Chapter Text
It was after midnight, so officially the first day, or rather hours, of 2014. They had come home from the broadcasting, had a quick dinner that Jin had made, had an awkward discussion about who’s seen who naked, and the rest of the guys had gone to bed. Jimin and Jungkook, though, were currently trying to move around as quietly as they could in the lounge.
“Ouch!” Jimin whispers quietly. “Did you move the table?”
“Yeah. Did you find it?” Jungkook teases back. “I had to move it to be able to spread the blankets.”
“Mm… my shin did. It’s very good at finding misplaced objects. Especially if they are hard.” Jimin rubs his leg and plops down on their bedding that Jungkook spreads around on the floor. The room is dark except for the light coming into their windows from the outside. A sign on the building next door makes the room shine slightly blue and green. Suddenly, Jimin hears a loud rustle.
“Shhhhh.”
“What? I was only opening the bag of chips.” Jungkook pouts.
“Well, do it quieter. I don’t want the others to wake up. It’s four in the morning, and they finally fell asleep.”
“Yeah, I know. But I wanted chips.” Jimin knows how lucky they are that they even found the bag of chips in the kitchen cupboard. They had hidden it the other day behind a container of rice; otherwise, it probably would have already been eaten by someone else.
“We’ve already brushed our teeth.” Jimin says as he takes the bag from him before walking away.
“Hey!” Jungkook silently yells after him. “I wanted that.” Jimin ignores him and walks into the kitchen. He rummages around for a while until he finds what he’s looking for. After emptying the bag into the bowl, he walks back to Jungkook and hands it to him.
“Here, Kook-ah.”
“Thanks.” Jungkook says, and puts it down next to him on the floor.
“I thought you didn’t like chips as much anymore?”
“I like it well enough… It's just that I try to eat healthier. You know that. But it's a new year!”
“That’s right! It is.” Jimin frowns. “Or was, I guess.”
“And I need something to make me stop thinking about how all of you apparently keep seeing each other naked.” Jimin hits Jungkook in the dark, or tries, but honestly, he mostly misses and hits the air. Jimin can’t believe the maknae can’t let go of the discussion with Tae in the bathroom earlier.
“You keep on saying that, like it's something dirty! We’re just doing it for efficiency!”
“Taking a bath with another person next to you is efficient?” Jungkook counters, for about the third time since he learned about the fact less than an hour ago. Jimin rolls his eyes.
“It’s just boring laying there on your own in the bath.” Jimin defends himself. “So what if we watch an episode or two in there together sometimes? Someone needs to use the keyboard, or it would be a disaster if the laptop got wet.” Jimin can’t really understand why Jungkook is overreacting like this. It’s not like it’s a huge scandalous thing! “It’s not like we’re in the actual bath together, with lit candles and helping each other to get off, Kook-ah!” Jimin exclaims, tired, and takes a deep breath. He’s about to keep on defending himself when Jungkook starts coughing. “Did you seriously choke on a chip just because I said get off, Kook-ah? You’re such a child sometimes.” Jimin feels his irritation cool down, and he starts snickering.
“Am not!” Jungkook says mid-cough. Jimin just sighs and wishes he never said anything. Maybe he should have waited until the maknae was older. The thought makes Jimin laugh, and then he realises they are making too much sound again.
“Shhh. They’ll wake up. We need to keep quiet.”
“Sure.” Jungkook coughs. “I’ll try to die more silently next time.” Jimin rolls his eyes at the maknaes sass and hands Jungkook a bottle of peach iced tea that he found in the fridge. Must be one of those bottles their manager puts in there. Jungkook takes a few generous gulps before saying.
“Thanks.”
“The fireworks were so beautiful, don’t you think?” Jimin says in an attempt to change the subject. Jungkook just hums affirmatively and starts fluffing the pile of pillows on the floor. When he’s apparently happy about them, he lays down, and Jimin follows. They pull the covers over themselves, and Jungkook takes the bowl of chips and places it on his stomach.
“Good thing you got abs; otherwise, you wouldn’t have your own table with you everywhere.” Jimin teases.
“I can use yours instead if you want.” Jungkook teases back, and the two of them smile at each other in the dark. “What show did you want to see?” he asks after a while.
“I’m not sure if I’m up for anything… Maybe we can just listen to some music?”
“Sure.” Jungkook says, puts down the bowl on the floor again, and starts going through his phone. Jimin pats down the blanket beneath and around himself, feels around in his pockets, and is just about to get irritated when Jungkook hands him his earphones.
“Here, hyung. I saved them earlier from your pat-down destruction that was sure to come.”
“Hey!” Jimin says indignantly. “I don’t always lose…” he sighs in defeat. “Thanks.” He does lose his earphones a lot. Not as much as RM though. After some untangling, he hands one of the buds over to Jungkook.
“How will you hear anything in those if you’re eating chips at the same time?”
“It will be fine, hyung. I have perfect ears. They can do anything.” Jungkook says with what Jimin assumes is a straight face, even if he can’t see him that clearly in the dusky room.
“Suit yourself… Maybe I should have some too. Where’s the bowl?”
After some moving around, bumping into each other, and just some awkward fumbling after the bowl of chips, they are both situated comfortably. Some foreign soft song is playing in their ears, and they just lay there listening to that and the loud crunching on the two of them eating chips. To be honest, this is rather rare. They usually have way too much energy to just lie still like this. They usually watch a movie together or just play games on their phones. Or just sleep. This solemn, quiet togetherness is rare. And Jimin thinks it’s so nice… But after a while, it’s just too nice, and they both fall asleep, still connected by the earphone cords.
–––
Jimin wakes up when the sounds around him from the others start to infiltrate his sleeping mind. He’s so warm. When he tries to move, he realises Jungkook’s arms are around him. So that was the source of the heat. Jimin closes his eyes again and smiles. The maknae would die of embarrassment if he knew he hugged Jimin in his sleep like this. So he will tell him later…
“Aww.” Jimin hears and opens his eyes. “How cute.”
“Good morning, hyung.” Jimin says quietly as he sees Hoseok looking down on them. They don’t really need to whisper. It’s not like Jungkook will wake up anyway; this kid can sleep through basically anything.
“I just wanted to check on you guys. Want breakfast?” Jimin shakes his head.
“No, thanks, hyung. I’ll wait and eat later with Jungkook.” Hoseok nods, waves a little, and retreats into the bedroom again. He can hear Namjoon snoring in there, so apparently not everyone’s awake yet. Jimin closes his eyes. He’s an adult now. He had been so excited to become an adult. But now? It didn’t feel any different. It’s not like anything really changed. The limitations and restrictions of a minor have been lifted, but with that newfound freedom, a lot of responsibilities came too.
All of a sudden, everything just felt overwhelming rather than fun. He wishes he could talk to his parents, but they won’t be able to see each other for a while yet. He worked so hard for the debut, but then it almost felt like he turned an adult right there and then after his first step into the dorm. So now, when he was supposed to be an adult for real… It didn’t feel any different. He can’t help wondering what everyone would want from him now. What did the fans expect from him now as an adult? More mature photos? He can’t even imagine what that would be like. Will the company expect other things? It felt like there were so many questions and so few answers. He takes a deep breath to stabilise himself, since he can feel himself tense up. It must have disturbed the sleeping maknae, because he pulls Jimin closer into himself. Jimin can feel his breath on his neck, and it makes him shiver slightly. He closes his eyes again and sighs. He can’t keep on doing this. It’s not right. The maknae trusts him and loves him like a brother. Jimin must stop himself, take a step back, and just keep that trust as it is. He can’t, under any circumstances, misuse the maknae’s trust in him. He sighs. Everything feels a bit off today. And it’s only just morning. Adulthood sucks already. But he has to do this now. He has to become and act like an adult, he has to make the right decisions, and he has to be… what? More mature? Maybe. But how? Work even harder. Yes, definitely. Be more open about his inner feelings. Yeah, maybe he can do that. He could make that his new year's resolution. He will be more open about what he thinks and feels, especially towards their fans.
–––
Jimin is sitting in the Bangtan-room looking at videos on the computer. He just ended the recording of his vlog. The plan had been to be more open about everything, so he had tried to do that today. He does think he got his thoughts through to their fans, but it’s hard to know. And now… he just felt a tiny bit… empty inside. The door opens behind him, and he turns around to see who it is.
“Are you done, Jimin-ah?” RM’s head is the only thing that’s seen around the door.
“Yes, hyung.” RM must have seen something on Jimin’s face, because he comes inside and closes the door behind him. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, hyung. I just feel… overwhelmed? Slightly… Empty? Maybe?” Jimin still wasn't able to put the finger on the exact feelings he had. And he has absolutely no idea how to put words to his feelings. “I’m fine.” Jimin tries to smile confidently.
“Why?” RM frowns. “What’s up?”
“I’m an adult now.” Jimin looks down and pulls down his sleeves over his hands. “Apparently.”
“Ahhh.” Namjoon comes closer before squeezing Jimin’s shoulder. “Nothing changed overnight, eh?” Jimin looks up at this. “We’ve all been there, Jimin-ah. It’s not like we mature from one hour to the next, even if our ages say so.” Jimin guesses it’s a common feeling, whatever he’s feeling right now.
“I guess. I just wished… I seriously don’t know what I was expecting. Now, with a few days' perspective, I can kinda see how silly I was.” He smiles at Namjoon, for real this time. “I was just a child.” Jimin and Namjoon both laughed at that. Namjoon squeezes Jimin’s shoulder again. It’s comforting.
“Thanks, hyung.”
“No problem, Jimin-ah. I came to get you to the dance studio actually. They decided to start practising earlier since we’re all already here. We have to talk about the trip to Japan afterwards, since we’re leaving in a few days.” Jimin stands up and follows RM out of the room after gathering his things. He can be an adult by working harder, at least.
–––
It’s late; it’s long past 3 in the morning, and Jimin just finished in the bathroom. He turns off the lights before opening the door so the light won't disturb the other members' sleep. It’s not as late as he usually gets home, as he didn’t want to overdo his vocal practices right before they were going to Japan. He mostly tries to do the vocal training when he’s all alone. And that usually means he has to do those pretty late at night when everyone else has given up and gone home already. He still doesn't feel like his singing is strong enough, so he practises vocal runs and different exercises that he looked up online as often as he can.
He walks over to his bed, but someone seems to already be sleeping there. JungkookJimin leans around the bed and checks Jungkook’s bed, only to find it’s filled with things. They had been packing earlier today, since they are going to Japan tomorrow. Apparently Jungkook hadn’t yet put his stuff into his bag and just left it there on his bed, abandoning all of it for Jimin’s bed instead. Jimin contemplates whether he should try to wake up the maknae or find somewhere else to sleep. It ends up with him just sighing, resigned to his fate, and taking a blanket from the foot of his bed without disturbing the boy sleeping there.
On his way out, he steals one of Jungkook’s plushies for a makeshift pillow. He walks back into the lounge and starts rummaging around the drying racks, trying to see if any of his clothes are still there and not packed yet. They didn’t really have room for a lot of clothes in the dorm, nor the money to buy any, so there was a rather slim chance of finding anything here. He must have some luck on his side, though, because he finds both one of his own hoodies and a pair of Jungkook’s sweatpants. Loaning them to Jimin should be the least the maknae can do after stealing his bed… Jimin laughs silently before folding the blanket for a pillow to sit on. He sits down, leans over the table, pulls the hood over his eyes, and uses his arms and the plushie as his pillow. He must be tired, because he’s out right away.
Someone is shaking him, or it’s an earthquake. It’s hard to know, but he stirs and opens his eyes when he feels a hand gently shaking him again.
“Why are you sleeping out here, sitting like that?” The manager questions him. Before Jimin has time to answer, RM says something.
“No?” Their manager asks, and Jimin finally feels awake enough to follow what they’re talking about.
“I thought I saw you in bed.” RM says. Before answering, Jimin groggily sits up and tries to stretch out his aching neck.
“Sorry, hyung. No, that was Jungkook.” At that, the manager walks over to the bedroom door and peaks in.
“Aish.” He hears the manager mutter. “Why does that kid always use his bed as storage?” Jimin stretches his legs, while RM walks over to have a look too.
“You’re spoiling him too much, Jimin-ah.” RM says and shakes his head at Jimin.
“It’s okay.” Jimin says and tries to stand up. He fails, though, because both legs and his buttocks are still asleep. “I-I slept just fine here.” It might have been more convincing if Jimin’s body was a tiny bit more cooperative and his voice didn’t crack as he said it. This probably didn’t help the stubborn cold he had since new years either. He tries standing again, and this time it’s his back cracking, and he loses balance for a second. Note to self: Maybe he shouldn’t fall asleep as a pretzel from now on… Jimin hears a small muffled laugh when he takes hold of the drying rack to keep himself steady.
“Yeah, I see that. You’re just fine…” RM shakes his head before walking towards the bathroom. The manager just looks at him with a frown and asks.
“Want me to talk to him?”
“Namjoon-hyung?”
“No, Jungkook.”
“Oh.” Jimin smiles. “No, thank you. I can do that. Thanks though.” Jimin walks past him, following his hyung. Maybe a warm shower could make his body ache a bit less.
When RM is done and it’s Jimin’s turn, he takes a longer and warmer shower than he usually does. When he sleeps in the lounge on the regular, Jungkook is with him, and Jimin never realised before that the maknae is like a radiator next to him, keeping him warm. Next time, he’ll just push Jungkook to the side and slip in next to him in bed. He can handle that, right? He’s a tiny bit afraid that the bed will make it all feel more intimate, but since he’s an adult, he has to handle it maturely, and it will be just fine. Jimin walks into the kitchen, still drying his hair with a towel, on a hunt to eat some breakfast for a change, and he’s met by Jungkook’s big eyes looking at him. He looks tired; even if he’s obviously awake, someone only just now must have dragged him in here.
“I’m sorry, hyung.” He says, before Jimin even has time to say good morning.
“Good morning, Kook-ah.” Jimin smiles and waves dismissively. “Good morning, hyung.” He says to Hoseok, who is standing eating his breakfast next to the sink.
“I was just going to play on my phone on your bed for a while. I promise.” Jungkook continues. “And then pack the rest. But I guess I fell asleep…”
“It’s fine, Kook-ah. I promise. No problem at all.” He pats Jungkook on the head as he walks past him on the way to the fridge. “All fine…” he says again, but this time it might be a tiny bit less convincing since it’s followed by a huge yawn. Jin, who’s standing with the door to the fridge open already, hands Jimin a bottle of pear juice.
“Thanks, hyung. Good morning.” He looks around while opening the bottle. “Tae’s not up yet?”
“No,” Hoseok says while chewing on his food.
“Okay. I’ll go wake him.”
“That would be great, Jimin-ssi.” Their manager says as he walks towards them. “We’re leaving in an hour, and I can’t wake him up. I don’t know where Suga is either; has anyone seen him?”
Jimin shakes his head as he walks out of the room, stretching his arms in the air. Sleeping like that really did a number on his back.
“I’ve got to pack the rest of my stuff!” Jungkook says and hurries past him.
“You mean, all of your stuff.” Jimin mutters to his back. “Don’t forget your toothbrush this time!” he yells after him.
“I won't!” Jungkook yells back over his shoulder. “And if I do, I have two extra in my backpack after last time!” Jimin shakes his head as he walks into the bedroom. The light is bright through their window, the beds are all messy, and there is Tae sleeping like a baby.
“Taetae. Wakey, wakey,” Jimin says and shakes him. Tae doesn't even stir. Jimin shakes him slightly. “Wakey, wakey!” He says a bit higher. Tae tries to turn, but otherwise doesn't seem to wake up at all. All of a sudden, a pillow comes flying, hitting Tae in the face.
“WAKE UP!” Jungkook yells, and Tae shoots up in bed. Jimin hastily puts a hand between Tae’s forehead and the ceiling, before he hits his head.
“Hey. Why did you hit me in the head?” Tae says accusingly at Jimin. Jimin just sighs in defeat at the grumpy Tae while listening to Jungkook’s snickering. Why are they always like this?”