Jimin's always been good at befriending little kids. He doesn't usually crush on their parent, though. Usually. There's a first time for everything. He'd really have preferred the first time to not be when he's on the final leg of a 20 hour flight due to delays. If all had gone well, he would've been home and in bed by now, snuggled up with his softest plush animals.

Instead, he's sitting in the aisle seat a row ahead of the emergency exit, scrunched up to avoid getting hit by bags or their owners as passengers walk down the aisle to find their seats. It kind of stinks on the plane, too. Jimin hopes it's the plane and not him, anyway. He did shower at his hotel before leaving, but being stuck in a flying sardine can does nothing for hygiene.

He's ready to put his headphones on and just sleep through everything when he sees a pair of thighs stop just before his row. They're nice thighs, he praises quietly, long and firm without being overly toned.

"Um, excuse me. May we sneak by?"

He looks up in shock at being addressed and stands so fast he knocks his snapback off his head. The man—young man, Jimin notes, young and too attractive to be real—laughs kindly and picks up Jimin's hat before twisting a bit and looking behind him.

A boy, about four or five, clings to a stuffed lion that's almost as big as he is. His round eyes are wide and awed at everything. He's guided easily into the aisle and scolded for climbing onto Jimin's seat and walking across the row to crouch and gaze out the window.

"I'm sorry," the man apologizes, handing Jimin his cap. "My son's only flown once before this. I don't know where he gets his energy." He shimmies to his seat and sits with such grace that Jimin wonders if he's some kind of prince or noble. "We spent the entire day running around Disney Land, didn't we, Tae Tae?"

The boy's head whips around, grin wide and boxy and so bright Jimin can't help but smile back. "Yeah! It was so much fun!" He leans over his dad, whispering in a loud but conspiratory tone, "Papa almost puked on the roller coaster."

Jimin's sympathetic. Thrill rides have just about knocked the thrill out of him, too. He takes his seat again and winces as a pregnant lady's red quilted diaper bag slams into his ear.

Taehyung's dad sighs. "Oh, Taehyung, please. Come on, sit so I can buckle you in." Taehyung jumps and lands on his , playing with his lion's mane and talking while his dad searches for the ends of the seat belt.

"Is Grandma gonna meet us?"

"Yes."

"I'm gonna tell her everything." He raises his lion's paws and claps them enthusiastically.

"I know she'll love to hear about all we did." His dad finally finds the left buckle under his son's and straps him in as a flight attendant walks down the aisle, asking everyone to straighten their seats, stow carry-ons, and buckle in. He stops beside Jimin's seat, leaning over to talk to the people sitting in the emergency row and making sure they were all aware and willing to help out in case of emergency.

Jimin watches from the corner of his eye as the little boy starts bouncing impatiently in his seat, craning his neck to try and see over the seat in front of him and moving to and fro to see out his window. "When are we gonna go?"

"Soon, Taehyung. Just be patient." He bends forward to push a brightly-colored backpack under his seat.

Eventually, the plane is filled, and a pretty flight attendant reminds everyone to buckle their seat belts and not smoke at any time during the flight. An automated message plays over the speakers, detailing emergency procedures demonstrated by the flight attendants in the aisle. Once through, they store the demonstration equipment and thank everyone for their continued patience.

Taehyung lets out a laugh of delight when the plane finally starts maneuvering onto the tarmac and away from the terminals. "Papa! Papa! We're moving!" His excitement quickly diminishes, and he groans and rolls his head between his shoulders. "We're goin' so slooooow."

His dad pats his knee. "Just wait." He leans over and points out the window. "See that plane? We have to wait in line. If everyone took off at once, it'd be a mess!"

The boy's not interested in playing nice, but he nods and sighs heavily, doing a wonderful impression of world weariness.

Jimin leans forward a little. There's no reason to not be friendly, if he's going to be sitting next to a hot dad and his kid for a couple hours. "Is this the last leg of your flight?"

"Yes, thank goodness." The man rubs his left eye with his fingertips. Jimin sees his fingers are bare. "If I didn't have to work, I would have chosen another flight. I hate travelling so late, especially with Taehyung." He laughs softly. "I feel awful for my mom; she's going to have to deal with his energy and jet lag."

"I always fell asleep after a flight, but once I got home, my brother and I were wide awake. Oh, I'm Jimin." He sticks out his hand. It's engulfed by the stranger's, and he fights down a blush.

"Kim Seokjin. This is my son, Taehyung. Hey," he taps the boy's knee, "say hi to your hyung, Jimin."

"Hi, I'm Taehyung!" The jet coasts onto the airstrip. He twists back to the window to eagerly watch out the window, shrieking with giggles as they bump along and gain speed. "It's so loud!" he shouts over the whoosh of the turbine engines. He looks at his dad to check if he, too, is as amazed.

Seokjin joins his son looking out the window. "Here we go!" The jet leaves the ground and gains altitude at a steep angle, pushing everyone back into their seats. Taehyung clings to his lion but watches as the airport lights get farther away and are covered by lavender clouds. His face screws up, and he rubs at his ear but catches his dad's yawn. It pops his ears, and he stops rubbing at them.

Jimin hides his own yawn and settles back against his seat. Thankfully, the person behind him has short legs or possesses enough discipline to not kick the back of his seat. His first flight, he sat in front of a pair of elementary school-aged twins, who somehow had nothing better to do that kick his chair and play with the flip-down food tray.

Flight attendants walk the aisles when the jet levels off, offering pillows and blankets as the lights dim. Jimin doesn't mind late flights so much, because they're quieter. Everyone's too tired to be stressed and cranky.

"Sir?" the flight attendant bends over with a dimpled smile, pushing a cart of drinks and snacks.

"No, thank you."

Seokjin takes a bottle of water and plastic cup to share with Taehyung but declines any snacks. "I can't put any more sugar into him, or he'll never settle down," he laughs.

Jimin slips on his headphones and plays music softly, dropping into a semi-doze. He feels Seokjin shift beside him, fishing a bag from beneath his seat and taking out a novel Jimin doesn't recognize.

The cabin's almost completely silent, lulled by the constant droning white noise of the engines and quiet conversations. It's the perfect atmosphere for tired adults, but a child like Taehyung has reserves of energy to burn.

While his dad reads and slowly falls asleep over his book, Taehyung makes nonsense noise and sings to his lion, kicking his feet and alternating between looking out the window, looking at his dad, and looking at other people on the plane. He shifts and wriggles until he slips free of the seat belt and leans over the armrest, fishing in his dad's jacket pocket for something that he finds with a soft ah ha!.

Jimin sees he's got a cell phone in his hand when he pulls back, but a bit of turbulence makes him drop onto his dad's chest. The man inhales sharply and rightens Taehyung without opening his eyes. "Stay in your seat, Taehyung. We're almost there." The book falls to the bag between his feet, unnoticed.

The boy catches Jimin's eye as he sits and rolls his eyes. "That's what Papa always says. I don't think he actually knows what time it is." He looks to the phone in his hands, typing in a numerical password and sighing. "He always uses my birthday."

Some twenty minutes into the flight, Taehyung's gotten tired of playing games and has gone back to looking around the cabin and making nonsense noises. He stands on his seat and turns around, waving to the people behind him before growing bored again and frowning at his dad.

"Papa. Papa," he whispers. Seokjin shushes him, and the boy pouts. "But Papa, I'm booooored!" He pouts harder, looking like an irritated duckling, and Jimin catches himself mimicking his expression. He looks at the boy from the corner of his eye to find Taehyung looking at him with narrowed eyes.

So Jimin narrows his.

Taehyung drops his chin a little and frowns.

Jimin mirrors the expression.

Taehyung crosses his eyes and sticks his tongue out, trying to touch his nose.

Jimin reacts in kind, and the boy falls onto his seat with a squeal of laughter. Jimin flinches and brings a finger to his smiling lips. "Shh! Your papa's sleeping!"

Taehyung ducks a little, hunching his little shoulders and putting a chubby finger to his own lips, murmuring, "Papa's sleepin'."

The flight attendant walks down the aisle, offering pillows to passengers before the cabin lights are all dimmed. He leans over Jimin's shoulder, grinning at Taehyung but addressing Jimin, "Would you like a pillow for your husband?" Jimin's cheeks flush pink, and Taehyung throws him a line.

"Papa can use my lion!" Taehyung declares, settling the stuffed animal under the man's arms. They automatically hug the plush toy, and he sighs in his sleep.

Jimin smiles, cheeks still warm. "I think we're good, thank you."

The flight attendant nods and moves to the next row. Someone tries to maneuver around him and ends up kneeing Jimin's shoulder, but he's not annoyed. He's engrossed in a sudden, simple fantasy where Taehyung's dad is his husband, and they all live together in a house closer to the country than the city.

It's a harmless crush, but he can't help peering at the man's clasped hands. They're both bare, with long, double-jointed fingers. Jimin finds them charming.

Taehyung's squirming his seat, kicking his feet and tucking his hands between his thighs. "Hyuuuung!" he whines.

He snaps from his reverie and looks to the boy. "What's up?"

"I gotta pee," Taehyung whispers, bending himself nearly in half with discomfort. He drank the whole bottle of water just to have something to do.

"Uh ..." Jimin looks to Seokjin, who's sleeping peacefully, breathing low and even. He should stay asleep at least long enough for Jimin to take Taehyung to the restroom and return. Jimin stands and motions for Taehyung to stand on his seat. He grabs the boy under his armpits and lifts him over his dad, taking care to not accidentally kick him in the face, and sets him in the aisle. Taehyung immediately charges—at a waddling pace—to the restroom at the front of the plane.

The door is closed, and the indicator at its handle is red. Jimin ruffles the boy's hair, keeping him from charging the door. "Gotta wait a minute, Tae. Someone's in there."

"But I gotta go." His tiny fists are gripping his shirt, stretching it down as he wiggles foot to foot.

"Just hold it a bit longer." He hears water running and pulls Taehyung a step back before the door cautiously swings open. He smiles at the woman who steps out and holds the door for Taehyung, who rushes in, yanks the door from Jimin's grip, and slams it shut. He hears a loud sigh and feels a bit relieved, himself. Explaining to Taehyung's dad that his son had an "accident" in the middle of the plane couldn't have gone over well and definitely would not have helped his chances of a date.

A date.

Jimin groans quietly and rubs his eyes. He thought it's just a crush, but his mind's jumping ahead of him.

He hears water running inside the cubicle-sized restroom and catches the door as Taehyung emerges, drying his hands on his pants, looking much calmer and pleased with himself.

"Better?"

"Yeah!" He starts to run back to their row, but Jimin collars him and makes him walk. One of the other flight attendants offers a bemused smile and grateful nod.

Many of the passengers are asleep. A few have their overhead light on and are reading; Jimin sees an older woman sitting straight-backed with small frames perched on the end of her nose, frowning at some crochet or knitting project and conversing with her friend in a hushed voice. Some people around Jimin's age have laptops or tablets out, drowsily watching movies or messaging friends.

At their own row, Taehyung scrambles over his dad's lap and presses his face against the window. The sky's inky indigo and dotted with stars. Lights at the end of the airplane wing blink on and off.

"We gotta be real close to space, right? What if we meet aliens!?" Taehyung doesn't wait for an answer, continuing with his own commentary of what he'll do when he meets the aliens and wondering if maybe an angel will land on the airplane wing, instead.

Jimin grins and puts his headphones back on, but he keeps an eye on the boy just in case.

It's about forty minute when he feels the man shift beside him. He's slouched in his seat, and his head is tilted towards Jimin. Carefully, he reaches under his seat for his carry on, unsnaps his neck pillow, and pulls it behind his neck. It gives just enough height for the man to lean on and not get too horrible of a kink in his neck. Jimin tries not to feel too pleased.

Flight attendants walk the aisles periodically, taking trash and offering pillows. For the most part, people are asleep or zoned out.

Jimin must fall asleep, as well, because the next thing Jimin's aware of is a woman's voice over the speakers, saying they're just fifteen minutes from the airport, the weather is warm, the sky is clear, and they're on schedule.

His left side is tingly. Seokjin still leans against him, and Taehyung finally tired himself out enough to push the armrest out of the way and snuggle under his dad's left arm with his knees leaning against the back of his seat.

The lights brighten, and the whole cabin seems to groan and wince in unison. Seokjin lifts a hand to his face and sits upright, folding his son nearly in half, not that the boy notices at all. Jimin pulls the pillow from his neck and rolls his head shoulder to shoulder until he hears tiny pops. He's going to so sore when he finally gets home.

Seokjin notices and yawns behind his hand before apologizing. "I'm so sorry! Did I fall asleep on you?"

"It's alright." Jimin grins. "You were tired. I was tired; even your son finally conked out. Better on me than across the aisle."

"Still embarrassing. I hope you weren't too uncomfortable."

"No." He's not about to say he enjoyed it, but he's not going to be completely rude, either.

They re-situate themselves in their seats and buckle their belts as the light symbol overhead lights up with a tinny ding. Seokjin rouses a drowsy Taehyung enough to get him upright and buckled with his lion on his lap. The boy's head falls forward into the fluffy mane, and he resumes sleeping.

"Think he'll stay asleep?" Jimin asks.

Seokjin pinches the bridge of his nose. "God, I hope so." They laugh, and the flight attendants again remind everyone to prepare for landing.

Taehyung doesn't wake up even as the plane coasts to a stop and flight attendants open the door to the tunnel. His head flops around as his dad takes his lion and lifts him to his shoulder. Jimin stands in the aisle for the little family to leave ahead of him, earning another smile that makes his heart skip a little.

Someone coughs behind him, and Jimin's about to shuffle along with the rest of the stop-and-go passengers when something bright yellow catches his eye. He kneels on his seat, and passengers pass him with wide yawns and groans as their bodies realign to being upright. Jimin pulls out the backpack Seokjin had worn onto the plane. He must have kicked it back under his seat in his sleep.

Jimin zips it shut and slips into the slow-moving crowd. They're all going to the same luggage carousel; he can give it back, then.

But this could be an opportunity. Hey, you forgot this on the plane, and you also forgot to give me your number. It has possibilities, but where in any of their brief interactions did the man give any indication of being remotely interested in Jimin? Just because he didn't wear a ring did not mean he was on the market, much less on the male market.

He turns on his cell phone while agonizing over his pathetic lack-of-love life, both his black backpack and Technicolor backpack over a shoulder.

At the airport gate, the dimpled flight attendant is still smiling and bowing as everyone disembarks. Jimin's kind of jealous of the energy, although a lot of it probably comes from politeness and professionalism, he reasons.

His phone chirps with a message, and he swipes the screen as he follows the signs to retrieve his luggage.

HOBI HYUNG: PARK JIMINIIIIIIIIE~ IM HERE

READY AND WAITING FOR YOU TO RETURN TO MY ARMS



He hears his name before he can reply. Hoseok's waving an arm and looking way too awake. Jimin nearly feels bad for asking his hyung to pick him up, but Hoseok had offered. Who's Jimin to reject such thoughtfulness?

"Hey, hyung." He drops his own backpack and looks around the cavernous room. Only two carousels were running. His flight's luggage is behind a previous flight's. A few stragglers take their bags, but a couple remain on a lonely loop.

"Cute bag. Souvenir?"

"Huh? Oh, no. The guy next to me forgot it." He chews the inside of his cheek before deciding on the coward's way out of asking Seokjin out. "Could you hold this, please? And look out for my luggage." Jimin drops to a crouch and rummages in his backpack for a pen and scrap of paper.

By the time the carousel buzzes with their luggage, he's done and carefully zipping the paper into the top of the bright backpack. He sees his own black suitcase slide out right after a neon pink and white duffle bag. It couldn't have been better if he planned it. "Wait here; I'll be back."

He keeps and eye out for Seokjin, who isn't hard to find, being so tall, and hefts his suitcase to the floor before approaching him. "Hello, again! You left this on the plane."

The man takes the backpack with a grateful smile. "Thank you so much! I must be more tired than I thought." He bounces Taehyung up onto his shoulder more and slips his other arm through the backpack straps, not yet noticing the slip of paper. His son's arms hang limply at his sides, not at all helping his dad from dropping him.

"I figured you wouldn't get too far, so I grabbed it." He tugs the handle of his suitcase up and smiles. "My ride's waiting. It was nice meeting you!" Jimin wants to say something more, anything, but the best thing is to just say goodnight and escape before he can thoroughly embarrass himself.

He makes himself walk, albeit briskly, back to Hoseok and out to the parking lot.

They're almost home—Jimin's recounted his flight fiascoes to Hoseok's sympathetic amusement—when his phone buzzes with a text from an unknown number that makes him a little bit grateful for taking such a late flight.

It's late; we're allowed to be forgetful.
I'd love to meet up for coffee. This Thursday good? -KSJ