Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I’m not wearing that,” Yoongi said, looking at the shirt Taehyung held up and crossing his arms.

“Hyung, come on! You’d look hot in it!” Taehyung argued back.

The shirt was white, but it was sheer, mostly see through too with buttons loosely holding it together in the front. Minjae had claimed, once again, to have some important business in the morning, so he was at Taehyung’s getting ready instead, and he made the mistake of letting the younger pick out his outfit for the ‘date.’ Yoongi had suggested this ‘date’ to him, implying that it was him trying to take part in their marriage counseling and spend more time together, but that was all a lie. He was leaving Minjae today, and it was about time. Yoongi felt like this was a long time coming, and there were nerves wakening under his skin as they drew closer to the time they had agreed to meet up at. 

Yoongi wanted to look good. He wanted to look hot and maybe a little sexy too. Not that his appearance made Minjae’s actions more or less justified, but he knew they would pack an extra punch when Minjae finally realized what was happening. 

“I thought the goal was to look so good Minjae didn’t know what he was losing?” Taehyung reminded.

“It is, but that’s a lot of skin out there.”

“Exactly.” Taehyung threw the shirt at him. “Put it on. Come on hyung, just try it? For me?” 

And then Taehyung pouted, and Yoongi was weak so he sighed, picking the shirt up. 

“Fine,” he said, and Taehyung laughed, clapping his hands in delight as he left his walk-in closet so Yoongi could change in privacy. He already had on his pair of tight black slacks he had dug out from somewhere in his closet. He changed quickly and walked out to meet Taehyung back in his room.

“So?” Yoongi asked, putting his arms out for Taehyung to look at.

“Hyung, what are you doing? You can’t button this up all the way like that, come on. We’re going for sexy.” Taehyung grabbed the shirt, yanking Yoongi closer and swiftly unbuttoning the top three buttons until the shirt made a deep V down his chest, all the way to the bottom of his sternum. “There, that’s sexy.”

The shirt was a little loose on his frame, and when he turned to look in Taehyung’s mirror, he had to admit that he did look good. It was different from what he would usually wear, but not in a bad way. He made eye contact with Taehyung in the mirror, catching the younger checking him out, tongue poking out between his teeth to lick over his lips, eyes glued to Yoongi’s body.

“I feel like you have personal motives and interests in this,” Yoongi said, eyeing him, and Taehyung just smirked.

“Oh definitely,” he answered, not even denying it. He grabbed a blazer, black with silver threads that shined in the light and held it up for Yoongi to put it on. “See? You’re not as exposed now. Now, how open are you to jewelry?” 

“Moderately?” Yoongi answered, his fingers reaching up to touch his ears. He rarely wore his earrings anymore since they usually just got in the way when he was working, but today was different. He had silver chains hanging from his lobes and little rings and studs in each of the holes on the outside of his ear and cartilage. Taehyung walked to his dresser, pulling out a black choker and went to stand behind Yoongi again. He threaded it around his neck, knuckles brushing his bare skin and making Yoongi’s breath catch as he fastened it in place, not too tight.

“He’s going to regret ever cheating on you hyung,” Taehyung said, his voice deep in his ear. “Which, he should regret that anyways because that’s a terrible thing to do to someone and you’re amazing in and didn’t deserve that, but I think he’ll regret it just a little bit more when he sees you going home with someone else looking like this knowing it could have been him if he hadn’t fucked up.”

“Is this you saying you want to go home with me tonight after this is over?” Yoongi teased, turning his head so he could see Taehyung.

“What would you say if it was?” 

“I’d say you’re a little overeager. He might not sign.”

“Hyung, I literally am willing to commit several felonies to get him to sign those papers tonight.”

“All just to sleep with me?” Yoongi put a hand over his heart, acting like he was incredibly touched by the sentiment. “That’s so sweet. I’m going to cry.”

“You’re doing something different this time,” Jimin noticed, Jungkook working on his arm, one of his hands holding Jimin’s to keep him still and the other painting quickly. 

“I guess it’s inevitable,” Jungkook said. “This is a project based on how I feel, and my feelings for you have changed since the first time. It was all new then, and now…” Jungkook trailed off, getting distracted by mixing the paints together. He did that sometimes, when he got sidetracked with something else, his words just slowly trailing off until they were forgotten in his mind. But it was okay, because Jimin understood. Two months had passed since the first gallery, and so much had changed between them, so much had grown and bloomed in Jimin’s chest that he once thought was a barren desert.

Behind Jungkook was one of Taehyung’s new coworkers. He looked exactly what Jimin had imagined a government agent would look like: black suit, sunglasses while indoors, expressionless face, standing and brooding with crossed arms in the corner. 

There was a nervous hum beneath his skin that came with the unknown future, of not knowing how this night would go.

Would his father come?

Jimin wasn’t sure what he wanted the answer to be. 

If he came today, they had the benefit that they were prepared for him, unlike the two other times Jimin had seen him. They were anticipating him and a whole team of agents were stationed around the building ready to respond. 

But he didn’t want to see his father, didn’t want him to ruin this day that would probably be one of Jungkook’s most memorable moments in his life. Jimin didn’t want his father within a hundred paces of the building. 

But if he didn’t, then when?

He might have to keep living with the fear that with every corner he turned, his father might be there waiting, becoming more and more paranoid as time passed. Eventually he would be alone, and eventually his father would make contact again. 

Jimin just wanted this to be over. He wanted this to be a good day that Jungkook could keep in his heart for a long time and far in the future can think back on fondly and not be terrorized by whatever his father might do.

He was so lost in thought, that he didn’t even realize that Jungkook had finished, putting his paintbrushes down. 

His eyes scanned over Jimin critically, trying to find any spot he had missed or made a mistake, but eventually he stepped back and nodded.

“Look good?” Jimin asked, and Jungkook just smiled shyly. 

“You always do.” Despite how cheesy it was, Jimin still returned the smile. Jungkook glanced at his phone, checking the time before swearing under his breath. “I have to go wash up and change, I’ll be back in a few minutes?” 

Jungkook grabbed his suit, being careful not to smear any of the paint on it and then disappeared down the hall towards the bathroom.

Jimin waited alone, trying not to disturb any of the paint that Jungkook had worked so hard on. It was hard though, especially since the paint on his hands and fingers were still wet and drying. 

“You’ve been avoiding me,” Jimin’s body went tense at the voice. “What did I tell you about avoiding me Jimin?”

His father stepped into the light of the room.

But he wasn’t alone.

He was holding Jungkook by his hair, a sharp, jagged knife pointed right at Jungkook’s throat. Jungkook was breathing heavily, blood dripping out of his nose and his head was wrenched back at an uncomfortable angle as his father walked them both into the room.

“Dad please, don’t do this, let him go, please,” Jimin said, stuttering over his words as he watched Jungkook with wide eyes. “He didn’t do anything.”

“I told you what would happen,” he tisked at Jimin, running his hand through Jungkook’s hair before tugging on it again. “I warned you that he’d get hurt if you did this, so don’t act surprised that it's happening when I warned you.”

Jimin risked looking away to glance around the room, trying to spot the agent that was supposed to be with them. But they were alone, and the truth of the situation began to settle in Jimin’s skin.

They were alone.

Nobody was there to help.

Jimin’s heart clenched on itself as the panic fully set in as he watched his father hold his boyfriend at knife point as he was completely helpless in the situation. 

This had been what he was afraid of, and it was coming true. 

“How did you get in here?” Jimin asked, trying to keep his voice steady. They had expected him, Jimin knew it was a possibility that he would be here, but he didn’t predict this. None of the situations in his mind ended up here, in the backroom of the museum, Jimin completely helpless and Jungkook’s life in his father’s hands.

“You really think that one little body guard was going to get in my way?” His father laughed in that frightening way he did, the kind of laugh that lacked all empathy and humor, hollow and manic. “Time’s up. I need the money. Now.”

“Jimin—” Jungkook started, but got cut off when his father pressed the knife in harder, flinching as the blade punctured his skin, a single droplet of blood easing down Jungkook’s neck.

“You both think I won’t?” Jimin’s dad threatened, adjusting his grip on the knife so it covered a larger expanse of Jungkook’s neck. “I’ll fucking do it. He won’t be the first person I’ve killed, wouldn’t even be the first today.”

“W-What do you mean?” Jimin asked. 

“The private security guard, really? Was that necessary? You should have used the money you paid him to give to me, so stop bullshitting that you don’t have any money because I know you fucking do. So hand it over, or your little boyfriend is going to pay the price in his blood.”

Jimin whimpered, thinking about what his father was capable right now. He had both of them at his fingertips, and Jimin would do just about anything to make sure his father didn’t hurt Jungkook anymore.

But he needed to focus on the positives.

He had to have hope. 

There was a way out of this, there had to be. 

There were other agents here, Taehyung was on his way, they would find them. He just had to stall him, had to keep him from hurting Jungkook or anyone else just for a little longer. His father wasn’t aware that the NIS was here, he only thought that there was one unaffiliated person guarding, not an entire team scouting the building. Someone would come. Someone would help. He had to believe that.

He needed to stall for time. Needed to keep him talking.

Jimin took a deep breath and tried to keep his voice as steady as he could, hands raised in defense.

“I’m being honest when I say I don’t have money now,” he started, trying to read his father’s face, trying to make sure he was saying everything that would buy him a little bit of time but not set him off. “I’ll have some after tonight when I get paid for this, okay? You can have that.”

“You really think I believe that shit?” He asked, gesturing wildly with the knife before bringing it back to Jungkook’s neck. “It’s bullshit Jimin, and even so you had two weeks to come up with something, you knew I’d be back.”

“So what’s your plan here?” Jimin challenged. “Kill him if I don’t give you money I don’t have? There’s cameras in every room here, someone will find you and you’ll go to jail.”

“Cameras are on a loop, they aren’t recording right now,” he shot back. “Everything you’ve thought of, every safety net you have I’ve already dealt with. Jimin, I’m getting tired of this, if the next words out of your mouth aren’t ‘I’ll give you what you want,’ then I’m going to fucking kill him, you understand?” 

Jimin swallowed thickly, making eye contact with Jungkook, his doe eyes wide with fear as he bit his bottom lip. 

“You want money, right?” Jungkook asked, flinching as Jimin’s father adjusted the knife, the blade digging a little deeper into his skin. “Right? That’s what you’re after. You know Jimin doesn’t have any, he can’t give you that, but I can, okay? Just name your price.”

“Hundred million won.”

“Done,” Jungkook said easily, his eyes not leaving Jimin’s. “Obviously I don’t have that in cash, but I can transfer it if I have my phone.”

He was bullshitting, Jimin knew that. Jungkook’s parents were wealthy but that was his parents. Jungkook himself didn’t have a hundred million won to give him, and his father was going to figure that out.

But it would buy them some time and it would let Jungkook get his phone and maybe he could alert someone.

“Well, would you look at that?” Jimin’s father said, grinning like a feral animal. “I guess that means I don’t need you anymore.” 

Time slowed down as his father threw Jungkook to the side and started towards Jimin, knife in hand and raised to strike, his face twisted into a look of deranged victory. Jungkook hit the ground hard, rolling a few feet before scrambling up after Jimin’s father, his mouth open in a scream. Jimin wasn’t sure what he was saying, the noises around him fading to a buzz as his father came towards him. He wanted to run, he needed to run, but he was frozen in his spot, the terror keeping his feet glued to where they were on the floor.

He was ten steps away.

Nine.

Then eight.

Oh god, Jimin needed to run.

Seven.

His feet finally got with the program, scrambling backwards.

Six steps now. 

Five.

Jimin tripped over something on the ground, crashing down to the floor, barely catching himself on his arm. 

Four. 

He turned around, now scrambling backwards on the ground, trying to put more distance between them but he wasn’t quick enough. Jungkook had just managed to get to his feet, and was running after Jimin’s father, but he wasn’t going to get there in time either. 

They were too late.

God, he might die here. 

His father might actually kill him. 

Three. 

Jimin felt his lungs let out a scream, hoping and praying that someone was around, that there was some way out of this. 

Two. 

Jimin locked eyes with Jungkook’s and braced himself for impact.

One.

He closed his eyes.

Zero.

A loud bang sent a pulse through the room, echoing and reverberating in the room. And the impact never came. 

Jimin opened his eyes to see his father, just a few feet away from him crumpling to the ground. He covered his ears, still ringing from the loud sound, mind still foggy and trying to figure out what had happened as his panic response system began to shut down. He turned to the door slowly, where the noise had come from and saw agents rushing in the room, one of them at the door lowering a gun, Taehyung standing right behind her, breathless and eyes wide, phone gripped in his hand. 

Did she kill him? 

Jimin looked back at his father. He was on the floor, gripping his knee, yelling out in agony as red blood soaked his pants and over his hands and the floor. The knife had slipped when he fell, cutting his own arm, and through his pain he managed to reach for it again where it had fallen on the floor, right in front of Jimin’s foot. 

Still in a daze, he kicked it across the room, out of his father’s reach. 

And time snapped back into place like a rubber band.

Everything was moving so fast and was so loud. The agents were in the room, hauling his father up to his feet and handcuffing him, and reciting his rights. Jungkook made it across the room, sinking to his knees next to Jimin. Then there was a medic too, already at their side. 

And Jimin just looked down at his hands, Jungkook’s hard work smeared into a mess of paint. 

“I messed it up.”

“That’s fine, I can paint it again,” Jungkook assured, his hands hovering over Jimin’s body, not wanting to touch but wanting to comfort. “It’s fine, don’t worry about that. Are you okay?”

Jimin looked to where his father was being escorted out of the room, and despite everything that had just happened, he felt peace.

It was over.

His father was getting arrested. They had caught him. 

Jimin felt himself smile, probably looking a little bit crazy as he let out a laugh. 

“I’ll be okay,” he answered, feeling tears of relief join the wet fear on his face. “I’m really going to be okay. This is over.”

“It’s over,” Jungkook assured, taking Jimin’s hand in his and leaning his head on Jimin’s shoulder. “He’ll never be able to hurt you again.”

“Are you okay?” Jimin asked, pushing his head up and looking at his neck. The cut was shallow, already having stopped bleeding, but there were more than physical wounds here. This would be something that sticks with the both of them for a long time.

“I will be,” he answered too. Jimin squeezed his hand. They were going to get through this together. Jungkook leaned up, smiling weakly at Jimin. “And hey, at least I didn’t change into my suit yet. That would be bad if I got blood on that.”

Jimin smiled back, surprised that Jungkook could joke so soon after this. 

They were going to be okay. Maybe they weren’t right now, but it would be.

Jimin stood up, his legs a little shaky and sat back down on the stool, holding his arms out for Jungkook and gesturing to the ruined paint on his hands.

“We have an hour and a half before everyone gets here. Let’s do this Kook.” 

“Wow, you look…” Minjae trailed off, looking Yoongi up and down, pupils dilating as he checked him out, letting out a low whistle. “Amazing. I didn’t know you had clothes like this.”

“I went shopping,” Yoongi answered, both pleased and annoyed at the reaction. Pleased because Minjae was giving him the exact reaction that he was looking for, but annoyed because he didn’t deserve to enjoy Yoongi’s appearance anymore, even if this was the intent. Minjae was looking at him like he wanted to eat him, but Yoongi wasn’t going to let him get close enough to even try. He grabbed Minjae’s hand, pulling him into the museum.

“You’ve had an interest in art recently too, is that something you’re getting into?” Minjae asked as they walked inside the main entrance. 

“I’ve always liked it, but there’s this one artist who really just speaks to me for some reason. I found their work at the last showcase we went to, and, well, this is actually an event for them and I thought it would be fun to go.”

“That sounds nice,” Minjae said, and Yoongi smirked.

“Yeah, I think it will be.” 

Little did Minjae know what was waiting for him at the end of this hall, and Yoongi just tugged him along, following the other guests. Yoongi spotted Jungkook’s parents on the side, already securing a spot near the front and his father with a large camera, ready to take photos. Seokjin and Namjoon were in the middle of the room, and Yoongi maneuvered so they were right near them, people filling in around them. Across the room, Taehyung was standing by the door. They made eye contact and the younger winked at him before moving deeper into the room.

Soon the room was full, refreshments and appetizers were making rounds in the room, and then the lights turned towards the small stage at the front of the room and a woman was stepping up to the microphone.

“Good evening everyone,” she began, gathering the attention in the room. “Thank you for coming out tonight, we here at the Museum of Modern Arts are very excited to introduce our newest artist we will be showcasing for the next three seasons. They are to this day the youngest person we’ve ever displayed in this gallery, and I think one of the hidden gems that Yonsei University has hidden in their arts program. So without any further ado, Jeon Jungkook.”

Beside him, Minjae’s body went stiff as a statue, his hand gripping Yoongi’s harder almost imperceptibly as Jungkook stepped forward to the mic, tugging Jimin by the hand along with him, who once again was covered in paint on every exposed part of his body, a complex creation of colors and pictures, all at war with each other each representing a different emotion. Jungkook’s vision was even more solid than it was the first time, and Yoongi was captivated for a moment. 

“Thank you everyone for coming,” Jungkook said shyly. He was beaming, happiness radiating off of him. “My name is Jeon Jungkook and I am the artist behind these pieces showcased tonight. First off, I’d like to thank everyone who supported me on my journey here, including the curators of the museum, my professors, my lawyer, my family, my friends, and especially my boyfriend Park Jimin for sitting still for eight hours today and letting me paint him without a single complaint about it.”

There was scattered laughter in the crowd as Jungkook turned to Jimin with a whipped expression. 

“The gallery includes several different collections I’ve worked on over the past few years, showcasing my development as an artist with the center being my last project titled ‘On Love and Feelings.’ The inspiration behind this collection from my ex-boyfriend in a way. I had been assigned the project to make something on an emotion, and I had picked love at the time because I thought I was head over heels for this guy. But then, I found out he was cheating on me.” 

There was a collected gasp from the crowd and Yoongi heard Seokjin throw the first boo out there, a few others joining in. Beside him, Minjae seemed incredibly uncomfortable, looking around like he was trying to find a way he could escape the situation, but the room was packed and he wouldn’t be able to do that without drawing attention to himself.

“Yeah, right? And I was stuck in the middle of making something based on my love when that had completely wiped away. And I really started thinking about not just my emotions but how I feel them too and how fast they can change. A few words can change everything. One person can turn everything on it’s side and spin it so it’s something completely different than what it began as.

“For me those words were ‘I’m his husband’ and the person was, well, his husband.” 

This time the boos were more consolidated. Next to him, Namjoon shouted, “Your ex sucks!”

“He does!” Jungkook agreed enthusiastically. Yoongi could tell the moment Jungkook made eye contact with Minjae. A grin overtook Jungkook’s face, almost like he was a predator who had just caught his prey and Minjae swallowed thickly. “I had felt like my world turned upside down and that life wouldn’t go on. But it did, and I got over it and fell in love, for real this time. And that’s what this project represents to me.” Jungkook glanced back over to Jimin again. “Jimin hyung represents all the feelings I have inside me, and everything I feel for him now.”

Everyone awed as the couple looked at each other again, incredibly fond and so in love.

“And do you want to know the best part of all this?” Everyone leaned in, completely captivated as Minjae was looking for an escape route. “He’s here today. My ex. And he had the nerve to bring his husband with him.” 

“Yoongi I don’t feel good I have to go,” Minjae mumbled, trying to make his escape through the crowd, but Namjoon and Seokjin blocked his way and Yoongi grabbed his wrist. 

“He’s almost finished, don’t be rude,” Yoongi whispered, but Minjae pulled away, frantically looking around for somewhere to go. 

But he was cornered.

“Lee Minjae,” Jungkook said, his gaze landing right on him, freezing mid step. Everyone in the room turned on Minjae, everyone’s attention on him. “You’re a lying, manipulative asshole and you don’t deserve me, Jimin hyung, or your husband. I hope you rot.”

Minjae tried to flee again, but this time Yoongi grabbed his arm, whipping him back around, eyes as sharp as daggers.

“What did he just say?” he asked, voice low, but the room was quiet enough that everyone heard as they watched.

“I have to go,” Minjae said, pushing him away and rushing out of the crowd and down the hall. Yoongi followed him, the crowd parting easily for him.

“Well, now that that’s out there, thank you everyone except him for coming! I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening!” Jungkook finished, grabbing Jimin’s hand and pulling him out of the room.

Yoongi rushed after Minjae through the maze of the gallery, losing him after a few turns, but his phone buzzed.

Taehyung [7:07 pm]
go left
then right

Yoongi took his directions, Taehyung sending him live updates on where to go. 

Taehyung [7:09 pm]
right at the corner
you should intercept him

Just as Taehyung said, once he turned the corner, Minjae was there, appearing from a different hall. He looked frantic, looking around like he was trying to find out where to go now, unsure how to make his way out of this maze of a museum. When he spotted Yoongi, he jumped as Yoongi approached him. Yoongi crossed his arms, doing his best to pull off the pissed off husband role even though inside he was feeling nothing short of elated that this was all going as planned and Minjae was panicking.

“Yoongi, I can explain,” he tried, backing up with his arms up like he was dealing with a feral wild animal. “This is all some huge misunderstanding.”

“Is it?” He asked, wondering how Minjae was going to try and defend himself and spin this in his favor.

“Look, I do know that guy, but I swear I’ve never slept with him. He came on to me and I turned him down and he was so persistent and asked over and over again, and he got pissed off when I kept saying no. He’s really just trying to get between us. I swear, I would never cheat on you. I wouldn’t do that. Yoons, you know me. I’d never.”

“If I recall correctly,” Jungkook started, appearing down one of the other coordinators, arms crossed. Taehyung was behind him, backing him up. “You’re the one who asked me out. And we dated for six months. Please explain how that’s a misunderstanding, because I’m really not getting that.”

“Or how you happened to fuck me behind his back too?” Jimin added, him and Hoseok walking out of the right hall. He was wearing a light shirt over the paint, probably to protect it and keep him warm. “So, what? Did you just happen to slip and fall and then, shit, somehow your dick was in my ass! Except that oh, that happened for eight months.”

“Or you just happened to tell me you loved me and cared for me and saw a future with me when you already had that with someone else?” Jungkook said, stepping forward. “Yeah, just a misunderstanding.”

“An accident,” Jimin said with a heartless smile. 

Minjae looked around, like he was trying to find a way to escape. The only open path was behind him, and as he turned to go that way, Namjoon and Seokjin stepped out from behind one of the statues, blocking that route too. He was cornered by all of them with nowhere to go and forced to face this and everything he’s done.

Minjae turned to Yoongi, desperate. “Yoongi, please, don’t believe them. They’re lying about this, I don’t know why, but they are. This isn’t true.”

Yoongi looked at Minjae for a moment like he was contemplating whether he should take Minjae’s words or not.

“Minjae, I’m going to give you one chance to tell me the truth before I ask them for proof. Tell me the damn truth. Are they telling the truth?”

“Yes,” Minjae said quietly, and then he rushed forward, grabbing onto Yoongi’s forearm. “But babe, please, I swear they didn’t mean anything to me, it was just sex.”

“Is that supposed to make it better?” Yoongi asked. “Knowing that you just slept with them? That doesn’t change anything Minjae!”

“I only have feelings for you, I swear. This was just me looking for something physical. I mean, come on Yoongi, I can’t remember the last time we had sex before Thailand. I know what I did was wrong, and I am so sorry for betraying you like that, but there weren’t feelings, it was just physical. I still love you and only you.”

On his left, Jungkook snorted. “Minjae we didn’t sleep together until four months after we started dating, and you’re trying to tell him that it was just physical between us? The majority of our relationship wasn’t physical at all.”

“Call him out!” Jimin cheered, enjoying this immensely, which is exactly how much he should be. “Our relationship was all physical, but he made time to complain about his husband every chance he got.”

Minjae was distressed. Yoongi could see the sweat beginning to accumulate, dripping down his face and staining his shirt. He turned back to Yoongi with a desperate expression.

“What do you have to say to that?” Yoongi challenged. 

“Are you really going to believe them over me? We’ve known each other for years, and you’ve known them, what, five minutes?”

“More like three months, but sure, okay. I should definitely trust your word over theirs when they have done nothing except be truthful and honest with me while all you’ve done is feed me lies.”

“If you knew about this three months ago, why didn’t you say something then? You should have brought it up! Why would you hold on to this and let it make you even more bitter?”

“Do not try and spin this and make this my fault. I was even more bitter and hateful back then than I am right now, so you should be grateful I waited until my head was settled and in a place where I could think about this. I took these three months to seriously consider our relationship. We’ve been together for nine years, nine. Part of me was hopeful that there was a way you could redeem yourself from all this, but you couldn’t. And I’ve heard everything I want to hear from you.”

“Yoongi, please, baby, they didn’t mean anything to me. I know I messed up, but I’m human, I swear it didn’t mean anything. You’re my forever, remember? We’re married, that means something. I love you and I’m sorry for everything, this will never happen again. I want to have a family and future with you, they mean nothing to me. It was just physical, which I know that’s not good, but, fuck, Yoongi, you’re all I have. I need you.”

He was scrambling, trying to hold on to fraying threads to salvage any part of his dignity and the respect Yoongi had for him. 

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Yoongi began. “I want you to do three things for me. First, you’re going to apologize. To all three of us.”

“Now?”

“That's good for you two?” Jimin shrugged and Jungkook gave Yoongi a thumbs up. “Yeah, now would be great. Unless you’re busy? Have another dick appointment scheduled you’re late to?” 

Minaje swallowed, turning to Jimin first. “Jimin-ssi, I’m sorry for sleeping with you when I was in a relationship, that was wrong of me.”

“You should probably apologize for shit talking your husband to me too,” Jimin said, and Minjae flinched. “I really thought he was an asshole, but he’s not. He’s really sweet, you were the jerk all along.”

“I’m sorry for misleading you on my relationship and Yoongi’s character.” 

“That didn’t sound sincere, but whatever. Yoongi hyung is the real person who needs that apology.”

Minjae turned to Jungkook next.

“Jungkook-ah—”

“Whoa whoa whoa, we aren’t on familiar terms anymore, ” the younger corrected.

Minjae nodded. “Jungkook-ssi, I’m sorry for leading you on and lying to you. That was wrong of me, and I understand I hurt you and I’m sorry. I was being selfish. I did not mean to hurt you or break your heart.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, I’m doing just fine, but thanks for your concern.”

Last, he turned back to Yoongi, regret and fear in his eyes.

“Yoongi, I am so sorry. I know this is terrible, and I know that this is something that is unforgivable, and I am so sorry for disrespecting you and our marriage. This past year has been so hard on me, and I know that’s not an excuse, but it was a weak moment. I should have just talked to you about it instead of seeking affection somewhere else. There are no words that can make this right, but I want to try, baby, I’m so sorry.”

He looked at Yoongi like he was expecting to be forgiven. Like he still wasn’t aware of what was coming. 

“So just to clarify, you did pursue a relationship with both of these men behind my back and both of their backs for months, and your excuse is that you had a tough year? What kind of bullshit is that?”

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how to make this right, please let me make this right. I really didn’t love them, you were just gone all the time and I got frustrated, and I know it’s wrong, but baby, please, I see a future with you. We were going to adopt kids soon, and we’re in marriage counseling and I thought that was going so well. I know we can work this out together and move past it, I’ll do anything. You’re my forever, and that’s so much bigger and more important than what I had with anyone else. Please.”

He was begging at this point and looked like he was prepared to move the moon for Yoongi if that’s what he asked for. On Minjae’s other sides, Jimin and Jungkook rolled their eyes.

“Way to throw us under the bus there,” Jungkook said. “Don’t lie, you had feelings for me. You almost cried when I broke up with you.”

“Yes, because maybe you had just made me buy you a meal that cost a million won,” he hissed at Jungkook. The younger just laughed at the memory.

“Oh, right, that was a really good steak. Jimin hyung and I really enjoyed that.”

Minjae turned back to Yoongi, eyes closed as he took a deep breath, like he was trying to collect himself. 

“Yoongi, this is between the both of us. This is our relationship, don’t let what they’re saying influence you, this is about both of us.”

“You’re right,” Yoongi said. “This is our relationship. But it stopped being just about the two of us the second you fucked someone else. You’re the one who brought these other people into our relationship, so don’t blame me or either of them for that. I don’t see how you don’t understand that I don’t care if it was just physical, which seems like a load of shit if you ask me, because you still cheated on me! How am I supposed to forgive that?”

“I know I’m asking a lot, but please, Yoongi, I can’t lose you. I can’t.” 

Yoongi just scoffed, pulled his phone out and dialed a number quickly. As it rang, he put it on speaker phone for everyone to hear. 

“Yoongi who are you—” Minjae started, but he didn’t have a chance to finish as the person on the other line picked up the call.

“Yoongi-ah? How are you? It’s so great to hear your voice.” Minjae went pale at his mother’s voice.

“Hi Eomeonim,” Yoongi greeted politely, like he always had, a deathly innocent tone to his words. “Your son is with me, and I think he has something he’d like to tell you.” 

“Minjae-ah? How are you sweetie?”

“I’m fine,” he said, voice thin.

“I’m glad you think so,” Yoongi laughed. “Tell her what you did.”

“Yoongi please—”

“What’s going on?” Minjae’s mother asked. 

“Nothing,” Minjae rushed to say. “Nothing Eomma, nothing, everything is fine.”

“This might be a good time to mention I have this whole fiasco being recorded,” Taehyung said, holding his phone up. “I’ll put it online and get you on every no hire list in the country, and if you flee somewhere else, I’ll get you on those too.” Minjae glared at Taehyung, but he just laughed in response. “You don’t get to fuck with my friends like that, I’m not afraid to play dirty.”

“What is going on?” Minjae’s mother asked, her voice growing more suspicious by the second.

“Your son has done something that he would like to tell you about, isn’t that right Minjae?”

“I…” Minjae took a deep breath, exhaling through his nose. “I cheated on Yoongi.”

The line was quiet, Yoongi would have thought the call dropped if he couldn’t see that it was still active on screen.

“Boy you better hope you didn’t say what I thought you just said,” Minaje’s mother said, her voice scarily calm. It probably would have been less frightening if she had shouted, and Minjae looked like he was going to shit his pants.

“Well?” Yoongi prompted, loving every second of this. “Did she hear incorrectly? Perhaps you should clarify sweetie.”

“I cheated on Yoongi,” he repeated. 

“With how many people again?”

“Two, but—”

“Was it just two?” Yoongi questioned. “Because I know that’s not true.”

“It wasn’t much more.”

“How much was it child,” his mother asked in a stern voice. “How many people did you cheat with.”

“Seven, but not at the same time some of them weren’t—” 

“And it wasn’t just sleeping with one of them right?” Yoongi interrupted, having no patience to hear his complaints. “You were dating some of them, correct? As if you weren’t married to me this entire time?” 

“Yes, I dated one of them. Look, Eomma, please, I know it’s wrong and I messed up but—”

“Hush, I don’t wish to speak to you at this moment. Yoongi dear, are you doing alright?” 

“I’m okay, thanks for asking ajumma.” The entire room noted the change in honorifics from the polite name for a mother in law to just the polite term for any middle aged woman.

“Well, despite my son being a complete ass, you are still welcome for dinner whenever you want Yoongi-ah, okay? Just as long as he doesn’t come.” 

“Thanks,” Yoongi said. He hadn’t expected that. “That’s really kind of you.”

“As for you boy, you better think long and hard about the man I raised you to be and where exactly you went wrong. Until you prove to me that you are mature and treat the people around you with respect, you are not welcome in this family.”

“Yes Eomma.” 

Yoongi finished the call out, putting his phone back in his pocket.

It was finally time.

“Last,” Yoongi said as Seokjin joined them where they were standing, a large packet of papers on a clipboard and a fancy fountain pen. “You’re going to sign these divorce papers.”

Minjae turned to him, finally realizing that everything had been leading up to this final moment. That Yoongi had already made his decision about this and there was nothing he could do to change his mind. He looked like a broken shell of the man Yoongi used to know, his confidence stripped away to show a scared, immature, self centered child who only thought of himself until it was too late.

He stepped closer to Yoongi, putting one hand on his arm and the other on his face.

“Yoongi. Please, I am so sorry. I want to fix this baby, please just tell me how to fix this between us.”

Yoongi pushed his hands off.

“There isn’t a thing you can do or say that will change my mind about this. You went from the person I loved most in this world to someone I have absolutely no respect for. You’ve been selfish and manipulative and have sunk far lower than the man I believed you to be. I don’t love you anymore. I might have loved the man you showed me, but I do not love who you really are. I can’t love a man who treats me as if I’m nothing.”

Minjae looked at the papers, a defiant expression rising on his face. “I’m not going to sign this. You need me to sign to get divorced, but I’m not doing it. We can work this out, I know we can. Whatever feelings you have about me now will go away and we will get through this, this is just a rough patch.”

“Just a rough patch my ass,” Namjoon said. “A rough patch is when Seokjin hyung and I had a disagreement on if I was moving in with him or he was moving in with me and we argued about it for a month and a half. Serial cheating on your husband doesn’t count as a rough patch. That’s just you being a dick.”

Minjae sent a glare towards Namjoon, but his friend stayed firm, glaring right back and flipping him off. 

“I’m still not signing.” Minjae turned back to Yoongi, jaw set. “You need my signature, and I’m not doing it. I don’t want to get divorced, and this requires both of us to agree.”

Yoongi just shrugged, pretending like he didn’t care.

“Well, that’s fine with me. I’ll take you to court on it if I have to. Seokjin hyung’s my lawyer and we won’t lose. You’ll be publicly embarrassed again over this, and I’ll do everything in my power to make it as terrible as it can be for you.” Yoongi stepped forward, taking the divorce papers from Seokjin and holding them out to Minjae. “I’m leaving whether you sign these or not. The only factors are how long it will take and how much of your dignity will remain intact. I can be patient. I’ve been patient for three months as we were getting this prepared. I can wait a few more with the peace of mind knowing that when we do meet in court I. Won’t. Lose.”

“Yoongi don’t do this,” Minjae pleaded again. “Please don’t do this. Just give me another chance, I’m begging.”

“You had your chance. You had several chances to make this right, but you didn’t. You were selfish and chose yourself over and over again. I don’t love the man you’ve become. I’m leaving and I’m not coming back. So make this easy for all of us and sign the damn papers.”

Minjae looked like he was caught between crying and screaming at him and Yoongi waited patiently for his response, refusing to show an ounce of doubt or crack in his confidence. 

Minjae put a hand out for the clipboard, and Yoongi passed it over, his heart speeding up in hope. 

This might actually work.

“Sign here,” Seokjin pointed on the first page, passing him the pen. Minjae stared at Yoongi, but he didn’t budge, staring right back, daring him to do something, to challenge Yoongi on this when he had no foundation to back him up.

“I’ve really lost you, haven’t I?” Minjae said quietly, looking at Yoongi through glassy eyes.

“We could have had a forever Minjae, but now, because of you, this is over. Hold that in your conscience when you think back on everything you lost. That this is because of you, and not me. That you’re losing me because of your selfish actions.”

As Minjae looked at him, Yoongi hoped he was taking one last look at everything he had let go. At everything he had lost for 

Minjae looked back down at the papers, hesitating. Then, he pressed the pen to paper and signed. 

Yoongi couldn’t even hold back the grin as relief washed over him. With one swipe of the pen, it was finished. Seokjin took the papers back, turning to Yoongi and pointing out the line that was for his signature. 

Grinning, he signed his name without another thought.

He was finally free.

Yoongi tugged the rings on his left ring finger off one at a time, first the wedding ring and then the engagement ring. He held them in his hand for a moment before turning his hand and letting them fall to the ground. 

After three long months, this was over.

The chains that were holding him back were finally gone from his ankle and he was free to live and love and not be tied down with someone who held him back and treated him badly. It felt like an entire new beginning, a fresh start where he was in control again. 

“Hyung, are we good?” he asked Seokjin, and his friend just rolled his eyes as he signed as the witness on the papers. 

“The papers are signed, you’re good Yoongi-ah.” 

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Yoongi strode past Minjae over to where Taehyung was, grabbed at the lapels of his jacket and kissed him. Taehyung stumbled back a few steps, not expecting it, but he caught up quickly, responding with the same enthusiasm, arms locking around Yoongi’s back and holding him close.

They pulled away to catch their breaths, staying close with their foreheads still pressed together.

“Now that you’re a single man, can I—” Taehyung began.

“Yes,” Yoongi interrupted. “Yes to everything.” And he kissed Taehyung again, the younger laughing into it.

“You don’t even know what I was going to ask.”

“Don’t care, you can have any part of me you want. I just want you.”

“You have me. I’m yours,” Taehyung promised. “I’m yours hyung.”

Yoongi did go home with Taehyung that night, but nothing happened between further than some kissing and cuddling, despite what they might have teased at earlier.

The next day, he woke in Taehyung’s arms in his bed full of pillows and soft blankets feeling happy and content. For the first time in a while, he didn’t feel like he was sinking in his own skin, but gently floating, his body and soul at peace with where he was.

Then everything from the night before sunk in again.

He wasn’t married anymore.

He had gotten divorced last night.

He was free to date and do whatever he pleased now with whoever he wanted. 

There was part of him who wanted to jump right into everything with Taehyung. He was in love, he just wanted to let himself love and be loved by someone in return.

But there was another part of him that was still hurt over everything that happened, that was still healing. It was a wound that had been open for so long, and last night gave it the closure it needed to start healing.

“I need time to find out who I am outside of a relationship,” Yoongi had explained over their morning coffee, holding Taehyung’s hand in his delicately, playing with his fingers. “I was with him for so long and I don’t want to bring that into our relationship. I need to find me again.”

Taehyung, like always, was understanding and supportive.

“It makes sense, hyung. I understand,” he said with a sad smile. 

“I don’t want this to be goodbye,” Yoongi explained. He couldn’t bear it if it was. Taehyung was someone so important to him now, he didn’t want to let him go. “I don’t Tae, I still have all these feelings for you, but it’s not fair of me to ask you to wait for me when I don’t even know when I’ll be ready to have a relationship with you, so I’m not going to ask you that. It wouldn’t be fair.”

“It wouldn’t be,” Taehyung agreed. “But you aren’t asking, I’m offering.” 

It was a spin on the same words Yoongi had told him when he offered to take him to Daegu. 

“I want to wait for you hyung,” he continued, holding Yoongi’s hand tighter. “I’ll wait a year if that’s what you need. Two even. You mean so much to me, and I can wait for something like this.”

Yoongi glanced up at him. “What do you mean by something like this?”

“I mean something real. Something important. Something…” Taehyung paused for a moment, thinking about his words. “Something that I think is worth giving my entire lifetime to. What’s a year or two compared to forever?” 

They parted ways that day as friends, not as lovers, despite how much they both wished to be more. But Yoongi needed this time to find himself. He needed this time to separate himself from everything that had happened with Minjae and just celebrate himself.  

But just because they weren’t dating didn’t mean they didn’t see each other constantly. 

They saw each other nearly every day. On the days they didn’t see each other in person they facetimed, usually right before going to bed, their phones close to their sleepy faces and the pictures hard to make out in their dark rooms as they talked about mindless things before one or the other eventually drifted off. There were only a few days where they were both so busy that they couldn’t see each other at all, but they both still managed to send a goodnight text at bed, even if that was at noon when Yoongi got back from a long overnight shift at the hospital and it was nowhere near time for a normal person to head to bed. But he always sent that text before letting himself drop onto his bed and pass out for the next ten hours. And every time he woke up in the morning, there was a text from Taehyung waiting for him. 

It was like it was in those weeks before Daegu, where they met up at every possible chance to get lunch or grab a coffee or take a walk in the park or have a movie night at each other’s places, except better.  

They met up for lunch and dinner and coffee when they didn’t have the time to have a full meal. They had movie nights, went to museums, and took walks in the park and around the city, sometimes at odd hours of the night when neither of them could sleep. Sometimes they played games, sometimes they just talked, and other times they just existed in each other’s presence as they scrolled down social media on their own phones.

And sometimes Taehyung came over to torment Minjae while he was packing the last of his belongings out of what was now Yoongi’s house.

“Does he have to be here for this?” Minjae asked, gesturing to Taehyung who was sprawled out on the living room carpet, playing with Holly. Holly was enjoying himself, his tail wagging rapidly as he bounced around Taehyung, jumping on him and playfully nipping at his fingers. Taehyung laughed loudly, sitting up and hugging Holly, and Yoongi thought that sound was as close to heaven as he would ever get. 

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Taehyung asked, sparing a glance up towards Minjae who was packing his belongings from one of the closets. “I’m stealing your husband and moving into where you’re moving out. Holly already loves me more than you, too…just like your husband!”

“Not his husband anymore,” Yoongi chimed in, sitting on the couch near where Taehyung was still sitting on the floor. The younger adjusted himself so he was leaning against Yoongi’s thigh, and Yoongi started dragging his hand through Taehyung’s curls. His hair was wild today, a little long and hanging in his eyes and he had dyed it back to a darker brown. 

Taehyung let out a content hum, pushing his head back into Yoongi’s hand to get him to continue.

“Oh, I know,” Taehyung said, looking Yoongi over and biting his lip. “Lucky me.”

“Did you seriously check me out when I’m wearing scrubs?” Yoongi laughed, and Taehyung just shrugged, trying not to disturb Holly. 

“What can I say? It’s kind of sexy. You fulfill every doctor fantasy I’ve ever had, Dr. Min,” Taehyung bit his lip, definitely playing the part up to get on Minjae’s nerves. 

And boy, it was working. 

Yoongi had to keep back his laughter as Minjae fumed, throwing all of his things in boxes and probably breaking some stuff. Taehyung, on the other hand, didn’t hold back any of his laughter, fully and unabashedly enjoying every second of this. 

“Yoongi can I talk to you?” Minjae asked, irritated.

“What’s up?” Yoongi didn’t move from his spot, still scratching Taehyung’s head, not even looking back at Minjae. 

“Privately,” he clarified.

“No thank you,” Yoongi declined. “Anything you have to say, you can say it here.”

Minjae huffed, annoyed. “Yoongi, look, it isn’t too late to take this all back. I really messed up, I know I did. I’m sorry, and I know we can work this out.”

“Okay, thanks for the apology.”

Minjae waited, but Yoongi didn’t respond to his other words, and he pressed again. “Please just give me one more chance?” 

He was using his pouting voice, and Taehyung snorted, grabbing Yoongi’s hand and kissing his palm and then his wrist.

“And why should I?” Yoongi challenged, glancing at his ex-husband. 

“Because I love you.”

Yoongi shook his head. “You’re very misled if you think that will get me to come back to you. This is over. Please take your things and leave my house.”

Minjae glared at him for a while, as if that would get him to change his mind, but when he saw that Yoongi really wasn’t going to reconsider, now or ever, he sighed again, shoulders slumping as he picked up his last box.

“I guess this is goodbye then,” he said.

“It is. Have a nice life,” Yoongi replied.

“I know we will!” Taehyung chimed in, and Minjae turned out the door, slamming it behind him.

And hey, if they kissed sometimes when they were drunk, that was okay. Because they were in love and they both knew that and all their friends knew that.

Like on Yoongi’s birthday when they both got wasted, their faces flushed red from the beer and liquor, words a little slurred and movements lethargic and slow. 

“Tae, I, I f-fuckin’, fucking love you, you know that right?” Yoongi said, trying to put his hand on Taehyung’s cheek but missed and instead covered one of his eyes and ears. Taehyung didn’t seem to mind, he just nodded clumsily.

“I know hyung. Hyung—hyung I know, you’re my cutest hyung, I love you like so so so sooo much. You’re so cute I wanna—wanna die you’re so adorable.”

“Okay, I just wanted, j-just wanted to tell you ‘n case you forgot.”

Taehyung shook his head. “Didn’t, didn’t forget hyung, couldn’ forget that. ‘ll never forget that. Never gonna, never ‘onna forget you hyung.”

They kissed sloppily after that, barely managing to land on each other’s mouths and kissing a little too far on one side or the other, but they adjusted and they were drunk and didn’t care.

“I want them to stop because this is McDonalds, but also they’re happy so I’m just going to let it happen,” Hoseok said somewhere around them, his words hazily passing through Yoongi’s mind as he turned his head and kissed Taehyung harder, the younger making a pleased sound as he grabbed at Yoongi’s collar clumsily. 

“It’s his birthday, we’ll let it slide this time,” Seokjin sighed, rubbing his temples. “They’re such a mess.”

But other times they kissed when they were completely sober. It was less frequent, but it still happened. Never on the lips, but on the forehead, nose, cheek, hand. Usually it was to comfort one another, when they weren’t feeling well, like when Taehyung came back to Yoongi’s after a tough day at work. He had curled up in his arms, somehow looking so small, and Yoongi just whispered comforting words to him as he pressed kisses to his hair. Taehyung had eventually sat up and kissed his cheek, a gentle thanks.

It surprisingly took a long time for someone to call them out on it. 

It was July, a month before Namjoon’s and Seokjin’s wedding was scheduled, and Yoongi had gone with Seokjin to get his suit tailored and help out with other wedding tasks when he brought it up. Seokjin was busy with the tailor, talking about the fit of the suit when Yoongi received a text from Taehyung.

Tae 💜 [2:22 pm]
hyuuuuuuuuung!!!
wanna get dinner later??
there’s nepalese place my boss was talking about and now I wanna gooooo

“Who’s that?” Seokjin asked, turning to glance back at Yoongi.

“Taehyung,” Yoongi answered, texting back a positive response and a suggestion that he would pick Taeyung up from work so they could go together. “We’re getting dinner later.”

Seokjin sighed dramatically.

“When are you and Taehyung going to actually make it official and date?” The tailor started making a few adjustments here and there, expertly pinning the fabric where the alterations were needed.

“We’re just friends hyung.” Seokjin looked around the room, like he was searching for something and Yoongi gave him an odd look. “What are you looking for?”

“Oh, nothing. Just the people you were trying to fool with that bullshit.” Seokjin turned back to him, his eyebrow raised. “Don’t get me wrong, I think it was a good idea that you didn’t jump into dating after Minjae and that you took some time for yourself, but recently you two have basically been dating without the formal title of it. Jesus Yoongi, his name has a heart in your phone! Why not just make that official?”

Yoongi thought about it.

Thought about what dating Taehyung for real would be like. And honestly, not much would change between them if they took that step. They already spent time together, both at each other’s houses and outside of them. But if they were dating, Yoongi would be able to hold Taehyung’s hand in his when they walked down the street to get street food. He’d be able to kiss him when he picked him up from work. He could cuddle up to him at night when he got in from a late shift. 

This really wouldn’t change them, but the few things that would change were so important.

Later, when Taehyung slid into the passenger seat of Yoongi’s car after getting off work, Yoongi hardly gave him time to breathe before asking him, the question on his tongue ever since Seokjin had brought it up hours earlier at the tailor.

“Do you want to go to the wedding with me?” 

Taehyung looked at him oddly as he buckled his seatbelt. “I’m already invited?”

“I mean, like with me,” he repeated, putting emphasis to try and convey his meaning, and Taehyung just tilted his head to the side, like he wasn’t sure what Yoongi was saying.

“Like on a date?”

“Yeah,” Yoongi said, scratching the back of his head. “I mean, I’m hyung’s best man, so I’ll be busy and I don’t really know how much time we will even be able to spend together since—”

“Hyung I’d love to go as your date,” Taehyung said, that boxy grin coming to his face as he pulled himself into a ball, putting his face in his knees like he was embarrassed. “I think that would be really nice.”

“Okay, cool. Cool. That makes me really happy.” 

Yoongi didn’t think it was possible for Taehyung’s grin to get even wider but it did. “Me too. I’m really looking forward to it now.”

He reached across the dashboard and took Taehyung’s hand in his, slowly, giving Taehyung time to move away. He didn’t. He moved into it, squeezing Yoongi’s hand back before bringing it to his mouth and pressing a kiss to his knuckles. 

“Me too,” Yoongi said. 

The wedding was the best ones Yoongi had ever attended this far in his life. Each detail shouted Seokjin and Namjoon and the perfect balance between the two of them, from the venue to the colors to the flowers and decorations. It was outdoors, something Namjoon had always wanted, but still elegant, matching Seokjin’s high end taste, decorated in a way that looked like it was a set for a wedding magazine photo shoot instead of a real ceremony.

“Are you ready?” Yoongi asked Seokjin, right before the ceremony, and he just laughed, fixing his cuff links. There wasn’t a single nerve in Seokjin’s body. He was relaxed, calm even, and looked like he was on cloud nine.

“Yoongi, I’ve been ready to marry this man for years.”

And that, Yoongi supposed, was the right attitude to have going into a marriage. 

Namjoon’s daughter Hyesoo was the flower girl, and the entire audience cooed as she threw flower petals everywhere with a big smile. Namjoon didn’t even make it through a full sentence of his vows before Seokjin started crying, which then made Namjoon cry too, both of them holding each other’s hands tightly as they cried in the middle of the ceremony. The entire thing was a mess, and Yoongi was in the process of trying to give them both tissues when Hyesoo broke free from where her mom was watching her and ran up to Seokjin and hugged his waist, burying her face in his side, which only made Namjoon cry harder.

Hyesoo had stayed up there with them, attached to Seokjin and not about to let go, and Seokjin and Namjoon eventually were able to get through their vows. By the end of the ceremony, there wasn’t a dry eye in the crowd, including Yoongi’s, who had done his best to discreetly wipe his eyes. His friends’ love was enough to fill the entire space, touching everyone’s hearts.

Then came the photos and cocktails and dinner and then the crowd was quieting down for the speeches and toasts. Yoongi grabbed the mic, standing up with his glass of champagne.

“First off, before I even begin, I’d like to take credit for this entire relationship since I introduced the two of them,” Yoongi said, getting some laughs from the crowd. He turned to the newlywed couple who were seated together, looking happier than they ever had. “If you don’t know me, my name is Min Yoongi. Namjoon and Seokjin are my two best friends, but today I’m Seokjin’s best man since he’s an only child and didn’t give his brother priority over me like Namjoon did, so hyung is now my only best friend.” 

That got a few more laughs as Yoongi sent a teasing look at Namjoon who was sitting next to his younger brother. “Seokjin hyung, Namjoon-ah, I’m glad you two were able to find each other in this world. The friendship, relationship, and love you’ve built together over these years is so incredible and is the kind of love that every person hopes to find in life.”

As he said that, Yoongi’s eyes found Taehyung’s in the crowd, seated next to Jungkook. He smiled at him thinking that maybe he had found that too.

“Love is more than a feeling,” he continued. “Marriage is more than a ceremony. It’s a commitment to choose each other and your relationship every day, to choose to stay in the moments that you want to leave, to choose to stick by each other’s sides in moments where you want to push each other away. It’s a commitment to always try, even when you’re tired and sick of trying. It’s a commitment to be there for each other, unconditionally.”

He turned back to Namjoon and Seokjin. “I’ve seen the two of them choose each other again and again and again and again. Every relationship has their bumps, and being friends with both of them, I heard all about them from both sides. But even in these times where things were tough and difficult, they never gave up on each other. And at the end of the day, they still picked each other. They chose the hard over the easy, the complex over the simple, each other over the world. They chose love. And they keep choosing love everyday.”

Namjoon and Seokjin looked at each other, smiling widely and lovingly, holding their hands together tightly.

“I hope you two never stop choosing love, and I wish you a happy and long marriage. Congratulations once again.” Yoongi raised their glasses, and everyone picked theirs up as well. His eyes found Taehyung’s in the crowd again. “To love.”

“To love!” everyone cheered, drinking from their champagne glasses. Taehyung mouthed the words back at Yoongi as everyone repeated them, eyes not leaving Yoongi’s as he took a drink from his glass. 

There were a few more speeches, and when everyone had finished, the dance floor opened up and the real party began. Across the room, the others were still finishing up their meals.

Jungkook was on a high, overwhelmed with the amount of love in the room. He was sensitive to things like that, getting emotional over this so easily, especially when he was here with Jimin, someone who he fell in love with a little bit more each day they spent together. 

A lot had changed for both of them in the last year. After the gallery, Jungkook’s name sort of blew up and Jimin’s alongside it, somehow gathering the interest of the art world, some galleries even offering to display some of his other pieces. Jimin had modeled his artwork once again, a month after the showcase, for a magazine and caught the eye of a modeling agency that he had been working with ever since. 

That one night had a rippling impact that changed their entire lives. Jungkook still went to school, but Jimin had dropped out, working full time with the agency and still picking up classes at Hoseok’s dance studio in his spare time, keeping his passion for dance in his life even if it meant long days and late nights. 

One moment can change everything. One person can change even more. 

Meeting Yoongi that night, all those months ago on the doorstep of his house was the first in this chain of moments that led him to this moment, to the wedding of two of his hyungs with a man he was in love with. These were people he didn’t even know this time last year but were now the most important people in his life now.

Some might call that luck, but Jungkook believed it was fate. They were all meant to meet, and this was just meant to be. The universe had brought them all together here, under the stars in one perfect moment.

“What are you thinking about?” Jimin asked him, leaning close with his hand on Jungkook’s knee. Jimin was someone who was objectively beautiful, Jungkook had always believed that. And now, after dating for nine months, he had seen Jimin at all different moments and that belief stayed strong. But today he was even more breathtaking than usual. Jungkook wondered how his lungs ever got enough air when he was around Jimin like this, with glitter shadow on his eyelids, light glossy lips, looking like he just walked off the cover of a magazine.

“About you. And about how we met.”

Jimin scrunched his nose and Jungkook wanted to kiss it. And nothing was stopping him so he did. 

“Why?” Jimin asked, pushing his lip out and pouting. Jungkook kissed him there too before shrugging. 

“Just wondering how different everything would have been if we didn’t meet. Or if I didn't run into you that day. Or if you didn’t give hyung a second chance.”

“Or if Taehyung didn’t lie about you breaking your phone to invite me to your apartment?” Jimin added with a laugh and Jungkook laughed with him at the memory. 

“I like to think I would have gotten around to asking you out, it just probably would have taken a little longer without him. I was so drawn to you even back then.”

“And now?” Jimin prompted, sliding his arm around Jungkook’s neck.

“Now I don’t want to be anywhere other than your side.” Jimin pulled him in for a sweet kiss, both of them smiling. 

Across the table, there was a commotion, and they both pulled away, turning to see what was going on. 

Hoseok rushed over, stopping right in front of Wheein who had been mid sip of her drink and fell down to his knees and grabbed her hands.

“Hoseok, what—” she started, but he cut her off, breathless.

“Wheein, sharing that capri sun with you on the second day of first grade was the best thing I’ve ever done. Baby, I want to share capri suns with you for the rest of my life. What do you say?”

Wheein nodded, looking like she was about to cry.

“You can always have half of my capri suns baby,” she said sniffling before grabbing Hoseok’s collar and tugging him up in for a passionate kiss. 

“Did he just—are they…what?” Jungkook stuttered, the couple wrapped up in each other with tears glistening in their eyes as they continued to kiss. 

“I think so,” Jimin said, voice cracking as he wiped a tear away. “That was so beautiful.”

Hoseok and Wheein separated for a moment, breathing heavily. “Do you have a ring?” Wheein asked.

“I’ll get you any ring you want,” Hoseok promised and then they were kissing again. Jungkook and Jimin turned away to give them some privacy. Not that it seemed like they cared if anyone saw them, anyways. Wheein was unapologetically groping her fiance’s ass like they were the only two people there as they made out like high schoolers who had ditched class and only had a few minutes before their teachers sent someone to look for them. It was kind of gross, but in a sweet way that warmed Jungkook’s heart.

He looked at Jimin, wondering if that would be them some day. If one day he’d get down on his knees and ask Jimin to marry him. If they’d walk down the aisle together. If they’d have a family together. If they’d grow old, side by side.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Jimin asked, glancing at him curiously.

“Because I love you.”

“It hasn’t been two years yet,” Jimin reminded him. “Don’t get any ideas yet Kook. We have a year and four months until I’ll agree to an engagement.”

“I know. I have the date marked on a calendar. But that’s not what I wanted to ask you.”

Jimin tilted his head. “What is it then?”

“I wasn’t going to ask tonight, but what the hell, love’s in the air and whatnot, you know with the whole wedding and like hyung and noona literally just got engaged like ten feet from us? And I swear I saw Yoongi hyung and Taehyung hyung sneaking off somewhere?” Jungkook started, sort of rambling like he did when he was nervous. “I’ve wanted to ask you this for a while, but I just never found the right time, so, you know, why not now?”

“What is it?” Jimin asked.

“I was wondering if you wanted to move in with me?” Jungkook asked, looking up at him shyly. “You practically already half live with me anyways, but I thought we could make it official? Um, and my lease is up and we can try and find somewhere that works for both of us well? That’s close to school and your work and everything? Preferably near a good take out place too and a dog park, but that’s really all I need to be happy—”

He was cut off by Jimin’s arms being thrown around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. 

“I’d love to move in with you Kook. I’d really love that.” Jimin pulled away just far enough to kiss Jungkook hard on the lips. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Jungkook said, grinning, imagining all the possibilities that their future could hold.

Next to him, Jimin was really starting to understand what Jungkook’s father had told him all those months ago, way back during Christmas break when they were in Busan. When you know you’re in love, sometimes you just know that it’s a forever love. Because what he had with Jungkook was a forever kind of love, the kind of love you’re lucky if you get to have it once in your life and rarely if ever comes twice.

“I want somewhere with lots of natural light so I can have plants,” Jimin said, still close, noses bumping. “And a big closet.”

“You’ll need that for all your clothes.” Jimin pushed him a bit, but Jungkook just laughed, bouncing back and kissing him again. 

“Most are for photo shoots.” Another kiss.

“Still have a lot. I want somewhere I can work on my art, even if it’s a corner of a room.” And another.

“It would be really nice to have somewhere I can dance too,” Jimin said. That was something he had always wanted, a mini dance studio. He never thought that he would be able to have that, but it was a possibility now, and that whole idea was so exciting. Nothing was holding him back anymore and he was free to make his future his own.

This time when their lips met, they lingered there for a while, kissing like they had a forever.

And they did. They had their own forever ahead of them with each other.

“Want to dance?” Jimin asked, holding his hand out to Jungkook.

“With you? Always.”

It wasn’t hard to find Taehyung in the crowd. It never was hard for Yoongi to spot him, no matter where they were or what he was wearing. It was like he had some sort of sixth sense that was sensitive to Taehyung’s whereabouts, always tingling and making his heart beat a little quicker when he was near.

He wore an unusual suit that Yoongi honestly couldn’t tell if it was vintage and thrifted or a five thousand dollar outfit and one of his odd ties that he loved so dearly. Either way, he looked like he was about to walk at fashion week. 

But maybe Yoongi was a little biased.

Taehyung turned and met his eyes, and Yoongi’s heart did that thing he only did when Taehyung looked at him and yep, he was biased. He was 100% biased when it came to Taehyung. 

“Having fun?”

“Loads,” Taehyung said, looping an arm around Yoongi’s waist and bringing him close. “But I think I’ll have a lot more fun now that my date is finally here.” 

Yoongi laughed, letting Taehyung pull him into a dance. “Well your date is really sorry for leaving you alone for so long.”

“As he should be,” Taehyung teased. “You left me with Jungkook and Jimin, the sappiest couple in the entire world. We’re at a wedding for someone else, and they still manage to out sappy them.” 

“I bet we could be more sappy than them,” Yoongi said, and Taehyung’s eyes lit up.

“Bet, I don’t think you have it in you to be that whipped.”

“Then clearly you don’t know exactly how whipped for you I am.”

Taehyung leaned forward, putting his chin in his hand. “Yeah? And how whipped is that, if I may ask?”

“I think if you asked me to run away with you right now I would say yes in a heartbeat.”

Taehyung smiled at him. “Where should we go?”

“Anywhere. I don’t care where, just as long as you’re there too.”

“Well I’m not asking you to run,” Taehyung said, “I’m asking you to stay.”

“Then I’ll stay,” Yoongi replied. “As long as you’re here, I’ll stay. For as long as you want me to.”

The entire room was heavy with love, couples all around them dancing together. Jimin and Jungkook were off to the side, spinning into each other’s arms, grinning happily together. Hoseok and Wheein were still caught in the corner somewhere, freshly engaged and in love. In the center, Seokjin and Namjoon were off in their own world together, slow dancing like they were the only two there with their foreheads pressed together to a song that was a little too upbeat for slow dancing.

“Would you ever do it again?” Taehyung asked, gesturing to their surroundings. “You know, have a wedding, get married. With everything that’s happened, do you think you would do it again?”

Yoongi thought back to everything that had happened in the past year. There was a lot of bad, but there was also a lot of good. He met some people that are now some of his greatest friends and built bonds that will stand a lifetime. He achieved his dream. He got rid of a man that was holding him back, that only saw him as an object and trophy husband to wait for him on the side. He turned another year older. He moved on.

And he fell in love again, against all odds. 

He found someone who loves him in return with the same passion and care that he was giving. Someone who makes him feel beautiful and extraordinary. Someone who himself was so extraordinary as well, who loved fiercely and loyally. Someone who was honest and made mistakes. Someone who knew how to apologize when he needed to and could accept them in return. Someone that Yoongi could go to on both his good and bad days. Someone who took that gaping hole in Yoongi’s heart and filled it with flowers and plants that grew and bloomed into something more beautiful than he knew he could ever have within himself and share with another person. Someone who meant so much to him in the deepest parts of his heart and soul.

And now here he was, that someone right in front of him.

Yoongi looked up at Taehyung, looked at his future, at his forever, and answered.

“Yeah, I think I would.”