XIV

It was one lazy early morning of December when Taehyung realizes he’s keeping a secret from his platonic soulmate, best friend, the one and only cinnamon roll of his life, Park Jimin.

Jimin found himself being cuddled by his still sleepy best friend on their tiny couch, Phineas and Ferb running on their television. It’s cramped; definitely not an ideal place for two grown men to cuddle, and their limbs are all tangled together one would seriously have a hard time deciphering whose leg who. But the weather has been so cold and keeps getting colder every passing day, freezing his fingers and feet and nose. So Jimin honestly doesn’t mind the very small space and even snuggled a tad bit closer to the other if it means extra body warmth.

He has his head tucked under Taehyung’s chin – dark brown strands tickling the other’s skin – and is pillowed on the purple head’s arm who’s constantly releasing big yawns every other minute. Jimin smiles softly at that, fond at the domesticity, reaching for the plate of pancakes balanced on his hip, supporting by Taehyung’s large hand that was wrapped around his middle.

Their relationship has been platonic since the very first day they have known each other; comfortable that is more than best friends, a little bit more than brothers but not enough to be put in a romantic relationship way. And seriously, Jimin’s too used to this kind of affection he has been constantly receiving from the purple head and vice versa and there’s no doubt he will be damned if ever comes one day that he’s not allowed to do this anymore.

Jimin unknowingly pouts at his own realization; Taehyung pinching his lips like a duck.

“Yah!” Jimin swats the other’s gigantic hand with a not-so-intimidating glare.

“What are you pouting at?” asks the purple head, totally unaffected by the obviously no bites glare and tone – who shuffles to pull the shorter boy against him a little bit closer. And maybe, to subtly adjust his arm that’s slightly starting to fell asleep. Seriously, how much does Jimin’s head weigh? (Oi, wholesome).

Instead of answering though, Jimin just stares at his best friend. Watching how Taehyung struggles to open his eyes back after a long yawn while contemplating whether to open a topic about their private lives. If it’s okay to try to touch a part that is more private than they’d already know about each other. Like relationships… in a romantic way. Like those feelings that no one knows except themselves, at least for now.

Taehyung, who noticed Jimin’s action, stopped in his mid-yawn, looking down to stare back at the shorter boy with eyebrows slowly knitting in utter confusion.

“What?” he asks; blinking lazily. He’s still too sleepy and classes don’t even start until after lunch but Jimin wants cuddles. (“We can do it here on bed, Jiminnie. Come on.” “No. I want cuddles while watching something. Get up, Taetae. I’m getting cold.”) Inwardly groaning at the memories.

“Hmm,” hums Jimin who squints at Taehyung, trying to backpedal because, no, what if Taehyung asked him about Yoongi and him and no no no no.

Taehyung squints back. “Jimin.”

“Okay.” Jimin sighs softly, shuffling to prop himself in a sort of sitting position on the couch, reaching for the plate to place it on the coffee table and accidentally elbowing Taehyung’s stomach who grunts and huffs. “Sorry.”

“Whatever, clumsy.” (“Hey!”) Taehyung rolls his eyes.

Jimin carefully placed Taehyung’s head onto his lap instead, the boy pushing his face onto his stomach automatically.

“So, spit it,” Taehyung added, words muffled by Jimin’s baby blue flannel pyjama tops, sighing at the warmth.

“I might actually spit on your face, beware.” Jimin chuckles at his own words. Taehyung completely ignored him though. “So…”

“So?”

“About you and Hoseok hyung—“

“What about us?!” Taehyung all but screech, startling the other boy by cutting him mid-question with an abrupt and almost harsh reaction. Almost.

To be honest, it’s not even harsh. It’s just… quiet embarrassing.

He sounded so defensive, Jimin thinks, which is without a doubt is very amusing since his friend, Kim Taehyung, Kim annoyingly-unique-compared-to-everyone-else Taehyung, is the kind of person who he thinks hasn’t even met embarrassing in his own dictionary in his entire life. To these days, Jimin find it endearing how the boy can say what’s in his mind even though it kind of weirded other people because his ideas are just unexplainable (but if he is being honest here, there are times that he kind of envied his friend, wishing he had the same amount of courage flowing in his body to just say and do what he wants) and do things other people think is out of ordinary. So this reaction he had witnessed is new. And Jimin has to restraint himself from cocking a judging eyebrow at the other boy because seriously, what the?

He crane his neck to look down and watch as Taehyung’s face starts turning a light shade of red. The boy started gnawing at his bottom lip, a sign that he’s nervous or in a brink of slight panic or something like that, an action that Jimin catches on the first two seconds after the given reaction. He thinks his friend might possibly explode right there and then if the tell-tale sign of embarrassment coloring the tips of his ears down the collar of his shirt is anything to go by.

Taehyung mentally curses himself at that. Being the always no-filter he is and he’s never been this pissed at himself because his mouth works rather faster than his brain can process and it’s never been a bother, never been a problem because Kim Taehyung is known for being like that; always telling and saying what’s in his mind. Practically just everything. And it shouldn’t bother him. It shouldn’t even be a problem let alone cause of his rare embarrassment.

Clearing his throat, he slowly sinks on the couch as much as his tall stature would let him; head digging on the soft flesh of Jimin’s clothed thighs. “I mean,” he started, tongue swiping over his dry parted lips, “Go on,” he added in a whisper, looking away in an attempt to hide his warming face. But honestly, it’s futile. Too late, Jimin had witnessed everything.

There’s something Jimin doesn’t know about Hoseok. So the very last thing Taehyung wants to talk about now is anything that concerns Hoseok, even in the slightest bit of the topic. And just by the brief realization that there is something Jimin doesn’t know that Taehyung knows makes his throat suddenly gone dry in a dull taste of guilt. Because in their entire friendship, there’s no such thing as secret. It’s almost offensive. And the fact that he is actually hiding something (no, it’s not just something because it’s a very big thing) from Jimin makes him feel quiet horrible, as a best friend at that.

It’s just been roughly a couple of week since Taehyung has discovered it.

The first time he learned about it, it didn’t process quickly in his mind. He’s too scared for his life. Too disturbed by sharp teeth baring in front of his eyes. Loud growls, sounding