sex, they’re always up to mischief together. They have the same interests and can never spend a minute in dull or silence.
So perhaps, Jimin should’ve told Taehyung about Nari.
But he stands by his words, Taehyung doesn’t need to know and it’s too late to now break the news about his baby girl.
Hoseok shakes his head, finishing the last drop of his coffee. “I hope you know what you’re getting into, Jimin.”
The tone is patronising and it rubs Jimin the wrong way. He’s fired up but he doesn’t want to jump to a conclusion and speak rudely to his friend. Instead, he bites down the annoyance bubbling inside him.
“I’ll be fine, hyung.” After all, Hoseok is just worried about him and he needs to placate the man, promise it’s fine. “It’s nothing serious and I’d rather not get Nari used to a man she’ll have to forget eventually.”
“Okay.” With that, Hoseok bids his farewell and Jimin finally breathes.
------------------
Pillow talk has become Jimin’s favourite pastime with Taehyung, maybe even more than the actual sex itself.
The sex is brilliant, mindblowingly fantastic and Jimin doesn’t remember the last time he had been so sexually active. He went from being celibate after his divorce to having sex once a week, maybe even more if he can find a babysitter for Nari, but he doesn’t like to jeopardise any time he has with his girl.
But he enjoys this too.
When they’re both still naked and they talk about each other, about their lives.
Jimin has come to learn a lot about Taehyung. He comes from a small village just outside of Daegu but he just says Daegu for ease, and because nobody knows his village. His family are farmers but they had wanted Taehyung to have a more prospective future. When they noticed Taehyung’s love for painting, they sent him packing to Seoul.
Taehyung came to Seoul on his own with Jungkook by his side, the childhood friends making the move together.
Eventually, a lot of Taehyung’s high school friends made the move to the capital too. Whether it was for study, for work or to enrol into an entertainment company to chase their dreams as an idol — they had their independent reasons, but they were able to reunite with Taehyung through this.
Taehyung’s nature is well-mannered and calm. He isn’t quick to react to anger. He has thought out, considerate words. He speaks articulately. He’s creative and spends a lot of painting. He can be emotionally restrictive but Jimin has been encouraging him to speak his mind more often.
Taehyung is still naked, approaching him with two coffee cups.
“Thank you,” Jimin murmurs. He’s curled up on the couch, a blanket covering his body. He takes the mug, blowing on the warm substance. “I thought you don’t like coffee?”
“I don’t,” Taehyung confirms. He shows his own cup; a glass of strawberry milk.
Jimin giggles. He invites Taehyung under his blanket and rests his head against the man’s shoulder, sipping on the coffee.
They’ve become comfortable with physical affection, neither of them hesitating to initiate it. With their boundaries breaking down and their sex becoming more intimate, Jimin has felt complacent to touch Taehyung even after sex.
“We’ve been having sex for nearly two months now,” Taehyung says. “And we’ve never discussed our kinks.”
“Hm.” He hums in agreement. He looks up to Taehyung with a smile. “Should we?”
“Well, I’ve discovered some of yours. You like choking.”
“Yeah.” Jimin nods. “But that’s tame.”
He chokes out a laugh, swallowing the strawberry milk. “Tame?” Taehyung repeats. “Okay, what else do you like?”
“I’m not sure. Me and my ex-wife were… very vanilla so I never got to experiment. I like bondage, like tying people up and being tied up. I like degradation… calling someone my slut.”
The casual conversation makes Taehyung weak, Jimin can see it, and he smirks off the power high he gets from it. He wants Taehyung to squirm. Maybe they could even go for round two here on the couch.
“What about you?” Jimin directs the question to him.
“Um. Well, I like degradation too on the receiving side. I liked being tied up, too. I like edging but I also like overstimulation. I like a lot of things. I like being completely out of control, sometimes.”
“I’ve noticed,” Jimin says. “You’re cute. The best sex partner I’ve had.”
“Really?”
“Are you kidding?” He laughs. “Of course. You’re so sexy, Taehyung.”
Taehyung flushes, placing a chaste kiss on the man’s forehead.
“Have you seen more people besides your ex-wife?” He asks.
They rarely breach on the topic of Jangmi. Taehyung avoids it, presumes it is a sore reminder that shouldn’t be talked about. Jimin, however, doesn’t feel a pang from talking about Jangmi. He still sees her regularly and has used the pain from his heartbreak and divorce towards Nari rather than fretting over his broken marriage. He has forgotten what it is like to be hurt over Jangmi.
Regardless, it’s a rude indication that Jimin knows so much about Taehyung. He’s an open book about his past but enigmatic about his current life and emotions. Whereas Jimin has barely revealed much about himself, more vocal about his current daily life excluding Nari.
“Nope,” Jimin says. “Just one boy before her but it was short. It’s nearly always been my wife.”
“Wow. I’ve had a few sexual partners but never a serious relationship.”
Shock crosses Jimin’s face, slack expression. “Never…?”
“Nope. Just flings here or there.”
“But…” Jimin helplessly gestures to Taehyung who is everything a man or woman would want. “It’s hard to believe.”
“I got too busy with my new job and then I guess I just lost the will to date.”
“Mm.” Jimin sighs as he buries into Taehyung’s neck, purposely biting a mark there. It’s impulse, if anything. “Well, I’m honoured to be another fuck partner for you. I hope I’m better than the others.”
“Incomparable.”
------------------
“You need to stop this.”
Taehyung glowers at Jungkook. “Why?”
“Because you’re going to end up falling in love with him! Have you not watched any friends with benefits movies, Tae? They end badly!”
He pays no attention to his best friend’s rambling. He knows Jungkook cares, way too much for his own good, but Taehyung isn’t prepared to give up what he has with Jimin. It’s easy, happy-go-lucky, mutual arrangement that works well for the both of them.
“I’m not in love with him,” Taehyung reminds him.
Taehyung certainly isn’t. He may have an inkling for Jimin, finds him cute and relishes his time with the man but he isn’t sure if he has feelings for Jimin. Or maybe he just isn’t aware what that feels like, has been deprived of a real relationship in his whole life.
“You blush every time I mention him.”
“Because I remember how I take it up in the ass, idiot.”
Jungkook scowls, hitting his shoulder. “Shut up, this is a family event!”
Taehyung rolls his eyes. As an art curator, working in a gallery, he even offers personal one-to-one sessions with enthusiasts who want to learn more about the art. It is a guided, personal tour around the gallery and usually costs a lot more than just a group booking it out.
He checks his schedule and finds he has a personal one-to-one guided tour today and then a high school group two hours later. He has an exhibition preparation later in the evening and his day ends up much later.
“Your 1pm tour is here,” Yoongi communicates to him through the walkie talkie.
Taehyung hums. “I’ll be down!”
He turns to Jungkook, who is still staring at him pointedly, there is almost a hint of disappointment written over the young man’s face and he hates seeing that. He hates that so much.
Taehyung sighs. “I’ll be fine, Kook. Don’t worry about me.”
Jungkook just exhales. “Go do your tour.”
When Taehyung comes to the entrance of the art gallery where he meets his tour guides, he is thrown into shock when he notices… it’s Jimin.
Taehyung’s heart stops, his breath catching in his throat as he’s rooted in the place he stands. His stomach twists… something akin to butterflies erupting in his stomach, a sight he had not been expecting. Jimin had booked out a two-hour tour in the art gallery with the curator, with Taehyung. A tour that costs a fortune.
Yoongi is smiling from where he stands. “Park Jimin, your 1pm tour.”
“Thanks.” Taehyung scribbles his signature down to confirm his attendance to the 1pm tour before approaching Jimin.
Jimin has attempted to make an effort for the tour in the gallery. He’s wearing a white t-shirt, the painting on it that Taehyung recognises as Jean Michel Basquiat. It’s none of Taehyung’s shirt the man must’ve stolen, paired with a striped full sleeve underneath and distressed jeans. The style is unlike Jimin’s usual: elegance and class replaced with… artistic, hipster.
He pulls it off well, nevertheless.
“Jimin…?”
Jimin glances up, a smile growing on his face at the sight of Taehyung. He crosses the distance between them, coming to greet him.
“Surprised?”
Taehyung laughs, for real shocked. “Yes?” He says, pulling Jimin into a hug. The embrace is warm, arms wrapped around Jimin tightly. “Why are you here?”
“I know you like art,” he murmurs against Taehyung’s neck, snuggling further into him. “And I wanted to know more about it.”
“Really?”
“Of course. You like it, so I wanna know more about it.”
There is a tingle in Taehyung’s gut and he ignores it, eyes fluttering shut. The hug is tender.
Nobody has ever taken interest in Taehyung like this, wanting to know the hobbies he has. Wanting to know about him and his art and more about his job. This is a foreign feeling, settling into Taehyung’s bones and consuming him whole.
“Thank you,” he whispers, pulling away. “You booked for the Van Gogh exhibition tour?”
“Mm. I was intrigued by the other artists, but you like Van Gogh and well… who doesn’t know about him?”
“Very well.”
In a moment of boldness, Taehyung grabs Jimin’s hand. He weaves their fingers together, leading them through the gallery. He avoids Yoongi’s look scorning into them as he takes them up the elevator to the fourth floor where the exhibition is. The affection is welcomed by Jimin, holding their hands tightly.
The exhibition contains some of Van Gogh’s most remembered, notable works… as well as some of the least recognised art.
The room is lit up with a minimal aesthetic running through it, white walls and white lighting, with the paintings scattered across the walls in various places. Jimin is quiet as he appreciates the sight before him, snapping pictures of the overall exhibition.
“Educate me, sir,” Jimin teases.
Taehyung is still holding his hand, doesn’t have the will to let go but Jimin doesn’t either.
“So.” He takes a deep breath, unusually anxious. He is good at his job, doesn’t even stutters over the words he has memorised over and over before an exhibition starts. When a new artist is headlining at the gallery, Taehyung is already accustomed to the artists having studied them. But right now, his heart is pounding… he almost feels like he’s taking an exam. “Vincent Van Gogh is one of the most popular impressionist painters, though he was not appreciated during his lifetime. His work is remembered to be emotive, expressive and thought provoking.”
“Mmm. Sexy.”
“Shut up,” Taehyung says with a giggle, a deep flush on his cheeks. “He was born in Holland but travelled to London in 1873. He enjoyed London very much.”
There is a quote printed on the wall above them. How I love London, Vincent Van Ghogh, 1875 that Taehyung points out.
Jimin is intrigued and hanging off every word, drinking in the knowledge with genuine curiosity. It spurs Taehyung on, doesn’t usually have the privilege of interested tours.
“He has very famous pieces that we will be looking at and exploring today. Starting with the known, The Starry Night.” Taehyung points out the painting on the wall, seeing Jimin’s face light up in recognition. Everybody has seen this painting.
“What does this painting mean?” He asks.
“It’s instantly recognised for its unique style. He painted this in a mental asylum, a year and a month before his death. The painting includes 11 stars and a crescent moon, in the background of a Dutch city. He mentions it briefly in a letter he has written as a study of the night sky.”
Jimin is marvelling the painting. “It’s beautiful.”
“It is,” he confirms.
The pair walk through the exhibition, analysing each of the paintings available.
They stop at the self portrait Vincent Van Gogh as Taehyung explains it, how the man painted it during his last months in Paris. Another painting called ‘Sorrow’, done by graphite and ink paper, that portrays a seamstress who happens to be in a desperate circumstance.
“Van Gogh describes the lady as ‘one foot in the grave when I met her’,” Taehyung murmurs to Jimin. They’ve somehow themselves in this position; Taehyung hugging Jimin from behind, his arms wrapped around Jimin’s shoulder, as they gaze at the painting.
“It’s… heartbreaking,” Jimin says.
“His paintings are often very striking,” he agrees.
“I see why you’d want a career in this,” he mumbles. Jimin leans back into the touch, warmth radiating from his back pressed against Taehyung’s front. “It’s… enlightening.”
“It is, right?” Taehyung isn’t thinking when he presses a kiss in the man’s hair.
They walk around the exhibition for an hour longer. They learn about Van Gogh’s time in France, in the Netherlands, in the mental asylum before the end of his short life and how he accumulated fame for his captivating paintings after his passing.
“I can’t believe he died,” Jimin says as they walk out of the exhibition, hand-in-hand. “He was so talented and he didn’t get recognition for it.”
The thought makes Taehyung’s heart heavy. He works relentlessly at his art and if his paintings were only appreciated after his death, he’d feel like his lifetime would go to waste only to be a prodigy afterwards.
“He’s appreciated now. That’s all that matters.”
Jimin glances at his phone, noticing the time is hitting further in the afternoon.
“I need to go, Tae,” Jimin mutters, leaning up to kiss Taehyung’s kiss in a chaste, quick kiss.
“Oh. Okay.” Disappointment sinks into him, wanting to spend all his time with Jimin, but knows that’s implausible and truthfully he has another tour in an hour time that he has to prepare for.
“Sorry.” He hugs Taehyung before bidding farewell and walking off out of the gallery, looking over his shoulder to offer a wave and a cheeky grin.
Taehyung’s heart. His heart is pitter-pattering against his chest and God, he doesn’t know what this is.
But he thinks he’s falling for Jimin.
---------
Jimin: you have to come!
Bring your friends, too.
Taehyung is on his way home, the commute from Gangnam to Mapo-gu taking around 45 minutes. He savours this time alone. It’s his time to read his books, catch up on some work, text back his friends.
Jimin had unexpectedly, in a last minute plan, invited Taehyung to drinks with Jimin’s friends.
He almost wants to decline. He isn’t sure he’d feel comfortable interacting with strangers, nonetheless the same people who had faked being Jimin in the first place and are now aware they’re fucking around in bed. But Taehyung is a natural extrovert and he doesn’t want to turn down Jimin’s kind offer.
Taehyung: I’ll come
My friends probably can’t make it on the short notice, though.
Jimin: That’s fine. Bring ur fine ass over.
So that’s how Taehyung finds himself outside the low-key bar located in Itaewon, having had to change directions halfway through his journey home. He double checks the address, it’s definitely the one located in the basement of a shady alleyway.
He jolts out of surprise when a pair of arms wrap around him, tiny hands covering his eyes.
“Guess who!” A very familiar voice calls to him.
Taehyung rolls his eyes, immediately leaning into the touch and chasing after Jimin’s warmth. “Hm. Who’d be able to guess?”
“You have two guesses or you don’t get a blowjob in the toilet.”
“Jimin,” he scolds, but it comes off as a guess rather than him telling the man off.
Jimin giggles. “Guess you’re the lucky winner of the blowjob.”
Taehyung jabs his elbow behind into Jimin’s ribs before turning over and pulling the man into an embrace. They sway side-to-side, their chests flushed against the other.
“You guys are gross,” a man says with disgust behind him.
Jimin just pinches Taehyung’s side in mischievous before pulling away, presenting Taehyung to his friends with a grin.
“Hoseok, Seokjin and Namjoon hyung, this is Taehyung,” he introduces. “You guys already know since you chose him.”
Taehyung bows politely to them, shaking their hands. “It’s nice to meet you,” he says.
Once the formal introductions are over, they head into the bar. Jimin claims it’s one of his favourites, most visited places and Taehyung can’t imagine why. He must be accustomed to the surroundings because Jimin greets the bartender behind the counter with familiarity glint in his eyes, offering the man a heartfelt hug. They even get the first round of drinks for free as Jimin chooses a booth for them.
This feels like a test, almost. Like he’s trying to prove his worth to Jimin’s friends.
“So, what do you do for a living?” Namjoon makes casual, light-hearted conversation. His arms are looped with Seokjin, both of them sharing a drink. They’re cute.
Taehyung smiles. “I’m an art curator. I manage, and take care, of an art gallery.”
“Wow,” Hoseok says. “That’s so interesting! Do you like it?”
“Yeah. I love art, really.”
“It seems as though its rubbed off on our Jimin, too. He’s always talking about artists and some specific artworks.”
That really shouldn’t make his chest tighten, unexplainable adoration filtering into him… but it does anyway. Jimin has actually talked to his friends about art, has taken Taehyung seriously, absorbed his words and knowledge and passed it on. It’s the best feeling.
“Really?” He glances to Jimin, who adamantly looks away but has redness growing on his face.
The night continues in the same manner.
Taehyung finds himself effortlessly slotting into conversation with Jimin’s friends, never a dull moment between them with the help of alcohol to loosen them up. They bond over Jimin’s embarrassing moments as Namjoon has the courtesy to share Jimin’s childhood and teenage pictures.
Jimin is flushed, down to his neck, as he pouts. “Put it away, hyung!” His eyes are glossy, the alcohol taking a toll.
Drunk Jimin is clingy Jimin.
He hangs off Taehyung, a hand on him at all times. Whether it’s on Taehyung’s thigh, hand or even just his arm. A hint of suspicious is written on Hoseok as he observes them carefully, keeping an eye on their every move, but Jimin doesn’t alter his behaviour at all.
It’s when Jimin’s pressing sloppy, drunken kisses on Taehyung’s neck shamelessly in front of their friends when Hoseok says.
“Is someone taking care of Nari tonight?”
Nari? That name is not even close to familiar, completely new to him.
Jimin’s body grows frozen, as straight as a rod, as there’s a kick under the table and Hoseok has to stifle a surprised cry. Namjoon’s gaze darts between them and then effectively changes the topic, the name Nari long but forgotten.
And as promised, Jimin does get on his knees in the toilets of the bar.
The blowjob is messy and there’s spit everywhere and when Taehyung fucks the man’s throat ruthlessly and comes on his face, Jimin licks off it off and swallows it all.
Jimin’s dreamy.
And Taehyung thinks he’s falling dangerously deep.
--------------------
“Daddy. Can I have cuddle?” Nari requests that night.
Jimin is still tipsy, his head light from the amount of alcohol and beers he had kept pouring down his system. He has a pounding headache. Regardless, he did not want to miss the chance to tuck his baby girl into bed though it’s past her nighttime routine.
“Of course, honey,” Jimin promises.
He feels guilty, consuming him whole. He usually spends all day, everyday with Nari. It had been unusual to tailor a new routine that didn’t include Nari at every moment and rather, incorporate Taehyung. Jimin knows he’s still young, that he still has the liberty to act his age, that he can have fun without beating himself up over it.
But the lack of Nari he has seen is gut wrenching. He desperately does not want to fail as a father.
Jimin crawls under her covers, squeezing into the small bed with her. Nari sighs sleepily, wrapping her body around him.
“Missed you,” Nari says, yawning.
Another stab, deep enough to pierce. The girl doesn’t sound mad but he’s not okay with spending less time with Nari, even if he’s allowed to do so.
“Sorry, I missed you too.”
“Daddy, you happy?” Nari’s drifting into unconsciousness but she asks. “You seem happy.”
His chest glows. He is happy.
“I’m always happy with you,” he replies, but he knows a part of this newfound contentedness… Taehyung plays a huge part to it.
Jimin doesn’t sleep all night, mind heavy with Taehyung running through it.