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Kim Taehyung wants it to go down in the records that Park Jimin doesn't experience gay panics. He experiences gay meltdowns.
The funny thing was, in general, Jimin could deal with the situations he was in. If someone came up to talk to him, sure he was shy, but he'd be able to effectively communicate and by the end of it, most the of the time he makes a new friend. Someone came up to Jimin to confess? The little bird would blush prettily and let them down in the gentlest way possible. And make a new friend.
But something peculiar happens every time Jimin is faced with Taehyung's roommate, Seokjin.
The little bird goes into a complete system malfunction, and before they know it, there's a pile of clothes and a book-bag in the space where Jimin was once stood, and soft chirping could be heard coming from said pile of clothes.
Jin and Jimin hadn't even met properly yet because of Jimin's inability to control his shift whenever he catches sight of the older boy. But Jin is quite fond of the little bird often seen on Taehyung's shoulder, or on his head. He was always confused as to why the bird was so shy, and why Taehyung was shoving clothes - far too pastel pink to belong to him - into a bag whenever he did happen to spot the duo. Seokjin didn't know Jimin was a hybrid, so he certainly wasn't aware of the fact the little pink lovebird was Taehyung's platonic soulmate.
Despite not knowing all of this, the older boy had a feeling the bird was a hybrid. But he didn't want to say anything seeing as whoever this hybrid was was clearly very shy. So, he just resigns himself to wait to meet Jimin (he learned his name after twisting Taehyung's ear painfully until he submitted and confessed everything) face-to-face when the hybrid was up to it. He manages to bully Taehyung into showing him some of their photos as well because he wanted to know what Jimin looked like as a human (and he was just as adorable as his bird self, if not even more so). And if Jin went away later that night and made an entirely new twitter account so he can follow Jimin without freaking the hybrid out, no one had to know.
But Jimin still couldn't control his animal side when it came to Jin, and even thoughts of him could set him off. Taehyung thought he was the biggest gay disaster to ever walk the earth. Jimin blamed his instincts; he fell hard, and he fell fast.
Jimin's animal side was strong, and because of that, the urge to follow through with his instincts was increasing. It was making him moody because deep down inside, he wanted Jin to be his mate, but he was scared. Lovebirds pretty much mate for life and Jimin didn't know what he would do with himself if he let himself get too attached and then suddenly Jin is gone. It was a double-edged sword, and the only way to really alleviate some of his stress was to spend more time in his bird form.
Taehyung was a good friend, letting Jimin use him as a perch and playing with him whenever he was a bird, making sure he was feeding well and getting everything he needed. Honestly, Jimin could cry because of how much he loved his best friend, and whenever he was feeling particularly soft, he would sit on Taehyung's head and try to preen his hair.
Jimin knew he would never be able to pluck up the courage to actually confess to Jin face to face, so his instincts forced him to come up with an alternative method to serve as an outlet for his emotions.
Every morning, he flew to the tree outside Seokjin and Taehyung's dorm and sat hidden on the branch outside of Jin's room. From there, he sang about how much he admired the older boy, about how handsome he thought he was. And how much he loved him.
Jimin had pink hair and liked wearing oversized sweaters. He liked to steal clothes from his friends to wear and to add to his nest. He liked dancing and art and got excited about the things he loved. And he turned into a pink bird. And Jimin was a nerd who would rather spend time in his specialised hybrid dorm room studying or playing video games than go out.
Jin had dark hair and played sport and partied (but he still manages to get good grades in school!). He was popular with all of the 'cool kids' who Jimin tended to stay away from. He liked leather jackets and had a motorbike and he was just… He was the opposite of Jimin.
The hybrid knew he shouldn't think that he didn't have a chance with him just because of superficial differences like that, but when Jin is surrounded by the popular crowd who were so so beautiful, and Jimin was just, well, Jimin, he couldn't help but convince himself it would never work. He had a lot of friends, and there was literally nobody who hated him, but he didn't consider himself popular, not like Jin was. And anyway, Seokjin had an image to uphold, Jimin and his pastel colours would totally ruin that.
Jimin was sure Jin wouldn't even know he existed if it weren't for the fact he was best friends with Taehyung.
And while hybrid rights were much better then they were previously, there were still some people out there who were anti-hybrid and thought they should still be kept more as pets and not be treated like humans because they were animals.
Seokjin wasn't like this at all, he was studying to be a specialist hybrid veterinarian after all. But Jimin knew of a few people around school who weren't as open-minded, and Jimin didn't want to pain any sort of target on the senior's back.
Taehyung told him he was just coming up with excuses as to why they shouldn't properly meet, so Jimin didn't have to admit the extent of his crush on Jin. And it annoyed him, especially because he knew Seokjin was desperate to meet Jimin, but the hybrid was making things more complicated than they had to be.
But then, when he was in his bird form, sometimes Jimin would look so sad, and he would be releasing pathetic little sounds as the animal side of him ached and burned at the lack of contact with the one person he was longing for.
Taehyung couldn't stay mad at Jimin when he knew everything was primarily a result of lingering self-confidence issues. And while it hurt Taehyung seeing them both practically pining for each other, he knew that Jimin was feeling physical pain because of everything that was going on.
At this rate, Jimin was going to make himself horrifically sick, and Taehyung could already see it happening. The hybrid's skin was paler than usual, and both his human hair and his feathers were losing their shine and were dull. It was only made worse by the incident that happened last week when Jimin was doing his daily singing outside of Seokjn's bedroom.
It was early morning, not too early, but early enough for Seokjin to be annoyed about being woken up. Especially since he didn't have any morning classes and didn't have to be at work.
It was his first morning off in weeks, and that damn bird just had to ruin it. He never saw the thing, only hearing it coming from the tree. He had had a late night last night, out partying with his friends and stumbling into the dorm drunk in the wee hours of the morning, so when he was woken up by loud singing, he just snapped.
Kicking the covers off of himself violently, Seokjin stalks to the window and yanks it open.
"Can you shut up?!" He screams into the air, "Some of us are trying to sleep and don't want you waking them up every morning with your fcking annoying ass singing!"
He knew it was weird to be shouting like this at a bird and if anyone were to see him they would probably think he was going insane, but to his surprise, the singing abruptly cut off. He 'hmphs' loudly, not spending too much time thinking about it, before slamming the window shut again, going back to bed and promptly falling asleep.
The morning after, he woke up disoriented and late, and he only woke up because Taehyung was shaking him and telling him to get up now. Seokjin was surprised, rushing around his room to pull some clean clothes on and get his bag ready.
"Why didn't you wake up on time?" Taehyung asks when Seokjin had made his way to the kitchen.
"Usually this bird is singing and it wakes me up… I guess they didn't today."
"Why?"
"I mean, I shouted at it yesterday but I doubt that's the reason why."
He looks over at his younger friend, his eyebrows raising when he saw how pale Taehyung's face had gotten all of a sudden. Seokjin opens his mouth to ask what was wrong but never got a chance to.
Taehyung quickly stands up from the chair he was sat on, not bothering to clean up after himself as he hurries to the door. He shoves his feet into a pair of shoes, snatches his keys, and runs out of the dorm like the devil was at his heels.
Ever since that day, Taehyung had been giving him the stink eye and avoiding him, and there was no longer any times where Seokjin would come home and find a little bird on his head.
"How's Jimin doing nowadays?" Seokjin asks, catching Taehyung as he came into the dorm.
"Why do you ask?"
"My friend, Hoseok from the dance club, said the last time he saw Jimin was like, last week during their dance class. Apparently, he was looking worse for wear, and now he's not coming to lessons."
"He's really sick," Taehyung replies stiffly, going to his room and sighing when he heard Seokjin following him. "Kookie and I have been trying to help him, but he's getting worse."
"You do realise I'm studying to become a hybrid veterinarian, right?"
"We know what's wrong with him."
"Then get him the treatment!" Seokjin shouts, not meaning to but he just couldn't understand why Taehyung was moping around when he knew what was wrong with Jimin
"Like you care," Taehyung mutters, shoving clean clothes into a bag.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
"Never mind," Taehyung sighs, shoving past the elder and heading for the door, leaving before Seokjin had a chance to get a proper answer out of him.
A few days later, he managed to corner Jungkook, a bunny hybrid and Jimin's roommate, to try and get some information out of him. But Jungkook was seemingly even more pissed off with him then Taehyung was, shoving past him without saying a word. And he did it so easily, Seokjin was amazed at his strength. It was hard to imagine that that massive person was the giant but cuddly bunny he saw in Taehyung's pictures.
Then one day, something amazing happened.
He had been out all morning, going to classes and then hunting for anyone who might know where Jimin was, or know his number, or know where his dorm was. But everyone had no idea what was wrong, and if they did, they also gave him dirty looks and hurried away without giving him any sort of answer. He was so confused and stressed, wanting to know what on earth he could have done to someone he had never even talked to before.
Seokjin had told Taehyung that he would be out of the dorm all day, thinking that he would find some way of getting into contact with Jimin so he could try and help him and to try and sort things out between them. Every person he went to he got nowhere, as usual, and after spending the morning trying he was too tired to keep going and decided to go home.
He opens the door and sighs, leaning down to take his trainers off and put them on the shoe rack. He then walks through the small hallway leading to the central part of the dorm, past the kitchen and intending to go find Taehyung and beg him to tell him what was going on, finally fed up and at the end of his tether.
But he didn't have to go very far to find his roommate.
Taehyung was in the living room, laying on the couch with his head turned towards the TV, so he didn't see, nor had he heard, Jin come in. But what really made him stop and made his breath hitch was the fact that one of his sweatshirts was bundled up on his chest, and nestled in that bundle was a little pink lovebird.
It was Jimin!
He just stands there, taking in the sight of the hybrid in amazement because he was really in front of him. However, once the shock wore away, he could see what poor state Jimin was in, and it made his heart clench.
The hybrid's feathers lacked their natural healthy glow and instead were dull and lifeless, looking like they had taken on a grey tone which just emphasised how sick he must have been. Even from where Jin was stood, he could see the slight tremors which were making Jimin's small frame shake. Even his feathers couldn't hide how thin Jimin was looking now, and Seokjin was sickened with the thought that he had had anything to do with the state Jimin was in. It was a heartbreaking sight, especially when Jimin suddenly lets out broken little trills which instantly gets Taehyung's attention.
Taehyung was so focused on his friend he didn't register the fact Seokjin was home, just holding onto the sweatshirt and sitting up. Jimin chirps a few times, needing Taehyung's help to adjust his position, and once he was comfortable, he nuzzles into his friend's chest.
"There there, Jiminie," Taehyung whispers, moving one hand up so he could stroke the bird's head with his index finger. "You'll be okay."
"Taehyung," Seokjin says, deciding he should make himself known.
Taehyung's head shoots up when he heard, his mouth dropping open in shock. He knew he couldn't hide Jimin, so he just does his best to shield him from view using his hands before addressing the elder.
"Seokjin, what are you doing back?"
"I wasn't getting anywhere with what I was doing so I decided to come back."
"Right, well, I should probably get going so-"
Jimin chirps suddenly, his shaking becoming increasingly intense as his breathing becomes quicker.
Taehyung looks down at his friend in surprise before trying to calm him down and convince him it was for the best, but Jimin didn't seem to be having any of it.
The little bird was flapping his wings as vigorously as he could, and that was truly heart-wrenching because it just highlighted how weak he was feeling. His wings were barely moving, and it was clear that putting so much effort into the task was quickly wearing Jimin out even more.
"Jiminie, please stop," Taehyung begs, but Jimin clearly wasn't listening.
Jimin only starts to calm down when Seokjin takes a few steps closer, the elder's heart in his throat. The hybrid was looking up at him, and Seokjin was surprised to see a mixture of heartbreak and need battling in his little eyes.
"Jimin-ah?" Seokjin asks quietly, holding a hand out and slowly bringing it closer to Jimin, so he had enough time to try and move if he wanted to.
Jimin chirps quietly, seemingly too weak to try and move but he tilts his head forwards just enough to let Jin know that he didn't mind being touched.
Just as Taehyung had done, Seokjin reaches out with his index finger and gently strokes the little bird's head. Despite how hard it was to see someone so sweet looking so sick, Seokjin couldn't help the small smile that pulled at his lips as he gets his first proper introduction to Park Jimin… As proper as it could be given the circumstances, anyway.
Jimin lets out some soft noises, Taehyung seemed to understand what his friend was saying as he was suddenly giving Seokjin the deadliest stare he had ever seen.
"He wants you to hold him, and I swear to God if you drop him, I am hanging you from your belt out the window."
Usually, Seokjin would tell him off for speaking to him in such a way, but considering the circumstances, he just nods and holds his hands out so he could take the sweater-nest Jimin was sat in. As soon as he was passed over, Jimin was pressing his little head to Seokjin's body, and the tension in his body seemed to slowly melt away, and his tremors lost their intensity.
They moved to sit on the sofa, Taehyung sat at one end while Seokjin was at the other.
"Can you please tell me what on earth is going on now?" Seokjin asks, desperation bleeding into his voice as he unconsciously holds Jimin just that little bit closer like he was scared Taehyung would take the hybrid away again.
Taehyung sighs, leaning back against the arm of the sofa and pulling his legs up to fold under him. "I suppose it won't hurt… For the record, if Jimin had just listened to me from the beginning things wouldn't have turned out like this."
Jimin chirps at that, and Seokjin instinctively starts stroking his head again to try and soothe him, and it seemed to work as the little bird ducks his head under his wing and presses close again.
"How much do you know about lovebirds, hyung?" Taehyung asks.
"Not too much, we haven't really gotten onto bird species in my course, but I've read ahead a little bit."
"Well, lovebirds generally mate for life. Of course, pure lovebirds and hybrid lovebirds are different in some ways, especially how they show their interest towards a potential mate because, of course, a hybrid isn't going to regurgitate for them." Taehyung says, sounding quite serious despite the nasty image he just painted in Seokjin's mind of precisely that happening. "Well, Jimin-hyung's animal side sort of… Latched onto you. I don't know how to say it, but he saw you as his mate. That's more than likely the reason why he couldn't control his shift around you."
Seokjin nods slowly at this information, his mind blown. He had no idea Jimin felt that way about him, but then again, how could he know? He felt as if the worst was yet to come, however, as Taehyung's eyes were once again dark and were trained on the sofa.
"Do you remember that bird that would sing outside of your window?"
Jin swallows thickly, dread already filling him as he opens his mouth to try and give a verbal response, but no sound would come out.
"Yeah, that bird was Jimin. It was his way of releasing his feelings I guess, confessing to you through his song so he wouldn't feel overwhelmed by everything all the time. I'm sure you can guess what happened next."
Seokjin bows his head, so his nose was brushing the tip of Jimin's soft head, and he couldn't help but laugh wetly when his nose was given a gentle nibble. The hybrid's instincts must have been screaming when Seokjin had shouted at him like that, and guilt weighed heavily on his mind. All of a sudden, something he didn't spare a second thought for was the biggest mistake of his life. He understood why Taehyung and the others close to Jimin had treated him so coldly.
"Because he thought you rejected him he got sick… But he'll get better if you stay with him." Taehyung says, his voice soft and hopeful.
"I'm not going anywhere. I'm not- I'm not going to sit here and say I'll always be here for him, because I don't think it's right to say something like that, especially not when we haven't even had a proper conversation. But I'll stay here and help him get better, then maybe we can get to know each other properly and… And we'll see how things go."
Taehyung gives him a blinding smile, and Jimin chirps sweetly so Seokjin guesses that were an agreement to what he had said.
For the rest of the day, Seokjin and Jimin sat curled up on the couch, Taehyung taking sneaky pictures and sending them to Jeongguk along with occasional updates so the bunny hybrid knew how things were going.
"Seokjin-hyung?" Taehyung pipes up after a few hours. "Would you be okay with swapping rooms with Jeonggukie for a little while? The more Jiminine is around you, the faster he'll get better so… It would be just until he's healthy again, then things can go back to normal."
Seokjin looks from Taehyung to Jimin, silently staring at the hybrid with a soft look in his eyes. And Jimin stares right back, his eyes already looking more alert than they had when Seokjin had first entered the room.
"I don't mind," He replies, looking up at his roommate with a small smile.
So the swap takes place, Taehyung packing enough clothes for Seokjin and then moving the bags over to the hybrid dormitories so that Seokjin didn't have to put Jimin down. Even though it didn't look like that would happen anyway, his two hyungs seemingly engrossed with each other and wrapped up in their own little bubble.
He would be annoyed if it wasn't so cute and if it wasn't what Jimin needed. He needed this connection with Seokjin, and to see it blossom so wonderfully warmed Taehyung's heart and gave him hope for the future.
Seokjin had stayed with Jimin until he had gotten better, stayed by his side through everything and by the time they had emerged from that dorm, they were holding hands and giggling quietly.
Taehyung and Jeongguk's eyebrows nearly left the planet when they saw this, wondering just exactly had happened for them to be so close. And the only conclusion they could come up with was that Jimin had been well enough to change back for a while now, so the majority of the time together was spent getting to know one another. They wanted to be mad, they really did, but when they saw how brightly Jimin was smiling, they just couldn't bring themselves to even pretend to be annoyed at them.
They had missed their hyung's smile so much, and Taehyung will forever tease Jeongguk for shifting into his bunny form soon after Jimin and Seokjin had reached them. Jimin shifts as well, hopping over to the bunny and the two of them cuddled like that while Seokjin and Taehyung watched on in fond amusement.
("I did not shift because I was going to cry."
"Suuuuuuure you didn't, Ggukie.")
The two took things at their own pace, getting to know each other properly. Jimin's feeling for Seokjin was already established and clear, so the hybrid was just waiting on him. It worried Seokjin, the fact Jimin was waiting for something that might not happen for years and years if it happened at all. But Jimin just took his hyung's hand and told him that it didn't matter how long it took or if it happened at all, he was just grateful Seokjin was trying in the first place.
As they say, it happened slowly, then all at once.
Jimin was sat across from Seokjin in their favourite corner of their favourite coffee shop, the younger animatedly retelling a story about how he had pulled off a difficult move during his dance lesson that day.
He didn't mean to, but Seokjin found himself no longer paying attention to what Jimin was saying because he was paying more attention to Jimin as a whole. The way he was telling his story with all of his body, and the way that blinding smile hadn't left his face, so his eyes were closed and formed little crescents. It was like Seokjin was really seeing Jimin for the first time, and he couldn't stop himself from smiling when he realised that he wanted to see that smile for the rest of his life.
"Jiminie," Seokjin says, only a little guilty for interrupting.
Jimin startles at the soft call of his name, looking at his hyung with wide eyes. "What is it, hyung? Oh- Did I start rambling again? I'm sorry Seokjin-hyung-"
"Jiminie, hyung loves you."
That had Jimin's jaw-dropping and his eyes widening even more. He looked so silly and so cute Seokjin couldn't stop himself from laughing softly, reaching out for Jimin. The hybrid gets off his chair and takes Seokjin's hand, letting himself be pulled over to his hyung's side of the table and be pulled down onto his lap.
"I love you." Seokjin repeats, whispering it this time like it was his greatest secret.
Now the initial shock had worn off, Jimin was radiant in his happiness, and he was practically vibrating in his seat.
Seokjin laces his fingers with Jimin's, gently squeezing as he pulls the bird hybrid down and connects their lips. It was a unique feeling. Seokjin wouldn't say it was life fireworks because it was strong but much too slow to be like that. He supposes it could be equated to honey that has been heated up; slow and sweet and warm, soothing his soul as it causes his heartbeat to pick up.
It was perfect.
When they pulled away, Seokjin reaches up and cups Jimin's cheek, the two of them sharing a smile as they stare into each other's eyes.
"Thank you, hyung." Jimin whispers, like speaking any louder would ruin this moment.
"For what?" Seokjin asks, stroking a piece of Jimin's pink hair behind his ear.
"For opening your heart, I don't think many people would have reacted as well as you did to this whole situation."
"Well, I'm not just anyone."
"No… No, you're not."
The two of them smile even brighter at each other before Jimin ducks his head and tucks it under Seokjin's chin. They sat pressed together like that for a while, not sharing any words, but they could feel as each other's heartbeats slowly synching up.
Their two hearts were beating as one.